flameinthedarkness

At this point, Cater's having too much fun to even think about what others might think, either. Not that he cares to be seen with Idia, of course. Everyone tends to see him as a chatterbox, after all, so the only strange thing about the two of them walking together to such an integral part of the campus is the smile on Idia's face.

"Come on," he laughs, ribbing him gently with an elbow. "You're so totally up to something--and I really wanna know what it is...but I'll spare you my begging, even though I'm absolutely picture perfect on my knees."

"What, you do that often? What you getting up to that I don't know?" A pause for dramatics. "You know what, I don't wanna know. Keep it to yourself." Still grinning all the way through this, even the little bump from Cater, though it's not something Idia was expecting at all, in some ways amazed that... he didn't mind too much, having his personal space invaded. Ortho is really the only one who can get within it normally.

Laughing, Cater winks. "It's for the best. I don't kiss and tell."

And, really, he does have his stories...but all his jokes and performance aside, he's hardly the type to gossip about something that involves his own moments that are that private.

By the time they're at the Hall of Mirrors, there's a definite bounce in his step, and before they duck into their own mirrors he tosses a "TTYL!" at Idia before disappearing into the Heartslabyul dimension. He smiles all the way to his dorm, keeping an eye on the time as he winds down and prepares the setup and intro for his stream.

"O.M.G..." Really Cater, really? Really?

Idia seems to return a bit closer to 'normal' with their dorm mirrors in sight, knowing the role he has to fall back in, and leaving with a slight nod of his head back to Cater before stepping into Ignihyde. Still... he's excited for what's to come... and hoping he won't chicken out. Ehhh, he really, really is going to try not to. But hey, that's part of the plan, right? Something to hide behind, like a Halloween mask.

And for him it doesn't take long to put stuff into practice, though he is racing through, but also taking times for double checking everything and triple-proofing the set up, so there is no way any accident will drop his plan. He would never live it down if this failed while he was talking... just bury him now if it does. But no, no, that's why he's set it up this way... but one more test, just in case...

It does mean he's a little slow to the stream, which is fine, he did warn Cater, no, Cinder about this. Eventually though, in the chat,

o/

The stream's off to a chill start when Gloomurai makes an appearance in the chatroom. Cinder doesn't take any real break from chatting as the other regulars give their greetings. Since his avatar doesn't show him typing, he can reach over with ease to send Idia a whisper.

Welcome in! How's your secret plan shaping up?

Edited 2023-02-04 11:05 (UTC)

fuck y did i agree to this?! _(:Ⅰ」∠)_ i got it, i got it tho, im good. logging in now

HE'S SO NERVOUS! What if something fucks up?! Idia tested it over and over again... but what if something went wrong! Ehhhhh! He's panicking! He's panicking!

Cater's definitely excited to be able to play what he wants to play with his friend on stream instead of sacrificing the time to do other things. When he'd mentioned that he was going to be doing something different, the chat seemed pretty excited about watching him dive further into the world of such a popular MMO on screen...but just in case, he hasn't mentioned whether or not he was going to have a guest partying up with him or not.

Now, as he boots everything up, he gives Idia one final out.

sure? Still time 2 back out if u need
no pressure!!! :)

no no i said i would so i will. So um... i guess... be in VC in a moment?

A couple of breaths from the other side of the screen... and one last check on his own system his side to really make sure he's ready... before getting into game and setting himself up in the voice chat they use and... leaving it up to Cinder to sort out how this will work...

KK but if u need 2 bounce just lmk

At the end of it all, nothing's worth making Idia feel uncomfortable. He knows this is out of his classmate's general comfort zone, so he doesn't want to push him too far. But with that reassurance, Cater finishes getting the game set up on the stream's end before he announces to the chat:

"I've got another surprise, actually. I have a friend joining us to party up with me. Let me just patch them in with us..."

A couple more clicks and he's in voice chat, knowing that Idia's well aware he can be heard on stream and greets him like normal. Which, Cinder normal is starting to sound a lot like Cater's usual voice when gaming privately.

"Hey there, gamer! Ready to get another workout in keeping me boosted?"

A slap of his hands to his cheeks in real life, using it to help him focus, trying not to lose that nerve over a silly joke that seemed really funny to Idia at the time... but less so now, but also... he really doesn't like the idea of his voice being online. So... yeah, yeah, this is totally different to him, no way anyone would know it's him so... it kind of have to be this way, even if he hadn't planned this as a joke. Maybe he should had warned Cater but... too late now, right?

Another huff of a breath to spur himself on as he waited for Cinder to set this up... before speaking, "Ah, hi? Hi! Um, well, guess chat does know me? Just, ah, in name only. Hi, it's Gloomurai. Um, ah, yeah, yeah, I am... let me throw you a party invite and I'll summon you to the event." And when he does, it is very, very clearly it is not Idia's voice. Using his program to make himself sound very soft and very feminine, towards the higher scale of voice tones. Even if his nerves were still coming through.

