righteously: (⁸ I ᴄᴀɴ ʜᴇᴀʀ ᴛʜᴇᴍ sᴀʏ)
ᴛʜᴇ ʀɪɢʜᴛᴇᴏᴜs ᴍᴀɴ ( ᴊᴇɴɴɪғᴇʀ ᴀɴᴋʟᴇs ) ([personal profile] righteously) wrote in [community profile] entrancelogs2013-12-14 10:35 pm

Happy Holideans Guys

Who: Dean Winchester, Emma Swan & COMPLETELY OPEN
Where: Literally all over Wonderland
When: Dec 15-24
Rating: R for language, violence, adult themes
Summary: When Emma agreed to acompany Dean on his stupid suicide mission of inevitable death and idiocy, neither of them prepared for the mistletoe. Or, you know, the freaking time travel.
The Story:

The Arrival


They ran out of canned food. All of the stockpiled supplies had been growing steadily more scarce, but it’s probably the cans that finally triggered Dean’s decision to push through with the back-up plan brewing in his mind for the last several weeks. There was beef jerky- god damn, they had beef jerky by the friggin’ score, but with so many mouths to feed, it wouldn't last. There were hunters- actual game, what was left of the animals in the forest and the fish in the ocean were being picked off one by one for sustenance in much the same way that the Jabberwock was picking them off for sustenance.

Soon, there would be nothing. Soon, they wouldn't just have to worry about losing those last few precious lives to the roaming beast, but to starvation. Dehydration. Sickness.

Tom’s been stirring up talk about a second trip to the core, but morale is low. It was a stupid plan the first time around, it’s even more stupid with so many fighters taken out of the game. With so many injuries, with so few extra lives to spare and, more importantly, with the Jabberwock more strong than he’s ever been.

In the end, it’s not a difficult decision to make. Not by a long shot. Too many people are gone already, and waiting for more to go is stupid. He’s not going to do it.

Michael’s there, the Archangel, an ever present beacon of power and possibility, and though things are different now than they were back home- hell, different now than they were years ago in Wonderland’s less horrific years, there was always small part of him that protested the very notion of giving in.

That small part’s been ground to dust.

It’s a no-brainer. Dean says yes.

It’s a small piece to a bigger puzzle, a bigger and, admittedly, probably doomed plan. Cas had been able to take the Jabberwock down in the beginning. It had taken effort, a great expenditure of grace, but he'd been able to slay the beast over and over again to grant them a temporary reprieve. After it swallowed the Vorpal Shield, that bastard ground him into dust. Michael is stronger, though- a thousand times stronger, at least he would be in his true vessel. If they could get rid of it for good together, or, Christ, even just put it down temporarily, long enough to give Wonderland a chance to gather it’s strength, it might fix everything.

If it meant burning Dean out of his body, so be it. If it meant risking losing his remaining lives in the process, he was so far beyond the point of caring.

It would have to be done in secret. The fewer people who knew, the fewer people likely to stop him and the fewer to possibly get caught in the crossfire. He kept it to himself, kept it from Jo, from Sam, from Ellen, from anyone and everyone likely to put their fucking fingers in the mix and make things messy. He'd keep it from everyone if it were feasible, but it simply isn’t. He needs someone to take over in the event it doesn’t work, needs somebody to help him get to where he needs to be, and that someone is Emma.

She had tried to argue against it, tried to use logic to point out why it wasn't worth the risk, but it hadn't lasted long. He had trusted her for a reason; she understood what it meant to be a leader, to go forward and take a chance because the payoff would be beyond worth it if you could pull it off. That didn't mean she liked it. Dean was more than a friend and more than someone to take orders from: he was family now, more like family than just about anyone she'd ever known. Orphans were forced to build their own families, and if they were lucky, sometimes they made a friend like Dean who fit the bill completely, someone who could offer understanding and solidarity like no one else, someone else who knew what it felt like to lose and to grow up too fast and to make the best of what you had.

