[chapter_27]
Bella can't find her meal card. She's looked everywhere - in her pile of dirty clothes, in each of her bags, in the pages of her textbook, her wallet, the drawer in her desk where she hides her snack stash - and it hasn't turned up anywhere. Bumming off of Leah's meal card is only going to last for so long, so she resigns herself to getting a new one from the administration building.
But then it turns up at Masen's loft, having apparently fallen out of her bag when she stayed over the week before. Masen texts her with the news Tuesday morning, so after her last class of the day, she goes over to the Midnight Sun office to pick it up. She doesn't have any plans to stay; the more she can stay on top of her coursework, the more time she will have on Friday and maybe the weekend to contribute to the Volturi project.
Bella does not expect to walk into Masen's office and find herself in the middle of a discussion between Masen, Peter, and Liam about how best to incorporate her character-fluid design into the demo. The three have apparently been in deep talks for a while now, a stack of graphing paper being passed between them and notated; Peter whines about all the coding that would be involved with that much diversity, while Masen takes the prospect of more work calmly and Liam continuously tells Peter to shut up.
She smiles and knocks on the office door, waving sheepishly when all three turn to look at her.
The tense line of Masen's jaw relaxes at the sight of her. He immediately reaches for her meal card on his desk, even as she approaches. "It was under the couch," he tells her.
She grasps it closely to her chest. "Thank you for finding it. Leah was starting to give me looks for eating up all her meal points."
Masen picks up his phone, which was lying face-down on the desk. "What's her number? I'll Venmo compensation."
"Oh, that's not necessary!" she says hastily. Knowing Masen, he would fully deliver on that promise; it makes her feel warm, even though it's a little over the top. "She's just like that. She'll get over it."
"Mm." Masen puts down the phone anyway, despite the slightly skeptical look in his eye.
She bites back a grin.
"Fuck me, this is so domestic," Peter sighs happily. "Are me and Garret like this? If we are, we're so fucking cute."
Bella looks over just in time to see Liam make a deeply pained face. "No, you two are gross. That's what you are."
Peter rolls his eyes. "Again with the homophobia. It's getting old, Liam."
Liam's nostrils flare, his fair skin almost as red as his hair. "It's not homophobia!" he insists loudly. "What's getting old is seeing K.O.'s hand on your ass, in the middle of the office, and then getting skinned by his glare when he notices anybody looking!"
Peter shrugs, careless. "I don't know what the big deal is," he says. "Just don't look."
Liam twitches. He looks at Masen, beseeching. "I don't think I can work like this. I can't do it. That's just too much PDA."
Masen blinks, silent.
When it becomes obvious he doesn't intend to say anything, Bella clears her throat delicately. "Um, I can just talk to Garrett about toning it down. He's a reasonable guy."
She doesn't realize until after she's already made the offer that this is exactly what Masen wanted, if the slightly smug tilt of his mouth is anything to go by. Internally, she kicks herself for once again witlessly walking into one of his little maneuvers, but at the same time, it really probably is better if it's her taking the issue up with Garrett instead of someone else. He's nicest to her, second only to Peter. And he can be reasonable, she thinks, even in the face of his apparent not-ideal-for-public-settings possessiveness.
Liam doesn't notice any of these under-the-surface machinations, of course. He only looks relieved that somebody, anybody, is going to handle the PDA issue.
She offers them all a smile, tucking her meal card carefully away. "Well, I should get going. I'll stop by Garrett's food truck on my way back," she promises.
Masen catches her hand before she turns away, taking a moment to squeeze her fingers gently while holding eye contact, a silent message she receives with a flip of her heart. She squeezes back, feeling soft, and barely registers Liam telling Peter that "this is the type of PDA that is acceptable, okay?" and to "take notes, damn it".
"Later," she says quietly.
"Mm."
Bella practically floats through the office, which is probably why she doesn't notice Emmett until he is already upon her. He has a slightly harried air about him, a wide-eyed giddiness that has her taking a step back. She attributes it - probably correctly - to the fact that Rose turned his entire world upside down the night before. Bella had been treated to a pleasantly smug reenactment from Rose the night before, so she can only imagine that Emmett is feeling the verve of no longer being Library Guy.
However, this does very little to explain why the first words out of his mouth are: "So, if I were to get Rose a present, what would it be?"
"Um. What?"
Emmett stares at her as if she's being deliberately difficult. "A present for Rose," he repeats. "What should it be?"
Bella holds her hands up, waving them slightly. "No, I heard you the first time," she says. "I'm just not sure why you're asking me. Or why you think she needs a present?"
"To thank her for going out with me and being my girlfriend," Emmett says promptly.
Oh, boy. This is so far above Bella's pay grade. She isn't sure if Rose has done something to Emmett, or if this is just Emmett's default setting when he's dating. She really isn't the authority on anything related to dating, because, between the two of them, Masen seems more natural at it. Emmett should be asking Masen - but he's probably asking her instead because she knows Rose so well.
In that case, Bella supposes it's her responsibility to set Emmett straight on her friend's behalf.
"Emmett, you don't need to get her a thank-you gift," she tells him plainly.
