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

SUNDAY

[stagemanagers]

[mayavericks]

[”I love the stage but… Just now I asked myself why I’m doing all of this.”

”I get it. I don’t get it, but I get it. Hikari-chan had lost it. What was most important to her.”

Maya wakes in Broadhurst with a start. She grasps blindly at herself, at her chest, feeling briefly as if she might be choking. Her hand travels up her throat, wrapping around the skin there so that she can feel the vibrations of her throat she sings.]

Rise anew, Star Divine
However many times you are hurt.

[It’s still there. Somewhere between the air of her words and the movement of the muscles within her neck, there’s still passion. There’s still glimmer. There’s still brilliance.

She falls back against the bed shortly after, staring up at the ceiling. The rest of it had been expected. From the moment she’d received her photo, she’d known what fate lay ahead of her. She’d hoped against it, of course, but… powerless as she was to control it all, it was to be expected.

Maya Tendo had lost. And the cost of that loss should have been everything. So why --

She grapples with that thought, even as she pulls herself from her bed. She can’t afford to sit idle right now, not when she’d made a promise to Nana. And so after changing into her clothes, Maya gets to work. She retrieves her own mascot head, and heads down to the vending machines. The bottle she gets is snuck very carefully into the groundhog head, and then carried back to her room, where the door is locked tight.

Eventually, though, she emerges into the hallway once more, this time lugging a mattress with a suspiciously yellow stain on it. She mutters to herself as she goes about unattended pets, and fixes a glower onto the ground. Sorry, Bruiser and Gary, but she really has to sell this one.

She deposits the mattress in the girls locker room. She has to clean the mess, after all. And since it’ll take some time to soak, she’ll go ahead and leave it in there, too. And just to be safe, she’ll bring her blankets in too, just to check for stains!]

post-vending machines

[fourbutts]

[ Janis doesn't wake up with Maya, because... well, sleep hasn't been coming as easily to her these days as it usually does. Even getting to bed earlier, her body doesn't like to wake up with the sun, so...

She does wake up before Maya gets back from the vending machine, but... she doesn't leave the bed. It's not a bad dream, but... it's a lot to chew on. She feels a little stupid, in a lot of ways. But the sight of Maya wipes that away. ]

Oh shit, you got coins? Anything good?

Girl's Locker Room

[employeeoftheyear]

[Gary glares at Maya with cold eyes.

But at the Girl's Locker Room, Spongebob steps in to take a shower when he sees Maya laying down a mattress. It takes him a moment to figure out what the heck she's doing but soon enough:]

Oh, for Miss Banana, right?

[At least he doesn't say this... too loud...]

Hallway

[sugarlumps]

Ugh, gross.

[Looks like your cover story is working, at least?]

Who the lumps did that? There's probably, like, bleach and junk that could get it out, but, like, the grossness stays. Mentally like.

INVESTIGATION

[employeeoftheyear]

[Spongebob barely reacts when he wakes up with that new memory again. He should be happy. Patrick saved him, they made up, he put the eruptor interrupter into the volcano after his friends told him he was good at management. He calmed down the panicked townsfolk and let them know that even if they died, they were together, and it's better to die together and happy than to be panicked and vengeful.

... But man.

How come he can't get that to work here?

He does, eventually, get up. He makes some coffee and set up a quick cereal station in the Kitchen, before immediately leaving for The Costume Room. He had intended on investigating the place earlier, like he promised the others, but he was distracted by setting stuff up up for Salieri and Discord's date.

What a waste of time that turned out to be, huh?

He can still help, he thinks to himself, maybe there's a secret in all these costumes that he overlooked? Maybe something that could help for once.]

Investigation

[stagemanagers]

[Behind one of the costume racks, down near the floor, Spongebob can find a carving much smaller than the ones you've typically been finding:]

PLEASE
I CAN'T BE ALONE LIKE THIS

costume room

[howtheworldwas]

[ As Spongebob is searching the room, he'll feel someone drape a large, bedazzled coat over his shoulders. ]

Hey.

[ Eurydice's voice is soft, gentle. ]

Kitchen

[sugarlumps]

[So, LSP sees him setting up that cereal station and looking like he's about to run off-]

Hey, you're gonna, like, have some of that yourself, right. Cereal's lumping delicious.

[brokeforgood]

[Sunday comes-- and with it, Farrah wakes up in a place where she doesn't want to be. She's in Ambassador-- not safely tucked in between Discord and Salieri in the two beds pushed together in Broadhurst.

I'm here, Let's Cheer.

Well. And she thought some of the meetings here were clusterfucks.

