Nemesis and Hurricane's Ideal World: Session 1

[idolpro]

[The sky above is a deep, unnatural crimson, filled with roiling clouds and creatures that are a sickly oil-slick black. They writhe and wriggle like something out of a Lovecraftian nightmare; they have entirely too many eyes, and entirely too many wings, and when they open their mouths, they have entirely too many teeth]

[Below them, the city of Tokyo is half-shattered; above the rooftops, mechanized suits the size of people hover in the air, darting in out of the chaos, laser blasts and explosions and wickedly sharp blades fighting tirelessly against the endless onslaught]

[Until finally, the last creature falls]

[All at once, civilians flood the streets of the city; the lights come on in all the buildings, which somehow have become whole again, safe and unharmed. A cheer goes up from the crowd. Overhead, a stunning fireworks display paints the night with light and color]

[And they all lived happily ever after]

[The end]

Comments

THE HOUSE

[idolpro]

[When you open your eyes again, you find yourself standing before a house]

[It's small but welcoming, and warm yellow light spills from the windows, seeming to promise somewhere safe and warm against the oncoming twilight. The smell of something savory cooking drifts on the breeze]

[A rope ladder leads up to the rooftop; surely from there, you'll get a good view of the surrounding area. But more importantly still, when it's dark, doubtless it will be the perfect spot for stargazing]

[In the front yard, a gaggle of small children squeal with laughter, engaged in an elaborate game of tag with two very excited dogs]
[Buried safely in your pocket, your phone beeps. If you chance to look at it, you will discover that a simple objective is displayed:]

[Find Hurricane and Nemesis, and convince them to return to the place where they belong.]

[From here, you can ENTER THE HOUSE, ENTER THE WOODS, GO TO THE RESCUE, or CLIMB UP ON THE ROOF]

Re: THE HOUSE

[proceedwithcautus]

Ah... is this the kind of place they want to be?

...it's a nice dream.

Re: THE HOUSE

[bondsofsuffering]

[...Hurricane and Nemesis, huh?

Time to follow his nose and into the house!]

Re: THE HOUSE

[protectshisown]

[...oh no, this is going to hurt, isn't it?]

This one again.

[Well, at least he will do his best to not touch strange rocks.]

[...listen, HE IS GONNA CLIMB THE ROOF, what else is he gonna do.]

Re: THE HOUSE

[protectshisown]

[MAN WHERE IS THE LAB]

[INTO? THE HOUSE???]

Re: THE HOUSE

[proceedwithcautus]

[ well. now she is going to > ENTER THE HOUSE ]

THE GENKAN

[idolpro]

[The genkan is warm and brightly lit, with shelves to house your outdoor shoes]

[There are plenty of slippers out and available for use, as though a lot of guests are expected]

[From here, you can GO TO THE KITCHEN, GO TO THE CRAFT ROOM, GO TO THE TROPHY ROOM, or GO TO THE LAB]

Re: THE GENKAN

[bondsofsuffering]

[Taking off his shoes and putting on slippers. Assuming the smell of cooking is coming from the kitchen, he'll head there?]

Re: THE GENKAN

[bondsofsuffering]

[Time to poke around the craft room! If no one turns out to be here that means no one's here to stop him from being NOSY.]

Re: THE GENKAN

[protectshisown]

[Shoe.]

[That's. Strange? Why shoes only indoors? What strange customs????]

[Does he have to put on like...an extra cover for his leg? Is it impolite to not???]

Re: THE GENKAN

[bondsofsuffering]

[Guess he's here again!

He maybe might have made some bad life choices but at least he's on brand about it.

Does he still have both the blasters and the origami heart jar?]

Re: THE GENKAN

[bondsofsuffering]

[If he goes into the kitchen again, will it still be empty?]

Re: THE GENKAN

[protectshisown]

[ewjaioejwaioejw]

[WOW, RUDE]

[....okay, but what if I try to IMMEDIATELY GO BACK TO THE LAB????]

Re: THE GENKAN

[proceedwithcautus]

[ well it's time to politely take off her shoes and put on the house slippers. she is going to go > TO THE KITCHEN first. ]

THE KITCHEN

[idolpro]

[The kitchen is light and airy, with wide windows that let in plenty of natural light and gauzy curtains that ruffle softly in the breeze. The counters and cabinets are all of warm, pale wood, and the backsplash behind the sink calls to mind the blocks in a game of Tetris, all the tiles lively and mismatched.]

