just call, we're all connected

[unbr8kable]

[It is a long, long sail to Hachijojima, but at almost 300 kilometers south of the Imperial Palace, it's one of the most remote places within the city limits, making it perfect for both urban exploration and other dubiously wise pursuits. Surely anticipation and boredom from the trip is the only reason for the frisson of nervous energy Nemesis can't shake even after an afternoon on what even in Hell TV form are gorgeous black sand beaches and lush, tropical greenery that verges on overgrowing the buildings of the port town.

That said, soon enough it's time to get to business, and after a dinner of fresh-caught fish and fruit to supplement the food they'd brought along, Hurricane and Nemesis begin setting things up.

The hotel they'd scoped out for the ceremony (thanks Yahell! Maps) was run down and abandoned even by Tokyo-F standards, its bubble-chic French Baroque architecture salt stained and half covered in vines and ferns and established greenery. Its sprawling beach patio opens straight to the sand and beyond that the ocean, though the promenade of graceful statues are now crumbling, and rather than cafe tables or lounge chairs, only moss and bioluminescent mushrooms venture over the once ornately tiled floor.

There is still plenty of space for candles and salt and whatever else one might need to do with the space, and Nemesis dumps her bag of supplies right there on one of the benches carved into the railing; turns to Hurricane beside her.]

Ready to summon an elder god?

Comments

[crossmyheartandhope]

Yeah. So maybe we got... what? Something close, but that people still believe in?

[unbr8kable]

Maybe...

[She hesitates, then shifts, moving to sit next to him rather than across. She continues to brush against his unbandaged fingers, however]

Maybe it was like a wrong number or something. So we thought we were calling tentacle guy and otherwise maybe it'd go to whatserface the operator, but instead we got...the mushroom princess.

[crossmyheartandhope]

[He doesn't seem to mind the change in position - leans in against her, careful]

What, so one number off and we got someone else instead?

Or maybe, like... the line was open, so whoever wanted could come through.

[unbr8kable]

[She doesn't seem to mind that at all, and greedily sinks more against him as if he might pull away if she takes too long]

Yeah...maybe. I dunno. Don't really how to know, honestly...

[crossmyheartandhope]

Yeah... yeah.

[Leaning up agaisnt her just as readily]

Ain't like we're gonna get a straight answer from mushroom lady.

[unbr8kable]

Yeah...ugh.

...Maybe the translator thing don't even know mushroom.

[crossmyheartandhope]

You think a better translator woulda helped?

[unbr8kable]

Dunno. But like--seemed like they were trying to tell us something. Didn't feel like it was trying to be nonsense, even though it was definitely nonsense, y'know?

...Didn't know there were languages this place didn't know.

[crossmyheartandhope]

Yeah, for real.

[A beat or two, considering]

[He stays where he is, leaned up against her, as he digs out his notebook and copies down what little he remembers verbatim]

...we just left and I already forgot most of it.

[unbr8kable]

Ain't like it made much sense.

...There was something about--planting, and--rot and angels...right?

[crossmyheartandhope]

Yeah... yeah.

I was trying to remember it word for word, but it was all so weird.

[unbr8kable]

Yeah...order kept changing, too...

[Peers over to see what he's got]

[crossmyheartandhope]

[He's got "Even the angel who is like a slab of meat, hovering up there is a suicide," and "You can't live among a sickness," and "I construct arcadias to forget my ache, I decorate the light having so little of it" and "Everyone looks unhappy. Even the beginning there with the seeds of flickering dream" and "The mouth and all other things share within in the planting in the knowledge"]

[unbr8kable]

[She taps her finger on the paper, frowning]

Something about--about vine rivulets... Or like--"here, every vine and root demands blood."

[crossmyheartandhope]

[Jotting that down, too]

Yeah. Yeah, thats right.

[unbr8kable]

Yeah. 'Cause when she said it, felt--

[She doesn't continue, frowning further]

...'S gotta all mean something. Otherwise--wouldn't've repeated like that. Right?

[crossmyheartandhope]

Yeah. There was a bunch of stuff that came up more than once.

[A long pause]

...you think the answer was in there somewhere?

[unbr8kable]

Answer to what?

[crossmyheartandhope]

To what we asked.

[unbr8kable]

Did we end up asking anything...?

[Thinks back, then frowns]

...Did that count? Since--if it did, then... I mean, she said a lot of stuff. Prolly meant more than just "lemme eat your brains," y'know?

[crossmyheartandhope]

Yeah... yeah. If that was a for-real answer... seems like there was some weight to it.

[unbr8kable]

Yeah.

...Something about a garden above...right? Think the vine rivulet was later.

[crossmyheartandhope]

Yeah.

You think she meant, like...?

[unbr8kable]

I mean, I thought she did when she was saying it.

[crossmyheartandhope]

So... the garden.