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Joanie Wicker | The Wicked Witch of the West ([info]wickedwicker) wrote in [info]bellumlogs,
@ 2010-06-22 15:18:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:beauty, peter pan, plot: tempus, plot: xi, wendy, wicked witch

Who: Ella, Nick, and Joanie (and Tegan, too!)
What: Meeting Georgy Lvov
Where: A small town near the palace
When: Mach 20, 1917 (Day 3 for Group Xi)
Warnings: TBA, most likely just mild language.


After the previous day's horse catastrophe, Joanie was extremely hesitant about leaving the barn at all. Upon waking, she had strongly considered just turning all the hay into stylish furniture and camping out there until this whole thing went away. Of course, there were two major flaws in that plan. The first was that converting a barn into a modern-style apartment in one go would most likely fry her brain. The second was that ignoring this situation in the hopes that it would just go away would only work if it was indeed temporary. If they were stuck here for a long time, she'd surely starve to death.

She couldn't rely on the passing good graces of a tiger to keep herself fed, now, could she?

So she transformed her nice dress from the day before into more humble attire - a thick skirt and heavy blouse with a heavy jacket thrown over it - and set out into the nearest village in the hopes of finding something. What she was looking for she couldn't say, but it was almost a relief to be out and walking on her own. "What do you have in mind for today, child?" Well. Almost on her own.

"I'm not sure," she thought, dodging widely around a man carrying a large armload of wood. "But I can't just...sit around." The town was fairly busy, and luckily nobody seemed to notice the young woman that walked with uncertainty through their midst. People all around her were speaking a language she didn't understand, and she was perfectly content to keep her mouth shut so that they never learned just how ignorant she was.

The Witch sighed tersely in her head. "I've told you before. You need to practice."

It was hard for Joanie to keep the groan internal as she rolled her eyes to the sky. "I've gotten more practice than I can handle, okay? I have to take it slow."

"That's complacency, dear," she chided. "Talent will only carry you so far, and-"

"Okay!" she hissed internally, stiffening despite herself. "If I promise to find somewhere secluded to practice later tonight, will you leave me alone?"

The Witch didn't answer, which Joanie assumed was both a good and bad thing at the same time. But she'd take it for now. At times like this, you took every bone you were thrown, no matter how unpleasant it may be.



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[info]never_old
2010-06-23 06:07 am UTC (link)
Nick practically curled up when he went to sit next to Ella. "Terrible," he replied honestly, "I've never gone this long without my meds. I don't know how bad it's going to get." He squeezed her hands back and shrugged a little, "Just uh, the Beast? Well, who the guy is that was before the Beast was all angry. Then the Beast came and he nearly broke a soldier's neck. And then he went running about looking for Beauty..."

Nick turned around when he heard a soft voice behind him. He knew that voice anywhere and his spirit lifted. Peter crowed louder than he had been in days WENDY! Nick was off the couch before he could even realize it, crossing over to hug Tegan tightly to his chest. "You're here! Are you okay?"

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[info]wickedwicker
2010-06-23 06:17 am UTC (link)
Joanie had been the last of the three to take a bath, and she spent the entire time within easy reach of her knife. Though the Witch protested the entire time, she appreciated the opportunity to get clean despite her trepidations. When the servant girl came in with a bundle of night clothes, she finished her bath and dried off, getting dressed and hiding the knife beneath the folds of the nightgown.

Though Nick and Ella took this time to sit in the waiting room, Joanie had ditched the servant at the last minute to go exploring. She hadn't gotten far, but it was enough for her to determine that there were several windows that were easily openable on this floor, and they weren't high enough to cause fatal injuries should they need to jump. The staircase was also close, with the nearby front door they had come from.

Finally, a servant saw her wandering and lead her back to a waiting room. She entered, seeing Ella and Nick as expected, but stopping cold at the sight of Tegan. They had met the night they first got there, and Joanie immediately recognized her. "Tegan?" she gasped, eyes wide as Nick enveloped the girl in a hug. Her gaze darted to Ella nervously. "How'd you get here?" she asked guardedly. "Was anyone else with you?"

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[info]bookshelved
2010-06-23 06:26 am UTC (link)
Ella had watched Nicolas greet Tegan with a distracted look on her face. Daniel was okay, and the Beast was being careless, but they were okay. Of course they are. The Beast can take care of your Daniel. She refrained from telling Beauty that this probably wasn't the safest place to go running around the woods looking like something huge and frightening.

