In the past month or so that had passed since December started playing FFXIV, he had learned very little about his partner in the game, Gurdren. The person behind it was an enigma, and most things had been kept to in-game conversations about things actually taking place in the game. But even with that little bit of interaction, the peppy, bouncy lalafell came to understand a few little things about the mysterious person behind that big ol’ Roegadyn.
The first was that he typed very, very little. Part of it Dessy chalked up to the fact that it was difficult to use a controller and a keyboard both at the same time. There was no hiding the fact that he was a super chatty individual, and after a while, he learned to control his little avatar with his elbows while following Gurdren around the world so he could type away all of his thoughts and not fall behind. It would have probably been easier to just not try to do both, but it was nice being able to get his thoughts out without being told it was stupid in very plain terms.
The next was that Gurdren really really did not appreciate it when December was running late. While he had the house to himself alot of the time, if June was home and wanted to use the PC, or if his General needed/wanted him around, he really couldn’t refuse those requests. After the first few times, they set up a proper schedule, a little bit in the late afternoon. After classes let out at 5, but before it was expected for December to go to his ‘night job’. The better he was at being on time, the nicer Gurdren seemed to be that day, so he tried to make sure he wasn’t ever late.
But at this point, things were starting to get harder. It wasn’t just December the Lalafell and Gurdren the Roegadyn exploring the world together and occasionally having two Damage dealers join them for a little while. No, their world was expanding, the dungeons becoming a little less forgiving and more often than not, December found himself dead, and the rest of the group leaving the fight before it was complete. Even after disappointing Gurdren time after time, and then going in by himself
Tonight was another try, one that had been making December worry since they last said their goodbyes. He waited at their usual meet up spot, the Aether Crystal at Limsa Lominsa, hoping his partner would log in sooner rather than later. The sooner they talked, the sooner December could relax.
---
Change was one in a great list of things that Nataniel distinctly disfavored. When taking on something new, he usually did so under the assumption that it wouldn’t take up much of his time, until he was ready to go out of his way to make room for it. The online game where he’d met December had been one of those things that he really hadn’t been sure he’d wanted to concern himself with. Nat already spent what was available of his weekends and evenings playing computer games he already knew with a team he already had. There just wasn’t any pressing reason to add a new one to his limited schedule.
‘Curiosity’ had driven him to it, but it wasn’t as though he’d expected it to stick, not when the game wasn’t even so different from any other rpg he already enjoyed… So it likely wasn’t so much the game that kept him at it. He could learn the mechanics enough to become decent at nearly anything, and already had as far as what he played regularly. It wasn’t as though it was a ‘new’ challenge.
What he wasn’t so accustomed to was the immediacy with which he’d obtained the resource of camaraderie. In most everything he did, he started out alone, played by himself until he reached a point where he was forced into a team situation, and whoever he ended up with was mostly random. If they liked each other well enough, and they had schedules that matched to some degree, that was who Nataniel stuck with, after everything was said and done. Teams didn’t seem so much required in FFXVI as they were in Overwatch, so he probably could have played almost entirely on his own...
Except there hadn’t been anything- no team instance or initial group combat- that had forced him to play with December, let alone to keep playing with him. It was convenient, of course. Gudren had no healing skills of his own, but in and of itself ‘convenience’ wasn’t why he would get on a ‘new’ game twice a week to join a team with what certainly sounded like a child that Nat barely even knew.
But he did. Monday and Thursday afternoons, after class, and before whatever work December said he had to do. It did strike him a bit odd that a kid would have a night shift, but… It wasn’t his business to dwell on.
December was waiting at the Aether Crystal when Gudren signed on, and it did please him to not have to wait. Nataniel valued his time a little too much to spend almost any of it waiting, if he could help it.
‘You’re a bit early,’ he pointed out as his avatar moved nearer to the Lalafell in the square. ‘I didn’t expect you to be on before I was.’
------
‘I suppose I am! Feelin’ a bit anxious about something, so I wanted to see you as soon as I could.’ Was that too much? That was probably too much, but it was true, and by now Gurdren probably knew how honest December was about things.
He wasn’t one to hide his personal life, or to give the true excuses why times were off or why he was doing badly one day or another, but since his partner didn’t seem all that curious, he did try to keep things properly on topic for the game. December rather liked his quiet companion, and tried really, really hard not to get on his bad side… But if anything would push him to that point.. It was probably what December was going to ask.
