RITA CATCHALL

[divineimpulse]

Comments

[overlimit]

[she sips it...

... it's good! turns out rita's pretty fond of sweet flavors.]

Right... another random abduction, I assume.

[divineimpulse]

Right.

We went to the top floor, and met a man there who gave us microphones—they amplify noises—and told us they were special tools—and sent us out into the world. Except, he wanted to talk to me for a moment.

And then I don't remember anything until I woke up in a room with Caleb. For some reason, I had a concussion.

[overlimit]

Microphones...? Weird.

[she'll munch on one of these snacks.]

Then what?

[divineimpulse]

[it's a tasty cookie!]

Then we battled each other by saying lyrical, rhyming words into the microphones.

[overlimit]

... Excuse me?

[divineimpulse]

I know.

[she sips her tea.]

The words became attacks, and the attacks almost killed us.

[overlimit]

That's what caused those injuries!?

[divineimpulse]

That's what caused the injuries.

[overlimit]

[...

she sips the tea.

...]

I hate trying to make sense of things that happen here.

[divineimpulse]

[she nods, and sips her own tea.]

I understand.

[overlimit]

Was there any kind of... end goal to this? A "winner" or a prize or whatever?

[divineimpulse]

[...]

There was blackmail.

[overlimit]

On who?

[divineimpulse]

On all of us.

They were threatening our loved ones.

[overlimit]

[... oh.]

That... that's screwed up. So what, you had to go through all that just so something worse wouldn't happen instead?

[divineimpulse]

Right.

But it was an illusion.

[overlimit]

So the harm to you guys was real, but the threat to your loved ones was fake?

[divineimpulse]

[she nods. that's about the size of it!]

We also obtained something. Have you seen it?

[overlimit]

[she kinda grimaces...]

Was it... that daycare sheet?

[divineimpulse]

Correct.

What do you think?

[overlimit]

Th... they're just mocking us, obviously! That's all!

[she's being really defensive for some reason?]

[divineimpulse]

Mocking us how?

[overlimit]

Just look at it! The names of the dead, on something stupid like that...? They're just screwing with us.

[divineimpulse]

[she opens up the image on her screen, and stares at it for a moment.

...]

I think it's hopeful.

[overlimit]

... Don't tell me you buy that "maybe they're kicking around somewhere else" idea?