itscurtains | Love's no good but it sure beats the hurt

Love's no good but it sure beats the hurt

[That was... Christine can only call it the most horrible thing she's seen so far, with that familiar dread that says something worse may come. Four people have died. Four friends Christine had trusted in and relied upon. And four more people she cares about have turned into memories and painful reminders of her failure to do anything meaningful here.

And Christine wallows in that. God, does she wallow. But she also knows that those painful ghosts of the people she loved relied on her to keep getting back up when the world knocked her down. And she has to keep going, if only to honour there memories.

The note she slides under each person's door is very simple, the bright orange gel pen somehow seeming duller in the wake of mourning:]

Food is in the dining hall.
Please come have something, or I'll track you down in an hour and force feed you.
If there's anything at all you need, please come talk to me. We shouldn't have to suffer alone.
-Christine

[There's a few dishes Christine knows how to make: lo mein and beef stew, some simple sandwiches as well. There are almond cookies after the more filling foods are prepared.

Off to the side is a plate with a few dumplings and... what looks like mashed turnips? An odd combination, but they were Angus' favourite.

And Christine is true to her word. If you don't come in an hour, she'll find you. In fact, she makes rounds around the opera house pretty much every hour, checking each room, and... maybe singing softly to herself as she goes.]

O god,
I can't stay, I won't stay for things left unseen
I can't stay, I won't stay, this end has no means
I can't stay, I won't stay, you were just a dream
A sweet sweet dream
You were a dream
But not my dream...

[Speaking of dreams, someone should convince her to go to bed.]

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[Mephisto does not come to the dining room. Once he shoves away from Stephen and the rest of the crowd, he does his best to disappear. At first, that involves spending some time in his room. The door is shut and locked, but you're welcome to try knocking.

Later in the evening, a few sounds -- tight and pained -- might be heard from behind those doors. They'll eventually drift into the bathroom, where Mephisto struggles to re-bandage his wing. What was previously pink with residual blood is now looking a lot more vibrant.

When he finally gets himself squared away, he heads not to his own room, but to Riley's. He doesn't stay long -- just long enough to grab the bear, the feather and the letter.

He makes his way to the wall. It's not the first time he's stared up at it, wondering if he could climb it. It is the first time he's tried. He doesn't make it far considering his injuries -- he falls back into the dirt relatively quickly and... stays there, despite the pain in his wing. The bear stares back at him, feather still clutched in is "paws." The letter feels like a weight in his pocket.

He stares up at the sky, foreign and strange, and a few words escape him.]

Binding promises were made
On our souls.
Grand delusions lead astray.
Ice-cold wings couldn't guide your way
Bring you back to me

[ After she ran she didn’t go to her room. No she went to Claudine’s and tried to see if there was anything there she needed to know about. Any final notes or things of hers she should take care of. She finds the letters and... god she really thought she was all cried out for the day but NOPE. So she takes all of them with her, including her own.

...Something makes her stop by Angus’ room too. Which thank god for that bc she sees her beloved frog frame and cast photo RIGHT THERE and welp she’s not leaving it here with that fucker’s shit.

She’s pretty sure that people will eventually congregate in the dining hall even without looking at the note from Christine, so she heads there... and leaves Claudine’s letters on the table. ]

Clau-chan left one of these for everyone—- and I do mean everyone.

[ With that done she’s left again, not even bothering to eat. She still has her letter and her picture and she’s just... found her way back to the dance studio where she found Claudine’s body. All nice and clean now, like she was never even there.

She crumples in a heap in the corner, face turned to the wall much like Claudine was earlier, clutching the letter and picture to her chest as she keeps sobbing, quieter than before. ]

[Stephen doesn't stay long- but he does come. He doesn't drink, but he tries to approach whoever's there, trying to gauge what he can do. It helps him take his mind off his own pain- mental and physical. He may need a wee bit of help taking a serving, though he seems to be pushing through the discomfort of his arms one way or another.

It's not easy. None of this is.

After, he's outside in the fields. His back is against the grass, and he's gazing up at the ever starry sky, mostly silent, but if one approaches?

They might hear him hum- or even sing.]

...I don't want to start
any blasphemous rumors
but I think that God's got
a sick sense of humor
and when I die
I expect to find him laughing

[Welcome to try? Christine will certainly take a shot at that. She's knocking on his door even before an hour is past, soft, but insistent.]

Mephisto? ...Mephy?

[Maybe dumb nicknames can help.]

Please open up? I just... want to know you're okay.

[Anne shows up almost instantly after the note is slid under her door-- She had meant to check in on the kitchen earlier, she really had, but she and Tad Cooper had some soul searching to do.

And by soul searching, she means gazing into Tad Cooper's eyes intensely trying to see find some trace of what the hell made him haul ass to her like that. The dragons in stories were intelligent creatures, right? Or had there been something--- or someone-- compelling him?

Well. Anyway. She's done staring at and talking to an animal that may or may not have a curse upon him, so she heads to the dining hall. What she wears isn't her usual style-- instead, it's much more youthful, something like... a teenager would wear? A printed skirt, a solid top, and a denim jacket. Weird. She holds herself together, though, carrying dear Tad Cooper in a wicker basket as she makes her entry.]

I'm afraid I'm going to be a little bit of an adjustment, dear Tad, for I am an avid partier, unlike your two previous masters. Don't worry, I can show you the way. [Has Queen Anne lost her mind, talking to a dralizard like this?]

[Nevermind. She quickly busies herself folding fancy napkins, with making herself and others plates, and with trying to teach poor Tad Cooper how to eat off a spoon like a dignified little beast.]

