● [b]10057 Years Ago:
3rd POV: Abigail Shiroshi[/b]



[i]"Miss Shiroshi,"
"Miss Shiroshi,"
"Miss Shiroshi,"
"Is it safe?"

"People, relax," The tall Asian woman with long wavy red hair and green eyes attempted to calm the crowd, "You would think you have never seen a life changing breakthrough in science before," she casually whipped her hair with her off hand and smiled at the crowd, "I do that about once a week. You really should be used to it," The grin had the perfect percentage of teeth and, although charming, rung a bit too cocky. However, what can you expect from a child prodigy who's inventions put her in the spotlight since she was 15. 

She attempted to ease the crowd's concerns, as she had done with each of her inventions before this. She was rather familiar with her breakthroughs leading to controversy at this point, "I can assure you, the process is perfectly safe. 

"My company has been using technology to better brain chemistry for decades. It started with my Mental Regulator Chips to better control illnesses such as Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder. Then [b][i]I[/b][/i] created the mind drive, a small hard drive installed inside the skull which not only gave everyone an eidetic memory but also allowed you to download terabytes of information directly into your brain. Eventually we moved on to Virtual Reality Helmets which guide REM sleep through any available world they wanted while they slept. This is only the next logical step,"

One of the many reporters in the crowd practically jumped out of his seat as he asked, "Doesn't this contradict your company's original statement on the 'VR Dream Catcher'? When first released, you stated that it would 'Allow individuals to spend their nights playing videogames while they spend their days actually living',"

"All companies must evolve with the times," Shiroshi insisted, "While that was our original intention it was not how the people choose to use our product. Many chose to turn our virtual world into a career, only leaving it to eat and relieve themselves,"

Another reporter jumped up, "That is only because you offered the ability to turn in-game credits into real life currency,"

"Please, every large gaming corporation does that nowadays. It encourages players to spend more on in game credits if they can get something out of it. Occasionally giving them money back so they pay their bills and eat is canceled out through allowing them to make money through the social media portion of our product. The taxes we have collected from these transactions allowed us to create countless medical and environmental advancements, which we give away for practically nothing. Our Satellite network around Earth, and her planetary colonies, give free power and Wifi across all worlds of the system.

"Let's not forget that our Virtual Reality Helmets allow those suffering from Paralysis to still interact with their friends and loved ones in activities they would otherwise never enjoy again, virtual or not.

"Jelly Brain Industries 'Ultimate Upgrade' is merely our latest endeavor to improve the quality of life. Where the only necessity of life is the player's satisfaction. People will even be able to generate their own power. If individuals have pets they need not worry about abandoning them or ever losing them to old age again. We will allow individuals to bring their pets into our world for no additional fee,"

"Additional fee!" Someone, who was not a reporter, screamed as she marched up to the podium. The guards tried to drag her out but Shiroshi raised her hand to stop them, allowing her to speak. The woman didn't seem to appreciate the gesture, "You are forcing people to sign over their livelihoods,"

"The procedure cost billions to do,"  Shiroshi reminded, "To make it affordable to the common man we are obligated to gain control of all individual's assets so that we can regain our loses through the new businesses we acquire,"

"You have gained a monopoly over all the richest most powerful corporations by legally MURDERING their owners and investors,"

"All individuals are still very much alive and you can even communicate with them at any of our facilities,"

"My Grandfather left me NOTHING!!! He gave it all to you bastards! My trust fund isn't even replenishing itself! I had to get a job at a fucking fast food joint and they FIRED me!"

Shiroshi blinked, she hadn't considered what would happen to the trust fund babies when the various corporate were signed over to her, "I'm sorry to hear that, but we can help by uploading you to our network,"

"You fucking BITCH!!!" the woman didn't seem to appreciate the offer. If anything it enraged her further. She pulled out a gun... and all went black.

Shiroshi woke up some hours later, laying in a hospital bed... and unable to move... unable to move...

"Abigail!?" A man stood over her, lots of men. 

Shiroshi recognized them as her board of directors... her childhood friends who helped get her business going. Back when she was just a poor child, living in a ghetto. Her mother collecting welfare while her drunken father threw bottles at their heads.

Shiroshi wanted to groan but instead there was a mechanical wheezing. Her eyes darted around but she couldn't move her head, "What's going on?" That wasn't even her voice. She recognized it. It was one of her products. A speaker which spoke for her, "NO! No, no, NOOOO!"

