Читать книгу Step into the Metaverse онлайн | страница 9

“Terry,” Laya called, almost retracting at her own unfamiliar loving tone. She hadn't heard her own voice sound so sweet in what felt like an eternity. She moved closer toward him, her real smile projected onto her digital twin.

Terry turned, excited to see his absent wife. They hugged, virtually, their feedback sensors warming as they did.

“What happened to brunch?”

“Nothing, I was just watching some hyper-squash while I waited,” Terry explained. “I'm already there.”

* * *

Terry was wearing his AR glasses, enabling him to enjoy his wife's holographic presence and his food at the same time. From Laya's perspective, she was sitting in Al Pancho's digital twin and looking at the digital twin of her husband.

Al Pancho's was one of many holo-restaurants that now called the mall their home. These establishments were designed with both the physical and digital guest in mind, letting friends, family, and lovers share meals while sitting in restaurants separated by hundreds of miles. Laya ate a brunch prepared by her kitchen staff, Terry from Al Pancho's.

Once they'd finished, Laya waved her holographic hand over a physical card machine, held by a waiter wearing a pair of Al Pancho–branded AR glasses, who then handed Terry a physical receipt.

Terry pushed his face towards Laya, “Thank you for brunch, honey.” He was putting on that cute voice he does sometimes. “Although I do wish you could've been here in person.”

“I know. I do too, but we'll see each other tonight. I promise.”

“It's fine. When I see you in person, we're always haunted by your security anyway,” Terry added with a raise of his eyebrows and his voice slightly deflated.

Terry walked out into the mall, Laya's hologram automatically tethered to his movements. As they strolled, various adverts, both physical and digital, subtly changed. The words Laya, Terry, and husband and wife seemed to repeat across a few of them. To Laya's annoyance, one particularly aggressive ad for menopause supplements popped up in Laya's path, floating about 3 feet off the ground.