It's a good thing Cater manages to mute his microphone to give "Gloomurai" the floor before he's captured sputtering out loud. Okay, really, he can't say that it's far from the realm of reality that Idia would modulate his voice. But the voice he did choose?

Why is it so damn cute?

Of course, the chat is totally blowing up over the long-time VIP member being an apparent girl. Or, well, grill, as many of them say.

"Okay, let's all pick our jaws up off the floor." Once he does speak, no one would suspect that he's as surprised as everyone else. "Gloom's been really awesome helping me get into this game, being that I'm at a total newb level over here. Oh--got your invite!"

He's hoping that once they get into the swing of things, especially if Idia doesn't feel too pressed to interact with chat, it'll all feel a bit more...normal.

Is any of this normal? Seriously. He can't help slapping Idia a really fast:

OMFG

Edited 2023-02-05 05:04 (UTC)

Yeah, yeah, Idia kind of expected this, even if he's going GIRL (Guy In Real Life) mode here. Ehhh, he didn't think this through, that this would stick to this name in this chat... whatever. It's... kinda funny, in a way... he guesses, just to see chat losing their shit over it, he giving a bit of a giggle from his side, which of course gets modified into that higher tone. Which... Idia is rather proud of himself how natural the program was coming across, he had his worries, but it was holding up well so far.

Siighh, what is he doing? Whatever, onto game.

"K, k, summoning now. We'll make sure to get you that limited time gear. It's super cute! Gotta get it!"

Spying that PM to him, Idia quickly replies to it,

it was funnier in my head i swear! ｡ﾟ(*´□`)ﾟ｡˚

definitely didn't think this 1 thru LMAO :P

But honestly, Cater can work with it. Idia totally threw him for a loop, but it definitely explains why he was acting so suspicious earlier. Hopefully hiding behind his own persona will help him have fun and act natural.

"I know, right? I'll totally cry if I miss out on it...but I'm still so low level! I owe you, Gloom-senpai~"

Being in a voice chat while streaming is definitely new for him, but after a bit of an adjustment it isn't too difficult to keep up conversation in-game while also checking in on the chatters, responding to some of them and asking them questions to keep talking going.

my life is suffering and pain...

"OMG, stop it! You're such a pain!" Even with that voice changer, for Cater, it would no doubt still sound like Idia, especially once he's behind a screen and chatting. Far less reserved and worried, more relaxed and allowing that side of him show, even if it took time for it to happen with them.

And despite having a top tier geared character... Idia had changed it out to something more fitting for the event, themed to it. Starting the group with the universal way of communicating in MMOs; jumping, before heading off towards the event. Though 'she' also keeps an eye on the chat.

"Hmm? Yeah, that event, chat. I grabbed it all my first year playing, but it's totally worth it for newbies to enjoy, plus they always hold a special draw for it too. I still haven't gotten all the items and I have thrown sooooo many resources into it! It's such a pain, so plan to dump a bunch in this year to get what I'm missing. Oh, Cinder! There's a piece we'll have to try and roll for you, it'll be perfect, heeee~!"

"Being a pain for everyone is part of my charm point," Cinder counters. "And yes I am counting myself in everyone."

The occasional self-deprecation is definitely part of his character, and his avatar gives an innocent cat-like grin as it tips from side to side, jester pom-poms bouncing. His quirkiness translates in game, too, and although he does take it seriously overall, will definitely fall into giggling fits as he gets his avatar stuck in odd poses or expressions when they're in safe zones. Still, he follows Gloomurai diligently, and the excitement that he shows when he manages to level anything or get a good item drop is practically adorable.

"If we get it will I be the prettiest girl in the ball?"

"No that's me. But we'll get you close." Delivered super seriously before letting out a 'heheheeee' of laughter from between his teeth.

"I'll see if I can spin for it. You grab the quests to start them and we can head over to the gathering section for them. I need to pray to the RNG gods for awhile." Because this was Cinder's stream, not his, people were here to see Cinder. So let Cinder do his thing while Idia hopes he can get this certain drop. It shouldn't be too difficult, not compared to the item he wanted; a pair of fire kitty ears. They so cute! He needs them!

"Okay...I'll relent to being runner-up," Cinder agrees with a laugh. After their joking, though, he splits off to get started on the quest work. It gives him a good amount of time to grind for event items while he talks to his chat. He gets a lot of good advice from players who're more familiar with the game than him, and he's only half paying attention to the different items that he picks up and files away into his inventory, figuring that he'll go through and catalog where he stands once he regroups with Gloomurai.

And then his chat explodes all of a sudden. Cries of NO WAY and WHAT IS THAT LUCK and LET'S GOOOOO flood the sidebar, and he has to stop what he's doing to try and figure out what's going on.

