itscurtains | Week Two

Entry tags:

act 3,
week 2

Week Two

[Last week, no murder happened! Instead, a lot of students started work on Salieri's school play, which sounds pretty cool even though it's gonna be short, several people destroyed Bigfoot and got a few mysterious clues, and Orpheus started a fire in the kitchen! All in all, not a bad first week!

Though some people might have gone to talk to Hester, she hasn't made any more public announcements. There's some new papers posted up around the cafeteria, but it looks like it's just your upcoming lunch schedule. Seems like nothing's driving you towards Rule Five except, perhaps, all of the kidnapping and how criminally boring some of you are finding the school. Maybe the Balladeer is right, and you really can just wait this out? Only time will tell!]

Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday

(( No new locations this week, since y'all haven't paid in blood! Hester's office hours are still open, as are regains! Make sure to complete your first activity check by Tuesday! ))

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[ Eurydice tries to keep her grip firm and steady as they walk, but she knows it's probably no use. Orpheus is shaking as he hands her the picture, and Eurydice doesn't know how to make it stop. Hopefully, once she sees the image, she'll know what to do.

Eurydice takes the photo out of the envelope and stares at it for a moment that feels like forever. She doesn't have her coat, which is worrying, but a man seems to be offering her money, which is promising? Eurydice wonders what that's in exchange for.

She passes back the photograph. She's still not really sure why Orpheus is so upset. ]

Hey, hey, it's all right. I know it's bad that I don't have my things, but it looks like I'm getting paid in silver. I'll be able to buy another set of supplies, no problem. [ She takes Oprheus's hand again. ] With silver, we'd probably be able to stay in a real inn.

[ Wouldn't that be nice... ]

[ Orpheus just shakes his head, squeezing her hand tighter. ]

Eurydice. That's Lord Hades. The coins aren't for you, they're for the ferryman.

[ His voice breaks a little as he says it. She can't go. Not like this, not when she still looks as young as she does now. She can't leave him behind. ]

[ Lord Hades. Of course. But he rules over the Underworld, which means -- he only comes for people who have --

Eurydice's blood runs cold. She drops the hand, and sits down on the ground, her knees pulled up to her chest and gaze trained on the floor. She feels sick, confused. ]

No. No, that's -- that can't be the whole story. There must be some sort of mistake.

[ Orpheus sinks down to the ground next to her. She doesn't know what to do either, doesn't have an easy explanation for why it isn't what it looks like. ]

It can't be true. It isn't. I won't let it happen. We won't.

[ He edges closer to her, reaching out but stopping just shy of putting a hand on her shoulder, waiting for her to signal that it's okay, since he knows that she can be picky about being touched sometimes. Taking a deep breath, he thinks about it, trying to clear his mind of the initial panic and fear. ]

If it's a prophecy - those don't always come true, and when they do it's usually in an unexpected way? And, this could just be a trick. If the Wizard can do all of this, why can't they fake a photograph?

[ He's trying to talk himself through it as much as anything else, unsure of what else to do but keep going in the hopes of making sense of it. ]

[ Eurydice leans into Orpheus's hand, and she finds that it helps, a little. She forgets, sometimes, that she has someone else who can comfort her, and who she can comfort in return. She'd been alone for so long.

Eurydice nods. ]

Yeah. It's just -- it's a lie, to get us to do what they want. It's not the whole truth. That's -- that's not even what a real photograph looks like.

[ It's too light, and there are too many colors. But Eurydice knows she's just trying to convince herself, too. She turns, wrapping her arms around Orpheus, holding him close and tight. ]

I'm right here.

[ That's to reassure herself, as much as it is to reassure Orpheus. ]

[ Orpheus pulls her in close and kisses her forehead, going quiet for a moment as he tries to take comfort in being close to her. ]

We'll be careful, when we get home. [ he says, determined. ] We'll stock up on supplies for winter. I'll save up to buy you a spare coat, in case you do lose yours. None of this will come to pass.

[ The stray thought - that subverting prophecies is never that easy - eats away at him even as he says it. But what else can he say? ]

[ Eurydice shuts her eyes and leans into the touch, doing her best to shut everything else out but that. She is not alone; she is held; she is safe.

The moment passes, and Orpheus starts making plans on how to avoid that fate. She does her best to focus on those, and avoid wondering what she's supposed to do with a life that could end so soon -- and right after things were finally starting to go well. ]

It's just a warning. We've got time.

[ Eurydice fumbles in her pocket and pulls out her own envelope. Better to get this over with. She'd rather not open it alone.

Eurydice takes a deep breath, and breaks the seal. Inside is a photograph of her alone, in an eerily similar storm. Her bag has blown away, and she's about to lose the coat, too. She seems to be shouting something.

That's. That's fine. ]

Okay, avoid winter storms. Got it.

[ In a way, it's sort of a relief to see Eurydice's photo. It looks like hers might lead right into what's happening in his? Which means they can focus on avoiding this one thing, instead of having to worry about something else on top of it.

Not that Orpheus looks terribly relieved. ]

We'll figure it out. We just need to have time to prepare.

[ His frown grows deeper as a thought occurs to him. ]

Which means getting home before winter comes.

[ Eurydice looks back up at Orpheus, eyes wide, and she's pretty sure he's thinking what she's thinking: that could happen at any time. The seasons change so quickly, these days. It's all wrong, but there's nothing Eurydice can do about it. ]

Then we'll just have to prepare here. There's so much food; I'm sure no one would notice if we saved some of the cans. There are spare clothes here, too. As long as we can take them with us when we leave, it'll be fine.

[ Orpheus looks similarly concerned, because it really could come at literally any time. Lady Persephone arrived not that long ago, but Lord Hades could come back for her any day. ]

Right. I don't think anyone except Mumble is from a place where any of that is in short supply? So the others probably wouldn't mind us taking whatever we can carry, when we can leave.

[ When they can leave. Not if. ]

And I've been working on the song, too. The one that's going to put the seasons right. Maestro Salieri and Maya have been helping me with it, so maybe I'll have it finished by the time we go home.

[ Eurydice smiles a little at the mention of Orpheus's song. This time, she's smiling for real -- like a tiny flower blooming in the snow. Eurydice doesn't believe in a lot, but she believes in Orpheus. ]

That's great. I'm sure you will. I can focus on stocking up on food, so that you have more time to write. [ Hopefully, that takes off some of the pressure. This is good. This is a plan, and it's practical. That's always how Eurydice has managed, and she's survived this long. ]

[ Orpheus nods, feeling some of the weight of what's going on lifted at how confident Eurydice sounds in his work, feeling like he could do anything, as long as she believes in him. He breaks into a genuine smile of his own, and takes her hands in his, and sings; ]

I swear when we go home, I won't just give you roses
I will make the fields bloom, and you will never be lonely
Even if the sun stopped waking up over the fields
I will not leave, I will not leave 'till it's our time
So just take my hand, you know that I will never leave your side

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Week Two

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