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Timespace Riders	9 5 DO--or "Kujigoji-do"--is nestled in a mostly commercial area of Tokyo, at the end of a winding street that curves uphill, cutting a path through packed-in storefronts and restaurants. This street is busy; steadily so, for most of the day. It is also entirely for cyclists and pedestrians, not opening up to cars or buses until the opposite end of the street.      The plot upon which the clock repair shop sits is picturesque, in a cozy kind of way. It is clearly a repurposed home, complete with a small garden and an ivy-clung Japanese elm growing out front.      A bicycle (probably Sougo's) is out front, leaned against the first step of a small patio. Signage resting on a corrugated metal facade near the front door of the two-story shop displays its name, while a woodblock leaned against the opposite side displays hours.      The inside of the shop bears warm, wine-red walls with white trim. Display cases full of clocks rest against these walls--this was probably a dining room, before the place was made into a storefront. There's even a round wooden table and a couple of chairs here. A middle-aged man with short, salt-and-pepper hair looks up from working on a VCR, alerted from the soft chime of a bell mounted above the door. Kind brown eyes light up with interest as he sets a screwdriver down, and he smiles widely.      "Oh--goodness, what a crowd. Are you here for Sougo?" he asks.
Remee Halcyon	This is the address that the Future King of Time sent? Remee double-checks the message she got before she goes in. "Oh - a repair shop," she says as she enters, looking around, and then focusing on the owner at the front. "Yeah, Sougo, if here's here." "Hey, since you're repairing things here..." She reaches into her gear bag, and pulls out a full-size mechanical crank crossbow, which she drops on the front counter. "Think you can take a look at this? The recoil's been off a bit since I restrung it." "Thanks!" she says, not waiting for his response before heading further in, in search of Sougo.
Raziel	Raziel is one of the people who enter through the front door.  For those who haven't seen him in a while, he is no longer the blue-skinned ghoul he looked like before, but instead a pale but handsome man, with long black hair.   Today, he is wearing a pair of black leather pants and a light blue shirt.  Over one shoulder is a standard, displaying a sigil that can be best described as a fang attached to a bone-like wing.  Unlike others, he can't easily pass as a human.  His hands are a pair of three claws, and his feet are more cloven than the average humans are.  Also, he has a pair of wings attached to his back.   His face is also very... inhuman.  A pair of fangs are visible as he talks, as well as his eyes still being two glowing orbs of light, rather than normal eyes.  However, he does raise a hand in greeting the shop owner.   "Yes sir, I am here to meet with Ser Sougo and his retainer Woz.  I apologize if I am interrupting business," he pauses, looking as Remee brings a crossbow to be looked at.  "A fine weapon," he comments, "Though I am not trained in their use myself."
Kukuru	With everything that's been going on in the past weeks, Kukuru's in dire need of a breather and time to just relax. Could she do this more easily at home? Probably! But she's got friends anmd family to catch up with and dote on, so this is as good of a time as any to show up for all that. Arriving at the... Clock store? Repair shop? Whatever it is, Kukuru arrives in her usual white blouse and green/brown dress, lazily strolling up to the door and knocking a few times before nudging it open. "He-llo there~ Mhm, I'm-" Remee and Raziel are here, too! They get a quick, mildly excited wave from Kukuru. "We're here to see Sougo. You have a really nice place here... Does he work here with you?" She greets the middle-aged man with a light wave as well, peering around and moving along gingerly so as to not disturb the stuff in the sore.
Lilian Rook	"A clock repair shop?" says a familiar voice, tinged with tones of equally familiar wry, judgemental disbelief.     "Sort of on the nose, isn't it?"     Lilian, dressed far too nicely for a little corner shop like this, but not outrageously out of range, greets the man she meets with "Of course. Is it customers only? I actually have something I could have you look at, if need be. Will that cover it for the rest?", just before the slightly forced smile on her tired face flickers with unease. Like seeing Sougo's . . . father? Caretaker. Has elicited an emotional reaction she doesn't quite have the grip to fully control right now. She adjuts the strap of her bag over her shoulder, and pushes back some of her hair between her fingers.     "I assure you, it's nothing to worry about." Lilian's stare tracks along the row of faces she's seeing filtering in. "And not all of us are here for the same reasons, I would assume."     "Ah, where are my manners? Dame Commander Lilian Rook. Just an acquaintance. And you are?"     Despite saying her name in English, Lilian's Japanese is flawless by now. It's been years.
Petra Soroka	Once it becomes apparent that the location that Sougo invited them all to is, either literally or emotionally, his home, Petra suddenly feels extremely uncomfortable with being there. Not because she thinks it's wrong for him to invite friends over to his home, but because she feels wrong being there *as Petra*, like her presence alone intrudes on a precious environment, poisoning it.     Petra also knows that she categorically isn't *wrong* to feel that way, because she is and it does.     Petra shows up anyways, though, because not only does she sort of enjoy the opportunity to bring terrible vibes into the precious parts of people's lives, but she also enjoys the good vibes that she carries on her back. Equipped on top of her typical bomber jacket is a clunky, clearly Eggman-designed metal contraption, hanging on her back with straps like a backpack. On it is a large screen, that can extrude to pop up over her shoulder and face forwards, displaying Angela from her office in L-Corp. On either side of the backpack is robotic arms, giving Angela just a little bit more engagement with the outside world.     Petra arrives a little bit after Remee does, so she doesn't see her when she walks into the shop. "Here for Sougo, yeah. This is like... he works here, right?" Then, glancing at Lilian and taking her cue, "Oh. I'm Petra, a-- I've met Sougo and Woz a few times." She doesn't know how to convey that most of her meetings with the pair were either in the context of a town that she tried to detonate a nuclear bomb in, or in the bowels of a facility that feeds people to monsters to produce energy, so she doesn't.
Angela	M.O.M was invited to this shindig (as has Angela, but more on that in a minute). M.O.M is young man in his twenties with short grey hair. He isn't armed today, but is wearing a flower patterned EGO suit. Since he was explicitely invited, it wasn't too difficult for him to get permission to go--Sougo the Demon King is a fellow agent of the Concord, after all. Unexpectedly, he isn't the one carrying the video pad--well, okay, he is carrying a video pad in his jacket pocket but it seems to be off. "Oh, hey Dame Commander. Miss Kukuru--" His eyes widen as he sees RAziel. "Oh shit, Raz?? Damn, man, I wasn't expecting to see you here. How you holding up, Hahaha?" Angela is in the Eggpack and seems to be practicing using the little robotic arms and having a bit of a quiet laugh at the little squeezey motions she's making with the metallic limbs. "I am Angela of L Corp." She says once she's no longer distracted. "It is good to meet you, sir." She brightens upon seeing the Dame Commander, though it mostly appears in her eyes--her lips are still in a firmly neutral position. "Dame Commander. Good to see you as well." She notices she looks tired and raises up the right Eggpack arm and turns the hand to offer her a handshake.
Lilian Rook	"It's good to see you too, Angela." Lilian says. She can at least afford a small, genuine smile for that. One that looks on the verge of holding back a tiny laugh when Angela offers her robot hand; one that Lilian shakes to humour her as if Petra isn't even there, or at least is a fancy piece of furniture for her convenience.     She makes sure to pat her on the head afterwards though, as a kind of 'thank you for your service' gesture, but the way she says "Good." feels unpleasantly ambiguous.
