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Faye

Bubbles

Corpse Witch

Marten

Space Ham

Pie

Nope

[Gyrre]

Yes, sarsaparilla is a real soft drink. According to my mother, it's correctly pronounced "SASS-pa-rilla". (She was a Phi Beta Kappa English major at UC Berkeley, so she was usually pretty trustworthy about pronunciation, but she may have been drawing on her Oklahoma upbringing for that one.)

I am quite sure that at least sarsaparilla is reasonably well known and available in Australia, and given that, probably in the UK as well. It's a bit old-fashioned, though. Probably better known by the oldies among us.

I can assure you that it's not just the okie accent, but a broader result of the Old West.

Being that it's origins are Spanish (zarzaparrilla, lit. 'small vine bush') and it was popular in the Old West, it's probably a safe bet that the way we say it is a bastardization of the original pronunciation. Much like 'buckaroo' is derived from 'vaquero', or how Coloradans say 'La Junta' as 'luh-huhnuh' (yes, that's exactly how they say the name of the town). Oklahoma has Nah-VAY-duh (and a few others I can't remember offhand). Texas has a mix of bastardized and non-bastardized town names. Even Kansas has Sah-LIE-nuh (Salina) and El Doh-ray-doh (El Dorado).
Nebraska and Colorado are easily the worst about butchering foreign word city names, though.

Here is one popular Australian version.
...
You may well be right about birch beer, though. I've not heard of that one.

I'm familiar with their ginger beer thanks to the World Market stores, but I didn't know they made sarsaparilla, too.

Birch beer has sort of a minty taste to it. Somewhat akin to Certs breath-mints, or a milder version of Altoids. Somewhere between the two. I'd recommend Sioux City brand over Frostop. Though, if Sprechers Gourmet Soda makes it, try theirs. They use honey as the sweetener in all of their recipes.

EDIT: I feel like an arse now. So here's the dictionary vowel symbol version for all of the international readers. Lŭh-hŭhnŭh, either 'Nĕvādă' or 'Nəvādă', 'Sălīnă' or 'Sălīnŭh' (I've heard it said both ways), and Ĕl Dō-rā-dō.

[cesium133]

New comic...

So, has Bubbles been talking about CoD at work, or has Corpse Witch been having her followed around?

[Gyrre]

New comic...

So, has Bubbles been talking about CoD at work, or has Corpse Witch been having her followed around?

I'm betting on the latter.

[Tova]

She probably has eyes and ears all over the place. You'd want to, running a business like that.

[jheartney]

Note the parallel with both Faye and Bubbles being threatened, Faye by Detective Lilac and Bubbles by Corpse Witch. Both are credible threats, and both are scummy in their own ways. CW and the Detective aren't interested in serving justice, just in using their positions to pressure those with less power that can help them.

They deserve each other.

[Method of Madness]

Spotted Cow! I tried it last November when I was visiting my sister.

[Is it cold in here?]

So, was Corpse Witch giving Bubbles a heads-up, or was she hinting at a desire for Bubbles to take some action about the problem?

"Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?"

Bubbles acted just like she perceived it as pressure to do something.

[Method of Madness]

At the very least it was pressure to not snitch or let anyone else do so.

[hedgie]

There are worse things than being Under Pressure

(Like sadly having to live in a world where Bowie and Freddie Mercury aren't in it anymore).

[jheartney]

Bubbles acted just like she perceived it as pressure to do something.

Reacting to police pressure with violence would be incredibly stupid. Right now the police are skulking and issuing veiled threats. Take out an officer and they'd go to war.

Besides, I'm not sure you could injure Detective Lilac. I'm sure she has the same highly protected core processor that the fighting robots have. All you'd do would be to get her mad enough to shut down the whole enterprise and send all the employees to robot jail after confiscating their chassis.

[brasca]

Note the parallel with both Faye and Bubbles being threatened, Faye by Detective Lilac and Bubbles by Corpse Witch. Both are credible threats, and both are scummy in their own ways. CW and the Detective aren't interested in serving justice, just in using their positions to pressure those with less power that can help them.

They deserve each other.

Agreed.  Their philosophies may differ, but it's the same tactic.  I do think Corpse Witch erred by passive aggressively belittling Bubble's hobbies.  She should've told her that potentially everyone involved could go down including her friend, Faye, and while an AI has an infinite amount of time to rebuild their life a conviction rap and years lost in prison for a human is not so easy.  Moreover, Faye has a drinking problem and struggles to control and such a calamitous turn of events might compel her to start drinking again.