Farrah goes exploring through the new places-- she pops her head into the Science Classroom first-- feels unbearably sad, and moves onto the Game Room next. She's almost cheered up by the concept of going in and playing a game-- but then she remembers Rina, and closes the door.

She ends up in the Art Room for a while, thinking she might draw or paint-- but while hunting down supplies, she keeps finding random tidbits that remind her of Discord. Pompoms, glitter, pipecleaners-- after a while, it becomes too much. After she's scoured the room, she gives up. It's too sad. She does, however, leave behind a giant mess.

For most of Sunday evening, Farrah's 'missing'-- but anyone who approaches the garden might find her curled up on one of the new benches. And she's singing-- quietly.]

Hey dad, dead dad
I need a little help here
I'm prob'ly talking to myself here
But dead dad, I gotta ask
Are you really still around?
'Cause I need you here beside me
Are you here, dead dad?
Dead dad

Garden

[employeeoftheyear]

[Hi Farrah. Spongebob is just going to wordlessly sit next to Farrah and hold her close.]

Garden

[mayavericks]

[Maya only notices Farrah's absence because she's deliberately looking for her. With everything that's happened, the last thing she wants is for the other girl to be alone. She waits patiently in the distance while Farrah sings, and only dare approaches once she's faded.]

We will find a way, Farrah. I promise you that.

Ambassador

[sugarlumps]

Mmmmngggh-

[Hey sad roomie, here's LSP sitting up and kicking off her sheets. Just kind of staring at a wall for a second because it's too early and these memory regains hit weird, good or not.]

Too much candy- I mean. Hey.

[mcfife]

[The gem cracks, shattering, a few small crystals sticking to one end of his hammer. It's not enough. Sigyn, his dear friend-

(her grave. She's dead. Many have died before, and he is just another)

-she does not deserve to be honored. He is free, finally free. Letting his body do as it pleases. He has killed, all is well.

And then he wakes up.

As before, he's clinging onto Elle in the Ambassador Dorm, who is sleeping peacefully beside him. She won't let him become corrupted, she said, but if she is too late? What if some of the infection remained.

He was so angry at Discord. Angry for killing Salieri, but was the that the right thing to do? What if that isn't Angus' true feelings? Yes, he can't remember a positive interaction with the Lord of Chaos, but if the Knife of Evil had been in play as Nana suggested...

He can't let Elle suffer for that. He can't risk putting everyone in danger, not again. He was too late last time.

"Why, it might be good if someone was watching out for them right now. If someone felt the need to be doing something productive, I mean."

That's what he's doing, Ghost of Discord, as he walks out into the hallway and into the choir room. No one goes there, he's certain of that. Just a few chairs to block passage, see if he's feeling any worse. He could ask someone to lock him up.

"Well, if you'd rather that everyone rescheduled their mental breakdowns to better fit your schedule..."

That's not helping. That's not helping - but what if that is the knife talking? Can he even trust himself, if he couldn't help the people around him?

"Just don't do it alone... 'Cause if you do...it'll all... All you'll do is screw eeeeverything up."

Angus' hand rests on the door handle to the choir room. Standing. Thinking.]

[defyingfrigidity]

[Elsa wakes up sunday morning in Rodgers Dorm, hollow but... happy? At the very least her chest isn't all twisted up as it had been after the trial. For a moment, she's wondering if she should be worried over the lack of an ache in her chest as she sits up in bed, but then the dreams come back to her in a rush-

"Show yourself, step into your power
grow yourself into something new
You are the one you've been waiting for
all of your life..."

And that's when the tears start. Hot and fast they stream down her cheeks. One hand reaches up to press against her mouth, trying to stifle any sobs so that she doesn't wake the others up, but a few sniffles make it through.


Later, when she collects herself and washes up, she heads to the Scene Shop. The place has been pretty well-raided since the start of all this, but she's still digging through the different boxes and displays of props. Prop tools, prop utensils, a dozen other odds and ends-]

Ah-! Here...

[Dusting herself off after digging through one of the containers, Elsa pulls out one of the remaining prop swords. It's one of the sturdier ones, and she looks unsure holding even just this, but it's quickly swept away by a flash of determination crossing her face.]

I have to... I have to try. For all of them.


[Later in the day, around lunchtime, Elsa will approach Cassandra after they finish up eating. She looks somewhat unsure, hands pressed together and twisting around each other, but there's a spark of something in her eyes that hasn't been there since the first trial.]

Hey, Cass? Can I... ask you something?


[And later still, after a long shower and dinner, Elsa is in the Game Room after some evening exploration. She's gotten used to the the absolutely alien, modern technology that some of the others considered so normal, but.... yeah okay these little boxes have her absolutely stumped.]

What do these do?

Game Room

[sugarlumps]

Uh, they play games?

[Obviously.]

