Scene #8439: More of Us

Owner	Pose
Angela	Lobotomy Corp is buried underground and is actually difficult to just up and visit without a keen combination of powersets. There are above ground Lobotomy Corp branches that connect to the main building where Angela is stationed but there's a whole load of security, abnormalities, and just PROBLEMS to go through--and that's to say nothing of getting through the City without being ambushed by people who want to harvest your organs or worse just cause you seem a little healthier than most. Even if Petra got through all that it'd probably be days of travel just from the logistics-- --but fortunately, Angela has given Petra the means to skip all that noise by giving Petra the security code to access Lobotomy Corp's artificial warpgate--the same one the Agents go through. Angela's impatience is masked away from her face but it shows in her body language as Petra enters through the Warpgate. Her hands are clenched together--and she looks considerably more 'realistic' than the skit windows on the Banter channel show her, but she is still quite pale but as a humanoid AI--if it wasn't for that pale skin and golden eyes and unnatural pale blue hair--she'd look quite human. But whatever about that--there's plenty of machine folk like that in the multiverse. What makes Angela different from them is that she wants to strangle the person who hurt Lilian but has the thoughtfulness to consider that Lilian might not want her strangling anybody at all. She is so fretful right now that she accidentally shows Kukuru that she maybe even cares about her through a text and she's already upset because Kukuru keeps saying things like that her creators had good reasons for being the way they are and she shouldn't feel anything about her in the first place--- ---but at the very least that lets her focus on the matter at hand by essentially clearing the concern off her desk for the time being. Lobotomy Corp always has a faint whiff of blood in the air that can't quite be washed or cleaned out but there doesn't seem to be any major breakouts at the moment. A woman wearing a leathery skin mask with a BIII smile is walking by behind Angela (It's Parker) and a small white and red bird is pecking her incessantly (it's Punishing Bird) and she's just sort of...enduring it as she moves on by. "Oi," Justin Rook says in the distance as he approaches Angela and the Warpgate. "What's going on with the Dame Commander, if she's in danger we can send a team--" "Miss Petra, welcome." Angela ignores the Rook (no relation still) for a moment despite his concern. "My apologies for the mess but one of our Sephirah--managers--is presently in open revolt so I did not have the ability to clear the path but I have a private location available."
Petra Soroka	<B-anter> Lilian Rook hits connect --idle signature nine days-- and then runs dead air for a full and precisely painful nine seconds. She takes in a deep, shuddery breath, and says, "Angela. I . . . I don't know if you're listening, or if it's just him-- but, I'm . . . I'm sorry I kept you waiting. Some things came up. I'll . . . I-I'll have what I promised you. P-pretty soon. So don't . . . don't think I forgot about you, alright?" <B-anter> Petra Soroka, from an unknown radio signature, transmits the sound of a yelp and something crashing to the ground in the distance, then a few hurried footsteps. <B-anter> Petra Soroka says, "W-wait, Lilian, are you--!" <B-anter> Petra Soroka says, "I-i-is-- I-I-I'm-- I didn't forget either, I--" <B-anter> Lilian Rook says, "I--" and then audibly freezes up in the headlights. The microphone picks up the crackle of rapidly accelerating breathing, reaching a dangerous pace, before terminating with a strangled half-sob and, "Sorr-- Apologies--! Goodbye!" before a panicked hangup. . . . PHONE: Angela says, "You are welcome to visit our facility. We can talk in person there. She ... has shown me consideration that few others have. This is not about what she has promised." PHONE: Phoning Angela, Petra Soroka says, "That's-- yeah, that's a good idea, in person." PHONE: Phoning Angela, Petra Soroka says, "I don't-- I want to get her as much help as she can get. But I don't want to get her even a little bit more hurt. So I just-- I just have to be careful." PHONE: Angela says, "...It would be nice if that could be done. While I've learned that sometimes that isn't a viable option, you outsiders have surprised me before." PHONE: Phoning Angela, Petra Soroka says with a small tremble, "I'll make it work. I'll fight for it until it comes true. I hope you can help. I hope I can trust you." PHONE: Angela says, "I would burn this fucking company to the ground for her. pause My apologies. I am unaccustomed to--this. I will follow the leads of those who are more experienced but our resources are at your disposal." After a short half an hour of knowing Angela, Petra is hopeful that she's found an ally in her intensity. Hopeful, and angry, because when hasn't she been angry for the past two weeks. Angry that so few of Lilian's friends have shown as much determination. Angry that she's taken this long and still hasn't helped Lilian enough to hear her say anything other than those few shaky words. Angry at god damn fucking Matthew Rook. The only moments when Petra isn't angry are the ones where she's miserable, and every second of not being angry feels like another betrayal. It's unsustainable. Obviously. But Petra doesn't intend on needing to sustain it for much longer. Her reactor hum rings in her ears like tinnitus. Her pace, as she strides through the Warpgate, is uneven and offbeat, like she's lost some internal metronome. Petra comes to a dead stop in the entry chamber outside the gate, scanning around with flashes of silver catching in her eye as her head moves. The smell of blood doesn't seem to register. Parker, however, does, and Petra flinches and gags, her shuddering-tense momentum broken. Petra shoves her hands in the pockets of her bomber jacket, still with every inch of skin below her head covered by secondhand, ratty clothes, gauze around her neck, and finally catches sight of Angela. "Hey. Y-yeah, a private location would be good. I'm glad to--" Petra looks briefly stunned, hesitating and taking a second look around while following Angela. "Wait, what--? A revolt is the most insane way to put that. What? What does a 'manager in open revolt' even mean? Are they sieging the fucking payroll department?"
