An Early Mardi Gras

[bayoublues]

[That was certainly...an ordeal, alright. These trials just kept getting worse and worse as time went on. Within the span of twenty-four hours, six more people died. Four of them had been friends. And Lekmet, he--he thought--

Never mind that. Everyone else was probably hurting just as bad as he was. Last week, Kim had told Louis that he shouldn't be alone while he was sad--that sympathy probably extended to everyone else. He had to do something to help. The dead deserved a decent send off.

Well, except maybe Negaduck. But that's different.

After the trial, Louis seems to have disappeared back into his room. After a few hours, though, a messy, handwritten note is shoved under everyone's door.]



(EARLY) MARDI GRAS PARTY
-JAZZ
-DRINKS AND FOOD
-FUN AND FRIENDS
[He neglected to put the location down on the invite, but one can follow the sound of Louis's trumpet into the dining room. The place has been draped with colorful, half-finished banners--gold, purple, and green. Further down the table, a few bottles of alcohol and fruit juice have been neatly lined up next to a stack of paper cups. There's also a pasta bar set up, with individual bowls of spaghetti, pasta sauce, and Parmesan cheese. Hardly Mardi Gras food, but it's the only thing Louis knows how to make. At least there's also a plate of beignets.

Standing at the back of the room is Louis, playing trumpet like his life depends on it. His repertoire for tonight? The songs he's heard while watching humans parade through New Orleans on Mardi Gras. Songs about being carefree, about forgetting your worries, about enjoying life while it lasts.

Louis doesn't seem particularly interested in talking right now. He's not going to let people mope tonight. They deserved a good fucking party after everything, dammit, and they were going to get one.]

Comments

[scrapplinghook]

[Mabel's not the most observant person in the manor, but even she can sense the level of awkwardness radiating from the poor goat, and she frowns.]

Is everything okay?

[... aside from the obvious of course]

[angelgoatdemon]

Ye-aaah...

[He does a 'sorta' gesture, not fully meaning it. The whole week sure was a mess and he'd give almost anything to undo it.]

Yoouuu?

[scrapplinghook]

[Ain't that the truth. It's getting harder and harder for her to remain super bubbly like she usually is after each death and trial... this whole mess was almost Too Much for poor Mabel.]

I'm super worried 'cause you look upset! [Beat.] I mean, more upset than usual.

[angelgoatdemon]

[He hasn't talked to this kid much, but he will definitely die for her???? Mabel deserves so much good in the world.]

Ahhh

[Time to Write]

I didn't see that coming. Everything happened so much.

[scrapplinghook]

Yeah, it kinda did...

[Every time they think things can't get worse, they're proven wrong. It's really starting to suck.]

You don't gotta avoid people though. This is like... the last kinda time that you should be alone! That any of us should be alone!

[angelgoatdemon]

That's true...we need to keep an eye out for each other.

I just feel guilty I guess.

[Guilty as in he's the one who should've died instead of a mass execution. It's fine, it's over with for now at least.]

[scrapplinghook]

[Mabel doesn't like dwelling on bad stuff. It's the worst. But she knows that others aren't like that... so she's gotta help him deal with it.]

But nobody will be mad after, like, tomorrow! We're all friends and that's what friends do! I mean... [there's sort of an uncharacteristic pause, but then she keeps going ] I kinda maybe took the risk of maybe ending the world 'cause I trusted Grunkle Stan so much, and I kinda later did accidentally help a weird triangle guy start the end of the world.

But my family and friends still love me and weren't mad later 'cause that's what's so great about them!