Owner Pose
Donna Troy     In the 'throne room', the strange space that has -- sometimes -- replaced the main room of the tower, the woman who has -- apparently permanently -- replaced Donna sits in one of the thrones and stares at a tear in reality, contemplating it deeply.

    The tear is no surprise or puzzle to her. After all, she's the one who made it. The tear, or 'juncture' as she has referred to it, is a ragged-edged two-dimensional hole in floating in the air. From there side it is entirely invisible, but from the front or back it shows a pathway leading through a deep forest, with brightly-colored flowers decorating the forest floor, and a signpost reading 'This way: 1 mile. That way: 2 miles'.

    She had created this rent in reality when Terry had first suggested that a journey to Wonderland might be necessary, because apparently this version of Troia can just do that. Since that time the juncture has stood there in the throne room, held open to the passage of light, but closed to anything else -- not even a sound can be heard from the world on the other side of the tear.

    From the moment she had opened it, Troia had been aware that there was something not right about Wonderland. Terry had sensed it too, and it had driven him away. Whatever it was, it had made the cat uncomfortable. It had made Troia cautious. She had described it as a 'darkness at the interface', and implied it was a danger. Something that might even step through from one world into the other, if allowed...
Bart Allen Bart Allen comes to check on things with the Titans. He has been busy of late and aint been by for a few days. He comes running into the room at speed, stops, and looks around, and then back out the elevator to make sure he has the right building, and back up counting the floors. He finds himself in the same room, and stops scratching his head a bit as he looks at all the changes "Ok, I think I miss the redecorating party." He looks over to Troia. "Donna, whats going on?"
Madison Evans     "Please be the kitchen, please be the kitchen, please be the- Darn it!" Madison steps out into the throne room carrying a large tray with multi-colored liquid sloshing around in it - an attempt at an art project that needs a fair amount of clean up. And this is //not// where she'd intended to clean it up.
    "...I don't suppose I'm allowed to just dump this out the window into the vacuum of space and see what happens?" she asks in a hopeful voice, looking towards Not-Donna with a guileless smile on her features. I mean - what could go wrong with interacting with a portal into airless space?
Terry O'Neil "Wonderland"

Vorpal quietly enters that strange knot of probability, that to-be-or-not-to-have-would-have-might-have-been made disingenuous loci that was the main room/throne room. The Cheshire cat's demeanor is unusually somber. He approaches Troia, and the tear, his tail twitching nervously behind him on occasion, hands clasped behind his back. "That's what's going on. Or at least, I suspect." The feline glances at the speedster and says, "Bart... this is going to be a little hard to... get used to for the moment, but this is not Donna. This is Troia. We are currently at a nexus of probabilities overlapping each other, and this Troia has overwritten our Donna, and this place is currently super-imposed with our main room, and we're trying to find out why."

He glances at the Titan and gives her a warm, if faint, smile. "... did I explain that well enough? Also, Maddie- no polluting outer space. You don't know what a dust particle might do to any ship just coming out of Hyperspace."

What can he say? He knows his people.
Donna Troy     Troia stares at Bart for a while with a look that's just beginning to border on frustration, when Terry saves her the effort of denying the obvious fact that she's Donna.

    Except that she's kind of not. She does look very much like Donna right up until you notice that her hair seems to be filled with glowing stars. That's not something Donna is prone to making a habit of.

    "There has been no decoration. This place has looked like this for several thousand years," she tells Bart. That's not likely to cause any additional confusion to the speedster.

    On the other hand, Maddie seems set on causing confusion for Troia. "Why would you wish to cast colored fluids into space?" she asks Madison, sounding distinctly puzzled. "It would serve little purpose. The fluids would evaporate in a very short space of time. Did you intend to cast colored fluids into a kitchen instead? Or were you simply hoping to find a kitchen because you are hungry? I can provide food for you if you'd like.
Madison Evans     "Oh, well, I was making marblized fabric as a gift for my mom," Madison explains, "But now I need to clean up, so I was going to wash these in the sink but- well. Watching what would happen when you fling the stuff out into vacuum would be interesting! In the spirit of scientific inquiry!" She grins broadly at the mythical Titan, before directing her attention to the superheroic Titan in turn, her brow crinkling slightly.
    "I don't think a bit of colored water in the vacuum of space would cause any risk to hyperspace travel. I mean, aren't... comets mostly ice already?" Still, she doesn't move too close to the empty window. The last time she went too close to it - Troia pulled her back.
Bart Allen Bart Allen stops and looks about a bit more, and says "Ok, nexus of reality, and a new Donna but older Donna too." He hmms and zooms around the room checking things out and stops looking through the portal "Ok, where does this go, and how do we fix things?"
Emiko Queen "That is an excellent question, time traveller... how -do- we fix this?"

When did Emiko arrive? Fairly recently, but long enough to have heard the question. She smiles at Bart and approaches him long enough to lean up and in to kiss his cheek. "Any chance the Speed Force can help fix a chrono-dimensional rift?" Someone's been studying. The simple fact that there are now resources that can be studied is alarming on it's own, but Emi doesn't like being kept out of the loop on things.
Terry O'Neil "It goes to Wonderland, Bart," Vorpal answers quietly. He stares at the rift, his expression serious and somber. Emiko's appearance causes him to jump a little, but he settles down. "And I have a theory that it is the source of this issue. Or at least a catalyst. Wonderland is nothing but chaos magic, and chaos magic has a way of messing with probability-" he glances at Troia.

