Old Faces
Soren
and Eli were on the couch, lounging after a rather long Wednesday.
Soren had his nose in a scientific journal while Eli lay on his
silver lap, a PSP in his hands. He was running through Persona 3
again. Soren had his music out on his computer, playing Electric
Swing Circus. Eli was
bobbing his head to the music as he played. There was a small bing
as Soren was notified of an
email. Eli sat
up as Soren checked his email. "Good, good," muttered Soren to
himself. Eli
looked away from his game, "Sasha said 'yes?'" Soren
smiled and nodded. "You get to drive some of it this time. It's
about time you helped me on distance trips." Eli groaned. Soren
flicked a beige ear playfully. "You learned stick for a reason. The
last few times we traveled I drove the whole way." Eli
sighed in resignation. "Should we leave on Friday then?"Soren
nodded. "Sasha said we can crash at her place. We can drive after I
get home from work. We'll pack something to eat for the car. Can I
trust you to make some sandwiches without leaving our kitchen in
ruins?" Eli
kissed Soren on the cheek. "Yes, smart ass, I can pack us some
sandwiches." The two foxes stayed up till the album finished and
went to bed. Eli cuddled up to Soren beneath their blankets. They
shared a long kiss, tasting of toothpaste. "I love you, Soren." "I
love you too, Eli," said Soren, rocking them back and forth in his
arms. Eli smiled as he felt Soren kiss his hair. Thursday
and Friday flew by without any significant events. Eli managed to
drive the whole way without stalling or grinding the gears. He could
tell Soren was relieved by his good driving. They both held a small
amount of anxiety about damaging their new car.Sasha
greeted them at the door. Eli frowned. "You didn't have to wait for
us. It's almost 3am!" The
Linoone shook her head. "It's all right. I needed to catch up on
some work. I didn't want to make you stalk into my house like
criminals." She yawned widely as she walked into her bedroom. "The
hide-a-bed is folded out for you. Goodnight." After a few seconds
she poked her head around the doorway again. "And behave
yourselves, boys. I don't wanna hear anything." Both foxes blushed.
Sasha winked as she shut the door. Both
Soren and Eli flopped on the couch bed, not even changing clothes. It
had been a long drive. "Thanks for driving," whispered Soren, his
eyes drooping as they lay next to each other. "You did really
well." "Thanks
sweetie," said Eli, equally quiet. He snuggled up to Soren, sharing
a long kiss. "Let's
have fun tomorrow," said Soren. "I love you, Eli." Eli made
a small noise of assent, burying his face in Soren's fur. "That's
the idea. I love you too."Soren
and Eli woke up together. Eli checked his watch. It was 11:30. He
could hear Sasha working in the pottery room. Eli groaned as he sat
up. Sasha called from beyond the half open door. "Rise and shine,
boys. Help yourself to what's in the fridge." Eli
could tell Soren felt a bit bad for sleeping in so late, and the
silver fox began digging through the fridge, looking for something he
could make Sasha for lunch. Taking out some chicken and vegetables,
he quickly made chicken salad paninis. Sasha
came in to wash her hands. "Dammit, Soren," she said with a
frown, "I was gonna use that chicken for when Di and Danny came
over tonight. I should have told you not to touch that." Soren
scratched the back of his head. "Sorry," he said sheepishly. "I
wanted to cook you something after you let us crash here. I can go
grab some stuff from the store if you like. I had plans to cook for
us anyway. I'll make sure to get you some more chicken while I'm at
it." Sasha
smiled. "It's no big deal. Knowing you, you'll wow us again with
your kitchen wizardry, as usual." Eli
finished his sandwich. "You know Soren wouldn't wanna pass up a
chance to flaunt his culinary skills anyway." Soren shot Eli a
dirty look, but there was no anger in that glance. Eli liked to rib
Soren for bragging about his cooking, but he was glad to see Soren
proud of himself. He was always so awkward and reserved. Showing off
was good for him. Soren
turned to Sasha. "When are Danny and Di coming?" Sasha
checked her watch. "Around half past soon. They didn't give me a
time frame other than the afternoon. It depends on when Di can get
away from the set." Eli
nodded. He began making up the hide-a-bed. He folded the blankets,
having to stop and undo the mess he was making. For once he
was actually a bit anxious. He only knew Sasha from Soren's group of
high school friends. He wasn't sure what Danny and Di, those nebulous
figures who Soren called friends, would be like. He was sure they'd
be nice, but still... so this is what Soren felt like half the time.
He folded the bed frame into the couch, wincing as he caught one of
his tails in the structure. Soren
turned around. "Wanna help me shop?" Eli
smiled and grabbed the keys. "Can I drive?" Soren
nodded. "Don't make me regret it." Eli punched him playfully on
the shoulder as they walked down to the parking lot.Eli
drove down Lassaire's main street, slightly jerkily as he fumbled a
bit with the gears. "What are your friends like? You never really
told me.""You're
right," said Soren sheepishly, "I'm sorry about that. Di is a set
designer working for a small theater in Milwaukee. She has her nose
in all of the art world. You geek out over the same plays she does
too. Cheap romance, high concept stages and scripts, and drama so
thick you'd need scuba gear to breathe." Eli
chuckled and grinned. "Sounds like my kinda gal." Soren
laughed. "I thought so. Then there's Danny. He just finished his
internship and is working as a freelance architect. He acts all
serious when you first meet him, but he's really just a smart ass.
