[Audio/Action]

[pianistofraielin]

[Tuesday, right after school. On a whim, Russel sat down at the studio piano in the student theatre and discovered that he can play a song now. And that playing that song gave him an unknown Echo.]

[this is really exciting you guys. so of course the first thing he does is take out his phone and make a network post]

You guys!! I can play a song now! And I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to be able to do magic by playing music, and I'm also pretty sure I just got a spell back!

I'm at the piano in the student theatre, you should come check it out!

I bet it's something really awesome!

---

Who: OPEN to LCHS students & staff, and anybody else who might reasonably be at LCHS after school lets out. Also the cops/fire dept will be showing up and PCs are welcome.
When: Tuesday 2/25, after school
Where: The LCHS student theatre
What: OOC rundown here. Basically Russel accidentally summons a phoenix in the theatre and sets everything on fire, hijinks ensue.

[Once he's got a few people gathered, it's time for the moment of truth! But you know, even if nothing magical happens at all, it's still pretty exciting just to be able to play a song at all. Maybe that won't impress anyone else, but Russel's spent a lot of his life being disappointed at how bad he was at learning instruments. Any progress on that front is amazing to him.]

[He sits at the small studio piano in the corner of the theatre, tucked behind the stairs to the stage, and starts playing. It's Appearance of the Firebird, from Stravinsky's Firebird Suite.]

[And, wouldn't you know it, something does happen. Russel's too focused on the piano to see it, but it starts with a flicker of flame above the center of the stage that grows as the music does and begins taking shape. When the crescendo peaks 20 seconds in, Firebird spreads his wings and glides over the audience, following the descending notes past the curtain.]

[which is a little bit on fire now.]

[it is not getting any less on fire.]

Comments

Audio/Action

[not_good_not_wicked]

Magical music? You have my attention. I'll be there.

[Later, Marisa breezes in to the Theater.]

Alrighty let's see this magic!

action!

[abhero]

[Emil shows up at the theatre as soon as he can. The chance to see someone do magic by playing music is too tempting to give up, not to mention he also has ulterior motives. He and Russel were supposed to be some sort of music themed heroes in their past lives, right? He might get a useful Echo out of it. Emil has a rather nasty competitive streak and like hell he’s staying behind Russel!

Being a closeted classical music nerd, he recognizes the piece immediately and those first twenty seconds of music make invoke various emotional responses, almost too many for such a short time. Begrudging appreciation for Russel’s playing, surprise and excitement at the growing flame and a moment of pure awe and delight when Firebird appears. Russel was right - this really is awesome! The coolest thing ever!!

Then the awe makes way for burning (pun not intended) jealousy. How come this guy can do something so incredible when Emil can’t? This isn’t fair!! He bets he will be even better than Russel when he gets the right Echo and he wants to get it now now now -

But the rage is forgotten when Firebird flies and Emil dives under the seats. When he dares poking his head out again, he sees the burning curtain.]

Oh man you're so screwed!

[He’s laughing, half of it is mocking and the other half is terror because oh my fucking God, a bird made of fire is burning down the theatre.]

[greenisthenewblack]

[Since she was after school anyway, Sheila caught the network post and decided to poke her head in, just to see. Russel's a good kid, after all. It's nice to see him so excited about something.]

[So she slips in though one of the back doors on her way out for the day, standing to the side of the stage. Even smiling a little as she listened. He really was good.]

[Except then there was a bird. A big, flaming bird, and-]

Holy shit! Russel, get out of there!

[And, for some godforsaken reason, she finds herself running towards him.]

[pianistofraielin]

[Russel hasn't noticed the disaster in the making yet, but Firebird has noticed a very familiar young man in the audience. it flies over to perch on the seats Emil is hiding under, wings half-furled, and leans down to peer at him. it greets him with a very cheerful coo.]

[it is totally oblivious to the fact that the seat it's perched on is now also on fire.]

[pianistofraielin]

[As he plays, Russel can feel something underneath the music itself. He's picturing the ballet the song is from, imagining Prince Ivan watching as the Firebird appears in Koschei's garden. He thinks of how Ivan must have felt, faced with something so majestic and so dangerous. Amazed, afraid, awed--somehow the music isn't just a collection of noises, it's a direct translation of those feelings, the language of the heart run through a piano to become sound.]

[he's so caught up in it that when he looks up and sees the Firebird actually flying around the theatre, his own sense of wonder merges with the magic he's already weaving, and he forgets to consider that maybe--just maybe--a giant bird of living flame gliding around a student theatre is a bad idea. he certainly hasn't noticed the state of the curtains onstage behind him.]

[but the playing itself is not automatic. it's just something he knows how to do now. when Sheila shouts at him and starts running at him, it breaks his concentration and the spell--the sense of awe--is momentarily broken. he snaps out of it, looks up--holy shit the curtains are on fire]

Gah! [he hurriedly removes himself from the piano, backing a few steps away from the stage. as the last notes fade, so too does Firebird, suddenly burning up into nothingness.]

[abhero]

[Emil doesn't realize it's a greeting nor does he recognize this blast from the past. All he knows is that the huge burning bird is right above him and oh God his shelter is on fire. That's it, he's gonna die, Russel wants revenge for the potato gun and the nosebleed so he unleashed a fucking Phoenix on him...

