Like Mother, Like Daughter pt. 6

"According to my diagnostics, Mrs. Mendez, it appears your daughter has suffered a broken ankle."

The family were cooped up in a small hospital, with Carmen fast asleep with the help of some painkillers. Her body sunk into the mattress, apart from her left leg which had been strung upwards toward the ceiling. The foot was hidden beneath several layers of bandage and cast, resembling something more so of a large, crudely shaped egg.

"Is she going to be OK?"

"Oh yes, of course, Carmen should be fine, she just needs about 2 months of-"

"Rest?!"

Gloria interrupted with strange enthusiasm.

"W-Well yes, she just has to try to refrain from putting much pressure on her foot… and should ideally stay at home as much as possible to recuperate… are- are you alright, Mrs. Mendez?”

The doctor couldn’t help but pause as a grin formed on Gloria’s continued to grow with each word he spoke.

“Oh yes, doctor! I am just glad my baby is going to be alright.”

Carmen replied gleefully, staring back at Carmen.

“…Well alright then, if that’s all you need from me, I’ll be on my way out.”

The doctor said, grabbing his files.

“Oh, doctor…you have given me everything I needed.”

Gloria muttered under her weighted breath, eyeing up her daughter laying on the bed with a devilish grin.

Taking a bedside seat, Gloria went into deep thought into how she could use this golden opportunity to her advantage. With Carmen practically bedridden for the foreseeable future, there wouldn't be any more exercise for her to offset all the caloric cuisine that could be, in theory, channelled from the kitchen straight onto her lap. And it wasn’t like Carmen was going to decline any offer of Mendez Munchies coming her way; Gloria saw that fire in her eyes whenever Carmen would spot some leftover fries. She could see that Carmen was clearly hooked, it had just been a matter of how to break through her rock solid metabolism until now. But now, in a moment of weakness, Gloria thought of just the way to strike.

Gloria was prepared to initiate an all-out war on Carmen’s waistline. She was going to adopt a scorched-earth tactic of sorts: inundate Carmen with a constant and unforgiving amount of food, fit for someone of Gloria’s own size than hers'. She knew Carmen, like a gluttonous moth to flame, wouldn't dare deny any dishes. So as long as Gloria was around, she would always have numerous types of anything she’d like at her disposal, at all times. Of course with all this food and only a little girl left to consume them, there’d be a lot of food sent and not touched at all before turning cold. But Gloria, the beacon of humbleness that she was, was willing to hurt her (or more accurately, Carlos’) pocket a little bit in order to see her daughter finally become a true Mendez woman. Feeling satisfied, Gloria confidently rubbed her belly back and forth, imagining how a magnificent stomach such as hers would look set atop her daughter’s.

—

“C’mon, we’re gonna be late!!”

A young, tanned girl exclaimed, dashing down the sidewalk toward Brookside High at breakneck speed.

“I’m going as hard as I can!!!”

A redhead tried to follow suit, shuffling along with a plethora of books stacked in her hands and backpack.

“We’re gonna miss our first day if you don’t hurry up!”

The girl ahead replied.

Fired up by the Latina’s words, the redhead tried to muster a sprint. She ultimately failed, tripping over herself and toppling textbooks all over the pavement, with herself following suit.

“ABBY!”

The other cried out, sprinting back as fast as she could.

"Are you alright??”

She called out, looking over to Abby whimpering in the corner. Abby gestured to her palm, which was starting to bleed.

“Oh crap…WAIT-"

"I got just the thing!”

The Latina said quickly, shimmying through her bag before conveniently whipping out a first aid box.

“Ta-Dah!!! Nurse Mendez to the rescue!”

“You’re such a health freak it’s insane. Why'd you even bring that to your first day of high school?”

Abby scoffed jokingly, though still thankful and relieved.

“A truly great athlete always comes prepared.”

Carmen retorted, difficult to decipher as either a joke or a deadpan statement of self-proclaimed fact.

“Now, gimme your hand before it gets all icky.”

