just call me zeus.

“i’d rather cut mine off,” she tossed back. “You would think after all this time with only your thoughts you’d be a better conversationalist.” a small pang of guilt tugged at her as she turned in her seat to face him. she couldn’t tell if she was seeing things, or if he truly looked different, duller somehow. less of a glow with all of his time spent under fluorescent lights. maybe she should have visited him, even in just an official capacity, but no, that wouldn’t have made sense. It was never their dynamic. 

Luna sighed, “what do you want to know?” somehow she found herself giving into him, the last half year not giving her the immunity against him she thought she’d built. it was as though he’d been here just yesterday, sweet-talking her into bad decisions. this time would be different, on her terms. “i don’t have all night, zeus. so you’ll have to deal with a condensed version and then go read up on the field guide. you can read, right? i can never seem to remember.”

“ouch, luna.” he replied, an exaggerated look of offence plastered on his face and a hand to his chest. “and you would think after all this time without seeing me, you could at least pretend to tolerate me a little bit. i mean, you couldn’t even spare a visit? didn’t have to be a friendly thing, could have just been a second in command checking in on a member.”

luna couldn’t hide the surprise on her face upon seeing zeus, but she quickly schooled her features to resemble something similar to boredom and annoyance. the hospital hadn’t sent word to the guild that he was discharged or she would have sent one of the rookies to teleport him back to HQ. as second, of course, not because of their personal… entanglements.

“no,” she replied, taking a sip of her drink. it’d be best to go slow knowing zeus was around now and she never did manage to control her mouth around him. “can’t you ask a trainee to hold your hand? i’m busy.”

there was something similar to happiness within him once his eyes landed upon those features that he has long since memorized. granted, he hasn’t seem them in a while, but luna’s face wasn’t one that you could ever forget. he couldn’t exactly pinpoint what he was feeling now that they were face to face again after so long.

“i mean i could, but i’d much prefer holding yours.” he chimed, letting a smirk dance upon his face as his usual playfulness returned. “come on, luna. don’t pretend like you didn’t miss me.”

“ Aren’t we a regular Einstein. Got that in one.” she scoffed. Skittle knew a cocky son-of-a-bitch when she saw one. This guy was running on all six cylinders of cocky ass hat. She might have been more… helpful. ( if she wasn’t already in a sour mood) However, he made one fatal mistake. 

The asshat, called her sweetheart.

Clicking her tongue she took a deep breath, taking a page from Erberus’ book as she turned her body to face him. A sweet almost hurt full expression on her face. “ You’re, I’m sorry.” she said softly her gaze on his arm as she slipped the knife out of the top of her boot. Her other hand running up the length of his forearm. Big doe eyes looked up at him and she smiled, “ You really aren‘t asking a lot. I’m sure you’ve been through a lot,” Skittles expression darken as she pressed the tip of her blade against his abdomen. 

“Tough shit. You lost your buddies boo fucking hoo; so have the rest of us. You having a memory lapse cause your trying to block out the images of you and Aspen  going at it raw? Sounds like a personal problem… honey.” putting emphasis on the last word as she pressed and held the blade firmly against his gut. “ Do me and yourself  a favor and go back from whence you came shit head. I’m not in the mood.” 

checkmate. there he was, a knife pressed against his skin, surely penetrating the thin fabric of his t-shirt. why was it that all pretty things seemed to have a bit of a bite? to most, this would likely have been considered a ‘high threat’ situation but to christian, it was merely amusing. if she wanted to play tough, so be it. there was no doubt in his mind that he would win. besides, it was hard to feel fear when her username was agentskittles.

Skittles rolled her eyes , turning her attention toward the voice that spoke to her. Dark eyes gave him a quick one over, “ where have you been, living under a rock?” she muttered turning her attention back towards her drink in hand. Unsure if this was a line or maybe just his lame attempt at trying to get money or something but skittles was far from impressed. 

Her own troubles had been plaguing her mind as of late, and there was little anyone could to sate those feelings of uneasiness. But, Psyche had made a very good point. She couldn’t hid away in her room all day, and if she actually wanted to get into circus. Acting like a scaredy-cat wouldn’t cut it. Finishing her shot rather quickly she signaling the bartender for another one. Feel the eyes of the man who spoke still one her. 

“ Look, I don’t know what this is or who you are so let’s just cut to the chase shall we,” she huffed giving him her best - I’m trying to be nice but please fuck off smile. That she could muster. “ - a lot of shits gone down. no amount of retelling is going to change the fact you missed it. If you’re still desperate to know what happened, might I suggest phoning a friend. ” taking her new shot down in one go skittles raised a eye brow at him as if to say- are you still here?

