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[indent][indent][indent][color=gray][sub][right][color=#87c735][b]Location:[/b][/color] The Laughing Worg -- The City-State of Thorinn, Aetheria[/right][/sub][/color]
[hr]As the wayfarers discussed the new behavior exhibited by the denizens, Alex's mind crackled with new ideas, none of them constructive. It was as if he was subconsciously in some stage of denial, one in which he refused to come to terms with the gravity of their situation. He thought back to the "tech demo" theory of his he'd shared back when they had no idea what was happening. What if it [i]was[/i] one? Their reactions could have been recorded somehow, as part of some messed up way to advertise how believable their new update was. It could've been like one of those prank shows where a camera crew would pop out at the last possible second to inform they had all been tricked. 

Tempting to believe. But no, it wasn't the truth.

He wanted to sigh loudly, slap his arms on the table, do [i]something[/i] to get the frustration out of him. But a strange new inhibition gripped at him. This was basically the real world now, so doing something like that would have been rude. It was a weird new feeling.

[color=#87c735]"Could've just been the game not working,"[/color] he interjected, his voice not matching the more hushed tones the rest had started with. If a lifetime of growing up around people who were obsessed with videogames had taught him anything, it was that the only thing they loved more than videogames was complaining about them. Deadlines, microtransactions, botched sequels, rushed ports, he was vaguely aware of all of the ways a complex thing made of thousands of tiny lines of code could keel over and explode. He wanted to avoid speaking out due to his inexperience with technology, but the idea seemed too obvious not to blurt out. 

[color=#87c735]"Games take years to make, and even after all they go through there's still glitches or whatever. Who's to say this isn't one? This game's a lot more ambitious than a regular one too."[/color] He avoided eye contact with the denizens. He wasn't sure if it was rude or not, but he reasoned he'd find it uncomfortable if the people he was making pancakes for were questioning his existence. 
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