Dead Or Alive

Hallo again. This is me, posting something that is neither huge and epic, nor extremely trivial. Disclaimers at the end.

I'd rate it if I believed in ratings, but as it stands I'll just warn of a couple of words...

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"You're in my head. Sort of." said a vague aquamarine shape from the corner.
It may have been a mind, but to the tanned Muse, it looked like a very small, dark room. There were no obvious doors or windows, or any exit of any kind. It made Ma'at feel extremely claustrophobic, and wondered how the other person could stand it.

"Fantastic." Ma'at said under her breath. "Why am I here?"
The figure seemed to shrug. "You tell me."

"Well, you're dead... if that's even possible for a... well, I guess you're just a fictive now, aren't you?" she waited for a response, but at Ma'at's silence, went on.

"So, if you're dead, either you're in the afterlife, or I brought you back. Now... I don't *think* my Muse came up with this one, since she's scared stiff of you. So then, I assume you must have some idea."

"That makes sense." Ma'at said, because it did, in a funny, possibly-drug-induced sort of way.

"Really?" the Writer sounded surprised. "That's good."
They stared at each other for a moment, both having reached the end of their sentences and still reaching for the next one. Ma'at strived to see more clarity to the shape before her.

"Oh. Sorry." the Writer said, a violet glow appearing in the area Ma'at assumed was her face. The colour combination called something from her mind, distantly.

"I was wondering, now that I think of it..." she went on, "...why you did it."

She made a motion that looked like she was shaking her head. "No. I know the reasons you gave Angela. Not the ones you didn't."

"Well, you see, it's like this..." More clarity came to the form as she raised her right hand to explain.

"People... and Muses... and fictives always have reasons they don't realise. They tell different ones to the people around them, because they don't want to admit the real ones. I think that's what you did."

Ma'at was shocked by the abrupt change of subject. "She would have killed Milla."

"Time and space isn't constant in Subreality. You folks know that better than we do. You could have told... someone."

Ma'at considered that for a moment too, and slowly realised the barest possibility of the Writer being correct.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." said the Writer, downcast. She looked up again quickly. "So, what do I do with you now?"

"Milla? I'm not sure." the Writer answered, "Calliope was upset." she said suddenly, looking straight at Ma'at.

"She... was?" Ma'at wasn't sure how to react to that, so she went on to her second question.

The Writer's shape clarified enough for Ma'at to see it take on a shadowy appearance, which flitted over her form quickly, then vanished.

"They're watching for her, now." she said, "And her other fictives, I think... they're... safe."

The ending tone of the sentence wasn't a pleasant one, so Ma'at ignored it.

"Are you sure? She could enter other places - do something in Reality. I --"

The Writer shrugged. "I've always found it much more beneficial to my own mental health to not ask questions you'll never get the answer to, Ma'at."

Ma'at took the hint for what it was, and nodded. "So? What about me? Am I even really here?"

"Well, reasonably, I'd have to say no." said the Writer. "But since we're in Subreality, probably. In my world we'd call you a ghost."

Ma'at pondered the word, "All right." she said. "But what happens to me now?"

"You can stay here, if you want. Consider yourself a guest. Just don't... let anyone see you. The last bloody thing I need is Rhianna and Jewels -- not to mention Calliope -- after me for an explanation. And currently, I don't have one."

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Disclaimers: Subreality concept discovered by Kielle, all hail. She gets auto-posting-permission, as do Rhianna and Jewels for this one. Anyone else, ask.

Ma'at... or rather, the memory of Ma'at... or something... came from the minds of Rhaianna and Jewels, and was used with tentative permission. If I butchered her, please don't kill me!