Change for the Better

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Flynn tapped the eraser of his pencil on the elaborate paper in front of him and ran his fingers pensively through his loose ginger curls. Character creation was not to be taken lightly, since the choices he made now would affect his success in future campaigns. The issue was that War of Harmony’s stats were complex and interwoven, so one point in the wrong attribute would leave him at a disadvantage in picking up an ability he wanted. He often pondered how true-to-life this method was, in that in order to be good at something, you had to dedicate yourself to the skills it required.

Still, much like real life, Flynn was having a hard time deciding what he wanted to do with his character. He had a general idea of what he wanted the character to do, but now it was a matter of carefully planning the steps it took to get all the skills he needed. He definitely needed to increase his Intelligence rating, and the weapons he wanted required high Dexterity ratings, but he wasn’t sure if he should put more points towards Strength or Endurance. The question was did he care more about inflicting damage or recovering from it?

Only two other gamers had shown up by that point. Vince and Katie always joined any tabletop RPG group that formed in the area, unless they were already involved in too many games. Flynn had played with them before and they were decent players. They knew their strategies and the rules of the games and weren’t ones to get involved with petty bullshit or argue over trivial matters like some of the people Flynn encountered. He knew Matt, their Game Master, had invited newer players to their group, and he prayed none of them were thick-headed battle brutes. The last thing he needed was for someone to show up intending to be that guy who swung a giant sword at every problem.

The next person to enter their reserved study room at the public library was a blond guy in his early twenties who looked very lost. “Hey, is this where Matt’s War of Harmony game is meeting?”

Vince nodded. “Yep. Come on in. Do you have your own character sheet?”

“Uh, yeah, somewhere…” The newcomer shrugged off his backpack and fumbled through the pockets until he pulled out a slightly crumpled sheet identical to the one Flynn was pondering. “I brought ones for a Human and a Shigohm, since I don’t know which I really want but I know Shifters look complicated. I could use some help, if you guys don’t mind.”

“Absolutely!” Katie said. “What did you want to know…um…”

“Oh! I’m Rick.” He stuck out his hand, which all three of the veteran gamers shook as they made their introductions. “Well, first off, I’m having some difficulty understanding all the bonus and detriment rules, especially for the different Innate Elemental abilities.”

“Yeah, there are a lot of rules to remember,” Flynn said. “Best thing to do right off the bat is pick an element that suits the character you want. Like, do you want to be a Lifeborne with innate healing powers? Or maybe a Deathborne with bonuses to magical damage?”

“Um, I was actually thinking something like an Airborne assassin, with bonus points to Dexterity.” Rick’s eyes lit up. “And I could wear a cool cloak with a hood and maybe be like a blade for hire…”

“And would his name be Boba Fezio?” Vince teased.

“Um, more like Elektrina…” Rick said, his cheeks turning pink.

Vince snorted. “So you would be playing a girl?”

Rick blushed harder. “Yeah…”

“Good!” Katie said. “I won’t be the only female in the group then! Unless someone else here wants to cross-gender?”

“Not I!” Vince said. “I’m using an old character, my trusty Earthborne Brawler from the Fanged Mountains. I only need a couple more experience points before I can give him another dot in Strength and advance to the next tier.”

“And I’m planning on making a male Shigohm,” Flynn said. “Sorry, man. But don’t worry about it, plenty of players make opposite-gender characters. It adds an extra challenge to playing them.”

The encouragement relieved Rick immediately, and with help from Vince and Katie, he got to work on his character creation. Flynn, in the meantime, decided that since there was already going to be a Brawler in their group, he should put his points into Endurance. Shigohm had natural defense bonuses because of their tough reptilian skin, but being cold-blooded could lead to longer recovery times. Flynn didn’t want to slow everyone down by lagging behind to nurse his wounds.

Katie was helping Rick choose his character’s name when Matt arrived with the other two players. One was Matt’s younger brother, Jeremy, whom Flynn knew from previous games but had never seen play War of Harmony, and the other was a girl Flynn didn’t know, but wished he did. She had dark hair cropped into a stylish pixie cut and bright hazel eyes that lingered longer on Flynn as she looked around the room. She wore clothes that were baggy on her relatively fit frame, but even her loose T-shirt couldn’t hide the subtle bust from which the rest of the fabric hung. Flynn immediately straightened himself in his chair and gave her a friendly smile. She returned it briefly before setting her messenger bag next to an empty seat and easing herself into it.