"What? What is it? Oh, I picked up a good drop? Which one? Slow down! OMG! I'm checking!" He opens up his inventory, and sure enough there is a cosmetic item listed in the highest rarity. "Aw, cute!"

Not really his style, but...

Idia had muted himself as Cinder spoke. Mostly because he was muttering as those spins continued. Freaking gachas and their drop rates. Sighhh, if it was paid currency Idia would just pump it into game until he got what he wanted. But no, it's with mats you had to make in game, so it took time to do, not madol. And... sure, he could set a bot up to do it... but doesn't want to risk losing his game over something like that. It's fine, it's fine... it's fine... whatever, Idia burning through his supply without getting what he wanted...

But he did get what he wanted to give to Cinder, so that's something at least. It's fine, he'll grind to get some more before event ends and try again.

Hearing Cinder speak and a glance to chat, Idia switched his mic back on, "Hm? What's happening?" Walking his character over to Cinder's since he was done with what he was doing.

Even though Cater's gathered what happened, he's still oblivious to just how big of a statistical miracle he pulled out of nowhere that he has a perplexed grin on his face when Gloomurai's sweet tones reach his tears. "Well," he explains, "the RNG Gods have shined their blessed light on a humble clown."

He doesn't even ask if Idia wants to see. Just pulls the coveted cat ears out of his inventory to show off like a holy artifact in his avatar's hand.

Cinder's VTuber looks like a smug little punk right now, that's for sure.

A 'tssss' from between his teeth, curious to know what he got, amusement coming through his modified voice, "K then, lets see." Seeing that display and-

Idia doesn't even need to read the details on it to confirm. He knows that asset. The same damn asset he's been trying to get drop for him for so long.

"WWWHHHAAATTTT?! The Magnificent Charming Niko-Niko Fire Kitty Ears in pink?! OMG! I've been trying for those for so long! Do you have any clue what the drop rate is on those?! It's a 0.00047% drop chance on them!" The tone that was said in half between joy and despair. "Ahhhh! How did you get the beginners luck to get those?!" It's so unfair...

In pink and everything, huh? The pure, unrestrained envy in Idia's pitched voice has him smiling for ear-to-ear. He's already opening the window to send it as a gift over to his friend's account. No matter what kind of cred he's get for having them equipped, what kind of guy would he be if he didn't recognize how badly Idia wanted them? And he's doing all of this for him, coming on stream and all that...

"I don't know what to tell you. Some of us are just better," he teases, mouse circling over the "send" button as he muses, "Guess I'll just have to put it up for auction."

"Ahhh, so annoyed you got them, but GG." Any cross between joy and irritation that Idia had for Cater getting them... ehhh, he can't really complain if RNG went Cater's way, he'll just farm for them more... but... maybe a little bit of him hoped that...

And those hopes were dashed as Cinder spoke, "Oh." It out before he could even try and cover the disappointment in it. It just getting out. But... no, that's fair. They were really sought after items, every set collector wanted them, they would sell for a really high price. It was only right that Cinder sold them. But... Idia's stomach instantly felt heavier, weighing him down. But, he still had a chance, right? "H-How much you want for them? N-Name a price, I can pay it."

Offline, Cater feels his face grow hot with regret. He was kind of expecting some kind of outburst, but the despondent oh was just...so sad. His chat is still going faster than he's used to, but they can see what he's up to and at least are only jokingly calling him cruel. Still, he actually does feel kind of like a jerk now. He presses send before the bit can go on any longer, the coveted ears zooming their way over to Gloomurai's account.

"I'm not really good at that stuff," he says, trying to sound casual and laugh it off. "Anyway, you can't put a price on friendship."

Idia's trying to do the maths in his head, recalling what he had put away in the bank as well as what he had on him, or trading it for materials instead he can offer, stuff he knows Cater will need later on. It was tough to get those too, but not nearly as tough as the ears were, it would take a few farming sessions to get his supply back up again but he could.

Then he noticed those ears pop into his inventory, staring at them for a long moment as Cinder continued to speak, shocked to see them just... set like that. "W-What?! Are you sure?! People pay real madol for these! You have any clue what these go for?!" ...he needs to pay him back somehow, and more than just the gear he rolled for Cinder.

A few moments later and a large donation comes through the chat for Cinder. Larger than the ones Gloomaurai has done before.

"Of course I'm sure, I'm--"

Idia's donation goes through and Cinder's stream avatar all but freezes, eyes blown wide at the very real shock it maps from Cater's face. "W-Whoa, really, I just wanted to tease you a little bit, they were already yours as far as I was concerned, you really didn't have to do that. Aahhh!"

Totally involved in his conversation with Idia, he's totally stopped looking at chat as they react to the mega donation and how apparently "cute" the two are in their interaction.

"Whatever they're worth, all that matters to me is how much you'll enjoy them."

Is he a jerk? That kind of money...he's got to tell Idia it's too much, right?

I savor each one like a badge of pride for my heart

omg...

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