The Perfect Run

Ryan loved Genome parties. They always involved a lot of property damage.

He had attended a few elsewhere in Italy, usually when he joined a group. However, this one looked like it would be the biggest yet; and since tomorrow would mark Quicksave’s first week in New Rome, the courier intended to cap it off with a bang.

Well, he had probably spent two months or so in the city across various loops, but still! This party might be something entirely new and surprising.

“How many people will come?” Ryan asked, having traded his usual trench coat, hat, and mask for a classy, dark purple suit. While Ki-jung had insisted he could dress casually, the Genome would settle for nothing less than the best outfit in the room.

You couldn’t half-ass elegance.

“Oh, no more than one-hundred,” Ki-jung replied, her fingers fidgeting in anxiety. She had traded her glasses for contact lenses, and her modest clothes for a sleeveless black dress. Her boyfriend meanwhile wore a simple blue shirt and black pants.

“Do you want more tuna pizzas?” Lanka asked while on the sofa while typing on a phone. That tasteless black sheep alone hadn’t made any effort to dress well. “We still got enough party funds for four more.”

“Add a few vegan ones for Fortuna,” Ki-jung said, before checking the kitchen for the fifth time in the past hour. Jamie had gathered an impressive array of alcohol bottles on the counter. “Will that be enough?”

“They’re the strongest liquors I could find,” Jamie replied, intending to work as the barman and already busy making cocktails. Since Genomes had a more efficient metabolism than normal humans, they needed ten times the usual dose to even feel the effects of alcohol.

“I’ve got Genome-only stuff in my car,” Ryan said. “But you will start shining in the dark and see invisible things.”

“Don’t worry,” Jamie said quickly. “Fortuna is bringing strong stuff, and, I quote, ‘party pills.’”

“No Bliss?” Ki-jung asked, her face tensing up.

“No Bliss,” her boyfriend reassured her, while someone hit the doorbell. “Come in!”

The first guests opened the door, Ki-jung anxiously standing straight next to Ryan while they walked inside. Night had fallen outside, and while the party was scheduled to start at eight, most guests would be fashionably late.

“Hello everyone!” Fortuna entered the house, followed by her boyfriend and a younger girl around fifteen. Lucky Lady wore a golden dress even more scandalously lavish than usual; whereas the teenage girl dressed so tastelessly, that Ryan couldn’t look at her without fighting the urge to drag her to a tailor’s shop.

Fortuna’s date was around Ryan’s physical age, with short well-groomed brown hair, blue eyes, and an elegant all black formal suit. He looked rather plain when compared to his girlfriend, but the courier felt an intense vibe coming from him.

In fact, he seemed vaguely familiar.

The mystery boy immediately singled out the courier, who waved a hand at him. “Hi, I’m Ryan. I would say I’m immortal, but you probably know that already.”

“Mathias,” the man replied, shaking Ryan’s hand with a small smile. “Mathias Martel.”

The way he moved, his aura, the slight inflection in the voice… “I know, we’ve met,” Ryan replied cheerfully, testing the waters.

“You did?” Fortuna asked while Mathias’ smile strained a bit. Since he hadn’t cut that lucky woman’s hair this time around, she seemed a lot more well-disposed towards Ryan. “Matt, why didn’t you tell me?”

“Yeah, you’re usually a very transparent kind of guy, Matt.” Ryan winked at him. “I hope you don’t hide anything else.”

Matt’s poker face remained ironclad while he answered his date’s question. “It didn’t seem important at the time.”

“Fortuna, you brought your sister?” Ki-jung asked the blonde bombshell, although her eyes remained focused on the teenage girl. “Isn’t she too young for this kind of party?”

“I’m almost fifteen!” The younger girl pouted. While she was no top model like her sister, she would probably grow into an attractive woman in time. She had short, light brown hair, ocean blue eyes, and a heart-shaped face.

“Fourteen and a half,” Fortuna teased her, her younger sister pinching her in the arm.

“Hi, I’m Narcinia, Narcinia Veran.” The teen smiled brightly at everyone. “Alias Ceres.”

“I still can’t believe Augustus gave you an Olympian name before me,” Fortuna complained, her boyfriend glancing away. “If only Felix hadn’t gone crazy, we could have become Diana and Apollo.”

“Has he answered your messages?” Ki-jung asked, a look of concern on her face.

“I wish!” Fortuna complained, crossing her arms angrily. “I swear when he comes back—”

“If he comes back,” Narcinia replied with a depressed face.

“Maybe he got hit by a car,” Ryan said, the others glaring at him. “Well, he is a cat. Or was that too soon?”

“He will come back,” Fortuna insisted, though she looked at Jamie and Ki-jung. “Can’t you help? Give him a call?”

The couple exchanged an embarrassed glance, one heavy with regrets. “He didn’t leave the house on the best terms,” Jamie said stoically. “Felix… Felix needs time to figure himself out.”

