entranceway | M e s s a g e 3 6

[Alice has decided to occupy an empty bedroom today (interestingly, not her own) and when the camera turns on she's flopped on her back on the bed, with her hair dangling over the side.]

I've been thinking a lot recently...or, well. The thought just sort of came to me, as thoughts often do. But...it must be so hard to be here when you aren't from Wonderland, isn't it? It's fine for me of course, since I live here, but...you must be very lonely, right? Being so far from home, far from the people who love you...not that you aren't loved here, or at least I hope you are. What I mean is, it must be easy to feel lost here, especially for those of you who have been here a few years, or who are here by themselves.

[She sighs.]

I suppose all you can really do is band together...I wish there was more I could do for you. Oh, but I did find this in the attic! [She rummages around off-screen and produces an instrument.] That's what I'll do! I'll play you a song, and try to cheer you all up!

[And she puts it to her lips and plays.

Badly. Very badly. It's worse than a shrieking recorder and you have to endure it for a full five minutes before the video ends.]

Threaded | Flat

[Dorian wasn't really paying attention to the video itself. He managed to produce some opium and a pipe from the closet, and he was drifting off into a drug-induced haze...]

[Or he would be if that horrible screeching didn't start blaring from his device.]

[Dorian could only endure about a minute before the so-called music started giving him a headache. He grabbed the device and focused it on himself as best he could manage.]

For pity's sake, woman! If you don't stop that infernal racket I will... Have... To...

[Wait... Is Dorian hallucinating, or does this girl not have eyes?]

That's great, Alice. Thanks.

[ dear god his ears are bleeding

EVEN SO he manages earnestness and a smile. ]

It's nice of you to think of us.

[The video starts and it just has Riley clapping. She wants to hide the fact that she had her ears covered before finally deciding to respond.]

You did great!

[ Philip-- listens. He listens for the full five minutes, bizarrely captivated, as if by a car accident for ears, as if by something for which every fibre of decency tells you to turn away, while your shameful thirst for curiosity keeps wondering just how bad could it possibly be?

The answer, after 300 seconds of agony, is very. ]

On the bright side, I guess the next event can't be much more painful than that.

[ There it is. The worst song he's ever heard played in his life. Bob listens partly out of a feeling of obligation and partly because he just can't bring himself to shut the thing off before seeing how it ends.

It's about what he expected. But she's pretty young, and she means well. And he's not one to go around crushing dreams. ]

Oh. Uh. That was... good. Thanks. Was that like a song you wrote yourself, or. Or did you pick it up somewhere?

[Nageki winces at that song and glares at Alice through the screen. He really dislikes noise as it is.]

It's hard to concentrate with that.

[Ford mutes the noise after a solid minute of that excruciating assault on his ears. He unmutes to talk to her though, because he's not a complete jerk.]

Well. Uh. That was certainly... something! But... not quite my tempo. [It's so, so hard for him not to criticize her or offer some kind of... suggestions on how to play better.]

Not everyone has family here like I do, but if you're here long enough, you're bound to make a few allies.

[...]

Maybe you should try sheet music next time.

[HE COULDN'T HELP IT. IT SLIPPED OUT.]

_{[Crap, it's little miss harbinger of events, and with a five minute torture session to remind them all why life is terrible.]}

Oh, it's you... yay. _{[All the awkward laughs. How does one greet an unusual child with a tendency to run off at the slightest provocation?]} Nice to see you again. Thanks for the...

_{[Uh. Whatever that was.]}

Yeah, thanks for--that. _{[Um. Anyway.]} So how've you been?

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