CURTAIN CALL

[guardianofsplendor]

[Once all is said and done, the Leading Player turns her attention back to everyone else. She claps her hands once and the lights turn off and on in quick succession in an attempt to gain back everyone’s attention.]

Ladies! Gentlemen! Cast, crew, and audience alike! Under the usual genre conventions this would be where I would demand you vote to choose your fate, to stay with my troupe or have one of you sacrifice yourselves to the flames and bring this game to an end. However, you’ve all already made your votes clear and due to executive demand we’re obligated to present you with the ending you’ve earned by stealing my crew and forming a united front. You’re all real cute, with your private Plurks. [Wow, bitter much, LP?]

So enjoy your happy, sappy ending. I’m sure Denny’s will love having you. [She snaps her fingers and the fires in the pit finally extinguish.] Show’s over. Fastrada, get the others. Lewis, take the curtains, get the ghost lights, clean up the house. Berthe, take down the page since someone would rather go be a hermit handing out seeds to children than help me with CSS. And turn off the email notifications, I don’t even want to look at this!

[The remaining stagehands, those who didn’t respond to the cast’s attempts at friendship, look at each other and split off, posture a little downtrodden as they slink into the wings or the house. One of them starts to gather up the ghostlights from the side of the stage; another begins stripping the curtains.

The Player herself hops down from her platform, landing easily. For a moment, she stands looking down into the pit, posture tense. One hand rests on her hip; the other hangs at her side, still holding Hans’s winter coat.]

Charlemagne, get the throne.

[Still up there, the Balladeer sidesteps the stagehand as he comes to take the chair, and cautiously begins to make his way down the stairs. The Player pays him no mind; she takes a breath, straightens, and steps around the pit towards the apron.]

And as for all of you - [It’s not clear who she’s addressing now but it’s not the characters.] - we hope you’ve enjoyed your time with us, as participants or even simply as spectators. Hopefully you’ll join us the next time around. Unfortunately, I don’t think I will be. [She snaps her fingers and seemingly out of nowhere a hat and cane appear. The coat doesn’t fit the aesthetic, but she slings it over her shoulder nonetheless. The stagehands moving the platform away and taking down the lighting rigs part before her as she turns and strides upstage.]

I’m erasing myself from the narrative
Let future murdergame casts wonder
Where the Player went to
When she left the stage

Go turn your new page,
And I’ll watch this burn...

[She pauses before the last curtain, letting the orchestra continue the song without her for a few phrases.]

I forfeit my rights to all this. Whatever you took from my office, just give it to him. [She jerks her head towards the Balladeer.]

Let him have the memory
Of when this was ours…

...the world seemed to burn...

[Without looking back, she parts the curtain, steps through, and is gone. The remaining stagehands filter out a few moments later, leaving a bare stage and a quiet theatre behind them.

But, of course, there's still a little more magic to do, isn't there?]

Comments

[trettende]

I mean, in a way... that really helped. I think when the Balladeer offered her my coat, she... got so surprised by his kindness that she kind of gave up? It seemed that way to me.

[ He was kind of like right on the edge of the stage because. Boyfriend. ]

[rockthistown]

Do you think so? I guess... that makes sense. A lot of people don't expect kindness at all.

[trettende]

Myself included, to be honest.

[ Hans smiles. Wow it doesn't even look creepy. Almost. ]

But Bal is surprising like that.

[rockthistown]

I was always scared to talk to him. It sounds like he's really good for you, though! I'm so happy!

[trettende]

[ He is so not used to this kind of positive attention.... ]

Oh, he's not scary at all, I promise. He's the nicest person I know.

[ Ugh that's so lame................................. Hans, no. ]

At least, that's what I figure, if he can be nice to someone like me.

[rockthistown]

You sound like D-ne. I know you did bad things, but still...

[trettende]

[ Hans chuckles. Yeah, he and D-ne have a lot in common.......... ]

You don't know the half of it, Hime. I was the Mole.

[rockthistown]

I heard that in the trial. [Hime crosses her arms.] I'm still mad, just like I told D-ne, but I think you became a better person. Even the Phantom Empire generals and their queen became better people when someone just cared about them and their happiness.

[trettende]

[ That's... okay, you lost him with the names there, but he can see what she's getting at. ]

You know, I used to not believe in that sort of thing. That people could become better somehow. It all seemed very childish and simple.

[ He's not... there's a "but" coming, I promise. ]

But after everything, I changed more than I realized. I guess it must be true.

[rockthistown]

Uh-huh. I know a lot of people who used to be enemies until they changed. D-ne said I was being naive, but see, I told everyone so! I'm really glad. Now you can be happy, too.

[trettende]

[ Hans chuckles. ]

Yeah, somehow even Anna seems to stand me a little better now.

[ It hasn't stopped her from punching him, though. ]

I hope so. I know happy endings don't usually happen to people like me, but then I never thought I'd fall in love, ever, so stranger things have happened.

[rockthistown]

Everyone's going to be happy now! I asked Astarte if she wanted to move into the embassy, and then she started inviting everybody else too, so I don't know how much room there's going to be... But it'll be great! What's going to happen to you two after this? Maybe you can learn to tell stories that don't have anybody dying!

[trettende]

That sounds wonderful, actually.

[ He hadn't even considered trying Hime's home when the subject came up.... ]

I don't actually know yet, but I'll be glad to go wherever he goes. It's not like I have anyone waiting for me back home, so... some stories of just the two of us would be nice.

[ Hans, that sounds way too cheesy, stop. ]

[rockthistown]

That's so cute! It's just like an afternoon drama!

[trettende]

[ Hans doesn't know whether to be embarrassed or confused. ]

Like a what?

[rockthistown]

The romances I watch on TV after school! Like The Idol's Handsome Brother! Oh, or The World Beyond the Janitor's Closet! That one's so cute... I can't believe we went so long in here without cable.

[trettende]

Um, well that sounds... interesting, at least. Those are all love stories?

[ Hans doesn't sound super thrilled but he also used to hate love stories before he started being in one. ]

[rockthistown]

Most of them. I think it's really exciting. Plus God isn't lecturing us about some dumb love ban now that he and Mirage are all love-love and went to space, and... nobody's gonna understand that either, are you?

[trettende]

I don't really know what you're talking about, no...

But I assume you mean well?

[rockthistown]

I want everyone to find their happiness in the end, Hans-san.

[trettende]

Then, thank you, I suppose. Considering everything, I expected most people to be angry with me.

[ What do when people are nice to you?? ]

[rockthistown]

I'm still mad, but you did what you could and you changed. So I think you're getting better, and like I said, I know a lot of people who used to be bad. I made some big mistakes in the past, too.

[trettende]

It's still hard to believe for me sometimes...

Thanks again, Hime. [ He smiles. ]

Oh, and I don't know if anyone told you, but we had our Halloween party after all. Astarte baked a cake and the Balladeer brought pumpkins for everyone to carve.

[rockthistown]

That's great! I threw a Halloween party for everyone up there, too. That's where we met Judas-san!

[trettende]

Oh, I'm glad to hear that! I was really devastated when Hook destroyed your cake in the trial... did you get to bake everyone another one?