A Challenger Approaches.... {Greysmith x FemShep}

Once evening fell on SDCC, it was an all-out rave party. Bright lights blasted from every vendor, painting the ceiling and patrons in every color and pattern, giving the arena an atmosphere of levity. Though with nightfall brought another aspect to the con; competition. Conference rooms were packed with gamers of all kinds, FPS, RPG, MMOs, RTS…. They were all represented here. Greyson however found his itch was only scratched for one kind of genre, that being fighting games, Street Fighter in particular. He had done very well in previous challenges, being crowned the reigning champion for Super Street Fighter IV at last year’s con, and having held his title in online competitions throughout the year. However, defending ones title was quite another battle, and only the best would seek to challenge him now.

There was a deafening roar of applause when he entered the large room, filled with fans of the game, eager to watch him hash it out with other lovers of the game on massive overhead screens. The music was thumping on the walls. He glanced toward the other end of the room, seeing his image projected on the screens. It still felt odd, all this attention… he never really considered himself much to look at, but he supposed given the general populous of gamers, anyone under 300 pounds and breathing through the nose rather than mouth was a good representative for community. He was tall, almost lanky, about a head over most people, standing around 6ft 6, broad shouldered naturally and slender. He had some muscle tone, but wasn’t exactly magazine cover quality. His features matched his build, straight, slim nose and large greenish eyes, they had cleaned him up nicely for the cameras, his agent had demanded it. Though he wasn’t sure how he felt about the hair- his thick messy mane of brown tendrils replaced with a sort of Mohawk, closely shaved on the sides and textured everywhere else. He kept glancing to the monitors, assessing his appearance, wondering why they had wanted him so clean cut; this was a gaming competition after all. Every inch of him felt as though it had some sponsored logo on it – It paid the bills sure, but it was becoming a little garish. T-shirt, hoodie, jeans, sneakers; all of it paid to be seen on his back.

“How you feeling?” He heard his agent bark in his ear. He gave a small smile and a nod, not really looking to converse. If anything he just wanted to get in there with his people, and play the game he loved. It didn’t take long for his wish to be fulfilled however, hearing the announcer pick up the mic and begin rattling off the rules and competitors. Greyson was excited to see some familiar faces from other competitions throughout the year, giving a wave here and there. Though there were definitely some strangers, and it made his heart thunder with excitement – a new challenge was a welcome one.

RE: A Challenger Approaches....

There was so much see and do at this famous and huge convention. The rave with it's colorful lights glowing in a pitch black room with loud techno and dubstep music shaking the place seemed to be one of the most popular places to go, but what caught Emilee's attention was the competitions. The thrill of the crowd cheering you on, the amazing feeling of success after the victory was simply intoxicating to her. This was the first competition she's ever participated in and needless to say she was on edge. Her friends begged her to go with them to the rave, but Emilee was determined to show she was just as skilled as any other gamer if not better. It was all in fun, but the competitors could be intense to be around.

Emilee has always been just another gamer in the audience, but not this time. This time she was standing as a competitor. The cheering crowd and the speaker busting music fueled a fire in her belly. A determination to be the best as she could be filled her entire body. FPS, RPG, MMO, RTS, all games she played and loved. There was no genre of game she didn't stick to, but this was a competition for fighting styled games. While her favorite was Mortal Kombat, Emilee played quite a lot of street fighter too. She could beat her friends, but she's never gone up against the gamers in tournaments, but she couldn't let that stop her for going on that stage and fighting the person beside her with all the skills she had.

Then she saw him. Greyson, Emilee remembered being in the audience when he won the competition last year and judging by the audience's cheers and fan girlish screams everyone couldn't wait to go up against the one year champ. He was good looking as far as the gamer name went. It was nice to see that the gamer stereotype of a overweight man living in his mom's basement wasn't one to be seen often and for Greyson it was clearly not the case. As far as gamer girls went, Emilee was pretty attractive even though she didn't think so herself. She was thickly built, but skinny and had curves in all the right places with C cup sized breast and a rear that was nicely rounded. While her body was nothing to be displeased about it was her facial features that were her strongest point regarding her appearance. Her long raven black hair flowed over her shoulders with bangs that tried to cover the right side of her face, but pushed aside to prevent that. Her sparkling sapphire eyes were protected by a pair of thin black oval shaped glasses and her skin being almost as white as snow. Her clothes were practical and made no attempt to show off her body what so ever. She wore a simple Mass Effect N7 jacket with a pair of dark blue jeans and black boots. Beside the convention wasn't a fashion show, it was about the games.

She watched the large screens with Greyson and listened to the rules she knew all too well. If anyone needed to hear what the announcer had to say it wasn't Emilee since it was the same basic speech over and over again. It's just with a different speaker and the names changed. Of course while everyone in the large room knew Greyson, no one would know who she was yet. Not until she walked across that stage to shake hands with her opponent. Just as she expected after all the formalities took place the competition had finally begun.

RE: A Challenger Approaches....

The combatants took to the stage as the announcers called each name, before filing to the side where seating had been set up. The main stage was merely a PS3 for each player, controller and screen, facing one another as to hamper any kind of cheating. One could only really see the top of the other players head over the monitor. They were in a regular tournament style matchup, playing each round until only two were left.

