[center][h1]*~*[color=OliveDrab]Dominic Greyjoy[/color], [color=BurlyWood]Alan Woodard[/color], [color=SaddleBrown]Ilya Pechorsky[/color], [color=Lavender]Ireneo Funes[/color] and [color=LightSlateGray]The Sorcerer[/color] ~ Present Day ~ Ski Lodge, Earth*~*[/h1][/center]

It had been about twenty minutes since Eliza had left Alan in the hotel room, and he hadn't moved an inch. His mind was swimming with everything and nothing at the same time, his thoughts passing by so quickly he couldn't grab onto just one to think on it. Finally, Alan had just reached the point of mental exhaustion where the blurred thoughts just stopped, giving him time to make his own thoughts once more, getting to the point where he felt like he was himself again; even if he knew it was just temporary, it was a welcome reprive.

Checking his wrist watch, Alan took note of the time. Eliza said the party didn't start for a while yet but he'd rather be down there with at least a chance to socialize with a handful of girls than cooped up in this hotel room any longer. Thats what he needed, Alan decided. He needed more girls to give him that extra little boost, he had been confined to a single girl for almost seventeen hours now... and that was a bit too much.

Making sure he had everything he needed (more everything his dress pants could hold) Alan exited the hotel room, making sure the door closed behind him and took the fairly short walk back to the lodge lobby, figuring he could just follow the signs that would point him in the right direction from there.

Ilya spotted Alan in the hallway before he reached the lobby, he had missed him entering because he was busy with Dominic and Funes. He held up his hand and motioned for him to come closer. By this point Ilya had stopped walking, and kept his eyes fixed on Alan.

Catching a glimpse of the hulking figure out of the corner of his eye, Alan didn't have to turn his head to know who had their eyes on him. He cursed mentally, wondering how it was that he had forgotten about the man he had gone great lengths to avoid over the last few weeks. Halting his steps almost immediately, Alan turned to look in the opposite direction, scoping out his potential exits. Really, could Illya have picked a worse time to try and talk to him? Didn't he know that he had a very important party to get to? Nevermind the fact that the party wasn't exactly important to him until that point. Tomorrow. He would talk to him tomorrow.

[i]Always tomorrow...[/i]

Picking his exit as a hallway to his left, Alan shifted his weight to head down the hall, putting in a great effort to make it look as though he were heading in that direction anyway, however that didn't stop his footsteps from quickening just a bit.

Ilya realized that Alan wasn't in the mood to talk. Unfortunately for Alan, he had encountered Ilya in a place where the exits were either fairly distant or would involve getting past Ilya. There were good odds that Ilya would be able to chase him down. At this point, Ilya had basically lost patience for more subtle methods. He said "Alan, stop!" in a firm voice while he moved towards him. Ilya's pace was just short of running, and he was ready to break into a sprint the moment he saw Alan hurry up.

Practically able to feel the weight of Illya behind him as the man quickly chased after him, Alan eventually broke out into an outright sprint, tearing down the hallway and rounded the first corner he came to.

"If I were you, Pinocchio, I'd stand still." Dominic called as he stood right in front of Alan, halting his pursuit. 

He was dressed differently this time, wearing an [url=https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/57/c4/02/57c40220044f78d6ff951c6f97c5d434.jpg]outfit[/url] that, while consisting of odd colors and patterns was more fitting into society. A simple knee length overcoat over a waistcoat-and-trouser combo with a finely pressed light blue dress shirt underneath, a dappled green tie tucked into his collar. 

With a rather thick binder underneath his arm, Dominic motioned with his free hand towards Ilya who was just now appearing behind Alan. 

"We need to talk. Now." Dominic commanded in a firm tone, letting his free hand now plant itself in his coat pocket. 

Skidding to an abrupt halt, sliding a bit as he wasn't used to the lack of traction on the dress shoes opposed to his sneakers, Alan waved his arms a bit to keep his balance before he stopped just before running into the man who had tried interrogating him in his prison cell. Registereing his words, Alan turned to look over his shoulder back at Illya who was still closing in on him. 

[i]That bastard planned this![/i] Somehow [i]that bastard planned this![/i] Alan thought, shaking his head a bit before turning back to face Dominic.

