Double the Trouble for the First Time
Chapter 3
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synop: Eddie and Volt take you home after your interesting night in the light booth. Chance is growing more passive aggressive with you, and you pinpoint the reason why. During a G&G game, an interesting character makes you realize that Chance's vitriol has gone too far.
words: 7.4K
includes: eddiexvoltxgn!reader, afab!reader, virgin!reader, fingering, slight angst, jealousy, ttrpg, theatre tech
a/n: Get ready for more fun with this story. I only have one final paper left for the semester! As always, no minors!
Eyes drooping and breathing labored, you were spent. Volt ripped one more orgasm from you before finally relenting. Your overstimulated pussy was clenching around nothing from the aftershocks of your climax. Small moans and whimpers escaped your parted lips as you came down from the rush of it all.
Volt and Eddie watched you in awe. Both extremely hard due to what they had just experienced. The two eyed each other, then turned their gazes back to you. Soaking in the sight of you spent against the wall. A light sheen of sweat on your forehead, your lips kiss bitten, eyes shut as you grounded yourself back in reality.
Blinking open your eyes, you felt a blush creep up your neck. They were unashamed in their staring, wanting you to know that they wanted you from their gaze alone.
“Hey.” You croaked out with a tired smile.
“Hey.” Eddie responded, walking close to you. “How’re doin’?” He cupped your cheek tenderly, eyes searching yours.
“Real good.” You let out an airy sigh. “Yeah, real good.”
“That’s good.”
A realization suddenly dawned on you.
“Can I do something for you?” You asked shyly, the blush on your face deepening.
“Not tonight, spark.” Eddie placed a tender kiss on your forehead.
“But-.” Eddie stopped the beginning protest with a finger to your lips.
“Tonight was about you. We can discuss fair trades another time, okay?”
“Okay.” You nodded.
“Good.”
Softly, he pressed a kiss to your lips. Tongue teasing at your bottom lip, Eddie groaned. You certainly were addictive.
Beside you, Volt cupped your chin. When Eddie released you, Volt pulled you in. Pressing a hungrier kiss to your lips. Tongue searching for yours instantly.
When he pulled away, your gaze moved between the two of them. As if you couldn’t figure out who to focus on.
“What now?” You voiced the pressing question.
“Now, we take you home.” Eddie pulled back from you, motioning to the door.
Exiting the building, you were hit with a blast of chilly night air. Although it was the beginning of summer, temps were still dipping fairly low at night. Curling your arms around yourself, you rubbed your hands up and down. An attempt to smooth out the goosebumps that littered your skin.
Noticing your discomfort, Eddie shrugged off his jacket and set it on your shoulders. Looking at him over your shoulder, you saw him give you a small smile.
“You didn’t have to do that.” You said.
“Don’t worry about it. You’re cold.” He shrugged.
The three of you made your way to Eddie’s truck. Before you could take the backseat, Eddie opened the passenger door for you. You looked over at Volt who shrugged with a smirk, then took the backseat for himself.
“It’s only fair, you are a guest after all.” He said in his smooth tone, before shutting the door.
“Right.” You felt yourself heat up.
Feeling trapped yet again between the men. Their choices determined your next move. Though, it wasn’t like you were complaining. This dynamic, while somewhat nerve wracking, still felt almost nice.
Eddie was waiting for you to enter the cabin, so you hopped in. He shut the door behind you, then took his spot in the driver’s seat. Starting the truck, rock music blared from the speakers. Sheepishly, Eddie chuckled and turned down the stereo.
“Sorry, we like it loud.” His steely eyes glanced at you teasingly.
“Oh I’m sure they’re aware of that.” Volt decided to press further, enjoying the red blooming on your face.
“Christ, you guys never quit, do you?” You tried to tease back, but it came out awkward.
“I mean, when you respond to us so… enthusiastically, it’s difficult to stop.” Volt purred from the back.
“Volt…” Eddie warned, looking at him through the rearview mirror.
“Alright, alright.” Volt raised his hands in surrender. “I only jest, I hope you know that.” He said sincerely to you.
“I know.” You craned your head around, giving him a nod of acknowledgement.
A silence fell between the three of you. Not fully awkward, yet not comfortable either. A limbo that had you nervously shifting in your seat. Eddie, thrummed his fingers to the beat of the music, chewing on his cheek in thought.
“We weren’t too much for you, were we?” Eddie broke the silence, airing his concern. Gray eyes flitting to you then back to the road.
“Oh no, of course not. You guys were great, amazing, really.” It felt odd, this impromptu performance review.
“Amazing?” Volt’s interest was piqued once more.
“Don’t inflate his ego more than it already is.” Eddie smirked, shaking his head.
“Well it’s true. And you know you’re included in that compliment, right?” You softly nudged Eddie.
“Eddie’s terrible at taking compliments.” Volt said. “Makes me wonder why he loves being praised so much when-.”
