Act 1, Scene 1: Marigold Foxglove Nuestra Señora de la Santa Muerte aka Marigold Santa Muerte aka __

[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

[artificialinelegance]

[ trying very hard to like, both look at the sky and not vomit.

and not doing well so she stops. the familiarity is actually uncomfortable now, and she keeps her eyes on the ground to rush straight forward into the building. ]

-- definitely a dreamscape, or at least we're bein' broadcast to a dreamscape, god I swear t'fuck I better not wake up back home after this shit --

[opening_act]

[ The elevator takes her up to a fully furnished floor, judging by the halls. If she follows the map to Exael's door, she'll find her apartment unlocked. Is she knocking or just going straight in? ]

[artificialinelegance]

[ um, it'd be rude to just barge in? knocking ]

[opening_act]

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

So you came!

[artificialinelegance]

[ she smiles, giving a small wave ]

'Course, Exi! I wasn't about t'like set those points on fire. An' gettin' a one on one's just, like, a bonus, soooo.

Uh, btdubs. Wheremst th' dick are we? Is Real Japan just, like, a brisk walk away from Fake Japan?

[opening_act]

It's Tokyo!

[ She confirms, and opens the door wider to let her in ]

I don't really know how it works. I'm not R&D!

[artificialinelegance]

[ walking in, taking a look around ]

Y'all got an R&D? What, gotta discover new and excitin' ways t'torture up an' comin' idols?

[opening_act]

[ You're in Exael's 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. ]

No, that's more Azzy's department.

[artificialinelegance]

Boss's dad's the thumbscrew wielder, got it. Nice place, I like it.

[ nts: buy trapeze and lava lamps for sensitiv dorm ]

So what is your job? Like, besides cute, peppy host, obvs.

[opening_act]

Cute peppy host is mostly it!

[artificialinelegance]

Cute.

[ she's gonna take off her shoes and go wander over to the window ]

So how'd y'get us all here? That another R&D question? Should I even bother askin' why you got us here?

[opening_act]

That's right. Especially with the you stuff, because I didn't do any of it!

[artificialinelegance]

General you! Y'all! The production studio.

[ laughing though ]

So what can I ask about?

[opening_act]

Anything I know about. I don't know the exact hows, but I know a lot of other stuff.

[artificialinelegance]

What happens when we graduate? Does everyone get th' honour of a creepy bust in Azzy's house or is that just Mukuro?

[opening_act]

Most people have better judgement than Mukuro.

[artificialinelegance]

First of all, wow rude, he's cute an' shit judgement is extra cute, source: me. Second, what happened t'him?

[opening_act]

That's really his story to tell.

[artificialinelegance]

Awww, no juicy gossip? Well, how's graduation suppose t'go when y'ain't a master of bad decisions?

[opening_act]

You get a choice!

What do you think of wishes?

[artificialinelegance]

That anything promisin' to make 'em come true is totally some genie ass monkey's paw shit.

[opening_act]

Right, so you have more sense than Mukuro.

[artificialinelegance]

Wow, he couldn't even clear the lowest bar possible...

[opening_act]

He installed an even lower one to trip on.

[artificialinelegance]

That just makes him even cuter...

So you get a choice between a wish and something else?