To the Con

Present Day

Unlike some of the towering complexes nearby, the hotel Brian had booked was relatively small, reaching only four stories tall. The tightly-clustered rows of rooms each opened out onto railed verandas, which encircled an open-air pool and jacuzzi area. Leaving their ground floor room behind them, Stephanie, Brian, and Kelly stepped out along the poolside patio, blinking in the sunlight. Other scattered groups were leaving their lodgings on all of the levels, many already in costumes or clearly dressed for the convention, and the boisterous sounds of even more parties still getting ready echoed out from open doors as they passed. Once again, an eager energy seemed to tremble in the air.

Wow... Kelly thought to herself, watching as a masked killer-corps ninja from Shinobi Souls gave them a silent nod and then snuffed out a cigarette with his split-toed shoe. I haven’t even had a single smoke all weekend. Shouldn’t I be craving nicotine somethin’ serious by now?

“I’m—I’m so excited!” Stephanie exclaimed. “Is that weird!?”

“Kinda? Hey, ‘fore we get too much further into everything... how ‘bout we take a picture?” Kelly asked innocuously. “Of us three, together. A little group shot?”

“That’s a good idea!” Stephanie agreed, her eyes lighting up.

“Sure,” Brian gestured towards one of the decorative arrangements of flowered plants near the pool and withdrew both his and Kelly’s phones from the utility-belt pouches at his waist. “How ‘bout over here?”

“Um, but uh—but who should we ask to take the picture for us?” Stephanie wondered, glancing around.

“No need,” Kelly laughed, gently pushing her into Brian. “We don’t need nothin’ fancy. I just want a l’il group selfie.”

“Uwah!” Stephanie apologized, bumping away from Brian only to be shoved right back as Kelly maneuvered in close beside her. “Um, s-sorry.”

No escape for you, my pet. Accepting her cell phone from Brian, Kelly held it up and thumbed into her camera menu, studying the display. You need to be pressin’ all up against him, all day long.

“Guys, smoosh in closer,” she insisted, seemingly unwilling to sacrifice even a pixel of her own beguiling smile to tilt the phone further and give the other two more space in the shot. “Alright, say ‘shoes!’ Ready? One, two—”

“Wait, ‘shoes?’” Brian interrupted with a jerk of his helmet. “What happened to saying ‘cheese?’”

“No one says ‘cheese’ for photos anymore,” Kelly rebuked. “Smiling with your teeth, like creepy hillbillies? Gross. Saying ‘shoes’ gives you a way better smile.”

“What, one of those duck-face, pouty looks? I’m not saying ‘shoes.’ I don’t want to look weird.”

“Y-you can say whatever you… hey! Wait, you’re still wearing your helmet!” Stephanie realized with a laugh, playfully patting a gloved hand against his chest.

That’s more like it. Don’t be afraid to touch him. Kelly quirked her lip, steadying her camera. “Whatever! One, two—three!”

“Shoooes!”

“Cheeeese!”

“Cheese!”

Reaching around behind them, Kelly grabbed Stephanie’s gloved hand and used it to cup a firm handful of Brian’s butt the very instant she snapped their photo. The Darkmask helmet swivelled to solemnly regard Stephanie, and she blushed furiously and hid her face. “It! That was Kelly! It-it wasn’t, I didn’t, I w-would never mean to—”

“Hey, don’t sell me out. I mean—whoops? What an accident!” Kelly teased. “One more shot, for real this time?” The sound effect for a camera shutter played on her phone as she captured a cute selfie of their trio.

“One more, just one more,” Kelly insisted. “Take your stupid helmet off.”

“Sure,” Brian said, slipping the plastic Darkmask helm off to reveal his face. “Hey, take one with my phone, too.”

“Okay,” Kelly took his device as well. “One sec, lemme get this first.”

Allowing herself a long moment to just look at him in the guise of setting up the shot, Kelly couldn’t help but ogle those charming features of his. There was that intensity within those mottled green eyes of his, the clean line of his jaw, that slight, unsure smile of his as he glanced towards Stephanie, still squashed in between them.

Okay, so… yeah, he’s a little handsome. Kelly considered herself a specimen of the highest quality, and had never been daunted in the slightest by good-looking guys… but this was different, somehow. Brian was different. She was feeling something more here than sheer physical attraction—something substantial. There was actual weight and mass exerting a terrifying gravity over her mindscape, a draw that just continued to pull her in deeper into his sphere of influence. There was an alien feeling deep in her gut that she was struggling to understand, a grounded and stable feeling that told her she could rely on Brian.

