Asterion strutted along towards the resort center. When he passed by Sonia's hut, they both spotted one another through the window. With courtesy in mind, Asterion approached the open door and knocked on the outside wall.
Sonia swung around the corner like a cardboard cutout. Her race suit was completely removed. She welcomed Asterion in her sports bra and tight leggings. She was petite, fit with little muscle, and only came up to Asterion's chest. She must have been waiting for him, as she smoked from an antique pipe and bestowed him sharp, lecherous eyes, "Yes, hello, hi, how are you?"
The greeting reminded Asterion of somebody. Nevertheless, he greeted her with a held out hand, "Good evening, ma'am. I just wanted to come and show respect to the one who defeated me. My name is Asterion."
Sonia daintily shook his hand, "Sonia, speed queen of Marathon. My, my, so gentlemanly after defeat."
"Good sportsmanship is always warranted. There's no personal feelings worth ruining over a loss," Asterion shrugged. He flexed his knowledge, "Sonia...that's Greek, right?"
"Is it? I didn't know that," Sonia folded her hands over one another behind her. "My dad is Russian, and wanted to call me Sophia when I was born. Mom wasn't a fan, but I liked it. So I took it on as my username, but modified it with my first initial. My real name is Natsuki."
"They're both pretty names. Your parents have good taste," Asterion nodded.
"That's kind of you to say, Elroy," Sonia flexed her own knowledge.
Using his real name gave Asterion a stir, "Oh, informed, are we?"
"It's pretty easy to find out who you are. Be it by Asterion or your real name, you've made waves throughout your years. My association and followers have clued me into who you are and what you're about," Sonia leaned against the hut frame.
"I suspect judgement," Asterion awaited her opinion.
"Depends...are you here for Gamer, or yourself?"
"I lost a Gamer's Gambit to the guy, so I'm honor-bound to help him."
"He's a dirty cheater. One of the worst. You've no reason to honor a guy like that."
"Hmph, I guess you don't actually know me," Asterion nodded.
Sonia ignored the sleight, and pressed on, "It's not too surprising you're siding with him. Your anti-association reputation precedes you."
"What's that got to do with anything?"
"Chad Mortimer's son is on the most wanted list, and your son is famously known for trying to appeal to the International Gaming Council. Coincidence? What better way to grab your son's attention, after his public disowning of you," Sonia showed her homework.
"Okay, deep cut," Asterion admitted.
"Does Gamer know?"
"It's none of his business."
"It may become his business soon enough," Sonia warned.
"And we'll cross that bridge when it comes time...after I've grabbed Dimitri's attention," Asterion leaned into Sonia's suspicions.
"Konechno...would you like to come in? I picked up some delicious shish kabobs from one of the resort stalls. The NPCs here sell things for super cheap. Bunch of bakas," Sonia laughed. When she did, it was a teeth-out kind of laugh.
Asterion stepped into the hut so as to not be awkwardly hanging outside. Sonia fetched him one of the shish kebabs, and gave it to him. She asked, "Is Gamer as bad as the feeds make him out to be?"
The minotaur cracked a knowing smile, "He's rough around the edges, but I've grown to like the guy. He's got good intentions, if not with too much young bravado."
She contemplated his words, "Good intentions?"
"His sister is the reason he does what he does. He is a despicable cheater, but it's complicated," Asterion deflected. It wasn't his trauma to share.
Sonia rolled her jaw, and then chewed on some meat. Asterion plopped onto the one-size too small chair and nearly broke it. Sonia mirrored him, but on the bed, "Complicated, eh? Well, I know a thing or two about complicated. Try being the number one player in your association and having your bonehead coworker go and embarrass himself in front of millions."
"Ah, the black and red guy on the hoverboard. Yeah, that was pretty funny," Asterion laughed after removing all the shish kebab treats in one bite. "He did a speedrun of getting killed. Might've set a record."
"Shade's somewhat of a troubled guy. Too big of an ego for a mudak who's really insecure. Honestly, it's nice not having him around. I can focus on my own craft," Sonia used her fingertips to slide each food off the shish kebab. "I've always loved speedrunning games. There's something...addicting about setting new times and breaking long-held records. And I'm a total speed junkie. Gamer read me well when he suggested a race."
"It's lucrative, isn't it?" Asterion imagined the points earned from each speedrun.
"Oooh yeah, big time. Only problem is, it's super risky. You fail more than you succeed. No-death runs, blind runs, one hundred percent runs, and so much more can be stacked to earn a large income. But if you fail once...well..." Sonia implied a great loss for all the effort.
"Ah, it's like gambling. You take a lot of losses, hoping you earn the payout."
"It's why most speedrunners don't hold onto their score for too long. People like Shade exist, but most speedrunners aren't in it for high scores. Most just want to be recordholders or have a challenge."
"High risk, high reward. So if you're number one, what high score are you packing?" Asterion leaned on the wall.
"One point two million."
Her score nearly floored Asterion, "You're in the Million Point Club?"
"I am. There's benefits in being part of an association. I have connections, training, and teammates who helped me earn that score. I favor deathless runs. My speed to the top is a controlled one. It's why I'm on top," Sonia displayed her pride to the minotaur.
"In the grand scheme of things, not many players shoot for the Total High Score, since weeks and months of work can be lost in one mistake," Asterion saw the similarities between the fighting game and speedrun communities.
"I'm one of the weirdos who wants that wish," Sonia's eyes flashed with hope. "What better record to hold?"
"Will you be happy how you got there, though?" Asterion asked. His son came to mind.
"I think so," Sonia shrugged.
Asterion kept it simple, "Well, what do you want to wish for?"
"You haven't earned enough affection points yet for me to tell you. No offense," Sonia winked.
"Oh? And how can I earn enough points for that?"
Sonia stared at him long enough for that to be her answer. She opened her stream screen and checked the chat. The emotes and hollers were immature and perverted at best. Sonia turned off chat notifications and switched it 18+ only, metaphorically hanging the Do No Disturb sign. She raised up from the bed and tiptoed over to the table. She laid the shish kebab stick on its surface, but leaned enough to accentuate her leggings-strapped firm bottom. It caught the eye of the beast.
"I think you can take a few guesses," Sonia teased with a playful hip wag and a luscious wink. "I need your nut."