-Browser Pone Safari pt.13-

-You are Safari-
>Okay, so the last few days have been kind of weird
>Well, the entire month has been weird, what with you suddenly becoming a living, breathing thing
>And meeting Anon, Opera and her Anon, as well as the RPG peeps
>Oh yeah and Anon reminding you that you're basically one extended adobe flash script
>And also confessing his love for (and sexual attraction to) you
>Shit, things have come a long way since you two first met
>Also, the bus is taking a while to warm up, so you're wrapping your scarf tighter around your neck
>You would snuggle Anon, but the both of you seem a bit...you guess confused? at the moment
>Isn't there something to be said for letting sleeping dogs lie?
>Well, yes, but are you really going to be living in an indefinitely extended awkward silence?
>..
>For a little bit, maybe
>Goddamnit, and here you thought you were tough and brave and all that jazz
>Apparently, this kind of shit's your weak spot
>Does that mean you're a giant enemy crab?
>Har dee har
>You focus on what the guide's saying, and look out of the windows
>There's snow outside
>A lot of it
>And a polar bear plodding along beside the bus
>According to the guide, he's named Knut, and he's the mascot - apparently domesticated, but just to be extra super careful, you probably shouldn't pet him anyway
>It might actually be worthwhile to listen
>You do value your arms
>Also, Anon seems pretty excited
>Hell, it is pretty outside, and the polar bear's cool
>And you might've spotted some other animals
>Bit distracted, aren't you?
>X taps your shoulder from the seat behind you
>You turn around and look at her quizzically
>"You alright? You're awful quiet."
>You just nod, then send her an email detailing the situation
>It feels a bit wrong to tell her something this private right now, but you do trust 'er
>"Hm. I would offer advice, but this is the sort of thing you'll be best served finding out yourself. Although I can tell you, it's not something you should worry about. Things will work out."
>Then she gently turns your head towards the window
>In the sky, you see a beautiful, flowing green Aurora - the Northern lights
>You let out a low whistle
>Not only is that really pretty, the landscape is jawdropping
>After a little while of relaxing, you finally seem to come around to stop worrying
>You snuggle up to Anon
>He's about to say something, but decides to stroke your hair instead
>Together, you wordlessly enjoy the sights
>And also some complimentary Deer jerky
>Anon seems mildly upset at the thought of eating Rudolph
>Then he decides it's still meat, and digs in
>After a bit, you decide to not isolate yourselves from the others, and engage in conversation
>Not that you've got anything interesting to say
>Although listening is also kind of rewarding
>Who would've thunk it
>The rest of the trip goes off without a hitch or any noticeable events
>As you and Anon part ways with the others for now, you can't help but wonder how the future's going to be for you and Anon, given the stuff that happened up there
>Whatever, right now, you two are just gonna head back to his apartment and relax for a while
>And you do, taking a cab back to the city proper from the airport
>When you get in the door, you both flop on to his bed
>Who knew travel could be so exhausting on so many levels?
>"Hey, Saff, mind bringing up deviantart for me?"
>You nod and project it
>As you do, you take on pony form again
>Aah, it's been a while
>Also, what the hell is up with these people?
>You know it's called deviant art, but by Jobs, you didn't think people took it that literally
"Anon, this place is a worse hive of scum and villainy than Mos Eisley"
>"Didn't know you liked Star Wars"
"I don't, but it seemed fitting."
>"Fair enough. And yeah, this is kind of a place for....alternative artistic endeavors"
"So what's your dirty little secret?"
>He raises an eyebrow
>"You sure you want to know?"
"Mno, maybe not, but morbid curiosity bids me to ask anyway."
>He shrugs
>"Well, you remember Gen 4 MLP?"
"I...okay, yeah, I think I see."
>You look at yourself
"Wait..."
>He shakes his head
>"No no, it's not like that, seriously. I was trying for a companion AI, and then some fucking script kiddie thing happened, something about browser ponies, and here we are."
"I..guess, when you mention it. Still, hella coincidence."
>"Yeah. What says we get some sleep and start on a new fresh tomorrow?"
"Yesplzkthxbai"
-You're still Safari-
>Morning light hits your eyes
>And with that, you're awake
>Well, you're a morning person...pony...thing, anywho, so
>Anon's still sleeping
>Why wouldn't he, it's 9 AM
>You need to go outside for a bit, though
>Both to clear your head, and to talk to someone
>You grab some paper and a pencil (Anon's drawing stuff, no doubt) and write him a quick message
"Heya Anon. Out taking a walk before I go into fits of cabin fever. Be back in a bit.
>There, that should do it
>With that done, you telekinetically grab an apple for breakfast (Somehow, you'd gotten him to buy apples. Horee sheet) and head out the door
>The fresh air is still a pleasant contrast to Anon's apartment
>And the sunlight outside is more than a tiny strip through the curtains
>You're not out to diminish his progress, not at all
>But there's still work to be done
>Old dogs, new habits or something
>Of course, forcibly changing him feels a bit...off, even if that's the reason he brought you here
>Sigh
>One day at a time yeah?
