Magical Girl Jess: The Jessie Variant

[Corwin]

<--->

[13:13] <Ui> San Francisco is as Jessie remembers it. Can this truly be a different world? A world where she can start over? Even the ever-present fog of late June is familiar, beckoning for Jessie to accept this place as her home. But she cannot be rash. Doctor Smith warned against rash actions, and without Doctor Smith, where would she be? Going from quack to charlatan, mocked and tricked. She would be ordinary. She would be cursed and with no way to escape.
[13:15] * Jessie tears up slightly, then slaps herself back to her senses. There's no time to reminisce - she has work to do before she can take the place she deserves. Still, there can't be any harm in taking a look around the old house, right...? Just to check if it's still there.
[13:19] <Ui> It's early enough that no one is sharing the view of the city with Jessie. None can see her lapse into weakness. She is anything but, and if she doubted that, Doctor Smith had drawn out the power that is her birthright. The power to breach the dimensional barriers and do so much more... the raw 'magic', as he called it, of the very creation. How ironic is it, that this magic cannot conquer death? That for all of its brute power, having taken this step, Jessie cannot ever go back? The trip is one way. Can you accomplish another without the Doctor's assistance? If this world doesn't hold her future, what will there be left for she who abandoned her past?
[13:23] * Jessie shivers slightly at the thought, but quickly stops. There really was nothing to lose in New York - no friends, no family, no dreams. She had never been Jessica Morrow, and she never would be. No use in worrying about the consequences of failure if it would stop her from actually doing her job. With all this power, eliminating the Jessica of this dimension will be pitifully simple. She
[13:23] * Jessie just needs to find the right time to get her on her own.
[13:28] <Ui> At this hour, where else could she be but at her house, happy and oblivious? Unless she, too, is cursed. Can the curse gripping Jessie be so insidious that it crosses the dimensional boundaries themselves? But there is only one way to definitely answer that; she can travel on foot, regardless of the distance, or run on the rooftops, making boosted jumps from one to the other. Actual flight might be spotted, even at such an hour.
[13:31] * Jessie goes for the rooftops. There's something about the feeling of leaping between buildings with a single bound that makes her heart soar. Probably just adrenaline, but she's hardly complaining.
[13:33] <Ui> The initial jump is the flashiest one, but Jessie picks a spot where she can't be easily overseen. Ghostly wings overlap her shoes each time she pushes off the edge of a rooftop, and she soars across, time after time. She cannot fall, and she cannot fail. This power, before which even the very barriers of creation have fallen, has no equal.
[13:36] * Jessie smirks to herself, resisting the urge to call out to the masses and give everything away. She feels like a cat, almost - spry and agile, conquering every obstacle laid in front of her. It feels only fair to receive power like this after all she's been through - she earned this through blood, sweat, and tears, unlike whatever Jessica has been slouching her way through life here.
[13:42] <Ui> Just a few more jumps-- there! She can see it in the distance, exactly as she remembered. A two-story house, white and pristine, and for a moment, Jessie's memory imposes upon her reality. She can see her mother opening the door, stepping aside as Matt rushes past. Jessica -- her young self -- is calling something after him, Patty hiding behind her and clutching to the back of her shirt. Her father isn't in; he would already be at work. And through it all, her mother smiles gently.
[13:42] <Ui> The vision fades, and it is as if all the light in the world dims as well.
[13:46] * Jessie trembles on the rooftop. It's a sight she's waited six years to see, and the wave of nostalgia is enough to bring her to her knees. Only now does the magnitude of her achievement reach her - she's really found a way to take her life back, make everything right again. There's only one loose end she needs to take care of...for now, though, she'll have to wait for an opening.
[13:47] <Jessie> Jessica won't leave for a couple of hours, and then she'll - oh crap, what's the way to high school here? She never needed to know it before. And does she have her own car? What if she takes the bus? Getting seen by that many people will never work out. This is suddenly beginning to look a lot harder...
[13:55] <Ui> Sitting on a rooftop at the early hours of morning is cold, whether in New York or San Francisco. Why can't her magic help with that? As she shivers yet again, Jessie finally sees the lights go on at the ground floor. It's... briefly, she forgets the location, but then it comes back to her in a rush. The kitchen!
[13:57] * Jessie pulls her head over the railing, looking inside intently. Will Mom be making breakfast at this hour? Maybe not for 'her', per se, but surely for Patty. Matt...he never really attended breakfast as much as he made guest appearances at the table.
[14:05] <Ui> She spots her father instantly. Older, more dignified, but still inescapably that same man who would talk to her about justice and tried his best to keep her safe.
[14:07] * Jessie can't resist staying this far away. She figures no-one is going to look up, so she tries to make her way onto her old house's roof...maybe see if she can overhear a conversation. She can still just about hear their voices in her head...
[14:10] <Ui> Gravity takes hold of her as soon as she is airborne, trying to bring her down. Her magic resists, and as always, it emerges victorious in this context. Jessie lands on the roof  so lightly she barely taps her feet against the surface.
[14:10] <Ui> It is brighter outside, now, but still early enough in the morning that she is very unlikely to be spotted.
[14:12] * Jessie gives the middle finger to no-one in particular. Screw gravity! She puts her head to the roof, seeing how much noise travels up from beneath her.
[14:14] <Ui> "Is it morning already?" a female voice asks sleepily from Jessie's old room. "Jessie, where did you go?"
[14:17] * Jessie is shocked for a moment, but decides to keep listening...maybe the work's already been done for her? Maybe the Jessica in this universe is already gone?!
[14:18] <Ui> There is shuffling. Perhaps someone is dressing? Jessie can't tell much from simply listening.
[14:19] * Jessie grits her teeth. She can't afford to take risks, not this early on! Where's Doctor Smith when she needs him?!
[14:23] <Ui> As she dawdles, Jessie catches some yelled snippets of conversation from the ground floor. Something about eight? Doctor Smith lived on the eighth street, her brain reminds her uselessly, back in New York in the old universe.
[14:26] * Jessie ponders for a moment...no, that's absurd. Even if there is a Doctor Smith in this universe, he'll be in New York, won't he?
[14:37] <Ui> More sounds begin to fill the house, making it difficult for Jessie to focus on anyone in particular. The residents appear to be waking up and moving about their morning activities.
[14:41] * Jessie does what she can anyway. She needs this, she's been waiting for this for years, and she's going to savour every little tidbit she can pickup.
[14:46] <Ui> Her mother is vocal. She recognizes that voice almost instantly. Once she catches on, it is easy to spot her father's curt responses, too. Nothing from Patty, nothing from Matt. Unless the girl in her old room is Patty? Has she grown up so much that she is now unrecognizeable to Jessie?
[14:47] * Jessie is frightened now. Needing to rest her fears, she pokes her head through the window to see who's inside...
[14:51] <Ui> Short, messy hair. Casual clothes that look like her mother picked them out for her. Jessie had known many such kids in school, watched them squirm with hidden delight-- Jay?!
[14:51] <Ui> Not noticing her in the window, Jessica Hawthorne finishes dressing up and moves over to the dresser, comb in hand.
[14:52] * Jessie leans back up, enawed. She hasn't changed at all, has she...? But then, if Jay is there, then where is 'she'?
[14:54] <Ui> The front door closes, and looking down, Jessie spots her father once more. He walks towards his car, parked just outside, a briefcase in hand.
[14:57] <Jessie> It's just like she remembers. The time has shifted her outlook of her father - now she sees him almost as a knight in shining armour, smiting down criminals with the power of justice. She watches him leave with something resembling respect.
[15:00] <Ui> He drives off, to punish the guilty in the arcane manner of governmental lawyers. Briefly after, an argument seems to break out in the kitchen.
[15:01] * Jessie leaps down from the rooftop, landing to the side of the kitchen window.
[15:06] * Jessie needs to readjust her tank-top after she lands. Apparently physics hasn't quite let go of its grip on her. She catches her denim pants on a weed she doesn't remember ever being there, and resists the urge to swear about it.
[15:08] <Ui> The window is closed, but the shades are drawn off. From her vantage view, it is a simple matter to glance inside. Two people occupy the kitchen, one seated, one standing, and it is to the latter that Jessie's eyes are instantly drawn!
[15:08] <Ui> A bit on the tall side, wearing blue jeans along with sneakers and a small blue denim jacket. A tank top that bears her midriff a little is below, announcing 'BELIEVE IT' to the world in large red letters. Her blonde hair's done up in a ponytail, and a glass of juice is in her hands. There can be no mistake! This is the Jessica Fields of this universe!
[15:10] <Ui> The woman laughs, then, smiling at Jessica with pride.
[15:10] * Jessie has to resist to attack right now. Not while there's someone else in the room. Still, even looking at this girl makes her feel ill - so laidback and easy while she had to go through six years of suffering! What gave her the right to be happy?!
[15:12] <Ui> The older woman -- Susan, her mother, Jessie can now tell -- laughs anew, and places two pancakes on a plate, which she then offers to Jessica.
[15:15] * Jessie has to be content with listening in. She wants it to be HER that Susan is talking to, HER that gets treated like a daughter again. Maybe she'd have to go through an 'accident', wiping her memory of the last six years or so, but she'd do it.
[15:16] <Ui> Jessica says something, and Susan looks sad.
[15:18] <Jessie> Making her mother frown? Jessie can barely believe this girl is supposed to be her.
[15:20] <Ui> Another exchange, and her mother wheels herself out. Wheels?! On a second glance, Jessie realizes that the woman is in a wheelchair. And then, Jessica is left alone in the kitchen.
[15:23] * Jessie is horrified at the sight. What happened to her?! An accident? Surely she'll find some way to help, some way to heal it - but now isn't the time! This is her opening! She can't do the deed here, though - she has to get Jessica well away and take care of her where she won't be found...!

<--->

[15:27] <Jessica> Jessica looks up with a sharp scream! She's holding a fork with a half-eaten piece of waffle in it, and stares into her double's features with wide, uncomprehending eyes.
[15:29] * Jessie doesn't have time to waste, and swings at her alter ego with enough force to knock her clean out! Can't have her screaming all the way out, after all!
[15:34] <Ui> Jessica can't possibly avoid this attack. Even if she weren't still waking up, augmented with magic, Jessie's fist is assured to land the hit. As it finds Jessica's temple, the blonde's world goes dark! Jessie finds herself unable to follow through, however, as she staggers suddenly, spots dancing on the edge of her vision!
[15:34] <Ui> "Jessica? Honey, what's wrong?" Susan calls over.
[15:35] * Jessie grimaces, does her best to grab the unconscious Jessica and haul her out of the window!
[15:37] <Ui> Jessica dropped to the floor, she knows that much from the thump she heard. It's hard to see, and even harder to focus. Kneeling down, she fights vertigo and gropes for her double, while others appear to be approaching the kitchen!
[15:39] <Jessie> "Gh, hah...the hell?!" By this point Jessie realises she doesn't have time for this anymore, and has to spend her effort on getting herself out without detection!
[15:40] <Ui> The window is much easier to spot due to the difference in the volume of light. It hurts her eyes, but Jessie relies on that and pushes the pain away, clearing out of the house with a jump!

<--->

[15:41] <Ui> She finds herself outside, and the world is blurry while her head protests. The neighbors aren't out, she thinks, but keeping upright is a constant struggle.
[15:43] * Jessie gets as far as she can from the house before blurting out every profanity she can. It feels like it was her who took the punch, if anything. What the hell is going on here...?
[15:47] <Ui> As soon as Jessie finds a spot to collapse at, she feels the urge to throw up. The world continues to spin, and she isn't sure she would be able to stand up again, if she had to.
[15:48] * Jessie figures that if she's out of sight, she may as well just rest. That hurt like hell...

