Lord Wyron
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- Old Guild Username: TwistedShadow98
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- ████████████ 12 yrs ago
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Most Recent Posts
Thank you kindly, Ruby :P
Henry stormed out from the bed & breakfast silently, his face seemingly frozen into a single expression: anger. The cold breeze swept against him, as if attempting to push him away from his task, but he pressed on through.
The pawn shop was a short walk away from the inn, the sign dimmed and the sign in front of the door labeled "closed" to signify the shop was empty...or was it?
Henry snuck around the side of the building, trying to duck under any window in his way to avoid being caught in case Mr. Gold was still inside. He reflexively clenched his fist in anticipation. He knew never to underestimate or challenge Rumpelstiltskin: but this was Mr. Gold. He was sure he could take the pawnbroker in a fight; a kick to that bad leg could take him down with relative ease.
The back door of the building came into view as Henry turned a corner, feeling a small smile curl at the edge of his lips; now was his chance.
He stepped up to the door, trying the knob to check if the door was locked or not. He backed away about 6 feet from the door before jutting his shoulder out and attempting to ram the door in. The first attempt elicited a loud *clang* and a wounded shoulder.
Henry couldn't mask a wince as the precognitive tingling transformed into a sharp ache in his shoulder. He swallowed the pain for the time being and backed away slightly further before charging again.
The door burst open with a *crack*, revealing what was hidden behind the austere curtain behind the counter.
Henry slowly tried to close the door, but it hung ajar; unable to close properly again from the damage. He shook his head and continued on with his search.
He remembered hearing the rumors of the Snow Queen, Elsa, and that she was somehow associated with Rumpelstiltskin. It was said she became so powerful that even He feared her wrath. So he trapped her inside a snowglobe where she would pose no threat to him anymore.
Henry figured that, if he could free Elsa, he could also bring back magic. For surely someone as powerful-sounding as her would bring some form of magic back with her. He scuttled throughout the back of the shop, looking through shelf after shelf for any sign of a snowglobe and finding none.
He let his eyes roam to the upper shelves of the shop, stopping abruptly as he could of sworn he saw a refulgent, if not somewhat dim light. He pulled out a box from some random corner of the room and stood upon it, just able to let his fingers brush lightly against the glass orb of the snowglobe.
Pushing himself up on the tips of his toes he was able to get enough of a grasp to pull the snowglobe off the shelf, where it rested gently in the palm of his hand. He looked about to make sure no one had followed him and hastily rushed out the door.
He continued running under cover of darkness until he found himself entering the woodsy region of Storybrooke, the sound of grass crunching underneath his feet until he couldn't run anymore.
Panting, he sat down atop a tree stump, looking closely at the snowglobe. Standing, he let his eyes shut and hoped beyond hope that this would work. He lifted his arm up above his head and threw it down with as much force as he could muster, the snowglobe shattering upon he ground; jagged shards of glass spread about the area.
Henry stared at the destroyed remains, chest heaving as he continued to regain a hold of his breath from his mini-marathon before. Seconds turned to minutes, and it had been over 10 minutes before Henry finally realized that Elsa would *not* be coming through.
He let himself sink down to his knees, fresh tears falling down his cheeks as he could only stare at the remains of the snowglobe: shattered apart like the little hope he had held onto.
Too tired to cry anymore, he stood silently and walked away...
The pawn shop was a short walk away from the inn, the sign dimmed and the sign in front of the door labeled "closed" to signify the shop was empty...or was it?
Henry snuck around the side of the building, trying to duck under any window in his way to avoid being caught in case Mr. Gold was still inside. He reflexively clenched his fist in anticipation. He knew never to underestimate or challenge Rumpelstiltskin: but this was Mr. Gold. He was sure he could take the pawnbroker in a fight; a kick to that bad leg could take him down with relative ease.
The back door of the building came into view as Henry turned a corner, feeling a small smile curl at the edge of his lips; now was his chance.
He stepped up to the door, trying the knob to check if the door was locked or not. He backed away about 6 feet from the door before jutting his shoulder out and attempting to ram the door in. The first attempt elicited a loud *clang* and a wounded shoulder.
Henry couldn't mask a wince as the precognitive tingling transformed into a sharp ache in his shoulder. He swallowed the pain for the time being and backed away slightly further before charging again.
The door burst open with a *crack*, revealing what was hidden behind the austere curtain behind the counter.
Henry slowly tried to close the door, but it hung ajar; unable to close properly again from the damage. He shook his head and continued on with his search.
He remembered hearing the rumors of the Snow Queen, Elsa, and that she was somehow associated with Rumpelstiltskin. It was said she became so powerful that even He feared her wrath. So he trapped her inside a snowglobe where she would pose no threat to him anymore.
Henry figured that, if he could free Elsa, he could also bring back magic. For surely someone as powerful-sounding as her would bring some form of magic back with her. He scuttled throughout the back of the shop, looking through shelf after shelf for any sign of a snowglobe and finding none.
He let his eyes roam to the upper shelves of the shop, stopping abruptly as he could of sworn he saw a refulgent, if not somewhat dim light. He pulled out a box from some random corner of the room and stood upon it, just able to let his fingers brush lightly against the glass orb of the snowglobe.
Pushing himself up on the tips of his toes he was able to get enough of a grasp to pull the snowglobe off the shelf, where it rested gently in the palm of his hand. He looked about to make sure no one had followed him and hastily rushed out the door.
He continued running under cover of darkness until he found himself entering the woodsy region of Storybrooke, the sound of grass crunching underneath his feet until he couldn't run anymore.
Panting, he sat down atop a tree stump, looking closely at the snowglobe. Standing, he let his eyes shut and hoped beyond hope that this would work. He lifted his arm up above his head and threw it down with as much force as he could muster, the snowglobe shattering upon he ground; jagged shards of glass spread about the area.
Henry stared at the destroyed remains, chest heaving as he continued to regain a hold of his breath from his mini-marathon before. Seconds turned to minutes, and it had been over 10 minutes before Henry finally realized that Elsa would *not* be coming through.
He let himself sink down to his knees, fresh tears falling down his cheeks as he could only stare at the remains of the snowglobe: shattered apart like the little hope he had held onto.
Too tired to cry anymore, he stood silently and walked away...
Just letting everyone know that I will be officially pulling out of this rp due to other commitments. Good luck guys!
Name: Nick Chopper, (Curse Name: Mark Dufresne)
Appearance:
--
Wardrobe Style: Trying to adjust to a more modern feel while still keeping to his vintage roots, Nick's typical apparel now consists of a dark brown leather coat over a tucked-in button-down shirt with a plain white t-shirt underneath, along with khakis or suit pants, a black leather belt, dark brown brogue boots, and a leather-strapped Rolex watch on his wrist.
