[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

♥

[nevar]

[Rude. You can't just ask someone if they're a zombie.]

I try not to get involved in politics. I'm just a traveler. A visitor to these great and noble realms that other people call home.

[a sly smile] Although I can't help but admit I'm curious. Such a scandal about a man like the Wizard is pretty interesting.

[unground]

He is not the first nor the last liar in history.

[ a little roll of eyes before ]

but then, perhaps I am not that trustworthy myself. I am quite aware of my own title for the sake of the story. But at the very least, a witch is still better than a politician.

[nevar]

I think most people can afford to be a little untrustworthy now and then. It's what keeps everyone on their toes. [and without it, Jefferson would have been out of a job a looong time ago-- which in hindsight may have proven to be the better scenario, but the milk was already spilled.] It's the people who abuse the right to be deceitful that ruin it for everyone. Politicians [like a certain mayor] are the worst.

In my experience, magic is more honest than people. Wicked, evil, powerful, crafty, good, mad... it's all just words. I'm not a practitioner myself, but I've seen much. The magic knows better than any title can.

[Jefferson knows who the famously green witch in Oz is, but he's banking on the fact that her face doesn't look like the woman he stole from in the past.]

[unground]

Curious.

[ she never cared for magic but perhaps it has been her error of a sort. her father hated magic, found it blasphemous but elphaba herself is anything but religious and a witch, herself.

perhaps he was right to dislike her. ]

magic is neutral then?

[nevar]

I've seen both light and dark spells, but to me it looks like magic itself is just power. And power of any kind can be used for either good or evil.

[He shrugs. Jefferson just had a magic hat. He'll gladly leave all the messy details to the witches and sorcerers.]

But I imagine that it works a little differently in every different realm.