Angela	Even Angela can't manage that level of rage. It's exponentially harder besides because the world moves so slow to her. She can't control it. It's more curse than boon most times. She is very angry but she can't maintain it forever. The sadness, though, the sadness of feeling like she's failing one of the few friends she has.. that lingers. She doesn't understand why sadness seems to linger more than anger--she has to reignite it by dwelling on it but if she simply left it be, it'd eventually fade away and she'd lose everything. So Angela reignites it periodically, reminds herself how furious she should be. But the greatest emotion of all is the usual frustration, the frustration she always has that has never left her that this whole situation adds to the fuel of. She has no reason to anticipate that anything about Petra's physiology has changed and for all she knows, the Petra before her is the Petra that she always has been. She quirks her head at Petra for a moment, studying her like she's seeing her for the first itme. Because she is. And she is noticing the ratty clothes. The strange gauze around the neck. She sees someone who has been through the ringer. This person is a murderer, apparently-- --but they have a cannibal on the payroll and whatever Parker is so she can't really complain about that and, frankly, isn't sure why everybody else is complaining. Ishirou isn't even really dead anymore-- --Ah, she reflects in the moment, that's right isn't it? You can reset time but you cannot reset a tale. Still--she reasons that she really can't complain about this in the slightest. She has ended more lives many more times than Petra likely ever will. She starts to lead Petra away, Justin Rook stubbornly following when-- ''What does 'a manager in open revolt' even mean?'' "It is not atypical. Malkuth is having a meltdown and is trying to take over the systems. I am presently suppressing her attempts to do so. It has little to do with LIlian other than lowering my response time. They'll likely release the Abnormalities we have under control here or otherwise make it more difficult to contain them." Angela says. "And how long are we gonna leave 'er like that?" Justin Rook says hotly. "Look, if an ally of ours is in trouble let us help them." "We do not have an action plan yet, Captain. We are discussing that now and we'll let you know if it is deemed suitable to do so." Angela finally answers the Captain, her cold readily overpowering any heat he might have. She will, if Petra will let her, lead her to the Elevaor to take her down to the Records department. A red haired clerk with blackened tips and bright blue eyes passes by carrying a datapad, glancing over and looking at Petra for a moment, slowing down as she does so. She watches for just a moment before remembering her duties and hurrying along. "Right, right, no time for this, Cinder..." She mutters, cheeks reddening as she can't help but wonder what's UP. But Angela ignores that too. Justin Rook isn't going to follow into records and he just sort of watches in frustration of his own. "Were you attacked on the way over?" Angela asks, eyes settling on that gauze.
Petra Soroka	Petra works hard to try to maintain her rage. Even over the span of normal human cognition-- not that Petra's is that exactly, anymore-- it's just not reasonable to hold on to such a strong emotion for so long. It always fades, even if stoked, because coals can't burn forever. Thankfully, her allies are always willing to lend a hand. With that, if nothing else. PHONE: Phoning Ishirou, Petra Soroka says through gritted teeth, "Tell her-- fuck, can I even trust you to send a message? God fucking damn it! Why is she still talking like that? Haven't you--?! No, of course you fucking haven't. I should've known. Why would I think it'd be any different." PHONE: Phoning Ishirou, Petra Soroka says, "Of course the moment I'm on her side I become invisible to all of you too." . . . PHONE: Phoning Candy, Petra Soroka says, "You fucking piece of shit tool! Trying to what-- defend Dimo, by using Lilian's safety as a fucking body shield?!" PHONE: Phoning Candy, Petra Soroka says, "It's fucking fine. It's fine. I've given up on all of you. I've-- I'm doing it myself." . . . PHONE: Nephra Tangent says, "Take it things haven't been going good, huh." PHONE: Phoning Nephra Tangent, Petra Soroka says, dully, "Should've expected it." PHONE: Nephra Tangent says, "Doesn't mean it ain't the dumps." PHONE: Phoning Nephra Tangent, Petra Soroka says, "I get a brief few words from her, relayed secondhand, and she's telling me she's glad I've moved on from her." PHONE: Phoning Nephra Tangent, Petra Soroka says, "So. You know." The Silver does Petra a deep disservice by making her always appear to be rejuvenated and rested, no matter what her emotional state is. If there were allowed to be shadows under her eyes, rather than matte-black traces of tar like makeup; if her facial muscles drooped; if her hair was anything but soft and glossy; she might look harried and determined. As is, the simmering anger in her eyes and the cheap clothes, over top of a seemingly-healthy girl who apparently took time out of her day to put on silver eyeliner and maintain her nails, makes her look every part a murderer. "It is not atypical. Malkuth is having a meltdown," Petra hums with a moment of derisive amusement. Join the club. Taking mental potshots at this woman she's never met doesn't help anything, though. "It has little to do with Lilian other than lowering my response time." Finally. Someone who gets the fucking point, and doesn't ramble about their own problems the moment they have an opportunity. Petra just nods in response.
