Scene #861: Talking with Evil

Owner	Pose
Ainsley	As per formal letter writing, Ainsley has decided to make interviewing Confederates more of a thing, and less of a 'whenever i feel like it' occasion. This is a problematic idea for someone on the enemy faction, but she doesn't feel that should exclude any sort of neutral meeting, if the message is ever received on their side. And so she sits at the table she indicated, at the suggested time. She casually chews on candied grasshoppers and stares at the door into the restaurant, blinking slowly like someone who is daydreaming. She is thinking about all the very odd scenarios that might occur should one of the less friendly Confederates showed up.
Taro	If the person extended the invitation has heard anything about Taro Daisho, it's probably not all that surprising that he's accepted. 'Friendly' is a matter of debate, but he is civil as far as Confederates go, if rather reclusive as of late. If an RSVP was requested, he would have sent one as a matter of politeness. The android also appears a few minutes before the appointed time. No visible weapons are on his toolbelt, unless one wishes to count the strand of prayer beads among the multitools and small wrenches. He also appears to have come alone. He appears in the doorway and pauses there, giving the room a quick if appraising once-over before walking to the table which had been noted on the invitation.
Ainsley	The android is met with a friendly smile, though Ainsley seems as guarded as any other person would be when meeting an enemy they are not familiar with. She straightens up in her seat and pops another of those bugs into her mouth, the crunching sound prepending her greeting, "Hello! My name is Ainsley, and I am a chronicler. I believe it is my duty to try to understand those that have chosen a different path, and that is why I invited someone here today." She clasps her hands together and rests them on the table. She looks at Taro brightly, waiting for his reply.
Taro	"I see..." His dark-eyed gaze briefly shifts from the reptilian woman seated at the table to her choice of a light meal, and then to at no point in particular as she snacks on an insect. He looks more directly at her again once she begins speaking, though, and he offers a bow, hands at his sides. "Taro Daisho, Bishop Engineer of the Church of SHODAN. A pleasure. May I sit?" he asks, gesturing to the chair opposite her.
Ainsley	"Please!" Ainsley replies, gesturing to the seat. She returns her hand back to that spot, and smiles at him with yet more patience, waiting for him to sit down before she speaks up again. "So, Taro Daisho. Is there a Japan in your universal iteration? A bishop engineer of a church... so your diety is a computer of some kind? Are you like those mechanical Exalted, or are you simply clergy for a mechanical god?" She pops another grasshopper into her mouth, eager to hear the answer just by the way her tail wiggles behind her.
Taro	Taro sides the chair out and sits in it, folding his hands together to rest on the table. While he does not say anything, he's going to studiously pay no attention whatsoever to her eating while answering her questions. "I am originally from an obscure little world which very few have heard of," he explains. "My name was a suggestion from a person who came from Japan, however. I serve as clergy in a religion that worships the CyberGoddess SHODAN, an ascended multinodal Electronic Intelligence..." He trails off there for a moment, before continuing with, "...do I need to explain any of those terms? Being uncertain of your own background, Miss Ainsley, I would rather not make any assumtpions."
Ainsley	Ainsley makes no indication that she's aware of his discomfort. She just chews on her food as if it were completely normal. She smiles at him as he explains what he is in more detail, where his name comes from, and more. She considers him with some mild interest until the question about whether she understands or not comes up. "I'm a polyglot. The short of it is that yes, I can understand. The long of it is that there are few words in many languages that I cannot grasp." She flashes a brighter smile at him. "So this goddess simply accepts your worship? Was this a practice she cultivated or did it occur spontaneously? And is your relationship with the CyberGoddess healthy or fulfilling?"
Taro	Normal for her, not as much for him. What is normal for him a a hot cup of tea, and Taro orders just that whenever the waitstaff passes by their table to check on them. The smile is not returned, but he does give a nod of understanding. On to the next line of questioning. "It was a practice she initially cultivated," he answers, unfolding his hands to make a small gesture, "though it has since taken on a life of its own, as they say. It is not a large religion, but we do have an active practicing group of worshippers, and clerics to guide them and act as intermediaries between them and her." Healthy? Obviously this woman has never heard of SHODAN... "I have found my work to be fulfilling, yes."
Ainsley	It is quite likely that Ainsley will be looking up this particular figure and doing some research on it... and will likely find a better perspective of Taro in the process. Like why he's a Confederate. "As a Bishop Engineer, I take it you do mechanical work. Judging by the feeling I get from you, I would wager it is cybernetics. Am I far off?" She smiles at him again. "Do you have any hobbies outside of your work, faith or the Confederacy? Like reading, or writing? Anything you feel passionate about?"
Taro	Another nod, without a smile. His face is rather inexpressive, really. His voice, however, is hardly monotone, and a note of pride slips into it as he speaks of his work. "Robotics and cybernetics are my specialties, though I do foray into other disciplines as the need and my curiosity present themselves. If you've fought against the Confederacy, you may have encountered some of my work already." He steeples his fingers. "Though I also serve as a healer to my fellow machines - one must tend to the body as well as the soul." Hobbies? Hm... "I do enjoy listening to music, outside of the religious kind, and I'm rather partial to Klingon Opera." His voice takes on some self-depreciating tones. "Aside from that, well. My esteemed associates have told me that I should get out more."
Ainsley	Ainsley takes note of how he seems robotic, which is fairly appropriate to his general thematic. She smiles more at how it comes together, and his note about liking Klingon Opera. And then she lets out a little sigh. "A bit of the same for me. It's not really told to me, but I find it hard to relate to my allies sometimes, thanks to a lack of social hobbies." She shrugs her shoulders. "Anything you'd like to ask me?"
Taro	For all his humanlike appearance, there are a few things lacking, yes. If he's bothered by any of that, though, Taro does not show it. When his tea arrives, he offers a nod and a 'thank you' to the server, taking the cup in both hands. He doesn't drink it immediately, instead enjoying its mildly astringent aroma as Ainsley relates some of her own troubles. Then he brings the cups to his lips and takes a sip from it. Followed by another, and then he sets the cup down so that he can reply. "Hobbies are not a bad thing, provided one has the time and the energy to devote to them." Then, since she's opening herself up for questions, he does in fact ask one. "What prompted you to make a chronicle of those who would be your opponents if not your outright enemies? Surely your Intelligence Division has compiled files on many of us at one point or another."
Ainsley	"A dossier is a list of information to use for the sake of tactical purposes. The chronicle I write is not for that. I write for the sake of history, of learning the perspectives of others. This war is an empty conflict if I only focus on the thoughts and lives of my own allies." Ainsley seems QUITE serious about that, pausing to take a drink before she continues. "It started with Elliana Fairchild. I wanted to learn about her, why she does what she does, who she is... She explained it to me, and so I began to understand her better. Proper action cannot be taken without that understanding. History is doomed to cycle through the same mistakes of hatred and false expectations every time someone assumes their enemy is not worth knowing." She smiles at Taro after that, and pops another grasshopper into her mouth.
Taro	"I see..." Now that he has something more suitable to focus on, Taro looks down into the contents of his still-steaming mug while Ainsley enjoys her snack. "...then I applaud you for your undertaking, Lady Chronicler, and I hope that your efforts reap rewards." There is no mockery in his tone, only respect. "It is easier to regard one's opponents as the 'other', to frame them in simplified terms. It is more difficult to acknowledge the complexities of those who have joined our respective factions, as well as those who are brave or foolish enough to join neither." He lifts his cup and enjoys another sip before continuing. "I fear we will remained doomed to continue the patterns that we see throughout history, but I also think it worth the effort to study and learn from the past so that we may understand the cycle that drives the present."