Scene #8654: Training Day

Owner	Pose
Angela	Angela knows that understanding how Lobotomy Corp works from its facility management towards its meltdowns can all be a bit much to just get thrown into. Actually, it's not just Angela who knows this--that's why there's a whole Training Department! And a whole Training Sephirah! That Sephirah is Hod. Hod, like all the other Sephirah, lives in a robot body that has the appearance of a blocky metal container with a bright red eye and the word HOD emblazoned on her forehead. She has thin black metallic limbs and is likely to be wringing all three metallic digits of her 'hands' with one another by the time Aya arrives. For Angela has invited Aya to pay a visit to Lobotomy Corp once more, this time with the intention of filling her in on how the facility operates. And that means it's a job for Hod. Angela is standing with her though because she likes Aya and would prefer her to actually learn about the facility rather than deal with a nervous breakdown from Hod, which ANgela--despite her Meltdown being over--is still a bit worried about. As usual the best way in is through the Warpgate which will be kept open for her. Agent OHNO, a green haired woman with a mohawk and an earing in her right ear who clearly has earbuds in her ear--will greet Aya at that warpgate and says, "Babadee doop da diddadee bow!" and lead Aya towards the Training Department--which doesn't even require a trip to the Elevator--to bring her to where Angela and Hod are waiting. "Ah, Greetings once more Aya. It is good to see you. I have brought Hod here as she is in charge of Training Agents and should be adequate to teach you the ins and outs of the facility." "H...hi..." Hod says shyly, her antennahoge sproinging at an odd angle.
Aya Shameimaru	Aya certainly enjoyed her last conversation with Angela, and on being invited to see how the facility operates, she accepted wholeheartedly. There's something particularly interesting about just being able to learn things without necessarily doing it out of writing a story and committing it to print. It's a new phase of her life. The Agent gets a quiet nod, though she wonders what music the City enjoys -- and then one elevator trip later, she smiles to Angela and Hod. "Oh, I saw this young Miss at the Halloween party, right?" She gently kneels and looks to Hod, holding her hand out. "How do you do? My name is Aya." She listens to what Angela has to say, then nods. "I get the feeling the life of an Agent can be quite fast, so I assume you have to explain this quite a many times..."
Angela	Angela is aware that Aya might not be a journalist anymore but even an Ex Journalist or a Journalist On Sabbatical is an incredible person to her. Angela's dream isn't to be a Writer. Her dream is to open up a Library and learn a lot of things. But that's because the idea of being a Writer who has never experienced the world seems... a fool's errand. She might be overestimating the concept of 'living in the real world and experiencing it' as far as being a capable writer goes, but either way it's something she sees as a high quality skill for someone to have. Or even have had. In a sense, Aya is to Angela what a Color is to the average Agent under her employ. She deserves respect. But Angela bobs her head to Aya in a subdued manner. "That is correct. This is Hod. She is in charge of our Training Department." Hod can't exactly smile but it doesn't really take facial expressions for her to give off the idea that she's a nervous wreck--especially after what happened AT that Halloween Party. "Ahah...well, we do have some Training Videos but... To Summarize, the average day at L Corp involves sending Agents out to perform Works on Abnormalities. And upon performing those works, we gather information and energy from the Abnormalities that are--ahah---staying here... As you say, our turnover rate can be ... pretty high! But thanks to multiversal assistance, we've been able to cut down fatalities by forty percent! Isn't that neat, Miss Aya? Um... .... .... P--please understand that I'm not...normally chased around the facility..."
Aya Shameimaru	As she spoke on the radio yesterday, 'Aya' is only Aya because she fell in love with the magic of words. Sometimes, that dream feels so far away from you, and you lose sight of it and get bogged down by your current reality, but it doesn't mean it has to be dead. One day... "I get the feeling that 'Works' involves a specific activity. Is it related to what you were saying, Miss Angela, on extracting enkephalin?" Aya observes. It's a more deliberate process than how Gensokyo's humans generate the belief they need to survive, but... She smiles to Hod and says, "What kind of Multiversal assistance have you obtained? Better protections, or?" There's a little snicker at the last part. "Of course. You're in charge today, Hod, so treat me well, okay?" Just like that, she's offering the confidence to her.
