Bone Diggers - Chapter Twenty

Loading... Chapter Twenty

Owen had ignored this quest. He had forgotten about the bet he had made with Amilia for a while, and after that, well, he was afraid to complete it. Amilia had been acting flighty, and this mission felt like the only tie he had to her. But tonight, he finally felt ready to return to the archery range. Amilia was already there when he showed up. She shot Daniel a quick glance before focusing on her aim. If she could hit two moving targets on demand he'd promised to take her anywhere.

He gave it a moment, watching her arrow fly before she turned to let him speak with a raised brow. "I think I've given you more than enough time to practice. How about we finish the bet of ours?"

He couldn't read Amilia's expression until a slow smile built up, outweighing whatever else had been going on in her head. "Now works," Amilia said.

She looked at the field in front of her, then took her stance, and breathed in deeply. She poured her full concentration into the task at hand. A disc flew through the air, and she sprang into action. She tracked it for a moment before taking the shot, the string of her bow still vibrating as she spotted the second target. Panic graced her face as she quickly aimed again. But the disc hit the ground first, and broke on its own merit.

"Oh." Amilia stared at the pieces in disbelief. She hadn't really expected Daniel to take her to Santiago, but now that offer seemed even further in the past than it had only seconds ago. She forced a smile as she turned to Daniel.

"Well then, if your reward hasn't changed." She cleared her throat. "Is this still a case where the gentleman..."

Daniel stared, maybe in greater disbelief than even she felt. He'd never expected her to miss. Maybe if the challenge had been right away, but not now. Amilia set her bow on the ground, and seemed to steel herself, as if this kiss was just part of a mission.

"I—you've been doing great," Daniel said. He'd seen her hit moving targets when it mattered. It seemed unfair to fail her just because she didn't on his demand.

"Maybe," she said, "but you did win."

"I'll still take you to Santiago, if you wish."

The surprise hit her so hard that she didn't even move. It looked like she blinked, then froze for a few seconds. Amilia shook her head like she couldn't believe what she heard. "You'd really make that trek with me? After the cold shoulder I've been giving you lately? After...everything?"

"Yes," Daniel said. There was something about being pulled multiple directions, wordlessly even, that made him empathize, made him want to understand better. "It's obviously important to you."

Too overwhelmed for words, Amilia threw her arms around his neck to seize a hug. "Thank you so much, Daniel." A real smile came to her as she closed her eyes. There was a temptation in the pit of her stomach, and warmth she wished would wash over her completely.

Amilia rose onto the tips of her toes so her lips could reach his. They were past the point of second guessing this. Her lips raised enough to meet his, and every nerve felt alive and ready.

Daniel held perfectly still, afraid that the moment would be ruined if he so much as breathed. He had carefully kept his eyes open so he could be awake for this, until he lost himself to it as his hands reached up to touch the sides of her face.

Death in people's lives made them rash, and as a thief he knew that better than most, but this felt different. This felt like they finally stopped fighting each other.

After seconds locked between his lips, Amilia pulled away. Her only regret was that this moment had taken so long to arrive. Amilia waited for him to say or do something as she gazed up at him, but any words were lost, his mind trailing behind to relive the past few seconds before it clicked that he didn't have to. Daniel chuckled softly. She was right here; there was no need to wait any longer. His kiss found her quicker this time, as if drawn towards her by an invisible force.

Reluctantly, Daniel pulled away; taking a breath like it was the first. This was the last thing he had expected when he came out today. "I guess you don't owe me a kiss anymore."

Amilia laughed. She looked around to come up with a reply, but cleared her throat as she remembered others were also using the range. They all seemed too caught up in their own business to care, but Amilia still took a step back to be proper.

Daniel's eyes barely rose to see the others, and when he looked to Amilia again, he felt lighter.

***

Every day for the past week, when Owen got to the office there had been coffee waiting from the place down the street. He hadn't really expected Frank to do it once, let alone to keep it up. By the sixth day, he was starting to feel pretty spoiled.

The treatment, in no small part, had to do with the effect that one little question caused. A national paper had run their story. It even appeared on the front of their issue's gaming section.