He's a bigger gamer than both of us put together." Eli
smiled and nodded, mouthing the names silently. They pulled up to the
store, its small parking lot mostly empty on a chilly and rainy
Saturday. Exiting the car, they headed inside for an ingredient
hunting excursion. Soren was such a snob when it came to finding the
right cooking materials, but then again, the results spoke for
themselves. Soren
and Eli laughed as they walked out of the grocery store. They had
been inside for almost an hour and their canvas bags were laden with
assorted ingredients. Soren was glad to be back in Wisconsin just for
the cheese. Soren said he had planned
for making five cheese
fondue, but he broke down and went for seven cheeses. They could
take some home at least. As they crossed through the sliding doors,
Soren stopped dead. He was staring at a tall Typhlosion with large,
fiery red quills and sharp horn-rimmed glasses."Chris,"
asked Soren tentatively, addressing the fire type. "Soren,"
replied Chris in a curt voice. Eli fidgeted awkwardly as the
Typhlosion gave him a deadly glare. Soren
tried to initiate conversation that wasn't hostile. "I haven't had
a good look at you since you evolved. It suits you." Chris nodded.
Soren bravely attempted to continue. "How's school?" "It's
fine," said Chris, still glowering at Eli. "Where are you working
now that you graduated?" Soren explained briefly about his lab job.
Chris raised an eyebrow. "Didn't they have a break-in recently?
That place doesn't seem to have its shit together, from what I read."
Eli saw
the jab stung Soren a bit, but he stayed composed. Eli shuffled a bit
closer to Soren. "Are Mom and Dad OK?" Chris
gave a forced grin. "They'd be glad to have you for dinner. You
could even bring your...friend. Sasha's also welcome too. Who is your
friend, by the way?"Soren
frowned. "This is Eli. He's my boyfriend."Chris
nodded. "Like I said, your friend. Why are you here, anyway? You
didn't drive eight hours just for cheese.""I was
going to visit friends. Introduce them to Eli," said Soren, his
voice steady. "I've told them a lot about Eli ever since we started
dating."
"I
didn't get that last bit," said Chris, but he kept talking. "Mom
and Dad are really worried, Soren. Ever since you've moved out.
They're really afraid you're going to keep... regressing." There
was an audible thunk as
the grocery bags fell to the ground around Soren, their handles
burned through by the blue sparks that ran up and down his arms. Not
that fire would hurt any of them here. Soren's hands were balled into
gnarled fists. But as Soren was fuming, Eli stepped up to Chris.
Chris was as tall as his brother, and Eli had to stare up into
Chris's pointed face. "What the fuck
is your problem?!"Both
Soren and Chris were staring at Eli in amazement. "My problem,"
said Chris in an affronted voice. "What's yours? This conversation
was completely civil before you started shouting.""My
problem is you,"
said Eli his voice rising. "What is your problem with someone being
gay? What is your problem with your brother being gay? Chris
frowned. "My brother isn't gay. That's a nasty accusation. Don't
shout that around in public.""Fuck,"
shouted Eli, beginning to pace with manic energy. "I'm gay. Your
brother is gay. I love
your brother. What about that freaks you out?" Eli performed an
about face and kissed Soren on the muzzle. He turned around. "What
about that is wrong to you?" Crimson sparks were running across his
shuddering body. Eli's mouth was forming words but nothing came out
except a snarl."Control
yourself, you feral," said Chris icily. He gave Eli an appraising
look before glaring at Soren through his glasses. "You gave up your
family to live with this trash? You have bad taste." He then
roughly shoved Eli and Soren apart to enter the store. THWAM!!
Eli jumped as Soren smashed
the lid of a garbage can with his silver fist, leaving an enormous
dent in the metal. The blue fire around his fists left scorch marks
all across the can, and the bag inside was emitting the toxic fumes
of burning plastic. Even through his own rage, Eli had never, ever
seen Soren this angry. The two stood there as if frozen, but after a
minute Soren started to turn back into the store. Eli
snapped out of his own anger in an instant. He placed his hand on
Soren's shoulder. "Please," begged Eli, "Please, let's just
go." They were both shaking, but after a minute he felt Soren
begin to relax. Soren picked up the bags in his arms. The fire that
previously wreathed his silver arms had dissipated. When
they got into their green Prius, the two put their arms around each
other. Eli couldn't say anything that would help, but he knew he
could console Soren with just his body. Soren closed his eyes and
held Eli. Eli felt a few tears leak past Soren's blue eyes. After
what felt like ages, the silver fox spoke. "I'm sorry. It still
hurts some days," was all he said, his voice shaking a bit. "I'm
sorry," said Eli in a hushed voice. It was all he could
say. Soren nodded and started the car. The drive back was silent,
with Soren not even turning on the music. Eli sat without speaking
and watched Soren. He was mouthing words to himself as he drove
smoothly through the streets, but Eli couldn't tell what he was
saying. Eli slowly stroked a silver tail that was spilling over the
armrest, and he could gradually feel bristled fur receding to its
normal silky smoothness. When they left the car, Eli embraced Soren
for a very long and tense minute. "Are you OK now," asked Eli,
his voice slightly muffled in Soren's silver arms. There was a long
pause, and Eli could feel Soren breathing heavily. "Yes,"
said the silver fox after a very long time. "And you?""I'm
OK." They grabbed the groceries and walked up the stairs. Soren
still was a little tense, but he was relaxing. They walked through
the seventh door and back into the apartment. Sasha
poked her head out of the doorway to her room. She had changed out of
her pottery clothes and was wearing a loose blue skirt and a light,
powder blue shirt. "You took your time. Did you find everything?"Soren
nodded, his voice back to normal. "I couldn't resist splurging on
cheese. I got you your chicken and I got plenty of stuff for fondue
and some appetizers. You have a pot, don't you?" Sasha
nodded. "Thanks. Di called. She said that she'll be here soon,
perhaps a bit less than half an hour now. Danny shouldn't be far
behind"Soren
nodded in return. "I can start on the spinach dip. And if you help
me I can do the potato bites too," Soren then pointed a silver arm
at Eli, "You sit
down." Sasha gave Soren a quizzical look. Soren looked surprised.
