+ HER ANTIDOTE + | OPEN

[onlyredroses]

Who: The Queen of Hearts [onlyredroses], her Mirrors, and curious Real Things.
Where: The Core, Mirror Side
When: 7/22nd-7/23rd
Rating: PG-13 to be safe.
Summary: The Queen of Hearts gave an order, and those who followed it are to report to her at the Core. However, the rips are still present, so there may be a few stray Real Things making life difficult.
The Story:

The light of the Core is still flickering, temperamental as it's been for weeks. Then, at 11:58PM on the 21st, the Queen of Hearts is there in a blink, arms crossed.

"What are you doing in there?" she mutters. "Shouldn't you be preventing this? I shouldn't have to clean up your mess."

The Core, or whoever she's speaking to, predictably does not respond, and she huffs. Typical.

She pulls a pocket watch from a pocket of her dress and flicks it open with a frown. 12:01AM. The 22nd. Then, she looks down the hall. It has only been a minute and she is already growing very impatient, tapping her foot as she waits.

It would be in everyone's best interest not to keep her waiting too long.

[ooc: Prose or [brackets] are fine; I'll match! If you would like your character to have a traitor mark either added or removed, specify it somewhere in your tag and I'll get in touch with you about that! Anyone seeking to fight her will be disappointed though. She has business to attend to and will not entertain attackers (and will send them away), but this is a rare opportunity for any Reals who have wanted to speak with Her Majesty. And of course, your Mirrors may present their stolen sentimental items here. ♥]

Comments

[improvident]

[If Bill has a Mirror then he certainly hasn't seen it (it has nothing to do with his mun's inability to think of something witty, clearly Bill is his own Mirror) nor does he care, far too preoccupied with rubbing elbows in Her Majesty's court. As soon as the path is open to him he takes it, materializing in what is an undoubtedly impressive show of portal construction surrounded by blue flames.]

ЩΣ MΣΣƬ ΛƬ ᄂΛƧƬ, YӨЦЯ ΉIGΉПΣƧƧ.

[You may have noticed him around, maybe. Causing the Reals trouble. Striking important deals. Being a general nuisance.]

[onlyredroses]

[Was that meant to impress her? Because the only reaction it receives is a delicate, raised eyebrow.]

At last? If you were truly so eager to see me, then you ought to have made it happen sooner. Much. Sooner.

[She glances at her watch again, as though he's kept her waiting, but then a crooked smirk sneaks onto her face and she snaps it shut.]

Though, you couldn't, could you? [Said, of course, as though this is hilarious to her.] This world must be so cramped for you, Bill Cipher.

he'd like his brand removed pls

[infernalis]

[ He's planning on groveling. It isn't his style, but Sam is smart, if anything, and knows when he's been beat. Which is why he approaches the Queen with a subdued sort of air, one very different from his usual, smart-ass swagger.

In his hands is the sheathe of a dagger belonging (formerly) to Jo Harvelle, one which, ironically, had been given to her by the Real Sam. ]

Your Majesty. [ He says quietly, inclining his head, allowing her to speak first. ]

[improvident]

[Look, lady, don't get buttmad just because your kingdom is slowly crumbling around your ears.]

ƬӨ BΣ FΛIЯ I'VΣ ƧΣΣП BΣƬƬΣЯ PЯIƧӨПƧ ƬΉΛП ƬΉIƧ ӨПΣ BЦƬ ПӨƬ ΣVΣЯY ЩӨЯᄂD ᄃΛП ΉΛVΣ IƬƧ ӨЩП ƧIПG ƧIПG.

[He isn't particularly phased; when you spend all of eternity waiting for things you learn tremendous patience. Bill manifests his cane and twirls it deftly, gesturing at the Core.]

ƬΉIƧ MЦƧƬ BΣ ӨᄂD ƧPΛЯKY.

[krmvgivv]

[Dipper and Mabel have been trying to crack open the core open this entire time, so when the queen materializes, they're already there, if not exactly waiting, then at least ready for any surprises. Dipper grabs Mabel's arm, pulling her behind him.]

Mabel, I think that's the Queen!

[.........Dipper is an amazing detective.]

[powerofmabel]

Hey! [She's excited for one moment, and then she's annoyed, because everything she's heard about the Queen so far hasn't exactly been kind. Dipper might be dragging her, but she's the one who speaks up first.] You should be nicer to your Mirrors and not keep body parts in jars, lady.