And tonight, they'd celebrate. Owen had invited Andreah to tag along with him and a bunch of his friends at their favorite gaming bar, but hadn't gotten a text back to say whether or not she was actually coming. Between games, he'd glance towards the door as if he might catch her walking in. Otherwise, he gave his full attention racing his butt off against the rival racer and his friend, Seth.

"Shit, shit, shit," Owen said, as he cranked the wheel hard to get off the grass he had accidentally driven up on.

Seth laughed as he drove through a checkpoint, getting them an extra 30 seconds of playtime. "I thought you were good at video games."

"Cut me some slack." Owen righted his car and floored it to chase after him. "There are no driving tests in the 17th century."

"Or anywhere in the 1600's," Nicole chimed in. Owen stole a glance over at her as she perched over Seth's chair. Her bold black eye makeup made it impossible to miss the wink she gave Owen. "If you beat him by 20 seconds or more, I'll buy you a shot, Seth."

"Prepare to buy me a drink, then," he said. He switched gears with all the jerkiness the joystick allowed.

"And here I thought you were on my side!"

"Sorry, Owen," Nicole said. "Always side with the roommate."

Owen's car came to a stop as Seth crossed the finish line. He had caught up a lot, but not quite enough. His car halted agonizingly right before the checkered line. "Urg, I almost had you." He leaned into the wheel, and hung his head.

"Ruined my chance at free booze too," Seth said. He watched as the game counted down from 15 for more quarters. "Are we playing again?"

"Nah, I think food should be ready." Owen got up, and looked over to the table that Emily and Neal were holding down. It looked like they were just talking, and no food seemed to be waiting. "I'll go check." He got up, and took a few steps backwards. "Should I get us a pitcher?"

Nicole slid into his seat and lounged there. "This is why you are my favorite sore loser."

Owen rolled his eyes and headed back to the others. Charlie had been leaning against pillars that separated the arcade and the more restaurant-like section of the bar. There had been plenty of seats for them, but they didn't want to separate themselves too much from the group.

"They are talking about our game," Charlie said, and nodded towards the wall of TVs.

Owen turned. The little tag of #Rehashed appeared in the bottom of the screen as the TV played a clip of Age of Shadows. It was a particularly gruesome one. A player had cleaved through the shoulder armor of someone on the ground before running them through.

With a flashy intro, the show came back to a dressed up host and the ribbon graphic below that listed her name and handle. "Should in game choices have real world consequences?" Sarah asked. "That is what we were talking about before the ad break. We heard Aaron's opinion that no, a game is a different world, and therefore, has a different code of conduct. However, I disagree. Sure, some choices don't matter. If you have to kill a boss to get to the next level, that doesn't make you a murderer in person. But if you hang out in Age of Shadows spouting slurs, targeting gold farmers to 'let your rage out', and taking a sick pleasure in things you can't do in person, you clearly have issues. Realities in fiction matter. Maybe you should be exposed so people know the type of person they are dealing with. Recently we've seen the case of a doctor, who was torturing characters in game. Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should. And those who report, protect, and heal the public should be held to a high ethical standard."

"That's my story," Owen said.

"What?" Charlie asked.

"That's my story," he repeated. "I gave my boss that story, and he published it, and now look. Sarah freaking Nett is talking about it."

"Tell us what you think using hashtag #Rehashed!" Sarah cheerfully reminded before they cut to more ads.

"Oh my god, dude," Charlie said. "This was the whole Lance thing, right?

Owen nodded.

"Oh my god!" they repeated. "I'm just going to hang out in Daniel's party all the time now. All the cool stuff happens to you."

Owen laughed. "Come on; if you are going to be a fan, you might as well follow me to our table."

Once they neared the table, Charlie announced the news. "Guess who was on TV, again?"

"No." Neal's cry of disbelief made Emily fight back a laugh.

"It's true." Charlie took the seat on the other side of Emily, and saw that Seth and Nicole coming over to the table now too.

Owen didn't. Nicole grabbed Owen's shoulders from behind making him jump. "What's true?" she asked.

