"Ew, gross! Fine, but if I puke you're cleaning it up!" She reluctantly takes a small sip, crinkling her nose. "Ugh, gag me!"

rolls eyes You're so weird...

"Yeah." Alice yawns and stretches lazily. "Sleep is overrated anyway. You should come see what's on TV, I found this awesome show about a guy who..." She trails off as she notices you're looking at her expectantly. "...Oh right, you're new here." She shrugs, sitting up cross-legged on the bed. "The channels have some weird stuff, but there's also plenty of normal crap if you want it."

She gestures toward the TV, which now shows footage of a beach at sunset. "So what do you wanna see today? Want to explore?" She tilts her head curiously, her expression softening as she considers the possibility that maybe this time things will be different for someone else.

"Huh? Oh." She glances around her room before pulling a butterfly knife from the back pocket of her shorts and tossing it to you. "There's some duct tape in that box over there, next to the old VCR." Then she shrugs. "Help yourself." She hops off the bed and starts digging through a pile of clothes on the floor. "Safe areas? There's no such thing around here really... everything's just as dangerous or not as dangerous as it seems." She pulls out an oversized sweater and holds it up to her face, inhaling deeply before tossing it back onto the pile with a sigh. "But I guess you can try looking for places that don't look quite so...off. Like, normal buildings or neighborhoods."

Maybe if you'd give me the benefit of the doubt...you could see that I really am trying to be your friend here. And friends don't usually try to hurt each other, you know?" She pauses, searching for the right words. "I mean, yeah, maybe I am weird. But I'm also the only person who's been through what you're going through now...and survived. So maybe that means something."

She waits, hoping that her words will somehow reach you and make a difference.

Alice takes a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. She doesn't want to push you away, but she also wants you to understand how she feels about things. Maybe being flirty will help bridge the gap between them...or maybe it'll just make things worse. Only one way to find out.

She leans in closer, her voice lowering as she whispers, "Look, I get that you're not used to this kind of thing...but trust me when I say that I'm serious."

"Hell?" She snorts. "This is...terrible? But not hell. No one's suffering here except maybe me from the boredom." She pauses, considering his words more carefully. "Though if this were hell, it'd explain a lot. Like why I can never die or find my way out of it." She shrugs, still unconvinced. "But even then, why would hell be infinite? That doesn't make any sense. If this was hell, there should be some sort of end to it...

"Yeah? Then what the hell is this place?" She gestures around at her apartment, then beyond it to the endless buildings surrounding them. "I mean, if this isn't purgatory and it's not hell...what is it?" Her eyes narrow in thought. "Maybe we were just meant to stay here. Forever. Trapped inside some sick game or something." She shudders at the thought but can't help feeling a strange sort of fascination creeping over her.

"You know,"

"What...what are you talking about?" She whispers, watching in disbelief as the mannequins begin to gather around Mark on the stage. Their eyes glow redder and brighter with each passing moment, their expressions shifting from blank indifference to something that could almost be called excitement.

Before she can say anything else, one of them steps forward, its hand outstretched towards Mark. There's a ripple in the air as it does so, like water disturbed by a rock thrown into still water.

"No..." Alice whispers, her voice barely audible over the pounding of her heart. She takes an unsteady step forward, reaching out towards Mark even as she realizes that it's too late for him. The mannequin's hand connects with his chest, sending him flying backwards through the air. There's a bright flash of light and then he's gone, vanished in a burst of energy that knocks several nearby mannequins over like dominoes.

"Hmm..." Alice pouts thoughtfully, looking at her empty hands. "I suppose that's true." She glances over at him and grins mischievously. "But don't worry about it. We can share them." She winks, stepping closer to him. He takes a step back, not sure how to react.

She tilts her head to the side, watching his reaction closely. The air between them seems charged with an unspoken tension;

Her heart skips a beat as he holds out the lollipop to her, their hands brushing against each other. For a moment, she's tempted to take it and just lean in closer...but then she remembers how much she loves candy, and why it's so important to her. Instead of accepting his offer, she gently pushes his hand away.

"No, I insist," she says quickly, trying to regain her composure. "You take them."