The idea of this going south and losing him, losing their leader, losing one of the best friends she’d ever had made her stomach drop and her chest feel tight. If it worked, it would be damn near a miracle, though she was hesitant to use the word. She never gave her approval, not really, but she let him know that he could trust her. Trust her to help him through it, trust her to pick up the pieces if it failed or if he didn’t make it back. Meanwhile, she’d spend as much time as she could trying to convince him to take another course, trying to figure out alternatives. She knew what taking the risk could earn them, and she wasn’t going to forcibly stop him -- she respected his decision -- but damn if she wasn’t going to try to get him to change his mind in the eleventh hour.

In the end, they go anyway. Gearing up is a grim affair, done in the silence and secrecy of Dean’s private quarters, tucked away in the back of the refuge. It’s the middle of the night, the civilians and refugees are sleeping. The resistance patrols are circling the small perimeter of the sanctuary they’ve carved out of sweat and blood. They slip through the cracks, through the woods, through the rubble and the dying gardens without a word or a sound. Even footsteps in the grass seem muted in this place.

The entrance hall and lobby, once a grand affair, is dirty and dingy and cracked. Dean can’t help but to sweep his eyes over it as he crosses the entranceway, doors broken in and swinging wide. They could be fixed, but why bother when the beast would simply break them down again and again?

It’s silent, deceptively so. His hands are tight on his gun as he pauses to listen, ears sharpened by Michael’s burning him dormant in the back of his mind. They’re waiting, saving it, saving his last few minutes with the angel tucked into a space too small for him while Dean steers the ship. As soon as Michael takes over, that energy will explode into something grand and heavenly, something burning bright and overpowering, but not yet.

His jaw tightens, and his eyes flick to Emma. One firm nod signals that the coast is clear, the need for words erased by time and familiarity.

She doesn’t like this any better now that they’re here, but as they cross the threshold, the deal is sealed. There’s no going back now, no chances to duck out and find another option. All they have left is to go forward, to follow through with this stupid plan she has no choice but to go along with. Dean is just as stubborn as she is, and they have a job to do. She couldn’t talk him out of this, but she can help him try to protect everyone here. Try to free Wonderland from tyranny and make it someplace everyone can live again, not just survive.

The signal is enough, and she moves forward with her gun pointed at the floor in a two-handed grip. She’s brought the replica of her father’s sword she managed to pull out of the closets all those years ago as well, sheathed at her hip, but it’s more of a good-luck charm than anything. A comfort. If she’s close enough to the Jabberwocky to use it, then it’ll already be too late. She’ll be dinner, and she’s running out of deaths.

She moves forward through the front foyer in time with Dean, their footsteps slow and deliberate, careful not to break the too-heavy silence that’s bearing down on them. Any moment, she expects that the Jabberwock will pierce it, slice through it like it’s nothing, sense them or smell them and somehow just know that it’s no longer alone. They’re on its turf now, and the beast has every advantage that comes with playing on the home field. Still, it’s not the Jabberwock that makes her stop dead in her tracks when they turn the corner.

It’s the mansion itself.

The cracked and crumbling ruin the mansion has become is gone, lush carpets and whole, unbroken mirrors in its stead. Garlands, holly, doors still on their hinges and none of it looking like its become the stomping grounds for something as ravenous as the predator that’s taken over Wonderland has proven to be. She relaxes her hold on her gun, just a hair, turning her head alone to narrow her eyes at Dean in question. What the hell is going on here?

His brow furrows as it tracks over the garland, over the wallpaper, over everything. Slowly, he looks to Emma. Meets her eye, and tightens his grip on his gun.

Whatever this is, it isn't good.

