"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

[themuseabandonsyou]

[ Orpheus spends a long, long time standing by the window in Rodgers dorm, staring at the red brick wall across from them with an empty look in his eyes. Occasionally he hiccups a little bit, in that awful, jagged, post-crying way, but for the most party he's silent, watching nothing and saying nothing. By the time he snaps out of it enough to realize where most of the others have gone and go looking for them, the gathering - it feels wrong to call it a party - is already well underway.

This time it's his turn to be a wallflower, lingering towards the edges of the room with a plate of the square cheesy flatbread that mysteriously showed up, trying to force himself to eat something today. It's a struggle, though, for all his pressuring Spongebob to eat earlier, and he only manages to choke it down out of a sense of guilt over wasting food if he didn't finish it. He doesn't make eye contact with anyone, too angry and ashamed of what they all went through and still struggling to process it all. Eventually he winds up sitting on one of the cafeteria's stools in the corner, head in his hands. If anyone comes close enough to hear, they might hear him talking to himself, quietly. ]

It's not fair. None of this is fair.

[ After things wind down (not that they were particularly high energy to begin with), Orpheus... thinks about returning to his dorm. He'll hesitate, though, lingering outside the door to Longacre. Something's obviously on his mind, but he isn't making any move to open the door. Just standing there. Thinking, worrying his lip slightly. ]

sitting on a stool

[voicerights]

Did you expect it to be fair?

[it seems honestly curious]

Re: sitting on a stool

[themuseabandonsyou]

I don't know. No. None of this was going to be fair from the start, was it? [ he says, darkly. Rubbing at his forehead with the heels of his hands, he looks up at the SQUIP, eyes still slightly red and wet. ]

That doesn't make it okay that it's not, though. It just makes it worse. They didn't deserve to die and we don't deserve to be treated like the Wizard's playthings. That's not - it's not how the world should be.

[voicerights]

[It regards him for a long moment, then pulls up a stool of its own]

The way the world 'should' be is not how it is. However. Until such time as you can gain more power than the Wizard, you have to play his game.

[themuseabandonsyou]

But it could be how it is. All it would take would be a few people with power realizing what the consequences of their actions really are and caring about it. Why is that so hard?

[ He may not be talking specifically about the whole Wizard situation right now. ]

Party

[employeeoftheyear]

[Spongebob, having spent most of his time in the Rodgers dorm crying himself, hadn't really approached him before the party. However seeing him makes him feel overcome with emotions. He helped him so much today and what has he done in return?

He's not even sure what to say right now. For once in his life, words completely fail him. So instead he approaches him and does the best thing he could think to do.

He hugs Orpheus tightly.]

[themuseabandonsyou]

[ Orpheus hugs him back without a moment's hesitation. Honestly, he feels a little bad for not comforting Spongebob before leaving the dorms, but with everything going on it had been hard to pull himself out of his own head. He's got it together enough to do it now, though. ]

We did all we could do. I'm sorry.

[employeeoftheyear]

[He sniffles, not letting go. He needed this so badly.]

I-it's okay. I really shoulda done more to help.

[themuseabandonsyou]

[ Orpheus will hold onto him for as long as he needs it, patting him on the back gently. ]

What more could any of us have done? [ he asks, his voice more hollow and hopeless than he wants it to sound. It's meant to be reassuring, it really is, but after everything? It's hard. He tries again. ] You did your best. You've been looking after all of us from the first day, making sure we're eating right and being there for everyone. That's all anyone could ask.

[mayavericks]

[Hey Orpheus. Maya's bringing you both a glass of water, as well as a mug of cocoa. She doesn't even try to smile -- knows that it would hardly help either of them.]

I agree. But this is the hand we have been dealt. We must... work with what we have.

[themuseabandonsyou]

[ Orpheus breathes out slowly, not quite sighing as he takes the mug of cocoa and sets the glass of water on the table. ]

Thank you. [ he says, quietly, and takes a slow sip of the cocoa, trying to savor it. ] I just - it was an accident. She was trying to save him. It isn't right.

