Complete - Liquid Confidence | Page 2

As he slid her hands down to her elbows, she moved hers to grasp his hands. She was holding his hands?! This...this felt odd. Like in a really good way, but still nerve-racking. He became so aware of the situation of his hands. Were they clammy? Was he doing this right? Was this something you could really mess up? Mist's cheeks seemed a bit red, was she half as embarrassed as he was? Rivers hoped not. He had enough for the both of them. This whiplash of sadness to flirtation was a fantastic distraction. It wasn't dealing with your problems...but it was some A-plus avoiding them.

Mist released one of his hands and sent him a friend request. He quickly accepted it on his own HUD. Another friend? That was easy. Well...easy-ish. She snickered at something on her own HUD before turning it to him. It was in English to his eyes, but she read aloud that it was her Intoxication Debuff. Rivers chuckled before checking his own HUD.

"Looks like we're in the same boat."

He turned his HUD to her to show her that he had the same debuff. She told him that she would be happy to look around Vinterguard with him after he messaged him. With his hands released, Rivers took a step back.

"I'll be right back, okay? I...I think I need to do this by myself."

Rivers crossed the room and took some deep breaths before pulling up his HUD. This couldn't be that bad. He was just contacting his friends to give them an update. It shouldn't be hard. It really shouldn't be this hard. What the hell would he even say to them? No. He shouldn't overthink it. Rivers began typing his message to them.

RIVERS ASTEIRE

Hey @Aristides. Hey @Hanno Futaba.
I'm...I'm really sorry for running out like that. I just kind of freaked out.
I don't want you to worry though! I'm okay!
I just...I just need some space.
I hope you're both well.
I'm sorry, again.
I'll write again soon.
~Rivers

Rivers hit send before he could delete the whole thing. For better or worse, it was done. Rivers got up and crossed the room again to see Mist by the doorway. He had planned on just getting normal talking distance from her but took another couple steps to be rather close. Whoa! Rivers what were you doing?

"I-uh, think that went well. Hopefully, they shouldn't be worried about me. Are you ready to head out?"

He spoke in a low, hushed voice. He was goddamn definitely probably coming on too strong, what'd been in his cup was starting to get to him.

 

Mist gave a little wave as Rivers went on his way to message his friends, leaving her in the doorway overlooking the stairs. It was in his absence, and only his absence, that she noticed that a couple people had been watching that little display. Well, it must have looked interesting to an outsider: one moment these two had been drinking it up, then one ran off to the door, the other shouting apologies after them, followed by a long, drawn-out hug with hushed whispers, and then he went off to do something by himself, leaving them both pink-cheeked and starry-eyed. The attention made her blush deepen--an actually visible shade of red, though still dulled by her skin tone--and she stared at her feet instead of daring to count just how many heads had turned to their direction.

While she was still flustered, she started doing mental math.

Rivers was nice. Really nice, and very handsome, and had trauma and stories and adventuring experience that she didn't. He was also a complete stranger asides from that. She didn't know anything about him. No, that wasn't right. Mist knew pretty much everything about Rivers there was to be seen. Chihiro didn't know anything about whoever was on the other side of Rivers' VR set. Was that...still okay? It wasn't like she was going to run away with him. If anything, TerraSphere took away the need to run away with a stranger online. You could just have a whole life, a whole relationship, in-game without missing on anything. No lack of physical intimacy, no lack of face-to-face conversation, no lack of holding hands and staying up all night sharing insecurities and fears. And no lack of...stuff, if the game's realism held up.

Mist sighed a much more serious sigh than before. Chihiro was overthinking this. Like she always did, always would, out of fear for her image. An image that she had spent a lifetime carefully cultivating.

If father ever found out about this, then...

He won't. He doesn't care what I do in VR. As long as I'm home not doing it in real life, it's okay.

Was it okay?

Mist almost jumped out of her skin when Rivers came back while she was mid-thought, but her surprise turned back into a happy grin as she recollected herself. Right, there was no time to worry about those things! She was playing TerraSphere! Gosh, Rivers was standing super close. Maybe he was having the same thoughts she was? Or it was the ale. Whichever-or it was okay with her. Mist giggled and raised a hand to lightly poke Rivers on the tip of his nose.

