henrydaniel | Contact Post for entranceway

[ Now that he remembers Wonderland, at least, he'll come across as less than a psych ward candidate. Thank Wonderland for small miracles. ]

Hey, you don't have to apologize for anything, Emma. This is all an adjustment. For lack of a much better word.

Coffee sounds good, I'm up for grabbing it any time. My schedule in Magic Mansion is pretty open.

[That small miracle is probably going to do them both a world of good.]

Adjustment is definitely an understatement.
Feel like meeting me in half an hour? I've been trying to piece some things together, and I think you're the guy to talk to.

Yeah, no problem. I'll see you in the cafe.

[ He decides to take the book, but he puts it in a bag because he won't just...show it to her. If it feels like a good open, maybe. Better to have it just in case. But he's there a half hour later, a little early, sitting with a cup of coffee already. When he sees her, he gives a little wave. ]

[It's the second time he's beaten her to an in-person meeting-- she's used to being the early one, but she has to admit that she likes to see someone else putting the effort in. She offers a half-hearted wave in response as she heads over to join him, pulling out a chair for herself.]

Hey... thanks for meeting me.

No problem. You doing okay? Better?

[ Holy crap, this is his mom. But he doesn't stare because that'd be weird, so he just takes a sip of his drink casually.

Better.

[She nods to confirm, sighing as she drops into the seat across from his.]

Not that that's much of a stretch, considering, but I've had some time to process-- and to talk to people. What about you? We haven't talked in awhile. I wasn't really finding anything useful, and after--

[Well, after she'd slammed her hands down on the table and threatened him;]

I just thought you could use a little bit of space.

[ Henry ducks his head and smiles a little. ]

I'm okay. Still not any closer to understanding what we're all doing here, but after talking to a lot of people, everyone's just as confused and lost as we are.

[ He remembers now, but that's for later, when she won't run away or something else drastic. ]

I guess we all have one thing in common at least: being kidnapped.

It does seem to be going around. Makes it-- I don't really want to say 'easier,' but.

[She grimaces. She feels like he gets it; that there's something about knowing they aren't the only ones who feel this way. There are also the people who seem to be head-over-heels in love with the place some days-- those, she doesn't understand, but she's making an effort not to judge.]

Puts us all on equal ground, even if it's a crappy thing to have in common.

[ Henry didn't mind Wonderland most days. Not when his dad was here. It meant he was alive, at least for a little bit longer. But uh. They'll get to that later. ]

I figured out the best way to get a feel for this place was to just start listening more to people. Watching what happens around me and just observing, you know? And what I've come up with is that this is never gonna stop being super confusing and weird, but there are people here who for sure look out for each other and that's...nice. It's like a family you never even knew you had.

[ JUST WAIT, EMMA. ]

People do seem to stick their necks out for each other here. I'll admit... I'm not used to that.

[She's used to believing in the worst case scenario, in expecting things to go wrong-- because inevitably, they always did, and if she was expecting it, she couldn't be hurt. Simple enough.]

I have trouble trusting that people mean what they say. Even if I don't want to feel that way-- it's a hard habit to break.

[ It's insanely hard to not say something, but he's already been ~~told off~~ spoken to by Snow, and he has to keep everything to himself.

Which sucks. He wants to tell her how good a job she did, what a great, amazing mom she's been and still is. But he can't, PER GRANDMA, so. ]

It's always hard to put your faith in other people. Sometimes, I guess that's all we have. When nothing in the world makes sense, you find a good person or two and hold on, I think, if you're lucky.

[You definitely don't want to go against grandma, kid. Don't worry. Your time is nearing.]

I've never been very good at that.

[She grimaces, but manages to turn it into a faint and lopsided smile. She's here, in part, because she knows she needs to start connecting with people here, on top of the fact that she owed him an apology. It seems like starting with the people who might hold a few of the missing pieces to her puzzle is the way to go.]

Any tips?

