CinnaBun dashed across the crystalline surface of a cave-themed stage, throwing carrot shurikens as she ran. Her steps were interspersed with hops, creating twin rows of projectiles that hurtled over the edge of the stage. Corgo took one in the chest as he leapt toward the edge of the stage, falling slightly below its lip. The rabbit reached the edge, perching atop it as Corgo leapt upward once more. At the last moment, the rabbit leapt off and directed a vicious backwards kick toward the dog. 

Corgi slammed into the wall, but instead of ricocheting off into the abyss, he recovered and stilled his momentum. With a sudden movement, he leapt toward CinnaBun and met her with a downward punch of his own, sending her careening to her doom.

Dang," Ian cursed. "I can't believe you pulled that off."

Kaitlyn grinned. "Careful. You're getting more predictable."

"And you're getting less. Why wouldn't you just recover high instead? That would've been way safer, not to mention easier than a frame-perfect trick."

"And miss a perfectly good chance to practice it? No thanks." She brought Corgo back onto the stage, repositioning him as Ian respawned. "I need to get more consistent at it, anyway. Plus it gets me loads of style points."

"Rude." He chuckled. "Now you're just asking to get styled on yourself."

"Go ahead and try."

The pair's thumbs flicked across their controllers in a flurry of motion, their eyes once again glued to the monitor. Around them, the common room lay quiet. Aside from the occasional student passing through this side area on the way to their dorms, Kaitlyn and Ian found themselves completely alone.

It had been a long time since she'd practiced against Ian, especially as a private hangout like this. Aside from their bracket matches, she had made an effort to seek out other people to train and play friendlies with for quite a while. But now that they were once again setting aside time for dorm practice sessions, Kaitlyn found herself slowly remembering his habits and playstyle. Between that and her much-improved skills, she was finally giving Ian a run for his money.

Maybe I'll actually be able to take him down in tournament this time. Wouldn't that be cool?

The thought lit a fire under her. Corgo dashed forward for a particularly risky grab, timing it to catch CinnaBun's erratic movement. Unfortunately, Ian saw it coming. With a sudden shift, the rabbit leaped overhead and slammed her foot onto the dog's head. The force of the impact made him bounce into the air, leaving him open for a roundhouse kick off the stage.

Kaitlyn groaned and settled back into the couch. "Seriously? I almost had you!"

Ian shook his head in mock disappointment. "So close. Should've gone with the safer play."

Kaitlyn glared at him. "Like that would've worked. You weren't in kill range unless I pulled off the grab."

"You could've waited, you know," he pointed out. "You weren't running out of time or anything. Just be patient."

"Do you see my character?" Kailyn flapped a hand at the screen. "What part of Corgo says 'patience' to you?"

"Fair point." Ian began another game. "You never know, though. It would be the least predictable thing you've done so far."

They both fell silent for a while, their focus turning to the game once again. Kaitlyn settled into the comfortable flowstate of Bash Bros as the rest of the world fell away. Ian had class in an hour, from what she understood, so they wouldn't be playing for much longer. But for now, it was nice to simply enjoy the game.

"Think we're ready for doubles tomorrow?"

Ian nodded. "As ready as we can be. Like I said, I was never a big doubles guy. It's a totally different game. But I can try."

She snorted. "Don't worry. You'll do fine."

It was true. Every time they'd teamed together in past loops, Ian had been nothing short of fantastic. It wasn't just him being a strong player, either. His situational awareness and ability to actually work with her made him seem like a natural.

Ian chuckled. "Just because we can destroy John and Roger doesn't mean we're actually a good team, you know."

"I know, I know," she dismissed the reminder. "I'm not basing it off of just that. But I really think we can do it. Maybe we'll take the whole thing."

"Wow, someone's confident." The chestnut-haired boy raised his eyebrows at her. "Tough talk for someone who's only winning a quarter of these games."

"Hey, give me some credit. They're close!"

"Right. Close."

"Don't say it like that. Hey, remember when I absolutely bodied you half an hour ago?"

"Nope. Don't remember at all. Must not have happened."

Kaitlyn stifled a grin of her own as she returned her attention to the game. This loop, her plan was to get better at being a good teammate with Corgo. Then it would only be a matter of time before they took down their biggest opponents – ZoggyWoggy and Lelas.

Cappy Con's dream team. The two best players in this entire game. Kaitlyn's expression turned determined. I want to beat them.

She wasn't entirely sure if it was linked to a route. It seemed like a dead ringer for Ian's romance ending, though other developments would probably have to happen as well. But it was a great place to start. Besides, she'd already spent this much time getting good at the game. Why not push it as far as she could?

I don't think we're ready this time. But soon.

She glanced over at Ian. Though his mint hoodie somewhat obscured things, she could still see that his shoulders were relaxed. A slight smile of contentment played across his features, the screen reflecting in his blue eyes. 

It made sense. Even though the gameplay felt intense, neither of them were fighting at full tilt. But it was more than that. He seemed at peace.

