Chương 86: Phase Two

Bradbaron clapped first.

"Bravo!" he shouted, loud enough to break the hold between them without touching it.

"Look at this. I am fairly certain Meno had never danced like that before. This is the VR magic I was talking about, and why I am investing big time." The party erupted in claps, cheers, and raised drinks. Bradbaron changed the track to something safer, a classic party beat that required less trust and fewer near-death turns, then started dancing by himself like he owned the terrace. Which he did. Others joined him, laughing, and the pressure around Meno and Oxide finally loosened.

Meno still held her, which meant he should have felt embarrassed, stepped back, said something stupid, recovered his shoes, and retreated toward the nearest wall. Instead, as he looked into her eyes, only one clear feeling remained: that had been fun. Way too much fun. Oxide swallowed, her fingers still curled in his shirt.

"Uhm, yeah. Okay. That was not content." She gently extracted herself from his hold, then spun toward her friend.

"Carla, delete the footage."

"Noway, Oxy," the blond woman in the green dress shouted back over the music.

"That was amaaazing, and I already posted it on your socials." Oxide turned back to Meno, but he was only half listening. His brain kept replaying the movement, searching for improvements, finding spots where he could have turned earlier, caught cleaner, shifted his weight sooner. The thought did not feel romantic. It felt practical, and that made it safer to touch. Oxide watched his face shift.

"Didn't actually expect… this. My bad." Meno blinked back into the terrace.

"Carla is my manager," Oxide said.

"She often goes rogue."

"Whatever," Meno said.

"I don't care." Oxide tilted her head. Meno looked at the open floor again, then at her bare feet.

"Do you feel like dancing a bit more? I actually think this could improve my skills in Veyrath." Oxide's expression softened, not sweet exactly, but calmer, like she had finally placed him in the correct mental slot and found the match better than expected. She put both hands on his shoulders.

"You know, Prayerballz," she said, "most men would have leaned in for a kiss at the end, yet all your brain holds is dodging attacks." Meno put his hands on her hips as the beat slowed under them.

"Don't pretend you haven't seen my clips. You signed up for the disaster. That's what you are getting." Oxide rested her head against his chest.

"Oh, so comfy and real. Don't worry. I also forget how to act normal being on camera all day." The question escaped while Meno looked down at her hair, because his filter had been damaged before the party started.

"Oxide, tell me the truth. Do you intentionally lower your durability when you stream?"

"Yeah," she said without moving her head.

"That happens." He waited.

"If I doll up too much, nobody sees the rank. Weird, right?" She slid one hand down his sleeve.

"And call me Oxy, or I will say Prayerballz until your head explodes. I know you hate it."

"I do hate it."

"Good." They kept dancing. Slow and gentle at first, then faster when the music changed, rougher for a few measures before easing again. It stopped looking like the first song. They were not trying to perform a style now, just following what felt right when one movement asked for the next. During a slower stretch, Oxide lifted her head.

"Meno," she said, using his name for the first time without a joke wrapped around it.

"I know what you coming here alone means." His grip shifted at her waist.

"I get it," she said.

"But I am still selfish, so just send it. Tell me if you can stand me. I am twenty-eight. I can handle it." Meno looked at her with no prepared answer. He disliked her stream persona. A lot. She was loud, unstable, invasive, and seemed designed to turn every room into a clip farm. But the dancing had been more honest than that, and the way she asked gave him less room to hide behind insults.

"Don't look at me like that," he said.

"I'm an idiot. I have no clue." Oxide held his gaze.

"All I know," Meno said, "is that I really enjoy dancing with you." Oxide's smile arrived in pieces, then all at once.

"Yay. That sounds real. I usually get absolute crap."

"From who?"

"Guys like me all party mode," she said, "but can't handle my streaming even a bit."

"Yes," Meno said.

"You are extremely annoying, Oxy." She laughed and pulled him back into the rhythm. Time passed through music, drinks, lights, and bodies moving around them. The open area filled with other guests dancing, some good, most brave, several drunk enough to think those were the same thing. Meno had no desire to think about anything larger than the next step. Thinking had not improved his life. Moving at least gave him something to answer.

As the night deepened, Oxide's mouth found his, and they kissed for too long in the middle of the crowd, barefoot, sweaty, and surrounded by people who pretended not to watch while absolutely watching. Meno had no idea if it was right, if it was only pressure leaving his body after Aurelia, or if the question mattered less than he wanted it to, so he refused to dwell on it. Overthinking had already destroyed enough. Maybe he could be Grave Crown in real life too.

