Scene #8899: Better Late Than Never

Owner	Pose
Angela	L Corp! L Corp is on lockdown after a certain leak that spilled out onto the local internet but Aidan can get an audience by asking for one. The Warpgate opens for him at a scheduled time and then is shut off behind him. He's trapped in L Corp now, potentially! Or at least, that'd be a risk if L Corp wanted to trap someone in the facility. Aidan is met by L Corp Agents Cinder and Yuri who guide Aidan to Angela's office. They are both armed, and they talk to each other about work rather than with Aidan too much beyond a greeting and explanation as to their role in meeting with him at the Gate. Once they make it to Angela's office, Cinder raps on the door with her fist. "It is open. Please inform Aidan that the room is under surveillance." "You're gonna be recorded, so don't try any funny business!" Cinder points in Aidan's direction. "ahah, it's not because of you though." Yuri adds. The door opens, and she kind of pushes Aidan in the office's direction. Aidan finds Angela sitting on the edge of her desk, one leg crossed over the other. There's no chair in front of Angela's desk but there is one behind it where she occassionally sits--but she's not there right now, she's on the desk--her hands folded on her lap. She nods to Cinder and Yuri who step back out and Angela turns back to Aidan. "My apologies for the security. There has been an unrelated issue--simply poor timing on your part--but perhaps timing is something we can discuss a bit now that you are here." She quirks her head. "How may I help you?"
Aidan Proudpick	Aidan, notably, is not worried about being trapped here. It is curious if Aidan EVER has an exit strategy. He is also still not looking great, partially shaved in some places, stitches where he is shaved, and generally desaturated. But, he has on his nicest turqoise blue silk shirt and black breeches, the kind he saves for meeting with royalty. Well, he is meeting the leader of a city, a power, right? Aidan nods to both with a smile, trying to start a "Hey, how is it going," with both before it just kind of gets awkward and silent. He lifts his hands at Cinder, "I promise." And then he is pushed in, staggering and wobbling, weak from his duel and trying to punch Perry Talon and failed and rough attempts at Quicknest. It would be rude to lean against a wall, so he does his best stand up straight, tail high and poised. His smile is sheepish, but earnest. "I want to help you be free, Miss Angela."
Angela	Angela is not the leader of a city. Angela is not even the leader of L Corp really, but she does in practice do a lot of the management required for that facility due to the actual leader of L Corp being a mind wiped insane person who is rapidly disassociating between two personas--or so Angela believes. It might be worse than that. It is pretty clear that the agents of L Corp--while not perhaps as hostile as others--don't have the greatest opinion of Aidan. Plenty of agents in LobCorp have had their lives personally saved by Petra or look up to her or fear her--but they are by and large professional in nature and are just being 'a little rough' rather than intentionally trying to hurt (or kill!) him. ''I want to help you be free, Miss Angela.'' "Oh? Why?" Angela asks neutrally. "I can put you through the test if you'd like if you wish to continue helping with Meltdowns, but why are you coming here to say this now?" Angela frowns. "Plenty wish to help but the way to help is already in progress. Petra, the Dame Commander--they have already gotten us past the point we could not pass before--and I am afraid I cannot advise on how best to handle what remains as it is new to me as well."
Aidan Proudpick	Sheepishness turns to shame. "Because I always wanted to help you, Miss Angela. But I always figured you had enough help. Or you wouldn't want my help." He deliberately stops each time, thinking rather than blurting out the first thing that comes into his head. "But, that shouldn't be how it's done, right? You've cared about me more than most, even when I've been a right shit, and kept sticking the hand out to me." Aidan frowns deeper, "Saying it out loud like that," he shakes his head, continuing. "I don't know what I can do for you, Miss Angela. But I wanna do more than just arrive when things start blowing up."
