Drink!

Denaasi whooped and cheered as Alexa agreed to go for drinks, and the knight and the queen walked across the campsite to find the bar. In another clearing containing a range of stalls selling armour, weaponry, batteries and camping gear was a large tent, part of which was dedicated to a line of trestle tables acting as a bar servery, part of it given over to a couple of food businesses.

Emily sat at one of the picnic benches near the tent while Denaasi ordered drinks.

‘So how are you finding it all so far?’ Denaasi asked.

Emily laughed. ‘It’s a bit confusing, but I think I’m starting to get my head around it all!’

‘I remember that feeling,’ smiled Denaasi. ‘Just remember, it’s only a game. We are just actors playing parts, so whatever happens…’ she trailed off for a moment, ‘it’s just a job, yeah?’

‘I will,’ said Emily, unsure of what she was being told.

‘You are with Ted, right?’ Denaasi asked.

‘He’s my Game Master, yes.’

‘I like him, he’s sweet. I’ve got Bob this year. I’m planning to tease him a bit, let him walk in on me naked, that sort of thing, get him all hot under the collar!’

‘Oh, do you fancy him? Is it okay to have a bit of a crush on your Game Master?’

Denaasi laughed and winked. ‘A word to the wise: everybody has a crush on Ted, but I’ve never known any girl who’s managed to hook him. Maybe you’ll be the first?’ The girls clinked their glasses and Denaasi took a large swig of her drink. ‘No, I don’t fancy him. I just want to feel special, you know? I just want somebody to want me.’

‘But you’re the queen,’ Emily tried to reassure her, ‘surely everybody here wants you?’

‘They just want to see me naked, it’s different. I want somebody who wants to be close to me, not just to stare at my tits. Although,’ she sat back, squeezing her breasts together with both hands, ‘you’ve got to agree my tits are pretty fucking good!’

This lightened the mood, and soon the girls were drinking and laughing, talking about the boys sitting around in the bar, their recent jobs, and about the strange adventure they were about to embark on.

A little way behind Denaasi, Alexa noticed a large man sitting alone at another table. He had long white hair and black studded armour, and his face was rugged and handsome. She watched him drinking, staring at his strong, tanned forearm as he lifted his plastic tumbler of beer to his lips.

‘Who’s that?’ she asked the queen, ‘he doesn’t look like the rest of the customers.’

Denaasi turned to look. ‘Oh, well spotted! That’s Gerwald, he’s the champion of the Saviours. He’s hot, isn’t he?’

Emily smiled and shrugged, trying not to appear as though she had been thinking about walking over and sitting on his lap.

‘Don’t give me that!’ laughed Denaasi. ‘You know you wouldn’t kick him out of bed. He’s the one you’ll be fighting tomorrow in the tournament.’

This concerned Emily. She couldn’t fight him, he was enormous, and he actually looked cruel and dangerous. ‘Can’t we just go over and kill him now, if he’s one of the Saviours?’

‘No fighting in the bar,’ the queen shrugged. ‘You’re not getting out of it, he’s going to have his wicked way with you!’

Emily considered this, not entirely sure how she felt about him having his wicked way with her.

‘Anyway,’ said Denaasi, finishing her drink, ‘we’d better get back. Would you be kind enough to escort me to my bedchamber, my lady?’