The screen faded to white, but quickly returned on a still shot of the four main girls yelling at each other. Playful smiles filled the screen – from everyone but Noelle, of course – as the dialogue changed to address the player directly.
“You know how during metamorphosis, inside the chrysalis…” Gwen began.
“I’m doing the voice of Diya!” Eleanor interrupted. “Get your own character.”
“I have Noelle!” Gwen said. “Sorry, I thought it was still her.”
CW: This review contains discussion of sexual themes and actions. Videos linked to are SFW but contain suggestive imagery.
Over the simmer of dishes on the stove, Eleanor heard a voice that was not Gwen’s – tinny, as if from a great distance:
“Now we’re gonna go ahead and grease up our pan.”
She must have been listening to a cooking demo of some kind in her phone. Eleanor was about to return to the book she was reading, but the voice continued speaking.
“And I like it really greasy…don’t be afraid to get a little messy.”
It was when she turned her phone on at intermission that Gwen first saw the text message from Eleanor:
We need to talk about the audiobook you recommended
Gwen was at first excited. It had only been a day or two since she had told Eleanor and Dania to check out the audiobook of Ann Leckie’s Provenance. The book, a spiritual successor to her earlier “Imperial Radch trilogy” set in the same universe, had captured Gwen’s attention after she plowed through the trilogy during the break. Unable to take the time to sit down and focus on the book like she had with the first three, she had bought the audiobook – recorded by British actress Adjoa Andoh.
“You wanna play as the Wolf for a bit?”
“I’m fine.”
Eleanor navigated down a series of tree branches, the brisk wind on the tundra nearly sweeping her into the abyss below. As she landed on the lowest step, Dania flew above her, hoping to grab the ––
“What is this, exactly?” she asked.
The Hanslick Girls 