Private Time EX-filtration Failed

[Ash Vargold]

Ketsuban

---

Ketsuban Today at ████
hey you arent hiding behind the dumpster right
i need a favor

guiltySurgeon Today at ████
Just finished. What do you want?

Ketsuban Today at ████
i need you to hold my spot in line so i can go take a piss
the fleshtuber panels going long and ive been camped for like an hour

guiltySurgeon Today at ████
Fleshtuber.

Ketsuban Today at ████
am i wrong

guiltySurgeon Today at ████
Fleshtuber.

Ketsuban Today at ████
you arent denying it

guiltySurgeon Today at ████
Fine, I can hold your spot.
Which room?

A 10 minute walk and 10 minutes of waiting later, Aisling was still rotating the word 'fleshtuber' in her mind. She was upset that Jake had planted it in her mind. She was upset that he'd come up with it first.

Waiting in line was easy, though. She understood now why he was so intent to keep his place in line - he had been close enough to see the door, and she couldn't see the end of the line before it turned around the corner of the hall. Whatever the panel was, it must have been something big. She hadn't bothered to ask what it was.

People were starting to file out of the panel room. Aisling hoped Jake would show up soon - she was happy to hold his spot in line, but holding a chair in the panel room was a different thing entirely. She looked down at her phone.

guiltySurgeon Today at ████
Fleshtuber panel finished up.
Might want to hurry.

Ketsuban Today at ████
shit

guiltySurgeon Today at ████
TMI.

Ketsuban Today at ████

omw

@Rael @Luthien​

 

[Rael]

.

There is love, and there is excitement, and a joy unlike any her heart had known prior.

And in equal measure, there is exhaustion and the dread that settles as soon as she and Valeria are out of the public's eye.

No sooner is their panel finished does she wander off to get changed into comfier clothes, returning after a few minutes to the small group that had assembled in support of the duo and their first official gig. There, she gives a little kick to her twin's leg, calling his attention.

"Valeria y yo queríamos salir un rato a ver el resto de la convención. Te mando mensaje."

And she shoots Enzo a quick barrage of messages to which he groans in reply, ushering her toward the blonde, unloading the burden of his twin onto another person. Isabella is a bundle of giggles that puts little to no resistance in turn, continuing the onslaught of nonsensical stickers and memes until her sibling is gone from sight.

She swiftly approaches her co-host and bumps shoulders with them, tugging from her sleeve and outward to the people streaming out of the room. "So long as we aren't in the flashy clothes anymore and, you know, we don't act nervous or anything, people aren't gonna notice. Kinda wanna see what merch they have, you?"

Her social battery would need days, perhaps even weeks, to recharge, but she pays no mind to the fact. She drifts from one idea to another as she draws Valeria closer to the others leaving the room, effortlessly blending into the distracted crowd.

---

@Luthien @Ash Vargold​

 

[Luthien]

It was hard to describe the feelings running within her as the panel finally came to a close, and the erratic beating of her heart was probably due to the adrenaline rush she’d been riding until its very end as the curtain closed to signal the end of her presentation. The headset they’ve worn was quickly removed and turned off, before a deep exhale finally escaped her.

"Ay puñeta, por fin…!" The smile that refused to leave her lips already spoke volumes of the joy she felt, sparkling eyes turning to look at Isa before giving her friends a double thumbs up. "I think we nailed it, right?"

A small bag she’d prepared was picked up as their first official gig was finally completed, joining Isa as the girls headed off to change out of the Hololive provided clothes and into comfier attires. A soft chuckle escaped Val as she watched Isa give her twin a little kick to get his attention, before the blonde bumped her shoulder against Ari to do the same.

"Mind if I leave this with ya for a lil’ bit? Isa and eye wanna take a quick look, maybe figure out a good spot for all of us to get lunch." The small duffle bag was placed next to his feet, followed by a quick peck of her lips onto his cheek, before her little finger curled around his. "Be back soon, pinky promise~"

A soft laughter escapes as she catches sight of Enzo ushering his twin towards her, Isa’s fingers rapidly tapping away at her phone screen, before her co-host bumps against her to signal they should get a move on. A final wave is given to the boys that stay behind, before she follows Isabella through the small exit available from the stage area into the rest of the convention.

"Yeah, without those clothes we’re just two more con members walking around and geeking about cute things~" And yet she can’t help but adjust her cap just a bit more, though she’s glad to have Isa at her side. "Same, I heard a bunch of my favorite artists were gonna have a boot here—can’t wait to see what they’ve brought!"

