Return to Tokyo-D

[opening_act]

[ You step through the portal into a place where black coats your vision— a solid, glossy coating of darkness that blocks out all light. For a moment, it is as though you've been been blindfolded, and all light is lost from your reach.

The light does not return.

But colors, in impossible neon hues hew through the dark and spangle newly across your vision. The city is drenched in kaleidoscopic light, the skyscrapers spiral to the heavens. At street level, it is Tokyo. Above that, stars move out of their orbits in dizzying motions. Other forms crowd the street with you— shiloettes of people drained of all their colors like it's bled into the city instead move about, not quite tangible but still giving off body heat. Monochrome figures also move through the crowd, a few demons, and

One demon that maybe some of you will recognize? Or not?

There's a girl with big puffy pigtails in full color with a bag full of groceries slung across her shoulder, heading somewhere. ]

Comments

[letgrow]

At the very least, we won't stick out there. In that case, I'll wait until we're there to ask questions then.

This is probably inappropriate timing, but your pigtails look especially fuwafuwa today.

[opening_act]

[ Tilts her head one way and the other, to show them off ]

Thank you! I take care of them, so I'm always camera ready!

[ and she steers Camellia down the road, past buildings and video billboards, with people staring all the way. She can hear chatter, as people aren't being very subtle about watching them, and she might even see faces she recognizes on advertising billboards, the sides of cars, inside arcade claw machines— it looks like advertisement and merchandising has been busy. ]

[letgrow]

[Using through the looking glass to illusion her appearance to fit in with liar hell better, making sure she's unrecognizable. As they walk she'll take the time to look at all the advertisements]

Is there so much advertising because we're more popular these days or less?

[opening_act]

More, so they've given us more company budget. Everyone's been clamoring for reruns too, now that they've seen old footage! They want to see new favorites participating in old favorites!

[ and with the illusion, sure enough, they attract less attention-- in black and white, more people just assume, oh, cosplayers... and lose interest. the color trick was neat while it lasted, wasn't it? ]

[letgrow]

Ah, so game reruns then?

[opening_act]

Right. We've got a bigger budget now, but a lot more scrutiny. Not that any actor wouldn't want more audience! But, you know.

[ She spreads her hands in a, what can you do, kind of gesture ]

[letgrow]

[Tilts her head and mimics the gesture]

Scrutiny? From the viewers or from producers? Or even higher up?

[opening_act]

Maybe more like the opposite direction.

[letgrow]

[Casting an illusion over the rest of the group, so the staring and crowd should have stopped at least, luckily]

Things are always so busy though....That is...you are producing more than enough "content". So what could they possibly have to scrutinize?

[opening_act]

Mm~ Poor security.

[ She takes an abrupt turn into an alleyway, and holds out a hand ]

[letgrow]

[Blinks at that, pausing to look her over]

You...are....Miss Exael, right?

[opening_act]

That's me. I don't really have a secret passphrase I can use or anything.

[letgrow]

[Taking her hand]

Ah, sorry. By poor security do you mean the imps getting through?

[opening_act]

This isn't the first time things have gotten in or out.

[ she says, and then winks.

And then they're somewhere else. They sink through the ground and fall into an office, in a high-rise more than ten floors up judging by the view out the window. Exael has a mountain of untouched paperwork on her desk, and the door is shut. Her desk isn't the only desk in the room, but no one else is in right now. ]

Though, some of us have an easier time with security than others!

[ she says, springing back up to her feet from the handstand she landed in. she's a show-off ]

[letgrow]

[Applause? Applause! Before looking around the office]

Miss Exael is a one lady magic act!

[opening_act]

Right? I'm great! And no one can complain too much that I skip security, because I'm supposed to be here!

[ there's a few other desks belonging to hosts. Like Exael, it looks like most of them don't drop in and do their paperwork often, if ever. ]

[letgrow]

Hell has a lot of paperwork, doesn't it?

[Going to try and tidy up the piles a bit]

[opening_act]

Our hell does, and I thiii~ink Vengeance is swimming in it too, unless stuff has changed a lot. Down bottom doesn't like us very much.

[letgrow]

[Smoothing out her skirt and having a seat, getting to sorting then]

So it's Vengeance that's scrutinizing you as usual then? They have their own security issues too though, don't they?

[opening_act]

It'd be easier if was them! Azzy's been totally no contact for a while, good riddance!

[letgrow]

[Startles, but places her hands on the paperwork so it doesn't fly everywhere]

Even lower then?

[opening_act]

Mm-hmm~ Unfortunately. Everyone's making a big fuss.

[letgrow]

I don't understand? Is it really such a big deal?

[Opening the desk drawer to grab some paperclips]

[opening_act]

Well, a certain something that got past security was! We can pretend the imps were on purpose, but there's really no doing that with some things.

[letgrow]

Do you mean the larger things that came through?

[Tidying up the knick knacks on the desk to make room for a couple different to-do piles]