"After all this time, you've never seen Eli in the kitchen?"
Sasha shook her head. Soren smiled. "Pray you never see the day."
Eli gave
Soren a fake pout. "I helped you with that pie the other day. I'm
getting better." Soren
smiled again. "Slowly. Hey, Sasha, I also got you some flour and
sugar, cause I'm likely to use all yours tonight. I was gonna do a
cake."Sasha's
eyes widened as she saw the enormous mountain of high quality
ingredients that Soren and Eli had brought in. "How much did you
spend on food?!" Eli
scratched the back of his head. "ehhh... a lot." Eli felt really
self-conscious about how successful he was right now. Sasha's place
was pretty shabby to be honest, and the complex itself was kind of a
dive. Not that he cared at all, but he felt sort of bad now that he
had spent so much when Sasha looked like she was just getting by. Eli saw
Soren looking a little guilty too, but he hid it by starting on the
spinach dip, smashing up the spinach and artichoke hearts in a creamy
base. It didn't take long at all, and Soren threw it into the oven to
get it to the right heat. Sasha
knew Soren's potato bites recipe, and began peeling the potatoes and
shredding the cheese, leaving Soren to actually garnish the potatoes
himself. Taking the spinach out of the oven, she upped the heat by a
few degrees while Soren spiced and cheesed the potatoes. He fried
some bacon for the potatoes while they waited. Eli sat on the couch
and enjoyed the good smells. There
was a knock on the door and Sasha went to get it. Eli perked up as he
heard a jovial and musical voice sing-speak, "Hey, how are you,"
overlapping with Sasha's cool and mellow voice. There was a pause and
he heard the musical voice say, "Soren's here. I can smell him
cooking." It wasn't a question; it was a statement. A graceful
Liepard bounced in on springy paws, her purple spotted fur somehow
lighting up the slightly dingy living room. She smelled of sawdust. Eli
stood up to shake her hand, attempting to stammer out his first name.
"God, I'm turning into
Soren..." The
purple cat bounced up to him and gave him a quick hug. "You must be
Eli. I heard good things about you. Glad to meet you. I'm Di." She
quickly turned around and gave Soren a hug from behind as he was at
the frying pan. Eli saw his tails shoot out straight and bristle. A
puff of blue fire combusted under the stove.Soren
yelped. "Don't do that!
You want me to burn the food?" Di
giggled. "I don't think you have ever
burned food in your life."
Soren
began work a strawberry pound cake as Di sat down at the table.
Something easy and quick to make. It would also go great with
chocolate fondue. There
was another knock on the door, and Di bounced off to greet what was
very likely to be Danny. Eli peered around the corner, nervous. Soren
was chopping up the bacon into bits, but stopped. He grasped Eli's
hand and whispered. "My friends aren't monsters. They'll like you."
The
Floatzel slipped between the two girls and clapped Soren on his
silver shoulder. Danny spoke in a smooth and low voice. "Good to
see you man. How's life on the other side of school?" "Good,"
said Soren sincerely. "Kansas City is a nice place to live. The lab
job is really interesting now that I'm not just fixing computers." Danny
looked Eli up and down who was standing meekly next to Soren. "So
this is your date Soren? I'm Danny. Good to meet you." he extended
a webbed hand. Eli shook it. Danny gripped Eli's slim arm firmly and
laughed. "I heard you're just as geeky as Soren. Glad you're one of
us!"Eli
smiled. "Thanks. My dad got me into it when I was eight. What's
your drug of choice? I've played a bunch of White Wolf games, but
Soren and I are both suckers for D&D 3.5." Danny
smiled. "Good choice, good choice. Strong enough mechanically to be
played seriously, but enough silly rules to play a silly game if you
have a wacky DM." "Yeah...
I tend to play seriously. I like to role play," said Eli. Soren
poked his head around the oven door. "Food's on the counter. What
are we playing first?" Danny
reached into a backpack and pulled out Settlers of Catan with a
number of expansions. "Will this do? Figured we'd start with a
classic." Soren
had finished with the appetizers and brought them to Sasha's round
table. Danny set up with expert efficiency and they all dived in. The
game was long and tense. Everyone started strong and there was no
clear winner for a while. Danny snagged some extra victory points by
getting across the ocean first, and Di bisected the map with her
longest road. Eli was probably in the worst condition. All he had
were sheep. No ports either, just a crap ton of sheep and a bit of
wheat and clay. It was
now the tail end of mid game and Danny had lost his lead due to the
whims of the random number goddess. Eli and Sasha were racing for a
port, but Eli would go first. He rolled the dice and got the robber.
"Sorry, Sasha," he said with a grin. "I know you have plenty of
wood in that hand of yours." Eli placed the robber on a key tile
and gestured for Sasha to hold out her cards. Eli drew blindly and
got the final piece of wood he needed. He cashed in his resources and
with a triumphant and smug smile at Sasha he placed his settlement on
the clay port. Sasha
frowned. "You, Eli Vatra, are a treacherous little scab." Out of
nowhere, Di gave a tiny gasp. "Vatra," she said in a slightly
audible whisper. "Eli... Vatra... no. I don't believe it." She
looked up at Soren and grinned. Also, Eli couldn't say for sure, but
was that a smug little smile on Sasha's face? She spoke loudly this
time, addressing Soren and Eli together. "I don't believe it. You
are dating Eli Vatra? Do you know all the gossip about him going
around? The spunky young fox walked into the art world, diploma in
hand, and made an enormous entrance!! I have one of your paintings,
Eli!!" Eli's
jaw dropped. "What? You're shitting me. Which one?""Color
Study: Verdant," said Di. "I love how you mixed the earth tones.
