entranceway | ▲ 5th Cipher ▲ [Audio/Video]

[Hey look guys, it’s a network post from your ole pal, Bill! No, not the lizard and shame on you for being disappointed by that revelation! Yes he is a triangle, yes he is stunning and thankfully he doesn't seem to have packed any extra entertainment to explode into his broadcast today.]

“ALL RIGHT WONDERLAND, I think it’s HIGH TIME someone ASKS the BIG QUESTION-- just HOW MANY OF YOU come from the LAND OF LIVELY CORPSES?!

I GET IT. OUR ROTTING BRETHREN are CHARMING ENOUGH. IF anything the REST of you MORTALS should be like THEM. At least ZOMBIES ACCURATELY DISPLAY the TRUE HORROR of what BEING ALIVE FEELS LIKE—slowly SHAMBLING towards your DEATH every PASSING SECOND, you CAN’T KEEP YOUR PIECES TOGETHER and all you WANNA DO IS GRRRRROAN-- But I tend to LIKE a little VARIETY in my TORTURE! SO I wanna KNOW, just how many more MINDS do we gotta CYCLE THROUGH before we’ve VISITED ALL of your TRAUMA-- because I swear, if I have to GO through ANOTHER REALITY where I FAKE a BLOOD TEST, I just might have to START STOCKING UP.”

[The triangle’s lid narrows at that, an unpleasant memory from Genosha flashing momentarily into his retina.]

“Now either we’re FAILING SOME KINDA TEST every time these SUCKERS COME BY or WONDERLAND’S started PICKING FAVORITES…”

[And if it’s the latter, he really would like to know.]

“Anyway, you KIDS LOVE CONSPIRACIES; so LAY EM on ME! I think we ALL KNOW what HAPPENS when you DON’T~”

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[He rolls his eyes, and it's so much like a reflex that it almost takes him by surprise. Even away from 'home', he still hasn't stopped surprising himself with the things he does.]

Had to get.. compensation.. somewhere.

[Yep, the sense of humour still works.]

“HEHE, NOT A BAD TRADEOFF, if you ASK ME!”

[Look! He even managed to get an eyeroll out of you! Complain all you want, annoying people is a GREAT way to get them moving!]

“SOoooo SHAMBLES, how you ACCLIMATING? WONDERLAND meeting all YOUR, uh, NEEDS?
[Please tell him the tables actually provide you with dead people at the dinner parties!]

“YOU take a GLANCE at the MIRRORS yet~?”

[R isn't someone who can pride himself in being good at working people out, but Bill takes things to another level entirely.]

... Not yet.

[But he has heard things, here and there, through his idle browsing across the network (once he was shown how to use it). He does far more listening than speaking, and only does that when he feels like he can get away without being asked too many questions.]

Don't think I.. want to.

[Because honestly, he's concerned about what he might see.]

"DOES make me WONDER if the other GUY would be LESS 'ARTICULATE' or not."

[What IS the opposite of a semi-sentient zombie? A fully formed person? A fully turned horror-show? A fully-formed person so weird looking people think they're a horror-show?]

"Eh, DOUBT QUEENIE could REPLICATE whatever FORCE of NATURE keeps you RUNNING anyhow. DOUBLES, who NEED EM!"

[Speaking of-]

"WILLING to bet you're SOMETHING of an ANOMALY where you're from too, aintcha?"

[The other guy. R's expression twists into a small grimace. One of him is enough and if whatever version of him is on the other side lacks the kind of self-control that he does, he doesn't want to think about what might be happening.

He loses himself to that thought for a moment or two, missing some of what Bill says. The word 'anomaly' is caught, and he glances warily back to the camera.]

... Yeah. [You could say that.] Not many Dead... are like me.

[That is, they didn't talk, he wasn't sure if they even had thoughts. They didn't give names. They didn't collect things. They didn't have the distaste for eating people that he did.

An anomaly? Something like that.]

"So you DO ADMIT you're DEAD."

[Bill chirps with something akin to clinical fascination.]

"Not to SAY I thought you'd LIE ABOUT it, but let's FACE IT, not EVERY MORTAL approaches the TOPIC so CASUALLY!"

[And you might have guessed by now Bill can't be bothered to do anything for as minor a reason as 'sparing someone's feelings.']

"TAKE it from ME, SHAMBLES, being the ODD one OUT is ALWAYS better than FITTING in with the SYSTEM. WHAT do you SUPPOSED CAUSED IT? Born into a GREAT PROPHESY? STOLE from an OLD GYPSY WOMAN? There's always one of those broads- STOLE from TWO GYPSY WOMEN?!"

Um.

[What else am I going to admit to, being a teapot? R doesn't answer, save for the single bemused syllable, but he does make a face that says more than his lack of words does.

It's just as well that his feelings about being accused of being Dead aren't really a thing that exists.

He frowns, very slightly, at the apparent ideas given as to the cause of his current state. In truth, he doesn't know - he doesn't think that anyone really knows anymore - but he doesn't exactly appreciate jokes about it, either.]

I have... a name.

"YEAH, YEAH fine, WHATEVER."

[Bill just scoffs, of all people to ever complain about his ever apparent use of nicknames, it had to be the zombie.]

"Judging by your LACK of RESPONSE, I'm off BASE. Well if you WANT me to GUESS a little CLOSER or act a little more RESPECTABLE I'm gonna need a bit more to WORK WITH, KID."

[He supposes he has been steamrolling this conversation given that the other occupant is hardly capable of speech, let along keeping up with the rollercoaster of a talkshow that occurs every time he gets carried away.]

"How about we SWAP. Ya got any QUESTIONS for ME?"

[He doesn't want to say that he doesn't know. It wouldn't be the first time he'd admitted it, but this doesn't feel like the best of people to be admitting it to. Something about Bill has been off-putting since the beginning, and it's only made more unsettling by the fact he is actually a... well, a triangle.

R has seen his share of weird stuff in his life - he's dead and he's still walking around, and there isn't too much stranger than that - but strange talking triangles who ask probing questions is weird even for him.]

Um. [He pauses. The offer is a generous one considering their conversations thus far, but is it actually going to be that simple? R decides on an easy question.Easy to say, that is.] ... What... are you, exactly?

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