maskormenace

[ Here's Kitty, wearing a smile and giving a little wave to the camera. ]

Hullo. It's Kitty here. I was just thinking about how it's about time for us to get another wave of new people - and then I remembered how last December, we didn't get any, and then I realized that I've now been here for over a year and that was just mad to think about.

It's easy to focus on all the horrid things that happen to us here. Because there are so many horrid things - that's true. The war with the Soviets is just terrible, and sometimes you just want to take the President by his shoulders and shake him until he stops - and those groups that detest us, they've made things a bit hard at times, as well. [ There's a little sideways twist to her lips as she says that; that's a grotesque understatement from a girl who had quite the history with one of those groups that detest us. ]

But it's always easy to remember the bad above the good. That's how the human brain works, isn't it - it's designed to remember hurts so that it can avoid those hurts in the future, which isn't bad, but which means that we sometimes lose track of the fact that there is so much more kindness than cruelty in the world. So I was just sitting and remembering all the good that's come to me over the past year.

Because this year, in this world, it really has been filled with impossible goodness. When I first came here, I was so scared, but there were people who took me in and helped me and protected me until I got a little more courage. And now here I am. I've made so many friends, amongst them someone I thought was my direst enemy. I saw people whom I'd never done any good for - I saw them forgive me when I was cruel and wicked and spiteful towards them, saw them risk themselves to help me and to save me.

And I've lived amongst the people of this world, who have been so good to me. So good. I've made friends amongst them, too. I've been kept on at work when I really have been the worst employee, when I've been unreliable because of my other obligations. And we've been allowed to speak our minds, speak freely. We've been allowed to travel far and wide. We've been supported in everything we do, which is far more kindness than has ever been extended a group of refugees at any time in any world. We've lived at peace. We've lived well.

So -

[ She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. ]

I'd thought - if I could trouble you all - that we could spend a little bit of time, all together, remembering the good turns that people have done us.

Talk about whomever you'd like. Talk about the people who have been kind and helped us when they didn't have to. Talk about the wealth that is the other people we know here. And I thought we could talk about the natives, too - I was thinking I might put together a little something, a few quotes, that we could pass along to the natives of this world, so that we know that we appreciate them. Let's take some time to overcome our brains, and remember the good - focus on the good and remember how kind the world is to us. How well we live. How strong and brave and honest we can be here.

[ Translation: 'All of this is a somewhat underhanded but well-intentioned PR thing that will let me package some stuff to make the natives less furious at us in an ongoing attempt to avert all-out war between us and this world.' ]

Anyway. There's that, if you can spare some time. Oh, and, erm - come by Krakatoa, while I've got your attention. Best club in town, bar none. And the employees are simply gorgeous.

[ A quick, half-sheepish grin, and then she gives a little nod and waves her way off. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Not quite so serious. No. That's true.

get a second opinion kitty
this isnt coming out of nowhere
ask edgeworth about it i spoke to him a few weeks ago
even sabriel if you have to
(probably not sabriel if you can help it)

[ If only Kanaya knew about Laurie and Sasha, or all the others. ]

[ And then a sudden sharp right turn: ]

Hey, Toby's powers being nullified turned him human again. What if we could get our hands on nullifiers for them?

them being the fledglings i assume
but it wouldnt work
theyre all natives i mentioned that didnt i

So what?

well its rather important to the way nullifiers operate
if youre familiar with that
the porters chief engineer
may she rest in peace
explained to me once that the function by interacting with traces of radiation the porter left when it brought us in
thats why they thought this radiation was the source of our powers

but since that radiation wont be present in a native
a nullifier wouldnt really do anything

I think we should try.

and how do you propose we test its highly dubious effectiveness
shove one out in the sunlight and see if they dont pop

Are there not physical changes that come with his world's brand of vampirism? Fangs, coldness.

i still have my fangs when im nullified
theyre much smaller
and im inexplicably human
but i still have them
i might not be a good indicator though because i was hatched with it

but these are still symptoms that could be difficult to really measure to satisfaction
we would need a lot of observation to be sure it works
and if it doesnt work it will mean getting their hopes up for nothing

[ The solution there is easy, get Kanaya to tell them. She won't communicate any hope whatsoever. ]

Getting your hopes up is hardly a bad thing. Hope is quite nourishing, I find. Anyway, we'll ask Toby; remember, they're not vampires like you, they're vampires like him.

but this isnt a small sort of hope
its the type that can make a person vulnerable
and when that type of hope is dashed it can be devastating
if we do this we have to be smart about it

only one of them knows about it until we have something conclusive
they will be our test case
and they will be fully aware of what a long shot it is

we might have tried with my nullifier but i dont know how to alter the intensity
and however youd measure if someone is only one-third a vampire i cant rightly imagine

Well, if this doesn't work, then there are lots of other things to try, oughtn't we.

Youd Like To Think That Im Sure
But The Options That Dont Carry A Prohibitive Risk Are Rather Less Common Than Youre Making Them Out To Be
I Wont Have Them Treated As Guinea Pigs Or Monsters

There is absolutely zero risk of them being treated like guinea pigs or monsters.

you have no idea why id rather you avoid contacting sabriel then
theyre already being treated like monsters
and what youre talking about sounds dangerously close to the other thing

I wouldn't do anything without consent from everyone involved. Believe me. I care a LOT about making sure everyone's doing everything from their own free will. It's sort of a big thing for me.

but as we move down this nebulous list of "other things to try"
others will need to be involved
others whose ethics may be more flexible than yours or mine
they could try something that neither of us will be able to prevent
if this is a course we decide to proceed with
it will have to be done carefully

Like hell they could try something we couldn't stop. I am NOT letting any of those poor people get hurt. And I can stop any imPort out there if they try anything.

only what you know to expect
you didnt see this coming with tobias how can you be sure you would for someone worse than him
in these circumstances there are numerous things they could try that we wouldnt even know to stop

[ She thinks of Osborn, or chemical cocktails and the level of biological experimentation this would demand. If she involved someone she trusts, someone who actually knows what they'd be seeing, maybe they could oversee every step.

But who would tolerate that level of scrutiny? ]

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private. i don't know if kanaya knows kitty's powers so i'm erring toward no