entrancelogs | crowded streets are cleared away, one by one

Entry tags:

crowded streets are cleared away, one by one

Who: Anders (

circlejerked) and Barry Allen (

accelerate).
Where: Tea room to start. (Pity party at the bar TBD.)
When: Aug. 9th.
Rating: PG for now?
Summary: Thanks to the depowering, a mage loses his magic and a speedster loses his speed. Being normal sucks, man. It just sucks.
The Story:

Oh, come on. Why aren't you working?

_{[For a hot second, Anders had been overjoyed when the brainwashing of the last few days' had broken. A sure sign the event's power was starting to wan, he'd thought. The words "thank the Maker, it's over!" might have been used. Wrong. He should've known the worst was yet to come.]}

Work. Come on, work. Pretty please? I know you want to work, so just do it. Please? For me?

_{[Who is Anders begging with such heartfelt wheedling? It's more of a what. Sitting in front of him on one of the tea room's tables is a glass of water. More specifically, he's trying to coax his mana, which he's been trying to do for the past hour.

Freeze the water. It's a simple manipulation of the elements, a trick any child with magical aptitude could do. Freeze the water. Face scrunched in concentration, Anders leans in, close enough to see his distorted reflection in the glass.

He taps it with a finger. The water sloshes, mocking him.]}

Augh!

_{[Throwing himself back in his chair, he puts his arm over his eyes with a groan of absolute frustration. The empty, unresponsive core of mana somewhere deep in his being hadn't scared him... for maybe the first fifteen minutes. Now it's starting to. Now he's starting to wonder if he's going to be stuck with this hollowed out feeling forever.]}

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[ if possible, barry slumps even further into his chair. ] How do we stop thinking about the thing we don't want to think about?

[ it's so whiny to his ears, and he wishes he could outrun it. despite losing his speed, he still hasn't quite attained a filter that lets him think overs words and gives him a chance to change what he wants to say. ]

[ he doesn't know the solution to this problem. he's never thought of any alternatives aside from either running right into the issue at hand or running from it. ]

_[Lightly:]

You mean go on and pretend life isn't a grey, barren wasteland with no joy left in it?

_{[Barry's probably asking the wrong guy. Normally Anders is an Olympic-level athlete at blithely shrugging off his concerns in front of watchful eyes or, like Barry, running away from his problems entirely.

But then he'd come to Wonderland and let Wonderland's magic break down every one of his barriers, and twist around every one of his private thoughts. Today is a little harder than most days to pretend.]}

We could go to the bar and get drunk to the gills. That's a surefire way to stop from thinking.

[ he almost tells anders he can't get drunk. he's not exactly a lush anymore, able to handle many, many shots much like indiana jones' future wife, marion. sometimes he misses being normal; getting drunk with his friends is the one thing being the flash has taken away from him. ]

[ sitting on the tip of his tongue, he makes to speak, and then he deflates. pulling himself up in his chair, he looks as though he's about to decline. ]

Is this bar going to make me change in size?

[ out of all the places in wonderland barry hasn't quite investigated properly, the bar is one. how can he when nothing really kicks him into a flighty buzz of intoxication? he suspects if there were any potions to shrink him or make him bigger, it'd last for only a second before his metabolism kicks it in the shins. but without the speed force in his body, he's a little afraid of shrinking. ]

[ but this is his way of cosigning his name and saying yes! ]

Have you not been in the bar yet?

_{[Anders has to ask. Something in the way Barry words the question makes him wonder. Who hasn't visited the bar and drunk themselves into a stupor at least once already? How does Barry cope?

... Well, there's no hiding he's from Ferelden now. Booze as a cure-all is a painfully Fereldan thing to think.]}

The severity of your problems will certainly seem to change in size. And that's close enough sometimes.

