"...who am I?"

The woman in the red dress uncrossed her legs and stood, placing her drink on the glass table beside her as she rose. She had an unmistakable swagger as she walked towards me, her hips swaying dangerously with every step.

"Why, Norma, I'm..."

The distance between us was now practically non-existent. From my pocket, I tried to dial emergency services as quickly as possible-!

"...your new mommy!"

Huh...? HUH!?

She lunged, throwing her arms around me and burying my face in her generous bosom. My body and mind froze, shut down, and restarted. A muffled robotic voice calmly stated "We're sorry, your call could not be completed as dialed. Please try again."

A familiar chuckle echoed from the kitchen as my dad entered the living room, shaking his head as he laughed.

"Now, now, Faye, we talked about this! Sorry kiddo, she can come on a little strong..."

I was so relieved to see him that I wanted to jump into his arms, but Faye still had me in her vicegrip. She leaned in and whispered to me conspiratorially.

"I've been hearing wedding bells from the moment I laid eyes on him, my dear. It's only a matter of time!"

With a wink she removed me from her breasts and held me at arms length, looking me over from top to bottom.

"Goodness Norman, you were right, she's such a cutie! Definitely takes after you in that way, doesn't she?"

Her sultry voice was laden with flirtatious intent. Faye delighted as dad blushed, clearing his throat as he approached us.

"Ahem. Well I'm a little late for introductions, but Norma, this is Faye. We're officially an item as of today, and she couldn't wait to meet you. Sorry to surprise you like this!"

He took a moment to study my face, his expression filling with overwhelming concern.

"Oh, I'm sorry, honey. This is just too sudden, isn't it? I-"

I interrupted him, trying my hardest to make it to the end of my sentences without breaking down.

"No, it's not that. It's a pleasure to meet you Faye, it really is, it's just... Something happened on my home..."

---

Meanwhile...

Luna got out of the car. As usual, her driver pulled away without a word. She closed her eyes, gathering the entirety of her resolve. She needed nothing less to be able to set foot in her 'home'.

Without delay, she approached the study. She stood outside the door for forty five minutes.

"Enter."

Luna pushed the heavy door open and stepped inside the immaculate office. Books, antiques, and torture devices. All were in their place.

An aging woman sat behind a large mahogany desk, her silver hair tied up in a tight bun. She didn't bother looking up, continuing to fill out paperwork at a measured pace.

"Report."

"Nothing to report, warden."

Luna felt despair set in when she wasn't immediately dismissed. The warden allowed a full minute to pass. All of Luna's weight was on her 'good' leg. She couldn't waver, not now.

"Elevated respiratory activity. Unsteadiness. Diaphoresis. You didn't think to report these?"

Luna knew the words would only bring further ruin. But the warden wouldn't let her go until she said them.

"...symptoms of a possible pain-induced fever, warden."

The warden dropped her pen.

"...pain-induced."

Adjusting her glasses, the older woman looked down at her charge.

"How bold of you to assign cause to effect. Are you suggesting my punitive measures are excessive?"

Luna knew her line, a simple 'No, warden.' But she refused to speak it this time.

If I play along with this sick theater for much longer... I'll crumble into a husk. I would endure a lifetime of punishment before humanizing this demoness ever again!

The sound of silence, charged with defiance, echoed throughout the study. The warden gave Luna a rare, genuine smile... and withdrew a scalpel from her desk.

---

Avera: After I told them, I thought dad would never let go... 
Avera: His new girlfriend was surprisingly concerned too, and she was a lot more serious after that. She's really nice. And a total MILF! Dad really outdid himself.
Avera: Aether? Are you afk?

Quin sat at her desk, head buried in her hands. There was no stemming the flow of tears.

You almost disappeared forever. You were in mortal peril, and I...

She looked upon her walls of screens and machinery with disdain. 

I was sitting here with your day old ghost! I can't let it happen again. From now on, I need to protect you.

