[chapter_29]
Bella has been asked to meet people she knows online this year more than she has in her entire life. First with Relentless, where she can't help but feel that she's dodged a bullet, and then with Masen, which turned out to be the very best thing she has ever done. Now it seems like Janeway feels that it's her turn to ask for a real-life, in-person meet up.
《 Janeway: Let's have coffee
《 Janeway: There's some things we need to talk about
Bella frowns at her laptop screen, chewing at her lip. Janeway sounds serious, which means what she wants to say is probably serious, too. Right? Only, she and Janeway have never, not even once, talked about meeting up. They are online friends and have been for the last 3 years. It wasn't ever necessary to meet up - but something has changed that.
Bella's gut tells her to trust her friend, and her gut hasn't served her wrong before. Whatever it is Janeway needs to tell her, it must be important. It must be.
》Swansong: Sure
《 Janeway: When and where?
》Swansong: I'm near Stanford
《 Janeway: That works perfectly
《 Janeway: I'm in Palo Alto this week
《 Janeway: Any good coffee shops around?
The only coffee shop Bella has ever gone to with any sort of regularity is the one where she first met Masen. She doesn't get the feeling that the quality of the coffee matters, even though she knows for a fact the Coffee Circuit makes exceptionally good coffee. It's the one she tells Janeway to meet her at, anyway. Bella might as well be on familiar territory, just in case Janeway ends up being a 40-year-old man, or something. It happens.
《 Janeway: Perfect
《 Janeway: I'll see you Wednesday afternoon? At 3?
》Swansong: That's fine for me
》Swansong: How will I know it's you?
《 Janeway: lol you'll know
Bella isn't sure about that, because it must be a rare thing for a person's imagination to match up to reality. When she thought she was meeting Master Culler, she had expected someone not quite the opposite of Masen, but not someone who could withstand Masen's ideal, either. She doubts Janeway will be as she pictures, either.
》Swansong: How about this?
》Swansong: I'll wear green.
《 Janeway: You take the fun out of everything
《 Janeway: But fine
《 Janeway: I'll wear green too
《 Janeway: See you then
》Swansong: Yeah, see you
Bella chews on her bottom lip for a while after the private chat window disappears, trying to figure out what Janeway finds so important that it warrants a face-to-face meeting. If it were gossip, Janeway wouldn't hesitate to spill the beans, so surely it isn't that. But then, what could it be?
She closes down her computer with a deep sigh. The days of November are already trickling by, she has midterms in less than two weeks, and she's having trouble animating a previously drafted design that she's going to have to ask Alistair for help with. There's a lot to do and a lot to think about that's probably more important than whatever has nipped at Janeway. She'll find out about it soon enough.
For now, Bella goes to wash her face and comb her hair, twisting it into a simple plait before cozying into her winter-heavy duvet and closing her eyes. Because she has been spoiled by recent sleepovers, she wishes that she was cuddling into Masen's warm arms or that the weight of Atari was pressing against her chest. As it is, she only has her pillow in bed, which she hugs to her chest with a sullen pout. This will have to do for now.
Piping Hot Tea (Group Chat)
Paparazzi
Look at this sad sack
(Picture Attachment: Bella sleeping in her bed,
curled around a pillow, with her lower lip poked out)
You can tell she wants to be holding something else
Short Cake
I think it's sweet!
Thorny
That's because you still sleep with a bear
Short Cake
He's not a bear
He's Mister Cuddles and he deserves your respect
Paparazzi
Yeah
At least she only sleeps with the bear
And not any savory dick that comes along
Thorny
First, rude
Are you on my side of mocking others or not?
Second, savory dick?
Paparazzi
Is that not how you heteros feel about it?
Thorny
Good God it's too early in the morning for this
Sleep Talker
Why are you blowing up the group chat
What's that
LEAH
Paparazzi
Good morning loser!
Sleep Talker
Oh I'm the loser
I see
I guess we all just forgot that
someone here slept with her
baby blanket until she was fifteen
Short Cake
Oooooohhhhhhhhh
Thorny
Shots fired
Paparazzi
You said you would never talk about that!
Sleep Talker
That was before you mocked my pillow cuddling
All bets are off, sis
Paparazzi
Bitch
You've gotten so mean since Masen
I like it
I'm so proud
Thorny
Your sisterhood dynamic never fails to entertain me
But I do have class
So was there a point to any of this or can I go
Paparazzi
I release you
Thorny
(thumbs up emoji)
Short Cake
Oh Bella!
While you're here!
I need to ask you a thing
Sleep Talker
Shoot
Short Cake
Are you planning on buying a cat bed?
Because I have an old assignment I'm willing to sacrifice
I want to experiment with pillows
Sleep Talker
I will not argue if you want to save me money
Short Cake
Yes! Thank you!
Sleep Talker
Masen will want to pay you
Short Cake
He doesn't have to! I'm volunteering!
Sleep Talker
Sure, but he's good like that
Paparazzi
I love how certain you are
Are you just volunteering his money?
Did he give you his wallet?
Sleep Talker
:P
I just know him! He doesn't like to owe people
Short Cake
I'm not people! I'm Alice!
Sleep Talker
And you should be compensated for your work, Ali
Even your experimental work
We'll just pay you for the fluffy bits of the cat bed
Paparazzi
We
Sleep Talker
Are we having a problem, Lee Lee?
Are you not also part of a we?
Paparazzi
Oh, I'm part of several wes
But my wes aren't like your we
Except for my new we
Short Cake
Okay well
I'm confused
And I have class too!
Later!
Sleep Talker
Yeah, I have to bounce too!
I'm going to be late
Paparazzi
Hey, be careful today
I know this is your gaming friend, but people are weird
Stay in public places
Sleep Talker
I love you too
Paparazzi
UGH, feelings!
How do I delete them?
