[center][h1][color=f7976a]Xenos[/color][/h1][/center]
[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/SzUn3y2.png?1[/img][/center]

[hider=Earlier that morning]
Xenos woke up that morning shaking. It wasn't immediately noticeable, just a faint tremor in his hands mostly. Images of gnashing teeth and bloody wounds, himself just before he died, words dying in the woods, sobbing in the dark. Nightmares. He slid out of bed and stood on shaky feet.He brushed away the wet staining his cheeks and a sob almost escaped but he stepped down on that. Hard. Apparently the situation affected him more than he thought. A dry chuckle escaped him as he equipped his gear and slipped into the baths in the early morning, nodding to the few others that were also early risers as he scrubbed away the tears. 

He wandered into the dining room but quickly decided he wasn’t hungry. He walked out into the early morning, just past six according to the dashboard, and watched as people started their days. Normally he’d interact but today he stayed quiet. It was only a nightmare but still...it felt so real. He took a breath and forced his hands to stop trembling. Shaking his head, he continued on towards the central square. For now, he’d focus on the new item. Drowning his issues in work should help. 

He found an out of the way spot in the central square and pulled out his materials, running through the process of creating the grenade launcher again.[/hider]

When the crowd thickened past a comfortable point, Xenos stashed away his work and he stood to watch the meeting with interest. He passingly noticed Reylan and Alisae take their places at a table and then turned his attention to the rest. The tables filled quickly. There were definitely more guilds than he originally expected. A ton must have formed after Data’s newsletter a few days prior. He crossed his arms and leaned against one of the pillars circling the square. Xenos scoffed at the players breaking out food and drink. You’d think this was a talent show, not a discussion that could impact the rest of their lives.

[color=f7976a][i]‘I really am in a shitty mood today aren’t I.’[/i][/color] He thought to himself ruefully. [i][color=f7976a]‘Maybe I should take it easy on the drinking tonight. Find something else to occupy my time.'[/color][/i] He turned his attention back to the set up as the leader of the Astral Blade spoke. And he found he didn’t particularly care for what the man was saying.

It had been ten days. Ten days in a prison that they could barely tell was one. But nevertheless, it was still only ten days. Coming together to work past a dungeon and help those struggling made sense, arguably even the very basic responsibility of them as comrades. But a full government? Law and order, all based on the minority vote. The vast minority. And every player in the game would agree to whatever they decided. Did no one else see the absolute insanity in that idea? He watched with dismay as Armano’s proposal went practically uncontested. 

Maybe his opinion was skewed because of what he knew but from where he was standing, it sounded much more like a power play by the Astral Blades. Securing a massive income source, securing a top seat in a new government of confused and disoriented players- it seemed they were pushing everything incredibly quickly and mainly to their benefit. Xenos, never able to keep his emotions off his face, scowled as he watched. 

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[Hider=Shiba's activity, autopilot]
Shiba woke at his usual time, hopping out of bed with a bounce in his step. He pulled up the dashboard to confirm and yep, three hours he can work in his shop without distractions. Reylan and Alisae were the only two allowed to actively participate so why not make the most of that time. You didn't get better by standing around after all. He stepped out of the room and out into the morning air, pausing to snag a quick bite. After a deep breath, Shiba smiled as he headed for his shop.
[/hider]