Chapter 30 – Sisters

The candlelight flickers as Aria sits by the window, scowling at the city of Drenerys as the morning sun rises from the west. She is unaccustomed to the experience of watching the sunrise from this direction, but a lot of things feel different these days. She has spent so much time logged in that the game starts to feel as real as real life to her sometimes, which actually scares her a little. If one looks closely, the game is nothing like reality. So, why does she feel so at ease here?

Her musings are interrupted as someone knocks on her office door. “Enter.” She says, not taking her eyes away from the window.

Benjamin sticks his head through the door. “Excuse me, madam. Your sister is here to see you.”

She sighs. “Did she tell you why she is here?”

“Yes. She said, and I quote: Tell my sis I’m here to brighten up her day.”

Aria’s brows furrow. “Of course she is…” She mutters. “I might as well get it over with.”

Benjamin nods before he retreats out of her office. She purses her lips.

It’s not like Aria dislikes her younger sister. In reality, she is quite fond of her. It’s just that she can sometimes be… quite the handful. Completely oblivious to Aria’s need to get important matters settled before she tries to talk her into something completely ridiculous or unnecessary. All in the name of ‘having some fun’.

While her life might be infinitely easier and more effective without Anna pestering her on a daily basis, she couldn’t imagine being without her. Their relationship may seem strained to some, but that’s just how their dysfunctional relationship works. There is no other way to describe it than them just being family. It’s not supposed to be easy. It’s all good in some indescribable sort of way.

“Sister!” A voice shouts before the door slams open, revealing Anna on the other side. “Long time no see! What have you been up to?” She grins while walking towards her desk, finding the most comfortable of her chairs before promptly dropping herself into it, raising her feet and placing them brazenly on Aria’s fine oaken desk.

Aria doesn’t react, just waiting for Anna to get settled. “It’s only been two days. You know what I’ve been up to.”

“Really? How could I know that? We settled that Thief Lord business yesterday morning. What else has happened?” Anna asks cheerfully.

Aria frowns. “I’ve been dealing with the aftermath. We need to be certain the Thief Lord didn’t escape into the city proper. I won’t rest until we find signs of her.”

“Sister, please.” Anna sighs. “Loosen up a little. There’s just no way she could have gotten out.”

“You don’t know that.” Aria snaps at her sister.

Anna gives her older sister a stern look. Aria flinches, as Anna reminds her of their mother for a fraction of a moment. The only person in the world who could give Aria pause. “Listen. You hired like, what was it? Five? Ten architects to comb the entire peninsula, completely analyzing and breaking down every single aspect of the district. You’ve even had a whole team of analysts run countless simulations on how a Villain could escape, and the only reasonable way they found was to bribe one of your guards or if they somehow stumbled upon the sewers; and even then, a second grate will seal it off within the month. You’re still making it I presume?”

Aria sighs. “Of course…”

“Then there you have it. If your team didn’t find a way, why would anyone else? Besides, it’s just a single low-level Thief Lord. She couldn’t possibly be a major threat to the guild. There are thousands of us for christ’s sake. Even if she did get past us, she is bound to get killed at one point or another. You have the respawn point covered, don’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“Then stop worrying about it. Low-level Villains are the least of your concerns. The city is huge, and enemy Villains can enter from anywhere; not just the Noob District.” Anna says while massaging her temples.

“If one figures out a way past, then more will follow. Trouble always multiplies itself.” Aria frowns, glaring back at her sister. Finally realising she is supposed to be the stern one. “Now, enough about this. I won’t have my baby sister scold me.”

Anna snickers. “That’s better. That’s the sister we all love to dread and fear.”

“Fear is good. It keeps people in line.”

Anna snorts. “What are you? A gangster? Please. How about being a little encouraging once in a while?” She chuckles.

“What? I’m encouraging!” Aria gasps in mock outrage. “Just two hours ago, I encouraged Steele’s team to gain three levels by the end of the weekend if they wanted to stay in the guild.”

“Right… Encouragement. I forgot who I was talking to.” Anna grins, sticking her tongue out.

The two sisters burst into laughter. Aria needed this. A chance to lower her shoulders and blow off some steam. Only her baby sister can have this effect on her, and that’s why she loves her. 

“In all seriousness though.” Anna says after a short pause. “If you really worry about this, then why don’t you have Shadowbane deal with the problem?”

Aria tenses for a moment. “Anna! Don’t talk so casually about them. That information is top secret.” She admonishes her sister.

Anna raises her hands defensively. “Yeah, yeah. I know sis. I didn’t tell anyone. Not even Brian.” 