"Which is why I've decided. I'm going in and take a look at what's going on," he looks at the rift again, and then back to Troia. "The... darkness... you sensed before. Can you sense if it is aware of this rift?"
Donna Troy "Catalyst would be too strong a word I think," Troia says. "There is the trace of chaos magic in this. But I do not think that this has been caused by chaos magic so much as the chaos magic was opportunistically employed in the creation of the infolding. The artifacts you hold in your home are indeed nexuses of probabilities. I think that this missing friend of yours... I'm not sure how to explain this properly, because you don't really understand the power of ideas. But because of the similarities between her and I, the similarity of ideas, there would be a natural resonance. That could have been caused to interact with the power of your crown and scepter, though... it's not enough."

    Troia leans away from the rift she has been studying, sitting back in her chair. "There would have to be something else. Something that interfered at my end too, to generate that opportunistic enmeshing of the resonance with this chaos magic. Perhaps it is something that my enemies have perpetrated. I just don't know." She gives a soft sigh. "I'm not the right person to figure this out. I'm sure the other Titans would understand it immediately and know how to resolve the problem, but on my own... it is frustrating."

    "I can say that this isn't a chronological disturbance though," Troia adds with a nod towards Emiko. "As far as I am able to tell you are from the same point in time as me. No, I become increasingly convinced that this is an entanglement of... idea-space, perhaps you might call it.

    "I'm uncertain," she says to Terry. "It probes at the edges. But I do not know for sure if that is a voluntary thing, or merely a product of its nature. It is something strange, something I am not familiar with. It feels like it is an entity of some kind, but it also feels like it is... fundamental to the realm. It is beyond my experience to understand what I sense."
Bart Allen Bart Allen looks over and says "I wonder if our Donna and big screen are in this lady's world with the other titans. Maybe they are trying to figure it out too." He does give Emiko a one armed hug and smiles at her. then to Terry. "So when we going?"
Madison Evans     Madison creeps towards the window, listening to the conversation, and glancing towards the others as she makes her slow side-steps. When she gets close enough, she scoops up a small amount of colorful liquid in a cup - and flings it at the seemingly empty window, curious to see if if the liquid passes straight through, or splashes against some unseen force to make a mess inside the room.
    A mess she's prepared to clean up.
    She takes care to keep her hand from getting close enouogh to the window to make any contact, though.
    "Umm... Troia is the last of the Titans," she stage-whispers for Bart, then mouths 'sore-subject.' As being the last of your kind is wont to be.
    "Wait. We're going to Wonderland?" she asks suddenly, bouncing up on her toes - and immediately regreting it as the colored water splashes with the movement. "Oh- ...fudgesicles!"
Emiko Queen Emiko lifts her brows and glances around at Troia's world, letting out a low whistle, "Must have been an epic battle." Shaking her head, she looks back to Troia herself, "So not chronological then. Dimensional? There are people... here, in our reality, that come from... not here. They come from worlds similar, parallel to ours, but with differences. Since your time seems to be matching up with ours, could this be one of those rifts? Initiated by the probability shifts made by crown and scepter... which means of there's something on your end keeping it open?" She pauses, then frowns, "That suggests there's intent to cross into this reality, or to pull from this reality into the other. Otherwise, why bother to keep it open?"

Clearing her throat, she looks to Terry, "You know that I'm always game for Wonderland. I actually have a lovely tea blend I picked up my last trip to Kyoto that I was going to ask you to pass to Theophilius. Perhaps I'll be able to do so myself." Smiling, she seems pleased at the idea of seeing the Hatter again. He was fun.
Terry O'Neil "I understand the power of ideas, Troia," Vorpal answers softly, "I come from a people that arose from ideas. You might be underestimating me a little," he smiles. "But there are no other Titans, Bart. Troia is the last of the Titans of Myth- there was a war between Olympus and New Kronos..." he sighs, and glances at Troia. "I think there are more than just similarities, Troia. It is too coincidental. That you both have ties to the mythic realm, you both can tell when someone is lying, you look the same, your mannerisms are so similar. Unless this goes beyond this reality and we are dipping our toes into a multiverse- in which case we should talk to America- I am beginning to suspect that whatever happened didn't conflate two different people..." he turns to Troia "as much as it is the flipping of a mirror. Going through the Looking-Glass. In Wonderland, you can do it because the looking-glass is the pivot point between two different paradigms. And... that's why I am convinced we may find our answers there!" he points at the rift.

"I... just want to take a glimpse. Troia, can you let us through?" He starts walking up to the rift. "Just a quick in-and-out. I've never been to Wonderland in this incarnation, but if I breathe the air there for a moment, maybe something..."
Donna Troy "As far as I have been able to determine, you come from the same universe as do I," Troia answers Emiko. "I am hardly an expert in such matters though. I see... I see things I don't know how to describe to you. Shapes in the nature of reality. A tissue of interconnectedness between thought and matter. Some part of what it is that makes 'here' different from 'there', and 'now' different from 'then'. But I don't know what to do with this information. How to interpret it. I don't have..." she glances Terry's way. "...an instruction manual."

    Madison's scoop of coloured liquid passes easily through the window, and as soon as it has crossed the threshold it forms itself into a bubble of coloured water, just drifting in space outside the window. Almost instantly the surface of the water bubbles and heaves, boiling away and shrinking the ball of liquid down to nothing. For a moment it seems like the fluid has simply gone, but after a few seconds there is a brief scintillation as the vapor sublimates fine crystals of colored ice that sparkle in the starlight of Alpha Draconis before drifting away.

