CONTACT.

[ascintilla]

Comment here with the IC date and time.

Comments

[purrtylittlewires]

[Less efficiency. Not so triggered, time to calm down.]

[Still getting through it, but approaching more projected data.]

[ascintilla]

[ hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ]

[ She'd like to test that further, but. She recalls his words on purposeful cruelty, and ... hesitates. ]

[ The next level is significantly easier. ]

[purrtylittlewires]

[Purposeful cruelty is very important to keep in mind.]

[...wondering why this is easier, but does it.]

[ascintilla]

[ the next one glitches. ]

[ only briefly, and only at the beginning—like a daydream dreamed by a distracted dreamer. ]

… Ah. [ Her avatar flickers briefly to life by his feet. ] Apologies, Puma.

[purrtylittlewires]

[HE BACKPEDALS, looking around.]

[DON'T THINK HE DIDN'T NOTICE.]

Something I should be concerned about? [Wow, real flat there.]

[ascintilla]

No. There is a conflict in the coding. I am resolving it now, after which point you will be free to move on.

[purrtylittlewires]

Ah.

[I'm just gonna stay here.]

[By the entrance.]

[studying the surroundings.]

[ascintilla]

[ It's a reasonably difficult level, hard enough to push him a bit, complete with the fun risk of getting shot by (harmless, but watch your gauges—you wouldn't want a game over after getting this far, right?) pellets. ]

[ … ]

















You. Do not like the loading screens.

[purrtylittlewires]

I don't like a lot of things.

Are the problems fixed?

[ascintilla]

Three point zero two six—troubleshooting complete. All systems running smoothly. All issues have been rectified, yes.

…

Tell me something. Is it cruelty?

[purrtylittlewires]

Is what cruelty? [Going to start that puzzle and there's that spike in efficiency again.]

[ascintilla]

Your efficiency output increases by [ REELS OFF DATA, wow, such numbers ] after experiencing time within the loading screens, increasing by a factor of [ MORE DATA ] with every second.

[ she follows, perching herself on his head again so she's not in his way. ]

[purrtylittlewires]

....

I'm a soldier.

When you're a soldier, you learn that the time to push yourself is when things are happening you don't like. Because usually when you don't like things, they're probably going to kill you.

It's not a healthy mindset. A mindset that the children in Kyriakos don't deserve.

I accepted it because we needed people to fight or everyone was going to die. I just also happen to be really damn good at it.

But it's not a good mindset under circumstances when things aren't constantly trying to kill you.

[ascintilla]

And, as a human, it is not a subroutine that you can simply turn off when you do not need it.

Correct?

[purrtylittlewires]

Correct. Closest people got is compartmentalization. It's kind of close. But people who are good enough to actually be like turning off a subroutine are rare and it's also considered pretty unhealthy to do it often.

[I am not a healthy man.]

[ascintilla]

You are one of these people?

[purrtylittlewires]

Yes.

And I'm pretty far from the perfect example of mental health.

[Let's not over those turrets with portals. FUNTIMES.]

[ascintilla]

[ GO, PUMA, GO. You were made for this game. ]

I believe I understand.

[ she's starting to sound more cheerful again ]

[purrtylittlewires]

[NOT CRAZY, but not perfect mental health '-']

...in short, it would be cruelty. To make others like this.

[ascintilla]

Or to purposefully exacerbate or exploit issues already present.

[ im so proud of me im learning 2 people ]

[purrtylittlewires]

Exactly.

[ascintilla]

… Understood.

I will adjust the parameters. You should not encounter any more loadscreens past this point.

[purrtylittlewires]

[....well, nice to know it's DELIBERATE.]

[Hmmm, maybe I can make turrets shoot each other.]

[I will do that.]

[ascintilla]

[ it wasn't all deliberate, gosh. ]

On a miscellaneous note, your teammate exited the menu with no ill-effects. I thought you might like to know.

[ and then she vanishes, as she does. ]

[purrtylittlewires]

[Sigh of relief. THANK GOD.]

[Still gonna make turrets kill each other, sounds fun.]