I had just finished explaining events to Quin more or less as they'd happened since my trip to the bookstore...

With a few exceptions. 

I wasn't quite ready to think about Mae's recent ultimatum, and the whole thing was kind of unbelievable anyway, so I didn't mention anything that had lead up to that. I also skipped the 'particular details' of my time with Luna at our club, out of embarrassment.

But once I started opening up to my childhood friend, I found I couldn't stop, and ended up finally voicing my concern for Luna's awful situation.

"They're hurting her, Quin! I don't know who, but I need to do something-!"

"No, you don't."

The apathy in her voice was like a slap to the face.

"Excuse me!? How can you say that!?"

"Think, Norma! You've known her for less than a week, you don't have the faintest idea what's going on in her home. And what's more, this girl doesn't even want your help. If you start filing for investigations and they don't find anything, her situation could get even worse."

"You didn't see what I saw, Quin! No one should ever have to suffer through what she has! What she could be suffering even as we speak-!"

"I don't know what else to tell you, Nor. You asked for my opinion and you got it. We're a couple of high school kids, there's nothing we can do. Tell the principal if you want, but whatever happens after that is on you."

I sat in stunned silence at her dismissal of this patently fucked up situation. Her impassive arguments were in such stark contrast to my memory of the passionate girl who used to always have my back in the schoolyard, even when I was wrong.

"I... yeah. Maybe you're right."

I wasn't happy with the admission, but she had a point; I really didn't know enough to act right now. I needed to properly talk to Luna about it before I ended up doing something rash. Even if the authorities saw her scarification and those responsible were brought to justice, there's still the chance that Luna would never forgive me for going behind her back. As much as I wanted to pretend I could simply whisk her away from that place and keep her safe with me, it was nothing more than a childish wish. Quin put an arm on my shoulder.

"Well, no point in worrying about things beyond your control, right? Let's get set up!"

"You seriously came all this way just to play Raid Fantasy? We can do that any time..."

Quin broke out in a mischievous grin.

"Oh? Did you have some other activity in mind for us...?"

I opened my mouth, then closed it again. When I'd told Quin I was a lesbian a few years ago, she had surprised me by coming out herself, and not so subtly hinting that we would have been good together if only she'd never moved away. I didn't disagree, necessarily. But even though we'd stayed in touch through the internet, it still felt like the Quin I knew best was the one stuck in the past. I definitely had a lot to learn about the young woman she'd become.

Pushing through my awful mood, I managed a wry smile.

"Just set up the damn computer."

"Already on it!"

She hefted a massive briefcase onto my bed and unlatched it, revealing the single most exquisite piece of gaming equipment I'd ever seen in my life. Quin proceeded to unload all manner of paraphernalia, complete with a fold-out desk and chair, then looked to me expectantly.

"So, where's your PC at?"

I looked from her 'laptop' to my computer and back in disbelief. She did the same.

"Nor, no. I saw that antique when I came in, but please don't tell me this is your setup!?"

"...uh..."

"And you parsed those incredible numbers from this relic!?"

"Come on, they're not that good!"

"Not by DPS standards, no, but you're rolling a tank, Nor. I mean, the rotation's not that complicated, but it's like you never waste mitigation. You always seem to know the bare minimum you can get away with."

"I guess I just trust my healer..."

Quin blushed at my admission. As I approached my desk, I saw a manila folder.

"Oh yeah, I have that report!"

"Huh? What report?"

"You know! For the Homework Helper program! I didn't really know exactly what you were looking for, so I'm sorry if it's not what you wanted..."

I handed her the folder. She stared at it for a few seconds with an unreadable expression on her face before gently taking it from my hands.

"Quin? Did I do something wrong?"

"...no, you didn't. Thank you, Norma. And... I'm sorry."

"No, it wasn't a problem! I saved so much time using your program that I still had tons left after writing this. So really I should be thanking you!"

"Don't thank me, Nor. Not for this. Let's just log in, okay?"

"...okay."

Some time later as the pair were recruiting for their raid, Norma's phone silently announced a new notification.

Sender: Mae

Message: Tick... Tock... ♥

---

Meanwhile, just outside...

After yesterday's events, Raine decided to add a couple of extra circuits to her daily 'patrol route'. She'd left her house a lot earlier than usual and was just passing Norma's when she saw it. A massive white van equipped with a some kind of satellite dish. 