Angela	Angela says, "That is correct. Enkephalin can be drawn in a variety of ways. Even humans produce Enkephalin--if in unsuitable amounts for what we do here." Hod seems happy to talk about this. "Oh! Yes! We've got plenty of help. While occassionally someone--like Miss Petra--helps us with day to day running of the facility, she's actually an atypical case! Most Outsiders predominately help us with our Meltdowns--though some have assisted when they escaped our facility into the outside world!" She is sounding quuuuite perky for someone who uh. Is essentially admitting right now that occasionally the Abnormalities escape and cause trouble. "Meltdowns are periods of high stress within individual Sephirah that help refine the Enkpehalin--" Angela interrupts gently(?). "Meltdowns are a neccessary part of the energy production process but the we try to keep the details relatively under wraps, particularly with the latest incidents drawing extra attention from The City upon us." Hod is physiologically incapable of going pale but you can almost see it anyway. ansi202,")Ahah...Yeah, we really have to avoid that.... Typically Meltdowns are really dangerous events but thanks to the extra hands we've been able to get through them with--what Angela says is much better results than before." Angela bobs her head again in agreement. ''You're in charge today, Hod, so treat me well, okay?'' Hod's eye widens and the antenna SPROINGS straight up. "Ahahah--awaaaa.....you're so nice, Aya...!" Hod says, clearly soaking it in while also being bashful about it.
Aya Shameimaru	A part of Aya is definitely curious if enkephalin is the same substance that youkai survive on, but that's possibly an entirely large segment of scientific study that no one's done yet... and perhaps not one she's deeply interested in quite yet. Hod's explanation does make her a little surprised, however. "I see. I had assumed that a Meltdown was an unwanted event that happened because of the high degree of unpredictability of the Abnormalities, like an unwanted outcome of the Work. But..." It's actually a necessary part of the energy production process. And the way Hod began to speak of how it was within 'individual Sephirah'... Aya doesn't push what she feels is a detail that wasn't necessarily meant to be known, and focuses on Hod while 'mm'ing at Angela. "That's right. Miss Petra mentioned having duties here, didn't she?" She looks to Hod. "So imagine I was an Agent starting today. What would you first tell me? What would I start learning or Working on?"
Angela	Angela would have no way of knowing. Well, not unless Aya lets Angela study her. Generally speaking, Angela has noticed similar...themes throughout the multiverse but usually the trappings of those themes can be quite different... Of course, in truth, she really has seen only a small slice of her own reality let alone those beyond the Warpgate and even she knows she hsouldn't really make too many presumptions until she is freed. "Petra has become a good friend of mine," Angela says. She can already imagine the question 'Then why do you let her work at L-Corp?'. But the answer there is more complicated than Angela wants to dwell on right now because she'll dwell on it and dwell on it and dwell on it. "I am grateful for her assistance and company." It's a little embarrassing to admit to having friends but it feels a little late to hide it and if it's a little late to hide it it seems a little silly to bother. "It is certainly possible to run the facility without encountering Meltdowns. And perhaps that would be preferable." There is a hanging 'but' there that Angela does not vocalize. ''What would you first tell me?'' "Well I'd start by asking... 'Are you sure you want to work here?' And then I'd probably get into Damage Types and Work Types!" Hod says. "There are 'Four' Damage Types that we utilize though--ah--t his is meant to be...descriptive not... Like, we use these terms to classify the pains, the names don't mean much of anything outside of that! We have 'Red' Damage, which is like physical punishment. White Damage, which is Mental Punishment. Black Damage which is both physical AND mental punishment...and finally Pale Damage which is..." "Difficult to resist punishment that reaches past your mind and body and strikes directly at your soul." Angela explains.