She pulled a dice bag from her jacket pocket. “Who’s ready to play?” she asked.

“I hope these guys, because I have a doozy of a campaign for y’all,” Matt said with a devious grin. He most likely meant it, too. All the games he had run in the past, as far as Flynn knew, were detailed and intricate, and Matt planned for anything. No matter what twist the characters or players threw at him, he had a challenge waiting for them. Based on the proud glint in Matt’s eyes, it was clear this latest one was a masterpiece.

Introductions were made around the table. The new girl hesitated and looked to Matt briefly. He gave her a subtle shrug. The corner of her mouth twitched with unease. “I’m…Tanya.” Then suddenly the confidence she had shown upon first entering the room was back. “However, you’ll come to know me as Cethin Byrne, the Arrow out of Shadows.”

“I take it you’re playing a Darkborne then?” Katie inquired. “Awkward, mine is a Lightborne sorceress.”

Tanya waved her hand. “No problem. Cethin gets along well with all elemental classes, although he is more wary around Chaosbornes for obvious reasons.”

“Hey! Another cross-gender!” Flynn exclaimed. He clapped Rick on the back. “Told ya it wasn’t that uncommon.”

A brief flash of something like anxiety passed over Tanya’s face, but within seconds she had regained her cool demeanor. “Yeah, I always make male characters. More interesting in my opinion.”

Vince snorted somewhat incredulously. “If you think you can handle it. So are you an Archer, then?”

“Yep! Three points in ranged weapons, three in stealth, and two in throwing weapons for fun.”

“Ooo, sounds like you’re going to have competition for Sneakiest Character, Rick,” Vince teased.

Matt cleared his throat. “For that matter, why don’t we all go around and say whose character does what to make sure no one is stepping on anyone’s toes, shall we?”

Flynn wasn’t quite done with his character, so he let someone else go first. Jeremy was playing a Shigohm Fireborne Knight of the Divine with a sword that could burn like the sun. Vince had his Human Earthborne Brawler, who preferred hand-to-hand combat, but carried a short sword and a small shield. Katie’s Human Lightborne Sorceress had a crystal staff and knew some basic healing spells, so she could act as the healer since there were no Lifebornes in the party. Rick decided on a Human Assassin with martial arts skills and an arsenal of daggers. Tanya’s Darkborne Archer was a bit of a surprise since he was a Shifter with a panther as his original form.

“My first GM promised me bonus points if I gave my character a disadvantage,” Tanya explained. “Since non-conventional OF Shifters are pretty much the outcasts of the outcasts, it seemed like the simplest path to go. He does prefer a human form, although he keeps the amber eyes.”

“But wouldn’t that mean his mother was in panther form at his conception?” Vince inquired. Tanya nodded, causing Vince to grimace. “Gaaah, that must have been painful.”

“Yet another reason I got the bonus points. Spent them on increasing my Charisma and Focus stats. He’s only up to three Charisma, but it makes him likeable enough that people don’t necessarily care he’s a Shifter.”

“What’s his Focus rating?” Katie asked.

Tanya smirked. “Five.”

Everyone expressed their astonishment and jealousy. Attributes were divided into tiers, with a rating of five being the maximum for tier one. Until she had the same rating in two other attributes, that was the highest she could set it. Focus was used in calculating things like mental resilience, self-control, and influencing the minds of others. For their level, a rating of five was like being a Jedi.

“Is that so he can stop people from teasing him about his race?” Vince asked.

“Something to that effect,” Tanya said. “Plus, it was required before I could get the Change Control skill.”

“Makes sense,” Flynn said. In most cases, Shifters couldn’t mix and match forms. The Change Control skill meant a Shifter had the ability to remain between forms in some way, such as growing wings or having Shigohm scales on a Human body, or in Cethin’s case, maintaining his feline eyes in Human form.

Tanya looked at Flynn with an intrigued expression. Their eyes met for a moment, and Flynn was on the verge of coming up with some flirtatious line to turn that intrigue into genuine interest, but was interrupted by Matt. “That’s just leaves you, man. You said you were making a new character for this game?”

