cancry | meet and greet

If you've been paying any attention to the screens around Invidia (and it's honestly harder NOT to pay attention to them than it is to actually do so) then you'll be familiar with Esme, the woman whose face graces every single screen. Some initial poking around has revealed that Esme is a sort of idol to the people of Invidia, whose enviously glamourous life has taken the city by storm but that's more or less all you've learned so far.

But it looks like you might have the opportunity to learn more sometime soon.

Just as the dark sky of Invidia gives way to what passes for daytime, all of the screens in Invidia light up with the same video – it's Esme, perched on what looks to be a fancy throne in the middle of a white void, nothing to distract from the glaringly insincere sincere smile on her face as she addresses the camera.

"Good morning, lovelies! ❤ I've been soooooo busy with work and filming lately, I haven't had even a single second to see any of you in person! And what's the point of all that hard work if I don't even get to see your smiling faces at the end of it? So today we're having a very special event! For this afternoon only, I'll be on the Starlight Stage on the roof of our mall, all ready to shake hands and sign things and see all of you lovelies face to face again! Make sure you hurry on down to see me, okay? Bye-bye-bye! ❤"

With a wave and a sickly sweet smile to the camera, Esme signs off.

Looks like you've been given an opportunity to do a little investigating...

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Ariel - who had already started running - stops in her tracks.]

Don't we just... show up?

[ Oh thank god she's not entirely gone yet ]

A few of us seem concerned this is a trap. While I am not certain whether it is or not, it couldn't hurt to prepare in case that it is.

We also need to think about what we'll do if it starts looking like we won't be able to get to her at all. She's popular, after all. If there's enough people, we might not be able to see her before the day's up.

Precisely.

I personally feel there is safety in numbers, but if we do go as one group then we need to let the others know what we are doing before we go up there.

I'll send a message through, then. And I'll make sure I put a bunch of really annoying pings on it so they can't possibly ignore it!

[ whoa, meta. she sounds very earnest about it, at least. ]

Excellent. Thank you, Lady Rei. I think that would be the best course of action.

Should we agree on a place and time we'll try to meet with the others afterwards? In case they need to come looking.

Somewhere away from the mall, maybe? If things go really badly, it might be a good idea to get out of the city altogether... So maybe the train station?

I think that would be a good place, yes. In two hours perhaps? [ that line may take a while. ]

[ She nods. ]

Two hours. If it looks like we're going to have to leave sooner, then I'll call and let everybody know we're heading there.

If it gets dangerous we can just fight, right?

What else is there to plan?

And if we fight and are defeated?

Then we'd be in no condition to follow a plan, surely.

That's why we plan now.

Either some of us stay behind, in the case they don't hear from the rest of us or we let everyone else know what we're doing now and when to come looking for us if they must.

Well... Then we just have to make sure that doesn't happen!

Easier said than done, I'm afraid.

I have total faith in us.

I do as well.

But it never hurts to be careful.

...So if we're not just going in, then what?

Lady Rei is going to send a message to the others in that... “group chat” function? So that they at least know where we are. I think we should also tell them a time and place we will meet them later so they know to look for us in the event we don’t return.

Does that sound agreeable?