but as I told you... I didn't chase the white rabbit!

[heartgatherer]

Who: The Alices and Clock
What: Open the first door and see what you find. Hopefully it's a key... maybe it's something more.
Where: World One - The Country of Clover
Warnings: General violence and disregard for life.

 '▒▒▒▒▒, you fool... it was all just a dream'...

If she could have thought that to herself, then she might have believed it. Here were the high vaulted ceilings of Clover Tower that she'd grown so used to since the shift to the Country of Clover. And yet her name was still lost to her. She could not think it... could not say it... It was as though someone had stolen it entirely, as odd of a thing as that sounded. That was all she needed to know to prove she wasn't dreaming. Then that meant it was as the rabbit and cat said-- in order to retrieve the rabbit's keys, they needed to enter the doors and the door took them straight into peoples' hearts.

This one no doubt was supposed to be her own. How else could this place be replicated so accurately? None of the others should know a thing about Wonderland. After all... this was her dream. Her messed-up, embarrassing, dangerous... oh no.

Outside the window the forest, the castle and the Hatter Mansion were all as they should be. But what had happened to the others? If they had been split up, there was no telling what manner of characters they might have met. While they should be safe as Outsiders, Clover has never seen any other Outsiders. Like this, there's no way to be sure they're safe.

Whatever's happened - this is no time to be sleeping. She needs to verify what's going on in this world and the whereabouts of the people that entered with her. If this was a true and accurate reflection of the world that she knew, then she needed to warn them of a great many things.

Down the tower stairs she goes... to investigate the fate of herself and those who had gone with her.

Comments

[stolenface]

I'm more the referee. Not much here to kill, but I guess you can hurt me.

[ He'll shrug. ]

But hey, at least it means you can hurt me without me killin' ya.

Is this okay?

[notsogreedy]

[He has been more or less avoiding people--he has a similar plan, waiting for everyone else to kill each other, and he can feel the murderous desires at a distance so it's fairly easy to avoid them--but this one seems as if she hasn't fully embraced the idea.

He's in a tree nearby, having found it to be a good vantage point, and obscured enough that he's difficult to notice up there, provided he's not drawing attention to himself. He only overhears the words by chance.]

Hajime. Who's that?

[He may as well learn something before everyone inevitably ends up dead.]

(ooc: Permission info for his desire sense would be much appreciated!)

100% fine with me!

[dolosa]

[ Rei isn't hiding her feelings in the slightest bit, so when she answers, it's with a rather cruel smile. ]

My boyfriend, I guess you could say.

[dolosa]

I wonder if anyone will take up that offer. I most certainly won't since I have nothing to gain from it, but perhaps someone else will?

[notsogreedy]

[He tilts his head, looking down at her curiously. With that information, he can understand a bit more of her desires, and it's... strange. Love is one of the easiest to pick out, and it's missing. As if the smile wasn't enough to say that. That much isn't too surprising in itself, but why ask for forgiveness from someone you don't really care about? He replies with a quiet "heh".]

What are you apologizing for, then?

[dolosa]

Hm. . . I wonder.

[ She shrugs her shoulders wide, sounding rather apathetic, even as she still smiles, her gaze shifting to look at the sky. ]

People will have to die in this world. Whether it's apologizing for killing people again, or being unable to stop it, or whatever. It's a thing that needs to be done. Right?

[notsogreedy]

It seems to be the only way to get out of here. [He shrugs slightly; he's not especially bothered by the concept, though clearly he isn't in a rush to do all the killing himself or he would have shot her while she still didn't know he was there.] Some people seem happy to play along.

[There's a slight pause and a curious look as he adds,] What did you mean, "again"?

[zinit]

Don't mind him, just here checking out a bush, mentally trying to figure out if he can use it for some medicinal purpose. He's wary, of course; he'll always be, in a new place like this that he can't immediately assess. He's got his hand within free reach of his gun, fingers limber from training with it, but he won't notice Otoha until some sort of noise is made.

--If he got stuck with a bunch of brutish murderers, wouldn't that be a pain? They're not as easy to manipulate as the heroic types are.

[bakegarasu]

Distracted? Excellent. He creeps up behind the Hatter, launching himself at the other 'player' in this game. He doesn't say anything, doesn't make any noise other than the soft sound of him pushing off against the ground. Oh, he knows his sword can become a gun, but why? Swords are what he's trained with for so long.

It'd be a shame to let that training go to waste.

[zinit]

Yep, there it is.

Qilby whips around like a shot at that soft noise, hand automatically going to his gun and getting into stance, jumping back a distance and firing. His aim isn't great - the shot is aimed at the chest, but whether it hits there is... questionable - but if he's going to get taken out without even a discussion, he's damned well going to cause this guy some inconvenience.

gross icon warning

[bakegarasu]

The shot doesn't hit his chest, but it does hit his shoulder, and Otoha immediately drops to the ground, sword thumping against the soft earth as it lands. "Wh..."

It's a feeling like fire, like something spreading through his shoulder and arm and he doesn't know what to do, doesn't know what to say. It's paralyzing, and it's terrifying, and for the first time in a fight he's totally disabled as he tries to figure out what this feeling is. "What is this?!" His voice is choked and panicked, and he's shaking.

He's shaking because he has a vague idea, he's seen the reactions enough, but that's totally impossible. He can't feel that. He's not capable of it. Years and years of experience have taught him this, but here... for the first time, maybe. Maybe this... this might be pain.

