Jill's Dice

Jill puts her index finger to her lips.He moved the character card forward one space and stood next to the elf.

"I've decided to help my drow friend," he said. "Andrew, it's your turn."

"Your operation is over?" Andrew said, "but I didn't see what you did."

"I did do something. When you make an attack roll, throw two d20s," Jill said.

Andrew was about to say something, but was interrupted by Stephanie. "The dwarf suddenly sang in the dark. His hoarse voice distracted the lizard rider. Drow Leo, you have the advantage in attacking now," she said.

"Oh, good job." Patsy patted Jill on the shoulder.

"I've done everything I can, let the dice decide," Jill said.

**

You have done everything you can.

Blood gushes out from between your wounds.You feel your life rushing by and your extremities grow cold.In dying despair, you sing the psalm of Moradin the Soul Forger.Those ancient words are heavy and short, like a hammer beating the embryo again and again.You clung to the spear wedged between your collarbone to keep the rider from the confrontation.The rider poured out all his rage on you, and the force from the spear pierced your collarbone, nailing you to the stone shale.He cursed you in a language you couldn't understand, in a voice like a witch's.You know that behind the enemy, the drow raises his longbow.Slowly and silently, he straightened the bow to a full arc, until the tip of the bow was crushed and trembled, and he could no longer bear the murderous intent that was ready to go.

The drow let go of the bowstring.

☆, six

Boys and girls deal with loneliness very differently.

We seldom enter and leave the teaching building in pairs like girls in groups of twos and threes.We love to curse bad things with powerful phrases and swear words.Sometimes we go to class, eat, and go to the gym alone.We say to ourselves, don't worry, it's okay, you're cool.But I know many people who share my fear of being alone, of being alone.So I would put on my headphones and let the music fill the silence when no one was talking to me.

If you've been in a literature department or a history department at a university, you'll know what I'm trying to convey.

Every time I walked into the classroom, I saw that everyone was talking with their neighbors, and the professor was adjusting the courseware on the computer without looking up at me.I'm always the last one in the classroom.It's because I don't like the silence of sitting there with no one to talk to you.I always wish the progress bar for the computer to boot up would go slower so I could pretend I was concentrating on the computer screen instead of looking around aimlessly and looking silly.I always make excuses for myself.I'm only here for one semester, so there's no need to make new relationships.But I can't deny the frustration and helplessness I felt when I realized that no one wanted to sit next to me.

—Andrew's Diary

November [-], [-]

"...As a civilization that survived in the early history of Britain, there are only a handful of records about the Picts (Note [-]). We can piece together the fact that it once existed from Roman records and stone carvings... ..."

On the blank document on the computer desktop, the cursor kept blinking, like blinking eyes, sending him some kind of Morse code.In the first 5 minutes of this class, Andrew White was able to keep up with Professor Dixon's thoughts, but after that his mind became scattered, cruising from here to there, but unable to focus on a certain point.He thought for a moment about last night's kayak practice, with the latest race in two months, but Captain Sandy acted like a race was imminent.Andrew's barbell bench press pounds still remained at 45 two months ago, and Sandy asked him to increase this number to [-] after half a month.Andrew hopes that the school will subsidize them to buy protein powder, so that all the team members can finally go to the bodybuilding competition.

He hadn't written his coursework on the modern history of Eastern Europe yet, which made him slightly anxious.He developed a sense of guilt for wasting his time.Tomorrow is the weekend and he should probably go to the library.

"...in the fourth century, Hadrian's Wall separated the Roman-dominated areas in the south from the 'barbaric' areas in the north occupied by other civilizations. The Picts were the representatives of the northern tribes..."

He loves the club gatherings and likes most of the people in the club, but unfortunately they only see each other once a week.There is no doubt that he likes Jill.Jill doesn't talk much when strangers are around, maybe because he wants to look cool, maybe because Jill is shy, but Andrew knows Jill is a good guy.Sometimes, Jill helps Andrew buy chicken breast sub sandwiches at Subway's internal employee prices.With Jill, Andrew is free to complain about a professor who is overly authoritarian.When there is no class, they will spend half a day in the cafe, reading books, or chatting endlessly.

They like to play what-if games, and the questions generally go something like this—

What would Europe be like today if the Roman Empire hadn't been destroyed?

Assuming the Great Schism did not happen, would the entire Christian church be governed by Greek or Latin?

Suppose...

