Tavern/ Outside event IC

[FaddedFox]

DO NOT POST OUT OF CHARACTER! This thread is solely for those that want to continue the tavern discussions and have their characters interact outside of the Christmas event. You should be in character. I will not be regulating posting so there is no posting order or anything. Post as you will in here since this is not the main thread.

[pieluver]

The tiger slunk through the forest of legs when they entered the tavern, and Granite followed it with his eyes. Arctic turned to him once door had swung shut again, thanking him for saving her. He dismissed the thanks with a wave of his hand. "Don't worry about it," he said, turning to follow her gaze around the room. He remembered again why he'd needed to step out in the first place. It was too warm, there was too much commotion, and everyone was smiling as if there was nothing wrong with this place, like everything here wasn't completely artificial, from the holiday to their bodies themselves.

Thankfully, this time it didn't seem like Arctic could read his face, because she just asked another question when she looked back at him. "Yeah, my broth--" Granite's sentence died in his throat as he saw Shade, holding said brother firmly in his arms, breeze past, giving them a semi-lewd wink as he passed. Open-mouthed, Granite had to take a moment to collect himself. Honestly, the closer they got, the more stressed out it made him. Prince was making such a mistake. Not only was it incredibly dangerous to hang around with a PKer all the time, but Prince was a lie. An untruth that Shade would find out one way or another, eventually, and what would happen then? And what if this Shade guy was an actual psycho-nutcase in real life, and Prince divulged their information to him? Then what? It was such a mess, but as usual, Prince was completely oblivious, much happier playing pretend with his gallant, murderous knight.

"Uh, I mean, I've got some friends over there, you can join us if you'd like," he said, pointing in the general direction of Psyche and the rest of the group, which, despite shrinking with the departure of his brother and his lover, seemed to still be accruing people, namely Goliath. A cool guy. And that fellow who Shade seemed adverse to was still there. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad over there now? He smiled wryly. "Looks like there's an albino convention over there, we'll fit right in," he said, trying to subtly tell her that she was welcome to follow him, if she so pleased, without being too ostentation about it. That just wasn't his style.

As he approached the table again, hooking one thumb on his belt and brushing snow off his head with the other hand, he surveyed the occupants. "Now that Tweedledumb and Tweedledumber have left, I suppose it's safe to reclaim me seat?" He said with a lazy sigh, pulling out a chair for Arctic to sit down, if she decided to follow him, and then sitting back down in his seat. "It was raining pale haired girls outside, so I had to take refuge inside again." He said, quirking the ghost of a smirk. "This is ArcticFire. She looks more my twin than Prince does, maybe she can replace that airhead." He leaned back until his chair was on just two legs, his wings slightly out to keep him balanced. "Arctic, these are Goliath, PsycheDemo, and...I don't know if I caught your name, priest, but anyone with a mild animosity towards that PKer is a mild acquaintance of mine." He made a face, wrinkling his nose and sticking out his tongue a bit in disgust. Who knew what those two nerds were up to now.

Okay, maybe he was affecting a bit of bravado so there wouldn't be any questions, namely on the incredibly astute Psyche's side, about why he'd left so abruptly, but it was necessary. He didn't need any questions right now. It'd be so much easier just to make light of the situation for a while, then just go home and be alone for a while later. Hopefully this would continue to be a good distraction while Prince wasn't here. Anything to help him forget that this wasn't real, that life was still going on outside this strange construct of a 'game,' that his real body was likely atrophying, he was losing days, weeks, months of his life, time that he'd never get back. But as long as he didn't think about how out of control of his own life he was, maybe things would be okay for another day.

[SlightlyInsane]

Granite began to answer her question before cutting himself off, saying something about his brother. ArcticFire had returned her gaze to the scene in the tavern and thus had missed Shade and Prince whisk by and out the door before poor Granite could react. She turned her head in time to see him standing there, open mounted as if he'd seen a ghost. Maybe he had. Perhaps the lovely Beta that was Nightingale had added in ghosts as NPCs, though she had no idea why such a thing would occur.

Her acquaintance recovered a moment later, changing his response to a mention of his friends and pointing. Honestly, he didn't strike her as someone who would have friends. She meant no harm in her opinion, she had just thought he was more of a solo player like herself. Arctic looked in the direction he was pointing at: the table with Psyche, Goliath, and Cain. How perfect. Granite invited her to join him as he began to approach the table.

"Looks like there's an albino convention over there, we'll fit right in," he commented, making her chuckle. Yes, it did seem that there were quite a few white haired players at this table. It was an amusing sentiment and one she needed to get her spirit up. The prospect of talking to Cain was also something that had a positive effect on her current attitude.

The albino fox girl followed behind the albino demon, knowing that Kuro was content to stay by himself in a corner of the Tavern. Arctic was confused by Granite's Tweedledumb and Tweedledumber comment, but didn't ask about it. Everyone had their grudges, even in a virtual reality world. She gave a small smile to Granite as he pulled a chair out for her so that she could join the others at the table. How chivalrous of him. She cracked another smile at his mention of the other white haired girl who they'd encounter outside and the observation that she could be his twin. Judging from Granite's words, he was not happy with his twin brother for whatever reason. She would have let the matter slide again had Granite not made a comment about a PKer to Cain. She both despised and pitied PKers, thinking they were doing no harm. If they only knew...

Arctic gave a small smile to the table. She knew everyone here, but it was nice of Granite to introduce her to them. She turned to Goliath and Psyche. "Hello my friends," she told them. Though she didn't want to have friends, she would have to say the Knights' Leader and Second in Command were pretty close. They were good acquaintances bordering on friends, if only because she directed them to hurt players and occasionally stopped by to see if there was anything interesting they'd found. Mutual interests were often the starts of friendships, so perhaps one day she would truly consider them friends.

She then looked to Cain, hesitant to greet him. If she did acknowledge that she knew him, there could be questions. But given how many other players she had interacted with in the past, she could pass it off as someone she'd met a few times. It wasn't if she was going to come out right then and there and tell everyone there they were Betas. Besides, it was only polite to greet him and to let Granite know what his name was. "Hello to you as well, Cain." She refrained from mentioning that she hadn't seen him in awhile, though it wouldn't have been a lie.

The fox girl leaned against the back of her chair, hands resting in her lap. Her gaze passed on each member of the table as she waited for someone else to speak. Though she was still interested in whatever it was Granite so despised about this PKer-- beyond the fact that he murdered players-- she felt that it wasn't an appropriate subject to bring up to the whole table. Perhaps they knew already and she could ask later. If this was the case, she was content to have a normal conversation.