1- pre-event open log

[dreamtofheroics]

Who: Belle and YOU.
What: Exploring the castle
When: Before the festival
Where: Just about anywhere

ROOM 1. (open roommates and visitors)

[it's easy enough to settle in when you don't have anything of your own with you. Belle has a bed, a surprisingly nice room given the circumstances, and three roommates to share it with. honestly, it's a welcome change of pace. she's used to being thrown into these situations on her own. if they all have to be trapped in Thorne, at least they're together.

there's still plenty of work to be done here, information she thinks she could piece together if she could just find the right texts. it means she'll have to go back to the library sooner rather than later, but at the moment, she has one last book to finish. she picks it up to bring back to bed with her, looking up when she hears someone on their way into the room.

she smiles in greeting, warm and friendly.]

Don't mind me. I've spent so much time in the library, I thought I'd read in here for a change.


LIBRARY.

[eventually, going back to the library just happens to be the most practical option. it may offer the entire history of Thorne, but she isn't the only one in search of answers. they're all looking, each with their own thoughts about what needs to happen next and how to get home. and Belle, personally, isn't expecting that particular answer to come from a book.

she just happens to believe that understanding this world is going to help them learn to exist in it. they might be planning on a short stay, but the kingdom of Thorne has other ideas. so she brings all the books she can carry with her to the nearest table and sets them down with a loud, entirely accidental thud.]

I'm sorry.

[ she offers her apology in a quiet voice, looking the tiniest bit guilty at the person who's claimed a seat at the table nearest to hers.]

I was the librarian back in Storybrooke. Sometimes it's hard to know when to stop.

[ research is something she can do to feel useful here, she figured this was a good way to spend the day.]

DUNGEON.

[Belle remembers being advised not to spend too much time in the dungeon. something about how there's nothing for her down there, she's an honored guest, etc. but she also made promises to some people, agreeing to find specific items for them and bring them down. it's something Belle hasn't forgotten about, so she comes down to make good on a few promises, and to check in with those who she's spoken to before.

and if anyone else happens to catch her attention, she won't hesitate to do what she can for them. she hates feeling helpless, and nothing makes her feel as useless as the injustice of being one of the privileged guests while the other half of them suffer down here.]

BEING NOSY.

[obligatory Belle is snooping around the castle and wandering into rooms she shouldn't be option, though she'll steer clear of any rooms she knows have guests staying in them.]


WILDCARD.

[ For TDM carry-overs, study hall, wandering the hallways, and general meet-ups.]

Comments

Library

[nadine_he_loves]

It's no problem.

[Nadine was startled by the sudden sound, but only because of how intently she's been focusing on her own little stack of books. Not nearly as many, but it's clear she's settled in for some serious research. Or at least attempts at research.

But something else sticks out to her, and she puts her hand on the page of her book to mark her place.]

You're a librarian? I'm a teacher - elementary school. Lot of respect for librarians.

Library

[moremilkplz]

[It's another day, another hour and he's still unable to hear heartbeats. He can't tell what's inside a room without opening the door and it's starting to piss him off. 'Have patience', the mages say, every time he asks - which is a lot - but they refuse to add any new information to the answer.

Fucking magic.

Which is why he's reluctantly pawing through a book at the library, flicking through the pages with a little more force than strictly necessary.]

Stop what? Carrying books around?

1

[song_of_ice]

It's the library you are taking a break from, not the books?

[It's not really surprising. Belle always seemed to be perpetually reading. Though, he imagined that if Sam were here, he'd also be hard to pry from the library. Likely he would come marching into the room as well, carrying a stack of books and journals and proudly show everything he had managed to find.

It left him with a pang in his heart, strangely nostalgic for the Wall and the more innocent times he shared with his friends.]

What are you reading now?

[dreamtofheroics]

[Belle grins at the explanation - both her kindness and the mention that Nadine is a teacher. it seems they have a mutual respect for each other, all prompted by an interest in books.]

Thank you. I have a lot of respect for teachers.

[ as much as Belle loves children, she imagines that job could easily get overwhelming at times.]

It's a pleasure to meet you. My name's Belle.

[nadine_he_loves]

I'm Nadine. Circumstances aside, it's nice to meet you.

[There's only so much normalcy to be had these days. Even for Nadine, who's life had never been entirely normal.]

