Episode 0-4 Aftermath (5)
Thursday
I woke up in the morning earlier than Maribelle, I saw the time in the clock, 4:21 am. I need to cook breakfast for her before I go to my morning routine.
I cook some eggs and prepare the toaster in the table together with the loaf of bread; I took out also the peanut butter, jelly, vanilla, chocolate spread at the table, and salad in the fridge. She will wake up at any time now so knock on the door of my guest room and sees her snoring.
Nah, I just let her sleep more.
I do my exercises and jog at 5:36 am, the sun is still not rising up and I feel the cold slow wind in my entire body that it feels so enticing to run for more.
There is something I need to do today; Maribelle wants to try the GAIA game made by Tri-Gon games so I will do some research about it, also gonna watch the Game Nerds later at night, and to have insights about the game by the active Beta Testers with info into the employees who worked and still working on the game.
After that, I need to have some knowledge about the gaming capsule since we will both see or buy it this coming weekend.
For sure today will be exciting since it will be the first game in a while since League of Legend to have some curiosity about it, the marketing stunt sure hooks me up because they do the Alpha release from the public before the final game AND this will be their last game! Who wouldn't be curious by those things, I keep grinning about it from time to time now. Something is going onto the game that I must be prepared for.
When I finished my jog I saw Maribelle, leaving at the house still in her purple pajamas. She has pajamas in my house together with her favorite amenities; well she has a separate guest room only for her since she always plans to here every other week.
"Belle, I walk you from your home. Did you eat breakfast?"
"Yea, I finished the whole salad at the fridge. Sorry."
"It's okay, as long as you ate vegetable every meal."
"Let's go. I'll take my bike so you're not exhausted from walking."
"No, I feel like in the mood to walk today."
"Okay, walking it is."
We walk to her home. Takes a while to go there but walking with her is relaxing, feels like therapy. We're quietly walking but it feels good since I'm not alone.
The cold wind breezing to us is so good that the heat of the rising sun touching our skin is irrelevant which is the best time to walk in this kind of weather, December's wind makes you remember that Christmas is coming in 2 weeks makes it so livelier as it day pass nearer to it. Christmas in the Philippines is so much better as everything is shining bright lights, more happy people, places to go to, and also last but in the list: FOODS!!
When we got to her home, the guard waiting there immediately opens the gate and greet us—"Good Morning!" with a big smile on his face. She told him not to bother bringing the Minicart, so we walk until the door.
"So, I need to go now then. See ya sometime alright?"
She only nods and waves goodbye to me then I leave to her home.
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Kyle and I have been talking to each other during the therapy about what happened last night and also my newfound interest in GAIA while hers is about the incoming business she will establish which she has no progress at all. The business is about the fried vegetable snacks that contain nutrients found in different kinds of vegetables locally available.
The way I see it, the progress is stable growth but I told her about the difficulties about the taste since if you mix of all vegetables it will have no distinctive taste that the customer will buy it constantly. I like the direction she was going; fried snacks that Pinoys will love, a vegetable that will determine if it's a mixture of assorted, nutrient – oriented and raw ingredients locally obtain here.
"Wait, let's change the topic. Maribelle is staying at your home?" She said lately realize what I told to her
"Yea, sometimes she sleeps overnight to my house. Base on the pattern of her visit, once every other week."
"When is this all started? You didn't tell me about this in the past."
"I'm sure that we talked personally since I am here in the hospital that happens to be your place where you work, the last time we talk to each other was last year."
She is thinking about it. "True true, but you didn't tell me this earlier."
"Yea, the last time we talked is that Maribelle just recently to sleepover at that time. It's new to me and also I didn't know it will happen to be her habit to stay some other time."
"What? It all started last year! Are you dating!?"
"Fuck! Don't shout! FYI, we're not dating." I said calmly to her dismissing the thought of her us dating
"Are you REALLY sure about that? She basically to sleep with you on the same house!" another scandalous shout from her that makes all people turn heads again.
"Something is not right about that!" An old man said to us
"Even Mang Antonio is reacting to what I said." She said agreeing to Mang Antonio
"We are not sleeping together; she is in the separate room, basically she has her own room there where she sleeps whenever she stays there."
"Wow ha! She is having a room to your own home still sounds shady to me."
"I suspect at first but since I live in the same subdivision, she hangs out to my house because she can talk almost anything with me. She said that there are some things that you can't talk about to her female friends, but honestly, she goes there because she spotted me cooking one time then that's why she visits often to my place."
"Okay follow up question, Did you two date somewhere before or during this happened?"
"I don't have time for that, you know that but I notice we got closer this past few days after the accident. We communicate with each other through texting every morning, well you know me that I'm a boring person when it comes to that kind of communication because I text plainly."
"Oh, you notice that. This means you're not dating her since you notice these things." She said and nodding to her, agreeing of what she said.
"Maybe she is worried so she checks upon you daily, well it's a girl thing tho." That's when I notice all of the therapy room is listening to our conversation and start to get near to us.
"I will remember what you said now but the thing is, she saw how my parents quarrel during the accident and Her Dad tells me this."
