A Master's Ring (V.3)

[such_a_bad_man]

Eddie sat back for a moment. He hadn't really considered how big this thing was. It wasn't just about him and Elizabeth. It was about Professor Bryant's entire household of Siblings. It was about fulfilling Prof. Bryant's plan and why he had to take over for him. As the theater cleared out and Elizabeth went with the crowd, Eddie stayed in his seat, thinking over his behaviors and ideas. He slipped the ring out from under his top and looked at it.

Professor Bryant's words echoed in his ears from when he showed him the ring that night. "The order's been purged over a dozen times only to be reborn once again, but we've traced its history back all the way to the bronze age. And its all about these rings. There's only one hundred of these made. They are meant only for the most exceptional of people the world over."

"Most exceptional people..." he muttered. That was it. This ring was not meant for a common man. He couldn't be a common man anymore. He couldn't be pulled any direction by his libido or rampant desires or his hormones anymore. He had to be more than that.

Elizabeth was right to stop him. Eddie was wrong: someone would know if he had kissed her in here. Elizabeth would know. He would know. And he would know that he had let Professor Bryant down. He would have shown himself to be unworthy of the ring he held in his hand. Drawing a long breath, he stood up to see Elizabeth lingering by the door for him.

Dutiful, wonderful Elizabeth. He knew that he didn't want her to submit to him because it was expected; now, he wanted to earn it. He walked over taking her hand. "Thank you for stopping me. I won't slip again." He said quietly before pushing the door open and walking out of the theater as a couple.

"Where would you like to go? After all, coming here was my choice. Where do you like to spend your time on a weekend day?" Eddie asked as they neared the doors.

 

[Veroe]

IC: Elizabeth Sommerset

She waited for him at the doors to outside the theater. She didn't like having to stand up to Eddie like that. She rather wished she hadn't had to do it, but she could not, would not, dishonor her duty to the society, her family's legacy, Professor Bryant, her fellow siblings, and the master she hoped Eddie could become.

He walked over taking her hand. "Thank you for stopping me. I won't slip again." He said quietly before pushing the door open and walking out of the theater as a couple.

"Good," She nodded walking out with him, "I hope I never have to say no to you ever again." She shuddered at the very thought. "But as your First Sibling it is my duty to let you know when I perceive that you are stepping out of line, and even stand up to you if you continue to do so...even if I hate doing it."

"Where would you like to go," Eddie asked her as they came to the doors of the theater itself. They left the theater and the shopping district the theater was located in was much busier now than it had been earlier. People were bustling about this way and that. Walking with shopping bags full of purchased items in hand.

"Me," She asked surprised, "You're asking me?"

"After all, coming here was my choice," He explained, "Where do you like to spend your time on a weekend day?"

She thought for a moment. She usually stayed in and studied, but when she had free time..."There's a little bookstore about a block over on South Third Avenue. They have all these really old rare books, a lot of them aren't even in English, and I love walking through the shelves there looking through them...feeling the history behind them...." She looked at him, "...I'm sorry...going there's probably not a very interesting idea to you..."

 

[such_a_bad_man]

"There's a little bookstore about a block over on South Third Avenue. They have all these really old rare books, a lot of them aren't even in English, and I love walking through the shelves there looking through them...feeling the history behind them...."

Eddie smiled as Elizabeth waxed poetic about the book store. He was glad to hear her share her interests with him. He wanted to know what stirred her soul if they were to be together as Master and First Sibling. She paused, realizing that Eddie hadn't said anything in reply. She retreated into herself a little again, saying "...I'm sorry...going there's probably not a very interesting idea to you..."

"On the contrary, I find the history of physical objects fascinating. I would have gone into archaeology, but I fear that it's just too crooked. Engineering is safer, I figure." He said smiling. "But ultimately, the study of cities and bridge and infrastructure is like a detective story." He said as they crossed a footbridge over a road.

"Take the road below us for example. Why does the road wind like this through the city and up the mountain? It doesn't look to be the most efficient path so why did people think this was the best way to travel? When was it paved? Was it widened? All of these questions were settled probably before I was born; I only see it as it is now." He said as he took her hand.