Example Outfits:
Age: 44
Status and Job: Former woodsman, worked as a fireman for five years.
Skills: Having worked as a woodsman for many years, and a fireman for five more, Nick is in excellent physical condition, his strength, speed, and stamina far above-average, especially for a man of his age. Practically living his entire life in the woods of Oz, Nick displays exceptional survival skills; his well-built physique coupled with his knowledge make him a natural survivalist. Branching off from this, Nick is a capable navigator, surveyor, and map-reader, his navigational skills adept enough that he can guide his way out of any woods just by following the stars and/or sun. Lastly, Nick's tenure as Mark Dufresne has left him an adept mechanical skill, though this is typically limited to things like his truck, or small household appliances.
Talents: Nick is an inherit odd-job man, and has always found that working with his hands comes easy to him; whether it be working with wood and lumber, metal, or even smaller things like the Civil War model table he keeps in his basement. Secondly, Nick has always found that he has an easy time speaking to children, possibly stemming from the close relationship he had with is own son, Mason back in Oz. Thirdly, Nick has both a focused, hardworking temperament, and high levels of stress-management. Because of this, he can easily take control of situations that are going out of hand and work with others to find a solution, a natural leader. Lastly, while not as intellectual or scholarly as others like Mr. Gold or Dr. Hopper are, Nick shows great knowledge in the fields of military history, strategy, early U.S. history, politics, weapon care and maintenance, and basic medicine (stemming from his camping experience).
Strengths: Nick is a single-minded and strong-willed individual, determined to stick to his values and accomplish his goals. Because of this, it's incredibly difficult, if not impossible to change his mind on something if he stands firm in his beliefs. Though this occasionally makes him irritatingly stubborn, it also allows him to function as a strong tether for others. Nick also is somewhat chivalrous when it comes to interacting with others, this trait even transferring over to Mark Dufresne as he would frequently help out the Storybrooke Nuns whenever they asked for volunteers. Branching of from this, Nick's temperament is perhaps most different from Mark's in that he is much friendlier and more helpful than Mark was, lacking the 'sleeping' fireman's brash and cold demeanor.
Weaknesses: Still without a heart, Nick has a difficult time feeling any emotions whatsoever, finding love to be the most difficult to perceive. Because of this, he is unable to react to others in an empathetic or sympathetic way, instead showing indifference. His years spent as the Tin Man have also affected him negatively, making him unnaturally afraid of enclosed spaces, heavy machinery, and loud noises; these fears deep enough to cause severe anxiety, visual and auditory hallucinations, and even panic attacks. Lastly, his years as both a woodsman and a fireman have left him with tendonitis in his shoulder, causing him deep chronic pain only treated with pain medication. As a result of this, Nick has become dependent on Aspirin as a relief to this pain, reaching a point where even functioning requires multiple pills a day to deal with the pain.
Relationships: With the Curse now broken and memories returned, Nick is struggling to figure out who his friends and enemies are in Storybrooke, though he takes Mark Dufresne's own relationships as a basis for himself.
Brief Bio: Wandering the woods of Oz in a mechanical body, the Tin Man was suddenly transported to the Land Without Magic by an Evil Queen. Implanted with the identity of Mark Dufresne, he was left with no memories of who he was before, believing himself to be a simple fireman who hadn't married, or had any children. He lived like this for five years until the newcomer, Henry Carlyle came to Storybrooke; breaking the Curse and freeing the inhabitants of their false memories. Now awoken, Nick has to deal with memories of his old life while reconnecting with his long-lost son.
Music Gallery
Other: Nick has a pet German Shepherd dog named Grip who he owned since the Curse was cast. Also, while not practicing often Nick shows some skill when it comes to playing guitar, though he rarely shares this skill with anyone.
Name: Formerly Nick Chopper, currently named the Steel Monger. Is mockingly referred to as the 'Tin Man' to some people.
Appearance:
--
Wardrobe Style: While still entirely whole, Nick Chopper wore clothing that was simple and efficient, bearing his job and status. His typical attire consisted of a brown leather jerkin with a large belt over a simple laced shirt with a small, drab brown neckerchief tucked into the collar. With this he wore simple brown trousers and rawhide boots that were knee-high in height. For efficiency in work, he had an over-the-shoulder sling on his back for his axe, and a rough leather sheath for his hunting knife at his hip.
Height: Formerly 5'9", currently 7 feet tall.
Weight: 583 pounds
Age: Unknown, presumably over 40 years old.
Affiliation: True Neutral
Magic Capabilities: Though not inherently magical, the Steel Monger has gained a few special abilities from his mechanical modifications. Having been built with survivability in mind, his body is extremely resistant to both physical and magical attacks. Likewise, he is also exceedingly durable; and can withstand incredible amounts of damage before requiring serious repair. The Steel Monger is also gifted with incredible strength, being able to lift a grown man off the ground with a single hand, or chop down a large tree in 2 or 3 strikes with his axe.
Weapons: Besides his great strength, the Steel Monger's only weapon is a simple woodsman's axe.
Strengths: Exceptional strength and durability, incorruptible will, undying loyalty, extensive knowledge of the forests of Oz, purely rational thinking due to a lack of a heart, has no need to eat, drink, sleep, or expel waste, and cannot feel pain.
Weaknesses: Sheer size and weight make him very slow and clumsy, giving him a disadvantage against quicker, more acrobatic enemies. Lack of heart destroys any sense of empathy or compassion. Prone to rusting if subject to rain or water. Requires mundane repairs every so often.
Relationships: Though the Steel Monger lacks any friends or allies of his own, his reputation is quite well-spread throughout Oz as a mysterious 'Guardian of the Woods'
Brief Bio: Before having a body made of steel, the Monger was at one point a woodsman named Nick Chopper, who lived in a small village that traded in lumber. Nick made little, and could only afford a small cottage, but found solace in the company of his wife Catherine, and son Mason. The three of them were happy in the village, with Nick bringing in the main source of income through woodcutting, and Catherine making a little extra with knitting and embroidering. All was fine for a few years until the day Zelena, the Wicked Witch of the West, visited to reap one of the villagers as a new servant. Catherine was chosen by the Witch, and Nick, in a fit of fury, grabbed his faithful axe and charged at Zelena; who disarmed him easily. As punishment for his insolence, Zelena ripped Catherine's heart out, and crushed it in front of him before taking Mason to her palace instead. Unbeknownst to Nick, a curse was placed on his axe that caused him to chop off his own limbs one by one - each time having the part replaced with a prosthetic wrought of steel and tin. This process continued on until all that was left of the man before were the mangled remains of his chest and head, both encased in metal to preserve them. His heart, too, was left behind by the steelsmith who repaired him; lacking the skill to implant it or forge a new one. Now the Steel Monger, little more than an emotionless machine, wanders the woods of Oz, filling his days with chopping down trees and killing dangerous creatures that stalk the forests.
