Okay, now this holo was pushing all his buttons. Toby had found "Wild Magic Zone" the other day, and it was like it was made for him. Fantasy role-playing, crazy big expansion, a meta twist to play with the fact that it was a holo. The genius who made this had grabbed all his hobbies and rolled them into a big, sexy ball. This Devin guy was a definite follow.
A fake glitch in an otherwise standard dungeon crawl holo, and an enlargement magic started going haywire, causing everyone in the party to grow in sexy ways, including the viewer? Sheer brilliance, inspired. Man, he could do this all day. Wait, how long had he been doing this?
Toby pulled up the console. Shit, was that the time? They could be over any minute! Exit...exit...dammit, exit! Finally. He was running out of storage space and it was starting to mess with his system; he needed to either upgrade or delete some holos. Yeaaaaah, upgrade.
Back in the slightly more real world of Cyberdream proper, Toby hurried to get dressed and tidy up before the gaming session. If it were just Sara, he wouldn't have been as worried. Heck, he might not even have put on a shirt, although she would have teased him about needing to get to the gym with her. Tonight was different, though, so he got out some nicer jeans and a polo shirt, and got his long brown hair into a neater ponytail than usual. He'd showered and shaved earlier; he could manage his time a little, after all.
He wanted to make a good impression tonight, because Sara wouldn't be showing up alone like she usually did. She was bringing Olivia, and Toby really wanted Liv to be comfortable here, around him, at his place, so she'd come back, you know, a lot. He was cleaning things that really didn't need to be cleaned again, as he always did when he was nervous, when the doorbell rang.
Toby had his arms open for the traditional hug, but Sara still almost bowled him over, just like always. They'd been friends since high school, and they worked so well together that they'd just kind of rolled with it. She was an artist, he was a writer, and they had a moderately successful business doing a kind of retro comic together, the pairing of words and pictures still in demand even in a virtual world where you could step inside a story any time you wanted.
Sara buried her face into his chest as usual, and he returned the hug gratefully, smiling into her fiery red curls, the little ritual steadying him. She wasn't a tall woman, 5' 2 1/4", which he could never forget because she always reminded him that the quarter was important, but she had some muscle on that little body. She'd always been active, sports and exercise and legit kung fu training, like she was trying to get some boundless energy out. Sara wasn't physically big, but her presence and personality were huge; friendly and outgoing, she commanded attention wherever she went. It's part of why they worked so well together; Toby was reserved by nature, quiet and unassuming, and being friends with Sara had helped bring him out of his shell. In return, he helped ground her and taught her how not to overwhelm people who might not be as open as she was. She was the kind of friend he would give his life for.
He looked up, and realized they should probably get this over with, though, because standing just outside the doorway was Liv. Beautiful, soft, delectable Liv. Toby, who could read people much better than Sara could, saw that they were making her kind of uncomfortable, so he pulled back from the hug.
"Hey, Liv, glad you could make it! Come on in, we'll have a snack and get started."
She relaxed and came in, which loosened up one of the knots in his stomach. She was midway between him and Sara in height, but didn't take up nearly as much social space as the smaller woman. Her long black hair was lustrous and smooth, making Toby want to run his hands through it. It contrasted with her fair skin, and framed a lovely face with eyes a purple shade he'd never seen on anyone before. She was perfectly plump, with generous curves that invited caresses, her breasts and belly and butt pushing against her black outfit enticingly.
For some reason she reminded him of a just-barely-overripe blackberry, sweet and a little tart and oh so juicy. Toby couldn't look at her without wanting to cuddle with her, rest his head in her lap and lay gentle kisses on her plush tummy and thick thighs, lose himself in snuggling. He was fighting to ignore those impulses, though, because he barely knew her and didn't want that side of him to make her think he was a creep.
She was like him in a lot of ways; quiet, retiring, not interested in drawing attention. Moreover, she looked lonely, and he recognized that, too; it was relief from that isolation that made him so loyal to, and thankful for, Sara. So, after having talked with her several times at the coffee shop they all frequented, he had invited her to their weekly game night. He figured Sara would help him be more, well, normal. When he'd asked, she reacted in a way that pleasantly surprised him; she'd just lit up, started talking faster and louder than he'd ever seen her do. Her eyes were sparkling with excitement; Liv had a fire inside her that she kept hidden well, and it just made him want her more.