"Same with your older books. I can look up a story and get like an audio book or download it to a Kindle, but books show how a story spread. Like, we could find a first edition of a story printed in London in the shop. Then the story becomes how did it wind up in a shop in a college town? Did someone bring it here as part of their studies? Was it ordered as a status symbol of a family that doesn't exist anymore? That's what fascinates me about things from a bygone era: it has a built in story waiting to be uncovered." And just as he finished, Eddie looked up to see that they had arrived.

"What story about a story will we find today?" He asked her, opening the door for her.

 

[Veroe]

IC: Elizabeth Sommerset

She thought for a moment. She usually stayed in and studied, but when she had free time..."There's a little bookstore about a block over on South Third Avenue. They have all these really old rare books, a lot of them aren't even in English, and I love walking through the shelves there looking through them...feeling the history behind them...." She looked at him, "...I'm sorry...going there's probably not a very interesting idea to you..."

They turned and began heading down Jefferson street heading for the intersection and the footbridge over to South Third Avenue. He smiled over to her at her words, "On the contrary, I find the history of physical objects fascinating. I would have gone into archaeology, but I fear that it's just too crooked. Engineering is safer, I figure. But ultimately, the study of cities and bridge and infrastructure is like a detective story."

"It's like archeology in its own right," She agreed with a smile. He understood and even shared her feelings on the history on such things.

They began heading down South Third Avenue, a ritzier and quieter area of the shopping district of town. "Same with your older books. I can look up a story and get like an audio book or download it to a Kindle, but books show how a story spread. Like, we could find a first edition of a story printed in London in the shop. Then the story becomes how did it wind up in a shop in a college town? Did someone bring it here as part of their studies? Was it ordered as a status symbol of a family that doesn't exist anymore? That's what fascinates me about things from a bygone era: it has a built in story waiting to be uncovered." And just as he finished, Eddie looked up to see that they had arrived.

She nodded beaming with happiness over his enthusiasm on a subject she was interested in too.

"What story about a story will we find today?" He asked her, opening the door for her.

"Let's find out," Se smiled stepping inside the bookstore. They were greeted with the unmistakable dry musty smell that could only be from very old books. She took Eddie's hands and they began to browse through the shelves together.

She paused over an worn out leatherbound book. Unfortunately it was all in Russian, but the hefty price on it was all too clear in English. She put it back on the shelf and turned to see if Eddie was finding any gems.

 

[such_a_bad_man]

As Elizabeth looked down the shelf, Eddie was sitting on the floor, going tome by tome as he worked his way along the floor. He mumbled and muttered, seemingly unimpressed by what he had been finding. Along the way, he pulled out a very nicely bound book. The leather looked well-worn, but the tooling on it was very skillful and the inlaid leaf for the title was still intact.

"Leaves of Grass" by Walt Whitman.

"I think that's an older edition..." he said, continuing his way along. After another 20 minutes or so, he managed to wedge his hand into a stack to allow him to fish out another older looking book. It was a bit wider and longer, but as he leafed through it, it was a series of medical diagrams.

"It's an old book on anatomy. Probably state of the art when my great-grandfather was alive," Eddie joked. "Probably left here when there was a medical school here; I think the college moved when the hospital moved." Eddie reasoned as he flipped through it, trying to see if there was any evidence to support his theory.

 

[Veroe]

IC: Elizabeth Sommerset

"Let's find out," Se smiled stepping inside the bookstore. They were greeted with the unmistakable dry musty smell that could only be from very old books. She took Eddie's hands and they began to browse through the shelves together.

She paused over an worn out leatherbound book. Unfortunately it was all in Russian, but the hefty price on it was all too clear in English. She put it back on the shelf and turned to see if Eddie was finding any gems.

Eddie had lowered down to sitting on the floor leaning against a bookshelf. He had an old book in his hands looking at it speculatively before putting back onto the shelf. "I think that's an older edition..."

He pulled the next one out and gently leafed through some of the pages.

