Chapter 47 : A Habit : part 1

Chloé suggested the idea in the group chat at the beginning of the week.

Chloé: Saturday night?

Sarah: Yes.

Maxime: Works for me.

Julien: I know a bar.

Chloé: Of course you know a bar.

Julien: I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for months.

Maxime: Aldric, are you coming?

Aldric: Yes.

Aldric smiled before putting his phone away.

On Saturday evening, he arrived outside the bar six minutes before the agreed time. The establishment was located on a lively street just off a main avenue. A small terrace occupied part of the sidewalk, but Sarah had reserved a table inside. Julien was waiting near the door.

“Perfect.”

“What?”

“You’re the first one here.”

“I arrived six minutes early.”

“Exactly. I knew I could count on you.”

“To arrive early?”

“It’s a rare quality.”

Julien opened the door and went inside. Several tables occupied the central area, while a long counter stretched along one wall. The music was low enough for customers to talk normally.

Julien pointed to a table near a window.

“There.”

Two chairs were already occupied by his belongings.

“You used your coat to reserve two seats?”

“One for me and one for you.”

“Why?”

Julien removed one of the coats.

“Because I want to show you something about the game I told you about.”

“You could have asked me to sit next to you.”

“Yeah, but someone could have taken the seat before you arrived.”

“Efficient.”

“Thank you.”

Aldric sat down beside him while Julien took out his phone. He opened a video.

“Look.”

Aldric watched the screen. A character was fighting an enormous creature in an arena covered in ruins.

“A boss.”

“You’re learning.”

“You explained the term to me last week.”

“I know. Let me enjoy the moment.”

Julien restarted the video from the beginning. The player dodged several attacks, struck the creature, then backed away before repeating the same sequence.

“He is making a mistake.”

“Obviously.”

“Why ‘obviously’?”

“Because I knew you were going to say that.”

“Then why show me this video?”

“Because I wanted to see how long it would take you.”

“How long did you think?”

“One minute.”

“It took me twenty-seven seconds.”

“You counted?”

“Approximately.”

“I take back what I said about your social progress.”

Julien showed him the sequence a second time.

“So?”

“After the lateral attack, the player systematically moves in the same direction.”

“And?”

“The creature seems to know that as well.”

“Okay…”

“You hadn’t noticed?”

“I had…”

“You’re lying.”

Julien’s eyes widened.

“Excuse me?”

“You hadn’t noticed.”

“I’m really starting to regret teaching you how to understand people.”

Sarah arrived with Maxime. Chloé joined them almost immediately and placed her bag on the chair next to her.

“Where’s Emma?”

Sarah checked her phone.

“Still at the agency. A viewing ran longer than expected.”

Chloé sighed.

“On a Saturday night?”

“She should be here in half an hour,” Maxime replied.

Aldric nodded.

“She let me know.”

Julien looked up from his menu.

“Of course…”

Aldric turned his head.

“What?”

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“Nothing.”

“Why did you respond if it meant nothing?”

Maxime smiled.

“Good luck, Julien.”

“Thanks for the support.”

Julien turned toward Aldric.

“I simply meant that I’m not surprised she let you know. Because you two talk often.”

“Yes.”

Julien opened his menu.

“There.”

The waiter arrived, and everyone chose a drink. Julien and Maxime ordered beers, Sarah a glass of wine, and Chloé a lemonade. Aldric asked for sparkling water.

Julien immediately looked up.

“Still?”

“Yes.”

“After all my efforts?”

“You made me try one beer.”

“Two.”

“The second one was Maxime’s.”

“I was there. It counts.”

“According to what rule?”

“Don’t make him invent a rule now,” Maxime said.

“Thank you.”

Sarah looked at Aldric.

“You really haven’t tried anything else since?”

“I have. Patrick had me try another beer this week.”

“Betrayal…” Julien said.

Their drinks arrived, and the conversation continued. Maxime talked again about some research he had done on military fortifications, Sarah told an anecdote about her work, and Chloé explained that she had finished a particularly difficult shift two days earlier.

About twenty minutes later, the door to the bar opened and Emma walked in, still wearing her work clothes. She stopped near the entrance and scanned the room until she recognized their table, while Chloé was already raising a hand to get her attention.

Emma first spotted Sarah, then Maxime and Julien, before her gaze settled on Aldric. Her expression softened at that moment, a subtle change that Julien noticed and Sarah seemed to pick up on as well. Aldric, busy talking with Maxime, saw none of it and only noticed Emma’s presence when she reached the table.

“Sorry.”

“Finally!” Chloé exclaimed.

Maxime checked the time.

“Twenty-six minutes.”

Emma looked at him.

“Don’t start.”

Aldric checked his watch.

“Twenty-six minutes and forty seconds.”

Emma closed her eyes.

“Not you too.”

Julien burst out laughing.

“He beat you.”

“I wasn’t participating in any competition.”

“That’s exactly what losers say.”

Sarah pointed to the last available chair.

“Sit down before they actually start debating it.”

Emma took off her jacket and sat down.

“What did I miss?”

“Julien just discovered that Patrick has been making Aldric try beers behind his back.”

Emma looked at Julien.

“Behind your back?”

“Thank you for respecting my suffering.”

“Absolutely not.”

Aldric turned toward Emma.

“Julien seems to believe he has some form of priority regarding my education in modern beverages.”

“That’s exactly it,” Julien confirmed.

He sighed, and Emma ordered a glass of white wine.

“Everything okay? You were making that face again,” Emma asked.

“What face?”

Julien cut in.

“The one where you stare into space like someone just sent you an invisible military report.”

