Is This Where You Wanna Be? Crawling On Your Hands and Knees?

[mayavericks]

[In a perfect world, Maya would have been able to isolate herself for the rest of the evening. It's not like her to wallow in her feelings, but it's also not like her to be trapped away in a murder school or part of an execution so... not like she has much choice there. Besides, between the influence of Janis, and the sight of her remaining dormmates, it's clear that Maya simply can't... let things go.

It's like she told the SQUIP. They look to her for hope. And so, hope she must be. It's her job to stand tall for the others. Thankfully help comes easier this time -- there's no need to scruff Discord, or try to keep Spongebob from making Hate Patties. Maybe that, in and of itself, is a good sign.

It's just another fluke. They'll be okay. They're together, after all. Even Salieri and Discord are getting along well enough to help.

Cutting potatoes proves to be an interesting task, considering the fact that most of the knives are missing. Maya has a few guesses as to how that happened, but she won't point fingers again today. She makes do with what she has -- two swords between her and Cassandra.

Potatoes, cakes, pies -- the arrangement is much the same. There's even cocoa (made by less experienced hands, unfortunately), and alcohol. It all feels like a repeat of last week, but she's trying to not think about it. She does her best to keep a smile on her face as she knocks on each door, inviting others to the cafeteria once more.]

Comments

[howtheworldwas]

[ Eurydice will keep quiet and close to Orpheus throughout most of the party. It's where she's most comfortable, and she wants to keep an eye on him, now that she knows there could be murderers here, and not just people prone to unfortunate accidents.

She does her best to watch the other attendees too, and if she catches you not eating, she'll set a plate of potatoes in front of you. ]

You need to eat. We all need to be ready.

[ After people start to disperse, she'll head up to the girl's locker room, doing a quick count of the supplies she's been able to store so far. It's meant to calm herself down, but you might be able to catch her muttering to herself. ]

He's wrong.

[violentenvies]

[Salieri will come over at some point with cups of cocoa and just...wordlessly hold one out to her.]

[howtheworldwas]

[ Eurydice takes the cocoa, and this time, does not down it like a shot. Nice! Instead, she grips it so hard that there's a decent chance she'll crack the porcelain. ]

I don't care what it said. It didn't need to do that.

[violentenvies]

[whoooooboy, he feels that vibe]

I agree. It was a needless, destructive, terrible action.

[howtheworldwas]

It was needless. He's not the only one with someone he cares about. [ She looks over to Orpheus. ] I'm going to keep him safe. But not -- not like that.

[violentenvies]

...I know. [and he does. If one thing has been obvious, it's that she'll take care of Orpheus come hadeshell or high water. He hesitates for a moment, then forges ahead]

I...appreciate that about you, Madame Eurydice. I hope you won't mind me saying that I consider you both of you to be my friends, but it...comforts me to know that no matter what, you are looking out for him.

Party

[themuseabandonsyou]

[ Orpheus stares into the distance. He trails after Eurydice wordlessly wherever she goes, pale as a ghost with a faraway look in his eyes as he tries to think.

Actions and thoughts are not my own, but then who is responsible?
The things I do are calculated and processed, nothing more.

Its last words to him. The SQUIP was something made, not born, created to serve a purpose. To... strip away, the things that held people back? The things it thought held people back. Like grief and hurt. But it was supposed to help, even if doing that wasn't really helping. It thought it was helping. ]

He did it for loyalty. [ says Orpheus, quietly, as Eurydice sets down the potatoes in front of him. ] Because he thought it was what would save - Jeremy. The person who needed him.

[howtheworldwas]

[ Eurydice sits down next to him, and she looks down at the table, her hands curling into fists. She does not look up. ]

So? I could have done that. [ A beat. For you, she nearly says. ] But I didn't. And -- and now we're both still here, and I guess I owe it that. [ Eurydice's voice is filled with disgust. She doesn't want to owe it anything. ]

[themuseabandonsyou]

I know it wasn't right. But for all his talk of - not understanding emotions, or friendship. I think he knew more than he thought?

And now we're here. And Connor's gone. And the SQUIP is gone, and Mumble and Elisabeth are gone, and -

[ He cuts himself off, taking a shaky breath through his teeth and putting his face in his hands, shoulders shaking. ]

[howtheworldwas]

[ Eurydice puts her arm around his shoulder, gently rubbing his back with her free hand.

Bitterly: ]

It didn't know anything. It didn't know if that Jeremy wanted this.

[themuseabandonsyou]

[ Orpheus leans into it, closing his eyes. ]

No, he didn't. He didn't understand a lot of things. But he could've learned, could've listened, could've stood with us, instead of - of taking advantage, of what Connor was going through.

girl's locker room

[comeandfindme]

[ Peregrine at this point is more sweat than girl, honestly. Of course she's going to go shower off.

...She missed Eurydice go through the gym. She thought she'd be alone. ]

Who's wrong?

[ Despite it all, she asks that with her raw, raw voice. ]

[howtheworldwas]

The SQUIP.

[ Eurydice says, voice low and full of loathing. She turns around to face Peregrine. ]

Facing how the world really is...it doesn't mean that. [ A beat. ] I'm sorry.

[comeandfindme]

[ A few hours ago, maybe Peregrine would be able to gather the same anger Eurydice has. Right now, she just feels numb. ]

I don't think it understood anything.

[howtheworldwas]

It didn't.

[ Eurydice watches Peregrine, and thinks about what happened at the trial. She scoots over, and holds out some jerky. ]

You need to eat. Passing out won't do you any good.

[whatyouwant]

[Once more, Elle has forgotten to eat herself in favor of doing...pretty much what Eurydice is doing. She looks sheepish as she takes a potato wedge.]

I know, it's just easy to forget sometimes.

[howtheworldwas]

[ Eat that potato!! Eurydice will not look away until Elle eats it. ]

I know. But you have to keep up your strength. We all do. We have to be ready.

[whatyouwant]

[Elle does eat it, don't worry. She'll even go in for another one.]

The same goes for you. [Elle nudges the plate a little towards Eurydice.]

[howtheworldwas]

[ Good point. Eurydice eats one, too. ]

Yeah. I'm glad we have food here, at least. [ a beat. ] So, did you agree with it, then? About this happening again?

locker room

[brokeforgood]

Yeah? [Dont mind Farrah. She’s. just. Stashing a box of knives.]

What’s he wrong about?

[howtheworldwas]

[ Eurydice is going to stare at all those knives until Farrah puts them away!! ]

All that talk about logic, and Connor...it was all just excuses.

Party

[defyingfrigidity]

[Elsa's used to food not having flavor. She's had enough days where she spiraled deep into depression where what little she could eat just felt like ash in her mouth. So while she takes the plate offered to her, scooching it closer to herself, she doesn't touch the potatoes yet.]

Ready for... what? Do you think something is going to happen soon?

[howtheworldwas]

[ Eurydice is tense, her jaw set. ]

You heard the SQUIP. It could happen again. It was wrong about a lot of things, but I don't think it was wrong about that.

[defyingfrigidity]

[A part of Elsa understands that. She and Orpheus had been so sure that nobody would do anything after what they'd seen last week, and... well. Look where they are now. But even with how much Elsa had been taught to fear people n her youth, even with how she's SEEN the sorts of things that can happen when fear and uncertainty fester....]

It can't just keep going on. Sooner or later it has to stop, right? Maybe we can find a way to make it stop now.

[howtheworldwas]

What are our options? We stop the Wizard, somehow, or he lets go, or we escape, or -- or we just run out of people to kill.

[ It's grim, but Eurydice is ever the realist. ]

None of those are likely, and some are horrible.