Nicholas tossed Katniss into the group, and George wasted no time shooting a message.
George: [Katniss, I got your back tonight. Stick with me! Let's show 'em what we got!]
Katniss glanced over at Tristan. Everyone was glued to their phones, chatting away, but she was the new kid on the block and had no clue what was going on.
Nicholas chimed in: [Feeling pretty confident, huh? Can't wait to see what you got, Mr. Founder!]
Bella jumped in: [Hey, don't be like that. Of course, Katniss's boyfriend wants to look out for her.]
Michael added: [So, when's the big day? I'll get you a killer gift, just for Tristan's sake.]
George replied: [If we tie the knot, you’re all invited. But that's up to Katniss!]
Katniss rolled her eyes at the boring convo, stayed quiet, and muted the chat. After the karaoke session wrapped up, Nicholas dragged her to Tristan's suite.
To the left was the bathroom, inside was the living room, and to the right were a master bedroom and a secondary bedroom. The place was roomy, but with five people crammed around the coffee table, it felt tight.
At eleven sharp, they started forming teams for some games. Tristan and Michael teamed up with Bella, while Katniss teamed up with Nicholas and George.
Bella had some game experience, not a pro but definitely better than Katniss. Because Katniss was a noob, their team lost the first round.
Nicholas had the team's voice chat on, and George's voice came through. "Katniss, grab some headphones and join the chat. The first round was just a warm-up, don't sweat it. I got you for the next one."
The little trial match fired up George's competitive side. He was caught off guard when someone with the ID 'North' took him out right at the start!
North's speed and skills were like a pro's! George's underestimation gave North the chance to wipe him out fast. George vowed to step up his game in the next match; he couldn't let Katniss down or embarrass himself as a founder!
Katniss got up to grab a headset, but Tristan handed her a Bluetooth one. "Use this, no need to get up."
Katniss took it, connected it to her phone, and popped in one earbud to join the voice chat. She could hear George and started a new game, picking a character and setting up the skills as he directed.
Nicholas threw on a headset too, worried their chatter might get overheard and cost them another match.
Katniss picked a support character that could morph into a deer. At level four, she could latch onto her teammates. George was the main muscle of the team. Katniss followed his lead on gear, grabbing stuff to boost shielding while she was attached.
This time, George played it smart and didn't get wiped out as fast as before. Both teams had taken out three players each, and it was a standoff, neither side daring to show themselves, not even in the vision range.
When Bella's character got spotted, George pounced. "Let's go, I'll lead the charge! Flank from the left bush, use your first skill to scout and control her, and I'll finish her off!"
The tension made Katniss's heart race. She followed George's orders and snagged Bella. With one earbud in, she heard Bella shout to Tristan, "Tristan, help me!"
But before Bella could finish, she was 'dead.'
George was hyped, shouting like crazy, and Katniss couldn't help but grin. But their celebration was cut short when a knife-wielding character popped up and took George out in a flash.
"Run!" George yelled, "Katniss, get outta there! Don't worry about me. My control will keep him off your tail!"
Katniss made her character bolt, while Bella, next to Tristan, egged him on, "Chase them, take them both out for me!"
Katniss's character vanished from sight, and George whispered, "Hide in the left bush and stay put. Wait for Nicholas to come get you."
Nicholas's character was on the way, and Katniss stuck to George's plan. But soon, Tristan showed up near the bush, circled it, and then went to attack the soldiers.
Katniss glanced up at Tristan and locked eyes with him. His lips curled into a knowing smile, making her feel like he knew exactly where she was hiding.
"Trust me, I won't let you die even if I do. We're winning this round for sure." George kept talking, and after respawning, he called Katniss to follow him again. In several skirmishes, he took out Michael twice and Bella multiple times, but for some reason, Tristan always got the drop on him!
George hadn't even laid a finger on Tristan! Sensing something was off, he checked Tristan's character details, feeling a nagging familiarity with the ID but couldn't place why.
Nicholas was buzzing with excitement. He wasn't as good as George at the game, but watching George and Tristan go head-to-head had him all fired up.
