AnimeCon Harem 13: Proving a Point (Patreon)

   As if she was able to sense how much reassurance he needed, Stephanie stepped over and embraced him in a hug. Brian winced slightly as her arms brushed across his new bruises, and before he could take honest comfort in being held by his girlfriend, she jerked back from him in surprise.

   “Brian, y-you’re...” Stephanie wiped at her eyes in alarm as she reexamined him more closely. “You’re hurt!”

   “Sorry!” Rebecca hurried to apologize. “We, um, we went a little overboard.”

   “Overboard?” Stephanie’s pink tresses whirled as she spun to face Rebecca. “What happened?! Did his, um, did his ex—”

   “I’m fine, I’m fine,” Brian said, more amused than miffed that fretting over him was getting in the way of him getting a hug. “Rebecca beat some sense into me.”

   “Rebecca!” Stephanie sounded shocked.

   “It was padded weapons!” Rebecca protested. “It was perfectly safe, mostly!”

   “Uhh, guys?” Megan chimed in, tapping at Stephanie’s elbow.

   “Was kidding,” Brian said. “She could tell after the whole Chloe thing I just really needed to blow off some steam, try to get my head back in the right place.”

   “Guys?” Megan’s voice rose.

   “But, that’s—Brian your arms are red all over!” Stephanie insisted. “And, and I’ve seen what she can do with those padded weapons—”

   “That... was completely different,” Rebecca wore a sheepish smile. “That was in self defense! Who knows what those creeps would have done to—”

   “Okay, guys? They didn’t even make it out the doors,” Megan waved to get their attention and then jerked her thumb towards the entrance to the Atrium.

   Glancing over, Brian was floored. Emily and Kelly were drawing attention from all around them—because they were standing in a big open area, surrounded by people, and they were french kissing each other. He watched on in disbelief as they made out like horny teenagers, open-mouthed, hungrily kissing each other. Across the way, a guy in a medieval tabard elbowed his buddy and then jerked his chin in the girls’ direction, and as the public display of affection drew on, more and more heads were turning in that direction.

   “You guys!” Stephanie whispered in a harsh voice, starting towards the pair for a moment before quickly turning back. “They’re—I’ve got to—I’ll take care of them. Rebecca—will you please check on Brian’s bruises? Please?”

   “Those two will be fine, it’s not that big of a deal,” Rebecca tried to sound unworried. “They’re just kissing. Honestly, no one even noticed earlier when Kelly was kissing you here!”

   “Uhh, yeah but that was over here, not over there out in the middle of everything,” Megan pointed out. “Annnd look—doesn’t seem like they’re gonna stop at kissing.”

   Oblivious to the commotion she was causing, Emily had already gone for broke and was copping a feel. In response, Kelly squirmed, wriggled in appreciation to the hand pawing at her left breast, and their kiss intensified.

   “Emily...!” Stephanie called out as she hurried over, Megan’s taller figure chasing after her.

   Brian took a single stunned step in that direction too but then faltered, his mood dropping out from under him all over again.

   They’re—I mean I see what they’re doing, but WHY? Brian struggled to make sense of it.

   He didn’t feel jealous or betrayed or anything like that, but he did feel confused and honestly, a little hurt. Brian wasn’t against Emily and Kelly kissing, this just didn’t seem like the time or place for them to be having cheeky fun. Not now, anyways. Seeing their unbridled enthusiasm for each other had him feeling like dead weight, because while they were apparently brushing past all the stressful situations and fear he was still very much hung up on them.

   I just—is this normal? Brian wondered. Chloe just came at us with a bunch of trumped up nonsense, trying to get us thrown out. Got into a screaming match with us, she smacked me and then Stephanie practically knocked her head off in return. Those two disappear, while we can’t get Steph to calm back down again. They show up again— Steph snaps out of it but starts crying instead. And they’re just—fine with everything? In the mood to make out? It all just seems so… OFF.

   “Brian?” Rebecca asked in a quiet voice. “Are you alright?”

   “Uh,” Brian blew out a slow breath and ran a hand through his hair. “No? I’m really—I just. I don’t know, I feel really… out of it? Out of what’s going on? I think? Maybe I need a minute or something. Don’t know if I’m too worked up after all that that just happened or what, but…”

   “Um—crapsticks,” Rebecca groaned as they watched Stephanie and Megan way across the room ushering Emily and Kelly out of the Atrium. “I should’ve… Well. I should’ve gone and chaperoned, and Stephie should have… well, I think this with you would normally be a Stephie thing to tackle. But, she’s… um, okiedokie, so, why don’t you come over here with me, and I’ll… get you some ice if you want, and I'll try to explain everything without actually explaining anything at all?”