    The second, unintentional spillage of colored water behaves even more strangely. Before any of it has had the chance to splash the marble floor it freezes in place, then gathers together into a cube that drifts back onto Maddie's tray before suddenly losing shape and becoming fluid again.

    "I could," Troia says to Terry dubiously. "The darkness is not an issue here, but I do not know how it might be impacting Wonderland itself. It may be dangerous." She glances at Madison. "The tall one, Caitlin Fairchild. She said Madison should not go through the portal. She was concerned it wasn't safe. I don't want any of you to be hurt because of my actions." She glances from face to face. "If you stay close to each other and to the juncture, to protect each other and to escape back here if you need, I suppose it would not be a problem."
Bart Allen Bart Allen looks over and says "Trust me, if we need to get out quick, that can be done." He offers with a smile, and says "And I aint going to let anything happen to Madison, Irie, would never forgive me."
Madison Evans     "THAT. WAS. COOL!" Madison says excitedly - though it's unclear which occurance she means. ...probably both. This time, she pulls out her phone and unlocks it - then she takes the entire tray containing all the colored water and flings the contents of the tray towards the empty portal into space, hastily lifting her phone to record what happens. Only once all the water has boiled away, and turned into tiny, scintillating ice crystals does she turns back towards the Titans. "I can look after myself. Caitlin's never seen me pull my full Jedi act versus evil thugs. She just doesn't know what a powerful ally the Force can be."
    She seems, at the very least, extremely confident in her abilities.
    "And I reeeeeeally wanna go to Wonderland," she adds.
America Chavez     An upside down V suddenly appears in glowing gold light in the air not far from the entrance to the main room accompanied by the sound of shearing metal. Shortly after to sideways V join it, also with similarly colored light and sounds. There is a momentary pause. Some vaguely muffled Spanish explitives are uttered before another two V, these two upright though tilted to finalize the star appear with their own shearing sound and then the area inside the glowing star simply shatters like so many shards of glass.

    A dark skinned brunette emerges from the opening and turns to wave a hand, seemingly folding reality over the hole she just created. "Good! I thought this was the place, but you can never tell can you?" she asks. Noticing the gathering she raises a fingerless gloved hand. "Hola!" she offers to the group. "Thought I'd pop in and see what all the fuss was about well..." She looks at Donna and nods, "Her."
Emiko Queen Emiko gives a nod and offers, "Neither am I. We can keep guessing at each other, but that's really all it will be." She smiles faintly towards Troia, "But if it's any consolation, I've been to Wonderland and back twice now, no issues. No hurts, no bumps, no bruises, and nobody was eaten. We have a pretty good track record, all things considered."

She turns a quick smile towards Bart, "You know who to take first when it comes down to it."
Terry O'Neil "We'll keep each other safe, and we'll stay close to the rift. Bart can zoom everybody out in case there's a need to move quickly... although I must warn you: distance in Wonderland can be highly subjective. It's hard to explain. But everybody: I mean this, we stay close, and if we find something effed up, we turn back. This is just an explorato-- America!"

The Cheshire cat waves, "Long story short... this is Troia, not Donna. We have a probability overlap and our Donna has been replaced with this Troia, but she's super nice, and we're going to go take a peek at Wonderland to see if we can glean something real quick of what might be going wrong there... maybe get a hint if it's tied to what's happening here. You game?"

He walks up to the rift and glanes at Troia, nodding to her. "I'm ready. Everybody... just follow my lead. If I say run, you run, okay?"

This was a chance to prove that he wasn't the screw-up, the comic relief, the clown. He had a chance at actually helping. What could go wrong?
Donna Troy     Perhaps Troia needs a badge. 'Hi! I'm Troia (not Donna). How may I help you today?' She is getting a little bit frustrated at people accusing her of being Donna all the time, but she does her best not to show it as she nods a greeting to America.

    She leans back, studying the group of people in front of her thoughtfully, brows furrowed with what can only be concern. "Very well," she says finally. "I shall modify the juncture so that it will act as a portal from here to there for you. I shall secure it so that the darkness is not able to pass through into this world. Until I understand full what it is, that is a danger I would wish to avoid. It might cause damage to the... the substance of this universe."

    She gets to her feet, stepping close to the rift, which she circles a couple of times before crouching down and reaching a hand through. She plucks a flower from the forest floor, and pulls her hand back, still holding the flower. "Y... yes. That should be it." She tosses the flower back through the portal and returns to her seat. "You may use the portal," she says."

    "But... please take care."
Madison Evans     "This. Is. AWESOME!" Madison exclaims, turning her cellphone on the portal now. She circles it once herself - showing how it vanishes from the side - and is about to step through when she stops, and looks down at the phone in her hand. Her mom can track it. What will the location data say if she takes her phone into Wonderland?
    "I'll just leave this... here," she remarks, setting the phone on the edge of one of the stone thrones. It doesn't seem to occur to her that the location data might already be confusing, given the state of its current location.
    Then the teen steps through before anyone else can stop her. At least she obediently stays near the portal - stooping to pick a flower of her own. She gives it a sniff then remarks, "This flower smells like //popcorn//! Why?"
America Chavez     America looks at the rift and beyond it and shrugs. "I'm game" she says. As Maddison hops in she gives the young girl a grin, "I like her enthusiasm" she says. "If things go sideways I can get people out just as easily."