And the pattern is just like tree rings. I got it before you made
your big splash." Eli
smiled. "Well, you should really be thanking Soren for that. I
almost didn't put it in my portfolio. He's the one who encouraged me
to send it to the galleries." Soren
rubbed Eli's shoulder. "He's such a perfectionist. He was freaking
out because a few of the rings wasn't exactly circular." Di shook
her head. "But that's what I like most about it! It looks like
someone painted a tree trunk. If it was perfect it would look too
austere, too artificial. I love it. It's the best piece in my house!
I bought it a few days before your huge debut." Eli
absently picked at the fur on his arm, a bit disoriented by how
surreal this was. He had a fan!
"Thanks Di. I'm glad you like it..." there was a silence that
lasted just long enough to start feeling awkward before the game
resumed. The game
continued at a fast and furious pace. Sasha seemed to take the loss
of the port as a personal insult, and allied herself with Soren, who
looked like he could take the lead soon. She rolled the robber at a
fortuitous time. Di and Danny had eight cards in their hands, so they
had to discard half their resources. She also blocked Eli's clay
port. As play ran about the table, Eli drew nothing but sheep. He was
so close to a city last turn, but now all he had was sheep after
Sasha drew his only piece of wheat. Eli
tossed the dice and got a five. His jaw dropped as he realized what
he rolled. He had four cities and a settlement on spaces that
provided sheep on a five. He counted his cards. He had 21 sheep now
but still nothing for a final city. Eli ran through his options, but
he remembered the 4 to 1 rule. He placed down 20 sheep in triumph. "I
build the mighty city of SHEEPOPOLIS!! The walls are made of bone,
the citizens eat nothing but mutton, and the houses are woven from
wool and sheepskin!!"
The five roared with laughter at the
preposterous victory and began to clear up as Soren started on
fondue. Sasha shredded Gruyère,
Jarlsberg, Leerdammer,
Appenzeller, Emmental, Raclette and Cheddar cheese and
mixed in white wine, lemon juice, and sour cream. Soren made a double
batch of his famous meatballs, and Danny chopped and trimmed
vegetables once he cleared up. It was ready in no time, and it was
all delicious. Soren
dipped a meatball into the cheese. "Danny, have you found work yet?
Last I heard no one was willing to hire a freelancer lately."Danny
swallowed the hunk of cheese covered bread in his mouth. "I did get
work. I kinda wish I didn't have to do this job though. Didn't you
hear Lacey's place burned down?" "Oh,
no," said Soren. "Not the Ice Cap! I wanted to grab a cone there
on the way back home. What happened?" Danny
frowned. "She had some electrical work done recently. I think the
electrician who did it did a shitty job, and that's what started the
fire. But no one can prove anything. The place was really old
though, so I'm trying to redo the floor plan to maximize space for
her. I'm actually giving her a discount. She lost everything in that
store to the fire. Besides, she's promised me free ice cream. I can't
say no to that." Soren
smiled. "Did anyone get hurt?"Danny
shook his head. "Nah. It literally happened two minutes after Lacey
locked the front door. She saw smoke and called 911. The fire just
escalated absurdly quickly. I think there were multiple sources that
started the fire."Soren
shook his head. "Well do a good job. Lassaire wouldn't be the same
without the Ice Cap."Danny
smiled. "I will. I don't wanna let Lacey down. Di wants to help
with interior decorating a bit. Mostly for fun." Eli
perked up. "That's right. Soren told me you were a set designer.
What's your current project?" Di lit
up. "OH! I loved my last project. It was Rosecrantz
and Guildenstern are Dead.
I made this really surreal set. I made the bow and stern of a ship,
and I used a wavy black and white color scheme. It was designed for
theater in the round." Eli
smiled. "I wish I coulda seen that. I love that play! What are you
working on now?" "The
Story of My Life." said Di as she finished a mouthful of
cauliflower . "It's a musical about two friends who've grown apart.
One of them just committed suicide and the other one, the author,
needs to write a eulogy about him. He keeps getting help from his
friend's ghost, or a personification of the memories of his friend.
It's pretty vague." "I
know that play," said Eli as he ate another one of Soren's
meatballs. "I helped with lighting in high school. It's one of my
favorites." "The
set is the author's studio, but it's full of book shelves, so it can
double as the book store. I've done my best to add a lot of personal
touches. There are video and DVD cases of It's
a Wonderful Life somewhere
on every shelf. I also decided to use a projector whenever they meet
up on the bridge scenes. We also changed the script. We aren't
including the kiss scene." Sasha
frowned. "Is this a case of Hide Your Gays?"Eli
replied. "No! I like it this way!" Di
raised an eyebrow. "Why do you say that? We only got rid of it
because neither of our actors could do it with a straight face."Eli
smiled at the stealth pun. "Well, with the kiss, it makes it look
like the friends grew apart because one saw the other in romantic
light while the other one didn't reciprocate those feelings. Without
the kiss, it looks like they just grew apart just because. There's no
apparent reason for it. That makes it so much sadder in my opinion. I
love it!" Di
smiled. "I can see why Soren slipped through your fingers Sasha. A
gamer, an artist, a theater junkie, and
he's drop-dead gorgeous.
