investigation wrap...?

[cancrymods]

Well that all sure... uh, happened!

Despite the initial hostility, you've gotten a lot of important information to chew over: Esme, the one who holds Authority over Invidia has made it very clear that she opposes the Executors and their intended goal of repairing the Cogs of Renewal at the bottom of Purgatory. And thanks to that, and Esme's degree of control over Invidia, the gang are stuck here until they can find a way to bypass Esme and continue descending the layers of Purgatory.

Surely, everyone will be on the same page about how to handle that!

Either way, with discussions with Esme wrapped up and the Executors on their way, now's a good time to put your heads together and see if you can't work out where to proceed from here.

Or you know, just kick back and relax in Invidia for a bit. You've had a tough weekend!

Comments

[crypddyd]

[So as everyone is pouring out of the mansion guess who wanders over, looking lost and now confused]

Eh... you were able to break in?

[LION YOU MISSED A LOT]

[daughterofthemark]

We were invited.

[Have you ever seen someone look less exited to have made progress on something?]

[crypddyd]

Oh... I must have missed the invitation. You look... less than excited about it- was she an unpleasant host?

[phantasmagorial]

[ That is EXACTLY why Rei is holding her hand right now!!! Upset teen girls of a feather stick together. ]

[twibeast]

[ Well that was a lot to think about-- oh ]

Sir Lion? Did my update message about where we were not send after all?

[ Joke's on you Beast ]

[crypddyd]

Message?

[He looks utterly confused]

No, I did not speak to a messenger or receive a letter of any sort...

[seasharp]

[Ariel...... grumbles.

...It's actually hard to tell what she just said there.]

[crypddyd]

Hm?

[Why are all the young women especially unhappy????]

Network Post

[pride_of_amarcia]

Welp. Sounds like that didn't go well. Should I be glad I skipped the whole thing and... Didn't find much, honestly?

At least we're not like, trapped here, but...

[twibeast]

[ hang on a sec, this typing is gonna take 8000 years ]

found some stuff
lots of high emotions thuogh
though
should be back soon

Re: Network Post

[daughterofthemark]

dame brainiac

become an idol with us

post group talk top level

[twibeast]

[ Well now that some sort of plan(s?) are being made and everyone seems relatively calm, Beast figures it's as good a time as any to take his leave for a little bit. Making sure Rei and some of the other girls will be fine he excuses himself from the group.

"I have a few things I meant to look into today before all this happened, so I shall see some of you back at the house later."

Once he's separated from them he heads back to the mall and starts perusing the book stores, picking out a number of books that catch his interest and leaving with them. It's not long before he has a hefty bag he feels satisfied with (and a patch of missing feathers but whatever they'll grow back... presumably) and almost heads back...

...then he thinks about those cakes earlier and ahhhhh screw it, he was holding back during all that so he may as well treat himself a little.

So now he's sitting at a little table outside one of the bakeries, with some cake and books spread out in front of him. He seems most keenly interested in:

1) a book of fairy tales
2) a copy of the "The Illiad"
3) a illustration book full of various mythological monsters, which is left wide open even when he's not currently looking through it

His brows as furrowed as he reads, as if confused or trying to figure something out.

(This can also take place at the Executor House if that setting works better for some folks if he isn't also freaking out about people being poisoned) ]

[emberserker]

That's an interesting reading choice.

[Wolfsbane briefly puts a hand to her own forehead, but then shakes her head.]

I don't suppose it's an attempt to research the Revenants?

[alcahest]

[ let's do this at the Executor House!! because Mona has been in very low spirits since they left Esme's mansion, and she's mostly been wandering around the house looking lost. there's so much going on in her head that it feels impossible to process any of it; more than that, she's not sure that she can face the others yet.

Beast was, at least, one of the more composed parties in that meeting, who didn't resort to threats or insults. she doesn't feel any need to avoid him when she sees him at home. she only intends to greet him in passing — but she recognises one of the books he has laid out in front of him and stops short, peering over his shoulder to look. ]

Oh... I read that one. [ she points at The Iliad. ] When I was trying to find a name for Chiron.

