peckenpaugh | THE UPPER LEVELS

up into the balconies

you climb The breathing boughs of that nightmare tree crowd into the upper balconies of the ruined auditorium. You have to duck and bend to get by them in places, sometimes through spaces that seem to grow smaller as you press through. These branches are warm to the touch, some of them uncomfortably so, pulsing with something that isn't quite life.

You've climbed these stairs more than once in your time here; to take your place after your sorting, to watch new students find their House, or perhaps just for an assembly. This building always seemed so sturdy, so safe. It was a place to go for shows, for celebrations, and hell, to just get out of class. Now, the floorboards creek precariously, split and splintering where vines have crept through. Benches are broken, overturned and tossed aside to make room for the auditorium's new king: the malignant maple. Up here, the glowing blue seeds hanging from branches are close enough to pluck. Those that have ripened litter the floor and railings, filling the balconies with an eerie blue twinkle.

The air is muggy, clogged by falling ash. It stinks of coal and sulfer. But you keep moving, anyway. Keep opening portals and pushing on. Just a little bit higher, and then maybe you'll be able to plunge into the depths.

and you fight By now there's a plan, and with it, a slowly growing brigade of people, of beings, of bugs, who are gathering to push back against inevitability.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Trudy is leaned in very close to her teacher's face, very clearly fascinated by the scene. "I didn't know this memory would involve so much interpersonal drama," she says, her eyes still on the bloody mess of his face. "Honestly, it doesn't look irreparable to me, with some halfway decent treatment. Do you think Altizer keeps him from getting an ambulance out of spite?" It seems reasonable to her. She looks up at the busty blond, then approaches to snatch her phone.

There is no voice on the other side of the phone, and the memory remains frozen. The vuvuzela continues to glow every time one of the girls kicks it in their rush to investigate the next step.

"I think we need some music," Claudia suggests, grabbing her phone from her purse. "I bet there's a SpotWizFy station for just this kind of situation." And if not, there should be. They're getting to be almost common.

Trudy tries to investigate the blond's phone for clues about her relationship with Alva.

Jupiter gets an intrusive thought. Except, with Jupiter, an intrusive thought is just a thing you do.

She picks up the vuvuzela and tries to pry the eyeball off the end to throw it at the beer pong cups.

Audrey thought they maybe had to play the bloodvuzuela so her eyes are stupid wide in equal parts horror and relief.

"I'm not drinking that."

She murmurs as the eye flies through the air, before even seeing if it lands in some beer.

Edited (SDKFJHDSJK THIS IS SO STUPID I'M SORRY) 2020-06-11 03:48 (UTC)

The landline, wallbound phone reveals nothing about her relationship with Alva. What fucking year is this? How old is Mr. Berzelius?

But when Jupiter grabs the vuvuzela and pops that eye off the end, things start up. God, was it really the eye thing? It was the eye pong, wasn't it?

“I mean… you kinda did break up with me.” Alva’s smile turns into more of a grimace, and he tries to back away from Nes’ grasp.

“To study abroad, Alva,” the not-even-slightly-sympathetic Clytemnestra answers. “You’re supposed to pine for me, jackass.”

“I did! I am!” Alva pulls himself up to a sitting position and clamps a hand on his injured eye. “I’m also in need of medi—”

“Uh-uh, you are not getting out of this so easily. So did you just pick the girl with the biggest boobs at the portkey hub and ask her to be your girlfriend, or do you two have a special con—”

“C’mon, you know you’re the one been flirting with some Perfect Human Specimen all night!”

“Because you weren’t paying attention to me.”

“Um, excuse me, uh.” The petite blonde—Alva’s apparent girlfriend edges up to the pair, twisting her hands together fretfully. “I do think we need to be going to, uh, hospital?”

Nes stands up with too much force. “He’s my boyfriend, and I’m taking his dumb ass to the hospital,” she snarls and stomps toward the closet. “But first he has to wait for me to find my stupid purse.”

She storms to her feet and yanks open the nearest closet door, but instead of coats inside, it’s that damn school.

Also, the eye is floating in a solo cup of beer. Nice.

"Nice," says Jupiter.

Trudy pouts that she didn't think of eye-pong first.

“I found the makeout closet!!” Felicity calls to Claudia. “Except... nevermind. It just goes back to school.”

She sounds a touch disappointed.

THE UPPER LEVELS

MEMORY: Party Games

MEMORY: Party Games

MEMORY: Party Games

MEMORY: Party Games

MEMORY: Party Games

MEMORY: Party Games

MEMORY: Party Games

MEMORY: Party Games

MEMORY: Party Games

MEMORY: Party Games