The fog had thickened into a soup so dense you could practically carve it. I sat on that damp log, sandwiched between two of the most beautiful women in the county, while the distant, muffled sounds of Stevens shouting at a squirrel echoed through the trees.
[ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: MISSION COMPLETE. ]
[ REWARD: 100 LP. ]
[ SYSTEM OPINION: STEVENS JUST TRIPPED OVER A ROLLING STONE. HE'S CURRENTLY IN A STAND-OFF WITH A RACCOON. CHANCES OF HIM FINDING THE RANGER STATION: 0.02%. ]
"You know," I said, leaning back and letting out a long sigh of mock-exhaustion. "I really thought Stevens had more of a 'pioneer' vibe. Turns out he's more of a 'lost puppy in a grocery store' type."
Rishie let out a small, involuntary puff of air that was almost a laugh, though she quickly tried to turn it back into a scowl. "You're horrible, Lucas. You sent him out there with nothing but a prayer and a compass he doesn't know how to read."
"Hey, I gave him a sense of purpose," I countered, nudging her shoulder with mine. "That's more than Brad ever gave him. Plus, it's much quieter now. Can you hear that? That's the sound of me not being asked how to tie a slipknot every five minutes."
Chen Yue shifted, her silk-clad leg pressing firmly against mine. "It's the sound of opportunity, Lucas. But I suspect you're more interested in the scenery than the profit right now."
"What scenery, Yue? I can't even see my own boots," I joked, though I didn't pull away from her touch.
The temperature was dropping fast. The thermal blanket I'd bought from the System was doing the heavy lifting, but the real heat was the awkward, swirling tension between the three of us.
[ SYSTEM OPINION: HOST, YOUR 'CHILL' LEVELS ARE UNUSUALLY HIGH. WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE THE 'KAMA SUTRA' KNOWLEDGE TO... ADJUST THE SEATING ARRANGEMENT? ]
Patience, you glitchy voyeur, I thought. We're taking the scenic route.
I adjusted the blanket, pulling it higher over our laps. "Rishie, your teeth are literally chattering. If you get hypothermia, Henderson will have my head on a pike for 'failing to protect school assets.' Just lean in."
She hesitated, then slowly let her head rest against my shoulder. She was stiff at first, like a frozen board, but the warmth of the polymer blanket—and my own body heat—started to melt the ice.
"I'm still mad at you," she muttered into my jacket.
"Noted," I said, resting my cheek on top of her head. "I'll add it to the ledger. Right under 'Sent Stevens to his doom' and 'Wore a suit to a forest.'"
On my other side, Chen Yue wasn't waiting for an invitation. She slid her arm through mine, her fingers interlacing with my hand beneath the blanket. She wasn't angry; she was observing, her eyes tracking every move I made with Rishie.
"You're very good at this, Lucas," Yue whispered, her voice a low hum against my neck. "The comfort. The humor. Is this part of your natural talent for managing multiple interests?"
"I'm just a guy with a blanket, Yue. Don't overthink it," I replied, though I gave her hand a firm squeeze.
[ SYSTEM COMMENTARY: RISHIE'S HEART RATE IS STABILIZING. SHE'S DROPPING HER GUARD. RECOMMENDATION: DO NOT MENTION FOREX TRADING OR REVENUE STREAMS FOR AT LEAST THIRTY MINUTES. ]
We sat there in the quiet for a long time. No talk of audits, no talk of companies. Just the sound of the creek bubbling somewhere below us and the occasional crackle of the damp woods. I could feel Rishie's breathing slow down as she finally started to relax, her hand tentatively moving to rest on my knee.
I didn't push. I didn't try to escalate. I just sat there, the "Behemoth" taking a night off, enjoying the fact that for once, the most complicated thing in my life was just trying to keep two girls warm in a fog bank.
"Lucas?" Rishie whispered after a while.
"Yeah?"
"If Stevens actually gets eaten by a bear... I'm telling everyone it was your idea."
"Fair enough," I chuckled. "But for the record, I think the bear would find him too salty."
[ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: LP HARVESTED FROM GENERAL ATMOSPHERE: +40. ]
[ STATUS: RISHIE IS 40% MORE RECEPTIVE. CHEN YUE IS 100% AMUSED. ]