“Surprisingly accurate description…”

“Thank you.”

“That was a joke.”

“I know.”

“Oh.”

Julien turned toward Maxime.

“I’m not ready for this evolution.”

Emma burst out laughing.

The evening continued for nearly an hour. The group ordered several dishes to share, and the conversation moved from Chloé’s work to one of Sarah’s anecdotes before returning to video games.

“Aldric,” Julien said.

“Yes?”

“Last week, I showed you a boss.”

“Yes.”

“Tonight, you’re playing.”

Aldric set down his glass.

“Here?”

“No. At my place afterward.”

Maxime looked up.

“There it is… You really were planning something.”

Julien shrugged.

“Maybe…”

Emma smiled.

“For how long?”

“That detail is irrelevant.”

Sarah looked at Julien.

“Did you choose the game?”

Julien didn’t answer, and Chloé started laughing.

“He chose the game…”

“So you intend to organize a competition in which you already know the rules and I have no experience?” Aldric asked.

“Exactly…”

“At least you’re honest.”

Julien raised his glass.

“Always.”

Maxime coughed.

“Not a word,” Julien said.

“I didn’t say anything.”

“Your face did…”

Nine percent. The probability was low, but not nonexistent.

“Why are you smiling?” Julien asked.

“I accept.”

“You already accepted.”

“I confirm.”

“Perfect.”

Aldric looked at the window.

Social Bond with Julien +1.

The System’s logic seemed relatively clear to him. Julien obviously placed a great deal of importance on competition. Taking it seriously should therefore strengthen their relationship, regardless of the outcome.

Aldric closed the window.

The food arrived. Chloé told a story about her work at the hospital, while Emma explained that a couple who had come to view an apartment had spent almost two hours measuring every room.

“Two hours?” Sarah asked.

“They were afraid their furniture wouldn’t fit.”

Aldric nodded.

“Reasonable.”

Emma raised a finger.

“Wait. They measured the bathroom four times.”

Aldric paused.

“Had the dimensions changed?”

Julien burst out laughing.

“I knew he was going to ask that.”

Emma sighed.

“No, the dimensions hadn’t changed…”

“Then the three additional measurements were indeed unnecessary.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“That wasn’t really a thank you…”

“I know.”

Emma smiled.

Julien pointed at Aldric.

“There. That’s new. You knew she was being sarcastic.”

“Yes.”

“I refuse.”

Maxime smiled.

“Why?”

“Because we’re losing everything that made him charming.”

“I can go back to misinterpreting certain remarks if that helps,” Aldric offered.

“Was that one deliberate too?…”

“Yes.”

Chloé burst out laughing.

Julien put a hand over his face.

“We’ve created a monster.”

Aldric looked at Maxime.

“Figurative.”

“Exactly.”

Aldric smiled.

“That face again,” Julien said.

“I am satisfied with my progress.”

Julien looked at Emma.

“Are you secretly giving him lessons?”

“No.”

“Patrick?”

“Lucas is probably responsible for a significant part of my current understanding of humor.”

“Lucas. The very talkative coworker?”

“That description is accurate.”

“I need to meet this man.”

“I still think the two of you would get along very well,” Emma said.

Aldric nodded.

“That is also my opinion.”

Later that evening, Maxime returned to their discussion about fortifications.

“During a long siege, did you really build several separate positions instead of one continuous line?”

“Often.”

“Even if that left gaps between the positions?”

“The gaps were monitored.”

“By soldiers?”

“Soldiers, patrols, and sometimes temporary structures. A continuous line required too many men to defend properly if the enemy mages could attack several distant locations.”

Julien put down his fork.

“I love how Maxime keeps trying to find the point where your universe stops making sense.”

Maxime frowned.

“I’m not trying to do that.”

“You have a document at home.”

Maxime froze.

“A document?” Aldric asked.

“He takes notes.”

Maxime set down his glass.

“Two pages.”

Chloé burst out laughing.

“You really have two pages about Aldric?”

“About the military differences.”

“Congratulations. You managed to give Maxime homework,” Aldric said.

Julien was still smiling, but he couldn’t help thinking about his own file on Aldric, which was infinitely larger than the two pages Maxime seemed almost embarrassed about. The comparison was absurd enough to make him want to laugh: Maxime had a few notes on fortifications, while Julien had files, subfolders, a timeline, photographs, and even a document dedicated to the relationship between Aldric and Emma.

He took a sip of beer to hide his amusement, but Aldric noticed.

“Why are you smiling?”

Julien nearly choked.

“What?”

“You were smiling.”

“I was thinking about something.”

“About what?”

“Maxime’s two pages.”

Maxime looked up at him.

“Thanks…”

Julien took another sip. He was really going to have to learn not to think about his investigation when its primary target was sitting right next to him.

Around ten thirty, Sarah checked the time and reminded them that if they still planned to continue the evening at Julien’s place, they should probably leave soon. Julien immediately straightened.

“Exactly.”

Emma smiled.

“You’ve been waiting for this all evening.”

“Not at all.”

Chloé then took out her phone and turned the screen toward the others.

“You texted me yesterday: ‘Tomorrow, I’m destroying Aldric.’”

Julien slowly turned his head toward her.

“That was a private conversation…”

“You actually wrote that?” Aldric asked.

“In a video game context.”

Chloé smiled.

“You didn’t specify the context.”

“Because you knew it!”

“I understand.”

Julien looked at him.

“You’re not worried?”

“No.”

“Even with that wording?”

“You have already told me several times that you want to beat me in a video game.”

“Cool.”

Sarah smiled.

“He really trusts you.”