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

[brokeforgood]

[She snuggles up to him, allowing herself to feel safe once more. She lets herself trust again, listening to his song, and his heartbeat.

She feels dizzy and hazy as she looks up at him, and squints when he finishes the song so abruptly.]

…Dad?

cw: implied suicidal ideation

[employeeoftheyear]

[He glances, briefly, at his broken arm when Benjamin says "unharmed". He doesn't seem like he's judgmental about it, more like he was making sure it was still there.]

... I'm really am sorry, for almost killing you, and almost killing Farrah. I know I was feeling hopeless but... I still shouldn't have taken it out on you two.

["Taken it out on them" is frankly, a bit of an exaggeration on his part, but he didn't want Farrah to get the blame for any of this. She was just a scared child, a child who was hurting. In his eyes, he should have made a harder effort to bring Farrah down, instead of actively putting her in danger.]

[employeeoftheyear]

[The gesture continues to calm him as he hiccups quietly.]

Yeah, I'm so happy that I met you all. You've been a great family and I love you guys more than the entire ocean.

'M sorry for forgetting that.

cw: mild suicidal imagery, mentions of blood and death, Sweeney Todd

[barberic]

[Thursday morning, Benjamin doesn't need to wake up in a panic first thing in the morning, which is nice because the fever, which has heretofore been merciful, starts off his day by kicking his ass.

He doesn't get out of bed until almost noon, and when he does he looks like a lukewarm pile of shit, so he zombies his way to the locker room, where he takes a scaldingly hot shower that fills the room with billowing steam.]

[After his shower he's visibly shaken, and he spends a fair amount of the day outside in the warm sun, though he's too scared of his visions following him to seek his usual solace in the garden, so he stays in the courtyard, his back to a wall in a spot where he can't see the wreckage of the car from yesterday.

When he's calmed down, warmed up and dried off by the sun, he gets up and heads back inside, making a stop in Ambassador for his tools before he goes to the Costume Room. His tools are mostly in case anyone wants to chase him down to freshen up before the dance; on his way, he writes in "Shaves" on the posters he'd made weeks ago, when he didn't have his razors yet.

But he has his own mission, as well: to find something of his own to wear to the dance. It only takes him a matter of seconds to clean up his own whiskers, just a few well-practiced swipes of his razor down his cheeks and along his jaw- He hesitates, his hand shaking, when he holds the razor to his own throat, remembering the painless feeling of the wickedly sharp blade digging into his flesh, the syrupy feeling of blood pouring down his chest and the hot, choking feeling of being unable to breathe or speak in those seconds as his life throbbed out of him.

Then he flicks the blade up, leaving his neck smooth up to the underside of his beard, and wipes clean first his razors then his face, applying a splash of aftershave.

He settles on a pair of pants easily, then layers it with a ruffled white shirt and a deep blue vest. When he finds a white jacket that fits him, however, and tries it on in front of the mirror, his pleased expression shifts, as a pale-faced, glinting madness gleams back from his reflection, bloodstains splattered across the smirk on his reflection's face.

Do you really think
That I would ever let you go?
Do you think I'd ever set you free?
If you do, I'm sad to say,
It simply isn't so.
You will never get away from me!]

All that you are is a face in the mirror!
I close my eyes and you'll disappear!

[He twists, but sees Todd standing in the reflection of the mirror next to him, as well. Sweeney flicks a wrist out and unsheathes a bloody razor.

I'm what you face when you face in the mirror!
Long as you live, I will still be here!

Benjamin takes hold of the sides of the standing mirror, gripping it as the frame digs into the cut on his hand.]

All that you are is the end of a nightmare!
All that you are is a dying scream!
After tonight, I shall end this demon dream!

[Sweeney Todd laughs back at him, unperturbed, mocking him.

This is not a dream, my friend-
And it will never end!
This one is the nightmare that goes on!
Todd is here to stay,
No matter what you may pretend-
And he'll flourish, long after you're gone!

Benjamin clenches a fist and shakes it at his reflection, his finger close enough to touch the glass.]

Soon you will die, and my silence will hide you!
You cannot choose but to lose control.

[Sweeney points back, his hand breaking through the barrier of the mirror, stopping just before his finger would have poked Benjamin in the chest.

You can't control me! I live deep inside you!
Each day you'll feel me devour your soul!

