Virtual Love (Exellda and Stardust_Bunny) (18+)

[Exellda]

 

 

Name: Jerimise Jackson

 

Nickname: JJ (Jay Jay)

 

Profession: Tutor at his college

 

Sexual Orientation: Curious

 

Romantic Orientation: Confused

 

 

Personality: Jerimise the average awkward guy, a loner who likes to live by himself in his one-bedroom apartment. He likes to live his life on the inter-webs, often engaging in MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game). The only time he isn't online is when he's at college, keeping up his perfect attendance and excellent grades, and also his part time job as a one on one tutor. He's quiet, shy and considers himself to be socially awkward, so when he is done with college, homework, and tutoring, off to the virtual world he goes. Jerimise doesn't believe in love and that his wonderful MMORPG is all he needs in life.

 

---

 

It was about a month into the first semester of collage this year and by now, even those who were new, everyone was use to their schedule. Jerimise himself was waiting achingly to get home today... Because about a week ago he had somehow befriended one of the most strongest players in his game... Freedom Sword Fantasy or FSF was the game. A MMORPG with millions of players and hundreds of different worlds, achievements, weapons, clothing, armor, armies, and so much more.

 

Tonight they were supposed to embark on a quest together. It should be fairly easy to achieve considering he was now teamed up with one of the strongest players.

 

Yet here he was, quietly waiting for the bell. He was so happy that he didn't have to tutor anyone today. As of now he was only tutoring one person, she was timid like him and awkward too. She was struggling so bad in math... She really needed help and Jerimise was okay to help her. Thanks to his efforts, she didn't fail her last test. To say the least Jerimise was happy to help. That was all he could do an not feel awkward. He was just socially awkward, and that was that. Sarcasm wasn't easily conveyed to Jerimise, often he would take someone very serious. He spoke of honesty though, that is if he had the nerve to even speak. He got so nervous around people... Jerimise could only handle tutoring because... Teaching someone was easy enough. All they talked about was math during the session and Jerimise was content with that. If perchance the topic drifts, he puts in an effort to bring back the original topic, math.

 

Finally, when the bell rang, he calmly packed his backpack, ready to make his way home. He was excited to get home, though his exterior didn't show any signs.

 

Yet there was a feeling inside his gut, one that could only be described as: there was something going to interrupt his game time...

[Exellda]

Jerimise was on his way out of the classroom when suddenly he was grabbed. In a slit second he found himself pinned to the wall behind him by a guy he didn't even know. How preposterous was that! How rude. Jerimise almost thought he was going to be bullied out of his lunch money or something. He was baffled by how serious this guy, this stranger was... How did he even know that he was a tutor? This guy was making him nervous. Even his glasses had slid down his nose slightly, blurring the guy in front of him. "H-huh?"

 

This guy was demanding him to tutor him... Now? This instant? Jerimise let out a sigh, he knew he wouldn't get to his game right away like he wanted... Slowly, Jerimise lifted his hand so he could adjust his glasses. "Y-yeah." He stuttered, both because he had been startled and because he was shy and nervous. "I am the tutor... You need tutoring? E-eh? Now? With what?" Jerimise hesitated, "Math right? That's why you're asking me?"

 

Now that his glasses we on correctly, he could see the guy in front of him. A hazel eyed boy. He looked kind of mean... Jerimise was kind of shock that someone would need tutoring so bad that he had to be pinned to the wall... "U-um, could you release me please? I can help you, I suppose, since you asked." Though, he hoped his new friend would forgive him for being late... "Do you have your things with you? Or what you need help with, I should say? We can go into one of the tutoring rooms, it's quiet there." He referred to all the noisy people walking through the halls.

[Exellda]

Jerimise was relieved that the other male let him go, yet he found himself agitated to learn that the other male didn't have anything with him. In fact, he blamed his dog for eating it... How low was that? Surely the guy must be joking? Right? However that didn't seem like the case... This guy looked serious. What was even his name? He hadn't said it this whole time. It was like he was on his own level of thought, he had his own agenda. Jerimise wouldn't even follow his line of thought.

