Repose

[After this phone call.]

[Leena B]
Doing anything tonight?

[Juliet J]
Are you busy tonight?

[Daniel W]
Can I ask you an odd question?

[After this makes the news.]

[Carver A]

We cannot do this on our own.

[Leena B]

Have you been keeping up with the news?

[Juliet J]

So how familiar with supernatural shit are you?

[A while after the initial chaos, well into the lockdown. The fleeing crowds have, er, died out a little. So aside from the alarms, the floor above ground zero is quiet, almost pensive, as if waiting--until a burst of static rips across the hallway intercom system, followed by the ominous sound of steel doors clanging shut in unison, all over the level. A new, localized alarm begins to sound somewhere nearby.]

[Hallway intercoms]
Ooh, shoot. [A long pause and then, cheerfully:] Um! Totally my bad.

Who: Anyone
What: New opening
Where: The roadhouse

The grand opening is advertizing. Flyers on noticeboards and a radio spot on the local station and a note on the forums that just says Lux: open Saturday. When it opens, there's a trickle of people from the Capital who are curious about small-town attempts at big city clubs and the trickle is enough for steady business.

Inside it's very different to burlesque velvet and beads, luxury oozing off the walls. It's pared down industrial, and lights and the music played is layered, modern with piano threaded over and through until you can't pull apart the classic from the newly invented. The piano? That's in the pit, lowered seating comfortable enough to get comfortable and a side-on view of the piano player. It's bigger on the inside than it looks on the out, optical illusion or just good interior decoration and as guilt-money tokens go? It's pretty impressive.

The opening night, the bartenders are still learning. There's laughter over music, and the servers circulate, all in black determined to ensure a good night.

[Private to Sasha]

I've returned! You don't want to know what I had to do for this rune.

[Private to Cat]

You'll be happy to hear that our fair city hasn't sunk into the ocean. I brought you back a little souvenir.

[Public]

Prince themed show this weekend at the carnival. Wear purple and get 50% off a ticket. [...] Also, for future reference, please do not feed the clowns. They get handsy.

[Gwen R.]

I talked to Jason and it didn't blow up in my face. Go me?

[Jack P.]

Are you aware your paper kind of sucks or is someone forcing you to make it that way?

[Public]

The new club getting rid of all the tacky velvet seems like a good sign.

[The roadhouse across town, the kind with the velvet and the lights and the air of dusty sex appeal? Yeah, that's cleared out. There's a trash heap out front for the garbage men, and the whine of industrial tools inside. Velvet swags are in the trash can now and nobody's slinking around to music. The only sign out front is one that says 'closed for refurbishment', and an approximate opening time. 'Soon'. The job ads hit the paper the next issue. Bartenders, DJ and a piano player.]

[Public]

Someone finds a good time out late in this town, look me up.

[Claire]

OK?

[Public]

The carnival will be closed for the next few weeks in preparation for the spring season. If you are a performer at heart and want a change in lifestyle, come say hello. We've got a few openings.

[After some deliberation; might as well try a different approach this time. As Bruce W.]

My timing is unintentionally fortunate. Old chemicals being released due to lack of supervision is a likely stor... better care should be taken in the future.

[Public]

I hate how quiet this place gets at night.

[ locked to Juliet J. ]

Come to church with me tomorrow. We have bottle service.

[Text: Sasha J]

word on the town jungle-drums is you got yourself a movie theater.

Who: Juliet & Eddie
What: Ancient history
When: Recent!
Where: The church

She was a sinner and a terrible one, because she didn't give a goddamn. Juliet didn't believe in churches or prayers or in the good of others. She'd fished around in the sea of humanity and found too much dross and shit to think prayer would give her a line to anything good. She hadn't come near a church in years - sanctified ground, and Juliet James? There's a punch-line to that. But she came now. Answers were threatening on the horizon to questions that had been stamped down, smothered like the grass under the snow. She wore boots, laced over thick socks and she blew clouds of steamed breath and smoke over the thick puff of a black scarf knotted around her throat. It was the concession to the weather; leather jacket with shoulders made for cities instead of quiet church-yards.

Answers. God, she hadn't even thought of the fucking questions in years and she was uncomfortable now, sober-stale breath and cigarettes in cold-shaky fingers and defiant-red painted mouth in narrow face. Repose was forgotten, new layered over the old like a palimpsest, with the barest traces like hollows or shadows instead of memories. She didn't know if her mother or father had been church-going, God-fearing folk. Or if they'd prayed to the devil.

She sucked an ashed breath, ignored the desire to circle back via booze and waited, boots scuffed on snow for Eddie.

[An image of a flyer. It actually appears to be a photo of a handmade poster in red and black sharpie. Classy.]

NOW HIRING - AS YET UNTITLED REPOSE ROADHOUSE, OPENING SOON

Can you dance? Do you like taking your clothes off at the end of a long day? You might be good at burlesque. CALL NOW.

Can you carry trays? Have you talked to others? You might be quite the server. CALL NOW.

Do you like punching unpleasant faces and rude people? Have you considered being a bouncer? CALL NOW.

IF NOT EVIDENT, NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY.

[And, of course, the number to 'call now.']

[Public]

A completely reasonable request after that goddamn train, who has the best hangover cure?

[Juliet J.]
[Before this.]

Hungover?

[Muerte]

Hi.

[Cat C.]

[He sends her copies of what he received from Owen. (Thank you, Repose High School, for your contribution of a photocopier to the anti-assassin league.)]

What do you think?

[Matt D.]

[Using the chosen name purposely.] I am thinking I will name the dog Owen to confuse the situation further.

[Public.]

Does anyone know anyone else that has actually gone to this party?

[Public]
[After this.]

Anonymous pearls? Really?

Well, isn't this just adorable.

We've a Christmas tree to leave gifts under. A train ride.

It's so cute I might just explode, I think.