Chapter 58:

They sat for dinner, Ace was sitting with Mary, but the others had been seated in other parts of the table. As the courses began coming in, and Ace talked longer and longer, he began to get the impression on everyone around him. One of them did not like the game, but was making too much money to stream it for him to stop, another enjoyed it and was doing good, another stood pretty much quiet all night, and went from staring one woman to another.. Ace was sure they noticed, but they were probably used to it. Ace was not going to say anything, but was surprised Mary had not. There was also a man, much older than anybody else, that had actually just begun streaming, but achieved quite a lot of success, especially with older audiences. He had been just a common labourer, and his refreshing and almost naive nature when it came to games actually gained him a lot of fans. He was also reasonably skilled, so he was quite entertaining to watch. In a few months of streaming, he had made a lot more than he had made at any other time in his life. He was extremely happy, and he hoped it lasted enough so that his wife would not have to work anymore, and they could both raise their future family with stability, without having to worry about money.

All in all, everyone was pretty much what you expected, they played pretty much all day, every day, and sometimes went to parties. Their way of life showed, most had guts from unhealthy eating and drinking, and only a few - mostly the women, were actually fit. Out of all the men, there was one that was built like an Olympian, he was 6ft6, tanned and bald, he was extremely muscular, it was muscle from weightlifting and so on, but it was clearly natural. Ace could see that he had not used steroids, and that was something he appreciated. He most likely was in the gym multiple hours a day, and while that was not a mindset Ace shared, it was one that made quite a bit of sense.

That man was seated apart from Ace, so he had not spoken to him, but Ace had felt the gaze brimming with curiosity. He was after all the only other person that was above average when it came to fitness.

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Once the dinner ended, Ace could see the excitement on their faces, most of these people, did not go to bed until 6 am on a regular basis, this meant that they could party all night and they would not get tired. The five teammates met again as the dinner finished,

"Damm, I'm bummed that you can't come.", Jo said

"Well, he is 14, probably not the best place to be in at his age.", Jack replied

"Nah don't worry, it would be nothing that I have not seen before, but it makes sense, it would be disastrous if something happened to me. Plus, it does not matter, if I wanted to party, I would.", Ace said, attempting to appease their guilt

"Yeah but it would not be like this", Mary said

"Probably not, but it would not be bad either, one of my friends is hosting a party in the Rich End, I have an invitation, trust me, if I wanted to get drunk or high, I have the chance to do it with premium cocaine and 50-year-old whiskey.", Ace grinned and went to his room, waving behind him as he did, leaving four dumbfounded people behind.

"Son of a-, and here I thought he was going to be sad, hell if he wanted, he could just go there.", Alex said

"And yet, he didn't", Jack said, squinting his eyes with the thought

"He does not seem interested in partying, which is interesting for a kid his age, and yet, he does not give the vibe of someone that has never partied.", Mary said, wondering aloud

"Hell, knowing where he gets invited, he has probably been in some pretty crazy parties", Alex continued

"Yeah, I mean, the Rich End is not some average sh*t. You have to be at least a multimillionaire to live there, and Ace has friends there, caught the plural there? Friends, with an s"

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As Ace got to his room, he changed and went to bed, thinking over the conversation he had just had. One of his classmates had invited him to a party, he had already informed him that he was tired from the trip and could not go. The party would most likely not have much on Elene's, if Ace was to trust the brother's and Sam, who had been to parties around the world, not many made them like Elene. Only specific clubs around the world like Spain's and Amsterdam's could compete, but the atmosphere there was completely different.

Ace closed his eyes, he wanted to go to sleep earlier than usual so he could wake up even earlier. He wanted to go on a run around the city, so he would be running for about 2 hours. The convention started at nine, so Ace would only have to be read about half an hour earlier.

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Ace woke up and quickly changed into his clothes, it was 4:55 in the morning, his biological clock worked perfectly since the Event, so he did not have to set up an alarm. As he got changed, he took the stairs down to the lobby, where he informed the reception that he would be gone for a few hours. They seemed surprised to see him so early, but they nodded and smiled, they would have fresh towels ready, and they would also clean the room in the meantime.

Ace began his run, he pushed his pace a bit but not too much, his goal was to enjoy the city while maintaining his rhythm for a few hours without stopping. He could of course not see the whole city, but he ran through the centre of town, where it would begin to get crowded in a few hours.

When he got back, panting and sweating, he was panting and sweating, but he had a smile on his face, one that made the receptionist blush when Ace aimed it at her. He had managed to run for the two hours, even when he pushed the pace even more. Now, all he wanted was a shower and some breakfast.

He went downstairs to the restaurant to eat his breakfast, while also bringing his tablet, it was a model that was not even in the market, his grandmother had gifted it to him after she received three units, one for her, another for Veronica, and the last for him. Ace was happy, the tablet had given him his idea for his present for Samantha's upcoming birthday.

What do you give a person that has everything? It was a question he had faced himself with for some time now, and as he saw the tutorial for the tablet, he got the idea to make a drawing. He improved his skills for a few weeks and then began planning it. He had decided on drawing his grandmother, in a smart business suit, sitting in her office. She looked every bit the regal and demanding woman she was, but he would also put a shine in her eyes, one that gave the feel of a loving grandmother.

It was going to be black and white, but Ace was planning on putting as much detail as a micro realism painting would have.

Once he finished his breakfast, he asked for an orange juice with ice, and took out his tablet and stylus, and began to draw.

Ace had thought that he would enjoy it, but he had found it boring, his brain remembered and caught details perfectly, and his hand control was extraordinary, so it was a boring chore for him. But there, in that hotel restaurant, Ace truly found himself. He became sucked in his drawing, even a moody Mary, came in and was about to shout at him, when a maid asked her to be quiet, saw him there, serene, sat in a chair, his eyes clear, his hand making the motions on his screen. Mary walked slowly behind him, and as she saw his drawing, her eyes widened.

In the drawing, a beautiful scenery was pictured, the waves rolling in, the sun halfway out, birds and fish, dancing in tandem. And there, on a wooden railing, a girl was looking at the sea. Her face smiling, joy waltzing in her eyes, such joy, that brought tears to Mary's eyes. The dress made her appear almost ethereal, a holy figure to be enjoyed, that, for the most part, would be sacrilege to draw, and yet, Ace captured her true form. That of a girl, smiling at the setting sun.

"Ooops", Ace let out, once he saw what he had drawn. He had planned to do the first sketches to his grandmother's drawing, but as he got swept in, the office became a building, the sea of skyrises a sequence of waves, and a stern woman a genial girl. The drawing was a true antonym to what he had imagined, and yet, it was beautiful, Ace had to admit so himself.

He had poured himself out on this drawing, and what had come out, well, it was Elene. Ace shrugged, he had noticed Mary behind him, but he ignored her for a bit more, he signed the drawing, and sent it to Elene with a message: [Thanks for everything]

Then, Ace turned around and smiled at Mary, she looked bewildered, but she shook her head and then looked at him, Ace took up the conversation, "Let's go?", she nodded absentmindedly. The con was about to start.