In a fantasy town... May charged into the adventurer’s guild, letting the door slam behind her without a care for her companions.

Lily and Evie followed at nowhere near her pace. The taller girl was first, and confidently strode into the guild, turning back only to hold the door for Evie. A smirk was on her lips, while the smaller girl blushed profusely and hurriedly squeezed in, barely peeking out from behind her at the rest of the guild hall.

It was very apparent that Evie was having a hard time. And not just because of Lily — no, this was most likely based on her entire situation. Firstly, she was a girl. Secondly, she was in public as a girl. Thirdly, she was in this game’s starter girl’s clothes.

And the starter clothes for girls were a bit... iffy, to say the least.

The new girl pulled down on the hem of her skirt just a bit, a nervous expression playing across her face as she glanced around the guild hall.

Luckily, it didn’t seem as though anyone was looking at her. They were too busy looking at May, who was practically skipping around the guild hall checking everything and everyone out.

Lily called out to May, and the hyperactive girl finally ran back, only to drag the two of them over to a board on the far wall. Quests... bounties... all kinds of requests of all different ratings and prices. The trio’s fingers traced the posters, looking for one to fit them.

May pointed to one, excitedly, and looked at Lily, who shook her head, pointing at the five star rating across it. Much, much too difficult for the girls when they were just starting out.

Lily then pointed to another. Evie nodded and shrugged. May just stared at the two of them, then shook her head and yawned dramatically.

Lily rolled her eyes, but kept looking. Next was Evie’s turn to spot one — her eyes landed near the top of the board, upon a quest to kill a certain number of slimes. It looked like the kind of thing May might find fun, and the difficulty rating was low, too. She pointed — or tried to, anyway — but it was out of her reach, so instead, she jumped.

She did so, and then only afterwards seemed to realise that she was jumping while wearing a very short skirt, and... she spun around to make sure no one saw, her face very red.

May gave her a thumbs-up, smirking. Lily gave May a shove.

* * *

In a steampunk city... A puff of dark steam billowed overhead as three women cloaked in dark, form-fitting outfits landed on the steel roof of the train, one landing lightly on her feet, one with a dodge roll, and one extremely awkwardly, almost falling right off the edge.

The other two helped the third girl back up, and the three of them lifted up their masks — not that it wasn’t easy to tell their identities even with their masks on. May, the one who’d done the dramatic dodge-roll, was grinning, and she gestured towards the front of the train, her eyebrows bouncing up and down. Lily held up her index finger, and was checking to make sure that Evie was alright. Evie looked upset and embarrassed, but gestured with her head towards the front of the train as well.

Lily nodded, and the three of them pulled their masks back down and took off. It seemed as though the three had a plan, and that plan involved something further up the steam train.

Unfortunately, one of the girls did not seem quite as comfortable with her body as the other two, and kept tripping and in general slowing the other two down — or, well, one of them at least. As she usually did, May was charging far past them, and had nearly reached the front of the train already.

Evie seemed to be getting more upset by the moment, but pushed on and followed through, and eventually the other two caught up to May, who then promptly pulled out a grappling gun. With a wink, the girl shot at an approaching signalling device, managing to nail it dead-on on her first try. She then jumped right off the train, the centrifugal force swinging her in a perfect semicircle, where her feet crashed into a glass window in the passenger car below, shattering it.

And then she was gone, presumably in the passenger car beating up some dudes with some other fancy spy gadgets of some sort.

Evie and Lily looked at each other for a moment, then climbed down the ladder at the front of the car, before finally just opening the door and walking in.

It was a dining car — the floor was littered with broken glass and bits of food tossed asunder.

As one might have expected, especially having seen how much of a mess the car had already become, May had already handled most everything. At the back end of the car were multiple fancily-dressed men, each knocked unconscious. These were the bad guys, and May had quite clearly given them “the ol’ one-two.”  But now, on the other hand, she was just standing there, twirling a gun in one hand as she took a bite of the muffin in the other, one which had most likely been swiped from the countertop.

