DAY 60, B/E/ANUBIS/PINK GROUP CALL

[ghostofissues]

[ Sometime in the dead of night a few hours after the game, when all call participants are alone and in their dorms, they receive a series of messages from a display name with no number or email attached:

骸: To avoid sudden termination of your purchased video call or any mobile phone devices, please be considerate of the following guidelines:
骸: Do not record this call in any form.
骸: Do not attempt to contact uninvolved parties until after the completion of the call.
骸: Do not attempt to be overly familiar.
骸: Thank you very much.

And then their phones start to ring.

When they pick up, Mukuro’s face appears, beaming. The general angle and slight instability to the picture make it easy to tell he’s pointing his own phone at himself; it seems like he’s completely alone, wherever he is.

“Wherever he is” appears to be the courtyard of an old-style Japanese home, though it’s a bit disorienting to look at. Part of an old wisteria archway is in the shot behind him, but it seems to be, at once, heavily damaged, singed black in places and partly broken down; yet also perfectly whole and in full bloom even out of season; yet also completely chopped down and cleared away. The paper screens as well appear as two different styles simultaneously, the visuals of the two overlapping on top of each other; a worn but well-cared for framework in a darker color of wood and thicker screens, or a more modern-looking, cheaper framework holding paper with a machine-generated uniformity to its texture, or the first style again but with blood and rips and burns smashed and spattered all across it.

It’s probably easier to just look at Mukuro. He gives a cheery wave, with his marbled green nails. ]

Yaho~!

Comments

[worldlyafflictions]

[Sees the messages and jolts up]

--Fuck you, Mukuro-san!

[--Anubis is getting a "Open the door" text a second before Pink is already down there--he hasn't picked up the call yet.]

[rollwillpowercheck]

[THIS IS SO STRESSFUL?? he did automatically answer the call so after a moment of panicked indecision he shoves the muted phone under a blanket and leaves it in his room before dashing to the front door and basically bodily yanking Pink inside.]

My room, quick!

[worldlyafflictions]

['Quick' means grab Anubis around the middle and super-speed over to the first room with a cracked door he sees right?? IN THEY GO]

[rollwillpowercheck]

[;kfjdskdfj well OKAY, he closes the door behind them. welcome to Anubis' room, there are a lot of stuffed animals.]

Why are you-- whatever, nevermind.

[grabs his phone and hurriedly takes it off mute.]

Ah, hello, Mukuro-san?

[ghostofissues]

Did you get everything all in order now?

[rollwillpowercheck]

Y... es. Sorry for the wait; I'm actually very glad to get a chance to speak with you.

[ignore the fact that he's in pajamas and looking frazzled and has bedhead, it's fine. everything's fine. he's just going to sit on the edge of his bed.]

But I'll try not to take up more of your time than necessary. Is it okay if I just start with the questions?

[ghostofissues]

Yes, yes.

[rollwillpowercheck]

Thanks. Um, so, you count as a member of Asmodeus' faction, right?

[ghostofissues]

That's right, a Vengeful. An onryou. Danna is more welcoming to humans like us than most other Princes.

[rollwillpowercheck]

I did get that impression about him, yeah.

[something about ALL THE GHOSTS IN HIS VACATION HOME]

I suppose vengeance is a sort of lust. Mm, if we decide to take Hell's offer, are we specifically pledging ourselves to him, then?

[ghostofissues]

It's not like you really have to. You could always go along with Mammon's little minion, if you want.

[rollwillpowercheck]

After this past week, that sounds exhausting, honestly. But speaking of him, he mentioned that Asmodeus' faction is pretty small, and that... members keep being, um, "taken away"? That seems pretty concerning, given that he's one of the people in charge of all this.

[ghostofissues]

Danna is a younger Prince, so he's still building up his influence. But people switch factions all the time.

[rollwillpowercheck]

Ah, really? I wouldn't have guessed that from what little I saw of him! Go figure. What's he like, in your opinion?

[ghostofissues]

That's getting pretty personal.

[worldlyafflictions]

[Acknowledging he's here with a wave over Anubis's shoulder as he goes to answer his own call.]

[ghostofissues]

[ waves back! ]

[worldlyafflictions]

Thanks for taking our call.

I'm still new so my list of questions'll probably be shorter. But since you're fresh out of a game, I was wondering.. what got ya inta hosting them?

[ghostofissues]

I'm sending a message.

[worldlyafflictions]

Oh. Ta us, or Exael 'n company?

[ghostofissues]

Se~cret~

[worldlyafflictions]

Alright... Well I'm not sure if my next question's also a secret then. I had a unitmate wonder why we were chosen ta be idols. Like if it was some kinda punishment related to our previous lives.

[Sounds like it could just be punishment for existing tho]

[ghostofissues]

It's pretty much random, as far as I know.

[worldlyafflictions]

Is it a punishment? Or more of a 'what ya make of it' thing?

[ghostofissues]

It's a "test."