SHOWMASTER HEART GAME (SUNDAY)(MORNING)

[showmaster]

A familiar voice can be heard above you, you're not sure if they're talking to you or not but it does feel like you're part of this conversation:

"What a Wonderful Story that you have. I've read it many times when I was feeling sad. You know, I wanted to keep it in my personal collection, but it doesn't seem that's going to be possible. To grant my wish, I'd have to sacrifice what it means to be a reader ... to become the story. That's The End that I'm looking for.

...

...

...

...

..."

Comments

THE BEACH (REGRETS)

[ticketmaster]

[As you walk through the door, you find yourself walking down a wooden plank path where flowers are growing alongside you. The smell of the ocean becomes stronger and stronger as you get closer. It's dark, but slowly above you, you can see stars glistening above, illuminating the area to where you can see just a little better at what you're stepping through.

The flowers you're stepping over seem to be . . . covered in writing. Little words handwritten, some printed, some typed, but every single blue petal is covered in words. If you touch one, you'll find they feel like paper.



As you get closer, the sky begins to brighten slowly just as if dawn was approaching. Once it's bright enough, you realizing you do find yourself facing . . . a beach! A beach where the tide has pulled away a good distance, but a beach nonetheless. The sand on your feet, the shells on the ground and the scattering of flower petals littering the area wherever you go . . .

In the distance is wet sand where the ocean used to be.

There is a small child, hunched over, crying.

You can still see the stars in the sky, a splattering of different colors, and the three moons that are familiar to you. There is also just a random door in the distance, an odd thing to see, but it does have a floating "exit" sign above it.]

Re: THE BEACH (REGRETS)

[audacity]

[ if he stops to look at the flowers along the way, can he read them? ]

Re: THE BEACH (REGRETS)

[ticketmaster]

[They're attempts at writing stories. Scribbles of a child who is trying to create her own adventures.

and then the unicorn flew through the sky

the rainbow path had a pot of gold at the end

sometimes the girl with fox ears would be sad but her friends would help her cheer up]

Re: THE BEACH (REGRETS)

[audacity]

[ cute...

but when he gets to the beach, of course, the child grabs his attention. he approaches her slowly, crouching next to her ]

...hey.

cw: child harm

[ticketmaster]

[It is 1000000% a smaller child version of the Showmaster, covered in terrible scars that don’t seem natural, stitching that seems to be keep patches of skin together and pieces of fingers and toes missing. She’s only in a hospital gown, no shoes, quite distressed really.]

Re: cw: child harm

[audacity]

[ gods. all too easy to imagine what caused all that, after that one room he and gingham saw from the elevator. carefully pulls off his overshirt, putting it over her shoulders ]

Re: cw: child harm

[ticketmaster]

[The child is still crying, hiccuping, but slowly looking up at him, cautious, scared.]

Re: cw: child harm

[audacity]

Hey.

[ soft. sits near her, but enough to give her space ]

I'm Aster. What's your name?

Re: cw: child harm

[ticketmaster]

[Through hiccups, she speaks quietly:]

...Estoria...

Re: cw: child harm

[audacity]

Nice to meet you, Estoria. Is...

[ hesitates, looking from her to the ocean and back ]

...do you mind if I ask what happened? You seem pretty upset.

Re: cw: child harm

[showmaster]

My brother is gone!!!! They put him in a bucket and took him away!!! He's never coming back!!!

[She begins to wail again]

Re: cw: child harm

[audacity]

...I'm so sorry. What makes you say he's never coming back?

Re: cw: child harm

[showmaster]

Because! The ocean is too big and I am too little, I can't swim and find all of the pieces!!

Re: cw: child harm

[audacity]

...no. Not on your own. But I can try to help you.

Re: cw: child harm

[showmaster]

How?!

[She suddenly looks towards him, desperate.]

Re: cw: child harm

[audacity]

[ hesitates, looking out to sea ]

Two are better than one, right? And I wanna help you. You're not alone.

[ and if he tries stretching out his senses, his powers, to the ocean....does he feel anything? ]

Re: cw: child harm

[ticketmaster]

[The ocean itself feels...far. You really can't hear it from where you are outside of a sound of pain from far away.]

Re: cw: child harm

[audacity]

[ exhales ]

...it might take a while. And it might be hard. But I really will do whatever I can help you.

Re: cw: child harm

[ticketmaster]

[She sniffles.]

It's all my fault...

Re: cw: child harm

[audacity]

Hey, no. How could it be your fault?

Re: cw: child harm

[ticketmaster]

Because if it wasn't for me, he wouldn't be here...

[She faceplants into the sand.]

Re: cw: child harm

[audacity]

Why not?