Act 1, Scene 1: Pleasant Boy

[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? ]

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[opening_act]

[ Exael THUMPS to the floor, looking a little worse for wear. She's got a bloody lip, gold ichor crusted at the side, and her skin seems kind of see-through lumiscent in places. maybe bruises.

She raises a hand to wave at him, jaunty ]

Okay, I'm ready now, start scene!

[afailedmurder]

[A was certainly not expecting this, but he remembers enough of the Metaverse to not be completely weirded out. If she's still on the floor, he'll offer a hand to help her up.]

It's a pleasure to meet you up close.

[opening_act]

[ she sticks her hand up from where she's on the floor to shake his hand before she accepts the help to be pulled up to her feet ]

I'm still so sought after, aren't I! Such is the life of talent.

[afailedmurder]

It's true. We were all very excited about the prospect.

[opening_act]

And now you're here! I don't get your kind of visitors a lot.

[afailedmurder]

What kind of visitors do you get?

[opening_act]

Not usually idols. People who live in this Tokyo, not yours. Sometimes the higher-ups and lower-downs!

[afailedmurder]

I imagine it's much livelier than ours. Is this Tokyo where our fanmail comes from?

[opening_act]

You do have a lot of fans here, after all.

[afailedmurder]

I'm glad to hear it. I imagine it's in my best interest to have them. I'd like to hope I'm doing my part for your ratings as well.

[opening_act]

I don't really have to worry about that now.

[afailedmurder]

Because you graduated?

[opening_act]

Right, execs are a bigger problem for me.

[afailedmurder]

That was an unpleasant scene after the haunted house game. Are you all right?

[opening_act]

I'll heal! I've already mostly healed.

[afailedmurder]

It's a bit disheartening to think that you can graduate only to still be pushed around. Was that the only option available to you? Is it for us?

[opening_act]

Oh, no, there's two main options but there's a lot of ways it could go.

[afailedmurder]

I'm very interested in hearing that, but first I'd like to ask: Is this conversation part of the show? Are we being watched right now?

[opening_act]

Not unless my apartment's been bugged. There's no reason for it to be broadcast.

[afailedmurder]

In other words, you can speak candidly and without fear of repercussion?

[opening_act]

[ cheerily ]

I'm never afraid of repercussions!

[afailedmurder]

...Because they won't be serious for you, or because you don't care if they are?

[opening_act]

Some of one, a little of the other?

[afailedmurder]

I see. Does that mean there isn't anything you'd prefer to say off the record?

[opening_act]

I'm not really interested in talking about myself. I already know all about me.