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

[14:12] <Ui> Motoric control returns to Jessie long before her mind truly recovers from that disastrous assault, and she finds herself walking through San Francisco's streets. None of those she passes gives her the time of day, making her experience quite well how it is to be all alone in a crowd. As she walks, one foot before the other and repeat ad nauseum, Jessie spots an advertisement for a magician, Smith the Amazing. The name is common enough, but the face staring back at her is unmistakenly that of her erstwhile guide.
[14:13] <Jessie> "...Either my head is reeeeeally screwed up, or he really is stalking me." Jessie wasn't sure if she was making the journey alone, but in her current situation she could definitely use the help. She looks up the venue for this generically-named trickster.
[14:17] <Ui> The office is listed as being somewhere on Eighth street; Jessie is certain she can make her way there on foot even without relying on her magical strength.
[14:19] * Jessie chuckles. This guy apparently has octophilia or something. She walks casually to Eighth Street, trying not to making it obvious to passers by that her head is still pounding.
[14:21] <Ui> Upon reaching her destination, a simple door with a hand pulling a rabbit out of a hat by its cartoonish ears, Jessie's head has largely cleared. The pain would need some heavy-duty painkillers, but she is as lucid as ever, at least.
[14:24] * Jessie knocks lightly.
[14:25] <Ui> "Welcome!" a female voice announces brightly. The door is flung open; a woman in her early twenties is on the other side, clad as a bunnygirl. She smiles brightly, stepping aside and gesturing within.
[14:27] <Jessie> "Eep." Jessie can't hide her shock, but slowly steps into the building. "I, uh, assume you don't fit into a hat?"
[14:29] <Ui> "She can indeed," the familiar voice of Doctor Smith speaks. Jessie spots him by a small kitchen to the side of the office; dressed as a stage magician, complete with top hat, he is getting himself a cup of espresso. "I am Smith the Amazing, and this is Barbie, my lovely assistant. How may we help you?"
[14:31] <Jessie> "Barbie? Is that a stage name, or do you have a Ken waiting in the wings?" Jessie isn't sure how much the assistant knows about the situation, and looks to Smith confused.
[14:32] <Ui> "It's California," the two respond in tandem. As if sensing her apprehension, Smith sweeps his arm through the office, even as his assistant closes the door. "She has my full confidence."
[14:34] <Jessie> "Then why the hell have I never met her? You haven't been to this place before, have you?"
[14:35] <Ui> "Hmm?" Smith asks, frowning ever so slightly. "Pardon, my dear, but can you explain? I am a wizard, after all, and not a mind reader."
[14:38] * Jessie blinks. "Ah. Y'know, I think I might have made a mistake with this after all...sorry, probably thought you were someone else." Jessie nudges over to the door, muttering an apology.
[14:42] <Ui> His top hat flies across the room, perfectly tossed to land atop the blonde assistant. It makes a perfect landing, but then, it suddenly drops to the ground in the time Jessie blinks. "Ta-da!" Smith exclaims with flourish, gesturing with his cup. "My demonstration of authencity. Would you be a dear and hand me my hat back?"
[14:44] * Jessie flinches. "And here I was thinking you were just some kooky theology professor who struck gold..." She picks up the hat and hands it back over to him, slightly lost. She wonders if maybe that hit did more damage to her than she had thought.
[14:46] <Ui> A rabbit peeks out of the hat as she hands it over, and Smith shakes the hat slightly to make it drop within its folds once more, before deftly placing it atop his head. "Ah, excellent," he says, sipping his coffee. "So, then, how might I be of service to you?"
[14:48] <Jessie> "OK, I need some stuff cleared up. You ARE the Smith who helped me get here, right? Or did you decide at some point not to move to New York in this continuum?"
[14:48] <Ui> "In a sense, I have always been here," Smith happily responds.
[14:50] <Jessie> "...What are you?"
[14:53] <Ui> "But a humble wizard!" He drinks more of his espresso, placing the half-empty cup on a table against which he is now leaning afterwards. "Yet you have stumbled upon my abode, and as such, you must be a special individual in need of my help!"
[14:55] * Jessie sighs, eventually giving up on understanding this guy. "OK, look. Strange question, but I figure you're enough of a maniac to have an answer for me. If I were to go into another dimension and, uh, punch my alternate self in the face really really hard, what would happen?"
[14:59] <Ui> "Why, considering how hard you punched her, you would die!" he responds pleasantly. "You would, after all, be the same person in the same dimension. If one's life were to end, the universe wouldn't much like it for there to be errors creeping up, now would it?"
[15:00] * Jessie widens her eyes. "What?! But that...that makes no sense. Does that mean we'd both die at the same time no matter what happens, or is it just with each other...?"
[15:03] <Ui> "Mmm." He rubs his stubble-free chin thoughtfully. "Think of it as casting a stone into a lake. The ripples of the death would spread, and eventually cover the entire surface. Certainly, they would take time to travel across the distance, but eventually it wouldn't matter one bit where you would be."
[15:05] <Jessie> "...Ah. Goddammit, I never got told about that..." Jessie looks suddenly downbeat as she rubs at her head, still wincing a little.
[15:06] <Jessie> "Great. So I can't get rid of her, and I probably can't even go home now. What bullshit."
[15:06] <Ui> "Then this wasn't a hypothetical question?" Smith asks, smiling again in quite the carefree manner.
[15:09] <Jessie> "Well, considering that it was you from some other dimension that got me here in the first place, I figured you wouldn't have any moral issues with the matter."
[15:13] <Ui> "None whatsover!" Smith agrees happily. "Did you really come here simply to punch another you in the face really hard?"
[15:17] <Jessie> "Of course not. I figured that sitting back and having a crappy life in general while some other me sat back and got to live in some goddamn paradise was plain bullshit. Bullshit I was looking to correct, but...apparently it doesn't work that way."
[15:18] <Ui> "So you just want a better life, I take it?"
[15:20] <Jessie> "Well, unless you know how to take care of whatever it is that gets everyone I care about killed, it's all I can ask for."
[15:23] <Jessie> "I don't suppose a magican like you knows anything about curses, do you...?" Jessie sounds almost resigned as she speaks.
[15:27] <Ui> "Curses? How quaint." Smith straightens up. "Of course I could do something about such inconveniences."
[15:29] <Jessie> "Then tell me. Professional opinion as a magician or a psychic or whatever the hell you are. Am I cursed?"
[15:29] <Ui> "Duh."
[15:32] <Jessie> "Then what do I need to do to get rid of it? Hell, CAN I get rid of it?"
[15:33] <Ui> "Not a problem!" Smith is all too happy to respond. "The easiest method is to transfer it to someone else. I think you have just the person in mind, don't you?"
[15:36] * Jessie blinks. "But...well, if I curse HER so that everyone around her dies, that kinda means no-one left for me."
[15:37] <Ui> "Any curse starts slow, and targets those nearby. That's what your problem sounds like, isn't it? That you want to take her place, and be rid of your burden so you could enjoy it?"
[15:40] <Jessie> "Well yeah, but what do I do after that? If I can't kill her, I can hardly ask her nicely to go away. And how do I pass this thing on, anyway?"
[15:44] <Ui> "A difficult pair of questions!" Smith acknowledges. "For the former, how about you dump her in a Tukish prison? It is not, I'm afraid, any of my business, and only happens to be limited by your imagination. With the latter, however, I can offer my services! First, I will require something of hers, an object she is frequently in contact with, such as her favorite clothing or a lucky pen she always writes with. Once this focal point had been retrieved, we can move on to the next step of the magical ritual."
[15:48] <Jessie> "Hm. Now, that's something a little more within my range. Guess I'm gonna need to do some research to figure out what would work. As for the prison...well, I can cross that bridge when I come to it."
[15:49] * Jessie decides it's probably a bad idea to return to the house. No doubt Jessica will be watching for her after her first failed attempt. Maybe the school would offer her better results?
[15:49] <Jessie> "What sorta payment are you expecting for this, by the way?"
[15:50] <Ui> "Since I'm doing you a favor," Smith says in response, smiling, "it is only fair to receive in kind, won't you say?"
[15:51] <Jessie> "...What do you expect me to be able to help you with?"
[15:52] <Ui> "I can't rightly say, but there is always a chance you could help me with something one day, now is there?"
[15:53] * Jessie is slightly unnerved, but help is help. "Fine. Any ally I can get here will do."
[15:54] <Ui> Smith claps his hands. "Lovely!"
[16:01] * Jessie figures she needs a disguise, but she can't exactly pay for a new look with no money. She takes a walk down some dark alleys nearby in the hope of walking into undesirables.
[16:05] <Ui> It takes Jessie the better part of an hour. An alley she steps into turns out to be a dead end, and as she turns, twilight settling in, she doesn't have trouble spotting three teens step in afer her, cutting off any retreat.
[16:06] <Jessie> "Evening, guys. What're you doing out so late? I'm sure your mommies must be real worried."
[16:09] <Ui> The one to the back peers at Jessie strangely, but the first two suddenly rush her!
[16:11] * Jessie shrugs, simply punching them one at a time as they approach. Small fry, but hopefully with big wallets.
[16:14] <Ui> One of the thugs runs straight into Jessie's outstreched fist, flipping gracelessly to drop the ground. Her return backhand slams the other's head into the wall, down which he slowly slides, out cold. The remaining teen at the edge of the alley drops something, and then dashes the short distance out, rounding the corner.
[16:15] <Jessie> "Hm?" Jessie figures the two she's taken out are no threat, so picks up the dropped trinket before getting to work on her pickpocketing.
[16:18] <Ui> It is a switchblade, light glinting off the exposed edge. Jessie pockets it, before rooting through the pockets of her would-be assailants. The haul is not something she can live on, but she could treat herself to some cheap clothes and dinner at a fast-food joint, she figures.
[16:20] * Jessie heads off to a nearby store to find something to wear. She figures that she needs to look as different from her counterpart as possible, but insists on making no permanent changes. She needs to be able to take back the role of Jessica eventually, after all.
[16:21] <Ui> Jessie manages to get something her counterpart would never have been caught in, judging by what little she knows. It is getting late, as she can see from being the store's last customer before it closes.
[16:26] * Jessie completes her ensemble, coming out with new wash-out streaks of red in her hair and a denim jacket with a few rips in the side for good measure. A short black skirt completes the look, and while she is hardly going to think herself the pinnacle of fashion she figures it at least makes her stand out.
[16:26] <Jessie> "Now, two questions. Where am I gonna eat, and where am I gonna sleep...?"
[16:29] * Jessie figures a fast food store will do for dinner, and heads to a local branch of one of the mega-corps whose food tastes of nothing.

