I danced a tango with my hubris high on youth. We swept across the dance floor to subjective truth.

[undealt]

WHO || Gold, Belle, Faye, and an extra super special awesome OPEN section.
WHAT || Gold and Belle get hamburgers (IT'S NOT A DATE!! REALLY!!!), Gold teaches Faye how to use her magic for things other than lighting people on fire, and CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE.
WHERE || LONDON: A restaurant and then back at the castle.
WHEN || Some indeterminate time between my last open log and when everyone leaves for their missions.
HOW || PROSE OR ACTION SPAM HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT. The starters are actionspam, but seriously. Follow your heart, son.

BELLE |

It's totally not a date. You can tell, because a guy in a suit is actually being caught dead in a place called The Giraffe, because it seemed reasonably low-key enough for dinner and a nice chat about... trying to reverse the effects of the Veil. Yeah. But totally not a date.

Hamburgers are ordered. Chatting has commenced. Awesome.]

To be honest, I've started filling in the gaps in my memories with whatever I decide feels right at the time. It's quite effective until someone comes along who remembers more than I do and contradicts it. Though that's only happened once and I think I came out of the situation better than one might expect.

FAYE |

[As soon as Gold gets back from his meeting with Nessa, he leaves Faye a mesage to meet him in the library. The minute she arrives, he's waiting with Milah, who is currently sprawled out underneath a table- she's only as long as the length of the table, but still. CROCODILE UNDER A TABLE.]

I'm sure you're wondering why on earth I'd think to conduct a magic lesson in the library. Seems like an accident waiting to happen, doesn't it?

[You know, because you're a pyro...]

OPEN |

[And in this last option, you can pick Gold in one of two places:

(A. THE HALLWAYS. On his way back to his room. This is totally an excuse to maybe accidentally force someone into seeing his abomination of a room. idc.

(B. THE RECEPTIONIST DESK. Because I'm too lazy to throw him at the actual one and you know everyone wants to listen to his sexy Scottish accent answering phones all day.

Both locations will probably also contain (1) six foot long yellow crocodile.]

Comments

[untethered]

I suppose I never even considered it. I was lucky to fall in with an... understanding lot when I arrived. And there's a lot I remember about the Shadow World.

[undealt]

So what do you remember? If you don't mind me asking, of course. [yeah, here to talk business. that's totally what this is.]

[untethered]

I remember... what kind of world it was. Not like here. There was more... mystery, I suppose. Places unexplored, magic and danger ... but I suppose a great deal of that's followed us into this world too.

I always wanted to be a part of that. All that unknown outside the walls where I grew up. I wanted it more than anything.

[undealt]

And you got your wish. [He's a little endeared with that, even if he'd never considered the idea of him being a romantic until now.] I can't recall wanting anything that badly.

[He can't recall it, but he knows it's there. A void that can't be filled. And magic was a suitable substitute for an absence of something. Plus it made him feel better, knowing he had power over something, if not his situation.

If anything, his wanting has been reduced to wanting either answers or more magic to better get those answers and if not that, make him feel better for a little while, but it's hardly on the same level as what she's saying.]

[untethered]

[ a wistful look flits across her features ] I did get it, I suppose, in coming here. But... [ her brows knit together as if she's thinking very hard about something ] I feel as if I had found it there as well. But I can't remember how.

It's... frustrating, remembering only the longing for adventures - and not any of the adventure itself.

[undealt]

And that's not just something you can invent for yourself. Without the actual experience, it might as well just be a story. [He's terribly sad that he can identify with her on that level. It's an odd sort of camaraderie.

He pauses for a moment, considering something.] Have you ever met anyone here who, for no reason you can recall, seemed familiar. They don't recognize you and you don't recognize them, but there's this undeniable connection that suggests you have a history neither of you remember.

[Spoilers: He's not talking about her.]

[untethered]

[ WELL GOOD FOR YOU GOLD, because her lids flutter a bit as if she's processing whether he just said what she thought he just said, and then she's staring at him with renewed focus ] I... may have an idea of what you mean.

[undealt]

[He is about to ruin this moment in

5... 4... 3... 2...]

There's a man who recently arrived in the castle. A pirate of some kind, which far be it for me to assume what sort of person might or might not take up residence in small Maine towns, but I hardly think he was a native to Storybrooke. And yet every time I'm around him, I feel as though he's done me some terrible wrong. It might be the most frustrating aspect of this I've encountered.

[untethered]

[ DEJECTED FACE FALL GET ] A... a pirate.

Does this pirate seem to feel the same way about you?

[undealt]

[HE TOTALLY NOTICED THAT. And he's very confused. WHAT DID HE DO. WHAT HAPPENED. HOW DO GIRLS. But he just... continues onward, somewhat more awkwardly now.]

Antagonism seems to be his default state, so it's difficult to say.

[untethered]

Maybe I could find out.

[undealt]

[Part of him goes ABSOLUTELY NOT DO NOT GO NEAR HIM ABORT ABORT. The other part of him is just "...but why."]

I couldn't ask you to do that.

[untethered]

You aren't asking. I'm volunteering.

[undealt]

[...Well, it's not like Hook can do anything to her without Wynn kicking his ass to the curb. Still.

Bet you're really regretting not being all romantical at her over whining about your pirate hateboner now, aren'tcha, buddy?]

You are remarkably selfless.

[untethered]

We're all Knights here. I'd like to think anyone would do the same for me.

[undealt]

Oh, I don't know. Zero might take some convincing.

[untethered]

Alright, some of them may need more convincing than others. But if it mattered to me, I think in the end they'd pull through.

[undealt]

That's what this is all about, isn't it? Pulling through. Belonging. I can't say I had much of either in Storybrooke. That I recall, anyway.

[Unless "belonging" means "the entire town BELONGED TO ME."]

Sometimes I don't think I'd even want to go back- I'd just like to know what it is I'm not going back to.

[untethered]

That sounds like a terribly lonely life.

I hope you've found things are better for you here, even with those gaps.

[undealt]

[Yeah, okay. Remember how he fucked up that one moment by talking about Hook? Well, nat 20 charisma check says he fixed it, okay. Look at that motherfucking charming smile.]

You know, I think I actually have.

[untethered]

[ wow she rolled a 3, she's ~spellbound~ ok

in fact, a rosy hue comes into her cheeks as she stares back at him, and she has to finally clear her throat and look down at her napkin ]

So you wouldn't go back?

[undealt]

[JUST. THAT. GOOD.]

Not unless I realized there was something there worth staying for. Don't see the point. The other knights and I might not always agree, but I definitely get more out of this than I did as a pawnbroker.

[untethered]

[ well, that only infuses her smile with more warmth ] You have heroic instincts, then.

[undealt]

Or perhaps I just hated being a pawnbroker. [He can't be sure, but he's pretty sure that's the first time anyone's called him heroic. It warrants a little bit of mocking self-deprecation.]

[untethered]

It's hard to imagine hating this line of work. There seems to be something for anyone.