   “...Okay,” Brian said, staring over at the Atrium exit where they’d disappeared for a moment with a vacant expression before following Rebecca.

   The table where Marina sat looking after the safety waivers and medical kit was just as they’d left it, though now the young woman seemed to be expecting them.

   “I’m honestly surprised you’re still standing,” Marina laughed as she looked Brian up and down. “Everyone saw your fight—and, I’ve never seen anyone take hits like that. Not without going down. And, you just kept taking them…? How are you okay? Do you realize how loud those hits were? I was cringing, and I’m all the way over—”

   “Hhh-hmm, yes,” Rebecca cleared her throat awkwardly. “We, um. We might have gotten a little carried away.”

   “It’s not even that bad,” Brian frowned. “Can barely tell I got hit at all, so long as I don’t move.”

   “Um, I can see from here that you’re red and swelling up all over the place,” Marina snorted as she scooped ice out of the cooler and into a plastic baggie for them. “You’re—yeah, you’re probably gonna need a couple of these. Do you want any painkillers?”

   “Brian?” Rebecca prompted, sorting through the medical kit. “Profen?”

   “I’m fine—just ice is fine,” Brian said.

   “Oookay, why don’t you get that shirt off so that we can take a look?” Marina asked, eyeing his figure with a smile. “Strictly medically, you understand.”

   “Marina, he’s spoken for,” Rebecca chuckled. “He’s really spoken for.”

   “I did say ‘strictly medically’ this time,” Marina shrugged, passing them another baggie.

   “Thank you, Marina,” Rebecca leaned over the table and gave the girl a half-hug.

   “Alright, alright, get out of here, then,” Marina accepted the hug and then motioned to shoo them away. “All you guys do is use up all my good ice.”

   “I do think I should take a look without the shirt,” Rebecca commented as she lead him away. “There’s an upper level restroom over across the way that doesn’t get crowded. On the other hall’s side next to us, above where they were having that business convention.”

   “It’s fine, I can take my shirt off wherever,” Brian said. “Doesn’t need to be out of the way, or private or anything. Honestly, it doesn’t even hurt that much anymore.”

   “Hm, well I was also thinking we might find the others there,” Rebecca said, giving him a knowing smile. “The girls. If they’re looking for someplace to—well, it’s the only spot I can think of.”

   “Sure,” Brian said.

   Naturally, starting to walk around made him realize he was smarting quite a bit—the muscles along his sides, shoulders, and neck all ached and felt unnaturally tight, as if he was taped up. He absentmindedly tried to work his arms and shrug it off as they headed out of the Atrium, and he couldn’t help but immediately scan all around them in either direction for any glimpse of the others. It had only been a minute or two since the girls left ahead of them, but already they were nowhere in sight. Brian was starting to feel pretty terrible, inside and out.

   “Over this way,” Rebecca smiled.

   She hefted the ice bags and led him away from the scattered crowds of AnimeCon in Hall C and across the upper level of the convention center towards the next pavilion over. It was a bit of a walk, but here things were completely deserted—Hall D was hosting a business convention or trade show of some kind, but they were only using the ground floor for their operations and their upper floor was completely empty.

   Brian turned to look back behind them twice, but didn’t catch sight of any familiar brightly-colored hair.

   “Um,” Rebecca’s cheer dimmed upon seeing his downcast expression. “Well. Okay, here we go—you know something weird’s been going on this weekend, right? With everyone.”

   “Yeah,” Brian nodded, eager for distraction. “Definitely.”

   “So. While keeping that in mind, how much do you remember about you and Emily and what happened with you two back during—um—I guess it was Homecoming night? This was way back before I knew either of you, but hopefully you should know which night I mean?”

   “The night Emily drank tequila?” Brian asked.

   “Yes! Yes, that night,” Rebecca nodded in relief. “That one in particular. So, after hearing the story from her, I kind of think I understand both sides of what happened. Emily was drinking, annnd she tried to kiss you, and you didn’t react well because you thought she tried to kiss you because she was drinking. Right?”

