entrancelogs | [OPEN] I've been losing sleep for days;

Who: Angel, Lily Evans, Mirror!Emma Swan, Mirror!Jo Harvelle & you!
Where: Throughout the mansion and grounds.
When: The evening of 9/16 onward.
Rating: R, for reasons.
Summary: Catch-all log for now until the end of the event! Any planned threads are more than welcome to take place here, as well as any surprise threads!
The Story:
[ ANGEL ► REAL ]

[His movements are limited until nightfall, but that doesn't stop Angel from dedicating himself to solving the riddle the Duchess has posed to the mansion at large. He's written and rewritten every last word of it, rearranging it and breaking it to bits as he makes his way through the mansion, carefully examining his surroundings as he goes to see if anything, anything, matches up with the cryptic madness that seems to be Wonderland's sense of humor. All told, he was a good detective-- but riddles, he was beginning to think, were not his strong suit.

When night falls, he branches out, having already gone through every floor of the mansion firsthand over the past two days, though entering any rooms that belonged to any residents was barred, meaning there was a great deal he couldn't search on his own -- but it seemed unlikely that the Vorpal Sword would be stashed beneath anyone's bathroom sink. It's full dark when he ventures outside, intending to wind his way through the gardens and head out towards the checkerboard hills and the woods in his search.

Periodically, he can be found in the kitchen, feeding -- or more specifically, drinking blood from an oversized coffee cup with a picture of what might be a lobster on it.]

[ LILY ► REAL ]

[Lily, too, has been dedicated to the search. She's been carrying the blue ribbon and note she found in the hedge maze with her since the day before. Most other problems might inspire her to sequester herself in the library until she finds something useful, but riddles are more practical in a way -- there's no book that can solve them for you, and despite having only been in Wonderland for a handful of months, she thinks she has a firm enough grasp on the geography and the inner workings of the mansion to have a decent shot at helping to solve this thing.

A part of her hopes that it's simply a matter of sifting the evidence until things fall into place, but somehow, she doesn't think that's likely.

She can be found at various points throughout the mansion and grounds, and for the next few days will be seen carrying a notebook at all times as well as her wand, taking notes wherever she goes. Though she seems mostly innocuous and unassuming as people pass her by during their travels, there are times when she won't be scribbling furiously -- anyone who visits the attic is likely to find her spending the better part of an afternoon liberally using charms to levitate and rummage through the various things collected there, and she'll also visit the dining hall on several occasions, where she'll eat with her notes spread out in front of her as she looks them over.]

[ EMMA ► MIRROR ]

[Alright. So the Mirrors are here on a mission, told not to come back until they have the sword in hand. Really, Emma doesn't have much of a problem following orders, assuming they're in her best interest. Loyalty to the Queen of Hearts isn't an option, but there are certain tasks she's more likely to apply herself to -- and any that directly impact her odds of survival are right at the top of the list.

She knows how important the sword is. She has every intention of doing whatever it takes to get to the bottom of this and do as the Queen has commanded, and yet--

Coming over to the Real side is so rare, it feels like a wasted opportunity, not to do a little investigating. It's been ages since her last visit, but her Real's room is exactly where she remembers it being, and she leaves the door open behind her when she enters, slowly and thoroughly going through the real Emma's belongings once she's there.

Any Reals who come into contact with her in the mansion or on the grounds would do well to guard their valuables. She has no trouble taking what's not rightfully hers. She looks noticeably different from the real Emma, wearing a pair of black-rimmed glasses that set her apart from the real deal, but there's one tiny detail that those who know Emma well might notice: her Mirror is wearing a swan pendant (or is it a keychain?) on a chain around her neck, something the real Emma has been missing for nearly a year.]

[ JO ► MIRROR ]

[Jo's Mirror is far less curious than Emma's, and far less likely to investigate things that aren't directly related to the task at hand. A part of her can't help but think that she's been forced back to the Real side as punishment for her affiliation with her Sam; things have changed since his open display of defiance on the Mirrors' own network, and while she supports him without question, defying the Queen when given a direct order such as this one is not an option. She's sure that if she were to disobey, the Queen would have no trouble making things worse for them -- and Sam has already lost his closet privileges. She's not certain she wants to risk finding out what he loses next, or if she herself will be stripped of her rights along with him as punishment for 'misplaced' loyalty.

She may be a demon, but she's not stupid. She knows better than to risk putting herself at a greater disadvantage, at least for now.

Unlike her previous visits to the Real side, she'll be making an effort to pass as the real Jo for as long as she's able, seeking out people she knows to be friendly with her doppelganger and making her best attempts to lure them into aiding her with her search for the sword.]

[OOC: Threads not limited to the above scenarios! If you'd like to do something that takes place in another part of the mansion or later on during the course of the event, let me know and we can absolutely work something out. Just trying to keep it all in once place! Mirror!Emma's responses will be coming from

larcenously, Mirror!Jo's will be coming from

stayedhome.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh! You're that guy! [The one Frank encouraged to sing, to everyone's dismay.]

