Vinn nervously held his phone in his hand and took a courage shot before pressing the button.

“Hello?” the voice asked.

“Hi, Misses Nicole’s mom, please don’t hang up, it’s Vinn.”

“I’m not sure what to say.” She admitted.

“That’s fine I can do the talking. It’s my fault, the green suit the whole stupid thing; she didn’t even wanna do it. I probably seem like an insane person.”

“Well you did leave an unusual first impression.” She chuckled.

“Yea that’s pretty expected for me. Nicole doesn’t even know I’m calling, I don’t know if she would be mad but I dicked this up so bad I wanna make it right. I’m not really good with this sorta thing, my culture is very outdated and often…barbaric, but I’m still part of it deep down. I’ve never even showed myself on the internet before…I guess technically I still haven’t. It’s a pretty big thing. Greenman was…well stupid but something.”

“You really are that afraid of being on camera?”

“More then you could possibly understand, ma’am. I don’t look like you people, We get treated like savages a lot, weird looks, weird questions, or just told we’re not welcome, and I understand given our ways. Some of us can be very brutal and unwelcoming to outsiders, but we’re not all like that. The truth is Nicole probably avoided you because when she came here, I think she felt like she made a mistake. It’s scary here. It’s a wild place with a lot of wild things and even with the group and the comforts from home and the internet, I think she felt alone and scared.”

“Why didn’t she come home?” She asked as Nicole curiously peered around the corner, debating on weather to stay or go or stop him.

“She doesn’t seem like the type to quit something just because it’s scarier than she realized. She’s a tough girl. But for whatever reason she seems to be happy around me. I have no idea why, I consider myself rather boring but she felt safe with me, and I got her out of her comfort zone and she’s really starting to smile more. I make her laugh, it’s certainly not my looks she’s after, trust me, I’m not winning any beauty contests. I’m rough around the edges and sometimes I’m a big dumb screw up, but I love her. I know I seem strange to you, but frankly you people are weird as hell to us, and I tend to make that worse trying to make it better.” He explained.

“Your not making her sleep in a cave and eat raw meat or anything are you?” she joked with a long laugh.

“No, absolutely not. She has a drop-in prefab dwelling outside the cave and everything she eats is cooked. I’m not trying to change her, I think she’s perfect the way she is, she’s nothing like what I thought I wanted, and now I don’t know that I could make it without her, and in a way I think she needs me too.”

“You know a mother can tell when her little girl is hiding something or trying to sugarcoat it. I can here the sincerity in your voice Vinn. You’re telling the truth. You love her. In a strange way I’m glad she found you. I never felt like she was safe way out there alone, and if she’s safe with you, and she’s happy, then I guess it doesn’t matter if she’s far from home. You just make sure wherever she is, feels as much like home as possible.

“I’m getting there. We’ve made a lot of progress I think. She’s made the place very different and I’m happy to have it that way. And my goat likes her. He’s a good judge of character. Whatever it takes to make her happy is what I’ll make my life’s work…even if it means her some day going back home.” He said, sniffling a little, hanging up the phone. “Hopefully not forever.”

“Are you crying?” Nicole whispered.

“No…you’re crying.” He bluffed.

“Vinn…it’s late. I’ll be on the couch, you better be there real soon. It’s cold in the cave.”

“Is the fireplace broken?

“Okay I’m not cold I just want you there.”

“You only love me for my fur coat. I swear”

“Well I’m trying to let my winter fur grow out.”

“Doing a terrible job at it. Thin and patchy as hell.” He joked, turning off the light and following her.

The next morning, Nicole was in the middle of trying to beat Assassin protégé 3 when there was a doorbell ring. She tried to ignore it but on the second ring, she paused and made her way to the entrance. She opened the door expecting some deliver package or Vinn saying he forgot his keys but there in the doorway stood an even larger Delmarian, looking confused to see her.

“Can I help you?” she asked.

“Yea Where’s Vinn?” he asked.

“Work, He’ll be home later, I can take a message or you can just drop by after 6.”

