entrancelogs | don't let the bad things rule your life [OPEN]

Entry tags:

don't let the bad things rule your life [OPEN]

Who: Martha ~~Jones~~ Liddell and OPEN.
Where: Various places around the mansion.
When: 6/6 - 6/10
Rating: PG-13 (possible nakedness?)
Summary: Martha is a member of the large, mysterious Liddell family, and is cursed to be Year of the Nightingale.
The Story:
1.

While the mansion was packed full with family members, both those she knew well and those that she didn't, Martha couldn't quite understand why they had so many regular humans here with them. It was only bound to lead to trouble, and as much as she tried to keep away from them for both their safety and her own, there was only so much that she could do to keep to herself.

Especially with the existence of that clinic. Some years back, she had dreamed of being a doctor, up until her family had told her that it wasn't practical, that no one who was cursed could ever hope to examine people. That kind of close contact was asking for trouble.

Which didn't stop Martha from wandering the first floor, circling ever closer to the clinic. At the very least, maybe she could take a look inside...

2.

The inevitable happened.

Finding herself in animal form, Martha knew there was only one thing she could do. Fly, fly away as fast as her wings would take her. A bird slipping inside and hiding the rafters, that wasn't particularly strange, and yet still she sought the areas outside, believing that would be more safe.

She searched out her other family, not the Liddells but these other songbirds who were only animals. Yet at least she could blend among them, chirp and sing (only the males were supposed to, but who would know the difference, really?) and hope that nothing about her stood out. All she had to do was wait for everything to blow over, wait for herself to change back, and then she would sneak inside and get herself some clothes. Bloody hell, this was already a mess.

3.

Wild card! Other places Martha can be found: her room on the eighth floor, the diner, the library, and wandering in the woods. If we discussed a particular thread idea while plotting, feel free to give me a starter with that scenario.

Prose or brackets, past or present tense, I will match you! ♥

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Just like that a mere misunderstanding is no longer in the cards, and Buckingham cannot say that he relishes the revelation. Exceptional as his inability to learn from his mistakes may be and quick as he is to move on from the past, deeper down his memories remain alive and well, and his stomach clenches as they stir from the reminder of Wonderland's powers of deceit.

"But whose, and to what end?"

Hers, of course, for he refuses to think himself fooled twice, but for Miss Jones he will not proclaim the notion quite so boldly. Instead he pauses briefly, before deeming it best to relay his own recollection in greater detail:

"I came her from England, two years and near six months ago, through no design of my own. In that time I have seen the occasional... pets of others come and go, I recall traces of life in the forest in winter."

What else? What else?

"I would have sought to pass the time during these two years and six months with a hunt once in a while, but I never found the right prey, with... the singular exception of one stag who, as it turned out, was merely a young man transformed."

Buckingham would gladly shoot that boy all the same, but he imagines that much is best left unsaid. And for different reasons entirely his lips rise to a smile.

"Fish, which walked and sang. Those I recall as well, on the... day we first met, Miss Jones."

Martha crosses her arms over her chest and shifts until her back hits the wall. She'll hear him out, see what he has to say, and hopefully be able to pick apart where his words stop making sense. She saved him from his mind being twisted around once before, perhaps she can do it again.

There's no way around it, he can't have simply missed the large groupings of animals that the Liddell family has placed here to throw everyone off their scent. And yet that's what he claims. Is someone trying to slowly but surely pull the wool from his eyes?

But then he speaks of a stag who's actually a boy, and oh god, James. He found out about James. No wonder the family has retaliated. They've reached into his mind and altered his memories. This isn't Wonderland's doing, but rather the fault of her own family.

It always hurts when someone she's become acquainted with is indirectly affected by the curse, and Martha fights for the words she needs to keep up the act, to gloss over what he said about James.

But then...

"Jones?" She tilts her head at him. "That's not my last name. I'm Martha Liddell. I'm sorry, but... I think a few things have been shifted around in your mind, Buckingham." This wouldn't be the first time.

Thinking to step closer for her response Buckingham flinches to a halt at the accusation. It still cuts so very unpleasantly in light of what she witnessed not too long ago, and the duke is quick to shake his head, for his benefit as much as hers. This is no recurrence, and he'll refuse to even let the notion take hold.

"Some things have been shifted," he concedes willingly, but the underlying message in his tone is anything but subtle in its refusal to agree on just what exactly has been shifted, and in whose mind the rearrangement is to be found.

He remembers it all correctly, he must. He would recognise the doubt now, he would know if it felt familiar. He would.

"Liddell you say? Just as our Miss Alice in her books?"

Martha can see that Buckingham doesn't believe her. No doubt he thinks she's the one who's been affected, and since neither one is bound to be able to convince the other all that easily, maybe it would be better to leave this alone. Only a few days need pass for the event to end and for him to come back to his senses. Again.

As for the mention of Alice, Martha's a little taken aback by it. Perhaps even a bit protective, because Alice is still so young and yet she's no doubt got loads of responsibilities to deal with. If the outsiders start bothering her...

"Alice heads the family, though most think that's a lot of pressure to put on shoulders so small," she says after a long pause.

When she turns to face him, her expression is tinged with suspicion. "What do you want with her?"

Buckingham entertains much the same notion, as he finds that there is ~~liddell~~ little to a mere name, that the deception has brought no harm to Miss Jones, and that it must surely pass in time. He recalls his promise, oh he does, but short of carrying her away from Wonderland itself he doubts that it is within his power to offer a remedy to this particular ailment.

