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[dollmaxing]

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Hiiii! You've reached Ichinose Kuon, head of AI research and development. Leave a message and I'll get back to you!

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[dollmaxing]

Tapping the bugged phone, her original phone, Ichinose nodded. "I still have access to that data from the Thieves, even, and that can be used to compare."

She hadn't been able to actively track the situation in progress the way she did the other Monarchs, thanks to the security and secrecy of the lab in Okinawa, but she now had the backlog of information available to her anyway.

"Is there something in particular that a dead Monarch's Jail has that you find interesting?"

[counterfeitphantom]

"They make for the perfect testing grounds," The AI behind the screen speaks up- heard by both the shadow weapon and Ichinose. "When a monarch dies, a jail lingers due to the influence of EMMA. Things were probably different back when the cognitive world and the real world were on two seperate planes of existence but due to- well Miss Gaslight.exe back home we now have a whole dead jail covering a town. In that case, the Kirijo Group dismantles the place, collects and records all data while...shadow weapons go around and clear any and all lingering shadows left."

"That way its easier for us to contain EMMA's power in an already dead environment."

"Hm...I am not sure about a few things but-" Zenkichi cuts himself off with a quick heave. "-doesn't hurt to try."

With that, Wolf steps back and away- now tapping his gloved fingers against the PC towers, overlaying wires, brains swimming in electrodes on full display, a large panel with buttons and a disarray of programs and machines.

[dollmaxing]

Miss Gaslight.exe? Ichinose laughs a little, at that, surprised at it. Was it funny? Was she supposed to be offended? Honestly, she had no idea what her reaction was 'supposed' to be, but it caught her off guard.

Gaslighting... that really is a word that's been slowly getting thrown around a lot, lately. She'll have to ask Takuto later what it actually means.

"Right, and a theoretically detached environment, too. I see the merits, now - less influence from the psychology of the Monarch so more focus can be put on EMMA's functionality."

[unit_8910_wolf]

Zenkichi's heard that one before back at home. He's laughed at it a good few times when Akane decided to be very creative with addressing the heartless doll nestling inside a god. Still, the random nickname makes the corner of his lip quirk up and Ichinose just laughs at it. She's the one they are talking about. There's nothing against Akane's humor after all.

"If we started taking a ruler's psychology into account we will be here all day, considering there are thousands of monarchs still prevalent with a new one popping up almost everyday." Akane practically grizzled out those words like they personally hurt her. "Anyways I will load in the data now. My space isn't powered with the usual equipment so it will take time. You can take a break if you want."

So much to do here and yet...now that he's standing in front of a sleek terminal with a myriad buttons and switches, one flick of the power button sets the screens alight. The monitors lining up the adjacent wall oversee various parts of the palace.

His eyes scan the details, searching for various openings and exits.

Meanwhile on Ichinose's side, another text pops up:

Takuto: Seems like he really owes up to his codename. Is this how its like to be put on probation :'

[dollmaxing]

Kuon: He's snooping in your Palace's computers btw. I'm sure you can sense it but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

"A break sounds fine. I'll go get coffee," Ichinose stood and stretched her arms up, tucking both phones in her pocket and taking off her headphones, laying them on the desk.

"Don't worry - I knew better than to hide anything interesting in the Palace where you could find it," she taunted a bit, walking towards the door.

[unit_8910_wolf]

Takuto: Would you really call it snooping though?

There was a shift in the screens, catching Zenkichi's attention right away. One of the screens flickered, giving way to a red-haired woman flashing in it. It only occurs in a flash before it comes to an image of the same overview of the Reception's north side. He stops, not taking note of Ichinose's taunting. "..uh huh."

He pauses, logging in that memory his visor just caught. He should be able to review it when he makes it back home, but...surely that must be-

"Dunno about that," he asks instead, turning away from the feed as he keeps a prepared stance- hands crossing while leaning against the terminal. Acting as if he weren't mentally connecting the dots. "You are not the biggest headache assigned to me today. As for Maruki...he wouldn't mind if I got some coffee too, surely."

"And perhaps you won't either, considering you were so insistent on sharing snacks with me."

[dollmaxing]

"Aww, you really must have missed me," Ichinose bit back, giving Zenkichi a tight smile. "I'll make sure you have decaf... the caffeine is bad for an old dog's heart. You'll have a heart attack."

Flippantly, she opened the door and walked through, leaving him to get the door for himself as she slid her hands into her pockets.

"Maybe I'll give you a bowl of water instead. That's probably better for you."

[unit_8910_wolf]

"Aww, how cute. Delusional as always, aren't you?" Zenkichi throws his leg in between before the doors could close on him. He does a quick status check for Akane, finding her logged in safely in her hub so there was no need to worry about it now. At this point he's just curious on how functional can a cognitive space like this really get.

As he walks past the two automatic doors he looks around still, noticing and observing little details. It's so white in here, especially in areas like this, that it almost makes him blind.

He stays behind, one hand resting on his pistol for comfort. "No need for decaf though, if I wanted something artificial and flavorless, I'd just keep listening to you talk."

