Coney found one of the smaller rooms. It was nicely appointed, with a soft warmth that made his body feel sore but like the soreness was being washed away. He couldn’t help but love the luxury of the room. It was special, like something out of his grandest dream.

Sure, it may not have looked like much, the walls were a pain light pink that turned into a white baseboard. The furniture was simple polished oak, from the vanity to the large wardrobe beside it. Both were beautifully crafted, something that would cost way more than he could afford in his world. As he climbed into the bed he considered if it was worth it to try to take these out of here, they were so comfortable after all.

The bed was nice, it was a canopy bed with large pillows and a thick blanket. For the first time in a while, Coney decided to get his avatar comfortable, if only because this would be so nice to wake up to when he logged back into the game.

First he stripped, taking his robe off and dropping the belt with his weapon beside it, both easily within reach of course. Then he lay under the covers of the bed, the warmth of the giant comforter really making his sore little bunny body relax, pressed into the firm but squishy mattress below him. It was magical, and he was sure that this would be so nice tomorrow.

“Computer, Log Out.” Coney said, closing his eyes, and letting his senses drift off into that blank nothingness before reappearing in the real world.

---

Damn was he sore. He’d been laying there for hours, and he was both exhausted and sore in the neck and back. It was awful, and even his skin was raw as he got up. He’d have to make sure to lay in a different position later, because otherwise he’d get bed sores. The helmet was great tech in a lot of ways, but it froze the body, which meant it didn’t have the normal range of motion a sleeping person had.

Standing up Coney had to grab his bed, unsteady as blood rushed from his head and he was quickly dizzy. Sasha, my name is Sasha. He thought loudly to himself, tapping his own head. Losing track of time, his own name, it was all really showing he had a problem. He didn’t care though… that world was better.

Getting up finally he went to the bathroom first of all. Thankfully the helmet was good at keeping bodily functions from overwhelming their users, but once it was off he still had to go. Honestly, that was why the helmets had time limits in the first place, too long not going to the bathroom can lead to medical problems, and that certainly isn’t the kind of thing any company wants to deal with in court. Sasha’s business was… rather quick and perhaps a little overwhelming.

After cleaning up Coney stared at himself in the mirror. Again he had to shake his head, reminding himself he was Sasha, not the rabbit. His own face looked weird. Maybe a little sunken, pale? He wasn’t sure if it was weird because he’d been neglecting his real life, or if it was simply because he wasn’t a bunny any more. Maybe he should go for a walk, maybe get some food out for once. It’d been long enough.

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Grabbing his jacket and socks he glanced at his watch, it was nearly dead but told him easily that it was six outside. That was a fine time to go get dinner, even if he was starving inside and needed food as soon as he could get it. Walking past his mom he walked in and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“Honey, I never see you anymore, I’m worried what you’re… doing.” She had a waver in her voice.

“I’m fine mom, I’m making sure to take care of all of my needs. I’m sorry that I haven't been around much.” He felt tears welling up. It was hard, but he knew he was worrying her. “I’ve been making some good money.” It was true. He didn’t bother checking his bank anymore, but considering how little he spent he was making far more in revenue on his videos.

“Maybe… Maybe you should be getting your own apartment.” His mom said, waving. “Now get going, I’m sure you have things to do. By the way, I'm going on a trip tomorrow. Make sure to feed the cat at least twice a day.”

Coney nodded. That should at least keep him focused. “I’ll think about it mom. And I won’t hurt the cat, you know that.” He hugged her and went downstairs, stepping out the door and into the fresh air of the outside. Maybe fresh isn’t the right word for the city… he tapped a message to his friend.

[Rasselbock] - Hey, you on?

[Fluffle] - This User is Streaming, this is an automated reply

Ah, that sucked, but he could understand it. He got enough distractions just playing without streaming that he didn’t really feel like it was worth it. Walking into a pizza parlor he walked to the counter and confidently put up two fingers. “Two slices to go please.” He said, taking his phone out to fiddle with it. “Plain.”

After about three minutes, but what felt like far longer, Coney heard the guy call to him. “Two plain slices, will that be all?” Suddenly he craved garlic knots, but that would be far too long. With a sigh, he just decided that it would be fine, shaking his head and making sure he remembered who he was for the credit card information at least.

“Fuck it, I’ll take garlic knots and a soda.” He sheepishly put his credit card on the counter. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to be an inconvenience.”

“No inconvenience.” The guy said, smiling in an obviously forced smile and swiping it through the machine. He handed Sasha the cup, and went to wrap up the little balls of pizza dough in foil to heat them back up just like the pizza. Three more minutes, which saw Sasha finish his pizza and one full cup, and the knots were ready. “Here you go bud.”

Coney grinned, grabbing the garlic knots and eating them, wondering what he should do next. Sure, he had to do his editing, he was way behind on that. But a part of him really needed to move, maybe get a tiny bit of exercise. Walking in the park should be easy enough, just like when he was a kid.

With a grin on his face, and a slice of pizza in his hand, Coney got up and walked out. He ate as he walked, going straight to Prospect Park. There he started walking down his favorite trail, barely noticing as his phone buzzed. Glancing, he realized he got a new message.

[Fluffle] - Hey, I’m back. You would not believe how much I’ve been doing!