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

[teamfun]

"Aww, that is pretty cool. I'm glad they had each other. Not-quite-dead-not-quite-alive buds."

And now R doesn't have her, which is a damn shame. He understands the world R comes from better than a lot of people in the mansion, but he understands it from the opposing perspective. No matter how they deal those cards, he'll always be on a side where the undead are a threat- even if he doesn't see R as one any more.

He leans in with her, playing the conspiracy up even with the smirk crossing his lips. He nods, as if that makes all the sense in the world to him.

"Oooooooh so he could be something else? I mean, decided to get like...boxes of ducks is already a pretty big red flag. That's not a regular human thing to get."

[like247]

She can't argue, since she couldn't imagine being different and then there alone as well.

Grinning though as they talked about Crowley. "He took them out to the lake," she says, shrugging. "Maybe he just like sitting by the lake and feeding ducks?"

[teamfun]

"I guess? Though wishing for a bunch of ducks in order to do that seems pretty weird to me. I mean, aren't there regular Wonderland ducks?"

Or maybe 'regular Wonderland' animals are just plain insane. That would fit in with the storybook.

[like247]

Wendy's nose wrinkles, considering that, after a time she shakes her head. "I don't think so. I mean, Bill the Lizard, and the Dormouse. I've seen them on the device, but like outside animals? I don't think so. Just the ones people have released, like the bear and my sharks."

[teamfun]

"Huh, weellll, we'd better hope the magic food never stops or we're gonna have a whole lot of of a super bad time here pretty fast."

It's a genuine concern, he knows what it's like to live on the edge of starvation for years. People won't last long at all without food.

"Unless we can grow...not weird vegetables here or something?"

[like247]

She makes a face. "You can, but soon it's going to be several feet of snow outside like last window," she admits, shaking her head. "The rest of the year you can. Best I've seen? You can hoard stuff. I do it," she says. "But if they don't want us to have it, all of it would disappear. So even if you grow it, you can't count on it."

[teamfun]

"You know what this place needs? A greenhouse. We had one of them before-"

Well, before Ms. Martin met her sticky end and they let it get overgrown and overrun.

"Well, before shit went down. But it always always good for growing food, even in a the shitty winters we get back home."

That's...that's fucking rude Wonderland.

"So basically, if they want us to starve, they can make all the food just go away?"

[like247]

"Oh, there's one. I've seen it! I admit, I've never been into it, but I've seen it. A few of the others here go out there all the time though." She's seen them when she's been heading too and from the boat.

"I bet you could get plants and the lights and all to grow them indoors, though they might vanish as well when things get weird on events. Same with greenhouse things," she says, making a face, knowing none of it is good to hear.

Nodding though at that. "If they want to, yeah. Normally it doens't get that bad but it can." Which is the downside to this place, the one that most need to understand but many work to avoid in one way or another.

[teamfun]

"Oh that's sweet! Buuut yeah, I'd put all my non-existent money on them going all screwy with Events. There'd probably be plants that eat people like in that movie with Rick Morains."

He's joking, but he also knows it's totally possible. Wonderland be crazy.

"Goodie, yay for me, that I got practise there. Who knew living in an undead wasteland would help me live in a crazy-for-cocopuffs other dimension? Not me, that's for sure."

[like247]

"Well... so far? That has not happened." And she's not betting it won't though. Especially now that he's mentioned it, though she has no reason to believe things work that way. "It happens though, I won't tell anyone you said it," she teases.

She might tease him, but she wouldn't out him.

"I never thought all of my dad's training would do so much to help me in anything, not until here," she admits. "Now I'm so glad for it. I wouldn't be in your case though. I"d rather be screwed here than living in zombie world. Sorry."

[teamfun]

"You're a kind and true friend, Wends, and I deeply appreciate that."

He winks, because it's part of the joke, but he also genuinely would appreciate that- should he accidentally wish plant eating people on the mansion.

"Hey, I don't blame you there. I'm pretty sure anybody sane would want to be stuck here than in my world. My world is pretty damn awful. Like negative fun."

[like247]

"I try," she says with a grin. Though it slightly fades and she nods.

"So... I mean, there's some here to talk to. They're trying. They might find a way to keep you here."

[teamfun]

"Well, I guess that's something," he really, truly doesn't mind being here- though.

"I mean, sure I got shit back home, but don't we all? So long as it's not forever I think I can live with it."

[like247]

"Even if it's forever, your world waits for you," she says. "Which is still weird to me, but after two years of not aging? It's kind of sinking in."

[teamfun]

"That's good," really good, he needs to get home at some point and help save his friends from a whole lot of horrible. "I guess after that long, it just does that, huh? Especially with the not-aging thing."

[like247]

She nods. "I know someone that should be like nearly an adult for how long they've been here. He's why I stopped celebrating birthdays."

[teamfun]

"Woooow that's messed up," being an adult in a kids body. "I mean, it makes sense? It's not like they really count here."

[like247]

Exactly. They don't count here, and it doesn't matter to the adults, but to us teens? We're kind of screwed over.

[teamfun]

Of course not, they just get to live their adult lives, it doesn't matter to them. It's probably a bonus. But this is like "surprise, you'll never be technically legal to drink-slash-drive-slash-whatever, cry more, teens". It's mean.