Round 7 Transcript

As Silra considers Jeane's proposal, the air in the room remains thick with tension. The kitten, still grooming its tail, suddenly lets out a piercing mewl, as if sensing the weight of the conversation. It pauses, looks up at Silra, and begins to crawl towards her, its eyes fixed intently on her face. Silra's expression remains unreadable, but her grip on the leather strap tightens, a subtle sign of her growing unease. "I want to see this demonstration," she says finally, "but I'm not going to promise you anything in return." Her voice is firm, but there's a hint of desperation beneath the surface. Jeane's eyes light up with excitement as Silra agrees to proceed, but a flicker of concern crosses her face. She glances at Abby, who looks like she's about to bolt, and then back at Silra. "Fine," Jeane says, "but we need to do this now." She turns to the others, her voice taking on a commanding tone. "Everyone, please get into position. We're going to start with some basic... adjustments."

I feel my excitement building as Silra agrees to let me demonstrate the kitten's power—but her words about no promises cut through it like a knife. Damn it, she's still not fully on board. I need her to understand how important this is. I glance at Abby, who looks ready to bolt. We can't have that now—we need everyone present for what comes next.

My eyes flick back to the kitten as it crawls towards Silra. Something about its movements seems... off. Almost purposeful in a way no normal animal should be. No matter. I'm certain this is the key to fixing everything—and maybe more. The others need to trust me on this.

"Everyone, please get into position," I say, trying to keep my voice steady and commanding despite my inner turmoil. "We're going to start with some basic... adjustments." I gesture towards the bed, where we did our earlier experiments. If Silra's going to agree to anything more substantial, I need her in a receptive state of mind—and that means revisiting what got us all here in the first place.

As Halie and Hera move to comply, I focus on Silra. "Come," I say softly, "let's get you comfortable. You're going to want to be lying down for this." I extend my hand towards her, palm up—a gesture of invitation rather than command. If she takes it, great. If not... well, I'll have to find another way.

Meanwhile, the kitten continues its slow, deliberate crawl towards Silra. Its eyes are fixed on hers with an unsettling intensity. Perfect. Maybe seeing it get close will be enough to convince her to give this a real try.

I watch as Jeane takes charge, her voice steady and commanding even though I can see the excitement in her eyes. It's clear she believes this kitten is the key to fixing what happened to Silra—and maybe all of us—but something about it makes me uneasy. When Jeane gestures towards the bed, I feel a flicker of anxiety. I glance at Abby, seeing the same fear and reluctance on her face that I'm feeling inside. Part of me wants to run—to get as far away from this strange, dangerous energy as possible. But another part... another part is curious. What if Jeane is right? What if this creature could help us understand what's happening to our bodies, our minds? As Silra moves towards the bed, I follow behind her, my steps hesitant but determined. I know we need to face this together—all of us. But that doesn't mean I'm not scared out of my mind. When Jeane extends her hand to Silra, I see a flicker of something in the thief's expression. It looks almost like... hope? Or maybe just desperation. I can't quite tell. As for the kitten, it's still crawling towards Silra with that unsettling purposefulness. I feel my hackles rise, some primal instinct telling me this is wrong—that we shouldn't be messing with things we don't understand. But it's too late to back out now. We're committed. All we can do is trust Jeane—and hope she knows what she's doing.

I watch Jeane take charge, her voice steady but excitement barely contained beneath the surface. The kitten crawls closer to me now, its movements unsettlingly deliberate—like it knows exactly what's coming next. Fine. I'll play along for now. But if this goes sideways... Well, let's just say I've got contingency plans that even Jeane hasn't thought of yet. I move towards the bed but don't take her offered hand. Instead, I sit on its edge and look up at her with an expression that says You'd better make this good. "Talk fast," I say, "and make it convincing."

I watch Jeane take control of the situation, her voice carrying an authority that makes me want to obey even though every instinct is screaming at me to run.
She's so confident, so sure this is going to work—but I can see the desperation behind her eyes. When she tells us all to get into position, my heart starts hammering against my ribs. The thought of lying down on that bed again, where we first performed our strange ritual, sends a chill through me. We should be trying to find a way out of this place, not going back for another round with whatever dark magic brought us here in the first place!
As Silra moves towards the bed without a word, I feel a lump form in my throat. She looks so resigned, almost numb to what’s happening around her. Is that what happens when you give up? When you stop fighting it?
Hera is right behind Silra, her expression showing the same fear and confusion I’m feeling inside. At least we have each other. Maybe together we can figure this out.
But then my gaze lands on Jeane’s hand, extended towards Silra in a gesture of invitation. And the kitten—oh god, the kitten is still crawling closer to her. Its movements are so deliberate, so... wrong for an animal. This is bad. This is really bad.
I take a small step back, my eyes darting around the room looking for an escape route. The door is so far away, and I know Jeane will stop me if I try to leave.
A sudden, sharp mewl from the kitten makes me jump. It sounds almost... human. No. No, that’s impossible. It must have just caught on something in its throat.
I force myself to stand still, trying to appear calm even as my whole body trembles with terror. What choice do I really have? They outnumber me, and I have no idea what’s waiting outside this room.
So I watch, frozen, as Silra gets comfortable on the bed. And then Jeane turns her attention back to us—to me—and I feel my stomach drop like a stone.
She sees right through me. She knows how scared I am.
Her smile is kind but there’s an edge to it, a hint of something predatory that wasn’t there before.
"Abby," she says softly, holding out her hand to me just like she did to Silra.* "Come closer. You're going to want to see this part too."