Nothing could have driven home the gravity of the situation as hard as seeing their confident and outgoing Guildmaster reduced to a quivering wreck. Ragnar wasn't often online due to his financial situation, but he had grown to respect Chiharu for her outgoing personality and willingness to help others; seeing her break down like that was deeply disturbing and he cursed himself for not being able to help raise the mood. As he agonised, Erebus walked over, three steaming cups of tea in hand. [b]'Thanks mate. Glad to see you're holding up.',[/b] he said quietly, taking a sip from his cup. The bitter taste of the tea did wonders for his mind, calming the guilt and allowing him to focus. All that Ragnar had done since appearing in this world was mess about, not sparing a thought for the real world or those trapped here with him. But when he thought about it rationally, wasn't this better than real life? Warm bed, cheap food, people he trusted... For Ragnar, no, for [i]Yuusuke[/i] this might be a dream come true. His gaze drifted again to Chiharu; this world as clearly not ideal for some. As he stared, Erebus' words drifted through his mind; [b]'I have reasons not to be worried, the same cannot be said of everyone, I suppose'.[/b] Ragnar had his own reasons too, but most people probably had happy lives in the real world, friends and family they loved. It was hard for him to relate, but he could understand that it would hit them hard. Ragnar shook his head to clear his mind and sighed deeply. [i]I could really do with a drink right about now...[/i] Using alcohol as an escape may have been viewed as wrong by others, but over the years it had become Yuusuke's core emotional support. Even now he couldn't escape the cravings.

Out of nowhere, Erebus brought up a good point. [b]'Recruitment, eh?'[/b] Ragnar took a seat next to the others, considering the possibilities. The Lotus Warriors had never been a large guild, but on paper had enough members for a full party at least; if they hadn't been of different levels, they might have done more dungeons in the past. In the current situation, the best bet for most players would be safety in numbers. There would be a lot of people looking for guilds in the near future. [b]'That's not a bad idea. Not sure how we could do it though... Could we open up the hall and advertise for prospective members?'[/b] He would have made a jab about using Chiharu as a poster girl, but even he knew that this wasn't the time for frivolous jokes. She sat up so suddenly that Ragnar nearly dropped his cup; was she psychic or something? As Chiharu talked, he nodded slowly; come to think of it, he had seen a few looters downstairs. It was all well and good assuming that everyone shared your noble intentions, but deep down, people just weren't that nice. [b]'There's a big tavern just down the road; I used to RP there before I joined LW.'[/b] Come to think of it, that was also where he had been recruited into the guild; nice little bit of irony right there. Ragnar grimaced as Erebus' stomach rumbled, reminding him of his own growing hunger. He hadn't made a habit of keeping food on him during the game, although he might have to from now on... It was fairly cheap to buy from the People of the Land and he had a few hundred gold stashed away; it might even be worth bulk buying a stock of food for the guild hall.

He was about to propose this when Chiharu continued in a serious tone. Again he thought of the Lotus Warrior's main weakness, the disparity between it's members... Erebus was at the pre-expansion levelcap, Chiharu was in the mid thirties and Ragnar himself was at level fifty-five. They would theoretically use the mentor system to help her level up, but he wasn't sure if two people could mentor one. Her gear would be less of an issue if she was any other class... [b]'... I'd be up for hunting if we start in a low level area. We still don't know how to fight after all... And gearing you up should be a priority, Miss Guild Tank.'[/b] Either of the guys could try off-tanking in the meantime, but without adequate threat-building techniques, there would be no guarantee of controlling the enemy's movements. [b]'But yeah, that's an idea for later.'[/b] Ragnar grunted as he pulled himself up and put on his best positive grin. [b]'Shall we go a'shopping then?'[/b]