By the time Joanie had walked into the room, Ella was on her feet and walking toward her. "The servant frightened me, and I'm afraid there are vines all over my room," she admitted, thinking it best to get that terrible confession out of the way. When the door behind Joanie locked audibly, it automatically drew Ella's attention as a very Not. Good. Thing. and she looked at Tegan immediately and echoed Joanie's question. "How did you get here, Tegan?"

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[info]thimbledarling
2010-06-23 06:33 am UTC (link)
Tegan started shaking about the time Nick pulled her into a hug, but the contact at least got her to respond, raising her arms to cling to him, hiding her face against his chest. She didn't register anything around her for a moment as she tried to keep herself from crying in relief. As it was, when she realized that there were people asking her questions, her voice shook a little on the answers, muffled too from her talking into Nick's chest.

"I walked. From town. I was... just going to look for someplace to sleep, maybe food. But." She took a shaky breath, her fingers clinging to Nick's shirt as she turned her head, her voice clearer. "There were guards. They brought me inside. To the room with the bathtub and the clothes..."

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[info]never_old
2010-06-23 06:44 am UTC (link)
Nick held on, almost stubbornly refusing to let her go. Peter was practically beside himself when he heard the door lock, but Nick couldn't bring himself to care as long as everyone was okay for now. "It's all right," Nick assured her, "We'll be okay if we stick together."

He really was hoping that was the truth.

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[info]wickedwicker
2010-06-23 06:50 am UTC (link)
The sound of the door locking made Joanie tense, though it was a mystery how she could do so any more than she already was. As Tegan told the story of how she arrived, Joanie frowned, looking to Ella. "They're abducting people," she hissed, feeling her temper start to boil. "Who knows who else might be here?" She strode to the window, peering out of it down to the ground. It would be a good fall, but survivable if necessary. She hoped.

Turning to the others, she frowned. "I propose that we sleep in shifts," she said. "I don't know about you, but I don't want to sleep alone in this place." She glanced about as if looking for cameras before striding towards the other three, never really stopping but just beginning to pace from side to side. "One person stays awake while the other sleep. Then trade off as the night goes on." She crossed her arms, running her palms up and down them in an attempt to calm herself down. It wasn't working. "Does that sound okay?"

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[info]bookshelved
2010-06-23 07:02 am UTC (link)
Ella was about to agree, when he door opened and Georgy came back in, flanked by two guards. He smiled warmly, inquired as to their comfort, and then he took a seat by the fire.

"My people are tearing themselves apart," he began. "They are upset because the Tsar began a war which was not needed, and they have lost faith in him. The Grand Duke desires the throne, but I do not know if the people will support him. There is a dinner tomorrow evening in his honor. We will dress you and have you added to the guest list, and you will listen for us. We need to know if the talk of the Mad Monk being alive is true, if he once again has Alexandra's ear. We must know if the Tsarevich is truly ailing as they say. If the Grand Duke makes seems to favor any of the ladies present, we need to know that as well." He paused, and he smiled warmly at the collected group. "We know you are not from here. Report back to us, and we will help you to return to your land of stories and books." He stood, and he walked toward the door, not letting any of the others interject. "The young girl will accompany me to the palace; it will assure your cooperation." Another smile as he pulled open the door. "I do not condone violence, my new friends. Not even against witches and Beasts." He gave them a knowing look, and then he bowed low. "The servants will show you to your rooms, and remain with you - to see to your needs."

Ella waited until the door closed, and then she walked over to the window and looked out, not wanting Nicolas and Tegan to see how worried all that made her. By the time she turned around, she'd calmed somewhat, though vines were climbing just along the corners of the room. "We'll do what he says, and we'll be just fine," she told the others, trying to sound very mature and very grown up.

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[info]thimbledarling
2010-06-23 07:16 am UTC (link)
Tegan hadn't let go of Nick once Georgy came in, and only clung tighter to his shirt at the outline of the situation. With exhaustion and confusion still clouding her mind, it took several minutes after the door had shut again for everything to sink in. She looked around at the others in the room, realizing she was the youngest, which meant...

"I have to go with him?" Her voice was soft, slightly broken, and she was shaking again. "I don't think I can."

I can! Mother and Father have dinners all the time. Tegan didn't respond, simply leaning a bit more against Nick, resting her head against his chest.

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[info]never_old
2010-06-23 04:33 pm UTC (link)
Nick's face grew stoic as Georgy ran through the situation. There was no way that he (or Peter) would allow Tegan to go off with Georgy by herself. Nothing about this was even remotely okay. Nick brought a hand up to gently pet Tegan's hair, trying to calm her down.

"It'll be okay," he assured her quietly, "Nobody is going to let anything happen to you, especially me."

You're so STUPID! Fight your way out! Do it! You could fly with all of them! Peter was hollering what started to sound like a good idea. Nick looked over to Joanie and Ella, "I really don't want to be split up tonight. This whole place doesn't feel right."