Once his name was called he climbed the stairs to momentous applause, Greyson smiled and waved to the crowd, shaking the announcers hand before taking his seat on the side stage. More and more names were called, most of the familiar. Though one name stuck out for him, watching as a young woman took the stage. Dressed demurely, with long ebony tresses and pale white skin causing him to raise an eyebrow. Strange he hadn’t heard her name before, as female gamers were quite the commodity. Perhaps she was new, he summed up, returning his attention back to the crowd. He could feel his eagerness to play ever increasing, watching as the first two challengers went head to head. It wasn’t long until it was his turn up to bat, a renewed vigor from the crowd giving him a rush of endorphins.

He had chewed up and spit out his first few challenges without much trouble, as was to be expected given his last year’s win. Though Street Fighter was unpredictable sometimes, and even the best player could be caught in a combo streak and be knocked out in no time. He had a lot of pressure to live up to, given the importance of SDCC, more people would see this than any other competition he did all year. Taking a deep breath he watched eagerly as the other challengers were picked off one by one, dwindling the numbers until there were only a handful of players left. As he looked behind him to the other players he noticed that the dark haired girl was still in the game. He watched her for a moment, realizing he was staring a bit and returning his attention to the action.

RE: A Challenger Approaches....

The competition was more intense then Emilee realized it would be. Already as each contender took to the stage she felt nervous. Her heart was pounding so hard and quickly in her chest and everything was so overwhelming that she could barely breathe. The closer she got to the stage the more Emilee tried to keep herself calm and look collected. She was confident in herself, but this was her first time going up on the stage she was so use to watching in the seats. When it was her turn she took a deep breath and walked across the stage and shook the announcer's hand then took a seat on the side stage. Once she was sitting down Emilee felt a little more calm about it all. The cheers she received weren't anything to brag about, but she wasn't surprised since no one knew her.

Watching each contender go up to face each other off was even more exciting now that she knew that any minute she'll hear her own name from the announcer's lips. Then she saw Greyson go up. He was so skilled that every person he went up against was defeated almost as quickly as he was called up to start the match. It was a bit worrying, but Emilee doubted that she was going to end up facing him. Honestly she was surprised she made it this far into the competition. Each time she went up Emilee managed to beat the person she was facing. There were some close calls like having one more hit to go and she'll die, but somehow she ended up winning in the end. Surviving such close calls made the crowd go wild when she would win and everyone else thought it was over for her. With each match the cheers for her only grew louder and more excited. It restored all the confidence and determination she had lost. That fire in her belly came back and so did her desire to win and show the world what she could do.

Each time she came back after shaking the defeated opponent's hand, Emilee would return to her seat with her heart still racing from the excitement of it all. After seeing the empty seats that were once full of people get emptier each round made her realize how quickly the whole event was. As an audience member it felt like hours, but as a contender it felt like minutes. Next thing she knows she looked to see Greyson looking at her, but only seconds before looking away. Was he studying her? It was probably just her imagination. Seeing more and more people leave the stage in defeat next thing she knows there was only four people left. Even though she won that match she didn't comprehend the match she was about to partake in. The final match came and the two names were called. Emilee vs the champion Greyson. Never did she expect to make it this far.

RE: A Challenger Approaches....

The final match was more of a surprise than he could have expected, a complete unknown having destroyed the competition and becoming the crowd favorite was not usually how these things went. He could feel his palms beginning to sweat as both their names were called, taking his place at his screen, taking the controller in his hands. His fingers felt almost numb, having played so many matches already, his movements were more reflex than actual input. Letting out a shaky breath he shook the cobwebs out of his brain, getting into position and settling in for the final three rounds.

He quickly took her out with a couple of combo attacks in the first round, it had been more of a fluke, getting her into a few combo breaks, something that rarely happened with any kind of consistency. The next round was not so lucky, both clamoring back and forth, matching one another blow and block, dragging out the second round for ages, until finally she overtook him, crushing him with an excellent and expertly played set of moves. He blinked a few times, having barely registered that he had lost the round, glancing up over his monitor to his competitor. Was this really happening? Greyson gritted his teeth, focusing back on the screen before him as the final round began, both sending a flurry of moves at one another, but he let is guard down for a moment, attempting to input a complicated, unlockable move for a finisher, but she was too fast for him, taking advantage of the momentary lapse in judgement to catch him in a grab and pummel out the last few dregs of his HP.

The crowd exploded in cheers, a barrage of lighting effects filling his eyes. He put down the controller and shielded his gaze, hearing the announcer congratulating the new champion. That…. That was it. It was done, and he had lost. Everything kind of blurred together for him, approaching the new champ and extending his hand, giving it a firm shake and finally offering up a small smile “Great job; that was smart.” He complimented, seeing flashes from cameras in the periphery of his vision as his hand lingered in hers for a moment. He was ushered off the stage by his entourage, giving a glance back over his shoulder as Emilee was given her moment in the limelight.

