Quoted By:
<span class="mu-r">“So there can be more than one person at a time resonating with an Archetype?”</span>
<span class="mu-g">“Stranger things have happened. Some are more common than others. Most people go their whole lives without realizing that they resonate with an existing Archetype.”</span> Mantis said with a casual shrug.
<span class="mu-r">“And you can pick out other Archetypes just by putting your feelers out. How many have you found so far?”</span>
<span class="mu-g">“This one? In this iteration, we’ve come across a few, but they don’t always respond well to this one telling them about it.”</span>
<span class="mu-b">“Why’s that?”</span> Abe asked.
Mantis finally swallowed her food and gave Abe a halfway serious look.
<span class="mu-g">“It isn’t always easy for people to accept that the circumstances that led you to where you are now could’ve been orchestrated by cosmic entities that can foresee outcomes from countless directions.”</span>
Everyone just stared at Mantis. A moment later, she regained her whimsical aura.
<span class="mu-g">“Or something like that.”</span>
<span class="mu-r">“Can you tell if I’ve already crossed paths with another Archetype like the Slayer?”</span> you said, unable to hide your interest in the topic.
Mantis tapped the side of her face, unwittingly transferring the sauce from the torta to her finger, then her cheek.
<span class="mu-g">“Hmm. We see you’ve been rubbing elbows with a Thief and a Fortune Teller fairly often.”</span>
<span class="mu-b">“No surprises there…”</span> Abe muttered.
Those were pretty easy to guess. You spent a decent amount of time around Felicia and Webb.
<span class="mu-g">“But that’s all this one can get without getting more…intimate.”</span> Mantis continued, joining her hands as if to further elaborate.
<span class="mu-b">“You don’t mean…”</span> Abe cautioned, not daring to finish the sentence in front of Joy. The girl in question just gave him a curious smile.
Mantis waved him off with a smile and a laugh.
<span class="mu-g">“Oh, we’re not together in this iteration, so probably not. We were more thinking along the lines of a ‘melding of the minds’.”</span> she corrected.
Wait. You and Mantis hooked up in another timeline? Or was she talking to Abe? You wanted to ask, but you couldn’t quite find a way to do so without making it weird.
Instead, you made her an offer.
<span class="mu-r">“I know someone else who might be interested in helping you locate some Archetypes. I can pass along their contact information if you’re interested.”</span>
<span class="mu-g">“Thanks, but I–<span class="mu-i">we</span>---aren’t that interested in tracking them all down. We just enjoy watching what they get up to. Sometimes, you can sort of predict what’s going to happen by seeing which Archetypes are interacting with each other.”</span> she explained.
Be that as it may, you have a feeling that Madam Webb would be <span class="mu-i">very</span> interested in meeting Mantis.
<span class="mu-r">“Fair enough.”</span> you conceded. <span class="mu-r">“But, as informative and fun as this has been, I’ve really gotta run before these tortas get cold. It was nice meeting you, Mantis.”</span>
(Cont.)
