Richard returned to his room after another lengthy trek and a bad attempt to clean up the heathen's mess. He was surprised to see that SH was pestering him again.
That didn't take long, he thought. Had he really been away from the computer long enough to justify another conversation? He opened Pesterchum and answered it anyway.
spunkyHuntress began pestering sarcasmIncarnate.
SH: Richard, there's been a change of plans!
SI: Regarding our game session?
SH: Yes, it turns out Jason will be tied up for quite a while. We need to go ahead and start playing.
SH: You have your copy ready, correct?
SI: I do. In fact, I just allocated a weapon to my specibus. I'm ready to go.
SH: Excellent.
SH: I'll have a server connection going soon. Go ahead and install your client copy and connect to me whenever you're ready.
SI: Will do.
SI: But I must inquire, why hurry?
SH: I've been sensing omens connected to our session. If we waste all this time waiting on Jason, we'll be held back in the future.
SH: Remember, I have a sixth sense for these kinds of things.
SI: That's true.
SI: But you seem… Kind of different?
SH: How do you mean?
SI: I may be reading into it completely wrong, but you're coming off as more serious than usual.
SH: I am?
SI: Yes, it's not typical of you.
SH: Sorry about that!
SH: It's just not much of a joking issue, you know?
SI: Right, I guess it was just a misinterpretation.
SI: I'll start installing right away.
SH: Good! We're making progress!
spunkyHuntress ceased pestering sarcasmIncarnate.
=Jason's Perspective=
Light filtered into the room from the hole above him. Jason let out a groan.
He shifted around in the pile of rubble and managed to lean forward. He rubbed his forehead, tracing the outline of a new bruise.
Well, that happened, he thought.
After his eyes adjusted, Jason got a better look at his surroundings. He was one floor below his apartment in the maintenance room. Piping and air conditioners surrounded him. Some tools that had been neglected were scattered on the floor. To the right of where he had landed was a door, presumably leading into the apartment stairway.
He managed to get on his feet again and tried the door handle. Locked, unsurprisingly. He would have to devise some creative way to escape.
He captchalogued the lead pipe resting against the wall in the corner. He used it to break the door handle, kicking it open and successfully escaping into the stairwell.
Worthy of Problem Sleuth, thought Jason.
He reentered his apartment at the top of the staircase and checked the hallway. Nothing appeared to have been touched since he had left, so he assumed that his sister was still asleep. In retrospect, why had he been worried about sis before? She sleeps like a bear, and the fact that she had slept through all the commotion proved it.
Jason didn't ponder it before long. He stepped back into his room, still as messy as he'd left it.
No more messing around, he thought.
In Bro's traditional style, he was probably hiding the package away and they would have to duke it out. Not good for Jason, the less experienced fighter of the two.
He and his bro had a long history of competition. No matter what, Bro always seemed to be better than him. Video Games, Sports, you name it. Jason was tired of being second-best. This fight would finally decide who was the superior.
It was time to step out of that 21 year shadow and take the gold for himself.
Jason made a mental resolution that he would get that game from Bro no matter what.
He opened his closet and picked out a double edged sword from the small pile in the back. It was simple compared to the other blades he owned, but he could normally depend on it to get the job done. He had never taken it into real combat before, so this was first.
He equipped the sword, creating a Bladekind specibus. All of that experience playing The Legend of Zelda would pay off soon enough.
He noticed his iPhone resting on the nightstand next to his bed. He decided to captchalogue it in case he needed to use Pesterchum on the go.
Speaking of which, his phone immediately dinged with a notification. It seemed that SH had left him a message. He looked at the timestamp. 3 days ago? And he's just now receiving it? It only strengthened his curiosity. He opened the message.
spunkyHuntress:
Hi Jason! You're probably confused about why you're getting this message now since I sent it three days ago. In fact, I know you are. I purposefully delayed the delivery date so you would receive it now, before your battle. But that's not important! What you do need to know is that your older brother is an opponent you are ill-prepared for. Your experience levels are separated by a large margin, but you can still beat him! I've been using my sixth sense (you know, the one we talked about) to see into the near future and realized that this fight would play an important part in events to come. Your brother will be relentless. His blows are much stronger than yours, but you'll be fine as long as you stand your ground. Don't back down, because he'll take advantage of any weakness. He's totally serious about keeping your away from that game (for whatever reason). If you can survive long enough, he'll recognize you as a worthy opponent and concede. Just follow this advice and you'll be fine!
Jason was incredibly confused, but he wasn't one to turn down SH's help. He wondered why she was so worried about this battle's outcome, not that he wasn't. It's not like it was going to be some game-changing, crucial event.
Was it?