1. video/action

[henrydaniel]

[Henry had to figure out a way to ask for an artist without actually letting his mom know what he wanted. He had to be vague, and though she knew a little about what he was doing, he didn't think she knew that he was having a real actual book made for. Which was why Henry's face appeared on screen and he gave a little smile and wave.]

In case you don't know me, I'm Henry. I'm looking for someone who can illustrate. You know, like a kid's book or something?

[Wow, this was not shaping up to be subtle at all, but he figured as long as Regina was still surprised by the finished product, it was okay.]

If you can, it'd be great if you could get back to me. Or you can find me in room 27 on the eighth floor. Thanks to anyone who can help.

Comments

[henrydaniel]

[Henry's so completely impressed that it takes him a minute to respond, his mouth hanging open a little.]

Yeah. Yeah. Hazel, that's...thank you. This is better than what I could ever do on my own.

[keeperfromtheflame]

[She glanced upward, just for a moment--the drawing still needed work. details--to send him a warm smile for the compliment. A faint hint of blush on her cheeks.]

It's nothing, really.

[henrydaniel]

No, I mean it, my mom...she really deserves this, I just didn't know how it was gonna happen.

[Her smile again makes him think that she's really pretty but still, he's just happy she's helping him, and he holds out the bag of cookies.]

So, how long have you been in Wonderland?

[keeperfromtheflame]

[Cookies. Yum. Using her peripheral vision, she reached out to grab one.]

A while.

Frank and I woke up here...about four months ago, I think.

[henrydaniel]

You got to come here with someone? That had to make it less...I dunno. Terrible?

[Not that his own arrival had been bad, but it would have been less scary with someone.]

[keeperfromtheflame]

[A nod, and for a moment, she glanced up and over at the adjacent wall.]

I'm not sure what I would've done if he wasn't here with me.

[Sure, she was a strong, independent warrior in her own right. Sure, she had most of her friends. She had NIco. But having Frank around...Henry was right; it not only made Wonderland less terrible, but there were moments when she almost liked the experiences it was giving them both.]

[A high school dance. Lyrical confessions of words otherwise gone unspoken. The chance to be normal. ...okay, there was that one time she kind of died out on some Oregon Trail, but that was still better than the last time she'd died. In Alaska.]

What about you? Do you have anyone here besides your mom? Any friends?

[henrydaniel]

Well, I have another mom and she's here. My dad is, too. One grandpa, one grams, but she doesn't remember that I'm actually her grandson, I don't think. Maybe she does now. And some other adults from home are here.

[It's a lot of family, but he doesn't have any friends his own age he hangs out with, really.]

I think the dragon, Toothless, is my friend.

[keeperfromtheflame]

[Both brows rose at that, the longer the list went on. Here, she was thinking that Henry was alone. The way he had hinted that having someone here with him...]

[Her mistake.]

And I thought having my brother and friends here with me was lucky. You have your whole family!

[henrydaniel]

I'm glad. Because...things aren't always calm at home. And...my dad won't be there.

[He takes a deep breath and looks at her.]

Sorry, none of that's really important.

[Well it is, to him, but he isn't sure he should go into it, isn't even sure Hazel wanted to have to hear much.]

It is lucky having your brother and friends here! So, Frank is your brother?

[keeperfromtheflame]

[There was something about that statement. The breath he took. My dad won't be there.]

[She knew the feeling.]

What--? [Fortunately for him, his next question was successful in distracting her from that trail of thought.] Oh, no. Nico's my brother. Frank's my boyfriend.

[henrydaniel]

[He gives a little smile at that.]

That's really good, then. [Not that he knows anything about having someone that important but he figures it has to be good.]

I've been here since July, but most everyone has told me I was here two other times.

[keeperfromtheflame]

[Really, Henry? No little impending crushes? There were plenty of girls here, after all~]

I've heard of that happening before. Another friend of mine--Leo--I heard he was here. Long before Frank and I were. Only he left...but now he's back again.

