Gamers Pt. 05

Jazz and Lucy were more stoic. Jazz looked to me, first, to see how I was taking it. When she saw that I was OK, she advanced to give Kasia a hug.

There was a strained silence when Kasia finally ran out of breath and stopped crying.

Jazz stepped into the breach. "What are we playing? Are you joining us, Kash?"

- "Oh! I ... I don't know." said Kasia. "Maybe another time. I don't deserve ..."

- "Siddown." said Jazz. "Maybe getting your ass thoroughly kicked will make you feel better."

- "I can deliver an ass-kicking." said Cyn. "Unless we're playing one of those warm and fuzzy cooperative games."

- "You call zombies 'warm and fuzzy'?" asked Vee, a little incredulous.

Les laughed aloud. He showed the girls the game he was planning to introduce. It was a card game, called "Stuffed Animals". The cover art showed a teddy bear and a bunny rabbit.

- "Really?" said Cyn.

- "Look again." suggested Les. Upon closer inspection, we could see that the cuddly bear and the cute bunny rabbit both had manic expressions on their faces, and were busily stabbing each other with bloody knives.

Les told us that Max and Gerry already knew how to play, and invited us to join him around the table so that he could teach us the rules.

- "You too, Kasia." he said. "We can play this game with nine people."

She hesitated, so he pulled out the chair next to him. "Come on."

Stuffed Animals was a darkly humorous post-apocalyptic fantasy, where humanity has been wiped out, but the other mammals have all mutated. Family pets and local wildlife have been transformed into murderous, rampaging gunslingers: bunnies with flamethrowers, coyotes with chainsaws, hedgehogs with rocket launchers, and raccoons with demolition charges, to name only a few.

Shoot, stab, or blow up your opponents. If you are killed, keep drawing cards until you get a new animal, and then equip them with whatever weapons you've acquired along the way.

- "Last animal standing wins." said Les. "Silly mayhem. But fun."

Gerry and Max arrived.

- "What did we miss?" asked Gerry. He spotted Kasia sitting at the table, and did a double take. He glanced at Les, who simply nodded. "Cool!" said Gerry.

To Jazz's great disgust, Cyn won the first game.

- "Rematch!" she said.

**********

It was the best summer of my life. Well, of course I would say that, since I was having sex four times a week or more. But I also enjoyed going out with Jazz. On top of that, I was gaming, and in my free time (which was less plentiful than ever), I was coming up with another game of my own.

We were having kimchi at a Korean restaurant. I was asking Jazz why she never mentioned her family. I wasn't pushing for an introduction, or anything like that - I was just curious.

- "My mother died when I was twelve." she said.

- "I'm sorry." I said, feeling like a jerk.

- "It's fine." said Jazz. "My Dad remarried - to a woman half his age. We don't get along very well, so I don't go out of my way to see her, and she doesn't complain. Dad travels all the time, out of the country. My sister married an Aussie, and moved to Sydney."

- "Have you been there?" I asked.

- "Yeah. I went out for the wedding. I was still in high school at the time. And I went again last summer."

- "You get along with your sister?"

- "Sure." said Jazz. "It's not like we're close friends, or anything. Big age difference. And she is freshly married. But we get along well."

I don't think she was particularly uncomfortable with the topic of conversation, but Jazz changed the subject.

- "Tell me about the new game." she said.

- "Really?"

- "What's it called? What's it about?" she asked.

- "I'm not sure what to call it." I admitted. "I've been considering 'Seize the Throne', or 'Kingtaker'. Not really happy with either one." I could tell from her reaction that Jazz was not very impressed, either.

- "So we'll call it 'WIP', for now - Work in Progress. What's it's about?"

- "You really want to hear about it?"

- "Yes!" she insisted. "I told you - it's hot."

- "Thought I was supposed to be the nerd." I said.

- "You are." said Jazz, with a smile. "You are so the nerd. And so am I. What you're missing here, is that I'm with a beautiful man, who treats me like a Princess, ravishes me in bed, and yet treats me as an equal. Do you have any idea how big a turn-on that is?"

