Kintsugi Plays Fallen Hero: Retribution (ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ …(^_^)…)

Stares at this like this cat, specifically:

As a data point, the second option isn't actually played as skeptical—the MC's full response if you choose it is, "But he's still alive, and that means things can change." (I wondered the same thing when I first saw this scene.)

 

>1

 

> "And you are planning to finish the job he started?"

"And you are planning to finish the job he started?" You lean closer, trying to make sense of the frayed bundle of motivations and intentions that make up her mind.

"I don't even know what it is." Mia's smile grows a little wistful. "I can only try to be the kind of reporter he would be proud of."

"By interviewing me." A humble gesture.

"Among others." She collects herself, brandishing her pencil. "I know you've got an interesting story to tell once you get around to it."

"Then let's cut to the heart of the matter." You fold your arms over your chest, and she picks up her pencil. Focused. "What do you know about Hollow Ground?"

"I…try to steer clear of that," she says warily. "People have got their careers shot down for dealing with that subject."

"I'm surprised," you say, just a little mockingly. "I thought you were after the truth?"

"The truth doesn't help if I can't get it published. My editor says Hollow Ground is a tabloid bogeyman right there with the laser dolphins."

"The laser dolphins are real," you say, voice steady, "and even if Hollow Ground is not, their organization certainly is."

"Go on," she says, eyes widening. Hook, line, and sinker.

You start to describe what you've found, in great detail, while she starts taking notes, asking questions where needed. The connections between Jake Manalo and organized crime. Jake and Eric Deveraux meeting, the mayor's aide getting his fingers sticky in yet another pie of dirty money. Avenues to look into. Possible witnesses. The right questions to ask.

Once you're done, she looks down at her pad, now filled with notes and names.

"And what's your angle in this?" The question is light, but with the facts down, her attention turns to you.

"Deveraux works for the competition. I want to remove him."

"I get it, but that wasn't what I was asking," she says, her eyes fixed squarely on you. "Why are you doing this?"

It's a good question. Why are you doing this? Or, more importantly, what reason are you going to give her?

　‣ "Not going to ruin that surprise," I tease.
　‣ "Someone should run things, might as well be me."
　‣ "They won't get away with this. Not again."
　‣ "Why does anyone? For fortune, fame, and kicks."

Spoiler: Show Stats (no change)

CLASSIFIED

Subject: Anathema

Secret Identity: Josie Jacobs
Gender: Non-binary.
Description: A tall mixed person in their thirties with brown eyes and short and styled curly dark brown hair.

Their sense of style is androgynous, secondhand streetwear, with many piercings in their ears, nose, and tongue. They have a short, scruffy beard and mustache.

Standard of Living: Josie is well-off.
Josie is living in a comfortable apartment.

Josie Jacobs is a seasoned, tech-savvy tactician.

Physical Status
Stamina: You are rested.
Willpower: You feel calm.
Injuries: You are fine.

Telepathy
Strength of Mind: 50%
████████████████████
Subtle Manipulations: 74%
██████████████▒█████

Anathema
Anathema runs a criminal syndicate.
Infamy: 51% / Obscurity: 49%
██████████▒█████████

Armored Suit
Anathema's suit is a shadow with a mirror for a face, revealing nothing. The cape conceals and obfuscates what's underneath.
In its left hand, the suit has a neutered colony of nanovores, functionally similar to having disintegration touch. The suit is also equipped with telepathic boosters and enhanced speed as well as jump-jets.

Armor Status
Need Repair: 0% / Fine: 100%
████████████████████

Leadership: 55%
████████████████████

Psychological Profile
Arrogance: 15% / Anonymity: 85%
████████████████████
Ruthlessness: 33% / Empathy: 67%
██████▒█████████████
Daring: 46% / Caution: 54%
█████████▒██████████

Back in the day, Sidestep was known as a vigilante working with the Rangers.

