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Steph is fairly certain that Rachel and Chloe were surgically attached at the hip during the first day they skipped class together. They’re so deeply in tune with one another these days that they’ve manufactured their own language that’s spoken with silent motions instead of words. It’s as if every twitch of Chloe’s leg, raise of Rachel’s eyebrow, or exchange of looks between them carries some significance that her and Mikey will never truly grasp. It’s frustrating to sit on the sidelines and watch it all.
Steph’s problem is how much she likes them both. Likes them likes them. Playing the third wheel to a girl she was still in the middle of falling out of love with and another girl she had considered asking out many months prior makes for a lot of intrusive twinges of emotion in her chest at inopportune times.
Part of her thinks that it may be jealousy. Maybe it’s because they seem like some platonic ideal of love and devotion that she can never hope to match. A more cynical voice whispers that it’s just because she really doesn’t enjoy having the whole thing rubbed in her face every time they decide to flirt in front of her. It could even be all of that at once.
She she still cherishes being able to call them her friends. Being the only open lesbian at Blackwell doesn’t exactly do wonders for your social life. Mikey was her only real friend for the longest time, an outlier on the laundry list of acquaintances who seemed to think her whole ‘kissing girls’ thing was either a novelty or an off-putting habit.
Befriending Chloe and Rachel really was some freak turn of events that she couldn’t really reconcile in her mind to this day. Rachel’s presence definitely spices up the campaign considering her natural aptitude for all things dramatic, including roleplaying, and Chloe continues to match that raw enthusiasm she first showed off after being handed Callamastia’s character sheet all those months ago.
It also helps that they’re pretty openly dating at this point, because that means no more feeling like the only gay girl out the closet this side of Oregon. They’re wild and free, punk and theatrical, fire and lightning, completely untamed elements that clash with the surroundings of her sleepy home-town, and she doesn’t want to lose them.
The status quo seems to undergo an abrupt shift starting the 17th of September when a new student arrives at Blackwell, a girl with mousy brown hair whose wardrobe seems to mainly just be hoodies and jeans. She initially flies completely under Steph’s radar: a nameless, freckled face who shares some classes with Mikey. That soon changes.
Steph’s interest is piqued come the 18th, an otherwise unremarkable Tuesday, because that’s when the new girl becomes sighted alongside the terrible twosome. It’s an unexpected development and for the next few days it’s almost as if Rachel and Chloe have dropped off the map completely: the only time Steph sees them that week is when she spies the newly formed trio walking together across campus talking amongst themselves between classes, nary a hint of awkward tension between them.
The rumour mill starts spinning tall-tales about how the mystery girl transferred from out of state after Chloe met her in juvie. People realise pretty quickly that’s a load of bullshit because Chloe’s never been to juvie before, and no self-respecting delinquent would be seen chatting with the leader of the abstinence club over tea. There’s a few vague murmurs about Victoria glaring daggers at the girl during photography class and Steph chalks that one up to Victoria Chase being the dictionary definition of ‘resting bitch face’.
Whenever Steph sees the new girl around it’s either tagging along with Chloe and Rachel, or wandering around campus with what is probably the world’s last functioning film camera, not speaking to anyone.
Steph can’t deny being curious about the story behind the girl’s camera and her friendship with Chloe and Rachel. Maybe it’s just her lesbian sense tingling at the sight of those freckles and dishevelled hipster style, because Mystery Girl is definitely cute. She isn’t exactly about to interrogate Chloe and Rachel about their new friend, that’d be way too much drama for her liking, so she elects to wait and see what happens.
The weekend comes as a relief after how much the week dragged considering the sudden abscence of Chloe and Rachel. Steph’s not angry, more just curious about what’s going on, especially because they were meant to have a session tonight. She’s texting Mikey a couple of hours in advance and trying to get a second opinion on whether she should try and get in touch with Chloe or Rachel to see if they’re not gonna show when she gets an unexpected text from Chloe.
[[hey queen of the nerds. are we fine to bring a plus one tonight?]]
C hloe 09/17 13:23 pm
[[she doesn’t want to play or anything. just coming to hang out]]
Chloe 09/17 13:23 pm
[[Yeah, that’s cool.]]
