Meliora - Emanate - 20

[lady_mab]

Lionel Darcy

Liala left school early because she wasn't feeling well. Rhys came to pick her up, and they asked if I wanted to go home early as well.

I did not. "We're allowed to do things apart from one another," I told the school nurse, as I had been the one to take her to the nurse's office during our chemistry class.

I stopped by her calculus class after school to talk to her friends -- the three girls that I don't know how to get along with, because they serve to remind me of the cracks that formed in the recently unbreakable relationship with my twin. I asked for her notes, but Bri just told me that they'll come by later and give them to Liala directly.

"Alright," I said, and left the room feeling a little unmoored.

I don't want to go home just yet, because Rhys says he is staying the night at our place. Which is understandable, because otherwise he'll be sitting at his apartment panicking about Lia’s health. I can ignore his text messages. I won't be able to do that if I'm in the same room.

My feet carry me down the emptying hallways, unsure of where to go.

Two students walking in the opposite direction pass me, and the boy bumps into my shoulder without either of us realizing it until the moment of contact.

I recognize Jun's pink hair first, as she blinks up at me in surprise that slowly melts away into a smile. The boy at her side takes another moment to register, but I quickly realize that he's from Zoné's motley crew as well. "Glen. Jun. Sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going."

"Hi Lionel," Jun chimes. "How have you been?"

"I'm... good." My brows furrow, because I'm expecting some sort of follow up question that doesn't come. I'm also a bit thrown off by the way she stops to give me her full attention.

Glen makes a little wave. "Hullo. Thanks for your help with my phone."

My shoulders straighten and I pull myself upright. "Why did you ask Ayumu to install the app on his phone?"

His meek smile flickers, and a small storm flares to life behind his eyes. But it passes just as quickly as he looks down at Jun. "I was just curious, is all."

"The Program Manager said not to involve anyone outside of the Participants and selected Informants." I think about the blog post made by those calling themselves the Lady and the Ghost. I wonder what is going to happen to them when that rule catches up, or if it ever will.

This time, Glen doesn't keep up the pretense of a smile. "Easy for you to say, don't you think?"

I wince, because it's true. It was something that I realized after learning that Zoné was a Participant in this game. The only ones I concerned myself with were Rhys and Liala, and then Kaito and Lysander -- because they are the people that I've always ever concerned myself with.

But then classmates, coworkers -- more and more people are a part of this game and it's forcing me to realize that I just happened to be very lucky that Rhys was invited, that Lianel was invited. I already had a team before it was required to have one.

"Are you a Participant?" I ask, trying to keep the conversation from getting hung up on how small my world is.

His hand twitches at his side, and again he glances at Jun. She offers up him a small smile that I don't know how to interpret. "Informant. Two of my coworkers asked me to work for them."

"Oh." I don't know much about Glen, just like I don't know much about the rest of Zoné's group. He's the quietest out of all of them, and because of that I had the hardest time imagining him fitting in with the rest. But that just seems to be the general trend each time I am faced with one of them on their own. "Do they go to this school?" I find it odd that he wouldn't be hanging out with his team if they were classmates, but perhaps they just don't want to associate on campus. Coworkers, he had called them. Not two friends I work with.

"No, they go to the private school in the First District."

"Fancy types then?"

Glen laughs, and the tension in his posture eases a bit. That is also not something that I'm used to -- people relaxing around me. "Yeah, something like that. My curiosity regarding the whole thing won out, but I'm not going to let that distract me."

"It's always nice to have a support system, too," Jun chimes in. She says this in general, glancing between both of us, but for some reason I feel like she directs these words to me. It's her own quiet way of letting me know that I don't have to remain in my tiny little bubble.

How she knows that my world is forcibly expanding and I'm spiraling out of control with it, I'm not too sure. It's reassuring, all the same.

I'm suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to talk to them about the blog post -- to get their opinion on it, to talk about Mia and Rajesh's plan to gather information from all the teams to release. I take a breath, hold it in my lungs, and am struck by my inability to broach the subject.

