"A Swing and Miss Doesn't Mean it's Game Over"

[mayavericks]

[Well… All of that sure happened. And while Maya is visibly shaken Sissi's literal dance with death, she’d meant what she’d said to the others -- she would protect them. At that moment, it meant voting and making the “right” decision. Now, though? It means ensuring that no one feels alone, and that everyone has a good meal in them.

She’s not Nana Daiba, however, she certainly can’t do this alone. But she does have the resourcefulness and authoritative disposition to to recruit allies. Discord is sure to be… mostly unbothered by everything that’s happened, and Spongebob will likely be eager to help. She approaches both men: one is asked nicely; The other is grabbed by the collar and dragged from whatever hole he’s locked himself in. Sorry Discord.

For Maya's part, several potato dishes are prepared (can you tell someone has a bias). And while she doesn’t have the resources to make baumkuchen, Maya does manage to produce a cake, as well as… muffins? They’re not… quite how she remembers Nana making them, but she can at least recall how hearty the food had felt, and how it had restored her energy on long days.

It’s a pleasant memory, even if it does make her a touch melancholy.

Nevertheless, the food is laid out in the kitchen, as are a number of pies that Maya has uncovered. She even tucks a few bottles of wine in a corner for the adults that might like it. This is in addition to the mead apparently brought by Salieri. Look she’s not a fan of having alcohol but… she can’t tell the adults no.

But hey, courtesy of Benjamin, there is even some cocoa. It doesn’t start off spiked but… you know. Thanks to Spongebob there are, well… Angry Patties? It’s fine. Even Discord managed to contribute some pies and tea, as well as being bossed around to do the grunt work in the kitchen. There’s also that inexplicable pizza? Huh, that’s weird.

Eventually the group goes around extending invitations to the dorms, knocking on doors and explaining what’s been set up. No one will be forced to go, just… strongly encouraged. Maya herself will even duck into the principal’s office and, if she’s there, invite Hester.

She seemed just as upset as the rest of them.]

Comments

cw: underage drinking

[brokeforgood]

[Farrah has some appearances to make up for, after all of that. After fixing her makeup with Salieri, she's putting on a good face at the party. Her expression is artfully crafted into something that could be seen as mere teenage disdain, if you squint closely enough -- but every now and then something overcomes her face, dark, and distant.

Anytime she thinks someone isn't looking, she's trying to go for some of that wine-- but after a few tries, she gives up on that, and settles for sitting quietly and pretty, with her hair loose. She plays with it near constantly as a coping mechanism, and really only does a lot of pushing her food around on her plate. If she makes eye contact with anyone, she'll offer a smile, which is then broken just as quickly.

After the after party, when she should be asleep-- she ducks into the girl's locker room for a few minutes-- and after that, she can be found in the lobby, with her own bottle of wine. Dear lord, Farrah, that's not for chugging-- but she's trying to throw the whole bottle at once-- but the crying is making it hard.]

cw: underage drinking for this whole thread im sure

[fourbutts]

[ Janis is going to just. Slide into the lobby, and in a surprisingly non-judgey voice: ]

Not that I can blame you for that right now, but you should probably slow down a little.

[brokeforgood]

[Farrah jumps-- her cheeks scarlet, as she nearly drops the bottle of wine altogether.]

Oh my god Janis you scared me half to--- [She smiles sheepishly-- then nods, sitting down and putting the wine bottle on the ground. ... Then she opens her purse, cracks open the strawberita that's in there, and starts to throw that back.]

[fourbutts]

Half to drunk?

[ It's said with almost a smirk, but. Even all this time later, smiling isn't exactly coming naturally. ]

I guess earlier tonight wasn't exactly a "get wasted" kind of party, huh?

[ Except, Somehow, For Spongebob, ]

[brokeforgood]

Woulda... killed--- [oh god. She looks at Janis with a look of horror for a few seconds, setting the giant can down too.] -- the mood?

[fourbutts]

[ Janis shrugs. ]

I'm not sure how much of a mood there was to kill. Just a lot of concerned adults pretending they're not just as freaked out as we are.

[brokeforgood]

They're all real freaked out. [ She knows Janis just said that, but she's confirming it. She'd been close enough to Salieri through it all to tell-- and The Balladeer had started to lose his nerve the second Farrah pulled her photo out.]

I can't decide what was more fucked up. That the Frodo lookin' kid was a penguin, or... Okay, yeah, no, the other part was more fucked up. [Jesus christ farrah dont mix wine and strawberita like that-- she tosses back more of the can, and sets it down, wrinkling her nose.]

God, this stuff tastes so bad.

[fourbutts]

It was all pretty fucked up, to be fair.

[ Janis laughs, very slightly. ]

That's what I hear.

[brokeforgood]

I was really fighting to believe this was just some really extra version of juvie. [Her shoulders droop, her entire body droops in disappointment.]

Gotta work with what we're given, I guess.

[fourbutts]

Yeah, I was thinking some kind of weird scared straight thing for a bit there. Not that I have any idea why I'd be in one, but you know.

[ She shrugs. ]

Yeah. We're here, whether we like it or not.

[brokeforgood]

Really? No one wants to like... make you fit in more? Make you more normal? [Farrah, was that rude? If it wasn't, the way she takes in all of Janis.... definitely is.]

Until we die, or they get bored. Great. [She's goin back for the wine bottle]

[fourbutts]

That's the nice thing about falling straight into outcast status overnight - almost everyone just. Stops caring about you.

[ Hm, that was more vulnerable than she usually is! Back to being flippant. ]

Didn't say it was a good thing.

[ But she is pointedly not making an attempt to stop or dissuade her. ]

[brokeforgood]

[Farrah laughs, but it's not a funny laugh. It's self-deprecating, and bitter.]

Yeah? I know how that one goes. [She's quiet, then-- in a whisper--]

Janis, what year is it?

[fourbutts]

[ Ah. She exhales. ]

Well... 2018 for me.

[brokeforgood]

[October of 2018. That's.... still the right range.]

Do you remember Epic Cheerleader Fail?

[fourbutts]

Like... the video with the super uncreative name?

[brokeforgood]

Yeah. Where the cheerleader drops her teammate?

[fourbutts]

Yeah, that one. It was... I'm not big into that kind of shit, but I saw it, yeah.

[brokeforgood]

[Farrah shrinks further. She can't even reach for the bottle.]

I'm the girl that fell.

[fourbutts]

Oh shit.

[ She exhales. ]

That... sucks. Damn.

[brokeforgood]

I--- I didn't fall [She feels the urge to back up, to clarify now.]

She dropped me.

[fourbutts]

I mean, like... either way. It sucks to have something like that hanging over you. Someone just puts it out there and oops! It's your life now.

[brokeforgood]

And the whole world knows. It's a fucking mess. I don't know how I'm gonna get away from it. Stuff on the internet never dies.

[fourbutts]

I mean you could always, you know... buy a motorcycle, change your name, ride to Seattle? No one's gonna recognize you in biker gear.

[ A sigh. ]

My shitty thing didn't end up on the internet, at least, or I'd probably still be out of school.

[brokeforgood]

But I don't own a motorbike.

Also, I can't drive. I'm only fifteen. [She's quiet a minute-- then, because she's Farrah, and being subtle is not at all her strength--]

What was it?