[thanks, mabel.]

okay! :>

[onlyredroses]

[She regards Sam carefully. Very carefully. Long enough to make him sweat a little, perhaps.]

...Sam. My Sam.

[It's very tentative, a title that could be snatched away if he has not earned it.]

What have you brought me?

[onlyredroses]

[Look at that. More obnoxious, childish versions of her Pines twins. The Queen of Hearts does not seem even mildly concerned or threatened. She does, however, seem very irritated by this pint-sized interruption.]

Oh? And who are you to tell me what I should and should not do? This is my kingdom, and I shall rule it as I see fit and treat my Mirrors as I please!

[She huffs.] Your better halves would never be so rude in the presence of royalty. They know better, after all. Much better.

[seatfiller]

[Okay, Mirror Zelena still might be relatively close in demeanor to her Real minus the whole unending obsession with removing her sister, but she's not about to mouth off to the Queen. So when she steps in to preset her trophy she'll do her best to um...not be all Zelena through the entire encounter. After all, she thinks with her ridiculous false mirror backstory, that this woman might send her back to Oz someday, so let's not ruin that.]

Your majesty. I've brought the item you requested.

[Yeah, yeah, she'll show respect and all that. She happens to think she's seen Regina be queen, so she does know how to act in the presence of royalty. So she's not going to make crazy faces at her or do anything stupid here.]

[onlyredroses]

Of course you've seen better prisons. This isn't a prison, so any prison would make a better prison than this.

[Obviously. She looks from Bill to the Core, safely shut behind its door. The flickering is particularly obvious around the edges though, and intense.]

It must indeed, though it could do with far less...sparking.

[She sounds irritated, and there's distaste in her mouth - the sort that always comes from admitting something is not as it should be.]

[onlyredroses]

[The Queen of Hearts at least mildly appreciates the effort. It must be such a strain for her. Still, as she has never had the opportunity to make her majesty angry, the Queen of Hearts does not seem displeased to see her.]

My dearest Zelena. What have you brought to me, exactly? Something sufficiently sentimental, I should hope.

[She better have, but that addition goes without saying.]

[krmvgivv]

Our better halves? You mean our Mirrors? [Dipper glances over at Mabel, then back at the Queen.] You've got a really funny idea of better.

[powerofmabel]

Maybe she only thinks they're better because she made them. [she's stage whispering that to Dipper, tbh. And once she's done that, she'll glare at the Queen, all YEAH. YEAH.]

[seatfiller]

I should hope so as well. After all, it happens to be one of the only things my counterpart values.

[She won't call her a real thing. She doesn't like that word. It implies that she's something less and...even if she is, the hell if she's going to accept that she's somehow lesser than that insane woman on the other side of the glass. She may occasionally be...unpleasant, but she's never done something as stupid as well...the everything the real Zelena did recently.]

If I may?

[Sure it's a broken sword and it...probably wouldn't do anything, but pulling a sword on the Queen without asking sounds like an absolutely terrible idea.]

[onlyredroses]

That is precisely why they are better. You needn't make a secret of it.

[She can hear you children. She's right there.]

Each and every one of my Mirrors is a marked improvement of the original Made to suit my needs, and I am the one who decides what constitutes betterment.

[onlyredroses]

That sounds positively perfect. Such an item ought to be oozing with sentiment.

[The fewer sentimental items one has, the more the single item will mean to that person. The item will have greater value, and therefore be more effective for her purposes.

She nods firmly, giving her permission.]

You may.

[seatfiller]

[Let her just reach into her coat and remove a broken sword. And she'll explain because despite it's appearance, it is important.]

She doesn't really get attached to things, but then again, neither do I. However, this....

[She takes a moment to look at it. Honestly, the things her counterpart focuses on.]

It's part of her ridiculous plot to undo her past. She stole it from someone outside of this place. She killed for it here. If that's not attachment to it, I don't know what is.

[Honestly, the only thing in Wonderland the real Zelena would be more desperate to keep in her possession would be her amulet, but good luck getting that thing away from her. In Regina's case, it was one of those over your dead body things. Literally.]

[krmvgivv]

[Dipper fiddles with the pen in his pocket, but he doesn't start taking notes. He wants to. He thinks better when he's writing. But people are more likely to answer questions when he doesn't act like he's interrogating them.]

Your needs, huh? What are those? What's the point of the Mirrors?

[powerofmabel]

Why do you have body parts in jars?

[THESE ARE LEGITIMATE QUESTIONS.]

