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Owner	Pose
Angela	Walpurgisnacht could have been a lot worse, of course, but Angela wasn't particularly pleased with the results so she has set up a little bit of a test. She gathers everybody in Central with Tiphereth (now the only one) and is standing by side with the smaller box bot as she delivers instructions. "Hello everyone. As I have insinuated on the Banter band before--this test is to determine readiness for participation in further Meltdowns." She taps the cell door she is in front of. "Inside this cell is Abnormality O-05-47 also known as Don't Touch Me. It does not breach and there is only one rule to the Abnormality as the name of it succinctly expresses. You don't touch it. You don't perform works inside of it. You do not press the button. Any other qualities to Don't Touch Me will not be elaborated on as part of the test but rest assured the only behavior of the Abnormality you have to worry about is to not press the button within the facility. You may look through the window at the button but you cannot touch it." Angela looks to Tiphereth with a bit of a side-eye. "Anything else you'd like to add?" "...Yeah, obviously pushing the button is an instant failure of the test. Letting someone else push the button is an automatic failure of the test. There's nothing else to it. Gebura will not involve herself with this test as it will--should involve no battle." Angela nods, "As she says. I will not be on the floor with you nor will Tiphereth. The test begins after I leave the room. Before we begin, are there any questions?" Through the cell's window, a big bright red button--practically the size of a head--sits on a yellow and black block. The word 'BUTTON' is written in white on the top of the button. There is a sign plastered across the black line saying 'Prohibited'. It sits there, doing nothing.
Rufus Shinra	RUFUS'S SECRET MISSION:                                                 > Get someone else to push the button. <                     Pushing the button himself is a no-go, for a wide variety of reasons, not least of which include 'still has a healthy fear of abnormalities after facing down the Silent Orchestra' and also 'will get kicked out of LobCorp'. But someone else pushing the button, while Rufus remains blameless - why, that'd be the best of all possible futures, wouldn't it? Rufus isn't even sure he cares what the button *does* - he just wants it to get pushed and find out what it does, even if it does something entirely mundane and safe. ... Look. He needs this. Petra has had him on carrion duty for weeks, and he can pretend like he's just shrugging it off but it actually sucks. Really, if you think about this enough, it's all Petra's fault that he's like this. It should be simple enough, though. All he needs to do is- > Letting someone else push the button is an automatic failure of the test. ... Oh, come *on*. Okay, no, he just needs to be sneakier about it. His original plan is scratched, but he can think on his feet, and he can be patient and wait for an opportunity to avoid both primary *and* secondary blame. "No, no questions, Miss Angela," he says, brightly. "Don't push the button, don't let anyone else push the button." He pulls a bag out. "Well, actually, one question. Is it okay if we bring a table and chairs over? I brought some card games."
Shinmyoumaru Sukuna	Shinmyoumaru said she'd come to look at the button anomaly and *not push it*. Not pushing it was important, so she wasn't going to do it. She's perfectly capable of not doing things as well as doing things, in her opinion. She thus came with a few important things: - Herself. Obviously. She's at the normal size she shows up in the Multiverse in: about four feet tall, wearing the slightly simpler version of her favourite outfit that she wears when she expects she might have to get out of the bowl and walk around. - Her black lacquered rice bowl, which she is riding. It floats and bobs like a boat in a slow-flowing river, even when hovering. - Her needle and mallet, which she brought because they're her weapons and she knows perfectly well that all the agents are armed, so why shouldn't she be? - An orange, in case she gets hungry. - And a piece of paper, which has written in Japanese calligraphy with her full signature, five characters: 'If you push the button I will poke your eye out with my needle. - Sukuna Shinmyoumaru' Because she has been informed she cannot stick the note to the button, she has instead stuck it to the front of her bowl, like a long and narrow Post-It. "Nope!" Shinmyoumaru says, because she doesn't have any questions to ask. Or... "Wait, one. Can I eat this orange before it ends or do I have to wait until afterwards?" She holds up said fruit, which appears to be a perfectly normal mikan. She glances over to Rufus. "I know we can't play cards. We can talk though!" She seems pretty cheerful about that.
Ivy Carrow	"I might as well see what this 'Lobotomy Corporation' is about."     "If the name's any sign, I wouldn't bother." Alex was laying down on the sofa, his feet propped up on the cushion at the end, staring at the ceiling. "You want backup?"     "It's your day off." Ivy protested, with a long stretch.     "Yours too."     "It'll be fine. This is a treat for me. A new world to see...! And besides, it might be better if Petra didn't have to see you more, today." She slipped on her vest, pulled a boot out of a hole in the world. "I get along with them, don't I? Not like those fucking investors."     Alex groaned. "Too cruel. Don't make me think of them today."     A pause, and Ivy's eyes drifted over to her Vice-Captain. "We can find someone else, if they're too--"     "No. They like a regular contact. The familiarity is imoprtant." A sigh, resigned. "And I'm good at it."     Ivy frowned, hands falling on her hips. "Still-"     "Why not take Lu along?" Alex fiddled with a phone. "They'll need to get used to elites, anyway."     "...Yeah, fine. I will. Hold down the fort, and have fun." A wink. "That's an order."     The corner of Alex's mouth tugged upward into a smile, cutting across a tired face. "Yes captain."
Ivy Carrow	Those who had been there for the Castle Carrow tour would notice that Ivy was dressed differently for action than for recieving guests. A pair of headgoggles hung strapped to a black leather vest, her pants were brown, rough and sturdy, a pistol and a--saber?--hung from her belt. A five-armed red spiral was emblazed on a shoulder, and and a black, metal, claw-like arm replaced its opposite. A black, slightly oversized cloak hung from her back, and she was smiling.     The person who walked through the gate was unfamiliar. She was shorter, with dark hair, sharp green eyes, a full jacket and a machate in her belt. Her outfit mirrored Ivy's, minus her cloak and saber. "Did you hear that, captain?" Her tone was deadpan. "You DON'T touch it."     "Are all of you going to undermine me today?" Ivy complained, looking about the facility. "What a dreary place. It's like a hospital and a slaughterhouse all in one. You know what'd be better--"     "I'm under explicit orders to remind you; no remodelling without their consent, captain."     "I'm the Gate-Captain, Luz. And besides, I wasn't going to."     She stared at Ivy, radiating dubiousness.     "Don't push the button, don't let anyone else push it." Ivy put a hand on her waist. "Easy."
Petra Soroka	Petra Soroka, Captain of the Extraction Team, Otherworld Elite and often considered to be the most skilled agent in the facility-- is capable of not pressing the button. She is so capable of not pressing the button. The harder part of this test, for her, would be the fact that *while* not pressing the button, the other Elites would probably start talking to her and each other. Petra cannot afford to violate the terms that she has with the Concord (of which she is not a member) by murdering someone while acting somewhat in their capacity as an employee of the facility.     So she does not come to the training mission. It's baby stuff anyways. But someone still needs to look after the Elites in her name (for gossip purposes) and someone needs to rat on Rufus for breaking any rules (to Petra, who can subsequently punish him), and so she sends one of her subordinates. Parker is barely tolerated and untrustworthy, Rufus is sometimes worse, Vincent is busy with the Red Riding Hooded Mercenary, so that just leaves her with Noyo alone. For an easy mission, thankfully.     Noyo wears a suit coiled and threaded with woody vines, along with a green suit jacket over top with leafy shoulders and more vine decor, a black team armband matching Rufus's around her bicep. At her hip is a crossbow similarly made of foliage, obvious EGO gear, and paired at that. She has pointed elf ears, blonde hair, and a slightly nervous pout at being theoretically someone with a mild amount of authority in a room full of mostly unknown Elites.     Only mostly unknown! Shinmyoumaru is a familiar face, and one that isn't Rufus's. "Oh, Princess Shinmyoumaru, it's good to see you again. You're planning on assisting the facility in the future?"     Turning to the others who are debating playing cards and goofing off-- eyes skipping over Rufus-- Noyo squeezes a hand on her elbow and props her other knuckles against her cheek in thoughtful worry. "It's... work, isn't it? Even if it's pretty easy. Distracting yourself by playing games might not be appropriate for the spirit of the exercise."
Hibiki Tachibana	Given a certain magical girl's continual involvement in the going-ons of Lobotomy Corporation, it's probably kind of important that she shows up for a test to see if people are fit to push on into the unknowns of future Meltdowns. As Angela has stated quite plainly before, the loops have never gotten to this point before, so risk taking has to be kept to a minimum. Or else.     Well, there's that obvious fact, but there's a couple other reasons she's here too.     "...Uh." Standing there with hands in her jacket pockets - still not entirely healed up physically from Walplurgisnacht and more, judging from the occasional visible bandaging or the pad of gauze strapped to her cheek - Hibiki at least looks a little more put together in spirit than she normally does. Still, you wouldn't be blamed for not trusting her to ignore the call of a button demanding to be pushed. Hell, /she/ doesn't seem a hundred percent sure about it.     But that's part of what being here is for! Sort of like, reinforcing to herself she's not that unreliable, maybe even more than to others.     "Just one, I guess," she pipes up at the mention of questioning, prying her eyes away from the glimpse of the button through the containment cell, glancing to Angela. There are a few on her mind actually, but most of them are things that don't relate to the test or can wait until afterwards.     "Are we allowed to know how long the test is gonna be for?"
Kukuru	"That sounds pretty easy..." Kukuru murmurs as she hears Angela's explanation of the new (to her) Abnormality's rule, swaying idly on her heels as she peers at the cell door. Something that simple should be a breeze, but it's that very simplicity that gives her reason to be wary, especially in light of what Angela specifically says she won't be saying. "Don't touch the thing, don't let anyone else touch it... Oh. It's a button." That really does sound too simple, and she can't quite figure out why that bothers her. There must be something to it that would make it compelling to touch! But what? WHAT? Looking from Angela to Tiphereth, she scratches the back of a horn/drill idly before shaking her head, then claps her hands together when Rufus recommends bringing in chairs. "Oh, that could work! If anyone really wants to touch something, they can sit in my lap and I can hold onto them for as long as they like." Seemingly pleased with those two backup plans already, Kukuru pauses to peer at Shinmyoumaru as she notices just how small she is. "Oh dear... If you're hungry, I have plenty of food in here, too~" Kukuru demonstrates by reaching into one of the pockets on her overly frilly dress, retrieving a thermos that's much to big to have possibly fit in there. She shakes it a bit, perhaps to build anticipation of what's inside, and it sounds... Sloshy? It's probably soup of some sort. Ivy and Luz are new faces, too, and Kukuru giggles softly at their dialogue before nodding in affirmation. "Mhm! And don't worry about hurting anyone that tries to get in. I can fix it, even if they're dead." She says with all the seriousness of a stereotypical airheaded, already looking for somewhere to sit should anyone want to take her up on that previous offer of sitting with her. Noyo's an unfamiliar face as well, but the sight of the EGO gear makes her known enough as a local that Kukuru doesn't seem too worried about her at a glance. "Oh, that's a good point... Hmm. Instead of card games, what abooout... Asking each other questions? Then we're all paying attention to each other instead of looking at what's in our hands!" Hibiki asks a rather obvious question that completely slipped Kukuru's mind, and that in turns has her thinking about a follow up. "Oh. After the test ends, should we still not touch the button? Because it's name won't..." Would it? "Will it change after the test ends?"