Aya Shameimaru	"Even when you know a lot of truths about your own homeworld, being exposed to the Multiverse really starts to challenge a lot of those truths," Aya admits to Angela. She nods quietly at her admission that Petra's become a good friend, and doesn't interrogate her on working at L-Corp. Many people choose very dangerous lines of work and don't think twice about it. She knows she lacks the broader context of it. "Would that not meet the quota, perhaps?" Aya ventures a guess as to why Meltdowns occur. Hod excitedly explains Damage Types. "Ah, um... is an Agent supposed to communicate with a Medic Team what kind of pain they are experiencing, perhaps, so they can get the proper treatment?" Angela mentions what Pale Damage is. "... somehow, I think I understand how that feels."
Angela	Angela eventually relents, "There is a ...refinement that occurs when a Meltdown happens. Enkephalin is a kind of mental energy, so intense expressions of mental energy results in higher quality energy. This is a gross simplification, but I feel it satisfies the inquiry." ''Is an Agent supposed to communicate with a Medic Team'' "Oh that's a very good question! Naturally Red, Black, and Pale Damage are usually pretty obvious when they're occuring. White Damage can be a bit tricky since the mind is a bit more of an enigma... If you're not careful--well, if WE'RE not careful, and especially if the Manager is not careful...an employee--or many employees!--might lose their mind and start trying to hurt themselves or other employees or just run around screaming. Really a case by case basis there!" Angela is curious. "You do?" She raises an eyebrow at Aya quietly. Hod worries something bad is about to happen (as a general rule) so she stammers on ahead! "A-As for owrk types... We have Instinct, Insight, Attachment, and Repression. They're a little more complicated. Instinct work is mantaining an Abnormality's physiological needs--in short--Insight work is mantaining an Abnormality's Cell in a manner that is suitable to their needs. Attachment is--well, that's like communicating with the Abnormality and getting to know them. And Repression is... Well, that's probably pretty obvious..." "Repression Work involves stifling an Abnormality's desires and regulating their emotional behavior." Angela explains, possibly needlessly.
Aya Shameimaru	"Mmm... I see," Aya nods quietly as Angela explains. "Gensokyo also runs on a certain kind of mental energy -- or perhaps emotional energy -- but I don't believe the Sages have ever quantified it beyond 'belief' or 'faith'. Maybe they don't need to. But that was why I was curious." Hod explains how the Damage Types are treated, and it sounds like the Manager needs to handle things quite carefully... "It sounds like a pretty large responsibility. The mind can be surprisingly fragile." When Angela asks how she knows, there's a sad little smile as she says, "I have encountered some individuals that can influence and damage the soul -- and the mind, at that. It's not an encounter I'd care to repeat casually." She dutifully listens to Hod explain about Work Types. "Hmm... so in a way, it's... not unlike treating the guests at a ryokan or a hotel? I think I somewhat understand. To get what you want, you need to satiate them, but you also need to discipline bad guests, after all."
Angela	"You have no idea." Angela says with a sigh before she can really stop herself though, to be fair, she could have tried harder. Her mind runs at 1000x but her mouth still works at 1x speed. She had full minutes to reconsider. Hod says, "Ahaha, it's interesting you say that, because Stanley's world ALSO seems to have a link to a collective unconciousness--or perhaps THE collective unconciousness?" Angela doesn't mention her knowledge of Persephone's plan either which is mostly that she seems to have one but she suspects it involves some kind of mental energy THING. She can't really be entirely sure, though. "Sadly, Pale Damage is... I would not say neccessarily a daily reality, but a frequent one." She crosses her arms, closing her eyes. She has no idea what a ryokan is. And eventually, grudgingly, asks, "What is a ryokan?" like she hates having to ask in the first place. But she does eventually say, because she has no reason not to, "But yes, to some extent you can make that argument."
