Homework

"Hey, Lexis..."

"Yeah?"

"Why do you spend so much time with that NPC, anyway?"

"Who, Cameron?" I turned to Justin, bewildered.

"Yeah...I mean, sure, he may seem nice and all, but it's not like an NPC could ever understand a player. Only other players can understand players." Justin sighed. "There can never be true meaning in a relationship between a player and an NPC."

"Perhaps not," I mused. "But I like to think that all relationships have value, regardless."

"Alright, suit yourself...just thought I'd warn you though. Getting too close to an NPC could lead you to a world of disappointment. But I trust that you know what you're doing."

"Of course...I choose my own friends, after all."

Justin and I walked over to a nearby cafe where we discussed the week's missions over lunch. The GM assigns tasks for us weekly and we get points for successfully completing them by their deadlines. By increasing our score, the probability of the golden flag appearing before our team increases, which in turn brings us closer to winning the game. Justin and I didn't have any missions due for today, so we simply planned out the execution of future missions before splitting up and heading home. It was evening by then, so it had begun to get dark. I walked down the street, eyes downcast while carefully stepping around patches of ice.

"Hello there, how are you?" a female NPC called out to me. I looked up in confusion at the strange girl standing before me. She definitely stood out from the crowd...she wore what seemed to be a Southern-Asian style pink dress adorned with golden trimmings and embroidery. 

"Umm...hi," I replied uncertainly. "Do I know you?" At this, the girl smiled at me and giggled.

"Oh, no, you do not. Please allow me to introduce myself. I'm Lady Estelle, but you may call me Stella."

"Uhhh...nice to meet you, Stella." I gingerly took her outstretched hand and shook it, still unsure of what to make of the situation.

"You look troubled, is something the matter?"

"Well..." I hesitated as my mind wandered towards thoughts of my woes within the game. Things incomprehensible to NPC's, such as the one standing before me.

"If you have some time, come with me! I can help you solve any of your problems!"

"Umm...okay..."

Stella led me to a nearby coffee shop where she sat me down and started asking me questions about myself. I'm not quite sure what compelled me to come with her, but I'll have to admit that I was intrigued by her offer 'to help me solve any of my problems.' I answered her questions candidly, while making sure any references to the game were somewhat vague and ambiguous. At various times during our meeting, Stella pulled out various fortune-telling paraphernalia such as an astrology chart, tarot cards, and more. Her interpretations and analyses of me were quite fascinating and seemingly accurate, though I held in the back of my mind that these things were probably designed to be applicable to a wide variety of people, so I tried not to think too much of it. Afterward, Stella handed me a leather-bound book with rather unusual-looking golden glyphs embossed on its cover.

"Read chapter 7," Stella told me cheerfully. "It will aid you in your next trial. We shall meet again some time and discuss what happens." With a wink and a mischievous smile, she left the coffee shop. For a few moments, I stared down at the book she gave me. Was it just me, or was it giving off some seriously unusual vibes? Could it be a real magical book? I shook my head in disbelief.

"Ahhh...first, Cameron wants me to read the bible; next, Justin wants me to read an engineering textbook; and now this? Why does it seem as if everyone around here just wants to assign me more and more homework?"