Timespace Riders	"Oh, you're not interrupting at all," says the owner to Raziel. Generally, to everyone: "I'm Junichiro, Sougo's uncle!" He comes out from around the counter. "Woz is getting dinner ready--Sougo should be in the dining room."     He shakes his head at Lilian, waving a hand in a gesture of friendly, carefree assuagement. "Oh, no need. By all means, go on in, Dame Rook! It's very nice to meet you--and you, too, Petra." he says, slightly quieter. "I'm so glad that Sougo is getting out and making more friends lately." He really, genuinely is.      "It's nice to meet you, too, Angela. You know, when Sougo was younger... well, even as recently as high school," continues Junichiro, frowning slightly, "He used to be so lonely. Even if he wouldn't admit it. Just knowing that he has visitors is..."      Sougo's uncletrails off, blinking owlishly at Remee. He then removes his brown-framed glasses, wiping them off on the hem of his gold paisley vest, as if he hadn't seen correctly. "Oh," he says, to Remee, a little shocked at the sight of the weapon. "Well, this is really more of a clock repair--" Remee is gone, and he's left with the crossbow. Anyone who looks even a little over the counter can see that this is a recurring theme with him, beyond just the VCR. In a little bin labeled 'Fixed' there rests a microwave, a space heater and a cassette deck.      "I guess," he says softly, picking up the weapon, "It wouldn't hurt to take a look, at least..." Without seeming to realize it, he shoulders the weapon and tests the heft, *also* without (the crossbow equivalent of) muzzle-checking anyone. "The recoil, she said...?" he mumbles to himself, turning the crank. He'll probably be occupied with it--and despite the apprehension he showed, he does seem to enjoy fixing things.      The dining room is dandelion yellow, furnished with a table that could comfortably seat everyone. Sougo has his nose in a book about Latin American history, but closes it and smiles brightly at everyone as they filter in. The walls have decorations like little pennants and family photos. The only ones with Sougo's parents in him are from when he was really young, it seems like. All of the other ones with Sougo are with Junichiro--save one, following his high school graduation, with Junichiro and Woz. "Hi, guys! I hope you didn't have too much trouble finding the place."
Raziel	Raziel turned to face M.O.M. and greets the agent with a smile and a handshake.  Raziel is careful not to hurt with his claws, and despite their appearance, they somehow function similarly to fingers.  "I can't say things are the best for me right now... but I do owe them a bit of gratitude, and also wish to know more about what transpired."  He is likely speaking to his inability to regain a corporal form on his own right now.  Something that will also need to be addressed.   He also bows his head slightly to Lilian, "Dame Rook, nice to see you again," he says, politely.  He does also turn to Kukuru, providing her with a soft smile.   To Sougo's uncle, he nods, "Very well... Though I am not much of an eater.  I will still at least enjoy the company," he says and excuses himself to slip into the dining room.  "Good to see you outside of Nosgoth or being beaten up by your future self Sougo," Raziel says warmly, but with a twinge of sarcasm, but playful sarcasm.   Though he pauses to step into the kitchen.  There was something he wanted to speak with Woz about, and he feels he might be more honest without a crowd.
Remee Halcyon	"No trouble finding it - just surprised that this is where it's at?" says Remee as she takes a seat. She shifts forms as she settles in, ears and tail and fur coming back out now that she's not on a street where that'd draw attention. (Raziel's shirtless entrance makes her wonder if she should have bothered.) There's also coming in after her several people that she's not... really sure she's on good terms with. "Dame Commander," she says, nodding to her. She can at least be polite, verbally, even if her body language isn't quite showing the same. OH AND THEN THERE'S PETRA Remee's ears fold alllll the way back for a second before she can get control of them. Petra doesn't get a greeting today. "And... someone new," she says, looking over at Angela's representative. "Two... someone new's?" she adds, focusing on the eggpack.
Petra Soroka	"Hi, Lilian, I--" Petra's cheerful greeting fades away into silence when Lilian reaches past her to shake Angela's hand. Her mouth hangs awkwardly open, a little shellshocked, and it doesn't close until after Lilian pats her on the head.     The particular object of 'good' might be unclear, but it's directed towards Petra, and that's specific enough to restart her brain to continue talking. "I got Dr. Eggman to make this for Angela! Isn't it cute? It's-- I mean, it's definitely a step up from the tablet, right?"     Petra tries to twist her head over her shoulder to look back at Angela, then quickly realizes that isn't practical, and chooses to direct her voice at the robot hand instead. "And it's-- working for you, Angela? It's..." Petra, despite technically being a robot, doesn't exactly have the lived experience of one. "Comfortable? For you?"     Raziel is given a dubious look, as Petra enters the dining room. Remee is given one even more uncertain, and when Remee looks back at her like *that*, Petra almost spits something bitterly angry as her first address to the group. She pointedly shifts her gaze away from Remee, landing on Sougo, and does that anyways.     "You didn't have friends until graduating high school? Sucks, dude." The atmosphere of the home sinks in to her quickly, though, and Petra gets distracted from her anger running her gaze across the decorations on the walls. "... This is cute. Really."
Kukuru	Eyeing Remee's weapon, Kukuru peers at it for several moments before turning to Remee herself. "Say... Remee, how come you use that, anyway? Aren't you already really strong?" She has some incredibly vague ideas of what the answer might be already, but it won't stop her from asking! Raziel, meanwhile, gets a curious look once she gets a better look at him. "Oh, Razi! Did you... Style your hair different today? It looks nice!" She affirms with a quick nod, then turns back to the middle-aged man again. "Junichiro... Ah. Good to meet you, Juni. Thanks for taking good care of Sougo and Wozzy." Smiling softly now, Kukuru's about to head on in before realizing that more familiar faces have arrived. Lilian's presence here is mildly surprising since she has trouble recalling the last she saw them together, but Kukuru still brightens up a bit upon seeing her. "He-llo, Lili! Wow, I didn't know you knew-" Wait. That time in Lampport. "-... Oh yeah. Anyway, have you been sleeping okay? Taking care of yourself?" Spotting Petra and Eggpack'd Angela afterwards, Kukuru's smile grows a bit wider at that. "Oh! He-llo, Petra! Hi, Angie!" She greets them excitedly, letting her own excitement at seeing them override her memory about how her last few attempts at speaking with Petra have gone. "How're you both settling in?" Eventually, she pokes her head into the dining room, still beaming as usual when she spots Sougo. "Hi, Sougo! No, not hard at all. It was really easy with the directions. How're you feeling today? Do you or Wozzy need any help with the prep?" She asks almost as if on reflex, although there's the briefest of hitches in her breathing when she remembers everything about not conflating niceness with kindness, and Ohma Zi-O's words to both the current Zi-O and herself.
Lilian Rook	"It's very nice to meet you too." says Lilian, as a matter of formality. "Now, if you'll excuse me . . ."     'You know, when Sougo was younger... well, even as recently as high school, he used to be so lonely. Even if he wouldn't admit it. Just knowing that he has visitors is...'     Lilian takes a deep breath, and whispers something inaudible to herself as she heads towards the back room. She squeezes her eyes shut, for precisely the count of ten, and exhales with a hint of resentment in amongst her exhaustion. She reaches into her bag and--                 -----[stop]-----     Sorts through to the pretty little silver chain wristwatch in the interior compartment; the one she had gifted to her years ago and she keeps around for studying, as a source of time-tracking, pleasant ambient ticking, and nothing else. With a grimace of reluctance, she squeezes the dial and case between her thumb and finger, and presses until she hears the crack. Just between jewels, fracturing the escape wheel, bending the pillar plate, and stripping the balance screws.                 -----[start]-----     --slips Sougo's uncle a gorgeous little top-end silver watch, glass visibly splintered. "Well, seeing as I'm here, if you get the time for this after the . . . crossbow, it'd be a big help." Lilian says with a smile and a passing wave. Probably just to keep him busy longer, knowing her.     Once she's behind the divider, Lilian pulls up like she owns the place, taking the head of the table as a matter of course and slinging her bag over the chair back. Even in someone's quaint little dining room, she has to do the leg-over-leg elbow-on-hand posture. It's built in. "Of course not. I can find anything." Lilian says, casual as can be.     "So, what happened? I can tell when it had something to do with me, however slight."
