Of Dinner and Distant Discoveries

John and Ela spent some time driving around in search of a place to eat. Their journey was relatively pleasant and peaceful, devoid of the heaviness they’d left behind. The Gamer had enjoyed taking some time to hear about what his companion thought about America, in comparison to all the other places she’d lived before. He’d hardly ever left Springfield in his life and she’d been halfway across the world.

She hadn’t been in the country for very long, but her initial impressions had been decent enough. Ela had been impressed by Ashcroft’s campus and study structure, though she found many of its students quite abrasive, an opinion that The Gamer could only echo. The blonde was hoping that she could complete formal mundane education quickly, though she wasn’t entirely sure what she wanted to do after that.

Ela had been enjoying the location at least. Springfield was surrounded by some nice forested areas, with a beautiful river running through it. Plus, the city was quite rich in ambient mana, which gave it quite a pleasant atmosphere. Multiple leylines - fountains of natural energy - crossed underneath the city, which had drawn several important groups to the area in decades prior, though resources and development had dried up as territorial conflicts in Europe reignited.

Besides that, life as a civilian here offered far more options for food than living on a naval base in Scotland, which was her biggest upside of all. The blonde had been doing her best to locate all of her favorite kinds of cuisine throughout the city, and which places she’d prefer.

John was more than happy to let her have her choice. He’d been called a bit of a picky eater on occasion, but he wasn’t going to challenge her today. It was nice enough to get to go out to eat with a friend, something he wasn’t sure he’d ever done before. It was better that it was her.

The pair didn’t have to travel far to find what she was looking for. There was a local Greek restaurant just a few minutes away that Ela hadn’t gotten around to trying yet.

---

’Ugh. I have literally no idea how much money I had before we went in the dungeon,’ John lamented, eyes boring a hole through the number written on his inventory window. ’Well, I can sorta figure that I had to have had just over a thousand or so, since I think that’s what I earned yesterday, but that’s still quite a range.’

“Sorry. This is going to be a guesstimation on how much half of the rewards from the dungeon were,” The Gamer muttered, looking over at his companion in the driver’s seat. “Not even counting items.”

Ela took a moment to respond, watching the road cautiously as she turned into the restaurant’s parking lot. “That is fine. I did not agree to come along for the money. I was curious about your abilities, and you did level me up.”

“As long as you’re good with it.”

The Gamer shrugged, shifting in his seat so he could scratch the back of his neck. John tapped through his inventory to draw out the money. Carefully, he produced a relatively neat stack of twenty dollar bills and combined it with the separate bundle from his inventory. A bit more of his normal nervousness seeped into his mind as the nerd considered his next words carefully.

“I, um,” he started, an anxious whirl in his stomach. “I could cover dinner, at least…”

He added quickly, “If you want...”

’Dangit, John.’ He cursed himself internally. The Gamer had allowed himself the rare luxury of relaxing around Ela for much of their shared adventure in the dungeon. The threat of **** and the oppressive atmosphere of the ruined city had allowed him a sense of calm and camaraderie, whereas now his normal anxiety had returned in full ****. ’Come on. Clear words, full sentences. Just try and be normal for another couple of hours.’

You? Normal?

’You know what I mean!’

John was snapped back to reality as Ela brought the car to a stop. The engine’s rumble slowly tapered off as the vehicle settled. He exhaled more heavily than he meant to.

“That would be nice,” Ela sang, smiling. “Thank you. I will try not to eat away all of your money.”

“Haha,” John chuckled nervously, offering the stack of cash he’d pulled out to her. “We made a pretty good amount today, so unless you plan on eating everything they have, I think we’ll be alright. Your half is like two grand and some change.”

She whistled softly as she accepted her cut. “I did not realize just how much we had made this afternoon. Perhaps your powers are scaled for the Abyssal economy.”

The Gamer shrugged. “I still don’t know entirely what that means, but it’s certainly way more money than I’m used to making.”

