video, open to action;

[anunluckypenny]

[As early evening stretches shadows and forces the temperature down from Unpleasantly Hot to Basically Tolerable, Penny finishes scraping the last traces of graffiti from the Welcome Center's facade. She picks up a small stack of posters and addresses the network.]

Okay. I'm all for getting involved in what's going on in the community and freedom's a great thing, but it's been a week and I'm still picking these [a demonstrative wave of the posters] up. The graffiti's not too bad. The flyers, though? I don't know where anything in the City comes from or if we need to worry about conserving natural resources, but in most places, all of this anti-deity Cityzen stuff would be putting a dent in the tree population.

I'm not saying that stirring up some rebellion is bad. I just don't think we need to go around wallpapering the City with posters when we can talk about it. Save some trees--or whatever it is paper gets made out of here.

Oh! And sorry, but I'm not interested in any uprisings right now. Just trees. The curses've been weird enough this month without annoying the deities, right?

Comments

[mortemscintilla]

I'm still not sure if the posters are to stir up rebellion, or if they're an awful prank.

[anunluckypenny]

Why would anyone make prank posters?

[Think of the trees, Li!]

[intheblanks]

The curses have been weird this month. Which makes me wonder if there's something in what the posters say.

'We have tried to eliminate the curses'?

Could have just made things worse.

[anunluckypenny]

If that's what's going on, they need to get on a new strategy.

[Maybe something more polite and eco-friendly.]

[lawbender]

What surprises me is that no one seems to know who's been planting them. They're just everywhere.

[ Lin is suspicious. ]

[anunluckypenny]

All of these posters and no one's seen who's putting them up? That's so--I mean, I don't understand why anyone would spend so much time getting attention and asking for help without saying exactly what they want help with.

video;

[exaltate]

The posters themselves are not very convincing. Perhaps, something more graphic and inspirational would encourage any potential willing participants to join forces... I know seeing my father's noble image on the posters back home stirred many to enlist in his army.

[ Well... she's not going to talk about the part where he was naked on the posters. ]

video;

[anunluckypenny]

[Naked...? No, that's absolutely not something that should be discussed. Ever.]

Your father must have a pretty incredible recruitment campaign if he has his own army. Is that a normal thing where you're from? Having a personal army?

video;

[majorcrotchgrab]

In my time here, trying to uproot or rebel against the Deities has never done jackshit. It's definitely a waste of paper.

video;

[anunluckypenny]

I hope that's all it is.

[punchedhitler]

Do you need some help?

[anunluckypenny]

Nah, I've got it. Thanks, Steve.

[skintoskin]

That's pretty shitty for someone to do that to the Welcome Center. I mean, where would we be without you, Pens?

[anunluckypenny]

It's not a big deal as far as cleaning up goes, just a waste.

[Aw, Neil...]

How're you holding up?

[notscrapmetal]

The message must get out. Will you ignore our call? We need you.

[anunluckypenny]

Who's we? What do you guys need?

[butweneedyou]

It's not an uprising. It's a revolution.

But we need you.

[anunluckypenny]

It's kind of dangerous, too, isn't it? To everyone, not just whoever wants to speak up. Whatever's keeping us in the City doesn't seem to mind punishing everybody here if a few people start acting out. I don't think it's fair and there are plenty of things wrong with the way we're all treated here, but it doesn't seem right to drag the whole City into something.

If you're with this group... I mean, I agree with the idea, I'm just not big on poking the City until someone gets mad. Or the flyers. A revolution doesn't justify littering.

video;

[universaltranslator]

I'll take the posters any day. [The Youth Center has been getting extra doses of graffiti.]

video;

[anunluckypenny]

Yeah... they're easier to deal with, but it's such a waste. How're you holding up over at the Youth Center?

[immortal_machine]

Uprisings against these "deities" will result in their having so much information about our plans that we will be shut down before we even begin.

[anunluckypenny]

I guess so, but there're bigger problems with the idea.

action;

[monochrome_mirror]

[Shikieiki is fairly quiet as she steps up beside Penny, who is just finishing the cleaning work.]

Here, let me help you put this away.

[She keeps her voice down, and starts carrying the cleaning supplies back inside. Today, it's pretty warm out, so she hangs her hat and vest on a coat hook inside the Welcome Center. There's a flyer that Penny missed...she pulls it off the wall and reads it.]

This seems like poor and useless tactics...but I understand the sentiment. No sensible individual should have to suffer through a life like the sort the City provides.

action;

[anunluckypenny]

[Penny smiles as soon as her initial surprise ebbs.]

Hey, Shiki-sama. Thank you so much.

[She follows her in. Shikieiki's assessment of the situation makes her slightly uneasy.]

This might sound kind of crazy, but the City's not terrible. It can be, sure, and I definitely don't think the deities have our best interest in mind, but some people like it here. Some of us make friends we don't want to leave, or build lives that're better than what we had at home. I mean, I know a few couples who could never be together outside of the City, and they're happy.

[thermonuclear_birdbrain]

Aw, the weather's cooling down...but hey, what's wrong with using trees? They grow back, right? We don't really have trees in Hell, but Miss Satori tells me that they come back.

[anunluckypenny]

It'll still be warm, Utsuho, don't worry. And trees do grow back, but it takes them years and years; where I'm from, people are using them up faster than they can grow. Maybe that's not a problem here.