[Open] Dr. Medic's Sleepaway Funtimes Camp

[mementomoritz]

I. So girl keep telling me [network post]

[About three hours after the whole post-Esmeeting kerfuffle, every phone included in the Executor group chat suddenly blares loudly with an incoming post that appears to have every possible alert and priority notice the person writing it could find attached to it.]

ANYONE WHO ATE ANYTHING AT ESME'S HOUSE REPORT TO MEDIC IMMEDIATELY YOU ARE POISONED


[Well, you can't accuse her of burying the lede.]

i'm in my lab in invidia [The exact address and coordinates of the lab are attached along with the message, including a helpful photo of a scribbled map just in case anyone is really bad with directions.] if you ate ANY of the food esme served or if you're feeling sick, come here so i can treat you
if you find someone unconscious or unable to move on their own, BRING THEM HERE
if you don't have anyone around and think you need help getting here, reply to this message immediately

i threw up, so i tested some of the leftovers i took home
and that food is very, very poisoned
(also, if you brought leftovers home, don't eat them)


II. pick me up whenever i'm feeling down [in-person log]

[True to her word, Medic is ready and waiting in her lab the second anyone arrives.]

[The living room of the apartment she commandeered has been turned into a makeshift hospital. She's dragged cushions and mattresses in, laying them out on the floor and covering them with clean sheets and blankets to make sickbeds. Next to every bed is a glass of water and a bowl for, uh. Any stomach issues you might have to deal with.]

[Anyone healthy who walks in the door will be cheerfully pressganged into nursing duty.]

[The beds are set up facing the living room's lone TV, but well... this is Invidia. Guess who's probably on every channel.]

[You might have better luck with putting on a movie, but no one actually saw this coming, which means your available selection consists exclusively of stuff Medic brought with her from the Limbo library when she came down to Invidia. By which we mean exactly one film.]

[Whether having to see Esme's face is better or worse than watching Brutal Instinct again is a choice you're going to have to make amongst yourselves.]

Comments

[twibeast]

[ Ah, there we go. That’s as good a place to start as any. He takes a moment to make sure he’s as charming as he can be before approaching. ]

Ah excuse me, my lady. May I bother you for just a moment?

[cancrymods]

She looks a bit surprised to be approached, but not necessarily displeased.

"I'm not doing anything right now, so it's fine..."

She sort of nervously smoothes some of her hair behind her ear, as she says that though.

[twibeast]

[ He smiles warmly. ]

I truly do apologize for approaching so abruptly but I really can’t pass beauty by without paying a compliment.

You look absolutely stunning, did you know that?

[cancrymods]

The Specter very visibly bluescreens for a moment with an expression that telegraphs "I don't usually receive compliments from attractive members of my preferred gender" like a neon sign and she has to take a second to recover before she can stutter out a reply.

"Oh wow! Wow, um-- thank you! Oh jeez, I don't usually hear stuff like that..."

Suffice to say she's charmed.

[twibeast]

Really? That’s such a shame... people must surely be too tongue-tied to tell you. Or simply blind.

[ No offence to the actual blind.

But okay now that the ice is broken..... ]

Your red hair is especially lovely. I almost mistook you for that other beautiful young lady that was on tv before... do you know the one I speak of?

[cancrymods]

The Specter just Stops in place and gives him a long, hard look.

"You mean... Alice?"

She's trying to play it cool, but a keen eye will be able to tell she's internally buzzing with excitement.

[twibeast]

[ Oh he picks up on that right away, and just positively lights up. ]

Yes, Alice! You remember her then? It seems most people don’t these days, but I was always quite fond of her!

[cancrymods]

"Yes! Of course I remember Alice! I love her more than anything!"

This is, amazingly, even more effusive than some of the praise the Executors will have heard being given to Esme. She's so seriously about it that she's pumping her fists excitedly as she speaks.

"It's been so long since she worked on anything but I listen to her songs all the time! I even tried to copy the way she does her hair, since we have the same colour, but mine isn't as long yet..."

[twibeast]

[ Oh god this is REALLY cute. Beast’s flirting was definitely just a means to an end rather than any genuine attraction but she’s so excited right now that he’s definitely charmed and looking at her more fondly like he would any of the other girls in their little crew. ]

Oh how fortuitous we have that in common then! She always was my favorite of the three you see, though sadly I got into her a little late and missed out on a lot of her work.

Do you know what she’s up to now by any chance? I’ve had difficulty finding her songs since Miss Esme won and don’t really know where to look for them, or if she’s even still releasing any at all.

[cancrymods]

That makes her deflate, just a little.

"Well... she hasn't really done anything since Esme won. I thought maybe she'd carry on being an idol even so, but I think she... retired? Maybe?"