You had stiff competition." Danny,
Di, Sasha, and Soren all laughed as Eli blushed and looked at Soren
in confusion. "You dated Sasha?"Soren
shook his head and rolled his eyes. "No. I never did. These guys
faux-shipped us even before I came out to them. We've been best
friends since second grade. It's just a running gag." The
fondue was almost gone, so Soren got up and threw the cake batter in
the oven. Soren then went into his duffel bag and pulled out The Last
Night on Earth. "Who wants to play zombies?" The game
was eagerly set up. They all flicked through the rules again and
picked up their decks. Sasha played the police chief, Eli the priest,
and Soren the nurse. Di and Danny spawned their zombies and the game
began. Soren
ran through the hospital, picking up a first aid kit, a health buff,
and for some reason, ammo. Eli found a revolver his character
couldn't use and a baseball bat. Sasha decided to forgo searching for
items and picked off a zombie with a crack shot from her revolver. However,
Sasha immediately regretted not searching for things as Di played a
rush down card to surround Sasha. The three zombies crowded around
the police chief, and Sasha took two points of damage on the first
turn. Danny
was up next, and he attempted to play a spawning card, but Eli had
different plans. He used his virtue power, and rolled the die to
successfully nullify the card with a shout of "counter!" With no
cards left, Danny shuffled his zombies one space closer, but was
nowhere near the other people. Sasha
was cornered, but attempted to rush past. Danny played an instant to
stop her, but Eli countered him again, allowing Sasha to run out of
range. Danny glared at Soren. "your boyfriend's a complete
cockblock. You know that, right?" Soren
kissed Eli on the cheek. "You're just jealous." "Careful,"
said Eli, feeling a bit self-conscious about Soren's open display of
affection. "I'm out of counters till I heal up." Soren
nodded and dashed out of the hospital, trying to get to Eli to
restore his health. In the meantime, Eli kept searching the church,
but all he found was another revolver and ammo. Why guns and ammo
were in the chapel was unknown to Eli, but he could pass one to Soren
when they met up. The
zombies moved again, but they seemed to be planning something, as
neither of them played special cards. All they did was shuffle
towards the players. That choice may have been a poor unlife decision
as Eli met up with Soren, passing on a revolver to the nurse in
exchange for a health buff. Soren then used his nurse's special power
to bring Eli back to full health, now allowing him to counter cards
up to three times. Sasha managed to dash into an unoccupied garage
and find the monkey wrench and a first aid kit. It was better than
her bare hands at least. Di and
Danny smiled, laying down a series of special cards. Both played rush
down, spawning, and health buff cards. This was gonna be nasty. Soren
looked at Eli. "feeling lucky?" Eli
nodded and rolled two dice to counter. The rush down cards were
nullified, meaning that only three zombies could reach them rather
than the planned seven, but the pair were still had ten zombies on
the field that were way too close for comfort. Di swore and moved in
to assault Eli, hoping she could take out the priest with his
obnoxious counter ability. Eli was in dire straits as he took on
damage, leaving him an inch from death after one fight. The next
zombie moved in, but Di botched the roll as Eli rolled a pair of
sixes. Eli pumped his fist in the air as he flicked the green zombie
figure off the board. Danny could only reach the nurse, but he
succeeded on inflicting a nasty wound, not to mention cornering the
pair so that they could only back into the hospital. Sasha
searched again inside the garage. "FUCK YES!!" she shouted as she
flaunted the shotgun and ammo cards she picked up. Eli raised an
eyebrow. Sasha rarely swore like this, but he had never seen her get
this into a game. Eli and Soren did not share Sasha's confidence, and
they dashed back into the hospital, hoping that the two zombie
players were out of rush down cards for a bit. Eli doubted he'd get
lucky again. Danny
smiled in return to Sasha's exclamation. "Don't get cocky, girl. He
played a THIRD damn spawn card, throwing four zombies into the garage
and shuffling them all towards the police chief. Di played
the card "zombie moan" to attempt to stop Sasha from
attacking, but she managed to resist.
Sasha
had five zombies on her ass with no chance of back up, but she was
smiling. "Danny, you're an idiot. You just clustered in front of a
guy with a shotgun!" Danny's face paled as Sasha mimed a pumping
motion and rolled her dice. All three of Danny's zombies were wiped
off the board. Sasha's kill count was up to five. Unfortunately she
ran out of ammo and had to sink her extra ammo card right away. Soren
and Eli managed to find a point in the hospital with an escape route
as Soren managed to heal up Eli again. Eli searched around and found
something that he didn't display just quite yet. He kept his face as
still as possible, but he had a feeling Sasha and Soren both noticed
the glint of joy in his eye as they gave just the slightest nod. Di and
Danny were clearly getting irritated. Di threw down a Lights Out
card, forcibly ejecting Sasha from the garage and into a crowd of
waiting zombies. Danny played a rush down card again, but this time
Eli failed to counter. Eli ticked a life point off his meter and
hoped Sasha could hang on. Sasha didn't look too happy right now as
five zombies entered her personal space. Somehow, Sasha's 2d6 tied
with Danny's 5d6, and the monkey wrench let her win ties to defend
herself. Sasha let out a sigh of relief while Danny swore. He was
getting terrible rolls all day.Eli and
Soren began to search the hospital, finding another first aid kit as
well as crowbars, which were better than the baseball bat that Eli
was using. Sasha hightailed it past the zombies and popped the first
aid kit. At least she wouldn't die in one hit, but rush downs were
the most common card in the zombie deck, and it was likely she would
get mobbed again. Di moved
her zombies around a bit. However, now she was smiling, addressing
Soren and Eli. "You know, you two are both stuck in the building,
and this could be
your last night on earth." The two foxes raised an eyebrow in
confusion. Di laid down the card that shared the name of the board
game. Eli read
the card. "When a male and female character are within the same
building, they become invulnerable for a turn but are unable to make
any move or action during until their next turn." Soren
turned to Eli and ran his silver fingers through his hair. They both
laughed. "So much for your vow of celibacy, father." And Soren
and Eli kissed each other until Sasha began her turn. As they broke
apart, everyone was laughing. Eli was laughing too, but he felt his
face burning like fire. Sasha
looked at the arrangement of zombies around her. There was no way she
was breaking through that mob. Soren surveyed the map. "You seem to
be surrounded officer."Sasha
grinned. "That's great. It means I can aim in all directions."
