Midsummer Feast

Merie discreetly watched Anlie as she socialised with the others at the party. Getting a feeling Anlie had dressed up more than usual, for whatever reason. “I don’t see your friend drinking, so would she want a grogg, beer or a glass of wine?” The person, a shorthaired guy, looked at Merie as he continued to talk with Anlie.

Merie knew she hadn’t talked much, only given short answers when spoken to, but it didn’t change that he would’ve asked her instead of Anlie. “I don’t know and think you should ask Merie herself. But considering how sweet she’s, so would I suggest she gets a thin beer.” “And you don’t have to worry, she might only bite you in Rocking World, but I don’t think she’ll do anything like that in the real world.” Anlie rapidly followed herself up with a dumb comment, but it wasn’t as if she was wrong that Merie wouldn’t do anything bad in the real world. “May I ask what you mean with a thin beer, Anlie?” Merie was honestly not knowing anything about alcohol, of any kind. “A thin beer is what we call a beer with a weaker taste, and it uses to be easier to drink, Merie.” Another long-haired guy joined the conversation and explained it, which Merie accepted. As she didn’t know how it tasted, so could she as well start lightly.

“May I ask if the two of you’re dating?” The long-haired guy seemed curious about their connection, asking as he handed Merie the beer. “We’re good friends.” Merie was sure they weren’t anything more than that. Sure, they’d spent quite some time together, but it’d mostly been to chat and to play violent games. “It’s something as Merie says.” Even though Anlie didn’t hesitate to call Merie by flirty names in the game and private, so did she at least seem to be sane enough to call her by her nickname in public. “I see, but I get a feeling that you’re more than that. And if I ain’t wrong, so do I believe that I heard you talking very dearly of her.” What was the short haired guy talking about? And if Anlie had talked about her, so what could she’ve said? Merie stared at her friend, hoping she would catch on and tell her all about it. “Of course so have I talked dearly about her. She’s a very good friend that I enjoy spending time with.”

Listening to Anlie and the others talk got boring, for Merie, after a while. Starting to look around and listen more closely to what the rest were talking about. Noticing herself being an idiot for trying to listen to what strangers are saying in a buzzing surrounding. “By the way, are the both of you playing Rocking World?” The long-haired guy finally dragged up some interesting conversation, catching her attention again. “Yes, we’re.” Butting in and looking gladly at the guy. “Isn’t it scary to play that game while there’s a murderer out there aiming for players like you?” And… The conversation seemed to go downhill from there. But Merie could somehow understand how he was thinking. “I think we’ll be safe as we don’t meet strangers from the game, as long it doesn’t turn out that there might be another player here.” To be honest, so wasn’t Merie even worried about that. She couldn’t believe Anlie would bring her to a party with too many strangers, instead thinking that Anlie more or less knew the people around them.

“It’s more or less as Merie says. We don’t meet strangers, and if we should end up murdered after this, so does it mean the murderer might be someone from the party as we won’t even go home without company from her parents.” Anlie couldn’t have thought about getting a ride from Merie’s parents before Merie talked with them, so why did she express it as if she’d thought about it from the start? And what had her plane been if they wouldn’t have offered to drive them? Maybe it was questions Merie could need to ask more about later on, when they’ve left the party.

Thanks to the guy’s question and that the girls made their thought clear, so did the conversation led to Rocking World. None of the others were playing it, but were curious about the game. “Is it talk about Rocking World I hear?” A Black woman, with long brown hair, joined the conversation with a question of her own. “I’ve been thinking about starting to play an online game to let the devils lose, so I’m curious if you would recommend that game for that?” “Yes. I find it a good place to let loose from time to time. And it should be the same for Merie.” Anlie’s answer made Merie sure that there were a whole lot more who did the very same thing. Especially considering that the developers were very lax in their attitude toward those like them.

“If you want, so can I offer you to be a part of a party as long as you wish.” Anlie’s idea didn’t sound bad, and it was probably no problem with her as she, “Adu”, had asked especially about letting the devils loose there. “If you’re holding on to a part which doesn’t mind someone letting the devils play, so does I get a feeling you might take part in PK too. Am I right, or am I right?” Adu didn’t seem to mind it, but couldn’t she’d express it in a better way? “I haven’t been out for a round of that since the screaming about the killer started. But before that, and as soon as the killer is caught, so might I start it again.” Anlie didn’t even include Merie in the comment, maybe in an attempt to protect her. “And still so are you a very kind person, Anlie.” Merie didn’t care if she sounded false. She simply wished to point out the simple matter that a player slaughtering other players still could be a wonderful person.