“Good. Now…” Aria leans over towards her desk, grabbing a small silver key from her inventory and unlocking the bottom drawer. “I’ve already sent word, and they are keeping an eye out. They’re already busy leveling up as it is, and I’m disinclined to take up too much of their valuable time with this matter. The most important thing is not to draw any attention yet.”

“Well, that solves the problem, doesn’t it? There’s no way a fledgling Thief Lord can hide from Shadowbane, is there?” Anna smiles, leaning further back in her chair.

Aria grunts, still not quite satisfied. She has spent too much time on this matter as it is. She hates to admit it, but her sister does have a point. There is no way a Thief Lord can hide from Shadowbane for long, and even then, it’s impossible to beat them.

She sighs. Maybe it’s time to lay the matter to rest. For now at least. She looks over at her sister. “I suppose it does. Thanks, Anna. I really needed to hear that.”

“Ah, no worries sis! That’s why I’m here, isn’t it? To occasionally pull that giant stick out of your-”

“Anna!”

Anna raises her hands defensively once more. “Sorry, sorry! Force of habit! I’ve been partying up with Rachel and Marc for too long.” She grins, winking at her sister.

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Aria frowns. “Was there anything you needed?”

“What, who me?” Anna smiles sheepishly. “Can’t a girl just visit her favourite sister without having a hidden agenda?”

“She can, but you don’t. What is it? Did you run out of gold again? I swear. I gave you fifty gold just three days ago. What did you do? Gamble it away at The Prancing Leprechaun again?”

“Well, some of it…” Anna’s cheeks redden. “But not all of it! I actually invested the rest in a promising young… uhm, I mean old craftsman. I think he will become a promising ally in the near future.”

“A promising crafter?” Aria raises an eyebrow. Good crafters are always in high demand, as most skilled players will always be drawn towards the combat classes. “Tell me about him. What level is he, and which profession did he choose?”

Anna perks up. “Well, his name’s Ryan, he’s fifty-two years old and a really good guy. He… uhm... seems very intelligent and well-spoken. I’m sure you would like him.”

Aria tries to hold back a sigh. Of course her sister picked up another stray. What’s that? The third one this month alone? “I’m sure I would.”

“I know, right? I know what you may be thinking, but Ryan isn’t like the last guy I told you about. He seems to be a pretty genuine guy. Oh! You should have seen Brian’s face when-”

Aria clears her throat; loudly. Anna seems flustered, and her cheeks redden. “Uhm, yeah… Sorry, I went a little overboard there. So… uhm... I think he’s level three by now, but that will probably change shortly. He’s a halfling Trap Maker, and he seems very focused on leveling up his craft whenever he is online. It’s a pity he is only a night-player though…” She sighs. 

Aria deflates. A level three Trap Maker? Has she gone mad?

“Anna…” She sighs. “How much did you give him?” 

“Mmmh…” She purses her lips. “Only a little over twenty gold to get him started. I was hoping to give him some more after he’s leveled up a bit.”

Aria winces. Twenty gold? What on earth would a level three Trap Maker do with twenty gold? She sighs once more. “Anna… How much do you know about this Ryan? How long have you known him?”

“Uhm, only a few days. I met him in the tavern in the noob zone, only a few hours before you started that whole purge business. We’ve been talking a few times since then though. Just the other day, we chatted for around an hour about how Paul and the guys beat that Necromancer.”

“Anna…” Aria rubs her temples, trying her best not to sound condescending. “That guy probably scammed you.”

Anna’s face turns into a frown. “Seriously? This again? Would you please just stop it? Not everyone you meet is out to trick you.”

“Anna, listen. There are tons of guys like that out there, willing to do anything to get ahead. Just think about it for a moment. He’s a halfling Trap Maker. Why would he do that? The main attribute for Trap Making is Dexterity, not Charisma or Luck. Also, you only met him once. In a tavern, no less. I bet he just walked right up to you and made up some sad sippy story of how he can’t afford to enjoy the game on his meager paycheck, and then casually mention that he needs some funds. Does that sound about right?”

“What? No!” Anna snorts. “First of all, I came over to him. He didn’t have a sad story at all, he was just a regular nice guy. Also, I was the one who offered the gold to him. He actually refused to take it at first. He even promised to pay me back when he starts producing useable traps.”

Aria just shakes her head. “An empty promise. If he is only a night-player as you say, then he will never be able to catch up in levels to a full-time player like you. Anything he makes would be worthless. Not that Trap Makers are in high demand either. The profession is utterly useless in the grand scheme of things.”

“Oh, for crying out loud, Aria. Not everything in life is about efficiency. Everything has its use in some way. You are just too pigheaded to think outside of the box. Ryan is my friend, and I want to help him. Why, in your eyes, is that such a terrible thing?” Anna glares at her sister. 

Aria is taken aback at first, flabbergasted by the sudden aggressiveness of her usually timid younger sister. What has gotten into her? 

