After having to postpone a few times, José finally found himself heading for a booth at IHOP on Thursday after work for the D and D planning session. The goal was to figure out characters, roll stats, and try to pick a regular date and place to hold the sessions. Voting on the where was purely a formality. Since the duplex Jackie and Jacob rented with their mom was the most conveniently situated, they really only needed to iron out where to fit everyone and determine who would bring what food. José was already mulling over what dishes he might bring that could potentially survive the trip from home to work to D and D while properly showcasing his cooking talents.
Figuring out the when was going to be trickier. They had to factor in the fluctuations of retail schedules, Jacob's college classes and the prep for finals that accompanied them, the holidays, and the trip to Great Wolf Lodge. His team had been officially announced the winner that Monday, as had the full prize details. They would check into the lodge's Majestic Bear Suite on January 11th and check out on the 13th.
It was decided that as the sole male of the group and team captain, he'd get the private king bedroom to himself. Mariah would get one of the queen beds to herself, as Emma had ultimately decided not to come. Kayla and Alice were taking the other queen, and Jackie would use the full size sleeper sofa. They would see Moira at the waterpark and perhaps share a meal or two, but she'd sleep in a separate room with her husband.
José was having mixed feelings about the whole thing. Sure, the water park would be fun, and he was going with some of his favorite work people, and he was in near desperate need of relaxation, but...the ladies had been acting weird since winning. Mariah and Alice seemed to be plotting. They would put their heads together, talk quietly about something, glance at him, then burst into giggles. Kayla had doubled down on the insults, and there seemed to be a new energy to them that he had yet to identify.
Jackie was sometimes the same- mildly teasing him, being unnecessarily protective of him when Kayla and Alice started in with the verbal sparring, making anime references she knew he'd get, laughing at his antics- but then she would randomly slip back into her old persona, back to the reserved version she presented before she had become comfortable with him. She seemed even more lost in thought than normal, and whatever those thoughts were seemed to take her emotions in every direction. Altogether, it was making him feel on edge.
José and Donald had closed together, so they ended up meeting Andrea, Jacob, and Jackie there. As he got closer, he realized they were already talking about characters. Specifically, Jackie was asking Jacob what she had to be in order to have a battle elephant as a pet. When he told her that if she were a wizard she could have a familiar, but that her character would have to build up to being powerful enough to cast something that large, and as the DM he could still forbid it, she pouted for a few seconds, then asked if she could start with a battle pygmy goat.
Jacob was shaking his head in exasperation when José slid in across from them. Jacob looked at him and gave a slight nod of acknowledgment. Andrea muttered a distracted "hey", as she was preoccupied with taking a D and D quiz Jackie had recommended to help her determine her race and alignment, even though Jacob had argued it wasn't necessary. He was most focused on Jackie's reaction to his arrival. She had gone from being animated and relaxed to still and tense. The briefest flash of joy had lit up her face, and then her expression went completely blank.
José found he didn't like that at all. He was unsure why it bothered him so much and wondered at his desire to say or do something to make her not shut him out when he noticed her mentally retreat for a few seconds, grab for her lemonade, sip it with intense focus, and set the glass carefully back down. After a brief pause, she looked him right in the eyes, gave a small smile, and said, very softly, "Hello". Somehow, that was enough. He let go of the tension, leaned forward, and jumped into the conversation with, "Yeah, well, I want to be a bard!".
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Team José had officially checked into their room. They had dropped off their belongings, then got ready to split up to explore what the resort had to offer, with an agreement to meet up for dinner at 7:30. Mariah, Kayla, and Alice intended to set up camp in one of the lagunas, José was bound for the water slides, and Jackie figured she'd stick to the hot springs and maybe Crooked Creek.
The girls took turns changing into their suits in the bathroom while José got ready in his bedroom. After 15 minutes, he emerged wearing black board shorts and his trademark K State ball cap, only backwards. Kayla, Mariah, and Alice gave exaggerated wolf whistles. Jackie looked him over then glanced away, but not before he caught a smile and just the faintest of blushes. He only barely held back his own, feeling a bit shy from all the attention, but flattered.
Once the hubbub died down, he made his own observations. Mariah had indeed opted for a new suit, going with a bikini in classic black. Jackie had also gone with black, but her suit was a modest one piece with a skirt. Alice wore a no frills one piece in navy blue, while Kayla had chosen an amethyst colored one piece with asymmetric cut outs.
He thought the swimsuits suited each lady's personality well. He also thought the women perfectly captured the many forms of female beauty. Jose wondered if they would smack him if he asked to draw them and decided not to risk it. Everyone now properly attired, they filed out of the room and went their separate ways.
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Jackie was feeling decidedly mellow after visiting the hot springs. She had since showered and changed and was now seated with the others for dinner. While the rest planned to enjoy some of the wines available, she was sticking to her beloved Pepsi. She had some research to do, and wanted a clear head to do it.
Besides, she had a ridiculously low tolerance. Depending on the alcohol, she might just fall asleep at the table. Worse, she could lose the filter she relied so heavily on to monitor what came out of her mouth. With her luck and the direction of her thoughts lately, she might get plastered, attempt her best impression of Laura from Infinite Stratos, and declare to everyone in a terrible German accent that she was going to make José her bride. The thought was horrifying, yet she couldn't help snickering. When the others stared at her in question, Jackie just shook her head. No way was she explaining that.
Jackie shook her head to clear it, then decided to start her observations. She was well aware that she wasn't the only one interested in José, and she didn't figure it mattered much. She was far more interested in seeing if José exhibited a preference for any of them, and that was just one reason she had hoped for an opportunity to interact away from work. His position might prevent him from expressing blatant interest, but perhaps she could notice subtle clues. She was admittedly awful at that, having always been caught off guard on the few occasions she'd been asked out since she'd completely missed the signs beforehand, but she was determined to try.
Jackie also wondered what José wanted out of life, and how closely his vision mirrored her own. Her desires were simple. She wanted a job that aligned with her talents and interests that covered the bills with enough left over to save something and occasionally travel, even if travel just meant camping in a tent at a lake. She saw herself in a modest home that she could add cozy touches to and fill with music and a couple of cats and a dog, where she could entertain family and friends.
She wanted to indulge in her loves of reading trashy romance and fanfic, You Tube and anime binge watching, playing Mario/Crash Bandicoot/Sonic/Banjo Kazooie, and baking. She also wanted time and energy to volunteer in the community, and to take classes to learn how to knit, make pottery, and belly dance. She assumed José didn't plan on taking belly dancing lessons, but she wondered if his ambitions as a whole were compatible with hers.