Music Gallery
Other: The Tin Man wears a somewhat ornate heart-shaped locket around his neck that Catherine was given by Nick Chopper in the early days of their marriage; a gift the woodsman loved so greatly that even as a heartless machine, he could not bear to part with it after her tragic death.
We ALWAYS need more females!
I, personally, wouldn't mind. I'm working on a few concepts myself for a possible second character :P
Collaboration between Ghost Shadow and YoshiSkittlez
--
By the time Henry had walked back to his car and drove back to Granny's, it was late in the evening, the sky completely dark with only the moon and stars to light the way aside from the occasional street lamp.
He parked right by the bed & breakfast, tapping something akin to a beat on the steering wheel as the car rumbled to a stop.
He rubbed his eyes as he got out of the car, humming something to himself as he closed the car door, locking it in the process. Turning on his heel, he started to make his way towards the front door, oblivious to the woman leaning against the hood of a black 560 LS Mercedes Benz with her arms crossed over her chest.
"So you must be the new guy." Regina's voice called out to Henry from behind him. She opted not to move from her relaxed position leaning against her car, and instead kept her arms folded over her chest, her eyes looking Henry's vehicle up and down with a look on her face as if a cat had just vomited on her heels.
Henry stopped mid-stride as he heard the cutting voice ask him a question. "Popular today, aren't I?" He mumbled under his breath before turning, managing a smile even when looking into the face of the Evil Queen.
"You would be correct, madam. Henry Carlyle, pleasure to meet you." He greeted, holding out his hand to shake and praying to whatever God there was that she wasn't offended by such an action.
Regina took one look at his hand, and didn't even so much as budge her own arms.
"Such a civil, formal greeting..." She said with what almost sounded like a sneer. "...and yet you have no idea who I am..." Regina removed herself from leaning against her car and walked a small semi-circle around Henry, stopping only when her back was to his car, now leaning her back against the rear passenger side door; mostly because she just didn't want to look at it. Finally, Regina stuck out her hand to shake his, plastering on what didn't even look like a half-assed attempt of a smile.
"Regina Mills, Mayor. I simply stopped by to introduce myself. We don't get many visitors here in Storybrooke, so as you can imagine, word of your arrival reached me pretty quickly. As mayor, I take it upon myself to...get to know our guests, make sure they have everything they need to make their stay here more...comfortable..."
Henry shook her hand with a bow of his head and a smile, attempting to diffuse any suspicion or hostility at this time. "Well, a fine pleasure to meet you, Madam Mayor. I believe this meeting is more than mere coincidence. I heard you were having an issue with employment in the school...English, I think. So I have taken it upon myself to offer my services as a substitute until a more suitable replacement can be found - not to sully my own ability, mind you." He finished, placing both hands in his coat pockets.
Immediately, Regina's black eyebrow raised as she folded her hands back into her arms across her chest.
"You've talked to Mr. Gold..." Regina observed, rolling her eyes and breathing out quickly through her nose in annoyance; not directed towards Henry though, as she looked away from him while doing so, and then looked back to him.
"I'm afraid I am in no need of your services, Mr. Carlyle. I simply can not hire a complete stranger into our school district where the safety of our children is most concerned." Her tone was flat, with just a tinge of belittling on the underside, though there was no effort on her part to hide it; almost as if it were on purpose. "Besides..." She went on, speaking normally once again. "...you're just passing through." It wasn't said as an assumption, but more of a demand, and Regina split her lips to a soft, white smile.
"That's fair enough, I suppose. But if you happen to change your mind, I'll be here a couple weeks." He informed, still keeping a friendly composure even though all instincts said to turn and run.
"So, uh...nice town you got here! It's got a quaint, sort of rustic feel to it. What's the word I'm looking for; ah, yes, charm. Good work!" He complimented whilst subtly rocking back and forth on his feet.
"A few weeks?" Regina repeated with a soft laugh in her throat, apparently this amused her. She skipped right over the part he played into about how 'charming' the town was and cut straight to the chase. "And just what is your business here in Storybrooke that would warrant such an elaborate vacation?"
"I wanted to go somewhere more quiet, peaceful. New York is a terrible place to live if you want peace and quiet-"
"Try a library." Regina interjected quickly.
"...So a couple week's stay felt best for a reprieve before I head back. I already paid at the inn...is there a problem?" He asked, though not in an accusing manner, but instead playing on the ignorant tourist trope.
Regina's eyes closed for a moment as she let out another soft exhale, contradicting her next words.
"No." She said looking back upon Henry turning her lips into a sweet smile. "No problem at all. In fact...why don't you stop by my place tomorrow evening for dinner? At least that way I can welcome you properly for your prolonged stay..."
"Well..." Henry began, as if thinking on the offer whilst letting his eyes wander down to the mayor's rather ample bosom (to which he subtly seemed pleased about) before eventually responding.
"That sounds lovely! Should be a nice evening." He said cheerily, not letting that grin fade from his face.
Regina adjusted her arms a bit that had remained folded across her chest as a clear indication of her catching him looking at her and non-verbally saying 'yeah, I got boobs...'
"Then I'll see you tomorrow." She said tilting her head to the side thoughtfully at him, keeping her same, sweet smile on her lips. "Shall we say...6:30?" She let up her smile to smirk just a bit and began to walk back to her car, not even giving the chance for Henry to respond. She was in control here, not him.
She pulled open her car door and began to slide herself in when her eyes happened upon the clock tower for the first time that day, losing all control of her poker face when she realized that it was working.
Her eyes shot from the clock tower to Henry, and then back to the clock with a mixture of shock and confusion written across her face, though said nothing as she pulled herself into the driver's seat and slammed the car door shut, starting up the engine with more force than what was necissary.
Henry did little but offer a short wave before heading towards the door to the inn once again. "Why are all the evil ones attractive?" He asked himself before heading inside.
Trying to be as quiet as possible as he walked up the old, creaky steps to his room, he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding once he stepped into his room. Dinner with the Evil Queen - he had no idea how he managed to rope himself into that one. "It's alright, Chesh, just gotta go to dinner, make small talk, and leave with hopefully no injury. What could go wrong?" He asked himself bitterly.