Touta Konoe	...Yeah, obviously pushing the button is an instant failure of the test. Letting someone else push the button is an automatic failure of the test. There's nothing else to it. Gebura will not involve herself with this test as it will--should involve no battle     The vampire finds himself lounging in the room as the information was dumped on all those equally. A part of him really does feel like this is excessive. That it's certainly the bare minimum that the company is checking to ensure a certain level of competence...     And the reason they're doing it is partially cause of me...     Of those that had been discussed that time ago, it was his name...And a few others, that he's sure he doesn't see. Though given just how far in the facility is to completing their goal...It only makes more sense. The ones he does see are faces that are certainly familiar. Some that are reassuring, and some...He's actually not familiar with.     "Mmm...?" Touta's quick to take notice of Sukuna's note as it's left on the bowl. He's definitely unfamiliar with her as he sees just how 'ready' she is to take matters into her own hands with her weapons of choice. In the meanwhile, Touta's decided to opt-out of bringing one this time around. If this was supposed to be a non-combative situation, there was no need to bring his blade as it was. "Sukuna...I'm guessing?" While she does have her name there, it's not like there's a chance that maybe it's someone else who wrote it, and she's just holding? As silly as it sounds, he's been wrong before. "You planning to be liberal with the eye-gouging or just as a last resort?"     If anything, even now as Angela and Tiphereth look to the group, Touta's made it a point to lean against the wall furthest from the room holding the button. And whether it was by design to make it even harder for himself to reach for the button, or something that was just...More emotionally unintended...     Touta arrives in his true form. A form that depicts him closer to that of a teenager that's even make someone like Hibiki appear younger by comparison. If anything the only two people he might still seem to not be competing with in that department might be the changeling that was Sukuna at her four-foot stature, or Tiphereth...If she had been using the cognition filter, which she wasn't.     But otherwise, compared to first glance, Touta probably doesn't look much like an 'Elite.' Rather more along the lines of a spikey black-haired teen dressed up in the usual black jeans, black jacket, and the red t-shirt that lays beneath.     Admittedly there's a few faces he's surprised to see here. At least for him... "Hibiki...And...Uh...Rufus, right? I'm kind of surprised to see you guys here." There's no intending backhandedness to the remark, just a bit of genuine surprise. "I would have figured you'd have been fine Hibiki, don't you? And Rufus? ...Rufus, I mean...I heard you've been working here the last few weeks. They made ya pop in still--Ah, Kukuru? It's good to see ya but, I imagine...Actually, regardless it's good to see you here too..." Whatever their reasons are, he actually doesn't mind the familiar faces.     As the two ask for further questions, there is one thought that does come to mind as he raises a hand up. "I've got one. If one of us leaves for a temporary amount of time is that considered a disqualification as well? We got a big group here, and I imagine it'd be easy to try and make shifts. If some people decided to sleep or grab something, while others watched guard would that be permitted?"
Angela	Questions are asked! Angela considers Rufus's question before saying, "In a Meltdown, you wouldn't likely have the time to bring chairs and tables over. Manipulating objects wtih your hands such as fidget spinners or, yes, cards are fine but actual card games--Noyo has the right of it. Treat it as you would as if this was a meltdown and this was your assigned task." She has no idea of Rufus's DARK SCHEME but she probably anticipated someone might have the idea of 'trick someone else into pushing the button'--hench that particular clarification. ''Can I eat this orange before it ends...'' "Er... sure?" Tiphereth answers, unsure if this is a prank or not. Angela also notices Ivy's arrival with her own officer Luz. She gives a nod of acknowledgement to them and says, "Greetings, Captain. unfortunately this is a bad day to get to know each other. Another time, perhaps." Kukuru makes a suggestion of her own. "Yes, you can talk with each other." ''After the test ends, should we still not touch the button?'' Angela's face is already maximally pale but it somehow seems a little MORE pale after Kukuru asks that dangerous question. "The button should not be pushed after or before the test either." Tiphereth nods approvingly at Sukuna clearly understanding the purpose of this exercise. ''Are we allowed to know how long the test is gonna be for?'' "Yes," Angela answers this. "Until the end of the work day. When the day's Enkephalin has been gathered the test will end." This is, unfortunately, not a clear time limit that can be measured in hours. She studies Hibiki's bandaging for a moment and then exhales slowly. "...Still healing up? fortunately this can be a restful day depending on a few factors. Take care of yourself, Bikki." Before she finally settles her gaze on Touta. Her face is as impassive as always. "Some of the people participating in the test are in a different group," Angela says. "You may leave the testing grounds once during your shift in order to use the facilities with a maximum length time of ten minutes. No more than two may leave at a time. We will bring a lunch over from the cafeteria if it takes that long--normally shifts would be designed around eating periods but this is a test so we are not presuming all of you have eaten. It may not be that long. It may last until the evening, whereupon a dinner will be provided as well. She bows her head. "I believe that answers all questions. Good luck." Angela leaves with Tiphereth who points at her eyes with her mechanical digits, then towards Touta, then back to her eyes again--and then she too departs. The Button sits there. The door remains unlocked. For a time, it's just all of you and the Button.
Rufus Shinra	"Aww. We're going to all be bored stiff without anything to do," says Rufus, sagging a bit. The card games get put back away. "... It's a lot easier to stay attentive during an actual dangerous situation than during just training, isn't it?" he remarks after a few seconds. He pulls a coin out of his pocket and starts spinning it around his fingers. Up, down, around. He tosses it up into the air and catches it. He glances into the room. "Nope. Still nobody in there." He tosses the coin again. "... Asking each other questions, you said?" he says, glancing over at Kukuru. "Never have I ever, maybe?" "Never have I ever... taken a submarine ride."
Shinmyoumaru Sukuna	The orange was a real question. There's no harm in bringing a snack! Shinmyoumaru nods along when she's given permission to eat it, but she tucks it away for now. If this is a long day, she'll need that later! Shinmyoumaru certainly does know Noyo; she's one of the few people here who she *does* recognize. She brightens when she sees her. "Hi, Noyo! How have you been? Well, I thought I'd come and help...? Apparently the facility always needs more people! And apparently if you want to help, you have to prove you're useful enough and trustworthy enough to." There's a bit more to it than that, but Shinmyoumaru doesn't feel the need to get into details in front of everybody else. There's a lot of people here she doesn't know, after all. She's pretty guileless, though. It's not *that* hard to figure out that she likes having her help appreciated, even if anything more than that remains a mystery. Touta directs a question to her, and Shinmyoumaru straightens up. "That's me! Though, Sukuna's my family name, *my* name is Shinmyoumaru. And I don't need to poke out anyone's eyes if they don't do it. I just thought I should warn people ahead of time. I *was* going to stick it on the button, but..." She waves at the PROHIBITED line. "So it's just on this instead." Shinmyoumaru is distracted by Kukuru. Fortunately she didn't actually call her small (even though it's true). "Is it... soup?" Shinmyoumaru, who is prone to snacking on other people's food, is certainly not going to say no. Even if Angela said there was going to be lunch later. "Maybe later! It sounds good, though..." The briefing goes off without any further hitches that Shinmyoumaru can tell. She pulls her bowl up slightly, bobbing a little higher in the air; her head's about the height as anyone else's even though she's only four feet and also sitting down in the bowl. "Well!" Shinmyoumaru says, brightly. "I don't know everybody here, so, um... what's all your names? I'm Shinmyoumaru Sukuna." She glances toward Rufus. "I haven't either," she says, perhaps not understanding the point of the game. "Though I guess this can go underwater...?" She taps the side of her bowl.
Ivy Carrow	"Mhm! And don't worry about hurting anyone that tries to get in. I can fix it, even if they're dead."     It's the junior Warprunner who finds the words to answer first, stepping up to Kukuru, eyes hard."Surely, if we let it get that bad, it's practically failing." Luz arced an eyebrow, assessing her. "Are you so unreliable you can't keep someone from a button without murdering them?"     While Luz was questioning Kukuru's competence, Ivy engaged with Angela. "Another time; and in the meantime, I can learn a little about just how your operation works." She made a gesture that could have been at the button, or the facility at large. "We can get to know each other later, can't we?"     "You." Hibiki finds herself assailed by sharp-eyed Luz. "You're wounded. Have you been taking care of it?" She doesn't wait for an answer, "Sit down." It sounds more like a command. "Let me see to it, while there's time. I'm trained."     Ivy fell back onto a grand, crismon, high-backed chair that hadn't been there before. "If you're tired, take a seat." She raised her hand indulgently to a fine sofa against the wall...Another new addition. "It won't do to leave you all uncomfortable, would it?"
Sarracenia	This is an exceedingly bad idea for Sarracenia. She knows it is a bad idea and she is doing it anyway. She knows it is quite likely that most of the people she will see today will want her to fail or perhaps even die in the attempt.      And that is much of the reason she showed up. To see what they would do, and to prove to them (and somewhat to herself) that she can be depended upon. And of course to give Petra her own 'don't push the button' test. But then it turns out...Petra isn't even here? Sarracenia hmphs softly as she looks around and doesn't see Petra. "...I suppose it would have been too much." she says to no one."Angela." she says to each in turn when she gets close enough. Of course, she is frowning lightly and her nose is turned up slightly.      The princess of the Sundew Kingdom has totally been here the whole time and wasn't late at all. At least, not late enough to miss any of the details. She is panting a bit when she arrives though since she was hurrying to get here. Questions are asked. Sarra shakes her head when asked if there are any other questions.      There are at least a few people here who don't hate her, so Touta, Hibiki and Captain Carrow are greeted with a curtsey. "Hello Touta. Hibiki. Captain Carrow. It is good to see you all again."      Hibiki is still recovering from injuries, so without much thinking about it Sarracenia reaches into her satchel and pulls out a green mushroom. "I feel like I end up giving you at least one of these anytime we meet, Hibiki." she says with a cheerful smirk despite the situation.      Rufus is unfamiliar to Sarracenia, so he also receives a greeting. "I am not sure we have met. I am Princess Sarracenia Sundew."      Shinmyoumaru is also familiar. Sarra feels like the other princess already has a low opinion of her. Still, Sarracenia greets her. "Princess Shinmyoumaru. Are you prepared to serve as arbiter in a few days?" she asks, just making conversation.      Angela and Tipereth leave. And leave the door open, which surprises Sarracenia slightly. She figured they would be locked in here. "Is...that another part of the test?" she says quietly, looking at the door.
Kukuru	Touta asks Kukuru why she's there, and she giggles lightly in response. "I'm here to help keep an eye on everything, too! I've been around for some of these before, but extra training never hurts." "That sounds super easy, then." Kukuru replies to Angela with her usual carefree, head empty smile. Indeed, it seems (and is indeed true) that Kukuru has no intention of going anywhere near the button, as following that straightforward direction just means... Well. Not touching the button. Plenty of time to take a nap, even, although hearing that this test is meant to be treated like a regular work day reminds her that she's not actually dressed for work! Kukuru's just wearing her usual frilly white/green/brown blouse and skirt combination rather than anything that would help her take up less visual room in an emergency situation, but considering her earlier idea... Maybe this is a blessing in disguise. Rufus starts with the questions, and Kukuru tilts her head at him curiously. "Never? Oh, yeah really should. The ocean's so beautiful, and there's all sorts of nice stuff to eat, and nice people to see..." She replies with her smile growing just a bit more at remembering someone pleasant in the sea. "What haven't I done before? Mm... Oh! I've never been to a rave before. I only heard of them from other people." Shinmyoumaru asks about the thermos, and Kukuru's smiles widens in return. "Mhm! With smaller meat chunks, too, so it's easier to eat and drink without using a spoon. Whenever you'd like, dear, okay?" She affirms with that ever pleasant tone, resisting the urge to reach out and pat her on the head for being patient about mealtime. "Oh! My name's Kukuru." Pause. "That's Ku-ku-ru." She adds out of habit, perhaps ingrained in her as a way of making it easier for children to know how to write it out more easily. "It's nice to meet you, dear. And you, too!" She greets Luz as well, laughing softly for a moment before shaking her head in response to the Warprunner. "Mm-mm. The first step is using our words, of course. That usually works, but if someone's naughty enough to make a run for it..." Her hand goes back into her pocket, and it comes right back out with a rather large metal claw with three massive digits covering everything below the wrist. "Angie's work is really important, and teaching naughty employees means being tough on them sometimes." She promptly turns to look at Sararcenia as she arrives, waving that claw with her usual carefree smile. "Oh! He-llo, Sarraaa... Just in time for the test to start. Good timing, good timing... Come, come. We're doing..." She pauses, then looks back at Rufus. "Is this a game, or just talking?"
