disappointed but not surprised

“They’re going to love you,” she promised, tone bright and confident. “Okay—when we go live, I’ll do my intro, I’ll bring you in, and then you’ll tell them what we’re playing and why it’s cool.” Her grin widened. “I’m genuinely so excited you’re here.” She took a breath like she was about to start a presentation she actually cared about. “And… action,” she said, then clicked Go Live.

Her overlay popped up instantly—little emus stampeding across the screen—before revealing Emily and Zach side-by-side on a split screen. “Hi, Emu Fam!” Emily chirped, leaning closer to the camera. “How are we doing tonight?” Chat immediately flooded: hellos, emote spam, and a suspicious amount of emus in every possible mood.

“Oh my god, you’re fast,” Emily laughed, eyes flicking across the messages. “Okay, okay—I see you. I’m glad you’re all excited, because I’m excited too.” She gestured toward Zach’s side of the screen. “I have my friend Zach here tonight, and we’re playing his game.”

More chat spam. More emotes. A couple of “LET’S GO”s.

“As a reminder,” Emily added, sitting up straighter in mock-seriousness, “this is a mature stream. So if you’re under eighteen, consider this your official warning.” She held the stern face for exactly one second before breaking into a grin again. “All right.” She looked over at Zach like she was passing him a microphone. “Zach—tell the Emu Fam what we’re playing and what they’re about to experience.”

Zach just smiled widely and waited for Emily to do exactly what she said she would. That's when the chat erupted; cheerful and very Emu-themed, it all made the smile stay on his face for a little longer, one hundred percent genuine. Even though public speaking, presentations, and interviews all counted as his own personal hell, the man had learned to convince himself that it was just another form of yapping about what he loved, and was he good at that!

"While I wouldn't be surprised if some decide to leave and come back for something merrier, I really hope that most of you will stay," he started jokingly, when it was his turn to speak. He sort of opened his mouth before he realized how fast his heart was beating, so the words just kept flowing. "We're jumping into the world of Outlast, where it's all about survival and pushing yourself to your limits. And while the feeling of isolation plays a huge role in these games, I've taken up on proving y'all that it'll be just as scary when you can play with your friend. Em and I are teaming up and... we'll try to outlast whatever the game will throw at us today, right?"

"Hello, Doom!" Reaching down she let the dog requaint himself with her scent before giving him a little scratch behind the ears as she turned her attention back to his master. "Long time no see! You're looking great, hair is extra vibrant, I see." Her tone was light, and friendly, truly pleased to see Eric's polar opposite of a twin brother. "You have perfect timing, actually. I might need your help with a gift for him. Come out to the car with me?"

The dog ran over to Auttie to greet her, tail going full helicopter mode as soon as he recognized her scent. "Thanks. You look great too, as always," he admitted. Zach skipped the part where he wanted to complain about the roots appearing too soon, and his days had shrunk since the twins (and his first baby - work) required more attention. "Oh sure, absolutely. I can help you. How was Italy?"

She hadn't expected to see anyone at Eric's, but a vaguely familiar vehicle in the driveway had caught her attention as she'd pulled up, car full of the several garment bags that made up the new wardrobe she'd purchased him in Italy. Arms full with one hand holding the hangers securely and the other supporting the bottoms of the bags like a bride about to cross the threshold, she'd run the bell with an elbow. Only it wasn't the housekeeper who answered, but a familiar face with a very unfamiliar hair colour attached to it.

But would Zach ever say no to a good-old-times solo trip with Doom, looking after his brother's place while he was in Europe?

"Hi, Autumn." He smiled, his hand running through the blue curls a little awkwardly. As if she were the one who should tell him — a guy living in New York — that she'd be coming here. "I think Eric knows I'm here. But if not... Oh well... Don't tell him." His smile widened a little, and he stepped aside to let her in.

"Yeah, and it's a lot like a premiere for me, you know? A sneak peek into what'll be out there in a few... In a week?" This was so personal because the whole co-op mode was Zach's idea. "Bugs are not fucking welcome..." He forced a chuckle and looked at Emily. "Fine... Stealing some of that chill energy from ya... Ready?" Clearly, depends on who you ask...

Then again, he did believe in something like karma, so...

"Okay, there literally is a grammatically correct sentence in English: shopping for gifts." Zach laughed. "But I know what you mean, and that part makes sense so I'll just..." He reached up to his mouth and made a whole "locking the lock and throwing the key away" gesture.

"Are you threatening me...! Fine, I'm not saying anything about the abracadabra stuff." He paused right before the pizza place's door (because Lilith wasn't lying when she said that she was basically there). "Are you my little brother's karma?" He asked and stepped aside as he opened the door for her. "Or maybe his invitation's your unfortunate event," he joked.

[📲text: Ash ] good, good, I'm too old for his pranks. btw out of context, it was a really funny statement: a party bag distribution.

[📲text: Ash ] it changes my perception of sports lmao

[📲text: Ash ] [liked I mean it's hard when you haven't played (...)]

[📲text: Ash ] yeah, it makes sense. it doesn't happen overnight, a more complex process than flipping a switch but I'm sure it's more stable or permanent this way. fingers crossed it's gonna be a fun journey.

[📲text: Ash ] good, but with a bigger team u can think bigger and be bold with ideas when it's not just one person working on EVERYTHING. 💀 surprisingly, with this kinda tunnel vision it's easier to focus on the project yk

[📲text: Ash ] he's trying, ok, but he's about as good with ladies as I was (was, bc now I don't have to worry about that, not bc anything changed)

"I think the fact that you come up with your stuff out of thin air is what scares people," she mused as Mileena knocked Baraka back a few feet along with his health bar. Not so fast little lady. "Ku-ku-ku-kombo breaker!"

"But they just don't know the difference between real psychos like the one who did that - oh nice throw - and your beautifully dark imagination," she added with a consoling kiss to his lips, side eyeing the screen with the distraction.

ROUND TWO! FIGHT!

"Good, they should be scared. Some of them are my main inspirations," he joked. Half-joked, actually. Would anyone be surprised if he listed "intrusive thoughts" as helpful for his creative process? "Fuc- Don't do that, don't stab me in the back, traitor!" He laughed, trying to save Mileena, but-...

He kissed Emily on the cheek before the second round started. "Exactly — thanks, oh, good one but you pissed me off, babe — but what makes me the happiest is that you find it beautifully dark. Cause outta all those people, I wouldn't want to put you off." He focused on the game for a moment because losing two rounds in a row would be a bit disappointing, and once he felt safe enough to continue, he started with a thoughtful hum.

"He thrives in chaos. Give him a problem to solve, a damsel in distress, and he's in his element." He smirked to himself. "Which is precisely why I wanna play a guardian angel. Make sure he's... holding up. How nosy can I be?" Oscar and Emily have been there before... Kind of. "Talking to Autumn and Eric, you know. How much is — whoa, eat this! fun, isn't it?! — How much is too much?"