She took a deep breath in, bracing herself for the evening. The barstool already felt too hard for her butt and her drink was getting warm. The bar was mostly empty and she kind of appreciated the quiet. A few Legends sat around and spoke quietly. After all, it was the middle of the week. She guessed that everyone else had something better to do while she was only capable of waiting for Fuse to join her for that drink that he had promised her.

"Aww, you not feelin' so good, kid?" a familiar voice called behind her, probably caused by her slumped up position and a sour face.

"You're late." she said seriously, turning to face him and not acknowledging his words.

She knew that he was probably teasing her regarding his win, but she understood it. She would have done the same. However, when she thought about it, it didn't make sense for a seasoned Legend such as him to take pleasure in such petty things.

He slumped down next to her, raising two fingers at the barman; "Gimme a cold one, mate.".

She sighed and downed the rest of her double rum and coke: "Another one for me too, please.".

He remained silent, patiently waiting for the arrival of his cool beer. Once in front of him, he took a long swig and exhaled with a satisfied sigh. She joined him and took a sip of her new, much colder beverage.

"So…" she started; "Do you want to say something about the duel?" she asked; "If you've got anything to say, now's the time. I don't want to talk about it for the whole evening.".

He looked at her, considering her for a moment: "Yeah, you did good, but… Nah. Not your best, I believe. Maybe next time, lass.".

"What do you mean, not my best?" she asked, suddenly feeling almost insulted.

After all, if she hadn't miscounted her magazines, she could've won the duel. 

Then again, when she thought about it, how hard was it to keep track of the numbers of only three mags? 

Not that hard in all honesty.

"I think it's pretty obvious." he said and took another sip of his beer, taking a small pause before he sipped on the bottle again; "Word of advice, young pup. Next time you wanna take a swing at Fuse… Don't."

She stopped lifting the glass to her lips and turned her head to see him better. He was facing forward and kept his eyes to the distance. 

Once he noticed her glaring at her, he turned his head to face her: "What?".

"You were the one to ask me for a duel and you didn't just say that.".

"What do you mean?" he asked confusedly.

"You offered to give some life-changing advice and this is the advice you give?" she asked, giggling sarcastically.

He chuckled for a moment, considering her, before he spoke: "Well, yeah. It's the best advice out there in the whole world".

Jack laughed sarcastically again: "Oh, thank you so much! What would I ever do without you!" she retorted, taking a big breath in order to calm herself.

She knew that her nerves were there only due to her exhaustion. He had nothing to do with her general discomfort, so she decided to try and treat him better.

"Walter?" she said.

He turned his head as he finished taking another sip of his beer: "Yeah?".

"In all honesty, I want to thank you for everything." she said sincerely.

After all, he was the one who had an honest conversation with her on her first day. The challenge to duel him was nothing more but an opportunity given to her by him to practice her skills against a real, moving opponent. After all of that, he invited her to grab another drink with him. She was truly grateful that at least one Legend took notice of her and decided to include her in stuff, no matter if the Legend was a joker from time to time too.

He quickly glanced behind his shoulder, his eyes swiftly scanning the room, before he leaned his head to her ear, suddenly speaking in a whisper so low that only she could hear him: "I'm only here to add the fuel to the fire.".

A warm breath on her neck made goosebumps go all over her body. She bit the inside of her cheek and decided to ignore it.

She chuckled: "You're very inspiring." she teased; "Got any advice on how to add fuel to situations? I'm dying to know." she asked jokingly, but with some curiosity nevertheless.

"Depends what sort of situations we are talking about." he said; "Also, this is something that can't be taught. It's pure talent, lass." he offered her a wide smile.

She hummed in amusement and turned around to take a sip of her drink, getting lost in thought.

"Can I ask you something?" came a sudden question from him.

She blinked a few times and turned her head to face him again; "That depends.".

"On what?" he raised his eyebrows.

"On the nature of your question.".

He went silent for a moment, pondering: "It's a professional one, I guess.".

She eyed him for a moment, thinking about it: "I can't promise that I'll answer you, but I'll try my best.".

"Oh, don't sweat, lass. I know that you're secretive about your abilities so I won't ask about them." he winked at her; "I was just wondering about your goggles.".

"What about them?" she asked, feeling unsure if she liked the question or not.