A mischievous glint shone in Ela’s eye. “Maybe I do not need to feel bad about wanting to try all their appetizers.”

Her tone was joking, but John noticed how she bit her lip and the low grumble of her stomach. He smiled to himself, enjoying her excitement. “Alright, alright, come on. Let’s go and get a seat so we can order. I want the food to get here before you starve to ****.”

Ela stuck her tongue out at him and the two shared a laugh as they headed in.

---

Meanwhile, across town

Long, fiery red hair flowed freely behind a stern young woman, having just been freed from its braid. Armored boots echoed against pristine floors as she descended the stairs. Her movements were practiced and disciplined, as had been drilled into her since youth, yet they were stiffer than normal, a result of physical training just completed.

Moira Brighton had had a very strange afternoon. First, she had encountered a Late Bloomer for the first time in her life, one who had emerged from among her own classmates at Ashcroft. John Newman was one who even she as student council president could scarcely recall, yet he’d been dragged into the Abyss all the same, granted some manner of innate ability by an unknown benefactor.

Scarcely an hour after he’d left, her father had been suddenly called away into some important meeting, leaving Moira to train with the knights for the evening. Now, Cornelius had called her away from that training, summoning her to his study. His message had sounded quite urgent, so she’d only taken the time to stow away the heaviest pieces of her armor.

’I wonder what it is that he needs at this hour,’ she thought, reaching the floor with the sage’s office. ’I would have liked to take a shower before dinner.’

She sighed, suppressing the discomfort in her muscles as she strode swiftly through the opulent halls of the Order’s home base. The Shield Warden had been pushing her training harder and harder in recent weeks, and it was beginning to take its toll on her. Even with the Blessing, Moira had limits - ones which she’d been testing frequently as of late.

Pushing evaluation of her training aside, she arrived at her destination, knocking sharply on the worn wooden door. Cornelius’ study was in one of the older parts of the manor, nestled among libraries and research areas. This area had always made her feel uncomfortable; she’d been told that, as an infant, she’d been terribly ill, and it had been Cornelius who had cured her. She wondered if a part of her still remembered those days down here.

“Come in!” a warm voice called from within the room. Regardless of illnesses past, her father’s sage was like family to her, and she did enjoy coming to see him from time to time. Though his age showed from time to time, his loyalty and kindness were without equal.

The Warden entered to find the elder artificer's study in even more disarray than usual, with dozens of ancient tomes opened around the room, esoteric glyphs and charts covering almost every open surface. At the center of his workspace sat the strange item that had been lent to them by John Newman for study - a magical focus of some sort - suspended just above a glowing magical array. Its bright plastics and simple design seemed entirely out of place among carefully curated magical oddities.

Moira smiled as she spotted the old sage flipping through a wrinkled book in the corner. He seemed more intently focused than she’d seen him in quite some time. Mana flared through his enchanted spectacles as he glanced over at her..

“Hello Cornelius,” she said, stepping inside and closing the door behind her. “You requested my presence?”

A wrinkled grin spread across his face as he seemed to realize what was going on. “Ah! Yes. Thank you for coming so quickly. I do apologize for interrupting your training.”

The grandfatherly artificer stood, setting down his tome on a nearby desk and walking over to greet the young woman. He nodded respectfully, deferring to her status as Warden, though she offered a familiar smile to him.

“What can I help you with?” she asked, looking around at the ongoing investigation.

“Ah, well,” Cornelius started, pausing as he seemed to resolve something internally. “Might I please see your shield? I need to use it as a reference, and it has been many years since I have inspected it with my own eyes.”

Moira moved her hand slowly to her neck, where a shield pendant hung from a shimmering golden chain. “Of course.”

She willed the chain to unclasp, pulling the jewelry from her neck. It began to heat up in her hand, a brilliant orange-golden light building within the gilded shield. It grew in her hand, expanding and warping until she held a full-size kite shield in her hand, emblazoned with a stunning gilded rose on its face.

