The Nettle Tea Chronicles

Zoe

The text chat flowed pretty easily from there. Once everyone had sent whatever their version of congratulations was, and they had gotten the teasing out of their systems, the topic moved into making plans from there.

{Bisky} : It looks like the event starts on Friday the third.

{Caoimhe} : Man, starting it two days after the new year is kinda mean. Some people are probably still on vacation.

{Firo} : None of us are, though, right?

{Evie} : Not that I recall.

{Fiona} : Nope

{Bisky} : So…we're doing this.

{Aleister} : Hell yeah.

{Mellody} : We can at least start it. If we end up sucking real bad, we can always stop bothering with it.

{Evie} : Mello's right. Since the leaderboard is apparently based on points in some way, I don't think it's a big deal if we just stop showing up.

{Fiona} : It's unfortunate that you guys can't snag a fill if I can't make it because of Eli though.

{Caoimhe} : I mean, sure, it sucks, but life will be life. But I doubt we'd ever be in contention for the top of the leaderboard or anything.

{Mellody} : Yeah, if you can't make it, you can't make it. /shrug

{Aleister} : I'll third that. Unless we somehow make it like several days deep and don't lose.

{Aleister} : If we're doing super good, I hope we all try really hard to show up.

{Evie} : I'm okay with that. Go hard as long as we still have a shot at the top?

{Fiona} : Well, it opens on a Friday, so I don't think it'll be an issue until the following Monday at the very least. If we manage to win 12 straight matches…

{Firo} : We'll make some magic happen.

{Caoimhe} : Maybe we can pitch in to help hire a baby sitter?

{Fiona} : Pft. Thanks guys, but we'll see how it goes. If we choose to not raid those two weeks, I can probably swing the hour we'd need each day. I think Sam would be fine with that.

{Evie} : Nice. That still leaves us with deciding something else though.

{Fiona} : Actually, Sam literally just told me it'd be fine. Told us to "swing for the fences or whatever".

{Caoimhe} : Tell Sam I owe her a cake next time I see her. And what're you talking about Evie?

{Evie} : I figured we'd want to finish the ending of the raid before the event, no?

{Firo} : I haven't looked at anything, I promise. But we do have one more fight to go.

{Evie} : And I assume it's a biggun

{Firo} : In contention for hardest in the tier, apparently. Aine is the other option.

{Bisky} : So we'd probably need a few nights minimum to clear it.

{Mellody} : Which we don't have because of New Year's.

{Aleister} : So if we took every chance we have, at best, it's tomorrow, Sunday, Monday. Tuesday if we all ignore NYE plans, which I assume we're not doing that.

{Caoimhe} : Nope, sorry. Spend that with my family.

{Fiona} : Same. NYE is a no go.

{Firo} : I also have plans.

{Mellody} : Us too.

{Evie} : I'd guess us too.

{Aleister} : Ooooo. New couple making plans for New Years?

Zoe felt the blush creep up again as Cass typed out a response. It was a non-committal 'Nothing solid yet, we'll see', and despite the heat rising up her neck she looked up beside her to try to find Cass' eyes. "Oh? Don't wanna make plans?" she teased to hide her embarrassment.

Cass looked down at her with a raised eyebrow. "Hey, I'm just being honest here. We don't have set plans." She shrugged. "If you want to make some, though, I'm all for it."

"As long as it's not going out in the city, sure. I've done that twice. Never. Ever. Again." Zoe shuddered.

Cass just laughed. "I've been out there once. I'm with you, it was an absolute nightmare."

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

"Glad we're on the same page, because my friends all enjoyed it." Zoe said, thinking back to the way her college friends partied the entire night away. "They got absolutely shit-faced - I'm talking, like, completely black-out drunk - and then just wandered around dancing with anyone they saw."

"Not your scene, I take it."

"No, not even a little. It also doesn't help that I've always kinda been relegated to DD, so I don't drink that much - not that I would, anyway - but no. I'm always the 'responsible' one and babysitting everyone else isn't much fun." Zoe said.

"Well, heavy drinking isn't really my thing either, so you're in good company. Though, in my case, it's at least partially because I never had someone like you to watch my back when I drank."

Zoe took a moment to process that. While Cass hadn't exactly shared specific stories, she did say that she left home for college and never went back. In her mind it followed that Cass had probably been properly alone since then. If she was stuck spending her time focused on surviving, or working in addition to classes, she probably never had the luxury of partying during college. And from there…it was possible that Cass had never made any real friends after that, under all that stress.

"Sorry." Zoe said, the apology heartfelt. She had never thought much about it before, but Cass never really mentioned other friends. Even when she mentioned dating people, she never mentioned anything serious.

Cass laid her cheek against Zoe with a wry smile. "Nothing for you to say sorry for, Zoe."

Zoe happily nuzzled against Cass for a moment in pleasant silence before they turned back to the chat, which had moved on while they were talking.

{Firo} : So, basically, we're looking at going super hard for an extended raid day on Sunday then? It sounds like it's the only option.

{Fiona} : I think I could make that work.

{Aleister} : What we thinkin? Like 10 to 8?

{Caoimhe} : 10 hours? Damn.

{Caoimhe} : I can make it though.

{Bisky} : If we're only doing one day, I can swing it. 10-8 EST, I assume?

{Firo} : Bruh, I know I said all day, but 7am on a Sunday?

{Mellody} : 12 - 8 EST then?

{Firo} : I can do that….

{Evie} : We should be good for it here.

{Bisky} : 8 hours of prog to take out the tier's final boss before we transition into PvP mode?