@Aisling | @Isabella

 

[Ash Vargold]

The line was moving, and Aisling was getting close enough to the entrance that she was planning her escape. Sure, Jake would be upset, but he knew the risk he was taking. She peered down at her phone and began to compose an apologetic message.

"OI, ASH! I see you getting ready to bolt!"

Aisling flinched. A few of the people behind her muttered as Jake sprinted down the hall to catch up with her. She stared at him as he caught his breath. "Hah... the closest bathroom was being cleaned. Had to jump to another floor..."

"...you did at least wash your hands, right?"

Jake glared at her as she stepped aside, flourishing her hands as if she were 'presenting' the spot to her housemate. "Your spot, good sir," she intoned, mimicking the tone and body language she usually saved for "roleplaying".

Jake made a face before sliding into line, ignoring the grumping of the others in the line. "You are getting way too good at that."

"Well, one cannot ignore the results of practice-"

"Fuckin'... just get out of here, you royal mutt." Jake not-so-gently shoved Aisling away from the line. She caught her balance easily and raised a hand to cover her grin.

"Yeah, yeah. Enjoy your, uh-" Aisling paused, squinting at the schedule, "-villain vtuber meetup? Anyway, talk to you later."

She waved as she fled down the hallway, still smiling. Maybe he was right, and she needed this kind of outing. How long had she been immersed in that game, interacting with people who she didn't really know? Sure, people online were still real, but even before things like Terrasphere existed there was always that wall between virtual and physical.

@Rael @Luthien

 

[Rael]

.

"Mmh? Oh yeah, definitely! It's..." Isabella takes her phone out of her pocket yet again, swiping through dozens of apps, looking up their names on social media as people shouldn't do. "Actually trending! Ooooh~, that's a nice pic..."

It is substantially easier for her to conceal her identity once the wig and all identifying markings of her "brand" are removed, make-up a distant concern as all eager convention-goers were known for a touch-up here and there. Nothing too over the top, it wasn't exactly her that was meant to shine, but rather what she had been wearing.

That's the thing, however. She is no longer the persona displayed publicly, drawn back to her role as an observer, listening in to the conversations around the two of them for any sign of the reception of their panel.

She catches a most common conversation between an old lady and her... partner? But it is the contents themselves that make her seize at Valeria's wrist and tug her to a full stop.

Where once she had been eager to move along and get started with the day, she is now the one that stands rooted and at attention, eyes widened in what is a faint sense of recognition.

"Necesito que mantengas la boca cerrada, y los ojos sobre esa señora. Es un poco sospechosa..."

The coincidence is too strong for her to possibly ignore, even if there's no way in hell he'd willingly sign up for a situation where he would have to purposefully run into hundreds of people.

"I was thinking of using a green wig for one of my upcoming streams! I think it would look good on me, and perhaps..." The pair follows after the woman, and with the perfect excuse of worrying she might not be heard with all the people around the room, she raises her voice just so. "Some animal ears? Everyone adores cats but it's a bit overdone at this point... I was thinking dog ears?"

---

@Luthien @Ash Vargold​

 

[Luthien]

"Oh shit, no way! It’s trending already?" She can’t help the surprise on her voice as Isabella shares the news, and while a part of her knew it was possible—after all Hololive was a big and well-known name out there—it still felt surreal to actually experience it first hand. "Lemme see~"

She moves closer to the fellow blonde, peering down into Isa’s phone just as the girl comments about one of the pictures on screen. "That is a nice pic, I wonder who took it…" Whoever had done it was certainly not new to this, though it didn’t seem t come from one of the official photographers paid by Hololive for the panel.

Distracted as she was by the varying comments of their trending event it wasn’t surprising that Valeria had tuned out the rest of the world around her, a subconscious habit to prevent herself from being overwhelmed by too many sensory inputs at any one time… at least until Isa switches to full Spanish besides her. "You’re right, that’s a long ass line…"

A quick excuse, but it's one that allows Val the time to look over the line and—more importantly—the people waiting in it without attracting the attention of others. Magenta colored eyes soon find the woman in question and her companion, barely able to catch something about a villain vtuber meetup, before she quietly nods at Isabella.

"I was thinking of using a green wig for one of my upcoming streams!" A green wig? She can’t help the look of confusion that crosses her face as her eyes follow Isa, the shorter blonde conveniently moving to a spot that allows Valeria to keep the sus woman within her frame of vision without bringing attention to themselves. ”I think it would look good on me, and perhaps… some animal ears?"