“don’t worry about it!” His agent said with a smile, giving Greyson a pat on the back. “You’ll just have to come back next year, there’s other competitions. Maybe you should ask Emilee for some pointers at the afterparty.” He joked, making Greyson roll his eyes. Just like him to rub salt in the wound… though he was interested in knowing more about this mysterious girl, coming out of nowhere and owning him so fully…. He hoped he would see her there.

RE: A Challenger Approaches....

Emilee never suspected she would be good enough to actually go up against the champ or having a crowd actually favoring her as a new comer. Really it was all about the game maybe it was because she wasn't expected to be in too long, but instead here she was going up against last years champion. Her hands were a bit shaky and tired from the hard work she had to go through to win the previous matches, but after hearing their names she had to suck it up and go out there. When Emilee walked out onto that stage she sat in front of her screen and held the controller in her hands. She let out a deep and shaky breath to ready herself while getting into position. Her fingers ready on the buttons and her thumbs on the joysticks. Then before she knew it, the three round match had begun.

The first round was like a blur, he was hitting her with a storm of combos. She managed to get a few in, but then he would find a way to hit her with even more. Ultimately she lost the first match, but now she learned his strategy and now she had a plan. The second match was more intense then Emilee expected. While she had her excellent attacks and combos against him there were times that she had to block and he do the same. Excitement filled her entire body when she saw on her screen the words saying "You win!" Emilee couldn't believe it, she actually won a match, but she couldn't just stop there she had to finish this. Emilee's eyes never left the screen, her victory and amazement was short lived when she saw the third and final round was about to begin. The round was a back and forth in a storm of combos on each other. Emilee thought she wouldn't be able to win this one, but the moment she saw his hesitation to input a final move, she took that chance to finish him off with a simple grab and pummeled out what was left of his health.

The moment Emilee saw she had won that one final round she grew a big smile and made a happy laugh in disbelief. The cheers of the crowd only confirmed to her that this was real and not some illusion she was having. She got up from her seat and shook the former champion's hand with a normal, but happy smile. She wasn't the type of girl to rub victory in her opponent's face. Her shake was firm and she smiled a little brighter hearing him complimenting her. It meant a lot hearing he didn't have a grudge against her for taking his title instead he took it like a real champ that he was. "Thank you. You were great." She complimented back while the flashes of the cameras nearly blinded her. One thing she noticed was that he hesitated to let go of her hand like he didn't want to let go until he was ushered off the stage; leaving her alone with the announcer.

Emilee knew there would be an after party and being the new champion she knew she would have to go, but she did look forward to it. She watched Greyson leave the stage he seemed to be okay, but Emilee did want to talk to him. He was a interesting man she wanted to know more about the former champ. Hopefully he would be willing to talk to her at the after party

RE: A Challenger Approaches....

“Well… that was quite the upset.” Greyson’s agent, the appropriately named Al, mulled over the events of the evening thus far, sneaking a cigarette out of the hotel window. He was a typical looking fellow for such a gig, attractive enough to be sociable, but not enough that he was off-putting. And despite having other clients, he had seen to it that he could spare the time to go with Greyson to SDCC. Maybe he was secretly a nerd underneath all the brand names and grooming, but Greyson doubted he would ever know the truth. Regardless, he was happy to have someone present who knew enough to help him dress for the after party, as by himself… it was essentially a shit show. Apparently he had an ‘image’ to uphold now, so going to fancy shin-digs in a hoodie was generally frowned upon.

“Here, put this on, and don’t bitch about it.” Al shoved an armful of clothing into his grasp, ushering Greyson into the bathroom and shutting the door behind him.

“Seriously? Is this really necessary?” Greyson called from within the bathroom, one could hear the clattering of a belt against the tile floor.

“Yes, one hundred and fifty percent. You’re the looser now kid, gotta keep up that pretty boy image if you want to hold onto any of those sponsorships.” Greyson frowned at Al’s honest but harsh words, finishing dressing and looking at himself in the mirror. He cleaned up pretty well, his slim frame fit well into a tailored suit, head to toe in black, save for a lime green tie. Kind of flashy, but it reminded him vaguely of an Xbox, which helped him feel a little more comfortable. Stepping out of the bathroom Al spritzed him with some cologne, causing Greyson to cough uncontrollably for a few moments.

“Come on man, you know my allergies don’t cope well with scented stuff!” Greyson exclaimed, Al merely rolled his eyes.

“Like putting lipstick on a pig.” He joked, motioning to the door. “Come on, your public is waiting.”

The after party was being held on the other side of the building, overtaking one of the conference rooms, this one with a balcony and amazing view. The lights were low, only the patterned and colored lights which filled the dance floor providing much illumination save for the DJ booth which was a blaze of color and sound. Greyson was beginning to feel a bit more pumped up, making his way quickly to the open bar and ordering himself a tequila shot. Downing it he winced, sucking on his lemon slice for a few moments, allowing himself a moment to glance around the crowd…. Searching for a head of long raven colored hair.

RE: A Challenger Approaches....