Steph 09/17 13:24 pm
She decides to ask who it is, even though she can make an educated guess, mostly to try and source some information about Mystery Girl. Even just getting a name would be enough. It’s a snoopy move by her standards, but the curiosity is getting to her.
[[Who is it? I know it takes a lot to earn the Chloe Price seal of approval.]]
Steph 09/17 13:25 pm
[[I’m still not sure how I got mine.]]
Steph 09/17 13:25 pm
[[you’re cool and a good friend]]
Chloe 09/17 13:27 pm
[[sharing your weed with me that one time also scored you points tbh]]
Chloe 09/17 13:27 pm
[[anyway our plus one is the new girl, max]]
Chloe 09/17 13:28 pm
[[The one with all the freckles?]]
Steph 09/17 13:28 pm
[[duh. theres only one new girl]]
Chloe 09/17 13:28 pm
[[me and her go way back]]
Chloe 09/17 13:28 pm
[[i know shes cute but pls don’t scare her off, she’s already skittish enough without the queen of lesbians making a move]]
Chloe 09/17 13:29 pm
Chloe’s complete absence of anything resembling a filter and the resulting wicked sense of humour was a big part of what drew Steph to her, that and the fact she’s a total dork that hides it behind all that punk style, but it could also make her a bit hard to get a read on sometimes in spite of how much she wore her heart on her sleeve. The things she said always felt like they carried more meaning than her words alone could convey, a weight behind them that grants them as much hidden meaning as Rachel’s half-truths and loaded statements. Steph’s hurt by the implication Chloe assumes her first instinct would be to make a move on Max but she decides to shrug it off as a joke.
[[I thought I was the queen of nerds?]]
Steph 09/17 13:29 pm
[[shhh you can be both and this way you get two crowns]]
Chloe 09/17 13:29 pm
[[Better bring them to the session tonight then, Price.]]
Steph 09/17 13:29 pm
[[As for ‘making a move’, I wasn’t planning on it, so there’s no need to worry.]]
Steph 09/17 13:30 pm
[[okay thanks]]
Chloe 09/17 13:30 pm
[[see you later, queen of the nerds and lesbians]]
Chloe 09/17 13:30 pm
[[We’re living proof that they’re the same thing, you know that, right?]]
Steph 09/17 13:31 pm
[[you’re right]]
Chloe 09/17 13:31 pm
[[but fuck you anyway]]
Chloe 09/17 13:31 pm
[[goodbye]]
Chloe 09/17 13:31 pm
[[Bye.]]
Steph 09/17 13:32 pm
As the hours passed and tonight’s game creeped closer it was hard not to be more excited than usual with the knowledge that this mysterious ‘Max’ would be finally making an appearance. Their last session had ended on a tantalising cliffhanger: Rachel’s morally dubious warlock, Pyra, had been presented with the choice between Elamon’s life or that of the noble the party had been hired to rescue. Max would be spectating at a time where the stakes were high and cries of horror at Steph’s storytelling were frequent. She hopes a dramatic, high-octane introduction might tempt Max down the path of tabletop gaming instead of scaring her off.
Eventually, the time was upon them, and Steph was already sitting in her basement lair awaiting the arrival of the party. Muffled footsteps and conversation drift from the house above as she hears the front door close.
There always was an urge to tent her fingers and laugh menacingly just as they walked in, so she decides to indulge it just this once upon seeing Max tagging along behind Rachel and Chloe, doe-eyed and glancing around curiously. She feels guilty upon seeing how much it startled Max, yet it definitely helps set the mood for tonight’s session. Dice, and heads, will roll.
Chloe responds with a roll of her eyes as she pulls out two chairs, one for her and one for Max. “We haven’t even started yet and you’re breaking out the theatre kid shit already?” She asks.
Rachel knocks her elbow into Chloe as she pulls out a chair for herself, earning a surprised yelp from her in the process. “Speaking as the other thespian of this group, I approve, Steph. Please ignore Ariel over here.”
