we are the greatest pretenders [OPEN]

[assembles]

Who: Steve Rogers, Mirror Steve, and YOU
Where: All over the Real Side and Mirror Side
When: May 13th – 20th
Rating: PG-13 for possible violence
Summary: Mirror!Steve has a mission, which leaves Real Steve at the mercy of his whims. That doesn't mean he isn't going to fight back however he can.
The Story:

I. REAL STEVE || REAL SIDE
[ Between the sudden invasion by the Mirrors, Peggy's reappearance, and everything else in between, Steve feels like he can't keep up with Wonderland's most recent event no matter how fast he moves. The worst part is the constant paranoia, the reminder that he can't trust anyone he comes across when there's a chance that they could be a doppelganger. Not all of the Mirrors are dangerous, but a good percentage of them are, his own included.

Whether it's early on in the event or a few days in, after Steve's already been flung between the Real Side and the Mirror Side a number of times, he'll be on edge, patrolling the halls of the mansion in search of any trouble-making Mirrors. Though, strangely, without a weapon of any kind on him other than his fists. At first that's by choice; later on, it's not.

If the Mirrors are on this side, they have to have some purpose, some order passed down by their Queen. And Steve intends to figure out what they're up to. He'll be searching the mansion up and down until he figures it out. Thus far, he can at least tell that they're looking for something, even if he doesn't know what it is. And if he comes across anyone at the mercy of a Mirror, he won't hesitate to jump in to help. ]

II. REAL STEVE || MIRROR SIDE
[ The worst part of the Mirrors being on the move is the complete lack of control that goes hand-in-hand with it. It never stops being jarring, the way that he'll suddenly end up on the Mirror Side, in this dreary place completely devoid of any color. It's hard not to feel trapped, especially when he's stuck wondering what his Mirror is doing on the Real Side while powerless to do anything about it.

Well, not completely powerless. Whenever Steve finds himself on the Mirrorside, he makes a habit of writing messages on the mirrors, hoping that someone friendly on the Real Side will happen upon them. Generally what he writes is along the lines of, This is Steve Rogers. The "real" version. My mirror is on that side right now and he's dangerous. Be careful, and if you're a friend, let me know if you see this.

While stuck on the Mirror Side, he decides to at least make the most of the opportunity, searching for any sign of the Queen or any Mirror who he might be able to press for information.

If he comes across someone, Real or not, he'll approach them with the appropriate amount of wariness. ]

I have questions.

III. MIRROR STEVE || REAL SIDE
[ The Queen has a task for him. For all of them, really, but Steven doesn't expect that any of his fellow Mirrors will be up to it, at least not on his level. He has no doubt in his mind that he can track down the traitors and drag them back to the Mirror Side for their punishment. It may take time, and it will definitely take determination, but he's never lacked that.

For the most part he doesn't pay the people on the Real Side any mind. He's not here for them, after all, and they'll only slow him down. If he suspects that someone might have pertinent information, he'll corner them, but otherwise he carries himself like a man on a very particular mission.

On top of his hunt, though, there's something else that he needs to find: an item of particular importance to his Real. That question has a simple answer. It's actually acquiring the item, the shield, that takes some more finesse.

Steven spends a good amount of time on the seventh floor, waiting for the coast to be clear so that he can slip into his Real's room and grab the shield when no one else is present.

While he physically looks the same as his Real, he wears the stealth suit exclusively and carries himself much more stiffly. Any Real familiar with Steve should be able to tell the difference easily enough, and he isn't hiding who he is or his intentions. ]

IV. MIRROR STEVE || MIRROR SIDE
[ Steven's job is twofold. Important as it is to carry out the Queen's mission, leaving the Mirrors Side unattended when there are bound to be countless Reals wandering its halls wouldn't do any good either. Not that he suspects they can do much damage here, but the Queen asked that her realm be defended, and he's capable of splitting his time between the two sides.

When he is on his own Side, Steven patrols it like a guard dog, gaze sharp as he keeps a lookout for anyone who doesn't belong. It was overly curious Reals that had caused this security breach to happen in the first place. As lowly as he might think of them, he isn't going to underestimate them either.

If he does happen upon someone who's obviously out of place, he'll approach them with an authoritative gait and a harsh tone, imposing in his uniform. ]

What are you doing?

