Superbia Intro Log

[cancrymods]

SUPERBIA

With the dragon of greed thoroughly slain, the Executors are at last free to escape the sensory hell of the Avaritia Underside and descend to the next Layer. There's still sound and chatter, of course, but compared to where you've been spending all your time until now. Welcome to Superbia. And make yourself comfortable... because now that you've arrived, the stairs that guided you down here have disappeared and you won't be leaving any time soon. Feel free to use this arrival log to chronicle your initial misadventures in the Pride Layer of Purgatory. As noted in the location page, several locations will require further investigation if you'd like to get some information on them, so get investigating! Drop a comment down to the Investigation Request subheader if you'd like to explore. Get out there and have fun!

Comments

Investigation Requests

[cancrymods]

FOREST

[daughterofthemark]

Veil IMMEDIATELY wanders out into the woods the instant she's left unsupervised.

GYMNASIUM

[mementomoritz]

[So, Medic is not a jock, but she is insatiably curious. And there's nothing that gets attention faster than a door you aren't allowed to go through.]

[She's not a locksmith, but she does have sensor powers. Leaning casually against the wall right outside the gym and extending her range as far into the gym as she can, is there anything she might pick up on?]

FACULTY OFFICE

[alcahest]

hello i am definitely a real and respectable employee at this school please let me in

mona is mostly looking to case the area and maybe snoop around desks, but if there's anyone in here she'll chat them up too

club rooms

[emberserker]

Wolfsbane isn't having a very good day. Time to ditch class and slip into the club building to search the club rooms while everyone else is in school.

[ourtomorrow]

Monarch is going to join the soccer team and wallflower it up, hoping to hear if there are any Specters of note the Kids These Days are talking about! Any teachers of infamy? Any Popular Kids to take note of?

...He's also very good at soccer, nearly enough to compensate for his age, so hopefully that will not be a problem among said Popular Kids.

Storage Rooms

[alchemistake]

So by this point, Varian's been given the rundown on the whole Executor business, probably has his cool weapon and everything (once I decide on it for sure but lbr it's probably a gun), but that doesn't mean he isn't still b o r e d with the too-easy curriculum he's undertaking at this school. So! It's time to see if he can snoop into areas that students probably aren't really supposed to be looking into unsupervised.

But Varian is smart. He's not just going to go waltzing into the storage rooms. He might inform a teacher they're out of x or y supply and ask if he can go fetch it because he's a good boy who does good boy things, and if he's potentially caught he'd give the same kind of excuse. So, he'll see how far that happens to get him.

Anything unusual to note in here? Or has all of this subterfuge been a waste of his time?

Library

[schardynfreude]

I'm going to have to make you give us a summary of the school's history since chiron is going to go poking around looking for Information. I'm so sorry. Does it read as...normal? Or is it fucked up because it's spurgatory (school purgatory)? Are there any Important Names that come up?

[schardynfreude]

[They descend the stairs.

And it leaks in slowly, bit by bit, rather than a tidal wave all at once. Like every step is another puzzle piece, another long forgotten memory seeping back into light and color.

The stairs disappear. And so does Chiron.

He marches off, ostensibly to go exploring, you know, as they always do somewhere new. But he doesn't really see the buildings, see the children or the smattering of adults, some of whom greet him like they know him when he doesn't even know himself. He walks across campus, through hallways, in as straight a line as he can manage with the layout. He walks into the forest, unheeding, and then comes out the other side, still here, still at the school.

Eventually. He's in a club room. It's for the chess club. He knows, because he found a chess board, and he's set one up. He sits across from nothing and no one. Idling on the black side.]

[daughterofthemark]

[And who's the last Executor anyone expected to have any interest in chess? The answer wanders in after her uneventful initial foray into the forest. That last part is important to mention since it explains why she has a leaf stuck to her hair.]

Oh, Sir Chiron!

[Oh no, she's walking towards the board!]

[discutio]

[From down the hall, there was the telltale tap of a cane on the floor accompanying steady footsteps. Free hand running light along the wall as he worked on mapping out their new surroundings, Phoenix paused as he reached a doorway.]

...Excuse the interruption--is anyone here?

