[ TRANCE AU ] Any road can take you there [ ever x shu ]

[and be blue]

They had been talking about something, he vaguely remembered -- and, judging from the broken tea cup cupped in one hand, TroisCatsSank had been extremely close to a sale.

Judging from the young rabbit's expression, though, maybe he hadn't.

"...I seem to have lost my train of thought." And he frowned as he said it, sweeping off his hat to drop the broken teacup back inside and blinking around them, slowly. "Or, no, maybe you were saying something?"

meegane

DROPPING INTO THE MIDDLE OF IT

 

[Meegane]

"What? You're not listening?!"

The white rabbit - had her black long fluffy ears twitched in annoyance, the face puffed up all written in dissatisfaction and steams seemed to come out of her head. Putting her hands on hips, Waiting2Bloom, also known as B.B. bent forward closer with squinting eyes, "Spaced out again, didn't you?" She glared at the Hatter for a moment, sighed and restore her loose stance. "I was saying - did you recognize the monsters are abnormal in the forest? I was collecting some mushrooms when an angry tree whipped its branches at me! Look! it ruined my favourite leggings, a BIG hole on it!" The white rabbit hissed, she already finished the tree off, but the damage was made.

"I mean they're normally mad, but not that mad." B.B crossed her arms over her flat chest.

and be blue

 

[and be blue]

His response was a blank expression, so perhaps this one really was that mad: any lingering sense wrecked by a certain affinity for a certain kind of mushroom. Or, well, any kind of mushroom. Trois had a bit of an addiction problem in every universe, it seemed. This one just had more lingering results.

"I didn't see...or maybe I did." He hesitated, pale eyebrows pulling together while he tried to put a full thought together. "The weather has been odd, too?"

meegane

 

[Meegane]

"Mad" hatters they said, her eyes rolled.

B.B never accustomed to them, they were weird, she would rather play riddle games with cheshire cats or doing tricks on cute little dormouses. The rabbit hit the table with a loud thump, the teacups and utensils bounced up and dropped with gravity. "You're just lucky! Trois-Cats-S-s- why your name is so long." She tried but see the result! The frustrated rabbit had her eyebrow furrowed.

She recalled how she met the hatter the other day, she was collecting fruits to make some sorts of cake the cake shop lady promised her. Thus, she was sent to collect berries and fruits in return. Hanging the dainty basket in her arm, the rabbit skipped in the woods, humming some songs until she saw someone tall blocking her way. The tall hatter squatted and gazed down at a corner. Being curious, B.B scoot to his side and asked what he was staring at. Yes, that was the beginning, a question that she still not sure if she regretted until that moment, in his house.

"Yup, kinda. It's like - as if someone had made it a lottery system." She shrugged, and sat down. "Anyway, I come to ask you whether you've heard any rumors about the queen? They said we're at war with the White Kingdom and the Red Queen had been acting weirdly......" The teacup of hers was picked up and sipped. "Ugh! What kind of flavour is this?" The hatter obviously collected some special stuff.

and be blue

 

[and be blue]

"Mushroom." It was always mushroom. Which meant, perhaps, that she should eye those cakes with care, even if Trois popped them happily alongside his tea, looking the girl over in a considering sort of way. As much travel as he did, he'd almost certainly heard some kind of rumor, but figuring it out was like wiggling at a loose tooth. He had to push. He had to pause. He had to wait for it to come loose on its own.

"There was an invitation." And once it did, it popped loose all at once, like fireworks behind his eyes. Trois stood to go searching through his things, hat tossed on the table and coat flaring out behind them while he pulled bits and pieces of his collection out and set them out beside him. Eventually, he would come up with a tattered piece of paper that looked years old but was probably much newer than that, considering how long it had been rattling around alongside a broken flowerpot --

"There's a party," he offered, cheerfully, holding it out for her to read the details. "At the castle. If you're looking for answers, I suggest going. Unless it was yesterday."

meegane

go for whatever you want it to say. XD

 

[Meegane]

The rabbit didn't say anything but put down her cup, she didn't sound surprised with the ingredients but apparently preferred other edible things. Not knowing that was the how many times she sigh, B.B turned around and fiddled in the pouch with her, her eyes saying "I know it".