Angela	Angela seems confused when Junichiro gets out there and speaks to how lonely Sougo had been. It's faint, but it passes through her eyes for a moment like she feels she has missed a key part of a conversation and can't quite make the connection. "Ah," She says. "I am...sorry to hear that?" He seems grateful that he has visitors but considering Angela's last real conversation with Sougo was telling him she hated him, she does feel a little out of place here nonetheless and she is a little unsure what Junichiro is sharing the story. "I will not cause trouble." That's probably where the concern is, Angela figures. She looks to Remee and bobs her head once to her, neutrally polite as before. "Hello again, Remee. We've talked over the radio before, at the least. You might not have met M.O.M before." She says it like Em Oh Em. Not Mom. "Yes, Ha ha ha! The Demon--" M.O.M considers that maybe Junichiro might be unaware of the term. "Sougo asked me to come so--ah, well, he did save my life, Ha Ha Ha! Twice. So don't worry, he's a great friend to me at least, Haha!" "Miss Kukuru." Angela says, her gaze lingering on Kukuru for a moment. How is she settling in? "Mm, I'm in a period of shift. Do not mind me, Miss Kukuru." She is thrilled to shake Lilian's hand, even that lip turning faintly upward for a moment. She's been...a bit more careless lately, but it's in her office so she feels less of a need to obscure her emotions in case some dad lectures her about it. She avoids looking at anyone in particular when the Pack is referred to as cute however because that is definitely a term she is unaccustomed too--albeit getting more accustomed to it. And she's not sure how she feels about that. It doesn't entirely rub against her identity exactly but... Her eyes slant to the watch and that smile widens just a bit. Why not trust in it, a little? Her eyes finally settle on Sougo. He is smiling brightly--though he's always had a positive demeanor. Angela thinks about what to say to him. Eventually she says, "What were you reading, Sougo?" That's a realm of discussion she's comfortable in.
Lilian Rook	'I got Dr. Eggman to make this for Angela! Isn't it cute? It's-- I mean, it's definitely a step up from the tablet, right?'     "It's . . ." Lilian's eyes wander to the chunky EggPack. "Certainly a step up in many regards, yes." She exhales. "I hope Angela is enjoying the ride. You're being quite accommodating."     'He-llo, Lili!'     Lilian stiffens up. She has a lot of ways of doing that; an entire vocabulary of subtly different tension. The straight back, tense shoulders, loose arms and wrists, toe pressed firmly to the ground, is something only particularly readable to either martial artists or experienced street scrappers.     'Oh yeah. Anyway, have you been sleeping okay? Taking care of yourself?'     "I'm handling everything to the best of my ability as always." says Lilian. "I'm more than recovered enough to handle anything that could happen here. I'll be back to one hundred and twenty percent soon enough." She doesn't say it like something optimistic.     She steals a second glance at Angela, as if seeing that tiny micro-smile is equivalent to smoke-release before bolt-snapback.
Petra Soroka	"Two... someone new's?"     Petra can't help it, actually, but doesn't interrupt Angela's introduction to Remee. "Really smooth of you to talk past me like I'm invisible to you. Though I guess you did that last time you saw me too, so maybe that's just how you're going to be from now on?" "How're you both settling in?"     At first, Petra only looks a little sour at Kukuru, opening her mouth to sullenly respond. Out of the corner of her vision, though, she catches the tiny shifts in Lilian's posture, and her own lack of greeting, so she closes her mouth again, grits her teeth, and responds more roughly than she was planning to.     "Shouldn't you have learned your lesson by now? Or are you too fucking stupid to remember anything past a week ago. Back off, Kukuru."
Remee Halcyon	Remee gives Petra a look. "I can't help it if you decide to just... go and change up your entire scent profile basically overnight." "And you're - really just targeting on Kukuru, just like that... What'd she ever do to you?" Remee gets up to her feet. "Sorry, Sougo. We'll catch up later, okay?" she says as she squeezes around people and heads to the door. It's a shame. Woz's cooking smelled pretty good.
Timespace Riders	In the front of house, Junichiro nods fervently at Lilian. He likes fixing things--but, wonder of wonders, the man who has surrounded himself with clocks and watches loves, above all else, fixing timepieces. He'd love nothing more to fix it, even if he has no idea how it got that way.     Sougo laughs at Raziel's remark, rubbing a hand against the back of his head. "Yeah, back at you," he says.     "Oh, that's M.O.M. and Angela," says Sougo, assuming that Remee has met Petra already. He nods, when Petra brings up the Eggpack. "It *is* pretty cool."     Sougo affirms, for Petra, that he didn't have friends. "I had... mm, one! Maybe two, if you count the guy that threw me all the time, but that felt more, um, like a pity thing than anything real." He doesn't seem bothered by it. Probably because he can count his friends on more than one hand, these days.     "I think," Sougo says, slightly conspiratorially to Kukuru, with a hand cupped over his mouth, "Raziel looked like he wanted a word with Woz. He should be just about done, anyway. Besides, I wouldn't ask you over here just to make you cook!" He grins at her.     Sougo blinks at Lilian. "What... happened? Mm... well, I cheated and ate crap for it, I guess." Sitting on an end table behind him is a small silver tower which holds his many Ridewatches, as well as Woz's Miridewatches. There are a few she may not have seen--one of which being the twinned Zi-O 2 watch.     Sougo holds his book out to Angela. The title reads 'The Open Veins of Latin America.' The blurb on the back seems to imply that it's a fairly heavy topic about how resource-rich regions are exploited by outside powers. "I think it's important for a good king to know about stuff like this," he says.
Timespace Riders	Sougo sighs. "Okay, Remee. Can you leave your number with my uncle, so he can get back to you when the, um, crossbow is done?" How did he know about that? He hadn't been in the front of house for that...      Woz is in the kitchen with several irons in the fire. Rice is being steamed in a pot, nori waits nearby in a little tupperware, as does a jar of pickled plum slices. He stirs a pot of stock every so often, and is currently preparing a skillet with oil for freshly filleted salmon. The sleeves of his apocalyptic greatcoat are pushed up, his black hair held with a hairnet, and a white apron rests over the front of his attire. "Felicitations, Raziel," he says as he briskly takes the rice off of the heat. There is a window that overlooks the dining room, but the kitchen is 'private enough,' given the sounds of Woz's cooking.
Raziel	Raziel nods his head to Woz, "You as well, Woz," he says, calmly and only loud enough to be heard over the noises of his cooking.  He watches for a moment, having forgotten the smell of food being cooked and the art that went into preparing food.  There is a twinge of remorse and loss there, but he overcomes it to speak again. "I don't think you need your book to know what I wanted to talk with you about," he says, with an even tone.  "It was very clear that man was there to kill you... a servant of the future king who sits in the other room.  Nor did that future Sougo raise a finger to stop him." "What is going on, Woz?  More than that, why did you decide to aid my malefactor?  Sougo trusts you, that much is certain... and you love him, that too I feel is certain..." "What future are you trying to rewrite?"
Lilian Rook	"It's been, what, a year?" Lilian says conversationally to Raziel as she pulls into her seat. "I assume you've been keeping well." God she's so stiff today.     ' had... mm, one! Maybe two'     "Two is fine." Lilian says airily. "Even I had just two at the start, you know. It's the ones who want to know your name before you become-- King, who are important."     'What... happened? Mm... well, I cheated and ate crap for it, I guess.'     "You'll have to be a little more specific than that, Tokiwa." says Lilian. She glances to his book, and voices mostly to herself, "Still serious about becoming King? After all of . . . No, even more serious than before." She stops, closes her eyes, massages her cheekbone with a finger, then locks gazes again with a different, slantwise stare. "I couldn't even begin to guess what 'cheating' means to you. Only by the grace of Woz, god help me for saying so, can I begin to make inferences about the typhoon that seems to always be following you these days. Surely the consequences couldn't possibly be too dire if you're still here, in your dining room, studying books."
