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

everybody (yeaaaaaaaah)

[feudalladyshandmaid]

[Fresh from the showers, fresh clothes, and fresh hair that Cassandra's attempting to comb with her fingers. It's not working terrible well, but at least she looks better than she did during the trial.

She's headed down the hall. To where? Why not ask her. She's not going to brush him aside, she isn't fast enough right now.]

Hey.

sadstreet's back alright

[themuseabandonsyou]

Hey.

[ Orpheus nods to her, falling into step with her as she heads down the hall. ]

What are you doing? I'm not... going to ask if you're okay. Because no one is. But is it alright if I come along? Just for a little bit.

[feudalladyshandmaid]

Huh. Good. Don't ask what you wouldn't like the answer to.

[They fall into lockstep, for a moment at least. Until Cassandra decides to stop in the middle of the hall and... For all the color that's returned in her face, she looks ill. Her arms are listless at her sides until she decides to start gesturing.]

We... we failed. I failed. All because of an accident, Varian and Rina-san had to die, and the Wizard got exactly what he wanted. You heard him!

[Her lips are pressed into a thin line and she gives a heavy shudder.]

We all lost another two friends, and.... and I'm feeling even worse about myself than I usually do.

[themuseabandonsyou]

I... don't know if we did give the Wizard what he wanted. [ says Orpheus, knowing that that isn't the point Cassandra was trying to make, but it's something he's been preoccupied with since they left the trial room. ]

He sounded like he was urging us to let Varian go. To sacrifice ourselves. He said to think carefully about it, and that we knew what we needed to do, to end it all. And after what he said, about putting a stop to these games forever...

[ Orpheus goes quiet again, staring down at the ground and lost in thought. ]

[feudalladyshandmaid]

[She knows what he's trying to say, and she understands. Of course this wasn't what the Wizard truly wanted; for them all to die at his hand, so he can somehow "stop these games forever".

She's still frustrated, even as he drifts off.]

He sure did pick a stupid way of stopping it. Killing children is supposed to help? Is he insane? [...] No, he's absolutely insane.

[themuseabandonsyou]

He did. If he's so powerful - there must be another way. A better way. And he's just refusing to see it.

[ Orpheus is confident of that much, because what problem could possibly be solved only by so much death and despair, by inflicting more suffering to undo that of the past? ]

If he'd just - listen to us, or if he'd asked us for help instead of doing this, I'm sure we could stop it all. But he didn't. He chose this, instead.

[feudalladyshandmaid]

I want him to just fight us already! [Her hands noticeably clench hard enough to tremble.] Maybe... just maybe if we provoked him enough during the trial, then Varian might have still...

[He might still be there now.]

[themuseabandonsyou]

Or we might have all died. [ says Orpheus, hollowly. ] I don't - I'm not trying to say it's bad, to feel that way. I wish he'd show himself to us, too. It would feel easier, nobler, more like a fight and less like being crushed slowly.

[ He curls in on himself a little, shoulders hunching and wrapping his arms around himself as he looks off to the side. ]

But the Wizard is powerful. He might even be a god? And it's... possible to confront them and win, sometimes, but...

[feudalladyshandmaid]

[Cassandra watches Orpheus shrink into himself and she feels even worse for it. Her hand reaches out, hovering in the air between them, unsure of where to go or what to do.]

It's not impossible. [She says with enough certainty that it seems to shake her.] I don't care what that Wizard thinks he is. If he thinks I'm going to lay down and die just because he's "powerful" then he's got another thing coming.

[themuseabandonsyou]

I know.

[ Orpheus looks at the offered hand, held out awkward and uncertain, and reaches out to clasp it in his own briefly before letting go. ]

I know. We can't give up, no matter what. It's just. It's hard. We have to be smart about it, and not throw our lives away too early to make a difference, but. Waiting means living through this even longer. Or not living at all, for some of us.

[feudalladyshandmaid]

[Faint burn scars are course against Orpheus's hand in the brief moment they connect. When he lets go, it falls back against Cassandra's side. Limp.]

It's a heck of a trap. The longer we stay here, the more we risk falling victim to the Wizard's motives and tricks. But if we try anything too quickly, we might just... fail. We have to be smarter than this.

[themuseabandonsyou]

It is. I'm not - I've never been smart, or clever, or wise. I can't begin to think of how we could get out of this. I know there's a chance, if we can trick the Wizard into letting the bindings on Discord's powers slip? But I wouldn't even know what to look for, for an opening, or think of other ideas. All I can really do is wait and watch while the rest of you try to figure things out.