She mimed her shotgun again and fired two shots, wiping away three
zombies. Their kill count was now at nine. They only needed seven
more.Danny
took his double turn and mobbed Sasha, bringing her to the brink of
death again. Di moved her zombies around to prepare to mob the priest
and nurse after they finished their... business. She hoarded her
special cards, waiting like a tiger ready to pounce. Sasha
took her turn again, firing the shotgun point blank, even though she
was threatened. Her recklessness was rewarded by two more kills. She
ran out of ammo, so she had to discard her best weapon. She spent her
next attack action taking a pot shot at a zombie that was threatening
Eli. She missed. Soren
searched around and found another health buff. He passed it to Eli
again to boost his counter powers. Now he could counter four times
and
he failed only when he rolled a one. Eli searched to find another
first aid kit and a health buff. He passed it to Soren. He needed the
nurse alive to restore his life after counters.Di
smiled as she placed down two damage buffs, a rush down, and a debuff
card. This could get ugly. Eli tried to counter the rush down and the
debuffs, but he only got one of the damage buffs off. Now he was down
to one life. The zombies mobbed Soren and Eli, but Eli got lucky
enough to win his defense rolls and even kill one of his attackers.
Four kills to go. Soren was also reduced to one life, and he broke
his crowbar.Danny
spent his turn thoroughly trouncing Sasha. He shouted in joy as Sasha
took her miniature off the map with a nod. "Sorry boys. You two are
on your own now." Soren
spent his turn to heal Eli. They needed to keep that counter ability,
and Eli had that secret weapon. Speaking of which: "I drop my
crowbar and whip out a chainsaw!""Shit,"
said Di with a hiss. "Where did a priest find a chainsaw?!" Eli
didn't answer, instead growing like a gas engine and gesticulated a
chainsaw grinding through rotted flesh. He rolled dice, and got
enough sixes to kill a zombie AND get a free attack attempt to roll
again. And again. One kill to go, but Eli ran out of gas."Danny
had to spend his turn moving, leaving it to Di to try and take out
the players. Setting up a spawn card, Di mobbed Eli. Soren would have
been an easier target, but she wanted to crush Eli out of spite. She
made it with her massive mob of zombies.Eli
kissed Soren on the cheek. "It's up to you, dear." Soren
backed up a square and aimed the revolver. Soren groaned as he rolled
a two on his damage roll. He had a one in six chance of getting the
last kill. Soren, Eli, and Sasha all shut their eyes in anticipation.
Di hissed in anger. The living team opened their eyes and cheered as
they saw the red die, facing up, displaying a one. The final kill
went to Soren.Eli and
Danny went to clean up as Soren, Di, and Sasha went to start on the
chocolate fondue. Soren watched the chocolates melt together as Di
and Sasha chopped and prepared the various morsels, Sasha spending
much of the time to cube the freshly baked cake. The food was brought
over and people dug in greedily. Sasha
turned to Eli, who was sitting next to her. "I completely forgot to
thank you. Vincent called me and set me up with a representative."Eli
raised an eyebrow. "He never told me. He said he'd make some calls
but that was the last I heard of it. " Sasha
smiled. "I had a meeting over lunch with Alexi just this Thursday.
She's not promised anything but she said she knew a few people who
might like my portfolio.""Is
there anything in particular that caught their attention," asked
Soren."My
life sculptures," said Sasha. "If I can get a gallery to host me
I might be able to drop my waitress job. But that's getting ahead of
myself." Danny
was rummaging in his bag as they were talking. After a minute of
rustling, Danny produced a large box. "Care to play while we eat?"
Soren
raised an eyebrow. "Hrrm... Small World? I've never seen this game
before." "It's
like Risk, but it doesn't suck," said Danny as he set up the board.
"Draw a race, Draw a power, and conquer territories by use of
numbers. Territories get you loot, loot gets you the win. Got it?"
"Works
for me," said Eli. He drew a race and power. "Hrm... Wealthy
Elves?" "They
specialize in running like pansies," said Di, obviously a veteran.
"Basically you just got a bunch of free points, but you don't get
any special in game effect." She drew her cards. "Crap, Merchant
Dwarves." Soren
checked the rules. "You get bonus points for owned territories. Why
are you complaining?" "Yeah,
but I only get five units to conquer with," grumbled Di. "What a
waste of the best point earning power." Danny
drew blind, finding Commando Tritons. "Well then, stay away from
the seas boys and girls unless you wanna get swamped."Soren
drew next. "Bivouacking Orcs... hrm," Soren flicked through the
rules. "So I can conquer and get more money and I get five camps to
boost defense. Not bad at all." Sasha
drew last. "Ratmen? From the underworld? Well I guess I'll play to
the stereotypes." The five
examined the map. Danny used the lake in the middle to capture inside
properties. Sasha created three small pockets on the inside of the
map, using her underworld power to stay connected over long
distances. Di concentrated her dwarves on the mines to stack money
boosting powers, but her force of five dwarves only allotted her
three properties. Soren's Orcs occupied the far east, forming a wall
with his camps to deter invaders. Eli spread his elves out wide, not
fearing for their losses because of the racial ability to withdraw
from territories without losing units.Di
started the first turn, conquering an empty mine, sitting pretty as
her racial abilities and power stacked for nine coins from only four
properties. Danny followed, expanding outward from his ocean borders.