Steph’s smirk grows at the appearance of some colour in Chloe’s cheeks. Punk as she is, Chloe can’t take teasing quite as well as she dishes it out, especially when it comes from Rachel. “Good idea. I’m kind of shocked your surprise co-star doesn’t approve of theatre kid shit though, she seemed really into it during the Tempest.”
In lieu of a reply Chloe raises both her middle fingers, aiming one at Steph and the other at Rachel. Mikey shakes his head as he sits down, muttering to himself and pulling out a character sheet. Max watches the whole exchange with a small smile. Steph notices she seems quiet, yet quite at home with Rachel and Chloe’s antics.
“Now that we’ve got all the usual pleasantries out the way,” Rachel says, swatting the hand that was still flipping her off while smiling pleasantly at Steph and Mikey. “I’d like to take a moment to get introductions done properly,” she gestures toward Max. “This is Max. She transferred from Seattle, but actually grew up here.”
Steph vaguely remembers Chloe mentioning a childhood friend who moved away in a decidely bitter tone when they were sharing a joint once. It explains what she meant by her and Max going way back. She decides against mentioning that little detail, and instead gives Max a welcoming smile. “Nice to meet you, Max. I’m Steph.”
Mikey gives her a polite nod. “Mikey. It’s nice to finally meet you, Max, you’ve kinda been the talk of the town lately.”
“I have?” Max asks, glancing between Rachel and Chloe with a concerned expression. Chloe leans forward, looking prepared to kick the ass of whoever had Max’s name in their mouths. Rachel wears a knowing expression, tinged with amusement.
“She showed up out of nowhere so there’s just a lot of rumours going around,” Mikey explains to Chloe. “A bunch of people say you and Chloe met in juvie,” he says before turning to Max. Steph takes notice of how he phrased it less as a statement and more like a question and silently glares at him, which he responds to by shooting her a confused look and mouthing ‘what?’.
The sound of low chuckling makes everyone turn to Rachel, who’s covering her mouth with one hand in a feeble attempt to stifle her laughter. Steph thinks it’s probably just for dramatic effect. Chloe looks at Rachel with narrowed eyes and scoffs. “Are you serious , Rach? How did you—Who would even believe that?”
“So, I might have let something slip around Juliet about how you two used to be known as the Pirates of Arcadia Bay…” Rachel says, an unashamed grin tugging at her lips as she speaks. “Plus, it wasn’t hard to sell Victoria on the idea too. She was really convinced the only way someone who dressed like Max could afford all that film was running drugs—“
“Oh my Dog,” Max says, her already quiet voice becoming muffled as she covers her face with her hands. Her cry of horror is almost drowned out by Chloe bursting into laughter.
Rachel and Chloe devolve into giggling. Max looks between Steph, Mikey, and the laughing duo with an expression that screams horror and disbelief. “Listen, that’s nothing by their standards,” Steph says, “Have they told you about the time they tried to steal Wells’ chair?”
A manic grin crosses Chloe’s face as she rapidly taps the table, looking from Steph to Max. “Oh my God, the comfy chair! I love this story, Rachel tells it the best.”
Rachel rolls her eyes as Chloe’s attention turns to her. “I don’t think you ever get sick of hearing me tell this one.”
“What can I say? I love hearing your voice.”
Steph catches Max’s eye and makes a gagging motion, earning a smile and a stifled laugh. Rachel’s gaze zeroes in on Steph and she leans forward, smirking. “Come on, Steph, you know you’re just as cheesy as her. I can spot a hopeless romantic from a mile away,” she says, waggling her eyebrows for emphasis on the word ‘romantic’.
There’s a lull in conversation as Steph stares at Rachel, feeling utterly naked in the face of those hazel eyes. She swallows and laughs it off, breaking eye contact and turning her eyes to the NPC sheet in her hand, rendered unable to comprehend what it says. Did Rachel just make a joke about her crush? Her ears are burning.
She glances back up at Rachel, who winks at her before turning to everyone else. “Anyway, we’re not here for story time, we’re here to see whether Pyra decides Fitzgerald’s life is worth more than Elamon’s.”
“Well, um.” Mikey clears his throat and pulls out a sheet of paper that Steph can see has been extensively scrawled on. At that moment she is completely convinced that Mikey is going to approach this encounter with a whole pre-prepared script that includes ethical arguments. Only Mikey North would approach a social encounter like a damn lawyer. “I can actually make a very compelling case for why you should save me—I mean—Elamon.”
