When you master "The Mask That Only Smiles" event, a world of opulent rewards awaits. These coveted prizes are tailored to your personality traits, online shopping history, and the content you indulge in on eBunnee. Notably, even influential figures, including royalty, are drawn to "The Mask" event for their entertainment.
Should you leave a lasting impression, the doors of opportunity swing wide.
Beware the shadow of dull performances, for they may prompt an unwelcome ad break until your charm and engagement are rekindled.
(•ω•)
Although the trip to witness the ghost cat was supposed to be a mere 10-minute walk followed by a short train ride, dusk was fast approaching, and they were far from reaching their destination. The group's leader, Ashlyn, was persistently distracted, much like a trout lured by bait. She was constantly tempted to check the multitude of alluring, shiny notifications and pop-up ads, scroll through her contact list, and frantically speed-dial anyone with a pulse, as if she were in a race to save humanity from a zombie apocalypse.
Ashlyn was now deep in another phone conversation. She anxiously spoke into the phone, her voice dripping with exaggerated distress. "Wh-where is my d-dog? It's been, like, four hours already. Don't you care about my happiness?"
I couldn't help but roll my eyes, concealed by the fortunate lack of video. Ashlyn's melodramatic act was all too familiar—a tactic she regularly used to get her way.
Fortunately for her, she hadn't enabled video; otherwise, the person she was talking to would have seen her smirk after every word she uttered.
With a switch from faux sadness to demanding irritation, she continued, "Where is it waiting for me? A Chihuahua?! How utterly preposterous. I clearly said I wanted a dog! Do you ever listen to me?"
Lillian grew increasingly annoyed that Ashlyn kept straying away from the group every 5 minutes to talk on her phone. The journey that should have taken half an hour was now taking over 5 hours. She complained, "Eliza, I really want to grab that phone from her and smash it on the floor."
Eliza, who had been standing next to her moments ago, was no longer with her.
"I will not tolerate this!" Eliza stomped on the floor like a juvenile child.
Eliza was evidently angry at something she saw on her phone, with Larisa looking over her shoulder.
I had no interest in even asking her what was going on; I just didn't care at all. Was there a way to shut her up quickly before she tried to tell us?
"Two people unfollowed me in the last hour! Can you believe it? Some people have no respect! I wish I had a pet like Larisa to send after these people and 'ghost' them."
Larisa, clearly not understanding what 'ghost' meant in the context Eliza provided, simply thought it was something derogatory towards her kind. "Ghosting people is too evil of a thing for me to do. I think we should just ignore them instead and pretend they don't exist," Larisa said.
Eliza walked closer to me, thinking I hadn't heard what she said, and repeated, "Two people unfollowed me!"
How could I make her stop talking? The only thing I could tell her was the truth: "Because you promised them something and you did not deliver. We were supposed to be seeing the ghost cat."
Since it wasn't the response Eliza desired, she wasn't listening to a word I said and went off into her own world, saying, "I think it's the outfit I'm wearing. I don't think people quite like it. Rats on a pogo stick! I knew I should have worn something more provocative and classy."
"We may not have the opportunity to see the ghost cat today, as the day has been rather full and demanding." Ashlyn's voice seemed to come out of nowhere.
Did she sort out the dog, Dinglebarry, or whatever, from her management team? I really didn't want to prolong this journey any longer to ask, and I was sure she would bring it up herself. I interrupted her before she could say more. "A busy day?! You've just been messing around on your phone this whole time!"
Eliza finally realised the severity of the situation. She knew that the ghost cat videos were the main attraction of her eBunnee page. Not providing her viewers with content tonight as promised would be detrimental to her page. She had already lost two followers and might lose many more—maybe even five. She stammered, "B-but the ghost cat needs me! They'll be all alone."
In an eerie, ethereal voice, Larisa chimed in, "Don't ghost the ghost cat, Nya! Us ghosties need attention!" She floated gracefully, levitating and circling the three of us, urging all of us to stare in unison. Ashlyn observed her with a disinterested expression.
So, she did know what 'ghosting' somebody meant in this context? At least she had some spectral awareness of the term in different contexts.
Eliza exclaimed, "Listen to the ghost! She knows the facts!"
Ashlyn jumped in and said, "Before I was interrupted, I was about to explain why we wouldn't be able to make it. I trust the reason will soon become apparent when..." but she didn't finish what she was about to say and scrolled in front of us.
"That was ominous," the three of them thought as Ashlyn started talking and led the way, which, fortunately, was the correct direction this time. She put her shades down and was no longer talking on her phone. Instead, she had her face down, as if she were hiding. We both followed without saying a word to her.