A bright flash suddenly exploded behind the three of them, the gun and the muffin both knocked to the floor. They all spun around towards the front of the car — through the open doorway, in the steam engine beyond, was a man in a fancy suit, his fingers tracing his curly moustache. Around him, the steam engine had become a plume of fire. 

The three girls gasped, and Evie pulled out a photograph of the exact same man, marked with a red X. 

He was their target.

Then, all at once, the three girls seemed to realise that he was getting further away — he’d detached the engine from the passenger cars!

Evie realised that she was closest and reacted quickly, diving for the gun. May also reacted quickly, instead diving for the muffin since she was nowhere near the gun.

Equipped with a gun, Evie stumbled back to her feet, and held it out, only to trip over her own feet and fumble with the gun, accidentally tossing it right out through the shattered window.

The three girls looked at the window together for a moment, shocked, and May took a bite of her muffin. Then she turned back towards the man, who was cackling, and tossed the muffin right at him, nailing him in the forehead and sending him falling backwards into a lever. As the engine’s wheels locked up, sparks flew, and very quickly the engine and the passenger cars collided with a boom! All three of the girls lost their footing, then, and Evie fell right back onto the floor.

At this point, Evie looked like she was crying, and Lily picked her up, following May back up onto the roof of the train and running back the way they’d come, away from the burning engine. Right as they grabbed the rope ladder hanging down from a friendly steam-powered helicopter, the engine exploded, and the mission completed.

Evie was still crying.

* * *

Back in the VR hub... May and Lily were standing awkwardly to the side, while Evie sat alone on a cot, making herself small as she cried. 

May tried to get close to put a comforting hand on her shoulder, to say gentle words... but Evie shooed her away with a wave of her hand. May pouted, and tried to hug her anyway... but Evie pushed her away, sliding away from her on the cot.

Lily put her hand on May’s shoulder and brought her away, the two giving Evie some space.

* * *

In a massive battleship... Evie stood at the top of the bridge, looking out into the stars at the approaching enemy and at her own army. Her expression was hardened, as if she had made a pact not to let any emotions get to her.

Lily’s face appeared in a corner of the window, her voice coming through the radio. No nonsense, she asked for instructions, and Evie gave them. Lily saluted and disconnected, then her fighter and squadron swung off to the side, engaging cloaking in an attempt to pin an enemy squadron in an unfavourable location.

May’s face appeared in the corner of the window, her voice also coming through the radio. Nonsense, however, was May’s MO. The very first words she gave to Evie brought a blush to Evie’s cheeks, and the poor commander tried to give May her orders, but it seemed that May simply couldn’t help herself, taking her nonsense ever further.

This proceeded for some time — Lily following Evie’s orders to a T, May focusing more on simply getting the girl to blush. She did participate in the fight, of course, guiding her squadron to attack the enemy, but her teamwork was very lacking.

Evie finally yelled at her, an outburst about how they were about to lose, and May simply raised an eyebrow. Was Evie really sure about that? Would she like to bet on it?

Then the flirty girl disconnected from the radio and promptly pulled off the most spectacular manoeuvre, taking out an entire squadron of the aliens with their own lasers and dealing a massive blow to the enemy side.

When May reconnected, her eyebrow still raised, now with a self-satisfied, flirty smirk playing across her lips as well... 

Evie reacted so strongly that the three of them had to pause the game.

* * *

In a vibrant, sparkling forest... The three girls held out their weapons. May with her massive mace, Lily with her rapier, and Evie with her grimoire and staff.

On every side of them, the bushes were rustling. Something was there... something big. May was grinning excitedly as she swung around her mace; Lily’s brow was furrowed in concentration, her mouth a thin line; Evie’s expression was an uncomfortable mix of worry and nervousness. Half of Evie’s expression was likely about her own awkwardness, though. Would she nearly cause them to fail again? Only time would tell.

And then a small, red, round object bounced out of a bush, landing in front of Evie, who shrieked and fell backwards.

