Everyone is different. People would prioritize certain things over others.
For Sally. It came down to being very clear on what, exactly, she was optimizing for.
Health. Happiness. Success. Wealth. Love. Life. Legacy. Joy. Beauty. Ability.
These were some of the main sentiments, limited only by the very words themselves, as well as by imagination and possibility.
That said. How exactly would these things actually manifest in her own circumstances and situation?
Everyone's life is also different, their Experiences, their [Intentions] and their Decisions… all shaped their past, present, and future.
And so. It was at this point that the revelation from the EVP Blueprint Showdown came to Sally's mind.
At that critical moment, Sally had made her choice - her decision - choosing to use her Absolute Zero to Save, and to Preserve, as opposed to Destroy - something that she had, up to that point, not considered, or even realised, was possible.
Indeed.
She had no idea still how or why Bob had shown up - Empress Bing had explained some of the details… but still, the timing, and the results! had been truly outside her expectations.
Somehow… she had a feeling - and in fact, her [Intuition of the Ice Queen] was *strongly* confirming it… that her decision to Save, although ultimately her own, had been, in some way or another, influenced or shaped by 'That Guy'…
Bob!!!
Not to mention. The - literally - shady masked guy whisking away the Grand Dark Rizzard Itvasme had also seemed *incredibly* convenient, and as a result… somewhat suspicious…
Of course, despite not knowing the full story, Sally believed deep down that she had made the right choice - in fact, she had, ultimately, felt a sense of overwhelming relief, and a strange sense of… lightness… when Itvasme had avoided what would most likely have been a gruesome death if not permanent injury by falling pillar, and there was no denying that she had felt a certain… *something* when Bob, of all people, had arrived, just when it seemed like there was going to be no other way… !!!
Sally had already achieved an astronomical amount on her own. She didn't invest her time, energy, and attention without at least some reason behind it… And she - like many other people - wanted to make the most of her limited time on the Planet.
But it seemed that now, she had reached the limits of what could be done alone - or rather, the EVP Blueprint Showdown, alongside her experiences to date, maaaybe thanks to a certain Bob - had shown her that a possibility for something… more, something… greater… might actually exist?!?!
…Anti-Rizz, [as mentioned in Chapter 37], was not a negative, repelling power, but rather, a filtering, discerning, selective power.
…Empress Bing Qi Ling had explained long ago [in Chapter 35] that Sally's Mission was to get close to Bob, to see if he might be beneficial to their cause…
…Sally's cooperation with Valentine had also shown her that sometimes, big goals required a certain cooperation, and that people who could be trusted - although rare - did exist.
And so. Ultimately. For various reasons… ✨
The time had come.
There was a lot of questions on Sally's mind that wanted answers. Particularly regarding why Bob had seemed so… calm at the Showdown, amongst many other things…!!!
She felt curious. A little annoyed that she was curious. But beyond that… surprisingly, she also felt a sense of…gradually building … quiet excitement, a sense of slowly budding hope, that things might become a lot more… interesting, beyond her current, reasonable expectations… where the sheer *possibility* of Life itself just might be waiting to be unlocked…
It seemed that the time had come…
[To talk to - or at least, to allow for an opportunity to speak with - Bob ✨] (?!?!) 🤭✨🫢🌻