Act 1, Scene 1: Thing 1

[opening_act]

[ A notification on your phone goes off, letting you know the purchase of your meeting with Exael has gone through.

There is an attachment. Where are you, when you open it? ]

Comments

[opening_act]

[ also, you have texts from B:

yo c look at this messed up stuff

It's photographs of... Tokyo-F? Almost tokyo-F. The buildings are the same shape as Tokyo-F's highrises at ground level, but if you look up they start to contort, spiraling.

Then there's another photograph, this one of the ground. The cement in the road has broken away to show slick black smooth material on the ground where it's cracked away. ]

[opening_act]

[ B has sent you another picture

This picture is of a building not in your Shinjuku. The second story up, it is covered in fragmentary display screens, between stained glass. The scene looks like a giant game, a board set up according to rules you don't know— and some of this glass is clear, not stained with color. Maybe fifty uncolored orbs, surround panels made to look like doors, little windows into the games you've played!

It's a movie theater. There's a lot of figures around it, it seems pretty popular. ]

[opening_act]

[ another message from B

go straight to exael or secuirty will come for you lol oops I'm fine ]

[neigh_sayer]

[THOSE ARE SOME WORRYING TEXTS FROM B. But when C opens the main notification attachment, he's camped out atop one of the abandoned buildings--he was idly putting together some monstrosity or another, as he tends to do.]

[opening_act]

[ The attachment is a map!

It looks like Exael wants to meet you inside one of the empty buildings, not too far from the hotel. ]

[neigh_sayer]

Oh boy, going off to meet a mysterious entity on my lonesome at a place of their choosing surely won't end badly at all! How fun.

[which is to say, sliding off the roof and gonna go do just that, following the map]

[opening_act]

[ C knows what's up!!

also what's down. The concrete beneath the building he was on is uneven, fractured. Through the cracks he can see the same solid black that was in the pictures B sent him ]

[neigh_sayer]

[HMMMMMM p sure they would have noticed those at some point!! looks around as he goes, hopping over cracks. has anything else in the neighborhood suddenly changed?]

[opening_act]

[ The tops of the nearby high-rises look crooked. Some of the windows have been replaced with stained glass. ]

[neigh_sayer]

[N E A T well that explains B's pictures. Stillll walking]

Did we just step through a warp zone or something. . .[calls out, despite having th emap] Are we there yet? This is a lot of walking.

[opening_act]

[ it sure is!!

Is he going to go exploring, or just head straight to destination? ]

[neigh_sayer]

[GOING STRAIGHT despite curiosity, is assuming B is not fucking with him]

[opening_act]

[ You arrive in the place indicated on the map.

You are in Shinjuku, still. A Shinjuku busier, brighter, controrted. Shinjuku as you've never known it. Everything glows, every last window blazing with kaledescopic light, wrought iron and stained glass in all the windows. In the shadows cast from the light, the street is now filled with those who aren't quite occupying the same space as you-- black outlines that jostle you with their heat as they go past, like walking past a furnace but without tangibility you can reach out and touch. Their silhouettes are something like people. The sky shudders with stars-- none of them still in their celestial orbits. Your stomach lurches to look up, to look at any of it.

There is a television on, somewhere. You hear singing, and a broadcasting of what sounds like a bit of the last game.

Directly in front of you is the building Exael's map directed you to, though it's not empty now. The elevator waits for you, and brings you up to a fully furnished floor. It seems like this is an apartment building, and she gave you the address to her apartment. Are you knocking or just barging in? ]

[neigh_sayer]

[UUUUUUUH....

at first he stops; this is a bit more jarring than having a holographic crowd around, like at the Obon festival. He kinda finds himself unconsciously trying to dodge every ghostly figure that nearly walks by or through him. The TV's interesting but he's all about getting out of this freaky crowd now. So into the building we go.

. . .

Just sort of awkwardly rocks back and forth on his heels on the elevator hm, hm. No screens or anything??

