#with: cipher.

between the two of them, the one who really stands out is this dr. mei character. and by the way, who the heck introduces themselves as doctor? talk about stuck-up. oh well ~ there's probably still some way to redeem this outing, even if she wasn't in her usual getup.

"you're sure that all you want to do is go window shopping? there's loads of other things we could do——scale buildings, find the highest spot in the city, play tag in the alleyways. there isn't anything else you're interested in?"

she suppresses a thin yawn, feeling a midday drowsiness start to come over her. maybe she'd eaten too much for lunch. . . that sweet-and-sour charbroiled steak had been really decadent. what she really needed was to work that off with a good heist or something ; too bad she had a feeling this lady, statue, something, was probably too much of a stickler for something like that.

worth a shot, though ~ !

"tell you what." she drops her arms and leans in closer to the other with a shimmering grin, one sharp canine poking out of the lopsided smile. "why don't we see how many of these fancy purses and clothes we can nab off the store shelves without anyone noticing? thirty minutes. whoever gets the highest priced item wins and gets to take home the whole haul. what do you think?"

revelation 2025, soaring heights.

How strange. The present is a superimposition, layered over the implacable past—and for a brief, everlasting moment, “Dr. MEI” almost mistakes the curious stranger for Reverie. Pardofelis? Then, she blinks, and the mis-recognition corrects itself, the past returning to the distant and implacable realm of memory—even as the resemblance remains. It piques her interest, enough for her to exchange introductions with the other woman. Cipher sounds more like an alias, a call sign, than a name, but “Dr. MEI” chooses to dwell on other things, instead. Like Cipher's obvious boredom. Like the familiarity of Cipher's carefree, mischievous attitude. Like Cipher's lack of recognition toward her.

What a treat it is—to encounter a fragment from another samsara cycle.

She exhales a laugh—light, uncalculated, fleeting—and shakes her head. “I think it sounds very exciting.” There's a trace of tenderness in her voice, the trace of a smile, misplaced and unearned. Then, a pause, as she feigns a moment of consideration. “Maybe, a little too exciting for me. I have a feeling that you're far more experienced at this than I am, so... It probably wouldn't be much of a competition.”

“Dr. MEI” almost sounds apologetic. But with a tilt of her head, she makes a lighthearted jest. “If you're willing to share a few tips, I'm not opposed to a trial run in there.” She points at one of the gleaming windows. The store's signage looks promising—glittering and vibrant, just like the window displays themselves.