confrontation.

[cancrymods]

It's time.

Esme has been doing her level best to make sure everyone in Invidia knows about their little competition, so it shouldn't be a surprise to see that the mall is absolutely overflowing with devoted fans today, all eager to see the outcome of this "friendly" competition between performers. Thankfully, Esme has been unusually sportsmanlike and deigned to release a schedule of the event beforehand, so you're not just going in blind. Esme and Idol-ON will perform two songs each and then hold a question and answer session with the audience, after which a vote will be held – and whoever has the most votes by the end of the show will be declared Invidia's newest top idols.

Sounds simple, right? Right.

You've all been given a private room out of the way of the crowds, with some time to spare before the event itself starts. Time for some last minute rehearsal, some last minute panicking, some last minute... sabotage? Well, Esme's probably not going to play fair, so why should you?

Comments

AND THE RESULTS ARE...

[cancrymods]

So the show has been, uh... interesting! Between Chiron very very definitely not cheating on the girls' behalf and dropping some psychological warfare, Monarch's outburst and Medic's lit rap solo, combined with Alice's presence, the gang have done a number on Esme's composure. With her perfect idol facade shattered, it's made for prime conspiracy fodder on Caw, as well as a few memes already because the internet will always be the internet, even in Purgatory.

But finally, the votes close. There's a few awkward minutes on stage while the votes are being counted and then Alice, with a beaming smile on her face steps up to announce the winners.

"And the new top idols of Invidia are... our newcomers, Idol-ON! Please give them a big round of applause to welcome them in!"

Thanks for the vote manipulation, Chiron!

The crowd erupts into cheering, but more prominent than the noise – for the Executors, at least – is a sudden feeling of the world shifting and tilting under them. It's not quite a physical sensation but it's harsh enough to make you dizzy for just a second. When the sensation eases, things don't look any different... except for the members of Idol-ON, who will find the world suddenly looks... sharper and clearer almost, though the difference is impossible to put into words. The change seems to have been felt by Esme as well, who has gone deathly white. Her teeth are gritted so hard it looks like they might crack and... Alice just beams at her.

"So then, Esme, do you have anything to say to these newcomers, as the former top idol yourself?" Esme takes a few steps back, and Alice closes in on her, still smiling that horrible smile the whole way. "No words for your successors? Nothing for your loyal fans? Not even a goodbye? Don't you have anything to say, former top idol?"

What follows happens so fast, you could blink and miss it.

Esme lunges for Alice, her expression twisted a dark and ugly rage, but even as her hands reach for Alice's throat, there's a deep resonant rumble from deep in the stage. Everything starts to shake like the very foundations of Invidia itself are quaking and then with a huge snap, a massive fissure rips itself open in the very center of the stage. Quite understandably, this causes a panic in the crowd who take this as their cue to get the hell out of dodge, making for the exit in a sort of restrained stampede.

When the chaos dies down, all that's left is the Executors, a very shaken Alice and the massive fissure in the middle of the stage that's begun to leak a sickly looking green light.

Esme is nowhere to be seen. Unlike her prior vanishing acts though, the girls of Idol-ON will find they have a new and very pointed sense that Esme is no longer in Invidia. Somehow, the sense is that she's further down somewhere and... well, there's only one way down that you can see right now, isn't there?

If you dare to peek into the fissure, you'll see a very familiar set of stairs leading down into the light and you realize... oh. It's not a sheer drop at all. It's an entrance.

AUTHORITY RECLAIMED

INVIDIA UNDERSIDE UNLOCKED.

[twibeast]

[ Beast is on his feet and rushing to the stage with harp materialized even as he saw Esme going for Alice’s throat, his wings even spreading out to knock away anyone that might get in his way (sorry specters and maybe even Dimitri). The rumble and stampede hinders him for a moment, but when the chaos has died down he has finally made it to the stage.

He wants to go to Rei out of protective instinct, but Alice was the one Esme went for, so the logical part of his brain makes him put aside his emotional part and go to her side first. ]

Is everyone all right?!

[discutio]

Good work, Chiron. Is everything alright on your side?

[It sounded like Beast had the Alice situation in hand, leaving Phoenix to come to the stage closer to the rest of the girls. He wasn't quite sure what in the hell just happened, but it sounded like a net positive.]

