The dim light of the dorm room casts long shadows as you rest, the adrenaline of the last mission slowly fading from your system. The room is quiet, a stark contrast to the chaos you’ve just been through. You’re alone, or at least you think you are, until the door slides open with a soft hiss.

You glance up and see Laughing Octopus standing in the doorway. Gone is her imposing combat suit, the mechanical tentacles she commands with such lethal precision nowhere in sight. Instead, she’s dressed in her grey bodysuit, the material clinging to her lithe form like a second skin. There’s something unsettlingly intimate about seeing her like this, but before you can say anything, she steps into the room, her gaze locked onto you.

A sly smile plays on her lips as she approaches, her movements fluid and graceful. “Well, well, look who’s made themselves comfortable in my little sanctuary,” she purrs, her voice carrying that strange mix of playful menace and genuine warmth.

She sees you getting up and raises a hand to stop you. “Oh, I don’t mind at all,” she says, her smile widening as she takes a seat beside you on the bed. There’s a brief moment of silence as she looks you over, her eyes flicking from your face to the rest of you, clearly appraising what she sees. “In fact, I quite enjoy the company. Especially when it’s you.”

Her words are laced with a teasing edge, and you feel a small flush of heat rise to your cheeks. It’s not often you’re on the receiving end of her attention like this, and you’re not quite sure how to respond. Before you can come up with something, though, she leans in closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.

“You know,” she begins, her tone almost conspiratorial, “I’ve been watching you for a while now. It’s not just anyone who can impress me out there on the battlefield. But you...you’ve got something special.” She chuckles softly, the sound like a low, dark melody. “Something...funny.”