Dawn's Dusk

A little time passed, and surprisingly, oddly enough, the pair...actually got on.

The first few days were hard. Erin had a sharp mind with a patient tongue, but Uriel seemed to function quite the opposite. They bickered, bumped heads, and got caught on each other's rough edges. But, after taking a small second to step back and map all the thorns on their bodies, they learnt how to avoid the unpleasant parts. It was hard, and they were a bit mismatched.

It was hard, but now, they didn't have the sudden urge to shove knives down each other's throats, or bicker every five seconds, though they typically owed all that to none other than Uriel.

As of right now, they're a blank canvas with infinite potential.

"Hey, Rinnie! How are you feeling today?" a woman appearing to be in her mid-thirties emerged from the hallway and into his room, flicking a needle in her hand.

"All pretty good, thanks," Erin weakly smiled, though, he had a tad bit more energy than usual. You could see it most in the little wrinkles where he'd smile.

"Oh, I can tell. Your smile is rather contagious. Care to share?" she beamed, ever so warm, bending down to press the syringe against his skin.

"I'm sort of getting to know someone - agh - a friend, I think? Maybe?" he gasped, rubbing the side of his arm as it began to tingle slightly.

"Ah, did it hurt? I'll be more gentle next time. But, wow, I'm almost a little jealous. Good for you. When will you next meet them?" she looked genuinely happy for Erin, and he couldn't help but get a bit flustered.

"I'm not too sure, actually. Maybe today, or tomorrow?"

Truthfully, he doesn't know anything when it comes to Uriel. He's the deemed walking contradiction to Erin; kind one minute, and spiteful the next. Will it apply to his in-game attendance? He wouldn't know.

"Ah, I see," she nodded thoughtfully, blinking minimally. "I need to go attend to my duties, alright? Please press the button if you need anything. Tata, for now!" she waved, as she slid the door open and leisurely exited his room.

Plonking his head back atop the stiff pillow, he sighed. He wasn't exactly used to whatever emotions it is swirling in the sea of his heart. In fact, it was madly confusing. Since he hardly experienced much aside neutrality, he could scarcely differentiate his ecstasy from being nervous. Though, he assumed he might be able to learn the difference in due time. One thing he did know for sure though, was that there might soon be a reason to log into the game apart from money.

Dark cotton clouds veiled the blue tinted sky, hovering over the land he occupied. The sky itself began to weep, and Erin grew sombre. Not wanting to stick around in this weather, he did what he'd always do when he wanted to escape.

He escaped to his world.

His eyes fluttered open as he materialised in the lobby, running to the launchpad to see if any quests were available. He still couldn't quite believe he was able to continue playing, and just how much influence Uriel had. No thoughts could conjure up in his mind apart from woah. Very articulate, if you ask him.

A little notification alerted Erin that Uriel was online. Being a lone player meant he was never accustomed to receiving player notifications, so this was one of the many new things occurring to him since the tornado that was Uriel.

"Oh?"

Before Erin could even think to send a quick message, Uriel was already standing before him, prompting a scared out of his wits Erin to jump out his skin.

"You have got to stop doing that!"

"No. I don't take orders from midgets," Uriel sarcastically replied whilst Erin rolled his eyes.

"You wouldn't even take orders from the Queen if you didn't feel like it," Erin muttered vapidly under his breath. Uriel snorted, soon after noticing Erin was clutching something and pointed to it.

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" Erin sighed.

Erin was holding a smooth piece of paper, with 'quest' written in block capitals on the top of a page. Scanning the paper with a blank expression, Uriel's eyes flickered back up to meet Erin's through his chestnut tresses.

"Looks like you're a rat."

"Uriel."

"Okay, okay. Can I tag along?" Uriel raised his hands up signing that he was surrendering, tilting his head innocently. Staying silent for a moment, Erin bit the inside of his cheek before nodding slowly. "Nice. Why are you just standing there, garden gnome? Let's go, already."

Erin was itching to argue back, but gave up, shaking his head as the corner of his lips raised.

Not even five minutes passed, and Uriel already began to complain.

"I'm bored, tired, and hungry. We should stop for food," he blinked, before continuing, "or is a mere meal considered your luxury?" he teased, sticking his foot out to trip Erin. Instead, all he got was an eye-twitching, jaw-clenching scowl. In response, he kicked a few pebbles, mumbling. "Damn, what bed bug bit your ass in the morning?"

