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

[stagemanagers]

[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.]

Comments

[superbeliever]

...Again? What's happening now? Are they having another meeting already?

[And here is Richard! To help! :D]

[isawallflower]

They're having a party. I knew these things were bad.

[ HELP... PLEASE...... ]

[superbeliever]

What, parties? Oh dear, I'm no help with parties.

[But he's going to check it out anyway!]

[isawallflower]

Neither am I~ But apparently, these guys suck at them too!!

[superbeliever]

Well, that's at least somewhat of a relief, anyway.

[He strokes his beard thoughtfully, watching the unfolding situation.]

...Oh, it's worse than I thought.

[isawallflower]

They're... [ Riley starts taking up glo tape around here. It's fine. She'll just do that. ] It's fine. It's fine, I can- I can fix this. I can fix this one.

[ Is she hyperfixating? Sure. But does she have a knife? No! So it's probably fine. ]

[superbeliever]

[Richard brightens, giving Riley a grin.]

You can do it! We've got your back! Just give me something I can do to help.

[isawallflower]

[ She returns the grin, weak but...grateful. ] Uhh... Tape, I need tape, and- h-hold the door shut, I'm... I'm starting to get a little woozy with it.

[ She can get something...anything playing, something to get her message across. ]

[superbeliever]

[He looks at her, worried, then moves to take the door from her.]

I'll hold it. Someone else can grab some tape, how about you take five for a minute?

[isawallflower]

[ Riley shakes her head firmly. ]

I- I left them all screwed up. I have to do something.

[ She rushes over to the speakers again. As soon as Angus can be ousted, oh my god, we didn't!! Need!!! John Mulaney!!!!

And...and she thinks she found it. It's not even a song she really knows. But it feels right. ]

...Okay. Okay, let's see what this does.

[superbeliever]

[At some point, he's going to have a talk with her about not setting herself on fire just to try and keep others warm.

It reminds him of how he would have been, maybe, if he'd been stuck in his brother's shadow instead of becoming King before he was her age. Desperate to be liked and needed.

But she's far too panicked for that right now, so he just holds the door as instructed (though he cheats to save his strength, a little, since by now it looks like no one is still actively trying to escape).

...God, he wants to hug Christine. Why are all these teenagers so sad?]

[isawallflower]

[ Riley knows... There's nothing she can do for Christine. Something is weird and she doesn't know how to get through to her. Someone else- someone living has to help her.

But, as she kneels in front of Mephisto, placing down tape in a crooked message, she feels at last...this is something.

She's breathing hard like she's just possessed someone. But when he touches the message, she places a hand on his. ]

I'm here. [ A slow breath. Slow. ] Stay.

[ She lasts until he rises, to go to Christine. ]

There we go. There, that... That should... [ Whatever it should do, she doesn't finish, because she pitches forward and passes out. ...Maybe, practice the ghost skills before attempting to hijack a party. Maybe that, next time. ]

[superbeliever]

[Richard stops exerting himself to hold the door, watching as Riley reaches out to Mephisto and seems to convince him not to leave.]

Oh, look at you! Well done, Ri-Ri, I knew you could-

Oh no!

[He lunges forward and manages to catch her before she hits the ground. Seeing that she's unresponsive, he lowers her gently so he can get a better grip to scoop her up into his arms.]

Hup! There we go. I think that's quite enough partying for you this evening, young lady.

[isawallflower]

[ She is completely limp.

Fun! Fact! Aside from passing out from previous hauntings, Riley hasn't been sleeping here. They don't need to, right? It's...probably something about being terrified of what she'll see when she closes her eyes. She hasn't slept since... Well, since that Wednesday night before she finally gave in to those horrible, horrible impulses.

Right now, finally getting a little rest? It's the most peaceful you've seen her in all the time you've been here. ]

[superbeliever]

[He sighs, shifting her weight in his arms so that her head lolls against his shoulder.]

Let's get you in bed, hm?

[He awkwardly manages to jostle the ghost doors open, and carries her carefully down to her dressing room, laying her on her bed and pulling the covers up over her.

He even tucks the covers in all the way under her, like his nanny used to do for him, before taking a seat on the edge of her bed.]

...Lay by my side as we sail away,
off to the shores of another day,
all set to go once I hear you say-

[He reaches out and unties her bow, taking her hair out of its ponytail so it doesn't wake her up by poking her in the head. The ribbon he puddles onto her vanity, along with the hair tie.]

'Goodnight my friend,' until the morning...

[isawallflower]

[ Not once does she stir. She sleeps through the night and then some, dreaming of glo tape and the ocean, sickly wings and jumping off castles.

Jumping in puddles.

She hasn't slept this good in a long, long time. ]

[superbeliever]

Up we will float, as we close our eyes,
Stars all around us like fireflies,
Just me and you drifting through the skies,
Goodnight, my friend.

Not a thought,
Not a care...
Resting safe and sound,
With each other there...

[He smooths out the covers carefully next to her, a small smile coming to his face as he watches her, relaxed and content for the first time he's seen her.

She looks so much like a child...]

And so we'll rock on our nighttime ride,
Cozy and warm on the rolling tide,
'Til we arrive on the morning side,
At journey's end...

[reassuranceandrevolution]

[Sigyn sticks around in the roller rink to long enough to make sure that Angus and BJ don't burn down anything before coming down to check on Riley.

Richard's rich voice floats down the hallway as she approches Riley's room. She stops in the doorway, smiling as he finishes out the last chorus.]

I think things are starting to calm down upstairs.

[superbeliever]

[He doesn't jump, but he sits up and turns quickly to the door at the sound of her voice.]

Oh, good. Did we get the party back on track?

[reassuranceandrevolution]

[Sigyn cringes a bit]

'Back on track' may be a bit optimistic, but I think we may have distracted them enough to get them to talk?

[She comes over and leans against the wardrobe next to the bed.]

I'm worried about them. They were all acting...weird.

[superbeliever]

[Richard frowns, a little.]

It did seem a little off, didn't it.

I mean, the last party we had while I was alive we just drank wine and Angus braided my hair...

[He carefully stands from the bed and moves closer so he can keep his voice lower.]

They'll be alright. I know they will be.

[reassuranceandrevolution]

I hope so. If another one turns up here... [She thinks about the snippets of conversation between Christine, Stephen, and Jeremy. Something was happening. Something bad.]

There has to be something else we can do to help them get out.

[superbeliever]

[Richard glances back at Riley.]

It's awful she had to push herself so hard, but this is the most relaxed I've ever seen her.

[reassuranceandrevolution]

[Sigyn follows his gaze to Riley's sleeping form. Somehow she looks even younger like this.]

I don't think I've ever saw her sit for longer than a few minutes at a time.

[superbeliever]

I think I'll stay in here with her. At least until she wakes up.

[When he was her age, he was still learning to sleep by himself without Gareth sleeping in a cot on the floor.

He'd also already been king for about three or four years.]