Scene #8454: The Call of Kukuru

Owner	Pose
Angela	LOBOTOMY CORPORATION FACE THE FEAR BUILD THE FUTURE Many have been here before but for those that haven't, it isn't exactly a pleasant place (in general). As Lilian once pointed out, it does sort of constantly smell like a mix of bleach and blood. There is also only one (particularly reasonable) way in which is through the Warpgate (personal abilities may affect this) but it is definitely the easiest way in since you can just go right in and appear in the containment cell the Warpgate leads out of (don't worry! The containment cell's door is unlocked!). The KukuFan Meetup is taking place in the Info Department. Flyers with the date time and location have been posted up around despite Angela and Gebura's attempts to dissuade this. Clubs are welcome in Lobotomy Corp, Worship is not and this particular 'Club' straddles that line. They haven't expressly forbid it yet, however, so nothing is immediately threatening this meetup. An entire hallway in the Info Department, a sterile place with a faint light purple haze illuminating it, is filled with employees, particularly clerks, from all the departments. Jeff the Clerk is helping with the event by handing out headbands that look like arrow through the head headbands but in this case instead of arrows--they are facsimiles of Kukuru's horns. Even YOU may get Kukuru Horns if you'd like! While many agents and most Sephirah are avoiding this event like the plague (some are concerned it IS some kind of mind plague), there are some notable exceptions.
Angela	* Netzach is present in the crowd and wearing not the horns (they don't fit) but a t-shirt with Kukuru's face on it. It's already stained by Enkephalin and he's clearly high out of his mind even as a box robot. He is using this event as an excuse to slack off work as one does. With him is Yesod, who is also a box robot but purple flavored instead of green. He is sternly observing the proceedings. Their names are easy to find out because it's plastered on their 'foreheads'. * Angela is also present, but has seated herself away from the crowd and is reading a book called Snow of the Outlands. She appears to be taking her time with it and is about halfway through. She doesn't seem to be paying one whit of attention to the event. * And among the agents there's Ya-Boy, who is heading up the event who is already wearing the Kukuru Horns, Carol a sullen blue haired agent of Central who is presently armed with a red knife that she seems preoccupied with, BETTY!--a ten foot tall cyborg with several arm appendages extending out from their midsection, and M.O.M who IS wearing the horns and is polishing BETTY!'s carapace. There are others present though those are the ones that have been met before. Ya-Boy is at the head having set up a podium with some notecards. He flips through them and says, "Welcome welcome to the first KukuFan meetup! Before we begin I want to suggest we use 'Kiddies' as our Fan Name--" Amongst the crowd clerks offer their own suggestions. "Special fan names are dumb, stick to Fans!" "How about the Kuku Cult! It's catchy!" "Obviously we're going to have to go with Simps!" "I love you I Love You I lOve You!" That last one is from Nothing There who is still wearing the appearance of Kukuru. They're still in their cell but seem to be watching the going ons from within.
Kukuru	Feeling awful is no reason for Kukuru to shirk on her responsibilities. Even if she's still emotionally reeling from the past few days, there's work to be done at home, with the Concord, and at Lobotomy Corp! Nothing There won't teach themselves, after all, and she can at least feel enthused by seeing its steady progress. Sadly... No unrepentant prisoners to feed it today. That's just fine, though, since there's more people in that hallway than she expected today. Didn't she see the signs? Probably, but it's easy to gloss over things after seeing them so often that a slightly different version just blends in with everything else. "He-llo, Angie~ It sure is busy over here today. How're you feeling?" Regardless, she's treating this like any other day, greeting Angela first with a cheerful (if duller than her usual) smile and offering her a binder full of travel brochures. She's wearing her usual white/green/brown outfit, of course, along with her usual fake glasses on her face. "It looks like they're having fun over there. Hehe... What's all this about?" Taking a moment to process the sight of the big club gathering in the hallway, she peers at those props of her horns and those shirts with her faces, and a curious glint hits her eyes. Eventually, she notices Netach's concerning state, and she turns to Angela with a brief "Sorry, just a sec!" before trying to slip past the biggest crowd to check on the green and purple robots. "He-llo, hello~ Are you doing okay over here? Do you need a... Um. Something to calm your nerves?"
Ozhira	Ozhira arrives via the warpgate, wearing their human disguise. Not two paces from the gate itself, they stop and look upward towards the containment chamber's ceiling with a sort of.. gormless expression that leaves their triangular teeth briefly visible. It takes someone else interacting with the door for the Beast to realize this isn't actually a containment chamber-- judging by the shifting expression on their face, Ozhira had already been plotting some way to escape. Well, an open door works just as well. The intensifying expression drops back to something more neutral and they proceed into Lobotomy Corporation. Jeff the Clerk foists a drill horn headband into Ozhira's hands when they arrive. Bewildered, the girl turns the item over in their hands a few times. They make a point to lift their head, drawing a gaze across those gathered. Once the purpose of the item is discerned, Ozhira-- presses the headband back into Jeff's hands, "We, brought our own." In that moment, parts of Ozhira's hair lift up, twist, and flatten out-- into conical drill horns. The color is different, a shiny black with something red nestled in the spiral grooves. They perk up upon hearing a familiar sound, trotting towards Kukuru's voice through the crowd. Steadily, the creature's disguise becomes Taller, until they stand a head above most of those present. Enough to see, raise an arm, and call out, "We greet! Ku-ku-ru." Drawing closer, they also shorten again-- just as subtly, "And this is-- Angela? We greet."
Dysnomia	The motto and mission of Lobotomy Corporation slid right off of Dysnomia without consideration, made jaded and and bitter by hollow and vacuous promises, leaving little room for any thought of it that didn't come with a snort and a sneer. As Mia walked into the labs, she couldn't help but stop, horror flashing across her face. The greater spectrum of her vision told a story of bloodshed across the halls that otherwise only came by scent, and the cells she passed on the way to investigate this 'meetup' just raised her hackles more. Dysnomia wouldn't have looked entirely out of place within one of the containment units herself, with her glowing hair and eyes. This whole place made her skin crawl, and it's only a horrified fascination, an understanding of where all these things come from, and her own supreme confidence in her ability to leave at her leisure that prevents her from trying to rip it all apart around her on impulse. "Stars." She swore, softly. She had no idea that Angela was the source of the voice that she'd become somewhat familiar with on the radio, as a person of some influence in this place, but nevertheeless she felt herself drawn to Angela by the simple virtue of her not being part of the pageantry of worship in this place of horrors. "What am I looking at."