[And then listening intently for signs of life--breathing, shifting, a surprise Authority about to kill him, the usual.]

[alchemistake]

[So, everyone. Have you noticed that one of your member has...conspiciously gone missing? No? Well, it's probably fine. He MAY or may not have gotten himself left behind in the previous layer, but seeing as how he now gets to enjoy an eternity of gambling...don't feel too bad for old Second. He's doing just fine.

As fate would have it, when one door closes, another opens. This one belonging to someone much younger, brighter, smarter. But no less bewildered the moment he opens his eyes and finds himself waking in one of the school dorms, as if he's meant to be there. Unlike the other Specters, though, the boy has this...feeling that something isn't right. He's not sure what that could be, though. Not being able to remember much of anything makes that harder to grasp, even harder than the fact that he equally has no concept of a school setting to begin with.

Before he can question anything, a Specter- a teacher, of some sort- passes by his room and stops to greet him, letting him know class is starting in an hour and to expect to have a roommate from this morning forwards. A young boy similar in age calling himself "Monarch".

He can't help but find that name...strange. Yet familiar, somehow.

It's not enough to stop him from getting up and heading out for class as instructed. He heads out into the hallway and blends with the other students, another faceless Specter in the crowd...]

[(Pre-Awakening) A) First Day]

[Unlike the newer "transfers" that just arrived, he's seen as someone who has been here for a while already. It's still his first day of class, but he's had the time to get used to the campus layout, which means exactly zero people help him get to where he needs to go. The class he eventually ends up in is one a wayward teacher finally guides him to with a hand at his wrist, mumbling something about how he shouldn't be dawdling. At this point, he's not even sure his voice is working since he hasn't gotten a word in edgewise, but before he knows it he's been ushered into a class already full of other students looking back at him. Perhaps one of the Executors is here, attending as a means to blend in...or standing in as a teacher shadowing the existing teacher to learn the ropes. Either way, they'll be privy to a young boy who really looks a lot more confused than your average student as he stands there in front of the class.

The teacher who brought him in gives him a small nudge at the small of his back, asking that he introduce himself to the class. But he knows nothing to say...well. He has one thought on his mind, and he's not entirely sure what it means. It must be important enough to say.]

...my name is Amber. I'm an Alchemist.

[There's a beat of silence before the entire class erupts into laughter.]

[(Pre-Awakening) B) Science Class]

[Needless to say, Amber didn't arrive to the most warm welcome. He's immediately stuck in a limbo of being this weird new kid as well as one of those really smart types that bullies like to prey on. The type who would threaten to beat him up to get him to do their homework for them, that type.

Anyway. Whatever. Science class is happening and Amber kindof only really cares about that and none of the other students around. They're working with some sort of super basic experiment, so simple and rudimentary that he's at risk of falling asleep. At least until another student startles him with slamming their hands down on his desk hard enough to get him to look up, smirking across the table at him as he instructs Amber that he'll be doing his homework from now on.

Amber just...raises a brow, propping his chin up in his hand, pretending to look all around the room.]

Did you guys hear that? No? Gee, I sure can't hear anything all of a sudden.

[The boy fumes, reaching out to grab Amber by the front of his clothes. "You think you're funny, you clown?"

Amber looks up at the ceiling, his eyes creased as he sneers.]

Oh no, I suddenly can't see either. But, oh, I think my hearing is coming back? What is that I'm hearing? I think I might hear a baby crying...

[Amber earns himself a punch to the face so hard that he gets thrown backwards out of his chair. The class immediately erupts into chaos.]

[(Post-Awakening, pre-becoming an Executor which is open to anyone who wants to teach him The Thing) C) Princepal's Office]

[There's something about a second near-death experience that really makes you remember dying.

Amber sits in a chair just outside of the princepal's office with a bag of ice held to his face, a nasty purpling bruise appearing around his eye. Well, he's gotten a few things straight- his "name", what he does, and...the fact that he's supposed to be dead. He's almost certain of that, but he doesn't know where that certainty is coming from. And how did he die? An experiment gone wrong? Did he burn something down? An explosion?

He winces as he shifts the bag against his face, refusing to look at any of the students that rubberneck as they pass him by. He looks to be too lost in thought to humor any of them right now.]

