Leon wasn't sure how he had gotten lost. He was in the beginning area, in Brisshal, when he had wandered away and found himself stuck on a boat with quite a bit of people. He dully remembered being offered a drink around the tavern and, naively, he had accepted the offer without even asking or wondering what it was. All he knew was that it trickled and warmed his throat; soothed his stomach but left a bitter aftertaste. They called it 'Butterbeer' after he was fairly intoxicated and that was warning enough for Leon to start suffering in silence as his mind blurred and he did many...regrettable...things that he'd rather forget. The most indecent of which was streaking from Brisshal to the forest, waking up dressed in leaves and some kind of cloth, and then regaining consciousness as a stowaway in a barrel of a ship. The game apparently knew he was seasick as he felt vomit crawl up his throat and he sent a mess spewing into the ocean.

It was his first time drinking any sort of alcoholic product and, in a dim corner of his mind, he was a bit satisfied that he had tasted it and found it lacking. The curiosity had been bothering him in the real world and, drinking it here to find it a displeasure and nuisance eased his conscience. Hopefully there wouldn't be any consequences related to his recent dilemma (but he knew that he could never show his face again in the grassy plains and peaceful buildings of Brisshal). "I hate my life," he whimpered, fostering a killing headache that, while numbed down by the game's pain reduction, still hurt quite a bit. After a few moments of agony, he settled down and, with a breath, his face reset to its resting position: stoic.

As the ship landed on Druuk Island, he looked down to see himself (thankfully) fully-clothed and equipped. At least now he doesn't have to worry about being eaten by sea monsters or pirates or whatever monsters would lurk around an island. He'd seen enough movies and games to know that being on a boat in the middle of the sea was the optimal chance for a sea creature to attack. Relieved that he hadn't died along the journey, he stepped off and welcomed fresh land. Hopefully, if he was lucky, he could find a way off this island without another boat ride. He shivered at the thought of the swaying motions.

Now where to go? He looked around, spotting a confectionery. It sold strange honey-coated clams and Leon felt a bit of hunger gnaw at his stomach. A little bite couldn't hurt.


@Aaron Marone

 

Aaron felt bittersweet as he walked along the shores of Druuk island. Last time he was here, some terrible things had happened. Yet at the same time, this was the place Aaron had finally proven he could be a hero. He wasn't sure if he should frown or smile - on the one hand, an island spirit was saved and redeemed, on the other hand, two beautiful and ancient phoenixes (or maybe just one, he wasn't sure if the first had been dead already or not) had lost their lives, never to be reborn through fire again.

He looked up to see a boat making it's way toward shore. He watched as people filed off of it, many of them thankful for the dry land as Aaron had been the first few times he came here. It had taken him a while to get used to the sea, but now he viewed it as part of his penance.

One particular person caught his eye, however. A boy, close to his own age it appeared. Aaron smiled. He appeared to be a player as well. He made his way toward the boy. "Well, hello there! Welcome to Druuk Island," he said. "I see you enjoy boats about as much as I used to," he said with a laugh, before extending his hand. "My name's Aaron. Nice to meet you."

 

Leon stood, taking a bite out of the honey-drenched clam and nearly spat it out in disgust. He had hoped for something a bit sweet but it tasted like a concoction of rotted fish and vegetables with artificial sweetening. He wondered how this could be an island delicacy and shook his head. It must be some sort of learned taste or something. Not sure if he could stomach it anymore, he gave the remaining pieces to a little child skipping along the street. The little kid thanked him a bit (in a very adorable and heartwarming way) before her parents beckoned her away to wherever it was they were going.

He heard a voice and a laugh, shocking him out of his dazed state as he quickly turned. He was a bit proud that he didn't squeal or shout in surprise at the friendly man who had greeted him. After a few moments, he regained his composure and, at that moment, another sudden thought struck him still. No one had really conversed with him, other than required greetings between employees of a market or kiosk to a paying customer. The sudden social activity left his throat and lips dry from anxiety. At this point, all he wanted to do was curl up in a ball and stay like that for eternity but, of course, he knew it would be rude to do so.

