In just five minutes, their car pulled into a new stripmall and pulled into a clear parking space. A short walk later, they entered a large outdoor courtyard.
There was the taco truck, and the smells coming from it were mouthwatering. Scents of fresh tortillas and spices permeated the air. Johnny was at the window.
“Hey Bahliah, Jessi! My two favorite customers! What can I do for you?”
The two proceeded to order their usual. Bahliah got the vegetarian chorizo with peppers and onions on corn tortillas as well as a plain chicken taco done separately. Jessi got the shredded barbacoa and shrimp, with lettuce and tomatoes. Both got a beer, a domestic one sadly.
The plates came out with two tacos each wrapped in foil, and a heap of black refried beans on the side, covered in cotija cheese. The plain taco was just wrapped up in foil.
The two took their plates and proceeded to sauce them. All of Johnny's sauces were home-grown and homemade. Bahliah gravitated to the Nuclear Launch, while Jessi was satisfied with the medium Zesty Zephyr. Bahliah made fun of him but it was still spicier than he used to get.
Bahliah had always loved spicy food as was typical in her homeland. She went to a whole new level when her viewers challenged her to eat a whole California Molotov. She absolutely loved it, and it was her gateway to becoming a pepper-head.
As soon as they had stepped away from the food truck, a stray lab mix bounded over to greet them. Bahliah quickly passed her plate to Jessi, kneeling down to greet the mutt.
“Hey, Junior!" She cooed while being peppered with licks. "Who's a good boy? I got your favorite!”
She quickly unwrapped the chicken taco. Junior dutifully stepped back and laid down, waiting until Bahliah held it out to him. He took it gingerly before running away with his prize.
They went to a nearby picnic table and dug in, though Bahliah sanitized her hands again. Cheap though they were, the tacos were glorious. The beer was… okay. To Jessi it might as well have been water, which was the only other thing available.
Bahliah’s cheeks had a bit of flush to them when both their phones went off.
“What the fuck?” Bahliah said, looking at the notification.
“”Delivery confirmation? Did you order something to get the delivery girl to come over? I think you messed up your timing for checking her out.” Jessi said.
“No, I've gotten everything from the last order. This says… Antique Horizon? What, did they leave it at the door?” Bahliah was starting to sound freaked.
“How the hell did they get there so fast? No drone could carry that thing,”
Bahliah was silent as she tapped furiously on her phone, pulling up their security system. A deep frown crossed her face and her tacos were forgotten.
“Systems armed. Nothing on the motion sensors and there is nothing at the door!" She said angrily. “What the fuck? Not even camera footage! What good is this new system?"
Hearing the panic rising in her voice, jessi reached across the table to take her hand. Just two weeks ago, a man had broken into their apartment. He had hidden under her bed for hours. Jessi had found him, fortunately, but the incident had inspired a whole new level of paranoia for Bahliah and her parents.
“Bahliah, breathe girl." He said soothingly. “Ill call Bob and have him check it out first, okay?"
She nodded slowly in acceptance before talking.
“I don't know, but I guess we need to take this meal on the road. Bye Johnny! See you next time,” Bahliah called out.
Johnny waved and Jessi gave him a nod. The two grabbed their meals and drinks and made their way to the car.
Bahliah pulled up the front door cam along the way. It was offline. She made an impatient noise and put away her phone.
They got in the car and set the navigation back to home. It was a decent drive but traffic wasn't bad.
Old-timers would talk about when people drove their own cars, but the Unified Driving Network only worked when all cars were autonomous. It could have cars pass through intersections from both directions with centimeters to spare, weaving everything together so that people rarely stopped moving at all. No more traffic jams.
Jessi kept eyeing the liquor cabinet. Some tequila would follow that meal quite nicely. He even had some limes in a minifridge he kept for cocktail ingredients. And some of the lovely flakey salt he always bought.
Bahliah saw the direction of his gaze and snapped her fingers at him. “You can go crazy after we deal with this situation. I don't need you drunk if we have to lug this monstrosity inside.”