[ And he isn't going to tolerate any talk-back. ]

Comments

closed to peter parker.

[diverged]

[ Steven's main concern when it comes to procuring the shield is one James Barnes. While he's fairly certain that he could handle Barnes in a fight, he knows that his Real has lost to him before, if only because he wasn't really fighting back. But it's a level of complication that Steven would rather not deal with, and it's only when he's absolutely certain that Barnes is nowhere near room 728 that he breaks in.

The shield sits in the corner against the wall next to the desk, and Steven can see that it's been gathering dust. Yet his Real hasn't disposed of it completely, even if he hasn't been using it. That's proof enough that it still means something to him, and should therefore meet the Queen's requirements.

When Steven picks it up, he can't shake the feeling of certainty that comes with it. He knows how to use this shield, intrinsically, and maybe it won't be such a bad idea to keep it with him on the Mirror Side. A bonus, if you will. He slides his arm through the strap on the back, letting the weight of it settle into place.

He glances at the solitary broken mirror in Steven's room. Barnes was here within the hour; he must be the culprit. Lips twisting down in distaste, Steven exits the room, on the lookout for the closest mirror that can return him to the Mirror Side.

The boy lingering a short distance down the hall barely earns his attention. ]

II

[asphyxiaphilic]

[Dr. Leopold Fitz doesn't give a damn about reals But now that they're filtering out here, looking lost and frightened, they tend to be easily picked out. It's interesting to see this version of Rogers. He seems smaller somehow. Less confident. That's all that real things are, after all. They're less. They're raw clay that hasn't been perfected.

He stops a full arm's length away from Steve when prompted, regarding him with an icy stare. This is a Fitz who stands tall and straight, who makes the sort of eye contact that his real would die before attempting. He wears an immaculate suit, more suitable for a boardroom than the wrinkled buttonups his real favors. ]

Such a demanding sack of meat you are.

iii.

[mucked]

[ -- it's days in, now, since her arrival. and peggy's feeling at least a little more sprightly. today, she manages to take the stairs up to the seventh floor. without dropping word first, she decides to have a look for herself where steve's been staying. curiousity gets the better of her. at the very least, she travels with the gun sharon let her borrow.

and it's in leaving the stairwell on that floor that she finds him, decked out for tactical work. ] -- Steve.

[ it's a mild greeting, despite there being far more than mild feelings between them. she assesses his posture and the prowl in his gait before adding: ] What's wrong?

[ or, rather, what else is wrong? ]

[assembles]

[ It's the suit that catches Steve's attention first, the body language second. While some Mirrors stand a chance of passing for their Reals, that definitely isn't the case for Fitz's. He's everything that Fitz isn't; a true mirror image, just from a first glance. Even if Steve's got some experience dealing with the Mirrors, it never stops being unsettling when he first comes face-to-face with one.

He raises an eyebrow at the insult, but he isn't in the mood to get mouthy when he knows he's the one in unfamiliar territory here. Steve's eyes scan Fitz's Mirror, searching for any sign that he's armed, for any other threats he might pose. Could he have abilities that Fitz doesn't? ]

A lot of the Mirrors have crossed over. [ Obviously, if Steve is here. He glances toward the nearest mirror, mounted up against the wall in the hallway, though nothing of interest can be glimpsed through it right now. ] Why didn't you?

I

[sliva]

[When Bucky first sees him, heading down the hallway in the opposite direction, he stops, eyes narrowed. If it's the Mirror, he doesn't want anything to do with him. They don't have the same history, their timelines don't quite matchup, and Bucky never really forgave his Steve for not coming back for him. It hadn't made for a positive relationship. He's still the closest thing Bucky's got to a friend, though, and that's too messed up for him to think about.

But. If it's his Real, well, they've never met and Bucky's kinda curious how that might go. Normally, he'd pretend to be his Real self - see how that went, but he's going to assume that this Steve will be like his Mirror and know pretty quickly he's not the beefier, one-armed version that lives on the Real side.]

Hey, pal.

[Bucky comes up behind him, hands out with his brows raised and a smirk curving his mouth.]

Now don't go all Steve Rogers on me, I just wanna talk.

[diverged]

[ Steven hears her approach before she speaks up, and when he turns to her it's in a slow half-circle. This is the last thing that he needs right now, when he has a job to do and he can only assume that this woman will try to get in the way.

