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Rufus Shinra	UNNAMED PORT TOWN IN SUMMER The cruise ships come by here regularly, and when they do, the port turns into a lively place, with bustling markets selling cheap trinkets, tourist trap museums with mummies of unknown provenance, and over-packed beaches where even empty sand is at a premium. It's kind of miserable here, when that happens, whether you're living here or just visiting. Today, though, isn't one of those days. It's kind of eerie if you look at it a certain way - the machinery of touristry lies idle, the bare bones of the system that tens of thousands of middle-class-vacationers pass through each day. The beaches and boardwalks that the Karens and stockbrokers of the world careen through like balls on a pinball table, heedless of the fact that for many this is home. Or - if you don't care to wax poetic, then non-cruise-ship-days are windows of opportunity to beat the crowds and have tropical beachside boardwalk parties for quarters on the dollar, while having practically the whole beach to yourself. (Rufus tips like a drunken sailor, at least.) "To freedom!" The main focus of the party is the fireglass bonfire pit, surrounded by comfortable seating, which is in turn surrounded by coolers full of drinks and tables full of food. There's a handful of Rufus's personal staff milling around as well, but the bulk of the invitees are here from the Concord or other multiversal elites who took him up on the invitation. There, in the center, Rufus is raising a bottle. "Whether ours, getting free of the worst week in Lobotomy Corporation, or - others, in the future, we're still working on." "That we shouldn't ever take freedom - or ever take having good food and drink - or ever take not being stuck underground fending off monstrosities and former allies all bent on killing us - for granted. Here's to freedom, and not having to look-" A helicopter passes by overhead, interrupting Rufus's speech. He waits until its gone and the noise has died down. "Ugh, people with helicopters can be so inconsiderate," says Rufus without a hint of irony. "Not having to look over our shoulders constantly." "And also - to Petra Soroka, and Audrey Basque! The Concord's newest partners! Welcome to the Family!" He raises his bottle again. "I'll let all here make their own punchline about what families are like. Ha ha ha."
Riku Asakura	Riku was here because he considered himself a friend to Rufus.  After all, together they got through the hellish week in L-Corp and managed to get to the other side of things.  Today, he's even making a speech about it.  Riku has himself a non-alcoholic drink in hand, as the speech goes on.  He's here today because he dearly needs to rest and recuperate, and his friends at home are pushing him to do just that.   The helicopter goes by, and when Rufus comments on it, the line goes over his head.  So does the irony in Rufus's statement.  He's got a big smile on his face and is glad to just relax and check in with Rufus.  He's glad for the things Rufus is going on about in his speech.  Not having to look over their shoulders, check the bathroom a hundred times, or sleep with one eye open.   Good food and good drinks are things worth celebrating right now.  To the last bit, however, he's a little less... enthusiastic.  He's got nothing against people in the Concord but rather has a conflict in ideology with the Concord itself.  However, he claps for the two people who were accepted into it, even though he is not a member and has issues with said organization.   "Cheers!" he says, still in his jean jacket, orange shirt with a character named Donshine on it, and jeans with tennis shoes on.  He'll probably be a touch out of place here without anything chic to wear, but it's at least an outfit that he's known for wearing.
Audrey Basque	Audrey has been GRACIOUSLY KIDNAPPED by Petra, which is upsetting to Audrey on so many levels that she cannot even vocalize the how or why of her upset. Actually she knows exactly why and that is, itself, immensely upsetting too.     Her world is very upset right now, really, between threats of time loops, organ (disambiguation) playing monsters, true speak hunters asking to fight(?), and demon kings (plural).     She was, in fact, not ready at all.     To make matters worse, she had class today! So when Petra and her met up, she was still wearing the uniform. Proving Petra, eternally, and frustratingly, correct on all counts.     "T-Thank you for the invitation," she curtsies for Rufus, with a slight skirt raise and bow, as if this were a ballroom, turning the attention to him rather than herself when he toasts. Some habits simply can't be shaken off.     Oh the other hand... it had been an insanely busy last several weeks. Maybe sitting down to relax just a little bit wouldn't be the end of the world.
Petra Soroka	"To freedom."     Petra isn't quite as enthused as Rufus is, despite being the person who spent the single longest time trapped inside Lobotomy Corporation during the war. She's wearing an oversized t-shirt with a bunch of instagram-girl style mystical symbols patterned on the chest, and baggy green harem pants with her sandals temporarily kicked off for the bonfire. Her hair is tied into a lazy ponytail, only barely long enough to not slip out from the tiny tuft on the back of her head, but it *is* longer and shaggier than its typical jaw-length. She sips an iced tea through a straw, eyes downcast while sitting in the lounge chair.     In the chair she pulled beside her, with an arm protectively draped around it, is the Eggpack. Still, after all that, just the Eggpack, and it's somewhat worse for wear for having gone through the war too, with one edge of the screen that Angela's face is on broken with rainbow lines interrupting the transmission of her from her new setup in the Library. Still, she hugs the bulky metal backpack tightly to her side.     "I don't know. I'm not sure how 'free' I feel." Petra stares into the fire, talking around the plastic straw stuck in her mouth. "Maybe not until Ange's out, but even after...."     She sighs, unhappy, leaning her head against the Eggpack. "I just hope stuff'll be okay with Lilian after this. I feel like if I just fought down there in the facility forever then I wouldn't feel this bad about everything. At least I'm used to fighting off monsters and former allies in hell forever." "The Concord's newest partners! Welcome to the Family!"     Petra waves her hand a bit. She's not exactly *over* being a Partner, but she is emotionally preoccupied. A state that the Concord is meant to help with.     "Mhm. Audrey and I just did our interviews with Director Kuran yesterday. I'd had an invitation already, but I think Audrey's been working at it for a while...?"
Audrey Basque	Audrey nods. "There has been a few, and some orientation, and learning, and..." She trails off, the point being quite made. "I'm very grateful to Yuuki," whom she calls that because she insisted on it, "For this chance."     She raises her glass, after finally taking a seat (because the curtsy is cute, but too long and it's awkward). "To freedom."     Even though... she doesn't feel free at all.
