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[DVFP] Arena - Sierra Ascends (M 5.6, S 5.7)
Fleece helps you dress and the last verse of the lead-in act is coming to an end. The babe grand is set up, and Fleece knocks on the door for Horse and six others to protect you as you make your way to the stage.
What does the stage look like, Sierra? How about you? When the crowd finally calms down enough for you to play, what do you open with?
Comments
The stage is designed to give every angle of the arena a good view of the show.
Mirrors hang overhead and some of the "mirrors" are digital screens, showing closer images of myself and the piano - not that I am paying them much attention. My heart is beating a thousand beats a minute. I'm dressed in a beautiful gold and blue number, gold flecks are painted onto my face for an extra effect.
I'm nervous, but I'm ready. It's time to end this. As I step onto the elevator that will bring me to the top of the stage I lean down and kiss Fleece, uncaring for who sees.
"I'll see you after."
I say it with conviction. As if, if I say it loud enough, if I mean it enough, it will be true. The music starts before I get onstage. It's the only song I have planned extra instruments for, but it's worth it. My lines start as soon as my head clears the stage floor - the crowd is deafening.
I laugh as the song ends, almost too quickly. I'm standing on my piano bench and gently step off to sit at the baby grand. I run my hands along the keys as the crowd calms down. "You may have heard that Fippers came to the Depot the other day... trying to mess with our way of life, thinking they could tear us down. Well, we aren't down are we?" I smile out into the crowd. "I have a message for the Fippers or for anyone who would try to control us."
You have them on a hook now. What's next?
feeling tingly and over exposed. I hope you are ready, June. I send the thought into the ether, I don't expect her to hear me with all the interference, but you never know. This is a Brave New World.
"Our lives are recorded, picked a part, play things for the masses. The houses think they can control us, and not just the DVFP. They use the Feed to control what you think, what you feel. They push their message and I can feel it... can you?!" My eyes are closed as I scream-ask the crowd, feeling them react. I feel the feed wiggle, curious. "This is A Thousand Eyes."
OOC: This is an entire concert, you just want the first song
Undo this storm * Undo this storm * Undo this storm * And wait
I can't control * Withering wonders * Flowers that lose their shape
I lie awake
And watch it all
It feels like thousand eyes
I lie awake
And watch it all
It feels like thousand eyes
And there it is, the phrase, I breathe out and continue, praying to feel a change, a charge from the feed.
They are waiting now. You see people moving closer, trying to reach up to you. A fifteen foot barrier, snipers watching over you, and they still have the undeniable urge to touch you, to be part of the magic you're bringing.
Why don't you activate Artful & gracious here, let's see what happens?
I can feel them, all of their want of me and it's heady. It's a bit like a dalika, raging inside my head, the gorrem masses pressing in. I concentrate on the song. Working the spell the best I can...
I'll be the calm * I will be quiet * Stripped to the bone * I wait
I let the energy from the crowd draw me up, my tone getting stronger, my passions rising...
No, I'll be a stone
I'll be the hunter-er-er
Tower that casts a shade
I lie awake
And watch it all
It feels like thousand eyes
And it does...
I lie awake
And watch it all
It feels like thousand eyes
I lie awake
And watch it all
It feels like thousand eyes
The piano keys under my hands almost feel like they could break. I pound my fingers against them with all the power in my body, with all the passion in my soul, with all the anger and heartbreak and pain I can muster. I want them to feel this... I want them to know me.
Then the rage ends, and all that is left is my truth.
I am the storm
I am the storm
I am the storm
So wait
Rolling Artful & Gracious
(Rolled: 2d6+4. Rolls: 3, 6. Total: 13)
Motley's climbing up the barricade to get to you, trying to reach you. You hear gunfire, you see Marigold among the throng, screaming something at you, worry coloring her face and voice. Members of the Crue are starting fights, gunfire breaks out in a dozen different spots. A cacophony. A tumult.
Gloriana takes a small jump, and suddenly she's airborne. She's coming to you, too. You see her, Sierra. She's fugging here.
