[Plot] Admit One

[Katarina Karkov]

Katarina and Jez were definitely not supposed to be in Cerebra. Almost certainly, at the very least.

But with so much of the administration and telepathic faculties of the university busy with underwater bullshit of some description, the two girls had found a window where they could sneak inside, just the two of them.

Was Katarina nervous? Yes, incredibly so. But this seemed like it was something important to take care of...

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

For her part, Jez was at least taking some precautions. She had set a timer on her phone for two hours - if she didn't turn it off, it would send out a text message telling where she was to someone she trusted. Of course, it only took three minutes to drown, but at least it was something.

"I've never actually been inside it before, but I've heard that the goo... takes some getting used to. Are you sure you're up to this?"

[Katarina Karkov]

"I thought there would be some kind of...suit, or something," Katarina said, wrinkling her nose a bit at even the concept of goo. Little bit pampered, this one.

"I am not at all sure, no, but if you believe it is the right thing to do..." she added, trailing off.

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

"The sooner we get these nightmares sorted, the more energy and focus you'll have - and considering what you've got on your plate, you need every ounce of either you can get."

The girl began disrobing unceremoniously as the tank was prepared.

"With what I know about Cerebra, it enhances many types of mutant abilities, not just psychic. But the suspension fluid should act as act as a psychic bridge as well. There's... usually not more than one person in there, but with how limited my own telepathic abilities are, I think I need to keep you close for this to work."

It worked in Psychonauts. Please no Meat Circus.

[Katarina Karkov]

"You mean...you mean I have to get in the tube, too? I thought I would just, you know...look at the controls...and not touch the goop..." Katarina said, hesitating a little bit.

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

"My abilities aren't strong enough to do that. Right now, this is our only option that doesn't involve getting outside help again. And with how you felt about last time..."

'Don't worry, I'll be at the controls.' A second Jez said cheerfully. Because there was always another one.

[Katarina Karkov]

"Well...." Katarina said, looking between the two Jez's.

"...Well, OK. If this is the way that you can do it, than this is what we shall have to do," Katarina said, beginning to disrobe before she lost her own nerve.

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

Jez did her best to assist Katarina, as it was her duty now, but there was little of the playfulness that occurred in other private venues... though a little to try and settle her nerves.

"I'll have a connection with her outside, at all times. If things go south... she hits the button, and we wake up soggy." She said, trying to reassure her.

[Katarina Karkov]

Katarina nodded, her playfulness also at...comparatively low levels.

The tube was made for one. There was no getting around that; Charles Xavier or whoever had come up with this design had not anticipated two people squeezing their way into the tube together, as any telepath who would dare use the powerful machine would be powerful enough to power it themselves. So it was a snug fit, with the two pressing against one another as everything latched into place. It was a darn good thing the two girls were close, or this'd be very awkward.

Katarina interlaced her fingers with Jez's, nervously, and then eeped as the cold telepathic goo started filling the tank.

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

It was definitely a snug fit, which made Jez hug Katarina all that much more tightly. "The transition will be... unsettling, but it won't hurt us. As much as your instincts will fight to get away, you have to give in... okay?" She was giving advice, but in truth Jez was every bit as scared and inexperienced as the redhead, both of them putting on a brave front to try and instill confidence in another, for both their sakes. There was a brief moment where she snuck a kiss.

"For the road." She said softly, before the gunk overtook her mouth, and her body had to learn to breath liquid again.

[Katarina Karkov]

Panic! Somewhere in your hindbrain, your lungs filling with liquid means death, and it would take Jez a moment to beat down that part of herself with logic. Quick, experimental breaths. Contrast it with the part of her still standing outside watching. In and out, in and out, in and out, feeling the air go in one set of lungs, and the liquid go in another. In and out, in and out, in and out, just the two of her. Just the two of her. Just the...

three

For a moment, just as Cerebro kicks in and sparks on her power, just as things begin to get hazy and tough to follow as the pull of the mindscape begins to tug at the impromptu telepath, Jez finds herself looking into her own eyes, her hand intertwined with her own, as she connects with Katarina, the unfamiliar body feeling at first like wearing an ill-fitting pair of genes.

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

What happened was a strange and surreal experience for Jez. She was used to seeing herself; in mirrors, in photos and videos, and through the eyes of her copies. But seeing herself through Katarina's eyes was... different. Because she saw herself as Katarina saw her, and that was entirely disparate. And then the feeling struck her. She was used to puppeting her selves, and how they felt. Here she was, a stranger in a strange body... and entirely a passenger. Did all telepaths feel this way? It was very surreal, watching herself close her eyes with her hair floating in the goo like some kind of mermaid as her consciousness was focused in Katarina's mind.