"This is only temporary," assured Billy Thompson, her oldest friend, "We will get the helmet on you as soon as possible but the Doctor's wanted to run a few test before putting you under, make sure there is no brain damage. You were legally dead for nearly 5 minutes,"

Little Yuki Toma stuck his head out the hospital room and called for a nurse.

"Fuck the test!!!" Shiroshi screamed, rage apparent in the mechanical voice. She attended to take calming breathes but even her breathing was controlled by machines, "I'm sorry," she expressed, "I shouldn't have snapped at you,"

"It’s understandable," Billy assured.

Another man, Jasper Fishings, informed, "The woman who shot you immediately took her own life before anyone could stop her,"

Yuki huffed, "She got better than she deserved,"

The nurse came in and began her test... The irony that the woman was using machines that Shiroshi invited to test her brain activity, while she asked her questions, wasn't lost on her.

The nurse left some half an hour later with the promise of coming back with the helmet.

"Don't bother," Shiroshi gave a mechanical sigh before looking back at her friends, "Upload me to the Network,"

The men froze.

"You sure, Abby?" Yuki asked, with clear concern.

Shiroshi tried to shake her head... but nothing happened, "I had always intended to install myself eventually... and I refuse to live like this when I don't have to. Bring me to one of our Jelly Brain Facilities... but first, as my last act of chairman, move the installation procedure to include willing family members of 25 or over,"

Yuki groaned, rubbing his hand in his hair, "Fucking bleeding heart,"

Shiroshi Insisted, "That woman was driven to this because we left her with no way of surviving in the real world. The fact she killed herself is proof of that. We have to at least offer the ability to keep families together when they are dependents,"

"The procedure already cost more than any person can reasonably spend!" Jasper groaned.

Shiroshi stated matter-of-factly, "Then we make it cheaper,"

Billy sat in the chair beside her and took her hand... but she didn't feel it, "And how do you figure we do that without you. If you install yourself, all you will be able to do is the math and blue prints. We will have none of your trial and error and the network won't be able to simulate real world physics to such a degree as to-"

"How do you expect me to do ANY of that!!!" Shiroshi snapped.

Billy sighed and gently reminded, "You're the one who invited those prosthetics and robots that are controlled by brain waves. Your life is far from over. You don't have to abandon this world to have a meaningful life,"

Jasper joined in, "Help us perfect the technology. Make it worth it. Then you can rest,"

Yuki sighed, "I know we are being selfish but we aren't ready to lose you yet,"[/i]



● [b]Present Day[/b]



[i]Critical Gears, the cyborg superhero straight out of a comic book, originally named Jasper but that name was long since abandoned. Spock Spawn, the Ferengi Trekkie. Yuki always could relate to the business minded shorties. Then, finally, Chipper Whistle... Billy... now looking like a 12 year old shounen protagonist with big Anime eyes and an art style straight out of Naruto. They were her friends and colleagues in the real world. Together they built the underground base that allowed humanity to survive the supernova, although they had all left the mortal world long before that. Still they had laid the groundwork for what the Network had become.

Now they lived next to each other in the Palace District at Utopia, the first very city in the program. This is where all the original billionaires who were first uploaded lived. Other neighborhoods were later added to the city, set apart by country or party, for political leaders to now live. 

This city had largely become made up of isolationists. Other players weren't even allowed to access this grid without clearance from someone installed into it. Yet they still played MMOs with "Commoners". Honestly it was probably a good thing these people were all in one place, away from everyone else. They were a relic of everything wrong with the past. There were good people here but most were still clinging to the idea that they were more important than everyone else.

Truthfully, since she married her husband some 7000 years ago, she only came here to visit her friends. Even then they usually met elsewhere.

She was once Abigail Shiroshi, but she hadn't heard that name in nearly as long as she had been married... she was now, and always would be, Hot Ice Harlot, and she was looking forward to meeting her newest son.[/i]



###

[center][size=2em][b]Chapter One[/b][/size][/center]


Solar Flare clinked "My hub" and the map showed off a Neighborhood titled "The Crystal Empire" which was described as the "Spike Community". He pushed another button and we both glitched out as Pixelated flakes that were pulled into the map. Opening my eyes, though never actually having closed them, I was standing in an invite room that was nothing like my own.