It was a slime. A single slime.

May’s eyes widened and her jaw slackened, and then she tossed her mace aside and jumped at the slime, gently squeezing it in her arms with a squeal. It was very clear her opinion on the matter — the slime was simply too adorable to attack, even if it was dissolving holes in her clothes! Even if it was slowly — very slowly — diminishing her HP!

Lily and Evie stared at her for a moment, before out of the rest of the rustling bushes exploded an avalanche of additional slimes, slimes of all colours and shapes and sizes. 

A bubblegum-coloured slime dove at Evie, who slapped it away, the slime exploding with a loud pop! 

The small girl was dazed for a moment or two. The slime’s popping had been loud and very unexpected, it was like a balloon but... messier. 

After the daze finally passed, Evie looked around, seeming to realise that the slimes were not much of a threat, even in such numbers. 

Lily then offered her a hand and pulled her to her feet, simultaneously skewering five slimes on her rapier. 

May called out to them, then, back on her feet to throw out a challenge. Would they compete? Whoever gets the most slimes wins?

Yes, yes they were. And at that, Evie finally had a bit of a smile, her expression not worried or afraid, not upset or embarrassed.

It was crazy, then... chaotic and colourful and loud and vibrant. And none of them were having issues fighting against the slimes, not even Evie. She was casting a fireball here, a water jet there, and every so often, a healing spell over the three of them, which restored the meagre damage they’d taken from the weak slimes.

But then... rustling gave way to shaking of trees themselves, and a massive orange slime rolled into the clearing, one ten? Twenty times bigger than the slimes they’d faced before. 

The threat should have been immense. The fear should have returned. But instead... May tossed her mace aside a second time, diving at the slime. It was too big, though — too big for her to give it a hug, or pop it with her body, or whatever crazy thing she’d been planning. Because of the slime’s size, rather than anything remotely productive, instead her entire body was just shlorped into the mass of orange gel.

Lily and Evie looked at each other, then broke down laughing.

May pouted at them from inside her wiggly cage.

* * *

In a decadent limousine... the three girls were getting all dressed up. May immediately chose the most ridiculous dress she could think of — to no one’s surprise. Lily refused to wear a dress, instead choosing a sharply-cut, feminine suit. 

Evie, on the other hand, seemed both nervous and embarrassed at the idea of wearing a dress or a suit. She had not yet had the chance to pick out any outfit for her new form, and that fact was made plainly obvious by her current expression.

But... Lily put a hand on her arm, giving her words of encouragement. She was wearing a suit! That didn’t follow convention in the least! Clearly, Evie can also break convention if she so desires. She can choose whatever makes her the most comfortable. No matter what it is.

Those words of assurance seemed to be exactly what Evie needed, and she sighed and made her selection.

But a few minutes passed, and the limousine pulled to the curb of a large, extravagant mansion. May burst out first, followed by Lily, who then helped Evie out of the limo, the smaller girl blushing up a storm.

She was very pretty, that was clear for all to see... with her hair pinned up in a fancy bun, her face made up to enhance her youthful charm... And the shapely blue dress she’d chosen only accentuating her beauty even further.

She — in Lily’s words, the words she’d spoken in the limousine just minutes before — was adorable.

And Lily led that adorable girl into the mansion, into a very large, brightly-lit room. A ballroom. And it was beautiful — Evie gasped as her eyes traced its features. Windows stretching from floor to ceiling; golden, sparkling chandeliers hanging down from above; carvings and tapestries adorning the longer walls.

Spread throughout the room was a crowd of people — the richer people of the city, the ones that thought themselves more civilised, more important than the poorer folk. These people were businessmen and women, politicians, CEOs... they were the upper 1%. 

Why were the three girls attending a ball with all of these rich people? 

Well, to infiltrate it, of course. That was one of the reasons why May had worn such a ridiculous dress. No other dress than the most ridiculous could obscure the multitude of guns and gadgets that she held. None other than the most ridiculous dress could mask the smell of her secret stash of muffins.

