[center][h1][i][b]Banter and[/b][/i] [i][b]B[color=tomato]o[/color][color=MediumSpringGreen]a[/color]rdga[color=00aeef]m[/color]e[color=MediumAquamarine]s[/color][/b][/i][/h1][/center]

It was honestly rather surprising to Ashley that Veronica seemed so nonchalant about letting her go off into the darkness and play board games, of all things, with one of the most infamous Depraved espers on the planet. Even if she [i]was[/i] only doing so to make sure Gale was safe (even more so, now that the bluenette had begun laughing like a complete lunatic), the Knight of Tomorrow would have expected Veronica, head of GEMINI operations in Pax Septimus, to at least be fairly antagonistic towards Oros, and yet, they had interacted as if they were old acquaintances, perhaps even [i]friends![/i] In fact, even with the harp and it’s mysterious owner still laying on the ground, unsecured, Veronica had chosen to depart, trusting the remaining agents to handle the matter, almost as if [i]Oros[/i] was a fellow agent herself…

[color=MediumSpringGreen][i]Could that really be the case?[/i][/color] Ashley wondered. [color=MediumSpringGreen][i]Is Oros actually a deep undercover agent?[/i][/color]  

Regardless, with nearly everyone present being dangerously low on mana, and thus in no position to resume hostilities, it seemed a relatively moot point, although that still didn’t make its possible implications any less unnerving. And the same could be said of the lingering darkness…

[color=MediumSpringGreen]“Do you happen to know why this darkness hasn’t gone away yet?”[/color] Ashley asked Oros. [color=MediumSpringGreen]“I thought it would have cleared up once the Diver was defeated.”[/color] 

[color=tomato]”You thought wrong, clearly."[/color] Oros stretched her arms out with a groan. [color=tomato]”You know how when a monster stabs you the wound persists even after they’re slain? This must be the same way. The diver’s magic didn’t darken the sky, their magic did something that darkened the sky. It’ll clear up eventually. Probably."[/color] 

[color=MediumAquamarine]”Of course it will!”[/color] Stacy said with a level of certainty children used when talking about santa. [color=MediumAquamarine]”As bad as things get in Pax Septimus, they always bounce right back! Now, does anyone have a place where we can play board games? I have the games, buuuuuuuut I don’t think most places are going to have power.”[/color]

Marrie didn’t respond right away, fidgeting with her clip light a little for a moment, before finally saying, [color=00aeef]”Should be able to get a generator from a store if we need. I don’t really know of anywhere with its own power supply.”[/color]

[color=MediumSpringGreen]“I suppose that would work,”[/color] Ashley replied. As it happened, she [i]did[/i] know of at least one place that would have a backup generator, but she highly doubted one of the most wanted espers in the world would be welcome inside GEMINI HQ…

[color=tomato]”You girls are something else! I thought you’d be against stealing a generator."[/color] Oros shrugged her shoulders. [color=tomato]”Though it does look like the end of the world. I doubt anyone will really care if we borrow a generator for a time. Just gotta get some gas or something to power it up. It’ll be an adventure!"[/color] 

Stacy threw her arms into the air. [color=MediumAquamarine]”Like the zombie apocalypse!”[/color] 

[color=tomato]”Sort of, yea."[/color] Oros gazed into her sword. [color=tomato]”Why don’t we drop by the local Wally World? Any supercenter worth their salt should be a one-stop-shop for everything we need. It’ll even save Stacy a trip home to get her board games."[/color] 

[color=00aeef]”I was intending to pay for it, but I guess that most people wouldn’t really care given the circumstances.”[/color]

Although Ashley hated to say it, Oros actually had a good idea. Well, except for the whole “steal the generator” bit. [color=MediumSpringGreen]“You know, we don’t even have to take it out of the building,”[/color] the Knight of Tomorrow spoke up. [color=MediumSpringGreen]“We could play our board games in Wally World itself,”[/color] she suggested. [color=MediumSpringGreen]“Don’t you think that might have a better, um, ambiance, anyway?”[/color]

[color=tomato]”Yes, I think the inside of a Wally World would have a bit less blood and such. Even though red [i]is[/i] kind of a romantic color."[/color] Oros placed a hand on Marrie’s shoulder. [color=tomato]”And we can, like, leave some money or some shit if that makes you happy."[/color]

…

…

…

Maybe Oros’s plan wasn’t [i]that[/i] great after all.

