"Hey, Meta, I have a question."
"D...are you trying to throw me off, or what?" Brian grunted as his starcruiser went up in flames.
"Heh," Dva giggled. "No, don't really have to do that."
"Bitch."
"Ha,ha!" Dva full on laughed as she finished destroying Brian's base. "Seriously though, I have a question."
"Fine, whatever Miss Show off. Ask your question and I'll wrack us a new game," Brian sighed deeply as he began skimming through their shared game collection.
"Why is it you never talk to me with your real voice?"
"Huh," Brian paused to process what she said. "Oh! Right! The omni link."
"Yeah. You've always had it on this weird robo voice."
"We've been gaming together for this long and you're just now asking about it?" Brian laughed as he went back to looking for a game that he might have some sort of chance at winning.
"Well...we've only been playing again for six months," Dva's voice went small. She was feeling upset again. She was really beating herself up over her absence.
"Battle Mecha Four Thousand!" Brian declared loading the game. "But, it's a stupid story and not very interesting."
"You want to get your ass kicked that badly?" Dva laughed. "And no story you could tell me would be stupid."
"Well, when we hooked up that first time I actually couldn't talk," Brian cleared his throat self consciously. "I was still recovering from the accident."
"Oh….right," on her end, Hana grimaced. She had forgotten about that part. Meta wasn't fond of talking about their past and it felt kinda wrong to be doing it, but it had been bothering her for a while. She didn't even know if Meta was a boy, a girl, even an omnic. Did omnics have parents and brothers?
"Don't get like that," Brian chuckled. "I had the mind to voice cyberlink for a while. Then, when I got to where I could talk clearly again, I didn't know Korean."
"Wait...you didn't know Korean?" Hana blinked. "I almost thought you were Korean! Your accent is so small I assumed your family was, or something."
"Really?" Brian grinned. "Thanks! Yeah, in the beginning I had to use the auto translate software while I actually learned it."
"You learned Korean so you could game with me?" Hana couldn't really keep herself from grinning.
"Well, that and so I could yell obscenities at people in a fun language," Brian shrugged as the game opened. "Korean is one of my favorite languages. Russian is a bit more satisfying to curse in, I have found. Perhot' podzalupnaya!"
"What did you just say," Hana narrowed her eyes as she watched Meta choose their mech setup.
"Pee hole dandruff."
"Eww! Meta!" Hana squealed as she recoiled laughing. "That's gross!"
"I know right?" Brian chuckled.
"That means you know Russian and Korean?" Hana shook her head as she chose her own load out. "And you live in Numbanai...so I guess you know Nigerian?"
"Yeah," Brian confirmed as he began to align his troops into an impassable iron defense. "My family moved here from America, so I knew English and Spanish. We lived in Oasis for a while and I learned Arabic there."
"Oh my god! Meta!" Hana sat back in her seat in surprise. "And you learned Korean just for me? Are you some sort of genius?"
"Well sure," Brian scratched at his cheek in embarrassment. "You are my best friend after all."
Hana could feel her lower lip quiver slightly as her eyes watered over. She had been such a horrible person to them, and they had gone out of their way to learn to speak her language for her.
"Ha ha!" Brian crowed as he took down Hana's first line of defense. "I don't know if I'd say I was a genius or anything, my parents and brother were the geniuses in the family. I'm just good with languages."
Laughing again, Hana easily turned the tide of the battle in her favor. "So...them why are you still using it?"
"Habit," Brian cursed as his forces began to be pushed back. "Now I've been doing it for so long it's a little embarrassing."
"What the hell are you doing!" Meta yelled, making Hana jump.
"What? I was just turning my troops around…" Hana started. She didn't know why they were suddenly mad.
"Oh! No, Sorry, D. I didn't mean you. I….Close the fucking…" Meta started before turning to a growl. "God dammit! I'm busy! Yes! Yes! I'm busy playing a game!"
Hana was honestly not sure what to say, or think. She had never heard them really get angry. Of course they would get that frustrated anger where they called her names and stuff, but that was expected in games. She did it too, on the times he was able to turn things on her. But right now? Meta sounded really mad.
"Is it your brother?" Hana frowned. She had heard him go off on his brother too, but never this upset.
"No...sorry. I have a house guest. A very irritating house guest," Meta sighed painfully before cursing again. "Dammit! That hurt! Stop being a baby!"
Pausing the game, Hana leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs. "Who is staying with you?"
"Ugh. My bitch of a boss," Meta growled. "Yes, you, you bitch. No...no I don't think you are pretty. Put your shirt down!"
"I thought you did freelance web work," Hana frowned. She wasn't sure why, but she was getting angry herself.
"I do. But she is the one that throws me most of my jobs," Meta said, sounding exhausted. "She randomly showed up at my door five days ago and has been a pain in the ass since."
"So...it's a girl?" Hana wasn't quite sure what to do with the spike of jealousy in her chest.
"Yeah, she's a lot older than us, though. She's a dried up old hag!" Meta was clearly half talking to the person in his house. The woman. Who was lifting up her shirt. "Don't do that on my bed!"
"I want a video call," Hana demanded.
"Wait...what?" Meta came back as shocked by her demand as she was. But she was going to stick to it.
"A vid call. I want to see you."
"Umm….no," Meta said nervously. "I'm a mess right now."
"I don't care," Hana sniffed. "I'm in sweat pants, don't have my makeup on, and my hair is fried. Vid me."
"Why are you so upset?" Meta said, their voice getting a little desperate.
"I don't know," Hana admitted. "I just am."
"Well...No! Will you….she is not in love! D, I'm sorry…" Meta started, before she cut him off.
