Dream gazed around Internet city, fascinated and slightly disturbed.
The fascination came from everything around her. There were many amusements for the Navis who came here, things created by the Navis, for the Navis. Also things created by humans, but those were usually samples of products, digitalized so other humans could see what they would do in real life. It was still fun for the Navis, who could kick a ball around, or ride a digital scooter.
The silver buildings arched gracefully overhead, reaching up towards a sky that was disconcertingly blue, with fluffy white things drifting across it. It was a vast change from the Undernet's darkness, but Dream adjusted quickly, watching the fluffy white things form shapes with a delighted smile.
But she didn't know anyone. That was the disturbing thing about being in Internet City. Not that she was afraid… she feared nothing… but it made her uneasy. In the Undernet, knowing people was of critical importance.
That was a lesson Forte had never learned, because he didn't have to. His power made it unnecessary. But Dream had made herself more approachable, and had even made some tentative friends, the brief times Forte had allowed her to visit the dark metropolis, Maligoenia. According to Forte, the name was loosely derived from Latin, and meant "Wicked City." On her stints there, she had made one friend in particular, an old Navi who had been willing to explain how things in the Wicked City worked.
The most critical lesson was to know whom you were dealing with. It was a truism of the Undernet that you should trust no one, but trust was sometimes unavoidable, so it became a matter of who to trust. Some could be counted upon to fulfill a deal, even if holding up their end became painful. Others could be counted on only to the extent of their own self-interest… they wouldn't stab you in the back for no reason, but if they had a reason, you were in trouble. Some Undernetters couldn't even be trusted that far. They seemed to make a sport of treachery, even when they might have done better without it. And then there were fools and the deranged. Fools came in many stripes, ranging from naïve normal Navis who had sought out the Undernet, to those who were twisted or stupid. Fools and the insane both had short lifespans, but of the two, the deranged lasted longer. Even in the Undernet, allowances were made for insanity. Foolishness was seldom forgiven.
It was also critical to know the quirks and abilities of the ones you were dealing with. For example, some Maligoenia chip dealers sometimes traded worthless, damaged chip data to fools who didn't know what they were buying. But not one would have shown such data to Kiwi, a generally sweet and even tempered female Navi… except where her chips were concerned. And she dealt chips in more legitimate areas, so she knew useless data when she saw it, and it was the one thing that could send her into a rage so violent even Forte and Dream were impressed. Dream suspected she had a hatred of being cheated that was similar to Forte's hatred of humans… it stemmed from something in the past.
Dream suddenly shook her head, pulling herself out of her musings. Thinking about Maligoenia was nice, but she wasn't there, and she should really pay attention to her current surroundings.
Some Navis shot her uneasy glances as she floated down the street. No doubt they had heard something of Forte, but couldn't bring themselves to believe the feared Super Navi could be so short. Or be walking around Internet City in plain sight.
A sweet sound attracted her attention, and she drifted towards a balcony. Several Navis were clustered there, watching something on the lower level, but they willingly made room for her. Dream noted that absently… it was an interesting difference from the Undernet. Undernetters would have made room for her too, but it would be because they feared her. These Navis just did it to be nice.
Dream blinked at the program, standing on a stage and singing. She wasn't a Net Navi… she wasn't anything Dream had ever seen before. The Undernet held a wide variety of programs, but this one seemed oddly fragile, almost like a hothouse flower. Dream doubted the female program could survive in a normal Net environment.
She's pretty, Dream thought, tilting her head to one side, but that outfit is horrible. Then the music caught her attention, and she stopped thinking, and just listened.
When the song was over, Dream blinked, coming out of her trance… and a large window appeared in front of all of them. The other Navis with her started to chat as she read it.
Join the Talent Show! Apply today, last call at 5 PM. The show will be on Friday, come see! The advertisement showed the same female program she had just watched, singing. Dream inferred that she would be judging or participating. She pondered the advertisement for a long moment, then noticed the arrows leading away from it, pointing at a booth…
Well… why not? Laughing sweetly, Dream.EXE followed the arrows… this could be very interesting…