Main Puppet
Name: Barbara
Puppet Status: She is fine, and has no serious wounds.
Description: A tall white woman in her twenties with blue eyes and long straight blond hair.

Allies and Enemies

Charge
Josie's Relationship with Ortega: Friend and ally.
Ortega's Connection with Josie: 80%
████████████████████

Ortega thinks Anathema has made some good points.

Barbara's Relationship with Ortega: Eternally flirting. Josie is using Barbara as a spy.
Ortega's Connection with Barbara: 59%
███████████▒████████

Dr. Mortum
Barbara's Relationship with Dr. Mortum: friend.
Mortum's Connection with Barbara: 63%
████████████▒███████

Lady Argent
Josie's Relationship with Lady Argent: Distant.
Lady Argent's Impression of Josie: 1%
▒███████████████████

Lady Argent respects Anathema's abilities.
Lady Argent's Interest in Anathema: 43%
████████▒███████████

Marshal Steel
Josie's Relationship with Steel: Friendly.
Steel's Connection with Josie: 61%
████████████▒███████

Marshal Steel thinks Anathema needs to be brought in.

Herald
Josie's Relationship with Herald: Could be useful.
Herald's Connection with Josie: 60%
████████████████████

Herald thinks Anathema is a villain.

Other Characters

 

A question: does our answer indicate what we're telling her, or does it indicate a potential change to our priorities?

lol never mind I saw that "what reason are you going to give her" after posting

 

>surprise ;3

(we talked about freedom, truth, and a shadowy puppet government. let her draw her own conclusions.)

 

Come now, Ms. Ochoa, you should know better than to ask for spoilers.​

> "Not going to ruin that surprise," I tease.

"Not going to ruin that surprise," you tease. Revealing too much would be a risk you're not ready for yet.

"A surprise?" Mia purses her lips thoughtfully. "I suppose that would be very much on brand."

"There are things I will let the world know once I'm ready, but it's too early yet."

"And in the meantime, you'll let the public and the media make their own assumptions?" she asks, not bothering to hide the barbs.

"That's nothing new," you say with a cynical shrug. "And I don't care."

"There has been a lot of speculation why you took your name." Her voice has gone soft. "There's a lot of memories tied to Anathema for people. Do you have anything you want to say to our readers?"

　‣ "No," I say firmly.
　‣ "I have my reasons," I say, cryptically.
　‣ "To hurt the Rangers," I say with emphasis.
　‣ "Because some people should not be forgotten," I snap.

Spoiler: Show Stats

CLASSIFIED

Subject: Anathema

Secret Identity: Josie Jacobs
Gender: Non-binary.
Description: A tall mixed person in their thirties with brown eyes and short and styled curly dark brown hair.

Their sense of style is androgynous, secondhand streetwear, with many piercings in their ears, nose, and tongue. They have a short, scruffy beard and mustache.

Standard of Living: Josie is well-off.
Josie is living in a comfortable apartment.

Josie Jacobs is a seasoned, tech-savvy tactician.

Physical Status
Stamina: You are rested.
Willpower: You feel calm.
Injuries: You are fine.

Telepathy
Strength of Mind: 50%
████████████████████
Subtle Manipulations: 74%
██████████████▒█████

Anathema
Anathema runs a criminal syndicate.
Infamy: 46% / Obscurity: 54% (+5)
█████████▒██████████

Armored Suit
Anathema's suit is a shadow with a mirror for a face, revealing nothing. The cape conceals and obfuscates what's underneath.
In its left hand, the suit has a neutered colony of nanovores, functionally similar to having disintegration touch. The suit is also equipped with telepathic boosters and enhanced speed as well as jump-jets.

Armor Status
Need Repair: 0% / Fine: 100%
████████████████████

Leadership: 55%
████████████████████

Psychological Profile
Arrogance: 14% / Anonymity: 86% (+1)
██▒█████████████████
Ruthlessness: 33% / Empathy: 67%
██████▒█████████████
Daring: 46% / Caution: 54%
█████████▒██████████

Back in the day, Sidestep was known as a vigilante working with the Rangers.