‘Before we begin, you know how much I keep dying during those 8 man dungeons? I get distracted and end up dying, and cuz I’m a healer, I end up wiping the party…? I’m really sorry about those times, but I was hoping that maybe we could do something to fix that. Would you be against the idea of voice-chatting during those times?’
As quickly as he could hit enter, be began to type rapidly again, trying to get in his next thought before ‘Dren told him no.
‘I’ve read it’s really helpful! And that the communication is much faster that way than typing up to tell me when to move. I think it would make me alot more useful and reliable if you could tell me how to better watch myself sometimes..’ On the real world side of things, December nervously bit at his thumb, eyes squeezing shut a few seconds to try to settle his nerves. It wasn’t that big of a request, he knew that, but for some reason it scared him all the more. What if his partner said no and decided not to play again…? It probably would hurt Dessy enough to make him quit the game, but he really didn’t want to… Nor did he want to lose a friend. They were friends… Right?
----
Immediately, Nataniel’s expression twisted from neutral into the beginnings of a grimace. Anxious. There was probably next to nothing he was less interested in than people bringing their real life anxiousness into a game. He simply absolutely did not have the patience to even listen to some stanger’s problems (and December still was practically a stranger, they’d only been playing together for a handful of weeks), let alone actually care about them. If he made it known right now that this wasn’t something he intended to deal with, maybe December would learn early enough that he wouldn’t bother Nat with it again in the future.
Fingers hovered over his keyboard, and dark eyes warily watched his monitor for any more information that might come out of the other boy. But he didn’t really want to delve any deeper into the subject, did he? Before December even had a chance to continue, he should put a stop to this.
Please keep your life drama out of the game environment. Whatever it is you’re anxious about is of little concern to me, so there’s little reason to bring it up here. If it serves as a detriment to your punctuality in the future- Nat’s focus flicked more fully to the screen as December’s next message appeared, and his own fingers stilled.
Voice coms.
Not whatever drama Nataniel may have expected. It was still true that he didn’t want to be on the receiving end of someone’s complaints about things entirely related to him… But this likely wasn’t the place to mention it. Whatever he’d been about to say hadn’t actually been prompted in the way he’d expected. Nat deleted his own words before he’d even finished what he’d intended to send. It wasn’t the time.
Now he only had to wonder if he wanted to talk to December more personally than they had previously…. He seemed like the kind of person who liked to chat a lot, whereas Nataniel wasn’t much interested in it, himself. He wasn’t a complete stranger to game-chat, though. He used the team chat feature in Overwatch when he played with that group, so maybe it wouldn’t be too different with December.
And he did appreciate functionality. ‘That would be fine.’ He sent after a moment. ‘Though really, you should have the gamesense to know when you’re poorly positioned.’
--
“Really?? Thank you! Thank you so much! biggrin I know I should by now, but I end up trying to heal every single bit of damage our party sees… I know the main focus is to not let them go below half, but I’m still working on that. I really don’t want to let you down!” Oh BOY did it feel nice not to get scolded for wanting that! Well, there was a little bit of scolding, but it wasn’t a straight up no, so he’d take what he could get!
“Did you want to use Teamspeak? Or Discord? Could you talk now? It might take a bit of set up on my end, since I need to figure out how to use the headset properly, but I’m ready if you are! I feel really hyped now! Like we could for sure clear that dungeon this time!”
---
Nataniel exhaled a quiet, calming breath. They hadn’t even had the chance to speak amongst themselves, yet, and Nat already couldn’t help but wonder how bad it might be to let this kid go off without the limitations of a keyboard. It would be good for progress in the game, he reasoned, but at the same time, it might make it really insufferable to play. If Nat grew tired of even just his first team, he didn’t think he’d be interested in finding another… And if he wasn’t willing to do that much, there probably wouldn’t be reason to continue playing.
But December didn’t need to know all that.
‘Now is fine, I suppose.’ No time like the present, as they say, and no reason to put it off if Nataniel might need time to get used to it. ‘If there isn’t a function for it in-game, I will need a minute or two to set up an account for one of those services. Whichever you prefer, honestly.’ Since Nat really only used chat for Overwatch, he’d never needed to get any out-of-game account for that. The chat function came built-in, after all… He certainly didn’t make himself available for chatting for any other reason. It wasn’t like he was trying to be anyone’s friend.
