Scene #9345: Trideag: Spreading Roots

Owner	Pose
Petra Soroka	In good times in the City, the examinee towns are some of the only opportunities for upwards economic mobility available. Predatory and ephemeral as the offer is, being educated to work in a Wing is a genuine chance to have a more stable and better paying job than practically anyone else in the City, and examinee towns are built entirely around enabling that, like a college campus writ large. People of the Backstreets flock to them for a chance to move into a Nest, and while they're plagued by the same problems as the rest of the City, corrupt and capitalistically driven, failing most applicants, serving to funnel cheap workers into the meatgrinder that Wing work tends to demand, some people do end up putting their lives on a better path. Of course, these aren't good times in District 12. Most facilities in general are in an unrecognizable state after the fall of the governing Wing, and the fairweather economic opportunities of inter-Nest immigration certainly haven't held up. But still, there's one examinee town in the Backstreets where the students still go to class every day, studying by lanternlight in the hopes that they'll still be picked up and carried out of the ruins of District 12 by a Wing that thinks their labor will be valuable. Just a couple kilometers away from the town is the swathe of impenetrable golden fog that surrounds the location where Lobotomy Corporation's HQ used to be, with a branching black monolith spearing out of the top, visible high up in the night sky by the glowing points on it like windows. The Smoke War, and Laryngos Corp, aren't so long ago that the people in District 12 have forgotten the effects of the smoke back then, and so once it was determined that the fog was impossible to go through, people tend to give 'the Library' a wide berth. That might be why none of the warring Syndicates have overran this little college campus, even without Trideag's assistance thus far. Solomon School of Community Upliftment, an examinee town for X Corp, consists of a cluster of concrete buildings around a central 'park' that's mostly just sidewalks and one single tree that couldn't have been planted more than a decade ago, as if begrudgingly meeting a quota. At a glance, the compound likely had a population of students in the four-digits before the White Nights and Dark Days, though it's hard to say what it might have now. It has a barbed wire fence enclosing the campus, reinforced with piecemeal wood and metal scrap which evidently holds up against the Sweepers well enough. Each exit is guarded by someone who's taken up a weapon of some kind, experienced from their history in the Backstreets before coming to the examinee town. Most of the visible residents are gathered around a new breach in the fencing, though. A massive root, black bark the width of a two lane road, has shattered the asphalt and crested like a sea serpent before returning beneath the street. This new hill is large enough for the dozen or so residents and the Trideag arrivals to gather around, where an out-of-place black plant growth sprouts out of the root, curling around a meticulously written letter. Two of the residents are in the midst of a heated argument over its contents: a brown-haired girl whose body hips-down is replaced with worn machinery with treads instead of legs, and a white-haired young man with a sour expression and a threadbare jacket.
Petra Soroka	"Ooooohhh, that's such a bullshit point and you know it, Ji-Hun!" "But it's true. When hasn't a Wing been sketchy?" "Never! But if X Corp rolled up here with a windowless freakin' van and threw us all inside, I wouldn't consider that an equitable-ass job offer either!" "Sure, but that's not the situation. We were actually given some forewarning here, or else we wouldn't be debating it at all. The fact that we're making a choice means they thought we deserved one to offer us one, so since we're having this conversation, they're probably as good as you'll get from a Wing." "You are such a rotten little sophist sometimes, Ji-Hun." "Sorry." The girl grumbles and turns away from him, seeing the Trideag members arrive. Her brows are creased hard enough to leave a wrinkle indent on her forehead, but she still eases up her expression and waves. She trundles partway down the newly formed root-and-asphalt hill, with little footstands telescoping out of the machinery around her treads to keep balance while going down the broken and uneven terrain. "Hey, y'all. Sorry feelings are running a little hot right now. I'm Tessa, c'mon up and take a look." The letter, and the subject of the argument going on right now, reads: Dear Scholars of Solomon School of Upliftment, This area will be shortly under the domain of The Library. You may leave and struggle in the Backstreets or you may remain where you will be taken care of. -Chief Librarian Angela
Odette Raskins	Odette's here! Bearing the usual Trideag colors on a light jacket and cap, the EMT is already doing the rounds to check on anyone that might've gotten hurt in the vicinity of the root that clearly shouldn't be there. She slips two small pill bottles of antibiotics and painkillers into her pockets for easy access, too, before moving to join the arguing pair. "Um... Hello! Not a bad time, I hope... Um. It's okay, this looks like a pretty... Something situation." She tries to reassure Tessa and Ji-Hun with a polite and slightly awkward smile, taking a moment to fiddle with her medical HUD to make sure it's working right. "My name's Odette, member of the Trideag Association. Did anyone get stuck or injured when all this popped up?" She'll take a detour to go treat anyone in the immediate area as needed, then takes a look at that letter. After reading it over twice and skimming it a few more times, Odette furrows her brow lightly in thought. "This doesn't really sound like Miss Angela's really giving you a choice... I mean, if the Library's going to-" She pauses, looking over at the roots briefly while shuffling in place, looking like she's ready to hurry over in case it looks like Tessa's about to fall. "-take over this place whatever you're doing, it's more like an advance notice? How long ago did this all happen? And..." She pauses, hesitant to ask after seeing the two arguing on the way here just moments ago. "What do you want to do? And what do you want done about this, if anything?"
Angela	Well Trideag isn't going to NOT accept a call for help right? Out of everyone working for Trideag, there aren't too many people who had the opportunity of an examinee town. Even from the Rats, there's only really one who ever had the opportunity to rise up through an examinee town and that is Lenny. Since joining Trideag, Lenny has cleaned herself up and started hitting the books and doing everything she could from learning from the various medical science personel Lilian had brought over to serve as the backbone of Trideag's science division. And Lenny isn't sure why, exactly, but she has felt much more motivation than the first time she tried to make something of herself. Maybe it's because she knows the consequences of failure but she's pretty sure it's actually because Pete's ambition is infectious and seeing how well he's been doing has been a strong push for her to give her best efforts as well. And of course, every Rat knows this is their last shot. They'll never be the strongest fighters of the organization but what they can do is have drive and passion and hope that that'll be enough. "I know what it's like." Lenny said on the way over. "You put everything and everything into pushing through exams. You'll even sabotage other students if you think you can get away with it. It's hard work but it's not enough to simply be good, you have to be better. Better than your classmates. And in the end, even if you're the best student, you might just not get picked up because they didn't like your attitude or your vibe or how you dressed. But that doesn't mean you've got a good shot if you aren't the best of the best. They can always hire from within the Nest, after all. They don't need anyone from the exam towns, but they know that if they drag someone out of the Backstreets they'll have loyalty." Pete came along to provide some moral support. "Well ... there's other ways to grab a future. It's really about seizing the opportunities as you find them, right? That's what worked for us. In the long run, it's better you dropped out and ended up joining Trideag right? You wouldn't have liked working for a Wing. You're too real to lick their boots." Lenny chuckles, "Thanks Pete. Sure." But she trails off as shel ooks towards fog, towards the former site of LobCorp--where everyone knows ''something'' happened there, something that even chased people like Rita and Lilian Rook off, that no doubt changed The City. Maybe forever. And the knowledge the Head has yet to act on it makes her more uneasy rather than less--like a sword of damocles hanging above a District. Pete feels instant sympathy for the brown-haired girl. He doubts that going for treads was just a fashion statement--The City generally assumes you'll have legs in terms of how it's constructed. Treads for legs means literally less places you can even go. The broken promise of upward mobility has gotta hurt. Lenny is feeling a little intimidated by comparision. "Hey--it's alright. I get it." Lenny says. "Sorry everything's gone to shit." And then there's the note. Lenny reads it. Then wrinkles her nose. "That a threat or a promise?" She asks, taken aback by the ready double meaning present in such a line.
