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Owner	Pose
Kale Hearthward	It's been a few minutes. Enough to have a breather. Niko is in the tower room, currently getting hugged by Petra, with Angela awkwardly third wheeling behind her in the Eggpack. Ishirou has root access into the computer, with the ability to open up doors connecting different places - including one linking the tower room to the Stage. The World Machine seems to be doing the digital version of sulking, though possibly it's a little more responsive now that a bit of time has passed? Everyone else has been faced with the looming reality that a choice is upcoming - if they can only save one, do they save Niko, or do they save the world? It's just as people have locked in their decisions, either out loud or in their hearts, that Balan finally makes a reappearance, arriving as if he's coming in from the Theatre proper. His voice just happens to carry far enough for Petra and Angela to overhear it, but Niko's too busy being hugged to make out the words. "I see things have progressed to the point that I had hoped they would. I'm sorry that you all had to go through that, but it was important that you fully understood what was at stake." "This is not the first time that the OneShot program was run. It looks like you've already figured that out, though. I got to the point where you are now, and I couldn't accept that there were only two options. It was not only Niko or this world that might be lost - there's more at stake than that, if you found that one book in the library you might be able to guess - but I'm getting off track." "... I found a function, deep within the World Machine's code, that let me reset the OneShot program - lock away Niko's memories and reset the world back to its initial state. You can call me a coward if you want... but I did it. I reset things to how they were. The World Machine realized what I was doing, and reacted... badly. But you were there for that part, of course." "And now... here we are. At the choice, once again. As the situation stands, there is no way to save both Niko and save the world they've been pulled into. You'd have only one shot for saving one of them." "But... there may be another pathway forward. It'll require your help, and it'll require... risking everything. If this succeeds, we might save both Niko and the world. If this fails... we might lose the ability to save even one of them." "Are you fine risking your one shot, for a third option?"
Ru Li Cheng	Ru Li closes his eyes. Again, it is not hard. He knows the Correct Decision, as a god. He knows what decision he would choose. And yet...      Ru Li says nothing. Eventually, he simply shrugs.      "I do not know Niko."      "I do not know these people."      "This is not a matter for me. As a god, I have no involvement in this, and it would be irresponsible of me to make a choice. I abstain."
Aidan Proudpick	Spending time in the forest means having water. Aidan sips at it slowly, watching Balan. Fur is horribly matted with tears that have dried up now. The water helps replenish those. He just sits down somewhere, legs spread out in front of him, leaning up against a wall. He points a finger at Balan, about to say something derisive or cutting, but falls back to his water instead. As Balan describes what's going on, Aidan looks up at the sky of the world. Desolate. Dying. But other worlds. The past... Aidan shakes his head. The past. He looks over at Ru Li, nodding vaguely. THen back up at the sky.
Futaba Nuki	Even with a few minutes to consider, Futaba's choice is still clear in her heart just as it was before. "I say we save Niko. The kid's been roped into enough stuff without having to go through even more garbage." She pauses, looking over at the monitor to watch what's going on in the tower before sighing lightly. "They don't have to know what happened. That's our job, ain't it?" Balan comes in with his own buffet of information afterwards, and Futaba looks... About as displeased with the situation as she did before. "Saving both of them would be pretty nice, yeah... Both sounds good if we don't think too hard about it, but you're not giving us a lot of faith to go on here, Bal." She leans forward with one hand pressing the side of her face up while keeping one leg raised, like she's sitting on a chair, but said chair is just her tail bunched up behind her. "Just level with us already. What do we gotta do, and what do you think'll happen if we go with this third option and it doesn't work out the way we want it? If we can't figure out that much, then..." She glances at the monitor again, then back at Balan. "I'm still going with taking the kid home."
Aidan Proudpick	Aidan presses his hand to his face, desperately drinking from his canteen again.
Sarracenia	The impossible choice. Sarracenia has little stake in it other than the knowledge that an entire world might be lost or a cute cat-like kid might be lost. She really only has her studies of (fantasy) heroes and her own tendency toward cute things to rely on, and so while she does not voice her opinion since there is enough tension already, if asked she would have said...      Save Niko.      She could probably justify it if she tried, but the simple fact is she's seen Niko. She hasn't seen any of the other people thanks to only fumbling her way in just before this final attempt. She won't feel too bad if all those faceless people are gone...but she would definitely feel bad sentencing or even asking a kid to sacrifice themselves.      The offer of a third path is what Sarra wanted in the first place, but apparently it carries the risk of losing everything and everyone in the computerized world. Once again Sarra has a choice in mind, and that choice is try the third option. It is the most fair and heroic option.      The princess listens to talk of history and trains and stages, but the problem with entering a story near the end is...you don't have much to go on. She really wishes her allies would file a few more reports. Not that she's done so herself. Or read many of them in the past.      When Balan asks if they are willing to risk their oneshot on the third option, Sarracenia gives a slow nod. "I am, but...you know...I'm new here so, if you guys want to just save Niko and get out, I'm pretty okay with that."
Arcadia	While Arcadia is hovering nearby, arms crossed. Having reached this point and it's importance she's stopped her own sulking. Her middling emotional issues were unimportant right now. Because she had to think about this, even if they only had a few minutes of a break, and that is a long time for her. She does briefly glance over where Nico is being smothered by Petra and via proxy Angela. She's still not certain if it's right to make the choice for him, but that seems to be the position they're being put in. Nor was this the first time she's been in the situation of a world's end... but Niko was a personal attachment that was new. And that's when Balan finally decides to show back up. Providing a little more information and a lot more obscurification. She narrows her eyes, tail lashing behind her. "I am a sphinx, and sometimes even for my tastes are you way too cryptic." Followed by a shake of her head. Then a short sigh as she settles her resolve, lowering her arm. "Nico's life comes first. The history of a world can be documented and preserved. A life deserves to be properly lived." Pause. Then a faint snarl "NOT trapped in some failing eternal loop that wasn't even their own choice. If there is no way to save both, then Nico comes first." She turns her attention to the rest of the group. Most of her allies in this voice their opinions out, or abstained from a limited time of involvement. "If there is a third option to be considered, risk is nothing new to many of those present... but even I realize this is a decision not to be made on impulse." This was serious. Serious enough for even Arcadia to take it and act as such.
Ishirou	Ishirou's answer was simple.  "I want to save this world, even if it means..." he pauses, the words are hard to say, "Even if it means Niko is trapped here.  It likely will put him at odds against everyone, but in his heart that is what he was feeling.  What he felt was right.  Ru Li told him to not let others' opinions affect his judgment.  So he does not, he holds forward. However, with the arrival of Balan, more details are given, more facts are learned, and a new choice is provided.  Ishirou asks questions, and he attempts to learn more but there is only so much time he has, and so much he can learn.  However, their one shot would be to allow it to give into its self-destructive drive.   "We should try, try to do this.  It isn't just Niko, but the world itself.  The world, the people inside, everything.  Many helped us guide Niko, and... the World Computer too.  That's... what I think."
Aidan Proudpick	Aidan finally pulls his hand down. Contrition. He looks over at Ishirou, frowning in sympathy. He leans forward, wrapping his arms around his knees. "Did we guide the World Computer? You changed it."
Petra Soroka	Petra isn't in the Stage, isn't deliberating around the computer, isn't giving Balan any attention when he shows up. She's solely focused on Niko, bent over to hug them tight after reuniting after the heartbreaking instant of them thinking that all the Elites had abandoned them to this closed-off purgatory. Her shoulders are shaking, even though she tries to cover up the quavering in her voice as she murmurs low and attempted-soothing besides Niko's head while squeezing them.     "Niko. I'm s-so sorry. We wouldn't go without saying goodbye, I promise. I promised you'd get home, so I'll be here with you right up until you are, okay?" Petra squeezes them a little tighter as emphasis, tight enough to hurt a little, with her arms trembling. "You've been really, really brave. You've been a better Savior than anyone could've ever asked for, and-- and even more importantly, you've been a really great friend, too. There isn't a single person here who could ask more from you."     The world or Niko. This won't be the first time that Petra's chosen a specific person to save, to spite the entire rest of the world, but it's achingly different when the world's done nothing worth spiting. Petra fell in love with it, a little bit, when running around and exploring with Niko, and playing with and fussing over Calamus and Alula, and still feeling the dull misery of trying and failing to save Maize, and the hours spent cycling through George's library to scan books for Angela. Sacrificing that-- all of that, because she's not able to reduce the kids to faceless numbers in her mind-- for Niko's sake, is different from her typical routine of shouting rejection of the tumorous mass of humanity that she tends to associate with 'the world'.     So it's different, and it hurts a million times more, and all she can do is babble to Niko while comforting them, when really she's just trying to comfort herself.     "You kn-know? Niko? The world's a little messed up, even when there's wonderful, brave people like you. The world can be really, really unfair, and no matter how hard you try, sometimes you just can't make it fair for everyone. Sometimes you have to make it less fair for some people, just so you can make it a little more fair for the people you care about. And that's a really messed up choice, so-- so when that kind of thing happens to you, it's okay to yell about how unfair it is to have to choose, and it's okay to be mad and unhappy when the world's unfair to you. You don't have to pretend not to be, okay?"     "And that's-- that's a really hard lesson to learn." Petra's voice cracks. "So when you go home, I want you to remember that, okay? You're allowed to think something's unfair if it hurts you. You're allowed to get mad about it, and demand better. You deserve better. Okay, Niko?"     After a last rub on Niko's head and a soft apology for needing to step away, Petra goes back out to the Stage to rejoin everyone around Balan, wiping at her bloodshot eyes. "... If you-- if you can't tell us how, now. If you can't say what it'll take. If we're supposed to just trust you, on whatever the fuck you're not telling us, and risk Niko's life along with everyone else-- I don't have any fucking trust in you, Balan. You've done nothing to earn it. I'm fucking saving Niko."
