One incredible feat of sleep-deprived bakery architecture. [23/??? artefacts collected]

[sadfreezingbrit_archive]

[ It's the event's second night, around four o'clock in the morning.

The narration trusts that at this point everyone has found somebody to room with and is tucked into bed.

Fast asleep as opposed to completely deprived of the same ever since the event started.

And definitely not building a donut replica of Westminster Abbey in one of the conference rooms.

Nope.

Not happening anywhere at all. ]

[ ...For everyone who does not enjoy a little action at night, Philip will emerge from his building project in the morning and can subsequently be found
a.) making coffee in the coffee area
b.) drinking coffee in one of the cubicles and
c.) throwing coffee at the backstairs spiders

If you hear him humming a strange tune, well, that's just the melody his hot beverage gives off, because who needs a sense of smell when you can have a constant soundtrack instead? ]

Comments

[libraritology.livejournal.com]

That's all right. [She waves a hand.] No need to go out of your way when everything's going to disappear in a few days.

[Evelyn is also surprised (and glad) that she's managed to survive this long without her sight. She's planning on chalking up a lot of her success to sheer, dumb luck.]

Some others I met said that they didn't have their rooms. I woke up in mine, but I suppose it doesn't do me much good when I can't find it again.

[She twiddles her thumbs and glances up in Philip's direction.]

How have you been recently, though? All other things aside, I haven't seen you since...um...

[Since she got a little too tipsy.]

[blimeyjamwalls.livejournal.com]

[ Daniel appears unhurt except for having his hands over his ears.

...On reflection, having his hands over his ears probably doesn't mean that he's unhurt. ]

Oh dea-- dear God, that-- [ He recovers a little, takes his hands off his ears, though they're still ringing and chuckling. ] That was quite-- quite a racket. [ Also, additional cockroaches. His eye darts to the floor before he can second-guess it, but he looks back up immediately. ]

[sadfreezingbrit.livejournal.com]

[ Is it just narrating!me or are horrible hand injuries starting to become a trend in their encounters?

Well. At least this isn't as long-term startling as jellyfish stings or deep cuts followed by gutting. Philip has learned how to take care of burns a few practical Leidenfrost effect demonstrations ago. ]

Let me see. [ Unconsciously swinging into damn-you-student-I-told-you-to-be-careful-with-that mode Philip takes Daniel's arm and surveys the damage. ] Does it still--

Can you still hear it?

[eatsyourscience.livejournal.com]

Yes. [And he realizes he's staring and looks away with a grimace. The donut "tastes" better anyway.] It's...distracting.

[blimeyjamwalls.livejournal.com]

[ DANIEL CAN'T HELP IT IF HE HAS A HAND INJURY FETISH.

He allows Philip to take his arm, looking down guiltily at the floored coffee cup. It's smashed on the tiled floor. ] Well - yes, but - it does not need mothering, I am sure.

[ He'd sound less annoyed if he wasn't still startled, if Phil's tone hasn't changed in that direction, if he wasn't sleep deprived. ]

[sadfreezingbrit.livejournal.com]

[ Ditto to pretty much everything that last part of the narration said.

And you know what else? Philip wassn't building donut!London because he's so content to relax. ]

I'll be right back.

[ And he's out the door and-- TO THE TASK MOBILE!

...the task mobile being a small research room a few doors down which featured one of his now-raided first aid kits, the remaining contents of which also featured burn gel, a very popular and often-used item in Veridian's laboratories.

...

...

...

- insert elevator music here -

...

...

...

Aaaaand he's back with the kit. Lala, opening, getting gel, opening bottle, turning to Daniel. ]

Your hand.

[ There will come a point (gradual or abrupt) when Philip realises that he's been startled into far more agitation than the circumstances warrant. That point is not right now. ]

[blimeyjamwalls.livejournal.com]

What do you mean to do?

[ He could probably guess, but man, that would take brain effort. He does give up his hand, though. ]

Damn this racket to Hell!

[ Guess who doesn't deal well with stress. ]

1/3

[sadfreezingbrit.livejournal.com]

[ Eyeroll. ]

I'll chop it off, just in case.

2/3

[sadfreezingbrit.livejournal.com]

[ Aaaaaaaaaand POINT.

Hey, there it already is. Right there!

When Philip hears himself say that and remembers how causing his friends terrible bodily harm is really not all that sarcastic or hypothetical a scenario and...

And is a little horrified, to be honest. ]

[sadfreezingbrit.livejournal.com]

[ But hey, on the plus side that one startles him back into niceness. ]

It's- it's a salve, just a salve to... help with the noise a bit and so it won't get infected, just in case, it'll be... a bit cold....

[ Mumblemumbleapplyingcoldgelmumble. ]

[blimeyjamwalls.livejournal.com]

[ Intelligence and rational thinking make it clear that Philip would never actually cut his hand off. On the other grabbing appendage, Daniel is really bad at forgetting the things he actually wants to forget, and those include that one time when not-quite-Philip hacked him to death in his own room.

He flinches despite himself, and while Philip is lubing him up, he says tersely: ] Philip, that is not something to jest about.

