2. Quinn #2
He turned on a pop music channel and hummed along as he heated beef stew for supper. Along with the sourdough bread he had picked up from Bear Necessities earlier in the week, it would be a filling meal, topped off with a few cookies and a couple of fingers of whiskey.
He scanned his shelf of DVDs, full of favorite old monster movies and all of the Transformers flicks.
Quinn chuckled at that, now that he lived in a place where people really did shift into something else.
Subconscious preparation? he wondered, not for the first time.
Movies were good, and he had a couple of books he’d started reading, but tonight he wanted something a bit more social.
Feeling warm, full, and settled, Quinn logged into the long-running online RPG he had been playing for a couple of years.
The core group had remained surprisingly committed, although he was sure that over that time some of the other players had probably moved and changed jobs like he had.
He could join several in-person groups that met at the library in town and had gone to a couple of sessions for fun, but he liked the camaraderie that time and shared experience had built in his online campaign.
Quinn settled into the comfortable banter as the group slayed orcs and zombies. Liam’s comment about dragons came to mind, and he pushed it aside to think about later. Tonight’s game was fast-paced and challenging, and lifted Quinn’s spirits by the time the group claimed their fictional treasure.
An odd note came from Tracker, the only member who didn’t live in Fox Hollow. Quinn had gotten to know him well enough outside of gameplay to know his real name, Dan. He didn’t seem quite himself, and Quinn picked up sad vibes despite their virtual connection.
When he offered to chat privately with Dan after the game ended, Quinn was glad and relieved the guy accepted. “How can I help?”
Dan shared the things weighing on his mind.
Quinn had the feeling there was more left unsaid, but he didn’t want to push.
He didn’t know if Dan had supernatural abilities of some sort, but he couldn’t shake the sense that might be the case.
Whether it had to do with his daemon whispering ability or not, Quinn’s intuition was rarely wrong.
When Dan admitted that he had somewhat unusual abilities that weren’t a fit in his small town, Quinn smiled, happy he had read the situation right. Even better, Dan was located in Massachusetts, not terribly far from northern New York.
“I live in Fox Hollow, which has a long tradition of supporting people with special supernatural talents,” Quinn told Dan, hoping the other man could pick up on his excitement.
“At the least, you could maybe talk to folks here and get a fresh perspective. And if you like what you see, there’s always room for new residents.
I’d be glad to introduce you to people and show you around. ”
“I could use getting out of town for a while,” Dan said. “I work from home, so I’m pretty flexible. Give me a day to wrap up a couple things, and prep the house to be gone, and I can head out.”
“Awesome!” Quinn responded. “You’ve got my phone number now, and I’ll send directions to Fox Hollow.
You’d be welcome to stay with me, but I understand that you might like to actually meet me first, so how about if I help with a hotel reservation for you once you know when you’ll arrive?
I’ll message you with your options and my recommendation so you can check them out. ”
“I’d really appreciate that. Thank you for going to all the trouble.”
“No trouble at all,” Quinn assured him. “Looking forward to meeting you in the real world.”
The conversation ended, and Quinn sat looking at his computer for a moment, surprised at how quickly everything had come together and how enthusiastic he had been to reach out to someone who, despite their gameplay, was still a stranger.
He didn’t think his nature spirits would be much help in determining whether Dan might be a good prospective love interest and wished he were more of a psychic.
I don’t want a fling. If we start something, I want it to last. Might Dan be the one? Would he really move to Fox Hollow? Could we make it work?
Quinn knew he was getting far ahead of himself. Get him here, show him around, help him solve his problem, and try to make a good impression. After that…we’ll see if there’s an after that.
Four days later, Quinn got a call from an unfamiliar number early in the morning. He almost didn’t answer, but his intuition told him it was important.
“Quinn? This is Dan. You said for me to call when I was ready to visit. I was planning to head your way today. It’s okay if you’re busy, I wasn’t sure when things would come together for me to leave, but I’d love to meet up when it’s convenient.”
Since their previous conversation, Quinn had been thinking about Dan and how much he liked his voice. He wondered if Dan would be as attractive as he sounded.