“One shot won't make us drunk. Besides, I've got Blue Bandito,” Jessi replied.
Bahliah’s finger froze in midair. “Well, make one for me at least,” She said at last.
Jessi got out two metal shot glasses. One looked like a shark, the other a t-rex. He carefully poured the liquor in, then grabbed the limes. They were already sliced, a necessity on the road. He handed one to Bahliah and took one himself. He opened the bamboo container of flakey salt. Both of them wiped the side of their hand with the lime, then sprinkled the salt on it.
They clinked their glasses, and then it was salt, tequila, lime. Bahliah's face contorted at the assault of booze, salt, and acid. Jessi's was placid as a lake.
Before long they arrived. The car automatically took them to their designated spot in the parking garage, and the two got out and went to the elevator. Jessi tapped the four on the touch screen. The elevator rose swiftly and they entered the short hallway.
Bob stood outside the door to the apartment, though he had left it open. Bahliah had fallen behind Jessi, but Bob gave them a cheery wave.
“Not a thing out of order, except that weird contraption in your living room." The older man gave a shrug. “Looks like one of Bahliahs projects."
Jessi shook bobs hand and thank him for checking their apartment out. Considering he was a close friend of Bahliahs father, Bob would have shown up anyways.
Bahliah finally stepped forward to the door control panel where the camera was She waved a hand at it.
“Works just fine now! When we don't need it!”
“Huh.” Bob frowned. "I'll get a hold of em. Considering your mother upgraded the entire building, they should send a tech out.”
Bahliah gave Bob a quick hug before he left and the two of them finally stepped inside.
They immediately went to the foreign object in their living room.
“You know, it's so gaudy that it's kinda striking,” Bahliah observed.
“Doesn't exactly match your decor does it?” Jessi asked.
“It's okay, I have a cosplay outfit that will suit it.” Bahliah continued. “But how the hell did they get it in here?”
"Maybe Nosie-Rosie let them in while the camera was down?” Jessi offered as a suggestion, referring to the neighbor across the hall. "If she could see through the walls, oh the gossip she'd spread.”
Having found a plausible explanation, Jessi went back to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of tennessee whiskey. It was his well drink, not the greatest but cheap and plentiful. He went to the fridge and grabbed a V-Rush Cola for himself and a canned mai tai for Bahlia. Setting the mai tai aside, he grabbed a cup and put some ice in it, then mixed his drink at a 2:1 ratio of soda to whiskey.
He brought both cups to the coffee table, setting them on the coasters, and plopping down on the couch. He sprawled out with his long legs taking up all the room between it and the table. His arms draped over the back and Jessi let out a contented sigh as he leaned his head back.
Bahliah noticed the man spread, but decided to let it go today.
She went to the couch and sat on Jessi's legs, leaning against him. Since the break-in, Bahliah had been more clingy than normal. Jessi let her sit snuggled against him for a few moments before making room and shifting her beside him.
Reaching down to the coffee table, she picked up a heavy, ornate block of what looked like marble. A clear orb on an intricate pedestal was raised up from the surface. Detailed symbols were etched into it.
“What is this? I think I could murder someone with it.” She demonstrated by swinging it at Jessi's head. She stopped it short, and he flinched belatedly.
“Please don't hurt me before 10 pm.”
Ignoring him, she experimentally pressed on a symbol. She hit the jackpot with the first one, a large gothic diamond in the center. The lid of the box opened.
She pulled out what looked like a key with a thumbprint on it. In an ornate script, it said “Bahliah”.
“They laser-etched this shit for us?” Jessi asked, looking at it and sipping his drink.
He reached in and pulled out his own key. When he pressed his thumb to the imprint, the tip of the device lit up. Bahliah did the same.
A chime came from the device in the side of their living room. Over the speaker, the voice of their Overlord chimed in.
“User Jessi Smit, user Bahliah Devi Ganesh, authorized. Insert keys into the receptacle.
Bahliah's eyelids climbed higher on her face.