   “That’s… yeah,” Brian couldn’t help but give an uneasy glance back behind them again. “She got herself completely shitfaced. I mean, under different circumstances that would have, like—”

   “I get it!” Rebecca held up a hand. “I do get that. I get where you were coming from. Now, from the other point of view, let’s say—okay, Emily had a crush on you. You should know that now, but I mean, she had a crush on you… back then. She was going to confess, and the tequila was supposed to help bolster her courage up a bit for that. But, yeah you know that turned into a bit of a mess.”

   “That’s… well, for a long time back then I wanted to think that’s what happened,” Brian admitted. “That she really was into me, and that—I don’t know. I couldn’t be sure, all of these… doubts kept me from letting myself believe it. I couldn’t be sure, and she didn’t want to talk about it, so I thought…”

   “Gotcha!” Rebecca nodded. “I understand. Well, right now… things are like that, again. If that makes any sense? Emily doesn’t want me to tell you the specifics, because she’s afraid… no, she’s completely terrified that things will go like they did back then when that all happened.”

   “It’s… like, what, is it a drug? Something like a drug?” Brian’s bewildered look started to harden. “How did—why—I don’t think I understand. How did Stephanie and Kelly get caught up in this?”

   “That’s difficu—um, that’s actually impossible to explain,” Rebecca gave him a helpless look and then put a hand to her brow. “I… I don’t know how much more I should even say. Emily doesn’t want to, well, she’s terrified of jeopardizing what’s going on here with, um. How you might react to it. Kind of like the situation with the tequila.”

   “Okay, then,” Brian gave her a helpless shrug followed by a wince as it reminded him of the beating and battering he’d taken. “If she doesn’t want to say, that’s... fine. All I need to know, is— is this, is whatever’s going on, is it dangerous?”

   “...Yes,” Rebecca said. “It is dangerous. This that’s happening, um, what happened with Stephanie freaking out—that’s one of the dangers. The risks to this. Emily is okay with accepting whatever risks there are, but… she’s terrified that you won’t be able to. And, that’s all I can say about it. I don’t like that there’s any secrets between any of us—I mean, any of you. I feel like we all need to be on the same page, but also… everything’s gotten really, really complicated, Brian.”

   “Yeah,” Brian mumbled. His mind was whirling as he tried to make sense of it all.

   “Anyways—here we are!” Rebecca said in a sing-song voice.

   It was a ladies’ restroom, and it was completely dark for a moment after they stepped inside. Then, an automatic sensor tripped, and overhead lights flooded the restroom with brightness—unlike the bustling restrooms over in Hall C with water splatters all over the mirrors and heaping mounds of used paper towels tossed all around the waste can, this one was empty and hadn’t seen use all weekend.

   “Funny story—Chloe actually taught me this trick last year,” Rebecca hummed. “She hates going to um, freshen up in a bathroom that has a bunch of other people coming and going.”

   “I know,” Brian nodded. “I remember. Used to walk her over to this hall and wait for her every time.”

   “Ah, yeah,” Rebecca sighed. “You know Brian… Chloe, she didn’t really mean all those things she was—”

   “Let’s… not even get into that,” Brian grunted. “Sorry, I just. I’m not even really calmed down from it yet. The things I want to say right now aren’t gonna be fair to her or nice at all, and I know you’re still trying to be her friend. I—I can’t be her friend anymore, I can’t even—”

   “You’re right! Sorry,” Rebecca gave him a guilty look. “I shouldn’t have, um. Steph would have picked up on that right away, here I am being totally clueless! Shirt off! Let’s see how bad it is.”

   “Alright,” Brian said.

   He peeled off the shirt—it really hurt doing that motion, prompting him to wonder just how many times Rebecca—or Mara—had managed to nail him at full force in the same spot. It had been years and years now since his father last hit him, and although those were always going to be more painful in a lot of ways, they weren’t as comprehensive as the beating Rebecca had given him in their game of swordfight. She hit hard, seeming to hold nothing back, she’d hit him dozens and dozens of times, and though her strikes seemed pretty precise they still landed all over him.

   “Oof—ow ow ow,” Brian grimaced in pain as he struggled to get his face clear of the shirt collar while lifting his shoulders as little as possible. “Okay yeah, now I’m definitely feeling it.”

   He didn’t even hear the bags of ice hit the tiled floor.

