[b]Collaboration between basically all of the people in the RP (except DSW, and I guess Vicier is a part of us now too)[/b]

Edric tossed and turned in his sleep, the only thing keeping him from lying directly on the cold stone floor being the thin sheets and pillows the group managed to procure that hadn't disintegrated into useless threads in their hands.

What little sleep Edric *did* get, however, was riddled with fitful and restless dreams that did little but make doze off for thirty minutes, only to awaken again in an absolutely confused state - rinse and repeat. 

There was one dream, however, that stuck out; lasted longer, felt the most real to him...

*Edric found himself standing in what appeared to be a small village, except he wasn't there at all...he could see in front of him as usual, and felt like himself, but people either didn't take notice of him or simply walked right through him. He was little more than a ghost, an intangible spectator watching events unfold before him. 

Though the village that served as his current setting would have been homey and friendly under normal circumstances, an air of dread was upon it like a thick cloud, as though impending danger was not far. The few villagers that remained near him all seemed to hurry towards the village square, marked by a somewhat pitiful fountain that looked as though it had been built decades ago, and hadn't been maintained for just as long. 

The villagers, all on the verge of cowering to their knees circled around a single individual who stood out amongst the rest. The figure wore thick black robes that flowed about their frame, giving him or her the impression of a dancing shadow or distorted bat, the figure's gender, physique, and appearance hidden beneath the black fabric; a hood drawn over their face to hide their visage. 

"Wh-what is it you want, Dark One? We're just a poor village...we have nothing of value!" One of the townspeople, braver than the rest spoke up, his voice stammering and flimsy

The hooded figure, now identified as The Dark One turned its head to the villager in question, revealing at least *part* of his visage underneath. The lower half of his face was covered by similar black cloth, the little parts of his skin that could be seen were pallid, sickly, veins bulging out of his forehead. His eyes were an icy blue color, as if frozen over completely, both alive yet dead at the same time. As though The Dark One was ltitle more than a lich, a soul in an otherwise dead shell. 

"Oh...you know why I'm here." The Dark One replied, his voice cold and menacing, a dark edge to it cutting into the already tense atmosphere. Though Edric didn't recognize the voice himself, he felt a certain sense of remembrance to it...as though the man, or thing, underneath the hood was familiar. 

Without waiting for a response from the townspeople, The Dark One continued, this time darting his head between the villagers; as if studying for a deception of the eyes. "I seek an artifact, a compass to be precise...one that is said to point towards something the user has lost and wishes to find again. My...sources have led me here. Now...Where. Is. It?" The Dark One demanded, his voice becoming more hostile, more impatient; clearly not wishing to waste time. 

Edric shuddered as he watched the scene take place. Rumpelstiltskin was frightening, perhaps the most frightening being he'd ever crossed...but at least he had the facade of madness and nonchalance. This person, however, lacked such a front - preferring to get down to business with no distractions. 

"The Lost and Found is, safely, out of your hands, Dark One." Another villager spoke up, stepping forward amidst the still crowds. He wore a tattered robe and tunic, various bottles and vials strapped to his person through belts and bandoliers - an alchemist. 

The Dark One glowered at the alchemist for a moment, as if sizing him up before a single hand shot out in front of him; an unseen force beginning to strangle the potionmaster where he stood, forcing him to claw at the unseen hands around his throat. 

"It appears this town will be *less* cooperative than I would like." The Dark One began, not releasing his hold on the alchemist as he spoke. 

"Let's see if we can change that." The warlock finished as he squeezed his hand tighter, a sickening *crunch* sounding as the alchemist's neck snapped, his lifeless corpse falling to the dirt ground in a heap. 

Edric could only look on in horror as The Dark One slowly pulled down the cloth that covered his mouth and drew his large hood back, revealing himself as none other than....himself. 

Edric's mouth was agape as he saw his doppelgänger in front of him, an alternate version of himself...the New Dark One. His hair, usually dark brown, had begun to gray, losing its luster and youthfulness. His skin had become grossly pale, even moreso than he originally appeared under his cowl. Wrinkles had formed around his mouth and eyes, giving him a more aged appearance than before. His lips had paled to nearly a blue color, and his teeth, formerly straight and white had become crooked, rotton, and almost....sharpened? 

Before the confrontation could continue, everything around him faded away into nothingness...*

Waking up with a start, Edric placed a single hand over his heart to control his heavy breathing, nearly hyperventilating as he struggled to determine where and when he was. 

Realizing he was still in Snow White's castle, thankfully normal, Edric slowed his breathing, wiping cold sweat off his brow and rubbing his tired eyes. He wasn't sure what time it was, but he knew he wouldn't be getting any more sleep. 

