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okay, why had she agreed to this? slaughtering farfetch'd sounds like an awful thing and while she's sure hell might be fun for some, she's definitely not the type for that![break][break]

but, this is a virtual world and while illeana wouldn't usually do this, she can't help but understand why people enjoy this sort of thing? it's surprisingly thrilling to wipe out an entire horde of farfetch'd... even if their screams hurt her heart a little. besides, it's not like this is real and she's actually killing these poor birds? plus, it'd be weird for a fox to not hunt birds.[break][break]

she spawns in right as an arrow is shot in her direction, sailing through the air and landing in one of her white tails. huh... she thought it'd hurt. it doesn't, however, and she simply plucks it out with a snicker. "oi," she calls, turning in a flourish of nine tails and red fabric toward the offender. "watch it! you could've taken out my eye, you know." it comes out in a mocking tone, the corners of her lips curling into a smirk. well, no harm no foul. but, might as well return the arrow, right?[break][break]

the kitsune saunters closer, tails swishing from side to side with the swivel of her hips. once she's satisfied with the distance between them, she gazes up toward him. ah, could she get up there? probably not... maybe he'll come down for the arrow. "here," she chimes with a clawed hand extending toward the man's perch. his arrow rests in her open palm, small bits of fur still sticking to the tip. "you might need this back." and then, her eyes drift toward the clusters of farfetch'd with an almost hungry glint. her tongue swipes across her lips and with a soft chuckle, she glances back toward him. "in the mood for chicken?" another snicker escapes before she dances away, all tails and red dress and fire. an inferno should fry them enough, right?[break][break]

and so, illeana twirls about the horde of farfetch'd with flames licking at her skin, canines flashing dangerously.

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She seems — well, maybe not angry that he'd shot at her, more like annoyed and more than a little snide in her response. It provokes him into feeling defensive, shoulders tense. Had this been a PvP zone, it might've resulted in a fight.[break][break]

It's not, however, and so he simply observes the Ninetales-esque avatar as she strides toward him, arrow in hand. He can't gauge her class at a glance, unable to spot her weapon. Her cheeky attitude makes him think rogue, or maybe she had claws as well, and might be more suited to brawler.[break][break]

He can't reach the arrow from his vantage point, long arms or no, and so he swings over the side and drops down, dulling the impact with a careful landing before straightening to accept the offered arrow. He stumbles back in surprise when the girl erupts into flames, giggling as she dances away toward the birds with a question he takes to be teasing. Still holding the arrow, plucking tufts of fur from the point, he pulls up his interface and sends a party invite her way.[break][break]

"I'm doing that quest," he explains, nocking the arrow and infusing it with sparking electricity. It flies toward a group of the birds and sinks into the neck of one, scattered electricity taking care of the others. "You know, the one from Aurora? I came here because it's way too crowded over there, could hardly find anything to kill."[break][break]

He strides over to the bodies and retrieves the leeks, sighing as he notes the lack of special drops.[break][break]

"Still no luck with those Large Leeks."

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she doesn't notice his tense shoulders, doesn't even think to consider that she's getting on his nerves with her remarks. instead, she's already eyeing the rest of the farfetch'd mob as if they're about to be dinner. a few fall to other players, some scattering at the disturbances. narrowed eyes sweep toward the other players in the distance, each of them drawing closer to collect their loot. greedy bastards.[break][break]

no matter, she decides with a swish of her tails as she turns toward the man with the arrows. by now, his party invite has popped up on her screen with a soft chime and illeana wastes no time in accepting it. her avatar's face settles into something playful, as if she's about to enjoy herself, enjoy this hunt. "everyone's greedy with their kills," she offers to him. it's not something she hadn't necessarily been expecting. in fact, it's surprising that there's still some farfetch'd scurrying about at all. "i could help with this quest of yours?" the fox grins at him, an eyebrow raising. she kills, he grabs the loot. a simple bout of teamwork, right?[break][break]

as if to make her point more obvious, she backs away with more flames coming forth, hands outstretched toward the birds. their squawks fill her ears and she's certain she might be hearing those in her nightmares later but... this is just a game, nothing more. "keep searching for the large leeks," she calls to him, throwing a glance over her shoulder in his general direction. "i'll burn these ones for you." burn, roast, char, it's all the same with the same outcome. more loot, more leeks, more kills.[break][break]

and as she continues to twist and twirl through the horde, there's that lingering sensation that she's enjoying herself, that this is exhilarating. she could get used to this...