Lilian Rook	Honestly, the less Lilian thinks about school right now, the better. With Nova Heliosanctus being rocked by a scandal far worse than Petra's urban-legend-tier break in and expulsion, her work line is practically off the hook with both collateral calls to everyone that matters and targeted strikes to request that she, specifically, of sterling Immunes and Paladins reputation, investigate and put things to rest; with the implication of favours for clearing faculty's names, of course. As if retaining her own credibility as a graduate wasn't enough. Still deciding what to commit to, Lilian has spent half the time she set aside for it dreading Petra's involvement, knowing it has to be Audrey's fault somehow, and reminiscing on how much better she was at blackmailing than Maria. It's dimly satisfying that her former underclassman has nothing on her, too. She tries to hold onto that thought while she has to engage with the vastly more depressing school situation by orders of magnitude in front of her. That, and the City is where she gets to be cool and famous. Well, specifically in a way that involves fewer clingy social climbers trying to score favours and second-hand star power. It's close enough to summer (in as much as the City even has seasons) that Lilian arrives in approximately her 'office clothes', with a Trídéag dress jacket buttoned halfway down. Though she doubts she'll use either, she's come equipped with both Night Mist and her prototype Type-13 sheathed on the same side, meaning she could only look more like a Fixer if she tied her hair up and put on slacks. Odette's casual mention of Angela's name instantly draws her aggro, but Lilian quickly sets the displeasure aside when she gets a second to actually read the letter, quietly sighing at Angela's choice to name herself. §As much as I like her, that doesn't seem like her. Was this Petra's suggestion? Did Petra come up with it out of thinking it'd sit with me better? Did the Agents push for it? Gebura? Or did she really change that much once she got a taste of freedom?§ 'They don't need anyone from the exam towns, but they know that if they drag someone out of the Backstreets they'll have loyalty.' Lilian grimaces just a little. She wonders if Lenny has figured it out by now, and if she has, if she even cares, considering the inarguable reality. 'You wouldn't have liked working for a Wing. You're too real to lick their boots.' Lilian thinks of something vaguely sassy to say, but these two are so far from the 'Elite community' that she doesn't feel like even ironically suggesting it. She mostly just feels proud of them for their decision. She expunges the urge by saying "Perhaps that should be Sundew's next assignment." instead. Once she can get the students' attention, she begins with "Lilian Rook, Trídéag Association Director." to command as much attention as possible, followed by, "When did this letter arrive? Was the root it's attached to present beforehand? Has anyone seen any signs of it advancing towards the campus previously?"
Rita Ma	Rita's forsaken her usual sober black-and-white Trideag outfit for something perkier today: cute windbreaker, buttoned shirt, and her typical pleated skirt finds a different color today. Taking that care seems like a sign of feeling brighter. "Is that how it always is with educations?" she says to Lenny (and Lilian) on the way over; general perky mood downturned. "I mean, a bunch of people competing for... 'crumbs from the table', I guess. There wasn't much like that on the old Union Busan. But apprenticeships, and things like that, were usually the same way." Lilian grimaces just a little. Rita shrugs with a so-so pout. 'What's it matter?', she might be saying. 'You didn't make them poor.' Once closer, she can't stop herself from staring at Tessa's "legs" for a moment, but snaps out of it soon enough. "Rita Ma. It's nice to meet you," she says after Lilian, and then cranes her neck to peek at the letter. ... Oh. It's her. We let her live, and she starts doing things like this? "I don't recommend trusting her," Rita says with a critical look up at Ji-Hun. (So she did hear all that.) "That 'Angela' woman doesn't think anything of lying. I'll see if there's any record of offers like this, but I wouldn't be surprised if she hasn't been keeping them." Eyeing the root for a moment- she'll get back to that- she gets a little flip-top phone out of her windbreaker's pocket and turns away to make some calls, speaking under her breath. Essentially, she's asking her local Watch contacts: is there any history of prior offers to be "taken care of" like this, and if so, what word is there of how it's worked out for the recipients? "Did anyone get stuck or injured when all this popped up?" Rita glances away from her phone-call at Odette. "Um, no. I don't think there's anyone hurt." Sniff. "Maybe one person with a scraped elbow. Or knee." Wow! Cool! She's totally psychic or something.
Angela	"I don't think I'm worldly enough to speak about how it ''always'' is." Lenny says to RIta. "But it's not exactly a secret that examinee towns are about siphoning off talent to the Wings. It's not a secret." Angela keeps naming herself!! Why is she doing this?? Nobody but Roland has asked her why yet and her answer to Roland was 'I sign all my texts'. But surely there's more to it than that?? But neither Pete or Lenny have any idea about the why here. There's a clear correlation between this and the Library Invitation that the Liu Association showed off, but it's also clearly not exactly the same. Pete, remembering Lilian's warning but remembering that she didn't want it to leave Trideag and the other Fixers present that day, looks towards her questioningly--as if for orders or, at least, direction. Lenny knows that if she points out the similarities in how Lilian brought in the Rats to the way that examinee towns bring in people from the Backstreets to Pete, well--he wouldn't run off or quit or anything like that. At first he might not even care. But eventually, one day, he'll wonder. Was he able to prove himself or was he just easy to buy and good value? And if things got bad, real bad, he might start to think that he was tricked or bamboozled. That this shot he was given was just a way to take advantage of him. And she doesn't want that for good ol' Pete. So she's never going to say anything about it. If Trideag holds strong long enough, the truth will change anyway and he's happy and not throwing himself at Syndicates anymore and they get three meals a day and proper medical care and new friends and responsibilities--even if it's some fey illusion, the feast tastes real enough and odds are they'd be corpses drying out in the street by now otherwise. Even if it's borrowed time, it's time they wouldn't have had normally. Pete is startled by the idea that Angela is a Librarian that can lie and is decidedly primed to believe Rita. "Really? ... I know Wings lie but not usually so, uh, directly..." "Unless they really want to." Lenny adds. "Well yeah..." "Director, should I take some samples from the roots? Normally we can't get that close to the Library because of the fog but it doesn't seem thick enough here. We might be able to develop some kind of herbicide to counteract its outward growth." She ALSO remembers that Lilian doesn't want people going into the Library but if it's not contained, the 'choice' in the matter will soon vanish. Pete watches Rita for a long moment before leaning in and murmuring, "You okay?"
