Text: This is a public service announcement

[lighter_flick]

[After he wakes up from that weird dream, it takes him a few more hours to realize that Eikichi is, somehow, missing. And...that was it! That was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back! Because by mid-morning, there is an angry-looking text post from Tatsuya on the network, with only these words of warning.]

ATTN: HINOTO-RI

PHILEMON WILL RUIN YOUR LIFE

[That's....it. Maybe he should elaborate.]

Comments

text;

[lighter_flick]

FINE. BECAUSE OF THEM, THE WORLD ENDED.

I HONESTLY CAN'T THINK OF HOW MUCH MORE EVIDENCE I CAN GIVE HERE.

[Text]

[lighter_flick]

HOW UNFORTUNATE THAT YOU'RE A JACKASS

[...Not his greatest comeback, but it'll do.]

[lighter_flick]

YEAH I GUESS YOU CAN SAY THAT.

WE'VE MET BEFORE THIS.

text

[lighter_flick]

[Wow, nice, good job.]

WHAT DO YOU MEAN "AND"?

THERE IS NO "AND" IN THIS STATEMENT OF FACT.

Privacy filter->[text]

[prototype_blues]

It's not that weird, actually.

And yeah. Maybe a just little off track.

[Text]

[lighter_flick]

OKAY THE REALLY SUPER SHORT VERSION IS THAT HE MADE A BET THAT GOT NYARLATHOTEP INVOLVED IN THE LIVES OF ME AND MY FRIENDS WHEN I WAS LIKE EIGHT.

AND BECAUSE OF THAT, THE WORLD ENDED.

I WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO TELL PEOPLE THE LONG VERSION BUT IT WOULD MAKE IT SOUND LIKE I'M ON DRUGS OR SOMETHING.

[voice]

[lighter_flick]

[Takes a deep, calming breath.]

Are you talking about some of the people here being teleported away? I'm not just talking about that, sorry.

[lighter_flick]

I'VE MET THE GUY BEFORE THIS.

EVERYTHING HE GETS INVOLVED IN TURNS TO CRAP. TRUST ME, IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT SOME PEOPLE BEING TAKEN GOD KNOWS WHERE.

IT'S ABOUT EVERYTHING.

[text]

[lighter_flick]

[She knows Igor oh my god that's perfect.]

IGOR'S HERE?

THAT'S PERFECT, HE'LL PROBABLY KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON AND THEN WE CAN ASK THOSE GUYS ABOUT THE TRAPEWHATEVERIT'SCALLED.

[text]

[greatseal]

[so his hatred of otherworldly beings doesn't extend to Igor at least.]

He is! But the Velvet Room isn't around all the time here, so it can be a little hard to get ahold of him.

So you used to visit the Velvet Room too...? That makes sense though because Eikichi-kun mentioned it.

[text]

[ineedthemforanalyzing]

It's something they found inside the Mictlan. That strange dream implied it was responsible for transporting people out of here.

[text]

[lighter_flick]

[Are you kidding Igor is totally great.]

THAT'S KIND OF WEIRD BUT AT LEAST THE VELVET ROOM'S HERE.

AND YEAH, WE ALL DID. I GUESS I SHOULDN'T BE SURPRISED HE'S HERE, IF PHILEMON IS TOO.

SO ARE NAMELESS AND BELLADONNA HERE TOO?

[Text]

[capitalbackup]

I'm asking for details, or else this will be a waste of time.

Privacy filter->[text]

[lighter_flick]

JUST A BIT.

ANYWAY I'M GONNA LOOK OVER THIS AND THEN TRY TO FIND OUT WHERE EVERYONE WENT. IF YOU FIND OUT ANYTHING ELSE THAT MIGHT BE IMPORTANT, COULD YOU LET ME KNOW?

[text]

[greatseal]

[Belladonna and Nameless...? Well, at least she recognizes the names (or lack of them) although she didn't speak to them.]

They were once, but usually it's Igor and two attendants named Caroline and William.

Privacy filter->[text]

[prototype_blues]

Sure. Not like I can do much else with any information I gather about this stuff, and you'd probably understand it better than me too.

[The joy of this Blues being from when he's so young? He hasn't become a vague jackass who hides information.]

Although I need to know the name of the guy I'll be sending information to, if you don't mind?

[lighter_flick]

THE...THE COLLECTIVE UNCONSCIOUS.

YOU KNOW, WHERE PERSONAS COME FROM??

[acapriciousthing]

What can you tell me about him?

[misery_hates_company]

Goodness, you have it all planned out, don't you? And what replaces these two when they're gone, hmm?

[lighter_flick]

I DON'T WANT THEM GONE, THEY'RE HUMANITY ITSELF, THEY CAN'T REALLY BE GONE.

I JUST DON'T WANT THEM DICKING AROUND IN THE LIVES OF OTHER PEOPLE ANYMORE.

WAIT WHAT AM I SAYING, I DO WANT NYARLATHOTEP GONE BUT THAT'S BECAUSE HE HAS NO REDEEMING QUALITIES AT ALL.

[linefacingforever]

[...he's not sure if this guy is upset, or if the capslock is permanently stuck to on.]

What do you mean, bets?

[Text]

[lighter_flick]

FINE. THEY HAD A BET WITH EACH OTHER ABOUT THE DIRECTION THAT HUMANITY WANTED TO GO IN, AND BECAUSE OF THAT, THE WORLD ENDED.

IS THAT BETTER?

[thewunderkind]

SO PERSONAS ARE MADE WITH DEAD BODY MATTER?

I GUESS THAT MAKES SENSE. EVERYTHING IS DISPOSABLE AND REUSING AN ENERGY SOURCE TO MAKE SOMETHING ELSE IS PRETTY SMART. LIKE NOT REALLY THAT SMART LIKE ME, BUT MAYBE SAMI OR EVEN SASHA LEVEL SMART.

...

SO WHAT EXACTLY ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO WITH THEM?

ACTUALLY, WHAT ARE THEY?!

I KNOW THE WEIRD PHILOMAN (yes she did that on purpose) BUTTERFLY GUY SAID WE'D GET ONE TO PROTECT THE CITY BUT I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THEY DO OR IF I'M SUPPOSED TO PICK UP A KEY FOR ONE OR IT'S SOME SORT OF ROBOT.

YOU SEEM TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE SITUATION, SO START TALKING.

[misery_hates_company]

If they are humanity themselves, then is it really them "dicking around," or is it humanity itself messing in its own affairs? After all, they are our own creations.

[Voice]

[whereibelong]

[Wow, he's really concerned about this...]

O-okay, okay [She'll definitely keep it in mind, at least] But... did something happen? Is it because of the dream and everyone disappearing?

[Because... that would make sense]