"Oh my starrs! StarrGazer Lily! Is this truly the name they've bestowed upon you, my dear?" Ashlyn pushed her shades up again, revealing her eyes once more.
While Lily was a well-known flower, she had completely forgotten about the specific lily named Stargazer; it had slipped her mind entirely. As Ashlyn stood before her, eagerly awaiting a reply and hoping to avoid any further tension, Lillian saw this as the perfect opportunity to mend their relationship. With a nod, she conveyed her agreement, hoping to regain Ashlyn's favour.
"Oho! So, Lily, Lily StarrGazer, how delightful! Naturally, you have become one with the StarrGazers now. In fact, I warmly welcome you as one of the esteemed leaders of the Starr Brigade, Neko-chan."
Receiving all this attention and love from Ashlyn made me feel special, but I couldn't quite grasp the reason behind it. I hadn't done anything to deserve it. Could it be solely because of a nickname? It surprised me that she hadn't known my nickname was Lilly until then.
I felt compelled to inquire directly, "Am I now considered part of this, um, club simply because my name is Lilly?"
"Excuse me, but I distinctly recall Eliza referring to you as 'Lily'."
"That's correct," I affirmed.
"But I distinctly heard you say 'Lilly,' didn't I?"
"Hmm, Miss Starr, are you just saying the same thing as me?"
"No, I said 'Lily!' There's just one 'L' in the middle of... it makes a big difference!"
Ahead, there unfolded a lively parade of Kassy's devoted supporters, proudly hoisting up banners adorned with her images. Among them, women stood out with their pink wigs styled to resemble Kassy's iconic bangs hairdo. Countless supporters donned different t-shirts bearing her image, while others proudly displayed towels and bedsheets featuring her face. It became evident that every conceivable product related to Kassy had found a dedicated fan holding it up.
She went on, "Like there's a big 'L' in the middle of that big group of Kassy supporters over there; in fact, they're all 'Ls'! What drones... sigh."
I huffed. So, this Ashlyn girl didn't like Kassy's fans? Most likely, she didn't like Kassy herself. But why?
Kassy earned her fame through her undeniable talent, not just her looks, unlike Ashlyn. I supposed Ashlyn might have some talent or talents, but right now, I was unaware of what they were.
Her talking negatively about Kassy made me feel personally attacked. I tried to hide my frustration and said nothing on the subject of Kassy.
"It was astonishing how quickly Ashlyn shed her posh girl demeanour, revealing a bitter and enigmatic side," I thought to myself.
Ashlyn gave me a studious look, staring at my face so intensely that it made me uncomfortable. "I am waiting," she said. "So, what is it? 'Lilly' or 'Lily'?"
She was just saying the same word twice.
"Are you gutter trash or utter class?"
How could she even tell if I was saying "Lilly" or "Lily"? They both sounded the same when spoken out loud.
Seeking refuge from behind, I found myself caught in an awkward situation as Larisa and Eliza appeared engrossed with something on Larisa's phone. Despite my apprehension, I sensed Ashlyn expected a specific response from me. The intensity of her gaze made me feel as though she could read my thoughts, as if my words were laid bare before I even uttered them. With the pressure mounting, I hastily blurted out, "Yes, my name is... L-Li-ly..."
In my head, that didn't sound natural or right at all. It sounded like a baby saying a person's name for the very first time.
Ashlyn gave me a long, unsettling stare while making a squinted duck face with her puckered lips. I disliked it when people stared at me without saying a word. I was tempted to put my hand in front of her face to block her vision so she would stop staring at me. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally broke the awkward silence, uttering three simple words: "Is that so?"
What could one even say right then? I decided to say nothing.
With a gentle gesture, Ashlyn placed her hand under my chin and playfully said, "I might advise you to cease making that peculiar expression, in case your face gets stuck like that one day. But honestly, you looked incredibly cute when you did it. I wouldn't mind if your visage remained that delightfully charming forever."
The expression I was making looked incredibly cute? Ha! I thought my poker face was so blank it could give the Wally pug-o statue a run for its money, even though it was free to visit. I just hoped people wouldn't queue up to pat me on the head for good luck like they did for that pug-o statue. A scary thought invaded my mind: did I make duck faces, puckered lips, and strange facial expressions as well without realising it? I hoped not! I wanted to say something negative about the way Ashlyn looked while doing it, but truth be told, she looked stunning while doing it. As for me, I couldn't imagine how ridiculous I would look. For sure, it wasn't a face that anyone could pull off.
