Logging off was always a strange experience for me, I could never put my finger on the adjectives that needed to be use for it. The feeling of floating, then falling, then suddenly waking up in my own skin again, fingers moving faster, eyes darting around actually hurt as minor claustrophobia kicked in inside the stiff and clammy pod.

I sat up, blinking against the real neon-like light of the game room where I and Hailie spent time together.

"Good evening, young madams."

Across the room, I could already hear Gerald's calm voice. He calmly approached our pods, making zero footsteps as he walked and helped Hailie out of her pod by gently pulling/lifting her from below the arms, speaking to her as though she were porcelain; delicate, and fragile.

He adjusted her hair back into place, fetched her chair, and guided her movements with a sort of elegance that only someone born into service could manage.

Everything he did was smooth, precise, and respectful, as though he had been rehearsing this role for his entire life… I wonder if I should ask about their relationship.

I mean, don't get me wrong! I am not a far leaning conservative or anything, I'm literally gorgling over girls' titties for crying out loud. But I reckon how much a man had to be entrusted to be taking care of the most delicate and vulnerable girl in the entire estate. If it was me then the FBI most wanted list would've made a huge update.

Speaking of… Eirlys told me she'd find someone to replace Anshur after I supposedly, but a day had passed and no one showed up. Which was all fine, I guess I preferred to handle myself, anyway.

At least there was no one breathing down my neck or fussing over me after I don't eat my vegetables… Life alone was, was- God, am I lying to myself? I've never been more happy or fulfilled ever since I'm here, I shouldn't think about this, they'll come when they'll come.

So I hauled myself out of the pod, stretched my arms until my shoulders popped, and slipped on my dress (which, admittedly, I've grown customed to wearing after living with the Sonders and it being my only option besides my old clothes which would probably stain their shiny building) before walking alongside Gerald and Hailie down the corridor.

We gathered for lunch in the same old fancy dining room, and at lunch, they would open the curtains, letting sunlight spilling over the long table where bowls and plates were arranged neatly like something out of a catalogue. Eirlys was already there, sitting with her usual quiet poise, as though the entire house revolved around her presence.

"So, Hailie." She asked after we seated, her gaze softening when it turned toward Hailie. "How did the session go today?"

I thought Hailie would start moaning about how she was attacked and almost died, then how we got into an argument, so I started panicking, but instead, she just lit up, her voice carrying that unguarded excitement I'd grown used to.

"It was amazing! I met so many new people today, there's Olga. Cory led me to this guild called, um… New Destiny! Yep! And they were… they were so organized. Not loud or brutish like I expected from a communistic democracy system in theory proposed by my politic officier, but they were quite civil, polite even."

I lost the conversation half way and just started sipping down some fancy tea while Eirlys leaned forward for better hearing,

"They even offered to bring me along for a dungeon assault with a big party, nine people total!" She clasped her hands like the memory itself was still glowing. "And they held this… well, it turned into this long court case that had weird rules, bt went on for hours, and I couldn't look away. It was breathtaking. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time just seeing it unfold."

She didn't mention the part about blood, or death, or the way the group had been close to tearing each other apart before that, or how she was attacked by a dude who led her inside that dungeon in the first place. She left those details hidden, and Eirlys, to her credit, didn't push, only giving a small nod with her lips curving faintly.

"That does sound… interesting," Eirlys said, before shifting her eyes toward me. "Speaking of which, there was something I noticed. One of the top contributors in yesterday's raid was a player called CJS69. But that wasn't you, was it, Cory? Your username is CJS69Real."

The piece of bread I was chewing decided to betray me at that exact moment, and I choked, coughing against my fist as my eyes watered. I gulped down water to buy time as my brain scrambled, clawing for something to say.

Because all I could think of was last night, Tanya pressed against her, the sound of muffled laughter and skin against skin, and my stomach twisted in ways I really didn't want to unpack when I recalled how I masturbated to them scissoring each other with a two-headed dildos.

Does Eirlys know Tanya? Does she know that Tanya used the username?

I forced my voice steady, clearing my throat.

"Oh, him? We talked, and I let him have it." I stressed the pronoun, digging into the lie like it was an anchor. Tanya's avatar was male, so technically I wasn't wrong, I was being just vague enough while trying to divert the conversation, "In fact… You ever played Darkmoon Adventure before, Eirlys? You didn't seems fazed by all that buzzwords Hailie threw."

"Fuh… Of course I did… I need to know my game, after all. But I'm not that good, and I haven't been playing the VR version."

Across the table, I caught it, the faintest curve of Eirlys's mouth, a smirk that told me she wasn't buying a single word, but also wasn't about to call me out in front of her sister. That's what I assumed, at least, the smirk could very well just be pride or contentment.

The rest of the meal went by without much more pressure, thank lords and goddesses.

When lunch was wrapped up and plates were cleared, I turned toward Hailie, seizing the chance to steer my mind elsewhere.

"Want to go grind with me tonight? Maybe we could invite some of the" I asked, casually as I could manage.

Her face lit up like a lantern.

"Yes! But only after a break. Three hours at least, my eyes need the rest, per video game safety instructions, I'll take that time to practice some more lever harp if you don't mind."

"Alright… That should be five p.m. then," I said, smiling.

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