“Oh, right, yeah.” Flynn scanned his character sheet to determine the pertinent information. “Everyone, meet Bsakatesh Avicina. Bsak for short. He’s an Orderborne Shigohm dual-wielder. His two blades are named Vengeance and Mercy. Vengeance bears the sigils of the five masculine Divinities and Mercy bears the sigils of the five feminine Divinities. I put all but one of his Virtue points in Justice, and the last one is in Compassion. And since he’s Orderborne, I’m using his elemental advantage in Detection to take Detect Deception and Detect Traps, and I gave him Arcane Lore just because.”

Matt nodded in approval. “Very good, very good. He may or may not serve the party well.” His devious grin returned. Flynn knew from experience that now Matt would add to or alter his campaign with extra challenges for each of their characters, including throwing in obscure First Age lore references. He would have to find his PDFs of the game extension books and remember which one had the histories in it. It was something he knew he would have to do for his Arcane Lore skill anyway, but now Matt would probably expect him to know the names of all ten Exiled and ten Elevated High Dragons of the Great Revolt off the top of his head.

“Are we going to start playing right away?” Rick asked. “I haven’t finished picking all my skills yet.” He hastily flipped through the worn core book Matt had brought. “There are so many to choose from but I can only afford three more! And that’s if I don’t put more points into tracking or crafting!”

“Well, we officially have the space for another hour, but we can be here longer,” Matt said.

“Not really,” Katie interjected. “I have work at five.”

Matt sighed. “Correction: We—excluding Katie—can be here longer. Take the skills and stats you have, we can get through a couple of scenes, and maybe that will help you make decisions which we can nail down afterwards. Sound good to everyone?” Everyone expressed their agreement, especially Flynn, who had a few starting points of his own he needed to spend as well. Matt clapped his hands together. “Excellent!” he said with a gleeful smirk. He readied his dice and the players did the same. All except Tanya, who had had hers out the whole time and was simply watching Flynn.

“So,” Matt began. “You all meet in an inn…” His narrative was cut off by the groans and protests of the players.

Jeremy smacked his brother in the arm. “You said you had a good campaign planned! What the frig is this cliché bullshit?!”

Matt pouted. “I didn’t say how you all met in an inn! Let me get on with the story, damn it!”

“Fine,” Jeremy sighed. “One more stunt like that though, and I’m starting a mutiny.”

“Noted.” Matt cleared his throat and continued. “Each of you received a letter promising treasure and glory if you assisted in a mission of great importance. Your motives for accepting are your own, yet all of you were told to meet at this particular inn on the outskirts of Crooked Creek. Among you is a Human warrior named Sayasnan Kayed, although he insists you can call him ‘Sayas.’ He also claims to be in this for the glory and inquires as to why each of you showed up.”

“Depends,” Flynn said. “What kind of ‘mission of great importance’ is this?”

Matt grinned. “I can tell you what your letter said.”

Flynn pondered for a moment. “Oh, I see. In which case I’d like to roll my Interrogation to ask everyone else what their letters promised them.”

“Good on ya! Roll away.” Flynn made his roll. Out of five d10s, he had a two, a four, two eights, and a zero. “Okay, looks you’ve got four successes there.”

“Wait, don’t you only get a success if you roll an eight or higher?” Rick asked.

“He did,” Matt said. “And zeroes count for double unless you’re rolling for damage, remember?”

“Oh, yeah…” Rick dipped his head in embarrassment and bit his lips shut.

“Anyway, Flynn—er, Bsak—asks around. As it turns out, in addition to the whole ‘glory and riches’ reward listed, each of your letters also provides motivation tailor-made for their recipients. Bsak’s says it is a matter of maintaining elemental equilibrium, Ivory’s ensures there are ancient mystical artifacts, that sort of thing.”

“‘So whoever lured us here knows about us individually,’” Vince said, lowering his voice into the gravelly growl of his Brawler character.

“‘Indeed,’” said Katie, also imitating her character. “‘Either we have been spied upon, or our reputations proceed us.’”

“Sayas boasts, ‘It’s definitely the latter for me!’” said Matt. “‘I’m a fourth-generation Demi. My great-grandmother was the Warrior Deity of the Eastern Wastelands! I have led many into battle and gone on many quests! It is no wonder I would be chosen for such a task!’”