"You... you were working for him?" He asked, gesturing back towards Illya. Laughing out a bit, Alan shook his head, putting up his hands as though they were cops asking for his surrender. "Alright, alright. You bastards got me. What, you guys wanna go talk this out over ice cream?"

"Ice cream is for good little boys, not like you. Also, it seems to me you've been enjoying a lot of frozen treats recently." Ilya said. He had a little bit of a sense of humor, but even in Russian he wasn't very eloquent. "We'll discuss our duties with Funes, in his room. I think privacy is best for now." It was satisfying to corner Alan, but Ilya did feel a little disappointed by how easily he gave up. It would've been more satisfying to throw him to the ground with one of the technicques from his army days, but there was no need to do so now.

"Frozen... treats?" Alan blinked, the context going right over his head but he wasn't given long to dwell on the Russian's words. He placed his arms back down, stuffing his hands into his pockets as far as they would go and shrugged, turning back to look at Illya. "Funes? Funes... Funes... why does that name sound familiar?" Pausing to think, Alan turned back to look at Dominic and then once more to Illya, trying to remember back to his childhood and the small group who had gone through the portal with him before he had gotten seperated. There was a man... a man in a wheelchair... and neither of these men were in such a crippled state, so Alan took a stab in the dark. "Alright, alright, but can we do this a bit later? I got someplace I'm supposed to be, and as much fun as changing a guys piss bag in the 'privacy' of his own room sounds, I'll have to pass. Find another donkey to do your grunt work."

Merely shaking his head with a disgusted scoff, Dominic took a moment before speaking next, "Two ears, one mouth, stay quiet and listen." He ordered as though rebuking a small child, motioning with his head towards Ilya. 

"Once we're settled with Funes then we'll talk. There's much to discuss." Dominic added on a final note before turning on his heel back down the hall, looking behind his shoulder for a moment towards Ilya and Alan. 

Grumbling somewhat incoharently, Alan removed a hand from his pocket and bit the tip of his thumb in Dominic's direction, a subtle gesture that could have easily been passed off as him biting his nail if he had been called out on it. However, with the collosal Russian behind him, Alan had no choice but to comply, so lowering his head and stuffing his hand back into his pocket, he begrudgingly followed after Dominic while Illya followed close behind.

*~*~*

Funes was in the middle of writing a sentence that didn't start with a present tense verb when the three other guardians arrived at his door. He stopped working on what he was passing off as literary criticism as soon as he saw Alan, and opened the door. He remembered every last inconvenience and problem that Alan's absence had caused over the past thirteen years, and was prepared to unload them. He thought it was sporting to give Alan a chance to explain himself beforehand, and didn't say a word or look at anyone else, he just glared at Alan.

"Hey wheels." Alan spouted noncholantly, raising up a hand in a half-assed wave as he walked by Funes, heading straight over to the couch and plopped himself down onto it, spreading his legs out on the cushions, seeming to have no idea whatsoever that he was getting death-glared.

Funes was too angry to even express his displeasure with Alan. He instead glared at Dominic, and said "Dominic, give your speech about why we're doing this and why we need him." His voice was a snarled monotone, and his glare returned to Alan.

Pulling the folder out from underneath his arm, Dominic let his grey eyes take in Ilya, Funes and Alan before speaking. "What I have here is a collaboration, so to speak. I've managed to find various newspaper clippings, photographs, and even the smallest little details I could in regards to the Children." He explained briefly before opening the folder on the bed, the inside itself organized much like a scrapbook, filled to the brim with random snippets of information, organized per child. 

Lifting up his head a fraction to look up at Dominic, Alan quirked a brow, taking a quick look over the large folder that he was referencing.

"Oh thank God... I was half-expecting a never-ending file cabinet system inside of that thing after you tell us that your real name is Morgan Freeman..." Alan mused, resting his head back down on the arm of the couch. "Alright, so you're organized. Great. Just pick up the little shits from daycare, round em up like sheep and we can send em back home. Thats what this is about, right? I'm only here cuz of this..." Using his hand, Alan reached down inside his shirt, using the cord of the necklace to pull out the pendant as he moved to sit up on the couch. Holding the pendant between his fingers so that the three of them could see, he nodded, making eye contact with Dominic before allowing the necklace to rest against his chest naturally. "So just let me know when you need me to use it, otherwise I'm useless to you guys, I get it. So if that's all..." Alan moved to stand up from the couch.

