True to his word, John did in fact return and proceed to hog one of the setups for a long while. Next to him, a steady trickle of other volunteers and people setting up meandered through their little booth, especially as John began calling over his friends to check it out.

Kaitlyn helped out by explaining the game to them as they arrived, giving an overview while also practicing her sales pitch. Ian mostly stayed focused on the people actually playing the game. He hopped in with advice or suggestions whenever someone had a question or wanted to explore some other aspect of the game's options.

By the time the doors were about to open, it seemed that he had begun to find his footing. Talking about the game and its mechanics gradually gave him a bit more confidence. That excitable, passionate side of him that she'd come to admire began to shine through, bit by bit.

"Dangit," John muttered. "I've actually gotta go do stuff now… Ah, well. Thanks for letting me play so long."

I'll say, Kaitlyn checked her phone. He's been going at it for literally hours. I mean, he's had to dash off pretty frequently, but still. That can't be responsible.

"No problem," Ian said, smiling slightly. "I'm just glad you had fun."

"Of course I had fun. You made a friggin awesome game, man." John gave him a hearty clap on the shoulder, the impact almost sending the shorter guy stumbling. "Seriously. You'd better bring the whole thing to the next biweekly. I'll pay for your entry fee and everything."

"You don't have to—"

"I know I don't have to, but I've gotta bribe you somehow. No way I'm letting you keep this gem all to yourself. Now, I really gotta get going." With a final grin, John grabbed a flier and turned toward the Bash Bros tables. "Time to actually do my job."

After a quick round of farewells, they watched him retreat into the steady trickle of arriving event attendees. Kaitlyn turned to her friend with a smile on her face. "So? How are you feeling?"

"...Not bad," Ian admitted sheepishly. "That went… better than I hoped. I hope he actually liked it and not just—"

"Yo, Nick!" They heard John's distant voice cut across the low din of the hall. "You gotta check this out! Ian made a game! It's awesome!"

Ian winced as Kaitlyn's grin widened. "You were saying?"

"...Nothing." He chuckled nervously. "Guess it's time for the real thing now, huh?"

"Right. You ready? Need me to grab that coffee?"

"Nah," he rolled his shoulders experimentally. "I'm feeling pretty ok now. Thanks, though."

"No problem. You just let me know, ok?" Motion caught the corner of Kaitlyn's eye as a student hesitantly stepped up to their stand. She readied her brightest smile to greet them. "Hello! Feel free to come on over, we're just hanging out here. You're welcome to try our game if you'd like…"

As more and more people poured though the main doors, they found themselves faced with a growing stream of people interested in everything the convention had to show—Grail included. They weren't the only ones to receive traffic, of course. Plenty of the other game booths saw even more attention than they did.

It only makes sense, Kaitlyn reassured herself. Some of these guys are from actual well-known studios. According to Ian, at least. I don't know any of them. But still, hopefully we get a little more interest…

"Hey!"

Turning around, Kaitlyn was surprised to see a familiar face heading their way. One of the Bash Bros players she recognized from the biweekly tournaments. Gazebo Bandito, if she wasn't mistaken. He raised his hand in greeting as he approached. "Woah, John wasn't kidding. You guys seriously made a game?"

"Well, technically, Ian did," she corrected with a grin. "I just helped make it pretty. Wanna try?"

"Yeah! You mind?"

"Not at all. It's what we're here for!"

As the guy settled in at one of the laptops, another familiar face approached. Then another. Then another. Soon enough, an entire group of Bash Bros players had gathered around their stall in a rough approximation of a line.

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What in the world…? A glance over at Ian revealed that he was just as confused as she was. What did you do, John? Are you bribing them or something?!

A few conversations revealed that John was not, in fact, making any under-the-table deals. He was just that excited about the game.

"I swear, he wouldn't stop going on about it," one of the guys snorted. "Figured I might as well see what's up before bracket. When's it coming out?"

Kaitlyn waggled her hand from side to side. "We're not sure. We've got a pretty functional version ready to go, but when it actually comes out is up to Ian. You can scan the QR code to get a heads up when it does happen, though!"

"Got it. Will do."

On and on, they continued fielding questions and showing off the game to a seemingly unending tide of people. Faces and time seemed to blend together amid the flurry of activity. Only the slow advance of the sun through the Bara Ballroom's glass ceiling gave any indication of the passing hours.

