The soft hiss of air escaped as Leon's senses began to return. He stirred awake inside the capsule device, blinking away the grogginess. Standing just outside was Lily, smiling warmly and waving at him.
"Hi, sweet dreams?" she asked, her voice light and cheerful.
"More like a long dream," Leon replied casually, stepping out of the capsule.
His thoughts lingered on everything that had happened in the game. It hadn't even been a full 24 hours, but so much had occurred. Too much. He felt utterly drained, as if the experience had siphoned his entire soul.
As he stretched and adjusted to being back in the real world, Lily suddenly wrapped her arms around him in a quick, unexpected hug.
"What's this for?"
"To cheer you up," she said with a grin, pulling away playfully.