 

A soft gasp escaped him when the other male took his hand. His brows furrowed as the other wrote on his hand. "W-what?" This guy had no decency, did he? Didn't he know that phones could remember a number than his hand could? Plus it wouldn't rub away... Whatever. Jerimise decided to let the guy do what he wanted. He couldn't understand what he was trying to do... Hopefully, whoever this guy was, would at least know what he should be working on...

 

He was going to decline the other guy, however he didn't know what he meant by, 'favorite flavor'. That wasn't a question he was normally asked, if at all... He assumed, though, it had to be something edible? "Strawberry." Was the first thing that slipped passed his mouth. Sure, he liked strawberry things... Jerimise liked sweets in general, so he supposed something chocolaty would have worked. There, he was sure the other male could find something for him to have... Jerimise just didn't understand this guy... So strange, he was...

 

"O-oh, alright... I'll see you in a bit, then." Jerimise said, looking at his hand for brief moment. He had vandalized his hand... Jerimise sighed, he didn't want to ruin the other's parade. He didn't tell the other male that he already had a private room for tutoring. He was a tutor after all. He had the right to a quiet room where he wouldn't be interrupted...

 

Once the other male left, Jerimise pulled out his phone, squinting at the hand writing on his hand and typed in the number. Saving the number to his phone, Jerimise saved the number with the name titled, 'Misunderstanding'. After all, the guy was a misunderstanding, he also didn't know his name.

[Exellda]

While the other boy had went to the store, Jerimise made his way to his usual tutoring room. It was really to bad, he was really excited to go on the guest tonight... By the looks of it, he either would have limited time or he just wouldn't be able to get on tonight. Bummer. Jerimise let out a sigh as he dragged his feet to his tutoring room...

 

Once he got inside, Jerimise set his backpack down and sighed. He too then sat down. Gazing around the room, it was a simple tutoring room honestly. There was two computers, chalk board, a table in the middle of the room, a couple stacks of chairs, and even two desks... Yeah. Plain and simple. Jerimise swayed slightly in his chair. How long did it take again to get to the nearest store? Jerimise shrugged. Like it mattered how long he took, Jerimise would have to wait here anyway...

 

After ten minutes passed Jerimise was tired of waiting and he was annoyed by the writing on his hand. Thus he left the room to go wash it off. He made it to the bathroom and walked up to the sink, getting soap and then washing his hands... Only the writing didn't seem to be coming off. "Humph!" Jerimise huffed in irritation and scrubbed a little harder. Why wasn't this working? Did he use Sharpie or something? Jerimise curse under his breath and applied more soap. This was really ridiculous.

 

Unfortunately, by the time he was irritated enough to quit, Jerimise had a lightly red hand... The ink was still there, just faded. Worse of all that had taken ten minutes! Crap. He was sure he was the one late now! So Jerimise sent a message to the other male:

 

'Sorry I'm late, I'll be there in a moment!'

 

He decided to send the simple text. It didn't really mean much other than to reassure the other that he would be there and he hadn't ditched him. Plus, his stuff was still there, he couldn't leave it behind.

 

After Jerimise dried his hands, he took one glance at his red hand and sighed dramatically. Oh well. He would have to deal with it later... So Jerimise straightened himself out and made his way back to the tutoring room. Once he got there, he poked his head in first, looking around. Yeah... He was late. Oops. Jerimise walked in slowly, looking at the other male who was in the room. "U-uh, hey... I see your travels went well..." He noticed how the other had brought snacks as well as drinks. He cleared his throat, "So uh, what did you need help with?" Jerimise inquired as he shut the door behind him, locking the door out of habit.

[Exellda]

Jerimise immediately gasped, then scowled at what the other male told him, "You... What?" His eyes were wide. Was this guy being serious? No... Surely not... Man... This guy was serious. Now he wouldn't be able to get on tonight, he was sure of it... Plus, this would take more than one session... "What did you do? Skip? Sleep in class?" The ginger brought his hands into his hair, seemingly trying to pull it out. To say the least, he was fairly worried and upset at the same time. "Why in the world did you wait this long to get a tutor if you were having issues from the beginning!?" Jerimise 'raised' his voice. He was such a soft spoken guy, that even if he seemed man, he could never be threatening.