“That’s great,” Quinn replied. “You’re probably going to get in late tonight, but I can make a hotel reservation if you’d like, or I can give you your options again if you want to do it yourself.”
“Already made one at the place you recommended,” Dan said. “But thanks, anyhow. Are you free tomorrow? I’ll be exhausted tonight after the long drive, but I’m open the next day.”
Quinn double-checked his calendar, assuring himself that he could go into town for the morning and rearrange his usual routine. “I’ll meet you at Bear Necessities Coffee and Café at nine thirty if that’s not too early. You’ll be able to grab a light breakfast, and they’ve got really good coffee.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” Dan replied. “Thank you.”
“I’m looking forward to it, too. Just think, an adventure we’re actually doing in person!” Quinn said, pleased when Dan laughed.
He’s just visiting. If he doesn’t like it, he won’t come back. But I have the feeling he needs a fresh start. Maybe even more than he realizes. I can’t shake the feeling that there’s more going on. I guess if he wants me to know, he’ll tell me. I hope he’s as interesting in person as he is online.
Quinn knew most of their RPG group in real life, since they lived in Fox Hollow.
Dan had joined long enough ago to no longer seem like the new kid.
Despite communicating mostly via game chat, Quinn found himself intrigued and then low-key attracted by Dan’s wry sense of humor and enthusiastic gameplay.
You can tell a lot about a person by the way they play. He’s not a glory hog, and he shares the spoils. If the party gets in a jam, he sticks around to fight it out. More than once, he’s taken a risk to help get an injured member out of danger.
Maybe it’s all just pretend, but people show more of themselves than they realize when they get sucked into a game.
Quinn realized that he had been unconsciously keeping score, paying attention to how Dan played, and enjoying sharing the campaigns with him. Talking to him made Quinn’s heart race, and the opportunity to meet in real life made his palms sweat.
Oh my God. Do I have a crush on him, and didn’t even know it?
He sighed as he had to admit the truth to himself.
I’ve just lived up to every geeky stereotype.
I don’t know anything about him, what he does for a living, how old he is, his favorite foods, or his general likes and dislikes.
He said he had abilities, but that doesn’t automatically mean he’s a shifter.
I don’t even know if he’s gay. Then again, I haven’t been interested in anyone in a long time, beyond a quick roll in the hay.
He and I have always teamed up well together in the game.
Is my intuition picking up on something?
Quinn had always heard about gaydar, the rumored ability to automatically know if a new acquaintance batted for his team.
He remained skeptical, thinking about mishaps his friends had experienced relying on first impressions, some funny and others dangerous.
He had usually played it safe by just going to a gay bar.
To his surprise, Fox Hollow was very gay-friendly, although since residents also accepted seers, witches, mediums, and shifters, maybe he shouldn’t have worried that another type of difference would be a problem.
While Quinn knew several married gay couples in town, those folks were already spoken for.
No one had made an obvious play for him on his trips into town, so Quinn left well enough alone for now, uncomfortable with the thought of asking any of his friends to fix him up with someone.
Being a park ranger didn’t offer a lot of opportunities to be “single and ready to mingle.”
A gay daemon whisperer. Now there’s a challenge for a dating service.
Quinn tried to put the questions out of his mind as he got ready for work, but found himself wondering about Dan.
What does he look like? Is he close to my age?
Taller or shorter? Blond, brunette, or redhead?
Quinn had dated a broad range of partners but found himself gravitating toward blue-eyed brunettes.
Does he work out? Is he a bodybuilder or a twink? Quinn’s job required being fit and fairly strong with the endurance for long hikes on hilly terrain. He didn’t have a strong preference for body type if the general attraction was compelling enough.
Will he freak out about shifters? Because that would be a deal-killer, even if he’s pretty.
I shouldn’t get my hopes up. He could turn out to be a perfectly nice gaming friend without any other possibilities. But what if… he thought as he drove to the ranger station.
Quinn threw himself into the regular chores of his job. When he wasn’t arresting poachers, his responsibilities ranged from making sure that trails and emergency shelters were undamaged, noting where repairs were needed, and pulling away fallen branches that might endanger hikers.