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

[fourbutts]

[ And just like that, the slasher comment from weeks ago makes sense. ]

Did... something happen to him? ... With him? [ WAS HE A DICK TO U- ]

[comeandfindme]

He’s dead.

[ Earlier it was raw. Now, it’s— Well, it’s still raw. But it sounds hollow as she feels. ]

…He never came back from leading us out to The Final. My stupid…stupid plan. That’s what I remembered.

[fourbutts]

Oh, shit. I'm sorry, Per.

[ Janis takes a deep breath, turning the information over in her head. She wants to hug her girlfriend, but like. That might be the wrong move? Everyone processes shit differently, and from the sound of what Peregrine just said about her brother, sometimes they don't exactly do it in a healthy way. ]

I'd say that sucks, but like. That goes without saying.

[comeandfindme]

[ She breathes out through her nose in something like a laugh. Mirthless, miserable. ]

Everyone thought he was some…crazy guy living out there. My uncle even tried to…blame him for Jacob’s death. I caused him so much trouble. And now…I got him killed.

[fourbutts]

[ In immediacy, it's hard to argue with that. She knows it probably won't work. But she has to try. Like... a stain, hopefully before it sets in. ]

I mean... and I promise this isn't me trying to go easy on you, I don't do that, but that doesn't sound to me like it's your fault.

[comeandfindme]

Really? You’re gonna tell me even though I got him involved in all this, I pushed my way into his life, it’s not my fault?

[fourbutts]

And he chose to take you out there. He chose to train you. He's an adult, Per. Fuck that, he's a person. People make their own choices.

[comeandfindme]

'Cause I wouldn't leave him alone! [ It's the first time Peregrine's raised her voice today. Not very loud? But still. ] He didn't even— even think we'd go through with it! He thought it was crazy. But I pushed it. I didn't listen— mom, Lexy, everyone— they had to lead a...a fucking search party. And I didn't think— he walked us out, farther than any of us, and if we were having trouble—

I let it happen. I shoulda looked for him. I shoulda listened. You don't get to tell me— I had to have been able to do something.

[fourbutts]

Then he shouldn't have taken you out there, Per!

[ It's times like this it would be better if Janis didn't... have a slight anger management problem. ]

Yeah, you're hurting
Really hurting
But you didn't kill that guy
You made choices
He made choices
You don't choose who lives or dies!

If he was who you say he was, it was his job to make the call not to go. I get that it hurts, and I'm sorry you lost him, but I'm not going to sit here and let you blame yourself for it!

[ Genuinely and truly, she unfortunately likes Peregrine too much. ]

[comeandfindme]

[ Peregrine stands. The fire's back in her. For better or for worse. ]

So you're saying that's it, it's just another fucking tragedy, nothing I could've done, nothing anyone could've done to prevent it! That the guy who knew how to- to keep himself alive for years— that I didn't have any responsibility?

[fourbutts]

I'm saying it was his job to keep himself alive! I'm not saying you're perfect, or shitty, or anything, I'm just saying you did your goddamn due diligence!

[comeandfindme]

So it's his own fault he died. His own fault he couldn't find his way home in the woods.

[ Anger burns in her. She practically snarls. ]

Is that what you'd say about my brother too?

[fourbutts]

Your brother didn't fucking train for it. This is why people sign waivers, Per! Sometimes you take a risk, and you go somewhere dangerous, and it doesn't pan out! And people die. And it sucks.

[ oh wow now they're both projecting huh ]

[comeandfindme]

I was supposed to be taking the risk, not him!

[ And now she's yelling. Like, fully yelling. ]

I should've known— of course you don't understand, no one ever understands.

[fourbutts]

Oh, what, so I don't understand blaming yourself for someone else dying because they were taking a risk for you? Really? That I haven't, I don't know, stayed up all night sobbing because—

And maybe if I'd been a little bit quicker
Maybe if I jumped out of the way—

[ She can still feel the lurch as the catwalk gave. The rush of almost falling.

"Trials are for when people die." ]

Good to know how you would have voted, Per.

[comeandfindme]

[ All at once, the air rushes out of her. All at once—

She's sitting at her kitchen table, Brett across from her. She's raw, broken, unable to do anything. She's saying whatever comes to mind, she's angry, she's sad, and Brett looks at her, shocked and hurt.

She's been through this before. She knows what she'll do. She'll push those closest to her into doing things they don't want to. She'll lash out, and she'll hurt them— ]

Janis—

[ "That's not what I mean." Say it. ]

You really think that?

[ "I'm sorry." Say it.

She hardens and turns away. ]

I knew talking about it wouldn't help. It never does.

[ And she leaves. She leaves Janis alone. ]

[fourbutts]

[ Janis stands still in the art room for a long moment or two, staring at the door.

"It never does."

She laughs. It's not a kind laugh. ]

Why did I think she'd be different?
But it's never, ever different.

[ Janis turns and puts her fist through the canvas. It doesn't help. It only earns her a splattering of paint across her knuckles. Her hand starts to shake, just a little, as some kind of emotion leaves her. ]

And I want my pink shirt.

[ Janis stays in the art room, crying, for a while. ]