He removed his coat, letting it fall messily to the floor - he would worry about cleanliness another day. His eyes wandered over to Alice's diary that remained at its same spot on the bedside table.
Overcome with curiosity, Henry figured now would be the best time to see what exactly his sister had left for him. No doubt, if she were alive, she would be more than furious at him pilfering through her personals, but he believed he was now exempt from that rule.
He lifted the key from its place around his neck and easily inserted it into the keyhole (which had not seemed to rust or degrade over time). With a twist of his wrist, a small click signaled that the key had worked and Henry let the leather clasp open, leaving only the cover to hide what was within.
"This is it." He said in a hushed voice, letting a single hand glide across the leather of the cover, grasping it with a firm, but gentle hand. He swept the cover open, face bright with anticipation before falling suddenly.
A multitude of emotions seemed to rush across his visage in a single moment: confusion, worry, fear, then anger.
"No..." He finally said, voice just barely above a hoarse whisper - the page in front of him was completely empty. Devoid of any drawings or writing, the paper fresh as a new day.
"No, no, no, no." He continued muttering in disbelief as he rushed through the rest of the pages, all of them completely blank.
Feeling hot tears of pain and rage sting at the edge of his eyes, Henry knocked the entire bedside table to the floor with a single swipe of his arm; not caring at the loud, resounding *crash* it made upon impact, the lamp sputtering before dying.
Henry paced about the room furiously, ignoring the sharp pain rushing through his hand from knocking the table over; running them messily through his hair, as if trying to comprehend what had just occurred. Suddenly, realization hit him like a slap to the face and, with as much venom and hatred as he could conjure in his voice, he uttered a single word - "Gold." Even in this new land, with no magic, no memories, and no identity, Rumpelstiltskin still managed to toy with him - like a plaything, a pawn in some giant game to be tortured for the Dark One's own amusement.
But now he had crossed the line, Henry no longer cared about breaking the Curse, or returning everyone back to normal. Now it was about revenge. He let his mind search back to his visit to the pawn shop, trying desperately to think of anything he could use against the Imp. Then he remembered...
"The snowglobe!" He cried out, no longer willing or able to hide his outburst before continuing his thought. If tales would have it, Rumpelstiltskin hid a powerful entity inside a snowglobe as a way to preserve his own life from her wrath. If Henry could break into the shop and release the woman from her imprisonment, not only could he have his revenge - but his magic too.
Upon reaching this conclusion, Henry grinned manically, his eyes wild with flame and fury. Without another word, he scooped up his coat and headed for the door with great haste.
--
By the time Henry had walked back to his car and drove back to Granny's, it was late in the evening, the sky completely dark with only the moon and stars to light the way aside from the occasional street lamp.
He parked right by the bed & breakfast, tapping something akin to a beat on the steering wheel as the car rumbled to a stop.
He rubbed his eyes as he got out of the car, humming something to himself as he closed the car door, locking it in the process. Turning on his heel, he started to make his way towards the front door, oblivious to the woman leaning against the hood of a black 560 LS Mercedes Benz with her arms crossed over her chest.
"So you must be the new guy." Regina's voice called out to Henry from behind him. She opted not to move from her relaxed position leaning against her car, and instead kept her arms folded over her chest, her eyes looking Henry's vehicle up and down with a look on her face as if a cat had just vomited on her heels.
Henry stopped mid-stride as he heard the cutting voice ask him a question. "Popular today, aren't I?" He mumbled under his breath before turning, managing a smile even when looking into the face of the Evil Queen.
"You would be correct, madam. Henry Carlyle, pleasure to meet you." He greeted, holding out his hand to shake and praying to whatever God there was that she wasn't offended by such an action.
Regina took one look at his hand, and didn't even so much as budge her own arms.
"Such a civil, formal greeting..." She said with what almost sounded like a sneer. "...and yet you have no idea who I am..." Regina removed herself from leaning against her car and walked a small semi-circle around Henry, stopping only when her back was to his car, now leaning her back against the rear passenger side door; mostly because she just didn't want to look at it. Finally, Regina stuck out her hand to shake his, plastering on what didn't even look like a half-assed attempt of a smile.
"Regina Mills, Mayor. I simply stopped by to introduce myself. We don't get many visitors here in Storybrooke, so as you can imagine, word of your arrival reached me pretty quickly. As mayor, I take it upon myself to...get to know our guests, make sure they have everything they need to make their stay here more...comfortable..."
Henry shook her hand with a bow of his head and a smile, attempting to diffuse any suspicion or hostility at this time. "Well, a fine pleasure to meet you, Madam Mayor. I believe this meeting is more than mere coincidence. I heard you were having an issue with employment in the school...English, I think. So I have taken it upon myself to offer my services as a substitute until a more suitable replacement can be found - not to sully my own ability, mind you." He finished, placing both hands in his coat pockets.
Immediately, Regina's black eyebrow raised as she folded her hands back into her arms across her chest.
"You've talked to Mr. Gold..." Regina observed, rolling her eyes and breathing out quickly through her nose in annoyance; not directed towards Henry though, as she looked away from him while doing so, and then looked back to him.
"I'm afraid I am in no need of your services, Mr. Carlyle. I simply can not hire a complete stranger into our school district where the safety of our children is most concerned." Her tone was flat, with just a tinge of belittling on the underside, though there was no effort on her part to hide it; almost as if it were on purpose. "Besides..." She went on, speaking normally once again. "...you're just passing through." It wasn't said as an assumption, but more of a demand, and Regina split her lips to a soft, white smile.
"That's fair enough, I suppose. But if you happen to change your mind, I'll be here a couple weeks." He informed, still keeping a friendly composure even though all instincts said to turn and run.
"So, uh...nice town you got here! It's got a quaint, sort of rustic feel to it. What's the word I'm looking for; ah, yes, charm. Good work!" He complimented whilst subtly rocking back and forth on his feet.
"A few weeks?" Regina repeated with a soft laugh in her throat, apparently this amused her. She skipped right over the part he played into about how 'charming' the town was and cut straight to the chase. "And just what is your business here in Storybrooke that would warrant such an elaborate vacation?"
"I wanted to go somewhere more quiet, peaceful. New York is a terrible place to live if you want peace and quiet-"
"Try a library." Regina interjected quickly.
"...So a couple week's stay felt best for a reprieve before I head back. I already paid at the inn...is there a problem?" He asked, though not in an accusing manner, but instead playing on the ignorant tourist trope.