Sarracenia	Gregory did not have to push Sarracenia quite as hard to leave the castle today, but he still had to push her. She is here in her current default outfit. That is, black eyepatch, grey hair, and a black dress to match the eyepatch. And of course her small golden crown and somewhat large burgundy metal lotus haipin.      She holds up her drink as Rufus starts what seems like a toast. Then listens. And listens. And...listens. She mmphs softly as he keeps listing things. Which, while she does not disagree with she also does not like being reminded.      The helicopter passes by. Sarra looks up, hair fluttering in the breeze, then looks at Rufus with a bit of indignation and a slight snrk before she returns to listening.      'And also - to Petra Soroka, and Audrey Basque!'      Sarra isn't exactly thrilled for Petra to be added to the Concord, but it seemed inevitable considering the connection to Angela and how much Director Kuran seems to like Petra. "Welcome." Sarra says.      Sarra has not met Audrey before as far as she knows, so when Audrey thanks Rufus for the invitation Sarra stands from her seat. She curtseys in return as she introduces herself. "Greetings, Audrey. I am Princess Sarracenia Sundew, Crown Princess of the Sundew Kingdom and fellow Partner. Welcome to the Concord."      'I'll let all here make their own punchline about what families are like. Ha ha ha.'      "What are families like...?" Sarra considers a moment. "...judgemental, yet...somehow caring as well? But, in the Concord you are Kukuru's family. So, be prepared for much doting from her."
Flamel Parsons	Flamel Parsons looks fucked up. No, not the clothes -- he's got a button-down shirt that doesn't suck, his tie's loose but okay, his slacks are even decently ironed despite the beach nature of this outing -- he's keeping up the MIB look. No, not the wounds either, he's had enough time to get some replacement for his lost synthetic skin. Not even his expression! His happiness is apparent, sincere, and fully on-display. No, it's his exhaustion, which comes off him in waves and drags down every small movement, and sometimes just sort of vents out of his skull like a rush of steam, visible and psychically substantial. Doesn't stop him from finding a nice hangout to relax at.     "To freedom!" He agrees, raising a can from his exhaustion-laden seat at the side of the fire. "And new friends! You know, hopefully!" His smile is big behind those sunglasses, but he doesn't presume, not after... well, you know! He makes sure to visit one of them. Audrey!     "Hi!" His motions, when he greets her, are cheery and friendly, but seem slower than a person's ought to be. "The Director's pretty excellent, isn't she? Helped me out ages ago with some experiments. You know," He snaps his fingers and grins brightly. "Come to think of it -- that was just after a big event with a time-loop too! What a funny repeat." He extends a hand to shake. "I'm Flamel Parsons, agent of a vague yet ominous international government organization. Great to meet you!"     To Rufus, he calls out, "Don't mind helicopters! If they're unmarked and jet-black, that means they're secret police monitoring. Navy blue means primarily chemtrail dispersal. If they're sort of glass-tinted but off-green, that's mostly army-and-alien collaborative joyrides. You don't have to worry about mysterious helicopters unless they *land*, really."
Angela	Angela has been hard at work setting up the internality of her Library but it's not as if she could visit herself. There's the Eggpack, which is the only comforting way for her to 'observe' the outside world right now. Using one of the Angelapads, well, she might just lose it. So she's not going to do that. ''To freedom!'' "To freedom." Angela says, dryer than ash. Parker, Justin Rook, and Random are present, still wearing their old Lobotomy Corp suits though now minus armbands so... ... basically just suits. In fact, their EGO Gear is nonpresent, having been absorbed by Angela's Book and--apparently--not yet returned to them but the fact that they are able to go to this party here suggests of the amount of trust they've earned from Angela right now. They take places near each other, though Parker ends up picking a seat next to Petra for some reason. Angela is oblivious to the damaged screen of the Eggpack--or rather, that it is effecting her transmission. It's not like she can see how she looks to others, but for Audrey's sake--she has long pale blue hair, golden eyes, and is wearing a long purple coat with white sleeves and gloves. There is some white patterning of butterflies--or maybe feathers--around her coat. She's also wearing a button down white dress shirt with a white ascot with three black feathers acting as adornment, with a black vest over that. She's also wearing a black skirt and black stockings with purple heeled dress shoes that match her jacket. She's sitting at a desk and is writing something periodically in a little book while massive shelves of books move around in the background behind her, sliding into place. She's still working on setting up the place, it seems. Justin Rook is a man in his late twenties with long black hair, Random has teal blue hair that has gotten shaggier over the course of the war, and Parker is a young woman with blonde hair pulled back in a pony tail and bright blue eyes. "You must be Audrey Basque. A pleasure to see you face to face," Angela says to her, staring at her and barely ever blinking. "I don't think I can move back to the City after burning ''that'' bridge." Rook says to Petra. "For what it's worth, I think you have a better shot. Doubt it's forever." Parker has only stolen one fork so she's being on good behavior. Random exhales, "I don't know about taking your job, though, Captain..." "You're the one most motivated for it." Justin says. "...Besides, most of the work we'll be doing is Library work and you are way better at that book shit than me."
Rufus Shinra	Finger-guns at Riku. "Hey, this guy! Coming in pretty much right at the end of everything, and still pulling his weight. You sure you're not in the Concord after all? Cogito ergo sum, we're hiring. That's latin for 'as has been demonstrated', by the way." Then to Audrey next, despite her attempts to shake off the spotlight. "Yeah! Yeah, hey. So! What's your deal? I don't think I caught it over the radio. Secret agent? Robot? Government psychic? Time traveler? Sea monster?" "I just hope stuff'll be okay with Lilian after this." "Hey. Look. I don't know all of what everything is going on between you two..." "... But I meant what I said down there, that I'll try to get things... patched up. As much as I can." "So just, if I can help with that, call on me as a resource, alright? Otherwise I'm going to probably start on Rita first, and..." He makes a face. "Hope she doesn't try to drown me on contact, or whatever." The helicopter flies by overhead again. "Well, that's rude," says Rufus. "Aren't there public disturbance laws or something?" > "Don't mind helicopters!" Rufus listens to Flamel's listing with fascination. "I'll keep that in mind if I see any green helicopters." What he'll do if he *does* see one isn't said. > "To freedom." Angela says, dryer than ash. "Sorry - one step at a time, Angela. We'll get you there. Get you here. I'll make sure we save you a bottle." He's glad to see some of the agents here. "Hey. You all got new jobs at the library, huh? Door's still open if you need a job. I can't offer anything glamorous or thrilling or dangerous, but you definitely earned it."
Riku Asakura	'Maybe not until Ange's out, but even after....' Riku lowers his head at that, knowing someone is trapped somewhere while he is out here having fun and drinking.  Making cheers and genuinely being free to go and do what you want.  It bothers him that someone is trapped where they can not leave.  "One day," he says to Petra, "We'll free her.  I believe that'll happen." '"To freedom." Angela says, dryer than ash.' Riku is surprised by the eggpack, and that Angela's voice came out of it.  This is the first time he's seen it, and now that he has he's aware she has ways of at least experiencing the outside world.  "Angela!  Good to see you here!" 'Finger-guns at Riku. "Hey, this guy! Coming in pretty much right at the end of everything, and still pulling his weight. You sure you're not in the Concord after all? Cogito ergo sum, we're hiring. That's latin for 'as has been demonstrated', by the way."' "Uh, I'm sure.  I'm with the Paladins," Riku says a bit uncomfortably.  "Oh I'm Riku Asakura by the way," he says for Audrey's benefit.  He gives her a bow, before turning towards Rufus.  His usual face goes from a smile to a more serious expression.  "I don't think the Concord would be a good place for me anyway, but I appreciate your... enthusiasm." He also doesn't look at Flamel.  He's still got a lot of feelings about the man.  Including the lies, Flamel told him about the agents returning.