If she catches on to what he's doing here, that is. He doesn't intend to drop any hints.

He studies her face for a few moments, if only because it's his first time seeing it in person. He'd seen her a few times through the glass, but that had been at least a year ago. He has implanted memories of knowing her briefly before his recruitment to Hydra's ranks, but he knows those aren't real. What's real is his Queen, and her edict.

Still, Peggy Carter means a great deal to his Real, and that's something to keep in mind. A bargaining chip, if he ever needs it. So he's curious. ]

Nothing. [ He shakes his head. ] I thought someone would have told you to stay put. [ The Real would have wanted her safe, given that she's just arrived. Steven hasn't even seen her counterpart on the other side. ]

[asphyxiaphilic]

[He certainly isn't crass enough to go around carrying armloads of weaponry, if that's the concern. That isn't to say that he isn't hiding something elsewhere, but visibly he's just a man. And what harm could a regular sort of man actually do?

And yet he's thoroughly unafraid, even knowing what Rogers' real thing will probably be like. They're all just beasts, yipping about their pens until something comes along to put them to sleep.]

There's nothing of interest to me on that side. Just unruly creatures defacing the Queen's gifts to them.

[This real Rogers ought to feel honored that Dr. Fitz is entertaining this conversation in the first place. It's far more lead than he gives the real thing they've got locked away.]

1&3 mashup

[interspatial]

Steve!

[ the one moderately good thing about having a reality gem take up residence in your body is that mirrors seem to shine with their true natures. jane waves in the air to get steven's (of course it's steven can't you tell?) attention, and points back behind herself, down the hall.

god, jane's tired. five days of this, of involuntarily helping when she knows it's only going to cause more pain. protecting chronos and cisco's mirror never comes from her own desire but by the instinct of the thing inside her.

and the aether is tired too. on day two, she'd managed enough self control to pocket a small mirror. on day four she'd nearly let go entirely to the whims of the thing, and stumbled on a way to retain just enough control to matter. ]

The big one in the black helmet-- Chronos, or whatever? I saw him run this way, I can show you.

[ she's "helping," certainly. she's helping until steven gets close enough. until the aether thinks it's doing its job, until she can fish out that little lip stain compact and flash it in his face. ]

[mucked]

[ now, it's not that peggy thinks so highly of herself that she'd anticipate his doe-eyes the moment they'd met once more. but there is (nevertheless) an unanticipated hardness to him when he turns to face her head-on. there's a tick in her expression. she frowns. ]

Of course. Plenty have, in fact. [ she informs him with a grumbling complaint. and she watches him, brows furrowed, and wonders what's happened between then and now? maybe the act of meeting her again has been too much.

or -- bloody hell, people have been warning her about mirrors all week. ] Sorry. I ought to have known better than to go wandering.

[ a hook is baited. peggy's not so fond of apologies, nor of staying put. she waits for some surprise to register on his face. and if it doesn't? well, then she'll know. ]

II

[mirrorwizard]

[ Billy always finds it amusing when Reals end up on this side of the mirror. There's a slight panic in their faces even when they try to hide it. It's a nice change of pace from their everyday when crossing over is allowed.

He went over briefly. He wasn't really so concerned about those of them who crossed over without permission. They would be caught and feel the wrath of their queen and Billy didn't feel sorry for them. Their own fault. But he did use the opportunity to follow her orders, search a bit and steal some stuff- and leave something as well. Now he was back over because it was more fun to play with the reals trapped over here.

Especially the one he had just wandered across. An Avenger. True it wasn't the Avenger that he really hated; that was saved for another version of this Captain America, but this was just as good. He smirked as he watched the Captain head down the hall and snapped his fingers. A blue shimmering barrier come up blocking the rest of the hall for him. ]

A little lost, Captain?

ii.

[tobelieve]

( It's the first time that she's seen writing appear on a mirror, and she almost ignores it. It isn't until Helena reads it for a second time that she finds the curiosity in it, though whether writing back will work.... she'll soon see )

Dangerous how?

iv

[choosetruth]

[Georgia definitely doesn't belong and definitely is overly curious, so good judgment there, Steven. At the moment, she's frowning thoughtfully at a light fixture, but when she hears Steve and looks over at him, her expression is carefully neutral under the sunglasses that hide her eyes.]