But, that’s impossible, right?

Although reluctant to admit it, she was starting to... trust him. Brian had helped her out more than she’d have hoped of even the thirstiest of guys: a three-day convention pass, a place to stay, breakfast, the very expensive outfit she wore today—yet, he genuinely appeared to have no ulterior motives. He wasn’t trying to impress her, get into her pants, or take advantage of these situations. While he clearly wasn’t free of his earthly desires, he did seem to be in rather firm control of them.

He’s not another asshole who thinks with his dick, Kelly summed up, frowning. Almost kinda wish he was. Least then, I’d know how to deal with him.

“Here,” Kelly snapped the picture and then switched to his phone, pulling away to give Brian and Stephanie some space. “Let’s get this one with just the two of you.”

“Alright.”

“O-okay.”

“Closer, then. Closer,” Kelly instructed, waving them towards each other. “Now, put your arms the rest of the way around her. Yeah, like that. Steph, kinda lean in, rest your head on him a bit, there. Perfect.”

Kelly’s fear of becoming the superfluous third wheel for this cute couple had been jettisoned out into deep space after the events earlier this morning. She had a vested interest now, in both of these two geeks. They were both so... different, in a way she couldn’t sum up simply by thinking of them as typical convention nerds anymore. Complex?

She took the picture, and was just admiring her handiwork in the displayed photo when the device throbbed with vibration in her hands, and a message appeared.

♥ iXi Cerulean iXi ♥: hey brian

♥ iXi Cerulean iXi ♥: u up n runnin?

“You just got a text message,” Kelly frowned, handing his phone back to him. “Your ex?”

“Uh-oh,” Brian sighed heavily and leaned forward to take a look. “Ah, no. Thank God. It’s Emily.”

“That Emily?” Stephanie inquired with a smile, jerking her elbow out in a dramatic thumbs-up.

“Yeah, that Emily,” Brian nodded, trying to tap a response into his phone before realizing the touch screen refused to recognize the material of his costume. Biting a gauntleted fingertip and yanking his hand out, he spat the glove down into the open helmet he was holding with a ptui. “Excited for you guys to meet her later, though. She’s a handful.”

“Are you gonna show us off?” Kelly asked with a slight smirk.

“I…” he paused and looked up from his phone, embarrassed. “I don’t think I really can, right? It’s not like either of you belong to me, or anything.”

“Isn’t it kinda like that, though? A little bit?” Kelly prodded, intent on spurring him on. She looked to Stephanie for support. “There’s somethin’ goin’ on ‘tween all of us, right? Stephanie?”

“Um. I’m. Maybe a little,” Stephanie stammered, looking from Kelly to Brian. “Would, uh, would you want to show us off, Brian?”

“Well…. that’s…”

“Yeah, we want to show off,” Kelly said. “Can we?”

“If that’s what you really want,” Brian chuckled, fidgeting with his phone. “But, s’not gonna work. Me and you two girls? Emily won’t buy it—she knows me too well.”

“Well, Steph and me—we can be real convincing,” Kelly said, eyeing him up and down as he distractedly thumbed responses into his phone.

Besides. What does she ‘know too well’ about you, huh? That you’re just a geek who can’t pick up chicks!?

That black bodysuit he had on was distractingly skintight, and her gaze kept wandering south of the cartoonish skeleton bone motif, where ever-so-slight delineations in that form-fitting fabric betrayed perfect musculature beneath. Below his utility belt, Kelly admired the pronounced, provocative outline of the cup he wore, and the powerful shapes of his thighs was enough to send brilliant flecks of red searing through her mind. Brian’s every form and outline seemed drawn in primal, masculine contours, burning into her brain like a constellation the longer she looked. Kelly was starting to find it difficult to even glance in his direction without seeing stars, bright little red flashes of lust.

Yeah, right. No way, Kelly thought to herself, biting her lip. More like a wolf in geek’s clothing. Once you’re able to look past the goofy costume—the ‘GEEK’ part—you realize he’s basically this total diamond in the rough. He’s cute, he’s cool, he’s got those pensive, brooding green eyes that make it hard for me to concentrate, and… yeah, a body that’s like it’s just built to fuck. Those abdominal lines ALONE are fuckin’ hardwired into the primitive parts of the female brain—they’re like, the primeval instruction manual for immediate and intense copulation. Fuuuck!