Have you gone through many of the books here yet? It's hard to even know where to start, and some of them are...very dry.

[To put it mildly. Some of them she can barely make it through a whole sentence without feeling a headache coming on, the words of historians going on and on and on ponderously and offering little that said anything useful. At least that she can identify as useful.]

[dreamtofheroics]

That is part of what goes on in the library.

[ especially when she's trying to organize what she wants to read based on specific content. this realm's magic is something she'd like to read about before she tests it out herself; it just seems like the reasonable thing to do.

but she still smiles, amused by his comment.]

But I meant researching.

[dreamtofheroics]

I could never take a break from the books. I can't imagine what that would feel like.

[ she's too interested in whatever information she can get her hands on, and not just because it might be useful in helping her to understand what Thorne wants from them. this isn't how Belle wanted to explore other worlds, but it is a situation she believes she can learn from.]

This one - [ she holds up the book she's working on.] Is about magic. I thought I'd better read up in case we're expected to use it ourselves.

[dreamtofheroics]

As much as I could. Though I have taken a break from some of the more self-important essays.

[ she doesn't mind a dry text if there's information to be found there, but she can't help noticing certain books here were written by people looking to find praise for their own questionable heroics.]

I'm focusing on magic, for now.

[moremilkplz]

I never really saw the need for it, to be honest. Everything has already been digitalized and it's much easier to read it that way. Here, you have to carry the books and remember where you got them from. Putting them back unless I want one of those- [He points to where he saw a junior mage] to look at me like I wasn't invited here.

What are you researching? Is it boring?

[dreamtofheroics]

Digital copies don't exist in every world.

[nevermind his thoughts on having to keep books organized. she's been the library in Storybrooke, she's known plenty of people like him. but for the sake of being polite, she nods and pushes on. talking about books is much easier for her than reminding someone to return them.]

I suppose it depends on what interests you. I've wanted to learn more about how magic is used here, what the consequences are, and some of the more common beliefs about it.

Dungeon

[ezra_of_lothal]

[Since his cellmates don't seem inclined to try to rough him up just because they can, sometimes Ezra settles on one of the benches in the cell cross legged and closes his eyes to focus on his breath.

Meditation feels weird to him without his connection to the Force, but then, just about everything feels weird to him cut off from something that been part of him all his life, even if he didn't always know what it was. His mood, however, is one of the few things he can even try to control, so he's spending a lot of time on it. Even so, keeping anger and worry from spiraling isn't easy.

Eventually, he hears footsteps, although they sound fairly light, and his eyes snap open. Not a guard.

A visitor? He might as well greet them, if cautiously-]

...hello?

[nadine_he_loves]

So am I, actually!

[The histories...they all seem to tell the same broad story, and Nadine isn't sure how much to trust it. History written by the winners and all of that.]

I've sat in on some lessons, in the study hall. Magic isn't really a thing, where I come from, I...never imagined it would ever be something I could do. Not that they're teaching us much, but the fact that they are...

[Her current book is well and truly forgotten now, distracted at the chance to talk about this place's magic with someone like-minded.]

[dreamtofheroics]

It's something you didn't believe was possible for you.

[ Belle nods her understanding. she might have grown up knowing magic was possible in her world, but things had taken a complicated turn after the curse. there were times she'd helped out of necessity, while here - Nadine is right, it's much more commonplace.]

My history with magic is complicated, I usually left spell-casting to the people around me. People who knew what they were doing.

[ now it seems like its time for her to learn.]

I hope that if we're careful, we can do some good with it.

[dreamtofheroics]

Hello.

[ Belle stops a few steps in front of the cell, keeping her distance in an effort to make sure her presence is welcome. she doesn't want anyone to feel obligated to speak to her, but it's hard to stay away when she might be able to do some good.

she nods to Ezra, realizing they haven't met.]

I'm Belle.

[ezra_of_lothal]

[He unfolds into a more relaxed looking position easily, and watches her with open curiosity.]

I'm Ezra.

Did you get pulled here from somewhere else, too?

[song_of_ice]

Where did you learn to love books this much?

[It's a passion that he can't say he's experienced very often. Aside from Sam, most others viewed books as something that were necessary during lessons, but never beyond that. Maesters were readers, lords and ladies were more active in other ways.

Even Sansa, who had loved songs and stories never read herself, these things were told or sung to her.

He frowned, obvious distaste on his face.]