Turns out, all those plagues happening one after the other tend to drive people to places of safety. Not only were people flocking to Wally World, but many of the patrons there refused to leave. Many had taken out electric lanterns and were “camping” in various corners of the store. Others were trying to call loved ones or eating produce right in the isles.

[color=tomato]”Well, whatever."[/color] Oros groaned. She placed a shopping bag filled with junk food on a picnic table. It was for sale, but the scrambling employees were more concerned with restoring power and managing other customers.  [color=tomato]”You guys get everything you wanted?"[/color]

[color=MediumAquamarine]”Yup!”[/color] Stacy had gone shopping for some board games, which were piled at one end of the table. [color=MediumAquamarine]”I’m just going to need a moment to set something up. I don’t normally play with so many people.”[/color]

Marrie had found a few electrical lamps, similar to what some other people were using, and brought them over. [color=00aeef]”Are we still going to play here, then?”[/color] she asked.

[color=MediumSpringGreen]“I think that’s our best option,”[/color] Ashley replied. [color=MediumSpringGreen]“We’re in something of an out of the way corner, so as long as we keep to ourselves, I don’t think anyone will bother us.”

[i]At least, I [b]hope[/b] not…[/i][/color]

It also technically wasn’t stealing if nothing left the store.

[color=tomato]”What’s a good ice breaker?"[/color] Oros popped open a bag of chips. [color=tomato]”So Marrie, what sort of stuff do you do for fun? You don’t strike me as the sort who lives to be an esper."[/color]

[color=00aeef]”Ah, well..”[/color] Marrie looked around, sort of at a loss. It’d been a long time since she’d gotten to explain her passions. [color=00aeef]”I’m sort of a computer nerd, and I love art. Especially, like, drawings and paintings. I’m not… the [i]greatest[/i] or anything, but I don’t know many artists who are proud of their own work, heh.[/color] She nearly continued, but figured that explaining that most of her work was either written fanfiction or sketches of said fanfiction wouldn’t be the best way to start off a conversation like this. [color=00aeef]”Honestly, aside from tracking Justin’s stuff, I haven’t had time to really do much of anything other than esper work recently. Plus, even if I didn’t need the income from it, I had to help out Stacy and Pac-a-Fist, since… Yeah. So I’ve had a lot of stuff coming before having fun on the priority list.”[/color]

[color=tomato]”That’s a shame. I’ll have to look at something you made sometime."[/color] Oros grinned.

Ashley shot an annoyed glare at Oros when the pink-haired girl casually revealed what was apparently Gale’s real name, but as she listened to Marrie describe her hobbies and lack of time to pursue them, the Knight of Tomorrow realized that not only did the bluenette not seem to care about the revelation, but secret identities themselves were kind of pointless when dealing with someone with Oros’s supposed abilities. And there was another very pertinent reason to revert to their mundane forms as well, one Ashley had completely forgotten about until just now…

[color=MediumSpringGreen]“Um, not to interrupt, but do you think we should revert back to our mundane forms?”[/color] Ashley inquired tentatively. [color=MediumSpringGreen]“Normally I’d be against revealing our true identities, but I’m pretty sure Oros already knows exactly who we are, and I don’t really think we should be playing games, or sitting in these chairs, while being covered in blood and… [i]other things…[/i]”[/color]

[color=00aeef]”Most people who have been outside are covered in blood, but… yeah, makes sense.”[/color] Marrie looked around, and finding that nobody was looking their way, reverted from her esper form.