The ideas sit eager and ready on the tip of my tongue, but I can't form them into sentences. I don't know how to talk to the two people standing before me.

My struggle must be obvious, because Glen stares at me in confusion while Jun waits patiently for me to find the right response.

In the end, the words blurt out of me in an incoherent babble. “Have you guys heard of the Ghost and the Lady blog?”

Jun’s head tilts to the side, and Glen gives me a look like this is one of the last things he’s expected to hear from me. “We… haven’t.”

“How did you find it?”

“My coworker’s teammates found it somehow.” I didn’t think to ask how they might have come across it, but I also haven’t been keeping tabs on the web presence for this game. A part of me figured that since it was supposed to be kept secret, that it wouldn’t be anywhere.

The small girl rocks forward on the balls of her feet, purple eyes wide and curious. “What is on the blog? Have other people found it?”

“Apparently. A lot of people are thinking that it’s LARP.” I catch sight of her confusion, but it’s Glen who leans down to her to explain.

“A live-action role play. Like, they have a huge story where they run around acting as characters trying to figure out this plot.”

Jun snickers, glancing between us. “It is sort of accurate, isn’t it?”

I think for a moment and let my shoulders heave in a shrug. “Sort of, I guess. Anyway, the team wants to gather information and dump it on the blog, only… to try and get the host to keep it more secure. For Players and Informants only.”

Glen shrugs as well. “I… think that would make sense.”

“You’re not really in a position to--” I start.

He holds up his hands to stop me. “Yes, I get it. I didn’t know that it would ruin Ayumu’s phone, okay? Going forward, it’s definitely something I’m going to take into consideration.”

My mouth snaps shut and I have to keep the rest of the argument to myself. I didn’t know what it would do to Lia’s phone when I installed the app on it. I can’t blame Glen for something that I did as well.

I took a risk, only it worked out better than Glen’s did.

After a moment’s pause, Jun standing silently between us, Glen makes a vague gesture toward me and says, "Zoné's birthday is on Monday. Jun and the guys and I were going to throw him a party."

I stare at him for a long moment in silence. Both of them wait for me to pick up on some unspoken thing that I'm clearly missing. "Yeah?"

This is obviously not the response he expected. He looks to Jun for help.

She steps in to interpret, and I wonder just how often she has to do this around Zoné and his friends. "It's an open invitation to you and Liala, if you want to come."

I'm quite certain that, if my entire body hadn't locked in place, my jaw would have dropped in surprise. "Really? You're inviting us?"

To her credit, Jun doesn't let any confusion she might feel show on her expression. "Of course."

This isn't familiar territory. Lia and I don't get invited to things. I don't know how to respond.

"It's okay to say no." Jun reaches out and lets her fingers light upon my wrist. "But just think about it! Oh, I don't think I have your or Liala's number." She fishes out her phone before I can catch up with the conversation.

Glen gives me an understanding lopsided grin, as if to say Get used to it.

"I... Yeah, I think we'll pass, but... Thanks?" I think that's what you're supposed to say in situations like these. Thanks but no thanks.

Jun hands me her phone to put in my number. "That's fine. Next time, perhaps. Give the two of you more of a chance to get used to us, hm?"

Glen presses a hand to his chest and staggers dramatically against her -- causing Jun to laugh and prop him up with her hands. "You can't possibly be counting yourself among our strange numbers, Jun."

"Ayumu started it. What did he say? Ah, yes: The Wendy to our Lost Boys?" She grins at me, and for a moment, I begin to understand how that group of friends functions.

I had back the phone after I give her mine and Liala's numbers. "Well, I'm... going to go now. I gotta get back to check on Lia."

"Don't be strangers." Glen rightens himself and allows Jun to steer him away back in the direction they were headed -- towards Lysander's classroom, if I had to take a guess. Or to wherever Zoné's last class of the day is.

For a moment, as I watch them walk away, falling back into a casual conversation, I can't help but feel a little jealous of their easy friendship.