Chapter 009

  Emma's Kitchen

  Ethan blinked and pulled his head back in a snap, caught off guard by her abrupt greeting. What a way to start a conversation, he thought.

  It was fairly obvious to him that she’d been able to see his affiliation with The Green Fists.

  "I'm not looking stupid," he said, "I'm looking at a mini-map."

  He gestured up to his top left as if she could see his entire user interface.

  She rolled her eyes. "You definitely look stupid. I can't see your mini-map, genius boy. I got my own map."

  Her blunt response made him smirk, but he did feel a little silly about how he’d pointed towards something she couldn't see.

  "No, I just got my mini-map, and I was looking at it for the first time."

  Mia shook her head. He watched her form some opinions about him, her eyes looking up and down at his overalls and unkempt appearance.

  "You're a melee type, aren't you?" She let out a laugh. "Well, you better figure things out quick if you want to survive. You know they can kill you at level three, right? You’re just a pawn to them. If you’re not careful, they’re gonna use you and toss you to the fishes after.”

  He frowned, not appreciating her condescending tone. He knew how the mafia operated, and he didn’t need a lesson from her.

  "I'm doing just fine, thanks.” he said, “and who are you, anyways? You think you're important or something?”

  "Name's Mia Haoyu," she said, tossing her hair. "You should remember it. I’m going to expose every crime The Green Fists have committed, so you better stay out of my way unless you decide to switch teams.”

  Greetings aside, he assumed that her mission or missions had something to do with Samuel Donovan and The Green Fists, and that she already worked for somebody else.

  Not bothering to look at her profile summary, he chose to ask her directly what she was doing there. "Who do you work for and what do they want with Samuel?"

  She met his gaze evenly, stepping back. "Well now, that's between me and him. I'm not about to tell you my business. Why would I do that?"

  Her tone was clipped short, and she clearly didn't want to divulge any details.

  "It was just a question," he said. "No need to be rude."

  "I'm not rude for keeping my business to myself. You're the one who is rude for asking."

  They glared at each for a while. He didn’t keep track of the time, but it started feeling a bit awkward. If he wanted to argue, she’d technically asked first.

  "Fair enough,” Ethan said, “I was just making conversation. I didn't think the NPC could have missions for multiple players, but I guess that makes sense."

  With any luck she would try and teach him that missions and NPCs didn’t work that way. She seemed the type to quickly correct others, so why not try and take advantage of it? In the process, she might do some extra talking.

  She appeared dumbfounded by his statement.

  "What? Why? Have you never played games before? There's probably a million missions in this game all interconnected with each other. There's only so many NPCs they can assign missions too, genius boy."

  He’d never been the best gamer, but he knew enough to get by.

  All these players were the same. Running around in a rush to fight each other, brag, act awesome, and prove themselves. They’d fallen into the influencer trap. They were just acting for subs and clicks.

  He just nodded and let her continue talking.

  “This is only the second part of my mission, but unlike you I’m not aligned with a criminal outfit. I’m working as a reporter. The Green Fists are bad news."

  “That’s interesting,” he said.

  Mia nodded. “Yeah, but you’re not getting any more out of me than what it shows in my profile.”

  He nodded back, understanding. She was smart and she had a vicious tongue if she wanted. It was a dangerous combination, but he liked it.

  "Alright, then."

  There was a brief silence between them as tensions eased. He decided to try a different approach. "Listen, maybe we can help each other out here. An information trade of sorts."

  He judged by her reaction that she was interested, and then wondered if his Negotiator talent influenced other players.

  Mia raised an eyebrow, looking intrigued. Despite her guarded demeanor he could tell she wasn't completely against the idea.

  "I'm listening."

  "Well, you found this place, and you mentioned it's not the first part. Maybe I know where the other place is and I can point you in the right direction."

  She considered the idea, chewing on her lower lip. Mia was acting like telling him might give something away.

  Finally, she gave a small sigh. "I suppose it can't hurt, yet. We can't fight each other until level three, so don't get any ideas about following me around!"