    "I know you're not Donna. Part of what I came to look into" she says with a sympathetic look to the woman who looks like an old friend. "But if we can help you--and her if that's in the cards--then I'm all for it." She gives a final glance to Terry and tugs on her gloves, ensuring they're tight in case she needs to punch a hole in reality. "I've got your back Vorp."
Emiko Queen Emiko lets out a small 'heh' as Maddie is the first through again. Shaking her head, she steps through as well to make sure the girl isn't there by herself. "Well, I can't say -why-, but I would suggest not eating it, just in case." She glances around the area and lets out a breath, "But it certainly does smell nicer on this side. Let's hope that keeps up." Probably just a lack of much scent to be had in the weird space/moon base/living room.

Sadly, she is in full costume, meaning she's got the whole black suit with red armoring and red hood, even the domino mask. Someone had been intending to patrol... but it's WONDERLAND. You don't skip going to Wonderland!
Terry O'Neil "Maddie wai- aaaand she's through." The Cheshire exhales, but quickly recovers once the rest of the team goes through. "... they'll be fine. We'll watch over them. Bart, be ready to grab people and zoom them out, just in case..."

Poking through the rift, the moment the Cheshire sets a toe on Wonderland ground, there is a visible change that comes over him. His eyes flare with a brief green light before they return to their normal appearance... but it's almost as if his fur glows very faintly with some internal light. He stays there, transfixed, taking a deep breath as around him a flock of butter flies flaps around with golden, buttery wings. A little sound comes out of him, and he blinks while glancing around.

"... oh my whiskers..." he says. "I feel... I feel... I... /feel/..."
Jonathan Sims     Naturally Jon chooses /this/ moment to come visit the Tower, looking to talk to Troia, or maybe find some clue about what's going on, or... something. The Tower systems let him through as a guest, and he finds himself wandering a corkscrew-like hallway for what to him seems like 15 minutes or so but is probably more like two. It dumps him out into the Main Room just in time to watch Madison going through a portal. Well, then.

    It's probably a good thing, actually. If he'd shown up when /just/ Troia was there he'd have got all maudlin and embarassing. As it is, watching Emiko and then Terry follow Madison through the portal short-circuits /that/ whole business enough that he says, "Ahh, you must be Troia... and /they're/ going to need a chaperone, aren't they? I'm Jon Sims, the Archivist. We need to talk. Later."

    He raises his voice. "Terry! Wait up!" And then... right on into the portal, yep. Clearly he's of the same mind as Emiko: you don't miss going to Wonderland.
Madison Evans     Madison laughs and eagerly points at one of the 'butter flies.' "THAT explains the popcorn smell! It must attract them! It's only logical." It's a special kind of logic, to be sure, but it is a sort of logic. Madison tucks the flower in behind her ear and starts to move further down the path - only to stop, and look towards Terry, and Emiko, and America, and- "Who are you?" she asks bluntly, before realizing she's being rude.
    "Sorry. Sorry, I'm Madison Evans, Jedi Padawan," she explains. "Welcome to Wonderland!"
America Chavez     Ms. America looks at Jon and frowns. "What the hell am I if not the chaperone?" she asks before stepping in after the Archivist with a skip. She gives a look around the landscape of Wonderland. "It's not the most hospitable, is it?" she says, looking at the butter flies and popcorn flowers. "But it's easy on the eyes... once you get used to it."

    She moves next to Vorpal and smiles at him. "Feel's like home, right?" She used to remmeber that feeling, not one she got much of anymore with her home dimension being... well, gone.
Emiko Queen Emiko chuckles softly, then frowns as the HUD display in the domino mask starts to go... strange. She blinks a few times, taps lightly at the eye coverings before finally peeling it off to rub at her eyes. "Oof. That's going to take some getting used to." She replaces the mask, then looks towards Terry. "...huh. Maybe it isn't the HUD after all. You're... sparkly."

American gets a nod as she passes through, then Jonathan comes through as well and she chuckles, "A stowaway! Welcome aboard the good ship Wonderlands. Your cruise director Vorpal will be in charge of all shipboard activities for the duration of this trip."
Terry O'Neil The Cheshire cat closes his eyes and tilts his head back a little, and then speaks:

"Like I'm whole for the first time in-" his voice drops for a second, and he becomes aware of things once again.

"Jon? How... when did you get here?" he says, noticing the butter flies, the flowers, and he frowns. "...we're... somewhere in the Tulgey Wood. It feels... familiar. I can..."

That warm glow covers him. He is like a chaotic candle shining in the darkness. Or, perhaps, a beacon. A beacon that anything could follow. "It all feels so familiar. But there's something... like what Troia said, something's... not quite..."

He stares off into the distance, taking a few experimental steps as he squints, as if trying to make out something, like a magic eye picture hidden in the foliage.
Jonathan Sims     Jon has to take a moment, blinking around at the weirdness and the chaotically glowing cat. "Sort of a stowaway, yes. I told Terry I'd come help with this... business. But it all feels... very... hmm. Strange. Tingly, like. As for when I got here? Just now. Something not quite right? Or left?"

