One laid sprawled out on the bed, two sat on the edge while the fourth had plopped down on the floor. Maria, Daniel and Tania and then Natalie, in that order. The duo behind the success of the Indie VTuber Gao Mako joined by one half of the famous VTuber group Channel Destiny. Daniel really wished he had Jake for backup right about now as he sweatdropped, he felt kinda outnumbered.

“Hehe, can’t remember when we last met up like this~” Maria chirped happily as she propped her chin on her hands, legs swinging through the air.

“It’s been a while, huh?” Daniel said with a nostalgic smile.

“Yeah, we’re just missing the two love birds now.” Natalie smirked.

“Hm, should we call them…?” Tania mused, the four exchanging looks before snorting.

“Nah, let’s give them some alone time.” Natalie waved off.

“True, wouldn’t want to interrupt.” Daniel nodded solemnly.

“They be fucking!” Maria cheerfully declared, throwing her arms up as Natalie made an O shaped and pumped one finger, grinning lecherous. Even as she blushed lightly, Tania couldn’t hold back a wide grin at her crass words.

It was unanimously decided that they would be teasing the hell out of Jake and Luna by tomorrow.

“She still prone to getting stuck in random places?” Daniel asked morbidly curious, their wide grins were more than answer enough.

Poking her head over the side of the bed, Maria cutely tilted her head at the bottle of hair dye inconspicuously hidden within one suitcase pocket. Shrugging, she sat back up.

It was nice to just chat like this again. Sure, they talked nearly every second day per Ramble both during work and outside, but that just wasn’t the same as being in person together. And so, while Daniel and Tania complained about overcrowded trains, Maria and Natalie told them about Cap Flortia so far.

“You really have to look around the shops here. They’ve got something for everything! And they’re all family owned and often mostly hand- and home-made stuff.” Maria praised with sparkling eyes, having switched to a cross-legged position at one point during their chatting.

“I think we’ve seen a few on the way here…” Tania mused, stroking her chin.

“You have to explore!” Maria declared, leaning forwards with an intense stare until both Daniel and Tania nodded with a sweatdrop.

“Ria’s obsession with the local stores aside, what was that I heard about someone making a scene…~?” Natalie finally pounced with mischief gleaming smile.

Daniel grinned while Tania flushed embarrassed, a cute whine escaping her.

———

“Bwahaha! Man, I wish I had been there…!” Natalie laughed brightly after their tale had been told, tears running down her cheeks as she rolled on the floor. “You gotta send me that share that girl’s video, Nia, you have to! Bwahaha!”

Tania’s eye twitched annoyed, red blush burning her cheeks, and a moment later she had bonked the other girl over the head with one tightly clenched fist.

“You get nothing from me.” She promised through grinding teeth, eyes closed and temple throbbing.

To the side, Daniel tapped his chin with gleaming eyes.

“… Twenty bucks and I get you the link, Lili.” He smirked at Natalie.

“Deal!” She didn’t hesitate to accept, grinning widely, even after Tania’s fist impacted her head again. “Totally worth it!”

A plastic rustle sounded through the room and Daniel froze, slowly he turned around to look with gaping mouth at Maria. With an overly curious smile she inspected the bottle of green hair dye again, having leant over the bed and stolen it out of his suitcase.

“So that’s why you had that bottle! Had been wondering about that.” She mused innocently. Her eyes sparked and she held the bottle out. Impishly she grinned, tongue poking out. “Let’s use it~”

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

———

Well, things didn’t exactly went how he had planned but then he had still succeeded as far as he was concerned. Even if his own hair was currently being thoroughly dyed a deep green as well. So Daniel mused as he sat in his chair, leaning backwards with Maria’s fingers massaging the dye into his scalp.

He threw a smile over to Tania who pouted cutely as Natalie worked her scalp in turn.

“Oh, come on. I seriously doubt anyone will think you’re Gao Mako just because we dyed your hair green.” Daniel teased her amused.

“What if I talk like this though…?” She pouted demonstratively at him with big eyes, turning her voice more high pitched and chipper, her natural drawl completely absent.

“Then I get to officially bop you over the head as your manager.” Daniel nodded with absolute confidence only to be forced still.

“No moving! Don’t want drip the dye everywhere.” Maria scolded him with cute grin. “I don’t want to mess up my shirt~”

Would you even be able to notice? Tania, Natalie and Daniel sweatdropped.

With a sigh, Tania looked back forwards and a smile flitted over her lips as she admired the vibrant deep green of her hair within the small mirror they had quickly set up. Honestly, she wouldn’t complain if she looked more like her avatar. Muh, she wished she could be short and stacked instead of tall and flat.

