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

[vampdetective]

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.]

Comments

[honesta]

My apologies, Joanna. I didn't mean to sound like I was talking down to you.

[ He never wants her to think he's talking down to her. Things are complicated messy, but he never wants her to think he's trying to act superior to her. He really only reserves that tone for Niklaus when he's behaving poorly. He believes Joanna to be a very smart woman. She's possibly been through things that not even Elijah knows about. Though a thousand years on this Earth has left him with quite a bit of knowledge on even the most obscure things.

Elijah doesn't move towards her though. He wants to touch her hand and tell her it was never his intention to respond that way, but he knows it'd just make it worse. She'd just get skittish if he suddenly came that close to her. Especially because she's still hugging the doorway like he's got limited control over his blood cravings. ]

I'm not Dracula. [ He responds simply. ] Joanna, eventually you'll have to trust someone. You can't drift through life avoiding getting close because you're afraid of others hurting you again.

[ Everything she's saying sounds as if she's speaking from experience. Someone has torn her to pieces and left her to fit herself back together. ]

[lightgunhustler]

You bet I can.

[She feels another surge of anger well up inside of her chest, and it's enough to make her take one, two steps forward, propelling herself out of the doorway without realizing. Emotion has a hold of her, its claws dug in deep as it makes her chest grow tight. She didn't need a lecture about trust. She'd trusted a lot of people in her young life -- too many. Too many, and so often the wrong ones, though she never learned how wrong they were until it was too late.

She was done. She'd worked her ass off to be what she thought was hunting material, but it wasn't the physical or combative aspect of it that made her mother say she couldn't do the job. It was the fact that she had always been a girl who whose tough act didn't run all that deep, who wore her heart on her sleeve and got burned easily because despite how much had been taken from her in her life, she always had more to give. Because she connected with the people they worked so hard to save, because every loss cut her deep. Because she cared too much about everything.

After awhile, that had a tendency to wreck you.]

I've put my trust in more people than I can possibly count in the past, and nine times out of ten, it's backfired on me. [She grits her teeth; this isn't just about monsters now, though that had been a part of it -- it's about people in general.] Either people are all wrong and out to screw you from the start, or something changes, but at the end of the day it's the same and you're always worse off for it. Always. Even the ones you think you can count on the most, they're never who you want to believe they are. The ones who do come through--

[She cuts herself off, swallowing something back. Dean had come through. It had taken him awhile, and they didn't always get along, but when it mattered, he came through, that was something they did for each other without ever acknowledging it.]

It doesn't matter. What you are counts against you, and I won't pretend it doesn't, but even if you were human-- [She shakes her head.] The only person I can trust is myself. The time I have in this place is all I have left. I'm not throwing it away by making the same mistakes I made before I got myself killed.

[honesta]

[ Niklaus' entire existence centered around his fear of being left by his siblings. It manifested in unhealthy ways. Like daggering them when they displeased him. He was scared of being hurt by them. Terrified of them just giving up despite them constantly being there for him. Elijah stood faithfully by his side for centuries before he could no longer take his behavior. Jo can't continue down this path. He knows how self destructive and bad it can be for you in the long run. She doesn't need that. ]

Joanna, my brother was hurt quite badly as a boy by someone he loved. This made him extremely paranoid that one day he'd lose his family. He treated us terribly because of this fear and it was his downfall in many ways. It's what drove a wedge between us. He dug his own grave. Don't let this be you. Don't let your fear of being hurt first destroy all your future attempts at relationships and friendships. It would truly be a tragedy and trust me when I say I understand your pain. Many years ago I fell in love with a woman who I only ever wanted to make happy. My brother spread blasphemy throughout the French Quarter regarding witches and she paid with her life. Some people may fail you, but then you have those who can change your life for the better.

[ She's a very intelligent woman. She doesn't have to keep pushing people away or holding them at arms length out of fear. Pain will always heal. It will always lessen if you give it time. He wanted nothing more than to kill Niklaus after he found Celeste in that tub. It wouldn't have helped the situation. Niklaus wouldn't have learned anything. He thought he could make him care, but he was wrong.

Elijah's face falls when she tells him she's dead. He stands up from his chair, but he doesn't go to her. She won't accept his sympathy or anything resembling caring. She's far too strong willed and against his kind to accept any of it. He stays on his feet though staring at her. ]

If the time you have left here is all you have then wouldn't it be foolish to spend it not trusting anyone? I understand you don't want to endure anymore pain, but what about happiness and love? You'll be missing out on those as well.

[lightgunhustler]

[The story is enough to make her resolve weaken just a tiny bit, enough to trouble her and cause some of the wind to be taken out of her sails. Tragedy touched almost everyone at one time or another, though there was no denying that some people had it harder than others. She's not sure how to respond to it or if she even should; a part of her wants to break down and just vent about everything that happened with Tom, everything that drove her to her breaking point because she hadn't felt she'd been able to talk about it freely with anyone. He'd hurt too many people for her to expect sympathy, though some friends still offered it.

But she won't air those thoughts now. She's already let too much slip by getting angry and losing control of her filter, and as much as she had been looking forward to maybe finding a new friend in him, Elijah is still a stranger. Fangs or no fangs, that was enough to make her want to back away.]

I did trust someone here for awhile.

[She'll scale the story back, but that much is worth saying.]

Didn't quite go the way I'd expected. Ask anyone around here about Tom Hanniger and things will be incredibly clear. So no offense, I appreciate the thought and all and I'm sure you're really hoping I can take something away from your life lesson here-- I'm sorry your brother ruined things for you, and I'm sure some part of you is still a decent guy, but I'm fine the way I am. I don't need any more friends who turn out to be enemies in disguise.

[honesta]

[ The silence that follows is heavy, but Elijah finds it almost reassuring. It meant that Joanna was truly listening to the words Elijah was telling her. She was taking them in and absorbing them. She wasn't just yelling at him in anger again. When she speaks again he looks up after finding himself studying the ground for a moment. He's still holding out hope that perhaps she truly heard Elijah's words. He wanted her to find a little bit of clarity, but it seemed she was doomed to circle back to the same conclusion. ]

And you believe me to be an enemy in disguise.

[ Elijah holds her gaze for a moment. Just trying to catch a glimpse of the woman from the ballroom who seemed to have even the slightest bit of hope that she could enjoy herself with a perfect. He was no longer that perfect stranger though. Elijah was an enemy in her eyes. ]

I think it's time you went on about your day now, Joanna.

[lightgunhustler]

[She'd heard him, alright, but the thing is? Hearing someone isn't enough to make them change your mind, especially not when you've made it up so completely in the name of self-defense. Sometime down the line she might look back and see that they both have a point, but for now, she's stubborn-- stubborn and closed off, the way only someone who has been deeply wounded and betrayed can possibly be.]

Not just you.

[It's not personal or singular. Anyone could be-- but that's not the point. She presses her lips together, her anger slowly subsiding.]

Yeah. I think I'd better.

[She almost apologizes, but it catches in her throat and she feels another surge of heat; who is he to tell her how she should or shouldn't feel? He doesn't know her. He doesn't know anything about her. She exhales, and considers saying goodbye-- but instead just turns her back and leaves, leaving the door ajar behind her.]