Scene #8765: Board Games!!

Owner	Pose
Angela	Angela has invited Ishirou to Lobotomy Corp once more for the purpose of playing a board game. Since Petra does still work at L Corp, she makes sure the invitation is at a time where she's out and unlikely to run into him. In addition... She has actually elected to once again meet with her at the Artificial Warpgate in Control. The facility seems to be ... hectic. Agents are moving from Cell to Cell hurriedly and the Works are being conducted at a hectic pace. The central elevators also seem to be shut down as little 'Out of Order' placards have been placed in front of them. "Ishirou." Angela says. "My plan was to utilize Central for the activity but it is presently sealed off so we'll engage the activity in my office instead." She dips her head lightly. "Please, follow me." Justin Rook glances at Ishirou as they make their way to the office and Angela continues to speak on current events. "While Tiphereth hasn't officialled entered a Meltdown status, it is expected she'll reach the point in a few days. We are focusing on the Upper Levels for the time being as I am hesitant to engage 'shut down' procedures on Tiphereth prematurely simply for the matter of scheduling concerns."
Ishirou	Ishirou appears and is... Shocked to see things looking so stressful, and being called at a time that Petra isn't here with things looking so stressful. He looks shocked, but he goes along with Angela anyway. This is likely a moment she rarely gets to indulge in and... He can't blame her wanting to engage in it right before something bad is about to happen. "So she is going to melt down... that's... not great news. I'll let the others know to be ready..." he says, looking at Angela. "We'll do what we can to help keep it contained.." he says and smiles at Justin Rook as well. "Hi Justin, it's been a while.." he says, following Angela to her room. "Well... I got a few with me. There is one where it's about time traveling farming. The idea is to get around the board to the end and the one who has the most points wins. You get points by cards in your hands, but events... well the time traveling, can give or take away cards. It's a really neat concept!" He says, trying to be upbeat despite the situation. "How does that sound?"
Angela	"Ishirou. Bound to get more from the Lower Floor teams." Justin says but he doesn't linger. Angela glances back behind her. "Time traveling farming." She says. "They really make games about anything. We can try the Farm and Time Travel game. I am not picky." Angela doesn't seem too concerned about TIphereth or--no, that's not quite it. Resigned? She opens the door, stepping inside. There is a teddy bear on her desk that might be new to Ishirou and Captain Hook's pirate hat is presently resting on that teddy bear's head. Other than that, it is a sparse office with numerous screens across the back of the office, presently in standby mode. There's a chair behind the desk. A slightly mismatched chair seems to have been pulled into the office from elsewhere. Angela makes her way to the teddy bear and lifts it up and places it on a shelf before adding, "I have cleared my work for the day." She says. "How long does a session with this game take?"
Ishirou	Ishirou nods to Justin, but still glad to have had a chance to run into him, no matter how short it was. He follows behind Angela, and smiles at her comments. "Yeah, they really can. There are a few more weird concepts I have in my dimensional pocket. But this one seemed like a good starter!" he says pulling it out and starting to set it up. He takes a look at the bear with the hat and smiles. "Aww... that's so cute," he says, seriously. "Do they have a name?" he asks, motioning towards the bear. "Uh... this one goes by pretty quickly, but I can always get another game out if we finish it too quick!" He says and sets out a board with a long path. There is a dice with six sides, and a stack of cards set out. "Anyway, we roll the dice and we get a card depending on what we land on. Past, present, and future cards. They can be good or bad events..." he continues. "Wow, you got the day off? That's nice... well I'll see what other games I have too after we're done!"
Angela	Angela says, "...No, I am saying I finished my work for the day in preparation of board games. But regardless, as we near our work's completion I will have less to do by virtue of it being entirely against the point of this enterprise for me to solve all of the Manager's problems for him. The reason we never got past Tiphereth is not because Tiphereth is a remarkably deadly opponent--she is capable but her Meltdown is not particularly more dangerous than the others you've engaged with. Rather, the reason we have failed to get past Tiphereth is because the Manager usually gives up upon hearing their story, or kills themselves, or they refuse to acknowledge the truth. None of you particularly have a positive relationship with the Manager so I am uncertain as to how it will go. Ideally we will not have to start over from the beginning." Ishirou explains the rules and Angela nods. "I cede first go to you as you are the expert. I shall follow your lead."
Ishirou	Ishirou goes, rolling on the table, and gets a four. He moves forward the number of squares and gets a 'past' square. He picks up a past card and looks soured by it. "Well, this is also a good point that there are cards that let you get rid of other cards in your deck. You have to collect at least seven by the end or you have to go back to the start..." "Sometimes it's a good strategy to take one or two bad cards if it means getting to the end faster. You can only hold seven cards as well, but without getting a card that lets you discard a card...well... you have to discard anything you pick up." To the Tiphereth info, he frowns and listens. "What... happened with them that causes this? I think... the manager at least tolerates me at this point..." You know, if you ignore the times he tried to have him killed in Lobotomy Corp. He says and places his card face down, to give Angela a serious listen. "Or at least... I'm one of the few he's listened to so far..."