Ah, this passageway seems familiar. Isn't this where he had a kerfuffle with one of Maruki's minions?

[dollmaxing]

"If I'm such bad company, you shouldn't be so insistent at nipping at my heels. I know my humor is dry, but surely even you can tell what a joke is," she snipped, heels clacking across the impeccably polished floor in a way that felt so satisfying to Ichinose's ears.

Knowing that Takuto had eyes on Zenkichi made her feel like she didn't have to constantly watch over her shoulder. However violent he wanted to get, she would be able to get away and get to safety.

She was so confident about being monitored, in fact, that she didn't get her card out for the security elevator - she stood and waited for the Palace to open for her, not letting on that she had a physical object that could be pilfered. Wordlessly, the elevator dinged and opened, allowing Kuon entry.

[unit_8910_wolf]

"I don't know, do you want me to continue from where we left off?" he grunts- really not finding any of her shenanigans funny. "Stop asking such ridiculous questions and get your damn coffee."

Which speaking of, from the elevator here and the little card scanner at the side- he should be able to catch the higher up card he had been trying to snag from shadow's earlier. The personnel ID for example, he had only caught words from the shadows earlier about how security was updated with multiple ranks.

Ichinose must have the higher ones.

Now he could, of course just grab her by the ankle and hold her upside down to shake out anything she owns (which while feasible might raise more questions then answers from others here); or he could ask others who may have gone into Maruki's palace earlier to ask how the structure works.

Then again, does he want bring attention when this woman is cooperating? That would do more harm then good too, wouldn't it?

That said he did remember coming down from a flight of stairs while trying to locate this area. This elevator might lead to the top floors.

He hadn't even realized how he subconsciously grabbed the open elevator door and stood there, one foot on the border while caught in deep thought.

His eyes darted up to the camera stationed at the top corner of the little box.

This isn't unfamiliar territory. Kuon's inside too. What's her play here?

Honestly he has been testing her faith. If she lead him into an endangered place that will be enough of an excuse to pull the trigger.

Wordlessly, he pulls away his hand- the strength alone leaving a firm imprint on the elevator. There's a heavy indent following the lines of his gloved hands as he pulls back and goes to the other side of the elevator. Arms crossed, relaxed. Not his first time he's followed the whims of the cognitive world, sometimes it was necessary to play the long game.

[dollmaxing]

Despite herself, Ichinose nearly jumps out of her skin when Zenkichi grabbed at the elevator door with a heavy THUD, the metal creaking menacingly in his grip. As he stood there, Ichinose's startled expression settled into a scowl - which only deepened as he finally moved into the elevator and left horribly mangled metal handprints behind.

She glowered at them even as the doors creakily closed, rattling as they slid back onto their tracks properly and the elevator began to descend.

Bitterly, spitefully, Ichinose thought as loudly and as hard as she could at the camera if he pulls something, just drop the whole elevator and kill us both.

Not like Takuto would be able to read her mind, but she would accept reviving in the Velvet Room.

I was so STUPID getting into a tiny metal box with a dangerous monster.

But she didn't say any of that, just scowling as she glanced between the mangled door and the camera, back pressed against the opposite side of the elevator cabin.

[unit_8910_wolf]

What's up with her? Is this not what she was planning? Inviting him into a tiny box like this?

Still, the scowling is new. Usually, the video footage and announcements he's seen of Kuon Ichinose in his world have been full of spite but most of them were stitched up by a thread consisting of a perfect smile. Absolutely no light behind her eyes, with a streak of white already running from her scalp, just a year after EMMA's victory over the world.

Instead, when the elevator started running, he brought his hand up to clasp and unclasp his fingers, flexing them as the suspensions installed within creaked, much like other human muscle joints. In tandem.

As it goes down, the view clears again as he takes a look outside. At Maruki's handiwork.

"...how are the people like?" He asks, not even looking at her, as his eyes remain focused on the cognitions. "Do they actually step forward with problems? I tried talking to some of them and all of them only wanted to talk to Dr Maruki."

[dollmaxing]

Ichinose paused, glancing out to where Zenkichi was looking briefly before putting her eyes back on him.

"...They're about the same as the ones throughout the city. They see me as the tech staff, so they don't confide in me either - the way you wouldn't chat up the random computer maintenance person about your personal issues in a real therapist's office."

She took a moment to glance out at them again, but she could only trust her gaze off of this man for so long.

"There is one difference between them and the people you find in a therapist's waiting room, though," she admitted somewhat quietly, shifting as the elevator got closer to the floor with the food court, "...The people here actually open up to someone, even if it is to Takuto. The way I've heard, most therapists don't get anywhere because it's like pulling teeth with their patients to get them to admit something is wrong. Given how many of them are plainly incompetent in a field that's already incredibly poorly studied, it's no wonder."

[unit_8910_wolf]

He's only seen rare instances of people going into examination rooms. Areas that are docked in rooms and separated into different sections depending on what they choose to be their definition of happiness. He had only overlooked the general location, unsure in his ability to find himself in a situation where he might not be able to protect himself or run away from.

