Token

"-and you were just laying waste to Elves left and right!"

Maybe if we used more formation oriented fighting…

"Ngh- B-but I got super injured!"

It would be time appropriate but I don't know if we could beat the Elves in terms of flexible formations.

"You were still bad-ass! Come on Craig, wasn't Tweek being super badass?"

If we had some cohesive training, we'd do a lot better.

"You were pretty cool."

Of course, you'd say that Craig.

Pausing the drone footage that had been taken of the battle, Token rewound it a few seconds and focused his attention on the Ranger/Archer couplings. Seven couplings, five free rangers, two healers. Stan was in the castle…

"Y-You were way more badass man!" Tweek was insisting. His jittering wasn't as bad as it had been, probably because he'd gotten his hands on some coffee after going all afternoon without it. "I was so terrified."

"That's normal, you were level one, you should be terrified." Clyde sounded excited about that fact, though that was mostly because he always sounded excited. Tweek squeaked, likely startled by something or other that Clyde had said. "Most of those people you were facing were level three at least!"

"He's level two, now," Craig pointed out flatly. Heh, so proud of your little barbarian, aren't you? Token smiled minutely before switching to the second drone angle and watching the same few seconds over again from the new point of view.

"So are you!" Tweek yelped. They have formations, but they're very adaptable. I wonder how long Kyle worked on these? Whereas we have nothing of the sort and what are the chances Cartman would take the time to bother?

The drone footage, which could be accessed on the scorekeeping Facebook page of the fantasy game, existed so the rule keepers could keep track of who was at what level. Seeing as the robotics club had been all too eager to join up with the computer club to monitor the game, the Drone system had been quickly implemented. With mostly unbiased people looking over every altercation, whether it be a chance encounter or a full-scale battle, people's rankings were kept up with and there was no chance of foul play.

Humming under his breath, Token switched back to the first feed and sped it up to around halfway through the battle before taking a moment to watch the changes in the Elves' tactics.

"You two only got to level two? Hah, Token's level three so he's got both of you beat!" Clyde announced as if it had been a competition. At the sound of his name, the boy glanced up, pausing the footage so he could focus fully on what was going on around him.

"You're almost level nine," Token pointed out, raising his eyebrows at Clyde, who stuck out his chest proudly. "I don't think it matters what level the rest of us are quite yet. Other than working out our abilities, which neither of you has done yet."

"Well, considering the Elves kind of attacked right away, they didn't have much of a chance to do something like that," Clyde admitted, screwing up his face slightly before shrugging. "Oh well, you guys can figure it out!" How eternally cheerful… Token thought, his eyes wandering.

"Oh Jesus, what do you mean we have to choose our abilities!?" Tweek was sitting on the couch alone at the moment, Craig having vanished behind the bar to find something to drink. Absently, Token took note of what he was wearing. His war paint had faded slightly with time, though there were still dark stripes across his face. Token wondered if he was imagining the clear finger marks in the streaks or if they were really there. Because they'd come straight to the rich boy's house after the battle, Tweek hadn't had a chance to pick up a shirt of his own. Right now, he was wearing an oversized tee-shirt that had the faded words Red Racer emblazoned across its front.

Though it didn't seem like anything to care about, it immediately became obvious why this mattered when Craig reappeared from where he'd been, fetching drinks. "Of course we do, how else will we know what we're able to do?" Craig said flatly. He'd changed out of his Thief costume into a spare set of clothes he'd left over at Token's at one point or another. All except for the shirt, which was an old shirt of Token's.

Because Craig's spare shirt was currently being worn by Tweek, who muttering something about pressure while he pulled on his hair.

Hmm…

Sitting down right beside Tweek, close enough that the two of them were squished together, Craig looked over at Token. Feeling compelled to say something, the boy pulled up the Facebook app on his tablet and said, "You might as well build your characters now. I went ahead and did mine already."

Of course, the scorekeepers had been forced to develop different abilities for him and attempt to create a balanced character so Token hadn't had much of a choice but to work on it early but those were just details.

"OH GOD WHAT IF WE CHOOSE THE WRONG THING!?" Tweek all but screeched, tearing at his hair. Of course he'd worry about something like that. Token waited for a beat, almost able to time the inevitable. Like clockwork, Craig's hand came up and landed in Tweek's hair. His twitching slowed almost at once, just as Token had known it would.

Hmm… Token thought again as Tweek curled up against Craig's side and accepted the cup of coffee the boy offered to him. His thoughts were cut off by Clyde, who snatched the tablet out of his hands and passed it to Craig.