“Volt!” Eddie barked over his shoulder.
“What?” Volt pouted. “It’s not like they’re not going to find that out anyways.” He said, eyes glimmering mischievously.
You raised a brow at Volt’s comment. He let out a low chuckle that shot straight to your core.
“Did you think things would end with tonight?”
Heat returned to your cheeks at his implication.
“W-well not exactly…”
“Unless you want it to…” Volt trailed.
“No!” Both you and Eddie exclaimed at the same time.
Your head snapped to look at him. He did his best to keep his eyes on the road. Knuckles whitening from the tense grip he held on the steering wheel.
“My my, that’s certainly interesting.” Volt looked between the two of you.
“We’re here.” Eddie said, softly letting out a breath of relief. He didn’t know how much more of that banter he could take.
Eddie pulled into the driveway, then parked. Both of the men looked at you expectantly.
“Well, thanks for the ride!” You gave them a sheepish smile. How exactly were you supposed to do this?
Leaving them without saying anything after they finger blasted you to heaven seemed a bit rude.
“Thanks for tonight, actually. Seriously it was really…” Eddie had unbuckled his seatbelt and was leaning toward you, lips just centimeters away. “Nice.” You breathed against his lips before his crushed against yours. Tongues tangling as you curled your hand in his hair. Giving it a soft tug, he groaned.
When he pulled back, Volt leaned around the seat. His own kiss was equally hot and passionate, tongue searching for yours feverishly. Briefly he pulled away, breathing labored.
“You two taste so good together.” He said before pressing against your lips once more.
Finally, you had to push them away. As much as you wanted to keep going, you did not want your mother coming out to see why there was a random truck in the driveway.
“Have a goodnight, spark.” Eddie said, a soft smile playing on his lips.
“Sweet dreams, live wire.” Volt added.
The two waited for you to enter your home, then pulled out of the driveway. From behind the screen door, you gave them a wave.
Inside your home you were met with silence. Carefully, you slipped off your shoes. As quietly as possible, you padded around in the dark. Seemed like you weren’t quiet enough. Behind you came the sound of the door from your mother’s room.
“Oh, you’re back late.” She said as she spotted your form in the dark.
“Uh yeah. I had to stay back to work on some lighting stuff. I’m the stage manager for the show.”
“Wow, congratulations, sweetheart.” You could tell it was a forced sentiment.
Your mother wasn’t the best at encouraging your artistic endeavors, theatre was no different.
“Who dropped you off? I don’t recognize that truck.” Of course she would switch to her prying mode.
“Uh Eddie, he’s the head electrician. I worked with him a lot last show. I’m pretty sure I introduced you.”
“Is he that older one?” You had a bad feeling about where this was going.
“Yeah.” You left it at that, deciding you weren’t going to let her try and get more from you.
“I see.”
“That his too?” She motioned to your torso, making you realize you were still wearing his jacket.
Clutching it, you nodded. “Uh, yeah.”
Both of you stood in awkward silence. Waiting for the other to speak. In the end your mother lost.
“Well, have a good night.” She said with a nod before returning to her room.
Letting out a sigh of relief, you headed to your own room. You took off Eddie’s jacket bringing it to your face, you breathed in deeply. His scent hit your senses, an ambery musk with a smokey afternote. Fuck, even his smell was tantalizing. Lowering the article from your face, you hung it over your desk chair. Hopefully you would remember to grab it in the morning.
Shrugging off your clothes you grimaced. An uncomfortable wetness coated your thighs. Remains of an intimate time now turned into a cold feeling both on your skin and in your chest. An emptiness reopening after you were left alone. It made you question the experience.
Did they actually care that it was you that they had been intimate with? Or could you have been a nameless being and they still would’ve had their fun?
Then there was a different part of you. The one that remembered. That first night on the deck.
You drive me fucking crazy.
I want more.
Were those the words of someone that wished to treat you as expendable?
No, you knew Eddie better than that. At least you hoped you did.
Crawling into bed, you shuffled around. Attempting to find a comfortable position as your mind continued to think about the men. Eventually you managed to stay still, ultimately drifting off to the thought of hungry eyes trailing over your body.
“So how’d last night go?” Chance broke you out of a groggy daze as you drove to pick up Parker.
“Huh?”
“Last night for the lighting stuff, how’d it go?” His tone felt accusatory, you didn’t understand why.
“Uh…” You recalled the events from the previous night, feeling your cheeks heat up. You hoped the blush wasn’t noticeable. “It was fine. Nothing crazy. Eddie showed me the plot and I made a few changes.”
“Will you be at G&G tonight?” Again, his tone felt off to you.
“Yeah, I already told you I would.” You paused, watching Chance.
His jaw was tense and he was gripping the steering wheel tightly. He let out a frustrated huff of air.
“Are you alright?” Your brows furrowed with concern.