He laughs, when Benjamin looks down in shock at the hand sticking out of the mirror.

I'll live inside you forever!

Benjamin flips the standing mirror, shattering the glass and sending it scattering in pieces across the floor.]

No!

[But Todd is there behind him, looking at the shining blade of his razor with a cold, distant gaze before he turns a menacing snarl on Benjamin.

With Satan himself by my side!]

NO!

[Smash! He turns again, but again Sweeney is there, in the big mirror on the wall.

And I know that, now and forever,
They'll never be able to separate
Barker from Todd!

Benjamin bangs his palms flat against the mirror, but doesn't crack it.]

Damn you, Todd!
Set me free!

[Can't you see? Todd asks, gesturing at himself. You are me!

Benjamin staggers back, catching his hip on one of the costume room tables.]

No! Help me, God!

[I am you! You are Todd!

Benjamin tears his gaze away, looking for something, anything he can use to fight the mirror image of himself.]

No - Never!

[Yes, forever!

Benjamin hefts the discarded legs of a mannequin desperately, like a weapon.]

God damn you, Todd!
Take all your evil deeds, and rot in Hell!

[I'll see you there, Barker!

And with a scream of fear and anger, Benjamin smashes the mannequin legs into the big mirror, cracking it and scattering the laughing image of Sweeney Todd into a thousand fractal pieces, again and again until he collapses to his knees in the midst of the shattered mirror shards, shivering despite all his layers.]

YIKES ON BIKES (TW: hallucinations of unwanted s*xual advances, burn gore)

[barberic]

[He looks a little better when he gets out of the shower, though whether that's because his whole body is so flushed with color from the water that it's hard to tell how flushed he is from the fever, or because he actually feels better, is a less obvious question to answer.

Especially when he jumps, putting a hand to his chest, seeing the round, petite woman in a floral dress standing in front of him when he pulls the towel over his head.

Fancy meetin' you here, Mr. T.]

No... No, leave me alone. You lied to me. I killed you! [His breath is sharp and panicked, emphasized by his wet hair and the water dripping down his bare, heaving chest. Her image begins to flicker and change, flames catching at the hem of her dress and burning it up, blackened, bloody flesh, exposed pearly white bone and one brown eye alone in its socket. He gasps, suddenly-

What's the matter, Mr. T? Don't like admiring your 'andiwork?

-and backs up against the lockers, clutching his towel to his waist.]

No, no! Get away from me, woman! [His whole body flinches sharply, like he's been burned, feeling the heat of her smoldering body crumbling to ash where she touches him, the smell of burnt flesh and hair in the bakehouse, her dying shrieks echoing underneath a put-on girlish giggle.] Leave me be, I said, don't touch me!

[But we could be a family, Mr. T. Imagine it- you and me, raising those pretty little girls up right... Who needs Johanna?

Mrs. Lovett reaches up and touches his face with her ashy hand and he holds his breath, trying to crane his neck as far away from her as he can, holding his breath to keep from breathing her in.

Come on, Mr. T... Give us a kiss, won't you?]

NO! [He shoves her and she dissipates like smoke, leaving him to nearly fall through her as he rushes to his clothes and dresses like the hounds of hell are on his heels.]

[mcfife]

Medea. I must remember that name. [If he is unable to go, then he will ask someone else to leave in his stead.] You know quite a lot of mages, Orpheus.

[barberic]

I would appreciate that, thank you, my dear.

[But...before she goes, he catches her, gently, and pulls her into a hug.]

It's alright. They'll be alright.

[barberic]

[It's less that it's abrupt and more that his voice leaves him, goes hoarse around the lump of tears in his throat.

That same knot that grows, when she calls him that. He'd almost thought he'd imagined it, when she said it the first time.

The way he'd imagined Johanna, little and sweet cooing 'Dada! Uppy!' the day before.]

...Yes, love?

cw: suicidal ideation

[barberic]

[Well. just because that was his intent doesn't mean he succeeded.]

You didn't 'take anything out' on us. You've been through more in these last few weeks than many young men your age, outside of war.

It's not fair that you've had to endure all of this. It's not, it's a burden you should've never had to face. You nor anyone else here.

But you're not weak, for feeling hopeless. I've felt it myself, these last few weeks.