"Come on, you need to start stacking your abilities! Here, you should be able to just go to the main page, then go to the abilities section…" Pulling a face, Clyde grabbed the tablet out of Craig's hands once more and quickly found what he was looking for. "Okay, just choose what you want!" He shoved it back at the Noirette.

As Craig looked over it, Token pulled out his phone and brought up the drone footage there. But even as he returned to watching it peacefully while Craig and Clyde argued about which build was the best, his attention wandered.

To be fair, it was wandering in a very specific direction. Glancing back up at his friends, Token watched as the device was passed to Tweek and the boy instantly started freaking out over the choices. Wait for it… Now. Craig put his arm around the smaller boy and pulled him closer, calming his fear. Clyde didn't even blink at this, but Token took note of it mentally.

He'd been noticing a trend, after all. It was an interesting one and not something that he was prepared to put any energy into disrupting. That thing was the strange relationship between Tweek and Craig. A little over a month ago, they hadn't even spoken to each other before. Now, they were inseparable to the point of drawing attention to themselves because of it. So far, it hadn't caused any problems, but Token found himself deliberating over the change every time he spent an extended period of time around the two.

It was strange to see Craig, someone who disliked even normal human contact and always tried to get away when Clyde tried to hug him, be so touchy with another person. And a boy to boot. Hmm… Well, Token wasn't about to make a judgment one way or another in that department. If Craig wanted to act like that with Tweek, it was his business, but that didn't mean he was above observing it. It was just fascinating to watch, the seemingly endless excuses Craig found to touch Tweek in some way.

It was the hands in the boy's hair, the arms around his shoulder, the hand holding and the way they always sat pressed up against each other. Token had lost count of how many times he'd seen each thing occur at this point, it happened so frequently. Even something as simple as choosing out a character class seemed to involve far more casual contact that seemed necessary.

Another thing he'd picked up on was how Tweek reacted to it, the way he always calmed down. Craig's presence seemed to do that for the boy, took his panic and turned it into something approaching peace. Every time he screeched, pulled on his hair, banged his head on a table or just twitched in fear, Craig was there with his casual touches and points of contact and like magic, Tweek would settle right down.

To be honest, Token didn't know much about Tweek, he didn't even really know that much about Craig, despite how often they hung out, but he knew how to read people. For him, both of the boys were as good as open books. They take comfort in each other. Craig would have probably flipped him off if Token said any such thing, so the boy kept his mouth shut, not wanting to disturb the dynamic that existed between them.

I wonder if he realizes how much he cares about Tweek? Token doubted it or at least doubted that Craig would put it in as many words. That right there was another fascinating thing to watch because, in all his years of knowing Craig, the boy had never really cared about another person before. Oh sure, Craig would probably quibble about the semantics, but Token could see it was true. The Noirette was practically known for his lack of shits-to-give about anyone and everyone.

And yet here was Tweek, a twitchy, spastic, short blond, a boy who was every bit Craig's antithesis, becoming that thing that Craig could care about. To be honest, Token wasn't the least bit surprised. Ever since Craig had started watching Tweek every day in class, the rich boy had assumed something like this would happen.

So maybe the reason they were so close so quickly, why Craig touched Tweek so easily and Tweek took such comfort in it, was that they'd both been starving for human affection for years. Token was quick to label it as affectionate because that's what he saw it as. Perhaps it was easy to see it as something else, but what he saw were the seeds of something that was going to become something so much bigger.

Or maybe he was seeing things that weren't really there. It was a tossup when it came to those two. Letting out a soft sigh, Token realized that he wasn't paying attention to the drone footage anymore. Pausing the video feed at random, he stared at the screen. It was easy to pick out the various people in the midst of battle, each of their costumes standing out against the green of the Elves. Token cracked a smile as he steadily identified each person.

There, in the corner of the yard, Token found himself, his hands held out over squirming warriors who were anxious to return to battle. He could still remember standing there, struggling to remember the various healing spells clerics had at level one while yelling at Clyde to for the love of god, pay attention to the people attacking them. Not that it had worked very well, Clyde had been insistent on throwing in his two sense every few seconds.

Speaking of which, there was Clyde, guarding Token fearlessly. His helmet was askew in the shot, knocked off balance by an Elven arrow. He had his teeth grit together in an insane grin, and his sword was flashing through the air. It was easy, from this distance, to pretend that it was real. That the glare on the lens was the reflection of steel and iron instead. He looked pretty cool like that, Token had to admit.