Timespace Riders	Sougo, headbanded up, offers his suggestion--but it's drowned out by the neighboring cry: 'Simps!' As if on cue, Woz emerges from around the corner to join the crowd. How long had he been there? He takes a headband from Jeff, turning it over in his hands before he slips it on, holding his head high. Woz is dressed in his usual far-future drab greatcoat (a Kukuru shirt is worn over it), his distinctive grey scarf resting on his shoulders. Sougo, in addition to his horned headband, wears a pink button-up, with deliberately asymmetric patches here and there in a soft pastel-blue paisley print. He's matched it with a pair of rolled khakis, the hems sporting a black-white houndstooth pattern, as well as red socks and his favorite hiking boots. "Hi, guys," says Sougo brightly, waving to M.O.M., Netzach, and even Yesod--despite the tone of their previous meeting. Woz gives Ya-Boy a courteous nod, and Sougo extends a hand in greeting to BETTY! "I'm Sougo. Nice to meet someone else who appreciates Kukuru!" "IWAE," rejoices Woz to Dysnomia, one arm held out with a palm upturned towards the heavens. "You observe the first gathering of the KukuFan Club--assembled from numerous worlds, across all walks of life, to express and share in our appreciation of the inimitable Kukuru."
Ishirou	"All of those names are bad. Why not just be 'friends' of Kukuru?" Ishirou says as he exits the portal. "Cult means you are worshiping her as a godhead figure, and I don't think you truly understand what a bad idea that is..." Ishirou says with a sigh. "If you admire someone you shouldn't put them on a pedestal. Appreciation isn't about mindless admiration and all that," he says, rubbing the back of his head. "So why not have this be a party trying to make Kukuru happy?" With that, from his subspace pocket, he produces a cake to place on a nearby table. It's red velvet with cream cheese frosting. It just happens to have a face of a Kukuru on it. He still looks tired, but at least more animated than he was a while ago.
Timespace Riders	"We may throw such a party at any time," explains Woz flatly to Ishirou. "This is but a small bit of worship--as a treat."
Angela	"F-friends of Kukuru? I don't know..." Jeff murmurs to Ishirou. "She is so special and cool and she looks after us... She's really our idol but... I-if she'd want to be friends..." Ishirou gives some reasonable advice that is sadly lost on Jeff and he gives the guy a look of confused bewilderment before he is distracted by Woz's arrival, whom he happily provides a headband (once Woz starts openly praising Jeff, a tear streaks down his cheek. A tear...of joy). "...This is not going to end well." Yesod says. "But they followed all the proper protocol and are even gathering after work hours." Yesod bobs to Sougo, apparently unbothered. M.O.M gives Sougo a grin and a wave. Netzach just looks at him. Ya-Boy throws a mock salute Sougo's way but it's BETTY! who seems the most thrilled to see Sougo though that might be for reasons beyond being the most appreciative of the Demon Kign. "HI I'M BETTY!" BETTY! tells Sougo. "Kukuru is a helper, like BETTY! Maybe we can exchange helping tips!" One of the arms reaches out and pats Sougo on the head. Then the second one joins in. "Eheheh..." Ozhira, Kukuru, and Dysnomia approach Angela who blinks in a mix of surprise and disbelief--she wasn't expecting this much attention on her. Even if it wasn't appropriate for her to mingle in a club meeting like this (and she certainly does not SIMP for Kukuru exactly) she is a bit of a wallflower. She does say after a moment of recovery, "Miss Dysnomia.--Ozhira, as is your preference if I recall? Hello." She slides a bookmark into her book since she already gets the feeling it'll be a minute before she gets to return to it. "I am Angela. You are looking at the first meetup of Kukuru's Fanclub. As they followed all the rules and this is not officially worship, I had no authority to prevent this event as it falls appropriately within the guidelines. For the moment, at least." Despite Dysnomia looking like she could be locked up here, Ozhira as an entity and Nothing There are honestly pretty similar as it is. Their disguises not withstanding. Nothing There isn't sure what to make of this. Nothing There has never met another Nothing There before. "Hello! Hello! Hello!" They try to get Ozhira's attention. "We Greet, We Greet. Ku-ku-ru!" And of course Kukuru is the guest of the hour even if it seems she hasn't quite realized this is a fanclub meeting for her. Ya-Boy naturally speaks up, "There she is! It's Kukuru!" A general cheer, largely from the clerks (and BETTY!) rises up from the gathered club members. They end up emulating Ozhira as well by chanting, "KU KU RU~! KU KU RU~!" "Miss Kukuru." Angela feels a strange impulse to pat Kukuru on the head but ultimately refrains. She takes the travel brochures instead and says, "Thank you. This is the first meeting of your fanclub. They are presently deciding what to call themselves." As Kukuru pushes through the crowd to reach Netzach, a clerk with a pink ponytail gets in her way and asks, nervously, "Can you sign my forehead?" Netzach is asked if he's doing okay. "Yeahh... Could always try something 'sides Enkephalin. You got anything that'll blow my mind out?" "Miss Kukuru. You've had quite the phenomena here." Yesod's one eye tilts down at Kukuru sternly.
Ishirou	Ishirou immediately stares at Woz as if he has three heads. The expression is flat and, he's about to say something but just grows very tired at once. "I guess you'll learn this lesson on your own.." he says, discouraged by the failed attempt to dissuade the group. Or perhaps Woz was just fueling things on purpose. Goshdarn suss man. He'll at least slice up the cake before things will truly reach their most dire. Their most grim... Their most /cringe/. Despite his slightly depressed state, he is at least happy to be here and in support of his friend who... really probably has no idea what is going on here.