Bubbles is certainly not pleased since she knows she's probably going to have to kill the investigator and she already has enough blood on her servos.   

[SubaruStephen]

That wrench

Not to get too class-less or anything, but that's another thing May would have a problem with if she got in a Human/AI relationship, her chassis's pressure sensors aren't likely to be top of the line...

[swapna]

I'm actually not sure what CWs goal here is. Does she want Bubbles to stay inside (so she won't be seen by the police)? Her help? Her killing/disabling Officer Lilac? Or is it just an (actual) reminder that Bubbles will be in deep shit if anyone talks to the police?

As for killing Lilac, that opens up different questions. I'm going to assume completely deleting AI is a crime similar to murder; none of the AI fear it happening to them out of retaliation, and to punish them they're put on harddrives in 'robo-jail' instead of turned off or deleted or patched.

So, if you'd destroy an AI's chassis that has a backup, is that still murder? attempted murder? How about deleting memories?

Be that as it may, I don't think CW wants Bubbles to kill Lilac; at the moment, they're just doing illegal gambling, murder would actually make them a priority.

[Tova]

CWs goal appears straightforward, at least on the surface. Lilac is a problem. CW wants the problem solved. When Bubbles expressed in indifference, CW decided to remind her, in a bullying fashion, which side of her bread is buttered.

Given that Bubbles probably holds knowledge that would do CW in, it's in CW's interest that Bubbles feel entrenched (as Faye put it).

We still don't really know Lilac's true motivations, and I think that holds the key to the whole shebang.

[BenRG]

Ouch. I do wonder if Corpse Witch is entirely sure of the whirlwind she's messing with here. I'm not sure she appreciates just how much association with Faye is changing Bubbles's perspective on the world and how disenchanted Bubbles is becoming with her.

I'm pretty sure what Corpse Witch is intending here: She wants Bubbles to take out the detective and, if she can't do it in a way that is impossible to trace back to her (say, a long-range rifle shot with an unregistered weapon), to take the fall for it too. However, I'm fairly sure that, since the 'Hmmm...' moment, Bubbles has been thinking quite clearly about how she could safely cut ties with Corpse Witch; depending on just where her thought processes go as she considers this situation, it may not be the policewoman who is in danger.

Bubbles acted just like she perceived it as pressure to do something.

Reacting to police pressure with violence would be incredibly stupid. Right now the police are skulking and issuing veiled threats. Take out an officer and they'd go to war.

Ah, but consider the facts: If a decommissioned combat unit, well known to be psychologically defective in the AI community, suddenly goes berserk and destroys a police unit, whose fault is that? The police, mostly, for putting unsafe levels of pressure on her? Bubbles herself for not seeking more aggressive and effective forms of self-restraint? Certainly not Corpse Witch who has no formal association with her!

Make no mistake, Bubbles is entirely expendable in Corpse Witch's plans. I'm sure that she has a dozen strategies in place to ensure that she has full deniability for anything she does. Yes, she'd probably lose the skate park, depending on where the investigation goes but I also bet she has a 'cold restart' strategy for rebooting her business elsewhere should the skate park and its denizens become more an inconvenience than an asset.

[Sullivan]

Hannelore is welcome to break into my house and rearrange my bookshelves, my dishes..

"Can you start with the attic?"

My gf lives in a rural area in eastern Pennsylvania. Apparently the natives consider it completely reasonable to just knock on your door for an unannounced visit. Moreover, if your house has a back door (like a kitchen door), they'll use that (walking all the way around your house, on your property, invading your back yard, instead of using the front door which is just steps from the street). If the kitchen door is unlocked and they know you even moderately well they'll sometimes just let themselves in and say "hi!". I was SO startled the first time I found an unexpected person in the kitchen. I knew the person and knew she was ok to be there, but... damn.

Isn't that everywhere? I have friends who would never consider knocking on each other's doors. We all just waltz right in. I kind of always figured it was the norm.

How do you know your friends are ready / eager to receive visitors?

I'd be keeping my doors locked.

Then again, I'm the sort of person (introvert) who either growls, or else sighs in resignation, when the phone rings.

[Tova]

I'm pretty sure what Corpse Witch is intending here: She wants Bubbles to take out the detective ...

Really, she just wants the problem gone. She doesn't specifically care how.

[brasca]

I'm pretty sure what Corpse Witch is intending here: She wants Bubbles to take out the detective ...

