❛ ♡ 𝒅𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 !

“the same as you,” or similar enough. while her home might have been made in the metropolitan bustle of centria, dot had never been a fan of the constant noise. it had grated on her in the other world, when the bar would get crowded on game nights and the sound would rise to a clamor. it was more irritating than anything else. too loud to think - that was what her one coworker, tommy, had always called it. dot had to agree with the notion. here, though, the quiet was mostly undisturbed. still and not full of people who stink of desperation and fear. “i like the quiet.”

          she slid her sword back into its rightful place on her hips, cocking her head to the side upon hearing varus’ reply. she didn’t know much about archery nor how difficult it was, simply because it wasn’t of much use to her. “ is it ?? i wouldn’t know. ” sword fighting was easy. you just had to clean up and sharpen the blade after a battle and that was the end of it. it was a practical choice, in noir’s eyes.

“no, you wouldn’t,” he agreed. “and I won’t bore you with the details.” he liked to blame it on archery being high maintenance which was partly true. but michael didn’t want to change his bow out of convenience. granted, it would be less effort towards polishing it and more towards training which was more important. but he felt attached. “what are you doing here?”

“that’s my line.” a smile made it’s way on her face as she teased. despite the whole change of scenery, there was still comfort in being around him. it was the familiarity they made over the course of their four year long marriage. cat rolled her eyes, playfully, much less annoyed than her usual towards conejita or radish. “so you’re into pain, new establishment or something you’ve been hiding?” the hardest part about velia for her, was really just finding her place, not knowing where she stood with anyone, not knowing if she was enough for her guild, but with him she knew where they stood. sometimes she wished things had been different to have a person who was home in game, but they tried to fan their spark into a flame but instead blew it out. “of course i am, i’m only just better at hiding it.” cat leaned back against a tree, debating if the twinge in her stomach was nerves or hunger. “want to grab lunch? or are you busy?”

kitty: you didn’t answer my question

kitty: i’m ok

kitty: real food would be nice?

kitty: if you’re not too busy

varus: anything specific?

In all honesty, Luna hadn’t been planning on sneaking up on the archer. She’d been out on a run to get herself out of her head– and her office. As she slowed down to a jog, she noticed someone in the small clearing in front of her and drew back to get a good look at them. It wasn’t the best place to run into a Circus member, or a player killer out for a thrill. Instead, she saw Varus. But he heard her first, as was evident by the arrow pointed in her direction. “That’s a bit optimistic. You really think you’re that good of a shot?” When he started to clean his equipment, she took it as a sign to take a break and stretch. “As a rogue, it’s actually pretty highly encouraged,” she said with a smirk. “What are you doing out here anyway? Needed a quiet place to polish your arrow?” 

“no, I know I’m that good of a shot,” he corrected, a hint of a grin on his face apparent. he glanced at her as she started stretching and then took a second to scan his surroundings. this particular floor was one of varus’ favorite. not only did it seem so much like reality, it also felt sort of freeing. “I guess so. but it doesn’t work on me.” he shrugged, his grin only growing wider. “yeah, I like this floor. you out for a run or something?”

you’re too young to be a hermit.

the silly phrase from her brother was playing like a mantra in her mind ever since he said it. she wasn’t a hermit, she was far from it but if she had something t prove she would prove it. and at the same time, she hated being cooped up in one place for too long. when you’ve already perfected something, sitting around and redoing it a million times to prepare for a boss battle nobody knew the end of was useless and was making her more anxious than calm. so finally she got out, finding herself on floor 53, roaming the wide plains in silence. it was comforting, feeling the warm sun on her skin. sometimes it felt so real, she forgot entirely that her life now revolved around virtual reality. it wasn’t until she passed through a higher bunch of grass, the course blades scratching slightly at her arms when she heard the sound of an arrow being pulled back and she froze, head snapping to look to the right of her when she saw him.

“jesus christ, i wasn’t sneaking. it feels more like you were sneaking up on me with that arrow aimed at my chest.” she breathes out, hand over her heart before she lets out a soft laugh. “you act like you’re the only one in this game. did you not expect others to be here? what’re you doing?”

he heard the rustling of the grass and it was as if his instincts kicked in, not once considering other less fatalistic possibilities. how could he in a game like this? truthfully, he was never sure if he’d get to make it out alive but if drawing his weapon at the slightest sign of danger achieved just that, he’d do it every single time. some would call it paranoia but michael would say it’s just necessary precautions. he relaxed as soon as his eyes came in contact with a familiar face and then, let out a deep breath. “no, I didn’t, no one’s ever on this floor. that’s the point, rue,” he rolled his eyes slightly, a faint smile on his face as he picked the cloth back up. “I needed a quiet place to think and polish my bow. what are you doing here?”

“oh, dude, 60-40 totally sold.” varus would know him well enough by now to know that radish was joking. sure, he said 60-40, but he always gave his friends even cuts, even if he claimed otherwise. he only screwed over acquaintances, and varus was way past that. even if the guy made him want to claw his own eyeballs out sometime, he would always get the even split. “aw, sidekick, how cute? what do you want your sidekick name to be. i’ll let you choose i’m feeling generous.” he watched varus pack, as unhelpful as ever, but at the last minute walked over to grab one of the arrows out of the tree. see? he helped. this was helping. you’re welcome, world. “you been good?” radish asked offhandedly, inspecting the tip of the arrow before he handed it over to the archer.