Rita Ma	"I know Wings lie but not usually so, uh, directly..." As she dials in the next number, Rita turns to nod soberly: "As far as I know, Angela isn't interested in being a normal 'Wing', Mr. Pete. She hates the City as a whole and wants 'revenge' on it. 'Credibility' and 'trust' might matter for good business, but they don't matter to someone like that." Pete catches her again between that call and the next; and this time she turns more slightly, just looking over her shoulder with a faint look of surprise. "Huh? Why wouldn't I be okay?"
Sarracenia	Sarracenia is also here, also bearing the Trideag colors in the form of her specially tailored black dress. She listens to the young man and woman while she reads the letter. And once again, like the last time Angela just declared herself, Sarra's eyebrow twitches. If Angela is going to be this forthcoming about her existence, does Sarra really need to keep keeping the secrets she's been told need keeping? "...at least it is an offer to take care of you. The last message I saw from this Library place said you might be turned into books if you trespassed. It is worth considering accepting the protection, especially in the City." 'Lilian Rook, Trídéag Association Director.' 'That 'Angela' woman doesn't think anything of lying.' Having both Lilian -and- Rita both here has Sarra on edge, and Rita making a good point doesn't help. Sarra sighs softly. "Miss Rita is right. She thinks little of lying to get what she wants. But, it seems odd to lie about something like..." Sarra says...only to realize what the possible goal would be. Stealing these young people's Light. "...this." she finishes, the lets out a long sigh and rubs her forehead with a hand as if she suddenly has a bit of a headache.
Lilian Rook	Lilian can read Rita's expression well enough. Still, it's a complicated feeling. It's true that she's done nothing to the City except pour exorbitant amounts of wealth into the hands of the needy like she's trying to give Effective Altruists a brain aneurysm and seriously try to kill her friend in the interests of the common man, but one too many petty arguments where Lilian's glaring ignorance of economic principles cast a little bit of a private shadow over the reassurance. Silly as it is, she can't help but second and third guess if she's done enough to deserve to feel blameless. 'That 'Angela' woman doesn't think anything of lying.' §Well. That's . . . true.§ 'Director, should I take some samples from the roots? Normally we can't get that close to the Library because of the fog but it doesn't seem thick enough here.' Though Lilian figures she could probably get better samples herself if she simply wandered up and did it-- or even asked-- she rather likes Lenny's initiative. "See it done." she says, gesturing with an open hand. "If nothing else, this is a rare opportunity to learn anything at all. The more we know the better."
Petra Soroka	"Sorry everything's gone to shit." Tessa puffs out her cheek with a long slow sigh, eyes closed. She tilts her head to the side like she's listening for something out in the ambience of the City, and eventually says, "Ain't it just? But we'll make do." "Did anyone get stuck or injured when all this popped up?" "Naw." The cyborg woman shakes her head, and then reconsiders and lifts her face up at Ji-Hun. "Nobody's stuck, right?" "I did a head count earlier. A couple of falls, but nothing serious, and no one missing." "Right." Tessa looks back at Odette, hand planted on the boxy metal projection coming out of her hip area. "So none of that, but if you're offering medical supplies, we're taking. Jo's still sick bad with the flu or some sort, and the campus clinic might not be all that much, but I'd wager we'll be pretty sore for it once we're patching splints in some damp alleyway somewhere." "A Wing would have proper medical facilities. --I know you're about to cut me off, but I'm not trying to--" "Can it, Ji-Hun." ". . ." ". . ." "... Not trying to argue just for the sake of it." "Yeah, I get it, but between rough living until we get our feet back and a high stakes coin flip we can't even guess at, it's not all that clear cut, is it?" "Lilian Rook, Trídéag Association Director." Ji-Hun double-takes at that, and he scrambles across the splintered asphalt as quickly as he can without seeming undignified to offer Lilian a hand to shake. "Hi there, Director, Fixers. Glad you could make it. I'm Ji-Hun, de-facto leader of what's left of Solomon's, at least for the weighty responsibility of writing schedules on whiteboards. I'll try and make your job as painless as possible." Tessa squints and looks Lilian up and down, detatching a cane from a hook on the back of her mechanical prosthetic to lean on. "Well I'll be. Walked right off the video screen. That's some real boots on the ground dedication." "When did this letter arrive? Was the root it's attached to present beforehand? Has anyone seen any signs of it advancing towards the campus previously?" Ji-Hun pushes up his sleeves and adjusts his little sun-bleached ascot to get in the mindstate for giving a report. "The root showed up this morning, and Maeng-- at the nearest gate over there-- said she felt tremors a minute before it broke out of the ground. If there were any signs of it moving closer before that... I couldn't say, and I doubt anyone would have thought it was important enough to remember at the time. The letter was attached just like that the first time any of us looked." "I'm just sitting on my rear waiting for a hundred more of the suckers to collapse the whole block and send us all plummeting into the River as a 'taking care of' us. There's no telling we'll even have more tremors as forewarning."
Petra Soroka	"This doesn't really sound like Miss Angela's really giving you a choice... I mean, if the Library's going to-" "I don't recommend trusting her," Tessa frowns, evidently not recognizing Rita like she did Lilian. "That's the name, right? Angela. Y'all as the Association here, you'd know if that's the name of the new head of the Wing, right? You're talking like she's familiar." Ji-Hun looks over his shoulder at Tessa. "That's a good sign, right? If the new Wing's this 'Library... Corp?', then I can't truly say that my heart breaks hearing that the new CEO is untrustworthy. Everyone outside of us already is; that's life." "That right there's my point, Ji-Hun! I'm not about to vote to put all our lives in the hand of the first slumlord to move in! I only trust keeping to ourselves!" "Er-- 'sides you, Director. I heard good words about y'all." > is there any history of prior offers to be "taken care of" like this, and if so, what word is there of how it's worked out for the recipients? For this exact situation, no. There's been no other territory claims by the Library large enough to warrant a letter preceeding it, or at least none whose inhabitants have been able to spread the word around about. Rita's Watch contacts do have information about the outreach that the Library has made in other ways, however. There's people who have received job offers of a mysterious and redacted nature, but the word on the street is only from the people who refused it; anyone who accepted vanished and hasn't been heard from since. If she presses on the identity of the person making the offers, it's exactly who she thinks it is. There's also reports of the impenetrable fog seeping further and further out, with people finding streets blocked off that weren't before, but again, the tower poking up out of the center of it remains completely silent.
