Everpoint - Novella

"So, a rooftop?" Claudia asked, moving gracefully around Rae and to the front door.

"Yeah," she said, following after her.

******

"This is beautiful," Claudia said, her eyes dancing in the light of the sun.

'This may have been a mistake,' Rae thought, feeling shy and embarrassed. She must have missed the reviews that said this place was romantic in its atmosphere. The rooftop was encased in trellises that were covered in the most beautiful flowers she had ever seen. They cast so many shadows across the tables that they needed to be lit by candles, adding to the romanticism.

"You like to come here to eat a lot?" Claudia asked, a smile spreading her lips.

"Not that often," Rae said, turning to look out over the city, "I like the view sometimes."

Claudia followed her gaze, her smile fading a little, "I had been hoping to move closer to the water."

Rae's head turned quickly to look at her, "I've been wanting to move closer to the water," she confessed, her heart racing a little.

Claudia laughed, "That's a coincidence. I think a lot of people like the water though."

"Yeah," Rae said, trying to calm herself down. Why did she feel so paranoid all of a sudden? Claudia was right, many people liked to live near the water, that's why not many of the apartments are available very often.

"So," Claudia started, picking up the menu in front of her, "what's good here?"

"Well," Rae thought, her heart racing again as she started to panic trying to remember the reviews she read. "I think the steak is good, but I haven't tried it yet. The burgers are good, the sandwiches and wraps too. They have really good seasoned fries."

"Great," Claudia half murmured, eyeing the menu.

The waitress came to take their orders, Claudia getting one of the burgers with fries while Rae got a BLT without the tomato. Rae asked Claudia if this was her first time in the city, to which Claudia told her that she has lived there for many years already, only did an apartment upgrade because she was being paid more now. Claudia asked how long Rae has lived in the city, her responding that she had lived here her entire life.

They talked about a few other things before the waitress came back with their food, then they mostly ate in silence. It didn't take either of them long to finish their food, Claudia mentioning it was the best one she had had in the city.

"I wouldn't lie," Rae said.

"I would hope not," Claudia smiled at her, her eyes dancing again in the light shining through the trellises.

The waitress set the check on the table between them and they both reached for it at the same time, and then hesitated. "Please, let me," Rae said, "you're new to the building and are probably exhausted from moving."

"No, please," Claudia replied, "you've been really nice since I've moved in and I don't really have that many friends here anyway. Besides, I have more money than I know what to do with right now. Please, I really want to."

"Okay, okay," Rae half laughed, holding up her hands and leaning back in her chair.

Claudia pulled a card from the small bag she brought with her and placed it over the piece of paper on the table. Not long after, they were back on the streets walking back to the apartment building. They talked a little, Claudia mentioning that her sister would love the city. Rae asked her why she didn't move here to which Claudia looked solemn and said her parents wouldn't approve of her sister living near her. It seemed like a touchy subject and a silence fell between them.

In the apartment building, they walked down the short flight of stairs to their floor and both stopped in the middle of the hall. "This was really great, I'm not usually awake this long during the day though."

"This was really fun," Rae replied.

"We should do it again soon," Claudia smiled, moving closer to Rae for a moment like she was going to hug or kiss her then stopped and took a step back. "Could I stop over sometime?"

"Anytime," Rae smiled.

"Great," Claudia smiled wide and strolled happily to her door, turning back to look over her shoulder at Rae before slipping inside her apartment.

Rae felt a little dazed as she made her way into her own apartment. She ignored the thawed meal on her counter and dragged herself to her bedroom. 'Was that a date?' she asked herself as she set an alarm for eight on her phone and then peeled off her clothes. 'Couldn't be,' she thought as she fell onto the bed and wrapped herself in blankets.

She slept until her alarm woke her, images of her once vivid dreams fading at the sound of the alarm, and then pulled herself out of bed. She decided against clothes and went out into the kitchen, finally tossing the meal into the trash and grabbing a new one and popping it in the microwave. It burned her mouth as she ate it quickly, too impatient to wait for it to cool off.

