Yumika "Ivory" Rae's Story

Ivory it has a familiar ring to it, doesn't it?

Ivory shot up with a gasp. It was..bright, and her head hurt, she touched the back of her head, the source of her pain, the hair was all icky feeling, she'd probably hurt herself somehow.. She slowly stood up, the pale monochrome female hugging herself tightly. She couldn't remember her name...so she went by the only thing she could come up with..Ivory. Her hair was white, she was pale, and her dress was white as well. The only color on the girl was her eyes, which were emerald green, scared, worried, and confused emarald orbs that shot around the room. She felt her eyes begin to sting, tears trying to seduce her eyes, wanting to fall freely down her face. You can't cry! Not until you at least try to escape! She ran, fast as her feet would carry her. She of course stumbled here and there, still not fully awake, but she refused to stop, refused to sit down and cry, until she gave it her best. There has to be a wall, somewhere..right? It wouldn't be a building without them. There is a floor, so there must be one somewhere.. she heard a whisper, the sound of someone else, or maybe it was her mind playing tricks on her.. she wasn't for sure, but she froze in place. What if her lack of memories was because someone was trying to hurt her? Maybe she got kidnapped by some creep on her way home from school? No, no, no! Anything but that!

"Is anyone there!?" she shouted, thrusting her hands down at her sides, she desparately wanted answers, even if it meant getting in a bad situation, so she repeated the question in the same tone, until her voice couldn't produce the sound anymore. She sat in the floor, holding her throat. I'll try again, when my throat stops hurting..

Moonlight wandered around. In her dizziness, she wandered right back to where she had started. A girl dressed all in white was sitting on the floor. Moonlight could see that the girl was trying hard not to cry. The girl's eyes were bright green. Moonlight walked up to the girl. "Hello," she said softly.

Ivory it has a familiar ring to it, doesn't it?

Ivory's eyes shot up when she heard the voice closer, she tilted her head, did she hear someone? She didn't see anyone..maybe it was her mind playing tricks on her. For a moment she just stared at nothing, unsure if she should trust someone she didn't know, but someone was better than no one in Ivory's opinion, at least in this situation. "H-hi, I'm Ivory..what is your name?" The question came out forced, her voice was strained from all her screaming previously. She looked over the empty room, other than herself that is, taking in that she was losing her mind, trying to converse with nothing. She seemed to be pretty good at talking to nonexsistant people, almost expert. She was sure she got bullied before about it, why else would she hate herself so much when she was about to cry? She couldn't remember her past, but she assumed a few things, based on how she reacted towards others and situations, "Do..you have any idea where we are?" she asked curiously. She didn't hear the voice again.. Not even muffled like before.. She forced herself to her feet, offering her pale hand for a handshake, "Pardon my rudeness.. I can't remember much of anything, so excuse my manners.." she smiled nervously, unsure if she offended her new....imaginary friend? You're making a bad impression, shut up you idiot. She shook her head, looking up for the first time. No ceiling? This is quite a peculiar set up for a building. It's huge.. who lives here?

Moonlight smiled slightly. "I'm Moonlight. I don't know what happened either. I just woke up here. And I'm sure you'd rattle off questions, too, if you didn't know what happened. It's nice to meet you, Ivory."

Cheshire

She continued to float higher, her body still limp. The words of the Chains were lost to her as she ignored everything below. She was irritated and bored and was almost to the top of the ceiling. She was preparing herself to leave, to disappear back to her tree when the Queen suddenly revealed The Great Hall. She twisted herself around, happily surprised at the change of scenery. Who had done it? Were they fighting already? She looked down upon the Chains with interest, but the new contestants caught her eye. They seemed lost, too uptight to be creatures from Her Wonderland, then again being in the Queen's company does that to people. She twitched her ears and flicked her tail, letting her jewelry sing to her as she studied them. They seemed 'normal', almost dreadfully so and this excited Cheshire immensely. She hadn't seen a 'normal' creature in her Wonderland for quite some time.

