Chapter 2

Rhia broke into a grin as she stepped through the doors of the coffee shop and spotted me at a back booth. I’d picked the spot because it was the perfect site for the organisational meeting of a D&D game - a board game cafe. I’d already ordered a couple of chocolate croissants and coffees since I knew how hungry college kids could be, and I was happy that Rhiannon had shown up on time.

“Hey, Snorey,” I said as I stood up and opened my arms.

“Hey, Lumpy,” Rhia grinned as she walked right into my hug. “I still don’t snore.”

“Says you,” I laughed as we separated and grabbed our seats. “So, how was second year? I haven’t seen you since your fall performance.”

“Good,” she said. “My program classes are way better than my general ones, and I get to do less of those next year and I’ll have a better chance at good roles for the performances.”

“What happened with the winter performance?” I asked, already knowing the answer from her Mom but wanting to show her my support without just coming out with it. “I didn’t get an invite.”

Rhia rolled her eyes and scoffed lightly. “I got shafted by politics,” she said. “I was supposed to be the understudy for the second lead, but this kiss-ass bitch made a huge deal about it being her final year and how she felt slighted and one of the Profs stepped in. I ended up on Stage Crew and didn’t invite anyone cause I could see the writing on the walls from the beginning. It was a shit show.”

“Ah, I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m sure you would have gotten the ship sailing smoothly if you’d had a bit more control.”

“Well, I don’t know about that,” she smiled, giving me a look that said she knew I was just boosting her ego. Rhiannon had the same long, brown hair as her mother. She was tall, almost six foot, which was often detrimental to an actress since it made male stars look smaller. Rhia was also blessed with an extremely sweet, youthful face that meant if we’d been located in California she likely would have been a Disney kid if her parents had been willing to put her through that - probably a secondary character, with her height, but still an in into the business. Instead, living in Michigan, she was a diamond in the rough just waiting to be discovered when she got the opportunity.

“So, let’s jump right into it,” I said. “You want to play a game.”

“Yes,” she said, breaking into a grin as she set down the croissant she’d been munching on and pressed her hands flat to the table. “And thank you so much for agreeing to DM. Dad thought you might be too busy.”

“Well, your Mother can be pretty convincing,” I said. “But how could I say no to you?”

She rolled her eyes again and shook her head. It had always been a little game since she’d been a kid, me blowing up her ego with ridiculous statements. The game had died off in her early teens as she’d been going through the harder years of puberty and needed actual encouragement, but she’d always reacted the same way to even my smallest compliments and encouragement.

“What kind of game are you looking for, and how many players?” I asked.

“Six players,” she said. “And they are all in my year or one year up in my Theatre program so we’re hoping for lots of roleplaying and improv practice. And I want a game in your world, not the published ones. I’ve always loved the stories Mom and Dad tell, and I love the way you set up the world. I could probably name off more spots on your map than Dad can.”