"And this same guy is bright, and creative. He's an artist in his own right." she continued. "You know I'm a bit of an artist myself. Creativity is hot, Dean. So tell me about your idea for a new game. Will the girls get to play it?"

- "Of course. I'm thinking of a large number of players, and specifically our gaming circle. I'm designing it with them - and you - in mind."

Jazz did something, then, that I'd never seen her do before. She flushed slightly. "Don't do it for me. Amazons fit me like a glove. Your new game should be for your buddies."

- "Oh, they'll like it. I think."

- "Details, man!" she prodded.

- "OK. It takes place in a medieval fantasy kingdom. I'm thinking of moving it out of the traditional Western European setting, so that I could change the terminology. Like if I used Eastern Europe, I could the nobles 'boyars', or something like that."

"Anyway, the goal of the game is to build a faction at court, and launch a coup to overthrow the aging king, and usurp the throne."

- "Together, or alone?" she asked.

- "Alone. Definitely. 'There can be only one.'" I growled, doing my best Highlander impersonation. "The other players are your rivals. You can assassinate them, have them arrested or exiled, spread rumours to discredit them, purge their followers ... I want it to be completely cut-throat."

- "How do you build a faction?" asked Jazz.

- "I have 60 characters so far: members of the court, palace guards, idle aristocrats and corrupt officials, the King's Ministers, military officers, soothsayers, minstrels, clergy men, servants and chambermaids, right down to the King's food taster and the boy who empties the chamber pots."

- "That's a shitty job." she said. "Sorry - couldn't resist. You know Gerry will go there."

- "Probably. Anyway, you can recruit these people to your faction if you have enough influence, or enough money to bribe them. So there will be two forms of currency. Then, to launch a coup, you will need military power, or access to the King, or a solid intrigue, so you will need characters in your faction that provide one or all of these things."

- "Multiple ways to succeed?"

- "That's the idea. If you recruit all of the generals and military officers,, you could find your supporters being bribed away by a player with more money. Meanwhile, a third player could be closer to launching their coup because they have the influence to recruit top Ministers."

- "So many characters ..." she mused. "It'll be impossible for Vee to come up with so many portraits. Especially if she's in school and still working."

- "Wow -no. I would never ask her to." I said. "I wouldn't even want her to try. I mean, the cards she did for Amazons are phenomenal. They're incredibly good. But this would be too much. It would be different if I could pay her. But ... no. Should I specifically ask her not to? You know her best. Or could you tell her not to?"

- "I could talk to her, I guess." said Jazz.

- "You know," I said, "I still haven't seen your artwork - your sketches. You have sketchbooks, but you've never showed me any of your work."

Jazz shook her head. "It's really not very good."

- "I don't believe you." I said. "And even if that was true, it would still give me some idea of your style, your interests, where you get your inspiration ..."

- "I'm still ... a bit self-conscious about it. Maybe ... maybe another time, OK?" It seemed like she really didn't want to discuss it. I wasn't going to press the issue.

- "Whatever you like. Just so long as you know I'm interested. I'm interested in you, and in everything you do."

- "I know." she said. "But right now, I'm more interested in your next game. We were talking about characters. Are the royal family in it?" she asked.

- "The Queen, the Prince and Princess, the King's mistress, and his bastard son." I said.

- "You know ... if you used a Middle Eastern setting, you could have a Caliph, the Sultan, multiple wives ... multiple sons by different mothers ..."

- "That would be cool!" I agreed. "Mullahs instead of bishops, Mamelukes, or maybe janissaries, eunuchs ..."

- "just a question, though: would you sell this idea, some day?" she asked.

- "What? You mean market the game? I don't know ... it's really just for fun. Why?"

- "Just thinking. Maybe a Muslim setting wouldn't be very marketable." she said.

- "That's not a problem. There's a cool game called Alhambra. Game of the Year, at one point. But you may have a point. Too bad - I was getting into your idea."

- "Well .. what about an Indian setting. Maharajahs ..." she suggested.

