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To Glam's continued delight, more kissing sessions happen on the following days (when they're feeling like a boy). They haven't met her parents as her official boyfriend or girlfriend or whatever yet, and don't mind it too much.
News about Purity's escape surprises exactly no one, but the Protectorate's reputation suffers a blow because of the attack; after all, the heroes were beaten on their home turf. The PHO forums are abuzz, though rumors of Glam's death at the hands of Hookwolf (probably started by same) prove largely unfounded.
And Glam really should get to their webisodes and start building a steadier rep. And that's (one of the reasons) why they're in Lorica's workshop a few days later.
"So what should I do? I haven't posted anything since Purity, should probably make this more of a habit."
"I know, but still." But still, you could've made life so much harder for the both of us, and you didn't, and I'm really happy about that, so "Thank you!"
"You're welcome."
"Yep," says the bot. "But you can sit with her if you want. Estimate forty minutes."
"Alright, that works." A copy appears. "Go grab me a book," they instruct it, and it goes.
Lorica fiddles with Transit's armor and doesn't acknowledge Glam's presence in any way.
Glam's used to it. Their copy returns with the book and promptly ceases to be. They start reading.
About twenty minutes later, the bot says, "Given certain assumptions it may be that I could have you hypnotically induced at roughly the time Lorica completes her work. Would you like to start?"
"You will wish to be comfortable in a way that doesn't rely on power use," advises the bot.
"Your current choice of shape will limit what Lorica might decide to do with you," the bot points out.
Shoulderbot lifts off and hovers over Sadde's face and starts drifting back and forth and issuing instructions in a low, soothing, level imitation of Lorica's voice.
She relaxes. And listens. And focuses. And breathes. She thoroughly gives in to the voice, in a way similar to how she does to her own power, to her beliefs. There is nothing but that voice, nothing at all, and what it says is the sum total of things in the universe.
And when Lorica comes out of her fugue she has a surprise.
The bot briefs her. And then she scoots her chair over to the loveseat and says, "Can you hear me?"
Okay now what. Um. The bot finds her something. "You're in a forest," Lorica asserts, because if she says 'beach' and something goes all capey she doesn't want water damaged hardware to deal with. She goes on about the forest in detail roughly parallel to the website's beach example and then says, "Describe the forest to me."
Well, isn't it good she didn't choose to say 'beach'? Because there are in fact things appearing as Sadde describes it, in much more detail than Lorica started with.
As long as it's not raining. Okay, Glam's probably hypnotized. Lorica picks up a twig and inspects it, wondering if the stuff is any more robust against squinting than usual.
The ground is covered with earth, dry leaves, rocks, fungi. The trees start surrounding them, simultaneously taller than her ceiling should be but somehow still fitting inside the room. There's sunlight mysteriously being filtered by the branches, and a breeze blows softly from the distance.
This is more stuff than Glam can usually track at once, isn't it...? And the light from no source is new, too. And the distorted space effect.