Main Puppet
Name: Barbara
Puppet Status: She is fine, and has no serious wounds.
Description: A tall white woman in her twenties with blue eyes and long straight blond hair.

Allies and Enemies

Charge
Josie's Relationship with Ortega: Friend and ally.
Ortega's Connection with Josie: 80%
████████████████████

Ortega thinks Anathema has made some good points.

Barbara's Relationship with Ortega: Eternally flirting. Josie is using Barbara as a spy.
Ortega's Connection with Barbara: 59%
███████████▒████████

Dr. Mortum
Barbara's Relationship with Dr. Mortum: friend.
Mortum's Connection with Barbara: 63%
████████████▒███████

Lady Argent
Josie's Relationship with Lady Argent: Distant.
Lady Argent's Impression of Josie: 1%
▒███████████████████

Lady Argent respects Anathema's abilities.
Lady Argent's Interest in Anathema: 43%
████████▒███████████

Marshal Steel
Josie's Relationship with Steel: Friendly.
Steel's Connection with Josie: 61%
████████████▒███████

Marshal Steel thinks Anathema needs to be brought in.

Herald
Josie's Relationship with Herald: Could be useful.
Herald's Connection with Josie: 60%
████████████████████

Herald thinks Anathema is a villain.

Other Characters

 

(I do have a vote, but I was not here for The Naming Of Anathema so I will hold off if any of yall have opinions)

 

> "Because some people should not be forgotten," I snap.

"Because people should not be forgotten," you snap. "And some things should be remembered."

"Anathema was a member of the Rangers, and a hero," Mia points out, pencil tapping her pad. "I suppose the other thing is Heartbreak?"

"Swept under the rug like everything else. How many died? How much did the city care? Not one bit." Your voice has gone hard, and the vocal distorters exaggerate your anger. "This system eats people and spits them out. It needs to stop. It will stop."

"And you are the one to do it?"

"It's not about me," you shrug. "That's why I'm wearing a mask. That's why I took this name. To remember."

"Still, it is a bit odd to take the name of a hero, isn't it?"

"Hero. Villain. Civilian. You think that matters? Look at Heartbreak and tell me who the real villain was."

"Villain. I thought it was an accident? Or do you know more than has been released?"

"Of course. The public doesn't know anything." Your laugh is bitter. "It's all lies. Surely you know that."

"I suspected," she admits. "So what really happened?"

"Not yet," if ever. "This is about me, not the past."

You can tell by the part where we named ourselves after a dead person.​

"You certainly have riled Charge up with that name. Do you think it was wise, in retrospect?"

"I don't care what Charge thinks, Miss Ochoa. She's the past, I'm the future." Heat leaks into your voice, despite your effort to contain it.

"I see." She looks down at her notes, then back at you. "And why pick me of all people?"

"Young enough to be hungry. Connected enough to be read." You count on your fingers. "And above all, courageous enough to actually accept an invite to a condemned warehouse from a known villain."

"Some might call that stupid."

"Perhaps stupid is what I need. Consider this a test. If you don't mess things up, you'll be the only one getting interviews from me in the future."

"Interesting." She purses her lips. "I'm going to be honest, though. I write the truth, not propaganda. You can't bribe me into that."

"That is exactly the reason why I picked you." You get up from the table, waiting for her to do the same.

"Well, thank you for that compliment." She echoes your movement, uncertain if the interview is over or not.

"Oh, by the way, Miss Ochoa, there was one more thing."

　‣ I tell her to stay safe.
　‣ I warn her not to step out of line.
　‣ I tell her not to trust anybody.

Parting words?​

Spoiler: Show Stats

CLASSIFIED

Subject: Anathema

Secret Identity: Josie Jacobs
Gender: Non-binary.
Description: A tall mixed person in their thirties with brown eyes and short and styled curly dark brown hair.

