week 4

[stagemanagers]

[Another week, and two more dead. King Richard and Red are both gone, and once again, it was through nothing more than an accident in the heat of the moment. Maybe if you all stay calm and collected, nothing bad will happen again?

Well, maybe not.

When you wake on Sunday, you'll find that you've recovered another one of those memories - or had another dream, if you still wanna be in denial about it. The grounds remain as they are, but this time, the door blocking the stairwell has been unsealed. You can now venture up to the second floor! This is the second time that's happened; it's almost as if you get more space every time someone dies. Or maybe the whole place just seems quieter.]

Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday


(( Welcome to Week 4! Please remember to submit your AC and your memory regains, as well as your coins! You can also still contact the Phantom. ))

Comments

[37773972]

[Sunday morning, Stephen does not leave his room. He does, however, leave Mephisto's room a few hours after most people have woken up and started their day - wearing one of the very shirts Mephisto has claimed for himself. Make of that as you will, because he'll only be in it for a little bit; he's stopping over at his room, then taking a shower, then getting dressed in his own clothes, thank you.

After that, he takes his own explorations. He lingers in the library for a good while before taking a book to the coffee shop, whereupon it's temporarily left on a table while he tries to create something. He...somehow manages to make something that he can drink with only so much mess, but he's planning on cleaning up, promise.

Near the end of the day, he's back in the laundry room. Just watching his clothes go through the cycle, a pensive expression on his face]

Mephisto's Room because HOLY SHIT DAD

[madgiganticfeelings]

[There is a tiny girl in an oversized wolf pelt, sipping tea as she flips through her script in the hallway. There is a tiny girl beaming when she sees Stephen leave the wrong room in what appears to be the wrong clothes. She is trying not to just. Jump up to her feet to give him a standing ovation. Instead, she just tries to calmly set her tea down and fold her hands in her lap.]

Morning, Stephen. You look like you had a good night!

CACKLES MADLY

[37773972]

[-wait, what.

1) where did Christine get the pelt

2) why is she looking so happy]

I do?

[Because he still kind of feels like crap, honestly.]

[madgiganticfeelings]

[You could just ask these things instead of staring at her weirdly, Stephen. She just grins wider.]

Yep. I mean, coming out of Mephy's room, in different clothes... well rested...

[You know what she's talking about.]

[37773972]

[BEET. RED.]

Christine, I swear to- [oh right Meph hates God, uh] I swear, this isn't what it looks like. We just-

[fuck]

Why are you wearing a wolf?

[madgiganticfeelings]

Then what was it, Stephen? Were you up all night talking about the stars~?

[God, she almost hopes so, because that sounds adorable!

She doesn't want to get distracted from this juicy new gossip, but she does realize that the question Stephen is asking is sort of important. In a very different way.]

Red asked me to get it. It was a cloak from her home, I think. She said it was to keep me safe and warm...

[37773972]

Something like that. [So faint. Let's. Focus on the cloak. He clears his throat]

...I'm hoping that was the one who tried to hurt her, then.

[wait is that appropriate to say]

laundry room

[garbageface]

[ Santana absolutely saw Stephen in Mephisto’s clothes, but she doesn’t make a comment on it until she runs into Stephen in the laundry room at the end of the day. ]

You washing Medieval Times’ stuff? That’s nice of you.

[ There’s a little bit of snark in her tone, but mostly, there’s pride. Good job, you weird nerdy old guy. ]

[37773972]

[looks towards Santana] What? I- [mental record scratch. IMMEDIATELY LOOKS BACK AT THE LAUNDRY MACHINE]

...right. Sure.

[garbageface]

[ Santana winks. Is it because she’s being an asshole, or is it out of congratulations? It’s probably both. ]

And here I was, worried you two were too chicken to actually go for it.

[37773972]

[Lord help him. He misses the wink, thankfully, because he's very focused on the laundry, but his jaw clenches briefly before he lets out a breath]

It's complicated.

[garbageface]

[ Oh, excellent, complicated relationships are the best kind! For onlookers, that is. ]

Well, duh. Dude’s a whole entire demon so, like, it’s gonna be complicated.