“Damn he must be making money at this gig if he can afford a secretary, cuz you sure as shit are not built for construction.”

“I’m his wife, actually. Do you have a name I can use when he gets home so he knows who dropped by?” she said looking annoyed.

“Oh bullshit. Seriously. Where’s the wife. I wanna see how he did, he didn’t give me a name so I’m curious if I know her.”

“Well, you don’t obviously, because her name is Nicole and she’s standing right here.” She snipped.

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“Cut the shit smoothie.” He said pushing her out of the way and walking down the stairs.

“Hey you can’t just come into my home like that, asshole. I could call the police.”

“Lady, Vinn knows me, it’s cool. I just wanna see the place and see if he’s avoiding me or something. I don’t really get the joke here.”

“There’s no joke, get out of my house.” She yelled.

“Are you actually serious?” he chuckled, noticing the bead in her hair. “You’re not fuckin with me, are you?”

“No.” she said holding the phone to her ear.”

“Hey relax, I’m leaving, I thought it was a prank, I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just gonna catch his ass in the act, but there’s no act. That’s really his hair bead. I recognize the shitty craftsmanship. Man was so broke he made his own marriage bead.” He said heading up the steps and pausing outside.

“Well it’s fine with me. It’s the thought that counts not the price.”

“That explains the unfinished house and the wife with no name.”

“Still Nicole, by the way.” She barked.

“Man I just can’t process that. You’re just human, aren’t you?”

“No I’m a level 12 Druid tiefling, what clued you in? Is that a problem?” she asked as Jack came strolling up the road responding to the call.

“Yea it’s a problem. It’s a problem happening a lot of places, I just never imagined it here. Vinn really did go downhill.” He sighed as jack walked directly into his line of sight.

“Do we have some form of misunderstanding?” Jack said sternly.

“Oh like you matter. And I understand this perfectly. This is a Delmarian owned Moon and then they sold out to the big blues and now they got humans crawling all over it shitting on our land.”

“If I remember the books correctly, This was an Eridani moon until Delmar claimed it, and just decided it was theirs and began mining the place.”

“They weren’t using it. They barely had the technology to plant a flag, you think they needed the moon? Sacred rights, you take what you can take and hold. And what does a human even care? Whoever’s rightful moon it was or is, one player that sure as shit has no business here is your kind. You’re Osirian pets, just lucky they didn’t want you for livestock. Bad enough we have to share the same space, now they’re marrying into clans. Absolute joke. That shit should be illegal but this worlds council is half outsiders so what can you expect?”

“Look, I don’t give a shit about your politics or your opinions, go tell that to your drinking buddies or your cult leaders, this is privately owned property. Vinn isn’t here and she told you to leave. That’s the whole debate settled. Get lost.” Jack barked.

“I sure as hell do not answer to a human female, but I’m equally as unimpressed with your bodyguard flex, smoothboy. I got 600 pounds of meat on you and you think I’m worried?

“You got a bulletproof dick too?” Jack asked, drawing a pistol and aiming for the crotch.

“Alright, maybe you do have some fight in you. Those are illegal around here, that’s a gutsy move. I’ll give you half a point of respect for breaking the rules and racking the slide. That safety is off and everything.”

“I don’t make threats I don’t intend to keep. Walk or drop. You got a few seconds to think about it.”

“Now hold on a second, human. You shoot a security guard with an illegally owned gun, they’ll kill your ass.”

“Yea but you’re still dead. I got connections too. Step forward and find out.”

“You’d make a descent little soldier, Shame you didn’t Marry that scrawny human girl before Vinn did. He made a shitty soldier and this is frankly just a disgrace beyond belief. She’s feisty, and I could even see having her in the house as a servent, but none of you have the right to wear that bead and call this your home. That’s crossing a line there, lifestock. Sure, I’ll leave, I got nothing left here to stay for, I’ll be saying what I need to say to Vinn soon enough. So calm down little soldier, war is already over.” He said turning and walking away. “The big blue bitch ended that before we even got to draw blood.” He growled angrily.