Their sense of style is androgynous, secondhand streetwear, with many piercings in their ears, nose, and tongue. They have a short, scruffy beard and mustache.

Standard of Living: Josie is well-off.
Josie is living in a comfortable apartment.

Josie Jacobs is a seasoned, tech-savvy tactician.

Physical Status
Stamina: You are rested.
Willpower: You feel calm.
Injuries: You are fine.

Telepathy
Strength of Mind: 50%
████████████████████
Subtle Manipulations: 74%
██████████████▒█████

Anathema
Anathema runs a criminal syndicate.
Infamy: 46% / Obscurity: 54%
█████████▒██████████

Armored Suit
Anathema's suit is a shadow with a mirror for a face, revealing nothing. The cape conceals and obfuscates what's underneath.
In its left hand, the suit has a neutered colony of nanovores, functionally similar to having disintegration touch. The suit is also equipped with telepathic boosters and enhanced speed as well as jump-jets.

Armor Status
Need Repair: 0% / Fine: 100%
████████████████████

Leadership: 55%
████████████████████

Psychological Profile
Arrogance: 22% (+8) / Anonymity: 78%
████▒███████████████
Ruthlessness: 33% / Empathy: 67%
██████▒█████████████
Daring: 46% / Caution: 54%
█████████▒██████████

Back in the day, Sidestep was known as a vigilante working with the Rangers.

Main Puppet
Name: Barbara
Puppet Status: She is fine, and has no serious wounds.
Description: A tall white woman in her twenties with blue eyes and long straight blond hair.

Allies and Enemies

Charge
Josie's Relationship with Ortega: Friend and ally.
Ortega's Connection with Josie: 80%
████████████████████

Ortega thinks Anathema has made some good points.

Barbara's Relationship with Ortega: Eternally flirting. Josie is using Barbara as a spy.
Ortega's Connection with Barbara: 59%
███████████▒████████

Dr. Mortum
Barbara's Relationship with Dr. Mortum: friend.
Mortum's Connection with Barbara: 63%
████████████▒███████

Lady Argent
Josie's Relationship with Lady Argent: Distant.
Lady Argent's Impression of Josie: 1%
▒███████████████████

Lady Argent respects Anathema's abilities.
Lady Argent's Interest in Anathema: 43%
████████▒███████████

Marshal Steel
Josie's Relationship with Steel: Friendly.
Steel's Connection with Josie: 61%
████████████▒███████

Marshal Steel thinks Anathema needs to be brought in.

Herald
Josie's Relationship with Herald: Could be useful.
Herald's Connection with Josie: 60%
████████████████████

Herald thinks Anathema is a villain.

Other Characters

 

>stay safe. with all the irony of the previous segment behind it.

 

There are many last things we wanna do, but among them is chew her up with this mission.

 

Do try not to have any tragic accidents.​

> I tell her to stay safe.

"Stay safe. There are far worse things than me out there." You mean it—she's taking a risk just interacting with you, even if she doesn't know how big it is.

"I'm always careful," Mia lies, and you know it because you can read her mind. She likes risks because she likes the rewards. That's why she agreed to come, that's why she keeps talking to you. She thinks you're planning something big, and she wants to be a part of it.

"Good." You gesture toward the door. "Time to leave, and don't bother to stick around and try to follow me."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Very interesting, she's telling the truth. "As long as you give me what I want, I'll keep giving you what you want."

"And right now, we both want headlines." You offer your hand to shake, and after a moment of hesitation, she takes it.

You could crush her hand, so small in your armored glove. She knows it. She shakes it anyway.

That's why you picked her. She's got the guts.

She does not look back as she exits the warehouse.

Spoiler: Show Stats

CLASSIFIED

Subject: Anathema

Secret Identity: Josie Jacobs
Gender: Non-binary.
Description: A tall mixed person in their thirties with brown eyes and short and styled curly dark brown hair.

Their sense of style is androgynous, secondhand streetwear, with many piercings in their ears, nose, and tongue. They have a short, scruffy beard and mustache.

