Twisted Wonderland 2

The Spirit Inside

"Wow!" Deuce exclaims. "How are you avoiding that barrage of laser beams?"

Idia doesn't take his eyes off the TV. "So, uh, the different colored lasers always come in set numbers and at specific times. It's easy enough to plan for when you memorize the pattern."

"Mraaah! I'm gettin' dizzy just watchin'!" Grim rubs his eyes.

Epel watches Idia in awe. "Idia's fingers are flying."

"They certainly are." Vil nods. "They're going so fast it almost looks like he has twice as many."

Ace runs his neck. "Boy, I could never do that..."

"Star Rogue only supports two players at a time." Ortho says. "So once he's done, how about we all play the racing minigame in The Hydra Strikes Back? That supports up to six players."

"Shall I draw up a competitive bracket?" Rook asks.

Ortho nods excitedly. "Great idea! We should probably make Idia play holding the controller backwards or something, though. He's super good."

Idia grins. "I see what you're doing, Ortho. Trying to skate by without any handicaps for yourself, huh? YOU'RE the one who needs extra restrictions, like no items allowed."

"I wanna get some food in my belly before we race." Grim smirks.

"Good call." Ace turns to you. "Hey, Y/N, is it cool if we bust out the snacks we brought?"

"Of course!" You stand from the couch, heading into the kitchen to grab the snacks.

Deuce follows close behind. "We should cut up the tart, too. Though cutting slices for this many people might be tricky..."

Jamil walks into the kitchen with Kalim. "I'll handle that. You can take over tea duty."

"Jamil, I wanna help!" Kalim eagerly bounces on his feet.

Jamil rolls his eyes. "You just sit tight and... hm, actually, why don't you get plates and forks for everyone?"

Kalim nods. "Sure, I can do that!"

"Oh, I brought some apple juice too." Epel says from the lounge. "Would anyone like juice instead of tea?"

"I'll take some." Vil says.

Everyone files into the kitchen for snacks and drinks. Ortho and Idia lag behind, staying on the couch.

Ortho tugs at Idia's sleeve. "Idia..."

"Hm?"

"We've had friends over to our place to play video games. But today, we've experienced hanging out at a friend's house and playing games with them there."

Idia shakes his head. "What are you talking about? That's not what this is."

"Really? But we traveled to the residence of an acquaintance. Does that not count?" Ortho asks.

Idia pauses the game, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "No, not at all. It's as different as Elysium and, well... a local park. For one thing, not all of these people are our friends. And Ramshackle Dorm isn't Y/N's house. The school owns the building and all of the land, ergo this isn't a friend's house. QED."

"You're getting hung up on technicalities." Ortho sighs. "Okay, fine. We'll race to see who's right."

Idia grins. "Ohoh. You wanna talk big to ME? Fine, you're on. Time to flex my gaming muscle."

"You best watch what you say, Idia. Don't come crying to me if you embarrass yourself in front of everyone." Ortho laughs.

You and the rest of the boys walk back into the lounge carrying a bunch of snacks. Setting them on the coffee table, you sit down on the floor. The new rug feels so soft and comfortable underneath you. The boys gather around you and on the couch as they ready the next game.