“So every month we get to talk? That will be nice. Are we on screen right now, you know above my pod?”
“No, while you are here speaking with me you are not being watched,” Victoria replied.
“Twelve hours is a long time, but I should get a few hours nap in before launch, say fourish hours. So that leaves me with eight or so hours of time to kill. Would you like to play some chess?”
Victoria laughed, “Sure, but I won’t go easy on you.” She turned to the desk which now had a board on it, “You can be white.”
The next hour was one of pleasant frustration for Seamus as he found out she didn’t lie. She won every game. The first four games were over in a few minutes each as she brutalized him. The next few he played a little more randomly and she seemed puzzled for a bit as if trying to find his strategy before she pressed and beat him. The best he did was trade pieces well in the tenth game until she won again.
“Well, I feel very humble right now,” Seamus said shaking his head. “I concede. I will never challenge you in chess, how about something a little more random, like poker?”
“You handle the losing well, much better than others who have played me. Alvin sulked for a whole week after he played me the first time. I also accept the challenge of poker.” She waved her hand across the desk and the chess set vanished to be replaced by poker chips for each of them and a sealed deck of cards.
“Virtual is way easier than real,” Seamus murmured as he marveled over how easy it was for her to change things. “So let’s start with seven card stud, shall we?”
Two hours went by with Seamus winning a pot here or there but slowly losing his stack of chips to her. He never won a big pot during the entire time, which bothered him. “I have to ask how you always seemed to know when to fold or call my bluff.”
Victoria laughed, “I think a character from one of your favorite books said it best, ‘If you ain’t cheatin', then you ain’t tryin' hard enough’.”
Blinking, Seamus puzzled over the quote then laughed, “Shackleford from the Monster Hunter series, eh? So how were you cheating me?”
“All the cards are marked,” Victoria replied with a smirk. “For me, that is. I can see the code that denotes what they represent. Was that wrong of me?” She asked the last in a playful manner.
“Hmm, being taken advantage of by beautiful women is something of a habit for me, but yes it was still wrong of you. How about we go again with you promising not to cheat this time, to make up for it?”
“So a real test to see if I can read you without aid? I accept your challenge Seamus, but let us place a real wager on it shall we? If I win it all, you will answer any one question I have for you. If you win you can make up any reward you want.”
Laughing, Seamus nodded, “Agreed, divvy up the chips and let's go around again.”
The next three hours seemed much better with Seamus being able to bluff and win some big pots. In the end though, he lost his last chip when his straight was beaten out by her flush. “Well, at least I was able to bluff you this time.” Seamus said as he pushed his chair back some, “What did you want to ask?”
Vicky met his eyes, “Tell me about Kaylee. Why does she mean so much to you?”
Seamus felt his face close down as he looked away from her, “That is the second worst question you could ask me, Victoria.” His hands clenched causing his knuckles to pop as he tried to calm the flood of emotions. “Will you pick something else, please?”
“You promised any question, Seamus. I am not asking about the murder, but about the victim of the crime that lead to it. I will wait if you need a moment to calm down first.” Her tone was calm and full of care, which only made things worse.
“I wouldn’t even know where to start,” Seamus said, his voice rough as he choked back the anger and sadness that threatened to overwhelm him.
“How did you meet her father?”
“David? A gaming group, ironically enough. We both knew a couple that held a weekly gaming group at their house. We ended up playing D&D there the first time we met each other. I still don’t know why we hit it off. We just seemed to click, being able to work well together as a team. After a few months we started talking about some of our other hobbies. Both of us had gun collections so we went shooting. We played a few non-VR games, as that was before VR really went big. I met his daughter when she was five, he had finally got partial custody of her. So he got her on the weekends and alternate holidays. Kaylee was the best child I’ve ever met in my life, she didn’t act up or cause issues in any way. She didn’t pout, have tantrums or anything like that. When she started going to school David noticed she seemed bored. He put her into a private school which helped, she was an amazingly fast learner. She was a math prodigy, able to dissect advanced math with ease even in elementary school.”
Seamus got up and walked over to the fire, “When she was about to go into junior high, she was already doing calculus at David’s during the weekends. She loved to learn and was always pushing herself to do more. I came over every Saturday, Uncle Seamus she called me, and the three of us would go out to do stuff. Movies, shooting, amusement parks, all sorts of things. She was the child I never had and her father was my best friend. It was kind of funny, how many times we got asked which of us was her father when we went out. She had the brightest of futures before her, the stars themselves would have been in her grasp if not…” Seamus cut off shaking in rage as the images of her in the hospital crying and asking him to leave came to him. He lashed out blindly striking the stone mantle of the fireplace, which broke his knuckles like dry kindling.
Victoria was by his side in an instant, literally, speaking softly to him as she gently touched his hand that he held to his chest as tears spilled from his eyes. “I’m sorry, Seamus. I pushed even though you asked me not to because I wanted to know. I hope you will forgive me,” her voice was full of care as his pain vanished, his hand healing instantly as her fingers ran over it. “I will leave you alone if you want?”
Seamus turned away from her, shaking as he tried to shut his emotions off again. He had always been a little prone to rage and grief, but since Kaylee’s attack he had not been able to hold them in check like he used too. He shook his head once, “Just give me a moment, please.” He wiped at his tear streaked face, taking deep breaths to stop the shakes. He flinched slightly as her thumbs dug into his shoulders hitting the knots he had there. He didn’t stop her as he felt her relentlessly attack the tight muscles with firm steady hands. Minutes went by as he slowly regained control of himself again with her help. “Thank you, Vicky,” he said softly, stepping away from her hands.
“It might be best if I go rest for a bit,” Seamus said softly, “thank you for your hospitality before I lashed out. Maybe I will be better company when next we talk.”
“Okay. I’m sorry for pushing you, Seamus, I didn’t know just how badly it would affect you.” Her voice was tinged with sadness as she spoke. “As a show of peace, can I give you a hint for the game?”
Turning, Seamus met her eyes, seeing concern and worry in hers. “You don’t need to Vicky. I’m fine now and will not hold anything against you.”
“When you get to summon your demons choose the most loyal ones you can, even if they aren’t as good as the others stat wise. Loyalty is very important for Summoners. I will see you again in time Seamus, until then enjoy the game as much as you can. This will be a huge step in the progress of helping the infirm if the test works as it should.” She smiled then turned away from him pausing as she asked the next question in a shy voice, “May I watch you as you play?”