It didn't take her long to get settled into the game, again deciding she didn't need clothes to game. She materialized in the world and the sun was just beginning to rise in the sky. 'Doesn't look like she's here yet,' she thought to herself, sitting down on a nearby log. It didn't take long for her to stand and begin pacing, making a small line in the dirt. When she noticed that she kicked at the dirt until there was a huge mess.

"Is there something wrong with the ground?" Keyasla asked from behind her, a hint of amusement in her voice.

"What? No," Rae said, turning quickly to face her, "I was -- honestly, I was just waiting for you."

"Aw," Keyasla said and then smiled, "How long were you waiting?"

"Not long," Rae lied, and shrugged, "you ready to go?"

"Of course," Keyasla smiled wide.

Part Three:

Not happy stories

Keyasla seemed much more interested in talking to her this time, part of Rae wondered why but for the most part answered the questions she and her fans had. Keyasla kept looking like she wanted to say something but would either not say it or would get sidetracked by a mob or something else on a quest. Finally, it seemed like she gave up trying to say it all together, focusing more on learning about Rae and her past.

"Well," Rae started while they finally had some down time between mobs, "my father died when I was a teenager and then my mother drank herself to death. I have a younger brother, but he refuses to talk to me."

"Why?" One of Keyasla's fans asked, pushing the subject.

"Uh," Rae started.

"Guys," Keyasla cut her off, stopping where she was, "that's rude, we've talked about this."

"No, that's okay," Rae said, waving a hand, "I really don't mind. My brother doesn't talk to me because he thinks that I enabled my mother with her drinking after our father passed. Which is partially true." She sighed watching the images play out in her head, "There was a store around the corner from out apartment that knew us and would sell me bottles when I was still underage. So, when she couldn't go out to get what she needed, I would get it. I think he's mad because he thinks he's the one who found her first the next morning, but I was the one who watched her stop breathing.

"I left in the middle of the night, thinking that I was finally free of her but when I was already two hours away I remembered my brother and that he needed me because he was still too young to be on his own," Rae wiped at her face, the coded tears feeling real on the back of her hand. "When I got back, I walked in the front door to find him crying over her body. And then when child protective services came to talk to us, he asked to be rehomed. I haven't seen or heard from him since. It's been about seven years now."

Keyasla remained silent for a long time and so did her fans, until one of them very loudly exclaimed, "That story was a bummer."

"Yeah," was all Rae could say before she shrugged one shoulder.

Keyasla took a deep breath, "I'm a trans woman and because I wanted to be my true self my family disowned me. My family kicked me out because I felt like I was born the wrong gender and have refused to let my sister, my only sibling, contact me."

Rae remained silent, unsure what to say. She had no problem with trans people, and completely understood the feeling of being born in the wrong body. She felt much the same way most of the time, just not that she was the wrong gender more so that her body was just wrong. She looked up at Keyasla where she was standing, but she was staring down at the ground.

"I don't want you to think that I said that because I don't care what you said," Keyasla finally said, breaking the silence between them, "I just wanted you to know that you weren't the only one who has been hurt by something."

Rae sighed, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall. "I know," she mumbled, staring up through the leaves on the trees.

She froze when Keyasla wrapped her arms around her, pulling her into a tight embrace. Since her in-game character wasn't as tall as Keyasla's, this mean that her face was basically resting on top of her breasts. It wasn't a bad feeling; her body was warm like it would be in real life, her breasts were firm but soft as she relaxed into them, and she felt strangely safe there. It was actually kind of nice. She hadn't been hugged by anyone in a really long time, here or in the real world.

It seemed like the hug was over as quickly as it began, but she could tell from her real-time clock on her HUD that it wasn't quick. Keyasla patted one of her gloved hands over Rae's hair and let it glide lightly down the side of her face before pulling away and smiling wide. "Do you still feel like playing or do you want to take a break for a little while?"

Rae took a deep breath, almost wishing they were still in their embrace. "I'm good," she finally said and rubbed her face, wiping away some of the tears that had fallen.

Keyasla smiled wide, "Great, let's go."

