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entranceway2016-09-26 07:09 am
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[At this point, he was certian he had no idea where he was. Yes, the paintings and photographs were quite lovely, but he doesn't recognize any styles from the galleries of London or Paris and he certainly hasn't seen a photograph with so much color in his life.]
[Then there was the strange device he found on his person. Nevermind how a tiny thing like this manages to function without winding it up, but it displayed various messages and images along with bizzare formats. What on earth was a "video?"]
[He turned the device over in his hand for a third time and sighed. If this was the only way he can contact someone for help, he may as well learn to use it.]
Hello?
Can someone tell me where I am?
I woke up in a strange gallery with a strange device.
Very confused.
Please respond.
From Dorian Gray.
[Dorian presses the send button and waits for a reply. He glances up every now and then, looking for someone in the room to talk to.]
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[Perhaps he might be the same as the man Victor knew. Perhaps there might be a small twinge of humanity inside. It's impossible to tell.]
While I would love the company of others, perhaps it would be more convinient for both of us if I messaged you for help. I don't know what else to ask about at the moment... Unless you wanted to discuss other things.
[In case Victor felt like being chatty. Dorian won't keep him waiting around if he has other things to do.]
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If you like. You should be able to identify my name on the list of contacts now.
[He lifts one eyebrow slightly higher than the other, unable to tell if this Dorian is beating around the bush with a plan in mind. Is this segue leading them somewhere?]
Other things?
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[Dorian doesn't have an ulterior motive in mind for Victor at the moment, he just finds him interesting.]
Yes, small talk. Perhaps we could talk about what our lives back home were really like, or about some other characters I might recognize from Lewis Carrol's novel... Or...
[In case Victor hates long conversations...]
We could chat about the weather.
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As someone who's spent most of his adult life avoiding dreaded small talk with people incapable of understanding half of the subjects he's interested in, he finds the request almost funny. If he were the laughing type, that's what he'd be doing right about now.]
Was that a joke? You'll forgive me if I'm unable to tell.
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[Poor thing. Perhaps Dorian should help this man's social life after getting acquainted with Wonderland.]
No, it was a suggestion. You don't have to take it if you don't want to.
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[Said wryly, with a touch of flatness to the words to make it clear Victor doesn't entirely mean it as a compliment. He's a self-contained creature who's so far lived his life by a schedule; that schedule's never allowed much room for standing around chitchatting.]
The weather's very fair, for the record. As one of Wonderland's artificial constructs, I do believe that sufficiently covers it. [Good talk, though.] Otherwise, I don't think I'm the ideal candidate for the kind of company you're looking for.
[He'll answer questions should the newcomer have them. He can even play nice, for the most part. But conversing for the sake of conversing isn't a strong suit of his, which he expects has become clear.]
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What do you mean by "Wonderland's artificial constructs?"
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The weather doesn't fluctuate, unless part of an event.
[Simply put.]
Seasons change, but it's an imitation of life only. Time doesn't pass here. That last is a matter of debate, you're welcome to pose your own theories if you like--what matters is that little happens here organically. It's all by design.
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Ah... I've been informed time doesn't work normally here, but time not passing at all seems a bit too ridiculous. Even for a place like Wonderland.
[You said Dorian could pose his own theories, so he's posing them.] If time didn't pass at all, we would be frozen in place, and therefore we wouldn't be having this conversation.
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[An argument could be made that circling the same small patch of land, reliving the same halcyon days, is exactly like being frozen in place.]
At any rate, it's true that our perception of time is suspect. It's well known that people have a way of vanishing from Wonderland inexplicably, then returning, sometimes with new memories. Sometimes they remember living weeks or months of their life at home, but when they return, only a week may have passe in Wonderland.
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Only a week? So if someone doesn't return in a week...
[They're gone for good, right?]
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Sometimes it pays to be an asshole.]
I said only a week because that is a common amount of time. It can be longer.
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And it would make sense that it could be shorter as well?
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[Victor remains as blithe as can be. At no point did he say his services come with satisfaction guaranteed, just that he would answer questions. And quite frankly, he's not seeing a reason why he should want to be more helpful to this Dorian than he had the other. His reasons for allying with the Dorian Gray of old had been for purely self-serving reasons.
Thinking about it dredges up a little too much of the past for Victor's tastes, quite frankly.]
Hoping you might be one of our number to return home? I wish you luck in that.
[He means it, he really does. If the blond returns from whence he came, there won't be a Dorian Gray in Wonderland to make him think about past mistakes better left buried and complicate matters. Victor would certainly sleep better at night.]
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[There's also the possibility he might wake up to an angry sailor holding a knife to his throat. Or worse.]
[Unfortunately, for both him and Victor, the chances of returning home in the near future seem undeniably bleak.]
... Thank you.