who would have thought someone could actually get drunk in a video game? she guessed, logically, if someone could feel pain than they could also get the sensation of getting tipsy. but logic had long since left the woman's mind and the idea of sitting down to overthink such unnecessary mechanics just made her want to down another shot. everyone around her didn’t blur just yet, but their movement seemed too inviting and the music a soft hum at the back of her mind whispering her to stay. socializing was as much of a strong suit in her than everything else, but with some drinks in her eliza felt as though she could do anything.

her hand grazed the top of the bar as she made her way through the party, searching the crowd for someone interesting to focus on. everyone had a date of some sorts (or maybe that’s how her mind read it) and drinking alone was never really all that fun.

everyone's attention was on something else, someone around their arms or across the table from where they sat, engaged in their own little conversations. she fumbles, avoiding another pair of unfamiliar faces as they walk past, leaning her body against the bar enough to hold herself steady. it's only when eliza stops looking out that she catches a small sight that triggers some sense of familiarity.

“well well,” she muses, “i’ve been seeing a lot of you lately huh.” her attention focuses on the only face in the room that she knows, like a beacon only her eyes could see. it’s comforting to know her search is over, or at least for now. the defender, if her hazed memory wasn’t betraying her; the same one she had seen more than anyone else in this god forsaken game. “drinking alone is never fun,” she tries her best to act casual, in a way someone would be who hadn’t already drank more than they needed to. “could i join you?”

it’s funny to her, knowing deep down she’d probably have not listened if the woman had told her no. she’d have sat down right beside her regardless of the answer, too drunk to care and too tired to seek attention anywhere else. plus, in this entire ballroom, reign seemed to be the only person here that eliza knew. luckily for both of them reign had agreed to her company and, with the comment that she might have already had enough to drink, eliza couldn’t help but laugh. her hand lifts to her mouth, trying to quiet her laughter just a bit and hide a smile too big for such a simple comment.

she makes her way onto the stool next to reign with as much grace as she can muster in that moment. at least she didn’t fall. her eyes catch the movement of the npc that places a drink in front of reign, only to focus solely on what the woman says. she wonders how she could get a drink for herself, even if reign was right. it surely wouldn’t kill her to have another one.

“well, let's see if i can help you with both of your problems.” she starts, pointing towards the drink reign had just ordered. “down that, than start from the beginning. i’m all ears. we could even make a game out of it.” her voice falls into this small giggle of a laugh, right under her breath as she recalls what she just says. a game within a game. it was stupid and, if she had been just a tad bit more sober, she wouldn’t have laughed at such a dumb thought; but she wasn’t, and drunk people were always bound to make a fool of themselves. “if you tell me something about yourself, i’ll do the same. that way, we either both come out of this knowing far too much about the other and being too drunk to care.” she says, shrugging her shoulders a little. “or, we get so tired of hearing mundane stories we need to get drunk to make them sound funny.”

maybe she was being too bold or perhaps too pushy, but she was bored and drunk in a party where only a single person knew her; what else was a girl to do? when she heard reign agree to her offer eliza couldn’t help but smile, easing her body in the seat. at least now she wouldn’t have to be pushy and force the woman to have some sort of fun with her. in silence eliza watches as reign downs the drink as she was told, eyeing the glass as it slams against the counter.

this was going to be fun.

before she answers eliza eyes the woman beside her, feigning surprise as she leans forward, enough to outstretch her hand and take the glass from the others grasp. for a moment she holds her touch there, not yet pulling her hand away as her fingers brush against the others to remove the glass from reigns possession. “wow, not holding back are you. such personal information, i don’t know if i could even answer.” her tone, laced in whatever alcohol this bar was serving hints at light-hearted flirtation. before the other could pull away or make a comment eliza does it first, moving her hand away with the glass now held firmly within it.

she mimics the others actions from before, tapping it against the counter to bring forward an npc to place down another drink for her. “might as well, right?” she says, before bringing the cup to her lips and downing the burning liquid. maybe she shouldn’t drink more, but rationality was quickly losing the fight.

“my name’s eliza, nothing special but i guess i could have been given something worse.” there’s the familiar sensation, the rush of the alcohol settling into her body; and its relaxing. “reigns a pretty cute name as is, but let's hear what you were shackled with. what’s your name?”

as the liquor made its way through her system eliza couldn’t help but feel a flutter in her gut, anticipating the next question or answer causing a rise in excitement. it was due to the alcohol, she thought, or at least some percentage of it was. she hadn’t done something like this in so long. there’s a small smile on her lips at the compliment given to her, eyes averting slightly to see the glimmer of the glass reflect the light of the bar. “well, thank you.” she starts, voice low as she listens to reign begin to talk, silencing herself in order to focus on the woman's words.

was she expecting her to be rude and laugh? whatever name she had been given probably wasn’t as bad as the other thought. without saying a word eliza looked over at reign, eyeing her with suspicion laced curiosity. she didn’t want to say anything in fear that it would trigger the reason behind the woman's hesitance, causing her to call of their little game and leave her hanging on a cliffhanger for the rest of the night. so, she waited until the words came to reign.

she feels the laugh leave her lips before it hits her that it happened. quickly eliza's hands come up, clasping against her mouth in order to force whatever laughter was left back into silence. or, as much of silence as she could muster. it wasn’t the name that got her but the anticipation that had come with it, than the resurfaced memory of their snow adventure and the puns they had all made.

