001 // [action] + [accidental video] // this is not my beautiful house
[One moment, the scene in the mansion's dining room is ordinary-or as ordinary as it gets in Wonderland. The next moment-poof-an unknown man is standing beside the banquet table. Those familiar with mid-twentieth century medicine may peg him as a surgeon. Those familiar might further peg him-by virtue of his attire and air of concentration-as a
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Wonderland? Clearly-
[He turns the communicator over, broadcasting a view of the handsome dining table, finishing his thought in a murmur:]
-clearly this isn't meant for me.
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Hard to explain.
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[No, he doesn't see. He really doesn't see at all. How he doesn't see is written all over his voice-the tension, the toneless wonder, the lingering expectation. He pauses, starts to speak, pauses again. Reading.]
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Meantime, have some puzzled staring while he tries to figure out what's pinging his memory.]
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He sets the Jack's little puzzled face the communicator down and absently strips his gloves off, wasting no time on determining whether the traces of bodily fluids on them are real or imagined. The mask follows the gloves. The magnifying lens is tilted to a more appropriate angle for non-surgical use. The video feed broadcasts all this action in upside-down and sideways clarity.
Perhaps the accompanying whistling will jog Jack's memory?]
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Dr. Steinman.
[Just a statement of fact. Jack closes his eyes for a moment to compose himself. There's nothing Steinman can do to him at the moment, and he's in a room full of guns. He's safe. Everything's fine. Fine.]
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[Steinman glances at his immediate surroundings, naturally ignoring anything except the one very specific detail he's focused on: no one is close enough to be addressing him. Then what- oh. Oh. He chuckles, surprised. He picks up the communicator.]
Yes? [pause, quizzical smile] And you are?
[His expression on the video feed isn't the one that most of his new patients see-that expression is more welcoming, there are more teeth to that smile. No, Dr. Steinman's current expression is the one reserved for people he accidentally jostles on the elevator, people he should know but whose name he's momentarily forgotten. A little apology, a little charm, a large amount of benevolence.
Does the lack of screaming reassure you, Jack? How about that smile? Kindly ignore the fact that he seems to be walking as he chats-that won't do anything good for your nerves.]
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Operation?
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[Poor Masky-that nice red mask has been replaced by a boring face. Dr. Steinman also appears to speaking more to himself than addressing the communicator, despite the way he's peering at the screen. "Musing to himself while trying to work out a puzzle" would hit the nail right on the head.]
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Why not?
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[Where Masky's interest is lost, it appears that Steinman's interest has finally been gained. He looks at the screen more closely.]
Your face.
[Yes, that was a question.]
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Angel will try to vanish through the next door before she is noticed, but that'S a bit of a way.]
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The good news? He pauses frequently. He also doesn't seem to have noticed Angel. If she were paranoid, she might think he was trying to sneak up and catch her unawares. He does seem to be studiously oblivious.]
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She'll run towards the next door.]
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Another mime?
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Where?
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So...
[You will find that Bhamba is eating peanuts as he watches what he still believes to be some sort of in-house entertainment system.]
...what are you doing?
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Watching you eat [he squints] peanuts.
[And, judging by the footfalls and gentle roll of the video feed, walking somewhere. Wherever he's going, he's gotten accustomed to strange men popping up on his portable whatsit. He watches Bhamba watch him. He- yes, yes, he did nearly trip over a chair just then, thanks for noticing...
Dr. Bhamba, your face is a safety hazard.]
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