Sleep Talker
Lol
Because Bella is habitually punctual, she is the first to arrive at the Coffee Circuit on the day she is supposed to meet Janeway. She buys a pumpkin spice latte and a bear claw, seats herself at a table tucked beneath a nook of books and potted succulents, and scrolls through her phone, telling her sister and Masen that she's waiting for Janeway now since they both requested to be kept in the loop. It's sweet. She wastes a few minutes looping through the trending hashtags on Twitter, waiting for her drink to cool enough to not scald her mouth and winds up getting sucked into the latest fandom meltdown, which is always entertaining. This is why she doesn't realize Janeway has arrived until someone sits down at her table, clunking down a coffee cup the size of a soup bowl onto the tabletop.
Bella startles and blinks at the girl dressed head-to-toe in olive green - from her bellbottom velvet jumpsuit to her stylish leather duster, to the scrunchie holding her sleek platinum hair away from her face in a high tail, to the mule shoes on her feet. Bella blinks again and thinks that, if Alice were here, she would be gushing over how effortlessly this girl is pulling off something that shouldn't work so well. The girl is around Bella's age, maybe a year younger or older, and has pleasant elfin features, aside from sharp, dark eyes that light on Bella with a mischievous spark.
"Swansong, right?" the girl says, smiling faintly. She takes a cursory look around the coffee shop, then says, "You must be Swansong since you're the only one here wearing green like me. Although, I think I win this time."
Just as promised, Bella is wearing green - but her peacoat seems overly simple in comparison to this clearly expensive get up her gaming friend is wearing. Bella hasn't spent a lot of time thinking about how Janeway would look in real life, but this girl in designer clothes and a row of mixed-metallic studs crawling up her ear isn't it. It's somehow fitting, though. This is all very Janeway, right down to the smart ass greeting.
"Bella is fine," she says after a beat. "Bella Swan."
Janeway laughs shortly. "You did the same thing I did, playing off your name. Mine's Jane," she says.
"Just Jane?"
Jane shrugs, a smirk playing at her lips. "For now," she says. The tone is playful, but there's an edge there that encourages Bella to drop the subject. Last names are hardly important in the grand scheme of things.
"Alright," Bella says agreeably. She takes a sip of her latte. "So, here we are."
"Here we are," Jane agrees, her smile sharp around the lip of her mug. Everything about Jane seems sharp, in a way, as if she doesn't have another setting. It makes her intimidating, larger than life even though she can hardly be any taller than Alice. Jane sits back, curling her fingers around the ceramic mug, tapered fingernails tap-tap-tapping. "You're pretty," Jane says abruptly, matter of fact as she stares at Bella. "And clearly brainy. Stanford, huh?"
"Computer science," Bella tells her.
"Yeah, but it's not just computer science, is it?" Jane prompts, laughing when Bella shrugs helplessly. "I knew it. You're such an overachiever in the game, of course, you would be an overachiever in real life. You Stanford geeks are like that."
Bella wrinkles her nose. "You talk like you're from Berkeley."
Jane lifts a brow, smirking.
Bella's eyes widen. "No way. My friend is also my enemy?"
"I can't help if your school's team sucks," Jane tells her. "Does that make me an enemy?"
"It does now," Bella says. "So, what's your major, then? Something in the humanities, I bet."
"You caught me," Jane confirms. "I'm studying poli-sci."
"It's fitting," Bella comments.
"Because I love to utilize the power of gossip?" Jane guesses and grins when Bella nods. "Well, I've known about the power of rumors and reputation since I was a kid. I might as well use it to make the world less shitty, right?"
It's a piece of insight Bella doesn't immediately expect from someone like Janeway, who has a moderately self-serving nature and is a glutton for drama. But she's still good-natured, isn't she? Janeway might be a gossip, but she's never gone out of her way to sow discord the way others do. She seems to genuinely view gossip as a tool she can use. Studying political science makes all sorts of sense, even for Jane, who is clearly privileged and obviously rich, from a family she doesn't want to disclose the name of but that had exposed her to the center of some sort of power for a young age.
Is Jane related to a celebrity? Maybe. Bella would bet on celebrity over mafia, which is her second guess.
"It's really good to meet you, you know?" Jane says, snagging Bella's wandering thoughts. "I've wanted to for a while, but life is all about getting the timing right. And the timing is right now."
Bella rips off a piece of her bear claw, the pastry melting like butter in her mouth. "You're being cryptic. Just spit it out, already."
Jane's lips compress, a vaguely annoyed expression settling across her face. "It's about the guild," she says with a derisive tone. "Or what's left of it, now that you've left. Illuminating Lotus is losing members every day thanks to all the problems caused by Queen Vs crew."
Bella admittedly hasn't been gaming a lot lately or keeping up with the news about a guild she's no longer part of, but it's still surprising to learn that one of the biggest guilds on the NorCal server is on the brink of breaking up. She listens in stunned amazement as Jane rattles off a mile-long list of complaints about the drama stirred up by Queen V and Cherry Lane, particularly Queen V who seems to be taking her status of being Relentless' in-game spouse as a free-pass to take advantage of her guild members.
"She ropes them into an instance dungeon that she can't beat with her weaksauce level, ends up getting them killed, and then she gathers the loot," Jane says with a curled lip. "it's so gross and dumb."
"I'm not surprised people are leaving, then," Bella says quietly.
Jane scoffs. "Yeah, me either. It makes sense, right? Except these idiots somehow got the idea that they're leaving to follow you to a new guild that hasn't been established yet."
Bella's brows lift. "Wait, they're blaming me for losing members?"
"Not everyone, but enough are buying Cherry Lane's bullshit," Jane says with a shake of her head.
"Why haven't you left yet?"
"Spite," Jane says simply. "And I want revenge for you."
"Jane," Bella says with censure. "I don't want revenge."