You mean to be a magic user?

[dreamtofheroics]

From my mother. She loved to read.

[ it's a happy memory, hearing stories when she was too young to read herself. she'd been so eager to learn, and her mother was so proud to teach her. then they'd shared that love of books with each other, even if no one else seemed to understand it.

she almost says as much, but Jon's clearly thinking of something else.]

I think we may have to be. I'm willing to learn.

[she does have a long, complicated understanding to base her knowledge on.]

You seem to have some concerns.

[dreamtofheroics]

Yes, but I'm aware they had different ways of welcoming us to the kingdom.

[its something her tone says she disapproves of. she still wonders what would have happened if they had all been welcomed, and why they refused to treat everyone the same way.]

Is there any way I can help you?

[ezra_of_lothal]

[He cocks his head at her.]

I've been in worse places. I'm ok right now. But there are, like, kids down here. That's really not cool.

[Yes, he would in fact argue that he's not a kid. And his definition of ok may be a little suspect, too.]

I mean, I can't argue with a straight face that I'm not potentially dangerous, and maybe that's true of everyone down here. But I don't understand how they're judging us.

[dreamtofheroics]

[Belle would never insult him by pointing out he's also very young, even if that thought does cross her mind. when he says kids, she assumes he means younger than he is, and that's an understandable concern. being thrown in a dungeon is frightening as an adult, she does worry for the teenagers they've labeled failures.

but truthfully, she worries for all of them. no matter their age or experiences.]

I don't either, I'm sorry. I've been doing some research in the library, but I haven't found anything to explain it.

[she doesn't see herself as superior or less dangerous. their decisions feel random, as if they just took on more people than they wanted to be responsible for.]

I'm not sure there are significant differences between us.

[ezra_of_lothal]

[Surprise flickers across his face. For the moment, at least, he chooses to take her words at face value.]

Well, thanks for trying to figure it out. Not everyone would care that much.

Doesn't exactly inspire confidence in our kidnappers, though, does it?

late night - closed to Jon Snow

[dreamtofheroics]

[ having three roommates means Belle tries to be considerate of them as often as possible. sleep hasn't come easily here, which might at least have something to do with how they were summoned. she's sure what happened with Rumple is also another part of it, how her last moments in Storybrooke were heartbreaking for both of them. and she's tried sleeping, but she's tired in so many ways that she hardly sees how it would help.

it's not until she hears the rustle of sheets across the room that she sits up in the darkness, realizing she's not the only one who's still awake. Belle can see Jon's position in his bed mirroring her own, and with that, she climbs out of her bed and decides to move quietly across the room until she's almost beside him.

when she speaks, its a careful whisper.]

I've decided I might have better luck falling asleep if I get up for a while and come back here later. Would you care to join me?

[nadine_he_loves]

Exactly. But...it sounds like you're a little more familiar with it than me.

[It's long been a vague sort of concept to Nadine - she knows Flagg possess magic, but the extent and details of it are beyond her. He can do Things. Mother Abigail could do Things. It's not like here, with clearly defined spells that you could pick up and learn.]

I do hope I can put it to good use, though. And if no one's going to stop us learning it... hey, every little advantage could come in handy some time.

[moremilkplz]

They should, though.

[He slams his feet up on the table, leaning back in the chair as he folds his hands over his stomach, watching her. She looks young. Ish. Pretty, in that distant pre-photoshop kind of way and Homelander smiles.]

And? What did you find out?

[song_of_ice]

[He had been tossing and turning for hours, trying not to let the thoughts of home disturb him, but unable to really think of anything else. The events of the past weeks were settling on him and the shock of being here was wearing off. Things that seemed strange at the time were now gnawing at him. Dany's words about his lies, his crimes, they seemed like madness in the moment, but now he was left wondering if she knew something he didn't.

It disturbed him. That he might become that sort of man. He hadn't asked for details and still didn't want them, but in the dark of the night, alone and in the quiet, he found himself going over the possibilities.

Belle was a good interruption, sparing him from that darkness. He was shirtless under his blankets, but it seemed unlikely she would see his scars in the night. Still, he tugged the sheets up a little, trying to cover the more jagged ones.]

I'll be right there.

[He didn't bother to dress in his full garb. Just a linen shirt and simple pants were enough, along with bare feet. Out of the room, they didn't have to worry about being so loud.]

You can't sleep?