• Flash and Psyche visit the new Arenas

    Flash sat at the table in the tiny Barton apartment he shared with his wife, Psyche. Psyche was snoozing in their luxurious four-poster, while flash casually read the new manga that came along with his morning announcements. As Flash turned the page, a thought bubble suddenly appeared next to his head. 'Hey, I've got...1 announcement!' He thought. "I hate it when they surprise you like that!" He complained out loud, brushing off the crumbs of toast he had just dropped in his lap. "What is it this time? Another evolving item report?" Flash grumbled. Flash finished his comic as the bubble hovered eerily over his head. 'Hey,' He thought. 'I've got 1 Announcement!' The bubble dissolved as the new announcement appeared before him. Flash read the whole announcement over, then called out to Psyche. "Wake up, kitty! Check this out!"
    "Hey," Psyche responded, "I've got three announcements!"
    Flash didn't take his eyes off of the page. "You're not supposed to say so, silly kitty. Anyway, I know. the first two aren't really important. Read the last one!" Flash waited impatiently for Psyche to read all three of her announcements carefully before prompting her for a reaction."
    "But Sir," Psyche complained, "It's a Beta!"
    "But it's an open Beta! Come on, let's go check it out, and then I'll take you to the Ball again."
    Psyche's ears wiggled at that. " 'Kay!'" She said, and threw her arms around his neck. She reached up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss on the lips. Flash started to lead her back to the bed, but Psyche cautioned her. "Keep it PG-13, Sir! This isn't fan fiction!" Psyche fixed herself up while Flash tried to find a clean pair of socks. "Okay, I've got the address," she said, "Let's go!"
    "Are you sure this is the right place?" Flash asked. "It seems so...empty..."
    "I know," Psyche agreed, clearly disappointed. "Let's look around anyway." For a few minutes Flash and Psyche wandered through tiny, empty rooms. Finally they came across an androgenous Gaian with dark hair meticulously combed over one eye, toting an emo bag and emo glasses. "Excuse me, can you tell me where all the people..."
    "My heart is as black as my skin is white.
    One slice with the knife and it's all over.
    Blood dark stab sadness despair in the night,
    I keep lipstick in my top drawer."
    "Let's...Go, Sir." Psyche said, backing towards the door.
    "Wait! The young idiot-loriat cried at the couple fled, "Rate and comment! And then die!"
    "Let's come back later." Flash suggested, heading for the exit.
    "Wait!" Psyche cried. "Do you hear that?"
    "Hear what?"
    "That loud rumbly noise?" Psyche asked, wiggling her ears.
    "I think so..." Flash said, straining his ears as the floor began to shake. "What the hell is that?" As the entrance came into view, Flash and Psyche saw a mob of people approaching. Within seconds a stream of Gaians were flooding into the narrow doorway. "Stay away from the poetry gallery!" Flash warned, as the two bewildered bystanders fled the stampeding artists. As the arenas filled with noise and people, the rooms themselves became larger and more colorful. Flash stopped to comment on a sketch he liked. When he turned around, Psyche was gone.
    "Oh, no," Flash said, "I've lost my kitty!"