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]

...

[Another pause--at least he was listening rather than dismissing the idea out of hand.]

It's true that we've been operating on vague direction that I feel none of us truly understand. Perhaps that's been careless of us; as of the moment I don't know if preventing reincarnation entirely is a wise choice given that too could have unknown consequences, but it may be worth treading far more carefully in our actions.

I don't want to disappear myself, not before I at least understand who I was.

[emberserker]

But the alternative is ending up a Revenant when the place has worn at you too badly, isn't it?

[discutio]

Some might think it better to live and die...well, 'die' as they choose, rather than be erased entirely. Is it wrong to fault them for that?

[emberserker]

...I certainly don't want to be erased. But I also don't want to be stuck here in this dump for the rest of eternity.

[mementomoritz]

[Medic frowns, looking thoughtful.] Do the Cogs force you to reincarnate, or do they just mean you can, if you choose to? I think we need a lot more data on this than we have.

[emberserker]

Well, it would seem that's the entire purpose of Purgatory, isn't it? To make someone move past their mistakes in life.

[cancrymods]

Exactly. No matter how much you tried to push against it, you'd eventually be drawn down to the Cogs and get churned through them. No matter how happy you were here or how much you wanted to resist. It's a little messed up, right?

[emberserker]

From that viewpoint, yes. But I'd rather not stay here forever, either.

[cancrymods]

Well? What else is there but this? What else could you even do?