Tentatively, with furrowed brows and a rapidly-beating heart, he took the man's hand and gave a hesitant smile (it was odd and it was obvious that the man wasn't used to the act of smiling as it stretched his face unnaturally thin). The smile wore him down and, in a few more seconds, he gave up with a huff and ceased his poor attempts of a smile, frustrated at himself.

"My name..." he started, knowing the proper way to introduce himself yet lacking in experience and confidence. He stopped for a while until he finally regained his nerves and he looked at the man straight in the eye. His fist was tight and almost drew blood and he grit his teeth in concentration. "It's Leon," he ended simply. He shut his eyes tight, ready for the face of apprehension at Leon. The man probably thought that he was being rude and, unfortunately, he couldn't muster up the strength to reassure the man that he was happy for the friendly greeting. He kept his eyes down low, defeated and shoulders slumped. Why does he even try?

@Aaron Marone

 

Aaron let out a soft breath of a friendly laugh at the man's introduction of himself. "Yeah, it can be a bit weird, introducing yourself to someone with a name that's not what you've been calling yourself you whole life," he said. Not that he knew that from experience. Like an idiot, he had used his real appearance and real name in this game. Oh well, live and learn, he supposed.

"So, are you pretty new to Terrasphere, then?" Aaron asked. "I kinda imagine you must be, if you tried those clams." Aaron laughed, though it was very clearly not a mocking one. "There's a nice little tavern just down the way a bit, they serve a pretty good roast chicken. Reminds me of my grandmother's recipe, if I'm honest. That's definitely a better option, if you're looking for food that's going to stay down. Just, uh, don't order the butter beer. Not only is it pretty nasty, but surprisingly, not alcoholic. Yeah, that was something I learned. Butterbeer isn't actually an alcoholic beverage, it's just designed to emulate the taste and flavor. I mean, it has a little bit of alcohol in it, but so little that even eight year olds are allowed to have full mugs of the stuff."

 

Leon paused, wanting to correct the man on his error. Leon Captor was his actual name and he learnt early on that misunderstandings are the red flags to a diminishing relationship (not that Aaron, as the name the man had given himself, had any sort of connection to him as they were both strangers). He stopped himself before he even opened his mouth, realizing that amending someone's mistake was not the best thing to do right now. He gave himself a mental kick at even entertaining that thought and instead opted to remain silent. It had been a long time since anyone had deemed Leon worthy of any sort of attention and he wanted to feel that warmth of being remembered, being the object of someone's attention, a little while more before it inevitably falls apart.

Upon hearing Aaron's first question, Leon found himself nodding before giving a look of disgust at remembering those utterly repulsive clams. He was sickened by the mere image of it appearing in his head. He continued to listen, studiously hanging on the man's every word as if they'd slip away if he lost focus for even a split second. He was staring intensely in a discomforting way but he was listening intently. The only sign of a reaction he had (other than the sudden memory of honey-coated clams) was the slight widening of his eyes at the mention of butterbeer. Upon hearing the man's claim about the alcoholic content of it, Leon felt himself turn red and his face heat up. It was an odd image; a delinquent-looking man with a stoic face hosting a bright red, strawberry blush.

He sighed, attempting once again (for the nth time today) to regain his previously impenetrable composure (he started to doubt the 'impenetrable' part with recent events) and stood still. He had recently arrived at Druuk Island for the first time and he had no idea where any of the restaurants, bars, or amenities were. Not to mention that he'd never actually spotted any taverns, being uninterested in alcohol except that one unfortunate mistake yesterday. Still, he didn't want to be a terrible temporary companion of the man and possibly ruin his day, so he waited for the man to lead him to the place he had in mind.

It's been awhile since he found himself with company.

@Aaron Marone

 

Aaron frowned for a bit when he thought the boy was about to say something and then didn't. "Everything okay?" He asked. "Was it something I said?" He didn't think he had said anything that might have bothered the boy, but he wasn't sure, and he figured it would be better for him to find out and pologize than just assume it was something else and let nothing happen except for the wound, however tiny, to fester. Even the prick of a kinfe's tip could require amputation if it wasn't treated correctly and the wound allowed to grow infected.

