Chapter Text
My first thought as I woke up in the morning was what I had to do first, and I quickly bolted upright to check the time, worried about not having set an alarm and what time I was supposed to begin working. Then my mind caught up, with the help of the adrenaline rush, and I realized what an absolute fever dream yesterday was. But regardless of how I felt about it, all I had to do was look to my other side to see the glasses sitting on my bedside table still to realize that it was all real.
So.. I guess I've got free reign now? Just gotta choose who to talk to.. I glance around my bedroom, wondering how exactly this all worked. Technically Betty represents multiple objects, a bed frame, a mattress, pillows, a bed sheet, pillow cases, a blanket.. How many more groupings of objects will correspond to one personality?
I reach over and grab the glasses, holding them and looking down at them. Isn't this.. actually a lot of responsibility? It was introduced so light-heartedly, but didn't I just kinda become responsible for near 100 people all living under my roof?
..
Is my roof alive too? I sigh, running a hand through my hair. Not important, not now anyway. I'll start smaller. I put the glasses on, jumping backward when Skylar meets my gaze, staring at me from the end of my bed.
"Good morning! Are you ready to start getting to know everyone around here better?" Skylar asks, enthusiastic as always. "Maybe finally find some love~?" She sings the last word.
"Uh, yeah. I guess I am a bit excited to meet everyone. Not too on board with the love thing though.." I mumble the last part, rubbing at the back of my head.
"Good! I just wanted to ask you first thing if you had any questions for me!" Skylar prompts, looking at me expectantly.
I thought on that for a moment. Obviously there's a crap ton of questions, but which to ask? I consider how my life may be now, with the glasses, and what leaving the house with them may be like. And I immediately had a very important question.
"Can I ever leave my house again?"
Skylars smile falls, "Well.. you can leave your house at any time, but when you do your journey with me pretty much ends right there!"
"Wait, why?"
"Think about it. I was sent to you by that hacker in secret. So, as soon as you step outside with me Valdivian Data Drones will take me away!"
"Oh, damn. Guess that makes sense, though.. You're basically a leaked product, from what Phoenicia said before."
"Yeah, I.. guess you can say that. So, I dont recommend leaving your house right now, is all. Your adventure has only just begun!" Skylar seemed uncomfortable with the conversation topic, and eager to close it off there, so I began to think of what else was most pressing. I think for most of my questions it's unlikely she'll have the answers. But it may be worth a try.
"Skylar, by any chance, do you know about the logistics behind how all this works? How multiple objects can come together to have one personality, such as with Betty?"
"Multiple.. she's just a bed, though?" Skylar looked confused, tilting her head at me.
"But she's not really! See," I went on to explain my perspective, and how a bed is actually made up of multiple objects. "And she can't be the only one, right? Oh, and I was looking at the Date-a-dex a little yesterday, and there were two silhouettes at one number! Is that related?" I pull out my phone and show Skylar. Somewhat cathartically, somewhere in the back of my mind, it seemed I was overwhelming her now.
"Alright, well. I see your point, I guess." She had one hand at her face and the other held out flat to me to get me to stop talking. "I guess then the answer is no, I don't fully understand the logistics. I'm sorry. Is there any other questions I could maybe help you with?"
I fall silent then, considering.
"The disappearing thing!"
"Hmm?" Skylar hums, prompting me to continue.
"After I talk with someone, or with you even, once you're done talking with me you just disappear! Is that conscious? I've been assuming it must be, based on timing. But if it's not, then how does that work?"
"Oh. Um, how to explain this.. For us it's pretty instinctual, breaking it down is a bit... Hmm. Well, to start off with, yes, it is a conscious decision. But it's not really 'disappearing' also. It's like.. with my help you can pull objects into your world. Think 2D vs 3D, or I guess 3D vs 4D, sorta..," she pauses after mumbling the last bit, seemingly pondering this for a moment, but she quickly gives up and resumes her speech, "anyway, the one on a lower plain of existence can't properly percieve the other. So the 'disappearing' is just an object returning to their own plain of existence."
"Woahh.." I had NOT been expecting such an in depth answer, but was so pleasantly surprised! This was all really neat, actually.
"Then, maybe just one more question, does everyone always just.. exist around me? All the time? Like, are all my rooms crowded with people I can't see? Or do they only exist in a humanoid form sometimes, just for me?"
"Well, that one depends. I would say mostly yes, many prefer to exist in a more humanoid form often. But not everyone, and it's also more difficult for some.. I'd rather not elaborate too much, until you meet some of them. But let's use Dorian for an example. It's relatively easy for Dorian to exist in a humanoid form all or most of the time! He can stand in place of his object, being similar in size to it, but many others can't. At least not as well. So they may just stay near their physical bodies instead, or even wander off. That's not impossible either! But when you pull them into your world, you may also bring them to your location! If they had wandered off somewhere else, to say, talk to someone on the other side of the house, and you called them to you to talk to them, then they'd be transported right to you. So, is that actually your last question then? Finally feeling ready to meet some new faces?" Skylar, to her credit, seemed only partially exasperated.
I was starting to feel bad for yesterday at this point, because I had been so annoyed with Skylar then, but she was helping me out a lot now!
"Yeah, I think I'm ready! Thank you, Skylar!" I smile sincerely, and Skylar even seems a little surprised. Her face gets a bit pink as she clears her throat.
"You're welcome, now go and DATE!" She returns to her usual enthusiasm before leaving me. Looking at the space where she had just been has me smiling for a moment longer before I set the glasses aside just once more, so I can get up and start my morning. Haven't even gone to the bathroom yet.