The Warden held her breath as she once more felt both the weight of the Lady’s shield and the responsibility passed from her forebears. With reverence, she presented the blessed armament to him. None besides her could wield it, so she held it up towards him as he channeled his mana into his enchanted spectacles.

“I thought so,” he muttered beneath his breath, reverently placing a hand on the faintly warm shield’s face. “Even my old eyes would not mistake Her artistry for another’s…”

As he did his work, Moira looked to the array at the center of the room, connecting dots in her brain. “Are you intending to compare it against the item that Newman left behind today?”

After a moment’s careful inspection, the sage nodded solemnly, a heavy, serious expression upon his face.

Moira furrowed her brow, confusion blooming within her. “Does that mean you think…?”

“Yes,” he stated, with conviction. “I had to see it in person again, to make certain. Not since the advent of the first Wardens more than a millennium ago has the Lady graced the world with one of Her blessed chosen, but there is no doubt in my mind who made this item. Its power may be meager in comparison, but it is flawlessly woven with mana in every way - as if Michalangelo had painted a children’s cartoon.”

The faintest hints of a chuckle escaped from the thoughtful sage’s mouth as he looked towards Moira. Words caught in the stern redhead’s throat as she processed the implications of her elder’s statement. Was it even possible? What would that mean for the Order? For her?

Carefully, Cornelius took his artificer’s enchanted glasses off, exhaling deeply. “I will summon the rest of the seers we have here and send copies of the array to the Spear and Sword branches - they should be allowed to confirm it.”

He swallowed thoughtfully. “John Newman’s powers come from the Lady herself.”

---

Across town

’How can she fit so much food inside her?’ John wondered, watching Ela finish her dessert.

She’d made a truly heroic effort to consume all she could get - multiple kinds of calamari appetizer, spanakopita, souvlaki, a gyro, plus dessert and several pitas. John had had to ask for far too many explanations of what she was getting, but she’d certainly enjoyed it all, even finishing off the leftover french fries from his own chicken pita order.

Silently, he sent an extra thanks to whoever had designed his powers that he was able to afford all of this. Not even two days ago, the thought of having to pay for such a feast would have made him physically ill. Now, he was able to reassuringly look at the cash balance in his inventory every time Ela ordered another dish. The joyous expressions she gave as she savored every bite helped, too.

The lengthy meal time had afforded another chance to discuss their hobbies, though it had been mostly John speaking this time, since his companion was preoccupied with the table in front of her for the most part. They’d had a good time comparing differences in how they’d first played through a few different games like Dragon Age, Mass Effect, and Dark Souls.

Ela tended to lean into role-playing and themed builds for her characters, sticking strictly to all the good-aligned choices. John was much more a power gamer, who tended towards mathematically optimal ways to get ahead - he did admit, though, that he felt bad whenever he was pressured to make choices that disappointed his companions.

Additionally, The Gamer had done his best to reciprocate for Ela’s storytelling earlier in the day by giving her an idea of what his life had been like, but the story of a shut-in nerd who played games all day was far less interesting than that of a magical knight.

’At least she’s someone who understands why I play games.’ John thought, checking his watch. “Hey, I probably ought to be getting home soon. Unfortunately, I still have some schoolwork to get done tonight.”

The blonde nodded. “I have some projects that I should work on as well. I suppose an early evening is a good idea all around.”

“Yeah,” John lamented, doing his best to discreetly summon the cash to pay for the meal.

“I think that the Auction can make cards that connect to pocket dimensions,” Ela whispered from across the table. “I have never connected someone to them before though, so I do not think I can help you tonight.”

The Gamer shrugged. “That’s fine. I, uh, don’t exactly go out and do this kind of stuff all the time. I can just deposit some stuff at the bank tomorrow if I need to.”

The blonde nodded, and started stacking their plates to assist the waitress clear everything away. John helped gather the silverware, putting some leftover fries and pita bread in a to go box for later. Once they’d paid and tipped, the pair got up and headed out of the restaurant, getting back in Ela’s car.