Flynn stared incredulously at Matt. “I’d like to roll for Detect Bullshit.”

Matt laughed. “Same rules for Detect Deception, Detection plus one for your Wisdom tier and pay a mote of energy.” Flynn rolled three successes and gained an extra two successes from his elemental alignment. “He’s embellishing, and his lineage isn’t that impressive. Otherwise, he’s not useless.”

Tanya straightened casually in her chair. “Cethin walks up to Sayas and says, ‘I’m sure you’re suited for the job, just like the rest of us. However, first we need to figure out what the job is.’”

“Luckily for you, the guy you’ve all been waiting for is here!” Matt announced. “An older Human in somewhat tattered but expensive-looking clothes enters the room. Only mottled streaks of his younger hair color remain amongst the white atop his head. He asks if you all got his letter.” After getting a confirmation from everyone, Matt went on. “He says, ‘Greetings. I am so glad you could make it. I am Sehimtay, and I am a scholar who has been studying the relics of the First Age.’”

“Detect Deception,” Flynn said.

Matt clicked his tongue. “So mistrusting. Go ahead.” He picked up some d10s and smirked.

Flynn groaned. “You’re making a Focus check, aren’t you? He’s clearly lying then!”

“Doesn’t matter. If you don’t beat his roll, you can’t know that.” Matt smiled impishly at Flynn’s scowl. They threw their dice simultaneously. Flynn rolled four successes, but his skill bonus only made him equal to the six Matt rolled. “He has been involved with relics of the First Age.” He withdrew his dice and said nothing more.

“That’s it?” Flynn asked.

“Hey, you want more information, you should have rolled better.”

“I have Detect Deception too,” Tanya said. “I would also like to roll.”

Matt shrugged. “Fine, but your Wisdom isn’t that high and you don’t have the elemental bonus.”

“I can still try.”

“Then go.” Matt rolled and got a four, but even with two fewer dice than Flynn, Tanya still managed to roll five successes. “Very well. Yes, he has an interest in relics, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s a scholar.”

“I choose not to share this information with the rest of the party until this guy has left,” Tanya said.

“Okay then. He tells you about the ruins of a fortress in the jungles less than a few weeks’ journey from Crooked Creek. It is somewhat of a local legend, but so far, no one has been able to find it. ‘I have a map of all its possible locations. Over the years I have narrowed it down to one final place.’ He spreads the map out on the table in front of you all. ‘They say a legion of Raihass himself was stationed here.’”

“‘I don’t see why this interests any of us,’” Jeremy said in character.

“‘Ah, my young lad, don’t you think that if I, a simple man of knowledge, knew of this fortress, that surely others would know as well? Perhaps Kariokh’s forces could make use of the treasures that have been locked away all these years.’”

Kariokh was one of the ten Exiled High Dragons who rose against the Divinities in the First Age. The entire Third Age began when the conflict between the Shigohm and the Humans accidentally freed him from his prison. Since then, Kariokh had amassed supporters and underground armies to help him regain his strength after millennia of incarceration. As the High Dragon of Wind, any relic of Raihass, High Exiled Dragon of Earth, would be of great use against him.

“Is this a fetch quest?” Vince demanded. “Seriously, Matt, if we’re going to run off and gather treasure for a guy we’re not even sure we can trust, then I’m just going to grapple this guy right now and roll until you tell us something useful.”

Matt frowned. “Rule 11 of Tabletop RPGs: Don’t break God. If you force me to improvise, it’s not going to end well for you.” Vince sighed and motioned for Matt to continue. “Thank ye kindly,” Matt said with sarcastic sweetness before continuing in character. “‘I would much rather the relics be in safe hands than in the hands of those who would use them for destruction. Besides, the fortress may hold clues as to how Kariokh can be resealed in his prison atop the Breaching Mountains. What say you, adventurers? Will you assist me?’”

Tanya bowed her head. “‘Sir, you can count my bow to your service.’”

“‘And if it means maintaining the balance of Earth and Air, I would be turning my back on my kin to deny such an offer,’” Flynn said.

Jeremy sighed. “‘Very well. If it means doing the work of a Divinity and reimprisoning one of the Betrayers, then I shall accompany you.’”

