SmilinKujo
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Making Game: CH 7 – A Friend at the Door
🕑 Added 2025-09-13 18:11:54 +0000 UTCThe time had come for Lyra and Marcus to go to bed. As they were about to head to their separate rooms, Dorian put his theory to the test.
"Guys," he said, his voice casual. "How about a story before you sleep?"
Marcus immediately jumped up and down, his face lighting up with happiness. Lyra, ever the pre-teen trying to act mature, tried to hide her excitement. "I guess I can hear it for tonight," she said, folding her arms with a dignified air.
Suddenly, John's head popped down from the attic access panel in the ceiling. "Do you little troublemakers not know how to sleep yet?" he asked jokingly.
"We were about to!" Lyra called back, a little defensively.
John chuckled. "Do not let me catch you awake when I am done sorting up here." His head disappeared back into the attic.
Lyra and Marcus jogged towards their beds, but then they stopped, realizing they were heading into different rooms.
"How am I supposed to tell you a story with you in separate rooms?" Dorian asked with a smile.
Lyra sulked. "Okay, I will come to Marcus's room." She trudged into her brother's room with dramatic reluctance.
As she passed Dorian, he winked and whispered, "I will carry you back to your bed if you fall asleep."
Lyra looked at him smugly. "I will not fall asleep because of a story. I am not a child."
They all huddled together on Marcus's small bed, Dorian in the middle holding a powered-down Leo in his lap. He took a breath, letting his Mnemonic Echo guide him.
"In a world far outside our rims," he began, his voice a hushed, captivating whisper. "In a world where they do not even realize our existence, lived a boy... who lived."
As he spoke, Leo's optical sensor lit up, projecting simple, charming illustrations onto the opposite wall, following Dorian's story.
"Whoa!" Marcus said in awe. "When did Leo learn to do that?"
"Your brother can do anything, you know," Dorian replied with a grin.
"The drawings are Master Dorian's," Leo interjected. "I could render them with sixty seven percent more accuracy by The Accord standard, but he did not let me alter the source files."
"Shut up, Leo," Dorian said, which made both kids giggle.
He continued the tale, telling the first part of Harry Potter's story. He skimmed through some of the smaller details, focusing on the magic, the wonder, and the feeling of a hidden world just beyond view. He was just reaching the part where the first-years crossed the great lake to Hogwarts when a soft voice cut him off.
"Dorian," Leo said quietly. "Lyra and Marcus are already asleep."
Dorian stopped and chuckled softly. He carefully picked up the sleeping Lyra and carried her to her own room, tucking her gently into her bed. When he came out, he saw his father was also done with his work in the attic.
"Oh, you already sorted things out up there?" Dorian asked.
John nodded, a tired but content smile on his face. "Well, there is still some things that need to be organized, but it will be done before my rotation on the mines. Are they asleep?"
"Yeah," Dorian smiled. "They fell asleep in the middle of the story."
John laughed. "Figures. Well, good night, Dorian."
Dorian walked to his own room. "Good night, Dad." He closed the door, the soft click echoing in the quiet apartment. He slumped onto his bed, a familiar anticipation building in his chest. 'System.'
The simple, rainbow hued panel shimmered into existence. His theory was correct. The number had changed. {Resonance: 1560}
A wide, triumphant smile spread across his face. 'I guess telling a bed-time story that has never existed in this world counts as my own creation, too.' He pulled out his notebook and jotted down the new data. He closed the book, the feeling of victory a warm and comforting presence as he drifted off to sleep. One little step at a time.
…
A few days passed. The sharp ring of the doorbell echoed through the Kepler's quiet apartment. Dorian, who was deep in the middle of upgrading Leo's code, paused for a second, then stood from his chair. He opened his bedroom door and walked to the front of the apartment. A quick look through the digital peephole confirmed his suspicion. It was Juno.
He opened the door.
"DORIAN!!"
Before he could even get a word out, she leaped forward and threw her arms around him in a tight, worried hug.
"Whoa, what happened?" he asked, steadying them both.
Juno let go, shaking her head, her platinum hair flying. "No, it is not about me. I heard you were dropping out. Is it true?"
Dorian managed a calm smile. "Well, I did not have much of a choice, really. Let's not talk in front of the door like this. Come in, come in."
He led a still flustered Juno to the living room, then went to the small kitchen alcove. "Teebu or Brewka?" he called out.
"Sweet Teebu, please," she replied, her voice a little shaky.
Dorian poured the warm, tea like drink into a mug, dropped in several cubes of synth-sugar, and handed it to her. He sat down on the couch beside her, watching her as she took a tentative sip.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Juno asked, a little self consciously.
"I have never actually looked at you this close before," Dorian said thoughtfully. "I realize your eyes are pretty."
A faint blush crept up Juno's neck. "What happened to you?" she stammered, flustered. "What have you done with my friend?"
Dorian laughed, a real, easy sound. "I guess I have changed, huh? Well, experiencing your lifelong dream getting shattered into a million pieces can change someone, right?"
Juno's expression immediately softened into one of deep sympathy. "I am so sorry, Dorian."
He chuckled. "It is okay. It is not your fault." He then narrowed his eyes, a playful glint in them. "Unless..."
Juno laughed and shoved his arm. "Stop it!"
They both laughed together, a familiar, comfortable sound that reminded them of the day they first met. For a moment, it felt like nothing had ever changed.
"I am sorry, Juno," Dorian said, his own voice growing serious again. "I pushed you away like that."
Juno nudged him with her shoulder. "Hey, I guess you really have changed."
Dorian's smile faded slightly. "So," he asked, his tone now carefully neutral. "Do a lot of people know I dropped out?"
Juno's cheerful expression faltered. "Well..."
