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

[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.

[ourtomorrow]

[ A nod. If Chiron hadn't done that...

Well, if Chiron hadn't done that, Monarch wouldn't be an unsettled mess right now, but that's way less important than literally everything else, obviously. ] Will the Spectres here be able to move on when they're ready, now?

[ He is so new, he does not know how all of this works. They transferred Authority, right? And obviously, their next step was laid out for them rather, ah, plainly.

But what about everybody else? ]

[schardynfreude]

You know, I'm not actually certain. To the next level, perhaps - or maybe it's a case that the whole thing needs to be fixed before they can.

It's likely that we'll have to do some fighting and clear out the next one, however. That's what we had to do last time.

[ourtomorrow]

[ No firm answers, but a next step. He'll take it. ]

I'll be ready.

[ Come to think of it, he hasn't had a chance to learn what he can do yet, has he....? Maybe he should...do that....before they have to fight...

Serious (not so) small child does not realize the solemnity of his gaze is offset by his continuing to hold his partially-eaten sandwich. ]

[schardynfreude]

You don't have to be ready just now. Get comfortable, eat something, get some rest, try out your powers, make some friends! We're not storming any castles but for this one, and it ought to be terribly empty of enemies.

[ourtomorrow]

Mm.

[ He has time to practice, then. And also to calm down. To approach this with a clear head. That's good. ]

Thank you...for the food.

[ And the advice. He tries to take a larger bite this time. It'll be all right. Whatever had bothered him.....He doesn't have to figure it out right away.

Except. He looks thoughtful. ]

[schardynfreude]

[One of these days he won't give into the urge to lay a hand on one of the kids, but today is not that day. He's tall for a child, but still very much a child, and Chiron pats his head, ruffling up his hair a bit.]

I have to wonder if you were this serious in life.

[ourtomorrow]

[ What is...happening? Hair ruffle?

Hair ruffle. Huh. Monarch is snapped out of said serious mode by having no idea what is going on. ]

...Eh?

[schardynfreude]

Dear, you look years older than I imagine you are like there are several deeply troubling things on your mind.

[ourtomorrow]

[ Monarch nods. He can't deny that. And Chiron....Chiron called Rei for him, didn't he? So maybe it's okay to confide in him. ]

During the performance, the footage unsettled me. I hadn't been there to witness what Esme was capable of, and it helped me understand why we had to defeat her, no matter what.

But after. She said her motivation was to become the top idol...because she loved it.

[ He chokes. ] It made me so angry. And I don't know why.

[ That's the part he sounds scared of. ]

[schardynfreude]

...It's something awful about not having memories. There still seems to be something there. Her attitude resonated with that thing in you, in the empty spot of it.

[His hand goes to Monarch's shoulder, giving a squeeze.] I wish I had something comforting to say, but know that you are not the only one who feels a certain way, surprising even ourselves, for reasons we don't know or understand.

[ourtomorrow]

[ More touch. Monarch looks up at Chiron, seeking certainty. ]

Then, the person I used to be....

[ This would have bothered his living self, too? Even if he doesn't understand the source? ]

[schardynfreude]

Is someone you'll have to rediscover on your own.

[He'd like to. He'd like to offer any kind of certainty, but in a situation like this, it would be a lie. Which would be worse. They can make conjecture, assumptions, well thought out and with something to back it, but nothing that could be labeled as certainty.]

[ourtomorrow]

[ Monarch's head lowers - less disappointed than thoughtful. It might not be what he'd wanted to hear, but he sees the sense in this reply.

And it is...nice, to know that this happens to everybody. They may respond to different things in different ways, but at least he knows there IS a reason he might get inexplicably upset sometimes. He just doesn't know enough about himself to put the pieces together. ]

I understand.

[schardynfreude]

[Chiron chuckles.] Do you? You'll have to explain it to me. I scarcely understand anything going on around me these odd dead days.

[ourtomorrow]

But we move forward anyway.

[ A pause. In case he has drawn unintended conclusions from this conversation. ]

Right?

[schardynfreude]

Indeed we do. We move forward, and we hopefully learn something along the way.

[ourtomorrow]

All right.

[ Monarch nods, which draws his attention back to the fact that he has been standing here holding a perfectly good sandwich without eating much of it.

He will demonstrate he has learned from this conversation by taking another bite. ]