"I'm starting to think that Owen is becoming the most famous anonymous player. A story from his work was on #Rehashed."

"Don't be absurd," Owen said, and slid into the empty side of the booth. Cole slid in next to him, squeezed between him and Seth, who took the outside seat. Emily seemed to tune everyone out as she scrolled through her phone.

"Aw, I was hoping you were on the news for something illegal," Seth said. He leaned forward, scanning the table for food or drinks, but only Emily and Neal had anything. "I say we make you take a shot for everyone who talks about you while using that hashtag. Sounds like a fun game."

"I dunno," Owen laughed. "I guess, why not."

"The 'why' is, you don't want alcohol poisoning," Emily said. The group let out a collective 'what,' jumbled up in similar questions. "Here, look." She put her phone down in the middle of the table, and scrolled to show all of the messages. "There must be a hundred within the last five minutes, all about the story."

"Shots!" Nicole declared, and threw up her hand to call over a waitress.

"Cole, no, I don't want to finish a whole bottle myself."

"Do six," Seth suggested. He leaned forward to look around Nicole. "One for each of us."

"Yeah, that's not even with you drinking two in my honor," Emily added. Her grin widened as Owen shot her a look silently asking why she was doing this.

"Two," Owen countered.

"Five."

"Two."

"The board will compromise with four." Seth delegated like it was a serious court issue.

"Fine, but only if you guys pay for them." Everyone whipped out their wallets, and tossed bills towards him faster than patrons at a strip club with a hacked ATM. Owen stared at the pile of fives, and a single ten, with his hands above it all like he couldn't believe.

Nicole reached over and collected it into a neat pile. "Scoot," she told Seth. He did so she could get out. "I'll go order for us." When she came back had four shots, a pitcher of beer, and extra glasses for the rest of them.

Owen stared down at the shots that were placed in front of him, and glanced up at Emily who was giggling behind her water glass. One, two, three shots down without a problem. He paused as the fourth sat in his hand. "You had to get fireball, didn't you?" Owen shot Cole a look.

"I don't know what you are talking about," she said, and looked at her nails that were painted to match the purple dye in her hair.

"Don't you just love us?" Charlie asked.

Owen breathed out roughly. "Starting to wonder if that goes both ways."

Nicole patted Owen's leg encouragingly as he downed the last shot. "Atta boy," she smiled. "Come on, I want to see if I'm good enough to beat you at any of the arcade games yet."

"Alright. I'm too wired to sit anyways."

Seth scraped his short black hair back as he got out of the seat again to let people pass.

"Hmm," Nicole hummed and glanced over the arcade. "We already tested your skills in racing. Let's try an old school fighter game."

Owen studied the movement guide for a second, but any serious player would have considered their fighting technique as informed button mashing at best. While the game was closer to Owen's usual close quarter fighting, Nicole's moves were so unpredictable that it didn't really matter.

"Winner!" she shouted, and threw her hands in the air. "Next on #Rehashed, average college student turns professional."

"It's two out of three!" Owen objected. The game waited for them to make their next selection, but that didn't damper her celebration. "I demand a rematch right now. Right fucking now."

"Owen?" a new voice said.

He turned, and lit up. "Andreah!"

"Hi," she said, and glanced at Nicole. The two made an odd pair. Owen was unusually dressed up in a button-up and tie. While someone she didn't know sported bright colors in her hair, and wore muted clothes you might find in an art studio. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Nicole," he said, and she wiggled her fingers in hello. "Let me introduce you to everyone else."

"Are you drunk?" Andreah asked right off the bat.

"I may be slightly to pretty tipsy right now. I'm having, like, the best day ever though. Come on." Owen took her hand like she was kicking her feet on the matter. She followed, and looked over her shoulder to see Nicole beat up a character that was virtually a punching bag right now.

Owen let go of Andreah's hand as they stopped in front of their booth. "Everyone, this is my girlfriend, Andreah." He pointed to each person in order starting on the left. "This is Charlie, Emily, Neal. I know them via family, or the game. On the other side is Seth. I know him and Cole from elsewhere."