[beknights]

[ Books are a novelty to Seal (most things are a novelty to Seal, however). The book of mythological monsters interests them the most, for its pictures.

Tall as they are, they could probably just crane over Beast's shoulder to look. But since they were raised with manners, they stop at the table and pull out the chair on the opposite side, before tilting their head inquisitively at him.

Asking for permission to be seated seems clear, or at least that they're curious about something, even without aid of sign language. ]

[phantasmagorial]

[ So. Rei's going to be an idol, now. It's a little nerve wracking to imagine herself on stage or on TV or with a whole bunch of fans, but she's going to have people with her and they're doing it for a good cause. She can handle that. There's just one teeny tiny problem.

Rei knows literally nothing about being an idol.

She can make an educated guess, based on what she's seen of Esme's performances but that doesn't mean she really gets it. And if they're actually going to best her, then Rei needs to make sure she knows what she's doing.

So she starts off raiding the bookstores, music stores, and basically anywhere else she can pick up media in the mall in Invidia, trying to find pretty much everything she can about idols. To her surprise, there's quite a lot of material on idols who aren't Esme scattered around and it's not particularly hard to find what she's looking for. Unfortunately, anything along the lines of "How To Be An Idol For Dummies" doesn't seem to be available, but she's got enough material that she thinks she can get a good idea of what to do.

... To the point that she has to carry it back transformed, since she can't actually lift up all her bags and the rucksack she's using without her enhanced Executor strength. Maybe uh, put some of that material back, Rei. If she spots anyone around, she'll happily accept help getting all that mess back to the house, though.

Eventually, though, she makes it back to the Executor house and parks herself in the room with the TV (after apologizing profusely for hogging it, because Rei is Rei) and a comfy pillow and blanket combo, so she can settle in for the long haul. She's got all her reading material spread out across the floor – fashion magazines, idol gossip rags, fanbooks, photobooks, music theory, choreography... it's kind of wild. On the TV, she's got concerts and music videos playing non-stop and every now and then, she'll pause with her reading and watch the performances, taking in not just the choreography, but their body language, the stage presence... and now and then, she'll rewind the videos a few times, going over a particular part that catches her attention.

And if you're very lucky, then you might happen to catch her stood up, doing her best to copy either a particularly cute pose, or a tricky bit of choreography. She looks incredibly earnest about it. Of course, the instant she realizes anyone's actually watching she goes redder than red and starts spluttering. ]

I–I'm just... I'm just giving it a try...!

[ As the evening wears on, however, Rei starts to wind down a bit. Not necessarily just as the natural result of a long day, but something a bit more. Her intense focus on her studies starts to slip and most worryingly of all, she starts to look a little pale... which is impressive, given how pale Rei already is anyway. Eventually, she just sort of ends up curled up around her pillow on the floor, hazily watching the TV run through one of her idol DVDs and looking distinctly glum. Hm. ]

FINE IF YOU WANT BOTH WE CAN TECHNICALLY HAVE BOTH

[twibeast]

[ Beast had just returned home with his own reading material when he hears the sound from the tv and peaks in to check... just in time to see Rei attempt to copy a pose.

As soon as she notices he's seen her and starts sputtering, he just

smiles

:) ]

[seasharp]

[So after the whole post-Esme meeting, Ariel splits off for a bit. Back into the city she goes, with a specific purpose. Heading into the Invidia mall, and procuring herself... a poster of Esme? You'd think she'd be the last person that would want one of those, but here she is, collecting a few. Though she stops briefly to hold one up and look at it.]

Mm... There's no way, is there? No way, no way...

[...?

Well, regardless, she's off soon after. Heading to the labor district. She's setting up a little training area for herself, complete with makeshift dummy.

Which she attaches the poster to. And then? Well, then she spends some time simply letting loose, shifting into her Executor form and attacking the dummy with her sword. Blowing off steam, it looks like. At least she's coping? Geez, she's really going at it. Like... r-really going at it. Is that dummy going to be okay?