[A massive pot of chicken noodle soup is simmering on the stovetop, and a large platter of riceballs rests out on the counter. Everything smells amazing, and there's more than enough for you to help yourself.]

[On the front of the fridge, magnets hold up a haphazard display of photos filled with grinning faces: Hurricane and Nemesis watching a parade at Carnival, and feeding the seagulls at Pier 39, and crammed into a karaoke room with all of their friends, and posing in front of the Statue of Liberty, and buying chebureki from a street stall in St. Petersburg. In addition to those, there are easily a dozen photobooth shots, of them and everyone they love, full of colorful stickers and sloppy handwritten text.]

[In every picture, they look breathtakingly happy.]

[From here, you can RETURN TO THE GENKAN]

Re: THE KITCHEN

[bondsofsuffering]

[Can he investigate the food at least?

Like

someone oughta be test tasting this stuff right,]

Re: THE KITCHEN

[bondsofsuffering]

[Let's take a closer look at those magnets and photos.]

THE ROOFTOP

[idolpro]

[From the rooftop, you can see all the way to the ocean. The house is centered on an island, and though the island isn't very big, the branches of the trees that cover it sway gently in the breeze, and the glint of the setting sun on the water brings you a feeling of deep peace. On the island's far side, you can make out what looks to be a statue; to the right of that, there's another building, though it's difficult to tell what it might be.]

[On the rooftop itself, you find two folding chairs and a haphazard stack of blankets, along with a pair of slim metal thermoses and a basket filled with snacks. Hurricane and Nemesis are lounging in the chairs, munching senbei and watching the sunset.]

[From here you can CLIMB DOWN FROM THE ROOF]

Re: THE ROOFTOP

[proceedwithcautus]

Oh—hi!

[ actually somehow she didn't expect to find them so easily? ]

...sorry, I'm not intruding, am I?

THE CRAFT ROOM

[crossmyheartandhope]

[The room before you overflows with lively chaos. Long tables bracket two walls, covered in a variety of pens, markers, paints, glitter, beads, scissors, and paper of all varieties. The far wall has been taken over by woodworking equipment, including a sturdy workbench, an electric sander, and smaller tools for hand-carving. The whole room smells pleasantly of sawdust]

[Scattered all across the floor are crafts in various states of completion. There are bright mobiles composed of origami cranes, lifelike hand-carved miniatures, elaborate wooden boxes, and countless other treasures besides. Each has been made with care; each has a tag painstakingly attached, with a name scrawled in sloppy handwriting, tied beside a tiny origami heart]

[On the desk, among all the lively clutter, is the jar that the hearts seem to have come from. It's half empty, but the hearts that remain are a riot of color, each tiny origami artwork bright and precise and dazzling]

[From here, you can RETURN TO THE GENKAN]

Re: THE CRAFT ROOM

[bondsofsuffering]

[Absolutely going to poke around to see the names on the tags and what they're tied to.]

THE LAB

[crossmyheartandhope]

[The room here is decidedly at odds with the aesthetic of the rest of the house; all around you are the sleek, futuristic white lines of what is undeniably a lab. A minimalistic black chair faces an array of holo-screens, and a long metal workbench has been taken over by tools and blueprints and intricate robotic parts.]

[A tall, blond woman in a lab coat and glasses, hair pulled back into a bun, is bent over a robotic arm, making adjustments with a screwdriver.]

[From here, you can RETURN TO THE GENKAN]

Re: THE LAB

[bondsofsuffering]

[Oh.

Oh.

This should be fun.]

What'cha looking at?

THE RESCUE

[idolpro]

[Not far from the main house is a long, low building with dogs and chickens and a few young children chasing each other around in front. Songbirds flit in the eaves, while a flock of crows perch on the roof, cawing jovially at passers-by.]

[Looking around more closely, you may notice that many of the animals and children are living with scars or burns or missing limbs, not that it slows their play any. Regardless, it feels like perhaps those assembled here had nowhere else to go.]

[It feels like perhaps they could belong here, if no place else–like perhaps you could, as well.]

