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]

I'm a little relieved then. I just wanted to see Nii again. I guess this place doesn't have greenman though.

Ah? Wouldn't the editing department like that sort of thing? It's more content for them.

[opening_act]

Well, they had to invent a big backstory about it first! I didn't know you did until you told me, after all. That took some creative editing, I heard. They called in one of the other hosts to do some shoots, like there was a real host for this.

[letgrow]

What was the backstory?

[Looking over some of the pages. What kind of paperwork does hell have anyways?]

And nothing works the same here, so I won't really attempt it again. I just wanted my familiar back.

[opening_act]

[ the paperwork appears to be about approving her expenses, scripts she needs to sign off on, games she's been nominated to host, acquisition forms, contracts about using her likeness in advertising, etc. She seems okay with it being looked through. ]

Oh, that it's an out of tower game. People love heart-pounding action, and most the hells have imps so they're easy to get imported.

[letgrow]

Ah? Are you hosting any games soon?

[Sorting them into the appropriate piles then]

Where did our imps come from?

[opening_act]

[ according to her paperwork, it looks like she's been tapped for betrayal

Exael shrugs ]

One of the hells. Imps are imps are imps, no matter where they're from.

[letgrow]

[Handing her the pile with the soonest deadline stamped on them]

We have imps back home. And of course things like goblins and ghouls and reapers. Most of them fall under affiliation with specific demon kings.

[opening_act]

[ Exael makes a face as she flips through ]

Imps aren't really affiliated. They kind of... spontaneously generate. Like flies with meat.

[letgrow]

Mm, that makes sense. Are most lower level creatures like that here?

[opening_act]

Lower level? That's not really how it works. A lion isn't higher level than a dog, but it's way more impressive to have a lion at the circus. And even if the dog is really big and not a little purse dog, it's still just a dog.

[letgrow]

If you complete those forms, I can put them in the 'to submit' pile.

And I see... It really is different from home then.

[opening_act]

Yeah. Imps and demons are pretty different, though they're powered by the same stuff.

[ searches around her desk to see if she has any pens that still work ]

[letgrow]

Where I'm from, there's ranks and affiliations and kings.

Ah? Which is what?

[opening_act]

Demonic power doesn't really have a fancy name. I guess the imps are more made of malice with a little scrap of power, so they're made of two things.

[letgrow]

[Hands her a pen from the desk drawer]

Is there anything between imps and demons?

[opening_act]

I already told you, imps don't turn into demons. Is there anything between a lion and a dog?

[ SIGH. GOES TO LOOK AT HER PAPERWORK.

sign of on requisitions. yes, she absolutely had to have all those school uniforms requisitioned. yes, she signs off on this expense.

these games were ages ago... ]

[letgrow]

You know, I'm sure you could get interns to help with all the paperwork.

[opening_act]

They do, but my signature needs to be from me.

[ she lifts up a sheet— it's all done, except for the part where she needs to put her name ]

[letgrow]

Do you just hate signing paperwork then?