Act 1, Scene 1: #99

[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

[rollwithdisadvantage]

[Shinjuku Gyoen. He's sitting on a railing of a bridge.]

Thought CEO was going to handle all the logistics.

[Opens the attachment.]

[opening_act]

[ the attachment contains a map leading you southwest of Shinjuku Gyoen.

You see fireflies on the paths through the gardens, clusters of light bright enough to seem to dim the air around them. Since when has Shinjuku had fireflies? ]

[rollwithdisadvantage]

[Yep. That sure is weird. Following the path of fireflies.]

[opening_act]

[ Even if that's not where the map indicates he should go? ]

[rollwithdisadvantage]

[Oops. What is reading comprehension? Nah. He follows the map.]

[opening_act]

[ nah it's okay the flavor text was vague and didn't specify.

the fireflies continue to be near the path as he continues towards where the map specifies.

The shadows of the trees as she passes beneath them are also very very dark. The underside of the trees rustling in the wind don't seem to be shedding leaves so much as solid drops of shadow that pile up on the ground near the path as he walks.

There is something wrong with the Docomo Tower, visible in front of him. It's on the path to where he's going. ]

[rollwithdisadvantage]

[Kneeling down by the piles of shadows and seeing if he can touch it, if it truly is shadows or something else. If he can, he'll attempt to take a handful. He won't bother with it for long though. A few seconds at most. He's intent on following the map.]

What are you planning now?

[opening_act]

[ It's viscous and coats his hands in darkness, before sliding off his fingers in globules.

The spire atop the glowing clock face of the Tower is twisted, spiraling upwards. Behind the white, each slice of the clock is glowing a different color. It is casting a kaleidoscopic shadow over the park— as dark as it was, now there's an overlay of colors, shifting pretty hues. It is no less dark, just as the fireflies made things no brighter. He can see perfectly well, as he continues to follow the path to Shinjuku, staying where the map directs him.

He is in Shinjuku still. Shinjuku as he's 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 him-- 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. His stomach lurches if he looks up, to look at any of it.

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

Directly in front of him is the building Exael's map directed him to, though it's not empty now. The elevator waits for you in the lobby, if you go in. ]

[rollwithdisadvantage]

[Recoiling from the outlines when he realizes they have heat.]

What the hell?

[Stopping for a moment to try to catch glimpse of the screen and its broadcast. Then looking up the sky. He shakes his head violently as it upsets his stomach. Fuck, what did he just get himself into?

Weaving through the crowd as best he can not focusing on anything but the building in front of him. Avoiding touching anything if he can. He double checks the map three times before heading in the lobby and into the elevator.]

[opening_act]

[ The elevator brings him 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? ]

[rollwithdisadvantage]

[He can behave some of the time.

Knocking.]

[opening_act]

[ he'll need to wait a minute, but there's a muffled THUD and then Exael answers the door

He can see 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]

Oh, there you are!

[rollwithdisadvantage]

[He practices through what he's going to say in his head as he waits that minute. Being patient for a change.]

What the hell happened to you?

[That is definitely not what he was practicing.]

[opening_act]

I'm healing up, don't worry. Do you want to come in?

[rollwithdisadvantage]

[Nodding and following her inside.]

Healing up from what?

[opening_act]

[ You enter Exael's apartment and she closes the door behind you. 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. ]

Unauthorized requisitions!

[rollwithdisadvantage]

[Give him a moment to soak this all in looking between her, this ridiculously huge room, and the view from the window.]

Before we start, is this being recorded?

[opening_act]

Not unless someone's bugged my apartment.

[rollwithdisadvantage]

Good. Very good.

There are things I want to ask, but I'll start with asking what do you want first. I want this to be beneficial to both of us.

[opening_act]

Another one after an alliance! That's really predictable, now.

[rollwithdisadvantage]

Tch. You like your Boss then?

I can go the fire and brimstone route if that would entertain you.

[opening_act]

Oh, you guessed it. You're the first to.

[rollwithdisadvantage]

Alright. This is something I can work with.

What would your Boss like?

