HANDSHAKE EVENT: FANSERVICE START

[idolpro]

Who: Unfamiliar faces?
Where: Tokyo-F
When: Day 424, morning

[ The cryptic countdown pauses: 999999.

Then, the video feed turns on. Who's this—why, it's Man☆Eater! ]

A big ol' congrats to our final winner, who requested: "PLEASE MAKE C KING OF HEAVEN"! Now, we could make that happen for you, but where'd be the fun in that? And hey, we've got a special occasion to celebrate: the start of our fourth season! If the third time's a charm, the fourth's gotta be even better, right? Gyahaha!

They say you should meet your heroes... eh, or wait, was it the opposite? Oh well, too late! 'Cause guess what, you lucky rascal? Instead of sitting back and watching all the action through a screen, you're getting the once-in-a-lifetime chance to meet the man himself! No accounting for taste if you ask your host here, but hey, go bask in his divine presence or whatever! Gyahahahaha!

[ the video shuts off before further explanation can be given, though fortunately you're receiving a text message: ]

IMEEJI'S FIRST HANDSHAKE EVENT BEGINS
FULFILL FAN REQUESTS TO BECOME MORE POPULAR ♥

[ And the ground begins to shift . . . there's a rumbling sound—an earthquake?

—no. Those are the sounds of footsteps . . . thousands of them, all at once.

Wherever idols are, they'll be able to see the streets and buildings are being invaded. Not by imps, not by demons, but rather, monochromatic people—sometimes just silhouettes, shadowy facsimiles of people rather than people themselves. Though they look lifeless, the energy they bring with them is overwhelming. Suddenly, the empty once-plastic city feels like it has the population to justify its size, and every building, communally upgraded or not, now accommodates the visitors, with non-upgraded buildings revamped inside to be bare-bones sleeping quarters for the . . . just how many people are here, anyway?

Perhaps more intimidating than the abrupt number of the Damned in Tokyo-F is the fact that they're all wearing. . . idol merchandise. Jackets with idol faces on them. Headbands. Lightsticks.

And. . . wherever you are, they're there. To get your signature. To shake your hand. Maybe to ask you to do something.

Idols will have to deal with this for . . . some time. The cryptic countdown has started again, but this time it's ticking reliably, though slowly, down.

Incidentally: far from the hotel, tall white walls have been erected around Honmachi Sakura Park. They're not magical walls, though—it seems determined idols can use any number of methods to climb over the walls to get to Heaven. It looks like it's largely there to keep fans away. . . ]

SIGN-UPS | REQUESTS | TURN-IN @ SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12

Comments

Re: cw: blood!

[ends]

Lupine, it's fine. I told you. Used to it. All of it.

[ just as sharp, trying to reach again for his hand. ]

Move your fingers for me, make a fist.

[ focused, even as a fan shouts again how he ought to use first aid to prove his skills next time. ]

Re: cw: blood!

[at_heart]

You don't first aid a finger, assholes.

[ Might not care what you're used to??? He's reflexively doing as instructed with his hand, though, and honestly it feels disorientingly fine. Like nothing happened. Except the faint white line around his pinky. ]

Re: cw: blood!

[ends]

Not to correct you here, but ... you could if you had to.

[ it's just that why would he ever when he has a better option. Kitsu pulls gently at each finger, bending them one by one. ]

You can feel everything? [ and tracing a finger up the length of the previously severed limb just to be sure. ]

Re: cw: blood!

[at_heart]

Sure, to get me to the hospital in time. [ Hmph. Flexes his fingers. ] Yeah, the sIV numb doesn't take away anything but pain. It feels fine.

[ Maybe a little bit shivery if you're doing that, but fine. ]

Re: cw: blood!

[ends]

To stop bleeding.

[ calmly, despite the cheering of the fans intermixed with the spouting of more demands.

it’s odd to see Lupine maintaining anger while Kitsu himself tries to project easiness. his expression still soft and perhaps too innocent for the intent, he draws the pinky up to his lips, first kissing it (though this would hardly qualify as kissing a “boo boo”) and then licking at it, taking it into his mouth.

will this take Lupine’s mind off all this? ]

Re: cw: blood!

[at_heart]

[ —uh, what ]

Kit.

[ends]

[ stops, looks up.

...

pulls away. but hey, the fans are into it? ]

... There you go! Looks good! Wow, like it never even happened, right? Amazing! Really bringing it home! ... I should go!

[at_heart]

[ He'd say he couldn't care less what the fans think, but you know. The whole point of this was to try and help rehabilitate your fandom presence some. So the fans reacting positively jerks him out of his own surprise. Lupine steels himself a tiny bit, then tugs Kit in by the front of his shirt. ]

Yeah, I don't think so.

[ Pitched deliberately low, and hey peripheral squealing, that's just great. Hard to feel anything past his own concern, but he's managing a decent front. ]

—I've got at least one more request you're gonna help me with.

[ends]

Uhh, I'm the resident expert here, and I do think so. I thought I did a pretty good job.