Realizing he was visibly perturbed, he relaxed. His shoulders fell, and he flexed his fingers on the wheel.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” It wasn’t convincing, he knew that. He just hoped you would have the decency not to press him.
Thankfully, you had arrived at Parker’s house. He ran from the front door and hopped into the backseat. With your trio set to go, you headed toward the theatre. In the truck, Parker could feel the odd tension thick in the air.
“So… what’s up with you guys?” Parker asked, leaning over the center console.
“Not much. Ready to get this set built, I would like to get the stage spiked quickly so the director can make sure their blocking is down.” You said.
“I’m good. Chance said. It appeared his mood had shifted at Parker’s presence. “Ready to TPK you guys tonight.” He let out a maniacal chuckle. ‘
“I swear to god if you try and kill me again…” You growled, pointing a finger at him.
“I didn’t try to kill you, you just rolled abysmally. Not my fault your dice did you dirty.” He shrugged with a shit-eating grin.
“Whatever.” You crossed your arms, slouching in the passenger’s side with a huff.
“I’ll keep you safe, pookie!” Parker said in his character’s voice.
“That’s rich coming from you.” You scoffed recalling the battle you had fought the previous week. “You still have two more death saves to roll, you can wait another round.” You shot the man daggers.
“I was running out of slots! Besides, you eventually got revived.”
“I was running out of slots!” You mocked Parker, sticking your tongue out at him.
“Alright, alright kids. We’re here.” Chance had pulled into the parking lot.
You spotted Eddie’s truck just a few spots away. The man was chilling with Volt sharing a cigarette. As you exited the vehicle, Eddie shot you a wave. Feeling your heart rate pick up, you sent a wave back. Noticing you had become suddenly flustered, Eddie chuckled to himself. As you made your way to the entrance, you recalled that you had left Eddie’s jacket at your house.
“Shit.” You muttered to yourself.
“What’s up?” Parker asked.
“Nothing. I need to talk to Eddie real quick. I’ll meet you guys in a minute.”
“Okay…” Parker watched as you jogged over to Eddie and Volt.
“Mornin’ spark.” Eddie said, taking a drag from the cigarette in his hand.
“Good morning.” Volt said with a nod before taking a sip from a cup of coffee.
“Morning! Hey, I’m super sorry, but I kinda forgot your jacket at my place.” You rubbed the back of your neck sheepishly as a blush of embarrassment crept to your cheeks.
“Don’t worry about it.” He looked confused at you, wondering why you were making a big deal out of an article of clothing. “I can get it from you tonight.”
“Oh, I have G&G tonight.”
“Cool. How long does that go till?” Eddie was as nonchalant as ever, but it was clear that he wished to see you.
“Till around 9, but it can go later.” You didn’t want to disappoint Eddie, but you also didn’t want to skip out on your friends.
“Want to chill afterwards?” He asked, taking another drag.
“Sure! I don’t really have anywhere to be.” You then realized that Volt had been standing there, listening to the conversation. “Will you be there too?” You asked Volt.
“Sorry darling, but I do have somewhere to be.” Volt yawned. “Got a shift at the bar tonight.” He walked up to you, pressing a chaste kiss to your cheek. “Some other time.”
“I see. So just you and me then.” You had turned back to Eddie, cheeks pink from Volt’s affections.
“Just you and me.” He nodded, a smirk playing on his lips.
“I’ll— uh. I’ll see you then?”
“Just shoot me a message and I can pick you up.” Eddie checked the time, and began walking to the entrance. With a hand on your back, he guided you along with him. “Time to get to work, stage manager.” He shot you a wink, then stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray outside the building.
Inside, you joined up with Chance and Parker. Eddie and Volt didn’t work with you this time, instead working onstage to remove the light fixtures from the previous show. Chance and Parker were finishing the frame of one of the building facades. When you began working with them, Chance eyed you suspiciously.
“What did you have to run over to Eddie for?” He asked before drilling a screw into boards Parker was holding together.
You waited till the noise died down before speaking, “He let me borrow his jacket and I forgot to bring it with me today.”
“And that necessitated you sprinting over to him?”
“I didn’t sprint over to him.” You were perplexed as to why that even mattered. “Sure.” Chance began drilling into the boards you were holding, stopping you from being able to interject.
Again, you waited till he was done. Letting out a frustrated huff, you spoke. “Do we have a problem?”
“No.” Chance’s voice was low, his eyes dark with warning.
“Really?” You grabbed the drill from him, moving to where Parker was readied with the next part of the frame. Before Chance could respond, you began drilling.
“You certainly have a lot of questions.” Chance stood up, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Because you’re being super weird and passive aggressive with me.” You said lowly.
“I’m not being passive aggressive.” He rolled his eyes at you, making anger heat in your stomach.
“Then why are you acting like this?” You hissed.
“Like what?” As soon as he asked, he wished he hadn’t.
