001 | I forbid ye maidens all | [Video]

[blood_lines]

[The woman posting to the network has sharp features, grey-blue eyes, ash blonde hair, a black leather jacket and a very large cup of coffee. Seems someone has found the kitchen. She looks faintly surprised as the wall unit comes on, then frowns at it.]

So I guess that's what these things do. Okay great. A network.

[To cover her hesitation, Toby takes a large sip from the coffee, then shakes her head.] At least the electricity wasn't shut off entirely. ... You'll have cut me a little slack while I get used to this. I'm not really much one for, uh, "social media" and stuff. Never thought I'd have to use a cell phone in a place like Wonderland, but there you go.

[Another awkward pause.]

Oh, right. I'm Toby, I'm from San Francisco, and I would really like to go home. Any help with that, that would be great.

[A shrug, and Toby shuts the thing off.]

Comments

voice

[notrequiredtomakesense]

Toby?

[It's voice because his illusions weren't up when he heard her voice and he really can't be assed to put them on right now]

voice

[blood_lines]

Ash and thorn.

[Guess who nearly dropped her coffee? But hey, voice. So that makes recovery easier. Nothing happened, she swears. Nothing nothing...]

...Yeah, that's me.

[She's cautious because 1) strange place and 2) doppelganger? Voice dupe? She doesn't know, but.]

voice

[notrequiredtomakesense]

[...could be a trap. It is Wonderland after all. How to test and see if she's really her?

Well to be fair, that coffee is a pretty big clue. But, well.]

Where are you?

voice

[blood_lines]

Uh. I found a kitchen. Don't know if this place is big enough to have more than one, but hey. Electricity and coffee, so it works for me.

voice -> action because yeah

[notrequiredtomakesense]

Of course you did.

[Toby.]

You should see the closets here. I'll be there shortly.

[And sure enough, Tybalt is making his way to the kitchen soon. He doesn't look rushed or urgent or anything, just purposeful.

If this is a trick, he swears...]

action

[blood_lines]

Hoping I won't have the time to.

[It's a nervous sort of watchfulness that she settles into. If it's Tybalt... well. But if it isn't she won't be caught unawares. Even if it means sacrificing the coffee.]

action

[notrequiredtomakesense]

[Of course it's Tybalt and of course it's Toby and when he gets her scent he may speed up. Just a little.

He enters the kitchen and stops]

You're here.

action

[blood_lines]

[Before she says anything, before she does anything but set the coffee down, she takes a deep, deep breath and--

Pennyroyal and musk, mint-like and deep. It's him.]

Hey.

action

[notrequiredtomakesense]

[Tybalt closes the distance and takes Toby's arms, inspecting her for any damage. It's Toby, that's what you do.]

I'd say welcome to Wonderland but, well. It's Wonderland. Are you okay?

action

[blood_lines]

No. No I'm fine. [Nope, no, no damage here, so she takes the first opportunity to pull him into a tight, tight hug.]

More than fine.

2/2

[blood_lines]

[Wait for it. Waaaait for it...]

Wait, Wonderland?

[video]

[jivitadana]

If you find a way to get back there, I'd like to go too.

[So says the Japanese teenager who's never been outside of Japan. And anyone would want to go to America!]

[video]

[blood_lines]

[Even though he's a teenager, he's still young enough to ping her 'must protect' instincts.]

Yeah, of course, I'll take you with me. You ever been to San Francisco?

[video]

[jivitadana]

[Oh, sweet, that'd be cool. Minato shook his head.]

Not to anywhere in America. All I know about it is from movies.

[There's a famous bridge and prison there and the like, from what he knew.]

[video]

[blood_lines]

First time for everything. Though it's pretty different from the movies.

[video]

[jivitadana]

[Minato trusted that was true.]

What's it really like there then?

[video]

[blood_lines]

No one goes to Alcatraz except tourists, there are fewer car chases, and we mostly take the Bay Bridge instead of the Golden Gate Bridge. Lot less crowded.

[video]

[jivitadana]

[Sounds good to Minato. Gotta take it from someone who's actually from there.]

I heard there was good chocolate there. Is that still true?

[So says again the Japanese teenager who has a black hole for a stomach. Food is marked on the priorities list as Very Important.]

[video]

[blood_lines]

There is, but you want to go somewhere other than Ghiradelli Square for it. You can buy it anywhere here, after all. Sundaes the size of your head are a different story though, I guess.

[She has two teenage boys for squires, she understand the black-hole-ness.]

[video]

[jivitadana]

There are those? I kind of want one now.

[At this rate, America sounds awesome. And who could go wrong with ice cream, his secret weakness? He didn't want to get too distracted though, so he nodded, committing what she said to memory and thinking about going to the library to read up more about SF in particular.]

I'm Minato, by the way. You sound calm for someone who just got here.

[ video. ]

[shittyglasses]

I'm Hange and I'm not from San Francisco. What is San Francisco?

[ video. ]

[blood_lines]

San Francisco is a city on a bay. It has a famous bridge.

[ video. ]

[shittyglasses]

Bay. I've heard of this word. [Sorry, this woman comes from a world living behind walls. Never been out of them.] Is San Francisco near the ocean? What is it like?

[ video. ]

[blood_lines]

Yes it is. Right on the ocean. Lots of fog, clouds, that sort of thing. Some big forests, from before the city, and on one side, water as far as you can see.

[ video. ]

[shittyglasses]

Forests can grow on the edge of the ocean? Forgive me, there are no oceans in my world, it sounds beautiful.