Petra Soroka	It's then that she finally notices him. The flinch response of the warrior's body, the synthetic approximation of a reflex traveling a thousand times faster than a neural impulse, is to fight, not flee. Before her brain consciously registers it, Petra has whipped her hand up and stepped forwards with quicksilver flooding out into her hand to crawl up the length of an already half-formed sword. She freezes, looks at Justin again, and then the abrupt tension leaves her body and weapon, and it splashes onto the ground. With her hand empty, she awkwardly transitions into a half-wave. "Haha. Justin. Hey." Petra purses her lips, turning back to Angela while the quicksilver on the ground crawls back up into her pant leg. "I, uh. S-saw you in a-a file. That's why I know your name. I'm Petra." Petra doesn't take notice of Cinder, turned to talk to Angela. Cinder finding Petra attractive is understandable, as long as her type is 'surprisingly pretty girls who dress like a tomboy that crawled out of the dumpster behind a military surplus store', especially if she's the type to notice and appreciate the hard edge of directionless anger in her eyes. "I wasn't attacked. That's-- it doesn't matter. It's unrelated." Petra tugs at the fluffy neckline of her bomber jacket, pulling it a little tighter to her neck. "Um. Lilian. How did you meet her? You just integrated recently, right?" She's obviously feeling out how much trust Lilian puts in Angela, and what level of emotion she's shared with her.
Angela	Angela is thankfully completely oblivious to the internal dramas of the Paladins let alone the Watch. She's a bit like the All-Around Helper--Abnormality T-05-41--in the sense that her attempts to help (or 'help' if you prefer) would no doubt end in screams. She places a certain value in distance so she doesn't attempt to clean, clean, clean. She's learned that even her most well intentioned advice can simply prolong a person's hell--and that is why she is uncertain there even is a method to help Lilian that doesn't also hurt her. She hopes so--it would be nice if, for once, an unqualified good deed could exist for someone so important to her--but she also knows that someone being important to her doesn't really matter. Justin Rook's frustrations are stymied by someone actually knowing his name and calling him /Justin/. Justin Rook prefers to be called Rook. It is part of how he has established his own identity--but he's certain that Petra doesn't know about that. He tenses as that quicksilver on the ground moves but relaxes when it seems like it's withdrawing rather than coming at him. His self destructive instincts tell him to push onto that elevator but his stronger Fixer instincts tell him to stay back. "Hey Petra. Sorry 'bout the mess. ... I'll wait here." He'll have to stew fruitlessly for a bit. He's also part of this club. While dressing like a tomboy in a jacket is pretty common The City--there are two elements that have drawn Cinder's attention to Petra. Out of those two things, the hard directionless anger--drew Cinder's attention the most. The prettiness came second and the combination of these two traits will be working on her throughout the day like she's an Abnormality getting Attachment work done. The elevator goes down deep. The sad truth is, there really is no private space in this facility. The best Angela can do is find a place that has almost nobody. The Extraction Department. It was a close call between that and Records but if Angela runs into Benjamin right now she'll probably say please and sorry a lot and she just can't right now. "Understood. You do not wish me to spend time worrying about you that can be used for the Commander Nevertheless, I will have to show some consideration for the sake of not looking like an entirely ice-hearted creature to the staff." The doors open to a dark space and Angela steps through. The other reason is that Binah is one of the few members of staff that was with her when Lilian visited. "We communicated over the radio system first. The Dame Commander seemed to have a unique understanding of a story I told at a SONG meeting and she offered to break into the facility after being subjected to one of my creators. We talked in this place. We may have to talk to Binah." Angela turns to look back to Petra. Just as Petra is kind of feeling her out, Angela is trying the same. Using that kind of speed to catch Rook off guard is beyond human--she could tell because it looked like Petra was moving at a normal pace rather than the sluggish movement she is accustomed to. "I did not press for details but we've had similar experiences. She refers to us as 'girls like us'." Angela hangs on that for a moment like the phrase is alien to her, but strangely comforting in its horror because where the 'like us' comes from is horrid history.
Angela	"'I've really had enough of how they all treat girls like us. The ones left stranded in the cracks where all of everyone's evil pisses down from the above and gathers neck deep. I'm so tired of of everyone getting away with their cruel and shitty actions by using those girls like fuses and throwing us away like trash.'" Angela says, as if quoting someone (because she is quoting someone. She is quoting Lilian. "With little prompting, she figured out a way to communicate with me in a manner that did not seem sluggish or slow. I did not have to ask her. She said if I ever got bored and lonely I could call her." Angela is wondering if she should call her now, but she doesn't really feel bored and lonely right now, she mostly feels distressed and worried and angry. What Angela shares here is nothing that Angela feels has been kept private but it is a more direct shine on it. "I have only been integrated for a little over a month."