“Like you being so aggressive about Eddie.” You didn’t understand Chance’s disdain for the man, it didn’t feel deserved in the slightest.
“Cause he’s an asshole.” He hissed back at you.
“What?” Your eyes widened, taken aback by his comment. “Eddie is not an asshole.” You leaned toward Chance aggressively, eyes narrowing.
“Yes he is.” Chance followed your actions, your faces just mere inches from each other.
“Kiss, kiss, kiss!” Parker chanted, though his voice wavered nervously.
“Not now, Parker!” Both you and Chance turned to him with a glare.
“Geez, okay!” Parker raised both hands up in defense. “Though maybe you should put the power tool down if you’re going to partake in martial combat.” He pointed at the drill in your hand.
Realizing you had it pointed directly at Chance, you set it down on the floor.
“Shit, sorry dude.” You now felt a wave of embarrassment crash over you. All that pride of being OSHA certified just to be a danger in a workspace.
“You’re fine. I knew you wouldn’t do anything with it.” His demeanor softened, placing a hand on your shoulder.
“Still, that was wrong of me.”
“You’re okay.” He said again, giving your shoulder a squeeze.
With that, you returned to work, both of you attempting to ignore the spat between yourselves. It was difficult as you were now very confused as to why Chance disliked Eddie so much. Sure, the guy could be a bit standoffish, but he was a really good person once you got to know him. Maybe that’s what the issue was, Chance must not know Eddie that well. Parker didn’t appear to have a problem with him, so you didn’t have to worry about that.
By the end of the day you had managed to finish most of the building facade. Its structure was complete. It just needed a base, some paint, and extra flourishes then it would be finished. As you were sweeping up sawdust, you felt someone sidle up to you. A familiar hand grasped onto your shoulder.
“Having fun, spark?” Eddie asked.
“As much fun as one can have picking up wood particles.” You chuckled, looking up at him. Locking your gaze with his, you felt your heart stutter.
Chance was cleaning up as well, but watched you and Eddie’s interaction. Spotting a blush on your face, he felt jealousy bubble up in his stomach. Seriously, what did you see in that guy? He could be such a prick at times. Though, maybe that’s what you were into. No, he shouldn’t think that way. The last thing Chance wanted was to let himself fall into an incel pipeline. At the thought, he stuck his tongue out in disgust. He could still recognize that Eddie was a dick without coming up with some bullshit red-pilled rhetoric to justify his thought process.
When you were all cleaned up, you readied yourself to head to Chance’s place for your G&G session. Eddie stuck by your side as you waited for your friends to finish up their tasks.
“So are you excited for your game night?” Eddie asked. He didn’t know much about the game, but you were clearly passionate about it.
“Oh you have no idea! I almost died last session. My half-elf druid was going to be mincemeat but…” You blabbed on about G&G an enthused glimmer in your eyes. The passion flowing from you had Eddie’s chest tightening. Fuck, you were adorable. He thought he could listen to you for hours and be entertained.
“You ready to head out?” Chance had walked up to you.
“Yup!” You grinned. “I was just telling Eddie all about last session.”
“Is that so?” Chance gave an unsure glance toward the man.
“Yeah. Sounds like a neat game.” He shrugged nonchalantly.
“It is. You should play it sometime.”
“Oh my gosh, you totally should!” You grabbed his arm, bouncing on your toes. “Probably not this campaign, but we’ll definitely have another.
“Heh, we’ll see.” Eddie chuckled awkwardly.
“Anyways… we should get going. Can’t leave Jerry waiting on the doorstep.”
“Good point.” You nodded, then gave Eddie a quick side hug.
“See you tonight.” Eddie nodded at you with a small smile.
“See ya!” You waved, walking out with Chance and Parker.
“Tonight?” Chance questioned you.
“Yeah, after the game. He wanted to pick up his jacket and hangout.” You skipped over to Chance’s truck.
“Is ‘hangout’ code word for… ya know?” Parker waggled his brows at you.
His words made you blush, so you playfully shoved him away.
“No, Park. We’re really just planning on hanging out.” You rolled your eyes, trying to hide your giddiness at the thought of something more happening between you and Eddie.
“Is that what he thinks too?” Chance asked, jaw tightening.
“I mean, those are the exact words he used.” You said, feeling that familiar tension return.
“I’m sure they are.”
“They are.” You said pointedly.
With that, Chance started the car and drove you to his house. Again, Parker attempted to relieve the tension, but it was not working this time. Occasionally, either you or Chance would give Parker a short response, but neither of you were truly engaging with him. Parker just hoped that this would end quickly. It felt odd being stuck in the middle of you two.
As Chance predicted, your friend Jerry was waiting on the front porch. When Chance pulled into the driveway, you could see the man let out a sigh of relief. Behind you, Penelope pulled up in her car.
“Oh thank goodness! I’ve been standing here for ages.” Jerry said with a loud sigh as Chance unlocked the front door.
