☆TRACK V: I WILL TWIST THE KNIFE PT. 2

[interdimanagers]

Who: Everyone in the last part of the log.
What: Everyone has a terrible night.
When: December 7th, 2054
Where: Naomi's ocean side mansion, followed by a secret Pride laboratory.
Warnings: Violence, blood, and at least one murder. Vague gore. NPCs being unhinged in a threatening way, though it's possible to have your character avoid ended up in the ballroom if you don't want to see this mess.

☆I WILL TWIST THE KNIFE The bubble has burst. The chaos of the night’s violence has finally boiled over into something uncontrollable – blood has been spilt, screams have been heard. No matter where you are in the mansion, you know by now that something is acutely wrong. Multiple members of Pride have been hurt – possibly killed – and you may still have no idea why. Some will try to escape. Some will try to fight back. Yet, as any rebellion starts to descend, a piercing note - a melodic cry - will summon you towards the ballroom. It can be resisted, in part - but only as far as you find yourself frozen in place instead of moving forward, at least while this spell holds. It's drawing you to the source...if you follow it, maybe you can stop it. The compulsion is strong for members of both labels. The cry seems to echo long past its termination point, to be heard wherever you are. If followed, it will bring you to Naomi Rivers in the center of the ballroom, her expression creased with strain. Though you may desperately want to strike her, something intangible is holding you back. "No!" she shouts at any Virgo nearby. "It isn't done! You need to...you need to finish this!" She'll point desperately at the nearby Pride, rendered unable to flee. "Get them now!" You don't want to. "Do it!" The compulsion weighs heavily on you - for Virgo, to act, and for Pride to surrender themselves. All subtly has disappeared. This last effort is unconcealed and nearly hysterical. You feel yourself slipping beneath the soundwaves. Power rolls off of her, the energy thick in the air, like something you can taste and smell. You can't do this. "I command-" The fabric of space-time cracks like a peal of thunder. All at once, the spell shatters.

Comments

[losingherhead]

"At least. Good dental."

Coping with humor, that's how to live.

[hanginginthere]

Stay in here forever!

[LOOK WHO'S COMPLETELY TRYING TO COVER HIMSELF WITH BLANKETS NOW.]

[losingherhead]

Sounds. Ineffective.

[Like Bill.]

[liarmonstersnappydresser]

"Sure does. What will the fans think? I mean, is Bai Shen the kind of guy to just abandon the people who follow him?"

[Look, they're agreeing on something, SEE THE HAVOC YOU HAVE WROUGHT?! Bill keeps his hand on a small portion of the blanket to prevent Shen from dragging it further. Who is ineffective now?]

I'M NOT HEARING A BETTER PLAN, HERE.

[hanginginthere]

Nobody follows me!

[not true, he has a decent following on Twitter and his blog. more the latter than the former, but it's not nothing.

EXCUSE HIM WHILE HE FALLS BACKWARDS AND KEEPS HOLD ON ALL THE BLANKETS. ALL OF THEM. this is his home now.]

Leave me alone!

[losingherhead]

Staying here. Won't fix. Things.

[Be mature about murdering people.]

[giglio_madonna]

"And he's so arrogant about it too..." It's infuriating. Luce despises feeling so helpless when those she cares for are in danger. They can only be tossed around like puppets, going along with his stupid plans, get tricked by whatever Naomi pulled...

What does an awards ceremony and an eerie basement have in common?

Her words from her conversation from Ankh come back to her, and Luce finds herself clasping her hands together in front of her mouth, murmuring a twist of the question. "What do an awards ceremony, an eerie basement, and a Solstice party gone wrong have in common...?"

There's something to that, she thinks. There definitely is.

[panspermia]

Greg sat up straighter, watching her huddled by his side. "Mer, that's--that's not true. You know that." Didn't she? It wouldn't be the first time he'd made assumptions on her understanding of their relationship. "You're... it's you, who made it all worthwhile. All you've ever done is help me, and I won't--"

The false promise died on his tongue. They'd seen too much to give any illusion that he could make a difference if they were kept together or not. "If there's any chance at all that we can still be together... I wouldn't want it any other way."

[nibelungvalesti]

"The music made it worthwhile, Greg." She was grateful for his lie, but wouldn't let it stand. She saw how he loved to be playing, and moreover, how he loved the people who loved his music in turn. "But I am in no hurry to say our goodbyes either."