"You deserve it, though," Jane argues. "And I'm not taking no for an answer. What they did wasn't okay and they're running the guild into the ground, not to mention inadvertently damaging the levels of the players who are losing advancements thanks to Queen V's incompetence. Plus," Jane adds with a glint in her eye. "I think they're planning something."
"Planning something?" Bella echoes, furrowing her brow. "What do you mean?"
"They want to have a guild meet-up, supposedly for the purpose of keeping the guild together," Jane tells her. "But I think it's more than that. The past week or so, Queen V has been getting vocal about what you're like in real life. I think she wants to use the opportunity to have the meet-up to solidify her, like, status as the prettiest girl on the server."
"Why would she do that?" Bella asks, genuinely baffled.
Jane gives her a dry look. "Because Relentless has a wandering eye, obviously. And his eye must be wandering back to you."
Bella chews on her lip. Does what Jane is saying make sense? It could. Relentless had sent that weird message, hadn't he? Women have a way of picking up on when their significant other is losing interest in them, so if Relentless had even mentioned Swansong in passing, then it's feasible that Queen V would latch onto any way to remind Relentless that she, Queen V, is the superior choice. It's all more than a little ridiculous to Bella because she isn't one for disloyalty or mind games, but she can follow the thread of Jane's reasoning.
And that's why she leans across the table and fills Jane in on the message Relentless sent her, watching as Jane's face contorts into deep thought. "Well," Jane says at length. "That's creepy."
"I thought so, too, " Bella agrees. She's still trying to wrap her head around whether or not he was involved in the coup, or if things really did get out of hand.
Jane seems to be having the same issue. "Do you think he was in on the coup? I mean, it didn't seem like it, but he also wasn't stopping it from happening. And then to follow up with a message like that?"
"But why would he do that? What's the point?" Bella prompts.
Jane shrugs. "You're the one who was game-married to him. You tell me."
Bella shakes her head. "I have no idea. He's been different, and not in a good way."
"Dick," Jane laments seriously. She lifts her brow, gaze expectant. "So, what do you think about crashing their meet-up?"
Bella laughs. "I'm sorry, what are you talking about?"
"They've been talking smack about you," Jane reminds her. "Mostly about how you must be a gremlin in real life and that's why you didn't enter that stupid server contest like Queen V did since she seems pretty convinced winning that is what turned Relentless' eye in the first place. But now that I've seen you, well...Wouldn't it be great for them to see you and have to eat their words?"
Bella grimaces. Somehow, it's all come back to ridiculous beauty contests. She just can't seem to get away from them. "I'm not sure that's appropriate," she says. "And I don't really want to. I don't care about whatever Queen V is saying."
"Of course you don't," Jane agrees. "Because you're you, and Swansong is nothing if detached from worldly concerns. But, consider this. You can use the opportunity to get them off your back for good, and then you can game in peace."
Bella stares at Jane and Jane stares back, a calculating glint in her eye that Bella recognizes all too well. It reminds her of Masen's scheming expression, the one he makes when he's about to make a move that changes the entire game in his favor. Jane's brain has cooked something up that relies on Bella to fulfill. She doesn't doubt Jane's motivation is equally split between making the guild-ruiners eat their words and enjoying some good old-fashioned drama.
Still, it's tempting. Again, Bella can see where the thread of Jane's thoughts are connecting, because it makes perfect sense that showing her face once to settle everything would resolve this on-going, mostly one-sided conflict. Bella could use this opportunity to bury the hatchet and close the chapter with these gamers so she can move on. If she does this, if she crashes the meet-up, there's a pretty good chance it will clear up the opportunities for further gossip from this particular group so Bella can have peace on the server. She even thinks Masen might be proud that she's taking an opportunity to look out for her reputation.
"It might be good to clear the air," Bella concedes. "It's okay if I'm not directly invited, right?"
Jane's grin is wicked. "Would I invite you if it wasn't okay?" she asks innocently.
"Yes," Bella answers promptly. It would be a very Janeway thing to do, actually.
Jane laughs, a tinkling of glass and mirth. "Alright, I probably would. But they did you dirty and they're ruining the game. Someone has to do something about it, and I am in a hammer in want of a nail."
"I must be the nail," Bella surmises.
"You're the nail," Jane confirms, and something about the way she says it gives Bella the feeling that she's not seeing the full picture of Jane's plot.
But maybe that's okay. If Jane has hidden agendas, then does it really matter? Bella can take notes from Masen and turn this opportunity to her advantage. If this can help her live her life in peace, then what could it hurt?
"When is the meet-up?" Bella asks coolly.
Jane claps in delight. "I knew I could count on you, Swansong!"
Bella just smiles peaceably.
Bella Swan ʘthelittlecygnet
Have you ever felt like you just signed a deal with a demon?
Jakey Wakey ʘjbisnowhere
That's exactly what it's like to date Paul
PetePeter C. ʘpeteypete
BIG MOOD ʘthelittlecygnet Also save me Masen's talking about working overtime this weekend
Peter is prone to exaggeration because it isn't that Masen is working overtime this weekend so much as it's the fact that Volturi is sending people down to Palo Alto to check on the demo progress and the only free day anyone had just happened to be a Saturday. When Masen tells her this, he is moderately apologetic about it, but Bella waves him off. It's no big deal. They can just get together a little later on Saturday.
This is what they agree to. Masen has the Volturi meeting at Midnight Sun in the early afternoon, so Bella will drop by around four and they will have a home date. She promises to bring pizza from Masen's favorite pizzeria and fully intends to avoid the Volturi meeting just like they agreed.
Only, that's not what happens. Bella arrives at Midnight Sun just shy of five, a piping-hot cardboard box of garlic aioli pizza in hand, and lets herself into the lobby just as she would any other day. She fully believes that the office is empty until she gets halfway past the cluster of programming computers and catches a glimpse of the black-suited group coming out of the conference room.