   When he finally got out of the shirt and was setting it aside on the sink next to him, he realized Rebecca was staring. Not a clinical look as she examined injuries, not giving him a once over and whistling in admiration of the bruises that were her handiwork—Rebecca was looking at him with raw, open-mouthed desire. She took a step forward, past the ice bags, and then another, and then her fingers came up to trace along his naked upper body.

   The turn of events seemed so sudden that the moment stopped feeling real to him, and he didn’t snap out of it until after watching his friend lean in—slowly—appreciatively press her lips to the area just beneath his collarbone.

   “Uhhh,” Brian finally jerked back from her in surprise. “Rebecca—”

   “Brian, I want you to pay attention to this,” Rebecca said in a small voice. “Emmie will get upset if I spill the beans on everything that’s going on, but—I can do this. I can’t tell you exactly what’s going on, but this is a hint.”

   “A hint?” Brian echoed with an uneasy laugh. “You, ah, you don’t have to go that far with, uh. Rebecca I know—well I think you’re trying to help, but I don’t have a clue what all’s going on and when you say stuff like this is a hint and do that it’s like I’m getting… real mixed messages? You know?”

   “I’m not giving you mixed messages,” Rebecca grinned. “You can take me kissing you as a direct sign that I’m very, very attracted to you right now.”

   “Err, yeah that’s what I thought,” Brian ran a hand through his hair. “Just—”

   “It’s also a hint towards what’s going on in the larger context,” Rebecca murmured, leaning back in and softly puckering her lips against Brian’s naked chest. “So—I want you to pay attention, I want you to, um, consider things, and I want you to try to keep an open mind on things that may seem impossible or too incredible to be real. Because, anything’s possible. Okay?”

   “Uh,” Brian said. “You mean... in the context of this big secret thing, or…?”

   “Hmm,” Rebecca’s eyes traveled down Brian’s body for a moment as she considered. “Both!”

   “Rebecca…” Brian wore an awkward expression. “I, uh. No offense, you’re really great but I don’t know if I like you in, uh, in that way. I don’t mean to—”

   “Of course you wouldn’t,” Rebecca pressed back in and planted another kiss on his skin. “That’s completely normal. We barely know each other, silly!”

   “Yeah, exactly,” Brian said. “Sooo—”

   “That’s why this is a hint,” Rebecca kissed his body again, and then again, this time flicking out the tip of her tongue across his pectorals. “Think about it in the context of what’s happened this weekend. Why am I—”

   She paused to place several more moist kisses across his musculature.

   “—so attracted to you, all of the sudden?”

   “I... don’t know,” Brian responded. “But, you’re saying something’s going on that makes you feel like you’re attracted to me? Like a compulsion? And, that’s what’s been going on with everyone this weekend? And none of this is real? Or, I’m losing my mind? If—”

   “Hm,” Rebecca made a thoughtful noise as she gently bit down on his shoulder. “Something is definitely going on. Why would you think it’s not real?”

   “I mean—” Brian was struggling not to become distracted. “If something’s going on, making you think you feel things for me, then obviously it’s not real. Right?”

   “Hmm,” Rebecca quirked her head up at him. “That’s a very black and white thing for you, isn’t it?”

   “Yeah,” Brian replied. “It has to be.”

   “Then—what makes feelings real?” Rebecca asked with a teasing expression, and her head bobbed back down to begin kissing a line down his body. “What makes them not real? Does your first crush not count as real, because oh, you’re just young and full of hormones? Is it not real when you feel a strong compulsion towards someone, if you know oh, it might just be your sex drive, or just like, social pressure to find a suitable partner, or any number of other reasons—your own unique psychology of desires? What reasons count and what reasons don’t count? What ever makes any desire valid?”

   “I—” Brian frowned as he thought about it. “I’m not saying I know everything about it, but yeah sometimes there is a definite line, there. Like, back then with Emily and the tequila. If there was even a chance that she was under the influence, then I needed to be the responsible one. Assume she can’t actually consent, assume her choices—her feelings aren’t real.”

   “Hmm, hhm,” Rebecca let out thoughtful murmurs as she lowered herself further so that she could tickle his abdominals with fluttery kisses. “So, alcohol. Did you know that Emily tried to repeat that mistake all over again this weekend?! She was trying to bring along this cheapo jug of Bourbon, real nasty stuff—goodness, I really can’t believe her, sometimes. Brian, I don’t think you were wrong in trying to be safe and responsible. I can respect that. You were wrong about her feelings. But, you also couldn’t have known that.”

