Prisoner of Your Eyes (Eddie Munson)

One

"You want me to do what?" Mary-Jane asked the two boys again. They stood on her doorstep after-school, drenched in sweat.

"Fill in for Lucas at Hellfire tonight," Mike repeated himself, not looking too confident in his proposal after being shot down so many times. "Please."

"God, why can't he play?" Her face scrunched up.

"Championship game," Dustin rolled his eyes. "Come on Mary-Jane, you play D&D and everyone else has said no! You're our last hope!" He pleaded with the girl.

She stared at the two boys with an annoyed expression before saying, "Fine."

"Yes!"

"Oh my god, thank you, Mary-Jane. You will not regret this." Dustin grabbed her hand and began shaking it rapidly, thanking her.

"Yeah, we'll see."

***

"Okay, maybe I should've specified it to dudes only." Their 'leader', Eddie, narrowed his eyes at Mary-Jane.

"You asked for a sub, we delivered." Mike counteracted, although Eddie still didn't look convinced, arms crossed, his eyes scanning her up and down.

"So, what's your name, sweetheart?" Eddie questioned her, seeming to let up a bit.

"Mary-Jane Harrington." Mary-Jane looked dead into his eyes, almost challengingly.

"Ohhhh Steve Harrington's infamous baby sis," He teased. "Does the jerky part run in the family, too?" A couple of snorts were heard by Eddie's friends. Mike and Dustin's eyes widened.

"Only a little." She whispered, a smirk gracing her face. "At least he graduated." Mike and Dustin now held in their laughter, and Eddie's eyes narrowed on Mary-Jane again.

"What's your class and level? Level one dwarf?" His friends erupted into giggles yet again.

"My name is Lady Crowley, and I'm a chaotic good half-elf rogue, level 14. And I will sneak behind any monster you throw my way and stab them in the back with my poison-soaked kukri." Mary-Jane took a step closer to Eddie, about a foot from him, "And I'll beam with immense joy as I watch them die a slow, agonizing, painful death." She glared at him. "So, are we gonna play or are we gonna keep chit-chatting like this is your mom's fuckin' book club?"

The room fell silent for a few moments, seconds, it felt like a minute before Eddie finally spoke, a playful grin adorning his face. "Welcome to Hellfire, M'lady." He extended his hand out to her. Mary-Jane glanced at him for a moment before rolling her eyes playfully, reaching her hand out as well, everyone erupting in cheers around them. Eddie brought her hand up to his mouth, and placed a delicate kiss on her knuckles, bowing slightly. "Pleasure." He smiled up at her.

"Likewise." She bit her lip to contain her smile.

Later in the campaign, the group sat around the table, hooked to Eddie's every word as Dungeon Master. He had truly worked hard on this campaign, and now she knew why Dustin and Mike would never shut up about it.

"The hooded cultists chant, 'Hail Lord Vecna. Hail Lord Vecna." Mary-Jane watched the boy across the table with fascination, a small knot forming in her stomach. She chewed the end of her pencil. "They turn to you and remove their hoods. You recognize most of them from Makbar. But, there is one you don't recognize, his skin shriveled, desiccated." A grin spreads over his face. "And something else. He is not only missing his left arm, but his right eye!"

He shouts this across the table, one arm behind his back and the other covering his eye. The table erupts in shouts, and Mary-Jane's mouth falls open, watching Dustin panic next to her. "I thought Vecna was dead? He was killed by Kas?" Mike protests, nearly standing.

"So it was thought, my friends. So it was thought." Eddie points down into the table, lunging over the binders. "But Venca lives," he growled, slamming Vecna's piece down on the table, shaking it with intensity.

There was an odd feeling in Mary-Jane's stomach. Is this really turning me on right now?

He clears his throat. "You are scared, you are tired, you are injured. Do you flee Vecna and his cultists? Or do you stand your ground and fight?" She watches the others contemplate the decision while Eddie taunts them. "Come on..."

After a moment of silence, Dustin speaks up. "I say we fight." The others smile. "To the death." Everyone repeats it, chanting, lifting their sodas, and slamming the table. Mary-Jane grins, making eye contact with Eddie, who is smiling right back at her. He begins laughing, making her start, too.

They begin the encounter, Mary-Jane being the surprise "secret weapon," if you will. Every roll she made benefited the team, and Eddie grew more and more pleased with her as the battle went on. One by one, the cultist fell, Eddie overreacting every fall and every hit point dealt. He would make a great actor, Mary-Jane thought to herself while shaking the dice.

Time out was called towards the end, and everyone but Eddie huddled in the corner. "Guys, I hate to say this, but we have to flee."

"I concur."

Mary-Jane shook her head in confusion. "Didn't we just say 'to the death'?

"That wasn't literal."

"Vecna just decimated us. We can't fight him with only 2 players!"

"You, too?" Dustin whipped his head around. "He only has 15 hit points left. Don't be pussies."

"Pussies? Really? Because we're not delusional?"

"Delusional?" Mary-Jane cut in. "How about not cowards?"

"Hey!" Eddie shouted from behind, making the circle break. "If I may interject, gentlemen, Lady Crowley." He bowed a little when he said her name. "Whilst I respect the passion, you'd be wise to take Gareth the Great's concern to heart. There is no shame in running. Don't try to be heroes. Not today, 'kay?" He smiled.

This exact sentence made Mary-Jane decide that she didn't want to run. She was going to prove him wrong.

"One sec." Dustin held his hand up, then the circle collapsed again. "What do you think, Mike?"

He shook his head. "How many hit points do you and Crowley have left?"

"Twelve," she and Dustin said at the same time.

Mike watched them. "It's risky as hell, but you're the ones on the battlefield, so it's your call."

Mary-Jane cracked her neck, looking at Dustin. He watched the floor. "What do you say?"

She grinned. "You really have to ask?"