Really, she just wants the problem gone. She doesn't specifically care how.

True, but considering what Bubbles is capable of what would you conclude the intent of pressuring her to deal with the detective?  While it would be more difficult to kill or destroy an AI in an American city instead of a foreign battlefield Bubbles has the best skills to eliminate the problem and make it look like an accident.   

[Tova]

True enough.

It still seems like a high-risk strategy to me. I can't imagine that her death would be treated as anything other than suspicious, regardless of the circumstances.

But not knowing all of the circumstances, CW may well be desperate enough to risk it.

[oeoek]

Time for the third and final "hmmm"?

[BenRG]

Time for the third and final "hmmm"?

My feeling is that, next week, we're going to be seeing the Fighting Arena through both Bubbles's and Faye's eyes as informed by their new mental perspective on matters. No decision will be made, we'll just perhaps see the place with its facade ripped away. The week after that will be Faye and Bubbles confiding in each other (both believing that they're 'warning' their friend about something they don't know and begging each other for either their perspective or advice).

Only after Bubbles admits to herself just where matters really stand and the lies she's been telling herself simply because she wants to hide from the world will we get the final 'Hmmm...' Then, I think it will be up to Faye to convince Bubbles that she's better than that.

[dreed]

Destroying the chassis is meaningless.   Punchbot had his head ripped off and was in a good mood.

The AI core of police officer probably is super reinforced as well which would require some serious equipment to break.

But protection from electricity or fire might not to as tough.   So you will fry it or zap it.

The thing is simple underground fights and betting don't warrant that kind of retaliation.

What is the big thing which is developing at the skater Park if actually CW suggest for Bubbles to destroy Ai officer.

Although I'm not certain about it.  my interpretation was that she was merely reminding bubbles that she will get in trouble as well.

[Emperor Norton]

Why exactly have we decided that the detective is horrible again?

Remember, we may see Faye as the protagonist of the story. But that isn't what the detective sees. She sees a low level criminal (which isn't inaccurate, Faye is involved in illegal shit) who she can possibly lean on to get a bigger fish. Corpse Witch may have done some pretty horrific things in the past, or even ongoing. We don't know who the detective is really after.

Would you watch a detective show and think a detective leaning on a low level gang member in order to catch a murderer was a bad guy? Because for all we know, that is the equivalent of what is happening. Corpse Witch's whole gambling enterprise could be a sort of cover for much worse things.

Faye is getting heat and pressure from a cop. This isn't exactly that surprising when she is WORKING AN ILLEGAL JOB.

I don't get it. I don't think she came off as a "nice" person, but why would she? Is she supposed to investigate with puppies and rainbows?

[oddtail]

Why exactly have we decided that the detective is horrible again?

I wonder the same thing. I think there's a fairly overwhelming attitude of mistrust towards law enforcement in the forum, and while I think I understand where this is coming from, I do think it colours the perception of a cop character in the comic.

I have yet to see the cop AI do something that I would consider wrong. I'm not saying she won't, but I haven't seen her do any such thing, yet.

[BenRG]

Why exactly have we decided that the detective is horrible again?

I think because a lot of people don't appreciate her threatening Faye without at least making a pretence of asking her nicely to cooperate.

In truth, we need to remember that, to the detective, Faye is just a bottom-rung peon in an illegal operation. She doesn't know the context and has no particular reason to feel empathy or want to treat her gently. She has no reason to believe that Faye has any special circumstances (and I wonder if she'd care if she knew). She's treating Faye the way she'd treat a street-corner weed dealer: "Make it worth my while, creep, and I'll look the other way for now." with the unstated implication that "I'm watching you; start to do anything worse and you're already as good as busted."

[Tova]

TBH I had no idea that anyone had decided that she was "horrible."

[oddtail]

Why exactly have we decided that the detective is horrible again?

I think because a lot of people don't appreciate her threatening Faye without at least making a pretence of asking her nicely to cooperate.

In truth, we need to remember that, to the detective, Faye is just a bottom-rung peon in an illegal operation. She doesn't know the context and has no particular reason to feel empathy or want to treat her gently. She has no reason to believe that Faye has any special circumstances (and I wonder if she'd care if she knew). She's treating Faye the way she'd treat a street-corner weed dealer: "Make it worth my while, creep, and I'll look the other way for now." with the unstated implication that "I'm watching you; start to do anything worse and you're already as good as busted."