Of course, this was all new to her, so it was a lot of trial and error as she tried to delve deeper - past the consciousness and into the unconscious mind.

[Narrator]

"Passenger" wasn't quite the right description of it, as she could feel the rhythm of Katerina's breathing synching up with her own, and she could swear she could feel her fingertips twitch. In less 'drowny in Cerebro' situations, that might be worth checking out.

But Jez had come here with a job to do, and she would do it. The Karkovs had had some training in basic mental defenses, just one of the realities of living in a world with telepathic threats. But Katarina had opened herself up to Jez; it's hard to keep one's defenses when you were floating in the same tub of goo. Jez would feel herself sinking down, down, down, the world getting hazier and darker, the feel of wind rushing past her, as if she was falling...

...before finding herself on a cold winter's day, in an Eastern European town square. The obvious dominant structure here was a large marble building looming over everything, statues of lions flanking the door on both ends, and men in uniform standing at attention.

As for Jez herself, over the top of whatever form her own mental image could create, she'd find herself wearing a warm, goose-feather cloak, pinned closed at the shoulder by the Karkov royal crest.

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

Had there not been a more pressing issue to address, the synchronizing of their bodies would have been very interesting to study. Intimacy was often described as two bodies becoming one, this seemed to be that to a new degree.

But there was more pressing issues, and so Jez pushed forward, letting herself descend in a slow drop, until she felt the cobblestones under her feet. Well, her boots actually - unlike in the real world, she was dressed rather formally under that downy cloak, though most of it was hidden. The scabbard of a sword was visible though, likely ceremonial... or figurative. The wind blew cold air against her face and prompted her to pull up the hood of the cloak to cover her face even as she stared up at the place. She steeled herself and adopted her best stone-cold face and stiffest posture and stepped forward, her boots clacking against the cobblestones and stairs as she made her way up toward the front entrance, a woman on a mission.

This was, of course, entirely new to her. She wasn't a regular telepath, she had never done this before. But she hoped she'd be able to learn as she went, coupled with what she'd heard some of the telepaths said of their past experiences.

[Narrator]

It all felt very real -- was that normal? That might be normal. But she might as well have been walking through Aniana itself, the feel of the cobblestone and the cold breeze feeling just as sharp as anything she'd encountered in 'reality', whatever that meant in here. There was no mental 'haze' or anything that might indicate a limit -- how big was a mindscape, anyway? It was hard to believe that everything in here was, in a sense, Katarina. How do telepaths keep this all straight?

Well, however it worked, she could at least walk forward, up the stairs, to where the men in uniform guarded the doors.

<"Ma'am,"> he said. <"Your ticket, if you please? No one gets in without a..."> he started, before glancing down and noticing Jez's sword, cloak and crest.

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

It was very different from her time inside of Basil's head, or maybe Cheshire's head was a more apt description. Maybe because things were so orderly and benign - it really could have been an ordinary clear winter day. And what was reality but how the mind interpreted the world, so within a mind... wow, yeah, it really must be hard for telepaths not to get lost in this.

Jez reached beneath her cloak for... well, something that she hadn't known was there, but it seemed appropriate in her mind. She remembered the ID and papers she'd been sent in the sizable package from Symkaria and, because it would have been appropriate for her to have them with her, found them in her gloved hand when she removed it from her cloak. She presented it to the guard.

<"I trust that this will prove sufficient."> There was no inflection indicating that she was asking a question, it was very clearly a statement of fact.

[Narrator]

Would that have worked in real life? Maybe, maybe not; you would hope trained guards would be more skeptical and thorough.

But this wasn't the real world, was it? Jezabelle's powers gave her some credence here, and Katarina's mind seemed to grant her a level of trust and authority, at least in this instance. And so rather than a rebuke, Jez got a pair of salutes as she walked right through the front doors into...

...A large atrium, lightly populated by people in suits and dresses milling about, taking in a number of displays and exhibits, talking in whispered tones. From the ceiling, a pair of banners with pictures of Katarina, in both human and golden forms, dominated the space, with practiced (if fake) smiles. They declared that the exhibition of the life and times of Katarina Karkov had been extended for the foreseeable future due to popular demand.

Of course her girlfriend would have the headspace of a museum -- not only did she turn into a freaking golden statue, and require artists rather than doctors to work on her, but she was always going on about the pressures of leading a life in public with everyone watching her. If anything, the subtext was almost too clear -- here was Symkaria's golden girl, available for all to observe and critique.

