TIME July 10th, 10:00am LOCATION The Regent Theatre, Chuza
BACKGROUND:
Raven had talked her way alone into a sealed theatre hall mid-performance, chasing a lead that tied Griffiths to a travelling show called An Absence of Light – while Krusha, Sanchez and Ash waited on the wrong side of a door that had shut itself behind her.
WHAT HAPPENED
In the foyer, Krusha turned down the complimentary aperitif and asked around about anyone matching Griffiths’ description – nobody could place him with any confidence among the afternoon’s crowd.
In the hall, the attendant confirmed the show could be safely interrupted right at the end of the first Act.
When the moment came, he sounded a horn through the hall.
The actors froze mid-performance, turned in perfect unison, and scanned the audience – their expressions sliding from rapt concentration to open disappointment, as if the interruption had cost them something real.
“Thank you, and apologies for the interruption. The show will resume shortly.”
TeeCruise, in a flat, monotone voice
A voice cracked through the composure – Griffiths himself, stepping up toward the stage, shouting denial at whatever the actors had just told him.
The audience took it for part of the performance and laughed along as the actors swayed back into rhythm with the drums. Then silence, and the curtain dropped.
Raven made for the foyer door, catching the curtain rising again out of the corner of her eye without daring to look back at what it revealed.
The Agents pushed into the hall together to find not one Griffiths on stage, but a dozen – identical, and speaking as one.
“The audience cannot hear us. Dr Griffiths, our contract has been fulfilled – we have played the Act, and the Agents are here.”
“But it’s not right – it’s too early!”
“That is not our challenge. The timing was not key. The audience, and the Agents, were specific. That your children are not here is secondary.”the Jongleurs, and Griffiths
Griffiths swore, then caved with visible reluctance – there was still the matter of the ‘appreciation’ owed to close out the contract.
The Jongleurs agreed as one, and the drummer – still visibly winded from the performance – began a slow, deliberate beat as all twelve Griffiths spoke together.
“As a sign of appreciation, please remove the envelopes from under your seats, and while watching Booznayha on stage, open them. Count to sixty, and read out the praise to Booznayha!”
the Jongleurs
The stage lights died and the curtain fell as the Agents broke for the middle aisle, the audience already reaching under their seats for the envelopes.
Krusha and Sanchez split for the side aisles, Ash made for the stage steps, and Raven went straight for the drummer – who kept up his slow, melodic beat without so much as a glance at the chaos closing in on him.
Every note pulled from a patron’s hands slowed them down further, and the audience – not remotely impressed by the interruption – wasn’t making it easy.
Krusha weighed a dispel magic against the very real chance of setting off every letter in the room at once and decided against it.
Raven made the stage and cut into the drummer directly; the blade drew blood but nothing close to what she’d hoped for, and the beast only complained about being disturbed mid-performance before returning to the rhythm.
Ash ducked past the curtain to find several of the Griffiths clustered on the far side of the stage and unloaded a volley of missiles into three of them – damaging, but not dropping, any of them the way she’d expected.
One audience member stood and advanced on Krusha and Sanchez, waving his envelope and demanding they stop ruining the show.
Krusha answered with Hold Person and moved to lift the note from his paralysed hand while Sanchez claimed a second from someone else entirely.
A volley of missiles from one of the Griffiths near the back stairwell caught Ash before he could descend; the rest of the duplicates scattered across the stage, one dropping through a trapdoor entirely.
Raven landed one more solid hit on the drummer, who answered with a headbutt that staggered her, still playing without missing a beat.
Ash tried Hideous Laughter on him and got nothing for it.
Krusha claimed his note just as the paralysis wore off – and a second audience member, likely the first man’s wife, was already advancing on him with her own envelope in hand.
Sanchez managed a second note of his own as the sixth round began, the remaining Jongleurs still moving through the smoke and chaos of the stage…
