"Whoo!" Elayne exclaimed as loudly as she could while fist pumping in the air.
She turned to Nico, who had a calm expression on his face, and stared at him with bright and curious eyes.
"So, you're saying that the game was inspired by a YouTuber who watched a video on the truth behind Greek gods? That's insane. What else?" she inquired, burping behind the back of her hand, her head looking opposite Nico's direction to avoid rudeness.
Nico scratched the back of his head and sighed. "The whole reason why gods from different cultures and universes are here is because the creators thought that they shared the entire planet at one point."
Elayne clapped her hands and chuckled. "You know a lot about this game, don't you?"
"... I've had some free time to do some digging..."
Elayne nodded in respect. "Hardcore fans tend to do that. You're certainly one of them."
Nico smiled at Elayne and she stared at his red eyes when she did.
"I've never seen anyone with red eyes before... It's kinda cool..."
"... Thanks..." Nico responded. "Welp, look at the time. I gotta go," Nico said as he stood up.
"Hey, wait!" Elayne exclaimed as she jumped on Nico, who could barely catch her on time.
He groaned as he held her in his arms, furrowing his brows while questioning what she was doing.
"You got me drunk, now walk me home, dumbass," she urged.
"You did this to yourself! Now, get off me!" Nico shouted and sighed, realising that he had been shouting a lot this evening.
'This woman is bringing a whole new side of me, and I don't like it,' he realised.
Elayne pouted and held onto Nico even tighter, squeezing his arms. "You're taking me home, and I ain't taking no for an answer."
Nico grunted and rolled his eyes. "Let me go, woman."
Elayne smirked and lifted her head, blowing a gentle wind into Nico's ear before whispering, "Never..."
Nico's cheeks flushed, but he kept a stoic face and groaned. "Fine, I'll take you home... Just walk on your own. I know you're only acting drunk."
"Yay!" Elayne said as she got off Nico and ran towards the door. "Come on! While the night's still young."
Nico followed behind Elayne.
The clouds turned black, like a formal attire for those in mourning.
The rain didn't stop, but the two didn't seem too bothered by the downpour.
At this point, the rain was the least of their worries.
Elayne and Nico walked past the busy streets of Pyrros, the streetlights brightening their path and the surrounding buildings lit up, which was something Nico had never seen before.
Pyrros was like a completely different city in the night.
The streets were busy with laughing players and friendly faces, a complete contrast to the day and what it had to offer.
It was beautiful, inviting and enchanting.
For the first time in a long time, Nico felt calm and happy to see the streets of Pyrros.
Then, he glanced over at Elayne, who was smirking as she looked at Nico.
'For some reason, my emotions have been all over the place. And, it's all her fault,' he quickly pieced together as he cleared his throat and stopped smiling.
"You know, I used to hate this place," Elayne began.
"Blood for coins? Made my boring teacher life look like a dream," she continued.
"But, in a way, the bloodshed made me appreciate my boring old life. Because it sure as hell was better than stealing from people to survive."
Nico listened intently as he related to Elayne's experience with the video game world.
At times, he forgot that not everyone started as a thief, a drug dealer or a monster.
They were regular people with regular lives who wanted a few hours to escape reality.
Paradox of the Olympian Gods gave them that escape, but with a heavy price to pay in exchange.
"... I can relate to that," he answered honestly. "I was an accountant before this. I hated every day of my life because I worked for the scummiest person on Earth."
"He believed that profiting meant taking from the lower class and sponsoring the higher class for a huge income," he added.
"I didn't agree with his methods and I could've quit. But, I needed to pay the bills and buy games. It was the worst job I've ever had, and I was a waiter once. But this is a thousand times worse," he concluded.
He thought back to his very first kill; a homeless man who was so thin he must've been starving for days, relying on the rain for water.
And then, like a vulture, Nico snatched away his life.
Elayne smiled wryly as she remembered her fair share of selfish people she used to work for.
Her memories led her to dark places, places she had long forgotten and memories she had buried.
Memories that she couldn't dig up, especially since she had purposefully forgotten them.
She shook her head and looked at Nico with a soft expression on her face.
"Y'know, you're very much human, Nico. It's nice to have something in common with someone as cool as you," Elayne praised with a sweet smile on her face.
Nico coughed, clearing the phlegm in his throat and averted his gaze. "I'm not cool."
"Ooh, an edge lord. I bet the ladies were all about you in high school," Elayne teased with a chuckle.
They sat in silence for a moment, allowing the weight of their pasts to sink in.
They weren't happy with their old lives, but they'd gladly trade their new ones for their mundane counterpart.
Elayne cleared her throat and glanced at Nico with a smile. "Well, now that we've trauma-bonded, wanna see my mattress with three bedbugs and a dream?"
Nico chuckled. "I'm just walking you home. Nothing more, nothing less."
"How boring..."
Minutes passed and they walked past the quieter streets of Pyrros.
Countless shacks made of wood, bricks and some even metal, were clustered everywhere.
Elayne approached one with barely decent fencing, pushed the gate open and walked inside, waiting for Nico.
He was suspicious, and rightfully so.
Elayne rolled her eyes and smiled. "Don't be like that. Come on in."
Nico followed behind her as she opened the door to the shack and stepped inside.
Inside, the shack housed a few torn couches, broken TV from the 80s with an antenna, and shattered windows.
The scent of the room was strangely similar to that of a hospital; pills and rubber.
On the walls was a printed map of Pyrros marked with different crosses on certain locations.
Next to the TV was a broken picture frame of Elayne and an unknown player; a male whose face was crossed out.
'Seems like X marks the spot for her.'
Right in the middle of the small room was a bed with ruined sheets and a blanket.
The lights were completely off and the only reason why they could see anything was due to the moonshine from outside the window.
Elayne walked around the room, brushing her hands on the furniture that stood the tests of time, despite clearly being unfit for human use.
She glanced at Nico and smiled at him, walking back to where he stood and brushing her hand against his chest.
Nico gently tapped her hand off his chest, which made her chuckle and run her fingers against his free hand.
Then, she interlocked them and drew closer to his face, her breath pushing up against his as she slightly tilted her head.
"Hey..." she whispered. "You're a virgin, aren't you?"
Nico furrowed his brows. "Don't bullshit yourself."
Elayne smirked and led him towards her bed, pushing him down before she began unclipping her coat.
She then removed her shoes and pants, leaving her black tank top and white panties on.
In addition, she ran her hands all over Nico's coat and removed it, leaving him wearing his shirt before she closed in on him and kissed him passionately.
Their tongues bashed against each other, creating an intense moment before Elayne pulled back.
"Take it all off," she demanded as she did the same.
Nico, who was feeling slightly nervous but kept a cold and nonchalant expression, slowly did as he was told until they were both naked.
'This is wrong. Or right. Hell if I know anymore. My heart's racing and my dick's listening more than my brain,' he assumed, his palms starting to sweat from inexperience.
Elayne's abs flexed as she moved, sharp lines cutting down her stomach. Nico's eyes dropped to her thighs—damn near tree trunks—and he gulped like he'd just swallowed a live rat.
Elayne was not only beautiful but had the perfect body.
Nico's heart beat faster as Elayne bent over in front of him, running her soft hand on his cheek and one finger on his jaw.
"You're so stiff..."