itscurtains | Week Five

[Last week, you had your very first minor body pileup! Granted, the Balladeer's death was entirely unrelated to anything, but at least he died as he lived - getting completely fucked up in some kind of carnival-themed hellscape. Only two days later, another terrible accident took Rina and Varian both from you. It's just been one of those weeks, huh? At least you got to add both of their corpses to your weird growing collection!

Again, you'll wake up this morning with another new snippet of memory. You'll also find that the stairs in the lobby are no longer blocked. You can only access one part of the second floor, but it seems like there's some neat stuff up there!

Outside, a few things seem to have changed. For one, the weather has turned - it'll be overcast this week, with periodic rain and even scattered thunderstorms. For another, the bushes around that rock out by the football field have bloomed. That's nice.

Get to it, friends! I'm sure everything will be fine this week!]

Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday

(( Be sure to submit your memory regain and your AC for this week! As always, Hester's office hours and the merch booth remain available. ))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Honestly, their position right now shouldn't be comfortable. These beds are just barely adequate enough for one. But with two people, it's a bit cramped, meaning that Elsa has had to curl half on top of Cass during the night. But she could care less about that now; all that matters is that she can look at Cass's face, into her eyes, as the other woman speaks.]

... Why? What... how did it happen?

[She's worried, that much is clear in her voice, and Elsa's long past the point where she'd judge Cass for the memories that are coming back to her. She's seen the way Cass reacts to each new one - no heartless villain would be tortured by these revelations in the way Cass has been. She knows that something's going on here that Cass can't see, something sinister pulling the strings of a woman who's so good-hearted that it doesn't make sense at all to hear that she lashed out at a friend in such a way...]

[Cassandra couldn't be bothered by the relative uncomfortableness of their cot. Yes, it was small, even for one person it was a bit of a tight squeeze. But Elsa was there, lending weight, and a warm set of arms to wrap around her. Cass could open her eyes and find herself staring into another's. That should make up for it, shouldn't it?

...Potential feelings aside. Don't think about them. It's not... just look at what happened to Varian.]

Well... Do you remember when I said I betrayed my friends? [oh boy] The truth is... I stole a magical artifact called the Moonstone. And... sometime after that, I guess we fight over it. Her with her powers and me with mine.

There has to be more than just that.

[It's not a question, nor a subtle urge for Cass to tell her more. It's said as simple fact; there has to be more than just what Cass remembers. None of these memories add up; however angry or hurt Cass could have been towards her friends, Elsa can't imagine her fighting or... hurting them. It makes a sense of uneasiness creep down her spine, fueled by the worry for her dear friend.]

Maybe... maybe it was a setup, or you don't have the full context... [She reaches up, smoothing some of the sleep-tangled hair back from Cass's face.] Varian was afraid of the memories he'd been given, and when he finally had the context behind them, the story was completely different. That has to be the same vor you.

[There's a soft moment where Cass just... exists. Here, in this uncomfortable cot. Snuggling with a queen who was doing everything she could to keep Cass from jumping off a ledge into whatever despair was awaiting her in the hole-filled depths of her memories.]

...Maybe. [She sighs into Elsa's hands, eyes briefly shutting.] Varian had no idea what happened to him from the moment he woke up. I didn't think that I would be the same... But I keep remembering new things too.

We remember things in an order that doesn't make sense. The Wizard is doing this to us, to try and break us down. So we'll be easier to manipulate, when he dangles something in front of us in our times of weakness.

[Elsa leans close, close, until they're barely inches apart... and gently presses her forehead against Cass's.]

I know you, Cass. I see how much you want to protect us, and how much the idea of hurting your friends hurts you. Whatever happens in these dreams... I know that you're not a bad guy.

[It's difficult to say when Cassandra started holding her breath. Probably as Elsa leaned in, closer, closer... Until their foreheads pressed together as gentle as can be. And her whole world was Elsa now, looking up into those blue depths every time she opened her eyes.

She lets out a small sigh.]

I don't think I am either. I... I have my reasons for doing things, Elsa. I don't want to be a bad guy...

[But... what if she is?]

Week Five

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