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

[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?

[notrequiredtomakesense]

Yes, Wonderland. Cheshire Cat, Tweedle Dee and Dum, mirrors, the whole lot. Though Carroll's Wonderland didn't have random, crazy curses every so often like this one does.

[blood_lines]

[There's a lot to unpack in that sentence...but there is one thing that catches her attention even more than the rest.]

Curses. Huh. Guess old Chuck forgot that bit.

[notrequiredtomakesense]

Indeed.

[And then he hugs her]

What's happened in the time I've been here?

[blood_lines]

[She frowns, pulling away to get a look at him.]

What do you mean?

[As far as she knows, he hasn't been missing.]

[notrequiredtomakesense]

...I've been here for several months, October.

[blood_lines]

But that's impossible. We were getting ready to go to the Woods, for Arden's confirmation.

[notrequiredtomakesense]

...no, we had just been to that.

[Tybalt frowns. It's the real Toby, he knows that, but...]

Quentin's parents confirmed her parentage. We'd gone home and then I woke up here.

[blood_lines]

[She rubs a hands over her eyes, then through her hair, shoving it back.]

You're telling me someone's fucking around with time as well as....whatever this place is?

[notrequiredtomakesense]

[Tybalt sighs]

It would seem so. I am sorry, Toby.

[blood_lines]

Whoa, hey. Not your fault. At least we're both here, and I'm not off getting into trouble without you.

[notrequiredtomakesense]

For once.

[He smiles]

Have you found a room yet? There's space on my floor, if you don't mind the smell of werewolf occasionally.

[blood_lines]

[She rolls her eyes. Fair cop though.]

I only just got here... I didn't think I'd be staying?

[notrequiredtomakesense]

You may, you may not. Better safe than sorry though, especially here. This is an....interesting place.

[blood_lines]

Great. Just what my life needed. More interesting.

There's got to be a way back home though, isn't there?

[notrequiredtomakesense]

If there is, I haven't found it.

[Very quietly:]

The Shadows won't respond to me.