The game dragged on for nearly an hour because Tristan was more focused on hunting George than taking down their defensive towers. Otherwise, their team would've lost way sooner. Eventually, the system called it, and George's team had to surrender.
Nicholas let out a deep sigh, staring at Tristan in a daze. "Man, your skills as the founder aren't all that! Years ago, when I played this game, Tristan totally wiped the floor with me. And now, even with you on our side, we still can't beat him."
George was quiet for a few seconds before he asked, "Is 'North' his alt account? What was his old ID?"
"Blaze," Nicholas replied, "You must've heard of it."
Before Katniss could process it, George's voice came through her Bluetooth headset, practically vibrating with excitement. "Amazing! He's Blaze! How am I supposed to win against him! I'm so pumped. Can I meet him, please? Can you set it up? This game blew up because of him! His insane skills got so many people hooked. Even though he quit, no one's broken his records. I gotta meet him!"
Katniss's head throbbed from the shouting. She took off the Bluetooth headset and rubbed her ears, her eyes drifting to Tristan. He was lounging back against the sofa, a mischievous smile playing on his lips, looking effortlessly handsome.
Katniss noticed he had a similar earbud in his ear, so he had heard all of George's commands and strategies!
Nicholas chuckled, took off his headset, and turned on the speaker. "Alright, say something to your idol. He can hear you."
George's noisy voice vanished, and the room fell silent.
Bella piped up, "Hey, he left the game."
Katniss glanced down and saw that George was no longer in the team room. Before she could react, George sent a message on Facebook.
George: [My mom took my phone away, Katniss! Please tell my idol that I'll treat him to dinner when you guys get back to Velvet City!]
The message was dripping with respect and admiration for Tristan. Katniss couldn't help but smile. "He had to go offline due to some issues."
Nicholas shook his head with a sigh. "Playing those two games got my blood pumping, just like a few years ago. According to George, Tristan, you should ask for a commission. The game wouldn't have blown up without you!"
Tristan glanced at Katniss and said casually, "Forget it. We're not that close. Katniss can repay this favor for him."
It sounded offhand, but to Katniss, it felt like it carried more weight.
Nicholas kept praising George's skills, saying that no matter who made the game famous, it had to be top-notch.
Bella's mind had drifted from the game. It was already one or two in the morning. She gently tugged on Tristan's sleeve and said, "It's late, I'm tired. Tristan, let's go to bed."
Katniss lowered her eyes and bit her lip, turning off her phone screen. Just as she was about to get up and leave, Tristan looked at Bella and said softly, "Tired? Then you go to sleep first. It's been a while since we played; we'll play another round."
Katniss paused mid-movement. Tristan looked over at her and asked, "Are you tired?"
Instantly, everyone's eyes in the room were on Katniss.
Tired or not?
"You go to sleep too. The three of us will play. You don't play well, so we don't want to include you," Tristan said dismissively. His eyes reflected the faint dark circles under her eyes. She hadn't slept all night, and her nap was interrupted by him. Now, playing until the early morning, she was probably exhausted.
Katniss forced a smile and stood up. "I'll go rest then. You guys should sleep early too, don't stay up too late."
"Yeah, it's so late. We stayed up all night last night. Tristan, aren't you tired? Don't play anymore, go to bed!" Bella echoed Katniss's words, trying to get Tristan to rest.
Katniss suddenly met Tristan's displeased gaze, her throat tightened, and she left the room with a dry laugh, not caring whether they continued playing or went to sleep.
She felt that Tristan was deliberately avoiding Bella, but she didn't know why.
Her eyelids were heavy, and she didn't want to waste energy and time on this matter. She returned to her room, took a shower, and fell asleep without drying her hair, soaking the pillow and blanket.
The consequence of sleeping with wet hair was a splitting headache the next day. She woke up late in the morning with a throbbing head. The window was slightly open, and the breeze fluttered the curtains. The sparse sunlight fell on the foot of the bed, creating a comfortable environment. She rubbed her aching head, got up to wash up, grabbed her phone, and left.
There was a message from Tristan on her phone.
Tristan: [I stayed up all night last night, catching up on sleep today. You have no plans for today, go wherever you want. Wait for me tonight.]