“When I said plan a thing, I meant something small, Jessie.” I scowl at my assistant. I’m extra grumpy because Choppah never texted me and full on bailed from my condo without so much as a goodbye.

  “I asked for a make-up consultant for our fashion outing, but then new product testing and Ophelia’s brand outreach manager got involved. I reminded Lucy that you are a respected experience tester, and we didn’t need another body along for that.”

  “So why is Lucy here with an entire other entourage?”

  “That is for Isabelle Montague.”

  “Oh, well that makes more sense.” Izzy Goth, or Izzy Go-Go, is a social media makeup artist and cosplay queen. I heard that Orion had picked her up as an ambassador for the ATC and is likely why Ophelia wanted to free up some staff from my media to a personal assistant.

  “What new product are we testing?”

  “The current name is You-tique, a personalized shopping experience for the discerning diva.”

  “Oh, that’s cute. And how sure are we that I’m not going to have a dissonance attack because of this?”

  “I can help with that.” An unassuming man with a tablet and a hunch gets closer. “We are trying to tailor this experience to those with high dissonance, and those that are used to personal assistants and shoppers.” He grins as though he answered my question.

  “That’s a nice tag line, but explain please.”

  “The boutique will be pre-loaded with data from your personal closet, any interests you’ve shown in branching out, and in today’s case, it will feature brands that your managers want you involved with.” I nod at that.

  “So all of the unbelievable shenanigans happen before I walk in?”

  “Yes.”

  “Sounds great.”

  A limo picks us up and apparently it’s a ten minute drive, not that it makes much difference for me. With Lucy to my left and Jessie to my right, I’m super comfortable—especially when Lucy reaches over to squeeze my hand and doesn’t let go.

  “Try not to focus on one role today. Since you’re the tester, model, and client today, try to live in the experience and then analyze it later.” Lucy explains.

  “I’m told that a lighted vanity will be inside for Marta to some day-to-day makeup to begin with, something about getting the candid shots to glow correctly. Then your brand manager has set out a few ‘ideas’ for posed shots, and thus more pointed makeup. Our team doesn’t have a designated photographer, but we’ll all be noting moments we like so that candid shots can be pulled from the footage this afternoon.”

  The nice thing about being a passenger is that I can do other things while I travel. Unlike when I try to do other things while I walk places and run into post boxes. DarthHamster sent me links to some vods, and I might as well review one of them now.

  This one’s a side-by side of two different games one labeled ‘robot’ and the other labeled ‘gamer’. The scenarios are near-mirror in their setups, but on the robot side, my execution is textbook but my play is tentative and I give ground, even when Hamster is nearby to assist. No coms, not pings just clinical solo play.

  The ‘gamer’ clips have me pinging, coms when a focus is needed, and confirmations when Hamster pings. I’m not playing support for him, but we are acting like team-mates and it’s pulling the other people that queued on our team into the action more reliably that my robotic solo play. Damn, it’s weird to see what looks like a scripted display of synergy and playing to win, versus a group of individuals trying not to lose.

  "What are we watching?” Lucy leans in to look at my screen.

  “Uh, just some game footage. I was in a mood at the beginning of our game session yesterday, and Hamster wanted to show me the differences.”

  “Are you casually talking about getting coaching from the MVP from the last Fathoms of Fate championship? The same man that refuses a personal assistant?” Lucy asks, and I can’t tell if she’s amazed, mad, or some offshoot emotion I can’t place.

  “He’d be smug about that description. He’d also be insufferable if he weren’t so nice and a damned gaming wizard.”

  “I curse at his profile daily. Ophelia wants me to get him ‘staff that he vibes with’, but the only people he vibes with are his team mates!”

  “Is there a reason you don’t ask their coach if there’s a team gopher that needs off-season cash?”

  She groans and rests her head on my shoulder. “I’ve spent months tweaking algorithms and interviewing people, and I forgot to ask about the team’s staff. I’m going to be mad at myself later, but relieved if it works.”

  I pat her knee and squeeze it. “It sometimes takes an outside perspective.”

  A few minutes later, the limo parks and the driver comes round to let us out. Izzy and her crew get out first, and when I step out I see a series of cute storefronts along a non-descript street, the two in front having hanging signs to indicate which ‘You-tique’ is which.

  The left half of my shop is a series of mannequins displaying an outfit with tables surrounding them with color and style options for each item. The walls have racks with each section labeled with an article of clothing, such as Chamis or knee skirt. The right side is reserved for sponsors and potential sponsors. A cluttered array of accessories fill the back wall.

