synflux | closed.

[ can't believe idol au is real now

In a rather unfortunate twist of fate, Wriothesley finds himself back outside the Sapphire Room (or rather, a club similar to the Sapphire Room), dressed once again in a rather revealing outfit, and standing once more next to a man he really can't tolerate.

This time though, he's learned from past experience. He's staring at Callisto with a stony expression, voice clipped and serious. ]

Before we go in, we need to make sure our cover story matches.

[ He is not!! Making the same mistake again!!!!!! ]

[ the outfit wriothesley wears definitely gets a clear stare from callisto, his eyes dragging across his exposed hips and the zippers that leave no room for imagination. he half-wonders what the point is of clothes at all at that point, but it's not like he was in a much better position. he doesn't see the point in having to wear a harness on his person when it isn't for the explicit purpose of carrying weapons. regardless, he does have his sword on him.

though, it's looking more like a prop than anything real. concealed perfectly behind accessories. but, appearances aside, he really doesn't appreciate that tone, nor that expression. hence, he reaches out, giving wriothesley's shoulders a firm pat. ] Is that how you speak to your 'partner'? If so, I pity your companions, Duke.

[ but, he does seem willing enough to come up with an adequate story. but, rather than being accommodating, he lifts his pinky and idly picks at his ear. ] Yes, yes. We are an entertainment act together. We have been at it for several grueling years, we have "debuted" for two, but have been training for five. [ he looks at wriothesley as if to ask "anything else?"

do they need to establish other rules? such as wriothesley being the bad boy heartthrob? ]

[ Don't take that tone with him?? He's really regretting ever showing up here, and in this terrible outfit to boot.

But if there's any silver lining to all of this, it's that Callisto's both come prepared and offered to share up their cover story when asked, unlike certain other parties that will not be named. As far as cover stories go, it's not....great....but at least he'll know how to answer the questions asked of them when the time comes.

Although: ]

What's our [ ... ] entertainment act name again?

[ The Blunder Boys? The Middling Men? ]

[ this tag is just to clarify he has other clothes beneath the harness... that is all. now please move forward to your regularly scheduled reading.

this judgment over the cover story... callisto almost instinctively feels it in the air, but fortunately, he has no actual qualms about the fact that wriothesley seems to be accepting it, for better or worse. though, he does stiffen at the second inquiry directed his way. hell if he knows what an adequate name for an entertainment group is...

the jesters, royal clowns.... ] The Highstreet Boys. [ where did he get this name from? the world will never know. before, wriothesley can interject with anything, he does add the simple caveat of: ] Before you say a word of complaint, you are more than welcome to give your own suggestion.

You are more familiar with this land, are you not?

[ or they can go the kpop route and be ubstw (ubiquitous boys save the world). ]

[ What the hell are these names?

But contrary to what the existence of his idol au self suggests, Wriothesley doesn't actually know much about modern entertainment. He's dabbled in a little bit of every genre out there, but most of what's popular these days are too loud or too flashy for his tastes.

Thus, the Highstreet Boys works as a perfectly adequate name for their cover. (Will it be good enough for the security guard on duty tonight? Stay tuned.) ]

Not in this particular area, unfortunately. [ Too bad for them both! ] But there's nothing a quick search on our oculars won't solve.

[ Time to Go*gle. By which I mean I used a band name generator for this.

......

Silently, he sends the list over to Callisto's oculars. ]

[ these names are absolutely atrocious and they should be illegal on the principle of grating against his finer sensibilities (this doesn't actually exist). he seems shocked when he reviewed this over his oculars, the glow from his eye in the alleyway, before he abruptly seems to close it. ]

Technology isn't always power, it seems. [ he says vaguely, before: ] Bring Me the Handcuffs? Is that your preference? [ he seems to skim wriothesley's outfit once more, and he sees the general vibe does strike him as...

... ]

Is that also your "image" and position in the band? From my research everyone has one.

[ what image is handcuffs...? domineering? booktok? ]

[ booktok???? what the hell image is that, i'm too boomer for this

But Callisto's right. These names are beyond salvageable and sometimes the world wide web really shouldn't be trusted. Wriothesley sighs, eyes closing briefly as he pinches his nose. ]

...Let's just go with the Highstreet Boys.

[ Surely the name matters less than their performance in front of the bouncer anyway. And while he doesn't want to admit that Callisto's knowledge on the subject outweighs his, he's also pragmatic enough to accept his losses in order to move the mission along. ]

Since you seem to know so much, why don't you provide an 'image' for the both of us?

[ me leaving my fate in your hands once more.... ]

[ listen, for what it's worth, callisto does comprehend his largest weakness to be exploited here is his lack of knowledge. especially, when it came to how... sophisticated their technology was, and in turn, how not very demure their society was.

it looks like some of it may have paid off, however. (no) ]

Yours will be the "bad boy." Every society has them. A hellion who lives a debauched life full of colorful scandals that would make the reporter of any gossip colums' mouth water. [ he supposed even high society had those. the biggest hellion being him (less in scandals and more in bloodlust), but wriothesley doesn't need to know that. ]

Mine would be the proper prince, of course. [ said in a way that is ... so natural. as if he were leaving no room for argument. ]

[ ...........................

