Do Something With Anastasia

“Hey…” you push away the momentary silence, attempting to seize the opportunity, “now that I’m done with it, do you want to test it out? I’m always looking for willing participants.” You clock her suspicious stare — you figured she probably wasn’t going to say ‘yes’ right off the bat.

“Willing participants, huh? I mean, for an app that just got released, I don’t know…” she says while she contemplates the remnants of her coffee cup before setting it down on the table.

“I could make it worth your while.”

She folds her arms — whether she meant to make her impressive bust surge out, you’re unsure. “Just the thing I was about to ask — what’s in it for me?”

“The app, in and of itself. See, it allows the user to change the way they or another person looks, with their permission, of course-“

“Mmm, I don’t know if I want AI imagery floating around the web here—“

“It’s… not AI. It’s completely real.” Anastasia looks at your resigned face, hoping she catches the honesty and genuine interest for just the app in your expression, too.

“Real?” The one word reply rings like a bell throughout the cacophonous coffee shop, the only person you hear being her.

“Yeah, real. Anything you want, I can— the app — can do it for you.”

The silence once again blankets your table, the bustle of the other patrons seeming to crush you inwards. Anastasia sits speechless, her frame as still as her shocked expression.

“We…” she whispers, suddenly more cautious than before, “we can’t do that here, can we?”

“I’d prefer not to,” you reply, eyeing the door. “We can do my house if that’s preferred.”

“… Okay.”

“Okay? So you’re in?”

“S- shut up, before I change my mind… let’s go.” She rises from the table, practically dragging you out with her as you follow her to the bus stop. The trip back to your abode is a quiet one, but at least she seems less on edge about the whole experience.

The moment you walk through the door, Anastasia pushes you in, shutting the entrance tightly, facing you with a confusing energy about her. “Okay, let me get this straight,” she states flatly, an almost accusatory look about her, “You’ve developed an app to literally change people’s bodies at the press of a button?”

You shrug, “Yeah, that’s pretty much the sum of it. I mean, there are a few options that I’ve yet to add in, but-“

“What do you mean, ‘that’s the sum of it’??? Don’t you realize what you’ve done? If this app actually works, it’s basically like plastic surgery, but like… natural? I don’t even know how to explain it, but this could be revolutionary!”

“Woah, woah, woah, calm down, Anastasia. I mean, yeah I guess it could be a new breakthrough, but-“

“No buts! We need to try this right away, I don’t even know why you waited for me to test it out, w-w-we have to do like a proof of concept.” By now, she’s pacing the floor, head hung deep in thought. But when she stops, a slight smirk wipes across her face. “Prove it to me. Change something.”

“Anything?”

“Anything. Although I can think of a few things that are better than others…”

You pull up the app, and it presents you with your preferred display — the dark mode, the grid-style slider menu, hidden view.

Target Selection: Target choice: 2. Please select target(s) by dragging highlighter function to desired body.