The Games of Q!

(Qayshawn Bedgood)

I desire excitement. A thrill that will send a shiver down my spine and shake my body to its core. If I am going to go all out, then tonight will be the prologue for it. The Kitsune male that I left on the terrace seemed just as driven as I was at that moment. Since entering this world, I have found myself facing large monsters and meeting new people. This whole thing seemed like a dream, but not one that I normally would have.

This whole experience seemed like a dream that Mark would tell me about or one of the stories that he would write about, then mentioned in passing while we played Infinity Unleashed. We always had an interesting experience playing it together to the point that we devoted hours of our lives to interacting with it whenever we got the chance.

It was the common point that further linked our friendship. That is why I felt the need to entrust Mark to planning our experience in this new world. Returning back inside, I began to make a quick pit stop at the catering table that we had left from earlier.

'I'm sure that he would appreciate some more of that meat that he had. Perhaps I should bring him some.'

I had begun restocking my own plate when that thought crossed my mind. Since we had entered this city, people aren't particularly accepting of our Kitsune comrade. If left unchecked, then I think he will likely lash out and cause a problem. Though thinking about it, I was more worried about Bonner. My eyes traced to the location of the man through the crowd, and unsurprisingly, he was still at his last location.

To say that Bonner doesn't play well with others is an understatement. His social skills are a bit lacking, but he could be strangely reliable in certain areas. Since Claire is also there, then I assume that their combined effort could achieve success in their end. Since Mark had to merely stay out of the way, and the other two have the hard part, that left me…free.

I began to ponder what to do with my time when I spotted an eye-catching individual from a far. She seemed familiar, but it was obvious that most people were going out of their way to avoid her. It is a shame considering how beautiful she was.

'I should stop by her after I deliver this plate to Mark.'

As I began traversing back to bring my friend some more food, I noticed a certain figure hovering near the doorway. Her short stature and short silver hair were a clear giveaway to her identity.

'Damn… I thought Claire said that she would be too busy. It looks like Mark's assumption was correct after all. That's Silvers. Ain't it?'

The elven woman that stood at the doorway soon opened it and entered the terrace before I could arrive. There, I was presented with a decision to make.

'Should I step in to assist him here…or should I do something else?'

It was quite the conundrum, but when I looked down at the plate of meat, I made up my mind.

"Nah- He'll probably be fine.", I mused to myself.

I would shift my destination and promptly pass by the other participants of this event. Many were already sitting, but a lot of them stood up and began singing in a god-awful tune. The scent of alcohol was thick in this area, but it didn't bother me particularly. Considering that I no longer needed the plate stacked high with meat, I dropped it off onto a nearby table as I approached the lone woman.

The closer that I got to her, the more I began to recognize her. It was then that she spotted my approach and gave little reaction. She instead sat there at her table, staring into her drink with a face of absolute disgust.

"You are - the Arch Captain Silvers, correct?", I say to her, taking a seat across from hers.

My question and following chuckle took her off guard, but her face seemed to liven up just a bit. It was a purposeful mix-up since the woman before me also carried a similar silver hair with the mentioned woman. There were obvious differences between the two, though.

This woman had deep green eyes and much longer silver hair. Not to mention that this woman didn't command the same fierce aura. Instead, she merely laughed softly at my sudden question.

"You are the first to make that mistake. Unfortunately, I am not the woman that you are searching for, "she says gently.

Looking at this woman, her skin seemed to carefully tend to. Her hair was straight to her shoulders with very little split ends in it. Not to mention how attractive she was, so I found it weird that she was left untouched by the drunk and likely horny men in this building. Looks like I stumbled across something more…interesting.

"Looks like I am the first to approach as well. Now, why would such a rare treasure like yourself be left alone? Am I the only one here with a functioning pair of eyes?"

With that said, the woman immediately latched her previously drifting eyes solely onto me. Her pale skin soon reddened faintly around her cheeks. That was something I had been hoping for. I was hoping to entertain myself tonight, so I wanted to see if I could convince this woman if I am her type.

"Well I…I"

It took a moment for her to speak, but it seemed to fail instantly. She began stuttering and soon surrendered herself into a pit of embarrassment. I flashed a smile towards the woman and leaned back into my chair to make myself appear more comfortable.

"I am known as Qayshaun, but those that know me personally refer to me as Q. It is a mouthful, but so am I.", I remark casually. Her eyes seemed to flicker as she didn't exactly pick up the message that I was putting down.

"Since we are getting to know each other, then how about you tell me your name?"

The woman seemed to process my words before looking off to the distance somewhere. I was curious, so I followed her line of sight. What I found was not particularly surprising. There was a built, nicely dressed man with two women latching onto him. A cup of alcohol in his hand as they cheered and celebrated. I didn't know who that was, but she clearly did. The sight seemed to drain her mood for a moment.

It was a while before the woman even gave me any attention again. It was to the point that I had begun considering this encounter to be dud. Perhaps, she had begun sensing my impatience since the woman just downed the cup that she previously stared into. A loud clunk could be heard on the tabletop when she slammed the glass down. Her head was now buried into her arms.

"Mirield…My name is Mirield.", she finally says.

It was good that she finally spoke up as I was going to leave her. I had no time to sit around after all.