"What have you found," She asked kneeling down to look at one of the pictures on the page he had opened to.

"It's an old book on anatomy." He Replied pointing at the detailed illustration of the bones inside a hand. "Probably state of the art when my great-grandfather was alive."

She nodded. "This place is full of old textbooks as well as literature. It's interesting to speculate on why it wound up here though."

"Probably left here when there was a medical school here;" He reasoned, "I think the college moved when the hospital moved."

She sat down next to him looking at the illustrations inside. She was enjoying his interest and enthusiasm in this thing she enjoyed doing herself. She leaned her body against his resting her head on his shoulder as he looked over more of the pages inside the old anatomy book.

This was good. She was enjoying this moment between them.

 

[such_a_bad_man]

Eddie smiled as he felt Elizabeth lean against him. He had a feeling that a moment like this was what today was all about. A moment shared between a couple, a boyfriend and girlfriend as she had said. As she leaned in, he took her hand in his, using the outside hand to turn the pages.

"I don't think the people that did illustrations like this got the credit they deserved as artists..." Eddie mutters quietly. "The accuracy they had to use and the ability to copy the contours of the body..." he whispers before turning the page.

"Think we should get this one to make sure it has a loving home. A home that recognizes the importance of historical artifacts probably better than anyone?" He asks, reaching up and putting his hand over where the ring sits under his shirt.

 

[Veroe]

IC: Elizabeth Sommerset

She sat down next to him looking at the illustrations inside. She was enjoying his interest and enthusiasm in this thing she enjoyed doing herself. She leaned her body against his resting her head on his shoulder as he looked over more of the pages inside the old anatomy book.

This was good. She was enjoying this moment between them.

"I don't think the people that did illustrations like this got the credit they deserved as artists..." He said.

Elizabeth smiled at that, "Yeah they're really great." She pointed to one illustration showing the muscles in the shoulder, "Look at how detailed this drawing is."

"The accuracy they had to use and the ability to copy the contours of the body..." He replied.

She nodded against his shoulder, "It's fantastic."

"Think we should get this one to make sure it has a loving home." He asked her, "A home that recognizes the importance of historical artifacts probably better than anyone."

"It's a nice sentiment, Eddie," She reached over and took hold of the book and turned it over to the back so they could look at the price tag. "Unfortunately neither one of us can afford most of the books in this store. Not yet anyway..."

She shrugged, "...In a week or so you'll have enough to buy every book on these shelves without even losing a wink of sleep over it...but not yet, Eddie."

They spent a couple more hours just browsing through the shelves, flipping through the pages, and enjoying the history behind each and everyone. By evening they decided to head back to the University.

"It's your turn to decide. What do you want to do now, Eddie," She asked him, "How about we go to the game lounge...I'll kick your ass at foosball or at the pool table."

 

[such_a_bad_man]

"It's your turn to decide. What do you want to do now, Eddie? How about we go to the game lounge?
I'll kick your ass at Foosball or at the pool table."

Eddie chuckled. "I had no idea you were so competitive. Sure, let's do that. We'll be by the Union so we can stop for dinner after." He said, taking the books up to the counter. He frowned at the total until Elizabeth produced the card for Prof. Bryant's account. He might not have access to it yet, but it looked like she still did. The books paid for and bagged, Eddie led Elizabeth out before taking her hand once they were on the sidewalk again.

Heading for the Union, Eddie had some more questions on his mind. "Did you want to join any clubs or anything on campus? Surely you have interests outside of the classroom that you'd like to pursue." He asked, looking over. "I mean, clearly you enjoy literature. Any thought on joining a book club or something similar?"

 

[Veroe]

IC: Ellizabeth Sommerset

"It's your turn to decide. What do you want to do now, Eddie," She asked him, "How about we go to the game lounge...I'll kick your ass at foosball or at the pool table."

"I had no idea you were so competitive." He chuckled.

She chuckled back, "I'm not..not really, but I'm pretty good at those games. So don't expect an easy victory, just because I'm a girl. Wanna try your luck anyway?"