Snow was already awake when Edric got up. She was used to getting up shortly after sunrise and going to sleep quickly after sunset, one week in the modern world hadn't managed to erase her feudal habits. Her sleep had been unremarkable, it was pleasent to be in a familiar place, even if the recent news was not very satisfying. 

She made a quick lap of the surrounding area, even though she knew that someone else had been on watch. She didn't see anything to be concerned about, so she returned to the bedroom where she saw Edric was now awake. He had a worried expression on his face, so she said "Everything alright? Did you have trouble sleeping?"

Edric appeared to jump slightly as Snow's voice pierced through the silence like a fine blade. Under normal circumstances, he'd probably have heard her approach, but his senses were still rattled. He'd had this nightmare before, or at least something *like* it. He would never have opposed the prospect of perhaps becoming The Dark One...but he'd never had dreams of it before, let alone two. 

"Oh, uh...yes, I'm fine. Just a nightmare is all, nothing to worry about." Edric reassured in a slightly shaken voice, running a hand through his tangled mess of hair as he did so. "What I wouldn't give for a cup of tea right now, though." He added on a slightly different tangent, his tone drifting off as though he were talking more to himself than to Snow. 

"What about you? You haven't spoken terribly much since we left the camp, Snow...I know it has to be hard, finding your home like this. Want to talk about it?" He offered, his voice filled with sincere and genuine sympathy, lacking the sharp, haughty tone he preferred to carry when conversing with others - a habit from being a cat, maybe. 

"I've been doing a lot of thinking, five years of sleep has left a lot to ponder. It's sad to see this, but I've been through so much I'm not even sure this ranks in my top 10 tragedies. I do want to talk, I want to know what's been going on with you since we met last. If you know anything about what happened in that other town, I'd be interested to hear it." said Snow.

"Storybrooke, eh?" Edric asked rhetorically, cupping his chin as he was formulating a concise summary in his head. "Well, I haven't been there for five years, as a start. I was sent to New York at first, in this brilliant country called America. Granted, it isn't so brilliant when you're dressed as a carny in a world filled with mechanical horses and buildings stacked on top of each other. But I got used to it quick. Became something of a floater, worked at jobs all over the place. Let's see..." Edric paused before continuing, counting his fingers and mumbling under his breath.

"I was a street magician, short-time chef, mixologist, casino card dealer, one-time band manager - that one didn't end too well - and the occasional musician. Oh yeah, fun times. But, as seems to be the case in my life lately, something has to always ruin the fun. In this case I had the realization that I had to go to Storybrooke and be the 'Savior' of sorts. Though I'd rather call myself an 'Organizer', or perhaps the cool, handsome foil who saved the day without trying to. But I digress; I came to Storybrooke with vague directions and a bit of money left to my name. You were still asleep at the time I arrived. I managed to get involved with Her Majesty, the Evil Queen within about two days of my arrival, arranged more business with Rumpelstiltskin before that, became loved by the town, then ostracized by the town, then loved by the town again within my first week; and then kind-of let you finish the job with Puppy-Eyes." Edric finally finished, hardly seeming to take a breath in-between paragraphs as he spoke. However, given his expression, he seemed quite pleased by his summarizing of events. 

Snow stared for a moment, blinking slowly. She started speaking a few times, but never managed to finish a thought. "Did she kno- You worked with Rump- Ostracized? I think I know less now than I did before." 

Edric's expression quickly turned to one of confusion of his own, as if he was surprised that she was unable to follow along with his summary. "Unfortunately, most of my tenure was filled with boring things like grocery shopping and conversing between more *interesting* things like--" Before going on, Edric thought on what he was about to say (with a pensive expression), before finally saying in a more cautious tone, "You know what? The grocery shopping *was* pretty interesting. Did you know that they have a machine that purifies milk for you? Filters out all the bacteria and makes it healthy? Or that tomatoes are *actually* a fruit? Brilliant stuff...groceries..." Edric seemed to trail off, his voice losing the cheerful resolve it held earlier in his strange spiel on produce. 

"Yes, I do have memories of that. They're kind of vague, like I went through what they call college over there, but I don't remember anyone or any events. I just know what I learned, but not what I've done. Strangely, a lot of it seems to be about how to teach children. I enjoy hearing about your life, it makes me realize the value of the feudal system, but right now I would like to hear about life in Storybrooke and what happened to everyone else."

Edric seemed puzzled at first, but replied nonetheless. "Everyone else? They were all under Regina's Curse, barring herself and Rumpelstiltskin...fake memories, fake lives, fake *everything*. There were even faces there not native to The Enchanted Forest...there was a storybook I was given to by The Dark One...one that I first read to you in the hospital, one your....daring prince read to awaken you. It was a history book, a chronicle of sorts. The Curse spread *further* than The Enchanted Forest. It hit The Land Without Color, and even Oz of all places. But everyone coexisted, in an ignorant bliss of sorts." Edric finished, his tone becoming more thoughtful and musing as he did so.