“Uh-huh,” Brian sighed, and Kelly thought she saw a bitter look crossing his face before his expression was hidden beneath his Darkmask helmet again. He tucked both phones back into his utility belt pouch, checked to make sure it was secure, and then pulled his glove back on with a tug and a splay of his fingers. “C’mon… let’s head over.”

The hell? Kelly frowned, feeling uncomfortable. That glimpse she’d caught from Brian bothered her, a lot. What’s he thinking?

“Whaddya mean, anyways, she knows you too well?” Kelly finally griped. They passed through a small gate that divided the hotel courtyard area from the outside, and stepped out onto the city sidewalk. “The Brian I know was eatin’ pussy last night. He—”

“Kelly,” Stephanie admonished, jumping over to quickly cover Kelly’s mouth with both hands. There were scattered groups of other pedestrians along the sidewalk, and Stephanie bashfully glanced around them to see if anyone had overheard.

Good, she’s getting more comfortable bein’ physical with me, too.

“Kelly…” Stephanie exhaled slowly, lowering her hands in exasperated embarrassment. “Y-you can’t just say things like that out lou—”

“What, that Brian went pink clam pearl-diving?” Kelly teased. “That he was lappin’ at your sap trap?”

“I—I don’t know what that means,” Stephanie insisted, face going red.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure that you do,” Kelly smiled wickedly, arching an eyebrow. “And if not, Brian and I, we’ll be happy to run you through another lesson.”

“Kelly!”

There was a lingering morning chill as they walked over to wait for the crosswalk opposite the convention center. Brian didn’t seem bothered by the temperature, and Kelly was wearing several layers of gothic lolita outfit, but Stephanie’s short and sleeveless Flamituff cosplay exposed a fair amount of skin to the cool morning air. Opportunity for Steph?

“BrrRRrr,” Kelly trilled in exaggerated discomfort, pretending to suddenly notice Stephanie’s gijinka sundress. “Steph, aren’t you freezing?”

“No, I’m, um. W-we’re almost inside again, it’s fine,” the pink-haired girl said with a weak smile, tugging her long red costume gloves up a little higher on her arms. Finally noticing, Brian shifted, settling into place behind her. He let his prop shopping bag dangle from one wrist, bringing his Darkmask gauntlets up to cover Stephanie’s bare shoulders.

“O-oh, ah, thank you,” Stephanie said with a small jolt of surprise. Slowly, she relaxed and pressed her slim frame back into him, positively glowing with happiness. As the young couple stood watching the heavy morning traffic rushing by, Kelly took a moment to just watch the pair: a Darkmask minion, protectively shielding the cute Flamituff gijinka from the cold.

Then, the crossing signal flashed, spurring the gathered crowd together across the lanes of pavement to the convention center. Enormous masses of people were arriving at AnimeCon in droves from all directions, filling the sidewalks and joining into the enormous horde of enthusiasts and cosplayers converging at the convention center’s entrance plaza. It was clear that for Saturday, many of the cosplayers were pulling out all the stops, as more and more elaborate cosplays seemed to all crawl out of the woodwork.

A seductive pair of teenage girls wearing matching demon horns, full red body paint, white bikinis, and little else were walked along the sidewalk arm-in-arm. Across the plaza, a dozen young men in historical kimonos and woven straw samurai hats were posing with drawn katanas in a face-off photoshoot. An entire walking steampunk castle was even shuffling and shuddering along the opposite crosswalk through all of the people, prompting Kelly to wonder how many were inside operating the enormous thing—and how the hell they would get the hulking thing in through any of the sets of double-doors.

“Wow. S’like AnimeCon’s bleeding out of the convention center, and into real life,” Kelly commented.

“Should’ve seen the diner where I picked us up breakfast,” Brian chuckled. “All the restaurants and bars on this side of the city are gonna have some very strange customers turning heads today.”

What do they think when they see me? Kelly was already no stranger to attention—interest from guys, jealous glares from women—but, the Calamity Queen set she now wore made her into something else entirely. She was haunting, so stark and out of place that some would be sure to stare, while at the same time, such an ethereal beauty that they might doubt their eyes. After several long years, she remembered the thrill of cosplaying once again. Eagerly anticipating being seen by even more people, excited to make a huge impression on everyone, so she could bask in their appreciation for her perfect gothic beauty.