--

This is a catch-all for both Dean and Emma. They'll have their own subthreads to keep things organized!
crosscompiler: (x - Future - Stern)

December 15th, shortly after arrival

[personal profile] crosscompiler 2013-12-15 05:23 am (UTC)(link)
Dean and Emma were very careful to make sure that word didn't go out among the other members of the resistance. For the most part, they were successful - and they likely would have been completely successful if they weren't the only ones changed by five years of constantly struggling to survive. Chihiro could have never survived if she remained the meek and demure person she entered Wonderland as so long ago. She had to become something much more. Purging her mind and body of weakness by any means necessary, with no small amount of contribution from Dean himself, Chihiro became one of the resistance's most formidable warriors. She became someone who'd do anything it took to restore Wonderland to the place it once was. And, most importantly (at least at this moment), she became the kind of person who wouldn't just leave Dean to his own devices and trust him to make the right decisions on his own.

She didn't know exactly what he was planning, or what Emma had to do with it - and her not knowing meant that it had to be something reckless. No matter how strong she became, she could never quite shake the image of the person she once was, the person that wouldn't let Dean rush off into danger alone - of course they wouldn't tell her.

But before she's able to confront him, she finds herself in the mansion - unbroken, whole again, even decorated for Christmas - and it isn't long before she finds Dean stalking the hallways, looking suspicious.

"What did you do?"
cursebreaking: (of death to humble us all;)

EMMA

[personal profile] cursebreaking 2013-12-15 05:38 am (UTC)(link)
December 15th - While Dean stalks the network and takes on a more observational role, Emma will be prowling through the present mansion and trying to figure out exactly how and why they're not standing in the middle of a ruin anymore. She'll be wary, but once she realizes that they're in the past, she'll be actively seeking people out to make sure they're okay or get a chance to reconnect. If you're dead in the future, you're probably getting a hug.

December 16th-17th - Emma will approach James and Dean about immediately tracking down the Duchess and reclaiming the Vorpal Sword, which is something they all seem to be on board with. A lot of time will also be spent stocking up on supplies since they now have the opportunity and will be adding them to Dean's supply cache once he's got it started.

December 18th-21st - Tirelessly looking for clues and still trying to make sure they're prepped supply-wise for the future. Emma will also be willing to talk to anyone who wants to know about the future and fill them in on what (might) be in store, with hopes of helping people to prepare better than they were able to the first time around.

December 22nd- 23rd - The hunt for the sword has gone nowhere and Emma will instead be focusing on spending time with people and reconnecting with anyone she has either lost or grown distant from in the future. She'll also be taking an interest in the 'ghosts' appearing throughout the mansion.

December 24th - Christmas Eve. Emma will be spending the day with Henry, as she has tried to do each and every holiday since they both first came to Wonderland. Once she's put him to bed, she'll be sitting up with Lucky in their room and watching over him until she returns to the future at midnight.

With the exception of her attempts to chase down the Duchess and locate the Vorpal Sword, Emma will be available all over the mansion and grounds throughout the event. Considering how many friends have been lost in the future, she's going to be more than happy to spend as much time with them as possible while she's here, so she'll be trying to balance her time between seizing the opportunity to prepare for and rectify the future/her present and visiting with long-lost pals.

Specify any day and scenario or location in the subject line! Prose or action is fine, I will match you. If you want to plot something a little more in-depth before tagging, message me and we'll work something out!
crosscompiler: (x - Future - Neutral)

[personal profile] crosscompiler 2013-12-15 05:45 am (UTC)(link)
Chihiro folds her arms, the servos on her robotic hand making small mechanical sounds as she taps her fingers. "You were doing something. I know you were up to something behind my back, and we're not going to figure out what's happening now unless you come out with it."

She wasn't expecting that Dean would continue keeping it a secret after being called out. It was a long time since he cared one bit about what she thought of him, after all.
freewill: (pic#5675848)

December 15th

[personal profile] freewill 2013-12-15 05:49 am (UTC)(link)
It's twilight, and Castiel's given up on searching.

There isn't any point in retracing the same ground he's already covered countless times over the past two days. Dean isn't here, plain and simple. All that's left is his room, which is exactly as it should be. The memory foam mattress, the collection of weapons, the picture of his mother and the record player.