"Only if you're leading the way, Rivers! You're my upperclassman in this world, after all. I'll be counting on your experience to guide me."

Okay, now that? The way she said 'experience' in a slightly more teasing, slightly more playful tone than the rest? That was flirting. She was now officially sure she was hitting on him. While intoxicated, while in a virtual world, while only knowing him for less than an hour.

She totally had this.

 

As Rivers walked towards her, Mist didn't seem to acknowledge him. Was she spacing out? Just what was she thinking about? After he crossed the distance between them, she giggled and lightly poked him on the nose. Oh. Sh-she was flirting with him. Given, she probably had been for a while now, but this was like super obvious flirting. Like super duper obviously. Rivers's felt his face heat up again. He was going to get used to spending time around her...eventually.

She asked him to lead the way and teased him about being her upperclassman in this world. Senpai? Oh god, she was calling him senpai. How was he supposed to respond to that? This wasn't a problem in America. There was no equivalent acknowledgment in his language even. But, he knew it was a sign of some respect, even if she was teasing him with it. Also, her inflection was weird. Was this just how people flirted?

"Of course. Just follow me. I'll show you around."

Nailed it.

Rivers wrapped his hand around Mist's wrist and led her down the stairs and through the crowd. It was so crowded downstairs, they almost got separated even though they were linked. Once they were out, Rivers let go of her wrist and made a grand motion towards the lake.

"This is outside."

He chuckled before walking towards the lake, expecting her to follow. As he neared the lake edge, he slid off his shoes and stepped into the water. It felt cool and refreshing...just like in the real world. Rivers splashed around his foot. These water graphics were phenomenal.

"I figured we should come here since both of us have water names. Also looking at the moon's reflection is really calming, compared to the bustle of the inside of the tavern. So, Mist, why did you start playing Terrasphere?"

 

Mist happily let Rivers take hold of her wrist as they went through the crowd, going so far to to hold his own in turn when the crowd got a bit too crowded for them. When they finally got out into the open the cool air wafting off the lake was so beautifully refreshing, and the reflection of the moon was so perfect it looked like a mirror of the sky itself. She approached the water with Rivers with an enchanted glimmer in her eyes. Wow. This was beautiful, and something she would never experience in her day-to-day life in the real world...alone, or with a sweet, funny boy.

"Wow, it's so beautiful..."

Taking a cue from Rivers she sat down in the grass next to the water and began untying the knee-height boots she was wearing so she could join him. While messing with the laces though--had it been so hard to tie them up? Damn that intoxication debuff--he asked her a question that gave her slight pause, and with her fingers still she looked up at the moon, the light making her colorful eyes shine.

"I kind of dropped a few hints about it. My home life is really strict, and I don't have a lot of freedom to do...anything, even make friends my father doesn't approve of. Especially boys. So when I heard about TerraSphere I went nuts. He doesn't care what I do as long as I'm home, so this is, like, the best loophole to his rules ever. I can explore the world, meet people, make friends, drink alcohol, fight monsters--hell, I can do anything I can think of! It's incredible."

"But if you just want a shorter answer?"

Giving up on her laces she just kicked the boot off of her foot and stood up, stretching her arms up to the sky so her back bent at a nice angle, then went into the water. Since her pants were already up around her knees she wasn't worried about getting wet, but she squealed as the cold water reached her mid-calves. Yikes! That felt really cold! But it was nice on her feet and made her shiver all the same. Then she looked back at River, a mischievous smile on her face. She bent down, getting her palm wet...

MASTERY ACTIVATED: AEROMANCY

...and then splashed him with a large wave of water, created by the gust of wind that shot out of her hand.

"I guess you could say, I'm looking for a cute boyfriend!"

 

Follow his lead, Mist began to take off her boots before getting into the water. While doing so, she paused to answer his question. It seemed like she had a lot of reasons to play the game. A strict father must make things tough for her. If he'd thought more, Rivers would have recognized that father troubles likely meant that Mist's player was a minor. But, the ale was clouding his thinking, and he wasn't thinking about the implications of her words, just the surface level.