Petra Soroka	"Welcome."     Petra isn't about to take the first swing at Sarracenia at the moment, not when she is less than twenty-four hours past being accepted as a Partner, but the flatness of Sarracenia's tone makes her eyes flick over to the side to look at her. She can't really expect anything better than unenthusiasm from Sarracenia, though, so she returns the favor by not saying anything else herself. "And new friends! You know, hopefully!"     "Well, who knows, Flamel." Petra's tone towards Flamel is notably cold, and her aura prickles like needles underskin when she addresses him. "We've known each other for a while already. I'm sure we'll be good friends until you find another girl you'd rather hurt me instead of." "I don't think I can move back to the City after burning ''that'' bridge."     "For what it's worth," Petra says to Rook without looking at him, because of all people here, *he's* the one she's struggling to actually make eye contact with the most. "... I could set you up on Hydrochoeria or something, once the warpgate's back up. If you want. You guys have all more than earned that from me." "So just, if I can help with that, call on me as a resource, alright? Otherwise I'm going to probably start on Rita first, and..."     Petra's expression twists a little more. She awkwardly shifts in her lounge chair, folding her knees underneath herself to curl up reservedly a bit more, visibly unhappy. "... I don't know how I'd ever start with Rita. I don't-- I don't know if I'd ever want to. I... didn't even know about the monster thing until shortly before all that, and then... I mean, we've been friends forever. I feel like I didn't know who she was at all, and the-- the tentacles are barely even a factor in it."     "Lilian, though... I don't think any of you can help with that. I think Lilian hates me for it for a different reason than any of you are going to have trouble with her. She... I mean... used me, obviously, to do exactly what I did. And because of that, I had to be held to the same standards as she is."     "... Which I kind of fucked up a bit, by the way. I-- I don't... feel great about how it went down, ahah. Besides Angela surviving, which was non-negotiable."
Audrey Basque	A princess! Audrey feels the crushing need to also get up and bow, because you don't just leave a princess hanging!! And so she does, and it is done.     Only to realize, dreadfully, that she had not formally introduced herself to most of these people!     "Audrey Basque, Crown White, Encroachment/Catastrophe, Basque Foundation heiress and Concord Partner, Nova Heliosanctus ninth year student." A full, formal bow. "Moreso than just our host, it is a pleasure to meet all of you." Well, she put it on a bit thick, but that's how it goes when you go full honor student.     Flamel is upfront, and mentions time loops again. Audrey stares, in that stare that seems to be 99% concern and 1% panic.     "It is deeply concerning it seems to be a recurring threat," she manages, "But nonetheless it is nice to meet you, mister Parsons."     Then to the screen - right, she had mentioned not being able to leave. This seems... depressing, but at least it's an option. "And it's nice to meet you as well, Angela. Hopefully, in proper person soon too when I visit." She does look forward to that.     Rufus asks her what her deal is, and once again time manipulation comes up. IS IT THAT COMMON? WHAT IS THIS PLACE???     "I'm a student. I swear." This is true. "If you want a label that defines what I can do... I'll accept mage or astrologer." But she's not here for that, she's here for... to...     Why did Petra invite her again?     It's surely very social in nature.     She turns to face Riku, all smiles. "And nice to meet you as well, mister Asakura." A Paladin, he says? She shouldn't be too surprised.     She spins on her heels, turning to look at Petra. "I think you should forget about her, right now. It seems to only be causing you pain. I'm sure our host has some drinks to help you through the night without worrying about it. ... you do drink, right? I... served you that glass yesterday without even asking."
Flamel Parsons	"...Besides, most of the work we'll be doing is Library work..."     Flamel nods along with the Agents. "Frankly," He says, with a sheepish shrug. "I'd rather work in a library like that than anywhere in that City. I'm biased, though -- so much information to work with! God, don't I love it. Plenty of reason that I hate a lot of parts of how things went, but the Library side of things? Mmh." Little chef-kiss. "Perfect."     ...Riku doesn't look at Flamel...     Flamel does glance at the currently un-ultra'd man once or twice, working his own jaw a little. He did a lot for people to avoid him about. He doesn't look anything besides accepting of the consequential distance.     "I'm sure we'll be good friends until you find another girl you'd rather hurt me instead of."     Like that. His smile is strained, weak, but he pushes forward with all the friendly posture that he can. "Decently clever jab!" He says. "Pretty damaging too, actually! Let me know how long you'd like me to turn it over in my head looking for a hypothetical counter-argument or some way of assuaging guilt when otherwise understimulated. I've got a good number of hours scheduled for that at the moment, so I can fit a lot in!"
Sarracenia	'The Director's pretty excellent, isn't she?'      Sarra nods lightly in agreement. "She seems quite considerate, especially considering she is a vampire. I have heard it is quite difficult for vampires to resist their...unfortunate urges."      Sarra offers a small wave to Riku. "It is good to see you are alright. You might have been even worse off than me by the end of things." she says.      'I don't think I can move back to the City after burning ''that'' bridge.'      "The offer of a home in the Sundew Kingdom still stands as well." Sarra says, then offers Parker a wave as well. "Parker, I am glad to see you made it through. I was worried."      'Audrey Basque, Crown White, Encroachment/Catastrophe, Basque Foundation heiress and Concord Partner, Nova Heliosanctus ninth year student.'      Sarra appreciates the return in protocol, but her eyes are a bit wide at the end of Audrey's introduction. Does -everyone- have more and better titles than her? Still, Sarra smiles lightly. "Nova Heliosanctus. That sounds quite prestigious. Are you perhaps a star student as well as your other titles?"      'I think you should forget about her, right now.'      Sarra can't help a bit of a laugh at that. She reins it in quickly and covers her mouth. "Ah...forgive me." she says, trying to cover her amused smirk.
Flamel Parsons	"She seems quite considerate, especially considering she is a vampire."     Flamel tilts his head and shakes it a bit. "You know, vampires get a bad rap for that, I think. Hunger as an urge tends to reduce as you get older, and plenty of vampires get *old*, don't they? I don't really keep up with ancient orders of vampires, but most immortal-race conspiracies tend to get institutional inertia that overrides urges. Really, think about it -- you eat too, and you're not ruled by hunger, right? I'm sure it's like that for her."
