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

[midpointmods]

"Not falling off horse-- good start!" North chuckles as he works. "Did you fall off last time? I vas never very good with horses. Give me reindeer, and I excel, but horse? Bah." Yeah, sorry, he's Santa Claus. Horses are not his thing.

[notabirdcostume]

"Depends. I was intending to get off anyway and misjudged the distance between the horse and the ground...I didn't completely land on my face, but it was a close call." His dismounts still were still far from graceful, but since he kept the same horse, he was at least better at understanding the difference now.

It's a little easier to believe things like Santa Claus when you're in a place like this...but even so Sam is still trying to decide if he's the real deal or just really in the role. "Reindeer, huh? I'd imagine they're a bit wilder than horses for starters."

[midpointmods]

"Whole different training system for reindeer," North explains, quite as if this is something he knows intimately. "Built for pulling and running, not like horse that gets all confused by harness. Also not break leg every time the ground is a little rough. Cloven hooves are much better for running."

He chuckles jovially, and allows, "Not so great for sitting on, though. Even with saddle pads-- very bony backs, reindeer."

[notabirdcostume]

Sam nods like he understands at all what North is talking about. One some basic level he does, of course, but he's very much a man of the city and his understanding of animals is really limited to those creatures that can survive in a small house or apartment -- certainly not larger animals that needed training. "You make horses sound like they're made of glass -- I thought people used horses for pulling too."