072814lilymerrow

-- aspiringArchon [AA]  began trolling galliardTartarol0gist [GT]  at 22:57 --

[10:59] AA: MERROW WALKS UP TO THE DOOR HE HAS BEEN TOLD IS LILY'S, AND KNOCKS. "MISS MAVICO? ARE YOU AVAILABLE TO SPEAK?"

[11:00] GT: It opens to reveal a smiling Lily. "Sure thing! What can I do you for?"

[11:01] AA: "WE HAVE HAD SOME INTERESTING DISCUSSIONS WITH DARMOK, AND WITH OUR BETROTHED. WE WANTED TO SEE IF YOU COULD PROVIDE ANY INSIGHT BECAUSE SOME COMMENTS OF YOURS, AND DARMOK'S, SUGGEST YOU MIGHT HAVE KNOWLEDGE."

[11:03] GT: "Well, I'm not exactly an expert on Darmok-ese, but I can sure give it my best. Come on in." She steps aside and allows you to enter her room, which has been mostly decorated. There is a large wax statue of Abraham Lincoln in the corner which you can't help feel is staring at you, as well as several bookshelves bursting with all sorts of books, and 'Jackie Junior' is sitting on a desk nearby. You

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:03] <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#aaaaff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">GT: think it might swivel around to look at you as you enter.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:04] AA: "WE ACTUALLY HAVE A DECENT UNDERSTANDING OF HIM, THOUGH THE PICTURES WE DRAW FROM WHAT HE SAYS ARE SOMEWHAT VAGUE."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:05] <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#aaaaff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">GT: "Oh, really? Neat! What've you heard from him?" She takes a seat on her bed.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:11] AA: "Well, for starters, are you familiar with a place called 'Arena?'"

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:12] <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#aaaaff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">GT: "Can't say that I am," she says blithely, but her face takes on a slightly guarded look. It could be a trick of the light, though.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:13] AA: "WE SEE. IT IS POSSIBLE YOU DO NOT KNOW THE NAME OF THE WORLD ITSELF. ACENIA TOLD US YOU TOLD HER YOU WERE BOTH HALF-TWINK, HOWEVER. WHILE DARMOK DID NOT USE THE WORD HIMSELF, OUR DISCUSSION WITH HIM, COMBINED WITH ACENIA TELLING US THIS, MAKES US SUSPECT TWINKS ARE THE PEOPLE OF THIS WORLD."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:13] <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#aaaaff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">GT: Her smile drops. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:14] AA: Merrow's eyes narrow. "WE SEE. YOU AREN'T BEING INTERROGATED, YOU KNOW. YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE ON THE DEFENSIVE."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:15] AA: "WE ARE NOT CONCERNED ABOUT YOUR LINEAGE. IT WOULD SEEM OUR OWN, BY WHICH WE MEAN, ALL OF THE PLAYERS, IS NOT EXACTLY COMMONPLACE EITHER, IF DARMOK'S INSIGHTS ARE CORRECT."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:16] <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#aaaaff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">GT: "No, really, I have no idea what you're talking about. I haven't spoken to Acenia at all today, and I definitely didn't mention anything about 'twinks', whatever they are. I don't THINK I'm half-chemical pastry."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:18] AA: "WE HAD THOUGHT PERHAPS TO DISCUSS THIS 'TWINK' THING WITH YOU, IN THE HOPES OF BETTER UNDERSTANDING OUR MATE, BUT IF IT IS SOMETHING YOU DO NOT WISH TO GO INTO, WE WILL NOT PUSH YOU ON IT. SIMPLY UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS NOT SOMETHING YOU HAVE TO HIDE."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:18] AA: "THERE ARE OTHER MATTERS TO DISCUSS ANYWAY, IF THAT AREA OF DISCUSSION IS UNCOMFORTABLE FOR YOU."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:18] AA: Merrow goes on, seemingly disappointed, but not perturbed.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:19] <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#aaaaff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">GT: "I still don't understand where you're getting this from. I mean, I'm fully human. You can ask my dad. But sure, go ahead."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:21] AA: "DARMOK SOMETIMES SPEAKS OF 'THE OTHER SIDE,' WHICH WE HAVE COME TO UNDERSTAND MEANS THE WORLD OF THE GAME THAT WE WILL BE PLAYING. HE SAYS HIS KNOWLEDGE COMES FROM 'FRIENDS ON THE OTHER SIDE.' HE ALSO SUGGESTED YOU MIGHT HAVE 'FRIENDS ON THE OTHER SIDE' AS WELL. WE WOULD BE VERY INTERESTED TO KNOW WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT THE OTHER SIDE, OR WHAT YOU CAN TELL US ABOUT THE PEOPLE THERE?"