"...assuming the Anglo-Saxon invasion hadn't happened, maybe the Picts wouldn't have disappeared, but that's a story for another parallel universe. At least in this timeline we live in, all we know about the Picts is It can stop here. Throughout the early history of Britain, many civilizations like the Picts were squeezed by external forces, fused with other peoples, and finally shaped the embryo of early Britain. In the next lesson, we will start from the eighth century Danish Beginning with the invasion of Great Britain by humans, we reflect on the profound influence of the Viking culture on British civilization from the aspects of language, architecture and religion."

The sound of a schoolbag zipper being unzipped, the friction of chair legs dragging.The noisy conversation filled the entire classroom.The students packed their notes and handouts into their schoolbags and walked to the door of the lecture theater.Professor Dixon turned off the computer.Andrew came back to his senses.His right hand stopped moving.On the striped notebook spread out in front of him, a long-haired elf was drawn.The elf's limbs are hatched to indicate his dark complexion.The elf holds a spear in his hand, pointed at the dragon above the page.Elves and dragons glared at each other, baring their sharp teeth like a child's crayon drawing.

There is a line of annotations under this graffiti, written in bold capital letters——

Drow Andrew White.

"Have you ever been to London?"

"I went there a few years ago, the school organized a tourism project."

The coffee shop between classes is full of students.They sat at a small round table near the table.Jill dipped the whole Doritos into the hot sauce, and Andrew looked at the scarlet corn flakes, and his mouth couldn't help but burn.Jill chewed absently.With his other hand, he flips through his phone, checking his social media notifications.

"Hey, any plans for Christmas?" Andrew asked.He poured the creamer into the latte and stirred it slowly with a bamboo skewer.

"Nothing special, home for the holidays," Jill shrugged, "What about you?"

"I might take a trip to London then," said Andrew.

"Aren't you going home?"

"Flights are too expensive. Wish the Erasmus program would cover Christmas flights, but it's a pity they don't provide that support."

"I'm sorry," Jill handed Andrew a piece of cornflakes, as if comforting a frustrated child with chocolate, "want to try it?"

"Thank you." Andrew took it.

"Hey—" Jill hesitated, "would you like to come to Bristol for a few days for Christmas? I could ask my parents if they'd like to host you. I think they'd love to, but I'd have to ask first Hit them."

The cornflakes stopped at Andrew's mouth.Andrew was a little surprised.

"Thank you for the invitation. But spending Christmas with a stranger may not please your parents," Andrew said hesitantly. "I'm not sure your parents would like to have a stranger in the family then."

Jill waved his hand. "Don't be silly. They're good people, and I'm sure they'd like to invite you, but I just have to tell them first, you know, I can't just bring a friend home suddenly and leave them unprepared."

He ate a piece of cornflakes and turned his attention back to his phone.

Andrew was silent, wondering if it was Stephanie or Patsy sitting across from Jill at this time, knowing that they were homeless for Christmas, would Jill invite them to come to his house for the holidays.

"Thank you." Andrew said.

"Dude, don't be so formal, okay? You're making me a little nervous. I mean, you're not my girlfriend, and it's no big deal." The other hand will stretch out the palm forward, as if inviting others, but also showing his indifferent and comfortable demeanor.He picked up a small piece of cornflakes and tossed it into the air. At the same time, he raised his head and opened his mouth wide to catch the falling cornflakes, but he missed it.He gave a "bah" and smiled sheepishly.

"What are your plans for the weekend?" Jill asked.

"I have to go to the library. Professor Dixon has a new assignment asking us to discuss the historical factors behind the demise of the Picts."

"Hey, I guess I'll have to focus on my studies too," Jill said. "If you decide when you want to go to the library, can you message me?"

"of course."

Jill glanced at the wall clock on the wall. "I have to go to the panel discussion," he said.

Jill stood up, picked up the board cap on the table, and put it on backwards.His schoolbag is very light and doesn't seem to contain too many books.He pushed the chair back, pointed to the remaining cornflakes on the table, "These snacks are left for you, you're welcome."

"Thank you, see you tomorrow." Andrew said goodbye to him.

Andrew's eyes followed Jill's back, and he didn't look back until the hoodie with street spray printing disappeared into the crowd.

There was a half-eaten box of cornflakes on the dining table.There is a thick layer of cheese on the nachos.The hot sauce was almost at the bottom, and the torn paper lid was drooping limply.