"Ugh, Lily StarrGazer, why in the starrs are you not speaking to me right now? I was just going to request that you be my personal assistant for today's promotion to esteemed leader of the Starr Brigade."
Her weird cult club had a hierarchy and different tiers? I didn't know what any of them were, but being an esteemed leader sounded like it was really high up in the hierarchy. On top of that, a personal assistant too? Was I being promoted? How could I get promoted if I wasn't even part of it? In the short time I had known Ashlyn, she likely thought everyone on the planet and in space with the stars was part of her cult. Now, I was certain my face betrayed me with a huge smile, reminiscent of the Cheshire Cat's.
This certainly caught Eliza's attention, causing her to abruptly interrupt whatever she was discussing with Larisa, exclaiming, "Hey, hey! Bestie-bai, I thought I was your personal assistant. Awww! That's not fair!" She winced slightly.
"Eliza Starr, could you please remain occupied with Larisa over there? Teach her our ways while I attend to important matters."
Ashlyn really had quite the authoritative voice when she requested something from you.
"Alright, alright," Eliza muttered, making her way back to Larisa to continue their previous discussion.
I longed to switch places and engage in conversation with Larisa again. Unfortunately, I found it challenging to relax and be myself around Ashlyn. She was too tense and intimidating to be around.
I needed to stop being Ms. Timorous! I had to find something meaningful to say or ask that she would genuinely appreciate.
Perhaps I could compliment her on her hair or outfit. Asking about her makeup might offend her, as she might prefer to be seen as all-natural when it came to her face. I should have avoided discussing her perfume as well, since mentioning it, even though the scent was overwhelming, could have come across as creepy and given her the impression that I'd been sniffing her excessively.
Why exactly was she out here with us right then? I didn't believe for one second that she wanted to see a cat. She was here for live-streaming, and what else? Three topics to talk to her about came to mind. They said good things come in threes, or was that bad luck? Whatever it was, I had three innocuous topics to bring up with her to get a conversation started. Firstly, I could ask about her stream chat. Secondly, I'd like to know more about what she was here to promote. Ultimately, I was most intrigued by what these titles, 'assistant' and 'esteemed leader of the StarrGazers,' bestowed upon me were all about. This was what intrigued me the most, so I asked nervously, "I, um, I'm really curious about the perks of being her assistant and, you know, an esteemed leader of the Starr-lings... um, StarrGazers?" I quickly corrected myself, nervously stumbling over my words.
"Perks! Oh, the delightful perk is that you get to accompany me and be of assistance! The perk of being an esteemed leader is that I acknowledge you as a true StarrGazer... nothing less, Starrling! And your duties as my assistant, Lily Starr, involve holding my camera and tending to my every need."
Ashlyn gracefully reached into her belt bag flap pack and retrieved something, which she promptly placed into my hand, resulting in a damp, squishy sound. "This is the latest version of the power empowerment power source, the gulp-ball," she explained to me.
In my hand was a big ball of slime, giving me a peculiar sensation as if tiny teeth were gently nibbling at my skin. Was this thing alive? I hoped it wasn't some sort of mutant jellyfish. On second thought, it simply looked like snot or as if someone had put their hand in the sewer and pulled this out. Did someone with Ashlyn's elegance really carry this around?
"Could you possibly be a Starrling and give this a little test for me? And then, might you grace me with your thoughts in a review? Alas, duty calls," she chimed, gracefully brushing me aside and leaving me to contend with this rather imposing lump of slime stuck to my hands.
Review this?! It was just slime and feels hella nasty!
Once again, Ashlyn had her head buried in her phone. I managed to capture her attention for a fleeting moment, at least.
It appeared that Ashlyn was heading towards the vibrant town centre—the heart of all the hustle and bustle. Along our route, we already passed by two of my absolute favourite stores, and Ashlyn hadn't even glanced at them.
