His jaw dropped open in a wider smile. "You play? I play! I mean, I'm just a newbie, my avatar has barely evolved, but I love it. There's actually a side event for newbies this afternoon. You should totally sign up for it."
"Is it that easy to see that I'm a newbie?"
"No, not at all. It's just the pros have all signed up online. Speaking of the professionals, I saw you with Light Slayer last night. Oh my God, I think they must have used some of his DNA when they made the game. Either that or he has a mind meld with it, am I right?" the desk clerk asked.
"Yeah, he is pretty amazing." I collected the room key he gave me.
The desk clerk turned his monitor towards me and handed me his keyboard. Within a minute I was signed up for the event. He gave me a map of the Wynn and marked the location. On the back, he wrote his name and phone number.
"Thanks, Dave," I said.
"Are you going to hear Light Slayer talk? He's on in the LaTour Ballroom in ten minutes," Dave said. "Take notes for me, please. I need all the help I can get."
I promised I would text him any gems I heard and headed for the LaTour Ballroom. I had just enough time to load up a plate with fruit salad and a bagel and grab a coffee when the tournament organizers began to introduce the weekend's events.
"Welcome, Flaggers! We are so glad to welcome you to the first in a series of Dark Flag tournaments. This weekend is all about fun and games. We want to get to know you and to see you get to know the game better. Some events are qualifying rounds, but mostly, this is just a meet and greet. So we encourage you to mingle and have fun. That said, we know many of you are hungry to know more about how to conquer the world of Dark Flag and we could think of no one better to speak to that than Light Slayer himself!"
Owen had not shaved, but he had changed into a dove gray suit and white shirt. I felt a sizzle in my stomach as I saw the top buttons still undone and the hint of dark chest hair in the opening. Even from across the ballroom, his presence was like a fire.
I was not the only one to feel that way. The crowd greeted him like a rock star and his wide smile was crooked, a sure sign he was happy but uncomfortable with the attention. It only made people love him more. He cleared his throat a few times as the crowd quieted down and I wondered if he was nervous to speak. Then, his agate-blue eyes caught mine. He started to talk and it felt like it was just the two of us in the room.
After he finished to thunderous applause, Owen made his way around the outskirts of the room and found me. "Thank God you were here. I forgot to tell you I had to speak and when I didn't see you this morning, I got nervous."
"Nervous about what?" I asked. "You did great."
"It was easier when I spotted you," he said. "Hey, something's different about you." He grinned down at my name tag.
I smiled. "Yeah, I decided to join the newbie tournament. You know, after I was completely annihilated time and time again last night, I figured I can handle losing."
"You won't lose. I know you." Owen reached out his hand. "And speaking of that, there are a bunch of people I want you to meet. Scottie, Alison, this is Quinn."
"I totally recognize you from your avatar. Bold move. I thought only the Light Slayer was brave enough to show his own face," Scottie said.
"He's an Orcan and Alison is a Nocturne," Owen explained.
Alison shook my hand. "I've seen lots of newbies pick a human and not make it past the first week. I'm impressed."
"No wonder the Light Slayer lets you hang around," Scottie said. He wagged his eyebrows at Owen and got a slap on the shoulder from Alison.
"They are part of the Light Clan," Owen said. "We play as a team, but this tournament is individual skill alone. I'm a little worried Alison might take me apart in the spells duel."
Scottie beamed with pride. "She's a killer."
"Isn't that hard?" I asked. "Playing to defeat your own team members?"
"Not at all," Owen said. "The clan would be weak if we all tried to help each other. Winning individual events strengthens the avatars and that strengthens the clan."
"Spoken like a true clan leader," Anya said as she came closer. She slipped an arm through Owen's. "That's also why Owen is here mostly to give pep talks and sign autographs. And, apparently, help you cheer up too."
"Cheer up?" Alison asked.
"Yes. Didn't you know? Quinn is Sienna's baby sister. Owen's taking care of her for a while," Anya said. "By the way, Owen, you and I have that panel discussion."
Before Owen could say anything else, he was led away.
Alison put a hand on my arm and said. "I'm so sorry to hear about your sister. She wasn't right for Owen, but that doesn't mean any us of wished her ill."
I shrugged off her hand and sympathy. It felt exactly as if Anya had cast a Frostbite Spell over me. The rest of the Light Clan gathered to discuss lunch and it was clear that Anya had spoken to them all.