Green wig and animal ears… Wha—no way… right? Things finally start clicking into place, though she can’t help but doubt at first. Sure, it’s not exactly uncommon for people to choose avatars that don’t match their gender ingame—she’d lost track of how many men playing cute girl characters Valeria had come across while gaming—but the thought hadn’t really crossed her mind when it came to that game.

"Oh, I like the sound of that~ What about… golden eyes? Y’know, to contrast with the green hair." he’s quick to play along as Isabella begins to raise her voice, making sure to match her tone to that of her friends so it looks casual enough for most—just two girls planning their next cosplay and trying to hear each other over the crowd.

"Alright, so what animal? You gonna go with the usual kitty ears?"
”Everyone adores cats but it's a bit overdone at this point... I was thinking dog ears?"

The girls didn’t miss a beat as they played off one another, in perfect sync with one another despite lacking the telepathic link their ingame race provided. She was careful to stand in a position where she could see the mysterious woman without issue, her eyes quietly looking for any twitch or reaction that might be caused by their conversation. "That’s perfect~ Besides, everyone loves a cute awoo right?"

@Aisling | @Isabella

 

[Ash Vargold]

guiltySurgeon Today at ████
that word's gonna live in my head rent-free
maybe I should up yours to pay for it

Ketsuban Today at ████
too bad I've got blackmail, o player of games that cannot be named

"Oh, fuck you," Aisling half muttered, half rasped, and shoved her phone into her pocket. Part of her wanted to ditch the man, the deal be damned. Or maybe she could see if that had actually been her boss getting dragged off by some weirdo, or she could just go back to the smoking area...

"I was thinking of using a green wig for one of my upcoming streams! I think it would look good on me, and perhaps… some animal ears?"
"Oh, I like the sound of that~ What about… golden eyes? Y'know, to contrast with the green hair."

She didn't think much of the two girls as she passed them, but there was something about the cadence that made her pause. It was a little too easy to focus on their voices above the general din, one of those inexplicable changes that had followed her making Terrasphere into a job.

Green hair? Golden eyes? It was a familiar combo, considering it was what her over a decade-old OC looked like. Probably a coincidence, though - it wasn't like she had a monopoly on the combination of the two-

"Alright, so what animal? You gonna go with the usual kitty ears?"
"Everyone adores cats but it's a bit overdone at this point... I was thinking dog ears?"
"That's perfect~ Besides, everyone loves a cute awoo right?"

'...that's spooky.' Aisling finally hazarded a confused glance backwards at the source of the conversation. Two young woman, who looked... vaguely familiar, but no one she knew. She looked away and pinched the bridge of her nose. This place was probably crawling with wannabe streamers, and animal girls were basically a cliche at this point...

(Both the expression and the action wouldn't have meant much to most. But to a person watching for something familiar... well, body language was as good a tell as any.)

"...at this rate I'm gonna see Brian, too. Collect the whole set..."

She coughed a few painful times (maybe Jake had a point about the smoking), then started walking again - this time a little faster than before. Sure, she didn't know those two girls, but it was better to make some distance before either realized she'd been listening in. That would be awkward.

@Rael @Luthien

 

[Rael]

.

"That's perfect~ Besides, everyone loves a cute awoo right?"

Count on Valeria to pick up on something fast, be in this world on the next.

And talk about being subtle... Not.

Isabella can't help herself in the way that she deliberately catches and holds Aisling's gaze as it turns towards them, innocently tilting her head to a side with a full bloom of an amused smile on display. In that fraction of a moment, she winks at the... definitely too old person for this type of environment.

But she winks all the same and remains still, allowing the woman to process through her emotions, and the encounter, all the better for her to observe. As she turns her back to them, Isabella leans into Valeria's side, unable to keep herself from bursting into a fit of giggles. It all probably sounds like a taunt, but nothing couldn't stray further from the truth.

"Creo que la asusté..." She slips the words in-between uncontrollable fits of laughter, no remorse whatsoever.

If this turned out to be Aisling and not some deranged fan of the TS player they had come to known - he did have quite the sizable fan club if certain rumors were to be trusted - then it wouldn't do for them to scare her off, no matter how entertaining it could be. And she couldn't trust herself to not jump at the slightest opportunity to do just that.

