[video]

[keeperfromtheflame]

People would tell me how much they hated this place.  Why they thought it was awful.

I used to think that it wasn't so bad, really.

[Hazel's expression is stone-faced and her tone calm, but there was a noticeable tightness to her shoulders.  She was sitting on her bed with a borderline defeated aura, closet door behind her partially open and a...bow in hand.]

[Those who had known him may or may not recognize it as Frank's bow.]

[Her fingers gripped it so tightly, it was a wonder the wood hadn't broken in half yet.]

Now?  I finally get it.

Comments

[superagent]

I'm going to be honest. It's not that much stranger than my day job.

If you find yourself in over your head, you're more than welcome to call me for help. Even if I'm not available, I know a lot of the people here from my world are happy to help.

[keeperfromtheflame]

[Nor hers. The main difference was the change in memories and occasionally wardrobe.]

That's sweet of you to offer.

You're not the first to do so, either. [In no way was that meant to diminish his kind words, but merely reassure him.] So it's not like I'm completely alone.

[superagent]

[ There's no hero complex at play here. He helps people because he genuinely wants to and he likes knowing that there are others who want to help. It makes Wonderland seem like a little bit of a kinder place. ]

No, you're not. I don't think anyone in Wonderland is alone unless they want to be.

[keeperfromtheflame]

Only sometimes.

[She was a people person, yes, but even she could understand times when people needed the isolation and quiet.]

[superagent]

[ That's certainly a feeling Phil knows. He's spending more and more time locked away from people and he can't really tell if that's a bad thing. ]

We all want to be alone sometimes. I just don't want anyone to feel like they can't ask for help.

[keeperfromtheflame]

No, that's one thing I don't think Wonderland's been able to take away. [Yet] I mean, if nothing else, it gave us these communicators?

I never realized how convenient they could be.

[superagent]

They're pretty great. It's nice to know that just about everyone here can be reached if you need to reach them. Couldn't have made them better if I tried, especially with the pamphlets that can help people who might be less tech-savvy.

[keeperfromtheflame]

[...yeah...about that...]

I didn't really read the pamphlet.

A couple of friends gave me most of the details.

[superagent]

[ He nods. The pamphlet has its pros and cons. ]

It's no stand-in for actual human assistance.

[keeperfromtheflame]

[One of the biggest being it...hadn't come in a language she could read without having to fight a severe learning disability.]

No, it's not.

I was lucky, though. When Frank and I first arrived, we had a lot of people who were willing to talk to us. From both home and elsewhere.

[superagent]

I wonder if there's more we can do to make sure everyone gets that.

[keeperfromtheflame]

You can't guarantee people will be willing to talk. It's not anybody's job to welcome newcomers.

[superagent]

No, I guess not, but I think we have enough people here who might want to help if they had some good direction.

[keeperfromtheflame]

What kind of direction?

[superagent]

Emergency response lessons, for one, and how to approach a scared new person safely when they could easily be armed or coming out of combat.

[keeperfromtheflame]

[...huh.]

[That was something Hazel could definitely relate to, given how many of those personalities types she'd come to know over the last year. Not everybody arriving in Haven might have been so calm about it as she and Frank had. And he was right; there were those who could have easily been pulled from mid-battle, when the adrenaline was still coursing through their veins and instincts had taken over any lingering sense of logic or reason.]

I suppose that's better than just waiting for them to calm down.