 

The ginger boy also seemed oblivious to the other's cold glare and harsh words, that was mostly because he was use to it. Jerimise was use to being glared at, scolding and even bullied. That was the perks of being a nerd... So often he tried to ignore it the best he could. If this guy was trying to scare him, it wasn't working. "You know, I almost don't feel as bad anymore." Jerimise huffed, clearly agitated, "You waiting this long doesn't help either of us..." He had somewhere to be, and that was his game!

 

But then a sigh escaped him as he grabbed a chair and sat next to the other male. Nevertheless, this had to be done, he was here to help... regardless if he wanted to or not... Reaching into his backpack, Jerimise pulled out a Tutor Log, basically a diary for tutors, one that he filled out every time he tutored someone. It was to not only keep track of their progress, but his own, and also as evidence because he better be getting paid for this. "Alright, alright..." He started to talk, feeling calmer momentarily, "What's your name, grade, age? Just so you know, our meetings are confidential and will not be shared if you do not wish it so." Jerimise said roboticly. "Sorry to bore you with that, but every client is different. Oh, and if you have any questions, fill free to ask, I am your tutor after all. I promise you I am not as scary as I look." He said, half joking. Jerimise wasn't really scary at all...

 

"So... Let's get started shall we?" He said, pencil in hand, ready to write down the other's information.

[Exellda]

Jerimise recorded everything Thomas said. So that was his name, Thomas Blythe... Well he felt better about that... However, he didn't feel good about Thomas's sour attitude. This guy wanted to be tough shit, huh? "Picking a fight with me will get you nowhere, Mr. Blythe. I'm sorry for asking about your personal life, geese. I didn't know it was secret information." Jerimise huffed. He didn't like when people came to him, asking for help, only to be an ass towards him... "Anyway, I'm not the one who needs a tutor, and sure, I suppose you could go to someone else... But why would you come to specifically me... Unless someone told you to come to me. Then I would have to deduce that you really need help with your material. All I am saying is that if you're threatening me, I don't have to tutor you and I can report you if you want. These are your grades, not mine."

 

While Jerimise was normally shy, it was tutoring that his stubbornness and cockiness really showed. He could talk shit about math because he was good at it. People came to him for help and for once he didn't have to struggle by himself. For once he could actually help someone... He was useful here, not as awkward... Though, some strange part of Jerimise wanted to see what Thomas would do... Was he going to be violent or something? Honestly, what's the worst he could do besides kill someone? For some reason he didn't think the other was going to kill him, perhaps punch him... Well if he did, he would definitely be short a tutor. Jerimise often forgot that he locked the door, it was a habit... that the other would have to get used to.

 

After a pause, Jerimise set down his pencil and turned to face the other male next to him. "Look, I don't know what I did to get you upset. I think we started off on the wrong foot., sorry... How about we start over?" He offered. It seemed silly, but Jerimise would rather have an acquaintance to teach than an enemy. He also knew that students who gave him attitude at the beginning were usually the ones who really needed his help, regardless if they wanted to admit it or not. "Just show me where you'd like to start, alright?"

 

Because he really wanted to be online right now, but no, he had to help this failing student first.

[Exellda]

"Jerimise Jackson. I'm nine-teen but I'll be twenty soon... Second year, majoring in teaching..." Replied Jerimise when the other student asked for his name. How impolite was he? Jeez, he must have been so absorbed in everything else that he forgot to properly introduce himself. Then he gasped in surprise when the other boy grabbed his hand. What he heard from Thomas shocked him more, "H-huh? I mean, no... I suppose it stings slightly, but it's no biggie. I'm sure if I put lotion on it later it might do it some good..." He said, carefully maneuvering his hand away from Thomas as he pulled down his sleeve. Since when did this guy care if he was hurt? They had only met...