Regina's eyes closed for a moment as she let out another soft exhale, contradicting her next words.
"No." She said looking back upon Henry turning her lips into a sweet smile. "No problem at all. In fact...why don't you stop by my place tomorrow evening for dinner? At least that way I can welcome you properly for your prolonged stay..."
"Well..." Henry began, as if thinking on the offer whilst letting his eyes wander down to the mayor's rather ample bosom (to which he subtly seemed pleased about) before eventually responding.
"That sounds lovely! Should be a nice evening." He said cheerily, not letting that grin fade from his face.
Regina adjusted her arms a bit that had remained folded across her chest as a clear indication of her catching him looking at her and non-verbally saying 'yeah, I got boobs...'
"Then I'll see you tomorrow." She said tilting her head to the side thoughtfully at him, keeping her same, sweet smile on her lips. "Shall we say...6:30?" She let up her smile to smirk just a bit and began to walk back to her car, not even giving the chance for Henry to respond. She was in control here, not him.
She pulled open her car door and began to slide herself in when her eyes happened upon the clock tower for the first time that day, losing all control of her poker face when she realized that it was working.
Her eyes shot from the clock tower to Henry, and then back to the clock with a mixture of shock and confusion written across her face, though said nothing as she pulled herself into the driver's seat and slammed the car door shut, starting up the engine with more force than what was necissary.
Henry did little but offer a short wave before heading towards the door to the inn once again. "Why are all the evil ones attractive?" He asked himself before heading inside.
Trying to be as quiet as possible as he walked up the old, creaky steps to his room, he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding once he stepped into his room. Dinner with the Evil Queen - he had no idea how he managed to rope himself into that one. "It's alright, Chesh, just gotta go to dinner, make small talk, and leave with hopefully no injury. What could go wrong?" He asked himself bitterly.
He removed his coat, letting it fall messily to the floor - he would worry about cleanliness another day. His eyes wandered over to Alice's diary that remained at its same spot on the bedside table.
Overcome with curiosity, Henry figured now would be the best time to see what exactly his sister had left for him. No doubt, if she were alive, she would be more than furious at him pilfering through her personals, but he believed he was now exempt from that rule.
He lifted the key from its place around his neck and easily inserted it into the keyhole (which had not seemed to rust or degrade over time). With a twist of his wrist, a small click signaled that the key had worked and Henry let the leather clasp open, leaving only the cover to hide what was within.
"This is it." He said in a hushed voice, letting a single hand glide across the leather of the cover, grasping it with a firm, but gentle hand. He swept the cover open, face bright with anticipation before falling suddenly.
A multitude of emotions seemed to rush across his visage in a single moment: confusion, worry, fear, then anger.
"No..." He finally said, voice just barely above a hoarse whisper - the page in front of him was completely empty. Devoid of any drawings or writing, the paper fresh as a new day.
"No, no, no, no." He continued muttering in disbelief as he rushed through the rest of the pages, all of them completely blank.
Feeling hot tears of pain and rage sting at the edge of his eyes, Henry knocked the entire bedside table to the floor with a single swipe of his arm; not caring at the loud, resounding *crash* it made upon impact, the lamp sputtering before dying.
Henry paced about the room furiously, ignoring the sharp pain rushing through his hand from knocking the table over; running them messily through his hair, as if trying to comprehend what had just occurred. Suddenly, realization hit him like a slap to the face and, with as much venom and hatred as he could conjure in his voice, he uttered a single word - "Gold." Even in this new land, with no magic, no memories, and no identity, Rumpelstiltskin still managed to toy with him - like a plaything, a pawn in some giant game to be tortured for the Dark One's own amusement.
But now he had crossed the line, Henry no longer cared about breaking the Curse, or returning everyone back to normal. Now it was about revenge. He let his mind search back to his visit to the pawn shop, trying desperately to think of anything he could use against the Imp. Then he remembered...
"The snowglobe!" He cried out, no longer willing or able to hide his outburst before continuing his thought. If tales would have it, Rumpelstiltskin hid a powerful entity inside a snowglobe as a way to preserve his own life from her wrath. If Henry could break into the shop and release the woman from her imprisonment, not only could he have his revenge - but his magic too.
Upon reaching this conclusion, Henry grinned manically, his eyes wild with flame and fury. Without another word, he scooped up his coat and headed for the door with great haste.
Collaboration between Ghost Shadow, Major Ursa, YoshiSkittlez, and GuardianAngelHaruki
--
The sky was starting to turn a deep purple color as the last beams of sunlight were hiding behind them. Henry found a parking space and exited the car hastily, adjusting his glasses as he examined the sign confirming he had reached the right location.
"Clever title, that. Though I doubt Rabbit would appreciate a bar being named after him." He commented to himself with a half-smile as he thought of the outburst the creature would throw, were he here to witness this.
With a shrug, Henry entered the building; the smell of cigarette smoke and booze hitting him like a freight train. The lighting, at best, was dim; with only a few lamps and candles to light up the place. There were a few tables spread across the interior and a number of pool tables for entertainment. A long wooden bar stood at the back end with all sorts of beverages lined up to purchase.
Henry found himself a random table prepared to seat 4, checking his cell phone for the time as he awaited his companions.
Not too far away from the table, Ruby was already at play; hunched over the green fabric of one of the dozen pool tables with a pool stick placed carefully between her knuckles on one hand and using the other to control the power of her shot. With a quick overview of the position of the stripes and solids, Ruby tapped the white ball cue and watched as the green striped ball sink into the far corner. There was an audible groan of a few men standing at the table next to her, and soon they were pulling out crumpled up dollar bills, throwing them onto the pool table center and taking their leave.
"Sorry boys, maybe tomorrow night." Smiling, Ruby collected the green and stuffed them into her bra underneath The transluscent white half t-shirt she was wearing, the same shirt she had been wearing at the diner only now...away from the work place, there was only a single button keeping the shirt together, having no shame whatsoever about the fact that her red lace bra covered up more of her than her shirt did; at least the bra matched the red streaks in her hair.
Henry put his phone back in his pocket, noticing Ruby quite efficiently defeat a multitude of opponents in pool. After this initial observation, he took in her outfit,or lack thereof; raising his eyebrows in mischievious curiosity.
He walked over to where she still stood by the pool table, reaching into his coat and pulling out a pack of cigarettes, grabbing one before putting the rest of the pack away. "Got a light?" He asked with a feisty grin.
Ruby took a minute to set the pool stick down, leaning it against the pool table before approaching Henry with an equally mischevious grin, pressing out her chest to him just slightly.