But... for the other two... the infiltration could wait. While May apparently had plans, and immediately disappeared into the crowd, Lily was still holding tightly onto Evie’s hand, leading her further into the ballroom. Where was she leading her? 

Why, where else but to dance? Lily slowly, carefully wrapped her arms around the small girl, leading her in a slow circle to the rhythm of the music.

Evie had no idea how to dance. That much was clear even without her very obvious rising panic and quickened breaths — her movements were extraordinarily stiff and awkward. 

But then again... Lily’s expression was soft, gentle, and she was taking it very slow. Their movements were not overwhelming. They were not complex. Lily was quite clearly very careful to keep Evie from stumbling, saving her from the stiff and awkward movements that could only originate from her lack of self-confidence... from her fear and from her shame.

Eventually, Evie’s panicked expression diminished, her movements slowly starting to match Lily’s. By the end of the third song, the two were dancing. Really dancing. A slow, simple waltz, yes, but it was dancing and against all odds, Evie was doing it. 

With that, the last of the small girl’s awkwardness finally seemed to fade, replaced by a giddy smile on her lips and a pink glow upon her cheeks.

* * *

Back in the VR hub... Lily was interacting with the menus. With one press, a house materialised around the three girls — with another, it became a cosy log cabin. A third press and outside the windows was a picturesque, orangey-pink sunset, one only partially visible through a forest of evergreens and the softly-falling snow. 

A tweak of a slider, and the cabin had a chill. A press of a button and a warmth emanated from a fireplace to the side. Then a cosy, leather couch... a thick, woolen blanket... and finally, last but not least, a television up against the far wall.

There truly was no better way to relax... No better way but to watch movies — and to do so in a chilly house, under a warm blanket. And from there, it wasn’t far to absolute perfection, either — that only required being with the people you love.

In other words, for the three girls, this would be absolute perfection.

The blanket was wide, able to stretch across the entire couch. Lily sat down first, then May plopped down against her, and Evie sat by herself on the far end. She seemed warm and cosy there, too... even if she kept glancing at Lily and May, then quickly looking back away as if afraid to be spotted.

But... that distraction continued.

To her, the movie didn’t seem to matter. Maybe that was obvious, though... how could it? The chances of Evie being able to concentrate on such a thing were slim to none... not when she was so caught up with what Lily and May were doing, anyway.

She did probably notice that the film was about girls... But on the other hand, she likely never noticed the fact that the girls were in college. There was one thing she definitely noticed — the kiss. The blush on her face...

But... yes, Evie seemed to be having trouble paying attention to the film. May and Lily were just much too distracting... and at the moment, she seemed to be noticing the fact that the other two girls were moving. They were slowly, ever so slightly drifting across the couch, taking up more and more room... 

And they continued to do so, Evie becoming more and more distracted by it, but simultaneously trying to hide it even more...

...Until in the third act of the movie, where the movie characters’ kissing got even more intense, and where Evie also glanced over, seeming to realise just how close Lily had gotten. If she wanted to... she could lean against her.

But why would Evie ever want such a thing? Quite clearly, the girl should not get between the two of her friends. To her, it probably seemed as though all the things that happened, in all the games they’d played... It was all roleplay. It wasn’t real.

The small girl tended to be rather predictable. It was quite likely she did have such a ridiculous notion. However, if she did... any notion of the sort was proven very wrong, very fast, as Lily’s arm wrapped around her and pulled her close, and... then Evie was leaning against the taller girl’s soft shoulder.

It was far warmer there.

It lasted for a moment or two... leaning against Lily, the taller girl’s fingers stroking through the small girl’s hair... It lasted until May suddenly stopped leaning against Lily’s other side, and instead laid across her lap, resting her head on Evie’s thigh.

Unbeknownst to the other two, a tear rolled down Evie’s cheek. Was it the movie, or the touch?

Whether it was... throughout that third act of the film, a warmth unlike any other thawed her very soul.