"What are they for? I mean, Octavio has his own, but he uses it to counter the wind and the debrief going into his eyes while he rushes around like a crazed drug-head.".

"Octavio?" she asked.

"Octane." he explained.

"I should've known when you had said 'crazed drug-head'." she retorted; "Well… Uh…" she managed; "I would prefer not to say, but I also know that my abilities will soon be displayed for everyone to see. So, I guess, I could tell you about them.".

"Shoot then!" he encouraged her, taking a moment to down the remaining of his drink, only lifting his fingers at the bartender to give him another.

"They're thermal goggles.".

His eyes widened for a short moment: "Oh. I see." he said; "You can see the heat of the Legends? I gotta say, that sounds very useful. Where did you get the idea?".

She sighed, thinking about what to say, retorting to her past before she decided to be honest: "They were my father's.".

"What did your father do with them?".

"He was a soldier. He died in the Frontier war." she said, her mind going to a few memories that she had left of him; "Mum gifted them to me after they retrieved his body and equipment. Same as the uniform. Mum tailored it to suit me better and I have it neatly folded. I brought it here with me, in fact. It's nice to have something to remember him by".

"Oh. I see." he said and made a significant pause; "I'm sorry, lass." he offered; "At least you have an opportunity to make your father proud.".

"Yeah…" she said, getting lost in thought again, lifting her glass up to take another sip.

She cherished a quick memory of her father smiling at her back when she was still just a little kid.

"Where did you grow up?" the next question came and it brought her out of her thoughts.

"You're curious tonight, I see." she said and offered him a teasing smile: "Earth. Came from a middle-class family." she said; "But that's enough about me. Tell me about yourself?" she asked him and turned in her spot to face him completely.

After all, as much as he appeared to be curious about her, she was even more so curious about him.

"Eh… I grew up on Salvo." he said, not sounding impressed by his own answer; "It was a brutal planet, I dare to say meself. It was ruled by a rotating collection of misfit warlords bent on mayhem, murder and, most importantly, good times." he said and paused for a moment, his spirit lifting all of a sudden; "I meself was always ready and up for good times." he said, his gaze getting lost to above her shoulder dreamily.

"And what was your role in all of that?" she asked curiously, trying to imagine what his life must had looked like.

"Oh, I was a mercenary for the majority of my life. Worked with Maggie, in fact." he answered her shortly.

"Mad Maggie?" she asked and twisted her brows.

"Yeah. She's an old childhood friend. But when she aspired to become one of Salvo's most powerful warlords, well…" he made a pause; "I felt the pull of the arena. It intrigued me more than helping her" he said honestly.

"Oh. The Apex Predator games?".

"No." he said quickly; "It was like a boxing arena, but with weapons and stuff. So, a pit really.".

"I see…" she said and made a pause while she took another sip; "Was Maggie okay with that? I mean, as far as I've seen in the show, she hates you for it.".

"I gotta say that show was quite truthful 'bout that one.".

Both got silent for a moment and she considered her next question carefully. After all, she didn't know if she would cross a line by asking him such a personal question and she didn't know if it would anger him, so she kept her mouth closed all the way until the silence dragged on and she felt like she couldn't keep it in anymore.

"Did Maggie actually cost you your arm?" she blurted out, her cheeks going red instantly.

His face went serious and she bit the inside of her cheek, feeling stupid for not being able to control herself. 

I really didn't need to do that. That's just too much…

"Well…" he finally spoke up; "She did, yeah…".

"You don't have to continue!" she quickly jumped in; "I'm sorry that I had asked.".

"No, that's quite alright, kid. Maggie and I had issues. She didn't like that I left the work of a mercenary to fight in the arenas.".

"I see…" she said; "So… Can I ask what happened next?".

"'Course. I decided to leave the pits and Salvo. I decided to join Apex Legends games and Maggie got even madder.".

He stopped and his gaze got lost somewhere far away while she continued to look at him expectancy, waiting for him to continue. However, he didn't. Instead, he continued to silently sip on his beer, a grim expression on his face.

"Can I… Can I ask something else?" she asked and broke the silence.

"Of course." he said and turned to face her, his expression going brighter as he offered her a smile: "Me life is an open book, lass." he said; "Just get your mum's permission to read it, yeah?" he chuckled, his smile widening.

"That's fair enough." she giggled; "I'm not such an open book myself.".

