[FELID_FACTOR]

[skinstealer]

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LILY- 4/13/416

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[DELIGHTFUL_THINGS]: he wants free pictures of me…
[DELIGHTFUL_THINGS]: POSING WITH HIS SWORDS!
[BEWITCHING_EYES]: no!
[DELIGHTFUL_THINGS]: yes!
[BEWITCHING_EYES]: what did you say?!
[DELIGHTFUL_THINGS]: oh, considering he stalked me for weeks after i broke up with him? fuck off and die. the usual.
[BEWITCHING_EYES]: you always know just the right thing to say, lils
 

Lily slumps back in her seat, sighing. Yeah, right. As if that’s going to make this guy fuck off for real.

 
[DELIGHTFUL_THINGS]: i mean, we’ll see.
[DELIGHTFUL_THINGS]: it got him off my case for now, and if he keeps messaging me, i’ll report his account again. the royal highness got back to me quickly last time, you know they act quickly on this kind of thing. 
[BEWITCHING_EYES]: yeah...the mods can be kinda weird but they do get a lot done
[DELIGHTFUL_THINGS]: you’re still reporting all the messed up comments, right?
[BEWITCHING_EYES]: yeah, and everybody’s getting strikes from what i can tell. they usually stop right at the second strike, and don’t go any further
[BEWITCHING_EYES]: thankfully due to the whole verification thing, people can’t make alternate accounts easily, but i feel like people are still getting through /somehow/. idk
[DELIGHTFUL_THINGS]: don’t think about it too hard, babe. you can’t let those suckers get you down every day.
[BEWITCHING_EYES]: they’re not getting me down! 
[DELIGHTFUL_THINGS]: mhm.
[BEWITCHING_EYES]: please! i wouldn’t be modeling if i couldn’t take a few harsh comments!
[BEWITCHING_EYES]: besides, if i quit now, i’d be a shitty rival to you!  
[DELIGHTFUL_THINGS]: we’re not rivals!
[BEWITCHING_EYES]: yessss we are
[BEWITCHING_EYES]: someday ill surpass you miiiiiiss popuuuular
[BEWITCHING_EYES]: watch out!!
 

The fascination type rolls her eyes, glancing out the tinted windows of the car as it rolls to a stop. She picks up her bag and gives an unceremonious wave to the driver, not bothering to make eye contact with them on her way out- all it’d do is make her skin prickle, and she had enough of that from looking into the cameras today.

The hotel’s revolving door sticks a little as always, Lily resorting to pushing it with her shoulder before nearly sending it (and herself) flying. She tries not to swear under her breath as she stumbles in- it’s a dirty habit that she’s trying to kick, at the very least in the real world. She reaches into her jeans pocket and pulls out her card, sliding it in at one of the gates- it registers her room number and the moving floor ahead of her starts up, a conveyer leading her down one of the many hallways. She knows which one is hers at this point, but it’s easy to get lost in these places starting out. 

Her capsule’s all the way down at the end of this row, and up a few levels- she takes her phone back out. Someone sent her a news article earlier, commenting on her latest appearance in Rogue. 

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LILY REYES: A BOLD VISION IN GOLD

We all know the stories about TCP sessions gone wrong...but the up and coming magazine Rogue aims to challenge our perception of the TCPs that survive them. The models for Rogue dress in dazzling outfits and pose dramatically on professional sets, all while sporting “dangerous” typings and marks, the lines that appear on a TCP’s face upon killing another. Marks are a common occurrence among survivors of violent sessions, and are heavily stigmatized- but here in Rogue, they are accentuated with makeup and incorporated into the stylish looks on display. 

Lily Reyes, a fascination type and one of the most stand-out models Rogue has to offer, was on the cover of last month’s issue. She draped herself in gold silks, flowing all the way to the floor- but the most powerful part of her look were the marks on her face; symmetrical, broken up lines going down her cheeks, indicating regret over her two kills. They were highlighted in sparkling gold liner, every break in the line making them even more evident as tears. The willingness to show such vulnerability in her look is astounding and inspiring, and I felt myself moved by such a display…

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Lily closes the article with a snort, resisting the urge to roll her eyes for the second time in such a short period of time. Come on. If only they knew. 

