And her comm was still on.
Jim was looking at Alex, trying to hold back his laughter. “I’m not laughing at the first date thing. I mean, it’s my first date too. You knew this was a date, right?”
“Of course, I knew it was a date. I’m not dense. What the hell did you think was so funny?”
Jim pointed at Chine, who was lazily blowing out small ether fireballs to dispel the clouds in front of him. “Just the whole telepathy thing you have to do with Chine. I’m very happy I don’t have to deal with that. Mechs don’t talk, and they can’t give me shit.”
“Haven’t you ever heard of the ghost in the machine? Maybe it’ll grow its own soul.”
Jim opened his cockpit and stretched his arms out, letting the mech fly on autopilot. “I’d prefer not to think about that. These things are already hard enough to handle. I don’t even want to think about contending with a real personality.”
“Guess that’s the difference between us dragonriders and you mech riders. We can interact. I’m pretty sure all you guys are doing are pressing buttons and hoping the thing doesn’t break down on you.”
Jim feigned taking a shot to the heart and fell back into his mech. “Damn, if that’s your idea of flirting, you might want to put on some gloves. You’re going to leave my ego way too bruised.”
“Dude, I haven’t even started teasing you yet. This isn’t even the first round.” Alex started shadowboxing, tossing jabs and hooks at imaginary foes. “You’re lucky you’re not in the ring with me,” she said as she jabbed. “They call me ‘Thunderfists’ out on the mean streets.”
“Oh, really. Thunderfists? When did they start doing that?”
“First thing my mother said when I was born,” Alex said, putting on a fake Southern accent. “Mamma said I punched my way straight out into the world. Been a slugger ever since. What’s your story, cowboy?” she asked.
Jim steered his mech closer to Alex’s dragon and leaned out of the cockpit. “My story? Oh, I just came in with the wind. I don’t have a story,” he replied with a horrendous Western accent. “And I’d like to keep it that way. Stories hold you down. Make you all weighty and heavy. Nope, a man like me don’t need no story. We just roll with the wind. Can’t lose what you don’t collect.”
Alex giggled as she noticed how widely Jim was smiling at her. It was the kind of smile that made her want to stop what she was doing, whatever it was, and just stare for a little bit. “You’re not too bad at that. Wouldn’t have pegged you as one for improv.”
“Before Middang3ard VR, I used to do a lot of tabletop role-playing. Sometimes we’d just roll random characters, and you’d have to pretend to be a klepto orc or a skittish elf for a month. Kinda seems funny in hindsight. You know, with having to fight orcs and having a drow for a teammate.”
Alex was glad she had never cared much for fantasy books or games. It was much more interesting to be experiencing it all for the first time. The most she had ever learned of fantasy had been from Middang3ard VR, but now she was living the real thing. “How much longer until we get to this place?” she asked.
Jim looked at his dashboard while he pushed his upper lip out with his tongue. “Probably another half-hour. I know it’s a little far, but it’s supposed to be beautiful.”
Alex half-wondered why Gill knew about it. He wasn’t from this realm, so he must have recently gone there. “I love riding,” Alex said. “It could be six hours away, and I’d be glad for the ride.”
Jim started to slowly bring his mech into a descent, getting out of the clouds. “You know, I can’t remember the last time I had a full day off. Between training and these recent crazy missions, I thought I was going to lose my mind.”
Alex agreed. It had been too long without a break. The last few months had been nothing but a blur. Between the invasion of the Dark Nest, fighting a reality-warping meteor and being recruited for a rescue mission in an orcish arena, Alex had hardly had a chance to catch her breath. And that wasn’t counting all the regular classes and training sessions Alex and the rest of Team Boundless had to attend.
Myrddin had informed the Nest that today was going to be a national holiday but hadn’t elaborated on whose people or which nations were host to it. Alex thought it was just a way for Myrddin to give the Nest a chance to relax without looking like he’d gone soft. It was a good idea.
Jim kicked his feet up in the cockpit as he pulled out a soda. He whistled for Alex’s attention and mimed opening the can, and when Alex nodded, he tossed one over to her. “Wish we would have gotten more than a day off,” Alex grumbled. “I feel like my nerves have been fraying for the last week.”
Jim nodded his agreement before saying, “Yeah, I’m not sure if they think running us ragged is going to make us tougher or if they don’t realize we’re tired. I mean, my dad used to talk about how bad boot camp was sometimes. Doubt this is much different. At least we’re clear of getting any more missions. I can deal with school and training.”
School and training were easier than missions, but Alex didn’t want to do either of them. Spending a week flying with Chine and goofing off seemed like a more appropriate reward for saving a realm and thwarting the attack on the Nest. That was probably reserved for heroes, though, and Alex was just a soldier, one of many.
Jim leaned over the edge of his mech’s cockpit and peered down. Then he sat back down and
