THE BOX OFFICE

[tellthestory]

This is where you can meet privately with the Balladeer! The Balladeer is almost always around during the day; just knock.

(Secretly, the door's usually not locked if he's inside. But you wouldn't want to be rude, would you?)

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[inforapenny]

...Have you thought about making your own chance? You don't have to let this be the status quo.

[Because the status is not quo.]

[tellthestory]

How do you mean?

[don't start that shit with him he knows where that rhetoric leads]

[inforapenny]

They're... They're trying harder to break us than you thought they would, right? So we need to stand together, more than they expect us to.

[tellthestory]

...well, sure, that's sort of what I've been trying to tell you all.

[It hasn't been working out]

[inforapenny]

But there's only so much we can do by ourselves. You're- you're part of their experiment too.

[tellthestory]

Wh -

[He hesitates, glancing down as he knits his fingers together.] No, I mean...they didn't mean it like that.

[inforapenny]

Twenty people brought together from all different backgrounds, with the hypothesis that isolation and stimulus will make them commit murder. The motives and the promise of freedom are all the independent variables, because they're the factors that the Showrunners control, with who kills for which motive being the dependent variable, because it is dependent on the independent variable.

But then... They have one person who's dealt with murderers and with a comparable format before. They could have just told you when you were recruited to do the same thing you did last time, to not interfere or try to help us. But they told you that you could help. And in so doing, they made you an independent variable, too.

Their hypothesis is that even with exposure to hope, any person can fall into despair with the right stimulus. What they're not counting on... is losing control of an independent variable.

[It's science, Jim!]

[tellthestory]

[The science talk gets him to look up at Billy again, at least. His brow furrows at all the Science, but he's following along.]

I don't...know what I'm supposed to do. I didn't have choices before, things just went the way they went.

[inforapenny]

...I don't know, either.

[He doesn't say what he suspects: that the Balladeer is supposed to try and try and try to save them until he falls into despair like the rest.]

I don't know what all you can do that we can't, or what, if anything, you can't do that we can.

[It's a quiet admission, compared to the hushed passion he had when he was talking about the science behind this social experiment.]

But... This isn't about history, anymore. I-I mean, most of us aren't even from the same time, let alone world. Balladeer, this doesn't have to be just our story anymore. You can be more than just a narrator.

[tellthestory]

[He drops his gaze again, running one thumb over the knuckles of the other hand.]

I don't know if I can. I'm not like the rest of you, Billy. Like, you - the Doctor. That's a title you earned on purpose, something you worked for, but you're still more than that. I don't have anything outside of this.

[inforapenny]

Then- then you can work to be something else.

Even- if you can't help us, do you really want to still be here when the Showrunners bring in the next group to, to repopulate their experiment? What if- what if they use whatever it was on you so you don't remember us until the next group starts dying? Don't you want more than just being their pawn?

[He looks down at the desk.]

I-I... I wanted to be Doctor Horrible because I didn't like who I was. Because that identity was the only way I felt like I could change things, maybe for me or even for other kids like me. The Doctor... is just me, but uh. With a blog. And a coat.

[tellthestory]

[He seems started at the suggestion of more memory wipes.] You think...no, no, they wouldn't do that. I don't want to do another show like this, they know that.

[Though he seems uncertain...because after all, he probably would do it again if he didn't remember not wanting to.]

So then I'm - what?
I don't know.
Who else am I?
Where can I go?
I can't go back
I can't find my way through

[inforapenny]

[Billy's quiet and listens for a second like he's absorbing the melody.]

Don't you ever want to see the sunlight
to face a brand new day?
You could do it, if you wanted
You could fin'lly be free
If you want to...

Why are you standing here?

[tellthestory]

Billy, I'm scared

I had a life I thought I understood
Wasn't much, but I squeezed out every bit of life I could

And now the edges of the world
That held me up have gone away
And I'm falling into nothingness, or flying into something so sublime -

[He cuts himself off abruptly, swallowing and turning away to look at his instruments.]

[inforapenny]

[Billy glances in the direction that Balladeer looks, then reaches his hand out across the desk.]

You're stronger than you give yourself credit for. You can do this.

Nothing's gonna harm you,
not while we're around.
Nothing's gonna harm you - listen,
not while we're around.

You'll face some trouble up ahead, but you know

[He smiles wryly.]

Call for your double,
I'll be there, just to show

No one's gonna hurt you,
no one's gonna dare.
We're all here behind you, not to worry,
we're with you, I swear.

We know you're hurting just as much, for a touch, on your own...
Balladeer, we're here.
You are not alone.

[tellthestory]

Darkness is creeping everywhere, nowadays
Wish I could help you, if I can, if there's ways...

[The Balladeer smiles wryly in return.]

You've all got more right to hate me than my last cast, but you're all so nice.

[inforapenny]

I don't know how the others think, but to me at least it's... pretty obvious that you don't want anything to happen to us. You've been doing what you can to help us since the beginning.

[tellthestory]

It's not enough. It was...I didn't want any of this to happen, you were all supposed to just...I don't know, whatever normal people do! Make friends, not kill each other!

I know not all of you are normal people, but I still thought it could work out. I like to think people can be better than what they are. I don't know why.