Kukuru	Familiar voices! Hearing Ozhira, Kukuru's smile brightens a bit more, and she raises her hand in a broad greeting to the transforming creature. "He-llo, Ozhi! Oh, have you met Angie yet? Angie, Ozhi. Ozhi, Angie." She pauses briefly, as though realizing something in the middle of reaching over to pat Ozhira's own drills/horns. "Angela, if you wanna be more formal." Mia's voice is a semi-familiar one, too, that Kukuru's still able to pick out by virtue of being one of the few she can't connect with a face yet. That, in turn, makes her even easier to spot, and Kukuru greets her with one of those high, broad waves as well. "He-llo, Mia! It's so good to finally meet you, too. So! What do you like to eat?" She's bound to ask eventually. Might as well do it now, especially when her spirits are getting lifted by all this good cheer.. Sougo's and Woz's greetings to the agents and Dysnomia have her mood improving considerably, too, along with drawing a bashful laugh from the self-proclaimed mother figure. "Hi, Sougo! Hi, Wozzy! Aw, that's so sweet of you. So is that what's going on? It's so..." That does explain the decorations and the everything around the Info Department. Ishirou adds some more fuel to the fire, and she leans over to peer at the cake with an awed expression. "Did you make this yourself, Ishi? Wow... You can cook and bake, too! I'm sure that'll make plenty of people real happy, too. And you can save a lotta money with that, too!" Both Angela and the cheering basically confirm her suspicions, too, and she eventually starts murmuring in quiet understanding. "A fanclub? For...?" Instead of looking startled or worried, she just starts giggling lightly while starting to blush at the blatant shows of love and affection/obsession. Maybe she's not doing as many things wrong as she thought. Or if she is... It'll be easier to think about that later. Right now, Kukuru's in great need of the confidence boost, and she's all too eager to soak it all up. "Th... Thanks, everyone! Come on, this is too much!" Despite her protests, though, it's clear she's quite elated about this kind of treatment. She doesn't even think twice about signing the pink-haired clerk's forehead, laughing cheerfully and giving her a pat on the head after the fact. "That okay?" Once she reaches Netzach and Yesod, meanwhile, she's confronted with a real tough question! "Something strong? I know there's some really powerful drinks, but..." She squints at Netzach, taking this matter completely seriously. "Are you old enough for that?" Even here, she's not going to recommend something that might break whatever drinking laws Lobotomy Corporation follows! "Phenomen... Oh. Yeah, right? It's great to see everyone so much happier and healthier now. It's helping you and Angie and everyone, too, right?" Even Nothing There gets some affection, albeit with Kukuru limited to just waving and smiling through the barrier for now.
Ozhira	"That is the name we were given," Ozhira affirms for Angela's benefit, "The first gift to us." Their eyes shift to the bookmark as she puts it in place, then the creature turns at the waist to glance back over those gathered in the corridor, "Appreciation. We understand." While the woman in question gives the creature a pet, their eyes close and their head rolls around a bit, "Kukuru-- is good to us, too." Their horns are about right. The keratin might be a bit too soft, but most people wouldn't know the difference. "We have spoken," the Beast admits, "But not, in person." As the horned lady moves on to greet others, Ozhira lifts a hand, "Please have, a good time!" Nothing There starts sounding out directly towards them. The Devourer hesitates, swiveling their head towards the containment unit with the Kukuru-shaped creature inside. Their head tilts and, from somewhere within their body, a Chirp is emitted unlike the sound made by any known animal. Briefly, Ozhira returns their attention to Angela, dipping their head, "Please, excuse us. We would--like to meet them, too." The creature then turns in place and works their way through the crowd to the containment vessel's main wall. A hand lifts, resting on the viewing window, subtle awe and intrigue all over their human face. "You are not us," the Devourer murmurs, "But you are like us. Aren't you?" Their voice lowers, a whisper that manages to show off Too Many Teeth, "What-- do you hunt?"
Dysnomia	"You observe the first gathering of the KukuFan Club...to express and share in our appreciation of the inimitable Kukuru." "And that doesn't bother you?" Dysnomia seems more concerned by Woz and the other superfans than any of the actual Abnormalities around her. "Treating someone like...Like...An icon? What about when it gets out of control?" When, she said. Not if. "You are looking at the first meetup of Kukuru's Fanclub...I had no authority to prevent this event as it falls appropriately within the guidelines. For the moment, at least." The fact that Angela somehow wasn't the thing she wanted most to set on fire in this moment distressed Mia even more, in its own messy way. The sight of Kukuru in the flesh puts some of these decorations into context, but it doesn't seem to alleviate her concerns. "This can't be okay." She said, to herself, feeling a little like she was losing her mind. I shouldn't have come here. I should have left well enough alone. "He-llo, Mia! It's so good to finally meet you, too. So! What do you like to eat?" "If you want me to be happy," Mia's voice was strained, almost snappish. "Please, stop asking me about that." She adjusted her collar, the screen on her wrist sounding a chime as something finished processing. "I guess it's good to put a name to the face, at least."
Timespace Riders	Woz does not 'learn' lessons--he dances around them, wearing circular ruts into the ground until they collapse under their own weight and crush him. In this case, however... Sougo beams up at BETTY!, quite fine with being headpat. Mid-pat, he turns to offer some reassurance to Ishirou. "There's a difference between being in a fanclub and being an obsessive," Sougo softly notes. "Woz is just being dramatic." The Demon King reaches out and squeezes his retainer's hand. He likes that penchant for the dramatic. "This isn't something we'd normally do... but it is kinda fun, and we're here with people we'd hang out with anyway." "Indeed, this is so, Kukuru," says Woz. "A smile such as that one suits you well," he says, with a coy little smile of his own. One hand is pressed flat to his chest, and he offers a slight bow at the waist to her. "You know, Netzach..." Sougo offers. "If you waited longer between trying stuff like that, you might get more enjoyment out of it. It's got to be like ice cream, or cake, right? If you have those every day, you don't enjoy them as much." Woz arches a brow at Dysnomia. "'When?' Do not mistake our indulging of the occasion for a blindness to who Kukuru is. Where my Demon King and I are concerned, she is our coworker, our colleague, and our friend. This is play--celebration. The social intelligence of the rest of these people is hardly our concern." "Woz," chides Sougo, shaking his head. "Kukuru is good about showing when she's not comfortable with something," he explains for Mia's benefit. "If she didn't like it, we'd put a stop to it. If everyone here really is a supporter of hers, then they'd have no problem doing that, either."