"Well, it is about time that you spoke. I think I can see why you are all alone now, Miri.", I say to her bluntly.

Her face seemed to perk up from the makeshift pillow and looked at me. Her eyes were reddening, but I had no real compassion for her.

"Who was that man? Brother? Nah- Boyfriend?", I questioned her.

I had imagined that straight flattery would have worked against her, but sitting around and waiting for her responses made it a drag. Therefore, I figured that a more aggressive approach would yield more success with her.

"He is my fiancé.", she answers.

'So her fiance decided to leave her behind in order to hit it off with two other women? Nah- He seems more popular than that…'

Catching another glance at the man in question was further emboldened by those around him. He seemed to be the star of the little group that they formed. The others around him seemed quite pleased with his actions as if he had little care in that moment.

"I'm guessin' that this engagement between ya'll is a… what's the phrase - hidden in the dark, awaiting to be brought to the light?"

My words seemed to have thrown the silver haired woman in a brief spell of confusion. Her eyes finally shifted to me, but she would have to overlook the now disinterested look present on my face. Although my intentions to play pick up artist were tempting at first, I had now come to believe that I found something might be worth the effort.

"Ah yes-", she stammers.

The woman's eyes once again rested on top of the cup below with the same gloomy expression on her face. Though, I did not expect her to open her mouth again so soon.

"If you mean that our engagement is a secret, then you would be correct."

I see. She must be his mistress then. No man in his right mind or in love would leave his fiance behind to cater to the interests of other women. Especially at a party like this. Men like Percival and myself would sense the opportunity to pounce on her at the first chance they got. Such logic is the reason that I am here in the first place, but there is something off about it.

It could be possible that their social norms are different here. No- They are men, men are men no matter what world they are in. This means that there is something different about this woman and her fiancé. Looking for an answer, I would lean back with a smile forming on my face. The chair that I chose to sit in had begun to rest on two legs now as I began twisting one of my braids.

All around us were relatively nicely dressed individuals, probably dressed nicer than Mirield and her fiance both combined. Each seemingly not sparing a single look into our direction, but…why not?

From where I stand, our group shares little in common in terms of complexion with about ninety-eight percent of the guests here. Considering now Mordred's errand boy Geriant referred to Bonner's skin tone earlier, then there is at least some acknowledgment of the different skin color's status here in this city.

Either this woman isn't as important as I thought she was, or they are going out of their ways to not even acknowledge our interaction.

"So who are you really, Miri? Nah- Better yet. Tell me more about that guy - your fiance. He looks to be the life of the party, I might go over there and join that side. This side is far lamer by comparison."

Miri's atmosphere dropped drastically after I finished speaking. It was a shift that was easy to pick up on. She was quite the easy person to discourage, but it seemed that he had something complex going on between her and her man. It wasn't much of my business, but I still think there might be something here that I could benefit from. Not just me, but perhaps the others as well.

A long pause ensued to the point that I had begun to lose patience and interest in the situation altogether. There is no point waiting for her to speak every few minutes in a short burst. I suppose a chill approach won't loosen her lips, so I suppose there's another way to accomplish that.

"There's this thing..on your face. Crazy, but hold up and let me finish. It's like a housing unit for this squishy, yet firm muscle that in cooperation with this other trinkets located down the street creates fuckin' words.- Your mouth. Open your mouth and speak, Mirield or so help me, I will leave your ass faster than your lover ever did."

My words carried a slightly more aggressive tone as I picked at her in order to get her to respond. The response I did manage to get surprised even me. In a sudden and dramatic movement, the once mute and gloomy Mirield sprained to her feet in an attention grabbing commotion.The cup of alcohol that she had been nursing this whole time now staining the white table cover much like the tears on her face.

The eyes of spectators soon found their way onto me as they started gossiping amongst each other. Each likely came up with some type of conspiracy on why the woman was now upset. Her gaze was cloudy, but I could tell that I had upset her. It was my goal sure, but I must have added more power to it than I anticipated.

"Shit.", I murmured, placing all four legs of the chair onto floor.

I didn't think my words were that heavihandied, but now wasn't the time to reflect on them. With more eyes latching on to me, I figured that it was time to leave, so I did. I should count myself lucky since there was a lot of loud partying that I managed to blend in with the other people present.

Brushing by group after group of people, I began decreasing my speed in order to better blend in. After stopping for a moment, I began figuring out what would be my best next course of action.

After glancing around, I noticed I traveled a pretty decent length from that little squabble with Mirield. It's not like we're gonna see each other again soon anyway.

'Bonner…or Mark…Nah- Bonner is closest and safest pick. I had no desires to deal with any more silver haired elven women tonight. Now where are they-'

Turning around wasn't that difficult, but it had appeared something had got caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Before I realized it, I accidentally bumped into one of the waitresses of the event. Her more slender frame stumbling forwards causing her to be dropped nearly instantly if not for a table. It was due to said table that the items that she was carrying spilled over, coating the nearby sitting men with both food and alcohol.

"Ya Stoopid BIAtche-!!"

A pop could be heard, stunning my ass as if I was hit by a taser. It had floored me just as much as they floored her.

'Damn- What did I just do.-'