WEEK 6

[stagemanagers]

WEEK 6

[Six weeks later, and eleven performers remain.

The opera house is much the same when Monday morning dawns this week. It seems you've truly gone as high as you can go - there is no fifth floor, and no sign of any other new areas. The air has grown colder, like perhaps someone failed to adjust the heating for the winter weather that's supposedly happening just outside. Javert and Astarte's stars are still firmly affixed to their doors; it seems you might have to try a little harder to learn their secrets.

Things seem to be building. Have a good week, everyone.]

[ Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday ]

[ooc: don't forget to submit your memories and check into the roll call!]

Comments

WEDNESDAY

[stagemanagers]

[tellthestory]

[Throughout Wednesday afternoon, the second, third, and fourth floors have a visitor.

The Balladeer seems to appear entirely out of nowhere - the stairwell doors are still definitely locked. But he's in the lobby now, dragging along some kind of miniature booth behind him. It's constructed like the merchandise booth downstairs, but smaller, with wheels for easy portability, and with an actual functioning door. It's painted with red-and-white stripes for some reason, but a hastily-made sign reading Mobile Box Office has been stuck to the door.]

Hey! So, I thought - and Management agreed - that it wasn't very fair to you guys that you couldn't reach me this week. I mean, that's the whole point of me being here, right? Being available? [He chuckles a little, seeming a little on the punchy side of tired.] So I spent last night putting this together! I'm gonna just set up here for a few hours, come by if you need anything. There's no cameras in here, since there's not any in the real office either. Come by if you need to talk. Or anything.

[.......] Anything at all.

[The inside of the booth, clearly visible when he opens the door to step inside, has an incongruous amount of blankets and pillows for a box office. He's also brought a cooler, which he'll nod to.]

That's my lunch, so don't touch it while I'm out.

[He will be out several times during each floor's designated visiting time. Using the bathroom, or occasionally just vanishing. Second floor gets the mornings, third floor gets the afternoons, and fourth floor gets the evenings. To make up for it, he's evidently extended his hours on the first floor - the box office door is propped open, and remains that way into the night.]

[sunshineprincess]

[You're such a life saver. Please excuse Anna as she conks out for about an hour or two "coming to chat" with the Balladeer. Of course she doesn't want to hog the booth, so she makes sure to wake up as quick as she can. Rubbing her eyes, she lets out a nervous laugh.]

S-Sorry. I did some in here to talk. But the pillows looked so inviting....

[tellthestory]

No, no, that's what they're there for.

[He says in a careful quiet tone, despite still being in the booth. It looks like he's just been sitting here this entire time, writing something in a pad of paper, but now he flips it shut and straightens.]

Do you want some of "my lunch"? You'll have to eat it here or hide it.

he doesn't need to talk he just needs everyone to get some presents

[dechagny]

[So once Raoul hears the higher floors are going to have a visitor? One without cameras but with an ally? Hot damn, he is up and about and hopefully catching the Balladeer when he's around, carrying with him some...boxes?

Yes. Three cardboard boxes, closed with duct tape. They're kind of heavy, so he has to set them down at the doorway before knocking on the frame.]

Monsieur! Would it be rude of me to ask a favor of you?

[tellthestory]

[The Balladeer's eyes drop to the boxes as soon as he opens the door.]

Nooooo...but I'm not allowed to bring anyone on the upper floors anything, so don't ask me for that.

[a.k.a., can you please just phrase it as something else while they're standing in camera range]

[catliketread]

[The Pirate King takes a peek inside after the Balladeer's speech and then grins widely.]

You really are some sort of saint, Billydeer. [...] Balladeer.

[He has really got to stop doing that.]

Will you be visiting everyone for at least a little bit? I'm sure there are others who require your help more than I do.

[...pirates have no rules and sometimes stay up for a long-ass time just because rules are for squares. also storms. but usually because fuck rules.]

[tellthestory]

Yeah, I'll be going up and down. Lugging this thing around...

[it's useful but god is it unwieldy]

And probably just staying open nights on the first floor. I hope this doesn't - [Last long. But that would mean someone died, wouldn't it? He shuts up.] - I don't know, I hope something.

[robitussin]

[Now that she knows people can speak to each other through the doors... At several points during the day, she can be found at the entrance to the second floor and third floor, pounding on the respective doors and raising her voice. She wants to make sure as many people as possible are safe so far.]

Hello? Is anyone there? Can you hear me?

[For floor two folks, she can also be found wandering between the media room, library, garden and tea room throughout the day. At least they have food and water, even if she feels exhausted. If she sees either Seymour or Jezebel, she'll raise a hand in greeting.]

Hey. How are you holding up?

[sunshineprincess]

[Anna stops when she hears pounding on the door, rushing over and tapping before replying.]

Natalie? Is that you?

[Oh she sounds so relieved. Natalie is alive and well!]

[robitussin]

—Anna!

[It's hard to overstate how relieved she sounds as she says her name.]

Are you okay? Who's there with you?

[dechagny]

[Oh hey, it's the daily news. Raoul knocks back once he's close enough.]

I'm here, Natalie - how are you all fairing?