“i guess you could say that.” he replied, taking another sip of his drink and revelling in the sensation of the familiar liquid burning down his throat. although zeus had been hiding away for a while, that didn’t cause any of his abilities to read people falter. he could tell that she clearly didn’t care, or at least she was trying to pretend that she didn’t, but frankly he didn’t either. all he wanted was a source of information. while he was gone, many of his friends had up and disappeared. all he needed was a heads up on what to expect, nothing more.

“not too fond of chit chat now, are we?” zeus asked, raising an eyebrow at her reaction. although her appearance was trying to give off the vibe of indifference, the rogue knew better. as someone who really didn’t give any fucks, he could tell when someone was just pretending. “i’m not asking you for some big favour, just a small story time will suffice. surely, you’ve realized that i’ve wanted to talk to someone i actually cared about but unfortunately in this shitty death trap, i’m pretty sure most of them have died while i was gone. trust me, sweetheart, you wouldn’t be a choice otherwise.”

it was weird being on his feet again. after a fight gone terribly wrong, zeus had been bedridden for months. despite it not being his physical body, his injuries had been so serious that he had been rendered essentially useless. he actually thought at one point that he would never be able to move again, and would have to lie there idly while everyone else continued to clear the game. every notification of a floor advancement brought him joy, but also a bit of regret. he wished that he had been able to be there. 

so imagine his surprise when a robot sauntered into his hospital room one day and practically threw him out, leaving him with nothing but a hospital gown and a bill that amounted to almost three months of straight monster farming. other than the weirdness of finally being able to move again, zeus felt no other side effects. the night of his release, the first thing he did was grab the glass of whiskey he so desperately needed.

Player: Stem Location: Floor 1 (near Stem’s apothecary cafe)

It’s a beautiful day on the first floor of Velia, but Stem would appreciate it even more if their pet rabbit hadn’t gone missing sometime this morning. The bright and sunny day means that there’s a more heavier stream of players coming in and ordering more food than potions. Which Stem loves, because they thrive on good vibes and good company, but they’ll be damned if they lose one of their closest companions in this place (it doesn’t help that this rabbit reminds them of their sibling’s rabbit, so they might be a little more devastated than usual if Bong actually got lost.)

“Has anyone seen my rabbit?” they exclaim to anyone who can hear, their anxiety growing by the minute. They’re glad that they have a friend back at the apothecary to look over the place while they’re gone. “She’s white and has brown and black spots and might be prone to biting. And she’s… her name is…” They cringe, berating themselves for being so fucking weird and giving their rabbit the weirdest name ever. Although, maybe that could get the attention of the people in the area. “Her name is Bong Water, she’s round and fat and she likes to eat flowers for some reason.”

the town of beginnings wasn’t a place that zeus frequented often. there wasn’t much for him to do around there, and the mere thought of the first floor just depressed him. the launch day was engraved in his mind, and every step he took around the town reminded him of just how fucked up everything was. 

location: floor fifty-two.  player(s): hela + open.

tracing through the remains of the lake after the final battle commenced, sloan took a second to breathe. it was the first breath which made a sound ever since the battle started. she couldn’t take the risk of being heard, she knew it would result in her being found. as she transported onto floor fifty-two, the neon lights shone down onto her face through the raindrops, a feeling which was unfamiliar for her. for a minute, she had allowed her weapon to sling around her shoulders. not an arrow already prepared but perfectly placed within its case. she enjoyed the moments between finishing a battle and entering a new floor, it gave her body time to adapt and adjust in preparation for what was to come next. her eyes had remained closed but she could sense someone was behind her, a sigh sounding as she slumped her shoulders. “thank goodness, that floor’s over, eh?” surely, there couldn’t be many more floors, it had to end soon, right? “first impressions of floor fifty-two?”

it felt like an entirely different game, as if everything they’d ever known for the past three years had been nothing more than an elaborate lie. the integration of a city as advanced as nova threw the entire player base off, zeus being no exception. to be honest, he wasn’t exactly sure how he FELT about it yet. sure, it was a reminder of the city that he grew up in, but he didn’t know if that was something to be celebrated or not. umbrella in hand, zeus strolled through the streets alone, allowing himself a little peace and quiet after the afternoon of fighting he’s had. suddenly, a flurry of BRIGHT pixels emerges, a girl accompanying it. gripping the handle tightly, he makes his way over to her so that she can also seek shelter from the rain. “it’s cool, i guess. not much else to say about it so far.”

Player: Lilith Location: Floor 52, Seven’s Grand Opening

Lilith initially had no intention on accepting the invitation. Nightclubs were far from her chosen battleground - she preferred soaring ceilings and marbled floors to neon lights and sticky linoleum. Her choice of armour was quite unlike her as well - a small black number that left little to the imagination. She could imagine her mother’s disapproval and that alone put a smile on her face.

After selecting a strategic position at the bar, Lilith took a slow slip of her drink, letting her gaze wander over the sea of shadowed faces when she felt a small tap on her shoulder. 