So she turns to the other blonde beside her, and puts a hand to her back, ushering forward towards the disappearing form of their prime suspect.

"Tu turno. Dile que se le cayeron unos boletos o algo. Ay, mira nomás como corre la vieja..."

---

@Luthien @Ash Vargold​

 

[Luthien]

Sure, they could’ve continued being subtle with their hints a bit longer, but that wouldn’t have fished out the reaction she’d been looking for. No, it was easier for others to keep a composed look if the information was fed bit by bit… it was harder to pretend when something slapped you right outta left field thought. Bingo~

The combined mention of dog ears and cute little awoos seemed to do the trick, and Valeria barely managed to contain her grin when she noticed the redhead looking right at them. It seemed Isa’s hunch had been right on the mark and, while the woman certainly looked nothing like a certain caenis with a noble coat from their illicit pastime, the resemblance of her expression to that of one (1) Ash Vargold was simply undeniable.

"Creo que la asusté..."
"Tú crees? Mirala, va como alma que lleva el diablo… Fuck, we should probably do something before she passes out or something. "

Her laughter quickly joined that of her partner in crime, the melodic giggles perhaps recognizable to any that had come across a certain blonde ranger within the game… full of the same mirth and unapologetic mischief that often led the girls into whatever latest pickle they’d bitten off more than they could chew.

"No creo Hololive se mantengan contentos con nosotras si la primera plana de mañana es ‘señora se desmaya en plena convención gracias a dos streamers’... best not to speedrun the fastest way to get canceled, right?"

It’s clear Isabella shares the same sentiment as her, the pinkette pressing a hand to Valeria’s back as she tries to usher the latina towards who they assume is their fleeing friend with a textbook excuse. "Ma’am…! Excuse me, ma’am!" It’s taking everything inside of Valeria to keep her voice from cracking up into another laugh however, so she’s more than happy to take Isa’s idea and simply run with it as she picks up her pace and waves a hand in the air to call for Aisling’s attention.

"It seemed you—pffft... you dropped your tickets, Ash!"

@Aisling | @Isabella

 

[Ash Vargold]

The door to the balcony was so close.

Aisling knew she was being followed. It was one of those senses that Terrasphere had cultivated from mild awareness to tactical keenness. She didn't know what those two girls wanted with her, but paranoia told her it wasn't anything good. Aisling, after all, was a person who fell into that vague category of "too old for pop culture", who'd just done something embarrassing in public.

She really didn't want to end up a viral sensation on NuTube or CheepCheep or whatever the current popular social network was.

"Ma'am…! Excuse me, ma'am!"

She reached into her purse, digging for her carton of cigarettes. She already knew where her lighter was. The balcony was so close, and then she'd have the comforting stink of smoke to repel any troublesome current-gen influencers.

"It seemed you—pffft... you dropped your tickets, Ash!"

The door to the balcony was so far away.

The cadence was familiar, enough to awaken that part of her mind that was Ash, that knew that was pack friends someone he knew calling out for him. Aisling quashed that response, shoved it into the dark of her mind, and put up the walls of grumpy middle aged-karen who just wants a cigarette as she turned.

Aisling reached for the convention badge hanging conspicuously around her neck. Fortunately, there was no name on it. Then she looked between the two giggling girls before letting her gaze sweep the crowd around her. She made it obvious she was looking for a phone that might be pointed her way.

"...can I help you?"

Aisling had messed up once with H-Brian. She'd learned from that mistake. She just needed to seem off-putting enough to make these girls think twice about interacting with her. Then she could slip away and breathe.

@Rael @Luthien

 

[Rael]

.

Suffice it to say that, when Aisling at last deigns to greet the approaching pair, their once stealthy approach unmade by virtue of their inability to contain laughter, no cameras are being held to her face.

Rather, Isabella now tucks her hands behind her back and allows for Valeria to take over the scene, spouting the name of their in-game friend with little to no regard. In the time that she does this, Isabella is training her expression into her own avatar's default mode - which is to say, a complete blank slate.

As Aisling half-turns to meet Valeria's giggles, Isabella continues pressing onward, looking as if she might walk past the two entirely. No such kindness comes to the woman's aid, for all that she does is to stand to her other side, as if barricading her way towards the balcony with all the might of her small stature.

In this world, bereft as they are of features to allow them to communicate with one another with nothing else but a passing glance, she can but lean herself slightly backward, squinting at Valeria in a way that communicates her mild displeasure with their current approach, or rather, the results of it.

