one thing's universal, life's no dress rehearsal

[stagemanagers]

[Prom night! The greatest night of your young lives if you watch any Western high school media from the past 60 years. The looks, the music, the copious amounts of fancy snacks, the sore feet from dancing heels and then spending the rest of the night in bare feet- it’s all part of the bigger package.

The courtyard and the roof have both been decked out in a special way for tonight, despite no one really seeing Hester or anyone/anything else decorating. There are round tables set-up in both places, covered in yellow-gold tablecloths. Some of them have platters of snacks laid out on them, one has a large punch bowl that never seems to empty no matter how many drinks are taken from it.

On the roof there’s an extra table with pencils, small slips of paper, a box wrapped in gold wrapping paper and a notecard labeled Song Requests. Just write a song, pop it in the box and within a few minutes it starts playing! Weird, there doesn’t seem to be a sound system anywhere...

Red paper lanterns have been strung around the outline of the roof and between stakes in the courtyard, granting soft romantic light for a night to remember. Put on your best costume shop formal wear, get ready to lose your shoes after an hour and sneak in liquor even though most of you are of age.

After all…tonight belongs to you.]

Comments

[themuseabandonsyou]

I'm glad to hear it. We could use a little normal.

[ Orpheus steps out into the courtyard, lit by the lanterns hanging above it and the ambient light coming out of the school's windows. ]

I'll start putting these in the bushes if you arrange yours on the tables?

cw: suicide attempt talk

[comeandfindme]

[ But Peregrine does take it. Instantly, her hand grasps Farrah's. Very tightly. ]

I said that, you know. That I was a curse. It...was also after Connor. [ Her lips pull taut. ] And...before. I just...didn't remember that, until recently. But, it's been in there for awhile.

[comeandfindme]

[ Peregrine looks between the two of them. Her face flushes more. ]

Since when did you guys become royalty? Or...royalty-adjacent?

[feudalladyshandmaid]

Breakdance fighting? Oh, you have got to tell me more about that.

[It actually sounds like a fun time? Cass just likes a good fight, okay, and this seems like an unexplored territory.

But besides that... Cass offers her hand.]

...Right. Right. Dancing is what proms are for.

[mayavericks]

That's it! That's the one!

[Maya looks somewhere between delighted and relieved. At least Farrah doesn't seem like she's about to kill her. Again.]

Are you enjoying yourself, then?

cw: suicide attempt talk

[brokeforgood]

[Farrah’s a little surprised when she takes it, but she’s happy nonetheless. She squeezes her hand back.]

I can’t believe we both thought we cursed Connor. And then… Rina and Varian. And—- [Ah. This ones still fresh and raw, and her voice cracks a little—] my dads—-

[Oh. She’s crying, now.]

[employeeoftheyear]

Oh right! [He laughs.] Sometimes I for get that you guys know me from a cartoon!

[But that gives him a pause.]

Dunno! You still don't look like humans to me so maybe you guys will turn into fish if you come to my world!

Or an Eagle Ray, in your case.

[inaclearing]

[There's nothing there, really. But Brett's voice comes back after a moment. His tone sounds a little detached, but he's talking quicker, fueled by a clear sense of anxiety.]

Peregrine didn't go to her senior prom. How could she? That was when I realized what was happening. It was a nightmarish slurry of all my own worries and fears - the things that had been keeping me awake during so many recent sleepless nights. A school dance, only a few hundred yards away from...a tree with a splintered trunk, and dark tire marks ground into the pavement. Beyond that, the woods.

And then there was Peregrine herself, seemingly so close and yet still out of reach.

'Cause what I still don't know is -

[brokeforgood]

[Farrah hadn’t expected anyone to ask her to dance—- not outside of like. Spongebob and Elle. So when Benjamin approaches her, and offers his hand, she’s surprised.

She’s not about to say no to him, though. She doesn’t say anything, just smiles her mischievous little Farrah smile, and takes his hand.]

[brokeforgood]

Oh, for sure. I mean—- a sophomore at prom! That’s so lucky of me. [And she only had to die for the privilege!!!

She does not say this part out loud. But only barely.]

It’s nice to see everyone all dressed up nice, and having fun.

[feudalladyshandmaid]

I used to have to wear one as part of my uniform. [That's a life Cass definitely does not miss.] Trust me, it does not get easier when you have to wear them day in and day out.

[...Hm.]

How you holding up?

[It's softer than the snarky retorts she just let out. Gentler.]

[feudalladyshandmaid]

[She has to be by now.]

...Heh. Only you could say something like that and it would make sense, Spongebob. [Well, him and maybe Shorty.

Hm.]

Hey, uh, do you remember that one song you played weeks ago? Something about living in the sea...

[comeandfindme]

[ This...doesn't feel...