Angela	Enough help... The frightening thing is that that might be true! Angela just kind of dwells on that mentally for a while. "Maybe not." Angela admits. "I do have a surprising amount of help as of late. Enough that you hardly need to lend me a hand simply because you want to be a good person. Indeed, I think helping ''me'' now rather than the people of Quicknest is probably not the best idea?" ''You've cared about me more than most--'' "I sent a robot after you to do you harm." Angela says, managing to not sound bewildered. Is this like when Ishirou thanked Petra for killing him? Are murder attempts--or even successful murders--the way you improve your relationships with people??? Angela feels like she is losing her mind but there is no benefit to her to slap the hand of someone who is extending it--especially when they're going to be slapped a lot in the near future, by the sound of it. But she needs to be careful. Seeming acts of selflessness can be... more trouble than they first appear. "You know, of course," Angela says. "That Petra is my best friend and no matter how much you help me, I will support her." She studies Aidan's face, her gaze impassive.
Aidan Proudpick	"because you want to be a good person." A wince. "Yea. Does kinda sound like that, doesn't it?" He shrugs his shoulders, looking back up at Angela, "It's not that. Or just that. I could go anywhere to help people. But, I wanted to go to the person I shoulda been helping all along." rather than the people of Quicknest is probably not the best idea? A nod of the head, "Quicknest comes first. It's gotta wait until after that." "I sent a robot after you to do you harm." A blink from Aidan. Confusion. "Had I listened to you, I wouldn't be in half the mess I got myself into. And I hurt your friends. I don't like it, but you didn't try to finish the job or anything." "I will support her." Again, another blink from Aidan and a confused look on his face, "Of course. Why wouldn't you? She's your best friend." A smile crosses his face, "You wouldn't be you if you didn't support her, right?"
Angela	"Better late than never, is that it?" Angela asks. MAybe she needs to try a different tack here--yes, she thinks she knows what she needs to do. What she needs to say. She's confident in this. She thinks this will tell her what she needs to know. "How would you like to help me, then?" Angela asks, leaning forward. "What are you thinking?" She rests her head in both hands while looking towards Aidan's eyes and staring right into them. "It is true that you could have avoided a lot of pain many a time before we reached this point, but I do not have much to say about the matter that Xion and Petra have not put more acutely, directly, and succinctly that I can." She is relieved that he at least isn't thanking him for the attempted murder (again). In truth, she couldn't have demanded the Abnormality to kill him--the act itself was on a whim, largely relying on the normal behavior of the All Around Helper. ''You wouldn't be you if you didn't support her, right?'' "I am glad you understand this." Angela says, leaning back. "To be honest, the way you can help me is difficult since one way--likely the best way-- you can help me is by dying off somewhere as Petra asked but I am going to assume that is a bridge too far so perhaps we can focus on Xion's suggestions. Be a person. Be a person who knows himself and is consistent with himself and is sincere with himself. I don't...really need to be an avenue for your self improvement." She leans back and mimes taking a breath and then lets it out slowly. "Ishirou would come by frequently, searching for how to be a 'good' person but I think 'good' is the easy part, in a way. It is easy to be upset at 'evil', to be angry with women who call you names--or even to 'not care'. Not caring is also easy." She shakes her head. "It is the being a 'person' that is difficult. That is the lifelong journey. And you can't get that from me, or Xion, or by helping me. You understand this, right?"
Aidan Proudpick	"What are you thinking?" "I'm good at defense, I've..." well, not that many non-combat skills. Frustration, shame, sadness, all race over Aidan's face. "I'm..." He lets out a slow breath of contrition, realizing he doesn't REALLY have a leg to stand with this. "How would you like to help me, then?" It's frustration with himself, shame for himself. "I don't..." He starts to open his mouth and close it again, trying to find the right words to defend himself. He really DOES just want to help Angela, but... He didn't really come here expecting this. It shows as he slowly deflates with breath. "you can help me is by dying off somewhere as Petra asked" That one hurts. Hurts more than just breaking his house down. He keeps his body straight, but his tail clearly slides down a notch at that, unable to keep up a bright face. I don't...really need to be an avenue for your self improvement." Again, a bit of frustration with himself, mouth floundering. "You understand this, right?" Finally, Aidan just nods. He takes it again as his due, that is what he set up for himself, he just has to better. He smiles, "Thank you, Miss Angela, for the advice. I'd like to take the test, sometime? If I'm going to help with the Meltdowns, I wanna be prepared."