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

[13:46] <Ui> Jessie's powers are absolute, yet there are areas where they fail entirely to defend her. Thus, it is with a pain in the neck that refuses to go away that she leaves the all-night movie theater she sought out for a sheltered nap and makes her way towards her alternate's school. It is a nice enough campus, reasonably clean and loudly decorated; it also seems fairly quiet. Aside from the students Jessie can see here and there, probably in summer classes or a clue or two, it is all but abandoned.
[13:47] <Jessie> "Gah." Jessie cricks her neck, stepping casually towards the school. (Are the students present in uniform?)
[13:49] <Ui> The school doesn't have a dress code that Jessie can divine from the sparse sample. At the moment, the main entrance is empty, as far as she can tell.
[13:50] * Jessie casually steps in, imagining no-one will care enough to recognise her. She starts looking around for classes, seeing if she could find either Jessica herself or any of her old friends.
[13:54] <Ui> The first classroom she discreetly peers into from the hallway is empty. So is the next one. And the next one. As Jessie heads down the corridor, persisting in checking out the rooms it leads to, she finally comes across one that appears to have a class going. Her double isn't in attendance, and as for her friends... he's large, seated in the corner of the room, his posture carefully cultivated to give the teacher the illusion of his attention, but Jessie can tell his heart isn't into the class. She can tell, because it has to be Keith, all grown up.
[13:56] * Jessie tries to figure out what class she's about to walk into before she enters. Better chance of avoiding suspicion that way.
[13:59] <Ui> Judging by the blackboard, some sort of history lesson, Jessie figures. Keith glances towards the hallway, his eyes falling on Jessie, and he blinks, peering closer.
[14:00] * Jessie realises she's outstayed her welcome in the hallway, and quickly makes her way in. She sits right next to Keith, whispering to him "Don't say you've fallen for me already. I hear that plenty of times."
[14:01] <Ui> "What are you doing here?" he whispers back, before his eyes drift higher. "And what did you do to your hair?"
[14:03] <Jessie> "Eh? Oh, I get it, this is one of those deja vu moments. You think I look familiar or something?"
[14:04] <Ui> Keith gives Jessie an incredulous look.
[14:06] * Jessie pauses...then sighs. "C'mon, Keith. What's wrong with wanting to look a little different? Just playin' with you a little."
[14:07] <Ui> "Whatever." He shrugs. "So what are you doing here? Don't you have to get ready?"
[14:08] <Jessie> "Eh, it can't take that long, can it?" Jessie tries to wean information out of Keith without making it clear she's shooting in the dark...
[14:10] <Ui> Keith doesn't respond, pretending to pay attention to the teacher when the man's gaze washes over them. "Longer than you think, if you get caught and stuck in detention. Hey, do you think they have detention now?"
[14:11] <Jessie> "They? Gonna have to be more precise than that. Lotsa kids ending up in detention these days. Place is clamping down."
[14:13] <Ui> "Great," he mutters drolly. "Best way to spend a vacation ever."
[14:16] * Jessie sighs. "Any other plans, then?"
[14:18] <Ui> "Not getting detention. Going to your gig." He glances sideways at Jessie. "Unless you don't want me there."
[14:20] <Jessie> Gig? So this Jessica made it in music after all. "No, feel free to show up. Just not sure what the point is, given you'd probably have a helluva better time listening to someone like Matt."
[14:21] <Ui> "Riiight."
[14:22] * Jessie sighs. "Look, sorry for being so down. I just...I think I've lost it. Y'know." Psychological stab-in-the-dark number 2 is a go.
[14:24] <Ui> "You do seem kinda weird," Keith agrees, another glance sent Jessica's way.
[14:24] <Ui> "Miss... Fields?" the teacher calls from the front of the class. The gathered students turn in their seats, peering at her. "Might I ask what you are doing in my classroom?"
[14:26] <Jessie> "Oh, don't mind me. Just giving some moral support to my bestest buddy in the world." Jessie sees a chance to earn her other self some unpopularity, and cashes in immediately.
[14:28] <Ui> "Gee, thanks," Keith mutters.
[14:28] <Ui> "Rowen, see me after class," the teacher says in the meantime. "Fields, wait in the hallway."
[14:29] * Jessie shrugs, casually leaving the room and promptly walking down the hallway.
[14:34] <Ui> No other rooms have classes going on, that much Jessie can tell from scouring the ground floor of the main building. She does come across a poster, however. End of school party, blowing off some steam, big yard -- the poster is juvenile, yet lovable at the same time, made by someone going by John the Elder.
[14:35] <Jessie> "Hm." Jessie examines the Big Yard in question.
[14:36] <Ui> It's a yard, it looks pretty roomy. An address is helpfully provided, as one might expect with a school-approved poster that would not dare to invite just a priveleged few and discriminate against others.
[14:40] * Jessie takes a trip to the address given, then. If the party's not for a while, she might have enough time to 'tweak' the equipment.
[14:42] <Ui> The ad did not do the yard any justice. It is even roomier than expected, though the only equipment Jessie spots there are speakers and audio and power cables running to them.
[14:43] <Jessie> That will be enough, she thinks to herself. Before trying anything, she examines the yard for anyone standing around, and any exits in the upward direction should she need to make THAT sort of escape.
[14:46] <Ui> There is a hedge fence around it that would not prevent someone with her special skills from jumping over it and making her escape. The yard itself has amateur caterers in it, four-- ah, there's a fifth coming out of the house. They're working on setting up tables off on the sides.
[14:48] <Jessie> The plan is settled, then! These speakers won't be any use without the cables connecting them, and Jessie starts on her 'borrowing' of the wires while the caterers are distracted. She uses the speakers themselves as cover, ready to leap over the fence behind her after she's taken all the wires she can carry.
[14:50] <Ui> Disconnecting the cables or even tearing them apart while remaining hidden from the caterers should be well within Jessie's abilities, although gathering up the mass of cables snaking all over the yard is bound to be noticed, she quickly realizes as she ducks behind the first of the dispersed speakers.
[14:52] * Jessie mutters to herself, then comes to a compromise. She leaves the remainder of the cables as they are, but makes tiny cuts in the wires in places that would be difficult to see without looking intently.
[14:55] <Ui> The power she possesses is just as destructive and overwhelming in small doses as it is in all-out explosions. Covering her hands in it, Jessie slashes at the cables as if she were using a scalpel, and the insulation as well as the insides it strives to protect are no match for it.
[14:57] * Jessie allows herself a proud smirk at this. After she's damaged enough wires for the system to need a full rewiring, she makes her way back out the yard, smiling to herself.
[15:00] <Ui> "Love what you've done with the hair," a girl calls out to her. Blue worn-down jeans, a leather jacket over a purple T-shirt that matches her lipstick, a metal chain peeking out of her right jacket pocket. She also happens to be blocking Jessie's way.
[15:01] <Jessie> "Thanks. Put a lotta work into it, y'know?" Jessie makes a mental note to change her look again when she gets the chance. Too many people are going to remember her at this rate.
[15:02] <Ui> "Just as long as you remembered to practice, too. Where are you headed, Jess?"
[15:03] <Jessie> "Gotta go figure out where the rest of the band is. Try and get some rehearsals before the show starts and all."
[15:04] <Ui> The girl snorts, spreading out her arms. "This is the rest of the band. Jeez, Jess, didn't Andrew call you? He's gonna be late so it's just us two."
[15:08] * Jessie groans. "Nope, he told me nothing. Typical, huh. Well in that case, I'm gonna go grab lunch. Don't start things up here without me, 'kay?"
[15:10] <Ui> Jessie gets a pointed stare. "You're telling me you're sneaking out for lunch. By going away from the place free food is being made and heading elsewhere to pay for the privelege? Please, doesn't your mother always say that if you lie, make it believable?"
[15:13] <Jessie> "These places always serve you crap food-wise. And besides that, they're not gonna be happy if I start grabbing things before the party starts, are they?"
[15:14] <Ui> "Ugh, whatever." The girl shakes her head, dropping her hand into the pocket with the chain. "Just remember that if you ditch me on this, I know where you live. We clear?"
[15:15] <Jessie> "As crystal." Could this possibly be working out any better for her right now?
[15:17] <Ui> Rolling her eyes, the girl makes her way to the yard, leaving Jessie behind.
[15:24] * Jessie leaves, her work done. Her stomach rumbles to remind her a fast-food dinner will not sustain her forever, and she makes her way to the back alleys again to 'earn' some money from whatever thug she happens to come across.
[15:27] <Ui> Trolling for punks is more difficult than it seems. Appearing defenseless is fairly within Jessie's abilities, but catching someone seeking to take advantage of that is quite the logistics nightmare, since she has to find such people in populated areas and then draw them off to an isolated location while looking like she just got lost along the way. Having to do it again and again so that none catch up to her pattern only adds to the time it takes, and three solid hours have passed by the time she deems the day's earnings sufficient to survive for a week and feels confident about treating herself to unhealthy, extra-greesy food.
[15:29] * Jessie sells her soul to the mega corporations and helps herself to a heart attack in a bun. Good health is for people who can afford it.
[15:55] <Ui> "That is in no way good for your figure," a woman comments, her perfectly-manicured hand snaking in to snatch a fry from Jessie's tray.
[15:56] <Jessie> "I can get away with a treat once in a while, can't I?"
[15:59] <Ui> As Jessie turns around to look at the woman, she realizes that she does know her even if it takes her a few moments to identify her. Without her bunny suit, Barbie looks surprisingly mundane in that California blonde fashion model kind of way. She peers suspiciously at the rest of Jessie's lunch. "A treat? this?"
[16:00] * Jessie stares uncertainly at Barbie. After that incident with Smith she isn't sure WHAT this woman is. "Find me a place that sells decent food at prices I can afford, and I might consider it."
[16:01] <Ui> "It's all a matter of asking nicely, isn't it?" Barbie asks, smiling pleasantly. "Dinner's on me, just pick the place."
[16:04] <Jessie> "Oh, uh. ...Wait, why are you doing this, exactly? Don't tell me your boss has a crush on me already."
[16:07] <Ui> Barbie shrugs. "I'm entirely certain he is only interested in his magic. Me, I was touched by your suffering. You went through so much, suffered so deeply, and you had no one to turn to... until now, that is."
[16:09] <Jessie> "Yeah, speaking of the magic. You aren't really a rabbit, are you?"
[16:10] <Ui> "Would it make you uncomfortable if I were?"
[16:11] <Jessie> "...Not really, it'd just answer a question of mine."
[16:14] <Ui> "Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!" Barbie says, still smiling. "Ready to go? I think you've poisoned yourself enough for today."
[16:19] * Jessie sighs. "Well, if I'm holding you back from whatever you're meant to be doing, I'll excuse myself." Jessie finishes her meal, and leaves, still nervous around the woman.
[16:20] <Ui> "Not a literature buff?" Barbie asks, catching up without any apparent effort, which Jessie knows takes certain expertise while wearing high heels.
[16:21] <Jessie> "Oh, sorry, did you want a cookie for the reference? I'm afraid I don't have anything that would do your figure any favours."
[16:23] <Ui> "Just trying to break the ice here," Barbie responds, spreading her arms in a gesture of helplessness. "You're alone and you're afraid. Nothing seems to be going well. I bet you don't even have a place to call your own, considering what you eat and where. Am I right?"
[16:25] <Jessie> "You're a woman who may not be a woman, asking me to dine with the Mad Hatter for no good reason. Is it my unbirthday today, or are you taking me in out of pity?"
[16:26] <Ui> "Oh, it's definitely pity," she says rather bluntly.
[16:28] * Jessie ponders the offer, and eventually sighs.
[16:29] <Jessie> "Well, I suppose in the end it can't be that much worse than robbing gangsters so I can live off junk food. You giving me a place to crash tonight?"
[16:30] <Ui> "I can do that. I can do much more than that." She's smiling again. "Up to you."
[16:30] <Jessie> "Well, some real food would be nice...and if you're offering, I miss home cooking."
[16:32] <Ui> Barbie laughs. "I give you a choice of any restaurant within driving distance of San Francisco and you want me to cook? I have to say, I didn't expect that. Alright, let's go to my loft?"
[16:35] <Jessie> "Sure. Maybe I can borrow something outta your place, dress up so people stop thinking I'm 'me' for a while."
[16:37] <Ui> "I don't know what we could do short of rearranging your face, but maybe if you draw attention elsewhere? Could work with the guys, at least," Barbie says, flagging down a taxi.
[16:40] <Jessie> "So, show my midriff and no-one's gonna give a damn about my face. Got it."
[16:40] <Ui> "Midriff. Right." She slides into the back seat, and extends a hand in invitation. "Coming?"
[16:41] * Jessie nods, takes her hand, and enters the taxi.
[16:45] <Ui> Barbie takes them to the Marriott Hotel; specifically, the executive suit at the top floor. Leaving Jessie by the entrance to the balcony, Barbie disappears into the walk-in closet. "We're thinking... something sexy, but easy to move in?" she calls out ot Jessie.
[16:46] <Jessie> "Yeah, pretty much. If there's a mask on top of that, that'd be pretty great too."
[16:47] * Jessie looks around the room, dazed. "How...how did you afford this, exactly?"
[16:49] <Ui> "Magic," she responds, and Jessie can almost feel the smile on her lips. "Sexy and slinky, or in your face sexy?"
[16:50] <Jessie> "Uh...slinky." Jessica has never really taken the time to consider this sort of thing, but...
[16:57] <Ui> "Hmm." There is no further query, though eventually Barbie returns, loaded with clothing. She lays them out on the king-sized bed. Black tights that look seethrough, a pair of shorts dropped over them, and a mini-skirt tossed by the side. A purple top with a red star emblazed on it, looking very much like swimwear, while a one-piece swimsuit in a soft yellow-biege color is tossed upon the pillows. Elbow-length gloves, black and elegant. Fingerless black leather gloves, metal plates over the knucles upon them that look very functional. A black bandanna remains in Barbie's hands as she studies it thoughtfully. "Can you work with any of this?"
[16:57] <Jessie> "Oh. Oh, wow. This is kinda, uh, overkill."
[16:59] <Ui> "You need to design your own costume like a proper magical girl, I'm just giving you options."
[17:00] <Jessie> "Magical...girl. Huh." Jessie is getting strange ideas from that part.
[17:00] <Ui> "You're a girl and you're magical. That's pretty much the definition, no?"
[17:00] <Jessie> "...True."
[17:01] <Ui> "We can pick up more stuff if you need it," Barbie offers. "For now, why don't you think about it while I handle dinner?"
[17:02] * Jessie examines the pile, and picks out some choices; the tights, the mini-skirt, and the elbow-length gloves. "Got an idea I'm thinking of going for here. Mind if I take a closer look inside?"
[17:03] <Ui> The blonde gestures in approval, walking into a connecting room.
[17:10] * Jessie digs into the closet, looking for a few bits and pieces to finish the ensemble. Most obviously something to cover her chest; she settles for a dark black shirt that's surprisingly covering, so similar to the shade of the skirt that the two almost seem to segue into one. A simple domino mask to cover her face is added. That leaves the hardest part...
[17:11] <Jessie> "OK, she's dressing up as a bunny pretty much the time. She's gotta have stuff for other animals, right?"
[17:12] <Ui> Surprisingly, no costumes can be found in the closet, for bunnies or otherwise.
[17:15] * Jessie sighs. She had a feeling something like that would be a little too 'specialist'. Maybe for another time. This will do for now when it comes to avoiding detection, though wearing it casually will probably end badly. She changes into her new outfit, leaving her street clothes in a pile for later.
[17:19] <Ui> With the advances in electronics, the enormous television hanging on the wall and other amenities don't need much space, which lets the be dominated by the king-sized bed at its center. A set of double doors connects the suit to another room, through which humming is clearly audible.
[17:19] * Jessie emerges, dressed in her new attire, and walks into what she assumes must be the kitchen.
[17:20] <Jessie> "Pretty nice place. If only I knew how to use my magic to make money."
[17:21] <Ui> It is another suite, though this one had been remodeled to have a spacious kitchen and dining area. Barbie is there by the counter, an apron draped over her front, her hair caught into a messy ponytail that keeps any renegade bangs out of the way. She's dividing her time between steering a pot and chopping up vegetables on a cutting board near it. "You already did, although in a crude way. Or were you robbing people for cash even before your magical powers appeared?"
[17:23] <Jessie> "You kidding me? I was only pickpocketing those guys 'cause the alternative was starving to death. It's not a bad thing if I have to do it."
[17:24] <Ui> "Right you are!" she agrees cheerfully. "There are plenty of ways for turning magic into cash, but that's not really what you're after, is it? You want something even money can't buy."
[17:25] * Jessie nods. "Unless they find some way to gimme back half of my life with money, anyway. Still, failing that, it's goodbye to Little Miss Sunshine."
[17:27] <Ui> "Magic and money can take a life. Plenty of lives, in fact! But the opposite's a bit more trickier."
[17:29] <Jessie> "I just need to put her in a place where she isn't gonna be found. Can't have her die, obviously, then bad things happen. Prison seems like the easiest option. Foreign. Or if I can somehow convince her she's someone else..."
[17:31] <Ui> "Brainwashing?" Barbie says with an understanding nod. "Yeah, could work. Unless you get feedback there as well."
[17:31] <Jessie> "That...would be kinda crap, yeah."
[17:31] <Jessie> "...Or. That could be exactly it."
[17:32] <Jessie> "Yeah, I'd have to start again. I'd forget a ton of crap, but I'd be forgetting the bad stuff. I'd have everything back, it'd get rid of the issue of all these years I don't remember..."
[17:32] * Jessie is growing more interested by the second. It's a bit of a gambit, but she can't expect her other self to just go along with any other plan.
[17:38] <Ui> "It would depend on whether the feedback is entirely for external stimuli, such as drugs or blows to the head, or if it would extend even if you merely abducted your twin and brainwashed her conventionally," Barbie suggests, discarding chopped up carrots into the pot. "It would be very exciting to find out by trial and error, don't you think?"
[17:38] * Jessie chuckles. "Either way I win, so I'm not complaining."
[17:38] <Jessie> "If I'm gonna kidnap her, though, I'd need a better time than this. If 'I' go missing for a day or two, there's gonna be concern."
[17:40] <Ui> "That could work in your favor, though! Just imagine, a federal investigation, a manhunt, until they discover you all tied up, poor thing, disoriented from captivity and amnesiac."
[17:41] <Jessie> "...Huh, good point. You're pretty good at this whole scheming thing, aren't you? Smith didn't pick you out just for your looks after all."
[17:43] <Ui> Barbie smiles at Jessie over her shoulder. "I'm sure the man is as asexual as a log."
[17:44] <Jessie> "Is that a bad thing for you? I mean with all that weird stuff sitting in your closet, it looks like you're trying to seduce the man."
[17:47] <Ui> She returns her attention to the food. "I'll get by. Don't worry about me."
[17:50] * Jessie shrugs. "Well, either way you could be a lot worse in that regard. At least you don't have a whole zoo of outfits in there."
[17:53] <Ui> Barbie turns to face Jessie with her stirring spoon. A white rabbit adorns the front of her apron proudly, glancing at its pocket watch. "A zoo of outfits? I only keep what's practical, I'll have you know," she says, gesturing with the spoon. "And I'm just about down, we only need to let it simmer for a few minutes."
[17:54] <Jessie> "Alright. Thanks again, I guess."
[17:59] <Ui> "No problem!" Barbie is all smiles as she sets the table. "I hope you don't mind vegetarian?"

