[Gat's walking back from work by the evening hours, having put in another day of milling around at the fire station. Recent events left little doubt that Mayfield was just one big VR Space like he and Dakki had suspected over a year ago when they first arrived—the widespread glitching of the town, Grey's letter disguised as mail, and the whole business with the portal to that desert town have given him a lot to think about.]
[So much so that he doesn't notice Aurica sitting on the front porch until he's a house away. It makes him pause in his stride for a moment ... that's not how the drone acts at all ... but Aurica's been gone ever since the Halloween business—the town "vaporized" her and put a vapid likeness in her place. So ... what does this mean? Are the town's drones glitching again?]
[Gat approaches the front porch and, after another moment's hesitation, clears his throat.]
G
[So much so that he doesn't notice Aurica sitting on the front porch until he's a house away. It makes him pause in his stride for a moment ... that's not how the drone acts at all ... but Aurica's been gone ever since the Halloween business—the town "vaporized" her and put a vapid likeness in her place. So ... what does this mean? Are the town's drones glitching again?]
[Gat approaches the front porch and, after another moment's hesitation, clears his throat.]
Howdy, Aurica ...