The first conflict came between Sasha and Soren. Sasha's mass of rats
swarmed Soren's Orcs, the camps doing nothing to protect him from
Sasha's sheer numbers. Soren fought back using his Orc's pillaging
prowess to earn back some of his lost properties, taking in extra
cash from the properties he reclaimed. Eli was perhaps most
aggressive of them all. Knowing his elves could retreat without
losing units, he spread himself as thin as possible, collecting money
from all the empty lands he was squatting in. Di spent
the next turn sitting pretty, collecting more cash and declining her
dwarves. She could still work the mines while she picked a new race.
"Ooh, ghouls! Seafaring ghouls! Sorry Danny." Using the Ghouls
newfound ability to traverse the waters, Di squashed most of Danny's
Tritons, forcing him to decline his once-strong army to draw a new
force.He
scratched his jaw. "Mounted Anthros... well now I can get my
farmlands easier." Eli's elves got stomped by the incoming Anthros,
forcing his elves back into a small cluster as Danny cashed in on the
farmlands."I'm
not sure how this declining thing works," said Eli, looking at the
flipped over pieces on the map. Di
pointed at her grayed out dwarves. "You discard all extra units so
that any occupied territories have one unit per area. You still get
gold, but you can't conquer or manipulate their positions. You only
get one race in decline and you can't decline your current race until
your first declined race is wiped out completely." "So
don't get attached to your sissy elves," said Sasha. "Dump them
for another group." Eli
grinned, flipping his tokens. "I'm sorry," he said to the card
containing the rules on elves. "It's not you, it's me." He drew
Dragon Master Giants. "Hey Danny, I want my farmlands back." Eli
took his dragon token and squashed Danny's biggest stronghold with a
single unit. The game
went fast, with a lot of give and take as the five players captured,
overtook, and recaptured the territories along the map. Di expanded
her ghouls but quickly retreated to the seas, waiting unthreatened
for the perfect time to strike now that Danny's Tritons were wiped
out. Sasha discarded her rats for swamp dwelling wizards who fought
valiantly against Soren's Orc's and Danny's newfound fortified
trolls. Eli's giants were punished for not taking the mountains
(where they were strongest) as Di made her move with her ghouls. The
next round involved everyone trading hits with everyone else,
although Di looked worse for wear, and retreated her ghouls to the
sea before declining them. "Oh,
hell yes!" Di waved her race and power cards before the other
players. "Spirit
Skeletons?! You dirty whorebiscuit!" shouted Sasha.Eli was
confused, but Di's gloating clarified things for him. "They
self-replicate when they conqure areas," said Di, gleefully. "But
when I decline them they retain their ability to conquer and I get a
new army. And because I also control the ghouls..." "You
basically get three self-sustaining armies," said Soren, fingers on
his muzzle. "I propose an alliance. Any takers?" "Agreed,"
said Sasha. "Let's take her down." Di
frowned indignantly, hands on her hips. "Who's calling who a
whorebiscuit? This is supposed to be a free for all!" "And
you're supposed to only have one army at a time, but here we are,"
said Danny. Eli
declined his giants to draw Diplomatic Halfilings. "I think I'll
form an alliance with Di. Specifically, your ghouls." A series of
angry glares were shot at Eli from Soren, Sahsa, and Danny. Eli
flushed, a little indignantly. "Wait till you see where I place
them, jesus." With a devious grin, Eli placed his hobbits along the
exterior of the lake, encompassing the entire lake. Danny
and Sasha were glaring still, but Soren smiled. "I see... now her
ghouls are stuck on the lake they can only gain one gold a turn now."
The game
quickly went from a free for all to a four on one battle. Di was
outnumbered but her skeleton's ability to replicate kept her going.
She declined them into spirit form and found berserk amazons,
allowing her to attack without reservation. The game ended in a
dramatic fight consisting of Di's ghouls, skeletons, and amazons
verses Danny's trolls, Eli's hobbits, Sasha's wizards and Soren's new
flying sorcerers. Even though she was outnumbered, Di's three armies
all giving her gold secured her an overwhelming victory. She
celebrated by stealing that last piece of cake from under Soren's
fork, swirling up the last of the fondue. "Hey
Di, winner cleans up." Sasha yawned widely. "Wow... it's almost
two. Jeez that went fast. Get outta my house. I've got work at eleven
and I'd like to catch up on my sleep for a bit beforehand."Di and
Danny began to gather up the games they had played, Danny looked up
as she put the lid over Small World. "Hey, can I get ride to the
train? I think a late night train will get in to Lassaire in about a
half an hour." "Why
don't I just drive you," said Soren. "It'd be faster. Danny
doesn't need to walk this way and we can catch up for a while." "Sounds
like a plan," said Danny. "I'll be ready in a minute." Eli,
Sasha, and Soren began to attack Soren's cooking dishes. "Go drive
them home," said Eli. "I'll do the dishes."Danny
and Di were getting their coats on. Game boxes in their arms. Soren
kissed Eli's cheek. "Don't wait for me sweetie. It's a good thirty
minutes to get to Milwaukee, so just go to bed." Soren dried his
hands and fished his keys out of his pocket. The three left the
apartment, letting the door close behind them with a soft but squeaky
thud. "I'll
finish the dishes," said Eli, starting to wash one of the plates.
"What time do you want us out of your place?Sasha
dried her hands on a rag. "Whenever. I don't care if you leave
before or after me. You've got a long drive and I don't want either
of you driving for hours sleep deprived.""Thanks,"
mumbled Eli. There was a brief pause. "Di and Danny make a fun
crowd. I'm glad I came with Soren."Sasha
gave Eli a quick hug. "I'm glad you both came. You look a lot
better compared to senior year." Eli
chuckled. "I was stressing about how I'd make painting my job and
not starve. I really don't know how I got so lucky." "It's
because you've got talent," said Sasha, bluntly. "People pay for
that."Eli
flushed a little as he examined the suds he was washing the fondue
pot in. "Not all the time," said Eli, sort of self-consciously.
