entranceway | 005 ☆ video/action

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005 ☆ video/action

[Like almost any time that Steve is making a solo broadcast, he's seated at the desk in his room. He's got the neutral yet firm look of a leader, which tends to be how he handles addressing the network. In this particular case, there's another reason for it. He can hide what he's really going through behind all of that authority.]

For anyone who knew Bruce Banner, the younger Bucky Barnes, or Peggy Carter, they've gone home.

[Home, which should be a good thing. And maybe it is, except that Bruce and Natasha had been happy here. Bucky's headed back into the middle of a war, and to something so much worse after that. And Peggy? Well, Steve is just relieved his voice didn't crack when he said her name.

He moves on quickly.] I also wanted to talk about what happened with the memories getting swapped around. I didn't go through it, but it sounds like a lot of other people did. Between that and those old events coming back in different areas, it kind of seems like Wonderland's running a little haywire.

[He hasn't forgotten about the closets malfunctioning for a while there, either.]

Is there any kind of precedence for that stuff?

[Because it seems to him that they should be worrying about it.]

Anyway, I think that's all.

[He ends the feed there, but he'll be spending some time out and about for the rest of the day, either eating at the diner or taking Dodger on a long walk throughout the grounds.]

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[Souji sits and thinks back for a few minutes before responding to Steve's post.]

I've seen Wonderland do that kind of thing a couple of times before. The last time was worse, though, I think.

[Steve doesn't know this young man, and he's not here to talk about the people who are gone. Maybe that's good, to focus on something unrelated. There's a reason Steve had brought it up in the first place.]

Worse how?

The last time, it was similar to this time, except that it didn't just change the scenery. Some of the events involved changed peoples' personalities and memories, too, like a normal event might.

[As a result, Souji can now say he's received electro-convulsive therapy. Not his favorite claim to fame.]

The first time, the scale was a lot greater. There were at least two dozen events involved.

[Steve rubs a hand over his mouth as he considers that. So this had happened twice before, and the previous times had been a lot more involved.]

So you think maybe Wonderland can't handle that kind of load anymore? What I don't get is what caused this to happen in the first place...

[Is it all purposeful, or is it a glitch in the way that Wonderland operates? With the way the closets had behaved that one time, Steve is leaning toward the latter.]

[Souji's instincts lean in the same direction as Steve's.]

The other times, I think it was because Wonderland was...breaking somehow. One Christmas after the first time it happened, cracks started appearing. They lead to empty versions of our own worlds.

[Empty versions of their worlds? That sounds haunting, and Steve can't say that he knows what it means. Obviously their worlds are still occupied, if people from them keep being brought here.]

Cracks? I've never seen any cracks around here. [Which doesn't necessarily mean that Wonderland has repaired itself, but it's strange.]

If this place breaks apart completely, maybe we'll end up back home. [But then again, something much worse could happen. They could end up trapped here forever.]

It seems like it breaks more often than it should. [Almost annually, in fact.] The Christmas before last, people came from a future where things had almost completely stopped functioning the way they were supposed to.

Yeah, I've heard about that.

[Steve hadn't been here then, so it's all hearsay, but the information comes from people he trusts, like Emma. It seems to be universally understood that their future may involve not having enough food to eat, or any medical supplies, or much of anything.]

I know some people have been trying to prepare for the closets quitting on us entirely, but it seems like Wonderland can only hold itself together for so long.

[And then what happens?]

It might depend on us more than the other way around.

[If Wonderland needs a certain number of people in it to sustain itself, then their continued presence there has a direct impact on their own continued survival. It's hard to think about that, though, because it loops back on itself--they're feeding Wonderland while its feeding them. If homeostasis isn't maintained, something might break irreparably next time.]

I feel like it's a good sign that it's always bounced back since I arrived. But I know that having a good track record in the past doesn't mean it will stay the same in the future.

It does seem to repair any damage that's done to it.

[That's a good sign, if the building and the area outside it remains self-healing. It's also kind of unnerving, but it's still better than the entire world (or pocket universe, or whatever term is most accurate) falling apart on them.]