[ His hand's shaking, but that's been going on for several hours now. ]

[sadfreezingbrit.livejournal.com]

[ He knows. Oh boy, does he ever know. He thinks he said it too, but the I know never makes it past his lips. He treats the hand in guilty silence instead and once Daniel is taken care of Philip hurriedly pulls out
a handkerchief, wipes the remaining burn gel off his hands and takes a step back ]

There.

[sadfreezingbrit.livejournal.com]

[ Fair enough, though it's not like Philip actually has a way he could go out of if he were to film things around here. ]

If your room's still there then I can help you find it again. Mine's been cut from the budget, apparently. I spent the room in one of those-- Sorry, I- I spent the night in one of those conference rooms.

[ Because he couldn't find a replacement. And because the sudden lack of medication is making him feel anything but relaxed, especially considering what he knows is about to come next.

Aches slowly creeping along until they become unbearable, until in a few hours tops withdrawal is going to make the rest of this event utterly unbearable for him.

He will choose not to mention this in his status report, just as he will refrain from completing Evelyn's sentence, although remembering their last encounter does bring an answer to her question to mind: ]

I think I found a stalker after all. Or rather he found me, I suppose. I met him on the beach while I was trying to avoid the rest of the event.

...Just a brief encounter, fortunately. No undesired kisses either and I haven't run into him since.

[ He takes a sip of his coffee. ]

What about you?

[ Coffee. ]

And, um, would you like some coffee?

[libraritology.livejournal.com]

[The only real problem for Evelyn so far has been the lack of sight, which is making it difficult to identify friend or entitled pervert foe. Sleep does tend to be a little harder to get when everything is thrumming with energy, though.]

Your very own stalker? [She laughs at the thought.] I wonder if the mansion will permit some manner of restraining order for us.

[At least the kisses didn't happen, right? Thank God for that. Especially kisses from strange men.]

Ah...coffee, yes. Please. I'm afraid there's very little exciting news, I- Oh! Yes, I went down to the beach. I've been visiting it quite often, now that I think about it.

[Evelyn wishes she didn't feel so guilty about that, but it is the one place in all of Wonderland that reminds her of home.]

...I have found it interesting that the sense of direction here doesn't seem altogether too relevant. I've watched the sun rise and set on separate occasions over the ocean.

[sadfreezingbrit.livejournal.com]

Actually, we do have a neighbourhood watch of sorts, though... I'm sure they're trying, it's just... there doesn't seem to be much room for order around here.

[ Philip pours Evelyn a cup of coffee. On a beach-sun-related note... ]

If there was then somebody ought to lock Wonderland itself up for life, considering what it does to the laws of physics.

[ After last night's encounter with Daniel he would very much rather not just hand the cup to Evelyn. He puts it down right next to her instead. ]

...Coffee's on the desk, to your left.

[libraritology.livejournal.com]

That's true, I had almost forgotten. You're a physicist, aren't you? This place must have been the most peculiar thing you'd ever seen when you arrived here.

[Since, you know, it's not every day that people go to Greenland at the behest of their father and find the horrible, traumatizing sight of zombie dogs and mutilated, alien-virus people. That only happens once in a blue moon.

Evelyn feels around for the coffee mug and handles it carefully, blowing on it before taking a sip.]

What did you think when you got here?

[sadfreezingbrit.livejournal.com]

[ Well. About that... ]

I--

[sadfreezingbrit.livejournal.com]

- FLASHBACK -

[sadfreezingbrit.livejournal.com]

What did you do?! What did you-- Turn it back! Turn it back!

[sadfreezingbrit.livejournal.com]

...Oh wow, the heating actually works. Huh. This is pretty comfy.

[sadfreezingbrit.livejournal.com]

- END FLASHBACK -

[sadfreezingbrit.livejournal.com]

I couldn't believe it. [ Philip swallows. ] Any of it.

[ Well, at least that much is true. ]

I thought I'd gone insane [-r ] that- that I-- I kept waiting for everything to turn back to normal, but...

[ He shrugs. ] It never did.

[libraritology.livejournal.com]

[That sounds...really horrible, actually. Evelyn can't say that she had a very good time, either, but at least several very nice individuals helped her get acclimated to the place.]

How long was it before you...got used to everything? I can't say that I know much about the future, but it can't be as ridiculous as Wonderland.

[sadfreezingbrit.livejournal.com]

It has its own ways of being ridiculous, I'm sure.

[ The following smile will go sadly unnoticed unless Philip's facial muscles are a lot louder than he perceives them to be. ]

...Honestly? Right now I'm trying not to raise my voice despite this cup of coffee creaking like an old wooden floor and... maybe things aren't quite as confusing anymore, but... I don't think I'm used to it yet. [ Beat. ] Or ever will be, for that matter.

[libraritology.livejournal.com]

[While Evelyn can't see the changes in expressions on his face, she can feel the humming of his body decreasing, smell the cloying, sickly-sweetness again. It's not Philip, but she wishes she knew what it was.]

...I'm glad you say that.

[Concentrating on the heat of the mug in her hands is much easier than admitting that she feels entirely unprepared for everything that Wonderland has to offer.]

I was beginning to worry that I was one of the few...well, everyone here seems so confident about tackling whatever this place throws at them.

[A sigh.]

And I'm not. You know, I was always telling people how much I wanted an adventure, and this isn't quite the adventure I was expecting.

[Nor is it the one she's really destined for, but let's not split hairs.]