Carmen proceeded to gently handle Abby’s hand. Abby couldn’t help but feel a warm, tingly feeling as she felt Carmen’s touch - she always grasped it so gently and with so much care. As Carmen proceeded to stare into the sky and go on a tangent about soccer or whatever, Abby got an opportunity to look into her eyes. She was always such a sightt- whether it was her rich, flowing chocolate hair, or her welcoming hazelnut eyes, or her-

“...You good? Earth to Abby??”
Carmen smiled at Abby, locking eyes with her.

“OH-um-Yes-um-I think…hehe.”

Abby frantically looked elsewhere, desperately trying to come off as calm and collected as a thick wave of blush came across her.

“Awesome! We gotta get going fast though, first period is gonna start soon.”

Carmen said oblivious, heaving up some Abby’s books herself, intending to ease the pressure on Abby’s now bandaged hand.

Just as the two reached the gates, Abby stopped herself in her tracks.

“Uuuuh…you okay, ‘Abbs?

Carmen asked, turning back.

“I want you to promise me something.”

Abby said nervously, tensing up.

“I want you to promise me that even though there’s a lot of new girls here, and that we’re probably gonna make a lot of new friends, we’re still gonna be friends. W-We’ll still be best friends, even!!”

Abby stuttered, almost threatening her.

“Alright, alright! It’s not like I wasn’t planning on doing that anyway.”

She laughed, nudging Abby, who was only starting to blush harder.

“But if it makes you feel better…*wathoot*”

Carmen spat on her hand and extended it to Abby.

“Spit-shake!”

“Wh-What are you doing?”

Abby stared at her, confused.

“Y’know? The thing they do in Flushed Away?? The one with the dancing slugs???”

“...”

“ARE YOU GONNA SPIT-SHAKE ME OR NOT, ABIGAIL?!”

“Alright!!”

Abby hurriedly dribbled on her unbandaged palm and firmly shook Carmen’s. After a few seconds of shaking and subsequently realising how stupid they probably looked in front of everyone else around, the two giggled amongst each other and walked in through the front doors.

Soon after, Abby awoke from dream, pushing away the pillow she had been subconsciously spooning. Staring up the ceiling, Abby dejectedly sighed to herself.

“You promised…”

She sighed to herself meekly.

BUZZ…BUZZ…BUZZ…

Suddenly, her attention shifted to rhythmic vibrations humming on her bedside drawer. It was Anna, calling in the early hours of the morning, as per usual.

“Hey Abbs’! I hope you haven’t forgotten about D&D on Wednesday, have you?”

“Wh-Oh…no, no no…”

Abby said, groggily wiping the sleep from her eyes.

“Cool! Remember; 10pm in the diner, after dark, m’kay?”

“Yeah.”

“...What’s the matter? Usually you’d be just as excited about this as I am.”

“Oh-umm…I’m fine, just…a little tired is all, hehe. I’ll be alright when we meet up.”

Abby croaked, trying to conceal her sadness.

“Alright, see ‘ya then!”

“See ‘ya.”

—

Over the past week, Gloria’s plan had gone off without a hitch, and the results were quickly starting to show on both Carmen’s body and behaviour. Everyday, come rain or shine, Gloria would “race” up and down the stairway, hauling up as much food as her fat-filled arms could carry to her daughter’s room. Carmen happily dug into everything Gloria would bring to her without much thought, feasting constantly throughout Facetime sessions with her cronies or flirtatiously texting her friend-with-a-benefit, Brock. As much as Gloria appreciated her daughter’s growing appetite, the stamina of the four hundred pounder was not quite up to the speed of Carmen’s constant demands.

“MOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!”

Carmen annoyedly cried out from her bed.

“Coming baby!!!”

Gloria exclaimed from below.

After a couple arduous minutes, Gloria heaved her massive weight up the stairs.

“*heave*…*pant*…yes, love?”

Gloria gasped, clenching onto the doorknob for support.

“My soda’s empty.”

Carmen replied bluntly, pointing below her queen-sized bed to an empty bottle that had now joined a litany of others.

She hadn’t been in the mood to talk much with her mother the past couple days, with what happened at the game and its consequences still fresh in her mind.

Why, there’s a bottle right there, is it not?”

Gloria responded, gesturing at a 2L Coke bottle sitting atop her drawer just about a foot or two away from Carmen’s sedentary position.

“Eh…”

Carmen lazily stretched one arm outward, trying not to unsettle herself from the warm part of the bed.

