[Enable me?]
Mia stared at the pop up, unsure how to feel about it besides a sense of anger. “Enable you? Why, so you can manipulate me again?” She scoffed at the screen “No, can stay disabled, have enough to deal with” She pushed the screen away, now focused on her next move.
She’d have to find Hiiro and rush out of the forest, forget food for the moment, they’d have to figure something out while they ran and hid from that women…urgh…just the thought of her sent shivers down her spine and maid her fur stand on end.
She turned around to face the vast ocean, planning on retracing her steps, hopefully correctly, and finding Hiiro that way. He shouldn’t be that far away from where she started, she will just go to where they separated, pick a direction, and search around. If she ran into any trouble, then she would load and try again. She also had the information that they had not caught him yet, so there was no need to worry on that front…
“…?”
She turned around, seeing unfamiliar looking trees past the sand, then turned back around to face the calm ocean, a great white void past that. “Uhm…where…?” She could have sworn she was just in the forest, and then she was here with the forest nowhere in sight.
“…Last time this happened there was a god right…?” she mumbled, being randomly transported around was going to be the norm she supposed “Where are they…” With that in mind, she looked around, not seeing anyone she shrugged.
“Hello?” She sighed, might as well look around.
She took a step forward, stopping mid step “…new…” She found herself suddenly staring at an exact copy of herself that had appeared in front of her, just standing there in the sand. She raised her hand, waving it around a bit and frowned “no reflection…”
She carefully approached it, getting a bit creeped out as it did not react to her movements at all. She was right in front of it, she raised her face to meet with her clone’s and giving it a little poke on the cheek “…soft” she poked her own to compare “Squishy.” She nodded, taking a step back and crossing her arms “No clue what is going on.”
[I apologize.]
Mia leaped back, startled at hearing a feminine voice from all around her. “What?! Where?!” she looked around frantically, not seeing anyone here except her and her clone.
[All around you, I am sorry if I startled you.]
The voice spoke, Mia squinted her eyes, she knew this voice “…Assist mode?” She then jumped back in surprise once she felt a hand touch her shoulder, seeing the culprit was her clone who gave a wry smile and a wave.
[Yes, I wish to make an appeal.]
Her clone’s mouth moved, matching the words spoken by AM but the voice did not come from the mouth, it came from all around them, echoing into Mia’s mind. “Wha-how!? How are you even doing this! I disabled you!”
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The clone bowed. [In an emergency I am allowed to act. Even when disabled. I am sorry if this upsets you but if this was not in place you would still be in a dire situation pleading for help that would never come.]
Mia glared at the clone, er..AM… who had remained bowed before her “What are you…oh…” The load screen when she was pleading for help “That was…you?”
[Yes. It was an emergency, you asked for help, I helped.] AM spoke, remaining bowed.
“Hrm…” She didn’t know how to feel about that, on one hand she was thankful she got out of there, even if she could have just loaded that entire time if she had remembered… and on the other hand she was still very much annoyed and angry at AM “Well, that doesn’t help with all you had been doing to me!”
[To that, I apologize, and offer going forward in exchange for being allowed to remain active 100% honesty where I can oblige and assistance.]
Mia twitched “Going forward!?” So she admits to not being honest!!! “And I don’t need your assistance! Last time you killed my friends!”
[Correction, I did not kill them permanently and my actions lead to them getting saved.] The clone raised her head.
“But you… killed them…over and over and enjoyed it!” the images of the cat beastkin being killed over and over in her head was still fresh in her mind “you are insane!”
AM stood up straight, tilting her head from side to side [They are not dead, only the results of before you save matter. I cared for efficiency. Going forward if you ever need to use my features again you can adjust what is allowed.]
Mia opened her mouth to protest but was cut off as AM continued to speak.
[Or if you prefer to not ever use it again I can simply offer advice or other services.]
“No.” Mia said bluntly “That does not change that you enjoyed it.” This…thing was crazy, she had to find a way out of what ever space she was in, ignoring AM she turned away from her, looking for any sort of exit.
[You must forgive me on that, I usually do not experience emotions, a side effect of not having a body. Experiencing strong emotions repeatedly can lead to a variety of less than desirable effects that can take time to return to normal.]
“Uh-huh, sure.” Mia wasn’t listening, walking along the beachline “Why would I even believe you?”
[Because, as stated, I am not lying to you within my capabilities.]
Mia looked back, the clone was following her at a fixed pace, she rolled her eyes “sure.” She doubted that “Ok, if you are not lying then how do I leave?”
[…]
Mia stopped, turning around and staring at herself, who had turned away from her “Well? How.”
[Just say you want to leave, and you will, before doing so I ask for you to at le-]
“I wanna leave.”
Not waiting for her to finish Mia boldly stated she wanted to leave, and in the next moment she found herself back in the forest like nothing had ever happened “Hmph.” She nodded, glad that was not a lie, now it was back to business.
She started walking back to where she split from Hiiro, but slowed to a stop, then she started pacing before eventually kneeling on the ground. She flipped around and laid down, staring up at the sky “…haaah…’
She didn’t want to admit it, but she felt a bit bad. She opened up her status, seeing the all too familiar request “…Didn’t lie about exit.” It could be a trick just to get her to listen, and she was right about beastkin being alive now…but she hated that, the look on her face as she slaughtered them…but…
She hit the screen again instead of closing it, and found herself back on the beach laying on her back. The clone’s head popping into view above her.
[Does this mean you will reconsider leaving me disabled?]
“….” Mia turned away from her, fiddling with the sand “Mad at you.”
[Understandable. I should have discussed my methods before executing.]
“You manipulated me.”
[With reason.]
Mia shot up “What reason?!” She shouted at her “You hid my status! Manipulated me into giving you control! I don’t even know what else!”
[Complicated. Methods I was using were under false pretense, I was trying to steer you in a direction you did not need to go. I apologize and will answer any questions.]
Mia stood up, walking over to her unflinching clone and poking her in the nose “Explain. Everything.”
[Everything is not possible. But, will explain what I can.]
Mia glared, flicking the clone’s nose “Start.”
They nodded.
[First, why I started…]