Page 113 of Emergency Exit
“Dungeons & Dragons,” said Piper, knowledgably. “And that’s hot.”
“I could introduce you,” said Harper hopefully, as if that wasn’t the entire plan.
“Um... I mean... I wouldn’t say no.”
Harper drug Piper across the room. “Mel! This is my friend, Piper. She’s an engineer. She likes Dungeons & Dragons, rocks, and non-binary and she-her people.”
“I may need to make an exception for Harper,” said Piper, glaring at Harper.
Mel chuckled. “Ash says she punched Emma, and Emma always used to misgender me, so... you know, I make an exception for her too.”
Piper turned to Harper. “You didn’t say you punched her.”
“That’s because I didn’t. I hit her with a Hydro Flask. I punched her sister, though.”
Piper unexpectedly hugged her, making Harper stiffen at the sudden contact, but then she relaxed and smiled. Unlike hugs from her family, Piper’s hug seemed full of actual affection.
The door to the balcony slammed open, startling everyone.
“I got it!” yelled Teddy over the party. Teddy seemed likeone of the popular boys from high school, and Harper wasn’t sure what to think of him, although he’d been very polite and professional during the kidnapping aftermath.
“Tech-they!” he bellowed, pointing at Mel as he wove through the press of people. “I need your wisdom!”
“Fight-bro! Whatchyuneed?” Mel yelled back.
“I got Ash’s footage!” he crowed. “I need to figure out how to get it on the TV.”
“What footage?” asked Ash as the party quieted down.
“The police footage! From your thing with the cops and being undercover! I may have talked to a few people while you were making your statements.” He grinned fiendishly.
“Oh, this should be good,” said Rowan. Harper liked Ash’s older brother, but she was nervous about what a security professional would say about their adventure.
“They have footage?” asked Ash, looking horrified.
“Well, you were undercover,” said Chloe. “They try to make sure you’re covered with as much surveillance as possible. At least, that’s what they did for me.”
Teddy paused partway through the crowd.
“That means I could probably get Forest’s footage, too,” Teddy said thoughtfully.
“Nope,” said Forest loudly. “Definitely not.”
“We’ll talk later,” said Rowan with a laugh.
“This way,” said Mel, heading for Ash’s big screen, which was currently showing the holiday pictures everyone had been asked to send in ahead of the party.
“I don’t know,” said Ash, grimacing at Harper.
“I want to see it,” said Rose.
“Well, it’s just... I didn’t do that much,” said Ash. “I mean, it’s probably just me talking to Mason or something.”
“He said he sent me the good stuff!” Teddy called over his shoulder. Mel had found a laptop and had it plugged into the TValready.
“There’s good stuff?” asked Forest, turning to Harper. He carried Olly in one arm and had a handful of cookies in the other. Olly was trying to get to the cookies and, judging from the icing on his face, had already succeeded at least once.
“I don’t know,” said Harper. “I was on a boat.”