Yep. She could always read him like a book.
Rachel tilts her head. “Would that be in or out of character, Mikey? You know how seriously I take my role as Pyra,” she says.
He looks hopelessly at Steph, who shrugs. “You know how I feel about out of character talk when we’ve got big decisions like this.” She gives a half-smile to Rachel and is met with a wink that makes her pause. “Either way, Pyra has about thirty seconds to make the choice, so… better get talking, Elamon.”
With the banter in full swing, they proceed with the session like they usually do: a mix of Chloe cracking jokes and getting into the game to the point Steph is concerned her dice will have chips in them from how hard they’re being thrown; Rachel playing Pyra like she’s got a script instead of a character sheet, only breaking character to ask for dice or about the rules; and Mikey trying to treat Kingdoms & Caverns like the glorified minis wargame D&D is. The only difference is Max, who seems content to sit at the side and watch for the most part, occasionally getting dragged into conversation by Chloe or Rachel. Steph respects how she doesn’t seem keen to have the attention on her and is instead happy to observe. It’s rare that she you find people in Blackwell who don’t feel they have something to prove.
Her eye keeps getting drawn to Max the whole time, gauging her reaction to the unfolding theatrics and battles, trying to discern some more things about her. Barely here a week, yet she seems to fit with the Rachel and Chloe so naturally, like they’ve known each other for their whole lives. Rachel’s title for the most mysterious girl at Blackwell has been lost.
A few hours in and the situation with Elamon and the noble had been resolved (it isn’t the first time Elamon has ended up on death’s door, nor would it be the last. Mikey’s expression of terror would never get old), all the encounters Steph had planned were cleared, and everyone was tired of rolling dice. Steph ended the session and so began the second half of the night, which would be more low-key conversation and some opportunities to get to know the mysterious Max.“
"I still can’t believe you decided talking that wizard into draining half of my lifeforce was a good outcome,” Mikey says, sat on a couch next to Max and giving Rachel an incredulous stare.
She shrugs and flashes him an impish grin. “I didn’t, Pyra did.”
Mikey scoffs. Chloe, lounging on a beanbag next to him, pipes up. “No idea why you’re complaining, you survived, didn’t you?” She pauses, furrowing her brow, then chuckles. “Wow, this could’ve turned out to be the fifth time Elamon died.”
Max frowns, looking between Mikey and Chloe. “The fifth time?” she asks.
Steph, sitting on an old office chair off to the side, starts to the rattle off every way Elamon has died. “First was an ogre that ate his arms, second was a giant snake Callamastia tried to pet—“
“Come on, I rolled so high!” Chloe slaps her hand on the armrest, making all eyes turn to her for a moment. “Nineteen, Steph! A friggin’ nineteen!”
Mikey groans in frustration. “It was a giant snake that was foaming at the mouth , Chloe!”
She jabs a finger in his direction with a smug look on her face. “You know it would’ve been such a cool pet, you can’t even argue with me!”
“—third was a swarm of spiders in a crypt he tried to rob, and the fourth was a cliff.” Steph snorted, looking to the ceiling as she reminisced. “You should’ve seen him when I described Elamon’s strength failing him as he clung to a branch, prolonging the inevitable…”
“You’re a psycho.” Mikey shakes his head, mouth agape. “Nobody normal enjoys describing stuff like this.”
“How about we ask the newcomer?” Steph turns to Max and gives her a warm smile. “Max, do you think I’m a ‘psycho’, to use Michael’s words?”
Not expecting to be dragged into the conversation, Max is a deer caught in headlights. A nervous little giggle escapes her. Steph makes a mental note that she has a cute laugh. “Well, I’m still new, but the first thing you did when I walked in this room was laugh like a supervillain, then later on you described Elamon’s skin going all wrinkly like a prune as his life got drained…” she trails off. “Sorry, Steph, I’m with Mikey here.”