By the time Keri got back to the room she was staying in one of her close friends that went to the rave got back early. It was clear by her crazy hair that she had a good fun time. Her name was Serena and a childhood friend to Keri, but of course they had different ideas of how to spend their nights at the convention. Being Keri's best friend and the news being everywhere at the convention, Serena was the first of her friends to find out about Keri's recent change in title. Serena wasn't very surprised since Keri beat her and the rest of her friends in pretty much any game they played together. Immediately Serena smiled seeing Keri. "Hey, Kare! I heard the news it's everywhere! So how does it feel being the new champion here?" She asked excitedly.

Keri simply shrugged, but her smile showed her excitement. "It feels good, but over all normal. I can't stay for long though I have to go to the after party." Keri knew wearing her Mass Effect jacket and some jeans wouldn't be accepted by the crowd, but it's not like they'll kick her out over it. Though at the same time being in a dress like the other girls did make Keri wish she had a simple dress. Keri wasn't one to be flashy just a simple one colored dress was enough.

Serena stared at her with a almost devious smile then she got up to go to the closet looking for something. "You don't really think you're gonna go out there wearing that when it's a formal party. You're lucky I know your size." Keri was obvious curious what Serena was planning on pulling out of the closet. While Keri liked what she wore deep down she knew Serena was right. The next thing she knew was seeing Serena pull out a short dark blue sleeveless dress decorated by black roses with it's vines and leaves and had a thick black ribbon that tied around her waist. "Here. Put this on." Serena insisted pushing the dress against her.

Keri given little choice she sighed softly and started to undress despite Serena being there. One of the benefits of being close friends was that they were comfortable being naked in front of each other. It didn't take long for her to get dressed in the dress that went down to her mid thigh and hugged her body showing her curvy figure and her breast left in charge of keeping her dress up. Before Serena even gave her a warning she started to work on Keri's appearance when more then Keri personally desired. Serena took advantage of Keri's single status and beauty secretly wanting Keri to get a boyfriend soon since her last one was such a disaster. Serena gave her black high heels and a sliver chained necklace with blue and sliver jewels decorating her neck to help fill up that empty space on her chest. Knowing Keri hated wearing make up, she didn't even try to put any on.

Once she was done, Keri looked as beautiful as ever. The dark blue dress and jewels going so well with her raven black hair as well as the black roses and heels. Serena smiled brightly. "Alright, now go out there and enjoy yourself. I'm gonna stay here and get some sleep. I partied way too hard at the rave." While Keri didn't want to go to the party alone, she wasn't gonna force Serena to go. She sighed softly and said her goodbye then headed down to the party.

As she suspected, Keri was surrounded by people she didn't know, but obviously knew her. Almost everyone wanted to congratulate her and shake her hand. Keri felt like a celebrity here, but she wasn't too fond of the attention she was getting from the partying crowd. There's was only so much she could handle at a time, so when she had the chance she made her way to the bar and ordered a simple martini to help calm her nerves. Little did she realize the former champ was only a few steps away.

Greyson had been lingering around the bar for a little while, long enough to have his shot before being accosted by a small group of people, accompanied by a camera. He rose a hand to shield his eyes from the bright light, given how low the lighting within the room was camera felt almost blinding. “Greyson! Just wanting to ask you a few questions for our webshow!” He didn’t recognize the young blonde or the webshow, but conceded defeat and went along with whatever it was they wanted to ask him.

“Sure.” He said simply, stepping away from where he was leaning on the bar slightly, the blonde moving his position slightly to a better angle infront of the camera. She straightened herself slightly before getting the ok to go ahead from the camera man.

“Hello! This is Amy from GameJunk.com coming to you from SDCC! I’m here with runner up from the Street Fighter tournament Greyson Lark!” She spoke eagerly to the camera, turning her attention to Greyson.

“Hey, how’s it going.” He spoke softly, both hands resting in his pockets. If he was honest with himself this was the last thing he wanted to do right now, especially with this overly perky blonde. However, he forced a smile to his lips.

“So Greyson! I know you just missed out on first place, and losing to a girl! How do you feel, angry? Upset?” Tyson blinked rapidly, before furrowing his brows, surprised with the abruptness of the girls questions.

“No… I’m happy for her; she played a great game and won fair and square. There are other tournaments.” He said diplomatically, having fallen into traps like this before. Saying one stupid thing and it would be put on blast all over the internet. Someone behind the cameraman pointed to the side frantically, making Greyson raise an eyebrow, following the direction he was pointing it, realizing then he was motioning to Emilee. Greyson’s eyes went wide, surprised that she would be here, especially looking like…. That. The dress she had on was amazing, hugging her curves, though her face looked just as cute as it had before. He could feel the color rising to his cheeks, his mouth falling agape as the blonde coaxed Emilee over, placing her right beside him.

“Wow! The new and old champion both here together! What luck!” She exclaimed, seemingly happy with her find. “You guys look great! Giving gaming a new image here tonight. Did you guys know each other before tonight?” She asked eagerly.

“Ah…. No.” Greyson managed to stammer out, now finding himself nervous with Emilee. He knew he was blushing, but couldn’t stop the color from coming to his cheeks. “We… We just met.” He managed, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. He caught her line of sight for a moment, only causing him more nervousness, and quickly looking away.

