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

auto shop

[feudalladyshandmaid]

[From the distant corner of the parking lot, even there, Cassandra can hear noises from the open doors of the auto shop. Mercifully, it snaps her out of the trance she's been stuck in... for obvious reasons.

Varian. He can't possibly...

She drifts inside, finding him elbow-deep in his work, as always.]

Varian? Are you doing this?

[alchemistake]

[When Varian resurfaces from the car, he's once again smeared with grease, but he looks pretty damn pleased with himself. Even if he doesn't know how to actually maneuver the car out...it's running.]

Who else? I told you I'd get it working.

[feudalladyshandmaid]

Yeah, you did. Wow, Varian.

[She's quietly impressed, no doubt about that. Circling the vehicle, she's reminded of... other things. Large and metallic, grasping at her with massive hands. The rumbling of the engine under her feet sure does sound like a steam engine... except more controlled. Restrained.]

So, think we can actually get it moving soon?

[alchemistake]

[Yeah...this car is a lot like those things, isn't it? Fortunately, Varian doesn't have machinery of that magnitude at his disposal, here. Nothing quite so deadly and harmful.

Just a car. People never get hurt driving cars.]

I think so...though I might try to tap somebody with actual experience to get it out of here. I know Peregrine told me she has a car, so.

[feudalladyshandmaid]

[It is. And Cassandra's very quickly finding herself trying to think of anything else.

She's never seen anyone die from a car. That's something she can hold onto.]

Let's be honest, there's probably way more people that know way more about this thing than we do. [That seems to be a trend with the two of them.] And, at least while that's happening, could I... ask you for something, Varian?

[alchemistake]

Ask...me?

[Oh. That's a little...surprising, but not at all unwanted. He's immediately alert, looking away from the car for now.]

Sure, Cass. What's up?

[feudalladyshandmaid]

Yeah.

[It's hard for her to ask. Varian... How would he react if he knew? Did he already? How many of them had known all this time, while she had been held back, told she wasn't ready? Left in the dark?...

...No. No. Varian couldn't know. He's too young. At least he was safe.

Her hand curls into a pocket on her uniform, and she pulls out, in the palm of her hand... a music cylinder and other assorted mechanism parts.]

This is, uh... parts from a music box that came out of the machine. I was hoping you could do something with this.

[alchemistake]

[Yeah...fortunately for Cassandra, Varian isn't familiar with this particular bit of knowledge. To him, it just looks like the parts to a music box that have fallen apart. He'll hold his own palm out to accept the pieces carefully, gentle so as not to drop any.]

Hm...I think I should be able to fix this. It looks like all of the parts are here...

[And if they're not, he'll recreate them himself.]

I didn't know you owned anything like this, Cass.

[feudalladyshandmaid]

[She eases the parts and pieces from her hands and into Varian's. It seems there's just about everything required to actually get it working. Not that Cassandra would know. She's not an alchemist, or a mechanic.]

Really? [That brings some light back to her eyes. She exhales with relief.] Thanks, Varian. Really.

[...Ah. Right.]

It's something I'd completely forgotten about; it's actually part of a gift... from my mother.

[alchemistake]

Your mother?

[He very carefully sets the pieces on a clear space of the table nearby, immediately putting a box between them and other projects so they don't get mixed up.]

I'll make sure to be really careful with it, then. I wonder why it came out in pieces, though...

[feudalladyshandmaid]

Yeah. She...

["Absolutely not, Cassandra! You know your place is here."

"Oh, stop with the pouting. It's very unbecoming."

Cassandra's lips are set in a thin line. She tries to ignore the roiling waves of emotions in her chest.]

I didn't remember her at first, but this is something she gave me as a kid... it's really important.

[alchemistake]

Got it.

[He knows better than to pry, especially with Cassandra. If it's important to her, then...it's important.]

Yeah, there's...a lot of stuff I've been just now remembering too, so I know how you feel.

[feudalladyshandmaid]

Yeah?

[She's not typically one to pry into anyone's lives, unless it's incredibly imperative to her safety.

But with Varian... it's different. There's a slight shift.]

Do you... want to talk about it?

[alchemistake]

I...

[...]

I'm not sure that's a good idea. But...thanks anyway.

[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.

[alchemistake]

I...

[...

He should say something. He should ask her something.

...but he doesn't.]

I know. I...I'll come to you if I need to. I promise.

[He lied.]