“Damn, I feel betrayed.” Steph smirks, then drops her voice to the lower tone she’s fond of using when trying to be a dramatic GM. “Better watch yourself, Max, because before long you’ll be playing with us and I’ll be making the stuff what happened to Elamon today seem like nothing by comparison.”
Max gives her a small, tentative grin as she meets her eyes. “We’ll see.” Her voice lacks any hint of the previous nerves, instead it carries with it the confident cadence she’d expect from Rachel.
Weeks pass and Steph becomes used to having Max around. Dramatic moments in their sessions are punctuated by a flash and the sound of a shutter. Most of the pictures end up on a miniature photo wall off to the side of the basement, a monument to all the lucky dice rolls and roleplay encounters that leave people gasping for air as they laugh. Inch by inch, Max emerges from her shell. It becomes harder and harder for Steph to admit she’s not charmed by her.
It’s not a crush. Steph knows what it’s like when she’s got a crush and this isn’t it. She’s not infatuated or anything. Max is just a breath of fresh air, an unfamiliar yet friendly face at the table that makes her and Mikey feel less like the third wheel and fourth wheel. She’s a wallflower through and through, but fits right in with their ragtag group.
Steph thought that Max was going to be the thing that finally drove Rachel and Chloe away. Instead, she has brought everyone closer with her shy smiles, dorky jokes, and insistence on capturing the little moments. It’s strange how someone with none of Chloe’s bluster or Rachel’s theatricality can bring so much life to the room.
One day after a session, as everyone sits around chatting about what feels like nothing at all over a few slices of pizza, Max comes and sits down next to Steph as she finishes up adding some details to her notes. She spies Max out of the corner of her eye, craning her neck to look past the screen protecting them from view. “See something you like, Caulfield?”
She glances up at Max, who’s worrying her lip between her teeth, seemingly at a loss.
Fuck, that sounded flirty, didn’t it?
“Sorry. I’m kind of nosy. Chloe will tell you all about it… I didn’t sit down next to you just to peek at your notes, though,” Max says. She nods her head toward the extra character sheets next to Steph. “I was hoping you could walk me through making a character?” She pauses and a nervous grin ghosts across her face. “I mean, if you’re okay with me joining?”
“Oh, hell yeah!” Steph grins as she grabs a sheet. The pen in her hand twirls around—all those hours she spent over summer taking drum lessons have paid off well—as she gets to work asking questions. “Have you ever played before?”
“Um, sort of? Not Kingdoms and Caverns .” Her eyes narrow. “It was D&D. My friend Fernando invited me to play with his group back in Seattle.” She laughs, and Steph notices some of that nervous tension melt away as she gets lost in the memory. It’s endearing. “It was kinda fun pretending to be someone else for a while, easier to stop being in my head so much. I think that was probably half the reason Fernando invited me?” A shrug. “I was playing a Sorcerer, she was a Tiefling called Hope—Dog, I’m rambling.” Max shakes her head, offering Steph a sheepish smile. “Sorry. No, I haven’t played before.”
It’s disappointing to see how quickly Max shifts back into her usual stance: tense, shoulders hunched, folded in on herself like she’s trying to occupy as little space as possible. Her smile seems to thrum with nervous energy.
“You weren’t rambling, you know?” Steph says. “Maybe if you spoke about Hope a bit more, you could give me an idea of what kind of character you’d like to play.” She leans back in her seat a little more and taps the character sheet in front of her with the pen. “What’d you like about playing her?”
Max straightens herself a bit and chews on the inside of her cheek. Her brows furrow a bit. “Um, I think my favourite part was being her, more than playing her? You know, roleplaying.” She pauses and tilts her head slightly, lost in thought. “The magic was fun, but playing a character with charisma was the best part.”
Steph drums a steady beat on the table as she thinks. Roleplaying, magic, charisma? An obvious choice jumps out at her. She grins and ceases drumming so she can poise the pen over the paper as she turns to Max. It’s perfect. The party could use a healer after all. “Have you ever thought about playing a Bard?”
After that, the conversation flows. It’s the first time Steph has ever talked to Max one on one and they hit it off. They take ten minutes to hash out all the details about Clef, the Half-Elf Bard that the party will encounter at the next trading post they stop at. Then they spend what feels like half an hour afterward swapping anecdotes and nerding out about World of Warcraft, griping about balance changes and trading raid tips (it’s a pleasant surprise to find someone else who could never let that Warlock nerf go).
