Action + Video - I'm off on this super fun adventure

[teamfun]

[ARRIVAL; Action]

[It's been something of A Day for Louis. A roller coaster of some really awesome and some really horrifically terrible shit. One minute, he was standing over that absolute jackass, Abel, and the next he's stumbling out of the first floor storage room out into the corridor with some comedic arm flailing. He catches himself, then stills, glancing around the space that is definitely not Ericson's courtyard.]

Toto, we're not in Kansas any more.

[He lets out a soft laugh that's toeing a little too close to hysterical. Carefully, he slides what looks like (and turns out IS) a chair leg with nails rammed into the top from an inside pocket of his held-together-by-love-and-duct-tape trenchcoat. For the observant, there's a blood stain on the upper arm, dry, a few weeks old, but definitely there, and definitely around a recently duct-taped hole. He raises his makeshift mace as he edges to a window, peering out at the perfect, beautiful Walker-free grounds.]

Oooookay, Lou. You're having a little bit of a psychotic breakdown. That's okay, that's fine. It's been a weird day. You knew it would have probably happened eventually. It's all good. Someone'll snap you out of this any second now.

[If you're heading towards him or passing him by, congrats, you've got his attention, he'll wave at you with his free hand.]

Hi there, mental breakdown conjuration. How's it hanging? Good? Good. I'm great. Not freaking out at all.

[LATER; Video]

[Once he's been filled in on what's actually happening (but still not utterly convinced this isn't some kind of stress-induced hallucination) Louis picks himself a room. He has his first hot shower in literal years, and even trusts the (magic????) closets to give him a new set of clothes. Aside from the trenchcoat. That remains as filthy and duct-taped as always. He's not parting with that for anything.

He sets himself up in the kitchen, where he sets up his communicator with a few false starts. It's been a long-ass time since he got to play with actual electronics. He's got a veritable feast on the table around him- ranging from god-awful junk food to fancy-ass steaks. They never truly starved in the school, but when all you have to eat for nigh on eight years are variations of rabbit, fish or berries, you can't help but indulge. He'll regret it later, when his system freaks out from suddenly having too-rich nutrients again, but that is a risk he's absolutely willing to take. He grins, giving the camera a thumbs-up. He doesn't get what's happening at all, but he can't just sit still, this...this keeps him active.]

Hey there, fellow captives-slash-mental breakdown prisoners! The name's Louis and I'm brand new to this... whatever it is. AnyHOO, seen as it sounds like I'll be here for a while, I thought I'd get to know you a little better. [He raises a dirty, dog-eared pack of playing cards t the screen.] So! If any kids wanna come to the kitchen and share in my bountiful feast and have a good old game of War, you're totally welcome to. Highest card gets to ask a question to the other person, fun, right? Or, I guess, you can be boring and do it over the video instead. What'd you say?

Comments

[krmvgivv]

Uh... you're not far off, actually.

[Narnia isn't a thing where he's from, but he's had lots of time to catch up on media from worlds that aren't his.]

Less wardrobe, more rabbit hole.

[teamfun]

Oh, right, of course, 'cause that makes way more sense, how silly of me.

[This is insane, everything about this is insane.]

I- look, is this that Delta place? Did they drug us or something?

[They were taking kids, it made sense that there were other kids from other groups trapped there. Maybe some of them jumped them, from behind.]

[krmvgivv]

I didn't say it made sense. But it's still true.

[He shakes his head.]

I've never heard of Delta, so probably not.

[teamfun]

Okay. Cool. Cool.

[He doesn't sound cool, he sounds like he's very much freaking out.]

Um. So, do you know how we got here? Unless you're being literal about the rabbit hole. ...God please tell me you're not being literal about the rabbit hole because it's been A Day and I don't think I'm ready to learn I'm stuck in a kid's storybook.

[krmvgivv]

Okay, first of all, you need to breathe. [Dipper holds his hands out in front of him.] I can answer all your questions, but... maybe we should sit down? Get you some calming tea or something?

[teamfun]

Right, breathing.

[He takes a few steady breaths. It's okay, it's cool. He's dealt with worse than this. Literally. In the last hour. ]

I'm still not a hundred per cent on drinking anything in the strange place I just found myself. But sure, sitting sounds good. We can sit.

[krmvgivv]

Good, good. [Dipper leads him towards the nearest tea room.]

I'm Dipper, by the way. What's your name?

[teamfun]

[He follows, occasionally glancing out of a window- at a walker-less outside. Everything looks so green. So alive. It's disconcerting. Still, he flashes a smile, sliding into his usual patter. ]

I'm Louis. Dipper, huh? Is that a nickname, oooor?

[krmvgivv]

Uhh, yeah. Long story.

