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

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! ]

[schardynfreude]

I brought food! [He's so clever, see! It's not much of a sandwich, premade thing from a conbini, but he offers it up.] If you'd like to do a bit of refueling.

[ourtomorrow]

[ Monarch's hands go up in polite protest. That's Chiron's sandwich! If he eats Chiron's sandwich, then Chiron has no sandwich, and it will be his fault. ]

....I didn't think of it, so I shouldn't...

[schardynfreude]

Nonsense. If you want some food, go ahead. I brought a few things, and I'll not miss it.

[ourtomorrow]

[ He's not sure if he wants food, exactly, but there's something about being offered it that's....comforting?

So Monarch reaches for it. ] Thanks.

[ Tiny bites of sandwich are go. ]

[schardynfreude]

[It's a start. And they don't have to talk about the outburst. Not directly. Obliquely, hm...]

How are you settling in? Recent excitement aside. I realize that quite a bit got thrown at you, as we were in the middle of- Well. [All Of That.]

[ourtomorrow]

I'm catching up. The girls were very brave.

[ Getting up there and smiling for everyone. He can't really say he knows anybody too well yet, but they did something he can't imagine doing. Certainly not while knowing Esme had...

If he thinks about that he's not going to be able to hold a conversation. ]

[schardynfreude]

Exceptionally so. And that's why we aren't all going to run down into the next level and straight into whatever awaits us right away. Gives them time to catch their breath!

And ransack this place. Or make it our own. Both. Either way.

Thankfully, disruptions all seemed to put everything in our favor. You were very vehement.

[ourtomorrow]

[ or he could need to figure out how to hold this conversation, that could also occur

Monarch takes a slightly larger bite of his sandwich and chews to buy himself some time, but he does nod. Finally, when he swallows: ]

Did you insert that footage?

[ He doesn't feel the need to specify. ]

[schardynfreude]

[There it is! There it is. Part of him is that sickening mix of giddy and flippant like he'd felt about Kingslayer's antics. But...the children. He'd been the one to say to Phoenix that they could not show the children, period.

He looks away, feigning(?) keeping an eye out for his bird friend.]

It seemed prudent to use everything at our disposal.

[In other words: yes.]

[ourtomorrow]

Ah.

[ Monarch considers this.

Then, in a role reversal, he looks straight at Chiron and decides: ]

It was a good decision.

[schardynfreude]

Mm? [Fine, that gets his attention back with a single cocked eyebrow.] Well, I certainly like to think so. It was all a bit dramatic, but it helped, I think.

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.