"The talking sheep grabs the enchanted scroll from Silas, bounding off through the tight alleyways of the Fjanej Citadel. Erik turns to you, concern written on his face, 'Did I mention that scroll has sensitive information about the crown?'"
Haylie's Norse accent is surprisingly impressive. Dani turns to them. "Bullshit. This Erik guy is useless."
Haylie looks up from her DM screen. The room's dark, for the 'atmosphere' apparently. But it means Haylie doesn't have her sunglasses on. Which means Dani can see her brown eyes, flecked with gold and blue. Fucking princess.
"Don't blame the NPC, Dani." She reprimands. Her gaze is magnetic.
"Right, uh huh. You write the NPC's. You want me to blame you, instead?" Dani leans forward, smirking. Stupid line.
A tint of red leaks into the other girl's cheeks.
"'WAS THAT A SPOON?' My barbarian chases after the sheep." In contrast to their loudness, Aspen smiles innocently. Mischievous bitch. Theo laughs at their side, while Luca shushes him. Right. Jesus, hopefully the teacher patrolling is on the other side of the school.
Speaking of, when Dani checks her old phone, a bright green line glitching down its face, the number surrounded by tattoo art on her wallpaper is 5:34. Club's way over. None of the others have their laptops or phones open yet though. And by God, she isn't gonna tell them. Club overtime is a gift from God, even if she doesn't believe in him and it's goddamn nerd club.
"Sure, roll for strength or dexterity. I'm pretty sure this would be a grappling check?" She checks the books Dani has recently learnt she keeps on her always.
It's grappling. She won't say that. Can't be bothered.
"Nat 1." Aspen groans. "Dangit! Why do I have the worst luck?" Drama queen. Drama monarch?
"Congratulations, the barbarian walks forward, slips on a banana, and breaks his neck falling off a cliff."
"Nooooo... if Leaf dies I will die with him!"
"Ugh, please don't. Standards, Aspen."
"Your barbarian falls over while chasing the sheep, scraping their knees roughly on the rocky soil. The sheep runs away, baa-ing like an evil villain." Interrupts Haylie, shaking her head in a way that's also somewhat affectionate.
"The true villain revealed." Luca jokes. The others laugh, and she just huffs. Is she being bitter? Yes. She's not a liar, at least. Nope, she's definitely a liar.
Luca's just so- perfect. Everyone laughs at what he says. Nice, polite, tame. He gets good grades, great at sports. It's fucking infruriating. They've talked about him in the soccer club, too. Apparently he used to be in the girls' soccer team before he knew he was a boy. The soccer teams' full of transphobes. Somehow he manages to not throw punches or insult them. Dani's parents would love him. Well, if he wasn't trans.
Why the hell he's in this club is a mystery. No, actually, it's not, Dani reflects. He's here for Theo, duh. The anxious guy who currently sits at the end of the table, clutching the seat like he's about to fall off. Despite his antisocial reputation, he's clearly just overly anxious. A few times he's replied to her comments, almost as sharp and cutting. At least she can take some cruel pleasure in shutting him up sometimes. And even if the monster of guilt and fear roars wildly, bashing at it's cage in her chest, she's got a lot of practice drowning it out.
A text pops up on her phone, and Dani checks it noncommittally. It's another in a long line of unread texts, mostly from hookups. The bright letters swim around her eyes, blurred. The glitch line isn't helping. She recognises the contact name though; spawn point. Hah. Mum. Rubbing her eyes, she shuts off the screen, putting the phone back down on the table with no particular care. It's already half-broken.
"How do we get the enchanted scroll back? It's gotta be an important plot point." Luca asks them, leaning back in his chair to stretch. Luca's got a great collection of vintage T-shirts, and his ACDC shirt that unfolds as he stretches is no exception. Subconsciously, Dani twists the fraying strands of her own distressed crop top. She'll ask Luca where he gets his T-shirts from sometime.
Theo's cheek is pressed into his knuckles as he thinks. "It's there, like a location spell or something?" Haylie looks pleased behind her scheming DM screen. She probably made it herself. It's covered in little flowers from posca pens. "Yup. There's a Locate creature spell. I think it's fourth level, though. Maybe you could find a wizard to cast it for you?"
Wizards are such a basic class. Boring.
Lyric's clicking a pen in her hand. Click, click, click, click. Four times. She stops. Then, again. Another four times. The sound is loud and harsh against the dulled dnd chatter.
"Cleanne Lux pulls a sword on Erik. Can I interrogate him?"
Haylie blinks for a second. Not expecting that. "Sure."
Aspen puts their hand up, like this is a classroom and not a club. It is nerd club, Dani guesses. "Ooh Lyric, can Leaf help with the interrogation? For intimidation?" If people's voices could include those stupid fucking face things, like the two dots with a bracket, that would be Aspen.