...What happened to Esme?

[phantasmagorial]

She– she just disappeared, I think?

[ Rei absolutely has the energy right now of someone who is just barely holding their shit together, which is a pretty good improvement on her track record. Character development! ]

She's not here, though. I'm... not sure how I can tell but she's definitely not in Invidia anymore. I think she might be in the Underside, if the feeling I'm getting is right.

[discutio]

Somehow, I can't say that surprises me.

[Phoenix put a light hand on her shoulder, not saying much more to the tune of 'figures it wouldn't be that easy'.]

It's alright--you all did perfectly.

[phantasmagorial]

[ Rei just– doubles over with her hands on her knees and sort of. Deflates with relief. ]

I'm never ever doing anything like this again! It was even worse than fighting a Revenant!

[discutio]

I'm sorry we asked so much of you. At least it's worked, to...some degree of success.

[phantasmagorial]

I'll forgive you, just so long as you never, ever make me get up on a stage like that ever again.

[schardynfreude]

The very ground beneath me didn't crack wide open, so presumably I'm better on my side than on yours.

[the fuck even happened should he be worried]

[discutio]

I think we might all be in one piece here. Esme's apparently vanished to almost certainly be a problem later.

[schardynfreude]

I can't wait to say hello to her again! I've a head that needs collecting after all.

Are we storming the castle, as it were, or regrouping elsewhere?

[discutio]

I think it the wiser choice to rest and strategize first, the castle's not likely to go anywhere immediately.

[schardynfreude]

Too right. I'm simply glad no authorities of any kind came to kick in my door, but certainly the girls need some time to rest and recoup.

[cancrymods]

[ Alice looks pretty shaken up, understandably, but she nods. ]

I'm alright – she didn't manage to get her hands on me before she...

[ She trails off and wrinkles her brow. ]

Um. What exactly happened to her?

[twibeast]

I’m... not entirely sure, I’m afraid. But she’s gone either way.

[ A pause as he thinks. ]

...You did fantastic, Lady Alice - we really could not have done this without you. From here on out the rest of this is on us now.

[cancrymods]

[ Alice gives him a weary smile. ]

I don't really know how, but I get the feeling it's in good hands. I'll leave it up to you.

[ But then her expression grows a little more somber. ]

And... if you manage to find her again... will you ask her something for me?

[twibeast]

Of course. What is it?

[cancrymods]

... ask her why she did what she did to us. Maybe it's naive of me but I really did think we were all friends back then. I just want to try and understand why she turned out the way she did.

[twibeast]

...All right. I shall try and do so, my lady.

Re: AND THE RESULTS ARE...

[pride_of_amarcia]

...

[It takes Brainiac a good minute after everything to regain her composure, having promptly dove under a table when the shaking started.]

Uh. That's. A lot that just happened? I'm going to need a bit to process everything.

Anyone else feel like the entire area's... Different, somehow?

[ourtomorrow]

A feeling that the area's "different"?

[ Oh look it's the kid who had screamed himself hoarse from the audience during the Q&A, climbing up onto the stage to investigate instead of evacuating like everybody else. ]

Beyond the earthquake?

[pride_of_amarcia]

Y-yeah, it's sorta like... I dunno, the whole place looks a bit less, uh, foggy maybe?

How do I put it... Eh, maybe that can wait actually.

[She glances at the fissure.]

That's a heck of an exit...

[ourtomorrow]

I can't feel a thing.

[ That's murmured more to himself, though it's not like he's trying to make sure she doesn't hear. Just lost in thought.

He peers down in. And begins to move towards the stairs. ] Let's go.

[ They have their next objective, right? It seems pretty clear. Obviously the thing to do is immediately pursue this.

Why would this not be the sensible move? ]

[pride_of_amarcia]

[And that's Brainiac just stepping up and lightly grabbing his collar to stop him.]

I don't know about you, but I'm not exactly ready to go full Executor mode, and I doubt the rest of the band is, either. Let's wait until we're ready to go as a crew, all right?

[ourtomorrow]

[ whoa suddenly stopped ]

But--

[ He turns, and then the fullness of what she's saying sinks in. That's right. All he had to do was stand in the audience and look around. But everyone else.....

Monarch looks down, ashamed of himself. ]