"If you can find it..." she purred.
The clock on the wall ticked to the exact hour right before she came into the Rabbit Hole. The men in the bar turned their attention to her once again. In came the mysterious woman of the rumors. She wore a nice short black dress that flattered her body greatly, and yet had a classy air, unlike Ruby's attire.
Her hips swayed as she walked, and she flipped her hair out of the way when it fell into her eyes, and a smile played on her face. She caught sight of Henry, who was with Red, and her grin grew wider. She sent a coy wink his way, as her heels clicked as she went to sit at the bar. At the bar she ordered the bartender in a smooth voice, "Scotch on the rocks, sweetheart," The bartender hurredly got what she asked for.
Ruby's attention quickly moved from Henry to the woman just entering the Rabbit Hole and her red lips fell from their smirk, clearly unhappy to see the woman.
"Oh God...her..." she said with an obvious air of disdain just loud enough for only Henry to hear.
Henry looked quite confused at the new woman who just entered the bar. "Who's that, then?" He asked in a voice matching the volume of Ruby's. "I take it she has a bit of a...reputation around here?" He added, intrigued.
Ruby turned around to face Henry directly, putting her back to the woman and blocking his view of her, her face once playful and bright now firm and serious.
"There arent many people here in Storybrooke...it's easy to know everything about everyone. I can tell you the names of everyone here in this bar; where they live...even their favorite color..." Ruby turned just slightly to look over her shoulder at the woman. "...except her...no one knows who she is, where she came from or where she lives." She turned back to face Henry. "its...its just weird..."
"Well..." Henry began with an offbeat nod of his head, taking off his glasses as he did so. "It doesn't look like she's doing any harm right now. You don't know much about me either, do you?" He asked Ruby with an almost seductive smirk, just the right amount to show interest without being overbearing.
Stepping into the bar, Knox took note of the strong scent of smoke and alcohol…but he paid this no actual mind. Walking on over to a table in the back, Knox checked his cellphone for texts, but shut it off and took his seat when he saw none. The table didn’t look clean enough, and he ate breakfast at a certain diner where a certain waitress didn’t know how to clean tables correctly. Speaking of a certain waitress, he couldn’t help but notice her on the other side of the room, hanging off of newcomer. That was no business of his.
Knox came here to do one thing and one thing alone…and that was to have his few drinks, company or no company. Then…he can get home and check those damn hospital sign-in logs, watched those hours long security footage for his damn anomalies. Waiting a minute for the server to come over, he asked for the strongest drink they had. With strong alcohol tolerance, if not the closest thing to immunity to it, he’d need it strong.
The mysterious woman noticed that Ruby was distracting Henry, but she only smirked. Two could play at this game. She scanned the bar, and soon landed eyes on the man in the back. He was quite attractive and her smile grew wider. She stood up from the bar, taking her scotch with her, and as she sat at his table, she greeted smoothly, her black irised eyes staring at him, "Hey there. Mind if I joined you?"
Snapping out of a near boredom stupor, he gazed at the woman…all Knox could say was that she had a similar level of attractiveness to Ruby, though to a different style, she was strongly confident in herself, and she already had some to drink. The woman also had predator eyes, and she didn’t seem to have drunk enough, as she seemed solidly sober. Meeting her eyes, Knox tilted his head ever so slightly opened his mouth to speak to her, the corners curling down to and obvious half frown matched to his slightly furrowed eyebrows (blah blah blah), “Yes, I do mind.”
The woman sniffed in mock hurt, "Ouch. Giving me the cold shoulder are we? How cruel!" She crossed her legs, not to appeal to Knox, but to Henry. She commented, "You're quite the heartbreaker aren't you? Strong, tall, and quite handsome. How many hearts did you break?" She leaned towards his ear, and her bone chilling breath tickled at his ear as she whispered in his ear, "It's a good way of getting yourself hurt,"
She leaned away from him and smiled at him, and she drank some of scotch, her eyes still directly on Knox, and her peripheral vision on Henry.
Ruby watched the entire spectacle from her standpoint beside Henry, her eyes narrowed as she realized that this...girl found Knox before she had. "You want a light?" Ruby asked Henry. "You got one." She left Henry's side and stormed over to Knox and the girl, her red heels clicking loudly on the lenolium and didnt stop until she had reached the table. "Actually...he's with me." Ruby told her hotly before glancing over at Henry. "They both are, so I suggest you do your fishing elsewhere."
Henry could do little from his spot except watch the altercation unfold quite suddenly. He found his feet moving towards Ruby's position near Knox's table, but more relaxed and easygoing than her obviously angry storm.
He let his tongue roll about in his mouth for a bit while waiting for this to be over, looking quite curiously at the unknown girl. She was attractive, no doubt. But something was off, the way she looked at people - as if they were prey to be chased and slaughtered, naturally giving off a sense of caution and wariness. Henry made a mental note to keep a safe distance from this one.
The woman's gaze moved from Knox to Ruby when she stood over her and spoke angrily. It amused the woman that Ruby was so angry, but she didn't show amusement. Instead she remained calm, the smile still on her face as she retorted to Ruby, "Now now, there's no need to project your actions onto me. I'm just making conversation. Besides, falsely accusing people is no way to behave in front of our guest," She nodded pointedly to Henry when she said guest. She stood up and walked past Ruby, and as she did, she whispered into Ruby's ear, "You know, green really isn't your color,"
She then walked closer to Henry and she said to him in a friendly and still smooth and seductive manner, "Well, I've never seen you before. Welcome to Storybrooke,"
Pursing his lips in a very peeve manner, Knox stood up from his seat and dismissed the server with his beer…he wasn’t in the mood for drinks anymore; he could feel a migraine coming on. Reaching into his jacket pocket, he pulled out his wallet and pulled a twenty from it. Pushing past Ruby, without a word, he went over to the lady who he really couldn’t care to know the name of, tapping her on the shoulder…before rather audaciously sticking the rolled up twenty right into the top of her dress, in the cleavage. This whole time, Knox had a rather annoyed expression as he turned and left out the front; the bar just about fell silent at this spectacle.
Knox…he wasn’t the easiest to read, but at this moment, it seemed quite evident that he thought the woman nothing more than a lowly hooker. The polite thing to him was to at least pay her for her damn time wasted, even if she only served to annoy the hell out of him.
The woman looked to Knox when he went up to her and after he stuck a twenty in her cleavage. She had an offended gaze as she glared at Knox. After he was gone, she commented "Well, that was most certainly rude and uncalled for!"