The place looked... strangely normal. There were a few futuristic stuff, like the Star Trek style Transporter pad we stood, as well as a computer terminal off to the side. He even kept his world map in this room, but it looked strangely out of place with the modern suburbia decor.

"Ice?" Flare called as he guided me out the door. The whole house seemed to be built like an upper middle class home from the 90s, "Honey?" Flare called out again, "I'm home," 

"In the Kitchen, darling," That must be Hot Ice Harlot.

"I brought Smart Mouth with me," Flare informed, "Where is Pearl?"

"I with Mama, daddy," Came the call, "We're baking COOKIES!!!"

Flare gave a warm smile and nudged me forward with his muzzle. He lead me down a hallway in that I realized was a two-story house.

This bottom floor had a large library at one side and an entertainment room at the other, with the invite room at the end of the hall. Looking through a door, as we passed, I could see there was no Virtual Gaming Platform. Instead there was a sitting area with a full decked out entertainment system and 10 old school VR helmets. 

There was a teenage Dragon horse... thing, sitting on the couch with one of the helmets on I could see his same Avatar playing in the Ponyfinder MMO on the large screen TV... interesting set up for VGPs. It looked like he was still connected to the hub world while in a gaming program. I could hear him talking as he swung his arms around as he sat there, very still, yet moving like a manic on the screen.

The room also had a few Arcade boxes set up and a bunch of tables. There was a Ping-Pong table, one for air hockey, pool, and even a "Holo Table". Holo tables were a modern technology before the world ended. Basically they let people in the real world play Dungeons and Dragons with tiny holograms. Those things were wicked cool but expensive as all hell, even in this virtual world. 

Unfortunately since I came here I never saw the point in getting one given you could actually live in fictional worlds instead of just narrating them... still the Nostalgia addict in me saw that thing and couldn't help but fantasize about playing a good old session of dungeons and dragons on it.

"Fluffy?" Flare asked peeking his head into the game from.

"Fluffy The Magic Dragon, AFK," The boy said into his headset before taking his helmet off.

"Yeah dad?" The dragon horse ran a claw through his pony like mane.

"Come here a moment," Flare ordered.

The horse dragon set the helmet to the side and trotted over to us.

He had purple scales, with the occasional dark blue scale like spots, and a streak of spiky bleach blond fur going down his spine and tail. Even his mane was spiky and boyish. 

He looked like an Eastern Dragon, all long and skinny, almost serpent like. However his back legs were hooved and his head was that of a pony, only scaly with reptilian eyes and sharp teeth. He also had the feathered wings of a Pegasus. Truthfully he wasn't that much bigger than a pony teenager, just a good foot longer.

His back bent straight up so that his body was closer together, kinda like how Discord moved when he was standing on all fours.

It took me a moment to realize he was a Drakehoof, from Ponyfinder. I had edited their Avatars a bit in my own game.

"I find it amazing that none of your teachers gave you homework on a Wednesday night," Flare cut to the chase.

"awwwwww dad!" the teen drake whined.

"None of that," Flare gave a stern look, "Be thankful I am not tanning your hide. You know better. Homework and choirs are ALWAYS finished BEFORE you can play,"

"Please dad," Fluffy begged, "This is a limited time event! If we complete the dungeon before midnight we each receive some really cool exclusive armor!!! But it's a 12 hour dungeon and we are already behind because of school!"

"Homework," Mr. Flare said sternly, "Now, say goodbye to your friends and tell them to do the same or I'm calling their parents,"

The boy huffed and started muttering to himself, "This is the reason why I need a TV in my room," 

"And it is exactly the reason you won't get one," Flare glared, "And just for that little display of snark, you've earned yourself that trip over my knee I was debating on,"

The dragon's eyes widened, "Daddy! NOOOOOOO!!!"

"Daddy yes," Flare glared, "You have been getting too big for your britches and if you keep it up I will demote you to a 1 year old. You have been taking this teenage rebellion act far too seriously,"

"I'm sorry daddy!" The teen insisted, "I'll be good!"

"I'm going to make sure of that," Flare insisted, "Now say goodbye to your friends and change your Avatar so I can give you a proper hiding. Then come find me in the living room,"

"Yes sir," the teenager sniffled, his eyes filling up with tears at the thought of the spanking to come.

Flare then led me further down the hall.