    He shakes himself, suddenly, and peers around at the others. Blinks owlishly at Madison for a moment. "Aren't you a little short to be a Jedi?" He says this entirely deadpan.
Madison Evans     "Whoa. Vorpal you're-" Before Madison can finish her thought though, Jonathan is talking to her, and looks up at the man - a bit grin suddenly appearing on her features. "Judge me by my size do you? Hmm?" Yes. She tries to say it in a Yoda-voice. As soon as she says it, she bounds towards Jon, wrapping the man in an abrupt hug. "You're alright, I've decided. But you didn't give //your// name. Didn't your mom teach you any manners?"
    The hug is brief, as she moves to join Terry, standing beside him, peering into the trees.
    "If I see any bottles that say 'Drink Me' - should I?"
Emiko Queen "NO."

Emiko clears her throat, then tries again, "Apologies. I would not suggest either eating or drinking anything that is telling you to." She pauses, then sighs, "Well, at least you're appropriately dressed for whatever happens... but if you shrink, there's no guarantee your clothes will shrink with you."

She lifts a hand to scratch at her cheek idly before looking towards Jonathan, "Well, seems you're known by most of the party, so welcome aboard." There's a quick smile offered to him before she looks back towards Terry, "Do we go towards it or stick to the lighter side?" Nope, costumed superhero still has not introduced herself.
Terry O'Neil "Don't eat anything. Don't drink anything," Vorpal says, holding up a hand, "And don't follow anything. You don't want to get separated in these woods. They're close to the Hills of Gloom and..."

He freezes. The sun that filters through the canopy is golden, and low, as if it were late in the afternoon.

TwAs BrIlLiG, aNd ThE sLiThY tOvEs
DiD gYrE aNd GiMbLe In ThE wAbE:

The wind picks up, startling a swarm of insects from nearby vegetation. Ladybugs flitter by, chased obsequiousy by ladies-in-waiting-bugs and hastily cleaned-up after by chambermaid-bugs. A few drones pass by, annoing and noisy, sounding like a bagpipe who is trying to get off its anti-depressants cold turkey. Something has startled the forest, including a fleeing flock of birds with feathers sticking out all round, something like a live mop.

And then there's silence.

"Maybe. Maybe we ought to start heading back-" he turns around, and stares.

The distance to the portal has suddenly increased tenfold, as if the stretch of forest had been stretched even futher into something like taffy, and the merry band was at the farther end. "Let's-"

The wind whispering through the canopy causes the leaves to rustle. If you listen carefully, you might get the impression that the leaves themselves are sussurating, words almost clearly discernible to the ear: He's back. He's back. He's back. He's back.
Jonathan Sims     Jon stiffens noticably at the hug, but he can't be angry at such exuberance; he smiles at the girl instead and replies, "Jonathan Sims, the Archivist. But 'Jon' is fine. I should think if we ran into such bottles it would be in the nature of a puzzle, but if Terry thinks--"

    His breath catches in his throat at the silence and he, too, turns to stare at the portal. Wings flare from his back, abruptly, blue and teal and gold, and a circlet with feather appears on his brow. Order trying to assert itself in this land of Chaos. Probably a bad idea.

    "It knows I'm here. Shit." He spins around to stare in the direction the poem is coming from. "Go. Go, go, go. I'll hold it off if I have to."

    Then there's a whirlwind that whips itself up from the ground and slams into Jon, throwing him halfway back to the portal and knocking all the wind out of him, all at once. A terrible sound and whipping of branches comes from the forest. /Something/ is coming for the beacon of Order that dared set foot on Wonderland's soil.
Madison Evans     "Technically you just told me not to follow you. Or the other Titans. Or Grand Moff Jon over here." Madison jerks a thumb towards Jon - while her gaze goes to follow the lady, and lady-in-waiting, and chambermaid bugs. "Whoa..." she murmurs - taking a step towards them, and then stopping. How was that single step a good half dozen feet?
    "Sorry! Sorry! Not following anything!" she promises, running hastily back to the group, her gaze turning up towards the whispering leaves.
    "Uhh. Are they supposed to do that?"
    She starts to creep towards the portal, her gaze flicking around her, looking for sign of trouble, when //something// knocks into Jon and throws them across the clearing. She lets out a startled gasp, and starts to run towards the portal, throwing out her hands towards the vague shape that is the whirlwind attacking the man, trying to force it back with the strength of her will.
    Nevermind that she's never been able to shift anything of real significant mass before.
Emiko Queen Emiko is... watching. Observing. She hasn't moved from her spot as Jon sprouts wings and goes all teal on them. "Mmmmmmm, this won't end well..." And sure enough... she watches as Jon is picked up and thrown towards the portal. She quietly reaches out and snags hold of Maddie's tee, whispering, "Go to Bart, Maddie. Or America. We need to leave." She gives a small smile of reassurance towards the girl before starting move very carefully back towards the portal. While the black would usually work for her, here she sticks out like a sore thumb.

Creeping Ninja, Stalking Jedi! She tries to keep Maddie moving towards the portal even as she looks to Terry, trying to gauge his reaction to what's going on.
Terry O'Neil Vorpal just stands there, as the canopy is rustled like so many dandelion stalks brushed by a destructive child. There is a shower of leaves all over as the leaves leave their branches, unidentifiable birds sing out in distress by singing in augmented fourths. And that's when he sees it- or he sees /something/, alright. It's like a massive shadow made of tiny, small ones writhing like a swarm of cockroaches across the remains of last night's frat party's leftovers that nobody has been able to clean up for half a day because they're all recovering from the meanest alcoholic hangover you can get without having beer-bonged a flask of perfume.

He doesn't even need to see what shape it has, primarily because it doesn't really have a defined one, but he knows that it can see /him/, resplendent with the chaos of Wonderland coursing through him... and it wants him.

