WEEK THREE: EXECUTION

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W̴͍̎E̴̝̊E̸͚͝K̸͕̿ THREE: EXECUTION

By now, you've all got to be expecting it. Time marches on, and as Sunday morning arrives, you'll find yourself rising from your bed around 9. It starts off as a gentle suggestion, a feeling that you're going to be late for something. Aren't you going to be late for something?

Whether you answer that call or not, eventually, you'll find yourself walking directly down to the lobby, to a room that has so far been locked. All of you stand in front of a pair of golden doors, blocked off by a red velvet rope.

There's a moment of silence, and then a strange clattering noise. The doors fly open, and you'll find that you're standing in a darkened room where rows and rows of blue velvet seats lead up to a stage. The stage in front of you is covered with a pair of matching, rich blue velvet curtains, emblazoned with the logo of the Starlight Hotel.

Welcome, everyone, to the Starlight Theater.

You'll find yourself feeling like you must sit. You can choose your seat, but every seat in the house in the Starlight Theater guarantees a perfect view of the stage - there's no hiding. Should you try to merely stand, you'll find a pair of hands on your shoulders, and your body will move along without your permission into a seat. For those of you looking at your less cooperative friend, you might see the figure walking them to their seat is skeletal in nature, almost dancing behind them as they're ushered into their seat.

In fact... The empty seats in the theater are already filled. Skeletons sit in each empty seat, but make no mistake, audience: they clatter and move around, excited. Some of them are holding popcorn. Some of them look at you, then at the screen, eager. Others raise their arms to flag something, or someone - shadowy ushers burst from the floor and provide refreshments - and skeletons pour drinks down their nonexistent throats and stomachs, slurping at straws in a way that should be impossible.

Eventually, the bone clattering stops, and a hush falls over the crowd. Looking around, you might have noticed that one of your own didn't make it to the theater - MARIE is not among you.

Perhaps she's backstage?

You don't get much time to think about it, though. The lights dim, and a pair of spotlights spin arches across the curtains, as somewhere, a drumroll plays.

Lights, camera, action!

N̸A̵V̴I̶G̶A̶T̴I̴O̸N̷.̷

█ LOCATIONS █ STATUSES █ PROFILES █ AUDIENCES
█ REPORTING █ PRIVATE CONVOS █ MURDER

Comments

EXECUTION.

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[ as the curtains pull back, you're presented not with a live play, but with a screen. there's a soft click, a scratch noise, and then a whirring, as a light comes on and projects something.




the drumroll stops, and instead, a tune begins to play, crystal clear over the speakers. the title screen fades, and the only thing you can hear is music, as your silent film begins...

PEANUT GALLERY

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[Your reactions go here. You are confined to your seats, but you did get to choose them, so hold hands or what have you. You hear the music from the film, but the dialogue from the two on screen will only be displayed as subtitles. You can't hear their voices for the duration of the film.]

HM?

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[As you watch this movie play out before you, you will find that the skeletons around you chatter eagerly, enthralled by the action. Soon, you begin to feel the spirit of the theatre move within you. You feel as though you must pick a side in the family feud. Are you Team Miyoshi, or Team Amabuki? You find yourself cheering for only one victor for the rest of the film...whomever that may be.]

[technocool]

[ futaba immediately jams her daruma head on and curls up like a pillbug. nope nope nope ]

[dms]

[ the curtain rises. yes, again. on the screen, a spotlight shines on a stage, where a silhouette leans on the edge of a balcony with a heavy sigh a mere moment before the light finds them.

...wait a second. ]

Huh? Why am I in a dress?

[toesies]

[... She looks at the dress and the balcony, and immediately closes her eyes.]

Oh, fuck. Are they doing Romeo and Juliet?

[battling]

[He's here, arms crossed and staring at the screen in silence.]

[classmate]

[ It's a few moments after the spotlight, when it shines on Kazunari, that it slowly pans to the other side of the stage.

Wicked enters, looking over her own costume once before she's staring up at the man in the balcony. ]

What the hell... dude, you look really pretty.

[callalilies]

[ they're really doing this wow... kaeya just stares straight ahead with a tired look in his eye as he rests his cheek on his knuckles. pol just rests with his his head in his lap, sat between his knees.

(wicked voice: IM ACTING OUT!!!!) ]

[mustbepurged]

[Leaning in as if to discreetly whisper even though it's not discreet at all:]

... What's that?

[aono]

[He's here, of course he's here, and he's trying to keep an eye on some other people while also watching.]

...she won't do it cruelly. It'll be okay.

[Is he saying it for someone else, or for himself?

Also if this weren't a literal execution he would make a comment on the clothes, but now doesn't feel like the right time.]

[toesies]

A really famous play where— maybe relevant to us, or maybe not? The leads both die at the end.

[dms]

Ehhh, are we supposed to be Romeo and Juliet? But it's really not like that... and that's not even a Summer play, it's Spring.

[ these words mean nothing to literally anyone here but okay. he clears his throat, leans a little heavier onto the balcony, and recites: ]

Oh, Maririn, Maririn, wherefore art thou Maririn?

[ is now really the time to show off his acting chops?? ]

[mustbepurged]

[ ... looking over to our two performers with immediate panic ]

[agleam]

[he takes a seat next to him with a frown.]

[unbested]

[ sebastian's sitting next to rin, and he nods. ]

...Yeah.

[ it was probably important to both of them for it go like this. ]

[wisterin]

[ huge dislike ]

... That won't be entertaining.

[ she's trying to manifest. ]

[supremity]

[ from where he's seated, after a beat: ]

This place does enjoy anything that can give "entertainment." They may not miss out on that chance.

[supremity]

[ sticks tanhua with his head on her seat, against the pillbug ]

[unbested]

[ sebastian looks like he's pulled himself together since yesterday, though there are a few people he'll avoid making eye contact with.

he's sitting next to rin, and gives a slight sigh of relief when it's marie's name on the screen. ]

[classmate]

[ There are a lot of words here that she's gonna choose to ignore. ]

Don't say "it's not like that"! You'll just have people think it is!

[ That said, she's entering the center of the stage, glaring up at him as he recites pieces of the play -- something she has zero memory of. ]

The fuck are you doing? Get down from there! Exit stage left or whatever, y'know?

[ Desperately, desperately, desperately; Wicked's words are always filled with venom, and yet today there's a hint of pain in her tone. Nothing that the audience can hear, but one that Kazunari will undoubtedly note.

It's followed by her bringing up her hand, palm facing upward, as if to reach out to him. ]

[toesies]

It could still be okay. I mean, subverting expectations is super entertaining. And they're all about entertainment.

[toesies]

It will be the opposite of entertaining. Sooooo boring. There's no audience for it.

[manifests harder.]

[mustbepurged]

[Estelle sits down quietly. She's calm -- perhaps resigned, but there's a fearful look in her eyes.]

[unbested]

[ ah— yeah, that is how that ended, isn't it? he hadn't thought of that. ]