[mayavericks]

None of this is right. We... should not be so surprised that it continues to be so, even now.

[She says that, but even she looks vaguely pained. She hadn't expected it to go this far, either.]

[themuseabandonsyou]

[ He puts down the mug and presses the heels of his hands to his temples, shaking his head. ]

It's just... all wrong, and we can't take it back. [ He breathes in, slowly, then out, deliberate and deep and slow. ] We're... responsible. For Elisabeth. The Wizard did it, and there was nothing else we could do. But we voted. We still did it.

longacre

[howtheworldwas]

[ Eurydice stands before the door, hesitating as well. There’s a dull, lost look to her, like she’s only half-registering the door. (She’s looked like this ever since Peregrine described what happens to people who freeze.)

Quietly, her voice hoarse with disuse: ]

It’s going to be empty in there.

[themuseabandonsyou]

[ Orpheus just nods, looking pale and worn. ]

She's gone, [ he says, quietly. ] They didn't even let us pay our respects. They just took her away.

[howtheworldwas]

I hope they bury them.

[ Sissi and Mumble deserve that much, at least. But Eurydice doesn’t sound all that optimistic.

She takes Orpheus’s hand. ]

Do you want to go in there? [ He seems to be considering something. Eurydice isn’t sure if she wants to face it. She’s used to running away, at times like this. But if Orpheus does, she’ll follow. ]

[whatyouwant]

It isn't.

[Elle lets out a heavy sigh.]

My friend, Courtney, would say "it really fucking sucks."

[themuseabandonsyou]

[ Orpheus looks up at Elle and nods, solemnly. ]

This... isn't the first time I've lost friends? But all of that was just - cruel. There was no reason any of it had to happen that way, just that the Wizard wanted it to.

[whatyouwant]

She was just trying to help. She...

[Elle huffs.]

It was horrible. And we can't let it happen again.

Table

[violentenvies]

[Salieri's mostly lost any energy to do anything but sit at his table, however...when he sees Orpheus sit there, head in his hands, it's enough to push Salieri to his feet, grabbing at his bottle of wine and cup to take with him, and making his way over there and taking a seat just across from Orpheus.

He's quiet a moment, after listening to what he's saying.]

...no. No, it isn't.

[themuseabandonsyou]

[ Orpheus breathes out slowly, rubbing at his temples. He doesn't look up just yet. ]

I've had friends of mine die before. It wasn't fair then, either. But that was just - why? Why do any of that? The Wizard kept acting like it was all some kind of game, but it's not.

[ Orpheus knows he's stating the obvious, preaching to the chorus, so to speak. But he needs to get it out, or it will keep eating him for the rest of the night. ]

[violentenvies]

I cannot answer the why. The Wizard's reasons are his own, or the reasons of whomever it is that is above him, dictating his actions.

However, one cannot deny the cruelty of his actions, the way he looked upon everyone like pawns is...unforgivable.

Dorm

[defyingfrigidity]

[Elsa's... really not much of a hugger. Despite how hard she'd held Peregrine as she was breaking down at the trial, Elsa liked her personal space until she was comfortable with new people. It's not as if she's still afraid of touching others, of hurting them accidentally with the simplest of actions, but it's just... habit more than anything. She needed time to let people into her little personal bubble.

But when she sees Orpheus at the window, looking so listless and empty, all thoughts of her own comfort are gone. She approaches him, a hand on his arm first, so that he can register that she's there, before pulling the man into a hug.

There are no comforting words she can say. Not in the aftermath of what they'd seen and been forced to do. But she can't just say nothing...]

We're not going to let this happen again.

[themuseabandonsyou]

[ Orpheus is a little surprised by the contact, but he blinks himself back into the present after a moment and returns the hug. ]

We won't. We can't. We promised Elisabeth. We promised each other.

[defyingfrigidity]

[Elsa can only nod, her hold on him not loosening one bit. Words are hard, especially when emotions are so frayed like they are now, so she can only really do this for comfort.]

It'll be in her memory. Her and Mumble both. To honor them, to... to find some kind of meaning in all of this.