[ barry's walked by the bar, but he's never walked into it. he's seen no point, considering he can't get drunk. ]

[ it's on the tip of his tongue, those words, the truth, but he closes his mouth and bites down on the words until they reshape themselves into something of a white lie. ]

Beer doesn't really go well with a muffin. [ he shrugs, as though that explains it. partly the truth, given barry allen downs cupcakes and muffins and everything in between and out of the pastry sphere like it's air. ]

[ tapping his converse shoe on the ground, he throws his head to the side. ] Do you think our pathetic selves can last the trip to the bar? It's a long walk just to the door. [ he lifts his hand and sweeps it over toward said door of the tea room. ]

Unless there's a special ingredient in those muffins, you're doing this relaxing thing all wrong. You need a good pint of ale to lower those inhibitions. Wet the whistle and get those acronyms flowing!

_{[Sparing a glance for the door, Anders doesn't move. Despite his cheery proposition, he doesn't seem in a hurry to do anything besides sit here and glare daggers at his glass of water.

Everything he does without his magic just hits home that he doesn't have it, and he's a little nervous to face the outside world like this, if he's being honest. Maybe that's why Barry had come in here in the first place--to hide and pretend like hell this isn't happening.]}

Would your inner ear make the trip or should I expect to bandage your wounds after you go tripping down the stairs? Just so I'm prepared.

I think I'm going to need to be plastered up. You can be the first to write your name on my cast.

[ if that's any consolation for the fact barry doesn't anticipate he'll be easily avoiding crashing into walls. his reflexes have always been quick, even before the lightning strike, but now that he's slow, he's beginning to realise how he relied so heavily on his abilities. he's forgotten what it's like to be the human in meta human. ]

[ he sighs, and lets his feet flop onto the floor. ]

Okay, dude. We have to move. We have to be BAMFs. [ he looks at the door for a long moment, as if suspecting it to move closer to him. (he is, in fact, willing it to come closer.) ] Either we try and move the door with our minds, or we be H.B.I.C.s and go to the bar ourselves.

[ turning his head to face anders, ] You can call a friend if you need help picking your answer.

_{[Plastered up. Barry continues to be a bastion of wit and punnery.]}

Do you think so? I don't know if I have it in me, teach. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.

_{[Do you really think Anders has the strength of a BAMF in him, oh wise senpai? He doesn't have a gig as an acronym teacher or cupcake taste-tester to fall back on like Barry, after all. His stock price is in the gutter.]}

Well, there's you. We're pals, aren't we? But since I'm fresh out of telekinetic abilities, it looks like our choice will have to be... _{[Heaving their sorry asses out of their seats. Which Anders does with another dramatic groan. There's no such thing as too many dramatic groans on a Maker cursed day like this.]} All right, now you. Come on, this is a team effort.

[ barry groans along with him. for someone who's always so active and unable to stay still, he finds it difficult to push himself into gear. is this what he'd been like when he hadn't been a meta human? ]

[ he almost thinks to ask anders do we have to?. his head still lolls to the side, but the pathetic whine doesn't emerge from his lips. ]

On the count of three?

_{[At this rate, they'll be as sonorous as a pack of coyotes, only instead of howls they'll communicate through groans and whines.]}

If you insist. One... two... _{[Reaching into the cup, he wets his fingers and flicks droplets on Barry.]} Three! Up you get.

_{[It would've been more effective had been flicking ice chunks instead of water (no, he's never letting it go, not ever, his life is now reduced to every spell he can't preform), but it'll do.]}

[ barry wrinkles his nose, but doesn't engage in a flicking droplet water fight. on any other day, he'd give anders a run for his money — quite literally, too. instead, what he flicks up is himself — like a droplet of water, he ascends, and instead of completing his curved arc, he doesn't quite fall back into his chair. bartholomew allen remains standing, and that, in itself, is a victory worth sitting down as a congratulatory prize. ]

[ of course, the act of getting up is accompanied by a groan, an incredible obvious struggle as though his bones are too heavy for his skin and muscles, and barry almost swaying on his feet. some of it's for show. ]

How many steps do you think it'll take us to get to the door? I'm guessing twenty-something if we make our strides super long.