[brokeforgood]

I’m sorry. [She hadn’t wanted to say it before, because she hadn’t entirely meant it. But she is. Not necessarily that she tried, but]

I’m sorry I almost made you feel like that again.

[barberic]

...Then let me help. The work goes faster with two hands.

Besides, I have a shield against a little bit of ceramic.

[He says, lifting up his left hand slightly, where there's still a bandage wrapped (not-so-neatly, now, that he's slept in it a couple of days) around his hand.]

[barberic]

...Well, I certainly hope you're right. [He has to concede that much, or else be put into a position where he might have to explain.]

But still, for the children's sake, I don't want to risk it. We haven't found any cats in that machine, yet, and I'm starting to worry that's by design.

[defyingfrigidity]

More than the whole ocean? That's a truly awe-inspiring amount of love.

[Elsa tries to laugh, but the sound just sort of... fades, as she mulls over his words, and her own thoughts.]

You don't need to apologize for forgetting that. Sometimes... sometimes, the poisonous voice in your head just screams louder and harsher than any of your own thoughts. It makes you believe that what it wants is what you want.

[There's a pause.]

... I've had those thoughts too. For most of my life.

[barberic]

Oh, shhh... shh shh shh...

[One hand brushes the frizz of her hair back off of her face, smoothing down the wavy locks. The other rubs her arm gently, as he reassures her.]

I don't need you to apologize. You already promised not to let it get that bad again, that's all I need.

I'm just glad you weren't hurt badly.

Investigation

[stagemanagers]

[Are you sure you developed those photos correctly, Peregrine? It's hard to tell in the dim reddish lighting of the darkroom, but whenever she happens to look at them in another environment, she'll see that the color grading seems a little odd. All of the green accents in the living area have come out blood red in the pictures. The stripe down the edge of the hallway looks like a little river of blood...]

[defyingfrigidity]

[Cass's mumbled comment seems to break the tension in Elsa's body, and she lets out a bright, relieved laugh. The hand not holding the prop sword reaches back, threading her fingers through Cass's dark, curly hair as Elsa gently bumps the side of her head against the other woman's.]

You're bad at this??? I felt like I was about ready to fall apart. I've... never had feelings for anyone like this before, so I was so completely lost until Elle started prodding us.

[comeandfindme]

[ Does— does it actually look like blood, or— ]

[comeandfindme]

[ But what if right now, with loved ones around,
We decided to let some light in?
We'd be stronger the next time a blizzard begins...

She'll let herself believe it. She'll let herself accept it. At least for right now.

A surprised almost-laugh breaks from her lips and she puts both hands on Spongebob's shoulders. ]

Yeah, you fucking better be, okay?

[mcfife]

[...............Did Angus eat a cat?

He's not going to think about it and go downstairs for some decent food!]

....I thank you for your warning. I shall...get something to drink.

[defyingfrigidity]

[The rational part of Elsa's brain understands that. Cass doesn't expect anything from her, and that's honestly one reason why she's fallen for her so quickly. Elsa just has to be Elsa around Cass, and never had to try to make her happy or make her smile of comfort her. It's... easy, being around Cass.

But still, she worries. This is unknown territory for her.]

But she deserves... so much. She deserves the very best, after being hurt so badly in the past. But the problem is that I don't know what the very best is.

[mcfife]

What can you do?

[He sizes up Orpheus - not beefy at all, he could start with simple weight exercises.]

Can you run well? Dodge? Climb mountains?

[mayavericks]

[Oh. Okay. She's being hugged.

Don't mind her hiding a few stray tears against his shoulder, so that when she pulls back she looks completely put together. It's fine, she's fine.]

Thank you, Otousan.

[And away she goes.]

cw: suicide attempt

[brokeforgood]

[She hugs him as tightly and as fiercely as she can, trying not to think about how stupid she was. Trying not to think about how awful it would have been for him, if she’d have succeeded—- how awful it must have been for her to even try.]

Because of Spongebob. He put the seatbelt on me.

I tried to get a cartoon character to help me die, and he probably saved my life instead.

[stagemanagers]

[Oh.......lol rip I was just being poetic it's just red...]

[comeandfindme]

[ LIKE THIS IS WHY WE HAVE TO ASK AND MAKE SURE, ESPECIALLY THIS WEEK

But okay, this is still concerning!!! Is there anything else about the photos that's kinda wonky? ]