Chapter 44: Making Plans

Dex logged off the Net on Hugh's behalf, then followed him out the door and across the hall. Hugh knocked carefully on the door, sensing the doctor might explode if he barged in uninvited.

Frankie stiffened at first, then slowly relaxed as he turned around to wave for Hugh and Dex to enter. He started talking before Hugh took more than two steps inside. "Well, I'm sorry to say I will not be able to keep up my end of the bargain where furnishing your house is concerned. After you left, Director Laos showed up and pulled me into a private conference call with the Board. They forgave me for hiring you as a consultant without their approval since you've already proved your worth. It helped how you stood up to Wen and the items you pulled out of your Vault. However, they consider the way I left my Navigator behind to be a personal problem and won't authorize the expenditure to furnish your house in exchange for escorting me back."

"That's okay, I can afford to get my own stuff," Hugh replied. "And honestly, you don't actually need an escort. It's not like the place will be dangerous and you can ask an NPC to guide you so you don't get lost. That's not to say I'll leave you high and dry. I'll loan you the bicycles Dex and I used to make the trip go a little faster. In exchange, how about you buy me dinner sometime after the Nexus Food Court is up and running?"

"I... Oh." Frankie blushed for some reason and quickly nodded. "Yes, I can do that."

"Do you want to head out now or in the morning?" Hugh asked. "If you head out now, you might make it before midnight and your Navigator's daily spawn allotment resets, but I'm not sure it's smart to bike across country by moonlight. You might ride straight into a river or something."

"I think I'll cut my losses and stay here tonight. I'm just not sure whether I should get a hotel room or go ahead and purchase a condo."

"Wait on the condo. Dex says each building has a different amenities package. You should shop around before you buy. It's what I'm going to do. Besides, hotel rooms are insanely cheap. Dex, didn't you say a basic one was only a buck?"

"One Zettabit, yes. That's without any room upgrades, such as a bigger bed, an executive bathroom, or a balcony. You're looking at a prison cell for only a single Zettabit."

"How much with all the upgrades?"

"Approximately five thousand. It really depends on what hotel you pick. Different ones have different upgrade options."

Hugh's breath whooshed out at the high number. "Okay, how about just for a bigger bed and a bigger shower? I don't care if it's only for one night. I'm not going to try and squeeze my big ass into one of those tube showers they use in economy suites."

"With just those, you're looking at around fifty a night."

"Then lead on to the closest one. I'm ready for a bath, dinner, then bed. Frankie, you're welcome to join us for dinner. One of the items I pulled out of my Vault is Maia's Cornucopia. I can only use it five times, but it summons an entire Thanksgiving dinner. There will be plenty for all three of us."

"If you're sure I wouldn't be imposing," he replied demurely.

Hugh raised an eyebrow as he held the door open for him. "I don't think you could be imposing if you tried. You're a lot smaller than me, Doc."

Frankie's lips parted at the unexpected response, but laughed when Hugh cracked a smile to let him know it'd been a joke.

"Cute," he said as they followed Dex to the elevator. "You know, if I hadn't seen it for myself, I never would have guessed you were a gamer. You seem like the type to be drawn toward a career in sports or a more active field like firefighting."

"I get that a lot. I think I've figured out it's not the height so much as the muscles that make people expect it. Stereotypes suck and being big, fat gamer isn't as surprising as a big, muscled gamer. But I actually enjoy lifting weights. It helps clear my head when I'm trying to figure out what I did wrong in a dungeon or need to deal with my emotions after an epic clusterfuck where everything goes wrong. And it's not hard to keep the fat off when you don't have the money laying around for a bunch of sugary snacks. When I moved out on my own, I learned really fast ramen noodles might be cheap, but so are canned fruits and vegetables."

He patted his stomach and winced at the extra padding there.

"That's not to say I'm perfect," he added hurriedly. "I hate doing sit-ups and core exercises. That's probably why my strength rating is so low right now. That, and I never got the hang of running. I guess I'll have to work on both of those or I'll be eaten alive the first time I run up against an ex-military gamer."

"I could give you some tips on running," Frankie offered shyly. "I usually go for a mile or two every morning to wake up. Maybe you'd like to go together sometime?"

"I wouldn't want to slow you down," Hugh replied. "But yeah, if you wouldn't mind giving some tips, I'd love to hear them. Not tomorrow, though. You're already going to get enough exercise traveling back to your spawn point and I think I need to spend the morning getting more acquainted with my Book. I unlocked a ton of pages I haven't had time to look over and I need to make sure I know what I'm talking about before I face off with your Medical Group tomorrow."

"Then we'll plan for the day after," Frankie said easily.

"It's a date."