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

[mementomoritz]

[It's theoretically possible that he is cute, but I wouldn't ask Medic for advice on that one. As any gossip magazine in Invidia can now tell you, she's definitely not inclined that way.]

[Fortunately, she is a ride or die bro, and when Monarch comes powerwalking into the library just ahead of his fanclub, she smiles cheerfully at them with no trace of nervousness whatsoever.]

Hi, did you need something? [Spoken like a woman who definitely didn't just see her teammate duck frantically behind a bookcase, nope.]

[ourtomorrow]

[ "Ah! We, uh..."

"Where's Monarch-ku---"

The girl with no tact or canniness is talked over by one of her compatriots. "I've been feeling, like, so dizzy and weak in the knees all day!"

Another girl has a better idea. "And I'm here to check up on a sick classmate! His name is Monarch - did he come in here?"

The bookcase is emitting an aura of tension. ]

[mementomoritz]

Oh, don't worry- if anyone were sick, I'd fix it right away! [She's smiling very happily. It's kind of creepy.]

Now, did you say you were feeling dizzy? Weakness in the joints? Any other symptoms? [She's put her book down and is approaching the unfortunate girl with Scientific Intent. It's currently limited to quickly putting the back of her hand to the girl's forehead to check her temperature, but there's the definite sense that she's one signed waiver away from making her a case study in Spectral illness.] Hmm, you don't seem feverish... From one to ten, how would you rate your level of vertigo?

[ourtomorrow]

[ "Uh........" The girl swallows. Her heart rate (such as it may be in Purgatory) is definitely increasing, and she shows a number of symptoms of anxiety the closer the nurse gets!

Her friends shift in place too. "Sooooo....uh, was Monarch-kun here or not?"

"No!" the 'sick' girl squeaks. "It's fine! Everything's fine! I feel a lot better all of a sudden!! Let's just! Let's go!!"

......Monarch is not sure what to think about Medic's bedside manner. She's doing that for - for him? How nice of her. To risk alienating her patients for his sake. ]

[mementomoritz]

[Medic waves cheerily as they flee, calling after them:] Remember to visit the nurse's office if you feel sick at all! I'm in there a lot!

[She's not, like. Actually supposed to be. She just keeps showing up and Mona is too nice to throw her out.]

[A passing librarian gives her a pointed look, so she sits back down and lowers her voice. This is a library, after all.]

[Addressing the bookshelf:] So, why were you hiding from them? Is it a game? [Listen, hide and seek can get intense, she's not judging.]

[ourtomorrow]

[ Monarch confirms the coast is clear, then steps out, hanging his head so he can hide behind his hair. ] I wasn't...

[ ....hiding.....

Except yes he was. He debates what to say. Decides that if he doesn't fully understand the truth himself, perhaps Medic-san will... ]

They startled me.

[mementomoritz]

They were pretty loud. [Listen, sometimes you just can't People today, it's fine. She can understand that.] What were they so worked up about, anyway? You'd think they could have just left a note in your locker if they needed to talk to you so badly...

[Wait, do they even have lockers here? ...And should they be taking bets on how long we have before Wolfsbane shoves someone into one?]

[ourtomorrow]

I don't know.

[ Except he does, and his cheeks are bright red. He knows what it sounded like they were after, but that's impossible, right? Not with...him. It doesn't make sense.

It's too much. They were pushing into his space too fast. He doesn't want to think about it, even though that makes him feel like he's still running from something. ]

A-anyway, they wouldn't know who the Authority is. We have to focus on that.

[mementomoritz]

This layer is called Superbia, right? If they're still matching up to the Latin names, that means the sin here is pride.

[She shrugs.]

So... keep an eye out for anyone who seems like they have a really big ego, I guess?

[ourtomorrow]

[ Pride....Pride. High opinion of oneself, but not just that. There's a lot of nuance to the concept. A person who holds themselves above all others - a person who holds themselves to high standards, and won't compromise, for fear of what that would imply about their identity. A person who wants to be unassailable.

It's disturbingly familiar, like Esme's envy.

But, even so: ]

I might have two leads.

[mementomoritz]

Oh? [Medic looks pleased as always to learn something new, flipping open one of her ever-present research journals and pulling out a pen.] That's a promising start, tell me more!

[ourtomorrow]

[ Monarch distills what he learned from joining the soccer team and listening to the other kids. ]

A festival's being held this week. Normally the principal opposes events, but the student council president insisted. She's a good student...

[ Put the president in a rough spot, apparently. ]

Both the president and the principal have strong personalities.