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

[madgiganticfeelings]

[It feels... nice. Nice enough to almost maybe forget what's outside of Mephisto's embrace, but not quite. She leans back, energy just... gone. She can't remember the last time she felt this drained. Has she ever been like this? She remembers that time in third grade when she had the flu and still got up on stage in between vomiting to gleefully perform Hard Knock Life, of all songs, and now... she doesn't know if she'd ever be able to shout out anything, with any emotion, again.

Even her sobs are quieting down as she weakly responds.]

Don't... I didn't do anything.

[isawallflower]

[ What...is she to say? She just thought something was off. Riley almost says so but she's too tired to. Maybe it's okay, to just...accept this moment.

Her shoulders droop and she just nods a little. Christine's alive. They don't have to go to trial, again. That's...alright. She can accept that. ]

[heathencall]

That is exactly why I'm thanking you, you silly girl. [He leans far enough back so that his arms can shift from around her shoulders. He takes his face into her hands, palms surprisingly soft for a creature as gruff as Mephisto is. The pads of his thumbs gingerly wipe some of the tears away.

It's what he's seen humans do to one another in their grief. Hopefully it's the right thing to do here.]

There is courage in giving up. Strength in not acting. [His hands drop to her shoulders, holding her here.] And I have told you many times over -- we need you here.

[madgiganticfeelings]

[She sobs quietly, tries to shake her head away from Mephisto's grip, but he holds her firm, and she can't deny it feels comforting, even if it does nothing to make her feel that she has deserved it.]

I don't... I don't know how much longer I can just try and try, and, and keep failing.

[She loves everyone here so much, but trying to show it only makes things worse. And speaking of that... she glances down at her hands, notices suddenly that the bottle is gone. She looks at Mephisto, suddenly frantic.]

[heathencall]

[Mephisto tries to respond but -- There's a whole lot of stuff happening over with Stephen. His hands move back to Christine's face, holding her still and doing his best to keep her from witnessing anything that might devastate her any further.]

You haven't failed anyone. You gave him exactly what he needed. It's not your fault the Phantom put such rules in place.

[He presses his forehead back to her hair.]

Remember. I am here, the way I am, because of you. That isn't a failure.

[madgiganticfeelings]

[Her face is turned towards Mephisto's, but she still keeps trying to see, because what she can hear is only making her heart threaten to beat out of her chest. Could that happen? Would that count as two suicides then? Would she fail to give up in the way Mephisto wanted?

Her eyes overflow again, and she hiccups softly.]

I know. I know, I, and that means so much but... what, what's happening?

[heathencall]

They're fixing it. Jeremy is going to fix it.

[He doesn't understand the logic, certainly not well enough to break it down for Christine in any meaningful way. He simply shakes his head, fingers working a careful rhythm against her back.

He stumbles for words, and then finds something else.]

So another page is turned
Pray I understand what's happening
But if anything, I do know this
I'll be the best I can

[madgiganticfeelings]

That... but that means he'll die, I...

[She doesn't understand either, and she's so utterly terrified, but an odd thing happens. In amongst all the panic, all the sounds of struggle behind her, all the hot tears burning against her cheeks, she feels that hand on her back, and everything else starts to fade away, until just that tapping is left.

And the singing is there too, and Christine doesn't know the words, but she hums quietly along, in between hiccups, until her breathing starts to settle, at least for now.

When the rest of the world returns, it sounds like it's silent behind her.]