"Sure let's do that," He said, "We'll be by the Union so we can stop for dinner after."

"Sounds like a plan," She smiled heading towards the door to the game lounge.

"Did you want to join any clubs or anything on campus?" He asked her, "Surely you have interests outside of the classroom that you'd like to pursue."

"What do you mean," She blinked at that, "I'm on the leadership council of my sorority, and my roommate, Madison, keeps dragging me to her yoga club meetings."

He asked, looking over. "I mean, clearly you enjoy literature. Any thought on joining a book club or something similar?"

She laughed, "Oh I quit the book club when they wanted to read the twilight books. It was clear their tastes and mine in literature didn't exactly mesh well. So instead I joined a program at the public library to read to kids, even got some of the other girls in my sorority to do it too."

They entered the game lounge. On the far wall where arcade cabinets of some of the most classic games lined up beside one of those virtual dancing games, and in the space between were foosball, ping pong, pool, and card tables. She beamed at him walking up to the bored attendant at the counter. She pulled out her pocket book to pay for the use of a foosball. She then led him over to an unused table. "Ready to get your ass kicked, buster?"

She leaned in and whispered to him so no one else could overhear her, "Back when I was little whenever my mother hosted a party for Master Samuel my father and some of the other parents took me and the other children of the house down to the gameroom. We'd play pool, or foosball, or ping pong, or the Nintendo all night. We'd sleep in sleepingbags on the floor like a sleepover. As a kid I loved it. It was something I looked forward to. Of course I now know my mother and some of the other siblings were having an orgy with Master Samuel upstairs while we were down there, but those nights..." She smiled wistfully back to him, "...those times playing ping pong or cards with him were some of my fondest memories I have of my dad. I treasure them..." She shrugged then, "...anyway...that's how I got really good at these games."

She took one side of the foosball table one hand on a handle for one of the rollers in the middle skewering four little plastic soccer players. Her other hand holding the ball above the table. "Ready...set...go!"

The ball dropped from her hand in the middle of the table and the second it hit she adjusted her little plastic soccer players to the right position. A flick of her wrist made the little paddle of her little soccer player strike it square on and with the exact right amount of force to shoot it past all of his little plastic soccer players and into the slot at the end of the table for a goal.

"One to nothing," She said a little too pleased with herself before whispering to him again, "Don't think that just because you'll be free to give me a spanking if you want whenever you want by this time next week I'm going to go easy on you in the slightest, Eddie."

 

[such_a_bad_man]

"Oh, I quit the book club when they wanted to read the twilight books. It was clear their tastes and mine in literature didn't exactly mesh well."

Eddie chuckled. "Yeah, I think you made the right call on that decision. I still can't figure the fascination with those books..."

"So instead I joined a program at the public library to read to kids, even got some of the other girls in my sorority to do it too."

Eddie smiled. "Not a bad way to get experience dealing with kids before you become a teacher." He said, admiration evident in the way he looks at Elizabeth.

As they got to the game room, Eddie listened intently to Elizabeth's story. It was another window into growing up in the society and helped fill in some gaps he didn't even recognize. It sounds like a very communal way to grow up; all the families living with one another. Parents sharing duties regardless of family. To be honest, it sounded better than where he grew up. He barely knew his neighbors, but that was more due to where Eddie grew up than anything. It was usually safer that way. His friends from school, however, were some of his closest. That's what made coming to this university so scary; he wouldn't have that support network anymore. Still, he had made his friends here. Classmates, study partners and club members were among his acquaintances. But now, Eddie wondered if it would be the same between them now.

Elizabeth came back over with the ball and the key for one of the tables. Right away, she showed him what growing up as she described had done for her skills on the sticks. Eddie could only look back at her dumbfounded as he hadn't even had a chance to move his players.

"One to nothing..."

"Wow, okay..." Eddie said, retrieving the ball as it rolled down the ramp from his goal.

"Don't think that just because you'll be free to give me a spanking if you want whenever you want by this time next week I'm going to go easy on you in the slightest, Eddie."