The cultist scoffed. [color=tomato]”No one’s going to ask me to leave if I [i]stay[/i] like this. Besides, I’d like to keep the mystique my true form holds alive just a bit longer."[/color]

Stacy was sitting beside a pile of wet wipes, which were red with blood and stacked up almost as high as she was. But her skin and hair looked pristine. Well, as pristine as it can look when you’re a [url=https://i.pinimg.com/564x/ed/e3/19/ede319df36fd6ed8f76d8a081408c3e2.jpg]zombie[/url]

 [color=MediumAquamarine]”Wew! That stuff runs right between your toes!”[/color] With a flick of her wrist, two mats skid across the picnic table. They were checkered boards, one white and black and the other red and black. Once she pressed them together, Stacy started to place checkers and chess pieces on the board.  [color=MediumAquamarine]”Normally I’d suggest we play Monopoly, but they don’t have my favorite expansion packs in stock, so this will have to do.”[/color] 

Oros looked at the board games. [color=tomato]”There were no board games for four players? I thought I saw twister there somewhere. Playing two separate games is kinda weird."[/color]

[color=MediumAquamarine]”Silly! This [i]is[/i] a four-player game! The idea of chess is to capture your enemy’s king by moving them into checkmate. The rook moves in straight lines, bishops move diagonally, horses move in ‘L’ pathways because they’re losers-”[/color]

[color=tomato]”Right, but what are the checker pieces for?"[/color]

[color=MediumAquamarine]”You mean the serfs? They are interesting in that they move diagonally, but only one step at a time. And they can capture many pieces at once by hopping over them like a frog! Oh! But they can only head up the board, but if they reach the other side they can become barrons, which look like two serfs stacked on top of each other.Those can move diagonally in any direction.”[/color]

The serfs were set up in a standard lattice formation, with the chess pieces nestled in among them. One side had all black pieces, while the other had white chess pieces and red serfs. 

[color=tomato]”So we play as teams or some shit?"[/color]

[color=MediumAquamarine]”Yup! One team has a player commanding the royal army while another controls their serfs. Turns alternate between white, black royalty, red, black serfs.”[/color]

[color=00aeef]”That’s fair.”[/color] Marrie replied to Oros’ comment on not transforming. As she listened to Stacy’s explanation, she was pretty impressed. [color=00aeef]”You came up with a way to fuse checkers and chess, huh? That’s pretty smart. But, uh… It seems like it’s just the two games simultaneously?”[/color] She took a closer look at the boards.

[color=MediumSpringGreen]“Whatever…”[/color] Ashley responded to Oros with a tired sigh, before returning to her mundane self. [color=MediumSpringGreen]“And if anyone asks why we’re so clean, we could just say we were inside when the blood rain started,”[/color] she noted. [color=MediumSpringGreen]“Or that we used some of [i]those…[/i]”[/color] she added with a slightly concerned frown as she glanced at the mountain of bloody wipes Stacy had created. 

The zombie girl hadn’t changed back either, but Ashley wasn’t going to ask for an explanation. Gale, or rather, Marrie, looked pretty much the same as her esper form, with only a few cosmetic differences, like hair color, but maybe Stacy was embarrassed by her real appearance, or even physically impaired to such a degree that she wouldn’t be able to play the game she was setting up. And what a game it was…

[color=MediumSpringGreen]“Um, did you make those rules up yourself?”[/color] Ashley asked once Stacy had finished going over how the game worked. [color=MediumSpringGreen]“They’re very clever,”[/color] she added with a small smile. [color=MediumSpringGreen]“So, uh, how did you want to decide on teams?”[/color]

Stacy shook her head. [color=MediumAquamarine]”I wish I could take credit, but this is how chess is supposed to be played. Though it’s a game that’s been around for a thousand years or so. It’s natural that the game would evolve and become more simplistic. There is something romantic about two brains duking it out, but classical chess was always designed to be played this way. as far as player order goes, I think I’ll let someone else work that out.”[/color]