A.

[mementomoritz]

[Well.]

[Not the entire class.]

[There's one girl sitting in the front row who doesn't seem mocking or annoyed at all. She just makes a quiet 'hm!' noise and scribbles something down in a journal.]

[It's not hard to tell her apart from the other students- for one thing, she's wearing what appears to be a uniform for a completely different school than everyone else. For another, she's staring at him.]

[She doesn't say anything to him right away, but he might notice that she's continuing to watch him- not in the snickering, vaguely ominous way of a bully staring at you and waiting for you to slip up somehow, give them ammunition. Just... thoughtfully. As though she's puzzling something out.]

C - LET'S GOOOOOO

[twibeast]

[ Amber seems to be waiting... for quite a while. Not ridiculously long but several more minutes than he might have expected or hoped for - though maybe with all the realizations he's having, he might not mind the extra time to think. Eventually though the guidance counselor door opens and another "student" is being ushered out by a.... ridiculously tall man with horns and a snake tail. They seem to be mid conversation: ]

--as I said sweetheart, I will be fine. They haven't sent anyone here yet today anywa--

[ And then he stops, noticing Amber waiting, his tail sticking up in surprise. ]

...Ah.

C

[alcahest]

[ after getting the Introduction to Executors 101 from Achilles, maybe Amber wants some time to process this new information. but too bad because as soon as he comes out of the guidance counselor's office, he's getting ushered into the sickbay by the same young woman who gave him ice earlier. the commotion with Rei had gotten Mona's attention before, and from what she saw when she stuck her head out to investigate, this boy is a newly awakened resident of Purgatory.

she probably would have made him sit a while longer in sickbay regardless, but knowing he's one of them now, she'll definitely give him a way out of class. ]

Um, I'm with Achilles and the others. [ said over her shoulder as she rummages around in various medicine cabinets. everything about her is gentle, from her voice to her movements to her elegant appearance. ] I think the other teachers probably called me Miss Lisa, but Mona is fine... Ah!

[ she finds what she's looking for and fishes out a bottle of painkillers. she comes to him clutching it nervously in both hands, and looks embarrassed to be offering it. if she was one of their healers, she could actually help, but... ]

I'm sorry... There's not much I can do right now for you. But once class is over, I'll get Medic or Chiron to come and heal that for you.

B, 1/2

[daughterofthemark]

[It's Veil's first day as a teacher's assistant! Whatever that... actually entails. But obviously it involves assisting a teacher! Which is why she's opening the door to a random classroom and--]

Ah.

[Hm. This appears to be some kind of violence class. That doesn't seem right for her. She closes the door again.]

[alcahest]

1. HELLO NURSE!

[ in the pattern the Executors have established thus far, they don't always stick together as a group when they descend to a new Layer. they wander off on their own to investigate and run into each other and split up again until it comes time to reconvene for a discussion. but Mona finds it more than a little alarming to have the option to stay together taken away so quickly — the younger Executors dragged away by Specters scolding them for being late to class, the adults flagged down by conversations as if they were supposed to be here all along.

for her own part, Mona is quickly ushered into the sickbay, and it's there that she spends most of her time during school hours. she's found that she gets routed back there by the "teacher" Specters if she tries to leave; the sickbay needs a nurse at all times, after all, in case she's needed.

it's not so bad, she supposes. at least she doesn't have to teach. she doesn't have any memories of school, or even a general knowledge of what it entails beyond the most obvious basics, so she supposes she's never been. girls didn't often attend school in her time, she knows that much. Lupin and the others taught her everything she needs to know, and she's not sure any of it would have helped here.

either way, if anyone drops by the sickbay, there Mona is, trying to find things to do with her time. mostly inspecting all the medicines and chemicals. ]

2. SCHOOL'S IN FOREVER

[ at the end of the first day in Superbia, Mona decides it's time to go home, and hopefully the others will head back up too. there's a lot to discuss and it'll be easier to do so when they don't have Specters corralling them back into their proper places.

except, as she soon finds, there is no way out.

if anyone else is wandering the grounds after classes, they might find Mona pacing at the front gates looking... well, anxious, which is approaching panicked, on Mona's face. ]

3. ROLL CALL

We're trapped in this layer, everyone.
I tried to go back home to Limbo, but I can't even get through to the Avaritia Underside.
We should probably be careful about provoking the Authority here when we can't escape...