And some of it was, in fact, art. Portraits, photographs, statues of Katarina, all on display -- some aping actual ones Jez had seen in the palace in Aniana, but others apparently creations of Katarina's own mind; she had some sort of eye for this sort of thing. But the display cases, instead, were filled with personal items and artifacts -- personal possessions, handwritten notes, pages from her diary, articles of clothing, her student ID, all with important-looking cards explaining what each item was, and their importance.

A pen, sitting on an elevated cushion, was described as the implement Katarina had used to get a B+ on a math test, complete with the questions she had missed highlighted and explained. A cup, complete with the story of how she had accidentally knocked it over while at dinner with the Prince of Madripoor; something that might have been more embarrassing had the princess not been three years old at the time. An open copy of one of her favorite fantasy books, a passage highlighted and and critiqued for it's lack of originality and proper decorum. Her life, and all the mistakes therein, available for public display.

Not everything was quite-so deprecating. There was a lovely little display of the Princess and her parents; a series of photographs of her at a very young age. Those abruptly stopped at about the age of four; the rest of the wall left ominously blank.

The general flow of traffic headed back into the museum proper, through a couple passages where the main attractions and more recent additions could be found. Of course, with her badge and her papers and her sword, Jez could not only cut her way through the crowd with comparative ease, but also could probably find ways into areas where the public were not meant to go.

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

Jez tried not to read TOO much into the location. Some would have considered the idea of a museum dedicated to a person to be a bit narcistic, but Katarina had a very different life from other people. Her entire life was public and on display. Besides, it wasn't like she'd chosen this as her headspace, this is how it had manifested, how others minds perceived this metaphysical space that wasn't space, a world within a person. She had some sympathy for the girl, not only for that, but for all of those little cringe-worthy and regretful moments that one couldn't make themselves forget, moments that one thought about for decades even though everyone else involved had forgotten them within a week. But those moments helped to shape a person, as much as we'd like to forget them entirely.

The girl considered her options. She wasn't here to take the tour, as it were. And she had to be careful not to disturb anything. She also didn't have time to go snooping around for things that weren't related to her mission - and she valued Katarina's trust and privacy too much. She had some very specific things she was looking for, and the best place to start was... the map of the museum! That should help her bee-line for the most important exhibits, and perhaps more importantly, show her the areas where the 'general public' weren't permitted.

[Katarina Karkov]

Where do you keep a nightmare? How would a magic spell on a baby manifest itself in the context of a museum? Why did everything have to be symbolism and metaphor? How the hell did telepaths do it?

Jez would make her way through the crowds to find the museum directory. It was vast and sprawling, but there were a few areas of note that looked to have at least some potential.

The second floor seemed to be devoted to mostly administration, organization and things like that -- presumably, the ones responsible for what's being displayed in the museum? Higher brain functions, maybe? At the very least, the room marked "curator's office" seemed like a decent place to find someone in charge, maybe get a clearer picture of the entire situation and demand some answers.

Then again, if you were looking for nightmares, there was always the basement, which was marked as authorized personnel only and filled with maintenance and the like. Maybe that correlated to the subconscious, where you would try to slip evil nightmares? Then again, that was probably the most dangerous direction to go in.

And then there was the main floor of the museum proper, with the exhibits and the exhibitions. There was a lot to take in here, with every portion of Katarina's life on display in one way or another. There was a room dedicated to her and her family, one to her dreams of visiting the west, some kind of exhibit about her love of fantasy -- different aspects of her personality on display, with what seemed like fairly harsh criticism, per the map. Near the back, though, were the three most interesting rooms. One was a grand ballroom, where the subject Herself could be viewed, complete with a schedule of appearances and poses Symkaria's Golden Girl would adopt throughout the day. Off to either side were two rooms marked Special Exhibits, one entitled "There Are No Gay People in Symkaria" and the other "A Mask of Gold Hides All Deformities". The former was listed as newly opened; the latter was listed as temporarily closed.

Curator's office, basement, special exhibits and the grand ballroom. All might get her steps closer to the answers she was seeking; all might bring with them their own problems. Decisions, decisions.

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

Jez puzzled and thought about how to make sense of the symbolism. Something kept hidden, in a museum... that should be in the archives, the secure holdings, storage... and those were likely all in the basement. But she needed ACCESS to the basement, and while her papers had worked at the front door they might not work everywhere. She had to work with the system as much as possible to prevent it from rejecting her and potentially severing the link between Katarina's mind and her own. And if she were kicked out, it may make getting in a second time more difficult.

So, she should go to the second floor and see if she could find... whatever her subconscious manifested to be in charge of keeping her memories straight. The museum director, or a curator or something. And if they couldn't help her, or wouldn't... then she'd explore the basement on her own.

