+ FOURTH WALL EVENT: GENERAL NON-PARTY MINGLE POST +

[vitaelamorte]

Who: E V E R Y O N E
Where: Everywhere that isn't one of the parties! Both Sides!
When: Sept 1st to Sept 10th
Rating: G to PG-13 (please label higher ratings, thank you!)
Summary: Wonderful parties are springing up all across Wonderland, but there are still plenty of other places to explore. This is a log for any new arrivals who want to experience different parts of Wonderland life, and any current guests not in the mood for a log or transmission of their own.

Please also see THE FOURTH WALL MASTER POST for rules, information, and all the fun parties you can visit!
The Story:

On the morning of September 1st, everyone in Wonderland, on both Real and Mirror Side, will awake to find one of four possible invitations has been shoved under their doors. The glass has been carefully removed from all mirrors, and everyone will be able to cross to and from Mirror Side with ease, without forcing any sort of swap. The Queen of Hearts' chambers, discovered in the previous event, will be mysteriously inaccessible, leading only to a tearoom.

Additionally, there will be many more Wonderland guests than usual, each of them with their own random invitation and network device (wired to make replies only). As the week goes on, as per the invitations, more and more parties will appear (and everyone is invited to all of them, whether they received an invitation or not). But who brought them here? Why are there so many parties? Who is responsible for all of this exactly?

It's anyone's guess, though if parties or riddles are not your style, then there is always plenty more to see...

Comments

[shrinkage]

[ that makes ray blink-- he's trying to do what snart would, what the voice in the back of his mind that sounds suspiciously like flames is hissing at him. walk away, haircut.

instead, ray extends a hand with a smile on his face. what an idiot. ]

Call me Ray. It's nice to meet you, circumstances notwithstanding.

[catchacold]

Ideal circumstances for me.

[Nobody really wants to be on the mirror side. If he could just find a way to stay here, he'd do it in a heartbeat.]

How do you know me? I mean, him.

[shrinkage]

[ ray winces at the comment, and gestures toward the coffee shop down the hall questioningly. ]

We're uhh, teammates. We were recruited for a mission to save the universe.

[ oh god he's getting hero voice going... ]

[catchacold]

That sounds like something from television. Really? Wow.

[Yes, he's impressed. Apparently he's easily impressed, which is definitely another contrary reaction. He walks next to Ray, looking at him with just the slightest hint of awe.]

Did you save it?

[shrinkage]

We did, yeah. Len-- he, actually saved my life in the process.

[ and ... literally everyone else's in ray's opinion. while they walk, ray is a bit awkward-- maybe if he was still who he was before trying to be a legend, he'd remember how to walk and talk. how to be charming and genuine at the same time. but now, he starts and stutters to keep a close but comfortable pace with leo.

he can't stop glancing at the other man, trying to find where he begins and snart ends. does he have a sister? does he know how to pick a lock or palm a wallet?

part of ray misses the sharpness of snart, and he's not sure how he feels about that. ]

[catchacold]

Oh.

[He's not sure what to say to that. Glad you're alive, stranger? People saving the world and each other's lives, that's pretty out there. It's not quite what he expected, from the few glimpses he's gotten.]

Shoot. I was hoping I could be the heroic one.

[shrinkage]

You could be.

[ why is he trying to reassure a mirror that it can be heroic???? ]

What-- what kinds of things do you do? Maybe you're already one.

[ raymond pls ]

[catchacold]

No, I'm really not. Unless you count rolling two twenties in a row once, that was pretty heroic.

[What is he even talking about and why is he talking about that while talking to one of the saviours of the universe? Great job, Leo. Any and all cool points deducted.]

[shrinkage]

[ are you kidding

do you see this giant nerd??? do you see his eyes light up? do you know that the narration often rolls for him and almost invariably no matter which dice she uses he crit fails more than the other 7 characters she rolls for?????? ]

Whoa, seriously? Were they magic dice?

[catchacold]

[Oh no, he actually hasn't messed this up!

The narration here knows only a little bit about pen and paper, but Leo is immediately taken over with awe and excitement.]

No, just a normal roll, but still! I saved the entire party that night, it was great. Hit the boss right in the eye.

[shrinkage]

[ ray beams. ]

Hey, see? You've been practicing for the real thing.

[ the smell of espresso and sugar wafts toward them now with the entrance to the shop upon them. ray leads the way inside because wow has he really not had any caffeine today? ]

[catchacold]

[Leo would guess that he has had caffeine already, just to smile like that. He follows behind him happily and chuckles.]

I doubt playing pen and paper with friends and drinking a few beers is really good preparation for saving the world.

[shrinkage]

Aw, don't be so hard on yourself.

[ when he gets to the counter, ray swings around it to warm up one of the espresso machines. he holds up two cups in offer to make something for leo. who knows if the guy even knows what coffee is... ]

A lot of pilots train on virtual machines first. It can't be that different...

[catchacold]

Pretty sure you're comparing apples and oranges here.

[And he laughs, in a way that isn't mocking or barely there, he just honestly lets out a short laugh and keeps smiling.]

Can I have some too? Thanks, that's great.

[shrinkage]

[ it's easy enough to laugh with leo-- that he laughs like that at all elicits ray's desire to share in it. maybe later when he thinks back over this encounter he'll realize how wrong it is. that he's grasping at a different friendship. that none of it is real, in a sense that will mean anything to him later. it's a twisted thing covered in lacquer.

ray doesn't like to think he lies. ]

Of course! Feel like splitting a muffin?

[ gosh he just can't eat a whole one himself. ]

[catchacold]

Are you sure you need to split one?

[He doesn't mean to be insulting but, well.

Ray is pretty solidly built. This Leonard is a lot slighter, even more so than the Leonard Ray knows.]

But sure, I'd love to.

[shrinkage]

Darcy uses a lot of butter.

[ her name makes ray pause in his thought for a moment while he wonders if he should make a habit not to say it. not around mirrors... ]

The double chocolate ones are really good.

[catchacold]

Who's Darcy?

[He takes note, of course. He also blurts his question right out in a way Len never would, but that's just Leo. He's not that used to not trusting the world.]

I'd love to share with you.

[shrinkage]

She's ... a friend.

[ ray presses the coffee into the holder before sliding it into the machine and locking it into place. he flips a switch and the machine rumbles before pushing the water through. ]

You're not going to get in trouble with the queen for this, are you? I've heard she's ... pretty harsh.

[catchacold]

I'll just... not let her know.

[Here's hoping.]

I try not to get into trouble, so usually I play by the rules.

[There's a hesitant smile and, yes. There it is, the mirror effect.]

[shrinkage]

I didn't think she'd have actual rules.

[ as he talks, ray continues the motions; press, lock, filter. the noise isn't as loud as it used to be, ever since a tiny man in a blue and red metal suit did a favor for the woman his mirror tormented... ]

[catchacold]

No. She doesn't.

[His voice is quieter and there are no more little smiles as he looks down, perhaps somehow suddenly looking a bit more like his real self.]

That's what makes it scary.

[shrinkage]

I'm sorry, Leo. I shouldn't have brought it up.

[ the last shot of espresso comes out watered down, as ray forgets to pull it in time. ]

Is there any way I can help?

[catchacold]

No. I don't think so.

[He shrugs and looks up to watch the coffee-making process, focusing on this instead of a colourless world that makes no sense.]

It's nice here.

[shrinkage]

You like it?

[ ray starts foaming milk once the coffee is filtered-- and it's loud, but he doesn't have to lift his voice too much to be heard. ]