Petra Soroka	"She hates the City as a whole and wants 'revenge' on it." That even gives Ji-Hun pause, and Tessa raises her eyebrows in a pointed look over at him. A silent back and forth happens between them in the span of a few subtle facial motions, and it's result seems to mean that Tessa follows up on the conversation rather than him. "Sounds, ah, personal, don't it? Have y'all been investigating this for long? What's this 'Library' like, if you know?" "Director, should I take some samples from the roots?" Though the surface of the root just looks like gnarled, black wood, touching it immediately disproves that it's anything that mundane. Not only is it as tough as steel, though Lenny can eventually shave away a bit with a weapon, but trying to apply force to it to scrape away a sample throws up swirls of golden light, like flower petals. Seeing the sheer size of this root, and looking in the direction that the Library's center is, kilometers away, makes it easy to imagine these kinds of roots forming an underlayer across the entire Nest and steadily spreading outwards. Lilian, Rita, and Sarracenia especially have experienced how nearly-invulnerable Angela's EGO was during their fight, and this seems to more of the same. "The last message I saw from this Library place said you might be turned into books if you trespassed." "That's... surely that's different. This is an invitation to join the Wing; we're not tresspassing at all. Right?" Ji-Hun glances over to another one of the buildings in the campus. Smaller root-ends are sprouted up out of the ground around its base, gripping the concrete like ivy. "Books... that building's where the education materials are stored, for X Corp's mining and robotics techniques. That's where we study. If it's a place with books inside, then we'd probably have opportunities to study more even once we're inside, wouldn't we? Assuming... that we aren't the books, of course."
Odette Raskins	Lilian's aggro Odette freezes up when she sees that look from Lilian, however brief it is. Did she say something wrong already? Or something weird? Was it that thing about the advance notice? Even after Lilian's attention goes elsewhere, the EMT keeps fidgeting and wracking her brain, trying to figure out what she actually did wrong there. "They don't need anyone from the exam towns, but they know that if they drag someone out of the Backstreets they'll have loyalty." Luckily, Lenny actually takes Odette's mind off her undetermined flub, and she stares at her bag. It's the new one that she got from that expo, but it might as well be her Company-issued bag with the way she's staring at it, like she's finally understanding something new for the first time and kind of hating it. "Th... That's right. Um. Thanks, Miss Lenny." Her shoulders sag a bit, and she fights off an uncomfortable shiver before turning her attention back to Tessa and Ji-Hun. "Maybe one person with a scraped elbow. Or knee." Is there anything Rita can't do? At this point, Odette's not even surprised that Rita's able to answer that question, and instead lets out a relieved sigh. "Oh, that's good. I mean, not that scrapes are good, but it's nothing life-threatening." She chuckles lightly, but still gets a couple of bandages ready in her pockets anyway in case she sees who said scrapes belong to. "So none of that, but if you're offering medical supplies, we're taking." "A maybe-flu... Hmm. That could be a couple of things, but this should help with the more general stuff." Odette digs in her bag, and then she grabs two more pill bottles for Tessa. "This one's for the dizziness and fatigue, and this one's for the throat and stomach. I..." She pauses, then looks over at Lenny again with an encouraging little smile and tilt of her head. "We can give Jo a checkup later and see what's what." "You're talking like she's familiar." "She hates the City as a whole and wants 'revenge' on it." Odette fidgets uncomfortably again. The people probably don't know as much about Angela as Odette does, and Odette definitely doesn't know as much as everyone else here does. It's probably better to let them speak on thatmatter. Instead, she can focus al ittle more on what she's being told now. "If she hates the City, then... Hnn. I mean, there's plenty of people that do, but... Do you think she'd go after everyone, or just whoever's... Um. Whoever she actually hates in it?" That, at least, is something Odette herself isn't even sure of yet. "Because if she isn't that kind of person, then you won't have to worry about random holes. 'Taking care of someone' doesn't usually mean what it does in the movies, you know? It really might just be a job offer." She guesses, nodding towards Ji-Hun at his own similar assessment about nobody trespassing. Something else he says does worry her, though, especially in light of the City being the City and Distortions having turned people into things before. "Has anyone ever been turned into a book?"
Lilian Rook	'Hi there, Director, Fixers. Glad you could make it. I'm Ji-Hun, de-facto leader of what's left of Solomon's, at least for the weighty responsibility of writing schedules on whiteboards.' For some reason, that kind of honesty makes Lilian want to smile; so she does. "Stepping up to lead a situation like this instead of bailing and trying your luck in a Syndicate is something meaningful." she says, returning the handshake without taking her gloves off. 'Well I'll be. Walked right off the video screen. That's some real boots on the ground dedication.' Lilian's eyes slide sideways, expression neutral-pensive. "Anything involving the Library is a high priority matter for any Association operating in the area. But I'd be a liar if I said I don't prefer to see things through myself. The City is just too chaotic an environment to be able to understand the reality of it from an office, and frequently reminding myself of what's out there helps put into perspective what my Fixers should actually be handling." 'The letter was attached just like that the first time any of us looked.' Lilian frowns, looking back at the giant root again. "Stealthy, abrupt . . ." She huffs. "And frankly underhanded. It's going to be a massive pain to respond to situations like this where people have less cautious personalities than you lot. It's a known quantity that those who accept the normal variety of invitations are immediately taken away; who knows if this is just a warning, or has some sort of power to act on the spot if you accept it." 'You're talking like she's familiar.' Lilian Rook is a human who can tell half the truth. "Her name has come up in numerous reports of the Library phenomena. As of yet, no one has taken any sort of responsibility for leading Lobotomy Corporation, nor has the company made any official communication with the outside world in all this time. For now, we're considering the Wing officially collapsed. 'Angela' is most likely the one who possesses its Singularity now, but seems to have other aims than merely taking over as Wing Twelve." 'Er-- 'sides you, Director. I heard good words about y'all.' "That's the realistic situation, isn't it?" says Lilian. "I can't offer you any guarantees except that Trídéag will accept as many of you as we can. Either way, you'll still have to choose whether to gamble on giving up your ambitions of working at X Corp. Of course, I can do my best to go through their channels, inform that their prospects are still half at work, and ask if they have any intent to harvest the crop, but we don't have any soli connections with them as of yet." Lilian sighs. "And though the flow of refugees we've already accepted has slowed down, it'll take a while to catch up to demand. I can't promise you anything loftier than running water, working power, and a heavily armed perimeter right now." 'Have y'all been investigating this for long?' "You could say that." 'What's this 'Library' like, if you know?' "Like the jaws of a golden beast."