“Hey! Is that by any chance a Flamituff dress?” The moment their little trio entered the plaza, a girl with a nose ring and eyebrows drawn up in bold arches approached Stephanie. “Could I please get a few pictures?”

“Y-yes! Of course,” Stephanie breathed, hopping out of the flow of traffic and tensing up in nervous excitement for the photo. Unsure of what to do with her hands, she awkwardly held them at her sides, as if never having posed for a cosplay picture by herself before. She’s cute.

“Hey, Brian,” Kelly said, leaning in close to him as they stepped off to the side to wait. “I was being serious, about what I said earlier.”

“What?” Brian’s muffled voice called, and he pulled his helmet off again. “Sorry, what?”

“I was being serious earlier,” Kelly repeated. “I want you to finish that massage you started last night.”

“What, right now?” Brian paused, looking around the area teeming with people.

“Not like, right this second, no.” Kelly grinned. “Just, soon, okay? And, I want a massage like you gave Stephanie—you know, the kind with a happy ending.”

“I... didn’t give Stephanie a massage,” Brian said carefully.

“Uh, yeah, I’m pretty sure that ya did,” Kelly said. “Look how... relaxed she is. Look at her smile! She can barely keep her feet on the ground, after that tongue-lashing she got. I want that.”

“She’s just... excited for the convention,” Brian laughed, looking out across the overflowing crowds of anime fans trooping in towards the convention center’s entrances.

“Yeah, okay,” Kelly sighed in exasperation. “Well, she’s certainly excited to have more… fun. How ‘bout you?”

“Aren’t we all having fun right now?” Brian countered with the hint of a smile, before abruptly changing the subject. “How do you like wearing the outfit?”

“Yeah... s’pretty neat,” Kelly mused after a long moment, nodding and presenting him a patient smile. So, he’s not actually that dumb for real. Just... I dunno, being purposefully dense? Deflecting things? But, why? He can’t seriously have no fucking interest in me at all, right? “Was a real bitch to get into, though. Think you’ll be able to help me take it all off, later?”

“That doesn’t sound appropriate,” he said, looking over towards Stephanie. She was excitedly chatting with the girl who’d taken her picture.

“No, guess it doesn’t, does it?” Kelly smirked, edging a little closer to him. “You know, there’s a meaning to when a guy gives a girl a dress to wear.”

“Hah,” Brian shook his head. “Bet the meaning gets a little convoluted when it’s a dress he bought for someone else.”

“That can be fun too, though,” Kelly smiled, her voice dropping to a velvety, rolling purr. “I’m wearing your girl’s clothes, huh? Does that mean I should act like I’m your girlfriend for today?”

To her surprise, he didn’t look flattered, or even amused by her words. He looked—uncomfortable, uneasy, and not in the good way. He didn’t meet her gaze, and his eyes seemed to tighten into a distant, cagey look, instantly bringing to mind that bitter look from before.

He’s... thinking about his ex!

“...Christ, I hope not,” Brian muttered under his breath, and he put his helmet back on, cutting off further conversation.

The sudden flash of antipathy was directed at the ex-girlfriend, so Kelly didn’t feel quite as slighted as she should have. Flirting had never misfired in such a spectacular way, though, and the dark-haired beauty found herself once again in an awkward position.

Is he a wolf in geek's clothing, or isn’t he? I’m USED to hunting wolves. Alphas of the pack, even, Kelly groused. Put out a bit of meat, and they’ll move right in for a good kill. Not used to poaching this… skittish game you can’t even lure out. So, is he like another one of those geeky herbivores?

They watched as Stephanie finally thanked the photographer and pranced back over towards them, her rabbit ears bobbing and skirt bouncing. Of course, Kelly couldn’t help but remember this same shy little weeb with her legs spread, involuntarily shuddering back against her with pleasure as she was tongued out of her goddamn mind. The sight of Brian poised over the girl like a predator, feasting on his prey…

Okay... no, so maybe he’s not a COMPLETE herbivore. And there is his body, too. Guess it was just the way I said things? Pushed the wrong button? He really wasn’t kidding about still having weird baggage and open wounds from his ex, sheesh.

“Skullfie!”

“Where?”

“Holy shit, hey, Skullfie! Darkmask!”

