Week Four

[stagemanagers]

[Last week, Gershwin High School Academy University saw its very first intentional murder! What a milestone! And right after Spongebob's No Murder party, too - that doesn't seem like it bodes very well for anybody's future.

You all wake up this morning with yet another new memory returned to you. You'll also find that the school's external doors have now unlocked. Congratulations! You're free! Unfortunately, you also seem to be entirely in the middle of nowhere. So maybe it's more of a symbolic victory.

Still, you should look around and do some investigation! Maybe you'll find a fun surprise.]

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]

[Orpheus' voice is very easy to listen to. He's a nice boy in so many other ways as well, of course. Very agreeable and easy to get along with. So different from the men on the chain gang with him

Benjamin nods his agreement, looking from Orpheus down at the table.]

Right you are, lad.

[But he still sounds a little distracted, anyway, before he takes a deep breath and straightens his shoulders to look back up at Orpheus.]

I want to thank you. You've been a friend to me, and everyone else here. It's made it a little easier to make the best of an awful situation.

[feudalladyshandmaid]

[...She sighs, nodding once.]

You're welcome.

[Cassandra rises and prepares to leave, stopping just short of the door before she turns back and looks at Varian. At this poor little kid.

...God, they're completely alike, aren't they?]

... I mean it, Varian. Anything at all, you can tell me.

[barberic]

[He makes a small sound that might have once been adjacent to a laugh. From what he's heard of the Balladeer's show, it would cause quite a headache indeed to hold outside.]

...That would be nice. Children should get to be out under the stars, sometimes.

[He talks about nice things like they only happen to other people.]

Would you come out and play? Beside the fire? You can teach them the words to the songs.

[barberic]

[He doesn't move closer, as much as he wants to offer her a hug. But he keeps up the touch she's accepted, widening the comforting motion of his hand to broader motions.

There's nothing he can do to make her feel better.

So he offers the only thing he does have, the words that brought him back around when his memories were so much that he fainted.]

...You're safe now. You're not alone.

[themuseabandonsyou]

Oh, of course. [ says Orpheus, smiling at him gently. ]

I think it's really important to be kind, especially when times are hard. I'm glad it's helping, even if it's only a little bit.

[ There's only so much he can do, in a situation like this, but by the gods he will do whatever he can. ]

If there's anything I can do to help, please, just let me know. I can get us something to eat or drink while we're here, if you want?

[barberic]

Well, I'll try the window first.

[He turns the crowbar over in his hands, thoughtfully.]

Maybe if unscrewing the hinges won't work, this will.

[barberic]

[He doesn't say anything when she takes his hand in hers, just stares at their joined hands and tries to find the ability to speak through the lump in his throat.

Finally he settles for patting her hands with his free one, pursing his lips into a thin, smile-adjacent expression.]

Thank you. But protect yourself first and foremost, Miss Elle.

[tellthestory]

Of course! Oh, that sounds fun - we could roast marshmallows, and hot dogs and stuff. Real camping things.

[Not at all what Peregrine would want, probably, but he imagines they won't be doing it in the woods. Maybe just woods-adjacent.]

What, don't you wanna learn my songs? I know a few that aren't about dead presidents. [He's teasing, lightly. Of course he knows why Ben might not want to go to something like that this week. But, still...he sobers.] It might be good for you to hang out with everyone.

[tellthestory]

[The Balladeer laughs.]

I'm sorry. It's just nice to be with other people who hate that guy. The rest of them were big fans - first guy to bag a president, y'know, he was sort of their pioneer.

[comeandfindme]

How can you like a racist, isn't that, like, rule number one? Ugh. Uncle Donald would have words for them.

[tellthestory]

They're a pack of white people with guns. I mean, Giuseppe's Italian and Leon's Polish, from a time when that sort of mattered, but...

[He shrugs. It's not as though things like that tend to lead to solidarity amongst those groups, you dig? Also my Italian grandfather was over here being racist towards Polish people like literally two hours ago for some fucking reason, so.]

...I don't know. It's just all about the gun club with them.

[comeandfindme]

Well. You're not with them now. [ Examining her deerskin, seeing how the leather's starting to smoke. ] And, if I've got anything to say about it... You don't ever have to see those people again.

[barberic]

No, no, you just sat down, I wouldn't ask that of you.

[He waves off the offer for food or drink.]

How is your song coming along? If you don't mind my asking.

[He's interested, but it's also clear that he's running through topics to try and get Orpheus to just... talk at him, so that he doesn't have to think for a little while.

This may backfire a little, but at least it will be Orpheus' problems on the conversation table and not his own.]

[tellthestory]

[The Balladeer smiles.]

I'd like that. Feels a little weird - the show might be broken without me - but I guess that's sort of their problem now?

[Geez, even just saying that makes him feel a little guilty. But...well, they wanted him gone, right? Now he's gone.]

[themuseabandonsyou]

[ Boy it sure might. Orpheus cringes a little bit. ]

I, um. I remembered some things too, and I didn't really... finish it in time.

[ He says, voice growing quieter and quieter as he speaks. ]

It could still work, I guess. But I don't... I haven't felt like working on it much. After what I remembered.

[comeandfindme]

Exactly. If they didn't appreciate you...screw 'em.

[ It's a lot easier to dwell on the Balladeer's problems, rather than hers. ]

[tellthestory]

Mmmm.

[The audience might've appreciated him, he thinks...but they're not the people he has to spend all his time with. Anyway, they can follow if they like. The Balladeer leans forward, poking at the edge of his deer skin a little.]

So how do you know when it's done?

[barberic]

[He manages a soft snort, at the question.]

I think I've already done enough damage to their good cheer, with everyone who came to check on me when they should have been having fun Sunday evening.

[comeandfindme]

Oh, it usually depends on the color. [ She points out the darker outside of the hide she's smoking. ] If you want a lighter one, you smoke it for less time...but darker tends to be better because it means it's more durable. I was working on that side for...um...I think about forty minutes? That's what I've found that tends to work well.

[tellthestory]

The lighter ones are pretty, though.

[But yeah, he gets it.]

[comeandfindme]

They're pretty but they gotta be waterproof, Bal!

[ ...She's almost something like...happy. Almost. ]

[tellthestory]

[The Balladeer laughs.]

Hey, don't blame me! I'm practically from a desert!

[How many stage plays involve rain?]

[comeandfindme]

Jeez... [ She keeps herself from smiling. She realizes that, now. If you let yourself feel happy, then—

She gives him a humorless little smirk. ]

It's okay, I'll get you used to the good ol' Midwest eventually.

[tellthestory]

I think I might be modeled after a Midwesterner.

[He smiles - look at his whole thing, his all-American folk singer thing.]

Maybe it'd do me some good.

[comeandfindme]

Hmm. That'd make sense. The flannel... Yeah.