"..." He doesn't really care for the way he can feel her gaze on her, not like Ichinose will be able to tell that he's returning it, given the opaque nature of his mask. He keeps his head tilted at the grand sterility of this place. Paired with that? The banners. The patients. The staff. The posters. Promising paradise.

"Sounds like Doc, alright," is the only thing he says. The nickname sounds far more...soft in comparison to how he referred to the actual Maruki here. "I always found it naive, but from what I have been hearing and seeing, he's very serious about it."

Just a few more seconds of this.

[dollmaxing]

Doc.

Ichinose's not always good at picking up tones and subtext, but that was obvious enough that it clicked - and plainly, too. She tilted her head a bit in thought, expression softening to curiosity at Zenkichi.

"Hmm. So you do know a Takuto, yourself," she observed, a less fake but certainly enigmatic smile on her face. The elevator slowed to a stop and the doors opened, and without further comment, Ichinose stepped out before Zenkichi could make a grab at her and started towards the food court.

tw: slightly graphic thoughts

[unit_8910_wolf]

The curiosity aimed at him, paired with the enigmatic smile, felt so strange. A blank face, a fake placid smile that felt like someone had surgically put it on her or the worst when she looks so utterly satisfied with herself.

He wanted to bite back. He wanted to shut up and bury the idea of bringing his past up with Ichinose of all people. She didn't have to make that observation now, did she? Or was it just because she was surprised?
Did Dr Maruki keep quiet about what they had talked about in the bar? Over drinks? Is that how dodgy he always was and Zenkichi was too dug up in his shit not to realize it?

"What about it?" he asks shockingly, keeping his expression even but casual as he follows behind her when the elevator reaches the designated floor. Even when he hears more voices and people.

[dollmaxing]

"It's nice to hear he has something like a friend in one of these worlds, for one. He always seems so lonesome," Ichinose chuckled as she walked, able to relax and not need to constantly watch Zenkichi with the staff and the cameras watching. "Sometimes because he's done something abhorrent and deserves it, sure - but surely they can't all be like that. I wonder what each Takuto is really like."

[unit_8910_wolf]

Zenkichi's frown grows with Ichinose's comment. The chuckle felt so out of place here- does she not consider him a friend?

Not to mention, as things stand, he's watching them. Maybe he can't hear them? What a great friend you have made, Takuto...
The bitter thought comes and leaves.

"..funny of you to assume we were friends," he says while looking away and makes a note of the path. Wait, hasn't he seen this sign before? Ah, well a lot of cognitive spaces look the exact fucking same sometimes- where the hell is she taking him?

"I was a patient assigned to him while he prepared me for my surgery. That's all."

1/2

[dollmaxing]

"Oh, yes, that's all," Ichinose sarcastically chuckled back, turning down a corner towards the staff entrance of the cafeteria. "I shouldn't be surprised that his kindness even got through to your grumpy attitude. For once you and I have a friend in common."

With one last turn, she opened the door to the kitchen.

2/3 I lied

[dollmaxing]

...Which was a mess. A pot turned over with spilled soup on the floor that a staff member was dutifully mopping up, a giant scratch on the refrigerator doors, and of course... a completely shattered coffee pot.

3/3

[dollmaxing]

Scowling, crossing her arms, Ichinose turned around and gave Zenkichi the firmest disappointed, annoyed look.

"You really couldn't help yourself, could you?"

Re: 3/3

[unit_8910_wolf]

"Of course, that's how you see it," he rolls his eyes at the idea of him being grumpy. He's got plenty of things to worry about, then try to rectify his image before Ichinose (oh the sheer horror of it) as he pauses for a moment to look at this place.

The signs at the top, directing someone to different areas like the Food Court and the Kitchen just ahead..

And so he earns another loud and angry comment from Kuon the moment he follows up behind her, eyes closed as he thinks deeply over the layout of the palace and how much he's covered. "What the hell's your problem now? I didn't even- Oh.

He stops, noticing the mess. The spilt soup, scratched refrigerator doors, and the one cognitively mopping it with no complaint.

He raises a brow, a wry awkward smile which feels too unbecoming of the Wolf from before- "Uh...probably why I was thinking that this place looked too familiar. Ahaha. "

[dollmaxing]

"All of this and for what? To kill a few shadows? Are you too proud to be asked to be invited in? Aren't you older than I am?" Ichinose scolded, her stance even more like that of a disappointed teacher.

[unit_8910_wolf]

Zenkichi's face twists into a befuddled expression.

"The hell do you mean by that? I didn't even have to enter a name or type of distortion on the metanav to get in- why would I ask for an invite into an open cognitive space-?" he shakes his head. "That's textbook definition of getting killed even if I just shared my location."

"Besides, what else do you do when a shadow lunges at you if not try to protect yourself or in my case- hit them with a megidolaon. Hug them? Honestly, maybe I don't want to know; given your weird goddamn answers."

[dollmaxing]

"You getting escorted directly inside by Takuto himself? Of course the shadows wouldn't get violent. I've never been attacked once."

Disappointment.

"You could have messaged him and he'd lead you right inside! Do you even use that brain of yours?"