“So, what did you think?” John asked, buckling his seatbelt.

She scrunched her face up, thinking back on the meal. “It was pretty good, I think, though I have had much better before… when it was home made.”

“Ah, yeah, hard to beat stuff from home. My mom makes the best mac and cheese in Springfield, I promise.” The memory of the last family meal he’d had with his parents brought a wistful look to The Gamer’s eyes.

“Maybe I will have to try it someday,” Ela said, with a longing smile. With that, she pulled the car out of the parking lot and onto the main street back towards the residential area of Springfield. “Can you give me your address or directions?”

The thought of potentially having to introduce his mother to his knightly companion momentarily paralyzed The Gamer too much for him to respond. It had been a long time since he’d ever even had a friend to tell her about, let alone a girl. Faint waves of discomfort crashed against the shores of his mind. Still, behind those bad feelings was the spark of joy that he had a new friend at all.

“Are you alright?” the Bookworm Knight asked, glancing over at him.

“Uh, yeah, I’m fine,” he stammered, unable to maintain eye contact. “Here, I can set up GPS on my phone.”

“Cool.” Ela smiled.

“So…” John started, deciding to move the conversation towards something safer for his mental state. “You mentioned earlier something about me running ‘wrong?’ or something along those lines? What does that mean?”

“It means what I said,” she answered. “You run like someone who learned to do it from Scooby-Doo.”

“I will not listen to Scooby-Doo slander,” he countered defensively.

Ela giggled. “The show is fun, but you should not be using it as a guide. You lean forward or backwards sometimes, and you slouch and wave your arms. You are wasting energy and slowing yourself down.

“I am not suggesting that you learn a proper martial art or anything right away,” she continued, “but improving your fitness could keep you alive, even if you intend to remain a caster.”

John sighed. “Of course. Physical education is my worst class, just so you know.”

“Increasing your mana will likely lead to increased muscle development and density, so I would expect that to change quickly at your current rate of development.” the blonde said, matter-of-factly. “It… may also be associated with increased appetite, since you will be using more energy.”

’I like her doctor voice,’ he thought idly. ’Some bulking up would be nice. I’m a bit of a string bean right now. I wonder if that is affected by my stat distribution in any way.’

The two settled in for a comfortable drive home. By now, John had begun to pick up on the rhythms of the musical they were in the middle of, and he was allowing himself to become immersed in the flow of it all. That was how the two of them ended up humming along together to Polish musical numbers as they traveled to The Gamer’s home.

---

The Gamer stepped out of the car onto his own driveway, taking in the familiar sight of his home. It really was strikingly similar to Ela’s, and not terribly far away from hers either. He guessed that he could make the walk fairly comfortably if he needed to in the future. He was hoping he’d need to.

“You sure you don’t want the sword or the shield?” he asked, looking over his shoulder back into the vehicle. “It would only be fair.”

“I am sure,” she smiled. “I have no need for either right now.”

John shrugged. “OK, if you say so. I don’t plan on swapping my build any time soon, but I guess it can’t hurt to have them for an emergency.

“By the way…” he continued, a little quieter than before. “Thanks for everything today. Even… even beyond the dungeon. I, um, I don’t have a lot of friends, and it was really nice to get to know you today.”

She offered him the most beautiful smile he swore he’d ever seen. “You know, I do not have any friends here in Springfield, besides a few knights of the Order. So… It was nice to get to know you as well, John. I will see you tomorrow. I should always be in the library in the mornings.”

“See you tomorrow,” John beamed. “I’ll try and pay you a visit before classes start. Oh! I almost forgot…. Um, could I getyourphonenumber? …Just, you know, for if we want to do another dungeon or something.”

A blush crept up on his face, which he tried to hide by turning away slightly.

“Sure,” she sang, giggling ever so slightly. “You get flustered so easily.”

John’s cheeks remained red, but he graciously accepted her number in his phone all the same. And so The Gamer and the Bookworm Knight went their separate ways for the evening.