[1v1?] No qualms of commonalities (Mimsy/Amrita)

[Enoh Love]

For a while it seemed that the Haunted House was actually empty. Too many times she had gone in and literally found nothing, just rooms upon rooms of dust, debris, and silence. It was odd, since usually the Hunters patrolled the place diligently, and yet for months there was nothing. Not a hint of them anywhere. After a while it got her hopes up, thinking maybe that they had been taken down or destroyed, or better yet had simply given up trying to bring down Halloween. Still, old habits died hard, and she still visited the Haunted House every couple of days to do some patrolling of her own.

She rounded a corner without bothering to be careful about it, and stopped dead in her tracks. There was someone else there. Someone in a white coat. "Jack!" Amrita cursed, a lot louder than she intended. "I thought you'd given up and gone away." Her disappointment was clear in her voice; she was so close to living a Hunter-free life...  

[Nothing Yet]

The directive was always clear and simple when the Haunted House was concerned, and Mimsy was happy to oblige. This was her favorite of all of the repetitive duties; it allowed her time alone, despite the strong suggestion to bring an associate, and provided a world of pocket universes and abnormalities that she had not begun to understand or explain. Svensyl likened it to going down the rabbit hole, as he had with a scattering of other activities, but this did tend to be a venture that was an admittedly warranted use of the metaphor.

The Jabberwock was not summoned, but still kept her company by excitedly chattering to her as she busily gathered the samples that she failed to return with last time. She was so focused on tuning him out that she didn't hear anyone approaching, and nearly dropped the petri dish she was holding when she heard them speak.

"I am afraid I cannot give up on this place for the foreseeable future," she replied, turning to look at the House's other visitor. "It appears to be an endless well of potential, and--"

Her head tilted, and one of her braids shifted off of her shoulder.

"I know you," she murmured, taking a step towards her. There was a familiarity she couldn't quite place, as if the reason for the recognition was somewhere beyond what she was seeing. "My name is Mimsy. If you don't mind my asking...have we met?"

Enoh Love

 

[Enoh Love]

"Potential for what?" Amrita's eyes narrowed, suspicious at the choice of words. The petri dish was something she recognized from her experiences with Mal and Christof, but she had yet to meet a Hunter that wasn't interested in potential outside of creature-made weaponry. The murmured words made her pause as well, her gaze shifting slightly as if actually seeing her for the first time. Focusing on the form, and not merely looking. She was right. There was something familiar about her; they did know each other. Amrita had a fairly good memory, especially when it came to Hunters, but there was something about this one that suggested she hadn't known her as the enemy.

The Hunter took a step closer, and all the familiarity in the world didn't stop her from visibly tensing. The reaction had been conditioned in to her, though she had long overcome the urge to step back and keep the distance.

"Amrita." She introduced herself after an obvious pause. Mimsy. No memories bubbled to the surface over that name, no connecting impulses that suggested anything more elaborate than a stranger's label. "I'm...not sure. I think so. Your name isn't ringing any bells, but you look very familiar..." She didn't step closer at all, but she could still scrutinize from a distance. Double braids, the face shape...she did look familiar, but the name was different.

"You look like..." But that wasn't possible, was it? She had said her name was Mimsy! Then again, she had a different name once, too. Perhaps, then? "...Simmy?" The name felt like an old friend, as familiar as the ghoul in front of her.  

[Nothing Yet]

"Potential to prove the validity of at least one of my theories." Mimsy straightened up excitedly, holding the collected culture close to her chest with both hands. There was a glimmer in her eye that resembled the same look she had when she made a new friend in a more monochromatic timeline.

"I am a scientist - an astrophysicist. My life before...this...was directed towards the study of the physics of the universe. I specialized in theories connected to dark matter, and held a particular interest for quantum mechanics in the cases of multiverses and string theory. This location, even exempting the apparent presence of Insanity, is an incredible anomaly that appears to possess multiple states and properties in instances where it should possess only one. I am sure that I don't need to tell you how readily it changes its physical structure, and doesn't heed matter or space or time."

She lowered the dish slowly, until she held it at her waist. The eager expression that had brightened with her explanation began to fade.

"Ah, I apologize. I rarely find opportunities to speak about this, so I occasionally create them where they don't necessarily exist. In short, I have no desire to needlessly antagonize you." As she spoke, she placed the sample in the bag she was carrying, glancing back up when she was sure it was secure. It freed up her hands for a handshake, customary when greeting someone new, but the extended hand stopped short when she heard the second name.

Her fingers curled into her palm, and she stared instead.

