"Okay, what's going on with you?" Sophia asked Georgia, cornering her after dinner. "Is Chris blackmailing you or something? Is he forcing you to act like this because of what you said? Because we aren't that desperate to be a part of their group. If he's forcing-"

"Stop!" Georgia hissed, looking around with a flush. "Look, Chris- he wouldn't even think to force me to do anything! He doesn't think of people like that! He just-" Georgia's flush deepened. "He takes care of people and- I'm just trying to do the same for him."

Sophia raised an eyebrow at her. "Chris takes care of people. Really."

"He does!" Georgia snapped. "Just because he doesn't make a big deal about it doesn't mean he doesn't do it! He's just- he's subtle about it, because to him it isn't a big deal! It's just what he does!"

Sophia frowned. "Chris doesn't do anything! You said that yesterday!"

"I just didn't notice!" Georgia protested. "Do you know he's the one who made all the food besides the meat? Why we can have things like ketchup and barbecue sauce? And now the thing with the mana! And on the hunt, we didn't do anything until he was sure we could get away safely! The moment things got risky he pulled us out!"

Sophia gave her a skeptical look. "I see… and so now you think you should take care of him?"

"Everyone else just ignores him." Georgia muttered. "I know he's pretty self-sufficient, and he doesn't need people to take care of him but- I mean, you've seen how he isolates himself. I just- someone should make sure he's okay, and if not me, then who?"

Sophia narrowed her eyes. "So that's all? You just want to make sure he's okay? Nothing else?"

"What- what do you mean?" Georgia asked, shifting nervously.

"Georgia, do you like Chris?" Sophia asked point blank.

"N-no!" Georgia protested with a flush, before hesitating. "I mean, I don't not like him… if- if he was interested- but I'm not pursuing him or anything! I'm just… open to the possibility." She murmured, her flush deepening.

Sophia groaned, burying her face in her hands. "Georgia, this- he's barely even a person! He's this avatar thing! How would a relationship with him even work!"

"Greg and Tessa do just fine!" Georgia retorted. "And just because he has all these abilities doesn't mean he's any less of a person!"

Sophia hesitated. Greg and Tessa did seem to have a good relationship… "Well… have you tried talking to Tessa about what it's like being with someone like that? If you're considering a relationship with Chris, it'd probably be a good idea."

"I'm not considering anything!" Georgia protested. "I'm just not against anything!"

Sophia rolled her eyes. "You should still talk to Tessa. Maybe you will be against something once you learn more."

Georgia hesitated. "Maybe… I guess it couldn't hurt."

*

"You okay?" Greg asked, giving Tessa a hug from behind as she stood in the middle of their room, half undressed and lost in thought.

"Yeah, just- your friends are ridiculous, you know that?" Tessa sighed, shaking her head. "The system, abilities from different Worlds, and now this?!? Not that you aren't ridiculous yourself, it's just- ugh, all four of you at once is- it's like we aren't even playing by the same rules anymore! It- it kinda feels like we're cheating or something."

"I mean… we pretty much are, aren't we?" Greg shrugged. "That's kinda the point of our whole thing. We exist outside the normal rules of… huh." Greg trailed off as he got an idea. Could his smoke ignore rules? Like, if he decided his smoke shouldn't react to say… gravity, would it work? His smoke didn't respond to anything in its base state, so maybe?

"Greg?" Tessa nudged him with her elbow, looking back over her shoulder at him.

"Sorry, just got an idea for- nevermind." Greg shook his head. "Anyway, yeah, we're not really- I mean, we obviously still need to use the rules of the World to a degree, but- we kinda just- well, we cheat." Greg shrugged. That really was the best way to describe it. The World was designed to work in a certain way, but their abilities let them get around those rules, either by using the system, bringing in cores from other Worlds, making things out of smoke, or controlling your own world.

Tessa frowned. "I just feel like we're going to get ourselves in trouble." She muttered. "Like- there has to be consequences to all this! We can't just get away with- the World can't be okay with us cheating like this, can it?!?"

Greg cocked his head. "Well… I mean, no, but- it isn't going to just shut us down. That wouldn't be interesting, which is what the World really cares about. Anything it does to us… it's going to be more about pushing us to take action, rather than punishing us for cheating. I mean, Andrew's World used his cheat to mess with us! Like, we absolutely need to be careful, because the World will throw dangerous things at us, but that just means we need to cheat more, not less, because the more powerful we are, the more we can deal with."