The stress and everything she had been through this night had broken her down and ground down her barriers. She uncurled one arm and reached out to put a hand on his forearm.

[dame_tsuna]

In that case, I'll definitely come by.

[It's comforting to know there's somewhere he can go when he needs advice. And there's something about Luce that's so motherly that just having her around makes him feel calmer. Actually, he's not the only one who could use that kind of comfort...]

Would... would it be a lot of trouble if I brought someone with me?

[dame_tsuna]

Right. We can't trust the executives and we can't trust the senior artists.

[Naomi proved that.]

But we can trust each other.

[loveconservative]

Even if there is no one else, then there will be us. It will be good if we stick together.

[liarmonstersnappydresser]

[Bill prematurely releases the blanket, sensing that Shen is about to tear it out of his hands anyway. He summarily flops down next to the ball of fluff that is his band mate, and pretends to stretch.]

"And if you do stay here, you know that means we all do."

[Do you want an eternity of being stuck with Bill in this tiny room?]

"Can't break up the band, kid."

[panspermia]

His melody slows to a stop with her touch, and Greg stares at her. He wants to insist again, but... how often has he thought it, even said it, that it's the band that keeps him going? He's been relying on her as a bandmate, as his keyboardist, not as a friend, as Meril. He's wanted to keep the three of them together as a unit, instead of individuals who care about each other.

Pink lights shine up from under their feet. He scrubs his tears away as she watches, bewildered. "What... do we do now?"

Her question makes him ache. This was supposed to make things better for them, he thought. He still wants that to happen. She's worth it. She deserves him trying again, better this time. Now he knows a little better.

"Let's just... talk."

He looks at her hand on his arm, and speaks softly. "Meril... what do you think you did, to hurt me?"

[dame_tsuna]

[He nods.]

For now we should stay quiet. Just do as we're told.

[He's not happy about it, but what else can they do? They don't know enough about what's going on, or what Lesedi and Mr. Blanche are after to do anything else.]

[loveconservative]

Maybe we can figure things out if Mr. Blanche likes us more...

[Though she's incredibly nervous about being anywhere near him...

[giglio_madonna]

Of course.

[She runs her fingers through his hair as if that can tame them.]

Who is it?

[nibelungvalesti]

"I did my best to play my assigned role." They both knew what that role was -- a keyboardist who was competent enough to justify her position in the band while providing gratuitous fanservice and eye candy appeal. "And yet it seems to have not been good enough."

Had she been performing better, management wouldn't have felt the need to break them apart. A competent and capable band, one that brought in earnings and plaudits, would have been left together.

[panspermia]

Wow. He really did botch this, if that's all she thought she was good for.

"Meril, you... you can't blame yourself over their game. They didn't even tell us the rules, we all... you can't expect to take it on yourself. None of this is your fault."

Hesitantly, he rested on hand over hers. "I'm sorry too. The music made me happy, so I thought it would be enough for everyone else, too. You shouldn't hold yourself to that."

[trustme]

What?

[ Doctor looks her in the eye and slowly asks, squinting. ]

The music just now... Amazing Grace?

It was in my head. How anyone possibly hear it?

[trustme]

Doctor tries to laugh again and it barely comes out. "Do Blanche or Lesedi even like music that much? Can't help wondering if they could do what they're doing as rival... toy manufacturers instead."

He stares up towards the ceiling, considering all the other musicians living in headquarters who had been a part of Virgo long before he or Greg had. How many of them knew the truth?

"There must be a number of senior artists who have all ready asked these exact same questions."

[nibelungvalesti]

"That is what I like about you, Greg. The music makes you happy. I wanted to preserve that as long as possible." And protect the others as well. Each of them needed it in their own way. But now they were gone and Greg had been hurt. Utter failure.

[giglio_madonna]

I... Yes?

[And Luce finds herself freezing up.]

As if the night can't get any stranger.

[dame_tsuna]

Nia. She joined Surviving Friday at the same time I did.

[He looks down at the floor guiltily.]

She got dragged into my...

[He can't say murder plot. Then he has to deal with it all over again.]

That is, I asked her for when help when I...

[Still can't say it.]

I think things have been just as tough for her as they are for me.

[giglio_madonna]

[Ah. She sees.]

Of course. Any friend of yours is a friend of ours.