Aya Shameimaru	Aya's mind doesn't race at 1000x speeds, but it does race at speeds much faster than the average human. Being a thousand plus years old means she's had a lot of time to dwell. A lot of time for an old mind to get lonely... "The collective... unconsciousness," Aya murmurs. "I wonder if that is also connected across the Multiverse." Angela expresses of how Pale Damage is a frequent reality, and Aya nods in turn. And... on the question, she smiles, knowing that Angela might not know -- she's putting a few terms out there to draw her curiosity. Not maliciously or out of a show of smugness, but because they've chatted of how travel and seeing the outside world is important. "A ryokan is a traditional Japanese inn, usually attached to an onsen, a hot spring. Maybe I'll show you some photos next time?" She looks to Hod again. "So being an Agent means monitoring the conditions of an Abnormality through Work, and trying to not sustain too much Damage in turn to yourself. It's certainly very involved labour, I must say." A pause, as she asks a possibly contentious question: "What's an example of an Abnormality?" It's a bit safer of a card to play than 'Can I see one?'.
Angela	Angela has no answer for Aya. If Angela knew, she'd probably be distressed by the answer either way. A collective unconciousness that is only belonging to one world is hardly THE collective is it? And it suggests that the eternal questions may in fact be eternal. If the collective unconciousness belongs to everyone, then that feels limiting. Angela IS getting curious about Gensokyo. It's actually not hard at all to get Angela curious about something, and even easy to get her interested in places. One of her dreams IS to travel, after all, and she doesn't particularly have a location in mind either. Gensokyo is a place she is curious about--but if that trip is a one way trip she probably will be real hesitant to visit. Even if it's just a reputation of it. She will not be caged again, she has vowed to herself. She won't be. She won't be. "Ah, I may have visited one after all. Touta seemed to have a hot spring inn? I was not really listening." She does not forget so sometimes she just has to not listen to avoid being overloaded. Hod says, "Yeah! You got it!" She beams happily. "It's a bit like spinning plates but if we drop a plate, people die. So we keep the plates up as long as we can and sometimes we have to throw the plates into the air and catch them again without getting too off balance!" ''What's an Example of an Abnormality?'' Angela asks, "Would you like to see one?" Completely ignorant to Aya's strategy.
Aya Shameimaru	When Aya stood in front of the Warpgate, she vowed she would never be caged again. Never again. Not by rules, not by regulations, not by societal norms and pressure, not by the very foundation of the only world that would support her existence. "Oh, I see! I hope it was a lovely one," Aya remarks. "I should bring you some of the photographs of the mountain, as well." A job where the consequences is that people die. "You have a really important job, Hod. After all, if the Agents aren't trained properly, then their chances of survival would sharply go down, wouldn't it?" A blink from Aya, as Angela outright offers. "... sure," she nods.
Angela	''You have a really important job, Hod'' Hod enjoys hearing this. Her antennae seems to sway from side to side expressively but despite the clear joy this brings her... There's this sense that she's hesitant to accept the praise. "Aheheh.... It's an important job, but... I could always do a better job at it. I've messed up seriously in the past and I have to keep doing my best so I don't mess up as often--or as severely--as I have. But...thank you, Aya. You're really kind." Angela has no reason to argue. Hod's Meltdown is over and she can feel whatever she wants to feel about things. Angela is more a reader than a viewer but she hadn't really had to think about photographs before. "That would be lovely. I'm interested in Gensokyo. Every one I've gotten to know from there seems interesting, but I admit I feel I have a lot to learn." She leads Aya--and Hod by extension, throughout the facility until they reach... A small white bird with a red belly standing on a branch. The bird quirks its head at Aya curiously. "This is Punishing Bird." Angela says. "It is cute, yes, and usually harmless--but it is an Abnormality that can be fatal if it is managed carelessly. I chose this one because I feel this is a reasonable...introduction to Abnormalities, without being too distressing to view." "Chrrp," Punishing Bird flaps its tiny wings as it studies Aya.