“‘Ah, but there is the thing.’ The old man gestures to the wrinkles on his face and the aging veins in his hands. ‘The journey is too much for an old man like me to take. I fear I would not be able to make it home from such an adventure. I was going to rally my research team and follow you, once you have determined the fortress’s exact location. Then I would be able to travel directly to it instead of wandering about on my weary old bones.’”

“‘Then we do all the work and you get all the credit?’” Vince asked. “‘That doesn’t sound very fair.’”

“‘Oh no, no, the credit is all yours my lad. My interest is purely academic. I fully understand it’s a first-come-first-serve situation. It matters little to me so long as my name is associated with the consequential research.’ At this Sayas stands and declares, ‘Then I see no reason why we should delay further and start this mission right away!’”

“Ivory tells him to be patient, since some of us require more preparation than others,” Katie said.

“‘Yeah man, way to be insensitive against magical practitioners,’” Jeremy said.

“‘Okay fine, I suppose we can wait until morning.’ Sehimtay claps his hands together in excitement. ‘Oh thank you! Thank you! May Jai’iran and all her Deified servants bless you on your way!’”

“I have a question,” Rick said.

“Are you asking in character or are you asking me?” Matt inquired.

“Oh, in character. ‘Um, if no one knows exactly where the fortress is, how are we supposed to find it? Or know what it looks like for that matter?’”

“‘I shall leave my map with you, so you will know where not to look, and I’m sure adventurers as capable as yourselves should have more luck than an old scholar like me.’ He gives you the map and a few books of notes from previous excursions to help you find your way. He continually thanks you before retiring to his room.”

“Okay, now I share my doubts with the rest of the group,” Tanya said. “‘Bsak, I noticed you casting doubtful glances at our employer as well. What did you think of him?’”

Flynn considered what a faux pas it would be to use his character to flirt with Tanya. Instead, he settled on adopting a noble air that would match Bsak’s disposition and perhaps make him look more attractive to her. “‘I sensed that he was not telling the whole truth, but from what I can tell, his interest in the artifacts is genuine.’”

“‘Be that as it may, he didn’t quite strike me as the scholarly type. However, I’m not sure of his true motives. We shall have to be on our guard at all times during this quest.’”

“‘So long as I get my fair share of the reward, I don’t care if he turns out to be Kariokh himself in disguise!’” Matt said in Sayas’s booming voice. “‘I could take him down if he tried anything sneaky anyway.’”

“‘That sort of brazen attitude is going to get you in trouble one of these day,’” said Jeremy. “‘I would keep my boasting to myself, were I you.’”

“‘This coming from a Fireborne? Please, I am not the most hot-headed person in this room.’”

“Is the sole purpose of this guy being here that we get to kill him?” Vince asked. “Because if that’s the case, then I call dibs.”

“Nope. No killing the GMPC. Otherwise it’s no fun.” Matt sat back smugly and gave Vince a look daring him to challenge his authority.

“Okay, let’s get on with it then. We’re wasting time.”

“Actually, guys, could we wrap this up soon?” Katie said. “I just realized I left my work ID card at home and I need to go get it, so I have to leave in like, twenty minutes.”

Matt rolled his eyes. “In that case, maybe we should just stop here now that everything is set up.” When this decision was met by groans from half the group, Matt put up his hands. “Look, we’ve got two characters who aren’t even complete yet, one party member on the way out, and there’s no telling how long the next scene will take. We’ll meet here same time next week and by then maybe we can get some actual gameplay done.”

After much grumblings, Matt got everyone to agree to the terms. Vince huffily shoved all of his equipment back in his bag and waited for the scene to end. Essentially all that was left was for the characters to make their preparations for the morning before checking into their rooms for the night then have Matt reward all the players with two experience points for showing up and making it through the first scene. Vince and Kelly got up and left, while Jeremy excused himself to check the library for any textbooks he would need for the upcoming spring semester. Matt and Rick pored over the core book while Flynn checked his own copy.

Tanya picked up her messenger bag and switched into the seat next to him. “Hi.”

“Hey.” Flynn smiled. Now he could really turn up the charm. “So, looks like we’re at the inn until morning. Whatever will we do to pass the time?”

“Hmmm, I was thinking we could compare skills. You said you have a few more points to spend, right?”

