[OPEN] Is it mayhem or just an ego trip? But only one can win

[mettatonvevo]

Who: Mettaton and YOU, WONDERLAND!
What: Mettaton’s birthday!
When: August 16th, 7pm to 9pm
Where: First floor, Room 50/52
Rating: W for WILD PARTY (Ok no more like PG-13 just in case)
Summary: Mettaton has a birthday party that involves creating an entire theater for his first ever Wonderland performance!

The Story:

On every wall in Wonderland (and quite a few statues and pillars) citizens will find a poster bearing the beautiful visage of resident robotic star, Mettaton! Emblazoned across the top of it are the letters M-T-T in sparkling gold inks, surrounded by an oddly rectangular robot, with one wheel sticking out the bottom. Anyone who knows will recognize that the arms look the same as Mettaton’s regular arms and could hazard a guess that the rectangle is supposed to be him?

Below that, there is a picture of Mettaton posing with a mic stand with a singular spotlight shining down on him. Below THAT, there are words:

HELLO BEAUTIES AND GENTLEBEAUTIES OF WONDERLAND! IT’S YOUR RESIDENT HEARTTHROB AND CELEBRITY DELIGHT’S BIRTHDAY TODAY! THIS NIGHT ONLY, COME TO ROOM 50 ON THE FIRST FLOOR FOR AN INAUGURAL PERFORMANCE BY YOURS TRULY!

COME MARVEL AT WONDERLAND’S NEW THEATER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS! AFTER MY PERFORMANCE AT 7PM ANY AND ALL ARE WELCOME TO BRING THEIR DREAMS TO THE STAGE!

NO PRESENTS REQUIRED; ONLY YOUR PRESENCE! THOUGH THEY CERTAINLY WON’T BE TURNED DOWN!

FOOD AND DRINK WILL BE PROVIDED THANKS TO THE KINDNESS OF WONDERLAND’S BOTTOMLESS KITCHEN

NEVER SAY I’VE NEVER DONE ANYTHING FOR YOU, DARLINGS~! ♥

((OOC: While this is a party for Mettaton, it’s still a party. Feel free to make your own open top levels for any portion of this extravaganza!))

Comments

Frisk | ota, will match whatever format

[determinedest]

[Dancing is a great stress reliever. Just ask anyone. It's how they pulled themselves out of that postmortem funk of theirs after their first Wonderland death, and if Mettaton's show is anything like his battle was, they think they'll love whatever he has planned.

And they do.

They spend most of their time dancing - the loud music makes it hard to discuss anything extremely serious, much to their mild relief. Their thoughts are still a turbid swirl over the events of the past few days, the stress of everything having piled up, and mindless fun is exactly what they're looking for.]

[rlynotfeelinup2itrnsorry]

When they bump into Frisk, (well, not really bump so much as the human's shoulder moves a little through their body) they are hit with two distinct memories of the child- one of the underground and one of Genosha. They stare at them for a moment. The music is too loud to talk over and they can't pretend that the fondness they felt as a human for Frisk was gone and their normal solution- to phase out of the situation as quickly as possible- is not an option at their cousin's birthday performance.

So Napstablook smiles a little, awkwardly, and start to sway to the rhythm, watching for the child's reaction.

[determinedest]

Oh. It's...well, they hadn't thought they'd be running into them again after their rather tumultuous introduction. But they remember their Genoshan persona - they'd gotten along pretty well, hadn't they?

Gotten along a lot better than they're likely to do here, ha-ha.

Hah.

Frisk smiles at them shyly, and tries for a little wave. They aren't leaving. Are they...all right with this, maybe? Or just waiting for things to all go wrong?

Aren't they all.

[rlynotfeelinup2itrnsorry]

Napstablook gives them a little nod back and does a twirl in time with the music.

They move a little closer and start dancing with the child, careful not to get too close this time, staying incorporeal just in case.

[determinedest]

They bob and sway to the music, mind scrambling to find some way to communicate with the little ghost in a way that won't impose upon them, that won't set things back again.

When they find their voice, it's for the most blandly neutral phrase their brain can muster, which involves a vague gesture in the direction of the stage and a weak pronouncement of, "he's...he's very good."

[rlynotfeelinup2itrnsorry]

The ghost's eyes light up all but beams at this.

"he really is... i'm so proud..."

It's awkward, but somehow that's okay.

"....is this your first time seeing him live too?"

[determinedest]

Awkward is okay. Awkward is...kind of their baseline, ha-ha. And they don't mind it, really. It's no more or less uncomfortable than talking to Toriel (a pang twisting their heart, needling into their SOUL), or to Asriel (another stab through their chest, faint but no less piercing), or...

Well, they're used to it.

"The first time like this," they say with a nod. They've seen him "live" for the first time ever in a manner of speaking, but they doubt that's a memory they should share with a ghost that's still recovering from the sight of seeing their cousin struck down. "It's amazing that he made this all come together like this!"

[rlynotfeelinup2itrnsorry]

"yeah... he's really amazing.... he didn't even ask for help, i wonder how long he's been setting this up....."

They look around the theatre, still a little amazed at its existence.

"i wonder what kind of shows will happen here, after this of course, haha...."

[determinedest]

"I don't know," Frisk says thoughtfully. Then, trying to venture for something they know is up the ghost's alley, "maybe you could start a band or something. Or, you know, like...DJ at a party here."