Aya Shameimaru	"Part of doing a good job... is to know how to improve," Aya chuckles. "I've failed many a time myself. In a sense, if you never fail, you never can achieve greater heights." She's laying on a little thick, maybe, but she does somewhat like Hod's earnestness. Maybe it reminds her of certain mountaindwellers. Angela expresses her interest in Gensokyo. "When we met at the station, you were on a screen. Can that move across worlds?" They move until they reach... Oh, what an incredible specimen of roundness. But Aya's not fooled by seemingly adorable, docile presences, unlike her writer!! (This writer would be foolishly devoured by round birb.) Aya looks at the bird for a moment longer, then chuckles faintly. "I see... appearances can be deceiving, can it not? I imagine you have to train newbie Agents to not let their guard down." Angela mentions how some Abnormalities are distressing to view. "There was a time when... I had to learn how to maintain a human form, to be presentable to them. There was a time when we were truly feared, after all. I wonder if a similar history is behind Punishing Bird's appearance."
Angela	The bird seems curious, but passive. It doesn't fly over it doesn't peck at the glass or anything. "The screen can move across worlds as well as any other device. There's nothing particularly special about it--I believe? I suppose it may be special to some locales but it's ultimately just a telecommunication device that works throuhg the warps like the radio system but unlike the radio system it allows for a video feed. I can't do anything through it beyond some base analyticals." The camera shifts so that the birb is looking directly at Aya's player. It chirps innocently, flaps its wings adorably, trying to lure her into this reality... THAT SAID though it there is no psionic nature to this entity, it's just...conventionally adorable. "Truthfully, most Agents know to be careful around it. So long as you know what you are doing, this Abnormality is essentially harmless. Occassionally it escapes and 'pecks' at Agents but it is largely an annoyance unless someone strikes it, whereupon...it becomes quite deadly." Hod brightens, "When it escapes, I recorded an announcement so people know to be careful and pay attention!" She gives a mechanical thumbsup at Aya whom she now considers to be a good pal. Angela blinks twice. "Oh, is this not your normal form? Humans--people, I suppose--will always have Opinions made out of careless ignorance."
Aya Shameimaru	"Oh, I was mostly just thinking if you had a means to see other worlds," Aya offers. "I could give you a tour, next time, to return the favour you are granting to me now." The adorable birb... so round! I must remain strong... Aya winks at Hod and says, "Ah, see, having an attentive mind to little details like that is what prevents workplace incidents." She gives her a thumbs up in turn. She looks towards Angela. "It isn't as if I'm a shapeshifter or anything. If you asked me to transform now, I wouldn't really be able to. But it is true that the existence that eventually became Aya has shifted in presence and appearance over time." She bobs her head the other way. "... coming out to the Multiverse has given me so much to think about. I wasn't certain what I was expecting, but I now think it has been the right move."
Angela	"chrrp." The Birb turns and pecks at the tree he is resting upon. Peck peck. Sometimes it decides to just break out and go for a walk but Angela intends to get out of here before it becomes an issue. Hod is so happy to make another friend. She is simple to please in a lot of ways, really, though she also gets easily discouraged but she plans on working on herself just like she said. "Mhm mhm mhm!" Hod agrees excitedly. Angela nods to Aya. This does sound sort of...Abnormalityesque but at the same time she seems more like a person than what she'd consider most Abnormalities. She is having a normal conversation and she hasn't suddenly gone off and assaulted anybody even. "Because of the bird...?" Angela quips before nodding. "Mm. I suppose the final word has not been said for my own experiences yet, but I am feeling optimistic." Angela looks back towards the Warpgate. "The Multiverse ... is possibility."
Aya Shameimaru	Even a few months ago, Aya reflects on how less genuine her interaction with Hod might have been. She might've seen her as someone gullible to use. She's really been through the low end, hasn't she? It's not good to think like that. "Maybe a couple hundred years ago, we youkai would have fit the profile of what you consider Abnormalities," Aya muses to Angela. "But cramped into our little cage, we had to learn how to play nice with each other. Some of us learnt humility, others couldn't keep up with the times..." A bob of her head. "It's an interesting land, Gensokyo." She looks to Angela and says, "The final word, hmm? I hope you're the one who can state that." A glance back towards the Warpgate. "Possibility... perhaps that's what Gensokyo was in short supply of."