The Nettle Tea Chronicles

Zoe

"A big PvP event?" Zoe asked curiously. "They haven't really done anything like that beyond the guild versus guild stuff and leaderboards."

"I know, isn't it exciting?" Cass grinned and motioned for Zoe to come join her on the couch instead of standing there. "It looks like it's a team based event designed for pre-made large parties."

Zoe approached the couch while Cass was looking at the information on the phone. She was still unsure exactly how close she should act with Cass. They had known each other for several years, even if Zoe was convinced at this point that the first couple years of that was far more superficial and only based on their gaming habits.

They had suddenly transitioned into a relationship - which Zoe was immensely happy about - but it still left her a little lost on how to act. On one hand, she felt like she shouldn't be overly forward and cuddling up to Cass like a long-time girlfriend on what was essentially their first date. But it felt equally weird to sit on the couch with some distance between them while acting like a nervous teenager.

And, of course, Cass was just wedged in the corner of the couch comfortably, completely ignoring Zoe's floundering.

As Zoe eyed Cass and her seeming lack of care, she found a little bit of mounting annoyance with the other woman, and decided to hell with it. She was going to do what she wanted, and deal with whatever fallout happened afterward.

Didn't some people say it was better to ask forgiveness than permission?

Zoe inwardly admitted that the sentiment was entirely wrong and off-base, but still used it as permission anyway.

She practically threw herself down beside Cass on the couch. Cass was wedged against the right side of the couch, with her right arm resting on the side of the couch, while her left arm was propped up along the back, and her long legs running diagonally across the couch. It looked comfortable and lazy.

And, on purpose or not, also inviting.

Once Zoe was on the couch, she wiggled back against Cass, wedging herself perfectly between Cass and the back of the couch under her left arm, then threw the blanket over them both. She fit in the space perfectly, and leaned over Cass' chest to look at the woman's phone screen and the new event's information.

"So, what's it say?" Zoe asked nonchalantly, hoping that she hadn't been too forward.

Zoe had a momentary panic as Cass shifted beside her once she settled in. It was short lived, though, because not a moment later Cass had resituated herself for more comfort, wrapped Zoe up with her left arm, pulling Zoe snugly against her, and angled the phone so Zoe could see better. "It seems pretty interesting. And potentially well balanced for most players that have more than just a passing interest, which is cool."

Zoe felt her cheeks and ears heating up as Cass pulled her in. It got even worse when Cass leaned her own cheek against the top of Zoe's head, which also pushed Zoe to lean her own head comfortably against Cass' chest in the crook of her neck. She did her best to stay on topic and not get flustered by focusing on the information on screen.

"So…it's sorta point based, but with a max of four matches your team can take per day?"

"Looks that way." Cass said. "And since matches seem to be a max of fifteen minutes, you're basically only looking at an hour at most per day to remain competitive on the leaderboard. It also says that each player can only join one team, so there's not really any obvious way to game the system. Probably." Cass half-shrugged, pointing at a few lines of text with other rules.

"I'm sure people will try regardless." Zoe muttered.

"They always do."

"Still, it seems fun. And with the preliminary event lasting two weeks, that's -"

"-fifty-six matches." Cass interrupted, before continuing with a bit of trivia, "I remember reading somewhere online that if everyone in the world participated in a tournament with one-on-one matches, it'd only take 32 or 33 matches to get to the finals. So fifty-six matches should be more than enough, really."

"Well, since they say it's points based, it's not single elimination, obviously." Zoe said.

"True. And they refer to these matches as preliminaries, but don't have any information here about what comes after."

"Eh. Mag Mell is pretty big. I bet they could do a big event if they wanted."

"How cool would it be to be in the finals and play in a big arena?" Cass asked, sounding unusually excited.

"Very cool. But we both know we're not that good at PvP. We're, like, upper twenty percent, maybe?" Zoe considered.

"I know, but still."

"Besides, while they may do some kind of big event for the finals, if they were going to do some kind of big arena event like other e-sports, they'd want to announce that early and sell tickets. It'll probably just be in-game stuff."

"Party pooper." Cass whined as a new notification popped up on her phone.

Zoe's immediate reaction was to look away, as despite Cass showing her the phone screen, it felt like an invasion of privacy to read the notification. But when she recognized the associated image of it as Firo's avatar, she felt less bad about reading it.

{Firo} : Yo, did you all see the new event announcement?

{Firo} : [Link]

"What do you think? Think Nettle Tea would be interested in teaming up for a big PvP event for funsies?" Cass asked.

"Dunno, but I hope so." Zoe said. "Or at least most of us? If someone can't, or isn't interested, I'm sure we could find fills."

"You think Firo has more friends like Sylvia?"

"Probably?"

{Caoimhe} : Wut?

{Bisky} : Shit, that sounds like fun.

{Aliester} : Mello and I are totally in.

Stolen story; please report.

{Fiona} : Hm. I may need to sit this out…

{Mellody} : We don't PvP all that much, but this sounds like fun.

{Firo} : And the rules seem doable. An hour a day max isn't bad.

{Caoimhe} : Aw, Fiona…

{Fiona} : Wait, an hour a day max? How you figure?

{Firo} : It's in the rules. Each team gets four matches per day, and they cap at fifteen minutes. So an hour max.

{Fiona} : Wait, I can probably swing that.

Cass shifted her position a bit to get both hands on the phone to type out a message, which also managed to squish Zoe against her even more. Zoe, for her part, was fighting tooth and nail against the blush that was creeping up her neck and face yet again while watching Cass type out the message.

"You're in, right?"

"Obviously." Zoe answered.

