TINY CAT PEOPLE: THE MAZE TRIALS

[skinstealer]

SEE: Okay, okay, stop. 
SEE: Listen, Minsky…
SEE: All I want to do is be nice to you, care for you, be your friend…
SEE: But you just want this paper cash stuff!
SEE: Could you just…explain what you need the money for?
SEE: So I can understand you better?
MINSKY: It isn't enough that it's something I definitely... Definitely need-
MINSKY: And that I can't get it myself-
MINSKY: And that YOU can?
 

They get up from their position to sit up behind you on the bed, seeming to loom.

MINSKY: You're the one who summoned me here.
MINSKY: You wanted to get something out of it, didn't you?
MINSKY: I'm sure you've got another angle, kid.
MINSKY: All this friendship stuff's just a way to get it!
MINSKY: It's not hard to tell.
 

Minsky shrugs.
 

MINSKY: Well, here.
MINSKY: I'll give you a hint.
 

They lean in.

MINSKY: If you want to utilize me as your proxy.
MINSKY: I AM gonna need money for it.
MINSKY: Didn't you look up all the amazing things proxies can do?
MINSKY: I can change Everything for you.
MINSKY: But I can't do a thing til I get some cash.
  

    

Minsky grabs your pillow and lays back on your bed, cradling their head with their arms.
They prop one leg on the other, idly tapping their foot in the air.

MINSKY: But if you decide you're not gonna penny up?
MINSKY: Can't say I see you making it very far, bud.
SEE: ...and that's it, then?
MINSKY: Do you need More of an incentive than that?
SEE: ...I have to think about it.
 

You hesitate for a moment before reaching out to your doughboard, steeling your nerves as you type in one more search result.

  

 
>proxy removal

MINSKY: ...HEY! 
SEE: I just want to know my options!!!
MINSKY: There is NO need for anything That drastic!
  

 

Your proxy leans by your side, placing their head slightly into your view.

MINSKY: I'll fix things, alright?
MINSKY: C'mon, don't-
MINSKY: Don't... make a-
 

They seem torn between watching the screen and being too afraid of what they might see.

Sweatdrops form on their brow. 

 

 
"Proxy removal should never be attempted without the assistance of a professional. Unsafe DIY methods can result in both parties involved becoming fragmented! Fragmented individuals may find themselves temporarily emotionally destabilized, cause memory loss, and result in massive personality changes if not recovered from well. Excessive fragmenting of the source may result in a dormant period ranging from hours to weeks. Proxies made by pact are significantly harder to cut off and may require negotiation with the contracting entity. The more defined a Proxy's identity is, the harder it is to separate without both parties agreeing. Avoid separation while unconscious parties are in the same room. Avoid being submerged in fluid for 48 hours." 

 

 

They can't help but look as you do the same, reading over it simultaneously.

MINSKY: ...What's this about a contract?
MINSKY: I didn't sign anything.
SEE: What?
SEE: I, like...talked to this weird thing to make you.
SEE: The kit also called it an "entity", that's all I know.
 

Minsky's brow furrows.

MINSKY: Well, I didn't get a say in any of that!
MINSKY: What'd you sign over, kid?
MINSKY: Did you make a bad deal?
SEE: I- I didn't sign over anything!
SEE: I just showed them Sky and they made you!
SEE: ...hold on.
 

You tab back to your messages with Cayden.

SEE: ...combination of...
 

You tap your screen insistently, gesturing to it.

[Carouser]: how much do you know about proxies?
[Carouser]: like, you know that they're sort of a combination of you and whatever entity you pacted, right?

SEE: Look!

 

 

The proxy stares at the screen.

MINSKY: ...Nope.
 

They turn their nose up.

MINSKY: Clearly, your chat friend doesn't know what they're talking about, sport.
MINSKY: I'm not a combination of anybody, got that?
MINSKY: I'm Me, and I'm one of a kind.