curtainsdown | ready as we'll ever be

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act 3

ready as we'll ever be

[The Balladeer is true to his word. So, before the dead's scheduled performance, still dressed in the outfit Salieri ~~forced him to~~ helped him choose, he takes his guitar and sneaks out to the garden one last time. He hasn't visited it yet today, and he always feels guilty when he doesn't manage. He told everyone he'd be here. Even if neither of them can hear each other, he intends to keep his promise.

So he's there to notice when the trees begin closing in. The Balladeer shoots to his feet. Oh, no. He knows this feeling.]

Everyone! Come out to the garden! Bring your stuff!

[He calls out aloud, but he can use that projection trick just as well as the Player - his voice is audible anywhere in the school.

When people arrive to join him, there will still be a path through the woods to lead them to the garden. He doesn't want to strain himself before the performance, but something as small as that shouldn't cause problems later. It's too important that everyone get out here - because when people arrive, they'll find that all of the living are visible. The Balladeer is watching them, but making no attempt to interact; he already knows how this is going to go. It isn't time for that yet. Still...]

It's the end.

[Have fun spectating the trial!]

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[Far be it from the Balladeer to say anything about any of the dragging going on. The suit does look awful, and this guy just seems...well, god. He almost wishes he'd be more like one of the assassins, this is kind of creepy.

Still. At that, he turns to look at the Player.]

Is that...

[But it is true, isn't it? We covered all these theories a few weeks ago; the ones about how this might be because of what they did.]

...it really is our fault, isn't it.

[The Leading Player is watching Will like a hawk, watching his every movement even though she knows, logically and narratively, there's nothing she can do to him. Or about him right now.

But when B speaks she looks at him with concern instead of tense anger.]

I knew what we did had some effect, that's why Nana and I have been running around for a year and a half. But destroying an entire show, making it into Groundhog Day...I can't say I saw that one coming.

It's more than a show.

[oh no it's agitated again]

He is implying a total collapse.

...Well fuck.

You have said that you are trying to fix things, but- if it is spreading faster than you can contain, than it is hopeless.

You need help.

[It has an idea, but-]

But first, we need to take power away from him.

Easier said than done. Typically the only way for a Narrator to take over a space is for the old one to vacate it.

But if you have any other ideas I'm listening.

The performance, for one. But if we are still trapped on this side, there will only be so many options.

[...]

Is there someone among them [and it gestures at the living] who could assume control?

Janis said she was a Narrator. Would that work?

[...]

She may need guidance.

Well, I...personally don't see why it couldn't work. I may not know all of this Narrator business, but I do know stories. Stories can have more than one narrator.

Actually, I remember reading a good one in one of the newspapers in Hungary. It was an epistolary...I believe it was called something like The Harker Jonathan diary...I never finished it, though, because...

well. I died, and I was busy so...I don't know the serialization ended...

Edited 2021-07-18 04:29 (UTC)

So, what, he needs to step down first?

[The Balladeer sucks in a deep breath and rests his head on one hand, fingers curling in his hair. Though he's still looking at the trial, he doesn't really seem to be absorbing most of what's happening.]

Hey, hey- [She reaches out and grips his shoulder.] Balladeer. You didn't know. Hell, I didn't know how bad it could get. It's hard to tell if you're just slapping band-aids on gaping wounds when you can only see so much at a time.

[He jerks in surprise at the touch, and turns to look at her.]

This guy knew! And he's not even a narrator, he's - just some escapee from some show I probably fucked up!

[wow, getting in the fucks today, B]

Monsieur Balladeer...even if he did know, it doesn't mean you also had to know.

[And honestly, all of this fourth wall stuff is...crazy and partly going over her head, but.]

You do know, now. And now that you do know, the best thing you can do is work to resolve it!

I can't do that if I'm dead!

[which he is, like, right now]

Then we find a way to make you not dead. Even if it takes me going to Death to ask him to revive you. No matter how long it takes for me to get there!

[She looks over at the Wizard.]

I don't believe for a minute we can't find a way for all of you to come back to life. If you have already done it before, then we can find a way to do it again without resorting to the Wizard's insane plan, can't we?

Balladeer--[Salieri's reaching out, then, to try and gently disentangle that hand from his hair]

Balladeer, breathe. Please. She's right, you didn't know. You didn't know and you were doing the best you could.

This mess of universes might take some time to untangle, but I'm sure we can find a way, working together, that is not whatever ridiculous solution that he's thought up.