At this point Funes spoke. "Useless is giving yourself too much credit. For thirteen years you've actively avoided the duty that brought you here, and for what? What is your reason, your grand explanation, O modern day Odysseus? Why have you never tried to find any of us at any point, I didn't even change my last name. I told you I would go to the city with greatest library and become a professor, and I'll bet you never even gave thought to calling up any of the four people in the Boston phonebook named Funes. Of course, now you've been reunited with us through a stroke of luck. How did you approach this reunion, did you have a contrite heart, did you have some great work that you had been laboring away at for those missing years? No. You came here and met the people you swore to protect and one of your comrades in arms, and you showed only outright contempt for your duty. I can understand that guilt might've driven you to avoid Ilya, but I cannot comprehend what is your reason for flirting and sleeping with the girls who you swore to protect. If the parents of Anna, Elsa, Rapunzel, Morgiana, Eric, Sebastian and Jasmine were still alive to see your conduct I shudder to think of what their reaction would be. They go by different names in this world, but whether they are called Eliza or Elsa, your duty remains."

Something within Alan snapped, and before he even knew what was going on, he crossed the room over to Funes, towering over the handi-abled man with a pointer finger extended, pointing hard down at him as a few muscles in his jaw twitched.

"Alright you fucking non-shaved Professor Xavier stand-in... You have [i]NO[/i] fucking idea what I've been put through these last thirteen [i]fucking[/i] years! Don't you [i]fucking DARE[/i] assume you [i]fucking[/i] know me, or what I've [i]fucking[/i] done, what I've [i]fucking[/i] tried... you know [i]fucking NOTHING[/i]!" Shaking his head a bit, Alan allowed the longer parts of his hair curtain the sides of his face, shielding his eyes where he could feel the sting of tears brimming at the corners, the emotion that had been building up inside of him for years upon years now starting to show it's true colors save for the slight, drunken spectacle he had made in the park the night before. Turning his back a bit, Alan used his foot to push back on the wheel of Funes' wheel chair, not hard, but enough to make the chair wheel around in a semi-circle.

"I can't fucking do this, I feel like I'm talking down to a special needs member on the cast of Footloose." Alan muttered to himself, though loud enough for everyone else to hear as he wasn't exactly trying to hide it.

Ilya stepped between Alan and Funes. "Alan, I think it'd be best if you and Funes went to seperate rooms for a moment. We've all had our struggles, but I don't think we will gain anything by comparing them right now. You can talk with Dominic while we are gone." said Ilya. Funes didn't say a word but wheeled his way to the door. He muttered a few words on his way, something about being convinced that his argument had worked because of how it made Alan break down. Ilya just said something about how everyone's got their struggles, and told stories of a few of the less lucky soldiers he had served with to distract Funes as they went to Ilya's office.

Nodding a small goodbye to Ilya and Funes, Dominic let out a small sigh before turning back to Alan. 

"No idea what you've been through, eh?" Dominic voiced after the former two had left, his mouth curved in a deep frown. "I suppose you're right in a way, since you never called, never wrote, never even notified us where you were. So no, [i]Alan[/i], none of us know what you've been through." Pacing about the room, Dominic let both hands plant themselves in his coat pockets. 

"But if you're going to try and pass yourself off as a [i]victim[/i]...best find a different crowd. There's no sympathy for deserters or cowards, not in this business. Now if we could get back to work that'd be appreciated." He added on a final note, pinching the bridge of his nose before turning to look down at the folder once more. 

Shaking a bit, Alan balled up his hands into fists to keep himself from losing it on Dominic this time, though the fists, he realized, weren't exactly helping that so he relaxed them again.

"I was thirteen [i]fucking[/i] years old!" Alan started, glaring down at Dominic from across the room, though he was at least able to keep his voice in check for the most part this time. "Seperated from everyone that I was [i]assured[/i] that I would be with, but no, I was alone in this god-forsaken land, so I did what I had to do. I survived. I made this land my [i]bitch[/i]. I could have given up. I could have pawned off this... this..." Alan took a moment to reach his hand around his neck, plucking the cord from the necklace and draped it over his head, tossing it across the room hard enough that when the pendant made contact with the wall, a small chunk of the caulking chipped away, creating a small spider-web of cracks around the dent but the pendant itself remained unscathed. "THING! I don't want it! I never wanted it! Do you know how much money I could have gotten for something like that? But no, I kept it because I made a promise. You might think a whole lot of things about me Mr. Wallrus, but I keep my promises. In this land [i]and[/i] the next, I'm a man of my word!"