Stepping out of the hallway I could see many windows in a large living room. Windows that showed a basketball court, a skateboard ring, a pool out back, and even a playground. While the house itself was right next to the sidewalk, presumably to have enough space for all the stuff in the back yard.

There was a stairway leading both up and down. Meaning they had some kind of basement given we were already on the ground floor.

There was also a kitchen at the far wall, with an island counter in front of it with a sink and a lot of space. Pony style stools were around it, meaning cushions that were wide and low to the ground but could be raised up for younger ponies. 

There was a food dispenser on the counter behind the island, plus a proper stove, even a refrigerator and microwave. It looked like a proper kitchen. I haven't seen one of those outside of a game in a while. None of my family had one. The kitchen had an island separating it from the rest of the living room stools all around it like a table. It felt homier that way than with a proper dining table.

Pearl was busy using a cookie cutter on the raw dough, before putting little gingerbread ponies on a baking dish.

"It will just be a few more minutes," Pearl's mom... was beautiful. She was absolutely gorgeous. I get that is just her Avatar's design but this looked extremely impressive. She had a slender body with patches of scales around her fur that actually looked like scales. The textures of both looked amazing.

She had purple hooves and a horn, a black coat, and green scales, with an even darker green mane. Her Avatar was way more detailed than the ones used in the show but still looked like something that belonged in that world. How she pulled that off I couldn't tell you.

"Did you know your son was in there playing games?"

Hot Ice sighed, "He promised me he just wanted to listen to music while doing his Homework,"

Solar groaned, pinching his snout with his paw, "I'll add lying to his list of offences,"

"Well I was good today, Papa!" Pearl insisted, speaking very childishly while somehow sounding smug.

Solar raised an eyebrow, "That is quite suspicious given your record," The Stallion sat on the stool and gave a mock glared at Pearl, "You must have stolen all the good for yourself and left none for your brother. Maybe you need a spanking to?"

The little Seapony gaped, "NOOOOOOOOOOO DADDY!!!!! I don't need a 'panking. I was goooooood," He wailed overdramatically.

Ice rolled her eyes, "Alright you two, behave yourselves. You're making our guest uncomfortable,"

Both males jerked their heads at me, to catch me fidgeting uncontrollably. I blushed and sat in the seat. It automatically raised until I was belly level with the counter.

"I'm good," I swore, "Just not used to... this stuff. I mean, I have done little stuff since I got installed, but usually it was in a private daycare VGP I created,"

Pearl snapped up, "You made a VGP just for age players!!!"

"A few actually but they are more one shots," I shrugged, "I basically made those to get my padding fix on the days I wasn't in MLG. You know, in between family visits and editing all the footage I collected. I needed to do something to unwind after saving the Galaxy,"

Pearl looked intrigued, "Is it just pony stuff,"

"Nah," I waved off, "Some of it is pony related but most of it takes place in other franchises. I designed them Holodeck style so that it is a Domestic setting that is constantly adapting with random events that the AI creates based on the players actions and choices,"

Pearl whistled, as if all impressed (just as Fluffy walked through the living room and went up the stairs, presumably to change his Avatar like he was told.)

"It's not like it's hard to do so," I shrugged, "creating anything is really user friendly, plus I just bought a bunch of 'Creator' bundles off the server so I know a lot about how the stuff works in here,"

Solar waved off, "It's not just about having the know-how. You still need the creativity and the motivation to do so. Like all the cartoons you made before you started your MLG let's play,"

"I kind of cheated with that," I nervously grinned, "Like I said the things in here are freakishly user friendly. All I did was make the outline and have the characters react to the situations based on how the computer thought they would act in that situation, occasionally making a tweak to make it flow better. That was my really early stuff and I used those files to set up the history and culture of MLG. Although most of those Cartoons were standalone stories they all interconnected in MLG... it was glorious... 10000 years of hard work..." my eyes started to get misty as I thought on how it was all over... no more stories... they were all done... 

They all seemed to notice how I was feeling but they didn't comment. Instead Solar back-tracked the conversation... I appreciated that, "You might want to consider opening up a few stores to sell your Age player sims. It’d be a good way to make money outside of video hits. Players love role playing games, especially fetish sims,"

I blinked, successfully distracted, "How do you do that?"

