Chapter Eleven Dungeons & Dragons
Aryn
The convention space was crowded. Conversations overlapping while laughter cut through from unexpected directions.
Costumes, handmade props, stacks of books, and people who looked like they had been waiting all year to be exactly where they were filled the space with an energy that didn’t feel staged.
No one was pretending not to care.
I adjusted the strap of my bag on my shoulder and paused just long enough to take it in with a smile.
It had been ages since I had gone to a convention, mingling with fellow nerds.
Now that I had a modicum of fame, it was harder to go around in public and not be recognized.
Most people were cool with it, but others could sometimes be a problem.
Here, I had the feeling that I would hear more about the sci-fi film I had been in than all my other movies altogether. It would be refreshing.
This was what I wanted to do. I wanted to get back to my roots of science fiction and fantasy. I was tired of cutout Hollywood action films. I wanted something with magic or aliens, swords or lasers.
Preferably both, but I would settle for the world of Ember and Ink if Meri Bennet would just give permission to her publicist to sell the film rights to the studio I was working with.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and for a second I expected it to be my agent or Tara with a schedule update I didn’t want to deal with yet. Instead, when I checked the screen, it was a simple message:
About time you got here four eyes.
I grinned as I turned around and saw my childhood friend Sanjeet Rai.
“San." I greeted him, dropping my bag on the ground and giving the IT technician a big hug.
“Get off me you tall giant," San groused after he gave me a squeeze. “You’ll ruin my reputation."
“I think you already did that when you let that virus loose in college and took down the school servers," I teased, grabbing my bag again.
“That’s old history, bro," San told me. “Do you want to check in first, tour the convention, or go upstairs to see the guys?”
“I already checked in. I know you’ve already mapped out the convention centre for tomorrow so I’ll let you guys take point until I’m needed. Let’s see the guys," I decided, having a hard time keeping the grin off my face. “This is going to be great."
We went to the lobby to grab the next elevator.
“So what kept you so long? I thought you were going to meet us for lunch. Topher will have it all eaten by the time we get up there," San complained.
“I had to take a call from my agent. He’s a little stressed right now. I Dashed my food to the room number you provided," I responded.
“We got it. Still have a thing for curry, I see," San commented.
“Your mom got me on it so it’s all your fault," I lightly replied.
We exited the elevator, heading towards the suite that Ben had reserved.
“What’s the agent all stressed out about? Is your popularity going down?” San joked.
“I’ve been putting off the next project. I was hoping something else would come up before I committed," I explained. We entered the room and I dropped my bag onto the nearest chair.
“You’re late," Topher replied without looking up as he set up the board. “Your food's going to be cold."
“There’s a microwave," I told him as I gave Ben a hug. “I knew you lost weight, but this is crazy, dude. You look good."
“Yeah, Kitty’s got me going to the gym," Ben mentioned. “Good to see you."
Kitty was Ben’s girlfriend. She was also a great person and I really liked the couple.
Not letting Topher off the hook, I gave him a hug as well. “You're as scrawny as ever."
“You’re a big dope," Topher muttered half heartedly.
“But you still love me," I retorted, looking at the board. “Wow. You went all out."
“Well it’s not often we all get together for a game anymore. I got some new things up my sleeve," Topher promised.
“I bow to your excellence , Dungeon Master," I said before noticing a chart on the large screened television “Is that the blueprint for the convention centre?”
“We mapped out the displays, time of events, and the optimal route for tomorrow’s activities," San proudly stated.
“You guys are the ultimate fans," I murmured as I studied the chart. “This is amazing."
“We’re brilliant," Ben stated calmly, grabbing a tablet and zooming in on the blueprint. “We all color coded our preferences of what booths were must visits, nice to visit, and avoid at all costs. You’re welcome to add your preferences and the algorithm will update the chart."
I let out a low whistle, impressed.
Ben leaned back in his chair, studying me with a level of interest that suggested he had already decided this conversation was going somewhere useful.
“So," he said, drawing the word out, “you’re on the panel tomorrow. When were you going to tell us that little detail?”
“It wasn’t a secret," I dryly commented.
“With her ," San added.
“You’re going to have to be more specific. There are a few women who are slated to be there," I teased, knowing the answer.
“You’re on a panel with Elowyn Ashwood," San said, setting his pen down like he needed both hands free for this. “ Elowyn Ashwood ."
Hearing the name out loud still created a slight disconnect. It wasn’t unfamiliar, but it didn’t align cleanly with the person I had been talking to the day before.
“Yes," I agreed.
Topher leaned forward. “You have access to her."
“Sort of. I mean, we are going to be sitting on the same stage at the table together but I don’t know what order they are putting us," I told him.