Lillian, Eliza, and I found ourselves trailing behind, and I couldn't resist asking, "Have you ever considered the potential of Larisa becoming an eBunnee sensation? She's like an untapped source of fame and fortune right in front of us, and we're just letting it slip away. Besides, she's incredibly passionate about eBunnee and dreams of becoming a star on the platform. You seem to care more about that phoney ghost cat; it's neither ghostly nor feline, more like a raccoon or a skunk! What's more, Larisa can perform genuine ghostly feats, and she can actually speak!" Lillian was about to mention how beautiful Larisa was when Eliza cut her off. "She isn't marketable. Don't you think Ashlyn would have said something if she had a chance at all on eBunnee?"
"But she is a ghost! And she is my ghost! And... beautiful!"
"Ghosts? Ghosts are so passé, so last decade! You can't dress them up; they simply pass through any outfit you try to put on them. There's no way to use them to promote clothing or products. So what can you do? Just sit there and stare at them? Yes, Larisa is beautiful, sure, but you forget the glaring problem: she and ghosts alike appear as shadowy figures or blurs in photos!"
I was eager to bring up this ghost cat she had been taking photos of for some time without it showing up as a blur and whatnot, just to hear her seemingly implausible justification, especially considering her entire eBunnee channel revolved around that very ghost cat. But recognising that Eliza had much to say, we patiently allowed her to finish her thoughts. "Companies rely on cuteness and quirkiness to sell products. People couldn't resist ads featuring their favourite celebrities; it's a forcefield of temptation! If you're not a pretty person showcasing a hip new fashion style, a cute cat, or presenting your unique Dinglebarry in the VR world where you can make it perform all sorts of cool things and epic ninja attacks, or if you're not busting out your best lip-syncing moves to Kassy's hits, well, you might not be adding much value or worth to the Bunnee world. Sorry, not sorry... ghosts are just..."
Eliza struggled to find the right words to finish that lingering sentence. Eventually, she simply said, "Ghosts."
"Ghosts are ghosts? The first thing she said, I couldn't argue with," I mulled over.
Larisa perceptibly wasn't upset about what Eliza had just said but rather appeared to be in a content state of deep thought about something.
Lillian vehemently disagreed, exclaiming, "How on earth can anyone be afraid of her?! Just take a look at her! She embodies elegance and beauty in this world. The glistening sparkles on her skin are utterly mesmerising. Meeting her was a profoundly awe-inspiring experience. You were in absolute awe when you first met her, and now you're not? You even claimed to be a ghost hunter, and now you're not? Huh?! My brain! It can't quite process this! Error, error! Loading failed! Disc failed!"
Embracing the peculiar discourse about the discs in Lillian's mind, Eliza remarked, "To restore the disc, simply clean it and give it a few gentle blows, and like magic, it will be as good as new. Just be cautious about spitting on it when you blow, okay?" She continued with what she had been saying: "As for me being a ghost hunter, yes, I am one, but I exclusively track down ghost cats, just like everyone else. When the world stopped paying attention to human ghosts, they began seeking us out instead of us seeking them. It's like a game of hide and seek where, when no one's seeking them, they grow incredibly lonely and bored."
Larisa nodded in agreement and commented, "That is scarily kind of, somewhat true."
Eliza thought Larisa was on her side, and in agreement with her, she said with pride, "One day, Li-li, you will understand how the world of eBunnee works."
Did she say 'Li-li' or 'Lie-lie'? They sounded too similar. I didn't want to ask her to repeat herself in case she had said the latter.
"I understand exactly how eBunnee works!"
"Yak, yak, yak!" Eliza leaned forward and made a persistent yakking noise right in my face.
"Just today, after that picture of me with the fox towel got posted on my page, my eBunnee page..."
"Yak, yak, yak, yak!"
"My eBunnee page..."
"YAK, YAK, YAKKY, YAK! Splat!" Even louder this time, Eliza didn't even let me finish my train of thought. I was being yak-attacked. I contemplated whether to respond with a cat attack, or maybe I should...
"You just lost 2 followers there!" I said quickly, then added, "So, should I really listen to you? Clearly, you're doing something wrong!"
Eliza took a step back and stood still. She gazed at the floor, her face a mix of hurt and sadness, like she'd just learnt her favourite ice cream was discontinued.
"Whoa... that's the first time I've ever shut down her yaks. So, her yaks can be defeated?" I mulled over in amazement, feeling quite proud of myself.