A pang of something makes itself known in Steph’s chest as Max gives her one last little wave as she walks out the front door with the rest of the group. It’s a something that makes Steph realise maybe Chloe wasn’t far off the mark when she asked (or warned?) her not to make a move on Max, the type of feeling that she should try to keep in check because one conversation does not a crush make… Or something like that, at least.
Things get a lot more complicated during next week’s session when Clef joins the party.
Introductions are lengthy and theatrical—thanks to Rachel—and get derailed by an exchange of music puns inspired by Clef’s name between Max and Steph that cause groans to resound around the table. The party, emboldened by their new addition, take on a quest to clear out an infestation of young mimics from a wizard’s library. Steph is glad Max picked out some healing spells when she made Clef, because she was way off when she was figuring out the difficulty of the encounter. A few dead mimics later and they stand victorious, bruised, and chewed.
After getting their reward, a new leather spell book for Elamon and a full bag of coin, they travel to the neighbouring village to resupply and rest. A peaceful respite and an opportunity for roleplaying.
Clef and Callamastia wander into a potion shop as Elamon and Pyra rest. Chloe approaches things with her usual zeal. Her hand slaps the table, which is presumably standing in as the shop counter. “Oi, got any healin’ potions, miss?” She asks, her voice the low and growling tone used for Callamastia.
Steph spreads her arms wide and cracks her best ‘shady salesman’ grin. “Depends on what kind of healing y’need. We got it all at Mags’ Potion Emporium! Spiritual, physical, mental, emotional, placebo—“
“Placebo?” Chloe tilts her head, a faint smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. “What, so a potion that does nothing? ” She scoffs.
“A potion that does nothing?” Steph puts a hand to her chest. “How dare you! We only sell the finest brews here!” She scowls, folding her arms. “Just for that, I’m selling you nothing, elf.” She turns her gaze to Max, summoning that sleazy smile again, toothy and not quite reaching her eyes. “What are you in need of?”
“A healing potion.” Max clears her throat. “Physical, please. And I must apologise for my companion’s demeanour. She cut herself on her axe earlier.” She meets the outraged look Chloe shoots her way with a smirk, an expression that Steph has never seen on her face before. It stresses the watchful, piercing quality of Max’s eyes as they seem to shine with a mischievous twinkle and uncharacteristic confidence. “As you can imagine, she’s embarrassed about that little incident.”
Steph raises an eyebrow, partially as an in-character reaction, but also due to surprise at how Max came up with that on the spot. “Aren’t you a silver-tongued one, eh?” She waves her hand in Chloe’s direction. “Your companion is excused. Been a while since I heard a please around these parts. People don’t appreciate my craft no more.”
Max smiles sweetly. “My calling in life may be music, but I can appreciate your dedication to your craft.”
“Music?” She holds Max’s gaze and decides to be impulsive. Mags, the flirty shopkeeper, could make for a memorable encounter. “With a voice like yours, I can see why you’d go down that path. I could listen to it all day.”
The reactions are all immediate: Mikey lets out a weary sigh and turns his attention back to his character sheet, Chloe shoots her a confused look, Rachel leans forward and her eyes flick between Max and Steph with rapt attention, and Max…
Instead of laughing it off like Steph expected, glancing away, or even pausing, Max leans forward a bit and rests her chin in her hand. “If you keep flirting like that, I’m afraid you may have to listen to me all day. I’m clearly not the only one with a silver-tongue here.” She winks and now Steph’s the one colouring instead of Max. Things are not going as planned.
Did she just… do that? Didn’t even take a minute to think up a reply? That was weird. Cool. Exciting. I don’t know. Fuck, stop questioning it. She was roleplaying!
“You, uh, I don’t want to keep you. You have business to attend to! Here are your potions. That’ll be seventy,” Steph tries to recall the price, “no, sixty-five gold. You get the five off for making a brewer’s day.”