[ NOT THE POINT, but sometimes you're just trying to get things back on track and make them feel less worrying and you-

succeed?

yes, succeed. Lupine doesn't seem as angry with them anymore, at least, even as annoying as those fans continue to be. ]

[at_heart]

[ The fans can go jump in a lake, or off a building, or whatever's most convenient for him. ]

Yeah, that's not the part I was talking about. [ Easily. ] I meant, I don't think you should go anywhere.

[ Getting to his feet, and he drags Kit with him~. ]

[ends]

[ might he recommend a particularly cursed lake by the park where too many limbs have been severed? it's scenic!

Kitsu clears his throat, but goes along easily enough. ]

Even though we're good now? Completely in working order?

[ somebody's embarrassed. ]

[at_heart]

[ What if he puts an actual purr in his voice. ]

Yeah? Well, some parts could still use your attention.

[ends]

[ then he will get a Kitsu that looks aside just as he tends to when caught by surprise, trying to conceal some of the inevitable honesty in his face when he gets flustered.

it does little for the visible shiver, though. ]

I can never tell if you're taking it seriously or if it's just the reaction you're after. [ he insists, despite almost certainly knowing, almost able to hear: why not both? and there go the fans, oooohing and listening intently. EXCITING. ]

And please don't tell me this whole thing has awakened a new kink in you, because I'm gonna pass on that one.

[ silence, then a single, nasally voice from the crowd: "... It's a kink for me...!" ]

[at_heart]

[ Why not both is definitely what he would've said, if Kit hadn't said that and gotten fan commentary to boot. Lupine muffles a laugh with his fist, then shakes his head. ]

Nope. [ Raising his voice a little for the benefit of the crowd: ] Not that I'm shaming anyone who enjoyed it! [ You're creepy little weirdos but he can keep that to himself for the sake of keeping the crowd on their side. ] Just another request someone gave me. Full-body oil massage. After that, well... we'll just see where things go.

[ The crowd likes both of these suggestions! And Lupine is letting Kit think, for the moment, that he's asking for a massage instead of offering one. ]

[ends]

[ under his breath for the sake of keeping it away from the fans: ]

That guy had better not ever contact me. Ever. For anything.

[ clearing his throat, he reaches out to idly set a hand on Lupine's shoulder. ]

Then you're in luck, I, uh, happened to have some on me already. Floral oils. And I had a run like this pretty recently. I'm not going to pretend I'm some master, but sure. I can handle that.

[at_heart]

[ His lips quirk a little, but he's pretty sure that's a lost hope. Kit's misunderstanding, on the other hand, is perfect.

Call him crazy but he has this weird feeling that you wouldn't agree so quickly if he was more upfront about it. ]

Sweet. Gonna have to be somewhere warmer, but still with cameras.

[ There's actually a spa, if they don't mind a 30 minute train trip. Or like a 50 minute flight. Love hotel's got similar travel time... Too bad this is before the mario kart live or he'd have a motorcycle he only sort of knows how to drive. ]

[ends]

[ a completely fair assessment! ]

I'm a fan of not having to treat hypothermia in the field unless I have to, yeah.

[ gestures over his shoulder. (is that a fan looking mildly disappointed?) ]

There's the hotel, unless you've got a better idea? [ he cants his head a little. should he mention the other request, the one about using sIV powers in a spicy way? the one he'd considered making a sign to advertise for... Lupine might catch his thoughtful expression before he shakes it off, gesturing again. let's go, let's get away from these faceless freaks. ]

1/

[at_heart]

[ ... ]

Follow-up questions on that later.

[at_heart]

Which hotel were you thinking?

[ Because their hotel's closer, but the dorms definitely don't have cameras. :|aaaa ]

[ends]

I don't have a follow-up explanation. Unless you want tips, I can do that.

[ holding his hands up defensively. ]

Just one of those... things?

[ those things that come out and kind of fit, but there's no context to say why it might. ]

I was talking about the love hotel, that probably has them. [ which. fucking rude? but it is what it is. ] I'm not going back to the dorms.

[at_heart]

[ Eyebrows just going up and up and up? ]

Okay, then.

[ Contemplates. ]

Fastest way there is to take the train.

[ Why don't you want to go back to the dorms, Kit. ]

[ends]

Same as electroconvulsive therapy.

[ no context, just trivia he knows. ]

Then we'll take the—

[ his nose twitches in an almost wrinkle. ]

... train. [ holds up a hand, expecting follow-up. ] Producer name "Absolute Trainwreck." Maybe even doing this will get me points with them.

1/

[at_heart]

[ Headtilt. ]

...That fan said something about you being a rookie without any training, but you kind of sound like a doctor.

[ Just. Pointing that out. ]

[at_heart]

If you don't wanna take the train, I can fly us; it'll just take longer.

[ends]

Kino said that, but... I hated school. I'm a dropout, and medical training takes years.

[ gesturing at himself. ]

I didn't make it past this. And once I was dead, there were no doctors or hospitals. No need when you could just stand yourself right back up after getting maimed...

[ thus. a mystery! fun trivia he looked at, maybe? ]

But no. Train is fine. Just expect someone to cheer something weird, like "you don't have to die on the train," or "derail it, Trainwreck-san!"