entranceway | M e s s a g e 3 8

M e s s a g e 3 8

[The first thing anyone sees, even before the person posting...is a little pig, in one of the tea rooms. It snuffles and sniffles and sweeps the room for signs of danger, and once it is satisfied it trots away.

Then in a blink, Alice is standing in the middle of the room, pig cradled in her arms. And for the first time ever on the network, her face has wide blue eyes. She's a bit frantic, but otherwise unharmed.]

I think I'm starting to get used to doing that on purpose... Ah, hello everyone! It's...been some time, hasn't it?

[Even Alice can't seem to hide the fact that it's rather awkward to suddenly have eyes when she did not before. The pig squirms and she lets it down, as she's discovered it's wisest to listen to what the Duchess' pig wants.]

I'm so sorry to interrupt everything, but I need to warn you all! Something-- something terrible is going to happen soon! I don't want to cause anyone alarm, but it may very well be the worst thing that's ever happened to you.

[It's all distressing, and Alice crouches down to the pig's level so she can play with it's ears absently as she talks. It lets her.]

I'm afraid I still can't explain how I know, and the details are...rather distressing. But I promise, I'd never lie to all of you! I could never!

[She's adamant about that much at least. Even if her message isn't clear, there's more clarity in the way she speaks about it - she understands the importance of these messages now, in a way she'd forgotten for so long.]

Please, everyone. Take care of yourselves this weekend. I think it may be all you can do.

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Oh.

[It's quiet. Up there, meaning...there. He's gonna have to tell Tim.]

[So all you can do is do stuff that makes you feel good, because things are going to hell. Great. Awesome. Bread and circuses.]

Is that gonna help? Or is it just so we have a good day or whatever before things get...yeah.

I...I think it will help. It won't stop it, but it will help while it's happening. Just...treat everyone with care. Forgive people, and look out for them. Be gentle with everyone, or as gentle as you can.

[That's her absolute best advice for this event.]

[Forgive people. Look out for them. Treat them with care.]

[God, he's a real piece of shit, isn't he? This is basic just...treating people like human beings, and yet he knows, he knows he's not sure how to approach any of it. He couldn't--he couldn't afford to do any of this back home. People back home would take advantage, did take advantage, and it's not like people out here are necessarily any better.]

[Be gentle. That's not something he's heard since he was a kid. Be gentle, or you'll break it. Be gentle, or you'll hurt him.]

If I...If I try, I guess, is there...

[He's not sure what he's trying to say.]

You said it'll help, but I...is there a chance somebody'll use that against...people?

[Fool me twice, shame on me.]

I...

[She falters. With her regained memory comes the regained notion that not everyone has their best interests at heart, even among fellow captives.]

...There always is, but I think it will be worth the risk. They'll be in the same position as you after all, with the worst thing for them as well. There have always been more good people in Wonderland than bad. Always. I know that doesn't make up for the bad ones, but...I really do think this is the best thing you can do, at least for this event.

[He lets out a defeated sigh, removing his cap for a second to run a hand through his hair.]

Alright.

[He's not looking at her.]

I didn't really know you before or anything, but how've you been, since...eyes?

Oh. I've been...good. Thank you for asking.

[A pause.]

Well, good isn't quite right, but you know how sometimes things can be better than they were even if they're bad? Even if you thought they were just fine before? It's like that.

[Jay grimaces.]

Yeah, I...yeah. I think I know what you're talking about.

[This may not end well, but he's curious now, so he might as well ask.]

If this isn't, uh...If this is okay to ask, what...? [This'd all go a little smoother if he'd taken a second to just think before he opened his mouth.]

How'd they get...taken? [He gestures toward his own eyes.]

Edited 2017-10-28 06:02 (UTC)

I...

[She falters. She's never actually had to explain it before, but...she gives it her best.]

...I made the Queen of Hearts angry. I got trapped on Mirror Side., you see. She said I'd been trespassing there and after she found me guilty she...she took them as punishment.

Oh.

[Jay holds off talking for a short while. She's scared--at least, she sounds scared--and Jay's never been great with calming people down.]

[And thank god the Queen didn't find him or Tim or any of the others when they crossed over. They were scared of Tim losing just one memory; he didn't realize it could get so much worse.]

How'd you get trapped?