Audrey Basque	To Sarracenia, Audrey nods. "W-Well, I should not like to brag pointlessly, but since you asked... yes. I am the school's leading student, at the moment, both in magical grades and actual grades - in my field, of course. I believe it's why I ended up encouraged to make this step into the Concord."
Angela	Angela was asked to show kindness to Flamel and she isn't sure how to do that right now. What she manages to do is stop herself from adding a snide comment herself. Her last conversation with Lilian is heavy on her mind. She'll figure something out in time. Doing what he did to Petra probably saved either her life or soul but she knows first hand how difficult that was for Petra. "...To be honest, I knew about the tentacles for a long time but you are right. I feel like I've seen a lot about Rita in two days I hadn't seen in two years. She said she did not believe I could care about anyone unless they showed me kindness first and I do not know if I can dispute that." She glances to Flamel and admits, "Well, the full work of what it means to be a Library there has yet to be settled." Flamel's reaction to Petra's jab leads her further into despair though it doesn't so much as flicker on her face. Angela gives Riku a small nod, then Audrey one. "It would be nice to learn more of that world. So much was through the lens of the Dame Commander, I still feel unprepared. I am surprised you don't have ghosts but if you want any I could try to help." She quirks her head at Audrey's advice to Petra before going quiet. "Well, we have been told to assist you until you seize control of your own company." Rook says to Rufus. "So you'll be getting our labor, just you don't have to pay us." Random adds, "At least once we are armed again." "Rita ate my arm." Parker adds. She still only has one. "Well until Petra vaporized it."
Rufus Shinra	Around about now, several of the boardwalk's staff start filtering through the party, refreshing drinks or replenishing food. One of them's hovering around Rufus's area in a kinda weird way. > "Lilian, though... I don't think any of you can help with that. I think Lilian blah blah blah blah blah blah, codependence blah blah blah blah, weird lesbian stuff blah blah blah blah blaaaaaah." "I'm sorry to hear," says Rufus, vaguely. "But if I can't help with that then I guess I can't help with that. > "Well, we have been told to assist you until you seize control of your own company." "Appreciated. Probably going to start figuring out that soon. Just need to be *very* careful about what moves I make, when." > 'Audrey Basque, Crown White, Encroachment/Catastrophe, Basque Foundation heiress and Concord Partner, Nova Heliosanctus ninth year student.' "Ah! Neat. I recognize some of those words. What sort of catastrophes do you cause? Do you think we can get a demonstration?" Rufus takes a drink. "Hey, Bossman." One of the servers carrying a tray of drinks, has stopped behind Rufus, and has his free hand on Rufus's shoulder. "Reno," says Rufus, stiffening. "Interesting fact," says the server with the spiky hair, "There were two separate agencies that were supposed to be keeping tabs on you, right? Turns out both of them thought the other one was taking charge, both were getting fake reports on your location from the other, and nobody actually knew where you were. Wonder how that misunderstanding happened." The helicopter overhead shines its searchlight down, illuminating Rufus and Reno in a narrow beam of light. "You pulled quite the fast one, Bossman. But it's time to go home. Say bye bye to your friends and come with us, okay?"
Riku Asakura	'Sarra offers a small wave to Riku. "It is good to see you are alright. You might have been even worse off than me by the end of things." she says.' "Thanks for your concern, but my body can heal very fast.  Though it'll be a while before I'm back up to my best..." he says admitting it to Sarra.  He might be tough and heal fast, but doing what he did still took it out of him.  "What about you, how are you healing?  I hope it's well!" 'She turns to face Riku, all smiles. "And nice to meet you as well, mister Asakura." A Paladin, he says? She shouldn't be too surprised.' Riku returns the greeting with a high-beam smile.  "I hope we get to meet more out in the multiverse." '"You pulled quite the fast one, Bossman. But it's time to go home. Say bye bye to your friends and come with us, okay?"' With the flash of the light from the helicopter in the sky, Riku takes a stand next to Reno and places a hand on his shoulder.  "I don't think he wants to go, what is this even all about anyway?" he asks both Reno and Rufus.
Audrey Basque	If you want any I could try to help.     Audrey's attention is grabbed fully by Angela, and she appears to lose a bit of color. "I-- y... t-thank you for the offer, but I don't... think I want ghosts? I feel like they would be strictly detrimental to the atmosphere of my house. Or dorm room." These people are incredibly normal.     Do you think we can get a demonstration?     Incredibly, so totally normal.     "I, err... w-well, it's a... classification. I haven't..." Don't say you've never done it!!! "The Catastrophe classification merely denotes those Enlightened and threats whose abilities could cause extreme damage to their surroundings regardless of outcome. I... I do not believe you want me demonstrating this somewhere public."     OH THANK GOD THERE'S A HELICOPTER.     Wow she never thought she'd think or say that.     She turns to Petra, at a slight angle. "Is this normal too?"
Sarracenia	Sarra listens to Flamel's opinion on vampire urges, and considers a moment before shrugging. "You may be right. It is not as though I know many vampires, but...the three I have met have been quite kind."      '"W-Well, I should not like to brag pointlessly, but since you asked... yes. I am the school's leading student, at the moment, both in magical grades and actual grades - in my field, of course. I believe it's why I ended up encouraged to make this step into the Concord.'      '"W-Well, I should not like to brag pointlessly, but since you asked... yes. I am the school's leading student, at the moment, both in magical grades and actual grades - in my field, of course. I believe it's why I ended up encouraged to make this step into the Concord.'      Sarra's smile fades a bit. "My...so accomplished at such a young age..." she says, her tone introspective. Sarra is nearly 30 (and probably counts as older now thanks to Lilian) and feels like despite her efforts she hasn't really managed to do anything. "...I only barely managed to achieve some tangible recognition this last year." she says somberly. Her slight smile returns a moment later though. "Well, with all of that already accomplished I am sure you will become an amazing heroine." Sarra says, not even considering that Audrey might want to become something other than that.      'She said she did not believe I could care about anyone unless they showed me kindness first and I do not know if I can dispute that.'      Sarra hmphs softly. "That entire mentality is terrible. If everyone only showed kindness to those who showed it first...no one would ever show kindness and the Multiverse would probably have been destroyed by now or -everything- would be the City. I am glad that I show kindness first, even considering everything that happened."      'What about you, how are you healing? I hope it's well!'      Sarra fidgits with her grey hair uncomfortably. "I am..." She ends up just going quiet, trying to think of how to answer.      Luckily for her, Reno shows up. Sarra blinks in surprise and looks toward him and Rufus. "Pardon me. But, if he is your boss or even just the son of your boss, that likely makes him your boss. I see little reason for him to go anywhere if he does not wish to." she says, arms crossed over her chest. "And, trying to force him amongst this group would be...unwise."