And yet he /can't/ move, he is too stunned.

Fortunately for him, America isn't stunend at all. In the past, he might have objected to being grabbed and flung across the air and through the portal like some fuzzy basketball... but in this case, he's all for it. He does manage to react enough to dampen his landing in the Main Throne Room by summoning a chaos construct of a fluffy, enormous pillow. He quickly turns and points at the portal, "Troia! We need to get them ou-"

But Bart is already on the job, along with America. Anyone lagging behind is going to get speed-carried or tossed through the portal.
Jonathan Sims     Jon scrambles to his feet and summons up a glowing emerald sword even while America's flinging Terry through the portal. Whatever's coming, whatever strange apparition it might be, he's clearly prepared to face it down to be sure everyone else gets back alright. Fortunately for him, neither America nor Bart are in any mood to let him play hero; he gets tossed through the portal even while he sqwaks indignantly and lands with a *twhump* out in Troia's area. Ow.

    He climbs to his feet, staring at the portal with very wide eyes and still wrapped protectively in his transformation. "What... what just happened? I... did I... oh, /f--fudgesicles/, Terry, I'm /so/ sorry." Titans Tower is a no-swearing-zone to the Archivist's mind. Blame Caitlin. "It knew I was there. It... I... even without the wings, It /knew/... and I think that lead It to you..."

    He frowns, thoughtfully. "...Could mean I'd be good to bait it out, though." Oh, terrific.
Donna Troy     "You were not gone long," Troia says when everyone's back, a sardonic hint in her voice. She stands once more, walking over to the portal, and places both hands on it.

    The torn edges of reality that surround the portal seem to darken, as if night is falling on the other side from the edges inwards. Suddenly the image of the world on the other side shakes and rocks backwards and forwards, as if something were crashing repeatedly into the portal. A faint, oppressive sensation of loathing arises, enough to niggle at the minds of those present and question themselves; should they have gone into Wonderland? Could they really think to challenge that... whatever it is?

    As the darkness crashes again and again against the portal, Troia stares at it intently. It doesn't seem to be making any progress breaking through, but it is being persistent.

    Suddenly the portal glows with a flash of golden light, and the darkness -- and those accompanying sensations, are gone. Troia steps away and turns to look at Jon, Maddie and the assembled Titans. "Something there is that does not love a wall," she says with a smirk. "Nor yet does it seem to love you. Any of you. Interesting that both the man of order and the man of chaos seemed to so enrage it. No matter. It cannot cross through, and has retreated. If you intend to go once more into that place, I suggest you do so with more caution next time..

    She returns to her stone seat and sits down again. "You remain a strange and confusing bunch of mortals. And an ever-growing one.". Her eyes fall on Jon. "I suppose I should begin to feel annoyed at you wandering in here without asking the way you keep doing. It probably counts as improper behavior for a bunch of mortals, or something." She smiles a little and gives a shake of her head. "But I can't see much cause for that kind of propriety. It feels... stupid. And besides, you are... interesting."

    She straightens herself in her seat, eyes moving from one person to the other. "Uh... everyone is okay?" she asks. "No injuries or anything?"
Madison Evans     "...whoa," Madison breaths quietly when she finds herself flung - landing in the oversized cushion beside Terry. "How did- What was- huh."
    She climbs to her feet, peering cautiously back at the portal, and falling back a step as something loathesome throws itself repeatedly at the portal. "That- that's the Jabberwock?" she asks uncertainly. "What would it do to us?" Could it kill them? Was that even possible? It's //Wonderland//!
    "MY FLOWER!" she suddenly exclaims, her hands going to her ear - but the little bloom is still there. "Phew.I have to show it to Irie."
    Her gaze goes then to the person who'd been the target of such ire, and she studies his wings with puzzlement. "Grand Moffs aren't usually so colorful. You okay, Grand Moff Jon?"
    Her attention shifts to Troia as she adds, "I'm fine! My mom didn't text or anything while I was gone, did she?"
Emiko Queen Emiko rides in on the Bart Express, smiling up at him as he comes to a stop and sets her gently on the floor. Kissing his cheek before he runs off again to get to his job, she stands there, not a thing out of place or rumpled. She adjusts the domino mask to ensure the HUD is returning to non-Wonderlands views, then lets out a breath. As Troia talks, she turns and looks back to the portal, watching her close it, watching the entity slamming against the wall Troia's created.

Turning back to her, both brows lift and she gives a nod, "Interesting... then I wonder if..." Trailing off, she gives a speculative glance back to the portal. Wheels already turning in her head. If she held a laptop, the resemblance to Red Robin would be uncanny (despite the gender and ethnicity swap).

Still thinking, she looks back to the group to assess anything more than bumps or bruises, but lets people speak for themselves on the matter of health. She does, however, hand Maddie her phone.
Jonathan Sims     Jon's glasses fell off in the middle of getting flung through the portal; fortunately they didn't break. He closes his eyes for a moment, focusing, deliberately pushing away the wings and circlet, so he looks normal. Well, normal for him. Not wearing a superhero costume nor anything Troia might consider 'normal,' but he wouldn't be blinked at twice in Metropolis beyond the violet hair, and maybe not even for that.