"Yes, I do."
"No, you really don't."
Emmett abruptly looks like a very helpless, very confused little boy in spite of his large frame. "But then how will she know I'm thankful for the chance?"
"You show her," Bella says slowly, trying to pluck the advice from thin air. "Just, you know, not with a present."
Even as she says the words, she feels a vague sense of deja vu. It wasn't so long ago that another guy was buying presents for one of her close friends to illustrate his affection. Is this how wooing is done? Masen hadn't operated like this. He'd taken her places and arranged dates around her interests, but he hadn't plied her with presents until her bracelet, which she wears with religious zeal. Either Masen is more well-adjusted than other men, or he missed a memo somewhere down the line.
Bella's willing to bet it's because Masen has a cooler head on his shoulders.
Emmett still looks a little lost and, feeling guilty for taking the wind out of his sails, Bella sighs. "I guess if you really had to - and you don't have to, by the way - but if you really felt like it was necessary, Rose likes practical things," she tells him. Of course, Rose mostly likes practical things because everything impractical she could possibly want is shipped to her buy this or that company wanting her to endorse their product on Instagram, but Bella feels that this goes without saying. "She goes through paper and pens like water because of all of her math courses."
Emmett makes a face. "You want me to give her school supplies?"
"Well..."
"What about roses? Roses for Rose? Or something rose-shaped, like an eraser or a pillow? Or rose jewelry? Or rose-"
"Emmett," Bella cuts in swiftly. "Let me stop you right there. If you ever listen to any advice I ever give you, let it be this. Do not ever, under any circumstances, give Rose anything even remotely related to roses. I mean it. Get her anything else."
Somehow, Emmett brightens despite her cautionary tone, as if she's just given him the keys to the kingdom. Maybe she has. She has no idea what's going through his head and, honestly, she doesn't want to know or be more involved than she already is. At the very least, she hopes the message got through to not give Rose any rose-related items, because while Bella's little swan shine is funny, if not more than a little mortifying, Rose does not share the same sense of humor.
"Thanks, intern," Emmett says with great enthusiasm, jovially meandering away before she can summon a response.
She watches him go and thinks maybe she should give Rose a heads-up, just in case.
Bella shakes her head, leaving the office only to trot down to the food truck a few blocks away. It seems like she's getting involved in all her friend's love lives today. She doesn't mind it as much as she thought she would. She does think, however, that she's an ineffectual agent given Garrett's blank stare when she bashfully hints that he and Peter should maybe, probably, if it wasn't too much trouble, keep the PDA to a minimum, at least in the office.
"I just really think Liam is going to call the cops on you for public indecency," she tells him, and she's a little alarmed to learn that Garrett doesn't seem to mind the idea.
Bella sighs. At least she tried. Liam is just going to have to get used to it or learn how to not look.
Bella Swan ʘthelittlecygnet
Well ʘthenotfamousliam I talked to him, but I don't think it's going to help
Not Liam Payne But Thanks ʘthenotfamousliam
#whyme
Alistair the Recluse ʘratherbealone
This isn't only your pain ʘthenotfamousliam I too am #suffering
Peter C. ʘpeteypete
oh look ʘonlyknockout! they're talking about us! 3 3 3
Knock Knock ʘonlyknockout
Good.
Bella has never quite felt the urge to smack anyone. Not seriously, at least. A pinch or a poke when Leah is being annoying, a rap on the back of Jake's head when a joke goes too blue, a tug of Seth's ear to keep him on the right track - those are all, she thinks, nuggets of physical affection. But the urge to smack sense into someone? It has completely bypassed her.
Until now, until this very moment, when she is watching Cherry Lane drag her name through the mud for, as far as she can tell, no good or legitimate reason.
It was supposed to be an average guild meeting. Everyone was supposed to pool and divvy up resources, they were supposed to talk about guild-wide dungeons they can complete for prestige, they were supposed to welcome any new members and talk about how to up the Illuminating Lotus rankings. There wasn't supposed to be any accusations thrown around about Swansong selling guild supplies for profit to those outside of the guild, and there certainly wasn't supposed to be a need for Bella to prove her innocence.
She's been playing with this guild for just over two years. They should know her by now and that means they should know that she would never extort the guild for her own gain, not when she's one of the top donors every meeting, giving more than her share of spare supplied to the guild stores. They should know better than to trust Cherry Lane, who has spent the last few weeks flitting around between the single players and sowing just enough discord to give Queen V and Relentless the leverage they need to rise up in the guild ranks.
But maybe Bella is the only one who notices this. Maybe it's just because she spends so much time around a strategic mastermind and Masen's observational skills have rubbed off on her. Maybe that's why she sees this for what it is - a coup, a move to get her out of the guild.
《 Janeway: This is bullshit
Bella's eyes flicker to the private message Janeway sends her. She smiles without much humor because Janeway is right. But Bella doesn't reply right away, her eyes roving over the guild chat - arguing over Cherry Lane's accusations, more and more of them turning with the tide, eager to believe a negative fact rather than a defense because people are like that. She gnaws on her lip.
《 Janeway: Aren't you going to fight back?
《 Janeway: Say something!