Angela	Angela is frankly of a similar mind that whatever lesson is to be learned here won't be helped by her trying to enforce it. The worst possibility of course is that nobody will learn a lesson at all and this will be just the new normal. Angela doesn't particularly like that thought but in her experience, lessons are often learned here at Lobotomy Corp even if the damage may be irreversible. You can reverse time but you cannot reverse a tale. BETTY! says, "Hehehe, awww, cute! BETTY! ships!" She rolls back a bit when Sougo seems intent to focus on Netzach. "Not tryin' to enjoy it, Demon King." Netzach says. "Not tryin' to enjoy anything. Just trying to fade..." Yesod's singular eye narrows but he doesn't comment on it. Yesod doesn't seem to be especially chatty but his little robotic digits rub lightly against his own arms as he observes Netzach's condition. "Y,yeah" Jeff agrees as the clerk who just got her forehead signed is mobbed the moment Kukuru turns her attention off of her. "We're just a normal fanclub for Miss Kukuru who has saved our lives many a time and has been so kind to us. It's nothing nefarious. She takes such good care of us..." Angela bobs her head to Ozhira and says, "I'm glad you have been given a name. And I hope you can look after Miss Kukuru in the ways I cannot." She doesn't stop watching Ozhira. She is curious to see how THAT conversation is going to go. "Not us..." Nothing There says. "You have a Voicemail. Like you. Like them. We can be one and others." ''What--do you hunt?'' "Ku Ku Ru!" The imitation of Kukuru smiles vacantly back at Ozhira, wiggling from side to side. "I love you I Love you." They wave at Kukuru in not quite perfect imitation. "Miss Dysnomia. If this is uncomfortable and you would like some privacy, I can find an unused office." Angela says. "Perhaps it is not okay as you say, but it is not within my authority to stop. There is a limit to the limit of free expression allowed within this facility for the sake of employee welfare." Kukuru asks Netzach if he is old enough to drink. "Eeheh.... Of course I am, Miss Kukuru, do you think I'd break a rule like that?" He is in fact old enough but he can't help but answer Kukuru in the sketchiest way possible. Yesod stops rubbing at their arms and looks right at Kukuru, sternly, seriously. "...While I appreciate your dedication to saving lives, I cannot help but consider your interactions with Nothing There to be hazardous to the long term wellbeing of this facility." Ya-Boy shouts out over the din, "Alright! We'll be the Kukuru Kids! She'll be the best mom we ever had!" Angela visibly cringes and then runs both her hands down her face. "Second order of business...! How do we get more Agents to see Kukuru's greatness?" Ya-Boy says. "I was thinking instead of just a one page newsletter, we could send out a bi-weekly journal listing Miss Kukuru's exploits, opinion articles about what her acts of mercy might mean, studies on her words of wisdom..."
Kukuru	"I will!" Kukuru calls out to Ozhira as she starts making her rounds. Dysnomia gets a more apologetic smile in comparison, at least, when she makes that request not to bring up food. "Ah. Sure thing. I'm sorry! I just... Wanna make sure you're not uncomfortable or missing something you want if I can help it. Sooo if there is something I can help you with, lemme know, okay?" Judging from the way she's still beaming at Dysnomia, Kukuru probably isn't the sort to take no for an answer there. Woz's reply has her smile growing further, too, as she's pretty clearly sucking up all the good vibes in here and letting it lift her spirits. "Does it? Aww, thank you. It's really sweet, what everyone's saying and doing." When was the last time she felt this good? It's intoxicating, to be sure, but she knows she can't let it get to her head too much. Just a little is fine, though, as a treat. Woz's bow is returned with a light curtsey from Kukuru. It might look like any other to someone that hasn't seen her do it before, but for someone like Woz or anyone who has? She's actually getting better at it. Her technique's improving. Netzach's reply, sketchy as it might sound to literally anyone else, winds up getting that similarly bright smile from Kukuru. Maybe she's just that trusting, maybe she's just soaking up the atmosphere way too easily, or both! Whatever the case is, though, she nods firmly while stroking her chin. "When you put it that way... Mm. Nope! Okay, then I've got just the thing." A hand goes into her pocket, and out comes... A flask! "Take it slow, okay? It's tasty, but you gotta be careful with this kind of thing, just like Sougo said about ice cream." She sounds stern for a brief moment, at least! Yesod's more direct warning, though, has Kukuru raising an eyebrow and canting her head to the side slightly. "Really? But... If Nothing There isn't eating anyone, then that means everyone's safer, right? Unless..." She looks over at the Abnormality conversing with Ozhira, then strokes her chin slowly in thought. "Is it because... They're generating less energy this way?" Hearing Ya-Boy's shout, of course, gets Kukuru's stupefied grin to return almost instantaneously. She raises an arm to wave broadly over that-a-way, giggling after a few more moments. "A whole journal? Wow... Sounds like I've got a lot to live up to, then. But if it's for the kids... I'll do my best!"
Ishirou	"I've been trying a little bit of everything. Trying to keep... some of my fading memories active while I can. I want to go back to my other body but.." he sighs. "I don't know if it's possible anymore," he says awkwardly. "Sorry. Just... thinking a lot about what we talked about recently, and what Angela said to me..." He puts up a smile and oddly doesn't seem forced. While things were tough... a friend to be there with him has gone a long way. There is a sense of understanding... and a realization that it wasn't that Kukuru supports only one person, but she tries to support them all. Even if they are at odds. "...Mmm. You are right, but I think this is hedging on the other side of things. There are... ways you can be oppressive without being obsessive. If I knew these things sooner, I'd be happier for it. Just.." he looks at the Kukuru fans. "Remember she /is/ a person too, you know? She bleeds and hurts, and feels pain just like you all do. I think you should try to be her friend, and help her as much as you can, and she will do the same for you." With another sigh, he cuts a bit of cake, handing one to each of the Timespace boys. Anyone can get a slice, though he saves a corner slice specifically for Kukuru. 'We'll be the Kukuru Kids!' Ishirou cringes so much that he almost turns into a lemon. He takes a moment to walk away from this trainwreck of a party to say hi to Angela, and Mia. "Hello," he says to Mia, hearing the annoyance in her tone towards Kukuru about eating. "Dietary restrictions? It's not that uncommon out here in the Multiverse. I've been trying to learn how to cook a diverse amount of foods for those with such restrictions or obligate needs." To Angela, he nods to her, "Hi Angela. I... thanks for being patient with me, and for your advice yesterday. I... you don't eat I suppose?" he asks, not entirely sure if she can or not. It would be sad if she could not.
Timespace Riders	Sougo shifts uncomfortably in place, at Netzach's answer--and at Kukuru giving him some liquor. He doesn't at all seem like the sort to take it easy, but Kukuru means well, doesn't she? "...do you read, Netzach? There's a bookstore not far from my house. I could pick some things up, and bring them by, if you like." He had said that if things got out of hand, everyone would stop it--and what Ya-boy is describing does sound a little uncomfortably like a religion. "Um," he says, to the eager Agent, "Maybe just the newsletter telling about what she's done lately is fine!" His bright smile is just the slightest hint strained. "Liking Kukuru is the reason the club started, right? So the, um..." He swallows nervously. "Discussion, that can happen in person! And you guys might find that you have more in common than just liking Kukuru anyway, so..." He is ever so gently trying to keep this club firmly in 'club' territory.
