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

[37773972]

[...you know what, he's too emotionally tired to even do more than startle.]

Not yet. Give her a bit.

[reassuranceandrevolution]

Get off.

[She kicks where BJ's legs touch hers. Funnily enough she doesn't seem to mind Stephen's legs making contact with her.]

So we know the Phantom can't hear us here. Is this Narrator, Wizard, whatever- is he spying on us here too?

[beejfq]

[He pushes himself up to sitting crisscross applesauce.]

Nah. It's just us unless there's some kind of third wheel bullshit happening.

[37773972]

[Eyes close again] Good. Then I don't have a reason to hide anything.

Sigyn- I met the Wizard. I got as much information as I could, and then wrote it down. Christine should have my notes unless she...threw it away.

[reassuranceandrevolution]

[Sigyn's eyebrows draw together.]

So why kill again? Why not go back to the beginning and try to fix it?

[37773972]

Because I wasn't sure it'd be enough. I thought- if I could erase all this happening the first time, if nobody remembered, then- wasn't it worth trying again, to try and get more information?

[He rubs the bridge of his nose]

I told him...that I wanted to 'fix' Steven's death. It was...bad...the first time. [Oh, boy, does he look fucking upset.] My plan...was going to be to go one more try, and then to back to the beginning. With all the information I wanted to get...

[He looks at her, searching her gaze, almost desperate with his own]

I could have broken it before it started.

[reassuranceandrevolution]

It wouldn't matter if you killed Steven, because you could just keep going back and undoing it.

[She kicks over at his butt. It's the best she's got right now]

You're an idiot.

[Oh, BJ's still here]

Eh, beat it.

[37773972]

And everyone else. But only I'd remember.

[oh is beej still there, have a glance]

...Christine wants to talk to you.

[beejfq]

I know. [He reaches into the inside of his jacket and pulls out a crumpled letter- it looks like it's been read about a dozen times over and held onto pretty tight. No one's ever sent him an actual letter before.] Everything's been Jeremy Bearimy'd so I haven't been able to *do* anything but-

You've got a good kid, Stephen. [He looks at Sigyn to give her a quick salute, leans around to plant a big smooch on Stephen's cheek and then blinks out of existence.]

[reassuranceandrevolution]

[After BJ leaves Sigyn speaks again]

I would say you get use to him, but that'd be a lie.

[She sighs]

I'm still pissed at you. That was a risky play, and I am going to kick you ass for trying it.

[She flops over so she's laying on the bed eye to eye with Stephen]

For now, though, tell me what you learned. If they got rid of your note we'll need to get the information to them another way.

[37773972]

[Stephen tenses at the SMEK, but he honestly seems more affected by the mention of 'his' kid than anything else. And when Sigyn mentions being pissed?]

No, I- I'm still a murderer. Half a dozen times over. [He didn't just kill Steven, twice - he killed Nana, he killed Anne, Christine, Santana, Mephisto...

...he's shaking again.]

Fuck me, I'm a murderer. [GIVE HIM A MINUTE, SIGYN] He was right.

[reassuranceandrevolution]

[She came in here ready to yell and punch out her emotions. Somewhere the desire is still in her mind, but seeing him break down like this?

She reaches out and pulls him forward into an embrace, tucking his head under her chin. He's hurting himself more than she ever could, and it's heartbreaking]

So are half the people here. You were dumb, but you were trying to help. I can't imagine what...how hard it was watching them all die.

[37773972]

They hung them. [Choked] He fucking- he fucking congratulated me like it was a goddamn game, they knew, they saw me when the nooses came down and the floor went out and I couldn't, I had to keep going-

[He can't go on. Not like this. He's clutching her desperately, shaking like a leaf, choking out in between sobs;]

A monster, a monster-
I've turned in to a monster

[He's hid this for days. Now? Now, it's broken free and is pouring out.]

[reassuranceandrevolution]

[There's nothing she can do but hold him tighter and whisper softly]

You did keep going, you tried, this whole thing is fucked up and not your fault. It's not on yours alone to fix.

cw; vague emeto reference

[37773972]

I wanted to! [God, he feels sick. Like there's a poison in his throat and it's clawing itself out] I fucking died, Sigyn, she stabbed me, she used me! And I thought- I fucking thought- 'well, shit, if I'm going to die anyway, I may as well die doing something fucking USEFUL, if he can actually turn back fucking time then what the fuck does it matter!'

[reassuranceandrevolution]

We all want to fix it, but we have to stick together.

[Sigyn lets out a hollow chuckle]
You're dead back home too? I guess that's something we have in common.

[37773972]

[And he's still Upset, but given time, he'll be able to start to recompose himself. Don't mind him pretty much completely using you as support, though, Sigyn. He's more-or-less dead weight right now.]

...you too, huh. [With the despair ebbing, he sounds more Tired now]

[reassuranceandrevolution]

Yep.

[He seems to be calming down, so she continues talking. Maybe it will give his mind something else to latch on to]

The train we were hijacking? Yeah, it was a bit of a mess. Short story is Loki and I had to keep it running as long as we could to save Yggdrasil. Last thing I remember is exiting the wormhole and crashing into Midgard.

[37773972]

[It seems to be working; his shoulders still shake occasionally, but his breathing's getting under control. Enough to manage a shaky laugh]

Way to go out with a bang.

[reassuranceandrevolution]

Right?

[She switched to rubbing slow circles into her back]

Oh, I found Loki. She was alive. Well, obviously not after the crash, but we... we got to spend some time together before that.

[37773972]

...she's not here, is she?

[reassuranceandrevolution]

No. [Sad. She misses her.]

I expect she's in the actual afterlife. You know, I think you two would probably get along.

[37773972]

[He seems to relax imperceptibly at that. Then it's just...memories? Maybe like how they all remembered things over time...]

...she'd probably punch me. [A beat] You can, too. I feel like just- letting everyone line up and take turns.

[reassuranceandrevolution]

Na, she's not the punching type. She'd rather debate you into submission.

[She squeezes just a little bit]

We can do that later. I think you're beating up yourself enough for now.

[37773972]

[No. He isn't. But he doesn't argue, just swallows.]

...what else can I tell you. The Wizard- I don't remember much about what he looked like. Just that he was...so fucking happy, before I told him where I wanted to go. He wouldn't get specific as to what he'd done it for, just...that it was about power.