"'Evening," called a woman's voice. The owner of the voice was forty-ish with short, dark hair and a scar on her jaw, wearing a muted purple, short-sleeved dress with traces of gold embroidery along the shoulders. "Enjoying yourself?" She took a seat in the chair across the small table from him, and a large man wearing a gleaming chestplate-y piece of armor with metal bands around his arms took up a position behind her, facing the other direction.

"I guess," Carl said. Not really in a people mood anymore now that I started thinking abo—

"You're Vol's friend," she said.

Carl's curiosity was immediately raised. "You know her?" Don't think I've met anyone else who knows her, even though she's obviously someone famous.

She smiled slightly. "I do. How do you know her?"

He shrugged. "Had coffee a couple times. Hung out a bit after that, and then we became friends. You?"

"I was her teacher many years ago."

"Ah, a teacher," Carl said, grinning. "My wife's a teacher too." He held his hand out. "Carl." Then he remembered where he was. "—Maximus Weathers," he added quickly.

The woman blinked at him, seeming amused. "Aquila." She took his hand and shook it once in her hardened, callused palm. "Weathers…" She chuckled. "Yes, an obvious resemblance."

Finally, someone gets it! "I know!' Carl exclaimed a little too loudly, causing a group of bright purple-wearing party-goers to look at him in confusion. "Every freaking person in this city asks if I'm related."

"I'm sure it's very troublesome," she said with sympathy in her voice. Her expression firmed up, and she fixed him with a piercing gaze that seemed to weigh down on him. "Weathers, I know we've only just met, but I'm going to request something difficult of you."

Carl's jubilation at finally finding someone who seemed to understand his plight was immediately dampened.

"I want you to be a good, trustworthy friend to Vol," said Aquila.

Huh? That's a weird—Oh, because she was her teacher. Right. Yeah, I can imagine her being a real problem child. Carl threw her a mock salute. "You got it."

She gave him a pleasant smile and stood up. "Splendid. It's been nice meeting you, Weathers, but—"

"Hold on a sec," Carl said as an idea struck him. I mean, it's ten million Strength, right? "Your, uh, friend there… He looks pretty strong?"

Aquila looked up over her shoulder at the man. "Some would say so."

"Think he'd mind arm wrestling me before you go?" Carl asked, placing his elbow on the table and waggling his fingers.

The large, armor-wearing man turned his head around. "Should I—"

Aquila waved up at him. "No, I'll do it. He's Vol's friend, after all." She sat down once more and raised her arm up near the table. "Mellitus, hold his plate."

The large man turned fully around and grabbed the dinner plate off the table, then took a few steps back.

"Uh, sorry," Carl said, "guess I sort of assumed you weren't the fighting type." Kinda embarrassing.

"Appearances may be deceiving," said Aquila. "I'd be pleased to teach a friend of Vol's the same lesson I once taught her." She leaned forward and set her elbow on the table, clasping her hand with his. "You can begin when you like."

Carl looked at her suspiciously. This is starting to feel like a setup in a movie. He glanced around. No sign of Vol anywhere though. He started mov…

Carl frowned. What the heck. He added more power, draggi…

"I'll give you one more try," Aquila said, fixing him in place with her gaze. "Make it count."

Carl had seen this scene play out before. He braced himself, then put everything he h—

Aquila smashed the back of his hand down on the stone table, shattering it and pulling him forward out of his chair to crash onto the rubble.

He blinked a few times, trying to replay the sequence of events in his head. "Uh…"

"Remember what you agreed to," Aquila called over her shoulder as she walked away towards the entrance.

Mellitus carefully set Carl's plate on her recently-vacated seat before turning to follow.

Alright, this game is absolutely garbage. How is ten million Strength so freaking weak that I can get jobbed through a table?

----------------------------------------

Vol hopped over the chair across from his new chair and fell into it. "Hey," she said, looking flushed, "having fun so far?"

Carl sipped from his cup of magically-created water. "I guess."

He'd decided to find a new place to sit after getting destroyed by Vol's old teacher so he wouldn't have to keep looking at the depressing reminder of how weak his stats—which he'd once thought had to be the strongest in the whole game—were. His new seat was closer to the back-center of the courtyard, nearer the main structure, and it gave him a better view for people-watching while he killed time waiting for something or other to happen.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"I had fun," Vol said, still breathing a little hard.

"Are you drunk?"

"Maybe."

"I thought you had some kinda plan."

"What? Oh, uh, y-yeah, this is part of the plan."

"Vol."

"How do you always know?!" Vol whined, adjusting herself to lounge across the arms of the chair as though she wasn't wearing a dress.

Carl shook his head, unable to prevent himself from chuckling.

"It's fine though," she said, tapping her sandal-clad feet in the air. "Totally fine."

Starting to feel like maybe there was no plan. We've been here for like, an hour? Got here a while after it started too. If something was gonna happen, then—

"Ah, so you've come," said a familiar voice nearby. "I don't believe I've seen my dear sister, however. Perhaps I've overlooked her?"

Carl felt himself tense. His hands gripped the armrests of his chair, and he turned his head to see Mina's sister standing next to him in a low-cut, revealing dress that looked to be made of spun gold.