“Oh no!”

Gloria exclaimed concernedly, rapidly reaching for the bottle whilst simultaneously tucking Carmen’s noticeably softer arm back into the warm bed covers.

“I don’t want you straining any of your muscles during your rest.”

She added, her maternal instincts flaring up.

“Thank you, Mama.”

Carmen replied with a hidden sly smirk, her deceit succeeding yet again.

“Hmm…Let’s see…Oh! You have finished all your dishes already?! EXCELLE-...I mean, that was quick, hehe! I will bring up more plates soon, if you do not consume them, that is fine! But it…umm…will make Mama very happy!”

Gloria sheepishly stumbled over words as she exited the room, a mischievous grin of her own beginning to form on her squirrel cheeks as she left.

As Gloria’s frame jiggled and bounced down the steps, a door slowly creaked open from across the upstairs hallway. It was Isabel, who had been listening to the whole ordeal with a close ear.

“S-Surely not…”

She thought to herself.

It was one thing having herself be plotting against Carmen’s fitness, but Mom? She rationalized that she was just jumping to conclusions, but a little, inescapable doubt in her mind kept causing her to think the opposite. With that little hunch, Isabel carefully crept down the steps to see what Gloria was up to.

To her astonishment, Isabel saw Gloria cooking. She’d hadn’t ever seen Gloria cook a meal for someone nor herself since she was about four years old. She had to admit, however, that whatever it was she was cooking smelled good. She was almost thought to sneak in and grab it herself, but her hunger couldn’t get in the way of not being seen. As she focused in a little closer, she could hear a little of what Gloria was mumbling to herself.

“A little bit of hummus…some garlic…and a dash of protein powder…hehehe…”

Gloria snickered slyly as she added a few spoonfuls of powder into the meal before mixing it all together.

Isabel covered her mouth in shock as her suspicions were proven right in front of her eyes. Just as all this was happening, a flip-flop loosely attached to Isabel’s heel slipped off, causing it to slap and bang down several flights of stairs.

“Huh?”

Gloria looked to her side, hearing a ruckus coming from off in the darkened area of the room. Peering into the area, Gloria oddly found that nothing there was out of the ordinary. Fortunately, Isabel had managed to scamper up the stairs in the nick of time.

“...Alright then.”

Gloria shrugged to herself before going back to cooking up her weight gain concoctions.

—-

It was Wednesday night in the Mendez household, and Carlos had decided to treat Isabel and Gloria to dinner out in the city. This was much to the objections of his wife, who instead wanted to stay and “tend” to her bedridden daughter’s needs. But Carlos had insisted to her that everything would be fine, stating that a grown woman such as Carmen would be able to care for herself for one night, at least.

“mmmMMOOOOOOOOOOM!”

Carmen bellowed from her room.

“...”

“MOM!!!”

She yelled in a more peeved tone.

Carmen yelled a couple more times with increasing annoyance to her voice, before concluding after the sixth attempt that no one else was home. She crossed her arms and pouted, knowing that now she’d actually have to exude some energy to obtain more food. She aggressively shuffled herself out of the comfy covers, shimmying herself toward the silver crutches laid by the bottom corner of her bed.

“How do I actually use these things?”

Carmen muttered to herself, puzzled at the various holes and settings detailed along the aluminum edges. She had never actually used these things before, usually getting her mom or dad to carry her to and from readily made baths. She fidgeted and fiddled with the copper beads for a couple minutes, eventually getting it to a setting that she’d be moderately comfortable to move around in. She quickly regretted not learning how to use it sooner, as all the heave-ho’ing was quite the strenuous exercise for her muscly-dissipated arms.

She gingerly shuffled down the stairs, exiting her room for the first time in what seemed like a week or two, though she hadn’t really cared to keep track of time throughout her binges of Netflix and burritos. As she reached the end of the stairs, Carmen saw something that stopped her in her tracks. It was her soccer boots, sloppily thrown on the floor. They were still muddy and worn from…that day. Carmen stared somberly at them, not emitting much emotion from her face. She hadn’t actually stopped to think about how this injury could affect her value, or the chances of scouts missing her, or even worse, a scout noticing her and only seeing an injury prone liability. Carmen’s face scrunched up, hurling the shoes by the laces across the dining room, tipping over a glass vase in the process. Carmen turned away, sniffling as she hauled herself down toward the Munchies kitchen.

