[video]

[withoutaworld]

[ Rikki's in her suite, in her street clothes, toying with the long knife she took off that kedan and frowning to herself, not quite looking at the camera as it comes on. She glances up briefly, but she's too distracted to try and keep up the eye contact. ]

So... I guess a lot of us were at the thing at the festival. Obviously. I hope everyone came out of it okay and all.

But I've been thinking about what that guy said, before he was killed. About us saving them. Have any of you heard the kedan say anything about that before? Did I imagine that? And... maybe it's just me, but I don't see a whole lot to save anyone from, other than... y'know... the kedan.

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[withoutaworld]

[ She doesn't pull her hand away, but she tenses, and keeps staring at her coffee mug without looking up at him. ]

It took me over and it hurt my friends. It... [ Her voice catches in her throat a little. ] ...tortured them and it made them hurt each other and it would've killed them, and all they could do to stop it was kill me, and it was my fault. If I just asked someone who'd know, Dr. Pym or Dr. Richards or Beast or anyone... If I'd just listened to Steve when he tried to keep me safe it wouldn't have happened, and...

[ She hunches her shoulders even more, swallowing hard. ] What if it's still here? What if it's the reason I'm here, and it possesses me again, and...

[ Welp, so much for not freaking out over everything. She'd been doing so well so far, too. ]

[trainwrecked]

[...yeeep, she's getting hugged, this time. One hand still around hers, other arm going around her shoulders. Never mind the weird of the setup - somebody remembering and thinking such things? Doesn't need to be alone. Simple.]

Big difference? Now you can be prepared. Now we can be prepared. That's what people do, once the first attack of fear is moved past. Pick ourselves up and kick the thing that scared us, hard. And that's what we'll do. [The squeeze of her shoulder very much including her in the 'we.']

And if the Emperor is actually planning on using this? She will regret it.

[And this? This is a hint, in his voice, of the steel that, in Rikki's second world fought against brainwashing and never gave up, regardless of the odds.]