Petra Soroka	"I'm a student. I swear."     Petra sits up a bit at that, propping her elbows on her knees to smirk at Audrey while sipping her lemonade. "Well, now, saying you *swear* you're a student... suddenly makes it a lot more fun to think about the alternatives, right? That's like me going 'I'm normal; I swear'," Which happened a thousand times. "And then getting made fun of for it." "Decently clever jab!"     "'Decently' clever..." Petra mumbles to herself. Flamel always gives her trouble, because he doesn't get pained and indignant at small jabs like most people do, even though they cause him distress. The fact that she *understands* the algorithmically structured self-torment in response to doing wrong makes her more irritated, and not less, but there's nothing satisfying to be gained out of it unless she wants to see him break, which she doesn't. However, she still *wants* to hurt him, so, helplessly, she is beholden to continuing to be hostile despite knowing there will be no catharsis.     "To be honest, I've actually seen ways I can hurt you way worse than words, Flamel. Do you have any hours blocked out for that? I finally got to see how much it sucked for you to wander around in my head; do you think I've got a whole copy of the facility in there now? That's the kind of fake-ass self-sacrificing empathy you're into pretending you have, right?" "I have heard it is quite difficult for vampires to resist their...unfortunate urges."     Under her breath, Petras mumbles 'Mood'. She could mean anything by this. "Nova Heliosanctus. That sounds quite prestigious."     To dunk on Sarracenia, Petra calls out to her, faux-agreeing. "Oh, it's *really* prestigious, actually. You couldn't ask for a better school, in terms of the quality of its alumni. I mean, one of them even got to be the best Elite in the sector!"     To Audrey, though, Petra blinks in mild surprise. "Oh, wow. Top student, nice. I mean-- normally that'd be, like, super lame to brag about, but I know how hard those kids go." "I feel like I've seen a lot about Rita in two days I hadn't seen in two years."     Petra makes a low, pained sound, twisting up her shirt hem in her fist. "She really-- I mean, just the absolute *hatred* she obviously had. I can't hold a grudge against Lilian, but she was... I don't want to listen to a single thing she said to you. I don't want to think about her at all."
Petra Soroka	"I think you should forget about her, right now. It seems to only be causing you pain."     This is obviously one of the most bafflingly surprising things ever suggested to Petra. Her eyes widen and she automatically stammers out a response before even thinking about it. "A-ah-- I mean, that's not how that works. It doesn't actually matter-- doesn't matter how much pain it causes me. I'd rather die than forget about her; like, you know, it's my *purpose* to support her. Just because I'm a little unhappy...."     The more she talks, though, the more she eases herself into the idea. She glances over to the bar, and chews on the inside of her lip. "W-well-- I don't usually drink. I've done it plenty, but I try to avoid it most of the time, so... but it's not like Lilian's *here*. I can't do anything to help her right *now*, and honestly, I'm *so* done with Rita, so...."     Five minutes later, when the suits start infiltrating the party, Petra has already cleared a glass and a half of heavily alcoholic vodka cocktails. Face turning flushed, hand pressed over one side of her face to try and squish back the alcohol-uncovered sadness that's gradually making her look unhappier, she just blinks and stares blankly at Reno. "Is this normal too?"     "Mmm..." Petra wobbles her head back and forth, equivocating. "Sorta. I remember one of the first parties I went to as an Elite, someone was like 'man, we should really have a therapist on site for these things'. So this is pretty tame, actually." "Say bye bye to your friends and come with us, okay?"     "So what's your fucking issue, dude?!" Petra shouts from the bar at full volume. "We're *celebrating*! Don't make me blow your fucking helicopter up, because *I'm* not gonna pay the fucking disposal fees!"
Angela	"If you change your mind," Angela, relieved by Audrey's normalness which makes her think of how she wantrd to appear cool and normal to WHITE. So much for that. She is probably going to have to set up the whole Library as a trap for unsuspecting adventurers who are intensely terrified of her and violent towards her simply because of what she is. Could WHITE understand what that's like? To be forced to slaughter hordes of adventurers just so she gets to live? Hahh.... Angela's expression grows considerably more dour, somehow, until.... Goons! Justin Rook and Random stand up. Parker continues to eat her meal. Angela studies the mysterious new Agents that have appeared and determines Reno must be an... Elite Goon. "My apologies." Angela tells Reno. "Rufus and I were having a business meeting. He was studying with my company and learning about alternative energy sources and collectiom processes." Angela says. "I was undisposed so we were discussing via teleconference but I am a Partner of the Concord." An extendo arm reaches out to Reno. "Would it be trouble if you allow us some time to wrap up this meeting before he returns home?" Angela asks. "I personally promise that there will be no more...escapades. Rufus had just been speaking to us about returning home and sharing what he had learned. Due to the confidentiality agreements at Lobcorp he had to be as lowkey about his involvement as possible." She glances to Petra about Rita's hatred. She certainly noticed that. But she gives her a quiet nod. She will approach Rita and find a way to handle it. ... Or at least try to understand the rage. "....I'd rather this not become a fight too. Surely a couple hours won't hurt?" She offers to Reno.
Flamel Parsons	"You pulled quite the fast one, Bossman. But it's time to go home. Say bye bye to your friends and come with us, okay?"     "Hi," Flamel tries to step forward a bit. He looks a bit too beat to be defending people right now. "Flamel Parsons, agent, etc. Doing this in front of a huge crowd -- I get what that means! I understand how that works, and all. Maximum harm, right? Deliberately depriving someone of autonomy in front of the largest number of eyeballs. Look, I get control-tactics and everything, I understand how it works." He pushes in as best he can. "Is Shinra okay right now? The company? Are the financials bad, to be doing this kind of performance? You can trust me, I'm an agent of a vague yet ominous government organization. We can put out a gofundme, if it's really bad."     Intentional social shenanigans to try to cut some of this off. It probably won't work. He doesn't have the energy to defend someone, especially someone he's only got a looser connection with...
Flamel Parsons	"Do you have any hours blocked out for that?"     Sometime before that... "I can always make time for Psychonautry." He had said. "As long as it's something healing. And I'm always curious. You know how it is!"