Oros shook her fist. [color=tomato]”Yea! that was a lot of dialog Stacy spat out. Maybe you guys could pick up the slack a bit? Though if you want my opinion, hmmm."[/color] She scratched her chin. [color=tomato]”Part of me thinks Marrie and I should be on the same side, but Ash is such an adorable onesan I couldn’t get upset if they were on the same side for this."[/color]

[color=00aeef]”I don’t mind either way. It’d be fun to play with or against someone called ‘insane,’ I think. Maybe we should go with the third option and have you and Orion be a team?”[/color] Marrie slightly smiled at the idea. [color=00aeef]”Though maybe that would be unfair to you two, since there’s the most friction between you two.”[/color]

[color=MediumSpringGreen]“I don’t really mind who I’m teamed up with,”[/color] Ashley replied after the others had made their suggestions. [color=MediumSpringGreen]“But if it’s too difficult to decide, perhaps the teams should be chosen randomly?”[/color]
 
[color=MediumAquamarine]”Regardless of what we do, I’m sure we can get along fine.”[/color] Stacy nodded at Ashley. [color=MediumAquamarine]”How would we go about randomly selecting teams?”[/color]
 
[color=00aeef]”I guess… Well, we could play multiple games and switch? That way we’d all play alongside everyone? Doesn’t even have to be the same game after this, just something with teams.”[/color]

[color=MediumSpringGreen]“I guess…”[/color] Ashley conceded. [color=MediumSpringGreen]“But that still leaves the problem of choosing the initial teams… How about this,”[/color] she suggested after a moment’s thought. [color=MediumSpringGreen]“We place two black checkers and two red ones in a cup and blindly draw one apiece.”[/color]
 
Stacy gave Ashley a thumbs up. [color=MediumAquamarine]”Works for me! We just need a cup now. Anyone got one?”[/color]

…

Before long, everyone had drawn their checker.

[color=tomato]”Yes! Red! just like the color of my voice!"[/color] Oros had been the last to draw, but they had decided to reveal their hands once everyone had their checker. [color=tomato]”I hear going first is quite the advantage, in high tier play anyway."[/color]

A black chip danced between Stacy’s fingers. [color=MediumAquamarine]”I’m the most experienced here, so I don’t mind a handicap.”[/color]

[color=MediumSpringGreen]“I got red,”[/color] Ashley announced, unable to keep a tinge of disappointment out of her voice.

Marrie simply held up the final black checker. It was going to be a very interesting match if not only was her opponent “insane,” but also teamed with someone who didn’t like her. Their team chemistry was liable to explode.

Oros only roared with laughter. [color=tomato]”Oh man! I guess it’s going to turn out just like Marrie wanted."[/color] She held her chin. [color=tomato]”Since we’re six pages in and nothing’s happened, how about Stacy and I play as the serfs?"[/color]

[color=MediumAquamarine]”I’m fine with that.”[/color] Stacy sat down on one side of the board. [color=MediumAquamarine]”The other chess pieces have quite a bit of strategic depth, but as you’ll soon see, the serfs are no pushovers.”[/color]

[color=tomato]”Exactly why I picked them."[/color] Oros looked to Ashley. [color=tomato]”You can feel free to start interrogating me so that your boss doesn’t get upset that you spent your evening playing games instead of filing reports."[/color]

[color=00aeef]”So, do we just… play chess? While you guys play checkers? And then something happens to make them interact?”[/color] Marrie asked. 

[color=MediumAquamarine]”Yup!”[/color] Stacy nodded. [color=MediumAquamarine]”You probably noticed the serfs can only ever threaten half of the board due to only ever being on one color. But that changes once you get some barrons. I’ll elaborate once we get one.”[/color]

[color=00aeef]”I guess we’ll find out as we play.”[/color] Marrie moved over to the chessboard. 