Kukuru	M.O.M. gets a bright greeting, too! "He-llo, hello~ Did you get a new outfit today? Or is that something from work?" Has Kukuru seen him wearing that one before? It's hard to remember sometimes, but she's pretty sure she'd remember that one. She is also often wrong about things she does or doesn't remember. "A period of...? Ohhh. I get it." Nodding firmly at Angela and the Eggpack, she giggles softly at the little gestures here and there, and her eyes visibly brighten at what she can guess is a smile, even if it's not directed at her. "It's good to see you enjoying yourself more, Angie." Lilian's tense reaction has Kukuru's eyebrows lifting briefly in concern, but her reply gets her to relax shortly afterwards. "That's good to hear... Make sure to save... Um." Wait. One twenty? That's not how math is supposed work. But if it's Lilian, maybe it does! It takes her a bit longer to finally do the mental equations before speaking up again. "... Seventy percent for yourself if you can." Proud of her own bit of encouragement, Kukuru's smile finally cracks when Petra goes right for the jugular. It's still there on her face, but it's more forced now compared to before. Her jaw is tenser, she's rubbing the back of her wrist with the other hand, and her tail stops moving. "Ah... Um. I-if that's what you want, then. Just speak up if you need a..." She doesn't bother finishing that sentence. Remee coming through has Kukuru actually frowning a bit in concern and reaching to try and give her arm a gentle squeeze. "Remee? I-it's okay, really. We're here to catch up with everyone, anyway." She tries to reassure Remee with that light touch, but won't stop her from leaving if she's intent on it. Sliding over to Sougo's side, Kukuru finds some of her cheer returning as she plays along with some badly-hidden hand-whispering of her own. "Oh? That's really kind of him. If that's the case, then... Um. Yeah!" She's really bad at this, but she's able to play along nonetheless. She has her own things to ask Sougo, anyway, and with a lack of any better way to do it, she just whispers to him instead. "Speaking of... Sougo? Have you... Heard anything from that other Zi-O lately? Or spoken to him at all?"
Raziel	Through the window, Raziel nods.   "Yes, though I appeared quite differently then, I am surprised you have not commented on it.  Though you are friends with Xion, so it is not surprising that she told that tale," Raziel says, conversationally to Lilian. "How have you been holding up since then?  I am sorry I have not kept in touch, but matters in Nosgoth have been keeping me busy as of late," he continues.
Angela	M.O.M says, "Well, you're still a--" He thinks for a moment as that truism sure would've been disasterous. "--you're still around, yes? IF you're down it can only go up from here, Hahaha." The Hahaha seems to be a semi-automatic ersponse. M.O.M is upbeat by nature, though. "The Eggpack is definitely describable as ''cool''." Angela says since just going straight to cool feels a bit informal. She feels a little down upon reading the title--that says enough without even reading the rest of the book. And now Angela is going to have to find this book one day and read it. "It is not easy being a manger, of course, and a good one is even harder. Keep trying and I imagine someone will yell at you if you stumble." "Hey, ah, Kukuru." M.O.M adds but Petra jumps in and well--she's a coworker. M.O.M doesn't know the story but he kind of backs off a bit awkwardly. "The...guy that threw you?" Angela asks, raising an eyebrow and then she sighs. "...I apologize if we are reminding you of negative memories." Admittedly, she isn't sure what this Latin America has to do with Sougo's slipups lately. "You have a tool and have grown comfortable in its use." She ultimately says. Remee is already leaving and Angela looks to Petra for a moment. She thinks of what KALE had said but with Remee she is even more uncertain of the story there. Her eyes slant to Petra and she murmurs. "We can talk later about it if you'd like." It doesn't exactly seem quite as hostile as like with Ishirou.
Petra Soroka	"Sorry, Sougo. We'll catch up later, okay?"     "Bitch." Petra doesn't project the word in Remee's direction at all, muttering it to herself while looking at the wall. Once Remee's gone, Petra turns back around to the group, shrugging the Eggpack off her back to put Angela into a chair. "That was pathetic, honestly. She didn't even get past saying hi." "You'll have to be a little more specific than that, Tokiwa."     Petra says aside to Lilian, before Sougo has a chance to explain himself, "Oh, I tried to tell him that being uselessly nice to people without actually being able to help them was just hurting them in a way that makes him feel better, and how second chances don't do anything to make someone better on their own, and he ran away crying from his donuts and tried to get a better answer from his evil future self. Ohma Zi-O even said that my advice was part of why he became a dictator, so, you know, shows you how stable our Sougo is, I guess."     Petra freezes up when Lilian pulls out her own chair, as if realizing too late that she should've done it. Should she have done it? The sudden surge of conflicting thoughts results in her doing nothing for a few seconds, and then eventually sitting down besides Angela, placing her between herself and Lilian. "Though, actually, Sougo-- what happened to *his* Woz? If he was trying to kill y-- the, present, Woz." "I-if that's what you want, then."     "It's been what I want. You just keep not listening."
Petra Soroka	"The...guy that threw you?"     Petra blinks, realizing how weird Sougo's sentence was when Angela repeats it that way. "That-- okay, wait, putting aside that it's fucking insane that you count 'a guy who threw you all the time' as one of your two friends-- why was-- why--" Petra giggles a little, relaxing slightly in the absurdity, "Why would you call that *pity*?" "We can talk later about it if you'd like."     Petra puts her hands in her lap and presses her lips together, looking away from Angela. "I-it's not-- she's just someone I used to know from the Watch. It's not really a story or anything.")]
Timespace Riders	It's the ones who want to know your name before you become-- King, who are important.     "That's what Woz says," Sougo replies with a small little smile. Maybe there's a little guilt there, too. >You'll have to be a little more specific than that, Tokiwa. >Speaking of... Sougo? Have you... Heard anything from that other Zi-O lately? Or spoken to him at all?     "Mm... well, I tried to have Tsukasa--that guy with the camera who's always saying weird things, and gets touchy when you say his armor's pink--send me to the future, so I could see how the future me got over some... stuff." She can probably guess by the weight that he puts on the word what 'stuff' means. Emotional baggage. Brainworms. Bad habits. That sort of thing. "It turns out there are a lot of people who were trying to travel to his time, and that didn't really work. So instead, he and *his* retainer, some guy named Night Rogue, came to *our* time instead. The future me kicked the crap out of me and yelled at me, and Night Rogue..." Sougo's lip quivers slightly. So, maybe they were a little more dire than he or Woz were letting on.     "If I hadn't called for help, I think Night Rogue might have killed Woz. 'For my own good,' he said." The Demon King shivers. >You have a tool and have grown comfortable in its use. >Shows you how stable our Sougo is, I guess. "Yeah," says Sougo, hands folded in his lap. Forcing himself to perk up, he sits up a little straighter. "But--don't worry. I'm going to keep going. Stumbling is better than stopping." >That was pathetic, honestly. She didn't even get past saying hi.     "Yeah..." Sougo's tone with that word, stretched out, sighing, is the tone of someone who has no choice but to agree. "I... thought it was kind of weird how she was pretending not to notice you when you showed up to help. But twice is..." Sougo frowns. "Well, I hope she figures herself out." Sougo's tone, thankfully, does not seem to imply that he thinks she deserves the *chance* to--only that it's her responsibility. He has no idea the role that werewolf things play in either. Why would you call that *pity*?     "He said it was to wake me up. Meaning 'early morning' and 'king ambitions,' I think. I'm not saying it was good to do any of that, but I think in his weird, messed-up way that's what he thought he was doing." >What future are you trying to rewrite?     Woz purses his lips, as he begins to work on grilling the salmon. "I do not presume to know why Ohma Zi-O does anything he does. It is not mine to presume such things. The future I wish to create, and which my Demon King wishes for, also, will be revealed to you shortly, if you will first allow me to serve the guests. As for Kain..." While the salmon cooks, he runs his hands under the faucet, lightly sprinkles them with salt, and then begins taking the rice and pushing fillings into them--mainly the pickled plum slices, but occasionally he instead goes for a little tuna flakes. "Not he, nor Moebius, are alone in their capacity to deceive," says the retainer simply, yet not without a smile.