Aaron grew even more confused at the man's reaction to him talking about butterbeer. The bright red flush of embarrassment could only have been about that, but what was there to be embarrassed about? Had the man gotten drunk off of butterbeer before or something? If that was the case, Aaron made a mental note to not let him near any alcoholic beverages for as long as he could keep an eye on the guy. "They serve a pretty decent water," he said quickly, hoping to change the subject. Mentally, he kicked himself. A decent...water? What the fuck kind of thing to say was that?

The man's sigh and silence pushed Aaron's confusion even further, finally to a point where Aaron would tilt his head to the side. "Hey, man, is everything okay? You're real quiet. I...." He took a step back. "I'm sorry.... I'm a pretty friendly person, or too friendly I guess. I totally didn't even think, you might not be the type of person who wants complete strangers to come up to him and start talking with him. I am so sorry, dude, I am so sorry." He held up his hands and lowered his head as if surrendering over something. "I wasn't trying to be rude, or anything, man, my bad. I'll leave you alone, if you'd like... but you should check out the tavern at the edge of town. The Charred Feather, it's called."

 

Leon gave a breath of relief at the mention of water. After yesterday's incident, he wasn't even sure if he could handle a single drop of liquor, alcohol, and the like. Maybe it was a bit prudish considering his appearance and his taste in beverages, but he mostly enjoyed milk over butterbeer. The man's apologetic tone kicked Leon out of his thoughts and he found himself back on Druuk Island, no longer a resident of his thoughts. Then, as he heard the man's out-flowing apologies, Leon grew uncomfortable and resentful of himself. The man had been nothing but kind to him and, because of his unapproachable and unlikable persona, he had made the man feel terrible. The thought of his presence bringing such negativity to another left his heart clenching as if it was being squeezed by his own hand. He berated himself for his stupidity yet, as the man continued on in surrender, he couldn't get the words out of his mouth. He didn't know what to say.

"It's nice being with you," he managed to mutter, mustering out all his courage and strength to say those handful of words. His eyebrows furrowed and his shoulders were tense, obviously giving away the fact that he was displeased by the man's outburst of apologies. The man had nothing to feel sorry for and had shown Leon a display of kindness that was so rare for him. He deserved praise, Leon thought, for being humane in a way that Leon forgot existed. The kindness of greeting a stranger and inviting them for a drink or two was something that Leon did not take lightly; it was a sign of a good person and Leon tried to remind the man that.

Despite having just met, Leon felt a bit irritated at the display and grabbed the man's shoulder, uncaring about how it might look to outsiders and uncaring as to the social norms about body contact and strangers. He was determined to make it up for the blonde-haired man. His prickly personality and appearance have, as always, caused more trouble than good and this was yet another mistake he had to remedy. "Let's go," he dully stated, giving him a pat on the back as he, despite not knowing the way, walked forward like he always did. "They must have top class quality water that the kings drink if you praise it so much."

He breathed and fell silent once again. That was the longest he had spoken to anyone in a very, very long time.

@Aaron Marone

 

Aaron froze when the man said that it was nice being with him. He smiled awkwardly after a moment. "That's... not something I get told, very often," he admitted. "So I usually assume people don't like me."

He wasn't sure why the boy grabbed his shoulder, but the human connection was nice. "Well, I mean, I only said it was pretty decent," he said in regards to the man's comment on the water. "But yeah, I imagine kings drink it."

As the boy began walking, Aaron paused again. "Uh, Leon?" He called. "The tavern is that way," he said, pointing off almost ninety degrees from where the boy had started walking. Aaron felt a tiny bit bad, but there was really nothing he could do about the fact the boy didn't know where to go. As such, Aaron would begin walking slowly in the correct direction, while maintaining looking in Leon's direction. "The one that way, that you were going, serves food about the same quality as those clams you had. I'm... I'm not entirely sure how it is still open. I think it might be a front, honestly...."

