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[bluescreenwhitedragon]

"This is Intensity. Leave a message."

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[bluescreenwhitedragon]

[Picks up a red pen and immediately goes for the plot-relevant stack.]

I have a copy machine in my lab if you need use of it. You have to supply your own paper though.

[we_meet_again]

Oh, thank you!

[While Intensity's going to town on the paperwork, Cobalt helps himself to his tea.]

We have a computer and printer in the lounge that's been working out. A copier sounds really convenient, though. I'm sure I'll take you up on that at some point.

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

You are aware that the chance of whatever we write here getting back to Azzy and potentially Our Lady of Lies is fairly high, yes.

[Making the occasional mark here and there - scratching out, re-wording, adding things. Like the OCD perfectionist that he is]

[we_meet_again]

I'm treating this as if it's guaranteed, which is why I want to double and triple check with you what's going in here.

Ninety people cannot keep a secret. Nothing sensitive should be included at all.

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

Oh, we have to throw Azzy's people somewhat of a bone. That's why I left the bit about Heaven's spaceship in my notes. And why you should leave it in your guide. Sure - two of Azzy's people already saw it for themselves - but if they get a little something extra the agents didn't see, then they don't know how much we're hiding.

[we_meet_again]

...Ah!

That's very clever!

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

[Adding some notes in the margins]

You know this is going to be outdated by next week, right?

[Taken from someone who tries to manage a publishing timeline]

[we_meet_again]

I'll be lucky if it's not outdated right now!

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

Oh hark! What's that I hear. The sound of new information that needs to be put on page 86.

[we_meet_again]

[looks at him, stricken]

No.

NO.

That was a joke!!!

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

Oh but the spacing.

Now the paragraph alignment is all fucked up. And you're going to have to redo the entire table of contents.

[we_meet_again]

[THE ENTIRE TABLE OF CONTENTS U SAY??????!!!]

Did a whole new rift open while I was in here writing?!

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

[Laughs and taps Cobalt's nose with the red pen he's marking with]

Probably.

They always pop up at the most inconvenient times.

[we_meet_again]

[asflsdf recoils dramatically in mock offence at this nose-boop]

I'm going to issue a formal request to the universe to not have anything else happen between now and distribution, so I can enjoy the satisfaction of being done for even a single hot second!

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

Unfortunately God is dead so you're going straight to voicemail.

Or at least that's what page 48 leaves me to believe.

[we_meet_again]

[According to Cobalt's opinions on gods, God being dead is a feature, not a bug]

Well. Once you're done looking the appendix over, there's something else I want to run by you.

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

[Looks up at him from his paper rustling]

Go ahead.

[we_meet_again]

I heard a weird thing.

That time when you guys got trapped in Hell, Maki killed herself to come after you. Theoretically people don't go to Monster Mom until after twenty-four hours, but her body vanished and she somehow got there early. Sounds like she returned from her trip before she was even scheduled to leave.

And that kinda sounds a lot like the time Yasuragi's body vanished even though his people went to retrieve him right away.

Ssssomething might be happening to unguarded bodies.

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

...

Oh boy. Just what we needed.

Bodysnatcher urban myth.

[we_meet_again]

Yeah.

Please let me know if you hear anything more about that. In the meantime I've asked Hiryuu to include a note warning people not to leave bodies unguarded.

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

I'll keep an ear out.

...

We don't know how the bodies get to Lady Death, do we? In or out of a game.

[we_meet_again]

I've been assuming it works the same way transfers happen, or the same way they teleport us to the game tower.

Or maybe the ground opens up and swallows people whole, the way it happened when those guys bought "undo" from the store? That's the only time I can think of where people actually witnessed someone leaving Tokyo-F.

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

The circus master whisked us away from Tokyo-F easily enough. I can't imagine Lady Death couldn't do it as well.

But...

When we were visiting her, she did call for a minion. They were cloaked and wore a mask so I couldn't really say any more about her lackey than that.

[we_meet_again]

Oh. Huh. That's the first I've heard of that. Another demon, maybe...?

Mysterious.

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

She called them a pet. And preferred that they be quiet.