Carmen sighed as she filled the steel deep-fat-fryer net to the brim with thick, golden French fries. The sizzling sounds it made was oddly calming to her, easing some of the tension out of her from before. She wished she had come down here more often as a kid, it would’ve been nice to have an area of solitude to escape to every now and then.

All this tranquility was cut short, however, when she heard an array of voices coming from the dining area. Who the hell was that?

—

Though it was still technically open for business, the lights of the Mendez Munchies diner had all been shut off, leaving the room to be under pitch blackness. The only rays of light came from the large table near its center, where a group of four students huddled around a table only illuminated only by tall, medieval-esque candles. In between cans of soda and readily prepared meals laid a large book with a graphically detailed picture of a fierce dragon as its cover art. Once she noticed that both Derek, Bailey and Abby were ready to begin, Anna quickly arose from her chair.

“Hello everyone! I will be your dungeon master for tonight’s session. This time we’ll be playing this adventure; The Cavern of Draconis!”

She proudly stated, presenting the cover to a small chorus of ‘ooh’s and ‘ah’s.

“I know that Bailey and Abby have characters they’ve been playing for years but I understand that this is your first time, so I made these for you.”

Anna continued, pushing over and spreading out a stack of about ten character sheets at Derek.

Now take your time, choose your character carefully. They each have their own set of unique strengths and-...ok then.”

Anna was abruptly cut off as Derek took a wild swing at a random sheet.

“Shouldn’t there be a board, or some pieces, or something to…Jenga?”

Derek asked, confused.

“No no, this is a role playing game. It takes place entirely in our collective imagination! That’s what makes it fun.”

Anna explained excitedly.

“Oooooooh, I see.”

Derek nodded, still not entirely sure but nodding nonetheless.

“I tell a story and you make choices in the story, m’kay?”

Anna continued.

“Okay.” “Mhm.” “Gotcha.”

Replied the three players.

“Let’s begin.”

Anna announced firmly, clearly her throat to properly prepare her fancy dungeon master voice.

—

ANNA: “You're all standing on a country road. The evil dragon Draconis dwells nearby, guarding a massive pile of treasure. Working as a team, your goal is to track down the dragon, kill him and claim the treasure as your own. Your turn, Derek.”

DEREK: “Oh-Um-Uh…It’s my turn? Uh…What do I do, roll a dice?”

ANNA: “You tell me what to do, then I roll the die to see if you’re successful.”

DEREK: “...What are my choices?-”

ANNA: “Ok you’re slowing things down. Abby, what do you wanna do?”

ABBY: “I would like to introduce myself.”

BAILEY: “Hello!!”

Anna stands up from her chair with a playfully smug aura.

ABBY: “My name is Alundra, firstborn daughter of Artemis, slayer of thousands, hero to millions!”

DEREK: “Oh-Uh-My name is…Bing-Bong the Archer…?”

ANNA: “I’m…not the best at making up names…”

Bailey follows Abby’s example.

“BAILEY: “Well hello Sir Bing-Bong, I am Lydia, the fiercest warrior of all the Highlands, master of the Icarus Sword!”

ANNA: “An arrow suddenly flies through the air; almost hitting Lilith in the face!”

Bailey panics, instinctively ducking and returning to her seat.

ANNA: “Six goblins are running towards you from the trees, drawing daggers.”

DEREK: “I attack them! Using my…additional notes!”

ANNA: “It has no effect. Abby?”

ABBY: “I uh…attack one of the goblins with my knife.”

Abby rolls the dice. 

ANNA: “Critical hit!”

ABBY “Nice!”

ANNA: “...But the others close in, surrounding you on all sides.”

ABBY: “Shit.”

BAILEY: “I draw my +3 Icarus Sword and attack at an 180° arc!”

ANNA: “The goblins are terrified as Lilith draws her powerful glowing sword from its sheath, and with one move slices the throat of three charging goblins!

The group cheers and high fives Bailey, who was pleased to see her years of experience come in handy.

ANNA: “The rest of the goblins run away!”

