The girls were sitting down as a hunched, ghoul-like man in a hooded robe walked to their wooden table and said, "Well, well, well! Gather 'round, ladies, for today's grand delight! Behold, the exotic flavours of the Nether-Regions await your adventurous taste buds! Directly imported, yes indeed, from the distant and mysterious land of Ignorthus, a place of marvels and curiosities. These treats, my friends, hold the secret to unbreakable bones! Picture yourself as sturdy as a castle wall, all thanks to these delectable wonders. Don't wait! Your journey to unparalleled strength begins with every slurp." He then slowly placed a glass on the table before strolling away to the next table.
This location was far from pleasing to the eyes; it comprised multiple tables situated within a spacious room with windows tinted in darkness, as though they intended to discourage any curious gazes into the interior. We were encouraged to promote and discuss these items on eBunnee. The entirety of the place exuded a palpable sense of unsettling seediness.
Amii's voice dipped into a murmur as she cast her eyes upon the white goo imprisoned in a tall, grand glass—a spectacle resembling a white milkshake crowned with a frothy foam hat and adorned with playful green speckles. "Does this concoction supposedly guard the key to unbreakable bones?" she queried with a hint of scepticism. "My bet is he meant to imply it's an ingredient. Girl, we are about to eat bones!" she quipped.
"'We'? We?! Like, no way! There's, like, zero chance I'm even gonna lay a finger on that glass!"
Amidst the restaurant's ambiance, a neighbouring table held a woman who observed the scene. The teenage girl was still wearing her school attire, slouching in her seat and sulking.
As their voices carried across the space, it was clear that a conversation was taking place between the girl and her mother. Their dialogue echoed slightly too loudly for the setting, drawing the attention of those nearby. The girl's voice sounded incredulous, a mix of defiance and disgust evident in her words:
"Um, do I seriously have to do this, Mother? There's a skull and crossbones on the label. And a hazardous symbol. It looks sooo icky!"
"It's just a label. Did you learn not to judge a book by its cover?"
"B-b-but," she said, reluctantly holding the glass next to her face.
"Ava! And what did I tell you?"
"T-tell me? N-not to compla-complain so much?"
"No! What did I tell you about always taking a photo of your food before you eat it? I raised you better than this! You never listen! How can we gain a following and engagement on eBunnee if you don't take photos of what you eat and drink?"
Ava looked overly nervous, shaking the glass as she stared at it.
Back at Amii Ling and Princess Pensée's table, they both remained seated, observing the mayhem around them. The Path-walker dogs they brought in to test the drinks were becoming overly hyperactive, running between and under all the tables, banging into everything, and urinating everywhere. A woman in a fox-girl towel chased after them right in front of them.
"I am not touching this!" Amii exclaimed, her voice tinged with both irritation and disgust. "And if one more of those darn Path-walker dogs dares to dart under my table, I swear I'm going to let out a scream! And that smell... it's absolutely infuriating!" she added. "Why are they called Path-walkers anyway?"
"I know why! Don't call me a nerd for knowing this," Pensée exclaimed as she took a deep breath, then continued, "While performing my online duties in the 'Mask That Only Smiles,' my super loyal fans showered me with gifts and were all like, 'You're so amazing!' and so on." She inhaled again before she proceeded, "Anyway, about those Path-walkers: they originally started off as some doggo-like creatures, programmed to follow a set path and unable to deviate even if they wanted to. It was hilarious watching them. If you stood in front of them, they'd just freeze until you moved out of the way, and then they'd continue doing their thing." She took another deep breath. "And, oh my gosh, their way of walking was seriously weird! When they needed to turn, they'd halt and stand there, then spin 90 or 180 degrees on the spot. People even created a new dance based on the Path-walkers' movements called the 'Track Trekker.' It was a very enjoyable robot dance we all did to mimic the Path-walkers' actions." She inhaled once more. "Anyway, the Path-walkers' technology has greatly improved since those days. They can now roam freely everywhere. Yes, they're AIs, but they're definitely not intelligent, not even in the slightest."
"Track Trekker!! I did that dance as well! We all loved doing that dance, girl!"
"I did it with you!"
"Oh, did we? My memory is a bit foggy on that, but it sounds like something we would have done for sure."
Pensée giggled. "Like, because the video we made of this dance only got 500k views? We totally forgot all those videos with, you know, fewer than a million views."
"All that work for just 500k views? Urgh, people can be so annoying sometimes."
Pensée was really eager to continue the conversation about Dinglebarries and Path-walkers because it made her feel like some kind of intellectual genius or something.
"Anyway... the doggos that they bring into the real world as Dinglebarries, serving humans out there, are now being called Path-walkers. It's sort of like a nod to the original name they once had. And it's kinda a marketing term, you know?"
Amii sighed. "Of course, it's all about money and marketing. All the Dinglebarries I've created have been extra super-cute. And I know you feel the same. We don't want them in the real world."
"Yes! They are so much better in the virtual world when you can turn them off and not pay any attention to them."
"Can you imagine having all these animals running around your house? I mean, yeah, they're, like, super-cute and all, but it would be total chaos, right?"