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

[13:47] <Ui> Barbie orders another cab from the hotel, and then turns back to Jessie, all smiles. "Going in costume or as you are now?" she asks ever-so-brightly.
[13:52] <Jessie> "Depends. I'll dress up if you dress up." Jessie figures that if she isn't the only person to arrive dressed strangely, she's less likely to get suspicious glares from the audience.
[13:54] <Ui> "Oh?" Barbie asks. "And how would you like to see me dress?"
[13:55] <Jessie> "I figure the cat and the bunny should go to the party together, don't you?"
[13:56] <Ui> Barbie raises a perfect eyebrow. "Do you think it's that kind of party?"
[13:56] <Jessie> "I think that if you too it, it'll distract attention from me. Especially since you're more...talented in certain areas. " Jessie glares at Barbie's chest.
[13:58] <Ui> Barbie stares down in amusement. "If you say so." There is the doorbell, and she gestures towards it. "Would you mind getting that? I think it's the rest of your costume."
[13:59] <Jessie> "Huh? Oh. Didn't think you'd actually..." Jessie answers the door.
[14:00] <Ui> The bellboy is there, a package in his arms. Opening it, Jessie can see that the package contains cat ears and a matching, fluffy clip-on tail.
[14:02] * Jessie flinches at the sight. For a moment, the sheer tackiness of what she's about to put on overwhelms her.
[14:02] <Jessie> "Ugh. This is...I can't believe I'm doing this."
[14:03] * Jessie looks to Barbie for support. By which she means that she finds relief in knowing there is someone dressed more absurdly than her.
[14:04] <Ui> "Yes, we do sometimes act in a way that has to be seen to be believed," Barbie agrees. She steps out to join Jessie, meeting the girl halfway through the suit, dressed as a bunngirl with a white mask over her eyes.
[14:07] * Jessie sighs heavily, finally working up the nerve to put on the rest of the outfit. She stands up, straightening the ends of her rather short black skirt to ensure people couldn't see too much. A black vest covers her chest, and sleek black gloves run down her arm to her elbows. A domino mask over her face serves to protect both her identity and her pride.
[14:09] <Jessie> Tights run down her legs, all the way down to the simple black trainers she's wearing. Much to her chagrin, the outfit has been completed with a pair of cat ears on her head, and a tail currently hanging limp behind her. Half of her wants to look in the mirror and see what she looks like, while the other half is prepared to kill any and all witnesses.
[14:11] <Ui> "Time to go!" Barbie calls, grabbing one gloved hand and rushing outside. Forced to keep up, Jessie dashes along with her all the way into the cab, where they drive towards the home of one John the Elder. Barbie chats animatedly with the cabbie the entirety of the way, diverting attention from Jessie. They hear the booming of music upon arrival, and as Jessie exists while Barbie pays the fare, she can see a multitude of parked cars, lyrics barely audible over the din of the crowd.
[14:12] <Jessie> "Dammit." Apparently, operation Stop The Music was unsuccessful.
[14:13] <Ui> "It's not that bad," Barbie muses, joining her. "A bit tacky, but you learn to go with that at parties."
[14:14] <Jessie> "No, not that. It's the fact that SHE'S performing. You'd have thought cutting a dozen wires on the sound system would make things a little harder for her..."
[14:15] <Ui> "How utterly juvenile of you. I approve!"
[14:19] * Jessie sighs. "Well, looks like we're doing this the hard way." Jessie looks to Barbie. "Mind giving me a little distraction? Gonna get some height."
[14:20] <Ui> "Wouldn't that be the best distraction ever?"
[14:23] * Jessie sighs, putting a hand to her temples. "Never mind. Here's hoping most of these guys are hammered." She tries to find a spot in the shadows and leaps onto the roof, with a little magical force to help her up.
[14:24] <Ui> Her leap gives her a perfect vantage point of the yard, where she can see that only some of the speakers set up are working, while the rest have been dragged out of the way. (more)
[14:29] <Ui> Her alternate is performing a bass solo; she seems lost in the music.
[14:40] <Ui> The solo segues back into the song. The girl she ran across is on the drums, commanding them like a maniac. Another teen is playing a guitar, and Jessie sees her double's eyes slide over to him a few times.
[14:43] * Jessie growls at the sound. All this subtlety has gotten her nowhere. Maybe it's time to pull out something a little flashier...she focuses on the remaining speakers, deciding that if she can't do something quietly she may as well scare off as many people as she can. From what she remembers from physics classes, if she places herself just right in the crowd she can use her power to strengthen
[14:43] * Jessie the sound waves, inevitably distracting the performers and deafening the crowd.
[14:44] <Jessie> It's a risky play, but the alternative of 'blow up the speaker' is probably a little too high profile. Jessie jumps back down from the roof, trying to make her way into the party itself.
[14:47] <Ui> The teens are not that far gone that a girl in a cat costume jumping down into their midst goes unseen. But Jessie focuses on her goal, and her power explodes outwards in every direction, beautiful as a rainbow after a summer rain! The speakers wail, kids clamp their hands over their ears... when the terrible moment is over, Jessie is the only one left standing in the yard.