Standard of Living: Josie is well-off.
Josie is living in a comfortable apartment.

Josie Jacobs is a seasoned, tech-savvy tactician.

Physical Status
Stamina: You are rested.
Willpower: You feel calm.
Injuries: You are fine.

Telepathy
Strength of Mind: 50%
████████████████████
Subtle Manipulations: 74%
██████████████▒█████

Anathema
Anathema runs a criminal syndicate.
Infamy: 46% / Obscurity: 54%
█████████▒██████████

Armored Suit
Anathema's suit is a shadow with a mirror for a face, revealing nothing. The cape conceals and obfuscates what's underneath.
In its left hand, the suit has a neutered colony of nanovores, functionally similar to having disintegration touch. The suit is also equipped with telepathic boosters and enhanced speed as well as jump-jets.

Armor Status
Need Repair: 0% / Fine: 100%
████████████████████

Leadership: 55%
████████████████████

Psychological Profile
Arrogance: 22% / Anonymity: 78%
████▒███████████████
Ruthlessness: 30% / Empathy: 70% (+3)
████████████████████
Daring: 46% / Caution: 54%
█████████▒██████████

Back in the day, Sidestep was known as a vigilante working with the Rangers.

Main Puppet
Name: Barbara
Puppet Status: She is fine, and has no serious wounds.
Description: A tall white woman in her twenties with blue eyes and long straight blond hair.

Allies and Enemies

Charge
Josie's Relationship with Ortega: Friend and ally.
Ortega's Connection with Josie: 80%
████████████████████

Ortega thinks Anathema has made some good points.

Barbara's Relationship with Ortega: Eternally flirting. Josie is using Barbara as a spy.
Ortega's Connection with Barbara: 59%
███████████▒████████

Dr. Mortum
Barbara's Relationship with Dr. Mortum: friend.
Mortum's Connection with Barbara: 63%
████████████▒███████

Lady Argent
Josie's Relationship with Lady Argent: Distant.
Lady Argent's Impression of Josie: 1%
▒███████████████████

Lady Argent respects Anathema's abilities.
Lady Argent's Interest in Anathema: 43%
████████▒███████████

Marshal Steel
Josie's Relationship with Steel: Friendly.
Steel's Connection with Josie: 61%
████████████▒███████

Marshal Steel thinks Anathema needs to be brought in.

Herald
Josie's Relationship with Herald: Could be useful.
Herald's Connection with Josie: 60%
████████████████████

Herald thinks Anathema is a villain.

Other Characters

And with that set in motion, we conclude chapter 15.

Next time: Let's crash a party or two.​

 

> The Next Few Weeks Will Be Busy

Two weeks later, at one of the fancier galleries in Los Diablos.

The face in the mirror that stares back is not yours, but you know it better than you know your own. Barbara's face. The one you take care of. The one that gets the skincare, the careful grooming, just enough expensive makeup to make her the perfect avatar for your purposes. Bold. Bright. And above all, representative.

So why are you hiding in the bathroom?

Staring in the mirror?

It's a rare moment of privacy to be able to stand here, lipstick in hand, pretending to better your makeup. It's a public bathroom at an expensive gallery; the people here are too full of themselves to bother you.

At least in here.

It would be different if you were yourself. Your smile turns cruel as you apply more lipstick, imagining yourself in the same circumstances—your own face, lips pouting.

Is it easier to hide behind a female face or more difficult? People look more but care less.

Or maybe that's not what really bothers you. What makes you hide back here instead of braving the crowd outside with your usual predatory smile.

　‣ I feel guilty about using the puppet.
　‣ Could I ever do this on my own? As myself?
　‣ I feel weird. Something's wrong, but I don't know what.

Spoiler: Show Stats (no change)

CLASSIFIED

Subject: Anathema

Secret Identity: Josie Jacobs
Gender: Non-binary.
Description: A tall mixed person in their thirties with brown eyes and short and styled curly dark brown hair.