[Not many she recognizes, but still.]

Scene Shop

[mayavericks]

[Maya pops her head, doing her rounds of the area, making sure that all of her loved ones are safe. She stops when she sees Elsa and... tilts her head.]

Would you like to learn how to use them?

Cassandra

[feudalladyshandmaid]

[It's around lunchtime that Elsa will find Cass back in the kitchen, scrubbing away the food and grime from her plate. That spark in Elsa's eye slows her hands, and... Well, she can set cleaning aside for later. This must be important.]

Uhh, yeah. Of course. [Elle's judging gaze flashes in her mind.] Ask me anything.

INVESTIGATION

[fourbutts]

[ She remembers the Spring Fling dance. She remembers Cady, apologizing. She remembers Regina, almost making up for a fraction of the hurt she's done.

She remembers that they're people. Everyone's a person. Even the shitty people. And people deserve dignity, because people are going through shit.

It takes her a moment to remember how many murders the Wizard is responsible for, and just how fucking hard he's going to have to go to earn that courtesy. From one life-ruiner to another, she supposes. At least she still has an enemy.

She also has a goal. If she can train up, if she can become a strong enough narrator, then maybe... maybe she can fix this. Maybe she can fix everything herself. Wouldn't that be some shit? So after a while she emerges from Broadhurst and heads to the garden, where she can be found sort of... wandering? ]

Okay, so... gagtags. What the fuck is a gagtag? Might as well start there? Maybe?

[ Eventually, though, she settles for what she knows, and starts investigating, first... well, might as well try to focus and vibe check this big tree here, right? She's got a few places she wants to check, but this is as decent a starting point as any.

Later on, though, she can be found in the art room of the new wing, scoping out all the supplies. ]

Oh, fuck yes. About damn time, you boomer asshole.

[ And she's going to start painting. And... not stop for a While. ]

garden

[brokeforgood]

[She basically lives on this bench now. So when Janis wonders out loud in the garden about gagtags, the school’s youngest living student pipes up.]

Is it a weird sex thing?

[comeandfindme]

[ She practically tackles him, the instant she pushes past the doctors into his room. She starts to apologize, but he laughs and laughs.
"Per, you gonna say you're sorry for some snow?"
She stays by his side, until she has to step away.

"Hey, do you wanna come with us to go see Howl tonight?"


It all comes crashing down.

Peregrine once again wakes up in Rodgers Dorm gasping in pain. She wakes up with tears in her eyes. She wakes up, finally, finally—

Knowing what it all cost.

In the end.
"This is the way the world actually works. There's no justice or karma or good or bad, it's just meaningless pain."
Despite it all.
"I feel like I'm this curse—"
It was luck.
"—like anything I touch or love—"
It was unearned luck.
"—is cursed and it's just gonna keep happening—"
And despite the few beautiful bits of hope she's let herself grasp onto—
"—again and again and again—"

Peregrine stays in bed, curled in her cloak and blankets, and she tries very, very hard not to let anyone hear her as she sobs.

She wants, very badly, to put her all into investigating. It's not storming, and the power's not on, and now more than ever they need to ban together and do everything they can to find a way out, to survive. But it's like she's empty, emptier than she's been in a long time, so instead...

Peregrine wanders. She doesn't really know what to do with herself. This isn't— it's not like the other losses they've all shared here. Where she ends up, eventually, is at the edge of the woods. She stares out at them, looking more hollow than she has in her entire time here. ]

The lessons learned inside the woods
Will cost you something dear.
For when the paths at last unwind,
And you have found some peace of mind,
A part of you must stay behind,
Forever in the woods...

[ Why? Why...won't it stop? ]

[themuseabandonsyou]

[ "Don't promise me fair sky above
Don't promise me kind road below
Just walk beside me, love
any way the wind blows"

For the first time in a very long time, Orpheus wakes up in the morning feeling hope, free and unfettered. Not just for his situation back home, but here, too. There's still work to be done, but - if he could sing Hades and Persephone into reconciling, even for a moment, if Nana could come and find all of them and bring them a message from the dead - maybe things will turn out this time. Maybe everything will be okay.

He wakes in Eurydice's arms in Longacre as he usually does these days, spending some time with her before splitting off to take a shower and wash his clothes in the sink in the boys' locker room, having still not figured out the washing machine and being a little intimidated by it. Afterwards, he'll get something to eat in the cafeteria and head out to the garden with his lyre guitar, where he'll speak to the seemingly empty air. ]

Hey, everyone. I don't... know if you can hear us? And I can't really hear you. But the Balladeer said he'd keep playing out here, for us, so I thought it was only fair that I play for you? So, here goes. This is one of the first songs my mother taught me. It seemed appropriate?

