[video]

[nevar]

[Jefferson toys with the idea of publicly announcing his arrival for a long while. He had lived too long a hermit outside the fringes of Storybrooke society, and the idea of rejoining the thriving masses does not sound very appealing to him. Besides, there are other dangers to consider. Would the Queen of Hearts still be looking for him? Is the same Queen even in regency? He knows full well that nothing ever remains the same in Wonderland, and to expect the same as when he was here before would be absurd. He finally decides it is worth the risk.

How could he flush out his target without causing some sort of stir?

The video begins with Jefferson facing the camera directly, hands folded calmly in front of him and a darkened room behind him. He smiles easily, but there's something a little nervous in his demeanor. As far as anyone knows, he is new to Wonderland after all. A certain amount of uncertainty is to be expected. Little does anyone suspect how much time this man has spent in this nonsensical place. Or, at least, a fair facsimile thereof.]

Greetings, residents of Wonderland. It is my pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Jefferson, and I am a merchant by trade. Mostly rare fungi, but occasionally I dabble in trinkets... and hats. [He pulls a black silk hat into view of the camera briefly to illustrate his point.] I seem to have lost something of mine, and I wonder if any of you have seen it. It's about the size a breadbox. Cylindrical. Soft. Shabby-looking, I'm afraid, but very sturdy. If you feel you have found it, please contact me. I would hate for my something to cause a problem for anyone, so the sooner it can be back in my hands, the better.

[The smiles comes back, a little wider and more confident.]

And now Wonderland, I must ask you a very important question....

How do you take your tea?

Comments

video; private

[nevar]

Magical luck is a terrible idea. "Handle it carefully"? I wouldn't want to handle it at all. [Even for someone with such a long streak of bad luck as himself, Jefferson isn't the slightest bit tempted by the idea... even without considering the death sentence attached to the foot.]

All magic has its price, and I don't just mean my fee. At least that one advertizes it on the label.

video; private

[onsilksheets]

I don't know about a price but it can carry consequences. [Perhaps their respective worlds worked in different ways when it came to magic. But as long as she got paid, Bela didn't really care.]

My fee was always upfront and discussed prior to me taking on a job. Otherwise, I wouldn't do it.

Is that how you operate, Jefferson?

video; private

[nevar]

Operated. Past tense. I'm retired. [fatherhood does that.]

Not exactly. My best customer and I worked it out after based on the difficulty of the job. ["as much gold as you deem appropriate" was Jefferson's favorite amount of recompense.] Doesn't work for everybody.

video; private

[onsilksheets]

Ah, I see. [Curious as she was, Bela won't ask why.]

Well, as long as you got some form of compensation in the end. [Gold wasn't really an option for Bela but cash was definitely acceptable. ] Did you enjoy the work?

video; private

[nevar]

It had its uses, but that part of my life is over. [He's trying to play it cool, but a wistful look crosses his face] I was good though. And it was a lot of fun while it lasted. [Despite all the torture he'd gone though. He stifles the expression. There's too much pain there at the end. No amount of casual thrill outshone his new purpose in life.]

What about you? Enjoying yourself despite the danger? Not afraid of wild magic coming back to bite you, I hope.

video; private

[onsilksheets]

[She gets the feeling that he has mixed emotions about what he did for a living and as much as Bela would like to ask, she won't. They had only just met after all.]

No, I'm not afraid. Doesn't mean I don't feel a little scared on occasion. [Well, nothing wrong with being honest.] And if does bite? I'll bite back.

video; private

[nevar]

[Maybe one day over a cup of tea, she can be curious if she's still interested. He has quite a few stories to tell, and he would have to admit he's still curious about what other "merchants" of magical artifacts have been up to.

Her response earns a quick smile.]

You've been using the past tense about the occupation yourself. You still in? Or is the economy here just not demanding of that sort of work?

video; private

[onsilksheets]

[An exchange of stories would be something that interest Bela, but it was probably best if she waited until Jefferson had time to settle in.]

There's not much point in acquiring items for people when they can ask for almost anything they want from the magical closets. So yeah, I'm out of the business.