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Iron Petal IV was playing on the television -- our heroine finally had Johnny Khasm at her mercy on the peak of Mount Raa. Karolina's foot bumped yours under the blanket.
"She's going to destroy him."
"Shh. This part rips."
Johnny Khasm howls as Iron Petal's small fist punches through his ribcage, grabs heart, and yanks...
"Oh, that's vile!" She shrieks, delighted, laughing.
"I am defeated... bested by the child of my enemy's enemy..." (Mouth along to the lines.)
"How many times have you seen this one?"
"Once or twice." (Lie.)
"Killer memory, H."
Knows you're probably lying. Lets it slide, like always.
"And you say there are seven of these movies?" A glint in her eyes.
After that, she'd call any time she found an ancient tape, a bootleg disc, a midnight screening -- she saw Iron Petal, and thought of you.
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End of this branch
"Study this. The way of Iron Petal is the path of righteousness and kicking ass."
"Sounds kind of like the way of CASCADE." She laughs.
"Sick, right?"
"Beyond sick."
"It's only a movie. Real life's a lot more gruesome."
"More gruesome than ripping someone's heart out of their chest with your bare hands?" She raises her eyebrows. "Cool."
"Learn to watch quietly, K. This is low-tier behaviour."
"Sorry, sorry..." she flaps her hands.
Watch her instead of the movie.
Her face glows with reflected colour, a projector screen of flesh and fascination. One hand sunk into your shared bowl of crisps. Rapt.
I'm trying to watch TV, leave me alone. (Dispel memory.)
Stare harder at the pixels on the screen, it'll lure your mind away from the past.