Audrey Basque	"I AM normal!" Audrey insists to Petra, which does not alleviate matters even a little bit.     In the great back and forth, she turns to Sarracenia and ponders the word heroine. "I... am not sure what I aspire to be yet. Perhaps I will take a page out of Petra's playbook and go for supervillainess." It's a joke. At Petra's expense.     Back to Petra, who is now drinking, and saying this is, apparently, normal. Before she can articulate any kind of response, she notices how red her face is. "... I believe I may have made a terrible mistake and misjudged your ability to handle the drinks. Rather than a therapist, let's ensure we have water for you." Oops, nope, none of that, now Petra is picking a fight with the very handsome server.     This has been A DAY, and continues to be one.
Rufus Shinra	> "I don't think he wants to go, what is this even all about anyway?"> Don't make me blow your fucking helicopter up, > "And, trying to force him amongst this group would be...unwise." "Whoa, whoa whoa..." says Reno. "You've got quite the crew here, huh." He lets go of Rufus's shoulder and steps back. "It's all cool, Bossman's friends. We're on the same side." "Are we?" says Rufus. "Don't need to go blowing up any helicopters. And yeah, we *are*," says Reno. "Going off the reserve is one thing. That's a very Rufus Shinra thing to do, oh what boyish fun, what japes." Reno puts one hand on his hips. "Your allies attacking company personnel - that's on a different level. We're all gonna play nice here, right Bossman?" Rufus grimaces, and then raises a hand. "It's fine," he says to the others. "Stand down. These are, technically, the security force that works for me. They aren't going to hurt me." > "Rufus and I were having a business meeting. He was studying with my company and learning about alternative energy sources and collection processes." > "Due to the confidentiality agreements at Lobcorp he had to be as lowkey about his involvement as possible." Rufus nods along with the cover story. He will buy Angela the fanciest bottle of wine later. Or - wait, she can't drink. She'll get the... fanciest book he can buy. She likes books now, right? "Yeah? Better that than blowing everything off to go party, which is what we thought he was doing. We can spare a couple hours, and he can save some face if that's all true, but he still needs to head on home soon, though." > "I get what that means! I understand how that works, and all. Maximum harm, right? Deliberately depriving someone of autonomy in front of the largest number of eyeballs." "Ehh?" This analysis of his bullying tactics throws Reno off more than the outright threats of violence. > "Is Shinra okay right now? The company? Are the financials bad, to be doing this kind of performance?" Ultimately, he deals with it by powering through it. "Shinra's fine. Rufus, though, is not." "Shinra senior executives have biometric monitors on them. Alerts get sent back when something happens, as a safety and security measure." "So since he's been working with you... do you all want to explain the rather odd health alerts we got from his tracker all at once this last week?"
Riku Asakura	'It's all cool, Bossman's friends. We're on the same side.' "We are?  You're trying to get my friend to leave a party he's been excited for, for over a week..." This causes him to remove the hand on Reno's shoulder and cross his arms until Rufus calls the people off of Reno.  He gives a side-eye towards Reno but nods towards Rufus.   "Security force..?  I didn't know you had an affluent family." To be fair, there is a lot Riku doesn't know about Rufus, but one thing at a time. 'Shinra senior executives have biometric monitors on them. Alerts get sent back when something happens, as a safety and security measure.' "Wait you're a senior executive of a company?  Oh wow..." Riku says amazed by this information.  It explains the very fancy party and might even explain his behavior when winning during the poker night. Then he pauses, "That's like treating him like a dog though, monitoring his condition like that..." Of course, this doesn't answer the question of what happened during that week.  This, of course, causes Riku to go silent.  "It was a very difficult week."
Sarracenia	'I... am not sure what I aspire to be yet. Perhaps I will take a page out of Petra's playbook and go for supervillainess.'      Unfortunately for Audrey and Sarra both, the joke does not go over well with the princess. "Ah...that would be quite a tragedy." she says, perhaps not realizing it is a joke since Audrey seems to be a friend of Petra's.      Sarra listens to Reno and Rufus, and comes to a bit of an understanding of Reno's position. She imagines Gregory trying to wrangle her and how much trouble he has surely had to deal with. "...well, this is still the wrong approach. My servant, Gregory, would never approach in such a way. Someone of class like Mister Rufus should be approached with respect by his servants. Especially his security officers. Not ordered around like he is some sort of servant himself. You might have much better luck in the future if you take a different tone and a more subtle approach."      'So since he's been working with you... do you all want to explain the rather odd health alerts we got from his tracker all at once this last week?'      Sarra's lips purse. "No. Never. I never wish to speak of it again." she says, reaching up to touch her eyepatch with one hand while her other rests on her belly for some reason. "...he did his utmost to help, and suffered greatly for it. Those of us who were there may not have made it back out at all without his help."
Petra Soroka	"Your allies attacking company personnel - that's on a different level."     "Well I'm--!" His ally, as of yesterday. And also was his ally in a less immediately relevant sense for many months before that, at Lobotomy Corporation. Really, there was just a week-long gap where Petra was blissfully not Rufus's ally, and now here she is. "... Well." "Rufus and I were having a business meeting. He was studying with my company and learning about alternative energy sources and collectiom processes."     ... Oh! Angela's so smart. Petra can just rely on her here. Maybe this, too, is an example of a time that Petra's instinct drives her to immediately use violence to solve the situation up front, when she'd be considerably better off not doing that. She wanders over to the Eggpack and pats it on the head, sipping at her glass with the other hand.     "Yeah. Right. I mean, if you're just Rufus's bodyguards, there's no problem. Like Ange said, there's just lots of security regulations about the Singularity of Lobotomy Corporation, that'd cause trouble with the whole City if it leaked, and not just us here. So, you know. From what I know about, uh, Shinra, that's something you get." "Shinra senior executives have biometric monitors on them."     Greased by alcohol, Petra blurts out, "Me too!" before thinking about it. She's not nearly tipsy enough to not be embarrassed about that, though, and worse: she has that biometric tracker because of Lilian putting it on her after fretting about how she was nearly assassinated by Liza which she only survived because of Rita and then she was unconscious in Cinder's room for an entire day afterwards and--     Petra drains the rest of her glass in one swallow, then coughs. "U-uh... I didn't know he had one, sorry. I've got tech to disable electronics that might be, you know, spying in." Technically true. She holds up a finger, and a coil of morphmetal orbits in a ring around the tip. "I take care about pacemakers, but not, like, microchips."
Flamel Parsons	"Do you all want to explain the rather odd health alerts we got from his tracker all at once this last week?"     "Oh, that's really easy!" Flamel says. "In order to keep him safe during a massive disaster that happened in the City, the Concord had to give him the best medical care available, including maximum-grade death-prevention. Lots of people in that area died, including me a couple of times! But I'm partially indispensible, and Rufus was *definitely* indispensible. So any of his injuries were resolved pretty thoroughly."     He beams, truthful and honest: "He was mostly there for a party, though. Big product launch, so to speak. If it helps you feel better, the Concord made sure that the corporation involved is fully dissolved now. Let's just say, the parties responsible got what was coming to them!"     Which is to say, yeah, Lobotomy Corporation is insolvent and Angela did get some amount of the life and freedom she deserves. Not much! But some. This honesty lets him say this with without the tremendous guilt of his recent lies.