After that, the night blurred into banter, Carla appearing too often with sweet drinks, Bradbaron getting drunk enough to hug Meno by force and call him a visionary, then a menace, then a visionary menace, and Oxide laughing into his shoulder while Meno tried and failed to act like he had control of anything. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Eventually, they ended up in a bedroom inside the mansion, though Meno had no clear memory of the route there.

Oxide collapsed on him in a tangle of limbs, still laughing softly, and the rest of the evening became history. Meno woke to light blasting through tall windows. Oxide lay naked on top of him in a very rich bedroom he did not recognize. The previous night came back with full force, and his brain immediately tried to blame alcohol. Meno rejected the excuse before it got comfortable. He had taken a few drinks, but nowhere near enough to lose himself.

He had been caught up in the moment, and the moment had been stronger than his usual fear. He gently shifted Oxide to the other side of the king-sized bed. She made a small annoyed sound but stayed asleep, and he made sure the cover stayed over her before standing and collecting his clothes. Downstairs, he found the kitchen, where Bradbaron sat at the table in a bathrobe, sipping coffee with nobody else in sight. The rich morning silence made the whole thing more awkward than the party.

Bradbaron looked up and immediately smiled.

"Oh," Bradbaron said.

"The hero descends. After conquering the dragon, how classical." Meno stopped walking.

"It's a bit rude to take my bedroom," Bradbaron added, "but I will let it go this time."

"Uhm," Meno said.

"Sorry about that."

"Don't be." Bradbaron waved it away.

"The party was a huge success because of that little stunt you pulled with the dance. I received major interest. Big money going into VR tech." Meno sat down slowly.

"Tell me you had never danced like that before," Bradbaron said.

"Right?"

"Yeah. No idea. I just pretended it was combat in Veyrath."

"Exactly." Bradbaron pointed at him with the coffee cup.

"Also, you called me Bradbaron a bunch of times last night. Just say Brad. Otherwise people start to think I have an ego problem." Meno stared.

"Yeah. You definitely don't." Brad laughed. Meno looked toward the counters.

"Anything to eat around here? I'm starving."

"Yes, after all that, you must be low on energy." Meno regretted asking instantly. Brad tapped something on his phone.

"My chef will whip something up for the two of you. Her manager will return soon, by the way. I sent her away after explaining this was not a hotel."

"Cool," Meno said.

"Thanks." Brad studied him over the coffee.

"How are things with your stream and Veyrath? Going well? I haven't had much time to log in recently."

"Are you still scarred by the Karmabeast thing?" Meno asked.

"Come on, Brad. It's part of the experience." Brad's face shifted into something more serious.

"I don't care about dying. I hated feeling helpless while he killed me. Markets are fun, but I don't like being a training dummy." Meno nodded. That was fair.

"I started a guild," Meno said.

"Chadculator will invite you. I'm sure plenty of people would want to help the famous WifeLawyer." Brad's smile returned.

"I am a bit immature, but also shameless, so I will definitely accept."

"That reminds me," Meno said, leaning forward.

"Could you help me find someone to manage sponsorships and stuff?" Brad set the coffee down.

"My stream blew up, and I can't handle playing while dealing with that at the same time," Meno said.

"It has been a nightmare alone. I'm clueless."

"Of course," Brad said.

"You don't need an assistant. I will manage it for you." Meno blinked.

"You?"

"I will make sure you don't take any more fifty-fifty profit splits like a fish."

"Yeah," Meno said.

"You got me good with that one." Brad smiled without shame.

"So how do we set this up?" Meno asked.

"Do you want access to my email or something?"

"Don't be silly. The big guys usually don't reach out. You have to go get them. I will call around, and you will have sponsors in no time." Brad took another sip.

"I won't even take a cut since we are friends."

"True," Meno said, "but you should take a standard cut. Otherwise you might get bored if you are not making money." Brad laughed.

"Okay. Ten percent off the top for all deals I bring you, only because you asked."

"That was quick."

"The goal is to ignore smaller offers and take the big ones," Brad said.

"Sponsors like exclusivity. They pay extra, and you deal with fewer people. You have a real brand going on." Meno rubbed his forehead. That sounded dangerous.

"Okay," he said.

"I'll leave it to you. Just don't sign anyone who tries to tell me what to do, like eating chocolate on stream. Not doing it."

"Amateur hour," Brad said.