Tessa's expression twisted. "That just seems so backwards to me. Why would it set up these rules if it didn't want people to play by them?"

"Well it does, it's just…" Greg trailed off. "Fuck it, I have no idea." He sighed, shaking his head. "Maybe the World will try to punish us for cheating. It's just… so? Are we really going to ignore what these abilities can do for us just because the World might have a problem with it?"

Tessa blinked, before snorting and leaning back against him. "Yeah, there's no way we're just going to ignore the system or Chris's high mana density meat."

"Or the ship." Greg added.

"Or the ship." Tessa agreed with a smirk, twisting around to give him a kiss.

Greg picked her up and began moving towards the bed, when there was a knock at the door. Greg scowled as he checked the door using a bit of smoke. "What does she want?" He grumbled as he let Tessa down.

"Who is it?" She asked, shooting the door a frustrated look of her own.

"Georgia." Greg sighed, as Georgia knocked again. He gave Tessa a quick kiss. "I'll be right back." He assured her before heading to answer the door. "Yes?" He asked as he pulled open the door.

"Um, hey, I- I was wondering if I could talk to Tessa?" Georgia explained, peeking inside and freezing as she caught a glimpse of Tessa in her underwear and flushing. "I- I can come back later if-"

"No, just let me put on some clothes." Tessa sighed, getting up and grabbing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. It was only nine and she'd rather take her time with Greg without wondering what Georgia wanted. "Come on in. Do you mind if Greg stays or is it private?" She asked as she waved her in after getting dressed.

"Um, it's- it isn't private private, but-" Georgia replied nervously.

"Got it, I'll go." Greg nodded, turning to leave. "I'll see if Victor is up to anything. Maybe interrupt him and Brittany." He chuckled as he closed the door.

Tessa rolled her eyes at him, before turning to Georgia. "So, what's up?" She asked, gesturing for her to take a seat.

Georgia hesitated. "I- well, see, I've been- I just- I wanted to know… what- what is it like being with- uh, you know… one of them?" She gestured vaguely, flushing in embarrassment.

Tessa blinked. "One of- you mean Greg?"

"Yes, but- not specifically him, just- he's not- the whole…" Georgia trailed off as she looked for the words to explain what she meant. "How do you deal with the whole avatar thing? How do you handle the fact that he's so much more than you?"

Tessa frowned. "Well, first of all, I don't think he is more than me. No matter what Greg is capable of, he's still Greg, the goofy dork who can't sit still to save his life. The fact he has a dozen other selves just means there's more of him, it doesn't make him more than me. As for how that works…" Tessa sighed. "I know Greg struggles when there's too many of him running around. I do my best to be enough for him, but… if there ever comes a day when I'm not… it's something we'll need to discuss." Her expression twisted. "At least in this World, he's mine. In other Worlds… if I can't be there for him, then I'm not sure I can judge him for finding someone who can. I just want to make sure he finds someone who's good for him, not someone who'll just take advantage of him."

Georgia nodded slowly. "So… it's almost inevitable you'll be sharing them in some way." She muttered with a frown.

"Well… I mean, there is more of them." Tessa shrugged helplessly. "It isn't like you'll get less attention. Honestly, the only thing limiting the amount of time I get to spend with Greg is me. If he wants to spend time with me, all he needs to do is split off another self, while I only have so much time to give."

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Georgia hesitated. "But… What about emotional attachment? Like, if he's with someone else, won't he be less focused on you?"

"I guess?" Tessa replied tentatively. "But that might not be a bad thing… If Greg spends too much time with too many different selves he can get… intense. Like coming home from a month-long business trip where he never even touched himself intense." Tessa explained, giving Georgia a pointed look.

Georgia flushed in embarrassment at the thought of Chris getting like that. "Oh."

"I'm not saying it's perfect, or there aren't issues with being with someone who you can only ever spend a fraction of their time with, but… well, there are issues with every relationship, and if they're worth it, you deal with it. And Greg is worth it to me." Tessa added with a soft smile, before giving Georgia a look. "But I guess the question is if Chris is worth it to you, huh?"

Georgia's eyes widened as her flush deepened. "I-I'm not- I'm just wondering if it's an option! I'm not- I just- If Chris wanted to start something, I- I just wanted to make sure I could make an informed decision." She mumbled in embarrassment.

"Oh. Well, then you probably don't have to worry about it." Tessa shrugged. "Chris is even worse than Greg, and I literally had to shove my tits in Greg's face before he got the hint. I can't see Chris making a move unless someone pushes him to."

