entrancelogs | ( event / closed | can you hear them? they talk about us )

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Who: The Kid Who Will Never Grow Up [

boyhood ] and The Girl Who Will Never Grow Old [

disparage ]
Where: Carnival!
When: During the event.
Rating: PG probably ...
Summary: Caroline wins Peter Pan a bear from the carnival. They are also haunted by people, but that doesn't matter.
The Story:

The first mistake Caroline makes is she suspects there's nothing wrong with the carnival. Considering her history with carnivals, she should be more suspicious of one that pops up in Wonderland. She doesn't think to wonder if there's any newly made vampires lingering about, hungry and desperate for answers, nor does she think of any murderous clowns hiding in the shadows — since carnivals always come with those. (Or so she thinks — Damon's a clown, and he's always at the town events, so she can only conclude that that is a thing.)

Caroline stands by one of the booths, lips pursed as she tries to work out her odds on winning herself a stuffed bear from this carnival. The two booths she lingers between are the darts and ring toss — both booths have two bears, one light and one dark, but she can't quite decide which one she wants to claim as her prize.

"Light or dark?" she asks. The guy behind the booth isn't very helpful. Staring at her quite plainly and blankly, Caroline sighs with a roll of her eyes and repeats the question to herself as her gaze switches from the light bear to the dark bear. She could easily take them both — compel the men behind the booths to let her have the bears — but Caroline likes to work for the things she achieves. A stuffed bear at a suspicious carnival where she thinks she's seeing people who don't belong in Wonderland from the corner of her eye is no different.

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_{[Peter doesn't make the same mistake Caroline does; when there's already so much wrong with this world, there's no doubt something wrong with every abnormal thing that occurs here. He's already learned from having his fill of chaste fun that the carnival offers more than one expects at first glance, but he's already so used to ignoring what he doesn't want to face that visions and unpleasant memories scarcely affect him. (Lie.) When you're a boy who needn't fear anything, why bother being afraid at all? (Lie.)

He'd much rather stick to the fun and forget what there is to worry about. (Truth.)]}

The light one.

_{[Hence, Peter chooses the path that affords him the most amusement and least time to spend thinking on the past by appearing out of thin air a few feet behind Caroline. He looks like he's just stepped off the set of a carnival theme ride himself, but that doesn't stop him from coming up to the booth to "help" with the deliberation, arms crossed. He glances over the toys, then does the same to Caroline herself.]}

I would say the dark one-- _{[For someone rumored to use twisted, dark magic to control Neverland, it's the obvious choice.]} --but the light one matches you better.

Edited 2014-03-24 08:19 (UTC)

[ where did this tall thirteen year-old come from? caroline hadn't heard him — and she hears everything; every heartbeat, every step, every breath. placing a hand to her chest, she smiles, laughing just slightly: ] Oh my god, you scared me.

[ but the surprise doesn't last for too long. she feels as though she's had someone lingering behind her for a while now — taller, sharper, a lot more angrier than a boy who is just a little taller than her. he has the same deep accent, though, and that catches caroline slightly by surprise. it's as if some higher power had taken what had been lingering in the back of her mind and transformed it into something corporeal. ]

[ but it's best not to think on ghosts she won't let haunt her, not here, not when she's trying to have some fun. she turns back to the bears in question. ] You think? [ but she's gotten her answer, and she's pleased with it. although, the dark one does seem a little nicer … ] The dark one is kind of cute …

[ maybe this boy wants the dark one for himself. and, if she thinks about it, he's right, the light one does match her better than the dark one. so ... ]

I'll go with the light one. [ she smiles, appreciative. ] Thanks.

I apologize.

_{[Excuse you, he's at least fifteen if you take Peter's word for it, which you probably shouldn't. He's at least old enough to straddle that line between "innocuous comments" and "creeper behavior," if that says anything.

At the bare minimum, she can reassure herself that although Peter might have the teleporting power to pop in and out of places like a ninja in green, he's very much alive. Human, technically, though mortal is debatable. Powerful enough not to feel threatened by another supernatural creature, at that.

He leans on the booth, green eyes flicking her face, showing curiosity at the decision-making process taking place. Hard to say why Peter gets personally invested in anything, he just does.]}

If it helped your choice, you're welcome. _{[He smiles a little, verging on playful.]} But if you could win both, you could have both. Then you wouldn't have to choose.

