Page 355 of End Game

Knowing the rope is not the same thing as knowing the person inside it.

Chapter thirty-one

Guest Characters

Micah

Dex’s place at the table is occupied.

Not technically his spot. Dex has never respected assigned seating enough to have one of those. But, for the last few months, he sits across from me and spends half the session invading my foot space, stealing my food, bumping his knee against mine under the table, and stage-whispering comments he knows Ronan can hear but pretends aren’t meant for him.

Tonight, there’s a very pretty brunette in that chair studying a character sheet like it’s written in a foreign language.

Which, based on her expression, it might as well be.

“I have a question.”

Ronan looks up from behind his DM screen. “We haven’t started yet.”

“That’s why I’m asking now.” Alexis points at the middle of the page. “What the fuck is proficiency?”

Shawn laughs quietly beside her.

Ronan takes off his glasses.

Cami leans over the table. “Oh, you’re gonna fit in great.”

“I know what a d20 is,” Alexis defends.

“That is a strong start,” Griffin says.

She points at him. “Thank you.”

“That wasn’t necessarily praise.”

“I accepted it as praise.”

Shawn reaches over and taps one section of her sheet. “It just means you’re especially good at certain things. So when Ronan asks for a check, you’ll sometimes add that bonus too.”

Alexis stares at the numbers. “Okay.”

“That make sense?”

“No.”

He smiles. “Want me to explain it another way?”

“Yes.”

There’s no condescension in his voice. He doesn’t grab the sheet and do it for her either. He waits until she shifts closer, then walks her through an example.

I like him for that.

I liked him when we met him too.

He’s quiet and observant. Not the kind of quiet where someone doesn’t have anything to say, but the kind where he waits until he has something worth saying.

Which sounds a lot like me.