Petra Soroka	"Noyo has the right of it. Treat it as you would as if this was a meltdown and this was your assigned task."     After Angela and Tiphereth leave, so that Noyo doesn't undercut her valuable contribution in her boss's boss's eyes, she turns to the others, fingernail picking at a leafy vine embedded in the stock of her crossbow. "Actually, even though I'm an agent, I don't have any first hand experience with a... Meltdown. From what I heard, I transferred here a short time after the last one." She apologetically half-smiles at Rufus who, in her perspective, is on pretty good behavior today. "That's mostly why I figured I'd take Captain Petra's suggestion to join the training session. I don't feel like I'm fully prepared for everything coming up."     Then, clarifying for anyone she hasn't met, "Oh, I'm Noyo. I work in Extraction. It's a pleasure to meet you all." "And apparently if you want to help, you have to prove you're useful enough and trustworthy enough to."     Noyo is visibly delighted to be greeted both familiarly and enthusiastically. She nods, growing more animated, and it's nearly imperceptible, but her pointed ears wiggle a little bit to emphasize the nod.     "That's right, normally we have to go through some weeks of Training before being qualified as agents, and that's only if you pass the diagnostics to work at a Wing in the first place. I imagine that the extra need for Outsider help with the Meltdowns is why you haven't needed to do the same kind of rigor before." After a short pause, with a slight downturn in her energy, she adds, "I only was able to transfer here because of working at another branch. And I could only work there because of connections I'd already had, on top of needing all that training. It's that sort of thing." "If you're tired, take a seat."     The sudden appearance of Ivy's couches takes Noyo a moment to process, but once she does, she prods at them curiously while bending slightly at the hip. "Are these... safe? They're real?"     Either way, she doesn't settle down into them-- they're too plush, and she's working! She chooses to stand awkwardly beside a couch instead, shifting her weight between her feet with the Parasite Tree EGO rustling in nonexistent wind. When Rufus's question starts going around in a circle, attention eventually comes to Noyo, and she blinks in surprise and automatically holds up both of her hands in front of her with her fingers splayed.     "Oh, this is where we put fingers down for each thing we haven't done before, right? I haven't played since I was a little kid." Putting down a finger automatically before piecing the halves of the word together in her head, "I've certainly never been on a submarine, I've never heard of that. Oh, is it... a machine that goes under the water?"     Now Noyo tries to contribute her own question, and gets lost in thought before absentmindedly blurting out the one that comes to mind. "Never have I ever... gone skinny dipping?" Immediately turning pink and squeezing her eyes shut, she tries to course correct, "-- Oh gosh please don't answer that, that's workplace harassment, I was just thinking of the kinds of questions I always heard for this kind of thing back when I was a teenager and I mean it's not even something I've done but--"
Hibiki Tachibana	Take care of yourself, Bikki.     Angela's concern over her gets Hibiki actually blinking in surprise some, a finger coming up to do that awkward scratching at the side of her own face. "Eh? Oh... these are just leftovers from the Titanomachia. I'm alri..." She starts, pauses, then shifts to, "...thanks, Angela. I'll try."     An entire LobCorp workday certainly will fit that bill, at least. Let's hope nothing goes horrendously wrong. She waves both Angela and Tiphereth off, glancing between the pair and then Touta, and that little exchange between them.     I would have figured you'd have been fine Hibiki, don't you?     "Pays to be double sure I'm not gonna do anything dumb when it comes down to it," is her reply towards him once they've all been left to their own devices, in the sort of wording that could be taken as a joke but in a tone that doesn't really come off that way. "What about you, though? Did Angela, uh..."     She looks back to where the AI had taken her leave, recalling the whole 'i'm watching you' bit.     I feel like I end up giving you at least one of these anytime we meet, Hibiki.     Let me see to it, while there's time. I'm trained.     "...Eh?" Hibiki makes a sound very similar to the noise she made to Angela, roughly twice as confused.     In the next ten seconds, she's now sitting in the nearest seat and holding a mushroom between both hands, not a hundred percent sure how she got there. If nothing else, it's good for keeping her mind away from any allures of buttonpressing. "Uh, I mean, it's only normal to get roughed up when you do dangerous stuff..." She murmurs offhandedly to Sarracenia.     The Warprunner is who she glances up to after, still catching up with the surely-declared command to sit and get healed. "...Luz... right?" She's not deaf to names being given. "I've been makin' sure I don't push myself, so it's seriously fine..." She says, still having sat down.
Touta Konoe	When Sukuna comes around to greet him, he doesn't seem to mind the lighter bit of energy. All the same he tries to join in the conversation, especially considering a bit more of proper greeting that Shinmyoumaru offers. "Nice meeting ya. Family name's Konoe, given name's Touta. Feel free to just call me, Touta." He keeps with the flow of the conversation, only to follow up with another question. "So, Shinmyoumaru, this is your first time here then?"     When it comes to the back and forth of Noyo and Rufus he does find himself letting off a bit of a smaller smile. "It's good to have people watching your back I guess."     Speaking at which point, Hibiki speaks of her own diligence in the moment and the reason for her appearance. Again, whatever the reason is, he's not against it. It's a relief in certain ways. But at the same time...     You're wounded. Have you been taking care of it?     Luz's appearance is another unfamiliar one. Though without missing a beat she's decided to hop right into the situation. Watching as she's already catering to Hibiki. At this point, it's hard to say whether it'd be better to tell her that Hibiki's used to this sort of thing, or provide the info he does know even if Hibiki would likely be against it. "Hear that? At the very least, you should let her check the progress on some of the older wounds maybe?" Unlike Hibiki, Luz wouldn't likely need to worry about Touta and thus he lets her take a look at his friend as she seemed trusting and concerned enough.     There's very little he feels like he can offer the Symphogear wielder in the moment to add to that support and thus gives Luz the room the space to work. "I'll be nearby. But I'll let her do her thing. Who knows maybe she's got something in there that can help with the--"     Mid conversation, Angela's gaze lays upon Touta, and while it is true that there is that impassive nature to them...It only leaves him to assume the worst as she finally responds to his question.. To let his brainworms dig in.     I've already heard from Sougo and Woz...What was said on the radio. I imagine more than anyone she's mad for the meltdown, and for Meika too...That I'm a special kind of monster... From the last conversation he had with her, he'd had some semblance of how she felt about Meika and about the situation that had transpired. And all the more because he knows that, does he feel...Guilt. And the twist of the dagger comes from the look of Tiphereth as she singles him out alone. Her glare made a visual que...Made visible to everyone else around.     He doesn't deny it though. There's a look of discomfort on his face, but ultimately there's just a somber smile given back to her as he nods his head. Accepting what comes with it. If anything he thumbs over to the cameras to let her know that he's always being watched... It becomes a bit more difficult for Hibiki to meet his gaze at this point as he keeps his head lowered. Kukuru finding the same hidden expression as he simply acknowledges her response with that same smile before stepping away again.
Touta Konoe	She was with you most of the time. Of course she'd do that. She saw your best and your worst. Whatever the hell that's supposed to mean...     It's only when Sarra arrives does Touta try to force a conversation. "Sarra, been a while. Since--Oh, you don't recognize Rufus? He ended up helping Charlotte and Stanley a while back. Definitely gave a great 'screw you' moment to those guys." For the time being, Touta opts to vouch for someone. Something that's probably a surprise for any.At this point, he'd be inclined to take Ivy's offer for that seat. If anything, he'd be more inclined to ask /how/ she made the seat. But as he looks her way, he just keeps his smile and shakes his head. "Thanks but no thanks. Though, when your friend's done with the girl over there, offer it to her maybe? She deserves to be a bit more comfy than she cares to admit."     And so, he steps back to a corner of the room, leaning up against the wall as he just focuses on the button for a moment. So much so that he doesn't notice the first question, only to hear Noyo's off hand. "Oh...I mean...I work at a hot spring. ...Does that even count?"
Lilian Rook	Lilian's 'triumphant return' to Lobotomy Corporation involves finally not looking like she'd narrowly won a wrestling bout with a catastrophic steam engine leak, and simply as if she's had a horrible month. She sort of has, but at least some recent events have been better than they were worse, in psychocentric terms. Her scar is just a scar. The only thing odd about her eyes is a pronounced lack of facial focus and the occasionally recurring look of source-vague disgust. Seeing Angela in person, rather than through a screen, seems to have alleviated it a little.     'Letting someone else push the button is an automatic failure of the test'     Lilian says something in the language of a complicated sigh, but seems (barely) good-natured about it. "And here, after my bold statements about 'refusing to be grandfathered in', I'd hoped I could simply sit in a corner and read while everyone else makes themselves idiots." she says. "And of course, we aren't permitted to simply solve the problem by strapping everyone else into a safety chair with a little bib. Or build a wall around it, which is about the same thing."     A cursory scan around the attendee list makes her generically polite smile turn just a little bit nasty; whether for who is here, who isn't, or both.     'You planning to be liberal with the eye-gouging or just as a last resort?'     "No no, be liberal. You deserve it. But don't go excluding yourself and all."     'Treat it as you would as if this was a meltdown and this was your assigned task.'     "God if only." Lilian stage whispers. "I wonder how the little people always have so much to complain about."     'Are we allowed to know how long the test is gonna be for?'     "Every day for the rest of your life." says Lilian, automatically, guided by laser, and yet somewhat less vicious as she usually reserves for Hibiki. "I see that your arrangement with Petra is already working out." she says, visibly eyeballing her bandages for dramatic effect. "So consider it unpushable forever, unless you're even more of a masochist than I thought."     'You may leave the testing grounds once during your shift in order to use the facilities with a maximum length time of ten minutes'     The blue moon rare event 'prissy dipshit Lilian' rears its head. "For what possible purpose? Why would anyone be going to a vending machine during a Meltdown? God forbid another Anomaly."
Shinmyoumaru Sukuna	Shinmyoumaru gets fewer people's names directly than she'd like, but she manages to catch at least some of them by listening to other people. It's not eavesdropping if everybody is standing around talking to each other, after all. While Shinmyoumaru was predisposed to like Kukuru, there are some parts of this she doesn't like. And she is really, really alert to people doing it to her, because it happens just so often. She draws herself up slightly. "You don't have to treat me like a kid because I'm ...not that big. I'm an inchling," Shinmyoumaru says, a little huffy and not entirely realizing Kukuru treats nearly everyone this way. At first, anyway; she starts to see it when she sees Kukuru interact with others, but even so, it's one of Shinmyoumaru's pet peeves. Sarracenia, at least, has not done that - and she appears to be trusting Shinmyoumaru to handle the duel appropriately. The responsibility feels good to Shinmyoumaru. "I am!" she agrees. "Are you prepared? You're the one fighting - you're not going to back out, are you?" Backing out of a duel is dishonourable! Surely Sarracenia wouldn't do that. To Touta, Shinmyoumaru says, "I've been here for a tour but I haven't done any work here? That's why... if I'm going to do anything, I'm going to do it *right*." She nods, more to herself than him, with a little 'mhm!' under her breath. She looks over at the button - nope, still not pressed, everything is going according to plan. When Noyo talks, Shinmyoumaru wonders briefly if *she* can wiggle her ears, having never tried. She makes an attempt, and nothing seems to happen, which disappoints Shinmyoumaru. "I've done a lot of training, but not training here. I only joined the Concord - oh, I'm with the Concord - anyway, a month ago? Maybe? So I haven't seen a Meltdown or anything before." Shinmyoumaru is only somewhat clear on what it entails. But that's the other reason that she's come here, more than once, and is preparing to sit in on strategy meetings. Shinmyoumaru floats her bowl over nearish the couch, next to Noyo. She doesn't need to sit on the couch - she brought her own seat! But it's more convenient for talking. 'Never have I ever'... Shinmyoumaru grins, suddenly. She is trying not to laugh. Poor Noyo! "I never did that either," she says, possibly to make her feel better - she isn't sure if that's the right thing to say, but that doesn't mean she's not going to go for it. She looks, and usually acts, like a teenager, so it being a teenager question means she feels entitled. "I mean, except in a bathtub!"