Allowing herself to fade, besides her manic eyes and wonderful grin, she makes herself known to the children. Appearing a nose length away before the first child she takes a few seconds to study before moving on to the next. A variously coloured mist follows suit, emphasizing her bright wide eyes and glowing teeth. "Well aren't you all dull," she croons in her ectasy, her eyes changing rapidly from yellow to blue to green and back again. She counted the children. Two males were present in this little crowd, which surprised her. Female's for some odd reason were more common to venture into her Wonderland. Interested in these two, she swept around them, taking note of their traits and composure (or lack of one). The young one with the long silvery hair, put her off, reminding her of that wretched White Rabbit. However, the other seemed boring as well, though the short blue hair was at least something fun. Her eyes widened looking over the blue haired child in sudden recognition. Her grin grew exceptionally larger. "Oh, aren't you the clever one?" she exclaimed, swirling around the kid, "You're not at all what you seem to be are you?"

She decided to try this one out. The surprise was refreshing and hopefully the child would be too. She jumped away from the trailing mist and landed upon the child's shoulders as a cat, nestling against the neck. Pleased to finally be resting against something warm and soft, she can't help but purr. The short hair was a plus. She wouldn't have to dig around to get comfy. Oh yeah, Cheshire decided, this one's a keeper.

Cheshire

Her closed eyes seemed to smile in that content way felines do. She stopped purring, her ears twitching as her contractor spoke. "If it's not too rude to ask, who are you...what are you?" If it's not too rude? Was she serious? She opened one eye upon her child and then to the others around. They all seemed to be taking things in stride. Her grin shrunk a bit, assuming their abilities to adapt so quickly was because each child was 'gifted'. Why else were they in her Wonderland? She sighed. At least this Rhia creature wasn't dull. Though fear tinted her voice, she kept it well under control, which would be useful later on.

Lazily, she opened her other eye and began kneading the child's neck. "Your manners are surprising for one who's been kidnapped from their world." The marks in her fur shimmered as several shades of purple and indigo rippled across her form. Unsatisfied in her current state, she faded only to reappear on the child's other shoulder. She snuggled once more against the girls nape. Now that things were finally in motion her mood was lightening up. Now was the time for fun, for molding her future underling. She would not fail in this aspect. She clears her throat ceremoniously before speaking. "I am The Majestic..The Knowing," her smile grew as her list of names rolled smoothly off her tongue, pausing dramatically for emphasis. "I am The Shifter..The Powerful..The Lost-And-Found." She shrugged her head, suggesting her contractor to follow her gaze across their surroundings and the Chains near them. "You, like them, are in my Wonderland." It was difficult remaining composed. Having knowledge over a person who was so 'out-of-the-loop' was exhilarating! She would enjoy it to the fullest. "Call me Cheshire," she said simply, "That name seems to tie everything together."

Ivory it has a familiar ring to it, doesn't it?

Somewhere along the lines, she'd fallen asleep, her forehead pressed to her knees, arms holding her dress appropriately for the situation, but she was definitely asleep. It wasn't until there was a loud commotion that she awoke, rubbing her emerald orbs and stretching her thin porceline arms, "What...did I miss..?" she asked herself, slowly rising to her feet, looking around. This is quite..odd. What is with these strange people..? She tilted her head, standing still, gripping the sides of her dress tightly in order to remain calm. She was visably trembling, she just wasn't very brave. She moved over away from everyone else as far as she could, without keeping out of sight of them. She hated being alone, but she didn't know these people, some of them seemed quite eccentric and scary. These are not the types of people who want to be my friend..they all look so busy. I shouldn't disturb busy people, that makes them rather cranky. She sat back down, sighing. Why...is the only thing I can remember is the word Ivory? She gritted her teeth in resentment. She desparately wanted answers. This wasn't fair.

"I..want to remember..but more than that, I want a friend.." she finally whispered to herself, closing her emerald eyes, "I can give up on remembering, if there was just someone not so scary to talk to.." Ivory was an odd girl, given a friend, you could practically put her through anything, say anything to her, and she would endure it. However, once someone becomes her friend, a very dear friend, no one is allowed to hurt them. She wasn't the type to defend herself, but she would carelessly defend a friend.

"B-But..." Stuttered Rabbit before sighing in resignation, "Yes, Your Majesty!"

With trembling fingers, he fiddled with his tie - as an attempt to pull it up - before tentatively stepping into the Great Hall. Rabbit would always ponder about the Queen's sometimes reckless decisions but whenever the Lower Level was related, Rabbit understood that no wasn't an option. He had heard terrible stories about the Lower Level and that terrible Jabberwocky; a shiver ran down his spine by just thinking about it. He mentally shook his head, he thanked his tail and whiskers that he was blessed to be living in the more... civilised area of Wonderland.

