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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's a simple enough test, and while it could be argued that Mirrors have some of their memories from home, it's doubtful that would be the case for anything that happened here in Wonderland.

For that reason, Castiel doesn't hesitate to answer. "We discussed how you knew me -- due of the book series written by Carver Edlund -- who is actually Chuck Shurley."

That's hardly private information anymore, so he doesn't hesitate to mention it. "You explained that extra, unpublished chapters had been placed on the internet."

The tension eases out of Charlie's shoulders when he answers, relieved to see this isn't some crazy mirror version of Castiel. No telling what that guy's like.

"Sweet, okay. I've been trying to stay mirror free during this mirror invasion." She comes a little closer, marveling at how he never seems to change his outfit. Does he just ask for the same one every day, or do angels have some kind of self cleaning ability she didn't know about?

Focus, Charlie.

"Did you come in to use some brain power on the riddle?"

The answer is that he has a self-cleaning ability, something Castiel might have explained to Charlie had she asked. It's not like he can usually be bothered to even remember his clothing, even if he does have some fondness for this particular outfit after all these years.

"They can be very insistent." It's right of her to want to avoid them, since while they may not all be psychopaths, there are enough that would just as easily kill someone as have a conversation with them. It isn't worth the risk, especially for someone like Charlie who isn't battle-trained. (Or who has only recently started that training.)

Her question causes his face to twitch unpleasantly. "That's not one of my more developed powers," he admits. "Have you made any progress with it?"

"That's the word I heard. Dean told me Sam's mirror is around and to avoid at all costs, so I'm listening to his wise advice."

If anything, Charlie is always going to have confidence in Dean's uncanny instincts when it comes to dangerous situations.

"Not really." She huffs this out as she plants her hands on her hips, glancing back over her shoulder toward the area she'd claimed as her own. "In games, this stuff is a cinch. Not so much when we've got some actual pressure on us. It just makes no sense."

Castiel nods as soon as Sam's Mirror is mentioned. While he's managed to steer clear of him, he's heard the stories and seen some of his appearances on the network.

"From what I understand, he's a very dangerous demon. Dean was right to warn you." It's more than that, though. Sam's Mirror is what Sam would have become if Ruby and Azazel had gotten their way, and that's the reason that it unsettles Dean so severely.

At least Charlie is smart enough to listen to these warnings instead of purposefully ignoring them.

From what Castiel's heard, everyone's had trouble with the riddle, which means he likely has no chance of figuring it out. "Maybe the point is that it makes no sense," he says with a frown. "At this point we may have no choice but to make shots in the dark."

Charlie makes her 'ick' face at that. Sam as a demon, that's a no go for her. Demons are bad news bears, and she is not down for a tussle with one. Especially one with Sam's face.

"Had that down on my handy dandy list of possibilities. It would totally suck if that were the case, but this is the Duchess. She's a few fries short of a Happy Meal."

Which is putting it lightly, and seriously, what native resident of Wonderland isn't a little bit crazy?

"If she's just messing with us about the sword, I'm pretty sure there's a few people who would go on a mad hunt for her. Turn the place upside down or kidnap one of her pigs or something."

When it comes down to it, Sam's Mirror isn't a true demon, but he's close enough that he should still be treated as dangerous and unpredictable. Castiel can only hope that Charlie's not worth his notice, and so he'll leave her be.

The idiom she uses is one he recognizes in format, even if he's never heard that version of it before. He's not sure if the Duchess is slow so much as completely mad, but the fact remains that they have no way of predicting her thoughts or actions.

"That's assuming they can find her," Castiel points out as he makes his way over to Charlie's work area. "If she's as good at hiding as the Queen of Hearts seems to be, then they may have to find other ways to let out their frustrations."

Which isn't necessarily a good thing.

"Yeah, that's what I don't get." She plops down in a chair, her expression just this side of puzzled. She's been all over the place, practically every inch of it barring people's personal rooms, and Charlie can't fathom how they can hide so well.

"I know, I know. Magic mansion, it can do all kinds of craziness with space. Still, there should be some hint somewhere. Of where the Duchess stays. Or anyone else, now that I'm thinking about it." The mouse comes to mind, as does Alice. The twins are super creepy, but she'd even take a hint about where they are, too. "I mean, is there some other kind of plane they all are able to enter we can't? Like the mirrorside, but only for whoever's native to the place?"