Lilian Rook	'Make sure to save... Um... Seventy percent for yourself if you can.'     "I've never had that luxury in my life, Kukuru, aand I'm not about to get it all of a sudden now, am I?" says Lilian.     'How have you been holding up since then?'     Lilian's contemplative silence is like the shifting of a tectonic plate; the sheer tension is akin to a trillion tons of rock scraping over a trillion more, grating with such immense, glacial force, that the rumbling is felt rather than heard, and imparts with it the bones-deep knowledge that the inconceivable weight will clash and grind and wear down for the rest of time; and already have been for longer than anyone can possibly comprehend.     "Fine." says Lilian."     'That was pathetic, honestly.'     "God, didn't you live with her? Hahaha, how? How does someone like that get off calling themselves an Elite in the first place, right? She just shows up, throws a totally unrelated mess on the guy's uncle's lap, takes one look, and fucks off again? Really? Oh to live so carefree. Such a simple, unworried life; just throwing possessions this way and that, never speaking to anyone you don't like, wandering as whims and comfort take you. Only animals live that freely, right?" Lilian makes no such stuttering neolib apologies for maybe being taken as racist. Setting down the weight of propriety, even for a moment, is nothing less than a rapturous experience for her; anyone can tell from the rising energy and husky relief in her tone; the authentic energy behind her nasty little laugh, sparkling and beautiful and sharp-edged as shattered glass.     'Ohma Zi-O even said that my advice was part of why he became a dictator, so, you know, shows you how stable our Sougo is, I guess.'     "Nearly everyone is like that. Peering into the future for them is extraordinary; religious, moving, terrifying; because the place they end up is just a confluence of a million little external factors that push them along. It never bears any resemblance to where they want to be, because they're not even steering the boat; just floating along the river and gasping turbid little oohs and aahs at the random Brownian motion that rocks them to where they wind up."     "None of them are 'stable' like you're thinking. It's all cosmic noise that they confabulate into a path or a journey after it's already happened. Obviously someone would get upset if they had the curtain pulled back and were told exactly what trivial bullshit really got them there." The way she's learned to speak to Petra like this; like nobody else exists in the moment, and Petra alone is, alone in that instant, somehow worthy of some incomprehensible feeling invisible shared between them like direct current . . .     "Ohma Zi-O, though. He sounds like someone I'd want to speak to. Rather, he sounds like someone who could answer a few questions of mine. It's so rare, isn't it? to get to look your own worst, best self in the eye. I'm sort of embarrassed for anyone who can't make the most of that."
Lilian Rook	'That's what Woz says'     Lilian sighs. "That's because it's his job to know better than you."     'Tsukasa--that guy with the camera who's always saying weird things, and gets touchy when you say his armor's pink--send me to the future'     "--Beg pardon?"     Lilian flashes back to Twin Peaks.     "Wait--"     'But--don't worry. I'm going to keep going. Stumbling is better than stopping.'     Lilian leaves most of her nasty bitch tone behind, and looks at Sougo in a way that nakedly gleams with a different kind of gravitas from before. Her fingers splay restively across her cheek. "Oh? Do elaborate."     "If you've been on this King fixation since you were a child, but you've found that the man you become in the future is little more than the product of bouncing off the rapids and washing ashore, how are you going to reconcile any of it?"
Raziel	Raziel stares at Lilian, the moment slightly too long to respond says all that it needs to.  When she finally gives an answer to his question, he frowns in a way that indicates he knows something is wrong.  He does not answer immediately, but when he does his tone is soft.  "I see.  Well, I hope things improve from fine to something better," He says, after a pause.   "Though if you wish to speak more about it some other time, I would lend an ear, as you gave me advice when I was wallowing in my suffering way back when," he offers.   To Woz, he turns to listen to him, and he nods.  "I see, then I will be patient for my answer.." he says, politely.  Though...   His lips turn into a smile when he reveals his capacity for deceit.  He places a clawed hand on the shoulder of Woz, gripping it fondly before nodding once.  "We can speak on that later... Sougo discovered something that might be of interest to you and your side of things... but this is more important."
Angela	''She's just someone I used to know from the Watch'' "Ah, I had thought you were friends." Angela says, swinging both robolimbs down to push the chair she's seated in--inwards for herself. She gets a quiet kick out of that one. ''I... thought it was kind of weird how she was pretending not to notice you when you showed up to help'' "...Ah." Angela says. Did she think Remee actually didn't notice her? She does not know much about how wolves, big bad or otherwise, operate and didn't think twice about the rationale of it being a scent based issue. It does not occur to her that Sougo might not know much about werewolf things himself because it seems to corroborate Petra's understanding of the situation. Angela is a guest, she resolves herself, she should just try her best to learn here. She is curious about what Lilian has to ask about, though, and it makes her reflect--is the future Sougo not really the past Sougo? Sure, he SAYS he won't become that person but X invariably always becomes A when they get past a certain timeframe. "Understood," She tells Woz before looking back to Sougo. "Does your future self wish you to pick another path? Is this a matter of a potential future, like a reflection, or is it actually a possible future? I am unclear if his intent is to make you become him, or to make you become someone else." Her eyes flick to Raziel when he mentions Xion's name. She needs to figure out a way to contact her again but she has time. M.O.M rubs at his neck. "...Hey, weren't you the kind of person who told me to believe in the future in the first place." He says to Sougo. "Why is this beating you up so much? Cause you kinda see yourself in that future guy, something you don't like?"
Timespace Riders	>Though, actually, Sougo-- what happened to *his* Woz? If he was trying to kill y-- the, present, Woz.      "I am not, in truth," says Woz, bringing out the food, "From this world, let alone this time. My original reason for coming here was a ploy--to accelerate Sougo Tokiwa's ascent to the Throne of Time, that he might be a less formidable adversary for the man I considered my true king." Onigiri with a mixture of fillings, and miso soup.      Sougo reflexively utters a 'thanks for the food,' and makes a gesture of thanks. >It's so rare, isn't it? to get to look your own worst, best self in the eye.      "Yeah, it is. And I kind of pity those people too. But even getting to see him... there wasn't any big, grand jury or anything, to haul me away and lock me up. Just... the things that I'd done, staring me in the face. I think people expect some kind of grand moment of closure where everyone will finally see how they've been tricking everyone. How they were that worst best person all along." Sougo shrugs. "I kind of had that, but also kind of didn't. I don't know. Like you said, here I am." >If you've been on this King fixation since you were a child, but you've found that the man you become in the future is little more than the product of bouncing off the rapids and washing ashore, how are you going to reconcile any of it?      "Reaching for the oars, at the best of times." Sougo smiles impishly. "Learning to swim, at the worst." he says, simply. "One arm in front of the other, legs kicking, letting the water hold me up without letting it carry me this way or that way, making it back to the boat. Or, in other words..."      "I'm going to take responsibility for my own improvement, instead of just hoping that everything turns out okay. And if there are moments where there isn't a clear answer, I can't just wait for some kind of sign from above, or... divine meaning from nothing." >I am unclear if his intent is to make you become him, or to make you become someone else.     "This is so, with Ohma Zi-O," says Woz. "In the case of the man I once held allegiance for, SOUGO Tokiwa," Yes--Sougo has a fucking EMIYA. "His intention is to usurp. The garments I wear are not borne of idle fancy, but are the trappings of Quartzer, his inner circle and personal guard."      "For whatever reason," Sougo says, "That version of me can't see anything that goes on here. So I figured this would be a good place to talk about the future. He might come after some of you, to get to me. And, he might start interfering in things with Twin Peaks, too."