Petra Soroka	Petra is never going to call Justin by Rook. He has no way of knowing that, but Lilian's display in the cell guarantees that she will be on a first name basis with Justin even if he puts a gun to her head. He'll wait here. Petra agrees with that, without comment, because she would've told him to if he hadn't offered. Claiming to be close to Lilian is something anyone can do, and everyone does, constantly. Quoting her, though, especially with that phrase, immediately earns a ton of points with Petra. In conjunction with the seemingly very simple task of deciding that Lilian is more important than her own problems, something that no one else is capable of doing, Petra's respect for Angela soars. She doesn't show it on her face, following Angela into the Extraction Department with drawn shoulders and a tense expression, momentarily hesitating at the shadowed doorway and glancing at the department name with a dubious expression. "Yeah. Like us." In the quiet of the Extraction chamber, the dull whine of Petra's reactor is constantly audible, under the brittle anger in her voice. It wasn't long ago that Petra recoiled from that concept of 'us', that she would insist on it being 'them'; rejection and spitting on it for good measure. Now, after months of rigid tension and violence and apathy and hate, Petra clings to the thread that binds her to Lilian, and-- at least in service of helping her-- accepts the spiderwebbing links emanating from Lilian that 'like us' implies. Not that there's very many. "Lilian's in trouble. Serious trouble. Someone--" Trust only extends as far as Lilian's words imply, and Petra won't share that 'someone' is Lilian's father offhand. "--has blackmail on her. Something she did, that no one can ever know about, and he has the power to take everything precious in her life away from her. And she's-- for a lot of reasons, she's forced to do what he says. She-- she thinks she should, that she deserves it. So I can't just kill him." The unspoken 'even though I want to' is practically audible in the narrowing of her eyes. "I've been-- been trying for weeks, now. To fix it. It's-- I don't know what you've heard of me, really, but to anyone else, it wouldn't be surprising that it's mostly my fucking fault." Petra almost forgot to add that part, and it feels like a lie if she doesn't. She kicks her foot back up against the wall, leaning with her arms crossed. "I've been trying to fix it, but most of my effort was wasted, because not a single fucking person outside of us actually gives a shit about helping her." The weight in that 'us' implies that she's not just talking about the pair in the room. The intensity of the scorn surrounding it implies that the pair makes up around a third of who she means by it.
Angela	Angela is not allowed to forget, so quoting Lilian is not difficult for her (thanks log system and culture of posting everything!). She normally would have summarized, honestly, since this is not an ability Angela likes to rely on because remembering everything means remembering everything. And there is so much she'd like to forget. She's only been integrated for a month. She doesn't say how long a month feels like for her because Angela also doesn't like to dwell on Time. She has to be accustomed to the slow universe around her. The Extraction Sector is...strange. It's very dark, yes, but the architecture seems--upside down? Black pillars with golden text hang upside down impossibly from the ceiling--a ceiling that cannot be seen in the dark. You wouldn't expect anybody to be in a place like this, there's this sense of intrusion simply by being here. They aren't alone--but more on that in a moment. Angela is not so foolish as to miss Lilian repeating that phrase over and over--not that she can't understand why one might have an instinctual revulsion either. After a long time of the very idea of an 'us' seeming like fantasy--hearing the term and accepting it is traumatic for Angela. It takes great care to leave her voice level as she says it or she might shake and make her problems someone else's. That's the beauty of the multiverse, isn't it? An infinite number of people to make your problems their problems. But even so, Angela has her pride. She has barely stepped into the Extraction Sector when Petra says 'Like us'. Another us, Angela thinks. Is this a third 'us' in her life? She's frightened of making too many more and losing them all struggling to hold onto them. Angela listens. Blackmail. Something she cannot tell anyone. Angela is naturally unaware of what the nature of this blackmail could be--but Lilian has suggested there's a nature to her that she has to reject rather than indulge--even while encouraging Angela to do the same. Her expression is thoughtful as she considers Petra's words, like someone has put an elaborate puzzle in front of her. "If only life was so beautiful murder solved more problems than it created." Angela sighs. She'd be willing to wreck whatever bond she has with Lilian just to free her from whomever this is--but she is reminded of just how patient she was in Rita's world. She suspects that's the direction that Lilian wants to head towards--even if it is not what she REALLY wants to head towards--and Angela can't help but respect that. The self is not easy to overcome. And she'd like to respect that. Petra says it's her fucking fault and Angela takes another long look at Petra. And it's not just Angela looking at her. The Backstreet Preacher looks at Petra and starts whispering in the neural system that Angela is forever connected to and born from. 'Us' again. Angela opens her mouth to say something but-- "Ah," Binah says. "But you are both circling around the same issue. You recognize the 'us' but as you are unable to help yourselves, you cannot conceive of how to help the one close to you." Binah steps out from the dark, her form a black and yellow block with the words BINAH emblazoned above a single yellow eye. The yellow forms a honeycomb pattern across her side, the tattered remains of a black cloak behind her. "Binah. Would you allow us a private conversation?" Angela's tone has gone cold--it may strangely be unusual for Petra, considering how sincere and concerned she has been to her until this moment--but that doesn't mean she's being condescending. There's some kind of understanding between the two.
Angela	"I could hear her speak to you, Angela. Your secrets are starting to spill." Binah says. "But you are still quite capable of keeping secrets from yourself. You will stew in frustration until you confront it. Will you let your new friend," a bit of emphasis on that word. "See the one I speak of?"