I think your second paragraph is what needs to be kept in mind. We *know* Faye. We don't know the cop. It's natural to side with someone whose motivations you know, but pretty much everyone has very good reasons to do what they do. I find it difficult to criticise the cop, because from her perspective, her actions are completely justified. From an impartial perspective, I'd argue, they are too.

On a more general note - I'm pretty sure 95% of all conflicts, ever, are caused by differing perspectives and lack of understanding of the other person. Most situations that put people at odds with each other are solvable, but people involved do not realise that. Few people are actually malicious, but most people think *others* are out to get them, at least in some moments of their lives.

[Samik]

Today's comic planted in me an uncomfortable sense that Bubbles is a walking, talking Chekov's gun.

[HiFranc]

Actually, the police AI approach struck me as gentle and good. She understood that the citizens saw it as technically illegal but not harmful. She simply asked if any of the actors were being exploited. That's a concern that Faye had when she first got the job.

Given CW and Bubbles's latest conversation, it looks like the answer is "yes".

[Emperor Norton]

Note the parallel with both Faye and Bubbles being threatened, Faye by Detective Lilac and Bubbles by Corpse Witch. Both are credible threats, and both are scummy in their own ways. CW and the Detective aren't interested in serving justice, just in using their positions to pressure those with less power that can help them.

They deserve each other.

Btw, the reason I said "when have we decided" is because this post was made and no one seemed to think to contradict it at all. It just seemed like assumed fact.

[Ghanima Atreides]

I don't think CW is asking Bubbles to "take care" of the detective. (Attempted) murder to cover up small-time gambling seems like an overreaction to say the least, unless there's a lot more going on behind the scenes than we know. I think she's merely reminding her where her loyalties lie (AKA with CW); she did the same thing when Bubbles was growing close to Faye, and keeping Bubbles dependent on her and her place in the skate park seems to be CW's manipulation method of choice.

[War Sparrow]

How do you know your friends are ready / eager to receive visitors?

I'd be keeping my doors locked.

Then again, I'm the sort of person (introvert) who either growls, or else sighs in resignation, when the phone rings.

Ew, phones. And it's a personality thing I suppose. I will knock on my best friend's door, and other people's. My buddy's house has just always been a general flophouse. My parents tend that way too, so I just thought it was a regular thing people did.

On comic note:
Corpsy might want to rethink about antagonizing a military chassis AI. Bubbles may consider removing her from the picture entirely and taking over the fighting ring herself. If she goes legal, May could be the manager. / end unlikely fanfic

[ZoeB]

Bubbles attack Officer Lilac? That would  be wrong. Dishonourable. Maybe it's a cultural thing, but going around bumping people off who are inconvenient is not the first thing that comes to mind amongst veterans here.

Yes, there are really dangerous people who would do that. But they don't do such penny ante stuff as stage extra legal fights, fence purloined garden gnomes etc.

Bubbles commit mayhem on CW? Probably not, though it's a great temptation apparently. I don't react well to CWs style either.

[TheEvilDog]

Who knows, perhaps Corpse Witch is merely wishing a highly improbable but ultimately plausible accident will befall Cogney (or is it Laser?).

Even Corpse Witch should know that an accident can be explained away and maybe even a second investigator might come along who is not as thorough as Laser. But outright murder is to invite all-out war with the police.

What seems to be happening here is that CW is remembering that she does have a Military-Grade AI in her employ, but not quite realising the damage one can do. She probably thinks that Bubbles is just slightly stronger than the likes of Punch-Bot, but the fact is that Bubbles has, more than likely, a wider range of skills than all the fight club fighters combined. There is also the fact that the fighters are really just designed for competitive sport, their chassis might be the equivalent of Rock 'Em-Sock 'Em robots, they're still only designed for that purpose. Bubbles? Bubbles is a combat chassis with a combat AI. She knows how to tear someone apart, she knows how to break a combat chassis. In my opinion, Bubbles is physically the most dangerous one in the fight club, to a magnitude that CW doesn't comprehend yet.

And its going to bite her in the metallic ass, sooner rather than later.

[Welu]

Who knows, perhaps Corpse Witch is merely wishing a highly improbable but ultimately plausible accident will befall Cogney (or is it Laser?).

[Rincewind]

I'm glad Bubbles wasn't facing us directly in the last panel, that GLARE would have melted my screen! 