What do you do?
But then I see her. June's done her job and here she is, bright as day, waves of red hair framing her face. She's beautiful and terrible. I take a step towards her, drawn to my first sight of her in what feels like forever, a moth to a flame. For a second I forget everything.
I forget about Motely, and why he might be trying to reach me. I forget about the deal she's made. I forget about why I am here, but then I remember. It's like a knife wound in the gut.
I planned for this, as far as I could plan for it. I reach to my side and undo the hooks that attached the gold belt to the inner fabric. I picked this dress for a reason, it's a wrap dress, there are two to three layers of silk cinched by this belt. It won't give me a lot of time, but it might give me enough. I concentrate as I do it, try to protect June, Becks, Roth, Fleece, and Reese from my powers impact. Hoping to keep them free.
I can feel the water well in my eyes and the last hook pulls free and I begin to slowly unwrap myself on stage. "Enough." I say, my voice shaking. "Stop."
For A&G I would like for the head of Phoenix House to love me, the head of Gryphon House to want to give me a gift and the Head of Grendel to need my services.
What do you do?
Motley, you hear gunfire all around, a few stray bullets land near your head, but you scramble up like a monkey onto the stage. And see Sierra. Hear her command you to stop. Despite your intentions, you do. Your whole world is caught in her beauty. Her magic holds you still and calm. It's like a drug. Better than a drug.
I look at Sierra, she looks more beautiful than I have ever seen. I stand on the stage unable to look away, euphoria washes over me. I hold my magnum in my hand, relaxed at my side, but I can't remember why I had it out. I forget why I came up here.
I know it was important, at least I think it was, but it must not matter anymore. I ... I feel the drop of a tear land on my hand holding the gun. When did that happen?
My left hand reaches out for Sierra, I wanted to explain something...something I was angry about, no it was SOMEONE I was angry about. Does any of that matter anymore? I fall to my knees on the stage, cradling the pistol in my lap. I think someone was depending on me, they needed me to do the hard thing ... but I feel too good to...hurt anyone. That was it, I was going to hurt the person I was angry at. I look up at Sierra, fear and confusion showing in my eyes. It couldn't be Sierra, NO I could not hurt her. Tears begin to flow freely, my mind searching for something more to connect to why I am on this stage, fearful at what it will find.
Reese and Beckett are moving through the crowd. Reese calls out your name, Sierra, looks like he's going to climb up to you. Beckett pulls out a pistol, aims it up at Gloriana. She meets your eyes, asking the question, "do I shoot her?"
What do you do?
screams, the sound of absolute terror and confusion and then - nothing. No, not nothing. There are a thousand people breathing, a thousand people shuffling, their clothes rustling, their eyes blinking. It sounds like the wind, like the center of a hurricane, when you can see the rain wall coming, hear it approach, and everything on the inside is silent. Not even the birds chirp, not that there are many birds in the DVFP.
Gloriana lands on the piano, and I can't tell if she is effected or not. Motley drops to his knees and I inwardly breath a sigh of relief for Fleece. Beckett raises her pistol to Gloriana and I shake my head no. I can't kill her like this, beholden to me, ensnared. I said I would never use my power that way again and I meant it, I meant it. I yell over to Beckett and I turn the silk over in my fingers, folding it and revealing a new layer. "Keep your gun trained on her, Reese there are stairs in the back, keep her in your sights."
I swallow. I can't believe I am going to do this. "Gloriana..." her name breaks in my throat and I feel like I could die inside. She's just sitting there, my Glori, watching me. I force the tears away to meet her eyes, to finish what I was going to say. Whether she was just humoring me or not, she's released now."Why, Glori, why?"
It's the only question I have. The only one that matters...
She sits on the edge of the piano, her high-heeled shoes on the bench, looking at you. "I had to get an heir. I'm... my body's slagged from treatments and my DNA's not even good enough for harvesting for a clone, much less a baby." She reaches a hand out across the gulf between you. In days past, this is how she'd summon you for a kiss. "Come home to me. Come love me. Give my father his fuggin' heir and let's retire to the cloud city together. I cannot bear another moment. Alone."