Harlot flashed an eager smile, "You can do it from any hub map. You buy property in a neighborhood and select a shop template common in the area. You can customize it from the map as well but other than homes the AIs like buildings to match the themes of the neighborhood. You can build a shop in any and every Neighborhood, but only one per neighborhood. The more stores you set up the better, but for you I suggest you keep it to age player neighborhoods. They are more likely to buy your stuff there. Pearl can send you a list of all the age player neighborhoods for each fandom city. He likes to wander them,"

Pearl blushed, "There is no sense hiding out in one fandom all the time!" he said far too defensively.

An Eevee suddenly jumped onto the counter and screamed in Pearl's face, "NEEEEEEEEEEEERD!!!!" 

"Quite it with the memes!" Pearl demanded and the Eevee stuck his tongue out before stealing some cookie dough and running off before Solar could stop him.

"Sorry about Duelist," Pearl blushed, "He used to be a cat," as if that explained everything.

My eyes lingered on the Eevee's dashing form. There was a word floating over his head saying 'Critter', "Pets can talk now?" I asked.

Pearl gave me a look like I was stupid. Thankfully Harlot whacked him upside the head for it.

"What’d I do!?" Pearl whined.

"You know full well, stop making faces," Harlot glared before looking at me, "It was a chip made soon after the Supernova. One of the AIs first upgrades,"

I blushed, no wonder Pearl looked at me like that.

Harlot continued, "The Chips make it so the critters can speak and understand English, although the written word is a bit beyond them. They also make it so the animals could not hurt each other or players, unless you agree to a duel like you can with players. Safari City is where all the animals live but they don't have hubs. They just wander their neighborhoods, which look like their simulated environment. It’s a really nice vacation spot. It's also where you can adopt animals but they can refuse, just like a player can. We also don't use traditional pet stores. Instead you go into the wild and 'Tame' an animal,"

"Safari City is one of the largest areas," Solar informed, "Both in population and in size. All animals from farms, zoos, pet shops, shelters, and sanctuaries were installed into that grid, not to mention Domestic pets have their own neighborhood in there. The AIs keep it as stimulating an environment as they can but animal brains just aren't as active as human minds so it is the least productive,"

Harlot smiled, "The wild Critters mostly forage, duel, or explore for fun. Their environment has specific areas that are designed to shift around daily to keep their interest. Foraging keeps their interest the most as there are random food trees and bushes in these areas which change their location.”

"Pizza Tree is best tree!" The Eevee screamed from down the hall.

Pearl smiled, "They get Domestic people food and fun stuff like that but they have to find it,"

Harlot smiled. "A lot of Critters choose to let players adopt them so that they can play in our Virtual worlds and wander the other cities with their player. Players can even choose a new Avatar for their critter so long as it is a fictional animal the critter agrees to,"

Pearl wiggled, "Duelist loves watching shows with me. His favorite are Pokemon based. He's actually pretty good at the Pokemon card game despite not being able to read or do math," Pearl shook his head, "He whined for a month for me to buy him all of the card game bundles and download what the cards do into his Jelly Brain. He loves to play card games,"

Solar looked at the stairs, "Where is that boy?" he muttered before hollering, "Fluffy, quite stalling and get your little butt out here!"

"Coming dad!" called Fluffy the magic dragon. A tiny, MLP style, Rookie dragon appeared at the top of the stairs. He barely resembled a teen, about the only similarity was his wings. He still had the round face of a baby dragon. He was about the size of Smolder of the student 6, still bigger than me but smaller than an adult pony. He had the same color scheme as Fluffy... and still sounded like Fluffy, but where the Drakehoof looked cool this Avatar was insanely cute. By his blush he was pretty embarrassed to be wearing the Avatar.

Solar nodded, "Good boy," as he got off his stool and went down the stair, "Follow me down to the dungeon as to not disturb our guest," The little dragon melted with relief.

Harlot got my attention, just as the two of them disappeared upstairs, "So why don't you tell me about yourself?" she asked as she picked up the cookie tray with her magical Kirin horn. 

Pearl was wiggling excitedly as she levitated them into the oven. She pressed a button and they instantly dinged. Immediately afterwards she levitated the tray back on the counter. Revealing perfectly baked cookies. She picked up a spatula with her mouth and got all the cookies off the tray, and onto a nice looking serving plate.

"Well... you pretty much know everything about me from my profile," I shrugged, "But I haven't really had a chance to read yours. Solar kinda just picked me up and has been dragging me places all day,"

Harlot snorted, "Yeah, my husband can have a bit of a one track mind,"

"Mom invented the Network," Pearl grinned as he pushed some buttons under the counter and 3 bottles of milk materialized in front of us.

