[OPEN] We'll Take A Cup of Kindness Yet

[nascensibility]

Who: EVERYONE, but especially you!
Where: Wonderland Ballroom
When: New Year's Eve
Rating: PG - PG13 (will change if applicable)
Summary: New Year's Eve Party
The Story:

[The morning of December 31st, all residents will receive a handwritten invitation slipped under their door.]



You are cordially invited to attend a party
celebrating the New Year

Wonderland Ballroom
8 pm - 1 am

Semi-Formal Attire
Buffet & Bar
No RSVP Required

All Ages Welcome

For inquiries, contact E. O'Connell

[Punctuality in planning is important: the ballroom itself will only be ready for guests at exactly 8 o'clock, bedecked in glittering golds and the red-green of Christmas' vestiges, still clinging to the old year. Dining tables surround a central dance floor, bars and buffets dot the edges of the room and both holly and mistletoe are expressed liberally through the interior.

Mingle, dance, eat and be merry! The New Year will come in at midnight - the band will play and the drinks will flow for long after.]

Comments

[postictal]

"That still doesn't explain why everybody in that dream lost - everything. You saw that room full of jars, right?"

Jars with memories inside them, according to George. So he can't just claim that people got reckless or careless in selling memories to vendors over time. That wouldn't even make sense on such a wide scale. But no - those memories were taken from them. And then...kept.

But why.

[theothermrgray]

Dorian falls silent for a moment.

Throughout that whole event, he saw messages scrawled on the mirrors. Messages in hand, written in blood-red paint. He hadn't trusted that horrid Mirror of his since the day after everyone returned from Hell, and early on Dorian was sure his reflection was leading him into a trap.

Though, as the event wore on and insomnia was taking its toll, the Mirror kept asking the same questions to anyone who would speak to him and shared new suspicions about that room in the attic. Suspicions awoke curiosity, sleeplessness drowned sense, and at last Dorian couldn't help but take a peek....

"..." He nodded, somberly. "Were those... Everyone's memories?"

[postictal]

"From what I hear, yeah. One per person."

He hadn't nabbed any. He'd had no one he was willing to risk that much for, let alone himself. His mind is fucked up enough as it is; whatever the Queen, White or Red or otherwise, is able to do with it, it's not like she'll be significantly altering the state of things.

If Jay were here -

But he's not.

[theothermrgray]

Dorian hadn't touched them either, that much was clear. They were so beautiful in their glowing radiance that he wouldn't dare disturb them. Indeed, the whole situation reminded him of home, but instead of hiding her own sins the White Queen was hiding everyone's memories.

If people were loosing their memories in the real Wonderland as well...

"... Do you think there might be a room here that holds the missing memories of the people here?"

[postictal]

"I have no idea, honestly." If there is, he doubts it'll be as easily accessible as the White Queen made it in that imaginary world.

"Doesn't matter anyway," he says, shrugging as he takes a finishing drag from the cigar. Different stuff than he's used to - not a cheap paper-rolled thing. "The two Wonderlands were pretty...pretty different. Not likely there's a lotta correlation there."

[theothermrgray]

"True," Dorian nods, giving the idea some thought, "This one's much more colourful, to start. It wouldn't have hurt anyone to paint over the white one and give it some sort of detail?"

And Tim finishes off his gift. "How did you like the cigar?" He smiles, hoping that Tim would enjoy something of higher quality than a plain ol' cigarette.

[postictal]

"It was, uh...it was good. Can't say I've had one before." Never been able to afford to splurge, for one. It was a generous showing, even if now, surprise of all surprises, there's that lingering guilt that he can't exactly return the sentiment.

"Thanks," he adds, since that's pretty...pretty standard for this kinda thing. Probably.

[theothermrgray]

Ah, the appreciation. It may not be sincere, but at least Tim is starting to trust him, unlike some people.

"Anytime! Glad to see you appreciate it."

[postictal]

Trust? Unlikely. Fondness is likewise a difficult thing to win from him, even for those he's actually come to get along with and speak to semi-regularly.

It's not hostility. One can say that much.

"I should probably..." He jerks a thumb over his shoulder. Head back to his room so he can persist in not sleeping for hours at a time, or something along those lines.

[theothermrgray]

Close enough.

"Need to sleep already?" Dorian playfully coos at the other man. "Very well. Happy new year, Tim."

[postictal]

"Yeah," he says, vaguely, waving with a halfhearted lethargy as he departs. "You, uh. You too."

However "happy" years are here, anyway.