STARTER LAB: MAIA FAUNA

Her kids should have warned Maia how disorientating it would be to actually feel in this Virtual Reality. She remembers all those old "VR" games and stuff from when she was a bit younger. She used to get quite a work out on that silly rhythm game, challenging her kids to beating her score. But this was something else. She knew what to expect, she had heard how it felt, what it looked like. But properly see, feel, hear, as their new form, it caught them completely by surprise. She found herself idly brushing the long hair out of her face, only to pause and grip the hair, examining it herself.

It was, real. For lack of a better descriptor. She couldn't help but just grin, immediately wanting to look at a strand of her own virtual, digital hair under a microscope to see if she could get a better view at the fibers before she really started to focus on her surroundings.

It was a lab, that much was for sure. A chemistry lab, perhaps? The bubbling black liquids certainly seemed to tell as much. But also judging by the old takeout and the intense amount of projects, whoever owned the lab probably didn't get out much. But thinking of said individual seemed to reveal their presence. As soon as the vague darkness began moving, and speaking, Maia was once again fascinated. Dr. Bunya? Goodness, it must be so dark in here.

She immediately reached up to the little headlamp on her explorer's hat, flicked it on, and turned to face them directly. Only to see, the darkness still clinging to their form. How... odd. And yet, how curious! She'd flicker the light off and on again, leaning in close, seeing no change. She kept doing it for a few moments in total silence, eyes scanning over them like she was dissecting them with her gaze alone.

"Absolutely fascinating... You are, human, yes? Or at least, perhaps were? What do you mean, wear off? How can I not ask about it? This is the most interesting thing I have encountered in years." She was definitely distracted, and it took her a few moments to remember what Bunya had even said. Starter Pokemon, a test? She vaguely remembered hearing about this. A little personality quiz.

So long as no question asked what her favorite Pokemon was, she'd probably be pretty okay.

"Ah, but yes yes, scientific examinations later. My apologies, simply excited for the tasks ahead. This is not something one simply sees every day." She'd promptly move to plop down on the edge of Bunya's own desk, one leg crossed over the other. She did say sit anywhere, didn't she? "By all means, Fire away, good Doctor."

"... Is this a trick question?" Maia blinked, looking at the Dr. Bunya. "You don't exactly have visible digits on your forelimbs. " She once again flicked on her light, a frown forming. "Altough, I presume you still have them? So, just a guess then."

She'd pause, accidentally leaving the light on and shining directly into the orbs that were Bunya's eyes. "Three. Not including the Thumb. If you are, then four."

She'd lean back as she sat, humming as she debated on the final two questions. "Well, the most expensive thing I have ever had to purchase was my house. A two story home in the middle of Denver? Three beds, two bath? Cost me like, 750,000 dollars. Still paying that sucker off. But with the girls gone, been thinking of downsizing, y'know?" She'd speak, as if Bunya knew of her kids.

They did play the game, after all. Didn't they meet her?

"Been thinking about moving down to a house with only two beds, maybe closer to work? But then again, if the girls gotta stay with me again after they graduate, I ain't about to put them in the same room again. They're adults now! I don't know, what do you think?"

"But umm," She trailed off, thoughts lingering on the last question. A memory popped into her head, and she smiled at it. "Yeah. There was a time."








Silence passed for a good few seconds, before she realized she was probably supposed to tell what the time was. With a good chuckle, she finally spoke up abut it. "Okay, so I haven't talked about this in years, but here we go. So there we were, out in the African safari, the girls staying with their grandma at the time. I was interning with this one company, you know getting on the field experience with some wildlife photographers and researchers. Never saw big cats so close before. And wouldn't you know it, we were still out there at night, trying to get some solid footage for a nature documentary for the zoo I now work at, imagine how that worked out!"

"But then, y'know, we catch a glimpse of another vehicle in the darkness. Poachers. Technically we're not supposed to do anything, even if we had guns to defend ourselves just in case. We weren't law enforcement. Just supposed to call it in, avoid getting hurt. But, you know, I was still dumb and stupid. So we did something, well, dumb and stupid."

A shit-eating smirk finally spread across her face, a devious grin. "Followed their vehicle back to where they were staying in the middle of the night, and we popped every single one of their tires. Heard they got caught with their metaphorical pants down, stuck in the middle of nowhere. Felt good."

"Woo!" She cried out, a wild look to her eyes. "Haven't shared that in like, 15 years. But, y'know, sometimes you just gotta act. Only way you can make sure some shi-" She pauses, clearly about to swear. Only to realize that, her kids aren't here. She can swear. "Some shithead gets what's coming to them. Yknow?"