Avalon

"S-Sexual harrassment!?" She exclaimed in an unusually aggressive manner.

If she hadn't developed a habit of whispering, she would have woken up Adam outright.

Both of them looked at Adam, who started rustling around in response to the increased volume.

"What do you mean by 'sexual harassment?'" She asked, unconsciously seething under her voice.

"If she was serious, she was constantly making passes at me.

I'm still not sure if it was a joke or not. Either way, it was bad professional behavior, so she eventually let it go." He explained.

"So they were being serious? Were they at least trying to buy you?" She asked with narrowed eyes.

"Were they 'at least' trying to buy… never mind.

No. If they were serious, I'm pretty sure they were just making passes at me."

The woman's eyes narrowed unconsciously. "Were they pretty?"

"Gorgeous."

[ "Alyx, how many times have I told you that you can't talk to strangers? Do you even listen to me?" A woman said from the corner of a dark, dimly lit room.

Alyx turned his head in her direction with a wry smile.

The woman was sitting at a table on the other side of the room.

She was working facing the wall Alyx had his back against and vice versa. So he had to turn his head completely to the right to see her lightly defined silhouette.

"Don't give me that, Ava. Haven't you always taught me not to look a gift horse in the mouth?

A nice man in a nice suit offered me a very expensive human sacrifice. How do you casually turn that down?" Grey said sarcastically.

"...They grow up so fast, don't they?" Avalon muttered under her breath in an exasperated voice.

"... Okay, I'll bite. What the hell's that supposed to mean?" He asked with a dash of caustic curiosity.

"Wait? Who are you? The Alyx I know would never ask my input or listen to my advice.

I'll give you 15 seconds to tell me who you are before I kill a rat in this house." She declared with a harsh, deadly tone.

Her eyes never left what she was working on, however.

Grey sighed. "Are you done playing around? You know I have a curiosity complex. Are you going to tell me what 'they grow up so fast means or not?'"

"That's my Alyx." Saying that, she sighed in satisfaction.

She then turned her body to the right to face him, put her chin on her hand, and sent him a gentle gaze.

"I was just thinking about how that silver tongue of yours is going to turn you into a real lady killer one day." She declared, giving him a thin penetrating smile.

"You know, for once I fully agree with you, Ava." He replied with a thin devious grin on his face.

"Hoh? Are you telling me that I have to killa'snitch? Is that what I'm hearing? Your Alyx acting is slipping again." She declared with a sarcastically serene gaze.

"Hmmm. Acting? I'm honestly agreeing with you.

While I may not be a 'lady killer' at this moment, it might be about time that I acquire that title." Alyx sent her a dangerous gaze and a mocking smile as he said this.

"Who are you calling 'lady?' I'm 25 and I'm not your teacher." She pointed out indignantly.

"Uh, I'm not sure I follow. What does not being my teacher have to do with anything?" He asked, furrowing his brows in confusion.

"Oh, you know. You're officially 18 now and I'm not your teacher. That makes you my legal prey."

Grey smiled wryly at her teasing. Seeing his reaction, she felt satisfied and went back to work.

"Wait… how did we go from 'don't talk to strangers' to me being your legal prey?" He asked, realizing the irony.

"Oh, that? Do I need a preamble to make a statement like that?" She asked with a seductive smirk.

"Normally… yes? I hope." He replied after giving it genuine thought.

"Alyx, live a little. You're in a dark, disturbing, and scary place with a beautiful woman who clearly needs you to hold her. Take advantage of me." She said with a glee-filled voice. Obviously, she didn't need to be held.

Grey chuckled bitterly. "Having my first in Dark Paradise? Surely you jest, Avalon."

"Alyx, think about the dark things from a positive perspective for once.

Everything that happens in this nightmare wonderland will be permanently scarred into your memory.

That means that you'd never be able to forget your first time even if you try!

Plus, therapists need a little excitement in their lives too, you know? You ever stop to think about them?" She argued, not even taking the time to look at him.