I step froward and put my cheek in her palm and close my eyes, feeling her familiar warmth against my skin. I'm about to let her pull me closer, into her arms, so our lips can meet - I can imagine it, practically feel it - but I can't, I won't go back to her.
I open my eyes and wish I could be angrier, wish there was some venom in my voice, but there isn't - it holds only sadness. "No." I step back out of reach. "You should never have sent me here. You should have pulled me out right away.
I waited and waited for you to come and you never did. But now, now I know
what you did to me, Glor..." I take another step back, sure of her anger, keeping my fingers slow folding, ever steady. "You made me afraid of other people, other connections, kept me isolated and alone... now you feel alone?" I take a shaky breath. "The citadel isn't my home anymore, Gloriana. You aren't my home anymore. I'm... I'm not coming with you."
I grab Fleece's hand pulling her solidly behind me. In the frenzy I accidentally drop my dress, leaving the folds of my dress to flutter in the wind, the pale grey and gold fabric streaming behind Reese. For a moment, a second, I fear the spell might be broken before I grab it and unwrap a whole section off in one quick go - I'm only down to one layer and a tie now, I don't know how long I can drag this out.
"The DVFP? This is no one's home, and none of us deserve to live here. But, Glori - you need to leave. You aren't my home, how could you be? You don't want me to be happy, you just want me to be yours. Please. Just go, if my friends and I can't walk free, than I'm staying here. But please, if you love me, you have to go."
I bite my lip, making my decision, solidifying it in my mind. I find the snipers on the top of the forum, those men and women in Depot colors and release them back to their bodies.
"I'm not sure you ever really loved me Glori, I want to believe you did. But this, what you are asking of me? This isn't love. And I can't let you harm anyone else because of me."
I can feel a tear slide down my cheek. It's dramatic, cinematic, and I hate that it's being played out and recorded to be watched and rewatched over and over again. Replayed on Saturday night: Sierra and her heartbreak.
To her I add quietly, "You led yourself here Glori and I honestly wish you had never come." I look up at the roof tops, raising my voice, positioning my mouth in front of the mic. "This man - " I motion to Motley, releasing him as well, unwilling to let him die due to confusion, " - and this woman have come here to harm me and to harm the people of the Depot. I am going to leave this stage. If they follow me or make any move to harm me and my friends.." I look at Reese and Beck's, before making my eyes meet Gloriana's, "... shoot them."
I'm almost out of fabric, I can feel where the internal tie is, soon I will be showing more skin than I'd like. I move myself and Fleece backwards, down stage, towards Reese, towards the back steps. "Please, Glori, don't do anything that would make them hurt you."
I give her a pleading look and in a quick movement re-wrap the dress around myself, like a saree, effectively breaking the spell, and stepping off the stage, ready to flee.
Sierra, you cover yourself and the world slams back into reality, people below you blink and start looking around, some screaming in exaltation, others trying to get back to what they're doing, some call your name plaintively. You hear gunfire, and people in the stadium floor react with panic. As you're leaving the stage, someone screams that the Fat Man's gone. A quick glance confirms that yes, the glass at his booth is cracked open and he's not there.
Beneath you, prisoners become panicked animals. Shoving and pushing, more gunfire. The sound of rotors from a helicopter coming in low and fast.
Motley, you come out of the spell Sierra cast over you, and you're face-to-face with Gloriana.
What do you do?
I look towards where Sierra escaped, and time freezes. Gigg's words replay in my head, "...in the end they're all just tools and toys to 'em. You think you can use their lives to bargain with them.."
Gloriana was never going to honor her promise, or maybe she would, but if she did it would add me as another toy for her to play with. Never again.
All the deaths of the Crue over the years, the war just to exist, the people who want to take that away from us and treat us as animals for their pleasure, the woman before me embodies all of that.
I look Gloriana in the eyes.
"Gloriana, YOU. DON'T OWN. ME!" And I shoot her.