DEREK: “My heroooo!~”

Derek exclaims exaggeratedly, wrapping his skinny arms around her spherical stomach.

BAILEY: “O-Oh, it was nothing…”

Just as they were celebrating, the group hear a series of thundurus clanks and bangs coming from within the darkness, near the kitchen.

ANNA: “W-What was that?”

She whimpered, scared of the unknown.

Suddenly, an ear-wrenching creak of a wooden door was heard, followed by a single footstep getting louder and louder as it approached the group. 

ANNA: “W-Who are you??”

The group were frozen in fear, only waiting for the figure to appear. Surprisingly enough, though, the figure was Carmen, looking quite dishevelled with a bag of fries in her hand.

ANNA: “C-Carmen? W-What are you doing here?”

CARMEN: “How about you answer that question. What the hell is this little tea party?”

BAILEY: “...We’re playing dungeons and dragons!”

CARMEN: “First of all STUPID, second of all GAY, and thirdly; why was this a secret? Are you cutting me out of the group? Aren’t we co-workers?”

ANNA: “W-Well I mean I…”

DEREK: “...”

BAILEY: “We don’t really know each other that well…”

ABBY: “You’re not our friend, Carmen.”

An awkward silence filled the air for a few seconds. Carmen hadn’t noticed Abby quietly sitting amongst the group, catching her off guard.

CARMEN: “hehe…I-I’m obviously kidding, I obviously don’t care about any of your little nerd circlejerks…”

Carmen sniggered, trying to regain some of her bravado.

CARMEN: “But since I’m here, and with the fact I could report you both to my Dad for slacking off on company time... I want to play.”

ANNA: “I-I don’t have a character for you…”

CARMEN: “I don’t care, I just wanna play the game. I don’t need a character!”

ANNA: “...I think you do.”

CARMEN: “Just put me in the stupid game, now.”

Carmen leaned over the seated blonde menacingly, making the latter creak her neck back in retreat.

ANNA: “Ok, u-um…As you see the goblins retreat, you spot an 18 year old naked girl, with no weapons, lying in the wet grass shivering. Her name is…

CARMEN: “Carmen Mendez, biatch!”

ANNA: “In about thirteen turns, she will die of exposure. Abs’?

ABBY: “I wait fourteen turns.”

CARMEN: “Screw you guys, I’m gonna win!”

BAILEY: “I go to the naked girl and I give her my cloak.

DEREK: “D’aww!”

BAILEY: “I am Lydia; of House Lydia.”

CARMEN: “Dumb name. I’m gonna take her sword. Can I take her sword?”

Anna rolls the die.

ANNA: “...You’ve got her sword.”

DEREK: “What?!”

BAILEY: “...”

ABBY: “Knock it off! You’re playing the game wrong.”

CARMEN: “We’ll see.”

DEREK: “O-Ok then I take the Icarus swor-”

CARMEN: “I ATTACK HIM! I ATTACK THAT GUY!”

Anna rolls the die again.

ANNA: “...It’s a critical hit. You’ve decapitated him. Bing-Bong is dead.”

DEREK: “WHAT??? NO!!!”

ANNA: “Derek…I’m afraid I’m gonna have to ask for your character sheet.”

CARMEN: “hehehe…”

Carmen sniggered once again as Derek meekly slid his paper across the desk. Anna sighed.

ANNA “...Still your turn.”

CARMEN: “I…I RUN!”

ABBY: “You run?!”

BAILEY: “But she has my sword!”

ABBY: “Can we catch her, please?!”

ANNA: “Well the cloak that Lydia gave her was an elven cloak of wind walking, which is double-speed, so…no. She’s gone.”

ABBY: “DAMNIT!”

BAILEY: “It took me ten years and fifty campaigns to get that sword…”

CARMEN: “Really? Maybe I’ll wipe my ass with it and throw it off a cliff!”

DEREK: “Come on…”

CARMEN: “That’s for taking all the crêpes from the kitchen, fatso. Yeah. I noticed.”

BAILEY: “...”

CARMEN: “So I take it I’m winning?”

ABBY: “Alright! You’ve proven your point. You can ruin anything. Now come back and give Bailey her sword!”

CARMEN: “I can’t hear you over the sound of me rubbing her sword all over my cheeks...”

Anna rolls the dice.