   “I—yeah,” Brian admitted, jerking slightly but trying not to flinch away from Rebecca’s soft lips. “It’s complicated. So, as long as you can tell me that whatever the hell’s going on doesn’t have you all under some kind of influence—”

   “Oh, we’re definitely being influenced,” Rebecca licked a long line that traced along the edge of his abdominal v.

   “I mean a bad influence,” Brian stammered. “One that isn’t, uh, you know. Good for any of you.”

   “The influence can be very, very good and it can be very, very bad,” Rebecca told him. “Is being with you good for Stephanie? For Kelly? Emily? Me? What’s best for everyone, and who gets to decide that? All of us are biased with our own wants and needs.”

   “You, uh, you know what I mean,” Brian countered.

   Rebecca had put her hand on his hip as she dropped down for balance, but now that she was hunkered down in a crouch before him, that hand was sliding across the front of his pants to take hold of the bulge that had grown there.

   “I do know what you mean,” Rebecca looked up at him with lust in her eyes. “You want me to tell you which side of the line this magical something that’s affecting us falls on.”

   “Basically— yeah,” Brian admitted. “So long as you can assure me that—”

   “I can’t tell you that, because I have no idea,” Rebecca smiled as she gave the large lump of his manhood a slight squeeze. “What I can tell you is that you need to be very careful when you do decide to draw lines, because Emily is terrified she’s going to wind up on the wrong side of one again. All of us are, to some extent.”

   “But, does—” Brian let out a groan of frustration and made a face. “Can I just say that this is like, one of the weirdest, most surreal conversation and situation I’ve ever been in—ever? And, that’s saying something, because I’ve had some out there talks with Emily over the years.”

   “Oh, I bet.”

   “Can you just… tell me what the fuck’s actually going on and explain?” Brian asked. “Please? It’s like you’re trying to help, and under different circumstances this whole, uh, situation here with you would be very cool, but I’m honestly just getting more and more freaked out. By all of this. I really hate the idea that this weekend—that none of this might be real.”

   “I know,” Rebecca sighed and let her hands drop onto her knees. “But, for me—if I tell you what I know right now and you jump to the wrong conclusion right away—Emily really won’t ever forgive me. I might not even forgive myself.”

   “Not telling me is even worse, makes me think I need to bug out. Separate myself from all of you before something terrible happens,” Brian swallowed uneasily. “For your own good. For my own good. Hell, maybe something terrible already has happened. This morning, Stephanie and I… we… and also last night, I was with Emily.

   “Was it wrong, was it a mistake? I don’t know that—I can’t know that without knowing what’s going on, Rebecca. I’m freaking the fuck out. So—who’s to say what the ‘wrong’ conclusion even is, or why you think it’s alright to push me towards what you think the right one is. If we—”

   “Brian, look at me,” Rebecca interrupted. “Look. I want to take off your pants.”

   “No,” Brian refused, taking a step towards the vanity where his shirt was. “Just—no, nope, we’re not—”

   “Stop, stop and listen to me and let me finish,” Rebecca urged, grabbing onto his leg. “I really want to take off your pants and give you an amazing hummer so that you’re not so stressed. I want more, even—I want to have sex with you, right here in this restroom. I want to be intimate with you, I want to shower you with comfort and affection and kiss you and cuddle you and make sure you know that everything’s going to be okay. I need that. Do you believe that I need that, how much I need that? That my interest in you has just, just taken off and heightened and heightened ever since I got caught up in this crazy magical thing with them?”

   “Rebecca—” Brian began to say.

   “When we started swordfighting, I mean when we really started and you started letting go and getting into it, that’s when I really wanted to be all over you,” Rebecca said, rising back up to her feet.

   “You being so torn up about the, the morality of what all’s going on? That just makes it even worse! It’s—to me, it’s irresistible. It’s making you irresistible. Emily always spoke the world of you, but you never really know who’s a creep and who’s a genuinely great guy until they’re put in a position of temptation. You being like this, you being real, you being just like Emily made you out to be? You have no idea how badly I want it, how badly I need it from you. Right now.