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:22] <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#aaaaff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">GT: She shrugs. "I'm as in the dark as you are. My Aunt Jackie works for Skaianet, so I do have a little bit of advance knowledge of the game, but I'm not some kind of all-knowing seer."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:24] AA: "WE DID NOT ASSUME YOU WOULD BE ALL-KNOWING. WE SIMPLY THOUGHT YOU MIGHT HAVE ADDITIONAL INSIGHTS, OR THAT IF WE TOLD YOU SOME OF THE CONJECTURES WE HAVE BASED ON DARMOK'S STATEMENTS, THAT YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO FILL IN SOME OF THE GAPS."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:24] AA: "BUT IF WE WERE WRONG THEN WE APOLOGIZE FOR BOTHERING YOU."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:24] <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#aaaaff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">GT: "No no, not at all. I'd love to hear what you have to say. I'll fill in what gaps I can."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:25] AA: "WE ARE NERVOUS MIND YOU. SOME OF THE THINGS WE HAVE LEARNED COULD BE QUITE UPSETTING, AND ARE NOT WIDELY KNOWN. IF WE TELL YOU THESE THINGS, WE TELL YOU IN CONFIDENCE."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:25] AA: "ORDINARILY WE WOULD NOT TRUST SOMEONE WE HAD JUST MET WITH SUCH A THING, BUT AS DARMOK SEEMS TO LIKE YOU, WE TAKE IT AS A GOOD SIGN OF YOUR CHARACTER."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:26] <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#aaaaff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">GT: "You got it. I'm the best at keeping secrets, don't worry." She winks conspiratorially.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:26] AA: "INDEED. VERY WELL."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:26] AA: Merrow breathes in.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:26] AA: "TO START WITH, OUR UNDERSTANDING IS THAT WE ARE NOT THE FIRST PLAYERS OF THIS GAME. OUR PARENTS WERE ALSO PLAYERS. OR RATHER....ALTERNATE VERSIONS OF OUR PARENTS."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:27] <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#aaaaff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">GT: "Huh." She looks mildly surprised. "You're sure?"

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:28] AA: "OR TO PUT IT IN MORE EXPLICIT TERMS, THE PEOPLE WE, BY WHICH I MEAN ALL OF US PLAYERS, KNOW OF AS OUR PARENTS ARE NOT OUR PARENTS BY BIRTH, BUT HAVE ADOPTED US. HOWEVER, OUR ACTUAL PARENTS ARE THE SAME PEOPLE IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE, AND THEREFORE OUR ADOPTIVE PARENTS ARE ALSO OUR GENETIC PARENTS."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:28] AA: "WE ARE SURE OF LITTLE. BUT DARMOK SEEMED TO CONFIRM OUR CONJECTURE AS THOUGH WE WERE AT LEAST BROADLY CORRECT."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:28] <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#aaaaff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">GT: "That is really confusing but I think I get it."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:29] AA: "IT IS. IN FACT, IF YOU WOULD NOT FEEL OFFENDED BY MY LACK OF OFFICIAL DECORUM, WE MIGHT SPEAK MORE CASUALLY TO PREVENT MISUNDERSTANDINGS FROM AMBIGUOUS PRONOUNS. WOULD YOU AGREE TO THIS?"

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:29] AA: (( By *our* lack of official decorum. ))

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:30] <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#aaaaff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">GT: "I'll try not to be too wildly offended."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:30] AA: Merrow exhales, and switches to FAMILIAR MODE. "Very well. Yes, it is quite a jumbled mess."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:31] <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#aaaaff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">GT: "So you CAN speak in a normal tone of voice!"

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:31] AA: "Of course. The royal voice is simply a formal manner of address as is expected of a future emperor."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:32] AA: "But it gets troublesome in especially in-depth explanations."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:32] <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#aaaaff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">GT: "I imagine it wears on the throat a bit after a while."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:32] AA: "Indeed."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:33] AA: "At any rate, Darmok's comments only confirm, and in some ways explain other information I have which I cannot reveal the source of. It is in fact the reason I trust his council so much. He knows things that he cannot possibly know, therefore I take his comments very seriously."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:34] AA: "Suffice to say, I am 99% certain about the fact that our parents were players of this game who sent us to this world."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:34] <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#aaaaff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">GT: "All right, what else ya got?"