ANNA: “She has…successfully rubbed the sword on her cheeks.”

ABBY: “ANNA! Don’t help her! You’re the dungeon master, just kill her and give Bailey back the sword, she’s upset.”

ANNA: “I’m the Dungeon Master, I have to be impartial. If I’m not, the game has no meaning.”

DEREK: “Can’t you just give her a cool new sword?”

BAILEY: “That sword was one of a kind. It was forged by my ancestors…”

CARMEN: “I hump it.”

Carmen grinned as Bailey let out a quiet whimper over her beloved Icarus.

ABBY: “That’s it. Anna, Carmen, I need to have a talk with you in the kitchen. NOW.”

Abby marched angrily to the kitchen, with Anna pacing quickly and Carmen shuffling behind her. Carmen had hoped to have gotten a chance like this to be alone with Abby tonight, but she was still unfortunately stricken with a third wheel. So for now, she still had to keep up all the bravado. 

—

ABBY: “That girl is SEVERELY DEPRESSED because of you!”

CARMEN: “Oh yeah? That’s what she told you? Well from the looks of it, she’s been using that line since he was 5 years old to get an extra slice of pie...”

Abby ferociously slapped Carmen in response.

ABBY: “What the hell is wrong with you?!”

CARMEN: “I don’t like being excluded, Abby. Do you?”

ABBY: “YES!!”

Both girls fell silent for a few moments.

ABBY: “Now go in there, tell her you're giving her back her sword or so help me God I will turn that ankle into mush.”

Carmen looked over to Anna.

CARMEN: “I keep running.”

ANNA: “Okay. Well since you're working against Abby and the others, I need to separate you from them.

CARMEN: “Great! I’ll sit right here.”

Carmen plopped herself onto a steel counter.

CARMEN: “Who wants to sit with a bunch of fat crybabies anyway.”

ABBY: “Arrgh!”

Abby stormed out angrily once again, quickly followed by Anna.

CARMEN: “Call me when you’re ready for my next move!”

—

Abby returned to the table a woman possessed.

ABBY: “CARMEN REFUSES TO GIVE BACK THE SWORD. OUR NEW GOAL IS TO FIND HER AND KILL HER.”

BAILEY: “I think I just wanna go home…”

ABBY: “BAILEY, DO NOT DO THAT.”

ABBY: “We’re gonna get that sword back, okay? Now, is there a way of moving faster than she’s moving in her cape of…whatever?"

BAILEY: “I guess if we had a Pegasus…”

ABBY: “Anna, can we get a Pegasus?”

ANNA: “...I can’t give you information about that.”

ABBY: “WELL THEN…there’s got to be a TOWN nearby. We will go to that town to ask around! ABOUT A PEGASUS!!!”

—

Carmen rummaged through the boxes underneath her sister’s bed, desperately trying to gain whatever edge she could find in her war against the nerds. In her limited interactions with Isabel, she had heard her gush about D&D once or twice when she was about the age Carmen was now. She hadn’t talked about it since, presumably putting the hobby on the shelf due to college work, or what Carmen had hoped was due to a lack of friends. Ignoring whatever reason it might’ve been, Carmen was sure one of these boxes would be a treasure trove full of ways to cheat the system.

“Nope, nope, nope…Oh hello!”

Carmen stopped at a box filled with manuals, each with the “Dungeons & Dragons” brand attached to it. She flickered through every book before coming on a handbook completely identical to the one used by Anna downstairs. Flipping through the pages, a devilish grin formed on her face.

“Oh I owe you one, sis…”

—

ANNA: “...You have a deal.”

ABBY: “Finally!"

ANNA: “Satisfied with the arrangement, the elf maiden promises you a flock of Pegasi. Good job! You guys can take a break, I gotta go check on Carmen.”

Anna creaks open the kitchen door to see the bizarre image of Carmen sitting atop a makeshift throne of pots and pans, cackling to herself as she held her soda cup up like a glass of rosé wine.

ANNA: “Uh…Carmen?”

Carmen: “That’s me…”

ANNA: “W-Well I need to know what you wanna do next?”

CARMEN: “So many things, Anna. Oh so many things…”

—

Anna re-enters the dining area Carmen by her side, the latter of which having a rather dreary look on her face. 

