Kim
Two more weeks!!
Heather
Indi-Con, baby! Kim, remind me to ask you about cosplay stuff.
Jo smiled as excited messages poured in, fast and furious. With each new text, excitement stirred within her too. Indi-Con was going to be her first gaming convention in almost two years. She’d said no at first, months ago, when the group decided to make the trip out to Indianapolis for the biggest MnM con in the country. It was only after she and Jeremy broke up and she made plans to move to Kansas that she changed her mind, mostly for the excuse to see Aida and everyone else.
Now, though, her excitement wasn’t just about seeing her friends. Jo could practically hear the buzz of the crowded gaming hall and the clatter of dice. She could picture the bright green Indi-Con banners and the enormous exhibit hall packed with vendors and artists. She could feel the electric energy of meeting gamers from around the country and the delirious high of running on barely any sleep for an entire weekend.
Young
Let’s make sure we get in a game together.
Kim
Yeah! Can we all play our characters from our last campaign?
Max
Lyric, bard extraordinaire, shall rise again
David
Signups are open online. I’ll see what’s available.
Several minutes later, they had all signed up for the same Saturday morning game. Jo navigated back to the main Indi-Con webpage and scrolled through the schedule. Lots of games still needed GMs, including the giant Legendary event, her favorite part of any convention. She tapped on one of the open Legendary tables, and her finger hovered over the “Join as GM” button.
“What do you think, Mer-bear?” she asked her cat. His ear rotated toward her, but he was otherwise disinclined to provide any guidance. “You’re hurting my ankle you know, you big dingus.”
Merry didn’t even dignify that with an ear turn.
“You’re no help at all.”
Jo took a deep breath and tapped the button. She watched the page reload. “Game Master: Jo Rainier,” it said. Tears filled her eyes, and she smiled to herself. She couldn’t fully explain it, but it felt like a victory, like returning home.
She didn’t want to bother Aida, but she wanted to tell someone what she’d just done. And the person who came to mind, even ahead of her friends in the group chat, was Felix.
Which was ridiculous, of course. He wouldn’t understand. He probably wouldn’t even care. There was no reason to tell him. She only thought of him in the first place because they were officially friends now.
Jo’s smile grew. She was friends with Felix.
Felix, who listened to her and absorbed all the information she threw at him. Who made sure she felt comfortable around him. Who wrote overly formal emails but said “fuck” like he meant it, all breathy and low and dark.
Her phone buzzed in her hand, startling her out of her thoughts. The Indi-Con conversation had moved on to finding a place to get dinner together on their first night in town. Jo sent a message casting her vote for whatever was closest to the hotel.
She shifted her foot, and Merry popped his head up and glared at her with sleepy eyes. “I’m sorry, sir, did I disturb you? We should go to bed soon anyway, so you might as well get up.”
Merry stood and arched his back, vibrating all over as he stretched. Jo scratched his shoulders, which was her first mistake. Her second mistake was not moving her feet as soon as Merry released her. He turned in a tight circle and flopped back onto Jo’s ankle, lying on his opposite side.
“Buddy, nooo,” Jo nudged him with her foot, but Merry just side-eyed her and put his chin on his paws.
From: Felix Navarro
To: Jo Rainier
Date: Saturday, May 11, 2024, 8:26 A.M.
Subject: Advertising for MnM
Good morning Jo,
I’ve given some thought to advertising the library’s MnM launch event. I don’t believe I’ve mentioned this yet, actually: Warren Riggs, our director, has set the launch date for Tuesday, June 11th. One month from today, in fact. Game night is now one of the library’s summer programs and will run through the end of August.
My thinking is that, if the objective is to bring a younger age bracket into the library, we should be advertising around Ashville Community College. Tonight, I plan to head to Stan’s, a popular bar near ACC, to see if they are interested in partnering with us. Since you know MnM much better than I do, I’d appreciate your help talking it up. I understand that this goes beyond the hour per week you agreed to volunteer for the library, so please feel no obligation.
Here is a map link to Stan’s location. I’ll be arriving around 9:00 P.M. this evening.
Best,
Felix
~
Felix Navarro, MI