Chest heaving, having gotten his say out finally (though there was so, [i]so[/i] much more) Alan shook his head, staying his breath, trying to force himself to calm back down.

"Now what the hell was Professor X saying? Something about Elsa and Eliz-" Alan stopped very suddenly, feeling his heart reaching up into his throat and his stomach sinking down into his dress shoes.

[i]No... NO![/i]

Dominic merely shook his head in disgust, not wishing to waste the time or breath bandying words with Pinocchio. Whatever delusion of grandeur he had....conjured for himself could stay for the time being. 

What really caught Dominic's eye however, was Alan's outfit....it looked similar, very similar to the one he had just bought......hours before. 

Charcoal gray eyes hardening, Dominic took a single step forward, "I thought I made it very clear that you were to stay away from Eliza." He said in a threatening tone, grabbing the young man roughly by the scruff of his shirt and yanking him closer. "Was I [i]not[/i] clear?" He repeated, his voice holding barely-suppressed rage. 

Too lost in his own thoughts, Alan hadn't even caught the slight movement from the male opposite him until he felt a sudden restriction around his throat, realizing then that he was being brought into a closer proximity to Dominic. With his 'fight or flight' response kicking in, Alan grabbed hold of Dominic's wrist that had a firm grip on his shirt and with whatever hidden strength the street-savvy street magician witheld, managed to pry Dominic's hand off of him and put a comfortable distance between the two of them once more.

"I ain't fucking [i]touched[/i] Eliza! She won't let me, goddammit! She's more prude than Mother-fucking-Teressa! Now back the [i]fuck[/i] off and tell me just what the [i]hell[/i] is going on!"

"You really don't get it, do you? [i]Eliza[/i] is [i]Elsa[/i]." Dominic replied in a seething manner, running a hand through his curly mane of hair, appearing to have dropped the matter of beating Alan to a pulp. "Her, Daria, Annalise, Rapunzel - even the detective at the police station, they're [i]all[/i] the Children sent to Earth...that's why I've been keeping tabs on them as best as I could." He explained in an exasperated tone, as though speaking to a young child. 

"Believe it or not, you haven't been alone these last thirteen years, Pinocchio. The Sorcerer has been monitoring both the Children and the Guardians since Day One. Though, as you most [i]surely[/i] know, he's not one to intervene directly into events - that's where I come in." Dominic continued, his tone slowly but surely becoming more calm, though there was still a sharp edge to it. 

At the mention of the hot detective woman Alan had become familiar with at his overnight stay in a jail cell, Alan's eyes narrowed even further, his brows obscuring his vision enough to force him to let up on his glaring, just a little. Eliza being Elsa, Anna... her [i]sister[/i] of all people... and... [i]Daria[/i]? He was going to hell for sure if the Blue Fairy didn't get her magic on him first, and the Sorcerer these people kept speaking of was no doubt the cloaked man he vaguely had any memory of that handed him the necklace he still wore around his neck to that day, but the fucking cop was mixed-in on all of this [i]too[/i]?

"And what the hell have you done?" Alan lashed out at the older man. "I've spent... time with Eliza, Daria and Anna and [i]none[/i] of them seem to have [i]any[/i] idea as to who they are, where they came from or that they have four of us fuckers stalking them for a living."

"More than you think." Dominic replied in an almost offended manner, furrowing his bushy eyebrows. "My amulet is different...it allows me to transport instantaneously between this world and the Fairy Tale World. I've been able to keep in direct contact with the Sorcerer, as well as carry information between the two realms. Consider me a...courier, of sorts." He explained firstly, explaining his position much like a historian would. 

He gave time for his words to sink in before moving onto the topic at hand. "Believe me, I'm [i]more[/i] than aware of the 'time' you've spent with Daria and Annalise...and don't think we're done 'discussing' Eliza yet. As for the Children not remembering, it was a side-effect of being sent here, sent to Earth. Year by year they slowly began losing their own identity. Memories of their past, so to speak. Until their heritage becomes, well....a fairy tale." He expounded in a lighter, almost nostalgic tone. 