"Hana."
"What?"
"Call me Hana," she said frowning. "It's my name."
"I know your name. Everybody knows your name," Meta laughed.
"Then say it," she demanded. She knew she was being unreasonable, but she had to do this.
"All right….Hana," Meta sounded embarrassed, and it made Hana flush fiercely, but she felt like she had a little victory.
"Great. Then-"
"Now vid call me."
"Hana…" Meta started to talk when Hana's phone pinged.
"Hang on," she said, reluctantly. "I have a message."
Picking up her phone she saw a message from a number she didn't recognize.
Hey, you want to vid Meta, call this number: 873676720.
Blinking, Hana looked at her screen, then her phone, then back to her screen. And she made her decision.
"Hey, Brian," Sombra chuckled.
"Seriously Sombra, I think you embarrassed her," Brian rubbed his hand over his face.
"No, really, Brian, look!"
"WHAT?!" Brian snapped as he spun in his chair.
To see Sombra standing behind him. She was facing away, but she was also holding up a holo screen in front of her, angled so that Brian could see the person on the other side, past Sombra's grinning face. And that person was Hana Song.
The first thing Hana saw when she called was the face of a beautiful woman. She had light browned skin, and black hair, streaked with purple. She was wearing a shirt that was a little too small for her, showing the bottom of a trim belly and pronouncing her….assets.
The woman was grinning as she held a finger to her lips. Standing, the woman turned so that Hana could see a figure over her shoulder. The person was sitting in a computer chair, just like her's. The person had a tangled mass of sandy blonde hair, and was looking at a screen that was showing the same game as her own, just from the opposite side.
"Hey, Brian," she woman's musical voice poked at Hana's insides.
"Seriously, Sombra," the….well, turned out to be a boy….said. Hana felt a little brief thrill, finally hearing Meta's real voice.
"No, really, Brian, look!" The woman winked at Hana as the chair spun around.
WHAT?!" Meta...the boy...Brian….exclaimed before freezing solid, with wide eyes.
Blue.
Brian's eyes were a shade of blue that reminded Hana of the ocean in summer. Almost the way his hair reminded her of the sand.
He was dressed about as sloppily as he had said. Just long board shorts and a loose t-shirt. That her logo on it. The stylized rabbit face they had come up with right as she was beginning to get popular.
He looked to be about her age, though maybe a little younger. It was hard to tell with foreigners sometimes.
"H..hi!" Hana smiled and waved a little.
Brian's eyes stayed wide as he stared at her, though he did raise a hand in a little wave of his own.
"Oh, come on!" the woman, Sombra, apparently, groaned and frowned. "I go out of my way to help you, and you just sit and stare?"
"I feel like I should be very angry," Brian groaned as he rubbed at his eyes. "If I was going to do this, I would have liked to have at least had a shower."
"Hey...she called me," Sombra chuckled, throwing Hana under the bus.
"Wait!" Hana waved her hands back and forth in front of herself. "I got a random message saying to call the number to see you!"
At that, Brian's face got dark as he looked at the woman. "Sombra…"
"Well, gotta go!" Sombra winked and made a gesture. As she did, the screen seemed to swirl uncomfortable before snapping to another location.
Now it seemed that Hana was looking out from a different camera. Judging from how she was seeing Brian's back again, this time from head level, and the fact that she could see the woman dashing out of the room, she must have been on Brian's main screen.
Brian sighed, letting his head drop. Then he slowly turned to face her.
"Hey," he smiled awkwardly. "So...I'm Brian."
"Hi," Hana smiled shyly. She had demanded to see him, and now that she was looking at him, she didn't know what to say. And her mouth was dry.
With a blink, Hana suddenly realized what a slob the was. Just as she had said, she was wearing sweatpants and a overly large t-shirt. Her hair was in a rough ponytail. There were even food stains on her shirt.
Then she realized what her room looked like. She lived like a slob as well. Clothes were strewn about the room. From her mecha jumpsuit to skirts, shirts and underclothes.
Drink and food containers were sprinkled liberally in the maelstrom as well.
Looking behind Brian made Hana's stomach sink. His room looked neat and tidy. He had a dresser with a few knick knacks on it. A blue hoodie was hanging from a hook by the door, along with a shoulder bag. Even the bed was made.
"So…" Brian shrugged with a small laugh. "It's not like we have suddenly changed. We've know each other forever."
"That's true," Hana smiled. "I like hearing the real you though. I like your voice. And your eyes. You're very cute….OH MY GOD WHAT DID I SAY!" Hana slapped her hands over her mouth as her eyes shot wide. She could feel her face burning with embarrassment.
Brian looked back at her, his own eyes slightly widened as he blinked rapidly. His face turned a little red, just over the cheeks. It was adorable!
"Well," Brian coughed once. "I...thank you? I don't...everybody knows how beautiful you are, so my saying it won't mean much."
"It...does to me," Hana slowly lowered her hands as she spoke quietly.
"Well," Brian leaned forward and smiled. "You are very pretty."
"Hee hee," Hana giggled as she looked down for a moment. Then she looked up and squared her shoulders. "I'm sorry to surprise call you like this. I just got...upset. I don't even know why."
"It's fine," Brian waved a hand. "I should have talked to you for real a long time ago. So...let's talk."
"Yeah!" Hana smiled as she picked up her phone again. She was a master of the thing, so it wasn't difficult for her to use it without looking. She had a lot of leave time saved up, and it wouldn't take much for her to convince her superiors to give her a break. Besides...she had always wanted to see Numbani. And if strange mexican women could just show up at Brian's door, so could she!