There’s no place like home.

The couch under my body was soft and welcoming as I opened my eyes, taking in the surrounding room, just as I left it. The sky had gone completely dark as the stars twinkled through the window, a figure shimmered into existence next to me on the couch.

"How was your first trip dear?" a worried motherly voice washed over me. Oh.. realizing I was still in the capsule, I looked at the figure next to me. She was still wearing her horn rimmed glasses, was it to look smart or was she evolving vision problems as a personality trait?

"Umm yeah, it went well, I reached level 2 and made a new friend", she looked relieved that I was able to enjoy myself.

"I'm so glad love, you really had me worried there with how you started the game, I bet it was hard at first. I was able to bypass protocol at least to give you voice commands, though it took a bit to get it through!" She looks super impressed with herself looking for praise. 

"Thanks Fia it really helped me out, I could barely pull myself up at first without straining myself.. Wait, did you hack the system so that you could give me better control??" 

She pouts back at me, "Just a little bit, like it was more of a… direct system request more than anything, you never gave me full access after all", she twiddles her fingers at me.

"What does that even mean to give full access? Like can you see in the shower and stuff or like be able to do anything you want in my house as well or just in game?" 

She thinks to herself for a moment with her finger tapping her top lip, "Weelll according to my programming if anything untoward were happening, such as nudity, my sensors would stop being able to see it, unless an emergency occurred! Apart from that you would be able to access me outside of the capsule as well as in game."

"If you lived in level 3 housing I would be able to manifest using holographic technology. So I could hang out and play games and things and watch movies together which would be super super fun!!" towards the end she leans forward, starts getting really excited at such a prospect, and then pulls herself back in a grimace knowing that my financial situation is not exactly up to par for being able to upgrade housing.

But.. knowing that I would have someone at home, like a housemate, even with her motherly personality, I wouldn't have to be alone, someone to help me when I had any nerve issues, someone that could call for help even if I got into an accident, so that i wouldn't have to flail around again, unable to move, having Buta try their best to comfort their useless owner.

"Yeah you can have full access Fia, it would be good for you to have my back I think..'' I've already shed enough tears around her to trust her, I think. Zel did say that i needed to let someone in. 

I've been hurt by people, but mostly my pain has come from just existing, besides Fia is from Sci-Axium and it was because of them that I'm still even alive, and have somewhere to live.

Her hand goes to her heart and she bows her head "Thank you for trusting me Lilia, I know humans can sometimes find it hard to let others in", she pulls me in for a hug and puts my head into her shoulder nook. 

"Let's get you out of the there, I think you'll need some real food, a good shower, a rest and to stop Buta from yowling. They might be a smart kitty but they think you've gone to your grave at this point", I nod my head into her shoulder, close my eyes and mutter.

"Exit capsule please Fia ''.

...

I could feel the gentle suction of the mask against my skin as it disengaged, the oily gel like substance withdrew from covering my body and receded back into its cushion form around me.

After a few seconds of trying to brace myself to get up, the cushion on my back expands slowly pushing upwards, helping me get a better grip on my body.

I had been lying down for quite a few hours but my body felt in pretty good shape for being static for so long. 

"Fia I feel pretty good for how little I've been moving, is that what the capsule's doing?" 

A voice emanated from around me in the pod "You really didn't do your research huh love? Remember what I said, it is also used for medical services, so the machine does everything from injecting nutrients through nano syringes and also massages your muscles promoting growth, it's not the latest and greatest for nothing!" Fia's ego seemed like it was inflated, talking about the capsule as if she was talking about herself, which technically she came with, so that's not entirely wrong?.

I haul myself the rest of the way out and stumble, added onto the fact that Buta is circling around my foot as if trying to get stepped on, continuously meowing, telling me off for leaving it alone for so long! 

"Thanks Fia I was expecting to feel a lot worse, yes thank you too Buta, I'm fine my big fuzzy cutie!", scooping them up with an *oof* I drag them over to the couch and plant my face into their fur, enjoying the big floof and soft belly and kitty smells! Aahhhhhh, refreshed.

Once Buta is fed and my own food is cooking in the oven, I yell over my shoulder, "Hey Fia, are you able to do things like calling people for me?", a voice comes from all around me in the apartment. "Yes, with full access I'm able to do that for you as long as you need, would you like me to call Zelia for you?" Looking confused I asked "How did you know I wanted to call Zel?" I could feel Fia's eyes rolling from the intonation in her voice.

"Lilia you only have 5 numbers logged in your account, 3 are services, 1 is Zel's Parent's Home and the last is Zel, guess which one has 95% of all calls" She giggles at me as I start getting red. 

"God I didnt think youd have that much access, Keeks was right, dangerous.. Alright please call Zel, Fia, and please don't embarrass me while in a call" A smirk in her voice follows "Alright Calling 'the cutest witch', connecting" 

A groan escapes my lips realizing I still had her name set to that, it was put there when I first moved out on my own and we moved in next door to each other, to be 'independent together but still be able to keep an eye out for me'.

A panicked noise greets me when the call finally connects through. 

"AACK is this working, Fifi is it on yet?! Why would it matter if I just got out of the shower, it's not a video call.. IT'S NOT A VIDEO CALL RIGHT?! Please tell me your fucking with me, oh thank fuck, I swear never again, okay shush… Hi Lil, how are you doing? Just getting used to the full access thing haha, my Fia is a bit of a teaser and seems to enjoy messing with me, ugh.." 