I, uh. I crossed over with some people once, and we didn't really look too hard into how to get back. We got help. Honestly, I'm not sure what would've happened if we didn't.

It's because my Mirror doesn't exist anymore. The Queen of Hearts Unmade her, so when I fell through the Rabbit Hole...I got stuck. There was no one to switch back with me, and I couldn't find the Rabbit Hole again afterwards.

[So, she'd had to adapt to her terrible situation.]

If you've still got a Mirror, they would have come back eventually and switched you. If not...you might have been in the same situation as me.

[Jay's eyes (which he definitely still has, somehow) widen significantly.]

...Good. Good to know.

The Queen--the, uh, the red one--helped us back through. I'm guessing that forced the switch. I don't really know anything about my Mirror--not yet, at least--but I'm assuming I've still got one, so maybe that, that helped.

[Jay shrugs crookedly, but everything about him is too visibly tense for the gesture to come off as nonchalant as he hoped.]

How do you know if somebody's mirror's been..."unmade"?

Unfortunately, we...can't really know, from over here. If you appear over there suddenly, then you know yours is still around because they must have crossed over! The only other way to know is if they've been writing to you on the glass...but, if you can't see them, then you can't know for sure who you're talking to.

[It could be anyone. She certainly wouldn't trust that a Mirror is who they say they are if she can't actually see them.]

[Jay grimaces.]

If I--or, I guess, if anyone ends up over there because their Mirror "crossed over", you think the Queen'd react the same way she did with with you?

[And again, right back to the eyes. Granted, it's kind of a life-or-death--well, life-or-memory-loss situation, but still. He doubts the kid is too fond of him at this point.]

Sorry, I just. [He tugs the brim of his cap down, shading his eyes.] Just don't want it to happen again.

[Alice doesn't mind. She knows life in Wonderland is hard and that there's a lot to be scared of in this world. She gently shakes her head.]

I doubt it. Usually when they cross over, it's because she's given them permission to do so, which means she knows you'll be switched. I fell through the rabbit hole and couldn't go back, so it was...a bit different, I think. I'm glad the Red Queen helped you though.

[Otherwise, it might have been a lot more like Alice's situation.]

We got in the same way so...so yeah. Glad she helped us, too.

[Jay is just gonna try not to panic for the next twelve hours now.]

Sounds like you, uh, know who she is. The Red Queen, I mean. I know she got trapped in the Core with the--the Jabberwocky, but I mean...do you know why?

Oh, certainly! The only thing that can slay the Jabberwock is the Vorpal Sword, but it was missing the last time it attacked, so...sealing it away was the best thing they could do. She stayed there to make sure it stayed too.

[Then, Alice brightens up a bit.]

I put on a puppet show about it once!

[She sends Jay a LINK to what is hopefully the greatest puppet show he's ever seen in his life.]

[This is the greatest puppet show Jay's ever seen in his life.]

Holy sh...cow. Holy cow.

[Jay Merrick smiles are few and far between, but right now, he is grinning. He is actually grinning. The Red Queen just...punting the Jabberwock off the side. Amazing.]

So does the pig-lady...the, uh, Duchess still have the real sword?

[Alice is absolutely thrilled he likes it.]

Oh, not anymore. The Queen of Hearts took it back. Little baby jabberwocks tried to sneak out, but the vorpal sword put a stop to that. It's also why the Duchess lost her head for a while there!

It's quite a long story...actually, it would probably make another good puppet show someday, now that I think of it.

Do it. I mean, I'd watch.

[Information's information, and Alice's last puppet show was informative and hilarious.]

So if the Jabberwocky gets out again, we can just...ask the Queen to deal with it for us?

I'll keep it in mind then.

[It's a bit difficult while she's on the run, but maybe someday.]

Mm...I don't think you'll have to. She usually knows about it before we do. The Jabberwocky always attacks Mirror Side first.

[Jay's eyebrows raise.]

Good to know.

[He pauses, fidgeting again with his hat.]

You, uh...gonna be alright this event?

I think I'll be okay. Thank you for worrying about me though. Please, be careful okay?

[He'll have more to worry about than she will, probably.]

[And now he's got a literal child (albeit one who is great at both puppet shows and exposition) telling him to be careful. She thinks she'll be okay, but she's worried about him.]

[This does not bode well.]

Al..alright. I'll try, I guess.

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M e s s a g e 3 8

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