But when he arrives, well. It's not like he knows it's hers, so he calls out annoyingly, along with a bit of obnoxious knocking]

Helloooo? Is anyone home? I'm here for an appointment I think? Or selling candy or lost or checking to see if you're home so I can rob you, whatever answer gets you to the door faster.

[opening_act]

[ silence

silence

silence

oh no wait He hears a loud THUD

and then the sound of someone kind of scrambling and Exael opens the door ]

You're late.

[neigh_sayer]

[oh

well shit

kind of stares for a moment, was not actually expecting a person, let alone Exael for reals.

He puts his hands up innocently]

My bad! This was kind of last minute and the crowds are cur-raaazy out there. Had to fight my way through.

So uuuum. . .can I come in?

[opening_act]

Hallways are awkward for conversation~

[ she opens the door wider to let him into her apartment.

It's cavernous, which isn't a descriptor you'd expect to apply to any apartment in any Tokyo, but there you go. She has her ceiling tented with fabric and the walls, alternating wide pastel stripes, a trapeze (why), a wall that's pink neon signs and lava lamps, and out her window is a view of the place you were just at before— those spires and stars are distinctive.

She looks a little worse for wear. She's got a bloody lip, gold ichor crusted at the side, and her skin seems kind of see-through luminescent in places. Maybe they're bruises. ]

[neigh_sayer]

[Only hesitates for a second, then hops on in, immediately taking in the surroundings. His eyes go wide, obviously impressed]

Woooah, it's like a circus tent in here! Is that your theme or whateve--

[he looks back as he says that, now just really taking in her appearance. Ah. He spins on a heel, fully facing her]

Aha, sorry, got excited. No offense, but you look kind of a mess. Are we the only ones here?

[opening_act]

[ nodnods, her pigtails bobbing at it being like a circus tent ]

Right! We are. I had some other guests earlier, but you probably knew that.

[neigh_sayer]

Mmhm~! I got some texts from B. But I thought we'd all be here together. . .oh well, it'll be funny seeing how frustrated Intensity is later.

Sooo, I guess it's time for the show to start, huh? I guess I should ask if there's any rules or whatnot. Oh, would it be rude of me to ask for snacks?

[opening_act]

I have snacks!

[ Going to go most aside some of that draped cloth to go pilfer a cabinet. She tosses out like, dried squid, a jar of konpeito, pretz, a bag of hichew onto a pile of pillows she has set out in lieu of any chairs. . . None of this goes well together. She also apparently doesn't believe in chairs, if you want to sit it's the pillow pile, floor, or the trapeze. ]

The rules are, you ask what you want and I'll answer what I want!

[neigh_sayer]

[........................his new fave. GONNA FLOP ON THOSE PILLOWS and going for a bag]

Thanks~! Neeheehee, you're really generous! I could get used to this. . .

But oops, that's skipping ahead. O-kay! I guess I'll just get some paranoia out of the way. Is this meeting sponsored, or are you personally getting something out of this interview? It was basically phone ordered, so it's not exactly secret, right? Don't tell me you were just lonely.

[opening_act]

I think if I give you info now, you're more likely to do what I want later! We'll see how it turns out.

[ She'll go plop down next to him. ]

[neigh_sayer]

[CIRCUS SLEEP OVER!!! offers her one of her own hichew]

Ooh, you're playing for long term! Fair enough.

Well, next on the agenda is who scuffed up that cute face of yours? I could help clean it up, if you want! [a mini gasp] Should we be worried, too?

[opening_act]

It's already pretty healed.

[Shakes her head as she takes one of her own hi-chew and unwraps it. ]

If you're not already worried about Azzy, he's been doing something wrong!

[neigh_sayer]

Maybe I just wanted an excuse to mess with circus make up?

[rolls on his back, looking over the snack bags]

Oh, he's obviously bad. Like a mysterious final boss, looming over us! I just wanted a gauge on how stressed we should be in the immediate future, y'know? Like, how many midbosses did we need to worry about, or if there are dozen more Mukuru we gotta listen to first. Or if we're gonna be shipped out to a glue factory for not being entertaining enough. . . [sighs]

There's no way it's just you guys only, right?