It wasn't parked across the street from her place, which would have been the ideal vantage point if someone were spying on her. It was right against the curb on her side of street, suggesting her family was probably aware of its presence and simply entertaining a guest who had come to visit in an unnecessarily large vehicle. Still, it was unusual, all the more so after Norma was almost kidnapped. She pulled out her phone, snapping a few pictures of the license plates, and after glancing around furtively, tested the handle just to confirm the doors were locked. They were.

Too bad. Goin' through the glove compartment would have told me everythin' I need to know...

She lingered for a few minutes more, fighting back the urge to approach the door and knock.

Makin' sure she's okay is just an excuse. I want to see her again...

But no, she wouldn't knock. This was enough for her. It was getting harder and harder to tell herself that, but for now, it was enough. Besides, Norma had her number now. If she wanted to talk to Raine, she'd do it.

Nodding to herself but taking longer than she'd like to peel her eyes away from the door, Raine shoved her hands in her pockets and sauntered off to find a distraction until her next circuit.

---

"Nor, you're supposed to use your mitigation before the tankbuster. I was just praising your skills earlier, so I'm pretty sure you know that. Why are you so distracted?"

Why indeed? I had been going through the motions for Quin's sake, but the truth was I wasn't able to focus whatsoever. Not being able to do anything for Luna was pissing me off, and Mae's behaviour affected me more and more the longer I was able to dwell on it.

Oh yeah. And the whole point of you coming down was to help me get over my near abduction. Turns out, a little bout of gaming isn't exactly therapy, Quin!

I sighed, trying to empty my mind of negative thoughts. It wasn't her fault I was so stressed, and it was sweet of her to drop everything and come running the instant I told her, even if her methods were somewhat lacking. Knowing Quin, this is exactly how she would want to get over her trauma, so in the end I couldn't really blame her.

"I'm sorry, I'm just not able to focus right now. Is it okay if we take a break after this run?"

Without hesitation, Quin told the others through voice chat that we had an emergency and would be logging out, then exited the game. Surprised, I followed suit. She turned away from the screen to give me her full attention. When she finally spoke, though, she seemed unable to make eye contact.

"...this was pretty dumb of me, huh? Whenever you used to be sad, I'd invite you over and we'd play those old retro games until you were smiling again. And I loved your smile so much, it made me want to keep playing with you long after that..."

Her eyes were glazed over as she recalled the memory, speaking with a soft voice.

"I'm sorry, Nor. Guess I need to accept that things are different now. Games can't magically fix our problems anymore, and we just don't know each other as well as we used to..."

I was besieged by a variety of emotions. I had come to this realization too, but it was bittersweet to hear we were both a little let down by how things felt between us now.

"But! There's no need get all sad about it because I, Quin, have determined a solution!"

With some of the old exuberance I remembered her for she stood quickly, pointing to the sky like an anime character as she declared,

"Let's spend time together!"

A long moment passed as I stared at her in disbelief as she held the pose. Eventually I couldn't hold back anymore.

"H-hey! Stop laughing! Or has my genius plan proven so brilliant that it's driven you mad?"

It seemed overly simple, childish even... but it was true. If we were going to rediscover each other, all we needed to do was hang out. I wiped the tears from my eyes and played along.

"That's right, it was just way too brilliant for me."

"I knew it! The next plan's all yours though, Nor. What do you feel like doing?"

"Hmm... I know I should want to hole up in my house and cower from the outside world, but it's the opposite. I'm getting a bad case of cabin fever."

"Is that right? I generally try to avoid the sun as a rule, but for you, I'll make an exception. We can take my van downtown and do some shopping if you want?"

"Yeah... that sounds really nice. Thanks, Quin"

We shut our PCs down and got our stuff together. I picked up my phone and noticed the text Mae had sent me, which got my heart beating like crazy as my mind went wild with fantasies about what what she was planning to do to me. I didn't have long to think about it however, as I was being called from downstairs.

"Norma! Can you come down for a minute?"

"Coming!"

I led the way down the stairs, puzzled to see dad and Faye standing side by side, blocking the doorway to the living room.

"Now honey, I know you've been through a lot lately, and I didn't want to overwhelm you. But Faye and I were talking, and you mentioned wanting as many people around as possible, so..."

He trailed off, uncertain. Without any of his reluctance, Faye picked up where he left off.

"Oh Norma, we're so excited to introduce you!"

"Introduce me? To who?"

Faye smiled wide, clapping her hands together.

"Why, your new brother and sister, of course!"