THE MOMENT
"This is the most delicious burger I've ever tasted," Oz said. He sat in a bright red booth across from Astra and Barley. He held his bitten burger up at eye level and stared at it intently. The well-cooked brown meat hidden beneath lettuce and onions began to glow with soft white light and his eyes went wide with surprise. "Amazing...," he said. Astra and Barley giggled at his reaction.
"If you don't like it, It’d be a joy to whip up some more chicken for you," Barley said. Oz shook his head.
"It's not bad," he said. The meat stopped glowing. "I just wanted to test it out, I guess." He looked around at the restaurant. It was just like every other burger place geared towards children, including the loud play park next to the only seats they found. The mascot of the restaurant, a rude-looking unicorn wearing an "Eat Me" t-shirt, was plastered on every blank surface.
Despite the noise, the play park was interesting to Oz. He spotted several elves, orcs, and even a furry child that he assumed was a werewolf all chasing each other through the ball pit and slide.
“But, it's not... real. Right?" Oz asked Astra before taking another bite. The burger was unlike anything Oz ever tasted before; but, at the same time, it was every comfort food he loved all at once. When he took his second bite, Oz was more prepared to study the sensation. He realized the meat itself did not taste like anything. Somehow, biting into it triggered nostalgic memories he'd long forgotten about. Astra nodded to answer his question while she finished chewing her own bite.
"It's real food," Barley spoke up. Unlike Astra and Oz, Barley did not have any food in front of her. "And, it does nothing for me." Oz looked at his burger, then at Barley.
"Hold on. If this is real, what are you doing here?" Oz asked. "And you said Jeff was an NPC earlier at Ozlyn's. How are there necromancers, NPCs, monster kids, and nanos here if this is a real Earth?"
"The kids are a cinch to explain," Barley replied with a shrug. "Orcs ‘re one of the races available when making a character; but, they also exist on some Earths," she said. Astra nodded, then spoke up.
"Everything exists somewhere. Sharp Development specialized in coordinating everything between universes. Some Earths joined the AlterNet without becoming official servers. Like this one, they have nanos to support the players," Astra nodded at Barley. Oz looked at his burger again and faint nausea fluttered in his stomach for a moment. It was one thing when he thought he was biting into nanos that wouldn’t be digested; but, it was a very different situation to knowing the meat was real. Oz lowered the burger from his mouth, but still held it in his hands. Barley noticed.
“You gonna finish that?” she asked.
“Yeah, just catching my breath. It’s a pretty big burger,” Oz replied. The meat began to glow with white light again. Barley and Astra laughed at him.
“You don’t have to force yourself, it’s not for everyone,” Barley said. Oz nodded, and dropped the burger on its wrapper, then slid it across the table to Barley.
“What do you want it for?” he asked. Barley shrugged.
“I can taste just fine, I just don’t get no nutrition from it. So, I don’t waste money on food; but, if’n it’s already bought.., ” Barley winked then scooped up the burger.
“It doesn’t taste like anything though,” Oz replied. “It just triggers nostalgia,”
“Well yeah,” Barley grinned wide before she took a bite. Astra giggled next to her. “I don’t know about you; but, I like my memories.” Oz shook his head.
“That’s not the problem, I simply take issue with the source of meat,” Oz replied. Astra’s giggles grew louder.
“The people here would feel the same if they knew you ate burgers with cow meat,” she said. Oz sighed, and nodded.
“I know. I’m not making a big deal of it. I certainly don’t begrudge them. I’m simply saying that unicorn meat is not for me.”