"With the setting sun, myriads of nameless and unknowable terrors arise from the deep places of the worlds between worlds... Unseen and unheard, those idiot and senseless servants of Yog Sothoth live out their nightmare of an existence one more night, adrift in the plane between dream and reality, guided only the smells of terror welling up from their victim's souls. It is one of these that descends upon your party that night... It is one of these that encounters Seraph McMilliard in her dreams, cursing her to long and restless slumber... it is one of these that you wake up to find floating over her comatose body, the wraith's withered yellow polypous eyes challenging you to... battle..." No, no, no, that isn't right! Walter thought in frustration. Am I really gonna force the party into a combat encounter just to write out Sarah's character for a session?
Whatever other feelings Walter Smukmeyer might've had about Sarah's abrupt decision to clean up her looks and chase popularity, it put him, as their D&D group's longtime Dungeon Master, into quite an uncertain dilemma. The session was set to start in less than 10 minutes, and he still wasn't sure whether Sarah was coming or not! It was in preparation for the worst that he was trying to dream up a suitable way to write her out of the story for at least a session, and that's exactly what he was doing when Jay Duncan walked into the bookstore's cafe (their usual hangout and unofficial D&D hub). Besides Sarah, he was the last of the group to arrive (although, Leonard wasn't present; after checking in with Walter, he had gone off to get snacks for the group, as usual).
"There you are, man!" Walter exclaimed when he saw Jay. "What's the word on Sarah? Is she coming or isn't she?"
Jay sighed. "I'm afraid I have no certain answer," he replied in that verbose academic tone nobody else seemed to talk with. "She has refused to speak substantially with me, and I suspect has made an effort to avoid my company since this morning. She appears to be greatly more self-conscious than is typical today, despite her apparently more forward and outgoing change in appearance. Or perhaps it is because of and not despite said change?"
"Not gonna lie, it's probably because of you, Jay," piped up one Carl James, without looking up from the sketch he was doodling. "I've seen you with her, and my friend, ya gotta give her a little space to breathe! I mean, I've seen her too, she looks impressive, but you know how she is; she's probably getting really creeped out by all of that, my man."
"You are most probably correct," Jay said, taking a heavy sit down at the big, round table they usually used, "but allow me to venture that a relationship of more intensely romantic variety between Sarah and myself has been suggested by circumstance for some time now. I may have perhaps misread Sarah's atypical behavior today as a sign that she'd like to act on the aforementioned possibility, but even if I have, said possibility remains. Certainly its pursuit is not unreasonable?"
"Dude, I might say it's unreasonable," Walter complained with some bitterness. "Sarah isn't just the only girl at our table, man, she's one of only a handful of people at the school we could even think of inviting without getting laughed off! If you ask me, it's a really good little thing we have going here, just as it is; I'd really rather we not shake everything up by sticking our dicks in it, y'know what I mean?"
"As with Carl, you are most probably correct, but please allow me to counter, Walter, that I predict change may already be coming in a rather dramatic fashion," was Jay's response. "Sarah hasn't yet much informed me about the cause of her abrupt change in behavior and appearance, but it's unlike her to do anything so major on any minor whim or paltry reasoning. Whatever change to her psyche or circumstance prompted this unusual turn of events, it is not to be lightly dismissed. Especially not if some truth to the rumored new relationship between herself and Kyla Leeson is discovered; Her presence is near certain to profoundly disturb the group dynamic, if it is felt for any sufficient length of time."
Walter sighed, sadly. More bad news, he thought. "Great... Sarah hasn't told any of us what's up, either. Nobody knows, dude. Do you at least have any idea where she is right now?"
"As I said before, I have no certain answer. Although... I think she did mention a desire to spend an afternoon at the mall, shopping for clothes and other similar items. If she does not show up to play here, that's where she's most probable to be, if not at her home."
"Well, that's just perfect!" Walter exclaimed with sudden sarcastic anger, not noticing someone else quietly entering the cafe. "What do you wanna bet Kyla Leeson and her emptyheaded army of bimbos dragged her there to pinkwash her brain or something? I swear, man, I don't like what's going on with Sarah, not one bit! I smell a rat, I tell yas, a pink, fluffy bitch of a rat named-...!"
"Walter, SHUSH!" Carl cut him off suddenly, a look of panic on his face. "Look who's behind you, my friend!" Jay had a look of similarly wide-eyed cosmic horror on his face, and turning around, Walter realized exactly why.
"Why, hello there," Kyla said, coolly. Too coolly. "Perhaps you'd be so kind as to allow this pink, fluffy bitch of a rat to play a little game with you, in Sarah's stead?"
At the end of the assembly and the school day, Kyla had felt like she could've floated up and touched the sun with just a reach of her hand. Everything was perfect! Just yesterday a scared little nobody, today she was smart, sexy, confident, and popular, and opening up below her she saw the world as her oyster. Biff loved her! The popular girls worshipped her, and the unpopular girls envied her! Every straight guy and gay girl in the school wanted her, all it would take would be a wink and a gesture to get them wrapped around her little finger, hot and bothered at even the idea of getting in her pants. She had it all; she could do anything!
But then, if I can do anything, Kyla wondered, what do I end up actually doing?
