~~~
Crystal deliberated for a moment, considering the invitation carefully before eventually accepting.
As soon as she connected, a voice said on her headset, "Hello, thank you for accepting our invitation. Have you played this game before?"
The unexpected voice surprised her, prompting her to swiftly make changes on her computer to portray herself as a male before answering.
Concealing her true identity as a woman, she was determined not to let the other players know her gender for fear that they might not take her seriously or play differently because of it.
"Hi there! I appreciate the invitation. I just wanted to let you know that I haven't actually played before. I hope that's not a problem?" All of a sudden, the call got disconnected.
Crystal was utterly taken aback. She struggled to comprehend the abrupt turn of events.
One moment, she had been embraced, and in the next, she had been forcibly removed.
