Dora, Dora the Explorer

Pandora stood there, staring at the door. After a long conversation that involved Flin and Diana calling her a coward, she gathered her courage and walked up the stairs to the private room where Calem was. She would try to ask for at least an autograph.

Maybe she would never get this chance again, and he had said she could go there once she built up the courage. So she wasn't doing anything wrong.

Through the small glass pane on the door, Pandora could see him sitting with his back to the door. The computer screen was the only light inside. She couldn't identify what he was playing, but she could imagine it would be Hall of Destiny. She knocked on the door before entering.

Calem turned his face to see who was at the door, but it didn't take long for his focus to return to the game.

— One minute. — Calem's voice was low, his eyes not leaving the game for even a second.

Pandora closed the door, waiting and biting her lower lip nervously. Pandora wondered if it was better to just leave it alone. If she ran away, maybe she would never see him again in her life, and that embarrassment would become just an old memory.

Calem finished the match and turned to the girl at the door. He remained sitting in the chair, with a calm look, waiting for her to speak.

— Can I take a picture with you? — Pandora showed her phone.

Calem gave a faint laugh, nodding his head; he seemed amused by the situation. Pandora's nervous demeanor, how she avoided eye contact as if she were doing something wrong. Calem thought the most fun part of being famous was meeting the fans. Everyone reacted differently: some screamed, others got so nervous they dropped their phones.

— Sure. — He stood up from the chair, approaching Pandora. — And may I know your name? I've seen many reactions, but trying to hide the uniform logo was a first.

Pandora wiped her face, trying to brush away the embarrassment. Calem's smile grew by the second. He leaned in, bringing his face close to hers. He extended his hand, waiting for her to hand over the phone.

— I just... didn't think it through. At the time, I was just trying not to get in the way? I thought it might make you uncomfortable, or something...

Calem laughed softly, positioning the phone to take the selfie.

Pandora made a heart shape with her hand, he completed it, and they took the photo, the two of them changing poses a few times. When he finished, he didn't hand the phone directly back to her, but turned it toward himself, messing with the device.

— Hey, give it back! — Pandora stretched, trying to retrieve the phone.

Calem easily dodged Pandora's attempts, tapping on the phone without worrying about her efforts. A few seconds passed and he turned the device toward her, showing the messaging app open and the photo sent to a number she didn't recognize.

— It's my number, I'll text you when it's time for you to go to the HQ to pick up your jersey. If Lugus is in a good mood, I might even get you one of his. — Pandora furrowed her brow, not understanding what he was talking about. — An autographed jersey. I won't sign Lugus's, he'd probably call to curse me out just for thinking about it. So I'm going to give you one of mine with my autograph, because I'm the coolest player in Royal Mountain.

Calem seemed very proud of his own words, his smile making him close his eyes, making his expression even more pleasant. Pandora didn't know how to respond; she didn't know whether to be offended, grateful, or if there even was a right reaction for that situation. She took the phone, seeing the saved number, and pointed to the screen, then to him.

— You're a bit crazy... — Her tone was low, but Calem managed to hear.

— You tried to hide the uniform logo when you saw me, you don't seem crazy in a bad way to me, and we always have events for autographs and giving out autographed uniforms. Consider it as if you won a raffle. — Pandora stared at him for a few seconds. The explanation made sense, but him giving his number to a stranger wasn't exactly recommended.

— Still, you shouldn't go around giving your number to other people... — she murmured, staring at the open chat.

Obviously, Pandora was happy. Ares had been by Lugus's side for the last three years, he was the oldest player on ROM after Lugus. She just couldn't help but think that it didn't feel right to have his number.

— Now, can you tell me your name? — Pandora raised her head, staring at him for a few seconds, having completely forgotten about that question.

— Pandora, you can just call me Dora.

— The Explorer? — Pandora needed a few seconds to recover from the comment.

She hadn't heard that joke since the 6th grade; it was so bad it was almost comical. The smile on Calem's lips grew by the second, amused by the woman's confused and slightly irritated expression. He waved, turning his back to her, sat back down in front of the computer, put on his headphones, and started a new match.

Pandora moved away, making a face and grumbling as she left the room. People used to say never to meet your idols because they could be bad people. In Pandora's case, one of her idols made fun of the fans.

When she stepped out of the private room, Flin and Diana were at the end of the hallway waiting for her.

— Shouldn't you be working? — She faced Flin, crossing her arms.

— I only need to be there if they have technical difficulties. — The two approached Pandora, and Diana grabbed her phone, running down to the lower floor.

— Diana! Give me my phone! — Pandora ran after her, but by the time she reached the reception desk, Diana was already looking at the photos.

— Look at these photos, Flin! — Diana turned the phone toward Flin, who rushed over to get a closer look.

The photo was ordinary; Calem completed Pandora's heart and looked at her from the corner of his eye. Calem was considered a rare case in the scene: if he weren't a player, some company would have hired him to be a model or an actor. Despite his supposedly cute appearance, Calem's gaze was sharp. During games, he became something cold and comforting. His gaze became intense, focused on the screen, and his fine-featured face became more striking.

— If you post this, some people are going to think Ares is looking for a girlfriend and found a candidate. — Pandora pulled the phone out of Diana's hand.

— Shut up, Diana. You're just jealous that I got the picture and you didn't! — Pandora stuck out her tongue, not caring if it sounded like a childish provocation. — Flin, when does your shift end?

— You two look like two children. — Flin shook his head, leaning against the counter. — They're letting me off at 22:00.

— Dora loves me, she just doesn't know how to admit it. — Diana hugged Pandora from behind, resting her face on her shoulder. — Let's play something while we wait for you. Pizza when we go home? — She handed the card to Flin.

— It's going to be chicken pizza and I don't want any complaints. — Pandora was the first to speak; Flin and Diana just nodded in agreement, accepting it.

— Let's order from that pizzeria near my house and eat right there.

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