Open} It comes to say it’s hard now

[theenforcer]

Who: Barbie, Julia, Open to you
Where: 8th floor, in the tunnels, around outside
When: During July
Rating:
Summary: Preparing once more and ignoring the slot that had been in his head
The Story:

The Eighth FloorAnyone coming by might find Barbie moving from one room to another. One is the one that he is sleeping in, Julia's room where he is living. The other is the room he's taken over, that one would find his name on. No one is living actually in that room though.

Instead he's used the closets to outfit it with shelves and bookcases, totes and boxes. All of them were things that he wished they'd had in Chester's Mill to help them get through how bad things that had happened to them. He wouldn't let it happen here in Wonderland as well.

So he spends a part of each day working on stocking up on things he imagines they might need depending on how things go. The room has lanterns and canned food, bottled water and even scuba tanks. The Army had taught him to always think about how bad things could get. Chester's Mill had shown him just how bad it could be. He isn't prepared to let that happen to him and Julia in Wonderland.

The Tunnels

Several times throughout the month, Barbie can be found beneath the mansion, going through the tunnels. He wears a mining helmet with a light, steel toed boots, and climbing gear strapped to the backpack he is carrying.

Not that he expects to find a pit in the tunnels, but he can't help but to check things out and be sure.

Outside the Mansion

Throughout the month Barbie can be found around the mansion making sure he stays in shape. Running on the beach. Swimming in the lake. From time to time he also wills one of the rooms into a half court basketball court where he can be found shooting hoops and playing against "imaginary" players unless someone else chooses to join him.

Comments

the lake;

[thereporter]

Sometimes Julia tags along on his little exercise excursions, although she doesn't even pretend like she can keep up. She's not in bad shape, but she's always been a writer above all else, and working out wasn't generally a priority.

Didn't mean she was going to turn down the chance to watch Barbie do it, though.

At the moment she's taken a break from trying to keep up with him swimming around the lake and she's sitting on the shore on a blanket, camera in hand. She's been making more of an effort to improve her photography skills (the ones she took as chess game were passable, but hardly anything that would grace the pages of the New York Times) and takes the opportunity to snap some pictures of the garden, the lake, and the checkerboard hills. The next time Barbie comes up for air, Julia snaps a couple pictures of him for good measure before loudly whooping at him as lewdly as she can manage.

"Looking good, soldier!"

the lake;

[theenforcer]

Swimming in the lake means not worrying about going too far and risking dying, and he's glad for that. He knows the chances are that it will happen eventually, that he'll die here and come back, but it won't be because he swam out too far.

Coming up out of the water with a splash and a toss of his head, hearing Julia's voice and not sinking back beneath the water for another circuit. Splashing his hands against the water, just for the display as he waded closer to the lake's edge.

For a moment everything is normal, he realizes. Just being with the woman he loves, enjoying a beautiful day. No death. No dome. No weird slits in his forehead that is just weirder to him than so much he's dealt with. Even if he knows it hasn't been much.

"Have to ztay in shape to be on your arm, don't I?"

[thereporter]

"If that's the excuse, I'm all for it."

She sets her camera down on the blanket next to her, motioning him to come out of the water for a while. She's feeling the same and allowing herself the blissful comforting of being untethered from thoughts of the Dome or Wonderland. Even the emotions she still grapples with involving her own death are silent for the time being, allowing her to simply enjoy the moment and the company that it comes with.

"I'd say the same but I think you like that you finally found something to do that I can't keep up with."

[theenforcer]

Wading out of the lake, water sluicing down over his body as he padded up to the blanket. He wore a pair of trunks he'd gotten out of the closet, not knowing that they held any significance to anyone.

Stopping at the edge of the blanket, he ran his fingers through his hair, flicking them at her.

"I like having an excuse to show off for you. Not the same thing," he says, grinning even as he runs fingers over his brow as he's taken to doing since the last event. Catching himself, he jerks his hand away, looking sheepish.

[thereporter]

Julia laughs, leaning back slightly to try to avoid the spray of water although it still hits her. Her grin fades slightly, though, once she sees his hands brush over his forehead and that look on his face.

"It's fine, babe. You're still in one piece, I swear." While that event hadn't proved to be one of the more traumatizing events, it was certainly one of the stranger ones they'd experienced together. Julia would still take it over water shortages and riots in the streets, though.

[theenforcer]

"I know I am. Don't worry about it. It's just..."