Which has nothing to do with the riddle whatsoever, and Charlie has to laugh at herself. "Sorry, getting carried away from the point here."

It may not be the point, but Castiel in many ways prefers this subject. It's something he's put a lot of thought into already, and it's a topic he can actually speak with some authority on, unlike the riddle.

He takes a seat across from Charlie and drags a hand over his mouth. That's been one of the utmost mysteries about this place -- where do all of these "characters" go? The only time they ever show themselves is to offer a warning, and even then it's usually impossible to track them down in the flesh.

"There must be," he says. "Even I'm unable to sense any of them in any way, so following their signature to track them is impossible."

No one else with enhanced senses appears to be capable of it either, seeing how the Duchess and the Queen of Hearts and all the rest have remained hidden. "They must know what we would do to them if we were able to find them." Castiel's eyes narrow. He has no idea if Charlie would balk at that implication, but given that she's friendly with Sam and Dean, she must be used to the idea by now.

Charlie's sure that the mansion population as a whole wouldn't be too kind to any of the natives of Wonderland. She can't say what she would be like herself - if books and such have taught her anything, it's that revenge doesn't make people feel better. Then again, none of the books she's read deal with this kind of weird situation.

"I can't get over how they can hide from angels." Charlie pulls her knees up so she's curled in the chair, looking thoughtful. "I didn't think any magic could be that powerful, you know? You guys are kinda the elite of the elite when it comes to supernatural stuff."

And she figures it's probably way more frustrating than any of them let on. Which is probably a good thing, a frustrated angel acting out is probably not something she wants to witness.

Oh, Castiel is frustrated. He's been frustrated more or less since he arrived here in Wonderland, but he's let it simmer because taking any of that out on the others caged here isn't the solution. He would rather save up all that anger for the time when he's face-to-face with whoever's responsible.

"There are ways to hide from angels," he admits, "but it's no simple task." Not many people can inscribe sigils onto their own ribs, after all. "They shouldn't be able to contain us here either, and yet Wonderland appears to have no trouble keeping a few of us here at a time."

Though Castiel has to wonder if there's a limit on that. He doesn't think there's ever been more than maybe five angels here at once, and there could be a reason for that. Maybe Wonderland has to release one before it brings in another, to ensure that their combined power doesn't crack through its defenses.

It's that power that Wonderland has that worries her the most, even more so than the dangerous turns the place can take. Keeping hope alive that they can find a way out themselves is hard - it's practically impossible to not just accept this is the way things are.

Sometimes she even finds herself feeling comfortable around here. Not considering it home necessarily, but then it's been a long time since Charlie's really considered anywhere home.

"It's nuts." She starts to idly fiddle with the ends of her jeans, fingers tearing away at stray threads. "Kinda discouraging, too. All this sword stuff, and the Jabberwocky stuff. Knowing what we all need to do but getting it done is way harder than anything. That I've experienced, anyway - not that I'm some kind of super guru about this stuff."

It's hard to fight an enemy that only shows themselves when they feel like it.

"Everything just seem so off about this place in general. I mean, if it really is Wonderland from the books, there's a whole lot of people missing from the stories. And Alice...she's just weird. Like, stir crazy weird. Not that she was totally normal in the books, but it was more whimsical than crazy, you know?"

Home is a concept that Castiel has also struggled with. For so long, it had been Heaven, but that hasn't been the case for some time now and it's been difficult enough to accept that, let alone look for another place where he belongs.

If he was forced to give an answer, Castiel would have to admit that home is anywhere he can share a space with Sam and Dean. However, that would make Wonderland home, and it's never felt that way. It's not the same because none of them are here by choice. Maybe he'll find the real thing someday, or maybe he'll continue to drift and wander.

It seems that Charlie is starting to lose faith in their ability to get out of this place, and that's normal for anyone who's been trapped here for a lengthy period of time. She makes a good point about Alice, one that Castiel can agree with because he has in fact read the books.

"Maybe she's also been here too long," he muses as he stares out at the various bookshelves around them. "But we do have a goal at the moment, an enemy to defeat. That's more than we had before." He returns his attention to Charlie, his eyebrows raised slightly. The jabberwocky may be intimidating, but it's a target, something they can focus on, and Castiel certainly craves that.