Bella freezes, a blush rising to her face when she recalls she's wearing nothing more than college-wear clothing - Stanford sweatpants, a hooded sweatshirt that nominally once belonged to Masen, and Chuck Taylors from her high school days - with her hair loose around her face. She is decidedly not dressed in any way that would be remotely appropriate for meeting the Volturi representatives, who have each coordinated their black-on-black business suits, even the ladies present. Even Masen has donned a tie for this meeting, although the tie is loose around his neck and he has folded the cuffs of his sleeves over his forearms.
Still. Bella realizes very abruptly that she has obviously arrived too early. Her blush deepens when she stammers out a lopsided greeting, shooting Masen a quick pleading look.
Masen, bless him, steps in smoothly. "Mr. Volturi, this is my girlfriend and one of our most promising graphic designers, Bella Swan," he introduces with a wave of his hand. "Bella, this is Marcus Volturi, the Vice President of Game Development at Volturi. And his assistants, Heidi and Felix."
"Pleased to meet you," Bella manages. "Sorry about..."
Marcus Volturi is an exceptionally tall man, with a long nose and a block-ish face framed by a curtain of long inky hair. He has a genial smile on his face and does not appear at all perturbed by running into an unexpected interloper. "I remember college," Marcus says fondly, waving her apology off. He turns to Masen with polite interest. "How many of your employees are Stanford graduates?"
"About 80%," Masen answers promptly.
"Ah, I see. You cherry-picked from your own class. Smart," Marcus praises. "You have an interesting company, Mr. Cullen, and your demo shows much promise. I feel comfortable to say, on behalf of Volturi, we are looking forward to what you have to show us in a few weeks."
"We won't let you down," Masen says simply. He lifts his hand in the direction of the lobby. "Let me walk you out."
Marcus agrees amicably, his two statuesque assistants smiling politely at Bella as they all leave.
Bella waits until they have reached the lobby before she scurries into Masen's office, drops the pizza on the little table he has between two white leather chairs, and groans into her hands. How embarrassing! Hopefully, it was only embarrassing for her, and not for Midnight Sun. She should have texted someone before she dropped by, but then again, if Masen is the only one hosting this meeting, then the others must be busy - she probably wouldn't have gotten a helpful response.
Arms slide around her sides, pulling her back into a firm chest. Masen's chin rests on the top of her head. "It's fine," he tells her soothingly.
"My timing is awful," she whines.
"The meeting was over, though it did run a little late. I should have let you know," Masen says.
Bella shakes her head. "I should have checked," she insists, turning around in his arms. "I didn't mess anything up, did I?"
"Volturi knows who we are," Masen answers simply.
Bella takes this to mean that Volturi is fully aware that Midnight Sun employees college students and college graduates, which must surely excuse some breach of business decorum. She hopes that's the case. She really doesn't know how any of it works.
Masen shifts his hold on her, looping his arms around the small of her back and waddling them backward until Bella's backside is against his desk. She looks up at him curiously, then squeaks when his hands close over her hips and lift her onto the desk. He flattens his hands on either side of her hips then leans forward, pressing his lips to the center of her forehead. "It's fine," he says again.
Bella smiles at him shyly, even as she reaches up to fiddle with his tie. "Well, good. I wouldn't want to mess anything up."
"You could never," he tells her solemnly.
She bites her lip to stop the grin from spreading across her face and then tilts her chin up to catch his lips in a soft kiss. They exchange gentle, almost chaste kisses for a while, the touch of their lips lingering, the kisses steadily growing deeper. Bella's grip on his tie tightens and she finds herself pulling on it hard enough that Masen has to untangle her fingers, pulling away from their kissing with a red mouth and a sly arch to his brow as he slips the tie out of its knot.
Bella's cheeks flare red and she clears her throat, casting about for something to fill the air and cut through the tension she is still sometimes unsure how to handle. "Oh, I meant to tell you that tomorrow I'm going to dinner with Jane - with Janeway, that is, my gaming friend," she says, latching on to the first thought that is even moderately worth discussing.
"Oh?"
"She wants me to crash an Illuminating Guild meet-up," Bella explains. "I think it's a good idea. Things are getting out of hand, but maybe they'll be cleared up if everyone can just talk like rational adults. Right?"
"Mm." Masen hums noncommittally, dropping his tie onto the desk. "I'll be ready to pick you up,"
Bella pauses, catching his eye. "Are you sure? They're meeting at a restaurant in San Mateo," she says.
"I'll be there," Masen repeats, sweeping both arms around her back and physically hauling her a scant inch closer so that his hips fit neatly between her thighs. One palm cups her cheek, tilting her head to an appropriate angle so he can brush a soft, lingering kiss against her lips. "Text me when you're ready. Okay?"
"Uh-huh," she agrees, head swimming.
Masen smiles against her lips, then trails kisses across her jaw and down her neck, keeping their chests pressed close together while she draws in quick breaths, her skin tingling at each heated press he bestows. "You look nice in my clothes," he mutters against her throat, pressing his hips forward so she can understand exactly how much he appreciates it.
Her knees press against his hips tighter, keeping him close when he lifts his head and captures another series of heated kisses, his warm palms dragging up the skin of her back. She winds her arms around his neck, arching against him with a gasp that Masen swallows as readily as he does every other breathless moan she makes as he slowly drives her newfound lust to new heights. She didn't know it could be like this, or that she would ever truly want this - and she knows for sure, if it was someone else, the urge wouldn't even occur to her.
But this is Masen. And she loves him. And she wants to express that love however she can, including in the physical way he seems to favor. It's not a hardship for her, even if it does take some acclimation.
Masen is patient with her, of course. He always is, but especially in this, guiding her unerringly forward and seemingly content to wait for her to meet him halfway. She thinks, if anything, this makes her love him more.
