(Let's hope we can at least get started despite being down a few heads.) It was closing time. What was once a crowded arcade earlier in the day dwindled down to only a handful of hardcore patrons trying to finish up a level before the owner shooed them off for the night. Still, the machines remained on as their characters hopped over chasms or fought hordes of enemies. As the last customers left and owner closed shop, only the sounds of games remained. Then a pause. All the characters seemed to freeze, as if waiting for something. "It's clear!" yelled a buffed fighting type character from the Highway Fighters machine. On cue, there was a collective sigh as they all took more casual stances or walk off screen. Some even with the protagonists conversing with the very enemies they slaughtered an daily basis. It was after hours now. No more customers, no more owner, no more acting. Just time to kick back, relax, and enjoy some time off before tomorrow rolled around and the crowds rolled back in. Most characters seemed to head off their game and onto the Network, an odd sort of town on plane of existence of it's own where characters caught up with each other or chewed the fat.
Tapper was the place where all the baddies hung out after closing time. Very few people even wanted anything to do with these types of people. Among them was a big guy, masked and hooded. The strong, silent type. The type who really only hung out with other creeps, like himself. Except, his game was one of the very few horror games in the arcade. And he wasn't one to hang out with the hordes of zombies. And being one of the literal biggest characters, he was pretty intimidating to socialize with. A big, gruff man who generally wore a mask and had killed a great deal of players who dared to play the appropriately named "The Deadliest Game." But as it was, his only friend was the pixelated bottle of booze that he held in his large hand...
Mayek was in a small town inside his game. The last guy that played it got him killed. "****ing noob." He said regarding the player. "He got almost half of the team dead in just one turn, I mean come on!" He said to a soldier wearing in red. "Well, that much is true, I actually killed the one in there." The soldier said pointing to a knight wearing a blue armor sitting in another table with some other characters wearing green, blue and red. Mayek finished his drink and went outside. He saw the protagonist of the game and some other soldier and characters walking around and going into a castle. Meyek decided to go for a walk near a river.
Drakiss punched one of the generic enemies of her game in his face as soon as the area was clear. (since the enemies in her game were mindless creatures, it didn't really matter.) The other 3 heroes all laughed, and waved her off as she took off for the door to the network, lighting several slimes on fire as she passed by them with her fire-breath.
Hasewega aimed down the sight of her sniper. The Tokyo night was vibrant and full of life in the streets below her as she perched up the roof of a building. She peered down through the scope, her target sighted. Wind had been measured, physics calculated, all that remained was a pull of the trigger. She held silent for minute, no breathing before her shot rang out among the darkness. The bullet zipped through the air before connecting with the target on the streets below with the shatter of glass. "See?" She said as she chambered a new round in. "Told you I could hit beer bottle from this distance." she smirked. A spotter from the Interdiction game looked over. "You're cheating. This is your game so you know all the tips and tricks to it." he complained as looked up from his spotter's scope. "Plus, you're not in the middle of the blazing desert getting shot at from Taliban-Stan and his neighborhood!" Hasewega simply chuckled as she shouldered her rifle. "Fine, we'll go to your game, I stomp you there, you quit you're whining. But you're getting me a drink at Tapper along the way." she said as they headed out towards the Network.
Beer after beer, slowly, the big man drank. "Why don't you ever socialize with the other baddies, Mason?" That was Tapper. One of the few guys who ever bothered to get to know the big man's real name. Heck, even the players never pyed attention to the friggin' story. Yet ever the quiet type, he did not answer. But Tapper knew this. Simply, he set down the card for the Villains Anonymous. Private meetings for baddies to get things off their chests. Simply, he looked at it with unseen eyes, and slowly, discretely, he took it, and placed it in his pocket....
The door to Tapper swung open as the Spotter and Hasewega sauntered in. "Guess who's almost 'Topshot' of the group!" she yelled over to a counter of mercenary and soldier looking types. "Tapper, I believe this gentleman owes me an ale to the very least." she said as she grabbed a stool with a group. "Who wants to watch me out-shoot the Marksman in his on game?" she boasted as Tapper slid a mug root beer over.
"Gotta love how you think you can really aim for jack with those high-powered state-of-the-art rifles. The cheater's choice for accuracy." The big man shockingly rambled. "Pfft. Amateurs. I'm drunk, and I can still *******ing beat you with a revolver.... sh*t maybe a freaking crossbow!" Tapper seemed alarmed at this, for he said, "Now, now... sorry miss, he's just a bit intoxicated..."
Drakiss walked into the area during the conversation and laughed at the group. "You and your guns. All high and mighty when all you do is point and pull your finger." She mimicked the motion of pulling a trigger with one of her 4 fingered hands. "You even have to shoot in a straight line." She pulled her tiara off her head, and threw it to her left. It spun around the room, catching a bottle as it flew, and coming back to her hand. She then used the edge of the tiara to pull the lid off the drink. She laughed again and drank from the bottle. "I will admit that your guns are strong and can go a long way, but don't play for accuracy or skill." Drakiss tried to get into fights often, as she knew she would always win a fist-fight, being physically stronger than most other characters in the Network.
After a while Mayek arrived there also. He didn't had too much to do, so he decided to take a walk. He had his sword with him and just sat down bear them, drinking watter from a wooden vase.
Hasewega simply chuckled. "That's nice little party trick right there. Must help against all those baddies who have to walk up to you before they even pose a threat." She leaned back in her seat before turning her attention to the massive figure. "And you. You're big and probably know a little about your primitive projectiles from the wild west and what not but my targets aren't five feet away. Or running from me."
(Sorry i never posted sooner. i've been VERY busy.) Makori walked into Tapper's bar and spotted Mason immediately. he's seen lots of things bigger than him. so he didn't really fear him. so he decided to sit next to him and try to chat. "Hey uhh....Mason! yeah,Mason...I believe it's Mason right?anyways It's nice to meet you big guy!" he held out his little furry paw for a shake. "I'm Makori."
