Off the street. (Anita's House)

Crystal had hailed a cab, which had unrealistically convenient timing, and told the driver to take them home. Thanks to game mechanics, it worked. They arrived in a few moments at a pleasant little suburban house, complete with white picket fence. Crystal got out uncertainly, suddenly frozen in place until she figured out she had to pay the driver. The others eyed the house, "So... you live here?"

"I guess, I know as much as you do."

"Well let's go inside! We'll see how Anita Mandelay decorates!"

Crystal grumbled not to call her that, following as her friends hurried along the walkway.

Jenna tried the door, "Locked."

Dahlia shivered, "Could we find a key? This coat is reeeally drafty!"

They turned to Crystal who patted herself down, "Guys, I don't even have a purse. I don't know where... wait a second." She tried the handle. The door opened smoothly.

"It was definitely locked when I tried it."

"It wasn't locked, you just weren't the owner. Oh this is so weird!" She waved her friends in through the door and glanced around. The interior looked like something out of a Martha Stewart catalogue from the late 80's... so about what she expected. She almost felt a little pleased the clean house was hers.

Jess whistled quietly, "Nice work Criss, this place is better than my house ever looks."

"Reminds me of home." Evaline ran her hand over the counter whistfully, her speech still slightly accented Japanese.

"Alright girls, I'm as eager to show off my... really nice house as the next girl but could we buckle down and figure out a-"

"Mom? You home?"

The girls stared up at the second floor where the voice came from. Crystal's heart stopped for a solid two seconds before kicking back into high gear.

A handsome face peered over the bannister, "We're out of-Woah." The man, for he was certainly not a boy, gawked at the gathering of attractive women just as they gawked back. He scratched his stubble, bashfully standing there in his boxers, "Uh... sorry, didn't know you'd be having company."

The girls collectively turned to Crystal, whose inscrutable face shifted to deep red under her makeup.

"Mom?"

She started.

"Uh... sweetie... my friends and I were just going to have a chat down here, why don't you go put some clothes on?" He coughed and rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah, sure." He disappeared back into the upstairs hallway and Crystal slumped into one of the kitchen chairs.

"Holy fuck."

"Yes? Oh. Sorry, I..." Evaline cleared her throat abashedly, pulling up a seat next to Crystal. The others followed suit, gathering around their shellshocked friend.

"I just..." Crystal's voice broke and she took a steadying breath, "I was ok until... that happened. I'm not even that blown away by us being in a game, which totally violates all laws of physics and everything. What gets me is that I grew up as a nerdy asian girl and then BAM I'm a white housewife with this-" she gestured at herself, "body and apparently a son who is older than I was two hours ago." Her makeup was starting to run as the tears escaped, stinging her eyes.

Evaline scooted closer, raising a hand to rub her shoulder, "Hey Criss, it's not real right? We'll make it out of the game and none of this will matter."

Crystal nodded, trying not to rub her eyes and make it worse, "I know. I know, I just... need a minute." She laughed a little in spite of herself, "I kind of hoped I'd look more like you when I got older." Evaline smiled kindly, her own eyes shining, "Likewise."

There was a meaningful pause before Dahlia coughed quietly, "Guys? S-sorry but I think there's something... inside me." The others gave her a deadpan look.