  “Is there a shoe room? Or am I missing something?”

  Jessie groans as she looks at a screen. “The techs thought wardrobe only meant clothes. Please step outside for a moment, Selena and Lucy, while I fix this.”

  I shrug and walk outside. “Is the paper-doll thing a trigger for you too?”

  She shakes her head. “If I’m looking into a mirror, it just feels like a fashion game. Holo-fit and any instant delivery messes with me.”

  “Like just suddenly appearing, or you open the fridge, find noting, then find the groceries you just ordered when you re-open?”

  “Definitely the first. But I just walk to the market in my neighborhood. I like walking isles and seeing if the food gives me ideas.”

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  Makes sense, not my cup of tea if I’m solo. Shopping with Lucy might be fun though.

  “Well, don’t feel bad if you need to back out because of shoes where there weren’t previously. Also, it’s kind of cool that the little My-Closet feature they programmed for me turned into an experience like this.”

  Before Lucy can reply, Jessie peaks her head out “All fixed. The option tables now have shoe cubbies underneath for each mannequin.”

  Keeping the overall layout the same was a good move and does not make my brain itch. I think I might have had problems had they completely rearranged the room without the time to do it. I send a note to Jessie about that concern.

  I kick off my pumps and head to the makeup chair as I was briefed. Some foundation, eyeliner, a lip stain and basic highlights later, I’m ready to browse. I look around the room and see too many people.

  "Okay, Lucy, Jessie and Marta can stay. The rest of you? out."

  "There’s a dressing room in the back if you’re concerned,” The tech guy says.

  “I am concerned. But also, if this is my personal boutique, why wouldn’t I treat the whole place as a fancy walk-in closet? The point is to be able to play with looks and styles. Worrying about collecting sets to cart to a dressing room? No thanks. Bring a rolling mirror out to me, get rid of the excess people and lets start looking at sponsors and potential sponsors.”

  Despite the protests, Jessie gets them out the door and locks it. She then disappears into the dressing room area.

  “Oh goddess, is this D-Gabba?” I rub the cuff of the cream coat and I need to be a part of it. I unzip and step out of my dress, then pick it up and set it in one of the empty shoe cubbies.

  I definitely like the cream so I sort through the slacks styles, and settle for one side zip and one button front pant with two rows of buttons, one row for each hip. I slide up the button front, noting that the flap feels weird, but once I button both rows, the lines are clean and the buttons add a sense of archaic formality. Like double breasted buttons on a men’s frock coat.

  Leaving the top button on each side undone, I start looking for blouses and settle on a dark red one and a red and white mosaic stripe one. I pair the red blouse with the cream coat and love how it feels.

  Jessie found the rolling swivel mirror and aims it at me. Damn, they were not joking when they said this was a personalized experience: this fit is hot. Mmm, I bet it would be hot if I just had my black bra and the cream coat on top. I set the red blouse aside and pull the coat a back up as I look at the button style on these pants again. I really like these slacks. I fiddle with which button I close and Lucy helps.

  “That one. It blouses the lapels and pulls a bit more black into view, making it look more intentional.” The heat in her gaze makes me feel good about myself and my choices.

  I try the stripey top and I’m not feeling it, but I wanted some red in it. I look around and see a crimson coat in the same style and the idea is complete. I jog across the boutique to grab a white crop top and replace my bra with it. “Jessie, or Marta, can we do a tight, low bun and maybe a little product to make my hair look slick and even tighter?”

  Both women look at Lucy for some reason, she shrugs and get to it. Five minutes later it’s done and I go fetch the crimson jacket and slide it over. I leave it open and I just know I’m going to look fierce in this.

  Jessie spins the mirror toward me showing me someone powerful, dangerous, and sexy. A pair of red pumps to bookend the cream color, and the outfit is complete. Damn, I need this in my life.

  “The cream and red with your skin tone is something else,” Marta says, “It’s got cartel vibes. Not sure if that’s good or bad.”

  “Oooh! Snap this as a candidate for a Sniper’s Folley skin. Pistols and an underarm harness would look sick with this. Thanks for the idea Marta.”

  “Sure, I think we should leave the bun, maybe loosen it a bit and look at the leisure wear? I want to come back to this look, but artfully mess your hair, your coat slung over your shoulder.”

  “Sounds great.”

  I spend another hour on the sponsor side swapping various capris and yoga pants and mixing them with tank tops, crop tops, and a variety of comfy sweaters. I pick out a cable knit with an oversized, floppy neck in several colors and several pairs of sandals and slip ons.

