week 5

[stagemanagers]

[That was...an absolute shitshow. More beloved friends are dead in a mess of a trial that's left Angus half the man he was, Riley in a free fall and the Phantom...somehow still standing despite taking two stabs to the torso.

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 door blocking the stairwell on the second floor has been unsealed. You can now venture up to the third floor! You have so much space now, it's just a shame it's all come at the cost of eight lives.

But despite the tragedy you have made progress! The trip into the Phantom's lair yielded some hints to the past of the Opera House, your house manager's apparently grim hobby and the possibility of an ally outside the Opera House. Who knows what this week will bring?]

Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday


(( Welcome to Week 5! Please remember to submit your AC and your memory regains, as well as your coins! You can also still contact the Phantom. ))

Comments

[heathencall]

[Dazed as Mephisto is, his breath does indeed catch when he sees that uniform. The fog in his mind doesn't help, it's almost too easy to see a bright hair bow there.

But all the whispers in his mind can't change Santana's voice. Later, he'll deal with the guilt of confusing the two. For now -- ]

She said there was a door. It led back to the opera house. That has to be how we find them, Santana.

[garbageface]

[ If you’re dead, does that mean I’m head cheerleader here?

That’s what Santana had said, when Riley found the door. It was a shitty joke then; it’s a shittier joke now. For the first time in her life, Santana regrets not saying something halfway decent to someone, for once. Santana takes a deep breath, tries to collect herself. It’s not the time to take a trip down memory lane; Mephisto needs her. ]

Yeah. There was. I’ll help you get down to the other side, alright?

[heathencall]

[Mephisto at least has some sense about him. He squints at Santana, bow wobbling in and out of reality, then shakes his head.]

Don't know what's down there. Shouldn't let another kid get hurt.

[He scoots forward a little but... Yeah that's really far down, huh. He thinks about using his wings but -- he needs only strain against his bandages once before thinking twice about it.

Against his arm, Octokitten -- RiRi -- squeezes and mewls pitifully.]

[garbageface]

I do. I was there when — [ Santana’s breath catches. ] — when she found the door. It’s just trees and stuff.

[ Frankly, Santana trusts the cat to stick the landing more than she trusts Mephisto. She extends her hand. ]

Here. Can you get yourself sat down? You can just slide off. I’ll jump off first and catch you.

[heathencall]

[Catch me.

He flinches, nearly stumbling off in the process. It's startling enough that he has the sense to sit firmly down on the wall. Sure, he's covering his ears for a brief second, wincing as the whisper lashes against his mind.

I always will. I promise that.]

Whenever -- You're ready.

[garbageface]

[ Santana has never seen Mephisto so vulnerable like this, with the wincing and covering his ears. It frightens her, a little. He’s one of the few people here that Santana views as an equal, someone who can be as tough as she is.

He’d helped her, in Riley’s room, when she couldn’t be tough. Santana figures it’s the least she can do to offer the same assistance. She lightly touches Mephisto’s shoulder. ]

Okay. I’m gonna jump.

[ And she does, landing with both feet on the ground. ]

Ready when you are, Medieval Times!

[heathencall]

[She jumps, and for a moment he sees himself on a catwalk, watching Riley fall. Watches her break into a thousand pieces and he can't --

Santana draws him back. He blinks down at her, trying to sound out the static, block out the illusions. The nickname helps, it's something definitively Santana, and that's enough to keep him grounded.

Or as grounded as he can be as he pushes himself off the wall and plummets toward the Earth. He closes his eyes this time, so he doesn't have to watch the stars fall away, at least.]

[garbageface]

[ Santana has good intentions and top-of-the-line athletic training, but the fact remains that Mephisto is taller and a good forty pounds heavier than Santana is. She can’t catch him so much as she can break his fall, and he lands body in her arms, but feet on the ground. Santana is able to hold him upright, although she does stagger back a few paces upon impact and coughs once. ]

Okay, you made it. Let’s go find that door.

[heathencall]

[Santana stumbles and Mephisto chases her forward. He's hardly got his own balance in check at this point, but he's terrified of watching another girl collapse on him. He grabs onto her shoulder, steadying her and perhaps himself, and takes a moment to catch his breath.]

Right.

[He squints into the murk of the woods and steps in front of her. Santana might know more about what Riley saw, but he'll be damned if he lets Santana stumble blindly into danger while he cowered behind her.]