“Are you even surprised, Girl? There are tons of us being asses in games, but in reality so are we slightly kinder.” The long-haired guy might be trying to make it sound better, but he was horribly failing. Still, Merie appreciated his attempt. “Don’t try to make yourself look better than the rest of us, Anders. You’re just of an asshole as the rest of us.” The short-haired guy wasn’t buying his bullshit. “Isn’t that going for all of us? We’re all assholes and assholes about it from to time.” Abu made it all sound worse than it was, but still so did Merie gets growing feeling Abu could be trusted.

“We can meet up in the game tomorrow if you just contact me.” “As long it isn’t during the raid of that cave, Anlie.” Merie rapidly followed up Anlie with some vital information. Which maybe could be more important than getting a new member in the party. “It’s no need to worry about me interrupting your date tomorrow, Friends. I’ll have my ass full by other guys tomorrow.” Abu could express it however she wanted, but if there was the slightest truth so didn’t Merie want to know anything about it.

The beer came running as the night passed, and the other people had been acting nice to her. Or at least so did Merie think they’d been nice to her, but after a bunch of beers so could she’ve been missing it. Still, as long as she didn’t notice it, so couldn’t she care less. “Are you sure you don’t want a grogg, Merie?” “Maybe another time, Anlie. I get a feeling it isn’t a good idea.” Merie rapidly rejected Anlie’s question. She was feeling fluffy in her head and slightly out of touch with her body, and she was sure it was because of the alcohol, so she was sure it was for the best not to drink anything more. As she didn’t want to act like everyone else at the party, getting far too lively and started to hit on the opposite sex to right and left. “If you feel safer, so can we instead get over to my place and get drunk out of our asses.” Anlie wasn’t wrong that Merie might feel safer drinking with only her, but it wasn’t the problem. It was just that Merie was sure she would start acting stranger, just as she heard and as the rest of the people were. Not to mention she also heard some birds whisper about people feeling like shit after drinking, which she also wished to avoid if it was possible. “As I said, maybe another time, Anlie.” “Oki, Oki. Nothing to do about that.” “But you’ll also tell me when you think we’ve got enough of the party and wants to leave. Right, Merie?” Accepting it and throwing another question at Merie. “Of course, I’ll tell you when it’s time, Anlie.” Merie didn’t think it’d been necessary for Anlie to ask her that. There was no reason for Merie to stay at the party if she didn’t want to. But she wanted to remain there for a while longer, even if she wouldn’t drink much more, so was she curious if she could get caught up in an interesting conversation. There could maybe be someone more than Abu, wishing you talk about Rocking World, or any other game. “By the way, how does it comes none is caring about that you spend your time PK in Rocking World, Anlie?” The thought suddenly struck Merie. She hadn’t cared the slightest before as they were on the same side, but thinking about it, so was it the first time she experienced that the surrounding was neutral to the act. “We’re slightly older than those you might spend your time with, and many of us have tried and done much dumber things than you guys. So we’re probably more accepting than you.” Anlie could’ve a point. But she didn’t have to express it as if she was far older than her. It was only about a year. Neither so did she need to express it as if Merie willingly spent her time with those people her age. Honestly so did she often just get caught up in a conversation with someone, and before she knew it so had there arrived others too.

Before the time had arrived, for the girls to return home, so had Anlie drank a couple more drinks. Starting to act more flirty toward Merie, “We should really make sure to spend some more time together, without Rocking World, or other games, or even talk about games.” Anlie wasn’t wrong that they most often were doing one of those things, but Merie would like to say that was because their conversation often led to that automatically. And it wasn’t as if Anlie had tried to lead it elsewhere after it had turned that direction. “If you wish to do that, so can we give it a shot.” Merie couldn’t say that she minded them meeting up and doing other things than those connected to gaming. It could probably be nice to try out different things too, even if there could be a risk Anlie was thinking about the events in another way than her.

“You seem to have it halfway in, Anlie.” A guy butted in, making Merie sure that Anlie had second thoughts about those meetings. But because Anlie seemed to be overjoyed for the moment, and she’d understood it as bad things could hit a person even harder while they were drunk, so wouldn’t she say anything about it. “Agree.~” “And I think we probably should leave soon, Dear. While I’m still sober enough to enjoy the rest of the night with you.” Anlie hastily turned to Merie after answering the guy, maybe hoping for something Merie wouldn’t be able to give her. But it would be her and only her problem alone.