"Oh, that's wh--- wha- what? You met her dad?"
"Yea, I always saw her dad in the morning because it happens to be a jog at the same time daily. He rarely invites me to have dinner with them; he knows that I'm alone in my house so I go there every time."
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The 2 females—one old woman wearing pale blue athlete attire matching her pair of rubber shoes while the other one is her therapist.
"Oh! The 'meet my parents' stage happens without him noticing it." Mang Lisa murmured to her therapist
"And he is clueless about it!" Tonia, The therapist assigned to Lisa silently said to and they both giggle.
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"So you didn't notice something there, I think there is an obvious thing going on right?" She said to me questionably through her eyes are open widely
"I think not, there is nothing suspicious about them. Honestly, I love to go there. Whenever I'm there, her mom cooks roast beef which is so damn delicious!" I happily said to her while Ate Kyle's facepalm to smithereens.
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The two guys are talking to each other—the Old man wearing a green designer shirt with his loose maong shorts and his therapist.
"Blinded by the Food Migs, he is just like you too." Mang Antonio said to Migs also known as Miguel, his therapist
"WHAT just like me, you're like that too you know?" rebuttal to him
"Yes yes, sorry I later realize that." then he glares to Kyle and said, "Don't tell him that his whipped." In no voice which Kyle pick up of what Mang Antonio secretly said to her
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"Sooo~~.When you both get to know each other?" she curiously said
"We both met each other in a café shop near her office building; it was around that time I started to go to Black Jackals since it's only a 10 min drive from my starting workplace, I have a habit to roam around in the places near I always going if there are some interesting restaurants." She only nods on what I said.
"So basically it was around 2 years ago." I followed up of what I said thinking in how many years pass when I met her.
"Okay last question, what do you feel about her?" she said to me like its a million-dollar question.
"Well, I'm comfortable around her. She is wittingly funny though, which I can talk to her about anything besides games. I think that this is my first friend outside my circle related to gaming and E-Sports so it's refreshing for me."
"I know that feeling, it's kind of sad that you don't have any friends that are not related to your activities or should I say stay friends with you since you begin your career in E-sports in an age of 14 which I'm happy for you.
You need someone like her because not all your life revolves around gaming and E-sport career; there is more to life beyond that to that you need to balance it. Just enjoy the people around you, it will make all the things you do have more worth it than you expected."
"Wow, Ate Kyle. I honestly have a piece of great smart life advice coming from you." a shock I have in my face when she said that. She has more than meets my eye.
"Ate Kyle mo pa, I dream about being beauty queen noh." She waves like those ladies in the pageants then we all laugh in that room.
All kidding aside, she is right.
I don't have any friends not related to what I'm doing so I'm glad to have her coming to my life and cherish the relationship with her. This is so embarrassing that I don't even her birthday; I should make an effort to know her but not to go overboard, and also give back to the thing she does during my comatose state. I'll think about it in some other time.
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It's been a good day so far! Somebody is calling me at my telephone as I enter the house. I answer the phone, I hear Mom's voice.
"Jon! You've been ignoring my calls lately!"
"Sorry, I just leave my phone this past 2 days at home. I don't want to talk to somebody in those days."
"Will you just… *sigh* don't do that, I was worried. If you're not in the mood to talk, can you just text me and such? There are people around you know."
"M'kay noted."
Then she calms down. "How you've been doing these past 2 days? Your team is on vacation right?"
"I'm okay but nothing so far and yes my team is on vacation right now, I've been planning on what to do this Christmas." I was avoiding telling her the sad news in the hospital but honestly not sure on what plan to do on Christmas.
"How about spending Christmas with us this year?"
"Hmmm. I'll think about it." It will awkward to go there though.
"There is a family gathering this year. All of the 2 sides of the family will be coming to celebrate here."
"I said I'll think about it," I said plainly.
"You sure you will think about it?"
"Please." I'm so annoyed right now.
"Okay, I'll expect it then."
I sigh and "I'm about to end my call, I have something to do for next week."
"Oh okay then, call you tomorrow okay? Don't ignore me."
"Yea yea, good night." I plainly said.
"Good night, love you."
"Love you too Mom." I immediately end the call and charge it.
Tomorrow I need to talk to my teammates on what I am to do since they are colleagues as well as my friends. They need to be ready for what will happen and brace themselves in the future without me.
It will be heartbreaking to them on what I'm to tell but we need to face this. I call to the team using the telephone on each of them to go to my house and bring some food, Potluck on Friday then. I tell to add me to the chat group on what will be bringing on Friday.
Its 5:47 pm on the clock. It's time for research about the game, first I'll contact to the Active Players on the Beta server while I find some info in the forums, articles, and topics. It took time to find them since they are not streaming and such but some of my connections played the Beta and they have contacts to the long active players, with the longest of 20 years in which the game is released.
Damn, I'm glad and amazed at what I've found. So I get the 3 contacts of those players and try to contact them. They are Two Koreans and Japanese.
