From the Cosmos. [gxg]

vi. darkness891

Marisol kicked her shoes off as she entered her apartment. It had been a few days since Colette's photoshoot. Time since then had been spent choosing the photos that were going to be used in the next publication and editing them. Colette would be the star of Queenly's December 2020 edition. At the beginning of the day, all of the photos were projected one by one onto one of the building's blank walls for photographers and editors to review.

The second shoot, after the cover shoot, featured a summer outfit. It was quickly vetoed. Though the photos were good, they were off touch for a December issue, and though Queenly wasn't exactly going for a winter theme, it was still too off kilter. The rest of the photos fit the time very well. Colette's shoot was based off of the looks from the 2018 Met Gala, full of religious iconography and extravagance. Several of her outfits fit the bill, but only a handful of photos were perfect for the magazine.

When the photos were picked, it was off to photoshop. Queenly had a strict standard to uphold in their print, but the magazine's did minimal editing to the actual model. The magazine company was focused on Women's empowerment, and ever since its founding, refused to photoshop their models. The most that would happen is changes in colors, lighting, and effects in the photo. This ideology was one that made Marisol proud to work for Queenly.

Marisol let the stress from the day roll off of her shoulders. She enjoyed her work, though it was still tiring. The next day would be easier: she'd be helping with brainstorming for Isaac's next shoot and helping him find props. It would be a creativity day. For now though, she'd make rice and heat up some of the sinigang she had made the night before. She could feel hunger gnawing at her stomach.

She paced to the kitchen, where the rice cooker sat in it's designated spot. Originally it sat under a cupboard, but both her and Nevada used the appliance so much that it earned a permanent spot on the counter. She took the metal bowl from the interior, scooped in enough rice for both her and Nevada, and rinsed it. She then filled it up with just enough water to cook (she didn't like her rice to be sticky,) and popped it back into the machine. She then closed the lid, plugged the cooker in, and left it alone.

Before she could get to the refrigerator to pull out the leftover soup, Nevada popped into the kitchen. Marisol had no idea they were even in the apartment.

"Hey, Mari! What's for dinner?" they asked, peering at the rice cooker.

"The sinigang I made last night," she said, walking towards the fridge, "If that's okay with you."

"Hell yeah," Nevada said. They hoisted themself onto one of the empty counter spaces, watching Marisol as she pulled a full tupperware container out of the fridge and walked back to the oven.

"Hey, pass me a pot."

Nevada reached to the left and grabbed a pot from where they hung over the sink. They handed it to Marisol, who took it and put it on a burner. Marisol poured the cold soup into the pan and then turned the oven dial to the warm setting. Now, all she had to do was wait. She looked at Nevada, who was still perched on the kitchen counter.

"Hey, want to play Minecraft after dinner?" Nevada asked.

"How about Neverwinter instead?" Marisol suggested, "We haven't played that in a while."

"Feeling nostalgic?"

Marisol smiled. "A little."

Once they were done eating, Nevada pulled out their spare gaming laptop. To Marisol, the idea of having a spare expensive gaming computer seemed insane, but she never dared ask Nevada just how much money they made from gaming. Marisol was thankful, however. Her own computer was meant for business, not for gaming. Marisol sat on the couch and set the laptop on her lap, the wireless mouse resting next to her. She opened Neverwinter.

"You signed in, SunnieBunnie?" Nevada asked, peeking over their shoulder at the couch.

Marisol cringed at the nickname. It was the name of her first character in the game, as well as the persona she met Nevada under. The two of them were only 13 when they met. "Yes I am, Darkness891," said Marisol, "Are you?"

"Woah, low blow."

"You used my old name, so I used yours."

"Yeah, but mine is so much worse."

Marisol snickered. If she had told herself that she'd be living with the kid she met over Neverwinter as a teen, she'd never believe it. However, ever since they started chatting over the video game, they had clicked. Soon, they got to sharing selfies, video chatting, and eventually meeting in person. Neither of them seemed to have a concept of how dangerous that might have been when they were younger. They got lucky that neither of them happened to be chatting with some weird old man.

"Are we using any specific characters?" Marisol asked.

"Nah, choose whatever."

Marisol nodded and clicked through her several avatars. She settled on one of the newer ones: a half-orc warlock. Her character spawned in the world. Within a few seconds, Nevada's character spawned also.

"Help me with a quest?" Nevada asked.

"Sure thing," Marisol responded, "Lead the way."