Also, it seems like we're all being integrated into the school.
So... Just so we all know how to find each other, what positions were we all given?
I'm the school nurse...
The good news is that if any of us who are "students" want a reason to be out of class, I might be able to make an excuse for you at least. (/ω＼*)

2

[emberserker]

I know we're in Purgatory, but this is new.

[She clenches a fist at her side and scowls.]

Of course there'd be a downside to a more tolerable layer.

1.

[mementomoritz]

[Well, the good(?) news is that Mona isn't the only Executor in here.]

[By which I mean that Medic shows up, visibly bleeding from a large cut on the back of one hand and looking like a kid in a candy store.]

[She smiles happily at Mona and gives her a little wave. ...With the injured hand.] Oh wow, do you get to work here all day? Lucky!

[Apparently totally unconcerned about... literally everything going on right now, which is a lot, she breezes right into the clinic's supply closet and starts looking around.]

I missed having actual supplies so much!

[She's been having to jury-rig medical supplies out of weird shit she found at the mall and backroom chemistry experiments for three layers now, Mona. This is quite possibly the happiest you will ever see another person be about finding an Epi-Pen.]

3

[ourtomorrow]

I'm a student.

[ THANKS MONARCH ]

On the soccer team. It's possible I remembered that I play for a reason.

[ ....That doesn't feel like enough, does it? And they're a team. Monarch has to get better at being in a team, especially if this is going to be his new investigative tack. ]

My teammates and I are in your care, Mona-san.

[ nailed it ]

3

[daughterofthemark]

I am somehow a teacher's assistant rather than a student 😕❓❔❓❔

3

[twibeast]

They said I'm something called a "guidance counsellor"
I am familiar with giving counsel, but not necessarily the expectations of a role like this. Is it like a royal advisor? '_'

[ourtomorrow]

[ Around the School ]

Excuse me.

[ Here's Monarch, brusque as ever, pushing past his fellow Executor into whatever room they happen to be occupying. His face is intent and his gaze trained forward, as if he absolutely Must Not look behind himself, No Matter What.

He proceeds to attempt to hide himself anywhere in the room it looks like a tall young boy can fit. The reason quickly becomes apparent: in hot pursuit, there's a crowd of...uh...

"Monarch-kuuuuuun~!"

Uh it's. It's girls. It's a crowd of girls.

"Monarch-kun, come back!"
"Is he shy?"
"That's adorable!"
"I want a little brother like Monarch-kun!"

Monarch's cheeks are bright red and he tries not to look at the Executor, either. What is this? What IS this? He's never hung out with other kids in his afterlife! He had no idea!

It can't be possible that he is

a cute boy! ]

[ Dorms - closed to Amber ]

[ He's sharing a dorm.

He's sharing a dorm. Monarch does not remember if he has ever done this before. Did he share a room with his brother? He's not certain. He feels like he might have, if his resentment of his brother "getting everything" had been so strong. (Did his brother not play soccer? Is that why remembering it is so exciting?) He hopes he is not an annoying roommate. He hopes there isn't anything ugly inside him waiting to resent this person, as well.

But the other Executors have told Monarch that it's how he chooses to act, not how he can't help feeling, that determines who he is moving forward. He's not a Specter, he's awoken, so he can choose his own future. But his roommate will be a Specter, won't he...? Monarch will have to be careful not to behave strangely. Whatever. That means. Perhaps he should just try not to interact with his roommate. Is that cowardly or prudent?

Anyway, the long and short of it is, Amber - whether you're also just approaching the room, or whether you're opening the door with the intent to leave, Monarch is dithering in the hall. He starts upon realizing he's being observed. ]

Um!

[ THIS BODES WELL. ]

Dorms

[alchemistake]

[As it turns out, Amber had just been returning to the dorms after a long day of School Activity(tm). By this point, he's been given the whole rundown and has become an Executor officially, but....holy shit, it's been a day. He's tired, still buzzing from information overload, and dealing with an aching black eye. The day could have gone better, but it also could have gone a lot worse.