He rolls his eyes, either at himself or nearly in caricature of looking at where the slit had been, who knows.

"I never even took it out. Just popped it back in when I realized what it was." Or could have been. He still isn't sure. "I was still myself, that's all that mattered." He gives her a look. "You didn't test out one of them to see what happened, did you?"

[thereporter]

"God, no. If I had, I would have told you."

Julia mostly just pretended like none of it was happening. Some people seemed to enjoy the event, but she wasn't eager to start swapping out whatever those discs had on them because she wasn't interested in risking whatever weird side effect might come along.

"I'm getting the impression the whole thing didn't bother me nearly as much as it has you, though." She raises her eyebrows, letting him know that if he needs to talk, she's more than happy to listen.

[theenforcer]

"Good," he says, moving to curl down on the blanket next to her, facing her so they can take. Or so he can just stare at her, because the moments when her beauty takes his breath away are often.

"I'm glad you didn't, though I may have been concerned because of the whole journalistic integrity thing." That she would to be able to talk about it on the blog, or with others.

He shrugs, considering that as he looks over at the lake and back. "This place already took over my head once. Why do all the events since I got here have to do with fucking with your head?" Not upset, even chuckling as he says it, but it's something that he's thought about.

[thereporter]

"A couple months ago I probably would have," she admits darkly. Her eyes flash away from him, roving around to land on the grass somewhere. She knows he hasn't forgotten that conversation they had in the early days - "I don't do caution" - a key phrase that defined Julia's life for better or for worse.

More commonly for worse, if she had to be honest.

"That's the point, I think." She finally looks back at him, although her gaze isn't quite as warm as it was a moment ago. "Take away our memories, or change them... If the Dome was protecting us, the best I can guess is that this place is testing us."

[theenforcer]

It's not surprising to him that there was a time she might have done something like test the discs. He may not have known her for months and lives but he feels he knows the woman she is, and has since they first met. Which is why he had to ask.

"You've been here longer. Is every event like that then? About twisting your mind? Literally in both the cases I've dealt with the most." He hasn't been here long enough to know, but no one talks about it as such, so he has to wonder. "Because this place messing with our memories, and feeling this is more than testing in the last few things I've been privy to? Not entirely the same thing. Unless that's how it always is."

He's literally been a weapon of his government, but this to him is a lot more nerve wracking than that.

[thereporter]

Julia breathes out slowly and sits back a little, pressing her palm against the blanket to hold herself up so she can face Barbie. Her hair is, as usual, loose around her shoulders, a slight wind blowing the curls against her bare shoulders. Usually on a nice day like this, near the water, with Barbie so close to her, she'd be feeling a little more carefree, maybe even a little sexy. She'd even packed a small picnic for them that is sitting, still untouched, near where she set her camera.

She and Peter used to have picnics.

"Maybe? I don't know, Barbie, I'm not the monarch here. Wonderland isn't telling me anything it hasn't told you." It comes out a little sharper than she intended it to and she presses her lips together. "All the events mess with our minds. It's just not always the same way."

[theenforcer]

For a moment the tension wanes. Not because of anything more than her. The way those tousled curls were caught by the breeze, the brightness of her eyes.

Her words though take away the start of a smile though, giving her a nod. "You're still the Monarch. Even if this place doesn't recognize that," he says, believing that. He had given his life for that. Even if he hadn't died for it.

"I'm sorry if I've put too much on you about this," he says, reaching out and lightly touching her cheek, brushing back a strand of hair. "I'll keep it all in check," he adds, used to doing that in the Army and more than capable of doing it here as well. "Sorry for that."

[thereporter]

Julia sighs at the touch of his hand, her eyes fluttering shut for a moment as she tries to recenter herself. Maybe if she'd had the chance to really figure out what being the Monarch meant at home, she would feel a little better. Instead, she had been blindly making decisions while Barbie blindly supported her, all the way to his death.

Almost to his death. The Dome had protected him in the end, hadn't it? It helped to remember that.

"It's not that, it's just that I wish I had any answers for you," she admits. "I wish I did at home, too. I just feel like all we've done since we met is struggle to survive and now I keep finding myself wondering if we're ever going to get out of this."

running;

[endingpoint]

[ Jane's gotten to know Julia pretty well; she considers her a friend at this point. So, it only makes sense that eventually, she'd run into Barbie - whom she's heard enough about.