Rita Ma	Never heard from again . . . "Sounds, ah, personal, don't it?" "... you'd know if that's the name of the new head of the Wing, right?" "She is," Rita says, stepping back fully into the conversation. She snaps her flip-phone (aww, look, it's got a little whale charm) shut with a mildly troubled expression, and takes the line she's always taken: "'Angela' is someone who worked in a high position at Lobotomy Corporation. That's how I met her. Her sabotage of its energy supplies is the main reason L Corp collapsed like this. But I don't know much about the 'Library' itself; I'm sorry." Rita is a Rita who can half-lie too. This mildly undercuts Lilian's more cautious disclosure, but she seems confident doing so. She maybe-surprisingly isn't hostile on contact to Sarracenia- that's reserved for Petra and Angela, seemingly- but just nods, sympathetically, when Sarra's migraine seems to come on. "I can think of motives," Rita says. Then to Tessa and Ji-Hun as much as Sarra: "Everyone I've been able to get in contact with says nobody who's accepted a job offer with Angela has been heard from again. That might just be because of the fog, but..." A thought occurs to her.
Angela	Pete is more sympathetic to Angela with THAT answer than the idea of her being a Wing head. He says, "Well I'd probably still be there myself if it wasn't for Trideag... But I'm not looking to get revenged upon." He pauses a moment and adds, "Uh well--maybe it was my imagination but it seemed you were a little down?" He rubs at his neck. "I'd rather ask even if you were fine than not when you weren't." Lenny brightens at her initiative, drawing out a set of tools from her bag including a hammer probe for the soil, a small knife for scratching off and cutting out bits and pieces of the roots themselves, and so on. She is just happy to be helpful. ''But we'll make do.'' "...Yeah." Lenny smiles. "This isn't the end or anything. You'll manage. And we'll help too." She seems to realize AFTER saying that that maybe she shouldn't be making such promises before Lilian has but she turns hurriedly back to her work to avoid seeing Lilian's reaction, blushing fiercely from embarrassment. She's not really prone for it but this situation does feel personal to her. "Guessing you weren't the leader before everything went down. Did they just bounce and leave the rest of you behind or--" There's so many possibilities he doesn't even guess. ''That's the name, right? Angela? ... You're talking like she's familiar.'' The Trideag folks haven't really pressed Lilian or Rita on what happened though Pete's recent inquiry of Rita might suggest it's on their collective minds to varying extents. "I don't--I mean, Lilian fought there at least twice." Is Pete's clumsy attempt to give Lilian an out. He shrugs at Odette putting forward that Angela's target might be 'everyone'. Hell if he knows. ''Like the jaws of a golden beast'' Lenny yelps suddenly as she scrapes off a bit of the root only for those pieces to dissolve into golden light. #-1 FUNCTION (ANIS) NOT FOUNDDammit!" Lenny says before, morosely, "Sorry dame commander. I can at least check the soil, hopefully that's less... ephemeral."
Rita Ma	<Q-Conversation> Rita Ma says, "Ms. Angela. Are you there?" <Q-Conversation> Angela says, "Hello Rita. It has been some time since we talked properly." <Q-Conversation> Rita Ma says, mildly uncomfortably, "It has." <Q-Conversation> Rita Ma says, "Have you been killing the people you're making job offers to?" <Q-Conversation> Angela says, "Why would I kill people I'm hiring?" <Q-Conversation> Rita Ma says, "Okay. Thank you." Rita takes her finger off a little earpiece, and bows shallowly. "Thank you for your patience," she says. "She kills them." Rita has one more thing to try. "I'd like it if everyone took a couple of steps back, please," she says, advancing towards the root. The sleeve of her windbreaker unravels, although it hasn't lost its coloration or texture; just pink nylon uneasily morphing into a narrow-tipped tentacle.
Sarracenia	'That's... surely that's different. This is an invitation to join the Wing; we're not tresspassing at all. Right?' 'Everyone I've been able to get in contact with says nobody who's accepted a job offer with Angela has been heard from again. That might just be because of the fog, but...' Sarra takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "If you want my honest opinion, you are far better off avoiding the Library. If you must join an association, then join Trideag. Director Lilian has proven that we protect our own, she will provide all the knowledge you could ask for since she detests ignorance, and you will be able to help uplift the City through your activities there. Since you cannot stay here, you should join us instead." Sarra makes a few claims that might be speaking for Lilian, but she gives Lilian a side-eye glance with a slightly uplifted chin since...well, Sarra knows she is right. 'She kills them.' Sarra blinks in surprise at Rita's sudden declaration, and as Rita moves toward the root Sarra steps back. "Ah, good luck, Miss Rita." she says. Sarra isn't about to stop Rita. She hasn't liked Angela's methods of recovering Light ever since she learned of it. And if Sarra is right about what she is thinking, then this is a particularly insidious attempt.
Petra Soroka	"Stepping up to lead a situation like this instead of bailing and trying your luck in a Syndicate is something meaningful." Ji-Hun sticks his hands in the pockets of his jacket and laughs weakly. "I don't think I'd fare any better in a Syndicate. I've never been a fighter at all; they'd have no use for me. Honestly, this place owes its survival to the fighters like Tessa and Maeng more than me." "Hush. The Director's right, you could've left, and you didn't." On the topic of why everyone else bailed, Ji-Hun grimaces at Lenny. It's looking more and more like the dozen people on the hill, plus the few more scattered around the grounds, make up at least half of the people who remained here. It seems like there's maybe fifty at most in total, which implies either a mass exodus, or a precipitous dropoff of population in the early days of the blackouts, or both. "All of the staff from X Corp ran off as soon as the White Nights and Dark Days madness hit. Some of the others went with them, but the idea was that X Corp would protect its own once they get to the L Nest office. I don't know what it looked like back then, but by now the Nest's hardly any different from the Backstreets, and..." He shrugs, a bit hopeless. "Well, if the teachers didn't make it, it's hard to imagine why they'd want us at this point. They certainly haven't been sending busses over to pick us up." "That could be a couple of things, but this should help with the more general stuff." Tessa takes the medicine from Odette with a grateful nod. "Right, thank you much. We've been tightening our belts on the bit of meds we've got left, half-pills and such, so this'll go far." She frowns at Ji-Hun's pessimism, and does a three point turn on her treads to face him with her arms crossed. "Look, we're still kicking, Ji-Hun. X Corp or not. If we wrap this up here, we'll... grab what books and personal trash we can fit on our backs, and hike on over to somewhere the Association could set up for us. That's a better offer than most of us ever tend to get. They've got supplies, see?" "And then what? We'd be practically back to nothing. And don't tell me there'd be any point in studying this garbage in a refugee camp with whatever books we take before we lose them too. There's no..." Ji-Hun shrugs again, a little apologetic towards Lilian. "Where do we go after that? That's not a life forever. Throw in with a Wing, and I'm set." "'Angela' is most likely the one who possesses its Singularity now, but seems to have other aims than merely taking over as Wing Twelve." "Do you think she'd go after everyone, or just whoever's... Um. Whoever she actually hates in it?" "Right, that doesn't precisely fill me with hope. Even if that tower ain't a big old meat grinder that'll turn us into pulp and mash that pulp into books the moment we mosey on in, the more vague someone's goal, the more odds they'd figure they'll be better off with someone who ain't me." Demonstratively Tessa rocks back and forth on her treads, machinery clunking into place with a weary whirr. "That's why X Corp was on my radar in the first place, not any sort of 'aspiration'. And I'm not too keen on betting this new Corp's got the same standards."