Angela	"Mmm..." Angela says. "Starting over from the beginning, even in games? Tsk." She isn't sure how she feels about this game. It's different, at least. It wouldn't be appropriate for her to do this in a proper setting. She isn't sure how to tell Ishirou about her latest feelings about AI people but she supposes that considering his feelings, it would be kind of silly to ask him anyway, right? She decides not to--besides, her request from a while back was to do something that wasn't about suffering. Farming, even with time travel, is not the kind of suffering she was thinking about and thus it is acceptable. Especially card farming which is less painful than actual farming. Angela rolls a die and gets a 2, landing on a Future Card. She pulls one out and dsays, "Do I have to do what the card says immediately or do I expend it at convenience?" She studies the card thoughtfully, taking her time in parsing it. "Nothing has particularly changed. The Tiphereths were originally two children named Lisa and Enoch. They were taken into the facility. One volunteered for an experiment and died in the process, the other was killed by Binah. Then Lisa was brought back as a Tiphereth, with a second TIphereth to playact as a brother of hers. The nature of the experiment led true ressurection to be impossible for Enoch." She studies Ishirou's expression cautiously. "Naturally, when emotions involve children they can end up more heightened than normal."
Ishirou	"Oh no, you keep the card for now, you want to collect seven, and want to make them good cards with bonuses, rather than bad cards with drawbacks..." he says, and rolls again. One this time. He goes one square and gets a present card. Taking it, he looks satisfied and places it face down in his pile. He also listens to the explanation of the Tiphereth situation and it's... obvious that it's hard to listen to. Children dying, or rather being experimented on was rough. More so when they're then converted into robots and one is not being resurrected but rather a fake of the original. He listens, and after some time grows more somber. "So the truth of this is too much for any manager to bear... either failing the meltdown or killing themselves after learning the truth," he sighs. "I... can't say I blame him, to be honest. To be in such a situation with a child is..." he can't even describe it. It's heartless, painful... soul-wrenching... "It's necessary to get through, but it's still going to be rough. Even on those from the multiverse. They're going to want to save Tiphereth B, thinking they're someone that is still alive, I think... but how you describe it to me... it's not so." Ishirou takes a breath, He isn't sure where to go from here. This is a bad situation, and no matter what happens nobody is going to be great mentally after it.
Angela	Angela says, "Mm. You see the conundrum with my duties. There are some aspects of my work--and my 'escape'--that are not really in my hands. I can follow a plan and I can guide but it is fundamentally impossible to be completely responsible for the Manager's mental health--indeed, that is hardly against the point of the whole endeavour." Angela rolls a three. She gets another card. She doesn't show it to Ishirou! She places it face down with the other, frowning. "It is complicated. He was the initial Cogito subject, the one that Carmen ultimately underwent. You can imagine the effects it could have on someone should it have failed." She looks up and asks a nonsequitor. "HOw are you holding up after battling the Queen?"
Ishirou	Ishirou rolls a three, landing on a future card. This time, he gets a card and shows it. "This lets me remove a card from my hand... so I will remove..." he says, pulling his first card out. The first card was 'wildfire' which would have been a major minus to his deck. He puts it and the card he just drew on the bottom, giving him only one card. "I do... I do.. this is... rough. I'll do what I can to reach the manager and keep an eye on his mental state during all of this... if anything that seems to be the key to your victory here, and getting out of..." he looks around, and then sighs, "Prison... hell..? It just feels like a torture chamber for everyone, but especially you..." he says, frowning. He listens, especially with the effects of the Cogito. "Damn... that's... something. Even talking to her outside of the system was hard for just a few minutes, I can't imagine being subjected to it any longer." To the question about the Queen he looks... sad. "I'm... hanging in there. I'm personally still roughed up, and RESCUE is undergoing repairs again. I just... I guess I miss Rita. I know she'll come back someday, but... it's sad when your friend is gone. What about your agents? How are they holding up with both helping with The Queen and now facing a meltdown? How are YOU doing with everything that's happened?"