Not his eyebrows rising higher and higher with each word that comes out of Callisto's mouth. Hellion? A debauched life?? Gossip columns???? Hello. Meanwhile he's out here talking about his perfect proper prince role.

As if. ]

Don't you think our roles should be reversed? From what I can tell, you're far more likely to earn yourself a spot in any news column.

[ Though, they are supposed to be acting out roles instead of conforming to reality.......... ]

[ .....

there's an equally long pause, before callisto also interjects with: ] Do you not think you have any responsibility in that? If I recall correctly, it's partially thanks to you that my reputation is what it is. [ aka, he's not budging on this one. ]

Besides, if you are as pristine as you would like to believe, do you not believe posing as something completely different than yourself would make for the better guise?

[ Aren't you tired of being nice? Don't you just wanna go apeshit?
- Wriothesley's inner thoughts, probably.

Anyway, there are many flaws he could point out in Callisto's logic, which could lead to them both being here all day. Instead, he opts for the statement he thinks is most interesting. ]

So you don't believe you're a proper prince.

[ ...

... ] I am merely stating that others may not trust this to be the case. Whether you take this as the truth or not... is an entirely different issue. [ he says this as if it were meant to act as some sort of warning. a minor threat that could barely constitute as one. ]

With that settled, was there anything else to discuss, depraved partner of mine?

[ reaching over to place a firm hand of wriothesley's shoulders, as if he were displaying some sort of closeness. except, the grip in which he utilizes is anything but friendly. but, i guess with those traps and deltoids, it probably means very little. ]

[ i am no longer too tired to tag this back

But—depraved?? A muscle near his eye twitches in annoyance, and Wriothesley briefly considers the merit of just turning around and going back to base and just failing this particular mission. What's one more failure to add to the pile of failures they've all accumulated anyway?

Too bad he's never been the type to give up, not even when surrounded by some of the most annoying people in existence.

Instead he pastes on a smile, clearly fake, and motions for Callisto to lead the way to the door. ]

Just one. Have you ever made a friend in your life?

[ jw ]

[ he does notice the brief twitch in muscle, and his own lips seem to curve upwards in response. almost as if wriothesley himself were bearing some sort of medal with his own name engraved right into it. he makes no secret of these feelings, before he moves on topics, seemingly pleased at the way it's managed to work itself out.

though, admittedly, he wasn't the sort of work like this. he didn't often pretend to be another, and never felt the desire to wear a disguise for long. so he supposed this should be the extent of his pushing wriothesley's buttons if just for the sake of the mission.

except, damn? ] ... [ he stares at wriothesley. ]

Have you? You seem rather frigid yourself. [ but he releases his hold over the man's shoulders as if to usher him to move forward. ] To answer your question, not exactly. I likely have far more enemies than anyone I can truly call a friend. Could you make a friend knowing they could very well stab you in the back the first chance they get?

[ The return question both explains a lot and nothing at all about the type of life that Callisto has lived, one dangerous enough to prompt suspicion rather than enthusiasm at any overture of friendship. He can understand; he'd been there before too. Still is, to some degree.

His movements are, at least, obedient, footfalls even as they both head towards the door. ]

Is that what you think of the people here? That they exist solely to betray you?

[ Maybe some of them would plunge a knife into Callisto's heart if given the chance, but most of the collected Outsiders aren't nearly so harsh. ]

I don't know what kind of life you lived before this, but things are different now. If you want to succeed here, your best bet is learning how to make friends.

[ And if not friends, then at least genuine allies. ]

Are you truly at the old age where you find it necessary to impart others with your knowledge? You looked rather young to me. [ maybe more of a statement in which he is a bit surprised that wriothesley is speaking so frankly with him. not in the sense that he's offended by his words, but more that he didn't think most people would bother to give him advice. in some ways, isn't that precisely why he's in the position he had been?

regardless, it's true that rather than sage guidance of some sort, he was far more inclined to believe his gut and trust in his instincts. though, on that note: ] I understand that far more than you think. [ the concept that not everyone here necessarily cared much about his status, and had no actual motivation to end his life, but it's not like those concerns disperse overnight. he releases a soft sigh. ] You also didn't answer my question.

[ but, does it matter now when they're at the front with a guard at the door, almost comically similar to the first time wriothesley (and yuwon, but no one cares about him) went on their mission. but, callisto seems keen on doing the talking (which may also be similar)... ]

[ HE'S LIKE TEN YEARS OLDER THAN YOU, YOU PUNK

Damn, that underwater, no sunlight skin care routine really doing wonders for him though. Too bad it's all going to waste here (until Sigewinne slaps him back into shape). Regardless, he doesn't seem fussed by Callisto's reply, too busy ogling the guard at the door and wondering how much work it'll take to convince this guy of their fake identities. ]

How about we save that for later? [ Again, he continues to dodge the question....although he was never going to boast about his friendships in the first place. ] I believe we have work to do.