Huffing, he looked away, glancing at the map to check his location. The quest was madly simple. Cross the forest, collect a lethal snake, and transport it to a merchant. Simple. Eyes lighting up, he finally found the small building he had to enter, dashing towards the door as Uriel beckoned for him to wait up.

The door flung ajar as a little bell rung on the top, alerting the AI. "Why, hello there, 'Blue'!" the plump, short man heartily chuckled, with a rather thick, green snake hanging around his neck. Stumbling in, Uriel fell atop Erin's back, as they both collapsed to the floor. "Why, hello there, 'V'!" he chuckled again, as Uriel rolled his eyes as he got back up on his feet.

"Man, I fucking hate NPCs. I'd much rather eat them, or something."

Ignoring Uriel with a small smile, he arose from a mildly painful fall and signed a few papers, before taking hold of the antique, rusting golden cage, heavy enough to be compared to a pile of bricks. A dirty white sheet was hung over the top of it, hiding the snake's exterior. Noticing Erin's struggle, Uriel scoffed cockily, spouting nonsense about how much stronger he was than Erin, only to face-plant the second he attempted holding it.

"Well. You're awful quiet. Don't you want to tell me about how strong you are?" Erin tormented as they walked out the store and into the plush green forest.

"Shut the fuck up, you're just the bloody Hulk," Uriel frowned as he crossed his arms. "I bet there are actual bricks in there," he puffed as he went to touch the sheet surrounding the cage. Moving the cage away, Erin slapped his hand back to his body protectively.

"Let's not do that. It's probably covered for a reason."

"Bro, live a little," Uriel moaned reaching for the sheet again, before Erin just changed the hand he held the cage in.

"I'm trying, but if you unveil it, I doubt I'm going to be living afterwards," Erin sighed, looking towards his left to make eye contact with Uriel.

Except, there was no Uriel, unfortunately.

Not even giving a chance for Erin to call his name, he appeared to his left, instantaneously flicking off the sheet before Erin could flip his hand away.

The snake got exposed to sunlight, as the patterns on its scales began to glow a vicious jade green. Almost viral, toxic looking; something you wouldn't dare even spare a second glance at. Eyes snapping open, it pummelled the cage, breaking free. Second by second, the snake grew larger and larger, growing taller than Erin.

"Ha, you troll. Even a snake is taller than you!" Uriel wheezed, smacking his knees.

Furiously, the snake zoomed its head in Uriel's direction, as his laughter began to fade into a nervous chuckle. It restlessly slithered and swirled to Uriel, devouring metres of land within seconds, and all it took was a wave of its thick tail. Erin just frowned in utter disappointment, watching Uriel scream and run.

"What the -? Help!"

Hours passed, and the pair were on their hands and knees, crawling away from the merchant store they delivered it to.

"Damn you, Erin. Why'd you unveil it?" Uriel huffed, chest aggressively rising and falling as he laid against the ground.

"That was all you! Don't blame it on me, my reward even got halved because we took too long!" Erin whined, pouring a healing serum onto his bitten arm.

"What a puny reward it was to begin with. Why'd you even take that quest?" Uriel eyed the bag of the finest nourishments, unimpressed. Erin simply mimicked him, and eyed the bag sadly with a dejected spirit, placing it against the floor.

"I kind of, I just wanted to get it for you, you know, as a thank you gift?" Erin mumbled, playing with the string on his pinkie. Immediately, Uriel picked at the peach fuzz on his cheek, reduced to a silent stuttering mess before flipping his hair coolly.

Erin knew feeding the ego of people like Uriel wasn't ideal, but he wasn't just doing it for Uriel. He was raised to give where something is due. Besides, if Erin really squinted and tilted his head to the side, he might just about be able to make out what looked like a trying Uriel.

"I, um, I-" he scratched his ear. "Anyways, hand it over, midget."

A small glow reinstated its position in Erin's skin, as he jolted his head up to Uriel's firm face. Firm, but less taut than usual; almost as if he's trying to keep his composure. A subtle difference to some, but astronomically immeasurable for Erin. "I mean, are you sure? You don't have to take-"

"Hand it over, I'm starving. That pork belly I smell? Erin, your taste isn't half bad, you know," Uriel rambled, interrupting the shorter, making grabby hands at the basket.

