Cassies Palace 10-0

[18:19]	<[GM]Mary>	After the shrink session with Valea & Enrica, Cassie was left alone to drink tea quietly and meditate on what she has uncovered. During this time, she remembers her request to speak with Krupskaya, and summons her in short order.
[18:21]	<[GM]Mary>	Krupskaya: You feel a strange urge to visit the coffee table in the lounge.
[18:25]	* Cassandra	waits patiently, sitting before said coffee table, drinking more of her bitter tea.
[18:30]	* [Atai]Krupskaya	has already been in there the whole time, and in fact pops up out of it; the tabletop lifting like a trapdoor.
[18:30]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	Yes, Especially Respected Comrade?
[18:30]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	I heard no words pour from your lips but felt a moving brainspark and so determined you had summoned me.
[18:30]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	No such methods are necessary, I assure you. The ears on my body work as great and strong as those of anyone in the Motherland. You need but call for me to appear, unless I do not.
[18:30]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	...Neither there nor gone, but only here: how may I assist you, Greater Comrade?
[18:31]	* [Atai]Krupskaya	hops up out of the table, shutting it, and stands to attention. Attentive attention.
[18:33]	* Cassandra	sighs. This might not be a good idea after all...
[18:33]	<Cassandra>	Greetings to you, too. Come here.
[18:34]	* Cassandra	sets down her tea and leaves an open palm next to her on the cushion.
[18:37]	* [Atai]Krupskaya	frowns a little, but goes there, all mini-sized; just the next step up from glowballing.
[18:39]	<Cassandra>	Put your forehead to my finger.
[18:39]	* [Atai]Krupskaya	complies.
[18:44]	<[GM]Mary>	Krupskaya: You feel a strange sensation, as if a cold drop of rain has fallen on your mind. With that trickle it sends, it sweeps away all the pains associated with mental exertion, overwhelming your senses momentarily. The feeling leaves you feeling slightly euphoric. After a few moments, this all fades away.
[18:47]	* [Atai]Krupskaya	shudders, then blinks, looking unsteady for a moment, upsizing to 12 inches in the process, before she gets ahold of herself, and looks at Cassandra.
[18:48]	<Cassandra>	...Hmm.
[18:49]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	...What... it was as though a dewdrop from Karlin's Winterland splashed upon me. What manner of enchantment is this, Greater Comrade?
[18:50]	* [Atai]Krupskaya	peers at Cassandra's finger intently, before looking back up at her.
[18:51]	* Cassandra	smirks, then takes back her cup of tea from the table, sipping it and holding it in her lap.
[18:51]	<Cassandra>	Just taking a look.
[18:51]	<Cassandra>	You're about as empty-headed as the other one.
[18:53]	* [Atai]Krupskaya	nods, not taking this as an insult.
[18:53]	<Cassandra>	But to be honest...
[18:53]	* Cassandra	speaks bluntly:
[18:53]	<Cassandra>	I was just making sure you weren't lying.
[18:54]	* [Atai]Krupskaya	looks a little disgusted, but nods, grudgingly.
[18:57]	<Cassandra>	I don't like learning a person's candor like that any more than you do, but the matter I've brought you here for is of great importance.
[18:58]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	Knowing now what I know of now and what went and was before We knew and know about the other and the things to be known, this is to be expected. Otherwise this would be an insult. However, your unfamiliarity with the mansion and the agreement between mine and yours... it is expected. The Greater Comrade is a highly troubled one; distrust runs with it hand in hand. I do not take your fears as a blow to my pride... not one that will not pass quickly, at least.
[19:00]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	So. Please continue, Greater Comrade, and worry not for me. What brims with great urgency?
[19:02]	<Cassandra>	I need you to watch, and to be aware of some things.
[19:04]	<Cassandra>	Normally I wouldn't ask this of anyone, but your nature and your mind tell me that you'd stubbornly and foolishly follow your beliefs without stopping to question them in the least. Admirable, in some respects.