Andrew reached out to it.

He knows he shouldn't be eating this kind of food.The last time he ate this food was a year ago.But there seemed to be a thread manipulating his fingers, and he pulled a cornflake out of the box.He dipped a corner of the ketchup and popped the corn flakes into his mouth.Loose flakes of corn crumbled between his teeth.He chewed it again and again, the artificial additive acting on his brain via the olfactory nerve, giving him a guilty pleasure.A certain thought that he had been trying to suppress was struggling to break free.He didn't know what would happen if he allowed that thought to grow.

**

"Listen, Jill, you have to come."

"No, don't even think about it."

"I sometimes suspect that you are not a normal college student, but a rejuvenated old man, like Benjamin Button."

"Yes, ma'am, my real name is Benjamin Button, and I'm actually a 90-year-old man with no interest in entertainment, so don't expect me to go to parties."

Stephanie made a "Oh my god" gesture.Her expression suddenly became serious.

"Listen, Jill, you are one of the vice presidents, you have to go, you have no reason to be absent."

"Oh, come on, Stephanie, this is not a congressional election. Even if it is a congressional election, members have the right to abstain from voting."

Jill pushed the straps of her schoolbag up and picked up the pace of her walk.Stephanie trotted after him.Jill was physically and mentally exhausted after a day of tedious class bombardment.All he wanted was to get back to the dorm and make himself a bacon sandwich and go to bed without a shower.

Stephanie is still holding on. "You have to go, anyway, if you don't show up on Sunday, I'll let Andrew carry you to the bar."

"Hey," Jill stopped abruptly, "what does this have to do with Andrew? Don't let irrelevant people get involved."

Stephanie caught Jill's weakness and grinned. "Hey, if I told you Andrew was coming to the joint party, would you come?"

"Don't even think about it," Jill said hostilely. "If you keep harassing me, I'll quit."

Stephanie was used to such threats from Jill.Knowing that she had cornered Jill in this verbal battle, her tone brightened. "If you want to quit the club, a friendly reminder that your membership fee is non-refundable."

"I see," Jill said suddenly, "that's why you dyed your hair pink, for this party, no, maybe for some Romeo."

"Hey!" Stephanie stopped and yelled at Jill angrily, "I hope you never find a girlfriend!" Her yelling made many students turn their heads to look at them.

Jill had already walked some distance by this time.Getting rid of Stephanie's pressing made him feel better.He turned around, walked backwards, and at the same time waved his hand at Stephanie, and shouted deliberately: "Don't worry, Stephanie, at least I won't find a girl with pink hair!"

Jill turned back and put on the earphones hanging around his neck, and music flowed out of them, filling the gap between him and the world.He was filled with the pleasure of revenge.Go to the fucking joint party, go to the fucking social, let those social animals talk till the end of the world, and he won't even look there.

The author has something to say: Note [-]: Picts (Picts), an ethnic group living in northeastern England in the late Iron Age.

Note [-]: Doritos, a Mexican cornflakes snack, is an American brand.

☆, seven

Andrew19:39

Coming to the joint party next Sunday?

Jill 19:51

No, I've rejected Stephanie.

Jill dimmed the phone and turned it upside down on the table.He had just typed the first line on the computer document when the phone vibrated violently and slid a little distance on the table.

He picked up the phone.

Andrew19:55

I'm going to the library at ten o'clock tomorrow. See you then?

Jill pressed the key quickly, sending.

Jill 19:53

Cool.

The phone never rang again.

Jill stared at the computer screen, repeating the first sentence of the document silently, until the meaning of the sentence became blurred.The irritability is rising, like a pot of chocolate soup boiling endlessly.

He closed the laptop, jumped onto the bed, and lay there face down.He tried to fall asleep, but was getting more and more awake.Feeling guilty about wasting his time, he reached out to the bedside table and grabbed a book.The book had a cinnabar-colored cloth cover and was very heavy. He couldn't hold it firmly, and the book almost fell on his face.He forgot the day he borrowed the book from the library.He turned to the first page, the font size was delicate and small, making his eyes sore.But what is strange is that the author's plain and profound language style made him immersed in it.The room was so quiet that only the sound of him turning the pages of the book was heard, and he didn't feel that the silence was unbearable, until the sound of the key being inserted into the door lock was like a crack opening on the ice, breaking the frozen silence. broken.