Of course, her route to the second floor took her past the ballroom. And while she was pleasantly pleased with the "closed" sign over one exhibit, the presence of the other did cause her concern. She felt she had no right to pry into such affairs, even if Katarina had trusted her enough to let her in it gave her no right to pry into things unrelated to her nightmares, but... if she could learn more about how Katarina felt, maybe it would help her make the princess happier later. So she allowed herself to slip into the flow of the other "museum patrons" and made her way toward the ballroom, a short detour from her mission - or as she liked to think of it, a side quest.

[Narrator]

The patrons themselves were odd amalgamations of people -- every now and again, one would almost look like someone Jez knew, either from campus or her time in the palace. It be weird how brains work that way, but it do. They wouldn't pay Jez particular mind unless she attempted to get their attention, more than happy to treat her like just one of the very cultured people taking in the exhibits. She would note them slightly parting for her as she walked -- because she was real and they were not? Because she wore the crest of the Karkovs? Both? Neither? Whatever.

"There Are No Gay People in Symkaria". If Jez had a nickel for every time she had heard that, right? It might be a tad disconcerting to see that phrase literally carved into a brass sign inside Katarina's mind -- something that deeply ingrained in her wasn't ideal. The door itself had a bit of yellow caution tape around it, from where it looked liked someone had forced open a lock at some point in the not-too-distant past. Newly opened, indeed.

There was a warning sign on the door, neatly typed, warning that the contents of the room may not be appropriate for all ages, which if anything seemed to encourage the patrons to gather their nerves to go see what the room was hiding inside.

And the very first thing that Jez would see? A very large painting of Katarina and multiple Jezii, in a position which probably wasn't strictly physically possible. Katarina's hair was tousled, her face flushed, holding a Jez tight on each side. It was just on this edge of tasteful, at least if you weren't the main subject of the portrait.

Casting one's eyes away from that at a moment, the rest of the room was explicit, yes, but stopped short of being outright pornographic. Mind you, this was definitely the Horny Room of the museum. And Jez would find herself quite frequently featured, both in memories she could identify -- the two of them hiding in the showers from Nika, lounging on Katarina's four-post bed in the Palace, or dancing together at the Mutant Fsetival -- as well as things she were fairly sure had sprung entirely from Katarina's imagination. She wouldn't have forgotten being bound to the throne with Katarina holding court. And while her package of uniforms from Symkaria had included jodhpurs and a crop, it had not included the fetching harness, bridle and bit the Princess was wearing. Perhaps that was to come in a later package.

It wasn't all questionable anatomy and unidentifiable toys. There were more passages from books, steamy scenes underlined and highlights. Clips from movies, from television shows, from the news, from music that had obviously had had some sort of a subconscious impact on the young Katarina -- Mulan, Jasmine from Aladdin, the Hex Girls from Scooby Doo, Storm, the songs "Torn" and "Wannabe". There were pictures of real people in Symkarian uniforms -- presumably, people Katarina had known growing up, or who had caught her eye and stuck in her mind for reasons that weren't entirely clear.

And there were more mundane moments, featuring Jez more and more as they went along. The receipt from Jez and Katarina going to a diner, several failed attempts at making some Symkarian goulash, a slightly older-model video game console, a golden egg. Photos of the two women together, smiling and happy, both at Xaviers and elsewhere. There was even a large posed portrait, Katarina in a flowing gown and Jezabelle in a more military-looking suit, smiling and holding hands -- very much in the same style as the family portraits of Katarina and her parents from the beginning of the museum.

Three things to notice, perhaps, as Jez would duck around the various people observing the art and discussing it among one another. Gender dysphoria was a hell of a thing, but whatever lingering feelings of discomfort Jez still had about herself wouldn't be present here -- these were all Jezabelle as portrayed through Katarina's eyes, and that was damn close to perfect. Whether they were real-life images or something Katarina had dreamed up, Jezabelle looked like she always fit; a perfectly matching piece to the puzzle. Secondly, quite a few of the Jezii in the paintings and pictures were wearing a small silver crown -- again, very similar to the one she had seen Katarina's mother wearing in the very early family portraits from earlier. The portrait at the end of the hall even seemed to have the two of them wearing matching rings; their hands intertwined.

And then there was the third thing: the explanatory notes. While the ones in the hall had been neatly typewritten and professional; these were all handwritten -- a practiced, steady hand Jez would immediately recognize as being Katarina's own. That's why it might be so disheartening to read their content -- Katarina described herself as "promiscuous", "unclean", "a freak"; slurs in both English and Symkarian. Unnatural; immoral; a shame to her family and her country. "The corruption of the decadent west," when it came to the media. Any and all of this, proof positive, if it needed to be stated, that Katarina was unfit to sit on a throne. All of it contrasting very sharply with how happy Katarina always looked -- the one room in this damn place where it looked like the Princess had found any joy or peace, constantly undermined by her own hand.