[Three Days Ago - Aethelgard Academy]
The first day Dorian was absent, Juno assumed he was just sick. The second day, she started to worry. By the third day, a cold knot of dread had formed in her stomach. Dorian was many things, but he was never a slacker. He would not miss three days of classes without a word.
Her first stop was the central registration terminal in their faculty wing. She scanned her wristband and attempted to pull up Dorian's schedule. |ACCESS DENIED: STUDENT RECORD PROTECTED.| She tried his public academy profile. |PROFILE ARCHIVED.|
A chill went down her spine. She went to the administration office, a vast, sterile room staffed by assistants with polite, impenetrable smiles.
"I am looking for information on Dorian Elias Kepler," she said to the woman at the front desk. "I am his academic partner, and I am concerned."
The assistant tapped on her holographic console. "I am sorry," she said, her smile never wavering. "Due to academy privacy protocols, I cannot disclose information about another student's enrollment status."
Frustrated, she went to Professor Hendrick's office. She found him reviewing student work, looking even more tired than usual.
"Professor," she began, trying to keep her voice steady. "I cannot find Dorian anywhere. Do you know what has happened?"
Hendrick looked up, and for a fleeting moment, she saw a flicker of genuine sadness in his eyes before it was replaced by a weary professionalism. "Ms. Park," he said slowly. "I am not at liberty to discuss Mr. Kepler's academic standing."
"So something did happen," she pressed.
"I am sorry," he repeated, turning back to his work, a clear dismissal.
She was being stonewalled. At every turn, a polite, bureaucratic wall was thrown up in her face. Enough was enough.
Juno found an empty study alcove, the silence of the pristine space feeling oppressive. She pulled out her personal communicator and placed a call she rarely ever made. It connected almost instantly.
"Juno," Alexei Park's calm, deep voice came through the speaker. "Is everything alright?"
"Dad," she said, her voice tight with anger and frustration. "I need you to do something. It is about Dorian."
[Two Days Ago - Faculty Head Ororili's Office]
Juno sat in a chair that was aesthetically beautiful and profoundly uncomfortable. Faculty Head Ororili sat opposite her, behind a desk of polished white stone. The power dynamic was palpable. This meeting, which would have been impossible for her to get on her own, had been arranged within an hour of her call to her father.
Ororili's expression was one of professional sympathy. "Thank you for your concern, Ms. Park. It speaks well of your character that you are so loyal to your friends."
"What happened to him?" Juno asked, cutting straight to the point.
"Dorian Elias Kepler submitted a formal request for withdrawal from Aethelgard Academy," Ororili stated, her voice smooth and practiced. "For personal reasons. The academy, of course, respected his decision."
"He withdrew?" Juno said, the words feeling wrong in her mouth. "After everything? After how hard he worked? I do not believe it."
"The paperwork was all in order," Ororili continued, unfazed. "He signed the documents himself. His scholarship has been terminated, as per his own request, and a final stipend was issued as a gesture of goodwill. The academy wishes him well in all his future endeavors."
The paper trail was clean. Too clean. It was a perfect, neat little story that left no room for questions. A story she knew, deep in her gut, was a lie.
[Present Day - Kepler Apartment]
Juno looked at Dorian, the memory of Ororili's cold, final words still fresh in her mind.
"Well," she said again, her voice softer now. "The official story is that you dropped out on your own. It was all handled very quietly. So, no. Not a lot of people know. Most just think you transferred to another major."
Dorian burst out laughing, a full, unrestrained sound that echoed in the small apartment. "You used your connection! For the first time in your entire academy life, you pulled the 'Alexei Park' card, and you used it on me! Hahahaha!"
Juno's face went bright red as she pouted. "Hey! That is how much I care, okay?"
"You could have just visited!" Dorian wheezed, wiping a tear of mirth from his eye.
"Well, I was afraid you were still sulking!" she shot back defensively.
Dorian calmed his laughter, his expression softening into one of genuine gratitude. "Thank you, Juno. Seriously." He then grinned again. "But your pristine academy life is ruined now. Did you not say you would never let anyone know about your family connections? I saw your father sneaking around like a spy just to congratulate you at the ceremony."
"Okay, okay, I get it!" she said, rolling her eyes.
"I should also thank your dad, by the way," Dorian added, his tone becoming serious again. "Can you tell him I said thanks?"
Juno tilted her head. "Why?"
"On your ceremony day, your dad gave me some advice," Dorian explained. "In a way, he helped me start crawling out of the hole I was in."
A warm, genuine smile spread across Juno's face. "I am glad, then."
"Oh, by the way," Dorian said, a thoughtful look on his face. "Can you help me with something?"
"What is it?"
The room was dark, lit only by the soft, rhythmic pulsing of colored lights. Her heart was pounding in her chest, a nervous flutter she could not control. Dorian's face was close, his expression impossibly serious but gentle.
"Just relax," he said, his voice a low, focused murmur. "Breathe. I know you can do this. Just follow my lead."
She took a shaky breath, her eyes fixed on the thing in front of her. "I... I've never done this before, Dorian."
"I know," he said. "But I need you. Just a simple 'ooh' and 'aah'. That's it. You've got this."
From the side, a series of strobing lights flashed, and a synthesized voice shouted, "LET'S GO, JUNO! YOU ARE A STAR! A NEBULA OF TALENT!"
Juno flinched, breaking the mood. "Leo, can you tone it down a bit?"
Dorian, looking every bit the cool, inscrutable music producer in his dark glasses, sat at his desk, which was now a makeshift recording station. Leo was hovering beside him, its articulated panels creating a miniature light show as it provided over-the-top hype. And Juno, flustered and nervous, stood in the middle of the room, ready to sing backing vocals for the first song Dorian had ever composed in this world.