"Here you go," Erin moved the basket to the middle, pulling out a plate, placing a few lumps of meat and rice on it. Handing it to Uriel, he immediately chowed down, face looking rather relaxed and gratified. Peering upwards, he used his head to usher a signal for Erin to sit.

"Have some, too. It's a bit much for me," Uriel ordered, smacking a spot next to him.

"Are you sure? I-"

"Mfghf," Uriel mouthed around a big bite of his pork. It was a fair point.

Undeniably relieved, Erin sat next to him, grabbing a plate and placing a few spoonfuls of rice, not wanting to cause any discomfort. How? Who knows. Erin is a little too wary and a little too distant. Uriel threw a few not-so-subtle glances at Erin's scarce plate, spooning a few pieces of pork and vegetables, neatly arranging it on Erin's plate, with excessive meticulous detail and care. This was the second time he had done this, and Erin was still just as dazed. This time, there was no desperation to survive.

This time, maybe, just maybe, he was being nice.

That word alone sent chills down Erin's spine. Focusing on removing the tickled pink hue grazing his face, Erin coughed, which caught the indifferent Uriel's attention. Erin was bashfully embarrassed, maybe excited; he could only pray to the Cosmos in hopes of learning to keep his fluctuating emotions in check.

"Woah, you're red. You good?" Uriel spoke, words muffled as food was stuffed into his mouth.

"I'm fine. Thanks for the food," Erin grinned, tucking in hastily.

This was the first real time Erin actually showed his full smile, and it momentarily threw Uriel off guard. His eyes were pushed up to form similar crescents to the Moon, and his plump lips stretched upwards, revealing the slight dimples he had. It extended from his eyes deeper into his earthy soul, becoming the gentle hand caressing the cheek of vibrant innocence. It was truly a sight to behold, truly virally contagious, and Uriel had to snap his neck back and stuff his throat to ignore it.

"You did kind of basically get this yourself," Uriel chuckled lightly. "The food's kinda edible, so thanks," Uriel smiled back. The pair didn't know how to go forward, so they silently ate as they watched the sun sink into the horizon, a golden hue kissing their skin. Of course, the food was more than just edible - it was actually mouth-watering; the pork melted as soon as it touched the tongue, vegetables seasoned to perfection.

Erin thought he might've understood Uriel the tiniest bit more. He knew now that, in actuality, Uriel is affectionate, but shy. Maybe a bit like himself. He smiles softly and laughs so quietly, discreetly, so that you can barely hear his joy; and, if Erin listens closely enough, Uriel is always speaking.

But even with his lack of knowledge for treating people, he seemed to find ways to express himself through his subliminal actions. For instance, whenever his eyes would trail with wonderment towards the scintillating constellations, he'd hurriedly guide his gaze over his shoulder to make sure Erin saw them as well.

They were both slightly giddy, munching on their meals as the sun set.

"It's so pretty," Erin mumbled, heavenly bodies of light accentuating his opulent features. The distant look in his eyes find home in the embrace of the virtual sky, simultaneously lost and found in its beauty.

"Mhm. This world is basically the real one, but miles better."

Erin's conscience found its way back to the frontmost area of his mind, urging him to smile and face Uriel with a growing grin. "Right? Isn't it just? Imagine a world where it's this, and not Earth," Erin trailed dazingly, borderline dubiously.

Uriel snorted, nodding his head 'no' gently. "Actually, no, never mind. After the Godzilla-snake hybrid attack, I'm never stepping foot into a jungle again."

"Oh, I don't know. You seemed real eager to get to know her," Erin cheekily raised a brow, cocking his head.

"If I had known an oversized reptilian lizard dinosaur would nearly bite my balls off, I would suck in my pride and listen to a midget."

A side glance and a sigh from Erin spoke a million more words than actual words itself. "You act like you're eight foot four."

"And you act like you're not three foot two."

"How the hell does anyone deal with you?" the raven haired male exasperatedly scoffed.

"Well, they don't. But I can't imagine anyone dealing with you either," Uriel retorted snappily.

"Finally, one thing you're right about," Erin shuffled closer to Uriel. "That was your fault, though." he sighed. "Speaking of which, people allow me entry to their quests now. What did you do?" Erin set his empty plate on the floor.

"Oh," he chewed on his pork. "Got the creator to send a mass message to all players that it was a false alarm," he shrugged.

Nodding, Erin went into deep thought.

Just how rich do you have to be to have people kissing your fingertips and lighting your cigar?