It's Patrick.

He was wearing a light yellow hoodie with camouflage pastels on his cheeks.With post-party ecstasy lingering on his face, he opened his arms to Jill and yelled, "Dude, why are you looking so down? Cheer up!"

"You're so excited," Jill said, covering his chest with the book, tucking an arm behind his head, studying him. "I didn't think I'd see you until morning."

"Guess what I met," Patrick took out his phone and handed it to Jill, "Look at this, what do you think?"

It was a picture of a girl.She has a healthy wheat complexion, and the shoulders exposed by the party dress are round and strong, which seems to be the result of long-term exercise.Her jawbones were thin, and her lip-painted mouth was sensually parted, reflecting a seductive light.She raised one eyebrow and looked at the camera with sexual allure.

"She's hot," Jill said dryly.

Patrick retracted his phone and swipe across the screen. "Her name is Suzanne, I asked for her Instagram, do you want to see it? Oh, look at this, her bikini photo." Patrick handed over his phone.Jill turned around on the bed, facing the other side of the wall: "No, thanks, I have to go to bed, I have class tomorrow morning."

"Do you think I'm having fun with her?" Patrick sat on the bed.The springs creaked violently.

"You can give it a go. Well, don't disturb my sleep now." Jill pulled the quilt over her head.Patrick muttered dissatisfiedly, but didn't say anything more.Jill turned on her phone in bed, but the notification bar was still blank.

He tucks his phone under his pillow, tucks one arm under his cheek, and bends his knees upward like a shrimp curled up at the touch.He buried his cheek in the cloud-like pillow.The scene of talking with Andrew in the coffee shop at noon played repeatedly in his mind.For some reason, he always thought of Andrew scratching his ears.Andrew seemed a little nervous at that time, so that the pinnae of his ears turned red.Jill wondered why Andrew was so awkward, but maybe the answer wasn't his wishful thinking.The darkness of the bed was too warm, giving his memories a sweet illusion, making him feel like eating waffles filled with ice cream-sweet taste pleases him, but eating too much will make him feel sick.He was terrified of not being able to control his heart.All his thoughts revolved around Andrew irresistibly, like the fragments of an asteroid belt being restrained by the universal gravitational field, slowly rotating eternally with a certain planet as the core.He thought he could restrain the rotation as he had done before and return the fragments to chaos, but he failed.

He had to admit the fact that it was becoming more and more difficult for him to maintain that hippie status that didn't care about anything.

**

At ten o'clock the next day they sat in the library and started studying on time.

The golden sunlight passed through the long window panes and fell on their hair and shoulders.A baffle separates them.

Andrew's sideburns are cleanly shaved, accentuating the sharp contours of his face.His eyes are a light turquoise in sunlight.He put his index finger to his lips and stared intently at the computer screen.

Jill had funk playing in her headphones.He stared at Andrew from the corner of his eye.Andrew seemed to be aware of it, and put his finger off his lips. Jill was awakened, and suddenly looked back.

Now, his heart rate is 86 beats per minute.He's in control.

Accompanied by the music, the colored pen in his hand draws colorful lines on the sketchbook, gradually filling the paper.He left blank space in the upper right corner of each letter to accentuate the reflective effect of the edges.He draws very quickly, and seems to barely follow the running thoughts, trying to leave traces of inspiration.Finally, he signed TAG in the lower right corner to end all this.

He leaned back in his chair and held up the picture book.It was a wild and unrestrained letter graffiti, mainly in pink and light blue.The edges of the letters T and Z morph into arrows that pass through the other letters and extend outward. Beside the TAG is a cartoon little man wearing a flat-tongue cap, a wide T-shirt and crotch pants, making a "V" gesture outward.

"I thought you were studying," Andrew said.

Jill slammed the sketchbook upside down on the table.

"Can I take a look?" Andrew asked.

Jill hesitated for a few seconds before handing over the album.Andrew took it and turned back from the first page.His expression changed from surprise to amazement.Those free graffiti fonts attracted him.Unlike Jill's usual black-based dressing style, he likes to use bright colors with high saturation when painting, which gives his graffiti drafts a fresh summer style.

"These...these paintings are amazing, Jill." Andrew shook his head in amazement.

Jill removed one earphone and stretched her sore shoulders back. "When I lived in Bristol, I used to do graffiti on the walls, but after I left there I rarely did it."

"You learned all of this by yourself?"