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The fiery mage speaks of greed, and Orion shrugs. It's a video game. That's what people do in games, right? Everyone aims for the most kills, the best loot? Honestly, his knowledge was based solely from an outsider's perspective: this was his first MMO.[break][break]

"They probably think the same of us."[break][break]

They party up, and he nods at her suggestion that they tackle the quest together. As every leek, even the large ones, counted for each player in the party, it would go faster with two of them than if they were competing over their kills. At least this wasn't a PvP zone.[break][break]

It's comforting to note that the mage can do most of the killing. Orion won't admit it, but he feels bad hunting the birds that were otherwise passive mobs. It was different in areas like the Infinite Tower, where everything — other players included — was aggressive and it was kill-or-be-killed, but these birds were just minding their own virtual business. Curse his soft ranger heart.[break][break]

"Thank you."[break][break]

As she twirls into their midst, Orion strays along the edges, picking up the loot and watching the party total rise. Slowly but surely, they were meeting their primary goal of 50 leeks, but as for the large ones...[break][break]

His eyes light up when he spots one, bouncing toward it and landing in front of another player who'd clearly had the same idea. Orion feels bad as he swipes the object and puts it into his inventory, but it had been Vulpes who killed the Farfetch'd that had dropped it. He shouldn't feel guilty when the other player was the one intending to thieve. (That doesn't stop him from typing a quick 'sorry' into local chat, emoting an apologetic wince before going back to collect the other leeks that had dropped in the meantime.

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greed drives everything and it seems this game proves to be no different. the players around them begin to scatter once they take notice of the kitsune sweeping in, fire following in her wake. she's of ashes and flames, kills and leeks dropping with little effort. a chuckle escapes at the man's words, however, and her attention is drawn toward him, her moves slowing until she's swaying in the center of it all.[break][break]

"it would be a pity if they didn't," she offers, tongue sweeping across her lips. they are, after all, no different than the rest of the lot. drawn in by the desire for escape, for rewards in a virtual reality, for kills to improve their own standings. it's impossible to not be greedy as humans always are given the circumstances. "perhaps they'll back off then." her eyes flicker toward the rest of the players, huddled together as they clash and fight over a smaller group of farfetch'd. perhaps they are the fools for deciding this is a single player game, for not taking the opportunity to work together when it presents itself. luck favors the brilliant, perhaps, as her new partner begins to gather the dropped loot as she drops carcass after carcass.[break][break]

part of her doesn't mind doing the dirty work. sure, she feels a little bad as each bird squawks in defeat but it's just a game... they aren't real, no matter how lifelike they sound. and so, she puts a bit more finesse into her technique, as if putting on a show for those around their party. it's a game and she'll play it as the best of them do: to win and win with style.[break][break]

he thanks her and she grins, hungry and content all at once. the gratitude isn't necessary but appreciated all the same and she can't deny that it's easier to do this together than alone. "no," she murmurs, twirling toward him with tails spinning round and round. "thank you." there's something almost manipulative about the words she utters, the way they drip with a certain force that she doesn't care to look into. perhaps she's using him, using his willingness to not engage with the horde for her own entertainment. and perhaps, she doesn't care.[break][break]

ah, but a large leek finally drops and her partner encroaches on another's territory, snagging it from hungry fingers without hesitation. it brings a smile to her face, canines glistening from the glow of fire, and an easy laugh escapes. he's kind, she realizes as she goes, and kindness has no place in this fantasy. perhaps in the real world, they could even be friends, birds of a feather, but not right now. "greedy," she teases, drifting toward him once more. a few more farfetch'd drop as she dances closer with the echo of giggles following. "if they didn't think poorly of us before, they just might now!" another laugh, another twirl, and somehow, she finds this easier than reality. hiding behind a confident character, a virtual being that can be anything you desire, sometimes has its perks.

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The kitsune exudes a charismatic confidence that Orion lacks both in and out of game. He can't help but to envy the way she turns combat into a performance and seemingly feels no guilt toward the others denied of their precious virtual rewards.[break][break]

"I'd hope not," he frowns, as he continues to gather up the leeks. "I mean, you killed it. It's not like I'm going to steal one of theirs."[break][break]

Case in point: he spots a glittering leek within bouncing distance, but does not activate the skill in order to close the gap. The other player, a warrior, holds an aggressive stance on his approach as if daring Lykos or Vulpes to take what was rightfully his.[break][break]

Orion's response in chat is a simple, 'chill, dude, it's yours'.[break][break]

A waddling Farfetch'd aggros on the ranger, who instead uses his bounce cooldown to leap clear of its range and draw it toward the flock gathering around his fox-like companion.

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