"So, let me guess, you were just running around Dark Flag kicking butt and taking names when your phone rang," Quinn said.
"What?" I blinked and looked back at our avatars. We were on the crest above the Black Fields and my clan was starting to gather.
"When someone called and offered to sponsor your playing," she said. "Were you just sitting around in your boxer briefs playing at noon on Tuesday?"
"Stop talking about my underwear," I said. "I play fully dressed. What have I told you about gamer stereotypes?"
"That's not a gamer stereotype, it’s a guy thing. I know you all take your pants off the first chance you get." She nudged me with her elbow and laughed.
I could not tell her it was her pants I wanted to take off. "Are you asking me how I got my job?"
"Yes. Did someone just notice you were the rock star of online games and track you down?"
"No. It takes a little more than that," I said. "I know it’s hard to believe, but this is a real profession. I started off as a Beta Tester for a gaming company. Before that, I got all kinds of experience writing code. It’s taken years to get where I am."
"When did you learn to write code?"
"In high school. My part time job was to write the code for games other people were creating. It’s why I started to play video games so much," I said.
Quinn flipped back her wavy chestnut hair. "What's Beta testing?"
"It’s when a game is nearly finished. The creators need people to actually play it. Players uncover all the inconsistencies and bugs. Then, the creators go back and fix it all before wide release," I said.
"Is that why you know so much about Dark Flag?" Quinn bit her lip again as she tried a new spell.
"No," I said, forcing my eyes to stay on the screen. "I'm just really good."
Quinn paused her avatar, whose heaving breasts and skin-tight suit were not helping me at all. "So you didn't do any Beta testing on Dark Flag, you just picked it up and became the all-conquering Light Slayer?"
"Yes. And before you ask, I had the sponsorships beforehand."
"Wow. So you really are that good," she said.
I reactivated her avatar and kept playing. "You'll figure it out too. I mean, you've only been playing for a few days and you can keep up with me. I'm thinking you could be a good protégé."
Quinn bounced forward on the leather sofa. "God, how great would that be? I really want something I can just throw my whole self into, you know? That's what's so hard about the nursing program. Everywhere all around me, classmates are doing exactly what they always wanted to do. And every day, I'm wondering why I don't feel the same way too."
"But you feel that way playing Dark Flag?"
"Yeah, I know. It’s corny and I'm sure it just seems like a convenient escape."
"No," I said, squeezing her knee. "As long as you want to really learn about all of it and not just play for fun."
"Show me," Quinn said.
I gripped my controller. It had been days, no, years since I saw Quinn look so inspired. She had been dutiful, responsible, and practical. But none of those things lit her from within like she was now. The fact that doing what I loved had the same effect on her was too good to be true. My blood was pumping.
I brought up two hidden menus that showed some of the master commands. "Knowing how to find things like this is part of my super power," I said.
"All those years of Beta testing paying off, huh?" Her chocolate brown eyes flew over the new information.
"Don't worry, it’s not completely unfair. Stuff like this is all over the internet. A few hours of research and you could find it," I said.
"Ooo, what's a Portal Spell?" Quinn asked. Her lithe fingers were already trying out the sequence over the top of her controller buttons.
"It sends you and any chosen player into a private space. A lot of people use it during combat," I said.
"Oops," Quinn said.
She had accomplished the tricky sequence and now our avatars were alone in the great hall of an abandoned castle. Anxious messages flashed from my clan members, and I sent them all our coded message for “stick to the plan.” While Quinn's avatar shimmied across the wide open hall, my clan was still preparing to cross the Black Fields and take the next stronghold.
"This is so cool," Quinn said. "Once you get the hang of it, it can almost move like a real person. I bet it almost feels natural to you."
"That's the whole point," I said. It was hard to take my eyes off her now graceful avatar, but Quinn herself was irresistible. "We've gotten to the point in gaming when you can actually step into whole other worlds."
"And do things you would never dream of doing in real life," Quinn said.
Her eyes were on mine, the chocolate brown melting as I returned her look. "That's the attraction for a lot of people."
"Not for you?" she asked.
I put my controller down and took her hand. "No. I spent a lot of my life setting aside what I really wanted to do. That's over now."
Her lips only inches from mine. I wanted to move, to kiss her, but I could not. Our eyes held as if some greater force had paused us there.
#
I took a deep breath. "We should go to Vegas."
Quinn's eyes opened wider, and I wondered what she thought I meant.
"There's a great arcade, lots of people. A lot of people there like Dark Flag. You'll get good experience," I said.
She laughed and sat back. "Sure. Sounds great. I was thinking about heading back to school, anyway. I don't want to spend another night with my parents."
"Do you need to call them?" I asked.
Quinn shrugged. "They didn't notice I was gone in the first place. I'll wait for them to call me."
We headed towards the Vegas Strip, the lights growing brighter. Neon suddenly towered up above us. Quinn smiled, her face raised to the multi-colored lights.
"Do you like Vegas?" I asked. It was always a topic of discussion amongst people who had grown up in the area. Those that hated it moved away to places like Los Angeles.
"I do. When I was little, Vegas felt like something out of a fairy tale. Like you could drink a magic potion and everything would be like in Wonderland," Quinn said.
"And now?"
"It’s a good place to disappear for a while. There are so many tourists here that it is easy to pretend to be someone else."
I drove towards the Excalibur Casino. In the basement was a huge and silly arcade. Somehow, looking at Quinn's face under the neon lights, going to an arcade did not feel right.
"I know a good bar near here. More locals than tourists, but still a fun place to be someone else for a while," I said.
Quinn smiled and I parked in a ramp. We walked the long block to the bar. It was a small dive bar wedged between a large casino and a cowboy-themed restaurant. We paused for a moment to marvel at the amount of tourists that had either packed or worn their cowboy boots on the airplane.
"He even has spurs. Do they allow those in the casinos?" Quinn asked.
"Luckily, they look about as dull as he is," I said.