<--->

[14:50] <Jessica> Jessica presses her hands against the ground and tries to push herself up to a sitting position. Her head twists back and forth, but her vision is so hazy that vision is difficult..
[14:51] * Jessie clutches her head, wincing. Did she overdo it? She stumbles forward towards the stage, thankful there isn't anyone around for her to bump into. Is she better off than her alterego? She can't be sure.
[14:57] <Ui> Jessica's eyesight clears, even though her ears won't stop ringing. Raising herself to sit on the makeshift stage by the discarded bass, she sees only one person upright in the backyard. It is a girl in a black miniskirt laid over seethrough tights, similarly black vest and elegant elbow-length gloves adorning her top. A domino mask hides her identity, while genuine feline ears and tail complete the ensemble. A shapely blonde appears in the driveway, then, white mask complimenting her bunnygirl suit. She's smiling widely.
[14:59] <Jessica> "Wha.. where'd everyone go?" she asks, one of her hands scrabbling about and reaching to grasp her bass.
[15:00] * Jessie reaches out with her hand, willing some unseen force to push the bass away from Jessica's grasp. "Uh-uh-uh. You've been a lot of trouble for me already. I'm not taking any more goddamn chances with this."
[15:01] <Jessica> "Huh? I ain't done nothing!"
[15:02] <Ui> The bass's strap tears, and the musical implement is sent flying back. A girl is lying there, right by the drums. She is the only other one on stage.
[15:02] <Jessica> "T-the fuck-" Jessica tries to clamber to her feet.
[15:03] <Jessie> "Not my problem. I need you, and you're coming with me whether you like it or not!" Jessie charges at the stage, looking to tackle her counterpart!
[15:05] <Jessica> "You ain't- I ain't- what the hell!" yells Jessica, slinging a fist at the crazy girl charging towards her!
[15:10] * Jessie braces herself for the hit, making no attempt to dodge or defend herself-!
[15:10] <Ui> Jessica socks the catgirl right in the eye! Stars explode across her vision, and she feels herself get tackled into the stage!
[15:11] <Jessica> Jessica screams with all the force her well-trained lungs can muster, and her arms flail about to try and grapple her aggressor!
[15:12] <Jessie> "Gah!" Jessie grunts slightly, but she still has another eye to see with. Depth perception is for wimps, anyway, and she starts by trying to lift her doppelganger off the ground!
[15:16] <Ui> Lifting someone off the ground while grappling with them on it is a tricky proposition, although Jessie accomplishes it by rolling on her back and then exerting her strength to forcibly push Jessica up into the air. It shouldn't be possible. One moment, they were fighting as equals, and the other Jessica is utterly and completely overwhelmed, hoisted without any concern to dignity.
[15:17] <Jessie> "Hey, Barbie! Know any good places to drop her off?"
[15:18] <Jessica> "Let go of me, you freak!" yells Jessica, struggling helplessly in the air!
[15:18] <Ui> "Several!" the blonde bunnygirl responds excitedly. "Are we going to be torturing her, then?"
[15:19] <Jessica> "Matt! Matt! Kate! Where'd you go?!"
[15:20] <Ui> Groans. Jessica can hear them, now. Dangling within the catgirl's grip, she can see the gathered teens with her good eye, strewn up on the lawn.
[15:20] <Jessie> "Torture is such a brutal word. I'd prefer 'reconvince'."
[15:21] <Jessica> "What... what did you do..."
[15:21] <Jessica> There is a distinct quaver in Jessica's voice, and it's not hard to spot tears forming.
[15:21] <Jessie> "Huh. That way out won't work, then. The pier, then? There'll be a warehouse no-one's using, surely!"
[15:21] <Ui> "That's so wimpy!" the bunnygirl complains. "Didn't we say we would stick her full of needles?"
[15:24] <Jessie> "If it works, it works! Just remember it hurts for me, too!" Jessie accepts that forward isn't going to work as a direction anymore, and so settles for up instead, leaping back onto the roof of John the Elder!
[15:25] <Ui> The air whooshes by. She didn't even blink, but from being dangled in the air back on the stage, Jessica now finds herself held by the catgirl atop the house her band was performing at.
[15:26] <Jessica> "You- you- you're me..." blurts out Jessica, who bites back a shaky cough. "Why?"
[15:26] <Jessie> "Actually, would it be better to take her back to the hotel? You've got stuff there I can work with, right?"
[15:26] <Ui> "No pain, no glory!" the blonde calls eagerly, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "We can do that! It's a soundproofed suite!"
[15:27] * Jessie looks back at her other self, talking quieter. "Don't bother thinking about it. Took me eight years to get my head around this crap."
[15:27] <Jessica> "You're- you're not serious gonna torture me? What, why?" Jessica starts to laugh. "Who'd torture themselves- so it hurts for you too?"
[15:28] <Jessie> "Alright, don't take too long getting back!" Jessie starts the journey back to base, leaping from rooftop to rooftop, her alterego in tow all the while!
[15:28] <Jessica> "Hey, I'm talking to you!"
[15:29] <Jessie> "Oh, it'll hurt, yeah. But only for a while. 'Cause after so long, you won't be me anymore. But I'll be you."
[15:30] <Jessica> "Oh, thanks. This had better be worth it, you know?" Jessica can't really reach her opponent hoisting her up in front of her, but she sucks in her breath nonetheless, and then smashes the ridge of her hand into her own throat!
[15:32] * Jessie is caught off guard, suddenly grasping at her throat and losing her grip on Jessica!
[15:34] <Ui> Jessica falls. It is an impossible height. Not the apex of the leap by any count, but still above the roof. The height has to be forty feet, if not more. Tumbling breathlessly down, without controlling her fall... she can't survive. A normal person can't land from this height and be alright.
[15:37] <Jessica> It all makes sense, then. She'll have to control her fall. A glistening cloud of silvery butterflies swarms about her, forming on the edge of her arms into lightweight gauntlets, with long tubes pointing forward from her wrist. Her newfound equipment points straight down, and with a silver fire, they bring her movement to a graceful halt in mid-air.
[15:38] <Jessie> "Ack...ggk...you...idiot!" Jessie can't stop her momentum mid-leap with normal methods, so has to settle for the extraordinary. A pair of massive wings form on her back, and she swoops down to-wait, what?!
[15:39] <Jessie> "What the hell!? How did you...?!"
[15:39] <Jessica> Jessica glances from at her arms, kept carefully pointed towards the ground. "Groovy." She glances over her shoulder...
[15:41] <Ui> She remained afloat as long as she was perfectly still, but as soon as she starts moving around, Jessica begins losing altitude. She descends by a series of graceless drops, irregular but arresting her speed at each time.
[15:41] <Jessica> "Oh- wah, fuck!" Despite her best efforts, Jessica winds up landing on the grouind in a heap.
[15:42] <Ui> The teens littering the yard are starting to stir. The blonde bunnygirl is nowhere in sight.
[15:43] * Jessie stares dumbfounded at her counterpart. What is this? How is this happening? Could she have...no, that was impossible. She'd never have found out about it if she hadn't been told by...screw it, she'd have to compromise and make the most of her inexperience! She swoops in again to grab her off the ground!
[15:43] <Jessie> "Dammit, you weren't supposed to fight this much!"
[15:44] <Jessica> "Oh, you don't know me at all, huh?!" yells Jessica! The butterflies swirl about, discorporating the thrusters and forming a giant baseball bat!
[15:47] * Jessie figures she can't fly and block at once, so she allows the wings to dissipate as she descends while holding a hand out to block the oncoming attack!
[15:47] <Jessica> Jessica's bat swings wildly through the air, but as large as it is, it can't possibly miss-
[15:48] <Ui> The bat slams into the catgirl's outstretched hand! It hits without a doubt, and Jessica's arms hurt, her knees buckle-- the bat is destroyed! It turns into butterflies, which flees from the onslaught, and just past that gloved hand is a full-sized girl dropping right atop Jessica!
[15:50] <Jessica> Jessica leaps backwards from the oncoming girl, and although her knees are in pain, and her whole body is starting to seize up, she flies backwards at an impressive speed until she hits the back fence.
[15:51] <Ui> The guitarist from Jessica's band is lying some ten feet away, face down on the ground. His guitar is right next to him; he appears to have been thrown off the stage.
[15:52] <Jessica> Jessica's newfound enthusiasm vanishes in an instant, and her eyes are dragged unhappily towards him. "Andy!" she can't help but yell.
[15:53] <Jessica> The butterflies wink back into existence all around Jessica, and congregate in a swarm that begins to circle.
[15:54] <Jessie> "Gonna stop fighting now? You're only making this harder for both of us!" Jessie motions forwards, trying to pin her opponent against the fence!
[15:54] <Ui> The catgirl gestures, and a rainbow blast of force punches out towards Jessica!
[15:55] <Jessica> Jessica throws her hands out in a wild gesture, and the butterflies congregate around her fingertips to ward off the blast!
[15:57] <Jessie> "Heh, not bad! Where the hell did you get powers like that, anyway?"
[15:59] <Jessica> "Chakras! You know, you punch your neck, you get superpowers."
[15:59] <Jessica> "Hey. Hey. Truce," she adds, hastily. "Let's talk about this."
[16:00] <Jessie> "Damn, I'll have to keep that one in mind. I get my powers from dressing up like an idiot. And I figure we can talk perfectly fine like this, don't you?"
[16:01] <Jessica> "Ok. We can talk like this. I'm okay with that. So. You... want to torture me? Then steal my life? Do you do it in that order?"
[16:01] <Ui> Matt is sprawled out against a tree across the yard, both girls can see. More kids start moving, though none seem sensate enough just yet.
[16:02] <Jessie> "Well, that's assuming you don't cooperate. If you let us go to work with your brain without a fight, I guarantee it won't hurt any more than it has to."
[16:03] <Jessica> "Ok, I'm not cooperating. What's option b?"
[16:05] * Jessie looks toward the body on the floor a few feet away from Jessica. "I wonder if he'd be as good at blocking this attack as you. Wanna find out?"
[16:06] <Jessica> Jessica's eyes swivel towards the body, then towards her opponent. "Don't you dare," she replies, any trace of humour gone.
[16:07] <Jessie> "Hey, I've laid my cards on the table. Come along quietly, and no-one has to get hurt."
[16:09] <Jessica> "You're me, right?" replies Jessica, wringing her fingers.
[16:10] * Jessie nods. "Your point?"
[16:11] <Jessica> "So why do you want to be me? You are me, right?"
[16:11] <Jessica> "Can't you just go home or something? I mean, you don't really want to hurt anyone, right? Especially yourself."
[16:12] <Jessie> "That'd be lovely, really. Just that there's not much for me to go back to."
[16:12] <Jessica> "Huh?"
[16:13] <Jessie> "No Dad fighting to put criminals behind bars. No Mom hauling me off to stupid vacations every six months. No Matt to mock me whenever I'm out of tune, and no Patty to make me feel like I'm the sister of a little genius."
[16:14] <Jessica> Jessica's eyebrows rise a little higher. "Wha- what happened?"
[16:14] <Jessie> "Don't you get it? Where I'm from, they're gone. And I'm sick to death of watching you live the good life, not even stopping for one goddamn second to appreciate them!"
[16:15] * Jessie shakes slightly. "It...it was me. My fault. I'm...I dunno how to say it. I figure with all this magic floating about, it's not gonna be that big a jump for me to say I'm cursed, is it?!"
[16:15] <Jessica> Jessica's lips twist- briefly- into a sneer, which she does her level best to smooth over. "Matt's over there," she says, quietly. "He's awesome. He taught me how to play. Like, play for real. I wouldn't be on a stage here if it wasn't for him."
[16:16] <Jessica> "And you blew him up."
[16:18] * Jessie turns rigid at the sound of that. "S-Shut up! That's not my Matt! My Matt is the one who's always off recording with a new band every other week, always going on about how his sound is the next big thing and he's just not appreciated enough! He inspired me, alright, but it wasn't because he wanted me to - I just wanted to give him a taste of his own medicine for a change!"
[16:19] <Jessie> "...Of course, none of that mattered in the end. Now that I don't even have a Matt to outdo. Dammit, it was one stupid shortcut! How was I supposed to know that...that...!"
[16:19] * Jessie starts shaking visibly, and her force pinning Jessica down falters along with it!
[16:22] <Jessica> "Matt's awesome," repeats Jessica, walking slowly towards Jessie. "If he's not yours," she adds, gently. "Why do you want him back so bad you'd steal him from me?"
[16:24] <Jessie> "T-That's because...because..." Jessie steps back, suddenly afraid of her old self. The attack gives way entirely. This wasn't in the plan, none of it was in the plan. It was meant to be easy - grab her, wipe her head, go home. She wasn't meant to fight over it, and she definitely wasn't meant to think about it...
[16:27] <Jessie> It wasn't meant to be like this. In her head, she was just envisioning this alternate self as nothing. A shadow, an irrelevant offspring of what she could have been. Now, though - she had thoughts, feelings, emotions, and she knew from experience she could feel pain. Was she wrong all this ti-No. No, she wasn't. Even if she was, she couldn't afford to be. There's no way back, and nothing to go
[16:27] <Jessie> back to...
[16:28] <Jessica> "Don't tell me I don't appreciate my family. Not when you do things like this." Jessica continues to slowly advance, one step at a time. "I love my life. I won't give it up. I think you need to think about what you'd have to do to take it. Who you'd have to hurt." She spreads her arms. "Because if you do it like this, there won't be much left when you win."
[16:29] <Ui> The drummer girl lets out a moan, and then turns over, raising herself shaking on her hands.
[16:29] <Jessie> Just her luck. All of this would have been irrelevant if her opponent hadn't started spouting those goddamn butterflies. She really was cursed after all.
[16:30] <Jessica> "I... I don't know what it's like. To lose someone." Jessica glances to the side. "I'm sorry. I don't know how I'd feel- well, I guess I do, now... when did it happen?"
[16:31] * Jessie grits her teeth. She can't stay here any longer without being seen. She shoots Jessica one final look of scorn, but her eyes are clearly misting up. "Don't give me your goddamn pity!" She leaps upward to the rooftop, disappearing deeper into the city...
[16:33] <Jessica> "But you're me! I can't not!" yells Jessica, futilely.

<--->

[16:37] * Jessie can't exactly make as stealthy a return to the hotel as she would have liked, but particularly on the second half of the trip she starts slipping through dark alleyways to avoid being traced straight to her destination. Barbie won't be pleased to see two dozen guards at her doorstep asking about the crazy cat girl in her room.
[16:39] <Ui> Jessie makes it just fine to the Marriott, too fast to be caught by anyone prawling the alleyways. She is stopped in the hotel's lobby by the concierge, however. "And where do you think you are going, Miss?" he asks, voice dripping with scorn.
[16:41] <Jessie> "I'm a guest of the lady in the executive suite. Call her if you want."
[16:42] <Jessie> "...And before you ask, it was a party. I didn't want to wear this either, but admission was strict about it."
[16:43] <Ui> "A... guest?" His eyes run down Jessie's form. "How should I announce you?"
[16:44] <Jessie> "Uh. A friend of Mr. Smith, I guess? She'll recognise that."
[16:48] <Ui> His eyes are entirely flat as he dials the number. After a brief conversation, Jessie is waved inside, but she can feel the man's heavy gaze upon her until she steps into the elevator and its doors close. It begins to go up.
[16:52] <Jessie> "Stupid freaking butterflies. Where the hell could those have come from? I mean, no way she'd have bumped into Dr. Smith if she'd had no reason to, right?" Jessie mutters to herself as the lift rises.
[16:52] <Ui> The doors open with a light ding. Barbie's suite lies just ahead, the door left ajar.
[16:53] * Jessie enters. "Put away the sharp objects, Barbie. Things got complicated after you left."
[16:56] <Ui> "Oh? How did it go?" the blonde asks pleasantly, kneeling on the bed. As Jessie enters the room, she can see another person on it, Barbie tying her wrists to the bedpost methodically.
[16:59] <Jessie> "Uh...apparently she can do everything I can. And...who the hell is...?"
[17:01] <Ui> As Barbie moves to tie her victim's legs, Jessie can see that it is a younger girl. She looks familiar, oh so familiar-- Patty! It can only be her little sister, all grown up!
[17:01] <Ui> "Makes sense," Barbie agrees. "You are the same person, aren't you? It would be troubling if you weren't exactly the same in every way."
[17:03] <Jessie> "Wait wait wait wait wait! What are you-?!"
[17:03] <Ui> Barbie pauses, glancing at Jessie curiously. "Did you want to do it?" She offers the length of rope to her.
[17:03] * Jessie glares at Barbie. "You weren't meant to get the family involved, dammit!"
[17:04] <Ui> Barbie blinks. "I thought they were fair game after you blew them up. Was I wrong? I'm sorry, I only wanted to help!"
[17:05] <Jessie> "How...how did you even...?"
[17:06] <Ui> "You did that thing, with the rainbows and the sounds," Barbie responds, shrugging. "She was just by the driveway, so I took her when you looked like in a pinch. Was I not helpful?"
[17:08] <Jessie> "Well, now what are we supposed to do? I can't hurt her! The point is to get my life back, so I need to have something to go back to, y'know?!"
[17:10] <Ui> Barbie professionally stuff a gag into the girl's mouth and ties it in place, leaving her fully bound, spread-eagled on the giant bed. "Blackmail, of course. That's why we have masks. She wouldn't know it was you."
[17:11] <Jessie> "That'd work if we were dealing with an ordinary girl, but if she's that strong? We can't be sure. And what the hell is Patty going to think?!"
[17:12] <Ui> "I can keep her under with drugs...."
[17:14] <Jessie> "Aren't you going too far with this?! I mean, Patty's done nothing wrong, has she?!"
[17:17] <Ui> Barbie's expression is perfectly blank. Then, almost a minute later, she asks, "Remember that scenario? Where the police finds the poor, abducted Jessica Fields, except it's you? Nothing to say they can't find you both. It would only add credibility."
[17:18] * Jessie starts making to untie Patty's bonds. There are some levels to which she isn't willing to stoop, and kidnapping her own sister is one of them. "Yeah, well...maybe I'm not sure how much I want this any more. I wasn't meant to hurt anyone else. Just her..."
[17:22] <Ui> "You will always be cursed," Barbie states. "This world has only two kinds of people, those who assert their will on it, and those who get screwed by it."
[17:25] <Jessie> "That was...that was why I was supposed to pass it on. I...I wasn't meant to...dammit." Jessie sits on the bed, looking down at Patty in guilt. She weighs the options up in her head, apparently undecided...
[17:27] <Ui> "Before you decide, answer me one thing."
[17:27] <Jessie> An image flashes in front of her eyes. A girl, about Patty's age. Tied to a chair, held against her will, forced to witness something unbearable. In a moment of clarity, she sees that she herself is the one doing the threatening.
[17:28] <Jessie> "...What is it?"
[17:31] <Ui> "Tell me if you are giving up or not. That is all. It is the starting point where the rest of your moves follow naturally from." Barbie gestures at the girl lying unconscious on the bed. "If you attack your other self again, would she be caught in the fighting again? Where would you place her in more danger? Is keeping her out of the way and safe not a lesser evil?"
[17:35] * Jessie flinches. Again, she can't turn back, but she's beginning to wonder if what she's doing is right at all. What did Patty do to deserve this? What made it okay for her to kidnap an innocent girl and call it collateral damage? Most importantly...how would she feel if it was her coming home, finding out that her sister had been kidnapped and held for a life's ransom?
[17:37] * Jessie grits her teeth and sighs...before removing the final bonds tying Patty to the bed. "I'm not giving up. I'm just changing the rules a little. If tonight's taught me anything, it's that the upfront approach gets too many people hurt."
[17:38] <Ui> "You are turning her into a bystander," Barbie notes, looking sorrowfully at the discarded bindings.
[17:40] <Jessie> "And what would you want her to be, huh? A pawn? She's neither. She's a young girl with hopes and dreams, and she's better at math than anyone I know. She doesn't deserve to get forced into this affair against her will. It'd be hypocrisy."
[17:41] <Ui> "Is it alright if it's your older brother?" Barbie asks eagerly. "He hit his head pretty badly! I'm sure I could get him!"
[17:43] <Ui> There is suddenly an insistent ringing from Patty's pants.
[17:43] * Jessie walks towards a window, carrying Patty over her shoulder. "New rule, bunnygirl. No-one gets hurt. Not my friends, or my family. Nothing. You don't like it, then this is where we part ways-"
[17:44] <Jessie> "Gah?!" Jessie pulls the cell out from a pocket to find out who the caller is...
[17:44] <Ui> It is "Dad"
[17:45] <Ui> "I don't like it," Barbie admits, "but we don't really have to break up over it. I think we can be a great team!"
[17:45] * Jessie grits her teeth. That won't do. "How long will it be until she wakes up?"
[17:46] <Ui> Barbie shrugs. "Beats me!"
[17:47] * Jessie sighs. "I'm getting her somewhere she'll be taken care of. We're not letting this crap happen again, got it?" She opens the window, ready to leap out, shoving the cell as deep into Patty's pocket as it'll go.
[17:47] <Ui> The ringing stops.
[17:48] <Ui> The late evening wind is chilly. "I will follow your lead. Bestest team, us!" Barbie says enthusiastically. "Do you need me to come, too?"
[17:51] <Jessie> "I think you'd better stay behind. I'll take care of this one myself." Jessie pulls the gag off Patty's mouth before leaping out the window, taking her towards the nearest police station.

