Development Team Leader
User
Saaya glanced at her watch and sighed impatiently. Looby was late. Given his generally hectic schedule, she wasn't surprised, but she WAS frustrated. She needed a friend!
As she paced her office, she thought about how awful things had been recently: Decode was MAKING things awful. She was miserable... she couldn't stand seeing him interacting with the players, yet they seemed to love him. What they called charisma just seemed like pure arrogance to her. He was so full of himself. How come no one saw it but her?
A soft cooing noise coming from near the window attracted her attention and broke her rumination. The dove was back. It looked ordinary enough, but she was sure it was the same one. Two days earlier it had come with yet another note attached to its foot, and yesterday it had come just to sit in her windowsill--it stayed two hours, as if patiently waiting--unafraid of her, clearly used to people. When it delivered the note, she'd been able to remove it without trouble and still the dove had waited. "I have nothing for you, silly bird," she'd said, and as if it understood (but it couldn't have, no?) only then did it leave.
She looked from the dove to her desk, which was now no longer covered in work, but in gifts. Another box of candies had come (caramels this time), bouquets of flowers (it was the tulips she'd loved the most), a silver necklace with an unusual shining stone she didn't recognize. All with notes that warmed her heart, all signed from her Admirer, and all a mystery to her.
"What's all this?" Looby chuckled as he entered.
"THIS," she gestured, sweeping her hand over her desk, "is what I needed to talk to you about!" she exclaimed dramatically.
As she explained the deliveries she didn't realize she'd begun smiling slightly, but Looby saw it and frowned. "Saaya," he said, "you don't even know this guy. You don't even know who he IS! What if he's dangerous? This isn't romantic, it's... scary."
"Looooooooooooobyyyyyy," Saaya nearly whined, "where's your sense of, uh, adventure?!"
"It's my sense of safety that's piqued," he replied, but couldn't help smiling a little.
The two sat and talked for several hours over cup after cup of 
[Honeymint Tea], until finally the hour was late and the night had become quite dark; both had sleepy eyes and knew they should retire. A lot of work was still to be done before NECon began, and time was starting to run short.
Looby stood and stretched then reached to hug his friend. "I just want you to be careful, you know that," he said, as if in conclusion.
"I know," she admitted.
He squeezed her tight and only reluctantly let go; winked and blew her a kiss before stepping out the door and closing it behind him.
Saaya sighed and stretched out on the old, worn couch so many Head Battlemasters had spent many a sleepless night on or pacing around. The question still remained: what to do about this mystery man?
A quill and parchment sat on the table, and it gave her an idea. As quickly as she thought of it, she scribbled down a note. Looby is gonna kill me... she thought in passing, but paid the thought no mind. Such a man as would shower her in this adoration couldn't be any danger, and neither could be finding out what he looked like. She read over the last few lines once more--the time and place were perfect, in her mind--and then quickly rolled the parchment into a thin tube that would fit inside the ring she'd seen on the dove's foot.
She didn't really expect it to still be there, but to her surprise, nestled in the corner against the stone and huddled away from the wind the dove still waited. It cooed softly as she nudged it, trying to find the ring and thread the parchment through. No sooner was it done than off the bird fluttered away into the night, only briefly visible by the light of the moon.
What's done is done, she said to herself, and trembled as if she felt a chill. Whether fear or simply nerves, she neither knew nor paused to wonder.