******

They continued their questing, Keyasla's fans doing most of the talking among themselves while the two focused on fighting new mobs. Neither said much to the other, not that they were really given the chance, but were able to work together without any real communication. It was strange, in a way, that they seemed to be able to fight together without the other saying what they were going to do beforehand. It just happened, in a seamless sequence of steps.

Keyasla also seemed to become a little more protective of Rae's character, darting forward at the last minute to take care of a mob Rae was able to handle. She thought, at one point, that it might simply be a need to kill everything in sight. Many people had that play style in this game.

Just after the sun rose on what would be their eighth day on this questline, they arrived at the second small town. It was busier than the last one, NPC's hurrying between the buildings carrying various items. "They really go all out with these worlds," one of the fans said with a sound of awe.

"They are really amazing," Keyasla mused, smiling then turned to look at Rae, her face turning red before turning and walking into one of the item shops.

"Okay," Rae said aloud before wandering around the town.

She watched the NPC's for a little while as the scurried then ducked into one of the other item shops. There was a single NPC behind the counter that greeted her apathetically when she walked in, one of the many additions to make it seem more like real life. She looked through a few of the items they had but didn't buy anything.

As soon as she left the shop, Keyasla appeared in front of her. "I'm starving!" she exclaimed and giggled a little. Rae's stomach growled in response, "Seems like you are too. I'm going to log off for a little while, but I'll be back on around the same time tonight!"

"See you then," Rae said a little sadly before the world disappeared around her. Back in the real world, her stomach growled as soon as she removed the headset and sat up in her bed. "Yes, yes," she muttered to her stomach as she put her glasses on and walked to the kitchen.

Before she could even get one of the premade meals out there was a knock at her door. Part of her hoped it was Claudia, but the other part of her felt the dread of going out with that beautiful creature again. She didn't bother looking through the peephole this time, instead swinging the door open to reveal Claudia on the other side, whose eyes went wide. "Oh, hello," she said, a smile creeping across her face, "did I interrupt something?" she asked, laughing a little.

"What?" Rae asked, confusion twisting her face. Then she felt it, the draft that came in from the door and danced over her bare skin. She looked down at herself, still naked from the day before. "Oh my god," she almost screamed, looking up at Claudia who was staring down at her body. Her first and only reaction was to slam the door shut.

There was a moment where she just stood there staring at the door, then she crouched into a small ball on the floor. She felt like she wanted to cry, knowing full well Claudia had just seen everything and was probably traumatized for life. 'There goes that friendship,' she thought scoffing before picking herself off the floor.

As soon as she was on her feet again, there was a soft knock on the door, followed by Claudia's melodic voice. "I know what you must be feeling right now," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, "we can forget it happened. Go get dressed, I have something I want to show you."

'The hell?' Rae thought as she stood there, wondering why, after two days, there would be anything that Claudia would want to show her.

"If you don't want to, I'll understand," Claudia said a little solemnly.

Rae chewed on her bottom lip, debating with herself. She enjoyed spending time with this person, and it was nice having a friend that was so close-by for once. It was nice having a friend at all. She moved closer to the door, taking a deep breath before saying, "Give me about ten minutes."

******

Claudia made Rae close her eyes for part of the cab ride and told her to cover her ears before they got out. Rae jumped a little when Claudia grabbed her arm and gently guided her forward, but for some reason she was putting her trust in this woman. She felt herself walk through a set of doors and then through another. Claudia guided her into a chair then gently tugged at her arms.

The first thing Rae heard was the crashing of waves and then Claudia's sweet voice, "Open your eyes." Sitting across from her at a table was Claudia and to her left was the sea. "Surprise," Claudia said, smiling wide as her eyes danced in the sunlight.

"I guess you're not going to kill me," Rae muttered, staring out at the crashing waves.

She turned back to look at Claudia when she laughed. "Why would I kill you? You're much more useful to me alive," she laughed more, before adding, "I'm teasing."

Rae laughed too, for once not over-thinking what Claudia had said and just enjoying the sound of the sea. The waiter came over not too long after but didn't take their order, instead telling them that their food would be ready momentarily.