Petra Soroka	"Everyone I've been able to get in contact with says nobody who's accepted a job offer with Angela has been heard from again." The crowd of people besides Ji-Hun and Tessa start murmuring amongst themselves, eyeing the motes of Light coming out of the root when Lenny chips at it suspiciously. It's easy to match those particles with the unnatural golden haze of the fog, and then to imagine 'never coming back again' being caused by evaporating away just like that. These sorts of things happen in the City! Everyone knows someone who's gotten turned into dust and particles by one unlucky day! A few of the others break off to hustle back towards the dormitories, presumably to gather their stuff. It feels like a matter of time until the unease reaches a critical point and everyone scatters to go their own separate ways, something that makes Ji-Hun sweat a bit. "H-hey, everyone. The Director said their resources were strained already. With Trideag, or in the Backstreets, there's no guarantee that we'd be able to stick together, and we've all stuck here this long because none of us want to strike out alone, right?" "This isn't the end or anything. You'll manage." Tessa smiles at Lenny, sadly. "Yep. I appreciate the helping hand." She raises her voice to address Ji-Hun. "We knew someone'd come knocking some day, Ji-Hun. Sure, we figured it'd be a Syndicate fixing to put our heads on pikes and raid this place dry, but from where I'm standing, this Wing's hardly suggesting any different." "Fine. We'll put it to a vote, then. I'll count Joo Seok and the ones who ran off with her as votes for... taking Trideag's assistance." "She kills them." In the midst of the chatter trying to come to a consensus, one of the people who had their hand up for voting for accepting the Library's invitation hastily puts it down. With a combination of cane and telescoping struts, Tessa carefully makes her way down the hill, ignoring the discussion and ending up by Sarracenia. Assuming that Sarracenia must also be one of the District 12 refugees, she says aside to her while looking up at the group around the letter, "Well, no matter what, I'm not staying put here. Guess the vote's hardly pointless, I doubt anyone else'll listen to it either. You say the Director treats all y'all well... is that from your experience? Not just off a script?"
Angela	Lenny hesitates and then looks to Tessa. "I... It's hard work. IT is. I won't lie about that. But Pete and I--we used to be ''Rats''. Lowest of the low, the people everyone gave up on. Lilian didn't give up on us. She gave us chances nobody else would give us. We'd be dead in a gutter already if not for her. Maybe even..." She looks at the root right in front of her. "She pays well and awards initiative. I... I'm a dropout and she gave me my second shot. So.." She's suddenly feeling emotional, squinting her eyes shut to push away the tears threatening to well up. That's not like her, she tells herself, she's the calm one, she's the chill one, she's not the one who does big outpourings of emotion like this. Hell, her school abandoned her, her classmates stopped talking to her. She was a failure, someone who couldn't cut it and these are people not like her--the only reason they didn't cut it was because of fate. But even so, they were abandoned by X Corp just because of that bad turn of fate. "Lilian won't abandon you." She says. "It won't be the traditional cushy Wing job you all were hoping for, but it's still good work. And you can help people. And you can live well. ... And we look out for each other. You won't be abandoned." Pete laughs and slaps Lenny on the back in a comradely fashion. "Never thought you the type, Lenny! Well said!" Though he gives another worried look at Rita. He's more worried now than when he first asked, but he doesn't repeat his question. Lenny, face burning, says, "Shaddup, Pete." And elbows him in the gut. Pete winces, still grinning though. "...Sorry..." Lenny mumbles at Lilian before stepping back to let Rita take a crack at it.
Lilian Rook	'All of the staff from X Corp ran off as soon as the White Nights and Dark Days madness hit.' "Fucking typical." Lilian swears under her breath. Taking a breath, she says, "I can't imagine they'll be back, no. But I know less about the examinee process than you do. I can only say that, conditions being what they are outside, I wouldn't risk coming back if I were them." 'And then what? We'd be practically back to nothing. And don't tell me there'd be any point in studying this garbage in a refugee camp with whatever books we take before we lose them too.' There's the harder sell. All told, if all fifty came, it'd more than a drop in the bucket but less than a stretch, at this point. With Lilian dealing with the Library under the table, trading supplies for enkephalin, she's neither reluctantly turning away prospects or eagerly filling up space. The most fair and objective thing she can think to say is, "I'll thank you not to call it a 'camp'. Trídéag has always had plans to expand into the neighbouring area to accommodate the growth of the Association. The collapse of L Corp has forced us to accelerate our plans to nearly the breaking point, but we are managing a stable and livable community; one that is pending renovation and modernization only as soon as our manpower shortage is alleviated." Lilian rests her hand on the strap of her scabbard, gradually shifting tone. "To put it simply, if you have valuable skills that I could use, you'll be hired on to fix that very same manpower shortage. If you don't, then you can find something else to pitch in with, or enlist as Fixers, which I need most. Your combatatants alone, if they're willing to fight, justify a corner apartment floor for the rest of you. If your heart is set on X Corporation, then I can't promise anything but putting a word in. If you loathe the idea, then you can stay here for as long as it's safe, or take your chances with that invitation; I don't need unwilling conscripts." "The only thing I'll say about your prospects with the Library is that there can't be any guarantee you won't be sacrificed for something, some day, without ever seeing it coming. Even if it's a kinder place than the Wing that came before it, that possibility will never fully go away."