Kukuru	'It's been what I want. You just keep not listening.' Kukuru deliberately avoids looking and responding to Petra then, but there's the occasional reflexive turn of her head when she speaks anyway. It's going to take some getting used to, but she certainly doesn't seem happy about forcing her attention elsewhere. Luckily, there's plenty to listen to when Sougo starts explaining more about his attempts to go into the future through someone named Tsukasa, about Ohma Zi-O's reasons for coming back, and even giving a quick summary of what she had seen last time when they all encountered that same Rider. Even if she remembers it still, it does't hurt to have a refresher! "Night Rogue... I wonder where he came from. For someone to get that close to the future you..." She rubs her temples lightly, straining a bit to try and come up with some kind of theories on that, but she comes up blank there. "It just keeps getting more complicated, huh? But... We'll figure it out as we go. We have to. For you and Wozzy. Then we can..." 'Are you truly willing to smile in the shadows, while those you claim to love tear themselves apart?' She trails off again after recalling what she had seen in that... Vision? Probably a vision. If everything else that had been said is true, then Sougo's current path would just lead him back to those same choices, wouldn't it? "... W-well. First things first, I need to find him again. Do you think Tsukasa could get in contact with the future you, then? It'll be safe if I talk to him without Woz around to be in danger." She suggests, still not looking fully herself, but at least focused enough to come up with something. 'I've never had that luxury in my life, Kukuru, aand I'm not about to get it all of a sudden now, am I?' "Never before, but things can always change if you let them. Or if you make them." Kukuru tries to sound a little encouraging there, but there's still a lingering anxiety in her tone that's not helped at all by just about everything else being said. 'Does your future self wish you to pick another path? Is this a matter of a potential future, like a reflection, or is it actually a possible future? I am unclear if his intent is to make you become him, or to make you become someone else.' "I... Don't think he does. If he really wanted Sougo to be like him, then it would've made more sense to let him do the same things instead of... Um. Forcing changes like during the attack, right?" Kukuru guesses. "Doing it the way he did... If he succeeded, wouldn't it just have made Sougo really upset and want revenge instead?" That'd be one way to stop him from becoming a Kind Demon King, for sure. "... Unless he wanted Sougo to change in a different way, too. But how...?" The food is a welcome distraction, and some of Kukuru's smile returns at Woz's arrival. It's pretty obvious she's straining just to do that much, but the food actually is appreciated and savored. It also gives her time to try and digest the new names coming from Woz himself. "If that's where your clothes came from... Eh? Did you work for the future Sougo, too?" A beat, and then she continues. "Do you know how to get in touch with him? Maybe that's one way to... That I can find him."
Timespace Riders	>Do you know how to get in touch with him? Maybe that's one way to... That I can find him.     "Indeed I do. Clearly, your last encounter with him went so spectacularly," he says with withering sarcasm, "I can scarcely imagine why you waited this long to ask." The retainer sighs sharply and takes a seat at the table. The sigh of someone who knows that Kukuru is going to ask anyway. "To answer your question, yes, there is a potential future where I work for Ohma Zi-O, as part of the aforementioned plot. There, I am either discovered and driven off or killed. Night Rogue is highly ambitious and extremely paranoid, as you saw."
Raziel	Raziel returns to the main room with the others and sits.  He does not eat anything, because... well he is still a ghost.  He does, however, enjoy the company and the flavors he can pick out from the smells they have.  Woz's information causes the wraith to think, pulling his clawed hands under his chin.   Tapping his fingers on the table, trying to ingest this information.   "That explains things, Woz.  ...I assume what you saw in the Timestreamer's cave was a future that you did not want to come to past, given.." he doesn't say 'relationship' but it's implied.  He thinks for a moment... "There is another way to think about this Woz.  Your old master could do something to you, something so horrific that Sougo's future self considered death at the hands of Night Rogue a mercy.  Whatever the case may be, we should strive to prevent that from happening." Taking another breath, "Ohma Zi-O may also decide to interfere with the happenings in Nosgoth.  ...Though he did give us a clue to be careful about Moebius, more than we are currently.  He gave him gravitas that we have not afforded him... which leads me to believe he may have been hinting that manipulation is still happening..." But what..?
Lilian Rook	'My original reason for coming here was a ploy--to accelerate Sougo Tokiwa's ascent to the Throne of Time, that he might be a less formidable adversary for the man I considered my true king.'     "Ah, you were training him wrong on purpose." says Lilian. "That makes much more sense." Onigiri being laid out draws her attention like she'd ordered it and Woz was under obligation to deliver. She reaches halfway to the plate, and §someone's?§ fingers-- the rice ball is flicked casually upwards by §???§ and lands with smooth coordination in Lilian's hand. The way she can bite a clean hemisphere out of something so soft is a little unnerving. §She?§ coyly steals a bowl of miso, sliding-- slid-- across-- in front of Lilian.     'I think people expect some kind of grand moment of closure where everyone will finally see'     "Everyone expects some moment where someone will tell them all about how the way they lived their life was significant. They're all breathless in anticipation for the big payoff where who they really are is laid bare and it tells them how special they were all along." Lilian says (when did the spoon get into her hand?). "Everyone is an addict to the cult of 'it's what's in the heart that matters'. In reality, all of us are little more than the things we've done."     'I'm going to take responsibility for my own improvement, instead of just hoping that everything turns out okay.'     "Good to hear." says Lilian. "But difficult to prove. Do you even know how to use an oar? Do you know the river? You've been blind to the current your whole life so far; don't you think it might be too late?"     'That version of me can't see anything that goes on here.'     "That stands to reason." says Lilian. "Precognition is a separate beast entirely from psychometry, and if how you live now has any effect on him, speaking in terms of cause and effect, by the time you've decided to do something, he's already done it; he knows and everything that's flowed out from it has come to pass. Examining the past through the correct sympathetic links is worthless without actively interfering, which then poisons his own information."     'He might come after some of you, to get to me.'     "Hahaha, don't threaten me with a good time, Tokiwa~" Lilian leans back in her seat, swallowing half of another onigiri with a little too much emphasis. "Now tell me about Quartzers."
Kukuru	'Clearly, your last encounter with him went so spectacularly' Kukuru's about to say something to dispute that, but she's known Woz for a whiel now. She knows he's got something up his sleeves, and she waits patiently for the followup, trying not to let her modest excitement at having a course of action show on her face too much. Eating helps. She tries dipping a bit of onigiri into the miso soup, but only the one time. "So we need to keep you safe from Ohma Zi-O and Night Rogue, but we also need to keep the other Sougo from interfering with everything else that's going on, but then you were also... First came here to make this Sougo not as good at being a King so that... Rrh." She doesn't say it, but Kukuru's clearly getting a headache trying to keep all of this together. "A-anyway. If they'll be coming after us outside of here, then... I'll have to make myself easier to reach then. If I can just get through to one of them, then that could be one thing off all of our backs, and then the rest'll be way easier to handle after that. Probably...?" She's clearly not sure what handling 'one of them' would even consist of, but it's also not all truth, either. Ohma Zi-O's words still linger fresh in her mind. What did he mean about being nice and being kind? What did he mean about them being alike? Come to think of it... Where was that throne room, anyway? She'll have to try something stranger later, away from prying eyes.
Angela	''This is so, with Ohma Zi-O.'' "That sounds incredibly aggravating." Angela says. Her eyes widen faintly when it seems like Woz was once... AN ENEMY of Sougo. But they're a couple now. And Woz makes her think of Benjamin especially when he's prim but ESPECIALLY when he's smug. Angela reflects to herself about how frustrating it is that she even cares about this but what is she going to do? Whatever she's becoming, she can turn back time but she can't turn back the tale that brought her here. "Interesting. If he invades L Corp we would likely have tools to deal with him. So you do not have to worry about our facility." The Angela on the screen crosses one leg over the other and places her hands on the lap. The Eggpack mimcicks the gesture, minus the legs. And minus the lap. ''I'm going to take responsibility for my own improvement'' "If you'd like, I can introduce you to someone, Sougo. I cannot promise the advice would be fruitful, but at the very least it is a topic he thinks a great deal about." She is feeling a little more lenient on Benjamin today after what Lilian had said about him. A little bit. Even though they haven't really talked about what is really important yet. ''Ah, you were training him wrong on purpose'' Angela laughs a bit at the Dame Commander's words, turning her head in an attempte to salvage face. "What made you change your mind, Woz, if I may ask?" Surely that happened before they became a couple, she figures.