[Even if he hadn't read Claudine's letter, he'd be looking for Nana. When he finds her crying he just...stands in the doorway for a few moments before approaching, trying to make sure his footsteps are loud enough to be heard. And if Nana doesn't shy away, he'll sit near her, arms resting on bent knees before he softly speaks;]

I wish I knew her better.

[The door doesn't open. But... Judging by the thud against it, he's at least nearby.]

I'm fine, Christine. You should focus on tending to the others.

I'm sure He will be.

[Someone's managed to collect himself from the heap he'd fallen into. It's just hard to mope about when you hear someone singing in the distance.

He doesn't sit down -- doesn't assume that he has the right. But he is... here.]

[Yeah, Jeremy doesn't show up at the party. If you thought Jeremy was gonna repair his relationship with Christine now that the SQUIP's gone that's a cute idea but also Jeremy Heere actually fucked up and I'm not letting him off the hook for it like canon.

Instead, he ends up in the movie room. He's watching the seminal movie musical classic . . . From Justin To Kelly. Actually he's sitting there and staring blankly at a screen that's playing From Justin To Kelly and eating red vines, but it's fine. Everything's fine.

He is, by the way, still wearing Michael's jacket.]

[Stephen goes quiet at the sound of the voice. Once again, he finds himself angry at Mephisto - and himself. Not just for a lie. But for a truth, too.

Mephisto had tried to save her. And she had been so, so brave at the end. And he...he'd just held Steven back, afraid of anyone else getting hurt.

After a long moment, Stephen sighs, moving a bandaged arm to wipe his face as best he can. Fuck.]

You'd know, huh.

...she was sick, and nobody realized it.

[Not here. Not home. Nobody.]

[When idle mourning gives way to listless wandering, Mephisto finds Nana in the dance studio.

Maybe he should... leave her be.

But with everyone else breaking down, he figures he should at least check on her.]

Nana. [He announces himself as he enters, the last thing he wants to do is startle her, especially here.] You are still with me, yes?

[He's... actually on his way to the chapel when he hears noise coming from the movie room. He... pokes his head in, and... hm.]

Do they help? [He nods to the red vines and opens his hand.]

She was.

[There's no denying it, no beating around it.

Since Stephen isn't sending him away, Mephisto will sit down. The bear is set down between them as Mephisto leans back to stare at the sky as well.]

She asked me to catch her.

[That's a cute idea, and fucking hell, Christine needs it to happen. If she destroyed her relationships with the two teenagers she cared about more than anything, then... well, maybe she could have a chance to make better choices? But more likely she'd give up on having any glimmer of happiness ever again.

So, while Jeremy is in the movie theater, Christine is moving to sit next to him, holding out a sandwich silently.]

[Sorry Christine, and anyone else that might be looking for him, Steven is not appearing at this party. Anyone who looks for him will eventually find him in the stables curled up next to a sleeping Lion, with the broken sword he received in your first week here.]

[He keeps glancing down at the sword despondently, and you might catch him singing quietly.]

Everything about this place is dangerous,
Maybe I didn't get it until now
Things just keep getting worse, this-
We keep all giving out,
What would you do?
I don't want to be you...

[Later on the afternoon and evening he does finally succumb to hunger, and sneaks into the kitchen when he's reasonably sure no one else is around.]

[Anyone catching him now is likely to find him sitting on the floor, back against the counters and knees to his chest, hate-eating a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich.]

[She's polite enough not to disturb him while he attempts to climb the wall on her way to do the sugarcube thing with the horse-- but on her way back, she can't just ignore him. That would be awkward.

Or maybe it's more awkward to talk to him. Who knows?]

Cute bear.

Nope. [He hands one over anyway.] But I like to pretend they do.

[Stephen glances towards Mephisto, glances towards the bear...then glances back up at the stars. He makes a soft sound of acknowledgement, thinking about bringing up Mephisto's wing-

-but it feels selfish, somehow. As if he's making it about his grief, and a guilt that he knows is misplaced. They're both grieving, and he closes his eyes.]

You would have, if this place hadn't stopped you.

[There's only one place for blame. It's not with either of them. But...it still hurts.]

[Oh. Anne should have realized Steven would be here, as she does the sugarcube thing with the horse-- his giant.... pet pink lion here and all. Anne very politely pretends not to see him as she offers the horse a nice treat-- very gently admonishing it when it looks to the basket she carries.]

No-- No, Tad Cooper is a friend, not a treat. Here's another sugarcube. [Her eyes flutter over to Steven only then.]

Steven, would you like a sugarcube as well?

I'm pretending it's Yom Kippur and I'm fasting.

[He literally is eating a red vine as he says this, for the record.]

[Oh thank God, someone finally came. Christine is picking at her food, and then gives a very strained, very tired smile.]

I'm... glad you're here.

[That's an obvious statement, but she really means it.]

[Anybody who bothers to check out Spinel's room will find an unopened letter from the Phantom sitting on her vanity. It's short, only two words:]

Thank you.

[Hey, you. Stephen offers a tired smile, and makes to sit down next to her]

No wine, even.

[Mephisto breathes out. Maybe it's supposed to be a laugh? It's hard to tell by the sour look on his face.]

I gave it to Riley last week. I'm sure she thought so too.

[He settles in a seat nearby and... Attempts to eat the red vine. It's a bit harder to bite off than he'd expected.]

I keep trying to ask you inane questions about how you are feeling, and if you need anything. How does -- [He makes a small sound of frustration.]

I am not familiar with how to grieve.

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Love's no good but it sure beats the hurt

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Mephisto's Room

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