Martin returned to his studio with the fading note of a Sairren household bell still in his ears. The headset loosened around his temples, and the weight of his real body settled back into the mattress beneath him. His shoulders complained when he sat up. Hours inside Worldshell no longer left bruises on his skin, but his muscles still remembered impacts that had technically happened somewhere else.
He placed the headset beside the bed and checked the time. The session had ended early enough for food, a shower, and perhaps one quiet evening without a criminal market or a compromised dungeon demanding attention. His phone vibrated before his feet reached the floor, and Elisebeth's message made him stop.
[Elisebeth: Martin. I have discovered an unacceptable gap in your education.]
[Martin: Hello to you too.]
[Elisebeth: You have heard NukEncore sing in caves, during battles, and while monsters were trying to kill us.]
[Elisebeth: You have never seen Elisebeth perform properly.]