 

As Leon walked, he noticed the blonde paladin shifting in the other direction, speaking to him. Upon hearing his words, realization took hold of him and, with a flushed face, he sheepishly scratched the back of his head. He nodded in apologies before following the golden-haired man's lead. That was, by all extents of the word, exhausting and emotionally confusing. Who knew socializing could be such a pain? He did. That's why he didn't do it. Yet he felt drawn to this considerate man and, thus, obliged in the man's polite offerings. He remained quiet as he lurked behind the man's shadow. He was not stealthy by any means, having no reason to try, but he wasn't loud and it was easy to forget that he was there.

After they had traveled a small distance, he saw a building with several printed letters on it. Recognition sparked in his eyes at the name. The Charred Feather was what the numerous, vertical letters spelled out. Their destination. He prodded the man and stretched out his arm, pointing at the sign. They were here.

Leon was in no rush to grab the wooden door and hold it open; it was a gesture of civility and a sign that they held no animosity despite their awkward exchange. He smiled, turning her head and craning his neck to encourage Aaron to go in. Leon didn't like bars anyway and heeling behind in the man's footsteps was just the way he worked. He never did like leading or taking charge either.

@Aaron Marone

 

Aaron smiled kindly at the man as he realized he'd went the wrong way. "Hey, it happens," he said. "The way I see it, everyone needs to learn things somehow. They can learn it by messing up the first few times until they accidentally stumble on the right way, or they can learn it by someone else teaching them. Neither way is wrong."

He chuckled when the man prodded him to get his attention over the tavern. "Yep, this is the place," he said. He chuckled when Leon held the door open for him. "Why thank you. Manners aren't really the most common thing here, surprisingly. It's... refreshing."

Upon entering the tavern, he held up his hand in greeting to one of the servers. "Hello. Table for two?" he asked.

"Oh, the usual place, Ser Aaron?" asked the server.

"I mean, I don't really think I come here often enough to have a usual place..." Aaron muttered.

"And would you like your usual meal and drink brought out to you as well?" the server asked.

"Again, I don't know if it's really a common enough occurrence to have a usual..."

"Nonsense," the server said. "And as always, your meal is on the house. For today, that extends to your friend here as well," the server said, gesturing toward Leon. "We'll have your table cleaned off right away."

"I mean, it's not really 'my table', but... thank you..." Aaron sighed. He turned toward Leon. "I helped them out with a... problem, a while back. They think they owe me for it, so they always give me free food... I leave a tip large enough to pay for it, though, so the servers seem to like me for that reason, because the owner refuses to let me pay a single coin in meal charges...."

It wasn't long before the two were escorted to a table, and almost immediately upon sitting down, two large roasted half-chickens were brought out, as well as bread, corn on the cob, and a mixed vegetables of green beans, peas, and carrots. Two large steins of water were set on the table immediately afterward. "Can I get you anything to drink?" the server asked Leon. "Ser Aaron here isn't the best at holding his alcohol, so he usually just sticks to water."

 

Leon shook his head, doing a cutting motion with his hand. He'd rather not get intoxicated by any means necessary and, with present company, he was happy that the man shared in his abstinence. It would've been weird should he be the only one to consume a non-alcoholic beverage and the thought someone out there shared his uncommon opinion on beer and whiskey among other things made him feel more comfortable and relaxed. He gave the serve a smile. There were many times that he had been mistaken for being rude in his silence. He bowed his head in thanks. He had to be respectful for such a pleasant man.

After the waiter left the table, Leon finally got a full look at the meal presented to them with widened eyes and a slack jaw. The entire course was simply stunning and, for a poor kid in the slums like himself, something he never really expected to see outside of once-a-year holiday feasts. He managed to retain his composure, slipping on a stoic look as to not over-salivate and make an idiot out of himself. He looked up at his friend, pushing his plate away from the tempting meal. He couldn't get the disgusting taste of honey-drenched clams out of his tongue and, for what he knew as a fact, he decided not to consume anything lest he begin to get that familiar tang in his mouth again.