‘I’ll work on getting things set up on my end, so take your time.’ Should he really even bother feeling anxious? It probably wasn’t worth it to feel almost anything, but still a piece of Nat thought it would be easier to keep going about things as they had been…
---
“Discord works! My username is December#2343, so once you get settled in you can add me as a friend.” ‘Dren did tell him to take his time, but he was far too excited to slow down. Had he had any hope of his friend saying yes to begin with everything would have been set up, but no matter! It only took maybe 5 minutes to get ready, and maybe another 5 more to finally get that ping from Discord saying he had another friend.
This was it! The moment he was so very excited for but absolutely dreading. Their phone lines finally connected, and very softly, nervously, December spoke into the mic.
“Hello, Gurdren, are you there?”
---
New things were treacherous.
Nataniel didn’t particularly like setting up new accounts for any service, wasn’t thrilled about needing to use something out-of-game for his game (that he still might not like, even), and he likely wouldn’t have chosen to use a chat feature if he could avoid it. He could have avoided it, he supposed, but neither was he particularly fond of losing or being inconvenienced by repeated losses…
If things had been any more difficult and tedious than they already were, he would have refused. But they weren’t, he hadn’t, and now it was too late to go back on it. He likely wouldn’t have had the guts to sound so nitpicky with his refusal, anyway… It wasn’t as though he wanted his teammates, any of his teammates, to think he was that snobbish.
Even December, the whole reason he was still playing Final Fantasy to begin with.
With his pink D.Va headset on and connected, Nataniel sent the Discord ping to his new ‘friend,’ and- Well, December did sound young certainly, though a far cry from someone that was just twelve or thirteen. He wondered if it was too early to just come out and ask how old he was… But probably so.
“Yes,” Nataniel answered in the low, still-quite-hesitant drawl of his voice. “I can hear you.” And then, because he wasn’t sure what they intended to do now that they could speak, “Were you going to invite the others in the group?”
--
“Hello!” Hearing his partner’s voice through the mic was wonderful! It didn’t bring on the same anxiety that making a random phone call did. No, this was someone he wanted to talk to, someone he really, truly, looked forward to playing with each time he logged in. Even his toes curled in excitement as he sat there wiggling in his chair.
“Oh, uh… No, not today. I figured they already get annoyed at how much I type, so maybe… I could just talk to you and work with you on my own today, so that way when it’s time to actually work on beating the level, I can just mute my mic and just listen. I don’t really want to annoy anyone.” For some reason though, it already felt like he was pushing his luck, chattering away so much like the nervous wreck he was.
“You can still say December here, but Dessy works too. Shorter, quicker I think… Maybe… Should I still call you Gurdren…? I shorten to ‘Ren’ in my head most of the time though.”
---
A piece of him wanted to argue. Did he give off an air of someone that wasn’t easily annoyed? Why would December consciously choose to contact him, someone who did not particularly want to be contacted, instead of anyone else from their group? Nataniel was probably still the most inexperienced player among them, so it wasn’t rational to think he would be the best at offering aid of any stripe.
There didn’t seem to be many other factors besides…
Besides just that December had talked to him first. Nat tried to reason out if he would’ve allowed any of their other group members to chat with him, and realistically he might not have? They were teammates in the way the game wanted them to be, but hardly anything more than that. He’d still met December first. They’d had more opportunity to talk in game than with any of the others.
So Nataniel decided he wasn’t offended by neglecting to invite the others to chat. It would help keep communication lines between he and December more clear. Less interruption, as it were.
“I don’t think I’m likely to respond to ‘Ren,’ as it’s not something I’m accustomed to hearing.” But neither was Gudren. Even though he didn’t use his real name in his Overwatch games, it had still taken a little bit to acclimate to hearing his handle, rather than his name, particularly amongst all the other excitement and sounds that occurred.
And December was literally just a child. There was nothing to fear from him knowing the real thing. “It’s Nataniel. ‘Nat,’ if you have a preference for ‘shorter and quicker.’”
---
“Nataniel… Nat. Both of those are really nice! Mine is December, like, my real name. I’m not very creative.” It was awkward, certainly, since it seemed like Nat didn’t have much to say. While Dessy normally could go on and on and on, it was easier to do so in person instead of through a headset… When would too much be too much.
“So… Nat. About this dungeon…” he made his avatar run towards the entry-way to the crystal tower that the game set as its scenery. “It can just be you and me today, with some random other team. It’ll be easier to test it out and not get yelled at by the rest of our normal gang. I’m trying to stay on schedule with this, but… Um… If you have some more nights free soon, we can practice more on our own.”