“Yeah…”

“Maybe we could pick some new skills that work with the ones I have. You’re all about duality and order, so why not plan some combo attacks?”

“I can hear you over there,” Matt said. “Don’t think you can team up on me.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, sweetheart,” Tanya said with a chuckle.

Flynn’s heart twinged. “Oh, are you two…um…”

“What?” Tanya gave him a puzzled look, then comprehension lit up her eyes and she laughed. “No, Matt and I aren’t together. We’ve known each other since we were kids. I’ve been in his Exalted and World of Darkness games before, but I just started playing War of Harmony even though I’ve had this character concept ever since it came out last year. I haven’t had much chance to game recently since…uh…well, I’ve been busy. Matt promised me he’d cut me some slack if I had to miss a few sessions.”

“Why would you have to miss a few sessions?” Flynn wanted to see her as much as possible.

Tanya’s face became a stony mask. “Personal reasons.” Her tone was so stern Flynn didn’t dare question it further.

“Well, maybe we could continue this discussion somewhere else? You know, so Matt can’t overhear us?” Flynn tried his best to sound nonchalant and hoped Matt would help set him up.

“Doesn’t matter if you two confer in secret or not.” Matt sat up straight and lowered his voice to sound more powerful and sinister. “I am the Game Master. This world is mine to command and you are simply pawns on my board. There is no strategy you can—”

“Cut it out, Matt,” Tanya interrupted. “You sound like a dweeb.”

Matt gasped in feigned offense. “I have been called many things. I have been called ‘dork,’ I have been called ‘nerd,’ some have even called me a weirdo, but never have I been called ‘dweeb.’” He shook his head. “Seriously, that insult went out in the 90’s. Next you’re gonna shove me into my locker then go use the school’s public phone to call your mom and have her get you home in time to watch Pinky and the Brain.”

Tanya pointed a warning finger. “Hey, Pinky and the Brain was a quality TV show and taught me a lot about careful planning and never giving up. Also there was that one episode where he didn’t try to take over the world and almost did by accident, teaching the importance of being yourself and never doubting the power of a random encounter.”

“All good lessons, to be sure.” Matt waved his hand dismissively. “If you two crazy kids want to be alone, go for it. Rick and I need to discuss the pros and cons of having an Animal Companion.”

“Or a Sidekick!” Rick added.

“No, I’m telling you, kid, something like an falcon would be much more useful…”

“Yeah, maybe we should go somewhere less…occupied…” Tanya said, casting a quick glance at Flynn.

Flynn smiled. “There’s a Starbucks down the street that’s usually more quiet around now, so long as we’re out of there by the late-afternoon rush.”

“Sounds great.”

They said their farewells, gathered their things, and left Matt and Rick to their debate over what type of bird best befitted the role of a sidekick. Flynn whispered, “Isn’t it obvious? The answer is a Robin.”

Tanya giggled. “Or maybe an Owl, since his character is based on a Daredevil villain.”

“Oh, I am going to like you,” Flynn said. It didn’t occur to him he had spoken aloud until Tanya’s expression changed to one of mild surprise and suppressed delight. He was embarrassed for speaking before thinking, but he couldn’t help but be glad that his accidental charm was working. Natural 20 Charisma roll, he thought somewhat smugly, followed by the thought that maybe he had been focusing too hard on gaming recently.

“I may like you too,” she replied. “If your Wisdom stats are as high as your Charisma stats.”

“Well, Bsak is—Oh. Right…” Aaand critical failure.

To Flynn’s surprise, when Tanya laughed, she didn’t sound condescending at all. “I guess we need some time to get out of the game and back into real life.”

Since candid humor seemed to be working for him, Flynn opted not to question it. “Aw, but real life is so dull. Isn’t that why we game in the first place?”

Tanya smiled, but this time it was uneasy. “Yeah. Real life is…not always what you would hope. At least there are other realities out there for us to run around in, right?”

Flynn got the sense that he had hit a sore spot. He didn’t know what part of Tanya’s life was troubling her, but she was a sweet girl. He resolved to treat her as best he could to try to make up for at least some of the s**t she might be going through. “You know what Moghmar doesn’t have?” he asked. She shook her head. He gestured to their achieved destination. “Starbucks.”