"Well, I don't completely agree with you on that. So far, you've been pretty honest with me. At least tonight." he said; "But you wanted to ask something?".

"Yes, that's right." she said; "Erm… Do you…" her cheeks blushed again; "How old are you?" she asked, not knowing why she wanted to know.

I just want to get an idea of how good he truly is at what he does.

She told herself, biting the inside of her cheek.

"Well, 5 decades and still going strong like an old dog that I am, pup." he said and chuckled again; "How 'bout you?".

"20." she said.

"That makes you the youngest. Ramya is 21.".

"Ramya…?" she asked confusedly.

"Rampart.".

"Oh!" she exclaimed, blushing harder now; "How didn't I know that either?" she asked herself out loud.

"I know how and why.” he said and turned to her; “All Legends work hard to keep their private lives away from the watchful eyes of the crowd. I meself am doing the same. You didn't know I was Walter either.".

"True that." she said, thinking about it; "But I know that Mirage is Elliott.".

"Bah." he scoffed; "Elliott is a special kind of a guy. He wants to live up to his fame and he enjoys all the attention. Petty if you ask me.".

"But I thought that you two were besties?" she asked, her eyes widening in surprise.

He took another swig of his drink and she followed: "Yeah… That's just the public image. It's different behind the scenes." he said.

"I see…" she said, making a pause while thinking about it; "So, who's your bestie then?".

"Elliott.".

She gawked at him: "But you just…".

He laughed: "Yeah. Sometimes what's out there for the public eye is true behind the scenes too." he said and took another swig of his beer, turning his head around to face a newcomer; "Speaking of the devil." he said and smiled.

Jack turned her head too only to see Mirage approaching them, wearing colorful clothes which, in a way, suited his bubbly personality well. Or at least that's what she thought.

She offered him a smile: "What brings you here so late at night?" she asked mischiefly.

"And what brings you alone?" Fuse added.

"Aw man. Y'know, I defeated a lot of people to get here.".

"Wh…?" Jack started but Mirage cut her off.

"In general, I mean…" he gazed at her confused face for a moment before he spoke up again; "Oh, sorry. Did I confuse you?".

"Well, yes!" Jack exclaimed; "How is that intro not confusing?".

Both Mirage and Fuse chuckled.

"He's just playin'." Fuse said; "Don't mind his 'charm', it'll get you nowhere.".

"Can't say that I was particularly charmed by that." Jack said honestly, twisting her brows.

"That's… That's fine. Everything's fine…" Mirage said, waving his hands; "At least that's what I keep telling myself." he made a pause, taking a seat on the other side of Jack; "So… What you guys doin'?".

"I was just giving her some tips." Fuse said and winked at her.

"Yeah, he has been very helpful." she said both teasingly and sarcastically.

"Oh." Mirage said; "You want a tip?" he asked her.

"Sure." she accepted readily.

"I'll give you a tip. Always shoot first." he said and chuckled; "Works for me!".

"That's… That's actually not a bad one." she said, considering.

"Did I do better than Walter?" Mirage asked, a big grin painted across his face.

"Somewhat." Jack offered him a smile in return.

"Love when the spotlight is on me." Mirage said, bowing his head slightly and theatrically, a big grin not leaving his face.

"Oh, you just had to light me bloody fuse, didn't you?" Fuse told Jack, a dangerous and mischieful smile playing on his lips.

"If you've got a better tip, well, impress me!" she returned, her eyes glistening with mischief too.

Fuse wrinkled his forehead: "You know that I'm going to take all the advantage that I can get, lass. So no more tips for you.".

"Well, I disagree with you, Walter." Mirage said; "After all, it'll just make her a more interesting enemy and a more fiery teammate." he now turned to her; "So, if you ever want tips, just give me a call!".

"Don't encourage her, Elliott. She almost beat me in the duel." Fuse said and she couldn't decipher if he was serious or joking around. 

"I was shit…" she said, disagreeing with him completely nonetheless.

"If you ask me, you weren't half bad." Mirage said; "That means that you were half good!" he offered with a big smile.

"Anyway…" Jack cut off the conversation, not wanting to discuss the duel again; "You're a joker, aren't you, Elliott?".

"Bah. Y'know, I don't take myself too seriously." he said; "You shouldn't either.".

"Fair point." Jack retorted.