Angela	Angela rolls again. This time she ends up on a blank space so she doesn't get a card at all. "Ah, it seems I've hit a pasture space." She says direly. She doesn't remark on Ishirou commenting on the unfairness of her situation. It sure is unfair! But she isn't exactly keen on relitigating the obvious. "Well, those are the details. In truth, this was before my time, so there may be more I don't really know--or at least am not supposed to know yet so my ability to assist will be limited in advance, and naturally as usual I will be shut down during the Meltdown itself." Talking about Rita is easier. Angela is less upset about Rita. She's clearly alive though, she imagines, by the time she 'returns' it'll be a significantly heftier amount of time than it has ben so far. ....Well, she can endure it. "It is nothing I haven't seen before. It was, of course, decidedly unpleasant. I was concerned for the safety of the Commander but it seems everyone did their part so that ws needless anxiety on my part. We lost half of our Disciplinary Team ..." She looks at the board silently. "...Disciplinary will likely not be participating in this latest Meltdown as a result."
Ishirou	Ishirou takes a breath, yeah... Disciplinary did lose a lot of people during all of that, and the remaining agents are likely down for a while. That was rough, and worse they'd have to take time to train new agents to replace those lost... it's not a good situation for them in general. He rolls on the table and gets a four, which moves him into a past square. Taking a card he nods, and places it on his pile. At the rate he's going, he'll have to start over soon, but it seems like starting over is part of the game. "Lilian is... she's tough and leads us through that perfectly. Even when I thought things were doomed she managed to have a plan and keep our spirits up. I hope she'll be around for this Meltdown too, but... if she's not we'll have to rely on ourselves and the lessons she's tried to teach us..." he says, shaking his head a little. "You're doing as much as you can, Angela. I want to thank you for that. I know the Dame Commander feels the same, with things that happen beyond or even in the walls. You won't be there, but I'll do everything I can to make sure you don't wake up to a reset situation. That you'll be closer to freedom, alright?"
Angela	Angela collects another card after rolling another die. She is going to have to start over too. Mostly for thematic purposes, but also because that's how things are going for her in the game. "I am grateful you think so, though it is easier said than believed. I did not do it to be thanked, it is simply untenable to have allowed the Queen a victory under these circumstances. The Outsiders who help this facility are a group I've already invested in. If you are unable to get past Tiphereth I may simply have to give up on accomplishing the mission since I cannot imagine better entering circumstances than this." She taps the table with her index finger, slowly. "I appreciate your encouragement but I do not wish to be too hopeful. We still have a ways to go and if I 'hope' too much I might fumble at the last moment. It is a tightrope act to walk, Ishirou, even if I am largely backstage." She discards a card as well.
Ishirou	Another die, another space... but this time he doesn't get to draw. He makes a frown and sighs, handing over the turn back to Angela. "I understand. You've been through this a lot of times, and every time had any hopes of coming through crushed. I'm sorry for that.." he says, genuinely apologetic. "If you want I can be hopeful for the both of us in this regard," he says, with a smile. "I think it's more than 'investment' but... It feels more like a comrade. However, that's just how I feel about it. Also, don't knock backstage work, you know? Nothing can happen on the stage if there aren't people in the back doing the lifting either," he says after a breath. "Honestly, I think I am more 'behind the stage' rather than on it, but... you know it feels good when you achieve something by helping out others. That's how I feel anyway..." he says, with his smile still on. Though, after a moment something seems to happen. He pauses, holding a finger to his ear, and there seems to be some talking, and then he pauses. "Oh. Oh no..." he pauses, "I think Meika is about to do something rash... and her sister said it was Lobotomy Corporation related... she's going to stop Meika but..." he pauses. "I think we might need to be ready just in case she doesn't come to her senses... Especially with a meltdown so close.."
Angela	It feels a little banal hearing it expressed like that but Angela can hardly argue against it. She gets lost in her thoughts, as she so often does. Don't knock backstage work, he says. "I am not knocking backstage work, I just want to have my own time to live like anybody else. But I have to watch what I say and be careful to not be too obvious about that." She reaces for another card. She doesn't deny that it does feel nice helping others but... ...She pushes the thought out of her head before it can dwell. There are mindreaders out there and Ishirou might have gotten an upgrade. Best to not think the things too deeply she doesn't want anybody to know about. Let it pass through quickly. ''I think Meika is about to do something rash... And her sister said it was Lobotomy Corporation related...'' Angela sets the card down. The card game was... She isn't sure she'd say it was FUN exactly, but it was relaxing. But relaxing time is over. "Maybe it would be easier..." Angela says, feeling distant from her heart. "To just do what we normally do if someone broke into our facilities. I am partial to her for personal reasons but I am already the villain to them." She stands up. "Thank you for letting me know, Ishirou." Angela says. "...Hah... no, it would be foolish to harm her irrespective of the fact I do not particularly want to. It isn't good for her, but she doesn't care that it isn't good for her." She's supposed to be 'like us' so why doesn't she really understand? "I will leave this to the Paladins. If she comes here ...." She sighs. "I will have to defend the facility to my upmost ability. It is less 'choice' than rules embedded into me. But I will attempt to subdue rather than to ''end''. Even if I imagine that'll piss her off too."