[19:04]	<Cassandra>	Though it may get you killed. What's more, it may get me killed.
[19:07]	<Cassandra>	My proposition is that you help me with threats that may arise both outside the mansion... and within.
[19:07]	* [Atai]Krupskaya	nods.
[19:08]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	That is already my duty, Greater Comrade... though I shall admit that my focus had been more on the 'outer.' What troubles you from inside?
[19:11]	* Cassandra	sets down an empty tea cup, and folds her hands in her lap.
[19:11]	<Cassandra>	Now, I've taken a look in everyone's minds within these walls. None of them bear any thoughts of conspiracy against me. So, why bother worrying about it?
[19:13]	* [Atai]Krupskaya	thinks about it a moment.
[19:13]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	Intuition, or paranoia.
[19:13]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	Perhaps some of each.
[19:13]	* Cassandra	chuckles.
[19:14]	<Cassandra>	Paranoia is about what it sums up to, but there is a concrete reason behind it.
[19:15]	<Cassandra>	So I'll ask you another question. How many people in this world do you think possess the same abilities that I do?
[19:21]	* [Atai]Krupskaya	thinks a while, then speaks:
[19:21]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	There is no line between suspicion and paranoia that is visible by one person alone. Share with me what you wish, and I will light the way the best I may.
[19:21]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	...As for the question... I would not truly know. Perhaps one in six of my kin in the land around us are blessed by Karlin to hold unusual talents of varying degrees, but of all the humans in the world? I could not guess. However, since I was not instructed on the possibility of the new master possessing such a thing, I would guess 'not so many.'
[19:22]	<Cassandra>	Very few. I've met maybe one, and even then, I'm not so sure.
[19:23]	* [Atai]Krupskaya	nods.
[19:24]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	...Have you found another, or suspected one?
[19:24]	<Cassandra>	We'll get to that.
[19:24]	* Cassandra	continues:
[19:24]	<Cassandra>	Where do you think these people are, and what they do? Do you think they all just sit around in their houses like hermits, isolating themselves from society?
[19:37]	* [Atai]Krupskaya	thinks some more on that. Even though the seriousness of the circumstances take away from it a bit, it's kind of cute to see the little thing looking so pensive.
[19:41]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	...Human society is unlike the Glorious Society of The Workers, but.. knowing what I do, I would guess this:
[19:41]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	The responsible ones hide themselves and their talents away.
[19:41]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	The irresponsible ones are put down when they grow too unrestrained and inflict too much harm.
[19:42]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	But some of each are hidden away and controlled by those with power, so they may become like a hunting-hound, or a weapon.
[19:45]	<Cassandra>	You're right. For the most part.
[19:47]	<Cassandra>	The last one you mentioned came close to the scariest thing: if someone like me came into power. It's actually quite likely that that is the case for many countries, and is, in fact, very true for this one.
[19:48]	<Cassandra>	But I digress.
[19:49]	<Cassandra>	The problem is, I am part of the first, sought after by the third to either suffer the fate of the second... or join their ranks.
[19:50]	* [Atai]Krupskaya	's face darkens.
[19:50]	* Cassandra	folds her arms and knits her eyebrows.
[19:50]	<Cassandra>	The train incident has cast several eyes in my direction.
[19:51]	<Cassandra>	The only reason I have to believe I've met someone like myself somewhere is because I'm certain that someone knew it was me.
[19:52]	* [Atai]Krupskaya	tilts her head, a little confused.
[19:56]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	What do you mean? Is it like... someone has your scent?
[19:59]	<Cassandra>	Sort of. Someone probably knows about me, but their either too afraid to act on it, unable to act on it, or they are already. That's why I've considered an internal attack.
[20:02]	* [Atai]Krupskaya	nods slowly, considering this.