Odette Raskins	"those who accept the normal variety of invitations are immediately taken away;" "She kills them." "you are far better off avoiding the Library." It shouldn't be that surprising, but Odette still feels a slight pit in her stomach even after hearing all that. She still trusts Lilian and Rita's judgment implicitly more or less, and Sarracenia being on the same page certainly helps confirm it in Odette's mind, too. Something about the whole matter still feels wrong enough to her, though, that she can't bring herself to assent to it so quickly. Something to ask them about later, perhaps. "it's hard to imagine why they'd want us at this point" "Throw in with a Wing, and I'm set." "That must make the invitation even more tempting, then..." That helps her voice her own concerns, at least. "But Miss Angela probably knows that. I mean, the letter doesn't say it outright, but if the roots and the letter showed up all at once, then she might be banking on you all jumping for whatever's offered just to hedge your bets." She frowns slightly at Ji-Hun seeming primed to do just that, but in that troubled sort of way rather than the judgmental way. Seeing the crowd's reaction to the motes of light does give her slightly more hope that they won't take the offer, at least, although that brief sense of relief is quickly replaced with disgust at herself for feeling relief just then. As the crowd starts to disperse, Odette keeps trying to pull something together in her mind to help move things along in a way that won't get more people maybe-killed. "Signing up to join us really would be the safest call, I think, but I might be a little biased there? But we've got plenty of work that needs to be done, and..." She quiets down as Lenny speaks to Tessa, listening to her story quietly with a smile creeping back across her face. Still, what Ji-Hun said to the dispersed crowd about everyone not sticking together still strikes a chord with her, and she shuffles on over to give him a light nudge on the side. "Hey. Um. Is the chance at getting access to all those books really worth the risk of it all blowing up in your face?" Odette asks as someone who has definitely not had things blows up in her face during testing. "I mean, I kind of get it. It might be your big chance, but... Do you trust your own gut more than theirs?" She asks, gesturing at Lilian and Rita in particular. "If it turns out fine, great, but if it doesn't... Y-you've got a lot of people that'll be following your lead, you know? If it was me..." Odette wrinkles her nose a bit. "... I'd probably do it if it was just me, but I don't know if I could do that if I knew anyone else was following me."
Rita Ma	Rita tilts her head, sizing the protruding root up. Her unraveled-sleeve-tentacle, a dozen feet of feeding spike, sways slightly and drips glowy fluid from its tip. But . . . This place isn't a home. It's not a 'community'. The teachers are gone already, by the way they're talking; so are most of the students. Her resolve wavers, looking off past Tessa and Ji-Hun to what she can see of mostly-empty buildings. If I strike at the roots here, what am I even saving? Odds she could 'prune back' the roots by cannibalizing Angela's EGO-soul-stuff: pretty high, Rita feels like. Odds she gets even more monstery or pops like a stuffed tick from an excess of Light: ffffairly low. Not quite worth it, then. Swishswishslurrrrrk, and the tendril goes back to being the sleeve of a windbreaker, with the last droplet of venom falling from its cuff to sizzle on the grass. "Never mind. You can relax," she says to Sarra, slightly apologetic. - - - - "Sorry, Mr. Pete. I have been a little down, I guess. The Lobotomy Corporation things were really rough, since... well, you shouldn't have to hear it, but I found out I couldn't trust some friends." She half-smiles, belatedly, after putting it in the mildest possible way. "But being here with you and Ms. Lenny helps. Resting at Apple Tree did too. I think what I needed, was... to remember there's people who do like me, and whose lives I've helped make better." She's interrupted by... Lenny mumbles at Lilian before stepping back to let Rita take a crack at it. Rita gestures at herself with a confused little 'who, me?', but she's not about to deny a teary woman, so she turns to Tessa unprepared. It only takes her a second to think of what to say, though. "Well, I'm not really employed by her, but... Ms. Rook is someone who can't understand being conditional," Rita says, only being a little teasing to Lilian with her glance. "If you can let her depend on you, she'll do whatever it takes to earn your gratitude. If someone doesn't really like her, she doesn't know how to rely on them. I think that's how it is." Pushing her shoulders up and smiling: "Ms. Tessa, I should help the sick people first, but if you're going to join Trideag, could I maybe show you around? This is a lot shorter than I thought I'd spend on a mission, so... I didn't have much else on my schedule, except maybe go out to eat with Mr. Pete and Ms. Lenny." Aww. Little social butterfly.
Sarracenia	Sarra listens to all the discussion and watches the voting. Odette continuing to dispense medical care throughout makes Sarra smile lightly. When Tessa approaches her Sarra watches her in curiousity. She's never seen Tessa's type of prosthetics before. When the question is asked though, Sarra blinks, then mmphs in annoyance that she might be about to say good things about Lilian. Lenny speaks up first, and Sarra listens to Lenny and Pete. "Well...my experience with her is a bit unique, I think." Sarra starts once Lenny mumbles her apology. "I am certainly no paid actor, though. It may not seem like it at a glance, but she actually despises me. It galls her to no end that I am a Grade 6 Fixer in her Association. She has a few times even suggested I should be murdered and makes sure to make me feel as small as possible and has even shot me once." Sarra pauses for dramatic effect and just to see if that causes any sort of reaction from Lilian. "But, as I said, my experience is unique. I have yet to see her be cruel to any members other than myself. And despite our mutual animosity she has also -still- allowed me to work with her in the Trideag Association. Even after an unfortunate misunderstanding that brought the Black Silence to our doors. I was one of the members sent after a group of Rats that had attacked one of our couriers. Instead of harming them, we invited them to join Trideag. They are now happy members of our association. I will not say that your time there will be sunshine and rainbows, but Director Lilian will take most anyone who is willing to work. As long as you are respectful and follow her rules, she will treat you with something between neutrality and kindness. As long as you are working to improve yourself, assist Trideag in whatever ways you can, and helping the City, she will ensure you are well cared for and equipped properly for whatever task awaits you. And, as a bonus, you will have a number of the most powerful beings in the City to defend you if anything does go wrong. Trideag does not forsake its members. " Sarra smirks lightly at the end of that then twirls and curtseys, her crown and the metal lotus in her hair gleaming in the light. "And one of those number would be me! Princess Sarracenia Sundew, Crown Princess of the Sundew Kingdom, Aspiring Heroine, and Grade 6 Fixer of the Trideag Association~" 'Ms. Tessa, I should help the sick people first, but if you're going to join Trideag, could I maybe show you around?' "What a lovely idea! A tour! May I assist you in that, Miss Rita?" Sarra says with a smile.
