[wit monger_finds foresight]
Jasper is back at Stanford for the summer because one of the prerequisite classes for his fall semester is only ever given during the shorter summer quarter. At the urging of his academic advisor, he'd added on two other courses to his schedule , which might lighten his course load next year. Jasper, now a sophomore, agrees because he knows to follow good advice when it's given.
So Jasper is back, because he has to be, but it isn't ideal for several reasons. For one, he'd much rather be back at the ranch in Texas spending his summer on a horse like he usually does, helping Pop round up the cattle and corralling his siblings into some semblance of productivity. For another, the humiliation of being so thoroughly trounced by Masen Cullen in that ill-fated, ego-driven basketball game is still fresh when he returns, and he can't escape the paranoid thought that people are only looking at him because they know about his moment of utter indignity. And third - which is probably the most prevalent reason, and that says something - is that Riley is also back for the summer.
And with Riley comes Bree - and they both have a habit of dishing out unasked opinions. Like, just as an example, Bree thinks its cute that he's crushing on someone so far out of your league, but I guess you have to shoot your shot. Riley in particular likes to pitch his two-cents in whenever he can, about all sorts of things, but mostly about how to "charm" women.
Jasper thinks neither Bree nor Riley are founts of reliable advice on these matters, but mostly he's pissed that he's still getting sexiled from his own dorm. He ends up spending almost his entire first week on campus at the library because of this. In retrospect, maybe it's a good thing that Riley and Bree are so…them, because if Jasper hadn't been in the library, huddled into a study nook, he wouldn't have heard actual words of wisdom.
He can't see who is talking, but it's some girl. Originally, he'd only started paying attention because her whining was annoying, but then she says something that snags on his thoughts.
"It's nice to be asked out and everything, but is it too much to ask that the guy asking me out shares my interest? Going on another date to sit in awkward silence is not my idea of a good time. If someone made an effort to, you know, like what I like…then that would be better, right? At least that's what I think."
"It makes sense," one of her friends says consolingly. "And I mean, isn't it kind of awkward, just walking up to a random girl and asking her out?"
"Boys."
"Same."
Jasper's brows pull together and he thinks back on his pursuit of Bella Sawn. How had he asked her out? Two blunders where he'd just walked up and waited for her rejection? Apparently, that isn't how it's done. Jasper wouldn't know; he'd never done that sort of thing in high school. Maybe he's just not good at it.
But maybe…well, maybe it's just his approach that was wrong. The whole thing with her liking another guy aside - he doesn't even know how to combat that, but he does think that as long as she's still single, it's a fair game right? - Jasper hadn't really put any effort into letting Bella Swan know that he's interested in her as, like, a person.
Okay. Okay, that's something to work with. Jasper sets aside his study materials and pulls out his phone. He goes back to YouTube for a deep dive, searching for any clue as to how get closer to Bella Swan's interests. The videos are less helpful than he thought they would be, but there's also a lot of them to wade through and Jasper doesn't know where to start. After the second video, he takes a gamble that ClarityIsClear is somewhere else on the internet.
He goes to ClarityIsClear's YouTube profile. She has a Twitter, ClearlyFilmingThis, and the Twitter account is extremely active, which is good. Who is she following? A lot of people, mostly film makers and directors and a dozen normal people. One handle pops out to him - Swanning. Well, that's almost definitely Bella Swan, right? He thinks so, and goes onto Swanning's Twitter. Ten minutes later, Jasper learns that Swanning, Bella Swan, is a massive fan of Dawn of Warcraft.
Jasper pinches his lips together. Computer games have never been his forte, and unlike every other guy his age, he hasn't ever had much enthusiasm for gaming. But, this is one interest that Bella Swan definitely has and Jasper likes her enough to at least give it a try.
So, Jasper pulls out his credit card and creates a Dawn of Warcraft account right there in the library. And when he gets back to his room, he pulls out his laptop, downloads the game, and sets to learning how to create his character. It's all a little confusing to him, so he keeps it simple. He'll be a human Hunter and he'll call himself Wit Monger.
It's a little after midnight when he loads the NorCal server and starts his search for Swanning - so the next morning he's admittedly a little tired. Being tired makes him impatient and cranky, so when some tiny girl is late to class and tries to slide into the seat next to him, as if she hasn't just totally disrespected the entire class by showing up late, Jasper doesn't have the best ability to keep his cool.
He's not proud of it - far from proud, actually. That girl fell down pretty hard and Jasper got a lapful of cold coffee from the entire ordeal. And the way she'd looked at him, round eyes wide and wet, a terse frown on her face as she huffs up at him with accusation -
Jasper feels low. All his positive feelings about figuring out a way to get close to Bella Swan are washed down the metaphorical drain, especially when the tiny girl storms out of the lecture hall before he can get a chance to apologize. And now he feels like everyone is looking at him because he's a jerk. And, well, he can't exactly defend himself, can he?
He should have just given her the seat.
The next time they have class, he sees that tiny girl on the other side of the classroom. She gives him the stink eye, crosses her arms, and turns away with her pert nose in the air. And again, she's out the door before he can make amends. The coffee he bought to make it up for her is watery with crushed ice; he ends up throwing it away before trudging back to his dorm.
