« 6
Who: Neal Caffrey and Paige Matthews
What: Paige's arrival in the castle.
When: Early Sunday morning
Where: Room 308
Rating: PG-13
Neal: [is lazily making his way through his morning routine. he is in no mood for Valentine's Day shenanigans, so he is staying in his room, in his pajama pants, where no one will bug him. At least for right now. He's currently lounging on his couch with a book, and what's left of his breakfast dishes in front of him]
Paige: [orbs in all bright swirly lights, and hey there Neal! Have a redheaded woman in your room! She's also all dressed up for a date she's supposed to be going on...]
Neal: [ .... drops his book and just ..... stares]
Paige: [a startle and blinking, she stares back] Where'd you come from?
Neal: I could ask you the same question.
Paige: [doesn't answer, just looks over her shoulder and does a full 360 as she tries to figure out where she is.]
Neal: [just watches her for a second before ... she could possibly be a new arrival. hoo boy] Does the word "Paradisa" mean anything to you?
Paige: [stops turning and stares at him, she looks slightly put-off.] No. Do the words "I'm not in the mood for a mysterious dream world with Mr. Tall, Dark and Naked" mean anything to you?
Neal: I'm not naked! [glances down and shrugs] Well, not completely. But the reason why I asked is because that's where you are. Paradisa.
Paige: [will take a moment to eye him approvingly, then will shrug] Nice to know, but I have plans. [looks up like she's talking to the heavens and speaks to someone up there] I don't know what the big idea is, but I just saved the world! I'd like my date night please!
Neal: .... I don't think the castle grants those kinds of wishes.
Paige: [confusion face] Castle? I wasn't talking to a castle I was talking to.... to... [a sigh. just the Elders. Not that they ever listen. And her hands will come to her hips] Okay. Paradisa. What's the story? [this is where she assumes she was brought here to fight evil.]
Neal: According to what I'm told, Paradisa is a magical castle that kidnaps people from the world and shoves them all in here like some kind of big melting pot. The working theory is that it's sentient. It takes something from you when you arrive -- an ability, a memory, something -- and from what I've been told tries to kill us roughly once a month.
Paige: [give her a moment as she thinks this over. She's running the name through her memories, but she recalls nothing of this place in the Book of Shadows. Leo would know. She huffs] Sounds like a jolly old time. Excuse me if I don't stay. [watch now as she orbs out, but....just bounces right back]
Neal: [just watches, then smirks] Did I mention that we can't leave?
Paige: [an unamused mild glare] No. You coulda said something sooner.
Neal: Sorry. I wasn't expecting you to try and ... light show your way out of here.
Paige: Orb. [then a pause] You don't know about orbing. Just how magical is this place?
Neal: I ... am the wrong person to ask, really. My world doesn't have a lot of magic in it. I just know that it can change things at it's whim, and that I can ask for whatever I want and get it, within reason.
Paige: Your world? Don't tell me...this place ignores those little lines of time and space that separate realities?
Neal: ... I don't know? I just know that people here are from drastically different worlds and points in time. And death, apparently. We had an event recently where some residents were killed and they came back in two weeks.
Paige: Oh this isn't good. [excuse her, Neal. She's just going to sit down beside you and drop her head in her hands]
Neal: [just watches her curiously, before shifting to face her a little more] Considering you know more about this than I do ... why is that not good?
Paige: [doesn't sit up to speak, so it comes out a bit muffled] How can a kidnapping castle ever be good?!
Neal: Well, no, I assumed that much. But I was hoping you had more insight as to the whys as oppose to just the fact that it is.
Paige: [sits there all bent over for a bit longer before sighing and sitting up again to look at him] Because this....is so over my head. This is big. Not that I haven't had big, but- [a quick stop and she goes red. Nevermind.] Big magic. And getting trapped in alternate worlds is always tiring.
Neal: Right. Okay. And you're some kind of magical person?
Paige: Oh. Well.... [Right, well...it's not like she could hide it with the way she just showed up. And the rambling. Damn that rambling. She coud lie, but....oh what the hell!] I'm a witch.
Neal: A witch. [head tips] I'm thinking New Age?
Paige: [waves a hand. there's a slight eyeroll and a pfft] You're thinking more of the kind without powers.
Neal: Right.
Paige: Not that I'm knocking the whole spirituality angle.