[37773972]

Fallen angel. I'm not sure that's the same thing. [Look, he hasn't looked at religion in-depth for a Long While, OK????]

Coffee Shop

[heathencall]

[By now, Stephen should be used to Mephisto just... butting into whatever he does. At least there's no Mourning morning after nonsense here. He also doesn't immediately shove himself into what Stephen is actually doing.

He just. Settles into the table that Stephen appears to have claimed and starts reading his book. Or trying to.]

[37773972]

[Guess what, Mephisto? It's about astronomy. Who'd have thought. It's also painfully bland, unless you're in to that kind of thing. The sort of blandness that goes beyond college textbooks; this is what the people who write college textbooks read, and then attempt to 'liven up' for the students.

Stephen doesn't notice the other at first, but he finally turns around while trying some of the coffee and- blinks. Okay, well. Sure.]

...Do you want some? [He raises his mug]

[heathencall]

[The longer Mephisto reads (or tries to), the more his lip curls. When he looks up, there's a particularly grotesque expression on his face, and he takes a moment to push the book away before answering.]

Whatever it is, certainly.

[He sits back in his chair, arms crossed tightly over his chest. Staring at a wall is less boring than all that nonsense had been.]

[37773972]

I'm honestly not sure. I tried chemistry. [There's a slight smile on his face that might not just be from his attempt at a joke; Mephisto's clear distaste for his choice of reading material is more than a little entertaining. It's easily enough to pour a second up, though, and he brings them both over to the table]

It's interesting to me, I promise. [Nods at the book]

[heathencall]

Not alchemy? [His smile is wry, and it doesn't quite lift the shadows lining his face, but it does get pretty damn close.]

I don't know how it could be interesting to anyone. But you've always been a touch odd, haven't you?

[He fusses with his own cup for a moment, then lifts it to his lips. He doesn't... quite drink, though.]

How were your dreams?

[37773972]

Did alchemists try to brew drinks? [Stephen smiles a bit more, despite himself. Yes, it was a cover, but- still. He takes a seat and another sip]

...you were right, last week, when you guessed that I had experience with kids being...kids. I don't let it bother me anymore, but at the time, it was rough. [And that's enough on that, because Mephisto's continuing and his brow furrows. His gaze drops as well, looking down in to his cup.]

...Jeremy's SQUIP said these weren't just dreams. That...memory had been corrupted, or something like that.

[A subtle I don't want to talk about them.]

Laundry Room

[mcfife]

[Glory be to the legendary powerful clotheswasher, renewer of freshness and symbol of hygiene! Angus has his stagehand's outfit and his silver princely pants that must be cleaned today, especially when he had not been in a good headspace for the past few days. Surely having clean clothes will improve his mood.

But not by a lot. In silence, he sits on the floor opposite the machines, fiddling with a plastic crown.

It's quiet. Stephen is here. He said to talk to him if he were troubled.]

Hey.

[37773972]

[O hai Angus. Stephen nods a greeting, half-raising a hand as well;] Hey. Some interesting stuff on the next floor, huh?

[Conversation starter? Conversation starter. That, and he thinks Angus looks troubled]

[mcfife]

A library. Computers, but they don't have anything useful. [He comes from a high-tech world. Thankfully he knows how to go check what they are capable of.] Better ways to entertain ourselves.

[37773972]

And keep us busy.

[For better? For worse, probably. Angus seems...somber. He can't blame him, all things considered, but...Stephen cocks his head at him, wordlessly asking a question with his expression.

You OK?]

[mcfife]

[Angus shrugs in response. There's a lot of air stuck in his lungs, and he has to let it all out before he can speak.]

I feel tired. For a while, really, but moreso today. Have you ever been so upset it feels as if your entire body aches?

[37773972]

[Can't...blame him. Stephen's still feeling the raw grief over both Red and Richard, don't get him wrong, but...talking with Mephisto has helped at least make other things more pressing. Not erase others, just...his mind can only handle so much at once. Still, it's now thinking back to those times when he has been so upset, that, well...

He sighs as well.]

More than you know, Angus.