Wearing shorts and a sports bra as she runs, her only regret is that she wasn't able to convince Kurt to come with her this time. She has to admit though, it's been nice to clear her head, to just run. It's as she's running that a combination of sweat and flinging her hand downward to get a bug off of her arm makes her wedding ring fly right off of her finger and she freezes, trying to look for it in the sand, eyes wide.

Shit.

So now, ahead of Barbie, there is a tattooed woman frantically digging in the sand, unable to tell where the ring is as her heart drops to her stomach. ]

running;

[theenforcer]

[Running helps so much in Barbie's mind.It is easy to set a steady pace, to forget about the troubles before, all of the things that Wonderland throws at them, and just let the world slide away. Which is where he is when he realizes that there is an issue.

Slowing his pace as he comes to a stop a few feet away.]

Pretty sure that's not the way out.

[Which is kind of being a dick, so he takes a step closer.]

Anything I can help you with?

[endingpoint]

[ Jane's starting to get frantic, to the point where she doesn't even notice his first comment as a sort of sarcastic joke, and she just looks up from where she's kneeling in the sand. ]

My wedding ring, it flew off my finger. That's never happened before, and now it's somewhere, in the sand, and I can't find it.

[ Her voice breaks and hitches a little, but she's determined not to get emotional. Kurt won't be upset, she knows he won't, but this is her wedding ring, and even if he isn't upset, she is. ]

It's a silver band with inset diamonds. Can you help me look?

[theenforcer]

[Barbie flinches from his own flippant tones and immediately shifts to come closer, looking at the sand.]

Of course. Whatever you need. Which way is it likely to have gone?

[Not sure which way to look out from where she was, even as he dropped to his knees in the sand, not caring about the granules sticking to his sweaty skin.]

We will find it. No worries, okay?

barbie should 100% be the hero tbh

[endingpoint]

Back and to the side. [ She repeats her hand gesture from earlier so he can observe as she carefully sifts through sand. ]

Thank you. Thank you so much for stopping, I know I look insane, I just...my husband and I have been through so much, and I can't lose it. Wonderland never gives us exactly what we had from back home. My ring has to be my ring. It has to.

[theenforcer]

[He nods, considering that as he scans the sand, eyes narrowing to try and pick up something more than a glint from the mica in the sand.}

Hey. No worries, and you don't seem insane at all. It's the ring you got married with. That matters.

[Crawling forward a bit, dragging his fingers through the sand. Once, twice, combing through clawlike through the sand and...]

Ah-ha!

[He holds his hand up, a ring around the tip of his index finger.]

Unless, you know, someone else has been going around losing their ring. It's Wonderland. Who knows.

[endingpoint]

[ When he shows it to her, Jane closes her eyes and lets out a breath for a second before standing and reaching for it. ]

I owe you. Honestly, I know we can all get whatever we want from the closets, but whatever I can do for you, you deserve it.

[ She's so grateful and feels a hundred percent better once the ring is on her finger. ]

I'm Jane, by the way, Jane Weller.

[theenforcer]

[Pushing carefully to his feet so that he doesn't drop the ring, Barbie drops it into her palm before dusting off his hands.]

Naw. I was just ensuring that love stays strong, something I suspect this place needs. Finding that out myself, so really don't worry about it. I'm just glad I could help.

You can call me Barbie. [And because he's used to being asked...] It's a nickname.

[endingpoint]

[ Jane perks up at the mention of his name and smiles. ]

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say not too many people here go by Barbie. Which means you must be Julia's Barbie.

[theenforcer]

[He starts to open his mouth to make a smart quip about hoping not, but then Julia is mentioned and he smiles.]

That's exactly who I am. You know, I kind of like it put that way. More like the idea that she talks about me. Wait, if it's good. It was good?

[endingpoint]

[ Jane laughs softly and nods. ]

It was good. All good. In fact, I've been looking forward to meeting you. It's always nice to meet the other couples here. Opens up a whole world of double dating, if you're interested.

[ If her own husband is interested, which, that'll take convincing. But he'll do it if he knows it makes her happy, and it will. ]

Julia actually took care of me during an event when I was suddenly five again.

[theenforcer]

[He chuckles at that, and nods.]

Definitely. Julia and I really need more actual dates. Given our start and all, we didn't get much chance at dating in the Dome.

[That makes him grin, wide.]

I can see that. She and I... we kind of took in kids back home. I admit, they are the ones I would change places with if I could bring them here instead.