Well, hit me up when you can.
Will do, man. Catch ya later.
Atlas just sighed and headed back to his apartment. His boring life crashing back into him after the vividness of his time in game.
***
“You seem a little distracted?” Jean commented.
“Huh? Oh, sorry. Still hung up on the fact that my best friend is now an executive of the largest video game company. Kinda difficult to wrap my head around.”
She giggled, “Kinda surreal, isn’t it? To think we could get a high-paying job like that just by playing a game.”
“It’s tempting for sure. My job doesn’t pay the greatest, but it’s steady. With the game tied into the real world economy, it is certainly tempting to play it as a job.” Atlas told her before he picked up a fork full of noodles and slurped them down.
“I couldn’t do it. I’ve never been good at games myself. I played a little of Divine Genesis early during development and thought it was amazing from a neurological aspect, but I wasn’t very good at it.”
She plucked a meatball from her plate of spaghetti and bit into it. A splash of sauce spilled over onto her lip and Atlas smiled as she chewed. When she saw his face he continued his grin but lightly mimicked wiping the corner of his mouth and she blushed. Her unoccupied hand flew to her face with a napkin and quickly cleaned the spot.
“You’re still pretty, even with sauce on your face,” Atlas teased her.
“Oh shut up. How long did you let me sit here with that on my face?”
Atlas laughed, “You just got it on there with your last bite.”
Jean stared at him for a few moments before returning to her food. Atlas chuckled to himself as she spooned food in and immediately covered her lower face with her hand.
“Come on now. That’s ridiculous.”
“Quiet, you. If I want to cover my mouth while I eat, I will.”
“But how am I supposed to see your beautiful smile behind your hand?”
She rolled her eyes at him, “Laying it on a little thick tonight?”
He blushed and lowered his head, “Sorry. Still a little nervous about whatever this is. That combined with the weird day has me all kinds of confused.”
“Well, how about you just focus on me for the rest of the night? This dinner is delicious, but what are we doing next?”
Atlas froze for a moment, trying to figure out what to do before he remembered they were close to a public park.
“How about we walk through the park down the road? I hear the flowers are lovely this time of year.”
“That’s more like it,” she told him with a soft smile.
***
The alarm blared and startled him awake. He jumped to his feet and swiped it off. His trip through the house was a breeze as he threw on his clothes and dashed straight for his car. It had been a grueling two days of work and he hadn’t been able to meet up with Jean again.
Atlas flew down the highway, headed directly for Gaia Corporation. He was itching to hop back in game and try out his new cat form in combat. A laundry list of crafting things waited on him too.
He fired off a quick text message to Keenan on his way.
Hope the new job is working out. I’m sure you’ll do great!
No response, but it didn’t surprise him. Keenan told him they had him booked solid for a few days at least.
His car screeched to a halt in the multi-story parking garage and Atlas winced.
Seriously need to get those brake pads replaced.
He didn’t talk to anyone until the check in point. The elevator actually had two other people on it this time, but he didn’t bother to speak to them either. They all remained silent until it came to a halt and each walked directly for their assigned pod.
“Atlas! Good to see you again,” the bubbly voice of Jean told him as he approached.
“Good to see you too. How’s work been?”
“You know. I think I’m going to institute a new rule. You can no longer ask me that question. You better come up with something new. My answer is always the same.”
Atlas grinned at her antics but finally came up with a different question, “So, are you always a messy eater or was that just the other night?”
She slapped him lightly on the arm with a laugh, “Get in that capsule before I strangle you. Call me when you get out. If you stay in the entire time, I’ll be off work when you get done.”
“Will do,” he said as he lightly squeezed her hand and hopped in. He wanted to try a quick kiss but knew this place had to be loaded with cameras.
He adjusted himself in the seat as the helmet slid on and the pod closed.
‘Have fun’ Jean mouthed to him through the glass and everything went black.
Chapter 19
A Daring Rescue
Atlas woke up to the smell of fresh cut lumber. The Master of the Wood’s cottage looked exactly as it did when he left. He grabbed his bags and left without a second thought. The house was nice, but it served no real purpose other than a safe place to log out and store his stuff.
The street bustled with activity as people went about their business. He spotted more of the Reborn walking around. The names usually tipped him off, but the occasional person stood out by a gaudy collection of armor. Most of the natives wore matching garments. Even the guards commonly wore matching styles in all of their armor. The players wore anything they could find.
Heading to his trainers for his skills was his priority. He turned toward the trade
