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! ))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[The Balladeer is, obviously, drawn by the sound of music. But even before he reaches the doorway, it's clearly just being played in stops and starts - he leans there for a moment, watching Orpheus cross something out.]

You're composing?

[ Orpheus looks up at the question, admittedly looking a little relieved for the distraction. He nods, frowning as he glances back at the notebook for a moment before turning his attention back to the Balladeer. ]

I'm working on a song. It's for something really important, but I just can't seem to get it right.

Maybe you should sleep on it?

[Seems like you've been at work for a while, after all.]

Or you could play it for me, if that would help?

I can't. Not yet. [ He's running out of time. The second suggestion gets a nod from him, though, and he picks the guitar back up and settles his hands in place. ]

It's a work in progress, but...

[ He closes his eyes and starts to sing. ]

King of silver
King of gold
And everything glittering
Under the ground

Hades is king
Of oil and coal
And the riches that flow
Where those rivers are found
But for half of the year with Persephone gone
His loneliness moves in him crude and black
He thinks of his wife in the arms of the sun
And jealousy fuels him and feeds him and fills him
With doubt that she'll never come
Dread that she'll never come
Doubt that his lover
Will ever come back

[ He stops there, letting the last note ring in the air as he frowns, looking more than a little dissatisfied. ]

But it's not right. I'm trying to write the next verse - about how that fear is what's driving them apart, and how it's okay to let her go because she will come back to him. But nothing I say feels genuine. I can't make promises for her, even if I know she loves him as much as he loves her.

[The Balladeer moves to take a seat on the piano bench, leaning sideways against the closed lid over the keys as he listens. It's good - it's very good - but it's also clearly unfinished, yes. And from Orpheus's explanation...well, maybe that's not so surprising.]

Why are you the one writing this? I mean...of course you can't sing someone else's love song for them. Did she ask you to?

[ There's a question that hadn't really occurred to Orpheus before, and he stops short, looking at the Balladeer blankly as he thinks things through. ]

Oh, um. No, she didn't. They've been fighting, so they haven't... really been in the mood for love songs. [ There might be some holes in Orpheus's plan, and he blanches a bit as he realizes that. ] But - someone has to something, to make them realize they can't keep going like they are. And this is all I can do. It's all I'm really good at.

...do you know them well?

[Look, he doesn't mean to be rude, but this sort of sounds like an insane plan to fix somebody else's marriage?]

[ The Balladeer issssssss not wrong!! ]

Lady Persephone is a friend. I only really see her twice a year, but she spends a lot of the time at the bar where I work on her way into and out of the Underworld. Lord Hades I don't know as much about, though. He only comes up to bring her back home, and doesn't really talk to anyone else while he's there.

[ Except Eurydice, apparently. Maybe. If the Wizard was telling the truth, which is a big 'if'. Orpheus takes a deep breath and sighs. ]

I know it's not really my business? But if they keep arguing, the seasons are only going to keep getting worse, and more people are going to die.

[ Eurydice is going to die. That makes it his business. ]

...oh, I see.

[The fact that it affects everyone does make this make a lot more sense, honestly; that pretty much satisfies the Balladeer. Someone ought to do something, even if they aren't necessarily close to the relationship of the thing.]

Do you...think they care? About the people?

Lady Persephone does. [ he says, with utter confidence. Then his face falls a bit, again, and he has to think harder about the next part of his answer. ] And Lord Hades... um. I don't think he really pays much attention to what goes on outside his realm, honestly. Not to speak ill of him! Just... he has a lot to manage, and doesn't come up to the world of mortals very often.

Hm. I was just wondering - if maybe appealing to them about that might help. It's one thing for them to argue with each other, but for that to hurt everybody else...

[That's just too much, that's more than a martial disagreement.]

It's nice to believe they could patch it up, but even if they can't, that shouldn't mean everyone else has to suffer.

[ Orpheus nods. ]

It's worth thinking about. But Lady Persephone is my friend, and I know she and her husband still love each other. I want them to be happy, instead of just putting up with each other for our sake.