Which gains a rather surprising new symptom, when Buckingham's mere attempt at discovering the origins of her new mantle elicits wariness and... apprehension?

"Nothing with her, not one thing at all," he reassures, as quickly as his surprise will allow. "Only..."

Is that the heart of the matter now? Did he understand her correctly?

"Only I confess I was... unaware of your relation to her."

Martha relaxes slightly when Buckingham makes it clear that he doesn't mean Alice any harm. She's still so young, and Martha doesn't like the idea of anyone making trouble for her. Alice has enough to deal with as it is, being at the head of a family like theirs, chock full of secrets.

"Really?" Well, Martha doesn't necessarily advertise her connection with the Liddells, but she's also a little surprised that Buckingham could have missed such a large detail. Much like with the issue of the animals from before, it simply doesn't make sense.

"Well, she doesn't usually show herself that often in any case," she says with a shrug of her shoulders, hoping she can pass it off casually rather than draw more attention to it.

They've reached the entrance hall, which only makes Martha more antsy to separate herself from Buckingham and his worrying questions. She hopes to use his need for manners against him. "Well, I should really be getting back up to my room..."

It's the middle of the day. There's no reason for her to need to return there now. But Buckingham may be too polite to question it. That's what she's bargaining on, at least.

Buckingham very nearly collides with Miss Not-Presently-Jones, when her brisk pace comes to a sudden halt, and she announces her departure just as suddenly. Was that the whole of where she thought to go with such urgency? Away?

Well.

(Impeccable manners, so the Duke of Buckingham finds, are any man's elegant adornment, and a tool of utmost importance; yet adornments may fall out of fashion, and tools may be unfit for a particular purpose, and just as these things manners are, ultimately, quite easily exchanged for a different approach.)

"You would leave so soon, Miss-- Liddell? Urgent matters? Aren't you at all curious what else Wonderland might have altered for... us?"

Martha feels it like a sixth sense when Buckingham almost enters her personal space, and she spins around to face him before she backs up one, two, three steps. A safe distance.

She should have known he would be too stubborn for his own good. Martha may be curious as to what's going on in the mansion, but she would rather investigate it with a family member.

"Maybe later," she says as she lifts a hand to massage at her temple and try to ease an imaginary headache. "I'm feeling a bit tired right now, is all."

This is the oldest trick in the book, which also makes her worry that it may not work.

Edited 2014-07-15 16:30 (UTC)

Old? Oh indeed, this particular trick in this particular book has been transcribed by religious scholars for the reading pleasure of the duke and his literate peers, even all those centuries ago. Buckingham recognises it well and judges it not, such clear sign that the lady would, for reasons no other ought to intrude upon, prefer to be on her own, or at the very least away from him. In the scenario it falls to the gentleman, who clearly understands such need, to permit the retreat accordingly.

...But then, things are just about to get interesting.

"Of course, say no more, I shall be happy to see you to your quarters at once."

Cordially led by his side no less, and Buckingham reaches to take Martha's arm accordingly.

Bollocks. Bollocks bollocks bollocks.

Martha had predicted that it would go this way, but her heart still hammers its way up her throat as he reaches out for her. He's just got her arm, it's fine, they need to bump their chests against each other for anything truly disastrous to happen, it's fine.

"That's very kind of you," she says at a delay, and she knows her smile must be forced. Buckingham comes from the Land of Forced Smiles, though, so it may be all right even so.

All she has to do is climb some stairs with him. Quite a lot of stairs, because of where her room is located, but she won't be beaten by a few stairs. Martha starts toward them.

"So what were you doing with your day before you happened upon me, Lord Buckingham?" Martha would very much like to direct the conversation away from her.

Buckingham keeps her pace, betraying no notion that he might suspect her discomfort, let alone be troubled by it. But he suspects, and it makes him curious and curiouser still.

"Much of the same, really. I had just admired Wonderland's menagerie on the grounds-," The one that is allegedly no novelty to their world, "-and was on my way to my own stables, when I... thought to look for you at the clinic."

For the question he posed earlier, despite Martha's strangely distant approach.

"I was especially taken with the swans, dreadful temper, but the sight of them all but excuses it. I do wish we could have them all year, or... need I say that I only thought I wished? Perhaps we will, after all..."

If she is right in claiming that he misremembers. Which, if course, she is not.

Thankfully, Buckingham manages to speak enough to fill a decent amount of the silence as they make their long climb. Martha can appreciate that, if not his tenaciousness with staying at her side.

There's still that disparity between them on whether or not the animals around Wonderland have always been present, but Martha chooses not to dwell on that. There's an event on, and eventually it will end, and one of them will come back to their senses. (Buckingham will.)

"They're nasty creatures. Nice enough to look at, yes, but if you get too close they're like to bite your fingers off."

Martha feels a bit bad for saying so, since Pepper's the one who turns into a swan and she's as nice as they come, but that only goes to show that the animals they're cursed with don't necessarily match their personalities.

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don't let the bad things rule your life [OPEN]

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omfg she should have reacted to him calling her jones earlier I'M SORRY

PSH THAT'S FINE we will pretend his pompadour muffled the sound

WORKS FOR ME \o/

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back from hiatus, sorry for delay!

no prob, delay is my middle name. and first name. and last name. and probably also my skype account.

shhhh it's okay

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