Aether: I'm here! That was just some seriously hard to process shit. I told you IRL girls be crazy!
Avera: LOL! You were right!
Avera: I'd really like to play some raids with you to get my mind off of things. I might end up being the shitty tank this time, though. My hands are still shaking...
Aether: Actually, if you're feeling up to it, I... I could come down and stay with you for a while to keep you company. Is that something you would want?
Avera: Are you kidding me, of course it is! It's been so long, Quin, I can't wait to see you!
Avera: Oops! Sorry for using your name, I got too excited!
Aether: Ha ha, it's fine as long as we don't forget in guild or voice chat. Anyway, is your dad okay with it?
Avera: I'll go ask...
Avera: He says it's a great idea!
Aether: Good. I'll start packing right away!
Aether: I'll send you a text when I'm almost there.
Aether: See you soon, my love.
Aether has gone offline.

...my love?

A strange wave of anxiety passed through me like a bolt of lightning, gone as quickly as it came.

...well, it's no different from <3, really.

I hadn't seen Quin since right before middle school, except through a couple of pictures she'd shared with me after I'd badgered her enough. She was small and cute, even now, though it had been a while since the last one. I found myself more than a little excited to see her again in person and spend time together outside the confines of the game.

Speaking of, I'd been staring at my computer screen for a while now. I could play with some of the others, but without Quin the world felt so empty. What should I do now...?

I wanted to talk to Luna, but when I'd asked for her number in the past, she told me she didn't have one. I'd thought she was blowing me off back then, but now it made a morbid kind of sense.

The more you rely on your abuser, the harder it is to imagine ever breaking free....

Short of trying to search up her address or something, there was no way to get into contact with her. All I could was pray.

As for Mae... though I had daydreamed about us being together, I had never expected her to make a move so soon... Before this week she'd never shown interest in any girl, let alone in me!

I shuddered as I recalled her smouldering glare when she caught Luna and I. Though she was livid, the realization that she cared that much made me feel good, in some perverse way.

Even though I couldn't answer her about the future of our relationship yet, I decided it would be best to talk to her as soon as possible. Ignoring her after hurting her like that would just be cruel.

She answered on the first ring.

"Norma, so good of you to call! What's new? How's the wife?"

"...I hurt you, Mae. I know that."

"Very good! What do you want, a prize?"

"Of course not. I'm sorry, Mae. You made your intentions clear, I flaked out, and then you saw her and I together later that same day. It was completely unfair to you."

"...huh, I'm almost impressed. I was expecting to hear 'Oh, it's not my fault, she threw herself on me! I had no choice but to play tonsil hockey!'"

"Our lips didn't touch, Mae, and I wasn't going to let her get that far. Regardless, it wouldn't have been my first kiss, would it?"

Silence.

"Yeah, fine, I could have whispered a cute little 'Can I kiss you, consent is important uwu!', but I know you. I know you would have said no because you were too afraid to hurt me. I had to show you what I wanted, but even that wasn't enough, was it!?"

"Mae..."

"I know, you're worried I'll regret it. Regret us. But guess what, Norma? I'm not giving up. And I'm never going to give up, not until you're mine. How's that for making my intentions clear?"

This... this wasn't like her. What exactly was going on? She rarely used to give me the time of day before, then we'd hang out like close friends for a few days, rinse and repeat. What changed?

It's gotta be Luna. Mae's obviously upset that I won't just drop everything to work around her schedule anymore. I'd be lying if I said I didn't like having all of Mae's attention lately, but she wasn't acting like herself. Was she trying to act more like Luna...?

"Mae, this isn't you. I know you said you'd change for me, but I don't want you to. I want you the way you are."

"Oh, but Norma... This is me. Now, I suggest you break things off with Luna and anyone else you've had your eye on lately, because those connections will end, one way or the other. I'll even give you some time to say your goodbyes. Aren't I generous?"

"This... this is crazy, Mae! You know that, right!?"

On the other end of the line, Mae smiled.

"That's right, Normie, I am crazy! Crazy for you! But I'm not patient, so don't keep me waiting, 'kay? Talk to you sooooon~!"

The line went dead.