"It's mercy, compassion, and forgiveness I lack, not rationality."

[lightningbride]

[There's a familiar girl walking the streets of Luceti today with an intense, focused expression, newly returned from her mallynapping. But those who know her will quickly realize that something is very off. Very, very off.

The more innocuous difference is that she's taller, with longer hair and a more mature face, though she still wears her yellow-and-black striped jumpsuit. She's also toting around a katana -- an odd choice, considering her weapon of choice as a Hero.

Ah...Heroes and HeroTV. That's where things start to get interesting with this one. If you come up and talk to her, maybe you'll find out just how interesting they are.]

Comments

[shadedsunlight]

[Alice is out and about, enjoying the day for all it is. It's a nice kind of day. She pauses when she sees Pao-Lin, tilts her head slightly as she takes in the much older than normal woman and her weapon of choice.

Concerned? ...Not really.]

Trading staff for blade, huh, Pao-Lin?

[lightningbride]

[Pao-Lin whirls around with a suspicious glare. She hasn't actually drawn her sword, but there's a tension in her body that suggests that she had been on the verge of doing so.]

Do I know you? [Because this woman should not know Pao-Lin, or so Pao-Lin believes.]

[shadedsunlight]

[Alice cocks an eyebrow at her.] It's, you know, me? Alice? Ah. Malnosso probably got in your mind. Does explain why you're older looking.

[lightningbride]

[...]

The only person that has ever gotten into my mind is Albert Maverick, and I'll be damned if he or anyone else does it to me again.

[purestpurifier]

[Well, it's the jumpsuit that stands out immediately to him. Considering she had been taken away some time ago, Mega Man couldn't resist rushing over to talk to his friend... but feels a strange sensation as he realizes she's... taller. But hey, whatever, right? If height was all the Malnosso did to her, it couldn't be bad, right?]

Pao-Lin! Hey! You're back!

[lightningbride]

[Her reaction to Mega Man is considerably friendlier than to Alice, since he's clearly just a kid. True, he's only a few years younger than she is right now, but her own memories of being that age seem a lifetime ago.

When she glances over her shoulder at the sound of her name, Pao-Lin blinks confusedly for a moment, then gives an apologetic smile.]

I'm sorry, I don't think we've met before.

[purestpurifier]

Huh?

[He looks puzzled, troubled, really. ...He can tell she's being sincere, just by her mannerisms, but this just feels wrong.]

...We haven't? ...Guess you don't remember the name "Mega Man" then?

[lightningbride]

Can't say I've heard of you before. [A wry, sad smile.] "Mega Man", huh? You thinking of becoming a Hero or something with a name like that?

[talontrot]

[Well.

That's new.

Kazooie stops mid-glide, dropping in low next to her jumpsuit-clad friend. Something is really weird, and she needs to talk about it.]

... Pao-Lin? You, uh, feelin' okay?

[... Definitely looks odd. Why's she so much taller?]

[lightningbride]

['sup, birdbuddy. Hope you like having the business end of a katana pointed at you. You'll have to forgive Pao-Lin, since she has no idea who the hell you are -- or hell, even what the hell you are. You look like a giant cartoon bird, but those shouldn't exist in her world. Because this is still her world, right?]

Who are you?

[talontrot]

[Sharp blades are not things Kazooie enjoys having shoved into her face, regardless of who it's attached to or why. She backs off, wings flicking aggressively, and looks almost shocked, up the length of Pao-Lin's katana.]

You don't recognize me? What'd the Malnosso-guys do to your head this time? I mean, sheesh, walking around all tall and stuff might be cool, but then you go tryin' to stab your buddy in the face!

[lightningbride]

[Huh. This one mentioned the Malnosso too. Pao-Lin still has no idea what Kazooie is supposed to be. Is this an illusion, the result of some NEXT power she isn't aware of? Or maybe this is one of Rotwang's upgraded androids? This bird looks pretty organic to her, in a cartoony way...but then again Rotwang has made leaps and strides in the aesthetics department for his little metallic monstrosities, thanks to the revenue that HeroTV was bringing in.]