He knew he had to explain it to his companion, though, and quickly clenched his fist. He had been practicing for a bit on how to properly handle the game systems and interface to accommodate for his verbal preferences. After a brief fumble, he deftly pulled up the communications screen and quickly scrolled through, examining all the names in a split second before landing straight at the icon and name of the person in question. Aaron Marone. Without much of a delay, he quickly went to texting as breakneck speed, eyes focused intently on it and, after a handful of seconds, debated on whether or not to add a smiley face; clicked send and waited for the message to pop up for his newfound friend (or an acquaintance at the very least).

Aaron Marone

I'm not hungry after eating those clams, but thank you for the offer. I'll just drink the glass of water. On another subject, I was wondering about the problem you had assisted them with (if you don't mind me asking) since I'm not very experienced in this game and don't understand the concepts such as NPC interaction. Thank you...




;)

@Aaron Marone

 

Aaron sighed in defeat. "I mean, I'm not that bad," he said at the waiter's accusation of not being able to handle his alcohol.

Once the waiter left, Aaron would slowly begin to eat his foot. He smiled, kindly, however, when the boy seemed to not want to eat. "Trust me," he said. "You're going to want something other than those clams in your system. Plus, these taste pretty good."

He examined the boy's message slowly. Leon - he had to remember the name. Couldn't just keep calling him 'the boy', now could he? "Well, Leon. NPC interaction is just like normal human interaction, except you can't message them like you're messaging me... For the most part, you have to talk to them," Aaron frowned sympathetically at Leon. "As for what I helped them with... well that's a long story."

Aaron sat back a bit in his chair. "A while back... another man and I got a job offer to find a phoenix feather, so we could bring his dead daughter back to life. The phoenix is native to this island, so this is where we came. On our journey... well, by the end of it, both phoenixes that lived here were dead, in such a way they wouldn't be reborn. However, in the process, we saved an island spirit, and got rid of a demonic spirit that was plaguing the town a bit. Now, that specifically was more helping a place called the 'lamb inn', but that place kind of got destroyed in the fight, and, well, the owner I think was one of the two phoenixes. But regardless, because of that incident, I like to come to this island to think a lot. That whole fiasco was the first time I ever saved people in this world, but it was also the first time I lost people. Come to a place often enough, and eventually you start seeing things you can do to help."

"At first, I was helping with some small, pointless stuff. Just carrying boxes and barrels around to help people. Then it was find someone's lost kitten, then a lost child. Then, turned out the owner here owed some debts. His daughter had been taken ransom by some bandits, and so he borrowed money from a loan shark to pay her ransom. Well, once he had the money, he paid the loan shark back the full price they had agreed. But, the loan shark decided he wanted more. He came with some muscle to rough the place up a bit on a day I happened to have stopped in for a meal. I... I had a tiny bit too much to drink that day, because I had been particularly reminded of the two phoenixes who'd died - they usually looked like human girls, you see - and so I was a little... inebriated. I walked up to the loan shark and... well, I threw up on him. I meant to just talk, but I opened my mouth and it just... spewed out. Obviously, that kind of made him mad, so he had his muscle start attacking me. But..." Aaron shrugged.

"As you can see, I like my armor. That, and I'm pretty adapt in light magic, illumancy. A weak spell later, and both the muscle and the shark were blinded. I... I don't remember exactly what I said, but apparently I gave the impression I was a former paladin who no longer held his oath, rather than a paladin in training like I am now. Uh, in case you aren't aware, oath breaker paladins tend to kill people they don't like without thinking twice, as they've kind of stopped caring about the whole 'doing good' thing. Likewise, there's a bit of superstition around them, as since paladins are usually protectors of people's souls... well, if you have the power to protect something, and you stop caring about protecting it, theoretically, you have the power to damn it. So the sharks thought the tavern had an oath breaker paladin on their payroll, and they booked it. Haven't bothered the owner since."