[ caroline thinks this kid has manners, but then he suggests she simply take them both ... ]

But then I'd be greedy ... [ she narrows her eyes as she mulls this over. no one else is really here, interested in the bears at hand. if someone wanted it, they should've come over here and won it earlier. but, still … caroline likes to think of herself as a considerate human being who places everyone else above herself. ]

[ she's not sure if it'd be tyler or bonnie who would laugh. damon definitely would. she looks to peter. he doesn't seem like he'd know anything about how carnivals work, not like how caroline does, but considering mystic falls prefers to throw creepy dances where someone dies, she's kind of forgotten the rules to playing at a carnival. she figures she'll ask this kid if she should as if he's her conscience. ] Isn't it carnival etiquette to only win one bear? Not all of them?

[ why she's asking justin bieber is beyond her. ]

Edited (repeating myself, my bad) 2014-03-30 05:07 (UTC)

_{[Such delicate flowers, all the visitors to this world are. Especially the fairer sex, who to Peter's eyes, seem inclined to concern themselves with inane things that matter very little to him on the other end of the scale.

In this case, it's propriety. He cants his head.]}

This world took you, why worry about taking from it?

_{[Why she's asking him is beyond him, too. He most certainly lacks the practical experience to know how modern carnivals are supposed to work--not to mention he lacks the selfless gene that lets him give a flaming crap about other people's feelings when he steals all the toys and refuses to let the other kids play with them.

Worst person to take over Jiminy Cricket's job.]}

If you earn the prize, what difference does it make? Not trying seems silly if you really want something.

_{[#motivationalspeaking]}

Edited 2014-04-01 05:50 (UTC)

[ this kid sounds like damon, but way less eye emphasis. caroline's all about being fair! and just! and not doing any wrong! but maybe she deserves a little something. taking two bears from a carnival that will never appear again in wonderland isn't like her taking the vorpal sword from the queens because neither of them know what the hell to really do with it. she's making a big deal out of it as she's used to everything being a big deal — tyler being a werewolf, tyler knowing what she is, stefan's broody forehead, klaus' weird obsession with her that she would just like to forget. ]

You're right. [ impressive for a twelve year old. caroline grins at him, since, you know, he has a point, and he has made her see sense. it's something that stefan would've done. ] Were you wanting to have a go?

[ tall people before short people. ugly before beauty, etc. even though peter has made a valid point, caroline still doesn't want to take from someone who is possibly wanting. he probably has better things to do than wait until caroline accomplishes her goal in winning those bears. ]

_{[Unlike Peter, Stefan probably isn't as prone to basking in the glory of always being right as this immortal teenager is. Peter knows he's correct, and smiles as a reward for the girl for understanding. She can at least rest assured he's not here to steal her toy bears or be Klaus' understudy, either. Looking at one of the few young men out there who finds a girl of Caroline's make and model neither attractive nor particularly beautiful.

Interesting, though... That remains to be seen. She's working with the disadvantage of femininity.]}

Oh no, far be it for me to stop you. These aren't my kinds of prizes, besides.

_{[He straightens and steps away from his booth, giving her room. His smile turns more impish, more challenging.]}

But if you wanted to prove your skill in these little trials, how about upping the stakes a bit? Just for fun. Really earn your desserts.

[ he's a boy, so it's understandable that a big bear might not be the thing he wants to showcase in his room. but, either way, caroline knows tyler would've placed it proudly in the house that he shares with no one but his mother. maybe peter wants something else ... though, she's not quite sure what yet. ]

[ crossing her arms over her chest, she tilts her head, purses her lips, and smiles. what has she got to lose? mystic falls is located on the extreme end of simple town life — vampires, werewolves, murders no one seems to care about. playing a game of darts at a carnival with high stakes seems like a piece of cake compared to the shitty little town. caroline forbes is capable of anything. this little shit simply doesn't know that yet. ] I'm listening. What do you propose?