Unplanned business trip. Do you have a few minutes to answer some questions?

iv

[boneandfossil]

[Newton is actually just where he belongs, except for not having gone and harassed his Real and things like that. He's more than willing to let others chase after the escapees, and it's not like his Real cares about anything but that monkey anteater thing he runs about with so what was the point even?

Lounging about in the hall, twirling his wand between his fingers, Newton might look a bit out of place, if only that he's wearing clothes tailored more to the 1920s than anything a more modern person would expect.

Pausing when he sees someone approaching, a determined look in their eyes, Newton doesn't shift away from the wall even if he does still the twirl of the wand in his hand.]

Standing. Well, more leaning. [Smirking as he offers that answer, accent thick and his eyes sparkling. ] Why aren't you off playing security force with the others?

[saved]

[ Peter's on high alert with Wonderland gone to hell. Normally, he'd be in his suit, but he just finished leaving a message to Elena after finding out she died and it felt better to do that in his actual clothes. He hears movement down the hall, and he opens his door to peer out.

It gives him this clear view of Steve- No, it's not him.

He doesn't look or walk like him at all. It Has to be Steve's mirror. Peter goes on the defense, stepping out into the hallway. The mirror's hauling out Steve's shield. Peter doesn't think he's seen Steve in anything close to his uniform since the zombie event which happened right after Peter arrived over a year ago.

Peter stills at the sight of the shield. It was in Steve's room. It's clearly important. It may represent that part of Steve that he hasn't been able to connect to again because of the stuff that happened when Wonderland sent him home (he didn't fail to notice the change in the man when it happened). Maybe the mirror wants to hurt Steve by taking it (like his own hurt him by taking Bonnie's gift from him). Maybe the mirror wants to hurt someone else with it and tarnish a symbol which still has to mean something to someone.

He's used to doing this in his own suit. He's not much of Spider-man when he's not in it but Peter still reacts, flicking his wrist so the webbing flies out and grabs hold of the shield. ]

I don't think that belongs to you, pal. [ Peter tries to yank the shield away. ]

IV

[mrsarcastic003]

[Tim turns at the sound of the voice. He's not actually doing much at the moment, mostly just wandering and trying to find himself someplace where he's not supposed to be, touch or see things he's not supposed to look at, and generally be a nuisance to the Mirrors. In short--take as much advantage of this unplanned trip as possible.

He raises an eyebrow at Steven.]

Is there a problem?

[assembles]

[ As soon as Steve hears the voice, he turns on his heel, taking in the familiar face with sharp eyes and a clenched jaw. It takes him all of two seconds to register that this isn't his Bucky, and he wouldn't have even needed the different haircut and the intact arm as proof of it. Just the Mirror's tone would have been enough.

The worst part is how much it reminds Steve of how Bucky used to be.

Before, Bucky's Mirror had been a ruthless loyalist to Hydra and had attacked him and his team without much warning. Steve can't assume that this Mirror isn't also dangerous, even if he's coming in peace (or seeming to, anyway) so far.

Steve's body language doesn't ease out of its defensiveness even with the Mirror's reassurances. He knows better than to trust that. ]

Talk about what?

[ Bucky, the real Bucky, is stuck on the Mirror Side now. Steve can only hope he's all right. He knows how to take care of himself, but the Mirror Side is an unpredictable place. ]

II

[mettatonvevo]

[It's been awhile since Mettaton has checked up on his mirror and watched his movements through the Real mansion just like he always did for him before this event. It's got him a bit antsy, walking through the mirrorside and peering through as many mirrors as he can in the hopes of catching a glimpse of him. The scraps of information he's collected hasn't been much and it makes him feel worse for blatantly defying his mirror's wishes for him to stay put.

When Steve approaches him Mettaton jumps a little, uncertain as to whether this is the Real or Mirror, but he hasn't done anything blatantly hostile so Mettaton gives him back the same amount of wariness.]

I may have answers, depending on what those questions are. Though let me ask one first: are you Steve? The real one?

[assembles]

[ Plenty of "regular" men have done plenty of damage, so Steve isn't going to write off the Mirror on that basis. He doesn't trust any of them until they give him reason to do so. Maybe that could be seen as discriminatory, but there's a definite pattern among the Mirrors and how they treat the Reals.

The haughty tone is the one point of similarity between this Mirror and his Real, although Fitz's judgments have never reached this level.