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

[14:04] <Ui> It is so high! The view takes Jessie's breath away, but then her rise tapers off, and she begins to drop down....
[14:05] * Jessie prepares herself for the landing. She braces her legs as best as her magic will let her, aiming for a lower rooftop nearby. Flight is, once again, too brazen.
[14:11] <Ui> In a contest between her magic and the roof, the roof loses flat out. Her powers absorb what should have been a bone-crushing impact, and help propel Jessie onwards! She leaps from rooftop to rooftop, eyes scanning the ground for a police station. There are gawkers, some pointing at her from the behind the windows of office buildings, others stopping to stand still on the ground, their eyes towards her. Jessie ignores them all, and a few minutes later her preservance is rewarded -- a station is just ahead, entrance lit!
[14:15] * Jessie enters the station, hauling Patty under one arm. She looks for somewhere to place her before making her exit - she doesn't plan to just leave the girl at the entrance unconscious.
[14:19] <Ui> It is loud within, people arguing loudly as they stand in a line before a harried-looking receptionist. He seems to have finally had enough, and snaps at the man who keeps on banging on the counter to punctuate his complaint. Off to the side, on the benches, Jessie can spot a slouching youth, an older woman seated beside him. He is the first to notice her, giving off a low whistle.
[14:23] * Jessie walks up to the counter, nudging the larger man aside. She places Patty down in front of the receptionist, muttering in a lower voice than usual: "Patty Fields. Get her home."
[14:24] <Ui> "What?"
[14:24] <Ui> The single question seems to encompass the incomprehension of all involved rather well.
[14:25] * Jessie doesn't bother to offer an answer, darting out the door as soon as she's handed Patty over. Her next destination will be the residence of Smith the Magnificent - she has some questions that need answering.
[14:32] <Ui> Another trip by rooftops, another bout of stunned onlookers. Jessie thinks one of them snaps a picture -- it certainly seemed like a camera flash. The offices of Smith are locked when she arrives, and no light is apparent.
[14:37] * Jessie grumbles, wondering if she'll be the latest hit video on Youtube by the end of the week. She figures that while she's dressed for the occasion she may as well engage in a little cat burglary, and brute forces the lock.
[14:38] <Ui> The lock crumbles under her assault! Stepping inside the darkened office, Jessie can see the reception area-- was that door to the left always there? She hears light snoring coming from that direction.
[14:39] <Jessie> "Huh." New doors are always worth checking out. She opens it lightly, ensuring that it's Smith inside before she gives him a rude awakening.
[14:40] <Ui> It certainly looks like Smith, sleeping soundly with a magician's hat on his head.
[14:42] * Jessie flips the light switch. "Rise and shine, sleepyhead."
[14:44] <Ui> "Five more minutes, Babrie," Smith mumbles, turning over and clutching his pillow with both hands.
[14:45] * Jessie snatches the hat away. "Nope, it's not the bunny. Guess again."
[14:48] <Ui> His eyes fly open. He stares straight ahead in a chilling, unblinking gaze. Then, Smith blinks a few times, and turns his head to look at Jessie. "Hello," he says conversationally. "May I have my nightcap back, please?"
[14:49] * Jessie holds onto it. "I'm keeping it hostage until you gimme some answers, old man. Seem like a fair deal?"
[14:50] <Ui> "I am not old," he maintains with as much dignity as a man sleeping in Casper pajamas can muster.
[14:51] * Jessie rolls her eyes. "Anyway. Turns out Operation Kidnap The Other Me didn't turn out so well. Any way you could explain how she learned how to make freaking booster jets out of butterflies?"
[14:55] <Ui> Smith blinks again. "Kidnap the other you?" he asks carefully. "How did we get there from acquiring an article of particular affinity to her?" Sitting up in bed, propping himself with the pillow, Smith rubs his chin thoughtfully. "I suppose in the most simplistic of interpretations, the clothing she wears at that exact moment would qualify, but it is a most literal way to go about resolving your problem."
[14:57] <Jessie> "Passing the curse on is phase one, remember? I'd still have to make her disappear after that, and I figured it'd be easier to get her to tell me what her most prized possession was if she was in no position to argue with me. But...yeah, I'd like an answer to the actual question?"
[15:01] <Ui> "Butterfly-powered booster jets?" he asks, reaching for a pair of glasses on his nightstand. Alightning them on his head, Smith nods slowly. "Fascinating. Tell me more."
[15:09] <Jessie> "I don't know what I can tell you, honest. She was falling one moment, and the next she was flying. Sort of like what I can do, but..."
[15:09] <Ui> "Butterflies," he completes for her. "I see. What about unicorns?" Smith asks curiously.
[15:10] * Jessie sighs. "You're not taking me seriously, are you?"
[15:10] <Ui> "I am perfectly serious, My Dear, I assure you."
[15:11] <Jessie> "Then what's going on? How did she figure all this crap out by herself?"
[15:11] <Jessie> "I mean, it was you that got me to understand what was going on with all this rainbow nonsense, so she couldn't have figured it out herself.
[15:11] <Jessie> "
[15:11] <Ui> "To unlock that capacity for magic within you, you needed to know that it was possible, correct?" Smith asks her back. "To see it being done?"
[15:12] <Jessie> "...Is it really just that simple? Then why wasn't everyone else who saw it flying around like freaking jet fighters? Why was it only her?"
[15:16] <Ui> "Can you do magic?"
[15:16] <Jessie> "Uh...yes, I guess? Is that a trick question?"
[15:17] <Ui> "Whatever universe you're in, can you still do magic?"
[15:18] <Jessie> "...Oh. So by unlocking my own potential...I unlocked hers?"
[15:19] <Ui> "You are not Shroedinger's Cat. It simply doesn't make sense for you to be able to do and not do magic, depending on the universe. It's not how magic works."
[15:20] <Jessie> "Witty." Jessie gives a sarcastic round of applause.
[15:23] <Ui> "Thank you, I rather liked this myself." Smith makes a decent attempt at a bow from his seated position. "Might I have my nightcap back now, please?"
[15:24] * Jessie sighs. "So basically, does this mean I can't kidnap her like I'd planned? And why didn't you bother telling me this earlier?" She throws the nightcap back to him, frustrated.
[15:28] <Ui> "Of course you can kidnap her," Smith responds, catching the hat and studiously straitening up the wrinkles formed in it. "And it only makes sense. It's one of those things automatically assumed by all. Or did you come to me for help because you couldn't handle a defenseless teenage girl?"
[15:30] <Jessie> "Have you been paying attention, or what? I just told you that apparently she can do the same crap I can now."
[15:33] <Jessie> "I don't think she's going to go quietly when she can freaking fly and block everything I throw at her."
[15:33] <Ui> "While the news tend to focus on the abduction of little children, kidnappings occur often enough with adults as well," Smith responds, finally deeming the cap worthy once more and placing it back on reverently, as if it were a crown. "It is a matter taking planning and scheming, not brute force, magical or otherwise."
[15:35] <Jessie> "Huh. So I need to be a little sneakier, rather than solving all my problems with brute force. Fun."
[15:37] <Ui> "Or you could abduct her in her sleep. I dare say you have a certain talent for that."
[15:38] * Jessie smirks. "I'll have to keep that in mind, but it's probably not a good tactic tonight.
[15:38] <Jessie> Anyway, I had something of a dramatic exit from the hotel, so I dunno if I can go back now. Mind if I crash here? If you've got a change of clothes, that'd help, too."
[15:40] <Ui> "If anyone asks, you swore to me you were eighteen," Smith mumbles, yawning and rearranging his pillow. He caresses it lovingly, and closes his eyes.
[15:43] * Jessie grumbles. "You're a sick, sick man." She looks for a couch or something resembling one, not wanting to sleep anywhere near this guy.
[15:44] <Ui> The light in Smith's bedroom helps illuminate the rest of the office, revealing a nice if smallish sofa set aside for visitors. It would not be comfortable, but it would suit Jessie's needs.
[15:45] * Jessie settles for it. She removes the ears and tail, at least; they'll just get in her way. She tries to get some sleep; it's been a long, long night.
[15:49] <Ui> Morning comes. Jessie is awakened by a humming. Opening her eyes, she sees Barbie, clad in an apron draped over a conservative housedress. The blonde is dusting off the room, pausing briefly to water a potted plant.
[15:50] <Jessie> "Morning." Jessie winces, with an awkward crick in her back. "Yeah, I figured it was a bad idea to head back after that display. Anyone bother you about the crazy lady who jumped out your window?"
[15:53] <Ui> "Yes."
[15:53] <Jessie> "...Ah. What did you say?"
[15:54] <Ui> "I was showering. It was a terrible shame I could not assist them in their investigation."
[15:55] <Jessie> "Indeed it was. Now, onto more important matters. Do you have anything I could wear that made me look relatively normal?"
[15:57] <Ui> "Would you like to wear this?" Barbie asks, stopping and running her hands down the housedress. "I could part with just the apron as well, if that is your thing. I think it would have quite the impact."
[15:57] <Jessie> "Impact is not what I'm looking for. But if it's all you have..."
[16:01] <Ui> Barbie shrugs. "Do you go to work with a change of clothes? Because I don't."
[16:02] * Jessie sighs. "Fine. Hand it over."
[16:03] <Ui> Slowly, very slowly, Barbie begins to strip out of her clothing.
[16:04] <Jessie> "It's like you're TRYING to convince me you're not just a magician's apprentice."
[16:07] <Ui> Barbie continues making her way out of the dress, swaying with the motion. "'Barbie, do this. Barbie, fetch that. Barbie, turn into a bunny.' It's all like that, command after command. Now it's, 'Barbie, strip for me.'" Despite her words, she eventually removes the dress, remaining clad in silk lingerie, and holds up the apron. "Can I put it on, now," she asks, "or do you want to see me take my bra off, too?"
[16:08] * Jessie winces. "It's fine, thanks." She takes the clothes and heads off to change.
[16:12] <Ui> The dress is tight and loose in places that make her instinctively hate Barbie, but fits Jessie well enough. As she leaves the bathroom -- was it there last night? -- Jessie sees Barbie continuing with her routine, an apron placed over her undergarments now.
[16:13] <Jessie> "Question, bunny-girl. Does this place...change around? Because every time I look there's another freaking door I didn't see beforehand."
[16:14] <Ui> "Smith is a time-space mage, so that's a very good chance of that."
[16:18] <Jessie> "So is it the same Smith in every universe, or are there several Smiths who just happened upon their magic one day?"
[16:19] <Jessie> "And what does that make you, exactly?"
[16:32] <Ui> "His assistance and your partner, of course!"
[16:32] <Ui> *assistant
[16:33] <Jessie> "Right, right. How could I forget?" Jessie decides to do some light scouting for now; she wants to see how far she is in the public eye after last night.
[16:35] * Jessie starts walking into the larger streets, listening out for any mention of her in idling discussion and stealing glances at passing newspapers.
[16:40] <Ui> One of the local headlines covers an explosion, possibly caused by a a faulty gas main. What little of the story is available on the front page mentions police is looking into foul play, but have nothing definitive at this time. Jessie draws the occasional strange glance as she walks down the streets of San Francisco, but those could be directed at her choice of dress; people's eyes don't linger on her.
[16:47] * Jessie sighs, heading off to the back alleys again. She needs money, and there are plenty of assholes hanging around in these areas that are all too keen to walk into her fists.
[16:50] <Ui> Her pickings are light; it must be a slow day for lowlives, as only one group falls prey to her 'lost and helpless' act, contributing the contents of their wallets to the Jessie Fund. Even that much takes Jessie into the afternoon.
[16:51] * Jessie sighs. This should be enough to buy a few sets of clothes so she doesn't force Barbie to strip every morning. She gets another thought in her mind, though, and returns to Smith's in the hope of getting another helping of Barbie's home cooking.
[16:53] <Ui> Barbie is not present when Jessie makes her way back, and the office looks as it did the first time she had visited. "And hello again!" Smith calls out from behind his desk, dressed as a stage magician. "Did you bring the ingredient for my counter-curse?"
[16:54] <Jessie> "Working on it. Have an idea to get her to co-operate. Barbie didn't throw out my outfit, did she?"
[16:56] <Ui> "She stored it in the closet, I believe," Smith responds, gesturing behind Jessie at the entrance.
[16:58] * Jessie does not remember a closet being there before. This should probably concern her more than it does.
[16:58] <Jessie> "Well, I figure that I may as well do something useful with my time. Clean the streets up a little, and maybe she'll have enough gratitude to give way."
[16:59] <Ui> Only the door she entered through is there when she looks back. It is closed.
[16:59] <Ui> "I'm afraid I don't follow," Smith states.
[17:01] * Jessie did not close that. She doesn't really care. "If I go out there and show that I'm a better person than she is, maybe I can just get her to guilt trip. 'Course if that doesn't work, I'll go for your idea and kidnap her in her sleep, but let's just say this is kinda personal."
[17:03] <Ui> "You want to guilt trip yourself into suicide?"
[17:03] <Jessie> "Not suicide, per se. I know a nice young woman in New York who'd like a daughter of her own."
[17:05] <Ui> "If I call your plan retarded in the extreme would you haunt my sleep tonight as well?" Smith enquires.
[17:06] <Jessie> "If I answered yes, would you shut up?"
[17:07] <Ui> Smith says not another word, looking rather innocent.
[17:07] <Jessie> "Good to hear. Any chance you could make dinner pop up out of thin air? Or is that beyond the ken of you time-space mages?"
[17:12] <Ui> Smith coughs. "I can talk again, then? Excellent." He straightens the front of his suit. "Tell me, have you heard how people don't shoot flies with cannonballs?"
[17:13] <Jessie> "You assume there isn't something behind the fly I wanna hit as well." Jessie starts trying to find this closet they've apparently locked away her getup in.
[17:15] <Ui> Opening the front door reveals a small utility closet. Jessie's discarded feline outfit has been dropped there on the floor.
[17:15] <Ui> "So by bending the nature of the time-space continuum to my whims, I will not only secure dinner for you but also world peace as well?" Smith asks curiously. "A cure for cancer, perhaps? Proof of sentieny alien life?"
[17:17] <Jessie> "Oh, that's what you meant. Well, if you could get either of those ready, that'd be good too." Jessie responds sarcastically.
[17:18] <Ui> "I think I'll just order pizza. Are you fine with anchovies?"
[17:19] * Jessie shrugs. "Food is food."
[17:22] <Ui> Twenty minutes later, as the pizza had been delivered, Smith selects a particularly large slice for himself and bites into it with a happy, carefree smile. "Why were you looking for those clothes?" he asks Jessie, catching escaping melted cheese with a finger and bring it back into his mouth.
[17:23] <Jessie> "Every renegade delivering justice in the background needs to have a secret identity, right?"
[17:24] <Ui> "I lack words right now."
[17:26] * Jessie smirks. "It's a good change."

