“Well… that was awkward. I thought you said you were friends?” Aang asked as he combed his fingers through his blonde hair. His armour, which left much of his torso exposed, looked even sillier now that he had his skinny frame. 

“We are- were- I don’t know! I didn’t expect him to be like that. I should have… but I didn’t.” Hawke was sat on a bench with his elbows resting on his knees and his face buried in his hands. He could feel the tingle of his short bristly facial hair rubbing against his palms and, just like in the real world, it made him feel a little bit relaxed. He sat there for a few seconds in silent contemplation as the breeze trickled through his spiky black hair. 

Aang patted his friend on the shoulder, knowing that it couldn’t have been a nice situation. “How about his other friends? The ones that held back when he came to meet us. Could you recognise any of them?”

“Not from that distance, no. He knows I’m not quick to trust, that’s probably why didn’t introduce us.” Hawke snarled and sat up. It was clear he was angry rather than upset. 

“We need to forget about him and focus on getting us, and the rest of the players, out of here.” Maric’s voice was stern and commanding. Maric himself stood at a few inches over six foot, had a black warhawk and had black tattooing all around his eyes (courtesy of his friends whilst he was passed out a few months ago). To look at he appeared an intimidating thug, but in reality this was far from the case. Maric was one of the kindest men you could meet, and would always be the voice of mercy and understanding. Maric was the kind of guy who would walk into an argument, understand everyone’s point of view, and somehow come up with a solution that benefited everyone. Hawke was a good leader, but he was certainly no Maric. 

“You think we should beat the game then?” Hawke queried with a raised eyebrow. 

“Isn’t that what we’re here for?” smiled Maric. “We need to lead the way and give the other players to absolute best chance at surviving!” Maric decreed as he found his gaze drifting off towards the town and the lights flickering on its walls, “We need to be the Braziers in the dark.”