Phoenix Phire

Although it was fairly early when Sinfaya left the Turtle House, Nix felt mentally drained and decided a short nap would be the best way to solve that. A noise from the Master Bedroom told him that the house had at least one occupant. Since he told Raine to meet him here, he assumed the dhassi must be upstairs.

"Raine?" Nix called her name at the top of the stairs, entering the bedroom through the open doors. "Oh..."

Raine stood next to a pile of clothes, a smile on her face as she reached for the towel she had placed on the bed. "Going to freshen up a bit. I hurt myself while sparring. Could you help me?"

Nix didn't bother to hide his smirk; the Xai Clan leader was a horrible actress. Instead of asking who put her up to it, he decided to go with the flow. "Is it bad? I should check it out."

Raine moved purposefully slow while wrapping her towel around herself before extending a hand toward him. "Not too bad, as long as we take care of it right away, I should recover."

An hour later, she lay against him, her pale skin pressed against his. "Nix?" Raine propped herself up on her elbows, a movement that exposed the pink tips of her breasts. "We won't lose this fight... Right?"

Nix shook his head. "I won't allow it. When this is done, we can all go back to our lives. Or do whatever we like."

Raine smiled slightly, taking the opportunity to slide a leg over him. "I'm expected to take over the Fir'Dhassi. Not just the Xai Clan, but all of the Clans."

"Doesn't surprise me. Few things build unity like war." Nix gripped her hips before rolling them both over. "Since you decided on a second round, this time it's my way."

Raine's pale features reddened slightly. "Isn't this the third round?"

"Huh? That bit in the bathroom didn't count." Nix gripped her wrists, pinning her to the soft mattress.

Raine laughed unexpectedly. "You seemed to like it... Sorry if I bit y..."

"NIX!"

A familiar voice shouted from downstairs. Nix sighed heavily and rolled to the edge of the bed. "Be down in a minute."

"She did that on purpose." Raine pulled herself upright, sitting with her arms crossed beneath her full breasts.

Nix dressed quickly, adjusting himself as best he could. "It's my fault. I didn't expect her to finish so quickly. Del stays here most of the time."

Raine frowned at Nix's retreating form. "Del stays here most of the time," she muttered under her breath. "Of course she does, at least she's stuck in that cat form."

Nix walked down the stairs two at a time, not having to fake a smile when he spotted Del near the door. "You look great! I can see the difference." The Artic Stalker form was a unique and elite life form. Somehow, she seemed more vibrant.

Del waited while Nix checked her out. She had already noted the changes in herself, but he found them right away, even a few she hadn't realized. Only fitting, since it had started as one of his animations. "What's Raine doing upstairs?"

"Demonstrating a Fir'Dhassi mating ritual," Nix said with a straight face. "Very complex."

"No, it isn't. The Fir'Dhassi squat in bushes like beasts in rut." Del's blue eyes glanced at the stairwell before nudging his face with her soft nose.

Nix laughed loudly, pushing Del's head away when he straightened up. The sound of the shower started up just as he opened the fridge. "You speaking from experience?"

"Maybe."

Nix frowned at the empty fridge, with Hyai spending all of her time at the Ranch, the Turtle House was not stocked properly. "Don't lie."

"I am advancing quickly, it might not be long until I recover my Ain'Dhassi form." Del walked toward the door, her good mood suddenly soured. "Is she staying?"

"No. We're heading to the ranch for dinner. I'll return by later by myself." Nix watched as the Stalker broke into an easy lope. Del preferred the meat of a fresh kill. He wondered how much of the Ain'Dhassi Ranger was still in there?

***********Authors Note*******

Three young women play the character of Bali in rotating shifts.

Mason Dixon: 22-year-old exotic dancer from Georgia. The best gamer of the three.

Yu Yan: An MIT graduate who became unemployed when her office building unexpectedly burnt to the ground. This happened again a few months later and she's been mostly unemployed since then. As expected, she is smart and very good with anything electronic.

Ray Diaz: The artist in the group. A talented tattoo artist with a penchant for conspiracy theories.

*************

[1715 hours Chinatown, New York]

Ray glanced at the stasis pod. Yu was currently occupying the one they used for Bali, but over the last year, they managed to save enough for two more. "I'm really nervous, Mase. Won't you come with me?"

Mason shook her head. She'd been keeping her hair short lately and dyed platinum blond. Perhaps playing Bali was influencing her. "I'll give you fifteen minutes to explain things. We don't want to freak her out."

"W-What if she doesn't show up. Or maybe she doesn't want to be our friend." Ray's face scrunched up, a sign that she was fighting back tears. She didn't really care about her share of the R&B Pawn Shop, her concern was the person she spent hours talking and laughing with.

Mason knew better than to comfort Ray when she looked like that. If she did, Ray would spend the next hour crying on her shoulder. She'd work through it on her own in a few minutes. "This is Ronnie we're talking about!"

The group had finally decided to approach the Inferno archer. They sent her a picture drawn by Ray, identical to one of the ones that Bali kept on her wall. A short message accompanied the drawing. "Would you like to meet me? Next Friday at 1730." They included the number to a Virtuna account under the name B. Zenda; Bali's last name.