“If you weren’t here fifteen minutes before game time, you wouldn’t have to worry.” Chance was being unusually short with the man.
“R-right.” Jerry gulped nervously.
Your troupe filed inside and headed to the basement where Chance’s setup was located. Your final player, Lyric, showed up just in time before Chance began.
“Glad to see you, Lyric” Chance gave him a curt nod before turning back to your group. “Let us begin.” A speaker began to play an epic orchestra score. “Our fellow adventurers just defeated the cultists and their leader, Nth’rangol. It was a bloody, even deadly battle, but you all managed to prevail. Now, you must collect evidence of the leader’s defeat and bring it to the nobleman of the nearby city. What would you like to do?”
“Can we PLEASE get a long rest?” You shot Chance puppy-dog eyes, shooting your gaze to the 2hp on your character sheet, then back to his eyes.
“Yes, you can long rest. But you’ll need to set up camp and possibly have people scouting overnight.”
“We can take turns.” Lyric said, seemingly happy that Chance had agreed to your request.
“Very well. Who will be taking the first watch.”
“I can do it!” Jerry said, readying his die.
“Please roll perception for me.”
Jerry shook the die in his hand, releasing it on the table. It landed on a measly 8, and you all knew his perception was terrible. Thankfully, your cleric decided to help.
“I cast guidance. Add a d4, Jerbear.” Penelope said with a sigh. It had become a customary action at this point.
Thankfully, the die aided Jerry in raising his 8 to a ten. You collectively sighed in relief, then turned to Chance for his narration.
“Jerry, as you are keeping watch, you hear the sound of rustling through the brush in front of you. What would you like to do?”
“Uh, um. I’ll wake up Euphoria” Jerry pointed at Penelope.
“Euphoria, you feel Nester shake you awake.” Chance motioned for Jerry to continue the narration.
“Euphoria, there’s something in the trees!” Jerry said in a hushed voice.
Penelope put on a groggy voice, pretending to rub her eyes. “It’s probably just an animal in the woods, don't worry about it.” She yawned then put on her normal voice. “And Euphoria tries to go back to sleep.
“No, please go check it out!”
“Too late!” Chance grinned mischievously. “From the brush you watch the figure of a man appear.”
“Everyone wake up!” Jerry shouted, forcing all of your characters up.
“Huh? What’s goin’ on?” You pretended to have just awoken.
“There’s uh. There’s a guy!” Jerry pointed at Chance.
Chance pointed at himself with a confused face, then looked around at all of you at the table.
“The person from the trees clears his throat.” Chance put his hand to his mouth. “Ahem, apologies. I spotted your fire and wanted to see if there were fellow travelers as myself nearby.”
“I’m casting my spiritual weapon.” Penelope said, eyes narrowing at Chance.
“Where are you casting it?”
“I’d like to have my sword appear at his throat.”
“Okay, I’m gonna need you to roll your wisdom, add your spellcasting modifier.”
“24”, she said with a grin.
“Your spiritual sword suddenly appears at the man’s throat. He raises his hands to show he is unarmed.” Chance lifted his hands. “Whoa, whoa! No need for hostility! I was merely looking for somewhere to rest safely.”
“We’re not particularly fond of strangers joining us.” You said, recalling a time when you were practically robbed blind. “I cast shillelagh on my quarterstaff.” You said, motioning as if you had cast the spell.
“I assure you, I mean no harm!” Chance had a look of fear on his face.
“Can I roll insight on this guy?” You asked.
Chance nodded, “Go ahead.”
“That’s a — 18!” You pumped your fist.
“As you try to get a read on this man, he doesn’t seem to be deceiving you. However, there’s still something off about him that you can’t lay your finger on.”
“I lower my staff and walk up to him.” Chance nodded for you to continue. “What is your name?”
“Edward, but you can call me Ed.” Chance turned back to his narration. “He offers his hand to you.”
“I’ll take it and give it a good hard shake.” You said. “I’m Oxanna.”
“Edward shakes your hand as well.” The character voice was now back on. “Thank you. Will you please let me join you? Just for the night? I’m traveling to the city tomorrow, so I will be out of your hair.”
You looked at the other members of the group. All of them nodded in agreement to let him stay, so you turned back to nod at Chance.
“Oh thank you!” Chance exclaimed in character. “Wait! Before we do anything else… How hot is he?” Parker chimed in with a grin.
“Seriously?” Chance shook his head with a sigh. “I guess he’s fairly handsome. He’s just a regular guy.”
“Okaaaay, but what does he look like?” Parker batted his lashes at Chance.
“You really are going for the horny bard stereotype.” Chance chuckled. “He’s tallish, with slightly long black hair, grey eyes, and a five o’ clock shadow.”