Neal: Well, I'm not spiritual at all, so you're safe there.
Paige: Then what are you? ....who are you?
Neal: I'm Neal Caffrey. And I'm ... an art enthusiast.
Paige: Paige Matthews. [holds her hand out] I....used to be an artist. I think.
Neal: [shakes her hand with a smile, because THIS is something he knows about] What kind of art?
Paige: Mostly sketching, some watercolors. Usually of people. But...I don't get the time for it as much anymore.
Neal: I love watercolors. There's always such an ethereal quality to it.
Paige: [brightens a bit, almost forgetting the whole...kidnapped by a castle thing] I like sketching, and...all the little details and fine lines.
Neal: Me too. It's the details that really make a piece and separates it from everything else.
Paige: Spoken like a true artist.
Neal: [waves a hand] I only dabble, really.
Paige: I can't even remember the last time I cracked open my sketchbook.
Neal: Well, thing of it this way. Now you have plenty of time.
Paige: Yeah...I'm not sure that's a brightside. So what else do I need to know about this place?
Neal: Kitchen's on the first floor, don't go into Insolitus ... there's a town, not too far from here.
Paige: [just...rubs her forhead]
Neal: That's about all I know. I've only been here two months.
Paige: What do people do around here?
Neal: Get jobs, explore a bit. Talk to each other on magical books.
Paige: I don't think I'll be here long enough to need a job. Wait...magic books? [first thought is books like the one in her family]
Neal: There are people who have been here for years. But by magical books I mean ones like this. [reaches for his journal on the coffee table] It's the castle's form of a communication device. You talk, it writes.
Paige: [peers at the journal, even pokes it] Yes. Well. I plan on finding a way home. I have sisters who need me. Huh. Is the book magic or does something magically change the book?
Neal: You are asking the wrong guy.
Paige: It was rhetorical.
Neal: Got it.
Paige: [just....quiet as she thinks it all over some more. Then she sighs and sits back] Well, at least I'm not evil this time.
Neal: .... Does that happen often for you?
Paige: [cue hesitant innocent-is-me smile] Do you really want to know?
Neal: [considers this for a moment] I guess not.
Paige: You're not freaked out about the witch thing?
Neal: A few weeks ago the castle was attacked by a resident possessed by Isis, the Egyptian goddess. I think my capacity for the supernatural has expanded considerably.
Paige: ...[Isis? Yeah...she's had her own brush with said goddess, and that really isn't a conversation she wants to get into right now. Especially not with a guy that doesn't seem to know much about it. She just shrugs] Most people hear witch and think...curses, warts, and dark magic.
Neal: I will admit, that was my first impression as well, but I liked to think I'm open to new ideas.
Paige: Open is good. [nods and glances at his journal, then smirks.] Magic book. [and more of those swirly blue lights and that journal is now in her hands. How her sisters would yell if they knew what she were doing so freely. But...hey. When in Rome.]
Neal: [eyebrow raise] Okay. That is pretty cool.
Paige: [matches the eyebrow raise, her lips are set with that proud of herself look she gets] You should see what I can do with a potion.
Neal: Are we talking Love Potion Number Nine, or something a little more potent?
Paige: Love potions tend to go...wonky.
Neal: Wonky how? [careful there, Paige. You just became his magic expert]
Paige: Pretty much...any way imaginable. Woo the wrong person, turn into someone else... it's the whole personal gain thing.
Neal: Oh. So magic and personal gain don't really ... work well together.
Paige: [nooot a big fan of these words, but she knows them well.] Well...you know. There's a balance to everything, and for every purpose...yadda yadda... it's just a big no-no. Help yourself with magic and it's bound to blow up in your face. Or...other body parts.
Neal: Right. [a beat] I should show you how that thing works.
Paige: [holds it back out to him] By all means.
Neal: [takes it from her, before flipping it open] It picks up everything, whether you want it to or not. Anything that's dictated will come back as audio as well. If you want to keep a conversation private ... [pauses for a minute to scribble in a filter on a blank page] ... that's a filter. You use it to keep the conversation between us ... or whoever you may want to talk to.
Paige: ...and it just...knows?
Neal: Well, that's the thing. You have to be specific. Like if there's another Neal in the castle and you filtered to just "Neal," you would probably get both of us. But if you put Neal Caffrey, only I would see it.