It was a dilemma that had honestly taken Kyla by surprise. She found it hard to believe the Old Sarah wouldn't have made any plans in advance for that afternoon, but Kyla guessed she hadn't counted on cheer practice being cancelled because of the assembly going long, because if she had made any plans Kyla couldn't find them written anywhere, nor heard anything from the other girls to suggest she had. Biff was supposed to be coming over much later that evening (he still had football practice, after all), but until then, Kyla was free to do whatever. That meant she eventually found herself exiting the school building, as if to leave, with no idea where she actually wanted to be going.
"I guess what 'I', quote end quote, would normally do is go hang out with Old Sarah's friends somewhere, right? But, doing what? Wouldn't I be kinda responsible for figuring that out anyway?" Kyla wondered aloud in her car. Stuffy, naturally, listened attentively from his spot on the dashboard, after Kyla retrieved him where he was packed away. "I mean, I guess I could ask them, do this somewhat democratically, but, like, I feel like that'd be weird? I mean, I can't describe it, but I feel like some of the girls are uneasy around me already... Like Melissa, right? She was watching and circling me all lunch period and all through the assembly, like a vulture watches something dying or something. Is that normal for her? I dunno, Stuffy, none of it's normal to me. But I digress; what's there to do in this town on a Tuesday afternoon anyway?" Kyla thought about it, when something suddenly occurred to her.
"It's RPG night, isn't it, Stuffy?" The pink-and-white panda stared back at her as if it were obvious. "That's what I'd normally be doing on a night like tonight, right? Well, 'normally', quote end quote. But, like, how would that even work now? I'm supposed to be popular, right, I don't associate with smelly old losers like them!"
Stuffy's stare continued to radiate judgment and accusation.
Kyla sighed. "I know, little one, I know. 'Those smelly old losers are your friends, or were!'" Kyla jeered, mocking him. "'And it's not like D&D itself has changed any, so why should your opinion of it!?' Oh my god, you twerp, you know things are gonna be different now! There's basically a snowball's chance I still have a character sheet and a copy of the handbook, for one!"
Stuffy's expression remained unchanged.
"Yeah, yeah, I know I can just borrow Sarah's!" Kyla said with an annoyed huff. "She's not going to be using them, for damn sure, she probably doesn't even know how to play. But like, c'mon, man! I'm sure I can think of something more entertaining to do this afternoon, right?"
And so, Kyla eventually found herself face to face with her old D&D group, armed with a character sheet for one "Seraph McMilliard." Aside from the name and a handful of minor details, Kyla was relieved to see it was basically the same character as the one she'd played in her old life: still an Aasimar Cleric, still had the same ability scores, still had basically the same backstory with a few names shuffled around, and still that sort of ideal fantasy personality Kyla used to play, a sort of role-model goddess everyone loved and looked up to for wisdom and guidance. Basically me now, except not such a jealous insecure bully and more of an actually good role model, Kyla reflected bitterly.
"So, let me get this straight," Leonard Drullers, the fatso who'd gone to get the snacks when Kyla appeared, said at last. "Yer telling me that Kyla Leeson, hottest and haughtiest lass in VLHS, not only knows how to play D&D, and not only knows the overview of our campaign so far, she knows Sarah's character so well that she's volunteered to play her for an entire bloody session while Sarah goes clothes shopping this afternoon, just so that we don't leave Seraph behind?" Leonard was absolutely incredulous. "Yer sure the the end of the world is contained entirely in the campaign, right, mate!?"
"Dude, I would never have believed it in a million years if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes!" Walter replied, just as amazed as Leonard was. "But Leonard, she knows, man! I haven't asked her a question about the campaign she hasn't been able to answer yet! And she's down to play, dude, so yeah! She's pretty much in for the session!"
"I must say, I never would have imagined you'd ever allow yourself to indulge hobbies such as these, Kyla," Jay said, looking up and down her in such a way as to somehow blend lust, caution, curiosity, and incredulity into one expression. "If I may be frank, I'd always believed you and your friends would condemn such hobbies and those who indulge them as somewhat pathetic, and certainly beneath you."
"Oh no, don't worry Jay, you're right. Normally, I would never," Kyla said dismissively. "But Sarah's not the only one motivated to be trying new things, you understand?"
"'S a bloody batty new thing to try, it is!" Leonard exclaimed. "The hell's gotten into you and Sarah?"
"Oh, I'd rather not say," Kyla said just as dismissively. "In fact, I'd rather we keep this little event on the down-low, right? Let's not go telling everyone everywhere I'm here doing this with you all, for Sarah's sake as well as my own."
"If ya ask me, I'd say there ought not be any shame in it, my friend," Carl piped up, "but of course, we'll keep your secret, right, everyone?" There was a general nodding.
"Good, good, good, now can we get going?" Kyla asked Walter. "Sarah tells me you're a pretty imaginative GM, and I believe it, with all the books you've ever stuck your nose in. I'd love to see you prove her right!" Kyla said as if daring him to fail.
"Sure, gal, no pressure or anything," Walter said with an eyeroll. "Let's all hush now... and let me take you all to another realm... a realm where with the setting sun, myriads of nameless and unknowable terrors arise from the deep places of the worlds between worlds..."
Kyla was certain the new her and the Old Sarah never would have admitted it, but bouncing around as a heroine demigoddess in Walter's world, stitched together as it was from all his favorite comic books and fantasy novels, was just as stupidly fun as it had been for the Old Kyla.
