( one; voice )

[cursebreaking]

[Emma has read what information has been made available, she’s walked the grounds and the corridors of some of the mansion’s ground floor, and she’s combed through what public postings she could find to look through on the device she’d found in the pocket opposite of where she kept her own phone. She’s been digging for evidence since she got here, but what she’s found?

She’s not buying it. The message that comes through is voice only, not wanting to reveal her face or her exact location right away-- though she’s pretty damn sure that whoever’s responsible for this is watching her and has a good idea of where she is, if not who.]

Look. I know someone is out there listening.

[She doesn’t know exactly who, but someone.]

This game of yours? I’m not interested. I don’t know how you got me here, or how you set all this up. Maybe it’s some messed-up alternate reality game, but I didn’t opt in for any of this. I don’t care how elaborate it is, or how much work went into it-- my kid is at home waiting for me, and I am not screwing around.

[Her tone is hard, angry rather than anxious, determination winning out over uncertainty.]

‘Wonderland.’ Cute, but I’m not impressed. All I want is for you to point me towards the exit. You can do me a solid and we can do this the easy way-- or we can do it the hard way. Trust me, whatever weird stuff you might be into, I can promise you won’t be happy if we go that route.

[She stays on the line, just to wait for any kind of possible response-- but she doesn’t really know what to expect. This entire thing has her out of her depth, even if she’s not willing to admit it.]

Comments

[mulletrock]

Don't waste the energy sweetheart. No one's listening, and if they are, they don't care. The abduction scenario's a regular trick and the local powerhouses aren't big on do-overs.

[cursebreaking]

If it's a regular thing, how the hell has nobody caught them yet?

[Seriously, is everyone at the N.Y.P.D. asleep on the job? Actually, scratch that, she already knows the answer, given how much time she spends working cases to find people they lost. This place is definitely big enough that it should be hard to miss, but given the state of the grounds, her current bet is that she was somehow drugged and dragged upstate.]

Don't bother telling me to 'save my breath.' My being here, wherever this actually is, means my son could be in danger.

[Which means she's not shutting up or giving up looking for answers anytime soon.]

[mulletrock]

If it were that easy we'd all be home free and this place'd be a wasteland. Believe me, I get wanting to run a rail through the powers that be.

[He's been here long enough to know that they had the upper hand, especially since he'd been here before and they lobotomized him each time he caused a problem. No way he was gonna play into that mindfuck again.]

You're not the only one missing a kid. He probably missed the trip. Given the stakes here, that's in his best interest.

[cursebreaking]

I'm not resting until I know for sure where he is.

[She can't just assume that he didn't get grabbed, too.]

How long has this been going on?

[mulletrock]

That's not really my area.

[He has no fucking clue how long this place has been on the map. He knows Evelyn's been around for years and Sam has been around too long for comfort. Apparently, he's been here a handful of times he can't remember. It's a rabbit hole he for sure doesn't want to fall through, especially since he's already stuck in one crapshoot wormhole dimension.]

The numbers ain't exactly comforting. Stop by the library... you might get more answers there.

[cursebreaking]

Given everything I've heard so far, expecting anything 'comforting' seems like a real stretch.

[Unsettling? Sure. Crazy? Damn straight. No warm fuzzies to be found here, though.]

Can't say that light reading is exactly high on my list of priorities at the moment, but I'll keep it in mind.

[mulletrock]

Not so much light reading, more like who works there. Evelyn's been here longer than anyone I've ever heard of.

[cursebreaking]

This place has veteran victims?

[mulletrock]

If that's what you wanna call it. Sure. Evelyn's got all the weird this place has to offer chronicled. That's her skill set.

[cursebreaking]

Good to know someone's been so thorough about all this, I guess.

[Even if she's still convinced most of it is bs. Time will tell.]

[mulletrock]

For the record, I think it's cuz she's crazy, but you might hear different perspectives - depending on who you talk to.

[cursebreaking]

Noted. Personally, I think everyone I've spoken to so far is pretty much crazy, so I guess we'll see.

[mulletrock]

This whole place has no shortage of crazy. People, patrons, residents. They're all a few crayons shy of the box.

I'm willing to bet you're not exactly normal either.

[cursebreaking]

Depends on your definition of 'normal,' but I'm not running around trying to convince people that magic is real or that a children's book has all of a sudden come to life.

[mulletrock]

That's not even the strangest part of being here. Buckle your seatbelt and keep all arms and legs inside the vehicle.

[cursebreaking]

Noted.

[She's taking everything with several grains of salt at this point.]

Look. I have more legwork to do, so thanks for-- trying, I guess.

[Some people here have been more help than others. She's not sure where he falls on the scale.]