soulping | opal

[She reaches over and picks up the music.]

[As you pick the sheets up, you suddenly realize you have perfect knowledge of how to play the piano. There are three pieces to choose from.]

[She sits in front of the piano, feeling familiar somehow. Picking up the first piece, she starts in on it.]

[As you play the music on the first sheet, you see
a memory. It’s filled with self loathing - you should have known better. You should have been more careful. It wasn’t only yourself that you doomed; you got someone else killed with you. The guilt almost makes you sick.]

[Lapis winces, taking a breath, and then picking up the next sheet, and playing it.]

[As you play the second piece, you see a memory. The entire time, your thoughts are rushing. You can’t breathe, you can’t calm down. And when all is said and done… It’s full of disappointment and pain. This was the moment everything was going to change for you. This was the moment you were going to finally reach everything you’ve been hoping for and working for these past years… And in the span of several moments, you’ve ruined it. Now you have nothing.]

[ouch. Just... ouch. Another shaky breath, and she plays the last one.]

[The third piece brings you a memory of you laying in your bedroom. It’s shortly after your first trauma game; you were killed, and you know why. It’s because you all panicked. If you took a moment, if you kept calm… Things might have turned out differently. You have yourself to blame, and not only for your own death - you should have been intelligent enough to keep this from happening to the rest of your team.

As you finish playing the final piece, the pages crumple and twist on their own as words begin to appear on them: fuck up, mistake, idiot, among others, begin to spread across each sheet of paper.]

Everyone makes mistakes.

[Lapis seems to be talking to the papers.]

I've made plenty myself. It's not the mistakes, it's how you learn from them. No one hates you or wants to push you away because of your mistakes.

[It's hard to tell, but the pages straighten somewhat and the marks on the piano fade a small amount. It seems to be waiting for something more, though.]

I care, Opal. I know that I'm shit at expressing it, and it's not and excuse. But I do care, no matter what's happened in the past. And I'm going to stick with you no matter what in the future. Also, you're freaking brilliant at the piano. You can play these things without any help. That's amazing.

[The scratches and other marks on the piano fade a bit more, though they're still visible. Likewise, the sheet music uncrumples and the words fade slightly.

The smoke in the room dissipates slightly until you see a door on the far side of the room. However, there's still more to explore in here. What do you do?]

[She stands, giving the piano and the music a bit of a pat before going back to the stage and standing there thinking for a moment. There's something in here, something that'll help, and it's likely not Mr. Boyfriend as much as that would make things easier.]

[As she stands on the stage, she makes out several shapes that look to be small bottles not far off.]

[Bottles. That's useful. She goes over to examine the bottles.]

[They're bottles of pills. They're all full, but the bottles themselves are damaged. As you examine one of them, you receive a memory. It comes with a feeling of self loathing - you should never have been pathetic enough to resort to this kind of thing. You’ve ruined so many things for yourself; even now, every time you get stressed you find yourself wishing to return to this. Wouldn’t it be so much easier than having to feel so much all the time? The question is always lurking at the back of your mind.

Once it ends, you now see something glinting inside one of the bottles alongside the pills.]

[Ouch. Lapis winces again, and breathes, reaching for the bottle with whatever it is glinting in it.]

[You find an opal. Touching it makes you feel strong. You know that you aren’t alone, and that you’re growing and changing. Even if you’ve made mistakes in the past, there are people here who will always be there for you no matter what.

Names and images pass through your mind. Nightingale. Silver. Citrine. Aoko. Ed. Tesla. Kaito. Vash. Sabre. Holly, Obsidian, Clover, Lark, Star… You recall everyone who’s ever been close to you or supported you even when you didn’t yet deserve it. You’re going to be a better person because you owe it to them. Their friendship and love has made you the person who you are.

You feel as though you should keep this stone close to you as you go on.]

[Lapis takes the opal and closes her hand around it, taking it with her towards the door.]

[In you go.]

opal

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