Week Six

[stagemanagers]

[Last week, in It's Curtains, the weather changed, and with it your fortune in Dads. Discord took Salieri out - or perhaps Salieri took Discord out - and left the survivors with that much less impulse control. Nonetheless, a visit from a new friend might have provided a little bit of much-needed hope?

On Sunday morning, you'll find that the other side of the second floor has opened up - as well as the actual intended path to reach the roof garden. You can finally stop climbing up that rope every time you want to have a picnic or secret lover's rendezvous!

Outside, the weather seems to have calmed down. It's sunny again, with rather a lot of clouds. Though it's warm, the atmosphere seems very...still.]


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. ))

Comments

[tailor_made]

[About twenty minutes after people have cleared out, Hester emerges from the school, still in her pink pajamas, bunny slippers and wrapped in a fuzzy cupcake robe. She squints at the tire marks on the pavement in the parking lot to the still slightly smoking car smashed into a tree.]

...What the fuck?

[themuseabandonsyou]

[ Orpheus turns up carrying one of the strange blue plush toys he got out of the vending machine, knocking on the door frame to announce himself before heading inside and kneeling next to the bed Farrah is sitting on. ]

Hi, Farrah. [ he says, gently. ] I brought you a friend? I know you already have one, but. In case you wanted another.

[mcfife]

[His shoulders relax. It's the same old teasing Farrah from before.]

There should be something to fix that. And don't think about leaving the office alone.

Kitchen

[themuseabandonsyou]

Um.

[ Orpheus hovers a bit awkwardly at the door, watching Spongebob bustle about with his arm in a sling. ]

Do you... need help with that?

[ He's doing impressively well all things considered, but there's a lot of things to consider, and Orpheus doesn't like the idea of him putting himself through so much trouble after what happened earlier. ]

[employeeoftheyear]

[He tries to wave at Orpheus, before realizing he was trying with his broken arm.

He awkwardly switches arm and tries again.]

Oh- No, you don't gotta worry about that, Orpheus! It's... it's something that I wanted to do for you guys. It's not a real apology if someone else does part of the apology for you!

cw suicide discussion

[employeeoftheyear]

... Yeah. I knew that.

[When he says that, he sounds tired, and like he genuinely did know that already.]

[whatyouwant]

No problem. [It gives her something to focus on that isn't her own misery.

Bruiser stops licking, but does put his head on her lap, staring up at her plaintively.]

This is a stupid question, but how are you feeling?

cw suicide discussion

[employeeoftheyear]

Oh thank Neptune. I don't know if I could live with myself if I survived and she...

[He can't finish, but he should get a good idea as to how that ends.]

He winces even more at the touch. It looks pretty bad, particularly around his forearm. It looks like one of the bones snapped upon impact.]

I really don't know why it hurts so much. Usually my arms can't bounce right back.

cw: hallucinations, parental abandonment

[themuseabandonsyou]

[ For the most part, Orpheus has been doing better than the others. For the most part. He spends Wednesday morning laid up in Longacre, too fatigued to move, shivering and burning hot to the touch. It's an entirely unfamiliar sensation to him - through luck or divine heritage or a little of both, he's never really been seriously ill before, and the new experience hits him like a sledgehammer to the chest. Glassy-eyed and feverish, he murmurs to himself, barely audible to anyone who isn't standing right next to him. ]

I'm okay, mom. I'm okay. You don't have to - you don't have to worry about me. I know you're busy. It's okay.

[ By the time he recovers, there's a whole lot of screaming and crashing and honking coming from outside, so. There's that to deal with. That sure does take some time, and once it's sorted out it's already well into the afternoon. He heads off to the art room in a hurry, taking up his task from yesterday and folding yet more paper flowers. He's gotten fairly quick at it, but he needs a lot of them for what he's planning, and by the time that's done the afternoon is starting to turn to evening. By rights he should probably go to bed and get what rest he can, but he has other ideas, and sneaks out to the woods, where he finds a nice secluded spot and begins to sing, high and clear. ]

And if the world came tumbling down
I never could forgive myself for leaving out
You're the one
You are the only one

[brokeforgood]

[The sight of Sonic the Hedgehog does actually bring a smile to her face.

Sonic is a friend.]

Oh. Yeah. I’ll take him, if you don’t want him. [She’ll even slip an arm out of her blanket huddle to reach for it.]