“Wow! Isnt that interesting! Perfect strangers going head to head! Don’t get all those shippers all hot and bothered now.” Greyson froze, this woman had just put the idea of him fucking his competition out into the web, his inbox would be flooded with all kinds of BS now. He was flabbergasted, his mouth opening to speak, but no words coming out.

“What about you, Emilee? How was it beating the champ? Does he still get a date?” The blonde was clearly stirring the pot, and it was beginning to infuriate him.

While watching the bartender trying to make her drink in a way he'll think would impress her with tricks, but honestly didn't impress Emilee at all. She didn't want to seem rude so she just watched with a almost uninterested face still she tried to look interested at least. Eventually the bartender finished making her martini and gave it to her telling her it was on the house. Of course she thanked the bartender, but after taking a drink of her martini, a bright flash and a gathering crowd caught her attention. When she looked over, Emilee could tell it was a interview crew, but couldn't tell who it was they were bothering while they tried to enjoy the party. She could hear a few words from the interviewer, but not full sentences. Eventually she just gave up trying to figure it out and enjoyed the rest of her martini.

But it wasn't long before on of the people in the crowd spotted her when he looked around a little. Of course seeing the new champ while interviewing the old one was going to cause the ratings to rise just by having them in the same camera shot. For a moment Emilee didn't even notice that the crowd spotted her or that Greyson was staring at her surprising beauty in awe. It was only until the blonde woman came over and asked if she could interview her with the former champ. Emilee didn't want anything to do with this kind of attention, but she had to make a good first impression to everyone and besides how hard could answering a few questions with Greyson be? So, she agreed to do it.

Then as Emilee followed the blonde woman, she was Greyson. She knew to expect him since she was just asked to answer a few questions with him, but seeing him like this was different. He looked far more handsome then she remembered at the competition. Maybe it was because she was so focused on the competition itself she didn't completely notice how handsome he was especially in such a nice suit. His suit being black with the exception of the light green tie reminded her of an Xbox and he just looked so great. Emilee could feel her cheeks lightly blush as the blonde lead her to stand next to him, but she tired not to look so nervous despite her heart started pounding in her chest.

At first everything seemed okay; a few simple questions with simple answers. Yet when Greyson answered one, Emilee thought something was wrong since he was taking a few seconds to complete his answer. At first she was looking at the blonde woman and the camera at occasion already nervous as it is, but she decided to look at him to see if he was okay. Then she saw his eyes meeting hers Emilee quickly looked away even more nervous after seeing him looking at her. Her cheeks grew warmer with blush and for a moment she could have sworn she saw him blushing too, but it couldn't be right?

It only got worse when the interviewer brought up shippers. Emilee froze like Greyson did in utter bewilderment. There couldn't be people that couldn't really ship them as a couple just by seeing them standing next to each other right? What's worse was that now this woman put the idea in her head that people thought they were dating and having sex with each other. They just met and already people are going to think about all this BS between them!? They might even go as far as to write dirty fanfictions about them!? This only made Emilee blush brighter.

Then suddenly the spotlight was on her, but the first question was one she could answer. She tried not to sound nervous, but it was clear she wasn't comfortable. "It was a challenge trying to beat Greyson. Honestly I didn't even believe I would make it to the final four, but still it was a honor fighting against the champ I once rooted for in the crowds. Besides maybe we could even have a rematch in one of the other torments. Either way it was fun and exciting and really that's the spirit of the tournament." Once the second question hit her, Emilee's cheeks grew a deep red and put her hands behind her back trying to keep herself from loosing her composure. "Well....I...uh...well if he wants one that's fine...but I won't force him to....honestly I barely even know him so...." She was so nervous and the question hit her so hard Emilee didn't know how to answer without sounding rude or strengthening the fans to believe they were a couple.

Greyson listened intently as she answered her question in a much more articulate manner than he, clearly she wasn’t quite the basement dweller that he was. Though he got out a lot more than some of the other people in competitive video games, he was still one of them, drinking his fair share of mountain dew just like his comrades. Emilee however didn’t really look like she fit into the same mold. Though perhaps he was just projecting his insecurities on her. For all he knew she sat curled up in the dark, eating Doritos and playing WoW. The idea made him smirk slightly imagining her in such a familiar light made it a little easier to stand next to her.

She destroyed this however with her stammered answer to a date, which she didn’t entirely decline… but didn’t accept? Greyson’s heart began to pound again, seeing the blonde turn back to him expecting a response. His mouth felt dry, forcing a smile to his lips.

“Well do you hear that Greyson? Looks like I set you up.” Amy seemed all too aware of how awkward she was making things, and only seemed to revel in his misery.

“I-Uh… Yeah, looks that way.” He muttered, glancing down to Emilee again with a shrug of his shoulders. He noticed the camera man giving the signal for her to wrap things up, doing a quick outro and shaking hands. As quickly as they had been put in the bright light it was gone again, leaving the pair to their own devices. He knew he should say something to break the tension, but his experience with women definitely left a lot to be desired. He had a girlfriend a few years prior, but she had ripped out his heart and stamped all over it, causing him to recede into his games even more. Taking a breath he turned his attention to her.