One of these delightful stores was "Cuddle Craft Creations," a sanctuary for crafting adorable plush toys. Here, you could set your creativity free with a few prompts and commands, watching the machine bring to life a charming, fluffy toy right before your eyes. Oh, how I wished my school had one of these contraptions; the mere thought ignited my imagination! Yet, there was a minor drawback—occasionally, the machine's intricate manufacturing and stitching process fell short, resulting in a bit of stuffing foam escaping from the cuddly toy's mouth. This unintended quirk gave them the appearance of having some peculiar ailment, as if they were foaming at the mouth.
The second store was "Rosey Hoppers," a haven for all things pink and bunny-themed. This store boasted an array of bunny-inspired garments—ears, a snowball-like fluffy tail, chic tops, and charming onesies—each a tribute to the colour pink. Anything that dared to deviate from this rose-tinted palette met a swift fate in the bin. Allow me to recount a tale from years ago when an unsuspecting employee mistakenly displayed yellow bunny ears, only to be promptly dismissed. Little did the store know that these very ears would rise to legendary status on eBunnee, transforming them into highly sought-after treasures and subsequently making the former employee exceedingly wealthy. Inevitably, the store owner of Rosey Hoppers smelt money and began promoting yellow products that periodically appeared in their store, like unique variations akin to Shiny Pokémon. They heavily promoted these online with the marketing slogan, "YALO! Will you get yellowed today?" Rarely did this store actually have these items; it was just a tactic to entice people into the store.
Of course, I was also afraid that Ashlyn would judge me if I showed a keen interest in these stores. Now that I thought about it, she hadn't shown any interest in any of the clothing stores. Being a 'fashion icon' and all, you'd think she would have taken an interest in them. She couldn't think they were beneath her and that the clothes they sold were tacky. She had even passed by all the high-end clothing stores, where the stuff was as good as it could get.
Then I came to the realisation that she didn't actually buy or pick out any of the clothes she wore herself. They were sent to her for free, in the hope that she would wear and promote them. She then got paid for doing so. What an effortlessly luxurious life that must have been.
Ashlyn remained on her phone, now utilising the hands-free feature, so everybody who walked by thought she was talking to them or that she was a crazy woman talking to herself. Who was she even speaking to, and what was she discussing? Most likely, she was giving instructions to her assistant to double-check if she had properly flushed the toilet back home, ensuring no lingering smells were present when she returned.
My true desire had been to be part of the Kassy supporters' parade, engaging in their lively sing-alongs and activities. It had seemed incredibly enjoyable, but that moment slipped away, and here I was, idly lingering behind Ashlyn, following her lead. Wasn't the essence of friendship rooted in solidarity? Thinking about it, I didn't really want to walk with Ashlyn at that moment; I would much rather see what Larisa and Eliza were doing while loitering behind Ashlyn and me. Surely, it must have been more exciting than what I was doing. I strolled over to Larisa, subtly tuning in to their ongoing conversation, seeking a seamless entry point to join in and contribute to their discussion.
"Oh my, Larisa, you have so much wonderful stuff on your page! All these images of unusual species are very fascinating." The way Larisa was holding her phone was quite intriguing, almost like it was fused to her hand, reminiscent of a budget action figure with slots for attaching swords and accessories. Her finger glided over her phone screen in a manner reminiscent of a teacher scolding a student while wagging their finger.
Ghosts have a knack for transforming the mundane into a spectacle. Larisa's face lit up with excitement as she lifted her phone for Eliza to see, exclaiming, "This picture is of Mr. Foxxy. I wish my hair was the same colour as his fur."
Eliza exclaimed, "Oh my goodness! Their fur boasts an incredible shade of blue. It's like to a precious gemstone or something!" Eliza's amazement persisted. "Hold on, are all these adorable creatures actually your pets? How on earth do you handle the task of caring for and feeding such a unique bunch?"
These pets had an incredibly bizarre appearance. I'd never encountered anything quite like them before. They were not really pets exactly, but they did live inside with me in the bathhouse. Feeding wasn't an issue, as they didn't eat at all, but they did sleep. All the animals were highly obedient as well, following any order Nira gave them.
"Oh, Nira, I totally remember that picture you showed me of her! She was pretty... pretty in a quirky way."
An onslaught of questions about the pets began flooding her mind.