[Neko_Ali]

Well, to unpack some of what was said today... CW said that the police unit was seen skulking around again. Which means this has probably been a pet project of hers for a while. Again I'm thinking the fight club has unofficial allowances from the authorities, but someone.. Either Lilac or someone above her but who can't just buck the system, wants to see the place shut down. So she's been sniffing around looking for a crack or a way that she could take them down that those in power can't argue with. So she leans on the new employee, who happens to be human and perhaps less likely to be loyal to Corpse Witch.  Lilac did come on pretty strong, but it was clear from right away that Faye was not going to be the sort to cooperate easily. So she gave a little lean on the 'You know you're a criminal by working there' angle.

Corpse Witch on the other hand probably regrets hiring Faye now, despite her skills. She's already let people in and did unauthorized repair work on a friend. She is a weak link. And now the police pain in her neck is talking to her. Going to Bubbles probably is two fold... Either she talks with Faye, who she has much more influence over and is more likely to listen to than she is to CW. Convince Faye to keep quiet in the interests of protecting her friends at the arena. Or she convinces Bubbles to go do.. something to dissuade Lilac from snooping around. She made no direct or indirect suggestions. If Bubbles did go and smash Lilac's chassis or something violent, then CW could completely truthfully say "I never told her to do anything like that!" She didn't. She just suggested that Officer Lilac and/or Faye is becoming a problem that could wind up costing Bubbles everything.  And now she's probably expected Bubbles to do something to deal with the situation in a way that CW is completely in the clear no matter what happens.

[theMarc]

*Bubbles will remember that.*

[Thrudd]

TBH I had no idea that anyone had decided that she was "horrible."

I personally think it has all to do with the issuing threats from a position of authority.
Anyone who does that is definitely someone not to be trusted or respected.

It may be a standard operating procedure in schlock TV detective dramas so much so that it is a meme and seems to be becoming normal for policing in the states and other just as unsavory jurisdictions it is normal but that is working using intimidation and threats thinking the target can't fight back - pretty much bullying at the adult level.

[Otl1973]

A whole lot of readers seem (to me) to be leaping to very negative or grandiose conclusions.

My read of Officer Lilac is that she's saying what she means - she (and the rest of the cops) don't really care about the skate park to the extent that it is simply voluntary fighting and minor betting. But she does care about the voluntary (as opposed to coerced) part, and she believes that there is a connection between someone associated with the skate park  (ones assumes CW or whoever she works for) and more serious crimes. She wants Faye to report to her anything she knows about either - if and when she does - and points out to her that it's in her best interest to do so, even if she really doesn't want to.  It appears clear that they know enough to shut down the skate park today - without involving Faye - if that was their intent, so it seems obvious to me that they really do have bigger targets.

WRT Bubbles and CW - I don't think CW is asking Bubbles to take action against Officer Lilac - as others have said, that is a very extreme reaction that would have significant possibilities of major ramifications, far beyond those of just a (relatively minor) gambling operation - and further, Bubbles has shown all kinds of signs that she is far too honorable to undertake such, and CW must be aware of that.  I think it is just that CW Is aware that her hold on Bubbles has weakened and she doesn't want Bubbles to report anything herself.  She is trying to reinforce the things that were the basis of her hold, both reiterating what (she believes or wants Bubbles to believe) Bubbles has at stake and diminishing Bubbles' growing concerns about other things. (And yes, that does certainly imply that CW has knowledge about Bubbles that could only be had if she is spying on her in some fashion.)   Bubbles' reactions, both to the implied threat and to the diminishing of her growing connection to others, indicate to me that far from being willing to do anything nefarious for CW, Bubbles is more likely to do exactly what CW fears.

[Gyrre]

Time for the third and final "hmmm"?

And for Corpse Witch to have that wrench wrapped around her wrists behind her back followed by Bubbles tossing her over a shoulder and carrying her to Officer Lilac.

[Is it cold in here?]

We know that The Pugnacious Peach cares about the well-being of the AIs and pointedly asked about it before starting work.

To us, then, it's offensive to have Detective Lilac lead with threats instead of appealing to Faye's compassion. She is definitely jumping to conclusions.

Jumping to conclusions like that has got to be very easy to do after even a little bit of experience doing police work. The detective has spent her career dealing with liars who don't care about the consequences of their actions. She has every reason to assume a priori that Faye doesn't have a better nature to appeal to. 

[Emperor Norton]

TBH I had no idea that anyone had decided that she was "horrible."