Steve already finds it exhausting to even be around this guy, but he might be able to get some useful information out of him. Or at least make an attempt to understand his perspective, although that's probably a fool's errand.

He shifts his weight from one leg to the other and crosses his arms over his chest. ] And what gifts would those be? [ As far as Steve can tell, all the Queen's ever given them is a headache. ]

[sliva]

[He's a little disappointed in Steve's tone and he makes a sound, low and annoyed. They were supposed to be best friends after all. Sort of.]

Us. [Bucky raises a brow, shrugging.] Well, you and him.

[His Real. He's not sure where he's going with this until he opens his mouth and the words just tumble out.]

He's lonely. So you're doing something wrong. I see him in the mirrors, coming and going.

[Which isn't true, entirely. His Real is good about avoiding reflective surfaces and covering anything that he can't get rid of.]

Not all us Mirrors are bad and I worry about him.

[asphyxiaphilic]

[Dr. Fitz finds his perspective to be perfectly reasonable and rooted in sound logic, though he's sure that in itself would be challenging for this lesser Rogers to understand. Real things struggle terribly with proper thinking.]

Take that stance of yours, for instance. You're planting yourself. Puffing out to make yourself seem larger and sturdier than you are. It makes you look like a terrified kitten trying to fool people into thinking you're a lion.

That's because you're unfinished. The Queen's taken your essence and refined it. Your mirror self is perfect in a way your limited consciousness will never understand. Some real things have potential, but you? Still refusing to serve Her after all this time? You're a lost cause.

[diverged]

[ It had not been Steven's intent to grab anyone's attention while he was on this side. He has a mission to carry out, and the sooner he could accomplish it and then return to where he belonged, the better. Naturally the Reals wouldn't make it that simple, and when he spots Jane Foster, he turns to her with a suspicious glance.

He's suspicious of the Reals as a general rule, just as they're suspicious of the Mirrors, but it's doubly so now. Why would she want to help him? Unless she thinks he's the Real, but Steven suspects she's smarter than that.

He doesn't realize just how smart, though. ]

All you need to do is tell me where he went.

[ Rogers starts toward Jane. He may not trust her, but he doesn't believe she presents any sort of immediate threat on her own. ]

[diverged]

It's not me who you need to apologize to.

[ The Mirror's eyes shift up toward the ceiling, a half-roll. The idea of her thinking for even a moment that he's his Real gets under his skin, so he doesn't hesitate to clear it up. It also robs her of feeling clever for having figured it out, and he can take some kind of satisfaction in that too.

Not wanting to make it seem as if he's lingering around this area, Rogers starts down the hall. Whether or not Peggy chooses to follow him is up to her, although he has a guess for what she'll do. She isn't going to give up this chance, dangerous as she might perceive it to be. ]

You're new. Some will take advantage of that.

[ It's not a warning so much as a promise. He knows what his fellow Mirrors can be like. ]

[mucked]

[ -- hm. her hum of contempt is kept short. realization sinks in like ice, tendriling through her veins. it doesn't matter how many warnings she's gotten or the ominous ways in which people spoke about their mirrors, she knows it's a peril that will only truly be understood once she satisfies a bit of her own curiousity about it. so, yes. she follows. ]

Some. [ she seizes upon the qualification, wondering what that might mean for the majority of the mirrors. ] But not all?

[assembles]

[ It's the wall of blue that stands out first, if only because this place is so lacking in color. Steve can tell just from a glance that it's some sort of force field, and he isn't going to test if he can push through it unless he has to. He's bounced off of enough of these (with painful results) to know better.

Through the transparent field, though, Steve's able to spot the person responsible. Or the Mirror responsible, if he wants to make that distinction. All this time, and Steve's never been face-to-face with Billy's Mirror, though he's definitely heard about how dangerous he can be. ]

I wouldn't say that.

[ Steve shrugs a shoulder, playing it cool for now. ]

This place has the same layout as the other side, just reversed. Not that hard to figure out.

[assembles]

He's a highly trained soldier and he'll do whatever it takes to get what he wants. If you're in the way, that's when it gets dangerous.

[ Steve wishes he knew more, but he can mainly only go off of hearsay when it comes to his double. That's the case for everyone, of course.

He has no idea who he's writing to now, but he can only hope it's one of the good guys. ]