Yeah, I can see it now. Sorry I didn't recognize you, I don't recognize most people I met that time unless they were the same age. And definitely sorry I tried to shoot at you.

This thing with the Mirrors has me on edge.

Yeah, that's me. It's alright-- I probably wouldn't have recognized me either. A few years can make a whole lot of difference.

[Right. 'A few.' He smiles grimly, shrugging the threat off easily.]

No harm done. We're all a little wound up right now, nobody's going to blame you for that. Considering how aggressive some of the Mirrors can be, you're right to be on the defensive.

[He nods. He isn’t afraid of getting physically hurt, really- he can defend himself it they try something, or at least be loud enough to warn everyone else and make sure they don’t get hurt as well. But some of the mirrors he’s seen are pretty vicious.]

My girlfriend’s mirror is here. [He isn’t really sure why he says that to a man who’s basically a stranger. Maybe to get the comfort of sharing with someone who doesn’t know the story behind them.]

So I’m also worried about how the Reals are doing on the other side, as well.

I'm sorry. [It's an almost automatic response, but a genuine one.] Is she one of the violent ones? If you can get her to look at her own reflection, they should switch places all over again-- you can get her back.

[Not that these swaps ever last for long anyway, but why drag it out any longer than necessary? He hasn't tried showing a Mirror their reflection yet this time around -- it's worked in the past, but if he tried it now, he'd be unpleasantly surprised.]

I'm worried, too -- but some of the people who've gone missing are pretty capable. It doesn't make it okay that they're gone, but it does mean we can trust them to help each other stay safe.

[Frank actually blinks in surprise.] You can do that? I didn't know that worked. It explains why I've seen people carrying mirrors around.

[But he shakes his head.] No, she's not. Or at least she hasn't trying to hurt me or anyone yet. She's just... intense? In the worst possible meaning of the word. But as long as I ignore how she keeps trying to push my buttons I should be alright. But I guess I just worry about her- the real her.

[He shakes his head.] I'm just being stupid. Did you have any friends switch over?

It's supposed to, anyway. Haven't had the chance to try it out myself -- not even sure a mirror would work on mine, it's complicated -- but pretty sure it was in that brochure that gets sent around every now and then. Worth trying.

[He smiles, faintly. He can't blame Frank for worrying -- or anyone, for that matter. It's human nature, no matter how strong the person in question might be.]

I'm sure she's just as worried about you. [Pause.] No friends switched yet, at least not that I know of.

[That would imply he had friends to have swapped, and the list is growing shorter as time goes on.]

Doesn't mean they might not have done it on the sly.

[Frank nods. He’s glad for the man- Angel- he’s glad that Angel hasn’t gotten any Friends switched, but that doesn’t make the situation any less creepy.]

That’s another problem. How do you know someone’s a mirror if they try to hide it? …I guess I could go around pointing the mirror at everyone but that’d be kind of. Well.

I’d look really dumb.

Some are better at hiding than others. For some of them, it's obvious -- they look like their Reals at their core, but they dress differently, act differently, speak differently. For everyone else--

[He'll admit, this part is trickier.]

You could always slip something into conversation, ask them something only the Real would know.

[He reaches to bite his thumb in a nervous gesture, swinging the bow to his back and letting it turn into a backpack. After Percy's mirror managed to trick him... he basically doesn't know who to trust.]

I guess I could do that, yeah. But I don't know every single person in this place enough to do that.

Which is where the mirror could come in handy, if you could get over feeling silly. It might feel awkward, but it would be safe.

[He shrugs before folding his arms across his chest, frowning.]

The other Reals would understand. Aside from that, safest thing to do might be to avoid others altogether, but considering we're all searching for this damn sword, that doesn't seem like a real possibility.

Yeah, that's another thing. The mirrors are worrying but it isn’t... it’s not what we’re supposed to be focusing on.

[He shakes his head.] Maybe that’s what they were counting on. That’d be too distracted by the mirrors to keep on looking for the sword. The riddles are hard enough as it is.

They're just obstacles. Red herrings, some of them.

[At the end of the day, their goal is the same, and that's what they should be focusing on.]

Maybe they are. The Mirrors and Reals don't exactly have a great track record when it comes to getting along. The Queen could have sent them over to stall our progress, but-- I don't think so. If the sword isn't found, we all lose. Both sides. Wonderland gets devoured, end of story.

Which makes me think the Queen is counting on something else. Maybe she knows something we don't about the Duchess and the sword and how to get it.

Maybe she plans on getting the sword herself?

Maybe she wants it for herself, but she doesn't want the Jabberwocky attacking, either. She's killed it at least once before using the sword in the past, or so I'm told. She may not be our closest ally, but Wonderland being eaten by the Jabberwocky doesn't help her any more than it helps us.

[Something worth thinking about.]

Doesn't mean I want her to have it, but at this point, anything is better than the Duchess hiding it away.

[OPEN] I've been losing sleep for days;

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