Hnggg, it was more and more awkward, and December couldn’t help but awkwardly chew on his thumbnail, wondering of Nat would say anything more than a grunt or two in approval. He wasn’t exactly talkative in-game, but he simply assumed it would be even worse out loud. Not worse, just quiet.. Maybe like talking to a wall…
“I can try to get to a computer somewhere. I heard they have computer cafes, so if I can’t use the PC at home, I can go there.”
---
“You use your real name as your game tag?” Nat prompted, voice nearly as soft and low as the silence throughout the rest of his home. Using his real name- December, of all things. Had his parents really named him that?- definitely sounded like something a kid would do. Nataniel was no pro username creator, either, but he knew better than to put his real name out there.
Though, admittedly… That seemed like a safety hazard from when he’d been very young, and his parents had concerns about what the internet could be used for. ‘Don’t use your real name, or predators will find you,’ sounded a bit silly now, and Nat wasn’t sure what anyone would do with just knowing someone else’s first name…
‘December’ was a bit of an uncommon name, though. He kind of bet he’d be able to find the other’s facebook or twitter, if he had one…
“Let’s forget the dungeon,” he decided. “There’s no point in trying without all of us, and it’d be a pain to keep dieing and keep running back here. If it’s just the two of us, we can grind levels or equipment farm. We’ll be better off in the long run, anyway.” Though he didn’t think he wanted to commit more time to it than usual. Nataniel’s brow pinched ever-so-slightly. He had a schedule, and he wasn’t fond of that being interrupted. “Maybe if my Overwatch team quits early ay of the other nights. Or I suppose you and I could start earlier on the weekends…” He’d still need time to do his homework, of course, but he’d worry about that later.
Definitely a child. December must not have his own place, if his computer use was restricted. Or maybe connection was just bad during certain times of day, from where he was? “What would keep you from getting on the computer?”
---
“Yeah, I do! Weird name, right? I didn’t think anyone would go ‘that’s a real name’, so I just went with it. Surprising, huh? And I got siblings named the other months too.” It seemed like Nat gave him a little bit of the attention he wanted, curious about him, and December was always happy to let someone else learn more about him. He wasn’t too nervous about someone tracking him down or stealing his info.
He didn’t own anything worth stealing after all.
“Okay! That’s just fine with me! I’m sure the others would be impressed with us if we suddenly show up like, 4 levels higher and with maxed out gear.” And maybe if he got stronger, he’d have more of a cushion towards his failures, and the others would see he was at least somewhat interested in the game. Enough so that he wasn’t just letting them carry him through their raiding.
Schedule… That’s right, he didn’t really have much knowledge about what Nat did when they didn’t play together. There were a few things, Overwatch, classes, things like that he had gleaned from when they were trying to pick out a time to play together, but beyond that, Nat was still a mystery to him.
“Well… I crash at my brother’s house most of the time, and on the nights we play together, but sometimes I’m in uh… Community housing for my job. There’s no PCs there that work well enough to play games, work only, you know? And security software that prevents non-work related installations.” While it wasn’t exactly a lie, December still felt bad about not being able to say everything that was on his mind, but he also doubted that Nat would care.
---
Someone’s parent had actually thought it would be amusing to name their children after the months of the year. Nataniel gave the tiniest shake of his head. It sounded ridiculous because it was ridiculous, and he wasn’t particularly fond or ridiculous. “How many siblings do you have?” Presumably not eleven. What an unheard of and ungodly number that would be. Nat did truly hate kids… And he didn’t doubt he’d hate them even more with that many running amok constantly.
The question was out before he thought about it, though. It was really only the logical follow-up, regardless of how much interest he had in the topic. If they were going to have this open line of communication, he didn’t really have a choice but to use it. It was easy to stay focused on game-only in OW, when the action was practically constant and always changing,
But an RPG grind was likely to leave them in a lull of game excitement. Nataniel wouldn’t mind silence, but he doubted December would give it to him. Better to direct the conversation himself and at least gather potentially relevant information.
“You live-” No, he hadn’t said ‘live with,’ he’d said ‘crash.’ It was different enough to be notable. December didn’t ‘live with’ his brother. “You sleep at your brother’s house but have an overnight job that requires you to live in designated housing?” Very strange, particularly if he was as young as Nataniel assumed. “How old are you?”
-----
“Eleven! Two passed away a while back, so I suppose that makes nine. Dunno where they are though, except for June.” Nat asked, and he answered without hesitation. Bits and pieces of honestly was how friendships were made, right? Dessy knew they weren’t quite there yet, but he was trying!
