Undetermined [MCSM AU]

⪯ - steal the breath from my lips - ⪰

(it won't let me upload the image but this is her 1st loop)

Scorpio

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Here again.

She looks around, at the empty space around her. Though it's not quite as empty this time- things that could be stars and could be fireflies and could be something else entirely flicker in the sky above her. A glance at the ground tells her she's standing on an island, floating in space.

And again, her masked double stands in front of her.

"You're back sooner than I expected. That survival instinct of yours isn't the sharpest." they comment. Their voice is just as jarring as ever- almost like her own, but not quite.

Jesse scowls, pretty sure she's just been insulted. The other person continues speaking, though, before she can think too much of it. "I'll give you one thing, though, you've been adapting to all this well enough."

She hesitates, the wording taking her a bit off-guard. "All this?" she echoes.

"The loops. Oh, don't worry too much about it, you'll find out more in due time." they say with a wave of their pale hand.

Goosebumps spring up on her arms, a sudden rush of nausea sweeping through her. Whoever this person is, they're so unlike her it's scary, which is made infinitely worse by the fact they're wearing her face. She'd never do that, just brush off important info like it's nothing.

What do they mean, 'loops'?

The thought sends a shudder down her spine. Hell, with what's been happening recently- the Witherstorm, the phenomena of coming back after dying -it could mean literally anything.

"Who are you? Why are you doing this?" she asks, choosing her questions carefully. She tries to sound bold and confrontational, but her voice shakes a bit.

They smile at her, her own mouth twisted into a wry, uncharacteristic grin. "I don't think you need to know who I am just yet. At this point in time, it's not relevant." they tell her carefully. "And what makes you think I'm the one doing all this? What if I'm just another victim of the loops like you?"

"You're not." The words come out before she can think them through. This time, though, her tone is much more assertive. "Maybe you're not in charge, but you're not just on the sidelines, either."

They raise an eyebrow above their black mask. "Aren't you clever." they drawl.

She shudders again, though this time it's not because of Ere. She's returning back to the mess of the living world, and only has a few seconds before she's gone from here again.

Her creepy double leans towards her, lowering their voice slightly. "I like you so far, Scorpio. So I'll give you a little hint. Time doesn't follow the same rules as you and I do. It doesn't even really have rules, just...thin strings, holding everything in place."

"And if someone were to play with those strings..." Jesse says, looking them dead in the eye. There's another unsettling difference. While her irises are a bright green, theirs are obsidian-black.

Ere smiles. "Exactly. It would be so, so easy to alter time itself."

A million new questions flurry into her mind, but she's already fading away.

She doesn't have time to ask any of them, at least not yet.

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ehehe I love Scorpio a lot

sorry I abandoned this for a bit there. I'm gonna try to get back on track.