Harlot chuckled, "Silly baby," she tweeked his nose, "Mommies don't drink out of bottles,"

Pearl gave a sheepish smile but the forming blush showed he genuinely forgot she wouldn't want a bottle. It was probably just habit for him.

Harlot reached over and pushed a few Buttons herself. Two glasses of red wine appeared, "We'll save the other bottle for your brother," She put in front of one of the other pony style stools.

While all this was going on my brain was still processing what Pearl told me, "You're Abigail Shiroshi..." I awed.

She blinked, "I haven't heard that name in a while. I thought everyone had forgotten it,"

"Forgotten it!!!" I yelped, "It's because of you I don't have to be severely medicated just to function! YOU FIXED ME!!!"

Miss Shiroshi smiled, "The technology has approved by leaps and bounds from my original design. It's the Master AI you should be thanking,"

I couldn't remove the awe off my face. This woman... she was my savior... Because of her I was able to get off disability and go back to college!!!

"I was one of the test subjects for your regulator chip!" I confessed, "The money your company paid me allowed me to go back to college, all the way to 2 Doctorates in Psychology and Sociology! I still had enough left over to build my dream house! I was even able to get my dream job of researching the evolution of fandoms from a sociological point of view! I owe you EVERYTHING!!!"

Miss Shiroshi frowned, then tweeked my nose with her weird paw hoof, "You owe me nothing. If I'm to be your cyber mom I don't want you to get so caught up in who I was. As it is now, I'm just another player, like any other. You understand?"

I gulped, "That's easier said than done," I confessed.

Harlot sighed, but strangely still wore a smile. She picked up a cookie with her "magic" and floated it over to me. I hesitantly grabbed it with my paw.

"I suppose all children have a bit of hero worship for their parents," She expressed, "Just remember, I'm your mom first and foremost,"

I nodded eagerly and took a bite of the cookie. Then immediately melted, "THIS IS REALLY GOOD!!!"

Pearl grinned, "Well I have been practicing my craft for 10000 years,"

"Were you a Baker in real life!?" I eagerly asked as I absentmindedly picked up the bottle and suckled on it.

"Actually I was a Therapist, helping vets recovering from war. It helped that I used to be on the other side of the chair. Was actually how I paid for college" Pearl shrugged, "but I always loved cooking and now own a series of restaurants in nearly every district in the Network,"

"You were a vet?" I awed.

"Am a vet," Pearl corrected, munching a cookie, "You never really stop. High stress jobs often lead to people getting involved in the submissive side of the kink scene... I sorta... kinda... lost both my legs to a grenade when I was 23. Bloody Martains, am I right," He winked at me, and instantly got whacked upside the head again, "Ow, Mama!!!"

"I won't have you use bigoted words like that," Harlot glared.

Martian had pretty much become the N word for the human Colonists of Mars. Actually it started when they separated for independence from Earth and war broke out. They had their own city now in this cyber space. There, each Neighborhood was a Mars from a different franchise and the downtown area was based on the real world capital of Mars. Mars City was one of the few isolationist governments in the hub world. You have to either be part of the grid or invited to visit.

"What happened to you is not the fault of every colonists on their planet," Harlot insisted.

The boy sighed, "Sorry Mama," looking back at me, "Anyway, I was in recovery for a while, talked to A LOT of shrinks, and figured that was what I wanted to do with my life. Lucky for me there was a program through the VA. They needed more shrinks and doctors and stuff and offered to pay my way in exchange for working for them for 10 years. After my time was up I just sorta stayed where I was. That is until the sun was predicted to go supernova and everyone fled to the Network," He shrugged, taking another bite of his cookie.

"I joined as soon as it became affordable to all players," I shrugged, "The marti... errr colonists wars," choosing my words carefully to avoid getting whacked myself, "had just ended with their independence and Jelly Brain Industries had just finished constructing their underground world. That was a good... 30 years before the sun blew up?" I rounded up.

Harlot nodded, "That sounds about right,"

I squirmed a bit and I don't know why, looking down the stairs and seeing no one there but a closed door. Seeing they caught me I tried to play it off cool, "What's their story?"

Pearl opened his mouth but Harlot insisted, "That's for them to tell, if they are up to it," Pearl pouted but nodded.