Page 3 of 3013: Dreamer
Even though Evo was still in the beta testing phase, the new gaming world was already considered a resounding success.
The planetoid was comprised of dozens of islands that had been altered to represent various settings and stages from the Evolution game and a vibrant blue sea that was home to some deadly creatures. The entire planetoid was run by a mix of technology and magic, and while there were several sites that sounded intriguing, Charm hated to admit that she had been putting off visiting the other islands.
She wasn’t really a gamer. At least, not an avid one. She definitely enjoyed a good battle, but she wasn’t too keen on fighting zombies or alien bugs with acid venom. Nor did she want to traverse through a frozen tundra to reach an ice palace or take a trip to hell to compete in whatever sadistic game was being played there.
While some of the other islands were set up as strictly leisure destinations, that didn’t mean they were completely safe. With some of the crazy shit that had been happening recently, even idyllic places could turn into battle zones.
Until some of the beta testing kinks were fixed, Charm would rather focus on running Wonderland. Besides, she had everything she could ever want right there on the property, so there was no need to go anywhere else.
If that narrowed her world a little, so be it.
She could live with that…for now.
All things considered, she was too damn busy with work to even consider taking time off to play games anyway. But that didn’t mean she was missing out on having fun. While most of the sanctuary was running smoothly and stayed pretty quiet, there was always something going on inside the casino.
Like the current situation unfolding on the main floor.
The Reema male was being escorted to the security center for questioning, and the security officers had collected the stolen chips. But no one else had caught on that there was another perpetrator on the premises.
“What are you still doing here?”
She didn’t bother glancing over as her friend, Gia G’Lan, took a seat at the small table. She and Gia had met while they had both been working at Haven, the female-only sanctuary in Jade City, and they had become fast friends. She admired the older female, and she had learned a lot from training and sparring with her.
As a former commander of the D’Aire Army during the war with the Zyphir, Gia had experienced her share of bloodshed and pain. That was partly why she enjoyed helping to preserve the safety of others. She was a fierce defender of the weak, which made her a perfect addition to the sanctuary. She was also unusually outspoken for a D’Aire and had a wry wit and vicious temper when riled, which made her fit in with the mostly Krytos staff.
Last year, Gia had met the keeper of her heart while she had been transporting some of the female guests to anothersanctuary. The big, burly Krytos named Ruckus was the perfect match for Gia in every way. The owner of Haven had been willing to make an exception to let the mated couple stay, but they had decided it was better to leave and preserve the status of the all-female sanctuary.
It had pained her when Gia and Ruckus had left the sanctuary, but Charm had understood why they had made that choice. They had done so for the greater good. It had also given them time to travel and simply enjoy being together. Although, she knew Gia wouldn’t like being idle for long.
When the opportunity to open Wonderland had fallen into her lap, Gia had been the first person Charm had contacted about joining the staff. Thankfully, Gia and Ruckus had both loved the idea of moving to Evo and helping manage the new sanctuary.
Since Ruckus had been a supervisor at the casino on New Vega, he had been a huge help setting things up and managing the one at Wonderland. While Raek and Fenris helped out wherever they were needed, Gia was Charm’s main assistant with the overall management of the sanctuary, while Ruckus took the lead in the casino.
“We’ve got a situ,” Charm said. “See the asshole wearing the blue hoodie at the galactic slot?”
“What about him?”
“He’s got a device on him that is allowing him to bypass the machine’s alarm.”
“Shit. Why is he still breathing?”
She finally glanced over at her friend and grinned in greeting. While Charm was wearing her standard uniform of a black leather vest and pants, Gia had on a bold blue skinsuit with matching knee-high boots that added a few inches to her already impressive height. She was also wearing blue-tinted glasses thatwere similar to the pair Charm was wearing, though hers had larger oval lenses.
The D’Aire had recently cut her hair so the sides were shaved and the snowy white strands on top were swept back. It was an edgy look that suited her well, and it made Charm consider changing up her own look. She usually pulled her long black hair back into a boring braid, but she was getting tired of doing the same damn thing every day.
Realizing her mind had begun to wander, she shook her head a little to bring herself back to the moment. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d gotten more than a couple of hours of sleep. Perhaps that was starting to take a toll on her.
“You want me to go take care of it?” Gia asked hopefully.
“Not yet. Evo is scanning to see if anyone else is using a similar device. I’m pretty sure blue hoodie paid off that Reema who was just escorted off the floor.”
“The one who tossed the chips? Yeah, I thought that was sus. I mean, who thinks they can grab a tray of chips off a table and make it to the exit before they get clobbered?”
“A very drunk one?”
Gia scoffed. “Even so, it was too obvious.”
“I thought the same, but it’s happened before. Still, Evo is scanning to see if anyone else here is carrying the same device.”