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 Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 3:34 pm
A meadow outside the Wonderland Forest; home to thieves, outcasts and those who oppose the Heart Family rule - The Rebels. Alice stirred, one hand moved to rub the sleep from her eyes. Yawning, she stretched and arose, looking around herself as she tried to recall where she was. From what she could see, she was in a meadow filled with blue and white wild flowers. For the life of her, she could not recall where she was.
"How very curious."
Her hands absent-mindedly played with the apron on her dress. Frowning, she looked down to find that she had come across a handkerchief while playing with her apron. Alice was engraved in ruby thread on one of the corners. She stroked it her thumb, feeling the raised letters.
"Curiouser and curiouser."
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Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 3:54 pm
On some wimsical notion, the Hatter had decided that morning to take his Teapot Dog for a short stroll, despite the fact that it neither needed, nor enjoyed (he presumed) to be walked.
The contraption trundled dolefully along by his side, whistling every once in a while, up at it's creator. The poor thing only wanted to offer people tea.
The Hatter conversed to no one in particular, "I read a book, my friend, and the book told me a great many things. It told me about travels over mountains and through great cities. Journeys across oceans, and brave ventures through the Arctic! It elaborated on a journey along the Amazon, and how it waved hello to the Sphynx upon the Nile! Why, this book, it stood up and dictated with the most bamboozling eloquence on all it's exciting travels! However, I did not wish the hear the book speak, no I most certainly did not. All that I wanted of it was to sit down with my cup of tea and read i--"
The Hatter spun around, having noticed a profound lack of any whistling sound. Teapot Dog was nowhere to be seen.
"Teapot Dog?" he muttered. He backtracked, searching the ground for it's footprints, and soon found the tracks leading off into the meadow. Looking over across the grass, and saw it's small puffs of steam rising above the grass, trundling off in it's own direction with intent purpose.
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Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 4:09 pm
Alice was still staring at the handkerchief when she heard a whistling noise coming from the Forest to her left. Still sitting, she turned her body to face whatever it was which was coming towards her. Squinting, she managed to make out what looked like a mechanical dog. Puzzled, she stuffed the handkerchief in her pocket and stood up, swaying a little as she gained her balance. Hesitantly, she started walking toward the contraption, her head tilted slightly to the side.
"What a funny little marvel you are. I can't recall seeing anything as marvellous as this. Not that I can recall much, but I am sure I have never seen anything as wonderfully marvellous as this little dog."
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Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 4:24 pm
Hatter followed Teapot Dog out into the meadow, keeping an eye on the puffs of steam. It was quite troublesome that it had decided to leave the forest. Going out into such an open space could easilly lead to such inconveniences as being captured, or possibly his untimely death.
"How vulgar, it would be." he muttered to himself.
Surprising him, a girl popped up from out of the grass not far from him, next to where he had seen the steam.
Fancy that! he thought to himself. On Teapot Dog's first outing as a real dog, he went full hog and dug something up! And what a fine catch and all. For something that's been in the earth, she hasn't a grain of filth on her!
Approaching her, he put out his hand to shake.
"Good morning, good afternoon! Oh, as my fine furnaced friend here is incapable of human speech, I shall take this opportunity to interpret on his behalf; Would you care for a spot of tea?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 5:14 pm
Alice was still examining the curious little dog when the strange man entered the meadow. Startled, she looked up when she was spoken to. She was shocked to see a rather tall, somewhat dirty man staring at her.
"Why do you look so dirty? I would think, on such a fine day as today, you would have gone to a pond for some swimming, and surely you would have seen your reflection and noticed your condition."
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Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 5:37 pm
Looking down at himself, he jolted slightly with surprise, as though he had never actually noticed that he had a body before.
"Oh! Perhaps I am so dirty because you are so tidy? For I don't recall exactly where I got each of these stains, nor do I recall where you became so clean. It puzzles me. For a thing that came out of the ground..."
He fumbled in his coat pocket for some cups. Teapot Dog was pawing at his leg, keen on pouring some tea; quite a painful act, considering that it's feet were made of heavy brass. Finally, he produced two chipped china cups and offered one to the girl.