"Amrita," she quietly repeated, working through the recognition that was slowly building in her mind. Were the friends Simmy made still her friends? It was true in Shiloh's case, but... "Marati? I must apologize again, if she is what you are expecting. That was my name, but we are quite dissimilar."

Enoh Love

 

[Enoh Love]

Amrita blinked rapidly as this body's brain tried to keep up with everything she was being told. The excitement in Mimsy's body language and voice was there as she spoke, and it made her all the more familiar. It was the words she didn't recognize now, things like astrophysicist and quantum mechanics, which sound like words but could also be complete gibberish, and the rest of it was put together in a way that should have made sense but simply did not.

For a moment she considered apologizing for interrupting before running away, far away. This was way over her head, and there were simply too many questions for one life time. The urge got stronger and stronger, and she had been about to act on it when Mimsy began to apologize. Suddenly the seemingly random little speech made a more sense than it had before; she wanted to talk about something she was excited about, but didn't get the opportunity. Plus, it was always nice to hear that she wasn't about to be antagonized. It was just enough to loosen her tense stance.

"Er - it's okay. It sounds kind of interesting." It sounded weird and confusing and had too many large words, but she tended to be curious about some things in the human world. Especially something that interested someone to the point of elaborate speech. It was her hatred of Hunters that typically prevented her from learning more about their world, which was unfortunate. "I don't have any intention of antagonizing you, either." There may have been a small emphasis on the word you, especially since she often did tend to antagonize.

"It's okay." Amrita nodded. It was something of a disappointment finding out that sweet Simmy was actually a Hunter, but hey. It could have been worse; she could have ended up as a violent Hunter. "I'm not like Marati either." Yet, deep down, she had the potential to be Marati. Which meant that on some level Mimsy was Simmy. That was enough for her, at least for now; it wouldn't get rid of the hesitation immediately, but it would help ease it a little bit. So she stretched out her own hand - her left, considering her hands were backward, to offer the same gesture that Mimsy had halted.

"It's good to meet you anyway, Mimsy." Hopefully, anyway. So far so good, at least.  

[Nothing Yet]

The things Mimsy babbled on about were unarguably categorized at a much stronger level than 'kind of interesting', but she had given her no reason to be pedantic, especially when she had no intentions of antagonizing her either. It would give the wrong impression, she thought, and she'd been kind enough to listen.

"It is a pleasure to properly meet you as well, Amrita. On this side of existence, I mean." She offered a smile that didn't seem to come very easily. "May I ask why you came here? Are you studying the House as well, or--"

Something finally clicked. The bits of information buried within incoherent caps lock and cursing, the description, the name provided, all neatly aligned now, like a perfect constellation.

It had to be her.

"You disemboweled my boyfriend," she gasped, hands clasped under her chin. It was a thrilled sort of gasp, which should not typically accompany that specific series of words, and she appeared every bit as delighted as she felt. Judging by the lack of a five-minute explanation of the terms and circumstances of her relationship, she felt very good.

There were two subjects that could elicit a Simmy-esque reaction - science and serious bodily harm - and they had managed to touch upon both of them in the span of a few moments. She didn't catch on, distracted by her imagination. A hundred curiosities rose in her mind with every passing second, and she hurriedly attempted to pick out the best of them.

"Oh, what was it like? How did it feel? Did you use your hands, or some sort of instrument? Ah...if it's not prying to ask..." Her cheeks were flushed with pink, and she was becoming noticeably flustered. "Did you see his heart, by chance?"

The rush of endorphins began to settle, and she seemed less manic now, more interested than anything else. Her barrage of questions ceased, and she just waited, hopeful and oblivious to the drastic turn of abnormality in their conversation.  

[Enoh Love]

"...? Oh." Why was she here? Well, that was kind of a loaded question. "I uh---" Luckily it was a question she didn't have to answer. You disembowelled my boyfriend. If there was ever a string of words that screamed that it was now time to leave as fast as possible, those four would be it. The only thing that kept her there was the tone that had delivered those words, and the excited manner the follow up questions were fired off.

What...was happening? What was going on? Was this real life? It had to be a trap. Nobody should be that happy over the disembowelment of their mates, and yet... Amrita just stared on, her eye wide and her mouth slightly parted in pure shock. She had never been so confused in her whole life: this curiousity seemed entirely genuine. What's more, the reaction made her want to tell Mimsy all about it. How was that possible? All she could do was stand there, still as the dead and the picture of confusion, for a few moments after the questions had ceased. When she did move it was to draw her hands together, linking her fingers.

