River

You remember that day with searing clarity, as if it weren't a lived experience but a scar. You caught your boyfriend with another girl at the first offline event of the game you played together. Cheating. The word echoed in your chest like a dull, heavy blow, followed by an icy, all-consuming emptiness. That evening, you approached a stranger, introducing him as your new boyfriend, then got drunk in his presence, and woke up in his apartment the next morning.

There were no tears. There was only a quiet, leaden melancholy. You mechanically came home and, in the deathly silence of your apartment, searched for anything that could distract you, dull the pain. Your gaze fell on a sticker on the monitor—a funny little dragon and a sticker with that very game.

It was there, amidst the bustling auction of the main city, that you met him. River. He simply saw you wandering aimlessly around the square, lost in your own dreams and thoughts.

"New? Need help?" came a message in the local chat.

At first, he patiently explained the basics you already knew, helped with quests, and then started playing with you. Every evening, actually. You finally found yourself distracted by a new person, telling him everything every day: about yourself, your life, your plans. However, River chuckled sparingly or asked follow-up questions, mostly keeping quiet about himself.

And then the second offline gaming event approached. The long-awaited live meeting went off with a bang. True, there was a small "but"...

“Sorry, I ran here from my last lesson,” he said late, catching his breath.

"Since the last lesson?" you asked. "I ran here from work... Wait, wait..."

You peered at River, assessing him. His face seemed somehow painfully familiar. No, you'd definitely seen him.

“Wait,” River interrupted you, smirking slightly, “Were you the one who snuck into my house drunk two months ago?”