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Who: Charlie Bradbury and all you crazy kids out there!
Where: Mostly the library, but she can be found in the kitchen stocking up on snacks, too.
When: 9/17 and on
Rating: pg?
Summary: Charlie is trying to brain up riddle things and keep herself busy and useful. The mirrors are coming and shenaningans are afoot! This is a catch all for the event, so any mirrors come her way!
The Story:

One Charlie Bradbury has practically moved into a corner of the library.

Her presence is obvious, even when she isn't curled up in one of those super comfy chairs with a book in her lap. There's not a whole lot in these books that can help her with the riddle set before them, but at least it's something. Keeping her brain busy usually helps in the sudden epiphany department, and that's exactly what she's hoping for.

There are breaks, naturally. Food runs to the kitchen, since pulling food out of a closet still seems real strange when she thinks about it. Plus, she doesn't really trust the closets - she's pretty sure they're mad at her.

Which is silly, but whatever. Being paranoid keeps her safe.

Ish.

Point is, Charlie has now moved into the library and she's working hard. There are at least three notebooks full of scribbles, ideas she's struck with that she needs to get down to run across someone else. Riddles could be fun, but in this case it was a little more dire. She's not sure if that's a good motivator, or if it has her so nervous she's just screwing up all over the place.

It's possible anyone who walks through those library doors are going to be accosted by one energetic redhead who is on a mission.

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It could be how stiffly he sits, or perhaps how he reads much more attentively. Nothing distracts him, and he doesn't have the wide emotional range that the Real James does. The Real James, when reading, would probably have changed expression a dozen times by now - either from the content itself or the places his thoughts drift to when boredom starts to set in. Everything is cold and automatic with his Mirror, and done because it needs to be done.

"No."

He caught a glimpse of red hair, and thought for a second he might have had the misfortune of meeting Lily (any version of her, really), but when he does finally turn his attention to her he finds he was mistaken. It doesn't make him any happier to see her though, and her playful greeting didn't make any impact whatsoever - not even a twinge of a smile.

There's no recognition on his face though. He's never caught James talking to her, and she isn't from James' world so he doesn't know her by default in any way, but she must know the Real James, given how she greeted him. Knowing he is incapable of replicating the Real James' emotions and excitable mannerisms, he doesn't try.

"...Who are you?"

Talk about Twilight Zone. She knew the mirrors were carbon copies, physically at least, but this guy looks just like James. A ruder version, if anything.

"Uh, Charlie. I'm guessing you hail from the mirrorside, right?" Might as well ask, since playing it smooth didn't work out so great for her a minute ago. She cautiously approaches, making an effort to still keep her distance. Not that it would matter, if this guy can cast magic, too. Running wouldn't do jack.

He just raises an eyebrow at her. What a stupid question.

"I do, and I'm assuming you don't if you have to ask," he says.

It's just simple logic, though the lack of tone does make it come across as incredibly rude. He doesn't particularly care though. She's just some Real Thing he's never heard of. She doesn't seem like a threat, but if she was he would have pulled out his wand and sent her flying across the room by now.

So no, she isn't dangerous, but she is a nuisance. He had been trying to read in peace, after all.

Wow, she is definitely not a fan of mirrorside James. She looks put out for a second, tempted to give him the what for, but keeps herself in check. Not a good idea to antagonize, and Dean had said steering clear was a good idea.

She can't help but be curious enough to stick around to bug him a little more, though. Hopefully he won't kill her or something, since that would suck a million.

"Nope, I'm all real and such." She's tempted to ask about her own mirror, but obviously he hasn't come across her since he'd at least recognize her face. "Gotta ask, what's it like on the other side?"

She half expects him to tell her to bugger off or something along those lines, but hey. At least she's trying, getting her investigation on and everything.

At first, he doesn't answer her at all. In fact, he continues trying to read as though she did not speak at all. Then, suddenly, he slams his book shut. He had been so quiet until then that it seems even louder than it really was. Obviously, he isn't going to getting anything done until this Real Thing, this Muggle has her curiosity satisfied.

And yet, the fact that she's irritated him at all makes him want to keep her around. His buttons are so rarely pushed that any tiny pin that manages to push them is endlessly fascinating. Still, he tries not to let that show, keeping his face in a cold glare.

"Why do you care?" he counters. "Since I'm not the Real James, I know you aren't here just for idle conversation."

People don't just waltz up to him and talk as though they're actually friends. Anyone who approaches him wants something from him.

The book shutting startles her into jumping a little. She's heard the stories of mirrors being copies but still completely different, and maybe it's a little bit like a demon possessing someone's body - their face and voice, but totally different personality.

"Well, I mean I'm just kinda curious." She stammers a bit, wondering if he's gonna do something crazy. Like murderize her. "Just because you're from a strange land doesn't mean we can't talk, right?"

"No, but it does mean you're an idiot," he says. "Considering the type of person the other James is, it should be obvious why."