Andreah gave them a proper wave, but her attention lingered on Seth for a moment. He didn't look memorable in a hoodie and jeans. But he cocked his head as if he, too, thought she looked familiar. She broke the eye contact quickly to address everyone. "It's nice to meet you all."

"Oh food," Owen declared. He sat down and made Seth tuck in his feet so he didn't hog the whole side. The pizza they ordered was still steaming despite several pieces already being dished onto plates.

"It's nice to meet you," Emily said. "Help yourself, if you'd like."

"That's okay, thanks. If I would have known we were dressing up—" Andreah reached over to prod at Owen's tie. He half-heartedly leaned away. "—I might have dressed up more myself."

"You look darling," Emily said, and turned sharply to Neal. "I do sound like a mother already."

"I told you," Neal said, around a mouthful of food.

Owen inhaled half the slice before he cleared his mouth so he could talk again. "And stop pestering me about the tie. I had to interview someone today, and I haven't gotten a chance to change yet."

Cole popped up between Seth and Owen, leaning against the back of the booth. "I won, by the way."

"Because you cheated."

"You forfeited."

That was true, so Owen decided not to counter it. Then Seth pulled out a lighter, which did warrant Owen's attention. "You can't smoke in here."

Seth opened his mouth to object, and then groaned at the fact that he had to get up again. Instead of making Owen and Andreah get up, he climbed over the back of the seat.

"Hey, come outside with me?" Seth asked Nicole, and the two of them headed outdoors.

"So, how did you two meet?" Charlie asked.

"Oh, uh." Andreah glanced over to Owen, curious if he was going to answer, but he seemed intent to finish off that slice. "I had to deliver a package to his office, and I guess we sort of hit it off."

"That's cute."

She wasn't sure if that's what she'd call it, but she wanted to be proper and agreed.

Neal cleared his plate and looked up to Andreah. "Before you came, we were talking about the racing games. They have the version that can connect four people at once. Did you want to join us?"

"I'm good." The trio across from her didn't seem too convinced. "Really, I had to bike over here, so just sitting sounds amazing right now."

"Fair enough." Neal waited for Charlie and Emily to get up.

They were still in the line of sight, but for the most part, the couple was left alone. Owen reached over to steal Em's water. There was still beer left, but he didn't want to have such a head start on everyone else. The food would help the most, but washing it down with anything else would be counterproductive.

"Alright, so go over the names again for me?" Andreah asked. Maybe this time, she could relax enough to remember them all. "Emily is the pregnant one, and the nerdy almost British-sounding one is Neal. And, who is the other guy?"

"The one with paint on his jeans?" Owen asked. "Seth."

"No, not him." Andreah shot a careful glance over her shoulder towards the door. "The other one."

Owen looked like he was confused. He glanced over to his friends. "Oh! Their name is Charlie."

Andreah slowly nodded.

Owen shot her a curious glance as he took another slice of pizza. "Is that a problem?"

"No, of course not." She shook her head.

"I know," Owen grinned between bites of cheesy heaven. "My friends are awesome. I'll give you a moment."

She grinned, and the tension drained out of her face. It made her look a bit tired, but far more comfortable. "I actually do have a problem."

"What?" He set his food down, stomach tightening.

"This fucking tie." Andreah reached, and started undoing it. "I can't take you seriously all dressed up like this."

"Geez, thanks." Owen leaned back in his seat as Andreah nearly attacked him to get it off. "What are you going to do? Undress me in the bar?"

"I just might," she said. It didn't take long to dismantle his professional appearance. The blue piece of fabric now sat around his neck.

"Did I mention I'm having the best night of my life?"

Andreah laughed, and wrapped her hands around the ends of the tie, and pulled him close enough to kiss. Owen let out a small moan of surprise. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew this PDA was a bit much, but he couldn't find the care to stop.

A wolf whistle broke through the stray other noises of patrons, TVs, and cheers of people winning games. By the high tone of it, Owen assumed it was Nicole. One hand lifted from Andreah's hip and flipped Nicole off without breaking away from the kiss.

When he pulled away, he remained close. Their noses brushed against each other. Owen caught his breath first, and gave her one last quick peck.