Can you Deep Brain Scan an NPC?

Question

The Brainer has a move called Deep Brain Scan

From the Basic Character Hand Book page 6:

Deep brain scan: when you have time and physical intimacy with someone — mutual intimacy like holding them in your arms, or 1-sided intimacy like they’re restrained to a table — you can read them more deeply than normal. Roll+weird. On a 10+, hold 3. On a 7–9, hold 1. While you’re reading them, spend your hold to ask their player questions, 1 for 1:
• what was your character’s lowest moment?
• for what does your character crave forgiveness, and of whom?
• what are your character’s secret pains?
• in what ways are your character’s mind and soul vulnerable?
On a miss, you inflict 1-harm (ap) upon your subject, to no benefit

Does player here only mean you can only deep brain scan another player's character, or are NPCs considered being played by the MC, so you can brain scan an NPC and ask the MC a question?

Answer 1

Yes, you can do a Deep Brain Scan on an NPC. The player of an NPC is the MC, as you've surmised. It can be a challenging move to have to improvise answers to as MC, but can be a great way to reveal information and give the Brainer hooks for future manipulations.