[color=MediumSpringGreen][i]Six pages?[/i][/color] Ashley wondered. [color=MediumSpringGreen][i]What does that even [b]mean[/b]?[/i][/color]
 
Then again, Oros was completely insane, or at least, was [i]pretending[/i] to be. Either way, nothing she said could be trusted, which made her offer of allowing Ashley to “interrogate” her seem like nothing more than a fool's errand. Still, there really wasn’t much else to talk about, and if Oros actually [i]was[/i] some sort of undercover agent, then perhaps this was her way of passing on vital information. Indeed, when viewed through that lens, even her most unhinged ramblings took on a new, and far more significant meaning…
 
[color=MediumSpringGreen]“Okay, well, for starters, what were you doing while we were fighting the Diver?”[/color] Ashley inquired. [color=MediumSpringGreen]“You looked pretty beaten up back on the rooftop, so I imagine whatever you were up against was fairly formidable.”[/color]
 
[color=tomato]”I had it all under control, thank you very much!"[/color] Oros sneered.  [color=tomato]”I trust Gemini at least knows what Marrie has been telling everyone already? Then you should be aware that the Hand exists. They were the ones responsible for this attack."[/color] Marrie and Ashley had moved their first pawn. The larger board and number of pieces was going to make this game of chess considerably slower. [color=tomato]”I was doing battle with their secretary, Glex. I’m sure she was despatched to prevent me from participating in the fight, as she left as soon as the Diver fell."[/color]

[color=MediumSpringGreen]“The Hand?”[/color] Ashley repeated with a confused frown. [color=MediumSpringGreen]“I’ve heard the name before, but that’s all I really know. Are they a monster, a depraved esper, or something else?”[/color]
 
Whoever, or whatever they were, if Oros was telling the truth and the Hand really [i]had[/i] orchestrated the Diver’s arrival, then they were a threat several orders of magnitude greater than Justin, or anything [i]else[/i] in the city, for that matter. Thus, gaining whatever information she could was a top priority. 
 
[color=tomato]”They’re a group. Organization? Cult? Secret Society? Something like that. The hand consists of just six members, but each of them is a big shot in Pax Septimus. Not even I know who all of them are, but that kinky vampire was one of them for sure."[/color] Oros made a potato chip dance along her knuckles.  [color=tomato]”Couldn’t even tell you what ‘finger’ they were supposed to represent. But I’m sure the others were out and about tonight. Someone must have spotted them."[/color] She looked back over to Marrie. [color=tomato]”Okay so like, what do you like doing in your spare time? You seem like you enjoy spending time on computers."[/color]

[color=00aeef]”Well, I did call myself a computer nerd.”[/color] Marrie replied. [color=00aeef]”Usually, if I have free time and I’m not drawing or writing on my desktop, I’m learning new programming languages.”[/color] She put her arm on the table and rested her head on her hand. [color=00aeef]”Or talking to my mom in a chatroom, I guess. But usually I keep the programming to work-related stuff, nowadays.”[/color]

Stacy wrapped an arm around Marrie. [color=MediumAquamarine]”Well that’s good that you keep in touch with your mother at least! I haven’t seen mine for a while. Mothers are the sort of people that you take for granted, you know?”[/color] 

Oros moved one of her pieces with a snort. [color=tomato]”Not like anything lasts forever. But what do you plan on doing with all of those computer languages?"[/color]

[color=00aeef]”Mm. It’s been a while for me, too.”[/color] She was about to ask about Stacy’s mother when Oros added in. [color=00aeef]”Oh, well… I really want to make an AI. Like, a real one. That’s my dream goal, but I doubt I’ll ever get there.”[/color]