“They synced it already? How? It would have taken a supercomputer a year to break my encryption. I'm looking these people up,” She said, pulling out her phone.
A few minutes later she put it down in disgust. Jessi said nothing because he knew he shouldn't interrupt the process.
“There's nothing about keys or boxes or anything. It's supposed to have motion controllers in there,” She pointed at the thing. No controls were present, just an engraved dashboard with two holes that looked like they would fit the keys. “Why did we buy this thing again?”
Wisely, Jessi didn't point out that it had been her idea.
“This better be even better than the demo,” she said, sitting down and inserting the key. The screen hummed to life as Jessi came over to sit in the thing with her.
A message displayed.
[
All players must insert keys and turn them to complete profiles and begin play.
Proceed with multiplayer?
]
Jessi inserted his key, then together they turned them.
“Ow!” Exclaimed Bahliah.
“Fuck it stabbed me!” Jessi said at the same time, nearly spilling his whiskey and coke in surprise.
Looking at their hands, neither had a visible wound, but the thumb imprint on both glowed red and pulsated.
Then a sundial appeared on the screen.
[
Select a Year
]
Experimentally, Bahliah tried turning it like it was a touch screen. It moved, but very slowly, with a grinding noise. The display updated to match.
Rather than move normally, it stuck to several points along the arc. One jumped out at her. August 5th 1921, New Orleans, USA. She hit the Accept button.
A character select screen appeared, prompting her to pick one. It had preset characters, no customization. She could be black or white, male or female. All the other options were locked. She could unlock them with Chromium Credits, of which she had 50. She decided to go for the young white flapper girl with the name Daisy Alsen
Then it prompted Jessi to select a character.
“Who do you want to be?” She asked him.
Sighing, Jessi looked through the options. Finally, he settled on a dapper white businessman named William Arthur Kepler. He was a bit older than her character. It wasn't so much for the man himself but for the tag on the character that said,
[
Recommended for your co-op partner
]
“You can be my sugar daddy for a change,” Bahliah jibed.
After that it started loading. The loading circle looked a bit like an upside down pentacle, but very embossed. The design filled up in a radial pattern, and then the text displayed:
[
Game ready!
Both players must now place their hands on the screen to begin.
]
Bahliah bounced in her seat in excitement. “Hell yas! Come on!”.
Jessi sighed as he finished his beverage. He held it up and pointed towards her with the same index finger.
“You gotta change clothes and my drink is empty." Jessi stated.
Bahliah’s eyes widened as she remembered the sauri she wore. She winced at the memory of playing with Junior then glanced down at her chest.
A small droplet of bright red taco sauce stained her chest.
"Jessi! Damn it!” She smacked his bicep. " Why didnt you remind me to change in the car?!”
Bahliah ducked out of the carriage and bolted into the laundry room down the hallway.
Jessi smirked.
Bahliah could have used a laundry service, but she insisted on caring for her cultural garments by hand. While he knew she wouldn't wash it today, it would still take her time to stain treat it.
He took the time to finish Bahliah's untouched Mai tai and change into clothes more suitable for gaming.
By the time Bahliah returned, Jessi had made them both refills. She took it and sauntered back to the new console.
Jessi stayed put, sipping his drink.
"OK, so what kinda game is this anyways?" He asked. "What'd you say about a creepypasta yesterday when you unveiled your grand scheme to get that thing?"
Just like he knew when not to interrupt, Bahliah knew he wasn't going to do a thing without answers, but she rolled her eyes at Jessi's second question.
"That was two different conversations and you're hung up on the creepypasta?" She snorted in a way her mother would disapprove of. "Jessi, seriously. It's on that old reddit forum thing."
Changing the subject, she motioned to the screen that still waited for their hands to be placed.
"Remember that epic demo? There's no telling what the full game will be. It's gotta be some role-playing game. I wonder if it's an action, adventure or maybe intrigue?" The excitement grew in her voice, but she switched over to a pleading tone. "Please, Jessi! Come play with me!"