    He swipes up his glasses from the floor and cleans them on the hem of his sweater before putting them back on. "I'm fine," he says, staring back at the portal. "I've never felt... /anything/ like that. More than a little disconcerting." He furrows his brow at Madison. "Grand Moff? I... I'm not... an /Imperial/," he manages, weakly. What is /with/ the nicknames teenagers give him?

    Finally he looks around at Troia. "My apologies. Like I said earlier... I'm Jonathan Sims. The Archivist. Avatar of the goddess Ma'at, and a friend of Terry's. I... was actually coming to speak to you. Terry told me, ahh, about the... reality overlap... thing. I was, umm... hoping to get your statement, actually." He looks a little abashed, rubs at the back of his neck with his arm. Just the one. And for once, he isn't calling her Donna, though he /does/ look at her like he recognizes her. But that voice, well... Donna /never/ sounded like a goddess when Jon was around.
Donna Troy     Troia looks at Jon for a while, then shifts uneasily in her seat. Eventually she breaks the gaze, and turns to Madison with a nod. "You were only gone a few minutes. Your phone did not make any noises during that time. Jabberwock? Perhaps, I do not know its name, I only know of its presence. It is... very upset."

    "The way you all... the two of you who stayed here, and then went through to help when the others were in trouble, that was -- that was wise. You did not each rely solely on your own individual strengths but rather utilized your individual strength to ensure each other's safety, the sum becoming greater than the parts. That was... it was good to see you act in this manner."

    She focuses on Jon again. "Madison is calling you by the name of a character from a fiction she enjoys. It was called 'Star Wars'. I do not know why she choses to call you by this name, but she is not accusing you of imperialism, I believe. It was... fun. Watching the film with her."
Madison Evans     "Awwww! You do like it! I'm glad," Madison says cheerfully, as she checks her phone, and then lets out a sigh of relief.
    Her attention shifts to Jon as she adds, "It's the accent. Toooootal Moff accent. Could have been worse, I could have called you Jon Jon Sims. But that would have been //mean// - and I don't stand for that." There's mischief in her expression, though, on this exclimation. "I have to go show Irie the flower! Thanks for letting me visit Wonderland! Kthnxbye!" Yes. She really says it that way before dashing off, moving at a speed that seems surprisingly fast - just nowhere near as fast as Irie or Bart.
Emiko Queen Approaching the portal, Emiko doesn't quite touch it, but she stares at it as if she could still see Wonderland on the other side. "A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Sims." It's offered in that sort of politeness that high society and rigid social strata enforce on their young. She still hasn't turned away from the portal, but seems aware enough of what's going on around her.

Maddie gets a wave and smiles, "Tell Irie I said hello, please Maddie?" And then she's back to that brooding consideration. Something is niggling at her but she can't quite put her finger on it.
Jonathan Sims     "I know Star Wars," Jon notes absently. "I suppose I /should/ be grateful it wasn't 'Jon Jon.' And it's Dr. Sims, please, if not Jon." A smile. "But I'd rather prefer Jon. Pleasure to meet you as well, Ms. Queen." He watches Madison leave with a faintly bemused expression. This has /not/ been anything he expected. But, then, it's Wonderland. Why should it be anything anyone expects?

    A shake and Jon turns to regard Troia. "Something very strange is going on here, and I don't just mean Wonderland. That," he gestures toward the portal, "makes /sense/. That is a realm of faerie, a land of dreams. The logic is dream-logic, puns and riddles and plays on childhood games, but it all... makes sense in its own way. The Jabberwock sensed /me/ because I am an Avatar of a goddess of Order and Law, and evidently it... didn't like that? Or that led it to Terry? I'm not entirely clear."

    He shakes his head again. "But the rest of it... Terry said Donna Troy never existed, but that's flatly impossible. I spoke to her. If not for her guidance, I would not be what I am now. And you are not an alternate version of her; you are, somehow, more /real/ than anything else I've seen outside the lands of the dead." He looks around the stone room. "What /is/ this place, anyway? Or are those questions for another time?"
Donna Troy     Troia watches Emiko watching the portal with evident curiosity. "It is still active," she tells Emiko. "But there is no danger from it. Nothing will come through it that I do not allow through it, and I mean no harm to you or your friends. You do not have to remain alert, you are entirely safe."

    "It is a creature of chaos," she tells Jon. "But order and chaos are not opposites that repel each other like magnets. I think... I got the feeling that you made it hungry. Perhaps it is something that feeds on order, and there is little enough of that for it to feed on, in that realm".

    She turns away, staring out the great open window onto space. "If she never existed, then people would ask me about her less," Troia says. "I saw an image of her. Caitlin Fairchild showed me. I have no reason to doubt that she existed. But she is not /here/. I am here. "

    She sighs softly. "Here... this place... is New Kronos. It is built into a moon that was shattered during an ancient war, in the star system you would know as the tail of wadjet, the north star of your ancestors when they raised up the great tombs. Or perhaps you would know it better as Alpha Draconis. It is my home."
Emiko Queen "Ah, you remember me. We were never properly introduced, so I wasn't sure if you would recognize me... in or out of mask." Emiko removes the domino mask and lowers the hood. The mask is tucked somewhere convenient as she turns around, hands folding behind her back and offering a quick smile towards Jon. "If you're going to be Jon, then I insist on Emi. Nice to finally meet you, Jon."

Looking to Troia, she shakes her head with a smile, "I have no doubt that it's as safe as you safe, Troia. Actually, I was thinking. If the Jabberwock is being drawn by Chaos and Order, then perhaps what we need... is a spy." She lifts a shrug, "Following Wonderland logic, we should send in what seems to work best. A perfectly normal and ordinary young girl. Or, young woman, in this case. I wouldn't send a child in there unaccompanied."

