"I....ah....uhh..."

And there it was, the downside of being able to use his devilish looks. When his face is exposed, it's fair game for the person who was paying attention to him at the moment. For Tommy, it does come out of nowhere when someone that he wasn't working on to get information or anything useful from the sort gets charmed. However, he wasn't the type to waste any opportunity. Tommy had to flip it somehow, that's how he managed to survive for so long. Turning a negative into a positive, he had to find some way to obtain a "gain" no matter how hard it gets.

"Sure."

Tommy said simply as he shook the man's hand. Nothing wrong with being cordial, and perhaps he could find himself to be useful.

"I'm not the best gamer, but I dabble. Zhao, the empire of ages is a strategy game, right? Based on real-time history and it takes a lot of skill and intelligence to be number one in that. Something like that game might reflect our current situation. If you're good at a game, it means three things...potentially. You can manage resources, you can manage people, and you can manage a decent strategy. You're a person id want to be friends with. I wouldn't be surprised if your ability had anything to do with that, does it?"

There was some flattery in there, but Tommy was mostly trying to feel him out. He wanted to ask what his ability was outright, but sneaking it into the conversation while Wes found it comical made for a good distraction while Tommy accumulated information.

"Though... Wes, when the opportunity comes knocking, you should take it when you can. Early alliances aren't exactly the worse thing. I was going to send you guys a friend request if you were interested. You'll never know down the line. "


Wesley Mackie ZHAO WANG

There was a good chance that he was not being completely truthful. The charming status only set the stage for a semi-favorable outcome, but it bore no weight on whether someone would be able, to tell the truth or a lie. This was good information for Tommy, the delivery itself, no matter how apprehensive a person could be put their class, made Tommy rather doubtful that Wesley was being forthcoming about it. The curiosity only stemmed from the fact that Wesley wasn't charmed immediately, he wondered if it was a one-trick pony against people like him or if it had more of a utility.

"Hm, ninja huh? Ha, alright... tell you what, I'll believe you...today. "
Translation," it's bullshit but I'll just let it go."

No need to beat a dead horse if trust has to be earned. He was nothing like the mercenary, and the interactions with her told Tommy two things. Or maybe three things, either the class was weak, straightforward to a fault that sharing does absolutely nothing to the person, or complex enough that it's better to hold on to as a secret. However, there is no such thing as a weak class, everyone had their usefulness that contributed to their survival and the survival of others.

"About me?"


Tommy then checked his watch and put his mask back on. The charming status was almost up, but he would rather put up the illusion that there was no timer and that it was only blocked by not having his face exposed. With something as useful as that, he would give off the perception of his "white lie" for people to figure out on their own.

"I'm nothing more than an Enigma, trying to survive in this strange place. I'm easy to understand, but at the same time, I'm not. My main goal is to protect our way of life. Being able to walk into a cafe to order a tart and a coffee, the little things. No matter how much the world changes, that's something we have to keep, right? Also, thanks to you, I learned something. So I'm glad we met, Wesley."


Wesley Mackie

"Ah, well.... with such a fancy title, I figured that you had the most experience when it came to dealing with things like these. But if you don't know, I guess we're all going to find out. "

Tommy was looking for an easy opportunity to get the rundown, but if it wasn't going to easily come to him, he might as well stick to his guns and observe the situation entirely to avoid making any critical mistake. In addition to Sami introducing the group, Tommy would introduce himself as well.

"Enigma, mid-range. We all should know what we can do ahead of time before proceeding, roles are better established instead of playing them by ear. This isn't the kind of place to act too independently, not if our lives are on the line. But if you have a different opinion about that, don't be shy and share it with the rest of the class. "

Tommy kept it simple with his name, what he was capable of doing albeit not as detailed with the specifics, and expressed his intentions of working together with them. That much was enough, but if he could pick out the problem people ahead of time, Tommy was willing to use his powers to charm them for smooth cooperation. He did it immediately in his tutorial but decided to be conservative for the time being.

----

The sense of dread was practically unbearable for Tommy. He moved a lot quicker to get through the door, thankful for his willpower to be the thing that maintained his sanity. The observation of those statues didn't change his feelings either.