  Ethan shook his head, having not even considered that. Stalvek had been far too serious as well. He knew they were playing for their audiences, but in the end he wanted to be truer to his real personality than one who said and did things only for camera.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  She said, "I need to find a place called Lantern's Pharmacy."

  He frowned, the name not ringing any bells. "Lantern's Pharmacy? Well, damn, I can't say I've seen that one, and I've walked all up and down Whitaker."

  Mia shrugged, looking like time had been wasted. "It's fine, I can find it on my own."

  "Alright, I'll be quick with mine then," he said. "I'm looking for a police station around here.”

  Mia laughed. "A police department? In this part of the city? Are you crazy!?"

  He cracked a smile at her amusement. "I guess that's a no then?"

  She shook her head, still grinning. "Not a chance, genius boy. The law doesn't do anything around here!"

  "Well, my mission does say there's one here somewhere, even if we don't believe it."

  Mia nodded. "I bet it's some tiny place tucked away between a bunch of abandoned stores."

  "Yeah," he said. "It's pretty run down, huh?"

  She agreed with him, but didn't say much for a minute. Just before it got awkward, Mia started walking away. "Well I should get going. Good luck out here... You're going to need it, genius boy."

  With a parting nod, she turned and headed off down the street. Ethan stood there, not really knowing what to say or do for a minute.

  Mia Haoyu was only the second player he'd talked to in the game. She hadn't been all that kind to him at first, and she had even given him an annoying nickname. But, she was smart, attractive, and focused on her missions. All three things might see her do very well in the game.

  With a small shrug, he walked in the opposite direction Mia had run. The sidewalks were cracked and uneven in places, weeds poking up through the concrete. A few old cars lined the street, most of them looking rusted out with flat tires.

  Brush-painted graffiti covered nearly every available surface on the buildings. Some of it looked decipherable but he had no way of knowing for sure.

  His mini-map showed a smattering of light grey dots, indicating NPCs going about their business.

  He noticed O’Malley’s, Tony's Machine Shop, and Mike's Pawn & Jewelry. It was nice having the map, and he knew he'd had made the right choice with his first talent selection.

  After a couple blocks, Whitaker Street intersected with Jameson Avenue.

  The buildings lining Jameson were just as run-down, but the vibe was different. He could hear muted talking from within the buildings, but the characters were too far away for him to understand clearly.

  He kept walking, passing the street. Up ahead, Whitaker met Gannon Boulevard. In contrast, Gannon seemed lively.

  There were some open businesses marked, such as Park’s Dresser, The Tipsy Pig, and a place called Lady's Choice with a neon silhouette in the window.

  After walking around for half an hour he got lucky and found Emma's Kitchen.

  The diner itself was a squat, unassuming location wedged between a boarded-up storefront and a bank. A battered metal awning extended over the cracked sidewalk, providing shelter from the sun.

  As he pulled open the diner's front door, a small bell jangled overhead, announcing his arrival. The handful of occupants at the booths and countertop stools fell silent.

  NPCs briefly turned to eye him. Ethan was the newcomer, and they wanted to see who was entering their regular establishment. They looked at him with a mixture of curiosity and guarded suspicion.

  He offered the regulars a tight smile and an inoffensive shrug before sliding onto a vacant stool at the end of the counter.

  Within seconds, a woman's voice called out from the kitchen. "Be right with ya, hon!"

  True to her word, a heavyset woman in her fifties soon emerged, wiping her hands on a dingy apron. She looked motherly and business minded at the same time. The woman fixed him with a warm look.

  "Well now, I don't believe I've seen you 'round here before," she said, her tone carrying a lilting southern twang. "Emma's the name. Welcome to my place."

  "Ethan," he answered with a polite nod. "Pleasure to meet you, Emma. I've been here a few months, but still new you could say."

  Emma let out a hearty chuckle at that. "Ain't we all, sugar? Now, what can I get for ya? Today's special is a fried steak, covered in gravy made with caramelized onions."

  His mouth watered at the description. "You know what? That sounds incredible. I'll take it."

  "One fried steak, comin' right up!"

  As Emma bustled off to put in the order, he took a moment to glance around the diner. It was a quintessential greasy spoon, from the well-worn vinyl booths to the chipped ceramic mugs filled with endless coffee.

