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

[fourbutts]

I... kind of? It's weird.

[ She frowns. ]

I think I'm gonna need to chew on it for a little while.

[tellthestory]

[Ehhhhhh - the Balladeer winces a little, but replies:]

Basically. But look - you're a real person, too! You told me, you've got a whole life and everything!

[She's not just a glorified narrative framework like him!]

[brokeforgood]

Oh, wow, that’s meta. [Still, she flips open the notebook, and goes for it.]

I was going for a computer theme—— exploding computers, chain emails gone bad. But that ones good.

[comeandfindme]

[ Her eyes widen. ]

Before? [ Her own voice is quick, slightly panicked. ] And everyone— [ Did no one die? Did—

Peregrine's mind races. ] What do you mean, no one knows where she is? What- like— if the Wizard can't find her, isn't that good?

[mayavericks]

Whenever you're ready then, Janis.

[She leans up to place a kiss on her cheek.]

[mayavericks]

I don't know. Angus showed me a photo, one of the motive photos. He was dead. Someone that -- looked like Claudine, that had her sword, but wasn't her did it. But he's here so --

[Maya hasn't been this on edge in ages. Her heart pounds in her ears.]

Hester-san told me that Claudine went home. But Nana -- Nana didn't. And you're right. If the Wizard cannot find her, then...

[Maya swallows hard.]

Something is wrong.

[tellthestory]

Yeah, meta's my whole thing.

[Also, being redundant. The Balladeer has been leaning his head back against the tree to stare up into the branches, but he shifts now to look at Farrah.]

So - you said Evan exists back in your world, too?

[themuseabandonsyou]

[ Raising his hand to rest over hers, he smiles through the tears and shakes his head. ]

It's not your fault. It's not.

[ It's mine, he wants to say, but he knows that will only make Eurydice feel worse, so instead he leans in and kisses her. It's wet with tears and interrupted with little hiccuping sobs, but he doesn't care. She's here, with him, and not stuck in the cruel and suffocating underground. ]

We're here. And we're together. And no storms or gods or wizards are going to take us away from each other again.

[comeandfindme]

[ But Angus is alive. But Angus is here— did the Wizard do that? Is that how they leave? Because the Wizard gets tired of them, revives them, sends them on their way?

Is she going to go back to—

Peregrine feels her whole body go numb. She feels herself freeze up. She forces herself not to think about it— because that's not- what to focus on right now. ]

What else did she say? I need to- we need to tell everyone this, we need to...make a plan.

[howtheworldwas]

[ At first, Eurydice startles when she crosses the Balladeer's path. But then he says her name, and things start to click into place a little. ]

I remembered something. [ Something bad. Although come to think of it, B doesn't look that great, either. ] ...did you?

[fourbutts]

[ She nods. ]

Yeah. Nothing bad, though. I don't think.

[fourbutts]

Yeah, that's the weird part. My other memories were like... of the events. Not the show.

[mayavericks]

That was it. That and -- She didn't want to tell us for fear of us being this upset.

[Which like. Terrible plan, she's even more upset.]

I should be home. I should be helping to look for her. Nana is... a kind girl. She's the sort of person that cares deeply about how others feel about her. The kind of person who does not deserve any of this.

[brokeforgood]

Mmmm. Yeah. He went viral, a little after I did. I was relieved, actually—- which is fucked, now that I know... knew Connor. But it took the attention off me a little bit. [She casts a longing look at Connor’s bench, then back at the Balladeer.]

It also really pissed me off, because it was all fake bullshit. Acting like people aren’t alone, and like they just...care. So I didn’t pay too much attention to it. Just rolled my eyes and made fun of it.

[comeandfindme]

[ Oh. Oh, no. Peregrine grabs Maya's hand, without thinking. ]

Maya you were kidnapped. By the same psycho freak who kidnapped her, apparently. This isn't— [ ........ ] This isn't like...waiting at home when someone's lost in the woods. This is not your fault.

[mayavericks]

I'm the one they look to for support. And I'm not there.

[She's only cried once since she got there. Twice would be an absolute embarrassment!]

I don't know what I am meant to do. I cannot keep people here from dying, and apparently I cannot keep my friends back home from being hurt either.

[tellthestory]

Your world isn't not real just because you can see out of it every now and then. You're probably...better off thinking of it that way. I think I lose track of that, sometimes...

[His show hadn't been so grounded in reality. His character is basically a fourth-wall breaking tool anyway. He wonders if that made him unkind sometimes, back in the other show? Oblivious to the point of unkindness, at least.]

[comeandfindme]

You're not there because of that bastard...!

[ Like the other day, Peregrine moves, so her other hand is on Maya's cheek. ]

You didn't do this! This isn't— this is other people! With deliberate actions, this is them! Not you!

[tellthestory]

[That commonality seems a little bit weird, to him. Are musicals doing a lot of crossovers, now? But that's meta to the point of callousness, when we're talking about Connor; he puts it aside.]

People care about you. [...] I know what you mean, though. Especially knowing that Connor didn't even know him in the first place - god, I hate to think what happened there. Who even is Evan Hansen?

[Like, where did he come from? Why was he doing that???]

[brokeforgood]

Yeah. I know. Lots of people care now. [She flashes him a quick smile, before looking down at the white and orange friendship bracelet on her wrist.]

I dunno. Like I said, I kind of—- tried to ignore it because it seemed so fake. I guess it really was.

[howtheworldwas]

[ Oh, no. Eurydice knows only one thing that can break a voice like that, and she's been thinking about it constantly. Her heart aches for Mister Barker, and now for Orpheus, and for what she knows she's done.

Eurydice's voice is similarly soft. ]

Probably not. But you'll remember them.

[ Eurydice hesitates for a moment, and then gets up to join Mister Barker on his bench. It's probably better if he feels less alone. ]

[mayavericks]

I should still be doing more!

[By all means, Maya should lean away from the touch. Instead, she tucks her face against Peregrine's palm. She closes her eyes as she does.]

What do I do?

[fourbutts]

Right... right. But wait, if my world is like that... where are we now? Where's the audience?

[tellthestory]

Guess it doesn't matter now.

[They can talk all they want, and write his name in a notebook, but they can't reach Evan Hansen from here, and Connor is still gone.]

I can't believe that - that something like that happened to Connor. Someone should've told his real story.

[tellthestory]

Honestly? No clue. I know there is one - the Player would talk about them. But I feel like I lost that trick of seeing them, when I left my show.

[He actually takes a sip of his tea, finally.]

Maybe it's...different. Not a stage show or something. I mean, apparently Spongebob's from a cartoon.