... and Now I Can Sleep

Future, but not so far away.

You could almost hear a pin drop over the course of waiting out thirty minutes to get a drink. The VR club was quiet for a Friday night. Just our old group, plus the one Mallory invited. Not quite sure who she is, beyond that it's a girl who also plays VR games. Mallory said she was decent, and would be a great assist with the mob boss we were going to tackle at midnight. The new area opens at 12:01am, EST. And you need a party size of at least four. We of course had our damage dealer covered, i.e. me. We had the shield covered, which was Mallory. Lastly we had a bowman, Gray, who only spoke when needed. Mallory mentioned a healer might be beneficial for the mob boss, and she knew one from a previous VR game. "I'll message her, and since she lives close by she might join us at the usual spot." Unlike other VR teams, ours was based locally, and rather than bumming it in our bedrooms, we would meet at our selections of VR bars. Tonight was Mallory's pick.

"Veiled in Rose Club" was the name, the V and R oversized to stress. Since Mallory picked, she also paid the fee for the room rental. Four chairs, four headsets, and usually anywhere from 3 to 4 hours. From the code sniffers, the boss was going to have a 2-3 hour dungeon crawl then an hour final fight. It's a clean but plain place, no weird stains or such on the chairs, walls clean. Everything is ivory white and deep red in coloring. Mallory and I were getting a drink, while waiting for her friend. Gray had yet to arrive, but he was always on time. We still had some time, and Mallory's friend agreed to an 11:30 meeting before we started. It was almost 11:40.

"Stop drumming your foot," Mallory mentioned "I can feel the ground shaking."

Malloy, black hair and brown eyes naturally, which is more rare than finding a dollar bill on the street. Commonly? She rotates through contacts that change her eyes from green to blue. Her hair is a platinum blonde today, and she has plenty of wigs to change it. She'll never openly admit it. Mallory was also a runner, saying she has to counterbalance the time she spends in VR with a quick exercise. Usually she disappears for an hour run, and then comes right back online. She's dressed plainly today, black crop top with white pants.

"Sorry." I mutter and take a drink. "I'm not good with new people."

"Relax Tom, she's nice. If you don't like the grouping," Mallory takes a sip, "I can come up with a reason for her not to return."

Not gonna lie, I wasn't nervous about the group not working. Mallory I have known since Pre-K, but women overall just made me nervous. Always afraid of messing up or doing something wrong. What if this new girl has her expectations high? Yeah, our group is good but we aren't the best, just dedicated.

The door chimes and Mallory's head swivels to the door, grinning in response. I glance at my watch, 11:46pm.

A plain looking girl with dark rimmed glasses, half sliding down her face. She adjusts them with a single finger and looks around for someone, her pony tail swaying behind her. She pauses her searching when her eyes land on us.

"Mallory!" The girl yells and walks swiftly to meet Mallory half way for a hug. "Nice seeing you in reality again!"

Wait, this girl met Mallory before? Not just in a game but real life?

"Ella, I want you to meet Tom, the leader of our group. Tom, meet Ella-"

The girl stuck out her hand, and I gingerly shook it.

"Ella! Clerical healing with a smashing mace or sword... depending on the mood. Usually I run solo, or for hire, but I can't resist a new mob boss." The entire time, she keeps shaking my hand, slowly getting quicker. Mallory releases her grip by turning Ella to face her.

"I would suggest a Mace tonight, with distance spells. You can cover mine and Tom's ass." She winks at me and steers Ella to the bar.

The introduction is so quick, I blink and see Gray walking to the back, his dark brown hoodie hiding his hair and face. I set my drink on the bar, and l hold my phone to the bar. Paying my personal tab though the sensors on the bar and phone. Time to start then.

~~~
I entered the room that was assigned for us. A marble white with deep red accents in the chairs and strip lighting along the bottom of the wall. Four chairs encircling a table with headsets, the connection cords neatly hidden behind the chairs. I nod my head to Gray as he sits in the furthest chair from the door. He gives one in return, a silent acknowledgement as always. Gray has always been the quiet type, never one to stand out. Quite the opposite from Mallory. He speaks only when necessary, even in VR. To be honest, Gray has been identified by his hair color, and no name given. His username alternates between four dashes and 'Gray', no identifier. He didn't go to high school with us, supposedly online for both high school and college. Usually he sends messages, but when Gray speaks we listen. Mallory named him when we first met, after being frustrated that she couldn't get him to talk. I stifle a laugh at the memory. She was pissed that he snuck up on her, it caused her to scream initially. She needed a name so she could yell at him. He is wearing his well loved brown hoodie, it has a hole in the elbow on the right arm, and some dark blue jeans.

Gray slides the headset on, and I notice his arms relax on his lap. He always is the first one in, securing the login sites from player killers. Sometimes Mallory and I login to find Gray mid-battle with some players who stalked us and overheard our plans.

"-and from some of the leaked info the loot is gonna be great!" Mallory exclaims as she enters with Ella.

Ella is just nodding silently, a glass of clear liquid in her hand. Water? Or something harder?

"And Tom over there was just about to join Gray. You logged out close to that point I dropped last night, right?"

"Of course. I signed out right on top of it."

"Great! You'll be right next to me. Hey Tom, could you go secure our space?"

"Ah yea, sure." I mutter and sit myself next to Gray. I start the boot process for the headset, using my eyes to enter my username and password. "See you inside," I rest my hands along the side of me, and let my mind drift.