Now it was his turn to roll his eyes, but he failed to hide his smile. Bahliah laughed in triumphant glee and motioned again for him to come over, already placing her hand on the screen.
"Yes, dear." He quipped, as he sat next to her and placed his hand on the screen next to hers.
The familiar sucking sensation pulled them in, followed by the view of the Earth. It didn't spin as fast as last time, though it ended up taking about the same amount of time to zoom into New Orleans.
As they landed, she realized she could see and feel her body. She couldn't move though. It was an odd sensation, and she felt a moment of panic. It was like when they'd spawned into the Colosseum, but lasted much longer.
Before she could have a full on panic attack, she felt tingles race up her neck, and a cooling sensation swept her body. Just like that, she felt fine again. After a moment, she realized she could control her eyes, and move her neck in limited fashion.
As it turned out, she was looking at a small clothes shop. There was a dressmaker dummy and a mirror. She caught her reflection and without her volition, her character hugged herself tight and bounced up and down.
She looked over and saw a man matching Jessi’s character smoking a pipe and looking at the same mirror. The scent of the tobacco was rich and chocolatey.
“We are damn dapper tonight darling Daisy,” He said.
“And how!” She replied. “We're going to paint the town red tonight!”
Bahliah also saw there were words hovering in her peripheral vision. They were typing themselves as she thought them.
[
Player chat
Bahliah: Oh my, so this is what big boobs feel like on me!
Jessi: holy shit!
Bahliah: Ah-mazing! OMG, Jessi! Look, there's dialogue between our peeps.
Jessi: whoa, girl, slow your roll
Jessi: this chat thing is crazy
Jessi: omg, why have i never smoked a real pipe before
Jessi: shit is fire
]
Jessi paused, looking over the chat again. He was well educated and written, but usually typed like an asshole. Whatever this game was doing to make texts was making them look like he'd typed them.
[
Jessi: Bahliah, seriously.
Jessi: you set this shit up before we even got it.
Bahliah: I did not! I'm kinda freaked actually. How did they even connect to our wifi? And how is this old tech better than my Ocular Edge?
Jessi; there's no way I knew you were fuck really you did this to fuck with me wut the fu…
Jessi; omg how do I stop it!
Jessi: this is fucking weird.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Bahliah: It doesn't matter anymore. Everything is working fine now.
Bahliah: Please Jessi? I'm waiting for your dialogue.
]
Despite his stream of consciousness in the chat, Jessi knew better than to doubt her. Bahliah and he would mess with each other, but the two of them didn't lie to one another. It was the fundamental understanding pwof their friendship and partnership.
Finally turning his attention to the game, he looked down to see a floating dialogue wheel with six options. Four were grayed out with question marks. The top right and middle right had text next to them.
[
Choose an option:
Agree with Daisy Alden
Disagree with Daisy Alden
]
Jessi was trying to remember how he’d chosen an option before in the demo. It didn’t come to him before a paperclip appeared.
It took up the right bottom corner of his vision and was black highlighted by a fake sun behind it. Large white cartoon eyes floated above the top with red eyebrows. Staring at the paperclip's body, he noticed it end inside and formed the same weird loading symbol.
The player chat window moved over to it and chat messages appeared faster than Jessi could keep up with.
[
Morty has entered the chat.
Morty: Heya, Bahliah and Jessi! I'm Morty and I'm here to help you get started!
Morty: This game uses a thought interface to interpret your commands. Just think what you want to say and it'll appear in the chat.
Morty: First, some configuration.
Morty: Auto-chat is automatically turned on for each game session to ensure proper synchronization.
Morty: If you'd like to preface all chat with the command Chat, think “Command: Disable Auto-chat”.
Morty: If you want to turn auto-chat back on and have all your thoughts transferred to chat, think “Command: Enable Auto-chat.”
Bahliah: Command: Disable Auto-chat
Jessi: Command: Disable Auto-chat
Bahlia: Like This?