Ozhira	> "Not us... You have a Voicemail. Like you. Like them. We can be one and others." Ozhira's hand on the glass tenses, just so, enough to lift their palm from the glass while the heel and fingertips remain touching. "We will not, join your harmony," they state simply, "You could join, ours. Sing in our chorus." After a pause, the beast adds, "...But we will, not accept that. We will not." > "What--do you hunt?" >> "Ku Ku Ru!" Immediately, Ozhira's right hand separates from their wrist. The forearm draws back, ropes of crimson flesh lashing out, twisting into the approximate shape, then re-coloring into the perfect imitation of their left hand. The thumb then migrates to the correct side all on its own. The appendage they left on the glass flattens out and begins expanding. The color changes to a dull gray as it spreads, the texture changing to imitate that of painted metal. From the inside, the glass is steadily taken over by a sheet of nightmarish crimson, throbbing flesh dotted with several mismatched eyes. One by one, as they form, the eyes fixate on Nothing There. It's not damaging the glass, just... obstructing the view. "You will, not hunt that. If you do, we will hunt you. We, choose to protect-- when we care." As the covering closes in around Ozhira's visible face, their head tilts forward, messy bangs casting eyes in shadow, "Can you do this?" "If you cannot, then-- we are not alike, after all."
Dysnomia	"If everyone here really is a supporter of hers, then they'd have no problem doing that, either." "You have a lot of faith in people." Out of another mouth, those words might have sounded like a compliment. "Maybe you don't know how fragile support really is." "Sooo if there is something I can help you with, lemme know, okay?" What do you WANT from me?! Mia's teeth grated, by she managed to keep from shouting her thoughts out loud. Instead, she gave a cool, ambigious, "I'll keep it in mind, Kukuru." "I was thinking instead of just a one page newsletter, we could send out a bi-weekly journal listing Miss Kukuru's exploits, opinion articles about what her acts of mercy might mean, studies on her words of wisdom..." "When, exactly, does it start to count as worship?" Mia asked Angela, pointedly, as Yaboy started trying to figure out a doctrine to study and emulate their Christ figure. "Because it looks like it's getting there fast." The excuse to figure out firsthand what exactly was up with Lobotomy corp firsthand was proving to be so very not worth it, and not for the reasons that she'd initially thought. "It's great, at first, to be looked up to." Mia said, softly, her mouth forming into a thin line. And then the next part happens.
Dysnomia	"Dietary restrictions? It's not that uncommon out here in the Multiverse. I've been trying to learn how to cook a diverse amount of foods for those with such restrictions or obligate needs." "Of a sort, perhaps." Mia said, frowning as the subject refused to drop. She realized part of the truth had irritatingly become less suspicious than just avoiding the issue altogether. "I don't need to eat much to begin with."
Timespace Riders	You have a lot of faith in people. Maybe you don't know how fragile support really is. Sougo frowns. "If more people had faith in each other," he asks, "Things would be better, I think. If so many people weren't waiting for the other shoe." The Demon King shakes his head. "I know that people are fickle. There are people who want me gone for things I haven't even done yet. I can't... control what someone else will do. But I can control what I do. If I can be better, then maybe more people will want to." Woz purses his lips.
Angela	"They want to be Kukuru." Angela says. "So long as they do not feel they are properly Kukuru, it is in their nature to hunt. They are incapable of devouring Kukuru, at least, they already tried once." ''When exactly, does it start to count as worship?'' "When it interferes with work of course." Angela looks back down to her book and turns a page. "Or in other words, when instead of one person trying to establish doctrine it is many electing to follow it." There is indeed a fair amount of arguing about what the best way to be Kukuru is as a result as Angela turns to look at Ishirou. "I do not." She says as neutrally. "Is that another gift you have that you wish to flaunt?" There's a bit of an edge in those last words before she ultimately closes her eyes. "...It is no matter. If you enjoy cake you should enjoy cake. I am not so selfish as to bemoan the gifts you have been fortunate enough to receive. In fact, I insist." Netzach answers, "Oh uh... I mean I can..." to Sougo. "Though the big reader is probably... Her, you know?" The eye slants briefly to Angela. Kukuru offers Netzach a flask. "Ahhh!! Miss Kukuru, starting to see why you're so popular! You're a real lifesaver." A chute opens up (ahh that's how they consume material) and he pours just a bit inside. Netzach isn't a lightweight or anything but he is already very doped up this isn't going to help matters. Ya-Boy beams as Kukuru seems to agree with his vision for a KUKURU JOURNAL. "Hell yeah!! Maybe we can get an interview in--" MEANWHILE Trouble is abrewing. "Join Your Harmony? Sing your song? Hello, Hello, Hello. Love Kukuru? We Love Kukuru?" This creature is not as intelligent or grown as Ozhira. They watch Ozhira's hand shift around uncomprehending. Nothing There says, "But... Be Kukuru. BE KUKURU." Nothing There steps back. "Teach Protect. Harmony Protect. Only Eat Bad. Hello Hello Eeeeeeeeeyy Man!" They promptly smash their body into the door. Once. The party suddenly gets quite quiet. Twice. Angela's gaze passively settles on Ozhira and Nothing There. A third time and it busts on through the door. "Ozhira Ozhira I love you I love you, I love Ku Ku Ru." The visage of Kukuru attempts to slough onto Ozhira and communicate directly, swarm to swarm. They aren't trying to consume, simply communicate, copy--because of a certain rule they've been taught but in this moment what happens next is really up to Ozhira.
Ishirou	Sougo's words cause Ishirou to pause a little. "You're... right of course. It's a natural instinct to be wary until you know the limits of something... especially try in my case," or maybe the too many ingrained deaths on his soul have turned him so cautious. He isn't sure of this himself. To Mia he nods, "Sorry if it's personal to you then I'll drop it. I'm Ishirou by the way.." he says offering a hand. "I think I heard you on the radio... we talked about uh... your satellite?" He doesn't flinch at Angela. He takes a breath, "No. I don't want to flaunt anything in front of you. I haven't been exactly the caring person I should be, so much that you've had to remind me..." He sighs. "It's going to be a long road to recovery, but it actually feels like you taught me something." "...I just am not sure what to do without Indus looming. But.." he says, considering something. "I can share my senses with you. If you want to experience it?"
Kukuru	Unfortunately for many efforts to keep the club to club territory, Kukuru doesn't quite seem to get it. Her mind is still swimming in all those pleasant thoughts of having so many people willing to hang onto her words, after all, so of course she's going to be a little... Way too permissive of them just for saying the right things around her. "That's right, everyone. It's important to get along with each other, too, and to take care of yourselves." She nods atIshirou at that. "Learning about each other is important, too, so you can have more people to help and be helped by." She beams at Sougo at that. "As long as you remember that and be good to each other, it'll be a lot easier to get through tough times. And then when the tough times are done..." The elated smiel returns. "Everyone'll feel better, and then you can all enjoy the good times even better! With nice people, good food, plenty of comfy spots to rest in..." She is absolutely not learning from anyone's previous mistakes at this point. After all, what could possibly go wrong in the face of all this shared love? Nothing There smashing into the door, for one. Looking over at the noise, she sees Ozhira inside as well, and it takes only a couple of seconds for her to end up just outside the chamber with a pair of teleportation clouds to get her right over there. "Therey? Ozhi? Hey, hey, what's the matter?" She presses her hands against the door, looking between/at the two while trying to gauge just what happened and is happening at that moment. "I'm here, don't worry! Are you getting hungry already?"