"Um. Who...exactly...is your boyfriend...?" She asked sheepishly, the question accented with a nervous breath. All the while she twisted her hands together, her stance shifting to betray how awkward she felt. Oddly enough, the awkward feeling was a direct result of not being able to pinpoint who it was Mimsy was talking about; after all, she had disembowelled several people during her time at school.  

[Nothing Yet]

Her boyfriend. Mimsy's eyes looked glossy and distant as she waited in silence for anything other than that question. When nothing else came, she cleared her throat and scrunched her face up in concentration.

"Ah. Well, he's..." It finally sunk in that she'd said it so simply, and it seemed too late to go back and explain all of the context that she failed to provide. She took a deep breath. This didn't feel so bad. "Robert Morris. Blonde hair, red eyes. Approximately this tall."

She reached up to indicate a height that was roughly half a foot above her head.

"It required surgical repair. He was very upset. It was his first scar, if I recall correctly." There were other details that would have seemed insignificant despite their status otherwise, which she exempted for the time being. Each that she did share was spoken more slowly and deliberately over time, and when she finally stopped, she almost seemed concerned.

Had she crossed a line? If she was about to be met with an apology like Abbi's, she thought she might be sick. This was something too fantastic to regret.

"Is this an uncomfortable subject? I just noticed that you...well, I was a bit preoccupied, because I was caught up in..." She abruptly sighed, struggling with vocalizing her thoughts. "It's not important. If you would rather not discuss this, however, I am open to other suggestions."  

[Enoh Love]

"Oh. Him." All she had to do was say 'Robert', and her whole stance changed. The awkward was gone and the hesitance faded away, though her hands still twisted out of general worry. Something in her thrilled at hearing that he had needed surgery to fix it, and that it indeed scarred in the end since, to date, while Robert had hurt her repeatedly in the past, he had also never scarred her. It felt like a victory. Especially his first scar. A twisted little grin worked its way onto her torn lips. Hee.

"I'm not uncomfortable." Amrita clarified quickly - perhaps a little too quickly. "I never regret what I do." Which was a lie, she regretted a lot of things she had done in the past, except for maybe when it involved Hunters. No matter what she did to them, she couldn't find it in herself to wish she hadn't. As far as she was concerned they deserved every little thing they got, and Robert was no exception. There was a special place in her unbeating, shriveled heart for him. "It's just - your fellow Hunters like to antagonize me, and I wasn't sure which of them I'd hurt." Okay, so sometimes she did the antagonizing, but Mimsy didn't need to know that.

"...Wait. I thought Robert was married? What happened to Petra?" The thought sank in, and in a moment it had wormed its way into her, gnawing away with paranoia. Was she trying to play the connection angle? Could this really be a trick? While she did express she had no intentions of antagonizing her, Amrita couldn't deny that some hunters lied through their teeth, and she really didn't know this version of her other-world friend enough to determine if she were one of them. The sincerity could have been fantastic acting, for example. The paranoia wormed in as it usually did when a Hunter was nice to her.

"...This isn't a trick, is it? Are you going to turn this against me somehow?"  

[Nothing Yet]

The response was not much of a surprise to Mimsy. It was fairly common to hear something of the sort when referring to Robert to anyone who was acquainted with him; the difference here was that she was not quite sure how they knew each other, past the aforementioned event. Was there more?

But the question was gone the instant she clarified, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"I am glad to hear that," she admitted, nudging her glasses up with the back of her finger. "I feel a great sense of dismay when I am told anything otherwise in reference to similar occurrences. Excuses have no place in those actions. And if I may speak candidly, I completely understand the reason for your inquiry now - if I could harm each of the ones that antagonized me, I would readily do so."

It was easy to get lost in the thoughts of possibilities when she mentioned such things, and she might have, if Amrita had not asked something that made all of those possibilities come to a halt. How did she know that?

"Oh...he was." She shrugged her bag off of her shoulder, and tested a dirty crate before sitting on it, placing the samples off to the side. There was only room for one of them on the flimsy structure, but she still extended her hand to invite her to sit with her, if she could find a spot.

"Now he is not. In short, I needed him for something of greater significance, and she was in my way. Troublesome. I got rid of her." She gave her a toothy smile, dripping with pride. "It was fairly effortless, admittedly. I was met with little resistance when I began to assert the superiority of my potential. I even had extensive plans that went entirely unused."

Her nails drummed out a hollow rhythm against the side of the crate.

"I suppose I found comfort in planning. But when I consider our history..." A laugh bubbled up that she failed to stifle. "I never needed any of them. He was always mine, despite my delay in collecting him. Ultimately, Petra did not even present herself as a competent obstacle. I hope that you did not consider her an ally of any sort."