Paige: [a bit teasingly, it's her way] Is this your way of giving me your number?
Neal: [grins back at her] Only fair. After all, I already have yours.
Paige: Why do I suddenly sense being your go-to gal for magical questions?
Neal: [innocent face] Only if you don't mind fielding them. I'm just ... not used to being so completely out of my element.
Paige: Then it'd only be fair to make you my go-to guy for castle questions.
Neal: [thinks on this for a minute] You are aware that I've only been here for two months, right? I might have to defer to others.
Paige: Then what would be a fair trade?
Neal: [rubs his chin as he thinks this over for a moment] I'll be your painting buddy?
Paige: [hesitates] I might have forgotten how. [because she's neglected her art for her witchcraft for a very long time. So long that she's been afraid to go back to it.]
Neal: Then I'll help you remember.
Paige: [a small smile] Hey, if you're willing to try.
Neal: [smiles back] I'm always willing to at least try.
Paige: It's a deal then.
Neal: [grins] Fantastic.
Paige: [sets her hands on her knees in determination] But I'm still going to try to find a way out of here.
Neal: Well ... good luck with that.
Paige: [jumps to her feet like she has somewhere to go, but pauses] Not...that I know which way to go next.
Neal: [smirks] Finding your room would probably be a good place to start.
Paige: My room? I have a room?
Neal: Everyone has a room. With their name on the front door.
Paige: You say everyone like there are a lot of people or something..
Neal: .... There are fourteen floors, four towers, and they all have people in them.
Paige: ...that's a loooot of people.
Neal: It is.
Paige: So...my room is just....out there?
Neal: Yup.
Paige: [wonders if she could think about her room and orb there...if it belongs to her, she should be able to] I think I'm gonna try to go find it now.
Neal: [nods] Let me know if you run into any trouble.
Paige: Maybe you should let me know. Witch and all.
Neal: I think I've got it handled. But if I do get in over my head, I will tell you.
Paige: [laughs and nods] Okay, here's hoping my classy exit doesn't backfire. [and she orbs out]
Neal: [watches her go and then goes back to his book]
Paige: [and look at that, she doesn't bounce back]
Neal: [shiny]
Paige: [...literally]
What: Paige's arrival in the castle.
When: Early Sunday morning
Where: Room 308
Rating: PG-13
Neal: [is lazily making his way through his morning routine. he is in no mood for Valentine's Day shenanigans, so he is staying in his room, in his pajama pants, where no one will bug him. At least for right now. He's currently lounging on his couch with a book, and what's left of his breakfast dishes in front of him]
Paige: [orbs in all bright swirly lights, and hey there Neal! Have a redheaded woman in your room! She's also all dressed up for a date she's supposed to be going on...]
Neal: [ .... drops his book and just ..... stares]
Paige: [a startle and blinking, she stares back] Where'd you come from?
Neal: I could ask you the same question.
Paige: [doesn't answer, just looks over her shoulder and does a full 360 as she tries to figure out where she is.]
Neal: [just watches her for a second before ... she could possibly be a new arrival. hoo boy] Does the word "Paradisa" mean anything to you?
Paige: [stops turning and stares at him, she looks slightly put-off.] No. Do the words "I'm not in the mood for a mysterious dream world with Mr. Tall, Dark and Naked" mean anything to you?
Neal: I'm not naked! [glances down and shrugs] Well, not completely. But the reason why I asked is because that's where you are. Paradisa.
Paige: [will take a moment to eye him approvingly, then will shrug] Nice to know, but I have plans. [looks up like she's talking to the heavens and speaks to someone up there] I don't know what the big idea is, but I just saved the world! I'd like my date night please!
Neal: .... I don't think the castle grants those kinds of wishes.
Paige: [confusion face] Castle? I wasn't talking to a castle I was talking to.... to... [a sigh. just the Elders. Not that they ever listen. And her hands will come to her hips] Okay. Paradisa. What's the story? [this is where she assumes she was brought here to fight evil.]
Neal: According to what I'm told, Paradisa is a magical castle that kidnaps people from the world and shoves them all in here like some kind of big melting pot. The working theory is that it's sentient. It takes something from you when you arrive -- an ability, a memory, something -- and from what I've been told tries to kill us roughly once a month.
