( video | text )

[irrelevance]

Now I don't want to sound pretentious when I say this, but no matter how much this camera blows, you can't deny this view. [ booms the voice of some guy who still manages to find a great angle to showcase a particularly beautiful shot of the gardens that most residents are probably already familiar with. yes, residents. he's done his research. he's tech-savvy enough for that and smart enough not to run screaming, blabbing to the first person in his vicinity. he recovers what's left of his sanity and he waits; he learns. then he appears on his own terms. ]

It damn near takes your breath away. [ so does arriving face first in the pool. ] There are only a few things in life that have that kind of power. That kind of sway over you. [ hm? he shakes his head clear of it and steers the view away from the fountain ( far, far away ), cutting the feed and switching to text without ever revealing his face. ]

so, i wanted to pose a question to you, Land of Wonder. what would you describe as a sight for sore eyes, and why? is it something that can be physically found or does it exist strictly in the imagination?

and don't worry, i know all about how curiosity killed the cat. i'm more of a dog guy. on that note, if anyone's seen either one of mine, i'd really appreciate whatever information you have. one of them is like a wrecking ball. he's big, hairy, and he leaves a huge mess. he answers to Derek, and no, you never get used to the drool. the other one's kind of small, but he never stops trying to learn the same darn trick. Scott's just so predictable. you almost have to like him and feel sorry for him at the same time.

Comments

[irrelevance]

[ he does have an issue with dogs, and he likes to think he can outsmart them, even if he can't overpower them, so maybe that does make him more feline than he wants to be. Peter doesn't come across as intimidating but to be frank, he never would have thought Gerard Argent was a threat. he can't afford to take any more chances. he's on a truce with those from home but he doesn't think for a second that all of them will keep to it. someone's bound to have a bone to pick and when they do, if they find a way to save Jackson, he's screwed.

he doesn't need any more enemies.

but death has made Matt a paranoid guy. for that matter, so does a young man that can teleport. amazing as it is. ] How are you doing that?

[ he spins around again with the intention to keep his eyes on Peter. but then his clothes are dry and he has to pat them down to be sure it's not an illusion. ] Thanks. I needed that. I thought you could only fly.

[boyhood]

_{[How is he doing what he does? Easy, he's Peter Pan! His smile grows.]}

You come from a town full of things you never thought were real, I come from a world full of magic. _{[Does that answer satisfy Matt?]} Stay in Neverland a while and you pick up a few tricks.

<sub>[Peter omits a good part of the tale, that he isn't the Peter Pan Earth children think he is, that he's tapped into Neverland's magic thanks to a very dark deal he'd made long ago, but there's only so much sharing and caring one should do during a first meeting. He saves all the best parts for later, provided there ever is a later.

A fellow teenage boy is the best kind of candidate for the group he has in mind, though, so he has hope... At least he's relative sure this one isn't a wolf who needs to howl at the moon every month.

He nods at Matt's thanks, only quirking his brow amusedly at the mention of flying.]</sub>

The stories must get that confused. Flying is the one thing anyone can do without magic, as long as you have a little belief in it. _{[He gestures at the boy with his index finger.]} Now you might be on your way.

[irrelevance]

[ if Matt survived his revenge and got out of Beacon Hills, at least he knew the weirdness might go away. or be less rampant. his town seemed like a fixed point for werewolves and anything that wanted to kill them. Peter makes it sound as though he came from a world where no matter where he turned, town to town, he would have encountered magic and with it, the wonder. ]

Just a few? [ he doubts he's going to learn which other tricks Peter has up his sleeve, but it's worth a shot. ] What about Wonderland? Have you picked up anything during your stay here?

[ thanks but he's cool without wings. without hovering through the air and flapping his arms like a retarded bird. ] To flying? I'd rather pick up your parlor trick. Appearing somewhere else within a blink of an eye? That sounds way more useful. [ he's talking preferences, not what he actually believes he can just absorb somehow. Matt's blowing smoke; talking to talk. ]

[boyhood]

_{[His eyebrows dart up, a noncommittal gesture that comes across as teasing.]}

A few. I lived in Neverland a long time before coming here. This Wonderland's a bit of a long story itself--based on what I saw in that video of yours, you must be new enough to still be finding your way.