Angela	"...At defense? ... I see." Angela doesn't really see. "Do you know anything about library science?" It's almost on a lark that she asks this but then she admits, "I have plenty of fighters, Aidan. You are welcome to help with Meltdowns if you pass the test." She hesitates and adds, "I...am not a warrior," Angela admits. "To be honest, once I do escape this place, I am hoping I can avoid getting as involved with it as I have been. Certainly, I would hope whatever I make my home would be a nicer place than this." She sees his tail drop down a notch and she sighs, feeling guilty despite all the reasons telling her she shouldn't be. Even now Petra is reminding her of how she harmed Lilian--he did return the shield, she reminds herself. "Do not stress about it, I am willing to suggest Xion's path instead of Petra's in this case." Angela says, largely because she doesn't want to see a sad Aidan. "Why are you thanking me?" She asks, frustrated. "I just..." She wants to throw something. "I do not understand you, Aidan. I don't understand who you want to be, or who you are. It feels like you are just trying to say things that I would like to hear, rather than because they are things that you believe. I don't ''want'' you to suffer pointlessly, AIdan. I just want you to stop hurting people I care about, frankly I want you to stop...Being so ''pathetic''." That's the heap of her frustrations, with that word, they die down later and she adds, "Hahn... I don't know. Nevermind me. I don't expect anything I say to matter or help or do anything besides harm you." She rubs at her face for a moment, sighing slowly. "Yes, we can do the test. It is a simple test. Sarracenia was able to pass it. We can start there. Baby steps. Cross country journey."
Aidan Proudpick	"Do you know anything about library science?" "I know about pipes. And water pressure and air pressure? Woodworking?" "I don't understand who you want to be, or who you are." Aidan shakes his head, getting a bit louder, trying to be empathic. "I'm not! Miss Angela, I'm..." He presses his hand up to his face, trying to calm himself and distract his mouth from running away. "Yea, gonna take a long time for people to think I'm just being friendly and helpful." He is mostly talking to himself here. "I want to be helpful to be helpful. Because I care about what happens to you, Miss Angela. I want people to expect that of me, I want to expect that of myself. That's what I want." "And then why I'm thanking you? You still care. Even if it's just a little. You still care. And that means a lot to me." He takes on a hint of his usual smile.
Angela	''You still care'' Angela wishes she didn't. It's because of Persephone, she thinks, that she keeps trying to. It has paid off sometimes but... No, she thinks, she's frustrated and sore and losingh er mind a little. She can ''make decisions'' later. "Yes, I suppose it would." Angela says, remembering when she was someone who just 'wanted to be helpful'. But that isn't viable here, is it viable outside really? She's not sure. But what she is sure of, is that the only way she can really say anything like 'Okay great!' is once she's seen what that means. She isn't sure if it will ever actually happen. She knows Petra and Lilian have a more discerning eye on it while she is still hoping for something better than what she has grown to expect. It is a weakness she did not expect to have. "I understand. We will start with the rest and see where it goes. The truth is there will probably not be a great dramatic moment so much as one day people will think 'oh Aidan hasn't horrified us lately' and gradually--well, I am hardly a fortune teller." She slides off her desk and offers Aidan a hand. "Thank you for the assistance, I will likely not be able to chatter on public bands for some time."
Aidan Proudpick	Aidan's tail lifts back up. He reaches out to grasp the hand tentatively, not sure he's going to pass through it something before he grasps it gently. "I'm hoping for a 'thanks for the help, Aidan.'" His smile spreads wider. "Also, thanks for using my name, Miss Angela. It's one of the reasons I know I can always trust you. And don't worry. I don't talk on public bands anymore myself. I'll stay on the look out for your signal." He heads off, not quite as straight as when he came in, but his tail bobbing well enough.