 

Jerimise hummed softly trying to distract himself with his pencil, "I'm sorry if I gave you that impression. No, I do like my job. It's not that bad really. Though all I wish was that you would have came to me sooner so I could help you. That's all..." He admitted while his hands absentmindedly played with the pencil in his hands. "I sometimes get more stressed out than my students do... I like helping them, this is really all I am good at. And I didn't mean to offend you or anything... Sorry. I'm just passionate about this job and I've had some students in the past who did not take me seriously so..." Jerimise trailed off as he tried to explain his moment of 'overacting' and 'yelling'...

 

"So when is your next exam? I promise you I won't freak out this time." Jerimise said in a joking tone. He was at least trying to ease the tension. Hopefully the exam wasn't within the week... He wasn't sure if he could help this guy out of it was that soon... Sure, it could be possible... However they would have to invest into some serious studying. "Do you learn fast or slow? Some of my students like visuals, are you interested in that?" Jerimise asked curiously.

[Exellda]

Jerimise let out a sigh as Thomas technically made fun of his major. He decided it wasn't worth arguing over to defend. Teaching was probably the only thing he could be good at. Though being timid presented some issues and then there was the stress of having about twenty students or so stare him down. This major wasn't technically set in stone, however Jerimise wouldn't know what else to do because he didn't consider himself really good at anything else but teaching.

 

When Thomas mentioned that being too stressed could lead to a poorly done job, Jerimise could only nod. It was true, one couldn't be too stressed when doing their job. Mental as well as physical health can deteriorate if you were not careful. This reason alone was one that made Jerimise want to reconsider his major... But as said before, he was really good at this and not really anything else. A scowl formed on Jerimise's face, "If you're talking about alcohol, then no. Obviously not because I am underage..." Yeah, Jerimise was your typical nerd with his own perks.

 

Relief poured over Jerimise when Thomas said that they had three weeks until his test. Three was was decent time, seemingly enough time for Jerimise to help Thomas get his shit together. "Raw theory, huh? You like to dig right into the core of the material? Alrighty then." Jerimise shrugged, more to himself. It looked like Thomas would be a fast learner. This would be good for Thomas in the long run, and, who knew, perhaps Thomas would actually do a decent job on his test. They would probably have to meet more than one time per week to catch up though... Less gaming time...

 

At the mention of visuals with wine, Jerimise curiously tilted his head with slightly furrowed brows. "What do you mean? I would think wine wouldn't help you remember anything the next morning. I wouldn't think wine would be good for you when you're trying to study." Jerimise commented, seemingly oblivious to any 'hidden' context that Thomas may have been referring to. Jerimise set his pencil down, "Alright give me the text book and show me where you want to start. Tutor has to do his job." There was no time to fool around.

[Exellda]

While he wasn't sure if Thomas was trying to compliment his intellect, he nodded nonetheless. " Mentality and physicality are two different things, I would agree. However, the law does still stand..." Jerimise shrugged, "I don't know, alcohol just never interested me I suppose... So besides the law, that's also why I have not tried it yet... I might once I turn twenty-one, but until that happens, I don't plan on drinking any time soon." Ironically, afterwards Thomas said he was a kid and the only response Jerimise could think of at the time was, "Whatever you say." He shrugged again, apathetic to the situation.

 

"Okay then. I suppose we can just dive in since you like the 'straightforward shit'." Jerimise quoted verbally and physically brought his hands up to make the quoting gesture. This Thomas guy seemed to be and interesting character. His mind seemed to be wired differently than many students Jerimise had encountered. So it seemed that this would be a learning experience for the both of them. He couldn't lie, Thomas would be an interesting student to teach. Thomas seemed to be wired differently than the others... Well, at least these lessons would never be dull, it would also help Jerimise to stay on his toes.