...Calm down, Ariel.

After that, she finds herself in the park, as it's getting darker. She's found herself a quiet spot, and she's... talking to the air? Herself? What's with that?]

H-Hey, it's Executor Idol Ariel, coming at you live! [Then she slumps over immediately.] What kind of lame introduction is that?! Gah!

At the Park

[pride_of_amarcia]

[... A shuffling on a nearby tree indicates the spot wasn't quite as quiet as Ariel may have wanted.]

Oh, hi Ariel!

[And Brainiac just kinda rolls into view, backpack on her back and all.]

How ya doing?

mall

[phantasmagorial]

... You're not already supporting our rival, are you?

[ SURPRISE. It's Rei, also on the hunt for idol merch. ]

training area

[beknights]

[ Ariel is one of the few Executors that Seal would be courageous enough in the privacy of their heart to call something like a 'friend', though they would likely use 'fellow knight'. It's a safer term.

They watch Ariel absolutely pummel the dummy before finally stepping forward, their nail in hand. They point to her, and then to themselves.

Would she like to train against a more active target? ]

The park

[mementomoritz]

[Dutiful clapping.] I like it! Although I guess it's kind of inaccurate...

Ooh, how about "coming at you live and undead"?

post-poisoning.

[alcahest]

[ once everyone who was poisoned has recovered and Medic's makeshift hospital can close, Mona is... distant. she is, if anything, more avoidant now than she was following the meeting with Esme. before, she was mostly afraid of conflict; now her thoughts swarm with guilt and self-admonishment. even though Esme tried to kill them all — even though she hurt the younger girls, the ones Mona had thought to look out for as an adult — she still can't hate her. she remembers Esme's fear of being erased, and she...

what is wrong with her? Phoenix assured her that she doesn't have to fight, but it's not just the fighting that frightens her. if any of the others question her, she won't be able to explain herself. and if they hate her, or they think she's selfish, or a bad person, then she— she's not sure she could deny it. the worst part is that she doesn't know why she feels that way. she can't even understand the things she's feeling. no matter how hard she tries to examine it, the memory that left its impression on her isn't there. she just wishes she knew.

by the end of the week, Mona doesn't return to the Executor House in Limbo at all. her usual morning and evening pleasantries are also absent from the Discordia group chat. it's definitely going beyond anything that could be considered "keeping to herself" and it seems a little out of character for her.

whether someone is specifically looking for her, or they simply stumble across her, Mona can be found in the park in Invidia, sitting on a bench with her legs folded up against her chest and her head resting upon them. she seems to be... sleeping? her eyes are half-lidded and blank, her expression vacant; she doesn't move or react as she's approached. like a doll left lying about. ]

[schardynfreude]

[There's a lot to think about given all the Everything happening lately, and the park has been a good place to find a little peace on this level, and a place to walk about without getting hounded. He hasn't necessarily been there as of late between everything with Esme, from the poisoning to checking out the station to training.

And he hasn't seen Mona more or less since leaving Esme's mansion of madness. She has, in theory, been around some of the girls at least, but Lion hasn't seen her lately, and she hasn't been to the house, and hasn't given her customary good mornings and good nights.

Another Kingslayer situation...

...ah, but there, on a bench! That must be her, and Chiron...hesitates. If she had wanted to avoid him, then he shouldn't force any kind of contact, and yet, if she's in trouble, how could he stay away?

Damn it all, if she wants him to be away, let her tell him herself. He kneels down in front of the bench and tentatively sets a hand on her leg.]

Mona, my dear...?

[mementomoritz]

[The first thing Mona might notice is the slight touch of a hand on her forehead.]

Hmm- doesn't seem like a fever... [In Medic's defense, she's been monitoring people's vitals for like the last three days. When she sees someone looking out of it, checking their temperature is kind of a habit now.]

[Probably still should have started with "hello", though.]