Where was Hatter anyway? Rabbit knitted his eyebrows together, he couldn't help blaming the odd-bod but if it wasn't for him the small boy wouldn't have to deal with the Queen's game. Even Rabbit had to admit they haven't always been the most fun. If it wasn't for this, all of them could've spent this wonderful afternoon in a tea party. He scanned the area and saw that Absolem had already found his own Contractor - a boy with long silver hair - and watched as the Caterpillar dragged the unlucky fellow out. He had to suppress a chuckle before drifting his attention to the Duchess who was also conversing with another, a girl with a rebellious demeanour. They seemed to be... enjoying themselves. Cheshire was nowhere to be found. He's most likely brought his own child back to that wretched forest. Thought Rabbit.

Only a few where left to be claimed, however one girl brought his interest. She had placed herself quite far away from the rest of them. He strided closer towards her and pushed up the bridge of his gold-rimmed spectacles. Her whole being was themed on the colour white; what with her pale skin, snow-coloured hair and her simple dress. The only exception was her irises, they were a lovely shade of green. Unlike most residents of Wonderland, Rabbit didn't need to tilt his head up in order to look at her. She only looked about one inch taller than himself.

"Why, hello there child." Muttered Rabbit and tried to look as superior as possible; despite being shorter, "I am White Rabbit, it's a pleasure to meet you."
He paused for moment in order to brush minor creases from his shorts.

Now that he was at a distance where he could examine the girl properly, he came to realise that she looked extremely frightened; she was shaking and had kept a firm grip on her dress. Little Rabbit understood how she felt though, he had still managed to hold onto a drop of his humanity. Besides, how else could you react in such circumstances?
"Now don't be afraid." He said tenderly, "What is your name?"

Ivory it has a familiar ring to it, doesn't it?

Ivory's envy-green coloured eyes looked up at the boy, she was sitting down, so she kind of had to tilt her head up, but when she stood, they were practically eye level to eachother. She blinked, he wore shorts, however the rest of the boy in front of her was quite formal. His white hair looked soft and fluffy as if it were fur, and his eyes were red, oddly. She tried not to stare at the boy, her eyes changing their line of sight to the room they were in. I wonder what this place is, how I got here, and why I can't remember any of these things..

She turned her attentoon back to the boy, whom like the others, looked quite strange to be real, but he was far less intimidating, "Rabbit...?" she asked, leaning towards him ever so slightly to begin examining him with child-like awe, then it caught her attention, he was.. She withdrew, puzzled. How did I not notice these features before...? "I see..You are. Nice to meet you I-" she cut off, eyes softening. She didn't really know her true name...how troublesome..

Ivory's eyes widened, her pale cheeks flushing pink, adding a healthy looking gloe to the girl's face when he mentioned her being aftaid. She instantly forced herself to stop trembling, nodding slowly, "S-sorry.." she stuttered. I wonder if he is bothered by it.. I probably made him fee like he's scary looking..

"Ivory I reckon, I don't recall my name..so that was the best I could come up with..but whatever is easiest for you is fine.." She whispered with a small, kind smile, "Why did you call me a child...are you older than you look?" she asked curiously, "I-I hope that wasn't too rude..I just wanted to know also...are you a friend or an enemy?"

"S-sorry..."

White Rabbit gazed at her curiously, “Why ever would you be sorry, my dear?” He replied and peered at her from behind his glasses, “It’s hard not to be frightened in such a situation. From my guess, I would think you’re most likely wondering where am I? Who is this weird fellow? How do I get out?”

He slowly treaded a circle around her during his explanation, Rabbit found it extremely difficult to talk without doing anything else. There was always that gnawing thought at the back of his mind that always told him that he was wasting his time or that there was always an important job to do.

His long ears perked up once she had introduced herself, “Ivory, ‘ey? Well, it does fit you almost perfectly,“ Said Rabbit and looked her up once more with a light chuckle, “You don’t remember anything else, you say? That does slightly worry me a bit...”