Eyes traveling over the rest of picture at last, Token picked out Butters, waving his hammer about with what was probably supposed to be a fierce expression. Near the castle, the boy found Kenny, or Princess Kenny as he apparently wanted to be called now, firing a pink plastic bow against an Elven ranger. Stan and Cartman weren't anywhere to be seen, but Token was pretty certain that they'd been inside the keep. He couldn't be sure though, the footage of everything that happened inside both castles wasn't available for viewing.

He was about to set aside his phone and try to rejoin the conversation his friends were still having, but something caught his eyes. A head of wild blond hair, and a yellow puffball topping a familiar blue hat. Smile crawling across his face, Token took a screenshot of the image then pulled it up so he could zoom in.

Tweek and Craig were locked in combat with a Ranger/Archer pair, their weapons both drawn and swinging. At that moment, Tweek had been in the process of lunging forward at the Ranger, his frying pan raised like the club it supposedly was. His green eyes were wild and happier than usual, Token could only assume that was thanks to the boy guarding him.

Craig was in the process of crouching low, shielding Tweek from an arrow aimed for his chest. Token could see the determination hiding behind that flat expression, the fierce loyalty and pride. Together, the two of them looked strong, far more powerful than the game dictated they should be. Those expressions were the faces of those who were standing strong against the rest of the world. Token could practically feel the bond between the two.

Glancing up, he caught Craig's eye, who had disengaged from the conversation with Clyde and Tweek in favor of staring his way. The boy's arm was still curled around Tweek's shoulders protectively, and the sight made Token's eyebrows hike up for a moment before he visibly shrugged it off. However Craig wanted to act around Tweek was his business, Token wasn't about to pretend otherwise.

"What about you Token?!" Tweek's squeak drew the boy out of his thoughts at last. "Did you get a weapon?"

"Dude, I don't think he needs one!" Clyde bubbled, bouncing on the coffee table, where he sat. Eyes flying to Token, he asked, "Do Clerics use weapons? They don't, right? Maybe you'll get a staff or something!" Chuckling under his breath at Clyde's enthusiasm, Token turned off his phone and thought about the question for a moment.

"No, I don't think I'll need one, considering I'm mostly doing holy magic," Token decided at last, thinking of the different options for a staff. "Though I might be trying to dual class as an assassin, just so I can have some close-range damage." Tweek's eyes widened at the idea, his mind no doubt racing with different ideas of what that would look like. Craig just nodded in approval.

"I think that'd make a good combination," he said coolly, grabbing for his soda and taking a sip. "But you'll have to get it past the game mast." Craig made a good point, and Token frowned at it. He wasn't really sure who the scorekeepers favored yet, but the chances that it would be Cartman were admittedly pretty low.

"I could probably manage to sell it to them," Token said at last, as though it would be simple. "Though I'm pretty sure they're already fed up with me after choosing Cleric as my class." It was true, he'd ended up trying to deal with seven different moderators, all of them struggling to put together a character that matched the skills he'd already used. The whole mess hadn't been funny per say, but it was also fair to say Token had gotten a lot more enjoyment out of the process than anyone else involved.

"Jesus, do you think I annoyed them by choosing Barbarian?" Tweek squeaked, grabbing for his coffee before sucking it down. The amount of coffee the boy consumed was unreal, but Token supposed he'd never been addicted to something so he wouldn't know. "Th-they're probably going to make my character suck because they don't like me! What do I do?!"

Craig's hand instantly went to Tweek's hair while Clyde chirped, "Don't worry Teacup! They aren't going to be upset with you for something like that. Besides, Barbarian is just a variation of a Warrior class, you'll be fine." Tweek didn't look entirely convinced, but he also wasn't twitching as hard as before, which in both Clyde's and Craig's books was an improvement.

Glancing up at the clock behind the sofa, Clyde made a plaintive noise. "Ugh, it's getting late." Turning to Token, the brunette put on a pathetic expression and begged, "Token, let me stay over. I don't want to have to walk home!"

Token rolled his eyes. Sometimes, he felt like he was older and he was dealing with a bunch of children. "Clyde, you always stay over," he pointed out reasonably. Looking to both Tweek and Craig, Token asked, "Do you two want to stay as well?"

Craig nodded instantly, which Token had expected. "Yeah, sure dude." Though Craig didn't exactly talk about it, Token knew full well that his home wasn't exactly the most pleasant place. It wasn't even anything that the boy had said, it was just a generally bad feeling Token got about the whole situation. Maybe someday, when they all got older, Craig would say something more, but for now, the rich boy was happy to share his home as a haven for the Noirette.

