Naomi wasn't feeling up to much today, especially because there were blizzard conditions outside and the thermostat never seemed to be warm enough during the winter. Huddled under three quilts she gave another glance at the papers and notebooks spread around her desk. All the worked seemed to be finished- but she'd planned this "outing" for a week now, and being able to stretch out a pair of perfectly fit virtual legs was worth the consequences she'd get from forgetting a problem or two. She rubbed her hands together eagerly and grabbed the VR helmet, eagerly fitting it onto her head. She logged in and, as she sometimes called it, entered the dream. 

--

Lyonesse rose from her digital bed and stood up, wiggling her toes. It had been a spell since she'd started playing, yet the magic hadn't worn off at all. She grinned widely and equipped her armor, feeling a little weighed down but otherwise extremely cheery. Level 15. She'd achieved it, and this was her chance to start the game [i]for real.[/i] She bounced from one foot to the other and took a deep breath. Of course, she ran every chance she got while in-game, but it still felt strange when she didn't have time to get used to it. 

She sprinted out of the barracks and entered a lobby, wasting no time. There were people waiting there already, and she had a good look at each of them for about a minute, assessing them. Not quite staring. Well, maybe staring a little. Not a bad team. Or so it looked. 

"Hello," she said, meaning for her greeting to be louder. It instead came across as something slightly louder than a whisper. A little embarrassed, she hung back. She would get to know her teammates when things got going, she was sure of it.