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

[comeandfindme]

[ Peregrine has to swallow down a lump that's slow forming in her throat so she can respond, as if she's confessing a secret: ]

He said he'd haunt me. [ And then, clarifying: ] Not...in a creepy way, just like... He said he'd watch over me if he...became a ghost. In his letter.

[disharmonizes]

Oh. All sweet and inspiring.

[Just, knocks against the board for a second, before rolling his eyes.]

So boring.

[tellthestory]

Not just that, he's got a whole bit going. That Phantom guy, too - you said it was literally in an opera house?

[violentenvies]

[that'll make him suck in a breath, his heart going tight in his chest for a moment at that--and he pulls out his pencil, scribbling a responding message]

"This is Maestro Antonio Salieri. I'm sorry, I cannot seem to hear you when you talk, but I'm trying to listen now. I'll be back tomorrow. Who are you?"

[Then he's flipping the bench back upright]

[violentenvies]

[he'll step up next to her then to help, picking up a butterknife with amusement to cut into those potatoes. It's not the easiest, but considering their knives situation...speaking of, what is Maya prepping potatoes with?]

[brokeforgood]

[Farrah snickers, and if she notices Rina smooch Varian, she doesn’t react. She just makes herself comfortable, twining her fingers through Rina’s, her head snuggled against Varian’s shoulder.]

You’re gonna be cursing next, Varian.

[comeandfindme]

[ This is what she wanted, to be able to express her negativity and not be brushed off— and yet Salieri's gaze makes her shift uncomfortably, not returning his look. ]

It's... This weekend, and...just some...things, I... [ ... ] Some memories. They've just... They're a lot to think about.

[themuseabandonsyou]

[ Orpheus comes back with a bolt of emerald green cloth from the costume room, half-running back in. ]

Mister Barker, Maestro Salieri - are you - [ He starts to ask if they're okay, but... it's pretty obvious that they aren't. No one is, right now, Orpheus among them especially as he sees the Balladeer's pale and lifeless body on the ground, his wounds all the more apparent now that he's been moved. Slowly, Orpheus puts the cloth down on the ground and moves around to stand next to them, putting a hand on Salieri's shoulder and looking Benjamin in the eyes. ]

It's - Eurydice and I can handle this. Preparing him, if you two need to step away.

[comeandfindme]

[ She looks most hesitant there. ]

Do they protect the people out in nature too?

[samefacesyndrome]

[ As soon as she says that she flinches

And just

Drops it

Both literally and figuratively

The amber falls to the ground, bouncing with a "tink" a few times before settling. ]

I... okay.

[ She looks down at it just. Unsure what to do as her eyes begin to water. ]

Do... do you want to get rid of it?

Since you... know about it...

[themuseabandonsyou]

Oh, yes. [ Right, this isn't really the nicest place in the school to spend a lot of time. ] We can talk in the cafeteria, maybe? I'll be out in a minute, I was just here to try to wash a stain out of my shirt.

[ He gestures to a splotch of coffee-brown, among the paint stains from where Discord hit him with a paintbrush a couple weeks back. ]

[stagemanagers]

[Nothing happens.]

[mayavericks]

Water, of course.

[Extracting herself from the tangle of women and blankets is a little easier said than done, but eventually she's on her feet.

She does pause before she can get too far. Bending over, she presses a kiss to Janis's forehead. While she's there, she gives Peregrine a look. It's the sort of expression that says "guard this with your life." Not that Peregrine needs to be told that.

In any case, she heads out the door and to the concession stand.]

[themuseabandonsyou]

[ Well, that'll get his attention. He'll take a closer look at the weird machine - is it pressed flush against the wall? Any gap between it and the floor? They've all been using the thing so much that he doubts there's anything obvious they've missed about it, but are there any markings or things of notice on it at all? ]

[sugarlumps]

...Okay but this would literal poop and that'd be gross.

[mayavericks]

I should hope that moment will never come.

[It's not like Janis is going anywhere tonight, right?]

[comeandfindme]

[ Ever so subtly, as she moves to sit up, Peregrine returns Maya's look with a small nod. Always. As Maya leaves, Peregrine turns her attention back to Janis. ]

How... How're you doing?

[samefacesyndrome]

[ She's already hitting skip again by the time Varian speaks, the singer of the next one having a deeper more mature voice

"Today was again like one of those stories of fluttering away
I feel like I was left behind
That honest smile, that always gave itself over to its feelings,
is far away" ]

Umm... including me there's about... 10 of us. Though only 9 of us are idols. Yu-san is in the club but she's more of a... support role? She doesn't want to be an idol, but she loves them and she helps us with everything. She even comes along to practice.

[ And she's also going to compose music for you in season 2 probably. ]

...Honestly it's hard to imagine things without her around. I actually... wanted to back out of my concert, you know. The day before. But everyone came to talk me out of it and Yu-san especially said a lot of things that helped. She even stayed up late and helped me finish the Rina-chan Board.

[fourbutts]

[ Janis considers for a second. She seems... genuinely unsure how to answer. ]

Not great? Big, solid not great. [ She sniffs. ] But I can talk again, so... that's neat.

[ Even if she just. Sounds like she's on the edge of tears. ]

[mcfife]

Exactly that. Including apparent disappearing acts.

...Is Oz the name of the school the wizard haunts in the book?

[mcfife]

I'm sure I'm strong enough to hold your weight. [Read into that as you will.] What is one woman compared to throwing around the Hammer of Glory for an entire battle?

[alchemistake]

[Varian stiffens visibly when the amber hits the ground, almost like he expects it to just explode and start spreading right then and there. When it doesn't...he'll eye it cautiously for a second before he quickly leans down and picks it up off the floor, stuffing it into his pocket.]

Yeah, I...yeah.

[The silence that follows is...more than a little awkward and uncomfortable, and Varian knows he's to blame. Even with Rina not being the best at expressions...

But he's still too spooked. Seeing the amber, again...]

If you see any more...don't keep it.

[tellthestory]

...yeah. One of those days, isn't it.

[He didn't run out. He walked, and kept walking, until he couldn't find his way back. But it was sort of the same thing.]

Do you...want to talk about it?

[samefacesyndrome]

[ She watches him pick it up and then hugs her arms. ]

...Okay.

[ ... ]

Would you um...

Like me to bring you lunch... later?

[mayavericks]

[At least Maya doesn't take too terribly long to pick up their waters. she grabs as many as she can carry from the concession stand -- probably around six or so. They could all use the hydration, right?

She's back before too long, settling herself silently at the foot of her bed with her spoils of war laid out in front of them.]