Come on, chop, chop. You wouldn't want your friend the Flash to see you moving like a tortoise dragging its heels, would you?

_{[Anders starts for the door. He'd brought up the bar merely as an offhand suggestion for something to do, but the idea of getting stumble-down drunk and waiting out the rest of this event--if that's indeed what it is--is looking more appealing by the minute.

He clears the distance in six strides, for the record.]}

There you have it. The tea rooms haven't started expanding to never-ending distances like the corridors yet--that's one thing that hasn't gone horribly wrong yet today.

[ barry takes about sixty with the way he shuffles and barely picks his feet off the floor. it's a record set for barry allen, the tardiest the man alive while sulking. ]

[ he groans, and throws his head back. ] You just had to say that, didn't you? [ he'd shove anders, but that requires effort and energy barry's acting as though he doesn't quite have. ]

[ taking the first step out of the tea room, he looks around for one moment, then takes the left. remembering how he'd navigated the mansion at top speeds during his initial scouting of this brand new world, he finds himself disappointed they're not at the bar within a blink of an eye. sometimes barry takes his speed for granted. ]

[ he glances over his shoulder, eyes narrowed. ] Do the tea rooms really expand?

What's Wonderland going to do? Jinx us by messing with our memories and stealing our powers?

_{[Well, too late for that.

This self-proclaimed declawed cat rests his arm against the door frame while he waits for Barry to finish making his dramatic statement by shuffling over at the speed of molasses. It's that, or Barry's being cautious so as not to trip on the rug again. Either/or.]}

Not that I'm aware. But I also didn't think it was possible to make someone virtually Tranquil.

_{[He falls into step with Barry. Alcohol, you're the only thing that can save them now.]}

What do you want to bet the bar's jam-packed with half the mansion by now?

[ he makes a move as though he's about to slip his hands into his pockets and finds them empty. he had half-expected to find the speed force buzzing inside of the threads. ] I really hope not. [ it may come out a little whiny — and it is, most definitely, as barry's trying to milk it — but it's true: he sincerely hopes it's not jam-packed. the one time barry doesn't want to make an entrance is when he can't feel the speed force warm him from the inside out. ]

[ he no longer drags his feet, letting his long legs keep in step with anders. despite having investigated the mansion at top speeds, he still hadn't quite lurked by the bar. this is anders' domain he's stepping into now, and where they currently reside used to be barry's. he was once human; he can't really think of anything of use to preach to either of them right now. ]

If it is, that means all the peanuts are gone.

I like knowing other people are suffering with me, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. Don't you?

_{[Anders says this with such insufferable, peppy good cheer that it's almost tempting to believe he means what he's saying. Why suffer a magical neutering alone when you can drag everyone else down with you!

A humanitarian through and through, this one.]}

--Ah, that's a fair point. I hadn't thought about the peanut supply. I hope the magic running the closets hasn't run dry like the rest of us.

[ if it happened to be a serious question, barry wouldn't answer in agreement. another person's misery wasn't his to treasure or enjoy. it often was something he felt compelled to fix. ]

[ he can't fix their current situation. he hardly knows how to go about restoring someone's magic, considering it belongs in the books and hollywood. should he find an owl? write anders a letter accepting him into a school? ]

[ barry's brows furrow for a moment, and he would, if he could, run into a room and check the closet. but he can't, so he shan't. ]

[ his eyes narrow and he lifts his hand, fingers curling into his palm save for his index. ] Should we check the closets before or after we visit the bar?

_{[Anders leads the way upstairs where the creature comforts of the bar are waiting for them on the fifth floor. He doesn't hear any sad ballads playing or glass smashing as they near the landing, so maybe there's no rioting in the bar today.]}

That's right, I forgot you're a bit of a foodie. Maybe we shouldn't have started talking about the snack supply. _{[Deep breaths, Barry, let's take this one crisis at a time.]} Do you need a paper bag to breathe into?

