10 // video/action // now the party don't start till I walk in

[40410]

[The wall comm' is on, and so are the lights. Except that that's not electrical light. Alex's room now sports a broad bay window.

The cameras are all off, and most of them are gone, including the one in front of the door and the camcorder that usually sits on the desk. Only three remain, and one of them is in Alex's hands, tripod and all, as he carries it across the room and slings it into the closet.

A CD player provides poppy background music. Alex whistles along while he works.

Off-camera, there's a towel pinned over the mirror.]

((OOC: for convenience's sake, let's say all threads which aren't J's or the Operator's happen before those two.))

Comments

[ACTION]

[echo-of-utopia.livejournal.com]

[ Knock! Knock!

Who's there?

Lamb!

Lamb who?

Lamb who is exceptionally put off by the sudden assault of what kids listen to these days coming from Alex's room. ]

Alex! Alex, it's Sofia. Are you there?

[ She sounds urgent. Punishment by her Tyrant back at home included having your corpse hung on a wall as a trophy and she is not very optimistic about his encounter with the Queen going much better. ]

[ACTION]

[40410.livejournal.com]

[...

Eh-heh-heh.

He turns the volume down, and calls sweetly:]

Alex isn't here right now; could you leave a message?

[ACTION]

[echo-of-utopia.livejournal.com]

[ Right. Right, that's not quite the answer she was looking for, but unless that terrible music has killed her hearing she's fairly sure that this is Alex's voice at least. All right then, she's got a very unpleasant hunch about what happened, but let's start with the obvious question: ]

Who is this?

[ACTION]

[40410.livejournal.com]

[Mirror Lamb is the vicious one, so Alex doesn't have any qualms about wishing away his double's locks and pulling open the door, with a cheerful smile and the penultimate tripod over his shoulder.]

Oh, Alex. Just not the Alex you're after.

voice;

[detectiveace.livejournal.com]

Alex, I believe you might be in danger. Please remain calm and find somewhere else to stay for the time being. [ understatement of the year. ]

video~

[40410.livejournal.com]

[He's just thrown a camera into the closet; he slams the door and opens it again, and it's vanished, tripod and all.

Then Alex looks over at the screen with interest. He recognises that voice as belonging to someone his regular's talked to.]

Sorry, you're a bit too late. I could take a message?

voice;

[detectiveace.livejournal.com]

[ there is a loooooooong pause before she responds. ]

Who are you, and what have you done with Alex?

video

[40410.livejournal.com]

[Usually he's pretty open, but if he lets too much out they might start trying to send him back, and he promised the Queen he'd get her a good long time with his double. Sooooooo-- bright smile!]

I'm just looking after his place while he's away.

[timisnotme.livejournal.com]

....

*have some incredulous staring*

What. Are you doing.


More importantly what are you listening to?

[video]

[40410.livejournal.com]

[By now, Alex has finished with the cameras and is pulling sheets of paper off the walls. When he hears the voice, he looks up with interest, expecting to see Masky's double.

A moment's confusion passes over his face; he's only seen Tim once or twice, very briefly, through M!Masky's mirror. Then he recognises him.]

T-shirt guy!

[It's said with a broad, delighted smile.]

[video]

[timisnotme.livejournal.com]

*MORE staring.*






What?

Are you drunk? You're ............................... smiling.

[video]

[40410.livejournal.com]

Oh - no, I'm just not your normal Alex.

[As if it's the most normal thing in the world.]

He might come back at some point. It's good to finally meet you!

[audio]

[41810.livejournal.com]

[He sounds shocked. I WONDER WHY.]

...Alex?

[video]

[40410.livejournal.com]

Yeah?

[That was automatic, and when he actually stops to think about it, he adds:]

Oh, you probably want the other Alex. But hi!

[audio]

[41810.livejournal.com]

...





The other Alex, huh.



Are you his mirror?

[video]

[40410.livejournal.com]

[There's some hesitation on this end. If regular J already knows about mirrors, then he might know how to send mirrors back. Then again, would he want to? He and Alex's regular really didn't sound like they were on the best of terms.]

Yep. And you're J's regular. 'S good to meet you.

[text] the Operator would like to know WHAT THE FUCK

[seesyou.livejournal.com]

[This person is like Alex, but he is not right. Alex is gone. Alex is nowhere. This is irritating.]

whereistheark

[Alex's mirror might recognize this communication style from a certain silver-suited, many-armed gentleman on the other side.]

[CONFIDENT VIDEO!]

[40410.livejournal.com]

[...Huh. So this must be the double of that walking floor-lamp that hangs around.]

You mean regular Alex? He's gone for a while. He pissed off the Queen.

[video]

[seesyou.livejournal.com]

[Wow, you're speaking way too much English and not nearly gibbering in terror enough.

The image of the Operator appears on the screen, inside for once, so tall that his head is tilted brokenly just to accommodate the ceiling.

And the static begins.]

[video]

[40410.livejournal.com]

[...whoa, that head thing was creepy even with the radiating field of comfort, so without it? In fact, with the cloud of fear instead that seems to ooze out of the screen's image?

Alex flinches back, his breath catching; a few moments later he realises that his hands are shaking.]

Oh jesus.

[Jump-scares for the lose.]

Okay, I don't like you.

[jesusing-clown.livejournal.com]

[What is this strange future music blaring from Tim? And who the hell is P Diddy?]

What on earth- !

[video~]

[40410.livejournal.com]

[Hello Allen! Mirror!Alex has by now put the cameras away and taken down the paranoid scribblings, and is shifting a large potted fern experimentally from place to place.

He looks over at the screen with a great deal of friendly interest, because he recognises that voice. Yes, Allen, he remembers a voice he heard through the mirror BACK AT THE END OF MAY.]

Hey, what's up?

[video~]

[jesusing-clown.livejournal.com]

[Oh shoot, I think I remember your name. If not from our one conversation then the Queen's massive broadcast at least] It's Alex, isn't it?

Private

[heartless-eagle.livejournal.com]

Enjoying your mission?

[private video]

[40410.livejournal.com]

[ He pauses in the middle of tearing up a scribbled-on bit of paper, looks around at the comm', and beams. ]

I am. I've wanted to douse this room in Depressing-B-Gone since I first set eyes on it. And it's so surreal to have regulars everywhere!

[ Rrrrrip! ]

You having fun?