"For that matter, I don't take myself anywhere, really." he continued like he didn't hear her; "I… I…" he stuttered; "Man, I need to get out more.".

"Well, that's a deal then." she said and Mirage rose his brows high on his forehead in confusion; "You're officially invited to join me to the rooftop tomorrow evening. I wanna check it out, if you would be willing to come along too?" she asked him.

"Alright, let's do it." Mirage answered quickly; "It'll be fun! If not, well, y' know, we all make bad decisions. You live, you learn…".

"I don't think it's a bad decision." she giggled; "After all, I'm still to test out that infamous charm of yours.".

"Oh!" Mirage said and blushed.

"Aww, bloody hell!" Fuse spoke; "Don't let this go to your head." he addressed Mirage; "And don't let him fool you." now, he addressed her; "He's just a joker, that's all.".

She giggled: "You're invited too, you know." she told him.

"Well, that's great. I accept your invite, lass." he said readily and took the last swig of his beer, getting up to his feet. "I'll see you tomorrow then. Tis' late. I'm off to bed.".

"Aw man, stay a bit longer? I just got here." Mirage protested.

"Nah, mate. It's already past 1. I ought to rest my bones.".

"He's right, Elliott." Jack spoke; "I'm off to bed too.".

"Aw, you guys are no fun!" he protested again; "But… Yeah… Sure. Time for bed, I guess." he shrugged his shoulders.

___oOo___

Jack just got out of the shower when her phone rang. She walked out of the bathroom, still covered with a big towel, drying her hair with a smaller one as she made her way toward it.

She picked it up: “Hello?”.

“Miss Bloodmoon.” the voice of the receptionist came through; “You’ve been requested to join the manager of public affairs this afternoon at 3.”.

“Oh.” she said nervously; “What's this about?”.

“I couldn’t say, miss. I’m just a messenger.”.

“Well… Erm… Okay?”.

“Thank you, miss Bloodmoon. I shall inform the manager.”.

“Thanks. Where will we meet?”.

“In the meeting room, miss Bloodmoon.”.

“Ah yes, of course. Thanks again.” she said and facepalmed herself.

“Very well, Miss Bloodmoon. Goodbye.” he said and the phone went silent.

What’s this about? What did I do?

She bit her lower lip slowly, pondering about it, about her every single move and every single word that she had said since she had arrived.

___oOo___

“Miss Jacqui Jane Jones, the Bloodmoon.” a lady with short blond hair and in her mid-forties, who Jack expected to be a manager of the public affairs, spoke; “It’s pleasure to finally meet you.” she said and offered Jack her hand.

Jack accepted: “Likewise. May I know your name?”.

“Of course. I’m Lidia, the manager of public affairs. Please, take a seat.” she motioned at the modern-looking and black table in the middle of the room.

All the legends already sat at the table and they all looked at Jack with expectancy, making her more nervous than she already was. All eyes were on her.

Lidia sat at the seat at the top of the table and Jack approached the chair on her left, sitting down uncomfortably, not knowing what to expect.

“So.” Lidia spoke; “We’re here to discuss your public appearance.”.

“Did I do something wrong?” Jack cut in, feeling everyone staring at her which made her blush; “I mean, I didn’t do the best in the first battle. Is this about that?” she asked nervously.

“No, nothing like that. We’re here to talk about the friendship and rivalry that you will display for the public eye with other Legends.”.

“Oh.” Jack said, being caught off guard by the notion, quickly glancing at the rest of the Legends; “Do I choose?” she almost stuttered.

“Sadly, no.” Lidia said; “That’s up to my department and CO. After all, this is a show and we need a good balance of friendships and rivalry within it to keep the viewers engaged.”.

“Okay.” Jack said and nodded in understanding, wondering what really was going on behind the scenes.

She knew who was friends and enemies on the television, but, behind the scenes, who was friends with whom? And which Legends disliked each other?

“Let me outline it out for you.” Lidia took a small pause before she continued, keeping intense eye contact with her; “You'll have a rivalry with Loba, Valkyrie and Caustic and you'll be friendly with Mirage, Wraith and Bloodhound. Toward the rest, you're neutral other than another little twist." she made a pause again; "You'll be curious and friendly toward Revenant who will eventually become your friend.".

"What?" Both Jack and Revenant asked in unison, appalled.

"I will not be a friend with a skinsuit." Revenant said angrily and matter-of-factly. 