[uh, yeah, the breathing thing isn't going fantastically - though he doesn't resist his hand being moved]

It's my fault he did any of this. Maybe he was just a normal person, before I did that to him! He just looks like a, a, a - some guy with really bad taste!

He is a guy with really bad taste--[because yeah he's going to immediately agree with that, but he'll lace their fingers together, gently]

Breathe, Balladeer. Slow. To this beat. [his finger taps gently against the inside of the Balladeer's wrist, a gentle tempo]

Now, listen to me: it's not your fault. You didn't know. There was no way for you to know. And this man has made his own choices about what to do with his time as well, and for that you are not at all responsible for whatever conclusions he has come to and choices he has made. Blaming yourself for the situation will not make it any better--our job now is to move forward, and to stop him from making everything worse.

If reality didn't get messed up in the first place, Farrah would still be dead.

[...He's just

going to let that hang.]

[That's enough to tighten Salieri's throat, and he turns his head slightly to meet Discord's eyes. Farrah would be dead. And that's just the tip of the awful iceberg. None of them would have met--none of these people, his friends, his family. Discord, either--and that settles like a rock in his stomach as there's a brief flicker of devastation over his face, anguish at the thought of never knowing any of these people--any of his children who had been so wonderful, had given him a reason to look to the future, any of his friends, his confidants, and also the constant thorn in his side turned love of his life--

It's awful.]

If I hadn't done all that,
and if I had left his world alone,
none of this would have happened in the first place!
And if I hadn't broken it - if we hadn't run the game -
in the first place -
I'm responsible, I'm the one to blame, it's -

[You ever hear a guy try to do one of those frenetic Sondheim musical arguments all by himself? It would honestly be a little impressive if it weren't totally alarming. Slow is not in the vocabulary; he's sort of showing his author on this one.

It's kinda clear that he's not really hearing. But he feels the hand on his, and he does turn to look at Saleri, wide-eyed.]

I already tortured him.

[YEAH NO IT IS A BIT ALARMING but more than that, it's concerning. Especially once the Balladeer looks at him and says that.

There's a kneejerk reaction--a want for him to defend his friend in the face of that. But that's...not what the Balladeer needs now, is it? Not in the way one might want to defend a friend.

But rather...Salieri's free hand reaches out, settling on the Balladeer's free shoulder, steadying, his expression affecting both a calm and an understanding]

Balladeer. I can't even begin to imagine what you could be feeling right now. This is so much new information at once, and it is a lot of heavy, difficult information. Moreover, it's terrifying to think of something that you might've done out of repentance, out of kindness, could have a negative affect that causes harm to someone that you didn't mean to harm. It's a realization that I wouldn't wish on anyone, much less you, my friend, and I'm sorry that it's a realization you have to grapple with, not even beginning to discuss all the nuances to the sitaution. [he squeezes his shoulder, gently] Sometimes, in our effort to do good, to protect the people we care about, we hurt others along the way. What we can do about that, and the validity of the actions that those others take as a result--that can be discussed. Because every action we take effects others, for better or for worse. Some of your actions effected several people for the better--people that needed to be helped, to be saved. Some may not have--

[Salieri takes a breath]
You move just a finger,
Say the slightest word,
Somethings bound to linger
Be heard
No acts alone.

And remember--

You are not alone.

[Salieri's hand holds the Balladeer's shoulder, keeps his fingers laced with his, and holds on]

You're not alone. Making a mistake that hurt someone else is devastating, but I am with you. We are with you. Your family. Us, that hold you as one of our own, that buried you, that grieved for you. As terrifying as the prospect of wounding another person through our actions is, remember that you have done good, too. I never would have met you without your actions. Farrah--our Farrah, that girl who loves you, who calls you father, who wears your jacket--she wouldn't be alive now if it weren't for you, and we can both agree that would be a painful, terrible result. So please remember that your actions have good consequences, too, and that you are loved, and you are ours. And we will figure this out, and we will put things to rights as best we can in the best way we can, without creating even more destruction, even if it takes time. Together.

Edited (ONE LAST EDIT SORRY) 2021-07-18 15:53 (UTC)

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[ Orpheus joins in here too, reaching out to put a hand to the Balladeer’s back, steadyingly. ]

It was an accident. And - you and the Leading Player and Discord and the SQUIP, and all of us - we can fix it. Make sure it never happens to anyone again. And hopefully, he still has it in him to know that’s the best apology we can give him? And hopefully he’ll do the same for us.

[ Orpheus isn’t sure that’ll be the case, but he can hope for the best even despite all of this. ]