Wonderland: Day One

[wonderlandian]

The residents of Paradisa who ventured into the lobby on the 13th would find something new there; a mirror spanning an entire wall. Given recent happenings, who can blame them if they're cautious? Trouble is, this mirror seems to really want to bring people in, because you don't have to get too close before you're through the looking glass.

Once you've gone, you may find that you're not quite yourself.

[Directory:
Mirror|Queen's Courtyard|Queen's Castle|Tulgey Wood
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[Notes/Reminders: Type 1 and Type 2 characters will believe they are Wonderland natives. All characters, including those not entering Wonderland, will be able to use their journals; Wonderland "natives" will think it is a communication device exclusive to Wonderland, although communication between Paradisa and Wonderland through the journals is absolutely possible. You may NPC any number of Tulgey Wood creatures, except for the Jabberwocky.]

Comments

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

[Not that he'd mind, his fur is nice and thick, just right for the purpose, really. He chuckles at that]

Deer would be lost in our dust.

[And off he races, not at his top speed, but certainly faster than anything else around]

[wolfchild]

Whoa!

[ Her grip tightens before she gets used to the differences between him and a horse. She grins into the wind. ]

Faster!

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

[He laughs, moving faster as she asks, bouncing off the side of trees in lieu of actually turning corners, yet remaining steady enough that she's never jostled off his back]

[wolfchild]

[ She laughs. ]

How high can you jump?

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

Hold on tight.

[And once she is, he'll leap up, high enough to land on a tree branch a fair way up the tree, giving them a good view of Wonderland]

[wolfchild]

[ She clings tightly, wonder lighting her features. She's breathless with glee. ]

You're incredible!

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

[He laughs, glad to have brought her some joy, however fleeting]

I know. Let's see what this world's about hm?

[And he'll make another leap over to the next tree a few feet away]

[wolfchild]

My brother would have loved this.

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

You think? Daring like you, I take it?

[wolfchild]

He loved climbing. He could climb anything.

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

Really? I can believe that.

[wolfchild]

I keep wishing he'll come. All my brothers.

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

[He'll turn his head to offer her a reassuring smile]

You never know, they might just yet.

[wolfchild]

Hoping is just setting yourself up for disappointment.

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

Not at all. It's the most powerful force in the world. If you let it be.

[wolfchild]

I hoped my father would be saved. I watched them cut his head off. I hoped to get home. My home was sacked and burned. I hoped to make it to my mother and my brother. I don't know if I do and it doesn't matter anyway because they're both murdered. And I hoped someone would help me and there was never anyone to help me but me. Hoping hasn't done anything. It just makes everything hurt more.

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

But it kept you moving to the next day. Yeah, when it didn't turn out, it hurt. But it's not about how it turns out. It's about looking ahead, to tomorrow, actually thinking tomorrow will even be a thing. It's something to pull you forward, even when everything is darkest.

[He's quiet for a moment, because boy does he sure not like talking about this ever]

I know what it's like. To lose everything. I think that's why he made me the Guardian of Hope. Because I know what it's like not to have any.

[wolfchild]

Did monsters take it from you too?

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

[He doesn't reply right away, his ears folding back on his head, trying to put away memories he'd locked up millennia ago]

Just one monster. That's all it took.

[wolfchild]

It was the same for me. But then more came. The scariest one looked so average...I might have never remembered his face.

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

I'll never forget the one that took mine.

[Lord knows he tried. He'd been doing fine with burying everything, cutting himself from the world. Not getting involved in what Pitch was doing to everyone and everything else. Just trying to FORGET. And then North and Katherine showed up and...everything changed. For the better, certainly, even if he hadn't felt that way at the time]

He was that monster I told you about. The one that used to be a man.

[wolfchild]

[ There are some she'll never forget. Not Joffrey. Not Cersei. Ser Gregor and Sandor Clegane. But the Tickler had always had a forgettable face. One of a hundred, looking a man like any other. It had only made him scarier when the tickling began. She could smell the blood and shit and seared skin again. She could hear the shrieks. And the questions. Is there gold hidden in the village? Silver, gems? Is there food? Where is Lord Beric? Which of you village folk helped him? Where did he go? How many men did he have with him? How many knights? How many bowmen? How many horsed? How many wounded?

No one made it to nightfall, but the sounds and the smells would linger long after the body was thrown.

Arya strokes one long ear. She hesitates before hugging him around the neck. ]

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

[He's surprised by the display, that said he's not all that used to people coming up and hugging him ANYWAY. Still, he smiles softly, returning the hug, before ruffling her hair gently]

We'll be okay, little brumby. You and me. We'll be fine.

[wolfchild]

I guess.

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

I don't guess. I know so.