Jeremy

Xiaohua and I don't mind. Come over to our place Sunday afternoon. We'll have snacks.

"Jeremy?" Drew groaned, "couldn't we wait for someone else to answer?"

Jen pursed her lips, very hesitant to argue against him, but unable to avoid reasoning.

"It would be rude to ignore him. Let's give him a chance! Xiaohua will be there."

Drew walked away to find something

"A lot of difference that will make."

On Sunday afternoon, Drew and Jen knocked on the front door of Jeremy and Xiaohua's house. They didn't need to wait even ten seconds outside before Xiaohua, Jeremy's girlfriend/domestic partner of many years, came out looking a little flushed and frazzled.

"Drew, Jen! It's so nice to see you! Jeremy only told me you were coming this morning, so we've been a bit busy setting things up."

"You didn't have to go to any trouble," said Jen, "it's just a casual hangout~"

As the ladies exchanged niceties, Drew looked leerily into the entry hallway to see if Jeremy was nearby.

"Come in! Get comfy!"

Xiaohua escorted them to the lounge. Jeremy was watching TV when they entered, but he quickly clicked off the show and stood up.

"So glad you two could make it!"

Jeremy (55) was fairly handsome for his age, with a full head of black hair, a thin mustache, and a subdued but acute sense sense of fashion. Even the many lines running across his face seemed distinctive and elegant rather than the scars of age. He gave Drew a handshake and Jen a hug, both a bit too firm for their liking.

"It's been pretty boring around here, and I've been thinking to pick up a new hobby. I played D&D for a couple of years in high school (Did I ever tell you about that, Xiao-Xiao?), but it didn't stick. I had way too many things I wanted to do, but now as life starts to slow down I'm thinking that I'm just going to be having more and more time..."

Drew turned around just in time to see Xiaohua (32) slip a pocket mirror into her pants pocket. She was attentively nodding along, still appearing a little high-strung, but now better masked with her hair straightened out and makeup on. How long had that been, twenty seconds?

"So!" Jeremy clapped his hands together. "What game did you decide to bring? Hopefully nothing too played out?"

"Well," said Jen, putting the game on the table, "It's not Monopoly, that's for sure."

Xiaohua squinted at the game box.

"Ehmu... eemu... passoo? Pass-yu?" Xiaohua sounded out. "What language is that?"

Before Jen could manage an 'I don't know,' Jeremy swooped in.

"Probably something to do with passage? And 'Emû' is probably a simple word like a common object or a pronoun, so it's probably means something like 'let's go?' or 'in passing?' Maybe like en passant..."

Xiaohua sat down quietly.

"Sounds plausible..."

"So the rules are one roll and one draw per turn," said Jen, as she took the fish piece, "first to the center of the board wins."

Xiaohua picked up the wolf piece, but Jeremy quickly offered her the cat piece.

"Here you go, Xiao-Xiao! <3"

Xiaohua traded without protest, as Drew picked up the woman piece.

"How about we go in alphabetical order?" said Jen. "First Drew, then..."

"Sure, sure," said Jeremy, "but here, let me show Xiaohua how to play first."

He swiped the dice as Jen was about to pass them to her husband.

"So each turn you roll two dice to determine your movement, and then draw a card from the deck."

Xiaohua nodded politely as Drew and Jen rolled their eyes into the backs of their heads.

"See, watch. First roll..."