[zinit]

Qilby lands on his rear on the ground, looks up, expecting the worst... Ah, it hit his shoulder, but the young man looks bewildered more than anything. Was he not expecting Qilby to fight back? Come on, he knows he looks like a disabled old man, but really??

His first instinct is to laugh, but he quells it with just a snort. Instead, he just stands, brushing the back of his pants off and looking down at Otoha the way a teacher might look at a child.

"Maybe you'll think twice before trying that again," he says; his voice is low and tight. As he bends to pick up the sword, he adds: "Now, I'll be taking this until you learn how to manage yourself."

You could kill him right now, just take it, rings his own voice between his ears.

[frozentear]

[Sebastian could take the ears and tail. He wasn't fond of the hat, and the ticking in his chest was increasingly irritating. But worst of all, these clothes were just too colorful. Sigh.

The forest was large, but for some reason he had a good sense of where he was. Wandering through the doors brought him to a seemingly isolated area, and he pulled out the gun.

For some reason, it didn't seem repulsive like it usually might have as a reminder of the war. Weapons were needed to get deep in the mines, but usually adventurers used swords or clubs. He didn't really have experience with either, and had never gotten all that far... but right now he felt like he might be able to fight his way through anyway.

He fired it at a tree once, twice, and the recoil was... satisfying. He wanted to fire it again and again.]

[stolenface]

Maybe. We'll have to see. Either way should be entertaining.

[frozentear]

[Is that a riddle? What does that even mean...

...hmm. Part of all of them, can be broken... and they're all going in each others' hearts, so that's probably it.

He traces the inlays with the fingers of one hand, going from one to another as he inspects them. What are they for?]

[zinit]

[Qilby's almost about to get indignant when it hits him - confetti just appeared to congratulate him out of nowhere, and his response was to scream as it got stuck in his eye. It caught him pretty off-guard, didn't it?]

[He chuckles a little, despite himself. Let nobody say he can't laugh at his own expense!] Alright, that was pretty funny. [He turns to leave, then says over his shoulder with a wave:] In any case, we will meet again.

[bakegarasu]

Even through this, even through the pain - because that's what it is, that's what it has to be - he reaches out to grab the sword and snatch it away. "It's not yours. It's mine." His sword, his weapon, the only thing that matters, the only way to kill, it's his.

[notsogreedy]

The desire for violence is a prevalent one around here. Ankh isn't surprised. He's seen that plenty of times before: humans who repress their desires and then get overtaken by them. In his experience, most people will easily give in to hurting and killing each other given the right incentive.

For Ankh, however, the effect seems to be a little backward. He lives on his desires to begin with, so what is there to repress? If anything, he might seem more peaceful than usual, lacking all his usual reasons for being prickly and reactive. He's probably going to die before the door can open, one way or the other, so why should he care, really? So is everyone else--and he isn't averse to being the person who takes their clocks from them, but for now he's just as content to let them all kill each other without getting involved.

So while some people actively hunt each other down, Ankh has taken to sitting in trees, keeping an eye on the situation while staying relatively hidden. He can sense those murderous desires, and he'll keep a distance from the stronger ones. For those who are less inclined to attack indiscriminately, he might let them approach. He might even strike up a conversation. He doesn't seem to have the same interest in violence that some of the others do, so maybe he's safe to be around.

Or maybe that's just a false sense of security, because in the end, that door needs to open, and that's as good a reason for killing as any.

[mearry]

What a screwed up world. [ C-ta looks and feels unsure about this whole ordeal but...

It's necessary, no? So he will wordlessly turn his back to the door, and begin walking away. ] I'll be back soon...or something.

[worldkeys]

[ The door speaks. It seems unhappy! ]

Hasn't anyone ever told you not to suddenly and inappropriately touch a lady?! If you can't unlock me, then don't put your sticky fingers all over me like that!

[worldkeys]

[ Well, the door sort of likes you, at least. ]

Yes, it rather was amusing. I don't get much entertainment, you know, sitting here. Most of my time is spent stone-still with boring people. Good luck!

[mearry]

[ Urge to kill? Check. It basically radiates through C-ta's veins and, strangely enough, it feels familiar to him. Although he cannot place where this familiarity comes from, he definitely notices it, beneath the ticking of his new heart.

It's unsettling. He hates it. But he wants to go home, no? The cat said that he had something stolen from him-- and he has to find what that something is. No matter the cost.

A hand grips on the axe, as he rests against the trunk of a tree. Relax, C-ta. Relax. ]

Hm? Why are you apologizing? [ Might as well feign a relaxed tone of voice, green eyes hovering over the stranger's form. ]

[worldkeys]

Bring a better sense of humor when you come next time, won't you, Mr. Gate Guard?

[ What a snide door this is. ]

[frozentear]

[Why is the door talking. He pulls his hand back pretty quickly, taking a moment for processing the situation. Okay, given everything else that's happened, including the fact that he has ears and a tail now, that might not be the strangest part about this. Maybe.]

Doors aren't usually alive where I'm from.

[worldkeys]

[ The door gasps. Now it's rightly offended. Seems you got off on the wrong, uh... hinge with it, Sebastian. ]

Obscene! Inhumane! How could you treat a lady like this, saying someone isn't alive?!