"So what, you've just been poppin from place to place and moseying around at your own damn leisure and, what, just [i]let[/i] them forget?" Alan asked, regaining those few steps lost when he had backed away from Dominic earlier. Extending out his pointer finger, he jabbed Dominic in the chest, making direct eye contact with the older gentleman as he sqared off his shoulders. "So I'll ask again, what the hell have you been doing these last thirteen years, cuz from here, it don't look like shit."

Starting  to lose his temper once again, Dominic closed his eyes briefly, taking  in a deep breath. "I don't have to answer or explain [i]anything[/i] to  you. Do you want to know what I did, Pinocchio? I did my [i]job[/i],  which is more than [i]you[/i] can say today. While I watched and kept  tabs on the Children, you [i]ran[/i] into a cesspool of decadence and  debauchery where you stayed like the [i]bottom-feeder[/i] you are until  you had it in you for [i]one last[/i] con, which just so happened to  lead you to the [i]very[/i] same Children you were tasked with  protecting. So don't even [i]begin[/i] to think you can judge me on the  same level, because you're not even close." Dominic hissed, his voice  barely below shouting as his posture and expression became visibly  agitated, enraged. 

It was then that he felt that same displeasurable tingling in the back of his head that he did just before departing The Pride Lands. A feeling that had become so familiar, so detestable, yet he knew what it was that usually followed. 

Wincing painfully, Dominic let his hand shoot up to his temple, trying to ease the drilling migraine that was starting to form. A dull white noise settled in his ears, his teeth grinding as suddenly - his perception shifted once more.

Alan felt it too, however unlike Dominic, it was something the younger male had never felt or experienced before. As he was already nursing the remains of his hangover, the added pain to his head forced Alan onto his knees, both hands shooting up to hold the sides of his head as his teeth gnashed together with a snarl coming between them, eyes closed too tight to even realize that their entire surroundings were changing completely.

[center]*~*~*[/center]

Dominic's eyes fluttered open quickly, trying to take in his new surroundings. Somehow he had ended up lying facedown on the ground; though given the nature of Yen Sid's telepathic meetings, most anything was possible. 

Slowly standing to his feet, Dominic need only take a quick lookaround to realize his location was [i]far[/i] from the rather luxurious suite that Funes was staying in. 

The [url=http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2010/132/3/a/Astronomy_Tower_by_max_von_boughen.jpg]room[/url] looked to be an observatory of some sort, occupied by massive armillary spheres, wrought of bronze and gold, gleaming in the sun. 

Dominic ran his hand along the cool, smooth surface, noting just how [i]real[/i] it felt. He knew this place wasn't anywhere on Earth, nor was it anywhere in Fairy Tale Land...

Alan finally roused himself after a few moments, letting out an agitated groan as though he had just been woken up during a restful sleep, his mind completely disoriented for a moment not even able to recall the events that had led up to now until his soft blue eyes found Dominic. Grumbling incoharently to himself a bit, he used the strength of his arms to push himself up from the floor on his chest and moving a foot underneath him, managed to get himself standing with a fluid motion.

Brushing off his suit as his eyes looked about the room curiously, unsure whether or not to start asking questions or just start shouting at the bearded man again for pulling... whatever this was... Alan moved his attention back to Dominic and began to cross the room over to him, just deciding to make it up as he went as always.

Looking up from the instrument, Dominic's gaze fell on the signature black coat of the Sorcerer, whose back was turned to the both of them, his arms crossed formally behind his back. The corner of Alan's eye caught the black cloak making Alan stop his gait just before he approached Dominic, quirking an eyebrow as there was something strangely familiar about that cloak...

[i]Naw, too much Kingdom Hearts...[/i] Alan shook his head a bit at himself.

The thaumaturge appeared to be looking out one of the many massive windows that encircled the observatory, giving him a clear purview of rolling green hills and mountains, tall grass swaying in the gentle breeze. 

"Come closer." The Sorcerer beckoned aloud, not even bothering to look behind him. His words echoed off the stone walls of the observatory, his tone lacking in its typical warmth and friendliness, instead replaced by what could only be described as displeasure. 