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:34] AA: "And for some reason found versions of themselves to adopt us."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:35] AA: "Well, aside from a few personal matters involving certain individuals within our play group, the main thing that I have is speculation. There seems to be either an individual, or multiple individuals, manipulating us."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:36] AA: "And....Acenia is somewhat worried that even our True Parents are manipulating us in a sense--she thinks we were created to fill the gaps in their own team, that we are simple replacements they have brought about to ensure their victory."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:36] AA: "I am not fond of this interpretation, but I cannot argue that she doesn't have a point. It's a matter of some concern."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:37] <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#aaaaff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">GT: "Well, why else would they be traveling to our session? It probably isn't to tell us they're so, so proud of us."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:41] AA: Merrow looks a bit pained by this, and sighs. "That is true."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:41] <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#aaaaff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">GT: "I wouldn't worry about it. They're going to be powerful, high-level players coming for the specific purpose of backing us up and making sure we win. I'd say it's a win-win situation all around."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[11:58] AA: "Nevertheless I feel concerned about the way our lives are being manipulated. Is this apocalypse also the fault of these players? And what sort of trouble have they gotten us into?"

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[12:00] <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#aaaaff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">GT: "I don't think the apocalypse was caused by the players of the last session. It's probably part of the game. I mean, if it can manipulate reality to such an extent that we're playing it in our dreams even now, ending the world doesn't seem like much of a stretch."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[12:00] AA: "Perhaps. You said you have a contact who works with the company responsible for this game, correct? Do you have any understanding of how, or why, they are doing this?"

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[12:03] <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#aaaaff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">GT: "Not a clue. Aunt Jackie's mainly told me about the basic plot of the game and a bit about the player mechanics."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[12:03] AA: "Oh! That information would also be very useful. Would you be willing to share any of that?"

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[12:05] <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#aaaaff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">GT: "Sure!" She taps her chin in thought. "OK, so, from what I can remember, there are two sides: the side of Good and the side of Evil, which are locked in eternal conflict. However, the side of Evil is destined to win without fail unless the heroes, i.e. us, do something about it. The goal of the game is to defeat the leader of the Evil army."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[12:06] <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#aaaaff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">GT: "All in all, pretty cliche, but what're ya gonna do."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[12:07] AA: "Yes. Seems standard enough. Other than the fact that we'll actually be fighting it for real, apparently."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[12:08] <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#aaaaff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">GT: "Isn't it AWESOME? It's gonna be VR on a WHOLE NEW LEVEL!"

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[12:12] AA: "With the very real danger of dying."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[12:12] AA: "I am not sure 'Awesome' is necessarily the word to use."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[12:13] <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#aaaaff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">GT: "Pff." She waves her hand. "Possibly dying while fighting kickass monsters versus DEFINITELY dying in meteor-storm armageddon? I know what I'M looking forward to more."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[12:15] AA: "I admit it's better than the alternative we've been given at the moment."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[12:15] AA: "What of the player mechanics you spoke of?"

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[12:17] <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#aaaaff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">GT: "Something about godhood, I think. I wasn't paying much attention."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[12:18] AA: "This could be a matter of some importance. You don't think it might be worth taking greater note of?"

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[12:19] <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#aaaaff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">GT: "I could go hunt down the letter where she talked about it, I guess. Might take a while, though. I have a LOT of these things."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[12:20] AA: "Understood. If you could find it we would very much like to read it. Or if you have personal things to remove from it first, that's understandable."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[12:22] <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#aaaaff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">GT: She chuckles. "You got it."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[12:28] <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#aaaaff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">GT: "So is that it, or did you get anything else from Darmok?"

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[12:29] AA: "Nothing that doesn't have to do with this 'Arena' or gathering information on these 'Twinks' that you've 'never heard of.'" Merrow sighs. He clearly has not bought your explanation.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[12:29] AA: "If you decide you HAVE discovered anything about either, please let me know."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[12:30] AA: "It is possible my heirs will share this lineage some day, and I would like to know more about them."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[12:32] <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#aaaaff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">GT: She pauses, then takes off her goggles and fixes him with the most intense stare she can muster. "I do not have the faintest idea what you're talking about. And if anyone asks, neither do you. Is. That. Clear?"

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[12:34] AA: Merrow returns the gaze with narrowed eyes. "I think you'll find that attempting to give orders to a Prince is unwise, Lily Mavico. Especially one who is motivated by matters of the heart."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[12:35] <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#aaaaff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">GT: "I think you'll find that I don't give a fuck. You may be a prince of trolls, but I'm a human. I don't recognize your authority and I never have. Your fancy title don't mean shit to me."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[12:37] AA: Merrow goes back into PRINCE MODE. "VERY WELL. THEN IT SEEMS FATE HAS DECIDED THE DISPOSITION OF OUR RELATIONSHIP FOR US."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[12:37] AA: "GOOD DAY, LILY MAVICO." Merrow turns on his heel and leaves the room, closing the door hard behind him.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#b11262;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[12:38] <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#aaaaff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">GT: "Pompous bastard," she mutters as he leaves.