Judging by Aspen's screaming before, it's gonna be loud. Dani'd really rather not have to deal with that. Fucking hell.
Lyric stops clicking the pen for a moment. "Yeah, sure. Cleanne looks too innocent anyway." Aspen makes a fist in the air like it's some major triumph.
"Okay, what do you ask Erik, then?" Haylie looks a bit concerned. Hell, Dani would be too. Aspen's a through and through theatre kid.
"Are there any wizards around here that we could pay for a spell?"
"Tell us where they are or I'll CRACK your skull like a nut!"
Dani flinches at the threat. Can't they stop fucking screaming? Haylie's voice cuts through the room. The Norse accent she puts on is harsh but uncertain, lower than her normal intonation.
"Hey! Why on Cerunnions' Earth are you threatenin' me? I haven't done anything!"
Lyric sighs, then plays into the intimidation Aspen's gone for.
"Really, Erik? You led us right into the last trap! You didn't tell us anything useful until it was too late. We're trying to help your people, and this is the least you could do! Don't blame us!"
Dani closes her eyes. It's missing the smash of dinner plates and thick Cantonese accents, but her mind brings it all back anyway. And the smell of rusted blood and cleaning liquid is sharp on her senses and she could turn her deaf ear to the doorway but she doesn't because their voices are cutting into her skin and the beer bottle isn't enough to drown it out...
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Shut up. Shut the fuck up. SHUT THE FUCK UP.
"It's 5:47." She tells them, over the noise. Her voice is low and clear, but her hands are clenched in shaking fists.
Luca stands immediately, facepalming. "Crap, I-I've got to get to swim training." Theo flinches behind him.
"Sorry."
"Not your fault, Theo."
Lyric looks at Haylie.
"Tayn and Erilux won't be mad, will they?"
Haylie shakes her head, the streaks in their hair flying.
"Nah, I'll just text them now."
Aspen starts gathering Haylie's things for her while she texts her dads. It's a nice gesture. Dani's seen Haylie around Aspen for ages, probably childhood friends. Somehow Haylie manages do deal with their loudness and obsessions. Dani's got to admit, it is somewhat endearing, their n?ive kindness and enthusiasm. They've got to be less n?ive than they come off, though. No one who's openly lgbtq+ can get out of this school without a decent idea of how completely shit teenagers and the whole goddamn world can be.
It used to be worse, the homophobia. Aspen hasn't been here long. Since year 6 there's been more people coming out. Since all of the shit happened. When Dani had come to the school, it'd been f-slurs in the corridors and calling boys who cried 'gay'. She still sees Skye in the hallways sometimes. Holds her head high and stares daggers, taunting her. Bitch.
Theo looks up, throat crumpling as he gulps. Trying to say something. His satchel bag is hauled over his right shoulder, full of school books."Doesn't Mr. Mckay patrol the hallways in the afternoons?" Theo speaks up, uncertain. Right, hell, she forgot to mention that.
"Right." She tells him.
The others look over. Fuckin' good-two-shoes nerds don't want to get in trouble.
"Christ. Let's not get club detention." Luca says, screwing up his fawn-coloured face.
"Yeah, let's not." Lyric agrees.
Dani rolls her eyes, as she gets down from the table she's claimed as her seat in D&D club, her limbs moving as if liquid. "Mr.McKay's an idiot. Barely notices anyone in the school. C'mon, it's easy to sneak past him."
The others follow, attempting to make as little sound as they can. It's surprisingly, that they're so willing to just follow her. She slips her phone into the pockets of her cargo pants, watching the others flow out of the classroom, dragging various unimpressive bags with them. Haylie whispers to her as she catches up, walking fast to match Dani's stride.
"Are you sure about this? I know you get like ten detentions a week, but I'd really not like to get a detention."
"You really think that little of me, princess?"
She's got 8 detentions this week. So Haylie's close. Dani crosses her arms, brows furrowed.
"Stop calling me that. Maybe I'll kill Sprocket next session if you keep doing that."
Damn. Girl's got some confidence. Finally.
"Oh no, not my D&D character." Dani replies, deadpan. The words are wrong. She spent way too long on that stupid character sheet for Sprocket to die..
"Why'd you join the club, then?"
"Bored. Now, ssh, princess."
Dani points at the newly-cleaned floors. The shine from mopping is pock-marked with large footprints. Really, Mr.McKay has fucking large feet.
He's walking away from them, toward the assembly hall. Good. Still, he's probably close.
She turns, looking over the group. Aspen walking with Theo, Luca and Lyric chatting in the back. Quiet laughter and whispers filled with warmth. It's an unfamiliar scene, one Dani hasn't really been apart of since primary. Kids, practically. Friends.