[From here, you can RETURN TO THE HOUSE, or GO INSIDE THE BARN(?)]

Re: THE RESCUE

[proceedwithcautus]

[ wah cute hounds...

well. she'll call out to the kids. ]

Um—hi! I'm a friend of Hurricane and Nemesis...

THE TROPHY ROOM

[idolpro]

[Double doors open to a long hall filled with treasures–official-looking awards and gleaming medals commemorating valor in battle, or distinguished service on the field, or commitment to the safety of one’s squad. Prominent places on the walls are given to shadowboxes of the keys to the cities of Tokyo, and Mito, and San Francisco, way out overseas.]

[The far wall has larger trophies–the taxidermied heads of imps, and massive maws with too many teeth and too many eyes that look to be formed of snarls of hardened tar, and a ⅛-scale model of a bulky red power suit cutting down a mountain of dark tentacled monsters. A button on the jet pack makes the eyes and massive axe glow a bright green. It’s pretty rad, and surely you are duly impressed.]

[Looking upon them, it is difficult not to feel a hesitant flutter of accomplishment, especially with this physical proof of what all you’ve achieved.]

[There are plenty more trophies in the room, surely as impressive as this, or you can RETURN TO THE GENKAN.]

Re: THE TROPHY ROOM

[bondsofsuffering]

[Going to continue wandering the room and checking out all the trophies!]

THE REAL KITCHEN

[offontherightfoot]

[When you open the fridge, you discover that it's completely empty, save for a strawberry cake that's missing a slice.]

[All around you, the kitchen flickers, shuddering in and out of vision like static on an old tv screen.]

[You blink, and it shudders. Blink again, and it's gone.]

[The kitchen gleams, modern and chrome. A rack of knives as tall as a child is set into a long countertop, and pots and pans hang from above. There's a stove, a wood-fired oven and a modern one, and a walk-in freezer with a very prominent pad-lock. Someone has dropped a slice of strawberry cake on the floor.]

[If you have ever been to the House of Mirth, perhaps you recognize this place.]

[One of the cabinets, tucked against the far wall, has been wrapped up in chains. A heavy padlock hangs from it.]

Re: THE REAL KITCHEN

[bondsofsuffering]

[He has not been in the house of mirth!

But he still recognizes that this is uhhhhhh, not going to be great.

Before he examines the padlocked freezer - are there mirrors or anything in here?]

NOTHING

[offontherightfoot]

[There is nothing.]

[It's dark, and cold, and it's been this way for so long that it's hard to remember there used to be something better.]

[You remember sunlight, vaguely. (Do you?) You remember the way cookies tasted, if you try very hard. (Do you?) You remember, when you close your eyes and concentrate, what it feels like to have someone say your name and run their fingers through your hair.]

[(You don't. You don't, but sometimes you close your eyes, and you run your fingers through your own hair, and you pretend.)]

[Behind you, a little light comes in from the kitchen; you can see the hard chrome lines of it, still, through the window that hangs in the nothing-space.]

[You know everything about it as though the shapes have been carved into your bones.]

[It's all there is to see.]

Re: NOTHING

[bondsofsuffering]

[Absofuckinglutely bringing out the key and hoping it does something, anything, even if it burns.]

THE PARTY

[idolpro]

[The sun has set. Up above, visible through the branches of the trees, the stars are out, the wash of the Milky Way stunning this far from the lights of the city.]

[Every table is bedecked with candles, and colored fairy lights are twined between the trees. The buffet table is laden with chicken soup and riceballs and yakisoba and mini hotdogs. There are steaming mugs of hot toddies and tall, cool bottles of ramune. For dessert, there is a dark chocolate cake that someone has plainly put a lot of care into making.]

[In addition to all the food, there are plenty of familiar faces. You recognize some of them: the current roster of Avante and Heart Soldier, plus many more long since graduated or transferred. There is a tall gangly girl in Zrael clothing, and a stocky older man in superhero fashion. D.Va is here, and Intensity, and Angel. So are B, and C, and Mori, and Mars, and Gold, and countless others besides. Nemesis and Hurricane are seated at the center table, bright-eyed and laughing.]

[Amid the lively chatter and the warmth of all the people you care about, it's hard to want to leave any of this behind.]

[By far, this is the best place you've ever been.]