"I learned it in a workshop."

Andrew turned to the last one, which was the painting that Jill had just finished.The ink stain did not dry completely, causing the stain to stick to the previous page.Annoyed, Jill took the picture book back from Andrew and spread it out completely in the sun.Like a glass candy wrapper, it breaks down sunlight into bright, colorful hues.

"Hey Jill," Andrew said.

"what?"

"You're an artist, you know that?"

"My brother used to tell me that too," Jill stared at the painting, "I don't know if I'm an artist or not, but what does it matter? I just do what I love, like painting. That's all." Simple."

"I was wondering," said Andrew softly, "are we going to have lunch at Brothers Bloom's cafe at noon? I hear their Yorkshire puddings are delicious."

Jill shrugged. "Why not?"

Andrew smiled at him and turned his attention back to the computer.

Painting brought Jill a long-lost peace.He took out the half-read academic monograph with a scarlet cover from his schoolbag.It discusses the role of Bolshevik atheism as a substitute for Orthodoxy after the October Revolution.Jill hopes she can find topic inspiration for her homework.He put on the earphones and re-entered the Colosseum of Thinking created by the professor of Princeton University.By denying the existence of God, the Bolsheviks overthrew the religious idols in the hearts of the general public, and at the same time established a new idol for people with a complete set of political slogans... When the picture of Lenin standing in the Smolny Palace As the paintings of auditoriums announcing the founding of Soviet power to workers gradually became a symbol through postage stamps and history textbooks, a new god-making movement became popular.At that time, no one expected that it also played an ominous harbinger of the Gulag era...

He suddenly couldn't concentrate on the book.

Scenes from his hometown jumped into his mind, like a cat jumping into the middle of the road, making him slam the brakes on his thoughts.He thought of the colorful streets and alleys, black people in the neighborhood with sharp accents and rap music playing on the car stereo.He recalled the Bearpit at 06:30 in the morning, and he remembered the sound of skateboards in the underpass.He was one of those kids who breathed in the sharp, fresh smell of spray cans all day long.He smokes weed and drinks beer.He squatted next to the homeless and gave them a cigarette.Day after day he murders time, until time is no longer rich, until the real shatters the mirror of false illusion.

Reality was exposed to him.

The drawing-book lay beside him, the sunlight giving it a platinum tinge.

He put his hand into the sunlight, his fingers slightly bent, as if he wanted to pick up a handful of sunlight.The sun made his palms very warm, as if an invisible beast stuck out its tongue and licked his palms lightly.

He slowly curled up his fingers, taking the sunlight into his palm.

The author has something to say: Note [-]: Bearpit, a sunken urban park in the center of Bristol.

☆, eight

House music fills the bar like invisible smoke.The sound of people talking is like white noise, weaving an illusion of whispering.Darkness helps people to let go of their attachment to self-personality and fully integrate into collective pleasure.One by one their faces were illuminated by the phosphorescent disco ball, and none of them, bewildered or brooding, showed the cramped discomfort that Jill did.The fruity e-cigarette slowly diffused, and everyone inhaled the psychedelic gas together.Jill wonders if she should leave.

He was leaning against a wall with his feet behind him and his hands in the pockets of his denim jacket.He looked around, eyes can not settle.Perhaps someone has noticed his incompatibility, and those casual glances at him seem like a judgment.He took out his mobile phone, clicked on Andrew's profile picture on Whatsapp, and wanted to ask if he was here.He hesitated when he was about to press the send button, and the backspace button bit by bit the sentence for help.He put the phone back in his pocket.

Above his head hung a circle of car wheels with round neon tubes attached.The light tube emits a cold blue light, like a specimen of a full moon.The light cast down, casting a shadow on his face.He turned his head to the right, looking at the narrow exit.From there came two Imperial stormtroopers in white armor, holding drinks in their palms because of their stiff gloves.

Jill looked back, staring at the toes of her shoes.He shouldn't have come here in the first place, and Jill would never have accepted Stephanie's invitation to this joint party hosted by the board game club and the e-sports club if Andrew hadn't convinced him that he would come too.He took his hands out of his pockets and folded them around his chest, trying to look fearless.Many people dress themselves up as characters in 80s games or movies, but Jill, who is dressed in daily clothes, seems out of place.I should at least be wearing pixel shades, he thought. Denim jacket and Levi's?Stupid.

"Hey, is anyone sitting here?"

