OVERTURE

[stagemanagers]

You wake up, and realize you don’t remember how you got here.

This bed is soft and warm, but it’s certainly not yours. And the room is unfamiliar - unless perhaps you’re an actor, seeing as it looks almost exactly like every dressing room in the world. It's not quite large enough to fit the bed and trunk comfortably alongside the vanity, but it what it lacks in open space, it makes up for in coziness. This could be something you’ve seen in a movie, or dreamed about experiencing one day. But whatever the case, you aren’t supposed to be here.

There’s a silver key resting on your vanity, along with a thin program booklet. The cover - where the name of the show would usually be - is blank, but if you flip through it, you’ll find some startlingly familiar information. Maybe a few familiar faces as well…

The hallway outside is narrow and poorly-lit, lined with star-studded doors. But if you make your way past them and out into the lobby, you’ll find something entirely different: an elegant, refined opera house. Crystal chandeliers glitter overhead, and the red carpet is perfect for putting on a show. A large clock on the northern wall marks the time, though with the windows shuttered and locked it's difficult to tell whether it's morning or night. There’s also some framed information pinned up that you might find helpful. If you explore further into the adjoining wings, in fact, you'll see there's an identical copy in every room.

There’s also two sets of double-doors in the lobby: one leading back the way you came, deeper into the Opera House, and one leading out. For the moment, neither of them will open.

It looks like you’re stuck. But hey - at least you aren’t alone.

Comments

[catliketread]

[The Pirate King isn't used to staying on land. It's been at least thirteen years since he slept in a proper bed that wasn't on a boat, so waking up without feeling the steady rocking of the boat is beyond surreal.

The room itself is equally surreal, right down to the strange lights above the vanity. The Pirate King doesn't recognize exactly what the room is supposed to be, so he moves to stand and leave, only to pause after seeing the key and the program. He picks them both up and heads outside.

You might find him in the hallway just outside his room, where he's examining the star and tapping a finger to his chin. "The Pirate King" is listed on the star twice, along with two post-it notes with the same thing.]

Well, I am a Pirate King.

[...

.......

Where the hell is his crew to launch into song? It feels really weird just to say it like that...

Anyway, he'll move on to the lobby. This is absolutely nothing like anything he's seen before (the plays he has seen were so long ago and they were in much, much smaller theaters) and for a moment all he can do is stare upwards in awe. This place looks like it cost a fortune to construct. Those chandeliers alone are probably worth more than he's made in his life. But the beauty of this place can't captivate him forever, and his next concern lies with the windows.]

Boarded up, eh? Hmm...

[That's definitely interesting. He raps his knuckles experimentally against the shutter, then tries pulling on it. Nothing happens, of course, but it brings a sense of unease. What's the point in closing up the windows?

Finally, you might find the Pirate King sprawled out on one of the sofas in the lobby, finally looking through the booklet. He doesn't pay too much attention to the other people in there, but he stops dead when he notices a certain someone.]

That's me!

[Yes, that is definitely him. What a stunning picture! How did they get such a thing? The information in the book makes no sense whatsoever.]

An... An actor? As if someone could simply play a stunning individual like myself!?

[Well now he's sitting up and sounding offended. Clearly this is a worse insult than kidnapping him and taking him from his crew in the middle of a rockin' party.]

[sunshineprincess]

[Happening to still be in the hallway, Anna looks over to see her room neighbor. Or so she's assuming by his declaration that he was the Pirate King. Why it was printed on his door twice is beyond her. Her own door just had her name and the title of 'The Princes.']

Is that really your name? You don't look like a king.

[Anna. Be more tactful.]

[catliketread]

Not just any king!

[He points upwards dramatically. And then bursts into song, as you do.]

♪ For I am the Pirate King...

[. . .

Okay seriously, this just does not work without his crew to back him up here. The Pirate King sighs and rests his forehead against his hand. Dramatically. As you do.]

The song will have to wait, I'm afraid. I've no idea where my crew has gotten to.

[sunshineprincess]

[Hearing him start to sing was unexpected but thrilling at the same time. Until is falls flat...]

You need a crew to sing about yourself?

[That sounds awfully inconvenient.]

[catliketread]

It simply doesn't sound the same without them! I can't sing the background parts too, that's simply too much!

[S I G H]

I am a bit worried about them outside of the singing. We were all together last I checked and then... I woke up here. This obviously isn't my ship.