[opening_act]

She's playing a game with high stakes.

Have you heard about any pieces looking to leave the game board by way of Azzy or going home?

[rollwithdisadvantage]

Hoh? And here I thought Azzy was your Boss.

Lots of people want to leave. The bug in a jar life just isn't for us. That's why we got together the points to meet you. People are scrambling for options.

So who is your boss?

[opening_act]

Ew, him? No way.

If all you want to do is leave, you can wait for graduation.

[rollwithdisadvantage]

Good. Very good. You just bring me to him, and I'll get him out of your hair. Anytime. My treat.

But that's very boring waiting for graduation. How can I help your boss? You said she was playing a high stakes game. Surely even pawns can help.

[opening_act]

He's still a higher up. You couldn't even fight me if you wanted to, you know? Nothing you've done has been more than big talk.

Honestly, I don't think any one that offered an alliance is good for much. You all seem more like Azzy's pieces.

[rollwithdisadvantage]

Alright. Alright.

Another question. Are the memories we get back real or are they just more fucking smoke and mirrors?

[opening_act]

They're real!

[rollwithdisadvantage]

[Okay. Cool! That's what he wanted to hear.

ATTEMPTING TO PUNCH HER IN THE FACE! (Uselessly of course)]

[opening_act]

[ He punches her in the face and she reels back, before hitting the wall and rebounding— her fist at the end of her arm less a hand and more a molded rope of flesh. The gold bruises shine brighter, harder to look at as eyes open across her exposed skin.

A punch does not connect. Instead the rope of flesh unravels, frays, and covers his vision like a veil. When it covers his face entirely, he cannot see her. ]

[rollwithdisadvantage]

HAHAHAHAHAHA!

[He laughs and laughs even as flesh covers his eyes and robs his vision. He claws at the intrusion over his face with his nails attempting to tear it.]

Now that's MORE LIKE IT!

[opening_act]

[ He can't even feel there's something there to tear. He can see the apartment around him, but it just looks like Exael isn't there.

Then something strikes him from behind like someone's thrown a rock at him ]

[rollwithdisadvantage]

[WELP!

Hitting the ground on his knees with a curse. He searches for the nearest thing --- a lava lamp, nails to hang the fabric, anything that looks serviceable --- and throws it where he suspects she should be.]

C'mon now, Exael. If you know our memories, you'll know how useful we can be.

HAHAHAHAHA!

HAHAHAHAHAHA!

[opening_act]

[ There's a yelp as the lava lamp crashes and shatters, and Exael's voice responds ]

How should I know what your memories are like! So far you haven't shown any!

[ no retaliatory blow comes though, and her voice seems to be coming from all around him. ]

[rollwithdisadvantage]

So you don't watch the ones viewed in private. ...Those idiots. All of them.

[Getting to his feet and scanning the entire room.]

This is your last chance. I could be your guy on the inside. Take it or leave it.

[opening_act]

[ a voice from right besides his ear: he might remember her trapeze ]

You weren't the only one to offer, 99~

[rollwithdisadvantage]

[Jerks away from where the voice is.]

But I'm the only one that can deliver.

[Eyeing the door to her apartment as he takes a step or two in that direction.]

Guess I've got my answer. See ya!

[Bolting to the door.]

[opening_act]

[ That's good, because there was a thud where he was standing just a moment later, like something dropping right on that spot—

He bolts to the door.

Is he heading out it, back to the elevator? ]

[rollwithdisadvantage]

[He did not make that correlation with the trapeze. YIKES!

Out the door and back to the elevator. Jamming the button for it to go down. Didn't anyone teach you to take the stairs in case of an emergency 99!]

[opening_act]

[ it's okay! The elevator takes him back down to the lobby, safely.

The lobby is empty, and empties back out to the city of Tokyo-F. ]

[rollwithdisadvantage]

[Are those creepy shadow heat sources still around?]

[opening_act]

[ nope. You're in Tokyo-F. ]

[rollwithdisadvantage]

[Just going to sit down in this empty lobby then and try to digest what the fuck was that.]