Ten minutes later, Bella lays against the desk, heaving in gasping breaths and scrambling to hold onto something while Masen holds her thighs open, his tongue swirling around her center with embarrassingly wet sounds, his grey-green eyes hazy and dark while he watches her writhe and whine. After, when he stands with his jeans unzipped, casually wiping the wetness from his mouth with his thumb, Bella has the thought that she will never be able to look at this office - or this desk - the same way again.
And then she licks her own lips, a shaky challenge coursing through her as she vows to make the same true for him. Thank God he closed the blinds earlier - not that she noticed until now, of course.
She doesn't think Masen minds, no matter how clumsy her attempt is.
Bella
I should have listened to you before
Rose
About what
Bella
Are you going to make me say it?
Rose
My sweet idiot child
I am right about so many things
I'll need a hint to know what I was right about this time
Bella
Fine
I should have listened to you about
Intimate things
Rose
Are you talking about sex
Did you have sex?
Bella
Can we not?
Rose
So, not a home run then
Pity
Bella
Omg
Is that necessary
Rose
Hey, you're the one who came here
Now
What was it you actually needed?
Bella
Could you tell me more about
Oral
Rose
Oooooh
I see
I most certainly can do that
But first things first
Did you swallow?
Bella
Like I said
I should have listened to you
Rose
This is great
Yes, yes I will tutor you in blow jobs
Go buy some Tootsie pops and meet me in the dorm at nine
Bring Alice too!
Bella
Only if you promise not to make fun of me
Rose
I'll do my best to hold back
Bella
Why do I feel like you're lying?
Rose
(smirking emoji)
Bella can truthfully say that she has never, not once, ever entertained the thought of meeting her guild - former guild - in person. It never crossed her mind, even knowing that many guilds regularly had meet-ups and that even Illuminating Lotus gathered in in-person clusters every once in a while. Bella had always declined, perfectly content to keep her online gaming life online, and the rest of her life separate.
But then Master Culler happened, and Master Culler became Masen Cullen, and Masen Cullen swept her off her feet - and now she thinks her younger self was awfully rigid for wanting to keep the two parts of her life so firmly apart. Then again, doing so might have saved her a lot of trouble, considering the entire Relentless situation that feels on the precipice of spiraling out of control.
Still, all the same, meeting the guild was not something she ever thought she would do. But here she is, in San Mateo, walking up to a semi-formal restaurant called Avenida with every intention of crashing a guild meet-up she wasn't strictly invited to. She brushes down the front of a cream faux-turtle sweater, which she has tucked into a floaty shell-pink knee-length skirt Esme once gave her. Her beige suede bootie match the camel-colored peacoat Alice lent her for the occasion and her hair, pulled away from her face by two loose braids that join low on the back of her head, ruffles in the cool evening breeze. In her mind, she thinks meeting up with an online gaming community would be better done at a bar or a more casual joint, but according to Jane, Relentless had spared no expense booking a restaurant for an entire night - and not just any restaurant, but a new Filipino fusion place that has been making waves in the San Mateo community.
Jane said that Relentless was "throwing his money around as if he's the only one that has any", and Bella isn't inclined to disagree with her assessment. Jane has money. She would probably know. In any case, even as she sees the low-lighting of the restaurant and the nice, deep navy jumpsuit Jane wears while she waits for Bella on the sidewalk, Bella can't help but feel like she's overdressed.
She has a moment, right before Jane sees her, where she thinks about turning around. All this scheming and subterfuge surely isn't worth it, is it? But her moment of doubt is quashed the moment Jane sees her, ruby red lips spreading into a wide grin as pin-straight platinum blond hair swings across her face.
"Oh good, you're here. Just in time! We're the last to get here," Jane says, hooking her elbow around Bella's as soon as she's close enough. Jane runs an appreciative eye over Bella, nodding in satisfaction. "You look great. This is perfect. Make them eat their hearts out."
"That's not why I'm here," Bella reminds her. "I'm here to clear the air."
Jane lifts a brow. "Who says you can't do both?"
Inside the restaurant, there is quiet milling of about twenty people, a sizable group for a guild meet-up. Bella doesn't know how the restaurant usually organizes their rich oak tables, but right now, they are lined up around the center of the room in a rectangle, chairs on only the outer edges of the tables. Some people are already sitting, while others are chatting in small one-and-two person groups. There is a cluster of attractive girls standing near the entryway, each of them dolled up the way Bella has only ever seen Rose do when she's posting on Instagram for a client. These girls are the first to notice Jane and Bella, and round on them with friendly-looking smiles.
"Are you here for the Illuminating Lotus meet-up?" one asks.
Jane smiles, a little sharp. "We sure are. I'm Janeway," she says, then tugs Bella closer with a wider grin. "This is Swansong."
It feels dramatic to say that the entire room goes quiet, but that's the way it is. It's so quiet the dim clattering of the kitchen staff can be heard, dozens of eyes locking onto Bella with a mix of surprise, astonishment, and outright disbelief - or in some cases, downright unfriendly looks, particularly from one girl with deep skin and sleek coiled hair, who presses her sparkling plum lips firmly together.
And then there is the man standing on the other side of the room, who looks up and locks eyes on Bella with a rapt sort of attention, his dark blond hair and hawkish features somewhat familiar. He makes his way over, even as the girls round on Jane and Bella with a high amount of skepticism. It makes her uncomfortable - and she has a sinking intuition that this is Relentless.
Why does he seem to recognize her?
"Swansong?" scoffs the dark-skinned girl, now glaring at Bella with avarice. Bella wonders what her problem is. "Who invited her? And how do we know that's really Swansong?"
"Did you ask anyone else to prove their identities?" Jane asks waspishly. "No? Then why only us? You think we're lying?"
"I think there's no way she is Swansong," the snooty, dark-skinned one says.
"Why not?" Jane presses. "Do you know what Swansong looks like?"
"That's just the point," the other girl returns quickly. "None of us know what Swansong really looks like. You probably just brought some random girl here to prove a point."
