POP 9: Justice



 "'I would prefer if Sloane came out of this a better person. I'm not sure that's possible without her being hurt.' -Alexis Lorentzen"

Justice is the ninth episode of Eidolon POP and the nineteenth episode of Eidolon Playtest Season 1. It covers Quentin's Class as they aid Sloane Parker in confronting her out-of-control Eidolon, Start A Riot, as it burns away the world.

Summary
Joseph University of North Gibsonburg

Alexis Lorentzen, Ursa, and Sloane Parker are watching Start A Riot flying over the campus burning it down. People are running around screaming, fire trucks can be heard in the distance. Sloane takes out her phone to call Quentin Brooks, but Start A Riot dives down to destroy her phone with flames. Sloane blocks the fire with her body, and her hoodie alights.

Quentin's House, Gibsonburg

Quentin's phone is ringing. He ignores it to talk to James Studebaker about tarot, but picks it up to see Sloane is calling him. He's tempted to ignore it further, but answers the phone to hear Sloane screaming that she's on fire. Alexis grabs the phone from Sloane and tells Quentin that Start A Riot is rioting untethered from Sloane and burning the campus down. Quentin, Caroline Rose, and James head out to his car. Caroline grabs a vase of roses from the table, saying she'll explain her Eidolon when they get there.

Eidolon Battle
Joseph University of North Gibsonburg

After Ursa finishes extinguishing the fire on Sloane Parker, she turns Revolution Lover into a lasso and ties it to Start A Riot. She climbs on top of the dragon and starts directing it towards the university's indoor pool.

Alexis Lorentzen calms Sloane down and asks her if she has any ideas. While talking about what Start A Riot wants, a firefighter rushes over and starts dragging them away from the fire. Sloane struggles out of their grasp and runs with Alexis towards the pool. They see Start A Riot and Ursa smash through the roof. As they run, Sloane suggests to Alexis creating a photocopy of Start A Riot with Vivid Memories Turn to Fantasies. Alexis is unsure but open to the idea.

Indoor Pool, Joseph University

Start a Riot and Ursa crash into the pool, and all the water instantly turns to steam. Ursa lands in front of the dragon's face, and tries to calm her down. Start A Riot starts breathing fire at her, but Ursa shuts her mouth with an oversized hammer bonking her nose. Alexis and Sloane rush into the pool to see Ursa evenly trading blows with Start A Riot. Alexis tries to call out to the dragon but is ignored. Sloane eggs her on and she takes a photo of the Eidolon.

 Edge of Joseph University

Quentin Brooks, Caroline Rose, and James Studebaker pull up to see a perimeter of cop cars and fire trucks blocking entry to the university. Quentin gets a text from Sloane saying they're at the pool. James and Caroline get out of the car and head there on foot, while Quentin tries to drive right through the perimeter as a distraction.

Indoor Pool

Alexis summons a photocopy of Start A Riot. Sloane can hear it in her mind shouting "BURN" as it starts burning the gymnasium down and flies away. The original Start A Riot thanks Sloane for enabling their mission to 'burn it all'. Alexis apologizes and admits she needs to touch the photocopy to revert it.

Caroline and James reach the gymnasium. James bursts through the door and almost falls over, before finding himself suspended in the air by two roses. Caroline directs Ursa out of the pool and summons her Eidolon, Roses, a humanoid covered in rose blooms. Roses fires the blooms from its body and covers the air around the pool with them before freezing them in stasis in mid-air. Caroline will hold the original Start A Riot back as the others go after the copy.

Elsewhere at the University

Quentin has cranked up the volume on his radio and is driving wildly across campus. He skids at an angle lifting up half of his car high enough to slip between two fire trucks, the cop chasing him crashing into the trucks behind him. He drives up to the rest of his class chasing after the photocopy Start A Riot.

Ursa grabs Alexis, turning Revolution Lover into a rocket launcher and attempting to 'rocket jump' up to Start A Riot. It doesn't really work, but Alexis gets launched thirty feet in the air. Quentin drives over underneath her and breaks hard, Speakerboxxx] turning the sound into webbing to catch her. Alexis lands in the web and bounces up even higher. James sends out Time After Time, catching her by the arm as Start A Riot dives towards them. Time After Time narrowly dodges the dragon's flames as Alexis kicks it with her foot, reverting it to a polaroid photo.

Alexis and Time After Time lower to the ground and everyone gets inside Quentin's car. Sloane is sitting quietly as everyone tries to brainstorm what to do. They drive back towards the pool to see Caroline running out towards them. Behind her the gymnasium appears to be melting, including the wood, brick, and the fire itself. Caroline hops inside the van and they turn around.

While driving, Quentin takes out his book, lights a cigarette, and casts a spell of True Magic. Speakerboxxx weaves a budget cosplay of fireproof armor around him as they drive away from the melted gymnasium. Sloane asks Quentin to drive her to Start A Riot alone. Everyone else gets out of the car, but Alexis gets behind the van and holds on to it to get dragged along by her Heelys.

As Quentin drives towards Start A Riot, Alexis' shoes start melting off. Then her feet start melting away. Sloane hangs out the car door and leaps on top of Start A Riot when they get close enough. Quentin's car slows to a halt as its wheels have melted away underneath it. Alexis starts sinking into the ground as it starts melting around her.

Sloane tries to convince Start A Riot that she doesn't want this. Start A Riot declares Sloane compromised and intensifies the heat. Alexis and Quentin completely melt away. James and Ursa can see the air itself begin to melt away before the entire world itself does.

Empty Void

Sloane and Start A Riot are floating in an empty void. Start A Riot has destroyed all who would judge her, hurt her. Sloane says she was selfish, and to destroy all who hurt her includes destroying herself as well. Start A Riot grabs her and starts burning her with fire. Sloane hugs the dragon, and the fire dies down. Sloane suggests using fire for growth, the same way a forest fire leads to growth of new trees. Sloane and Start A Riot both turn to ash, and blow away in the wind.

Parlor of Death, The Estate

Sloane wakes up in a large armchair in a study. There's a coffee table in front of her, and on the other side a man sitting in a chair with a wooden lapboard. He introduces himself as Uriel-Peter and is here to interview her. He demonstrates that Sloane is dead, and asks her what she thinks should happen to her next. Sloane asks for a second chance at life.

In Uriel-Peter's professional opinion, she should enter one of the two doors to his left. Usually, workers of The Estate are free to leave via the door to his right back to life as a professional courtesy. However, Sloane was terminated from The Estate and was meant to be erased from existence. They are no longer coworkers, and he is unconvinced by her attempts to gain sympathy. He eventually admits that the Paperwork Department is backlogged after the events of POP ?? and he is unable to process the paperwork of anyone's death.

Sloane is free to leave through any of the doors, and she exits back into The Estate without hesitation.

Appearances
● Alexis Lorentzen // Vivid Memories Turn to Fantasies

● Caroline Rose // Roses

● James Studebaker // Time After Time

● Prof. Quentin Brooks // Speakerboxxx

● Sloane Parker // Start A Riot

● Uriel-Peter (First Appearance)

● "Ursula" Ursa "Bear" // Revolution Lover