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]

[ Behind the greenhouse, since she went to go hide there to open it. ]

[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? ]

[artificialinelegance]

[ idk but it always should they're pretty

she's gonna go to where the map indicates, though ]

[opening_act]

[ 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 she walks.

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

[artificialinelegance]

[ Honestly this all just seems somewhat familiar to her for some reason, so she keeps down the path, looking up at the tower. ]

Man, why's this all gotta be the dark kinda creepy...

[opening_act]

[ 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. She can see perfectly well, as she continues down the path to the edge of where it meets Shinjuku ]

[artificialinelegance]

[ continuing on, mumbling to herself: ]

New theory, this is actually just my dreamscape ass dreamscape instead of a simulation.

[opening_act]

[ Her path brings her to into what is somehow, still Shinjuku. A Shinjuku busier, brighter, controrted. Shinjuku as she's never known it Tokyo-F. 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 still filled with those who aren't quite occupying the same space as her-- black outlines that jostle her 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. Her stomach will lurch if he looks up, to look at any of it.

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

The building indicated on the map is before her. The front doors are open. She can go in, if she likes, there's an elevator waiting to bring her up. ]

[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?