A girl in a silver sequined dress.She holds a bottle of mojito in her hand, and her hair is American Beauty's short curly bob.It took a few seconds for Jill to realize that she was asking about the empty sofa beside him. He shook his head, lowered his encircled arms, and stood up nervously.The girl smoothed her skirt and sat down. She turned her head back and asked Jill, "Are you here alone?"

"I'm waiting for a friend," Jill said.He restrained his gaze to the position of her collarbone.

The girl bit her straw and looked at him curiously.Her lipstick is very thick.She let go of the straw and was about to say something, and Jill saw the bright red lip marks left on the straw.

"If I were you, I wouldn't come to the party. I have to find someone to accompany me to go to the party," she said with a smile. "You are very brave."

There is a kind of middle-aged kindness in her smile.Jill thought it might have been the influence of her family.He smiled back, but the corners of his mouth twitched nervously, as if someone was tugging at the corners of his mouth to smile, and he was resisting the force.

"Jane." The girl held out her hand to him.He held back.

"Jill."

Their handshake is short and light.Jane's hands were as soft as young bamboo shoots, and Jill couldn't help but lighten his strength.

"Are you from the board game club? I've never seen you in the e-sports club." Jane put her forearm on the back of the chair, leaned back, and looked up at Jill.Jill leaned forward slightly to hear her words over the loud background music.He smelled some kind of perfume, but didn't know what brand it was.

"I'm from the board game club," Jill said, "and we play Dungeons and Dragons."

"I've only played that game once, and I'd rather play Overwatch," Jane said. "We've formed a new girls' team, and in November we'll play Thorndike University, which is one of the best places in the Northeast. The first women's competition in the division."

Jill nodded. "Wish ya'll good luck."

Someone in the crowd beckoned this way, and Jane raised her wine glass to signal him.She stood up, one corner of her mouth curled up at Jill.Her lips are full, so there is something seductive in this smile. "My friend is calling me, I have to go. Hey," she paused, "take it easy, take it easy, okay? Hope you enjoy the party. See you soon."

"See you."

Jill looked at Jane's back.Her neck is slender and slender, and the butterfly bones are clearly visible under the suspenders of the dress.It was only then that Jill realized that Jane saw him standing here alone, and she didn't want Jill to feel lonely or embarrassed, so she deliberately came to talk to him.Good girl, he thought, she must have many friends.

**

Ten minutes into the party, he decided to leave, and that's when he saw Andrew.

Jill stood at the foot of the stairs and Andrew stood upstairs.He's talking to Stephanie.He wore a leather jacket and a printed headband on his forehead.His curly hair is properly disheveled, and the broken hair on the forehead hangs down from the headband, looking unruly and casual.Out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of Jill, and looked up, a big smile on his lips.

"Hey Jill!" Andrew yelled.His voice echoed in the stairwell.Jill walked up the iron railing slowly.At the same time, Andrew also walked down.They met in the middle, and Gilburn was about to greet him, but Andrew cut him off with a hug.Jill clung to the railing to keep herself from falling backwards.He patted Andrew's strong waist with his other hand.

"Good evening, Rusty James," Jill said.

Andrew was already a few centimeters taller than Jill, and with the height difference of the stairs, Jill's head had just reached Andrew's chest, so he had to look up.There was less than a second of silence between them, but this fleeting gaze was like a long aftertaste shot, as if gigabytes of information were exchanged in an instant.Jill knew in this moment that he would always remember this frame.

Andrew's eye sockets were deep, and his turquoise eyes were full and deep in the dim light.One side of his cheek was illuminated by the light, and the other half was hidden in shadow.He no longer looked a little silly like he used to, but grew from a boy to a man overnight.You could tell he was very confident in how he looked.The ferocity of the leather suit is well balanced with his modesty.A biker jacket accentuated his inverted triangle shoulders, and a white vest was worn against his stomach, framing his lean waist.Jill turned and walked downstairs.you are late.He heard himself say it, and he marveled at the calmness of it.You know, he is almost restraining the desire to kiss Andrew.

Andrew put a hand on his shoulder, and Jill shivered slightly.Andrew didn't find out. "I've been wrestling with hairspray, I've never used the stuff, and ended up calling in my roommate to help me to the point where I was able to go outside, so it was a bit late. Sorry."

"I can imagine," Jill said, "so you got a stylist or something?"

