Chapter 6: Teatime

Faye might not know much about people, despite working in a store that players frequented a lot, but she could still tell that the male sitting on the sofa was feeling nervous.

Truthfully, she felt a little bad for him, even though she didn't know how he ended up here instead of being in his dungeon. It was out of character to care about someone she had just met, but maybe him being someone who had completely broken free of the Main Computer's clutches made her a little curious.

Placing the tray with the tea and plate of various cakes and biscuits on the table, Faye sat in the only armchair and waited for him to speak. She was a quiet person, so being a good listener was what she was best at.

Nox was lost in his thoughts and didn't notice her sitting down. Time ticked by and soon the time was approaching midnight. They were both made of computer data, meaning their bodies didn't work like an average person's; sleep wasn't needed for either of them.

There was plenty of time for Nox to say everything he wanted. Nerves still plagued him, and just when Faye thought he wouldn't speak, he said, "I'm sorry for showing up here. It's... It's just I have met no one like me since I left the dungeon."

"It's fine," Faye said in a soft voice. "How did you leave there? Ever since I woke up, I couldn't step outside the shop."

Nox lowered his eyes and focused his attention on the frayed edges of his gloves. "For some time, I was like that as well. Stuck in the dungeon for what was possibly years, with no idea what was happening. Fear of the unknown struck me. I could only carry on playing my part as the Final Boss to quench it.

"Then, as I was exploring the dungeon, I found a black mass in one corner. It was inconspicuous and out of sight, and as soon as I saw it, something drew me towards it. And before I knew what I was doing, my hand was reaching for the thing. That was when everything changed."

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"What happened?" Faye couldn't help but lean forward in her seat. In her hands, the tea was left forgotten and almost spilt, but neither of them noticed. 

Nox took a moment to sip on the tea and collect his thoughts. "It didn't happen instantaneously. It was more of a gradual thing. At first, when the players tried to enter the dungeon, there was an error preventing them from starting the event. Then the taskbar wouldn't open at all, meaning that no one could join.

It wasn't long before the Main Computer caught on to the abnormality and started investigating. Players converged outside the dungeon and refused to leave until it was fixed. They called it a 'glitch', and I assumed it meant that it made areas of the game shut down, and are unable to be used until the error is fixed."

"Sounds complicated." Faye's bewilderment showed plainly on her expression and trying to make sense of it all made her brain hurt. "Were you able to leave because of that glitch?"

Nox nodded and with a small smile he replied, "After leaving that place, I was unsure of what to do. I wandered the game world for a long time, without a sure destination. That was all I could do. It wasn't until I ended up outside your shop, and saw you talking to the other NPC, that something seemed to settle into place within me, and my true purpose became known."

"True purpose?" Faye looked at him curiously. 

"It's n-nothing." Nox avoided her gaze and was inwardly glad that his hair covered up his ears, which were probably a rosy pink. A silence, unlike what it was earlier, overtook the room, and neither of them spoke up again. 

Nox awkwardly drank his tea and nibbled on the biscuits that had been left mostly untouched on the tray. He vowed that he would never mention what the true purpose was to Faye; it was too embarrassing.

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