Jessi: Command: Enable Auto-chat
Jessi: yeah, nah on that for me bruh
Morty; The chat also acts as your command line interface to the game.
Morty: To take an action, think of the keyword “Command: Action”. Such as, “Command: Agree with Daisy Alden”
Jessi: Command: Agree with Daisy Alden
]
He opened his mouth and said, “Indeed, good Daisy, I could use some giggle juice. Shall we away to the gin mill?” He apparently spoke in a bad English accent.
Jessis body moved of its own accord and proffered his arm to her.
Catching on quickly, Bahliah chose the only option that wasn't a question mark.
[
Bahliah: Command: Accept his arm
]
She responded, “And maybe we'll find a tomato or three.” She spoke with a Cajun accent.
They strolled out of the store and began walking down the street automatically. Barely five feet from the shop, a large rotund man leaned against the wall. He stepped in front of them, stopping them in their tracks and reminded Bahliah too much of Rodger, who had sold them this console.
“Dulce De’Leon requests your presence tonight.” He spoke with a thick French accent. *I suggest you clear that up. She is not one to roll over.”
He nodded his head, then pushed past them to walk the opposite way.
[
New Quest!
Squarin' Up
You owe Dulce De’Leon $100. Go to Lucky's and pay your debt before she deals with you.
Objective:
Acquire $100
Deal with Dulce De’Leon.
]
“Well now, I suppose we have business to attend to.” William said.
Daisy sighed in an exaggerated manner.
“That's a flat tire! If we pay up, how am I to buy my hooch?”
At that moment, a grubby looking man shambled from the alleyway. He was quietly muttering to himself. At the sound of their footsteps he looked up and gawped. He then shrieked, “Demons!” and ran back down the alley.
Another dialog wheel appeared. The right side had two usable options, saying:
[
Choose an option:
Ignore the man
Condemn the man
Bahliah: Maybe this is a side-quest. Do we get XP? Money?
Morty: Yes! All rewards will appear on the final screen.
Morty: Your decisions also determine your character's actions and choices in the future, so think carefully about them before you decide.
Morty: Speaking of choices, look at the left options.
]
The left side had only one option and had gold text with a small 1CC next to it.
[
Pursue the man - 1CC
Morty: Sometimes, your options are hidden until you've earned a certain rank on your profile. Right now, you are both Silent Hopefuls. You gain experience by completing each chapter!
Morty: You can also spend Chromium Credits to unlock certain options and other exciting benefits.
Morty: Since this is your first time, I've added ten free CC to each of your profiles.
Jessi: what now?
Jessi: yes
Jessi; pursue
Jessi: i wanna do the special.
]
Without waiting for input from Bahliah, Jessi started the purchase.
[
Jessi: Command: Pursue the man - 1CC
CONFIRM PURCHASE: Y/N?
Jessi: Command: Y
Morty: Your choices have consequences.
Morty: Some actions can't be taken back!
Side Quest!
Robbing Peter to pay Paul
Getting to Dulce De’Leon isn't easy. You might need bribe money. See what the man has.
Objective:
Follow the man
Accept/Decline
Jessi: Command: Accept
Morty: OK! That's all I've got right now!
Morty: But, don't worry. If you need me at any time, just use the help command!
]
The paperclip disappeared with a twisting animation in a puff of smoke and their characters were free to continue.
William released Daisy’s arm and took a few steps ahead of her. He then turned around to face her. He performed a flourish before sweeping his arms towards where the man fled down the alley.
"Ask and ye shall receive. After you, my Lady!"
Bahliah received a pop-up in front of her with two choices.
[
Choose an option:
Continue with William Arthur Kepler - 1CC
Wait for William Arthur Kepler to return - 0CC
Bahliah: Oh, now you're all in? I'm still playing with my settings! Shit, it's on a timer.
Bahliah: Command: Continue with William Arthur Kepler - 1CC
CONFIRM PURCHASE: Y/N?
Bahliah: Command: Y
Bahliah has accepted Side Quest: Robbing Peter to pay Paul
Bahliah: You do realize your name shortens to Wak right?