Near the back, a women in a docent's uniform was answering some questions from interested patrons, talking about some of the history and context behind some of the pieces -- specifically, at the moment, she was trying to explain the concept of console gaming to an older couple. She looked something like Katarina -- but more like a relative than the definite article.

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

Jez probably should have been more prepared for what she saw, but seeing herself, or rather herselves, depicted in such a way for everyone to see made her cheeks flush. It took a moment for her to remember that this wasn't a real museum, that none of these people truly existed outside of Katarina's head, but still. At least the paintings were tasteful... actually they were rather flattering, though she noticed that the descriptions of each item were decidedly less so. That it was Katarina's handwriting was obvious, and she shouldn't have expected anything less - this was her mind, and most people were their own worst critics. The hurtful words Katarina wrote, or rather thought, about herself made the girl's heart heavy.

She COULD change this. She could just take a pen, reach out, and write something new. But she didn't have the right. And even if she did... it wasn't the moral thing to do. Katarina's ongoing exploration of her sexuality was hers to discover, it wasn't for Jez to come in and steer her in one direction or the other. She could take some solace in seeing that this was a road that the girl had been going down long before the two of them had ever met. And from the looks of some of those paintings, a road that they might perhaps travel down together. It certainly looked like a future they might both enjoy, as unlikely as it seemed to every come about.

Jez waited patiently for the "attendant" to finish describing the game console before she approached them. Even if she didn't intend to influence or alter the "exhibit" in any way, she couldn't help but give one little dig.

"You know, the sign seems to be a little inaccurate." She said softly, feigning to look at the painting of herself and Katarina with the matching rings, Jez clearly in profile, her visage obvious to any onlooker. "I've only been in Symkaria for a few months and I've met at least two. Imagine how many more there may be, if they felt safe to be themselves."

[Narrator]

The docent nodded a little at Jez, turning to look at the painting as well. If she recognized her as one of the subjects, she didn't immediately let it on.

"I do believe you're right. The evidence itself is quite damning, is it not?"

She even sounded a bit like Katarina -- not quite the same, but eerily close.

"Art doesn't necessarily reflect the reality of the situation -- sometimes, it's more about a statement of intent. I believe it was the intent of the original artist that the content of the paintings and the context surrounding them should be at odds. Thought-provoking, at the very least."

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

Jez was silent for a moment, before she responded, keeping her eyes on the painting.

"I don't think 'damning' is the proper word in this case, that makes it sound like there is something to be guilty of. I think a more appropriate word would be illuminating.

"If I may make a suggestion for a new name for this exhibit? Perhaps 'The Dawn of the Symkarian Humanitarian Renaissance'? The first Renaissance was a light that pierced the darkness of the middle ages, and this one places a prism on that pure light, and shows the rainbow that made it possible."

She turned to look at the attendant. "It's just a suggestion, of course. I'm not the best with names, but maybe someone here can workshop it a bit. If you decide to go with it, you can send me a poster of that portrait of the two holding hands, it'd look great above my headboard."

This was not what she had come here for, she had to keep moving.

[Narrator]

"I'm not sure the head of the museum would enjoy that title, ma'am," the docent said, with a small deferring bow. "This exhibit was very important to him."

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

"Well, that's just another topic that we can discuss when I see him." Jez said with a little smile. "Please, keep up the good work."

[Narrator]

The docent gave Jez a smile and nod, and turned to help explain some of the mechanics of another one of the paintings to an interested couple, leaving Jez back to her own devices, able to continue her explorations.

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

With one special exhibit under her belt, and feeling a little better about her relationship with Katarina (even if there were signs that maybe one of them was taking it more serious than the other, she tried not to think too much about that as things were a bit exaggerated and all), Jez headed for the other special exhibit. Because while the princess' nightmares were her biggest concern, her mental state about her injury was also important. And maybe this could give the girl some insight in to how better to help the young woman cope and accept her new visage.

[Narrator]

With one special exhibit under her belt, and feeling a little better about her relationship with Katarina (even if there were signs that maybe one of them was taking it more serious than the other, she tried not to think too much about that as things were a bit exaggerated and all), Jez headed for the other special exhibit. Because while the princess' nightmares were her biggest concern, her mental state about her injury was also important. And maybe this could give the girl some insight in to how better to help the young woman cope and accept her new visage.

