[Immediately, her shoulders slump in relief and she smiles.]
Oh, thank goodness. That's great! I'm so, so relieved to hear that.
[She sounds genuine, at least. It even looks like she's about to ask a follow-up question, when she accidentally nudges a shard with one of her feet. So, uh, this sure happened.]
Have you ever read a story where one of the main characters was killed off, but they later brought them back because the readers weren't happy with the decision? Well, it's something like that. Retroactive continuity.
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That's completely and utterly horrifying.
She stands there, frozen after the memory ends. Slowly, she croaks out:]
What... What was that?
[Yikes? Yikes!]
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A tribunal. And a bloodbath.
I'm sorry you had to see that.
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[Already shaking her head, her expression shifting to something more sympathetic. She pauses for a second, hesitating, before she asks:]
Ah... Hey... About your partner. Um, did he...?
[Die...? Make it...?]
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[He says it quietly, his expression softening a little. It's almost a smile.]
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[Immediately, her shoulders slump in relief and she smiles.]
Oh, thank goodness. That's great! I'm so, so relieved to hear that.
[She sounds genuine, at least. It even looks like she's about to ask a follow-up question, when she accidentally nudges a shard with one of her feet. So, uh, this sure happened.]
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It's hard to read the lieutenant's face. It goes very still, except for his mouth opening slightly and just... hanging there. A few moments pass.]
What in god's name...? What was that?
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Monika's expression has gone carefully blank, before she just... closes her eyes and breathes in. Breathes out.]
... A scene from a piece of fiction. That's what it was. [Slowly.] I'm sorry you had to see that.
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[Unfortunate.]
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But what I said is still true... It's a work of fiction. Like a story book, just... more high-tech. That's my reality.
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[Fortunately, he knows 'video' and 'game' as separate concepts, so he's not completely lost. Just... mostly.]
I'm not sure I understand how that's possible. Are you saying that you're a work of fiction, too?
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... Yes. But I'm still a person, you know? I'm not just, like, written to act and behave in a certain way.
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... What about the other people in that vision?
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