Free fall

Upon noticing Dave’s blank stare, he raised an eyebrow. ‘I know I’m good looking, but I’m not a snack in a microwave waiting to get done.’

However, Dave remained silent, his piercing glare delving into the depths of Luca’s eyes. All he thought about was getting the static runs going again.

‘You better be thinking about the exam right now,’ he tried to reach him again. ‘You’re not thinking about the exam, are you? Dave. Dave! DAVE!’ he exclaimed in a whisper, waving his hand in front of him.

As if awoken from a deep dream, Dave shook his head to lose the debris of his thoughts. ‘Sorry, what?’

‘Miira problems bothering you still?’

‘No, we figured that one out,’ he repositioned himself on the chair and looked around at the students drowning in stress.

‘Then what is it?’

‘How’s your static lately? Cleared the Refinery?’ Dave narrowed his eyes as he looked back at Luca.

‘Yeah. What are you getting at?’

‘Apollo ditched us so we’re down one DPS.’

‘And?’ Luca narrowed his eyes back at him.

‘You said Gem is away for a few days.’

Gem, living up to her name, was the embodiment of a perfect partner to Luca. When they had become a couple, she was the only topic he talked about. Gem this, Gem that. At one point, Dave envied their connection, especially in the aftermath of his own breakup. Still, he harbored no bitterness towards him. After all, if roles were reversed, he would’ve done the same.

‘Are you asking me to betray my static?’

‘Only until she returns.’

Sighing, Luca rubbed his eyes, leaning back as he engaged in a deeper contemplation than Dave had expected.

‘I have two days. Then I really need to get down to studying. I really don’t want to retake Park’s stuff.’

‘So, it’s a yes?’

‘You could’ve just searched for randoms. I'm hardly an upgrade,’ he shrugged.

‘It’s not all about DPS.’

Luca burst out laughing as the surrounding students glared at him, shushing him with annoyance. Getting himself together, he clasped his hands and bowed apologetically a few times, then leaned in to continue speaking in a hushed tone.

‘Who are you and what have you done to Dave?’

***

‘I don’t know how you lured Jam into this, but my goodness, I wish we could adopt him right this moment,’ Emily said after they got done with their daily runs.

‘Sei's allure is simply irresistible. I had no choice but to surrender.’

‘My creepy stare is a charm enough?’ Dave joined in, pitching his voice to a flirty tone.

‘Alright, you two, that's enough. This bromance has gone beyond what I can handle.'

‘Seems Miira has a soft spot for boys’ love. Too bad you can only witness it over the voice,’ Luca continued.

‘Sana, have you made my picture your phone background yet?’ Deilo chimed in.

‘How did you know?’

Emily's wail of defeat resounded throughout the call. It was adorable, and hearing her squeal like that only charmed Dave more.

‘What's this? Are you all ganging up against me? We need more female energy here. This is getting out of hand. I won't be able to concentrate like this.’

‘Don’t worry, my presence is merely but a fleeting moment of joy. Once my princess Gem is back, only Deilo and Sanakyu will bother you.’

‘At least Dave is sparing me…’

‘Dave? Oh boy, we’re on a real life basis here?’ Luca kept on teasing.

‘I meant Sei! Jeez! We all know his name here!’

There was a slight tingle. An innocent error, yet enough to make him feel somewhat special. Giving him hope that perhaps he was on her mind more than he thought.

‘The issue remains. How do we manage after Jam leaves us?’ Deilo spurted in his usual monotone.

He had a point. And, of course, Dave was aware of the temporary nature of Luca. But for once, he wanted to redeem himself after all the misunderstandings and lapses of judgment.

In fact, over the previous night, his head was filled with options on how to recruit someone great. As he was about to drift away into a deep sleep, he suddenly awoke upon a realization.

Housing. While for most players it was an unattainable feature, because of the ludicrous amounts of materials and finances required, there were several players who possessed such property. And they utilized every bit of it to regain the wealth by subletting space for parties.

‘What about a party?’