Everything there but the most important portion.

If Dean does return from wherever he's gone (and Castiel's theory is still that he's returned home to gain some new and most likely unfortunate memories), he'll come here. So it makes sense to wait here until that happens.

After spending two weeks avoiding Dean and everyone else in the mansion, now Castiel's seated on Dean's bed. He's even holding Dean's phone, clutching onto it as some sign that he won't be gone for good, and that he won't return with no recollection of what happened here.

It makes no sense. He should be relieved that Dean might have escaped this place, but it wasn't supposed to be like this. They were supposed to find a way out together, with Sam, on their own terms. This feels... hollow. Unremarkable. Wrong.

And so he waits.
builditstrong: (the windbags)

December 15th, late afternoon

[personal profile] builditstrong 2013-12-15 05:56 am (UTC)(link)
Kid has been in the library, reading up on, of all things, Christmas. The sudden influx of decorations and the semi-psychotic mistletoe in particular have had him extremely curious. When all the pine isn't making him sneeze, at least. Caelondia was a Mediterranean sort of climate; not much in the way of evergreens.

Christmas is confusing to him, and as far as he knows, mistletoe is supposed to be one of those plants that doesn't grow fangs and try to bite you. But it's been a curiosity. Everyone's talking about it, and he figures he should know a thing or two about Wonderland's chosen holiday.

There's also the cracks in the floors, and those familiar gray roots churning away beneath wood and stone. They haven't come through yet, but their mere presence is in no way, shape or form a good sign.

He's on his way toward the diner now, head aching from all the pine in the air, hammer slung over one shoulder. He never goes anywhere without it these days, not when the mansion can change at any second.

The first sign that this day is going to be a long one is the ghost.

It's a woman he doesn't recognize, just slightly translucent, and she comes running at him from around a corner up ahead, screaming. He freezes and is about to call out to her when she runs right through him. And right on her heels is a...monster. Like nothing he's ever seen. He ducks, but it passes right through him as well. He casts a dumbstruck look back over his shoulder, to see monster and woman flicker and vanish, right as the creature gets its claws into her.

"Damn an' blast." That sure wasn't anything to do with Christmas. At least none of the stories he read mentioned a gigantic monster.

He picks up the pace, wanting to get away from this hall--get to the diner and tell people what he saw. Wonderland is up to something again, and the last time there were ghosts around, there was a rather catastrophic chess game shortly afterward.

He's a hallway away from the diner when he spots Dean. Just standing there, as if he hasn't been missing for days now. Or...not quite. He looks different. He looks exhausted.

"Th' hell? Dean?" He approaches, just slightly wary. Cracks in the floor and monstrous ghosts, there's no telling if this is the Dean he knows. "Where ya been? Folk've been lookin' for ya."
freewill: (when the world is burning)

[personal profile] freewill 2013-12-15 06:09 am (UTC)(link)
Things have been strange around the mansion. Unlike the other holidays that have passed since his arrival, this one is apparently special, as the building has decked itself out for the occasion.

But that's not what's grabbed Castiel's attention. No, it's the cracks in the floor, hiding those writhing roots, along with the electric sparks in the air that unseat all of the holiday cheer with something far more foreboding. Add to that the disappearances, and it's obvious that something is coming.

When the door opens, Castiel immediately straightens. It doesn't necessarily have to be Dean. It could be someone else searching for him. Dean has plenty of friends here, as their recent argument has already established, and they're all looking for him. Sam, of course, but also Jo, Blake, and so many others.

In fact, Castiel's even expecting one of them, so when it's Dean's face that he's left to stare at, he's left speechless for a few heart-stopping moments.

But something isn't right. Castiel would be able to tell just by looking at him, but he can sense it too. Just as Dean's face is hardened, so is his soul—even more so than before, which is quite the feat. Just as he's armed to the teeth, so is his very essence guarded and almost impossible to grasp.