 

"Oh... Right..." Jerimise said after a moment of realization. Thomas had said earlier that he didn't have anything. Suppose he would have to pull out his own text book. "You're lucky I am also taking a statistics class..." He hummed softly, leaning over the other way to reach into his backpack and pull out his own text book. "Who knows, maybe we'll have the same statistics class next semester." He mentioned as he pulled set his text book down on the table in front of him. Immediately, anyone could tell it was his because there was an abundance of sticky notes. There were several colors, pink, yellow, and blue to be exact. But before Thomas could say anything about them, Jerimise felt the need to explain, "Pink is for equations, yellow is for definitions, and blue is for examples or problems." He clarified, "What do you say we get started shall we?"

[Exellda]

Jerimise decided to not argue against what Thomas said. He himself had to break rules every once in a while. However, he wasn't sure he appreciated the fact that Thomas was trying to get him to consume alcohol. "I uh... No." Jerimise sighed, knowing that Thomas might make fun of him for this, "Why share a bottle of champagne, when I can have a whole bottle of sparkling grape juice to myself?" He had almost said that jokingly, but with an underlining seriousness. He didn't intend to drink until he was of proper age. And what the hell did Thomas mean 'coming from his lips'? What did he say that sounded better? Jerimise was clueless and didn't understand. He then decided that it wasn't worth his time and settled on forgetting about it.

 

The ginger was more than happy that as soon as they started to study, time seemed to pass fairly quickly and before he knew it, thirty minutes had passed. He watched as Thomas left for a bathroom break. This gave Jerimise the time to stand up, yawn and stretch his arms above his head. Thomas had surprised Jerimise because he didn't think he would be able to pick statistics up so quickly. It was actually phenomenal to see Thomas go through the information so quickly... It had the ginger wondering what the other male did to get so far behind. He was overall pleased with Thomas's effort and was glad that they could get along. Perhaps Thomas would be an excellent study partner...

 

But then Jerimise soon was dragged out of his thoughts when he heard a phone ringing. It was of course Thomas's phone because Jerimise would surely never have his phone on sound when he would be tutoring. At that moment Jerimise thought about taking the phone, maybe look to see who was contacting Thomas... But it was none of his business who it was nor did Jerimise care enough to confiscate it. They were in college now and there was no need for stupid disciplinary actions. So he left the phone there as it was and waited for Thomas to return.

 

A clever thought came to Jerimise one that Thomas might get what he wanted from the situation. Unfortunately Jerimise might have to break the law to do so. If had to guess, Thomas would definitely want to participate and play along. It was like a mini tradition that he had for those whom he tutored with. So once Thomas finally returned, Jerimise decided to toss the bargain out for Thomas. "Hey, your phone went off while you were gone." He said at first, informing the other male by pointing at the device. "And while you were gone... I was thinking. Would you like to take up a little bargain with me..? It's simple really and I offer this to all the people I tutor. Basically, if you can get at least C on your test, I'll buy you some ice cream. If you get a B on your exam, I'll not only buy you ice cream but I'll also give you twenty bucks. Lastly, if you can achieve an A, I'll get you ice cream, twenty bucks, and something of your choice. If you want something from me, I'll give it to you free of charge, just know that you have a hundred dollar limit. So it can't be too expensive." Then there was hum from Jerimise, a small smirk on his face, "And since we're both in statistics, I'll give you a bonus... If you can score higher than me on our next exam, I'll let you buy me alcohol, whatever you pick and I'll drink it right in front of you." It was a challenge and he was daring Thomas to take it. "What do you say? None of my students have beaten me yet, so you have a real challenge here."

[Exellda]

Jerimise found himself happy that Thomas accepted his bargain. It made him feel good that Thomas could dedicate himself and apply himself more. This would be an interesting bargain though, if he lost, he wasn't sure what he would do because he was sure he would feel really guilty about drinking alcohol... "Yeah, we'll see Thomas." A soft giggle escaped Jerimise, "You better bring your A-game on the exam day. I promise you, I'll study." He lightly teased. They only had three weeks to cover the material... Or at least the material Thomas had yet to learn.

 

It was a good thing Thomas was a fast learner. Jerimise greatly enjoyed helping him out. Through the three weeks they worked together he got to learn more about Thomas. He was a quirky guy, funny and different. He had a dog, apparently, that he loved a lot. Dogs were cool, though the apartment complex Jerimise lived at didn't allow dogs or cats... Otherwise Jerimise might have invested in a pet. Surprisingly, Jerimise noticed that in his gaming life was going just as good too. Three weeks passed faster than he thought they would.

