Week Three

[stagemanagers]

[Last week, some shit went down! Salieri's scene went off without a hitch, but the good mood didn't last. The first motive was a bit of a doozy, and yet it didn't even have anything to do with the eventual accidental death of Mumble Happyfeet! At least Sissi was already pretty much dating Death anyway, right? She's probably fine, wherever she is.

This week, new menus have been posted in the cafeteria. But, more importantly, it seems that other new information has emerged. Everyone wakes on Sunday with some new memories - or are they old ones? - floating around in their heads. Maybe there was something to your discussions of time travel after all. Maybe there was someting to the Wizard's knowledge of the future.

Regardless, you're still stuck in here. At least there's some new places to explore this week. Maybe you'll find something helpful.]

Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday

(( Be sure to submit your memory regains and your AC for this week! Hester's office hours and the merch booth also remain available! ))

Comments

[barberic]

[Benjamin has no new coins to put in the machine, but he's already gotten the greatest prize that he can think of anyway. So after breakfast, he takes his barber's tools (his actual tools, the ones he knows as well as he knows his own hands) and sets up again in the costume room, checking to make sure that his signs are still up. But now he's able to spend his waiting time reading, instead of just loitering. He's tucked into The Hobbit, sitting in the chair next to the one that he has set up for 'customers.'

When he notices someone come in, he looks up.]

Good morning, my friend. Care for a haircut?

[He takes a break from reading for lunch in the cafeteria (the 'Sloppy Joe' option), then detours to the teacher's lounge to get a cup of tea that he can take back with him to resume reading for a little longer.

When he decides that he's cut all the hair today that he's going to, he packs up his things and takes them back to Ambassador dorm, where he spends some time trying to wind down for the night.

However, sleep does not come entirely easily, and it's for that reason that, around 9 or 10 at night, he slips out of the dorm, checking for stragglers in the halls.]

Can't sleep?

Late Night Patrol

[violentenvies]

[If Benjamin happens to wander past the Band Room at any point, the door is mostly closed save for a crack, but the lights are certainly on.

Within, Salieri sits at the piano, composing. Or something like it. He seems almost frustrated, odd notes from the piano coming out from the room, strange melodies, and his face is twisted into a frown. His hair is looser than its normal ponytail--it seems he's run his hand through it to the point of where it's began to come loose, falling in dark strands around his face]

[barberic]

[Of course Benjamin will wander past the band room, he's pacing pretty much all of the halls.

The discordant music sneaks out into the hall through the crack in the door, and he gently pushes it open and sticks his head inside.]

Antonio?

[violentenvies]

[Salieri startles fairly badly as Benjamin opens the door and calls his name, pencils and some paper scattering to the floor--seems he was pretty lost in thought, there.

His head whips around to see who's there, before Salieri immediately relaxes upon seeing who it is.]

Ah. Benjamin. Good evening.

[barberic]

Good evening.

[Benjamin feels a pang of guilt when he startles him. He steps into the room and bends down to pick up some of the scattered papers.]

I didn't mean to startle you. Is everything alright?

[violentenvies]

I--yes, fine, thank you. [he chuckles a little, but there's a slight strain to it]

I, ah...seemed to have gotten a little lost in my work.

[barberic]

[He's not buying it.

As he picks up the scattered pages and straightens them, he takes a glance - what was Antonio working on?]

It's getting late, my friend. I think the others are having a party in the library tonight, if you'd like.

[violentenvies]

[Benjamin will find a sheet of music--but the notes have been written, erased, scribbled out, written, scribbled out again. There's no order to them, none of the neat lines that Benjamin would recognize from the music that Salieri had hand-written for him to learn off of for the performance.]

Hm? Oh, well...no, thank you. I think I...perhaps I almost have it. I just need a little more time.

[barberic]

[He frowns a little at the erratic handwriting, straightening the pages but not making a move to hand them back just yet.]

If I may ask, what's so important that it can't wait until morning? [He shifts to kneel on the floor, at Antonio's feet, his voice gentle.] It's Thursday night, my friend.

[violentenvies]

[He blinks, once, as if dazed, turning his head to look at the clock]

Ah...already?

[barberic]

...Already, I'm afraid. [He's worried about his friend, but remains gentle and diplomatic.]

I was taking a walk to make sure there wasn't anyone out by themselves.

[He puts the music up on the piano, but hesitates instead of letting it go.]

