Page 366 of End Game

This time, when I reach for my phone, I don’t stop myself.

I take a picture of the table.

Alexis in the place Dex has been taking lately. Shawn beside her. The battle map covered in miniatures. The goose. And Ronan holding up a tiny blue hat miniature he apparently made specifically for this stupid fucking moment.

I send it.

Micah

You missed something.

Dex answers before Ronan finishes explaining that the hat is mildly enchanted and completely narratively useless.

Dex

IS THAT MY FUCKING HAT

Cami sees the message over my arm and starts laughing.

I type back.

Micah

Apparently it became a quest item.

Dex

I LEAVE FOR FOUR CAMPAIGN NIGHTS

Another message appears.

Then another.

Then four more.

I don’t read them yet.

I already know the general tone.

Instead, I put my phone down and look around the table.

Alexis is still carrying the goose.

Shawn has somehow earned enough trust from Ronan that the two of them are now debating whether one of his spells should have interacted with the environment the way Ronan ruled it.

Griffin is eating the last of the chips.

Cami is trying to convince Ronan that the hat belongs to her now.

The house is loud.

Not Dex loud.

Different.

And that’s okay.

I still miss the weight of his leg against mine under the table.