[chapter_4]
Swansong is in the middle of her daily quest - gathering herbs for medicine, which can actually be useful if there isn't a healer around - when the message pops up in a private chat window on the bottom corner of the screen.
《 Janeway: congratulations youre officially part of the first wifes club!
Bella takes one look at the message and prays for patience. Around her, the dorm is mostly silent; Leah is holed up in their room working on a film assignment with the express orders to not be disturbed, Rose is at a study group for one of her Economics courses, and Alice is shopping online, the occasional sounds of her delighted critiques reaching Bella's ears even through the closed door. Alone in the common room and with her only immediate plans on this Friday night being catching up on game time she missed during the week, Bella has no excuse to avoid the gossip Janeway is surely about to personally deliver.
》Swansong: you cant just say hello like a normal person, can you?
《 Janeway: no I cant
》Swansong: of course not
》Swansong: what's this club you're talking about?
《 Janeway: Relentless is getting a new in-game spouse
《 Janeway: it's all over the public chat
Bella doesn't pay much attention to the public chat unless she has a reason for it, especially when she's doing daily quests that don't require additional information. Go here; do this; collect that. These are things that don't require input from whatever drivel is crossing the public chat. Bella stares at the screen and wonders why Janeway feels like this is information she should know about.
》Swansong: good for him
《 Janeway: are you seriously not even offended
》Swansong: not really
《 Janeway: not even if I tell you his new partner is the girl who won the server beauty contest?
At that Bella blinks, not quite in shock and not quite in confusion. Bafflement, maybe. Learning this is a new layer of information that comes with a particular connotation. She isn't sure what to think about this, or even if she should. It's not really any of her business what Relentless does anymore.
》Swansong: well, okay I guess
《 Janeway: see!
《 Janeway: here let me rub some salt in the wound
《 Janeway: his new spouse in Queen Vee
《 Janeway: she isn't on any ranking list and her level isn't even past 50
《 Janeway: she just runs around doing nothing
》Swansong: now you're just being mean
《 Janeway: no I'm emphasizing the insult since you apparently cant see it
In a way, Bella supposes it is an insult. If she looks at the situation objectively, it really doesn't make any sense at all for Relentless to choose a partner who isn't a skilled player. Regardless of where he stands in the rankings - 16 in dueling last time she heard - the whole point of a partner in the game is to support you and make boss fights easier. To pick a partner who isn't useful at all and to pick them for the sole reason of being the winner of a beauty contest - well, there's only one word for that.
》Swansong: it is shallow
《 Janeway: and dumb!
《 Janeway: it's so dumb! he's gonna have to do twice the work when they take on dungeons
》Swansong: that's his choice
《 Janeway: god youre a saint
《 Janeway: I'd be spitting blood if I were you
Bella isn't quite there, yet. She's not angry about this news. If anything, she's bemused by it. She really just doesn't understand the reasoning at all. But then again, she knows that Relentless doesn't really operate on reasoning. He just does things, an aftereffect of being a spoiled kid with more than a little money to spare. She vividly recalls the way he would push for pictures, the way he wanted to meet up, the way he clearly wanted more even at the cost of making her uncomfortable, and thinks that maybe this shallow new development makes some kind of sense.
But that's all she feels. There isn't any resentment, no sour grapes. It is what it is. The past, better left untouched to focus on the present and the future.
》Swansong: I don't know why I should feel a certain way
》Swansong: he was my partner and now he's not
《 Janeway: it's the principle of the thing Swansong
《 Janeway: plus the other stuff
An acute sense of dread spreads through Bella's body. Gossip, she thinks warily. There is more gossip coming. It's like a sixth sense, or something. She just knows she's about to read something she doesn't want to know.
》Swansong: do you even play the game or do you just spend your time trolling for gossip?
《 Janeway: both obviously
《 Janeway: anyway people are saying Relentless found out youre a man and left you for Queen Vee
》Swansong: are you serious
》Swansong: this again?
《 Janeway: well some people are saying that it was you who broke it off with Relentless because you found him consorting with Queen Vee
Consorting? God that's dramatic, Bella internally grouses. She wonders if consorting is Janeway's flair for the dramatic, or if players on the public chat are really talking about all of this with such flowery words. It's a toss up. Either could be true.
》Swansong: people have too much time on their hands
《 Janeway: not all of us are as dedicated to the game as you
《 Janeway: we have to do something with our time
》Swansong: well talk about someone else then
》Swansong: I can't be the only source of entertainment on this game
《 Janeway: funny you mention that
《 Janeway: theres actually some talk about two other players
Bella just barely stops herself from rolling her eyes. Instead, she briefly closes them and exhales deeply.