"I hope you don't mind," Claudia said, her smile parting her lips, "the chef is a friend of mine and I called him to let him know we were on our way. He said he was going to make us something special."

"Wow," Rae replied, a little dumbfounded, "that's really awesome."

Claudia smiled wider, a feat that didn't seem possible. "I actually helped him build his restaurant. Well, not build it so much as help him find the building, and pick out the furniture, and other various odds and ends." Rae wasn't sure what to say. Claudia's life seemed even more fabulous now, and hers seemed so boring in comparison. Her thoughts turned sour and Claudia's smile faded a little the longer she looked at Rae.

As Claudia opened her mouth to speak again, the waiter appeared with two other waiters behind him, both of them carrying trays that were covered in oversized metal lids. The waiters removed the lids and the one placed the plates beneath them in front of Claudia and Rae. They all then bowed and retreated to the kitchen. Claudia went to speak again but Rae focused hard on the food in front of her and began shoving food in her mouth.

The rest of the lunch was filled with a deadly silence, Claudia glancing up from her plate sheepishly between bites while Rae ate without tasting her food. Rae never saw any check brought to the table, but they were allowed to leave when they wanted. The smile never returned to Claudia's lips, which made Rae feel bad that she had turned a nice gesture into a failed event.

"I'm sorry," Claudia finally said when they were outside their apartments, "I shouldn't have taken you to that place."

"No," Rae said, feeling even worse now, "it was really beautiful there and the food was amazing. I'm not sure what happened." But she knew what happened, it was something that had prevented her from having a good time multiple times now. The thought that she wasn't as good as someone else, especially Claudia, who seemed so perfect.

"You don't need to explain," Claudia said, staring down at her shoes for a moment before looking back up into Rae's eyes, "Maybe you should pick where we go next time."

"Next time?" Rae asked, "You still want to hang out with me?"

"Of course," Claudia shrugged, "it takes time for people to get to know each other."

"Right," Rae said as she nodded in agreement, "Next time, then."

"Next time," Claudia smiled, but not as wide as earlier.

Rae didn't wait to watch Claudia walk to her apartment before slinking into her own. She peeled her clothes off and forced herself to shove on a pair of shorts and a sweater before she dove into her bed. Her mind raced for what felt like hours over-thinking the events that took place. Why did she have to make such a big deal about the fact that Claudia knew someone who owned a restaurant? It seemed like the benefit of that was that they got a free meal, and who doesn't love free food?

Her dreams did little to ease her mind of the guilt, replaying altered versions of the restaurant over and over until she woke sweating and frustrated. Her phone said it was only a little after six, still about five hours until she needed to be online to play. She tried to fall back to sleep but, despite how exhausted she felt, she was unable to drift back into dreamland.

Frustrated, she decided to pull herself out of bed and stumble her way to the bathroom. She turned the shower on and watched the water with half closed eyes until steam began to rise, then slid behind the curtain. The warm water did little to ease the tension that had built up between her shoulders and only made her feel even more exhausted by the time she stepped out into the steam filled bathroom. She wrapped her hair and body in towels and went to her bedroom.

Instead of her normal shorts and sweater combo, she opted for a set of long, loose cotton pants and a long-sleeved shirt. Her phone said it was just before seven when she looked, and she sighed heavily. She didn't want to wait another four hours to go into game. She threw the headset on and settled onto the bed before pressing the button.

The sun was just starting to rise, seeming to climb up the side of the mountain as it went. She stood and watched it for a while, glancing occasionally at the real-time clock in the corner of her HUD. The sun had to set and rise again before Keyasla would return, which felt like it would take forever.

There was little to do in the town, other than sell her unwanted items, and even after she did that the sun was still half way in the sky. A large tree on the edge of town was covered in long leaves, like the ones she had seen in movies. Without really thinking about it, she stumbled her character toward the tree and fell into its roots. The roots felt like they cradled her body, hugging her slightly and reminding her of the hug she had shared with Keyasla. It sent chills over her skin as she closed her eyes and melted into the feeling.