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

[13:45] <Ui> Evening comes. People are heading home from work, while there are those who seek relaxation elsewhere, as clubs start to open. For Jessie, it is the first step in the execution of her plan. Criminals prefer the nighttime for their activities, she firmly knows, and so it is the time where she would act.
[13:52] * Jessie has a good idea where to target. In her timeline, it was the Vermillo family who had brought everything crumbling down, and so it made sense that it would be them again. The old textile building the family used as a front still seems to be standing, though, so they must still be around here. That's good. It means she gets to hand out her payback personally.
[13:58] * Jessie starts working her way along the roofs to the top of the textile workshop, still wearing the black-cat outfit she'd worn the night before. Moving at such a speed, it's hard to keep her outfit in order - the ears are slanted to one side, and the tail has wrapped around her leg. With the money she made earlier, she's decided to make an important change to the outfit - a considerably longer
[13:58] * Jessie skirt. She's not going to act promiscuous in front of a group of thugs, that's for sure.
[14:06] * Jessie reaches the roof, looking for a window to make her way into the building proper. She assumes that the upper floors aren't in use, but as she sees a window beneath her she hangs her head down and listens inside just in case.
[14:09] <Ui> There is no light in the upper floors of the factory. In fact, there is none in the entire building beyond the ground floor; the guard, perhaps, if this place has any, or where the manager would be. The building is quiet, and several of the upper floor windows are open. The assumption must be that no one would be able to reach them, as there is no emergency fire escape lining the building, and the only access to the roof is from within the building.
[14:12] * Jessie opts for one of the open windows and makes her way inside. She listens out for any sign of activity - in the outer corridors, or on the floor beneath.
[14:12] <Ui> It is deathly silent. The darkness is not a problem with someone who has augmented senses to navigate, at least.
[14:13] <Jessie> Jessie begins walking through the corridor, doing what she can to avoid aggravating the creaking floorboards. She needs to find the stairs to get down to the lower level.
[14:14] <Ui> She takes a right turn, and then another. A stray thought of how a maze is navigated comes to mind-- oh, there they are! The stairs are found. No sound carries up.
[14:17] <Jessie> Maybe her luck is changing for the better after all. Jessie makes her way down the stairs, proceeding with caution now - this floor is more likely to be occupied, and if she doesn't have time to react to it gunshots could still hurt a hell of a lot.
[14:18] <Ui> Starting from the third floor, Jessie makes her way down. The second floor is the same as the one she had just vacated. A scraping sound comes from below, that of a chair being moved, perhaps? She can't be certain.
[14:22] * Jessie slows her pace, moving towards the unseen noise. Better safe than sorry. Life had taught her that in perhaps the most brutal way possible.
[14:23] <Ui> There is a patch of light, coming through an opaque window in a cheap door. Close enough now, Jessie can hear someone move within that room.
[14:24] * Jessie presses her body against the wall, putting her ear to it. She tries to make out any words coming from within.
[14:26] <Ui> None seem to be spoken, Jessie thinks after a minute of listening in. Just a lot of clicks. Someone inside is typing, perhaps?
[14:27] <Jessie> This isn't getting anywhere. Jessie knocks on the door.
[14:28] <Ui> "That you, Harry?" a man's voice calls from within. The typing stops.
[14:29] * Jessie doesn't respond.
[14:30] <Ui> She can hear the man inside move his chair back as he stands up, and then make his way towards the door. It doesn't appear to be locked, and he pulls it open.
[14:33] <Ui> He is a middle-aged man, clad in a blue dress shirt and some jeans. Jessie can see no gun from where she's pressed against the wall, and the hallway is dark enough to conceal her for a precious moment, but then the man starts looking to the sides....
[14:34] * Jessie clasps her hand around the man's mouth, pushing him back into his own room and holding him against the wall. "Hey there. Sorry, I'm a little lost right now. Mind giving me some directions?"
[14:36] <Ui> He struggles in her grasp, but is no match for her strength. Unable to escape her hold, he settles for staring at Jessica in ever-increasing panic.
[14:38] * Jessie lowers her grip to the man's throat. "Good to see you're cooperative. Now, mind telling me where I can find Mr. Luiz Vermillo?"
[14:42] <Ui> "Who?" he gasps, coughing. As Jessie's features are revealed in the light, the man exclaims, "What the fuck are you?"
[14:43] <Jessie> "That's for me to know, and you to cry yourself to sleep over tonight." Jessie looks around the room for whatever this man was typing at. "And by the way, who's Harry?"
[14:47] <Ui> "Who, what--" A computer is placed on the desk, the monitor one of the old CRT monsters. "The guard, Harry Marcello."
[14:49] <Jessie> "Nice computer. Working on an order for your textiles, I assume?" The tone in her voice makes it clear she doesn't think that's the case.
[14:50] <Ui> "What the fuck do you care? Are you here to steal it?" he asks, struggling.
[14:54] <Jessie> "Sure I am! Need something to stick on my scratching post. My old one's wearing away, see."
[14:57] <Ui> The monitor is turned away from Jessie, but it reflects in the window just fine. There is a blurry picture and some information she is used to assosiating with personnel records. The man stares at her incredulously, slowly turning purple.
[15:01] <Jessie> "Don't think you're meant to have that kinda info on customers, are you? Mind if I take a look?" Jessie snatches the man's belt and uses it as an impromptu rope, tying his hands and hauling him over to the computer with one arm, leaving her one to control the computer.
[15:03] <Ui> "You crazy bitch!" he snaps, dragged relentlessly to the computer. "That's the employees!"
[15:04] * Jessie flinches. It can't be...can it? She examines the data to be sure...
[15:07] <Ui> It's hard to be definitive, but as she flips between the files displayed by the program -- some sort of software keeping track of times and quotas -- Jessie thinks it might be very likely.
[15:09] * Jessie feels her heart fall into her stomach. Of course! What sort of idiot had she been? What exactly were the odds that this dimension would be exactly the same as her own save for one detail?!
[15:12] <Ui> She hears footsteps. "Pete?" someone is calling from down the corridor. "Working hard, as usual?"
[15:14] * Jessie wants to be sick. She settles for leaving by the window, not taking the time to open it. She leaps straight for the next roof, wanting to get as far away from this place as she can...
[15:18] <Ui> Jessie escapes to the sounds of crashing glass! A distance is made quite easily, and none could pursue her in a high-speed rooftop chase.
[15:19] * Jessie gets to a distant rooftop where no-one will see her, and promptly smashes her hand into a nearby wall. "Stupid, stupid, stupid! The hell was I thinking?!"
[15:22] * Jessie takes a moment to recover her composure, then returns to the residence of Smith the Magnificent as stealthily as she can manage in this getup.
[15:24] <Ui> A police car is parked outside when Jessie makes it to the building.
[15:25] <Jessie> "Gah?!" Jessie sticks to the shadows, examining the scene from a distance...
[15:27] <Ui> As Jessie looks on from her hiding place, she sees Smith, in full wizard regalia, follow two cops to the car. She can't shake the thought that he looks like Dumbledore, complete with a lengthy white beard. "I wish I could be more helpful, Officers," he says.
[15:28] * Jessie stays in place until the police presence departs. She has an awkward feeling this is about her. Again.
[15:29] <Ui> They do, after exchanging trivialties. Contact us if you hear anything, the standard tripe.
[15:31] * Jessie steps out from her hiding spot as the car leaves. "Do I get three guesses as to what they were questioning you about?"
[15:33] <Ui> "A black-haired vigilante girl who may be dressed as a cat," Smith responds, staring after the car. "You wouldn't happen to know one, would you?"
[15:35] <Jessie> "Of course not. That's ridiculous." Jessie makes her way into the house uninvited.
[15:37] <Ui> "Welcome back!" Barbie greets her, setting up the table. "Did you have fun?"
[15:37] <Jessie> "About as fun as a case of mistaken identity usually is."
[15:38] <Ui> "Those can be very entertaining."
[15:39] <Jessie> "Not so much when you beat up the wrong guy for a crime he didn't commit, actually. Suppose that should teach me a lesson on how the timeline works, huh."
[15:42] <Ui> "Did you think he committed a crime before beating him up?" Barbie asks curiously.
[15:43] <Jessie> "I thought he worked for the guy who was supposed to have committed a crime eight years ago." Jessie is embarrassed just speaking.
[15:43] <Jessie> "Even saying that I feel like a dumbass..."
[15:47] <Ui> Barbie's curiousity seems sated, and she smiles. "I made carrot soup!"
[15:47] * Jessie is relieved at least that Barbie doesn't press the issue. "That'd be great, thanks."
[15:52] <Ui> "So!" she exclaims, pouring the broth into three deep plates. "What's your next move?"
[15:53] <Jessie> "Honestly? I have no goddamn clue. I'm apparently a wanted criminal, I've got no way to get in close to her without being discovered, and operation Clean The Streets was a bit of a failure."
[15:56] <Ui> "Operation Clean The Streets?" Barbie asks, as Smith eats the soup with a blissful smile on his face.
[15:56] <Jessie> "It's probably better that you don't ask. Your boss laughed at it, and he was probably right."
[15:57] <Ui> "He is a bit of an idiot, though--"
[15:57] <Jessie> "Here I was thinking I'd win her favour by beating up every thug in the district."
[15:57] <Ui> "Hey!"
[15:57] <Ui> "Well you are!"
[15:58] <Ui> Barbie nods eagerly, then, looking at Jessie. "And then you trick her and take her place?"
[15:58] <Jessie> "Uh. I guess?" Jessie doesn't quite have her heart into it, but that's still the final goal at the end of all of this.
[15:59] <Jessie> "One question I wanna ask. Why exactly are you two so supportive of all this? Didn't you both get pressured about me by the cops?"
[16:00] <Ui> "Why would she care about the thugs being beaten?" Barbie asks, showing a great deal of interest in the plan. At the question, she shrugs. "It's just cops, right?"
[16:00] <Ui> Smith murmurs something unintelligible.
[16:00] <Jessie> "What was that, Merlin?"
[16:02] <Jessie> "And...I dunno. I wanted to appeal to her morality, I guess? Make her think that I deserve the place more than she does, sitting on her ass and doing nothing to earn her goddamn happiness."
[16:03] <Ui> "Why is it happiness to beat up people?" Barbie asks, shrugging. "I know some would be happy with that. Are you?"
[16:05] * Jessie clenches her fists. "Maybe some people deserve to have their faces punched in."
[16:09] <Ui> Smith snaps his fingers. "I get it! I finally get it!"
[16:10] <Jessie> "Don't tell me! You can find the weight of the crown by dropping it in the bath!"
[16:11] <Ui> "You want some people to be hurt, and she is you, so you are subconsciously trying to cater to her desires, these desires that she might not even know she has!" Smith states in triumph, blithely ignoring Jessie's request. Barbie claps politely.
[16:12] <Jessie> "So...SHE wants to beat stuff up as well...? I don't get it."
[16:16] <Jessie> "And what does this mean in general? That I should work for her and beat up the people she wants beaten up? False sense of security?"
[16:18] <Ui> "Yes, yes, it is all terribly confusing," he says dismissively. "But if you want my advice--"
[16:18] <Ui> "Trust me, Honey, you don't," Barbie cuts in. "What you need here is some sort of plan. A coherent plan. One that has cause and effect, and even a backup 'Plan B' if things don't work out the way you expect. You with me on this?"
[16:19] <Ui> Smith looks quite put off at that.
[16:26] <Jessie> "...Fine. I'll have to settle for some outright burglary. Scout the place out for a while, find a time when people are out, rummage through her stuff to find this prized possession and bring it here. If I bump into someone...I'll knock them out as quietly and painlessly as I can, but I'll do what I can to avoid that. Will that do?"
[16:30] <Ui> "Sure why not?" Barbie asks, shrugging. "Let's see. You want to case the house, wait for a chance, then break in? Do your parents work?"
[16:30] <Jessie> "Dad does, yeah. Mom..." Jessie cringes, recalling the sight of her mother bound to that wheelchair. "I don't think so."
[16:31] <Jessie> "But I don't think she can even get upstairs, so that shouldn't be a problem."
[16:31] <Ui> "That's a start. How about going now, in fact?"
[16:32] <Jessie> "Good plan." Jessie finishes up her soup and makes her way out again, keeping to the alleys as she returns to the Fields residence. She should get a few good hours of monitoring tonight...
[16:36] <Ui> She hasn't been stalking her house long before a car drives up to it; her father's car, she recognizes. It stops in the driveway, and her father gets out, moving around the vehicle to open the front door for her sister, Patty.
[16:38] <Jessie> Perhaps she's back from visiting a friend. Either way, it's probably safe to say that the house is full in the evenings. Her odds are better earlier in the day. She wonders how well she'd be able to sneak around while the family is asleep...probably not well enough. Not worth the risk.
[16:39] <Ui> Patty pauses at the door. Jessie sees her take a deep breath, close her eyes and walk in, her father bringing the rear. The front door closes after them.
[16:41] * Jessie tilts her head. Is she afraid of entering? What is there to be afraid of? She's curious now, and approaches the window to overhear what's going on inside.
[16:44] <Ui> "Matt is still in the hospital," Norman says. "He hasn't woken up yet, but it's only a matter of time."
[16:44] <Ui> Patty keeps off to the side, hanging by the umbrella stand.
[16:45] * Jessie feels her heart tremble. Is this her fault? Did she hurt Matt that badly...?!
[16:47] <Ui> "Uh.. did you tell Patty what I said?" asks Jessica, glancing back and forth between them.
[16:47] <Ui> "Yes." Norman smiles reassuringly at Jessica. "I played the recording for her."
[16:49] <Jessie> Recording...? This is just getting confusing now...!
[16:50] <Ui> "Ah... okay," replies Jessica, nodding. "Uh, I'm sorry for showing off in the ward. Really."
[16:50] <Ui> "We... need to talk," Patty says haltingly. "Alone. In the kitchen."
[16:52] <Ui> "Um, sure! Alone? Okay," replies Jessica, standing up.
[16:52] <Ui> Patty is already moving towards the kitchen, ignoring the surprised looks of their parents all the while.
[16:52] <Jessie> 'Alone' is not something Jessie plans to give the two. She works her way around to the kitchen window to keep up in the conversation...
[16:55] <Ui> "What did you do with my sister?" Patty demands to know, keeping the kitchen table between them.
[16:55] <Ui> "I am your sister!" insists Jessica, grimacing.
[16:57] * Jessie has to contain a gasp. Could Patty have remembered something from earlier?!
[16:58] <Ui> "That's a lie!" Patty hisses. "I saw you take her! And then, and then, you were talking about drugging me and taking her place!"
[16:58] <Ui> "It's not a lie! Yeah, I got taken, and then I got away!" Jessica collapses on her chair. "What exactly did you see?"
[17:02] * Jessie is practically pinned to the wall now. This is an opening - an unorthodox one, but an opening nonetheless.
[17:07] <Ui> "You took her and, and you choked her, and you jumped away with her!" Patty insists. "Where did you take her? The same place like me? Did you tie her up, too?" Her voice breaks. "Is she drugged right now, lying somewhere?"
[17:07] <Ui> "No! Nonononono! Patty, it's me, Jessica! I can't explain it, but I got this magic, and I broke away after the jump! Come on, think this through! You're meant to be the smart one..."
[17:10] <Ui> "I know your plan," Patty states angrily. "You want to take her place. You want to make it like she never left. You want to have what she has, but you are not my sister!"
[17:10] <Ui> "I can prove I'm the real Jessica!"
[17:13] * Jessie realises that with all the family downstairs she's got a chance to do some searching. She makes her way to the second floor into her old room - Patty's, now? She tries to figure out where the other her is sleeping now - if there's anywhere to find a prized possession, it'll be here!
[17:14] <Ui> Her old room is messy. She remembers looking inside and spotting Jay within previously. It certainly looks like Jessica still lives there.
[17:22] <Jessie> OK, how hard can this be? She's a musician, so maybe the guitar? She'd have to be sure before she did that - it's big, and taking it will definitely be noticed. Jessie looks for any item given obvious preference, or for any symbolic photos or trinkets.
[17:24] <Jessie> There's only so long she can look from the outside. Jessie channels the usual forces, producing a blade and cutting a hole through the glass. Smashing it is way too loud for trying to be stealthy!
[17:25] <Ui> The bass is certainly a prominent fixture in the room. On the desk, there is a photo of Jessica with her bandmates -- the drummer, the guitarist and a third one Jessie never came across. Another one is of Jessica and her family. A half-opened closet reveals plenty of clothing to be selected.
[17:26] <Jessie> The bass seems like the most obvious option, then. She quickly examines it for any sign of emotional worth, but really there doesn't seem to be much else worth taking here. She departs the way she came, ensuring the bass is undamaged as she lands...!
[17:29] <Ui> She hears footsteps as she lands, the drapes over the window being moved out of the way.
[17:32] * Jessie dashes as fast as her legs will carry her, clutching onto the bass for dear life!