[henrydaniel]

[Someone show him the 11-14 year old girls and he's good to go develop a few crushes. Maybe he's hanging out in the wrong places. And the first girl he's acknowledged is cute has a boyfriend so go figure.]

Did he remember anything when he came back? I didn't, but I've heard it depends on how long you're gone.

[keeperfromtheflame]

[...that's rough, buddy.]

Judging from both his message on the Network and our talk afterwards...I'm guessing 'no'.

[henrydaniel]

It's weird, a way a...place can do that even when you aren't there anymore. I mean, I've heard of magic that can but an actual place? It just seems like someone would have to actually...do that.

[Sometimes he thinks too hard about Wonderland, tries to apply what he knows about magic (which isn't much yet) to this place.]

[keeperfromtheflame]

Not necessarily.

[Not for the first time, Hazel thought of the Mist. A magical force that concealed any and all gods, demigods, and monsters from mortal eyes. Created illusions so that those who were oblivious to the dangers around them remained so. Hazel had only just recently learned to harness it herself...but the power wasn't hers. It was in the air itself.]

[Not unlike Wonderland.]

[henrydaniel]

[Well that isn't the most ominous, shortest sentence ever. Henry shifts a little, curious but cautious about asking.]

...What do you mean? What else could it be?

[keeperfromtheflame]

[Just give her a second to add a bit more texture to the hair strands...]

Do you know if your Mom's hair was longer or shorter when she was younger?

[henrydaniel]

[Well, okay then.]

Long. Really long. And not super curly but...what's the word. Wavy? Something like that.

[keeperfromtheflame]

[Wavy, it was. She could do wavy. Her hand reached up , making much broader strokes against the page. Curving this way and that.]

What I meant--[going back to his question before]--is that not everything has to have a single person behind it.

Who says that Wonderland, itself, doesn't run on some sort of power of it's own?

[henrydaniel]

Oh. Well, there's the Queen. Do you think she really has all of the power to do all of that?

[To him, that would make her more like Rumplestiltskin or...maybe the Blue Fairy, who he always meant to read more about but never did.]

Us being here means there has to be a reason. I don't understand why it would be an accident, showing up here and sometimes more than once.

[keeperfromtheflame]

I don't know. She might, but I don't really know enough about her to say.

[Which wasn't to say Henry was wrong. Sometimes, the Mists of her home world acted on their own, and sometimes it was Hecate screwing with her. Who really knew for certain.]

I'd like to think there was a reason we're all here, even if nobody tells us.

[Her nose slightly scrunched up at that. Story of her life, really. Both of them.]

[henrydaniel]

[He's quiet for a second, trying to think things through. Regina'd cast a curse and taken everyone from The Enchanted Forest to Storybrooke. If she really hated everyone as much as she thought...why did she do that? Maybe Wonderland was the same kind of thing. Maybe whoever was in charge was lonely and this was entertainment or a way to keep from feeling alone. After all, they weren't stuck forever. Eventually people left, so...maybe they were there for someone's amusement?]

Maybe. Maybe someone's just bored.

[keeperfromtheflame]

...that too.

[It honestly wouldn't surprise her. It really, really wouldn't.]

[A few more strokes of charcoal, and she picked up her drawing and turned so that Henry could see it. Her face was slightly plumper, particularly around the cheek and chin area, and her hair was long and flowed loosely on either side of her face, framing it in a much more youthful fashion. Then, of course, there was the smile. Soft. Warm. Loving. Happy.]

Done.

[henrydaniel]

[All that Henry can do is stare for a few minutes. It's her, it's unquestionably Regina, and it makes him swallow heavily, though there's a little tug of a smile on his lips.]

Hazel? This is perfect. I don't know how what we do from here, if you want me to just give you ideas for what I'm writing. But this is perfect. This is my mom.

[He can hardly take his eyes off of it, but then he does look up at Hazel, grinning.]