[And there isn't any sign of his crew...]

[sunshineprincess]

[She's only ever sung alone as far she she knows.]

I don't even remember falling asleep. Or how I wound up in these clothes.

[She looks down at herself. Shouldn't she be in the coronation gown, not this... peasant wear?]

I'm used to falling asleep in a castle.

lobby

[aflatouttahell]

[She sees him trying to work on the shutters, but... if he can't get them open, she's not going to be able to.]

Stuck tight, huh?

[catliketread]

It's almost as though they don't want us to leave!

[...though the window, I guess??]

I haven't looked around much yet, though. I do have a crew and a party to return to, so I should get going. Have you seen the exit?

[aflatouttahell]

[It's as good an exit as any.]

I haven't seen one. Just a bunch of confused people.

[Confused in large part, possibly, because of how Jez looks, but.]

[catliketread]

Least I'm not alone, there...

[And SPEAKING OF...]

You've uh... quite the elaborate costume there...

[what are you supposed to be, a devil???]

[aflatouttahell]

Oh! Um... I know it says something about makeup in the booklet we all got, but this is just how I look! I promise I'm not dangerous or anything.

[dechagny]

[Raoul is on his own sofa, a little wary of this fellow who's claimed an entire one for himself, and when he points himself out in the pamphlet, Raoul can't help but turn the pages of his own to check who this fellow is.

...]

The Pirate King?

[catliketread]

Aye, the Pirate King!

[Slightly different emphasis, but it's very important!!]

And you are...?

[Sure, he can look through the book to find him, but that seems a little rude when the guy's right here.]

[dechagny]

...The Viscount de Chagny.

[True, very true. The Pirate King has that courtesy going for him.]

I was not aware that pirates had kings.

[catliketread]

[Ooooh, fancy.]

We do! Well, my crew does. For they have me, and I am a Pirate King!

[...right, the song still isn't going to go without his crew, so moving on—]

Chagny, though... Haven't heard of it. Whereabouts is that?

[dechagny]

It is a small commune in eastern France, in Burgundy. Sadly, we are not close enough to the sea to have encountered pirates.

[He's using "sadly" as a polite euphemism for "thank fuck".]

And what seas do you happen to reign over?

here come the fireworks, lobby

[blackstache]

Whoever owns the building certainly has expensive taste.

[Hook comments to the man fiddling with the windows, staring about the room with idle curiosity.]

oh boy!!!

[catliketread]

[Well, this certainly isn't budging. All the windows are probably shut just as tightly. Hmm, maybe there's a door around here. That probably should have been his first thought... Oh.]

"Expensive" is understating it! This is beyond anything I've ever seen!

[It's bordering on gaudy, which is great. Sign him up. Can he hang chandeliers like this in his ship?? Probably not. But imagine if he could.]

[blackstache]

It would be no surprise to me if this were the work of royalty. The Queen herself, perhaps.

[He motions to the windows, staring at them curiously.]

Is there no way these can be open?

[catliketread]

[!!!]

Surely our Queen would do nothing of the sort...!

[He lets it go after a moment though and shrugs a bit at the question.]

I couldn't get them to open, but perhaps they require more than brute strength? Or perhaps more brute strength than what I can apply alone.

[blackstache]

Who else do you suppose could afford such fine things, hm? Things that I will, of course, be taking once this little venture has concluded, mind you.

[He steps forward to the window, tapping on it with his hook.]

Perhaps they just wish to taunt us with a means of escape.

lobby

[lifegoalsorwifegoals]

[Someone doing some investigating, that's good to see. D-ne approaches, keeping quiet as possible.]

What's the point of doing so?

[catliketread]

Escape! Or well, at least locating a way out of here. It's possible we're up a bit too high to escape out the windows. No way of knowing that without any way to see outside!

[He gives one final tug before giving up and turning to her.]

But it seems my efforts are in vain! We won't be leaving this way, that's for sure.

[lifegoalsorwifegoals]

Oh no, sir, you misunderstand me! [She smiles and waves a hand.] Escape is the foremost thing on my mind as well, or at least understanding just what's going on here. I simply wondered what our mysterious captor's intent could be...and worry about the implications of boarded windows.

[catliketread]

Aha, I see! Yes, our mysterious captor's mysterious intentions are very mysterious, are they not?

[okay]

I've no idea why we're here or what they could want from us, so I'm afraid I'm not very helpful there!