"INVITATION FROM THE QUEEN?!" She caught her cake after a series of tumbling with her hands. Who said rabbits only eat carrots, go back to kindergarten. Let's set that aside first, the rabbit's stare that was gonna penetrate the hatter was pointy with jealousy. The hatter travelled around the world for the best - er- mushrooms for his collection. It soon turned into flabbergasted. "Trois!" She squealed like a poor chicken with its neck squished, at the gently swaying tower built up carelessly on the table, it quickly surpassed the height of the petite rabbit.

She stood up in alarm, retreated a few steps but still covered under the shadow of the lurching structure. "You're so mad!" She quietly yelled in a low volume, scaring any loud sound would make the collapse. However, in wonderland, the word "mad" was also a compliment.

Thanks Alice, he finally stopped piling his stuff. She averted the table with caution and walked around it towards his side. "A party!" Her eyes glistened, "A party!" It meant that would be a lot of savory desserts waiting for her, ah, so wonderful! The girl danced happily with skip steps, but forgot about the pile. When she wiped away her drools, a thunderous noise sent her to jump high up towards the ceiling.

The rabbit's heart bounced rapidly, as if a cat ate a dormouse, the ear furs all went straight like needles. "Y-You have to go with me." There was no response. "Alright. Alright! Businessman," she pouted, "how about 10 of the noctilucent fly amanita, no bargaining!" The acute shrewd eyes shot at Trois. She always stocked them for enticement for the hatter who had a labyrinthine mind, those hallucinogenic things were of no use to her.

There, she took one out from her hidden pocket.

and be blue

 

[and be blue]

"Someone was just --" handing them out, but he let the thought go as soon as his eyes settled on the prize in her hands. Instead, Trois paused to swipe at his chin, even bare as it was, as if he was considering the deal. In truth, though, there was no chance he wouldn't take her up on that.

"Question." It was serious, focused, eyes resettling on her face. "...can I take them before the festivities begin?"

meegane

 

[Meegane]

Apparently he didn't bother with the collapse at all, hatters, they are really weird.

He has to think about it?! B.B couldn't believe that, her eyes pinned on Trois like laser beams. Those mushrooms were quite rare, hard to find and guarded by monsters. No one, but many of them. If not she know he loved those things, she won't get her feet into dirty water.

The rabbit slowly pulled out the dagger behind, thinking of whether she should stab him for greediness or just give him a neat knock out with her pocket watch.

Maybe one of the items he had processed as a lucky charm, the thought went away as he spoke, she gulped for the unusual seriousness. "No way...." she paused and made concession for her friend, "half-half, that's my bottom line."

and be blue

So violent this Shu is XD

 

[and be blue]

"Well, then, I'm in." His smile was like a lightning bolt on his face, appearing all at once and then disappearing as he stepped away -- hunting out a slightly-more-formal hat. It seemed that if they were going to a party, he should be well dressed. Better dressed. Not looking like a hobo, at least.

"Do you know the way? I have a tendency to get lost..." He stepped back, and then held out his hand meaningfully for the mushroom. The second she handed it to him, he'd pop it into his mouth, overly cheerful.

Meegane

 

[Meegane]

"You wanna go like that?" But she couldn't! It was the Queen's party, she at least needed to grab a fluffy scarf. "Be right back - about fifteen minutes." She added, bounced out from the Hatter's door.

One minute before time was up, the Rabbit re-appeared at the door with a fluffy caterpillar around her beige neck. She walked straightly through the door as Trois didn't close it at all, weird hatter's habit. "Back!"

The problem of the Hatter was hers as well, but she was smart enough to bring one thing together with her. "Tada~" B.B raised her arm with a roll gloatingly, posed like a certain robot cat (Hush.) "I only get the map through the woods, but we all know the game, for the map of Tea Party Zone, you need to collect map pieces from the monsters in the woods." Wonderland was a fair place, no work no gain.