"How can I - " Jack spoke, wondering how in the hell could she manage this, but she was cut off.

Lidia raised her hand in the air to stop both of them from saying another word: "Those are the orders. You two better find a way to work this out and deliver on the television.".

Jack found Revenant's robotic eyes and wrinkled her forehead, raising her brow at him in discomfort.

"Ugh." was all that he said before he turned his angry eyes back to Lidia.

"So…" Lidia continued and turned to Jack; "When it comes to you and Loba, you'll be neutral to friendly until she figures that you're being friendly with Revenant. Then you'll become neutral to rivarly until you become friends with Revenant. From that point on, you two are enemies.".

"Makes sense." Loba said and shrugged her shoulder: "Sorry, love, was hoping that we would do some ass-kicking together.".

Lidia coughed to draw attention back to herself before she continued: "When it comes to Valkyrie, she'll simply follow the same storyline as she will side with Loba. And, when it comes to Caustic, he's enemies with everyone other than with Wattson so that won't be unusual. However, he'll find an extra reason to be your enemy due to your abilities.".

"I'm unfamiliar with her abilities." Caustic spoke up.

"You'll find them out soon enough." Lidia returned; "To continue…" she made a small pause; "Mirage is a likable Legend so you two will get along just fine. Wraith was the first to take you in and she decided to mentor you as much as possible. And, when it comes to Bloodhound, you two will simply connect over your ability to track your pray." she made another pause, looking over all legends; "Any questions?".

Everyone remained silent.

"Okay. That would be all. I'll leave you to your free time and your duties. The next battle is incoming soon and you all have work to do." Lidia concluded and got up to her feet, causing all Legends to do the same.

Moments later, the meeting room started to empty, but Jack still sat in her chair in surprise. She couldn't shake off the notion of becoming friends with Revenant.

What in the hell am I supposed to do?

"Alright there?" a sudden voice drew her attention.

"Elliott!" she said, turning her attention to him and offering him a small smile.

"It'll be great, I think." he said and a wide grin painted across his face; "You're either with me or against me and I'm glad that you're with me!" he winked at her before his face went serious all of a sudden; "Or you're with me and against me…" he got lost in thought for a moment.

She observed him with raised eyebrows and confusion written across her face.

"I'll be honest, that happens sometimes…" he said, shaking himself away from his thoughts.

"Yeah…" she said; "I'm not sure that that'll be great." she said and got up on her feet, nudging his shoulder playfully; "You're alright. We got this." she offered, a small smile still playing on her lips.

Mirage blushed; “Erm… Do we… Do we…” he stuttered; “Is the deal for tonight still on?”.

“Of course, I don’t see why it wouldn’t be.” she returned; “What time suits you the most?”.

“As far as I’m concerned, we can get to it right now.”.

“Sure, I’ll just go and freshen...”.

“I have a different idea, though.” he cut in; “I want to suggest that we should go to Mirage Voyage instead.” he raised his eyebrows, an expectant look on his face.

“Oh! An actual Mirage Voyage?” she asked excitedly.

“Jup!” he said with a satisfied look on his face.

“But I thought that it got destroyed?”.

“Oh, that was just for the television. I wouldn’t let anybody hurt my baby.” he said; “And you do understand that everything within the arena is just computer generated imagery, right?”.

“It keeps slipping my mind…” she said honestly; “It just feels way too real, being in there…”.

“It was meant to be like that. Otherwise, the show would be unwatchable.” he explained, waving his hand; “So. What do you think? Mirage Voyage?”.

“Of course! Yes! Hundred times yes! It's such a privilege!” she said, feeling fully excited; “Where about is it, then?” she asked expectantly.

Mirage Voyage was Mirage’s personal bar and she had seen the coolest battles taking place on it on the television. Also, if the real Mirage Voyage had the same stuff on it as the one in the show, then it was going to be lit.

“Doesn’t matter where it is. We’ll take a shuttle there, it’s not too far away. All we need to do is get down to lobby and request one and we’ll be there in no time!” he said proudly.

“Awesome! Can I just go and quickly freshen up?” she asked.

“Of course! How much time do you need?”.

“10 minutes?” she said, considering.

“Cool. I’ll meet you in the lobby in 10 then.” Mirage said, satisfied; "On voyage we're about to go…" he hummed.