Eddie smiled back. "I'd never ask you to give me anything less than your best. My candle doesn't burn any brighter by snuffing yours out." He replied simply. He let the ball roll back into play. He tapped it back to his back rank players this time. With a little move to the side as he hit it, he sent the ball off the side wall around Elizabeth's front line players.

"I was always better at air hockey," Eddie confessed as he tried to play the angles off the walls rather than lining up straight shots. It was significantly harder than it needed to be, but he kept trying it that way anyway.

 

[Veroe]

IC: Elizabeth Sommerset

"One to nothing," She said a little too pleased with herself before whispering to him again, "Don't think that just because you'll be free to give me a spanking if you want whenever you want by this time next week I'm going to go easy on you in the slightest, Eddie."

"Wow, okay..." He said getting the ball back and flashing a smile just for her, "I'd never ask you to give me anything less than your best. My candle doesn't burn any brighter by snuffing yours out."

"That sounds like a quote from some poet somewhere, but I don't recognize it," She said as her little plastic soccer players batted the ball back and forth with his, "Who's it from...Emmerson...Longfellow?"

Then he did something taking one of the midtable rods and using it to hit the ball so it ricocheted off the side of the foosball table and around most of her defenders. Elizabeth had to quickly take hold of her goalie to stop it from scoring and kick back to set up another shot for. However her timing was off and instead it spun off to the left and allowing Eddie another ricocheting long shot that her goalie was able to knock away. "You really like that Bankshot don't you?"

"I was always better at air hockey," He admitted.

She smiled, "Okay then, you can try to avenge your loss here on the airhockey table next." Then her wrist snapped again and this time her timing was perfect. The ball streaked past all his defenses and into the goal once again.

She smiled cockily to him, "Two to nothing."

 

[such_a_bad_man]

"Who's it from...Emmerson...Longfellow?"

Eddie had always used that phrase when talking with his friends back home. He'd never let them talk bad about themselves or say they couldn't do something. He'd be there to support them along they way. If they ever protested and said he was wasting his time, he'd use that quote to tell them that he was happy to help. Problem is, he honestly couldn't remember where he heard it.

"I'm the worst when it comes to keeping that sort of thing straight. Linking texts to authors and dates just slips away in the briar patch of my head. I know there's all sorts of data up there; I just have trouble linking it some times. I think that's why I do better at math; it's a lot easier to remember rules and equations as they stand alone..." He said, doing his best to put up a token defense to Elizabeth's truly skillful play. He got crossed up on the grips more than a few times.

He lauded his own air hockey skills and that just made Elizabeth smile as she played the ball back to herself to set up for her next scoring attempt.

"Okay then, you can try to avenge your loss here on the air hockey table next."

Eddie was about to say something when she slipped the ball forward between his defense. The ball drifted forward and in the blink of an eye, her player was there and the ball was in the goal. Eddie just stood there, stunned for a second as he wasn't sure what just happened. He'd never seen a Foosball move that fast before with just the flick of a wrist.

"Two to nothing."

Elizabeth looked so proud in her moment of glory that all Eddie could do was chuckle.

"Yeah, I have a funny feeling we'll be getting to air hockey in no time here..." He joked as he retrieved the ball and sent it in to play. He played a bit more straight up offense this time; from his last attempt, Eddie had learned that he couldn't really get the same power on his bank shots. The players on rods just aren't built for that. So instead, he tried to play like he would run a play on a real soccer field. He worked the ball forward along the side board and tried to feed it forward to his "striker" players, but Elizabeth was too good on defense. His pass just caromed off the defenders and rolled back toward his goal. Eddie tried to stop it but was always a beat late to grab the right rod and before he could do anything, the ball rolled into his own goal.

He put his head in his hands so embarrassed, but laughing so hard. It was a second before he pulled the ball out again.

"Okay! 3-0! Here we go with my rally!" Eddie proclaimed, still laughing as he put the ball back in play again.

 

[Veroe]

IC: Elizabeth Sommerset

She smiled, "Okay then, you can try to avenge your loss here on the airhockey table next." Then her wrist snapped again and this time her timing was perfect. The ball streaked past all his defenses and into the goal once again.