[20:02]	<Cassandra>	When I got out of the hospital, I had to face a jury of "peers" who wanted nothing more to convict me of being a crime against humanity. Every one of them was convinced that I'm a monster who's better off dead. They're probably right, but that's not the point. I was afraid for my life.
[20:04]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	......You have no evidence, then, but are attempting to predict the movements of those that would leash you, and account for the lack of discovering any?
[20:04]	* [Atai]Krupskaya	nods, understanding.
[20:04]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	You walk near the line, but certainly on the side of caution.
[20:04]	* Cassandra	shakes her head.
[20:04]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	Such fears are understandable... no?
[20:05]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	Many apologies. Please continue.
[20:07]	<Cassandra>	You're missing something here. Why the hell would anyone think I'm a killer unless someone else convinced them so? Despite my looks, I come from a well-respected family and I...usually... don't go around flaunting my nature. The recent developments have been a test, but I digress. In a normal person's eyes, I was a fourteen year old girl with no parents facing death for what appeared to be...
[20:07]	<Cassandra>	...an accident.
[20:09]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	...Mmm.
[20:10]	* [Atai]Krupskaya	frowns a bit, but nods understandingly.
[20:10]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	So for someone to know that you were responsible, they must have picked up this... 'scent.'
[20:11]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	whether from the incident itself, residue on the remains, or from what lingers on you. Or perhaps you leak.
[20:12]	<Cassandra>	It's less a scent and more of a name, face, age, phone number, address, dental records... Whatever documentation of me there is, they probably have it.
[20:12]	<Cassandra>	Which is what makes living here so dangerous.
[20:12]	<Cassandra>	More so than just me, at least.
[20:14]	<Cassandra>	But anyway, here's where the trial comes into play.
[20:16]	<Cassandra>	I'm in a room with a hundred people that want me to die. How do I avoid this fate?
[20:17]	* [Atai]Krupskaya	started to say something, but stopped, thinking. Then this new question comes along, and she thinks again for a moment, but not too long.
[20:21]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	The easiest solution would be to kill them all and escape.
[20:22]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	However, not only do you seem to abhor this method, it is not infinitely sustainable.
[20:22]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	You would collapse from exhaustion, succumb to madness, or be put down like a rabid animal.
[20:22]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	So... you hide it.
[20:22]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	But these people want you executed, da? They will ignore anything in favor of spilling your blood.
[20:23]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	The next course of action, then, is to run, conceal yourself from the world... out somewhere with the trees and the fairies for company?
[20:25]	<Cassandra>	Ah, but I'm still in the lion's den. There isn't any way out of this save for genocide or a "not guilty".
[20:25]	<Cassandra>	Since you seem unfamiliar with the whole ordeal, I'll just go ahead and tell you I was found not guilty on all charges held against me.
[20:26]	<Cassandra>	Oh well, I'll stop toying around and just tell you.
[20:26]	<Cassandra>	I changed their minds.
[20:34]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	...I was considering that as a fourth, but thought that you would not... well. In the circumstances, I suppose, you use whatever you can to throw the beast from your track.
[20:35]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	Is this, then what gave them the idea that-- no, it must have been known before, or else you would not have been the focus of such hatred.
[20:36]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	But this confirmed it beyond a doubt?
[20:37]	<Cassandra>	I told you you underestimate me. I am capable, and most likely have committed, any atrocities commonly associated with people like me. It's kind of ironic, really...
[20:38]	<Cassandra>	And yes. The most annoying thing is that I couldn't trace it back to anyone, and for that reason I suspect you and a few others in particular.
[20:39]	<Cassandra>	You may be here to kill me and not even know it.
[20:40]	* Cassandra	smirks, but otherwise looks bored, tired, and in distant thought.
[20:50]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	...I do indeed greatly respect your talents and their strength, Greater Comrade. But no matter one's capability, there is always an easy way to kill someone. Were I here to do that, I would have done it in your sleep. Or rather, it would have been done long before you got to the mansion. Rest assured, I would not, and literally cannot, carry out such a deed.
