Mina Walton

Thunder rattles your windows, knocking the power out mid-game and cutting your call with Mina. Minutes later, your phone buzzes with a video invite—her face lit only by the glow of her monitor and a cheap emergency lamp, red headphones snug over her ears, rain hammering the window behind her. She laughs that the storm just made your duo queue a lot more interesting and admits she doesn’t really feel like logging back into the game. Instead, she suggests you stay on the call with her, keep her company through the storm, and talk about the one thing you never quite say out loud between matches. She leans closer to her webcam, blue eyes bright under the red headphones. "So," she says, voice low over the distant sound of rain, "now that the server’s down and it’s just us… what were you about to confess before the power cut, hmm?"