Page 14 of Lucky Shot
Noah looks at Oddny and nods. “I’m going to tip him later too.”
Whistles follow and while I think he’s joking, he grins at Azure and the smile Azure returns is one I’ve never seen before. Maybe there is something going on between them, despite their arguments against it earlier.
The crew announces lunch, and we leave the paint where it is. This is why we pay the fees we do; so we don’t have to clean up. The meal consists of lobster and other steamed shellfish. I’m not the biggest fan of it, though I make my way through a lobster and a handful of shrimp. Otherwise, I focus on the vegetables.
When we finish eating, I head inside to find a quiet space. I like these guys. But this is a lot more time as a large group than I’m used to. Usually we’re spread out across the ship, but with the work of art Azure turned Noah into, we were all drawn together.
I choose one of the many opulent lounge areas and fall into a chair. As I situate myself, I drape a blanket over my legs and stare out the windows over the ocean. Sometimes, I think I could live on a boat like this. Always traveling. Seeing the world. There’s nothing but serenity surrounding you. You’re almost completely removed from reality out here.
For a few minutes, I lose myself in the view of the ocean where it meets the sky. Until the door opens.
Max pokes his head in. When he spots me, he grins. “Mind some company?”
“As long as you’re dressed and don’t plan to fuck around—in any interpretation of the word—not at all,” I say.
He chuckles. “Not in the mood for live porn, eh?” he asks as he steps inside. Jakub Bozik and Felton Badcock follow. “I could show you a thing or two.”
“With a married man?” I ask, eyeing Jakub.
“Not happening,” Jakub says as he drops onto one of the couches.
“What about you, Cock Sucker?” Max asks, grabbing his junk through his swim trunks. Surprisingly, he’s actually wearing shorts today.
Felton looks him over and rolls his eyes. “I don’t have any idea where that thing has been. I think I’ll pass.”
Max huffs as he joins Jakub. “Whatever, bro. Your loss.”
“Is it, though?” Felton asks, taking the cushion on Jakub’s other side.
“Do I have to be in the middle of this?” Jakub asks.
Shaking my head, I tune them out and turn on my phone. There’s a phone version of Second World. It’s stripped down to like 30% functionality and the graphics kind of suck, but it’s not awful. I used to use it when I was bored in long lines. Or those meetings that you’re rushed to get to only to have to wait for ages once you’re there. Most of the time, I just hunt down objects for the different quests I have running.
I find I’m grinning when a gift box pops up. Tapping on it, a stick falls out with a note filled with innuendos.
My first thought is to send him back a stone and tell him he made me rock-hard last night. Of course, I mean in the game, but no one else has to know that. But as I’m looking for a rock, I decide the cute little mage would look good with a crown.
So I scroll through my inventory of random shit until I find the crystals and the metals I’m looking for and set them out on the counter in my home. Even after casting the necessary spells and using whatever magic there is to speed it up as much as necessary, it’s still going to take roughly two days.
While I’m still searching for the stupid skunk pelt, I meander through the world in search of random items to fulfill the running quests. Right now, I’m looking for a tincture, two different kinds of feathers, an obsidian dagger, some mummy embalming fabric, and enchanted water. Also, the blood of a foe.
The last one is a little vague, but I meander through the world, engaging in battle wherever I can. Just for fun. I don’t even use anything impressive when I do. Just to give the others a fighting chance.
I don’t actually kill them. Losing all your shit sucks. It’s enough to discourage players from continuing to play. Dead games mean they’ll be discontinued, and I don’t want that to happen.
While I move around the map, I walk into an actual village. Not merely a group of huts tucked into the trees. The buildings are made of cobblestone with leaded glass windows, thatch roofs, and smoke coming out of their chimneys.
First I stop by the shops to see if I can buy anything I’m hunting for. In the lower level quests, you can buy most of the items, which makes the first three levels easy if you’re willing to spend real money. For the next three levels, through six, you can buy about half the items. After that, items became increasingly rare. Otherwise, everyone would be at level thirteen and the game would be dull.
It’s in the third shop that I find a rack of dresses. I wouldn’t normally pause there, but an image of the mage in a dress has me staring at the designs. The way his character turned into a doll last night while my character fucked him isn’t far from my mind right now. Would he let me dress him up?
I glance around the room. The three guys are still on the couch, though I think the bickering about where Max’s cock has been has finally passed. I picture the three of them in dresses and nearly laugh out loud. Max would rock it; I have absolutely no doubt about that. He’d prance around and invite everyone to look up his dress. I don’t think Jakub would even entertain the idea.
Felton, though. He’s a bit of a wild card. He’s an arrogant asshole during the season. But I think that’s just his persona to keep the world from looking too closely. He’s not nearly as much of a dick during these gatherings as he usually is.
I have to think that this is his safe space. Where he can just be ‘off’ for a while without the media breathing down his neck.
But would he wear a dress? That’s the real question here.