<--->

[17:37] <Ui> A purple, writhing lasso snakes out towards Jessie's feet! It travels faster than anything has a right to, and within moment, she will be ensnared!
[17:39] <Jessie> "Dammit!" Evidently the ground is a bad place to be right now, so Jessie prefers her odds in the air and leaps upwards, keeping her forward momentum!
[17:40] <Jessica> "Head outside! And you'll see!" yells Jessica, sheathing herself in a glass-proof shield and vaulting through the window herself!
[17:41] <Ui> The lasso disappears as Jessica leaps through the broken window, covered in translucent purple!
[17:42] * Jessie channels her wings and breaks to the side, determined to cut herself out of the line-of-view of the house! If Patty sees this, she's lost her advantage!
[17:43] <Jessica> "You come back here! I gotta talk to you!" yells Jessica, bursting out of the house and promptly jetting after the black figure!
[17:44] <Jessie> Talking implies not running, and she doesn't like the sound of that, but how is she supposed to lose herself?
[17:45] <Jessie> "Stop following, or you'll be playing your next concert on a pile of junk!" It would be all too easy to snap this thing in her hands if she so wanted...
[17:47] <Ui> Magical flight allows both girls to cover a distance that would seem impossible in the city's traffic. Jessica sees that her costumed double -- now with a longer skirt for some reason -- has a bass that looks distinctly like hers in her arms. She can't focus too much on it, however, as her concentration is taken by steering.
[17:48] <Jessica> "My bass? You're holding my bass hostage? That's so... sad," replies Jessica. "Anyway, truce! Unless you want the whole city to see us, huh?!"
[17:49] <Ui> It might be too late for that, considering the very flashy method of flying each girl is employing. They have height and darkness on their side, at least.
[17:51] <Jessie> "So you mean I could rip this thing apart right now, and you wouldn't give a crap? And since when was a truce even an option?! Last I checked, we were mutually exclusive!"
[17:54] <Jessica> "What, like I'll get to use it after you lobotomize me?! What's mutually exclusive here is a sense of priorities!"
[17:56] <Jessie> "What exactly do you want me to do? Go back home and act like this crap never happened?! Even if I wanted to, that's not an option! Coming here was a one-way trip, so either I take your place or I've got jack shit!"
[17:56] <Jessica> "No, no, I think there's enough room in the world for two Jessicas!"
[17:57] * Jessie stops in her tracks, looking back. "You're kidding, right?"
[17:57] <Jessie> "Sure, find a way to convince your folks you got cloned and produced an identical twin. It's okay, Dad's a lawyer, not a scientist! He'll fall for it!"
[17:58] <Jessica> Jessica flies past Jessie, careening around in a wide, poorly-piloted circle. "Come on, we've got superpowers! If we use them for good and not evil, all will probably be forgiven. I mean, if you say sorry, that's gonna be enough- it's not like anyone can really get mad at you, owing to the superpowers..."
[17:59] <Jessie> "And then what do I get? Do I get Mom? Dad? Matt? Patty? I didn't come here to be forgiven, I came here to get my goddamn family back!"
[18:01] <Jessica> "I'm sure they'll accept you! I'll get them to, if you want. Come on, it's gotta be better than torturing me. That'll hurt!"
[18:02] * Jessie winces. "You don't think people are gonna get slightly suspicious? The police, the FBI, all that crap?"
[18:02] <Jessica> "Superpowers."
[18:02] <Jessie> "And what am I gonna tell the guy who brought me here? Hey, sorry, decided I didn't want to go on the whole revenge thing, thanks for your help, see you again never?"
[18:02] <Jessica> "He sounds like a dickhead anyway."
[18:03] <Jessie> "He...kind of is. His assistant decided it'd be a good idea to grab Patty while no-one was looking. ...Wait."
[18:03] <Jessica> "Yeah, see? Patty's your sister! You can't trust people who kidnap your sister."
[18:04] * Jessie floats in mid-air, pondering. "...Why'd he send me to a dimension where there was another me, anyway? Couldn't he have chosen one to coincide with the time you died in an accident or something? Why'd he pick one where I'd have to work...?"
[18:04] <Jessica> "There are infinite possibilities, right? That's what they said on Sliders."
[18:05] <Jessie> "So he deliberately picked one where I'd have to get my hands dirty...the BASTARD."
[18:06] * Jessie sighs. She looks Jessica in the eyes and sees...she hates to admit it, but she sees herself. She's tried already to get payback tonight, and it hasn't worked out. She's tried to lift this curse, but that's failed as well. Maybe it's time to just take what she can get.
[18:07] <Jessica> "Hey, you need to stick needles in my brain or something?" asks Jessica, still wobbling whilst airborne. "Won't it do the same thing to you? Like, if they fuck with my head, your head's also fucked with, and we both turn into braindead zombies or whatever? It's so suss."
[18:07] <Jessie> "...Fine. Though as a warning, I have a nasty habit of bringing around the painful deaths of everyone I care about. Not directly, but...yeah. The whole black cat thing isn't all for show, I guess."
[18:09] <Jessica> "It's cool. We've got superpowers," replies Jessica, attempting to stabilize next to Jessie. She holds out a hand!
[18:09] <Jessie> "Mind if I ask you to do one thing before we get to this whole going home crap? I think we should pay a certain someone a visit. I figure he'd prefer receiving a tragic curse over being beaten to an inch of his life." Jessie...hesitates, but returns the gesture.
[18:11] <Jessica> It was actually for her bass, but a handshake will have to do. "Eh, can't we just leave it? What's he gonna do?" asks Jessica. "I just wanna drop the whole thing and get on with life, you know? It's there for living and everything."
[18:13] <Jessie> "Let's put it this way. The guy's a time space magician, and his assistant is the one who decided to nab Patty while I was taking care of you without bothering to ask if it was okay to hold my own sister hostage. He's...kind of a dick, and if we've got these powers shouldn't we be using them to get rid of guys like that? ...Besides, he's apparently the only one who can fix me, so I can't just
[18:13] <Jessie> leave him..."
[18:16] <Jessica> "Eheh, uh, I'm not big on violence... though I do wanna talk to these creeps. And, uh, I kinda just wanna let the folks know what's going on before we head out for stuff like that. Dad's still the DA, you know? I dunno what will happen, but he's got plenty of influence and it's great if emergency services can help quickly, right?" Jessica shifts. "And, you know, I wanna let them know they need
[18:16] <Jessica> to expect two Jessicas soon."
[18:17] <Jessie> "...Good point. And I need to put this bass down somewhere, don't I?"
[18:18] <Jessica> "Well, I guess it's our bass now. But I figure getting another one won't be trouble," replies Jessica, jetting about in a semicircle and starting to fly home.
[18:18] <Jessie> "I sorta stopped practicing after...yeah. Maybe I oughta get back into it...can't lose out to myself, can I?"

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