 

Which is why when the exams came around, he didn't feel any different. The material he had studied with Thomas definitely helped him throughout the exam. And now, currently he was waiting after school, a smile on his face. He was standing next to the doorway of the tutoring room that he and Thomas had using this whole time. They had agreed to meet there today to show off scores. He had scored a 96% on his exam and was sure Thomas wouldn't beat him. Though, he did have twenty bucks in his pocket and planned to buy Thomas ice cream later if he wanted. He wasn't sure how high Thomas would score, but he truly did hope for the best. He really wanted Thomas to do well, just like his other students, he really did.

 

Lucky for him, Jerimise had a three day weekend and after studying so hard, he was very grateful. This meant he would have three days to kick back, relax, and game! Oh, it would be so much fun. His character had became good friends with the most powerful gamer ever... Sadly, Jerimise wouldn't admit that the character he chose was a female character... Perhaps maybe one day he could meet the other player... However he was afraid to disappoint the other player... because he was a guy instead of a girl and had yet to tell the other player...

 

Glancing at his watch, Jerimise knew that Thomas should be here soon. He couldn't wait to see him... More or less out of excitement and actually wanting to see the guy. After these three weeks, Jerimise thought that they were friends -that's what he kept telling himself: just friends- now and he didn't have an abundance of them so... He was more than happy to see Thomas again... "Thomas!" Jerimise called out to the taller male, waving him over once he saw him. "How did you do on the exam?" He smiled softly.

[Exellda]

Jerimise soon found himself patted on the head by Thomas. They didn't exchange too many words before he had to watch Thomas turn right around and leave again. Hopefully he wasn't in trouble. Perhaps, if he was lucky, Thomas was getting his exam back. That would be quite convenient, "Good luck Thomas." Jerimise cheered, hoping that whatever Thomas was getting called back for, really was for something good.

 

It didn't take long, thankfully, for Thomas to return. "I didn't have a chance to say that I would be happy to have coffee with you because you left so quickly." Jerimise smiled softly and took Thomas' exam, excited to see how high the other male scored. He saw the score and his mouth dropped, wide open as he let out a gasp. "Wh-what?" Jerimise blinked. He did simple division in his head to deduce what Thomas' score was... And to his surprise... The other male had scored at least two percent higher than he did... "N-not only did you get an A... But you scored higher than me..." Jerimise said in disbelief. He was utterly speechless and flabbergasted. There was no way... Surely..? He had lost his own bet? How? But... A small whimper escaped Jerimise, "It seems I taught you too well..." He huffed softly, coming to the realization that he would have to break the law... and drink alcohol...

 

A nervous smile appeared on Jerimise's face, "I suppose I not only owe you ice cream, but a twenty, something of your choice and..." The ginger haired boy ran a hand through his hair as he looked up at the other male slightly nervously. He didn't know why, but the thought of consuming alcohol made him nervous. He didn't want to get in trouble with the law... "I guess... I'll be drinking with you sometime this weekend?" He asked curiously, wanting to know how soon he was supposed to prepare for his doom. Though, with the way Thomas talked about it, he would have thought alcohol wasn't that bad... But Jerimise knew all too well, he was smart, he knew better than to think that alcohol was okay...

 

Although, now that he thought about it... It wasn't the alcohol that made him nervous... It was the fact that he was probably get drunk really easily, right in front of his student. He would be drunk in front of Thomas... Hopefully he wouldn't say or do anything stupid. It would be devastating to his career if something went askew.

[Exellda]

Now that Thomas mentioned it, he had been a little tired while taking his exam this morning. For the most part it had to do with all of his studies, not to mention his game play almost ever night, and tutoring with Thomas... All of those things had played into Jerimise's tiredness this morning... Not to mention that there were actually a couple times Jerimise had spaced out while thinking about Thomas... He had wondered how the other male would do on his own exam... That and a couple of other things passed his mind...