Paige: [give her a moment as she thinks this over. She's running the name through her memories, but she recalls nothing of this place in the Book of Shadows. Leo would know. She huffs] Sounds like a jolly old time. Excuse me if I don't stay. [watch now as she orbs out, but....just bounces right back]
Neal: [just watches, then smirks] Did I mention that we can't leave?
Paige: [an unamused mild glare] No. You coulda said something sooner.
Neal: Sorry. I wasn't expecting you to try and ... light show your way out of here.
Paige: Orb. [then a pause] You don't know about orbing. Just how magical is this place?
Neal: I ... am the wrong person to ask, really. My world doesn't have a lot of magic in it. I just know that it can change things at it's whim, and that I can ask for whatever I want and get it, within reason.
Paige: Your world? Don't tell me...this place ignores those little lines of time and space that separate realities?
Neal: ... I don't know? I just know that people here are from drastically different worlds and points in time. And death, apparently. We had an event recently where some residents were killed and they came back in two weeks.
Paige: Oh this isn't good. [excuse her, Neal. She's just going to sit down beside you and drop her head in her hands]
Neal: [just watches her curiously, before shifting to face her a little more] Considering you know more about this than I do ... why is that not good?
Paige: [doesn't sit up to speak, so it comes out a bit muffled] How can a kidnapping castle ever be good?!
Neal: Well, no, I assumed that much. But I was hoping you had more insight as to the whys as oppose to just the fact that it is.
Paige: [sits there all bent over for a bit longer before sighing and sitting up again to look at him] Because this....is so over my head. This is big. Not that I haven't had big, but- [a quick stop and she goes red. Nevermind.] Big magic. And getting trapped in alternate worlds is always tiring.
Neal: Right. Okay. And you're some kind of magical person?
Paige: Oh. Well.... [Right, well...it's not like she could hide it with the way she just showed up. And the rambling. Damn that rambling. She coud lie, but....oh what the hell!] I'm a witch.
Neal: A witch. [head tips] I'm thinking New Age?
Paige: [waves a hand. there's a slight eyeroll and a pfft] You're thinking more of the kind without powers.
Neal: Right.
Paige: Not that I'm knocking the whole spirituality angle.
Neal: Well, I'm not spiritual at all, so you're safe there.
Paige: Then what are you? ....who are you?
Neal: I'm Neal Caffrey. And I'm ... an art enthusiast.
Paige: Paige Matthews. [holds her hand out] I....used to be an artist. I think.
Neal: [shakes her hand with a smile, because THIS is something he knows about] What kind of art?
Paige: Mostly sketching, some watercolors. Usually of people. But...I don't get the time for it as much anymore.
Neal: I love watercolors. There's always such an ethereal quality to it.
Paige: [brightens a bit, almost forgetting the whole...kidnapped by a castle thing] I like sketching, and...all the little details and fine lines.
Neal: Me too. It's the details that really make a piece and separates it from everything else.
Paige: Spoken like a true artist.
Neal: [waves a hand] I only dabble, really.
Paige: I can't even remember the last time I cracked open my sketchbook.
Neal: Well, thing of it this way. Now you have plenty of time.
Paige: Yeah...I'm not sure that's a brightside. So what else do I need to know about this place?
Neal: Kitchen's on the first floor, don't go into Insolitus ... there's a town, not too far from here.
Paige: [just...rubs her forhead]
Neal: That's about all I know. I've only been here two months.
Paige: What do people do around here?
Neal: Get jobs, explore a bit. Talk to each other on magical books.
Paige: I don't think I'll be here long enough to need a job. Wait...magic books? [first thought is books like the one in her family]
Neal: There are people who have been here for years. But by magical books I mean ones like this. [reaches for his journal on the coffee table] It's the castle's form of a communication device. You talk, it writes.
Paige: [peers at the journal, even pokes it] Yes. Well. I plan on finding a way home. I have sisters who need me. Huh. Is the book magic or does something magically change the book?
Neal: You are asking the wrong guy.
Paige: It was rhetorical.
Neal: Got it.
Paige: [just....quiet as she thinks it all over some more. Then she sighs and sits back] Well, at least I'm not evil this time.
Neal: .... Does that happen often for you?
Paige: [cue hesitant innocent-is-me smile] Do you really want to know?
Neal: [considers this for a moment] I guess not.
Paige: You're not freaked out about the witch thing?
