Please Welcome to the Stage

11/5/21

We seal the deal with Ember (Crow).  He’ll get us out of backstage in exchange for us getting him banned from Piate-Li so he can be casted elsewhere in Dineland.  If we want to bring Grip with us we will have to convince her ourselves.  Ember won’t let us bring Grip unwilling out of the backstage.

Go outside and meet Grip. She is trying not to be obvious about eavesdropping (but failing).

Mylow goes to town with the lying.  Grip the gullible-sweet-hero-worshipping-person she is absolutely ecstatic that we are friends with one of the cast members.  Mylow states that Grip has been offered a chance to go outside.  Grip is confused.  She doesn’t think it is possible for her to be a ‘cast member’ or a ‘guest’.  (Reminder that the backstage cult believes that guests have a special spark in them that goes out if they are brought backstage.)  Diabella Dollface spins a fairy tale that the ‘spark’ can be re-created (based off of some offhanded comment Grip made about the shapeshifting.)

Roll for persuasion. Mylow get’s an 8.  Diabella assists. 10+.  Grip believes the lie out of hand.

We will conduct a **re-sparking ceremony** and Grip will choose a new name.

Grip is confused.  Grip suggests  names like “nailhead? flat? trapdoor?” Grip hurt herself in her confusion.

We ask Grip if there’s any famous actors she’s a fan of.  People she could name herself after.  She likes someone named Hatch and someone named Jukebox.  So she goes with the name Ro’la (at Mylow’s suggestion) like a victrola jukebox.

Mylow and Doc Hal have an argument about whose establishment is cast-member infested.  Grip volunteers herself to identify cast members.

Grip doesn’t want to bring anything because crew members ‘don’t have belongings.

We go back and grab Ember who is arguing with the makeup artist who had been working with him when we first walked in.

Ember says ‘so you have a way to get me off the island?  Then we have a deal’.

Grip is an emotional puddle on the floor.  This is ‘dreams do come true’ level of emotions.

Makeup artist asks us if Grip is coming with us.  Hal rolls for perception.  Hal gets a 6. Hal perceives that the makeup artist is anxious about us taking Grip with us.  The makeup artist sees that Doc Hal is trying to get a read on her and becomes mildly hostile.

We almost blow everything up in our conversation with the makeup artist.  She questions us about we are doing and Mylow says “bringing back Grip’s ‘spark’”.  She has no idea what the heck we are talking about and Grip is getting suspicious.  But when she figures it out she covers us by saying “oh, that ceremony!  No one brings it up like that.  But yes that is a very special thing”.

Seems like her intentions align with ours.  She wants Grip to leave backstage.

Diabella and the makeup artist work on Grip’s makeover.

The makeover is a huge success and Grip has a lot of hero worship for the makeup artist.  She says softly “It’s nice to meet you Hatch”

(Hatch is the makeup artist’s name btw, which is one of the names Grip was considering…. Aww low key ship them now.)

Grip gets renamed Ro'la Hatchly and dressed up as a guest.

Crow’s plan to get us back onstage is to have us disguised as new makeup artists working under Hatch.

They manage to arrange an exit without too much attention being brought to the group.

Ember leads everyone outside.

Grip gives Mylow back the machete.

The ceremony is as follows: Ro'la Hatchly (Grip) does some sort of ceremonial dance when passing through the wing then announces her new name once she has entered the stage.

Grip takes the ceremony super seriously and listens intently to the instructions.  Hatch meanwhile rolls her eyes.

Crow then (using his acting skills) welcomes Ro'la Hatchly (Grip) to the stage and we all applaud.

Hatch hugs Ro'la Hatchly (Grip).  Mylow then says “I think I see that spark you were talking about”.

Also at some point this happens:

‘Trashcan has already begun walking.  Going straight to the water source to turn it on.  Diabella intercepts and turns on the water while Mylow makes a sound in order to cover the noise of the water turning back on.’

Grip is overcome with emotion.

Hatch gives Mylow something. She tries to slip it unnoticed into Mylow’s pocket, but Mylow notices.  It is a card of some kind.  Mylow doesn’t say anything.  Will look at it later.

Ember reminds us to keep our word and we split up from Hatch and Ember.

Grip is staring at the sky. She looks mostly scared.

Diabella: “are you worried about something?”

Grip: “just trying to see the ceiling”

Diabella: “That’s the wonderful thing about being on stage, there is none”.

Meanwhile in the background Doc Hal quietly whispers about vitamin D deficiency. “That spark is just vitamin D”.

Mylow: “We should get back. I need to check on the bar.”

Doc Hal wants to check the infirmary.

Trashcan runs off.

They decide to all stop by the infirmary first to give Ro'la Hatchly (Grip) a check up “since medical care in the backstage is sub-standard” and have her check for cast members in the infirmary.

Diabella does not come with. She followed Hatch and Ember to speak with them.

The infirmary staff are cleared of suspicion by a disappointed Ro’la.  She was hoping to see a cast member.   Doc Hal does a medical check-up on Ro’la.  She seems healthy, besides a few vitamin deficiencies.

Mylow suggests that maybe Crab Leg start that garden he always talks about so Ro’la has more fruits and veggies.  Mylow later will suggest that Ro’la help Crab Leg with the gardening.

Mylow also warns Ro’la about Cinnamon’s prowess in chess.

Shortly later, the bar is cleared of cast-members as well.

Mylow turns to Doc Hal and says “Now we know” Hal replies “Now we know”.

Mylow sets Ro’la to work with Crab Leg on the garden.  Trashcan rushes down to check on her lair and Lincoln.