 

He hummed softly, "Maybe you're right... But still, regardless if I was tired, you beat me anyway... Plus, you seem to be tired as well, so we're even. Are you sure you don't want the twenty? You could use it to buy your coffee." Jerimise said as he pulled out a twenty dollar bill out of his pocket, waving it tauntingly in from of Thomas. "It was a part of the bargain, so it's not a big deal." Jerimise found himself encouraging Thomas to take his money. This scenario actually happened to Jerimise a couple times before with other students he had tutored before. There was a time though his adolescent age when he would get bullied out of his money. Those were not good times.

 

"Friday sounds good..." When Thomas pat him on the back, Jerimise got the clue that they were going to get coffee now. "You'll bring Mikey? You're little doggie?" He asked while smiling softly and let out a small giggle, wondering how Thomas was going to do that. He was going to tell Thomas that he couldn't bring his dog and that if he got caught, Jerimise might get kicked out. However Jerimise was well aware of Thomas's love for his dog and knew that the other male would bring his dog nonetheless so he made no attempts to stop him. "The pictures you showed me on your phone of Mikey- He looks like a real cutie." Jerimise complimented lightly, not really even thinking about it. "Can't wait to finally meet Mikey." He didn't even care about the pizza mentioned. He said as they walked together.

 

"So did you want to hit up the nearest cafe? I know that there is this nice cafe a couple blocks from here. We could walk if you want." Jerimise suggested. It was a nice day so he figured he would offer Thomas a nice walk. They both needed to clear their heads with fresh air after taking the exams. However Jerimise wouldn't say no if Thomas had any other ideas. Sometimes, well actually most of the time, Jerimise was passive. Though on occasion he had his moments where he was assertive. It depended on the situation.

[Exellda]

The reluctance shown by Thomas when taking the money didn't go unnoticed by Jerimise as he pushed up his glasses. Thomas was sure a goofy guy, but alas, Jerimise had to respect that. It was almost strange that someone would decline an offer of money. Most would be excited to earn relatively free cash yet here was Thomas, deny it. Interesting...

 

Luckily the cafe was not too far, he was afraid Thomas would fall over soon without his coffee. Thomas was a good guy, so it seemed. One that was misinterpreted, much like Jerimise had when he first met him. Much to his surprise Thomas was actually a cool guy, he was hard working and very smart, not to mention probably more popular than Jerimise was. Not only that, but Thomas had a declared major. His major would probably get him far in life. It didn't take much for Jerimise to guess that Thomas would be successful. He, on the other had, with the major he had, didn't appear to be getting too far in life. He wouldn't make an abundance of money nor become famous. If he became a professor there would be students that hated him, some would like him. But overall, it would be a decent job... If Jerimise would get over his stage fright.

 

"French vanilla, extra shot please." Jerimise said, declaring that he liked his coffee sweet and as far from black as possible. His taste buds couldn't tolerate the bitterness of just black coffee. At Thomas' question, Jerimise turned his gaze to him, looking at him curiously for a moment. Would Thomas think he was a super nerd if he told him that he played an MMORPG? Probably... But that was okay, he supposed, because it was true. Jerimise's heart was in that game. "I uh... You're gonna thing this is super nerdy... But I love MMORPG's... I'm currently deeply invested in 'Freedom Sword Fantasy' or 'FSF' for short..." Jerimise sighed, "You might not even know what that is..." He said while pushing up his glasses again, he was use to people not knowing. "But that's okay. Just know that it involves many players at once. I play it a lot. I even have a small station of where everything is set up at my home, which I am sure you'll see..." He admitted shyly. Admitting that you liked MMORPG was like asking to be bullied. Even in middle and high school he was a gamer... But once he found this game, it consumed him. "Just don't let Mikey touch it, okay?" It would be horrible if he accidentally lost progress because of Thomas' dog.

