"Do you want some more, Tyler? Ingredients maybe to spice it up? How about water?" Halia asked Tyler for the umpteenth time, and Tyler always responded with a yes. However, Halia never offered more to Ryker or Duke, not even asking if they wanted any. This earned her a scowl from them.
As Halia took an extra plate to dish out more food, Ryker and Duke faced Tyler. "Halia likes you better; ask her to cook more for us," Ryker muttered, his tone laced with a hint of jealousy. Duke agreed, "Yeah, you and Halia are more favored. It's like we are not even here."
"You guys! Can you not do that?" Nadia chastened. "Ask her yourself if you guys want more. Don't make it sound like there's something else to it."
Ryker pointed out, "But she's obviously into him. I mean, have you seen the way she looks at him?"
Tyler responded, "She's a child."
Ryker retorted, "So are you."
Tyler asked, sounding a bit rude, "Your point?"
Ryker opened his mouth to respond but no words came out.
Tyler didn't even blink. But on noticing the tensed air, he added. "All I'm saying is, she's not my type."
Noticing Ryker and Duke's eyes widened slightly, Tyler added, "And so are you lots. You all look like a bunch of roaches."
Ryker's eyes widened further, and he re-pointed his finger at Tyler, exclaiming, "These generations are so mannerless!"
Halia brought an extra dish, not just for Tyler, but for everyone else as well. As they ate, their earlier conversation was overshadowed by a discussion about Nadia's findings. However, the boys gave vague responses and appeared uninterested in the topic.
They weren't science nerds like Nadia, but pretended to know much of what she was talking about to avoid appearing less interested.
Nadia noticed this and she decided to try a more subtle approach. "Why don't you all introduce yourselves properly, so we can get familiar and acquainted? Let's start with the youngest. Halia..."
"Well, I'm Halia, I-"
"We love that you enjoy cooking." Ryker helped her finished, making Halia's cheeks turn pink from blushing. He turned to Nadia. "Most people can't navigate their way around the kitchen."
"True that." Tyler nodded in agreement making Nadia scoff in disbelief at their jab.
"I can cook. What do you mean??"
"We listen, we don't judge." Came Ryker's
response.
Nadia opened her mouth to respond to Ryker's witty comment but held back. Instead, she turned to Tyler and said, "Your turn"
"I'm sixteen years old, a tech enthusiast and innovator," Tyler introduced himself.
"He creates amazing gadgets," Nadia added, and Duke made a mental note to check them out later.
"Your turn, Duke," Nadia said, shifting the attention to him.
"What do you mean, 'my turn'?" Duke asked, looking confused. "I'm an old man."
"You're twenty-five," Ryker corrected him.
"And that's not old?"
Nadia intervened, "You're right, Duke. But I asked you to go first because Ryker and I are older than you."
Duke's brows furrowed. "How old are you guys?" he asked, curious.
"I'm thirty-two, and Ryker's twenty-seven," Nadia replied.
"But you don't look that old," Duke pressed on.
"I'll take that as a compliment," Nadia said with a smile. However, Duke gave her a face that said it wasn't a compliment. He decided not to prolong the matter by introducing himself as asked. "Duke here. I'm Twenty five as you all know. And I'm into a bit of everything."
Ryker snickered. "A bit of everything? There's no shame in owning that you're a delivery man."
"He's not kidding." Nadia surprisingly defended giving Ryker a face that said 'Don't push it'. Ryker gave her a displeased look in return but did as told.
"I'm Ryker. I'm Twenty-seven and -"
"You're a Douchebag? We are well aware." Duke cut in.
Ryker gave Nadia a look that said 'I'm going to hurt him.'
"And…" Ryker continued. "I'm a scientist, but not a science nerd like Nadia here."
Nadia laughed. "That sums it up. I'm a Science Nerd."
Nadia tried to steer the conversation back to her findings later on but Tyler cut in.
"Ryker, Duke passed that level we've been struggling on."
"I didn't think anyone could beat that level without losing a few lives," Ryker said, his tone laced with a mix of surprise and skepticism.
Ryker raised an eyebrow as he finished scooping the last remnants from his plate. He placed the empty plate on the table and said, "Now, buddy, just because he helped with one level doesn't mean he gets into the team. We all know the real deal is if he can survive combat mode."
"Is that a challenge?" Duke asked from across the table, his eyes locked on Ryker's.