Dodging his head a bit as a reaction to someone were throwing something at him instead of just a mere voice, Alan's eyes darted over to Dominic. Now the questions were [i]really[/i] starting to reel in his mind. The voice though, it was like something he had never heard before, on Earth or in Fairy Tale Land, but Alan had already had it up to here with people bullshitting around with him, so taking a single step forward (though not because the man had asked him to) Alan asked outloud and firmly,

"And who the hell are you?"

"Show some respect!" Dominic hissed underneath his breath, obeying the Sorcerer's wish and moving close enough for suitable conversation before bowing his head submissively, dismissing Alan's obvious eye-roll. 

Turning around slowly, the Sorcerer looked towards the both of them, saying and doing nothing for a brief moment before his hooded gaze fell onto Alan who had given his attention back to the Sorcerer. 

"Do you truly not remember me, Pinocchio? I suppose I cannot blame you; young and confused as you were. I am the Sorcerer - we met briefly for a time before you were sent to Earth with the others." The Sorcerer said in a calm, though stoic manner before his gaze turned towards the armillary sphere in the center of the room, the device shifting and turning on its own in a fluid manner, with no clear purpose or intention in mind.

At this, Alan's firm expression lightened somewhat, single eyebrow raising as he tried to remember that night, the night when he had been given the necklace; the night his entire life changed.

There were fragments. It was dark. The only figure he could distinctly remember right down to the way they smelled was the Blue Fairy who had been the one to give him the instruction after handing over the necklace. She had made mention of a sorcerer, and he remembered paying close attention, but the years wore down on his memory. Even the other children he had been sent through with were mostly a blur, though the adults, Illya and Funes, were easily recognizable even to him now.

"I would be deceiving you if I said your actions these past thirteen years did not anger or disappoint me." The Sorcerer began, his words still directed towards Alan. 

"Instead of doing your duty, you let yourself become victim to the terrible vices that have fallen prey to many: Alcohol, drugs, lustful desire, amongst others. It pained me to watch you fall so far...The exodus to Earth was more volatile than I predicted, you were scattered, lost. Even my powers were unable to help guide you towards each other in a realm such as Earth, a realm [i]without[/i] magic."

Dominic looked up slowly as he heard the Sorcerer's words, keeping a composed, unemotional expression, though his mind was [i]brimming[/i] with questions. 

"Nevertheless, the potential I saw in you thirteen years ago, I still see in you now. Though you have buried it under years of cynicism and bitter pain, you still have the capacity to do [i]good[/i] - to love." The Sorcerer continued in a kinder tone, though he otherwise made no other visible motion to hint at his mood. 

Alan's confusion did not leave his facial features as the Sorcerer continued to speak, instead only growing as time went on. Just what was this man going on about? His words were accusitory, same as Dominic, Illya and Funes, but the delivery was differerent; passive-aggressive if he had to put a name to it. Rather than lashing out like a wounded animal, Alan instead started with the most basic of questions.

"The Sorcerer? What, like, Yen Sid? You keep a pointy blue hat underneath that cloak do ya? Keep a rat up your ass, call him Mickey? Look, [i]Sorcerer[/i], I appreciate your words of bitchin wisdom, but you put your money on the wrong donkey. I don't want this, I [i]never[/i] wanted this!" Alan continued on, only then realizing the lack of weight from the pendant that was usually pressed into his chest.

"I was just a thirteen year old kid that had been alive for two weeks who had been abducted by a fat, bearded Russian guy, forced to dance, turned into a donkey, swallowed by a whale with fucking [i]teeth[/i] and then thrown up again, only to get home to hear that I can't stay, that I once again have to be sent away. I don't give a fuck what that wooden-headed little shit said about this whole journey to Earth, that's not me anymore. So don't you [i]dare[/i] start telling me what I am and am not capable of!"

The Sorcerer quietly lifted his hand up, whatever else Alan had to say dissipating in his throat, as though the mage's sheer willpower had silenced him. 

"You have walked a harsh and cruel road, regrettably thrust upon you at a young age. The room in the nursery, the orphanage, your first foster home, and finally meeting the street magicians. If there is one thing I've ever learned about you, Pinocchio, it's that you can do [i]anything[/i] once you put your mind to it. Your determination, your resourcefulness and your will to survive are just some of the reasons I chose you as a Guardian in the first place. But more than that, as well..."