Their sense of style is androgynous, secondhand streetwear, with many piercings in their ears, nose, and tongue. They have a short, scruffy beard and mustache.

Standard of Living: Josie is well-off.
Josie is living in a comfortable apartment.

Josie Jacobs is a seasoned, tech-savvy tactician.

Physical Status
Stamina: You are rested.
Willpower: You feel calm.
Injuries: You are fine.

Telepathy
Strength of Mind: 50%
████████████████████
Subtle Manipulations: 74%
██████████████▒█████

Anathema
Anathema runs a criminal syndicate.
Infamy: 46% / Obscurity: 54%
█████████▒██████████

Armored Suit
Anathema's suit is a shadow with a mirror for a face, revealing nothing. The cape conceals and obfuscates what's underneath.
In its left hand, the suit has a neutered colony of nanovores, functionally similar to having disintegration touch. The suit is also equipped with telepathic boosters and enhanced speed as well as jump-jets.

Armor Status
Need Repair: 0% / Fine: 100%
████████████████████

Leadership: 55%
████████████████████

Psychological Profile
Arrogance: 22% / Anonymity: 78%
████▒███████████████
Ruthlessness: 30% / Empathy: 70%
████████████████████
Daring: 46% / Caution: 54%
█████████▒██████████

Back in the day, Sidestep was known as a vigilante working with the Rangers.

Main Puppet
Name: Barbara
Puppet Status: She is fine, and has no serious wounds.
Description: A tall white woman in her twenties with blue eyes and long straight blond hair.

Allies and Enemies

Charge
Josie's Relationship with Ortega: Friend and ally.
Ortega's Connection with Josie: 80%
████████████████████

Ortega thinks Anathema has made some good points.

Barbara's Relationship with Ortega: Eternally flirting. Josie is using Barbara as a spy.
Ortega's Connection with Barbara: 59%
███████████▒████████

Dr. Mortum
Barbara's Relationship with Dr. Mortum: friend.
Mortum's Connection with Barbara: 63%
████████████▒███████

Lady Argent
Josie's Relationship with Lady Argent: Distant.
Lady Argent's Impression of Josie: 1%
▒███████████████████

Lady Argent respects Anathema's abilities.
Lady Argent's Interest in Anathema: 43%
████████▒███████████

Marshal Steel
Josie's Relationship with Steel: Friendly.
Steel's Connection with Josie: 61%
████████████▒███████

Marshal Steel thinks Anathema needs to be brought in.

Herald
Josie's Relationship with Herald: Could be useful.
Herald's Connection with Josie: 60%
████████████████████

Herald thinks Anathema is a villain.

Other Characters

 

Something's been wrong for a while, though I'm curious if we're thinking of the same wrong

 

(I'm curious, which wrong are you thinking of? :o I have a guess but don't want to assume)

 

>feels weird man. no I'm not metagaming from my own epilogue why ever would I do that

 

Spoiler

I'm thinking of the impression of Manipulated Into This somehow, with my squinting suspiciously towards memories of the farm and all the narration about our new agency that feel off somehow.

 

A certain je ne sais quoi…​

> I feel weird. Something's wrong, but I don't know what.

You feel weird. Not weird as in body-hopping sick; you know how that feels, and it never happens in this body. It feels as much like home as your own but usually free from all the things that bother you. No aches, pains, no cravings, or addictions. No unsteady hands and weird angst spikes out of nowhere.

This is your rock. Your safe haven. Your refuge. So why do you feel a shiver running down your spine?

Why are you afraid to walk out there?

You've felt like this before. You know it, you just wish you could put a finger on where. It was in this body, that you know, spinning, spinning…

Numbers. The right number. So familiar, you just KNEW.

No. You take a deep breath and stare into the mirror, blue eyes staring back at you. Everything is fine. You are not afraid. Just…cautious? Yes.

Breathe. Smile. Get out there. That's all you need to do, and yet you find yourself stalling.