- "Jazz! That's awesome!" I said. "Tiger hunts, and elephants, court poets, and astrologers ... I could really work with that. You're a genius!" I reached across the table to hold her hand.

- "Dusky maidens .." she whispered. "Hot nights in the harem ... the kama sutra ..."

That completely derailed my train of thought. I was picturing Jazz, reclining on a sea of colourful pillows ...

- "You know," I said. "We could continue this suggestion at your place."

Jazz made a face. "I'm sorry, Dean. I can't tonight. The place is a mess, and I have some ... work to finish. I shouldn't have started to get you worked up."

- "No worries." I said. "Pleasure deferred is pleasure doubled."

- "That sounds good." she said. "Tomorrow night? In the meantime, maybe you could have a look at the Kama Sutra. For inspiration ..."

************

The guys were still happy to play twice a week, but more and more they wanted to include the girls. The only limit, or restriction, was their fear that the girls would balk at spending so much time with a bunch of nerds. I tried to reassure them on that account.

I also suggested that they might be willing to go out with us as a group.

- "You mean, like a date?" asked Gerry. "A four-way date?"

- "No." I said. "Like a group of friends. No pressure, no expectations."

- "OK." said Gerry. I think he was relieved, rather than disappointed.

We played at Max's house, on a night when his parents were out. All of the girls were available. Les' parents, to our surprise, relented a little and allowed Kasia to join us - with the unspoken understanding that Les would be responsible for her.

With nine people playing, we could either play a game like Stuffed Animals, or split into two tables. The three guys voted for the latter, so we set out half a dozen games that the girls were familiar with. They opted for Deadly Mansion, and Amazons.

I was a bit flattered that they wanted to replay my game. Of course, it may have been partly due to the fact that Vee showed up with three new card drawings. Everyone gathered around for a look.

The first was a strong woman, holding a spear in both hands, either for defense, or as if she was preparing to thrust. The figure was unmistakably Trisha, recognizable by her facial features and large ears. But it wasn't the Patricia I had first met. Instead, this image was like a projection, or a prediction, of what Trisha would look like if she continued to lose weight. Her body was still powerful, but without excessive fat.

The second was an archer, holding a bow and arrow in one hand, while scanning the horizon. Perhaps she was a scout, or actively seeking a target. This woman had Angie's braids, thicker than usual lips, and a truly heroic bosom. I understood the pose: it would have been impossible to show Angie as an Amazon actually shooting the bow, with those large breasts in the way.

But the third card was the most curious. Vee was blushing even before I began to look at it. It was her - Vee - a self-portrait in Amazon garb. She had a sword in one hand, and a long fighting knife in the other. She was crouching slightly, in a fighting stance. Vee had drawn herself ... rather ideally.

Vee is quite cute. She has a fresh, earthy look to her. But the figure on the card was simply lovely. It was clearly her, only considerably more beautiful, with a sort of elfin quality. And where Vee almost always wore loose, bulky clothing, to conceal her figure, this Amazon was leaning forward, and the cut of her top accentuated her sizeable breasts.

The earlier cards, featuring Jazz, or Lucy and Cyn, had emphasized power and grace, or ambition and drive. The drawings of Angie and Trisha were idealized. But this last one was blatantly sexual.

- "Wow." That was all I could think of to say. Vee was equally tongue-tied. She couldn't even meet my eye. I tried to fill the silence: "That's ... wow."

Cyn came to our rescue - sort of. "Jesus, Vee! There goes the PG rating on that game. The other drawings are hot, but this one? Whoo!"

Vee finally spoke. "Maybe ... maybe you shouldn't use this card. With the game."

- "I can keep it in reserve. I'll use the other five cards first, and keep this one as number 6. But it would be a shame not to use it at all - it's very beautiful."

- "Thank you." whispered Vee. "It is a little over the top, though."

- "You're a talented artist, Vee, " I told her, "and this is a portrait of a very hot Amazon. But if you don't want me to use it with the game, then I won't. In fact - if you're having second thoughts about it, you only have to ask, and I'll give it back."

- "Thanks, Dean. But .. you keep it. It was meant for you."

