First case.

[dorkwonder]

[As soon as Tim found himself suddenly transported to a strange new place, he scurried over to a shadow and began to gather intel. Wherever he went, a journal appeared at the area he was inspecting. After awhile he realized it was the same journal appearing over and over. So, he finally picked it up and began to read through it. The entries gave him a decent idea of what was going on. Combing the entries with the view of the sky made it obvious he was no longer on Earth. Tim was no stranger to the multiverse. He knew that the name “Wayne” was recognized in some of the alternative Earths.

When Tim finally dictates an entry of his own, his voice comes out sounding nervous and awkward. Instead of introducing himself as Tim Drake, the ward of multi-billionaire Bruce Wayne, he's Alvin Draper; confused high-school student.]

Okay, so I know there's the whole “be careful what you wish for”, but this is kind of overkill. And by “kind of”, I mean completely. I just wanted to get out of my Calculus test! A fire alarm or sneeze attack would have worked.

[His voice sounds increasingly nervous as he speaks.]

So, uh, my name is Alvin Draper and I'm not from around here. I don't even know if I'm from the same world as this place. This is what I get for wishing I was in all of those sci-fi novels I've read, huh? Ahaha. Seriously, I never going to wish for anything again. Anyway, um, if anyone could let me know what's going on here and how I get back home, that would be great. Thanks.

[ooc: Just as a side note, since Tim's father is in a coma and not dead in his memories, he currently thinks he's the ward of Bruce Wayne and not his adopted son.]

Comments

[secondchances]

Yeah, let's.

[She stretches her legs out in front of her, thinking.]

Immediately? No. You probably have the gist of it. People come and go at random, weird things happen all the time. Sometimes it's just weird, and sometimes it's terrible. You just kinda have to roll with the punches.

[dorkwonder]

Got it.

[There's a long pause on his end before he speaks up again.]

This is weird. [There are many things about this situation that are weird, so he elaborates.]

You, Kara, and me all trapped in a giant magical castle together, that looks like it belongs in a Middle Earth novel, and there doesn't seem to be crime anywhere. Is there crime here?

[secondchances]

It used to be weirder. Way more people from Gotham. Multiple Gothams. More Robins than you could shake a stick at, Batgirls left and right...

[The good ol' days, maybe.]

There's petty things in the city. If there's a murder, it's more likely someone from the castle causing problems. The city has robberies and muggers, but it almost feels like it's this place throwing us vigilante types a bone, you know? It's quiet, most nights.

[dorkwonder]

That must be one big stick, given how many Robins I know of. [Wants to say "how many Robins there are in our world", but that would be admiting they are from the same place and therefore what she was beginning to imply was true.]

I'm half expecting to wake up tomorrow and find myself back home.

[Because let's be real..being trapped in a castle that's like a slice of paradise with two attractive and fun blondes isn't exactly a stretch for a dream.]

[secondchances]

A stick the size of a school bus.

[This was definitely someone's fantasy at one point or another.]

I know how it is. It took a while for that feeling to go away. A lot of people think they've gone crazy or are stuck in a dream when they first get here.

[dorkwonder]

I wonder what it is about this place that makes it want to bring so many people from Gotham? It's no Gotham, that's for sure. Maybe that's why it brings us here.

[For a new perspective? Then again, if they supposedly forget about it whenever they return home, what's the point?

Then there's the unspoken question; why have they all left and Steph's here?]

[secondchances]

I don't know. But for the last year and a half or so, it hasn't been like that at all. More Gotham folk leaving than coming in.

[She tries to not dwell on her being here for so long too much. People like Ino and Allen have been here for what, six years? She doesn't want to be here for six years.]

[dorkwonder]

[Takes a seat on the bed next to her, though he leaves a healthy amount of space in between the two of them. That must have been hard for her...seeing everyone return home while she's still stuck here.]

All things considered, I'm impressed with how well you're holding up in here.

[secondchances]

[He has no idea.]

Don't go into the bathroom. The scribbles on the walls might make you take back that comment.

[She still has her humor, at least!]

[dorkwonder]

As long as you haven't written "Red Rum" on the walls, I promise I won't look. [If she wants to go the humorous route, he can go there with her.]

[secondchances]

Nah. I just went with tally marks and lists.

[A touch more serious:]

People have been here longer than me, and from what I've seen, they're doing okay, too. No one's lost it or anything.

[It's comforting. Not that she has any doubts about her mental strength.]

[dorkwonder]

Any idea why some people stay here longer than others or does it appear to be random?

[secondchances]

Random. One of the people is an exorcist, another a ninja... unless the castle is trying to make a weird "walks into a bar" joke, I can't see any reasoning behind it.

[dorkwonder]

What about age? Physical appearance? Background? Any similar and identifying traits at all? [There has to be some connection between them. There are random occurrences that take place, but even then there's a reason why they take place.]

[secondchances]

Similar age, but you'll notice that a lot of people here are between [give her a moment to think] maybe sixteen and twenty-five. You can talk to them if you want--Allen and Ino. They're good, nice people.

The only thing that I've seen about most people here is that they're not boring or totally normal. They're not Alvin Draper. There's always something that's special about them. They're fighters, heroes, legends, adventurers, skilled...

[dorkwonder]

Think you can introduce me to them at some point if they don't introduce themselves to me first?

[Makes a few mental notes.]

Sounds like Alvin Draper needs a more exciting life. Maybe he's the son of some legendary figure and has an epic destiny awaiting him, he just doesn't know it yet.

[secondchances]

Sure thing.

Oooh, he can be "the one" with a prophecy and everything. Maybe that's how he knows Supergirl.

[Alvin Draper: generic as generic can be.]

Stephanie Brown can be an old classmate or something.

[dorkwonder]

Thanks.

[The more generic, the better.]

I'd say maybe he shouldn't publicly get to know Supergirl until he's eighteen, but I don't think Kara would be down for that. Because you know turning eighteen means becoming an adult and...destiny.

[While he's joking around, he's also making a list of the resources available to him. Maybe Bruce already began to create a list and track all of the most powerful and potentially dangerous beings in the castle.]

[secondchances]

This is the nerdiest conversation I've had in a long time.

I don't know how to feel about this.

[dorkwonder]

It could be worse, I could model him after my first Warlock and Warriors character. [Who was one of the dreaded Gary-stus.]

[secondchances]

I think this is going too far. You're not a wizard.

[dorkwonder]

You know, my first character actually was a wizard. Although I chose the class more so for min-maxing purposes rather than flavor.

[secondchances]

[Does she want to ask?

Of course, because this is better than futile escape attempts or dead parents.]

Min-maxing?

[dorkwonder]

[Switched gears for a reason. Until he settles in and gets a better feel for this place, he'll only drive himself crazy asking questions that no one currently has any answers for.]

Min-maxing is when you study every mechanical aspect of a class to make the most efficient build. Mages can spontaneously cast spells, but have a limited spell selection as a result. Wizards on the other hand have to prepare their spells, but they learn spells faster and have a wider spell selection. If you have an idea of what to expect in the upcoming battle or challenge, wizards the best, hands down.

[...He's talking about wizards to Steph in a magical castle. So, so, so weird.]

[secondchances]

[She feels like her eyes are glazing over. It's like she's back in college. She nods, slowly.]

Maybe Alvin is the king of the dorks. That's his story.