Petra Soroka	"I... I'm a dropout and she gave me my second shot. So.." Hearing the emotion in Lenny's voice, Tessa drops her eyes and murmurs, "There, there." Loose asphalt chunks clatter under her treads as she readjusts them, letting out a puff of steam from the machinery as the prosthetic settles down and stabilizes slightly shorter than it was, in an approximation of sitting down on herself. "Rats? I knew a friend of mine that went that way, from when I was little. Not many end up finding a way out, but..." She looks over at Lilian, then back at Lenny, appraisingly. It looks like, between her options of being on the streets or throwing in with Trideag, she's pretty solidly leaning towards the latter. "She has a few times even suggested I should be murdered and makes sure to make me feel as small as possible and has even shot me once." Tessa realizes pretty quickly that the person she thought was another District 12 refugee like Lenny and herself is, instead, an Outsider. Despite that, though, Sarracenia's words have a distinct City lens to them, from Tessa's perspective. After all, Sarracenia's overall tone is praise, but she just casually throws in the fact that Lilian shot her and wished her dead as part of it-- and that has to be praise! Apparently, Lilian only gets angry enough to shoot someone nonlethally! "Well, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, your highness," Tessa says with a faintly bemused smile, but somehow less worried for Sarracenia's explanation. "It's good to see that the Association's a nice enough place to work that you ain't too tore up about gettin' shot." "I'll thank you not to call it a 'camp'." "Oh, alright. Sorry about that." The word of mouth of Trideag's growing community has certainly reached this far, but in a complete breakdown of any reliable communication vectors, the information is muddied and incomplete. Knowing 'a large number of people who lost their homes are gathering at Trideag' evokes a certain image, especially from one of the few who managed to have a consistent living arrangement before and after. Ji-Hun takes the correction with a nod, anyways. While Lilian talks, the discussion over the vote amongst the crowd gradually peters out. Rather than actually reaching any kind of conclusion, it feels like people just run out of steam to talk at all, the end of the conversation coming on with the sense of a blanket settling over top of it. People lower their hands without looking like they've changed their votes at all, and glance to either side anxiously. Sensing the way the air's shifted, Tessa trundles back somewhat, putting herself on the ground nearby but separate from the Trideag members. She raises her voice to address the whole group. "Ears up, y'all! Anyone eyeing the Association's offer, hop on over to me! I'll get some volunteers to split off to the study hall and grab the stuff you can carry, and the rest of us will clean out your rooms. None of that freakin' stampeding around, hear?" After some hesitation, the rest of the group clambers down the root to cluster around her. Ji-Hun himself remains alone on the hill besides the letter. If it was a vote, the results are pretty clear by now, but with a guilty expression and fingers twiddling his ascot, he doesn't look like he's about to come down.
Petra Soroka	"Hey. Um. Is the chance at getting access to all those books really worth the risk of it all blowing up in your face?" "... I just don't know if I can stomach coming all the way to Solomon's, working all this time, studying right up almost to graduation, and then... having this happen. Just... returning back to the way things were, but worse." Ji-Hun fiddles with his sleeve cuffs and turns his face away. "Sorry, Miss Director. You praised me for sticking around, but really, I'm too much of a coward to do anything else. I can't see a shot at not living in the Backstreets and not take it." Tessa meets his eyes with a stare for several long seconds, before eventually nodding. "So we're splittin', then. Guess I can't begrudge you for takin' the chances you can just on account of thinking the risk's too high myself. You--" She's cut off by a rumbling in the ground that rapidly swells into tremors. They last for just a second before subsiding, but it's clear that time's running out. While the group intending on leaving for Trideag starts working itself up again, Ji-Hun hastily tugs the knot of his ascot done, and tosses it underhand down to Tessa, who catches it and looks up at him questioningly. "I might be the last member of the Solomon School class of '83, but, well..." He puts his hand on the back of his head. "I'll study hard while I'm in the Library, so next time we meet, I can teach you everything I learned from all the books in there. You'll have to deal with me being your tutor this time, haha." Tessa closes her hand around the scrap of cloth and smiles. "Well, who can say? Maybe they'll make me a proper Fixer, and I'll end up rescuing you from that place myself someday?" The tremors start coming more and more closely together, and further outside the compound, rows of asphalt and concrete split open while roots push out of the ground towards the Library. Tessa quickly points out locations for the Fixers to run to as extra hands-- the clinic where Jo is, the guards at the fences, locations with precious belongings or study materials-- and as she rolls off at running speed towards the dorms, gold motes of mist pool up out of the cracks in the ground, while Ji-Hun rereads the invitation in his hand and waits.
Sarracenia	'It's good to see that the Association's a nice enough place to work that you ain't too tore up about gettin' shot.' Sarra seems surprised at hearing this. She blinks a few times, then hmphs grumpily. "It is more about the goals than the place. It is nice enough I suppose, but the whole point is that we are going to change the City. Free it from this terribleness brought on by all these Anomalies and Singularities and Corporations and such. And do not think that just because of what I said that I am not torn up about getting shot. In cold blood. In the middle of an investigation into how to save magical girls." Sarra's tone gains an angry edge as she talks about it. "I was helping!" she exclaims, as much to Lilian as to anyone else here. The princess takes a deep breath, then relaxes again. "But, I would be happy to talk about that once we are in a safer location. For now, I will help with gathering up whatever it is you all would like to bring along. I could stuff practically an entire library into my purse." Sarra reaches into her purse and pulls out...a cold bottled water. "Thirsty?" she asks, handing it to Tessa before smiling. "I will join those headed to the study hall. We will bring as much as we can to the halls of the Trideag Association." Ji-hun stays up on the hill. Sarra's cheeks puff a bit. "Well, I suppose it is good to follow your own path. Just be careful. Angela is...from what I have heard anyway...kind enough to her workers. It is her second-in-command you really have to worry about."
Angela	Pete gives Sarracenia a ''look'' at 'suggested I should be murdered'. He is a guy who is all for 'saying it like it is' but he is downright flabbergasted that she would bring that up while people are trying to discourage these people from going to the Death Library. Maybe it'll convince everyone else that this is on the up and up baecause people who are trying to trick you wouldn't admit something like that right? Right?? But when he sees how Tessa reacts, Pete wonders if he has absolutely lost his mind. Like, maybe he's been living it TOO EASY that he has forgotten what life for NON-Trideag people is even like?! He's horrified! And a bit stunned. And he wonders if maybe he needs to like mingle amongst the Rats again for a bit so he doesn't lose his edge--and thus his use--to Lilian Rook. He looks at his own hands in concern and clenches them thoughtfully. Lenny meanwhile doesn't really look like a Rat anymore, but if you look carefully you can see her experience in her eyes. Pete, of course, never really acted like one because he always thought he had what it took. Instead, the experience left itself on his skin. He has never been able to entirely shake off his inherent scruffiness. "Well...I'm interested in hearing about your studies here..." Lenny says. "Even though it's been tough, it's been nice having fun learning again." ''It is her second-in-command oyu really have to worry about.'' "Who is her second in command?" Pete asks in a whispered awe. "I...heard some things but... it was just whispers." "Um! I'd be happy to show her around with you, Miss Rita!" Lenny says, waving a hand in front of her face until her expression relaxes. "That's okay, right? I'd like to uh--get to know these people better. The ones coming along." She looks to Ji-hun and adds, "...Good luck to you too, okay?" She doesn't think 'being a coward' is anything he deserves to get ragged on for. That possibility will never go away, Lilian says. And she hopes it's not Ji-hun who is that sacrifice. Nicer than a Wing, she thinks, but not nicer enough.