The moment between them had turned awkward, but relief came in the form of three of college-aged guys, each wearing headbands with crude Japanese slogans drawn on them. The hooligans all clambered around Brian, apparently drawn over by his cosplay.

“That’s so badass! Can we get your picture?”

“Skullfie? What?” One of the friends joked. “Where, behind this perfectly normal shopper? He’s even carrying a Komari-mart bag! Pffft!”

“I dunno guys… I think he might actually be one of those evil minion guys,” another joked, narrowing his eyes in feigned suspicion. “But, in disguise. You know, one of those Darkmask guys?”

“Darkmask? Me?” Brian intoned in a raspy voice from within his Darkmask helm, hefting his stenciled shopping bag in greeting. “Kid, you sure know how to joke around.”

Guess that’s what a Darkmask, or a Skullfie or whatever is supposed to say? Kelly wondered, a little charmed by the situation. Cute.

“You’re freakin’ awesome, man. Can I get my picture with you?”

“Where’d you get the bag, do they sell them somewhere?”

“Did you make the helmet yourself?”

“Steph!” Kelly whispered loudly, sidling over beside the girl as Brian started chatting with the guys. “Once those guys’re done with Brian, go lean in, and like, fix the collar of his costume.”

“Okay,” Stephanie agreed, before taking a second baffled glance. “But, uh, what’s wrong with—does, does his collar even need to be fixed?”

“That’s the gimmick,” Kelly replied, rolling her eyes. “He can’t tell whether there’s anything wrong or not, not without a mirror. It gets you close, it’s an intimate gesture—shows both that you’re paying attention to his appearance, and that you’re looking out for him. I’m not gonna have time to explain all these things every little time a chance pops up, though, ya know? When I tell ya to do something, just do it.”

“Okay,” Stephanie nodded, biting her lip. “I-I can do that.”

“Today, I want you to be all over Brian. You stick close. Whenever you’re not holding his hand, have your arm around him. It’ll be crowded, so when you can’t walk by his side... at least have a hand on him, somewhere. Always.”

“B-but, then, what about you?”

“Don’t worry about me, I’m working some... other angles. You focus on constant body contact. Keep touching him, all day. Flirt with him. Keep making eye contact and smiling. Make yourself seem as open, inviting, and available to him as you can. Can’t be afraid to be a little forward to get what you want.”

“Is-is this wrong? I mean, us doing this, when he doesn’t uh, doesn’t want to—”

“He does want to, he’s just holding himself back,” Kelly countered. “His ex has his head in a weird place, that’s all. Didn’t you two kiss, yesterday? How hesitant was he last night when he was burying his face in your muff? He was at it for like, a while, you know? Longer than most guys. Seemed pretty eager, once he got his first taste.”

“I...I get it! I get it. Okay,” Stephanie said, embarrassed. “I’ll… try.”

“And, there’s not only that,” Kelly tugged a lock of Stephanie’s vivid pink hair. “What about all of this? This… whatever it is he’s done to you. He’s gotta take responsibility. C’mon, Steph… isn’t this what you want?”

“I want…” Stephanie frowned, seemingly wrestling with how to put her desires into words. “Well, I, um, I know I want to do something. For him, after everything he’s done for me.”

“Sounds like you feel guilty, then,” Kelly teased. “Like, you just wanna pay him back for him goin’ down on you. So, you wanna blow him today, give him your messy li’l first blowjob?”

“N-no, no, that’s not what I mean. I don’t think I even could—” Stephanie blushed, cutely furrowing her brow. “N-no, I just don’t think that I could pay him back, wi-with me trying to do that. He was, um, amazing, and I don’t—I don’t know the first thing about…”

“S’not exactly rocket surgery, Steph,” Kelly explained with a laugh. “I can show you a thing or two, sure, but if you’re worried ‘bout technique, then how ‘bout we skip all these... formalities, and just have him fuck you. It’s not complicated, and you don’t need to know anything, or even really do much of anything, for him to be in heaven.”

“...Rocket surgery?” Steph regarded Kelly with a dubious expression. “Y-you don’t think that that’s... a little extreme? I mean, uh, since I am still a, um. Since I’ve never had, uh... had real sex.”

“Makin’ a big deal outta being a virgin is like being that one friend who always brings up that they don’t know how to swim. I say, throw ‘em in the fucking water, then. Get it over with.”

