Chapter Text
Ram Town has never been what you’d call a tourist location.
Sure, it was a quiet little place at the bottom of the mountains and it looked lovely during fall season, but anyone staying there for more than a day would tell you there’s almost nothing to do besides grab a coffee in one of the several cafes or just go for a walk.
And it wasn’t easy to get there or to leave either, having only some poorly maintained roads and a train station where the traffic was next to nonexistent.
(A memory came back of that time when all of them were so bored that they decided to count the trains passing by and those who actually stopped.
None of them reached the double digits.)
It’s no surprise almost anyone of the group decided to leave eventually, be that for work, to move to a livelier place or because they got outright sick of the town and the people in there.
Didn’t exactly help that the self-proclaimed Ram Gang had the only people of the town in their twenties.
Kliff was the first one to leave the town.
Absolutely no one was surprised, given that he constantly expressed that wish. Part of it was to see more of the world and studying abroad was a great way to do it, but mostly to get away from his mother.
So, as soon as he turned 18, he made his preparations and left, despite his mother’s constant screaming.
They often joked in chat that was the reason he moved to another continent.
Alm started university, and since he had been in an online relationship with Celica for a while already and she was also about to go to another school in the capital, the two finally decided to rent an apartment there together.
Guess even the nightmarish reality of not owning a house and having to deal with a landlord feels better when you’re with your partner.
(She remembered the summer Celica actually came to Ram to visit. It was the best period of her life, and it felt like they’d known her for a lifetime.
They even added Celica to their chat group as a sort of “honorary” member, since she wasn’t from Ram in the first place.
Celica was… wonderful. Alm really had excellent taste when it came to dating.)
(The so-familiar tinge of jealousy came back. She wasn’t sure if it was directed at Celica, Alm, or both.)
Gray left next, because he concluded he had no chance to find a job in Ram that would let him do anything beyond surviving.
Everyone and their mother know that the staff in every business is overworked and underpaid, and the fact Ram was full of boomers that hadn’t delved into the hell called job hunting for decades but still had the balls to complain that “nobody wants to work anymore” really didn’t help.
So, he decided to leave.
He felt the capital was a bit too bustling for him, but it was the best shot he had to find a decent job that would actually let him enjoy his life.
He was skilled at manual labor and was the most experienced in what they jokingly called the outside world, so if anyone was going to get a job first, it would be him.
(She remembered when he said goodbye.
Tobin’s face was like someone watching their pet die but being forced to keep a neutral expression.
Gray thought it was because he was going to miss his best pal and teased him while reassuring him they could still meet online, but everyone else knew the reason was that Tobin had been crushing hard on Gray for years.
It was kinda obvious, really, but Gray somehow never got the memo and Tobin was too scared of ruining their friendship to confess to him.)
(...she couldn’t help but feel sorry for him, if only because she’d already been there. Kinda.
At least being rejected by Alm gave her some kind of closure, but Tobin didn’t even have that. )
Right, Tobin. Eventually, he left too.
Ironically, Gray leaving Ram gave him the push to move as well.
He didn’t move to the capital though. While Ram was becoming boring even for him, he was someone who preferred to take life sort of slowly.
So, he moved to Novis, Celica’s hometown. It was a quiet place, slightly bigger and more lively than Ram, and it was next to a city he could visit whenever he would feel bored.
He wanted to get a job into game design.
Made sense, he was always the GM whenever they roleplayed and he was really good at it, and he was also starting to experiment with developing video games.
He always had a passion for both designing and gaming, so it only made sense to make a job that combined them.
That left… her.
Faye was the only one that stayed in Ram.
She liked Ram and was weary about moving to a bigger place, but also… her grandma had been getting weaker every year. Someone had to take care of her.
(...she was dreading the day she’d no longer have that justification.
As much as she tried to deny it, she knew Nana didn’t have much time left to live.)
At first, she sort of managed.
She was sad her only friends left, of course, but working at whatever job she could find helped her distract herself.
Not that it made being a so-called essential worker any less shitty, but unfortunately you need to work to live, especially if you have a grandmother to take care of.
Then the pandemic happened.
With the lockdowns in place, her boss didn’t think twice before laying her off, so she was stuck at home for a few months without a job.
Faye considered applying for another job in the town, but then figured the last thing Nana needed was for her to get Covid because some dumbass customer refused to wear a mask.
So, working in person was out of the question until both of them would get vaccinated.
At least she had her laptop so she could work online.