Aaron chuckled softly and shook his head. "So, yeah. Not anything big and heroic. Just... right place, right time, wrong mixture of liquids in my stomach."

 

Leon listened to the man's story with vague interest and a certain degree of empathy (despite finding it a bit dumb to care about NPCs that were meant for a story quest, he could definitely feel the kindness and care radiating from both the man's presence and his history). He stayed respectful and silent throughout, ignoring the occasional twitch of his fingers (after he logged out, he would figure out what was causing that odd sensation; there was probably something wrong with his virtual reality headset or game client or something). As the man finished up, Leon nodded his head in acceptance and reverence, but never in understanding. Leon was not the sort of person to care about trivial matters in the game this much and, by that line of logic, he considered himself below this man's attention (who felt so much, worked so hard, and expected so little from what he had seen of him thus far).

Feeling that he should at least try his best to make the man as comfortable as possible and deign the man a verbal response signifying Leon's own gratefulness for his charitable activities and sacrifices, he opened his chapped lips and spoke. "You are strong; much stronger than me or anyone else I've ever known," he said it simply, as if it were fact or a universal statement instead of praise in high-esteem. He pursed his lips at the remembrance of the man's words of oath-breakers. "Even if you break your holy oath, I'm sure that you'd be every ounce the same just like man that you are right now."

Leon took his advice and took a sip of water, choking it down his dry throat like chugging down an oasis of water after days in the desert. Afterwards, he looked at his dinner disinterestedly. He sighed, picking up a fork and a knife, cutting the meal in front of him. Aaron had asked of him to eat and, if it was the first step to repaying the man for his kind actions to Leon, then it would be one that he would do proudly (albeit not to the point of enjoying the act of eating virtual food). As he ate, he felt his bones chill and his hand shake and shiver yet again. He frowned and looked back up at Aaron.

"Since I joined the game, I've been getting some kind of...tremor, I guess, in my hands. Does this happen to you or have you heard of it or anything?" he mumbled warily, not really interested in the answer. He had merely wanted to voice his curiosity at the event out loud, as if to reassure himself that it was actually happening. He shook his head. "Never mind, just a few dumb worries," he smiled as much as he could at the man. It wasn't right for him to burden the man with Leon's own baggage.

@Aaron Marone

 

Aaron lowered his head and smiled at Leon's words. Their tone was off, but the words themselves were correct, or close to correct. If speaking was so hard for the boy, he wouldn't make a big deal over something as simple as tone. "Thank you, friend. I worry you say that only because you have only met me, though. Still, it is nice to be validated." He raised his head. "With that said, friend, never put down yourself to put another up. When you said I was stronger than you. Every person who lives has strengths and weakness. A fish may be the mightiest swimmer, but if you judge it by it's ability to climb a tree, it will live it's entire life believing it is worthless. You have strength, friend, you need only find it."

Aaron frowned when Leon asked about the tremor. He extended his hand, palm up and open. "May I see your hand?" He asked. He knew a healing spell would be unlikely to help with any actual damage, so he wouldn't waste Leon's time by doing that unless the boy wanted him to. "I have, actually, heard of such things. From three different sources, specifically," he said. "The first and least serious is a fault in your VR Headset, but that would have other symptoms, as well. Perhaps a bit of lag every now and then, vision problems and headaches, and jumpy movement in general. The second, a bit more serious, but curable from what I hear, and is the most common of the ways, is if you've died you would have gained some affliction, typically a phobia of some sort. If you've died yet, in this world, that is likely the case."

Aaron grew somber. Not quiet cold, but the seriousness that grew on him did dampen his overall warmth. "The third, the rarest, and the most serious.... I have heard of some powers in this game that.... change their user. I don't know to what degree the players are affected outside of the world, but in this world, the change is visible. Spirits possessing a player's body is even a power that some people gain, though why anyone would wish to give up their autonomy is beyond me. Malefimancy and Illumancy, being opposites of each other, also affect the user. My Illumancy, for instance... in this world, I have a greater desire to foster light and hope than I do in the real world. That's not to say I don't desire those things in the real world, but the desire is... increased here. Does that make sense?" He asked. "I choose the power because I wanted to foster life, and it increased my desire to foster life. Malefimancy...."