Max turns her attention to her sheet and marks off the gold. Steph lets the breath she didn’t realise she was holding go. Her eyes drift across the table to where Rachel is sitting, wearing a look of amusement as she waggles her eyebrows at Steph. Chloe is the picture of confusion, eyeing Steph and glancing at Max, bemused at what transpired.
Steph tries to lose herself in the role of GM again, but it’s of little use. For the rest of the session, she keeps catching Rachel looking at her with a vague smile and whispering in Max’s ear, and she’s hyper-aware of every brief look Max throws her way. How that almost confident half-smile crept across Max’s face as she spoke, such a far cry from her usual anxious look, sticks in her mind. Thoughts churn as the session continues and Steph almost laughs at the irony of it. She’s the anxious one now.
Things come to a head when negotiations with a group of hobgoblins go south — Steph isn’t sure how Chloe expected threatening to shove her great-axe down their captain’s windpipe would lead to anything good — and combat breaks out. It’s an uphill battle because they’ve never faced such an organised force before. The party pulls out all stops but within a few minutes Elamon is on death’s door while Mikey curses at his dice, Callamastia is surrounded, Pyra is out of spell-slots and injured, and Clef is facing down the hobgoblin captain with a rapier. Everyone around the table is tense as Steph describes the captain’s greatsword shearing off a lock of hair as it cleaves through the air, missing Clef’s head by inches.
“Fuck, fuck, shit, fuck,” Chloe mutters, “do you have nothing but that rapier?”
“No,” Max says, eyes scanning over her character sheet. “All I’ve got is some buffing spells. The rapier is the only thing I have that can deal damage!”
Mikey cradles his head in his hands and it takes all of Steph’s strength to not laugh at the sight. He is always more dramatic than Rachel Amber herself when things look dire. The guy would be great on a stage. “We’re doomed!”
“Doomed?” Rachel asks. “Mikey, you said that last week with the ogre twins. And the week before when we fought the necromancer—“
He looks up, face drawn and knuckles whitening as he grips his chair. “And it was true then, just like it is now, because we’re fucked , Rachel.”
“Language, Michael,” Steph says, without thinking. He doesn’t look amused at the comment.
She glances down at the sheet for the captain and tries to keep up her poker face at the sight of all the crossed out numbers, wondering if Max is going to roll high enough to scrape away those last four hit points. “Max, it’s your turn,” she says, handing Max the d20.
Max’s jaw sets as she turns the die over in her hands, eyes boring a hole into the mini representing the captain. She glances at Rachel across the table and the corner of Rachel’s mouth twitches, the flicker of a smile. Steph observes the exchange of looks with a raised eyebrow.
There’s a pause as Max turns back to her, gazing at her wordlessly. Steph frowns. Max blinks and clears her throat before she speaks. “Um,” she smiles nervously, but doesn’t take her eyes off Steph, “how about a good luck kiss?”
All the logistics behind the battle vanish from Steph’s mind as her train of thought gets derailed by the question. She can’t even bring herself to correct Mikey when he muses about Max getting advantage on her roll even though this system doesn’t even have an advantage mechanic like D&D, dammit. “A good luck kiss?”
“For the dice roll,” Max says, “I could use all the luck I can get, right?”
“Come on, Steph. Don’t you want her to get lucky?” Rachel teases. Her voice lacks any sort of cruel edge, but her smirk makes Steph suspicious all the same.
Steph sighs and hopes feigned exasperation covers up how utterly unequipped for this situation she is. Does she just give Max a peck on the cheek or something? She somehow doubts her Kingdoms & Caverns rulebook contains a section dedicated to one of your players asking for a kiss. “Sure, I’ll do it before you roll,” she says. “On the cheek?”
A faint blush creeps across Max’s cheeks as she smiles at Steph. “Yeah,” she says, voice strained. “The cheek.”
Steph leans forward and purses her lips, angling to press a chaste kiss to Max’s cheek, but Max turns at the last second and suddenly they’re properly kissing and the result of that d20 clattering across the table is the last thing on Steph’s mind. She distantly registers the sound of Chloe and Mikey whooping in joy.