“i-i... i’m so sorry,” she stutters, voice muffled by her hands still clasping her mouth. she can feel the water in her eyes from her held back laughter and, in an attempt to remove the watered blurr from her vision, she blinks more until there’s that feeling of tears against skin. “w-why didn’t you say anything before about it... it would have made such a great pun.” there’s a hint of guilt, buried under the amusement accelerated by the rush of alcohol.

slowly she removes her hands from her mouth, doing her best (but failing) to hold back a laugh stuttering out beneath her breath. “it’s such a cute name, i promise.” she starts, trying to make her voice sound casual. “y-you should have made your username something related to snow.”

she hadn’t meant to laugh, especially not as much as she had. her palm ran up her cheek, wiping away the stain left against her skin where her tears had fallen during the moment of guilty weakness. it wasn’t that reigns name was funny, but the hesitation and tone in which she had used to confine in her this little bit of information was priceless. while the laughing fit that tempted to come had subsided there was a smile stained to her expression that eliza couldn’t shake in her current, inebriated state. there was one thing eliza knew without a doubt despite the way her mind blurred and her rationality faded away. reign was, without a doubt, cute.

placing an elbow on the counter eliza leans against her arm, resting her head against her hand. she takes in the way the other slowly takes in her drink, wondering if she’d abandoned the idea of getting as close to black-out wasted as possible. or if she thought another approach would give better results. “oh come on, snow isn’t too bad. when people think of snow they think of such romantic things, like ... christmas morning and the snow falling. or seeing snow on the mountain top in some pretty, landscape picture.” eliza argues, musing over her thoughts as she tries to find the right words. “a lot of people like snow for a reason.”

she’s in her own world, attempting to compose another string of words together when reign speaks again. momentarily eliza had forgotten the other hadn’t asked a question, and as it weighed down on her eliza couldn’t help but glance away from the other as her thoughts shifted. “well, we’ve all left someone behind. family, i guess, but no one too special.” she shifts a bit in her seat as her words fall to silence, blurred haze revealing things she’d always ignore. if this was a night of confessions than she guessed it was a better time than any to finally voice something she kept locked up.

“honestly, this has been the most fun i’ve had in a long time. being trapped in this game ... it’s frightening but, it makes you feel alive doesn’t it?” she brings her head up as she talks, leaning her arm down against the counter where her hand takes the glass nearest to her. too many people hated it here; too many people had lost or left someone behind because of this game. it was an unpopular opinion to say the least, and eliza knew it. before reign could talk eliza brought the glass down onto the counter, cutting the silence with the noise and the approach of another npc and another filled glass. “weird, right? it’ll probably pass, i’m sure.” she spoke, straining laughter as she brought the drink to her lips. she wanted to make sure she didn’t remember tonight. “what about you, did you leave someone back home? a little sweetheart who calls you their little snowflake.”

someone didn’t need to be smart to know that enjoying this new, forced life wasn’t the most proper mindset. everyone had been jailed away in this virtual world, and seeing it as a paradise over a prison was crazy. like a stockholm syndrome victim falling in love with their captor eliza was smitten by this new life, amazed by how she had changed from the woman in the real world to who she was now. it was as though she was someone completely new; and with it, eliza wasn’t sure she’d want to go back to her old identity if given the choice.

her fingers drum against the glass she holds, rhythmic dull sounds coming from her attempt to focus on something other than the slipped confession. she hadn’t thought such a simple question would have triggered such a thing in her; nor open a door to where she’d sit at a bar, too gone to really regret her choices, spewing unfavorable opinions to a woman she barely knew personally. but most of all eliza hadn’t thought someone else would understand.

in her drunken haze eliza could feel herself stare, unable to do much else let alone turn away. she had, for the most part, expected an awkward response. something forced, in the same way someone would answer another when words failed them but polite conversation deemed them to respond regardless. yet reign had found her words and with it caught her by surprise.

she realizes her silence as she notices reign reach over. then, soon after, it comes to her that she’s been gawking at the woman for far too long. it’s when she feels the other's hands brush against hers that eliza finally brings her gaze to something else. or, more specifically, the glass of alcohol being taken from her. eliza's eyes follow it as reign takes the drink into her possession, frowning at the wink given before slowly letting her expression fall to a pout.

“i think i get a free pass to call you snowflake since you just stole my drink,” she starts, glaring down at her now empty glass in reigns hands. her gaze lingers for a second, but when it returns her expression softens. her pout spreads into a small smirk, leaning her body a little closer to reign so her lowered voice may be heard over the noise of the party around them. “but i’ll make sure to keep it in private, that way you don’t have to punch me because people heard my little nickname for you.”