“Amen to that. Let’s free the Whispering Hillock.” They started punching their gaming keyboards, getting the trapped spirit his bones and the raven feathers and the swift steed before piercing his heart so that his blood would flow for him to live again. When the freed spirit departed, both Barion and Jon whooped.
They played a bit longer then watched the sweet ending on YouTube with Ciri becoming a Witcher and Geralt settling down with Triss. The snacks were all gone by then and a quick glance at the clock on his PC told Jon it was already past ten in the evening. Time had flown in Barion’s company, and Jon didn’t want it to end just yet.
“Are you hungry?”
Barion got up from his armchair and stretched, his joints popping loudly. “I could eat.” He rubbed his belly. “No sugar crap, though. Something substantial. How about pizza?”
Jon got up as well, already looking for his cell. “I can order. What do you like?”
“I’ll take a meat lover’s pizza, one with mushrooms and egg, a mixed salad, extra garlic bread and a tiramisu for dessert. No, scratch that, they never get it right. Just order the main dishes and I’ll make a short trip later to get us the real deal when it comes to Italian sweets.”
“Can’t wait.” Jon dialed the pizza delivery service of Beaconville, giving them Barion’s impressive order and adding a Pizza Margarita for himself, as well as a helping of bruschetta. Only twenty minutes later, the bell Sammy had installed for Jon’s cellar apartment rang. It was Milo, the young man who worked for Sammy in his bookstore. Jon looked at him in surprise.
“Milo, I thought you’d stopped working for the delivery service?”
Milo held out the food and avoided looking at Jon’s face. “I need some extra cash,” he murmured. Since the young man clearly didn’t want to talk about it, Jon refrained from prying further but made a mental note to talk to Sammy first thing tomorrow. The reason his friend had given Milo the job at the bookstore was so that he could concentrate on his studies while earning more money than he did with the delivery. He put the boxes with the food down to get his wallet, but Barion beat him to it, forcing several bills into Milo’s hand, with a gruff, “Keep the change.”
Milo glanced at the money, then shook his head. “I can’t. It’s too much.”
It probably was, and the boy was much too honest for his own good. Barion held his hands up, his jaw jutting out stubbornly. He looked remarkably like his brother when Dre had set his mind on something. “You keep it. That’s my last word.”
There was just enough of a demon growl in Barion’s voice to have Milo backing away.
“Okay. Thank you.” He turned around and almost fled to the stairs leading out of the cellar. Jon smiled at Barion.
“That was very nice of you,” Jon said to Barion while he went to the kitchenette to get cutlery.
Barion just shrugged. “Sammy has taken that boy under his wing, which means Dre has too, and that means I’m responsible for him as well. We need to tell Sammy about this.”
“I know. I was planning to do it tomorrow.”
“Tell me if you need help.”
“Thank you, will do.” Jon handed Barion a knife and a fork, taking his own tools with him. “Let’s watch The Big Bang Theory while eating. We could go for the episode with the battle ostrich.”
“Great idea.” Barion gathered the boxes in his arms before he followed Jon back to the gaming paradise, this time into the corner where Jon had hung his flatscreen on the wall. After a short search, he found the right season and episode and they ate in peace while Jim Parsons hyperventilated into a brown paper bag.
Two episodes later all the food was gone. Jon was sprawled on his comfortable couch, sunken so deep into the upholstery that he wasn’t sure if he hadn’t already started becoming a part of it. Barion wasn’t faring any better, his huge, muscular form half-eaten by the quilt Mavis and Maribel had gifted Jon as consolation after the embarrassing incident with the forgotten brain. The old saying was true. There was rarely something bad that didn’t bring something good as well.
“I’m not sure I have the energy to get us dessert.” Barion groaned, licking the last crumbs from his lips. Jon stared in fascination.
“I’m not sure I have the energy to eat anything else. I feel like a stuffed turkey. Or I guess, how I think a stuffed turkey must feel, if they could still feel, but they can’t, because they’re dead—and please stop me rambling. It’s the food coma.”
Barion chuckled, pulling the quilt farther up his bulky body. “Tell you what. Let’s watch one more episode. I suggest the one where Penny gives Sheldon the Christmas present. I love that one. If we still feel too full afterward, we call it a day and I promise to bring those desserts next time we meet. How does that sound?”
“You’re a genius. So full of great ideas.” Jon hesitated. He usually wasn’t that forward, but with Barion, he felt so relaxed, as if he couldn’t say anything wrong, couldn’t stumble into any of the many traps social interactions posed. “Actually, I wanted to ask if you’d like to come back the day after tomorrow and perhaps do a video with me? I’ve got this new game called Eden’s Doom, and they want me to review it. It’s a multiplayer game and it would be more fun testing it together.”
Barion stared at Jon with his mouth hanging open. It took him quite some time to answer and Jon was starting to feel nervous. “You want me to play with you on an unreleased game and film it for your channel?”
“Uh, yes. Only if you want to, though. We can just play without filming it.”
“You would want me in one of your videos?” Barion’s voice was full of awe. “That’s so cool. Of course I want to!”
“Then it’s a deal?” Jon felt a happy giggle forcing its way up in his throat. He suppressed it relentlessly because he didn’t want to come across as an absolute idiot.
“More than a deal! When do you want me to come?”
“Uhm, it doesn’t matter, whenever it’s convenient for you. I don’t need to sleep much, and I’m usually up around five.”