Dani's world is filled with enemies and hookups and people she can get alcohol from. This is a scene for someone like Haylie. It's too sweet, too kind and the opposite to the bitter taste, growling stomachs and flashing lights of Dani's life. And she yearns for it, but it makes her want to punch someone.
She holds finger to her lips, pointing again to the ground. Luca looks down, confused. He shrugs, holding the straps of a Nike backpack. At least the message gets a cross, Aspen giving her a thumbs up, Lyric and Theo giving sharp nods. Aspen's gait is slower than hers, a bit lopsided, thanks to his prosthetic, so Dani slows as she rounds the corner into a stairwell.
Pressed to the wall, the rough sandpaper texture of a corkboard scrapes against the exposed skin of her back. The sound of Mr. McKay's loafers clacking against the smooth school flooring echoes through the stairway. Fuck. Can't anything just be easy for once? Haylie raises her eyes to meet Dani's. She's got her sunglasses on again, but the bent corners of her mouth tell Dani all she needs to know. She's worried. Being anxious again.
Theo's fidgeting with his emerald green D&D dice, Aspen with a hand of his shoulder. The others look at her, questions evident in their eyes. That's new. Christ. Stop thinking about it Dani, you arrogant bitch. Get over yourself. There's another exit on the other side of the school, a back way. They'll have to backtrack, might take a bit longer. Should be fine though. Mr.McKay takes ten years to do a full circuit of the school. Why the hell does he care if there's kid in here or not? Ugh. Teachers.
Theo's D&D dice clatter to the floor. Goddamnit, Theo.
"HEY! Who's there!?" Mr. McKay's British accent reverberates through the stairwell. RUN. And they do, screaming through the hallways, Dani leading them through side corridors, heading to the opposite side of the school. It shouldn't be far from here, only minutes away. Her breath comes in ragged gasps.
She might've enjoyed the thrill if she wasn't surrounded by a bunch of scared nerds who couldn't take a drop of adrenaline, slowing her down every step. Apart from Luca, who's running next to her, sporting reputation finally coming in useful.
They can't be seen by Mr. McKay. His footsteps are hastened behind them, but far. Some middle-aged man isn't gonna catch up to her, hell no.
They turn the corner into an open drama space. There's unisex bathrooms here, and an accessible one, too. Big enough to fit all of them. For some stupid reason the cleaners always forget to leave the bathroom doors open. She ain't complaining, they're great to avoid Mr. McKay.
He's still after them. Amazing, how underpaid teachers are and yet so committed to getting students in trouble.
Dani pulls them into the accessible bathroom, closing the door. The group looks at each other, catching their breaths as quietly as they can. The tiled floor is disgusting, no matter how often the cleaners come. It's got a distinct smell of cleaning product, the same as back- Shit. Don't go there.
If their breathing is bad, Mr.McKay's is even worse when he comes into the empty drama room. The sound of his loafers alerts the group to his appearance, and then hold in their breaths. Dani watches Haylie's chest rise and fall. Aspen's got a hand over their mouth to keep from laughing. Theo stares at the floor, obviously stuck in a spiral of self-hatred.
After minute-seconds of slowed down time punctuated by their muffled breathing and Mr. McKay's footsteps, he walks past, cursing. Definitely not the first time Dani's heard a teacher swear, but Lyric, Aspen and Theo seem to find it funny.
When they can't hear his disastrously loud shoes anymore, the group lets out a collective exhale. Aspen, who's already been wheezing when they ran, let's out a laugh that sounds like they're dying.
"That-" he coughs, "was hilarious!"
It's infectious, and Dani starts laughing too.
"Told you Mr.McKay's an idiot."
"Hah, in all respects." Luca chuckles. "Now, I do actually need to get to swim training."
They leave the bathroom, lingering adrenaline making them check both doorways into the room as they make their way towards the back exit.
"Sorry, guys." Theo's voice is strained, like he's about to cry.
The group turns to him. "It's fine, man." She tells him. She passes him back the D&D dice that she picked up when they started to run.
"Yeah, that was really fun! Plus, I could've totally done something like that." Aspen grins.
"Realistically, he would have heard us anyway. We aren't the quietest group." Lyric says.
"Alright, I'm still sorry though."
"Don't worry, Theo. I just hope he won't look through the camera footage or something."
Dani responds immediately. "Too lazy. He's almost caught me a million times but I never get detention. From that."
Somehow, it feels different. It's one thing to bond playing some stupid nerd game, another to run for what feels like your life together. The whole goddamn thing is so sappy and sentimental, but when Dani wanders off, heading to a cafe she's technically banned from, her brain jerks back to the party, and Haylie's gold-flecked eyes. She might be thinking too much about that. Shit.
Can you relate to Dani's detention count?
