entrancelogs | I'm just doing what comes naturally

Who: Dr. Whale and whoever wants to stop him from doing science experiments on innocent wildlife
Where: around Truffula Valley
When: the 12th
Rating: PG-13 for crimes against nature
Summary: Fish do not hum. Trees do not smell like butterfly milk
The Story: Being transported from Storybrooke to Wonderland really should have been enough. But no, he was taken to yet another world. Luckily Evelyn already told him a little about this, or he would've been very off-footed. Of course Whale still was off-footed. Just less so.

After getting over the bright colors, Whale started really taking a look around. The trees weren't like any he ever saw before. He reached out and felt a tuft between his fingers. Odd, but it was soft as silk. Whale plucked it to examine it closer. He caught the faintest whiff of something. He couldn't place the scent. Whale tucked it into his pocket so he could take it back to his lab.

He continued on his walk and saw three... fish? On land? Whale gaped at them in surprise. The surprise grew to outright shock when they actually waved to him and started humming. Humming. He needed to get his hands on one of those things.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It would be such a good idea to follow those fish, too, but maybe not exactly for the intended reason. Still, this is relevant to Whale's interests in a different way. Ruby's hanging out by the bank of the river, jeans rolled up, shoes tossed aside, bare feet dangling in the surprisingly warm water. She's half-lying down on her back, slightly propped up on her elbows so she can keep a lazy lookout.

Much as she's... honestly weirded out and kinda annoyed by this turn of events, this is nice.

Weird. But nice enough, for now. It's rare she gets to have a moment of peace, after all.

He was really starting to think the fish were taunting him on purpose. He followed after them, determined at least to study them in their natural habitat. And that was when he saw Ruby. He spoke with her earlier, but seeing her in person was a different experience.

The fish were completely forgotten in favor of approaching her. "Hello, Ruby," he greeted. "How does this world suit you so far?

"Hey, Whale."

Ruby propped herself up a little more, small wave of her hand in greeting coming easy with a friendly smile.

"You mean in general or... well, this cotton candy open air asylum?"

Because yeah, she wasn't too impressed with the latter, even though she did appreciate that it was peaceful - unlike what she'd been led to expect.

"A bit of both, I suppose." He cast a casual glance around. Cotton candy was the perfect way to describe these strange trees, and he had to smile. "It's just, we haven't spoken in person since Storybrooke and I wanted to be sure you were all right."

Ruby looks just a little taken aback. Not in a bad way, mind you. But the fact that Whale seeks her out and is genuinely nice without even a hint of lech is... unexpected for her, obviously.

Talking in person... did they ever do that unless he was hitting on her? Not in Ruby's experience, apparently.

Pleasant surprises, they don't seem to end.

"That's sweet of you, thanks. You holding up okay, too?"

She's surprised by his much warmer attitude, but that's a good thing as far as Ruby's concerned. Her smile turns a bit less wide, but a lot more genuine for it.

His own smile grew a bit at her calling him sweet. That meant he was making progress, didn't it? That he really was taking this chance and making something new of himself. Whale situated himself so he was sitting close to her, watching the hummingfish play together in silence for a moment.

"Being bounced around to different worlds is not something I'd like to make a habit of," he said, "but it isn't completely terrible. Each new world opens the possibility of something to be discovered. New mysteries to unfold... It's exciting."

He was more Victor than Whale as he spoke, the eagerness sparking his eyes in a way that was never seen before the curse broke.

Ruby's nose wrinkles a little as her grin deepens. Yeah, she's fairly pleased with this... new and reformed Whale. Who knew he had it in him? Good to know he's not just a womanizer and lech. Should be like this much more often. She nudges him a little with her shoulder.

"It is! I mean, I've always wanted to see the world, and now, I guess, I'm seeing worlds. So... everything else aside, this... for now, this isn't too bad. Reminds me of lemurs."

And she hasn't thought of those in a long time.

"Lemurs?" He had no idea what she was talking about. Whale only vaguely remembered the stranger who rolled through town. He certainly never bothered having any discussions with the man... And then the curse broke, and Whale had his own problems to struggle through.

But Ruby looked happy, so Whale decided that lemurs would be a good thing should they appear. "I would like to see lemurs with you," he smiled.

Ruby laughs, blushing slightly. It's not exactly embarrassing, but... well, maybe a little. Both of her personas separately had been a little naive in many ways, though she had grown a lot. The general sentiment is still with her, though - Lemurs symbolize seeing something new, having adventures. And as much as she's content to stay behind and support her friends... oart of her will never stop wanting more.

"August once told me about having travelled, having seen lemurs, you know. So I always thought... 'I want to go out into the world. I should be able to see lemurs, too!'."

She laughs, light-hearted.

"I suppose this Wonderland is gonna have to be my lemur."

His puzzled expression grew even more pronounced. Who the hell was August? As town doctor, Whale prided himself on knowing every face and name in Storybrooke. Which then made him realize she meant that mysterious stranger. The good-looking one with the leather jacket and the motorcycle. His lips presseed together in an unhappy line as an irrational spike of jealousy hit him.

That was before the curse; it meant nothing.

"It's an... interesting metaphor," he allowed as evenly as he could manage.

Oh, Whale. Wait until Ruby tells you about Daryl Dixon. Another guy on a motorcycle. Can we detect a pattern here? But at least Ruby wasn't very seriously interested in August. His stories still drew her in, no denying that.

Ruby snorts. "A bit juvenile, I suppose. But hey, we all have our dreams, right?"

But motorcycles were such an impractical mode of transportation. Whale's silver chrome car was both stylish and safe. Plus it had the horsepower to really tear across the road... if there was enough road in Storybrooke for it to do so.

"It isn't... You deserve this chance to see the world. I hope you get to see as much of it as possible."

Ruby's got a weak spot for classics, truth be told, and she likes a good road under the hood of a machine. It's a pity that Storybrooke has trapped them, because she couldn't even ever take her own sweet red ride for a real spin.

"Thanks. For now, I guess we all have to be grateful if we survive this place, I think."

Unless the bar-ba-loots were about to take a serious turn for the worse, Whale didn't see anything harmful in this world. It was a peaceful respite; doubtless not something thwat would happen often in Wonderland. He took in a slow breath and decided to enjoy it, and this time with Ruby.

I'm just doing what comes naturally

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