PM - Midnight Banter

Her cold blue eyes stared idly at the not-so incredible ceiling of her room. The inn was comfortable, and ever since she got a good grasp of working as a magecrafter, she finally could afford lodging. Despite that, she couldn't sleep. She'd take note of not taking naps without need — the system was not fond of letting you snore in peace if your sleep meter had plenty to keep you awake. She rolled to her left, to her right, boredom eating away at every inch of her body. But then, her hair strand stood straight up as an idea came to mind. Indra fiddled around with her UI options until she found her contacts. Maybe she could wake him up?

Indraneel

Sarcastically polite. Good evening, green hedgehog. It appears I cannot sleep, and I am to blame you, because yes. Genuinely requesting, entertain me.

@Quinn

 

Quinn let out a yawn as he sprawled his limbs out into a hearty stretch while his back rubbed against the roof shingles, he could was sworn the tenant of this building used this specific type of roofing to stop ruffians like him from getting a restful sleep.

Just as he nodded off for a few minutes, his UI flashed softly at the corner of his vision. 'Huh? Who messaged me this late in the night?' he thought to himself as he opened up his palm menu.

Quinn

Oh hey, it's stumpy. Hi stumpy, it's only been a day since we parted ways, did you miss me that much?

Also, it's really bad that you talk like my Roomba X even in chat, you need to fix that or no one is going to marry you.

Also, what are you doing right now that bores even someone like yourself? @Indra

 

[BEEP]​

Her hair strand's oscillating motiondenoted how anxious she was for at least one reply. Despite that, she didn't believe she would get one. However, when the UI flashed with an answer, her hair strand stood straight up as she sat up on her comfy bed to focus on reading. Cheeks flushed lightly as she read the content; Stumpy? Roomba X? How rude! She pondered a bit before replying.

Indraneel

Sarcastically concerned. It is hard for me to miss someone that could be stalking me even now, grasstalker.

My, oh my~! So do you like messages like these?! That's too bad, greeninja!

Genuinely proud. Honesty is a great virtue. This is unfortunate, but it is the way I speak. I still have many plans before marrying, thank you very much.

Dismayed. I'm in an inn from a small village just north of Honeyhome. Good lodging, terrible food. If recyclable food existed, they'be masters at it. Curious. What about you? Stalking someone?

@Quinn

 

When he received Indra's message, Quinn let out a grunt before he used his legs as a counterweight to sit himself up. It seemed to him that Indra perhaps had no one else to talk to and thus he became some kind of distraction for her. Well, it didn't really matter anyways, that this point, Quinn had his UI in full display in case the conversation goes beyond three exchanges.

Quinn

Haha, quite the tongue you've got there, Stumpy.

Still, marriage isn't completely out of of the question, huh?

I ran out of gold so I'm spending the night on the roof of a tavern inn thing also north of Honeyhome. Does your inn happen to look like this? @Indra

 

Indra curled up in a cuddle with her pillow and folded legs, it was getting cold. Blue irises stared expressionless as usual to the now opened up message — everything seemed fine, until she saw the attachment that had a picture of the inn in question and a green hedgehog on the lower right. Her oscillating ahoge halted, falling over her forehead as if dead.

“Kyaaaa-augh.” her attempt at a shriek was not only monotone, but led her to instinctively stand up only to hit her head with a loud thud on the upper part of her bunk bed. Her now teary eyes confirmed the message, while she scratched her head. He was just a few feet above her, and she had to answer… She’d need to make sure he wouldn’t find out. All her teasing him about being a stalker did just bite Indra back. On her now sore head, of course.

Indraneel

Plainly concerned. What is it with you and marriages. Please do not make any misunderstandings.

Giggly. You ran out of gold? That is a very sorry excuse for someone that is supposed to have some experience with the game already, green hedgehog.

Genuinely concerned. How can you sleep on such a place? Be careful not to die frozen outside.

No, that is not the inn that I found lodging, thankfully.

@Quinn

 

Although Indra’s message was delivered shortly after Quinn’s reply, the green-haired youth had already shut off his UI and disappeared from the roof. Indra would not hear again from him for another ten minutes or so. Though, the first thing she would hear is a scream in one of the floors below. Following the scream was loud dialog that was pretty much unintelligible for anyone living on Indra’s floor who was trying to discern the words. Then, a message came up in Indra’s field of vision.

Quinn

Indraaaaaa, how about a deal? You recently finished a big quest, right? That means your coin purse has gotten heavier, right? Which also means that you’re staying in a pretty decent room at an inn, yeah?

So, say you share your room with me for a night, I’ll bring you a cherry pie that literally just came out of the oven. How about it? I can say this was produced by one of the best pie-chefs in Brisshal.

I’ll just sleep under the bed or on the ceiling or something. Anywhere is warmer than out here. How about it? My camera can’t capture the steam, but I guarantee you it’s 100% fresh, literally took it right out from inside an oven!

@Indra

 

Boredom lurked just at the next corner and she quickly grew impatient as she received no reply from @Quinn . Indra lighted one of her magrecrafting reagents (because of the room's lack of candles), giving the room a blue tone pleasing to the eye. Arms crossed, she walked in circles, waiting for a reply. Did he get bored of her? No, even worse, was that chat enough to make him sleep!? Oh god, could it be that he actually died frozen!? Guilt started to build up on her chest. The blonde received her message after a commotion downstairs stopped. Hair strand up, Indra quickly read his message. She had no courage of eating any of the food from the inn, so she starved. In the end, she gave in and sent her coordinates. If he tried anything, she could just blow up the place with her already activated manaprism. She clicked the confirm button and sent the message — nothing could go wrong, she had everything under her control!

Indraneel

[COORDINATES], largest room

Indra stretched herself, content with the pie she’d get to eat, rather than the food from the inn. As she stretched, however, the blonde realized something. Her blue eyes stared at her curvy figure in the mirror, covered by the inn’s worn out chemise. “Startled. I almost forgot to wear someth…” Indra stared at where her clothes were supposed to be, only to notice they were gone. Right, the inn was supposed to take care of it and have it fresh and washed by tomorrow. A chill ran down her spine.

[BEEP2]​

“Woebegone. What have I done.” Contrary to her expressionless face, her arms flailed about in desperation. She had no way of recovering her clothes faster than he'd reach the place, and all clothes in the room were meant for sleeping. In the end, she hid on her bed and covered herself in mattresses and pillows, making a perfect pillow fortress where only her head sticked out like a sore thumb. Her ahoge flailed about, sharp enough to kill a human being.

That pillow fortress was the perfect defense.

All according to her plan, really.​

 

Continues at Midnight Pie​