But if this kind of thing keeps on happening, then it may mean that it's finally reached a point where it can't bounce back.

[The whole idea of trying to keep their prison in working order is so contrary, but what else can they do?]

I'm not sure how we can help keep it going.

[He hasn't entirely given up on the idea that they might be able to do something to keep things in working order, but he has no clue what that something would be.]

I mean, even the residents can't seem to keep things running smoothly.

[At least not lately. But he can't say that it's all due to the Duchess--after all, Wonderland ate the Queen of Hearts once, and after that it was Alice who let everything go to hell. Different situation, sure, but the result had been pretty similar.]

[It's true that the Wonderland residents seem to fumble their way through their announcements more often than not, but Steve has always wondered if some of that is an act. Not that they can get any straight answers either way.

He sighs, bowing his head as he rubs at the back of his neck, to ease out some of the tension in the muscles there.]

I guess it's just hard for me to swallow that there's nothing we can do while this place falls apart around us.

[But that's always been the case here in Wonderland. His hands have been tied since he got here.]

I understand. It's an acquired taste.

[Resignation that is.]

Edited 2015-04-10 03:30 (UTC)

I'm not sure it's one I'll ever get used to.

[Steve isn't one for giving up, no matter how bad the odds.]

[Souji smiles, just a little.]

That's good to hear. It's sometimes hard for those of us who have been here a long time to remember that we need to keep struggling.

And just how long have you been here?

[Steve's brow creases as he asks. Just from the few hints he's been given so far, he's going to guess it's been a long time.]

Almost four years. [His "anniversary" is in early July.] There are a few people who have been here longer, though. Philip and James Potter are two of them.

[Four years? That's in the same range as Evelyn and James -- and apparently Philip, though Steve himself has only spoken to the man once, and it had been over text message, with Evelyn doing most of the "talking."

So it's kind of surprising that Steve hasn't come across this kid until now -- although he isn't nearly as young as he looks, is he? Not with four years added on.]

Actually, I don't think I caught your name. I'm Steve Rogers.

[Souji stopped keeping up with newcomers some time ago, and though he pays attention to the network and to the major things that happen among the other residents, but he mostly keeps to himself. Those he does know, he's mainly gotten to know through working at the diner.]

My name is Seta Souji.

[...]

That's my family name, then my given name.

[Steve wouldn't blame someone who's been here so long for wanting to keep to the circle of people they already know well. Having to greet new arrivals only to watch them disappear a few months later has to get old fast.]

That's Japanese, right? So I should call you Souji?

[The white hair isn't what Steve would expect from someone who's Japanese, but it's possible that he dyes it.]

[Souji answers both questions with a nod.]

Souji is fine. Should I call you Steve?

[Steve is older than him, clearly, but he might be one of those types who doesn't mind being on a first name basis.]

Works for me.

[Most people here who don't know him from back home will call him Steve. Or Mr. Rogers, but that has started to sound a little funny and Steve would rather nip it in the bud. As for his friends, it's a mix of Cap, Rogers, and his first name -- at this point he'll respond to just about anything.]

It's nice to meet you, Souji. Even though I imagine you're pretty sick of people coming through here like it's operating on a revolving door.

[It's something he thinks should be acknowledged, and he frowns sympathetically.]

[Souji shakes his head.]

It's nice to meet you, too. For most people, it's better for them to be at home where they belong, so I try not to think about it like that.

[He would be lying if he said he wasn't sick of it, though.]

[Which is the right way to think about it, and Steve's known that all along. Emotions are not so easy to control, but Souji is putting on a brave face.

He reminds himself that Souji's older than he looks. Steve clenches his jaw on one side.]

I'm guessing you'd rather be home too, right?

[There are a few people here who are dead back home and so Wonderland is all they've got, their version of an afterlife. Steve's hoping that Souji doesn't fall into that category, but on the other hand, maybe he'd be able to make his peace with this place if he did.]

Edited 2015-04-22 19:58 (UTC)

I don't really know anymore.

[It's more complicated than he should really get into in his first conversation with someone, but it's the truth of the matter.]

There isn't any particular reason, I guess.

005 ☆ video/action

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