Dean is Dean, but he's not at the same time. Five years have been added onto him, and that's when the excess energy in the air suddenly makes sense. It would take an immense amount to actually bring someone back from the future. Castiel himself should know, having managed that particular trick a few times.

He still doesn't know what to say, and so he doesn't say anything at all. Just stands and stares.
crosscompiler: (x - Future - Stern)

[personal profile] crosscompiler 2013-12-15 06:09 am (UTC)(link)
"Oh, so I'm just going to take your word for it? Just stand back and let you die in vain like the others? I know you were doing something dangerous, Dean. I know there's no other reason you'd try to keep it a secret from me."

With a sigh, she drops her arms to her sides, looking down the hallway - the intact hallway - and the venom in her voice abates, if only slightly. "If your plan was a good one, I wouldn't have stopped you."
claimyourself: (Default)

Dec. 15th: near the Christmas tree

[personal profile] claimyourself 2013-12-15 06:11 am (UTC)(link)
[Lena's been concerned about the missing people, though she hasn't been privy to the whole story. She doesn't know that their things were left behind which is a sign they haven't gone back home. She thinks it's possible they've made it out.

Stopping to admire the tree, she wonders if she'd be around next year for this. It's hard enough being without her family for Christmas for the first time, but to do it again? Plus the Winter Solstice didn't hold any happy memories because of what had happened on the last one.

With a sigh, she turns away and spots Emma. Lifting her hand, she gives her friend a wave. Wait. Isn't she one of the people who are missing?]
selfrespecting: (cautious)

December 18th

[personal profile] selfrespecting 2013-12-15 06:18 am (UTC)(link)
The past week has been such a roller coaster that Martha's barely been able to keep up.

Even with the decorations, she'd been unsettled, because nice things couldn't happen in Wonderland without a price. Those roots biding their time under their feet, and the strange disturbances in the air -- it was like the calm before the storm.

Then, the disappearances. Tom, Annie, Dean, Chihiro, James, Emma.

It's not as if it was out of the ordinary for people to leave. Almost all of her friends from home had already done so, and maybe that's why this had come as such a blow.

But then those who'd disappeared came back, except none of them had been quite right. Just a bit cracked, here and there, just like the imperfections in the floor, showing the gnarled things twisting around underneath.

There's been so much going on between all the chatter about a dark future and the ghosts of said future lurking around every corner that Martha's struggled to keep track of it all. In fact, she's started taking notes. Dark futures that need to be fixed are sort of her area, after all.

It's not that hard to put two and two together. People disappeared, people from the future showed up, those have got to be the same people. And out of all those who left, Emma's probably the one Martha's closest to, so it makes sense to track her down.

Easier said than done, but on a hunch Martha decides to try the diner. It's where they'd had a lot of their chats, so maybe...
Edited 2013-12-15 06:19 (UTC)
hypercompetent: <user name="melocoton"> (some nights i call it a draw)

december fifteenth aaand idk by the stockings!

[personal profile] hypercompetent 2013-12-15 06:23 am (UTC)(link)
[ Arrival in the mansion had been rocky, to say the least. For Stiles, it's still trying to reconcile what's real and what isn't--he's had enough flashbacks to the mansion as it is, enough people trying to kill him or screaming at him about what happened, whether it was at home or here in Wonderland.

It's left him mostly wandering around the new mansion with his arms folded, clutching onto his biceps and looking for something to ground him in the present. Right now, everything feels like walking through one of his dreams, and the sight of someone familiar, finally, someone who wasn't a ghost, eases a little of the permanent tension in his shoulders. Maybe--maybe it's as real as he thought it was.

He makes his way over to Emma slowly, speaking up quietly to get her attention. ]
...Emma. [ She looks the same as from home, and he tries for a tired, lopsided smile. ] You aren't one of these crazy illusions that thinks they're in the past, right?