》Swansong: I have. They aren't listening
《 Janeway: Say something more!
《 Janeway: You can't let this bitch do this!
Janeway has been vocal in the guild chat, too, but there hasn't been much progress. The last twenty minutes has been a masterclass in how one person can use misinformation to completely derail the truth and it doesn't help that Swansong is known for being willing to sell potions off to the side. Of course, those are Bella's own potions, made from her own daily quest gathered materials and brewed on her own time - but that truth doesn't matter. Even for all she donates to the guild, how can she prove her innocence? And even if she could - does she want to? Does she want to prove anything to people who don't want to believe her in the first place?
No. No, she doesn't want to do that. It feels like a monumental waste of energy. Bella doesn't have time or the interest necessary to prove herself to anyone, for any reason. She doesn't need the emotional drain, not when gaming is supposed to be fun.
》Swansong: You're not going to like this
《 Janeway: Oh no. Nononononononononoooo
《 Janeway: I have a feeling I know what you're going to do
《 Janeway: damnit
》Swansong: It's no big deal
《 Janeway: I beg to fucking differ!
Bella feels a swell of fondness rush through her. It's only Janeway and a handful of others in the guild who have stood by her side with these accusations. Bella will remember this and maybe Swansong can pay them back later. Somehow.
Bella switches to the group chat and, without any ceremony, announces her plan.
》Swansong: I'm leaving the guild
》Swansong: I don't want to be caught up in false and unnecessary drama
》Swansong: Once a guild, always a guild. If you need help, please reach out.
The guild chat explodes with both cheers and protests. Ironically, some of the people who were defaming her only moments before are the same ones who are begging her not to leave. Capricious. She doesn't have very much affection for those people.
The current guild leader, JK Cheng, is quick to send her a private message, and she's quick to respond. Firm, holding her ground, ignoring the frothing fury of the guild as they all argue amongst themselves now.
《 JK Cheng: You don't have to leave the guild. We can resolve this.
》Swansong: We really can't. There is truth and there is untruth.
》Swansong: I have more self-respect than to defend myself uselessly against lies.
Let that serve as a reminder to him that he shouldn't just believe whatever somebody says without having all the facts. But of course, Bella hadn't missed the way Cherry Lane and JK Cheng have been hanging out, and Janeway has been all too happy to tell Bella all about the rumors that JK Cheng has tried to pursue Cherry Lane outside of the game. Bella doesn't doubt for a second that part of what motivated him to bring Cherry Lane's accusation up during the guild meeting was inspired by his romantic interests. It's a real shame, too. He's usually a good guild leader.
Janeway's private message pings again.
《 Janeway: Now they'll just think you're guilty because you're leaving
》Swansong: I have a solution to that.
Bella pulls up her inventory and scrolls through everything she is willing to unload, which is quite a sizeable haul. Without hesitation - and admittedly feeling a little vindictive, not at all above guilt-tripping her detractors now that the mood has struck - she transfers her personal store of supplies to the guild store and then, not even a moment later, withdraws her guild membership. Doing so immediately cuts her off from seeing the guild chat, but that's okay. She doesn't want to read what they've said anyway.
Let them do what they want, as far as she's concerned.
《 Janeway: I can't believe you did that
《 Janeway: well I mean, I can believe it, because you're you
《 Janeway: But still!
》Swansong: Change is good sometimes
《 Janeway: What will you do now?
《 Janeway: Join another guild?
》Swansong: I doubt it
》Swansong: Keeping up with a guild is getting harder these days and I'm sure it'll be harder next semester
》Swansong: Being a free agent sounds like a good idea for now
《 Janeway: If you say so
《 Janeway: I guess you never struggle to get your own resources, anyway
《 Janeway: If anything, you being in the guild was a charity for us
《 Janeway: Stupid Cherry Lane
《 Janeway: Idiots all of them
》Swansong: It's okay
》Swansong: Nothing changes between us
《 Janeway: Oh I know but I'm still pissed because one of us has to be
And maybe Janeway is right. Bella can't say she's completely unbothered by the fact that she's had to give up Illuminating Lotus to save herself the hassle of drama-minded people clearly trying to stoke discord, but she isn't entirely put-out by it, either. It's almost a relief, in a way. She hadn't realized how caged-in she was feeling lately now that Relentless, Queen V, and the others had joined the guild. Maybe it hadn't been outright, but she'd had the inescapable feeling that she was being watched when she was with the guild - and more than once over the last few days, she's seen avatar handles hovering just out of screen scope, so she knows certain players have been following her.
If anything, in all of this, what bothers her the most is that Relentless let it happen - and the idea that maybe Relentless wanted it to happen. It sounds paranoid, she knows, but all the same...Of course, considering what he allowed to happen with the video contest, she isn't sure why she's so surprised. She's known his true character for a while. It makes sense that birds of a feather would flock together. As to why they're targeting her - well, she doesn't care.
It's not a problem anymore.
Or if it is, it's not her problem.
Dawn of Warcraft - NorCal Server - General Forum
SWANSONG LEAVES ILLUMINATING LOTUS?