  The last hour before Marta wrangles me into some posed shots, is spent asking Lucy and Jessie to help me pick some dresses.

  “If Izzy bought as much as you have, there won’t be any room left in the limo for people.”

  “No, no. Jessie, just send it to my closet once we’re done.” I wave her comment off.

  “And you’re okay with what will likely be hundreds of dollars of fees?”

  “I see the confusion. I signed up for concierge service at Orion Tower, transfers under a certain weight and or volume are included.”

  “God, that is so busted.” Jessie says, rolling her eyes. “Wait, does that include food and beverage too?"

  "Oh! That explains why you do that thing with your fridge,” Lucy adds.

  I nod, “I do it for catering too. And, my new assistant can use it on my behalf! I checked before we got here.” I grin widely.

  “I don’t have the dissonance complications you two have, and you have the fancy game-like permissions. You may have just made my job easier in so many ways. Or it would if your schedule wasn’t insanity this week. I better get overtime while you get overtime.”

  “I’ll pay it if Orion wont. Only fair if you are shackled to me for fourteen hours a day for a week. Ugh, I’m not looking forward to it.”

  I call up my schedule on a screen and see that I have six hours of gaming with Hamster after lunch, a dinner meeting with Ophelia after that to discuss the You-tique. Then a 6am call time the next morning for mo-cap sessions for our Sniper’s Folley asset creation. Voice work in the afternoon? Don’t I need to join some sort of acting group for that? Something to ask Ophelia tonight.

  ***

  We put a few hours in on FoF, then Hamster shows me a new FPS team shooter he wants to get involved with.

  “Gigavibe?” He nods. This time we’re not practicing in the synch room, as not to waste our ATC benefits.

  Lets see, guns, some modern some futuristic. Eight character choices, each with a unique skill, that can level up as you collect resources in a battle royal team shooter. “This is kind of all over the place, why pick this FPS?”

  “Same developer as Sniper’s Folly. They promise that some skins from SF can be used in Giga.”

  “Huh. Lets see how we like it first eh? But knowing you, you’ve already put a hundred hours in.”

  “Only fifty. I do not have as extensive practice as you in this genre.” He’s being humble? That freaks me out a little.

  I log in and link my SF account with a new Gigavibe account and start reading through the characters, then quickly move to ‘Playground’ mode. I’m glad that there are no stupid floating hands constantly in my vision. I spend twenty minutes dialing in my controls and sensitivity then pick the first of three characters I want to try.

  “Were you planning to spam 2v2 games for a few hours?”

  “Yah. What character are you thinking?”

  “To start, Rysa, the haunting fey lady that has an innate shield mechanic and a one use offensive ability to hyper speed one projectile within ten meters.”

  “Excellent, I want to test the agile skirmishers. Darren will be my first pick.”

  Ooh, can combine items with weapons to affect weapon properties once per weapon.

  A few hours in and we’ve got these characters and the game mechanics clean. I’ve been experimenting with what counts as a projectile after discovering I can make a shotgun slug accelerate to fifty cal speeds.

  “Hey, DH, since you’re stuck on the roof for the moment, and I’m barricaded inside, how about you shove something heavy off the top on my side. I want to try something.”

  He’s been experimenting with what the game considers a weapon or an item.

  “I have created an Air Conditioning Gargoyle. Pushing now. Falling. Three, two . . .”

  I brace my character against a pilar and engage my one-use skill. The frosty gargoyle makes a 90 degree turn and rockets parallel to the ground in the direction I am facing at over 100 meters per second. My character’s HP bar and Shield Bar bottom out and my status is listed as ‘bleeding out’. The gargoyle obliterates the make-shift vehicle blockade that three pairs were using to pin us down.

  The voice in my headset sounds that only two teams are remaining. Hamster scales down the building and merges my claws with a healing kit, increasing my natural regen rate, getting me out of my dying status effect. With the two of us together again, and the battlefield shrinking, we make quick work of the last team.

  “Shit, that was fun. Did that AC Gargoyle have an embrittlement effect?”

  He chuckles and nods, “Not that it was necessary at the speed you threw it. I suspect that will not escape notice in future patches.”

  “I would also expect them to tighten up the parameters on ‘Item’ and ‘Weapon’ for your character as well. Still, I think these two are main-worthy. We swapping now?”

  “I would like to test two more tonight. Hour and a half each?”

  I nod, grab a snack and a soda from the table and buckle back in.