entranceway | [Video]

Dear Wonderland.

[She says it like she's starting a letter. To all of you Wonderland girls and guys! She's obviously in her room, the wall of pasted-on Polaroid photos behind her, with softly lit lanterns hanging across the surface on thin wires. It's late at night- or rather, it's the wee hours of the morning. Max has no idea how much the old midnight gang of insomniacs still prowls around the network. She used to be pretty active at this time- not so much anymore.]

This is gonna sound kinda weird, but I swear I'm not off my rocker. Maybe groggy and craving for food, but not crazy.

[ Come on Max, stop embarrassing yourself on the network!]

I was just thinking that I would've graduated by now, since it's June. I'd probably be scrambling to find some sort of arts college that I can afford or that I can even get into. [Or not. Spending a year traveling and taking photos sounds great, too, but college seems pretty important.] And it sucks that I don't have school here.

But... obviously a lot of things suck about Wonderland. Nutso mirrors, certain newbies showing up, all kinds of scary mystery type stuff, nasty events. I mean, sometimes it's... just shit. [Like the past few days, for a lot of people. The network's been full of downers. Her brow furrows as she looks to the side, and her mouth curves into a slight frown.] And I'm sure some of us are bringing in a ton of messed up baggage from back home, too.

[She holds up a stack of instant photos, maybe seven or eight. She angles the stack sideways, so only the sides can be seen by the camera. The girl's still a little too shy to show the actual images.] But see this? Each one's a photo of a... a friend I've made here. People I could actually hang out with. [She waves the little stack at the screen, preparing herself for this next admission.] That's more friends than I had- have in my school.

So yeah, Wonderland totally bombs sometimes. But there's some pretty good stuff going on, too. And I know this is gonna be really hard right now, but I want to hear it- what's something you're super grateful for? Something you might never have had if you hadn't fallen down the rabbit hole? [She tries to make it sound like it's fun challenge, smiling timidly at the screen.] Cuz I'm sure you could name at least three things.

[[OOC: After the post, she leaves her room to roam around the mansion, phone light in hand. Feel free to bump into her wherever! Also, she'll be replying to all responses, even the ones after sunrise.]]

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I'll, uhh, keep that in mind. [She says, her smile returning.] And if we get any more dark, dank tunnels I'll be sure to avoid those.

_{[Sigrun is fun and loves to chat about the surface world, if she ever showed up in Wonderland they'd probably get along famously.]}

Good idea. You don't want to meet a darkspawn up close.

_{[Because they're ugly, for one. That's not taking into account the whole... murderous urges to hack apart whatever they come across.]}

What are the top three things you've found interesting about Wonderland so far? Your friends?

Friends is definitely one... And I guess having infinite camera film is pretty boss. [Though that's sort of a giveaway, it actually means a lot to her.]

Number three is having my best friend Chloe here. It wouldn't be half as fun if I was by myself.

[Specifically because as long as Chloe's in Wonderland then she's alive; otherwise Max would still be carrying the burden of her best friend's passing.]

Someone from home came with you? That's either extremely good luck or extremely bad luck, depending on your views on kidnapping. But splitting a load between two is better than bearing it alone.

_{[His smile contains a trace of wistfulness, there and gone again so fast it might not have been there at all. He'd had that once. Someone to weather hard times with. A best friend. A best... someone.

But then he's smiling again, all amusement and flippant cheer.]}

"Friends" and "best friend" are practically the same thing, so I think you should get a freebie. What's another one?

[She thinks he sobers up a bit- but maybe it was only her imagination. Either way, she raises an eyebrow at him. There's a pause before she replies.]

Trust me, it's amazing luck that she's here. [Considering that Chloe would be dead otherwise. And it's not fair to claim that it's a freebie, since what she's actually trying to say is she's glad Chloe is alive. Though that's still sort of a secret and she deliberately phrased it in an ambiguous way.

But there's no slipping that past Anders, is there?]

Fair enough. I guess what I'm really going for is that I'm glad she's okay. She... had it really rough back home.

_{[It's still early, it was clearly a figment of your tired mind, Max. Anders is rarely sober even when he's sober.]}

"Okay"?

_{[He echoes this back questioningly.]}

Worse than here?

[But that's exactly what makes him so fun!

...Again, except for laughing at people who get arrows in the rear ~~shush I didn't say that~~.

Max on the other hand does get more serious- wistful, even.] Definitely worse. It's Wonderland or bust. [She says it lightly, but her smile only fades further.]

_{[He maintains laughing at templars is the only way to do it. Laughing with them? Ew, no. Twist his arm behind his back, why don't you.]}

Something happened to her?

_{[It's a question he suspects he already knows the answer to just from the dimming light in her eyes.]}

[Ugh, she's gonna have to go and say it out loud, isn't she. But first she switches it to a private call.]

...She um... died.

[No expounding here, no thank you!]

Died?

_{[Anders has a vivid imagination when it comes to bad things happening to decent people--he's seen enough cruelty and tragedy in spades to give him ample inspiration.

But the dead coming back to life... that's still something unnatural. It gives him pause.]}

Uh... oh, my apologies. I wasn't expecting that, though given the nature of this place, I suppose I should have. I'm sorry to hear that.

_{[As much as he hates everything Wonderland represents down to his core, in this he supposes it offers a strange mercy, to give dead souls a second chance. But then again, perhaps that's cruelty in its own way, too.]}

...Thanks. [Max isn't quite sure how to respond. This is one of those proverbial awkward moments.] Like I said, Wonderland or bust.

Don't tell anyone, okay?

[Not that it's a secret, really. Max would rather people not bug her or Chloe about it.]

You're not kidding.

_{[It's a purely rhetorical statement. He looks half on the verge of letting out an awed whistle, not sure how you get over the mental hurdle of knowing you've died. Actually died, no take-backs or nine lives.

He knows the taint in his blood has shortened his lifespan, and he's heard he will die in at least one other timeline, but it's not the same as having lived it. He still has deniability on his side.]}

Who would I tell? Not to worry, your secret's safe with me. It doesn't exactly make the best conversation starter. _{[He worries his bottom lip between his teeth briefly.]} Does she... remember? What happened?

[That sounds like a very simple question, but it's actually extremely hard to answer.] No... not really. It's not so much that she was... uhh, shot or anything. [Not in the timeline Chloe's from, anyway, though Max's voice wavers slightly on the word shot.] She just sort of... stopped existing.

Her last memory is... from right before that happened. [What do you even remember about not existing anyway? As far as Max understands it, Chloe remembers as much as she possibly can, in that situation.

Max bites her lip and runs a hand across her forehead.] Sorry, can we, uhh... I should go.

[Sorry Anders, but this is already well over the edge of things Max talks about.]

_{[He has to stop himself from scratching his head. On the one hand, he regrets asking now that the girl's in a visible struggle to answer him. And on the other hand, he's not sure what he's supposed to think at someone... ceasing to exist.

How does that simply happen?

Nonetheless, Anders shakes his head despite his uncertainty of what to make of it.]}

You don't have to answer. I shouldn't have asked. Try not to let a meddlesome man's curiosity dampen your morning with things better forgotten.

_{[No apologies necessary, Max.]}

No, don't worry about it... it was nice talking. Really.

[Despite the latter part (looks like she won't be getting much sleep after this, either) she found him amusing and friendly. Almost like someone her own age.]

So uhh. Bye!

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