"And… this is why I don't listen to you." He quipped back.

"That's fair, but you might try it out. Right now you just pick and choose what you listen to and it gets you into trouble." She snapped indignantly.

Grey raised an eyebrow. "Hoh? Let's hear an example, Ava."

"Hah. I recall you saying that I taught you not to look a gift horse in the mouth, yes?

Well, if the horse gets maimed, you're not supposed to put the owner down and save the horse. Beyond countless important reasons you shouldn't do that, it's downright rude!

Don't try to gaslight me with your silver tongue and claim that I taught you how to do that. It might turn you into a lady killer one day, but it's not going to work on me." She huffed, deviously coming back full circle.

"Hah…how do you do this, Ava? I asked for this answer two minutes ago, and instead, I got a couple of predatory love letters and some really bad advice.

Now that you can use your answer as a weapon, you'll finally give it to me? Was that cryptic response a trap?" His face was filled with wonder. He wasn't even mad; he was genuinely impressed.

"I definitely would have [given it to you] sooner, but your priorities when it comes to curiosity are downright broken, you know that Alyx?" She snapped back with a sassy twang.

"I try not to get curious about things that I'm not going to get to experience, Ava. That type of curiosity is going to get me in trouble." He responded with a wry smile.

Avalon stopped what she was doing and turned to Alyx. Once she locked eyes onto his face, she started eyeing him up and down.

"Ava, if you're trying to tease me, it's not going to work right now. We're in the Nerve Network, you can't actually size me up." He explained dryly.

"Alyx."

"Yes?"

"Think about what you just said." She said sternly.

"We're in the Nerve Network. This isn't the real world." He replied in a frank, confused manner.

"Yes, so what does it matter?"

Alyx was speechless after hearing this. You could experience sex in the Nerve Network. So, does it matter if you don't meet the person in the real world?

He never really thought about it since he's always working when he's in the Nerve Network.

"See? Now you're getting it. You only use basic profiles or sleepers. So I can at least see how tone you are. You're not some grimey old fat man." She sassed.

Alyx was a tone individual. Years of professional training had built up a filled-out body with defined features. His back was broad and his height was just under 6 feet tall. Of course, this didn't say much about how he actually looked, but it said a lot more than usual.

In The Network, anyone could look like anything for the right price. In the Nerve Network, however, people can't hide their physique. For that reason, people tended to be skinny, overweight, or grotesque after body modification.

Changing your appearance in this world was just like putting lipstick on a pig. Alyx wasn't anything special in terms of looks, but he was a rare breed here.

"But what if I'm riddled with pimples and have greasy hair, Ava? Doesn't that bother you?" He asked with curiosity.

"I prefer blue eyes on a man, but you could give that to me as a present on a shared vacation." She mumbled to herself, making sure it was just barely audible.

"Hmmm? What did you say?" She added with a mischievous smile.

Currently, Alyx's eyes were a light shade of green that was sharpened by thin streaks of forest green. His hair was slightly curly and was dirty blonde in color.

As for his clothes, he wore a white v-neck under a tan zip-up jacket that had black trim that lined the seams and collar.

On his wrists, there were two pitch-black buttons on each side. His jeans were a sharp black, and his shoes were pure white. The laces were also pure black to match all the other accessories.

He was wearing a thick black earring and a thin black ring to complete his appearance. Needless to say, these accessories were items containing programs.

The last minor detail about his appearance was the sheer quantity of dry blood all over him. It made the white highlights on his wardrobe pop. It was a fashionable style choice; very fashionable indeed.

"I don't know how, but you even make that tattoo look good somehow." She added, furrowing her brows.

"You kind of look like…how would I pick this? A 3rd generation Yakuza boss's son?" She laughed.

"Like, don't get me wrong, I like it. It's kind of hot." She added casually.

As pointed out by Eloguent, Michael had a snake tattoo that wrapped from his right collar bone around his neck.

