88 Vol 2. pt. 25 Patch 5.0: Downtime, Plots, and Upgrades (1/2)
”You looked like you were having some fun, Bone,” Fenrir says to Bonekraka.
”Da. Did not think we would fight like that. Should have said so before! Would not have punched you, probably,” Bonekraka replies.
”I honestly wasn't planning on anything like that happening which is why I didn't say anything. Didn't want to get your hopes up then disappoint you.”
Bonekraka shrugs.
”By the way, want to go and get something to drink together? It's been a while since the two of us have hung out on our own,” Fenrir proposes.
Pretty much everybody else is watching the two talk, interested in knowing what the result of their conversation will be. Oleander looks the most interested as he tries subtly listening in on them.
”Why not? Been a while,” Bonekraka answers.
Fenrir turns around to look at Serra and Cassiel to let them know that he'll be going off alone with Bonekraka, but the two girls are already respectively giving a thumbs-up and nodding.
”We'll take Rock out looking for rocks,” Serra says.
”I'll be workin' on the engine. Oi, you two lovebirds,” Tabitha says, looking for Corwin and Oleander. They're already halfway down the pier. ”I need your help when you're done screwin'!” she shouts at them.
Oleander spins around to blow a kiss at her before clinging onto Corwin's arm.
”Weren't they just right here?” Cassiel asks.
”Don't underestimate how fast Oleander can be when he gets horny,” Fenrir says.
”When is he not horny?”
”I'm not sure that's possible, to be honest.”
”I don't know if I'd be able to keep up if you were like th—” Cassiel jumps and squeaks from Serra's finger poking her in the side. ”I – I told you to stop doing that! You… you… agh!”
Fenrir and Serra both laugh at Cassiel's inability to insult Serra.
A thought pops into his mind.
Behind them on the water is the aftermath of a major battle. Debris and bodies are everywhere. If it wasn't for traumatic content being disabled, he's sure that the sight would be even gorier than it already is, but… it isn't actually disturbing. Despite everything looking photorealistic, he doesn't feel anything when he looks over the water and sees so many lifeless bodies floating on it. He feels bad for the NPCs that have lost their lives and wishes he could have saved them, but he knows that most of the bodies he can see are players. They will all be alive and playing again in twenty-four real hours, so what does it matter if their dead bodies are floating around right now?
Fenrir realizes just how desensitized he is to death thanks to seeing it realistically happen all the time in virtual reality games. Part of him now fears that he wouldn't be able to feel anything if he saw this same sight in real life. Though, it isn't like the internet itself hasn't already desensitized him to gore and death.
”It's pretty funny how,” Fenrir thinks to Saya, ”people back in the day used to think 2D video games were going to make kids violent, and now that the whole argument of video games making people violent and all that is a joke, nobody is willing to take it seriously now that it might actually be a problem.”
”You're right, Onii-chan. Those guys on the news who try talking about it are always called conspiracy theorists or accused of being too old to understand how games work,” Saya responds.
”You watch the news?”
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Saya doesn't answer him.
”Oh, right. You've seen everything I've seen.”
”Including your premature eja—”
”I was a virgin, alright? Let's see you last longer than me if you're having a threesome for your first time.”
”I totally would, Premature Onii-chan.”
”I'm ignoring you now,” Fenrir says, returning his attention to Bonekraka. ”You ready to go?” he asks while hearing Saya's giggling in his mind.
”Da. Have found good bar. Will go there,” Bonekraka answers.
”Alright. We'll see the rest of you later,” Fenrir says, waving the three girls and Rock as he and Bonekraka leave The Shoebill.
It gets awkwardly quiet as soon as they are alone. There are celebrations throughout the city, fireworks being set off despite being in the middle of the day, and the streets are packed full of life. This is potentially the loudest that Fenrir has ever heard the city behave, yet the silence between him and Bonekraka is deafening.
More concerning than the silence is that they are being followed.
”How's the cat been?” Fenrir asks, looking up at the sky to the left.
”Bad. Going to have her checked out soon,” Bonekraka answers, neither men looking at each other.
”Are you and your wife going together, or will only one of you take him?”
”Will go together.”
”You're not going to start a fight at the vet again, are you?”
Bonekraka takes a quick look behind them before answering, ”Cat doctor strong man. Do not think I could beat him, but will fight if told something I do not like.”
”Yeah, that sounds about right. Anyways, when do you think you've got to go?”
”Should probably go now.”