"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 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.

[shadedsunlight]

[...Yep. Mallies got to her.]

So... Who's Albert Maverick?

[lightningbride]

An...old friend...I'm looking to settle things with. [Glances around.] Don't suppose you get HeroTV around these parts, do you? And where is this place, anyway?

[shadedsunlight]

Yeaaah... about that. You're in Luceti. Actually, you've been in Luceti for awhile, but you don't remember it since there are these guys called the Malnosso that like to mess with memories. [Alice shrugs carelessly.] You'll be back to normal soon enough.

[lightningbride]

[Pao-Lin is tempted to call bullshit on this, but the mention of memory manipulation gives her pause. Not because she thinks Alice is telling the truth about the Malnosso messing with her mind, but because if the Malnosso can apparently manipulate memories, then that might mean...]

What do you know about the Malnosso? Any connection at all to Apollon Media?

[shadedsunlight]

No to the second, not much to the first. Just the organization that brings people here and throws some crazy experiments around. [...] There's a guide that covers all of this.

[lightningbride]

Show me this guide. [This should make things easier. Or possibly muddle things even more.]

[shadedsunlight]

[Alice complies by pulling out her journal from her bag, flipping over to the guide, and holding it out to Pao-Lin.] Read for yourself.

[lightningbride]

[Pao-Lin takes the journal from Alice and begins to skim it over. Her eyes get narrower and narrower with skepticism as she reads more about Luceti. Being taken from different worlds? Kidnappings? People being resurrected within a week? What the hell even is this? This is a hell of a setup Maverick's got going here...so maybe, just maybe...it isn't a setup --

No. She's not going down that road. She's not letting Maverick get the best of her this time.

When she's done with perusing the guide, she says, without looking up:]

I see. How long have you been here for?

[Best to play along, she thinks. She might find out more that way.