Although Janeway's eternal fascination with salacious news can be irritating, it's also true that she sometimes stumbles across information that can be useful. Janeway is always the first to tap into a new quest, find hidden side quests that reap great rewards, and locate rare-kill monsters or dungeons. And more than anything, Janeway's intentions are always good - gossip-mongering aside, she is a good person and an excellent friend, always the first to defend Swansong if need be. Bella knows that half of Janeway's gossip collecting is for the benefit of her friends. And she can't claim that she hasn't ever benefited from it, either.
》Swansong: more gossip or is it actual news?
《 Janeway: not really gossip
《 Janeway: more like chatter just because both players are rare
《 Janeway: you should probably know about it anyway in case you come across them
《 Janeway: nobody wants to be accused of stealing prey or anything
That's true. Stealing prey from other players is a cardinal sin in gaming. If another player is already taking on a monster, then jumping in to engage in the fight is just about the rudest thing any gamer can do. Taking prey that is not yours, using that opportunity to reap the reward the prey spits out, is lower than low.
And for some players it can be dicey. Depending on the temperament of the player themselves, coming into a fight uninvited can be a cause for huge, long-lasting grudges between gamers. As a general rule, if the player isn't asking for help, stay away. The fact that Janeway mentions stealing prey at all clues Bella in to the fact that one of these players - or the people they play with, or even observers - have been throwing out that term already.
Swansong has a sparkling reputation, and Bella intends to keep it that way.
》Swansong: you do have a point
》Swansong: alright, lay it on me
《 Janeway: first is this guy called K.O, he's a Kul Tiran Monk
《 Janeway: he's a monster okay, he's been demolishing everything in his path for a month
《 Janeway: and word is that he's looking for someone
》Swansong: who?
《 Janeway: nobody knows
《 Janeway: its all weird
Bella agrees. It does sound weird. While it isn't so strange that a player new to the server is quickly climbing the ranks - they could be from a different server, or they could be levelling up a new character on their account, for example - it is strange to hear that this same player is searching for someone. It's weird enough to make Bella curious about what his game is, what his plan is. She almost wants to be the next person to run into him, just to see.
》Swansong: who's the second player then?
《 Janeway: your idol of course
》Swansong: really?
《 Janeway: yep, Master Culler has been active and public lately
《 Janeway: usually we never see him, but these past two weeks its like hes everywhere
》Swansong: I haven't seen him
《 Janeway: he ghosts around but he's there, trust me
Ghosting around? Probably using a cloaking spell, then, Bella surmises. Even though she's never talked to him, she knows quite a bit about Maser Culler, a seasoned player at the top of both the dueling and equipment rankings. She's been lucky enough to see Master Culler, a Night Elf class Mage, in action one time - and she is still marveling over his smooth maneuvers and the swift back-to-back deployment of advanced spell-casting. Master Culler is easily a world-class player. Sometimes when she catches up on E-Sports tournaments, she imagines if any of those gamers have Master Culler as a handle. They never do, but that doesn't stop Bella from keeping the hope alive in her heart.
Master Culler is an elusive, mysterious player. Based on his high rankings, most would expect to see him everywhere - but the fact of the matter is that Master Culler is a player that might as well be invisible. He's probably the only player who utilizes a cloaking spell so habitually, so to learn that he has been foregoing the cloaking lately is startling.
》Swansong: is he doing anything weird?
《 Janeway: no, but just being so visible is enough for people to talk
《 Janeway: some are saying K.O. and Master Culler are looking for each other, but I'm not sure
》Swansong: even if they are it's nobody's business
《 Janeway: you poor noble soul, all along in this superficial world
》Swansong: I know you're kidding, but…
《 Janeway: lol
《 Janeway: want to go kill some stuff?
》Swansong: yes, please
Later, when Bella logs out of the game, she heaves out a long sigh, rubbing the heels of her palms into her closed eyes. Her eyelids feel heavy and dry, but beyond that there is a great tension building in her head, running down the back of her neck. Frustration. She's always been the type to physically experience her feelings, especially strong ones. Tears come easy to her. She can already feel them burning, ready to be unleashed.
Maybe it's silly to be bothered by nonsense that happens in the game. Honestly until now she hadn't been. Easy to brush off. Easy to forget. Usually it works. But this time - no. Not so easy, because people just won't let it die.
She entertains the possibility of putting all these ridiculous rumors to rest once and for all. Just post a picture to the forum and be done with it. The thought lasts for half a second before she firmly banishes it.