[color=MediumSpringGreen]“An AI?”[/color] Ashley spoke up, Marrie’s revelation breaking her out of her internal musings on the Hand. [color=MediumSpringGreen]“That’s quite an ambitious goal,”[/color] she told Marrie with a smile. [color=MediumSpringGreen]“I’m really impressed. But, um, back to the Hand,”[/color] she added, glancing at Oros, while moving a rook. [color=MediumSpringGreen]“Before today, I would have said the idea of a secret society covertly controlling every antagonistic faction in the city was nothing more than an unfounded conspiracy theory, but with the recent concerted assault against GEMINI forces, it seems much more believable. With that in mind, which of the members [i]do[/i] you know, and was Penny once among their number?”[/color]
 
[color=tomato]”Repeating what I already know is [i]such[/i] a pain in the ass."[/color] Oros took a deep breath. [color=tomato]”I already mentioned Glex and you’ve been acquainted with Justin. The remaining ones are a behemoth, probably Tony if not someone higher up, whoever’s doing the capacitor-in-head thing, and some guy who reads books on the beach. Maybe."[/color] She rolled her eyes. [color=tomato]”And of course you’d bring Penny into this. It’s possible she was part of the hand, but I doubt she was an important member. My bet is that the hand found it beneficial to give her the spotlight. She gets to be public enemy number one and the hand avoids exposure. Now where was I?"[/color] Once again, Oros’s eyes returned to Marrie [color=tomato]”So this AI, what would you wanna do with it? Like, would you make a robotic cat maid or would you go full Somnium Files and give yourself a cute virtual assistant that can be mapped over the real world with augmented reality?"[/color]

Marrie listened to Oros’ explanation. She didn’t really follow what she was saying, but she figured she’d find out what she meant eventually. [color=00aeef]”I don’t want to like… subjugate it. I just want to do it to prove it can be done. That there can be life that isn’t carbon-based or magical. I… I guess I just want to do it for the sake of doing it, and to make sure that the first person to manage it doesn’t screw it up by not giving it empathy or something. The singularity is scary.”[/color] There was a hint of excitement in Marrie’s voice now.

[color=tomato]”It’s not really subjugation if it enjoys doing it, right?"[/color] Oros propped up her head with her hand. Her fingers smeared the blood on her face. [color=tomato]” You say you don’t want to subjugate it but then you also want it to have empathy. Sounds to me like you want at least a small hand in guiding how this thing behaves."[/color] 

Stacy jumped one of Oros’s serfs. [color=MediumAquamarine]”I don’t think anyone wants to make a rogue AI.”[/color]

[color=tomato]”That’s sort of my point, nobody wants to give their creation unrestricted freedom."[/color] Oros smiled. [color=tomato]”I mean look at roleplayers, especially the play-by-post kind. I’m not going to say what they do is anything like making an AI, but they are making artificial people with artificial personalities. Doesn’t feel too removed from making artificial intelligence."[/color]

[color=MediumAquamarine]”But they have near perfect control over their creations.”[/color] Stacy raised an eyebrow. [color=MediumAquamarine]”I don’t think roleplayers and AI engineers are all that similar.”[/color] 

[color=tomato]”They’re plenty similar. So are parents now that I think about it."[/color] Now that it was Oros’s turn, she looked over the board with a grin. [color=tomato]”They all want to live vicariously through their creations."[/color] She picked up her checker and jumped a pawn. [color=tomato]”Children are conditioned to behave a certain way."[/color] Then a serf. [color=tomato]”As are programs..."[/color] And another one of Stacy’s serfs. [color=tomato]”As are characters."[/color] Oros lifted her hand off of her piece. [color=tomato]”That’s why Mary Sues are so prevalent. People can’t help but make perfect versions of themselves. I’d be willing to wager the main reason Marrie wants this AI of hers to have empathy is because it’s something she has. You wouldn’t hurt a fly unless you absolutely had to."[/color]

[color=00aeef]”I guess that’s a fair assumption. I want it to have empathy partly because it’s part of the only way I know to live, which is as a human with it, and because if it doesn’t have it, it might get all Terminator-y.”[/color] Marrie replied. [color=00aeef]”Good move, by the way.”[/color]