[ He takes a deep breath, sighing. ]

Maybe that's too much to ask, though. It's just - they've been together for thousands of years, and it only started to go bad in my lifetime, at least as far as any of us could tell. Seeing a relationship like that die now of all times would be - tragic.

Do you think something specific happened? I mean - she was going back up every year that entire time, wasn't she?

[Or maybe it just built up? Look, it's not as though the Balladeer is exactly a romantic expert, here.]

I don't really know. Whatever happened, it only got bad enough that he started taking her home early and keeping her late and throwing off the seasons that way a little after I was born. I've tried to talk to her about it, but.

[ He shakes his head. Persephone's told him a lot, but very little on that front. ]

I guess that makes sense.

[Not everyone's gonna spill their guts to everyone like that!]

Well - [Maybe it does kinda make sense that you're doing this. So how about that song? The Balladeer knows already that he can't help all that much; what does he know about this? But sometimes it can be helpful to just talk things out.] - I don't know. Did she ever say anything about how it was before? To reference?

Mister Hermes told me the story of how they met, and Lady Persephone's talked about the things she misses about how things used to be. I think I could draw from that?

[ He taps his pencil against his temple, looking off to the side and thinking. ]

But it might be better to remind both of them that relationships can change, and that doesn't mean they end? I'm not sure, though. What do you think?

Maybe. I don't know - it's not like I've ever been in a relationship.

Oh, that's right. I guess you wouldn't really have had time for one?

[ What with the whole perpetual ever-repeating play thing. Orpheus thinks for a moment, considering his conversation with Peregrine, and asks; ]

Did you ever wish you could? Be in a relationship, romantic or not. I mean, you're here, now, and we're friends. Will you miss that, if you go back to your play?

...I never thought about it, honestly. I mean, I wasn't gonna date anyone there.

[despite what tumblr and the ao3 section might say]

But I like having friends, yeah. Being here's been nice. I know other people don't like being here, but I think it's been pretty good. [...] I'd still have the Player, if I go back there. We're friends! It's...maybe a little different, since we work together, but we're friends.

Edited 2021-06-14 23:35 (UTC)

[ orpheus wouldn't know anything about that and hopefully the teens leave it that way ]

It's not all bad here? I want to go home, but I really am glad I've gotten to meet everyone here. You included. I'm glad you have the Player, at least? But it sounds kind of lonely, the situation you were in before. I hope when we all get to leave this place, you can make more friends.

[the dark origin story of prop deer]

...I guess it was, yeah. It didn't feel all that bad at the time, but that was just how things were, you know? Being here is...different.

[It's easier to see, maybe, where he wasn't happy before.]

But - yeah. Maybe I'll make some new friends.

[ Orpheus is quiet for a long moment, seemingly debating something with himself, before finally speaking up again. ]

Maybe - you could come home with one of us, when we get out of here. If you wanted. You could get a job in theater, so you could keep doing what you liked about your old role, but it wouldn't have to be the only thing you do. Or maybe your new play will be better for you! But, it's up to you.

Oh.

[That's...tempting and a little frightening all at once. The Balladeer looks a bit unsure. He knows that's not...exactly how things work. Not for him, at least. Could he really go somewhere and not perform his role? Just do some other random thing?]

Maybe. I'm not...sure if that would work. Like, maybe I'd just go poof if I stopped. [He hasn't here. But then, this is still pretty clearly a show in his opinion.]

Oh. Maybe.

[ That does seem like a reasonable-ish conclusion to draw from his whole nature. ]

But you're here right now, and playing a different kind of role. Maybe being in one of our worlds would just be one more step away? But it's fair if you don't want to risk it, or want to go back to the Player instead. Like I said, it's up to you.

[ He smiles, hopefully reassuringly. ]

That's...true.

[It definitely seems like something to think about, at least.]

I wouldn't mind...trying to visit, at the very least? To see if it would work - I'd probably need the Player to help me anyway, so she could just take me back out if anything bad happened.

Band Room

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