You raised a brow, picturing a familiar figure based on the description. Chance looked at you briefly, but didn’t meet your gaze. Odd…
“Oooh, emo vibes, I love it!” Parker giggled, then nudged you. “I’m totally getting in his pants.”
“I’m surprised you still attempt that considering you almost fucked a dragon in disguise.”
“You can’t blame me, they were stupid hot!” Parker waved his arms around his head emphatically.
“Riiight…” You turned back to Chance. “Anyways, this guy is joining us, I guess?”
“And I will be flirting with him on our way to town tomorrow.” Parker added.
Chance had you finish the night, then began the next day.
“As the sun rises, you wake to find your guest has already risen. Whose waking up first?”
“I guess I was the one on watch last, so I’d already be awake.” You said.
Chance nodded at you. “Edward takes it upon himself to settle beside you.”
“I scoot away a bit.” You said.
“Good morning.” Chance put on his character voice.
“Mornin’” You were eyeing Chance, wondering where this encounter was going. “Can I roll insight on this guy again.
“Sure, go ahead.”
“16.”
“He still seems to be harmless, but there is that sense of unease around him.” He went back to the character voice. “Your party seems… interesting.”
“I look back at everyone and nod.” Your gaze moves around the table. “Yeah, I guess we are. Though, what adventuring party isn’t?”
“You’re adventurers?”
“Yeah. I thought that was quite obvious?”
“I suppose.” Chance taps his chin. “Wait, are you that group that defeated that horde of undead in Myxrell?”
You recalled the name of the town. It was overrun by undead beings summoned by a lych. Again, it was a battle that had almost killed you. Thankfully, you managed to take out the “big bad.”
“Yes, that was us.” You said.
“Wow! That’s incredible! There’s been quite the buzz around you.”
“Whatcha talkin’ bout?” Parker hopped into the conversation. “I pop my head between the two of them.”
Chance chuckled. “Ah! Hello…” He motioned for Parker to introduce himself.
“Oh, where are my manners? The name’s Ignacio. Ignacio the Grand, the Brave, or the Righteous. Either moniker works.” Parker offered his hand to Chance who took it.
“Pleasure to meet you, Ignacio the Grand, Brave, and Righteous.”
“Oh, the pleasure is all mine, darling.” Parker purred, eyes hooded.
“Edward seems taken aback by your forwardness.”
“Don’t mind him. He likes to show off.” You said, nudging Parker.
“I do not ‘like’ to show off! I LIVE to show off!” Parker raised his hand in a grand flourish. “I pull out my lute and play a fanciful tune.”
“Roll me performance.”
Parker shook his hand then let the die go. He grimaced at the number. “15.”
“When you conclude your performance, Edward gives you light applause.”
“Thank you, thank you!” Parker bowed.
“Okay!” Penelope finally decided to join in the conversation. “Perhaps we should pack up and head to the city. That cultist isn’t getting deader!”
“True.” You nodded. “I help pick up camp with her.”
“After packing up, you hit the road. It’s about a two hour trek till you reach the city. Would you like to do anything as you make your way there?”
“I’m gonna keep flirting with the hot guy.” Parker said with a chuckle.
Chance rolled his eyes at the man’s antics.
“You can try, but it’s very easy to tell that Edward has his focus on Oxanna.” He motioned to you.
“Uh, can I get a read on why he’s focusing on me?” You felt anxious, Chance had only sprinkled in hints of your backstory so far. Almost everyone else at the table had encountered something large from their pasts.
“He just appears to be intrigued.” That was all Chance was going to give you.
“Okaaay… I’m gonna keep my eye on him though.”
“Do the rest of us tell anything is off about him?” Penelope asks.
“Whoever wants to can roll insight.”
Penelope and Jerry rolled.
“Penelope, you deem him harmless, but like Oxanna, you feel there’s something off.” Chance turned to Jerry. “Sorry Jer, but he just seems like a regular guy.”
“Damn. At least Euphoria knows something.” Jerry’s shoulders slumped dejectedly.
“Your party reaches the city.” Chance turned to you. “I believe this is where I leave you. It was lovely meeting you, Oxanna.” He said. “Edward takes your hand and plants a soft kiss on the top before taking his leave.”
Chance’s description had your cheeks flaring red. The rest of the table laughed with a chorus of “oohs”.
“Lucky you.” Parker spoke in character, turning his nose up at you.
“I’m not into the mysterious random traveler.” You shot at him.
“That’s because you don’t know how to have fun. Live a little.”
“It’s kind of difficult to enjoy the offerings of life when…” You paused, biting your lip. “I stop talking, not wishing to delve into that.”
“I need everyone to roll on perception.” Chance said.
You, Parker, and Penelope all rolled high.
“The three of you spot a board littered with wanted posters, but one of them catches your eye. It’s a missing poster, and although they’re young in the image, it’s unmistakably Oxanna.”
“Shit. I go to the board and rip off the missing poster.”
“And I yank it from her hand.” Parker said.