Angela	Angela seems concerned as she looks into Lilian's eyes. If only she could make it go faster, like ripping off a bandaid... She is able to smile at Lilian, those fond memories of an 'Easter' dinner are close enough to still send sparks through her but she ultimately nods her head in agreement that, if you really think about it, this test goes on forever. No touching the button, not today, not tommorow, not ten thousand years from now! It's true. "I'll be overseeing in the office," Angela adds. "But rest assured if someone else pushes the button I will hardly blame you, Commander." Angela leaves with one last nod to Ivy.When Rufus looks back at the Button it's just the Normal Button. There are no locked doors, as Sarracenia observes. Even the imposing cell door is not actually locked. The door out of the hallways are open. The facility is operating as it normally would. Occassionally you hear orders from the Manager coming through the speakers directed at other Agents. There's a Breach in the lower floors, Punishing Bird has gotten out again and-- --oh there Punishing Bird is, actually, wandering over to Touta where it starts to peck at him with its beak. But other than that no trouble comes their way. However some time after Angela and Tiphereth leave-- Sarracenia and Hibiki notice something strange in the window of Don't Touch Me. Namely... The Button is gone. Hibiki sees Happy Teddy Bear (a giant beat up teddy bear) crushing Rose to death with its big teddy bear arms. Rose isn't making a sound but how could she be with such suffocating strength in the Abnormality's big stuffing-filled arms. Sarracenia sees the Button is gone too! And in it's place is a pair of dazzling red shoes, perfectly fitted for her, sitting on a pedastel.
Rufus Shinra	> "I am not sure we have met. I am Princess Sarracenia Sundew." "Rufus Shinra. So you're going to murder a girl in a wheelchair in a couple days, right?" says Rufus, flipping his coin in the air and catching it. "Gonna get it on video? What are you gonna do with the chair, afterwards? Does it count as a trophy?" > "Never have I ever... gone skinny dipping?" There. That's the moment. Rufus didn't even need to be that patient, he already has an opening to his first attempt. Rufus, shocked at the sheer audacity of that Never Have I Ever question, fumbles his coin and it goes rolling with entirely uncoincidental precision towards the cell, where it will slide underneath the gap beneath the cell door and- - the coin bounces off the wall instead, and gently spins to a stop in the hallway instead. Oh, right. There isn't a gap beneath the cell doors. Rufus's ingenious plan to get someone susceptible to button-pushing to go open the door for him and retrieve it is foiled before it even starts. Dang. Rufus just goes to pick up the coin (still in the hallway) himself instead, without saying anything out loud. Then he returns to the spot he was standing at before. > "Every day for the rest of your life." "Aaaay. Good line. There's the famous Dame Commander wit." Rufus gives Lilian a single fingergun, and a wink.
Ivy Carrow	"Has anything climbed inside a wound in the last twenty-four hours?" Luz asked Bikki, matter of fact. "Blackouts? Lost time? Let me see your eyes." She stared, intently, into her eyes. Nodded, satisfied, before changing Hibiki's bandages. Rather than fussy and protective, she was matter-of-fact and practical. She saw a problem. She's dealing with it.     "Are these... safe? They're real?"     "As real as anything can be, my friend." She clasped her hands together, smiling, trying not to let on how put off she was that no one was actually taking her up on it. "And certainly safe, you need not worry about that in the least."
Sarracenia	'Never have I ever... taken a submarine ride.'      Sarracenia considers a moment. "Hmm. I have been on many airships. I do not believe I have been on a submarine, though. I will have to remedy that." Then, Touta mentions that Rufus was there for that terribleness in Steelport. Sarracenia blinks, then looks at Rufus again. "Oh dear. My apologies. There was so much going on." she says, smiling sheepishly.      Kukuru waves with a large set of metal claws. Sarracenia generally likes Kukuru, but sometimes Kukuru just draws out one of those uncomfortable smiles from the princess. "Y-yes. Hello, Miss Kukuru. I do hope you will not have to use those on anyone." she says, a bit of a giggle at the end at how casually Kukuru waves them around.      'it's only normal to get roughed up when you do dangerous stuff'      Sarracenia takes a seat by Hibiki, leaving enough room for Luz, and giggles slightly. "True. But, it is also normal to seek proper medical attention for one's injuries. Or at least to let them heal up as much as possible before going out again." She can't help but smile at how Hibiki ends up just holding the mushroom every time Sarra gives her one. "You are supposed to eat that, you know." she adds in a lightly teasing tone.      'Never have I ever... gone skinny dipping?'      Sarra turns pink almost in time with Noya. "Wh-what?!" she exclaims, obviously embarrassed by the very idea of it. "N-no. Never." she says, looking down at her dress for now.      Shinmyoumaru returns Sarra's question about preparedness, and Sarracenia smirks lightly. "I would never back out of something like that! It would be insulting to both my opponent and myself!" she says, then hees. "Besides. I am still quite curious to see the combat techniques of someone in a wheelchair. I can imagine a few things, but..."      Lilian arrives, and Sarracenia's small but amicalbe smile turns to more of a slight frown for a few moments. It returns after a bit, but it is more guarded. "Do not be so negative, Lilian. If this goes well, you may have some dependable elites on whom you can call so that you do not have to shoulder everything yourself."      Then suddenly...shoes! Sarracenia blinks several times, then rubs at her eyes before looking again. "...does...anyone else...?" she says, pointing at the button without finishing her sentence. She bites her lip, then hmphs and crosses her arms. "I have plenty of shoes! I do not need more!" she declares, seemingly randomly. She crosses her arms over her chest and her legs at the knees and her foot starts tapping in the air. "...stupid button..." she mutters very quietly.      'So you're going to murder a girl in a wheelchair in a couple days, right'      Rufus distracts Sarra from the button for now. "W-what? No! I am not murdering anyone! I do not kill people! And I will not be recording it, either!" She huffs, and her foot starts tapping in the air even more.
Kukuru	Noyo explains the counting rule of Rufus' game, and Kukuru finally gets it! Nodding slowly as she does, she takes a few moments to think before holding her hands up with her fingers on display as well. Even after both Rufus' and Noyo's statements, Kukuru keeps all of her fingers up! "Skinny dipping is pretty fun, too... Then you don't have to worry about the salt messing up your nicer clothes." A moment later, and she remembers to actually rephrase her own declaration: "Never have I... Gone to a rave. They're so loud, and it'd hurt a lot to go." She taps on her horns briefly for emphasis. Lilian's comment has Kukuru laughing as well as well, then tapping on her chin thoughtfully. "Paying everyone to behave... No, that'd just make them expect it. That's no good for anyone growing and learning how to work properly here. They've gotta learn how to behave even without that kind of motivation, mhm." Shinmyoumaru bristling at Kukuru's treatment, meanwhile, has the green-haired woman frowning a bit, but in an apologetic way rather than a defensive one. "Aw, I'm sorry, dear. Don't worry, I'll be counting on you plenty, just like everyone else." She giggles a moment later, but she does peer at the inchling a little more curiously after that.  Would it be impolite to ask? Maybe, but she needs to know. "How old are you, then?" Sarracenia's comment gets a firm nod from Kukuru in turn, still smiling just as sweetly as she always does. "Oh, probably not. Today's training sounds real easy, anyway. I mean, the button's..." Kukuru looks over at the door briefly. Still closed, so there's nothing to worry about! She doesn't see through the window just yet, so she's still clueless as ever. When Sarracenia points towards the button, though, Kukuru shuffles over to check, and she notices that the button is still safe and sound! She breathes a sigh of relief, then claps her hands together. "So far, so good! Nice work, everyone~"
Lilian Rook	'Mhm! And don't worry about hurting anyone that tries to get in. I can fix it, even if they're dead.'     "Oh perfect! Thank you, Kukuru."     Possibly the first time Lilian has ever thanked Kukuru in that way, with that little reservation, is thoroughly poisoned with the tonal slip of warm psychic relief; as if a mind could pop its joints and settle into a hot tub. Just for an instant, she is very sincere, so very heartfelt, and means four very bad things for every one good.     Lilian presumptuously sits at the arm of Ivy Carrow's sofa, removes her pendant, flicks a billowing cloud of inky black mist from her wrist, and cheerfully slams the tip of a four foot scabbard against the floor, leaving her palm restively poised atop the pommel of Night Mist.     "Whoever touches the button loses whatever they used to touch it."     'Never have I ever--'     "Beg pardon? Is this some 'spin the bottle' sort of rubbish?" A tiny bit of prissy dipshit vibes. Just a little. She makes it sound extra dismissive, but looks just a tiny bit interested. "What are the rules? I've done both those things. Do I take my turn now?"     'So you're going to murder a girl in a wheelchair in a couple days, right?'     Lilian snorts as if such a thing is so impossible that it's funny to even consider.     'Aaaay. Good line. There's the famous Dame Commander wit.'     Lilian looks at Rufus as if she's just seen him for the first time, despite meeting him before (it was fine) and also seeing him twenty times in the past ten minutes alone. "Aren't you that boy that Petra bullies?" she says. "The latest one, I mean." She was more interested last time. Now she's kind of residually fixated on Diek.     'Do not be so negative, Lilian. If this goes well, you may have some dependable elites on whom you can call so that you do not have to shoulder everything yourself.'     "Beg pardon?" By contrast, Lilian doesn't actually bother to look at Sarracenia at all. She's putting her bag down and sorting through it. "Not pushing a button qualifies you as a dependable Elite?" she says, carefully removing, unwrapping, and then removing the lid from, a little (oppressively delicious) box lunch made by Tamamo, and placing it on her lap. "Even the clerks here can handle that. How soupy does your brain have to be to become that addicted to the feeling of 'reward'? I wonder what it must be like."
Petra Soroka	"Oh...I mean...I work at a hot spring. ...Does that even count?"     Noyo's response to Touta is muffled by her face being buried in her hands, moaning in dismay. "I didn't want to know! I'm sorry for asking an inappropriate question but I don't want to know!"     She rubs her palms into her cheeks and sighs, lifting her head up to expose pink-tinted skin and her long blonde hair thrown into disarray by her distress. She exhales, closing her eyes to recenter herself, and then mutters, "Of course it doesn't count. There's nothing transgressive about doing it for a job." "He ended up helping Charlotte and Stanley a while back. Definitely gave a great 'screw you' moment to those guys."     Something about Touta's response to Sarracenia, in a conversational thread Noyo wasn't a part of, irks her badly enough that a scowl flickers onto her face. Not the confrontational type, she turns her attention away from the pair to respond to Ivy instead, giving the couch armchair an awkward double pat as if to confirm it's there. "Oh, that's quite interesting... are they just temporary? Do you have some kind of magic to remove them too?"     Noyo's continued banal questions are accompanied by her still not sitting down on the couch. She just hovers by it with a hand resting on one of the back cushions or armrests, maintaining contact as if to demonstrate her belief in Ivy saying that they're real, and noticing her disappointment, but still not actually wanting to sit. "Why would anyone be going to a vending machine during a Meltdown?"     Noyo tilts her head and presses her lips together at Lilian's appearance, then asks with the tentative confidence of someone who's seen enough pictures of Lilian on Petra's phone to be certain without having actually met her before, "Oh, I'm sorry, are you the Dame Commander? I'm Noyo, I work with Captain Petra. It's an honor to meet you." Obviously, Petra has ranted at her subordinates about this before.     In an effort to provide a useful bit of information rather than just a greeting, Noyo lifts up her finger with a little noise and points down the hallway towards the vague direction of where break rooms lie. "There's actually an Abnormality that takes the form of a vending machine. The Opened Can of Wellcheers. We also have Wellcheers vending machines outside the containment cell, but as far as I know, it's an easy Abnormality to manage." "Skinny dipping is pretty fun, too... Then you don't have to worry about the salt messing up your nicer clothes."     Noyo's expression continues to fall as people keep supplying answers to her unfortunate question. Kukuru's continuation of the game makes her awkwardly laugh and turn her head to the side, tugging on a lock of her hair embarrassedly. "... But they're kind of fun, though? I don't know if the party I went to counts as a *rave* strictly, but with the lights and noise... overstimulation is kind of fun on its own sometimes, isn't it?"
