It was a rare, quiet day in the shop, and Faye was happily humming a tune whilst she watered the plants. Gently holding a petal in her hand, she breathed in its fragrance and smiled at the thought that no one was in the shop.
Things had been so hectic for a while, and having the place to herself to do whatever she wanted was bliss. Until that was broken by the door opening, and a very boisterous individual made their presence known:
"Faye, my darling, how have you been?" The person gathered Faye up into a hug and squeezed her tightly in their arms. "It's been forever since we've met. Why haven't you called for me?"
In this game world, there were as many NPCs as there were players, and like you could be any different class, there were also many types of NPCs roaming about, or not, as was the case for Faye; she was one who couldn't leave the place they had been assigned. But the one still clinging to Faye was the kind that could move freely around the map. Of course, they couldn't go off script and act 'normal' to the players, lest they knew there was something up with the NPCs.
Actually, Faye wasn't sure how many of them had their own consciousness and could think for themselves, nor did she know if there were any who interacted as Ashlyn and she did. What use did an NPC have with a friend? It wasn't like they could spend time together like a human would.
From the moment they were created, all an NPC knew was what they had been instructed to do, and nothing else.
Maybe there had been a glitch when Faye and Ashlyn had been created that made them the way they are, which was why they had to be careful every single day of their lives. Who knew what would happen if they were to be caught?
Not that Ashlyn seemed to mind all of that, as they would always come to bother Faye when they had a chance or felt like bothering her. Faye might act as if it bothered her, seeing that she was a silent, reserved person, but spending time with Ashlyn was always interesting. And when she felt lonely, Ashlyn would always be there to make that all disappear.
She supposed that was what the players called a 'friend'.
When Faye freed herself from the clingy Ashlyn, she smoothed out her clothes and picked up the fallen watering can, then waved her hand to remove the water from the ground before it could spread too far.
"Wah, seeing your magic is always so wonderful," Ashlyn said wistfully and clasped their hands in joy. "It's so beautiful to look at." Wisps of lilac magic still floated in the air and looked like fireflies as they lit up the room with their brilliant light.
Faye watched as the magic faded out and thought that it was nothing special; perhaps it was because she had seen it so many times before, and was used to it. Others, however, had always complimented it and seemed in awe at the sight of it.
☽
Later that same day. Twilight had settled over the land, and moonlight streamed into the shop through the blinds in the windows.
Bathed in its light, Faye and her friend sat on a sofa and talked over what had happened during the week. It was something they did whenever Ashlyn visited, and they would often gossip about the players/other NPCs.
"That really happened?" Ashlyn's eyes sparkled at the mention of the man who constantly pestered Faye every chance he could. They nudged Faye's arm and asked, "what's he like?"
Faye rolled her eyes and said, "he's got blond hair and... Wait, what does it matter? Most days I try not to acknowledge him, so why would I care about that?"
"Ok, ok I get it. You don't enjoy interacting with people, but why not give this guy a chance?" They stopped themselves when they saw the scathing look from their friend. "I'm just trying to say that talking to people wouldn't be so bad now and then. You must get bored being stuck in this shop, and meeting new people might do you good."
"But we can't..." Faye reminded them about NPCs raising suspicions in humans. If she spoke to the man like a normal person, that would give the whole thing away and they would be in a heap of trouble. She didn't want to be deleted. There were still so many books left to be read, and no one was worth risking all of that.
"True." They leaned on their hand and seemed to think of something: "What if he suspected you're not like the rest and wants to get to know you? Maybe you could ask him to not tell anyone else?"
"I don't think so."
"Just give them a chance. You never know, at the end of it all, you might have a new friend that isn't me." Ashlyn smiled and squeezed Faye's hand.
Faye smiled in return and sipped on her tea. What Ashlyn said could be true, but was it really worth it? Making friends with him, a player, could either be the best decision ever or nothing but a death sentence. And right now, she didn't want to find out which one it was.