  It was nice, in an old way. Comforting, almost, despite the seediness outside. He felt like he'd stepped into a little slice of old America.

  Before long, Emma reappeared, sliding an overflowing plate in front of him. With a prideful flourish, she said, "There ya go, darlin'."

  Ethan didn't need to be told twice. Forgoing any semblance of manners, he dug in with excitement, barely pausing to savor the first few amazing bites.

  The meat was juicy and perfectly coated with a breading before being fried. The caramelized onions gave bold flavor to a thick gravy.

  As he ate the meal, Ethan caught glimpses of movement outside the diner's windows. They were all grey-names.

  Every few minutes he saw a blue-named player come and go, and they were mostly oblivious to him sitting there.

  One player darted by the diner's windows, moving with an almost frantic urgency. Then they were gone just as quickly. It was a while before he saw another one, and he finished the hearty meal, feeling much better.

  Emma came by with the check a few minutes later, and he looked at the bill like there was a problem.

  "Ten cents?" he asked, amazed. "You're kidding me, right?"

  She just winked at him with a sly grin. "Like I said, sugar, my place ain't much, but it's humble. Now you just take your time and pay whenever, alright?"

  Shaking his head in disbelief, he fetched a dollar out of his wallet and left it there. If he overpaid just to be kind, then he could get a full and satisfying meal for the grand total of a single dollar.

  That wasn't a bad deal at all, considering a fast food joint in the real world was around ten bucks or more.

  Then, he second-guessed himself and realized two important things. There was no need to be overly kind in a game, and that it was weird to pay too much. The NPC would likely be kind to him even if he didn't overpay.

  Secondly, he didn't know much about inflation, but he wondered if one dollar back in this time was like twenty dollars in his real world. That was way too much for a tip unless he was trying to be overly generous for clicks on the livestream, which he wasn't.

  Waiting for change was the smarter thing to do. First, he would learn what coinage did to his wallet. Second, he would still have plenty of money.

  Doing the smart thing, he decided to wait for change. Emma came by a few minutes later and took the money.

  She returned with it not long after, dropping a few coins on the counter with a clink. "There you go, hon. You take care of yourself out there, alright?"

  Ethan nodded, pocketing the coins. "Thanks, Emma."

  She flashed him a warm smile. He watched her for a minute, impressed by her ability to juggle so many tasks at once. The diner was bustling, yet she never faltered in her duties.

  When he was about to leave, Emma came back. "Hey, just want to remind you, don't let the big city get you down, alright? It gobbles up players left and right, but you can make it. I have faith in you."

  Ethan was surprised by her words but he shouldn't have been. It felt like she was programmed to be a supportive NPC.

  "Thanks, Emma. I appreciate it."

  She nodded, her eyes filled with sincerity. "You know, I've been around a long time. Seen a lot of folks come and go. Some of 'em make it, some of 'em don't. But the ones who do, they're the ones who don't give up. They keep fighting, no matter what."

  Ethan felt inspired by her words even if they were scripted. "I'll try my best, Emma."

  She patted his hand. "Now, you go out there and show 'em what you're made of. And if you ever need a good meal or a friendly ear, you know where to find me."

  He thanked her again. Emma's words had given him a much-needed boost of confidence after just being initiated as an Associate into The Green Fists.

  Looking down at the change, he saw old coins he didn't usually have to deal with in the real world, where he mainly used plastic.

  Emma had given him two quarters and four dimes. He left a dime for the tip and put the other five coins in his wallet. When he opened the screen to look, everything had gone into the same one slot that showed two dollars and eighty cents.

  "Good."

  He didn't need to worry about how to manage multiple coin and bill denominations.

  Making his way towards the exit, he gave Emma a grateful wave goodbye. This was a place he would come back to many times, given the opportunity.

  Ethan realized his initial three dollars was going to stretch a lot further than he first thought, especially if he stayed frugal.

  Since things felt so cheap in the game, he wondered how much a weapon and vehicle might cost him.

  "One step at a time," he said to himself.

  He decided to worry about that later.