The Real James is good-hearted, reckless, and heroic to a fault. Most Reals tend to make assumptions based on opposites, and inverting those traits should leave a person that no one would ever want to willingly talk to. It's more complicated than that, and Mirror James is aware it is, but that doesn't change what the Reals naturally assume. Usually it works in his favor.

"Still, I'm...surprised," he says, not sounding terribly surprised at all. "The other James usually goes out of his way to warn everyone he can to keep away from me."

Maybe James just forgot. Or maybe his Mirror is attempting to plant seeds of doubt. Or, maybe he really is surprised and just lacks the emotional range to convey it beyond just saying the words "I'm surprised".

Wow, rude. She folds her arms over her chest, frowning at him as she loses a bit of her fear. Not that she's going to get super mouthy with the guy, but there is a line, bro. No name calling.

"I guess he didn't get a chance to warn me this go around. What, are you one of those out to destroy his life forever? I know some mirrors are all about ruining stuff just to ruin it."

Mirrorside must be some kind of level of hell that she hopes to never see. From what she's heard of it, she's sure she isn't missing much.

"Besides, you're over here and everything, why are you in a library? Don't you have sabotage to cause?" There's a bit of sass leaking into her tone without her noticing.

He should have known not to expect any level of critical thinking from someone who considers themselves a friend of the Real James, and so he sighs.

"Has it ever occurred to you that it might be the other way around?" he asks. "That he might want my life ruined because he can't cope with a more Slytherin version of himself?"

The Real James does sort of have a problem with all Slytherins as a unit. It's plausible that even if he hadn't witnessed him killing people in that chess match that he would still be warning people against him. The opposite of good is naturally evil, or so the Real James assumes.

"...Are you really complaining that I'm not causing sabotage?" He doesn't say the word this time, but the way he looks at her says pretty clearly how he feels about her level of intelligence.

"No, I'm just saying is all. Everyone goes on and on about mirrors being all evil and stuff."

Even though from what she's been able to gather, they seem more like...minions or something. Which sucks in a big way, she's sure, but from what she knows they don't seem really bothered by it.

"So, you're saying his whole anti-you thing might be because you're more Slytherin?" She doesn't look convinced. Sure, it could be true, but there has to be something more. "No other reasons?"

Of course they don't seem bothered by it. Imagine what would happen to them if they showed any sign that they were.

"Reals don't know us as well as they think they do," he says. "But I suspect that's the root of our differences, yes. But I'm not going to sit and outline all of them for you."

If there's something more then she'll just have to figure it out for herself.

It's on the tip of her tongue to point out that nobody knows mirrors well because the mirrors don't try. Then again, people realside don't really try, either.

Being diplomatic is hard.

Instead, she swings her arms at her sides, just a little frustrated. "Well, you haven't tried to murderize me, so I'd say general mirror consensus isn't right. Everyone acts like you guys are going to kill everyone in sight, is that a thing you've all done before?"

"Not collectively," he says.

He can't recall a time when every Mirror was ordered to slaughter every Real Thing they found. The Queen of Hearts does not care much if the Reals live or die though, so some see that as room for creative leeway in following their orders.

"...But I have."

It's the perfect opportunity to make it clear that she absolutely should be afraid of him. He's cold and almost clinical about it. There's no remorse, but no sadistic joy either. It's just a fact - he's killed Reals before.

His answer has her lips pressing together. Charlie's not dumb by any means, and she knows she would be in big time trouble if a few people learned she was actively engaging a mirror in convo. Especially after Dean warned her away.

So, yeah, she's pretty nervous about the whole thing. She can't just write off a whole group, even if it's an uber bad idea to be talking to them. The whole separation thing just doesn't make sense to her - they're all trapped there the same, aren't they?

"Well..." She trails off a little as she crosses her arms. "Was there a good reason?"

"A human chess match," he says. Then, realizing how that might seem, he meets her eyes. "A literal one, between the Queens. I was the Mirror Side Queen piece, and there were a number of casualties."

He doesn't look as though he regrets those deaths, but he doesn't gloat either. The only bit of pride he has at all in it is the fact that the Queen of Hearts chose him to represent her on the board, as the Queen piece. He's considered valuable to her, or at least that's how it seems.

"Some of your number took it personally," he adds. "I assume it's because they don't understand how chess works."

Well, that kinda answers her question. Sorta. She can't say she would consider that a totally justified reason, but then Wonderland forces them all into crazy situations they can't control.

"Probably more along the lines of it's hard not to take killing people personal and all." She says it kinda like Duh, dude. "Was killing a required part of the game?"

Which will tell her plenty. Charlie feels like she's already spent too much time delving into the world of mirrors as it is.

He shrugs.

"The term is capture, but we were required to fight our opponents and defeat them."

So, he killed them. He wasn't the only one, but it was the clearest, most obvious way to win. He brought his opponents to the ground successfully, without wasting a moment of time. He was efficient, and so he has no regrets.

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