“You… you’re in no way obliged to go along with any of that. She was just baiting us… I wouldn’t force you on a date.” He reassured her, slipping his hands back into his pockets, feeling fidgety. Why was she making him so nervous? He was just like her, right? A gamer? Maybe she didn’t even like guys! He motioned to the bar, feeling as though some liquid courage might make things a little more pleasant between them.

Emilee had a semi-socal life, but mostly because of her friends being more social then she was and on occasions made her become a bit of a better talker then she was before. If she had the option Emilee would lock herself away in her room to sit in the dark, drinking coke, and playing video games all day. Naturally she was shy and insecure, but her friends did help build a more confident side that came out to help her when she needed it. Honestly she liked everything she saw and knew about Greyson it would be nice to know him a little better. Though of course when it came to the more romantic subjects especially while she was standing next to such a cute guy. Admittedly talking about things like dating and romance wasn't her strong point.

She could thank her old boyfriend for that. Emilee caught him in the act cheating on her in her own bed. This was a man she fell head over heels for and wanted to marry him, but he had eyes on another after discovering her. The worse part was that afterwards he listed everything the mistress had that she didn't. Even though she was over it, it was still a horrible thing to experience and now she felt like she was ready. Of course her friends wanted her to and helped her along the way to feel like maybe it was time to go on the market again.

Amy only made the awkward situation worse, but Emilee's answer didn't help either since she technically didn't completely object to the idea of a date. Like she said, if that's what he wants then that's fine, but she wouldn't force him to go on one with her because of pressure. What Greyson replied to Amy's assumption made her curious. Did he think she agreed on a date or was he thinking she was wanting one? It was hard to tell just based on his answer and face. Though it was nice to see Amy and her crew finally left them alone. Emilee took a breath of relief, but felt a strange tension between them thanks to the awkward interview.

Emilee looked up at Greyson once he broke their awkward silence. Though now that they were alone she didn't feel as pressured, but strangely her nervousness never went down. Why was she so nervous when she came feeling almost completely happy. She held her arms behind her back nervously and replied "I'm sorry that I answered like that. I really didn't help the awkwardness, but...really I didn't know what to say...it's not like I would say no..." Emilee blushed brightly realizing he might take it the wrong way. "I mean...I..damn it...I'm not good at this." She chuckled softly. Seeing him motion to the bar, Emilee smiled and gave a nod hoping that maybe they could fix this after a few drinks and a clean slate.

Greyson could hear her dancing around her words, struggling with the topic of romance as much as he did, though it was comforting to hear that she was as tongue tied as he was on the matter. She graciously accepted his offering of a drink, calling to the waiter and ordering two tequila shots. He leant against the bar, licking the side of his hand and shaking some salt there.

“So, miss champion, where you from anyway? Did you have to take a long flight to get here?” He waxed poetic about having to fly from Texas all the way here, clear across the country, along with missing one of his connecting flights and almost not making it in time for the tournament. Taking his shot he realized he had no trouble talking to Emilee so long as it wasn’t on the topic of romance… or touching her. Just the thought of it made his cheeks color slightly, though that might have been the booze talking.

He hand never been much of a drinker, able to keep a steady pace, though occasionally it would suddenly catch up with him, and he would be racing to the bathroom ready to upchuck whatever it was he had for dinner. This thought however was not really for polite conversation, so he kept it to himself while the bartender readied another round of shots. People came up to them occasionally while they talked, looking for pictures or autographs, but otherwise they were left to their own devices.

“I’m… not trying to start anything but…. You never really said ‘No.’ To that whole date proposition.” Greyson said with a slightly lopsided grin, they were a few shots deep now, and it was beginning to have an effect on him… usually in the form of having loose lips and spilling too much information out. “Because I know my agent would be blown away if I took someone like you out. That would just about knock him on his ass.” He joked, laughing slightly and playing with the empty shot glass. Oh god, why had he said that?! He was filled with liquid bravery now, and it was too lake to go back.

It was nice that now without the questions and flashing camera they could relax and act like two natural people instead of the legends everyone else seemed to see them as. Just talking and relaxing at the bar despite the awkward moment they just had. She took a seat beside him and crossed her leg over the over, leaning against the bar a little. Normally she wouldn't drink anything too alcoholic, but after what happened she'll drink a bottle of everclear vodka.

Emilee chuckled a little when he called her miss champion though she answered just after she picked up her shot glass. "I'm from Texas, the lower part near Houston to be specific. It was a hell of a trip trying to get here with all my friends and the flights, but somehow we made it here on time. What about you? Where are you from?" She asked curiously then taking the shot of tequila. She hasn't had it in a long time, so it's effects were much stronger on her. Emilee wasn't much of a drinker and never really got drunk so she had no idea what could happen if she has too much in one night. Though so far it was helping her talk to Greyson without saying something stupid.

After a few drinks, Emilee's cheeks were a bit redder then before. She was becoming more loose which could be frightening if competely sober Emilee knew. She chuckled a little at Greyson's question and joke then took another shot. "Well if I'm going to be completely honest with you it would be hard to say no if you asked. I though you were pretty cute, but why would you're angent be knocked on his ass if you took me on a date?" She asked curiously flipping the empty glass upside down and looking at him. Jesus what was she saying!? Now she was saying everything without mercy, she'll be lucky if she didn't end up talking about everything she liked about him or saying something stupid again!

