Night at the Ballet, open- hollows

[Medea Cass]

Performance art is difficult to enjoy when what is spoken doesn’t match the visual. Everything looks like bad acting. That’s why Medea couldn’t take in a show like normal people. Ballerinas’ fluid motions tripped over the thoughts which engulfed them so completely. Actors could not take on their new persona when they were so obsessed with their own life. And a concert was impossible to enjoy once the second chair violinist hit a wrong note. All the pretty notes were destroyed in echoing hopes that no one had noticed. That the conductor hadn’t heard. That no one was angry. That was when going out wasn’t fun anymore. She just wanted to hear pretty music, but a night at the symphony had turned into a staged massacre featuring paranoid protagonist, Mister Second Chair, and his surprisingly devastating bow. Again. It wasn’t her fault she amplified their problems. And the people she had killed for her seasonal box seats had paid good money. If the slaughter wasn’t as beautiful as the symphony she would have half a mind to ask for her money back.

All dressed up with no place to go. Another fancy night on the town was ending at her favorite theater. Third floor, West Wing. So easily accessible off of the parking lot. It was where they kept the children who were there for the long haul. They had all met Medea before. Some didn’t even fight their nightmares anymore. These were her favorites. She had tried all the other wards. Maternity was mixed. Mothers were easy but infants don’t understand fear. Infants were terrifying. And she didn’t like the psychiatric ward. People there didn’t always have consistent colors. It’s hard to paint when your pallet keeps shuffling itself. And one of the doctors had mistaken her for paint one day. Much better to stay up here where she got to be artist and conductor, not materials.

Medea bit her lip and walked tight against the wall as she snuck past the nurses’ station. She knew that biting her lip didn’t really make her any sneakier, but it did keep her from giggling. Giggling leads to kidnapped nurses and a checklist of other things. And it was business. Today she was here for fun. Since visiting hours wouldn’t start up again until tomorrow, and it’s no fun to choreograph the Nightmare Ballet when the dancers are awake, she had to be sneaky.

It had been so long since the orchestra had come to town and she got to play with her toys, her colorful dancers. There might even be new ones now!

As fun as the games were alone, reruns of nightmares can lose their appeal without guest stars. She had told all of the others who were fun to play with that she was going to see the Ballet tonight, and Daddy because of what happened last time, just in case. Don’t want to mess up and reopen literal wounds. Hopefully someone would come to play with her.

[Lilian Valentine]

Lilian wasn't sure if she was late - wasn't sure if it was possible to be late, actually - and even if she was late, it wasn't entirely her fault. Who knew that 'see the ballet' didn't mean an actual ballet? Not that she would admit to getting mixed up like she did to anyone but the smartass little shit she has asked directions of earlier. He wasn't laughing so hard now, no, now he was dead - deader than dead. She had decided to smash his corpse over the head with a metal pipe for good measure before cramming the lanky college student in a garbage can someone had put out early for garbage day tomorrow. Difficult work, considering the size of the garbage can, but that was one of the advantages to being a hollow.

One of the disadvantages was the chewing out she received from Abaddon last time she had fucked up, and joining Medea on this little endeavor would hopefully help blow off some steam.

Now that she had found the hospital though, it made sense that this was the place her fellow hollow would choose to visit. Popping into an illusion of being just another nurse instead of a strange blonde from off the street with a bit of dried blood in her hair, Lilian began perusing the halls. There were a few wards Medea would likely populate, but Lilian had an idea of where she would more than likely haunt.

Lilian all but sauntered past the nursing station, snagging a chart as she went by out of curiousity - the other nurses were busy, apparently Nurse Roberts didn't know the surgeon she was banging already had a fiancee. Sucks to be her, but the distraction worked in Lil's favor as she ducked into the room she figured Medea would be in.