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

library

[comeandfindme]

[ Hilariously, Peregrine's here looking for some of the same books— ]

I won't peek! I just...you have room for one more? I'm trying to teach myself, and...well, you've got the study material.

Investigation! (read: attempted vandalism)

[barberic]

[The motive and the meeting yesterday seems to have rallied Benjamin, somewhat. At least, his moping around seems more intentional, compared to Monday when it almost seemed like his feet were just carrying the rest of his body wherever they pleased.

The first thing he does is try and follow through on the plan that Salieri gave him at the meeting. To that end, he goes first to the scene shop - luckily everyone was at the meeting, or else him lifting the heavy tools and giving wide practice swings would look pretty suspicious. He stops when he notices if he has company, but it's possible someone might walk in to see him hauling off and slamming holes in a prop door with a hammer, or a crowbar, or a 4x4 beam, the same kind he kneecapped Bigfoot with.

Once he's chosen his first weapon - the crowbar - he goes to the mystery door. Unfortunately for the door, his muscles now remember years and years of hard labor. One locky boy vs one jacked dad - fight!

After he's either forced to admit defeat, or done investigating, he goes outside, taking a seat in the courtyard, where he just. Sits. For a long while.]

[disharmonizes]

I'd start with taking a deep breath first, perhaps. If you really want my opinion, anyway.

[Like he makes it possible to opt out of hearing his opinion.]

For the record, this can still go your way
For the record, you can keep your cool
All you have to do is stay focused on the present
Remember you're not on your own inside this school

That's the answer

[And he just pushes the mannequin over.]

Don't tell anyone that I was advocating for unity here, of course, but it does seem like the way to go.

Woods | cw: alcohol

[themuseabandonsyou]

[ Orpheus sits next to Eurydice in the woods, hugging his knees to his chest and watching the fire, his own deeply unfortunate misery cocktail sitting in a wine bottle next to him. He's silent, uncharacteristically sullen and withdrawn, as he tries to think things over. What can he do about this? What can either of them do? In the face of a contract written by a god?

He takes a pull of his mostly-absinthe concoction and grimaces. ]

Maybe we could get Mister Hermes and Lady Persephone to help. [ he says, slowly. ] They like you. There has to be something they can say to Lord Hades.

[ But, would they? Would they try to subvert the natural order for her? For them? He doesn't know. ]

[disharmonizes]

...You know, I've never actually tried.

[disharmonizes]

...Well, I suppose I have nothing better to do right now.

Is this just to trick me into making you tea?

[comeandfindme]

...Yeah. Yeah, I'd really like that.

[ It means instead of barging in here to cry, she can go to the lobby instead. Win-win?

She starts clearing the trinkets carefully. ]

You said... This was Connor's idea?

deer skins......

[tellthestory]

Oh, is this the...smoking...thing?

[For his part, the Balladeer didn't seem too moved by the motive. He's still a little subdued, but...he'll be okay. What could he even wish for, that wouldn't undo a piece of him?]

[barberic]

[This time Antonio's hand makes full contact, and Benjamin jerks and goes unnaturally still, except for his shaky, heaving breaths.]

Guitar

[themuseabandonsyou]

[ Orpheus wanders by as he's investigating the cafeteria, checking under the tables for any odd scratches or marks. He waves to Salieri as he passes, then stops in his tracks as he sees what's in his hands. ]

Oh! I think that's mine! [ He looks considerably more excited than he has in days, with the sole exception of the relief of finding Eurydice in the woods after remembering what happened to her, but Salieri wasn't there for that and there was a lot more terrible fear involved in that scenario than there is here. ]

[comeandfindme]

Do you think you could? If all your powers were back? Like...do you think there's even a chance?

[samefacesyndrome]

[ Good! Rina will use the book shields to give her time to shuffle her project into a little baggy, before moving the books aside so she can see Farrah better. ]

Okay... first give me your wrist please.