Cass started to type out her reply, and Zoe let out a laugh before she sent it.

"What?"

"Cass, you wrote 'Zoe'." Zoe laughed, pointing at the message, which currently read 'Zoe and I are totally in'.

"Oops."

"I mean, not a big deal."

"I've mostly been referring to you as Zoe in my head the last few days. More than usual." Cass said as she fixed the message.

Zoe just shrugged. "Sorry?"

"Nah, don't be. My bad." Cass said, and followed that with a short nuzzle against Zoe's head.

Zoe was fighting a losing battle against her blush, she could feel it.

{Evie} : Nyx and I are totally in.

{Bisky} : Is that everybody? We're actually gonna do this?

{Caoimhe} : Hell yeah.

{Fiona} : Just to be sure, how about we get some written confirmation from @Nyx?

Zoe heard her phone, which she had left on the small kitchen counter space she had, buzz with the notification when she was tagged.

"...Can I go get that?" Zoe asked, still currently trapped in Cass' arms.

"Nope." Cass chuckled, holding her fast.

{Evie} : No need, I'm talking to her.

Zoe eyed the screen, waiting for an affirmative response to that, but when thirty seconds went by without anything, she got worried.

{Fiona} : …and that stops her from replying how, exactly?

Cass glanced down and Zoe looked up to meet her eyes. They both shrugged.

"Let me up, I'll go get -"

"Nope." Cass said, again, this time with a teasing, sing-song tone. There was a moment of silence between them while Zoe contemplated trying to actively escape her girlfriend's grasp.

"Are we going to keep our dating a secret?" Cass finally asked in the silence.

"We probably shouldn't tell anyone at work."

Cass snorted. "I agree there. But what about these guys?" She asked, wiggling her phone.

"Well. It's not like it's totally a secret. I told my sister about us this morning when she called and interrogated me. Sorta." Zoe admitted.

Cass looked down at her, noting the last word. "Sorta?"

"Well…" Zoe started, not exactly sure what to say. "We kinda talked about it a bit, but I wasn't sure we had exactly said outright what our relationship is?"

"Uh huh…" Cass said, clearly unconvinced. "So what did you tell her, exactly?"

"I believe what I said was, 'I think I have a girlfriend'." Zoe admitted.

"You dumbass." Cass sighed, but her tone was full of affection.

Zoe found her eyes angling down and focusing on a small stain on her couch from some wine from years ago. "Sorry."

"Why are you sorry?" Cass said, jostling Zoe lightly. "There's nothing to apologize for. If you want clarification, you can ask for it."

"I'm sorry," Zoe said again, this time adding a little more explanation, "I mentioned it briefly before, I think, but my last relationship…I think it messed me up pretty bad, Cass. I don't know if it was me or her that was the problem in the end, but I recognize now that our communication wasn't good. I thought things were understood even though they were left unsaid, and it turned into a big deal in the end."

With Zoe suddenly acting somber and broaching a serious topic, Cass squeezed, hugging her tightly. "I understand. Then, let's be about as forthright and clear as possible." Cass cleared her throat for show before speaking again, her tone suddenly by the book.

"Zoe. I like you as more than a friend. I would like to date you - officially - as part of a monogamous relationship. As your girlfriend."

The blunt statement broke through Zoe's melancholy and made her laugh. It sounded stilted and awkward - probably on purpose - but it got the point across beautifully. Zoe couldn't help but nuzzle back against Cass's neck and cheek.

"I would happily do that, Cass. Thank you."

"No thanks necessary." Cass responded with a nuzzling of her own. "That said, though…should we tell them?"

Zoe took a deep breath, let it out, then shrugged. "Fuck it, why not? I imagine they'll figure it out quickly enough anyway."

They both stared at the phone for a moment, before Zoe asked how they should tell everyone.

"Oh. I have an idea. We all sent pictures already, so you don't mind them seeing you, right?" Cass asked.

"Uh, sure? Why would you - oh."

Zoe giggled as Cass flipped the phone around and lifted her arm to get a clear shot of the two of them laying on the couch. She even leaned her cheek against Zoe's head and pulled her in a little closer.

"Say peas."

"Peas?" Zoe laughed as Cass took the shot, then nodded with satisfaction as she checked it over. They both looked so happy, that Zoe knew immediately that the next time she had her phone in hand, she'd have a new wallpaper. Or lock screen, maybe.

{Evie} : Trust me, she says it's fine. And is currently trapped and can't get her phone.

{Evie} : [Attached Image]

The response wasn't immediate, but they both waited with bated breath for someone to say something. Then several responses came in at once.

{Fiona} : Hot damn.

{Bisky} : Look like y'all are having a good time.

{Caoimhe} : Aw, how cute.

{Evie} : As this seems as good a time as any…

{Evie} : The two of us are dating.

{Evie} : As of the day before yesterday.

{Bisky} : Congrats!

{Fiona} : Nice!

{Caoimhe} : Congratulations, you two!

{Caoimhe} : Wait…day before yesterday?

{Bisky} : You got together on Christmas?

{Aleister} : Spilltheteaspilltheteaspillthetea

Cass and Zoe both snorted with laughter at Aleister's sudden appearance now that there was potential drama, let alone her message itself.

{Evie} : Maybe when you're older.

Zoe smiled at the response. "Nice."

"I assume we're gonna be made to tell them the next time we're all in chat together."

"Probably."

"Should we come up with a totally ridiculous tale? Say…I dunno, you got shot in the city and I rushed to your hospital bed realizing that, after you got hurt, I needed to tell you I liked you?"

"Why was your first instinct to get me shot?" Zoe laughed.