Even the monsters were more fierce and aggressive, the sky would be wrapped by dark dour clouds all of a sudden, it was their home. "Are you sure you're ready to go? We've to fight monsters all the way to the castle."

and be blue

 

[and be blue]

By one minute before, the mushrooms had definitely kicked in, which left Trois slower than usual: blinking at her in a fuzzy way, like he didn't understand the words coming out of her mouth. He hadn't taken much, at least. He'd held out the rest. There was still some sense behind his eyes --

"Do you think we could not fight the monsters? maybe sneak around them..." He had on his better hat, but there was no way he was dressing up. One of his shoelaces was untied, now, and he didn't seem to notice. "It just seems...wiser..."

meegane

 

[Meegane]

"I wish", the girl glanced at the retarded Hatter. "The truth is the map pieces only drop when we defeat a monster, so that's not workable." The Rabbit shrugged, took her seat at the table, leaned forward for might be a few seconds before she sat straight, ready to say something.

Then, the mouth slightly opened closed, head drew downward. "No, you're not ready at all!" She stood, marched near Trois. "You will trip over as soon as we walk out that door." She judged his shoes, and squatted to pull the shoelaces all out. Her face lighted up with a trickster smile and she weaved the laces up and down.

"Done!" She clapped her hands for the epic work in great satisfaction. She loved harmless pranks and the Hatter was a good target. "Alright, let's go through the woods."

and be blue

Feel free to time skip and add your stuff~

 

[and be blue]

For a moment, Trois just stared down at his laces, pondering them -- and then he shrugged, grabbing only his hat to shove on his head. Everything he might need was already contained within: no need to strap a weapon to his hip or a pouch at his side. He was as prepared as he could possibly be for an adventure into the forests.

And so they could go: Trois creeping along carefully behind B.B.

When the first bread-and-butterflies fluttered around them, he struggled to ignore. They were near harmless, more akin to gnats than beasts -- but the creatures trailed in their wake as they followed the path through the forest, a nuisance that failed to drop the map they so sorely needed.

Eventually, though, Trois swiped at them in distracted frustration, perhaps seeing something other than the friendly creatures they were. "Perhaps we need to make ourselves more tempting targets for a proper fight."

And by we, of course, he meant her.

meegane

 

[Meegane]

"We're just at the peripheral area, so not a big chance to meet the monsters holding the map pieces." She turned back to give him a squint. "Oh~ That should be easy. You just need to go over to the Angry Tree(s), kick one of them or irritate one with words. I'm sure they will be happily chase after you and welcome you with their frantic branches." B.B wasn't stupid enough to not knowing his plan and wasn't happy about it. Even though she didn't hate fighting monsters.

"Hush!" The Rabbit suddenly command and stopped whatever the Hatter wanted to say. Her eyes rolled with anxiety through the shadows of the trees, a high concentration she seldom shared to anything. Her caution agitated the atmosphere, the nervousness of silence spread out in the woods without much lights.

The girl in a tense-up stance, stood straight with a heavy sigh. "Fault alarm. Luckily." She deflated like a balloon, wiping sweats away. "In the woods, it's normal not so dangerous, but there's one thing we should run for our life, the Jabberwocky." Her rubbed the upper of her arms, "If you hear loud cracks and see animals fleeing, be careful." She warned Trois with beady eyes.

"I don't wanna think about it, let's finish quick and get out! I will attack and you back me up." She shook her head and stomped the ground towards deeper part of the woods.

and be blue

 

[and be blue]

It was the stomping that drew the creature in, perhaps: that or their chatter, or Trois's off-key humming under his breath. They were distracted enough that they'd probably miss the first signs. Yellow eyes, glowing in the dark depths of the foliage. Near-silent footsteps, but one brief crack of a branch underfoot. A low, rippling rumble somewhere between a growl and a purr.

The panther would get the drop on them, despite their apparent readiness. Trois, trailing behind, would bear the brunt of the first onslaught as the beast -- twice the size it should have been, here, in these woods -- dropped from a branch onto his shoulders and drove him to the ground.

He yelped. The cat looked up at B.B. with too-intelligent eyes and growled in earnest this time, hissing words in the sound. "You think I wouldn't notice your passing?"

Trois flailed helplessly, so the beast went for the true target, instead, leaping at the rabbit.

meegane