Aegis Online

I bite my lip as the boys’ team prepares to serve, and the game begins. I dart around the court, trying to make myself useful as much as I can, while the rest of the girls do the majority of the serving and counterattacks. After twenty minutes, Coach Owen blows her whistle, and the game ends in a win for my team. Somehow, I feel like I wasn’t much help, but I still join in the high-fives, leaving the court as the girl’s teams switch the boy’s team they faced. This time, I’m facing off against Jeffrey’s team.

Despite my best efforts, however, the second match ends in a loss, as Jeffrey absolutely dominates. He’s fast, and isn’t afraid to take risks. One of the girls on my team groans, “of course we had to play against Crosshead! He’s way too good at this!”

The third and final match ends in a draw, with my team and the opposing players locked from around the twelve-minute mark, until Coach Owen blows her whistle. “OKAY! TIME! Everyone, start your cooldowns and get off my court!” she grins. As the rest of the class begins working through stretches and some light jogging, the coach calls me over.

“Hey, Porter. What is UP with you today? You almost never put any effort in. I think today’s the first time I’ve seen you actually TRY! Normally, it’s like you don’t even wanna be here!”

I look down. “I dunno… I just felt like I was in the right mind-set…”

Coach Owen narrows her eyes, before heading towards the stands. “Alright, sit. We’re going to have a little talk, okay?” I gulp nervously, and then plant my butt on one of the tiered benches, next to the teacher.

“Look. I don’t know what’s going on with you, but your behaviour has me concerned. You were the first one out of the changing room, you actually participated without me having to force you, and you seemed like you were really having fun. Is everything okay?”

I sigh. “I’m fine, Coach, really. Like I said, I’ve been working through some stuff and I’ve made more progress than I thought. Hopefully it’ll all be settled soon…”

Coach Owen gives me an appraising look, then shrugs. “Well, like I said, I’m here if you need to talk.”

As she stands, I clear my throat. “Um, coach? Could… could I ask a favour? I’m not exactly… comfortable changing in the boy’s locker room… is there an alternative?”

With a raised eyebrow, she tilts her head. “Is this relating to the issues you’ve been working on?”

When I nod, she purses her lips for a moment in thought, before shaking her head. “Ah, what the hell. You can change in my office, just don’t break anything, okay?”

I sag a little in relief, and head back over to finish cooling down. After darting into the locker room to grab my clothes and bag, I hurry to change, before heading out of the front gates. Jeffrey grins at me as he waves from his spot, leaning against the wall. “About time, Ky! Let’s go, yeah?”

I giggle and nod, stretching as I readjust my bag. “Okay! Um, do you fancy a coffee on the way? I know a great place to get some!”

Jeffrey grins. “Wait, you’re talking about that café you went to when you met Dana, right? Well, we have time, but better check in with your folks first.”

Nodding, I dig my phone out of my hoodie pockets and dial. Mum picks up on the fourth ring.

“Hello! Ky, what is it? Are you finished at college?”

“Yes, mum. But Jeffrey and I were going to swing by The High Ground and get a coffee on the way home, is that okay?”

I can hear her laugh. “Hon, you don’t need my permission for something like that! As long as you’re home for dinner and tonight’s campaign sesh, you can spend your time how you like! Say hello to the proprietress for me! Oh, and you’d better give Dana a call, remind her if she’s forgotten! See you when you get home, love! Bye!”

I smile at Jeffrey as he waggles his eyebrows theatrically. “Coffee is a go, let me just call Dana!”

I scroll through my contacts, finding her number, and thumb the screen. It rings several times, before Dana’s voice erupts from the speaker.

“Guid afternoon, this is Dana McGregor! Howye, Ky! What c’n I do for yeh?!”

I giggle, and reply, “Don’t forget it’s our DnD game tonight! We’ve been making plans for the session, so I hope you’re up to cause a little chaos!”

“Heheheheheheh, always! I’ve got nae problem wi’ mekkin’ things gae sideways! And sure, I’ll be there. Are ye outside? It’s a wee bit windy on your end o’ the line!”

“Ah, yeah, I just finished college. I was going to hit up The High Ground with a friend of mine… do… do you wanna come along? If you’re not busy, I mean!”

A peal of laughter rings out of the speaker, and I wince a little, moving it away from my ear a little. “Ah, Ky, yeh’re too feckin’ cute. Sure, I c’n meet yeh there. I mean, if I’m comin’ round fer tabletop night, I clearly haven’t got other plans! See ya there!”

I say goodbye, and hang up. “Well, she’s meeting us at the café. I hope I can get a stream in tomorrow, it’s been a couple of days…”

Jeffrey grins. “You’ve really taken to your new career, haven’t you?  It suits you, though. Something you’re good at, enjoying, and even making money at. You really hit the jackpot on that, Ky!”

I giggle and shrug, as we make our way to the grav-train and head for the coffee shop. When we arrive, business is still good, judging by the cluster of people sitting under heat lamps, sipping from mugs of steaming caffeine. Sasha waves as she bustles around, dividing her attention between serving coffee, organizing repairs, and talking with the musclebound man-mountain, Matt, or his two cousins.

