The party

‘Do we have to wear these?’ Dave asked, withholding the embarrassment.

‘We are the main hosts of the event tonight. We need to stand out! Let me show you around.’

Her tiny body hopped towards a long corridor, disappearing into the darkness. As he continued following her, seashell lamps on the walls guided him forward, a low hum of a music building up as he ventured deeper. Upon exiting, he stepped into an open area with a bar in front of him. Behind it, Emily’s cat ears poked out, which made him grin in secret. He took a seat and marveled at a rainbow selection of concoctions lining the shelves.

‘Would you care for a drink, sir?’ Emily suggested.

‘Hmm, could I have a glass of whiskey?’

‘Coming right up!’ she started one of the crafting animations to imitate the process, then traded the drink.

‘That’s beer,’ he sneered.

‘Well, the game doesn’t exactly have whiskey glasses, you know! Activate your imagination, would you?’

‘Alright alright! Mmm, delicious whiskey,’ he downed the drink with gusto, which only made Emily burst in laughter. ‘What?!’ he chuckled himself.

‘Nothing! It’s just so cute how you turn 180 just like that!’ she continued, gasping for air. ‘Anyway, let’s go to our next stop.’

She jumped from behind the bar and turned towards an area with red clothed tables facing the stage ahead.

‘Take a seat, please,’ she pointed towards the front table and entered the spotlight, immersing herself into a dance.

He clapped his hands in rhythm. ‘What about singing a song?’

But she halted her dance and hesitated a while. ‘A song? You want me to sing?’ There was an unusual amount of uncertainty in her voice.

‘Uh-oh,’ he pulled back, realizing he had touched upon a sensitive topic. ‘It’s okay, you don’t have to. I didn’t mean to put you on a spot.’

‘I promise I will sing for you. Just perhaps not tonight. Anyway, let’s go to the basement.’

Following in her footsteps, he descended the glass staircase, landing upon a mist enveloped dance floor. Each step released a faint glow of tiles underneath the feet. In the center of it all, Emily waited. Slow paced music filled the room, awakening butterflies in his stomach.

‘Care for a dance?’ he asked, with a lower than usual voice.

‘I… Mhm,’ she said, softer than usual.

But it was far from a nice slow dance out of a wholesome romance anime. Each race in-game had a unique style of dancing and as Dave’s character ensued into a seducing sway, Emily’s moves were straight out of a kid’s show.

‘This is so stupid!’

‘Activate your imagination, would you?’ he said with seriousness.

‘You use my words against me?’ she said in a hush and darted back to the stairs. ‘Let’s go back. It’s almost time to let the staff in.’

They traced back their steps to the foyer until no music was heard anymore. He had visited the mansion when booking it initially, but it looked nothing like it did now. It must’ve been a result of Emily’s efforts.

‘Well, it’s time. I will take care of the hostesses and officers. If you could guide the bartenders to their designated area and greet the guests as they come in, that would be great.’

‘Will do, ma’am!’ he answered with enthusiasm.

‘And Dave? I know we’re doing this to find a new DPS, but don’t forget to have some fun, too. Enjoy the evening.’

‘You too. Find me during your break, okay?’

***

The party was in full swing as hordes of people kept trickling in, overcrowding every table, stool, and square meter of space. Dave scanned the surroundings. Some tables had become a platform for dance-offs, while others appeared to accommodate suspicious séance sessions. He didn’t even want to ask.

On stage, Miira was showcasing her lively dance moves while continuing casual conversations with the guests. Meanwhile in a corner, Deilo and Sanakyu were hitting it off with one of the officers.

Dave’s vision blurred as midnight encroached. He has been busy running around the mansion, talking to guests, guiding them to avoid overcrowding, checking on staff, and discussing advertising with Luca.

He was ready to resign for a break when a bartender waved from behind a fully occupied bar. It was time for a shift change, yet the replacement wasn’t showing up. With the remaining host's energy, he expressed his utmost gratitude to the bartender and took the spot behind the bar.

Luckily, the rush hour didn’t last long as the crowd meandered towards the stage where Emily announced the beginning of the costume competition. With much relief, Dave sighed. Only one customer remained — a small elf, wearing a tight dark leather suit with a hood over the head, motionlessly sitting on the stool. Upon a quick inspection, Dave realized it was the assassin of Henser’s party.

Seiyun: What could I get for you, esteemed guest?
MeiMei: juice.