She took out the twenty and she handed it to Ruby saying, "Here, you can have it,"
Ruby eyed the twenty and then narrowed her eyes at the woman. she snatched the money away from her and shot a quick, apologetic look to Henry before quickly following Knox outside.
The woman shrugged and commented out loud, "I guess that's what I get for trying to make friends, huh,"
--
The sky was starting to turn a deep purple color as the last beams of sunlight were hiding behind them. Henry found a parking space and exited the car hastily, adjusting his glasses as he examined the sign confirming he had reached the right location.
"Clever title, that. Though I doubt Rabbit would appreciate a bar being named after him." He commented to himself with a half-smile as he thought of the outburst the creature would throw, were he here to witness this.
With a shrug, Henry entered the building; the smell of cigarette smoke and booze hitting him like a freight train. The lighting, at best, was dim; with only a few lamps and candles to light up the place. There were a few tables spread across the interior and a number of pool tables for entertainment. A long wooden bar stood at the back end with all sorts of beverages lined up to purchase.
Henry found himself a random table prepared to seat 4, checking his cell phone for the time as he awaited his companions.
Not too far away from the table, Ruby was already at play; hunched over the green fabric of one of the dozen pool tables with a pool stick placed carefully between her knuckles on one hand and using the other to control the power of her shot. With a quick overview of the position of the stripes and solids, Ruby tapped the white ball cue and watched as the green striped ball sink into the far corner. There was an audible groan of a few men standing at the table next to her, and soon they were pulling out crumpled up dollar bills, throwing them onto the pool table center and taking their leave.
"Sorry boys, maybe tomorrow night." Smiling, Ruby collected the green and stuffed them into her bra underneath The transluscent white half t-shirt she was wearing, the same shirt she had been wearing at the diner only now...away from the work place, there was only a single button keeping the shirt together, having no shame whatsoever about the fact that her red lace bra covered up more of her than her shirt did; at least the bra matched the red streaks in her hair.
Henry put his phone back in his pocket, noticing Ruby quite efficiently defeat a multitude of opponents in pool. After this initial observation, he took in her outfit,or lack thereof; raising his eyebrows in mischievious curiosity.
He walked over to where she still stood by the pool table, reaching into his coat and pulling out a pack of cigarettes, grabbing one before putting the rest of the pack away. "Got a light?" He asked with a feisty grin.
Ruby took a minute to set the pool stick down, leaning it against the pool table before approaching Henry with an equally mischevious grin, pressing out her chest to him just slightly.
"If you can find it..." she purred.
The clock on the wall ticked to the exact hour right before she came into the Rabbit Hole. The men in the bar turned their attention to her once again. In came the mysterious woman of the rumors. She wore a nice short black dress that flattered her body greatly, and yet had a classy air, unlike Ruby's attire.
Her hips swayed as she walked, and she flipped her hair out of the way when it fell into her eyes, and a smile played on her face. She caught sight of Henry, who was with Red, and her grin grew wider. She sent a coy wink his way, as her heels clicked as she went to sit at the bar. At the bar she ordered the bartender in a smooth voice, "Scotch on the rocks, sweetheart," The bartender hurredly got what she asked for.
Ruby's attention quickly moved from Henry to the woman just entering the Rabbit Hole and her red lips fell from their smirk, clearly unhappy to see the woman.
"Oh God...her..." she said with an obvious air of disdain just loud enough for only Henry to hear.
Henry looked quite confused at the new woman who just entered the bar. "Who's that, then?" He asked in a voice matching the volume of Ruby's. "I take it she has a bit of a...reputation around here?" He added, intrigued.
Ruby turned around to face Henry directly, putting her back to the woman and blocking his view of her, her face once playful and bright now firm and serious.
"There arent many people here in Storybrooke...it's easy to know everything about everyone. I can tell you the names of everyone here in this bar; where they live...even their favorite color..." Ruby turned just slightly to look over her shoulder at the woman. "...except her...no one knows who she is, where she came from or where she lives." She turned back to face Henry. "its...its just weird..."
"Well..." Henry began with an offbeat nod of his head, taking off his glasses as he did so. "It doesn't look like she's doing any harm right now. You don't know much about me either, do you?" He asked Ruby with an almost seductive smirk, just the right amount to show interest without being overbearing.
Stepping into the bar, Knox took note of the strong scent of smoke and alcohol…but he paid this no actual mind. Walking on over to a table in the back, Knox checked his cellphone for texts, but shut it off and took his seat when he saw none. The table didn’t look clean enough, and he ate breakfast at a certain diner where a certain waitress didn’t know how to clean tables correctly. Speaking of a certain waitress, he couldn’t help but notice her on the other side of the room, hanging off of newcomer. That was no business of his.
Knox came here to do one thing and one thing alone…and that was to have his few drinks, company or no company. Then…he can get home and check those damn hospital sign-in logs, watched those hours long security footage for his damn anomalies. Waiting a minute for the server to come over, he asked for the strongest drink they had. With strong alcohol tolerance, if not the closest thing to immunity to it, he’d need it strong.
The mysterious woman noticed that Ruby was distracting Henry, but she only smirked. Two could play at this game. She scanned the bar, and soon landed eyes on the man in the back. He was quite attractive and her smile grew wider. She stood up from the bar, taking her scotch with her, and as she sat at his table, she greeted smoothly, her black irised eyes staring at him, "Hey there. Mind if I joined you?"
Snapping out of a near boredom stupor, he gazed at the woman…all Knox could say was that she had a similar level of attractiveness to Ruby, though to a different style, she was strongly confident in herself, and she already had some to drink. The woman also had predator eyes, and she didn’t seem to have drunk enough, as she seemed solidly sober. Meeting her eyes, Knox tilted his head ever so slightly opened his mouth to speak to her, the corners curling down to and obvious half frown matched to his slightly furrowed eyebrows (blah blah blah), “Yes, I do mind.”
The woman sniffed in mock hurt, "Ouch. Giving me the cold shoulder are we? How cruel!" She crossed her legs, not to appeal to Knox, but to Henry. She commented, "You're quite the heartbreaker aren't you? Strong, tall, and quite handsome. How many hearts did you break?" She leaned towards his ear, and her bone chilling breath tickled at his ear as she whispered in his ear, "It's a good way of getting yourself hurt,"
She leaned away from him and smiled at him, and she drank some of scotch, her eyes still directly on Knox, and her peripheral vision on Henry.