 

 

"So... Uh- What about you?" Jerimise asked softly, curiosity intrigued, "Do you have any games that you like or hard set on?" He paused to grab his french vanilla coffee that the waitress dropped off just then. "Thank you, Thomas." Jerimise smiled softly as he looks up from his coffee to Thomas, looking him in the eyes. No one had bothered to buy him coffee before, let alone with the money they just got. "Got any recommendations, while you're at it?"

[Exellda]

Jerimise was almost hopeful that Thomas would be playing FSF too... But sadly, it didn't seem that way. At least Thomas knew of MMORPG's. He wasn't totally in the dark and it appeared that Thomas didn't necessarily disapprove of it... So there was a possibility that he might be able to persuade Thomas to join one day. Now that would be nice. Jerimise didn't know anyone else in real life who played the game... But then again he didn't go out of his way to meet people either. He was too shy for that kind of stuff... That... And he wasn't sure if his online friends would appreciate the fact that his avatar was female... Quite the opposite of what he really was... He would be happy to show Thomas... Maybe... If he would be understanding of his character...

 

"Good, I am sure Mikey will be fun to have over." Jerimise smiled softly. As long as Mikey didn't vandalize his system, he would be okay. Transitioning to the next topic, back to the MMORPG. What level was he..? Jerimise hummed softly as he placed a hand on his coffee cup his thumb brushing up and down. "Well... I am a level 64... But it wasn't all my doing... I kind of had help from another player. I don't know how much you know about the game but that's a decently high level. I wouldn't have been able to achieve such a high level had it not been for the another online player. This guy is maxed out. He's really nice and looks after me, sends me things sometimes." Jerimise said softly with a small smile on his face, his thumb had halted its movements as he talked about this mysterious player. "I was surprised that someone who was so powerful would want to help me. Being a level 38 when we met, I don't know what I did to get so lucky."

 

The ginger briefly wondered what Thomas did at night and was about to ask but he was distracted by Thomas' questions. He wasn't use to someone taking interest in FSF before, let alone actually curious about it. Taking a sip of his coffee, Jerimise looked at Thomas past his cup. Once he set it down, he ran his other hand through his hair, finger twirling his finger lightly through a ginger curl. "I don't mind talking about it I suppose..." If anything, Thomas would soon learn how much Jerimise liked the game. He hoped that he wouldn't bore the other to death...

 

"Well, like many MMORPG's you can customize your character, select a gender and choose what their specialty is... I decided I would pick the Magic Mage... That avatar is allowed to use magic, obviously, but specifically my avatar can use fire abilities as well as healing magic. I can't tell you how many times healing had come in handy... Although they are considered to be the weakest characters, they are essential to survival and unlocking doors, getting out of traps, and opening mystical chests... You can travel, shop, trade and basically almost anything you can do in the real world. I think it's pretty cool." Jerimise shyly veered off a moment, pausing and seemingly embarrassed that he rambled about the game. He blinked, glancing down at his coffee and then back up at Thomas before pursing his lips. After briefly contemplating whether or not he should tell his username... He decided that it wouldn't be too bad to tell Thomas. There might be a chance he would join him on FSF, and for Jerimise, that would make his small awkward world a little bigger. "My username is: Emerald Flame. The avatar I designed has red hair and green with red highlighted armor... So if you ever decide to join, I would help you out." He said softly.

 

At the mention on his french vanilla coffee, Jerimise looked from his coffee to Thomas, tilted his head slightly and smiled- seemingly innocently. "I love french vanilla, so yes, it's good." He let out a small laugh as he pushed up his glasses. While it was true he did like french vanilla... He also noticed how Thomas looked at his coffee and well... This presented Jerimise with a 'friendly' opportunity. So Jerimise -he was so shy when he wasn't teaching, he really needed to fix this...- shyly slid his coffee towards Thomas, "Would you like some..? I wouldn't mind if you'd like a drink. You bought it for me, after all." Yeah, he would share his coffee... He wanted to share because that was a nice thing to do... And if Thomas was comfortable with that...

 

There may have been another reason he wanted to share... But the reasoning was lost somewhere in the back of his mind. Thoughts that had yet to surface.

[Exellda]

-discontinued...-