Leaving Katarina's mental room of LGBTurmoil to the side, Jez made her way across the hall to the other special exhibit -- marked as closed on her map, and with a shut door blocking her entrance.

'A Mask of Gold Hides All Deformities,' said the sign on the door. The closed door, with a padlock keeping whatever was inside away from prying eyes. Just as the other door had been forced open by someone (or something?), this one was apparently not yet naturally opened.

Something secret she shouldn't be poking into? Or some dark corner that needed to see the light of day?

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

Jez reached out and took the large, old-fashioned-looking padlock in her hand so that she could more closely examine it. She didn't have super strength, and even a dozen copies of here wouldn't be able to force the door open. She doubted flashing her royal papers at it would help either. So that left her with three options; leave it and focus on the real reason she was here, find someone with the key, or...

The young woman undid the fasteners of her fluffy winter cloak and let it fall to the floor behind her, revealing her "work clothes" - complete with green and gold sash about her waist. More importantly, it no longer impeded her from pulling the sword from the sheath hanging from her hip. In reality, it would have done little more than put a nick into the tempered metal of the padlock and chains, and maybe even damaged the blade. But this wasn't reality, which is probably why she so confidently swung the weapon at the lock when in real life she would have been rather scared of the potential consequences of her actions.

[Narrator]

The young woman undid the fasteners of her fluffy winter cloak and let it fall to the floor behind her, revealing her "work clothes" - complete with green and gold sash about her waist. More importantly, it no longer impeded her from pulling the sword from the sheath hanging from her hip. In reality, it would have done little more than put a nick into the tempered metal of the padlock and chains, and maybe even damaged the blade. But this wasn't reality, which is probably why she so confidently swung the weapon at the lock when in real life she would have been rather scared of the potential consequences of her actions.

The loud clanging sound when Jez struck the lock reverberated throughout the museum, briefly stopping the patrons in their tracks. But, as they were just shades and figures, they shortly thereafter kept moving, as Jez opened up the door to the previously forbidden chamber.

It was dark in here. With no one anticipated to be in the room, the lights weren't on. Presumably, somewhere, there'd be a switch. Because it also probably wasn't likely that this room was designed to be a spooky as it was, with only the exhibits lit up.

And the exhibits were something, alright -- larger-than-life statues (wax? plastic?), each in their own display case, each standing a good 10 feet tall which, combined with the lighting from below, made them seem to loom ominously over Jez. And some of them were figures she would recognize, too.

There was Prince Alex, in his royal finery, a leer on his face and a sledgehammer the size of a rack of lamb cradled in one fist. In his chamber, a TV monitor, on replay, showed a first-person view of a sledgehammer being swung directly into your own face.

There was her father, the royal King Karkov, standing with his arms crossed and looking down. The air of disappointment was almost palpable, such was the feeling of the curl of his lip and the furrowing of his brow. His extra height, too, really made you feel like a small child looking up at a disappointed parent.

There was Nika Novak, in tactical military gear, armed to the teeth, the incriminating photographs of Jez and Katarina on the town tucked into her bandolier.

There were figures Jez didn't recognize, either. Some looked like (massive) young children, presumably people Katarina had known when she was a small child. Others looked like members of royalty, both from Symkaria and from outside. But there were quite a few of them; a hall of larger-than-life villains looking down on Jez as she walked through the corridor in the room.

At the very end of the room were two exhibits side-by-side -- the crown jewels, as it were, of the exhibition. One had the unmistakable visage of Doctor Victor von Doom encased in it. Instead of his normal armor, he was wearing dress greens, medals pinned to his chest and a ceremonial sash across his front. The other was empty, awaiting something being placed there. And next to it, at the moment, was a small wooden chest -- big enough to be picked up with two hands, if needs be. From the seam between the lid and the box itself, small bits of glowing light, red, blue and yellow could be seen. In the darkness of the room, it produced an eerie effect all of its own.

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

Jez wasn't too worried about the general public - to her they were little more than window dressing, elements to help her mind better interpret what she was seeing. It was the more concrete concepts she was concerned with; security, the director, the exhibits... that was where the true importance lay.

The figures inside the not-yet-public exhibit were especially with the minimal lighting, the shadows cast over their features making them look all the more sinister. Seeing Prince Alex wielding that sledgehammer, and the footage; it made the girl's blood boil. She had assumed that the blow had come from that mutant Nika had fought, the one loyal to house Sablinova. But seeing the truth right there before her, or at least the truth as Katarina knew it - she regretted not dropping him from the balcony when she had the chance. And perhaps not just running him through with that sword for good measure. Any hint of pity she had felt for him had evaporated.

