thebackstage | It's Curtains Act 2 Test Drive

1) CURTAINS UP

You’ve just woken up in a small dressing room, which is certainly not where you went to bed last night. Actually, do you even remember going to sleep…? Regardless, this isn't where you last were, and if you leave your room you’re going to find a lot of other people in the same state.

Go out and socialize! Most of these people may be strangers, but you’re gonna all have to get used to one another. And who knows? There may actually be a familiar face in the crowd.

2) THIS PETTY PACE

By now, you're acquainted with everybody here and you're slowly growing bored. Bored enough to kill? Hopefully not. You'd better try to find something else to do. You can always go hang out with your castmates, or maybe try and whip something up in the kitchen! There’s also a music room to keep you busy! I sure hope you like music.

3) BREAK A LEG

Comedies are fun and all, but that’s not quite what we’re about here. You’ve all just been handed this week’s motive. What do you make of it? Is it one that might actually tempt you to kill, or did you get off lightly this time? Either way, maybe you’d better look around the room and see who else is having a rough time.

4) CURTAIN

It was bound to happen eventually. Someone is dead, and now it's time to go off and investigate. Were they close to you? Are you, perhaps, feeling guilty? Either way, it's probably best not to leave anyone alone right now.

5) CUE MUSIC

Feelings in a murder-opera can get pretty gosh darn intense. Sometimes you’ve just got to let it out. And hey, if you sing a song about whatever’s going on in your head, maybe someone will hear and come help you? Either way, this is a musical – there’s not really any reason not to sing.

[Mod Note: The song mechanic is meant to be fluid and simple. You do not have to produce your own song lyrics, nor are you required to use show tunes (although we do encourage it!). If you want to rewrite existing lyrics to fit the situation, go for it! Anything goes - if Mumford and Sons expresses your character’s current emotions, then break out the banjos. We want to keep the musical mechanic as fun and simple as we can to encourage our players to use it as much as they like.]

6) WILDCARD

Make up your own prompt!

--

Questions, comments, concerned? Reach the mods on plurk at

slothbless (Lynny) and

lluosogrwydd (Lu) and at our public mod plurk

stagemanagers. Our official Act 2 FAQ can also be found here!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Riley's not stupid. Being out this late, in this environment, it's... Well, it's not very safe. But, sometimes you want to stretch your legs and all you have is a small dressing room! It sucks! So, maybe you...go out and wander, just a little. And...kind of gravitate toward the one shining light, expecting no one else to be here, after- well, after what they were given today.

But.

Well, Riley's not stupid, but she's not great at seeing the full picture; if she felt claustrophobic in there, it only stands to reason someone else would too.

She stands in the doorway, silhouette casting a shadow across the kitchen. Oh, man. Oh, jeez. And Sigyn's just not...saying anything? At all? With that knife there? Riley's a bit nervous to turn around, now. ]

U-uh... Hi?

[Sigyn jumps and her grip on the photo loosens enough that it slips from her fingers.]

Riley!

[ The picture floats to the island top. A red haired woman smiles at whoever was holding the camera]

What's up? Is everything okay?

[ The photo catches her attention, but- but it's the knife that Riley keeps her eyes trained on. She feels like she should laugh. ]

That's a question I was going to ask you. Hooow long have you been here...?

Just...[The clock on the wall reads much later than when she'd entered.] An hour or so.

[Sigyn follows her line of sight to the knife.]

I wasn't-- Riley, This isn't-[She sighs, her shoulders dragging down] Norns, who am I kidding? This is exactly what it looks like.

[ An hour. Standing here. Riley raises an eyebrow and...well, taking a step back into the dark hallway isn't a good idea but she sure considers it. ]

If you try to kill me, I can scream really, really loud. [ Just! Getting that straight!! ]

I wasn't going to kill you, you sleep too lightly. [Sigyn rubs her eyes with the heels of her palm.]

I'm not going to kill anyone. She wouldn't want to come back like that.

[ Then why did you have that knife like that, she wants to ask, but that's, like, really stupid, so. ]

She...? [ Okay. A little step closer, kind of...raising her head to get a look at the picture. ]

[As Riley steps closer Sigyn slides the knife back into the drawer.]

Loki, my wife. [She shifts the photo over so Riley can get a better look. The red head is thin and has dark circles under her eyes, but seems happy.] She was executed a few years ago.

Executed.

[ That's a little far away, for Riley. Like, mentally. She's a cheerleader from upstate New York. This whole experience is so far removed from her life. ]

I, uh... I'm sorry. [ How weak to say. And what a horrible thing to offer. ]

[Sigyn gives a small smile, though it isn't clear if it's directly at Riley, or the photo that once again holds her gaze.]

Wasn't you that did it, but thank you in any case.

[She gently takes the photo and tucks it back into her shirt pocket]

Who'd you get?

[ Oh dear. That kind of freezes her up for a moment, but Riley then smoothly approaches the kitchen island, shaking her head. In control. ]

It doesn't matter, because she's not dead. The stage managers made a mistake.

[Riley freezes, so Sigyn waits. She's seen it before, and if she doesn't want to share, she isn't going to push.]

They're idiots, bound to make a mistake eventually. [Of course they have gotten memories back, so it's entirely possible this person is dead and Riley just doesn't know it yet. Not that she's going to mention that.]

[ There's a lot Riley's willing to accept, but all this? The memories, everything? That's something she pushes back and ignores. No, everyone else is fine. Those are just bad dreams. ]

Aren't they just? ...As if any of us would believe what they have to say, anyway. The point is! I'm not going to listen to a single thing they say.

[Rebellion, revolution, these things are the most familiar to Sigyn. She takes the pain and the weight of the photo in her pocket and pushes it away. There are more important things right now, people that need help, assholes to overthrow]

We're going to beat them and we're all going to get out of this.

Exactly! [ It's a conscious choice when Riley smiles, bright and optimistic. She raises her chin, defiant. ] Just the right attitude, we're going to...keep that up, and no one is going to start waving knives around again.

[ The trials, y'all. They aren't a good look. ]

Right. No knives.

[Sigyn gives Riley's shoulder a squeeze. Normally she would go for a hug at a moment like this, but given how the encounter started, she figures it may not be exactly welcome.]

[ Oh, that's. A little weird? Riley's kind of stiff, but not overly so. For how bubbly and enthusiastic she is, she's not really...touchy? So it's something she has to take a moment to digest, a moment where her smile falters to something more confused than anything else.

But then that moment's over, and it's right back to grins and positivity. ]

So~! That all...cleared up, I'm going to get a smoothie or...or something. Wash all the [ a vague hand gesture, just. with both hands, making just a big circle ] everything of today away.

[Sigyn gives a small, placid smile. There is a weariness in her expression, but not one that sleep can help.]

How does hot chocolate sound?

[She pushes off the counter and goes to the fridge]

[ ...Riley goes soft, a little. ]

That actually sounds perfect.

[Sigyn pulls down a few packets of hot chocolate mix and moves over to the stove.]

Something warm always helps the nerves. Pass me a pot?

It's Curtains Act 2 Test Drive

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