‘As in… a party party?’ Emily’s excitement built up.

‘Yes, a party party, in one of those mansions.’

‘What good will that do?’ Deilo murmured.

‘It’s smart,’ Luca added, which made Dave smile. ‘This would give you a chance to remind people you’re fun. Entice them to play with you.’

‘Indeed. It would be like a buffet of players,’ Emily clapped her hands.

‘Problem is, I’m not exactly familiar with the scene,’ Dave admitted, feeling that perhaps he jumped the idea too quick.

‘I think I might be able to help you, Da-… Sei. I've attended a couple, so I get the gist of it. We can plan it all together.’

‘Count me out. Exam season is catching up with me and I have little time. Though I will participate when the day comes,’ Deilo said.

‘Same with me. My schedule is packed, and I've got a few commissions to juggle right now,’ Sanakyu added.

‘Jam?’ Miira inquired. ‘Would you like to join the planning committee?’

‘Well…’ He hesitated, mulling something over. ‘I could help with advertising.’

***

The following day, their planning begun. Immediately after their runs, Dave and Emily embarked on hours-long conversations, dissecting every facet of the tasks that needed to be managed.

It was during these discussions that he came to comprehend the monumental undertaking they were facing. Initially, he assumed that hosting the event would be as straightforward as securing the venue and waiting for guests to arrive. However, the reality proved to be more complex and demanding.

Venue was the least tasking job. Beyond that, they needed to coordinate the evening's program, assemble a team of bartenders and hostesses, appoint officers to mitigate the toxic behavior, and scout for additional entertainment. And all of that was simply a preparation.

‘I can take care of getting us a DJ. I know a couple who used to play for these kinds of parties,’ seriousness painted Emily’s voice.

‘How does it work exactly?’

‘What? The DJs? They usually attend the event and livestream with their own music. However, they can get pretty pricey. Typically, parties start in the evening and continue through the night. Asking someone to work such extended hours wouldn't be fair, so we would need a couple…’

‘I didn’t think it would take so long,’ Dave scratched his head.

‘Is it a problem?’

‘Well, on Monday morning I have an exam.’

‘Oh… Crap. This won’t give you much time to study,’ her worry filled his heart with fuzziness. ‘Hey, you don’t need to push yourself. I can manage it on my own too.’

‘No, I was the one who offered it, so I want to do my part. By the way. About Deilo… He’s been acting pretty strange around me. Seems he avoided this party, too.’

‘Right. I think that’s my bad,’ she sighed and seemed to move around, probably getting more comfortable. ‘I might’ve unloaded on him after the park incident. He cares a lot about me, so I think he got pretty pissed at you. I tried to explain to him I’m fine with you now and all, but he has a mind of his own. I’m sorry…’

‘Figured might be the case,’ he twisted his lips. ‘You seem pretty close.’

‘We are. We’ve been friends for years and know a lot about each other. Naturally, we care. Don’t you for Luca?’

Suddenly, something dropped into his lap. Glancing down, he found a drool covered ball and next to him, Kyu — eyes burning with excitement. He grimaced as he picked the ball with two fingers. It was his playtime and there was no escaping the pup until his cup of energy was drained.

‘Oh, you want this? You want this?’ Dave teased Kyu and tossed the ball.

‘Excuse me?’

‘Sorry, I forgot to mute. My dog wants to play.’

‘Oh! That cutie from the picture? Please show me more of him!’

Kyu's excitement made it impossible to take a picture. Dave tried again, yet every shot was only a blur of fur.

‘He just keeps running around...’

‘Would you like to put cameras on then?’ Emily suggested.

Eyes widened as his breathing halted. Was that really necessary? ‘I could just try to get a better video of him.’

‘I know but I… Um… I actually perhaps… Perhaps want to see both of you,’ her voice grew meek.

Both of them? Was she interested in him, after all? Was she… flirting? He gulped down and steadied himself, trying not to get ahead of himself. ‘Play it cool.’

