Scattered words

They snailed towards The Emperor, who howled his signature ‘Mwahahaha! You dare to face me in my own home?!’, showing no signs of fatigue or boredom. Lucky bastard.

To reduce his floor time, Dave shifted his focus on the defensive. Alas, something a lot more fundamental was amiss. Even in their best of tries, they couldn’t get past the last 24%.

‘This is ridiculous. We must be doing something wrong,’ Sanakyu said. Even he seemed to be down at this point.

‘You either DPS and die, or dodge and deal no damage,’ Apollo snapped back.

Then, privately, Dave received:

Miira: I have something in mind but hush hush for now. When he’s doing the cage, don’t move back. Dodge attacks only when it makes you move sideways. His last cage move is to get everyone away from him. It’s a clown fiesta for at least half a minute when you’re trying to reposition. Some die because you lose aggro, or can’t DPS because they need to wait. So, stay in place, hug the guy if you need to. I will heal you through the damage. Trust me, we’ve got this.

It was a dangerous move. No wonder she didn’t want to say it out loud. Apollo would surely veto.

Dave eyed his consumable stack.

‘13 HP potions, 5 attack speed boosters, 7 pots of 30 minute attack boost. Tsk, at this pace, if we don’t get the hang of it, it will become a lot harder once we run out.’

‘Alright, let’s go boys and girls, time to finish this,’ Dave said.

After the countless wipes, his eyes were adjusted to every movement of The Emperor. There. The infamous cage was initiating. He steadied himself, ready to take the hits.

‘Left, right, STAY…’ his health got reduced to 3%. Normally, one would immediately die, but Dave was a tank. That allowed him to take the hit, even if a cost was horrendous.

'I’ve got him, see?’ lazily she spurted out, as in no time Dave was with a full health bar again.

‘…left, left, enrage.’

The chaos was averted, yet the pressure was still on.

‘Wait… Sei, you bastard. You got him by his balls,’ Deilo said.

Now, the battle turned from a draining no breather to a fast-paced, yet controlled and anticipated dance. But it was too soon to throw in the towels.

Back to phase two. This was the part which put the most pressure on Miira. Continue with the usual healing and dodging shtick, in addition to pulling people after the throws, and protecting Dave during the cage.

Suddenly, The Emperor turned and lowered the spear. It was aimed at Sanakyu. His efforts to dodge him were puny, as one quick motion stabbed right through his fluff. With a swoosh, off he flew. But did he reach the end of the arena? Dave wasn’t sure, as he glanced back, Sanakyu was already back to dealing damage. It must’ve been Miira’s doing.

27%. The boss grabbed Miira.

‘Oh shit… Please don’t do the cage right after. Give me a second.’

And off she flew. Dave rushed towards her as The Emperor obediently followed.

‘I’ve got you,’ he smiled.

22%. There was another throw incoming, and this time, it was aimed at him. That was bad news. A second time of repositioning would waste time, possibly switch aggro, and together with the cage, potentially a lethal combo. The only thing he could do was rely on Miira and hope for the best.

The spear lifted him high above, teased for a moment, wondering which direction to throw him. A pop up on his screen appeared. ‘Miira locked on’. It was her pull. She was prepared. The Emperor gave Dave a 360 degrees spin and threw him. More than half of his health was gone and midair, he could already see — the cage was starting.

As soon as he touched the ground, Miira pulled him close to her. It was… satisfying. God, it was satisfying. She healed him to full health and off he went to dodge the cage sequence.

He wasn’t even looking at The Emperor’s health bar any longer. The only thing in mind was to persevere, be one step ahead. Dave lunged at the boss with all he had, buffs, consumables, his whole heart. His breathing became shallow, yet swift, head didn’t budge. Only eyes darted along the screen, fixated on his enemy’s every move.

Then, a loud screech came from The Emperor, which only meant one thing for them — victory. He fell on his knees, the spear dropped to the ground, and all at once, he turned into a cloud of black mist. Orange and purple words scattered on the floor — their first loot.

***

Dave’s cheers suddenly turned into a high-pitched scream. In her nightgown, sleepy eyes, pursed lips, messy hair, hands on her hips, mom stood right beside him. Briskly, he threw the headphones off.

‘Dave? It’s midnight. How many times do I need to ask you to keep it down?’

‘Sorry, I’m sorry, mom.’

She left while he sat there, dumbfounded, adrenaline still coursing his veins. His name still echoed. But a lot nicer this time. Oh, right. The headphones.

‘Daaaave,’ sultry Miira whispered.

‘Wavy Davey’s on fire,’ Sanakyu sang.