She smiled cockily to him, "Two to nothing."

He chuckled at this, "Yeah, I have a funny feeling we'll be getting to air hockey in no time here..."

He retrieved the ball and dropped it into play. Elizabeth immediately noticed he was playing differently. He was no longer just amusing himself trying to work on bankshots. Now Eddie was hunkered down, moving with more focus, playing the game with serious intention.

She felt something stir inside her. This was him...the master he would become. Once he got the right to wear the ring. This would be the man that would command her entirely. The prospect was oddly exciting to her now that she'd gotten to know Eddie on a more personal basis.

The ball went back and forth between their players. Their hands moving from one rod to another in quick successive movements. and then...then he made a mistake and the ball rolled into his own goal. Flush with embarrassment he put his head in his hands for a second before raising it up to look at her and heartily proclaimed, "Okay! 3-0!"

He took the ball out of the slot again and prepared to drop it back onto the table to resume the game. "Here we go with my rally!"

As he did Elizabeth's mind began to wander, thinking ahead on what it would be like with Eddie as the master and her as his first sibling.

She was surprised when the ball whizzed by her goalie and into her goal.

She blushed a little castigating herself for her inattention. "Three to one."

She took the ball out and readied to drop it back onto the table. "But don't expect this to be the start of a stunning comeback."

And then she dropped the ball.

 

[such_a_bad_man]

The ball dances around on the table and Eddie is playing it the way he just did. As he moves the ball forward, though, he can't help but notice that Elizabeth isn't really reacting in time. In fact, her eyes aren't really on the game; they are on him. He's not sure what she's on about. Hopefully, she's not letting him score to help him feel better.

He gets his answer when he drills the shot home and Elizabeth seems to snap out of it. Color rises in her cheeks as she seems to realize what happened. Eddie tried to hide his smile, but failed. "Still with us, Lizzy?" He asked, trying out a nickname to see how she would react.

"Three to one."

As Eddie figured, she was all business again after that slip. This time, Eddie tried a different tactic. Elizabeth was too good at controlling her players and moving the ball as she needed. Once she had the ball it was silly to try and fight for control. Instead, he simply tried to disrupt what she was doing.

Move a player to pass? Eddie would shadow it.

Go for a shot? Eddie would line up to rows of players to be in the way.

He never tried to pass. He never tried to play the ball. He simply tried to keep Elizabeth from scoring. He had to be patient. Like with their relationship, he had to be patient. He would score soon enough.

 

[Veroe]

IC: Elizabeth Sommerset

She took the ball out and readied to drop it back onto the table. "But don't expect this to be the start of a stunning comeback."

And then she dropped the ball.

They began to play again the ball passing between their spinning players, hands darting from one rod to the next. Elizabeth had refocused at his use of the nickname "Lizzie" and the subsequent unforced goal. Now she was no longer daydreaming and paying full attention to the game now.

Still she was unable to get another point as the ball went back and forth between them for several minutes without either one gaining the advantage. She sensed that this was another shift in Eddie's strategy. He was no longer try to score on her. He was trying to just keep her too busy to score again, and it was working.

She glanced up at him impressed with how quickly and effectively he had adapted his strategies to the game. A smile grew on her lips. Even with the lack of comparative skills. It was amazing and equally frustrating.

"You think you can keep me from scoring forever," She asked him, "Eventually you're going to slip up, buster."

 

[such_a_bad_man]

Eddie's mind raced, thinking faster than the ball could move now. He saw the angles now; with the players secured to the rods, there were only so many moves that he could do. The same was true for Elizabeth, however. That meant that he had to react faster than Elizabeth and he could keep this up indefinitely. The problem he was facing was Elizabeth's experience. She knew the angles and the shooting lanes better than he did. He felt a beat behind every time, and he couldn't keep this up forever. He needed a window.

Elizabeth gave him one when she looked up at him from the table.

Eddie had left his forward players parallel to the table surface; he could focus on one half of the field that way if he didn't care about playing those players. He left them turned like that to keep them out of the way.