The kiss is brief, messy, unexpected, and absolutely amazing. Steph sinks into it, chasing Max’s mouth as a soft gasp escapes her mouth. Max’s hand comes to rest on Steph’s knee and she pulls away, breathless, blue eyes focused on Steph as her mouth twists into a satisfied smile. “I think it worked,” she murmurs, glancing away from Steph to look at the result on the motionless die.
A beat passes as Steph shifts gears. “Right, yeah, fuck, um.”
She looks across the table to see Mikey eagerly awaiting the result of the roll. Rachel grins at her, eyes alight with delight. Chloe looks shocked and silently mouths something at Max that Steph can’t quite make out.
“The 19 hits, Max, you can roll for the damage now.”
The captain is felled as those last four hit points vanish and they deal the rest of the hobgoblin force with in similarly short order. All the tension in the air stemming from that encounter is a footnote in comparison to the atmosphere around the table now; Chloe will not stop staring at Steph, Rachel keeps catching her eye and smirking, Mikey is quieter than usual, and a small grin stays plastered on Max’s face for the remainder of the session. Steph feels giddy each time their eyes meet.
As soon as the session is called to an end, Steph is immediately cornered by a pissed-looking Chloe. Fearing Chloe’s wrath, she goes to explain. “Look, I know what you said about making a move—“
“I’m not here to talk about that.” Chloe interrupts. “I’m here to say one thing: if you do anything to upset her, you’ll have me to deal with.” Her stormy expression relaxes and a smile tugs at her lips. “Okay, I think you knew that already, but I still had to say it just to see the look on your face.”
Steph is certain she has some sort of emotional whiplash from that which only worsens when Chloe pulls her in for a hug and whispers, “Good luck with Rachel.”
On cue as always, Rachel appears at her elbow, seemingly from thin air, and is already talking before Steph can catch up. “Steph, you probably think it’s too soon to be thinking about first dates, but I already have some suggestions: Chloe and I are going to this punk show next week, so we could try to sneak you guys in and make it a double date!” Rachel pauses as she studies Steph’s bewildered expression. “Okay, okay, I can already tell that’s not up your alley. Not Max’s scene, either… Oh! You guys could drive up to Portland this weekend. Isn't one of your nerd cons happening soon?”
“Rachel? Can you give me like”—Steph shakes her head—“Fuck, five seconds to process everything you said so that I can tell you why those ideas are horrible?” An incredulous laugh punctuates the question. “Remember who we’re talking about?”
“Max? Max. Wait!” A wide, toothy grin appears on Rachel’s face. She snaps her fingers. “What if you guys hop on that old train that goes through town? It’s Max, she’d love all the scenery. Arcadia Bay is pretty when you’re looking at it from the inside of a boxcar. Think of the photo opportunities!”
Steph falls speechless as she tries to articulate how horrible these first date ideas have been so far. That train of thought gets derailed as she thinks about Rachel’s words and realises how familiar that third suggestion sounds. “Isn’t that just what you and Chloe did, like, three years ago?”
“Yeah, and you know how well that worked out!”
A low voice from behind Steph draws their attention. “Can I suggest something?” They turn and find Max standing there, looking amused. “I don’t know if you’ve ever been there before, but there’s this Chinese place on main street, by Up All Nite Donuts, so if you’re free tomorrow?”
“Oh, uh, the Phoenix Palace? Yeah.” Steph nods. “Yeah, I’d like that.”
“It’s a date,” Max replies, beaming. She drifts away to rejoin Chloe and Mikey’s conversation, leaving Steph and Rachel staring after her. Steph considers how this will be the first date she’s had in months. What a way to end the night. A thought crosses her mind.
“So…” She turns to Rachel. “Was that ‘good luck kiss’ thing your plan? It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve seen you playing cupid.”
“Mmmm, I think you’ll be happy to know it wasn’t.” Rachel chuckles. “ She was the one who came up with it.” She nods at Max, who’s acting as mediator while Chloe and Mikey argue about something. Steph would bet money it’s about how Mikey should be more careful about where he aims his fireballs. “I just coached her on what to do… I didn’t know she was gonna kiss you on the lips. That was some good improv, right? Max is full of surprises.”
At this point, Steph is smiling so hard her cheeks are sore. Her heart is still beating a little quicker than usual. “Yeah. Very.”