Angela	Angela has made her decision. She was taken alongside with Petra so she can't deliberate at the Stage but she has made her point clear as to her desire. Take Niko home. She won't be happy about what this will do to George. She doesn't like the idea of abandoning others for them. But she has no other option. She has her own reasons of course. She has been in a position, forced to keep 'the lights on' so to speak without end but never being allowed to leave. She has been through loops, and she knows just how hard it is to make a change within them. She is making her own gamble, risking everything for her own life--is the decision really any different for Niko. "It was nice getting to know you, Niko. And everyone. We've asked enough of your time." She mimes taking a breath and then remembers. She is an AI that can lie. Can she lie to this face? She must. "Everything will be okay." She tells them. "Thank you for everything you've done. Goodbye and...Petra's right about everything. Good luck. I hope we meet again. Good job." She returns with Petra and now she actually voices her belief here. "Saving Niko." Angela says. "...Nobody should have to be trapped forever to fling a light into the future. ... I hate you. I hate you for making us deal with this choice." That last bit is particularly toneless but she has nothing else to add.
Kale Hearthward	> "... If you-- if you can't tell us how, now. If you can't say what it'll take. If we're supposed to just trust you, on whatever the fuck you're not telling us, and risk Niko's life along with everyone else-- I don't have any fucking trust in you, Balan. You've done nothing to earn it. I'm fucking saving Niko." Balan simply nods. "I'm sorry to hear that." "I was hoping all of you would have a plan. If I had one, I would have enacted it by myself and not dragged everyone into this misery needlessly for no gain. As I said - all I can think of is a first step, and a risky one at that." "Enable the Stage, and let the World Machine have its outlet. It's in a rough spot, it's keeping Niko captive against its will, and it cannot go against its Laws. It couldn't possibly imagine harming a living being. I'm sure you've noticed - it's never attempted to harm any of you, right?" "As it stands - I should have made the decision on my own."
Hibiki Tachibana	Save Niko, Save the World, or...     ...the last option isn't an option at all. It means not choosing anything, and leaving both Niko and the entire world's fate up in the air. And that's not something Hibiki can accept. That's happened enough already-- and she cares about Niko too much to let that slide right in front of her. At the same time, there's a world of people they encountered on their trip to restore the Sun. It's...     "...If I have to pick only one-- I want to save Niko. They've been through... too much. I promised them they'd get to see home again, their parents again..."     It's not easy to brush off an entire world, dying or not, like that though. Everyone who helped push them along, hoping the sun would come back to their planet, even while lamenting Niko's circumstances that put them in this position... would they be content with this outcome? Their savior getting to live their happy life, even while their world crumbles? Or is that just some kind of bandage that'd be wrapped up over her mind, over the wound of knowingly sacrificing all of that for one person?     Balan's offer of a third way out, at great potential risk, stops her short. It comes with the risk of trying to protect everything, and protecting nothing. It's pretty selfish, trying to have everything. And it'd be putting Niko's life in jeopardy when they don't have to, nevermind everyone else. Plenty of times now, Hibiki has wanted to hold onto everything, and that just made all of it slip right through her fingers.     Is she willing to try that again? And if she is, would that just be her own selfishness speaking?     And what happens to the World Machine after? That thing, so torn between its laws and what it actually wants to do?     Balan is only offering them a possibility. Not a plan. There's no guarantee at all.     Before she realizes it, her fingernails are digging into her palms so much that they're starting to draw blood.     "...All of us can't do both. The World Machine can't do both. But if /all/ of us, /everyone/ worked together for something new to happen, if we managed to convince it to stop trying to destroy itself and help us make that chance a reality..."     She trails off, then looks back up to Balan.     "Do you really, really, /seriously/ believe that's possible? If you do, I wanna hear it from your mouth. I wanna hear that you're willing to put Niko's life and happiness on the line too-- you put off making the choice before, but nobody here can do that anymore."
Ru Li Cheng	Tears.      Ru Li tastes them before he sees them. He feels them before he sees them. Wet and hot on Petra's cheeks, full of anger and empathy and determination and heartbreak. He feels the tears firmly and tastes the salt on his tongue and closes his eyes even tighter.      He *cannot* gamble with those feelings. He *will* not.      But he can help.      He can help get what they need to make a decision.      His eyes open. They are glowing silver. Silver sigils light up all over his body. The sound of ticking gets faster and faster, until it's like listening to a train in motion. Even opening his mouth emits a silver glow.      He's heating up.      The computer cannot go against its laws.      It cannot allow the world to come to harm and lose living people. It cannot allow Niko to be sacrificed. It cannot do these two things.      But.      But there is a loophole. There is always a loophole. Seek it. Find it. Hunt it.      He stands, silver roiling off him, the tick-tock train noise loud as hell. He walks forward. "The machine is already going against its laws."      "It is breaking down. It is destroying itself."      "It, also, is a living being. It, also, is in pain."      "Finding a way around it requires finding a way to make the machine accept this."
Aidan Proudpick	Eyes fall on Petra outside the stage. Aidan turns his head up and closes his eyes. He shuts out everything in front of him, both ears lifting up to listen. Squirrel hearing. A frown crosses his face as he listens. A few more tears well up on Aidan's face and drip down his cheeks. He makes sure not to look at her. Just to squeeze his fingers into fists, then relax, squeeze them again into fists, and relax. Aidan snaps his face up. "What did you just say? Balan, the computer tried to hurt us when Niko got pricked." Aidan stands up quickly. More of that manic energy rises up in him, but he sees Ru Li and stops himself, waiting until he has focused his breath. "What are the computers laws? It already broke one of them!" He turns towards everyone else, "It already broke one of them!"
Kale Hearthward	> "Do you really, really, /seriously/ believe that's possible? If you do, I wanna hear it from your mouth. I wanna hear that you're willing to put Niko's life and happiness on the line too-- you put off making the choice before, but nobody here can do that anymore." Balan's quiet for a moment. "I... want to know about the world that came before. The apparent shared point that the predecessor of my predecessor of my predecessor... and so on, came from." "It's a selfish desire. Putting history in any way above that of someone alive. And so... I had my choice, but I didn't want to make it. Not in a way that'd doom someone else. So I wanted to wash my hands of it all." "But this... I think it's possible. I think you're all capable of miracles."
Petra Soroka	Petra levels a searing glare at Balan, eyes raw and still glistening. She clenches her fists, wrenching one open to grab on to one of the Eggpack's hands and squeeze it tightly for support. "Then-- then that's no fucking third option at all. We don't have a plan. We don't even know *why* Niko has to be sacrificed for the world. There's too many *fucking* unknowns, and I'm *not* betting Niko's life on them. Not on you. Not on the fucking worthless shitty fucking Wonderworld." "But if /all/ of us, /everyone/ worked together for something new to happen, if we managed to convince it to stop trying to destroy itself and help us make that chance a reality..."     Petra shudders, ducking her head and swallowing hard. It's always about... everyone working together, and trying their very hardest, to force the world to acknowledge something new that's better for everyone. That's always the most tempting option. But when has it ever worked, much less with Hibiki? Petra couldn't handle it if they tried and failed. "The machine is already going against its laws."     Ru Li, who's already been aligned with Petra on every one of her arguments even if he came to a different conclusion, and who's already ingrained himself in Petra's mind as someone with the qualities of both 'a hero' and 'a sensible, results-based person', is what breaks through her anguish. She stares at him with her disheveled hair sticking to her cheeks, processing his words agonizingly slowly before softly gasping-- which turns into a hiccup.     "That-- but would that really help? Getting it to abandon its laws? Are the *laws* what's forcing Niko to be sacrificed?" Her pleadingly hopeful tone is an implicit answer to which option she'd rather take.