[opening_act]

Just because we're face talent doesn't mean there's not more people on crew. We're not the biggest deal, but we're not super tiny either. It was a big deal to get to requisition Tokyo F from Bel's people.

[neigh_sayer]

[side glance at her, thinking on B's pics]

Bel?

And I don't like the implication that we AREN'T a big deal, wow. Are you gonna tell me we're just one show among many?

[opening_act]

No, just that there's more things in heaven and earth than dreamt of in that philosophy! But we're the only show like this.

[neigh_sayer]

Well that's a bit vague! And did I miss the memo on Bel? Are their people even higher up on the food chain than Azzy? How scary.

[opening_act]

It's not really higher up. [ flaps a hand and takes another high chew, this one not to upwrap but to toss up and snatch it out of the air ]

But like Bel is a scientist! Bel does science, not idols. That doesn't make Bel higher up than Azzy.

[neigh_sayer]

[takes out a squid on a stick]

So like, a whole different department, huh? Are there a bunch of those?

Oh, but you said you guys got this place--er, or where ever we are--from her people. Were we part of that deal, or did you scoop us up after the property was acquired?

[opening_act]

After this round's proposal went through, that's when we got Tokyo-F! But the proposal wasn't that detailed. You weren't scouted until after.

[neigh_sayer]

Well, well, lucky us. Was it the same for you? A bunch of big wigs picked a location, then recruited you?

That is, assuming you went through this performative bull too. Oooor, are you still. . .? [gestures around them THIS IS PRETTY THEMED, GIRL]

[opening_act]

It's good to have something to hold on to.

My round was far back enough that a lot of it doesn't apply to the new one.

[neigh_sayer]

Even if that something is fake, I guess.

Wooow, how old are you? Neeheehee, oops that might be too sensitive. For reals question, for the guys back home. . .I wanted to know more about this Bel, cuz we wanted to know if there's anyone else we can trust.

Well, trust with quotations around it.

Is there anyone else like that? Or anyone you trust?

[opening_act]

Trusting Bel is just as bad as trusting Azzy.

[neigh_sayer]

Yikes. So that's a no go on anyone but you. . .

Welp, I tried! Now it's time for super duper selfish questions I don't really care if the others want asked or not! [ROLLS ON THE PILLOWS, propping his chin up as he chews on a snack]

So level with me, do we have like any chance of going back where ever we came from? Cuz memories are a pain, and I wouldn't mind another reason not to deal with them if I don't have to.

[opening_act]

[ leans forward so her face is really close. ]

If you turn down your graduation gift.

[opening_act]

[ And then, somersaulting down the pillow pile to hop up to her feet ]

But if you don't want to, then I guess that's okay.

[neigh_sayer]

[;;;; whew]

[sitting up, thinking on that]



What do you want us to do? [a beat] Wait, let me guess, our best?

[opening_act]

Right, that! You get it.

[neigh_sayer]

I'm a fast learner!

[sliding on down]

Hmmm, well, I'm just about tapped out. . .I guess my last questions would beeeee. . .

Is there anything you wanna tell me?




And also can I keep a bag of these snacks?

[opening_act]

My advice is to remember your Job!

You can keep one, unless it's the hi-chew.

[neigh_sayer]

Isn't our job simply to entertain? But hi-chew it is.

[opening_act]

Your Job! The emphasis and pronunciation are important.

[ also she is going to go hoist herself back up to her trapeze swing seat and keep the hi-chew with her, except for the one she's throwing down at Ouma's head ]

Nope, wrong answer!

[neigh_sayer]

[ow! rude! but he laughs]

Worth a try!

[rubs his head, picking it up and the squid sticks instead, gosh. But he pauses, thinking on what she said before heading to her door]

Mmm. Well, thanks, this was fun! I hope we can hang out again sometimes, Miss Exael.

Bye bye.

[opening_act]

Bye-bye! Enjoy your squid!

[ She waves as he leaves.

When he goes down through the elevator, the street level is once again the empty Tokyo-F. ]

[neigh_sayer]

[weird]

[oh well gonna text B. I GOT SNACKS, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED]