[Voice/Action/backdated to a reasonable time of day]

[honorbeforeall]

[Today finds Karai in the battle dome, working herself up into a fine killing mood. The anger flows thick today, and if she could get her hands on the blue man who had spoken over the networks, she would have sliced him into pieces. Inaccessible. For now. Somewhere in the village? She'll hunt him down. This is her first taste of an experiment, and

Comments

[Voice]

[no_use_running]

A lot of things happened this last while. But, I think it will be understood.

Are you alright?

[Voice]

[honorbeforeall]

[She gazes down at you a long time before answering, Ami.]

No. I am not. But I will be.

[Voice]

[no_use_running]

Mm. It's hard going to back to normal, after something like this.

[Voice]

[honorbeforeall]

Normal? There is nothing normal about Luceti. [Her tone is scathing-- with effort, she swallows the anger and speaks in a more neutral voice.] I did not expect these experiments to take away my very sense of self.

[Voice]

[no_use_running]

[That strikes a very deep chord - and she can't blame Luceti.]

I sort of understand that. But, no matter what happened this last while, you're still yourself. You acted differently, but who you are, inside, it didn't truly change.

[Not like her, where it had all been inside her anyway, enough to destroy everything she loved.]

[Voice]

[honorbeforeall]

[--it didn't truly change.

No. No, no no, that's not right, and she snaps her teeth together on the immediate retort, taking a breath to say, words edged:] Then explain why I spent ten days believing I was happily married to the person who took my father from me.

[Voice]

[no_use_running]

That was the Malnosso. You aren't. If we accept their tricks as the truth, we let them win against us.

I don't want to do that.

[Voice]

[honorbeforeall]

You miss my point. Who I was in this experiment is nothing like my real self! If nothing about me truly changed, then why did I forget how much he deserved to die?

I am myself now, but what's to say that next week I will not believe something else entirely? These Malnosso have no right.

[Voice]

[no_use_running]

They don't. That's why here, they're our enemy.

[Voice]

[honorbeforeall]

[In a voice heavily patient:] You tell me nothing I do not already know, Miss...

[Voice]

[no_use_running]

I apologize.

I'm Mizuno Ami.

[Voice]

[honorbeforeall]

[...taking a good look at the girl.] You are Japanese?

[Voice]

[no_use_running]

Yes, I grew up in Tokyo; the Jyuban District. But I studied in America for Medical School before the Malnosso brought me here.

[Voice]

[honorbeforeall]

It is an honour to make your acquaintance. I have yet to meet others from my country here. [She pauses, and then offers Ami a measuring glance.] I am Oroku Karai.

[Voice]

[no_use_running]

I'm pleased to meet you.

[She sort of knows the history between Karai and the turtles, and frankly? although she believes her friends had no choice, she's already also told them they took away Karai's father, no matter the reason; that's too hard of a blow to recover from easily.

Of course, she knows what vengeance does, too. Neither way leads to happiness.]

You know... You should know right away, Michaelangelo and all of them are my friends here. [She'd rather not deceive Karai from the start by pretending there's no conflict there.]

[Voice]

[honorbeforeall]

[...you've managed to take her by surprise; not by the admission of her friendships, but admitting it so freely is... an interesting choice. She approves, actually-- but it's a few moments more before she answers.]

I understand. Your friendship with the turtles is not my concern.