⟪ this could very well be the whole of it: maybe this girl just plays a lot of games like this, maybe she is native to this world, maybe her warning from earlier had less to do with the generally over-realistic nature of the game and more to do with the fact that caroline, in all her forty year old glory, just doesn't really pass for the target audience of a vr shooter.

or maybe this entire scenario is hitting close to home for both of them. ⟫

I'd appreciate it. ⟪ and in the real world, back home, she'd expect it – being one of the few people capable of creating a vaccine, cure, or hell, one of the few people possessing general medical knowledge to begin with entitles her to some level of protection.

but this isn't home, and the girl's basically saying this out of some benign impulse that won't even benefit her in the game's context. ⟫

I'll go first. ⟪ psychologically speaking, the violence shown to have been committed, however allegedly, against the general civilian population is likely the worst to witness, so this might at least give the option for her to keep the girl from seeing whatever the developers have deemed necessary to demonise the targets of their propaganda efforts. ⟫ And I'll keep the outside in mind.

⟪ you know, just in case she's not native to this world and needs the grounding. ⟫

Onward then.

⟪ outside, someone's shouting offers for samples. inside, the footsteps are gone, they're safe to head out onto what's meant to be a street offering two directions – one being away from the city, where the name of the game is to aid those who have fled, and one beign towards the city, where... hell knows what waits for them. they've decided for that one already, and at least, there's enough abandoned cars to dodge behind. which caroline does –– and then: ⟫

I'd reckon we would make better time if we could hijack one of these. ⟪ not that she's ever driven a hovercar before, but how different can it be, really? ⟫