Big City Living (Midpoint Mingle)

[midpointmods]

The town of Midpoint: called thus because it is at the exact center of the game arena, a busy little Western town full of strange people, many of whom don’t look remotely human, because this is where all the players gather and live. Midpoint Saloon: called thus because it is the only bar in Midpoint. It’s also the biggest building in town, four stories high, dotted with windows, painted a jaunty yellow and decorated with red and green flowers in all the window boxes.

This is where your veteran teammate points you. Or just stomps off to and hopes you follow.

Downstairs is a bar and tavern, Old West style, right down to the upright piano in one corner and a raucous crowd of locals - largely locals, but with a healthy smattering of unusual or downright alien faces that clearly indicate the presence of other Players - eating, drinking, gambling, and getting into trouble. There’s a broad, bearded man behind the bar, waving cheerfully at you as you enter.

The rest of the night and the next day is yours to do with what you see fit. Explore the town, take a long nap in your new room, try to get to know people... everyone is here for the next twenty-four hours before travel to the mission site, so it’s a good chance to scope out the competition, at the very least.

Comments

[cicadashell]

"It's not quiet in here," he snorts. Horses are apparently gossips, who knew. "And she can take care of herself."

Misty is one of the most normal-looking people he's encountered so far, but he's sure there's something she has that would be entertaining to whoever's watching them all.

"How long have you been here? Haven't found a way out yet?"

[shadowsran]

"Handful of rounds. Not enough time to have dug into more than the veterans, and if there's any way to just bust out I doubt any one person would be enough anyway." Comfortable handful of abilities aside, she isn't so self-important as to imagine she'll be instigating any jailbreaks. "Take it you're looking, then?"

[cicadashell]

"No. I mentioned it for no fucking reason," this is why he hates people.

[shadowsran]

Classy. Chin drops to palm, and she seems if anything more at ease.

"Sweet talking anybody's way out probably wouldn't have done much anyway, I guess." Good he's not bothering.

[cicadashell]

"I was thinking more of just saying fuck it and walking off into the desert until you hit a wall," because this is some stage set or weird shit like that is his guess.

[shadowsran]

"Or die of exposure. Or, I mean, if the Gamekeepers have the power to pull people here and whisk them off, I'm not seeing what anybody'd do even if they found them. If there's a wall, there's got to be guards."

Not that the spirit of it isn't something to be admired. She ardently wishes she could commit to something that straightforward.

[cicadashell]

"You scared of guards?"

Granted, Misty doesn't look like a fighter, and Jiro instantly classifies her as useless.

[shadowsran]

"Nope, just seems like charging directly at people who are pretty obviously stronger than everybody here is just a waste of time and energy." Any entity or entities overseeing the place can clearly turn powers off like flipping a switch. One or even many completely ordinary individuals seem to her a weak bet against that.

Though she's much more forgiving. He won't get anywhere, but the charge-ahead types will be good for data. Accrue attention and poor reputation themselves, allow for better targeted hypothetical strikes from better behaved individuals.

It's all about the long game.

[cicadashell]

"Everyone has a weakness."

Even some overlord aliens or whoever these people are, they just have to find it. Either that, or he makes himself a problem and they let him go because he's not entertaining enough. A back-up plan.

[shadowsran]

"Hard to spot when they can just pitch you in the bad jail before you get anywhere close, I'd have to imagine."

And on the exact opposite end of the spectrum, she expects the deviation from the standard play could be entertaining enough.

[cicadashell]

"How many fucking jails are there?"

It's rhetorical. Five at least, and that's far too many.

[shadowsran]

"Enough of them, and just as likely more we don't know about." For the real punishments. Whatever had been done to Soldat, however well he's been managing since. "Could be whole other arenas. This could be some kind of beginner level."

[cicadashell]

She's managed to confuse him with the mention of other arenas and levels.

"Fuck this place."

[shadowsran]

Hypothetical, of course. Barring Bad Jail, any extras beyond what's immediately observable and understood is relaxed speculation. That said:

"There's the spirit."

Her horse nickers, which she'll take as further agreement.