The two Koreans, Kim Sang-in and Kim Sang-un I've met online are twins, they have their own families now and live separately which explains why they are separate addresses on the info I get. They said the Beta is actually a whole experiment of all of the different games Tri-Gon has released capsule game titles through the years.
They advise that never touch the beta because they are two of those players called by the company to try the unfinished Alpha game, it has massive improvements and they point out the mechanics of the game are 4 times harder than the Beta.
They had fun throughout the sessions, but they are given info that the Release of the Alpha game next week will be different since the company will have limited control over the game and I don't understand that info.
They've explained to me that the game will be Heavily dependent on Artificial Intelligence on Content of the game which I am intrigued about it because that we will be a first time to have that kind of built-in game engine in which the game designers will have less burden when it comes to content creation of the game.
So the developers that will be assigned to dive into the game will only be Admins and GMs only since they will test on what A.I. can do on the Small world they provided. So they are more excited than the Casual Fans of the game. Even though they give details and not giving me definite info about the game but what they talk about now is more interesting than I imagine it to be.
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" It's a great treat for us even though you are not a Korean but when you transfer together with the Emperor in our country and win it all with other Korean Pro Teams from a Team from scratch. Despite the language barrier, you tried to learn our language and carry the World Cup trophy on that very same year which is legendary.>" When Sang-un said that, I was flattered and didn't handle it well so they laugh when they see that. Well, that is kind of true but it's too exaggerated from Sang-un part, I'll tell them some other time my story of my career to them as a token of appreciation "" Sang-in " " " " " " "" They both hesitate but "" Sang-un " " " " " " " The company wants the game last for X amount of years and profitable despite its challenges it will take the future, now I understand why the AI is administered in the game for the content so no one will have inside info internally but they put the employees as Admins and GMs for just maintenance and service. It is a great system, but if they succeed it will just be another ordinary online game that will have a high decline of players.>" " It is sad because I understand what they've been going through, in those 2 decades the Beta players have been calling 'Lab rats' because the Beta game is never been completed so it is a clusterfuck of different mechanics that are not properly fleshed out. To them, it is revenge to those people who criticize and lose hope that it will be never launched as an official game.>" Sang-un " " " "Wait, " " " " "" Sang-in "" " " "Hell Yeah!" Sang-un said and we all laugh because of his imitation of the British accent. " " " "" " " " I laugh to what he said, "" They both laugh again and bid goodbye to each other and get Bibimbap in the fridge and eat them all while researching. Today was a fruitful day, even though the game didn't spoil anything on the public. The info I got to the twins makes me more curious about what is happening to the game. An A.I. driven game is an ambitious and arduous task to achieve but from the things I hear tonight, something big will come to this. Maribelle was right, there is an opportunity to make money here but too many bad ways that emerging despite the game is not even started yet. I think this game will last a long, long time if the foundation is in positive intentions and what the A.I. can do to the game world. Someone calling to my phone, it is Maribelle and saw the time, 9:42 pm so I pick it up. "Hello, Maribelle." "Hi JJ." "What makes you call tonight?" I plainly ask her and I wait for her answer for a couple of seconds. She was just, silently idle on the phone call. Is there something wrong with her phone. "Hello, Belle. Did you hear what I said?" I am irritated if there is something wrong so tapping my phone using my palm. "No no! It's clear! I want to ask where are you gonna celebrate Christmas?" she said "Well, I don't know yet. Some time ago, my mom wants to spend Christmas to her next week but I said I'm going to think about it." "Oh, I think about asking you to celebrate with us next week. What do you think?" "Whoa! That's tempting." I said her excitedly in her offer. "I know right? Mom's gonna go for roast beef again, your favorite." "OH REALLY! You really want me to go there huh?" "Honestly, yes so you want to spend Christmas Eve with us?" "Hmm." When I think about it, it's much comfortable to them rather than my Mom's Family gathering. "Okay. I'm gonna go there." "Really? Thanks!" "No problem." "I'm gonna drop the call now, goodnight!" I said to her, "Goodnight din!" It will be great to spend my holidays with them; I think I made the right decision, looking forward to the roast beef! It will be such a great treat! I'm going to turn off my desktop when I saw my window, seeing the outside of my house that my neighbors have colorful lights and some Christmas decorations near to their houses while mine was empty. I just realized that I didn't spend holidays for more than a decade, the day my parents separated I didn't spend my holidays to celebrate, rather to train, work, and sleep like the usual days in a week. This is the first time in years I've to spend Christmas as usual people do, I'm just so grateful that these things happen to me. To be happy as everyone does. It's already ten pm when I saw the clock; I will watch the Game Nerds in the Streaming website using my phone and watch it in my bed. I took a bath and tidying myself to bed and watch the show. This 1-hour show is special tonight because of the GAIA that the guest of the Tri-Gon employee will be interviewed. As they introduce him to the show, 10 minutes in I fucking fall asleep by the boring info I got to them. The guest doesn't know what he is talking about to the game, It really just a marketing stunt. Goddammit, Sang-in is right, I should've wasted my time into this. Snoring in my bed while phone streaming the show, wasted internet data. Sad :(