Nemesis and Hurricane's Ideal World: Session 2

[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

[at_heart]

[ ...Cool, great, wonderful. Checking his phone just to confirm it won't be useful for anything else, then regarding the rest of their surroundings. ...The kids are cute. ]

[childeishly]

[ childe takes a look around the house and then heads straight for the kitchen... to take all the knives. all of them. sorry. he doesn't trust this cozy house. and waking up in some random place has his ears and tails fritzed. ]

Re: THE HOUSE

[sangreine]

[ Just enough time to see the two of them and have a moment of intense panic before the gas hits, and waking up to -- whatever this is. It can't be good, knowing this place... ]

[ -- it sure looks happy, though. ]

[ She wants to approach, probably to climb up high and get her bearings, but animals are often wary of her kind so she hesitates for a second. ]

...Great.

Re: THE HOUSE

[sangreine]

You have the look of someone who isn't happy, so I assume you know what this is.

[ Just is quietly, intensely full of rage right now ]

Re: THE HOUSE

[heavyliesthecrown]

[ His ears twitch as he takes in the surroundings. ]

. . . Another game, then? [ And his ears go flat. ] Like being inside those hearts I suppose.

Re: THE HOUSE

[leaveofabsence]

[ He looks at his phone and then his surrounding. Then at the people gathered around.

Before knocking on the front door to the house. ]

Hello. Is anyone home?

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 HOUSE

[crossmyheartandhope]

[Super cute. One of them squeals with delight and takes off running down the path to THE RESCUE, the others in tow]

[idolpro]

[He is welcome to go inside]

Re: THE HOUSE

[at_heart]

[ Zari— ] [ He turns and gives her a wan smile. ]

We're all asleep, but this is their dream world. It's... gonna be something that makes them happy, so they won't wanna leave.

[ Beat. ]

It wasn't totally clear what'll happen if we can't get them to come with us, but the vibe I got was 'maybe they never wake up'.

Re: THE HOUSE

[firstworldproblem]

[That is jarring, but he does get his wit about him enough to look up at the sky.]

A pity it is never that simple.

[Climbing up on the roof!]

Re: THE GENKAN

[childeishly]

[ hurrying for the kitchen! ]

Re: THE HOUSE

[scattershot]

So, how long do you give it before everything inevitably falls apart again? Knowing this place, I'd say... ten minutes, mayhap?

Perhaps twenty, if we're exceptionally fortunate.

[sangreine]

...Seriously? No sharing?

[ Despite being furious at this situation, you are still unreasonably likeable sir ]

Re: THE HOUSE

[crossmyheartandhope]

[There is no reply, but Childe walks right past him into the house, so,]

Re: THE HOUSE

[idolpro]

[Whatever her general experiences, these doggos (or kiddos) don't seem to be spooked by her in the least. They run off, but due to playing, not due to fear]

[childeishly]

[ he is hurrying inside, apparently, because he hasn't yet reached the knives! ]

Re: THE HOUSE

[scattershot]

Zhongli, thank goodness. Do you have any idea what's going on?

Re: THE HOUSE

[crossmyheartandhope]

[Everything is calm. Everything is peaceful]

[There's no indication that this place is anything but what it seems]

Re: THE HOUSE

[sangreine]

I'd say you're probably right.

Everything here looks nice, but... [ Either it can't last, or it's too perfect, meaning they'll neve get them back. ]

THE ROOFTOP

[crossmyheartandhope]

[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 HOUSE

[childeishly]

[ hi
bye
apparently. ]

Re: THE HOUSE

[leaveofabsence]

Ah. Alizarin. I see that you are also here.

This place seems... oddly quaint.

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]