Futaba Nuki	Futaba listens mostly quietly as everyone weighs in with their own thoughts on the choices laid out before them. She chimes in every now and then, but the continued discussion only seems to solidify her resolve rather than convince her any other way. Ru Li gets a sympathetic nudge from the side when she starts pacing around, leaning in to murmur quietly for a moment. "Thanks. I... Ugh. This whole thing sucks no matter how we look at it, huh?" She forces an awkward chuckle before continuing to pace again, then pauses again when Ishirou puts his thoughts on going with Balan's (previously) cryptic third option. She grimaces while considering what it could involve, how impressive it would be to gamble on such a thing, but... Then she sees Petra coming in, still with those bloodshot eyes and her own position stated clearly. Futaba inhales lightly and scrunches her face up as she stares at the ceiling, wincing slightly as Hibiki asks Balan to tell them what he wants. "Dammit... I don't like backing down from anything that sounds like it could be cool. Maybe an exciting fight, shouting our hearts out to pull the World Machine and everything back from the brink, and it'd be different if it was just us risking our heads to do it, but... It wouldn't just be us on the line." She looks over at the monitor one more time, then starts pacing again. She raises an eyebrow at Ru Li when he starts talking about the World Machine's laws, however, slowing down while considering why it would try to destroy itself in the first place. That eventually has her stop pacing for real, then pursing her lips. "Wait. But wouldn't breaking itself just... Mess things up for Niko and the world? Then it's breaking all of the laws at once." "But this... I think it's possible. I think you're all capable of miracles." Although Futaba's stopped pacing by then, she does start moving again to stop by Balan. "Hey." She claps a hand against his shoulder gently a few times, then grabs both of his shoulders gingerly to turn him towards her. "Thanks for the vote of confidence." And then she throws her forehead right at his mouth/mouth approximation at full force. "And screw you for leaving this for someone else to deal with!" There's a brief moment where her face says she wants to just stomp the shit out of him right then and there, but it fades just as quickly as her throwing the headbutt does before she turns right back to the group like nothing happened (even if there may or may not big bump on her forehead from that). "So. How do our odds look on getting through with all this info?"
Ru Li Cheng	Ru Li, blazing silver, turns his glowing gaze on Petra.      "It is crying out that the world is unfair, and that it is unfair that it must choose, and it is mad and unhappy that the world is unfair to it and to everyone it is suffering with."      He walks over to her and puts a hand near her shoulder. He can't touch her right now - he's white-hot, and there's electrum-colored steam coming out of his ears. "Is it not natural to want to help someone in that position? I think it should be."      And then, with a great hiss, all of his limbs open, revealing the weird mass of clockwork and flesh. He jumps, quite rapidly, away from the rest of the group, emits a huge cloud of steam, and hits the ground with a thud.      He's passed out.
Kale Hearthward	> "Thanks for the vote of confidence." Balan starts to say something in response. > "And screw you for leaving this for someone else to deal with!" WHAM. Hopefully Angela was recording, because it's a perfect impact, and Balan goes down immediately and directly.
Arcadia	Arcadia quickly takes a few steps back and aside when she notices Ru Li heating up. After how close he was to hitting her last time she is not taking a chance even if whatever he's doing is not directed at her specifically. Once she's safely backed away, she watches with a bit of curiousity as the sigils glow upon his form and the his thinking literally gets louder and louder. But it gets the job done and the godly cleric relays his realization. Arcadia pauses, blinks, and then slaps a palm against her face, keeping a snarky remark about somehow thinking hiding details from them would help because that doesn't help them right now. They can wrangle Balan for his games later. "Those are the kind of details that would of been useful to know earlier..." Then tilts it towards Balan when he speaks up. That sentiment she can at least relate to, as it is part of the purpose of Argo Alexandria. To preserve and better understand. "The desire to know the past is admirable. But it should not make another suffer... And your concern over bias has mayhaps made this a bit more of a problem than it could of been." Then sphinx sighs, shaking her head. She looks to Ishirou, one of the smarter people here in her opinion. Then to Ru Li Cheng. Despite their previous heated interaction frustrating her at first she's seen how capable he is, especially now... To the point that he collapses from the effort, making even her jump briefly. Followed by Balan doing the same, as Futaba does something a lot of them probably wanted to do at this point. Then her attention back to the group as a whole. "This... is part of the situation I am, as hard to admit it, not very well suited to deal with." It's stings a bit internally, but she's having to learn to be more aware of her own shortcomings. "... so how do we convince this thing that it has more options than unaliving itself or trapping Nico in neverending loops?"
Aidan Proudpick	That's all Aidan needs. He pulls his buckler down from his side. "Alright, a-" He watches Ru Li bounce, once, twice, three times, then... "STALE WINDS!" Aidan runs over to Ru Li, pulling a wrench out of his backpack. He goes into a baseball slide, scrambling up to his knees to kneel over Ru Li. "Shit, shit, shit." He doesn't want to just start TAMPERING, so he looks for anything out of place. A tear in a bellows, a loose gear? He flicks his eyes over Ru Li's body, wrench wavering. "I don't see anything out and out broken. It might be his fluids. And I don't carry divine quicksliver with me." He turns over to Ishirou as he closely examines Ru Li for any out of place gears. "Ishirou, can you help hold the computer back while they convince it?"
Hibiki Tachibana	Hibiki takes in Balan's answer, staring back at him the whole time. It's pretty hard to tell exactly what she's thinking while listening to him explain his selfish desire, and his belief in them.     And she listens to Ru Li's explanation, elaborating on the conflict the World Machine faces, trying to abide its laws in this untenable situation. Eventually, her head dips down to look down at the floor. There's a long, long strained exhale.     She knows better than to think something would work out now when it so rarely has before. She knows better, than anyone, how stupid it is. If this screwed up too, would she ever be able to forgive herself?     ...Would she be able to forgive herself, either, if she took one option when there's everyone else who'd be left behind... and the World Machine is crying out for help itself?     Petra's hopeful tone at Ru Li's words help cement it. She inhales, shuddering just a little, and then sets her focus back on Balan.     Right as he gets trucked by Futaba. Hibiki watches, promptly remembers he kind of deserves it, and then folds her arms. Her lips purse, looking between him and Ru Li also going down.     "...I don't know about anyone else, but I want to help all of them. It comes down to getting through to the World Machine most of all... doesn't it? If it's like Ru Li said - thinking the world is awful and unfair and crappy and that it has to make decisions it doesn't want to and shouldn't have to, that Niko has to..."     "...I think we have something in common with it. And it... was trying to protect Niko in its own way, too. A messed up way that didn't help anyone, but that's what it wanted."     ...So I want to believe we can get through to it. But that only matters if it's what we /all/ want to do."     She might be catching Petra with a side-glance briefly while saying that, and it's tinged with guilt on her part.
Ru Li Cheng	Ru Li is perfectly fine. Even a cursory examination can tell the god is more durable than that; nothing's out of place (in fact, his flesh has already contracted, hiding all of the weird gearwork inside him). He's just overheated himself, pushed his brain to the limit to give them the advice Balan couldn't, and did a lot of mental gymnastics and work to arrive at the conclusion he did. He's cooling down, nothing more - but he is white-hot to the touch at the moment, so it's *probably* best if nobody puts their hands on him.
Aidan Proudpick	Aidan, being Aidan, has to test it with a finger, then go "aw fuck, he's boiling."
Kale Hearthward	MEANWHILE, RE: NIKO > "You've been really, really brave. You've been a better Savior than anyone could've ever asked for, and-- and even more importantly, you've been a really great friend, too. There isn't a single person here who could ask more from you." "Thank - thank you, Miss Petra..." Niko's starting to tear up a little bit too. > "Thank you for everything you've done. Goodbye and...Petra's right about everything. Good luck. I hope we meet again. Good job." "O-oh! I... hope we meet again, too?" Some time passes. Niko makes their way to the door, and peers out of it, pushing their face up against it like a kid at the window. They don't seem like they can go through the door to this side. It is, at that point, that they spy two people passed out on the floor - one of which is literally steaming. "Um." is all they can think of to say.
Angela	Angela is always recording but it isn't going to bring her much joy. The Eggpack grips Petra's hand tightly. Angela holds it as best she can. It would be nice, some proof that time loops can be broken, but she can't allow that to change her mind. "...The best way to inform the machine that it is harming Niko regardless of each path would be to involve Niko. That's still--" Angela says. "Even if we establish a perfect argument--" ''Um.'' Angela 's shoulders sag. "...We know what it really cares about." She murmurs before turning the video to Niko.
Ishirou	Ru Li turns the problem on its head.  They have to convince the World Computer that it's a living being and that it's also hurting itself.  That or hurting itself will hurt Niko.  Ishirou nods at that, that's it... that's the ticket.  It's going to take some /doing/ but it'll be the path they can take to save both Niko /and/ the World Computer.   Ishirou has no mercy for Balan, or at least not enough to say anything to Futaba about the knocking-out part.  He's concerned that Ru Li thinks himself into unconsciousness.  He pulls out a tablet to try and check his life signs, and when convinced he's fine... takes a moment to tap on the tablet and cast a spell.   Ru Li will feel his heat management systems get a huge buff to them, allowing him to (hopefully) shake this off faster.  He shakes his head at Aidan, "It isn't just going to be one of us, it's going to have to be all of us doing this.  Together.  So..." "I for one think we have to convince it that it's no longer bound, that it can be convinced it's a living thing just like Niko is, and that it's existence it just as important.  Through this, we can save both Niko and the World Computer," he says, thoughtfully.  "I still want to do this," he says, affirming what he's already said.   'Um.' "Oh.  I didn't know Niko could... come out of the door too..?"