Petra Soroka	"God, didn't you live with her?"     "Godddd, yeah, I sure did." Petra's eye roll is audible, her voice buzzing with the edge of derision bordering on anger. "Literally, when she-- Angela, this is most of the history, I guess-- when she brought up the idea, she pitched it to me as getting away from *you*. Probably mostly because she was still running on the high of being praised by the Watch for giving me a place to stay when that guy threatened to kill me. Maybe she just wanted a new toy, too."     Petra briefly considers the fact that she almost openly described the location of a Watch safehouse to the very person that it was acquired to be isolated from, in a room full of Concord members. She feels like she'd probably end up murdered at some point if she actually did leak any of the Watch's information, come to think of it. "Only animals live that freely, right?"     Between Lilian, her own animosity, and Eggman, Petra is gradually becoming desensitized to claims of potential animal metaphor racism. "She really-- she really just dumps her problems and runs away at the first opportunity." The teetering edge of anger in her voice briefly slips over, hardening enough to be uncomfortable, "I don't think she's looked me in the eyes in five months."     Petra drums her fingers on the table, not entirely as capable of reveling in the cruelty as Lilian is, but still brightening up at her laugh. "If she's going to keep running away from me like that, then I can't really bring myself to care either way. I'll just keep living the way I want, and if she gets in the way, she can figure it out." "It's all cosmic noise that they confabulate into a path or a journey after it's already happened."     Petra hums to herself thoughtfully, as absorbed in Lilian as she is in her, briefly sheltering each other from the effort of caring about what anyone else might think. "Yeah, I guess even that much introspection is too much to expect, huh? But, you know, I *get* trying to explain coincidences like they're, plot beats that led to where you are. *Random* things are hard to explain, but I get wanting to... to look for some thing there. What really gets me mad is how they do it to, like, spin narratives out of their own actions? Rewriting the reasons for the things they do as if they're anything other than base fucking animal instinct. Like they can be justified." "Ohma Zi-O, though. He sounds like someone I'd want to speak to."     "Me too, honestly. I kind of like him better, though I-- he might not believe me, but I actually don't want Woz to be murdered by future Sougo." That's right when Woz walks in with the food, and Petra finishes her sentence, attention unwavering from Lilian, before acknowledging him. "... that he might be a less formidable adversary for the man I considered my true king.     Woz saying that feels like a betrayal, and Petra's eyes widen in shock at the idea that Woz isn't intrinsically tied to and loyal to Sougo. When Woz goes on to elaborate, she narrows them in confusion instead. "Wait... that's not Ohma Zi-O, then? There's... a third? Why are there so many Sougos?"
Timespace Riders	>I actually don't want Woz to be murdered by future Sougo.     Woz smirks at Petra. "How very kind of you. Once more, you humble me, Petra Soroka." >He gave him gravitas that we have not afforded him... which leads me to believe he may have been hinting that manipulation is still happening...     "It is," says Sougo casually. "Even with the way we embarrassed the Elder God, it is. He's thinking about something, cooking something up, right now. But I don't care--he decided the person he wanted to be years ago. I'm helping you with Nosgoth because you need to decide who you want to be."     Woz is not unnerved by the way Lilian handles the onigiri, but rather quite the opposite, smiling coyly. >Ah, you were training him wrong on purpose. "Indeed." Despite this, he and Sougo share a smile. This, at least, is old news to the both of them. >Good to hear. But difficult to prove. Do you even know how to use an oar? Do you know the river? You've been blind to the current your whole life so far; don't you think it might be too late?     "I didn't even know there was a boat," he says. "But I have two choices, I think. I can either sit around and go back to the way things were--" He grabs an onigiri and munches idly on it. "Wanting people to pat me on the back, giving out second chances like candy because I want the same thing from them--or I can start trying to row." He shrugs his shoulders.      "I *don't* know how to use an oar. But I know what not moving looks like. I know what moving in circles looks like. And there are only so many ways you can try to row before you find the right way. Maybe it's too late. And it won't matter to someone watching from the shore, whether I 'tried' or not. But it matters to me." >Now tell me about Quartzer.     Woz fields this one. "Quartzer are the eyes and ears of SOUGO Tokiwa--his honor guard, his inner circle, his agents. Like him, they hail from an Another Reality World, or AR World for short." Woz purses his lips, thoughtfully searching for words. "As tidal pools sometimes form near beaches, so it is with AR Worlds--and they fade, just as often. His world is deteriorating, and rather than live as a refugee in another, he would conquer and usurp to continue his rule. So it was that I was dispatched, to find a suitable king to usurp."
Timespace Riders	>If I can just get through to one of them, then that could be one thing off all of our backs, and then the rest'll be way easier to handle after that. Probably...?     "Someone has to want to change, to change," says Sougo. "Most people don't have huge 'or elses' waiting for them like I do." >If you'd like, I can introduce you to someone, Sougo. I cannot promise the advice would be fruitful, but at the very least it is a topic he thinks a great deal about.     Sougo nods. "It would. Thanks, Angela." >What made you change your mind, Woz, if I may ask?     "If--and I realize the weight that word carries--he achieves the future he desires, then he would be a much better king. I see in him the same ambition that led me to serve SOUGO Tokiwa, but, in *him* there lies kindness, care and potential unlike anything I ever saw in my former king. His will is not a blunt tool, but a finely tuned instrument. That aside... he is better equipped to escape the loathsome tendencies of commoners than most of his fellows." Woz pauses, then adds:     "Falling in love certainly did not harm my estimation of him, it must be said."     Sougo beams at Woz, his brown eyes taking a shine to them like a ray of sunshine cutting through thick cloud cover. He rocks, slightly, in his seat. >Why are there so many Sougos?     "I haven't really had a normal life since that time I started dreaming about the future," laments Sougo.
Lilian Rook	'Never before, but things can always change if you let them. Or if you make them.'     "Things can change." Lilian sighs. "People don't. Or, most can't. I'm done asking nicely."     'when she brought up the idea, she pitched it to me as getting away from *you*.'     "Christ isn't that just always how it is? There's never 'I'd be great to live with' or 'I want to live with you', only ever 'I'm better than the thing you hate', right? They can't promise you anything better; only that they have all the exits sealed."     "I don't think she's looked me in the eyes in five months."     "God. Anything but figure out why you're a fuckup, right? At least it's not another fucking apology, hahahaha!"     'What really gets me mad is how they do it to, like, spin narratives out of their own actions? Rewriting the reasons for the things they do as if they're anything other than base fucking animal instinct.'     "Confabulation is the devil. People aren't real until they actively decide to be. And deciding is far, far too exhausting for everyone; it's an atrophied muscle that they can barely twitch when they need it most."     "'Why are you in this room right now? Why was it necessary to come here? How does it help Tokiwa? Do you even care about him, really? Why? What do you think you can do about Ohma Zi-O?' If you didn't have the reasons beforehand, anything you say now is made up, right? Isn't that so obvious? But people look at how their feelings are now, and they make shit up without actually working backwards. They invent 'well I must have felt this way and meant to do this if I'm here now and feel like I do', post-hoc explanation, because otherwise the only thing they're examining is their neurochemical test pattern."     "If you don't feel like you're really missing anything; not enough to hurt; then why bother paying attention to a few more chances slipping away forever, right? Never breaking down your reasons, never defining what you need to do, stringing together points after; that's the comfortable poison that bleaches your soul and strangles your personhood in the crib."     'I have two choices, I think.'     'Wanting people to pat me on the back, giving out second chances like candy...'     '...there are only so many ways you can try to row before you find the right way. Maybe it's too late.'     "Not bad." Lilian says, reluctantly. "Indeed, there are only so many things to try. So many directions to choose. But it's a lot to promise, even if it sounds simple. What happens to most is that they do it wrong two or three times, lose their patience, and quit for the splinters in their hands."     'And it won't matter to someone watching from the shore, whether I 'tried' or not. But it matters to me'     Lilian narrows her eyes.     "That's the most important thing you've said all year."     'Falling in love certainly did not harm my estimation of him, it must be said.'     Lilian blinks, halting for one half of a second in the middle of her food. "Oh."     'If he invades L Corp we would likely have tools to deal with him. So you do not have to worry about our facility.'     "You know my number." Lilian says. "Don't be afraid to use it."     Miso gone?, Lilian rests her chin in her palm, tilts her head slowly to look at a place between Sougo and Woz, and say, "So? It seems to me like you're supposed to ask something here."