Grimacing, Aria pinches the bridge of her nose. She needs to tread carefully around this matter. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you. I just don’t want anyone to hurt my little sister. You know I only have your best interests at heart, don’t you?”

Anna, still red-faced, untenses her shoulders and sags back into her chair. She exhales slowly, smiling weakly at her sister. “Yeah, I know sis. I’m sorry too. I just wish you didn’t always have such a negative view of other people all the time. Ryan is a good person. I’m sure you will like him once you get to know him.”

Aria smiles. “Perhaps I should meet the guy. He must be quite the charmer if he managed to grab hold of your heart after only a single date.” She winks.

Anna’s face immediately reddens. “No! It’s not like that… We’re just friends. Besides, we didn’t really have time to talk much… And Brian was there…”

“Oh? I thought you said you’ve talked for days?” She smirks.

“Well, yeah. I keep inviting him to join me and my team for a few drinks every evening, but he is always busy with this or that. I’m sure he has time tonight though…”

Aria’s eye twitches, but she quickly straightens her face before Anna sees it. This guy sounds way too suspicious. She has to tread carefully here though unless she reignites Anna’s temper.

“Then you should invite him for a drink when he logs on this evening.” Aria smiles at her sister. “But promise me to be careful though, little sister. A lot of the conmen usually blow you off until you forget about them or until they need something from you.” She says, slowly. Trying not to sound accusatory. Anna eyes her skeptically and is about to retort before Aria quickly continues, trying desperately to avoid another argument. “I don’t mean it like that! It’s probably nothing. Just don’t give him any more money until you are sure he’s legit.”

Anna’s jaw clenches. “Lay off it, Aria.” She says coldly.

Aria pinches the bridge of her nose. “I will; I promise. I just don’t want the incident with Chad to repeat itself.”

“Why would it? Ryan’s a friend. You know dating much older men is your thing; not mine.” Anna gives her sister a stiff smile that never seems to reach her eyes. “I appreciate what you’re doing, sis, but I’ve told you to stay out of middling in my personal life. I know it was you who had his arm broken.”

“He deserved every-” 

“That doesn’t matter.” Anna cuts her sister off. “You had to right to spy on him without my knowledge. I told you what would happen if I ever caught you doing anything like that again, didn’t I?” Anna says coldly.

Aria sighs. “Yeah, yeah. I promise. Just… promise me to be careful around Ryan until you know him better?”

Anna stares at her sister with a blank expression for a few seconds. “I’m not stupid, Aria.”

“I know, baby sis, I know.”

The two sister lapses into silence for a moment, the mood completely broken. This really wasn’t how Aria hoped it would turn out. She knows she can be a bit over-protective about her baby sister, but she’s just that: her baby sister. She’d trash her business in a heartbeat if that was what it would take to protect her. Anna is all she has; the only thing making her smile these days.

Aria is brought out of her stupor when Anna suddenly jumps to her feet. “I need to get a drink.” She mutters as she walks toward the door. Halfway there, she glances across her shoulder. “If you’re wrong about Ryan, I want you to promise me to never question my friends again.”

“I promise.” Aria mutters, but it’s too late. Anna has already left. 

Aria slumps into her seat. “Sister…” She mutters, staring dumbfounded at the door.

Why does it need to be like this? Over what? A guy who scammed her out of a measly twenty euro? She really shouldn’t have made an issue over this, but she can’t help herself. People get scammed all the time. If anything, this is a good lesson for her naive little sister. The problem, however, is what his end-goal is. If it’s just twenty euro, that’s fine. If he hurts her little sister though...

A knock on her door breaks her out of her somber thoughts. When she doesn’t answer, the door opens and Benjamin enters the room. 

“Madam? Are you alright?” He asks, concern in his voice.

“Hmm? Ah, yes.Thank you. We just had a small argument. A really silly one, really.” 

Benjamin raises an eyebrow. “Is there anything you need me to do?”

Aria, still lost deep in thought shakes her head lightly. “No… I don’t think…” She mutters, trailing on into silence.

No. She won’t let some bastard hurt her sister. Not again. 

“Wait, there is one thing.” She straightens; determination returning to her mind. “I want you to contact Brian and figure out who this Ryan character is. I want you to find out who he is, where he lives, what he does for a living, and if he is currently romantically involved with anyone. Oh, and also check if he has a police record. I want you find out everything you can; and I want that report yesterday.” She says coldly.

Benjamin feels a shiver crawl down his spine. He gives a short nod. “Do you also want him followed ingame?”

Aria thinks it over for a second. “No, hold off on that. The risk of Anna finding out about it is too high. Just get me the information for now.”

He gives another short nod.  “It will be done, madam.”