The question is: if they defeat it, what then?

"You're probably right. Spend too long in a place like this and it'll start to feel like a familiar routine. You get a few weeks of peace and then the crazy starts up all over again."

It's already starting to be a routine for Charlie. If only there was a way to predict it, but whoever - or whatever - is fueling the place definitely doesn't do patterns. As it is, she's in the same boat as Castiel - she's happy to have something to focus on, even if the Jabberwocky makes her terrified.

She's not even seen the thing yet. Stories are good enough for her.

"What I don't get is...why drag us here, do these weird memory event things and then sic the Jabberwocky on us? And why aren't the Queens actually helping?"

This frustrates her, to the point she's looking a little mad. The Queens don't benefit from the Jabberwocky being on the loose, from the Duchess taking the sword and running off with it. So why not help? If that monster gets loose then things go real downhill real fast and she doesn't think that's the goal for anyone.

Soon enough, all of them will be "stir crazy" too. Many already are, and Castiel has certainly felt the effects himself. He's used to being able to go where he pleases, and that's very much not the case here in Wonderland. Within the cage, yes, he can move around how he likes, but it's not a very large space for an angel to occupy.

Charlie brings up some worthwhile questions, although Castiel long ago gave up on trying to understand how anyone in this place thinks. They don't seem to follow any string of logic that he's familiar with.

With a sigh, he leans his elbow on the table and then rests his chin in his hand. "I suspect that the Queen of Hearts believes she's helping by sending her soldiers here," he posits. "I can't speak for the Red Queen. Even though she supposedly shares our side, both figuratively and literally, she's even less reliable than her sister."

Castiel had made an attempt to convince the Red Queen that they needed her aid against the jabberwocky, but she had been difficult about it to say the least. Castiel realizes he may have not been the best choice for the job, but he did make an attempt and came up with nothing.

"That's gotta be some kind of top level achievement for her. Something like 'Monarchs who don't throw their weight around'." She says in response to the Red Queens total lack of help, or presence. She figured something like this would be enough to bring her out, but she's a no show so far.

"I know everyone's all aboard the sword snatching train, but is there any kind of contingency plan? Like, just in case we don't get it." Charlie doesn't like to think they might fail, but it seems like a bad idea not to have a backup.

Castiel doesn't see how that's in any way an achievement, but he's able to recognize it as sarcasm and so he doesn't bother asking. He misses the reference, but picks up the general gist of what Charlie's saying.

Her question is one he's fielded already, and while it may pain him that Crowley's idea is the only alternate solution they have at the moment, he can't deny that it's the best back-up plan they have.

"Crowley's interested in building a cage for it by pooling knowledge together from various different worlds to make it as strong as possible." Castiel will be adding his set of warding to it as well, once the basic structure is up.

The idea that Crowley came up with a plan has her looking puzzled. It does make a little sense, she's sure even demons want to not become Jabber-chow just like the rest of them.

"A plan's a plan, even when it's a demon plan." She says it, feeling a little nervous about it being a demon plan but she can't complain. "Unless we figure out a way to build some kinda BFG that can shoot it into space or something. Even if the idea of the Jabberwocky becoming Wonderland's very own creepy satellite is uber weird."

Knowing their luck, if they managed it, the monster would just crash land on the mansion itself and destroy everything.

"Sounds like I got more things to research, then. I probably can't offer anything that hasn't been offered yet, but knowledge is power!" She does a little fist pump at that. "And I should probably get back to riddle stuff as it is. So many things to read, so little time."

While Castiel has no idea what a BFG is, he can understand the overall gist of Charlie's idea. He's fairly certain that she means it as a joke more than anything, because as things stand, Castiel has no idea what the atmosphere around Wonderland even consists of.

Chances are that the jabberwocky would hit some kind of barrier and come crashing back down to the ground, so it's not even worth considering beyond an offhanded comment.

She's right that knowledge is power, though, and so Castiel's happy to leave her to her work. He nods. "I'll return later to check on your progress." He doesn't mean to sound like a teacher in that moment -- it's more than he's curious about what she might find. "I'll be conducting my own research." They may as well share information.

So with that, he disappears down one of the aisles of shelves to continue searching the library.

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