You consider your answer, the question bringing up all kinds of feelings you don’t know how to deal with or unpack…

But for the sake of your new friend, you’re going to try.

Willow’s quiet at that, thinking over her own words.

You offer a hand, and to your surprise Willow takes it.

Even though there’s nothing about her that’s giving off heat, it’s warm.

The character on her face smiles, and her fingers tighten around yours.

Far earlier than you expected, your laundry beeps.

Willow does not let go of your wing.

You sit there with the virtual pet, your hands still interlaced. A quick glance in the reflection of the washer in front of you confirms it- there’s a few speckles of painted blush on your cheeks, matching the extra pixels on Willow’s screen.

You aren’t sure how long you sit there in silence, the occasional finger movement and squeeze grounding you in the warmth. You feel like you’re heating up pretty bad, honestly, but you don’t dare move. 

Willow occasionally beeps, but cuts herself off short every time you look over. The character on her screen is wiggling all over the place, as if flailing around for something to say. 

The other dryer goes off, Willow letting go of your hand and immediately standing up.

Before you can stop her, she’s hauling her clothes out and speeding out of the room.

You are left in the laundry room with a hurricane of mixed emotions, some of which you aren’t even sure how to place. A mix of disappointment, confusion, and, uh. Warmth? Weird warmth? 

Hm.

You sigh and get up to get your clothes, realizing with a bit of panic that you left your key fob and pamphlet in your pocket- but to your relief, both seem unharmed. You’re going to have to be more careful…

As you get your clothes back on, you’re instantly hit by the feeling of warmth- you suddenly get why plushes throw themselves into dryers. It’s cozy, and the confusion you just felt with Willow is soothed away, at least for the time being. 

You check the clock on the wall- it’s a bit past midnight. You were up until…2 AM last night, you think, so you still have some time to do things, maybe.

Off the top of your head, you could go read the rest of your pamphlet(an idea that feels a bit more thrilling right now for some reason),get some early rest(an idea that doesn’t seem too bad considering you got the shit knocked out of you earlier), or something else entirely.

Either way, you should probably keep it chill considering you’re going out tomorrow.

You decide to go back to the cafe, see if it’s open- you could ideally get some more books, considering that that pamphlet isn’t gonna last forever.

Sure enough, you make your way over and it is open- or at the very least, the library portion. The lights are dimmer, and all but one chair are stacked up on the tables. A toy made out of a coiled spring and donning a staff pin is sitting on a chair by the counter, waving as you enter. 

Hmm…maybe…another romance novel. Maybe even a steamy one, considering you’re figuring out the sexuality thing.

You kneel by one of the bookshelves, sifting through- sure enough, there’s a sizable romance section with a ton of books missing- must be popular. Let’s see…

”Spectral Delights” catches your eye. Ghosts are…cool…right…

You realize you know one (1) sort-of-ghost and kind of die inside. It’s just a cool book, though! Just a cool, risque novel with a blanket ghost caressing a plush on the cover, swept up in the throes of some kind of passion…

You tuck it under your arm and sigh, deciding that for the next one you’re just…going to close your eyes and let the narrative decide. You fumble around the shelves, making sure to avoid the romance section this time, and grab the nearest book- it’s pretty big and heavy, with a proper hardcover…

You open your eyes.

“The Complete Guide To Electronic Pets!”
”Everything you need to know about digital life!

Oh, come on. Really? Really, narrative? You suppose you should be grateful for the tips in the right direction...

You kind of feel evil taking these, but…

Temptation.