She didn't feel too much better about King Karkov's visage either. He saw how he treated his daughter, and while Jez knew she didn't understand everything about life in a royal household and all of the responsibilities that came with the birthright... it had struck her from the moment she met him that something wasn't right about their relationship, even before the girl had embarrassed herself by insulting him to his face on their first meeting. But with the information she'd seen, the pictures... She could understand the prince's motives, but to do something sinister to your own daughter? And she really did feel it, that something sinister had occurred.

About the only one that made her feel some form of sadness and pity was Nika's statue, because she knew some of the reasons for why she did what she did. And she now knew that Nika's betrayal was less the catalyst for the turmoil that followed, but just a cup more fuel unintentionally thrown onto an already blazing fire.

The others? With the exception of a few from the ball-turned-battle she didn't recognize them, and by the time she got to them her attention had been captured by the visage of Dr. Doom, and the glow emanating from the small wooden box not far away. While she was certain that Doom factored in to this secret mess somehow, she doubted that his appearance here in this hall was more than just a reference to his influence on her life, unless.... Jez stared at the figure more intently, taking it all in. It might be here for the same reasons as the others, but the unstandardized appearance might be influenced by factors elsewhere, be they from a past Katarina couldn't consciously remember, or something else.

One could only stare at a statue for so long however, so eventually her attention turned to the wooden box. Which she of course opened, without showing the slightest concern for any sort of alarm.

[Narrator]

The others? With the exception of a few from the ball-turned-battle she didn't recognize them, and by the time she got to them her attention had been captured by the visage of Dr. Doom, and the glow emanating from the small wooden box not far away. While she was certain that Doom factored in to this secret mess somehow, she doubted that his appearance here in this hall was more than just a reference to his influence on her life, unless.... Jez stared at the figure more intently, taking it all in. It might be here for the same reasons as the others, but the unstandardized appearance might be influenced by factors elsewhere, be they from a past Katarina couldn't consciously remember, or something else.

Staring at Doom, it was almost as if Doom was staring right back at her; the pressure exerted by his gaze being very similar to that from real life. Katarina's mind imbuing it with resonance from her memories? Or something more sinister? Not being a telepath in the classical sense, Jez couldn't easily tell if this Doom figure had the same psychic thumbprint as the other things in Katarina's head, or if it had been in someway placed here by someone or something else. It's position, standing next to an ominously empty display, certainly at least supported Jez's idea that something important here involved Doom, no matter who actually was the source of things.

One could only stare at a statue for so long however, so eventually her attention turned to the wooden box. Which she of course opened, without showing the slightest concern for any sort of alarm.

The box opened easily enough. Inside were a number of delicately carved glass balls, each about the size of a billiard ball, tucked into a carrying case. Each were glowing, at different intensities -- some bright enough to nearly be blinding, some dull enough that it was almost hard to see them shining.

Each had some sort of unique symbol on them -- almost tarot-esque. Some of them depicted different roles in the court -- knights, pages, fools, ladies in waiting, priests, mages, concubines, caterers, and so on and so forth. Others were a little more esoteric, and harder to pin an exact meaning on -- someone expressing gratitude; someone standing over a pile of beaten bodies, someone with a spear through their heart. They were all very fancy, and likely would be worth a ton of money if they were real and not just a figment in Katarina's head.

Some of them glowed quite strongly indeed -- the lady in waiting; the fool; the gratitude; the concubine. Others were essentially dull; the knight, the page; the stabbed. And there were some blank spots, too, where there should be orbs, but there weren't.

"Are you the Princess? The Dictator? The Lover? The Victorious? The Grateful? The Defeated? You, me and Victor have been swirling through these spots in my head, flowing in and out of one another, twisting and turning and corrupting on top of one another. I'm...having trouble remembering which is real..."

There was no princess orb here. Or a dictator orb, for that matter. But all the rest of the things Katarina had mumbled about were here; the different identities she had lost herself in during the nightmares. This box, whatever it is...it shouldn't be lying around in the open. The fact that it was probably wasn't good. And things just don't show up randomly in locked rooms without good reason. Had someone hidden this here? Or had someone placed it here for Jez to find?

And was that person also responsible for the footsteps approaching from Jez's rear?

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

Jez hard a hard time taking her attention off of the visage of Doom that loomed over her - the man had that effect on people to the point where even facsimiles and statues were enough to make people uneasy... and second-guess themselves. You could never be too careful, with his multiple spiderwebs of plans, one never knew if it wouldn't be part of some scheme for him to actually be there. Doom was everywhere, and always listening. But, the glow coming from the box serves as incentive to turn her away enough that the statue is only in her peripheral vision; she doesn't dare turn her back on it, not in this place.