Jane pounces on that right away, eyes gleaming. "And what point would I be proving, exactly?" When the girl falters, Jane turns smug, and her tone shifts to something sardonic. "What, you think I brought a pretty girl here and call her Swansong just to undercut the prettiest girl on the NorCal server? That's ridiculous. Don't you think you're reading too much into it?"
Bella side-eyes Jane, suddenly absolutely certain that this is exactly what Jane has done - or that this is one of Jane's hidden motivations for convincing Bella to be here. This is some psychological warfare-type stuff. Bella is surprised only because none of this scheming intelligence is apparent in the way Janeway plays DOW.
Jane shifts her attention to the redhead with the tumbling curls. "You're Queen V, right? Are you upset Swansong is here?"
Queen V lifts her chin, even as her eyes narrow. "I really don't care," she says in an air-light tone. She weaves her arm around the man with the hawkish features, who stands woodenly at her side. "But I do think it's fair that she proves she's Swansong. In fact, we should all prove ourselves, right? We're gamers at a meet-up, aren't we? We should have a small round of duels and introduce ourselves."
This proposal is met with a round of agreement, and already several of the male gamers begin dragging out the laptops they evidently brought with them. Like Bella, they probably assumed this meet-up would be more like a LAN party and less like a dinner party - they're dressed in only jeans and button-up shirts, easily the most casual people in the room.
Since the food is apparently still being cooked, there is no reason to not clear off one of the tables and set up two laptops. Jane sits in one first, seemingly eager to get the whole process out of the way; at the other laptop is one of the casual boys, who ends up being the guild leader, JK Cheng. The group watches as they each log onto their DOW accounts and as JK Cheng easily defeats Janeway, who regards the whole thing with pointed air of boredom.
"Happy now," Jane asks as she logs out.
The dark-skinned girl huffs, crossing her arms. "That proves you," she says. "What about her?"
Bella, who has been silent until now, deeply uncomfortable with the skeptical attention directed at her, feels the need to speak up. She might not want to be here, she might want to call Masen and leave right away, but the tension in the room leaves her deeply unsettled. There's such aggression, here, hidden behind nice smiles and thinly-veiled words. She also doesn't appreciate being doubted like this.
"This is a meet-up, isn't it?" Bella asks rhetorically, moving to take Jane's seat. "I don't mind playing a few rounds."
The dark-skinned girl glares and sits down at the other laptop. They both log in, although most people are watching Bella instead of the other girl. When Swansong materializes on the screen, gasps of excitement ripple around the room, although Queen V and her friend look less than pleased.
"Kick her ass," Jane mutters at Bella's elbow.
Bella refrains from sighing. But she will admit that she does play with her food a little, making the girl - who turns out to be Cherry Lane - chase her around the arena on the screen, hitting Cherry Lane with small spells that chip away at her HP. At one point, one of the others makes a remark that Swansong should put Cherry out of her misery, and that's when Bella's fingers fly across the keyboard in a familiar combination that kills off Cherry Lane in a single move.
Whoops and clapping sounds across the room. "This is really Swansong!" someone says, and someone else follows it up with, "I can't believe we're really meeting one of the top players on the server!" and "I can't believe she's so pretty!"
Bella eyes the way Cherry Lane and Queen V exchange weighted, displeased glares, even as other players line up to take Cherry Lane's place, each of them pleading to play against Swansong face-to-face. Although a little embarrassed, she sees so reason to not play a few games, which is how she learns to put the handles of her former guild-mates to names and faces of real people. It's how she learns the Cherry Lane's real name is Lauren, and that Queen V is called Victoria, and that she is dating James, who is actually Relentless, just like she suspected.
After a while, a waiter comes out of the kitchen and says that the food is almost ready, which prompts the laptops to be put away and tables to be shifted back into place, everyone finding a seat. Bella sits by Jane, mostly for the comfort of familiarity, and finds herself directly across from Cherry Lane, Queen V, and Relentless.
She does her best to keep a placid expression on her face, even as she feels the weight of stares on her, even as she exchanges quiet words with her seat neighbors and eats her meal. It's unfortunate that her stomach is so tight with tension because she's pretty sure this is the best Filipino food she's ever had and she can barely taste it.
"So, Swansong," JK Cheng says at one point, rubbing his thigh after Cherry Lane hits him. "Why are you here? Not to be rude, but this is a guild meet-up and…"
"Jane invited me," Bella answers calmly. "I thought it was a good opportunity to clear the air about what happened with the guild."
JK Cheng nods, glancing at Cherry Lane. "I see. That's, you know, good of you. The guild was sad to see you go."
Jane scoffs into her drink. "Bet you're even sadder that more guild members are fleeing, right?" She grins when JK Cheng flushes, gesturing her hand around. "What, is that not what this whole meet-up is about? The guild is on the verge of downgrading from lack of members or disbanding altogether, so Relentless here took out his wallet to change the narrative about the toxic atmosphere of Illuminating Lotus. Or am I wrong?"
Relentless - James - clears his throat pointedly. "It was still a nice thought, Bella," he says, ignoring Jane entirely. "There doesn't need to be any bad blood between us. The whole thing was a misunderstanding."
Bella nods, not really agreeing, and says, "It would be nice for the NorCal server to be peaceful again."
"Will you come back to the guild?" someone asks.
Bella shakes her head. "No, I'm too busy with school and work right now," she says.
Cherry Lane - Lauren - laughs meanly. "Oh? Are we supposed to believe you actually go to school?"
Both Jane and Bella bristle at the tone. "What is that supposed to mean?" Jane demands.
Lauren tosses her head. "Only that I doubt such an illustrious gamer actually has the time to go to class. I mean, maybe she's just saying she goes to college. Plenty of girls say they're in college, but they're really hustling, you know? It would explain why she's so good at the game. You have plenty of time to hone your...skills."
