“Bam! Bam bam bam bam bam! Take that, Wess!” Sola exclaimed, just as she ducked behind a piece of cover, holding her laser tag rifle to her chest, before hearing Wess groan in annoyance and leave the arena.

It was down to just Julia and Essex versus Sola and Chops, navigating around the pitch black, neon-lit streets of an imagined cyberpunk future. Each team had already taken out the various targets around the arena, all that was left was eliminating the remainder of the enemy team.

Sola glanced down at her jacket, glowing a bright blue, before spotting the movement of red lights coming down the stairs across the arena.

She readied herself, just as she noticed Chops coming to join her, not making as much of an effort to hide.

“Chops! Over here!” Sola exclaimed.

“Hey, Sola, real quick.” Chops asked, crouching down next to her. “Was my spot initially for Lenin?”

“Yeah, but he’s in the Northern Wayside with Saxin, so he couldn’t make it. Why?”

“Well, I don’t think the booking was updated, so they gave me a guy’s jacket.” Chops noted, as Sola turned around.

“Is it uncomfortable?”

“…no, that’s the problem. It actually fits really well.” Chops admitted.

Sola was visibly saddened. “Oh, I’m sorry.”

“No, no, it’s fine. It’s not your fault.” Chops waved off, getting back up. “Just a casual bit of dysphoria, don’t worry.”

“We can get you an uncomfortable one, if you want.” Sola insisted, only for lasers to start firing overhead, getting a hit on Chops, before she ducked back down.

“Shit!” She let out, before looking at the single remaining light on her jacket. “You know what? I don’t think it’ll be an issue for much longer. That was Julia, wasn’t it?”

Sola popped her head up and caught the barrel of Julia’s rifle disappearing behind cover.

“Yep.”

“You got a plan to deal with her?”

Sola thought about it, before confidently shaking her head. “No!”

“…well, fuck.” Chops let out, lying on the ground. “I’m just gonna let her get me.”

“…no, wait! I do have one!” Sola insisted, shaking Chops back up. “You’re bait!”

“Am I?”

“And I am too!”

Chops blinked back at her. “What?”

“Okay, I’ve still got all my health.” Sola said, pointing back down at her jacket. “And there’s a cooldown for getting hit, right?”

“…yeah?” Chops agreed, trying to piece it together.

“Well, I’ll go over and shoot her while she’s hitting me.” Sola suggested, miming the plan out with her hands. “Then you come in, get hits in while we’re confusing her, and just whittle her down! She can’t keep up with us both!”

“…huh.” Chops said, before lifting her hand up. “I need to give you more credit.”

“Yeah you do!” Sola cheered, high-fiving her, before pointing to the side. “I’ll yell when it’s time to strike!”

“Is that different to the yelling now?” Chops asked, right as Sola nodded and ran off to confront Julia.

She snuck around the neon pillars, keeping a vigilant eye out, before catching the glint of Julia’s rifle waiting for her, as she jumped out of the way to avoid Julia’s oncoming assault.

She scrambled to get behind Julia, trying to outflank her, before Julia was caught off guard, letting Sola get in a free hit.

“Take that, Julia!” Sola yelled out, catching the slight movement of Chops in the distance, as Julia aimed her sights back on Sola and managed a clean hit too.

Chops snuck her way around to Julia’s position, just managing to spot the two ducking and weaving behind various bits of cover, only for a sudden presence to emerge from the dark and take her out.

Looking down at her blinking jacket, she spotted her attacker, before yelling out.

“Sola!!! Ambush!!!”

“Huh?” Sola let out, only for Essex to appear seemingly from nowhere and get shots in as well, overwhelming Sola, as she tried to make up the difference by hitting both Julia and Essex.

Eventually, all of Sola’s health was knocked out, as her jacket flashed red, followed by the entire arena, indicating Julia and Essex’s victory.

The lights brought Julia back to reality, as her happiness overwhelmed her.

“We did it!!! Hooray!!!”

