truepotential | (no subject)

(no subject)

[All that work, all those collected abilities, and for nothing. Here he was, trapped, locked up in a much bigger cage, but trapped and powerless. Insignificant. Ordinary.

Everything he didn't want to be. And everything he worked for ripped from him.

Which meant he needed a different tactic to face the people of this strange place. And that meant friendliness. For at least as long as it served his purposes.

It's only been a few hours. Might as well start with the first gullible sap he could find.]

Hello, neighbor.

[That's right, Gabriel. Most charming smile. Just another new person to the neighborhood.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[It's far from David's first time trapped somewhere with no escape. Or his first time traveling between realms, though the count of willing vs unwilling is far higher on the latter side.

But the chaos of all the new arrivals, catching up with family and friends who'd been dumped here too, can be incredibly overwhelming for someone so ordinary. If charming.

He snaps out of his thoughts (worry about his wife, daughter, everyone) when Gabriel speaks up.]

Hey. [Hand thrust out for a handshake like any good prince learns.] David, David Nolan. You chosen for... [His other hand gestures to everything going on.] this, too?

Chosen.

[Gabriel's smile turns a little sardonic a moment but he takes the other man's hand and gives it a slow shake.]

Something like that.

[He shrugged a little, dropping his arms back to his sides and then nervously into his pockets.]

What do you make of all this nonsense?

[David's handshake is firm, strong.]

Well, it's far from the weirdest thing I've ever seen.

[No elaboration there, since 'hey I'm actually a fairytale character' would cause most people to look at him like he's crazy.]

But they obviously want something, whether it's revenge [And he looks distinctly uncomfortable --and familiar-- with that idea.] or entertainment, or something else.

Well, David, the way I see it, what really matters is that they brought us all here.

[He glanced around the room they were in and then back to David with a frown, brows pulled together in slight irritation.]

They kidnapped us. Their purpose is less important than the how and where.

Mass kidnapping just screams curse to me. Of course...

[He gives the room a look of his own, trying to spot any of the potential people it could've been that cursed them. If they've even been cursed.]

Curses tend to have more flair than this.

[Less random room, more entire towns.]

And neither of those is as important as finding a way out.

A good point.

[He used to understand everything. How things worked. He understood things right away. But since waking up here, it hadn't been working. He was ordinary. Human.]

But a curse? As in magic?

[How does that work?]

Magic.

[He confirms it with a nod and a grim smile.]

We'd know if this was a curse. [Wait.] Or well, we wouldn't. We wouldn't remember anything. Our past, who we are, none of it.

[All he can do is shrug.]

Do all curses have the same effect?

[Stripping away his past? Well. That would be better than what they had done to him. Stripping away his powers? He was seething internally and with no where or abilities to vent his anger with... well.

A curse could just be a non-special's word for an ability.]

Because if there are other possibilities-

[But that's not the important thing to focus on right now, is it, David?]

I'm sorry. I'm... Gabriel. Gabriel Gray.

It's nice to meet you Gabriel, even considering the circumstances.

[And really, it is.]

Well, no. But the only curse capable of doing something like this does exactly that.

[There's a noise of frustration because this really isn't his area. He's just there to find his family, so they can fix the problems.]

There's also the Sleeping Curse, but there's not enough fire for it to be that.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only