Raziel	Raziel turns to stare at Sougo for a moment.  Those words, in that order, cause him to pause.  For a moment, he truly is at a loss for words.  Kindness isn't something Raziel is used to, but for the third time since he had entered the Multiverse, someone has shown him such a personal, genuine, care.   "Thank you.." he says, after a moment.  "I think with you and the others behind me that that future will come to pass," though he can not be complacent.  Forces are wanting to alter his fate.   "If they come for your facility, Lady Angela, do not be afraid to call on me as well.  Your agents have done a lot for me, and I feel I have a debt to repay for your assistance." The two revealing their love does not phase Raziel, who has known this for some time.   After a moment, he looks towards Lilian, "I see you have developed some form of telekinesis.  Congratulations, in my culture such a feat is considered incredible."
Kukuru	'Someone has to want to change, to change,' 'Most people don't have huge 'or elses' waiting for them like I do.' "That's exactly why I have to change. There's been too much..." Kukuru looks over from Sougo to Woz, then to Petra and Angela and Lilian, then to Raziel and M.O.M, and finally to the door. "... Stuff going on that I can't just keep staying the way I am. I've gotta change some things, or more people I care about are going to keep getting hurt." She finishes off the rest of her onigiri, then closes her eyes for a moment. "I don't want anyone else getting hurt because of stuff I did by accident ever again." She asserts, still having that severe look plastered on her face. It does lighten up considerably when Woz asserts his affection for Sougo, though, and also mentions his other favorable qualities compared to SOUGO. The information about Quartzer raises more questions, though, and there's a visible struggle on Kukuru's face while trying to get at least some of it sorted out. "So SOUGO has even more people working for him than our Sougo and Ohma Zi-O, huh? He must've been working at this for a while, then..." 'So it was that I was dispatched, to find a suitable king to usurp.' "And instead, you found..." She looks over at Sougo again, then back at Woz. "Do you think he's stronger than Ohma Zi-O? Maybe we could..." She pauses, suddenly looking uncomfortable with whatever's coming to mind. Something about pitting those two against each other, but she's not even sure how. "No, that wouldn't work. It'd be too cruel, anyway, having them fight." Forgetting that she was trying to keep that idea in her head instead of letting it out, Kukuru turns to Angela with a reassuring nod. "Yeah, let me know if anything happens over there, too. I can show up at any time, even if it's super later or super early."
Petra Soroka	"There's never 'I'd be great to live with' or 'I want to live with you', only ever 'I'm better than the thing you hate', right?"     Petra momentarily considers the fact that she holds Remee's life in her hands. Thinking back on the last conversation they had before Remee ghosted her... it makes her vindictive enough to bring the topic up. Confidentiality only really matters if it's a real person she's promising secrecy to, and all those snide comments in the radio about needing to stay away longer because of Petra still get to her.     "She wanted a warm body and some popularity points, and like fucking always, talking about how dangerous and unpredictable you were was the key. Fuck that. After the fucking awful stuff she said about that maid competition though, I'm sort of glad she's too ashamed to look me in the eyes." "People aren't real until they actively decide to be."     "Or until they harass *you* into making them real, for a little bit, until they fall back into the same fucking patterns as always. I said something about that once, a long time ago. Even the way you lay out people's braindead back-justified automation feels like it's, you know, more coherent than they actually are, so they latch on to it. I don't get it. Caring that little." "If he invades L Corp we would likely have tools to deal with him."     Petra nods. L-Corp is more vulnerable to current Sougo than future Sougo, in her estimation. "And you have me, and Lilian, obviously. If he just wants to talk, and it seemed like he would, then I could just talk with him, too. I don't know how else I'd get in touch with him, really." "Once more, you humble me, Petra Soroka." '...the clade you've invited yourself into...'     Petra has very much not forgiven Woz for that comment. When she actually decides to look in his direction, her eyes are half-lidded in a passive glare of disgust. Automatically, she reaches out her hand to pat the top of the Eggpack.     "Stay humbled. That's the best you're getting from me." "Falling in love certainly did not harm my estimation of him, it must be said."     Even though Petra had gathered that they were together, and even though she's continually invested in the idea of them being together with their narratives intertwined, the comment still brings a shadow of irritation to her face. Petras takes a tuna onigiri and starts munching on it to conceal that, gripping it with both hands. "Thanks for the food."
Angela	"I... was not trying to... 'fish', as they say?" Angela manages, overwhelmed by the offers of support. "But I will call should it come to that." She says this, though her gaze lingers on Lilian as she says it. In her estimation, Lilian is the expert in this matter--she seems confident in Time Chicanery. Angela, of course, only endures the passage of time she doesn't control it. She tries not to dwell much on other Sougos she can deal wit that as it comes but... Perhaps Woz will turn Sougo away from that path. It'll be a nice thought that Benjamin, who never could manage it, would probably appreciate. Angela decides to speak to him soon. But she just says, "Ah." to the two of them. She doesn't tell Kukuru that she'll likely be tested quite soon, though if she'll grow from it--she doesn't know. So far, she's not sure if anyone has. The Sephirah always seem to change but like has been said many a time--it's easy to seem to change for a day, harder for the rest of your life. She listens to the story of Remee, frowning--more of the villainification of Lilian, she supposes. They should be so lucky, she thinks. "I understand. I apologize for my ignorance on the matter." ''that maid competition'' "Maid...competition?" Angela says. Why is it that whenever she thinks she's starting to get grounded in the multiverse, some new wild concept is thrown at her from out of left field and clobbers her in the head? "No... I'll... investigate maid competitions on my own time." Angela manages. "Nevermind."
Timespace Riders	>Kukuru, Petra, and now Lilian have expressed an interest in Ohma Zi-O. Thus, Woz spills the beans:     "It is written," says the retainer--for the book is not on his person--"That Ohma Zi-O is an occasional patron of the Devil's Due Diner." It only makes sense, that the Demon King of Time would visit a place run by the Devil HIMself. "So, too, is it written, that one such visit is nigh. You shall hear from me, when the time is right," he says simply. >Stay humbled. That's the best you're getting from me.     Woz's lips curl upwards at the edges in that smug, coy little way of his. >So SOUGO has even more people working for him than our Sougo and Ohma Zi-O, huh? He must've been working at this for a while, then...     Sougo makes a handwobbly gesture. "I wouldn't say 'more.' Think of him like a cult leader. The people he does have, um... except one, I guess," he beams at Woz, "Would live, kill and die for him." In other words, it's devotion, not necessarily numbers, with SOUGO. >What happens to most is that they do it wrong two or three times, lose their patience, and quit for the splinters in their hands.     Sougo makes a soft little 'mm' of agreement. It's harder for him not to see things that way, having had the painful 'heart to heart' with his future self. >Maid...competition?      Neither time traveler has an answer for this. It seems to one unworthy of consulting the book, and to the other, vaguely dangerous, like playing near a chemical disposal site. >So? It seems to me like you're supposed to ask something here.     Sougo and Woz look between each other, then back at Lilian. They legitimately don't know, and Woz is probably too embarrassed to go get the book he so dutifully avoids naming. Being near completely clueless about recent events with Lilian, about her perception of certain trends, Sougo is left with only one conclusion.     "...well, I was thinking of taking Rita to the zoo, I guess," says Sougo. "I don't know if she's ever been, but she's always talking about those National Geographic magazines. Do you wanna come, too?" He smiles brightly.     Woz pinches the bridge of his nose.