She taps her card against the entrance of her capsule, the door sliding open for her. She tosses her bag in first, getting a complaint from the neighboring capsule as it thuds against the far wall, before climbing in herself. She closes the door and shuts the curtain behind her...home sweet home. 

Lily takes her hat off and reaches for the wipes kept by the door just as her phone notifications start to go off, sighing in exasperation as she wipes the makeup off her cheeks- marks and all. She picks up her phone and her entire face scrunches as she sees who the forum DM is from. 

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FROM: [DIAMOND_BLADE]
SUBJECT: Re: Pictures
BODY:
I will not “fuck off and die”, giving me pictures is the least you can do since you broke my heart, you horrible bitch. You give all those terrible magazines pictures that aren’t even real, saying that you’ve killed someone, that you’re from a session, but I know the truth about you. I know that you’re a fraud, and I know that your days are numbered unless you do what I tell you. 

I want those pictures. I will be coming to your hotel on what would have been our anniversary if you hadn’t so coldly broken my heart, and you will take pictures with my collection. If you don’t, you will be sorry. 

XOXO,
Kristoff

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LILY: …
LILY: ...Why the fuck did I give him my address?
 

She guides the touchpad’s cursor over to the report button, but hesitates. The mods would get Kristoff in trouble without any hesitation, reporting him to peacekeepers without any second thought. They’d done it with other stalkers before, and it hadn’t been an issue.

But other stalkers hadn’t known about the fake marks before.

Another notification pops up, this time from MessiRoom. 

[WAYWARD_RAMBLER] is now online!
[WAYWARD_RAMBLER]: Hey, you around?
[DELIGHTFUL_THINGS]: just got home.
[WAYWARD_RAMBLER]: Hey...everything okay?
[DELIGHTFUL_THINGS]: sure, why wouldn’t they be?
[WAYWARD_RAMBLER]: ...Just got a bad feeling. You’ve been dealing with a lot lately.
[WAYWARD_RAMBLER]: I don’t want you closing off again. 
[DELIGHTFUL_THINGS]: please, you know i don’t hide from things when they get rough!
[WAYWARD_RAMBLER]: Uh, except you do do that, all the time. 
[WAYWARD_RAMBLER]: And then I have to get you to come out of your shell...please, Lily, I’m serious.
[DELIGHTFUL_THINGS]: ugh, rambles, it’s fine. seriously, nothing’s wrong.
[DELIGHTFUL_THINGS]: the shoot went great!
[DELIGHTFUL_THINGS]: i even got sent an article all about me and my latest appearance in Rogue. want to see?  
[WAYWARD_RAMBLER]: I’ll pass...I don’t like the way they talk about you in those, no offense.
[WAYWARD_RAMBLER]: Were they at least nice about you being a session TCP? Like, they weren’t derogatory or anything?
  

 

There’s a moment of hesitation before Lily types again, tapping her foot against the side of the capsule. Her hand shakes the slightest bit, but she manages to keep herself from typoing, at least for now. 

[DELIGHTFUL_THINGS]: they were really flattering, actually. they said i had “willingness to show vulnerability”!
[WAYWARD_RAMBLER]: I...guess that’s fine.
[WAYWARD_RAMBLER]: Just, be careful, especially if people ask you for interviews again. 
[WAYWARD_RAMBLER]: I still don’t know what happened with the last one, but you didn’t talk to me or Tansy for a week after that, and that’s scary, Lily.
[WAYWARD_RAMBLER]: Stay with us, okay?
[DELIGHTFUL_THINGS]: trust me, i’ve got things under control!
[DELIGHTFUL_THINGS]: nothing’s going to trip me up now or ever, not if i have anything to do about it!