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[info]wickedwicker
2010-06-23 05:01 pm UTC (link)
Georgy's entrance made all the hair on her neck stand on end. Clenching her jaw, she watched him with a mixture of distrust and silent loathing as he laid down the law. They would be his spies, and they would find out about these "Grand Duke" and "Mad Monk" people. This was the time when Joanie wished she had paid more attention in history class. All she knew at the moment was that she hated this man with all her being, and wanted to beat him up.

As he mentioned keeping Tegan, she bristled. Fuck that. Fuck him. Fuck all of this. So he didn't like violence - against "even witches," fuck him - but he was fine with threatening it ominously. Clenching every muscle in her body, she watched him leave with bile in her throat and hate in her eyes.

The second the door shut - and, for the record, locked - she snarled, kicking the nearest object. "Fuck!" she hissed, reaching up to dig her nails into her hair. "Fuck fuck FUCK." Rounding on Tegan, she tried to calm down. "Ella's right," she said, heaving a breath. "You can do that. You can." She wasn't good at this comfort thing, but she was going to try. "If you want, I can make you a knife. So if he tries anything, you can get him to back off."

As he mentioned not wanting to split up, she sighed, pressing a hand to her forehead. "I know. He's doing it to keep us scattered." She paused. "How much good do you think resisting that would do?" she asked, looking to Ella. "Because...they can't hold me." Maybe it was the adrenaline rush of her rage, or the Witch in her head, but she held her chin high, looking almost confident for a moment. "I can turn these walls to dust and get to you all."

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[info]bookshelved
2010-06-23 05:51 pm UTC (link)
We can bring a tree down on the roof and tie them up with vines, Beauty assured proudly, and Ella couldn't help but smile at her assurance. "They haven't hurt us yet. Let's sleep and go to the palace tomorrow; we can find the others there, and we can use it to all connect," she said trying to be as logical as she could. "If they try anything, we'll retaliate," she said, because she knew they could. It made her feel sort of proud of this whole fairytale situation, and she wondered if that was the point of this. Maybe it was another team building exercise? The building liked those.

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[info]thimbledarling
2010-06-23 07:07 pm UTC (link)
Tegan tried to be strong, realizing that if she could do this, they would be one step closer to getting back to her brothers. She nodded, standing up a bit straighter, but still close to Nick, her fingers still wound in his shirt, but she couldn't help leaning into his touch on her hair. "I can do it." She looked up at Nick, softer. "I can." Peering over at Joanie, she laughed awkwardly. "I might like that knife though. Just in case. He's pretty creepy."

After a moment, she bit her lip. "I don't really want to be alone tonight either, though. He was a little too into talking about me being alone with him."

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[info]never_old
2010-06-23 07:23 pm UTC (link)
"Of course you can," Nick agreed. It didn't mean he wanted her to have to tag along with this guy. Can she make knives? Make her make me a sword! Make the new Lost Boy make me a sword! Peter was throwing a fit that Wendy got a knife and he didn't. Nick made a face before he said, "Is anybody's fable talking to them, by the way? Peter keeps yelling."

He firmly told Tegan, "I'll stay with you." Which sounded more Peter than Nick.

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[info]wickedwicker
2010-06-23 07:32 pm UTC (link)
Damn Ella for being a voice of reason. Joanie was pissed, and though she was technically right - nobody had harmed a hair on any of their heads - the suggestion of a witch hunt made her feel sick. She wasn't thinking straight, and she knew that, but it didn't mean that she was going to change. Not in the least. But she grudgingly agreed with Ella. "Okay," she said, crossing her arms. "We lay low, and if anything happens, we can crush them like bugs."

"Now you're speaking like a real witch."

As Tegan mentioned appreciating the knife, Joanie nodded. "No problem," she said, walking over to a comfortable chair and picking up one of the cushions. She considered it for a moment before crunching it between her palms. Eyes closed, she whispered "Sakeen," causing a glow to emulate from her palms and fingertips as the pillow shifted into a folding hunting knife.

"Here," she said, turning to Tegan and holding it up to show her. "There's this groove here, on the blade, where you dig your thumb in to open it." She demonstrated, flipping it open easily with one hand. "Okay? Then you push on this to close it." She pressed the circular button on the handle and folded the blade back, locking it in place. "It takes a little practice to get used to, but you'll learn it easily enough."

She held the knife out to the girl, an offering. When she took it, Joanie stepped back. At Nick's question, she sighed. "Yeah," she said with a roll of her eyes. "Mine is...annoying."

