[ch. 5] wednesday, w/ varian

[asswipe]

[Hey, Varian.

Should he step into the library on Wednesday morning, he'll spot Veronica trying to get something out of the topmost shelves. It's hard to tell what it is from a distance, but at first glance? It certainly isn't a book. In fact, it looks a little like it's wrapped up in... plastic? Or is that tape? Does tape even exist in ye olde Disney? It is a mystery.

But she doesn't seem like she's noticed Varian yet, mumbling curses as she tries to get the item out without toppling over.]

Comments

[alchemenace]

[ Varian loves when people trip and die, so he waits until he's like right next to Veronica to announce his presence: ]

Hey V. Need any help?

[ yes because varian is so tall ]

1/2

[asswipe]

[Unfortunately for everyone, Veronica yelps in surprise, tripping over her own two feet and cracking her skull on the ground when she falls. Looks like there's another early murder this week. :'(]

[asswipe]

[Okay, no.

While she does left out a very undignified shriek, startled by his sudden appearance, she manages to stop herself from falling over by holding onto the bookshelf at the last minute. She takes a deep breath, #shook, and then turns to look at him.]

—Jesus Christ! What are you now, a ninja?!

[alchemenace]

[ he's just down there, wincing ]

Sorry! I, uh. Ha. I kinda thought you'd have heard me?

[ that's why he wasn't making noise. ]

[asswipe]

My gift isn't super powered hearing, so... no. You're really quite sometimes, you know that?

[She's still scarred by him being Unsettling last week, sheesh!! Regardless, she steadies herself on the ladder — assuming that the handy dandy visual aid on the locations page wasn't lying and the library has ladders. :/ Okay.]

Actually— Can you help keep me steady? I'm trying to get something down, but...

[She's too short. It's a curse.]

[alchemenace]

Oh, well, heh, I've had to sneak around ... a lot.

[ that's clearly reassuring. but he moves to hold onto the ladder immediately at her request because he understands the plight of shortness. he... Understands. ]

Yeah, I've got it! What is it?

[asswipe]

[That's shady. But also Veronica's a fool who thought "I lied" bullets were real so, lbr, she doesn't notice anything weird about that statement.]

It's, um... It's. [...] Do you promise not to freak out?

[Said while almost, almost reaching the item.]

[alchemenace]

Yeah, sure. It can't be that bad?

[ famous last words ]

[asswipe]

... Okay.

[Famous last words, indeed. Veronica takes a deep breath, stretching her arm as far as it goes to reach the item, and then—]

It's a bomb.

[—she manages to get enough reach to drag it down, revealing what seems to be a homemade explosive wrapped up in black, electrical tape.

They will, almost immediately, find themselves trapped inside a bubble. Veronica only has enough time to pull the deactivated bomb towards her chest, right before a memory is shown from her point of view. It begins with her alone in the middle of a football field, clutching the same bomb to her chest, and ends only after the bomb detonates in JD's arms.

... Presumably, this is all shown with the singing replaced by dialogue — but Varian is also from a musical canon, so!! Who knows!! It is a mystery.]

[alchemenace]

It's a what--

[ he barely has time to say this before the memory takes them. luckily for varian musicals just translate to normal... things, and all he sees is a guy definitely killing himself with a bomb. And because the mods explained how this bubble works, one dramatic musical number begets another, and it's mere seconds before a memory from his own point of view plays.

i have no idea how this translates to dialogue but it's funny. anyway that's the end of that bubble and varian is just going to. die. softly. inside. ]

... Was. Was it meant to be an emotional bomb?

[ can we not ever talk about this? ]

when i belatedly realize i deleted the notif rip

[asswipe]

[It translates to dialogue through ~magic~. Somehow. Someway.

It's okay, though. They can slowly die on the inside together. This is fine? The most fine.]

I— No? Holy shit. [UH.] Was that your... um...?

[His dad, she means. But she won't actually name names because she knows how upset he was the last time. And, uh, for good reason? Because that sure was a dude stuck inside a giant ass piece of amber.]

i had to look up which fucking memory that was its been so long

[alchemenace]

[ he pauses and tilts his head to look at the ceiling with a sigh ]

... Yeah. [ ... ] Was that your, um?

[ how do you say "boyfriend who exploded" with tact. ]

that is fair

[asswipe]

... Yeah. Whatever you were gonna say? Yeah.

[There's no way to say it with tact. It's fine.]

Are you okay?

[alchemenace]

M-me? You watched that guy-- [ explode. ] I'm, I'm fine. It's not like it's the first or last time I'll see my dad like that.