Sorry for the bit of a cliff hanger! Hope it wasn't too much. Let me know what you guys think in the reviews and with a follow. Thank you for coming!
I don't own YGO
Celine woke up in the comfortable chair she had sat down in what felt like a week ago.
People were stirring around her back in KC HQ with only a shift of 8 hours gone in the real world.
She wondered if that was intended. That would make one hour just over a day in game. Possibly making the most of someone's final hours.
Assistants were pulling sensors off of each of them, with bottles of water and small bags of snacks or grain bars.
Celine didn't feel like eating. A glance across the room showed the blue eyed brunet sitting up and speaking in a quiet tone with his assistant.
He'd seen that. Seen her. Melting and breaking down at the seams over her dead son.
It had been a lie.
She didn't even know why she'd bothered. He wasn't here to forgive her, so why lie to herself?
A heave from her stomach had Celine's shaking hands up to shove the assistant back before she hurled on the poor girl's shoes. There wasn't much to come up but bile, but the assistant was quick with a bin under her nose, saving everyone the mercy of seeing it on the floor.
"The ascent and descent into VR can cause nausea, especially given the amount of time we spent inside. Take your time coming around." Said Kaiba, answering everyone's silent question at once, shifting to the edge of his chair to stand.
Low conversations started between neighbors, and Ted looked over to Celine with a sympathetic smile.
"Wild ride, eh? You good, bud?"
"I'm alright man, just gimme a minute." She muttered, allowing the assistant to help her back into the chair. The woman urged her to shut her eyes and she did. She was cleared of sensors and the light above her went out. That felt better.
"Your permanent accommodations should be ready for you. If you'll follow Roland he'll see you back to the hotel to collect your belongings." Said Kaiba before accepting a water bottle from an assistant and stepping out.
Celine found out her Assistant's name was Mia, and she would be helping her for the entirety of testing. She was happy to answer any questions Celine had on Kaiba Corp and it's many amenities. She was told she had a driver at her disposal, and Mia said she would be happy to go pack up her hotel room for her. If she would rather go to wait at her final destination.
As much as Celine wanted to tell her not to bother.
As much as Celine didn't want someone touching her stuff.
Celine felt drained. She wanted to lay down.
"That… would be very nice, Mia, thank you." She offered.
"Very good. Wait here a few moments, I'll fetch you something better for your stomach." Mia stepped away and Celine was pleased to hear a quiet room. The others were gone.
She sighed and sat back up. She still felt queasy, but it was fading.
"Are you alright?"
The return of the blue eyed man was unexpected, and caused her to start, but he was alone.
"I'll be okay." Her voice didn't express her truth, and he seemed to sense it, coming to sit in Ted's vacant seat to the side, watching.
Seems they were going to discuss this.
"I'm sorry you had to watch that... that... God, I'm just- so sorry." She murmured.
"The headset has a neurotransmitter inside. It's what allows you and the others to shift the world around you... you were thinking of your son, Celine, and what you wanted to tell him."
"But it's not... real."
"Neither are most religions. It doesn't make the comfort people find in them to be any less real."
They were quiet for a moment while she absorbed that before he spoke again.
"I wanted VR to be a comfort. I wanted... better for people unable. A man in a wheelchair could walk again, a person at the end of life could spend their last hours playing with their children... it's made to help you heal, if you want it too."
Celine didn't respond but was surprised when she felt a cool hand touch the red, mottled scarring over her own. Hard tension snapped up her arm, but released when his other hand moved to join, gently turning hers over to see the worst of the damage on her palm.
"I... am sorry I... intruded on that moment between you and your son. That wasn't mine to see. But I want to assure you, it will stay between us. Not a word of what you spoke to me or otherwise will go to the others."
It felt uncomfortable, but then again, Celine supposed it was because Kaiba wasn't really one to show much for emotion.
But He was sincere in this. She believed that strongly.
Intimidating as it was, he was being genuine.
She squeezed his hands with hers, the fingers arched and flexed, only capable of half their normal range, but his were large, and filled it easily before she released him.
"Thank you, Kaiba... I do appreciate that... I... I don't want any sort of special treatment, but... it's... good to find someone here... someone who gets it." She said, just as genuine.
"Someone alone."
"Correct." She replied.
They were quiet for a while before she hummed and chuckled a bit to herself.
"Y'know I heard a lot of bullshit about you."
"About me." He replied with a raised brow.
"I heard you were a hard man to work for… You know you have your own Subreddit? It was a long flight, I had plenty to read."
He snorted and she chuckled again. "I'm glad I reserved judgement. You don't seem so bad… So what's the game plan for tomorrow?"
"Nothing, you and the others will take the day to settle into the estate. It's important to allow your mind time to recover from the transmitter. The next session will be Friday evening."
"I suppose we're accommodating your schedule too." She said with a raised brow.
"I could hardly leave you unsupervised." He replied flatly.
"Excuse you."