Ozhira	Ozhira's head twists towards Angela as she explains a bit more about Nothing There and their proclivities. Their urge to hunt what they resemble-- and that previous failure to do so. The Beast's head tilts in partial understanding, considering the digital woman's words. SLAM The way Ozhira whips around to the containment vessel reveals, for those able to perceive the speed of it, exactly how boneless they are. Like a living smear frame, their attention is back on Nothing There. SLAM The Beast's form ripples unnaturally. The 'metal' covering the window melts off suddenly to show the cracks, sliding across the floor, merging into the creature's foot. CRASH The door smashes off its frame. Ozhira's hand swipes up, extending a ropelike tendril in an arc, glistening with ultradense bone. The door separates, skidding to a halt on either side of them, leaving nothing between the Devourer and Nothing There. A thin line appears across the human shape of Ozhira's disguise, from shoulder to hip. In that instant, this tears open into a gaping maw lined with multiple rows of teeth to greet the Abnormality's charge. The hit takes the Beast off their feet and they wrap around Nothing There like a flytrap, or perhaps a tarp, rapidly losing resolution on their disguise until it becomes a writhing mass of crimson flesh and entirely too many teeth, grappling with the Kukuru-shaped Nothing There. -- The mindscape is breached. Nothing There's intrusion is beseiged by hundreds-- possibly thousands-- of shouting voices barking short orders and single words. Fight it. Defend them. Regroup. Run. No. Fight. Run away. No. Protect them. Echoes, ghosts in the pulsating red-tinged void that comprises the creature's sea of consciousness. Something rumbles deep below, like a sounding whale. C O N S U M E Don't. Guard. Defend. Contain it. Stop it. C O N S U M E Stop it. Stop it. Protect them. Protect us. C O N S U M E It wants to learn. Teach it. Learn from it. Learn from us. C O N S U M E Don't.
Timespace Riders	"Um--Kukuru, but... that's not--" Sougo can't find the words, because it'd mean shutting down someone he admires. At the sound of the slamming, Woz's pursed lips turn to a scowl. His attention off of Sougo, the retainer weaves through the crowd like a thief of the run, procuring the black-and-green BEYONDRIVER. It's a transformation belt, with a neon green, lever-operated gate at the right side, and a square screen of some sort on the front. The belt announces its name with a breathlessly excited voice, as he presses it to his abdomen, the green strap fastening automatically around his waist. On making his way to the door, Woz procures a futuristic silver pocketwatch, the square face adorned with an armored warrior's helmet. Pressing the stop sees the hands move and a hologram flicker to life before the face--the same voice announces, in shocked disbelief, WOZ?! "Kukuru, you are too much like--... you are too trusting. Hark, Abnormality. If Ozhira does not survive your meeting, neither shall you." The lever on his belt's ride side is pulled, revealing a port sized perfectly for the pocketwatch, which he slots in. Action! Fast-paced, bouncy, progressive house techno plays from the belt, as a blue silhouette appears on the screen. More pressingly, a laser grid constructs a giant smartwatch behind Woz, its background screen displaying the cover of a strange book. Anyone who's met him before knows it's the one he always carries around. Woz's right hand is swept upwards, as if he were about to make another grand proclamation like the one Dysnomia got. Instead: "Henshin." Projecting! Future Time! The digital screen on his belt displays an image of his armor, moments before it is projected onto his body by the laser grid behind him. The house techno swells to a triumphant resolution-- Amazing! Time! Future! KAMEN RIDER WOZ? WOZ?! ...is a silver-and-black armored fighter, with a futuristic neon green trim. The faceplate and cuirass of his armor suggest the strap and face of a digital watch, though the usual Rider 'antennae' are here represented as the hands of a clock. A neon-green-tipped spear is held in his right hand, having flown towards him after being flash-printed by the now-absent lasers. He, after all, doesn't know that Kukuru set rules with this Abnormality--and might, possibly, be overreacting for perceived inaction the last time this one came out to play. "Choose wisely." Sougo is frozen, like a deer in headlights.
Dysnomia	"If more people had faith in each other, things would be better, I think." "Pretty words." The corner of her mouth curled down. "But if you're failed enough times, even a saint will be worn raw, won't they?" "I think I heard you on the radio... we talked about uh... your satellite?" "That one of my latest projects, yeah. This..." She gestured at herself. Is actually my space-suit. It's good for a lot of things, but it was designed for work in vaccuu--" "Ozhira Ozhira I love you I love you, I love Ku Ku Ru." As containment is breached, Dysnomia's eyes whip back around, just in time to see both entities melt into piles of flesh and teeth. In an instant she moved, her body sliding into a ready position fast--inhumanly fast, her bared teeth growing unknowingly sharp in the stress of the moment. Stoking the fire in her heart, she guided the burning to her hand, which suddenly held a line of plasma in the shape of a blade, held between her and the writhing creatures. Suddenly the woman who stood aside with Angela, fretting, seemed to fill the room. There was a feeling, like ice fracturing under a terrible weight, and a feeling of deep foreboding that hung over the heart like a the shadow of a wing falling over you from on high, as Mia allowed her presence to fill the hall. "This stops." Her voice grated with command, her eyes locked on the struggle, adding the weight of her will to the efforts of the others.