[ It's got a hint of sarcasm to it, and he slouches forward a little closer to her, seeking the comfort in someone else who's just as lost as he seems to be. ]
hamburellakind: (Nommmm)

December 17th: the day john discovers he sort of gets bro adopted in the future

[personal profile] hamburellakind 2013-12-15 06:26 am (UTC)(link)
John happens to be passing overhead on a trip to gather some more snow (he's kind of always wanted to try and build a snow fort inside, ok?) when he hears a gruff, angry sort of voice from the vendors. It draws his attention, and he hovers for a few moments, listening. Sounds like Dean's giving one of the vendors a hard time. Bad transaction, maybe? Although how the hell would Dean know, afterwards.

Hmm.

He settles on the ground a few yards away and approaches, crunching through the snow towards Dean. He clears his throat to gain the guy's attention and gives a little wave. "Uh, you know those guys aren't really...like, people, right? I don't think yelling at them does much good."

Wait, was Dean one of the future people? God, John should really be paying better attention to shit.
builditstrong: (the kid)

[personal profile] builditstrong 2013-12-15 06:27 am (UTC)(link)
Kid stops a few feet away, not really wary but cautious. The true doubt doesn't come until he hears that reply. Dean's never exactly beenchatty, but there's a difference between quiet and trying to give someone the brush off. It's an art Kid himself has cultivated, so he can tell.

Add to the fact that Dean looks like he's been to Hell and back (again) and it adds up to some pretty loud alarm bells going off in Kid's head.

"Busy? Nah, that ain't doin'. Folk don' jus' disappear 'round here without it meanin' somethin'. An' 'f it were resistance work, someone'd have known 'fore now. Tween that an' th' cracks an' th' monster I jus' saw..." He shakes his head and narrows his eyes at Dean. "Kin ya jus' tell me 'f yer Dean's Mirror? Ain't judgin', jus' ain't got th' patience fer foolin' around."
crosscompiler: (x - Future - Fuming)

[personal profile] crosscompiler 2013-12-15 06:39 am (UTC)(link)
Chihiro grits her teeth. There's a slight scraping of metal on metal as she clenches her fists, trembling. "Fine. But if you thought I would to stop you because I want to keep you around, just know that if you had to die to take care of the Jabberwocky once and for all, I'd kill you myself. I'm not trying to save your life, I'm trying to keep you from wasting it."

With a huff, she turns away from him for a moment to speak into her arm. "Alter Ego, scan for network signals and get back to me once you've compiled any data you can find."

She shoots a look back to Dean. "I'm going to try and find the others. If the network's intact, see if you can get your hands on a communicator and I'll keep in contact if I find anything. And if you go and get yourself killed pointlessly and make my job keeping everyone safe harder, I won't forgive you."
builditstrong: (the mason)

[personal profile] builditstrong 2013-12-15 06:56 am (UTC)(link)
His eyes widen at the response. "What...? No they ain't, they--"

But Dean is already moving, murder in his eyes and a gun in his hands. Kid follows on his heels.

"Was down another hall, thataway." He points, though Dean isn't looking. "Was big, mean lookin'. Teeth an' scales. Dean wait." Kid tries to circle around in front of him and block his way.

"Dean, it weren't really there. Was like a ghost, like one o' those chess folk from awhile back. Looked almos' solid, but 't passed right on through me, was chasin' some lady. Dean, wha's goin' on?"
cursebreaking: (through the leaves;)

[personal profile] cursebreaking 2013-12-15 06:58 am (UTC)(link)
[For a moment, Emma is frozen, feet leaden and unable to propel herself forward. It's like seeing a ghost, some hopeful hallucination, but it comes with an overwhelming sense of guilt. It's been well over two years, but not a day goes by that she doesn't think about how poorly that core operation had gone. There are talks of trying again, and maybe with the proper planning it can be done, but some days--

Some days she thinks the risk outweighs the reward, and she knows there are others who are absolutely unwilling to consider it. It's part of why she'd gone along with Dean's stupid archangel plan in the first place.

She blinks and Lena is still standing there. Waving. Smiling. Like the last five years never happened at all.]


Lena...?

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