[PP-F08] Echoes in the Hollow

[Ceres 0]

Alice screamed, again and again and again. She didn’t want to go back. She wanted to stay. She wanted to stay here in her wonderland.

“Jack and JIll went up ThE Hill. I’m AliCe. I’M ALICE! Oh Jack be NiMBle JaCk be Quick…” Craized whispers as Alice tried to hold onto who she was, tried to drown out a feeble crack in her newly varnished veneer - one that asked her if this was right, the small voice of Ceres that would ask if the insanity was worth it. This isn't who I am

Then, came Tybalt - in a flurry of spun confetti and ebbing sanity he flourished in the field, a tip of his hat, a yank of a foot and then - he was kneeling before Alice. Her eyes struggled to focus on him, his mask. They widened in fear - for just a moment, tears forming at the corner of her eyes before whatever was left of Ceres began to fade back into the depths of a subconscious mind. “P-Papa.” Alice reached out to him, hands cradling his mask. “Papa! They wouLdn’t! They CoulDn’t! But they ShOuld! They CoUld I'm ALiCe RigHt? RiGht?!”

"I see no Ceres, that girl is no more. What remains is Alice, 100 TIMES BETTER than before~"

Alice reached up and fixed his hat, her hand still shaken “Papa. I want to stay as Alice. Always. Forever. Together! A splendour!” And from behind Tybalts ear she tries to pull out two handfulls of confetti, one hand threw it into his face, the other came up empty. "E-EmPTy? No..NON nono NonO NnoNOnono...." She tried again, frantic now, Yanking hard on Tybalts ear. "WhEre iS it?" Alice was struggling, so soon was her past thrown back at her it threw her, down was down and up was up and that won't do at all. For down was right, and right was a tinny frog shaped cloud hoping along the sky.

"MAke it Stop! MaKe ThE VoiCes coMe baCk pleasepleaseplaeaspleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease."

Tybalt stood, his back to her, shouting at the guests of the show. “Jack and JiLl…” Alice mumbled, still trying to piece together her insanity.

“OnE eyed JacK. oh! My FaVourite card is the OnE eyeD jack don’t you Know!? He's JaCk! Oh He'S JaCk, NoT NimBle noT QuciCk A Bore, but oh HeS JaCk!"

Another voice from the shadows loomed, for Vex Vexus a message away, a flurry at bay - a glint of knife in the thicket of forest, a wide grin - then a visage of white appeared, standing next to Tybalt, protecting a sister he would hold so dear.

“You called?” He asked, a tilt of his head toward Tybalt. Perhaps the most sane of the lot.  Which, wasn’t very sane at all.
A sweep of the area, two bumbling people all strung up like little puppets on string, how delightful. He gave the two a wink and a couple of double finger guns. Then, his smile faded, twisted into a frown.

“They hurt Alice you say? That won’t do.”

Vex pulled out his dagger, dragging it across his tongue then turning his attention to the two. Where Alice and Tybalt were mad and wild in a storm, he was calm. Predatory. “You know what madness does to someone?” He asked, a step forward. “Not the kind my dear family seeps you in, but the enchantment…” Another step forward. “A simple prick, like butter, and your mind will flutter~ Imagine! Oh Imagine! Lovers turned to killers! The pain of knowing You were the one to end her life.” Another step closer to the two.

But, before he could and would - the two were whisked away. Perhaps Vex would see them another day.

“Oh….”

Vex shrugged as he pocketed his blade, turning on his heel. “No matter! Now!” He clasped his hands together. “Tybalt~ My dear! I see Alice is struggling.” He stepped over to her. Not expecting her to ever fall sway to Tybalt, but - Vex was not one to complain. A little air-headed oddball. She so easily got swept up in his hypnotism, it was of no surprise she followed Tybalt, but the delight of knowing how she broke, no longer Ceres, but dear, sweet Alice.

Vex knelt down in front of her and loudly snapped his fingers. “Come, come, Alice. Drift into wonderland for me…” Her eyes clouded at his words and her violent sobbing stopped. Vex leaned forward and ruffled her hair.

“All yours, Tybalt. She’ll be fine. A little shaken, like a martini. But Alice will be fine.”

WC: 762

Edited 3 hours ago by Ceres