Petra Soroka	Petra matches Angela's stare with one of her own, lowering her chin slightly, daring her to say something. What she's daring Angela to say-- and whether it would improve or worsen her opinion of Angela if she were to say it-- isn't clear by the emotion in her eyes. She could be defensive, ready to justify herself; she could be hoping for Angela to excoriate her for causing this much damage to her friend, as an act of care; she could be forcing herself to overcome guilt and self loathing by meeting Angela's gaze. She could just be angry. Really, really angry, at everything and everyone. Whatever her intent is, Angela has a sudden awareness of the power dynamic between the pair. Petra is here to grade Angela, to judge whether she's fit to care for Lilian in her orbit, or be jettisoned into space as waste. There's no expectation of Angela being allowed to do the same to her. By her demeanor and intensity, Petra positions herself between Lilian and the rest of the world, as a guardian and filter for anyone who might approach her. Petra's attitude towards her suggests that she's earning Petra's trust, but that's far from enough to get her to completely relax. Angela's relative superior standing in Petra's mind is made immediately apparent when Binah appears. Petra pushes off the wall and steps forwards, clenching her fist and glaring. "Hey. This is private. I don't know what your deal is, but--" She glances at Angela when she tells Binah off, to look for support for her attitude. That look, more than anything she's said, tells Angela how Petra views her. "Back off. Sorry for barging in to your weird creepy room where you hang out, I guess, but that's not an invitation for you to give your input on a private conversation." Even with that amount of hostility from a cold start, Petra does hesitate briefly when Binah mentions Angela keeping secrets in this conversation. That's what she's here to know, after all, so she can't afford to be tricked.
Petra Soroka	Meanwhile. . . What does a bundle of exposed nerves feel, when pushing into a cloud of psychic splinters? Petra's mind is shielded by pure rejecting sensation; the kind of itch that feels like pain that feels like shrapnel shifting under your skin when you move and if you rip it out it'll bleed you dry, manifested in tiny slivers of broken mental glass. Every shard is smeared with specks of blood, and with some time, Carmen assembles a story for Angela with them. Once upon a time, there was a girl with no face, trapped inside a mirror. Because she had no eyes, the girl wasn't able to see outside the mirror, and because she had no mouth, she wasn't able to call for help. She spent day after day alone inside that mirror, cold, and blind, and deaf, with no way to even know that she was trapped. Suddenly, one day, the girl was able to see! Someone was standing in front of the mirror, and the reflection of their eyes was on the girl's face, and she could see with them, and the reflection of their mouth moved so that she could talk. The girl looked at the first person she'd ever seen, staring at everything as if she might never see again, and called out to them so that she could know what her voice sounded like. But the person outside saw their eyes move in the mirror, and their mouth say words they didn't, and became upset at the girl. They accused her of stealing their face, and stealing their words, and ran away, leaving the girl alone again. But even though the eyes she borrowed were gone, the girl was still able to see; only tiny smudges of light, as if through shut eyelids. The girl was still trapped, and still almost blind, but now she had a goal. Each person that passed by, over years and years and years, would look in the mirror and then run, and the girl would keep a little fragment of their face, until she retained her senses, even while no one was around. One day the final person looked into the mirror, and with a voice of her own, the girl was finally able to ask for one request. The mirror was unhooked from the wall, shattering on the ground, and the girl was gone.
Angela	Angela neither exonerates nor executes based on this piece of knowledge shared to Petra. She wouldn't be able to read Petra's mind even if she had the ability, but she does take time to think. In the end she says a solitary, unsatisfying, "I see." and then a more perplexing. "Then you've come to the right place." Is that her answer to Petra saying it's her own fault or something else? Regardless, Angela does indeed have no room to judge--both because Petra has a greater understanding of Lilian but also because of Angela's many many murders. Maybe she is as kind as Phony says. When Phony is with her, it feels so easy to believe. But Petra helpfully reminds her it isn't so easy. Even if she was not allowed to be kind, even if she was forced to be cruel--she was still cruel in the end wasn't she? Perhaps there was a route she gave up on long ago. But the last thing she says isn't to Petra at all (though she might misinterpret it as such). She looks up a bit and asks, Why are you telling me this? And then she cocks her head ever so slightly like she's getting a reply. She finishes the exchange with a second "I see." to join the first. Not so solitary anymore. Her eyes shift downcast as the sorrow of the tale fills her. Few care for the reflections she shows. Perhaps her pursuit of humanity is simply the cowardly way of smashing herself against the floor.