[ And he'll settle down on Antonio's bench and begin to play a slow melody, haunting yet peaceful and solemn, all at once.

Even later still, as afternoon turns into evening, he sets about exploring the new wing of the school with the intention of at least checking all the new rooms thoroughly but immediately finding himself drawn to the rooftop garden. Technically he could have gotten up there before? But climbing ropes is hard, and he'd also been a little distracted at the time. Now he's here, though, and he lies down on the ground near one of the raised beds of flowers, breathing in the scent of them and staring up at the sky. It's going to be okay. Everything's going to be okay.]

cw: slight mention of blood

[barberic]

[Lucy...
"Yes I lied, cos I love you! I'd be twice the wife she was!"
What have I done?

Despite the comforting presence of Farrah tucked close against him in the bed arguably too small for both, Benjamin does not rest easily. But there comes a point-

"That's the old woman. You've hurt her too, have you? You shouldn't, you know. You shouldn't hurt nobody."

-where he no longer rests at all. He tenses- seizes, with a gurgle, a death rattle in the back of his throat, and then wakes.

Alive, and safe in his bed in Ambassador, with Farrah and Milky White curled on top of one of his arms.

Even though he's awake, he just lies there for a while, until Farrah has flown the metaphorical nest for the day.

He doesn't follow any of the rituals he'd started, even at his lowest moments up until now.

Instead, he goes down to the garden, first thing in the morning, bracing himself to have to dig again (his back is still sore, his cut hand is aching, every other wound is gone, healed-

He sees Antonio and Discord's shrouded bodies, laid out in too-perfect holes, with too-perfect mounds of dirt next to them, and... Well, nothing would have been adequate enough to prepare him for this. He knows Antonio's shroud is the same as the one he'd wrapped him in, knows it by the dried stain of blood where blood had seeped out of his fatal wound without the dagger there to block it.

The stain stares back at him now, like a withered boutonniere, and the sight of the blood nearly turns his stomach.

He drops to his hands and knees at the foot of Antonio's grave, his hands clenched in the grass, his voice a desperate, keening wail.]

Oh my friends, my friends, I'm asking
How can I live, yet you are gone
There's a grief that can't be spoken,
There's a pain, goes on and on...

All these faces in my memory
And her bloodstains on my hands
How can I get up each morning,
When I know my soul is damned?

Oh my friends, my friends, please answer!
I don't know which way to go
It should be me beneath the flowers,
I cannot bear this pain... alone...

[whatyouwant]

[ A kiss, a smack, betrayal, self-loathing.

Some girls fight hard,
Some face the trial,
Some were just meant to smile.

It's not up to me.
Just let me be
Legally blonde.

Elle wakes up crying. She clings to Angus, unsure if he is awake or not.

She's pretty hard to find the rest of the day. At some point, if somenoe passes Broadhurst they may hear soft weeping through the door. Elle has somehow procured a pint of icecream. It's mostly gone now.

Later in the evening, Elle is having her first yard sale in the cafeteria. There isn't a lot of stuff there, it seems she hasn't been to the merch booth in a while. Notably she seems to be giving away her law books and the pink Harvard she's often seen wearing. Weird! There's probably nothing up with that.

Oh yeah, and she isn't smiling. Like, at all.]

[feudalladyshandmaid]

[ "...Am I the bad guy?"

The early Sunday morning silence in Longacre is broken suddenly by a low groan. That quickly turns into someone trying to suppress a scream - not out of horror, but... frustration?]

I'm a fucking idiot!

[Once... That has settled, Cassandra heads outside for the morning, mainly towards the gayseball field where, coincidentally, her horse, Fidella is currently staying.]

Hey, girl. [She pats Fidella's snout. The horse, seemingly noticing her rider's forlornness, shuffles against her hand with a huff.]

No, I'm fine. I just... I have a lot to think about.

[She's talking to the horse, yes. And she does have much to think about; about home, about what she has done and needs to do. What she might have to pay for it... Really, there's only one thing to do at a time like this.

So it's around the morning, but before lunch, that the gayseball field tremors with the thunderous hooves of Fidella, being ridden around the loop by none other than Cassandra herself. The wind whips her hair back. Her worries are, for the moment, pushed aside. She looks happy.

Funny how, even after lunch, that happiness seems to persist. Muted but assuredly still there. Including a noticeable pep in her step as she journeys down the hallway. At least someone's in a good mood today!

Eventually, she emerges into the art room in the newly opened area, where she's spending a good chunk of time just sifting through the art supplies. Looking at the brushes and pencils, pulling out varying sheets of paper, comparing them. Hm. Whatever the case, they're not to her liking and she sets them back with a sigh.]