His avatar started heading back towards the fields where they could grind properly. They had come a long way from beating up sheep, that’s for sure! Most of the enemies now towered over him.
“Well, it doesn’t require me to live there, but it was offered after my house burned down some time last year. June said I could live with him if I wanted, but I don’t want to get on his nerves or seem like a mooch, you know?” The first target was spotted and December cast protect on them both. Best way to start a battle after all! “I’m 19! How old are you?”
---
Eleven. Nataniel couldn’t suppress a grimace. There were actually twelve of them, or had been, at one point, and their parents had made the conscious choice to name them after the months. They’d planned for twelve children and actually stuck it out for however many years it took to breed those offspring. So, presumably, “You’re the youngest, then,” Nat stated. He must have absolutely no earthly idea how obnoxious younger siblings could be, then. “I can hardly stand the one brother I have…” And he hadn’t dealt with eleven of them.
He set Gudren to chase in December’s tracks. It wasn’t ideal that the team’s tank and healer were soloing it without a designated DPS, but it shouldn’t be unmanageable. Perhaps less efficient… More time consuming for the amount of experience they could obtain, but it was what they were stuck with for the day.
“Where do you work?” It still sounded very odd. Nineteen. Barely an adult. With a weird job that made him work peculiar hours and provided housing? “Does your brother tell you he feels like you’re mooching off him?”
----
“That’s right. The oldest is January. I haven’t seen most of them in a long time. I lived with May and October before the fire, then was on my own for a time, living with my job people, then ran into June, so I keep in touch with him now.” Since they were pretty strong now, there wasn’t any need to constantly heel his partner, so he switched to DPSing, doing a decent amount of damage with some of his AOE attacks.
“Hmm… It’s kinda in… Collections, I guess? We gather stuff as instructed, then return it to the main building.” Simply saying he was in the Negaverse wasn’t possible. What if the other person happened to be the other side?
“I don’t think he says it outloud, but I’m sure he feels guilty… Until about half a year ago, I had no idea he was still in the city. Turns out he changed his name cuz he didn’t want to be part of a set. Makes sense though… But that also makes me feel like he’s not really seeing me as a mooch, but just letting me hang out cuz he feels guilty. So I want to be able to find my own place soon enough, and until then, the Company housing is fine.” Another monster was downed, and he switched back to healing once Gudren got low on health. Talking certainly made time go by faster.
“Do you work too? I remember something about school, but nothing about work from you.”
---
Nataniel’s dark eyes held on the screen, idly observing and clicking through his skills as he paid half a mind to the game and half an ear to what December was saying. Neither needed that much of his attention. “Parents?” He prompted after a moment, recalling no mention of adults of any kind, which seemed peculiar, since Nat figured someone had gone to all the trouble to have this lot of brats, only to- What? Abandon them soon after? Though if December was nineteen and the youngest, they were all adults by this point…
How absurdly unnecessary and complex. Why would anyone want to raise that many children? Did their parents suddenly stop caring about them at some point, such that December couldn’t live with them any more? Maybe none of them wanted to. Parents could be dicks, sometimes…
“Makes sense,” Nat murmured agreeably at the idea that ‘June’ wanted out and away from the rest of them.
Though June obviously hadn’t felt the need to extricate himself as far as Nataniel imagined anyone would want to. He still had one of his several little brothers tagging at his heel, ‘mooching’ off him, as it were, even if neither of them wanted to admit to it being what it was.
“I don’t really have a designated job, no,” Nat replied. “I usually make enough in scholarships to last me even between semesters, and if I were to get into financial trouble, my parents would bail me out without question. So long as I keep dedicating enough time to pass my courses, I don’t have to worry about much else.”
---
“Dead.” It was simply said as another healing spell was cast. “Mom when I was born, Dad when I was thirteen.”
The whole subject was sad, so he didn’t want to think about it too much, choosing to push the subject under the rug for now.
“Sounds like you’re doing very well, that’s great! What’s your major? What do you wanna do when you graduate?” The idea of college was saddening too. December knew he wasn’t smart enough to get into any sort of school, what with his bare-bones homeschooling… And even a normal, part-time job, he’d mess up…
There wasn’t much hope for him, as he was now, but Nat didn’t need to know that.