Angela	Angela looks to Audrey. "If you ever need goons, I can provide those as well." "I really wish she wouldn't call us that..." Justin mumbles to Random. "I feel it's more affectionate than 'Agent'." Random murmurs back. Parker lowers her fork. "I'll refer to you as Librarians once you start doing library work." Angela, who always liked books and talked about them constantly, crosses her arms on the screen. "Understood." Angela says. "We appreciate your understanding." At least, she thinks, her gazillion years of practice speaking in corporate is something that's coming in handy still. Now she has to figure out how to use that to explain that Rufus was killed like twelve times over the past week. Should hse come up with a story? While Sarracenia is here? She thinks it over a moment too long and Flamel gives his answer. Angela, on the screen, places her hand to her forehead and exhales slowly. She doesn't need to breathe at all but sometimes they make useful affectations for communication. This is why she can't tell anyone except Petra anything, she tells herself, though after a moment of reflection it's probably best to be a little more honest about the fate of Lobotomy Corp. They'll find out eventuallly. ''Me too!'' "...Was that going off the whole time?" She asides to Petra, now thinking about Lilian getting alerts about killing Petra after killing Petra. She looks back to Reno. "Yes, we are celebrating surviving that uinfortunate incident. As Flamel said, we had excellent medical care available and I imagine the burst of energy exploding out the facility likely delivered some odd readings as well."
Audrey Basque	Petra drains another glass.     Audrey, concerned, kind of edges closer to Petra and says, simply: "I know I suggested it but maybe... maybe we ease up on the drinking a little bit. Just a bit? Please."     She would actually feel terrible if Petra is sick in the morning. Which is a feeling she needs to place inside a bottle to process later.     As far as the negotiations go - Audrey knows very little about the Hell Week, besides what Angela and Petra have told her of it. She doesn't feel comfortable chipping in, or meddling, when she can just try to keep Petra from drinking herself to bed.     But then, everyone else seems to be quite on top of it. So lucky Audrey, there is no need to meddle!
Rufus Shinra	> "I didn't know you had an affluent family." > "That's like treating him like a dog though, monitoring his condition like that..." Rufus glances to the side. "Yep, blame his dad, President Shinra." says Reno. "But he ain't telling you where he's from?" adds Reno. "I just haven't had a reason to talk about it," says Rufus. "Yes, I'm the vice president of and sole heir to the Shinra Electric Power Corporation. Which is sizeable." "So it's a big deal if he gets hurt," says Reno. "Which means we've gotta show up and babysit." > "...he did his utmost to help, and suffered greatly for it. Those of us who were there may not have made it back out at all without his help." > So, you know. From what I know about, uh, Shinra, that's something you get." > Rufus was *definitely* indispensible. Reno's body language shifts. "Huh. Yeah. Definitely got all of us fooled, then. That you were taking this seriously, that you were doing something productive, and that you've made allies who're standing up for you here." He rubs the back of his head. "Yeah. Look. We aren't going to pull you in, but you do gotta head back home soon for a bit, and at least get checked over, alright? And then no more shenanigans about hiding your location." "... Fine," says Rufus. "Great, see you there. Don't make us come track you down again or deal's off, and we *do* have orders to drag you in if we have to, okay, Bossman?" Reno takes his leave, as does the helicopter overhead. "... Thank you all," says Rufus, after a moment. He's not making eye contact with anyone. "That could have... gone a lot, lot more poorly than it did."
Petra Soroka	"I really wish she wouldn't call us that..."     "It's not bad. It's an important profession." Petra is a proponent of the honorable position of goon. Being subservient is good, actually, and respectable. Being subservient specifically in the sense of some sort of deployable weapon and errand runner is even better. "...Was that going off the whole time?"     Petra's expression immediately falls. Apparently, reflecting on the most traumatic week of her life and the relationships damaged during it isn't good for her to do while tipsy. She makes a distressed noise in the back of her throat.     "It was at first, but then Lilian got annoyed by it and told me to turn it off. I haven't turned it back on since, because... because, you know. That might make her more annoyed." "I know I suggested it but maybe... maybe we ease up on the drinking a little bit. Just a bit? Please."     Petra gestures with her empty glass dismissively, movements loose and too-clumsy. "Well, I mean, even Lilian and Rita aside, I feel like I've kind of *earned* it, right?! Like, it's actually basically normal. It'd be weirder if I didn't get drunk. That's what anyone would do, narratively, when their girlfriend fucking dies and the guy who encouraged her to kill herself is also right here at the fucking party, right?"     Petra sniffles, then stiffens up. She closes her eyes and meditatively counts to ten, not opening them again before she begins talking. "... Sorry. I'm being a freak. I'm gonna go get some water." "... Thank you all,"     Water bottle in hand, not particularly capable of making any eye contact herself, Petra just makes a mumbling noise of agreement. "Well, remember. You've got my number."
Riku Asakura	'Huh. Yeah. Definitely got all of us fooled, then. That you were taking this seriously, that you were doing something productive, and that you've made allies who're standing up for you here.' "Yeah, he was a huge help during last week, I don't know if I would have made it without his help," Riku says confirming Reno's words and thoughts about Rufus being 'productive'.  Honestly, it was far more valuable to him, a bond forged that would likely be a strong bond for a very long time.   Reno makes a simple demand which gets an agreement from Reno which breaks the tension.  When Reno and the helicopter leave, Riku makes a big sigh and is glad for the tension to drop back to before they interrupted the party.   '... Thank you all,' "No worries, if you need help you know who to call, right?" Riku asks, making sure that he lets Rufus know that he'll be there for him.  He flashes a smile at Rufus, although he's avoiding eye contact with anyone.  He has concern in his eyes, despite the smile he's flashing Rufus.
Audrey Basque	A power company? Huh.     What kind of power company needs to hire bodyguards for its vice president? Must be quite sizeable indeed.     At least everything turned... okay?     "My apologies for not being fully filled in yet, Rufus. I hope in the future I can be as helpful to you as, well, everyone else here." Partners, and all that. Expectations. A bit of curiosity, too.     Then Petra just kind of, stabs her in the heart, unintentionally. Audrey stares back, taking it more seriously than before. "I really can't say I've been through... any of that. And, well, celebrating is always worth a drink. But maybe..."     Ugh, how do you even advise this?     Besides, she's a freak. This is normal for her.     "Please do," on the matter of getting water.     Audrey awkwardly stands back. Nevermind feeling bad in the morning, now she feels bad now. For a freak, no less.