Would you like to walk with me? Clear your head a little, perhaps, and start fresh in the morning.

hall

[brokeforgood]

Yeah, not super into the whole sleep thing this week.

[Farrah's lingering in the hall outside of the dorms, her hair down, wearing the ridiculous dinosaur pajamas, the white plush cow on her lap. She'll get back to the sleepover in a bit, but for now...]

What's your excuse?

[barberic]

The same, I suppose.

[He uses the wall to carefully lower himself to sit on the floor next to her, despite the old creak his knees make as he does.]

Do you mind a bit of company?

[brokeforgood]

[Farrah shakes her head to indicate she doesn’t mind him joining her, but she does go—-]

Whoa, careful old man! [He made it down okay though, and she chills out quickly.]

You having nightmares too?

[barberic]

[Calling him an old man only earn a chuckle out of him, as he settles down.]

Not exactly. I couldn't fall asleep.

[This time last week, a poor boy was locked in the freezer.]

Nightmares are dreadful things, though. How are you holding up, my dear?

Ambassador Dorm

[tellthestory]

[The Balladeer's not actually out and about tonight. He hasn't really been in the habit, not since...well, staying out so late last Friday. But he's sitting up in his cot when Benjamin returns, reading something by the dim glow of one of those enchanted rose props.]

Oh - hey, there you are. Couldn't sleep?

[barberic]

[Benjamin stopped in on the party in the library earlier in the evening, but was glad to leave the others to it after a bit, confident that Spongebob wouldn't let anyone get murdered on his watch.

By the time Benjamin makes his return to Ambassador, after checking the halls and rooms for stragglers, it's been probably about a couple of hours.]

Not really. [Then, with a small bit of humor:] I hope you weren't waiting up for me.

[tellthestory]

Oh...well, not really.

[He says, sheepishly enough that it's pretty clear that he sort of was. But he had his own reasons too - if he'd really been worried, he probably would have just gone looking. It isn't quite late enough for that yet.

Plus, you know:]

I don't - I think it's going to be okay. Besides, who'd go after you?

[you are huge my guy! also everyone likes you and stuff but - a brick shithouse!]

[barberic]

[Benjamin briefly looks surprised at the affirmative, but doesn't comment further.]

You may be right. I'm hoping the idea of someone making rounds will be enough of a deterrent.

All seemed clear; I checked every room.

[He crosses to his bed and sits down heavily with an 'oof' of effort.]

I think the others were planning on staying the night in the library, but I'm not young enough to sleep on the floor anymore.

[tellthestory]

Good, good.

[He snorts a little.]

I don't know if I ever was. I didn't really have a bed for a long time, anyway, I'm gonna take advantage of it. [Until the sleepover, which is just too good to pass up.] It might be good for them to stay together...but I guess we all kinda do that every night.

[barberic]

I think the dorm assignments are mostly a formality at this point. But it might be good for the children to let go of even the facade of formality, for a night.

[He calls them children in the most affectionate tone possible. He picks up his book and settles in against the headboard, leaving the curtains open to let the light in so he can read.]

What are you reading?

[tellthestory]

Ah! It's a script for something called Into the Woods. I found it in the library. Maya and I were talking about how it might be fun to do another scene sometime - just to give everyone something to do, you know.

[It wouldn't be the same, now. But giving people a project, to keep them busy, with a fun thing to do at the end? That might be nice. The Balladeer certainly feels better when he's occupied.]

I don't know that we'd do anything from this. But...it's by the same guy who wrote my show, so I was curious.

[barberic]

Ah, Antonio and I discussed the possibility as well, last week. I'm in favor of anything to pass the time a little easier.

[He starts taking off his shoes etc, to get ready for bed.]

When you say 'your show,' you don't mean... hers, do you? You mean the one before, with the... [You know, the murderers.]

[tellthestory]

Mm-hmm. Where I'm from. This one's not much like it, though - it's a retelling of a bunch of fairy tales. People are dying, but they do sometimes in fairy tales, too.

[It's weird to read a play when these people are, somewhere out there, doubtless just as real as he is, for whatever that's worth. But he can't do anything about them dying or not from here.]

This is the libretto - just the dialogue and the song lyrics - but the score's in the back. Music seems nice.

[barberic]

I'm lucky Johanna falls asleep before the climax of most stories, but I have left out some details in some of the fairy tales I've read her.

[He sucks in a breath and lets out a contented sigh.]

This man must be a talented composer. [He contemplates, for a moment.] What would you consider him, to you? A father? [Or a God?]