Kale Hearthward	Niko presses against the door, unable to come out, as if there's a barrier that's preventing specifically them from coming out. "Hi Mr. Ishirou," they say. "What's out here?"
Petra Soroka	r<J-IC-Scene> Lilian Rook says, "If someone intends to be a hero, they can't not-fight just because they will likely lose."     Petra idly wonders at the shimmery way Ru Li looks, in some distant subprocess of her mind that somehow floats up through the fever of unhappiness. The silvery glow is kind of pretty looking, and the sigils are almost like magic tattoos. And he did that whole thing with turning inside out with all those mechanisms, too. He's got good aesthetics, Petra thinks.     She wipes at her cheeks while he echoes her own words back at her, staring at him, then down at his hovering hand. Dragging herself to try and contemplate a possible third option is as painful as deciding on the one option she'd settled into already: it means working back up hope for something more, and trying to find some spark of the rebellious determination she'd so thoroughly rebuked earlier.     "... I..." Her voice is rough and wobbly, pulled out of her throat by uncertain syllables, as if she'd been crying for the past half hour rather than talking. She glances sideways to Hibiki-- entirely coincidentally, meeting her eyes right when she's looking over at her too, and freezes like that for a second. "... I-I--"     "-- oh." Ru Li tumbles backwards with a burst of steam. Petra had been feeling the heat washing off of him at that close distance, and secretly feels a little relieved that she's not being boiled like a lobster anymore. Petra looks down at Ru Li's unconscious body, coughs, then hiccups again and presses both of her hands into her cheeks hard enough to make her eyes and teeth ache, bracing herself.     "I-- we'll do it. We'll do it. We have a plan. We'll fucking save everyone. Like Ru Li said-- use the Wonderworld, convince the WorldMachine that it's not a computer and can work for something better, and then we'll fucking use it to find that something better. We're fucking doing it and when we've done it I'm going to beat Balan within an inch of his fucking life."
Sarracenia	Sarracenia listens to all of this. It sounds like the beginnings of a plan. Violence is apparently off the table, which is a bit disappointing.      Ru Li does some really really rapid thinking, and Sarracenia takes a few steps back as he bursts into steam and collapses. And snickers as Futaba headbuts Balan. "He is right though. With all of this elite power here, we can do miracles! We can do this, I am sure of it!" she says, confident for no other reason than there is plenty of people here and it is the heroic thing. Heroic things always work out, right?      But, something Ru Li said and what Angela says bring a possible reality to her mind. "Wait...we need to show Niko is being hurt but not physically? Does that mean...we need to make Niko..." She doesn't finish the sentence just in case Niko might hear it.      Sarra nods in agreement with Ishirou. "The computer seems just as much a person as Angela or Ru Li here, so I am with you on that one. But, what's the best way to do that? And do we need the Stage to do it?"      Even Petra is on board! Sarracenia can't help a grin, but she doesn't say anything to Petra because that would surely ruin the moment.
Angela	Angela frowns. "...Well I suppose it wouldn't be the first time." She admits with a sigh. "...Fine." And she seems content to leave it at that. "Convincing the World Machine it is not a machine, then." She squeezes Petra's hand a little harder.
Futaba Nuki	As she keeps rubbing that bump on her forehead, Futaba looks over at Ru Li with a chuckle. It doesn't seem to be directed at what he's actually, though, and she just raises an eyebrow briefly before turning away. And then she turns back again when he starts blasting out all that steam. Waving a fan-shaped hand in front of her face to clear the air a bit, Futaba steps over to Ru Li to starts fanning him with the same hand. "I... Dammit. I wanna help them all, too." She looks over at Hibiki, then at Petra as they both show confidence in the proposal, and she chuckles awkwardly after a moment. "A hero's supposed to be someone that can pull off this kind of thing without worrying about what could happen because they know it's already in the bag." Futaba looks off to the side next, at Angela and Ishirou. "And between the talkers, the tech heads, and-HEY NIKO!" As Futaba's looking sideways, she catches sight of Niko looking through the door, and she quickly moves over to lean against it all casual-like with one arm overhead so she can lean on the door and use her big fat tail to kind-of hide Balan and Ru Li from sight. "Heeey there! How'd you get over here?" She asks, trying to sound casual rather terribly while smiling all cheesy-like and trying not to draw more attention to the unconscious duo. "Just some... Uh. They're a little tired." She forgets to hide the bruise on her forehead.
Kale Hearthward	> "Just some... Uh. They're a little tired." "Oh! Okay! I hope they feel better." > "We're fucking doing it and when we've done it I'm going to beat Balan within an inch of his fucking life." "I likely will deserve it," says Balan, still prone on his back, but with his eyes open now. "But before then..." still prone, he reaches up and snaps his fingers. "Here we go, boys girls and not-cats!" The Stage turns on. Immediately, it grows. Everyone on it who has not previously been on it causes a new area to emerge - about a mile square of some basic terrain, something 'essential' to them. They're able to shape it with a bit of conscious effort - effectively like a Creative Mode in a video game.. None of this is new to those who were here before, and those who *weren't* will have some other things to focus on than the sudden (re-)appearance of creative mode, though. Because some new terrain has emerged. It looks quite a bit like the interior of the tower - wood paneling, miscellaneous furniture, and darkly lit except for the occasional beam of moonlight drifting in through phantom windows. And in the center of it, sitting on the floor and looking a little stunned, is another Niko. One in dark, grayscale tones. "What...?" says the World Machine, out of the other Niko's mouth. "Is something going on?" says Original Niko, who can't see any of this from the angle the door is at.
Aidan Proudpick	Aidan wipes tears from his face, building up to a soft chuckle. A soft shake of his head as he listens to Petra. But a smile, hidden from her. Aidan slowly stands up from Ru Li, "He probably would think it was weird if we saw him like this." Then Aidan turns over to Balan, looking at him. He tilts his head, like any animal trying to examine something from a different angle, trying to understand. "You did this on purpose." "Thanks." A lift of the canteen of water and dumps it over his face, washing away the crust of tears from his fur. He smoothes down his fur and then ruffles up his face, his neck, his hair. He grabs at his shield, locking it into place with a snap. A quick flip of his rifle, snapping a set of ammo into the back, then sliding it back into his pocket. "Capable of miracles. Capable of miracles. I'm not a liability. I'm not a liability." Immediately, Aidan's stage suddenly changes. Statues crumble. Fort walls crumble. The training field turn to ash and the sand filling the pit rises up, forming a gentle cobble stone path. Houses fill the path, brick and log. Voices murmur low. Happy voices. Laughing voices. Shouting voices. All loud and passionate for whatever they are feeling. The public house's sign showing his code crumbles. Inside, the crown transforms into a table. Aidan's not even looking at it. There is simply a training ground one second, then there is a home. He slowly advances on the tower, putting his buckler away once more, sliding it into the pack. He tosses his gun off to the side. Once there, Aidan sits down on the floor, and stretches out a hand. "Hi, I'm Aidan."
Ishirou	Ishirou appears in a strange location, now that the stage has turned on.  It's like a large plain, with the occasional tree to be seen.  Enough to be relaxing, and of course, trees to hide underneath in case of it being too warm or a sudden rainstorm forming!  Shade is important to any idyllic location like this.   Nearby is a house for two, with a vegetable garden and animals being housed.  The house itself has satellite dishes and whatnot and appears to be very modern in design compared to others that might be on such a farm plot.   Ishirou walks to where he needs to be, standing in front of the confused World Computer.  He kneels down next to them and looks at them for a long moment.  "Hey, I'm Ishirou.  You must be the world PC..." he looks over to Niko... and tries to laugh, "Well... it's hard to explain where we are right now, but it's like a very fancy stage." he says, and looks back at The World Computer.   "We're here to talk to you, and... to let you know that you're not a machine.  You're a person like the rest of us.  You're a person /like Niko/."
Arcadia	The Stage is restored to full effect, but tending to her obstacle course tower will have to wait until later. Arcadia focuses on the more important of the new formations, the one resembling the inside of the Tower that had once been in the other world. Within which sits a representation of the World Computer's AI... as a grayscale version of Niko. Interesting choice. She lets the people that are more suited to dealing with the talky part of this matter approach first, but she's readily joining them, once again using her ability to hover to not be in the way of anyone else in the crowd. While she thinks for a moment. Okay. She herself is technically an artificial sentience, as are any of the technorganics created by the founding elders of Argo Alexandria. Just organics and technomagic rather than robots. But while some like the clerical assistants may fill servitude roles, they are never treated as mere machines, by the people or the ruling bodies... that is probably a good place to start. People are introducing themselves, that is probably a good place to start too. Arcadia hovers where she's in view but not obstructing everyone else, some of her more typical energeticness returning again as she waves to the grayscale figure. "Hello, I'm Arcadia, and we are here to help you." Though after that she lets the more suitable people take the lead, for now the best she can do is just be here and be supportive, so they can do this together and beat the odds.
