The sky shines differently today than it did yesterday

[employeeoftheyear]

[Perhaps to the surprise of no one, there is no after party after that trial. Two children were dead. Two children were dead over a simple accident and the Wizard cared more about himself than anyone else. But they won't give up, they can't give up. They had to keep fighting until everything's been set right.

At the Lobby ofrenda later that night, there are six origami pieces accoupling the other memorials. A penguin, a rose, an octopus man, computer, a music note, and the last one are of a boy and girl holding hands. Along with that there is a plate of strawberry cupcakes with blueberry icing and a note that reads:]

There is still hope and love in the world

Never let The Wizard make you think otherwise 💗

Comments

[fourbutts]

Well, granted it's a pretty stereotypical ukulele song, but... I know I'm personally against letting our kidnapper's Wizard of Oz ffff- [ spongebob it's spongebob dont teach spongebob the word fetish ] -ixation take it away from me.

[ It's not... usually her style, but it feels right, on a night like this. ]

Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high

[disharmonizes]

[Discord doesn't even bother announcing himself. He just sits down, leaning against Salieri's back, and sets down a cup of tea for him.]

[mcfife]

[Angus leaves for the courtyard, prepared to scale the wall for some angry yelling in privacy, but it interrupted by the sound of a music box.

The SQUIP's. Cassandra's.

No, Varian's.

He wanders over to Salieri's side, watching it spin soullessly.] He really fixed it.

side of the building

[disharmonizes]

[Discord's mostly just passing through, trying to find some other people, when he happens to come across Angus using that grappling hook. And he stops, just looking at this for a moment.]

It might be a little too soon after an accident to start tempting fate.

broadhurst

[disharmonizes]

[Farrah is on his list of people to find right now, so he'd have ended up here anyway, even without the fact that Salieri's going to just end up dragging him here regardless.

He knows the video now, of course, recognizing the sound of it.

And he almost has some sort of comment ready, but... well. He'll leave it, this time. He's just going to sit down on the floor next to her.]

ofrenda

[disharmonizes]

I think we really need all the good luck we can get.

[Hi, Elsa. Discord's been wandering past here... several times now, so it's no surprise he'd run into her here.

He'll snap his fingers, some paper appearing and starting to fold itself.]

Not that I'm usually much of a believer in luck, but, well. Couldn't hurt.

[fourbutts]

Oh yeah. We can even pull the real-ass grappling hook up for the night if we want privacy.

[mcfife]

I've done this before. [His voice is terse, frustrated. Of course Discord would try to be contrary. Angus grips the rope tightly and plants a foot onto the brick before, then another.]

[mayavericks]

That could be either romantic or extremely threatening.

... Or both, come to think of it.

[brokeforgood]

[Discord is… weirdly enough one of the few people she can tolerate right now. When he joins her on the floor, she actually does look up from her phone. She drops the phone, actually, onto her stomach—- and just stares at him with a dead gaze for a while.

Then she rolls over, to be closer to where he sits.]

… Thanks.

[employeeoftheyear]

Grappling hook! I think Angus had it!

[employeeoftheyear]

[He grabs it!]

Got it! Hold tight; I'm gonna pull you up now!

[You know for someone who hits like a pool noodle, he has amazing upper body strength, apparently.]

[mayavericks]

[Wow. She is... flying. Maybe not really, but between Spongebob's strength and her own climbing, she sure does get up pretty high.

When she's close enough, she holds her hand out to him.]

Please don't let your arm come off this time.

[employeeoftheyear]

Hey as long as it's a nice song, I don't care how stereotypical it is!

[He listens to her sing and starts strumming along to it. Soon he begins to sing himself.]

There's a land that I heard of
Once in a lullaby

[He smiles as he sings. It's small, and sad but.

They were together still. They are still a family, despite the Wizard's best effort.]

[fourbutts]

I mean the grappling hook would be up there with us, it-

[ She covers her face with a hand. ]

Not my kink. Maybe we leave the grappling hook alone.

[mayavericks]

That -- [It's Maya's turn to cover her face.]

That isn't what I meant.

Broadhurst

[violentenvies]

[by the time Maya gets back to Broadhurst, the lights are out. There is, however, a bit of dim starlight coming in from the windows, making it able to be easily navigated.

However, if Maya is heading to her bed or moving around in the room, there's a rustling--a turning from one of the other beds as Salieri turns over on his side to face her, levering up on an elbow]

Maya? [a whispered question into the semi-darkness, slightly groggy. But he's looking at her, and if she cares to notice, there's another bed that's been pushed together to make his former one bigger, and he's not alone in it.]

[fourbutts]

[ It's... sometimes, singing a nice song just helps. Helps the mood, helps keep everyone together... ]

Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly
And the dreams that you dream of
Dreams really do come true-ooh-ooh

[mayavericks]

[It's not necessarily odd to see beds pushed together, not in Broadhurst, certainly. At first she thinks nothing of it, save maybe a wince as she thinks about Rina and Varian, about how they had shared a bed similarly.

She pushes the thoughts to the back of her head as she picks up her bedding and -- stops at the sound of Salieri's voice. It's only then that she realizes that the bed is occupied, and certainly not just by one person.]

Salieri-sensei? [She peers at the other figure.] Ah, I... Did not mean to disturb anything.

[fourbutts]

[ Janis just laughs, face now covered by her elbow. ]

Sorry, sorry. Bad joke.

[ She turns her head towards Maya. ]

You're cute when you're flustered. That's dangerous information for me to have.

[mayavericks]

[At least she's laughing, muffled as it is.]

You've already proven to be quite the menace several times over. What's one more thing?

[violentenvies]

[Two other figures, in fact. Maybe two and a half. On the opposite side is, as expected Discord, but additionally between them sleeps Farrah, curled around Ruddiger.

Salieri sits up a little, more so he's sitting instead, shaking his head]

Not at all. [he rubs at an eye a bit but...lbr he wasn't really sleeping anyway]

How are you holding up?

[fourbutts]

[ She leans over and kisses Maya's cheek. ]

What can I say? I don't believe in not being who I am.

[mayavericks]

[Well... It isn't as bad as she was expecting. Through the dim light, she realizes that there are a few other forms curled up and... Okay, she hasn't interrupted anything vital.

To his question, she simply shrugs.]

As well as I can be. And yourself?

garden

[violentenvies]

[When Salieri shows up, he shockingly (/s) looks hollow-eyed and exhausted. Like the rest of them. He goes to pick up a shovel, hefting it in his hands and moving to start helping dig...when he glances at the cart--and does a double-take, freezing in his tracks, that shovel dropping to the ground with a clatter, going abruptly somehow paler]

That's--Varian? [there's something choked in his voice and he's stumbling towards that cart, hands reaching out to find purchase on the edge as he falls to his knees beside it, staring down at that second wrapped bundle.

He reaches out a trembling hand to touch the head of the shroud, curving down to cup where Varian's cheek might be--before his head bows and he lets out a ragged quiet sob, shoulders trembling. Those who get close enough can hear whispered words in between hiccuping breaths:]

Varian--Varian, mon fils, my boy, I'm so sorry--