I personally think it has all to do with the issuing threats from a position of authority.
Anyone who does that is definitely someone not to be trusted or respected.

It may be a standard operating procedure in schlock TV detective dramas so much so that it is a meme and seems to be becoming normal for policing in the states and other just as unsavory jurisdictions it is normal but that is working using intimidation and threats thinking the target can't fight back - pretty much bullying at the adult level.

The detective does not see what we see. Faye is a low level criminal in a criminal organization. She is being "threatened" because she made herself a target. And it isn't hard to threaten people with something that is true. Faye doesn't have a leg to stand on and they both know it.

Do you really think that police coercing criminals to turn on their higher ups is reprehensible? I consider it good policing.

[sitnspin]

To be fair, I have little love for the police and little regard for the law in the instances when crimes should not be crimes.

Is it shitty to threaten low level criminals to get to bigger ones? Sometimes, sometimes not. In the case of victimless crimes, generally yes.  Often low level criminals are people with little to no options. Threatening the disenfranchised to up your arrest numbers and prop up the prison industrial complex is pretty shitty, in my book. Especially considering how little police do when it comes to real crimes, in my experience.

[Emperor Norton]

We still don't know what the detective's end goal is. Corpse Witch may very well have done/be doing some very reprehensible things that are not victimless. With the way Corpse Witch treats Bubbles, I think it is pretty obvious it isn't victimless just from that.

And honestly... While I believe there is a lot of things wrong with our prison system, a lot of things wrong with our law enforcement, I don't think the answer to it is "well, let criminals get away with it." If she has been skulking around for a while, she has probably been TRYING to put a case together against whoever her target is, and can't make anything stick.

If she is going after someone who is doing horrible things, a threat to someone lower on the totem poll is not that out of line. If it comes down to an innocent person being harmed, or a low level criminal being threatened (mind you, she hasn't even followed THROUGH on anything, just made a threat), I know which I'm choosing.

[retrosteve]

Note the parallel with both Faye and Bubbles being threatened, Faye by Detective Lilac and Bubbles by Corpse Witch. Both are credible threats, and both are scummy in their own ways. CW and the Detective aren't interested in serving justice, just in using their positions to pressure those with less power that can help them.

They deserve each other.

Has anyone noticed that Corpse Witch KNOWS about the tea-sniffing outings?  How the heck?

[brasca]

We still don't know what the detective's end goal is. Corpse Witch may very well have done/be doing some very reprehensible things that are not victimless. With the way Corpse Witch treats Bubbles, I think it is pretty obvious it isn't victimless just from that.

And honestly... While I believe there is a lot of things wrong with our prison system, a lot of things wrong with our law enforcement, I don't think the answer to it is "well, let criminals get away with it." If she has been skulking around for a while, she has probably been TRYING to put a case together against whoever her target is, and can't make anything stick.

If she is going after someone who is doing horrible things, a threat to someone lower on the totem poll is not that out of line. If it comes down to an innocent person being harmed, or a low level criminal being threatened (mind you, she hasn't even followed THROUGH on anything, just made a threat), I know which I'm choosing.

There's a lot we still don't know about Officer Lilac and Corpse Witch, but it's notable that they use the same tactics to pressure people to get what they want.  Maybe Officer Lilac is investigating something that goes beyond victimless crimes or maybe she's just someone trying to make a name for herself and fulfill a quota.  The same goes for Corpse Witch.  She might be the leader of a vast criminal organization or maybe she's a jaded AI who resorts to morally dubious enterprises, but has yet to cross the line. 

I'm guilty of jumping to conclusions too since I think CW may be pressuring Bubbles to take out Officer Lilac, but eliminating a police officer is incredibly risky so maybe she's just telling her what could happen and what she really intends to do is shut down operations and move elsewhere if things get too hot.  As such she may need Bubbles to burn the park down which is still illegal, but wouldn't draw as much attention.   

[cesium133]

"AI Unit #81284811174502" is less intimidating of a name than "Corpse Witch."

[Method of Madness]

Has there been any indication in the comic that Corpse Witch isn't her name?

[Gyrre]

"AI Unit #81284811174502" is less intimidating of a name than "Corpse Witch."

Let's play around with that number.

HABHDHAAAGDE0B... Definitely no.
HABH4HKAGDE0B -> HABHAHKAGDE_B -> habhahkagdeb... Needs something else.

How about we pull two of the 'h's.

habakagdeb

habakag deb

Let's call her 'Deb' for short.