“Are you letting him do that?” Chance asked.
“No.”
“Roll me dex v. dex.”
You and Parker rolled with Parker coming out on top.
“What is the reward on the poster?” Parker asked.
“200,000 gold pieces.”
Your entire party went silent, their gazes boring into you.
“Guys, no. I already told you what happened to me.”
“That’s a lot of gold though…” Lyric said, biting his lip nervously.
“We can take on quests!” You were beginning to grow frantic in character.
“Or we could just turn you into your parents and get all that gold at once.” Parker said.
“You can’t be serious!” Your party members didn’t seem to be wavering. “You guys are not selling me back to my parents.”
“I think the consensus is weighed against you.” Parker spoke for the rest of the group.
You looked at Chance who was grinning evilly. This is exactly what he wanted. You knew that in Parker and Lyric’s backstories they owed some nasty people a lot of money. No wonder they would want to do this.
“I wild shape into a cheetah, and I’m using my movement to sprint away from the group.” “You wild shape into the cheetah and takeoff. There’s no way your group will be able to catch up to you. Where are you running?”
“Uh, I dunno, a far away alley to hide?” You felt your heart rate pickup. Was your party really going to betray you?
“You find an alley about a mile away from where you left your friends. As you raced through town, many people saw you. A creature that’s not native to this land, so you stuck out like a sore thumb.”
“Was anyone able to follow me into the alley?” You asked.
“Nope. You’re safe… for now.”
Chance then worked with the other members of the party who made it a mission to hunt you down. It was a game of cat and mouse, except you were dealing with four cats.
“I get out of my wild shape form.” You said when Chance turned back to you.
“You see a figure standing at one of the ends of the alley. They’re leaning against the wall.”
“Can I tell if they’re hostile?”
“They just look like they’re waiting.”
“I cast shillelagh and I slowly walk up to them, quarterstaff at the ready.”
“As you approach you recognize the figure as Edward. He’s smoking a pipe, and notices you.” Chance switched to his character voice. “Oh, hello! Missed my company that much?” He lets out an amused chuckle.
“More like I’ve just stumbled upon you again.”
“Is everything alright? Where’s the rest of your party?”
“Hunting me down.” You said lowly.
“Edward looks at the staff pointed at him, then back at you.” Chance followed those actions with his eyes. “Should I be concerned?”
“Only if you plan on joining them.”
“May I ask why your friends are hunting you down?”
“My parents have a bounty on my head.”
“Edward’s brows raise, but he only takes another puff from his pipe.” Chance mimicked smoking a pipe. “Need a place to lay low then?”
“That’s exactly what I need.”
With that, Chance had Edward lead you to a tavern. Once there, he spoke in thieves cant to the bartender and slid him a silver coin. You followed your new friend as he led you into a secret staircase in the kitchen.
“I feel like entering a thieves guild isn’t the safest option for me. My face has been on posters.” You were hunched over in your seat, watching for Chance’s next move. “I’ve got my hood up and I’m clutching my staff tightly.”
“Don’t worry. As long as you’re with me, I’ll keep you safe.”
“Can I check if he’s deceiving me?”
Chance nodded, motioning for you to roll.
“17.”
“He doesn’t appear to be lying to you. However, you do realize that the offputting feeling was likely due to the man’s profession.”
“Oh. That makes sense.” You nodded.
Chance returned to the other party who were trying to find clues as to where you had run off to. They managed to find the alley you had been hiding in before Chance came back to you. The rogue was helping you leave the city through a series of underground tunnels. His character was starting to grow on you as you spoke with him during your escape.
“You’ve been with this party for years, but they were going to sell you off?” Chance pretended to be flabbergasted.
“Guess it only takes 200,000 gold to stab me in the back.”
“If your parents are that affluent, why did you run away?” He asked.
“Because it was a prison in that house. They were going to marry me off to some random duke, I wasn’t going to let that happen.” You spat out, recalling your backstory.
“You notice Edward has gone quiet, as if he wants to say something, but can’t.”
“Sorry. I shouldn’t be dumping this shit on a stranger.” You shook your head. “Do you know how much longer till we reach the exit?”
“It should be about twenty more minutes or so.”
Chance went back to the searching party. They arrived at the tavern you had travelled to, but had reached a dead end with finding the theives guild. They had to bribe the barkeep in order to discover the stairs. Ever so slowly, they were gaining on you. “Looks like we’re almost there.” Chance had returned to your character. “You can see a small light at the end of the tunnel.”
“Oh thank the gods.” You sighed in relief. Once you were out of the city it would be much harder for your party members to catch you.
“Right before you reach the exit, Edward stops you with his arm.” Chance looked at you grimly. “Someone’s waiting outside. You can shapeshift, right?”
“I can. What would that do?”
“You can turn into something small and I can carry you till we get somewhere safe. Just in case it’s your ‘friends’.” Chance raised his brows, waiting for you to agree.