Dominic remained quiet during all of this, knowing better than to interrupt the Sorcerer while he spoke to Alan. He wondered, though, what caused Yen Sid to look at Pinocchio so differently - to try and see the good in a man who obviously didn't want that side of him being realized. 

Moving somewhat closer to the two of them, the Sorcerer let a pensive silence fall on the air before speaking again, "Before the Children and Guardians were sent to Earth, Geppetto, your father came to me late one night, after you had already fallen asleep. In all my years I had never seen a man so desperate as he. He begged and pleaded with me to allow you to take the journey with the other children, to save you from what was to come. I sympathized with him, the need, the instinct to save one's child. I could not deny him that chance."

"When the time came, I assigned you as one of the Guardians to be sent over to Earth and watch over the children until their time came to return home. If I had known you all would have been separated, I would have made better preparatory measures to ensure your and the other children's safety..." The Sorcerer finished on an almost sad note, his head inclining down for a brief moment as he let out a heavy sigh. 

The small flare of anger Alan felt within his chest slowly began to subside until he felt his heart dropping to his shoes at the mention of his father. He blinked his blue eyes a couple of times, words getting lost in his throat as his demeanor fell completely stoic. That... that wasn't at all the way Alan had seen it. He had been roused from his sleep that very same night they came home from their dealings with Monstro and was taken by the Blue Fairy. His father just didn't want him, just as it had been when he had decided to run away the first time, but there was no reason that The Sorcerer would lie to him; and though Alan couldn't see his face to get a good read as he usually would, the body language and tone gave him nothing to challenge his words.

"Is-" Alan stopped suddenly to clear his throat, the single word coming out shakily and cracked. "Is he alive? Is my father still alive?" He asked, now sounding more firm than emotional.

The Sorcerer remained silent at first, making no visible movement or indication, his coat billowing about him in the wind. 

"Yes, your father lives, though I do not know where he is or if Maleficent is aware of his whereabouts. I spoke with him very little after your journey to Earth." The Sorcerer finally explained, moving towards the armillary sphere to examine it. 

Alan took a moment to think over The Sorcerer's confirmation. Gepetto was still alive, though how he felt about that fact, Alan wasn't sure. He spent the last thirteen years trying to forget about home, trying to forget about his father who didn't want him... but things had suddenly been flipped upside down and backwards, leaving Alan simply feeling... numb inside...

"Our time is growing closer..." The Sorcerer continued, this time on a different subject, though one Dominic at least would be able to pick up easily. "I've seen it. At the Snowfest tonight, all the children and Guardians will be together, as I saw thirteen years ago. That's when you will reveal the Truth to them, and they will make the subsequent choice to return home or not."

Turning towards Dominic, the Sorcerer continued, "There are two others, the Twins. You recall them, yes?"

Dominic nodded briskly, "Yes...of course. Though I've not been able to keep as close an eye on them as the others." He responded. 

"Twins?" Alan piqued up, seeming to have shaken his earlier penisive mood. He recalled the Blue Fairy, yes. The Sorcerer, vaguely... and the man in the wheel chair... but everyone else involved in the coming to Earth that night... the children could have very well been a group of feces-flinging monkeys and he doubted he'd be able to remember.

Dominic turned his head towards Alan, nodding once before elaborating, "Eric and Sebastian, twins in this world. They've chosen to take residence out of country, making my surveillance...rather difficult. Nonetheless, they take trips to Lake Tahoe annually, around this time of the year, actually. I expect them to be at the Snowfest, they're rather close to Elsa." He finished, with the Sorcerer nodding as Dominic spoke, adding weight to his words. 

Ignoring a strange, unfamiliar burn in his chest towards Dominic's latter words, Alan asked, then turning to The Sorcerer, "So is that everyone? They really will all be here, like, [i]now[/i]? How many we got total? And what's our plan? Somehow I don't think taking cutouts of Disney characters and slapping them on their foreheads, forcing them all to play a guessing game will get us anywhere... well, maybe a padded room, but I'm apt to steer clear of those..."

"There are seven children total: Elsa and Anna of Arendelle, Jasmine and Morgiana of Agrabah, Rapunzel of Corona, Peter Pan of Neverland and Eric of the Southern Isles." The Sorcerer began, listing off the true names of the children as well as where they hailed from. 