Following the trail for her latest quest, Nightingale wasn’t expecting to come across anyone because she’d been actively avoiding areas she knew players would be. Apparently, this wasn’t the right way to go. It wasn’t like she hadn’t accidentally fallen into this situation before, but she’s glad he’s not a player killer. She tries to look confident when she answers despite her heart beating much faster than it had been moments ago. "I was not trying to sneak, I’m just on a quest. Thanks for not shooting me though. So uh… hi! Sorry, what are you doing out here?”

michael wasn’t one to purposely startle people nor was he the type to kill them over an argument. if he was going to actually kill, he would need a good reason to do it and even then, he’d hesitate. he wanted as many people as possible to make it out alive. “you’re welcome?” he shrugged, putting his weapon aside. “bow maintenance. thought I’d do it somewhere quiet and isolated but now I know this might not be the right place. your turn.”

without a single doubt, aspens was up to something. velia had been far too quiet for it to amount to nothing, a boss battle was around the corner but there was no clear indication to what, or who, the boss would be. memories of the last boss battle flooded and clogged hela’s brain, the pain she felt and the aftermath were something she was willing to avoid this time. though she always acted on impulse therefore she wasn’t able to promise to anyone. she still hadn’t recovered from the trauma of floor fifty-three but she knew she had to face the floor if she wanted to finally get over her face to face meeting with catibis. stepping into the arena, she expected the area to be free; abandoned even. breath hitched in her throat as she inched into the open space, eyes closed as she walked forward. she didn’t even hear the familiar sound of an arrow being drawn. instead she jumped when a voice sounded, heart thudding in her chest. voice barely above a whisper as she responded. “i wasn’t sneaking.”

he hadn’t been expecting anyone to come to this floor, mostly because in all his time coming here he’d never run into anyone else. so when sloan showed up, his natural instincts took over. he relaxed instantly, realizing that he scared her just as much. if not, more. “sorry about that,” he gently spoke, lowering his weapon and returning to it’s maintenance. “I’m not used to anyone being around here.” sloan happened to be one of the very few people michael could freely speak too and get along with. though if he had it his way, he wouldn’t have picked their first meeting to be in a game they’re trapped in. “what are you doing here?”

kitty: you’re all good right?

kitty: the last thing i want is for you to be stuck in the hospital too

varus: how are you feeling now?

varus: are you good?

“i wasn’t sneaking,” she had not been, or it had been unintentional. dot had never considered herself foolish enough to do something like sneak about when someone had a weapon drawn. fingers curled around the edges of her sleeves and placid eyes gaze at him for a long moment before drifting to the the bow, the cloth he had been holding. “this is an odd place for weapon maintenance.” it wasn’t a question, or even something dot truly expected an answer to, merely an observation, “why were you doing it out here?” that was, eyes drawing back towards him with some shade of interest entering her tone. perhaps she simply couldn’t understand. it is not as though her staff requires much caring for beyond being sure the thing wouldn’t break, though it had historically been easier for her to simply purchase a new one rather than fuss with attempting to fix it.

          admittedly, noir wasn’t expecting for anyone else to be on floor 53. she was merely looking for a quiet place to train. thanks to the impending boss battle, most training rooms were full, so she had to go out in the open and find one. she THOUGHT she was alone. at least, she did until she saw varus. she laughed at his attempt of a threat. “ wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. ” the blonde shrugged, pulling her sword out of her sheath. “ luckily, i’m armed too. ” a sword wouldn’t be of much use if she got hit with an arrow, but that wasn’t the point. she pursed her lips, assessing their surroundings. “ training ?? ”

“maybe,” he shrugged, polishing his bow carefully as he averted his attention back to the task at hand. he glanced at her as soon as she pulled out a sword and nodded slightly, a hint of a grin plastered across his face. she could so easily slice him in half right then and there if she wanted and for a split second he wondered if she could do it before he could draw his arrow and shoot. he hoped to never have to find that out one day. “I wanted to but archery is a high maintenance bitch.”

promises —— how good is your muse at keeping their word?

she knew silhouette in front of her anywhere, how could she not after all this time? it could’ve been her fault, for being quiet and then finally not being quiet at the wrong moment. his instinct was one she would’ve done all the same if the situation was flipped. a small smile found its way on her face, strangely comforted by the annoyance in his voice.

cat scoffed and closed the distance, watching him clean. “you say that as if i’m known for waving my arms and announcing my presence every time i walk into a room.” crossing her arms she looked up at him, taking a split second still to admire his features. a part of her still understanding why they did what they did. “i never would’ve taken you as a vengeful ex,” she joked, hoping to ease the air between them. everyone was on edge, it was like the entire game was holding its breath, just waiting to get pushed off the next cliff.

he was one of the few people she could let her guard down around, still not completely, but almost. the two of them had only ever known a life in velia mostly without each other. any act she put on for other people was dropped around him, his familiarity rather calming to her. “you seem tense. worried?”

"maybe I should put a bell on you for next time, huh?” he joked, returning to his previous task but still watching her from the corner of his eyes. if he had to be selfishly honest, he was kind of glad cat was with him in velia. he didn’t even want to entertain the idea of being here completely alone, without a familiar face in sight, and without someone he could comfortably be himself around. that’s what happens when you get married for four years, he guessed.

he placed his bow back in it’s case, pulling it shut, and instead, averting his attention to the brunette. “oh, if I wanted revenge, an arrow to the heart wouldn’t be my go to. little bit quicker than I like it to be,” he wiggled his eyebrows, a sly grin plastered across his face as he said so. he was kidding, for the most part. he wouldn’t even think of hurting cat, even if they had ended on bad terms. 

if it’s true —— how badly does your muse react to the news that a loved one has left them?