Key went out of the base, she saw James jogging in her direction and she smiled.
He stopped in front of her and ruffled her hair, which Key didn't react to by slapping his hand, something that she usually does.
She only replied with a frown making James understand that she is affected by her previous loss and he would be lying if he didn't expect such a reaction from this princess.
"You doing fine?" he asked and Key nodded but her expression said otherwise
"Don't worry about me, James, I'm fine," Key said and James sighed before running his hand on his hair
"How are you going to retaliate?" James asked and Key chuckled softly
"Want to do me a favor, James?" Key asked with a mischievous smile
"That depends on your plan, what will you be doing?" James asked her
"I'll send a termite in their wooden palace," Key said with a sweet smile
"Oh, then I'll spill the gasoline." James grinned and Key chuckled
"That'll make the fire of the lit dynamite I'll send spread easier." Key said and James chuckled
If anyone were to hear them, the first thing that they'll think is that they're talking about a game.
Perhaps, a game of castles and invasion, it was easy to understand because where else can you see a wooden palace and use lit dynamite?
Only terrorists would dare do it in real life, and with Key's appearance and the fact that these two are members of the e-sport circle, it's impossible to fathom that they're not talking about games.
"What are you two doing?" They turned around and saw Rasheed with his hands in his pockets
"Oh, it's nothing to worry about," James said and placed his arm on Key's shoulder
"We're just talking about this game we used to play as kids." James added and Key nodded
"Well, I have to go ahead, I just went to check on Chantel." James said and removed his arm from Key's shoulder then he waved his hand
"Call me if there's anything else," James turned to her and Key nodded
"Bye, thanks," Key said and waved her hand as James jogged his way back to their base
"Where are you going, Captain?" Key asked Rasheed when she saw him holding his car keys
"Breather," he said and Key just watched him go to the garage
After the sound of an engine was heard from the garage, Rasheed's car soon drove out and stopped in front of Key.
Rasheed rolled his window down and looked at Key, for a moment, Key pondered what he wants but a little later, she figured that he was bringing her with him.
So, Key went inside the car and Rasheed drove the car out of their subdivision.
As to where they are going, none of them speaking, nor were there any sounds inside the car, so neither of them know where the other wants to go.
Key has a place in mind, but taking into consideration that this is Nicolas Blaine she's with, she didn't dare voice out her plan of going to a lounge to drink.
Her brain's wavelength and this man's brain wavelength won't meet nor were they ever congruent, so she can't determine what he was thinking, or why he would bring her along.
"Why didn't you say anything?" Rasheed broke the silence
"I wasn't sure," Key replied, and she knew that was a half-baked lie
"Of what?" Nicolas asked
"Your capabilities of executing a nearly impossible plan," Key replied, but she just said it in her mind and she didn't voice it out
"Of what, Keychantel?" Nicolas repeated and Key sighed
"Of everything," Key replied and looked in Nicolas's direction
"I just knew the moves the off-laner and mid-laner will take, and a nearly impossible countering plan, so why tell you incomplete information? It's pointless, it'll just distract you." Key replied and looked out in the window
"You had a plan?" Nicolas asked her while driving
"Yeah, but so what?" Key didn't notice that her façade was slipping in front of the JLNC Captain
She was answering the way she would honestly reply when she's in a foul mood, different from the little sister Key that would still reply with a small smile and a meek appearance even if she's in a really bad mood.
"You don't trust us."
Nicolas's statement is true, but Key wouldn't let him believe he is right, lest he reveals the truth and destroys the relationship Key built on deception
"No, I didn't trust the plan." Key corrected with a frown
"How is that different?" Nicolas asked
"Look, it's not that I don't trust you, it's just that during that game, the plan I came up with is the complete opposite of our planned game tactic. It's risky to ask you guys to do the exact opposite of what we agreed on and planned to do, that's why I didn't." Key explained
If anyone could hear her inner thoughts during the game, they'll immediately know that her 'explanation' was nothing but a set of lies to cover up her self-centeredness, because it never crossed her mind to ask them or even involve them in her plan.
She wanted to do it on her own, without anyone's help because she believed that she could do it on her own, and the defeat proved her wrong.
That's what fueled her desire to get even. It's the hit that her inflated ego received from the loss that made her mad.
After Key's explanation, the only sound that can be heard is their breathing and the noise coming from the other vehicles outside.
The silence irked Key so she took her phone from her pocket and she opened it.
"Where are you going?" Key asked Nicolas with her eyes on her phone
"Where are you going?" Nicolas threw the question back at her
"Aren't you getting bored of always throwing the question back at me, Captain?" Key asked him
"Aren't you tired of pretending to be sweet?" He retorted and Key looked at him with a glare
"You… take that back." She said with gritted teeth while holding her phone tightly
Key believed that she had perfected the act, and yet this man, this man with the same face as that man from years ago, just punched a hole in her cover.
"It's not a lie," Nicolas replied with his usual bored expression
"It's not true," Key said and looked ahead with a frown
"I'm not pretending to be sweet, I really was sweet," Key added and crossed her arms
"Where are we going anyway?" Key lost her energy to argue with Nicolas so she asked again
"Where do you want?" Nicolas asked and Key looked at him displeased
"You went out without an exact place in mind?" Key asked him in disbelief
"I was driving to take my mind off things." Nicolas replied and Key sighed before leaning on the seat
It would be hypocritical of her if she said that he's just wasting resources and adding pollution for doing this because Key used to drive around their vicinity to calm herself down after having a heated disagreement with Chela's grandfather.
"Khaalida's, it's just three streets to the right from that intersection." Key said
"At this time of the day, Keychantel?" Nicolas asked her in disbelief with furrowed brows
"You asked where I want to go," Key replied and shrugged her shoulder
"There's a recreational facility next to it." Key added after a bit of a while
Nicolas did drive to the said place, and when they arrived, they wore facemasks covering half of their faces, lest their fans see them and have any malicious ideas.
"R. KC," Key told the receptionist and showed proof of her membership from her phone
"Please, sign here, ma'am KC." The man said and gave Key a universal pen, which she used to input her signature into a machine
"Thank you and enjoy your time, ma'am KC." The receptionist said while giving her a card similar to a hotel keycard, which they can use to open and use any electrical equipment in any room
"Let's go, Captain," Key told Nicolas
"Do you go here often?" Nicolas asked her while they were walking in a hallway
"No, a friend of mine owns the place." She replied
They went to a gun shooting area, Key used the card to activate two stalls before looking at Nicolas who is just standing there.
"If you're not interested, you can try looking for other activities that will pique your interest, Captain," Key said and handed the card to Nicolas
In reality, Key doesn't really need the card, she didn't even need to go through the receptionist's desk because she has her own personal access card in her purse.
Kitten gave it to her and Kami during their hangout in the latter one's country; Key had to accept it so Kami will too.