Georgia blinked. "You- you don't think he'd be interested?" She asked, getting a sinking feeling in her stomach.

Tessa paused. "That I couldn't say. More… I don't think he's even considered the idea of being interested. It doesn't seem like something that'd be on his radar. I mean, I know he likes women… according to Greg, he has a fiancé in his World, but-"

"He what?!?" Georgia exclaimed.

Tessa raised an eyebrow at her. "He has a fiancé? I believe her name is Beth. Nice woman according to Greg, though they only met her briefly."

Georgia frowned, staring down at the floor. That- complicated things. Knowing that someone could be with someone else was one thing. Knowing someone was with someone else was another. "Beth…" She muttered to herself. What kind of woman was she? How would she compare?

"Okay… I think you need to talk to Chris." Tessa frowned, placing a hand on her knee. This level of emotional response… Georgia might not want to admit it, but she was in deep. Too deep… Tessa narrowed her eyes. Was there World fuckery going on here? Thinking back, Tessa remembered how focused she was on Greg in those early days… was this what it looked like from the outside? But why would the World want to push Georgia and Chris together? Wasn't she one of Travis's girls? Or was that the point? Tessa scowled. If this started some sort of love triangle bullshit- Tessa shook her head. "On second thought-"

"No, you're right." Georgia muttered. "I should talk to him."

"Wait, I don't think you're thinking straight right now!" Tessa insisted, grabbing her arm, stopping her. "Look- okay, Chris is- part of being who they are makes people a little more… affected by them. Maybe you should take some time to think things over before you jump into anything, okay?"

Georgia frowned. "You think he's making me like him?"

Tessa hesitated. "Not- not exactly… I just think what you're feeling is a bit more intense than it normally would be. Still something you could feel, maybe even would feel, but it's getting… enhanced by Chris's… situation."

"Then… is what I'm feeling still real?" Georgia asked tentatively.

"It- it is, but-" Tessa's expression twisted, wanting to make sure Georgia didn't rush into anything, but… She and Greg went through the same thing, and that worked out, didn't it? So the World sped things up a bit, was that so bad? However… "Look, you were just denying you even liked him, and now you suddenly want to go confess to him? Doesn't that seem a little off to you?"

"I-" Georgia froze. She wanted to say she just didn't want to admit it, because it was embarrassing. Chris hadn't even done anything to get her! He hadn't put in any effort, yet he was all she could think about! How could she be won over so easily? But that wasn't what this was about! "I'm not going to just throw myself at him!" She snapped. "I just- I just want to discuss the possibility of a relationship… see- see if he's actually open to something, and if so… we can go from there." She muttered.

Tessa gave her a skeptical look. "Uh-huh. And that makes sense to you? Not admitting you like someone while discussing the possibility of a relationship with them?"

"I never said I didn't like him, I just- it isn't like I'm going to beg him to be with me! If I need to talk to him to see if something is possible… then that's what I have to do! But he's still going to have to work for it if he actually wants to be with me!" Georgia huffed, crossing her arms.

Tessa sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Georgia… okay, fine, talk to him!" She threw up her hands in exasperation. The woman clearly wasn't thinking straight, but fuck it, she was going to talk to Chris. What's the worst that could happen?

*

Chris opened the door to reveal a nervous looking Georgia. "Hey, uh, can- can we talk?" She asked.

Chris blinked. "I suppose." He shrugged, stepping aside to let her in. Georgia hesitated, suddenly feeling a lot less confident about this, before taking a deep breath and stepping inside. "So… what's up?" Chris asked as he closed the door.

Georgia froze. "I- I wanted to talk to you about… I- I heard you have a fiancé?"

Chris frowned. "Yes? What about her?"

Georgia gulped. "I- I was just wondering how- how you two got together? Just- you never mentioned her, and- and she's obviously a big part of your life so-"

"Ah, I see." Chris nodded. She was still trying to be friends with him. Odd time to do it, but he couldn't exactly judge others for being a little weird. "I met Beth during the Trial and saved her life. We were stuck in the Maze together for a couple weeks with nothing to do but talk, so we got pretty close. We stayed connected afterwards, she invited me to this party, and after the party I asked her out."

Georgia blinked. "You asked her out?"

Chris raised an eyebrow at her. "Yes? That's generally how these things go, you know."

Georgia flushed. "I- you just don't seem like the type of person to ask someone out!"

Chris frowned. "I'm perfectly capable of asking someone out on a date." He replied. "I just prefer to know them for more than five minutes before I do."