She paused for a moment before saying "So, everyone just continued on with their fake memories for those five years? There were people from other realms there too? I have to say, it is an accomplishment to rule a place like that and establish peace and prosperity. I suppose she had to use magic, but imagine how much better it would have been if someone deserving had been in charge."

"Better? There is no 'better' when it comes to a town filled with idealized citizens unaware of their *true* selves. The only way for there to be true peace is with absolute freedom. Take Wonderland for example...my home was kept at peace for many years, and we shunned rules to the point that the laws of physics, day, night, and the seasons were no longer necessary. We were happy because we were completely free of rules, of restrictions...free from sanity." Edric chuckled slightly, almost as if reminiscing. "I suppose you'll see soon enough. The Queen of Hearts has tried her hardest to impose order upon us...but one cannot create something as powerful as order in a land that will not allow it." 

"Oi! Your Highness, Cat," 

Killian walked up to the two of them and handed them their rations, before he said to two of them, "You two should eat. We need to go soon...Some ogres are on their way here," He then walked back towards where the mirror was, while he took a bite out of his stale biscuit.

As a certain shadow man dropped down from some of the darkened, unbroken ceiling, Knox took the time to also fix Killian with a rather critical look, "Ogres? Why would they be closing in on this particular location? If they are coming, I could always check out their locations quickly in order to see which entrance they'd be coming in through."

"Ogres?" Edric repeated in a curious tone, disappearing from his spot and reappearing just beside Killian as he walked away, the illusionist conjuring an ornate stone chair out of thin air before sitting down....or so he appeared to. "I haven't heard any ogres...they're not exactly known for their quiet manners." Edric observed aloud, his blue eyes seeming to bore holes into Killian, as if trying to read him, study for any deceit. As if on cue, there was a loud sound coming from outside, as if something large had fallen hard.

Bursting into the room with a big ole grin on her face moments after, a certain mercenary has a crazed excuted look on her face, "S'op eer s'uaeen, we go'a 'o!" Jill wiped the sweat dripping from her brow, dancing from standing on one foot to the other, before realising that she left the door wide open. Scrambling over, she slammed the doors closed and barred it with great importance, turning to stare over at each of the room occupants before stuffing half a fist into her mouth to help her speech, "Tha' was fun, but now we really gotta go...!"

Lifting her hand from her side, and her hand out of her mouth, Jill began a long incoherent monologue about...something about the truth of human violence, how to bake the perfect tofurkey, and the secret of magic...maybe. Really, half of the speech was her hand gestures. None of it, garbled talk or hand gestures, were coherent.

"A good morning, indeed!" Edric put in, his voice slightly indignant, as if the ogres had quite literally ruined his morning as opposed to threatening his life. "Well, worse come to worst, I can always throw this at them." He suggested, tossing his stale biscuit in the air like a ball before catching it again. 

Standing up from his 'chair', which soundly disappeared into smoke (an illusion most likely), Edric's expression once again became more observant, distrustful even as he looked closely at Jill. "Wait a moment...what was fun? What on earth did you do?" Edric asked, quickly looking around for any windows or crevices he could look out of for any enemies. "Playing tag with ogres, are we? That won't do at all! Well, then, I suppose time to visit home sooner than expected." With a twirl of his hand, a felt top hat appeared in Edric's palm, promptly put atop his head (with an extra pat on the top for good measure). 

"I shall not return from my extended vacation *without* looking my best. Now...let's make haste!" Edric said excitedly before sprinting off towards the Looking Glass. Jill hopped up and down, clapping her hands loudly before pointing and nodding at Edric the Cat's exclaimation with mad approval. 

The shadow man seemed to have been only slightly shaken by the sound of gods knows what from outside, but otherwise seemed to have only just moved a little closer to the  mirror...as if, just in case they really needed to leave, Knox would only be but a few strides away.

Killian looked confused...all of a sudden his lie became a truth and when he looked at Jill, he realized that she was the reason they stopped questioning him. After Snow, Knox, and Henry walked on ahead and were completely out of earshot, he looked at Jill and he asked her quietly, loud enough for only Jill to hear him, "Jill...What happened out there?" He wanted to know if the ogres were really coming, without giving Jill any inkling of why he lied. 

Jill, on the other hand, was making big ole sparkly 'are you proud of me' kid eyes at Killian when nobody was watching. Making a big sweeping, presenting gesture with her hands enthusiastically. Both in a 'after you, princess' and 'tah dah!' manner.

Killian blinked at Jill's look in her eyes, and her gesture, and he caught onto her intention immediately: she must have felled a tree in order to make his lie a truth. He nodded and as he mumbled "Ah," in understanding.