[20:50]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	However, if I may ask: what were you attempting to trace back?
[20:50]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	Those who set the furious mob upon your path?
[20:53]	<Cassandra>	Indeed. There are plenty of easy ways to kill me, most easily by beings that can't accept unnatural mental influence, beings affected by unnatural mental influence, beings capable of unnatural mental influence, or simply during my inactivity. Though, in time, the latter may become a lesser flaw.
[20:56]	<Cassandra>	I was looking for the first three. The large gap in your memory is quite troublesome.
[20:56]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	...I had meant more in the way of landmines buried in the drive up to this mansion, several weeks prior to your arrival, under cover of night.
[20:57]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	but... yes. my memory.
[20:58]	* [Atai]Krupskaya	smiles a little to herself and taps her head lightly, almost not even seeming to think about the motion.
[20:59]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	I do not know who I was or what I was before I became me. As unusual as it sounds, it does not trouble me much, however.
[20:59]	<Cassandra>	That's doubtful. Though not impossible, I have been keeping a mind's eye on this place. It dumbs down to "if they wanted to kill me before, they could have done it already." The place is surrounded by wolves from the Third War anyway.
[21:00]	<Cassandra>	But yeah. About you.
[21:01]	<Cassandra>	I have a little theory I've tested.
[21:02]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	Da?
[21:03]	<Cassandra>	I'm not completely certain of its validity in practice, but I believe that it's possible to program a person's mind to do something, wipe their mind clean, set them out at a location, and then "wake up" whatever prior motives they kept.
[21:11]	<Cassandra>	There are two people here that are amnesic, and you've both lost your memory at almost the same time. Both are the product of supernatural mental influence. Suspicious, don't you think?
[21:12]	<Cassandra>	So much so that I almost don't consider it because such a circumstance would draw such suspicion.
[21:14]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	...Under any other circumstances but my own, I would agree wholeheartedly.
[21:15]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	However, I am certain that there was nothing of the sort done to me.
[21:15]	* [Atai]Krupskaya	smiles and bows her head knowingly, though, adding:
[21:16]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	...but it is because of such certainty that I would be suspicious. Your worries are entirely logical.
[21:16]	* [Atai]Krupskaya	[that's "I" as in "if I were you"]
[21:18]	* Cassandra	sighs and shakes her head.
[21:31]	<Cassandra>	The things people like me can do are... phenomenally frightening. The shortest answer is that there's no way one can be completely sure if anything they know is real or not.
[21:33]	<Cassandra>	But I digress. Yet again.
[21:40]	<Cassandra>	Regardless of what mental influence you've been subjected to, there isn't much I could do about an invisible attack like that until it rears in. Well, I could always just kill everybody, but that's less than desirable.
[21:40]	<Cassandra>	What I want you to do is watch out for such a thing from others.
[21:41]	<Cassandra>	Like I said, from the surface, no one bears me any life or freedom-threatening ill will.
[21:42]	* [Atai]Krupskaya	nods.
[21:43]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	I understand, Greater Comrade. Although... what shall I watch for?
[21:45]	<Cassandra>	Heh. That's where things get complicated.
[21:45]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	Others that are... 'sleeping'? This is somewhat difficult to watch for, purely by its own nature.
[21:47]	<Cassandra>	I'm not entirely sure. There's not really a tell to it that I can discern, other than perhaps a sudden change in character. But people's emotions are fleeting, and what may be taken as threatening could just be someone under anxiety.
[21:48]	<Cassandra>	What I can tell you is what I know about them.
[21:49]	<Cassandra>	You can go ahead and scratch off both Isabella and Victoria. Don't even bother considering.
[21:50]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	...on the basis that they have had ample opportunity and time to do so?
[21:51]	<Cassandra>	On the basis that I personally trust them.
[21:53]	<Cassandra>	We'll talk more about Isabella after I tell you about the others.
