entranceway | second ➛ video

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Okay, short and sweet. I've got some questions. ... And one comment, which is fuck that last trip. You think you're home free from whatever crap you've got back home, and then... bam. It's in your face. What's that about?

[ huff ]

Name's Ellie. I spent a lot of time reading back home and now that we're not in the trenches anymore, I need some reading material. Suggestions? The library's huge here and I don't even know where to start!

Uh... [ What else... She scrunches up her nose, thinking. ] Anyone up to teaching a kid to swim? Because that's something long overdue that I haven't gotten around to. And -

[ She looks a little more meekly at the camera, then glances away, chewing on the inside of her cheek. ]

There any way to get in touch with someone back home? Like... I dunno, a magic mirror so we can see they're okay? It's important. Thanks.

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[Well it is easy to look over her head…]

Believe me kid, you aren’t the only one. [Neal’s could easily ruin anyone’s childhood dreams of Neverland based on the crap he went through thanks to Peter Pan—and there are other memories he’s got even less desire to share.] It’s not like we’ve got any choice about it though. It’s just part of being here.

[Which isn’t the greatest thing to say, but it’s the truth.]

I get it. I wish I could tell you something different. [And maybe he could so far as peeks into her own world were concerned; who knew what the vendors could accomplish? But since memories are their currency of choice, he’s not going to go encouraging it.] But if it helps, when you leave here you’ll be going back to the same moment you left. Whoever you’re worried about won’t even know you’ve been gone, and neither will you.

Great, that's reassuring. [ she doesn't want to hear about how they're all about to bring their nightmares to life, buddy ] Well, that doesn't mean you should be totally... complacent about it.

[ She deflates a little with a sigh. ]

I guess so. [ So the perhaps mortally-wounded Joel is just... in suspended animation somewhere? She shakes her head, looking vaguely exhausted. ] ... I guess that's good. For the best, I mean.

Nah, you’re right. We shouldn’t be. Problem is, it’s hard to know what to prepare for. I mean, we can definitely stockpile stuff; the people who have been saved all of us in that last event. [They were the reason why the group had food, something Neal’s very aware of.] But a lot of the events mess with our heads too. One time this place turned into the town where a bunch of people my world are from. No zombies or anything, but it was cursed; almost everyone believed they were different people with different lives. There wasn’t any way to fight it either. We just had to wait it out.

[Which, granted, can’t be any more comforting than anything else Neal’s offered up. He hates the fact he can’t offer the kid any more hope, but she seems pretty smart. She might even be able to tell if he was trying to cushion the truth.]

In some ways it is. I mean, if you’re worried about something that happened back home, you know that when you go back you won’t have lost the chance to fix it. That’s definitely a good thing.

But - why? Why does this stuff happen and why's it to us? I've seen a lot, but I don't buy into the "it's all magic" blanket excuse. It's too easy! Like, yeah, maybe some of it's magic, that's fine, but then... where did it come from? Or who's pulling the strings and what the fuck for? 'Cause bringing people with normal lives to this nuthouse and then throwing zombies at them? Not cool. More like, insane.

[ hUFF ]

What? ... Oh. Right. [ That. ] It's just, I'm not sure I can fix it back there.

[Neal lets the kid get it out, mostly because he already knows he’s not going to have any answers that she likes.] Believe me, I’ve asked myself the same thing a lot—and I come from a world where magic is pretty prominent. [While he’s not a practitioner, Neal’s got experience enough to realize that there’s got to be a cost for all this, along with a few theories. Nothing solid though, and definitely nothing optimistic.] But if someone or some group is in charge, they’ve got to be crazy powerful to do what they do. And it’s pretty clear they don’t think enough of us to feel a need to justify themselves. I don’t know if we’ll ever know why all this happens; not really.

[Sorry Ellie.

He gives her a sympathetic grin when she talks about her own world though.] Well whether you can or you can’t, you definitely don’t strike me as the type of kid who gives up. Those the types who usually figure things out, even if it seems impossible.

You think? [ She perks up, looking almost hopeful. ] ... Thanks. It was pretty bad. This... guy I'm traveling with, he got really hurt. Impaled, actually.

[ Sounds good, right?? ]

And these guys were shooting at us the whole time and it was getting cold. I don't know what I'm gonna do.

[And this is why Neal should probably find out exactly what the circumstances are before he goes around trying to offer hope. When Ellie describes what she’s going back to, it’s hard not to wince. From the sounds of it, that guy she’s traveling with really might not have a chance, no matter how brave Ellie’s spirit.]

Unfortunately, right now all you can do is focus on Wonderland. [Easier said than done, but it’s the best advice he’s got left.] Even if someone tried to help you figure it out, you won’t remember when you get sent back. Just—try and trust that you two will get somewhere safe.

[As unlikely as it’s probably going to be.]

Nowhere's "safe."

[ She mumbles, a shadow falling over her expression. It's pretty hopeless, after all. ]

Thanks. I'll remember all that. ... Now, I mean, not later, like you said.

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