graduation!

[idolpro]

Who: Moxie, pep!pep!, invited CR
Where: Local parking garage
When: Day 383, late afternoon

[ pep!pep! and invited CR are given a location on Goregle Maps, which turns out to be fairly close—a parking garage near the hotel, it looks like!

At the entrance of the parking garage are both the staircase and elevator, of course, but there's additionally a cage-like elevator with a sign on the outer shell: NO COWARDS. This platform, rickety and creaking while not in motion, is surprisingly stable when you pull the lever—there's only one option—to send it up. As it climbs, you can hear the clicks and scrapes of metal wheels turning, until it stops with a creak and a hiss on the 9th floor.

The outer shell unlocks, ready for you to unlatch it and enter the party—though maybe a more accurate word would be exhibition. The entire floor has been turned, effectively, into a museum, featuring various steam-powered inventions—including replicas of things that Moxie might have worked on herself in the past, or things she'd like to get her hands on in the future, or even things that might not have ever been thought possible with current steam technology. They're all grounded—any vehicles and weapons are sturdily secured onto the floor, so they can't be shown off in any test runs, though other appliances are free to be studied and played with. Each "aisle" of creations are divided by a blue and celadon-green carpet.

Every few paces, there's a large arcade-booth sized lotto machine, though there's no place to insert currency. Instead, there are a variety of smaller pulleys on the side of the machine with various tags—pictures depicting different kinds of food, anything from burgers to pizza to noodles, as well as labels for appetizers, sides, desserts, and drinks. Pull down the pulley a half-inch and it'll click, and pull the lever and the whole machine will shake and rumble before a loud bell ding!s and the lotto image wheels spin, repeating the order back to you in picture form while a tray spits out underneath the images. It's an infinite food machine—no amount of ordering seems to stress the appliance—and there are least a dozen of its make spread along the exhibition floor.

At the center of the exhibition is a circular stage facing iron chairs, where people can sit and eat if they like. Here, if Moxie likes, she can stand upon the stage and give a speech into the microphone and have her voice amplified by what amounts to brass speakers hanging from the ceiling, shaped like many gramophones to project her voice to the whole floor. There's a door at the back of the stage for Moxie to go through when she's ready. ]

Comments

[worldlyafflictions]

[WANDERING THE AISLES, eventually stopping at the food machine.]

Isn't showin' somebody all sortsa stuff that could make 'em rich 'n famous before ya kick 'em back out into the real world where they gotta scrap ta get anything decent together kinda much?

[nutsandrevolts]

Hey, ole pal, ole chump! Ya getting all affended on my behalf? Softie...

[worldlyafflictions]

[WOW]

I'm just sayin', sometimes whoever's in charge of party plannin' goes so hard with these things it comes off insincere.

[nutsandrevolts]

They gathered alla pep up fer me, that's all I care about!

[quickpersuader]

[Looking around at everything curiously.]

I wonder what will happen to all of this once it's over.

[nutsandrevolts]

I imagine the same sort of thing what happens to the stuff from games when they're done.

[quickpersuader]

What a waste of resources.

[Especially all these machines!]

[nutsandrevolts]

Maybe they ain't even really real?

[quickpersuader]

That would actually be better, I think.

[nutsandrevolts]

Creepy to think it's all some hallicinatory thing, though...

[quickpersuader]

I've resigned myself to assuming most things here are going to have creepy origins.

[nutsandrevolts]

Fair 'nough!

[quickpersuader]

So do you remember everything now?

[tenebraecious]

[marveling at all the machines and technology, holding a simply wrapped package]

Oh my, this is perfect. Perhaps, it is not too late to come up with another present.

[nutsandrevolts]

I'm assure that whatever ya brought already is perfect, Glacy.

[tenebraecious]

Are you sure? It would not take very long to take a few pictures and print them out as souvenirs.

[nutsandrevolts]

Oh––ya were thinkin' of pictures? Ya think they'll let me take 'em home?

[tenebraecious]

I very much hope so. After all, I would have not have anything for you if they did not.

[offering up her gift; one is practical, a detergent that is AMAZING at getting out grease and oil stains, something that has been lingering in pep for a long time probably tbh. but the other is purely sentimental: a collection of pictures of the various members of pep together collected in a scrapbook. some are from glacies, others are collected from the rest of the peps]

[nutsandrevolts]

. . .Glacy. . .

[She reaches for the scrapbook, but stops just short of touching it, looking absolutely touched. ]

[tenebraecious]

[gently offering it to her]

Go on. It is yours. While you may be involved with the matters of your world, I hope you do not forget that many are supporting you.

[nutsandrevolts]

Now yer foolin'. I ain't ever gonna forget pep –– I love all 'em way too muchly.

[She accepts the album, handling it gently (at least for her -- probably rates as 'normal' for most other people.]

[tenebraecious]

I was not questioning that, only that you must remember we are also always thinking of you.

Writing may still be difficult, but try to send something when you are able.

[nutsandrevolts]

Oh, that ain't a problem! Marl can write, I'll get him to pen somethin' for me!

[tenebraecious]

Yes, please. It would be lovely to hear from you once you are settled back home.

[we_meet_again]

[Dressed in what looks like a crisp new copy of his dressiest pep uniform, he slowly meanders around the exhibit, taking it in.]

[raising his voice and attempting to look directly into whatever cameras are probably in the walls or ceilings or w/e:]

Moxie gets to take all of this with her, right?

[nutsandrevolts]

Don'cha worry, pally, I'll line my pockets -- anythin' what don't fit I'll just make back home, better'n these creeps ever coulda managed!

[we_meet_again]

How much stuff do you think they'll let you take with you? Should I run back to the dorm and buy a wheelbarrow real fast? Or maybe like a horse-drawn wagon?

[nutsandrevolts]

Maybe I oughta take the van.

[we_meet_again]

I mean, you can if you like!

You think there's time for one last driving lesson? You catch on pretty fast, so maybe one is enough...

[send_noods]

[Gladio's wearing a shirt. Like, an actual buttoned up shirt with the matching uniform cardigan]

... is this really just set dressing?

[he's maybe 76% sure Moxie made all this and was hiding it in the dorm. Somehow]

[nutsandrevolts]

Lookit you, all dressed up to see lil 'ole Moxie off! Who'da thought?

[send_noods]

Hey, I dress up for special occasions, y'know?

[he huffs fondly, putting his hands on his waist... the motion pulls at the shirt a bit, those top buttons looking mighty strained]

[nutsandrevolts]

Ya can lose it by the end 'o the party! Just wouldn't seem right if it made it alla the way through, yanno?

[send_noods]

Is this gonna be that kind of party? How wild are we goin' here?

[waggles eyebrows]

[nutsandrevolts]

The kind I can probably have ya thrown right out've if ha don't behave.