So when he comes up on his room with somebody awkwardly standing there, he comes to a stop himself and raises his brows, sort of just...waiting to be noticed.]

Heeey...this is my-

[...wait. What had that teacher told him before?]

Oh, wait. You're probably who I'm supposed to be sharing this room with, right?

[crypddyd]

[Grounds (OPEN) /Investigation (CLOSED)]

[This place was so familar that his heart ached- he didn't remember everything that happened at Garreg Mach, but he remembered enough. Regardless of that memory though he was certainly not prepared to try and teach- his skill set would certainly not be appreciated in a school like this. They didn't even HAVE a combat class. But with any place like this there was always work to do, so he grabbed a uniform from a utility closet and just set to work cleaning. The buildings and the ground alike. He's easy enough to find if you looks around, either sweeping and mopping the inside or working on picking up trash and weeding the paths outside.

It's funny, when you look like you belong to a place and walk in with one of those cleaning carts... no one seems to notice you. So he goes out of his way to walk into club rooms and teacher's only areas when people are around to empty the trash or sweep up, seeing what he can listen in on]

[Library (Closed to Ruin) ]

[It didn't take long to find out where Ruin was working, so when he has a spare moment he peeks in, trying to catch him unawares, some food from the school store behind his back]

Grounds

[alchemistake]

[As Lion is passing through the campus courtyard, he might notice a boy heading his way with the intent of not exactly heading towards him, but instead making his way to the student dorms. He looks...run ragged to say the least, what with the black eye and slightly roughed up clothes. He's definitely been in some sort of fight, but fortunately that was hours ago now. He's been "disciplined" and sent on his way with more information coming out than he had going in.

Gods, he can't believe any of this is happening. He just wants to go to bed. Maybe then he'll wake up finding out this was all a bad dream.

But since Lion is making it a point to evesdrop, he'll definitely hear the kid mutter to himself as he passes.]

--f we're stuck here, what are we even supposed to do the whole time? Blend in, I get it, but for how long? Ugh...

[schardynfreude]

[It takes several days (was he hiding in the woods???) but eventually Chiron returns to...living this life. Deciding it's time to get the job done. Unfortunately, everyone has already been given a job, and he himself gets chastised for having abandoned his duties, such as they were, when he does next enter the school.

He is to be a teacher. Of history. To a bunch of brats who don't even know they're dead. In a place where there really isn't any history to speak of. While he can scarcely recall any history of his own world.

He can work with this.

So if one needs Chiron during school hours, when history lessons are in, one can find him in his particular classroom dramatically reenacting made up lessons, or sitting on his desk animatedly talking about...who knows, actually? They're stories, really. Either ones he remembers, or altered versions of adventures the Executors have had before, or literally just making up bullshit out of a hat, which he seems to be quite good at. He's having fun! So are the kids. Since he isn't testing any of them on his nonsense.

There are plenty of whispers about Mr. Chiron from the kids and some of the teachers. He always is wearing gloves. Frequently is seen with sunglasses on indoors, and even occasionally a face mask. Clearly he suffers from some kind of extreme medical condition! No no, obviously he's a criminal hiding out and doesn't want to leave fingerprints. He will not be taking questions on it from the kids at this time~

Outside of class he frequently wanders about, because this is fascinating now that he's set his own existential crisis aside. Alas, predictably, he avoids getting in the pool. Pokes around the library looking for information on...anything here that might be useful. Only shows up at the cafeteria for one meal a day, which changes depending on mood, and doesn't particularly eat much - but rest assured he's going to start a food fight at some point. It's inevitable. Stops by the garden, not to do any work, but just to look. Actually looks like he's looking for something in particular and not finding it. He also has a habit of hanging around the nurse's office lending his assistance when needed...although one will find him surprisingly reluctant to use his healing powers where old fashioned medicine will do.

And when things wind down in the faculty dorms, he tries to lighten things up with conversation (ostensibly to get more information out of the teachers) and suggest games and just generally poke around being a nuisance.

Also at some point he's going to just plop this in the chat:]
Thinking about changing back to Your Majesty 🤔🤔🤔
[Please tell him nobody's going to let him do that.]

[swordofajerk]

why