"But wait, like, don't the pets she has, like, not eat? Hmm, they can't be ghosts like you, right? They are, well, I think... I believe they might be Dinglebarries."
Larisa's blank expression prompts Eliza to provide more details.
"So, a Dinglebarry is this virtual sidekick, super handy in games like 'The Mask That Always Smiles'. But getting one of these critters costs quite a bit, unless you're a big-shot fighter like Kai. They've got this spot called the 'Dinglebarry Realisation Centre,' where they bring VR stuff into the real world. You can actually touch 'em and have them scamper around your house like pets. I believe the creatures found wandering in our forest were VR creations brought into the physical world."
Larisa's rapt attention attested to her captivation by Eliza's narrative.
"With Dinglebarries, you need to follow some special commands. But it's like the creators forgot to give any commands at all! No wonder these cuties... erm, creatures are all lost and just goofin' around in Heart-ling Forest."
Larisa, her usual cheerfulness absent, swiftly pivoted away, as if she feared the answer to her question. Avoiding direct eye contact, she softly uttered, "So... so," her voice tinged with apprehension.
I noticed her eyes twitch and a slight movement of her finger before she finally gathered the courage to inquire, "Can just anyone come in, give commands to Nira's friends, and take them away from her?" Her words hung in the air, and I observed a deep, tremulous inhalation through her nose, as if anxiety had caught her breath in its grasp.
I could immediately tell that this wasn't the real question Larisa wanted to ask.
Sensing Larisa's distress and desiring to alleviate her worries, Eliza emphatically stated, "Absolutely not!" Dinglebarries are inherently designed to exhibit exceptional loyalty. Once they identify either Nira or you as their owner, an unbreakable bond is formed, and they will remain securely tethered to you."
Ah, that's reassuring to hear. I can't imagine how Nira and Larisa would manage without their friends. It would destroy them if they were taken away.
Larisa and I locked eyes momentarily, but she swiftly averted her gaze. In that fleeting glance, her eyes revealed a profound sense of anxiety and sadness. She looked at me once more, her expression laden with sorrow, before shifting her gaze back to Eliza. With a quiver in her voice, she finally asked, "Am... am I a Dinglebarry? What if I'm not a genuine ghost? What if I am not a real... real ghost?" It was evident that it took Larisa a great deal of courage to voice this question—tears streamed down her face as she lowered her eyes to the floor.
The complexity of the situation overwhelmed me. I longed to comfort Larisa, yet I hesitated, reluctant to fully accept her words. Though I couldn't provide a physical embrace, even the thought of doing so seemed to validate her concerns. As I contemplated my response, I noticed Eliza's mouth agape, poised to speak. "No, Larisa, there's a misunderstanding! I want to assure you, creating humans through VR is not possible, and it likely never will be. Dinglebarries, on the other hand, have their limitations. They lack the ability to perform tasks like humans do: speech, writing, and meaningful conversations. Their emotional range is also severely limited. In VR, we can only create variations of animals, blending features from different species together. Even a simple dog would fall short of resembling a real-life counterpart! And you are crying right now, which shows me that you are, in fact, a real, living ghost girl."
"So, I am a real ghost after all?" Larisa asked, wiping a tear from her eye.
Eliza nodded and replied, "Absolutely genuine... one hundred percent girl, one hundred percent ghost."
Lillian couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at such a bold statement. That's quite an assumption to make.
Eliza didn't pause. She continued, "When we see the ghost dog today, you will see the differences between ghosts and Dinglebarries."
Not this ghost dog talk again. Hold on a second—"ghost dog"? She had said ghost cat before! I had seen a video of this so-called cat. It was some big, greedy, stinky creature. I wasn't keeping quiet anymore.
"So, Eliza, are we off to see a ghost dog?"
She was well aware of my presence all along, and her expression reflected surprise, as if my question had caught her off guard. It was as though she wasn't expecting me to ask about this, or perhaps she had anticipated a different inquiry altogether. With a smile, she responded, "Yes, indeed we are, Lilly-poo."
I asked again, "To see a ghost dog?" I said it slowly, accentuating every syllable deliberately.