Posted 10.13.2020 by Anonymous
Holy shit, y'all! Have you heard? Swansong left her guild! Apparently, there was this whole thing from some know-nothing player about Swansong double-dealing potions from the guild stores - total bullshit! - and Swansong got so fed up that she deadass just left Illuminating Lotus.
What does this mean!? It was such a huge deal when she joined and now it's an even bigger deal that she left! Like! Is she going to join another guild? Is she and Master Culler going to make their own guild?! They have those wicked tigers, right? They could totally do it and if they do, I'm the first to sign up!
But the point! The Point is that what the actual fuck for Illuminating Lotus! I can't believe they let it get that far!
Comments
T-Tracker yah, yah, I heard it too! Swansong was like "I don't have time for drama" and just Bye Felicia'd all of them!
DunDunDune Okay, no, but that's not even the best part. I heard that she also had two parting shots! First, she told the guild they could always call on her if they need an assist like the classy Queen she is AND THEN she unloaded her entire inventory in this huge passive aggressive powermove that makes me feel guilty as shit - and I wasn't even involved!
Rundertow What a fukken Flex. That's so iconic.
DaneGame What a time to be alive. But also, fuck Illuminating Lotus. Who's the guild leader? Think they need to learn a lesson and resign from their position.
Shoonloom Swansong proves once again she's a class act. Nobody can compare.
Read More Comments
"Did you guys know we're starting our own guild?" Peter asks on Friday during lunch. He's perched shamelessly in Garrett's lap, alternating feeding them both the toasted turkey sub and fried pickles Garrett had brought from the food truck.
Bella side-eyes Alistair, watching as he rolls his eyes but doesn't look directly at Peter when he replies, as if doing his best to save himself the disturbance of public affection. She can't help but find it funny. Peter and Garrett are a little over-the-top, sure, but Peter is that way by default. She isn't sure what anybody else expected.
"We are not starting our own guild," Alistair says with a sniff. "Who has the time?"
"I know that and you know that," Peter agrees, holding the sub for Garrett to take his bite. "But the rest of the forum is absolutely convinced and I say we give the people what they want. For our name, it should be something truly legendary. I'm thinking, Masterclass. Cool, right?"
"We are not starting our own guild," Alistair repeats, more firmly this time.
"And if we did, Masterclass wouldn't be what we named it," Emmett cuts in. "That's such a dumb name."
Peter lifts his chin challengingly. "Oh, yeah? Then what would you call it?"
As Emmett and Peter bicker over which of their (terrible) names are the best, Bella turns her head to catch Masen's steady gaze. He's studying her, looking for any sign that she's distressed, but Bella had only been bothered about the guild thing for a day or two. Now she's made peace with it and the only bothersome thing is the constant DOW rumor mill, once again hard at work speculating and prospecting.
"It's fine," she tells him quietly.
His fingers slide between her own. "Mm."
"The guild wasn't what it used to be," she explains truthfully. "After Relentless bought his way in, the whole guild felt weird. More competitive than comforting. That feeling of camaraderie was completely gone."
"Mm."
"I just hope Janeway leaves before it gets worse," she tacks on, taking a sip of her water. "What do you think? Did I do the right thing?"
Masen's expression is calm and so is his voice. "If you feel that you did the right thing, then so do I," he tells her.
That simple support does more to comfort her than anything anyone else has said about the matter. She smiles at him, a wide eye-scrunching grin, and finishes her lunch with a pleasant warmth bubbling between her ribs.
The rest of the day is like that. It's just now mid-October and there's been a lot of progress on the DOW2 demo, by which she means that the programmers have been hard at work while the beginning stages of the animation process has begun. Bella is far more involved in this portion than she had been with Menagerie; instead of just sketching out the design and passing it off to one of the others, now Bella is doing both parts. It's a little more difficult this way and she's slow at first, not having the experience for the more advanced programs Midnight Sun uses because she hasn't had access to the material in her classes yet. But Bella has always been a hands-on learner and she's acclimating fast enough that she's almost keeping pace with Charles and Liam, if not Alistair, who shows them daily why he's the head of the department.
Bella ends up spending the rest of her day hunched in front of her computer, flying through the animation of some of the avatar variables she'd designed herself. She makes rudimentary coding notes to take some strain off the programmers, but mostly she fixates and making sure that all of the avatar options come together just right. Pride is a tricky friend, but she lets it surge through her anyway, immensely pleased with how advanced the avatar creation will be in comparison to other MMORPGs on the market right now.
Before she quite realizes it, Bella is one of the only ones left in the office aside from the people who live in the building and a few stragglers finishing up their projects. It's Masen who draws her away from her work, dragging his hand lightly over the back of her head and down to her shoulder, where his fingers curl softly into the jut of her collarbone. "Save and close," he urges quietly. "We have a date."
This is news to Bella, but she is quick to comply anyway, a new sort of eagerness replacing her work-related fixation. A date with Masen Cullen is always something to look forward to.