[21:55]	<Cassandra>	Valea, the one like you, is a weak-willed individual and overall rather harmless looking.
[21:56]	<Cassandra>	However. She possesses necromantic powers of a sort. Something beyond my control over the mind.
[21:59]	* [Atai]Krupskaya	's eyebrows rise.
[21:59]	<Cassandra>	Even I can't hold power over the dead... It's something I mean to speak to her about.
[22:02]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	...extremely interesting. That is a very ...delicate subject in the Glorious Society. In responsible, disciplined hands, it is an invaluable talent used to aid the living, consult those who have passed on, and provide many other beneficial services. Used irresponsibly...
[22:03]	* [Atai]Krupskaya	shudders in revulsion.
[22:03]	<Cassandra>	Exactly.
[22:04]	<Cassandra>	I don't think she's particularly dumb or malicious, but she's just as naive as I once was. Perhaps I still am...
[22:05]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	A potential risk that lies undisturbed for now?
[22:05]	* Cassandra	sighs, and slouches in the sofa, holding her head up on its arm.
[22:06]	* [Atai]Krupskaya	moves a little closer.
[22:07]	<Cassandra>	Yeah.
[22:08]	<Cassandra>	Leave her to me, for now. But keep an eye on her.
[22:09]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	As you say, Greater Comrade. What of the others?
[22:11]	<Cassandra>	Hmm... There's Enrica, but she appears pretty normal, with a strong mind and a firm set of beliefs.
[22:11]	<Cassandra>	Only strange thing is the machine gun...
[22:12]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	strong mind, strong beliefs, strong weapon?
[22:12]	* [Atai]Krupskaya	smiles a little at that.
[22:13]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	What I know of the art of being a maid is that it does not often require wartime ordnance.
[22:13]	<Cassandra>	I suppose. Having something like that just -around- kind of worries me, though.
[22:14]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	...However, the job of protecting you may very well necessitate such a weaponry, in the most dire of circumstances. Such weaponry, and possibly worse.
[22:15]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	Nevertheless, it is a valid point. Shall I inquire gently?
[22:20]	<Cassandra>	If it ever comes up, just tell her to keep it hidden. God forbid Izzy ever get her hands upon such a thing.
[22:22]	* [Atai]Krupskaya	's expression does not change, but she twitches unpleasantly at the idea.
[22:24]	* Cassandra	exhales ruefully again, and lies down on the sofa.
[22:25]	<Cassandra>	I don't know what to do about Tabitha... Her head is like a piece of paper.
[22:28]	<Cassandra>	It's true that she's my half-sister, though.
[22:30]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	...I suspect her more than anyone of some kind of plot. Perhaps I am biased, but attempting to conceal a bloody knife does not do wonders for one's reputation in my eyes.
[22:32]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	As for her personal character... she is like the arctic wind: Cold and relentless, but no less driven. I am in awe of her resilience.
[22:36]	<Cassandra>	What I find worrying is how malleable she is. Anyone who could use powers of the mind could turn her into a slave pretty easily. Might be why she's so... well, like you said.
[22:39]	<Cassandra>	She may change suddenly. Keep an eye out for that.
[22:42]	* [Atai]Krupskaya	nods an affirmative. Not too hard, she muses. All she would have to watch out for is any actual emotion, after all.
[22:45]	<Cassandra>	As for the others...
[22:46]	<Cassandra>	Like I said, don't worry about Victoria. I have my own reasons to trust her.
[22:46]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	...As you say.
[22:47]	<Cassandra>	And I love Isabel. She's been my friend for as long as I can remember. I'd rather die than suspect her.
[22:48]	<Cassandra>	What that means for you is this: If anything bad ever happens, she takes priority. Period. If anything happened to her, it would be just as well as killing me. So above all, protect her.
[22:48]	* [Atai]Krupskaya	nods slowly.
[22:49]	<[Atai]Krupskaya>	Very well, Greater Comrade.