“Nicole, you okay?” he asked, lifting the gun and momentarily just considering shooting him in the back of the head.

“I’m fine. Jack…Why do you have a gun? I mean I’m thrilled you do, but why do you have a gun?” Nicole asked, circling him inquisitively.

“I work for Gizzy. Some of her pets follow orders and get privileges, let’s just leave it at that.”

“You have Earth clearance, direct line to an overlord and you carry a gun…Jack you kinda scare me but you are cool as shit. Does Vicki know you’re basically Jason Bourne?”

“Vicki knows a lot more then you do. In fact you don’t even know I have a gun.”

“Gotcha. So what do we do now?”

“You go back inside and wait for Vinn, go on with your day as usual.”

“Should I call security?”

“He is security. They won’t do shit.”

“You’re not gonna stay with me till Vinn get’s home? What if that guy comes back.

“Oh he won’t come back, and you’re not going with me.” He said heading in the same direction.

“You’re following him?” she asked.

“Nope. You saw me head straight back home the other way, that’s why you’re staying here and waiting.” He said speeding up his walk. She stood cross armed and dumbfounded.

“Jack who the hell are you?” she pondered aloud.

Gizzy crossed her feet on her desk, peering down the obscenely large desk at the top of Jack’s head.

“No appointment, no call, and you’re carrying the gun I gave you. This better be interesting.” She sighed.

“He walked right into their home and threatened Nicole If I hadn’t showed up when I did while Vinn was at work, that could have gotten bad. I followed him for 4 miles, tracked him to the hotel.”

“He knows you did. He’s special operations. He is fully aware that you followed him.” She said lifting her phone up to her head.

“Hello, I want a security drone circling Angler beach and 2 guards on patrol, make sure they work for me, not for the convention. If anyone shows up to relieve them of duty or waves a security badge that isn’t one of mine, stand your ground. Yes immediately.” She said hanging up. “You were saying?”

“You know who he is.”

“Yes I do. I know everything. His name is Kraken, and he’s dangerous. Unfortunately the council wants dangerous people for the convention. We hired a lot of security and some of the council members don’t care who they hire as long as they’re lethal enough to do the job, and this is a meeting we can’t afford not to secure. Lotta big decisions and people arriving you don’t need to know about and did not hear from me. I know every security member they brought in, read every file and the ones that concerned me, I re-read them. You just made yourself a target.”

“Can you get him arrested?”

“After the convention, I can have charges filed.”

“After the convention? That’s not really your normal style.”

“My normal style might be to tell you put two in his head and 3 in chest to be sure he stays down and then make it look like a robbery gone wrong, but you see I don’t run this moon. 12 people run this moon, I’m only one of them, one would take my side, and nobody else. You seem to think I’m supreme emperor of Delmar M44, but we have players coming to town even I don’t argue with and matters I can’t touch. He was specially selected by one of the council, and that means if you go start something, I can’t back you up officially, and everyone knows you work for me, and where did you get a gun on a moon like this.” She winked, placing a different gun on the table.

“Must have printed it myself, surely nobody gave it to me.” He grinned.

“So Jack, don’t start a war, and if you do start a war, you’re on your own and I don’t know you, and you start it with this gun. Turn in your Osirian weapon. You are officially on the records, suspended for threatening a security officer. And off the records, let the drones watch the house and keep this thing better hidden. And if you do fire this, and you better not have to, do not be standing close to what you hit. Do I make my orders clear, Jackson Greene?” Gizzy snipped.

“Perfectly, ma’am. I apologize for my misconduct, it won’t happen again. Here’s my gun and ID.” He said placing his weapon down and his card, and tucking the other gun into his pants.”

“And Jack…keep an eye on Vicki, let me keep an eye on everything else. She is your mission, don’t get in the way of mine unless I tell you to.

“Thank you. And I hope after the convention you can forgive my overstep and let me have my ID and gun back.

“Oh I’m sure I’ll be ready to forgive you by then.” She smirked.