"We were concerned," Isabella says, softer than she's been since she's made the initial connection between player and avatar, but she does try not to frighten. "You are looking quite pale, and you seem to be here alone so we just wanted to make sure nothing bad happened to you. You also dropped your tickets, and didn't notice... Surely because of your condition."

"Maybe it's your blood sugar, we should go eat." By any means, words that sound like they might belong in the form of a suggestion, yet strung together as they are, leave no room for the other two to deny. She even claps her hands together, stretching one out towards her side.

"Shall we?"

---

@Luthien @Ash Vargold​

 

[Luthien]

A bull inside a china shop would’ve been stealthier than their approach to the older woman, their spirits still high after a rather successful panel and the prospect of coming across someone from their favorite pastime. Her voice is the one thing Valeria never bothered to chance when making her avatar, worried she’d fuck it up in the process and be unable to revert it back, and she can only hope the woman’s ears are as trained as her wolven counterpart…

That or they really had the wrong person, for all Val knew the redhead might be thinking they were a pair of lunatics that might warrant flagging security down for.

Yeah yeah, I know… A light shrug of her shoulders accompanies her thoughts, the universal sign of ‘my bad, fucked that up’ that Isa’s no doubt become accustomed by now. Val doesn’t need a mindlink to know what the blonde’s thinking—Isa’s face might lack expressions, but the stare her friend pins on her speaks louder than any words could.

"Yeah, it wouldn’t be fair that someone else profited from something you earned fair and square." It’s easy to keep up with the small lie when it's turned into a half truth, a pair of tickets fished out of her purse as Valeria pipes up to back up her friend. Hololive had given each of them a few to share with friends or family and, considering the blonde lacked on the second department, Val could afford to part with a pair.

If their guess was wrong she could just think of it as compensation for putting a total stranger through this bizarre experience.

"Oooh, yes let’s go eat~" Nothing like a meal to smooth things over… and also afford them a moment of privacy. "There’s a boba stand close to the food court too, their pictures have been popping on social media since this morning."

The tickets are held out for Aisling to take, a genuine smile on her lips before she winks at the redhead. Not liek she has much to lose, right?

@Aisling | @Isabella

 

[Ash Vargold]

Aisling stared.

First at Isabella, who was circling around to the flank, clearly moving between her and her escape route. Then to Valeria, waving tickets that she very definitely hadn't dropped in an attempt to lower her guard and lure her in. And then at the inside of her own eyelids as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath in an attempt to shut down the part of her mind treating this like, like a battle, instead of just... harassment.

"I didn't drop any tickets. I think you have the wrong person. Can I go now?"

Short, to the point. Ignore the part of her mind that was putting two and two together, recognizing her voice and her expression and linking them to a certain two girls he'd ended up entangled with on one very long day. Yet that she was aware of the similarities it was impossible not to make the connection.

God only knew how they had done the same. Aisling pulled out her phone...

guiltySurgeon Today at ████
Small children are trying to kidnap me
Help

Ketsuban Today at ████
have fun!

guiltySurgeon Today at ████
Jake I'm serious

...but no help would be coming.

Aisling turned towards the door, and decided to try just... walking past Rael the woman trying to block her in. They were in a public place. They couldn't stop her from just leaving, right?

@Rael @Luthien

 

[Rael]

.

Isabella stares back.

At Valeria, who dances to the tune of the rhythm that she sets in the conversation without missing a single beat; then at the redheaded whom she could not separate now from the mannerisms of one green-haired Caenis, the cadence of their spoken words and the word usage something difficult to ignore.

Lastly, she looks at the phone that the woman fishes out of a pocket, though she does not move to try and catch a glimpse of the message written on the screen, understanding quite enough from body language alone.

So her approach changes.

How does the saying go again..?

You catch more flies with honey...

"Ah, our bad. We thought that was the case but our concern kept us from seeing we were the one causing you distress in the first place, my apologies," Isabella says, though in truth it is her counterpart in Terrasphere who speaks, and she makes a point of continuing doing so even as she returns to Valeria's side, cocking her head aside. "Food?"

One last chance apologetic look at the stranger, and then she looks at the fellow streamer, her tone diminishing though not so much as to keep the older woman out of the conversation. "...So like I was saying, it seems they made some promising advances in regards to the System Update announcement that happened after Szofrit's defeat. The Headquarters were abuzz with it last time I visited, and I happened to run into some MIT Officials and they say they may be able to reproduce its contents, or better yet, extract them for a test run from Szofrit's data storage."

