Vari had expected to die when she leapt off a bridge and into swirling darkness. And maybe she did. Well, a part of her certainly did, the part that was tired of being upset, of not being enough, of being just Vari.
Instead of ending up in a watery coffin, she got a tiny black spider explaining something called the Black Widow system to her.
"I'm sorry, I have to what now?" Vari yelped, blinking at the dangling spider.
"Seduce someone, kill them, level up!" The spider named Arlet repeated, her voice slightly dry, "You know, you were selected for this program because you had the potential. But honestly, if you can't get on board with this then..."
"I'll do it," Vari burst out, her shoulders squared as her eyes narrowed, "I'll hunt down all the cheating bastards and take them out."
From her corner, Arlet made a face that was as close to a smirk as a spider could have achieved and proceeded to introduce the system to Vari. In addition to excellent fighting skills, Vari had and could level up for things such as seduction, conning, and even people reading techniques!
Which is how, 72 hours later, she stood over her ex-husband's bloody corpse, hands dripping with blood and chest heaving.
With the Black Widow Network unlocked, she could now access international databases and she immediately made use of that to change her immigration papers and identity. The old Vari was gone, the new Vari was here to stay.
Ten hours later, she boarded a flight due for Country J and with a few nifty arrangements, she found herself sitting next to a ruggedly handsome man. His blond hair, dark blue eyes and chiseled features made him a regular Ken doll and it was no surprise that he got more than a few appreciative glances as he boarded and got settled.
By this time, Vari was no longer the bloody creature that she had been before. Now, her make up was immaculate, her demeanour cool and her usual blouses and skirts were traded for a comfortable outfit that skimmed her curves.
Hmm... Should I try out my seduction skills? They're still at a basic level though, she wondered, ignoring the jealous glances shot her way by all females in the plane.
"Hey," she turned to see the Ken doll smiling at her, "I guess we're stuck with each other on this flight... Which is lucky for me, I'll be on cloud nine with you."
Vari nearly gagged at the lame pick up line. Seriously? Does he expect people to look at his face and ignore the crap coming out of his mouth? She looked at his smug expression, the cocky look in his eyes telling her that this has worked a thousand times. Yes. He does expect it to work.
Alright, showtime.
She giggled and threw him a coy glance, eyes sweeping him. As her gaze passed his jeans pocket, a little text bubble stood out in her vision.
Cell phone:
Scanning messages...
Eleven messages of romantic nature sent to different reciepients in the past hour.
Vari's eyes hardened and her fingers balled into a fist, but her face remained in a sweet smile.
"Lucky me then, huh?" she casually brushed her fingers over his arm, "In that case, I'm Helen."
His perfect grin widened as he leaned in closer. At any other point in her life she might have felt flattered or excited, but now she simply wondered if this man flirted with every living thing.
"Call me Dave."
Liar. Focusing above his head, the name Curtis Gavern floated in her vision and she resisted rolling her eyes. Smiling, she looked up at the lying, cheating Ken doll.
"So, tell me about yourself."
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Vari stretched as she reached for her bag in the overhead compartment and strode out of the plane. She really needed to pee, and she probably shouldn't have had that third cup of apple juice.
Twenty minutes later, an air stewardess opened the plane toilet door and screamed.