Why not.

"Okay, sure, yeah. Why not." Stacy sighs, resigned.

Having a friend in this place can't hurt. Even if it is the woman who just took all my points, she seems friendly enough.

Taking two seats at the bar, the two women are quickly served mocktails by a polite and efficient barman. As they nurse their sugary drinks, they share personal details.

"I'm in Texas. Where are you?" Amelia asks.

"California. God, this is weird." Stacy replies. "We're communicating from across the country, where we're both asleep."

"Yeah, try not to think about it too hard, it'll just make your head hurt." Amelia says gently. "Focus on what can help you succeed in here. That's what really matters."

"Right. Okay." Stacy rubs her temples. "What can help me down here?!"

"Free your mind." Amelia does her best impression of Morpheus from the Matrix.

Stacy gives her an unimpressed look, like she's not sure if she's being made fun of.

"What I mean is, you've just got to let those inhibitions go. Everyone here is doing slutty things to try and win points. Nobody is judging you for how outrageously you act when you're in a game. Look at all the cheering that goes on while spectating - everyone wants to keep the mood as light as possible. You've got to learn to lean into it while you're in here. Save the seriousness for when you're back in the real world."

"It's easier to be in a good mood when you've got lots of chips." Stacy points out.

"Fair point. But that's something else to consider - your emotional state. If you're not on your A-game, perhaps make smaller wagers for a while, until you build up your confidence again. On the other hand, be aware of the time limit that is your sleep cycle, and keep your target number of chips in mind. At some point, it might be time for a Hail Mary moment where you just bet everything and hope for the best."

"Smaller wagers? Is that the best advice you've got?" Stacy complains, disappointed.

"Firstly, it's good advice. I've been researching professional poker players recently, and a big part of the game is managing your state of mind. Knowing when you're on 'tilt' and calling it quits. Secondly, perhaps nobody has told you yet - the size of the wager affects the lewdness of the game. An 1000 point scavenger hunt game had us obtain a used condom. A 100 point hunt would have probably just needed us to get, like, 10 bucks or something. A 3000 point hunt... would have probably made even me baulk. I probably don't have an inventive enough mind to know what they'd make us try and get, and in what location. But I can say with some certainty that it would be very, um, fetishy."

"I see. I didn't know that." Stacy admits quietly.

"Well then, this conversation definitely has been worth your time!" Amelia beams. "And if you have any other questions, please shoot."

"Hmm... why are most people women? Surely it should be more like 50/50?"

Amelia hesitates before answering. "I think I know the reason, but it's kind of offensive, so I hope I'm not wrong. But I think, essentially, people find it easier to bring themselves to choose women as targets. Especially other women. I don't know if you went to an all girls school, but I did, and I can confirm that we have some real capacity to be bitches to each other. Perhaps it's that whole internalized misogyny feminist theory about the patriarchy and all that. Or maybe, it's just the case that most women have another woman that they really, really don't like. All I know for sure is, I've chosen the same person as a target every time, and she's a woman."

Stacy raises her eyebrows, not sure what to think about that. Amelia just shrugs.

"How about you? Who's the first person who popped into your head when you learned that you might have to choose a target when you win? A man or a woman?" Amelia asks.

"...A woman." Stacy admits.

"Bingo."

Stacy wrinkles her nose. "That's really sad."

"As I said, if you think about this sort of stuff too much, your head will hurt."

"I see what you mean now." Stacy begins. "I think I just have one more question, if you'll answer it."

Amelia nods. "Sure."

"What are your current Conversions?"