Neal: A few weeks ago the castle was attacked by a resident possessed by Isis, the Egyptian goddess. I think my capacity for the supernatural has expanded considerably.
Paige: ...[Isis? Yeah...she's had her own brush with said goddess, and that really isn't a conversation she wants to get into right now. Especially not with a guy that doesn't seem to know much about it. She just shrugs] Most people hear witch and think...curses, warts, and dark magic.
Neal: I will admit, that was my first impression as well, but I liked to think I'm open to new ideas.
Paige: Open is good. [nods and glances at his journal, then smirks.] Magic book. [and more of those swirly blue lights and that journal is now in her hands. How her sisters would yell if they knew what she were doing so freely. But...hey. When in Rome.]
Neal: [eyebrow raise] Okay. That is pretty cool.
Paige: [matches the eyebrow raise, her lips are set with that proud of herself look she gets] You should see what I can do with a potion.
Neal: Are we talking Love Potion Number Nine, or something a little more potent?
Paige: Love potions tend to go...wonky.
Neal: Wonky how? [careful there, Paige. You just became his magic expert]
Paige: Pretty much...any way imaginable. Woo the wrong person, turn into someone else... it's the whole personal gain thing.
Neal: Oh. So magic and personal gain don't really ... work well together.
Paige: [nooot a big fan of these words, but she knows them well.] Well...you know. There's a balance to everything, and for every purpose...yadda yadda... it's just a big no-no. Help yourself with magic and it's bound to blow up in your face. Or...other body parts.
Neal: Right. [a beat] I should show you how that thing works.
Paige: [holds it back out to him] By all means.
Neal: [takes it from her, before flipping it open] It picks up everything, whether you want it to or not. Anything that's dictated will come back as audio as well. If you want to keep a conversation private ... [pauses for a minute to scribble in a filter on a blank page] ... that's a filter. You use it to keep the conversation between us ... or whoever you may want to talk to.
Paige: ...and it just...knows?
Neal: Well, that's the thing. You have to be specific. Like if there's another Neal in the castle and you filtered to just "Neal," you would probably get both of us. But if you put Neal Caffrey, only I would see it.
Paige: [a bit teasingly, it's her way] Is this your way of giving me your number?
Neal: [grins back at her] Only fair. After all, I already have yours.
Paige: Why do I suddenly sense being your go-to gal for magical questions?
Neal: [innocent face] Only if you don't mind fielding them. I'm just ... not used to being so completely out of my element.
Paige: Then it'd only be fair to make you my go-to guy for castle questions.
Neal: [thinks on this for a minute] You are aware that I've only been here for two months, right? I might have to defer to others.
Paige: Then what would be a fair trade?
Neal: [rubs his chin as he thinks this over for a moment] I'll be your painting buddy?
Paige: [hesitates] I might have forgotten how. [because she's neglected her art for her witchcraft for a very long time. So long that she's been afraid to go back to it.]
Neal: Then I'll help you remember.
Paige: [a small smile] Hey, if you're willing to try.
Neal: [smiles back] I'm always willing to at least try.
Paige: It's a deal then.
Neal: [grins] Fantastic.
Paige: [sets her hands on her knees in determination] But I'm still going to try to find a way out of here.
Neal: Well ... good luck with that.
Paige: [jumps to her feet like she has somewhere to go, but pauses] Not...that I know which way to go next.
Neal: [smirks] Finding your room would probably be a good place to start.
Paige: My room? I have a room?
Neal: Everyone has a room. With their name on the front door.
Paige: You say everyone like there are a lot of people or something..
Neal: .... There are fourteen floors, four towers, and they all have people in them.
Paige: ...that's a loooot of people.
Neal: It is.
Paige: So...my room is just....out there?
Neal: Yup.
Paige: [wonders if she could think about her room and orb there...if it belongs to her, she should be able to] I think I'm gonna try to go find it now.
Neal: [nods] Let me know if you run into any trouble.
Paige: Maybe you should let me know. Witch and all.
Neal: I think I've got it handled. But if I do get in over my head, I will tell you.
Paige: [laughs and nods] Okay, here's hoping my classy exit doesn't backfire. [and she orbs out]
Neal: [watches her go and then goes back to his book]
Paige: [and look at that, she doesn't bounce back]
Neal: [shiny]
Paige: [...literally]