itscurtains | Week Six

Entry tags:

act 3,
week 6

Week Six

[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. ))

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Ralathor or the Hootsman. [ Orpheus repeats, making sure he has the names right. ] I will. And I'll ask Mister Hermes if he can do anything for you, too, and see if I can talk to Medea about it. She's the most powerful sorceress I know.

[ He hasn't heard from her in a few years, but she'd probably be happy to see him again? ]

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.

Hmm? Oh, no, Mister Hermes is one of the gods. It's mostly just Medea when it comes to people who use magic. She's really powerful, though. I've seen her turn an old ram back into a newborn lamb before, and all sorts of other things.

[ He smiles a little, thinking back on it. ]

She can be kind of scary when she's mad, but of all the people I know? If the gods can't help you, she's probably your best chance.

From my experience, all sorcerers, wizards, and mages like the aura of fear they exude. Then again, they tend to throw magical missiles into the air when they're bored, so they might all be like that to a degree.

[Have you seen their robes? What normal person dressed in public like that?]

...Could she bring someone back to life?

[ Orpheus laughs at the mental image of Medea hurling magic into the air out of boredom. It's not that absurd, honestly, but it is definitely a mental image. Then Angus asks his question, and Orpheus's expression drops again. ]

Ah. No, I don't think so. There's only one person who can allow the dead out of the Underworld, and that's Lord Hades, the god of that realm.

[ He sits down on the bench, looking thoughtful. ]

Eurydice and I - we convinced him to let her go. That's what she remembered, this morning. But I don't think we could do it again, even once, much less... nine more times.

You did? How did you manage that? When someone dies, the only way to bring them back is through an AI or through necromantic magic, not...bargain with gods.

[But if he had to ask Hades to bring back Eurydice--]

Is she alright? Are you...? [No. He shouldn't ask. Eurydice never spoke of it, and it must have been horrible for her.] There are other gods out there. We could try it with them.

[ Orpheus almost questions how an AI could bring someone back to life, before remembering what Nana said about the SQUIP and also remembering not to mention Nana outside the safety of the bathrooms. Right. Okay. ]

We're fine, now. We're going to make it out of the Underworld. But I guess getting the others back would mean... contacting the gods of their worlds' afterlives? Which might get complicated. I know Elisabeth said her world's god doesn't really talk to people that often, or maybe at all?

The gods of our universes can speak with them. If they refuse to deal with mortals, they still must answer to other deities.

[Even Angus' world doesn't commune with the higher realms often; he's lucky he has the Hootsman as a bridge between the mortal and immortal realm. As long as he knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy...]

And there's whoever brought Farrah back to life.

Oh, that's a good idea. I wouldn't have been able to convince Lord Hades to free Eurydice without Lady Persephone's help.

[ Although that probably has more to do with Persephone being Hades's wife and just about the only person in the world he listens to, than them both being gods. Still, though. ]

And there is that, too. So we might have options? Depending on how we get out, and what help we can find.

Yes.

Options.

[Exactly what they need. There must be multiple ways to bring them back. If the SQUIP is still out there, they could get his help as well.]

...I should dress. [He's been standing in the cold shower stall for a while now. That's enough to have him realize just what he's doing.] What are you doing over there?

Oh, I was just washing my clothes. [ No one's explained the washing machine to him yet, and at this point he's too afraid to ask. ] I can go put them out to dry outside, though, if you want some privacy?

...

But we have a washing machine.

[Is this an excuse for something else?]

Do we?

[ He says it like it's news to him, because it kind of is. He's taken a look at that weird storage closet, but the machines in there don't look anything like the washing machines that would've been available in his day, so he hasn't made the connection. ]

I just got in the habit of washing them here, and I'm not even sure I'd know how to use a washing machine.

Yes, on the second floor. [Do they not...have them in his universe?] It's much easier to clean them there.

[There's his quest for the day. Angus dries himself off and retrieves his school uniform from his locker.]

Look, I'll show you how it works.

Oh, okay! Thanks.

[ Orpheus turns his back and leans against the lockers to give Angus some privacy while he retrieves his clothes. ]

I've never used one before. They're around, where I come from, but they're really expensive. I've only seen them in catalogs.

[ He guesses if Angus is a prince it makes sense that wouldn't be an issue for him, though. ]

[Well, Angus' universe is incredibly advanced. He leads Orpheus upstairs, to the room of washing. He holds out a hand at the white box.]

Lo! A device that washes clothes for your!

Oh! That's what these ones are. They don't look anything like the washing machines I've heard of.

[ Much sleeker, and more rounded edges, like a lot of the machinery here. ]

So how does it... work?

First we'll need your laundry. [He slaps the top of the machine.] This thing can hold so clothes. Once that is done, you add soap, whatever else you use, and then it does the work for you.

[And next to it, another box.]

This is where you dry them quickly, unless you prefer they hang in the sun.

Okay!

[ Orpheus has two outfits here that he alternates between and he's currently wearing one of them and just got done washing the jacket of the other one, but he'll look to Angus for approval before opening the washing machine's door and putting the shirt and pants and a couple of spare pairs of underwear inside.

He looks at the shelves, staring at the assorted laundry supplies in vague confusion, before spotting a round container with the word detergent on it after some searching. He pulls it down and reaches inside, producing a brightly colored squishy... thing. ]

What's this? Is this soap?

[ why does he kind of want to bite into it like a fruit ]

[Angus has his own laundry for later, but he can work later. He leans on the washing machine, nodding as Orpheus follows through each step. Opening the door, putting in his clothes, and finding the soap.]

Oh, that's a new invention. They've made washing pods with all of the soap and treatments you need! It does make it easier. I don't even remember how much soap to use. Better than putting in too little or too much, huh?

[It's very shiny and it looks delicious! But Orpheus surely knows soap is not food.]

[ Orpheus is, indeed, smart enough to know not to put soap in his mouth. He does play with it for a little while, though, squeezing it gently in his hand and watching the colorful liquid inside slosh around, before remembering what he's doing and putting it gently on top of the clothes in the machine. ]

Like that? Is there anything else I need to do, before I close it back up?

No. [...He is certain of it. Just soap and stuff.]

That's all you need. Go on, close it and hit the button.

Okay. [ Gingerly, like it might bite him, Orpheus presses the button - and jumps back a little bit at the loud fshhhhhhhhhh of the machine filling with water, briefly alarmed before realizing what's going on. Fascinated, he stoops to watch through the little round window as the drum begins to rock back and forth, sloshing the water and soap and clothes around. ]

Oh! That's much easier than washing everything by hand. And it just goes like this by itself?

Correct. I don't touch any of those dials, it should be fine. [It's currently set to use cold water. Angus is lucky he didn't ruin any of his uniforms.] So after an how, you'll put it in the dryer or let it hang, whichever works.

[He leans on the vibrating washer.] That's the magic of technology!

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Week Six

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