The pair waited for a few minutes, quietly sipping wine while talking. Ray glanced at the clock and then stood up with a heavy sigh. "I'm heading in. Wish me luck!"

"Good luck!" Mason followed her roommate to the open stasis pod and waited while she climbed in. "Just be yourself." She offered Ray a big smile and then closed the pod.

[Logging on Virtuna Apartment: B.Zenda@4837290]

Ray appeared in the entryway of the virtual apartment the trio had purchased. It was nothing special, but the group had owned it for the past half-year. A knock on the door completely disrupted her calm. "I can't believe I'm so scared." A few moments later, she tentatively reached for the door and opened it.

"Hello, B. Zenda?" A lean blonde woman stood in the doorway, there was nothing familiar about her looks but the voice was a dead giveaway.

Ray nodded and opened the door wider. "Please come inside, we have a lot to talk about. What should I call you?"

"Ronnie will work." The blonde's blue eyes focused on her. "How do you know Bali's last name? Where did you get that drawing?"

The blonde started firing off questions while following Ray into the living room. It was her voice that put Ray at ease.

"My name is Ray. I know Bali's name because I'm a Deep Role-Player assigned to play her." Ray paused when Ronnie's mouth dropped open. "I drew that picture."

"The DRP program?" Ronnie whispered it in reverence. "It really exists?" The surprise only lasted for a few moments before the eyes narrowed in speculation. "If you're Bali, then you don't mind if I test you out?"

Ray shrugged. "I'll do my best. In truth, there are three of us that play her. My two roommates and I."

"WHAT?" Ronnie's voice changed from a whisper to a shout causing Ray to jump back. "Three? Is that normal? Wait... that kinda makes sense. I noticed there were times in sparring when Bali was really good."

"That would be Mason." Ray let out the breath she'd been holding. "She's good at everything."

Ronnie's lips curved into a wide smile. "Then there's the one who figures everything out. She glanced at our account books in the R & B and did them like she was folding clothes."

"That's Yu, an MIT graduate." Ray smiled slightly. "As you may have figured out, I'm the artist. Tattoo artist actually," she rolled up her long sleeves, showing off some of her ink.

Ronnie scooted closer, studying the inked skin. She wasn't an art critic but she could see Bali's style in the tattoos. "What can you tell me about the DRP program?"

Ray shook her head slightly. "Nothing really."

Ronnie frowned slightly. "Top secret? Then why tell me now?"

"Basically, we hijacked the DRP character."

When Mason logged in fifteen minutes later, the two women were sitting together on the couch laughing hysterically. Neither noticed her until she cleared her throat.

Ronnie jumped up and appeared in front of her in an instant. "Mason right?" The blond wrapped her up in a big hug. "This is so awesome!"

Mason glanced at the smiling Ray. "You told her everything?"

Ray nodded happily. "Just like we agreed."

"You three have huge brass balls!" Ronnie returned to the couch with a huge smile threatening to consume her entire face. "That's why you never asked for your share. It wouldn't help you at all."

"Yes," Ray answered since Mason was still adjusting. "We don't know much about the program, other than what we learned in old correspondence. Yu says that in-game transactions involving NPCs would have to be monitored."

Ronnie pursed her lips slightly, her eyes darting back and forth. "Bali couldn't just use her hud to turn game credits into real credits. That makes sense. There has to be some sort of work-around."

Mason nodded since the idea had been hers. "We bought two additional stasis pods and made 125 level characters in the Everspire expansion. Ray and Yu will join as players while I take over Bali on a permanent basis."

Ronnie clapped her hands excitedly. "Perfect! We're making mad bank at the Pawnshop, the conversion rate is really good too."

"You can walk away if you like," Mason spoke softly, it was something the three of them agreed on. "If you are unsure, we will continue as we are."

"What? No way! When do I meet this Yu girl?" Ronnie took a deep breath. "You three can stay in the game full-time with the proceeds from the shop. Eventually, I'll bring your characters into Inferno."

Mason blushed slightly at the mention of the Inferno leader, of the three Bali's, she had been the one that helped Ronnie in the operation to abduct Nix. "He should agree. Right?"

Ronnie nodded. "I've known Nix for more than a year. He always backs me... Even more than my sister."

Mason exchanged a worried look with Ray. "This has to remain a secret, Even from Sharl."

Ronnie waved it off. "Oh please. I keep so many secrets from that woman. The only thing she's ever agreed with me on is that Nix is fucking sexy."

Mason stood up, smiling when Ronnie gave her a questioning look. "I'm going to relieve Yu so that you can meet her."

"I can't wait. When are you three going to come in full-time?"

"Immediately. Inferno needs the best Bali for the Khione fight, and that is Mase." Ray answered the question before Mason could reply. "I'll send you a whisper when we get in-game. My character's name is Yani, and Yu's character is Wu'Tahn."

Ronnie stood and offered her a hug. "We have a few days before the Khione battle. We'll partner up so you ladies can get some nice things."