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Then he turns back to the mirror. You <span class="mu-i">know</span> what Rudy looks like: Real-Rudy is identical to Fake-Rudy, apart from a change of clothing and some weariness around the eyes. But does he have to take up your whole field of view? Does he have to— oh, God— lean so close his nose touches the mirror, and take his eyelid and pull it open and stare searchingly into the black tunnel of his pupil? Oh, God, it's flexing. You're not in reality behind his eyes, right? It's only a metaphor. He can look as hard as he wants, but there's nothing for him to see, and you are perfectly—
He's breaking away, going to his bulletin board, tearing off an uneven corner of paper. Pulling an inky pen from a cup on the the nightstand/etc., he scribbles something down without looking. He returns to the mirror.
The paper in his upraised palm says: "IS SOMEBODY THERE?"
—safe. After a moment, Rudy lowers the paper and scribbles something else. "IS SOMEBODY THERE? WHAT IS HAPPENING?"
>[1] Oh, hell. *Now* you leave.
>[2] Respond somehow.
>>[A] Just open your mouth and speak. Hope that it gets through comprehensibly.
>> Dammit, you're already doing Richard things. Attempt to seize control of Rudy (or at least his voicebox) and speak that way. If a beetle can do it, so can you, right? [Roll.]
>>[C] You're already communed with him, sort of. Do the thing where you tug him into the interim and speak face-to-face. Upside: he sees your (nice, innocent) face. Downside: he sees your (nice, innocent) face.
>>[D] Write-in.
>[3] (OPTIONAL, FOR [2] ONLY) — What do you tell Rudy? (Write-in. If nobody writes anything in now, you'll have a slate of options for this next update assuming nothing goes horribly wrong.)
>[4] Write-in.