At least, that's what he hoped Elizabeth would think.

"You think you can keep me from scoring forever. Eventually you're going to slip up, buster."

As soon as he heard that, he ran the back of his hand down the opposite side of the midfielder's rod, sending the ball back to his defending players. It also put his midfielders parallel to the table and opened the table of all his players. Switching his grip, he spun the defender's pole and sent the hardest shot of the night so far rocketing toward Elizabeth's goal while she was looking at him and not the table.

Eddie clenched his eyes shut, hoping it had worked.

 

[Veroe]

IC: Elizabeth Sommerset

"You think you can keep me from scoring forever," She asked him, "Eventually you're going to slip up, buster."

He jus merely smiled to her as suddenly she heard the sound made by a spinning rod. she looked back down to the table and saw the ball rocketing across it. He had left his players in an upward position giving him a relatively unrestricted path of attack straight to her goal.

Her hands flew to her defensive players' rods but before she could position them to block the ball it slipped past her goalie to careen into it.

"Okay...that was good. You're doing better than I expected," She admitted to him, "Three to two now, but you're comeback ends here."

She took the ball and dropped it for another round between them. She knew what her mistake had been. She had lost her focus on the game. Now she set on the ball. No more daydreams or distracting banter.

Their game continued. The ball continued to pass between them back and forth. Until she got her chance. Her hands flew and the ball flew into her goal. She smiled to him, "That's better...four to two, Eddie."

 

[such_a_bad_man]

"Three to two now, but you're comeback ends here."

Eddie wasn't sure, but there was an iciness in Elizabeth's tone now. Something about how he just scored had flipped a switch in Elizabeth. The playful joking banter that they had been sharing went away and he watched as her style of play seemed to go to another level.

Eddie tried to keep up, but Elizabeth moved the ball at will across the table. Just on pure reaction speed, Eddie could block her passes, but the rebounds kept going back to Elizabeth. He swallowed as he saw how all those years had trained her. For others it was just a game, but it was clear that she had a real talent for games like this. When she put away her next shot, it was clear that there was a message behind it, at least Eddie felt there was.

"That's better...four to two, Eddie."

"Yeah... What do you usually play to in a game like this?" Eddie asked, trying to break the tension that seemed to settle over the table. He didn't drop the ball until he was sure Elizabeth was ready. Cheating for another goal would just make things worse. After all, what was the point in what was supposed to be a friendly game?

 

[Veroe]

IC: Elizabeth Sommerset

Their game continued. The ball continued to pass between them back and forth. Until she got her chance. Her hands flew and the ball flew into her goal. She smiled to him, "That's better...four to two, Eddie."

"Yeah... What do you usually play to in a game like this?" Eddie asked.

"Me and my dad always played to one of us getting five points," She replied, "Was the game different for you growing up?"

She had looked up and noted how he held onto the ball waiting for her to look back down to the table. Then he dropped the ball, and the game was back on.

 

[such_a_bad_man]

Eddie smiled when he thought back.

"The table up at the campground we visited when I was in Scouts had 7 markers, I think. You'd slide them on this round bar to count goals. It gave us something to do when the night's got cold and we needed to gather in the main cabin while the leaders got fires going in our heating stoves," Eddie explained. "I remember when I got tall enough to look over the lip of the table; that was a big year."

Eddie said, dropping the ball and just playing easy on this point. He wasn't going to be shut out and it was clear he wasn't going to mount a 3 goal comeback on Elizabeth. He played his usual defense, trying to make a game of it at least. He was more interested in spending time with Elizabeth.

"So it seems that your competitions must have gotten pretty epic. Was it like weekly tournaments, a league? How structured are we talking?" Eddie asked, messing around and trying to keep the ball out of his goal a little while longer as he chatted.

 

[Veroe]

IC: Elizabeth Sommerset

"Me and my dad always played to one of us getting five points," She replied, "Was the game different for you growing up?"