I have no friends. Albert Maverick killed them all. [Stiiiiilllll not lowering that blade.] You know anything about him?

[ozwell]

[There's something very different and very familiar about this woman, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out where the resemblance comes from. Since they're in close enough proximity, he ventures a guess.]

Pao-Lin?

[Perhaps a relative?]

[lightningbride]

[Hearing her name -- and not even her Hero name, but her real name -- from all these people that supposedly know her from this place she's never even seen before in her life is starting to really grate on her nerves...and make her more than a little paranoid. More than usual, anyway.]

Who wants to know?

[ozwell]

["Who wants to know?" is more often than not an affirmative, and the fact that she even responded is a fairly strong indication that he's probably correct in his assumption. But there's no recognition from her when she looks at him, which is, well, a cause for concern.

Best be honest and straightforward.]

Hubert.

[He nearly blurts out his last name and rank out of habit, but this is enough for now, right?]

[lightningbride]

...and?

[Not impressed. Try again?]

My Grune-like memory strikes again!

[lostinmyway]

[Oh, my, is that--] Pao-lin?

[She starts hurrying over.]

Welcome back!

[...Yeah, guess who hasn't noticed any of the changes at all.]

[lightningbride]

[Pao-Lin glances over at Grune, curious. She doesn't know this woman, yet she's welcoming her back...?]

...sorry, I think you must have mistaken me for someone else.

[lostinmyway]

[And now she's confused.]

Aren't you Pao-lin?

[Does she have a twin?]

1/2

[lightningbride]

[Damn it. How do so many people know her civilian identity here? What the hell is going on? Pao-Lin thought she'd be able to lie low here for a bit, but if people already recognized her she might not be able to stay as hidden as she'd like. She wonders if this is Maverick's doing, but from what she'd heard and read about, the deaths of her co-workers and her own disappearance were explained to the press as tragic heroic sacrifices in the name of discovering the identity of Ouroboros once and for all, and condolences were sent out to the families. Going by that, Pao-Lin Huang should already be dead in the eyes of everyone but Maverick, who set up this one last rigged game for her to try and win. So why do so many people in this little village know her?

Maybe they're right, a little voice inside her says. Maybe you did live here and were kidnapped by the Malnosso and sent back as --

No. She can't go down that road, or else she'll go crazier than she already thinks she is. Anyway, if Maverick was arrogant enough to leave her alive so she could come back and get her revenge, Pao-Lin wouldn't put it past him to plop her in some little "theme park" of his own design just to see how long it would take for it to break her.]

[lunadickery]

[Meanwhile, there is a judge man standing around with an aggravated look on his face. Considering what he's been through, he's almost used to finding himself unexpectedly in strange places, so it isn't surprising—just annoying.

What he does find surprising, however, is seeing this young woman that obviously familiar to him, albeit not quite so old.]

.......Miss Huang?

1/2

[lightningbride]

[Given all the weirdness she's had to deal with so far, it's practically a relief for Pao-Lin to hear a familiar voice.

Especially because this particular voice means she gets to take out her anger on someone who deserves it.]

2/2

[lightningbride]

[She greets Yuri with a very predatory smile.]

Hello, Your Honor. Or should that be Dishonor? [She unsheathes her sword and points it at him. The blade crackles with the electricity she's channeling through it.] Haven't seen you in a while. Let's catch up, shall we?

1/2

[lunadickery]

[Okay, what. No, really, what?!]

[lunadickery]

[Think through this logically. Pao-Lin Huang is older, angry, and has, for some unfathomable reason, a sword that she is pointing at him. From this, he can assume that she is somehow from the future. From her aggression and words, it's clear that she holds some sort of grudge. Probably about him being Lunatic. Fuck everything. You Heroes are so sensitive about everything. Set some people on fire, and now you hold a grudge.

He tenses and prepares, but he's not going to activate his power quite yet. If any of the other Heroes are around and not from the future, there's no point in him exposing his identity when they could do something about it for him. If not, however...]

Miss Huang, may I ask what all this is about?