It Was Wonderful

You barely slept. There are too many thoughts running through your head. You'd really like to talk to someone about what happened. But who?

Gerald stands stoically at the entrance of the small cavern, staring out into the darkness.

You seriously doubt that, as a human, he can see anything without a light source. It looks more as though he's been assigned the command [Stand Guard], and apparently that command includes staring into the darkness whether it makes sense or not.

He can hear plenty, though.

The steady plip-plip-plip of dripping water. A grinding noise somewhere in the distance, like stone rubbing against stone. The quick scurrying and squeaking of small creatures. Every now and then, far away, a scream suddenly cuts through the darkness.

You can't tell whether it came from an animal or something more intelligent.

If you listen long enough, you begin to suspect that the sounds are simply looping. Like an ambient soundtrack designed to establish the mood rather than provide any genuinely useful information.

After a predetermined amount of time—you have no idea how Gerald knows when it has elapsed—his watch ends.

He wakes the other two.

And then the morning routine begins. Light source activated. Sleeping mats rolled up. Breakfast consumed. Wounds treated. Weapons sharpened.

Selena sits down and studies the writing in a thick book she pulls from beneath her robe.

Throughout all of this, they barely pay any attention to you.

You almost feel like an object. A piece of inventory. Something the three of them acknowledge exists without actually considering it a person.

You offer to search for mushrooms. Or water. Anything useful.

Nobody responds.

Even Pivo—and that hurts more than you would like to admit—doesn't say a single word to you.

Did last night mean nothing to her?

Was it just a brief diversion? A little minigame that stopped being interesting once the objective had been completed?

You begin to wonder whether it was even real. Maybe you dreamed the whole thing.

Then Pivo suddenly raises her head.

She blinks once.

Looks at you.

And smiles.

It feels as though the sun has risen somewhere deep beneath the earth. The warmth that spreads through you is almost overwhelming. A single smile is enough to tell you that whatever happened between you was something special after all.

A moment later, Selena and Gerald look up as well.

Something has changed. Their movements no longer seem mechanical. Their actions no longer follow the same predictable sequence.

You wonder what just happened.

"Okay, guys, I did some research last night."

Selena closes her book.

"According to the player forums, the Goblin King's lair is one level below us. There's a secret passage besides the main entrance that bypasses the outer defenses."

She pauses.

"However, the alternate route is trapped."

Pivo raises an eyebrow.

"Probably designed by the devs for parties with fewer Tanks and Damage Dealers—parties that can't rely on brute force to get through."

She looks at Pivo.

"That should work in your favor."

The halfling girl grins.

Selena gets to her feet. "So, what are we waiting for? I want to finish this quest already, after we wasted the entire session yesterday because of a useless NPC."

Without even looking at you, she marches off. Gerald follows.

You start after them. But Pivo catches you by the arm.

"I wanted to tell you something." She lowers her voice. "I'm not usually like that. I mean... about last night."

She hesitates.

"Honestly, it was the first time I've ever done anything like that. I know it's possible, of course. There's this game mechanic. But I've never wanted to do it with another player."

Her voice becomes quieter.

"It could get really awkward when you eventually meet someone in real life and know what your characters did together."

She trails off and stares into the distance.

"But then I looked at your character sheet and saw the [Explicit] Tag." She smiles. "And I just knew I wanted to try it with you."

A pause.

"It was wonderful."

She gives you a quick kiss on the cheek.

"We have to do it again soon."

Then she hurries off to catch up with the others.

You stand there with your mouth hanging open. You understood perhaps half of what she said. But you understood the important part.

She thought it was wonderful.
And she wants to do it again.

As you finally set off after them, you have to make a conscious effort not to whistle cheerfully. The grin, however, refuses to leave your face.