"But- okay…" Georgia muttered, shaking her head. "So… she liked you because you saved her life?"

"Actually, that seemed to annoy her more than anything." Chris shrugged. "She's a high-tier, so the Trial should have been easy for her. She didn't like the fact that she needed someone to save her. Still doesn't really." Chris grinned slightly. "She hates it when I bring it up."

"So then why did she like you?" Georgia asked.

Chris cocked his head. "Because I'm me? Why else do you like someone? We got to know each other, liked what we saw, and got together."

"That- okay, but you still need to show that you like each other, right?" Georgia replied hesitantly. "Like, flirting, you know?"

Chris frowned. "I don't flirt."

"But then how does anyone know if you like them?" Georgia retorted.

"I ask them out." Chris stated simply.

"So the first sign anyone gets that you like them is when you ask them out?!?" Georgia asked incredulously.

"Well, I suppose the fact that I'm continuing to try to get to know them is a sign as well, but I do that with friends too…" Chris muttered. "But why should it matter? Until I'm ready to ask someone out, whether I like them or not is a non-issue. It does affect the nature of our relationship at all."

"What- of course it affects your relationship! If you like them, they should know so they can see if they like you!" Georgia protested.

"Why would they wait to see if they like me or not until they knew I liked them?" Chris asked, completely confused.

"Because no one wants to like someone who doesn't like them!" Georgia exclaimed.

"But if someone doesn't like you back, then why would you like them?" Chris frowned. "The fact that they don't like you makes liking them pointless."

"Exactly!" Georgia exclaimed. "So if you don't show you like someone, how do they know they should like you!?!"

"But until someone actually says something, you don't know if they like you or not." Chris pointed out. "Besides, the point of all this is that until I ask someone out, I'm still in the process of deciding whether I like them or not. So letting them know I like them before I actually know whether I like them makes no sense."

"You could at least let them know you're interested!" Georgia countered.

"Why?" Chris replied. "Why start something I may or may not actually be interested in?"

Georgia scowled. "But- okay, what if you do ask them out, but they aren't sure whether or not they like you?"

"Then we date to find out? That's kind of the point of it, isn't it?" Chris commented, this whole conversation making no sense to him.

"Ha! Double standard!" Georgia exclaimed, shoving a finger into his face. "You won't put the effort into a relationship you aren't sure about, but you expect other people to!"

"No… I expect that if someone isn't sure whether they like me or not, they'll at least give me a chance. As such, if someone asked me out and I still wasn't sure, I would still date them until I knew." Chris countered, giving her a weird look. "But if neither party is sure they like the other, why push for a romantic relationship when you could have a perfectly decent friendship instead?"

Georgia's finger dropped. "Oh." She hesitated. "So… if someone asked you out, you'd date them?"

"That is what I just said, yes." Chris nodded.

"Even with your fiancé?" Georgia asked.

Chris paused. "Ah, I thought we were assuming I was single, or talking about the idea in general. Though…" Chris sighed. "Beth did say I should be open to other relationships. Still not sure how I feel about that. I mean, I get that this version of myself is completely incapable of being with her, but does that mean I should simply forget about her and move on? It isn't like she's dead, she's just… unreachable." He frowned. "Still, I suppose I would at least have to entertain the idea. I did promise her I would at least try."

"She's the one insisting you date other people?" Georgia asked skeptically.

"Well, I would say she's insisting… Neither of us likes the idea, it's just- well, it doesn't make sense to not, you know?" Chris sighed again. "In her words, it'd be like trying to hog the entire Maze to herself. It'd be great, but it's fundamentally impractical. Conversely, I can't reasonably expect her to be able to sustain the entire Maze by herself, even if I wish she could. I suppose that suggests I should be looking for others to help her… I'm not sure I can bring myself to do that."

"You must really love her." Georgia muttered.

Chris nodded. "Yeah. She's- she's just amazing."

Georgia hesitated. "I-" She sighed. "I think that's all I wanted to know. I'll- I'll see you tomorrow."

Chris cocked his head, before shrugging. "Alright. I'll see you tomorrow." He opened the door for her to leave.

Georgia hesitated again, her expression twisting slightly before she sighed and gave him a small nod, heading to her own room. Maybe Tessa was right. Maybe she did need to think about this more. She liked Chris, but… did she like him enough to insist he be with other people? She didn't know. And until she did… she didn't want to start anything. She scowled. Fucking Chris and his fucking good-ass points.