NerveGear Comes To Graal

Chapter Five

I'm never complaining about winter ever again.

      It was hot, unbearably hot. Fluffs was agitated, she had nothing to do but pace and listen to Frank and Walter bickering. It just made her angrier, and angrier.. Meanwhile, Jordan and Dante had gone off to kill baddies and earn graalats at pyrat bay. Dalt, Honoka, Gromit, and Drago ran off to find food and learn more about the graal community, and Banana, Splashy, Channel, and Potato went looking for Kay, who had disappeared, (Banana was complaining the entire time..)

       "You couldve accessed the main database and attempted to crash the system!" Frank shouted in her high pitched voice.

      "And what? Killed more people? You know that would damage the life support and brain connection generators and partially severed the connections with their physical bodies, killing them!" Walter retorted.

      "At least they wouldn't be stuck in here!" Frank defended herself.

      "And what about us, Frank?" Walter shouted. "We were made in this game and we're stuck here forever! What happens when they finally shut it down! What is our purpose except to keep the humans company?!"

        Frank was silent for a few moments. Then, "We love them. Befriend them. Make the most of our short lives."

      Walter opened his mouth to say something, but shut it and turned away, grumpily crossing his arms, paws, forelegs whatever. Frank waddled over to Fluffs, who had sat down on a bush, and hopped onto her lap.

      Fluffs blinked, surprised, and shifted so that Franks seat would be more comfortable. "Dya need something, Frank?"

      "Do you know any good stories?" Frank asked, eyes wide. Her world was oh so small.  Any stories were.. magical, to her.

      "Y-yea, I know tons! What kind of stories dya wanna hear?" Fluffs thought it was a strange requests, but anything to pass the time..

      "FLUFFS, OHMIGOSH!" She suddenly heard a squeal, and looked up to see a girl with honey brown hair running towards her.

      "Do I kn- Oh, hi Wolfy! Uhm-" The other girl had wrapped her up in a bear hug, and Fluffs grimaced. "I..cant.. breeath.."

      "Oh, sorry." Wolfy backed off with a giggle. The Guild's nickname for her was Fangirl. Banana had written a story about them, it got around.. and Wolfy was the creation. Dear God help me.

      "I was about to tell Frank about Harry Potter." At Fluffs words, the cow's eyes widened. Fangirl giggled again.

      "I was busy anyways, just dropped by to say hello!" She raised her right hand and wiggled her fingers in a silly wave. "Ta ta!" And she exited the guild house.

      Seemingly on cue, another person entered.

      "Peanut!" Fluffs shrieked, jumping up and hugging her friend. "I was worried!"

       Peanut didn't say anything, just pushed Fluffs away. Her eyes were lowered, and she refused to make eye contact with her friend. "Listen, Fluffs.."

      "SISSY!!" Frank shrieked, and ran forward to hug Peanuts code, another cow.

      Walter arched his back and hissed at the other code. "Glitch." He hissed, baring his teeth. He eyed her with venomous distaste, and his tail flicked irritatedly.

      The newcomer code stiffened, and at that moment the bottom half of her body glitched, the pixels turning red and green, moving slightly to the side, all in an instant. Then, it looked fine.

       Turning her attention back on her friend, Fluffs asked worriedly, "What is it? Can I help you?"

      "Probably not.." Peanut whispered, her head down. Then she looked up, eyes glimmering with tears. "Katie.. B-butter, she.." She took a deep breath. "M-my code, shes a screwup. But I love her.. And my sister.. she's abandoned me to die. She knows- knew I wouldnt make it."

      Fluffs went cold. "Peanut, you'll be fine." She assured her friend.

      "No! I won't! Y-you dont understand.." She shook her head, picking up her cow and backing away. "F - fluffs.. Im a screwup too."

      It didnt register at first. Then, "No. You cant mean-"

      Peanuts pixels glitched, and Fluffs watched her helplessly.

       Suddenly, more people arrived, and Peanut ran to leave. "No, Peanut, wait-!" Fluffs shouted, but in vain. She was gone.

      It was Jordan and Dante. Dante just wordlessly dropped a bag of graalats and walked inside, while Jordan picked up Frank. Walter took the chance to curl up on Fluffs lap, purring when she stroked him.

      They didnt say hello. They just..didnt.

      "How have they been?" Asked Jordan.

      "Oh, the usual." Said Fluffs. "Fought, shouted, but they calmed down."

      Jordan acknowledged her with a nod, and settled down on a bench  beside the water. Water...

     "Idiot!" Fluffs shouted, and put Walter down on the bush as she stood up and approached the water. She searched through her body options, and, luckily, there was a bathing suit. She giggled, happy at the find, equipped it, and waded into the water. It was a small pond, almost a puddle. "How is it?" Jordan asked, and Fluffs replied with, "Wonderfully cold."

      Jordan joined her, and before she knew it, they were having a water fight.

      "Stop!" Fluffs shrieked, giggling. Her hair was soaked and so was Jordans, and she kicked water at her.

      "Hey, you started it!" Jordan laughed, splashing water back at her, trying to defend herself from the crystal clear droplets.

      Fluffs pushed her, Jordan grabbed Fluffs and they both fell down in the water. It wasnt deep enough where they landed to even drown their ears, so they just lay there, cooling down in the extreme heat and laughing slightly.

     They didnt say anything, and grew sleepy in the sunshine.

       Fluffs eyes drooped, and she was nearly unconscious when..

      "Thats not a sight you see everyday!" And someone whistled. The two girls sat up, noticing the arrival of the boys. Honoka had spoken, and according to the smack he recieved from Dalt, Drago had whistled. Jordan laughed, but Fluffs blushed and quickly scrambled out of the water, equipping her kitten body quickly.

      Then she stomped up to Drago and kicked him in the kneecap, shouting "Keep your..Y-your remarks and eyes to yourself!" She was embarrassed and unbelievably awkward, and stormed inside, an amused Walter trotting behind her.

       Honoka cracked up after that, tears threatening to pour out his eyes. "Drago, y-your face-!"

      It was beet red and he gripped his kneecap, deciding it hurt more than the back of his head where Dalt had smacked him. "I just whistled, jeez.."

      Gromit rolled his eyes and went off to find Dante, while Drago went in search of a Band-Aid.

      Fluffs found a corner to sit in, equipped her big purple Evil Mage hat, and pulled it down over her head. She heard people talking, it was the room where Honoka had placed the four couches, and eventually it got quiet. Someone walked over to her, hesitantly at first, and sat down beside her. She peeked out from under her hat just enough to see who it was, and pulled it back down again.

      Dalt took her hand, and she leaned against him. "This is so weird." She whispered, her voice muffled by the hat.

      "Yea." He replied. "Really weird."

      And they sat there.

God, I hate this game.