“But—”

Mathias put a hand on his girlfriend’s arm before she could insist. He seemed more insightful than her, though that wasn’t hard.

Having talked with Atom Cat on the Dynamis path, Ryan quickly put two and two together. He had a pretty good idea of what caused his feline friend to leave the Augusti, namely, Ki-jung's situation.

Something else also bothered Ryan. Felix the Cat said his sister Narcinia was adopted, and she matched a certain description… Could it be?

This party already promised a lot of surprises.

scanned the room. “He’s usually early when

a bathroom break,” Jamie replied with a frown. “The attacker also forced Luigi

Ryan asked at the same time

maniac who attacked Luigi before,” Jamie replied with a sigh. “And yes, a salami. Don’t ask me why. They say the city is safer with the

fellow possessing a strange sense of justice, fighting crime with a hockey stick in

leave her spot. “Nah, blabbermouth, it’s just petty revenge. If you ask me, the jackass deserved it, always asking the wrong

will get what he deserves,” Jamie said firmly, glancing at Fortuna. “Now that the Meta-Gang has left New Rome, will you

we cleaned up Rust Town and Sparrow

bunker’s entrance. Vulcan had tasked the group to patrol the area in case the Meta returned, while she left with Sparrow to hunt them down. Ryan hadn’t received any news since, though he heard

hadn’t contacted him again either. He hoped the

this while…” Ki-jung cleared her throat

seen right through us,” Ryan said with a smirk, delighting at

replied with the same

himself. Touché. “It’s okay, Chitter, I vouch for my

a second date,”

to happen whether

did the two of you meet?”

week?” Fortuna asked. “I narrowly avoided death by falling

your power rescued you,” Mathias corrected her with a deadpan face. “I didn’t expect you to fall on me from the third floor. That was completely

was love at

her boyfriend protested. “I checked if you were alright, and when I tried

while the others chuckled. “The world’s most beautiful woman falls on your lap and

he was immune to Fortuna’s charm and she couldn’t stand it. “What, my world

have!” And she said it without any hint of sarcasm whatsoever. “When I look at boys, they drop at my feet, but you, Matt?

seemed a bit shy in the presence of so many older people, but grew more confident as the group

who showed them the DJ: a brain in a jar hooked to the TV

a DJ?” Narcinia asked, though unlike the others she seemed more excited

have asked you to take care of the playlist,” Ki-jung told Ryan with

for those who don’t know what they want!” Ryan replied, activating DJ

light shone from inside its tank. As the liquid protecting the grey matter changed color,

admitted, nodding to herself to the tune of the

Ki-jung said, while her rats started breakdancing

Grand Theft Auto remix,” Mathias said, much to Ryan’s surprise. “A pretty good

said since he was clearly too modest

precise, I’m a programmer and I make indie games on the side,” her date replied with a sheepish grin, the most emotion Ryan had seen him

Ryan, who had stars in his eyes. However, he decided to test that man’s knowledge

I prefer Super Metroid,”

“Best Square RPG?”

VI holds

another gamer alive on this God-forsaken planet!” Ryan was almost brought to tears at finding a soulmate. “I

above the sofa with

bedrooms, yours I presume, is painted brown, with thirty

before he could finish. “If you tell anyone what’s below the bed, I’m

uncomfortable about open displays of affection than his girlfriend. Ryan got the feeling she

that’s nothing.” Narcinia grabbed a knife from the kitchen and then raised it at her thumb.

anyone could react, a drop of blood falling on the parquet. The liquid quickly expanded into

later, the group looked at a

said in amazement, while Jamie

life from my blood,” Narcinia boasted, her new pet letting out a cry. “Nothing too complicated or too big, but I

any kind of goat?”

“Of course! Why?”

her big eyes, and then whispered two

“Goat fights.”

he were a genius, which he was, and then made a second goat. A black-furred born-fighter,

“The black one.”

see the

color and held a tournament

She locked horns with her rival, ready to claim her rightful place as the competition’s winner. “You

a

managed to toss her

with smug confidence. The spectators applauded, though

smoke. With the spectacle finished, most guests dispersed to talk in a corner or grab

stroking Shub-Niggurath’s ear. Actually, he did cheat once, but only against Fortuna. Considering her

kitchen-bar, with Fortuna spending her time advertising her boyfriend to everyone who would listen. Jamie, ever the peoples’ person, engaged Mathias in a friendly conversation while mixing cocktails, though the programmer remained

whom Ryan recognized as one of Renesco’s customers helped Jamie with the bar by moving drinks around, while a fire manipulator showed off to a girl by creating burning shapes

would be disappointed if the party didn’t end up with

accusing me of goat racism?” Lanka

rodents

a wolf, to eat them,” Ryan suggested, his goat champion looking up at him. “Only the losers,

rid of the wolf afterward?”