open | party like you're 35;

[secondthoughts]

Who ☀ Hector & "everyone"
What ☀ It's Hector's birthday!
When ☀ August 5
Where ☀ Lumina Cloth. Surprise!
Content Warnings ☀ drunk people, will add as needed

[ Arrive at Mac Anu, where the welcome party was held, to find it...empty? A quick look on the forums shows a little edit to Hector's post:

We're popping Lumina Cloth's cherry! See you there :-)

So that's where he is.

In the center of the brightly illuminated nighttime city, Hector's set himself up for his little get together. But since he doesn't have any tables or plates or anything fancy like that, all the alcohol and food he bought from various vendors are just...strewn around the floor. The food is probably still good to eat, though. It's fine. Take what strikes your fancy!

Hector's wearing his outfit again. He lounges on the steps of that funky spinny thing in the center of town, and anyone who gets close enough to hear him will hear music coming from his mic. Give him a break. He's doing his best.

When enough people have gathered, he might actually get up and drag everyone into a drinking game.

So enjoy—eat, drink, mingle, and smack your friends! PvP is enabled here, after all :) ]

Comments

[gluttoning]

[Oh yikes he's back-- oh, and he's talking. Barrett starts a bit at the sudden reappearance, far more sheepish than the first time.]

I... no. No, I didn't know.

Look, I'm really sorry if I made things awkward with all of this, Mister Pink.

[conjecturecycle]

[DRAGS HIS HANDS DOWN HIS FACE.]

Jeez, don't give me that sad puppy dog attitude. I've dealt with people doing and saying way worse than that. You don't get to be a freak who's my age without growing a real thick skin.

You're either real young or real sheltered, is my point.

[gluttoning]

[...]

I mean... sure, I'm not that old. I'll give you that.

Is that the only reason you can think that someone would want to treat you okay?

[You're sounding like a certain brother of his and he doesn't know quite what to do about that.]

[conjecturecycle]

Okay is one thing. Billy doesn't give two shits about how I look but that's partly because he's a freak too.

Not caring ain't the same as whatever that was. Acting like it's all cool or whatever.

[gluttoning]

So... you just wanted to be treated normally? Is that what you mean?

[That seems like a brutally obvious first step to him, but he isn't the one who's upset (?) here, so he can bite his tongue.]

[conjecturecycle]

[Does he??? What even constitutes being treated normally.]

I really don't care what you do. It's just that no one's ever said shit like that to me before, so you threw me off. S'all.
[He is very nonchalant and definitely recomposed now, don't question him.]

[gluttoning]

Maybe I can tone it back a little next time.

[Or... something. He still feels like he's done something wrong here. But pushing the matter could just lead to this getting even more awkward. So: let's not do that.]

Still... I really am glad you're here. I hope that's okay.

[conjecturecycle]

[Pete's issues are nothing to do with what you did or said, sweetie.]

I don't really get it, but I mean, you'd be the first. Seems like everyone else's on a mission to make moderating the game as hard for me as possible.

[gluttoning]

I think that's just jerks being jerks, though. Some people like pushing buttons when they get bored.

[He looks very thoughtfully over towards what remains of the food.]

If I try to buy a thousand chicken legs at once and it glitches the game, do you think I would get banned?

[conjecturecycle]

....

[He looks at Beel for a long moment.]

You're asking me if you'd get banned for literally doing your job?

[gluttoning]

[He shrugs, stuffing his hands into his pockets to fish for more cookies.]

Being a good team player means learning boundaries. I don't know yours.

What's stuff you'd consider a problem?

[conjecturecycle]

No, hold up, I need you to tell me what you think your role is as a beta tester.

[gluttoning]

Uhh...

[help he doesn't have his Levi cheat card in line of sight]

Play the game, and... report things that aren't working right?

[conjecturecycle]

Basically, but more than that, a beta tester's job is really to try and make things not work right. When you release a game to the mass market, people are gonna try and break it on purpose. They need testers who are gonna try and put the game into those fringe use cases to see if it breaks. Ordering a stupid amount of food to see if the game can handle it is exactly what you should be doing.

[gluttoning]

So... I can buy a thousand chicken wings?

Wait. No. No, wait wait wait wait--

I can buy TEN thousand chicken wings? A hundred thousand?? And I won't get kicked out?

[He sounds way too excited about this all of the sudden.]

[conjecturecycle]

If you have enough gold for it, sure. But even if it's fake food, that's an unfeasible amount of chicken wings to eat, paly.

[Just like. Time wise. It would take forever.]

[gluttoning]

Sounds like heaven to me.

Almost, anyway... heh.

[maybe he could swim in chicken wings if there were that many... heheheheheheheheheh]

[conjecturecycle]

[Dear god. He reaches out to firmly grip this himbo on both shoulders.]

Listen. I need you to be completely honest with me. Are you secretly a hyper intelligent golden retriever they taught how to talk and type?

[gluttoning]

[Hello he is very tall and made of muscle.]

Eh?

You think I'm a dog? Why?

[conjecturecycle]

[Gross why are you some sort of real life Ken doll.]

Because at this point it feels equally likely as you being a human being that is this emotionally available while also clearly being stupid and extremely food motivated.

[gluttoning]

[He flinches slightly, tensing under Pete's hands. Something in that mess of words hit a nerve. But it's here and gone as he lets out a breathe, an almost long-suffering look taking its place.]

No, I'm not a dog. I play football. Collegiate. Pacific conference.

...

[He looks like he wants to say more, but it never comes.]

[conjecturecycle]

[Pete's inner monologue: oh my god he's a jock. He does finally let Beel go.]

Well now you're improbable for entirely different reasons. Like, in a positive way, don't get me wrong. Every other college ball player I've ever met has threatened to grind me into a paste if I even look at him wrong.

[trashtier]

Hey, don't call him stupid.

[The dog comment was funny at first, but dude. Too far.]

[conjecturecycle]

[GOD HE CAN'T EVEN ARGUE BECAUSE THIS IS SOME SORT OF CHRONICALLY NICE YOUNG MAN.]

Hey, there's way worse things to be, honest. Didn't mean anything by it.

[trashtier]

[Oh this is getting a good laugh out of the brother over here. Sorry, Pete.]