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[theothermrgray]

[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.]

Comments

[lifeskills]

Do you think we're not arrested in this moment? _{[A rhetorical question, one Victor asks with pointed, almost challenging tilt to his head.]} It may not feel that way yet. But if you're here in six months, even a year... You may feel differently.

_{[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.

[theothermrgray]

[That's something to think about. Dorian gazes upon Victor's glare with interest.]

Only a week? So if someone doesn't return in a week...

[They're gone for good, right?]

[lifeskills]

<sub>[The thing about Wonderland is you can't trust anything, even the things you could trust the day before--Dorian has yet to learn that lesson for himself. Does it make Victor a bad person if he feels a tad amused at the thought? Probably. But Victor is a bad person so he's allowed.

Sometimes it pays to be an asshole.]</sub>

I said only a week because that is a common amount of time. It can be longer.

[theothermrgray]

[Sigh. Very helpful, you jerk.]

And it would make sense that it could be shorter as well?

[lifeskills]

Possibly. I've heard of both kinds of cases.

<sub>[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.]</sub>

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.]}

[theothermrgray]

[Oh, he does want to go home sometime soon, and he already misses Henry, but...]

[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.