Is that too forward of them? It's probably too forward of them. They forget what they're supposed to know about the ghost's existence and what they're not supposed to know.

[rlynotfeelinup2itrnsorry]

They go a smidge see-through. How much does this child know that about them? Did they go through their things in their house, or was this knowledge from another, what was it, "timeline"?

"um, yeah... actually i've um... started DJing a little bit at Mr. Morningstar's new club, haha, but i? think kids aren't supposed to be there?
i don't know why though....
yeah i should definitely do something here...."

[determinedest]

Mr. Morningstar - oh, they remember him! Kind of, anyway. They've heard and seen his name around, though they haven't met him personally.

"They probably serve alcohol and stuff," Frisk explains with a shrug. "Not that that'd stop Chara. They've gotten me to help them sneak into an adult-only movie. Two kids stacked in a trenchcoat."

It's a harmless anecdote, hopefully, just a little tidbit about how they're a pair of silly kids and nothing more. It'd be awfully nice if that was all they were.

[rlynotfeelinup2itrnsorry]

The image is pretty funny, and Napstablook looks a little amused.

"oh, i thought that only worked in human movies, haha...."

they think for a moment.

"um, er, do you perform? or,,, would you want to?"

[determinedest]

"I thought it only did too. It actually did work, for a little while." They smile faintly at the memory. Even if Sweeney Todd hadn't been worth the effort, in their opinion. It had scared them more than they had really enjoyed it.

Napstablook asks that question, and Frisk looks at them in mild alarm.

"Um - well, I don't really know any instruments. But!" they hasten to add, "but I'd love to learn a few."

[rlynotfeelinup2itrnsorry]

Napstablook relaxes a little and realizes that this conversation, while still awkward, is kind of... nice.

Maybe they should push through awkwardness more often, instead of phasing away.

Maybe.

They probably won't

"oh cool, um... what do you want to play?
i mean, um...
do you have any in mind?"

[determinedest]

"I was thinking of like, a ukulele or something?" They mime playing one, albeit clumsily and with significant inaccuracy. "My hands aren't very big, so it'd have to be...small, or something."

They're not sure if that counts as being insensitive. Do ghosts have hands that can play stringed instruments? Maybe...intent has something to do with it? Like manifesting hands? Or making the instrument float and playing songs on it?

The more Frisk thinks about it, the more they're starting to realize how little they actually know about most monsters.

[rlynotfeelinup2itrnsorry]

"i... don't think you'd need a small ukulele? they're pretty small to begin with, haha....

oh, um, also if you wanted to try a wind instrument .....
you could try the piccolo... it's like a mini flute....
no chords like a string instrument, but it gets the prettiest parts in symphonies....

and as your hands get bigger you could take up the flute...."

[determinedest]

"The piccolo?" That coaxes a wide grin out of them at the mental image. Such a tiny instrument - well, they're pretty small, so it makes sense! They can just imagine the sheer racket they'd be able to storm up.

"So, um," says Frisk, uncertain as to where they should be directing the conversation, "you...do you play a lot of instruments?"

[rlynotfeelinup2itrnsorry]

"not.... too many.... i've um, started trying to play the, uh, the theremin, but i....
i know about a lot of instruments, i use them in my tracks....
i want to play more, haha...."

[determinedest]

"Well, you've got all the time in the world here! And closets that'll give you anything you ask for!" They're not sure what a theremin is, though they're afraid to ask in case it's something that's supposed to be common knowledge.

They almost say something like, I guess it's genetic - and then they remember that they kind of broke into Mettaton's house to learn that. So they say nothing.

[rlynotfeelinup2itrnsorry]

"yeah, i......

.....i kinda...

hope i'm here.....for a long time..... "

That's a lie. They hope they're here forever.

[determinedest]

"It's...better than home, isn't it?" Their smile is a little mournful, but it's not without empathy. Not without understanding. Because they - they're not sure they want to go home either.

And of course, Napstablook hardly has a home to go back to. And that's - hah, whose fault is that, do they think?

[rlynotfeelinup2itrnsorry]

"you're better than home"

They blurt it out before they even realize it, and they suddenly go see-through.

"no... that's not.... i'm....
you're a better person than the one.... the you at home.... sorry, sorry i....

you're good.

here.

it's better."

They say the last part firmly.

[determinedest]

...ah. Frisk's smile flickers, grows mildly pained, and they glance away, their movements stilling into obscurity for a moment. They're right. They're absolutely right. It's a thought they've had many times, many, many times. Can't blame them for that.

"It's okay," they say quietly. "Toriel's from that...time too. The bad one. And it's not your fault if you don't feel safe around me. If you're not - "

They suck in a deep breath, try to nail some kind of organization over their thoughts.

"I think I'm better here too," they add quietly, the words almost lost beneath the roar of the music with its too-heavy, too-prominent bass.

[rlynotfeelinup2itrnsorry]

The ghost looks at the ground. It's not that they don't feel safe around them. Frisk never was a threat to their safety, not even when they were attacking them back home.

"you are...

and you can't... become a better person.....

passively, you know.....?

....so um.

...thank you
for becoming better."

[determinedest]

"Yeah." Their smile feels warped, too self-deprecating and reluctant and twisted out of them. And - how dare they? How dare they bring pity upon themselves when it's people like Napstablook, like Toriel, who have suffered far more than they have?

"Getting better is a choice that you, you have to keep making," they say, softer than they'd like, echoing the words they once uttered to Chara. "Every day."