A little more housekeeping on this before chapter 4 – a friend asked if they could post this first chapter of this to the WoW General Forums. There was some concern about trolls, but I agreed and so far the comments have been very nice. You can find it here should you wish to aid in getting it some exposure. If not, well, that’s not a bad idea either.

Secondly, I mentioned in yesterday’s post that I had some notions for making this more of a collaborative work. I’ve not gotten any positive replies on that front, but I assume you all love me for my PnP and might have missed that bit, being as it was at the end of a rather self-indulgent post about a failed raid. So, again, if anyone is interested in working on this with me in some form or another, whether you have a blog or not, I am open to sharing. Or at least having a contest to see who does the best re-write of the proposal scenes. Not that I have prizes at the moment, but that could be remedied.

Enough of me. On with the show!

Chapter 4

When Jane and Elizabeth were able to send tells, the former, who had been cautious in her praise of Mr. Bingley before, expressed to her friend just how very much she admired him.

“He is just what a tank ought to be,” said she, “sensible, good-humoured, lively; and I never saw such happy manners!—so much ease, with such perfect pulls!”

“He is also geared,” replied Elizabeth, “which a tank ought likewise to be, if he possibly can. His character is thereby complete.”

“I was very much flattered by his asking me to heal a second time. I did not expect such a compliment.”

“Did not you? I did for you. But that is one great difference between us. Compliments always take you by surprise, and me never. What could be more natural than his asking you again? He could not help seeing that you were about five times as competent as every other healer in the room. No thanks to his gallantry for that. Well, he certainly is very agreeable, and I give you leave to like him. You have liked many a stupider tank.”

“Dear Lizzy!”

“Oh! you are a great deal too apt, you know, to like people in general. You never see a fault in anybody. All the world are good and agreeable in your eyes. I never heard you speak ill of another player in your life.”

“I would not wish to be hasty in censuring anyone; but I always speak what I think.”

“I know you do; and it is that which makes the wonder. With your good sense, to be so honestly blind to the follies and nonsense of others! Affectation of candour is common enough—one meets with it everywhere. But to be candid without ostentation or design—to take the good of everybody’s character and make it still better, and say nothing of the bad—belongs to you alone. And so you like this man’s friends, too, do you? Their manners are not equal to his.”

“Certainly not—at first. But they are very pleasing when you converse with them. One is to stay permanently with Mr. Bingley, and be his constant dps; and I am much mistaken if we shall not find a very charming friend in her.”

Elizabeth listened in silence, but was not convinced; their behaviour at the raid had not been calculated to please in general; and with more quickness of observation and less pliancy of temper than Jane, and with a judgement too unassailed by any attention to herself, she was very little disposed to approve them. They were in fact very fine dps; not deficient in good humour when they were pleased, nor in the power of making themselves agreeable when they chose it, but proud and conceited. They were rather geared, had been educated at the finest online resources, had a fortune of twenty thousand gold, were in the habit of spending more than they ought at the AH, and of associating with raiders of rank, and were therefore in every respect entitled to think well of themselves, and meanly of others. They were of a respectable guild that had been top rated on Uther; a circumstance more deeply impressed on their memories than that their fortune had been acquired by gold buying.

Mr. Bingley inherited property to the amount of nearly a hundred thousand gold from his former GM, who had entirely too much time on his hands, and eventually grew bored and quit the game. Mr. Bingley intended to retain most of the fortune, and sometimes made choice of buying gear or enchants; but as he was now provided with good gear and the liberty of raiding, it was doubtful to many of those who best knew the easiness of his temper, whether he might not spend the remainder of his days raiding for gear, and leave off getting it by purchase.

His dps friends were anxious for his having all the best gear of his own; but, though he was now only established as a good tank, Caroline was by no means unwilling to preside as his foremost dps—nor was Mrs. Hurst, who had leveled with a man of more fashion than gear, less disposed to consider his gold as hers when it suited her. Mr. Bingley had not been of level cap for six months, when he was tempted by an accidental recommendation to look at a new server. He did look at it, and into it for half-an-hour—was pleased with the situation and the principal guilds, satisfied with what the forums said in its praise, and transferred immediately.

Between him and Darcy there was a very steady friendship, in spite of great opposition of character. Bingley was endeared to Darcy by the easiness, openness, and ductility of his temper, though no disposition could offer a greater contrast to his own, and though with his own he never appeared dissatisfied. On the strength of Darcy’s shield, Bingley had the firmest reliance, and of his Judgement of Wisdom the highest opinion. In understanding, Darcy was the superior. Bingley was by no means deficient, but Darcy was clever. He was at the same time haughty, reserved, and fastidious, and his manners, though well-bred, were not inviting. In that respect his friend had greatly the advantage. Bingley was sure of being liked wherever he appeared, Darcy was continually giving offense.

The manner in which they spoke of the raid was sufficiently characteristic. Bingley had never met with more pleasant people or better healers in his life; everybody had been most kind and attentive to him; there had been no formality, no stiffness; he had soon felt acquainted with all the raid; and, as to Jane, he could not conceive an holy priest more beautiful. Darcy, on the contrary, had seen a collection of people in whom there was little gear and no skill, for none of whom he had felt the smallest interest, and from none received either attention or pleasure. Jane he acknowledged to be capable, but she over-healed too much.

His friends allowed it to be so—but still they admired her and liked her, and pronounced her to be a sweet girl, and one whom they would not object to run more instances with. Jane was therefore established as a sweet girl, and Mr. Bingley felt authorized by such commendation to think of her as he chose.