cancry | confrontation.

confrontation.

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?

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[ Drat, it didn't work. And she's insistent about it, too. Why....? Because she's the leader, like she says? But he's the one responsible for his own condition. He's the one who's let himself down.

Monarch screws up his face beneath the mask. He doesn't want to cause problems for her....Or maybe that's a front. Maybe all that's going on is that he doesn't want to admit how unsettled he is, because that involves admitting how lost he feels.

But there's no way out when cornered like this, is there. ]

Mm.

Right.

[ She lets the two of them sit in silence for a moment – if Monarch isn't happy for her to be here, she assumes he'll let her know somehow. When he makes no move to leave, she continues. ]

It was for me, when everyone started waking up. I'd been so sure that I'd be alone while I was here and then all of a sudden, there were so many people I didn't know and so many new things to worry about... I really didn't know what to do.

You didn't know we'd start to awaken?

[ This surprises Monarch enough that he is now more interested in hearing about Rei's situation than wallowing in his own. She has the ability to make Executors, so he figured she understood the most of everyone....

But maybe understanding the most doesn't mean understanding everything. ]

Not until they all turned up when I was in the middle of fighting a Revenant. I don't think I've ever been that scared before.

[ Executors have been giving her heart palpitations since hour zero, huh. ]

But... I'm still glad they showed up.

So that's what happened.

[ And it also implies lots of people awoke, or found each other, at the same time. This is intriguing but not something he really feels at the luxury to consider, currently. ]

I'm self-centered. [ This is a conclusion he has just reached about himself. ] You've all been doing this longer than me, and are facing the same struggles.....I keep losing sight of that.

[ Maybe that means he can ask Rei the big question on his mind, too. ]

[ Rei's brow creases and her expression becomes what's unmistakably a frown. ]

... Is that really what you think? That... having those worries makes you self-centered?

[ That's... really concerning!!! ]

Doesn't it?

[ He seems confused. ]

I'm only considering myself, as if I'm the only exceptional one....

Of course it doesn't. If you don't consider yourself first, then who will?

[ A pause, as she rewinds that in her head and realizes how callous it sounds then she stumbles to correct her words. ]

Ah, no– w–what I mean is... Monarch, we'll always be here to help you. That's what it means to be an Executor with us. But... only you know what sort of things are going on in your head and your heart.

"What sort of things...."

[ Huh. He...thinks he follows. He's got to consider himself, because...he's in the....best position to do so? ]

I see. Even though I know next to nothing about myself, I still know how I feel. It might be similar to others' - but it's mine.

Exactly. At the end of the day, the person who knows how to take care of your own heart best is you.

[ ... you can tell she's been watching too much cheesy idol stuff because she just trotted that out without flinching. ]

[ and you can tell he's a sap because he absorbs it in full sincerity ]

I have to take care of my heart.

[ He even puts a hand over said (physical) heart while he lets that thought settle, arranges things to make room for it. It feels like the sort of thing he can use to guide himself forward - it gives him purpose, reason. It makes himself his own reason.

That's...kind of overwhelming yet also incredible. ]

Mmhm. Once you have your heart taken care of, then everything else should fall into place a little more easily. That's what I think, anyway.

[ She laughs a little dryly. ]

Of course, that's a lot easier said than done, especially considering where we are right now...

[ Death Jokes! ]

That's true.

[ Whether he got the joke or not remains to be seen, but he takes a deep breath and dismisses his uniform, so - maybe?

And here's a small, shy smile for Rei. ]

Thanks. I'm not sure I know my heart well yet - but I'll learn.

[ There, that's better. The cape and the visor of his Executor form seem at once ill-fitting and perfectly suited to him all at once but after a talk like that, it's a relief to just see his real face with a smile on it. ]

We're all still learning. But that's the best part of there being so many of us... we can all learn together.

[ She gives him a smile. ]

Um... have you eaten anything yet? Phoenix has been cooking up something for us all to eat now things have calmed down a little.

[ Oh, this is actually something he can answer! In the affirmative!

Monarch brightens, though a good portion of that is from being included. He's found he really likes it when people include him in "we" or "us", for some reason. ] I had a sandwich. Chiron-san comes prepared, doesn't he.

[ So many capable adults.....! ]

That's Chiron for you. It's sort of a relief we've got so many people who can be a little more responsible than us, right?

[ The comedy of Rei herself saying this to Monarch of all people is apparently lost on her. ]

I'm just glad you're starting to settle in with us.

[ It's....okay to let people be more responsible than him? Rei is full of all these unusual new ideas that Monarch's going to have to think about.

But it is true, having dependable adults around is reassuring. As is... ]

You're a responsible person too, Rei-san.

Well, I'm trying my best to be, anyway. I think... it's the least I can do when I've had to ask for help from so many people. Even if I can't be a real leader, I'm responsible for everyone being here. So I want to look out for them.

A real leader?

[ Now she's lost him again. Isn't she just that? She made them all Executors, and although she's just as confused as they are, she looks out for them anyway.... ]

Mmhm. Right.

[ She nods, like just saying it fully explains what she's going for. ]

I have to be able to help them in some way, after all.

[ "In some way".....So she doesn't see it? ]

You help everyone just by being who you are, Rei-san.

[ She keeps confusing him today, but he's pretty sure he's not wrong this time.

Probably. ]

[ She looks a little caught between being pleased and being embarrassed, but the former apparently wins out enough that she gives Monarch a little smile. ]

Mm. Well, if being myself is what helps, then I'm glad to do it.

Let's do our best to support each other.

[ Smile attempt? But really, this is the least he can do after all she's offered to him. Monarch has a very high opinion of Rei. If it's possible for him to help her, too, he thinks that would make him happy. ]

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