Bella has nothing to prove to strangers in a virtual world. She definitely has nothing to prove to people who are superficial enough to care about such things. She plays the game because she enjoys it - not because she wants to participate in some dated groupthink about gender roles. Besides, she knows people who think like that are in the minority. Certainly those who follow Swanning don't care about that sort of thing, not anymore.
It'll be alright, she tells herself. These things always pass. Eventually, people will move on and talk about someone else - and with the emergence of players like K.O. and Master Culler, it's clear to her that they already are moving on. She just has to keep holding out.
L Clearwater ʘClearlyFlimingThis
That feeling when your sister doesn't want to talk about her angst but you can tell because she has a FACE
Seth Clearwater ʘchangethisquil
ʘClearlyFlimingThis Is she doing that thing where she starts cleaning everything?
Jakey Wakey ʘjbisnowhere
ʘClearlyFlimingThis Send her over here. My room is a mess.
Bella Swan ʘthelittlecygnet
You know I can see these right? ʘClearlyFlimingThis
L Clearwater ʘClearlyFlimingThis
(Gif: Severus Snap saying, "Obv….iously.")
Sunday night, around the ten o'clock peak gaming hour, Swansong is found at the wrong place at the worst possible time. And the awful, inescapable truth that nobody would believe even if she told them is that her bad timing is nothing more than a coincidence. An accident. A innocuous faux pas facilitated by Leah having an issue with her film editing software. Bella spends an hour troubleshooting the software for the sake of her sister's assignment, which is due first thing the next morning. With Leah pacing a hole in the floor of their room, Bella runs through diagnostics and resets, and manages to restore Leah's assignment without the film student completely losing her mind to anxiety. For good measure, she even takes the time to teach Leah - again - how to ghost safe a project on a cloud, just in case the software bungles itself up a second time.
When Bella leaves her laptop in the common room, Swansong is standing atop an empty bridge just outside of the town holding her next quest - but when she returns, after having successfully extracted herself from Leah's rib-crushing hug, she finds that Swansong is swarmed by at least three dozen players.
At first, it isn't a strange sight. Players tend to grow dense in areas that host quests, and since this bridge is on the way to a quest for higher level players, it makes sense to see several clustered together. But then, no, that wouldn't make sense - all the players are standing still. A duel, then? Are they bystanders?
It rapidly becomes clear, however, that all of these players are here to observe a wedding. A very specific wedding, in fact. Bella's eyes rove over the public chat and she bites her lip. Crap. It seems all these onlookers are here to watch the grand procession of Relentless and Queen Vee's wedding. In light of all she has learned about Relentless recently, such a public affair using a seldom-seen in-game feature, which marches the wedded pair through hubs of highly-populated locations on the map, isn't so surprising. It seems like exactly the kind of social status statement a player like Queen Vee would latch on to, and Relentless has showed his cards for how much he cares about such things.
Bella doesn't care about that. What she cares about is that Swansong has been standing on this bridge for over an hour, unresponsive to the chat, and it looks bad. It looks like Swansong is pouting, or that she resents the wedding. She can just imagine Janeway's next report, the new gossip that claims Swansong is a jilted woman or some other nonsense.
As she reads the chatter on the public chat, she can see it already happening. Even as the wedding procession comes into view, the golden figure of Relentless and the garish orange ensemble of Queen Vee edging in from the corner of the screen, some player are bemoaning Swansong's presence.
People only care about newlyweds, but what about the lovers left behind? She reads, a faint curl to her lip.
Is she here to stop the wedding?
I thought Swansong had more class!
Relentless is a fool and Queen Vee is a useless harpy
Poor Swansong…
Poor Relentless! Look who he's stuck with now!
I feel bad for Queen Vee - it's her wedding!
I don't get it. Why is she just standing there?
Bella can't read any more of this - this ridiculousness! Her land curls over her mouse, ready to guide Swansong away, but then she pauses, chewing on her bottom lip. If she leaves abruptly, will that give credit to this silly gossip? But if she stays, isn't that just as bad?
Bella huffs, planting her elbow on her desk and resting her chin on her palm. Her mind ticks away, trying to find a ready-made solution that simply doesn't exist. She can't stay; she can't go. She might not care about rumors and gossip - but she isn't foolish enough to think that she doesn't need to maintain her reputation in the game. She's carved out a spot for herself on this server, a place she cannot be shaken from. If she wants to keep her status, she needs to be seen as someone who can be approached for a duel. It's imperative to keep her reputation as spotless as possible - after all, only people on the ranking list are automatically invited to tournaments that give out grand prizes, and she can only stay on a ranking list if she can continue accepting duels.