Ashley listened to Oros and Marrie’s little chat, while moving her chess pieces as appropriate. Marrie’s enthusiasm was genuinely inspiring, but what Oros had said about the Hand still weighed heavily upon the young agent’s thoughts. She was aware of Tony, of course, and had read a few reports on the bizarre cyborgs appearing around the city, but Glex was another matter altogether. Ashley had seen the name before, but precious little concrete information was known about her. Yet, that meager knowledge still painted a highly disturbing picture…
 
Then there was the mention of a [i]behemoth[/i] among their ranks. As far as Ashley knew, all behemoths were little more than mindless beasts, driven purely by instinct. The possibility that one was not only intelligent, but also a major player in the power structure of the city’s underworld was worrying in the extreme…
 
Still, there wasn’t much to be done about that now.
 
[color=MediumSpringGreen]“I think it’s good you’re putting so much thought into this,”[/color] Ashley told Marrie. [color=MediumSpringGreen]“I’d be happy to help out if you ever need any assistance,”[/color] she added. [color=MediumSpringGreen]“And if you ever decide to join up with GEMINI, you’d have access to a wealth of additional resources.”[/color]
 
[color=MediumAquamarine]”Oh my! you’re rotten!”[/color] Stacy laughed. [color=MediumAquamarine]”The only way the government would fund something like that would be if they could make robot soldiers, or robot espers. I don’t think going for that would end very well.”[/color] 

Oros nodded. [color=tomato]”Yea, we don’t need Penny 3.0 to show up. And if she does, I’d just as soon she not be affiliated with one of the two big factions in Penro- Uh, Pax Septimus."[/color]

Marrie was silent for a moment. It probably wouldn’t be the best idea to say her opinions on the government. [color=00aeef]”Aside from a supercomputer, I don’t know what they could really do to help. I wouldn’t be okay with other programmers working with me, so I don’t think it’d be worth it. But I appreciate the offer!”[/color] Marrie said as she made a move in the game.

Ashley frowned as her offer was shredded to pieces and then some.
 
[color=MediumSpringGreen]“Okay, I understand,”[/color] she replied once everyone had voiced their opinions. [color=MediumSpringGreen]“You’d like for this to be a personal project that you can accomplish on your own,”[/color] she added, turning to Marrie as she lined up a bishop for an attack on one of the girl’s pieces. [color=MediumSpringGreen]“But I don’t really see how employing robots to eliminate monsters would be a bad thing,”[/color] she continued. [color=MediumSpringGreen]“I mean, as long as they were properly controlled and used responsibly, they would be able to save a lot of lives.”[/color]

[color=00aeef]”I mean, that’s subjugation of non-organic lifeforms, isn’t it? Unless their AIs are so primitive that they can barely manage to fight things… Which sort of defeats the point of using robots. If they’re smart enough to fight monsters, you’re losing robot lives in place of human lives, and that’s probably bad PR in the opinion of AIs like the kind I want to make.”[/color] Marrie replied. [color=00aeef]”I for one welcome our new robot overlords. Heh.”[/color]

[color=tomato]”Why do I get the feeling Wall-E is your favorite movie? And also, what the hell are [i]you[/i] doing, Stacy?"[/color] Oros pointed at the board. [color=tomato]”You haven’t moved your back line yet!"[/color] 

[color=MediumAquamarine]”That’s part of my strategy!”[/color] Stacy continued to wear a pleasant smile.. [color=MediumAquamarine]”You seem  smart, so you can probably understand what it is.”[/color] 

[color=tomato]”Yea, with the back line filled, I can’t get any barrons. That’s just the sort of thing I’d expect Maverick Alternative to do."[/color]

[color=MediumAquamarine]”Um…”[/color] 

[color=tomato]”It’s fine."[/color] Oros placed her arm around Ashley’s shoulder. [color=tomato]”Ashley is a cool agent. She’s not going to blow you up if you seem like a good egg. If she has a hate boner hard enough, she’ll even work with espers on Gemini’s kill list."[/color] 

Ashley frowned at Marrie’s response. That wasn’t exactly what she’d meant, but before she had a chance to say anything, Oros returned to being her typical unpleasant self, causing Ashley’s frown to turn into an annoyed scowl.
 