———

Any other plans for the remainder of the day had been forced to a close as the dye would take a few hours to settle. It had already been well into the afternoon before and now it was early evening when Natalie and Maria turned to leave for their own room.

“See ya tomorrow~!” They grinned, hands still tinted green from the dye as they waved, and the door fell close.

Tania had been the second to shower, the dye unaffected by the washing, as Daniel’s shorter hair had taken quicker to the colouring. He had gone out to get them something to eat from a nearby cafe that had come highly recommended by Maria and Natalie. And now she laid now sprawled out on their bed, wrapped only in a towel with the laptop propped up before her, waiting for Daniel to come back.

[Muh, my manager was teasing me again…!]

[But I already got revenge~]

[Oh, and look forward to an amazing surprise for my return stream! I got something great for the school!]

She smiled lightly as she posted on her EGO account, the live chat at the side immediately racing with activity while comments warred below for supremacy. A shortstacked, green scaled mako shark girl prominently displayed in her banner and profile picture. Grinning widely to show her sharp teeth. Clad in a revealing mini top and shawl skirt, greens and light blues dominating, trident behind her. A bright and vibrant beach stretched in the background. The theme was prominently fantasy with a splash tech. Also school. Because she shouldn’t have let chat vote on their fan name.

Still, even after three years, Tania was still giddy how successful she had become as Gao Mako.

[You mean, we got revenge~!]

[Yeah, we got revenge!]

A light giggle escaped her as she saw Maria and Natalie comment as their respective persona’s: the mischievous gremlin of a dragon girl imp known as Uni’Key and the warm, friendly and extremely greedy, vibrant magical fox girl Merryland.

“Oh, posting again~?”

Tania squeaked startled as Daniel’s voice echoed amused from behind her, having perfect view of her bare backside. She hadn’t even heard him come inside!

“Agh, d-don’t just sneak up on me…!” She flailed embarrassed only to freeze and crawl over the bed following her cutely sniffing nose, the smell of still warm pastries laid in the air!

“So cute~” He teased her as he set the table in the edge of the room with the baked delights he had brought with him.

“Yeh, I am cute.” Tania agreed haughtily as she hopped out of bed. She narrowed her eyes. “Also, don’t do that.”

“Do what~? Tease you? Because that’s a tall order. Nearly as tall as you… okay, yeah that was just bad.” Daniel groaned, facepalming hard while she snorted amused.

“Well…” Her eyes twinkled mischievously.

“No. No, I surrender. I’m far too tired to think up good stuff right now.” Daniel chuckled sheepishly. He winked. “Let’s just enjoy the good food instead, eh~?”

“If you say so.” Tania grinned, already drooling over the delicious chocolate cake, those yummy soufflés and the wonderful scent of cold chocolate milk that fit perfect to this time of year. Sweet. But sometimes you were allowed to indulge like this.

Daniel smiled as he watched her eat with a blissful grin, savouring every bite as he did the same.

———

Night had fallen over Cap Flortia, a bright, starlit sky sparkling above its rooftops. The view was visible through the window above their bed but the curtain had been drawn close as Tania had been the first to go to sleep as usual, snoozing happily as she snuggled into her cushions.

Daniel was still up but not for much longer as the convention started early tomorrow. And thanks to their tickets they wouldn’t have to wait in the queue, hehe. A grin played over his lips as he looked down at his tablet.

He didn’t really like dealing with spectators unlike Tania but that didn’t stop her or the others from drawing him into playing with them live. And while he was fine with the black piece of paper with eyes as his stand-in png, he had been musing over a more appealing model to use. Not a fully modelled rig but just something more defined.

“Threy Darsol…” He whispered quietly, looking at the sketch of his own character.

It was a simple design dominated by black. A tall, slender figure clad in a long, black coat with his face obscured in shadows, a large witch hatch atop his head. Two cartoonish eyes of pure amethyst looking closed gleaming within the darkness while a third eye flickered out from the hat above like a flame. A wielder of dual guns and daggers.

Sure, it was edgy as all hell but Daniel loved the look anyways. And it wasn’t like he had to be edgy just because his character looked edgy. An amused grin flitted over his lips. Nor was he going to use that character all that often anyways.

“Uah…” A wide yawn escaped him and he set the tablet aside. “Better get to bed now or tomorrow’s going to be torture instead of fun…”

And wiggling under the covers, he closed his eyes and was fast asleep.