[robitussin]

We're doing fine. Kind of tired... But I can deal with for another day.

What about you and Winslow?

First Floor what's good

[dechagny]

[There is not much that can be done about inherent unfairness, but damn it if Raoul is going to sit by and not try to do something about it. Most of the day finds him in the kitchen going back and forth between the stocked cabinets and his cookbook, making...mendiants and little cakes that at least should taste like madelines, of all things? Well, sugar is supposed to give you energy, and while none of it looks refined or perfect it's still rather tasty. Honestly, he's taking the weird dessert recipes from his book and altering them considerably to what he remembers enjoying back home. He's also packaging up coffee like teabags with the brewer filters and twine, which is a little hilarious, but ultimately well-meaning, and packing it all into boxes.

Oh God. He's making care packages for y'all. But how is he going to get them up to the higher floors? He has an idea that will hopefully work.

Later, he can be found by the second floor stairwell listening for anyone else. If anybody wants to pop by and visit him, even ghosts, that's a thing people can do.]

yo third floor!!

[catliketread]

[Well, being trapped on the third floor honestly isn't that bad at all. There's the dance studio, where the Pirate King has figured out how to blast obnoxiously loud music that will hopefully keep everyone who can hear it awake. He can be found dancing in there too, though he doesn't do anything too strenuous because the last thing he needs is to get tired from dancing too much and fall asleep. But! Dancing is fun, come join him!!

Alternatively, you can find him in his favorite room the paint room where he's once again painting. This time seems to be uh... is that supposed to be an ocean of lava?? It sure looks like it. He seems to be having fun though, even if he's not quite as wide awake as he could be.

But perhaps the best room on this floor is the bakery. The Pirate King is still a little wary of the modern devices, but he's managed to get the coffee maker to work and he's making a lot of coffee. If you don't find him in there, he'll wave you down and hand you a cup!]

Perhaps we can get the Balladeer to deliver some to our less fortunate companions, what do you think?

bakery

[onthebusagain]

You think we can talk him into it? Maybe he'd like some coffee too!

[catliketread]

I'm certain he would! It's very energizing! He is doing us all a favor by going between floors, so at the very least we can give him this much! I would offer to make him something but I'm still not entirely sure how to use the devices here.

[...he will probably burn the building down, this is why the Pirate King doesn't bake.]

dance studio

[stagemanagers]

[ out of the corner of your eye, you see a shape in the mirror ]

[ a small, slender figure with what looks like long dark hair ]

paint room

[sunshineprincess]

[Anna wishes she had something to keep her hands busy. The dolls she had been working on where in her room... they would be so nice to have right now. She sees TPK in there and smiles.]

What are you painting?

[dontfeedplants]

[Despite trying his best, he had a vague sense of unease throughout the whole day. This can be blamed on both his sleep deprivation and that, despite trying not to be so apprehensive about plants, he didn't feel very safe being trapped on the same floor as the garden.

For both the first and third floor, he eventually tries to unease his nerves by checking up on them. So he knocks on the doors so see if anyone's there.]

Hey, I'm just making sure you guys are okay over there.

[For those on his floor, he's going to spend most of his day either in the Tea Room drinking what is frankly way too much tea, or in the Media Room, watching various movies to get his mind off the fact that he's so horribly tired right now. Feel free to join him because he does not exactly want to be alone today.]

media room

[stagemanagers]

[ between movies, before Seymour can put in a new one, the screen suddenly fuzzes into static ]

[ and then starts playing this ]

[ god save you, my child ]

media room

[aflatouttahell]

[Just because she's not in an awkward pop song romance with Seymour doesn't mean Jezebel doesn't try to reach out to him some in this time of sleepless stress, so she will sit down next to him mid-movie.]

What are we watching?

tea room

[robitussin]

You're going to get an upset stomach there.

[Calm down with your tea drinking, Seymour.]

first floor party fever

[dieformymusic]

[This week is a somber affair, becoming a prisoner on a floor with what appears to be only one human being.

It gives plenty of time for Winslow to think of that confrontation with Swan...when he plunged the knife in both of them. When neither of them died.

Is that why he was still alive? Because he was under contract? When things are his darkest, he turns to music.

Which is why he's at the music room, putting on a performance with a guitar. He's gotten used to his strange electronic voice.]

City's breaking down on a camel's back
They just let it go because they don't know lack
So all you fill the streets, it's appealing to see
You won't get out the county because you're bad and free

[And Operation Break Down Door failed. But Winslow isn't one to take things lying down. So commence his earlier idea of Blowing Shit to Kingdom Come.

When he's not looking through the storage room, taking inventory of batteries, ropes, and other potentially fatal electronics, he's up at the stairwell, talking to the second floor people.]

If anyone has anything they'll miss in the storage room, speak up now.

raise the roof

[dechagny]

[It's so lonely here, with the floor so quiet - but Raoul has not forgotten his bro Winslow. The sounds from the music room draw him near, and he's...still not used to that voice, it's true, but it's better than nothing and no one.

Don't mind him, he's just chilling in the doorway and listening respectfully.]