Angela	Meanwhile Binah happens. Petra steps forward. Angela, with all the time in the world is still slow to reach out to stop Petra. Petra's already out of arm's reach. Binah is different from the other Sephirah--even relative to Angela and while Angela is not in a place to judge Petra--Binah is a judge by occupation. She is an Arbiter and that personality hasn't left her even now that she no longer is one. There is no condescending smile on that robotic frame because there are no lips but the tone allows anyone to imagine it.--it's a light touch, there, like she knows that condescension is a spice that overpowers the meal if you splatter on too much of it. And she might have even excused herself as Petra demanded but Petra makes a mistake and hesitates. Just a bit. Most people wouldn't even notice it. But Binah pounces on it like a tiger. "Ah, have I piqued your interest?" Binah asks, turning to look at Angela. "Thank you for allowing me to listen to the radio, speak on it--it gets so dull with just me and the Well as company. Always looking in--perhaps going mad like Alice--or maybe already mad like a certain Cheshire Cat?" "...Please get to the point." Angela is not inclined to inform Petra of the danger that is Binah because that will give Binah another piece of meat to leap on. Binah sighs and says, "I know you can listen, Angela. I know you both can listen. Many people cannot even begin to hear the words unsaid. The words between the words." "How many times, I wonder, did Lilian say 'girls like us' to you?" Binah asks rhetorically. "Oh you think you believe it, don't you?" Angela stiffens and looks directly into Binah's eye. She is supposed to be Binah's boss but Binah genuinely wants to help Angela and sadism is the only method she's ever known as the Agent of the Head. She knows no open palm, only the crushing fist--all she's learned is that sometimes she doesn't need to punch with her full strength. "...By the time the Manager reaches you, there will be no reason to hide anything from him. He likely never will." Angela says. "Mm. But some part of you, Angela--even if you're not aware of it... You still think your pain is special, don't you? That is why you cannot see what your dearest friends need. You still want to think that because your suffering is special and unique even amongst the infinite that you never considered to search for Lilian in yourself. You never considered your similarities may be deeper than you are allowing yourself to know." "You still think the way you are hurt is special," Binah repeats for a third time like a third stab. "So you can't see that in the end for all those who can see you--she, like you, wants on some level a particular someone to be able to see her..." And a finishing blow. "--Who never will." Angela grabs for Binah. Binah doesn't dodge or try to. Angela glowers at the machine like she wants to tear her to shreds but... It's not important. "And how does acknowledging this secret help Lilian?" Angela asks, her voice covered in icicles.
Petra Soroka	"Ah, have I piqued your interest?" "Only as far as whatever you have to say relates to Angela's trustworthiness." Sighing and retracting her aggressive step forwards, Petra absentmindedly pulses energy into the floor to propel herself into the air, landing seated on top of a pillar at head-height. She props her elbow up on a neighboring pillar and leans her cheek into it, looking down at Binah and Angela. "I mean it. I don't care about whatever gossip you have. I'm here for Lilian, not Angela." Then, almost in time with Angela, "Get to the point." "You still think your pain is special, don't you?" Petra waits for a few seconds longer, legs crossed, foot impatiently bouncing. Her eyes drift away, looking vaguely at the pillars in the distance, increasingly uninterested. Then she snaps her stare back to Binah and straightens up on her elevated seat, hands squeezing both of her knees. "Seriously? That's it? Fucking everyone does that. Who cares. Everyone thinks their fucking damage makes them god's gift to humanity. I don't give a shit what Angela's damage is, because she at least has the decency to not whine about it while we're busy talking about someone more relevant." Petra kicks her heel into the pillar in irritation, twitching as though she's about to dismount and return to the ground, then stopping again. "I'm always going to trust Lilian's judgement over whatever some floating trashcan has to say. She's the smartest and most insightful person in the world. If she says someone is 'like us', then she is. At least in the ways that matter." The reflexive urge to defend Angela, in her own abraisive way, is new to Petra. In the moment, she doesn't consciously register it as unusual, but the attack on Angela's right to be called that, her right to belong to that label, sends her reactor whirring into a distantly audible shriek. If anything, Binah's condescending doubt only makes Petra more certain. Now she hops down to the ground, with a near-silent impact, hands pressed down to keep her jacket or shirt from fluttering up. She takes a few more steps up to stand besides Angela, implicitly supportive, looking down at Binah in her hands. "Seriously. This was a waste of my time. Angela?" Petra lifts her face to look to the side at her. "Is this still the most private option? Or should we go somewhere else. I still want to talk to you more."
Angela	''How does acknowledging this secret help Lilian?'' "I am simply saying that perhaps you should simply trust her word on the matter--and that neither of you are in any condition to help her, embroiled in your own--" That's about as far as Binah gets as Angela engages in her first act of violence since entering the multiverse. She lifts the body of Binah up into the air with one hand, golden eyes narrowing. She's not angry about what she was about to imply about her. Angela has known about her worthlessness as it comes to helping others for a very long time and in truth she doesn't expect to be any different this time. But she was in the process of saying the same about Petra and Angela cannot abide that. For starters, she is a guest but more importantly she's the only person--besides Persephone--she can rely on with regards to Lilian. That woman who held her hand would be a third but she doesn't know her. She doesn't know the rest. Trusting two on this matter is already stretching Angela's capacity for faith. Angela swings her arm back and flings Binah away, sending her colliding against the base of the well. Binah just lets it happen like she wants it--and does not retaliate. "My apologies." Angela says. "Every sub-facility is managed by a particular Sephirah." She didn't want to deal with Benjamin today but it seems like she'll have no choice. She steps back into the elevator. ''Everyone thinks their fuckin damage makes them god's gift to humanity'' The elevator ride is shorter than before. Angela doesn't know what to say to that. ''At least she has the decency to not whine about it while we're busy talking about someone more relevant'' Angela doesn't know what to say to that either. Before meeting Persephone and Lilian she almost certainly would have. Why is she being different this time? She's not sure. She's really not sure. The doors slide open. This time Hokma is there waiting--DOES THAT ROBOT HAVE A MONOCLE? He does. "Angela I thought you did not--" He begins. "Leave us alone and do not eavesedrop." Angela is more determined this time to allow no interruptions. "...Angela..." "Please." Angela's tone softens just a touch, melts away just an iota. Her eyes, for just a moment, remind Hokma of the girl he used to care for in his own imperfect way. "...understood. My pardon." Angela seems relieved after and hurries along the Records department which is as empty as the prior department but with someone who seems more willing to stand aside as its guardian. The android guides Petra to a cell where a purple haired woman who is smiling and holding a hammer and a nail says not a word. And around her is a beautiful garden with a tiny orbiting star within. An impossible tiny stream are in one corner with a small willow tree in another. There's FLOWERS. It's like the Goddess of Spring visited this little spot in the underworld and built the tiniest paradise she could. And in a way she did. Angela moves to sit under the willow tree. This is not a place she particularly wanted to share with anyone so soon but... It is the most private place in the facility. "Do not worry. That Abnormality comes from me. We can speak privately here. How may I help? Everything is at your disposal for our shared purpose."