---
“I see.” Well, alright. That at least made some reasonable amount of sense to Nataniel as to why the situation was as unusual as it was- that many kids who hadn’t seen each other and a young boy with an unsavory-sounding job. And it did seem strange because… of course it would. Nat had never not had two parents there to provide what he needed, but that didn’t mean he had zero comprehension as to how their absence would affect him. Even now he had to begrudgingly admit it would be a pain to not have them as a safety net…
He was perfectly content to let it move on from there, though not as pleased to have so much asked of him. It would’ve been fine to blow it off… if he hadn’t asked so much first. So he rolled his shoulders, adjusted his headset and tried not to frown.
“General studies,” he replied flatly. “Just the basic major anyone who doesn’t know what they want gets stuck in.” And he was fine with that. The actual ‘graduation’ part of school and the after-college experience wasn’t exactly what he was in it for… It was easier to just keep taking classes while the government and school scholarships paid for most of his living arrangements.
Admittedly, it couldn’t possibly be a permanent life choice. He was starting to get a bit too old for college dorms inhabited mostly by teenagers….
“I’m not sure what I’ll do with it yet. Still thinking about it. My mother would let me take over her business if I asked, but it’s a bit of a boring one.”
---
Thankful for the subject dropping, December listened thoughtfully at Nat’s Confession. Well, technically it couldn’t be called that, but it kinda felt like it. It meant that--- Oh, he said it outright.
“There’s nothing wrong with not knowing what you want to do. You’ve got plenty of options! Maybe you can find something you like, and go from there. Do you have any hobbies you’d want to make a job out of?”
---
“I’d never said there was anything wrong with it,” Nataniel retorted. Neither was he expressly worried about it. Even if he didn’t have plans now, nothing had ever gone so horribly for Nat that he had concerns about much of anything. Sometimes he wasn’t even sure if there was much he would even enjoy doing that would require as much of his time as jobs tended to.
But worst of all, most jobs required that element of human interaction, with peers, with clients, with superiors… There was nothing that would get him out of that.
“I’m not sure.” Not that it was any of December’s business, and Nataniel wasn’t sure he wanted to delve any deeper into it than that with this random kid he’d met on the internet. Gabriel was at least going to the same school and living in the same apartment as him… They shared experiences, and he’d be easier to talk to about things resulting from those experiences. “I suppose I spend a lot of time on my computer for most anything I could ask for, so there isn’t much I do beyond that.”
Yach, yach!
The sound, for all that it wasn’t an unusual one, startled Nat. He jumped slightly in his chair and twisted his head around to glower at Dusk, now chewing at the metal of the door of her cage. It was about that time of night… Maybe there was one other thing he enjoyed. “I do have a baby girl. She takes up whatever time I don’t spend on the internet.”
---
“... I’m sorry.” December’s voice got soft through the microphone, fingers tingling a bit uncomfortably when Nat responded to him. It didn’t sound agitated or anything just… He had said something wrong, obviously.
Maybe it was too much; too many questions asked too soon, suggestions made when he himself had no idea what he was going to do beyond tomorrow, much less for the rest of his life. He really, really shouldn’t have said anything.
It wasn’t until he heard a strange sound through Nat’s side that he said anything else, especially confused by the statement of a ‘baby girl’. Human babies didn’t make sounds like that… Did they?
“A baby girl…? Um… What kinda ‘baby girl’..?” Was that the right way to ask without being offensive? He’d find out soon enough, for sure.
---
Good. Rationally, Nataniel knew that that likely shouldn’t be the first thought he had at December’s apology. He had an understanding of the pitfalls of social interaction, regardless of how often he partook in it himself, and he was aware of the meanness of the simple thought. It didn’t change how he felt about it, though, that the younger boy should put a little more care into his words with Nat, rather than blurting out whatever he wanted. It wasn’t even the words themselves that bothered him, so much as the carelessness of it. Did he have no concerns at all?
He didn’t choose to comment on the apology further, after all, there was someone else vying for his attention.
“Her name is Dusk,” he replied, already quiet tone taking on just the hint of a softer note. “She’s my pet chinchilla. And this is around the time she so politely asks for my attention each night.” She yapped again, and Nat heard the sounds of her tiny paws scritching against hay and cage.
---
A… Chinchilla?
“I’ve never seen a chinchilla in real life before!” Dessy’s sadness was quickly pushed aside in favor of the excitement that came from the very idea of someone else’s pet. Other people’s pets were always better than your own, in his mind. That way you could have all the petting and love you could give, without having to worry about feeding them or being able to pay for vet bills, which December knew he couldn’t ever do.
“Awww, she’s like a cute little timer… Is she always like this during game-time then?” It wasn’t too much into their normally playing hours, but the image of something round and fluffy stomping across his hands while he played the game was really, really cute in his head.
