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]

Think of it like resettin' somethin'. Things that happen in the Worlds don't tend to stick outside of 'em. It'll hurt them here, sure, but they'll be perfectly fine and in a single piece outside once you're done.

[ Seems like a nice deal, huh? Just finish 'em off quick and take the clocks! ]

[apatheticguide]

... Sometimes. If people die inside the Doors, usually I have to send them back in.

[ He sighs. ]

Just be careful.

[apatheticguide]

... No, probably not. Well, either way, they're here now. So we might as well take care of them.

[ ... Right, the other matter... ]

... What have you been doing?

[apatheticguide]

[ ... Rabbit doesn't even move. He knows he's not going to be affected, so Ankh just goes careening right through his incorporeal form. Really, all he does is groan and roll his eyes, glancing over at Sebastian, ignoring Ankh for a moment. ]

Ahhh, it's you. You HAVE been expiring an awful lot, I see. Still have not found my Key, hm? ... Perhaps you should tell the other Alice that, as I stated before, attacking Guides is against the Rules.

[bakegarasu]

... I'll do what I can.

[He gets up, stretches, and pushes off to dash away. He needs to find her. She's the key to the Key, after all.]

[heartgatherer]

"That's good... no, wait-- that's not good. I need to warn everyone." Suddenly it's back in full force-- the desire that drove her to move in the first place. "The Country of Clover is dangerous... the people here are-- honestly, they're pretty crazy. I don't think they'll hurt outsiders, but I don't want to wait and find out." She knows that in this case she's probably the one who sounds crazy, yet she doesn't have much choice. This weird tale is the truth.

Right... explanations... she probably owes him one, in all honesty.

"Um... this is the Country of Clover. It's the place I came from before we all met. Or at least it looks the same. The people I knew before I came here-- I haven't seen any of them. But everything else seems to be just like I remember it."

[notsogreedy]

[Of course that didn't work. Ankh lets out an extremely frustrated growl as he lands on the floor and then quickly turns around to glare daggers at the rabbit. The last thing Ankh wants to hear right at this moment is anything about the stupid rules, but he at least knows better than to try attacking again when it's obvious it won't connect.]

Tch. Then don't show up in a place where it's impossible to control violent desires. And my name is Ankh!

[notsogreedy]

He believes her, of course. Why shouldn't he, when every fiber of his being currently says she's trustworthy? But he doubts that things are exactly the way she expects. He hasn't found anyone so far, talking doors excepted, that wasn't someone he'd met before coming here, and as far as he can tell, it's the outsiders who are all determined to hurt each other.

"The place you came from... did it take violent desires and make them stronger?"

[heartgatherer]

One person has no sense of fear. That would be Clock-- the one running around trying to meet with everyone despite the Country of Clover's obvious dangers.

Although the changes made to the people who arrived with her give her pause, as she remembers those who filled the roles before them, what ultimately surfaces is relief. They're alive. It seems she cares about that... always has.

"Oh! You're--"

Names, she... she doesn't even know them. Which probably seems funny considering the concern she's shown but-- that too is just how Clock has always been.

[frozentear]

Ankh. Attacking guides is against the rules.

[Is he saying that just to irritate Ankh? He is absolutely saying it just to irritate Ankh.

He stands up and dusts himself off.]

I haven't seen the keys to this place myself, but I'm certain Ankh and another person have seen them. I'm not sure why they didn't take it.

[heartgatherer]

"The Country of Clover is a naturally violent place. The people in it are almost always fighting over something. Or if they aren't they're playing some kind of dangerous game... People here don't care much about their own lives. Because they've always believed it's fine because they can just be replaced... It's a completely stupid way of thinking."

And she's not gentle in the slightest regarding her feelings for the matter. It's the one thing about this world that unnerves her more than the clocks do.

[notsogreedy]

He's silent for a moment, pondering and piecing that together with everything he's seen. The way violent desires are always at the forefront, the way no one seems to care about their lives, and the clocks...

"We've replaced them, then." It's an obvious conclusion, and he says it that way.

[heartgatherer]

[By now Alice has run all over the Country of Clover looking for her companions. What she's found thus far has been unnerving, to say the least. It seems as though they've all been fit into the roles of people she knew-- when she sees the other girl, she's afraid the same has happened to her as well.

But there's only one role-holder she could be, so that makes things a little more simple.]

Excuse me, you're--

[Names... why didn't she get anyone's names...?!?]

Are you alright? I mean-- you weren't hurt, were you?

[She can't imagine what coming to this world was like for others. She just hopes she can help get them all out safely before it's too late.]

[bakegarasu]

He pauses, staring at her. That's her. That's the girl.

"... Otoha. But my name's not important. You need to be kept safe."

That's the only thing. Really... oh. Something else. "And we need to find the Key."

[apatheticguide]

Everyone is Alice here. That's just how it is.

[ He doesn't care. Moving on! Specifically, to Sebastian: ]

... That door. Could you not open it, then?

[notsogreedy]

[The comment about the rules gets a glare shot in Sebastian's direction, though not nearly as intense as the one prompted by the comment that follows. Really, Sebastian, why didn't Ankh take the clock? It's obviously not because he was too busy bleeding out or anything.

What the rabbit says distracts him just enough to keep him from leaping over to Sebastian, who wouldn't be nearly as difficult to grab. He expected the Alice part, but the question is... strange.]

If we're here, then shouldn't it be obvious that the door isn't open?

[frozentear]

[He mostly ignores Ankh's glares. If anything, he's glad he was able to get that reaction. Ankh did shoot him three times.]

Hanna didn't like being touched, and she said that we had to gather all the clocks inside us to open her... but I still have mine. I don't think anyone's been able to open her.

[Despite expiring an awful lot, as the rabbit put it.]

[apatheticguide]

So one at a time, is it...? What a bothersome Heart this is. Why can she not be simple?

[ He heaves a sigh, tapping his foot. ]

... Well, then you are missing a part of the riddle, in that case. I can offer you no further advice than that. Perhaps you should have another talk with this Hanna?

[notsogreedy]

[Talk to the door again, then, is it? Well, fine. After the way those things took the clock away, he feels like there's something they might have missed, anyway. But while he's here, he may as well ask.]

Do you know what those shadow things were?

[frozentear]

[That gets Sebastian's attention. He's vaguely aware of the existence of the shadow brutes in the mines, but somehow he doesn't think that's what they're talking about... especially because he's in someone else's heart.]

What shadow things?

[apatheticguide]

[ He shakes his head. ]

... A construct of this Alice World. Related to the girl's Heart. This place... Wonderland, is it? They're related to it. Seems they take the bodies. ... Makes my job a lot easier, you know. I appreciate it.

[dolosa]

[ Almost immediately: ]

No.

[dolosa]

Hazama Rei.

[ She opts to introduce herself with a bit of a bow from the waist -- she's Japanese, after all, a curtsy just wouldn't do. ]

I'm fine, however. This world isn't much of a problem for me. I've been through much, much worse.

[dolosa]

Hmmm.

[ Pressing her lips together, she hums inquisitively. It's true that she doesn't miss Hajime, but she isn't sure if that's just because she's missing the proper emotion to miss him or perhaps she just believes there's no reason to. It's difficult to tell, really, but she could honestly care less. ]

I had asked to be brought back to Hajime's world after that game was over -- so. It happened.

[dolosa]

Maybe I will, maybe I won't. I could watch the world burn if that's what I wanted.

[ She shrugs. ] I just wanted to apologize in advance. You know, just in case.