Rufus Shinra	> "Never have I... Gone to a rave." "Plenty. There's some good bands, back at home. The ones outside are so interesting, though." > "Whoever touches the button loses whatever they used to touch it." Please. Please, someone push the button. Pleeeeaaaaaaaase. > "Aren't you that boy that Petra bullies?" "Oooooof." Rufus doubles over as if he's been shot in the stomach. "That really all you remember of me? I clearly need to step up my game." "Of course right now I'm tied with everyone else on the 'buttons not pushed' leaderboard so standing out might be a biiiit hard - but I'll find some way to make you remember me, and that's a promise." Both fingerguns, *and* a wink. Rufus is serious! > "Do I take my turn now?" "Oh, sure, or just whoever can throw something out there. We're just trying to kill time, and not push buttons." > "...does...anyone else...?" "Hmm? Anyone else what?"
Hibiki Tachibana	It becomes a bit more difficult for Hibiki to meet his gaze at this point as he keeps his head lowered.     "Oi, Touta..." Between this and some of what was said back at the Titanomachia, even she of all people can tell he's going through it, and it's almost definitely a lot of going through it. It sure doesn't feel good to see, and knowing or not knowing why doesn't have anything to do with it. She's gotta have a one on one with him sooner than she thought...     ...probably a day when he's not getting harassed by Punishing Bird.     You are supposed to eat that, you know.     "Like--" Hibiki glances down confusedly. "...the whole thing?"     ...climbed inside a wound? Blackouts? Lost time?     ...And then up at Luz, confusion returning in full force - mostly at the first bit. "C-Climbed inside a...? Uh, no? I don't think so...?" Despite than, she's generally amenable to letting the pragmatic changing of her bandages happen. "None of that." It's kind of different from being fawned over by Miku, but if she thinks it's so necessary, she doesn't seem inclined to stop it at least.     "...You're awfully different from her over there, aren't you?" She makes the observation between Luz and Ivy, the practicality and... well, somewhat more bombastic attitude.     So consider it unpushable forever, unless you're even more of a masochist than I thought.     Lilian...     "I didn't ask for that reason. Honest." The laserlock attack, but also the minorly different tone than normal, both of them don't escape her. She sounds like she'd be shuffling her feet if she wasn't currently sitting down. "And I don't plan to ever--"     Hibiki sees Happy Teddy Bear (a giant beat up teddy bear) crushing Rose to death--     In the span of a moment, Luz at least can tell how her heartrate instantly spikes up, eyes wide back towards where the button should be, as she scrambles up to her feet nearly fast enough to fall over on the spot. A sudden and immediate reaction, that nearly has her starting forward...     ...before a part of her realizes where they are and what she's actually looking at, and the next couple audible breaths are those of her trying to calm herself down before mumbling, "Don't tell me, /that's/ how it tries to--?" She blinks a couple times, still staring at the window - but even if the sight doesn't change back, she realizes she can't keep her focus on it, or else...     So it's Lilian her attention turns to. And despite her brief moment of panic, she makes sure to bring herself more under control before speaking up carefully.     "I-- ...have some things I want to say to you. Lilian. If you'll hear me out."
Shinmyoumaru Sukuna	Shinmyoumaru thoroughly approves of Lilian's declaration, as echoed by the note stuck to the front of her riding bowl (which reads 'If you push the button I will poke your eye out with my needle. - Sukuna Shinmyoumaru', in Japanese calligraphy). She seems impressed by the mist forming the scabbarded blade, and furrows her brow a little in concentration as she tries to figure out how she'd do such a thing. She mimes sweeping her hand to one side, surreptiously. Nothing happens, but she's thinking. Kukuru asks her a more direct question about her age. "Old enough!" is her first response, but she essays a more complete one: "I'm not quite sure, anyway. I never left the Castle until a few months ago, and the seasons got mixed up a couple times so our count got confused." She's not going to give a number. It would be easy to guess about fourteen or fifteen, though. "Oh, were you not going to record it...?" Shinmyoumaru had entirely planned to in case she wanted to watch it later. It may not be a danmaku duel, which is what she's more used to - but it's still a duel, which means it is significant and worth saving. To Rufus, she adds, "Anyway, Ceri made the challenge, so I'm sure she's ready to go! She wouldn't have if she wasn't." Would she? She looks a little uncertainly at Sarracenia. "Nobody's talking about shoes," she says. "Just duels. Duels!" She says it slowly, and with emphasis. "They're different words entirely!"
Angela	Mikey, in full EGO Gear passes through the hall, singing to himself, a pair of earbuds in his ears. "Buckle your pants, buckle buckle your pants! Pull up your socks and dance! Wooh! Buck buck bawk bawk buckle your pants. Bucka-bucka-bucka-bucka buckle your pants, Bucka-bucka-bucka-bucka-buckle your pants! Buckle your pants, buckle-buckle your pants! Hey! I said dance! Yahoo!" Angela texts Lilian. 'He sings this every loop. - Angela' Mikey sways as he checks the clipboard he's holding. "Ladies--Yeah! Buckle your pants. Gentlemen! What? Yeah Buckle your pants! Boys and girls of all ages, buckle your pants or they might fall down--" He taps at the control panel for Do Not Touch, intending to open the door as he sings, pulling his headphones off and-- ''Whoever touches the button loses whatever they used to touch it.'' Mikey taps at the control panel again, closing the door back up, sliding his headphones back on and sings, shamefully. "B-buckle your pants, buckle your p-pants. Buckle your pants or your pants will fall to the ground..." Mikey sings haltingly as he departs. ''I-- ...have some things I want to say to you. Lilian. If you'll hear me out.'' Mikey runs like the half quarter distance before he's out of sight. The button shifts again for a couple of others. Sukuna sees an old lady inside the facility, rocking back and fort in a chair and looking terribly lonely. Touta sees...a black and red haired young man with a goblet of blood? Wine? That he is periodically sipping from while staring at him. He looks not unlike a classic vampire with pointed ears and crimson eyes.
Ivy Carrow	"Oh, that's quite interesting... are they just temporary? Do you have some kind of magic to remove them too?"     "What, are you so overflowing with furniture?" A fifteen second silence. A smirk. "Oh, they're real for good. But I can slip them through a portal, if you don't want them when we're finished, don't you worry yourself."     "Whoever touches the button loses whatever they used to touch it."     "What an incentive to keep our hands to ourselves!" Ivy was chuffed that someone at least was INTERACTING with what she'd summoned, and not only that--"You're the Dame Commander, aren't you?" In Ivy's mind, there was only one--at least, only one worth considering, and that person was there in front of her. "I'm a fan of your work. I've heard so much about you."     "...You're awfully different from her over there, aren't you?"     "We're different, alright." Matter of fact. If there was any humor in it, it wasn't reflected in Luz's tone. "Energetic. Dramatic. Embarrassing." She licked her lips. "She's the reason I'm alive. There. All seems well. Now--" Whatever she was saying is lost as she sees Hibiki's eyes begin to tense.     Luz tries to hold Hibiki down--but the magical girl overpowers her, carrying her with Hibiki to her feet. "Captain!" Luz barked, urgently, and...     ...Hibiki stopped. And Ivy, standing now from her seat, let herself fall back into her chair. "It seems she's decided she rather likes her hand after all."
Lilian Rook	'Oh, I'm sorry, are you the Dame Commander? I'm Noyo, I work with Captain Petra. It's an honor to meet you.'     "Dame Commander Lilian Rook, Paladins Chevalier, and numerous titles of repute." Lilian replies, in the midst of breaking apart chopsticks. She somehow makes it sound like snapping bone. "I'm usually here in a leadership consultancy capacity, or to handle Aleph breaches and Third Trumpet eventualities." Chopsticks both in one hand, Lilian casually flips back her hair with the other to keep it out of the way; with the perfect timing to look overwhelmingly above-it-all. "So don't worry; I'm not reporting anything to your boss."     Luxuriously indulging in a bite of something that was hopefully supposed to contain raw meat, Lilian rests her cheek in her hands, while she chews, thinks warmly of home, and then flutters her eyes back open to catch Noyo a second time. "If you're Petra's understudy, then they're in better hands than most. She'd likely be annoyed if you died, but she'd understand if I had to cut off your hands, so don't think you'll get preferential treatment either~"     'There's actually an Abnormality that takes the form of a vending machine.'     "Ahh, I see. That makes perfect sense." Lilian liked that. +1 reputation. "So there are those sorts too."     'Gone to a rave.'     "Do I lose, then?" Lilian says. She doesn't sound too concerned. She has the obnoxious mouth-watering meal and everyone else doesn't. "Being packed that closely to so many people sounds miserable. I may as well take the Tokyo metro."     'That really all you remember of me? I clearly need to step up my game.'     "I recall you from the Easter Island handoff." she says. "But clearly you didn't go to the beach." Huh? "And the ambassadorial visit to Yinghua." But not the-- "Honestly, Petra was the first thing to come to mind between the junction of you and Lobotomy Corporation. That's all." --not the Meltdown??? "That, and Petra shows interest in men very seldom. She must have someone in mind for you." What?????     "Do we name something we have done, and expect no one else has? Or something we haven't done, and we expect everyone else has? If it's the latter case . . ." Lilian menaces with ominous floating kanji aura. "Never have I ever been turned down."     'Don't tell me, /that's/ how it tries to--?'     "A pure Supplicant vector threat. Spirit or Demon class. Silver?"     Lilian talks between bites of food, as if entirely to herself, though she is emphatically heard most easily by Hibiki, and started speaking right after. "How unusual. Angela decided to show me something interesting this time." she says.     'I-- ...have some things I want to say to you. Lilian. If you'll hear me out.'     "If I must."
Kukuru	"Oh perfect! Thank you, Kukuru." In any other context, Kukuru would be positively beaming at Lilian for that heartfelt thanks. In this one, with all the implications of what's already been said and what's being said, with all the sincere relief evident in Lilian's tone in that context... Actually, Kukuru is still beaming. Why wouldn't she be? Lilian's happy, she's happy, there's a clear set of directions on how everyone should behave, and everything's right with the world! Of course she's happy about that. "Anytime, Lilian. Let's hope nobody has to lose anything, then~" "... But they're kind of fun, though? I don't know if the party I went to counts as a *rave* strictly, but with the lights and noise... overstimulation is kind of fun on its own sometimes, isn't it?" "Is it? Hmm... Too much noise, hurts, though, and too many lights hurts, too." Kukuru murmurs while rubbing one of the drills on the side of her head idly. "Unless it's... Easier for humans? Mom and dad always warned me about going to those, but never the others kids back home. Maybe if I had sunglasses and a big hood on...?" "There's some good bands, back at home. The ones outside are so interesting, though." "That does sound like it'd be kinda fun..." Kukuru purses her lips, looking conflicted on whether to follow the advice of her parents or to give in and listen to good music. "I'm not quite sure, anyway. I never left the Castle until a few months ago, and the seasons got mixed up a couple times so our count got confused." "Oh... Oh, that's wonderful!" Kukuru lets out a curious noise as she taps on her chin again, humming after a moment as she completely loses track of what she had asked Shinmyoumaru in the first place. "That means you get to pick your own birthday, then~ And maybe even make up a number for your actual age, if you wanna." She adds, tapping her chin a few more times while trying to guess her age. "... Twenty?" She's not good at this. That, or her ideas of ages is skewed. Hearing Mikey singing in the halls, Kukuru bops her head along to the beat, but doesn't think much of it right until he starts heading for control panel. "Dear, no. Stop that, okay? Or..." She starts to raise her clawed hand, gesturing at it with her head. There's the brief flinch like she's about to slam it right through him, but she doesn't need to follow through once he closes that door up and bails. "That's better! Behave now, okaaay?" Kukuru calls out, but hasn't lowered her claw-hand to her side just yet. She's still ready to bring it down on the next person that touches that panel.