Angela	Angela is focused on the situation at hand but she IS successfully turned away from that situation when Ishirou offers a sample. The ability to share one's senses. Angela is visibly tempted, actually. There's a moment where the longing in her eyes is plenty apparent--if only to him. She stares for what feels like an eternity to Ishirou but is longer for Angela. Why wait anyway, she thinks, as the King of Greed whispers to her. They don't have to know. It might even be better to test it now so the experience doesn't hit her harder tommorow--she doesn't actually know the details of Lilian's plan either--- She listens to the sounds of Nothing There, a greedy creature that is always hungry and hasn't learned how to protect yet. How stupid and brutal such cruel innocence can be. She takes in a careful breath, closing her eyes. Yes, she can swallow--even pride if she has to. "Perhaps another time. The Dame Commander made a promise, I do not wish to look down on it by attempting to preempt it. Thank you, however, for the offer." And as she says that, it does feel true enough. Somehow those three clawed past everything to her heart. She isn't sure she'd be able to handle it going bad any better than Ishirou, frankly. She hasn't exactly had friends before. She supposes she won't know until it happens. Maybe she can just be grateful for having some of the pitfalls in friendship revealed to her before she had to worry about it. And they do seem to understand her situation. Maybe she can, indeed, Relax. Not at the moment though. She sends word to Gebura quietly and folds the book into her labcoat. She stands up. "It is not as if I am treating you any differently, Ishirou. I have just learned to expect the worst." Speaking of... 'Therey' speaks to Kukuru. "Learning. Ozhira. Smarter. Better! Leave a Voicemail!" Ozhira is higher level in this department than Nothing There. Ozhira can definitely subsume, destroy, eat, or just eliminate Nothing There if it desires. Nothing There has never gotten quite good at assimilation. It learned to hurt and kill and be killed and forget and start all over again. The problem with threatening Nothing There is that they aren't actually smart enough to understand them but it understands pain all too well. During the Rider transformation, Gebura arrives at the tail end of it. Gebura's frame is scratched up to hell but in her pincer hands is her EGO Weapon Mimicry (A great sword coverd in flesh and EYES). Her singular eye narrows at what she's seeing--two Abnormalities communicating? But it is too difficult to pinpoint which one is HERS so she has to stay her hand. Gebura would love nothing more than to tear BOTH of them apart but she knows better than to go against a member of the Concord and Angela is giving her a look of warning as well since Angela may allow a great amount of death and horror but she isn't going to accept anything that risks the ultimate goal--or her escape. NOthing There can feel pain. Ozhira reminds it. Help HELP HELP The Abnormality cries out, like a lost child. It starts to pull back even as its own form because a crimson mass of eyes and poorly emulated intestines. The clerks don't entirely panic--there are Agents there that step forward, except for BECKY. Netzach has passed out drunk (and high) and Yesod tries to keep things calm to no avail. Ozhira gets a chance to teach. The first thing they learn is the concept of Don't. Ozhira can feel its desire to be Kukuru. To be loved. To love. To eat. To experience. To be something. To be everything. To fill this nothingness nothingness NOTHINGNESS that is always there no matter how much they eat eat and eat. But they learn DON'T first of all and so... Nothing There pulls back from the writhing mass but they learn. What exactly they learn, well, that will be what the Agents study for the next while for sure but eventually Nothing There, with Kukuru's face, tilts their head, sticks out a reasonable fascimile of a tongue
Angela	What exactly they learn, well, that will be what the Agents study for the next while for sure but eventually Nothing There, with Kukuru's face, tilts their head, sticks out a reasonable fascimile of a tongue and bonks themselves lightly in the head with a fist. A tear briefly flickers in an eye. It makes no further aggressive move. Maybe Dysnomia's aura is helping encourage it to play nice. "Eheh..." And then they explode into gore as Gebura rips THROUGH Nothing There with Mimicry in a singular smooth cut that sends the bulk of it splattering back into its cell. "Ch. Abnormalities." Gebura says. "Should know better than to think they can earn mercy by playing pretend." This--along with the aura that Dysnomia is unleashing--is finally when the Kukuru Fan Club panics and starts fleeing through the hallways screaming about an outbreak, screaming that THEY KILLED A KUKURU FAN, yelling that they took time off for this, and so on--Jeff stares at the remains of Nothing There, still slowly working on reforming in its cell while Ya-Boy says, "Ah. Ah...! Next meeting is in two weeks?? Guys???" Gebura turns her one eyed gaze to Dysnomia. She feels FEAR rolling off the creature. She doesn't see her as anything other than an Abnormality as well in this moment. Gebura toughs it out even as the other Agents seem uncertain and unsettled by Dysnomia's transition to horror. Gebura takes a breath. "You wanna join 'em?" "Gebura." Angela says. "No. Dysnomia is a guest." Despite everything, despite how calmly she speaks--she grips that book tightly, struggling to not let that aura overpower her senses. She has a harder tim with it than Gebura but-- ...The thought trails off to nothing.
Ishirou	Ishirou nods once to Angela, though he hasn't turned yet to the disturbance. It's not like he isn't looking at it, but he doesn't have to 'look' at it to look at it. "Then I wouldn't want to spoiler her gift at all," he says, smiling. Oddly, no hint of remorse, because he is sure this is better for her than it is for Angela. He takes a breath, though, and his head starts to turn right as Angela speaks again. "Hopelessly optimistic in my case. Maybe that was where a few of my problems started. But... you have been kind to me, so I will take it as that. It's... people think kindness is.." he waves towards this situation. "It isn't about telling people what they want to hear, but what they /need/ to hear. So..." He stands up when things come to a head, trying to figure out what exactly is going on... but after seeing Ozhira work before, he doesn't look quite worried, though more concerned. At least until Nothing There recoils. The fear rolling off Dysnomia makes him freeze in place. Like a deer in headlights as he starts trying to not hyperventilate all at once. He isn't succeeding despite his robotic nature.
Ozhira	> Help HELP HELP The hesitation is palpable. The Beast's tooth-lined maw shudders, then retracts just so. A touch of simple mind to countless minds intensifies, then snaps when Nothing There's retreat breaks contact with the writhing mass of flesh that Ozhira has become. The Devourer's largest mouth yawns open, emitting a bone-rattling growling rumble that shudders through the floor and walls with infrasound vibration. Nothing There gets clobbered by Gebura, prompting Ozhira's mass to lurch in the opposite direction, away from them. The mouth opens wide, impossibly so, and folds back on itself. Ozhira's biomass seemingly turns itself inside out and-- from the core of it, their human disguise re-emerges, rising out of the crimson sludge like nothing happened. When their shoe-clad feet touch the floor, the blood-like mess is gone entirely. Wordlessly, they step past the gathered agents to stand in the doorway, looking over the mangled remains of Nothing There where they had landed. "...Not like us." "...Can maybe become like us." "...With time."
Dysnomia	"You wanna join 'em?" "So, this is my thanks, huh..." Dysnomia chuckled, unsurprised. "No good deed goes unpunished. I get it." The threat of the shadow fades away, leaving a strange girl with a bitter smile. "Not like I expected any better, after all." She let the blade at her side fade away and spat on the floor, her spit sizzling, as she turned away from them. "I can tell when I'm unwanted. Have fun doing...Whatever it is you do." She stomped back toward the artifical warpgate. Somehow, even though she never wanted to be here, this rejection lanced something sharp through her chest.