> You Reach For Your Phone

It takes you a moment to notice that you have your phone in hand, finger hovering over the call button. You press down decisively before you regret it—a couple of signals and then a familiar voice.

"What's up, mon amie?" Dr. Mortum. Sounding happy to hear from you. The smile in her voice is infectious.

"What's up," you repeat with an amused chuckle. "You sound like a teenager."

"I'm not that old" is the affronted reply. "Are you making fun of me?"

"Just a little," a deep breath, and then you admit, "I guess I'm nervous."

"Oh, tonight is the party, right?"

"You remember?"

"Of course I do. The gallery. Hopefully less explosive than last time."

"It is. It's just…"

　‣ This reminds me of my past.
　‣ It gets harder and harder to lie to her.
　‣ I complain about my boss.

Spoiler: Show Stats (no change)

CLASSIFIED

Subject: Anathema

Secret Identity: Josie Jacobs
Gender: Non-binary.
Description: A tall mixed person in their thirties with brown eyes and short and styled curly dark brown hair.

Their sense of style is androgynous, secondhand streetwear, with many piercings in their ears, nose, and tongue. They have a short, scruffy beard and mustache.

Standard of Living: Josie is well-off.
Josie is living in a comfortable apartment.

Josie Jacobs is a seasoned, tech-savvy tactician.

Physical Status
Stamina: You are rested.
Willpower: You feel calm.
Injuries: You are fine.

Telepathy
Strength of Mind: 50%
████████████████████
Subtle Manipulations: 74%
██████████████▒█████

Anathema
Anathema runs a criminal syndicate.
Infamy: 46% / Obscurity: 54%
█████████▒██████████

Armored Suit
Anathema's suit is a shadow with a mirror for a face, revealing nothing. The cape conceals and obfuscates what's underneath.
In its left hand, the suit has a neutered colony of nanovores, functionally similar to having disintegration touch. The suit is also equipped with telepathic boosters and enhanced speed as well as jump-jets.

Armor Status
Need Repair: 0% / Fine: 100%
████████████████████

Leadership: 55%
████████████████████

Psychological Profile
Arrogance: 22% / Anonymity: 78%
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Ruthlessness: 30% / Empathy: 70%
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Daring: 46% / Caution: 54%
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Back in the day, Sidestep was known as a vigilante working with the Rangers.

Main Puppet
Name: Barbara
Puppet Status: She is fine, and has no serious wounds.
Description: A tall white woman in her twenties with blue eyes and long straight blond hair.

Allies and Enemies

Charge
Josie's Relationship with Ortega: Friend and ally.
Ortega's Connection with Josie: 80%
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Ortega thinks Anathema has made some good points.

Barbara's Relationship with Ortega: Eternally flirting. Josie is using Barbara as a spy.
Ortega's Connection with Barbara: 59%
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Dr. Mortum
Barbara's Relationship with Dr. Mortum: friend.
Mortum's Connection with Barbara: 63%
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Lady Argent
Josie's Relationship with Lady Argent: Distant.
Lady Argent's Impression of Josie: 1%
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Lady Argent respects Anathema's abilities.
Lady Argent's Interest in Anathema: 43%
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Marshal Steel
Josie's Relationship with Steel: Friendly.
Steel's Connection with Josie: 61%
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Marshal Steel thinks Anathema needs to be brought in.

Herald
Josie's Relationship with Herald: Could be useful.
Herald's Connection with Josie: 60%
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Herald thinks Anathema is a villain.

Other Characters

 

Oooooh, that's right. Okay. Pin in that for ????


As for the question: I do not want to complain about the boss, that would needlessly increase Mortum's apparently suspicion and wariness, when we do still need to work with her. Fascinated by option 2 - lie to her about? Are we considering coming clean about the puppeting?

 

I think the biggest lie between us and Mortum is the truth about her friend "Barbara", yes. (As for whether we're considering coming clean... well, that's up to you guys!)