‘Sei, you might want to switch to push-to-talk next time,’ Deilo said.

‘Right… Yes. Good idea.’

Apollo disconnected immediately, as did Sanakyu. The three remaining checked their ranking.

‘Holy, we scored above Henser’s party. They will be so salty tomorrow. Expect drama,’ Deilo raved.

‘Why?’

‘Their healer is so toxic. Been on Miira’s ass for the past year.’

‘Yup. I even talked to her a couple of times. You know, to keep the peace. She was nice, but, oh boy. I saw the screenshots from their Discord server. The biggest two-face I have ever seen.’

‘Anyway, I’m going. My dog needs a walk. Night!’ Deilo disconnected.

A stone dropped into Dave’s stomach. Miira didn’t disconnect or say a thing. Should he? What would they talk about if he stayed? Why did he even care? It’s just Miira after all. His hands were sticky and moist, so he rubbed them against the pants, while eyes darted around the room.

***

‘Uhh, Miira. Yes?’

‘I’m Emily, by the way.’

‘What?’

‘Only fair I expose my name after yours got thrown at us like that.’

Soundlessly, her name grazed his lips.

‘Emily. It’s a pretty name.’

‘Would you like to watch a movie with me?’

‘Sure.’

He sprang up as only moments later he realized what she actually asked. He would watch a movie. Together with Miira. He never even watched one with ‘her’, since ‘she’ never felt like it.

‘Wait. A movie? What do you mean?’ he confirmed as he paced around.

‘Yes? What’s so strange about it? We put it on and watch it at the same time. Haven’t you done it before?’

Would this really be okay? That’s what couples do, right?

‘Maybe I am over-thinking this. Indeed, what’s so strange about it? People go to movies all the time and watch surrounded by strangers.’

‘Sorry, you caught me off guard. Which movie would you like?’

She clicked her tongue. ‘Cloud Map.’

Made in 2012, starring Tom Hanks. The movies from that time had a specific feeling to them. It was difficult to put a finger on it. The storytelling, the depth. It was from a different decade, after all.

‘Alrighty then! I will count from three to one and when I say ‘go’, press ‘Play’. Also, sorry if I sound a bit muffled. I wrapped myself into a burrito.’

‘It’s not that cold.’

‘It’s not about the temperature. It just feels… comfortable.’

‘Is this movie also what you watch for comfort?’

‘Maybe. Alright alright. Stop exposing me! Let’s get to it. Ready?’ and she started the countdown.

He settled on the bed next to Kyu, who seemed overjoyed with extra company. Instantaneously, the pup started rolling, while giving that ‘Look at me! Look how cute I am!’ face, but the movie started and Dave was ready for immersion.

Yet Miira was not a silent watcher. In between each scene, you would know exactly what she thought.

‘Oh, oh! I love this part. They look sooo cute together.’ Or ‘You see this? Pay attention. It will come back later.’

Then, a loud crunch. CRUNCH CRUNCH.

‘Miira, what are you… what are you doing?’

‘Hmm? What? We’re watching a movie, no?’ then a pause. ‘Ohhh, sorry, I’m eating chips.’

‘It’s loud.’

Then the crunching intensified.

‘Mmm, delicious chips… I bet you’re so jealous right now.’

‘I’m in mental and physical pain… how much I want those chips.’

‘HA! Knew it! By the way, did you know, Tom Hanks plays six different characters in this movie?’

The blue light danced on his room walls. Lightly, yet evenly his chest went up and down. That was peaceful. Peaceful enough that it was a moment worth capturing in his mind. As a recorder, he scanned the room. Slightly ajar window which brought zesty freshness of spring, curtains fluttering just a bit, a stack of opened boxes in the corner, posing as modern art, a bunch of empty coke bottles next to his desk, a messy bed, adorable sleeping Kyu. All the while her voice cradled his consciousness.

When the credits started rolling, it was almost 4 am. As Dave stretched and yawned, an odd sound came from Miira’s side.

‘Miira?’

‘Hmm? Oh, sorry. Shit. Did you hear that? Sorry… I didn’t mute myself,’ her voice quavered. Then, a sniffle. It sounded oddly familiar. Was she crying?

‘Is everything okay?’

‘Yup! Totally!’ she attempted a giggle. ‘I just love this movie so much. The idea of even the worst of fates, the unfulfilled potential… That they could lead to something so,’ she stopped. ‘Incredible. Thank you, Dave. I really needed this.’

‘Why did you want to watch a movie now of all times? Shouldn’t you be exhausted?’

‘I am. And I’m not sure. Perhaps that’s how my mind rests. Perhaps it’s something else. It just felt right.’