Carmen couldn't contain her excitement. Gray- HER Gray- was alive! Not only that, he'd asked her out!! On an actual date! Suddenly her smile turned into a frown. Gray had asked out. On an actual date. She'd never been on a date before!! She had no clue how to act!!
Focus, Carmen! She shoved her insecurities aside, focusing on the problem at hand. If she was going to stay in Sydney, she needed somewhere to sleep. She looked up hotels nearby and decided to check into the Shangri-La Sydney hotel.
She entered the building, eyes rounding in awe. The main plaza was a ginormous room with slick marble flooring and practically dripping with gold embellishments. A chandelier with a thousand various crystal shards spiraled out from the center spawned from the ceiling. The entire area was lit up in a classy vintage esque lighting, and everything looked expensive.
Carmen approached the front desk, where a man with red hair that reminded her a bit of Zack was standing. He was wearing a classy outfit that matched the other staff members, a little bow tie around his neck to complete the look. She read his name tag in her head. Isaac Arden.
"Hi,...Uh...Isaac!" She chirped, giving him a bright, red lipped smile. "I'd like a room for one, please."
The red haired man nodded his head, beginning to type into his computer. "Coming right up, ma'am. What suite would you like?"
"The deluxe Harbour Bridge room."
"So what brings you to Sydney?" He asked whilst typing away.
"It's obvious I'm a tourist, huh?" She smile sheepishly.
Isaac returned the expression, laughing. "Well...yes, but to be fair, your accent was what gave it away."
"Oh yeah." Carmen grinned. "Well, ro answer your question, I'm visiting a friend."
"Must be one special friend for you to come all this way." Isaac said knowingly.
The Latina blushed. "Something like that."
She paid quickly using her credit card. Carmen didn't really have a job at the moment, so most of her money came from savings she kept during her days of galavanting around the world as La Femme Rouge. She did work as a history teacher at her mother's orphanage back in Argentina...but that didn't really count considering she didn't get paid.
"And..." Isaac began again, his tongue poking out between his teeth. "...what name will the room be going under?"
"Carmen Wolfe, thank you."
Isaac smiled, bending down and opening a drawer to retrieve a set of card from a stack identical to it. "Here you go, ma'am, And on behalf of all the employees of Shangri-La, I hope you enjoy your stay. If you have any problems, feel free to call the front desk any time."
"I will, thanks." Carmen smiled before going up to her room, which was on the 28th floor. A brown skinned woman with dreadlocks stood next to her. She was in a figure hugging cream dress and a fur coat, and Carmen felt severely underdressed standing next to her in just jeans and a hoodie.
"This your stop, darling? The woman asked once the elevator drew to a stop.
"Oh, yes, thank you!" Carmen said, snapping out of her daze.
She checked into her room and her jaw fell slack in awe. The room had a classy beige theme going on, with blue carpeting and a large, king sized bed at the center. A 70 inch flat screen TV was glued on one wall, while an expensive looking painting was on the other. One wall was entirely glass, a massive window that provided a view of the spectacular Sydney harbor. Carmen smiled. She could even see the opera house from where she was.
The first thing she did after settling in was to call Player. Best friends told each other everything after all. She thought of adding the siblings to the call before remembering with a pang of guilt that they weren't speaking anymore. She'd have to find them again some day.
Players face appeared on the screen of her laptop. He was dressed in a hoodie as usual, and was still a short little modget. BUT he had grown to about 5'6 in the last couple years and updated his style to include blue jeans now. The usual background of his room was gone, replaced with a college dorm."What's up, red? How's Australia treating you?"
"Good..." Carmen said nonchalantly, not wanting to let on what happened just yet. "I just checked into a hotel. How's college treating you?"
Player's eyes lit up. "Great! The computer science program here is awesome! I'm working with my proffessors to research possible new extensions in data protection technology!" (feel free to correct me haha I don't know what I'm talking about because I don't know anything about computer science)
The latina smiled at her friend. "Well I'm glad you've found your calling."
Player mirrored her expression. "Me too, red. Me too."
The friends fell into a comfortable silence for a moment until Carmen could keep her secret no longer.
"Player." She breathed. "You'll never believe who I ran into."
"Uhh, who? The mailman?"
"No!! I-I ran into Gray!"
"Gray?" Players eyes widened in surprise, then in confusion. "But I thought he was dead?"
"I did, too," Carmen added, giddy. "But it turned out that he disabled the kill mode on his crackle rod before the fight! Hes alive!"
"Wow im so happy for you red!" Player smiled.
"And thats not all.." The latina felt a blush come on. "He also asked me out....on a date."