---
There were very few aspects of his life that Nataniel wanted to bring up in game, and the ones they’d breached so far had been unpleasant, at best. Dusk wasn’t relevant to anything they could do in Final Fantasy or anything Nat did in Overwatch. He almost never mentioned her, besides to say that he had ‘prior engagements’ that kept him from continuous play into the night.
But ******** he loved her so much, and there wasn’t much that would distract him from talking about her now.
“She’s very cute,” Nataniel informed the other boy, as he peered over his shoulder at his pet. “She talks all day long, whenever she’s awake, but she becomes particularly insistent around this time. She could get lost easily, so she’s not allowed to roam about the house, unless I’m watching her. Plus, I don’t know what my roommate’s tolerance for escaped rodents is… So I let her out for just an hour or so in the evening. I used to think it would tire her out, so maybe she’d sleep through the night… She doesn’t, though.” Dusk’s chatter was persistent through morning and night hours alike, leaving Nat to enjoy silence only during her sleep.
He didn’t mind her barks, though. She was consistent. And that was what was most important.
-------
“She really sounds precious…” Dessy's own voice seemed to come out as a coo, almost as if he could see and hear her directly in front of him. He bet she was round, so very round… And soft and plus and just darling in every sort of way.
He could still hear her soft chirps through Nat's headset, each one letting him smile a little more.
“I'd love to see her sometime. Maybe I could give you my email address or phone number and you can show me pictures!” There were more questions to be asked like 'do you ever tire of the sounds she makes?’ but any assumptions like what he made before was likely to get Nat mad at him again… He kept them to himself for now.
“Ohh, I heard they can jump really high! Can she make it up onto your bed, or into a chair?”
---
His beautiful baby girl… Dusk was precious, it was true, and if Nataniel thought it wouldn’t be too stressful for her small rodent brain, he enjoyed taking her outside the house in a pet carry backpack for the sole intention of other people seeing her. Precious things were worth showing off, weren’t they? And he had the good fortune of having a relatively chill (by comparison of ‘normal’ standards) chinchilla, making her a good travel companion on the few rare occasions Nataniel wanted to leave his apartment.
But he wasn’t sure he liked December enough to give the kid his personal phone number or email, even if it was just to show off the light of his life. No matter how much Nat enjoyed talking about Dusk, he still didn’t really enjoy talking much at all.
“Maybe,” he replied noncommittally. December certainly wasn’t afraid of asking for things, though. Form a party, use the headset, give out his phone number. What a needy little kid.
No, Nataniel shook his head, eyes narrowing a fraction even as the thought occurred to him. Not a kid. December had said he was nineteen, and that was only a handful of years younger than Nat was. It wasn’t that significant a difference, no matter how young bubbliness made a person sound.
“She can make it pretty much anywhere. I prefer to keep her off of my bed in case of accidents, but she doesn’t often take my preferences into account.”
He took a slow breath, almost definitely audible through the headset as he tapped his fingers to the tabletop. “You said you might not be able to access a computer all the time. If you want to meet up next time, at a cafe, I’ll bring her with me.” Nataniel had nothing to fear of a physical meeting. If he grew bored or agitated, he could leave. It was easier than having a continuous, open communication channel, which he may not want at all hours of the day.
Because he did bet December sent a bunch of texts, all the time… He couldn’t be sure yet if he wanted to put up with that. But one meeting? One meeting wouldn’t be so bad, and it would give him whatever other information he needed to commit to the thought of giving someone he’d known only a month a little more personal information.
----
“I think I’d like that, but how am I supposed to tell you if I can’t make it if I can’t reach you?” Nat had given Dessy a maybe, but it wasn’t a yes, so he thought he’d try again with a little reasoning. He certainly wasn’t smart, but even he knew that making plans was hard if they didn’t have a way to communicate with one another outside of the game. Discord worked well too, but… His phone didn’t exactly come equipped with unlimited data... No downloading extra things for him.
That breath he heard… Was it a sigh? Was Nat getting frustrating with him? A bit of fear began to crawl up Dessy’s throat, panic that Nat was close to hanging up on him, to simply cut im off and ignore that they had ever spoken…
Would Nat really do that? … Quite possibly, yes.
“Whatever works for you.” He rushed out the words, tone now nervous as if any wrong word would ruin their budding friendship. “I’d be happy to see Dusk one day, and to play games with you... But hopefully I can get myself together and not have to worry about missing too much time… I don’t want to let you down, ahaha..”