… Thanks, Orpheus. Is Eurydice super pissed at me?

[themuseabandonsyou]

[ He kind of can't fault that logic, as worried as it makes him. Still, he looks on in concern, before deciding it's not worth fighting it. If this is what Spongebob needs to do to feel better about things, he'll let him. ]

Okay. [ he says. ] But do you want some company, at least?

[brokeforgood]

Like shit. [She fishes a piece of chicken out of the soup with her bare fingers, which is super gross, considering she was just letting the dog lick them, but is also like. Textbook Farrah.

Then she tries to sneak the chicken to Bruiser.]

Last time I hit my head, I didn’t also have a hangover. And whatever the fuck the Wizard has going on this week.

cw suicide discussion

[barberic]

Mm. I noticed that Maya tried to, um. Fix it for you.

[Benjamin keeps his touch gentle, and doesn't move it much at all, then frowns and sets the arm gently back in Spongebob's lap.]

It looks like it's badly broken, lad. You're lucky the both of you got off that lightly.

[He rises to his feet and turns to Maya, with whom he keeps his tone as light as he can, to keep her calm as well.]

Maya, do you happen to know if Miss Wells can set a broken arm?

locked, you know who you are

[comeandfindme]

[ Around late morning, it's largely quiet outside.

It's a very nice day out here, on the football field! Like, a very nice day.

Huh, what's that clanging coming from the bleachers? ]

[themuseabandonsyou]

[ Orpheus hands it over, smiling a little, before shaking his head. ]

I don't think any of us are angry at you, Farrah. Or if anyone is, it's just because we're worried, and sometimes that comes out as anger or hurt.

[employeeoftheyear]

[Spongebob looks over, genuinely surprised at that offer.]

... Do you wanna hang out with me? Even after today?

[brokeforgood]

[Farrah makes a slightly dismissive noise, as she pulls Sonic back into her blanket bundle with her.]

I fucked up. I get it.

cw suicide attempt

[mayavericks]

No, you could never be.

[She places a hand against his arm -- far from where the apparent break is, of course. She soothes her hand over the skin.]

You are my brother. My onii-san. And I still cherish you just as much as ever. I just... don't want you to be alone. Or even feel like you are alone.

i DO know who i am!

[fourbutts]

[ It's... things have been a lot. Everyone is sick, Spongebob Squarepants did a suicide pact in what would be a comically inefficient way if it hadn't happened, and Janis still hasn't... actually talked to Peregrine. Which is why she's trying to find her, because there's going to be no avoidance once prom comes around. The sickness has ebbed a little, she might as well try.

Oh hey, though, what's that sound? Janis loves investigating weird sounds! ]

[employeeoftheyear]

[Hey Farrah. In the evening Spongebob is just going to come to her room and lie down next to her, trying his best to make sure his bad arm isn't disturbed.]

I'm glad to see I haven't killed ya yet.

[comeandfindme]

[ The banging is coming from underneath, a popular hangout for upset teenagers, or so the movies say.

As Janis gets closer, it's accompanied by some weak singing. ]

When something happens...
Who will find me...?
Who will find me,
if I'm...somewhere left for dead...?

in the woods somewhere

[stagemanagers]

[Oh, Orpheus, you precious son of a muse. You and your beautiful music.

For a few weeks now the woods have been so quiet. No birds singing, no ambient noises of small animals speeding through the grass. Only a light breeze now and again save for the storms that raged last week. All is still, all is quiet. You are alone.

Until the rustling in the underbrush starts.]

Re: cw suicide attempt

[employeeoftheyear]

[Spongebob cries softly, grabbing Maya's shoulder with his good arm.]

I'm so sorry. I love you so much, Maya. Please never think that I don't love you.

[themuseabandonsyou]

[ Orpheus nods, smiling, though there's a deep sort of worry to it even as he tries to be positive. ]

Of course I do. You scared us all a lot, Spongebob, but. That's only because we care about you. I heard what you told Elsa. About feeling like you're not needed. And what kind of friend would I be, if I let you keep on feeling like that?

[employeeoftheyear]

Oh no, Orpheus, it wasn't your fault at all! I was just...

[He sighs, rubbing the back of his neck.]

I know you guys say I'm helping, but sometimes I feel like I don't make much of an impact on this team. And now I put Farrah in danger I'm worried that all I do is just make things worse.

What kind of good friend am I if I almost kill someone that I consider my sister!