And eventually, after diving into the hell called job hunting and a series of absolutely dreadful interviews, Faye could finally work from home, which meant the risk of accidentally infecting her grandma was much lower.
It didn’t make her feel any less lonely, though. She only went outside to buy groceries, and when she looked around she couldn’t help but feel depressed.
Ram never had many people roaming around, but with everyone on lockdown it looked like a ghost town.
Gods, she missed her friends. Before the pandemic started they were planning to meet together like old times, but it’s safe to say they could kiss those plans goodbye for a long time.
Well, she could always talk to them online at least.
If the Internet wasn’t a thing she’d have gone insane by now.
Speaking of online, a notification just popped up on her phone, it was their group chat.
The Ram Gang™
ALMond Milk: [cute_kitty.png]
Gray😎: ah, the daily cat post 😂
(Ever since Alm and Celica got a cat two weeks ago the two posted about her constantly. Not that anyone minded, cats are adorable.)
Gray😎: how’s the kitty doing?
CeliCAT :3: Catra’s doing great! She’s still kinda cranky but she’s slowly warming up to us. :3
ALMond Milk: She’s actually starting to let us touch her without scratching us, hey it’s progress
Tobi-poo: Yeah, cats take a while to trust you but once they do they’re really affectionate
Tobi-poo: im sure you two know it already tho
Gray😎: kinda like Kliff lmao
Tobi-poo: nah Kliff only gets crankier with time
Kliff: [Tom_newspaper.jpg]
ALMond Milk: So um
ALMond Milk: How are y’all doing?
ALMond Milk: Group’s been awfully quiet for a while
Gray😎: doing great, i actually got a job 😎
Tobi-poo: DANG NICE👍
Tobi-poo: wait is it an actually good one or
Gray😎: nah no worries tobipoo, it’s actually legit
Gray😎: got hired at a startup called the Deliverance
CeliCAT :3: I never heard of it, is it a delivery company? 🤔
Gray😎: NO and I have no idea why they decided to call it THAT
Gray😎: it’s like
Gray😎: actually I still have no idea wtf they actually do
Gray😎: but they needed another pair of arms and someone who could drive a truck, so they hired me since i live near their HQ anyway
Gray😎: not complaining tho, they pay relatively well and the owners and colleagues seem actually decent people so hey, everyone wins
ALMond Milk: Hope your new job goes well!
ALMond Milk: At least someone’s income is positive here😅
Gray😎: btw the CEO's sister also works at the company and she’s really something ;)
Faye🌸: omfg Gray
Gray😎: hi you too, Faye
Faye🌸: PLEASE don’t flirt with your boss’s sister day one🤦♀️
Gray😎: don’t worry, I’m not an idiot
Gray😎: ill wait a week then strike ;)
CeliCAT :3: GRAY
Gray😎: jk but for real, im not gonna do anything stupid
Gray😎: i mean im gonna get acquainted with everyone anyway since its a small company and i would love to get to know her
Gray😎: and maybe one day ill ask her for a date and if she says no ill accept it
Gray😎: im not 18 anymore, i know what consent is ffs
Faye🌸: [zelda_good.gif]
Tobi-poo: I didn’t find a stable job yet but I did some stuff in the meantime
(...Tobin really wanted to change the subject, didn’t he?)
Tobi-poo: some online campaigns, some game jams, things like that
Tobi-poo: wanted to do some local campaigns since there’s a roleplaying place here at Novis but hey, Covid
Tobi-poo: also I’m actually working at some prototypes on Unity, maybe ill post some screens when i feel they’re ready
Tobi-poo: Would really love a proper job tho
Tobi-poo: Best thing would be to work at an indie company because AAA companies SUCK
Tobi-poo: But I can’t exactly choose with this scam of an economy, so whatever I can find that’s even remotely stable will have to do |:-[
Tobi-poo: How about the bookworms? Is university kicking your ass slightly less?
ALMond Milk: Considering the exam session is about to start… not even close😅
ALMond Milk: I still have a few exams left before I can finish the year but they’re the most BS by far
ALMond Milk: Also I have this professor that I swear he keeps staring at me
CeliCAT :3: Alm lessons are online, he’s staring at the webcam🙄
ALMond Milk: Rationally I know that but… idk, it’s weird
CeliCAT :3: Anyway, I feel I’m about to collapse under the stuff I have to study too, this is my last year and it definitely shows..