"Hold your tongue, child!" she screeched.

"See, now she's mad." Joanie snickered. "But no, you aren't the only one."

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[info]bookshelved
2010-06-23 07:40 pm UTC (link)
Ella wrapped her shawl tighter around her, and she nodded at Nicolas' questions and Joanie's response. "Mine is too, but she's just unfortunately brave and doesn't seem to realize she's supposed to be a passive female tale." Nuance is lost on the page, was all Beauty had to say to that, and Ella actually laughed a little. "I like her," she admitted. Of course you do. "Even if she is a little too sure of herself."

She watched Tegan with the knife, and then (as the door opened and the servants motioned them out), she moved beside Nick. "You said Daniel was well?" she asked him quietly, wondering if there was anyway she could finagle sharing a room with Joanie. Despite her dislike of sharing with Rosalie and Jane the night before, under these circumstances, it seemed for the best.

She'd already decided she was going to let Beauty go to the dinner in her stead; she seemed much more likely to not give herself away as a modern-day outcast, given the circumstances.

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[info]thimbledarling
2010-06-23 08:25 pm UTC (link)
Tegan took the knife from Joanie, looking down at it and trying to see how it worked at Joanie explained. Seeing her actually make the knife wasn't as surprising as it should be. Not after seeing her create clothing, and everything else that had been happening.

She sighed at Nick's question. "Wendy's talking, too. She's... not really annoying. She said she could go to the dinner tomorrow." Tegan's quiet for a moment, leaning into Nick again and sighing at how it makes her feel at least a little better. "I might let her. I think I can make it like the full moon? So that she comes out?"

She let her hand slip down to hold Nick's as she followed the servants down the hall, pausing when one of them gestured her toward a door. She shook her head a little, looking at the servant but refusing to let go of Nick's hand.

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[info]never_old
2010-06-23 08:56 pm UTC (link)
"Peter yells," Nick told them with a thin amusement. "He thinks we can fight everyone and he can fly us all home. He also wants a sword."

Nick looked down at Tegan and shrugged, "I suppose you could. Daniel turned in to the Beast," looking back up at Ella he continued, "He seemed all right. He's freaking everyone out though cause last I saw him he was running around as the huge Beast."

When the servants arrived to lead them away, Nick held on to Tegan's hand and frowned when they tried to separate the two of them. If he was having his way, he was staying with Tegan and no one could do a thing about it.

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[info]wickedwicker
2010-06-23 09:28 pm UTC (link)
As the servants lead them to their rooms, Joanie was almost amused by how Nick and Tegan stayed together. When the servants began to fuss about how improper this was, she stepped in, resting a hand on the servant's shoulder. "They're married," she said, giving her a knowing nod.

The girl looked at her, wide-eyed, before translating in Russian to the others. They all murmured together before opening the door and ushering both Nick and Tegan inside. Joanie didn't think about how awkward that might have made them both feel, but really, she didn't care. They could spend the night with company, feeling safer. Any awkward would have to leave when they realized that they wouldn't have to be alone in this creepy house.

As they reached another room, Joanie looked to Ella hesitantly. "Is-" She broke off, biting her lip. She wouldn't be able to pulled the 'married' ploy with them, and these servants were awfully insistent. She recalled how Ella had suggested that they just play by the rules and deal, so she reached into the folds of her nightdress. Beneath the shawl, she had clipped her own pocket knife to the material, unseen. She covered the knife in her palm and pulled it out, reaching out to grab one of Ella's hands between her own.

To the servants, it was just a friendly gesture. "Good night, Ella," Joanie said with a smile, pressing the folded knife into her palm. As she pulled her hands away, she helped Ella's fingers to close around the object, concealing it completely from the servants. With a wave, she allowed a girl to lead her into the bedroom.

She walked up to the large bed and stared at it, seemingly displeased. Realizing that the girl was watching her expectantly, she crawled beneath the covers. "Thank you," she said with a fake smile, waving at her. "Thank you, good night." After a few moments, the girl excused herself, though Joanie didn't hear her footsteps retreat down the hallway. She was there, waiting.

With a sigh, Joanie rolled over onto her side. "Well," she thought morosely. "Nothing left to do but hope I wake up in the morning."

The Witch's voice was still a bit huffy from Joanie's earlier insult. "You're more resilient than a cockroach," she snapped. "You'll wake up."

"Insulting me to comfort me isn't really helping, you know."

"I wasn't trying to comfort you," she said haughtily.

Despite the situation, Joanie laughed, hugging a pillow to her chest and closing her eyes. As she drifted into an uneasy sleep, her last thoughts lingered on the others and her hopes that they were in a better position than Ella, Tegan, Nick, and she were all in.

