The Dane House - Portland, Oregon - Saturday (Mid Morning), July 20th 2024
Mallory’s alarm pulled him from his sleep the following day, and he slowly rose from his bed, groaning. He rubbed Skye’s head before walking over to his window and opening the blinds to allow the morning sunlight into the room. It was definitely what you could call a teen’s den, the walls covered with posters from heavy metal bands, video games, science fiction movies, anime series, etc. A few shelving units around the room held collectible action figures and stacks of various trading cards, comic books, tabletop roleplaying materials, etc.
At one corner of the room was a large L-shaped desk with a dual-monitor gaming setup he had built himself (with the help of YouTube videos). Directly above this were a myriad of paintings his best friend Emmett had created, showcasing various characters, scenes, and locations from Dungeons & Dragons Actual-Play Twitch livestreams, primarily Critical Role.
After walking across the hall to use the bathroom, Mallory followed the smell of cooking food down to the kitchen, where Nathaniel was frying up potatoes and assorted vegetables in a huge skillet. In recent years, they had adopted a Vegan diet to improve their health and the environment, as well as converting their home to solar.
“Smells good!” the teen said as he opened the fridge to pour a glass of orange juice. His father smiled and set the spatula down. He cut off the stove, removed his apron, and draped it over the back of a chair in their breakfast nook. Mallory then realized Nathaniel was already dressed. “Aw man, I guess you have to work today?”
“Yeah, sorry sport,” he apologized as he pulled out plates from the cupboard. He wore dark slacks, a light blue dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and a nice tie. Nathaniel was an investigator in the FBI, specializing in corruption involving public officials and law enforcement officers. “We have a pretty big court hearing coming up on Monday that we have to finish prepping for. Don’t worry though - we can do something together next weekend.”
Soon the two were sitting at the table and eating, watching the morning news on a small television in the corner. They rolled their eyes as another political advertisement for Cornelius Ligerdine's presidential campaign came on.
“Ligerdine is a piece of work,” Nathaniel scoffed and shook his head. “He’s on track to become the first trillionaire in history by the end of the decade, yet he’s still trying to cheat other people out of their money.”
After finishing their meal and cleaning up, Mallory headed up to his room to change out of his pajamas. By the time he was back downstairs, Nathaniel had unrolled his sleeves, fastened his cuffs, and was slipping on a dark blazer that matched his slacks.
“Do you want me to give you a ride to the Dojo on my way out?” the father asked.
“Nah, Emmett and I are just gonna ride our bikes,” the boy explained. “Since you won't be here to hang out, we're probably just gonna spend the afteroon at the mall after class.”
“Okay, just make sure you’re back home before it gets too late.”
“Sure thing, Pops,” he agreed.
“Alright, love you,” he gave the teen a hug and then strapped a messenger bag over his shoulder and grabbed his keys.
“You too, Pops. See you tonight.”
Nathaniel headed out to the garage, and was soon pulling out of the driveway in his black and silver electric sportscar. The man waved at a boy who had just come around the corner on his bicycle - this was Mallory’s best friend since early childhood, Emmett Haldeman. He was fourteen as well and slightly taller than his raven-haired compadre, his skin a dark shade of chestnut. He had short black dreadlocks with a high fade and deep brown eyes.
Emmett parked his bike on the driveway and joined Mallory inside, where the two enjoyed a quick glass of almond milk. “Guess it’s a Critter day!”
“Oh yeah!” the teen replied, realizing they were both wearing shirts from the Critical Role online merch shop. Mallory’s was dark green with Caduceus Clay on the front, while Emmett’s was bright yellow and showing a fictional version of Rock-Paper-Scissors called Boulder-Parchment-Shears.
The two boys slipped on backpacks containing their training gear, locked up the house, and took off on their bikes. Around the corner and down a few blocks, they passed through a large wooded park with multiple winding stone paths. They were bound for their weekly mixed martial arts lesson, instructed by Mallory’s uncle, Koga Miyazoko.
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