He screams and crawls out from under the burning seats. Only when he reaches to the passage does he realize the seats and the curtains aren't the only things on fire.

His sleeve is also burning.]

[pianistofraielin]

[oh no that is not the reaction it was hoping for. when Emil screams, Firebird draws back, legitimately startled. and when he starts running away, Firebird forlornly takes off again. why is it so unloved u_u ]

[it will disappear seconds later when Sheila breaks Russel's concentration]

[greenisthenewblack]

[Sheila grabs Russel's shoulder, tugging him away from the stage.]

Ooookay, enough gawking, people! Will someone pull the fire alarm already? And get moving, Russel, there'll be plenty of time to worry later.

[She looks around, spotting an alarm and a fire extinguisher... in the far corner of the room. Still, she starts trying to tug Russel in that direction. At least it's away from the rapidly spreading spots of fire.]

[Her own hands are glowing green. Thankfully, they can't set anything else on fire, quite yet, but she's too distracted to tamp the glow down.]

[belphe]

[She's not really in a position to drop everything and see it for herself, but the entire concept piques her curiosity nonetheless]

What sort of magic?

action;

[alilyinthemoonslight]

[Lily had arrived with the intention of just supporting a friend, hanging in the back and seeing what happened. She was interested! And it would be good to see what Russel might be capable of, if they were to be working together in the future. (Of course, she had to add something analytical to the situation.)

Then came the fire.

Oh God the fire.

Her hand almost falls to the pot's lid in her bag, but she stops herself. No, that'd be a bad idea this exposed. This is already bad.

Instead, in answer to the question she doesn't get to hear about the fire alarm she ascertains the location of just that and pulls down on it.

It was loud but it was at least the sort of loud that would tell anyone else who might be nearby to get the hell out.

She reaches for the extinguisher, and then just turns to look. And stare.

Uh.

Was an extinguisher really going to handle that?]

[Audio]

[sun_sun]

RUSSEL WHAT DID YOU DO

[jasminebloominginshadow]

[Jasmine was always willing to support a fellow artist, so she'd come to Russell's performance. She hadn't expected it to turn into something like this, though.

But then, as everything was ablaze, she caught sight of her sister staring at the inferno like a deer caught in headlights]

LILY! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU GAWKING FOR?!

[alilyinthemoonslight]

[Lily snaps to attention, and settles an even gaze onto her sister.]

Jasmine, if you're going to yell, do it outside the auditorium. Make sure no one's running in this direction.

[She's suddenly quite calm in spite of the fire.]

[Audio]

[pianistofraielin]

HI ANNIE DON'T WORRY EVERYTHING'S FINE HERE HA HA !!! YUP NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT AT ALL I PROMISE.

[mayhem in the background disagrees w/that tho]

[text]

[pianistofraielin]

[this reply comes, like, WAY later. after everything's died down and sentences have been handed out.]

i summoned a phoenix!!

in retrospect the song was appearance of the firebird so i should've seen that one coming

[not_good_not_wicked]

[Marisa had been hanging back, just listening. She had vanished when the trouble had started.

Cowardice? More like quick thinking. She came running back into the room now carrying a fire extinguisher. Seeing that Emil was on fire, she ran over, trying to figure out how to work the thing.]

HOLD STILL DUDE YOU'RE ON FIRE!

[Then Emil got a face full of flame retardant powder. Because these things are hard to aim.]

[abhero]

[Emil was not holding still. Instead of stopping, dropping and rolling, he was swearing, flailing and setting another seat on fire.

It probably didn’t help Marisa’s aim.]

Blergh.

[That was the first thing he said.]

MY EYES!

[That was the second thing he said. He rubbed them angrily before glaring at Marisa. Or at least, attempting to glare because his eyes burned and everything was a little blurred.]

What the hell is wrong with you?!

[No, he wasn’t going to thank her for saving him from being burnt alive.]

[text]

[belphe]

...is it still there?

[Because...that would probably be enough to convince her to drop everything after all.]

[Audio]

[charcoalfeather]

{Well, Rakka had tuned in to listen to the music.

And then the screaming and sounds of fire started.]

W-what's going on in there?!

[text]

[pianistofraielin]

no it um

it vanished once i stopped playing

the fire didn't though...

[Audio]

[pianistofraielin]

HAHA NOTHING EVERYTHING IS TOTALLY UNDER CONTROL

[annnnd that's the fire alarm, yup, Lily sure did just pull that.]

[vetala]

[Ask and ye shall receive, Ms. Go. Kanti strolls in mostly because testing something you're not sure about sounds like a recipe for disaster. She learned as much with her chainsaw and she's hoping that Russel's abilities are significantly less damaging.

But if wishes were horses then beggars would ride, so of course she comes in just when everything is on fire. She looks around with wide-eyes before getting her bearings and frowning.]

Why am I not surprised? [It's an honest question, one she contemplates while walking around the room to yank hard on the fire alarm.]

[not_good_not_wicked]

Stop thrashing around! I can't aim this thing if you keep moving!

[Following this was more spray in Emil's general area. Maybe if she sprays enough she'll get it by dumb luck.]

[Audio]

[charcoalfeather]

[Welp, students are rushing past her. She is moderately alarmed.]

EVERYTHING DOES NOT SOUND OKAY

[text]

[belphe]

[....oh my.]

Is everyone all right?