Kliff: Unless you dont pass all the exams and have to do another year😏
CeliCAT :3: Good Mila I hope not, I don’t think I can take one more year of this😨
CeliCAT :3: Also this school isn’t exactly cheap so I need get the degree as fast as I can :0
Kliff: Anyway, as for me I’m seeing the degree with a pair of binoculars
Kliff: I’m actually doing well with studies mind you, it’s just that I can’t do many exams per sessions since I’m forced to work part time
Kliff: Gotta pay the school somehow, thank gods for they account for that
Kliff: So I don’t have to sell my liver to pay school taxes and they give me more years to get the degree
Kliff: Exams aren’t too hard but the job is an absolute pain in the ass
Tobi-poo: mood
Faye🌸: mood
Kliff: Also, uh, I started studying with someone
ALMond Milk: WOAH
CeliCAT :3: That’s wonderful!
Tobi-poo: KLIFF 👏MADE 👏 A 👏 FRIEND
Kliff: stfu Tobin
Kliff: Wouldn’t call them the f-word yet, but… I guess they’re nice?
Kliff: Their name is Robin
Kliff: They know what they’re doing, also they’re chill and not too overbearing
Kliff: Except when they start gushing about some dude in the sports club
Kliff: They clearly have the hots for him and PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF WHATEVER GOD IS LISTENING JUST FUCKING TALK TO HIM AND LEAVE ME OUT OF IT
Kliff: Thank Duma nobody’s crushing on me because I would fucking lose it
Gray😎: Kliff in a nutshell XD
Kliff: But yeah, aside from romance nonsense I like studying with them at least
Kliff: Anyway, how are you doing Faye?
(Oh no.)
ALMond Milk: ..Faye?
Gray😎: guess shes busy rn
Tobi-poo: Nah, I can see she read the messages
CeliCAT :3: Is everything alright? :/
(If Faye wanted to be honest she would have answered something like “Gods I feel so lonely without all of you but at the same time I just want to run away and live in a little village with my beloved imaginary partner because I can’t stand living like this anymore”.
Instead, she used the default answer.)
Faye🌸: I’m fine! :)
(It’s amazing how fake it felt to write a colon and a right round parenthesis.)
Faye🌸: Everything’s going as usual since y’know, it’s Ram
Faye🌸: Job is whatever but as long as it keeps paying me who cares
Faye🌸: Nana is doing ok, we watched a movie last Sunday
(She wasn’t technically lying, all of the messages were technically true.
She was just hiding how miserable she felt for a long time.
Part of it was because she just didn’t have the energy to bear the conversation that would inevitably happen if she spilled the beans, but also… her friends were dealing with enough crap on their own already.
They didn’t need her to drag them down further.)
Faye🌸: And I’m videochatting with Grandpa Mycen sometimes, seems to be doing okay for someone who’s stuck at home alone
(Unlike her.)
CeliCAT :3: Oh, say hi to Grandpa for me next time!
Kliff: Honestly wouldn’t want to be you, had I been stuck at home with my mother I would have finally snapped
ALMond Milk: Faye if you ever need to talk we’re here for you, ok?
Faye🌸: Ok, thank you! :)
Faye🌸: Btw if yall are free this weekend we could meet on facecam maybe?
Faye🌸: Maybe play something together? We hadn’t done that in a while
(Of course Alm would notice something was up.
He’d known her their whole life and also, well, that whole disaster in high school.
She really wanted to actually take on the offer and vent for hours, just to at least get it out of her system.
She knew she wouldn’t.)
Tobi-poo: OH YEAH I actually had a new campaign I wanted to try out so I’m up!
ALMond Milk: Me too! Roleplaying with y’all is the best :D
Gray😎: absolutely joining, every time we play I end up in tears from laughter XD
CeliCAT :3: Let’s just hope it doesn’t end with my pg getting sacrificed to a death cult again :/
(They just could not have a normal play session together.
There was that one time they played Risiko while changing the rules a bit and it resulted in a zombie apocalypse, the summoning of Godzilla and Cthulhu, a giant mech straight out of an anime and the moon crashing on the planet and ending the whole world. Twice. No one knows where the second moon came from.
All of this happened in a single match.)
Kliff: Sure I can make some free time
Faye🌸: Sweet! So, see you next weekend?
CeliCAT :3: Can’t wait! :D
With a small smile, Faye put away her phone. She couldn’t wait either.
While five out of seven days of her week sucked ass, the weekends where she met up with her friends made it worth it, even if meeting up online wasn’t as good as meeting in person.
And whenever she was with her friends, those were the only times she didn’t have to fake her smile.