It was rare someone ordered something as simple as juice. He rummaged through his inventory, trying to locate the most lookalike drink and traded it to her. As the assassin gulped it down, a yellow glow enveloped her body.

MeiMei: what are you doing here?
Seiyun: I am the host and a temporary bartender. Ready for your orders
MeiMei: No. Why aren’t you clearing Refinery and wasting time here?
Seiyun: There are more ways to enjoy the game than just clearing dungeons
MeiMei: don’t bullshit me

Among the rowdy crowd, a familiar set of cat ears and a red dress emerged. The contest announcement must’ve been done and now Emily darted towards Dave.

Miira: Oh hello! May I have a cider, please?

She made herself comfortable next to MeiMei.

Seiyun: Coming right up, ma’am!
Miira: And who do we have here? Didn’t expect to see you here tonight
MeiMei: Not like I had anything better to do. This one’s your new tank?

Dave wanted to interject, yet he sensed the best tactic was to stay silent. To keep himself busy, he opened the evening agenda, but he couldn’t take his eyes of the chat.

Miira: He sure is. And a pretty damn good one.
MeiMei: Still going about your idea of teamship?
Miira: You know me
MeiMei: Whatever, I’m out

He watched as MeiMei scuttled away into the crowd.

Seiyun: You’re okay?
Miira: Yeah. Could you let Jam know to advertise the poll for the contest? I'll head over to the group in the corner.

***

It was the last round of staff change, but the party atmosphere didn’t wobble. A little low on social battery, Dave roamed around the mansion, making sure things were operating smoothly. Yet he couldn’t spot Emily anywhere.

Of course, she probably buzzed around non-stop. After all, she was a shining social butterfly, charming every single player in the building. Seeing everything in order, he trailed off to the foyer for some peace. However, the respite was short-lived. The entrance released a pulsating glow, indicating a new guest arriving. He sighed and got himself into the shoes of an exemplary host once again.

Seiyun: Welcome, my dear esteemed guest!

He sent it, but only a split second later he realized who it was meant for. In front of him stood a black stain on his life.

Yuneya: Wow, look at you

He contemplated just disappearing and pretending his internet stopped working, but who would have believed that? And what was the point, anyway?

Seiyun: Why are you here?
Yuneya: Why wouldn’t I? It’s an open party, isn’t it?

After that, ‘she’ shifted to private messaging.

Yuneya: Dave, can we please talk?
Seiyun: About?
Yuneya: Us. About all the shit I’ve done
Seiyun: There’s no ‘us’ anymore. There’s nothing to talk about
Yuneya: Why not? I still love you
Seiyun: Why now?
Yuneya: Because I can’t get through to you. Are you in a relationship with her?
Seiyun: Who?
Yuneya: Miira. I warned you about her. She’s just thirsty for attention

But he didn’t respond anymore. Merely walked away, leaving ‘her’ to ‘her’ own devices. It was nearly time for announcing the winner of the contest. He sprinted, typing out his message to all. Upon the stage overlooking the venue, he realized the crowd was rapidly thinning. And amongst the chaos of it all, Yuneya. He had a bad feeling about it, yet the announcement had to be made.

Seiyun: … and the winner is… Onyo!

Panicked, he scoured for Emily, nowhere to be seen. But she was closer than he thought as he saw an incoming call from her.

‘We have a problem.'

‘What’s happening? Why are people leaving?’ he grasped for answers.

‘Someone’s spreading some wild rumors about our static. Third party software and… a lot about me.’

Of course. It was ‘her’ typical move. If ‘she’ couldn’t get what ‘she’ wanted, ‘she’ would cause the maximum amount of damage.

‘I’m afraid I know the source of the trouble,’ he said, resigned. ‘We need to warn the officers about Yuneya. Is it possible to kick her out?’

‘We can’t kick anyone. We will just need to tell people to ignore and block her.’

They sat in silence for a moment. Trying to come up with a better solution. They were both exhausted and this last-minute stunt hit them harder than Dave could’ve guessed.

‘We worked so hard for this. You sacrificed all that time for planning all of it,’ her voice cracked.

‘I know. I saw how much effort you put in it all,’ he whispered.

‘Now we’re just losing it all. No one will ever want to play with us after this. I should’ve known better. I should’ve been more prepared. I’m such an idiot.’

‘Hey, hey! Emily. Everything will be okay. I will take care of it,’ he said with a lump in his throat.

He knew what he had to do. The mouse cursor was already hovering over the ‘Unblock’ button.