Girls, he thinks, are very complicated - and he doesn't seem to be good with them at all.
He wishes he was back at the ranch.
But because he's not, he keeps pushing forward. Most nights, when he isn't studying in the library, he logs into Dawn of Warcraft to continue his search for Swanning. He isn't successful and he finds that the game is actually a lot harder than it looks. He dies a lot because he accidentally engages in battles with low-level beasts and apparently running away isn't an option. By the time another week passes, Jasper has mastered the basic use of a bow and arrow, Swanning still hasn't shown up.
Maybe Bella Swan doesn't play that often? Or maybe they always manage to log on at different times.
Jasper doesn't know. He thinks he should probably try to find another way to get closer to Bella Swan, because this way doesn't seem to be working. But it also feels too soon to give up, and as far as he knows, she's still single.
Jasper banks his hope and shifts his focus to a problem that he can solve - that tiny slip of a girl who he'd been so rude to. She, at least, is easy to find.
It's only a week before midterms that Jasper finally manages to catch her at their bi-weekly art history class. He sees her coming into the lecture hall and uses the advantage of his longer legs to quickly bar her way. He thrusts out the iced coffee and, red faced, blurts out, "I'm sorry for that time!"
The girl - Alice Brandon, according to the class listing - blinks up at him in bafflement. Her eyes drop down to the coffee and a fine furrow knits her brow. "Is this…for me?" she hazards.
Jasper nods jerkily. "To replace the one I ruined."
Alice takes the coffee, her small fingers brushing against his own, and purses her lips thoughtfully. "You've been bringing coffee to class for a while."
Jasper nods again. He's been bringing ice coffee to class for the last seven classes and has thrown each of them away when Alice Brandon fled too soon to drink it.
"Were they for me?"
"To apologize."
"You bough, like, ten cups of coffee to apologize?" Alice asks, bemused but not hostile.
Jasper, cautiously feeling like he's on better footing with this girl, decides to elaborate. "You didn't get to drink yours because it ended up on my lap. I should have moved over. I really am sorry."
Alice brings the coffee closer to her chest. Her eyes are dancing when she says, "You're forgiven this time. We all make mistakes!"
Jasper feels like he makes more mistakes than most, but he's glad that Alice Brandon seems to have forgiven him. He offers her a smile and she beams up at him, seemingly already forgiving him for his blunder. She invites him to sit with her and he agrees, mostly because he spent a lot of time building this bridge to burn it down so quickly.
It's only as Jasper is sitting beside her that he is struck with a sense of familiarity. Her face in animated joviality, while cute in a pixie-like sort of way, is abruptly something he vaguely recognizes.
He's seen that smile before; he's heard that quick chatter before; he even knows those quick-fingered gestures. He racks his brain, trying to place the familiarity, and comes up blank. He figures he must have been watching her much more closely during classes than he originally thought, so of course she seems familiar to him. That only makes sense.
Jasper relaxes back into the hard wooden seat and lets himself respond to Alice's friendly chatter, reflecting that this is at least one problem solved.
His other problem is a little more complicated. Swanning doesn't seem to be anywhere on Dawn of Warcraft, and some sleuthing on the game forum reveals that it's probably because Jasper's low game level means he can't get to the places on the map that higher-leveled characters typically congregate. Which means he has to figure out how to play the damn game well enough to level up, something that he is struggling with a lot. He just…isn't good at gaming.
He's about ready to abandon this idea altogether when salvation comes in the form of another player, who ends up butting in on his battle with a low-level beast and dealing a killing blow before Jasper is forced to respawn for a fourth time in one hour. The player who saved him is a few levels higher than he is, but unlike him, they seem to have actual skill.
The player, Foresight, shoots him a message.
》Foresight: I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there!
》Foresight: I swear I didn't mean to poach your prey!
》Foresight: forgive me!
Jasper didn't even know poaching prey was something he had to be aware of in the first place. He studies Foresight, a female dwarf, and has an inspired idea. Jasper isn't good enough at this game to level up on his own, but maybe if he had a partner…
He just needs to level up enough to find Swanning.
《 Wit Monger: nothing to forgive
《 Wit Monger: thanks for saving me
》Foresight: no problem! :)
》Foresight: well, see you later
《 Wit Monger: wait!
《 Wit Monger: I'm new to this game and I'm not very good
《 Wit Monger: I could use some guidance…could you help me?
Jasper waits with bated breath for the next reply.
》Foresight: sure! :)
》Foresight: let's team up!
Jasper lets out a sigh of relief. Okay. Alright, this is good. Foresight can help him level up, and then he can find Swanning, and then he can show Bella Swan that he shares some of her interests and ask her out again and - yes. This will work.
It's a good plan.
A/N: Jasper, my dude, it is not a good plan at all. Oh well! Jasper is kind of dumb, so his handle makes me laugh because this Whitlock doesn't have a whole lot of wit! Ah, puns.
As always, be brutally honest. I can take it. Stay smart, stay home, stay safe!
~Rae