They sat down for snacks, and made small talk for a few minutes. Well, Sara made large talk; "Wowsers, Toby, nice little spread tonight, you feeling hungry?...Ever been around here before, Liv? It's a really nice neighborhood...Glad the weather is finally warming up, I can't wait for summer, I love to swim..." She filled every silence, as usual.
Liv was also pretty talkative, smiling more broadly than usual, that sparkle in her eyes, increasingly comfortable in their company. Toby started to feel almost confident.
"Alright ladies, you finish up here, I'll go get the holo ready. Sara, I thought we'd start a new session, let Liv get in on the ground floor."
"Good thinking, bud. You really need boot-up time, though? That janky system needs an upgrade. What are you filling it with?"
"I mean, you know, just stuff. It's old. You know I like holos. I'm just gonna, yeah, you two just, okay. I'm gonna boot it up." Smooth, Toby. Sheesh. He got the system ready to go by the time the girls straightened up the snacks and came to the couch.
They registered with the holo, and their senses shifted from the 'Dream into the sword-and-sorcery simulation. Everything was static while they picked their characters. Toby and Sara went with what had worked in this sim for years: he was a cleric, she was a warrior. She would pull the mobs and dish out the damage, he'd buff and heal and do a little blasting from range.
"So Liv, you think about what you wanted to play?" Sara asked.
"Oh, um, well I was thinking maybe something sneaky? Like, you don't see me coming and then BAM, surprise, gotcha!"
"Ah, a rogue! Just what we need, actually! Let's get you set up."
They spent the next few minutes helping Liv build her first character. Toby helped optimize her build, getting her stats and abilities tuned to what she said she liked, and Sara helped her pick out her look and equipment. Prepped for adventure, they headed into the wilds where this holo got started.
A few encounters in, and Toby was having the time of his life. Sara had been right, a rogue was just what they needed; they had made a good team before, but now they were taking it to a whole other level. Liv was whip smart, picking up on clues and solving puzzles that would have taken the two of them twice as long. Even better, their combat effectiveness was unbelievable.
Sara would do her thing as a warrior; nobody could taunt like her. With Toby backing her up, they were a well-oiled machine. Liv would stay back, keep out of sight, and wait until she saw just the right opening. When she saw it, she was vicious, just taking to her role with gusto and absolutely murdering every mob she targeted. Even if he didn't have a huge crush on her, Toby would have been happy to have her there. They made a great team, fitting together perfectly, practically unstoppable.
Well, okay, maybe this ogre could stop them. It towered over them, threatening and powerful, its tusked maw open in a roar of challenge. This was going to take some skill; however good they were, they were just starting out, and may have bitten off more than they could chew. Sara raised her shield and drew the monster's attention, and they began their proven tactics.
Unfortunately, with the wide sweeps of its greatclub, they each took a few hits, though Sara absorbed the brunt of the damage. Liv was whittling the thing down, but its tough hide was hard to pierce. Suddenly, Sara took a hit dead on, and was tossed aside by the force. She tried to stand, but was dazed and couldn't find her footing. The enormous beast advanced on Toby; he summoned a flash of holy light at the last second, which meant he took only a glancing blow instead of being crushed, but they were in trouble.
Then, Liv stepped up.
"Hey, ugly!" she shouted, as she whipped a dagger into the thing's broad, muscled back. She was several yards away, near some large rocks that might provide some cover. "Come get some of this!" With that, she turned around and mooned the ogre! Talk about unconventional. The monster turned and rushed towards her, bellowing in rage, Toby all but forgotten. For his part, he was lost in the hypnotic jiggling as Liv tugged her leather pants back up while retreating behind the outcroppings. But she'd bought Sara the time to shake off the ringing blow she'd taken and get back in the fight. They intercepted the ogre near the base of a large boulder, and Sara held its attention once more. Then, before it could drop another hammering strike into her shield, Liv popped up on top of the boulder, leaped down, and used the momentum of the drop to drive her shortsword down into its shoulder, past the collarbone and into its chest. The roaring ceased, but the beast didn't quite fall; still clinging to the hilt of her sword, she brought her other hand around and drove a dagger under the giant monster's chin. That did the trick, and it crashed to the ground. Liv rolled away, breathing heavily but her eyes burning brighter than ever.