ANNA:  “I’m bringing back Carmen because while soaring above the forest of Ingold, Alundra and Lydia spot a body in an elven cloak, face down in the dirt, bleeding.”

ABBY: “HA! WE GOT YOU, BITCH!”

Derek and Abby cheer from their seats as Carmen looks down in despair.

BAILEY: “We land.”

ANNA: “You land safely below in the clearing. The body is lifeless; a pool of blood underneath it.”

DEREK: “I CAN’T TELL YOU HOW LONG I’VE WAITED FOR MOMENT-Uh…I-In the game…”

ABBY: “Bailey’s sword?”

ANNA: “Clutched in the right hand of the body is the Icarus Sword.”

ABBY: “Madam, I believe in this yours.”

Abby knelt exaggeratedly before Bailey’s seat, causing the latter to smile from ear to ear in relief.

BAILEY: “Thank you, Alundra.”

ANNA: “Once you get close to take the sword, however, you can see that this body, while definitely dying, is not Carmen.

Carmen began to grin coyly.

ABBY: “What?? I turn it over.”

ANNA: “It’s a local noblewoman.”

Carmen cleared her throat confidently.

CARMEN: “...Now.”

ANNA: “You hear a low rumble on the other side of the tree line. Followed by a shrill screech and the beating of heavy wings against the sky.”

ABBY: “Wait, wings? What’s going on?”

Carmen turned to Bailey.

CARMEN: “Tell me, fattie. Are you familiar with the Amburg region of the Edylmann river basin?"

BAILEY: “...Of course I am…”

CARMEN: “You’d know there's a reflecting pool with a very special amulet at the bottom of it. An amulet that allows the wearer…”

Bailey gasped.

CARMEN: “FULL CONTROL OVER-”

BAILEY: “Draconis!”

ANNA: “The hideous Draconis, an all-powerful red dragon, crashes through the trees and into the clearing. Riding atop his shoulders, naked as the day she was born and controlling Draconis with the amulet is...

Carmen cackles wildly.

CARMEN: “SAY IT!!”

ANNA: “...Carmen Mendez.”

DEREK: “No!!!”

Carmen rises from chair, pointing at Anna.

CARMEN: “Scream what I told you to scream!”

ANNA: “CARMEN MENDEZ IS MY MASTER. PREPARE TO MEET YOUR DOOM.”

ABBY: “I run towards Carmen with my broadsword drawn and I attack-”

CARMEN: “TIME STOP!!!”

ABBY: “Time Stop??”

ANNA: “…Draconis has a ton of spells. Alundra and Lydia are completely frozen and helpless.”

DEREK: “This is why I wanted to play Shoots and Ladders…”

ABBY: “ALRIGHT FINE, YOU WIN. Just kill us both so we can end this.”

CARMEN: “Oh no…killings too good for you two. Cast shape change on Lydia.”

ANNA: “...What shape do you choose for her?”

CARMEN: “FAAAT…”

DEREK: “Stop it!”

ABBY: “CARMEN!”

Anna reluctantly continues.

ANNA: “Lydia starts gaining weight. How much?”

CARMEN: “Make her as big as the pig she is now…”

ABBY: “CARMEN!!!”

Bailey starts to tear up, looking away and whimpering in shame. Carmen goes to towards her and leans forward.

CARMEN: “Oh, right! Cry! Let it out! Bathe your chubby cheeks in tears of gravy…You weren't crying when you stole my friend!”

Carmen smirked, returning to her seat with a swagger.

CARMEN: “Now you can all hang out in suspended humiliation and think about what you learned today. One; don't screw with me. Two; invite me to your crap.”

The group sat silent for a bit.

BAILEY: “Is it my turn?”

ANNA: “...Well yes, but you can’t move.”

BAILEY: “That’s fine…”

BAILEY: “For my turn, I feel sorry for Carmen Mendez.”

CARMEN: “Pfft, save it.”

BAILEY: “No, really, I do.”

ABBY: “For my turn I pity Carmen too.”

CARMEN: “Oh, trust me, I-I’m having the time of my life. I won. I WON DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, AND IT WAS ADVANCED!”

ABBY: “You really outdid yourself this time. There's a lot of pain in you, I seriously feel bad.”