"I'm sorry to hear that. That must make things rough for you at home. But, it sounds to me like you've found a good loophole. And I hope you've been enjoying yourself tonight."

Mist joined him in the water and offered him a shorter answer. She stooped down to put her hands in the water. That wasn't a shorter answer. Rivers cocked his head curiously. She had a mischevious look on her face. What was she planning to do with that water? Rivers took a step back, but it was far from enough. Likely using her aeromancy, Mist shot water from her hand. The cool water was like a slap across the face as it covered his front. Rivers shook out his hair and shivered. Wait. She said something as she splashed. Something about finding a cute boyfriend. O-oh.

Rivers cupped his hands under the water and swept them up quickly, sending a small amount of water in Mist's direction. That was a good and playful start, but he needed to follow that up with something. Something that was forward because thinking about trying to be coy was too hard right now. Much too hard. And, he didn't need to be that subtle anyway. She was pretty clearly coming onto him. At least, he hoped it was clear and he wasn't just misinterpreting. He uh...he did that one a lot. But not this time! This time he was sure of it.

"W-well. Ya know, you're uh...welcome to stop looking."

Nailed it.

 

A shrill squeal came from Mist as Rivers returned the gesture of splashing her with the frigid lake water, getting her stomach plenty wet. Eek! It was so cold! She deserved it though, using her magic to make a big wave like that. Wrapping her arms around her middle she bent forward with laughter, her voice a little shaky from the sudden cold. It stopped short, though, when Rivers next spoke. Was he saying what she thought he was saying? Or was it what she hoped he was saying? She still barely knew him, asides from what he had told her inside, and the person standing in front of him still wasn't her. Not entirely. She wasn't this tall, she wasn't this pretty, she wasn't this...happy. Rivers probably wasn't all that he looked and acted in the real world, either.

What if I regret this?

But this wasn't the real world. It was a fantasy, in more ways than one, and she wouldn't miss this chance.

Then I can regret this later.

Mist stood back up to full height and walked through the water until she was right in front of Rivers once again, looking up at him with a shyer grin and cheeks visibly red. More timidly than before--but not by much--she took his hands in her own again. They were cold and wet, but there was still very human warmth to his skin. It felt really, really nice.

"I think you're right."

She closed her eyes and pursed her lips just slightly, praying that she didn't look silly.

This was...how you did this, wasn't it?

 

Mist squealed as he'd splashed her with water. It kind of cute actually. Which felt weird to Rivers, that he found her squealing from surprise to actually be cute. It was possible that was a side effect of the ale, but probably not. He was likely just happy to see a girl enjoying spending time with him as much as Mist was. At least, Rivers assumed she was having a good time. If not, she was pretty good at faking it. Or maybe Rivers was just exceptionally bad at picking up signals. After she squealed and warmed herself with her hands, she stepped towards him. Oh no, was she about to splash him again? Should he be prepared for that?

But, no splash came. She just got closer...and closer. Was she coming to hug him again? Rivers's face heated up again. A hug would be good. They were both wet and cold and sharing some body heat would be good. But, she slipped her hands into his. That wasn't how you hugged! Then, she confirmed that she probably didn't need to keep to looking for a boyfriend. Then she pursed her lips and closed her eyes.

Oh god. Oh god oh god ohgodohgod. This...this was happening. Like he was really being put in this situation right now. Was this alright? Was it okay if he kissed her right now? Like...he wasn't Rivers. At least, not really. He wasn't this pretty or cool in real life. Wasn't kissing her right now basing everything on that lie? But...this was what he'd wanted. Almost exactly what he'd wanted. And he could seize it right now. It wasn't like Mist looked exactly like her avatar in real life. She wasn't really an elf. And, both of them were at least putting in the effort to be their characters. If they were both lying then it was fine.

How long had he been standing there thinking? It had probably only been a couple seconds but it felt so much longer. He needed to do something. He needed to do something right now. Hand trembling, he pulled away from hers to hold her cheek as he leaned in. Rivers waited until the very end to close his eyes; he was so goddamn scared he was going to miss...but he didn't.