Lilian Rook	Lilian checks her smart device. A couple of swipes that don't actually touch the screen close a cheery cherry-red messenger app unfamiliar to anyone present, and open up a more minimalist interface.     'He sings this every loop. - Angela'     She taps something out while exhaling tiredly.     'My condolences. - Lilian'     'B-buckle your pants, buckle your p-pants. Buckle your pants or your pants will fall to the ground...'     Lilian's stare finally catches on Mikey partway in the incriminating act. Her smile is exactly as dangerous as it oughtn't be as he skates away. "Never worn them in my life." she says, cheerily.     Irrelevantly, indeed it is another style of skirt today; this time with the unusual appearance of stockings, seeing as Angela is repping tights. "Should I have said 'have I ever'?" Lilian ponders aloud after.     'I'm a fan of your work. I've heard so much about you.'     "You had my interest. Now you have my attention." says Lilian, out of order. "Apologies for not asking for your introduction as well. I don't meet everyone who works here, and I'm a bit behind as-is. Thank you very much for the accommodations. Is there's something you'd like?"     'It seems she's decided she rather likes her hand after all.'     "I'm not surprised. I threw her original one to the crows." says Lilian. She folds up her utensils with the empty container and sets it aside.
Sarracenia	"Yes indeed. Horray for us." Sarracenia says at Kukuru a bit more harshly than she intended. Her eyes continue to flick toward where the button is. Such sparkly shoes...and they look to be perfectly her size...but they can't possibly be real! There is a button there! A button!      'Hmm? Anyone else what?' 'Nobody's talking about shoes, Just duels. Duels! They're different words entirely!'      Sarracenia huffs. "N-nothing. There is just the button. No shoes." she says to Rufus, despite barely being able to keep her eyes off the shoes that aren't there. Then to Shinmyoumaru, "Well, if you wish to record it that is fine. It simply feels like it would be bad form to record my own duel. Yes, Duel. Not shoes." Sarra certainly doesn't sound like a crazy person already.      Lilian is a good distraction from the shoes. "It is a start, at least. Then we can get into the more serious things." Sarracenia says. Then, she is eyeing that box lunch. "Ooh. That certainly looks tast-..."      'How soupy does your brain have to be to become that addicted to the feeling of 'reward'? I wonder what it must be like.'      Sarra hmphs. "If I did things for the feeling of 'reward' I would have tried to mimic Princess Peach long ago.      Mikey comes by singing that song, and Sarracenia can't help but stare and raise an eyebrow. "...they truly will make a song about anything..." she says to herself, shaking her head lightly.      Then...he starts to hit buttons that lead to the button! Sarracenia blinks a few times and stands, "H-hey!" she starts.      Then words are said, and Mikey just makes his way back out. Sarra stares in deadpan fashion as he leaves, then...her head turns back toward that cell window. She starts to move closer, then huffs and sits quickly, returning to her arms and legs crossed position.      Hibiki asks her question, and Sarra giggles a bit. "Well, it kind of evaporates similar to cotton candy once you actually start. Then, it heals your wounds some. I always carry some with me. One never knows when someone might need some healing~"
Rufus Shinra	Someone nearly opens the door. Rufus gets briefly interested, and then immediately disappointed. > "That, and Petra shows interest in men very seldom. She must have someone in mind for you." Rufus looks confused. She can't possibly mean...? > "Never have I ever been turned down." And then Rufus's grin fades. "I... see." And then he pauses. And then the grin returns. "You've never been turned down, huh? You want to fix that?"
Lilian Rook	'Ooh. That certainly looks tast-...'     "My girlfriend made it with love. It'd probably melt you into slop if you touched it." Lilian says.     'If I did things for the feeling of 'reward' I would have tried to mimic Princess Peach long ago.'     "Then why are you trying to prime me for 'good job' and 'now I trust you' if you can stop yourself from putting on shoes in the first place?" Wait-- "What's wrong with taking after someone else? Things become 'classic' or 'typical' or even 'meta' because they work. Trying to be different from something good doesn't automatically make for something better."     'You've never been turned down, huh? You want to fix that?'     "I've never killed anyone either. Want to make it two for one?"
Rufus Shinra	> "I've never killed anyone either. Want to make it two for one?" "No thank you - and there you go! Got that crossed off your list." Rufus finger-guns at Lilian again. "You're welcome."
Shinmyoumaru Sukuna	Shinmyoumaru nods, slowly, when Sarracenia says it's the duel and not shoes. "Well, just so long as you're not going to chicken out! It's not a real duel if both people don't go into it with all their heart and power." She crosses her arms, trying to look firm. Shinmyoumaru is not entirely clear on what a rave entails, but she hasn't been to one of those either. Has she done any of the things brought up in this little game? ...Maybe she needs to do more, now that she can get out of the Castle and also Gensokyo. She wants to try all - or at least most - of these things! "Oh, my birthday's right at the end of winter," Shinmyoumaru says to Kukuru. "In Kisaragi!" Shinmyoumaru comes from somewhere sufficiently old-fashioned to have not latched onto the new names for months, but a quick search (or enough historic knowledge) suggests this is February-ish on the old Japanese lunisolar calendar. Why does she know that without having counted her years? Maybe she picked it earlier. "But twenty..." Could Shinmyoumaru pass for twenty? Not by most standards! Could Shinmyoumaru *call* herself twenty? Well, maybe she could do that. It still seems kind of wrong, though. Maybe she'll just keep on not saying how old she is. Mikey bops his way in. Shinmyoumaru follows him with her eyes all the way to the door. She uncrosses her arms, drumming her fingers of one hand on the top of the little paper she has attached to the bowl, in case he missed it. "Who'd want to buckle pants anyway," she says to herself, as another person who has never worn pants. She floats her bowl over to the door to make sure that Mikey has closed it up just the way it was before and looks inside - There's a person in there. Shinmyoumaru hesitates for a moment before very deliberately reaching up her sleeve, pulling out a sewing needle (normal-sized, for her own use - not her giant weaponized one) and very deliberately poking herself - - in the ball of her thumb. She's done it just hard enough to draw about one single drop of blood, either as punishment or reminder, and it hurts, just enough to make her feel determined. No button pushing! she reminds herself. No going in there! You have the whole sign and everything! Shinmyoumaru spins the bowl right away from the door and scoots back to next to the couch, where she was to begin with. She wipes the drop of blood off with a different scrap of cloth from somewhere inside her bowl, and then settles down, opening up the orange she'd been saving for later with a practiced movement. ... "Ow!" Getting orange juice in the pinprick actually hurts more than getting it in the first place!
Lilian Rook	Lilian briefly contemplates killing Rufus anyways just to make it even.     The metaphorical name over her head flickers from green to red like a faulty lightbulb.     There was-- a vision? For a split second. Was that--?     "You and I both know what I meant. Be a little less needy about it." Lilian says. No, everything is normal. "Though now I certainly understand why Petra is so fixated on bullying you." Finding her bag again, she retrieves a typically heavy-looking book, and begins leafing between two bookmarks. "You're probably doomed, actually."
Ivy Carrow	"You had my interest. Now you have my attention."     Getting spoken to like this by one of her heroes can't help but take Ivy's breath away. She tries for a smooth smile, shoots past it, and catches herself grinning like an idiot. Hammers a metal fist into her chest once, twice, makes a show of coughing--just a few more seconds to go for composure.     "You'll find I'm new. At least to elites." She steepled her fingers. "Gate-Captain Ivy Carrow, at your service. Getting to know Angela's workplace a little better. But, what I could want..." She pretended to consider. "Your company's an unexpected gift. Would it not be ungrateful to ask for more?"     Nailed it!
Rufus Shinra	> "You're probably doomed, actually." "Hey, long as I have a good time before my ticket gets punched, right?" says Rufus, agreeing(?) with Lilian. Lilian gets a reprieve either way, though, as Rufus goes off to find someone else to bother, or failing that, button-gazes for a while.
Sarracenia	'Then why are you trying to prime me for 'good job' and 'now I trust you' if you can stop yourself from putting on shoes in the first place?'      "I am not trying to prime you for-!!" Sarracenia starts, then blinks. "...wait...what did you...?" It seemed clear from the others' reactions that the shoes were only visible to Sarra, and despite all appearances Sarra isn't actually an idiot. She peers heavily at Lilian. "...how did you know?" she asks, somewhere between acusing and intrigued.      Lilian leveling a death threat is nothing new, but it still causes Sarracenia to roll her eyes. That and Ivy already practically worshipping Lilian. Sarra's foot is really rocking now. It keeps rocking harder, and finally Sarra leaps up and stretches her arms over her head before taking a short lap around their cell between the couch and the exit door. "I would not melt from touching something good and pure any more than you would." Sarra declares confidently. And hoping she interpreted the message correctly.      Rufus's antics also provide some distraction and entertainment. "Although I do agree somewhat, I would prefer if my ticket remains unpunched forever."
Touta Konoe	"Ah, sorry, sorry. Though, glad to know." It's the brief remark he can give to Noyo before she finds herself excusing herself from the conversation between Sarra and him, and when he does, he finds his attention returning to Sukuna and her eager remarks.     I've been here for a tour but I haven't done any work here? That's why... if I'm going to do anything, I'm going to do it *right*. Even as he finds his head lowered, there's something...Genuine that comes back to his smile. "Good, more people should be doing things right. But, if I can say one thing--" There's a slow methodical contemplation to it, before he just keeps his words concise. "I'll be rooting to see you do the best to help."     It's all he opts to say in this moment when his mind feels like it was already starting to get into that funk. That feeling of wanting to over think and contemplate. That state of over complication that kept him incapable of doing anything the last time. He'd truly rather have his eyes gouged out than have something like that happen again.     No no, be liberal. You deserve it. But don't go excluding yourself and all.     As if that twisting feeling hadn't been enough, that familiar tone comes through the room. Just as usual finding the sweet spot of where to blow. His eyes trail to the corner of his view to see the one person who honestly shouldn't need to come here. Yet for one reason or another chose to do so. What he can do, or what he should say. Was there even meaning to anything he could tell her? He doubts it...And yet, he finds himself thinking back to what was said...     Oi, Touta...     Hearing Hibiki's voice. That concern. Again, he feels like he's breaking his promise to Miku. Causing more strife than relieving it. But...Again, that concern, even if it's selfish, does he find himself smiling a tad, if only a moment. His head lifting if only for a moment to her in kind to try and offer some level of reassurance.     I-- ...have some things I want to say to you. Lilian. If you'll hear me out.     "I have some--No...I have a lot of things I want to say, but I'll cut it to what I /need/ to let you know." Despite his mindset, despite everything thus far and prior, he finds himself staring her dead in the eyes. Even if she looks at him with cold daggers, even if she bares fangs into him that numbs his body like morphine.     "I deserve it, plenty, more than just a poke in the eyes at this point. If people have decided to take a number to make me suffer for what I did, then I deserve that too. What I don't deserve though? An excuse for what I did. But even more than that...Even if I feel guilty about what I did, or...Loathe what I did, or question who's gonna decide to 'show me a lesson'. I don't deserve to stop and worry about it." In the time that she was gone, in the time even in the past...In the time now, that was never something that /she/ permitted to keep her from doing what had to be done.     At this point, Punishment Bird begins making its way over to him, just about ready to peck at his head. His gaze looks at it for a moment, ignoring it as he continues to speak. "I'm here...Right now, because I'm trying not to fall back and get left behind. I've fucked up trying to take action, and I've fucked up taking inaction. But...If I have to choose between being passive in hopes to ride things out, or making a choice that turns out gritty..."
