entranceway | Δ [1st Cipher] SVOOL WZIPMVHH NB LOW UIRVMW

[Static crackles and pops over the feed.

It is a combination of a radio tuner whining listlessly between stations with decent service, the familiar whirring grumble of the dial-up tone ad infinitum, the hoarse screech of a car trying to start on a lonely highway in the middle of the night, where it has broken down for seemingly no reason at all.

Images flicker: an illustration of Lincoln's assassination, a room draped with red curtains, the Teletubbies, President Nixon, video footage of a piglet slowly decaying into loam. And then- A V O I C E.]

I GӨƬƬΛ ƧΛY. ƬΉΣƧΣ DIGƧ ΛЯΣП'Ƭ ΉΛᄂF-BΛD. I MΣΛП, IƬ'Ƨ ПӨ IПƬΣЯGΛᄂΛᄃƬIᄃ ƬIMΣ PΛLΛᄃΣ ΛПD IƬ'Ƨ ПӨƬ ƬЯЦMP ƬӨЩΣЯ, BЦƬ I GΣƬ ƬΉΣ ΛPPΣΛL.

[On occasion, between the odd frequencies scrambling the frame with black and white noise, a single eye will appear.]

VΛMPIЯΣƧ. ΛПGΣᄂƧ. ᄃΛППIBΛᄂƧ. GӨDƧ. ΛΉΛΉΛΉΛΉΛ ӨΉ BӨY, IƧ ƬΉIƧ GӨППΛ BΣ FЦП. I'ᄂᄂ BΣ ЩΛƬᄃΉIПG YӨЦ, ЩӨПDΣЯᄂΛПD.

I ' ᄂᄂ B Σ Щ Λ Ƭ ᄃ Ή I П G Y Ө Ц.

[The transmission cuts, leaving a fuzzy screen and a garbled message:]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[He's probably less alarmed by the insinuation than he should be. "Mad Hatter" isn't a moniker Jefferson's likely to be able to avoid long in this place. (Although he's a little shocked that no one has called him that to his face yet, several (like this one) have merely hinted.) Just more reasons to hate Wonderland, really.

It does, however, spike his annoyance. Making one nonfunctional hat after another tends to wear one's patience about the topic rather thin. The frown is evidenced in his voice.]

A Hatter never truly abandons his trade, it seems.

[He wouldn't have to make hats if he could just be with his daughter and stop getting stuck in other worlds.]

[Hats are only nonfunctional if you make them that way. Look at Abraham Lincoln! A hat that inspired such hatred in the common folk that an actor killed him for it!

Don't let the history books tell you any different!]

MIᄂᄂIПΣЯƧ GӨƬƬΛ MIᄂᄂ. ƬΛKΣƧ ЯΣΛᄂ GЯΛᄃΣ ЦПDΣЯ PЯΣƧƧЦЯΣ ПӨƬ ƬӨ ᄃЯΛᄃK ᄂIKΣ ΛП ΣGG ΉΣЯΣ.

[/stares at like an episode of The Office]

[...that phrasing isn't a coincidence. Deep down, he knows it's not. Jefferson twitches at the sound of the word, the name of his daughter-- cracking and hats-- This guy is talking like someone who knows something he shouldn't. Especially not about Grace.]

This place tries to break everyone it comes in contact with. It takes a thick skin to resist. [because Jefferson's done so well] Thank goodness Humpty Dumpty is in another fable. That would be quite a mess. [speaking of eggs]

[Deep down, Jefferson is only partly a broken shell of a man still searching for his daughter. Maybe one day they'll find each other.

And maybe one day Bill will have respect for squares.

Sike.]

I GЦΣƧƧ I'M ᄂЦᄃKY I DӨП'Ƭ ΉΛVΣ ΛПY ƧKIП. I'M ƧЦЯΣ ƬΉΣ JΛBBΣЯYЩӨᄃK ᄃΛП ΉΣᄂP YӨЦ ЩIƬΉ ЯΣMӨVIПG YӨЦЯƧ.

Δ [1st Cipher] SVOOL WZIPMVHH NB LOW UIRVMW

VOICE;

VOICE;

VOICE;

VOICE;