This is a quagmire, a conundrum, a fork in the road. What can she do?
Struck by a thought, Bella sits up and lets her fingers fly across the keyboard.
》Swansong: rare medicine for sale, certified for healing!
》Swansong: get it while it lasts
Swansong's medicinal inventory is opened up and almost immediately a deluge of buyers are striking deals. Bella has a habit of stockpiling medicine, and it's a stroke of genius to redirect all this attention from the potential spread of new rumors. It doesn't hurt, of course, that half of the game money is cash she can use in the real world. Her account will be very happy in the morning.
She empties her inventory after scraping the bottom of the metaphorical barrel, and when it's done, she speaks to the public chat again.
》Swansong: sold out!
There is a wave of disappointed comments in the chat. When will you be back? Will you sell more? I'll pay extra - contact me as soon as there's more! Bella reads it all and allows herself a small, satisfied smile. She's reasonably sure she managed to distract everyone from what might have been a huge stain on her reputation.
》Swansong: the next sale will be at my whim
》Swansong: thanks everyone!
Bella sits back and relief, watching the players around her disperse. Ahead, the gold and orange figures at the head of the wedding procession are fading into the difference. She gives herself a moment to bask in this bit of good luck - it looks like she managed to avoid a confrontation and pad her wallet at the same time. It isn't a bad way to spend the night.
Bella glances at the time on her phone, assessing if she can spare a few minutes to go get the directions for her next quest, or if she should call it a day, go to sleep, and try again tomorrow. On the screen, Swansong paces toward the town, her player indecisive.
And then she sees the handle.
For a moment, she thinks she's imagining it. But then - no, she's reading the name right, and the silver-and-white garbed character is unmistakable by himself. It's Master Culler, without the cloaking spell, visible to anyone who passes by. She runs her eyes over his armor, the deep blue jewels set into silver-wrought plating, the deceptively thin arcane wand held in one hand - and she thinks, No wonder he's at the top of the equipment ranking. She doesn't think she could name half the rare materials he's wearing if she tried. How skilled does a player have to be to obtain so many materials that can't be bought, only won?
He really is her gaming idol. To see him at all is an honor itself, something that causes her heart to race in her chest.
Master Culler is standing alone at the foot of the bridge. Waiting for someone? Would he mind if she asked him a question? She's dying to pick his brain about some of the techniques she's seen in the few screen-captured fights some players have managed to post on YouTube. How does he triple his spell-casting arrays? Is it only a skill Mages have, or can Swansong, a Druid, also learn?
Bella is so busy trying to muster the courage to ask when a new dialogue box for a private chat pops up on her screen.
It's - it's Master Culler. Master Culler started a private chat with Swansong? With her? Bewildered, she can only stare at the message the blinks into existence.
《 Master Culler: do you have time?
》Swansong: yes
Bella answers quickly, without thinking. Master Culler is asking if she has the time to chat. She would make the time, even if it meant staying up all night. This is her one chance to get answers to the burning questions she has about his technique - she won't be wasting this opportunity, not in the slightest.
《 Master Culler: how did you like the wedding?
》Swansong: it was great, grand even
《 Master Culler: would you like an even more lavish ceremony?
Bella blinks at the screen, all her excitement traded for confusion. Master Culler wants to…talk about the wedding features in Dawn of Warcraft? How odd. She doesn't get it, doesn't understand it at all. And she has no idea to segue into her questions when he's talking about in-game weddings of all things!
Bella types out her response carefully.
》Swansong: I'm sorry, I don't think I understand the question
《 Master Culler: will you form an alliance with me?
Bella's breath leaves her in a whoosh, a stunned, numb sort of feeling spreading from the tips of her fingers all the way down to her toes.
"Oh."
A breathe later.
"Oh, my God."
A/N: Whoop there it is, whatever it is. I'm not saying shit, except remember to wash your hands, monitor yourself for fever and if you have a fever seek medical attention. Stay safe, lovely readers. We're all going to be okay.
Handles:
Swansong is Bella Swan
thelittlecygnet is Bella Swan
Relentless is yet to be revealed
Queen Vee is yet to be revealed
Master Culler is yet to be revealed
aliceseesyou is Alice Brandon
ClarityIsClear is Leah Clearwater
ClearlyFilmingThis is Leah Clearwater
byanyothername is Rose Hale
Janeway is yet to be revealed
jbisnowhere is Jacob Black
changethisquil is Seth Clearwater
As always, be brutally honest. I can take it.
~Rae