Something more challenging than what the normal rules for these things seem to be. Here--

_{[He steps back, and then back again, stopping at a distance more than fifteen feet from the dart throwing booth. A fair distance for an aspiring thrower. He gestures at this first booth.]}

If you win at both, you get both. You lose at one, you get neither. What do you say? How about... _{[He peers thoughtfully at the assortment of balloons.]} The blue one on the top row, fifth from the left. The green one in the middle there. And the yellow one in the second row from the bottom, on the right next to that misshapen one. If you can hit those three from here and only those three, you win.

_{[What do you say, vampiress? Do you fancy yourself as good a shot with those darts as a Huntsman?]}

[ a boy after her own heart — caroline likes specifics. she works better with a goal in mind, and the more specific it is, the better she is at working towards achieving it. but caroline assesses his proposal with a pursing of her lips and a slight tilt of her head. she wonders if she can do it, aim so well that she pops all three balloons, and then she remembers she's caroline forbes, no one tells her what she's capable and not capable of anymore. ] Deal.

[ she moves forward and gestures to the person behind the booth to give her three darts — a little forcefully, if need be — and, with them in hand, goes to where peter stands. ]

[ she closes one eye and tries to picture a line guiding her to the blue balloon on the top row, but then opens it and glances at peter. ] What do you get from this? [ if anything? everyone has something to gain. caroline's learned this the extremely hard way. ]

_{[What's a game without a few rules to follow?]}

Excellent. A confident challenger, I like that.

_{[Her agreement brings a pleased smile to his face, a expression that does wonders to cast him as the boy he looks through and through. He's prepared to give her a fair chance, and that means standing at her side in watchful silence to give her the concentration required, but then she pauses and asks a very good question.

He looks at her, letting the question roll easily off him.]}

Why, I'm always up for a good game! Doesn't have to be one I'm playing myself.

_{[Though one way or another, he's always playing at something.]}

And I'd like to see what you're capable of. Wouldn't you?

[ caroline narrows her eyes. he reminds her a little of damon, always trying to talk people up while sussing out what it is they're truly capable of. hadn't that been how he and stefan had recognised mason lockwood was a werewolf? but peter seems harmless … and it's only a game of darts. ] I see your point. [ just a little — caroline's just a little too competitive to make-do with sitting on the sidelines while everyone else does everything wrong. ]

[ but she turns from him, narrowing her eyes, and lining her hand and the dart up with his first proposal — the blue balloon on the top row, fifth from the left. caroline moves her arm in a bid to aim and ready herself. and when she throws it with all the strength a girl of her stature shouldn't possess, she finds that she … ]

[ … actually hits it. she'd clap her hands together if she hadn't been holding two other darts — not that an injury would particularly hurt her, but it might scare her friend if her split skin happened to heal — but she simply turns to him and beams. ] The Grill seriously didn't prepare me for this.

_{[Doesn't the fairer sex want to prove herself? "Fairer" is often synonymous with "weaker," as a matter of fact...

He tips his head in concession at her pun.]}

A good choice of words. Let's see if you're any good putting that point to work.

_{[He's been in a similar position like this many times before, usually at the arm of a Lost Boy learning to throw, or learning that Pan can't be hit, one of the two. No matter how many times he's a teacher or a participant, some things never get old. Gaming is an eternal pleasure of his.

Reserving his own personal judgment, he watches to see if she'll hit the mark, which she does, appearing to surprise herself in the process. His congratulation comes in the form of a laugh and a smile.]}

Well! How about that, that's one. _[But...] What's that?

_{[Another arched eyebrow. You make strange references, Caroline.]}

[ caroline lives in the strangest little town. she's lining up her second dart, trying to see if she can line the tip of it with the green balloon in the middle, before she glances toward peter. she lowers her arm for the moment, distracted while she grimaces. ]

The only place in Mystic Falls where anyone ever goes. [ she rolls her eyes. from original vampires to teachers to parents to even underage kids, the grill is the only place where anything and nothing happens simultaneously. she sincerely doubts peter would like it, since no one would take his challenges as seriously as she does. ] It's a bar. And the only time you can ever play darts is with some gross loser from school hanging all over you. [ or an original vampire, but we don't talk about that. ]

[ even though caroline doesn't know peter from adam, she thinks she's become a very good judge of character. he wants to be heard and seen, but those in the grill wouldn't even bat their eyelashes at him. she doubts he would even get carded, even though she assumes he's a year or so younger than her. they barely spare someone a glance when one has their hand pinned to the table with a knife. ] You probably wouldn't like it.