Jessi: if only it ended in a p
Jessi: just like you
Jessi: wap wap!
]
“Shake your gams, Willy, he's getting away! Come here bunny!” Daisy called out.
The two dashed after the fleeing man.
Ahead of them, the man tripped and fell on the hard trashy ground of the alley. They easily caught up to him as he skidded to a halt, trapped by a deadend.
“This bloke seems to be a bit punchy. What should we do with him that calls us demons?” William said.
“Stop, foul creature!” He called out to them, pulling out a silver cross from his tattered jacket. "I am a servant of God and protected by His grace.”
Bahliah received the dialogue prompt.
[
Choose an option:
Question the man
Rob the man
Leave the man alone
Bahliah: Command: Question the man
]
“What do you mean calling us demons, fustilugs?” Bahliah asked.
[
Bahliah! Command: Help - define fustilugs
Morty: Fustilugs: an ill-natured looking person
Bahliah: Oh cool, that worked!
]
"You walk among the living with a soul as cold and heartless as the dead. Be gone, devils!”
The man fell to his knees, holding the cross out towards them and starting the Lord's prayer.
[
Choose an option:
Rough him up
Listen to his prayer
Jessi: Command: Rough him up
Bahliah: Command: Listen to his prayer
]
Both commands went through at the same time. Daisy doubled over in a peal of a manic laughter. William stepped forward with a handkerchief in hand, snatching the cross from the man.
"Poor bloke doesn't know the way of the streets, my dear Daisy!" He held the cross in a pinched grip before tossing it far down the alley.
Faster than Jessi could process what was happening, the man stumbled back as William smashed his fist right in the man's mouth. William followed up with a shove that sent the man to the alley floor.
[
Jessi: whoa wtf?!!
Bahliah: This is fucked up! I love it.
]
Daisy's tassel dress flew up as her leg kicked out, right in the man's chin. Her black pump’s heel left a scratch down his neck. William curb-stomped him while he was down. Daisy quickly rifled through his pants, looking for his wallet. She found it in his jacket pocket.
“Aww look, the hound has some puppies!” She said, pulling out a small string of photos. “Oh berries! I've never seen one of these before!” she said, taking out a 50 dollar bill.
[
Bahliah: Command Help - what was 50 dollars worth in the 1920s?
Morty: 50 dollars from 1920 would have been worth 802.50 dollars at the time it was phased out in 2027.
Bahliah: Score!
Side Quest: Robbing Peter to pay Paul - Complete!
]
Leaving the man in a pool of his blood, the two sashayed off into the night to find Lucky's.
A few blocks later, they spotted it. The place looked like a diner, but they didn’t go through the front door. Instead they circled around back to where a burly man appeared to be guarding a root cellar.
“What's the bag, Danny?” Daisy asked.
Danny, the flinty-eyed door man, spoke without preamble, pointing a thick finger at them each in turn.
“She's lookin’ for ya'll.”
“Jolly good, we'll just pop in then,” William said, making to go past. The bouncer threw an arm across the door. His other hand was palm-up.
“Uh, Danny, there's no cover fee, remember?”
“You didn't include the tip. She told me to kick your asses before bringing you down there. How would you like to settle up?”
At this point an inventory screen popped up. It showed Bahliah's inventory with 50 dollars and a straight razor. Jessi's inventory with a 5 dollar bill, a stack of five 20 dollar bills, and a sword cane.
[
Choose an option:
Pay the man 5 dollars.
Pay the man 50 dollars.
Stiff him
Bahliah: Boy, he looks buff. Think he works out as much as you?
Jessi: doubt any asshat from 1920 could touch me!
Jessi: Command: Stiff him
Jessi: cmon biatch!
]
“I've paid you enough, you rapscallion!” William cried in indignation, drawing his sword cane.
“Oh, so you want blood, old man? I'll show you some.” Danny pulled out his billy-club.
They clashed, and it was clear the bouncer had superior strength. Nor did Jessi have any particular technique. It wasn't looking good.