[radiopalkiller]

After his visit to the Core Philip doesn't have any business left on their side, not really. But he picks up on their mission, and he's feeling willing to bet that the results are supposed to cause more than grievances on the real side. It's what makes him stay, for as long as possible. Turns out even that wasn't long enough.

He finds his room... slightly askew, a far cry from disarray, and upon closer examination finds furthermore that any missing items are limited to a bag of pretzels and a pack of cigarettes. The idols still sit on their shelves. His notes are intact. His safe behind the painting; open, yet its contents untouched. In her corner Faraday chews on a piece of jerky. Philip groans in silence. You had one job. One job!

Other Mirrors will have performed better, and yet that knowledge does very little to feed into his willingness to leave well enough alone. Would She need an item from every single one of them? Or just as many as possible? It's... not a chance he feels comfortable taking, not anymore. And so Philip starts looking around the room.

The list of viable object is... rather short, to his Mirror's singular credit. Philip realised it the moment he heard what Her pawns were supposed to retrieve. Sentimental value, that's a tough find. Too many ties which he's outright cut by his own choice, sentimental weight too heavy to bear over time. The rest simply... lost its meaning, ground away or diminished by time and circumstances. Back on the other side Philip wondered once more what would be taken, what sort of loss could still break skin at this point.

He didn't have an answer.

He did have... one answer, but how viable it was, that much he couldn't yet say.

Philip waits, until he feels the grimace lifting from his features. Until he knows that his mind is made up. Then he reaches into his safe, and pulls out an envelope. Tattered edges, address near faded. The letter inside too well-thumbed for his own good. He slips it into his back pocket. Faraday yawns, and trots slowly to his side. Philip slips a leash around her neck, and walks out the door. The first tear is just down the corridor. Sooner or later he'll find one that gets him where he needs to be...

- - -

...if not entirely when he needs to be, but then, being seen by either Reals or Mirrors is not entirely in his best interest anyway. Fashionably late might be an advantage, and seven minutes after midnight are hardly a crime.

( The local authority might disagree, but luckily he does not strictly fall into Her jurisdiction in such matters. )

( That thought goes a staggeringly short distance towards comfort. )

Philip looks around. He'd really rather not have missed his window on this.

[reignbringer]

Thor does not immediately approach her. That seems... foolhardy, given how little is known about this -- is woman the right term?

He only stands for a while, his arms crossed over his chest, watching her. Listening as she speaks to herself. Heightened senses means he can hear her from further away than most...

He is not his mirror; but his mirror likely would not have been the most ingratiating subject she's ever had, being by nature too proud and too certain of his own superiority to most all creatures, and not keen on any definition of sharing power with anyone.

[acleanslate]

[ While Emmanuel's hunt on the Real Side had not gone quite as well as he might have planned, he's not returning to the Queen empty-handed. He has two items of some value to offer her, though whether they'll meet her requirements remains to be seen.

He's always reluctant to go anywhere near the Core, well aware that if he gets too close (or God forbid, opened the door) that it would swallow him up and he would be nothing again. But the Queen is there, and so he draws near.

In one hand is a journal and under his other arm is a fabric case that holds a set of throwing knives, both of them pilfered from his Real. Castiel would want to be here if he knew the Queen was accessible, but he's blissfully unaware. Which gives Emmanuel his moment to make her proud.

He stops about five feet away from her and drops to one knee. ] Your Majesty.

[donotcallmethis]

[Helena's mirror (still aptly named Helena) has been successful in getting something of sentiment, even if it comes from her counterpart personally. She got the item, and that's all that matters.]

Your majesty. I have something for you.

[denyingpets]

[Souji's Mirror is reluctant to approach the Queen because he doesn't like her but he knows better than to make her wait. At about 12:02 AM, he approaches her, a plushie gripped in one hand.

He looks feverish, pale and sweating lightly, teeth clenched, knuckles white. He's had his traitor's mark for two and a half years, and it's taken its toll. There's something hungry and a little crazier than ever in his eyes as he stops a little ways from the Queen and holds out the plush.]

Your Majesty.

[eatsyourscience]

[Having heard through the grapevine that the Queen is around to Core, Souji books it over there shortly after his Mirror has left, managing to find a rip that will take him to the Mirror side. So when he arrives in the Queen of Hearts's presence, he's breathing a bit hard.]

Hi, your Majesty. [Can't no one say Souji isn't polite.] You have a way to fix the rips?