"I said what I said."
Mia returned with a to-go cup in her hands, perking as she spotted the brunet before giving a bow. There was a back and forth in Japanese that Celine didn't follow but she was working herself to her feet anyway. She was alright.
Mia was immediately by her side, offering the cup. "It's tea, sorry for the wait, I was calling the car for you, it's waiting upstairs."
"Thank you, lead the way… Night, boss."
"Goodnight, Miss McFall."
Celine ignored the fluttering in her belly and followed Mia out.
Talk about a wild first day.
[~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~]
Celine was told that the house they all were staying in was the former staff housing for the Kaiba estate, a nice way of saying servants quarters, but everyone had their own flat, complete with bathroom and kitchenette. The woman spoke about the estate's gardens and pool, and gym located inside the main house in the basement.
Celine had seen a lot of the houses of her Father's friends over the years, and they were nice, but this was something else. There was a large white mansion to the front, with a number of buildings behind in a sprawling estate so large it had gravelled roads lining through it in all directions. The building they were using was about 500 yards back from the main house, lined to one side with trees. It followed along the edge of the garden that sprawled out behind it. The back of the main building held the pool, with a small pool house and a number of doors that led inside.
She was given a key card that would allow her in and out of the estate, and into the building. She chose a room, they were all identical so it came down to favor. She liked the far end. There was a small balcony that held a single folding chair to enjoy the view of the gardens below. Once decided, she programmed her key for her room, and Mia left her to enjoy it while she ran to the hotel.
It was a simple studio, with a bar between the kitchen and the living area. The bed was attached to the wall on a hinge, and folded up, exposing several drawers and storage areas. Nice. It also opened the room. There was a desk built into more storage on the far wall, with a chair and lamp that seemed to be connected to the lightswitch. A large KC box with a welcome message sat on top of the desk. She'd get to that in a moment.
Closer inspection of the bathroom found it multi functional, with a small washer in the closet and a dryer came in the form of the rooms mounted vent system, the room itself serving as a dryer. There was a standing sink with a cabinet above holding a number of freebies.
All in all?
Not bad. Small, but efficient, and she could appreciate that. She didn't mind a tiny space as long as she was the only one using it.
Celine pulled out the desk chair and pulled the tape off the welcome box, tearing the envelope off the front. The packing tape gave and she pulled it open, halting just long enough to open the letter.
It was a generic welcome letter, listing out the different amenities Mia had told her about, along with local take out and delivery. There were numbers to call in case of a flat emergency, or if you lost your card. Easy enough.
Inside the box was simple goodies, magnets for the fridge, soap and sponge for the sink, but lying almost innocuously at the bottom was a sharp new KC tablet. Nice. Okay. I see you, Kaiba. Fair enough. She pulled it free and booted it, setting it on the table while she unwrapped the rest to be put away, the trash gathered in the welcome box.
It ran on something called KC LINK, which ran the network, with a number of streaming apps offered, Netflix, Hulu, HBO. It seemed you could download any app you wanted from a library, and it downloaded fully on press. Easy enough. As she fiddled with it, the option to cast popped up in the corner. She pressed it, curious. She had to type in her room number, which prompted a software stall, Asking her to identify herself. What room she was in, and the digits on her badge. Ugh.
Once through, a pop up for the TV remote app appeared. She tapped it and a control screen showed a list of options.
Lower.
Tilt.
Rotate.
She flicked lower to the 'on' position and above her head a slide opened and a thin TV lowered.
Dodging it easily in the chair, she rolled back and had to smile. Nice, okay. Flex.
Now fully logged in, she was able to log into the TV itself and cast to it. Tucking the chair around the TV, she found more blankets in one of the drawers, the other holding extra pillows. Snatching one of the blankets, she pulled the bed down and started to peel off her day. Jewelry, hair, clothes- wait. She didn't have a bag. Leave the tank top, but this button down has to go. So do the shoes. Which, she noticed, were supposed to go by the door. A pair of slippers waiting for her as replacement. Whoops. Noted.
Dropping her dirty clothes in the little washer, she used a towel and some of the offered face cleanser to clear her face of makeup. Thankfully she was a simple creature, and while she still had a bit of stubborn eye liner, the rest of her face did feel better for it.
Celine studied her face in the sink, patting it dry. Something felt different about her. What was it? Sharp eye contact with the matching gray set in the mirror told her. She was actually looking at herself. And she wasn't cringing. Thick black hair was parted to one side, the ends layering around her neck and shoulders. Fair skin on her face and neck, but lower it was a different story.
A thick red spread of scar tissue raked up her front, arching to the top of her shoulder. Her left breast was mostly for show, she didn't feel much from it anymore, but a plastic surgeon in the Hills was more than happy to finally make them match. Shopping for bras had never been easier.
Speaking of.
She squirmed out of it around her tank top, before pulling it free and tossing it in the washer with her socks. Time to get cozy.