"I will limit obligations outside the game. At worst, you show up at a few places and give a three-sentence speech so people can say they were in the same room as you."

"That sounds horrible."

"That is where the big money is. Not putting a sticker on your stream." Brad's eyes narrowed with amused calculation.

"I might even get Feltforge. I heard you managed to piss off the owner by constantly insulting his precious AI."

"Why would they sponsor me if they hate me?"

"Don't try to make sense of these people. They live in an alternate universe. Take their money." Brad leaned back.

"Maybe they want you to help improve the AI. Maybe they want to prove they are smarter than you. Who knows? It's always some nonsense." Food arrived. A chef brought one tray, then another, until the table filled with scrambled eggs, vegetables, sausages, toast, jam, sliced fruit, and a big jug of carrot juice. The smell hit Meno hard enough to remind him that his fridge at home was basically a side quest he had failed. He dug in instantly while Brad watched with open entertainment.

Meno ate until his body stopped making emergency demands, then realized he needed to fix his food situation. He could not afford Brad's lifestyle, but he could afford prepared meals now. Maybe food delivery that had seen vegetables before. Then he grabbed an empty tray and started loading it. Brad raised an eyebrow.

"You sure about doing that?"

"Yeah. Why not?" Meno added eggs, toast, sausage, fruit, jam, and a glass of carrot juice.

"Should I act cold, run away, and pretend nothing happened? How is that going to improve my life?" Brad tilted his head.

"True. If you were just a guy, I would warn you that her entire life is built around producing content. Since yours is as well, the warning becomes silly. Go ahead and do whatever feels right." Meno picked up the tray and carried it upstairs, opening the bedroom door with his shoulder. Oxide was still asleep, half-buried between pillows and rich bedding. He set the tray on a side table, sat on the edge of the bed, and gently rubbed her arm.

"Morning." Oxide twisted under the cover without opening her eyes.

"Just a bit more."

"You need to wake up. I have to go home and log in before GlassRook hits fifty." She stayed sprawled with her head tucked between pillows, so Meno leaned closer to her ear.

"Your stream is offline." Oxide popped up instantly. The cover slipped, and Meno briefly considered looking away before deciding that would be silly after the previous night.

"That was evil," she said, blinking hard.

"You are a villain, Prayerba— Meno."

"Oxy." While she rubbed her eyes and tried to focus, Meno brought the tray over and set it carefully into her lap.

"Eat first." Oxide looked down.

"Oh, what is this? Did you get a class upgrade overnight and become a knight?"

"Your fault." She laughed, grabbed the carrot juice, and took a long gulp before shoveling food into her mouth with no care for elegance, camera angles, or the fact that she was still undressed.

"Tasty," she said between bites.

"The bald guy has a good chef."

"How do you know Brad?"

"I don't." That answer created several new problems.

"I told Carla to track him down after she told me he invited you to his birthday party," Oxide said.

"Really? Why go that far? I'm a mess." She looked up from the plate.

"Guess what? I am also a mess. You can't complain." Hard to argue with that. She finished the food fast, and Meno took the tray away while she got up to make herself presentable. He kept his eyes mostly to useful places, then gave up pretending because Oxide caught him and laughed.

"So what now?" Meno asked.

"Now we both need to log in, obviously." She pulled her dress from the floor.

"That's it."

"I thought you didn't live in Vernova. Did you actually move here?"

"Yeah. I rented a place. I told you I would."

"I thought you were kidding." Oxide looked at him.

"Did last night feel like a joke?"

"That's not what I'm saying."

"Good save." Meno exhaled.

"Anyway, you are right. We both need to log in as fast as possible."

"See?" Oxide stepped close and grabbed him by the shoulder.

"You get it." She kissed him, and Meno kissed back.

"We will talk later," she said.

"I already have your number, but now I really need to bounce." Then she grinned.

"And feel free to brag about this on stream."

"You can do that if you want, Oxy," Meno said.

"But it usually does not end well for me."

"I will definitely do it regardless. Drama is great content." They descended together. Oxide left first, moving fast, with Carla already waiting outside in sunglasses and judgment. Meno exchanged details with Brad so he could represent him properly. Brad's assistant had prepared a document while they were upstairs, which Meno skimmed badly and signed after Brad explained the important parts twice.

Then Meno left into a morning too bright for the amount of nonsense it had witnessed, heading home and wondering if he was a fool, or if, for once, he had found a path forward by stepping before he finished thinking.