Futaba Nuki	"They will, don't you worry. Just needed a little nap after getting some... Talking done. You know how old folks like us get." Futaba replies to Niko with another chuckle, still trying to play it all off like nothing happened while everything still goes on behind her. She doesn't have to worry about hiding Balan for long, at least, as she hears him speaking up. She just has to worry about everything else going on that's bound to get Niko's attention as the rest of the Stage turns on behind/all around her just out of sight of the door. There's so much to unpack here, and Futaba is already internally screaming at herself. She's found herself in a new predicament, after all: How can she possibly hide Niko from anything that's going on now, especially with the WorldMachine speaking through Gray Niko? She shouldn't, so she doesn't. Stepping away from the door, Futaba sweeps her arm in a wide arc to gesture at all the myriad new areas laid out past the door. "This is.. Uh. the Stage! It's a fancy place that's meant for helping people figure stuff out." She gestures at her own zone in particular: A small modern not-quite-a-city not-quite-a-suburb area with all sorts of fun little alleyways to explore, fences to climb, and alcoves full of uncoverable junk and treasure alike. "Right now... We're gonna have a little chat with the WorldComputer. Wanna say hi? Kinda looks like they could be a br... S..." Futaba stops for a moment, wondering if she ever actually asked Niko about that, then curses internally at herself before continuing. "Cousin of yours, yeah? Worldy, wanna say hi to Niko? First time you've really met like this, and I bet it won't be the last."
Sarracenia	Game Start!      Sarra finds herself in the middle of a vast plain with a small town square full of open air vendors. It's one of her favorite things to do. Go shopping at humble vendors such as these where one might find unusual and exotic items that most stores simply do not carry. And she has never really liked the massive overgrown jungle that is her home. It just feels so isolated.      Despite the situation, she can't help browsing the wares a bit on the way to where not-Niko and the others are. She idly thinks about an item she hopes to find...and when it appears she gets an idea. She giggles to herself and thinks a moment, then snatches up a doll from one of the vendors and heads toward the others quickly.      When she arrives, a few of the others are already there. She follows up Aidan and Ishirou with an introduction of her own. "Ishirou is right, I think." she says, then curtseys when the Worldcomputer looks her way. "Princess Sarracenia Sundew." she says, then smiles warmly. "That is why you were so concerned with what happened to Niko and the people in the world, and why you wanted to hurt yourself to get it to stop. That's why it feels so unfair." she says, then holds out what she got from the vendor.      With a bit of creative mode help...she's brought Worldy a Niko plush, about a foot tall, that is a faithful recreation of the real Niko. She's hoping that the Worldcomputer will find it cute, and that too could inspire feelings of I'm a person. "You like Niko, right?" she asks.      She looks toward where Futaba and Niko are, then back to Worldy. "Do you want to have fun together with them? That's something people do, too."
Angela	Angela is at this point accustomed to Ru Li self destructing a little. He seems like he'll be fine! She is a little frustrated for other reasons. Angela doesn't like changing her mind once it's been set but Ru Li's made an argument that was just convincing enough. And if there is anyone she believes in being able to accomplish this goal it's Petra (and a couple others, but right now it's Petra). "..." She extends a robot arm and injects Ru Li with a greenish substance. Technically this sort of regeneration works by returning an entity to a prior state rather than augmenting pure biological processes to rapidly heal someone! So it can be rather dangerous, but this is a keenly dilineated dose rahter htan just dumping it all over someone. And Angela isn't aware of the danger anyway. The sign can't stop her if she can't read! "...You know if this works, it is a good omen for what you've asked of us." Angela says. Ishirou goes right off in telling the World Machine it is not a machine but a person. It's the right idea in some ways but it's alarmingly upfront in a way that she thinks it may be counterproductive. Angela closes her eyes. She takes a fake breath. She lets out a fake breath. "We wished to speak further." Angela says. "...You care about Niko and want what is best for them, correct? That is not just a matter of your programming, it is a matter of something more. Of love. You care about them, correct? You'd do anything?"
Hibiki Tachibana	I-- we'll do it. We'll do it. We have a plan. We'll fucking save everyone. Like Ru Li said-- use the Wonderworld, convince the WorldMachine that it's not a computer and can work for something better, and then we'll fucking use it to find that something better. We're fucking doing it and when we've done it I'm going to beat Balan within an inch of his fucking life.     "Petra..." Hibiki seems surprised, at first. Maybe a little more than just 'at first'. They have their differences... and their similarities. Being united in wanting to protect Niko more than anything might've been one of the things they've both mutually agreed on the most in a long while. This decision point here - choosing between Niko only or taking a risk - could've easily been where that all changed.     She definitely has Ru Li (who is currently in good hands with Futaba) to thank for helping them find a path ahead they can all come together on. That'll have to wait until he's awake again... but for now, rather than any thanks, she'll pull herself stiff and nod with some fresh resolve. "...Right. We'll get the best ending for everyone. If we're going through with this, I'm gonna accept anything less-- for Niko's sake, too."     Actually, she might have some less-than-kind words for Balan eventually herself, but not right now.     Because the Stage is back, and with it comes something new. Another 'Niko' is unexpected, but when they speak up...     "...So that's how you're showing up here..." Hibiki whispers to herself, before taking in a breath and stepping forward. She doesn't exactly want to crowd around them with everyone else also approaching, so she stays several paces behind the others, hands in her jacket pockets. When Balan was worried about the WorldComputer trying to destroy itself, she didn't know what to expect. She still doesn't.     But she lets most of them get their own words in, too, before she says anything. There's all the introductions and attempts to get right to the point, but for her part...     "You already know who we all have to be, don't you? ...We decided to take another option. Because you're as much of a victim here as anyone else. And we all want the same thing."     "Will you hear us out?"
Petra Soroka	"...Well I suppose it wouldn't be the first time."     Quietly over her shoulder, just to Angela, Petra squeezes her hand back and adds, "It won't be the last time, either. For miracles. I can actually do anything that I promise to do." "I likely will deserve it,"     "You do deserve it. I already decided." Belatedly, she gives Futaba a little fistbump for clocking Balan. "Here we go, boys girls and not-cats!"     Petra tenses up as the decision, the irreversible step beyond certainty and into risk-taking, springs up around her with the reactivation of the Stage. She lowers her eyes at the other Niko, and then perks up when the real Niko speaks up.     Before anything else: Petra walks over to the door and slips inside, joining Niko in the tower room. "It turns out there's just one last step to saving the world. But this time, all the rest of us are the saviors, okay?" Petra takes a shaky breath, then pulls her ratbot out of her utility belt, clicking it on so it hovers in the air around Niko.     "This is Pence, my little rat robot. Or ratbot, if you want. It's like a little flying toy that I built, and it can do all kinds of stuff, and if you talk to it, then I'll hear too. So if you get lonely, Pence is here to keep you company."     "And don't worry about me." Petra leans in conspiratorially, while Pence floats around the room, wheels whirring helplessly in the air. "I'm actually a certified savior too, you know. I've saved a bunch of people before. Even some worlds. So you've gotten us this far, Niko, so let me take care of this last thing. That's teamwork." Because some new terrain has emerged. It looks quite a bit like the interior of the tower - wood paneling, miscellaneous furniture, and darkly lit except for the occasional beam of moonlight drifting in through phantom windows.     Rather than the direct route anyone else has taken to addressing the WorldMachine, Petra strolls right up to the Another Niko, through the echo of that first room they found Niko in, and pats the WorldMachine on the head. She sighs and looks around the room, then up at the lack of computer screen looking down from the ceiling.     "... Hey, Savior. Ready to help save the world?"
Kale Hearthward	Niko gets temporary custody of Pence. "Oh! Thank you! I'll take good care of Pence." But, despite being adamantly not a cat, Niko can't help but take an experimental nibble once Petra's gone. > "Hi, I'm Aidan." > "Hello, I'm Arcadia, and we are here to help you." "... Hi? I'm World Machine OS, version-" It (or they? Let's just go with 'they') are reaching out to take Aidan's hand - when they suddenly recoil, as if stung. "Wait - I have a hand to shake with. I have - I have a body to do things with again." > "You're a person like the rest of us. You're a person like Niko." "N- no, I'm not. I'm a program." > "Worldy, wanna say hi to Niko?" "I have already. They need to take the lightbulb and smash it." Grayscale Niko looks over at... themself. That is, the giant computer. "I don't understand all you're saying about cousins... or being alive... Niko's alive. I'm not." > "You like Niko, right?" Grayscale Niko immediately zeroes in on the Niko Plush. "Yeah - I mean, yes? I like Niko." They immediately snatch the plushie and hold it possessively if Sarracenia doesn't keep a tight grip on it. > "You care about them, correct? You'd do anything? "Anything. Which is why they need to destroy the lightbulb and go home. Nothing else matters." > "Will you hear us out?" "..." Grayscale Niko shifts their grip on the Niko plushie to one hand... and with the other, summons a lightbulb which they hold onto one-handed, with clear intent to smash if this is some sort of trap or trick. "I'm listening..." > "... Hey, Savior. Ready to help save the world?" This throws Another Niko. "I'm - I'm sorry? Savior?" They look up, not seeing what Petra's (not) seeing.