"My roommate helped me a lot, her name is Jenny..."

Andrew's voice was drowned out by the sudden influx of music.Jill opened the door and nodded to let him in first.

The electronic fantasy that Jill had wanted to escape to suddenly seemed mundane.It's just a normal bar with some cyberpunk-style neon decorations on the walls.He followed behind Andrew and closed the door.Someone looked at Andrew a few times, and then looked away.Jill stopped noticing what other people were wearing, or whether anyone was looking at her.He and Andrew walked to the bar.The bartender was a young lady with glasses.She was wearing a white shirt with the cuffs rolled up to the elbows.After listening to their order indifferently, she turned around and went to get the wine bottle on the cabinet.Andrew ordered Cuba Liberty, and Jill ordered the same Mojito as Jane.The bartender pushed them over the bar and Andrew took it with the palm of his hand.Jill removes the half-sliced ​​lemon from the rim of the mojito and throws it in the trash with the straw.

They grabbed chow mein and cheese sticks from the snack table, happy like two kids receiving Halloween candy.They picked a sofa in a corner and sat down. Not far away was the DJ booth, which roared at them with a heart-pounding volume.Jill picked up a bunch of noodles with a fork, observing its brown color.He yelled at Andrew: "Looks like it's made from supermarket microwave food!"

Andrew approached him and put his palm on the pinna of his ear. "Sorry! I can't hear what you're saying!"

"I said it's like—microwave—food!" Jill showed him the noodles on a fork.

Andrew leaned close to Jill's ear and shouted, "As long as it fills me up!"

They raise their glasses.The wine of Cuba Liberty is dark brown, like the sun-tanned skin of a Caribbean sailor; the mint leaves of Mojito are sealed in ice cubes to keep the freshest greenness.The two cups collided, making a crisp sound.

The author has something to say: Note 1983: RustyJames, the name of the hero in Francis Coppola's [-] film "Rumble Fish".

☆, nine

The draft beer glasses collided, and the frothy golden wine overflowed the glasses, crashing into each other like waves.

Gibson raised his head and slammed the beer into his mouth, the astringency of alcohol falling from his throat to his navel.He slammed the glass on the table and let out a drunken belch.Leo's drinking movements were restrained, so as not to reveal his long silver hair under the wide hood.

It was evening, and the Gray Dove Tavern was full of drunks.Prostitutes shuttled through the crowded crowd to solicit customers loudly.Leo turned his back to the bar, but he never forgot to pay attention to the movement behind him.This is the nearest town to Menzoberranzan, but the land races do not know that such a wicked underground city is so close to them.Leo more or less knew what they thought of the drow elves. If his identity was exposed, he would be kicked out of the bar at least, or a fight would be inevitable.He didn't want to cause unnecessary trouble in this strange world for the first time on the surface.

But Gibson was not as cautious as his partner, and he was still immersed in the joy of being free.He asked loudly: "Leo, my friend, do you know which way you should go next?"

"Defiance Bay," Leo said softly (his Common Tongue had a strange accent), "hope I can find a suitable quest in the Adventurers' Guild there."

"You know the existence of Defiance Bay? I thought the underground elves knew nothing about the surface world."

"My teacher is the chief of martial arts. When he was young, he traveled all over the continent of Iola. Maybe you have heard of Eric the Red Axe. That was his name at that time. Through him, I learned a lot about the East Coast. The story of Rebellion Bay is naturally among them."

Gibson smiled from under his beard. "I happen to be going there too, so why don't we go together. You are a good traveling companion. I like adventurers who don't talk much. You can always hunt the fattest hares."

Leo nodded slightly. "I'm not yet fully familiar with life in the sun. The sun makes my eyes water. I don't know if I can get used to it. After all, I've lived underground for 20 years. It's a miracle my eyes didn't go blind."

"I will take good care of you," Gibson patted his chest. "After all, we are a friendship honed in battle. And here, the continent of Eola, will be your new home."

"I know that one day I will leave the darkness. This is like a scene that haunts my dreams. I am waiting for an opportunity," Leo said in a low voice, like an old but patient prophet, "It will give me escape The reason for your homeland. Your appearance is exactly that opportunity. You should know the goddess Rose, who is a god cursed by believers who yearn for light. She loves blood and slaughter. For this reason, we fight between families all day long. Betrayal and Assassination is considered the highest honor. We crown the man who kills the most and is the most brutal.