It's a sad song - It's a sad tale

[musacal]

[ WELL THAT... HAPPENED, HUH. YO WHAT THE FUCK DISCORD THAT'S BALLER.

Good thing the Wizard's probably going to be occupied with THAT for a while longer because it looks like this long ass, nogood day isn't quite over yet as there's still one more incoming curve ball. In contrast to the smell of smoke from the auditorium there seems to be a... sweet, banana-y baked good smell coming from the cafeteria? But who could have been baking while you were all at the trial--

If you go in there or even just pass by at all, you'll find on one of the tables there's a plate with several warm and fresh banana muffins. Underneath the plate, just sticking out enough so that you can see a corner peeking out, is a folded up note:


You are not alone. I'm here to help.
I'll be waiting for everyone in the
girl's washroom on the first floor.

Come and find me.
-a friend

At the bottom of the note is a small, hand drawn banana. The handwriting and muffins might look familiar to two of you.

...soooooooo you up for a meeting after all that shit? ]

Comments

[fourbutts]

[ what ]

... It is? Oh fuck, we're not doing a Doctor Who thing, are we? Where I'm going forwards and you're going backwards or whatever?

[musacal]

[ Nana doesn't seem to mind. In fact she pretty much anticipated this - she'd probably be more concerned if at least one of you wasn't suspicious of her. ]

If I could have come sooner I would have, trust me. Unfortunately when my Boss came to scope the place out, she made me stay behind and then... she just didn't come back.

I didn't hear from her again until she summoned me a few days ago... I believe you guys had just tried to contact the dead but the Wizard cut you off?

[whatyouwant]

[Elle smiles and pulls back.]

Come on, we need to go check on the others.

[She gives a quick peck on the nose before taking his hand to go out of the door.]

[musacal]

Oh no. I mean from my troupe.

They call her the Leading Player.

[mcfife]

The Balladeer's friend?!

[Oh yeah, it's all coming together.]

[brokeforgood]

Well, that’s a weird name.

[musacal]

[ Nana looks down at that question, one of her hands resting on her sword. ]

That we still don't know. Back during my time in one of these one of us managed to speak to him but all he could find out was something about power. My boss has no idea either, we just know he has something against her and Balladeer-san specifically.

[musacal]

Yes, that's right!

She actually saved us last time! That was when I decided to go with her.

[musacal]

Just twice: this time and the last. For what little comfort that's worth.

Most of the year was spent... fixing little snags in the multiverse and trying to get leads.

[mcfife]

Then we were right. She can find us with her narration powers.

[Balladeer had no reason to worry. Today, Angus finally smiles. Chuckles. He laughs at himself.]

If I could go back in time and tell him that she had saved us before...! [But he can't look back in regret. Peregrine was right. He can't dwell on the "should haves."] And the others? Are they coming with you, too?

[fourbutts]

Oh my god that cryptic bitch.

[ Janis sighs. ]

So he's some stupid narrator somewhere else, he comes and takes over this... whatever the hell this is, I don't know - Danganronpa! The Musical Experience starring Nat Wolff - and now he's on his high horse about it. Jesus.

[musacal]

Oh-- no. Not really, I think? It's more um...

[ Well now she feels embarrassed. Whoops. She's still getting used to all this. ]

I suppose it was more... a different version of you and Damien-kun? Or maybe you just don't remember yet. [ ...is it a Doctor Who thing then ]

My Boss knows a lot of narrators basically.

[musacal]

[ Nana taps her chin. ]

Mmmm... not necessarily, though I would consider a morale boost very helpful in a way.

It's a message. From your friends.

[musacal]

Oh-- you don't remember yet?

That was the SQUIP.

[mcfife]

........................................




Christine and I killed him.

[musacal]

[ Nana just kind of... laughs at that. ]

She's a bit of a weird person. We all just call her LP for short.

[ it can also stand for LESBIAN PRIME ]

[fourbutts]

Oh. Well, uh... nice to meet you again, then. [ of course damian merits a different honorific that 100% tracks ] My memory's been fucked with enough that I feel pretty confident saying either one is possible.

MODS

[musacal]

[ She reaches into her shirt and takes her phone out of her titty dimension bra of infinite holding. Searching through it real fast, she pulls something up and then turns up the volume as loud as possible before handing it over to Peregrine. ]

[barberic]

Are you sure she can be trusted?

She was also the one who convinced the Balladeer to take part in one of these "shows" of her own devising. She recruited him specifically because of his experience with assassins in the past. Who's to say she's not using you - and us - for her own ends now?

[musacal]

[ .......................

God it's been so long it takes her a moment to try and remember "oh god which SQUIP was that" ]

No that was. A different SQUIP. But also the same SQUIP? A different version of the same SQUIP.

[mcfife]

Alternate timelines, of course. [He nods sagely. Things like this happen when a wizard who can reach across universes is involved.]

The SQUIP had a different host, and was working for the Wizard. That clears up a few things. [Too bad he doesn't have his conspiracy board here.]

[stagemanagers]

[When Nana gets the video up the quality is, well, a bit like it was filmed on a potato. Even with the audio turned all the way up it sounds distant and a bit muffled in a few places but mostly it gets the point across. It's almost like this wasn't meant to be filmed on a camera phone and snuck out to be shown to people who are not yet privy to it. Like those slime tutorials the kids like so much.

The first person the camera picks up is, again, absolute potato quality but Peregrine will be able to make out brown hair and devastatingly blue eyes.]

Hey, Per. I...

[He swallows, and when he speaks again it comes out gut-wrenchingly sad.]

Promise that you won't forget me
Live and let live but don't let go

[comeandfindme]

Connor...

[ Peregrine's grip on the phone tightens, which is good, because the other option is dropping it altogether. The last time she saw Connor, he was laid out dead on a bench. It's what she keeps seeing when she thinks of him.

But, distant though it is, that's him.

She immediately tries to blink back tears and fails. Her thumb shakes as it almost touches the screen, as if she's afraid it might disrupt the video. ]

Oh, my god, it's... It's really him?

[musacal]

[ ...

She's quiet for a moment, hand on her sword again as she thinks it over. ]

...You're right. She was the one that convinced to do that. She ran one of these before. [ twice even! ] And she's talked to me about it a lot. In all respects I shouldn't trust her.

...But she saved us last time. And kept saving a friend that was helping us from the outside as well. We've been together a whole year now, going around fixing things, and I... at this point I find it hard to believe she's not at least a little bit genuine about this.

[ Her eyes then narrow for a moment and her sword starts to rattle as her hand shakes. ]

More so than the Wizard at least. I don't feel quite as foolish talking to her as I did after the things that happened with him.

[barberic]

[Trust is not high on the list of things Benjamin is willing to feel right now. Sympathy and Empathy are also deep in the bottom of the barrel.

But this is also a young girl. And Maya is willing to vouch for her.

So because of that, a little bit of the sharpness in his tone gentles, when he asks:]

What do you mean, 'after the things that happened with him?'