This Ian's not at all like the awkward guy I first met. He might as well be a different person.

Thinking back on those first encounters made the differences even more stark. The uncertainty, the halting sentences, the inability to even hold eye contact… all of that seemed so far away now, so at odds with the guy in front of her. But she knew why.

It's because we're playing right now. Because we're playing and talking about games. I know he can close right back up in a moment if I get away from that.

Ever since realizing it, Kaitlyn had stayed away from talking about anything personal or disagreeable to the guy. But that couldn't work forever. Not if she wanted to learn more about him.

I have to try. Maybe this time, I'll be able to carry the conversation myself. If he does want to talk, that is.

She took a steadying breath. They were in the middle of a game, but maybe that was for the best. Maybe it would make him feel comfortable.

"So… You're a CS major, right? What classes are you taking?"

Ian blinked as if waking from a dream. His smile wavered slightly. "Sorry?"

"What classes are you taking?" Kaitlyn repeated. "I'm just curious!"

"Ah. Right. Nothing too interesting, mostly GE's."

He left it at that, much to her chagrin. Dang. This really will be like pulling teeth, won't it? That's ok though. I'm not prying. I'm just having a conversation. That's all. Keep talking.

"Really?" She asked. "Which ones?"

"Er, I have three. Writing, Jazz History, and Introduction to Calculus."

A long-forgotten anger bubbled to the surface. Oh. I see, So there's an Intro to Calculus class that's COMPLETELY NORMAL to take, is there? Thanks game. Thanks for letting me skip over that one, too. Really appreciate you putting me in all the advanced classes.

It took a moment for the anger to fade. It was all in the past. And besides, she'd overcome those challenges anyway, hadn't she? She'd beat those classes and come out better for it.

That doesn't mean I'll be grateful that the game put me in this situation.

"That's a lot of GE's," she remarked. "Are you taking any CS classes?"

"Just one. Intro to Programming."

Corgo stopped mid dash. CinnaBun immediately took advantage, smashing into him with a meaty kick and sending the cyborg-dog into the abyss.

"Wow," Ian whistled. "What tech were you even going for there? Whatever it was, you really messed it up… Kay? You ok?"

Kaitlyn shook herself. "Yeah! Yeah. Sorry." She fumbled with her controller, trying to get her wits about her. "Sorry, just spaced for a second."

"Don't apologize to me. I'll take easy kills any day of the week."

"Yeah." She gave an awkward laugh. "I would too."

The game continued on, but Kaitlyn was rattled. She ended up taking even more hits due to dumb mistakes and easy reads. But the bombshell had caught her completely off guard.

He's in INTRO TO PROGRAMMING?!

Kaitlyn couldn't believe it. She simply didn't know how it could be true. She knew firsthand what that class offered, and it was the most basic of basics. It was as easy as a class could get at Hartland.

It would be useless for someone who could program his own game.

It's a complete waste of time for him. I know he's already past that level. He probably even knows data structures, based on how he talked about a few of those assignments. How is he stuck in an intro class?

"Er…" Kaitlyn cleared her throat. "I'm surprised that you're only in one programming class. Is that normal?"

"Yeah, pretty much." He shrugged. "Pretty much everyone has to take it as a prerequisite. I can't do too much about it."

"That does suck. Could you test out of it?"

He scratched his chin. "Maybe? Not anymore, at least. I'm already in it anyway, so it doesn't really matter."

She bit her tongue. Part of her wanted to shake him and say that it very much did matter, because why waste his time in a class he didn't even need? But Ian hadn't shared anything about his game with her yet. She wasn't supposed to know that he had programming knowledge. That would probably get him to clam up even more.

It's fine. It's ok. Maybe he's just getting an easy A out of it. That would make total sense. Besides, I don't know exactly what level he's actually at, do I? So maybe I'm overthinking things, putting too many expectations on him.

After completely destroying her in-game, Ian leaned back with a sigh. "What time is it?"

"It's… " She pulled out her phone to check. "Two thirty."

"Already? Dang. Time for class." With a heavy sigh. Ian stood and unplugged his controller. "Thanks for hanging out. You free later?"

"Sorry, I have work tonight." Kaitlyn gave him an apologetic shrug. "Maybe next week?"

"Sounds good. I'll see you tomorrow." He shot her one last grin. "Bring your A-game, alright? I don't want to carry you in doubles."

She smiled. "Same to you. If you really suck, I might have to team with John instead."

"Rude!"

She helped him put away the PlaySphere and monitor, then headed down the stairs to her own room. Technically, her own Writing class was at three o'clock – a different one than Ian's, obviously. But there was no point in attending.

I've got a bit of time before going to the restaurant. Maybe I can sneak in some music practice.

The thought of Ian being in an introductory programming class still bothered her. Was he really wasting his time like that? Or maybe he had gotten screwed into bad class picks just like she had. Just on the opposite end of the spectrum.

Well, I guess I'd rather have stuff that's too easy than too hard. Still though… it seems like such a waste.

With that, she stepped into her room, shutting the door behind her.