Petra Soroka	Petra watches in silence as Angela throws Binah, her eyes following as the Sephirah clangs against the floor. The violence doesn't come across as out of character in her perception, given that in the couple hours that Petra has known her, Angela has threatened to burn down her company, talked about suppressing a rebellion, and alluded to a history of frequent murders, but Petra doesn't seem bothered either way. Standing by Angela to stare at Binah on the ground, a trickle of silver drips off of Petra's clenched fist, held by her side. "Every sub-facility is managed by a particular Sephirah." Angela's inane and jarringly calm statement is met with a half-smile and exhalation. Petra follows her into the elevator without another word to Binah, just giving Angela a slightly off-kilter response. "I get what you mean." In the elevator, Petra's thoughts circle around the same two phrases as Angela's. Should I care more about whatever Angela's backstory shit is? I barely know her, and we're doing something more important, but I still feel like I came across as kind of dismissive. After all, if she's one of us, then.... As that thought crosses her mind, Petra feels a sudden stab of insecurity. Muddy feelings rush together, from a spike of jealousy that her position with Lilian isn't unique, to uncertainty that she's even capable of identifying or connecting with the other girl, to doubt that she deserves to have a place in a group larger than two. It's hypocritical, given her earlier defense of Angela from the same, but Petra knows better than to voice her feelings out loud, in case someone might try and reassure her. When the elevator doors open, Petra is chewing on the inside tar sublayer of her lip, leaned back against the railing on the wall. She walks out behind Angela, gives Hokma a brief look-- Yup, weird social history buildup there, too-- but otherwise pays him no mind, quiet until reaching the cell with the Silent Girl. Petra hesitates outside the door again, wondering why it has to be a containment cell rather than, like, an office, but after a moment she enters anyways. "Comes from you? Is she a... prisoner?" Petra doesn't have any idea what an Abnormality is, looking at this quiet purple-haired girl whose cell she seemingly invaded. She, similarly, has no point of comparison for the garden-- for all she knows, every cell has a garden in it; those stars could only come from one person, however. Petra presses her lips together in an unreadable expression, somewhere closer to embarrassment than disgust. "Kore was here?" Petra takes a slow breath in and out, letting the miniature spring's air replace the stale air of the facility, then sits in the grass beside Angela. "...It's pretty." Eyes locked on one of those tiny artificial suns, Petra continues into the reason they're here. "She's being blackmailed by someone important to her. My goal is to blackmail him back. He's a rich piece of shit who wants to control her because he's worried about his own public image, so...." Petra pauses, realizing that sentence doesn't make much sense without context. She tilts her head to look at Angela directly, studying her for a few seconds while a sourceless breeze flows off of the tiny river, rustling her hair. "Her dad. Is the one blackmailing her. He's absolutely done some horrible stuff, even outside of what he's doing to Lilian, and he's worried about anything reflecting on the, the dignity of the family name, or whatever. We can't kill him, or do anything visible, until he's separated from Lilian, so I'm going to go with-- with someone else, and steal documents that can scare him and fuck him over. What kind of resources do you have that could help?"
Angela	Angela is quiet. She doesn't tell Petra that the Manager can look into the offices but nobody comes down here. That may change eventually but Angela fears her own employees--as in fears their competency just doesn't match up to what she requires and so she doesn't really want to tell them anything that might let them closer to her heart even if she has no reason to feel the same for the Outsiders. "Yes. She has paid two visits." but Angela seems to be clamming up about anything besides Lilian right now and doesn't provide further clarification and when Petra asks-- ''Comes from you? Is she a... prisoner?'' Angela almost answers but says, "Let us handle the matter you are here first, then if we have time we can spare attention to it. Suffice it to say, this is quite private." If you can ignore the girl carrying a hammer and a nail behind her back and smiling. But she doesn't seem to move or...do anything. She isn't even looking at Petra or Angela. Blackmail. It's a strange word. Angela has never REALLY had to engage in proper blackmail. Oh she's indulged threats here and there but nothing so grand as a scale as this. She cups her chin thoughfully, considering it. Disciplinary, ironically, doesn't have the discipline to not start smashing shit up--not without Gebura watching them. The Information Team would normally be ideal but the setup of that team is purposefully inept. ''Her dad. Is the one blackmailing her.'' Ah, Angela thinks. That is what Binah was suggesting was she? Perhaps not something so specific as 'dad' but someone who held a similar level of power over her. Angela knows too well how in spite of one's own superiority, how difficult it is to resist 'a dad' who knows every little thing about you even if they never truly saw you. "I want to kill him too. But the Dame Commander would have, if that was an option. Best to not dwell on options closed off to us." But what DOES she have an offer? "Agents specialize in monster management but some of them have been Fixers--mercenaries--before joining our facility. Rose from the Control Team and Captain Rook are our best agents at being subtle but this is not to say they specialize in stealth. Rose is just a fighter but the Control Team's specialty is seeing how best to engage new environments. We usually send them first to any new world we visit so any future teams do not do anything too foolish." "The monsters we have can also be released intentionally into an area though we can't really control them once they leave the facility."} "Our agents as a general rule excel at observation and analysis. While they might not be 'sneaky', if they can observe this 'dad' for a period of time--and there is anything at all that can be blackmailed--I suspect they'll be able to find something eventually but if you simply require a distraction or something that will draw a lot of attention, I have countless options for that." She opens her eyes again finally. "I hate to suggest this since only fools or the ignorant would work in a place like this--but as you know one of our Sephirah is having a meltdown. The Manager will eventually reactivate her as she tries to destroy this facility for a grand purpose you don't care about. However--it would be an excellent opportunity to see our Agents in action. At their worst."