A sense of unease washed over me. Initially, I intended to jest about Eliza's slip-up of mentioning 'dog' instead of 'cat.' Considering the heartfelt discussion she had just had with Larisa, I decided to halt this endeavour. Shifting my approach, I asked, "So, do you know how this dog died?"
Eliza responded with a hint of sadness, "Why do you automatically assume it had to have died? That's not nice at all."
After all the assumptions she'd just made about Larisa, I instantly tried to defend what I'd said: "Because that's how ghosts all come to be! They were once humans who were alive, but now they aren't."
"We're talking about a dog here, not a human, you silly-poo."
So, was Eliza back to being her usual smug, mocking self again? I then remembered the name of the cat that Eliza had mentioned when she showed me a video of it. It felt like a gift from above! Miss Ling-kins, sorry—no more mercy for you!
"Eliza-ling-kin...kins...kin...kins, 'Whisker-Nyan-Nyan' is quite a wild name for a dog, don't you think?"
With eyes and a face beaming with delight, Eliza exclaimed, "You remembered their name?! No way! I seriously didn't think you cared or were even listening."
Not the response from her I was expecting. I think she just heard the words "Whisker-Nyan-Nyan" and then tuned out the rest of what I said.
"You remembered the name of the precious dog?" she repeated. In that moment, I could tell she realised she had said 'dog' instead of 'cat.' Now, I saw her struggling to keep a poker face. Then, she quickly promoted a change of subject. "Ewww! Just yuck! What's in your hand that you're carrying? Using a tissue for sneezes is much better than using your hand, ya know?"
"Don't try to divert the topic!" I retorted, vigorously shaking my hand with the hefty blob of slime, causing it to wobble energetically.
Eliza let out a startled scream, "Keep that away from me!"
"Cat attack!" I shouted, thrusting both my hands forward, fingers mimicking a fierce cat's pose, one hand cautiously gripping the slime that Ashlyn had handed me.
"Wait a moment, hold on, isn't that the power source gulp you meant to place in the back part of your phone, giving it never-ending power?" Larisa asked. She looked much happier now, and the quirky banter between Eliza and me had certainly lightened her mood significantly. A small smile had returned to her face.
Eliza relaxed a bit, nodding in agreement. "So it is! It is one of those empowerment power sources, gulp-balls. I thought Lillian was being disgusting again." There was a momentary pause as she inspected the slime in my hands once more. "Why exactly are you just carrying it in your hand like that?"
"Ashlyn gave it to me for review, and I wasn't quite sure what to do with it."
Eliza's mischievous grin widened as she took hold of my hand, the one grasping the gooey substance. She playfully pressed it against my forehead, resulting in a comical squelching sound. "Perhaps if you place it on your head, it might impart some intelligence to your brain," she teased, her tone light-hearted. Then, with a chuckle, she continued, "Even Larisa recognised it for what it was, yet you remained clueless?"
"Oh, spare me. You were quaking in your boots just because it happened to be in my hand?" I retorted with a smirk, pushing the slime against Eliza's own head. "Congratulations; you're now officially three times smarter."
Eliza wasn't disgusted anymore; in fact, she was laughing as the slime was pushed onto her face. This contrasted with her previous reaction, and she said, "Did my brain just level up three times? Like I've transformed into a Super Saiyan or something like that?"
"Yes, something like that... three times smarter? But wait, isn't zero times three still, um, zero? So you still have nil intelligence," I told Eliza with a grin. I was so happy to have the upper hand in banter with her for once. I can do maths for the first time ever! I continued, "Zero, zero, zero!"
"Fine then. I'll be Eliza000. Can we just move along? What's Ashlyn even doing? Is she still talking on the phone?" Her voice showed signs of defeat.
I looked ahead at Ashlyn and saw that her attention remained fixed on her phone, oblivious to our presence. I almost stepped on something wet on the floor as I moved in her direction.
"What is this big, long line of water on the floor?" I asked, unsure of what it was.
Eliza said, "It's like a big snail trail or something. I didn't think a snail trail would have been made by a human. It looks so strange."
"Speaking of snails, the three of us haven't walked far at all; we're all moving at a snail's pace," I said.
Eliza interjected firmly, "Let's avoid discussing them, if you please. Moving on..."
I looked where the big line of water led, and we all groaned in disgust when I saw what it was...