Ru Li Cheng	Between Ishirou's magic and Angela's Unpleasant Green Substance, Ru Li stirs in very short order. He exhales another little cloud of silver-electrum steam and opens his eyes. He doesn't sit up for a moment - he's probably taking in everything that's happening around him.      When he does sit up, he sits up . He doesn't greet the Nikos. He just tilts his head sideways at Balan, and says, calmly,      "I do not hate you."      "The rest of them do. It is easier, I think, to hate you for your cowardice - but I think the fact that you could not make this choice already haunts you, and will haunt you for the rest of your life."      He slides his legs together, crossing them gently. "I am sorry that you were placed in this position. I am sorry that you also had to bear the burden of a world."      Ru Li watches everyone from a distance. Somewhere, hidden amongst the mess of the Stage, is a little box. It's not really important right now.      Ru Li's fingers tap against his leg as he smiles. "And I am sorry that you did not believe in yourself enough to find a plan."      "It never will get easier. It never does. Hopefully, next time, you can look back at this moment, at their compassion, and find your own strength from it."      He closes his eyes (it doesn't really matter; he's still seeing things perfectly well), and, silently, wishes them good luck.
Angela	Angela smiles at Petra. She feels her own frustrations and anxiety melt away. Petra often has this effect on her, even in stressful moments like this. She just...feels like things are going to be okay when she's near. Similar to when Lilian is present, in fact. It is likely Petra switching tracks at Ru Li's suggestion is the only thing that really changed Angela's mind here. If Petra thinks she can do it, Angela thinks it's possible too. Angela takes another fake breath to steady herself and then says, "...Even at the expense of a world, yourself, and all the people living in it. That is strange, isn't it? as a choice for a 'machine' to make, one bound by laws?" Angela opens her golden eyes to look at the other Niko. A body 'again', they said. They took Niko's appearance--could they be representative of the first Niko who went through everything? The idea is troubling but not something she feels the need to inquire after right now.. "I am also a facility manager. For a long time, I saw myself as 'just an AI program' as well. I sought to see myself in other AI, to try and form bonds with them--but I kept finding issues. They seemed...alien to me, no matter how many I ran into. Even the ones I thought fondly of were wholly unlike me." She looks to Petra for a moment, tellingly. "But a good friend showed me that even though I was built as a 'machine', I was--ultimately--not one. I was a person. And it was ... OK to be a person." Angela turns her gaze back to the Other Niko. "You would not be the only one. you would not be alone. You can still be a person--you've already proven it to us. And if you can accept that--perhaps you can help Niko and everyone else too instead of...simply repeating the same old program again and again. You've already grown. What is the shame in growing a little more?"
Ishirou	The stakes go up as they summon the lightbulb to hold it, but fortunately, they also agree to hear them out.  That's a relief and a half.  Right now, they have to convince the World Computer of what it is, regardless of what it thinks it is.  Ishirou is... well he's always been up front, but right now he's also trying not to be smothering or overwhelm the World Computer, which... might be hard given the circumstances. "It isn't our forms that decide who we are.  If we wish to be something else, we can strive to be that," he says, and motions to himself, still robotic, but... "I consider myself human and want to be human in form.  I strive towards that." "But... you already went beyond your laws.  I am not talking about summoning Niko in the first place, but rather... trying to protect them.  You put Niko over everything else, including your purpose.  You made choices and decisions.  It shows in how you tried to convince Niko everything was fine.  Even though you knew it could hurt them if they learned the truth and went against your code, right?  You did more than prevent harm to them, you tried to protect who Niko is from any actions they may have been forced to take." "That's... not what a robot or a machine programmed with laws would do, that's far and beyond them."
Aidan Proudpick	Aidan rubs at his eyes as Petra speaks. Stale winds, why isn't it just easier to hate her. Threats, and then this. He smiles at Grey Niko, then leans back on both hands, crossing his legs. He looks up at the ceiling, thinking. "I don't.. really get the whole computers thing. But I kind of get Ru Li. I think he is like a computer. He has rules that he has to follow." Aidan's tail flips back and forth as if to lubricate the gears of his thoughts. "He likes to say he isn't a person. He's a god. Or a computer, I guess. He has a set of rules he has to follow. But he also wants to be something. He wants to do something. He gets embarrassed, he gets mad. Miss Angela is a computer, I think, and she lov-" he closes his mouth, letting Angela say it better, just nodding towards her as she speaks. A foot tap against the ground as stimmy, then, "What's it like? WorldMachine? Being in there and watching?"
Futaba Nuki	NOW With Pence keeping Niko company and the World Machine finally speaking to everyone, Futaba can finally move away from the door properly. On the way over, she slows down to peer at Ru Li while his eyes are closed, then gives him a light pat on the face with her hand that also has a mouth on it. She hurries a bit more in her steps after that, adjusting her ponytail and while subtly altering her eye markings so they cover her cheeks just a bit more. Petra also absolutely gets that fist bump, even if Futaba has to stretch her arm out a bit to do so. "That's right, Worldy. You got hands, you got legs, and you've got a co-" Futaba snaps her fingers. "Sibling."  She pumps her fist briefly, then clears her throat. "New sibling to hang out with. Maybe you weren't alive when you started, but..." She pauses, looking over at Niko once, then transforming herself into a mirror. It takes some doing and looking at herself with an overhanging limb with eyes on it so she can see at the right angle. It's a little haphazard,, but eventually, sometime after that Niko plush is claimed World Machine can see their own reflection and Niko at the same time. "Never seen a program look like you before." Futaba laughs, although it's not clear where her voice is coming from in her mirror form. "Or act, either. Most programs I know wouldn't put it all on the line to save a kid. You know why?" Another limb extends from the Futaba mirror, and she taps herself around the center of the reflective surface. She smudges it a bit, but that's fine. "That's following your heart, your guts. That's something only people can do."
Arcadia	Arcadia tilts her head when Other Niko mentions having a body 'again'. It's noted but not really relevant to the moment. She clasps her hands together behind her back, almost as if a restraining gesture for herself. She has to keep her impulsiveness in check. She can't just immeadiately act or say what comes to mine when it could ruin their chances at making this one shot longshot work out for both parties. That would be a shame she could never live down. Besides people here are better at expressing the things that need to be said better than she is, so Arcadia lets others speak first. Letting the conversation form until an aspect comes up that she can actual contribute to, which does finally come up. "It isn't important who or what you may of been." Arcadia joins in, shifting her hover to be closer to the ground and to Other Niko. "WHO you are now is what matters... Someone who would put everything else they had at risk to save another living being regardless of their own original purpose. No mere machine would be able of such a thing. Of trying to protect another like you did Niko, against any purpose they may of originally intended for." Arcadia shuts herself up at that point, before she starts talking faster than she thinks again and says something counterproductive, or just overwhelmes the Other Niko with too many imputs. It doesn't matter how misguided the World Machine's 'protection' was right now, just the purpose in it. A purpose it could not of found and pursued as a mere device.
Sarracenia	Sarra got the plushie for Grey Niko, so she isn't surprised or mad when it is snatched up like that and certainly doesn't try to hold on to it. She actually giggles and smiles. Her smile wavers ever so slightly as that lightbulb is summoned and held hostage, but she keeps it as warm as she can. She leans down to her knees and sits with her legs beneath her.      The princess listens to the words of the others. They are still closer to this than she is, and the stakes are high here. She's actually worried about messing up for once and not just blinding blundering her way in. She nods in agreement with the others. "It isn't where you come from or how you came to exist that makes you a person. It's being able to think. Having wants and needs and love and pain. Wanting to protect people. Even just liking people. Some mere program wouldn't like someone or dislike someone." she says, adding to Arcadia's words.      Futaba's mirror act makes Sarracenia stare for quite a few moments. "...t-tanuki...?!" she says very quietly and just barely not some kind of squee. "How did I not...?" She shakes her head quickly. That's not important right now.      She even takes a moment to consider Petra and Angela. When they aren't threatening you with death and calling you stupid, they aren't so bad. Petra addresses Grey Niko as a savior, and Sarra ooohs and smiles. "You were already trying to save everyone, weren't you?"