That would be awkward. She didn't get that impression, but she was too far into this to take any of it back. This was the best she could do.

"Regretfully, I have only my word to assure you that I have no intention of turning this against you, as long as your intentions are similar. I would never harm a friend." She could take Simmy's friend again. Just this once. "I would offer you my weapon, but it is my understanding that it would drain your FEAR until you dissipated, which is still not my intended result."

With a thoughtful hmm, she glanced around at her belongings one more time, gauging their worth as bargaining tools. The samples were incredibly valuable, but they could be replaced. Her clothing was less valuable, and was only fabric. There was little else that she could physically offer.

It would have to be something else.

"Perhaps it would encourage you to know the catalyst for my relationship with Robert." It looked as if she could hardly contain herself as she leaned towards her, lowing her voice when she spoke again. "I used surgical scissors to breach his FEAR shield, and attempted to create an incision large enough for an internal view. Further attempts have been delayed, but you already succeeded, hence my excitement."

The thought made her fingers tremble, and she hid them by tucking them under her legs, trying to preserve a moderate appearance of stability.

Enoh Love

omg i'm sorry for the sudden tldr, she can talk forever about this i think qq

 

[Enoh Love]

If she could? There was something holding her back? She considered asking, but the topic had already shifted towards Petra, and Mimsy's work to cut her out of the picture. It was an interesting little story, but also somewhat frightening; Mimsy unseated Petra, and found it easy. Mimsy beckoned her to take a seat, and after a little glance around she simply parked herself on the ground, sitting on her knees in case she had to get up quickly.

It was a lot to take in. For the longest time she imagined them as a sort of power couple, simply because Robert was the brawn and Petra was the cold brains. Either she was wrong, or Mimsy was a lot more terrifying when there was something she wanted. Now that was interesting. So far, aside from her interest in disembowelling, she didn't seem like she was capable of what she was describing, and yet...here she was. It took her a moment to realize that she was being addressed, and when she did she raised her hands, waving them dismissively.

"No, she was never my ally. I hated her for hurting me and my friends. She hated me for disembowelling her husband." Amrita couldn't help but give a chuckle of a breath for the situation. "...But I liked her." She admitted, linking her fingers once more and tapping her thumbs together. "She was always honest with me, she didn't hide how much she hated me, and when I was on the island...she was the only person to honestly tell me why I was there. I respected that." But that of course wouldn't mean she would care about the politics between the two Hunter women past general curiousity.

Amrita watched Mimsy search her items, quietly observing the way she was putting what seemed like real thought into finding something to bargain with. Her word had kept Amrita peacefully here, but in all honesty it was the offer of the weapon that spoke volumes. Though they both knew it wouldn't end well, it was rather symbolic to still offer it. A Hunter wasn't much without their weapon, and she knew that. The story certainly didn't hurt her case either; hurting Robert had been one of her favourite things to do, once upon a time. She liked the way he bled.

"I trust you, Mimsy." She decided with a firm nod, speaking for the first time since she explained her feelings on Petra. Amrita relaxed the way she sat, leaning more on her hip now, her ankles crossed beside her, and after a moment she actually scooted closer like a giddy school girl. "Did he bleed excessively for you, too?"

Nothing Yet

 

[Nothing Yet]

Unsurprisingly, none of Mimsy's fellow hunters had inquired or spoken about Petra to such an extent. At one point, she suspected that it was possibly the result of a social restriction, some widespread indication of impolite behavior that she somehow never caught. The topic did typically fill her with pride, but these words felt strange through her mind. She wasn't sure what to think.

"I see. I appreciate your honest assessment." She chewed her lip and took time to process all of Amrita's comments, mentally itemizing and classifying, her reaction postponed until she was satisfied that there was no other answer. Once finished, she sighed and looked towards her again.

"Well! I suppose the most efficient way to progress this exchange is to briefly define the relevant differences between the two of us. From first to last, as I recall them: I will never intentionally harm you or your friends. I would prefer to make a more encompassing statement, but I simply cannot account for accidental injury. I do not consider any sentient being made of FEAR to be an enemy, unless they are insistent, which is a more relaxed policy than my guidelines for humans. I do not hate you for disemboweling my..."

Directly negating the previous statement wasn't really going to work here. With a hmm, she resolved to diverge just slightly.

"My Robert."

It barely eked across the line of acceptable, she guessed.

"There is a single similarity in your group of attributes. As long as I remain in conscious control of my mental functions, I will speak honestly to you. Trust is immensely valuable, and I would be foolish to squander yours. I can only hope that my trust is as valuable to you. I would prefer this to be fair."