"If you'd care for... Oh. This one has a mouse in it." he claimed with utter certainity, as though there was any doubt about this fact.
"Please excuse him. A brother of my friend's. That whole family do so love crockery..."
He shooed the mouse out of the cup and into the grass, and offered it graciously back to the young girl.
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Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 5:49 pm
The girl frowned and looked down at herself. She had no idea why she was so clean, but she was almost certain that she had not been in the ground, but lying on it.
"I dare say that I would be awfully dirty if I had been in the ground. But I was not. And, as I can not recall as to how I am so clean myself, I will accept some, um, mouse-less tea, thank you."
She took the tea and hesitantly took a sip.
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Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 5:57 pm
Grass was wonderful. The long flowing leaves of green could surround the Chesire Cat and no one would notice him, even if he were visible. But he wasn't, he was too used to hiding. Laying on the ground and staring up at the magnificent blue sky made him think of better days before the rebellion. Not that there were many better days. His tail swept across the grass absently, making it move. It startled him and he sat up, looking around to make sure no one saw. There were only two people he saw. A young girl he had never seen before and the Mad Hatter with his teapot dog.
But what kind of dog is a teapot dog?
He wondered as he let his tail sway absently across the grass. They were not paying attention to the grass, and even if they did look over they would not see him there.
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Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 5:57 pm
"I've had mouse-in-tea before, actually. That was a bad time in my life..." he said with a shudder, before allowing Teapot Dog to fill his cup.
"So, you weren't in the ground, you say? I was wondering. I didn't think that you looked like a mushroom. Or a potato, for that matter."
He sipped his tea with contemplation.
"You say you don't recall how you got clean?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 6:05 pm
Alice shook her head and shuddered at the thought of drinking tea from a mouse. How absurd. Frowning, she looked back from where she had got up.
"I'm not a mushroom, or a potato, I'm a girl. And I do not recall how I got clean, for I can not recall anything at all."
While she was turning back she thought she saw the grass move, as if something had swept through it.
"Did you see that?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 6:10 pm
Hatter glanced over to the patch of grass that the girl had indicated to. He scrutinised the patch and noticed that the grass was slightly flattened in places, as though there was something holding it down...
"Aaah. Hello, Chess. Care for some tea?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 6:19 pm
He froze, hearing the girl ask the Hatter if he saw something. And the damn Hatter gave him away! Well, he might as well. He let himself be seen, but only by the girl and the Hatter. He glared at the Hatter with his only eye, even if a grin was plastered on his face.
"No tea, it's not the time or place for it."
Something caught his eye near his feet. The mouse that was in the teacup earlier. He stared at it for a while, wondering if he should catch it. Well, he was a cat. He stooped down and caught the mouse with ease, it never saw him coming. Literally. He held the mouse up by it's tail and looked at the girl. His bushy tail swayed without care now as he grinned.
"Girl, are you a mouse?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 6:31 pm
"I believe that it is the correct time and place for tea." he said while watching what he was quite certain was a younger brother of the dormouse's scuttle unwittingly into the claws of the Cheshire Cat.
He continued, "If it was not, my good feline, then me and this fine young lady would find ourselves in a most God awful state of incorrectness. And I don't feel very incorrect right now, if I must say."
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Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 6:43 pm
He moved his gaze back to the Hatter, then looked around.
"But there is no table or plates. And what about cake?"
He looked to the little mouse he held by the tail as if he decided cake wouldn't be necessary as long as he had the mouse, and then he looked back to the Hatter as he tilted his head slightly.
"Do you ever feel incorrect?"
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Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2009 1:29 am
Alice was shocked to suddenly see a cat-like human appear out of thin air a few feet from her. Blinking, she could not manage a reply to the mouse comment. She did feel quite incorrect, both from the tea and the conversation. Kneeling, she placed the teacup on the ground. Once she stood back up she stared at the cat once more and noted how it grinned constantly.
"Please, would you tell me, why you grin like that, Cat? I'd imagine it would feel quite uncomfortable. Did your face freeze like that one day, perhaps? Or have you not learned to frown?"
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