“Haha, ha,” Stephanie chuckled weakly, shoulders sagging. She dropped her forehead into her gloved hands. “Of course you would say that. The thing is, well, I don’t think that, um, I could ever be that… forward with anyone. Even, uh, even him. Maybe especially him? And, that’s not, well, exactly what I want—”

“Well, Stephanie, what do you really want, then?” Kelly asked, rolling her eyes.

“This weekend to never end,” Stephanie replied wistfully. “To learn ev-everything about Brian, just... everything there is. To get to know you better, too, Kelly. For you to open up to us, for the three of us to all be best friends, and… more of this.”

“Weekends like this are only special ‘cause they don’t last,” Kelly sighed, rolling her eyes. “Let’s not ruin the moment by getting to know each other too much, okay? That’ll only ever get ugly—you don’t wanna get to know me.”

“I do, though,” Stephanie insisted, a persistent, serious look in her eyes. “I... I want to know.”

“No, you don’t.”

“Yes, I do!”

“Steph… aren’t you supposed to be all shy and shit?” Kelly narrowed her eyes at the pink-haired girl. “When did you start growing a backbone?”

“I didn’t!” Stephanie said, a little too proudly. “I-I don’t need one. I have you. And Brian. And, we’re friends, wh-whether or not you’ll admit it. Last night, you both pushed me to be brave, to be honest, to open up—to trust in you guys. And, it was worth it! It was… it was more than anything I ever hoped for.”

“Well, glad that it worked out for you, then,” Kelly snorted, shaking her head. “Bravo.”

“So… will you try?” Stephanie asked again, giving her a pleading look. “To open up, a little? Y-your feelings, I mean, not just your, um. Your...”

“Legs?” Kelly smirked. Did she almost go for a dirty joke? We really DO have a whole new Stephanie, today.

“Yes... those.”

“Well, we can get into all that stuff later on, or... tonight, alright?” Kelly proposed. “We’ll all have drinks and talk. Talkin’ about my issues right now would ruin the mood, spoil our good fun.”

“Okay,” Stephanie agreed nervously. “You promise?”

“What,” Kelly joked, “don’t you trust me?” Share my whole stupid sob story with these guys? The more I’m around them, the less I want them to know. Maybe it really will be time to split before too long...

“I…” Steph began, looking at her with that serious expression again, “I really want to. You might be the best friend I’ve ever had.”

“I hope you’re kidding,” Kelly’s laugh died in her throat as she remembered discovering that bare handful of names in the address book of Stephanie’s phone—there weren’t even enough listings to generate a scrollbar.

Does she... really have no other fucking friends? Seeing Stephanie in that perspective made her uneasy. Kelly had taken it for granted that Stephanie was just this hopelessly naivé geek, lacking her own real experience with the bitter truths of the world—but, maybe that was doing this girl a disservice. For whatever reason—probably the random social anxiety thing—Steph’s practically been alone. Of course she’d hide away, become more and more introverted, vulnerable and everything. How was she s’posed to know any better?

S’not really her fault, then, that she’s… the way she is, Kelly thought, frowning slightly. The shy, dorky loser. But, if she’s making this big effort now to reach out and try—and I DON’T help her… isn’t some of that actually on me, then? No, that’s not right. What’s her life problems got to do with me? This is all only so we can have this bangin’ threesome tonight. And that’s it. I’m not her friend, not for real.

“Hey, sorry ‘bout that,” Brian interrupted Kelly’s surprised look as he hurried back over towards them. “They got to telling stories. You guys okay? Everything cool?”

“We—uh, we’re…” Steph hesitated, looking nervously to Kelly.

“We’re cool,” Kelly decided, wetting her luscious lips with her tongue and mustering a smile for them.

Hundreds of anime fans were surging into the convention beneath the enormous AnimeCon banner hung proudly above the plaza. Finally passing through one of the dozen pairs of double-doors and inside the wide convention center’s lobby, Stephanie and Kelly squeezed in even closer to Brian for safety. The dissonant jumble of dozens of different nearby conversations filled the air, and the three companions were momentarily at a loss as to which overcrowded direction to try to push through. Despite the lavish size of the enclosed area—and it was enormous—it was already filled to the brim with people. Everyone was packed in like pocki, and there was simply nowhere for the trio to go, no gaps opening up throughout the diverse swath of cosplay enthusiasts and anime fanatics.

“This place... is fucking crazy,” Kelly almost had to shout to be heard, and Brian’s skull helmet bobbed in a nod of agreement.