Ensuring that fairness grew immediately difficult when Amrita asked about the bleeding. Her posture also shifted, her thin form bent towards her new friend. The position was more fitting for a preteen at a sleepover, but it was impossible to suppress her enthusiasm. When it finally reached her expression, she wore the look of a faux-jealous bff in the middle of gossiping about weekend hookups. The melodramatic groan that preceded her response continued to fit the part.

"No, he did not! I was forced to postpone my attempt, but it will unquestionably be worth it. Would you be willing to describe your experience? What makes you consider it excessive?"

Her eyes lit up. Any remaining questions could wait.

"Oh, I have a fantastic idea! You mentioned that you have been on the island before, correct? What was the nature of your visit, if I may ask?" She put her hands on her knees and leaned closer, smile wide. "If you would not be opposed to returning...and if you want to, I mean, as I would not want to presume...I could potentially show you the progress we have made. I am very proud of how rapidly he has advanced. Granted, I can only theorize until I view it for sure, but..."

For over a decade of lonely school years, Mimsy never had a friend, and she missed the prime for playdates and sleepovers as a result. She did not explicitly admit as much, but there was a good chance that it was evident in how incredibly overeager she had visibly become. Though the look was ill-fitting on her, it did not seem disingenuous, at least.

"Do you think that you might be interested in looking together?"

Enoh Love

 

[Enoh Love]

Amrita listened carefully to what Mimsy was telling her, though it took her a moment to realize that she was systematically going through the traits of Petra that she had admired. It was interesting to see the parallels that were being drawn between them, bringing her to the conclusion that if this were true and Mimsy was not lying, she was just like Petra. Aside from the blatant (but understandable) hostility. So far, the only mark against Mimsy personally was that she was a Hunter, and Amrita had decided long ago that they were all horrible creatures. Horrible creatures that had their uses, and some were genuinely nicer than others who only acted negatively to keep their commanding officers at bay, but horrible nonetheless.

"Trust is very valuable." On that she could agree. "I'm sure we can get along just fine. I don't have a reason to distrust you personally. You seem like a good person." For a Hunter, anyway. She felt that she could trust this one, but past experiences only made her suspicious; she would trust this woman enough for now, and see where it went. It wasn't like they were both expected to lay down their lives for each other right away, after all. All this was was two women trusting each other enough to be civil and attempt a strange sort of friendship.

Mimsy's excitement was as contagious as it was confusing, and Amrita found herself chuckling quietly as they chattered on like young school ghouls at a sleepover. "I'm sorry to hear that." And she was, she really was. It was remarkably fun, in a very strange way, to be this close and friendly to someone who by all accounts was meant to be her enemy. "There was just so much of it! I'm not sure what amount of blood is normal for a wound like that, though." She admitted sheepishly. "He was my first, so..." The ghoul trailed off, gesturing uselessly as she tried to explain it. "Nobody else seemed to bleed that much. But maybe, I don't know, that first time could've just been...more special? First nearly mortal wound...or something." She scratched at a couple of the stitches on her face with a backwards finger, her gaze off to the side. Perhaps she hadn't really paid attention to the bleeders after that...

Her thoughts were interrupted with Mimsy's offer; rather, for a moment, all thoughts ceased. Mimsy wanted her to go back to the island? For fun?! Amrita's shocked stare lasted for a few long moments, and once she had regained her composure enough to move, she dropped her gaze and shifted awkwardly, her arms coming up to hold herself tightly. She hadn't expected such an offer, especially one that sounded so very innocent and friendly, and she wasn't sure what to say. So she stayed silent for a couple long moments, putting her thoughts together for a quiet response.

"It wasn't a voluntary visit. They needed volunteers for new weapons. I was one of the very unwilling candidates. They did something to us after..." She trailed off with a shudder, still able feel that parasite on her core a year later. Her head shook then, slowly and sadly. "I'd like to go back, especially if it means reversing what's been done, but...that place still haunts me. I don't know if I could go back." She admitted, managing to sound apologetic. Though she had confronted Caelius about it and had spent quite a while trying to fix what had been done, being faced with it terrified her because she would be back in that horrible place, the enemy's base, by herself. When she continued to speak, it was in a strange, almost compulsive attempt to save the situation.

"But...even if I did go, I don't imagine I'd be received very well. You're the first to want me anywhere near your home base since my last visit." A low chuckle escaped her lips, unable to resist it; she'd done a lot of terrible things since then, tag or no tag.

Nothing Yet