Dex asked, “What are you working on?”
“A video that goes over all of the strong female heroes and villains that can either be experienced or used to play by players.It’s a kind of flashback with the human con characters, game play, and cut scenes show some of the high points of each character.”
She smiled.“The singer walks through the landscape singing the song to each of the characters, and they can post over my face when they have the next release.”
Dex frowned.“Why would they do that?”
“Because Lightning Druid isn’t a character.”
Etienne asked, “You do this for a living?”
“Yeah.There are motion captures and overlays, and then there are digital movie-style creations with animation, like making tiny commercials.Antonio is trying to get more of this in-house so he can control timelines, but Devin keeps forcing other animators out, and I am the only one who has stuck around.I liked the work and wanted to stay close to Dex.”
Dex smiled.“Thank you.It is appreciated and came in very handy tonight.”
Tosh said, “Wizard, do you know of any others who are hidden?”
“Uh, yeah, one.She’s not an elf though.She’s something else.”
Dex smiled.“A beta?”
“Sort of.She helps me with some of the late-night videos.She ended up dancing around the end credits ofPatchwork Pixie—the movie.They needed a cute credit sequence with original music, so she and I worked on it at the last minute in the wee hours of the night, and Ford went nuts.We used outtakes from the phones that everyone was given, and the end result was a joy to watch.Everyone leaves grinning and bouncing on their toes.”
Dex sighed.“Aw, I missed it?How long have I been in here?”
“Those were just test audiences.The premiere is coming up on the weekend.You have two days to get back on your feet and to slap on your tutu.”Wizard smiled.
“Will your friend be there?”
“Probably not.She does nights at the company.”
“As what?”
“An employee.”Wizard smiled.“She isn’t an elf.”
“What is she?”
“I don’t know.She’s smoke and silvery with double-pointed ears, gold hair, and gold eyes.Definitely not an elf.”
Tosh froze.“No way.”
Wizard looked his way.“Way.Of course, she normally wears brown hair, tanned skin, and soft hazel eyes.”
He stared.“There isn’t one of her kind on the roster yet.”
Wizard laughed.“She knows.This is her outing herself, and if folks want to talk to her, they can go through me, so to speak.”She grinned.“If they can get through the company first.Devin is going to take credit for it, so he’s going to get hit first.”
Dex blinked.“What?”
“He’s tacking his name onto all my work.Don’t worry.The boss knows.We are just trying to see how far he’s gonna dig this hole.”She grinned.“Dex, do you need any songs for anything?”
Dex paused and touched her ribs.“A fantasy tavern song for EMTs.I think Emery will get a kick out of it.He’s the one who figured out I had some kind of internal bleeding.He got me here.”
She smiled.“I am already hearing it.I will stay here with you.Your guys can get some food or rest.”
Etienne cursed.“Right.Food.I will be back.”
Dex smiled as he left the room, and just before he rounded the corner, she yelled, “Atta boy!”