Motley, your hackles rise as you see several figures among the crowd on the upper level pull up their automatic rifles to aim at you, then they shimmer out of sight. You hear the chopper coming, only moments away, that same away WHUP-WHUP-WHUP from before. Your Crue's fighting people in the arena, shooting at some snipers, you're not sure why. What do you do?
Sierra, Reese covers you, his gun out, looking for threats. Fleece pulls you into a hug, then she's escorting you to the hidden door to get inside the stage and down.
My eyes are wide and full of water. I take a step back, towards her, towards Gloriana, my Gloriana, but someone is in the way. Fleece... Fleece is in the way, hugging me fiercely and moving me towards the exit. Then I hear the guns and general panic. Like someone suddenly turned up the volume on the feed. I blink overwhelmed.
"No..." I whisper, as I let Reese and Fleece guide me away. My head turned to the last second, staring into Gloriana's unblinking face. I didn't want this...
Then suddenly we are under the stage, and all is darkness.
Hearing the helicopter brings back memories of the last time the Fippers raided, it slams to the forefront of my head. Panic starting to build, and I force it down, I don't have time for emotions. My Crue are in danger. I run to the mic I saw Sierra use, "Crue, clear out. Fippers are coming! 'Gold come this way." I scan quickly over the crowd looking for Marigold, the panic beginning to try to claw its way to the surface again. I try to swallow it down, but my throat is dry.
That's when I see her near the stage fighting off two people, not sure who they are associated with, I don't care. Two quick steps bring me close and I shoot one of them, dropping them like the worthless scum they are. The panic now turned to rage, I find myself screaming, I don't know why. 'Gold now free of one of her assailants takes out the remaining one.
I take the briefest of moments to glance at her face, a little sweat and blood intermingle on her temple, she is beautiful! I reach my hand out to lift her onto the stage, and we run. I don't know if the Crue heard, or if they responded but I can't stop. I can't save everyone, I finally understand that. I have 'Gold with me, that may be all I can do. So we run.
Sierra,
You feel hands pulling you in the darkness. Reese, maybe? Fleece, certainly. You know the stage is about to be lit up. Do you want to take cover, or try and run out of this place in hopes of finding some way out of the Arena?
I look at QR, stunned for a moment that she is climbing up to the stage, then I rush over to giver her a hand to help her up quickly. "Riot you Fugging Chummer, why the Shades are you coming this way." As she completes her climb to the stage, without hesitation, I pull her into an embrace, " I love you too" I turn to the rest, sparing the briefest of moments to meet each of their eyes, communicating all my love and appreciation for them and what it means to stand with me, "Let's get the Fug out of here." As a group we begin to run, as a crue we fire upon the chopper and any that threaten us, AS A FAMILY WE BEGIN TO LEAVE.
I don't know where I am going, all I know if that I am running at full pace. The helicopter sounds are getting louder and I can't help but wonder if now that Gloriana is dead (She's not dead, Gloriana can't die, Gloriana is immortal) if the copter really will fire on the arena. Live. On the feed. The thought is terrifying.
We come to a door and Fleece pushes me out into the day. For a moment, I am blinded. All the muted noises I was hearing under the stage, the panic, the blades of the helicopter, they are all deafening now. Fleece throws a cape over me, something to hide my features and we keep running. I can tell now that we are aiming for the wall of the arena, where cement and metal make us less easy targets - and perhaps beyond that if Reese knows a way.
I've made my decision. I trust these two. At this point all I can do is trust as we make out way through the crowds and the screams. I hope June and the rest are all right...
Sierra, I want you to roll to Act Under Fire for you and your friends here.
Acting Under Fire
(Rolled: 2d6+1 . Rolls: 3, 6. Total: 10)
Read a Sitch (+sharp) (Rolled: 2d6+0. Rolls: 3, 6. Total: 9)
Whispers of your name trail down the line of folks in this hallway towards the exit. They scoot out of your way, eyes staring up at you, the star, the bright, shining angel.