[No actually "I have a weird birthmark" is about as short a story as you can get, but does he ever not want to get into it.

He pushes open the door to the tea room and takes a seat at the nearest table.]

Look! Food and drinks!

[teamfun]

'Fair enough.

[He won't press, after all, it's not really his business and he's got much bigger fish to fry right now. He sits, staring at the proffered food. ]

Okay, I'm pretty hungry so I'm gonna trust you on this one- so please don't let this be drugged.

[He'll pick up a little cake, eating it in about two bites. When was the last time he sat down to eat? Probably over a day- what with all the chaos going on.]

Okay I take it back, I don't care if it's drugged, this stuff is great Do you know how long it's been since I had cake? A longass time.

[krmvgivv]

It's not drugged. Trust me, this place does not need to drug us to mess with us.

[Dipper isn't that surprised to hear it. He doesn't look like he's had cake in a while.]

Yeah, I figured cause you look all apocalypse-y.

[teamfun]

Great to know they're upfront with how they wanna mess with us.

[He laughs, because that's a great word and he's adding that to his lexicon right now.]

Is it that obvious? [But Dipper looks so together. It's starting to finally sink in that this...this isn't home.] I take it there aren't any walkers here? I mean...the outside looks pretty much, well, not full of dead people.

[krmvgivv]

Um, that's a complicated question.

[Probably from Clementine's world, if he's calling them walkers.]

We have two people who are actually zombies, but like, sentient and not biting people. Then there's the people from zombie worlds who aren't currently zombies, but like, we really don't want them to die. Even more than we generally don't want people dying.

And then there are events.

[teamfun]

Did- did you say sentient [zombies is such a weird word, it's not the common vernacular and it doesn't feel right] ...undead? How does that even work?

[When you're dead, you're dead.There's no coming back from that. The person who you used to be is gone.

Still, it's good at there are others here. He's still trying to wrap his head around multiple worlds, but if there are other people who know where he's come from...well, that's something.]

Yeeep, I'd be one of those "you really don't want me to die" kinda people. Unless you, y'know. [He mimes putting a gun to his forehead with his fingers.] Take precautions.

[He cants his head, seemingly unphased by the fact he just told a complete stranger that shooting him in the head is a normal part of the dying process. Because, well, it is.]

Events? Like parties?

[krmvgivv]

[Dipper shrugs.] Different worlds, different rules. I guess some worlds it's not a, um, undeath sentence?

[It's pretty weird, but who is he to call the zombies of other worlds weird? All things considered, if you're not singing to destroy them, you're not as weird as you could be.]

No, events like "Wonderland decides it wants to either kill or humiliate you for a weekend." It... takes stuff out of our heads and makes it real. Sort of. Um... hold on a sec.

[He rifles through his pockets until he finds a rumpled pamphlet.]

My sister and I made this. It should give you the basics. We're kind of experts.

[teamfun]

That's...weird. But good for them, I guess? Nice to know it's not completely awful everywhere.

[In the early days, they always hoped there would be a cure. That something would turn them all back. It never happened, and it became a lot easier to see walkers as things instead of the people they once were. Though he'd way prefer it if he could kill walkers with singing. That would so much more fun and less traumatic.

He'll take the pamphlet, reading through it.]

Wow. Well first off? Awesome work on the informative piece of literature. I feel super informed. It answers the important questions. Secondly? This place is way weirder than I thought.

[krmvgivv]

Yeah, we get that reaction a lot. If you want even more information, my sister and I run Angel Investigations. It's got all the information we've collected over the years.

[teamfun]

So you guys are like...really trying to understand how this place-

[Wait.]

Be kind, rewind. Did you just say years?

[krmvgivv]

Yeah, I've been here three years. The notes go back further than that, of course. We're not the first people to document our findings.

[teamfun]

Wow that's...a really long time to be stuck here, dude. How old were you when you got here? Nine? Ten?

[krmvgivv]

[Dipper scowls, though it's a reasonable guess. He just really, really hates it here.]

I was thirteen.

[teamfun]

[Give him a second to put two and two together and somehow get to five. His brow furrows, because what the actual fuck.]

Um. Do- do we just...not age here? [A pause.] Juuudging by the scowl I'm gonna go with 'no, no we do not'. Wow, I thought that was Neverland, but NOPE, clearly not.

[Adults are the worst but he's still not thrilled that he's not going to escape the cold, steely grip of teenagerdom while he's here. He looks at Dipper again, squinting.]

Shit. You're like. My age.

[krmvgivv]

Yeah, surprise. [He grimaces.] People don't age here.

[teamfun]

Well, great. I always wondered what it'd be like to be a teenager forever Lucky me!

[He pauses, then adds:]

But at least I got out of puberty alive. Jess, sorry dude, that's gotta suck.