Her lips were so soft. Rivers...Theo had never kissed a girl before. How long was he supposed to hold this? Oh no, was he doing it wrong? Uhhh...uhhhhhhhhhhhh...this was probably long enough. Slowly, he pulled away before taking some heavy breaths. Heart racing, his mouth spread into a large grin because he just couldn't help himself. He'd kissed a girl. HE'D KISSED A GIRL! Rivers brought his hand down from her cheek to hold Mist's other hand.

"S-so...I guess that's happened. I...um...what do you want to do now?"

 

Oh my God I'm kissing a boy. I am KISSING a BOY! This is really happening!

Dad would kill him if he found out.

WHO CARES?!

Mist sighed as Rivers drew away from the kiss, their lips parting so sweetly she nearly swayed into him, were it not for his hand on her cheek keeping her grounded. When she opened her eyes again they were alight with stars. Her first kiss. Wow. Wow wow wow. It had been so perfect, in the moonlight on a lake with a boy so handsome and funny and wonderful. You could only get such a thing in a dating game. Well, it was still a game, but normal games didn't feel like this. Like they were really there, really happening. His smile was so bright and wide it was blinding, and she giggled softly, pressing her warm, red cheek into his touch and squeezing his other hand between both of her own.

"Heheheh...I don't know. This feels so perfect. I can't believe it."

Maybe they should go back to the tavern, get some water and warm their hands and feet, and talk some more. That would be wonderful. They could cuddle up by the fire, talk about their favorite things, maybe she could ask about those friends of his that he was trying to talk to again.

~~BZZT BZZT~~
​

"Eh?"

Mist flinched as her right hand suddenly started vibrating to a beat, like a cellphone would, and she released River and took a confused step back. What the--oh, shit. With her lips pressed in a thin line and her eyes suddenly wide she snapped her palm menu open. On the screen a little animated alarm clock was shaking back and forth in warning, and she groaned aloud as she swiped it to 'off'. Now?! Really?!

Even a fantasy had it's road-bumps.

"Shoot. That's my alarm. I have to go to bed IRL, or I'll be late for my tea ceremony lessons tomorrow. Crap crap crap! I wanted to...ugh!"

Closing her palm menu she placed her hands on her face and dragged them down in pure frustration. She didn't want to leave. The night was just starting! Her first romance was just starting! This was just unfair. But...she had to keep her appearances up. If she didn't then her father might question what she was doing, or worse take away her VR set and her freedom. She looked up apologetically at Rivers, taking his hands in her own and clutching them tight to her chest.

"I--I'll be on tomorrow! And every day after that, as soon as I'm free! When I'm on I'll message you, okay? And we'll spend time together! All the time! So...don't be sad! I'll be back! And...and we can kiss more?"

For the love of...really?

Shut up, you try to think clearly after getting a smooch like that!

 

Rivers grinned broadly as Mist talked. It was kinda perfect. So perfect that he didn't know what he could follow it up with. It was a really tough act to follow. Maybe they could sit by the lake with their feet in the water for a little while, and talk about things. There was a lot to talk about. After all, there was a lot about Mist that he didn't know. There was a lot about him that she didn't know either. Or maybe they could head back to the tavern and get some more to drink? There was an endless virtual world of possibilities!

"I don't know. I think I'm fine with anything as long as you're there."

Just then, there was a buzzing from her...hand? Hands buzzed in Terrasphere? No that was ridiculous. It was probably from the real world. Maybe it was an alarm clock or her phone? Mist used the menu a few times, maybe to check her IRL surroundings. Rivers waited patiently for her with a small smile on his face. What was she working on? Was it time for her to go to sleep? Or was she up in the morning? Actually, Rivers didn't know the time difference between Japan and where he was. He should really learn that; it'd likely be important.

After some checking, she told him the details. She needed to go to sleep or she'd be late for a tea ceremonies lesson. Rivers didn't really know what a tea ceremony was, but it sounded important. So he gave her a smile and a light nod.

"That sucks, but that's how it is. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

Mist told him not to be sad and that she'd be on every day. And that they'd kiss more later. How cute, he thought. Taking a step towards her, Rivers planted a light kiss on her forehead. It was easier not to miss than her lips again. Then he waited with a smile for her to log out.

~Fin~