curtainsdown | let's sync up!

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act 2

let's sync up!

[Jeremy hasn't actually been around a lot, but he has been having a lot of long conversations with the SQUIP because they, unfortunately, are in possession of a bunch of information and a weirdly unique situation that means they kind of understand some things about this whole being dead thing.

So late Tuesday afternoon, the SQUIP will be wandering around and informing everyone that they should all convene in the dining hall. Unlike a lot of other meetings, Jeremy's a garbage teenage boy who's provided uh. There's some grilled cheese and Minion mugs full of water. You're welcome.

Oh, he's also laid out a whole Pepe wall's worth of notes and shit on the table. You might wanna ask about that first.]

Um, hey. So, uh. Well, I mean - have you, uh. That's the SQUIP and it's gonna be quiet [Jeremy glares at the SQUIP.] but uh. I just. We thought. Have you ever really thought about being dead?

[Oh god, he's gonna ruin his own meeting, isn't he?]

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Other than Evan, was there anyone here before us?

For like 5 minutes, yeah! Never caught his name but he was my best bud until he up and vanished out of nowhere.

What did he look like?

Tall, blonde and twinky. Kinda got the impression he was really into flannel.

You say that, but he wasn't wearing any? [But at least they have some description of the guy. He doesn't know anyone here who looks like that.] How long ago was it?

He just kinda had that vibe, y'know. He spent the whole time pretty pissed off, pacing and freaking out about "his cast". [He grins.] It was great having someone else to talk to.

But then bing, he was gone. [He shrugs his shoulders noncommittally.] Four years-ish.

A cast? [That does no sound normal at all, almost like-]

He conducted the previous kidnapping session.

Could be! Like I said, I didn't even catch his name but he seemed real worried about 'em for a kidnapper.

Perhaps that's why he isn't around now?

Do you know what happened to his 'cast'?

They're not here so best guess?

They got out.

All of them or just...one of them?

Sig, this place is like fly paper. When you're stuck, you're stuck until further notice. If they'd gotten mass executed, we'd be seeing them unless there's a whole other hidden layer to Deadland.

[Which, honestly, he wouldn't doubt but that's neither here nor there.]

So it's possible to get out without killing anyone...

That's what happens with a golden end, yeah. [Shrug!]

Golden end?

Don't worry about it. That's a secret surprise to help us later.

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reassuranceandrevolution - 2020-08-06 02:19 (UTC) - Expand

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beejfq - 2020-08-06 02:20 (UTC) - Expand

Do you remember anything else that he said? Anything at all? ...And, how long were you here before he got here?

"Why am I still here?", "I need to save them!", "She freaking shot me!". A lot of the usual stuff the freshly dead say.

[He pauses, counting to five on his fingers...and then to eight on the same hand as extra fingers suddenly appear as needed.] A few days? I was stuck on the grounds though. I couldn't actually get into the Opera House for like a full week.

...Do...you know how you got here? Like. You were dead before all this. Right?

Oh yeah, super dead. Stabbed right through the chest with modern art! Still pretty sure there was some deeper meaning to it but fuck if I know.

So what happened was I had my big finale, learned all sorts of important lessons about friendship and dead moms, rode off into the sunset to start my hero's journey to find my dad and tease that good, good sequel bait. And I got to see a lot of new things!

I hung out with Greek gods who doubled as a metaphor for climate change, went to a prom in Indiana, got to wear pink on a Wednesday, met some Mormons- I got to meet so many people!

And then I found this place. It was fine for a few days, y'know, something new. But I couldn't leave. I was stuck. [He frowns.] And I was alone again.

[ Riley wonders if maybe she should've gone to see the Beetlejuice musical when Cairo dragged her to New York City last spring, because like five of these things don't track with what she remembers from a very spotty viewing of the movie. ]

Sooo, you just...stumbled upon it? Like... Do you remember how you got in, maybe- maybe we could use that to try and get out?

I'unno. [Helpful, BJ.] I'd just finished helping a ragtag group of kids at a prep school form a band and I was trying to think of another place my dad could've ended up. Then I saw these huge iron gates and thought "oh hey, look at those huge iron gates".

I walked through them, wandered around the grounds for a while- not the cemetery though, that's new- and when I tried to leave again I just ended up looping back around to the gates again.

If you could cut out like, every single non sequitur I would sincerely appreciate that.

[ The wheels in Riley's head are turning but damn, for a girl who likes thriller novels she's bad at this- ]

The...cemetery wasn't there. Not until we...started dying? And this- this is like. The event horizon thingy Dr. Browning talked about, even for- for a demony-ghost like you?

Let me think about it for a second.........no.

[Anyway!]

What I mean is it showed up a little before you guys showed up. A lot of stuff did, actually. The cemetery happened, there's a pool now, the recording studio moved floors for God slash Satan's sake. Someone did some redecorating.

[ Why is he like this. ]

Well- but it looks just like it did- I mean, besides everything being backwards. Does that mean someone like. Rearranged not just here, on this...dead-side, but there? Like. Just- changed the floors?

[ That doesn't seem possible but like, magic apparently? ]