Ruby watched the entire spectacle from her standpoint beside Henry, her eyes narrowed as she realized that this...girl found Knox before she had. "You want a light?" Ruby asked Henry. "You got one." She left Henry's side and stormed over to Knox and the girl, her red heels clicking loudly on the lenolium and didnt stop until she had reached the table. "Actually...he's with me." Ruby told her hotly before glancing over at Henry. "They both are, so I suggest you do your fishing elsewhere."
Henry could do little from his spot except watch the altercation unfold quite suddenly. He found his feet moving towards Ruby's position near Knox's table, but more relaxed and easygoing than her obviously angry storm.
He let his tongue roll about in his mouth for a bit while waiting for this to be over, looking quite curiously at the unknown girl. She was attractive, no doubt. But something was off, the way she looked at people - as if they were prey to be chased and slaughtered, naturally giving off a sense of caution and wariness. Henry made a mental note to keep a safe distance from this one.
The woman's gaze moved from Knox to Ruby when she stood over her and spoke angrily. It amused the woman that Ruby was so angry, but she didn't show amusement. Instead she remained calm, the smile still on her face as she retorted to Ruby, "Now now, there's no need to project your actions onto me. I'm just making conversation. Besides, falsely accusing people is no way to behave in front of our guest," She nodded pointedly to Henry when she said guest. She stood up and walked past Ruby, and as she did, she whispered into Ruby's ear, "You know, green really isn't your color,"
She then walked closer to Henry and she said to him in a friendly and still smooth and seductive manner, "Well, I've never seen you before. Welcome to Storybrooke,"
Pursing his lips in a very peeve manner, Knox stood up from his seat and dismissed the server with his beer…he wasn’t in the mood for drinks anymore; he could feel a migraine coming on. Reaching into his jacket pocket, he pulled out his wallet and pulled a twenty from it. Pushing past Ruby, without a word, he went over to the lady who he really couldn’t care to know the name of, tapping her on the shoulder…before rather audaciously sticking the rolled up twenty right into the top of her dress, in the cleavage. This whole time, Knox had a rather annoyed expression as he turned and left out the front; the bar just about fell silent at this spectacle.
Knox…he wasn’t the easiest to read, but at this moment, it seemed quite evident that he thought the woman nothing more than a lowly hooker. The polite thing to him was to at least pay her for her damn time wasted, even if she only served to annoy the hell out of him.
The woman looked to Knox when he went up to her and after he stuck a twenty in her cleavage. She had an offended gaze as she glared at Knox. After he was gone, she commented "Well, that was most certainly rude and uncalled for!"
She took out the twenty and she handed it to Ruby saying, "Here, you can have it,"
Ruby eyed the twenty and then narrowed her eyes at the woman. she snatched the money away from her and shot a quick, apologetic look to Henry before quickly following Knox outside.
The woman shrugged and commented out loud, "I guess that's what I get for trying to make friends, huh,"
It was late afternoon by the time Henry entered his room at the inn, storybook tucked securely under his arm. Reading to Snow left a calm, almost surreal feel to his heart at the thought that he could wake her back up - possibly...
The music that sounded through his headphones let him put the present troubles at ease as he closed the door behind him with a distinct click. He cut the music from his tape player, procuring it from its place at his belt, letting it rest on the bedside table.
He removed Alice's diary from his coat pocket; staring at it deeply before gently placing it atop his dresser, deciding that now was not the time to read Alice's last thoughts. He held the storybook with both hands now as he walked over to the desk at the far side of the room, opening it up slowly to examine it closer.
He pulled out one of the desk drawers, lifting out a magnifying glass to closely examine the book. He had read a bit of 'Alice in Wonderland' to Snow, but hadn't given the rest of the book any thought. Before beginning, he put on his glasses with a quiet clacking noise, pushing the lens up to his eyes.
He flipped through the pages with deft, nimble fingers; showing extreme care to avoid tearing any of the pages. The book seemed to contain most every fairy tale ever written, decorated with detailed, artistic illustrations portraying the scenes being played at the time. The story of Snow White, Beauty & the Beast, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Little Red Riding hood - any story imaginable.
Henry spent a great deal of time simply reading the stories that, where he came from, was a history; a timeline. He let himself become engrossed, not paying attention to the slowly setting sun until he had studied every page of the book, closing the back cover.
He stood up from the desk, and realized now the importance of his mission. He was the Curse-breaker, the savior of the Enchanted Forest. Jane Doe, Faye, even Mr. Gold were only echoes of their former selves. A poor, insulting mockery of their source. He had to save them - had to save all of them. Because he knew it was what Alice would have wanted. He clutched at his key in remembrance, and could almost hear her feisty voice goading him on:
"Well, what are you waiting for? The Curse isn't going to break itself, you know! You get to be the hero now, Henry. For me..."
Henry shuddered for a moment, blinking rapidly until he could regain his composure back into reality. If there was one thing he knew now, though - it was that he needed a drink.
The music that sounded through his headphones let him put the present troubles at ease as he closed the door behind him with a distinct click. He cut the music from his tape player, procuring it from its place at his belt, letting it rest on the bedside table.
He removed Alice's diary from his coat pocket; staring at it deeply before gently placing it atop his dresser, deciding that now was not the time to read Alice's last thoughts. He held the storybook with both hands now as he walked over to the desk at the far side of the room, opening it up slowly to examine it closer.
He pulled out one of the desk drawers, lifting out a magnifying glass to closely examine the book. He had read a bit of 'Alice in Wonderland' to Snow, but hadn't given the rest of the book any thought. Before beginning, he put on his glasses with a quiet clacking noise, pushing the lens up to his eyes.
He flipped through the pages with deft, nimble fingers; showing extreme care to avoid tearing any of the pages. The book seemed to contain most every fairy tale ever written, decorated with detailed, artistic illustrations portraying the scenes being played at the time. The story of Snow White, Beauty & the Beast, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Little Red Riding hood - any story imaginable.
Henry spent a great deal of time simply reading the stories that, where he came from, was a history; a timeline. He let himself become engrossed, not paying attention to the slowly setting sun until he had studied every page of the book, closing the back cover.
He stood up from the desk, and realized now the importance of his mission. He was the Curse-breaker, the savior of the Enchanted Forest. Jane Doe, Faye, even Mr. Gold were only echoes of their former selves. A poor, insulting mockery of their source. He had to save them - had to save all of them. Because he knew it was what Alice would have wanted. He clutched at his key in remembrance, and could almost hear her feisty voice goading him on:
"Well, what are you waiting for? The Curse isn't going to break itself, you know! You get to be the hero now, Henry. For me..."
Henry shuddered for a moment, blinking rapidly until he could regain his composure back into reality. If there was one thing he knew now, though - it was that he needed a drink.
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