[samefacesyndrome]

[ She lets herself be hugged and even clings to Elle a little bit. A lot of the older girls here remind her a bit of Ai in the way they look out for her, but Elle especially does with all the hair and fashion sense, which helps her feel safer.

She shakes her head. ]

Mm-mm. I'm not hurt... just scared.

[mcfife]

It seems like they can't come up with their own title and must copy something from a book.

[No creativity, these villains!]

[samefacesyndrome]

[ The instant she sees Varian she's running over to him, as if trying to hide. ]

Th-There was a knife!! Another knife from the vending machine!

Someone's blood is on it...!!

[comeandfindme]

[ She's keeping just. The closest eye on all this, but! A small wave. ]

Yep. First subject, right here.

[ It looks like she's been soaking some other ones, so. It won't be the only one she smokes today! ]

Scene Shop

[alchemistake]

[Varian didn't stick around as long as some of the others at the meeting. It's less that he's uninterested in helping, and more that being with everyone at once right now is a touch more overwhelming after the motive than it had been Sunday, to say the least. The scene shop is one of his usual haunts even though he mentioned investigating the auto shop above all else, so he decides to go there first today.

He isn't expecting to see it already occupied though, and he ends up stopping and pulling back before he walks in and shows himself. He heard about what happened with Benjamin from Rina, so it's good to see him up and about...not so good to see him making practice swings with the various tools in there. Tools that could easily become weapons in the right hands.

He should probably just leave...but instead, he'll eventually announce his presence once Benjamin has stopped to look for a different tool.]

S...sir...? Is everything alright?

[brokeforgood]

[Farrah closes her eyes and pushes her wrist forward. She’s already wearing a white and orange thread friendship bracelet, from Connor. ]

Here.

1/2

[samefacesyndrome]

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm..........

[ She makes a big show of looking Peregrine over and considering if she can be trusted around Secret Project (all from... behind her fucking paper board... that she can't see through...) before coming to a consensus. ]

I suppose so. I know I can trust you Peregrine-san.

[samefacesyndrome]

[ And then she pauses. ]

Oh, I actually had something to give to you.

Husbandry Club

[themuseabandonsyou]

[ Orpheus sits on the floor nearby, playing his guitar - his guitar, not the one he stole from the band room - and surrounded by a clutch of peeping chicks, one of them balanced on his knee as it starts to doze off. He still looks kind of distant and distracted, but he'll smile over at Elle with her piglet as he plays. ]

I think it likes you.

[comeandfindme]

[ That's a relief, Peregrine goes to sit down but— ]

Me? Uhh, okay... What is it?

[barberic]

[Benjamin grunts as he pulls the crowbar out of the hole that it's punched in the prop door. Before he can take another practice swing, he looks up at the sound of the young man's voice.]

...Yes, lad, everything's fine.

[He sets down the crowbar on one of the prop tables, and wipes his hair off his forehead with the back of his wrist.]

I'm going to try and break into that locked room. We may only get one chance to get in there, so I plan to make it count.

[employeeoftheyear]

[Spongebob, at least at the moment, is the opposite of nervous! He’s humming a little song to himself as they go hiking. To him, this is a fun adventure and a way to possibly finally escape! Even if it’s scary, he’s with some strong friends so he has no real reason to be scared.

Right?]

Hopefully we don’t get too lost out here. I made some trail mix but I’m not sure how long it’ll last.

[comeandfindme]

The goal is we don't get lost at all. [ Serious! Be serious!! Peregrine tries to swallow down her nerves. ] The key to traveling through the woods with no paths is dead reckoning— you have to keep a look out for landmarks, things that stand out so you can find your way back.

[ She frowns very lightly. ]

But...the trees here are all kind of...similar. [ She takes out one of her sharp knives, the ones used for deer skinning, and then carves her initials into one of the trees. ] So we're gonna have to make due. I'll do this every ten feet and we can use it to find our way back.