Petra Soroka	Petra is glad to not have to talk about Persephone longer than necessary, of course. She's not relevant, and Petra's made her enmity with her clear. But for some reason, as the girls continue to talk, Petra's eyes keep glancing back towards the stars, in the same way that she looked back at Angela for assurance when talking to Binah earlier. "But the Dame Commander would have, if that was an option." "She wouldn't." Petra interrupts, planting a hand into the dirt to twist and lean towards Angela. "It's not an option for her, specifically. She doesn't kill, she especially wouldn't break the First Code, and... other reasons, too." Petra pulls back from Angela, then slouches, elbows on her knees. "The reasons why we can't are different. But don't talk about her like that. Like she'd be the first one in line to kill someone if it was an option." "Rose from the Control Team and Captain Rook are our best agents at being subtle but this is not to say they specialize in stealth." Petra crosses her arms, looking unsure. "Just personnel, and none of them are really trained for this kind of thing? I kind of want to involve as few people as possible in this part, since it's so... since she's so vulnerable. You know? I don't trust the staff here to treat her and everything around her with as much care as she needs." "I don't even trust her friends to." Petra sighs, rubbing her hand along the grass. "It's you, me, Kore, Tamamo, Xion, and Rita. That's it. Everyone else who knows her, all the hundreds of people, would rather leave her to die than make themselves a little uncomfortable, so I don't want-- complete strangers, handling her information." Still, it's something she might be able to use. Petra fully lies down in the grass, trying to let the presence of someone (two someones) who's sincerely on Lilian's side reassure her, that it'll turn out okay. It doesn't work, and after a few restless seconds, she sits back up to listen to the rest of Angela's suggestion. "Oh. Come help out..." And everyone else will be there, too, because they always are. Petra hadn't been planning on revealing her return to the Multiverse until after Lilian was safe, to avoid everyone fucking forgetting about her to focus on Petra instead. Her hasty reentry in the radio earlier already cost her that, and her worry was already proven correct, so she sighs a second time. "That'll be the best way for me to get an idea of what you can do to help, yeah. It just feels awful to, to do anything else, that isn't directly helping her. I feel like I've wasted so much time already. But I can't afford to fuck this up again, so I'll-- I'll be there."
Angela	"My apologies for my lack of clarity. Yes, that is what I am getting at." Angela says. "It is not an option for her. I do not know the Code of Thirteen but from what she told me of the person she wishes to be--yes, it would not be an option." ''Like she'd be the first one in line to kill someone if it was an option.'' "...That was not my intent. I apologize, Petra. I am aware of her capacity for restraint--I wish to respect her choices, that is why I do not wish to harm him." Angela tells herself she'll have to be more careful with her language around Petra and be ready to ammend even carefully constructed statements. Persephone told her the Code of Thirteen wouldn't work for her but she does ask, "What is the first Code?" She'll be rather upset if it turns out that the First Code is basically 'Listen to your creator' because boy howdy does that one give her trouble too. Tamamo. The fox woman who was able to hold her hand when she couldn't. The rest she knows and seem trustworthy. Gebura would complain about Rita--she's not entirely sure about Rita herself, frankly, but Petra is the expert so she can trust the expert. She has no idea who Xion is. Perhaps she should change that. So far out of the ones she's actually talked to of that list, she's grown to... Angela doesn't feel that thought. Angela nods like she doesn't really blame her for not trusting staff. Unfortunately most of the stranger abilities of Lobotomy Corp are localized entirely in this building or are too horrible to really be of helpful here. Hm. Angela reaches into an inner sleeve of her labcoat, drawing out a tablet. She barely had one ready because she wasn't expecting to be engaging this woman or anyone today really. She offers it to her. "If I am on that list, then I will provide you with myself. I cannot leave this structure but scans, analysis, and observation can be performed remotely so long as a connection can be maintained. My physical body need not be there. Just 'a' physical body. If more is required than that, we can discuss that after you are more familiar with the facility and its people." She pauses a moment and takes a look at the tree, and takes notice that Petra has lied down on the grass. She presses the urge to smile down and instead she says, "Understood. Thank you for trusting me even though we've just met. ...Please, rest here as long as you'd like--it is about to get very busy here."