At this point Bahliah got some options.
[
Choose an option:
Intervene
Leave him to his fate
Bahliah: Command: Intervene
]
At the last minute, Daisy crept up behind Danny. She kicked him in the back of the knee, then ran her straight razor across his throat. He collapsed onto Jessi, spraying him with blood.
[
Jessi: damn, chicka
]
Her hands coated in blood like William's coat, Daisy put the straight razor away with a flourish, then helped pull William to his unsteady feet.
“My dear Daisy! That is quite the entrance so far!”
Bahliah could feel her lips peel wide in a manic grin.
“Let's go barber with Dulche now. I think we might have an edge in negotiations.” She cackled.
A dialog prompt appeared for Jessi.
[
Choose an option:
Allow Daisy her grand entrance
Instruct Daisy in proper etiquette - 20CC
Jessi: ha like im a taint saint.
Jessi; Command; Allow Daisy her grand entrance
]
"Allow me,"
William strolled forward, cane bracing him as he kicked forward to the door. For such a place, the door flew off its hinges with surprising force. He took the short staircase down. His cane twirled as he stepped aside with a bow to Daisy behind him.
"Dulce De’Leon, may I present Daisy bloody Alden!"
Daisy came in, crimson hands accepting a fanfare that never came. She swung the billy club over her shoulder and flounced up to Dulche's usual table. Two burly men stepped to intercept them.
Dulche was a hard-bitten woman, an eyepatch over a missing orb and scars all across her short-haired head and bare arms. She didn't seem too put off by their entrance. She took a swig of her whiskey and glared at them.
“You'd better have my scratch if you're trouncing in here like trollops,” She said. *And, add fifty dollars as a donation to poor Danny's widow.”
[
Choose an option:
Pay her in full ($150)
Barter ($50)
Attack
Bahliah: We should think-
Jessi: nah yolo
Jessi: Command: Attack
Bahliah: Dammit
Bahliah: Command: Barter
]
Time froze as they made their decisions. Morty reappeared on the table.
[
Morty: Hello again!
Morty: Looks like it's time to explain Opposition.
Morty: Sometimes you and other players will disagree about how to continue.
Morty: In that case, an Opposition roll will be made to determine who's action succeeds.
Opposition triggered!
Jessi: 97
Bahliah: 32
Jessi wins!
]
Morty disappeared and time resumed.
William swiped his cane across the hamstring of the man in front of him, dancing back from his return haymaker. In unison, Daisy swung down with her club, but the goon anticipated her. He caught her club in one hand and reared back with his other fist when she scratched at his eyes. He fell back, and she got a good thump in on him with her weapon.
Meanwhile, William had inflicted a cut on the downed man's head when a whiskey bottle hit him right on the side of the head. Clutching the narrow end was Dulce. She smashed the bottle over his head, breaking it and showering him with liquor.
In an instant, she knocked Daisy down next to him and had the bottle to her neck. One-handed, she reached in her pocket and pulled out a match. She struck it and held it above William.
“Now then.” She said, “First, you give me your money, and I'll accept it as an interest payment.”
The goon that could still walk came over and rifled their pockets. He found the fifty on Daisy's and the one hundred five on William, and held the cash up to Dulce. Dulche held up the five before dropping it in front of them.
“Consider that a high interest loan.* She grimaced,motioning for more goons to grab them. “Now that that's done, get your asses out and get the rest of what you owe me.”
[
Quest updated!
Squarin' Up
You attacked Dulce De’Leon and now you need $155. Find a way to earn the scratch.
Objective:
Find a way to pay back Dulce De’Leon
]
It faded to black for both players. Words appeared in standard title font at the top of their vision. Smaller font flew in from the sides congratulating them. Then the bottom two thirds filled in with their info with Jessi's on the right and Bahliah's on the left. A white bar under their names filled in as the text appeared.
[
The Roaring 20s: Tutorial
You completed the tutorial! Congrats!