I ended up at the first table, playing Deadly Mansion with Lucy, Vee, Kasia, and Max, while Jazz and Cyn took on Gerry and Les at the second table. Max and I ended up playing the ghosts, and we successfully hunted the three girls down before they could escape.

We finished a little earlier than the others, so we watched the final phases of their game. For my part, I watched Jazz.

It's surprising, really, how rarely you can look at someone - really look at them - without them being aware of it. People act differently when they know someone is watching. I was able to admire Jazz from the sidelines, and remind myself of how beautiful she truly was.

Her long, dark hair was unruly as ever. She was wearing a bit of eye makeup, but nothing too flamboyant; her brown eyes were sparkling. For some reason, I was quite fond of her aquiline nose. It was one feature of hers that made Jazz unique. She just didn't look like other girls.

I was trying to look down her cleavage when she caught me.

- "Dean." she said, quite loudly. "Could you refill my drink?" She held up her glass. She smiled at me. But Jazz wasn't thrilled with the eventual result of her game: Cyn won.

- "It sucks when everybody gangs up against you." said Jazz.

- "Maybe if you didn't win all the time, we wouldn't have to." said Cyn.

- "You won last time."

- "Oh well." said Cyn. "Skill comes through, sometimes."

We shifted around for a second game. Max and Les started a new game of Amazons with Vee, Lucy, and Kasia. Jazz and Cyn wanted to face off again, and chose Mobsters. Gerry and I joined them.

Cyn must have assumed that I would automatically support Jazz, so she immediately began making eyes at Gerry. I don't know if Jazz expected me to back her, but I was curious to see if Jazz and Cyn would ever work together. I took Gerry aside and outlined my plan: I would ally with him, at least until we saw if the two girls would compete or combine.

Within a couple of turns, it became obvious that Gerry and I were working together, and that we weren't going to help either one of them. But Jazz and Cyn made no adjustments. They went for each other's throats, and ignored the growing threat of the Gerry-Dean combination. By the mid-game, it was comically easy to eliminate both of them.

Gerry and I could have fought it out, but we chose to declare a shared win, or a joint victory. I made a mental note to ask Jazz why the two of them were so competitive.

The Amazons game was also a bit shorter than usual. Les tried to support Lucy, but Kasia managed to win, with help from Max and Vee.

We all had a drink afterwards, and I was very pleased to see everyone getting along so well. Personality conflicts can make gaming uncomfortable; it was a relief to see that we didn't have any - at least, no serious ones.

- "Hey - are you guys available next Friday?" asked Cyn. "My family are away, so I have the place to myself. Bring your bathing suits We can do a barbecue and a game afterwards. Who's in?"

Fridays were our guys' gaming night. Sacrosanct. Had Cyn forgotten this, or did she really not know? Max caught my eye, and nodded slowly, once. Gerry's head was bobbing up and down like a puppy's. Les looked at me, shrugged, and nodded. So much for sanctity.

Vee wasn't free. She had to work. Too bad, I thought. It would have been nice to see her in a bathing suit. I saw Les and his sister exchange a glance. Kasia wouldn't be there until she had regained a little more of her parents' trust.

- "So, seven of us? What game should we play?" asked Cyn.

- "Dean's new game." said Jazz.

- "It's ready?" asked Les.

- "It will be by next Friday." she replied.

- "What's it called?" asked Max. "What's it about?"

Jazz held up her hand. "You'll have to wait. All will be revealed ... in due time."

Les gave me an exasperated look, but I kept my mouth shut. I did thank Vee, again, for her beautiful cards.

- "I'm sorry that I won't be there to see your new game." she said.

- "It's just a trial run. You'll see it once I have the bugs ironed out."

Jazz and I said our goodbyes. My parents had let me borrow the car so that I could drive her home.

- "I lost both games." she said.

- "You can't win every time." I answered.

- "Says the man who won both games."

- "Shared the win. Both times." I corrected her.

- "Are you taking me straight home?" she asked. "Once we get there, I have a feeling that all will be revealed ..."

She was as good as her word. We shared the win.