[ He nods towards the door as if to say ladies first (or in this case, clown princes....) ]

[ listen ten years older than him is still young, no??

compared to the actual duke who had sons that were roughly around his own age, surely this duke would only appear young and spry were they to stand side by side. though, that thought was neither here nor there. especially, considering the first actual hurdle of his mission seems to be staring them both straight in the eyes. literally.

the guard looks upon with a certain level of dubiety. callisto can detect this, and so he speaks rather smoothly. if anything, he is nothing but confident. ] The two of us are the expected guests who have come for [ he drops a name in that was offered in the files. ]. I'd be surprised if you didn't know us. We're the—

[ ... and what a time (!!!) for him to suddenly look over to wriothesley, clearly expecting the man coordinate with him and say their act name at the same time. this is terribly embarrassing, but it's what callisto has seen in prior videos. come on, mr. duke, put up your hand sign. ]

[ this is so fucking embarrassing

He's not doing a hand sign, because they never agreed to one sorry, but Wriothesley will at least step in with a coordinated name announcement. The least he can do after he forced Callisto into coming up with a name for them. ]

The Highstreet Boys.

[ Was this in unison? Did Callisto say the name too? And though he doesn't post like he might on stage, he does offer up his most charming, confident smile. ]

We're not on the charts yet, but we're gaining popularity fast. [ That's...how it works, right. If this guy tries to G*ogle them, it's all over. ] As a token of our appreciation to a new fan, we'd even be happy to give out signatures for free. Consider it a perk of getting to know us before we make it big.

[ Please just let them in already. ]

[ i'm in tears

the lack of a hand sign is a bit disappointing, but considering he literally just conjured it up on the spot, he can't say he's disappointed. especially, as they do actually manage to say within a relatively acceptable margin of error. it worked if just because callisto seemed ready to say it in the case that the duke hadn't.

the follow-up explanation seemed easy enough, too. if the guard before him did have any mind to speak up against it, callisto is already unabashedly taking out a prop a LILITH personnel member printed out before they met for his mission. it's a wriothesley photocard. he then hands it over to wriothesley with a permanent marker. he then takes out his own pen and begins to scrawl over the guard's forearm...

maybe just from not wanting to deal with the two of them, he does seem to be relenting?

at least, that's how it looks like callisto's eyes. ]

[ A photocard? A photocard?? Where did Callisto even get this????

While Callisto is busy handing over that signature Wriothesley so smoothly offered, he's busy squinting down at the small square in his hands, trying desperately not to grimace and ruin their act. It's shockingly well-made too, the print glossy and featuring him posing with his fingers held in a little heart shape. He's even winking.

Wow, the power of AI.

He bites back a sigh and gets to work, scrawling out his name in a flourish on the small space. At the same time, he sends Callisto a message. ]

Where did you get this?

[ why did i do this...

the fact that wriothesley is so thrown off by the photocard makes callisto believe it was a success to flag down one of the LILITH personnel into assisting him with this. callisto didn't shy away from the concept of delegating such work (wouldn't it be even funnier if it was just a random employee who worked by the base). besides, it was true that the individuals who were from this world would clearly have more clarity to the social constructs and idol culture. including photocards.

but, this questionable explanation aside, he does seems to look over at wriothesley as he also texts him back: ] Instead of worrying about that, should you not be flashing them your trademark smile?

I'll have you know, the price of these photos have been rising. They may even be worth several million kryptos one day.

[ the guard is probably so tired of them... as i am also tired. ]

[ THAT DIDN'T ANSWER THE QUESTION? HELLO??

In fact, it only serves to further convince Wriothesley that Callisto is actually some sort of unhinged sociopath hellbent on making the lives of those around him worse for fun and profit. See if he ever goes near the guy again.

But the mission comes first! Here comes that blinding trademark smile as he hands over the now-signed photocard, and the guard is in fact so tired of boyband idol antics that he accepts both signatures and waves them in. (Entertainers, man. They're all the same.)

Step one: complete. ]

[ why do you assume the worst, father-in-law...

except, callisto leaves no room to presume better. especially, when his next prospective steps may have been to offer up an impromptu performance... courtesy of wriothesley, of course. thankfully, it doesn't come to that. if there was one thing this guard seemed to believe, it was that...

celebrities were an intolerable bunch.

now that they made their way into the venue, the rest of the mission would go a lot more smoothly, at least. despite what it seems on the surface, at least the inside appeared more relaxed. he would assume the spaces in which garner the most suspicion were ones in which seemed to have guards posted.

keeping his voice low, he does whisper over a small: ] So how do you propose we take care of this?

[ the way i forgot what was actually happening in these undercover missions

With the hard part over (not really), Wriothesley scans the inside of the venue. The fact that there are still security guards stationed inside doesn't surprise him, although it does make the whole thing just a little more annoying.

But it's fine. They can do this. He turns to Callisto, a lofty smile on his face. ]

Act, of course. You are good at that, aren't you? [ Callisto and his ostentatious ways…. ] And then once we find what we're looking for, we can drop the act and round everyone up.

[ Easy, right? ]

callisto.

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why is this so embarrassing

you led us this direction?????

i did, but i didn't think it would be this awful

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