“He could potentially sit right next to Elowyn," Topher pointed out. “You could ask her questions."
“That’s not how it works. The audience asks questions," I informed them.
“That’s exactly how panels work," San replied. “You sit there. You talk. You ask questions. You answer questions. It’s a controlled environment for information exchange."
“That’s a very formal way to say you want me to interrogate her," I surmised.
“I want you to ask things that matter." San grabbed his notebook again and flipped it open to a page that was already half-filled. He tapped the paper with his pen. I have a list. First, the magic system. Was it always structured the way it is, or did it evolve? Second, Ink’s arc in the second book, was that planned or reactive? Third—”
“You’re not getting through that whole list," I said, taking a seat at the table.
“I can prioritize," he replied immediately, stroking out a few of the questions.
Ben raised his hand. “What’s her plan for the future of Acca? She left it wide open. Is it going to pop up again or is there going to be a spin off series?”
“Look, I might not get to ask questions," I said. “I might not even get to speak to her."
“Then you push," Topher added.
“I’m not pushing," I said, thinking of Meri and how she would probably be overwhelmed by someone pushy. Suddenly, I felt a little uncomfortable at the thought.
“You’re wasting the opportunity," he said.
“I’m participating in a panel," I corrected, bringing my attention back to the guys.
Topher sat down, grabbing his tablet. “Ask about the ending. Is there anything she can tell us?”
“I’m not asking for spoilers."
“It’s not spoilers," he insisted. “It’s structural confirmation."
“That sounds like spoilers," I said.
San tilted his head slightly. “Ask if she’s single."
The table went quiet for a beat, which told me they were all waiting for my reaction.
“I’m not asking that," I said.
“Why not?” he asked.
“Because it has nothing to do with anything we just discussed. That’s personal," I protested.
“It has everything to do with it," Topher said. “You’re meeting her. You’re on a panel with her. This is a limited window."
“That’s not relevant."
“It’s relevant to me. Maybe she’s into IT guys. Ask her that," San insisted.
“I’m not asking her that," I said again, more firmly.
San closed his notebook with a snap. “Coward."
“I’m not asking a stranger about her relationship status in front of an audience," I said.
“She won’t be a stranger," Topher pointed out. “You’ve already met her."
I hesitated for half a second, which was enough for all of them to notice.
“Oh, that’s interesting," Ben said.
“What? You’ve met her?” San’s head swivelled between Topher and I.
“I… Yes, I’ve met her. Briefly." I fervently wished Topher hadn’t spilled the beans.
“He’s hoping to get her to agree to let him be in the movie they make of Ember and Ink," Topher blithely said.
“Nothing is settled. The publisher and studio are in negotiations," I quickly disabused them of thinking that this was a sure thing.
“Who would you play?” Ben wondered.
“Ink," I answered.
“You? As Ink?” San looked at me in disbelief.
“Why not? I’m a nerd who loves all things magic. I could be Ink," I defended.
Ben snorted.
“What?” I asked with a frown.
“Ink is a scholar. He’s super smart. He’s… not you," Ben gently told me.
“Hey, I have a masters in microbiology. I’m smart," I mentioned, a little upset that my friends didn’t see my vision. “I can play Ink."
“What they are saying is that you might be too handsome, four eyes," San added.
“The studio loved the idea when I pitched it to them," I told them, a little annoyed.
“You really think it should be a movie?” San slid his notebook aside and leaned back in his chair.
“It could," I said.
Topher shook his head. “I don’t know."
“Why not?”
“Because not everything translates," he said. “You compress it, you lose something."
Ben nodded. “They did that with that trilogy Hunting Hoards a few years ago. It looked great, but it didn’t feel right."
“They cut the middle out," San added. “All the development, all the setup. It turned into a highlight reel."
“That’s a bad adaptation," I mused.
“That’s a common adaptation," Topher replied. “Two hours isn’t enough for something that is layered."
“It depends how it’s handled," I said.
“Maybe it should be a series of movies. Or better yet, a television series," Topher mentioned.
I didn’t answer that right away, because the question didn’t have a simple answer. I wanted the role. That part was easy to admit. What wasn’t easy was reconciling that with the possibility that taking it the wrong way would undermine the thing that made it worth doing in the first place.
“Some stories are meant to take their time," San said. “You rush them and they fall apart."
I leaned back slightly, letting that settle in a way I didn’t entirely like.
They weren’t wrong.
That was the problem.
“You’d still want the role, though," Ben said.
“That’s not the question."
“It’s part of it."
I picked up the character sheet in front of me instead of answering. “Are we playing or not?”
San grinned immediately. “We’re playing."