"A gorgon? Petrification ability? These may be the players that lost, used as a god-forsaken decoration..."

On cue, the noise ahead revealed two people, with one woman carrying another person whose legs were petrified.

"You must be those from the last game? If the floor gets cleared, your legs go back to normal. I'd appreciate you giving as much information about this floor as possible if you can. You do want your legs back, right?"


orvis peck Ella Moore  Ippo sebastian Sami

The first thing that Tommy thought was "oh shit, I think it's working". He noticed the social cues, the elongated handshake, and maintaining eye contact with Tommy for a lengthy period. Usually, Tommy tried to be charming with that power, so he always aims to get a more positive half of it unless he had to threaten people. It was good to be able to influence people to make life a little more comfortable for him. However, It could get out of hand sometimes.

"Well, we do live in dangerous times, so people develop ways and habits for them to protect themselves. Something as simple as hiding behind a mask, a little layer from the outside world so things don't seem as bad as it is. Or maybe vices, drinking, smoking, we are all coping, one way or another. "

What did he do for fun? It has been a while since Tommy heard that question.

"That's a little out of the blue. You mean, before the world ended? All of my hobbies were things I picked up for the sake of social climbing, so you could guess the usual suspects. Karaoke, Golf, Tennis, hanging out at the country club, wine tasting, and art museums. Oh, there was this one thing that I liked to do that chose on my own..... but I'll keep it a secret. "

Tommy said this with a wink as he tossed a question back at Wesley.

"A lot of people got a lot of different classes during the awakening, I'm still kind of getting a hang of mine. What did you end up getting? Anything useful by any chance so I can join team Wesley to get back to normalcy? "

This was a test, but he wondered if Wesley will soften up enough to reveal his class or powers.


Wesley Mackie

"I don't like that word too much, "protagonist", makes it seem that the hero complex and self-perception will always supersede the needs of the people. It's almost dishonest when people want to see themselves a certain way all the time without introducing the bad. Mark my words, once those "protagonists", show up, that's when shit hits the fan. The greater good doesn't mean that it's great for everyone, people get ideas once you start wielding a bunch of powers and death games in their faces. "

Tommy had reasons to be skeptical of people who acted a certain way. It was either to boost public opinion or the idea that they believe themselves to be as authentic as what they portray. If the latter, all it means is that if their ego or self-esteem was crushed, they would end up useless. In a dangerous quest or dungeon, it could get everyone else killed with him.

"Well, let's exchange contacts in the meantime. It would be easier for us to contact each other, but only if you want to."


Sami

Getting the message from the person he wanted, Tommy was rather relieved that he got a response back. Even though the hub was considered a safe place, things can still go about that can put someone in a difficult situation. It doesn't always have to be violence that gets you, not if individuals know of a workaround. Besides, it was his first time in the hub and even though he knew of the safe zones outside of the digital space, he wasn't expecting an entirely new virtual reality for people to frequent.

"The cafe huh?"

Adjusting his mask, Tommy followed the instructions and decided that it would be best to hide his actual facial features for the time being. If this woman was a professional and something went wrong during the negotiations, the follow-up issues wouldn't just end in the hub.

With Tommy arrived at the cafe, he looked around and sat at the table where the instructions directed him to sit and wait. He didn't know exactly what this person looked like, it could be anyone.

nubia

"Solo play is fun but I think I'll need help down the lone. Checking the board, I think that this is the place where certain services were advertised?"

Such things were prevalent even though the end of the world seemed to have arrived. With everything appearing as a video game, the previous skills that someone has that can carry over to the new world with their abilities can make them worthwhile. Mercenaries weren't excluded from this. Whether the actions against monsters or other people, the idea of how to price and what they would consider as a worthy exchange for their services was up to the person in question.

As for Tommy, he had no problems rubbing shoulders with those kinds of people. They were simple and easy to work with as long as there wasn't a breach in the contract.

"Main issue is making one."

Sending a private message to red bee's Dm's, he stated that he arrived in the hub.


nubia