Greyson nearly spewed his drink on the bartop when she mentioned being from Texas, a grin spreading across his lips. “No way? You’re from Texas? Me too! What Part?” He said excitedly, before realizing he was being way too involved, clearing his throat slightly and looking back at the bartop as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. “I-I mean Texas is a huge state, I’m right in the heart of Austin. Its too damn hot most of the time though so I’m usually just keeping myself inside with the air conditioning.” He said with a smile, though avoiding the sun in Austin was almost impossible, so he still got a fair amount of color nonetheless.

His eyes skirted to Emilee’s legs, noticing that they didn’t have much color at all, though he could have been mistaken in the darkness of the hall. They did however look positively graspable, his mind suddenly filled with the fantasy of having her on his lap. He shook the thought from his head. What was going on? He was never like this! Girls like her were generally considered off limits… well, most women were lately, and perhaps that’s why he was so on edge… he was wound up.

She pulled his thoughts back to the present when she responded to his playful words, blinking a few times and plastering at grin on his face again. “Oh…really?” He said devilishly, though he hadn’t thought through his response to question before it came falling out of his mouth. “Why? Isnt it obvious? Your hot as hell!” He downed another shot as he finished, feeling sufficiently buzzed and quite possibly in need of some fresh air.

“Ah… how about we go out on the balcony?” He said quickly, trying to brush his previous comment under the rug. He stood, extending his hand to her to lead her though the crowd.

Emilee couldn't help, but giggle seeing Greyson nearly spewed his drink just by hearing where she was from. He seemed really happy all of a sudden then she found out why. He was from Texas too and he was from Austin that wasn't too far away from where she was. Suddenly she seemed just as happy as he was. "Seriously!? You are too! That's great and you weren't too far away from me! I'm from San Antonio. I was actually going to move to Austin so I could see if I could land a job as a video game designer, but that's another story." She suddenly felt even more happy knowing that she was close to this handsome man and didn't even know it. She could have even been in the same lobby with him in a game and didn't even know it. "Of course it's hot as hell it's Texas, but I love it there. Though winter isn't fun either." Being in any part of Texas was hard to avoid the sun. While Emilee normally avoided going into the sun and locked herself away in dark rooms, she still somehow managed to have a bit of color to her light almost pale skin.

She noticed his eyes stared at her legs for a moment it wasn't hard to tell especially for a girl. Every time a girl had her legs exposed someone was looking at them at least that was the case for Emilee. Though not being her totally sober self found it a compliment since she caught his eye just with her legs being exposed. Wait why did she care if he was staring at her or not? Really she should slap him for staring, but she just couldn't bring herself to hit that cute face of his that and she kinda liked it.

Emilee giggled a little when he seemed to like what she said, especially with that devilish tone, but what caught her off guard was when he called her hot. She was lucky she didn't spew her drink at his answer. He really thought she was hot? Now her face was even redder then before, but the question was: was it blush or alcohol? She downed one last shot before she was going to reply despite feeling a stronger buzz. Maybe she shouldn't have drank that last one, but before she could say anything she saw his hand extended out to her. "Uh...sure sounds good." She answered and put her hand in his as she got up from her seat.

He felt a sudden rush when she put her hand in his, quickly making his way through the masses of people who filled the hall, though the balcony wasn’t nearly as busy as the dance floor and bar. Quite on the contrary, it was almost empty. The air was kind of sticky, humid and hot, but the breeze would whip by on occasion and relive some of the heat. He led her to the railing, where their view was the best and the breeze the strongest. They had been outside for a few moments when he realized her hand was still clutched in his; he quickly released it, biting his bottom lip. He pulled at his tie a little, loosening it around his neck and unbuttoning his collar, his suit jacket already undone from the warmth inside.

God she made him nervous. But that was good, wasn’t it? Getting butterflies like he was in Jr High again… though he was the kid who was a foot taller than the others, with acne and glasses and braces… no, he didn’t want to be in Jr High again, that only brought up his even more insecure past, plus being bullied….. “Ahh, What am I thinking?! Flirting with her?! Why don’t you just throw yourself off this balcony and be done with it?!” His mind screamed; insecurity and nervousness having finally reached critical mass in his head.

“ Sorry… I don’t really know where that came from. That was rude of me; I shouldn’t have said anything of the sort.” He stammered, the buzz from the alcohol quickly being dispersed into the night breeze. Though, he had to admit, his wasn’t wrong in his appreciation of her looks. His agent really would be floored… if they ever made it past this initial introduction. She was probably thinking he was a creep by this point, getting too drunk and voicing every thought that went through his head.

“But… I would really like to take you out some time… if you’ll let me.” He managed to get out what he had been trying to say since the interview, his grasp on the railing tightening slightly as he put himself out there further than he had done in a long time.