It turns out that Masen's idea of a date for tonight is more of a homebody proposal. He guides her upstairs and hands her a stack of takeout brochures, which she takes with something like a relief - she wants to spend more time with him, of course, but she likes spending time together in private, where she can lean into his space and breathe his air and take him in without needing to share him with anyone else. Maybe he senses that, or maybe the week has caught up to him. He does look a little tired, the slightest of shadows under his eyes.
Bella smiles and flips through a few menus. "I can't decide," she says after a few moments. "You decide."
Masen lifts a brow. "Alright. We'll both pick," he says, taking half the stack from her. "Close your eyes and pick one at random."
Bella does as she's instructed and winds up with a nearby burger joint; Masen, on the other hand, ends up with a Korean BBQ place. "Play me for it?" she wonders, and Masen nods. A rather intense best three-out-of-five games of rock-paper-scissors later, Masen places a call for the Korean place and Bella moseys over to the shelves he has on either side of his television. This shelf in particular houses his extensive collection of games, which she hasn't spent near enough time looking through, so when her eyes land on one game, she can't hold back the exceedingly surprised gasp that rips out of her throat.
Masen, concerned, by the noise, is quick to turn to her in askance even though he's still in the middle of placing their order.
In answer, Bella holds up the game she found, bouncing on her toes in excitement.
Comprehension crosses his face and he smirks the entire way through the placement of their dinner order.
Bella barely holds herself back until he hangs up. "I can't believe you have this," she bursts out excitedly. She holds up the blue game case, exceedingly pleased. "Have you set any records? I need to know. I'm putting it in!"
"The PlayStation is in the second drawer," Masen says helpfully, passing through the kitchen to collect drinks and cutlery. By the time he comes back to the living room with iced tea and forks, Bella has already deftly hooked his old PlayStation 2 - such a relic, but very neatly preserved - up to his television and is sitting primly on the couch while the game boots up. Masen sits beside her, arm thrown over the back of the couch, and observes her fondly. "You look happy."
"Oh, you have no idea," she says with honest energy. She turns to him, catching his softly fond expression with a gleefully, giggling rise in her chest. "This is such a cult favorite game, you know. I hold the highest score at home. Seth and I would play for hours and hours."
"Katamari Damacy is pretty good."
"Pretty good," she parrots with a teasing smile. She nods her head to the screen and the high score list still stored on his PlayStation memory card. "Just by looking at this, I can see how much you've played it."
"It's relaxing," he says peaceably.
"It is relaxing," she agrees. Then she hands him the second controller and selects the two-person mode. "I bet I can beat you."
Masen lifts his brows and straightens his posture, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, holding the controller in clearly skilled hands. "You're on."
She doesn't like the confidence in his voice, which suggests that she has no chance of beating him. "This is war," she tells him, starting the game.
"Mm," he agrees. And then, because he's a terrible cheater, he has the audacity to daze her by placing a kiss on her cheek and wishing her luck.
Bella spends exactly two seconds feeling flushed and warm before she realizes what he's done, and then she surges to her feet, pressing her thumbs on the controller to win back the time he'd stolen with his little distraction. "You're a cheat!" she cries.
Masen's muffled laughter rings through the loft. "All's fair," he says simply, and then proceeds to try to annihilate her score by playing with vicious, single-minded focus.
It's just too bad for Masen that Bella is such an old hand at this game that it's actually fairly easy for her to regain her equilibrium. "I'm going to win," she tells him when the countdown clock is nearing the three-minute mark. She's still on her feet, which is perhaps an oversight given she'd already established that Masen is a shameless cheat. With ten seconds left to spare, Masen snags her around the waist, pulls her into his lap, and then plays the last ten seconds around her body while her own controller is pathetically abandoned on the floor.
Her mouth has dropped open and she stares up at him in naked shock. "You really are a cheat," she says dumbly. And then, irked at his gall, she wiggles around in his lap, pouting at tugging at him while he smirks down at her. "I can't believe you! I demand a rematch! I want a clean, fair game and -"
Masen's lips cut her off, a sweet, slow kiss that calms her temper in increments. A smooth pleasure sings up her spine, warmth suffusing every inch of her body.
When he pulls back, she follows him an inch and then stops, pulling back. "I still want a rematch," she says, considerably less vexed.
"After dinner," he promises.
"Huh?"
Masen nods his head to his phone, which is buzzing on the couch beside him. "Dinner's here."
Bella blushes brightly, and as he runs downstairs to meet the delivery person with their food, she wonders which is more embarrassing at the moment - the fact that she got so caught up in a simple game or the fact that Masen can distract her so thoroughly with kisses. Both, probably.
But maybe it doesn't matter that much either way.
Turing Is Our Hero (Group Chat)
Peter Panda
None of you will BELIEVE
what I saw upstairs
Squidward
If it's sex related please don't tell me
Peter Panda
I don't think it is
unless Mom and Dad are kinky
Squidward
I'm out
I don't want to know
Em Likes Pi
Wait who's mom and dad in this
Peter Panda
Obviously I'm talking about
Bella and Masen
Em Likes Pi
Yeah okay I can see it
Continue
Squidward
are you serious
Em Likes Pi
I thought you were ignoring the chat
Squidward
(middle finger emoji)
Peter Panda
AnYWaY
You don't believe what I saw!