[color=MediumSpringGreen]“W-What are you even [i]talking[/i] about?”[/color] she asked the pink-haired lunatic, while pulling away from her as much as possible. [color=MediumSpringGreen]“I’ve never done anything like that!”[/color]
 
Oros grinned. [color=tomato]”Didn’t the two of you beg me to save Klava?"[/color] 
 
[color=MediumSpringGreen]“A-And you’re a Maverick?”[/color] she added, turning to Stacy. [color=MediumSpringGreen]“I-I thought you were a Freelancer… But I guess it’s fine,”[/color] she said with a tired sigh. [color=MediumSpringGreen]“After everything that’s happened today, I don’t see why we can’t remain civil towards one another for the time being. And I wasn’t suggesting using sentient machines as expendable cannon fodder,”[/color] she told Marrie. [color=MediumSpringGreen]“I was actually thinking of the possibility of having a single sentient AI controlling multiple robotic units remotely. That way, no robot ‘lives’ would be lost, and it would also ensure that no organic lives would be needlessly endangered either.”[/color]

[color=00aeef]”So, like… ants? I mean… I guess we can’t know what it’d feel like for it, so I can’t throw out the idea… I guess that’s something to ask when possible.”[/color]

[color=tomato]”Man, this get together was a great idea. A shame it's just us here."[/color] Oros pushed her thumb against the hilt of her sword and gazed at the blade. [color=tomato]”Eh?"[/color] She raised an eyebrow. [color=tomato]”Finn? What are you-"[/color] Her eyes went wide as she cut herself off mid sentence. [color=tomato]”Why…did…he…"[/color] She stood there frozen in shock.

[color=MediumAquamarine]”What happened?”[/color] Stacy didn’t sound all that concerned. [color=MediumAquamarine]”This Finn fellow, is he in trouble?”[/color]

[color=tomato]”...Heh."[/color] Oros’s grin swiftly returned. [color=tomato]”Guess it doesn’t matter how many worlds we jump. You’re always gunna get your ass murked."[/color] She stepped away from the table and nodded to everyone present. [color=tomato]”I hate to leave a date early, but I’ve gotta save a friend and avenge another. Maybe we can do this again some other time?"[/color] Oros didn’t wait for a response, and started to casually walk towards the exit.

[color=MediumSpringGreen]“W-What’s going on?”[/color] Ashley asked as Oros got up. [color=MediumSpringGreen]“Is Finn okay?”[/color]
 
The last she’d seen of him, the boy was chasing after Betty, which meant that all [i]kinds[/i] of unpleasant consequences could have very easily ensued…
 
[color=tomato]”For the moment."[/color] Oros flashed a grin. [color=tomato]”That’s gunna change once I get to him though."[/color] 
  
[color=MediumSpringGreen]“What are you planning to do?”[/color] Ashley asked warily, while rising to her feet and fixing Oros with a stern glare.

[color=tomato]”Not sure yet. But I’m in a rush, so just look over the obituaries tomorrow if you’re curious."[/color] She didn’t stick around long after that. She was sprinting straight for the exit. Even without the assistance of any melodies, she was much faster than your average esper. 
 
[color=MediumSpringGreen]“What?!”[/color] Ashley gasped, her eyes going wide.
 
The next thing she knew, Oros was sprinting for the door…
 
[color=MediumSpringGreen]“I-I’m sorry, but I need to go after her!”[/color] the bespectacled brunette told Marrie and Stacy, before shifting to her esper form and running after Oros as fast as her legs would allow. 
 
The Knight of Tomorrow had no idea how she would go about stopping someone as powerful as Oros, if she could even [i]catch[/i] her in the first place, but for Finn’s sake, she had to at least try…