_{[This girl doesn't seem to have gotten the memo that people find themselves ripped from far off worlds to gather here. "Mystic Falls" only gets an uncomprehending look from Neverland's frequent flier.]}

I assume that's the place where you live.

_{[Peter's tone suggests she's welcome to go on and add additional details. Perhaps surprisingly, Peter knows more about tavern culture than his appearance might suggest. He'd practically lived in them once upon a time, before trading in drink for the deep, dangerous jungle. A fresh start.

Or something like one.]}

Oh, I don't know. _{[He seems to ponder the possibility.]} I like a lot of things.

Yeah. [ the way she grimaces might tell him all he needs to know about mystic falls, anyway. it's not so mystic. ] Avoid it on your little family vacation. [ seriously. she's prepared to go into details, about originals and doppelgängers and really bad education, but she finds herself distracted. she has a challenge to kill and rise as victor of; if this is him trying to throw her off course, he's not going to find himself as victorious as she. caroline's already lining up her dart while he ponders. aloud she doesn't think to question him and ask like what? when she's aiming her arrow for the green balloon in the middle and lets it fly free. ]

[ she smiles, this time not turning to peter with elation, at hearing it pop. ] What kind of things do you like? Besides challenging people.

_{[Coming from someone of Caroline's disposition, her home really doesn't sound all that mystical, no. A dull bar her hangout place may be, but at least it might have had a little something to do with her accuracy with the darts now.]}

If you don't like it, leave. Get your preparation somewhere else.

_{[He glances at her from the corner of his eye, smiling faintly. He's only partially joking about "training."

Peter had left his realm for another and spent a good amount of time preparing his new family to live in a wild, wild world where darts could be laced with poison potent enough to drop you dead, and missing your shot could lead to the same fatal end. Training to win a throwing game had been serious business back in Neverland. Well, before his "family" had decided to take a vacation on the Jolly Roger.

Without turning his head, he keeps on peering at her. Peter likes to play and ignore the ghosts of the past while he does so, which makes the carnival an easy beast to tame, specters and all.]}

All sorts of things. I'm especially fond of games, that's why this place attracted my attention. _{[A pause.]} Travel.

_{[Seriously, Caroline, you might want to check out other worlds.]}

[ caroline doesn't shift her attention to the very last target. instead, she frowns, thoughtful — someone with a very similar accent had suggested she travel the world. she had all the time to spend, learning the ins and outs of italy, the crazy history of rome, and the language belonging to paris. but the idea of travelling and leaving mystic falls almost makes caroline feel as though a pillow has been placed back onto her face. ]

Where have you gone? [ she lowers the arm she had been ready to line up with the very last balloon. mystic falls may sound incredibly dull, but it seems to have a knack for imprisoning those who do escape. damon and stefan had crossed its borders into a richer and worldlier life, but they'd returned, drawn back to the beacon that is their family home. ]

_{[He quirks his eyebrows.]}

All over. There are many worlds out there. The actual Wonderland is a bit different than this one.

_{[His answer should give anyone an indication that he's travelled a bit father than the average person.]}

[ her brows draw together as she tilts her head. ] Huh? [ it's not the most eloquent of responses, but neither is her expression, gazing at him as though he's grown several heads. wonderland is merely a fictional world created by an author who was, quite possibly, on drugs when he'd penned his famously creative novel of talking caterpillars and tea-time being all day. wonderland is awfully real to her now, but to consider it being something other than fictional for someone else is difficult to comprehend. ] The actual Wonderland? Like it's literally real in your world?

_{[Peter merely looks back at her with the unflappable composure a few centuries' of life experience has given him. (Experience, yes. Maturity? No. You win some, you lose some.)]}

All lands are real worlds. It's just a matter of finding them. Where do you think the inspiration for the story came from?

_{[Mind-reading is definitely one of his magical powers, he's reading Caroline's mind right now...

... Except not really. It's not hard to connect a few dots and guess that she's from a realm with a limited idea of what's really out there. Most people seem to be, even the interesting ones like Caroline herself. A sad state of affairs, really. In this, Peter is content to set her straight.]}

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