Aaron sighed heavily. "I do not wish to say that someone is evil simply for choosing to use Malefimancy. Indeed, I have considered taking the mastery myself. I do know that it is favored by the wicked, but it is merely a tool. A sword can kill, but it can also protect. The one who wields the sword must be careful that he does not live by it, or allow it to control him. The same is true for Malefimancy." He shook his head. "Sorry, I don't mean to rant. I don't even know what your masteries are, for all I know, I have just lectured you for nothing," Aaron said. A smile grew on his face, and he gave the man a hearty laugh.

Somehow, during all the talking, Aaron seemed to have finished off all his food. "When you are finished, or at least as finished as you wish to be, there's something I want to show you," he said.

 

Leon couldn't help but flinch at the mention of the last potential origin of his incessant tremors. He was hoping that it would be something that could be easily remedied with a bit of maintenance or some sort of healing potion (or whatever equivalent the game would have) but the suggestion that his problem could possibly be because he was essentially getting brainwashed by the game wasn't something he took lightly, especially since the viability of the claim was substantiated by an experienced player. Whatever could go wrong, will go wrong, he once heard. He just hoped, for once, that his pessimism would be proven wrong.

He attempted to shrug it down, downplay his reaction as to not worry the knight. It was unlikely that he would be effected by the game to this extent. It was beyond logical probability and the entire story of those being manipulated by the game (to the point of changing their own personal characteristics) could easily just be another run-off-the-mill urban legend that flows through the player-base of many games. He remembered that, when he was a five year old child playing retro games and Atari from generations ago, that there had been been rumors in the past that certain key combinations would summon an eldritch monstrosity or the like to haunt you. It was proven false numerous times yet the words and fear persisted. A similar circumstance has plagued previous and future games. There was no reason to fear it, he reassured himself.

His feelings, however, were not on the same level as his brain. As soon as Aaron had mentioned Malefimancy, he felt himself blanch and he just knew that his features were growing pale (as they always did once he had felt the barest hint of surprise). Leon had definitely taken the skill out of pure curiosity during the beginning character-customization stages of the game and hadn't thought much of it. Figures that he'd have enough bad luck to choose a skill that basically translates to 'you're going to get possessed by the game in some fashion or something'. He cursed his stupidity. Maybe the description that obviously implies 'dark and forbidden magic' should've drove him off the dumb idea in the first place.

He closed his eyes, thinking through on Aaron's words as the man explained his own predicament. Apparently the man had felt some sort of influence from his chosen skill and the implications sent a shiver down Leon's spine. Perhaps it was because of all of this supernatural talk that had resulted in him being such a kind man in the first place. Maybe he was only the way he was because he was being manipulated by his choice of Illumancy. He stopped himself in his thoughts. He should stop obliging crazy theories and baseless rumors with his musings.

He felt his fingers twitching yet again, interrupting his thoughts and snapping himself out of the hole of fear he had buried himself in. His attention sparked back to Aaron right before he had mentioned something about lectures or whatnot. The man continued and Leon's curiosity was sparked by Aaron's offer of introducing him to some sort of spectacle. It was bound to be interesting and Leon found himself nodding, quickly pulling up the 'Communications' tab with practiced ease and typing in his aptly-worded message.

Leon Captor

Thank you for all the information; it really helped me think things through. I'd love to see whatever you had wanted to show me. Again, thank you so much for everything. :)

As he pressed send, he noticed a small panel on his interface that he had missed before. A few seconds of contemplation as to whether or not to invite the man to a party was had before he finally mustered enough courage to click on the icon and, following its directions, sent the invitation to Aaron. It was simply for the potential situation in which they get lost or separated, he attempted to convince himself. Definitely not for any spur-of-the-moment, misguided, and whirlwind romantic feelings that he might be having for a complete stranger that he had met on the streets a mere hour ago.

Invite

Leon Captor has invited you to their party. Accept?