Emilee smiled a little seeing Greyson was pulling her through the crowd almost as quickly as he pulled her in. She had to hold onto his hand tightly to make sure she didn't loose her grip or loose him in the crowd surrounding them. God if anyone recognized who they were it would spawn more shippers and believers that they're a romantic couple instead of two people that just met that day. For some reason she kinda liked the feeling of his hand holding hers, but luckily before she could think about it even more they finally reached the balcony. The air was a bit humid and unpleasent, but there wasn't much need for Emilee to cool off since her upper body had little covering it.

Her hand still holding onto his, Emilee walked with him to the railing of the balcony. She had completely forgotten she was holding his hand until he made a move to let go of hers. Instinctively Emilee looked away embarrassed, but she couldn't help, but slightly look at him as he tried to loosen his clothing a bit. Then she put her hands on the railing looking out to the beautiful view. When a gust of wind hit them, Emilee closed her eyes for the moment enjoying the feeling as it touched her soft skin and ran through her long hair. Despite everything that relaxed her, Emilee couldn't help it, but she was still nervous. Maybe it was because of Greyson standing next to her.

Why was she so nervous? Emilee barely knew him, but then why did she want to be next to him so much? She softly shook her head. 'Why would a guy like him like a girl like me? He's so cool, but...I'm nothing special.' She thought to herself. He said it she was hot, but something told Emilee it was just the alcohol talking or something. Just as she was thinking of it, Emilee heard Greyson apologizing about it. The buzz seemed to die down feeling the outside world around her, but her focus was on Greyson. She stared at him as he spoke, then it hit her. He...actually would like to take her out?

Hearing that she blushed brightly adding more to the redness of her cheeks. She looked down at the railing not knowing what to say. Then Emilee decided to say what her heart had to say hoping it'll be what was needed to be said. "Well...the thing is...you don't have to apologize...I actually liked what you said; it was flattering...and to be honest...I wouldn't mind going on a date with you." She blushed looking down and using her long hair to hide her face.

Greyson couldn’t have been more surprised by her response, feeling almost giddy when she agreed to see him, away from the lights and the fans… just the two of them. It couldn’t have been more perfect if they lived in the same town, the convention brought people from all over the world, it was like fate that he would compete against her. He knew he was smiling, completely unable to remove it from his face.

“Well, Given that our part of the competition is over, how about we hunt around the sale floor tomorrow? I hear people save their best cosplays for the last day.” He said in his best attempt and being nonchalant, shrugging his shoulders. “Or maybe I could… take you out to dinner?” He added on the end quickly, following up with “Or whatever.” Just as speedily.

Greyson wanted to be more comfortable around her, feeling like slamming his face against the railing for how awkward he must have sounded to her. Though, holding her hand in his had been nice, and he had reluctantly released it. Glancing down he noticed how close her hand was to his on the railing, he slipped his fingers closer to hers along the cool metal, eventually reaching the warmth of her digits, enveloping her hand beneath his. Was he moving too quickly for her? Taking liberties that he maybe shouldn’t have? He shut the thoughts from his mind, reaffirming to himself that this was the first interaction with a girl that he had actually enjoyed in a long time… and he wasn’t about to let her slip out from under his fingers.

He turned; hand still over hers on the railing, so that he was facing her. “I… -“ He stopped, hearing the sudden crack of a firework, then another, all going off overhead. It was beautiful; he supposed one of the vendors must have been trying to get some attention by setting them off. He smiled, leaving his words behind and merely enjoying the light show, glancing down occasionally to see how the light illuminated her features, making his heart flutter each time.

The blaring music and lights mixed with the happy laughter and cheers of the people behind them felt like a completely different world was behind them and they were in a world of their own. Out of all the people here, he talked to her and now something wonderful was happening between them. Maybe it really was fate they met tonight even like this. They came from the same state, went to the same convention, and entered the same competition, and now they were at the same party, but their sights weren't on the party it was on each other. The calm and quiet of the balcony felt like nothing could disturb them.

Hearing his voice again, Emilee slightly looked over to him curiously. Normally she would love to see the last day cosplays and cash in on cheap merchandise for last day sales, but hearing the next part made her cheeks blush again. He wanted to take her out to dinner already? It wasn't too fast for her, Emilee was just surprised a guy like him was so interested in her. She smiled warmly and answered. "Dinner sounds nice. I'd love to go."

Emilee felt like fireworks were going off inside her chest. She was going to go on a real date with him, it was almost like a dream to her. While lost in her thoughts, Emilee felt the warmth of his fingers touching her hand. Before she could even say or think anything Emilee could feel his entire warm hand embracing her own from the railing. She smiled softly looking out in the view from the quiet balcony. Her heart was pounding just to have a man like this with her again. She missed this feeling so much and now she can experience it again with a man she's growing to trust more and more each second they were together.

She looked over to him, seeing he turned to face her while his hand still embraced hers. Her heart started to pound again once he started to say something, but the sudden explosion of fiery lights cut him off. For now she decided to watch the fireworks while they were still going off. The fiery lights illuminating them beautifully occasionally making her look over to look at Greyson seeing his handsome features light up with the beautiful light. Softly, she turned her hand to the side so she could hold onto his hand too. Their palms touching and their fingers laced, Emilee smiled and held his hand tightly while enjoying the show while it lasted.