The childhood friend with a crush.

Becky stood up early in the morning. Her F-cup breasts flopped down as she moved out of bed. She got ready for work and headed to the call centre where she worked. Coffee machine, out of coffee, she wouldn’t like the taste anyway. She left after putting on a black skirt and a black blouse three sizes too large. The woman tried everything to make herself into a vaguely black shape, hoping she could hide her weight from a distance. Her make-up was dark eyeliner and black lipstick to look as hostile as possible. Barely combed her red hair enough to be presentable, but done enough to say she put in effort. One of her intrusive thoughts came up. Not that anyone would care. Letting the thought be before actually moving on, she checked her planning for the day. Fack, sport with Will. Being reminded of the appointment, she ran to grab her gym clothes.

She arrived at work only to be greeted by no one, and no one she would greet. Never having bonded with the few colleagues she had. Being one of the last remaining people with a job here, not outsourced to overseas or replaced by an AI. Was it worth investing in her colleagues? Would they appreciate it? NO! The job was satisfying when there was work, otherwise it was lonely and boring. Becky needed to switch between 5 different scripts for her job. Problem-solving skills were needed as well, at least a bit. Her bosses had forgotten the misfit of a girl existed, and as a result, she could get away with a whole lot more than was reasonable. However, she routinely made sure they knew of her existence to make sure there was no complaining that she wasn’t doing shit. But most days she had few calls, if any. The leftover time was spent researching. She was clearly looking up things about electronics. Most of this she needed for her job anyway. People always found weird ways to mess with their devices, even if they shouldn't. The main reason for looking this up was her courses to become an electrical engineer. A job hard to replace with AI if you actually managed to gain skill in it. It required actual knowledge, ingenuity, and skill.

Around four, her shift was done. A brief walk brought her to the gym where Will was waiting for her. He started her on one of the four routines they did together, one that the coach had designed to push her to her limit. But he also knew the woman needed to be forced to take a break. So Becky completed a set he did so at a snail's pace, with the same weight, slower than necessary or maybe smart. But it worked; it prevented her from pushing herself beyond her limit. Near the end, he started joking about romance, and that had hit her wrong. On top of spoiling the normally good mood and sense of accomplishment, he couldn’t finish the conversation properly. This frustrated Becky to no end. If you can't finish a conversation, then don't start it. She thought as he explained he had a different appointment, likely with his girlfriend.

Her cooldown completed, she showered and headed to class. Skipping food for the how many-eth time, not that it mattered. She wouldn't lose weight unless she didn’t eat. Not eating is the only way for me to ever look like a normal person. Her dysfunctional thoughts told her. She had counted her calories she found she ate on an average day, maybe 1500 calories. This led to more restrictive eating over time until she ate at most 500 a day. Not that anyone notices, even if I lose weight, she concluded.

Class was a blur as her mind couldn’t stay focused for whatever reason. Had it been the conversation with Will, the lack of food or anything else? The reason was irrelevant. All that mattered was the exam next month, pass it and get certified. She undressed and fell into her bed again.

Becky found herself in her regular black outfit in front of Alex. “Soooo... I have three options, two more likely than the other. So might I ask for your name?”

“No, but you may call me Becky, Fey.” She said with a squint in her eyes. Suspicious that the elf might actually be a fey, having seen too many stories about them stealing things by asking simple questions.

“So, Rebecca Williams is your full name, I am guessing? Also, I am not a fey, I am Alex and an elf.” The employee in orange tried to quell the goth-coded girl's suspicions.

It seemed to have worked, or at least abated the most outward apprehension, as the newest camper responded calmly. “Yes, that is me, Alex.”

“If you would follow me to the other campers.”

“Others NO I won’t go.” Becky protests, panicking at the thought of others.

“But you know two of the ones here already, and based on my notes, you are friendly with them. A third friend will join you soon.” Teases Alex.

“Names.” Demands Becky of the elf as if she had many friends. Who would it even be? I have no one in my life.

Not wanting to answer, the employee in orange continued to tease, using Becky’s insecurities as a motivator. “No, that would ruin the surprise. But if you don’t want to burn the calories, I can always teleport you. It would be a bigger surprise for those who do know you for sure.”

“Ugh, fine.” The two walked the path. Out of the four seated there, Becky recognised one, William, who had started waving at her. “Who is the other person I know?” She asked, but the elf in orange had already disappeared, only to be replaced by Syl. “And who are you?” Becky responds, shocked at the sudden swap of elf from the bubbly Alex to this more stern one in a ranger uniform.

“Well, the other person you know you will answer if you answer my questions into my magic mic. As for my name, you can call me Syl. Those questions are: Who are you? How old are you? What is your job? Hobbies? Last sexual encounter? Relationship to your Master? Anything fun you want to add?”

Speaking into the mic as suggested, Becky’s mouth started to move by itself. “My full name is Rebecca Williams; most people call me Becky. I work for a call centre answering incoming calls and wasting time. I spend most of my time studying to become an electrician with HVAC certifications. I hardly have time for hobbies these days, but I used to draw and paint all the time. I haven't had sex in the 32 years I have been alive. Before I was ever open to sex, my hormones inflated my body, and that ruined my self-image. Master is an old crush and friend of mine. That crush has obviously long since passed, along with all my hope of ever being loved by others. I work out with Will once a week; that is how I know him.” Dazed, the woman looked around for what to do next and tried to determine which of the other men was Chris.

“Dark... Really dark... the gentleman in the middle is the Master, to be clear, I realise we have more male contestants. The lack of specification might have been confusing. Go sit next to Ryan if you could.” Becky started to stuff herself into the tiny chair, but Syl snapped her fingers so the overweight woman could properly fit. She hadn’t taken into account how wide her hips were, even though it was in her notes. “Not too much squeezing, I know light compression can already feel painful.”

Becky gave a thumbs-up before commenting. “Thanks for changing it so it is no longer too tight. Quick question, Chris Philips is the master, but of what? Dungeon master or something else?”

The elf ignored the question and continued with her spiel. “Then we move on to our next contestant.