Abby continued, noticing how much she was getting in her skin.

CARMEN: “Feel sorry for your new fat BFF.”

DEREK: “No, we're done doing that. She's gonna be just fine. Won’t you, Bailey?

Bailey smiled at her boyfriend, nodding. 

DEREK: “You, Carmen? You I really worry about. At least if I had a turn, anyway.”

CARMEN: “O-Oh well how about this; Draconis, unfreeze time!”

ABBY: “Done. You guys can move again.”

CARMEN: “I breathe so much fire on you…”

ANNA: “Hold it! You just used your turn on unfreezing time. Bailey?”

BAILEY: “I take the Icarus Sword and I throw it at the amulet around the sad naked girl’s neck.”

ANNA: “...That’s a difficult shot. You’ll need a dice score of eighteen or higher.”

Everyone at the table waited with baited breath as Anna rolled her die. The icosahedron shape fell and bounced several times, tapping onto every number from one to twenty. The bouncing eventually became rolling and then stopped, landing on number nineteen.

DEREK: “Yaaaay!!!”

BAILEY: “Woohoo!”

ABBY: “IN YOUR FACE!”

ANNA: “The sword smashes the amulet, freeing Draconis from its spell. The red dragon turns his head, grabs Carmen in his mighty jaws and swallows her alive!”

CARMEN: “NO!!!”

ANNA: “As a reward for freeing him, Draconis flies you both to his cavern, where he bestows his treasure upon you. Congratulations on the completion of Caverns of Draconis, I've been your Dungeon Master. I hope you had a good time!”

Anna proudly concluded as she closed the book, joining in on the celebration with her friends. 

—

It was deep into the night now, so the group (bar Carmen) decided to say their goodbyes and head off for home. Bailey, however, was the only person that didn’t make a B-line for the door.

“You need a ride, hun’?”

Derek said into her ear, wrapping his hand around hers.

“U-Uh yeah sure. I just need to go to the restroom. I’ll be out in a sec.”

Bailey gave Derek a peck on the cheek before he went out.

To tell the truth, Bailey hadn’t taken her eyes off of Carmen, who had her head in her arms on the table ever since the game had concluded. She really meant what she said by pitying her. It was clear that there were things bothering her, although she didn’t know exactly what those things were. At the very least she could go over and talk to her.

“Hey.”

Carmen’s head slowly peaked above her sleeves.

“That was the best game I ever played in my life.”

Bailey smiled.

“...Don’t mention it.”

Carmen sighed.

“Wanna play again next week?”

Bailey asked hopefully.

“...Maybe.”

Carmen muttered.

“Alright then! See you around.”

Bailey smiled, waddling excitedly out of the restaurant.

—

Abby leant by a pole positioned across the street from the restaurant, finishing off the remainder of her Munchies Meat Lovers Hamburger. She had to admit how good it tasted, but she also knew she couldn’t come back again, unless she wanted another voluntary interaction with…her.

Once she swallowed the last bit of the bun, she threw the wrapper in the bin and tucked her hands into her pockets for the long cold walk downtown back home. Just as she started to move, however, she heard a voice that made her grimace.

“ABBY…*huff*...WAIT UP!”

Carmen wheezed as she tried to shuffle rapidly up to Abby with her crutches, far exceeding the capacities of her current stamina.

“Can you…*huff*…meet me…*puff*…in the middle?...*huff*...This is taking a lot out of me…”

Carmen grunted.

Abby didn’t budge though, more than happy to see her in discomfort. Eventually, Carmen found herself in front of her.

“What do you want, Carmen?”

Abby snapped.

“W-Well I um…I was-I was meaning to talk to you inside but um, we-”

“Spit it out, Carmen.”

“I just want…Maybe we could…talk again?”

Carmen said nervously.

“...”

Abby was rapidly debating whether to hug Carmen or punch her where she stood.

“LOOK,LOOK…I-I know you have no reason to say yes, but…please think about it? Maybe? Here…”

Carmen proceeded to give Carmen a crudely written series of numbers written on a Munchies branded napkin, which could only have been understood as her phone number. Carmen scrunched up her face anxiously, ready to receive any incoming vitriol.

“I’ll…I’ll think about it."