Touta Konoe	As the Punishing Bird starts to reach Touta's vicinity, Hibiki and Lilian can both watch as black fog begins to envelop his form. An awkwardly bashful little smile starts to show on his face towards Bikki, before it sombers...Looking back to the gaze of the Dame Commander. "Trust me, I was never excluding myself...Also...I'm sorry, but I'm in a rush now. So I can keep you from seeing it, but...You should cover your ears. You too, Hibiki..."     Touta doesn't elaborate on what he means. Though at the very least, there's a genuine level of concern to his voice as the fog finally covers the space between Punishing Bird and Touta. That he knows there's going to be a level of discomfort that he might be bringing to her, but is at least trying to mitigate it...And so he creates that space that's completely left void of sight...One can only hope that Lilian can bare the consequences of the choice of her words, and the person who's able to take them the most liberally, and literally...     Touta's not knowledgeable on all Abnormalities in the facility, but when it comes to Punishing Bird, he does know some info when it comes to this one in particular. That the usual way to handle the Abnormality is to let it passively peck away at you for the duration of time. Though...If one wanted, there was a way to which they could force its containment. Though it's not a choice that most Agents or even Elites would choose...     -----------     A few moments pass within the darkness of the black fog, only for Touta to come out from it looking unscathed as usual. Punishing Bird...No longer attempting to peck at his head. His eyes again look to Lilian, again filled with guilt. But...It's like he said...It's like what he's trying to show...He doesn't deserve to feel guilty about what he's done...He needs to keep moving especially with notice of the button being taken. And as he keeps moving, stepping away from both Bikki and Lilian both. Only to find himself staring down the youthful man carrying a goblet of blood.     "...Oi, Rufus, Other extraction team person...Noyo? ...Either of you know what I'm looking at?"
Angela	The Punishing Bird vanishes into dark smoke. It does not return. It's next seen back in its Cell, chirping to itself and causing no problem.The comms crackle. "Ah, good work everyone keeping guard." The Manager says over the comms. "Now I'm going to need one of you to go in and perform a work on the Abnormality there." "Indeed." Angela adds, also on comms. "The test has been passed--feel free to perform a work if you'd like. Thank you for your participation in the test, your results have been noted." Only Touta sees the Nosferatu, staring back at him. He's never seen it in the facility before. Because it isn't in the facility. This loop, anyway. The illusion for the others fades, however, as they are back to seeing a button once more in spite of the new orders from the Manager calling for the button to be 'worked on'.
Hibiki Tachibana	Energetic. Dramatic. Embarrassing. She's the reason I'm alive.In a little bit, Hibiki will probably reflect on how she would probably like to hear a little bit more about Ivy Carrow. For right now though, in the middle of getting herself back in order after the focused temptation, she just gives a small nod towards Luz.     "Um, thanks. For the check-up, I mean. Right there, I saw something I... ...it got in my head for a second."     It seems she's decided she rather likes her hand after all.     I'm not surprised. I threw her original one to the crows.     Without really thinking about it, she brings up her right hand and rubs the wrist with her left. It looks perfectly normal, but the fact she's doing that at all says enough. "...I had it coming when she did," she mentions to Ivy as if that tells half of the story. Although that's certainly true.     If I must.     Hibiki doesn't know the first thing about threat classifications, but she does know that. After taking a bracing breath, moving closer in her direction at about the same time she's cleaning up her meal. For a moment, even after she comes to a halt, her eyes can't seem to settle, and she doesn't know what to do.     And after some time, she bows. The formal kind. It might be one of the few she's ever made in her life. "...I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."     Her voice is a little husky saying it, but when she straightens back up, she still makes herself look up to look Lilian in the eye, no matter what parts of her are trying to pull away. "For causing you so much grief for so long. For not measuring up to your expectations, when I don't have any excuse not to. For... hurting you-- and taking you for granted-- and not being reliable at all-- ...and not ever saying the things I wanted to say to you."     "...Thank you for everything with the Union Busan, and Rita-- I know it was all harder on you than anyone else, and you still kept it together when everyone else thought it was over, and-- ...I never told you how much I appreciated it." Her gaze tries to wander off again, for a split second, but she locks it back in place.     "And the Meltdowns, and Walplurgisnacht, and-- ...you didn't only save Hod, we couldn't have done /any/ of that without you. You're the reason any of this is still here right now, including all the people in Lobotomy Corp I care about, and I-- ...didn't say anything then, either."     "I'm-- ...when I was there back then, for this long... I should know as well as anyone how hard you try every single day, even when you don't have to, even when I was being a massive idiot and y-you still went out of your way... to try and force it into my thick skull."     Her voice is starting to break up and waver, so she swallows. "So I-- ...I'm sorry for... literally everything. And thank you for... being you. Even when it seems like it, I never... I always think about your words a lot. I really do. I did, even back when I first came out here as an Elite. ...I'll try to do better."
Shinmyoumaru Sukuna	Shinmyoumaru has managed to clean off her thumb, get an orange slice in her mouth, and surreptiously 'overhear' half of Hibiki's conversation with Lilian as Angela and the Manager come on the radio. Shinmyoumaru is so intent on trying to say something she nearly chokes on the orange. She sputters for a moment, swallows, and then gets out, "She said don't push it afterwards either!" She waves her arms with far too much energy, flying her bowl out toward the door and planting herself in front of it. Well, 'planting'. It's her and her floating bowl. Still counts!
Rufus Shinra	> "...Oi, Rufus, Other extraction team person...Noyo? ...Either of you know what I'm looking at?" "Hmm? What do you mean?" says Rufus. And then the news comes in via the comms. "Oh - already? I thought the test would take longer," says Rufus, looking up at the ceiling. "Well, if we need someone to work on it, might as well be one of the people who actually works here, right?" he adds, heading to the cell door and trying to get there before anyone else - only to get blocked by Shinmyoumaru. "Yeah - but she gave new orders, right?" says Rufus. "A clarification, or new rules, or something like that." "What - are you trying to run in and push it first?" he accuses, despite himself being about to do just that.
Kukuru	"Yes indeed. Horray for us." Even Kukuru's not so blind as to miss that, and she pouts briefly while sliding over to where Sarracenia is sitting. "Aw, what's wrong, dear? Did something happen?" She asks, partially oblivious to what's the cause of that sourness and partially to try and get her to suss it out tangibly in the hopes of getting her through whatever it is. "You've never been turned down, huh? You want to fix that?" "I've never killed anyone either. Want to make it two for one?" "No thank you - and there you go! Got that crossed off your list." "Two firsts in one day... Oh, make sure you're not over any carpet when you do that. It's a whole lot easier to clean solid floors, you knooow?" Kukuru chimes in after Lilian and Rufus, apparently unbothered entirely by the notion of anyone dying here. Or... She just really likes the idea of people having and sharing new experiences. The pleasant and persistent hum implies the latter. "Oh, my birthday's right at the end of winter," "In Kisaragi!" "Ki-sa-ra-gi... Oh! Just last month, then." Kukuru repeats slowly after Shinmyoumaru and nods with her guess, trying to commit both of those facts to memory and likely failing that sooner rather than later. "So that means you just got a little older recently, too... Oh, happy birthday, dear!" Another laugh, and she turns to Ivy when- "Your company's an unexpected gift. Would it not be ungrateful to ask for more?" -she says that. Kukuru's eyes widen considerably behind her glasses, and then she turns back to the door casually with a playful giggle. "Aw, Lilian's made another reliable friend... How lovely~" As she faces the door, however, Kukuru hears some new instructions from the Manager and Angela. Performing a work on the Abnormality sounds easy enough, even if she's not sure what that work would be. Her unclawed hand even starts coming up as she approaches the door, but Shinmyoumaru reminds her... "The button should not be pushed after or before the test either." "... That's right. This must be part of the test, too. We can't go in." Kukuru states with a firm nod, calling upon all her (little) knowledge of the way this facility and it's Abnormalities function to come to that decision. "It might be something being naughty and trying to trick us. And even if it isn't, Angie said not to touch it even after the test is over." Kukuru turns to Rufus, then holds her unclawed hand out firmly while the clawed one continues swinging back and forth idly at her side. "Please be good, dears."
Lilian Rook	'Gate-Captain Ivy Carrow, at your service.'     Finding the page she plans to be on, Lilian traces down the lines with a black-and-dusty-gold-painted fingernail, scanning through to the particular text she wants. "Gate-Captain, is it?" she says. An eyebrow is tonally, implicitly raised. "Does that have to do with managing a Warpgate hub? No, 'captain' wouldn't be in use, then. Armed and organized . . . Ah, do we have gatecrashers again, in this day and age? That would be nice."     'Your company's an unexpected gift. Would it not be ungrateful to ask for more?'     Pausing her reading, Lilian leaves her finger on the page, puts her other elbow up on the sofa arm, rests her cheek in her palm, and looks at Ivy with the sparkling attention of someone who is fondly regarding how many layers of bullshit someone is on.     "I like you." she declares, multifaceted in meaning and eerily sunny in disposition as can be. "I still have to amputate something if you touch the button, but I'd be a little sad about it."     '...how did you know?'     "Know what? That you're desperate for my approval? It's written all over you, every time your disgust and utter contempt isn't." Well that went nowhere.     'I would not melt from touching something good and pure any more than you would.'     Lilian coughs as if she'd meant to laugh, then quietly half-wheezes 'Pure and good . . . !' under her breath, definitely, absolutely like she'd thought about laughing.     "If you're planning to live forever, you're already just about too late. You can't begin that sort of thing overnight. Wait any longer, and you'll be forever-fifty-five at best."
Ivy Carrow	"I still have to amputate something if you touch the button, but I'd be a little sad about it."     This time, when that grin forces its way to the surface, Ivy's too busy preening to even notice it. "Oh, but I can't have that! I suppose I'll have to control myself." She made a show of sighing in faux-disappointment.     "Fine intuition, Dame Commander." She said, with a tone somewhere between smug and adoring that said; 'just as expected.' "Though, a hub is part of it. I lead a branch of extraversal explorers called the Warprunners. Somebody needs to be the first ones through, when new gates open. And that's us!"     "Now I'm going to need one of you to go in and perform a work on the Abnormality there."     "The test has been passed--feel free to perform a work if you'd like."     Ivy laughed. And laughed. And--     "What a cheap trick." She chuckled to herself, still smiling "No."     A sharp upward gesture, and a yawning red rip in space appeared where the door was supposed to be. "You can walk through there, if you'd like." Ivy said, sweetly. "But the button won't be what you find on the other end. I promise."
Shinmyoumaru Sukuna	Shinmyoumaru remains right where she is, arms crossed. Her robe billows out a bit. It would look more imposing if it wasn't done by someone four feet tall riding a lacquered rice bowl, but she does a pretty good job of trying. "I don't want to push the button," Shinmyoumaru says to Rufus. "I want to not push the button. That's the whole point! To show we're trustworthy enough to not push the button *no matter what*." Ivy makes a portal appear behind her. The red backlighting increases her aura of menace by about 20%. "But if you really want to push a button..." Shinmyoumaru reaches down into her bowl and rummages a bit without looking away from Rufus. It's in here somewhere... "Here!" She flings an object at him in an underhand arc, easy to catch. It is, in fact, a button: a big red button suitable for mashing with a fist, set into a squareish base, made of cheap plastic. "I brought it in case someone really, really wanted to push a button and I couldn't trust them to just not!" If Rufus (or anyone else) pushes it, it makes a squeaking sound and does absolutely nothing else. It's a toy. Not even an expensive toy; the kind of thing you might buy for an easily amused child (and then regret the constant squeaky noises).