He detested the thought of making himself look hideous just to look mildly qualified to be here. So he went with this rich Yakuza bro appearance instead.

"Ahhhhh. I get it. You just like me for my design skills, is that it?"

"Design skills? Nah, you can pay for that stuff. You need Dark Paradise money to acquire good taste in design, though." She said jokingly.

Alyx smiled bitterly, being reminded of this place.

"Don't give me that frown. I like your look, okay?" She continued.

"And just so you know... If you don't like mine you can always design me a body that suits your fancy…" She said shyly, with a hint of coquettishness.

Alyx smiled hearing this, then looked her in the eye. "I honestly like the way you look, Ava. Aside from taking that gaudy jacket off your back, there's nothing I'd change about your appearance."

She genuinely blushed after hearing this.

He couldn't figure out why she was surprised to hear this. Avalon had straight blond hair and rich blue eyes. She was definitely someone that looked beautiful in the outside world.

There wasn't much to comment on in terms of her clothing. She was wearing a slick black jacket with a large hood covering most of her face.

Her pants were sharply black and fit directly against her curves. She also wore a black belt with a silver buckle and military boots. Her gear was utility first.

On the back of that jacket was a large razor blade with a growling tiger engraved on the inside of the razor's blade.

Around the razor was a white outline of a flag. This symbol designated the wearer as an official guest of honor for Occam's Razor. Touching her would mean immediate death. That said, no one as beautiful as she would walk around without attracting trouble.

"Oh this thing?" She looked at the jacket. "It's quite hideous and trite. But it had its own type of charm." She responded with a creepy smile.

"Um… is this Stockholm Syndrome? No, this is the Avalon I have always known…"

"Grey baby, don't be like that. Sure, this says I'm some grimey scum's property.

But, how do I explain this… it sends people a unique and delightful message. I kinda implies, 'I'm really important, so you should try to get to know me, but if you touch my body, someone's going to fucking kill you."

Grey sighed hearing this. "That… is pretty amazing. You have no idea what I had to do to achieve half of that." He responded bitterly.

"I don't think it would help you out much. You are kind of a train wreck for a Yakuza bro." She laughed.

"Thanks… I really needed that right now, Ava."

"Always happy to serve. Speaking of my great personality, don't think you've got away with calling me beautiful without an explanation." She was charging into murky waters with a stupid smile on her face.

Grey's eyes glazed over. "Yes, Ava, you're a beautiful woman with a hella hot body. I'll probably compare people to you for the rest of my life. That's not sarcasm. That's the honest truth.

If your personality were equally good, I'd find you a candidate for my unconditional love. I'd probably never pursue you, though, because I refuse to [join] a haram.

Since your personality isn't as spectacular as your looks, this line of thinking is an exercise in futility for the sake of nothing." He replied with dead eyes.

"Hoh? Does that mean that you're secretly planning to court me?" She asked coquettishly.

"You claim that I'm the person that doesn't listen. Anyway… I do find you very attractive and there's nothing about you I'd want to change."

Grey took a deep breath. "But… if you'd like, I'll help you design a character profile that brings your desires to life. Would you like that?" He asked with a gentle smile.

Ava's eyes lit up. "It's a date!"

"Okay." He said curtly.

"It's a date!" She repeated.

A slight twinge of irritation filled his eyes. But he could never get mad at Avalon when she was acting this cute. "Okay, it's a date." He replied, abdicating the better part of his common sense.

Grey sighed. "But you're the person that has to get past Bell, fair?" He said with a slight shutter.

"Don't worry, I'll take that prissy little kitty down!" She exclaimed with vigor.

"...Ava, don't torment Bell. That's part of the deal." He pleaded, regretting his decision to speak too soon. Bell didn't like to share him, and like Ava, he had a hard time saying no to her when she was acting cute.

"Alyx, jokes aside. If I survive this place, I sure as hell ain't going to die the moment I get back." She shiverred.

'Thank god,' Grey thought to himself. He had never been so grateful he and Avalon were on the same wavelength.