Bella breathes in deeply, trying to stop out the rapid flare of her temper at the implication. Because is it just her, or did Cherry Lane really just accuse Bella of being an escort - or a hooker - just based on the fact that she's passably pretty and good at playing a video game? She shakes her head, trying to follow the logic, and fails. "First you ask me to prove myself as Swansong, and now you ask me to prove I'm a college student," Bella says quietly. "Do you want to see my student ID? Or will you say it's forged?"
There's a chorus of agreement, many people muttering about Cherry Lane taking things too far. "She's a sore loser," one of the boys near Bella says to his neighbor. "She's ruining the guild single-handedly."
Lauren, hearing this, shifts her glare to the boys.
Victoria, meanwhile, sets to soothing the ruffled feathers. "We're all gamers here, aren't we? Let's talk nicely. Let's all go around and say what our majors are to see if we have any common ground."
This is a distraction for a while, and the small-talk seems to last through the first course and well into dessert. But even though Bella is surrounded by people who seem happy enough getting to know each other, and by Jane who is covertly stoking Cherry Lane's ire with great amusement, Bella can't help but want to get away from the crowd. She doesn't want to be here. She hasn't wanted to be here since the moment she stepped into the restaurant.
Bella pulls out her phone and sends Masen an SOS.
Masen
I'll be there in 20 minutes
She breathes out a quiet sigh of relief and picks up her fork again, intent to tuck into her dessert again. But she doesn't get the chance because Victoria turns to Bella with a simpering smile and says, "So, do you have a boyfriend?"
Bella doesn't miss the way James pins Victoria with a dark look before he too turns his attention to Bella, looking entirely too invested in the answer.
"Actually," Bella starts coolly, aware of the renewed attention on her and dimly hating every moment of it. "I do. He's on his way to pick me up right now."
The few other girls in the room, with the exception of Lauren, get excited about this. Victoria sends James a triumphant look and peppers Bella with more questions, all while her hand remains clamped onto James', her manicured nails tapping at the back of his knuckles each time Bella gives a glossed answer about her relationship with Masen. Beside her, Jane gives her a nudge and a lifted brow, kind of like, Do you see that, too?
Bella doesn't know what to make of it. But she doesn't feel good about the night, particularly because she doesn't think the air was actually cleared at all - or not as much as she wanted it to be. It's unfortunate, but at this point, what else can she do? She came, she saw, she tried to be nice. If anything, maybe she succeeded on clearing the air with the rest of her former guild, but she isn't too certain about Lauren, Victoria, or James.
Especially James, who stands from his seat the moment Bella does and says, "Let's meet this boyfriend of yours."
"That's really not necessary," Bella tries.
James shakes his head. "We wouldn't be doing our duty as your friends if we didn't make sure this boyfriend is a good guy," he says, and while it sounds good-natured and while others latch onto the reasoning, Bella can't help but feel like it's all just really a flimsy excuse.
She has that uncomfortable feeling again, just like when she read Relentless' message, just like when she turned down his in-person invites. But she doesn't disagree. If anything, maybe meeting Masen will send him the message he so desperately needs to grasp. Maybe.
Bella goes outside to wait in front of the restaurant after she insists on paying her portion of the tab, Jane at her heels, followed by everyone else. They all congregate on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant and look up and down the street expectantly.
Fortunately, they don't have to wait long. Masen is punctual and the silver company car idles up the curb with a flash of headlights in the growing autumn dark. He leaves the car idling while he steps out, rounding the front bumper, which illuminates the handsome planes of his face perfectly.
Behind Bella, there is a hushed squeal of excitement, a few of the girls commenting on Masen's looks - as if that's the only thing he has to offer! Bella ignores them, turning to Jane with a smile and a promise to talk later, which Jane agrees to with a breezy smile. Masen, meanwhile, has slipped his hand around the small of her back, fingers curling over her hip as he waits for her to say her good-byes.
"I hope we can meet in the game again," Bella tells the group at large, and there is a chorus of agreement. She lifts her hand in a wave, studiously ignoring the heavy weight from the other end of the sidewalk where James and Lauren are standing. Maybe if she doesn't acknowledge them, they'll go away.
It isn't the case. As soon as she and Masen make for the car, Lauren's voice cuts through the air. "Did you know your girlfriend dates other men? Her reputation is trash in the game. You should know that she strings everyone along before she gets her claws into you."
Bella compresses her lips, breathing deeply. Masen catches her eye, asking a silent question, and Bella shakes her head. She doesn't want to deal with it, but if he wants to, then he's more than welcome to. She is so very tired of Lauren and her senseless vendetta.
Masen opens the car door for Bella, then turns to address Lauren, even as Bella is climbing inside the car. "I know Bella's character," he says simply.
"Then you're a fool to think-"
Masen cuts Lauren off. "Actually, I'm Master Culler."
Even from inside the car, Bella can hear the ripple of gasps, the outright surprise that strikes the group of gamers. There's a lot of disbelief, which is swiftly replaced by awe. None of them thought they would be meeting Swansong tonight, let alone the top gamer on the server.
Bella has the exact right vantage point to see the way James takes a step forward, his jaw clenched. "You're Master Culler?" he demands.
"Yes. Although, you can call me Masen Cullen," Masen responds dryly. "And you are James Denali, correct?"
James stiffens. "I am."
Masen shifts, casual and at ease, hands in his pockets. "We're competing for the same contract," he says. "Good luck to you and Denali."
"We don't need luck," James sneers, darting a glance to Bella as she buckles herself in.
She looks away, avoiding that drilling gaze, and Masen steps in front of the passenger window, bodily blocking her from view.
"You do need luck," Masen says flatly. "And you need to remember your place," he adds, jerking his chin to where Victoria is fuming behind James.
"You-"
"We have to go if we want to beat traffic," Masen says, interrupting whatever response James was drumming up. "Nice to meet you all."
