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

Our House, In The Middle Of The Street (toplevel for exploring Esme's place)

[mementomoritz]

[So, that sure was a lot.]

[Medic, being extremely herself, isn't particularly put off by the whole event- no one she liked got hurt, and there's a lot of fun new scientific data to go over. As far as she's concerned, everything's fine.]

[And speaking of scientific data, she's very curious about what might be hidden in Esme's house. So after changing out of her Idol Cure costume, she's going to be going down there and poking around. ...and probably appropriating Esme's remaining poison supplies for science purposes, because that's just how she do.]

[Fortunately, she at least announced her intentions on the group chat beforehand, so anyone who wants to join her in investigating the place has some advance warning.]

[discutio]

[Clearly the best investigation partner is the braincell to Medic's eyes.]

...Come to think of it, where did she get poison like that?

[mementomoritz]

[Cheerfully:]

I think some of it might have involved Revenant pneuma! I couldn't recreate it in laboratory conditions, though, so there's definitely other components involved. [Because that's not worrying at all.]

There were actually some fascinating structural similarities to certain types of snake venom, but I haven't found any snakes around here... [And believe her, she looked.]

[discutio]

That's...moderately unsettling implications, actually.

[...snake revenant? probably.]

[pride_of_amarcia]

[And join in Brainiac does!]

... So, like, is this place ours now? And, uh, do we have to keep being in idol mode while we're in here?

[... These may not be the most important questions. But Brainiac's going to figure them out, damn it!]

[schardynfreude]

Mm, I don't see anyone else stepping up to stake their claim. I'm going to just go ahead and presume this is a case of finder's keepers.

[pride_of_amarcia]

I mean, fair.

Unless, like, it's Idol-ON's lair as the New Top Idols Of The City?

Is there rules for how this works we need to find?

[schardynfreude]

Seems more a question for Rei, and even then, I am not certain she knows better than the rest of us.

I say wing it and figure it out on your own. Seems the best, perhaps the only option at the moment.

[pride_of_amarcia]

Eh, you're probably right.

Hopefully she didn't, like, trap the couch or anything.

[schardynfreude]

Sounds like cause for investigation! Just to be safe. One needs to make sure the couch is safe for all who would lay on it for a catnap. [does he mean himself he might mean himself]

outside

[schardynfreude]

[Chiron absoLUTELY has had his eye on taking this place since he and Mona gazed upon its ridiculous size. And he can hardly wait to check it all out and liven it up and make sure nothing else is gods damned poisoned or anything, etc etc.

BUT FIRST

He would like to see if the peacock friend is still around! He gives a little whistle and shakes a bag of, well, goodies to eat, of some kind--it's not exactly bird food but he doesn't know what the fuck a peacock eats he doesn't even know what it is other than birb.]

Come on out, beautiful~!

[is birdfriend of many noises even still here :( ]

[ourtomorrow]

...what are you doing, Chiron-san?

[ Monarch has also come to poke around. This is his first time here so everything is a potential Clue to his eyes.

And he has absolutely no idea what the kind gentleman who summoned Rei for him is up to now. ]

[schardynfreude]

Trying to make a potential new friend. [He huffs a little, straightening up.]

When last we were here- which was once- there was a very colorful bird who made a variety of noises acting as, hm, something of a guard, I suppose. And I want to know if it's still around.

[You know. Normal things. He glances down at Monarch.]

You gave quite a performance earlier. How are you doing?

[ourtomorrow]

Ah.....

[ Which part of this - the bird or the reference to Monarch's acting up - is he replying to? Yes.

Monarch struggles not to have a reaction to thinking back. ]

--I'm fine. [ He is not fine. ] More importantly, is it all right for us to be here instead of looking for Esme?

[schardynfreude]

Nobody's going to stop us, and I think everyone could use a break. Esme is...well, who knows, really? For now, she isn't our problem.

Would you like a sandwich? [It's. it's in the bag. Okay. Maybe a bird wants a sandwich. This is him thinking Monarch may not be fine but doesn't want to ask the question again.]

[ourtomorrow]

...You brought food?

[ Possibly not-okay child: Distracted!

By confusion and not by hunger, but still! ]

you know what, fuck it

[twibeast]

[ Hello yes, you were looking for a beautiful bird? Oh not this one? Well too bad because he’s over here now anyway. ]

Ah- are you looking for that strange peacock from before?

[ He is trying not to eye the bag of goodies but he is definitely eyeing the bag of goodies now and then. ]

[schardynfreude]

No, clearly you're the gorgeous bird I was encouraging to come out~

[He laughs and makes a motion to the expansive yardage about them.] I do hope it hasn't run off now that its master is gone.

[twibeast]

[ Okay that gets a laugh out of him as well. He looks over the yard as Chiron motions to it. ]

Or outright vanished like an unneeded familiar... I do wonder if it was connected to her powers or some such.

[ Authority sounds bonkers, making animals out of thin air sounds legit enough. ]

[schardynfreude]

I'll find out soon enough. Pretty thing of many colors and noises. Surely it might get hungry at some point and come looking, if it's around. And then give it a thorough petting.

[cancrymods]

[ For a heartbreaking moment, it really does seem like birdfriend might have ollied out with Esme... but Chiron's persistence will eventually be rewarded by the sound of a warbling meow that is Definitely Not a cat before birdfriend itself deigns to reappear and starts pecking rather insistently at his clothes. Surrender Food. ]

[schardynfreude]

Goodness, yes, hold on, you poor starving beast!

[He has procured some relatively normal conbini sammiches. And some greens! They're not...he's pretty sure it's not The Right Greens but this also isn't a chocobo, so, there's some carbs and some lettuce n shit you little shit.] What a neglected dear you are.

[cancrymods]

[ It just sort of hworfs down carb and greens alike with no apparent difficulty or distaste for either. It's... entirely possible that this weird bird will just eat whatever you give it. ]

[schardynfreude]

...I have to wonder what you are. If animals do not seem to come here, perhaps you're just a construct of some kind. Perhaps she made you because she knew something like you existed, but not the particulars beyond looks.

[Yes, he's talking to himself via weird bird. Weird bird also needs pets. He's very happy to give pets and attention.]

You're terribly handsome no matter how you came to be.

[emberserker]

I should hope she hasn't set deathtraps in here. Then again, she seemed so sure that the lure she set for us on stage would do us in that I doubt she ever thought she'd have a chance to lose.