dear_mun | new voice, test, oh god what is this even

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canon: once upon a time

new voice, test, oh god what is this even

Well that was rather expected of you. Faced with the daunting proposition of capturing the essence of a fairy tale or a businessman like myself, it's not hard to guess which of us might make it. Don't misunderstand. Freedom is something that is indeed of great value to me.

But you've neglected to take into account that I can offer you much more were I...complete.

[ He shifts his weight on his cane in emphasis. ]

Yet, for all that I am as ever a man of my word. You'll have your fun, dearie, provided I'm given a suitable home and the comforts I desire. As for what I want in return?

Well. Let's just say you'll owe me one.

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Muns rarely care much for our comfort or safety.

[Hello, this isn't awkward at all]

[ Okay, you have to give him a moment here because awkward doesn't even begin to cover it. ]

That is quite evident.

[ He sounds weary. Ghost from the past, nothing more. ]

[Likewise, she's staring at him like he's grown another head]

You're human again.

[A statement]

Does your mun plan on sending you somewhere?

Afraid you have me mistaken for someone else, dear.

[ There's a pause. ]

Oh, I don't doubt it. But it will be some time before the choice is made. Decisions can't be made in haste.

They...tend to regret it after.

Yours isn't a face I could ever easily forget.

[No, she's quite of who he is. There isn't even the slightest doubt in her voice]

Mine is sending me to an island of some sort. A very distasteful place.

[ But that invites all manner of disaster, and he won't reopen that door. He refuses. It's enough to see her standing there exactly as he remembers her. ]

A striking likeness, perhaps. It's sometimes said we all have a twin somewhere in the world.

[ There's a bland smile. A mask. He can hide his feelings and be civil, both. He's gifted in that way. ]

And what island is that, I wonder?

[Belle simply gives him a look when he tries to convince her otherwise. Resolute as ever]

Perhaps. Your clothing is even more strange then his.

[She glances away from him, clearly more then a little distressed]

I'd rather not say. It has a certain reputation.

[That bad ]

Is it?

[ He laughs, soft and mirthless. ]

And might I ask who this doppelganger of mine might be? You've piqued my curiosity.

[ His fingers drum lightly once against the handle of his cane before tightening down again. Thanks to his mun he knows precisely the one of which she speaks. ]

Ah. That one.

Rumpelstiltskin

[She was still very certain this man was him, but then again there were subtle differences]

My employer....for a time.

[She doesn't seem to notice the tightening of his hand on his cane, perhaps too caught up in her own worries]

I shouldn't have brought it up, perhaps. It isn't fit conversation. I wanted to go some place and have an adventure...

The fairy tale villain? I'm not sure the resemblance reflects flatteringly on me.

[ A smile, tight smile. ]

Ah, well. Sometimes the world you find yourself in isn't quite what you wanted or imagined. No helping that, dearie.

Oh he wasn't much of a monster. Just a coward.

[Said unflinchingly and with a hint of venom in her voice. Some one still held a grudge]

But there are so many other places out there. Exciting new worlds to see and explore.

Was he?

[ Delicately, though his gaze leaves her at that. He isn't a coward. None of that was his fault. None of it.

He'd made the right choice, he just...didn't mean for it to end like it had. ]

[Belle was a girl who had been robbed of her fairy tale ending before the curse had ever set in. Of course she was still a bit bitter]

I don't mean to say I hate him. I suppose in a way he was kind. I'm free to live out my dreams now.

[Little did she know what he father would do to her]

Would you say you are happy, then?

I'm not unhappy.

[Big difference]

[ He has to grin at that. Oh Belle. Ever the clever girl. ]

Touche.

[See, she knows that grin. It's strangely familiar and coaxes a wide smile from her, something that was rare these days]

I just wish my mun had better taste in games.

Better than no destination at all.

Where would you go, then, if you had the chance?

To the stars. There are many games that take place on other planets, or among the stars themselves.

[She sounds practically breathless with excitement]

You know that old saying? When you wish upon a star?

I know it.

I also know the saying 'be careful what you wish for'. It also applies.

[Don't trample on her hopes!]

There's a price for everything. That was Rumpelstiltskin's philosophy.

He's not wrong.

[ There's a wry twitch at the corner of his lips. Hope? No. But naivete needs to go if she's going to make it, wherever she ends up. ]

Be careful not to go making deals you don't understand.

I think I've made enough deals to last a lifetime. I know to be careful what I bargain with.

Good.

[ And now seems like a good time to break the conversation off, make his way...wherever he's going to be staying in the meanwhile. ]

So long as you learn something, it's not a mistake. Or at least not a terrible one.

Complete you say. [Poises a finger to his lips, tapping thoughtfully.] What could you possibly mean by that, I wonder?

[ Now this is an oddity. Then again, if it were him, and the roles reversed, he wouldn't have resisted the urge either.

Poor impulse control and all.

He smiles thinly. ]

Is that uncertainty? I find that unlikely, given our close association.

The intent behind the choice is clear enough.

Uncertainty? [obligatory maniacal giggle happening now] My my my, I hardly think so.

[He circles around his modern self with a conspiratorial tilt of his head.]

Think about it for a while and another option may occur to you. Why should we have to make a choice?

[ He stands his ground, leaning slightly against that cane of his, watching his own long-forgotten likeness traipsing about him. The other must be taking delight in this. ]

Why would I ever consent to fulfilling someone else's desires?

Because we had a deal. My freedom for...a certain measure of cooperation.

[An exaggerated flourish of his hand illustrates his response, which is jovial to the point of being sing-song.] Far be it from me to be critical of myself... [With a fluid movement he leans closer, baring his teeth in a sinister grimace.] I think you could have done a bit better than that.

[ Anyone else, that visage would terrify. To Gold it's no more frightening than looking into a mirror. He smiles quietly, confident. ]

In the short-term, perhaps. I could have easily struck a bargain for the full use of my abilities.

Of course, had I done so my choices for new homes would have been somewhat more limited. There is always an opportunity after establishing myself to reclaim what's mine.

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new voice, test, oh god what is this even

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