Ash watched the twins depart. What an odd pair. There was something otherworldly about them, but was that feeling an artifact of the game or an aspect of their characters? He sighed. Maybe he was over-thinking this.

Ivy muttered to James so Gilbert couldn’t hear, “So do you always fall in love with video game characters?”

James stiffened. “Shut up. Only sometimes.”

Ash came to his defense. “He’d hardly be the first the guy to fall for a digital persona.” Then he realized what he’d said—Ivy’s online presence was, in fact, a digital persona—and cleared his throat. He glanced at her to see if she’d registered his comment, but saw no sign. “And besides, how much fan fiction is out there written about male characters from games and anime?”

Ellie ribbed Ivy. “Do I recall reading some Geralt fan-fic from an unnamed person’s notebook not so many years ago?”

“Okay, fine,” Ivy said, clearing her throat. “Sorry, James. She was pretty gorgeous.”

Ash went to the window and blinked his eyes, trying for skill checks that might reveal anything pertinent. Nothing. The window sill was old, weathered wood cut to fit the brick opening. It looked like it hadn’t been touched in years. The drop to the ground outside was about twelve feet. Then it hit him. “The thief did not climb through this window.”

In Ash’s peripheral vision, Gilbert stiffened and partially turned.

“He would have needed a ladder, and he would have left scuff marks on the sill,” Ash said. “The wood is old and soft.” He scratched it with his finger, and easily left a mark. “Yeah, no way.”

Ivy gave him a glance of appreciation. “So then why open the window at all? The house is freezing.”

“To mislead, obviously,” Ash said, looking squarely at Gilbert.

Outside, the sky had turned dark and tumultuous over the steel-gray sea. Miles away, a veil of rain obscured the tossing waves.

Ellie said to Gilbert, “What’s that book in the safe? May I see it?”

In response, Gilbert closed and locked the safe. “That is…a family treasure. Old Jean-Paul’s journal. It would not be of interest to you, as he died long ago.”

And you just made it all the more interesting, buddy, Ash thought.

“You must forgive me,” Gilbert said. “I have duties to attend. I shall inform the rest of the family of your presence. You may consider yourselves our honored guests. I regret my earlier…prickliness. It’s just that there is much at stake, you understand.”

“Oh, we understand,” Ash said. “We will continue our investigation.”

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“Be expeditious about it, for your own safety.”

“What does that mean?” Ivy asked, hands on hips.

“There is a storm coming, madam,” Gilbert said, gesturing out the window. “You’ll find yourself much more comfortable in the inn, in such a storm, than you will here. And the tide is coming in as well. When it does, you will require a boat to reach the mainland.”

Ash nodded. “Thank you for the warning, and for your cooperation.”

Gilbert bowed stiffly and departed toward the foyer. His hard-soled footsteps eventually receded up the staircase.

Ellie rubbed her hands. “I don’t know about you all, but this is a blast. I’m loving it.”

“It blows me away every thirty seconds,” Ivy said. “I’m a little staggered by how immersive it is.”

“I’m glad you’re having a good time so far,” Ash said.

“Is it everything you hoped?” Ivy asked.

“Way more. I barely notice the physical game rig anymore,” he said.

“It’s magical,” Ellie said. “So, anyway, I’m going to outside and look around.” She glanced once between the two of them with a suppressed, knowing grin. “You two need to give everything a good going over.”

He and Ivy traded glances, then he smiled. “For sure. And watch your back.”

Ellie held up her cane and drew a few inches of its hidden blade. “Oh, I will.” Then she swung it around once and headed for the front door.

Ash and Ivy glanced at each other awkwardly with sheepish smiles.

Ivy was the first to speak. “So, let’s compare notes. A once-rich family fallen into hard times.”

“Because…”

“Change in the economy? No more whaling?”

“No, that’s boring. It has to be something more interesting. Corruption? Disease? Inbreeding? A Dark Secret?”

“Yeah, did you see those two?”

“Yeah, icky.”

“Good catch on the windowsill.”

“Thanks. Makes me lean toward an ‘inside man’ scenario.”

“Don’t assume the perp was a man.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it. We haven’t met the whole family yet.”

“You didn’t happen to catch the combination on the safe did you?” Ash asked. “You had a better angle than I did.”

“Got the last two numbers.” She grinned.

Their eyes met. They smiled wider. Ash’s ears grew so warm he noticed the headphones over them.

Then they spun apart to study the room further.

* * *

Julius Himura watched the new girl as she moved through the game scenario, Samantha, that was her name. No, not quite… He watched her moving through the game environment, interacting briefly with a Ruby Ticket holder’s group. An asterisk next to their game session code indicated that he had opted for Ultimate Mode, which elicited a sly smile. That team had naturally high mental and soul traits. All of them looked quite delicious.

He felt the spoiled sashimi being digested in his guts, waves of roiling, surging, tearing, all quite satisfying.

His attention returned to the new girl in her persona as a beautiful young twin. The actors were required to remain in character at all times while the game session was in progress. She and her “brother” were engaging in a lively conversation that was part acting exercise, an effort to slide more smoothly and deeply into the skins of their characters, so to speak. Himura didn’t understand actors, but they were useful tools. Their emotional temperaments, imagination, and propensity for make-believe made them more susceptible to Himura’s purpose.

He reviewed the list of other actors in the scenario.

“Good… Oh. No. “ Cory Scanlan wasn’t wearing Himura’s “good luck” talisman. The fool had left it in his locker. With a wave of Himura’s fingers, Cory was reassigned to a different group of players. Himura replaced him with Eddie, who would be just coming off his lunch break. Eddie’s hunger would be assuaged, so he would be more stable, at least for a while. And since this Ash boy, the Ruby Ticket recipient, had opted for Ultimate Mode, Eddie could be given a looser leash.

The new girl’s name came to him in a flash of memory, Savannah. Human names meant so little to him these days. He had found that new actors—only one per game session group—could be used for…special purposes.

Their game session was about to get much more interesting.