Her gaze shifts to Jonathan briefly, "A recon mission. Slip in, gather information, slip back out. I even happen to know one of the denizens in there that might be able to give us information. We have a decent rapport."

Her gaze shifts back to Troia, "If you'll allow it. I think I have a good chance of getting in, avoiding the Jabberwock, and perhaps getting us some information that could be useful for future forays."
Jonathan Sims     Jon nods, eyes suddenly flashing with enthusiasm at Troia. "Yes! Precisely. Order and Chaos need each other. For Order to /exist/ it must overcome Chaos, continually, but then that devolves back into Chaos... not a pleasant thought, that it might want to /eat/ me, but it's hardly the first time." The expression only grows more enthusiastic as she explains where they are. "The tail of wadjet? Really? I've long wondered what the significance was. But Kronos, that's the father of Zeus, why name the place /New/ Kronos? Was there another settlement named for him, before...?"

    He shakes himself. "I'm sorry. I'm terribly curious, about most everything. I don't mean to... I would appreciate a chance to talk to you, about yourself and your home. You're right--Donna Troy is not here. You are, and..." He pauses. He's not going to say that's a reality the Titans just might have to get used to. Not aloud. But he certainly /thinks/ it. Instead, he says, "And I suppose it's rude not to show more curiosity and courtesy when we're intruding on your home. So, if you would acquiesce... I would be interested in knowing more about you, and your history. If you're willing. It would help me, as well." There's a flash of something just about as hungry, in its own way, as the Jabberwock in his eyes, briefly.

    Then he blinks it away and looks to Emiko. "That's actually a rather good idea. Not that I have any sway here, but it's a sound plan." Will Terry agree, whenever he gets over his shock, is the question.
Donna Troy     "Perhaps," Troia responds to Emiko, the expression on her face distinctly dubious. "There is sense in what you say, in presenting a less tempting morsel to the... whatever it is. But it occurs to me that the person least likely to interest it is also the person least equipped to understand what they are seeing. Or indeed to see it at all. "

    "It occurs to me also that the success you showed in your first visit to that place was because of the co-operation you showed. Because of how you worked together. For a single scout to enter in the way you suggest, you would dispense of that strength of togetherness you showed. I am not sure that would be wise."

    Troia does seem to share Donna's concern for teamwork, it seems.

    "I would not tell you what to do. The portal is here for your use, until we have resolved the issue of the labyrinth that has enfolded your home and mine at least. But I recommend you consider your next steps carefully together before taking them."

    "The settlement is named for Zeus' father, that is correct. He was the leader of the Titans. They moved here after they agreed to leave Earth, and Olympus, to Zeus and his followers. Once Olympus had been their home, then Othrys, then here, in exile. There was no place called Old Kronos, it's... " she stops herself, frowning a little. "It is the new palace of Kronos," she concludes. "Therefore, New Kronos. But I was not around back then."

    She leans back, and looks down into her hands on her lap with a sigh. "You all have so many questions. It is reasonable for you to assume a Titan would have answers. They are the oldest of the new gods, who would have answers but us? Yet I am the youngest of the Titans. I'm... I'm not like the Titans you have heard of. I have tried to learn, tried to gain wisdom. But they were all far older than me. I was never anything but a child in a palace of wise, ancient gods. I don't have all the answers you seek."

    She looks up tiredly. "I will try though. Perhaps... perhaps not today. So many questions are tiring."
Emiko Queen Emiko nods to Jonathan and smiles briefly, "It would still take a little planning, of course but..." She trails off and looks to Donna, "Agreed. It would be dangerous to go alone, but it would be equally dangerous to go with someone that would draw notice. Possibly more dangerous. Wonderland is at least a familiar setting, and we have someone from Wonderland that can help walk us through what to do and where to go."

She looks between the two, "So. I am open to suggestions. The Titans are a large group, and we range from the mutant and magical to the technological to the... very normal and ordinary." Emi lifts a shrug, "At the very least there needs to be a planning session with Terry and anyone else potentially going along."

"But for now, I think I should be heading out. I still have a patrol to do." To Jon, she smiles, "We should talk some time. Have tea. It would be... enlightening." To Troia, she keeps the smile, "I'm not looking for you to answer any questions about the past, the present, the future... but you are wise and I do try to check myself against the wisdom of others. So if you don't mind, I'd like to be able to bring ideas to you, to determine if they're as wise as they seem to be."
Jonathan Sims     "I'm certainly willing to be bait, and that only works with a team to spring the trap," Jon says with a shrug. "And... admittedly, Troia has a point in that I can see things most others can't. But all of that is, indeed, plans for another day." He beams at Emiko. "We should! Terry has my number, or Phoebe does. I'd be glad to sit and chat, anytime."

    Then he looks to Troia. "As for questions... the main questions I would have would be simple enough to answer. Who are you? What has your life been like? Perhaps other questions will come to mind, but I understand if you don't have all the answers. Even the being who created our universe didn't know everything; why should we expect you to have all the answers, Titan or no?"

    A glance around. "But for now... I'll go, and leave you to rest, and... thank you for your help. I... need to think about things, myself." Look, at some point soon here the idea that the Jabberwock wanted to /eat him/ is just going to crash in around his ears. He casts a worried frown in Terry's direction, then turns to leave.