Mark
He was still awe struck, when he entered the director's office the next morning. A large room with a heavy solid wood desk. Another sturdy chair stood between the door and the desk.
Ms. Steele, the only person who had authority over him in the company sat in her high backed chair behind her desk. Her platinum blonde hair was tied up in a neat bun. Her navy business suit framed her body without wrinkle or blemish. She nodded to the empty chair across from her desk. Dark eyes watched him expectantly.
Mark sat, grateful he had stopped to change into his business attire before arriving. "May I ask why you called me into your office?"
The director folded her hands together on her desk, emotions unreadable. "How is Miss Frost's progress coming along?"
A surge of pride filled his chest thinking out what she had accomplished in the short period of time.
Witnessing Phoenix's transformation both in game and in the realm of reality felt so surreal. Before logging out of the game and leaving her to her crafting, he checked her status.
[Phoenix]
[Level: 120]
[Luna Moonsilver Shifter (able to evolve)]
Character evolution was rare. A player that could evolve twice was considered legendary. Lillian. Lillian was something else entirely.
"She picked up everything I taught her about the coding and learned how to communicate directly with the AI programming like it was second nature. She's… quite amazing." Recalling the bliss he felt in Lillian's presence felt like being wrapped in a warm blanket.
If not for the meeting Ms. Steele called him to come to, he would have stayed with her at her in-game work desk. Simply watching the methodical movements of her hand sewing each scrap of leather together piece by piece added a certain charm to the graceful yet feral beauty. She was the calm in a raging storm. A safe haven in the midst of chaos.
A snap of Ms. Steele's fingers pulled Mark out of his reverie. Her dark grey eyes bore in to him like a pair of sharp blades. "Mr. Braxen, I agreed to your request to work with Ms. Frost because as the head developer of this game you could teach her what was needed to join the development team. However, there are rumors spreading regarding your behavior toward her."
Tension built up in his arms and back. "What kind of rumors?" His voice was low. Measured. A forced calm.
Ms. Steele took a deep breath and exhaled. "I'm not the only one concerned with whether your growing affection for her is clouding your judgement. Your crew is questioning your motives for wanting her in their ranks."
He dragged his hands down his face. It was clear what he needed to do to quell the doubts of the development team. Just the thought felt like someone ripped his heart out of his chest. "I'll talk to my team. Clear everything up with them and keep my distance from her for a while."
Ms. Steele nodded. With that he was dismissed from their meeting.
Lillian
After completing her new clothes in-game, Lillian logged out. She stretched her stiff body. Each soft pop of her joints give off equal parts pain and relief. Her overly sensitive nerves provided mild feedback with her movements.
Since the fight with the Stalker, she felt like an invisible heavy chain was torn asunder. Traces of fear remained, but they no longer had a hold on her.
She checked her VR band for the time and found two unread messages. One from Chelsea. One from Mark.
She opened Chelsea's first anticipating what her message might say.
Hey Lily,
I won't be able to join you for lunch today because I'm working on a big surprise. I just need to add to finishing details. Don't forget to order lunch.
Chelsea
Lillian chuckled to herself, before opening Mark's message.
Lillian,
Ms. Steele asked me to work more closely with the main dev team. Regrettably, I won't be able to visit you until your final evaluation is complete. You have learned everything I can teach you and I know you will pass with flying colors. I will see you see.
Sincerely, Mark
Her heart broke a bit as she read Mark's message. Although it wasn't good bye, the idea of him not being with her for a while left her with a sense of longing. She pulled herself together, brushing aside unshed tears. Then she responded to each message. Soon after, she made her way to the cafeteria.
The bustling eatery was just as lively as ever. Betas conversing over fresh meals prepared by the in-house chef. The culinary master behind the counter greeted her warmly. "Ms. Frost, how are you?! I was starting to think you were avoiding me." The older gentleman laughed at his own joke.
Lillian cracked a good-humored smile. She leaned against the counter using her good arm. "No. Just been really busy. May I have a tall double shot espresso with coconut milk and a splash of vanilla?"
"One 'Luna Special' coming up." Chef Jack stepped up to his new coffee deluxe machine stationed on the opposite side from his griddle.
Lillian groaned, despite the smile on her face. "Oh no, Chelsea got to you too."
Chef Jack gave her a sheepish grin as he mixed her drink. "Sorry, lass. The name really suits you." He let out a little chuckle. "Besides, just like this coffee you ordered, you're very sweet with a bit of bite."
Lillian still wasn't quite used to complements yet leaving her more than a little flustered. She offered a soft shy 'Thank you'.
From the center most table of the dining hall, demeaning laughter echoed through the room. She listened carefully to the boisterous voice, immediately recognizing it as belonging to the girl who tried to run Chelsea over on the track. "Yeah! I saw one of the dev reps sneaking out of a beta girl's dorm room in the middle of the night more than once. If you ask me, they are having more fun with each other than playing the game."
"Which girl is it?" Another girl in the crowd asked excitedly.
The first girl answered, speaking low as if sharing some deep dark secret while still being loud enough that Lillian could hear from the counter. "The one in room 114. Sometimes that Chelsea girl goes in there with them."
Lillian bristled. Her stomach churned in disgust. Judging by the chef's startled expression, her eyes changed to gold. "Hold my drink for a minute, please. Can I add a couple of dairy free sandwiches to my order?"
He had seen first-hand how she handled his nephew's outburst that first day. Chef Jack nodded silently.
Lillian moved quietly through the crowd. Passing between beta's like water through a stream until she reached the origin point of the venomous slander. It was indeed the same girl that had tried to hurt Chelsea. Same auburn hair. Same strong curvy body. This time, she wore a flirty red blouse with too short shorts. "How intriguing. Please, due tell more."
The room went still. Lillian displayed an air of calm. A sharp contrast to the heavy tension hanging thick in the crowd. The pixie haired girl's sapphire blue eyes locked with Lillian's.
Lillian could practically see the shiver crawl up the boisterous girl's spine. The girl with auburn hair responded anyway. "Ha, a nobody like you decided to show your face after everything you've been doing with your rep."
Lillian intertwined her hands under her chin, cocking her head slightly to one side. "That's funny. I have video evidence that proves every word you've said about us is false."
The other girl's face turned deep red, twisting into a mask of rage. Steam erupted from her ears.
Lillian stood up brushing her hands against each other. The crowd split apart, giving her a wide berth to walk away.
"Well, I have more work to do before the day is over and I'm sure many you here do too. I'll be taking my leave." Lillian stated as if she were just having a friendly chat rather than calling out a fraud.
She had only taken a few steps through the path the onlookers provided when she sensed the air shift from a fist coming toward the left side of her head. Lillian deflected it with her left arm, sending a jolt through the nerve damaged limb. She held fast stopping the auburn-haired girl's fist cold.
"Tsk, tsk. Violence is strictly prohibited beyond gameplay on campus grounds." Lillian's reminder filled the air like silk blowing gently in a breeze.
The auburn-haired girl hesitated, surprised. Then she shouted in outrage. "I'll hunt you down and show a nobody like you what a player with a second-tier evolution can do."
Lillian walked back to the counter. Calm, cool, and collected. She gathered her meal, coffee, and a case of water with a note slipped between the bottled waters.