She tilts her head curiously, like the actual memory is just out of reach.

"I really miss listening to her sing..."

[twibeast]

[ Now that makes him frown. Of course it wouldn’t be that easy to just find Alice right away. But his heart goes out to the girl in front of him. Alice may have been overshadowed, but clearly she resonated with some people.

If there’s other fans though then they may be some of the most useful to their cause. ]

That’s really such a shame. I wonder if the shock over what happened to Lady Kotori was too much for her to continue. I suppose anyone would retreat from the limelight if they saw that happen to a friend...

[ He’s seeding curiosity and gossip with this but it’s also a genuine out loud thought. ]

[cancrymods]

She blinks at him a few times, looking more than a little puzzled.

"Something happened to Kotori?" she says, sounding increasingly concerned as she talks. "I know she lost and that's why she stopped showing up on TV but..."

And then she claps her hands over her mouth in shock, hair almost standing on end.

"Did something happen to Alice, too?!"

[twibeast]

[ Hooooo boy here we go. ]

About that...

[ He makes a show of looking around carefully, before leaning in closer to her and lowering his voice. ]

Is it not strange to you that Lady Kotori was in the lead for so long but somehow at the last second lost to Miss Esme?

[ And then his voice gets even lower, to almost a whisper. ]

The truth is my lady, your beauty was not my only reason for approaching you today - though you are beautiful, make no mistake about it. In actuality I am a private investigator, tasked with trying to uncover if there was any foul play during the competition.

[ I mean, it may not be entirely true but it’s also not a LIE technically........ ]

For you see, Lady Kotori did not simply lose: she died, abruptly and in a most awful manner. Esme’s win was only by default.

My colleagues and I... fear the worst for Lady Alice as well, because of this.

[cancrymods]

Even saying that the Spectre's expression lights up is a comical understatement. She practically explodes with sparkles, her expression growing brighter and brighter the more he continues to talk. Worried? About Alice? Concerned that Invidia's biggest star might be in dire need of cancelling? Why, of course not. The pretty guy who's being nice to her is a cool detective investigating a murder! It's just like her otomes.

"Then, then, then–!" She's so excited and worked up that she's furiously shaking her fists again. "If I gave you information, would you be able to find her?!"

[twibeast]

[ Oh Goddess that sure is a reaction. But! This is good! ]

I cannot give you a guarantee that I will but anything you can give me would be a huge help.

[ And then he smiles, as softly and charmingly as he can. ]

Won't you please help me... my lady?

[cancrymods]

"OF COURSE I WILL!"

It's lucky that this is all taking place in Invidia, where this sort of weirdness goes... mostly unnoticed because she's so worked up at the sheer everything of this situation that she practically explodes. She can't even keep still, she's so excited.

"What do you need to know?! Ask me anything and I'll tell you!"

[twibeast]

[ Oh god, rip his eardrums. ]

W-Well, for starters do you have any idea where she might be, or where I should look to find out more?

I really do fear that I wasn’t able to catch most of the contest when it was still airing - detective work and all that keeps one quite busy. There are likely many things you as a big fan should be able to tell me.

[cancrymods]

"Well, um..."

Oh, now she's been put on the spot it looks like she's floundering a little bit. It's like being put on the spot to tell a joke and having your entire sense of humor evaporate on the spot.

"Wait! She always said she missed the place she used to work before she became an idol... if she retired then maybe she just decided to go back and work there?"

[twibeast]

Oh! Really?

You wouldn’t also happen to know what place this was, would you?

[ Ignoring that Claire already revealed the cursed location in another thread ]

[cancrymods]

"Of course! What kind of fan would I be if I didn't?"

Good news! You get to hear it all over again!

"It's "BBQ and Foot Massage-While-U-Wait"!"

[twibeast]

[ .............. ]

Pardon?

[cancrymods]

"BBQ and Foot Massage-While-U-Wait!"

She says it in the exact same breezy, cheery tone as if she hasn't just said something deeply, intensely cursed.

[twibeast]

I... I see.

[ Okay. Just. Recollect yourself. ]

I... shall be sure to head there post haste to see what I can find.

You have been most helpful, my lady. You have my thanks.

[cancrymods]

"Do you know where it is?" She doesn't even give him a chance to respond before she hurries on, all in an excited rush. "I'll come too, so I can show you the way! It's important for you to get to the right place, isn't it?"

And also, it's absolutely transparent she doesn't want to miss out on any more of this murder mystery nonsense.

[twibeast]

Ah-

[ Uh oh ]

Are... Are you sure, my lady? I hate to take up more of your time or get you too involved...