Player 1: Bahliah
Tutorial complete: 200 xp
Side Quest: Robbing Peter to pay Paul: 100 xp
Player 2: Jessi
Tutorial complete: 200 xp
Side Quest: Robbing Peter to pay Paul: 100 xp
]
They both heard a fanfair and confetti as their white bars started over. Several achievements popped up one at a time.
[
Achievements earned:
Learning the ropes!
Complete the tutorial with Morty.
Beggars can't be choosers
Beat up and rob the excommunicated priest
Trounce the bouncer
Defeat the bouncer at the door
Too big for your britches
Get beat up by The Sweetest of Lions
]
Morty appeared again as the achievements finished.
[
Morty: Good job you two! Morty: Now that you've learned the basics and gained a level, more of the game is available.
Morty: Including designing your in-game avatar!
Morty: Feel free to do that or tweak your personal settings now - However..
Morty: it will take 12 hours for your player profile to be built and ready to boogie!
Morty: So, take some time for yourself! Stay hydrated homies!
]
He gave them a giant thumbs up, followed by chugging water. He disappeared and they were left with the avatar creation screen. It had two options: Use from profile or customize.
[
Jessi: you don't mess with perfection!
Jessi: I assume you'll be here for hours?
Jessi; Command: Use from profile
]
A big green check mark appeared for him, then everything faded.
Meanwhile, Bahliah had selected “customize”. She found herself in an empty white expanse. The floor was a slightly darker white, and she cast no shadow. The only feature was a mirror in front of her. It showed her as her real self, not the character she'd played. She was dressed in a form-fitting robe.
Experimentally, she touched the mirror.
An ornate user interface popped up. She could cycle presets for things she touched, like her lips, eyes, and so on. She could also sculpt the features with hand gestures.
This was going to take a while.
Sometime later, both of them woke up. Bahliah brushed her hair out of her face and blearily looked at the screen.
The screen showed the likeness of their two characters with a timer reading 11 hours 58 minutes 12 seconds.
Jessi barked a laugh.
“So, it's you with makeup.”
“None of your sass. I'll have you know I tweaked everything to perfection. I must have spent two hours there. What have you been doing during all that?”
“Passed out apparently. I only just came to. That VR shit has some kick.”
“Agreed. I feel like I had too much feni.”
Jessi glanced at his watch. “Holy hell, we were there for five hours. It's dinner time already.”
“Fuck. It's my turn to make curry,” Bahliah said, holding her head.
“You know there are other dishes you can make than curry, right?” Jessi asked. He started counting on his fingers, “We've got lobster mac and cheese, and the lobster is already cooked. You just chop it up and throw it in. I've already got some chicken marinating in the fridge for salad or something. About the only thing in there you won't eat is that dry-aged ribeye.”
Bahliah glared at him.
“It's your fault we can't order out. My stipend hasn't recovered from when you made a fool of me in front of my parents. Bringing up Jessica, of all things!”
Jessi had the grace to at least look embarrassed.
“Blame your father for opening that last bottle of rice wine. It was pretty stout. At least they didn’t cut your grocery card, right?”
Bahliah's glare was unabated, her arms crossed over her chest.
“Besides, Jessica was such a fine catch for you! How could I not brag about my girl?”
Deciding to change the subject, Bahliah said, “That game was otherworldly, though. I don't know how that technology worked, but it felt like we were really there. Everything but pain at least. I could feel that too, but very muted.”
"Yeah, glad for that considering the ass-whooping we got.” Jessi replied.
“How could such a thing even be possible right now? It's old tech, but it works better than the newest devices."
“Maybe it's magic.” Jessi said offhandedly. He expected Bahliah to laugh, but instead she had a considerate look. They both were thinking of that moment when it felt like they were being pulled into the game console.
After a moment, Bahliah shrugged and moved to the kitchen.
“Fuck it, I'm hungry. Maybe I'll make that mac and cheese after all.”
“Don't burn the roux this time!” Jessi called out helpfully. He was answered with a middle finger.