In the moment, Lexy felt real earlier today, too. But this— this feels different in a way. ]

Brett? Brett, what's— no. No, you're not— this isn't real, I can't- I can't get caught up in it again.

cw: suicide attempt talk

[comeandfindme]

[ Screw just a hand. Peregrine moves to pull Farrah into a hug. ]

I know. I know, Farrah. [ Her voice cracks. The oh-so-fresh memories. Looking back at the trial now... If she knew what she knows now then, it would've broken her. She doesn't think she could've emotionally survived that. ]

[comeandfindme]

[ Peregrine can't help but look down at herself, do a double-take. ]

...Really? Like... like a stingray?

[ Ohhh, that's...really cool, actually? ]

[feudalladyshandmaid]

Aww, you don't owe me anything.

[Who is she but the fairy godmother in this situation, gifting a child her ride to the ball?]

Fidella likes being a part of things. But it's a good thing you know how to do the romantic part.

[Because she sure doesn't.]

[feudalladyshandmaid]

[SFGFHFDGGJG

She's allowed to think that, but really there's just going to be a lot of cuddling. It took them this long to confess, you think they're going to bang?]

Oh, I'll happily let you borrow Fidella if it's for getting back at Maya.

[fourbutts]

[ Well we can't all be Angus and Elle, I suppose. ]

I'll see. I'd need a good reason, since she's already more than taken the Knight gimmick.

[mcfife]

[Angus nods vigorously.]

We have magic in our universe. Perhaps no talking sponges, but what man knows the entire sea? You may find more of your kind in the ocean, or you can befriend any other creature that lives there.

[If anyone offers Spongebob a home, it has be a place where it's alright that he's not entirely human. Else, he will forever be a stranger.]

And, well, we do have volcanoes, but in the era I'm in, we've got pirates and monsters in unknown waters, we have gods and wizards, we have mermaids and dragons. It may not be home, but I hope it can be close enough.

[tailor_made]

[Speaking of vibes...

While they dance, having the time of the lives as it were, Janis is going to be having a bit of an Anastasia moment. All around them she (and only she) will see spectral images swirling around them.

Hester, wearing a stunning blue dress, walking across the floor arm-in-arm with someone else whose image is a person-shaped blur in a tuxedo. Hester slow dancing with another girl, eyes closed and cheek on her shoulder. Hester wiping her eyes with a tissue with another person-shaped blur in a prom dress standing beside her. Hester standing awkwardly in dress nearly identical to the one she's wearing now, her straight hair a voluminous pile of curls.

Then, just before the song ends, a final vision: Hester, looking stunned and hurt but holding her head high with a crown on her head side-by side that immediately transitions to her with a tiara, looking stunned but thoroughly thrilled.

The real Hester sets Janis down, out of breath, a little sweaty and bright-eyed.]

Wanna go again?

[mayavericks]

Spongebob.

[She turns to face him. Briefly, she lets go of his hand, but it's only to rest it against his shoulder. Her smile is sad, but there's a level of understanding there as well.]

I won't claim to have the best mental health in this place. I won't claim to understand its complexities, either. But I do know that, when we are at our lowest places, it is hard to think of others. It does not make you selfish to be so consumed by your fears and doubts. It only makes you human. Or -- a sponge, in this case, I suppose.

[With that, she coaxes him closer, into a careful embrace.]

If you want to apologize, I forgive you. But I will not hold you being scared and upset against you.

[mayavericks]

Then it shall be done, my queen.

[And she starts to move, each step practiced. She feels a little more comfortable, going faster with Janis. She's no Claudine, but Maya wouldn't ever want her to be anyway. The important part is that, while she knows Janis's strengths may lie elsewhere, she has no doubts that the woman can keep up.]

[mayavericks]

I only just found out about Janis's status myself. Can you believe she kept us in the dark! I was very disappointed in her.

[Maya's shifting into position, taking hold of one of Peregrine's hands, as well as one of Janis's.]

[tailor_made]

Careful, whiplash can hurt like hell. [She says it absentmindedly, quietly counting off hours on her fingers. If Farrah is paying even a lick of attention she'll probably notice Hester's nails, painted a soft pink to match her dress, are an uneven mess under the polish.]

I don't...think I'm missing anything? I think.

[brokeforgood]

[Farrah’s unfortunately, paying a lot of attention to Hester now, which creates a lot of mixed feelings. Especially when she mentions the whiplash.]

Yeah, I know. Thanks, by the way. [She snaps that last part, and almost instantly regrets it.

It’s not like Hester made Farrah get into the car, or wrecked it. Hester didn’t enter a fucked up pact with Spongebob. It was Farrah, who got Farrah there.

But she can’t help but blame Hester for it, still. For the loss of her dads. For dragging her here. For bringing her back to life, giving her a chance to love and be built back up again, only to have it ripped from her again.

She glares at Hester’s uneven fingernails. But she doesn’t ask.]

Well, I’m glad you’re doing great.