I can't believe Masen would own
something like that!
I'm really shook!
Em Likes Pi
for fucks's sake man
what is it!?
Peter Panda
I don't know which is more surprising
the PS2
or the puzzle game
Squidward
you're talking about a game?
how is that kinky?
Peter Panda
Uhm, don't you find using inferior
technology and being frustrated by it
a sexy thing?
LIke, "Oh, this system is soooo bad?"
Em Likes Pi
how to delete myself
I can't believe I read that with my own eyes
Squidward
no, I don't think that's sexy
because I'm normal
unlike you
Peter Panda
WOW you guys are boring
Em Likes Pi
Yeah, maybe
or maybe you're weirder than we thought
Squidward
what was the game?
Peter Panda
Oh man! Are you sure you want to know?
Squidward
why else would I ask?
Peter Panda
alright alright
ookay here it is
Katamari Damacy!
I think Masen was playing as Prince!
I saw their Make a Star records and dude!
let me tell you!
the scores were ridiculous for a three minute
time limit!
Em Likes Pi
You know a lot about a game you're
making fun of, Pete
Squidward
Agree
Peter Panda
I am not
Em Likes Pi
Sure, okay, I believe that
Squidward
I don't
What's your record, Peter?
Em Likes Pi
Apparently not as good as
Mom and Dad's
Peter Panda
oh shut up
I just have a hard time believing
Masen owns such a dated system
Squidward
Hey, the PS2 was a solid gaming system
Plenty of entertaining games and a clear
step up from the PS1
Em Likes Pi
I can't believe you're such an elitist
Peter Panda
I'm not elitist!
Masen is!
Mad Hatter
Clearly I'm not
Peter Panda
Fuck!
I hate when you lurk on the chat!
Mad Hatter
Good
Em Likes Pi
So Mase
You played a game to cheer your girl
up, right?
Peter Panda
Of course he did
Otherwise why would he bring out those relics?
Mad Hatter
Not relics
Peter Panda
I beg to differ
Squidward
Go beg K.O. instead
Em Likes Pi
So savage
But Mase didn't answer the question
Peter Panda
Fuck your question, I want to know
who won!
There weren't any names on the records
Em Likes Pi
Jesus Pete
How long were you up there?
Peter Panda
Long enough obviously
Squidward
I think you need to use a key Masen
Peter Panda
Oh whatever
So
Who won
Mad Hatter
Neither
Peter Panda
What!
No there was clearly one player
with a higher score!
Mad Hatter
I cheated
Em Likes Pi
What
Squidward
You cheated? Why?
Peter Panda
LOL oh I get it
You cheated to win!
And you did it because Bella was
owning your ass!
Em Likes Pi
She's even good at that huh?
Squidward
What else would you expect from Swanning?
Em Likes Pi
Chill out fanboy
Mase might get jealous
Peter Panda
Is Masen even capable of jealousy
Well he is capable of being a
total cheat so...
Mase?
Mad Hatter
(read at 11:39PM)
Em Likes Pi
Solid answer, bro
Peter Panda
Masen Cullen: Fully Capable of Jealousy
You learn something every day
Em Likes Pi
Truth
Rose comes back to the dorm just shy of eleven at night, which is awfully late for a dinner date that she insisted would not turn into an overnight thing until she's absolutely sure she won't break her date. Understanding in general Rose's attitude toward sex, Bella had decided this was probably a wise decision for Emmett's continued health and safety. So it isn't entirely unreasonable that Bella, Alice, and Leah have turned the tables on Rose and are waiting for her to return home. The three of them are clumped together on the common room floor, passing around two different tin buckets of flavored popcorn and watching Hocus Pocus to get in the October mood. Rose walks in on this, takes one look at Bella's quirked eyebrow, and rolls her eyes.
"Okay, yeah, I get it," Rose says, closing and locking the door behind her. She slumps out of her denim jacket, kicks off her shoes, and squeezes between Leah and Alice on the floor. "Message received, Bella," Rose says around a mouth of popcorn.
Bella pops a piece of caramel popcorn in her mouth. "Good," she says with a crunch.
"Did you have a good time?" Alice asks earnestly.
Rose looks down and away, and someone would have to be blind to not recognize the pleased expression on her face. "It was pretty fun. He took me to this little Italian place, insisted on buying tiramisu, and then we went to this park with an actual old-fashioned carousel in it." The smile on Rose's bright red smile widens. "He stuttered the whole time, too, but cutely. I could tell he was trying to impress me. Nobody's ever put in that much effort before."
"Sounds like a keeper," Leah observes.
Rose shrugs, aiming for nonchalant but not quite hitting the mark. "Yeah, maybe."
"What's that bag by the floor?" Alice asks.
Bella follows her gaze, spies the red floral bag that is so obviously a present and feels her stomach drop. Didn't she tell Emmett to stay away from roses? Anything floral is clearly toeing the line way too close. "He got you a present?"
"Oh, right." Rose sits up and stretches backward, dragging the bag closer and then into her lap. She pulls out the present with a satisfied air. "I don't know that I've ever gotten something like this on a date. Flowers or chocolates, sure. But a calculator case?"