Unlike Craig, Tweek instantly started panicking. "AUGH! WHAT TIME IS IT!?" he screeched, his hands clenching over his coffee mug. "OH GOD MY PARENTS ARE GOING TO KILL ME!" Whipping his head around, Tweek made a spastic keening noise as he reached for his hair with one hand and pulled hard. "I- I need to call them! What if they think I've been abducted and they call the police and then-"

Craig opened his mouth to say something but Clyde cut him off with an excitable, "It's okay, Token has a phone upstairs! You can use that one to call them." Grabbing for the wrist of the hand that was in his hair, Clyde pulled the twitching blond to his feet and started dragging him towards the stairs. "You should ask if you can stay over, that would be so sweet! We could all play video games or watch Red Racer."

As he was tugged along, Tweek shot Craig a pathetic look, like he was looking for help or just for what to do. All Craig did was tilt his head to the side slightly. Though Token couldn't see his expression, he could imagine what it would be. One of those soft, calming expressions that he'd magically developed over the past month just for dealing with Tweek. It worked apparently because Tweek's mouth snapped into a worried line even as he followed Clyde up the stairs anyway.

The moment they had left, Token's attention focused on Craig. Though the boy was obviously distracted, no doubt thinking about Tweek, Token opened his mouth. "Tweek did pretty well today," he commented, watching Craig's reactions carefully. He didn't need you to protect him, he was fine. You don't need to worry so much.

Facing forward, Craig stared at the blank TV as he drunk his soda. It was funny, when Tweek wasn't around, Craig went right back to being almost the boy that Token used to know. The one that didn't care about anything, the one that was unbelievably alone. "Yeah, I'm proud of him," he said, flatly.

Token almost laughed, but that probably would have ruined it. Instead, he simply said, "I know." Craig's head rotated to face him at that, but Token ignored the look Craig gave him. Pulling out his phone once more, Token turned it on and stared at the picture that came up, the one of Tweek and Craig fighting together. "What did Cartman say?" he asked at last, his attention going back to the Noirette.

"Nothing important," Craig muttered, his brows furrowing slightly.

Liar.

So Token changed tactics. Craig was easy to play, if you knew how to do it. "He's calling you Feldspar to keep you in line," the boy commented, methodically putting what pieces he had together. "Cartman's still afraid of you." Anyone who'd watched the boy's behavior closely would have seen it, and Token had definitely been doing that.

"He called me a monster," the tall boy suddenly said, still in a monotone. So that's what he said. Token was almost impressed by how quickly Cartman had picked up on the one thing that would actually bother Craig, other than Tweek. Though it has to do with Tweek, doesn't it?

Examining Craig's expression, Token said, "Tweek doesn't think so."

"What if he's wrong?" Craig asked. He probably hadn't meant to say that, but Token knew that it was unconscionably easy to get Craig say things he didn't want to if you pushed him in just the right way. Leaning over and grabbing his tablet off the coffee table, Token slid his phone in front of Craig, drawing the boy's attention to the picture on it.

"He will never be scared of you," Token stated with absolute certainty. He might hate you, he might not always believe you care, but he will never be scared of you again. Turning on the device in his hands, Token closed down the tabs Clyde had opened for the other two boys.

"How do you know that?" Craig asked, but Token didn't answer. You'll figure it out yourself someday Craig, if I helped you now, that would be like cheating. So instead of paying attention to Craig, Token simply flicked through his tabs. I should probably watch the rest of those videos… Ah, but he could do that later.

He was about to turn the tablet off when he passed by Cartman's Facebook page and something caught his eye. Furrowing his brows, Token paused and looked at the last post. Eyes widening, Token muttered, "Oh, Tweek's going to want to stay for this."

"What?" Craig asked, Token's phone still held in his hand.

Clicking on the message, Token blinked several times before letting out a soft whistle. "Get dressed in your costume again, you're going to need it." Getting to his feet, Token turned off the device and put it down, already mentally working out how long it would take to get to Cartman's house. Taking his phone from the confused Craig, Token quickly brought up his Facebook there and sent a message to Cartman. [Craig, Clyde, Tweek and I will be there soon]

"What's going on?" the Noirette asked, following Token as he walked towards the stairs. "What the fuck are you talking about?

Turning around, Token told him, "The Elves just took back the Stick and Cartman is pissed."

Eyebrows going up, Craig softly muttered, "Well shit."