That was the one Dennis sat in now, the original "Gamer's Favorite" gel chair. On his head, a sleek VR mask sat, a dark visor fastened to his head with a gel material similar to the one in which he rested. Yes, in. The Gamer's version of the gel allowed a person to sink into its depths, molding itself around the person's body and supporting it from all directions. It was this unique feature that meant gamers would never get bedsores, no matter how long they spent in it. The VR masks were even designed to allow for maximum comfort in conjunction with the chair. Of course, not every gamer could afford a full-size Gamer's Gel chair, but they would just have to deal with the physical effects on their own.
[...Wow, host, this is like the third time you've zoned out just thinking about gel, are you a gel-sexual or something? … Nevermind, I can tell that isn't it. You don't have a physical response to the gel. Hmmmm but why else would you be so fixated on such a thing… I don't get it…]
"What the? System? That was entirely uncalled for," she hissed at it in her mind. "You don't have to get it, I just hyperfixated on the stuff a while back alright? It's a fascinating material with so many different uses! I'm an aspiring chemist, for crying out loud!"
[... Are you?]
"Uhhh, yeah! Duh! I go to Faxton University of Chemistry!"
[That place was destroyed, you doofus. And I hate to break it to you, but going forward, you're gonna find that everything you've ever learned about the topic is entirely irrelevant. You've got much better things to learn about now, so don't sweat!]
The System didn't sound sorry at all.
Pointedly ignoring the System's nonsensical remarks, Alesha continued looking at her brother, his unconscious body peacefully resting as he embarked on his grand conquest in the game world.
"Random question, Rogork," Alesha asked silently, "What is the possibility of a VR game world ever being real? Like in those comics where the VR device actually transports you to another world instead of being just a game?"
[... Well, wouldn't you like to know?]
"Gahhh! Fine, be that way, see if I ever call you by your name again, System!"
[I know you won't follow through with that threat. You're far too nice for that, hehe]
This made Alesha unhappy because she knew the System was probably right--she couldn't stick to her threat for long, no matter how much she disliked the name or how annoyed with the System she was. That name quest had been effective. It had gotten her brain used to it, to the point that despite what a weird "name" it was, she would probably remember it and reflexively use it whether she meant to or not. Darn System had probably done that on purpose.
[Yep,] the System cheerfully affirmed, [That was 100% intentional, you're welcome.]
Alesha sighed and glanced towards Dennis's desk, where the unicorn plushie sat. Did she really have to wait for later to nab the thing? … Yeah, it would be stupid to take it too soon. She really didn't want him to notice it was gone just yet.
[Alright, I'm not having this. Nope. Let's change it up a bit. I'm not letting you cheat the quest this way. Here ya go:]
[Ding! Quest successfully altered!]
[Quest: Chaos Has Come to Home, Sweet Home!
Goal: Hide an important item of each of your family members without getting caught!
Quest Conditions: Keep the items hidden from your family for 8 hours. Each object will count as "hidden" only once a family member realizes it is missing.
Reward: 50 XP, 1 Chaos Energy
Penalty: Insatiable raw meat cravings for 8 hours, to compensate for the quest change I'll make it so this doesn't make you sick, you're welcome.
Failure Conditions: Refuse to attempt the quest, get caught and/or 2+ items are found before 8 hours have passed!]
"WHAT?!" Alesha involuntarily said aloud. In a whisper, she begged, "Are you serious? Please tell me you're kidding?"
[I am one hundred percent serious, Alesha. My purpose is to help you become an Agent of Chaos. You're not learning your role very well, so you forced my hand. Well, I don't have hands, so I suppose that part doesn't work, but the saying conveys my meaning. Anyways, I can't give you the rewards unless your actions actually cause Chaos. That wouldn't be fair.]
[Still, I know I changed it on you mid-quest, which itself isn't fair, so I reduced the severity of the penalty for quest failure. Now, if you fail, eating the raw meat won't make you sick! Isn't that nice of me?]
This didn't really make Alesha feel any better. "I suppose that's something, at least."
Grumpily considering her options, Alesha realized that the changed quest conditions now meant it was better to steal the items sooner rather than later. If she stole them now, and they realized they were missing before going to bed, she could time it so that she could get up in the middle of the night to place the objects where they could be found in the morning. Maybe it was better this way.
That in mind, Alesha entered her brother's room. She didn't even bother to be very quiet, since he couldn't hear her while in the game; she walked briskly to her brother's desk, plucked the TinTin plushie from among the dozen or so others it sat with, and walked back out, closing the door behind her and stuffing the hand-sized plushie into a pocket.
She glanced over to her sister's room on the left. Inside, Layla focused quietly as she worked to complete homework while at her desk. Slipping quietly into the bathroom, Alesha slowly opened a specific drawer, eased a certain makeup kit from its spot nestled among a myriad of other tools, and closed it back up again as she stealthily returned to her room. Well, the room the mattress had been set up for her in.
Alesha felt a little bad about where she planned to hide the items. It wasn't like it was a dirty location, per se, but it certainly wasn't somewhere she'd want her stuff to be hidden. That was a secondary concern, however. More important was that the items remain hidden from her family members for 8 hours after they were found to be missing. Sliding a certain box aside to reveal a section of the wall, Alesha wrapped her fingers around a hanging flap and lifted it up. The trap door wasn't easy to spot even when it wasn't covered by a box, so Alesha had no doubts that her family members were ignorant of it. She'd only discovered it by chance a few years ago while deep cleaning the room.
She stuck the items inside the revealed chamber, which was really just a section inside the wall that had been portioned off with thin wooden boards for some reason. It wasn't particularly secure or anything, just somewhat hidden, a hiding spot for things that were just important enough to keep concealed but not so much as to require greater security measures like locks or whatnot. Then again, in an age with highly advanced technology and sophisticated metal detection, perhaps a metal safe was worse for hiding things than a nondescript, barely-present wooden compartment in the wall. She shrugged and covered the section of wall with the box once again.
Satisfied, Alesha went to the living room to wait for her parents to get home. If she could, she would have stolen their objects now so that they'd notice their loss as soon as possible, but that wasn't a possibility. Both of her parents had their respective items on them at the moment. So, she laid down on the couch to wait.