That brought some veracity to her smile. “I don’t know, at the rate they’re expanding…” They both laughed. Flynn dashed ahead of her to hold open the door. A muscle in her cheek twitched. She thanked him curtly before entering, her shoulders squared and a hint of annoyance in her stride. It confused Flynn. He wondered if maybe she was one of those feminists who considered chivalry an insult. All he was doing was being nice, but he supposed he would have to tread cautiously, since he didn’t know her that well yet. She may have a bucketful of pet peeves into which he could accidentally stumble.

After they had ordered their drinks and gotten something to eat, Flynn and Tanya sat down on a pair of the sofa chairs to chat. They got along well enough. Flynn asked simple questions then built on Tanya’s answers, tiptoeing around any subjects she seemed reluctant to discuss. He learned that she had three sisters, two older and one younger, but she wrinkled her nose uncomfortably when he asked if she really had no brothers. She was twenty-two, two years younger than he was, but they graduated college around the same time because she opted for a two-year degree in Psychology. Since she was reluctant to delve into the motive behind her choice of major, Flynn talked about his double-degree in Communications and Marketing that he hoped to turn into a career in advertising. Tanya was more than happy to listen to him if it meant not talking about herself, but Flynn did what he could to keep the topic interesting without coming off as a showy jerk.

Soon, exhausted weekend workers started accumulating in the Starbucks. Flynn and Tanya had long finished their drinks and Flynn was nearly done with his refill. They both had busy schedules and only had this much free time because they were supposed to be gaming. Tanya pointed out they had never actually gotten around to discussing duo strategies. “Meh. We can come up with something on the fly and Matt won’t know the difference. Could you send me a list of your skills via f*******:? I’ll try to pick my last few to work with them.”

Tanya tensed. “Uh, I don’t use f*******: very often. Why don’t I just e-mail them to you?”

“Okay,” Flynn said. “If that’s easier for you.”

“It is,” Tanya insisted.

Flynn blinked in minor confusion, but assumed it was yet another thing he shouldn’t delve into yet. He hoped after they had gotten to know each other better she would open up to him more. From what he had heard today, she was far from dull. She understood some of his more obscure pop culture references, she liked similar movies and music, and when she said she liked DC and Marvel but her heart belonged to Dark Horse, Flynn knew he truly had a crush on her. He wasn’t going to risk alienating himself from her simply because he couldn’t take a hint and keep his mouth shut.

They agreed to let each other know if any free time opened up so they could hang out and get coffee again, otherwise they would see each other at the next week’s gaming session. Flynn wished he could ask for a night off from his IT job, but he knew people don’t always get what they want. All he could do was wait, and see if he could strike up a conversation with her via e-mail as well.

As soon as he got home, Flynn went straight to f*******:. He didn’t recognize the name ‘Tanya’ from any of Matt’s posts. If they really had been friends for years, Flynn expected she would have at least ‘liked’ one of his statuses or something. Perhaps she had and Flynn simply didn’t care enough at the time to take note of it. Regardless, he wanted to send her a friend request whether she checked her account frequently or not. He searched Matt’s friends list for ‘Tanya’ and came up with nothing. He furrowed his brow. There was a chance she was one of those people who used an alias or a nickname, so he scrolled through the whole list. He thought he spotted her, but the name wasn’t ‘Tanya,’ it was ‘Tony,’ and the profile picture was a ‘Support Gay Rights’ banner. It occurred to him that he should have bothered to learn her last name.

Flynn sighed. He considered asking Matt, then figured if Tanya really didn’t want people she just met contacting her on f*******:, he shouldn’t pry. Besides, if she sent him a friend request, that meant she really wanted him to get to know her. Thus, the need for patience arose again. Flynn wasn’t the type who liked waiting for things, especially if there was a quick way to get it, but he also had more than an ounce of common sense in his head. Simply because there was a quick way to do something didn’t mean it was the best way. He told himself to make a Focus check and hope for a success.

When he checked his e-mail, Tanya had already sent him her skills list. Flynn smiled. Pretty and punctual; having her in the gaming group was going to be a joy. He occupied himself with choosing his own skills. Even though it didn’t completely distract him from thinking about their friendship outside of the group, at least he wasn’t dwelling on it with nothing else to do. Besides, he reasoned with himself, I think she likes me. If so, then I can wait.