Cliche as it sounds? Trust your heart. I'm pretty sure it always knows. Maybe for...whatever reason, you're here for a reason. Either to help someone else in a way you don't expect or...to help yourself. Never know, Emma.

Trust my heart.

[She laughs briefly, but it's utterly humorless.]

Hate to break it to you, but my heart has let me down in the past, with one exception. But-- trusting my gut might be enough.

[They're two different things, but the latter is absolutely what inspired her to ask him to talk.]

I get it. And you seem like the type who knows when people are trying to screw you over.

[ He pauses, looking at her curiously. ]

Have you thought that? About anyone who's really seemed like they know you? I mean, does anyone seem like they're lying?

I have.

[Quite a bit, actually. It's been on her mind for weeks now.]

That's part of why I wanted to talk to you today. You, and Snow-- neither one of you seems like you're lying, and like I told you on day one, you don't seem crazy.

[She wishes either of them did. It would make this easier to deal with.]

If I'm being honest, I've been afraid of what more either of you might have to say, if I asked.

Well, here's the thing. One, I wouldn't lie to you. Two, I don't think you need to ask until you are ready, so there's that. And three, I was just as confused as you are when I got here. Sometimes it just takes hearing someone out and being willing to do the thing that sounds craziest to get to the actual truth.

[ He's not going to force some truth on her, tell her it's fact and then leave her to deal with it. It's not like he has Storybrooke to pull her in, for him to fall back on. This is something Emma's going to have to get to on her own, the same way he did. ]

Sounds like you're speaking from experience on that one.

[Which makes her that much more curious about what else he might have to say.]

But... that's why I'm here. To hear you out. Can you tell me more about that book of yours?

I can do you one better.

[ Leaning down, from his back he produces the book and slides it over to her. He doesn't open it to any particular page, but when - if - she opens it, she's in it. So is Regina, so are Hook and Snow. ]

All of this, Emma, came before I knew who these people were. Before I'd ever met you or so I thought.

You've had it with you all this time?

[Her brow furrows slightly as she takes the book in hand, lifting the cover with care to look at the first illustration— and just as he'd said, Snow is there, clear as day.]

That's Snow. Who else is in this thing?

[She begins to thumb through the pages, and something catches in her throat when she spots a picture of herself.]

[ He realizes he doesn't have to answer the question in regards to herself just by watching her face. Glancing down, he takes in the drawing, then looks back at her. ]

That's why I reacted the way I did the first time we met. Regina's in there. Hook, or he might have chosen the sane sounding path and introduced himself as Killian. I didn't believe it until I saw you, in the flesh. This is all real. And I don't know what, but something bigger than us wanted to tear us apart.

Would the name have made that much difference?

[She sounds distracted even as she asks, trying to make light of the situation, but the fact of the matter is that the entire story was so crazy-sounding that whether he had called himself Hook or Killian probably wouldn't have mattered.]

If we're all supposed to be together, who would want to tear us apart? What would they have to gain from it?

[Specifically, from taking her memories?]

I know the one affecting you now is just a side effect of something bigger, a way for your kid to still have a parent and be safe while everyone else in this book is taken back to their world. Where they're all from.

[ He's not ready to reveal that he's the kid, not yet. Not unless she puts it together or asks. ]

For me, I have no idea. For all I know, I got caught up in someone else's revenge.

Edited 2018-03-01 21:35 (UTC)

[She looks back down at the book, frowning to herself. She would do anything for her son. If magic was real, if this whole story was real—

She would have done it for him, no questions asked. She knows that much.

She exhales, turning her attention back to him.]

Seems unfair. You're a pretty good guy, far as I can tell.

I try.

[ He smiles softly, looking down at the table for a second. ]

Who knows. Guess I'll have to leave here to find out. But what I do know is you'll figure this out, whatever's going on here. In fact, I'd bet on it.

[ And then he says something that, in all honesty, he doesn't realize he said as a kid, sitting with her eating popcorn and playing video games. ]

Sometimes the little voice in your head telling you what the right thing is can be scary. But I don't think it's ever wrong.

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