The glowing balls confused and fascinated her, and it took her some time to figure it out - saying the words out loud was what triggered the memory of Katarina's words, so confused and in need of help. She looked at them again. The Knight, now dim... that must have been the role Nika had once held, a vacancy that she was trying to fill while also trying to remain the Lover, while also taking on the role of both page and lady in waiting. Quite the juggling act... and maybe more than one person was capable of. Or worthy of. The three more abstract images, well, Katarina has identified them herself for her.

Jez heard the footsteps approaching but did not start, taking her time in examining the orbs - she didn't even shut the case before turning to look back at the source of the noise. Acting like you'd gotten caught, that was suspicious. Acting nonchalant, that you belonged there... that came with the position.

[Katarina von Doom]

Jez heard the footsteps approaching but did not start, taking her time in examining the orbs

As Jez's hands passed over the various orbs, their intensities changed -- some growing dimmer, some brighter, as she check them. There was a tingling, electric sensation if she touched them; a buzzing, pulsating feeling of some sort.

she didn't even shut the case before turning to look back at the source of the noise.

"I was wondering when someone would find there way here. I was hoping it would be you, guska."

The voice was familiar. The tone...not so much. It wasn't just the fact that it was distorted, coming out of metal face plate and mask. There was an edge to it Jez wouldn't associate with her Katarina; a bite, a cruelty, a casual air of superiority. Yes, Katarina occasionally sounded like she was above things, having been born with a silver spoon firmly in her mouth. But that always sounded unintentional; unconscious, even. The woman striding towards her, frankly, might bring up memories of acolytes and bullies more than princesses and ballgowns.

Oh, and the woman approaching was a good eight feet tall, too, to go in scale with the statues surrounding her. That was another key difference between her and Jez's Katarina, as much as Jez might wish otherwise. Eight feet tall, clad in a Latverian mask and form-fitting Latverian armor, with just a hint of red hair spilling out the back to help confirm the identity -- someone who looked and sounded like Katarina, at the very least. And more so than the worker from the other room devoted to Jez; that woman was just reminiscent of Katarina. The woman striding confidently towards Jez could have been Katarina's twin. Katarina's tall, sexy, scary twin.

"Enjoying your little vacation?"

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

Jez tried not to look too shocked; from what Katarina had told her of the jumble her mind had become, and the influence Doom may have had in her past, seeing the dictator's "successor" had always been a possibility. But thinking you might see something and ACTUALLY seeing it, that was different. She hadn't expected her to be so tall, for one thing.

"Well I'm pretty good at making wishes come true, aren't I?" She said with a tone of confidence, a forced one but an attempt was made. "Loving the growth spurt, but the mask could use some work. Gold really is your colour."

The young woman made no move for her weapon - now wasn't the time, and she really didn't know if it would be effective at all - the mind was all about abstractions and impressions. And for all she knew, this part of Katarina might be as vital as any other.

"Well, it might be a sightseeing trip, but I'd hardly call it a vacation. I'm here on official business; princess business." She did not give an ultimatum, not yet. For all of it's imposing visage, this part of Katarina might not be an obstruction. That, and she wasn't too keen on trying to taken them on if she didn't have to.

[Katarina von Doom]

"Well, it might be a sightseeing trip, but I'd hardly call it a vacation. I'm here on official business; princess business." She did not give an ultimatum, not yet. For all of it's imposing visage, this part of Katarina might not be an obstruction. That, and she wasn't too keen on trying to taken them on if she didn't have to.

"Official business, you say," this Katarina said, walking up to Jez, invading her personal space. "For the Princess. That's just what I wanted to hear. You do wish to make me happy, do you not, Guska?"

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

Jez stood her ground, even though it meant that she had to tilt her head back to look up at the metal-masked woman before her.

"Yes, official business for the Princess. But you are not the princess that I serve."

[Katarina von Doom]

"You think not, do you?"

The mask meant Jez couldn't see this Katarina's face, but the smirk was practically audible.

"And you believe your Golden Girl would give you the time of day if it wasn't for me, do you? Oh, Miss Sherlock, your namesake looks down on you and frowns."

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

As stoic as Jez tried to present herself, the cracks in her façade began to show. Lady Doom's words had hit home, hard, not like a sledgehammer but like a scalpel. Her face flushes and her hand almost went for her hilt, but she stopped herself.

"It doesn't matter who invited me, you don't belong here. And I'll do everything in my power to erase every last trace of your taint from her." She moved forward as if to push past the woman.

But the blow had already been struck. No matter the outcome, Jez would have her suspicions that there was a possibility that what Katarina von Doom had said was true.