[TOY] Plaything

[skinstealer]

Struggling to think of a conversation topic, you just…go for the first thought in your head and point to a washer.

POLKA DOT: …you think I could fit in one of those?
 

Willow giggles, but shakes her head.

WILLOW: You’re made of rubber, so…
WILLOW: Your body’s not, really, well…
WILLOW: Squishy…enough…
 

That gets the blush back on her face, and the silence continues. 

WILLOW: …that can be a blessing, though…
WILLOW: As a rubber duck you’re hollow, but you don’t conform to pressure easily.
WILLOW: So…you can bounce back from an impact, but it takes a lot to actually deform your body.
WILLOW: …I bet you’d like the water. 
 

The character on her face gives you a genuine, tiny smile, and your heart melts. 

WILLOW: Maybe you could try a whirlpool tub at some point.
POLKA DOT: Those exist?!
WILLOW: Yeah, they get the water all swirling…I’ve heard that there’s one somewhere in the playrooms, but I’ve never actually been. Feels like there’s so many that I haven’t even been able to see them all in the year I’ve been here.
WILLOW: Besides, I can’t do water anyway. I have to be careful even changing my laundry.
POLKA DOT: Huh…well, at least you’re cautious.
POLKA DOT: I wouldn’t want you to get hurt.
 

She shuffles a bit at that, clearly embarrassed- but maybe not in a bad way.

The two of you grow quiet again, and another thought comes to mind- this one far bolder.

POLKA DOT: So...what’s the big deal with you and nudity? 
POLKA DOT: You could have melted your casing with that blush.
WILLOW: I know, I know, it’s silly…
WILLOW: Most people don’t care! Not just here, but in the entire city…
WILLOW: It’s usually not considered indecent at all, considering we’re all adults here.
WILLOW: Clothes are for practical or personal aesthetic reasons, for the most part.
WILLOW: But for me, I just…
 

The vpet shakes her head.

WILLOW: There are…layers to how virtual pets work, and even without projecting my “true self” or whatever outside of my shell, I feel…laid bare.
 

You remember Vine talking about this, you think…the “true form” thing.

WILLOW: I’d rather wear something, anything, even if it’s revealing.
WILLOW: …no excuse for me getting awkward around other people, though. They’re just doing their thing.
WILLOW: I can usually take it at the lounges and play parties I go to, because I know to expect it there, but when I’m taken off guard or in an environment where it’s not expected, it’s a lot for me to take in. I get nervous, and flustered, and embarrassed…
WILLOW: I know it’s just projecting my own insecurities, I know. I’ve been trying to work on it the whole time I’ve been here.
POLKA DOT: So…you’re uncomfortable around me right now?
WILLOW: No!
 

She raises her hands up, shaking her head.

WILLOW: You’re fine! Honestly, I should be fine with it here, considering people have to strip to do clothes all the time…
WILLOW: But with Tim, I barely know him, and it was my first time seeing him like this, and while I’ve seen you naked before already… 
 

Willow rests her hands in her lap now, the character on her screen glancing to the side in a single-pixel movement.

WILLOW: …it’s different.