<sub>[Very new. Peter makes a habit of learning faces and he knows Matt's isn't just a case of someone going unnoticed.

And still, he smiles. He's never minded talking to talk when a good mood allows it.]</sub>

I think you'd be surprised at the kind of view you'll find when the whole world falls away. It's one of those moments you mentioned. _{[He believes that, he does. Peter then shrugs with exaggerated nonchalance, smiling playing about his mouth, playing magic off as no big deal when they both know it is. Power never stops being important.]} You'd have to learn a little magic for that. A little magic, but mostly sleight of hand. Knowing where to make people look is half of it. Like a camera, in a way?

[irrelevance]

This is my first day. [ it already feels like a lifetime. not because it's been ~so scary~ but because he's trying to come to terms with the fact that he has to make it work in Wonderland. he has to like it here. there's no getting out and escaping for him because this is borrowed time. and how's one person supposed to deal with that alone? he spent sixteen years trying to and that only put him on the hit list of very powerful people.

he doesn't know how he's going to do it again, except to repeat history. to avoid it. ] You mean when you stop thinking about everything going on around you? I don't think it's as easy as you make it look.

[ both to letting the world around them go and picking up magic tricks. for most people, it doesn't work that way. then again, is he most people? how can you be attached to a life if you don't have one? ] Sounds more like directing, or magic tricks. Not like the stuff you're doing. The fake kind that's more for the show.

[boyhood]

Then welcome-- _{[He waves his hand, jokingly drawing on Matt's choice of words.]} --to a land of wonder. Among other things.

<sub>["Other things" being nonsensical events, people coming and going from different times and places, and magic that breaks the very laws of magic itself. Peter can deal with being in this world while suspecting--knowing--he's dead outside of this place precisely because he has hope he can pick himself back up with a new group of friends.

A person doesn't need anything but their own life and their youth, and Matt has both. That's enough. The rest follows.]</sub>

Maybe you'll get the chance to see things from on high. You're here now, you have time. And there's not much you need to worry about here aside from a few days a month when the magic gets a little... out of sorts.

_{[In other words, hakuna matata. Perk up!]}

Directing... _{[Peter chews that word over in consideration before nodding. Yes, in a way he's plenty experienced in directing productions.]} Both have their appeal, wouldn't you say? If you prefer real magic, there's more where that came from. I can show you. Not a lot of my friends followed me here, it's always nice to make some new ones. Most people just call me Pan. What about you?

[irrelevance]

It wasn't so wondrous when I opened my eyes face down in the pool. [ he shares, feeling bold and spiteful. he doesn't admit that he can't swim. it's not a pleasant arrival for anyone, even those that can, to suddenly be in water. he remembers sinking, not floating, from home but what's the difference? one pool of water's as suffocating as the next. ] But it's getting there.

[ he's caution to lend trust where it doesn't belong but if Pan's willing to reach out and tell him about magic, walk him through what to expect here, then he can at least be somewhat honest. ] Time isn't what I'm worried about. Or magic. I can deal with weird. Once I opened my mind to the possibilities, I was happy there was something else in the world. It's the people I know from home that I want nothing to do with.

[ he's been warned to steer clear of them but he can't. he can't trust that they'll do the same, so he's going to need to keep tabs on some of them and make the others that will talk to him think he's okay without the swim team here for him to hunt down. ]

Matt Daehler, [ he hands out freely because names have no power where he's from. it seems natural to give out a full name. ] And let me tell you, I could use some friends too.

[boyhood]

<sub>[Peter thins his lips in a sympathetic-looking way. Since it's not raining and it doesn't seem likely the boy had dragged his sorry self out of the ocean, Peter would have guessed Matt had taken a dip in the garden fountain.

People arrived in all sorts of ways, some ways more telling than others.]</sub>

That's some entrance. Forget it, you'll find your feet soon enough.

_{[Peter offers this with the same confidence he does Matt's mention of unwanted types lurking about. He can relate. With an easygoing smile, he clasps the other boy's hand.]}

New world, new chances to break away from the past. I know a few faces I wish were elsewhere, too, but look at it this way, Matt: that can always change with better company. _{[The smile widens.]} I'm always on the lookout for more friends my age. Look at that, not doing so bad for your first day.