[ they really shouldn't have. barry dislikes how his stomach doesn't rumble at the mere mention of food being just around the corner. ]

[ his footsteps stop being so sullen; strides long, barry takes note of the corridors at such a human pace. he decides, then and there, he prefers it when the world around him is a blur. ]

[ looking at anders, he lowers his head, thinks it over, and concludes: ] I think I can deal for now. But if there's no peanuts, dude — Can you let Wonderland know I really love Lady Gaga?

[ barry takes a longer step to come out in front when they're right by the bar, and peers in with his head around the corner of the doorframe. ] Huh.

I'll be sure to make a public network announcement. And I'll end it with J-S-Y-K. You know, in honor of our network friendship and everything.

_{[Anders closes the last few feet to the front door, but when Barry doesn't immediately head inside, he pauses.]}

'Huh' what? 'Huh' the karaoke machine isn't playing your song, or 'huh' we're witnessing a murder take place and should tip-toe away while we have the chance?

[ a part of him feels like drawing this out with a hum and a ha, but barry has a feeling anders will simply push himself forward to see what he's seeing. he lifts a hand in a gesture to shush anders and his rambling for a moment, before he pulls away from peering inside of the bar's doorway. ]

[ with a shrug of his shoulders, ] There's really no one in there.

[ for all the dramatics, this feels anticlimactic. ] And there's a few bowls of peanuts at the empty bar stools.

[ the most wanted seat in every bar: the ones at the bar. ]

_{[... Barry's trying, he really is. Anders will keep reminding himself of that as he digs deep for the willpower not to point out how much work Barry's stand-up comedy act needs.]}

It's your lucky day, the peanut supply is still going strong. See? What did I tell you about coming to the bar? Your problems magically go away.

_{[Now can they actually go inside or is Barry waiting for a hand-delivered invitation? Anders shoos him in with a hand. Move it along, Allen, some of us need a stiff drink to get us through the hour.]}

What's your poison? It's a day to treat yourself.

[ even though barry knows his speed is no longer an issue that'll keep him from truly enjoying a few hours at the bar, it's become so intricately woven within him that he hesitates. for a moment, he forgets, and then that forgetfulness is bursts when he remembers he can't so much as speed over in an effort to race anders. ]

[ after that, he doesn't require too much coaxing to move forward. with long strides, he takes himself to the bar. ] Something strong. [ much stronger than the speed force, which barry hasn't been able to find over the last two years. ] I kind of want to forget my non-problem's been magically taken away.

[ sitting on a stool, he slouches just a little, folding his legs up to sit on the little mock footrest. leaning far over, he drags a bowl of peanuts toward him, and starts eating them. mouth full: ] These are really good. Salty.

Well, you're in the right place. Amnesia in a bottle, coming up.

_{[Anders knows better than to expect a well-stocked cabinet full of Ferelden's finest; as far as types of alcohol in the multiverse go, Ferelden liquor doesn't rank very highly in a place with only a handful of people who actually know where Ferelden is.

That won't stop a pair of enterprising young gentlemen. At least, it's not going to stop Anders, who promptly invites himself behind the bar to look for something fitting for the occasion. Spotting a bottle of rum with the words "250th anniversary" emblazoned on the label, he snatches it up.

Sure, why not. The fancier, the better, right?]}

This looks like it'll wash those peanuts down nicely.

_{[He plunks the bottle down on the bar along with two glasses. Now it's a real pity party.]}

[ barry picks at the peanuts while anders goes to work. he could easily whip up one hundred drinks in a few seconds — ]

[ if he had his speed. ]

[ he remains on his stool and eats, not quite as quickly as he would if he was himself — or his new self. does it count if he was human before and had become a meta-human after? it's all making his head spin and his heart drop, and so he looks up to focus on anders instead. ]

[ with his mouth full, as barry will never break this habit now that it's come back to him, ] 250th anniversary? For what?

crowded streets are cleared away, one by one

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