"From what I've heard people haven't wanted to buy your stuff."Suddenly,
Sasha gave Eli a hug. "Hopefully that meeting with Alexi will go
somewhere. I owe you big time for setting me up with her."Eli
blushed even more now, the rising color visible through his pale fur.
"You're welcome, Sasha. I should have done it for you before.""I
understand it's a big favor to ask," said Sasha. "You told your
agent to go send someone to check out this nobody sculptor in
Wisconsin. It's a big risk. If you asked too soon it would look like
you were just trying to shoehorn all your old classmates into the
door, which isn't classy, even if they could use the help.""You
can go to bed if you want," said Eli, gesturing to Sasha's bedroom.
"I can finish the dishes. I know you've got work.""Thanks,"
said Sasha. She wiped her hands and began to walk to her bedroom. "I
heard you and Soren talking last night." Eli's
tails bristled as his blush consumed his whole face. "You did? I
thought we were being quiet. Sorry to bother you."Sasha
shook her head. "It's no big deal. This place is tiny and noise
carries. But you two are really cute together." "Did
you introduce us because you thought we'd end up dating?""No,"
said Sasha. "I introduced you because I thought you two would be
good friends. I thought you'd get along and a lot of Soren's college
friends had graduated by his senior year, so he was pretty bored.
What do you think I am, some kind of magic matchmaker or something?"
"No,"
said Eli, ruffling his hair. "But I heard you helped Soren out once
before." It was
Sasha's turn to blush a little. "Eheheheh... he told you about
that?" "Yeah.
He was pretty casual about it, actually," said Eli, starting to
wash the frying pan. I mean, he's got some good stories he's shared
with me about Milo." "Oh,
that's good," said Sasha, smiling now. "For a while he was really
torn up about it. I still think he sees it as his fault. Which is
completely wrong, but Soren's never had to be rational about blaming
himself." Eli
stopped working on the frying pan. "He worries me some days. He
tries to take on everything himself, He gets sort of obsessive about
work and he seems to be mortally afraid of asking for help."'I
know," said Sasha. "He worries me too. But he's been a lot
happier since you've started dating. You've been happier too. It's
sweet, really. It gives me hope for me." Eli
smirked. "No luck with the guys?""None.
At. All," groaned Sasha, shaking her head. "I've had zero time
for dating as it is, but it seems all the guys I run into went to my
high school. The same random jock-y dudes asking me out just cause I
look good. And this time the dudes don't even look good. The
Wisconsin diet just isn't conducive to maintaining an athlete's
body." She grinned sardonically. Eli
raised an eyebrow. "What is
the Wisconsin diet?""Beer,
cheese, cabbage, and brats. I shit you not it's a mainstay of most of
the guys here. It shows." "You
know, some days there's a person behind those muscles. Or in your
case, flab. Wasn't Milo kinda proof of that?"Sasha
sighed. "I dunno. You may have a point.""I'm
not promising all guys are hidden gems, but hidden gems are just
that: hidden," said Eli, returning to the dishes. "Just try and
give 'em a chance. But I bet you hear that a lot." Sasha
nodded, slightly morosely. "You might be right. Maybe my standards
are too high.""Besides,
there is one other thing," said Eli with a wink a wry grin. "Sports
guys are pretty good lays." "I
thought you told me you only had one boyfriend before Soren," said
Sasha, hands sneaking to her hips. "You told me he was a theater
geek." Eli
smiled a bit wider. "Doesn't mean I didn't have a fling or two. Sex
is fun."Sasha
shrugged. "You have a point. I just don't like going on a date with
some guy I don't really know. It's sort of a principles thing.""Take
a risk some time," said Eli, putting the frying pan up to dry. "I
dare you to say yes to the next lunch date you're asked out to. No
obligations beyond lunch with a guy. Can you do that for me?"Sasha
sighed. "Maybe. It depends on who asks me. I'm gonna hit the sack.
And don't tell Soren I heard you last night. He'll probably make you
sleep in the car if he found out." She let out a small "heh" of
sarcastic decisiveness. Eli
smiled. "I'd laugh, but the thing is you're probably right. Good
night, Sasha. Thanks for hosting us.""It
was fun," said Sasha, turning to close her door. "Night, Eli.
Feel free to leave whenever. I might be gone when you wake up. I got
to work lunch shift."Wordlessly,
Eli finished the dishes, trying to avoid excess clanking as he dried
and stacked the plates. He flicked the kitchen lights but left a hall
light on its lowest setting so Soren wouldn't have to stumble through
the dark. He switched to fresh boxers and left Soren's pajamas out
before crawling into bed. Sasha didn't give a damn that they slept
in, but Soren wouldn't feel right sleeping in boxers with Sasha in
the other room. It
didn't feel like a long time as the door clicked shut and the light
was flicked to darkness. There was a rustling of fabric before the
hide-a-bed announced Soren's arrival with a creak. "Heya,
sweetheart," whispered Eli.Soren
kissed Eli's cheek as they lined up for a cozy spooning, wrapping his
arms around Eli's bare chest. Eli growled as he held one of the hands
gripping his chest tuft. Soren whispered as he laid his cheek in the
crook between his left shoulder and neck. "Did you have fun? Did my
friends bite?""I'm
glad we came," said Eli, wriggling his butt a bit to free his tails
and snuggle closer to Soren. "They're both really nice. Let's try
and do it again some time.""Good,"
said Soren, absently. He was clearly drifting. Eli knew night driving
was tough on his eyes. "I love you, Eli.""I
love you too, Soren."