curtainsdown | now let's skip the tears and start on the whole-

[You remember dying. Maybe the memory is clear and bright and your body still aches from the cause. Maybe it was fast enough that you didn't feel it and don't remember what you went through. But no matter how you went out you're still trapped here.

When you open your eyes it might take you a minute to recognize your surroundings. For the executed, it's your dressing room. For the victims, you startle awake in the place your body was discovered. But no matter where you are nothing is where you remember it. It's like everything has been picked up and moved to the other side of the room. The entire room has been perfectly mirrored from what it used to be and, upon leaving, it seems the rest of the opera house is just the same. If you remember one room being in the east wing, it's now in the west. If it was in the west, it's now in the east.

Welcome back to the Opera House, friends. Even in death you're still in the woods.]

WEEK 1 | WEEK 2 | WEEK 3 | WEEK 4 | WEEK 5

[ooc: Welcome to deadland, darlings! It's a perfectly mirrored version of the Opera House and each week, as new people die after new floors have been revealed, the stairwell doors will unlock and allow you to reach them. For example, week 3 victims will unlock floor 2 and so on and so forth. Also, all dead characters will wake up at their actual canon point.

Have fun because we have some fun things planned for you.]

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He showed up right after Richard and Red got here.

[Wait.]

Jonny and I heard something the night before Richard's trial. It was like some of you were talking, but far off. What were you doing?

Right after? Oh my- he didn't tell us! He didn't- you- you...heard us?

[ Riley looks shocked. ]

We...all went out to the cemetery. All us kids. Mephisto- oh no, did someone tell you about Mephisto? Don't- don't worry, he's fine, he didn't- [ ...Riley remembers something, something that barely catches on her mind. ] He...tried to...catch me.

[ He did, right? She didn't just imagine seeing that? Because she wanted it- Focus, Riley. Focus. ] Um. A-anyway. He saw us sneaking off and followed, to make sure we didn't...do something stupid. We were trying to use a Ouija. We didn't get anything but that jerk.

[They'll circle back around to Mephisto here in a moment. She has QUESTIONS]

Not sure what a Ouija is, but whatever you guys did almost worked. We got maybe every other word? But We're pretty sure you couldn't hear us.

[Suddenly she stills]

He didn't hurt any of you, did he? [She doesn't care what kind of power he has, she will meet Beetlejuice in the pit]

We couldn't. [ Slowly shaking her head, still dragging herself from that memory. ] And...really he just scared us a bit. [ Scared her. ] And possessed Jeremy a bit. And said some...weird, stupid things. And...knew my name.

Saying weird, stupid things seems to be a theme with him.

[She relaxes a bit.]

Red did tell me a little about Mephisto, but she didn't say a lot. Just that he lied because he thought we wouldn't trust him? [She sounds confused by that. Congrats, Riley, you're the lucky person who gets to explain demons to her.]

Uuuhhhhh. [ Oh, great. Why her. ] Do you...know what an angel is, Sigyn?

[She grimaces. Sorry, Riley.]

Unfortunately no.

D-did anyone ever talk to you about God?

[ This is gonna suck. ]

I do know of gods, there were several worshiped in the old days of Midgard, though most no longer believe in them.

[ Okay. She breathes out and leans her forehead against her knees. And then, in a quick stream of consciousness babble. ]

Okay, so where I'm from, there's a religion called Christianity where they believe there's one God, capital-G God, and he created everything, and he created angels to look after and help the humans, or...something. And then some of them were angry because they didn't want to serve humans, and they fell, becoming fallen angels, like- like demons, do you know what demons are? Okay, so opposing capital-G God is the Devil, or Satan, or- there's a lot of names for him- and he has minions and they're called demons, all complicated and I think maybe the devil was a fallen angel named Lucifer but that might've been- he might've been a different person- I don't know, I went to Sunday School like, once, ever- anyway! Mephisto is one of those fallen angels...and he makes deals for people's souls, but he's good, I swear!

[Through the explaination Sigyn's eyebrows slowly move up her forehead. It's a lot- like a lot, a lot- but then again it would probably be just as much if she tried to explain any of her world's religions to Riley.]

That would explain why he thought people wouldn't trust him. Was he attempting to...make deals in the Opera House?

No! [ Riley's head jerks up and she almost bumps it against the mirror. ] I-I mean. I can't say what he's done with other people, but- but he never tried to make a deal with me. He was just...encouraging. Kind.

[That doesn't sound right, but she doesn't know enough about demons to say any different]

I'm glad he was there for you. I wish I had gotten the chance to meet the real man...demon behind the mask.

...He's not that different. Not really where it mattered.

[ Riley curls in on herself, just a bit. The warm feeling he'd been giving her, now it's accompanied by a swift shot of cold, too. ]

That's good.

[Sigyn gives Riley's shoulder a squeeze]

Can I give you a hug?

[ All at once, she finds she can't speak. Riley simply nods, choked by...well, all of it, really. All that comes out of her is a soft whimper. ]

[As soon as Riley nods both of Sigyn's arms pull Riley into a hug. It's tight, but not so tight as to make it hard for Riley to breath. She'll stay like that as long as Riley needs her to.

It's not like they need to eat anymore.]

[ She's dead. She's dead, and she failed, and she has- she's nothing. Cairo was right, that's just what she feels like. She took everything from herself, even the second chance she didn't know she had. She has no one to blame but herself.

So. Riley's going to just let herself fall apart again. With someone, because maybe- maybe that's okay? She's going to let it be okay, at least for right now. Weeping in Sigyn's arms, Riley finally fully lets herself go. ]

now let's skip the tears and start on the whole-

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Standing ovation!

she said this all in one breath, probably.

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