Later that day, Emmett found himself sitting in Valerie's hospital room, once again surrounded by the familiar faces of his friends. Valerie was propped up in bed, her oxygen mask resting on the table beside her. Despite her condition, her face was lit up with laughter as she clutched her sides, the occasional cough interrupting her amusement.
"Wait, wait, so let me get this straight," Valerie wheezed between fits of laughter. "You actually—" she coughed, struggling to catch her breath, "—you actually pressed the emergency button?!"
Emmett groaned, leaning back in his chair and covering his face with his hands. "For the hundredth time, yes! What else was I supposed to do? She was all over me, Val! I panicked!"
This only made Valerie laugh harder. Her eyes were watering from the effort, and she had to wipe away the tears as she gasped for air. "Oh, Em, you never change, do you? Always so quick to hit the button."
Even the normally stoic Mirabelle, sitting in the corner of the room, allowed herself a small chuckle. She shook her head in mock disapproval, but there was a twinkle of amusement in her eyes. "Honestly, Emmett, for someone who's supposed to be a tough guy, you sure do have a habit of getting yourself into... compromising situations."
Emmett shot her a deadpan look. "You know, you could show a little sympathy. I was trying to avoid a disaster."
Mirabelle smirked, raising an eyebrow. "And how did that work out for you?"
"Not great," Emmett muttered, slumping further in his seat. "I swear, for once in my life, I'd like to win an argument when it's two versus one—and for that 'one' to be on my side!"
Valerie, still struggling to control her giggles, gave him a playful wink. "Oh, come on, Em. You wouldn't know what to do with yourself if you had another guy on your side. You love being outnumbered by us girls."
Emmett sighed dramatically. "I really don't, Val. Trust me."
"For real," Valerie teased, "I mean, how many times has it been us two ganging up on you? You should be used to it by now."
"Used to it?" Emmett grumbled. "That doesn't mean I like it."
Valerie and Mirabelle exchanged glances before breaking into laughter again. It was one of those moments that reminded Emmett just how deeply tied they were to his life. No matter what ridiculous situation he found himself in, they were always there—laughing, teasing, but never abandoning him. They were the kind of friends who could make even the most embarrassing moments feel lighthearted.
"Alright, enough about my humiliation," Emmett said, rubbing his temples in exasperation. "How about some updates on Saga? How did the night go?"
Mirabelle straightened up in her seat, her expression becoming more serious. "Well, I met up with the rest of the guild. I told them about the fire and that neither you nor Valerie would be logging in the past night. I also had them split into two teams—one to cultivate and the other to scout around Hill Manor for any openings."
"Smart move," Emmett nodded, crossing his arms. "What's the plan moving forward?"
"To be honest, we're kind of stuck in a holding pattern right now," Mirabelle admitted. "Without a way in, we can't make any major moves. But one thing is for sure, the infiltration into Hill Manor is going to require a full team, and we're going to need everyone at their best. So get better, fast."
Valerie, having recovered from her laughing fit, glanced between them. "How likely do you think it is that other players will catch wind of the quest and try to beat us to it?"
Mirabelle's face grew more serious. "Honestly? It's highly likely. There are only so many high-level quests available at any given time, and rumors spread fast. If we can't log in for another night or two, there's a good chance that other players might show up and try to take the spoils. Time flows ten times faster in Saga, so what's a night here is already four or more days in-game. Other players could arrive any time now."
Emmett frowned, his mind racing. He knew how competitive Saga could get. Players were constantly on the lookout for high-reward quests, and the Hill Manor infiltration was exactly the kind of mission that would attract attention from rival groups. "Damn. If we're stuck here much longer, we could lose the entire quest."
"That's the risk," Mirabelle agreed. "But we can't rush it. Valerie needs time to recover, and you're not exactly at full strength either. Or maybe you are" Mirabelle added with a smirk.
Valerie waved her hand dismissively, even as she leaned back against the pillows with a wince. "I'll be fine, I'll be fine. Just give me a day or two, and I'll be back in action. No stupid fire is going to keep me down."
"Don't push yourself," Emmett warned, though he couldn't help but smile at her determination.
Before they could continue, the door to Valerie's room creaked open, and Larissa stepped inside, her expression unusually serious. She glanced around the room, clearly noticing the tension that had settled between them. "Emmett, can we talk?"
Emmett's heart sank as he saw the look on Larissa's face. He could sense that this wasn't going to be a lighthearted conversation. "Uh, sure," he said, getting up from his seat. "What's up?"
Larissa gestured toward the corner of the room, clearly wanting some privacy. Emmett followed her, his stomach twisting in knots as they moved away from the others. Behind him, he could hear Valerie snickering softly, probably already guessing what was coming next.
Once they were out of earshot, or at least they thought, Larissa turned to face him, her arms crossed over her chest. "I went to your room earlier," she began, her voice calm but pointed. "You weren't there, obviously, but I did find something interesting."
Emmett's heart skipped a beat. "Uh... interesting? Like what?"
Larissa gave him a knowing look before pulling out an empty condom box from her bag. "This."
Emmett's face flushed red with embarrassment. He didn't need to ask where the rest of the contents of the box had gone—he already knew. "Look, Larissa, I can explain—"
"You don't need to explain," Larissa interrupted, holding up a hand to stop him. "I'm not mad. I just... I thought you should pay me back for those. I mean, I bought them, and now six out of eight are gone."
Behind them, Valerie's quiet snickering turned into full-blown laughter, and even Mirabelle shook her head in disbelief, a small smile playing at her lips. Emmett, utterly mortified, rubbed his forehead with one hand.
"I'll pay you back," he muttered, trying to ignore the fact that Valerie was laughing so hard she was struggling to breathe.
"Thank you," Larissa said simply, before walking back, taking a seat seat.
Emmett returned to his spot next to Valerie's bed, shooting her a glare as she continued to giggle uncontrollably. "You think this is funny, don't you?"
"Oh, absolutely," Valerie wheezed between breaths. "You—condoms—nurse—Larissa—it's like a comedy routine! You couldn't write this stuff!"
Mirabelle, though she had kept her amusement more contained, finally let out a small chuckle. "You know, for someone who's usually so serious, your life is kind of... ridiculous."
"Tell me about it," Emmett groaned, sinking into his chair and covering his face with his hands. "Tell me about it."
As the laughter subsided, the room grew quiet again, but there was an underlying sense of lightness in the air. No matter how absurd things got, Emmett knew one thing for sure—he'd always have his friends by his side, even if they were the ones laughing at his expense.
"Alright, fine," Emmett said after a moment, lowering his hands and looking at Valerie and Mirabelle. "You two had your fun. Can we focus now? We've got a quest to finish, remember?"
"Fine, fine," Valerie said, waving her hand dismissively, though she still had a grin on her face. "But don't think for a second that I'm letting you off the hook for this. I'm going to be bringing it up for years."
Emmett rolled his eyes. "Of course you are."
But as Emmett glanced at Larissa, who sat quietly at the edge of the room, he couldn't shake the feeling that things between them weren't quite resolved. There were conversations that needed to be had and decisions that needed to be made. For now, though, he focused on the present—planning for Saga.