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

[violentenvies]

Thank you. But this one...[Angus will notice that the melody is a little discordant. After all, it's completely handmade.]

...it was made using some music that I had discarded.

[mcfife]

Discarded? In this school? [Like garbage?] How could you toss this out? It's beautiful!

[violentenvies]

[he chuckles a little at that, wry]

...thank you. It's not...it wasn't how I wanted it. It didn't sound right and I hated it, though I had spent nearly the whole day on it.

But Varian took it, and he...[he has to stop, to swallow, to make sure that he can still hold onto the pieces of that mask that's keeping him together] he...without altering any of the music, he made it beautiful, despite any imperfections it had.

[the music box slowly winds down, the tinny music fading away, and Salieri's throat is tight as he tries desperately to hold back more tears. He's cried so much by now it's a wonder there's any left]

[mcfife]

[The grappling hook lays on the ground not far from where they sit. The van sits nearby. This music box plays beautifully in Salieri's hands. This is all the good that the young Varian has accomplished. This is all he will ever accomplish.

He and Rina are not coming back.]

Varian never failed to impress me. [He's never said it out loud. Would that have made a difference? Angus bites back the tears threatening to appear.] I would have loved to show him so much more.

[violentenvies]

[Salieri nods to that, numbly. He also scoots over a little on the bench at the table, offer Angus a space to sit next to him]

He was brilliant. Utterly brilliant. Covered our walls with his ideas, his plans. [he has to swallow past a tight throat] So clever.

[mcfife]

[Angus drops onto the bench - he drops onto the curb, next to Varian, holding him tightly - and keeps his hands clenched on his lap.]

He wanted to protect his village. He had the power to succeed where his princess failed. [But his dead father...he couldn't save him with only his own abilities.] But on that day, I saw more fear than determination in his eyes.

[violentenvies]

[Salieri glances sidelong at Angus]

He...he didn't tell anyone about his father, either. He kept it all to himself.

[he rests his forehead in his hand, closing his eyes] I...didn't even notice anything was wrong.

[mcfife]

None of us did. [But could have he assumed? Could have he tried to reach out more?] We are many, but we cannot lose track of one another like this.

[violentenvies]

[Salieri shakes his head in the negative]

We cannot, no. We'll have to pay closer attention to each other somehow. I don't know how, but...we have to.

[mcfife]

Spongebob's parties were good ways to know each other. Or just meetings in general. We can't close ourselves off. That's how...

That is how we will die.

[violentenvies]

True enough. We lose our connections to each other, and we lose more people. If we can simply spend more time together...

[mcfife]

We must speak more, trust each other more. If we do not believe that we can rely on one another, but that The Wizard may hold the answers, then we will fall.

...Monsieur Salieri, will you promise to stay by us?

[violentenvies]

I will do my utmost, if you do as well, Monsieur Angus.