He nodded a thanks to Jill and followed after Henry to the mirror, before letting Jill question him about why he lied...but the mercenary really didn't look like she was listening, at all.

Snow walked with Henry to the room with the mirror, saying a few words quietly to him. "I'm beginning to doubt the competence of our companions. Jill is becoming a liability quite rapidly, and I have no idea why Killian puts up with her. Either he's been ignoring her behavior for quite a long time, or he knew and didn't tell us. At this rate he's either dangerously incompetant himself or decieving us, I'm not sure which is worse."

"Oh don't worry about them." Edric began in a nonchalant tone before lowering his voice to match her own quiet tone, "Newcomers have an easy time getting lost in Wonderland. But you stay with me and I'll be sure you get out...we can just abandon the others if need be." He finished with a small shrug, the casualness to his voice off-setting the frankly treasonous words. 

"Wow...am I supposed to be impressed by such a gracious offer from such an upright citizen of crazy town?" No longer standing further away on his own, Knox was now standing beside the two. Arms crossed, he leaned down ever so slightly to adjust to their height differences, but he did seem vaguely amused...though the swirling darkness of his presence was overbearing in his close proximity, "But, I'll politely accept your offer. That being said, I'll follow the guide,"

"I can protect you if your own two hands aren't enough...*if he will.*" The last portion was spoken quite obviously to Mary, or Snow, whichever...a jab at Edric, and his earlier 'smart', yet selfcentric flee tactics. Dropping back down into the shadow he stood upon, cast by a pile of brick and dust debris, the shadow man stepped out from some shade behind the mirror and stood beside. Holding a hand out, he caught a wine bottle dropping out from a dark spot of shade at the ceiling, casually and even absently just turning it over in his hands as he inspected the labelling, "Oh, how fortunate. Look what I found."

"I appreciate the offer, Knox, but I hope it doesn't come to it. I know Edric isn't exactly a fighter, but if he keeps his head he should stay ok. You're growing on me, I'm beginning to get over that whole fake marriage thing. And I think we should save that bottle for another time, unless alcohol affects shadow people differently." She stopped when she reached the mirror, and waited for the rest to show up.

Edric seemed to ignore Knox as he spoke, either too focused to listen, or not willing to exert the effort speaking to the man. Instead, he chose to slowly approach the Looking Glass, letting his hand brush over the rippling surface, feeling the cool glass warp between his fingers. 

Silent, he turned back and nodded to Snow before placing one foot into the threshold, the glass seeming to open around his leg as it penetrated the surface before enveloping around it. Edric wasted no time stepping through entirely, the only sign of his former appearance being the still-rippling glass before it settled. 

Killian looked to Knox and Jill before he too walked through the Looking Glass, knowing very well that Jill would easily push him in if he didn't walk in himself.

Snow figured now was as good a time as any to walk through the glass. She didn't want to be alone with the others, she didn't trust them like she did Henry. He had the courage to go first, something that she appreciated. She hadn't seen that much of him under stress, but this was a positive sign. She took a deep breath and stepped through, waving goodbye to the others. She wondered if they would even bother to follow.

With a wide smile and another presenting hand gesture towards the mirror's portal, Jill was certainly...well, not too pleased to find that Knox how gone from beside the mirror to the other side of the room. Sticking her thumb in her mouth, pouting, a little cheesed, "Aw'et ooo go'a go?"

"Ladies first?" Answering rather dismissively with a similar hand gesture for her to just leave, the shadow man was actively staring at the closed door.

For a moment, she wanted to ask him if he wanted to stick around to ogres...but since he was a guy who popped up and around in an instant, has a big (dunno?) gas cloud of something non-flamable (gods knows she snuck up and tried!)--wait a second.

"Wait. Edric the cat...is a lady?"

".........yes."

Nodding slowly at this...yes. Yes, everything was starting to click into place! The signs were there! First being a cat, magically teleporting, then turning into a man, conjuring, going from Henry to Edric in name...Edric the cat was a lady! Wait, that didn't sound exactly right, maybe she mixed up a thought here or there. Huh. Absently rubbing her lips with two fingers, forgetting about the shade, Jill stepping into the portal herself.

In the empty room, Knox let out a sigh and looked down at his wristwatch, at the time it would have been in Storybrooke. Finally, he disappeared for almost a minute, before reappearing in the same spot. There was a violently felled tree, but... "No ogres." A almost earnest, thoughtful look...mouth slowly curled to a grin. This was a trap if he'd seen one, or something else utterly _interesting_.

Dropping in a floor shadow, and down beside the mirror, the shadow man touched the frame gingerly. It should be fine for him to lie by omission, at least this once. So long as they got their Alice, and he knew what was up, it shouldn't be a problem. Eyeing it up rather critically just one last time, the darkened figure of Knox stepped through the liquid surface of the magic mirror.