“Yes, darling?” 

zeus was beginning to sober up, his drunken haze now replaced with the dawning realization of the obligations he had in the morning. there were guild tasks to be completed, quests to be done, and mobs to be defeated. having been hospitalized for so long, he had a LOT of catching up to do if he wanted to maintain his position within the ranks. 

spotting an empty seat at the nearby bar, he immediately made his way over. he didn’t want to think about ANY of that right now, and alcohol was the BEST solution. spotting a head of brunette locks, zeus felt a sense of familiarity. he reached over to tap the other’s shoulder lightly before taking a seat next to her.

“thought it was you, lilith.” waving towards the bar tender, he ordered two drinks. one for him, and another to replace his guild mate’s almost empty glass. “drinking alone is a little boring, don’t you think? care for some company?”

god, she missed this. the beat of the music. the bodies. the drinks. she felt better than she had in ages, just being able to let loose and be herself. no worrying about the guild - which had made her late to the party, as usual - or someone trying to kill her. no worrying about the game or leveling anything up. no, tonight she could just be selena. the old selena - not reaper. 

she’d gone all out on her outfit. her dress was pure black with a deep v-neck plunge, and the bottom was essentially just the short bottom of the body suit with a sheer, sequined skirt overlay that almost reached the floor. she’d gotten it custom made as soon as she heard about the event. even then, reaper had known she was going to go all-out on this. this was her jam. 

because of her tardiness, reaper wanted to be sure to catch up with the rest of the players. that meant it was time to head to the bar and order the strongest thing. “god, i missed this kind of stuff. if it weren’t for the whole die-here-die-in-real-life thing, this place wouldn’t be so bad to be stuck in.” she sighed and knocked back two shots. “you’d think they wouldn’t have cheap liquor in a game of all places.”

zeus felt foreign within his own body. this was definitely his scene, but after his extensive stay at the hospital, it was WEIRD to be operating without iv’s attached to his body. there wasn’t anything too extraordinary about his attire tonight: distressed jeans, leather jacket, and white tee. it was casual enough to be comfortable while still fitting into the usual clubbing dress code.

there was no shortage of beautiful girls, that was for sure, but the LAST person zeus had expected to take his breath away was reaper. seeing his second in command dressed like this was a once in a lifetime occasion, and his gaze lingered a little longer than it should have. there was a different AURA about her tonight, and zeus found himself being drawn towards it. towards HER.

radish didn’t do much well. the ‘rad shouldn’t be in charge of’ list was miles long at this point, and included a variety of basic tasks, from cooking to babysitting to underwater basket weaving. but you know what he could do well? party. he was fun to be around, was a master at making sure those around him stayed as drunk if not drunker than he was, and had (if you asked him) excellent taste in music. 

that being said, he had one goal tonight. scratch that, he had two goals tonight. the first was to find a suitable rebound for zeus, because he needed it and radish wasn’t velia’s best wingman for nothing. who called him that, you ask? not important. 

the second goal was to have his own fun. which would happen regardless. fuck it, he was the fun. “bar, sure. that works. i’m already pretty drunk though i’m gonna pace.” because if he got too shitfaced too fast then he wouldn’t be a very good wingman now, would he. instead, he jabbed his elbow playfully into zeus’ side, took the snapback off his own head and yanked it over zeus’ face. “i’m gonna get you fucked tonight, in more ways than one.” he bounced ahead a few paces and then turned around. “and by me, i mean not literally me. but you point me to a player and on my honor…” he bowed deeply, arm to his stomach. “on my honor, i’ll gas you up so hard you’ll be in the stratosphere.” 

it had been a while since the two were together. the both of them had suffered some serious injuries from the previous boss battle, and zeus had only been discharged a little under a week ago. given everything that’s happened within the past few weeks, spending some quality time with his best friend was exactly what he needed. say what you will about radish, but he was GOOD company. even better company when you were completely shitfaced.

bar hopping and pub crawling was one thing, but having a nightclub provided an entire array of NEW opportunities. centria’s taverns had been getting  o l d  and frankly, zeus was tired of drinking cheap ale made by novice brewers. he missed the city that NEVER slept and its bustling night life, and now seven was here to fill that empty void.

username: pl4yer (four) location: floor 52; seven night club, opening night party 

          ‘ so — if we’re living in a si-simulation, and are also stuck in velia, which is also a simulation — are we actually living in a simulation ? like wouldn’t living in a simulation within a simulation be a little too much ? ’

zeus brought his glass to his lips, eyes practically closing as he listened to the girl next to him drone on about her life  o u t s i d e  of the game. although his arm was still snaked around her waist, he longed for nothing more than to LEAVE her side. when he heard the other male speak, he saw an opportunity arise. excusing himself, he turned his attention over the the other player. “you’re not making ANY sense, buddy. had too much to drink?”