With the game won, Essex made herself known proper, only for Julia to pull her into a joyous hug.

“Your strategy worked perfectly!” Julia exclaimed, giving her a sweet kiss on the cheek. “Our beautiful tactician, ladies and gents!”

“…th-thank you…” Essex managed, visibly flustered, as she pulled herself away and back to Sola. “That was a well-played match…honey.”

“You used my idea!” Sola let out, confusing Essex. “You ganged up on us!”

Essex cocked her head. “…yes. The jackets have a cooldown after getting hi-“

“I was so about to do that with Chops!” Sola insisted, before Essex realised she’d intercepted and turned back to a miffed Chops.

She moved her gaze between the two, assessing the situation, before making an idle shrug.

“…it’s called winning…you should try it sometime.”

Julia covered her mouth, as Chops started heading out. “Alright, screw this, I’m out.”

“Essex, I didn’t know you had smack talk in you.” Julia said, visibly impressed.

Sola’s eyes lit up. “I was mad about losing, but I’m with Julia! That was a good burn!”

“It was?” Essex asked, before blushing again. “…please do not compliment me in such quick succession.”

“You’re cute! You’re sexy!” Sola blurted, following the others out of the arena. “You’ve got style for days! Your hairs smells great! You’re so good with you scy…”

Meanwhile, Harley and Wess patiently sat on a bench, just outside of the arena, having taken their jackets off after getting eliminated so early on.

After a solid silence, Wess decided to speak up.

“…this is just like the tournament.”

Harley slapped her leg. “Thank you! I was just thinking that! They didn’t even have the dignity to go easy on us.”

Wess nodded as well. “We already faced quite a humiliating expulsion, but no, salt the wound, pour some lemon juice in for kicks.”

“And you know why? We’re the melee members.” Harley pointed out, as Wess nodded emphatically. “Of course expert marksman Julia and professional capacitor Sola are gonna wipe the floor with us.”

“It’s that fugue state Julia goes into whenever she’s using a rifle.” Wess said, shuddering a little. “Truly terrifying…”

“…but kinda hot, too.” Harley admitted, as Wess sighed out.

“…yes, it’s also very hot.” Wess confessed, just as the others exited out of the arena, with Essex covering her ears.

“You wear a suit literally everyday and it never looks bad on you!” Sola added, as Chops ripped off her jacket.

“Sola, maybe lay off the compliments to Essex for a bit.” Julia suggested, as Sola turned around.

“Your hair’s pretty too! You make flannel stylish! Uhh…boobs! Yours are nice!”

Julia’s face turned crimson, before she covered it. “Th-This isn’t…whatever…”

“So? Who won?” Wess asked, as Julia tentatively lifted a hand. “Excellently done, dear.”

“…thank you…” She replied, before joining Essex on the bench with the others, as Sola stepped in front of them.

“Now that we finished that game, you know what it’s time for, right?”

Everyone silently begged for her not to suggest another game, before Sola called out to one of the employees.

“Hey! Plate of nachos for the party!” Sola suggested, as everyone immediately perked up at the idea.

“Oh, hell yeah.” Chops let out, sitting back up. “Let me at those nachos.”

“I could fuck up some nachos right now.” Harley insisted, before Julia sat up.

“Oh! Extra guac!”

“Extra guac, got it!” Sola assured, before grabbing out some capitals. “And don’t worry, work pays well, so this one’s on me!”

She ran over to the servers, as the others stared at her as she left, smiling happily.

“…I could go for one more game.” Wess admitted.

“She would love if we did.” Essex pointed out, giving a thumbs up to Harley. “Let’s team up with her for this time.”

“Yeah! Girlfriend team!” Harley cheered, bringing her into a hug, before Sola came back over with the nachos.

“These babies are drowning in guac!” Sola let out, before dropping in front of everyone. “Let’s fuel up for game two!”

Julia went to grab one happily. “Thanks for suggesting this, Sola.”

Sola beamed back at them. “No worries!”