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

[shadowsran]

"No rush just yet. Better that we all get something to eat, nothing more demanding than conversation until we're on the road again." Conferring is exactly the right course to take, and about all she feels up to beyond drawing a bath. "Figure Soldat'll be looking for the both of us, so we'll be as on-the-ball as we can be shortly."

He is, after all...the main contact, here. The only definite ally. "I'll feel better the more we can narrow down who we're up against."

[notabirdcostume]

Sam pats the neck of his mare, she's slow but he can't help but be a bit affectionate. "After riding all day the last thing I want to do is anything besides eat, bathe, sleep and maybe find time to chat in between those three things," he replies playfully. At least in the meantime he'd gotten better at riding -- it still made him a little sore, but nothing a little stretching and a bath couldn't fix.

"You think we'll be able to get that information out of anybody?"

[shadowsran]

"Not directly, nah. There might be people who don't totally get it yet or don't care enough, but we'd tip our hand going straight at it. It's mostly just process of elimination, paying mind to who groups up with who. People who hate each other aren't going to be palling around for no reason, and any fresh faces are with somebody."

They know theirs and they'll know Soldat's. Any others will be fifty-fifty odds. (And what goes unused in one match can always be utilized in another. A vexing quality of rotating rosters.)

After a beat she thoughtfully adds, "We could get real lucky, and they just get real drunk and chatty on their own." And with some comically crossed fingers, she's dismounting.

[notabirdcostume]

She makes some good points. Sam knows it won't be so simple, but he's still very new to this whole game, not to mention the idea of having to be covert. He's very much in line with Steve on this one: he is not a spy. But he is a soldier and working with the Avengers had sharpened up some of his other skill sets, especially when it came to being observant and watching out for trouble.

So he nods, they'll be able to put at least a few pieces together an probably make some educated guesses if they just pay attention.

"I mean, I don't mind trying, but given the wide variety of people I'd be afraid they'd get me drunk first," he replies as he, too, dismounts. It's worth a shot, but at the same time Sam is only human and he's made friends with enough nonhumans to know that going in a drinking contest like that is just a bad idea.

"But I think I can handle just being observant, maybe try to get a few of the newer folks to drop their guard a bit...after all never know what the next round can bring." An opponent today was next round's teammate -- it's what made this place so annoying in Sam's opinion, but he tried to go with the flow in that particular regard.

[shadowsran]

There's something of a smile in reply, at least initially.

"You that easy to get drunk? Because unless you're real careful with that, this place will take a lot of advantage of it. Stay friendly, sty smart, no getting so far gone that there's any kind of fight." Beat. "Or a hangover tomorrow."

[notabirdcostume]

Sam snorts.  "No.  But I'm friends with some people back home that have a superhuman ability to hold their booze.  I'd rather not go against someone like that without knowing at least."  Drinking someone under the table is out of the question then.  He shakes his head, "Riding is enough of a pain without adding a hangover...appreciate the advice."