Rose shows off the soft-shell case large enough to house her scientific calculator, making a point to tell them how useful the zipper will be for her pencils and other instruments she needs for her statistic courses.
Bella sits back in relief, a smile tugging at her lips. He actually listened to her and she can tell that it's left a huge impression on Rose. Good. That's so good.
"He's a good guy," Rose says, a fond sort of softness in her voice. "I'm glad I gave him a chance."
"I feel the same way," Alice says with a giddy smile. "I mean, about you, but also about me and Jasper."
"Oh? So, that's going well, too?" Rose checks, eyes a tiny bit sharper than before.
Alice blushes happily.
Rose makes a sound of acknowledgment, then cuts her eyes to Bella. She eyes the bracelet on Bella's wrist and says, "I guess I don't need to ask about you."
Bella smiles widely and shakes her head.
"Okay, you're all deliriously happy," Leah drones. "I get it. Please, spare me."
Bella nudges Leah's ribs with her toes. "You're happy, too."
Leah wrinkles her nose. "I'll be happier when the documentary airs."
"Me too," Rose mutters, carefully packing away her calculator case. "Then we can stop hearing about how nervous you are."
"Love you too, bitch," Leah shoots back.
Rose blows her a kiss.
Alice laughs, leaning around Rose to pat at Leah's vividly purple hair. "Just look at it this way," she says brightly. "You only have a couple more days to wait for the premiere."
"Yay," Leah deadpans, burying her face in her arms.
Bella bites the inside of her cheek, shooting a slightly worried look to Rose and Alice. They probably haven't ever seen Leah like this, but Bella has - exactly one time, before the first time Leah uploaded a video to YouTube. Leah's intense personality can really rear it's head at the most inconvenient times, especially when circumstances are out of her control. Leah, to a certain extent, certainly thrives off public option - something Bella doesn't think is all that unusual for a student of film, where public reception is so crucial to success. She can understand the way that kind of anticipation can gnaw at someone. She knows it well enough now that she's working at Midnight Sun. Her stomach had been in knots before the Menagerie release, too, and she'd only been tangentially involved.
Leah's documentary is Leah's soul and passion on a platter. This should be expected. But that doesn't mean Bella just has to let her sister suffer.
Taking a gamble, Bella changes the subject. "You could be as deliriously happy as us," Bella says teasingly. "Ace and aro relationships are a thing, you know."
Leah groans. "Ugh! Spare me!"
Bella laughs, loud and free. Perfect, that was the exact reaction she was aiming for. "You sound just like Alistair," she tells her sister.
Rose squints her eyes. "Which one was that one, again?"
"The grumpy British one," Alice tells her in sotto voce.
"Ah, right. The Pale Prince Harry one."
"You saw it too!" Alice giggles.
"Well, I'm not blind, am I?" Rose wonders sardonically.
Bella ignores them, paying attention to the way Leah has turned to look at her suspiciously. "How do I sound like some English dude?"
"He's ace, too," Bella tells her. "He has the same attitude about the couples around him."
Leah looks thoughtful, propping herself up on her elbows. "He doesn't care about any of this stuff, either?"
Bella shakes her head and watches the gears turning in her sister's head with great satisfaction.
Leah can always use another friend, especially one that can relate to her on a level that Bella quite simply can't. Maybe this will be good for her.
It will definitely be less worrisome than her friendship with Peter, at any rate.
Dawn of Warcraft ʘdowofficial
The NorCal is kicking up with heated debates proving that top players have drama we can only dream of making #cantrelate
Leroy L PussInLoots
How is it drama when Swansong was PUSHED OUT OF THE GUILD SHE HELPED BUILD?!
Smith or Smyth ʘsmithersismyname
Bro you aren't kidding
Doug ʘdiggingmyowngrave
Illuminating Lotus was only mid level until Swansong joined and then they banked on her kickassness and got rid of her for some no level noobs? #IlluminatingLotusIsCanceled they did Swansong dirty
Tricky Trix ʘsillyrabbit
I heard it was a while coup orchestrated by Cherry LAME and Queen Venereal Disease and Relentlessly An Asshole
JV ʘnotmyname
ʘsillyrabbit I was there and saw the whole thing and you are not wrong. A lot of guild members are considering leaving out of loyalty and I'm one of them
Tricky Trix ʘsillyrabbit
Why not leave now
JV ʘnotmyname
I'm a slut for drama so I cant leave yet
Tricky Trix ʘsillyrabbit
Rip
Over the weekend, Bella doesn't have time to log into her Dawn of Warcraft account for Swansong because most of Saturday is spent streaming for Swanning and then Sunday is dedicated to cramming as much studying as possible into her waking hours. She doesn't even log in on Monday because she gets caught up in an impromptu study session with a few of her classmates who are struggling as much as she is in one of her software courses. And Tuesday, of course, is the premier of Leah's PBS documentary and that obviously consumes the rest of her attention.
Bella doesn't touch her computer for recreational purposes until Wednesday, and by then there are two things that are abundantly clear. The first is that her departure from the guild has caused more upset than she would have ever imagined, to the point where the guild is being strung through cancel culture with half of the forum dragging them like hyenas with prey. The second thing is that some people don't seem to get as enthused with her departure as she thought they would be.
