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[anunluckypenny]

[It's dark inside Penny's room above the Welcome Center. The dim light from the network device is enough to illuminate Penny, who looks even more frazzled than she usually does when the Centers are understaffed. In fact, she looks outright panicked.]

Hey, City? I know I'm not the only seeing things in the mirrors, but is it getting worse for anyone else? Like, are the images getting more... I don't know, vivid? Like they're getting ready to crawl right out? Or am I going crazy?

I mean, if I'm going crazy, I'd really like to know about it. And I'm not totally ruling it out, either. I've just been freaking out all month and nothing's even happened.

[She pauses, turning to her right as if there's something there. Whatever it is encourages her to turn her attention back to the device.]

Okay--um. If... I don't mean to sound totally needy, but is anyone free? I get that it's Saturday and you all probably have plans, I just... you know, if you don't--

[Penny interrupts herself with a terrified squeak. She glances off to the right again, and... off goes the device.]

Comments

action;

[sleepingstar]

[Don't be afraid, Penny! That's not a monster you're seeing from the corner of your eye; that's just Pai, poking her head into the Welcome Center curiously.

...okay, so yes, it is a monster, but not one you have to be afraid of. Yet.]

Hello?

action;

[anunluckypenny]

[Penny jumps with a yelp. On edge? Yes. Both of her dogs raise their heads when Pai shows up, but show no signs of being alarmed.

Deep breaths, Penny.]

Oh, hey there.

[sleepingstar]

[Pai tilts her head and looks at Penny curiously.]

Are you hiding from somebody?

[anunluckypenny]

What? No, definitely not!

[She glances around furtively.]

I mean, nothing that can get me, I guess. Can I help you?

[sleepingstar]

[Pai ignores the question because the answer is no.]

Why would you hide from something that can't get you?

[anunluckypenny]

Just because it hasn't gotten me yet doesn't mean that it--aah!

[She catches a flash of something reflected in a glass pane and flails unflatteringly.]

Did you see that?

[sleepingstar]

It was a flash of light. [From a passing bicyclist, Pai thinks, but she didn't get a good look and honestly doesn't care.]

What do you think is after you?

[anunluckypenny]

Right! Sure, yeah, flash of light. Good.

[It totally wasn't.]

This--okay, this'll sound weird, but I keep seeing this thing that looks like me, only different, and she's always just... hurting people. Not everywhere, just in mirrors and glass and stuff.

[sleepingstar]

[Pai settles down in one of the seats, not so much interested as too bored to leave.]

Maybe you're going crazy.

[anunluckypenny]

[Penny laughs nervously. Crazy, ha! It's not like she spent the last day of September stealing goldfish from a carnival and liberating them to a lake in Xanadu or anything. It's not like--

No, there's a good chance that she's crazy.]

Well... there're worse things to be than crazy, I guess.

[sleepingstar]

You could be dead. [Other than that, there really isn't much worse than being crazy, Pai thinks. Not having control over your own mind is the greatest vulnerability imaginable.]

[anunluckypenny]

[Gosh, that's... creepy. And not exactly true since Penny's pretty darn dead, but.]

There's always that. Gotta look at the bright side of things.

[sleepingstar]

You don't have to.

[anunluckypenny]

I guess not, but it doesn't hurt to, right?

[sleepingstar]

[Pai shrugs.]

If there's one to be seen.

[anunluckypenny]

[This is a weird conversation that Penny is uncomfortable with.]

There's always one.

Soooo... is there anything I can help you with?

[sleepingstar]

No. [Pai doesn't say anything more than that, just watches Penny with an eerie expression.]

[anunluckypenny]

Okay. Just... make yourself at home, I guess, and let me know if you need anything.

[She smiles awkwardly and just... goes back to what she was doing...]

[sleepingstar]

[Boring. The next time Penny looks up, Pai will be gone.]