Chapter 6: When It shows that I care, I really do.

"I truly believe in the saying, actions speak louder than words. But then, what if actions reflect what the words refuse to say? When the intensity of the emotions and realities hidden in plain sight were so deep, what will the actions say?

Chapter 6: When It shows that I care, I really do.

"Aren't you bothered by the gender roles that some people may push upon our duo? Amy asked me.

"Never in a thousand years!" I replied, " why will I be bothered by anyone's opinion about us? Are they part of our duo?"

"Well, if you put it that way, yah, they couldn't care less." says Amy. "I actually don't mind you being the support player. It is not about gender roles here but basic game stats. Me, being the tougher player is the Tank and you the more powerful player is the support."

"Well, considering that no one else is part of our duo, I only care about what you think."

"I think we're awesome!"

"Yeah!!!"

"To hell with them!"

"To hell with you all!!!" We shouted in unison. Then, we had a few minutes of laughter.

When we tried to go to another dungeon in Murroc, we encountered a few new girl players. Ben healed them, and we shared some items with them. They were so surprised by the most generous and helpful duo they ever met in Ragnarok. They also commented that although they see that we are so perfect together, if we become their friends, they will be so thankful. We acknowledged them promptly, but we declined their friend requests. We politely bade them goodbye and started to leave the area, eliciting some giggles from the girls. 

"Best wishes!" They teased us.

"What? No, we're not a couple on our honeymoon!" Amy retorted.

"Hey, we said nothing like that, but you seemed so guilty!" They replied. Their giggles erupted into laughter!

Hey, Ben, you're smiling at those remarks? I thought to myself. I told my mind to shut up and think about something else…

Amelia! Why did you say that? Do you really feel that way? Is it an admission on your part about something you would never ever dare to speak of? What happened?!!!!! 

We tried to shrug off the remarks and fought on. We downed some wild roses and many skeletons, Acidus, Agav and others. We almost died a few times, but our invincible combo of Aggro, Sanctuary, Blessings and Heal saved us every time! We almost swear that we are one spirit. We are so bonded beyond what we ever imagined. Our bond was so overwhelming that we never had to question another's decisions because they actually reflected the very thing that we would ask of the other. Impeccably amazing! Truly splendid!

When we had already expended our potions, we went to the town proper to buy some more. We begin to see that we are amassing more Zenys than we are spending! Judging by the full storage we have, we often spend more and more time talking and optimizing our stashes! Inside those dungeons, we are unstoppable! We are so lucky because of my Luck stats! 

We grow more fondness of our own little online world. Our achievements and adventures made us happy and drew us closer to each other. Too close to be Just fighting buddies. We never knew that one single moment would eventually grow to this. We never thought that an online friendship would radically change a person's life. I never thought that I'd be able to care for someone like the way I cared for Amy. I honestly cared for her more than I cared for myself and I'm so confident that the feelings are mutual. We never knew that we could be this happy, but here we are, elated and blissful beyond what we could ever ask for in an RPG game.

—

Our real life reflected the progress and triumph achieved in our virtual world, somehow our experiences created the necessary factors that developed our personality. Amy had been more humble and significantly mild mannered. She clearly mellowed from the usual primadonna to a genuinely friendly person. I had been more confident, and the extended time we spent online made me significantly chubbier. I am no longer the Skin and Bones monster, I'm now a stubby, cute guy. 

But we still respect each other's privacy that we never asked about each other's personal details except their real names. But recently, I talked with a friend at school, who taught me about the PINgs at Ragnarok that he can analyze to pinpoint at least the geographical area where a particular player is hailing from. But I refused to talk about it. I am okay with Amy's company. I would never bother to know where she is in real life unless it is okay with her. So far, we've never talked about our off-line personal lives.

Amy had been changed too. Even Danny has been so happy that Amy has been so cheerful lately. She is so happy that she would fret less and less each day. She is also not anymore demanding to her dwindling number of minions. She also spent less and less time loitering at school, at the mall, and would rather go home and play Ragnarok. She had a Screenshot of a gameplay that she made to be printed in a life sized tarp and plastered it on her room wall. Her room is now filled with pictures of her Ragnarok adventures with Ben.

"You have a new tarp? Amelia, your wall is now full of Ragnarok tarps and the entire room is already turning into a Ragnarok Warp scene! If I know better, the time you spent in that game is an indication of your newfound obsession! What happened to you?!!!" Danny exclaimed.

"Oh come on! Haven't you seen that I already had more money because of Ragnarok? Haven't you seen how happier I have been, knowing that I could now earn as much as 10% of the income of our store downstairs? " I replied.

"Was it really about the money Amelia?" Danny teased. "Wasn't it because of Ben?"

Wasn't it? Of course it is! But can I admit it to Danny just like this? Oh, hell no!

"Oh, come on Danny! Aren't you happy that your friend is really earning serious money even if I'm still in High School?  You are so damn ridiculous!" I retorted. " Hey, it has been several times that we ate outside on my earnings! I bought many things that I wanted because of my Ragnarok money. And the best thing is that I don't have to ask and burden my mom about things i would like to buy! I even paid our electric bill twice in a row, and the phone bill thrice! Of course, I am so fired up by my earnings! Four grand a night! Crisp and heavy Four grand a night, Danny! How could you ever beat that?

"Well, if you put it that way, even me, I'll be really hooked on this Ragnarok thing. Sadly for me, I've never had a liking for an online game. It is too complicated for me 'cause there's too many factors to consider, there are too many things to do. Although if you would help me, I may be able to do that too."

"Nah! Sorry, Danny but this time, I fly on my own."

"Is it because of that boy? I will never take him away from you. I promise!"

"It's not about that. I just feel like I'm on my own."

Is it the truth Amy? Isn't Danny your best friend? Are you now starting to hide things from him?

Shut up! What will I say to him? We really got nothing going on. We are not a couple. We are just fighting buddies. Will it matter if I divulge to him all the confusion that I feel every time I am with Ben? Shall I tell him that I am so thrilled the moment I see his indicator lit up? Shall I tell Danny that I can lay down my Ragnarok life For Ben? Will it matter at all if Ben really doesn't even have a single clue of even a speck of those feelings I have for him?

At least you can be honest with yourself and with Danny. Or better yet, you could definitely tell your mom if you can't tell Danny. 

My Mom! Are you nuts! What will my mom say? What will she do? Will she allow me to still play?

You know your mom don't you? Are you confident that she loves you so very much?

Well I do….

"This is serious, Amelia," Danny finally spoke. "It was the first time that you're speechless for almost twenty minutes. You have never ever had been like this. The Amelia I knew was a talkative, assertive, primadonna. This is really, really, serious. You're serious, I'm serious"

"Am I silent that long?" I timidly asked Danny, looking at him with my cutest puppy eyes.

"Yes you are." And Danny hugged me tight, empathizing with me.