Most of the other gamers wave at Masen and shout final farewells to Bella, and she lifts her hand in another weak wave, which she holds until Masen drives off. When the restaurant is no longer in view, Bella squeezes her eyes closed and drops her head against the headrest.
"It was awful and awkward," she announces.
Masen hums.
"I think it ended up being a waste of time," she continues, disappointed despite herself. She goes on to explain all the slights Cherry Lane gave her, the way Victoria seemed like a muddled middleman, the way James just kept looking at her. She shakes her head. "I'm glad you were able to pick me up so soon. Thank you."
Masen reaches across the consol, taking her hand in his and lifting her knuckles to his lips. He casts her a quick side-eye. "I'm sorry it wasn't what you hoped it would be."
She shrugs. "It was a long shot, anyway. The world isn't perfect. It's inevitable to have...conflicts with other people."
"Mm."
The car is silent for a few more minutes. Masen navigates to the highway to take them home. Bella draws in a breath. "So," she starts with a little caution. "You know him, don't you? Relentless, I mean."
"I know of him," Masen corrects. "He's the Denali heir-apparent, so his team is competing directly with ours.
"How long have you known?" she wonders.
"A week or so," Masen says.
Her eyebrows lift. An entire week. And no wonder she thought he looked familiar - she must have seen him at Denali Corp, all those months ago. Actually, didn't she talk to him? She feels like this is the kind of information she should have known about before crashing this meet-up, which is exactly what she tells Masen. "Were you ever going to tell me that Relentless was also vying for the Volturi contract?"
"Not unless I had to," Masen admits. "Didn't want to worry you. I'm keeping an eye on him and his...interest in you."
That's somewhat mollifying, at least. It's nice to know that Masen is actively looking out for her, even when she isn't aware of it. And she's glad for his covert surveillance, or whatever it is that he's "keeping an eye on", because maybe that means she won't have to solve the conundrum of Relentless by herself. Because it feels like, more and more, for whatever inexplicable reason, Relentless is intent to live up to his name when it comes to Bella.
She doesn't like that her no isn't being honored. That's where the discomfort is coming from. She doesn't understand this renewed interest or when it started, but she has the feeling that Relentless isn't going to get the picture unless someone else steps in.
Masen can do that for her. Masen seems to want to do that for her, and she's glad to let him.
All the same, she squeezes his hand and makes sure her tone is serious when she speaks. "In the future, I would like to know these things," she says. "Let's not have secrets, okay?"
Masen glances away from the road, catching her eye, and agrees with a solemn nod. "No secrets."
Bella smiles slightly, resting back against the seat. It's not a long drive back to Masen's loft, but she spends the time trying to turn over and reconcile everything that happened tonight, shelving the pieces that don't make sense and discarding the ones that don't matter. It wasn't how she thought the night would go, but she can admit that she was being naively optimistic. The night probably went as well as it could have gone.
When they get to the loft, Masen digs out a pair of female sweatpants from a mostly empty drawer in his room, holding them out to her when she makes noise about taking a quick shower. Bella blinks, takes the sweats, and toddles off to the bathroom.
Did Masen just give her a drawer? And buy her a passable pair of pajamas to keep here?
He really did.
She huffs out a laugh, shaking her head. Atari, who has followed her into the bathroom, mews at her feet, weaving around her ankles.
"Your dad is a unique man," she tells the cat.
Atari mews again, as if in agreement.
Bella starts the shower, letting the steam build up in the bathroom. She takes her phone out of her pocket, prepared to set it on the counter and finish undressing, but she hesitates and pulls up her contact list, instead. Masen isn't the only one who was keeping something from her tonight, and Bella has had enough time to think about it on the way back to understand that Jane is keeping something huge under her hat. Bella wants to know what it is.
Bella
Did you plan that?
Jane
Ah
That's something I can't tell you!
Bella
Really?
Jane
It's not the right time
Just know that I did you multiple favors
And your boyfriend too, actually
Bella
I don't understand
Jane
You will!
Soon!
Bella certainly hopes that's true.
A/N: Did I genderbend Laurent? Yes, I did. Lauren is the official Life and Death version of his name. You can fact-check me. Also, is Jane playing 3D chess? Yes, she is, but probably not for the reasons you expect! And did James get the message when he and Masen measured their dicks? Who knows? Stay tuned!
As an additional note, I am officially changing the update schedule of this story. Expect an update once every two weeks. My RL is being extra draining right now and I'm struggling to find time to write. I know this fic is a quarantine comfort story for a lot of you, so I'm truly sorry, but I need more time between chapters. Rest assured, the story will be completed, but it's just going to be updated twice a month. The next update should be right after Thanksgiving.
In America, COVID-19 cases are going up a lot more - by a truly alarming amount - and masks are still being politicized for some reason, and the sanctity of a democratic election is being dragged through the mud. To be clear, all votes from eligible voters are legal votes, regardless of how those votes are cast. Many states, including my own, have been doing mail-in ballots for decades for all elections, state and local. I'm truly and utterly disgusted by the rhetoric that there are "legal" votes and that counting all of the votes that are cast is somehow fraud and a lot of other nonsense being thrown around. It's tiring. But we do have a small, very small, silver lining in the Pfizer vaccine - although, I would encourage everyone to not get too excited. That whole "90% effective rate" was from a press release and not the metadata on the study, and the vaccine is still in clinical testing stages, and it still needs to be determined if these vaccines are going to be one-and-done like polio or annual like the flu shot. There's a whole lot in the air about the vaccines still, but the Pfizer announcement is still good news. Just. Take it with a grain of salt and manage your expectations.
2020 has taught us all a lot about managing expectations, hasn't it?
As always, be honest. I can take it. Please stay safe. Continue wearing your masks, take care of yourself, and for the love of God, embrace a Zoom Thanksgiving. Eating dry turkey together is not more important than staying alive.
~Rae