"Who're you?" Vol called in a belligerent voice. She tipped back a pitcher of purple wine and started drinking in big gulps, her face visibly reddened even through her regular bronzed hue.

Emma turned her head to regard the other woman with a slight look of disgust. "If you'll kindly not disturb us, this is a private matter."

Vol continued to drink.

"I've been so eagerly awaiting our reunion after her recent accident," Mina's sister continued when she turned back towards him with a concerned expression. "I hope she's not been injured? I'd made some efforts to send healers to visit, but it seems they've not been able to reach her."

Carl took a deep breath and glared.

"I've the sense there's been some great misunderstanding between us," Emma said, moving closer with a pleading look on her face and clasping her hands in front of herself. "Please, I wish only the best for Isemeine. I'm her eldest sister. At least allow me the opportunity to make things right between us?"

Genuine though her expression and tone seemed, Carl was unmoved.

He was Carl Weathers, Director of IT and a master not only of social engineering, but of resisting the pleas and demands of his daughters, whose cuteness alone made them more persuasive than anyone else could hope to be.

"Fuck. Off." These were the words he said in a low voice by way of reply.

It didn't matter what she said.

Mina was terrified of her.

That was a fact.

Carl Weathers was the greatest dad of all time, and he would always believe his daughters' words over those of anyone else.

Vol snickered.

The young woman who had the same face as Mina, save for the makeup she was wearing at this moment, held her pose for a few more seconds before she relaxed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I see it now," she said slowly, looking him over. "You're fucking her, aren't you?

Carl's jaw clenched.

"What sorts of noises does she make when you're driving your cock into her, I wonder?" Emma asked. "Do you take her as an animal does from behind, or do you prefer she face you so you can watch those udders of hers flop about?"

Carl's grip shattered the armrests on his chair, and he surged to his feet. Time slowed as his fist extended towards her smirking face. "You—"

In the next instant, he was pressed face down into the ground. His right arm was held tightly behind his back, and it felt as though he had a mountain weighing down on him.

"It's as I'd said!" he heard Emma exclaim. "He sought to strike at me in my own home! You've seen it! And he's taken my dearest sister as well!"

Carl's other arm was wrenched back behind him to join the first. He struggled wildly, but he was unable to immediately break the grip of the person holding him.

His chest heaved as he continued to thrash.

As soon as he got loose, he was going to kill this woman.

----------------------------------------

"—And then she hit him with it, and he went freaking flying!" Carl said with a grin as he mimed the motion with his hand.

Mina stared at him with an incredulous grin, the same one she'd developed while he related the entire sequence of events.

"Crashed into the main part of the villa," he continued, smashing one palm against he other, "and it was this massive boom. I don't even know how you use something like that as a weapon. I thought I was gonna die laughing. Then she threw it after him and the whole thing got destroyed."

Mina blinked, then she giggled. "Truly?" she whispered.

Carl nodded. "Funniest thing I've seen in a long time."

"And Vol's done all this?" she asked.

He nodded again. "Yup. She's an awesome friend to have. Really glad I met her." Thought I was pretty screwed there when that guy had me pinned down too after I couldn't break free. What a reversal.

The blonde girl sighed and looked down at her knees, which were pulled up against her chest as she sat in her recliner.

Carl knelt down on the side of her chair and gave her closest bare foot a quick squeeze. "Glad you're doing better, Mina."

She sighed. "I've not gotten better," she said quietly, wrapping her arms more tightly around her knees. "I'm still terrified."

"Of your sister?"

Mina nodded. "It's…" She fell silent. "I've spent so many years in fear of her that even the knowledge of her being nearby is sufficient to reduce me to this." She pressed her face down into her knees.

"It's okay." Carl reached up and brushed her hair back from her face with his hand. Where'd she put that scrunchie I got her anyway? He spotted it nearby on a crate and pushed himself to his feet to retrieve it. "Everyone's got things they're afraid of, sweetie." He held the hair tie behind her head and started pulling her hair through it using practiced motions. "But if you don't try to overcome those fears at some point and they're affecting you like this, you're just gonna spend the rest of your life afraid. That's not what you want, is it?"

She shook her head a little, so he started rubbing her back. She let out a long sigh after a little while. "It's no easy feat to accomplish, however," she said.

"Why not? You stood up for yourself at that auction place, didn't you?"

"That's…quite different," Mina said. She leaned back and looked up at him, and he moved his hand to the top of the chair. "Emma is quite different. Any time she's near, I feel… It's as though I'm simply awaiting the next disaster to befall me."

Carl frowned. Her family sounds worse every time I hear anything about them.

"But," she continued, closing her eyes and taking a breath, "I may be capable of it. Can…" She looked down at her palms. "I know it's a selfish request, but will… Will you stay with me a little longer?" She looked up again with a desperate, pleading expression. "Perhaps only a few more days? I'd like to challenge the racing track once more, and—"

"Shh, shh," Carl said, leaning forward to give her a hug around her shoulders. "Of course I will, sweetie."

Mina clutched at him, and he heard a sniffle that made his eyes feel itchy. "Thank you so much, Carl," she whispered. "I can never thank you enough."

He continued to hold her as she started to cry again, feeling his own eyes grow moist.