BETA ROUND 1 WEEK 4: RETURNING TO THE HUB

[worldkeys]

Who: The White Rabbit and the Alices.
What: Ken's World has concluded, and everyone is probably in awful shape. Surgeries sure are fun. As are vivisections!
Where: The World Hub.
Warnings: Probably talk of what went on, potentially violence knowing this lot. A lot of broken down people, maybe.

The White Rabbit seems exceptionally cheerful once they finally return, not at all the usual picture of impatience he tends to be.

"At last, we have only three World Keys left to get. His and his, and hers," he says, motioning to Lalli, a certain General, and Harley. "This is wonderful. Would that we could only be able to retrieve them at once... alas, we must continue as we have. A shame he ended up out here, but I see it served you well."

He nods to Sasuke.

"I am confident you all can retrieve the other three and return home."

He seems completely oblivious to the suffering you all have endured, it seems.

Comments

[apatheticguide]

... He pauses. Hmm. This is most inconvenient.

"Your form will cause problems... allow me to see how I can help."

He quiets for a moment. Nothing changes here, but... yes, in the Hearts. That is where his control is best.

"... While you are in there, perhaps, I will be able to issue a modicum of control. I have little power here without permission. ... It will not be as distracting, at least. A word of advice: there are only two paths left for all of you. Leaving, or never leaving. Time is of the essence."

[miseris_socios]

He goes quiet, letting Rabbit magic do whatever Rabbit magic does.

"Of course. We'll... get through these." His just took a while, because of course it did. He's not surprised. He tries to drag his feelings up, tries to pull them out from the muck of apathy that seems to have grown around them, and stares at the Rabbit.

"Why were we brought here in the first place? Why us?"

[apatheticguide]

"... You want to know why you are all here? Because, frankly, you chased a Cat. A terrible, disgusting, awful Cat that should be put down for what he does, but so it goes."

That is the short answer. Now for the longer one.

"The long answer is that this World seeks out those who are... abnormal, in some fashion. Ill, others might say. Look around you. Out of all the Hearts you have been in, can you say anyone here has been entirely well mentally? ... Well. Perhaps that has something to do with it. The World wants something like itself. It likes to build the sort of vistas of these people. Normally its chaos would be prevented, but... you know. My keys. He stole them."

[miseris_socios]

"The world's alive in some way... or sentient... ugh." Yes, that is a problem. "Will it keep doing this once we're gone?"

There has to be a way to stop it... since it sounds like there's been Alices before. If he can focus on that...

[apatheticguide]

"... That depends on if you can return my Keys to me, so I can go back to taking a nap for a few hundred years. This World was borne of people's Hearts. It cannot be shut down entirely. Only protected from others."

He's a lazy Rabbit. A very, very lazy Rabbit. And he's tired. Tired of all your collective silliness.

[miseris_socios]

"Why not?" There's probably a good reason, but he wants to hear it.

[apatheticguide]

"Our God resides here. We reside here. Our job is to protect people from this place. Or... it SHOULD be, but that Cat..."

He trails off. No, he won't go off on a rant, but it seems like he's cursing and muttering under his breath for a spell before he continues.

"... If it could be shut down, do you not think we would have already done that? ... Aside from which, this place's existence... well. Between dreams and reality, Alice. What do you think? As long as humans dream, it will be here. ... Naturally, there are rules in place. That is why there is little I can do to help you."

... Humans won't stop dreaming. That's not a thing you can do.

[miseris_socios]

Between dreams and reality... wait. "This better not have anything to do with that Philemon guy some of the others mentioned." Seriously, he's done with Persona-focused stuff for now. He doesn't need it popping up again.

"And maybe... I don't know. Some things are tricky to shut down. ... And that Cat needs a personality adjustment."

[apatheticguide]

"Ah... the Jungian concept? No, no. That is not our God, do not worry."

That... does cause a rare smile to sprout on his face, albeit briefly. He can't help but be amused, knowing what he knows.

"Of course he does. But little can be done. I tore his face off, but even that was not enough, alas. Perhaps I shall gut him from the inside out and make a decoration out of him. He would be far more useful, then."

[miseris_socios]

"Something like that, I think? I never met him."

Hm... well. That's... one way to stop him. "If we can come back after dying here then maybe he can, too. So I doubt that would stop him."

[worldkeys]

"Alas... I wish to, but there is little I can do to that filthy mongrel."

That is all he has to say on the matter of the Cheshire Cat. It's clear they don't get along.