Sarracenia	'Oh, that's really easy!'      For once, Sarra isn't the one that gushes details which might have been better withheld! She blinks in surprise and stares at Flamel for a few moments as he seems to recall the details so...aloofly? Dispassionately? She is quite happy to let Flamel explain, though.      'I really wish she wouldn't call us that...'      Sarra has been called a goon but is totally not a goon, so there is no reason for her to be upset by the word. And yet...      "Goon is an unsavory word. It tends to mean one is both weak and dispensable, and often assumed to be of lesser intelligence." she says with a huff.      '... Thank you all,'      Sarra nods a 'you're welcome' before saying, "Well, perhaps we should continue the party then. And after we are finished partying I can fly you home in the Dyna or even the Sovereign if you wish. Just to show off some of your Multiversal clout by arriving in proper style."      'Petra sniffles...'      Sarra flinches, then looks toward her. "I think perhaps for once you are not being a freak." she says. Not exactly compassionate, but at least understanding that Petra is in pain right now. And not the kind of pain you poke at or make fun of.      Unlike Audrey though, Sarra doesn't feel sorry for Petra. She has been (mentally) stabbed too many times by Petra for that.
Flamel Parsons	"... Thank you all."     "Oh, don't worry! I'm a part-time camp counselor, families behaving like this is normal." Flamel makes a dismissive gesture. He perks up, in a friendly tone, "It's impossible to help once they get a full head of steam on this kind of problem! I'll have to give up the minute they get fully committed, because none of my tools will work and I'm mostly-compliant with that kind of social structure. Still! Happy to help, while I can." While he can...     "You should get your celebrating done while you can though." He shrugs. "Once they start, it's hard to stop them. Wheels are in motion. Got any ideas to un-motion them?"
Angela	Angela almost tells Reno about how she intends to kill Rufus's dad for him because of how casual he is being about Rufus's health monitor. But fortunately by the time the thought is about to reach her lips she's had ninety nine other thoughts, most of which are 'No definitely do not do that' and she clamps her mouth back shut. "I understand. Sometimes I feel like I'm the babysitter for most of my employees." Present company exempted, of course, is the implication. ''That could have... gone a lot, lot more poorly than it did.'' Especially since Angela mentioned the whole killing Rufus's dad thing not too long before the bodyguards showed up. She misses that freedom of 'fuck it!' when she could just spill all of L-Corp's secrets. She can still do that, but it's kind of totally moot now that it's no longer an entity. ''It's an important profession.'' "...Well, you're not wrong." Rook says. "I mean, it's not like 'Fixer' and 'Goon' are different-- least for ninety nine percent of them." Angela frowns at Petra's answer. It is something that Petra has to deal with so all she can do is rest a mechanical hand on Petra's. It's hard to not be devoted to someone who was your only friend for ten thousand/one million years even if it was shoved in her head. But it's fine. She doesn't really care that it's fake because for all the ways that matter, it isn't. ''I really can't say I've been through... any of that.'' "Good. Sometimes suffering can build character but in this particular case..." She trails off because certainly CHARACTER was had, but even so. ''It'd be weirder if I didn't get drunk.'' "..." Angela lowers her gaze. She can't take blame and it's not something she can help with. Sougo suggested he might be doing some nonsense but she frankly suspects this will result in more problems than anything helpful. She supposes she'll find out when he does whatever he does.
Rufus Shinra	> "Well, remember. You've got my number." > "No worries, if you need help you know who to call, right?" > Got any ideas to un-motion them?" "I'll be contacting you about it," says Rufus. "Trust me. Just - not here. Too many ears, cogito ergo sum." Riku's a Paladin though, so he might not be game for Rufus's 'early inheritance' plan? He'll have to gently probe about it though. > "I hope in the future I can be as helpful to you as, well, everyone else here." Audrey gets the finger-guns. "Hey, you'll get there. Though like, if you want to help, I still want to see the whole catastrophe thing sometime." > And after we are finished partying I can fly you home in the Dyna or even the Sovereign if you wish. Just to show off some of your Multiversal clout by arriving in proper style." "Hey, that'd be cool. Definitely cause a splash. There's all of one airship like that at home and it's been stuck in drydock in ages." Rufus goes to get a new drink. "Right! Let's make the most of it, before the babysitters kill all the fun."
Petra Soroka	"I think perhaps for once you are not being a freak."     "Yay," Petra says dully, muddled by the water bottle covering up her mouth. She slouches back against the table and props her palm on it for balance, a film of sweat across her forehead. The alcohol, it seems like, just made her more vocally unhappy. "Good for me." "I really can't say I've been through... any of that."     "I know, I know, I'm sorry. I'm being such a fucking parasite. I didn't mean to invite you along just to make you listen to my bullshit, sorry."     Bitter, Petra's expression tightens with the effort of not blubbering any more than she already has, which is shockingly little all things considered. But it certainly doesn't *feel* like 'little' to her. She wraps her thumb around the Eggpack's hand when it rests on hers, stroking it back and forth comfortingly.     "I didn't come to the party just to be a miserable fucking attention whore. Let's get back to being normal." "Though like, if you want to help, I still want to see the whole catastrophe thing sometime."     Tragically, the topic returns to Lilian, as it always does. No matter how much alcohol you put into her, it always will with Petra, and talking about her visibly makes Petra even unhappier. "It's Antegent categorizations. I mentioned it during... one of the meetings, back then, that Lilian's probably Extinguisher/Immaculate. They've all got one."
Audrey Basque	Rufus still wants a demonstraton. Audrey snaps back to attention, looking at him nervously. "A-Ah, well, maybe we can... sometime..." Petra fills in, bless her.     "Right. It's... how do I summarize this. We had monsters. They needed to be categorized. Then people noticed that... well, categorizing each other, is also really useful on the battlefield. Tactically, and such. The practice became common even outside the military, and now even students are assigned categories."     It's something like that.     She turns back to Petra, beaming in response. "Right. Our host so graciously invited us to come have a good time, it would be quite rude to do otherwise."
Angela	Angela thinks about categorizing her Librarians in the same way as she categorizes Abnormalities and spaces out for a moment. She wonders if she can shake off the albatros of this feeling that her existence just makes the people around her miserable. Sure, maybe she didn't have a choice, but it's still in HER head. What would Lilian do? She dwells on that thought for a long time. Her opinion on parties is starting to sour. Maybe Xion has a point there. "Indeed. And you know how to contact us, Rufus." Angela adds as the Eggpack's hand cups Petra's.