“The jocks at that school had trouble taking no for an answer. My freshman year I got into a few fights with them. Dad was upset that I usually threw the first punch in those fights, so we would argue and he would thrash me in the dojo. Sophomore year I realized that women held an attraction for me. I brought home a girl, introducing her to dad as my girlfriend. The resulting fight scared her half to death, and she never talked to me again.”
Karen shook her head sadly, “Junior year I started to act out more. I dressed like a slut and once I got someone turned on, I turned them down, unless they could beat me on the mat. Dad caught me and a boy one night in the dojo, screwing like bunnies. I was paying up for losing. Well, the kid got hurt and dad spent a few nights in jail. He thrashed me again when he got home and this time mom sided with him.”
Fluff was trembling slightly as Karen spoke, so Karen reached up and gently rubbed Fluff’s head where her cat ears would be in game. Fluff pushed her head into the hand and stopped shaking. “Senior year, I graduated with honors and had my pick of scholarships lined up for unis on the east coast. My relationship with dad had become a cold war, neither of us speaking to the other. The day before I was set to leave for Duke University, Dad had a massive coronary and fell into a coma. It was a few months before he came out of it.”
“His body was shot, so I took over the dojo. He thanked me for it and we started talking again. He wouldn’t accept my views on partners, but we managed to find a way to agree to disagree. He passed a year later. Mom went not long after he did. I ran the dojo ever since, and now I’ve sold out most of my interest in it. Which has set me up nicely for my retirement.”
“You’re not that old,” Fluff mumbled, glancing up at Karen and getting a smile.
“I’m well into my thirties,” Karen told Fluff. “How old did you think I was?”
“Maybe a year or two older than me.”
“How old is that?”
“Twenty-six,” Fluff turned to look at Karen a bit more fully. “Your skin is really youthful for your age, you don’t show any lines near your eyes.”
“I do my best to keep myself in top shape. Never know when I might need to impress a person with my youth,” Karen winked.
Going pink, Fluff looked down, “You look pretty. I wish I was that pretty. Dad always said…” Fluff cut off, turning quickly away.
Karen reached out gently to stroke Fluff’s head, “It’s okay, Fluff. You can talk with me and I won’t say anything bad. You can also keep whatever it is inside, but I won’t treat you badly either way. We’re friends, right?”
Fluff’s head jerked slightly up and down, “You and Alburet have been friends. He was the first to help me in game. I thought it would be easier there, but it’s still so hard. He joked with me and made me smile. He even quoted Shakespeare correctly.”
“Oh, which play?” Karen asked.
“He did Macbeth, Hamlet and even a line from…” Fluff let out a soft sigh as she recalled something.
“Romeo?” Karen guessed, to which Fluff nodded once, vigorously. “Oh, did you like that one?” Fluff started to nod then froze. “But, Soft! What light through yonder window breaks?”
Fluff let out a pleased little meow and shivered slightly, “Yes, that line.”
“I’ll have to memorize that whole scene again,” Karen said, leaning in close to whisper into Fluff’s ear.
Fluff shivered, her head tilted back and to the side so her hood fell back some and her eyes locked onto Karen’s. Fluff’s cheeks flushed, her breath coming faster as she stared into Karen’s eyes.
Before she could say anything, a voice cut through the noise in the lobby. “Your attention, please. It is now time for the main presentation. Everyone please follow the signs to the presentation room. It’s time to begin what you’re all here for.”
A loud cheer went up and people began streaming into the presentation room, following the signs that had been hidden until that moment. Karen stood and extended a hand to Fluff, pulling her to her feet while also pulling her into a light hug. “We’ll talk more later, okay?”
Fluff nodded, her face red. Karen helped put her hood back up to cover her face again. “That… sounds… good,” the hesitation was clear but her voice also held a happy tone.
Smiling, Karen took Fluff’s arm like she had in game a few times and slowly led the beauty after the others. “Well then, M’Lady Fluff, I shall be your guide today.”
A small giggle came from the hood as the duo began to follow all the others. “You do this there, too.”
“Because I like you,” Karen replied, “what is your name, Fluff? I’m Karen Young, currently retired instructor of various martial arts.”
“Umm, Julia Petrov. I draw things and do photoshoots,” Fluff mumbled. “Please don’t tell anyone else, though.”
“So they can’t find your work?” Karen asked curiously.
“No, I use a pen name for the photos and drawings. It’s just I’ve had issues before.”
“Okay, Fluff,” Karen told her gently with a small squeeze on her arm. “I’ll just use the name I’ve come to know. Besides, if anyone wants to give you trouble today they’ll have to go through me first, okay?”
“Just like Alburet,” Fluff whispered. “Thank you, Karen. It’s like you’ve stepped in for him here.”
“Well, he’s a taken man now, mores the pity. Not that I begrudge him much, Stacia is a hell of a woman. I just thought maybe I was going to have a chance, he was easy enough to get along with.”
“He was nice to me, too,” Fluff said as they got into line.
The line was three wide. Copies were being made of IDs and the testers had to sign the hardcopy of the NDA before being allowed into the room. It was a very large conference room decked out in Alpha World promotional banners. An oversized screen took up most of one wall and the seats were almost all filled. Karen spotted Gerald waving at them and led Fluff over.
“Saved these two for you, next to Marysue. Fluff, you can have the aisle seat,” Gerald said by way of greeting as he sat down on the far side of Marysue.
“Thanks, Gerald. Nice to see our second in command helping out,” Karen chuckled as she took the seat next to Marysue, leaving Fluff the outermost seat.
“Thank you,” Fluff added, taking her seat.
Once everyone was seated the lights dimmed and the screen came to life. On the screen was Alvin Brouch. Behind him sat a pod that was a bit different than the ones the players were used to. “Welcome to Mindblown Entertainment’s long-term virtual reality immersion clinical trial. Before we go any further, I’m pleased to announce that we’ve received clearance to offer you further options for your participation. In addition to a one-month immersion period, we now also can offer three- and six-month immersion periods. Those that wish to extend your immersion trial will have access to phones and computers to make the necessary arrangements. You may choose which immersion period you prefer once you’ve completed medical examinations.
The room all but exploded as people all began to talk excitedly. Alvin let it go on for a few minutes before calling the room back to order. “The choice is up to each of you. Now, let me introduce to you the head of our medical team, Doctor Rosenbloom. He and his staff will be monitoring the trial and ensuring that each of you remains healthy. He’ll be giving an overview of the technology behind our most advanced pods, which you see behind me. Doctor, the floor is yours."
An older, white haired man wearing a buttoned up lab coat and slacks came onto the screen. Brouch shook hands with the newcomer, then moved off-screen. Rosenbloom walked to the pod, the camera moving in with him. “Thank you, Alvin. I’m sure you’ve all got questions, and I can make a pretty good stab at the top two or three. I’ll address those first.”