itscurtains | Week Three

[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! ))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Of course Peregrine's prepared. ...Of course her friends are prepared. They're going to be as prepared as she is. Just as ready— ]

...I know when this is from. It's— I remember Brett saying he was gonna go interview Howl. But- still, they should've... After everything that's already happened... They should've known I wasn't just messing around. I wouldn't just mess around.

...yeah. Yeah, they probably should've.

[If her brother died in the woods, why would she go out there just...for fun?]

Maybe they were just scared. Because of what happened.

[ It's almost childishly that she grumbles: ]

Well— they didn't lose a brother.

...I'm sure they all cared about him.

[He'd bring up her parents, but like, he actually knows nothing about the rest of her family, and experience with Farrah has taught him that apparently those are just garbage sometimes!]

They cared about him enough to have meaningless vigils and talk about how special he was only to have things go right back to normal a week later.

[ Her voice drips with bitterness. ]

They cared about him— about all of us enough to let us live in the shadow of something that could kill us and not teach us a single thing to help ourselves.

...yeah. I don't understand that.

[Granted, his understanding of the entire situation is pretty limited, but...surely kids will go into the forest at some point? Surely you should teach them about the risks? He always hated how long it took them to really try protecting the President, even when they kept on getting shot - but god, at least he wasn't an actual child.]

I guess they can care without...caring very well. But that doesn't really help anyone.

Yeah. They don't—

[ Her name was Gerda. We met in Cairo.

Peregrine goes silent again. She listens, even though she probably shouldn't. In a soft, breath voice, she murmurs: ]

He's...never told me about any of this before.

[The sound of a song beginning snaps the Balladeer's attention back to the tape pretty quickly. There's no hesitation on his part. It's a story; it's meant to be listened to. Still, he's quiet too, waiting for a lull in the lyrics - I felt eager and wanted, rapt and unguarded and free - before saying quietly:]

It sounds like a painful story.

[This is only a tape. It can't capture voices from the distant past, people who were dead and gone decades before the recording happened. But the Balladeer being what he is, perhaps he has a vague sense of it nonetheless.

Hold still, I see you - don't move -

But if so, he keeps it to himself.]

I...never knew... He always... He's always been so alone. Mom says...it took her years to realize...he was even there, when he moved in. I never thought he'd...

[ It's silly now, thinking about it. He'd had a whole life before her. Of course he would have other important people in his life, other loves. It's presumptuous to think of it like that, that Howl would love her, a girl he's known for less than two years. But still...

Still.

She listens. As it all falls apart, she listens, perhaps to the reason he's so determined. The reason he's so...giving to them. ]

[This time, the Balladeer remains quiet until the end of the song. He sits with his hands folded, expression serious. It's a sad tale - it's a tragedy.

But he's watching Peregrine, too.]

......he must have known people would hear. That you would. It wasn't a secret recording. Maybe he was...finally ready to talk about it, a little.

...You think so? [ The interview ends shortly after that, leaving them truly in silence. Peregrine nibbles at her bottom lip very idly. ] Do you think...me and my friends, do you think we somehow...helped him? Maybe helped him open up a little?

If he was that alone for all that time, I think you must have.

[The Balladeer reaches over to turn the machine off.]

After all of that...I guess I understand why he might've wanted to be alone. But I don't think anyone can be alone forever. Especially not when you see there's people who could understand.

[For all that he doesn't really know Howl, he doesn't feel like that's much of a reach. It was only after Brett shared his past that Howl started to bend a little. Sure, he was upset about the townsfolk, too, but...a private person like that, would he tell that whole story just to make a point? He could have just as easily ended the interview.]

[ That she did something for him. ...That, despite Jacob's death, something— anything came out of it.

It's a warm feeling. A very warm feeling. ]

Yeah. ...Yeah, I think I agree.

[ Despite what she'd said before, she thinks she might actually believe that. ]

Can I, uh... Can I have this? Just— you know. To hear their voices again sometime.

Oh - of course. I'm sure they'd have wanted you to have it.

[He's sure it's here for her.]

[ Oh-so-gently, she gathers up the digital recorder, as if it's a precious treasure. ]

Thanks. ...Gotta get this back to Brett, anyway. I don't think he's gonna like one of his tapes going missing.

Ha, yeah, I doubt it. That was...

[Important? It seems important. But then, he really doesn't know what the podcast is about.]

Well, I'm sure he'd want it back.

[ It seems something! when will the balladeer know what a podcast is, that's the real question— ]

Yeah, reporter-types are always really finicky about all their interviews and stuff, so.

Week Three

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