"The table up at the campground we visited when I was in Scouts had 7 markers, I think." He explained to her, "You'd slide them on this round bar to count goals. It gave us something to do when the night's got cold and we needed to gather in the main cabin while the leaders got fires going in our heating stoves,"

She smiled when he reminisced, "I remember when I got tall enough to look over the lip of the table; that was a big year."

"Yeah it was big moment for me too when I didn't need to stand on a stool to play my dad. Oh, and oh my god. You were a scout," She asked, "I was a girl scout for fourteen years."

She had looked up and noted how he held onto the ball waiting for her to look back down to the table. Then he dropped the ball, and the game was back on.

Elizabeth immediately noticed that he was playing differently again. This time he was much more relaxed. He was like he was taking in the game, rather than being an active participant. He was just enjoying playing with her rather than playing to win now.

"So it seems that your competitions must have gotten pretty epic," He told them over the clack of the ball against the paddled soccer players, "Was it like weekly tournaments, a league? How structured are we talking?"

"It was almost once every month or two...longer as I grew up," She explained to him, "You see, as he got older Master Samuel couldn't quite hold as many sleepovers with his siblings as he used to when I was little." She smiled, "And it was a largely an informal matter, though, my dad was the uncontested champion of the house."

The sound of the paddle hitting the ball and it sailing into a goal. She beamed at him, "That's five to two...I win, Eddie." Her arms held up as she gave a little victory dance, "Unless you want to keep playing to seven like in your games?"

 

[such_a_bad_man]

"That's five to two...I win, Eddie."

Eddie smiled as her heard the ball roll into the catch as the game registered the final goal. He wasn't really paying attention to it; he was watching Elizabeth move and dance in victory. It was hard to look at anything else.

"Unless you want to keep playing to seven like in your games?"

Eddie shook his head as she added on that offer. "Oh no, I know when I've been beat. There's no need to make the margin of victory wider." He said chuckling. "Plus, I have my chance to get even on the air hockey table, remember?" He said, stepping around the table and heading for it. "That is, if you would like to give me that chance." He waited, wondering if she was finding this as instructive as it was fun. Today was about growing as a couple, but some of this had to be about her learning about the man that holds her ring.

 

[Veroe]

IC: Elizabeth Sommerset

The sound of the paddle hitting the ball and it sailing into a goal. She beamed at him, "That's five to two...I win, Eddie." Her arms held up as she gave a little victory dance.

She stopped laughing at herself and the amused look on Eddie's face.

"Unless you want to keep playing to seven like in your games?"

He shook his head, "Oh no, I know when I've been beat. There's no need to make the margin of victory wider."

She nodded at that placing hands on her hips, "Damn straight."

He said chuckling. "Plus, I have my chance to get even on the air hockey table, remember?"

"Oh really," She smiled cockily to him, "Don't count your chickens before they hatch there, buddy...I'm better at the foosball table but I'm no slouch at air hockey either."

She returned the foosball and came back with two paddles and an air hockey puck. She smiled to him pushing her glasses back up her nose as they stepped over to the air hockey table. "Ready for round two, buster."

 

[such_a_bad_man]

"Don't count your chickens before they hatch there, buddy...I'm better at the foosball table but I'm no slouch at air hockey either."

Eddie smiled as he took his spot at the table. "I wouldn't doubt that. As athletic as you are with the hand-eye coordination I just saw, I think this game will be close too." He said, but nothing more. He took the two paddles, sliding them down the length of the table. Whichever one slid farther, he picked that one for his use. Having made his choice, Eddie examines the table as a forensic scientist would.

He checks the clearance of the disk on either side of a centered paddle in goal. He tapped the disk off the side walls to see how they responded. He tapped the disk off the end line to check that bounce. He even set the disk on the center point of the table and watched which way the disk naturally floated without any impact. He seemed to gather meaning from everything he saw before taking the disk and looking across at Elizabeth.

"Feel free to make any checks you want." He said, gently sliding the disk across the table to her. In the meantime, he was sliding the paddle from one hand to the other in front of his goal, watching how it moved. Like all things, Eddie approached the game with his analytical mind on display.