"Ha!" Player jumped out of his seat with a smirk. "I KNEW you had a thing for him!!"
"Shut up." Carmen laughed, perching on her bed. The covers of the duvet were soft beneath her. This hotel really was next level fancy.
"Sooo. You excited?" Player sat back down. The canadian boy leaned forward, placing his chin in the cup of his palms to show he was listening.
"Yeah, but I'm also nervous. I mean, i've never been on a date before."
"Can't help you there. I've never been on a date either."
"Ughhh." Carmen groaned, throwing her face into her palms. "This is gonna be a disaster."
Player chuckled. "See, this is why you should've tried making more friends."
Carmen stuck her tongue at him. Who cared what he thought of her anti-social habits. But just then, something occured to Carmen. She DID have another friend!!
"Player! Genius idea! Lets call Julia!"
"What, am I not enough for you?" Player said jokingly before dialing their friend.
A couple seconds later, Julia answered, her face popping up on the screen. It had been a while since she'd seen her so Carmen took a moment to take in her friend. Julia's raven hair was slightly longer--now in a fashionable bob style as opposed to the pixie cut she'd sported whilst at ACME. She had never been a huge makeup wearer but now her face was completely bare--pale skin slightly transclucent and monolid eyes free of liner or mascara.
"Carmen, Player, hey! Its so good to see you guys!" Julia smiled, adjusting her glasses on the bridge of her nose.
"You, too, Jules!" Carmen chuckled. "How are Devineaux and Luci?"
After the end of VILE, Chief retired and promoted Devineaux intk the new head of ACME. Julia quit working at ACME and started as a proffessor teaching history at the local university. They started dating, and about one year in, he proposed to her all the way back at the site of their first mission together in Poiters, France! She said yes and Carmen was one of their bridesmaids! A couple months later, they had a baby girl named Lucille "Luci" Devineaux after Chase's late mother, and now lived together happily in France.
Julia sighed fondly, shaking her head. "Oh, you know Chase. The only way he can function is if he throws himself into his work. But, ah- Luci started to learn to walk! Shes always stumbling on her stubby legs and its adorable!"
Carmen chuckled and Player smiled. "You'll have to send us pictures some time." The former hacker said.
"Oh, I will. Now, what about you two?"
"Well, I'm doing compsci at college at the moment."
"Thats great!" Julia grinned. "What about you, Carmen? How's Argentina this time of year?"
"Actually, I'm in Australia right now." Carmen said, playing with her sleeve awkwardly.
"Oh! What for?" Then Julia sat back, smirking at the camera. "You're there to see, Gray, aren't you?"
Cqrmen scoffed, fighting a blush. "What are you, a mind reader?"
Julia laughed. "Nope. Just observant. I could tell you had a thing for him."
"God, was I really that obvious?"
"Pretty much." Player snickered.
"But yeah, actually, he asked me out on a date today and I'm so nervous because I have no clue how to act!"
"Oh, that's right. You've never dated anyone before, yes?" Julia said, removing her glasses and cleaning a smudge on their panes.
"Yeah..." Carmen said sheepishly. She felt herself blush, redness spreading past her cheeks and down her neck.
"Oh, well would you like some advice?"
Carmen smiled. "That'd be great, Jules."
Julia returned the expression and began. "Well, for one. Don't take it too seriously. It's just the first date, the pressure isn't really on. Two, make sure that you're comfortable. If you're not happy, express it to him. Men aren't mind readers. Three, make sure you don't come on too strong or put pressure, guys hate that."
Carmen smirked. "You sound like you have some experience there."
Julia smiled. "Maybe a little. But what do I have to worry about any of that now? I'm married. Anyways, number four, the fourth and final reason: Be yourself. I know it's cheesy, but you shouldn't change yourself to appeal to another person. The goal of dating is to find someone who loves you for YOU. If they don't like you, that's there loss."
"Thanks Jules, you've been really helpful."
Julia smiled. "Anytime. Now I've got to go, Luci's nap is almost over!" She gave a delicate wave
"Bye, Jules!" Carmen and Player chorused together, watching as their friend closed out of the call.
"And then there were two." Player quipped. Carmen raised a brow at him. "So. Can I listen in during your date?"
"Oh my cod, player no!"
Player snickered. "Im kidding!"
"You we're not! Im leaving now! And i will be leaving my comms at home!"
"But what if there's an emergency?" Player made puppy dog eyes up at her.
Carmen sighed, relenting. "Fine. But you better not try any funny business."
Her friend gave her the finger guns. "No promises." He grinned before exiting the call.
Carmen rolled her eyes. What was she going to do with this kid.