‘Would you put yours on too?’

‘If you want to, then yes. But, uh, I’m sorry, perhaps I shouldn’t have asked. I don’t want to spook you again.’

Perhaps she would’ve if this came a couple of weeks ago, but now things were quite different. ‘Actually, I would like to see you too,’ Dave admitted, feeling a heatwave overcoming him. ‘Was this too forward? Too obvious?’

‘You would?’

‘Yeah. So give me a couple of minutes to prepare. Get Kyu over.’

With his heart working overtime, he hurried to the bathroom. A splash of water on his face, a quick pass of the hairbrush. He tried to control his fringe, but it had a mind of its own, like always. Regret for agreeing on this proposition crept on. What if she didn't like his appearance? The picture only caught a certain angle of him, hiding half of his face and the nose.

As he returned to the room, Kyu was already panting and wagging his tail on the bed. Dave cautiously took his seat, trying to comprehend what was about to unfold. Headphones on, microphone in place. All that remained was to check the camera, which upon preview induced a ripple of cringe throughout his body.

‘Emily?’ he said, his voice less firm than he wished.

‘Hi! So, you’re still sure about it?’

‘Yeah, should we do it at the same time?’ he rubbed his sleeves together as he stared at camera icon on the call.

‘Alright. I will count just like when we watched the movie. On ‘go’ we put our cameras on.’

The countdown began, and it felt as if he was about to jump out of a plane. With a ‘go’ resounding, he was now free falling. But in his rapid descent, his eyes focused on one thing only — Emily.

‘Oh, hello there!’ she greeted, waving with a gentle smile that formed into a crescent. She seemed much like her photo. Perhaps less lively, with bags under her eyes, messy hair, yet still the same Emily as he knew.

‘H-hello,’ he tried to say more, but mind drew blank.

A multitude of pillows surrounded her as she knitted her legs. A soft blue glow enveloped the room. It would have been simpler if he could solely observe her face, but the angle revealed her entire outfit — a snug top and shorts that molded to her form. Not knowing where to look, he instinctively averted his gaze towards rolling Kyu.

‘Is that your dog in the background? My god, I’m so jealous. I would love to just bury my face in his fur. He’s so fluffy,’ she said, but Dave remained motionless. ‘Um, is everything okay? We can turn off our cameras if you'd prefer,’ she leaned in closer.

‘No, it’s all good. Want to see Kyu play?’ he said, but his eyes wandered to her messy hair and a few loose strands falling over her clavicle. ‘Focus! Stop being a creep!’

He picked up the toy from beside him and playfully squeaked it a few times, piquing dog’s curiosity. With an eager thud, Kyu leaped from the bed and bounded over as Dave threw the ball.

‘Gosh, he’s so agile.’

‘Perhaps we should continue organizing the party,’ he suggested as his last lifeline to common sense.

‘Right,’ and then she withdrew a thick notebook, plopping it down in her lap, scribbling something down. ‘Alright, I will take care of the DJ. I can also post some advertisements for bartenders… Could you make a program for the evening?’

‘You have a whole notebook for this?’ Dave’s eyes widened at the thickness of it.

‘Of course! There’s a lot to take care of,’ she waved her pen around with a pensive look.

‘You try-hard,’ he grinned, observing her every mannerism.

‘Hey! You were the one who came up with the idea. Aren’t you a little try-hard yourself?

‘Only because your efforts are infectious,’ they exchanged a smile. ‘Anyway, I shall do my best with the program. Was wondering if we should also get a Tarot reader. I heard they are quite popular.’

‘Absolutely!’

As their planning continued, neither of them realized the late hours that loomed. Feeling an urge to stretch his legs, Dave went away only but for a moment, and upon return, he found Emily curled up like a kitten, sleeping. He could see her chest moving gently with each breath. He laid down on his bed and listened, drifting away together.

Then, barely audible, Emily mumbled. ‘I won’t stop singing… Give me back my chips…’

Dave's eyes opened in surprise as he covered his mouth.