Anyone with half a brain can see that all these murders are insane

[inforapenny]

This is your formal acceptance into the United League of Opera House Survivors. Whether or not you ignore this, You are not alone.

Something must be done. This status is not quo.

We will not be ignored. We will not be manipulated. We will not be victims anymore.

Join me in the dining room. We need to plan.

[Anna also gets an additional message.]

I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I haven't done more. That I haven't done enough. But being here has made me stronger. Being with you has made me stronger. I'm not a joke, or a dork. I'm just me.

I promised you sunshine, Anna. We're going to get out of here to see your home again.
-Your Billy

[He'll be sitting at the table after delivering 10 of the 11 copies of the same letter that he's written out. The others all were trifolded and slid under dressing room doors with the recipient's name written on the back.

This last one, however, the one that he's worrying in his hands but never unfolding as he sits at the table, simply has a large B written on the back.]

Thanks for, uh. Thanks for coming. If you want to stay on this side of the room, I found a vent that can block this camera but not... not the other one.

Comments

B

[inforapenny]

[He starts up the fog machine and keeps his voice low so that the other camera can't pick him up.]

I wanted to make sure we had at least a majority agreement before I went and did this... But I have a letter - with the same message as the one for all of you - for B. I think from now on... He's one of us. I think we all saw in that last execution that he doesn't want to play Management's game anymore. He never did.

Does anyone think we shouldn't ask him to join us?

[robitussin]

[She knows this will probably be unpopular, but all the same...]

I don't think we should. [A pause.] But I'll go with whatever the rest of the group thinks.

[inforapenny]

[That almost surprises him, but he holds tighter to the letter in his hand. It's clear what his vote is.]

He's trusted us so far. [His voice is quieter. Not imploring, but. Quiet.] I want to trust him. Moreover, I think we have more to lose not trusting him than we do in trusting him.

[allicareabout]

...I'm with Natalie on that one, actually.

[trettende]

[ You'd never expect Hans, Mr. Doesn't Trust Anyone, to have this opinion, but here it goes. ]

We should. With the way he's been trying to help us, I'm sure the Management doesn't trust him. If he keeps going against their wishes like he is, I doubt they're going to keep taking it sitting down.

[dontfeedplants]

I agree. He wants to help us all, I think anyone can see that.

... But maybe asking him first would be important. I think he's afraid of what would happen if he tries to rebel against Management.

[sunshineprincess]

[Have a third voice in this conversation since she's not sure which way to go.]

I don't know what we should do. Asking him to join could be bad either way but at the same time it could be good for both sides. I know he's a friend. I mean, I asked him to be mine, and he was actually happy about the idea since we talked about how he doesn't have any friends in management. There's just a lot we don't know about him or management, but I don't think we can openly ask him about it.

[She's so torn on this.]

I want to ask him, but at the same time I don't want to put him in anymore danger than we have to... I'll go with whatever the group decides in the end.

[onthebusagain]

I'm scared for him, too. We saw what's happened here. We could put him in danger by conspiring with him.

I think it's okay to include him in other things. He deserves to not be alone, at least. Being alone must suck.

[dechagny]

[Raoul's here. He's quiet, listening to the others speak, before he decides to add something.]

We...cannot simply abandon him to the management. But, at the same time, we cannot openly ask this of him. If they catch on to this, it could be much riskier than anything else he's done for us. We could find ourselves on trial for investigating his death.

[Though the dark glare he shoots the defunct camera should be obvious as to who he thinks would kill the Balladeer.]

[inforapenny]

I wasn't thinking of openly asking him for anything. In fact, I had a cover story ready, and there are instructions in here for him to burn this letter after he reads it, no matter what his answer is.

A Mole

[inforapenny]

[After the fog machine has run, Billy clears his throat a little.]

...I hope I'm not right. But I think there's a mole - somebody who's been working for, or at least reporting to, Management.

[robitussin]

[...Huh.]

What makes you think that?

[inforapenny]

It's been eating at me since last week - where did the arsenic come from? And more importantly, who moved Mrs. Hamilton?

Sure, the easy answer is "Management," but this whole time they've been pretty consistent about our only Management Liason and I don't think they would have made B do that.

And what would heighten dramatic tension more than hiding someone in the cast who's been told to turn on us if things get boring?

[trettende]

[ Dang, it's like you're in his head, Billy. ]

I was thinking the same thing, actually. Worse yet, when I asked the Balladeer about it, he got really nervous and worried because Management would have to have gone behind his back about it.

[inforapenny]

[There is a reason why he's never compared you to Hammer, Hans.]

I don't think we're going to get anywhere by pointing fingers. I know that if it was me, I wouldn't trust anyone not to act out against me if I revealed myself.

But whoever the mole is, Management must have made them an offer that they couldn't refuse.

[dontfeedplants]

But how do we tell who the mole is, if there is one? I don't think they'd be willing to just announce that they're working for the Management.

[inforapenny]

They're not going to trust us if we just sit around trying to figure out who it is. I think we just have to agree that we won't hurt them if they come out to any one of us, now or later or in private.

If they can trust one person enough to tell them...

[He hesitates, bites his lip.]

It's easier to be strong enough to tell the truth when you have someone standing next to you.

[dieformymusic]

[Welp.

"I guess I'm a suspect.

Being 'The Sellout' and all."]

[inforapenny]

Right now I don't want to call anyone more or less a suspect than anyone else.

[Because trust and unity and shit???? He just wants everyone to be Careful because There is Probably a Mole]

[robitussin]

Okay, so, a few things.

I know it's only been a few days since we've had a meeting, but has anybody found anything else weird around the theater?

Also, I want to talk about any ideas we have to keep ourselves safe on Thursday nights. I know some people have been staying with partners, but that hasn't really worked... I know, um, Astarte and I talked about setting up a patrol, but I want to see if anyone else has anything they think might work.

[dechagny]

We could maintain a mandatory curfew on that night. It would be on each of us to be responsible for their own self, and...hm.

[Wait no he's rethinking this.]

Well...if there was some way to know that a murderer wasn't lying about staying in their room, it would work better, but I doubt that could be feasible.

[robitussin]

I mean, I feel like at this point it's common sense for people not to be out and about during that night, but that hasn't changed anything.

...Yeah. At least we could brainstorm and see if we can think of a way for that to work.

[dieformymusic]

["Preset alarms may work.

I am not sure how we could set them up yet but if someone is where they shouldn't be we can know."]

[robitussin]

...Maybe Billy can figure that out. He knows a lot about science.

[onthebusagain]

Astarte and I were going to search my room, but we never did. If someone comes with me, in case there's like something totally life ruining in there, we can look.