Ryker didn't say anything but stared at Duke, his expression unreadable.
"Only if you're able to get past level 49 on one trial," Ryker finally let out in a measured tone.
"He got past that easily too," Tyler chimed in, a grin spreading across his face as he enjoyed the exchange.
Ryker looked genuinely impressed, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "Then it's a challenge," he said, already halfway to the kitchen to drop off his dirty plate.
Tyler followed soon after, eager to get back to gaming and see who would emerge victorious. Duke, still needing more food but not wanting to appear desperate, trailed behind hesitantly.
"Fine, I'll just go do my research myself. Halia, do you want to help?" Nadia asked.
"No, I want to watch the guys' game," Halia responded, her eyes fixed on the TV.
Nadia exhaled an "okay" before disappearing into one of the rooms.
When the guys returned, they settled onto the couch, ready to play. As Tyler set up the game, Ryker observed Duke's handling of the controller.
"He's an amateur," Ryker mocked.
Tyler shot Ryker a look, warning him not to underestimate Duke.
"We both know who else thought I was an amateur," Duke responded, smirking without looking at Ryker's face to know if he caught on the reference.
Tyler sat behind them on the edge of the couch, done setting up the game. "Give room for a fresh perspective, Ryker."
Ryker raised his hands, palms up. "I'm just saying, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Combat mode is a whole different beast. But hey, I'm willing to be proven wrong. Let's see what you're made of, Duke."
Tyler brought out his phone and they started. He went live on social media and began another commentary, his voice booming through the room. "Welcome back, gamers! We've got a showdown brewing! Who's going to come out victorious between these two giants? Duke, the newcomer with a penchant for beating impossible levels, or Ryker, the veteran gamer with a reputation for crushing his opponents? The stakes are high, and the tension is palpable. Let's get ready to rumble!"
The room erupted with Tyler's cheers and chants of 'GAME ON,' his excitement infectious. Meanwhile, his livestream boomed with thousands of subscribers tuning in, all eager to witness the battle about to unfold.
Halia takes a seat from across, watching too as the game unfolded.
"Alright, folks, let's get ready to rumble! The winner is who gets an even number!" Tyler shouted as the game began.
The room fell silent, the only sound heard was the intense music and the clicking of controllers. Ryker and Duke were fully focused, their skills on full display.
The first round was intense, with both players showcasing their skills. However, Duke's slow reflexes in tapping on his pad at the right time allowed Ryker to emerge victorious in the first round.
The second round began, Duke was eager to catch up, but Ryker was on a roll. With his extensive experience with the character's powers, Ryker played flawlessly, his skills honed to perfection. In contrast, Duke relied solely on his character's agility, which wasn't enough to overcome Ryker's expertise.
When the scores were revealed, Ryker had won again. He jumped up from his seat, his arms raised in triumph, a huge grin spreading across his face.
Tyler's live was filled with comments of gamers saying;
'That guy is losing he should gtf out of that seat'
'Notice how the guy losing is taking out those guys skillfully? That is mad impressive.'
'Impressive but he's losing'
'He's so slow'
"One more," Duke spoke up, suddenly surprising Ryker and Tyler.
"Eager to get beaten, I see? Sure, let's go." Ryker said, confident in his skills.
The third game started, but Duke was in charge this time. He took out Ryker's character with ease, with Ryker's character barely managing a kick at Duke's character. Duke had been watching Ryker's tactics and sought to overpower them. Duke won the round.
Ryker told them to go again, and Duke won still. They went on to the final match, and just as everyone looked on in anticipation of who would lose to the other, Nadia burst in.
"You are Phantoms.X online?" She held out her phone to Tyler, her eyes wide with shock.
Nadia's eyes darted to Tyler's phone, and her face contorted in rage as she noticed the camera was now on her. She grabbed the phone and smashed it on the ground, shouting, "What is wrong with you? I told you no phones are allowed!" Her voice echoed through the room, and her actions were fueled by a mix of fear and anger.
As Duke looked on in surprise, Ryker used the opportunity to defeat Duke's character. But Duke didn't care about the game at that moment. It was Nadia's fear-stricken expression that propelled him. Her eyes were wide, and her face was pale.
Just then, her burner phone began to ring. Nadia jumped at the ringtone, looking tense. She dropped the phone on the ground and squashed it with her foot repeatedly.
When she was done, she yelled out in exasperation, "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"