018 || written/dictated; (BACKDATED → late afternoonish)

[workaphilic]

[ Private ]

PARADISA

Obvious from the start. Not even worth the mental energy. Castle takes them, figuratively, literally. Castle brings them back. Cyclical. Pointless.

[He draws the underline hard enough to tear through the page. He exhales loudly, harshly (frustration, anger, noise) and there's the whine of a chair being dragged across hardwood.

The kidnappings, this "mirror" world, it's all been a blip to him. There was a flicker of interest, in the middle, but it's more or less resolved now, with all the justice-minded residents fighting the good fight to get their comrades home. Lovely story, really, all wrapped up in a bow.

But it's not helping anymore, this protracted game of tag they're playing with the castle. Been reduced to running in circles, chasing their tails. He's sick of it, has been. The only reason he's still playing is for the distraction, for the puzzle, a way to keep his mind from spinning itself off the rails.

(Kidnapping, 2007, 12-year-old girl tore her nails off her hands trying to claw her way out of a padded crate on a cargo ship.)

Makes him restless, irritable, nauseous. Psychological effects bleeding into physiological ones. The situation has always been an obviously temporary one, but this is becoming unlivable.

He needs a case.]

----

[ Jim Moriarty ]

How long has it been, now? Three months? Three whole months and the place is just as placid and boring as it was before you decided to drop in. Didn't realize a magic castle was all it took to cow you. I expected better.

Come on, Jim. I'm waiting.

----

[When he speaks to the castle at large, it's with all of the frustration pressed out of his tone. He's calm, musing -- and almost pleasant. He doesn't even really care if anyone's paying attention to this page of the journal.]

Stirring, isn't it, the camaraderie in this place. Some of these people you know, most of them you don't, and here you are, furiously scribbling away to pull them out from under the castle's thumb. Unified force against a common enemy.

[There's a small pause. If he's being sarcastic or derisive he doesn't really sound like it.]

Makes one wonder.

Comments

dictated;

[hedonic]

[ Here, there's just a laugh for a good while. It's husky and amused, but not exactly cheerful. Mocking, maybe. ]

I'm not sure one could claim real conquest when their only task was to doodle on a page for a couple of days. I think this is the most boring rescue attempt I've ever witnessed. I suppose an army of poets is not to be undervalued.

What's the finale going to be like? Will there be a mural, or a written play?

dictated;

[workaphilic]

[If he's bothered, it still doesn't come through in his tone.]

Hope not. Their communication skills leave something to be desired.

A for effort, though.

dictated;

[hedonic]

An A? I assume that means one-hundred percent...

[ Not a grading system she's used to. Letters, what? Maybe F for Fail makes sense. ]

Too lenient.

dictated;

[workaphilic]

Is it? [A hum.] What would you recommend?

dictated;

[hedonic]

Dear dear, grading incompetent fools is the Combat Instructor's job. It's far too constricting of an endeavor, if you ask me. Limiting the mind's capacity with numbers and levels...

Their emotions are raw, their poetry and frantic art a cry from their souls. It bleeds black and white on the pages, but the reality is so much more colorful, so much more vibrant. They're like rats in a cage, slowly learning, turning on each other, poking their noses through the openings... Ah, it should be so much more entertaining than it is.

The excitement must be elsewhere.

dictated;

[workaphilic]

[Oh, she's kind of weird, isn't she? He might like her if he wasn't already in such a bad mood.]

You're assuming there's excitement to be found anywhere.

dictated;

[hedonic]

Oh, it's to be found anywhere you look hard enough. Unfortunately most people are far too busy coming up with reasons not to enjoy themselves.

You sound like you're one of those right now. Concerned for someone?

Sherlock Holmes

[jimfromit]

He needs a moment or two to write a reply. How dare he? How dare the man! After all this time trying to build up his empire again Sherlock was...mocking him.

...Are you really doing this Sherlock?

Didn't your mother ever tell you it’s dangerous to rattle a tiger’s cage?

[ Jim Moriarty ]

[workaphilic]

[Oh, he knows exactly what he's doing.]

Tiger? No.

I've never been too intimidated by street cats.

Sherlock Holmes

[jimfromit]

There's a noise that sounds like something being hurled at a wall in a fit of rage before Moriarty speaks again.

Is diddums’ feeling left out?

I'm afraid daddy has a life outside of you Mr selfish.[All the liies.]

[ Jim Moriarty ]

[workaphilic]

No, you don't. [A pause.] Well. Not one worth talking about, anyway.

Sherlock Holmes

[jimfromit]

Yeah ok nothing that comes close to our little game's back home.

[pauses for a moment.] Sherlock do you know what the problem with getting what you want is?

[ Jim Moriarty ]

[workaphilic]

[A hum. He sounds amused.]

What's that?

[exanimatus]

[well. that's interesting.]

And what does one wonder?

[workaphilic]

Oh, a few things. The castle's taste in prisoners, for one.

[exanimatus]

Speaks towards intention, if it truly has one.

[workaphilic]

Ah. Not nearly as fun if it doesn't.

[exanimatus]

Not nearly as fun at all. Offensive, really.

So here's to thinking it's all in the plan of things. Presented with puzzles when housed in a larger puzzle.

[workaphilic]

If they can be called that.

[He hasn't had a puzzle he liked in a very long time.]

dictated; I KNOW THIS IS LATE, but whatever I said I'd tag Sherlock so I'm tagging Sherlock!!!!!!

[selfless]

Wonder about what?

dictated; MIMI TAGS ARE NEVER LATE

[workaphilic]

You.

dictated

[selfless]

Me? [.....]

But I don't think.. .have we spoken before?

dictated

[workaphilic]

[A slightly impatient sigh.]

General "you." [And his tone starts to wander, like the filter between his brain and his mouth isn't doing its job properly.] Terrible flaw, isn't it? No way to tell whether we're concerned with a single individual or the population at large without additional context. Nowhere near efficient.

dictated

[selfless]

O-Oh, I'm sorry. [oh Colette... she's having a hard time following his train of thought, but heck she is going to try]

Do you mean... language as a whole? I guess that's true, but I've never thought about it. The word you can be used in a lot of ways.

dictated

[workaphilic]

My problem exactly.

[He's quiet for a moment.]

Tell me, do you have friends over there? Kidnappees? Specific "you" this time.