Compared to the rest of the pack, he certainly felt out of place. The people in the room had created a camaraderie that capitalized off their shared dream for something bigger than themselves. A cigarette balanced itself carefully between incisors as he fished in his pocket for a lighter. Fuck. Seemed he wasn't going to get his nicotine fix cause he failed to bring a lighter along. It's fine, doctors shouldn't be smoking right? With a furrow of his brow, the blonde plucked the cigarette out of his mouth and tucked it back into his half-empty pack. Since he couldn't distract himself with smoking, it seemed he was forced to mingle. Not only did the heat grate his nerves, but the fact he'd failed to bring his lighter made it even worse.

Sleeves rolled up to offer his forearms some mercy from the heat. His tie already found itself loosened a fair deal -- though that part was on him for at least wanting to look professional to some degree. In an attempt to get a better glance, Virgil stood near Raju Mystic and folded his arms. The carton of cigarettes still remained in hand as he tilted his head to look at the younger gang member.

"Wotcher, you got a light on you?" he questioned, a Galarian accent thick in his baritone as he shook the carton in his hand. "If this heat doesn't get to me first, the lack of nicotine might."

It seemed Jasmine Blair had already made herself comfortable at Jack Magnus's side. It seemed unusual to not see the other third of the trio, perhaps she ran late. (What did it matter to him? He wasn't their keeper.) Virgil reached up and scratched at his jawline, the prickle of facial hair that had begun to grow back in causing some slight irritation. Soon after, he took to picking his nails mindlessly, an attempt to get off the need for a cigarette. While he was early, he knew the room would fill up quick and that thought didn't come as a comforting one.

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@ganggang

The moment raphael dos plumas offered him a light, Virgil nodded his head in a quick thanks to the man. He cupped his hand around the end and struck the flint before he took a long drag. With a flare of his nostrils, the smoke came out that way as he turned to @suzanne and cocked a brow. While she certainly wasn't wrong, he didn't see the issue in it. A nicotine fix was better than the headache that came following the withdrawal.

"Who's the doctor here?" he questioned. "Helps manage stress and I can't be arsed to quit."

He took his sweet time with smoking the cigarette, too. Unbothered and unabashed by whom the smoke might bother, Virgil eventually twisted it out into an ash tray and dropped it in. It would be a later problem to deal with. As @marshall made the keen offer of drinks for everyone, Virgil had no qualms to step up and search for a beer. He'd regret it later given he'd sweat his ass off, but it seemed like a great idea at the time. Virgil popped the lid off and took a swig. Though his fluid movements stopped the moment Jack Magnus chose to speak to them.

While his words seemed sensible and he had a smart idea to dig into the pockets of those too focused on their battle of attrition, Virgil looked around and figured he'd be the first one to go up to bat. It was reasonable to play both sides, but also dangerous. While not the paranoid type in the slightest, he figured it was good to bring up any possible faults the plan might have. Given his newer admittance into the gang, perhaps he felt a bit more bold to speak in such a cavalier manner.

"We've got one problem -- playing both sides might get us burned and put us at a stalemate," he stated, matter-of-factly. "I'm not privy to details of either faction, but it's likely that both sides have spies hidden neat within the ranks, innit? The best course of action would be to send a representative to one side, and a secondary representative to the other. People you aren't typically seen mingling with."

That unfortunately axed @keira, @marshall, and Jasmine Blair for starters, at least of the people who were in attendance.

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@ganggang