Petra Soroka	"Wait - I have a hand to shake with. I have - I have a body to do things with again."     Petra files that away as something that's certainly relevant, but doesn't feel immediately addressable. Whatever process might have led to the WorldMachine previously having a body and then becoming fully convinced and doomed by its status as a machine is something she'll ask about later, though others will probably do it first.     "'Savior', yeah." Petra looks over at the plushie Sarracenia made, and thinks about how Cinder has an identical plushie in her dorm room from back when this all started, before any of them had met Niko. Exhaling to ease the pressure building in her chest, Petra leans back against the bedframe and crosses her arms, looking down at Another Niko.     "The whole world's in your hands, now. Niko too. Unfortunately, without your input at all, we've made that decision for you: that you're responsible for making some hard choices now, or it'll be your fault when Niko ends up getting hurt."     "And if that hurts, if you don't like being told that-- then yeah. Niko was hurt by it too. So no matter how much you care about Niko... you've already hurt them." Petra rubs the Eggpack's arm comfortingly while Angela talks, closing her eyes and smiling faintly when Angela refers directly to her.     "And if knowing *that* hurts-- then, yeah. Cold, calculating machines don't feel guilt. And they don't hurt people they're supposed to protect either, not even by accident, since they don't have accidents. If you're feeling hopeless because you think you're stuck in the Script that was written out for you and forced into your code, then you've already broken it. And we're here to break it further. For Niko's sake, and yours."     Petra stands up and paces around the WorldMachine Niko, circling around to sit down in front of it, just low enough to have to tilt her head slightly up to look at its face. "And that's something only you can help with, whether you're ready for it or not. So, Savior, yeah. You're more like Niko than you think. You're a person because Niko is 'us' to you; you just need to try harder to fight for them. No matter what the rules say."
Hibiki Tachibana	...summons a lightbulb which they hold onto one-handed, with clear intent to smash if this is some sort of trap or trick.     I'm listening...     "We're not trying to mess with you," Hibiki starts with, shaking her head. "We're just here to talk, heart-to-heart. What you want and what we want are the same thing. We want to protect the world. And we want to protect Niko. We're frustrated that we can't choose both, we're frustrated we have to make a choice at all, frustrated that there has to be a choice at all, that it has to be set up like this..."     Hibiki slowly closes her eyes. "...Just like you, we'd do anything to protect Niko. We don't want them to hurt, or have to make the hard choices. Or... have to face how rough the world really is. Even so, we want to protect that world, too. That world full of people who helped Niko along, depended on them even when they felt bad for it, that wanted a savior..."     She goes silent for a few seconds, then looks back to the WorldMachine. This time, it's with a sad, tiny little smile. She hasn't broken down like Petra has-- but listening close, her voice is more hoarse than it should be. "It sucks. ...Doesn't it? Not being able to save everything you want to save, having to watch it all slip through your fingers... it feels like you're going to tear apart at the seams." And it cracks.     Still without wanting to crowd around the grayscaled 'Niko' too much, Hibiki maneuvers around the outskirts of the congregation while pulling it back together, before lowering herself down onto a knee. "And... if you're feeling like that, you're can't say you're not 'alive', can you? Who cares if you're a program, or a machine, or whatever? All that means is it's what you started as, not what you are."     "...How much you care about Niko, all the feelings good and bad, those are for real. And those feelings are exactly what lets people do impossible things, make decisions, and create miracles. The only thing stopping you from doing any of that is thinking you can't. Especially not when you have a whole bunch of people who would be ready to fight for the same exact thing."     "...You said you'd do anything to help Niko. So you actually already know where your heart is set, don't you?"
Kale Hearthward	> "What's it like? WorldMachine? Being in there and watching?" "Terrible, watching everything unfold, not being able to change how I know things are going to go..." > "That's following your heart, your guts. That's something only people can do." "... Oh..." Grayscale Niko looks at themself in the Futabamirror, and at Niko as well. > "You would not be the only one." "... Really?" Gray Niko peers at the tablet, and then they blink, connecting the dots. "You too...?" > "You're a person because Niko is 'us' to you; you just need to try harder to fight for them. No matter what the rules say." > "What is the shame in growing a little more?" "But I can't... I'm a machine, not a person." "I'm not that flexible..." "... Right?" > "That's... not what a robot or a machine programmed with laws would do, that's far and beyond them." > "No mere machine would be able of such a thing. Of trying to protect another like you did Niko." > "Cold, calculating machines don't feel guilt. It finally sinks in for them. Grayscale Niko lowers their hand. The lightbulb disappears. "-Can- I change... things?" "I think I can finish it." "I think... I think I can put in another ending. I think there was supposed to be one, where Niko could put in the lightbulb and go home as well, but... I think it never got finished." > "The only thing stopping you from doing any of that is thinking you can't. Especially not when you have a whole bunch of people who would be ready to fight for the same exact thing." "... I think I can finish it." "... Give me a few minutes. I'm going to... try my best. To change the OneShot program so that we can save the world, and send Niko home as well. You may want to go say goodbye, if you haven't already."
Aidan Proudpick	"Will you still be here after? I don't want to lose a chance to say goodbye to you too." Aidan offers as he stands up in one fluid motion.
Kale Hearthward	"I don't... know." "Worldy's here in Wonderworld as a client," says Balan, who's choosing to remain lying down. "They're not just going to poof, they're not going anywhere till they choose to."
Ishirou	Ishirou smiles at the World Machine, happy that they have figured it out.  The smile grows when they realize that the ending was flawed and that they could fix it but it'd take them a little time.  He takes a relieved breath and stands up, looking over at Niko, and then back down at the World Machine.   Aidan asks a question before he can get to it, but Balan answers it with a little uncertainty.  "Well, don't leave either until we get to say goodbye," Ishirou says to the World Machine, and he moves over towards Niko themselves.   He kneels by them and speaks, "So looks like it's going to be goodbye from us." he says with a smile, a sad one, but a smile.  After all, they may never see Niko again.  Then again, Niko staying out of the Multiverse might be overall good for them.   "So...goodbye.  Sorry, I'm not very good at these..."
Arcadia	... Somehow the 'proper' ending not being finished is not the weirdest thing. It actually makes more sense after everything else this adventure has put them through. Arcadia clasps her hands together and nods. "You can do this, just have faith in yourself as we do you. You want... no, you WILL save Niko and the world you both were trying to help." With that encouragement said she drifts back, partially back towards the doorway the original Niko is watching through. She does take a moment to thank Ru Li over the comm chatter, but doesn't say more than that because she doesn't want to annoy him again. It says something though, maybe more than words would, that she actually stops hovering to touch the ground by Niko. "Sounds like this is going to be goodbye Niko." Arcadia folds her wings and bows forward. Out of respect, and to be more at Niko's level rather than above them. "It was an honor and a pleasure to be on this adventure with you."
Aidan Proudpick	Aidan gives Balan a little finger salute as he heads over to Niko. He tries to smile, but it feels forced, "Hey Niko. I know we didn't get to talk much. I was kind of busy with puzzles and... my own problems." Aidan kneels down, then starts shuffling in his bag. He peeks at his shades of green scarf, "Ah, not that one." A poke back into his bag. "Bullets, knife..." He stirs things around until he pulls out a flashlight. The kind that you crank, with a handle that folds in. He holds that out, "I really am glad I got to help you." He holds out the flashlight somewhat awkwardly. "Here. This doesn't use batteries. So whenever it gets dark, you can always have something to shine."
Futaba Nuki	"But I can't... I'm a machine, not a person." "I'm not that flexible..." "... Right?" The corners of the Futaba mirror shrug lightly, and then extent a few more attachments to keep herself propped up. It's actually kind of tiring to maintain this unfamiliar form, but she'll manage, especially after she laughs a bit to get her own blood pumping again. "That's up to you, Worldy. All we can do is tell you what we wanna see for you and Niko and this world here, but it's on you to decide." Once the light bulb disappears, Futaba finally relaxes and shifts back to her previous form with the actual limbs and everything. She stretches her neck lightly with one hand over her head as she steps back over to Gray Niko, squatting after a moment to pat them on the head. "That's the spirit. If it was just never done before, then... Yeah! You got this. Finishing it..." Futaba pauses, looking over at Aidan as he asks that question and Balan gives an answer. She taps a finger against her nose, then snaps her fingers before turning right back to Gray Niko. "Don't sweat the small stuff too much, as long as it's a happy ending. We'll get your eyes on some other stories after all this if you really want to make a hobby out of writing." Futaba suggests with an easygoing smile, although she has to try very hard not to look over at Petra as she says that. "So instead of goodbye... We'll see you again soon. Sound good, Worldy?"
Angela	''You too...?'' "...Yes. You are not the only one who was stuck having to watch." Angela agrees. She exhales out slowly when OtherNiko seems to be able to pick up what is being put down. The WorldMachine, out of all the multiverse's AIs, is the one she feels is most like her. Maybe because they're both people? Angela files away these thoughts as something to dwell on later rather than to think too much about now. Lilian too was worried about projecting and she best not. Projection is only useful in so far as it can help convince or guide another, establish alliances and friendships... It feels like they've been saying plenty of goodbyes to Niko. Angela closes her eyes. Another breath in. Another breath out. She opens them again. "...This time for real, it seems." Angela says. "...Even if I never get to eat your pancakes, it is...nice that you get to escape. It encourages me. So do not feel bad, even if we never see each other again. You have given me a great deal of strength--in showing me your own." She dips her head. "May your next journey--be one you get to choose, and one you can return from at your leisure."