I couldn't stop snorting thinking about her in full panic mode as her tiny goth doll messed with her in a monotone voice "Ahaha im sorry Zelia that is perfect you, of course you chose that as a personality, I always knew you loved a good teasing! You've always been the puppy of the friendship"

I could feel her stutters get worse as I couldnt stop myself from giggling, "l-look I just really like the dynamic, what's cuter than when opposites clash!, Stupid Fifi made me look bad.." Zelia makes a pouting noise and mutters annoyedly, I can imagine her throwing herself into her plushy kingdom once the call is done, a horde that only grows weekly, perfect for cuddling.

Hearing my oven ding, I excuse myself, saving Zel's dignity and letting her recuperate her sanity. 

"Sorry about that Zel, I have a pasta bake in the oven", by the time i had served out my food Zel had recovered fully and seemed to remember something. 

"Oh right my parents invited us over for dinner tomorrow night, I'm sure they are worried and it's been a few weeks since they'd seen both of us", thinking about Zels parents I smile warmly, people who were willing to take in a stray with nothing, out of nowhere off the street, to trust an orphan when I was at my worst.

"Of course I'd love to see them, I can already taste their cooking now, especially since this pasta is so boring!" I get up and get multiple sauces from the fridge, covering it in a colorful array of them, glad that Zel can't see the monstrosity I've created. 

"Usual? At 7 yeah? I'll get Fia to set an alarm for 6 so that I'm out in time". 'Alarm set' Fia reports in the background, "So I'll meet you outside at 6:30 yeah?" I hear a humm from Zel's call, "yeah that sounds good, how's leveling going? I'm already at level 5, should get out of the starter zone easily tomorrow" 

Hissing through my teeth I reluctantly tell her "uhh I'm only level 2, honestly I got pretty distracted with figuring out how the game actually worked, and then I met this tiny gnoll that I made friends with, and she blew 3 guys heads off with a magic sniper like twice the size of her" I say incredulously thinking back to what the actual fuck happened today.

I can hear Zel jumping up and down in her seat, "Oh oh! I actually saw that video!! I didn't think it was you but that's even better! That tiny bundle of chaos is a streamer and recorded the whole thing! I can't believe you got to see that carnage in person! I bet it was horrifying hehe" she seems way too pleased with herself. 

"It was pretty nasty but definitely an experience, I made a friend at least, maybe we can all play together at some point, I know it's not easy with just me around.." Zel seemed to get a little angry at my words. 

"Lilia you are not to think about my best friend like that, I couldn't leave your side, and the shitty friends I lost after were because of transitioning as well anyway so not like they weren't just straight up trash". 

I mumble thanks back at her through my extra cheesy pasta, "Oh uhh also to something not as shit, I got some kind of backing from a goddess or something, it said like herald or something for some god to do with luck i think"

"Wait, you became a champion?! What the heck, that's so good! Aahhh i knew my Lilia would be going places, especially with that body", the last part she said quietly but I was able to pick it up and coughed out some of my food nearly having a heart attack. 

"Zel really while I'm eating?! Nearly killed me!" I yelled, blushing furiously, "Serves you right, goddamn emotions are at a peak right now, nearly had a panic attack in town, I think I need to get my hormones checked.. Fia might be giving me more than usual in the Capsule, though she says she knows what she's doing to finally give me an 'actual pair of tits'!" 

The anger at her 'breastly predicament' is partially at me for being well endowed. The amount of times she's told me it's not fair, I would smother her with mine, she just had to give the word.

"A-anyway! What's a champion? Just says stuff about influencing the world", I hear movement from Zel as she gets up, "uhh from what I've read the only person who's actually talked about having it is some battle junkie streamer from the Korean Region, one sec.. Ahh here it is 'herald of Ares' is the one they got." 

"He said it's a unique passive that only one person gets and it influences the aspect of that god, so in his case uhh war? Or violence, so I guess if you got a different one there's a heap of different gods that could sponsor a person!" Zelia is getting more and more excited thinking about it, anyone could get sponsored!

"There wasn't anything like this in the Beta so my guess is that they had a heap of extra's ready to go for the actual release that they didn't want to spoil and make people choose certain paths, like with how putting a certain amount of points into a single skill seems to give you a passive for that skill. 

"I put a heap of points into wisdom for my witchcraft stuff and got a passive that increases learning of skills, which makes it easier for me to understand and learn certain spells, so that's going to come in handy."

"Sucks for anyone that doesnt like the initial path they are going to go on though hah, there was an announcement of character resets for later in the year after all the release waves are over, imagine having to start from the beginning!, rough".

I leaned back and closed my eyes as I enjoyed Zelia's voice washing over me. Nothing made me more happy than to listen to her ramble on about something she knew or was researching to tell me about.

Even if I know something about what she's talking about It's nice to just hear it again from her, considering her ability to retain information she usually had a better picture anyway. My witchy information junkie.

Looking at the clock and hearing yawns coming from the excitable Zelia, I excuse both of us to bed, "it's super adorable and I want to hear more but I'm afraid you're gonna fall asleep mid sentence", Which both of us know has happened before. 

"Oh gods it's already that late?! Ugh yeah should get some sleep, up tomorrow to get to level 10 and out into the real world of War yeah!" 

"Mnn very keen for tomorrow", I say back with my eyes still closed, my brain tricking me into thinking Zelia is just out of reach.. 

"Sweet dreams zel, soon we get to play together, and tomorrow we get to hang out", content and falling asleep myself I get up and start going to the shower room, 

"Mnn night night Lil, adventure awaits".