   “But,” Rebecca took a step closer. “I’m not going to.“

   “Because, it isn’t a good idea right now,“ Rebecca continued. “Because I choose not to, even though I want to. I’m not really ready to take things that far and that fast with you. You’re not ready, you have too much going on. Like you said, we don’t even know each other that well, yet. I’m not even going to kiss you—on the lips, I mean, even though I want to, I really want to, because I know what would happen, and I don’t think we’re ready for that yet.”

   “You know what would happen?” Brian repeated. “You mean your hair would start to change color. If we kissed. Right?”

   “Yes,” Rebecca admitted. “That’s what would happen.”

   “So—you said magical, when you said that, did you mean magical magical? Like that might not have been ‘magical’ like as a turn of phrase?”

   “I gave you my hint—a lot of hints, really, annnd I proved a point,” Rebecca said, brushing the skirting of her tunic and recomposing herself. “All I will say is that there is an influence that makes me very, very attracted to you. And, that despite that, I still have a clear head and can exercise free will and have presence of mind. Well, a mostly clear head. You should put your shirt back on, hah ha. Please.”

   “Okay,” Brian agreed, still looking uncomfortable as he grabbed the garment off the sink countertop and started pulling it on over his head. “But—okay, so something magical maybe, and when I kissed them, each of them, something happened. Something big happened, right?”

   “Hm,” Rebecca made a noncommittal noise and quirked her lip, refusing to say anything more.

   “Each of the girls I kissed had color start to appear in their hair,” Brian said, tugging the hem down the rest of the way and smoothing it out. “They seemed like they were more and more into me the more their hair changed. It seemed like, I don’t know, like some juvenile fantasy come true, and I got swept up in it and didn’t even want to start questioning things. But—is there a point of no return? You still have some cognizance, but do they? Is this what was going on with Kelly and Emily back there? How do we even determ—”

   “There you go trying to draw lines again,” Rebecca put her hands on her hips and gave him a cutesy frown.

   “I have to,” Brian said. “I really do. I have to, uh, to define this into what’s okay and what isn’t. I have to. I’m never going to be okay with anything until I—or I’m never going to ever be able to be comfortable with all of this, no matter how great and amazing it might be with everyone, until I really know for sure.”

   “I know,” Rebecca let out a small sigh and clapped her hands together in front of her in a pleading gesture. “Explain that to Emily. Please.

    “You basically now know her stance on this, and how it’s a little like that tequila situation, without knowing the um, the specifics. So, I didn’t break my promise to her! I even told her keeping it secret from you wasn’t healthy!

   “She’s just… nervous about this. Skittish? So, please, please. I know you have to draw lines and define this into a black and white, but don’t start doing that until you’ve heard everything she has to say. Stephanie, too, actually. And Kelly. Don’t make any hasty decisions until everyone that’s in this has said their piece. Please.”

   “Of course, yeah,” Brian nodded. “Uhh. Thank you. I guess. For everything here, I—I really do want to make this work out with everyone. Even with how crazy and, uh, uncomfortable it’s getting the deeper I get into this. I’m definitely way more confused than I was before, even, on what the heck’s going on, but… I do appreciate how you don’t want there to be any misunderstandings. I know it was probably real weird and awkward for you to, uh, go out of your way to try to prove a point like that.”

   “Nnnghh,” Rebecca clenched her teeth and thwapped him on the shoulder. “It was, um, it was a very close call. Whew, geez oh man! I feel like if you’d said the wrong thing, or breathed a slightly different way, or any tiny little thing and I would’ve gone for it and unzipped your pants, and we’d be having a, ah, a very different sounding conversation right now.”

   “Uhhh—” Brian froze.

   “Soooo, what I mean to say, is—I’m still in control!” Rebecca let out a giddy laugh. “Right? I’m still in control—but, let’s not push our luck? I’m just going to kind of… yeah, avoid you, for the rest of the day, so that we don’t have any... happy little accidents?”

   “I mean, sure, yeah, if that’s what you think we should—”

   “Talk to Emily about this!” Rebecca ordered, dancing back from him and making a beeline for the restroom’s exit. “I’m going to start helping the Order of the Sovereign Swords tear down and pack everything up, so I’ll be in the Atrium for the rest of the con. I assume Emily will want to ride back home with you, but if not—just have her text me anytime before four o’clock. I’m heading out at around four. Alrighty?”

   “Yeah, I—yeah,” Brian nodded. “Thanks again.”

   “Byyyee~!” Rebecca squeaked out as she fled the scene.

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