>You bite into the apple and chew thoughtfully as you walk
>You've got a destination in mind, but you're not 100% sure you should be going there
>On one hand, you don't want to bother peple
>On the other, you could use some advice with everything
>You get a few odd stares on the street, although you're not sure if it's because poni or because without your user
>Oh well
>You shrug and take human form, just to be on the safe side
>Besides, it lets you see stuff that's higher up more clearly
>You finish off the apple, eating the core as well
>Then you double-check the route
>And decide to head to Opera and Anon's place
>You arrive at a small, unassuming house with a red car outside
>The address seems to be correct
>So you step up to the door and ring the doorbell
>You hear some noise from inside
>Then Anon opens the door
>>"Hey Safari, how are you? Come on in"
>You nod and head in with him, taking a seat on the couch
>>"I'll wake Opera. It's rude to sleep in when you've got guests, after all"
>He grins
>Then heads to the bedroom
>After a tiny while, they both come back out
>Opera's sleepiness vanishes when she gets a look at you, and those crimson eyes light up, and she smiles that sweet smile, her hollow-point dimples piercing your bulletproof heart
>Hnng
>You really can't begrudge Anon - either of them - for going gaga over her
>"Good..well, sorta, morning! It's great to see you again. How are things with you and Anon?"
>>"Yeah, I noticed he wasn't with you. He alright?"
>You just nod
"Yeah, better than ever."
>Then you relay the updated version of the story of you and Anon's shenanigans up until this point
>They both listen thoughtfully, Anon brewing too-sweet tea for all of you
>They do seem to like the stuff, don't they
>"First of all, my primary concern isn't the whole love confession thing - not that it isn't important, but, well, I kind of have experiences of my own with howling existential despair. It can get real bad, and that's just going to bleed over into everything else that happens with you two."
>She looks a bit glum, but a sip of tea seems to put her mind at ease, at least somewhat
>"That said, the relationship portion isn't entirely unimportant either."
>>"Yeah. Not sure if we can give a bunch of good advice; we kind of fell into what we've got right now."
>You give a faux-groan, still keeping a playful smile
"Well that's helpful"
>Anon laughs, while Opera gives a wry smile
>"Well, I'm not sure what else to say, really."
>She tells the story of how they got together, this time around in more detail
>Great memory
>Upside of being an AI
>Even so, Anon supplements with his view on what transpired, and humorous comments
>As far as you figure, they just really hit it off with great chemistry, and kept going through thick and thin
>You nod as they finish, then check the time
"Hey guys, I kinda need to go, but it's been a joy hanging out with you, and you might just have helped me out a lot."
>You hug them both tightly
>They both smell so nice
>Anon, of his powerful cologne, and Opera her usual light touch of cinnamon
>And then and there it occurs to you that you're basically standing there, smelling your friends
>By Jobs, that's creepy
>They return the hug, though, and you feel all warm and fuzzy inside
>Then you say your goodbyes and head out, promising to pop by again sometime
>You decide to take the long way home, by poole park
>Your body switches to full automatic, and you bury yourself in thought, instinctively dodging and weaving whenever there's people in your way
>Okay, so consideration time
>Was there anything romantic happening before the confession?
>Well, maybe sorta kinda?
>You did sort of telekinetically jack him off
>You blush hard at the thought
>By far your most embarrassing moment
>Other than that...eh, you got along well
>Although it wasn't romantic comedy-levels of 'lub ad furst sait', you still kind of sort of acted as a Manic Pixie Dream Girl to him
>And by all that is Apple, that thought still makes you feel dirty
>But yeah, you did sort of enjoy hanging out with him
>Usually more so than not when he actually did something with you
>Ah, but it's kind of selfish to pull him out of his comfort zone so often and so brutally, isn't it?
>You suppose it is
>Tough shit
>He needs to, and realizes that, that he needs to stop being that self-destructive
>And right about this point, you're realizing something
>You do care for the guy
>But you're not sure you're attracted to him in *that* way
>Sigh
>There's going to be so many accusations of 'friendzone', isn't there
>Well, you know what, better that than pretending to be something you aren't
>And suddenly you're back at Anon's apartment
>You find it locked
>Huh, guess he's out
>Where might he be?
>Maybe looking for you?
>But you did say you were going out
>Eh, you'll figure it out
>Meanwhile, you reach through the keyhole with your telekinesis and open the lock
>Oh yeah, Anon got it proofed for any telekinesis that isn't yours, but agreed yours could make a handy emergency key
>As the old meme went: *Aliensguy* Technology
>You head inside and settle down, getting something to drink
>Then you get to reading that book again
-You are Anon-
>You're currently biking to Anon two (you decided to call him that to differentiate between the two of you. At least in your had) and Opera's place
>They apparently needed to talk to you
>You didn't get the impression it was anything bad, per se
>Although Safari's still out, so it feels a bit...incomplete to be going to them without her
>Oh well, she's restless, no denying that
>And you suppose it's good to not be smothering each other
>Speaking of smothering, your fat flab's doing just that to all the important parts of your body, and you catch yourself getting weary and breathing heavily
>Goddamnit!
>And you thought you were doing so welll
>Fuck
>Well, there's at least some consolation in knowing Safari will be there to support you
>You admire her
>She's beautiful and strong, but yet not some untouchable person on a pedestal
>Although, you're n-
>And you're at the address Anon two had provided
>You knock on the door
>Anon two opens the door and gives you a firm handshake
>>"Hey, come on in, take a seat."
>You nod and do so
>You hear the sound of the shower stopping, and after a little bit, Opera comes into the living room, hair still damp
>"Heya Anon! How ya doing?"
>You nod
"Doing decent. Now, you guys wanted to talk to me?"
>>"Yeah. By the way, you want something to drink?"
"Oh, glass of water, please"
>He nods in confirmation and fetches it
>"Safari came by earlier. Told us about how life's been for you guys as of late. Said she needed advice, so we did our best to acquiesce. I do feel we weren't very helpful, but I'm not sure there's much else we could've done"
>She shrugs her shoulders apologetically
>You just take a drink of water and try to steady yourself
>This was completely new to you