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]

[ 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?

[opening_act]

Right, right. Except it's just, do you want a wish? You won't get anything out of turning it down, you just go home. You choose to stop playing!

[artificialinelegance]

What? There's no way it's that easy.

[opening_act]

You have to reach graduation first.

[artificialinelegance]

Sorta just figured all that involved was doin' the shit y'all got us doin' anyway. Does it take more'n just bein' cute and traumatized for x amount of time?