Quoted By:
>Journey into the center of Gil's mind (again)
"Well, I— I really think we should find out? Because, if you do have an evil interloper, I think we better fight it right away, before it starts trying to steal your identity or murder me in my sleep or something. Right? So if you can't tell if you have one... maybe I should check for you?"
Gil makes an indistinct noise.
"'Yes, Lottie, I would love it if you checked me for evil intruders!' Why, thank you. I will. I don't think it'll take very long... uh, if I fall over, don't worry! I'm not dead, just... not-dead. Um. Vacant? Don't worry! I think you'll be able to tell when I'm in your head, anyways." You pause. "Can I pick you up?"
No response, meaning it's fine, probably. You reach into the beetle pile and scoop a couple up. "Hey..." they say.
Oh. "I can set you down if—"
"No... itsh... itsh kind of... itsh funny... you have soft hands..."
You probably should've stopped him at two bonus shots, tops. "Um, thank you. Hold still!"
Beetles have eyes. There's nothing stopping you from looking into a beetle's eyes, or from seeing into a beetle's Very Being, particularly if a beetle also has a person in it. No additional difficulty, no change in technique needed. (Positive thinking.) You clasp gently onto one of the beetles, a fat green one, and shake the rest off you.
Up close, your chosen victim is ugly-cute, its shiny shell and little legs contrasting terribly with its demonic bitey mouth and beady black eyes. You've never been one for insects, exactly, but at least Gil isn't a swarm of flies— or mosquitos! Beetles you can tolerate.
"You're big..." Gil offers. "Please don't... eat... please don't eat me..."
"Eat you?" Is he joking? "Why— I'm not going to— look, whatever. Hold really, really, really still."
Beady black eyes, like little gems. Faceted gems. Does Gil see in compound? He's said he can see behind him... but... gosh. Thinking of it gives you a headache. Well, no matter: onward and upward, and all that. Thumb that shell, and look into those eyes, and look, and look, and try to see the person in them— look and <span class="mu-s">see through.</span>
>[-1 ID: 6/12]
—
Confusion! Chaos! You are- are- are- are- are- are- are- Charlotte Fawkins, now and forever, but it feels roughly as though you've been shot through one of those Corinth contraptions, the ones with the balls and the pegs and the cups— like you've been shot through, and split upon hitting the first peg, and are bouncing around in multiple places at high speed. Will you be caught in a cup, or will you slip through the hole and be lost forever? What will you win? If you weren't a little drunk, you'd be taking this worse, but as it is you're merely dizzy.
(1/2)
