“Where to?” I asked

  “I hear there’s a Sorcery: The Circle tournament at Rogue’s Roost.”

  “I don’t have any of my cards.”

  “Me neither. Probably too soon to delve into my… ahem… adult game collection on Gas.”

  I choked on a laugh. “Maybe another date or two.”

  They side-eyed me. “That long, eh?”

  I shrugged. “I’m new at this.”

  Robin laughed. “Let’s go to Rogue’s anyway. Maybe they have the Deluxe Insanity version of Chrono Trigger Remade.”

  “Sounds like a date.” I swung our entangled hands as we walked.

  A couple blocks later, we stepped through the front door.

  I’d been there before, but Robin knew everybody. They introduced me to the shop owner Josh, their managers Garrett and Sam, and the regular-turned-employee Dustin. They were all insanely welcoming. It felt… off. My hands shook so hard Robin tried to steady me.

  “It’s okay,” they whispered. “These are our people.”

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  I squeezed their hand, took three deep breaths, and attempted small talk.

  “Must be pretty cool to own your own game store?” I asked Josh.

  “It is—unless you want to pay your bills,” they chuckled. “Seriously though. I had trouble with… well, people. But the community here cracked my shell. Made it a safe haven. Like Danny the Street. I wouldn’t trade that for anything—even paid bills.”

  I nodded. “I love Doom Patrol, especially Danny. Just out of curiosity—do you know River?”

  “I love River! He’s in the business and buys more comics than I do. Best friends with Alison Alistair, too. And he claims to be Cameraperson’s secret crush." Josh laughed, then stared off blankly, lost in thought. “CP comes here for manga, and boy, what I would do to them.”

  “Boss does this every time Cameraperson comes up. Might take a few minutes,” Garrett explained. “Wanna play Sorcery?”

  “We didn’t bring our decks,” Robin said.

  “No worries, we have more than enough. We can set up at the counter,” Dustin offered.

  The four of us sat, held out our hands, and a staff appeared in each. We nodded, then tapped our staves on the floor. Our decks floated into the air, shuffled themselves, then dealt ten cards each.

  “So, Riley, what are you into?” Garrett asked.

  Robin's eyes widened. “Riley… you’re—are you okay—”

  The staff fell from my hands.

  Everything went black.

  ~

  I know exactly what you’re thinking. Another weird sci-fi love story? Maybe a ‘girl in the fridge' scenario, where I’m murdered and Robin becomes a crazed superhero? Or just another story about anxiety and mental health? Who are these new characters? Are they going to be rival love interests?

  The answers, in order: No. Hell no. Sort of. Just new characters. No.

  Y’all need to be less judgemental.

  ~

  The River and Friends Series - River and the Bug, The Adventures of Alison Alistair. and The Reaper Wears a Scarf. Please check them out!