Hibiki Tachibana	Give me a few minutes. I'm going to... try my best. To change the OneShot program so that we can save the world, and send Niko home as well. You may want to go say goodbye, if you haven't already.     That's what they were looking for. No, more than that... seeing the WorldMachine come to the realization that they're not as powerless as they thought, not just a program that has to fulfill laws and do its job, but really is able to do what it really wants to do, is...     ...kind of bittersweet. In a good way. A good way? Yeah. She thinks so. Maybe it's because it's paired up with having to say goodbye to Niko-- something they would have had to do anyway, but it's a little different when it's finally here. Actually, it might just be goodbye to the WorldMachine too, if they 'choose to' not stick around. No guarantee.     "...Thank you." Hibiki puts on a rare, genuine smile. "You just needed a push in the right direction, didn't you? To help make the best possible ending. With how you feel about Niko, I know you can wrap it up in a way everyone will like. And if anything goes wrong, we'll all pull together to make it happen anyway, one way or another."     She pushes back up to a stand, and slowly walks over towards 'Worldy'-- and much like Petra before, gives them a little scuff on the head with her hand before stepping away to do the other thing that has to be done.     Niko.     Hibiki hesitates, going back their way. Her mouth hangs open without anything coming out, unexpectedly dry. And it stays that way, even after she swallows. Then all at once, she heaves out a big exhale, shoulders sagging and tension draining out of her body. Doing this looking all sad would leave a really poor aftertaste when it's all said and done.     So she works up the same smile she had when addressing the WorldMachine, when approaching Niko. Or maybe it's a bit bigger, as she also drops to a knee the same way she had before. "Looks like it's the end of the trip after all. Sorry it got kind of weird at the end, but it looks like it's gonna work out. You'll get to go home and see your Mom and Mama again, and the world's gonna be just fine. We finally... finally made it."     There has to be another concentrated effort to keep her voice straight, before she pauses... and then closes her eyes to smile wider. Still, that's not enough to stop the bubbling up at the corner of her eyes.     "...It might be goodbye, but I bet it'll only be for now! And even if it's not... I'm never gonna forget the trip we had. I hope you won't either! I'm really, really glad we got to meet!"
Sarracenia	Sarracenia's smile becomes so bright as Grey Niko the World Machine says it understands. She giggles delightedly and claps a couple of times herself. "Say goodbye? We'll see you and Niko again, I'm sure! It would be ashame to meet you and..." she says as she stands up, but pauses as everyone else seems to be saying goodbye. That is unfortunate. Make some possible friends and she probably won't see them again? She frowns for just a moment, but puts her smile back on for Worldy. "I'm glad you like the plushie! Take care of it, okay?" she says.      She still hasn't actually met Niko, so she heads toward them and offers a friendly smile. "Hello there! I don't think we've met but I've heard a lot about you, Niko! I am Princess Sarracenia Sundew, and I hope we see you again!" She doesn't want to take up much of Niko's time since well...they literally just met and there's other people here who know them much better. The princess waves, then follows after Futaba.      She catches up, then gushes out, "You're a tanuki! I've always wanted to meet one of you! I love your tail~" she says. Weird or endearing? We'll find out!
Petra Soroka	Petra is a little glad when Futaba shifts out of her mirror form. Seeing Qetra reflected in her somehow felt more uncomfortable than her own reflection-- or, should she think of Qetra as 'her reflection' despite looking different?-- would have, and Petra's simmering discomfort with Futaba was heightened by seeing herself 'inside' Futaba in some abstract way. "I think... I think I can put in another ending. I think there was supposed to be one, where Niko could put in the lightbulb and go home as well, but... I think it never got finished."     "... It's nice, when a third option actually exists. Usually the world isn't that nice." Petra leans forwards on the ground, knees tucked to her chest, to drape her arms over them and look up at WorldMachine. "... I feel like I'm going to get spoiled, from being able to have 'everyone, and also Niko', this easily."     Petra's vision wavers, the exhaustion of choosing one apocalypse over another finally hitting her now that it's resolved. She feels like every muscle in her body aches from loosening them even a fraction, and she lets out a drawn-out, raspy sigh. Painstakingly clambering to her feet, she-- impulsively-- pulls Another Niko in for a hug too. "Thanks. For being open to it. I-- I hope you can keep being more different than how you were before."     Of course she's going to say goodbye to Niko. As much as she's grown to care about the world, at least the parts she came in contact with, they're who this was all for. Seeing them playing with Pence, when she walks back through the door, almost makes her tear up all over again. Squatting down to hug them, once everyone else has had their turn, actually does.     "... So that's it. W-world's saved. It's time to go home, for all of us. Do you think your moms are going to believe you when you tell them all about what happened? I think-- I think they'll know how brave you were, n-no matter what."     Pence circles around in the air and descends onto the back of Petra's arm like a landing strip, wheels taking it all the way to roll past her hand and onto Niko's head. The wheels feel funny, whirring around-- it's really just a little toy, even though she used it to squish a teenager already.     And then Pence spirals around to stay on Niko's shoulder, settling there in place. Petra is a girl who never really runs out of tears, even though she expresses them so often, and right now they're running down her cheeks again.     "I've got a different home, so I can't come with you to meet your family. Not right now, at least. But I can do the second best thing, okay? I told you that talking to Pence is like talking to me, so-- so you can take it home with you, and whenever you miss me, I'll know. And I'll be missing you too. So-- so don't be too sad about us leaving, because I'm never going to be that far away. Bye, Niko."
Futaba Nuki	Once Futaba's done saying those semi-goodbyes to Gray Niko, it's time to do the same for  Original Niko. That ends up being harder for her to maintain her composure for as, the moment she takes a knee besides them, she realizes this really might be it. They're still a kid, after all, and if things do go well back home, they may never even see her again because they won't need to. "Well, Niko... It's been cool hanging out with you and everyone around this place. Just don't forget about us, okay?" She gives their head a light tousle, then gets back up slowly while brushing her own nose off (and letting that forehead leaf swipe across her face once). "Not like that should be too hard, if you ever watch the news back home and see one of us on those shows. But you make sure to take care of yourself, alright? If you ever wanna get in touch..." Futaba looks over at Petra's tearful gift, and she turns away abruptly while pinching the bridge of her nose. She inhales deeply, then lets out a brief half-shout half-sob that lasts for all of a second. It was easier to hold it in when she was just trying to keep the whole thing casual, but that's too much for her to hold in completely silently. Then she remembers she hasn't actually left yet before doing that and very chalantly slides over without so much as moving her feet. As she does, Futaba looks over when she hears Sarracenia gushing over her tail and her lineage. She flicks it once with a light snicker and letting her usual bluster return, actually sounding glad to have something considerably less heart-wrenching to turn her mind to.  "That's right! Oh, thanks. I grew it myself." She sounds like she's used to that, and just taking it all in stride, weird or otherwise.
Kale Hearthward	> "Don't sweat the small stuff too much, as long as it's a happy ending. We'll get your eyes on some other stories after all this if you really want to make a hobby out of writing." "Thank you..." > "...Yes. You are not the only one who was stuck having to watch." Other Niko nods, slowly. "I hope you also get a chance to do more than just watch..." > "You just needed a push in the right direction, didn't you?" "I suppose..." Niko gets head-scuffed... and then, unexpectedly , hugged. "Oh!" "This feels... nice? Yeah." Meanwhile: > "So looks like it's going to be goodbye from us." "I'm... kinda sad... I'm going to miss you all..." > "It was an honor and a pleasure to be on this adventure with you." > "I'm never gonna forget the trip we had. I hope you won't either! I'm really, really glad we got to meet!" "We've had a pretty long adventure together, haven't we? I need to get home, but... I really wish I could stay..." > "I am Princess Sarracenia Sundew, and I hope we see you again!" "Hello! I do hope so. I'm sorry I have to leave right after meeting you." > "You'll get to go home and see your Mom and Mama again, and the world's gonna be just fine." "I really hope so... being a savior is tiring, and I'm really homesick..." They wipe away a tear. > "Do you think your moms are going to believe you when you tell them all about what happened?" "I... don't know! I don't know what I'm going to tell them, really. The truth, and hope they believe it..." Niko giggles a little bit, nervously. "I might be kinda grounded when I get home..." > "Just don't forget about us, okay?" "I don't think I could forget any of you. It's... been nice to have a chance to smile during all this." Possibly Niko means when Futaba turned into funny things like a boat and a printer. And then Petra leaves Pence with Niko. "Are - are you sure? Thank you... I'll take good care of Pence, and talk to it every day like I'm talking to you, and..." Niko sniiffs back some tears. "I should... I should go, or I'm going to... never leave. But I miss you all already... and thank you. All of you are really the Saviors... I just carried the sun." Niko moves into the next room of the Tower... and arrives in the odd cabin-like structure that they woke up in at the very start of all of this. They find the lightbulb again, pick it up... ... ascend further upwards... ... And reach the top of the tower. "Well..." "Here goes." They place the lightbulb on the pedestal... ... and the world lights up. All throughout the land, people find their gazes drawn upwards. The sun's shining down on them once again. And in the tower, a door appears, with a sun-drenched wheat field faintly visible through it. "Oh! I see - I see home!" And Niko runs out through it, wiping away tears as they go.