"I sooo get it, Amii! These pets are like major attention magnets. When I'm out in public and someone struts by with their cute pet, suddenly it's like they're the star and I'm just background noise. I'm just like, 'Um, hello? I'm the princess in this scene!' Seriously, can we just ignore every other inferior being?"
The two of them gazed at the glass of white goo from the mysterious 'Nether-Regions,' its contents now bubbling like swamp water and releasing fragments as the air bubbles burst, producing an oddly surreal burping sound. Neither intended to touch it or even capture a photo for promotion on eBunnee. Instead, they had pulled their chairs far back, keeping a significant distance from it, all while continuing their casual chit-chat.
Amii scrolled through her phone, her thoughts processing all the information and knowledge Pensée had shared about VR and VR pets. "You seriously know everything! If only you were our teacher... we'd absolutely be super-geniuses by now."
Pensée was brimming with pride and happiness, rendering her speechless. Despite her humility, she shared a few thoughts. Yet, she decided to hold back, acknowledging her limited grasp of VR. While she knew about VR, Dinglebarries, and Path-walkers, she wasn't confident in all the details. She was cautious about saying something that could lead to embarrassment, especially if pressed to elaborate on aspects she wasn't fully versed in. She wondered what Amii was currently searching for on her phone, as it clearly related to her or to what she had said, making her quite anxious.
With a look of amazement on her face, Amii exclaimed, "Oh em gee! Look at your gear in 'The Mask'! Like, seriously, this was all given to you. I might not be a complete VR nerd, but even I know that this is the epitome of top-tier equipment!" As she spoke, she playfully fiddled with her hands, scrolling through the extravagant items in her inventory with genuine fascination.
"I'm all about the cute and flowery stuff. Honestly, I have no clue what any of these things do. If any item or piece of gear takes more than one line to explain what it does, I'm just, like, not reading it."
Pensée remained clueless about why Amii was so excited. The way Amii stared at her with so much enthusiasm and eagerness gave off the vibe that she had stumbled upon the most life-changing secret.
"Umm, hello?! How are you not, like, totally crushing everyone with this insane gear? It's, like, mega OP, pay-to-win!"
"I didn't pay for anything; just by winning in life, I am winning in the game. I have people fighting for me while I stand back and spectate. This whole game thing? I, like, seriously don't even get it. People are, like, competing to give me the best gifts ever, hoping I'll send them, like, a tiny text or something. Sometimes I'm, like, 'Thanks!' with a few words. Other times, I just, you know, use the auto thingy to type stuff for me. But, like, it can get kinda risky. There was this one time when an annoying person asked me out, and I, like, accidentally tapped on an auto-reply that said, 'Sure, let's do it.' Super awkward, right? So I, like, ghosted them and moved on."
Amii looked around the room and saw that nobody was really paying attention to them or urging them to hurry up with the drinks or whatever. The Path-walker dogs were still going crazy, running around the place. What she wanted to ask was something she wouldn't want anyone eavesdropping on before saying:
"Pensée, my girl, my ultimate bestie! Let's, like, forget all that, okay? So, you've heard about the massive event, right? Happening in 'The Mask That Only Smiles' tomorrow? It's, like, the event to end all events! And I was, like, thinking... maybe we could, you know, give it a shot? With your mind-blowing gear and all, we might actually stand a chance. Plus, I've got a bunch of those adorable Dinglebarry pets, and you do too! We could, like, totally wreak some serious havoc together! Imagine, a princess who's not just chilling on the sidelines but, like, actually kicking some butt!"
Amii's eyes sparkled with excitement as she eagerly awaited Pensée's reaction.
"Are we, like, totally on the same wavelength now? Oh, and, um, isn't it, like, a duo thing? Like, partners in crime?"
"Absolutely! We should totally be a duo! And I'm totally up for showing Kai and Jess who's the real boss!"
"Wait, Amii, how much do you actually know about VR? I didn't even know you were into this stuff."
"I know about everything that's popular and trending! Duh, girl!"
Pensée didn't need to think twice. The mere thought of snatching the spotlight from Jess and Kai was enough to fire up her competitive spirit.
"Let's do it! Amii, you've gotta, like, teach me all your VR secrets!"
Amii nodded, a determined grin on her face. "For sure! Right after we, you know, bounce from this place... like, ASAP!"
They both wanted to leave. The white liquid in the glass churned violently, with bubbles erupting from it.
"Amii, can't we, like, knock this glass over 'accidentally'?" she said, making finger quotes as she said 'accidentally.' "All these Path-walker dogs running around. We need to lure one to bump into the table or something and knock over the glass."
"How should we go about this?"
"Maybe... talk doggo lingo, nya~! Woof-woof! And whatnot."
"That, or we could whistle," she said. Then, remembering what she had in her pocket, she reached in and pulled out a quirky keychain—a pink starfish that made a squeaking sound when squeezed. Amii exclaimed with a touch of excitement, "This... this could totally work!"
"Let's give it a shot!" After Pensée exclaimed this, a loud male voice in the background boomed, "It's shot glass time!" followed by a resounding burp. Both girls cringed in disgust.
Amii sat there, surveying the room and observing all the people and activity
"So... Amii... what are you waiting for? The starfish won't sting you. Why are you so hesitant?"