---
“You’re on Discord right now, aren’t you? That’s as viable a method as any,” Nataniel reasoned. Literally every service anyone could ever want came as a cellphone app now, and Nat knew very few people who didn’t have access to something quality enough to download whatever app they might need. Not that he had the Discord application himself, but he could get it, and turning notifications off would be easier than looking up how to block someone’s number or dodging someone who’d looked up his address off the internet by using his phone number.
Ugh, technology. It was a blessing and a curse. It really was easiest just to sit in his bedroom, play online games, and go into no depth of his personal affairs at all. How had this taken such a turn…?
“You know when I’m available.” December did. Nat had been very explicit about the schedule he was prepared to play on. No mornings, no Saturday evenings. The other boy’s schedule seemed a little more hectic, but if he had a moment to actually meet him in person, he had a moment to message him beforehand. “I think it would be easiest if you messaged me when you were ready to meet up. As long as you do it within any of the time we usually play, that’ll be fine. I’ll pick you up from your brother’s if you need me to. You’d just have to say where.”
He didn’t even have his own computer, after all. Nataniel didn’t assume December would have a ride to get to any location they might meet at, but maybe he could, and it wouldn’t come to that.
---
“I am, but…” No, he didn’t continue, biting his lip to quiet himself again… It was a little embarrassing to think about.. That it wasn’t so easy to do things that normal people could. He couldn’t just outright say he was poor, or that he didn’t have data.
… Maybe he could talk to the Negaverse Accountants and ask for a better phone. It wasn’t as if he was a spectacularly worthy agent though… And there was no way he was going to bother June about that.
He’d figure it out.
“No, no! It’s okay, if I ask to meet up, I’ll be sure to go to wherever we’re going on my own. You don’t have to worry about that! I can’t bother you that much out of nowhere… But thank you, Nat, for being willing to play with me still. I’ll be sure to let you know with enough time that it wouldn’t ruin anything else. It’s time to say goodnight, right? Your lady is waiting for you.”
---
He might have pointed out that it was hardly a ‘bother’ to bring December anywhere, since he’d made it a point to offer, but neither was Nataniel going to argue about it. If the younger boy could get wherever he was going without Nat’s interference, that suited him just fine. “Whatever you prefer, then,” he replied, leaning back in his chair as he watched what he expected would be their last in-game fight for the evening draw to a close.
It was a bit of a bother to have to leave his apartment to play his game, when he knew he’d be more comfortable in his own room, but Nataniel was also too aware of how entirely irate he’d be if it happened that December was unable to play on a night when they were scheduled to do so due to dumb circumstances like being locked out of his house, or unable to access a computer- whichever it was.
Such blatant ruining of his schedule and plans was less tolerable than a simple relocation, even if said relocation wasn’t within the bounds of comfort and privacy.
And if he decided he liked December enough to endure his antics in person, Nat was sure he could come up with something more convenient for both of them, or himself, at the very least. It was tolerable for now. It had to be, and Dusk liked going out, besides…
“I suppose it is that time.” Dusk yipped, and Nataniel heard the distinct sounds of scratching and rummaging and she pawed impatiently at her bedding. “Even without the others, today wasn’t a waste. I’d prefer if you gave me as much warning as you can if you’re unable to play at home, but if it isn’t possible, I’ll try to be understanding.” And then, because he knew it was the courteous thing to say: “Have a good night, December.”
---
“I’ll let you know, but I’ve walked so much of this city so far, I’m absolutely certain that I can get there without bothering you!” Perhaps before his house burned he’d be lost. Having never left the place at all, even for simple tasks, he had no understanding of the bus system. Or the metro... Or anything, really. But now he had been forced out to do everything on his own, and was better for it.
Better for making friends, since he wouldn’t have to bother them. Or to bother June for that matter.
“It was really nice getting to talk to you, Nataniel. And thank you so much for being patient with me... I hope we can play together again real soon! Good night!” While everything was still on a good note, he hung up the call and logged out of the game, heart still somewhat racing at the thought of making plans with someone.. It was strange, but exciting and maybe his brother would be proud to know he was meeting up with a stranger online one day! Dessy really did need to learn to enjoy things more, so that wouldn’t be too bad!
For now, it was time to sleep on his place on the couch, and with sleep came happy dreams of some faceless-friend named Nat, who seemed really nice and they had lots of fun together... Even if it was just a dream, Dessy slept well that night and would wake up happy.
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