video & action ⪢

[achomp]

Sup, fellow captives? Name's Claudia.

[ two purple-gloved hands throw up finger guns in front of the camera. claudia's curled red hair is interrupted only by a single strand of white, and her ratty denim vest is covered in an obnoxious amount of flair. anyone versed in teen can probably tell this cool front is pretty forced. ]

So! I did the reading, aced the pop quiz, made frenemies with the magical internet, et cetera et cetera... [ shrug! if she pretends it's no big deal it won't be, right? this is fine everything's fine. ] Who do I talk to about that member's club jacket fitting? Or like, should I expect a card or a button or something? Maybe a secret handshake? Oh, right one other thing-- anyone got a twenty on Alice? Figure it's only polite to introduce myself to the lady of the house, you know?

[ and until then, she'll keep checking mirrors in hopes that this is some weird artifact thing on steroids. as the day wears on, claudia only gets crankier-- she's starting to feel helpless and alone. she can do alone, she just-- well she thought she didn't have to anymore. ]

Comments

[achomp]

Bad things don't wait for me, I'm not about to wait on them. C'mon, Bart. Have a cow for once and lay it on me.

[ poor guy. he's probably heard a thousand simpsons references but she's too tired for originality, unfortunately. ]

[kid_flash_found]

I'm not a Simpson.

[Bart doesn't really enjoy the references, but seriously...]

The alternative was Barry, and that's my grandpa. An alternate version of whom is here. Which, I guess, is kinda the bad news. People come from all kinds of worlds and times to be here. Even when you recognize someone from back home, they could be from before or after what you remember. And that's not even going into the Events. Nothing like waking up and realizing for days you believed you were somebody not quite you.

[achomp]

Whoa, whoa. Rewind the track. People from before or after what you remember-- like, from my future?

[ #relevant! ]

[kid_flash_found]

Could be. I'm from further along than my two best friends. I'm just glad we got past all the Alvin Draper nonsense. I mean, seriously, who in their right mind chooses to have an alias named after a chipmunk?

[achomp]

You got a thing with names, huh? Focus up, Not-Barry. [ snap-snap! attention here, buddy. ] Is there any way to tell? Like, if I wanted to know but I wasn't on speaking terms with the jackass from maybe my future?

[kid_flash_found]

Besides comparing notes? Not really. It's a bit of a mess. I mean, I guess you could ask other people, or maybe see what got saved on the network and what they've done.

This place is kinda a multiversal nexus. That never really spells happy, fun-times. Not that I've ever seen. And, apparently, people don't actually age or grow up in Wonderland, either. No matter how long you stay, and some folks have been around for years.

[achomp]

You really gotta work on your pitch, dude.

[ no, claudia. that doesn't actually pass as a thank you... ]

[kid_flash_found]

What, you want a song-and-dance thing about how wonderful it is to be in Wonderland? Aunt Joan taught me a mean foxtrot.

[Is he joking? It's hard to tell, really.]

Best I can offer is a tour of the amenities, although even that can shift like we're living in an Escher print or something.

[achomp]

If you start singing, I'm hanging up. [ she'll pause to wait and see that's what she needs to do... ]

[kid_flash_found]

[Bart isn't about to start singing right now. He's more amused and trying to keep it from showing.]

Where'd you end up, anyway? My first real find was the library, and it seems to be having me on. Won't give me anything I haven't already read enough times to memorize.

[achomp]

[ claudia's own facade is wearing thin, as stress and exhaustion begin working against her. but it helps that bart's trying to just roll with the goofs. makes it easier for her to pump the brakes on the bratmobile. ]

Oh, uhh I've been wandering around actually. Is the library sentient or something?

[ should she be more weirded out by that? ]

[kid_flash_found]

I think it's more the whole place reacts to people in certain ways. Given that the library can and will give you things from other worlds if you're looking, and has supposedly infinite shelf space, I'll go with Wonderland is a troll for $500, Alex.

[Bart just shrugs, because, well, it doesn't really matter.]

This place is...well, I don't really know what you're used to, but it's a bit out there.

[achomp]

[ she shrugs, unwilling to overshare but not enough to cut off a source of information so soon. ]

I'm less impressed with the fact that the magic closets aren't magic enough to give me an actual Squirtle right now.

[ there might be a room full of pokemon somewhere in this mansion... ]

[kid_flash_found]

You might try the market stalls outside. But I understand the currency is not something you probably want to pay.

[Bart considered, frowning slightly.]

You didn't exactly answer my not-question about where you're from.

[achomp]

[ her nose crinkles at the idea of willingly feeding something her brainmeat, but before she can argue she crooks up a skeptical eyebrow. ]

Nice onservation, Peter Falk. Got any other non-questions for me to not answer?

[kid_flash_found]

[Bart considers for a moment, then holds up a finger.]

Just one more thing...

Do you or don't you actually want the in-person tour?

[achomp]

I've made the rounds, found the coffee.

[ claudia shrugs like it's no big deal. she's a grown up human woman who is totally not going to go have a melt down in a magic room filled with pokemon plushies... ]

But I'm guessing I'll see you around?

[kid_flash_found]

I'm in Room 007 on the tenth floor. And no, I'm not secretly a spy, I just figured I should be near my friends. Safety in numbers or something.

[Bart shrugs a little.]

I understand the coffee's pretty good. Not that I drink much. Caffeine can have odd effects on my metabolism if I'm not careful.

[achomp]

[ the mention of friends puts a wan smile on her face, but claudia nods. ]

Hey, you gotta stick together. Easier to mock out Tweedle Dee if you have backup. Either way, I'm worthless without caffeine. I'm not sure my metabolism functions without the stuff.

[kid_flash_found]

And I can't even blame the guy who can fly. Annoying.

[Funny, he doesn't look all that annoyed.]

Maybe you'll meet someone from home you actually can play the timeline game off of that you like. This place tends to like grabbing matched sets at times. At least nobody's expecting us to fight for the fate of the planet.