Relentless is one of them. His private message to her is one of the dozens that express how much they wish she hadn't left the guild just because of Cherry Lane's drama. But his message goes a little further and it leaves her confused, because if he felt this way then shouldn't he have stopped the whole thing from happening in the first place?
《 Relentless: What happened is unfair to you. Cheng shouldn't have let it get that far, but he's a weak leader and Cherry Lane has a grudge. I'm sorry you left. You should come back. Queen Vs friends won't be a problem for you anymore, I can promise that much. Will you come back? The guild is better with you in it - and I miss you.
He misses her? He doesn't even know her - he never did. Not really.
Bella leans back from her laptop screen, lips turned downward. This is a weird message. Her gut is telling her it's weird. She might have thought Relentless was hacked, but the cadence of the message matches what she knows - it's just the message itself that seems wrong.
She is reminded, starkly, of the way he talked when he wanted them to meet up in person or when he wanted to trade pictures. This is the way he talks when he wants something, but Bella just can't figure out what it is he wants. What motivation could he have for getting her back into the guild? Is it some larger conspiracy? She feels bad for thinking it, but after everything that had happened, she doesn't think it's unreasonable. And maybe her insight really has gotten better, because she doesn't think she's wrong for being a little suspicious about all this.
Bella doesn't reply to the message or any of the other messages that ask her to come back to the guild.
She deletes them and moves on with her life.
A/N: You should have definitely recognized one of the handles in the last Twitter exchange. She's lurking for a reason and I am so very ready for the reveal Now, on to chapter notes!
Okay, so, Katamari Damacy is such a great game. It's so stupid, because all you're doing is rolling over stuff to set a record and collect stars and solve puzzles, but it's strangely addictive. My friends and I played it obsessively for an entire summer in 8th and 9th grade, which would have been about 2008-2009, I think. It was first released in 2004 and has a few different versions; the latest version is Katamari Damacy Reroll, which is a remake of the original and was released in 2018 for the Nintendo Switch, although there are plans to release Katamari Damacy Reroll for PlayStation 4 and XBox One in November of this year (2020). Not going to lie, I am seriously considering a purchase. If you enjoy relaxing games in the vein of, like, Animal Crossing, then this is a good option for you. You can get the game for your PC on Steam.
(If my math is right, then Masen probably first played this game on the PlayStation 2 when he was about 8 or 9, so it would definitely be a childhood nostalgia game for him, if you were wondering.)
Ace is a short-version word for asexual, in case you were wondering. If someone calls themselves ace, then they're saying that they don't feel any sexual attraction to other people, or they might be saying that they're on the asexuality scale, which could mean that they experience sexual attraction rarely or under specific circumstances. It's also relevant, just in general, to highlight what "aro" means. If someone identifies as aro, then they are saying they are aromantic, which means they do not feel romantic attraction or don't feel that romantic emotional connection is important - however, aromantic people are fully capable of platonic love, it's just the romance part that trips them up. Some people are both aromantic and asexual, and some are a combination. For example, an asexual person might want romantic relationships, while an aromantic person might want only sex-based relationships. It's a whole kettle of fish, so I recommend doing some Googling. Being either ace or aro is perfectly acceptable and it's totally normal to fall somewhere in that scale. To reiterate: you don't have to want to be in love or want to have sex, and you don't have to want either of those things at the same time, or ever. Navigating ace and aro identity can be more difficult than others on the queer spectrum since there's an added bit of societal pressure that says both sex and love are important components to being "fulfilled" as a person. But you can have meaningful relationships without sex and without romance for your whole life, and that's totally fine.
(As to what Leah identifies as in particular - she's definitely ace, but is she aro? Is Alistair aro? Who knows! They're about to be ace buddies, though.)
Cancel culture is a form of public pressure through shaming. When you "Cancel" someone or something, it's because they've done something to go against the norm or that has violated the current acceptance of the times. For example, sometimes companies are "canceled" if it comes out that CEOs have used racial slurs; celebrities are "canceled" for donning blackface; it goes on and on. When something is "canceled", it's like an advanced form of protest. Not only are you saying, "Hey, I disagree with this and object to this thing you've done", but you're also saying, "I'm canceling you from my life to the extent that I will boycott your product". Cancel culture is a *little* out of hand, but I fully support it for legitimate reasons, especially if the person or entity being canceled does not show any remorse for whatever got them canceled in the first place. Some people like to use cancel culture for dumb things, like supporting the wrong sports team, but the intended purpose of cancel culture is to root out racism, sexism, and other prejudice or discrimination. Should Illumination Lotus be canceled for booting Swansong? No, because that would be a petty reason in real life, but Swansong has fans and Illuminating Lotus were being a big bag of dicks, so...
I think that was everything culture relevant for the chapter. So, as always, be brutally honest. I can take it. Stay safe, stay inside, and stay healthy.
~Rae
You can imagine my thoughts about the current state of the world. I don't think my blood pressure has ever been so high. 25 more days, folks. We can make it.