Book 3 - Chapter 48 : A New Tablet Opens New Opportunities

= Sarah POV =

After breakfast, Chris and I tidied up before Chris had to leave for work. I found myself lingering at the door as Chris put on her shoes, our conversation light and platonic, however just as I was about to say goodbye, I found myself pushed up against the wall next to the door, Chris' hands cupping the back of my head and my waist, pulling me into a deep, passionate kiss, leaving me dizzy and overwhelmed.

"Y-You're supposed to make a request," I gasped as she pulled away. However, I was greeted by a smirk.

"Sarah, I did, you were just not paying attention," She grinned, lightly tapping my nose before leaving the house, the door closing behind her with a soft click.

I sank to the ground, my heart pounding in my chest. It never seemed to get easier to process being kissed by her. The touch of her hands and the intensity of her body on mine was so overwhelming every time; I felt as if I was drowning.

A sharp knock on the door startled me and made me jump to my feet. I opened the door to find a delivery person standing on the other side, holding out a parcel and asking me to sign for it. Once I had signed for it, I closed the door and returned to my room with the box in hand. I set it no my bed and went off to find a pair of scissors to open the box.

To my surprise and delight, when I opened the box, I found the tablet my subscriber @CatChef47 had purchased for me! I eagerly brought it over to my desk and looked up videos on the internet about how to set it up. 

After a couple of hours of setting up, I finally had everything in place. The new drawing tablet sat proudly on the side table, my cameras were perfectly positioned—one focused on my hands as they moved over the tablet, the other capturing my face—and the software was up and running without a hitch.

With a deep breath and a grin, I hit the "Go Live" button.

The chat filled with a flurry of greetings almost immediately.

"SHE'S BACK!!!"

"New tablet who dis?"

"Waaah fancy setup!"

"Mommy? Sorry. Mommy?"

I laughed, shaking my head as I leaned toward the mic. "Hey, everyone! Look at what came in today!" I held up the sleek tablet dramatically, letting the camera get a good look before setting it back down. "That's right, we are officially back in business. No more struggling with my old, laggy mess of a tablet. Look at me—a professional again!"

The chat exploded with hype.

"WOOO!!"

"OUR QUEEN HAS RISEN."

"Let's goooo, art stream era!!!"

I grinned as I glanced at the scrolling messages. "Alright, alright, so… what should we draw first? Since this is the grand debut of the New And Improved Setup, it's only fair you guys get a say."

Suggestions poured in. Some were normal—dragons, portraits, fanart. Others? Not so much.

"Draw a buff cat, pls."

"Gimme a goth vampire gf. My life depends on it."

"Self-portrait, but you're a potato."

I snorted at that last one. "You guys really want Potato Pinkie to be the first masterpiece on this tablet? Not happening. Maybe next time."

I finally settled on sketching a dragon—classic, dramatic, full of gorgeous detail. As I worked, I kept up the banter, answering random questions, laughing at the chaos in chat, and indulging in the occasional "hydrate check" when someone reminded me to drink water.

A couple of hours in, I had finished two dragons—one majestic and fearsome, the other looking suspiciously derpy.

"Alright, one more before we wrap up," I mused, cracking my fingers. "Let's do something fun. Something cursed."

And that's how I ended up drawing a bag of potato chips—except, instead of chips, the bag was filled with tiny kitten versions of my subscribers.

The chat lost it.

"OMG IT'S US!!!"

"I'm the one in the corner, screaming."

"WHY AM I EATING MYSELF."

"This is the best thing I've ever seen."

I grinned, adding tiny, chaotic expressions to the kittens, some peeking out from the bag, others clinging to the edges like their lives depended on it.

As the hours stretched on, I started feeling a little disappointed. The person who had gifted me the tablet hadn't shown up in chat yet, and a small part of me had been hoping they would. I stifled a yawn and decided it was time to start wrapping things up.

"Alright, guys, I think that's it for today," I said, stretching my arms over my head. "This was such a fun stream! I missed drawing so much, and—"

"Oh? Ending so soon? That's too bad—I just popped in and missed all the fun."

The message from @CatChef47 appeared in chat, and I nearly squealed. Instead, I clapped my hands together in excitement—only to immediately regret it as chat exploded with complaints.

"OWWW my ears!!"

"BRO, I just got flash banged by sound."

"Pinkie pls, have mercy on us poor headphone users."

I winced, pressing my hands together in apology. "Ahh! Sorry, sorry! Got too excited!" I turned my attention back to chat, my grin impossible to hide. "@CatChef47, I'm so happy you're here! Look—your tablet arrived! I've been drawing again all day! What do you think?"

"I think you're incredibly talented. You should set up a way for us to commission you."

I hesitated, biting my lip. "Aww… but I'm not that great," I murmured, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "I don't think anyone would actually pay me to draw something for them…"

"I would," @MaiseBell chimed in.

"Same," @AmbletonPies added.

And then—before I could even process what was happening—the chat flooded with "I would" messages, followed by suggestions on what types of commissions I should offer.

I covered my mouth, overwhelmed. "You guys… this is so kind," I said, my voice soft with gratitude. "Okay, okay! I'll let you know when I set something up, promise."

Before I could continue, my phone lit up with a message from Chris. I glanced at it quickly, then sighed. "Alright, I really gotta end it here, guys. Seven hours? Damn, no wonder I'm exhausted!"

Someone in chat checked the uptime and confirmed it.

"7 hours 13 minutes and 42 seconds, to be exact."

I let out a breathless laugh. "Whew, yeah. Definitely time to call it a night. Thank you all so much for hanging out with me today—I had such a good time!"

"Looking forward to your next art stream!" @MaiseBell wrote.

I beamed. "Same! This was way too fun—I'll absolutely do this again soon. Love you guys! Byeee!"

I waved enthusiastically at the camera, waiting a second before finally ending the stream.

The screen went dark, but my heart was still glowing.

I sighed and switched off my computer. I went through each of my attached cameras and unplugged them; now that I was using two devices and was connected to the tablet, I could feel my computer overheating, so it was best to remove and put away all accessories to preserve the longevity of the devices. 

After I was done, I grabbed my phone, flopped on the bed, and opened the message Chris left. She said she would be working overtime and as a result had ordered my favorite fried chicken for my dinner. 

I couldn't help but grin. I swear something had changed about her demeanor over the last few hours; maybe team-building activities such as last night's karaoke session do have a positive impact on people's mental health. I sighed and looked up at the ceiling, wondering when the next company party would be was since it meant that Chris' mood would improve significantly.

I decided to look into the "Strikes" app Chris had set up for me, and to my surprise, two strikes had been deducted. For the first time, there were little notes attached to the strikes, so I clicked on it, and it popped open.

"Redeemed one sleep on Sarah's bed".

"Redeemed stolen kiss before work".

I felt my face grow so hot. So she DID sleep in my bed last night! And she HADN'T requested the kiss this morning at all!

I rolled over to my pillow and buried my face into it, and hoping she would redeem another strike tonight as well.