{Caoimhe} : Challenge accepted.

{Fiona} : I'm down to try it, but I wouldn't bank on us clearing in a single day.

{Mellody} : Fiona's right. 8 hours of gametime is great, but a single 8 hr session is gonna be brutal on the nerves.

{Bisky} : Then we go until we're fried. It's our last chance to get it done, sounds like.

Cass scrolled up a bit to see what they had missed. It looked like Saturday was a no go because Caoimhe, Mellody, and Aleister all had plans. Firo had also said he was iffy for it. Fiona also said that while either weekend day could work, he could only do one. Bisky seconded that, saying Sunday would be better anyway, to give her workers a little more notice.

For Cass and Zoe, either weekend day was fine. So it really sounded like Sunday was their last big hurrah to take down whatever the final boss of the raid tier was.

{Caoimhe} : If we bungle Sunday, how does Monday work for people?

{Mellody} : Aleister and I can make it work for just one time. Are there any 'no's?

{Firo} : It'd have to be a short night. I play DnD on Mondays.

{Fiona} : A short night is a much easier sell for me, too.

{Evie} : So, if we don't clear on Sunday, we go in on Monday for like…an hour? Maaaaaybe 2?

{Bisky} : Sounds like it. Any opposed?

{Caoimhe} : Let's get this shit done so we can focus on the event.

{Firo} : The announcement says there's more details to come, so we'll need to wait and see what the game mode they choose is like.

{Firo} : We may need to talk comp.

{Evie} : We *will* need to talk comp, because we all play weird shit in PvP, right?

{Bisky} : Once we know more we can discuss it. Foir now, we good?

Rather than text replies, a bunch of thumbs up or other similar emotes popped into the chat as everyone agreed. When the chatter seemed to die down after that, Cass tossed her phone to the side, letting it land on the couch behind Zoe.

"That's enough of that," she declared, reaching over the arm of the couch to the side table where there was a wireless mouse to control the PC-TV. "What're we thinking?"

Zoe shrugged the best she could manage while laying half way on top of Cass. "I usually watch my weekly stuff on Saturday mornings, and otherwise watch a lot of YouTube."

"So…movie again?" Cass asked.

"Sure. Whatever you'd like." Zoe settled into her spot against Cass, not caring much about whatever was picked for them to watch. She supposed if it was something she had zero interest in she could always veto it, but she wasn't picky.

"Well, we did one big franchise last time. Should we follow it up with a bigger one?" Cass muttered mostly to herself as she flipped through the catalogue to find her pick.

"Cass, those movies are like four hours each."

"Yeah? You got somewhere to be?" Cass laughed.

Zoe rolled her eyes. "I suppose not, just right here."

"Good. Then stay there and we'll have a marathon."

"We're gonna need to break for dinner." Zoe said, not exactly against the idea. "And if we watch all three extended ones, I might make you stay the night."

"You don't need to make me stay the night, Zoe. Pretty sure I'll miss the last train anyway." Cass' tone was nonchalant, but the little smirk on her face made Zoe question whether she had chosen the very long movies on purpose to have a solid excuse to stay the night.

When Zoe's silence lasted more than a few seconds as she narrowed her eyes at Cass, Cass glanced down to see why she was suddenly quiet. When she saw the look Zoe was giving her, she snorted, trying to hold back the laugh that was building in her throat.

Zoe, seeing the laughter, decided to take it a step further and cross her arms petulantly. She did her best to look like a small, cute but angry animal, considering going as far to use up-turned eyes to her advantage.

Cass smiled at her attempt to weaponize her looks. "And just what're you giving me that look for, hm?" Cass asked as she selected the first of their three movies for the day.

Zoe reasserted her petulant pose by snorting and tightening her crossed arms. "Were you planning to just miss the last train on purpose to stay the night? Picking such long movies on purpose…"

Cass' eyes rolled up and away from Zoe suspiciously. "No…?"

"That was…wholly unconvincing."

"I mean, okay, maybe. I was planning to ask before we started the last one. You caught me." Cass put her one hand up in surrender, but didn't move the arm that was slung around Zoe.

"You could've just asked." Zoe muttered, looking away. Cass seemed to take that response for what it was, and gave Zoe a little snuggle.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't sure if I was being too presumptuous or moving too fast, and just got too nervous to ask." Cass said, her voice tapering off to an uncertain whisper.

Zoe dropped her childish act and sighed. "Cass, what's the point in us dating if we're going to be all dodgy and stuff? And I'm fully, 200% aware of the hypocrisy in that statement, just let it go for the moment. I'm trying, here."

Cass laughed at Zoe's addendum. "Alright, fair. No more sneaky stuff. Are there any boundaries we should set?"

"I don't mind spending nights together, same bed or otherwise." Zoe paused, trying to gauge exactly what she felt she was ready for. Cuddling and sharing a bed was fine, she knew that much. Beyond that… "No kissing and the like for now, I think. I need a little more time to adjust."

Cass just nodded. "I can do that. I imagine cuddles are fine?"

Zoe took the opportunity to push herself snugly against Cass again. "Clearly." She really did enjoy the warmth of being close to someone. She just wasn't sure about the next step quite yet.

She was also entirely too worried about whether she would be able to just leave it at a kiss, if one happened. So, for the moment, it was better to keep that off the table in the meantime.

But New Year's Eve was close, and she was generally pretty good at adjusting to new things once she put her mind to it. Zoe was pretty sure that the typical New Year's Eve kiss was entirely on the table. After that, though, all bets were off.