I examined the License until it was time for me to get my tickets. This laminated slip of paper allowed us to contact ghosts related to the Throughline. That would explain some things. Why had this story, which did not appear to be related to the plot of the Throughline, come first in the Throughline.

  “You think maybe this is the whole reason we were sent here?” I asked.

  “I don’t have a guess better than that,” Antoine said. He seemed distracted.

  I handed the ticket back to him. While I had been reading the License, he had been reading one of his tropes. It wasn’t equipped so I couldn’t see it on the red wallpaper. I couldn’t say what upset him about it. Carousel was known to reward mocking tickets to those who performed poorly. Perhaps he had gotten one.

  I decided not to press the issue.

  When it was my turn to press the button, I did so and received one stat ticket, one License identical to Antoine’s, and two tropes.

  Kimberly was drained from getting killed for the second time. Even though her body was healed, she still moved her hand to her throat as if subconsciously assuring herself that a ghostly hand wasn’t grasping it.

  When we all circled around and showed off our new tickets, Kimberly had two stat tickets, two tropes, and the same License as the rest of us. She did well with the limited amount of time she had before dying.

  This was a potentially game saving trope. For storylines like the one we had just completed where there wasn’t much time for organic set-up, it would be useful to use the audience’s expectations to help us. Kimberly played the slain lover. I had a feeling that the audience would see that a lot.

  This could help stretch the Party Phase out a bit and give us some breathing room. I liked it.

  Dina got one stat ticket, but three tropes. Her performance was likely lacking, given that the subplot with her son was just dropped. She also got the License.

  When Dina showed us this trope, I could see a flash of embarrassment on her face. She had accidentally slipped up and found herself in a shot. She didn’t say much about it, but later as I watch the storyline over again on the red wallpaper, I noticed that in the scene where Isaac was getting his scalp almost ripped off, Dina was casually leaning against a tree in the background watching.

  Her “character” was supposed to have been lost in the woods at that moment.

  This was the same trope the Stranger had equipped. It was useful, but repetitive. It would also involve Dina taking a more hands-on role. We would have to experiment with it.

  Dina passed around this ticket and watched as we got to that last line. I spent the whole time wondering what it was that Dina had stolen. What tape had she taken?

  And it hit me right as she pulled it out of her purse.

  It was the tape from the cassette player in the black carriage that brought us to town. I had noticed the tape was missing, but this was Carousel. For all I knew, there was no tape to begin with. No. There was a tape. Dina had taken it without anyone but Carousel itself noticing.

  She held it out to us. “I thought it was worth a shot,” she said sheepishly.

  I reached into my hoodie pocket and retrieved my tape player.

  Constance started laughing when she saw what was going on.

  “I don’t recall seeing a player do that,” she said.

  “Will it work?” Dina asked.

  Constance shrugged. “It just might,” she said.

  Dina was living up to her Outsider Archetype. Now she could break out of handcuffs and steal things for us.

  We continued showing off our new tropes.

  Bobby had been to the resort kitchens again and raided them. We were all equal parts tired and hungry. We devoured the entire room service menu, most of which was deep fried or microwaved, but it didn’t bother us.

  “The cooks are already here to start breakfast,” Bobby said. “If you want something made by actual… cooks.”

  He showed us his winnings. Three tropes and two stat tickets. He did far more than he was required to.

  This was the same background trope that Valorie had on The Grotesque storyline. It was pretty good stuff if you needed a healer.

  Bobby was interested in a different aspect though. He immediately realized that this background might allow him to one day get his dogs from back at the Bed and Breakfast. If he incorporated his animal background into stories, he might be able to get whatever tickets it was that allowed animal companions (assuming, as he did, that such things exist).

  It was nice to see him excited about something. It was nice to see him distracted.

  This trope was useful as I recalled, but it was largely supported by the other tropes Valorie had. Those pain-relieving M&Ms were a lifesaver. I wondered what this trope was like when your pain wasn’t blocked.

  In case we needed Bobby to be more than some guy who happens to show up, he could now be a full player even when cast as a background character. I needed to read up on what the nuances were of how different character classifications were treated in the story.

  Isaac was hesitant to press the big red button. He probably regretted pushing it the first time, as we all did.

  When he pressed it, he got two stat tickets, two tropes, and, of course, the License. His first storyline was way over leveled for him. He didn’t do much but get injured and dragged to the world of the dead, but his contribution was enough.

  He sure earned this one.

  If we could get him comfortable doing his job as Comedian, he might do us a lot of good.

  Cassie was in bad shape from her first death, but with encouragement from Isaac, she pushed the button and reaped her rewards. She got three stat tickets and two tropes. Not bad at all. Helping Kimberly debuff Strander Blake was no small feat.

  Useful. I hoped Cassie was okay with jump scares.

  Psychics really did bring the hits.

  Finally, it was Antoine’s turn to show us what he had earned. One stat ticket, the License, and two tropes.

  He held one trope in his hand for a moment before Kimberly took it from him and read it to herself. She handed it back to him and said, “It’s a trope to help him suppress his fear and stress.”

  He quickly pocketed it.

  His other trope wasn’t as controversial.

  It looked like Antoine was getting lots of perks.

  And what else?