"Each amulet a Guardian wears has been enchanted with a special purpose. When the time comes to return, they will each open up a portal leading from this realm to the Fairy Tale World. None of the children are required to return if they so wish, but we strongly urge it. I believe the simplest way to reveal their heritage is to tell it. Point out the fallacies, the inconsistencies in their stories. They will believe in time." The Sorcerer continued, crossing both arms behind his back once again. 

"Now, then. Time is of the essence and the hour grows late. Godspeed, to the both of you." The Sorerer added on a final note, the environment slowly beginning to fade away like a foggy mist. 

Blinking a bit, trying to process the information into his brain as to what children there were and which ones he had already... met... Alan looked around at the disappating room around them, and then to Dominic.

"Well... beam me up Scotty..."

*~*~*

Finding themselves back in Funes' hotel suite once again, Dominic took a few moments to get readjusted to the [i]real[/i], dusting off his coat and brushing a bit of hair out of his face. 

"We best not wait long. Snowfest awaits." Dominic said aloud to Alan, wearing what appeared to be a small smile on his features before heading towards the door, letting out a heavy sigh. 

[i]'This is it.'[/i] 

Doing as Dominic had done in brushing off his suit, Alan blinked a few times, poking himself in a few places on his arm to ensure that all was as it should be. His attention lifted over to Dominic as the older man walked towards the door, a frown appearing on Alan's face.

"You gotta buy me like, ten minutes there Old Timer. If I'm gonna do this, I'm doing this prepared... or at least as prepared as my cramming-before-the-test can get me." He stated, walking over to where the large folder of information Dominic had been gathering on the children remain laying open. There it was, all in black and white (literally). Eliza Brie - Elsa of Arendelle. The knot that had started forming in his stomach began to twist again, rendering Alan feeling rather nauseous, so to push through it, he simply turned the page to someone less... familiar. 

"You gotta admit... Sebastian, a name given to him from [i]this[/i] land... that's just fucking hilarious..." He said aloud to himself.

"It has a formal ring to it, I quite like it." Dominic replied, moving away from the door and towards the same wall that Alan had ferociously thrown his amulet. 

Lifting his head up to look over to Dominic, Alan narrowed his eyes in concentration, sizing the older gentleman up.

"The hell kind of story did you come from anyway?"

Bending down, Dominic picked up the unharmed necklace off the ground, rubbing the face of it off with his sleeve before turning his head towards Alan, registering his question. 

"It's a bit more of a vague tale, nothing like Aladdin or The Little Mermaid. Grimm's Fairy Tales call it The Owl. A brief retelling of my time roaming the skies. Maybe you've read it, maybe you haven't." He answered somewhat vaguely, cupping the necklace in his hand and approaching the younger man. 

"Here, take it. Let bygones be bygones." Dominic said in a slightly warmer tone, holding his open hand out for Alan to take his necklace back. 

Straightening up a bit, Alan surveyed the necklace being held out to him before looking Dominic up and down again. Tentatively, he reached out and took his necklace back and looped it over his head.

"Alright, I [i]think[/i] I understand. You dress like that and grow hilarious facial hair so that people will recognize you cuz you're a shit character in this world. Got it." Nodding his head affirmedly, as though that were that, Alan stuffed the pendant underneath his button-up shirt, feeling a strange sense of one-ness when he felt the weight of it pressing against his chest once more. "Alright, git. I got some major catching up to do." He then added, waving Dominic off like an annoying house fly as he returned his attention to the folder.

Dominic shook his head in exasperation, letting out a huff. Under normal circumstances he most likely would have been tempted to slam his fist into the younger man's face. But the Sorcerer's words, the fact they were [i]so[/i] close left him at peace. 

"Don't be long." He said on a final word before heading out the door, closing it quietly behind him. 

Waiting until he heard the door latch closed, Alan gave his full attention to the folders, staring blankly at the pictures as the newspaper articles next to them meant absolutely nothing to him. He could spend the next ten minutes trying to make out a word or four, or he could at least try to get faces associated with their real names. Either way, he had some planning to do if this were to work. Sighing, Alan reached up to run his fingers through his hair, turning the page back one with his opposite hand... back to Eliza Brie. 

Back to Elsa of Arendelle.