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[info]thimbledarling
2010-06-23 10:06 pm UTC (link)
Tegan tried to keep herself from blushing when Joanie told the servants that she and Nick were married. She wouldn't have been blushing about her husband, if it had indeed been true. She only looked at the servants stubbornly and kept her hold on Nick's hand.

She sighed in relief when they relented and ushered the two of them into the bedroom, though she couldn't help worry a bit about the other two, glancing back at them as the door closed. She didn't know where they were being taken, or when she would see them again.

When the door closed and locked behind them, she looked up at Nick, her blush finally showing on her cheeks. "Um. That... I didn't expect her to say that." She peered around the room, seeing the one bed. She straightened up a bit, standing as tall as she could. "We should probably get some sleep." They'd slept in the same bed before, the first night they'd ever met as Wendy and Peter. They could do it again here.

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[info]never_old
2010-06-23 11:53 pm UTC (link)
Nick couldn't help some sort of stupid grin go across his face when he looked at the servants. It possibly made him look like a lovesick puppy of a husband, but he sort of was glad for it. You didn't REALLY get married did you? Peter asked curiously.

No we're just playing pretend Nick finally answered Peter. Peter paused before telling him, Good, cause Javert isn't here to chaperone. Otherwise it's improper that's what Wendy says.

"It worked though," Nick said with a nod and grinned a little again, "Yeah, sleep sounds good." He probably wouldn't sleep, but he could keep watch. Make sure creepy Georgy didn't come in for the "little one".

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[info]bookshelved
2010-06-24 12:07 am UTC (link)
Ella had taken the knife Joanie had pressed into her palm, though Beauty didn't think she would need it, and she'd reluctantly gone to the room she'd bathed in earlier. The bed was soft and the fire was warm and it was, admittedly, much nicer than the chair she'd slept in the night before.

She slipped under the blankets, and she closed her eyes.

Am I actually spying tomorrow? Beauty asked, and Ella shook her head. No, she wanted Beauty to find Daniel and Helena. Beauty made a pensive, soft sound in the back of Ella's mind. She disagreed, you see. We may be here indefinitely. We need to consider that possibility. We can't burn bridges.

"Just find Daniel," Ella said to the dark room, a verbal indication that she was done discussing this.

Go to sleep, Beauty said softly. Being told to find Daniel wasn't necessary, you see. It was her main goal. Daniel, Beauty felt, needed talking to.

Ella snuggled closer to the pillow, and she tried not to think of what had happened in Bellum's catacombs, not to feel vulnerable locked away now like she had then.

She spent the entire night tossing and turning with nightmares.

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[info]thimbledarling
2010-06-24 03:31 am UTC (link)
Tegan couldn't help blushing more as she finally let go of Nick's hand and crossed the room to the bed, sitting on the edge of it awkwardly. She didn't look over at Nick, knowing that there was no way she'd be able to keep herself from blushing more. The nightgown they'd given her was awkward, but she was almost glad for it now.

She finally looked up at Nick, and so softly, "Um. Are you going to sleep too?" She tugged at the quilt a bit, pulling it down and slowly inching over to work her way under the covers.

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[info]never_old
2010-06-24 04:04 am UTC (link)
Nick pressed his lips together to keep from grinning at her again. She was really pretty, he was suddenly struck with the thought. His ears went a little pink and he cleared his throat. "Uh. Yeah. Yeah totally."

Padding over to the bed, Nick climbed in next to her, but left space between them. He cleared his throat, "Uh, so....goodnight, Tegan."

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[info]thimbledarling
2010-06-24 04:22 am UTC (link)
Tegan smiled a little to herself as she settled into the bed, sighing quietly when she went to close her eyes. She kept them closed as Nick climbed in too, whispering in reply. "Goodnight, Nick."

It was quiet for several long moments, Tegan barely even breathing too deeply, but she finally laughed so softly at herself, breathing out as she opened her eyes and looked at Nick. She reached over carefully to find his hand, wrapping her own around it. "Thanks," she whispered again. "For staying with me."

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[info]never_old
2010-06-24 06:12 am UTC (link)
Nick just laid quietly, staring up at the ceiling. He wasn't sure if he could actually fall asleep. He might be exhausted enough to just crash, he hoped.

His eyes widened a little when she took his hand in his. Gently, Nick gave it a squeeze. "Don't need to thank me. Just rest, Tegan."

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(no subject) - [info]thimbledarling, 2010-06-24 06:16 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]never_old, 2010-06-24 06:21 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]thimbledarling, 2010-06-24 06:27 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]never_old, 2010-06-24 06:30 am UTC

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