She makes to leave, continuing to speak and allowing for more details to pour out of her mouth without a trace of apprehension.

"Levi is unhappy, but when would he not be? He says it could be dangerous, a fluke, and cause irreparable damage so... Guess what?" A brief pause, one purposefully placed to allow for the gravity of the situation to sink in. "They met each other halfway and will be organizing a team to test out these features as per the MIT's experimental program once they have extracted sufficient data, and are looking for volunteers. Should I tell them to expect you?"

---

@Ash Vargold @Luthien ​

 

[Luthien]

She can almost hear the gears turning within Aisling’s head as the woman regards the pair of gremlins that have homed in on the redhead. There’s a moment where the older woman closed her eyes, clearly deep in thought, and if Valeria didn’t know any better she could’ve sworn they were the spitting image of Vargold in that very moment—they’d both seen that expression in his in-game face countless times by now.

"I didn't drop any tickets. I think you have the wrong person. Can I go now?"

Her eyes unconsciously fly towards the phone’s screen when it’s pulled out, catching a glimpse of a Ketsuban username and the funny looking Feraligatr that is their avatar, before Valeria quickly adverts them elsewhere—unwilling to actively spy on whatever messages the redhead is in the process of sending and receiving.

There’s no way someone like Vargold wouldn’t have connected the dots. Between Valeria’s voice and Isa’s in-character expressions the blonde was certain the caenis’ player would’ve picked up on all the clues by now, unless… Maybe we have the wrong person…? A questioning glance is given to her streaming partner and friend, wondering if Isa shares the same doubts as herself right now.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Hopefully we’ll find the right owner of these tickets then…" Adaptability comes naturally to the blonde as her own apology joins the one from her friend, the tickets carefully placed back into her purse before the simple "Food?" from Isa has the girl grinning from ear to ear—she’s always been a food motivated gremlin. "Food~" Her agreement is almost instantaneous, magenta colored eyes turning to Aisling for a final wordless apology, before the blonde links her arm with that of her friend as they begin to walk and talk.

"Oooh, you think they’ve finally cracked it?" She’s quick to match her Isa’s tone as they converse, knowing full well the girl’s never had an issue modulating her voice before… which means her friend is attempting a final bait for their redheaded companion. "Color me surprised, that means I owe Sven some gold next time I see him… totally thought it’d take them longer to bypass her security."

A soft snort is her response to Isa’s mention of Levi’s unhappiness, before the girls pause in their tracks as the blonde pins her friend with a questioning glance and one eyebrow highly raised into the air. "Sounds like there’s fun times™ ahead, so hit me with it." It’s almost scary how accurate Isa’s delivery is, if the blonde wasn’t aware of the true intentions of her friend she would’ve readily believed this to be an ingame development.

"Oh absolutely," She managed to hide the small part of her that is actually sad at knowing this is all just a ruse; this sounds no different from the many expeditions she’s done with the League before. "Wouldn’t miss it for the world~"

@Aisling | @Isabella

 

[Ash Vargold]

There was a moment, however brief, when Aisling thought she'd won. She'd be free to wander away and bury the memory of whatever had just happened in a haze of smoke.

...and then the girl that his mind had firmly determined to be Rael opened her mouth.

She stared in mute horror as a slew of words that were undeniably related to Terrasphere drew her attention. And it wasn't long before a few other heads began to turn. A few had already been watching the altercation, but it wasn't just Aisling that recognized those words.

What the fuck were these two doing!?

Aisling couldn't stop herself from storming forward towards the retreating backs of Isabella and Valeria and slamming both hands on their shoulders. They were both taller than her, but not so much that she couldn't yank them a little closer to her level. She wasn't particularly strong, but she wasn't weak.

"Look, I don't know what your problems are," Aisling growled, "But we are at the largest VR conference on the west coast, and people will know what you're talking about."

And then just as quickly she let go, pulling her hands back as if she'd just been burned. She shouldn't have done that. Why did she do that? People were definitely taking note now, though for a very different reason than before. Thank god she was wearing a face mask, or else this would be even more troublesome the moment it got online.

Okay, so she'd taken their bait. Now what?

"...that tea stand is influencer bait and the lines are going to be insane. There's a better place a block or two away that's cheaper and better."

...keep biting, apparently.

Jake fucking owed her after all of this.

@Rael @Luthien