Days later, Luka arrived at a wine shop, lugging his Warhammer pieces.
"Yo, Seventeen! What army today? Still your favorite tin cans?" The shop owner, a fellow hobbyist, sported a Chaos eight-pointed star T-shirt and gold-rimmed glasses, radiating loyalty.
"Nah, Sisters today. Switching it up," Luka replied, then asked, "How many for hammer time?"
"Not many. Sea Bunny's got surgery, Ah Ling's proctoring exams, Ah Sickle's swamped with deadlines, and Dog 76's buried in quarterly reports." The owner paused, curious. "That power sword you posted in the group—where'd you get it? Selling?"
"Not for sale. You wouldn't part with yours either," Luka shot back, but left the door open. "I can hook you up with the source after the game."
The owner nodded, unfazed, and didn't press. Luka glanced around. "Yuri not here?"
"Out with Lolita. You know how it is," the owner said, shrugging with a knowing look.
Luka frowned. "Didn't she dump him? Pretty harshly, too."
"If he could let go that easily, he wouldn't be Yuri," the owner sighed. Love was never simple.
Luka didn't push, heading upstairs with his army case. The shop's ground floor sold wine, but the upper level was a salon-like gaming room with a massive table for eight, perfect for tabletop battles and RPG sessions. This was their crew's main haunt. Warhammer battles, especially big ones, needed space for terrain, models, and tokens. Painted minis were a pain to transport—chips and scratches were real risks. Big toys like Imperial Knights, Dreadnoughts, or Titans were even worse to lug around. So, most kept their armies here, ready to play.
Luka had a cabinet for his regular 1000-point lists. Setting down his case, he saw two friends, Mai Mai and Twilight, already mid-game. They weren't playing a massive clash but GW's new Kill Team—Naval Breachers versus Rogue Trader Entourage. Fast, brutal, and done in a few rounds, perfect for casual meetups compared to slogging through thousand-point epics.
As their game wrapped, Luka greeted them. "Mai Mai, Twilight, just you two today?"
"Yup, looks like it," Mai Mai said, waving. "Hey, Seventeen, where'd you snag that power sword? Can I borrow it for cosplay at the con?"
"What role? Commissar?" Luka asked, intrigued.
"Rogue Trader, but I'm short on fitting clothes," Mai Mai admitted, shrugging.
"No set style for Traders. Try some Baroque vintage gear," Luka suggested, though he had a simpler fix in mind.
"Vintage is pricey. I'll think about it," Mai Mai said, brushing it off.
The trio cleared the table and set up a new game. The owner, done with his tasks, joined them, carrying a decanted bottle of wine and glasses.
"Let's drink and play! Opened a good one today!" he declared, pouring generously.
Luka sipped, savoring the wine, then asked, "Say I've got a vineyard in the Warhammer world, just starting to brew. How do I sell it?"
The owner raised an eyebrow. "Warhammer world? Why'd you even think of that?" He paused, eyes narrowing. "Wait… you didn't actually get drafted by the Emperor, did you?"
(To be continued)