Kukuru	When the door comes off, Kukuru finally gets a closer look at just what's happening between Ozhira and Nothing There. "Ozhi! Therey! Calm down, everything's okay! They're just-" She's not sure who she's looking at anymore. They're tangled up with them, and their parts and stuck in theirs. They're a mess, and the only hints she can get as to which parts belong to who aren't naerly enough to help her separate them. Even she can tell that things are about to get dire fast, especially when she hears and sees so much movement nearby. Woz's transformation, and that printed spear. Dysnomia's warning, that plasma blade, and the sudden feeling that this space is a lot smaller than before. "W... Wait! There's just... Um. A misunderstanding!" That's the word she's heard used plenty of times. It used to always sound kind of empty, but it's starting to make sense here. There's even a sense of panic in her tone and on her face as she hears the Abnormality pulling back and calling for help, and it actually pushes her forward steadily as she reaches out for the two masses once she's snapped out of her initial shock. "Therey, come on. Ozhi, they're still learning. They'll...!" Wait. They're drawing back. They have her face, and they're... Mimicking her? Wait, is Nothing There learning expressions now, too? A great deal of that anxiety leaves Kukuru's face, and she settles back into a relieved smile at that little laugh-like sound. "Oh, you had me worried for-" And then Nothing There explodes right in front of her. Kukuru's eyes go wide, and for a moment, she looks like she might be on the verge of freaking out herself. Not knowing just what Gebura's EGO weapon is capable of probably helps, though, as does knowing her own abilities and also seeing Nothing There slowly piecing themselves back together in the cell. All that combines into Kukuru letting out a distressed, but still calm-enough groan as she turns to Gebura. "Gebby, that was too much. They're still learning, you know?" She half-scolds and half-pouts, sighing after a moment and moving over to the bits of Nothing There and holding a hand out and put a bit of heal juice out to maybe speed that reforming process back up. "I'll be back another time, okay?" That's about as much as she can do for Nothing There now, and then she gets back up to rejoin everyone else outside the cell. "You okay, Ozhi? Wozzy? Mia?" Ozhira gets some pre-emptive healing nanites by virtue of being right in there along with a light smile once Kukuru catches her breath. "In time, mhm. Thanks for understanding." Woz gets a curious look after Kukuru gets her head back together. "You were saying... Um. Is being trusting such a bad thing? Even if it's too much, it's sad. I mean, to think of only half-trusting anyone. It sounds like too much work, too, right?" Dysnomia stomping her way back to the exit, meanwhile, gets Kukuru to break off to follow her a little more hurriedly. "Mia? Ah.. Thanks for coming! It was really nice to finally meet you." Despite whatever bloody bits may or may not still be on Kukuru's face and clothes, she still manages a warmer (albeit tired) smile and even holds out her hand for some vague reason. "I'll see you again later, okaaay?"
Timespace Riders	Sougo isn't a saint. He'd never, ever consider himself one. The idea of even perceiving himself that way is terrifying in a way that induces vertigo, sets his stomach to twisting in knots. While Woz threatens, Dysnomia commands frighteningly, he is frozen, turning over a thousand scenarios in his head. Does he trust Kukuru here, his friend, the person who gives so much of herself to the people around her? Or does he trust Woz, his loyal retainer, the person he's Fallen in love with, who always looks out for him even when it hurts? The decision is rendered moot--by Geburah. A violent splatter elicits a flinch from him. "Geburah!!" Sougo cries out angrily--but he forces his anger back down, as that dizzying terror wells up to overwhelm it. "Who are you, to say they were pretending?" He asks shakily, his voice wavering as he tries and fails to keep his distress from being evident. His hands are balled into fists, and tremble at his sides. The retainer's helmet turns slowly to look at Sougo. "My Demon King, it is neither Geburah's responsibility nor yours to coddle every dangerous stray that wanders in from the cold." It sweeps, then, to Kukuru, who asked if he was okay. If being trusting is so bad. "...That Kukuru has made it hers is her burden to bear. I believe it best if we left." The Demon King takes a steadying breath, his gaze falling as he loses the will to condemn or argue. "Okay," Sougo says numbly. Woz removes the watch from his Beyondriver, detransforming. He throws out his scarf, and it extends impossibly, enveloping Sougo and vanishing into a single point, before snaking its way back to him and doing the same.
Angela	Maybe that's the difference between Gebura and most. She acts before letting the moral implications drown out her choices. For what it's worth, Angela may be ambivalent on how Gebura treated Nothing There, but she doesn't seem particularly pleased with how she spoke to Dysnomia. The problem is, is that when it comes to Abnormalities, Gebura is pretty much impossible to control. Even if they aren't really Abnormalities. Angela's hand extends for a moment towards Ishirou's back but ultimately she pulls it back and straightens up. Nothing There isn't in condition to respond to Ozhira but--perhaps Ozhira is right. Nothing There does seem to be learning. Abnormalities are made from humans and so they can be as troublesome as humans. Not a one is as simple and straightforward as a monster no matter their appearance. ''I can tell when I'm unwanted'' "...Dysnomia. I apologize for Gebura's behavior. I will contact you privately later. Thank you for your assistance." But nobody is going to get into Dysnomia's way, not after what she unlashed--and certainly not against Angela's command. Angela is surprised to see Kukuru handle it so well. Oh, sure, she seems distressed but-- Gebura stares at Kukuru. She doesn't interfere with her attempts to heal the beast, perhaps out of sheer disbelief. The harder an Agent is, perhaps acts that fly in the face of such precise training--can have a stronger impact against them. "...Tch. What do you know?" But they don't interfere, starting to walk away on their own. Sougo shouts out her name. She stops. ''Who are you, to say they were pretending?'' "...I remember when it spoke with Christopher's voice." Gebura says. "That abnormality came from humanity, from Christopher. It then devoured Christopher's wife. And finally..." Her eye settles on Sougo. "...Angela sent their daughter in. I don't know what happened but I know what remained. Her blanket. That's how I know it's pretending." She then continues on her way. Nothing There says, "Ku Ku Ru I love you..." even as a mostly puddle in the floor as Kukuru provides the creature with some assistance. But it isn't going to try and leave containment again. "Ozhira Ozhira Hello Thank you..." Angela's hand shakes ever so slightly but she doesn't say anything. She doesn't defend herself from Gebura's accusation. She just stands there as the room gradually filters out, the echoes of another trying so hard to be real her companion. The club...shifts after this. They are quieter. More careful. Kukuru will even save Abnormalities, they whisper. Kukuru will save anyone. Maybe if we pray hard enough, Kukuru will save us.