It would be a risky move. That was your last wild shape before you needed a long rest. However, it would be a good plan. You could just be a woodland critter and scamper off into the nearby timber.
“Okay. If you think that’ll work.” You nodded at Chance. “I wild shape into a squirrel and climb into one of his jacket pockets.”
“Edward walks out of the tunnel. In the pocket, you could only hear your surroundings. The sounds of grass turn into the sounds of him walking on wood. From behind you hear the sound of a wooden door latching shut.”
You gave Chance a confused look.
“Edward takes you out of his pocket and places you onto a wooden seat. It appears you are in a carriage.”
“I change back into my normal form.” You felt something was off, Chance’s eyes glimmered with mischief. “I thought we were going to the woods.”
“I don’t believe you ever said that.”
“What’s going on?” You narrowed your eyes at Chance who now had a wide grin on his face. “I grab my quarterstaff.”
“Go ahead, try casting.”
“I cast shillelagh.”
“It doesn’t work.” He was still grinning at you. “Crazy how nice antimagic fields are.”
“What the fuck is going on?” You were growing frantic, realizing you had been set up. “I pull out my dagger.”
“Roll for it.”
Both you and Chance rolled. He quirked a brow, chuckling lowly at your measly 5.
“Edward is able to easily stop your movement, grabbing your wrist and making you drop the dagger.” Chance switched back to his character voice. “Got any more tricks up your sleeve, sweetheart?”
You tried to come up with something, but you were lost. Your wild shape would be the only solution, but you had expelled that option. Shit. There was nothing.
“You tricked me.” You glared at Chance.
“That’s what you get for trusting strangers, spark.” Chance’s use of the nickname took you out of the game for a moment.
“W-what was that?” You spoke in your normal voice, eyes wide.
“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure you’ll be fine cozied up in your family’s mansion.” Chance ignored your out of game question.
He turned back to the rest of your party who were looking dejected.
“Looks like you guys didn’t make it in time.”
“Dammit!” Parker shouted, clenching his fists. “Now we’ve gotta get them from their parents and steal from them!”
“And we had made such a good plan too.” Penelope groaned.
“Plan?” You looked at all of them with confusion.
“We might’ve been planning on shipping you back to your parents for a while now…” Parker rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I had already seen one of your missing posters in a previous session.”
“You guys have been plotting to stab me in the back for a while?!” You were incredulous.
“N-no!” Lyric interjected. “We were going to sell you back, then help you escape again. So we could get the money, and then have you back in the party.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“We thought it would be more believable if you didn’t know about it.” Penelope muttered.
“Oh my god, guys!” You rubbed a hand down your face with a laugh. “Well, that wraps up tonight’s session.” Chance broke up your bickering with your party. “You’ll have to figure out how to get Oxanna back next time.”
When the rest of your friends left, you helped Chance and Parker cleanup the table. As you worked in silence, you felt sour. Edward’s character bothered you. He felt too familiar. Then there was the use of your nickname. Spark. It hit you, that’s why. Chance had made Eddie a fucking antagonist. It was so obvious, he named him “Edward” for goodness sake! How were you so oblivious?
“So, did you have the whole Edward thing planned out for a while now?” You asked Chance, the tone of your voice accusatory.
He noticed the shift in your demeanor, understanding that you had picked up on his not-so-subtle messaging. “I have.” He lied.
“It was really good. I’m excited to see what you have for the next session.” There was a sourness laced in your words.
“Oh, thanks. I’m glad you’re looking forward to it.”
“Yeah, I am. Let me know if you need any more examples from my real life to tie into the story next time.” You glared right at him.
Shit. He was caught.
“Huh?” Parker looked between the two of you, feeling a familiar tension return.
“That sounds like a good idea. Thanks for the offer. I’m sure after tonight you’ll have plenty of ideas to share.” Chance shot back at you with a glare of his own.
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” You knew exactly what he meant.
“Nothing, I’m just sure there’s something so riveting that’ll have your attention tonight.”
“I don’t understand why you have such a problem with him.” Fine, you’d just come right out with it.
“Wait, is Edward, Eddie?” It had finally clicked for Parker.
“Sometimes life just inspires art.” Chance stalked up to you, making you take a step back. “And maybe art should inspire actions in life too.”
Rolling your eyes, you let out an offended scoff. “I’m not going to stop hanging out with someone I like because you have some one-sided beef with them. Parker doesn’t seem to have any issues with Eddie.”
“Oh please do not bring me into this!” Parker raised his hands in defense.
“I’m leaving.” You said lowly, turning around to head upstairs.
“Don’t you need me to drive you home?” Chance had the sudden realization that he might have gone too far.
Stopping on the stairs, you looked over your shoulder at Chance with a glare.
“No, I’ve got a carriage waiting for me. Though, I’ll be walking into it willingly.”