meet and greet

[cancrymods]

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...

Comments

[discutio]

[He answered with a small pat to Charon's shoulder, listening in silence for a moment as the others moved around...then calmly walked over to sit on an empty spot on the couch.]

[Smirking directly at Esme, or at least the spot from which Esme's voice had been coming from.]

I appreciate the occasional game as much as anyone else, but as someone on your side in this, I would suggest not making the others think less of you.

[cancrymods]

[ Esme holds her tongue for a careful moment, then; ]

... sorry.

But you can understand why I'm not really happy to see you here?

[discutio]

Only somewhat, which is part of the reason I wanted to speak with you.

[He shrugged off the general implied insult; it didn't bother him any more now than it did the first time she'd done as much.]

You seem under the impression that we Executors are your enemy in some fashion, and I can honestly claim no full understanding as to why.

[cancrymods]

Because you're here to fix things.

[ The implied air quotes are very audible. ]

That's what it's all about, right? Trying to 'fix' whatever you think is wrong here?

[schardynfreude]

We feel it, as I said earlier. Something intrinsically wrong.

[cancrymods]

I don't.

[ She says it not sharply, just matter-of-factly. ]

You talked about it before, but I still don't understand.

[daughterofthemark]

[Veil nods from her spot on the sadly Esme-free couch.]

It seems there is much we each do not understand.

[schardynfreude]

As far as we can tell, it's something Executors feel, relating to the Cogs being some manner of stuck or broken. There, then, is some drive to right what is wrong, although it's a choice each of us made.

[cancrymods]

Right, right. That's why I thought. But...

[ She sets down her teacup and takes a macaron from a huge tower of them. ]

But what makes you think all this is so wrong? My city. This world.

[schardynfreude]

[A shrug.] I never said anything of the sort. You do seem to have sway over this city, bending it to your will. There are those who would take issue with how fake it all is, but what does that have to do with the Cogs?

[cancrymods]

Well...

[discutio]

That is indeed the intent, but I believe you will discover most of us are flying blind as to the 'why' and 'how' of the current matter.

[yes, the wording was intentional on his part.]

I for one would wish to hear whatever information you seem to have on whether what we aim to do is actually beneficial or not.

[cancrymods]

You're planning on fixing the Cogs. Or at least, that's why I figured you're going down there. Something broke, and now you're planning to fix it.

How am I doing so far?

[discutio]

Correct. And you've a problem with that, as fixing them will have consequences of which I doubt any of us are yet aware. Am I correct in that?

[cancrymods]

[ Esme's quiet for a moment. It's clear she's mulling over her response before she gives it. ]

Are you really telling me you don't know what the Cogs do?

[discutio]

Do I look like I might be someone who would willingly act stupid?

[That was a genuine question--he decidedly did not look like anything of the sort, and Phoenix knew that was the only real proof he had that he wasn't fully sure what in the hell they were doing.]

I know very little of the detailed workings of this realm, and less still of what might happen if and when we accomplish what we have set out to do.

[cancrymods]

The Cogs destroy everything. They chew everything up and spit it out shiny and clean on the other side. You let everything go so you can pass on through and become someone else in your next life, without worrying about what you got up to in your last one.

Why the hell would I ever want to do something like that?

[discutio]

[...the fuck]

Two questions.

How do you know this, and are you certain that's the case?

[cancrymods]

Because that's how things work here. You peel away all the parts of yourself that are too ugly or twisted up to make it through and then when you're pretty and perfect enough, you get to move on.

Reincarnation. That's what we're supposed to be here for.

[discutio]

...hm.

[He paused to consider that for a moment, gloved hand raised to his face. True, 'reincarnation' had been the end goal, but he hadn't given any real thought to the meaning behind that.]

What you're saying...that process doesn't quite add up. In fact, it's seemed the opposite for most of us. We awoke with no memory of who we were, and began gaining back as much rather than losing it. Is such a thing normal in leading up to reincarnation, or is that a side effect of the Cogs not working at the moment?

[cancrymods]

[ She shrugs. ]

Who knows. Maybe? It makes about as much sense as anything else in Purgatory.

[ Which is to say: not a whole lot, but we're rolling with it anyway. ]

It's different for us, though. Eidolons. I know that much, at least. Once we start remembering, it's easier to keep remembering, because we know we're missing something. Specters just end up rotting away.

[alcahest]

... That's what I thought.

[ Mona's soft, quiet voice is a change from the tense back-and-forth thus far. ] You're scared... because you don't want to disappear.

[cancrymods]

[ She looks a little caught off guard at that and her response is a little cautious. ]

That's right.

... Nobody would.

[mementomoritz]

Statistically, the average person does tend to have death as their number one fear- followed by public speaking.

[Medic's happy fun time fact hour: for kids!]

I guess returning to life is a lot like dying again, if you think about it.

[twibeast]

...Existing forever is not much better though.

If you never die, if you never move on, if you always exist in some form, the same form... you cease to care and see less and less meaning in things...

You become cold and hollow...

[ He's mostly talking to himself right now. but huh, kinda weird and specific there Beast. ]