Hello Cory and hehe… helllo pretty ladyyy :)
Um. Hi. Sorry. This is already going badly.
Cory! I have a very normal question for you, as a very normal intern who is definitely not taking notes about Hunt avatars for a cork board I may or may not own!! Do you… feel it when something’s being hunted? Or is it more like a general knowledge. Like when you walk into a room and go “oh this place wants violence.”
Also do you think the Hunt is more about pursuit or inevitability? Because those are different, philosophically speaking, and I will argue about it if necessary. Also is it rude to ask if the Hunt feels angry all the time or if that’s just a you thing. Sorry again.
Okay. Switching topics before I get shot.
Yeliza… hi. Hello. I am being so normal right now. I promise this is not me being Weird™ it’s just curiosity (and maybe admiration, but in a totally platonic, academic, definitely-not-a-crush way).
I was wondering, does the Web feel like control from the inside? Or does it feel more like… pattern recognition but REALLY big?? Like seeing threads where other people see coincidence?
Also do you ever get tired of figuring out things before they happen, or is that comforting? Because I think it might be comforting. Or horrifying. Or both. Probably both.
You don’t have to answer if this is too personal or if you think I’m annoying…
Hope you’re both having a nice, uh, day? Night? Screw it moment in the grand design!!!
—Megan :)
(p.s. Cory this is not an interrogation. Yeliza this is also not an interrogation. I just like asking questions a whole bunch.)
(p.p.s. Yeliza you’re so pretty and cool and your music is so banger)
(This one is 623 words long, and includes some funky logic! It also has a subtle reference to another OC of mine :>
In a rare moment of solidarity, Cory and Yeliza gave each other yet another blank look until Yeliza settled for confusion. "Calling me pretty..? I thought I did not leave the camera on.."
Then Cory remembered he didn't like her and stalked off to a corner so that he could think about his answer. Yeliza did the same once he stood up.
"..The way the Hunt works.. it ain't easy to explain. Sometimes I just get a feelin'—an urge, I guess.. and I go somewhere. Even though I never know what I'll find, there's usually somethin' to kill. I don't hunt people as often as I hunt other things like me, but I think I feel the most.. energized.. when I chase 'em. That'd make it more like pursuit, an instinct."
"You don't gotta worry about gettin' shot unless you give me a reason to. I haven't been weirdly angry at things for a while."
He thought about something else he could say.
"When I first.. became this, I could barely think. I could smell blood and all I wanted to do was find the source. I wasn't usually.. conscious at those points. I always woke up half naked in the middle'a nowhere, but.. I heard a door closin' whenever I opened my eyes. Still ain't sure what that was about."
Cory sat down. Yeliza gave him a contemplative look. He nodded that it was her turn to answer. She stood up.
"Admiration.. yes, I believe I picked that up from your earlier comment."
She seemed amused. Then the smirk dropped from her face.
"To answer your question, I must start earlier. When I was changed, my eyes were affected. Most associated with the Web are given the attributes of a spider. I have those, but I was given snake attributes as well. Due to this, I can see the energy of people—their feelings towards each other.
"This is to say yes, I do literally see threads. If someone is angry.. there is bright red around them. If that anger is directed at another person, then a line of red connects them. Lust is magenta, sadness is blue, fear is grey, so on so forth. I must predict their reactions and cause a situation based on that information, which.. is sometimes tiring.
"See, the Web does not need every one of its Avatars to make complicated schemes. Those are for the most capable—sort of like a.. hierarchy? If someone has been manipulating for years, it is only natural that they will end up at the center of a big operation. I do not find you annoying. For that, I will give you extra information."
She took deep breath and shifted on her feet.
"The main way I manipulate people; it is with these strings."
She held up a hand. Thin strands came out from her fingertips.
"It depends on some factors. The will of the person, and their awareness of what I am doing. If they are of weak will, then I can pull them around very easily, like a puppet. If they are weak and aware then perhaps they will resist it more. The most challenging are when they are strong willed and aware; that is when my music lends itself to make them let down their guard and give in.
"Though with certain people," Yeliza meaningfully glanced in Cory's direction. "Not even the music will help. That is when longer games must commence for one reason or another. I believe that is everything."
She took a drink of water. As she began the tedious process of turning off the camera, she muttered to herself.
"How on earth did she hear my music..?"