Matt’s chair still seems as miserable about the seating arrangements, and I wave to him. He nods back, as I spot Dana jogging across the grass towards me and Jeffrey.

“Hey there, you two! How’s tricks?” she greets us, and I bite my lip. She pulls me into a hug, then does the same to Jeffrey.

As we order, I smile at Sasha. “How’s the rebuilding going?”

She grins. “We’ll be back to full business within the week! I bet the Church of One are fuming that they’ve failed totally. We’re adding new security features, too, so it can’t happen again. The insurance paid for all of it! About time those premiums were put to use, huh?” she laughs, handing me my caramel latte and accepting payment.

As Dana collects her trenta-macchiato-plus-five-shots, I take a seat at one of the vacant tables, sipping at the steaming beverage in my hands.

“So, this is good timing, actually. Jeffrey and I have done a little work on getting my stream some moderators, but I still haven’t narrowed it down enough. I don’t want to have thirty mods!”

Dana raised an eyebrow as Jeffrey cackles. “Mods? Wait, those guys who keep your stream audience under control?”

I nod, pulling my phone out and opening a page, whereupon I’d recorded all the prospective moderators I’d shortlisted with Jeffrey’s help. Dana takes it and scrolls through all the names.

“What d’ye know about any o’ this sorry shower o’ bastards?”

 I shrug, and Jeffrey looks amused. “Well, we’ve not contacted any of them yet because we wanted to set up a sort of interview or something. I guess we got kinda distracted with the DnD campaign and the Transgender Day of Remembrance…”

Dana nods. “Well, I don’t know how useful I’ll be at this, but I’ll do me best! What are you lookin’ for in a moderator, exactly? Like, what do you WANT them to do?”

I purse my lips, sipping my coffee, before leaning forward. “Well, I need them to be capable of keeping track of who needs to be scolded and who should be banned, keeping the chat from spamming and getting too rowdy, blocking spoilers and things, that sort of thing. Oh! And they should be available to do that whenever they can. Like, I need to have mods available at all times, if I want to stream overnight, or early in the morning, stuff like that.”

Dana grins. “Well, let’s do some interviews! Right now!”

I splutter as she fumbles in her purse for a small headset phone, reading the first contact number into the mic. A few minutes later, she smiles.

“Hey, is that Ravi? Hey, I’m Sky-Queen Kettrin’s agent. I’m getting in touch to hold a quick interview with the application finalists. Do you have a few minutes?.... wonderful, what’s your schedule like in regards to streaming at different times of the day?”

She rummages for a pen and a small notebook, flipping it open and scribbling on a blank page.

“And how good are you at multi-tasking? After all, Kettrin’s audience is only going to get grow from this point. Not to worry, you won’t have to do it alone, but we need to be sure that you won’t get overwhelmed…. Oh, you’ve had some experience moderating a stream before? Two years? Okay, that’s a good start. And what’s your set-up?.... really? Good stuff! Alright, we’ll contact you for a trial stream. Thank you for your time!”

She hangs up and smiles. “This guy knows what he’s doing, he’ll be an asset for sure. Now, we’ll need to decide on how much we pay them. Now, we can get away with… I think three mods for now, if your fan numbers are anything to speak of, but you will want to get more sooner or later.”

I stare at the Tailtéann girl in awe. “You… you just… what?! How are you so confident and professional?!”

She chuckles, “I used to do the bookkeeping for me brother’s bar! Paddy and Seamus totally blow goats at maths, so I took over so they didn’t end up in the red through their own incompetence with numbers!”  

I blink. “Oh, that’s very handy! Um… can we leave this in your capable hands?”

She waves her hand dismissively. “Ah, for sure, I c’n handle, lemme wrangle another two for ye!”

I sit there and watch as she begins working through my list of potential mods, before getting up and heading to Sasha’s counter.

“Um, Sasha? Could I get another Dana Special, and… what cake or pastry does she like best?”

The barista grins. “Ah, I have just the thing!” she opens a drawer on the pastry cabinet, pulling a spongy yellow cake on a platter out, and cutting a generous slice. “She’ll love this! After all, she gave me the recipe for it!”

I smile and pay, heading back over with the goodies, setting them before Dana as she scribbles further details in her notebook. She looks up, and her eyes widen. “Ohhh, you li’l ripper, is that…?”

I smile as she leans in, a huge grin spreading over her face. “I don’t know, IS it?” I giggle, as she picks up the plate with the cake and takes a huge bite. “MMMPH!” she starts, before chewing slowly, a dreamy look crossing her face.

When she swallows, she lets out a long, blissful sigh. “You’re a star, Ky! How’d’ye know me favourite cake?! Did Sasha tell ye?”

I nod, and she takes another massive bite. “Shoo goo’!” she mumbles in delight, and I stare at the rapidly-disappearing cake. What IS that??

Once it’s finished, she takes a long draught of coffee, before exhaling. “Lord, I love potato cake so damn much! Nothin’ else quite measures up!”

I take a seat as Jeffrey wanders around in the background, fiddling with his phone. He’s probably looking for the best place to take Jared on their date.