WEEK 2

[akudamods]

Saturday passes uneventfully save a little rain. It's on Sunday that you get a little notification of probation for new areas: Neo-Nipponbashi and Chuo. It'd be possible to investigate, to check out some anime, or to worship the defunct Shinkansen. But maybe it's hard to get excited about any of that when Friday’s events suggest that you have simply been provided some additional photogenic places to commit murder. Are you going to bother either overseer after their participation in some mockery of justice? Troll the internet? Get a bat out of Hyper Zone and just take out your frustration on everything?

Those of you who entered the pods will experience fewer “painful bursts of color” as your body is unaffected below the knees, though the same amount of “slight teleportation” glitches. Those of you who abstained from the pods will continue to experience all of the above as well as electric shock sensations occasionally when touching metal objects.

INTERNET | SUNDAY | MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY

((Internet investigations of any kind go here, and for all IRL areas, please use "investigate" in the subject line of your top-level comment, or link the thread to a moderator!))

Comments

neo-nipponbashi

[metamere]

Even stories like this have to move along. [ A wry smile. ]

[intimations]

So this is just the start of a new chapter? I suppose it would get boring for our audience if the setting stagnated...

[metamere]

So I would say, and think about it—what other allures does the narrative have to offer? Rather than be ham fisted, this story so far has been tepid, lacking a true villain or contention point.

[ A beat. ]

Unless that's meant to be us, but as I said during our deliberations, I don't move for free.

[intimations]

Hehe... the stingy type, then? Not that I can blame you, considering how little compensation we got for servicing them. I almost feel used.

[Okay okay. Innuendo aside.]

I think you hit the nail on the head though. It really seems like they're only satisfied if they see our heads on a pike. Any interpersonal drama between us would only be a bonus.

[metamere]

Not stingy, I simply know my worth. [ A cocksure wink. ]

It does make you wonder to what end, though the answer is likely disappointing. More curious to me is what Miss Physicist and Zealot did to win over their trust.

[intimations]

Ohh? I can appreciate a man with confidence. Amongst other things, that is. [Winks back because why the hell not.]

Trust is a strong word to use, isn't it? With a crowd this fickle, it seems like a matter of time before they tire of our beloved overseers. Or maybe the word of whoever's commanding them from behind really holds that much weight.

[metamere]

[ He walked into that one didn't he. Well point to Belial, Wizard simply sighs and waves his hand since he really can't save that phrasing. ]

I think it's suitable—they're allowing Physicist to carry out her experiments using their resources, after all. Of course there's all kinds of trust: the trust of the betrothed and the trust that a food courier won't run off with your dinner are two separate levels entirely.

[intimations]

[Being Wizard is suffering, just like it is with anyone who needs to deal with Belial for more than 5 minutes (except like, Zenos?).

Okay, but the food example gets a loud laugh out of him.]

Well, I'll give you that one. According to her, resources aren't cheap around here either. She must be pretty useful for someone to want to act as her sugar daddy.

[metamere]

Oho, I wonder what she would think of that very likely hypothesis! The strong bullheaded type hate those type of insinuations. "I don't need no man!", "My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard!" you know, you know?

[ Complete with pitching his voice higher in a pretty accurate mimicry of a valley girl. ]

[intimations]

[He does not, in fact, know (at least when it comes to the milkshakes) but the sentiment is communicated well enough that he chuckles at it anyway.]

Are you speaking from personal experience? Not that I disagree--and it's always adorable when they're so easy to rile up.

[metamere]

Got it in one! I'm quite well acquainted, actually, heroines tend to be born of that mold. Damsel's in distress are a story as old as time and over played.

[ He doesn't comment on the cute bit but he does smile, so maybe that speaks well enough on its own. ]