Eventually, there was enough of a lull in the action for her to take a small break. With a grateful sigh, she slumped into a nearby folding chair to rest her aching feet.

Thank goodness. I mean, I'm glad we've got so much interest, but… wow. This is a lot more peopling than I really had in mind. Hopefully Ian's holding up ok, too.

A quick glance around revealed that she didn't need to worry. His familiar mint hoodie was standing just a short distance away, talking animatedly with one of the other game developers. They seemed to be getting along quite well. She couldn't help but smile at the sight.

"Signups for Bash Bros singles are closing soon! If you'd like to enter, come see the red table on the east side! Once again, signups for Bash Bros singles are closing soon…"

John's amplified voice crackled through the speakers, causing Kaitlyn to nearly jump out of her seat. It was loud enough to be clearly heard above the hall's din—it had to be, obviously. That just wasn't a great thing when their table was positioned so close to one of those speakers.

After collecting herself, she shook her head. Wow. I must've totally missed doubles happening.

A faint twinge of regret flashed through her. Despite herself, she had kind of wanted to enter the tournament with Ian. The thrill of competition was a real rush, especially when they were playing as a team. It was one of the big things that kept her coming back to Bash Bros loop after loop. In fact, with how much better she'd gotten, this really was one of the few places she could find a real challenge.

…It's ok, though. With a sigh, she pushed the thought aside. This is worth it. Besides, I've won doubles with him before. It's not like I'd be treading new ground or anything. And… if it's teamwork I'm looking for, well, how can I complain? Making this happen, making Grail ACTUALLY come together and letting people play it like this? It's a way better example of teamwork than even doubles is.

Looking over, she saw Ian disengage himself from his conversation and head over. He stood taller than she'd ever seen, his face bright with a practically irrepressible grin. Just looking at him made her smile, his enthusiasm infectious.

"Hey, Kay?" He asked, nodding toward the Bash Bros tables. "Are you gonna enter singles?"

She cocked her head to the side. "I wasn't planning on it. I figured I'd stay here and help out. Why?"

He shrugged, looking around. "I mean, you can if you want. But things have calmed down a bit, and I'm pretty sure I can handle them from here… So if you want to enter, I don't mind."

It wasn't just the suggestion itself that surprised her. It was also Ian's delivery of it. He didn't seem guilty or even reluctant, which was what she would have expected if he didn't truly want her to go. Instead, he seemed to be… encouraging her?

That made her eyebrows shoot upward. "Are you sure? I mean, what about you? It doesn't seem fair if you don't get to play."

He just shook his head. "Nah. I'm perfectly fine doing this. Better than fine, even. But honestly? You're an even better player than I am, Kay. I feel like you could really win the whole thing if you tried. If you want to, of course," he added quickly. "I don't want to put any pressure on you or anything."

For a moment, she thought about the suggestion. Her gut reaction was to stay and help, obviously. She was the main reason why they were even at Bara Bash in the first place. It only made sense to see it through. On the other hand…

…Ian really does seem confident about this. He's made a complete turnaround since just this morning. Maybe… maybe it's not such a bad idea to give him some space?

Slowly, she nodded. "Alright. If you're really ok with it. But if you do need help, just text me and I'll come right back. Ok?"

"Of course!" He grinned at her. "Maybe don't come right away, though. I don't want you to get DQ'ed."

"Nope. As soon as you text, I'm coming. Mid-match or not."

"Oh, ok." He nodded sagely. "I'll make sure to wait until you're in grand finals, then."

"Rude!"

"Hey, you're the one who offered!"

John's voice boomed through the speakers again. "Last call for Bash Bros singles signups!"

Ian looked at her one more time, his blue eyes meeting hers. "Sounds like you'd better hurry. Make sure you get the discount for bringing my setup, ok?"

With a grin of her own, Kaitlyn turned to leave. Before she'd taken two steps, she heard Ian's voice call out to her once again.

"Kay!"

She glanced back to see Ian staring at her. His clear blue eyes locked onto hers, and his strangely intense expression sent an arc of live electricity down her spine.

"Good luck, alright?" His expression turned soft. "I'll be rooting for you."

With a resolute nod, she turned to go. The last thing she saw was another person approaching their stand, Ian stepping forward to greet them.