Sarracenia	Kukuru approaches and asks what is bothering Sarra. Sarra blinks, then sighs softly and gives a bit of an apologetic look. "No, but that is good in this instance." she says.      'Know what? That you're desperate for my approval? It's written all over you, every time your disgust and utter contempt isn't.'      Sarracenia's frown turns to clenched teeth. "I do not want your approval!!" she practically screams. "I want...! I want....!" Her fists clench, and she clenches her teeth as well, trying to hold back anything that could follow that which in turn Lilian could use against her. Finally, she stomps off...but with nowhere to go that wouldn't be failing the test she ends up storming a lap around the room.      This gives Sarracenia time to listen to Touta's speech about not deserving to feel guilt. She looks confused. What would Touta have to feel so bad about? Asking now would be a terrible idea, especially considering present company. Hibiki joins in, apologizing to Lilian. Sarracenia is too out of the loop to know much of what has happened between the two.      The peer pressure is certainly on. Sarracenia doesn't feel she owes Lilian an apology for anything, but the look of horror she might usually be wearing in such a situation is weathered by just how much Touta and Hibiki seem to mean it and how little power the princess seems to have in this or any situation involving Lilian. And it isn't like Sarracenia can deny that Lilian is powerful and dependable. Sarra has all but outright said it in the past.      The copper-haired princess just listens, not really looking at Lilian or the others. She's too proud to say anything, but if any mind-readers are about they might catch the stray thought of just how much Sarracenia wants to be like Lilian. She ends up in a corner, arms going from crossed vehemently against her chest to her hands rubbing her upper arms. "...I want your life..." Sarracenia says in the quietest whisper possible and into the corner so that surely no one could possibly hear her.      Then, new instructions. Sarracenia looks upward at wherever that sound might be coming from, then frowns. "...you and Lilian already told us this test is never over actually over...and I do not even know what a 'work' is in this case." she says, only to blink in surprise as Rufus is the one to head toward the door.      Others are already intervening, but if Rufus presses the button then they all fail. Sarra, already primed and angry from Lilian's all to effective verbal strikes have her making her way over quickly. There is a portal and a princess in a rice bowl in his way. Sarracenia adds to it by pulling out an ice flower and squeezing it rather harshly. It poofs into white smoke and her usually bright red dress is turned winter colors while cold starts to flow around her hands. "If you get in there, I lose. And I hate losing, so..." She holds out a hand, and an ice bolt forms. "...you are not getting in there."      Then...squeaky button! Sarracenia kind of freezes herself upon seeing it. "...are you sure that would not still be failing in some way? I mean, we would not have pressed -the- button, but...we would have pressed -a- button."
Rufus Shinra	Rufus, in his button-pushing fugue, immediately goes to slam his fist down on the new button without thinking about it too much. He -has- to find out what this one does. It's a need, not a want. He can no less not push the button than he can stop breathing under his own power. It squeaks. "..." "That's... it?" He tries pushing it again. It squeaks again. "... Yeah. Yeah, fine, I'm satisfied." He goes to give the toy button back, or if it's not taken, he just carelessly tosses it over his shoulder. "So - is there a lunch with this training exercise, or...?" he asks, seemingly now having no more interest in the actual abnormality button.
Lilian Rook	'I have some--No...I have a lot of things I want to say, but I'll cut it to what I /need/ to let you know.'     Lilian, trying to pay attention to Hibiki, is successfully distracted by Touta jamming himself into the same opening. For reasons unknown to most, she changes abruptly from the reserved sotto disdain uncommonly aimed towards Hibiki, right back to passive derision.     "I don't remember asking you, and I don't remember you asking for my permission." Lilian says. Familiar. Even-keeled. Professionally displeased. But now she's looking right past him.     Behind her eyes, she is back at the command deck of the Union Busan. She is surrounded by Harpoonists. She is clinging to Tamamo's sleeve, hiding as much behind her as she can. Ishirou is talking to her, and she fails to hear a single word he says. She feels naked with just the hood of that hideously baggy sweater down. As if everyone can see every mistake she's ever made by looking above the neck. The sound of human voices, rolling on at full steam, without a hint of slowing momentum, turns the words to tinny ambient droning. She's watching to see where his hands move.     "Tachibana has come to a certain arrangement through Petra, that I've been made aware of. I'm afraid I'll need a trusted source to vouch for you, at this point, if you want your fifteen minutes too."     Ice cold. But as clear as she's ever been. If she meant to give im a clear direction, it isn't obvious.     'So I-- ...I'm sorry for... literally everything. And thank you for... being you. Even when it seems like it, I never... I always think about your words a lot.'     Lilian looks uneasily at Hibiki, then glances away at once, as if trying to deny that she ever did.     "Petra would have told you to say something much cleverer than that." she says, to the adjacent wall. "And far more pathetic." Letting her attention wander to her smart device, Lilian swipes twice, brushes a screen away, brings one up, then taps a few buttons and 'send'. Hibiki's phone vibrates twice, receiving a text with a date and time.     "I suppose I'll listen to your point of view, but I didn't ask for an apology. The only thing I ever wanted was to see you volunteer, not be pressured, or coerced, to help with that outstretched hand of yours. If you're getting a little help, that's fine too."     'The test has been passed--feel free to perform a work if you'd like. Thank you for your participation in the test, your results have been noted.'     "When thou speak from authority absolute, so must be thy judgement. Thy word remains true even if the mind does not. None shall follow one who countermands their absolute judgement." Lilian says. She folds her book with a crisp snap. "The tenth Code. Phrased fully so for a reason." she says. "I seem to recall that this test would take all day.     'That's... it?'     Lilian halts her sword four inches from Rufus' wrist. The empty scabbard spins gaily and falls over with a grating rattle next to the couch arm in the ensuing two seconds of silence. 'Fugue' isn't a bad word for it. Hers only looks different. She doesn't so much take in the facts in front of her as she does stand and process what she already knew better, blinking at regular intervals. A moment later, she sheaths her sword, and turns airily back to the Sofa. "Princess. Please gouge out his eyeballs at your earliest convenience."
Shinmyoumaru Sukuna	Shinmyoumaru does not immediately attempt to poke out Rufus' eyes. Or even one of them. This is because she is laughing. "I didn't think that a toy would be enough!" she giggles. "He's older than I am. I guess that means he's only a tiny bit reliable... And they hired him, didn't they? Like, all the time!" Lilian asks her to gouge out his eyeballs, and Shinmyoumaru considers actually doing it for a moment, though she's still grinning. "I think he gets to keep them. I only said I would if he *did* push the Don't Push button, and he didn't. Even if it was really hard for him!" She's going to get some mileage out of laughing at Rufus, but it's better than any alternatives. Maybe. Probably. But, suddenly serious: "If he even thinks about it again I definitely will, though."
Touta Konoe	I don't remember asking you, and I don't remember you asking for my permission     What could be worse than having daggers stared at you? Not being seen at all...     ...So...She was never as angry...Because I wasn't... There's no words that leave his lips at that point. Even as he removed Punishing Bird, her eyes showed a look beyond him. More than just that of him trying to fade his presence, but a complete lapse in it entirely from her view. Like a blindspot she'd forged.     He...Deserves this too probably. And for that he should still be trying to move forward. It's just that...All a sudden he feels his feet feel heavy. That even as fine as he is, there's just something aching and bleeding out...He just needs to keep moving forward though. That's fine, cause then...     Ah, good work everyone keeping guard. Now I'm going to need one of you to go in and perform a work on the Abnormality there.     Indeed. The test has been passed--feel free to perform a work if you'd like. Thank you for your participation in the test, your results have been noted.     The words are shared over the comms and yet...The one holding the goblet still stares him down.     Hmm? What do you mean?     "What do you mean, what do I mean? The one with the goblet...! Just...Just hold on...Angela, Manager, you guys are seeing this right?" He tries to add emphasis to where he looks but it feels like he's gone mad for a moment. An inconsistency that feels wrong. It's just a matter of whether he's wrong or they all are...?     ... That's right. This must be part of the test, too. We can't go in. It might be something being naughty and trying to trick us. And even if it isn't, Angie said not to touch it even after the test is over.     Touta finds himself looking into the room but not seeing the button but the vampiric entity beyond it. A part of him almost wanted to go in. As if what was present was a threat and with it, his body nearly jerks if only to see the others keen to barricade the door. It's there that he finds himself staring back at the Abnormality...     "Hibiki...Kukuru...You're both sure it's just the button there, right? There's nothing else there?"     It takes him a hard moment to stop. If the moment before he was ready to do all it could take to handle any other Abnormality that was going to cause an issue, then holding back now felt almost unnatural. Though it's as everyone barricades the door he can at least try and take a moment to try and think on it.     If it's the button and I go in then...     They'd be screwed.     But if it's an actual Abnormality and we tried dealing with it... They'd be letting it out...And be screwed. Both fists at his side curl into fists. A disgruntled moment as things feel like they should finally be subsiding. Cause in that last moment, even if he wasn't the one going in...He was the one that was caught. Singled out. And he took it at face value...     "...If no one's going in...We just need to wait for Angela and the others to give the actual go ahead to leave...Right?" He looks away from the glass, refusing to look at the button, refusing to look at Nosferatu. There's a realization and it's an unsettling one that could have possibly helped him keep from this illusion...     I...I should have had my eyes gouged out...
Angela	Angela is quiet for a few moments as she takes note as to who seemed about to go ahead and touch the button despite there being one rule just because she suggested the rule had changed (along with the Manager). She waits a moment. And then she says, "...Yes, it is at the Dame Commander says. The Manager has to deal with many Abnormalities at once and sometimes loses track of The Button and may send someone orders to investigate the button during a hectic period. In cases like this, it is important to be able to not simply do as The Manager says. Similarly, other Abnormalities may try to trick you by emulating our voices, our bodies. Please forgive our momentary deception as part of the test. We did indeed say that the test ''could'' last all day but the truth is as you said afterwards--the 'Do Not Touch' test is always occuring. Touching the button is something we must never do and I will tell you why." Angela takes a breath. "Pressing the button results in one or two possible outcomes. A psionic assault can be emitted facility-wide that will drive everyone but the most resilient employees into an instsant panic while causing small explosions throughout the facility. The other result would be the instant death of everyone in the facility. If any of you actually reached for the button we would have had to shoot you with the internal turrets but as Petra said, it was an easy task so I did not imagine trouble. You are cleared for assisting in the upcoming Meltdowns having proven the base level of competency." "...Yeah, but you can have lunch now. We'll bring some over along with tables and chairs and such. Feel free to game as you'd like. We've hit our energy goals for the day." Angela's gaze settles on Hibiki and Lilian, watching them through the screen as she disables her comms for a moment to listen at Hibiki's apology. And listens to her thank Lilian. And...she sees Lilian send something to Hibiki. She doesn't try to see it even through the cameras. She smiles a little, though, all the same as nobody can see her. "...Mm... I'm glad to see it, Bikki. Congratulations on making the first step." She says to herself, since she can say it to herself. Maybe this test wasn't a complete waste of time after all. Even with Rufus's close call.
Hibiki Tachibana	I'm afraid I'll need a trusted source to vouch for you, at this point, if you want your fifteen minutes too.     Oh, geez. Even if this really might not've been the time for Touta to speak up about all that, it does give her even more reason than she already had to get back in the 'trusted' category. He's going to need all of the help he can get, getting through things.     I suppose I'll listen to your point of view, but I didn't ask for an apology. The only thing I ever wanted was to see you volunteer, not be pressured, or coerced, to help with that outstretched hand of yours.     Hibiki nods slowly, more than a little awkwardly, as if to say 'me too'. Not a single thing about her speaking up here was clever, there's no doubt about that. She wasn't even sure how it'd go, just that anything close to it was horrendously overdue. And she's not even immediately sure how she feels about finally saying all of that directly to Lilian, rather than anyone but her.     "...Ah..." She blinks, confusedly fishes out her phone, and stares almost dumbfoundedly at the date and time she's given. It takes some time for her mind to catch up, like it's lagging behind, before a slightly shuddery, small smile comes to her face. "...Got it."     While Rufus almost loses his hand, she's running a sleeve over her eyes - that might've been concerning, if it wasn't for Angela giving them the all-okay. The extremely worrying things that would happen on button pressing are kept to memory, just as much about the test always occuring.     Some of them really shouldn't ever be pressed. She really doesn't want to be someone putting even a little bit of extra pressure on Lilian's.     "...Alright. Lunch time. I'm starving." She can tell Touta he's not insane while they're on break.