first design [ dictated / action ]

[arealwoman]

Well since this thing's already decided to announce that I'm here it seems pointless to stay silent on it, although I still don't really know how I feel about the whole thing.

[ If you can hear the sound of chopping in the background? That's because she is. She's making a sandwich ]

I find it hard to believe that I'd be the only one to say this but it's crazy. Magic and castle's that can bring you here? It's not right, although neither is a lot that I've known about but that's slightly different still.

And an even better part than that? I've heard that even worse things can happen, although to whoever told me that's not exactly the kind of thing that you want to hear when you've just been whisked off to some strange place. It's not exactly comforting when you know absolutely nothing about any of this stuff.

And for everyone else here? I don't know how you can handle it. Kids running around and things just happening? It's madder by the minute.

[ There's a pause as Christina thinks, and stops chopping ]

I guess what I want to know is how do you handle it? Especially when this kind of thing just doesn't exist? Because I'm already starting to wonder if I've gone crazy, although I certainly couldn't have come up with anything like this. I hope, anyway.

[ And anyone around? Come find her in the kitchen ]

Comments

[atadiscoverer]

[Carson looks dog tired as he walks into the kitchen and opens the fridge, rummaging around for some sort of caffinated beverage.

He pauses and looks up and the chopping.]

Morning.

[Back to rummaging]

There's always nothing in this bloody thing...

[arealwoman]

That's comforting to know, although I probably would try the cupboards as well.

[ She didn't really want to know how many people were in this castle for the fridge to constantly be empty. And it was just one more thing that wasn't what a 'new arrival' hoped to hear ]

[atadiscoverer]

I could probably just wish it up, but it's always warm when I do that, and people always take it when I leave them in the fridge.

[He does, however, go about the cupboards.]

You're from Edinburgh, aye?

[arealwoman]

'Wish' it up?

[ That is something that she hasn't really been told. The journal and 'magical castle' is one thing to try and comprehend but apparently that's not it no ]

No, I just thought that sounding like this would make everything better. [ And then she mentally kicks herself, and looks a little apologetic. It didn't help that she wasn't in a good mood before arriving, arrived in the middle of the night, learned about this and then didn't sleep so well because... this ] Sorry. Yes, I am, and I'd much rather be there.

[atadiscoverer]

[Carson nods, smiling.] Aye, don't worry, love. I know how it feels.

[Carson finds what he's looking for, a branded kind of high-caffeine energy drink, and walks over to the table.]

You're new here. How much do you know about the castle?

[blue_sniper]

[Bucky comes into the kitchen and watches her for a few moments, before sidling around her to look through the cupboards. After a minute or so he answers her.]

You haven't gone crazy. I think that going crazy would be a lot more sane than what happens here.

[arealwoman]

Oh, just that it's magical, we all have these [ She holds up her journal ] and that people say that it brought us here.

[ And she still feels crazy for wondering about that never mind repeating it ]

[atadiscoverer]

Well, I'm sorry to drop another bombshell, but the castle lets us wish for stuff, too. Food, drinks. No weapons, and nothing too complicated.

[He cracks open the can before offering his hand.]

Dr. Carson Beckett. A pleasure.

[arealwoman]

And what does happen here?

[ Christina looks up for a moment, adding the last bit of tomato to her sandwich before putting back everything that she'd managed to find ]

[blue_sniper]

Oh, things. The Castle turned into Paris for Christmas. It turned me into a girl for a week. We just had a festival it decided to give us and at the end a large three headed dog came out of the duck pond. And it decided to not let the sun rise on Friday the 13th. [And that's just been in the past month. And as for introductions...]

James Buchanan Barnes. Just call me Bucky.

[arealwoman]

Another part of this 'magic' then?

[ Although the lack of weapons didn't sound like all too much of a bad thing, not that she'd thought about it ]

Christina, although I'm still wondering on that pleasure bit.

[ It was the castle rather than him ]

[arealwoman]

Did you happen to miss the part about terrible things not exactly being a 'welcoming' thing?

[ She may have asked but she hadn't expected (nor wanted) anything like that ]

Christina.

[blue_sniper]

Sorry. You did ask. But really, this place in some ways is better than the life I left. [There were people trying to kill him, and they actually succeeded.]

And there are a lot of people who are incredibly nice here. I know some people may feel like it's a prison, but... it's not all bad.

[arealwoman]

Aye but I wasn't expecting anything brutal.

[ It may have been a little too honest? ]

And how exactly is it not so bad?

[blue_sniper]

[Bucky is usually incredibly blunt, unless your name happens to be Steve, and even then he's still pretty blunt.]

Well, for one there's not a war going on, so you're mostly safe. People don't generally die here. Sometimes you might even get people you know. My best friend is here. Arrived about the same time as me.

...We're two years apart in time, I'll admit, but it's better than nothing.

[arealwoman]

[ Oh she's used to blunt, she usually is too but right now she doesn't want it ]

That's not making me think that here's any better. There only wars going on are fashion wars and usually the only casualties there are the designs, and pride. And my friends are home, I don't need them here when they're already there - I need to be there.

[blue_sniper]

...Fashion wars? [Bucky is amused. He didn't think there were such things as fashion wars.]

Sorry, I can't really help with that. This place does what it wants. All you can really do is make the most of it while you're here. ...Has anybody told you that time doesn't pass when you're here? You get returned the second you left.

[arealwoman]

It isn't something that you want to be caught up in, trust me. [ And sadly she sometimes was ]

I'm sorry, what? [ That was just getting added to the pile of things that she wasn't sure how to comprehend ]

[blue_sniper]

I'm already caught up in a real war, what more could a fashion war do to me? [He's trying to make a joke and get her to lighten up.]

That's at least what I've heard. When you're here, time doesn't pass for you. When the castle decides to send you back, you'll return the second it took you.

[arealwoman]

Sorry. [ She is. And his joke? Sadly doesn't work as well as he'd probably like ]

Well that could be a bit of a problem.

[doublethefun]

[a voice pipes up over the journal]

I have yet to see any baby goats here. [kids. Haha.]

[arealwoman]

Goats are the least of the problems here.

[doublethefun]

[blink]

Well, yes. They cannot be a problem if they do not reside here.

[arealwoman]

There are actually no goats? [ Why this was important? Well it wasn't, but it was a little bit more normal ]

[doublethefun]

I have not been here long enough to answer that query with confidence. However, to the best of my knowledge, there are no goats here.

[wingshrug] Perhaps they are merely shy.