What has the Queen done to these poor children? He thought forlornly and shook his head. It seemed she has abducted them from their homes and then brainwashed the poor things so that they couldn’t remember even their name. Rabbit used a split second to probe any previous memories where Queen had mentioned such a game before realising that he had been spacing out. He blinked several times before continuing the conversation while still walking around the girl.

“Well, never mind. We can stress about it later. I still have so much to tell you!” Squeaked out Rabbit before coughing it down, “Yes, well, I have probably lived many more years in Wonderland than you have yet to experience as a human!”

That is if you manage to get out of here alive.

“Ho ho, I can assure you that I am as much as a foe than I am blue-eyed!” Said Rabbit and grinned, causing his spectacles to scoot down his nose slightly, “But in all seriousness, I believe I will undoubtedly be one of the most trustworthy companions you will come across around here.”

The albino did a brief glance around the spotless void before reverting his sight back to Ivory,” Hmm, there is still quite a lot to talk about; even I don’t know half of it. Why don’t we pop back in my house? It’ll be much cosier and I’m sure you must be hungry.”

With this, he carefully pressed his gloved hand into the air where it surprisingly melted into the white that was suffocating them from all sides. He reached out his remaining hand towards the girl, indicating that she should grab hold of it.

Once she did, the White Rabbit immediately pull her in along with him; out onto a winding cobblestone path that, which Ivory would soon come to realise, led to his modest abode.

Ivory it has a familiar ring to it, doesn't it?

Ivory's eyes blinked for a moment before running his words as quickly as she could manage through her thought process, and she shrugged her shoulders as her only response, "An apology felt adequete." she she finally countered, and she finally giggled at him, "I didn't think the second one.." she replied back, wiping her eyes amused. You're a little strange, but you seem most normal out of the lot.. and she blinked around at the others people got contracted with. She felt lucky. She turned her head to keep her eyes on him, trying her best to not make herself dizzy in her attempts. She wasn't sure why he was exactly pacing, but if it helped him keep things going smoothly she wouldn't complain about it. She didn't know where she was, who she was, or why she was here. If he could tell her, mannerisms meant next to nothing.

She caught eye of his ears again, eyes widening and interest caught when they moved. T-They aren't fake!? She looked upon him baffled. He wasn't joking, it's the real deal, definitely not a costume, "I-It's fine with me if that's all I remember for now." She raised her hands defensively, trying to make a good, selfless impression.

Ivory seemed overly compliable, she agreed to pretty much anything if it seemed to cause a stir, or would change her view if she believed it to be wrong after seeing his reaction. She was getting a bit light headed trying to keep her eyes politely on Rabbit, but she didn't voice a complaint. She wanted to be likable. She herself wasn't even sure why she was trying so hard, but it may have been insecurity that followed her from her previous life. She bit back a smile when he seemed to squeak, holding her tongue and not calling him out on it, nodding her head to show she was listening, "Well.. if I was kidnapped...doesn't that mean my life is pretty much written in stone to be short?" she asks as she tilts her head at him, "At the very least..It seems it would be in danger." She was a pessimist without his thoughts being voiced aloud.

She nods slowly, then grins for the first time, "Then I guess that we're friends now." she chimes at him bubbly, emerald eyes staring upon his ruby ones, "Is that alright?" she asks curiously. She'd spoke the thought before she'd realized it would require his consent as well. She blushed whne he mentioned hungry, her stomach wasn't making noises thankfully, but she was sort of. She didn't want to admit it out loud, "Alright.. sounds like a plan.." she nods in a soft voice, then she felt something in her pocket pulling it out and looking horrorstruck. A knife?

She shook her heas trying to keep from overreacting, but Ivory couldn't help but feel afraid looking at her posession, "It's..a knife.. why do I have this...?" she asked him, wondering if the Rabbit knew, pocketing it before it seemed threatening. She hesitantly took his hand within hers. He had a lot of manners considering the people she'd seen in the hall before they began their journey out off the wretched hall. Her eyes looked around, taking in the sights once they were on the path, her expression brightening once they were outside, "Pretty.." she whispered happily. Anything is better than that never ending hall..

Once they were out of the Great Hall, Rabbit continued the conversation. He laughed wholeheartedly when he heard her question the friendship that they had already let to grow. "Of course, of course! What else would we be?" He replied, "You needn't be so cautious around me. The more comfortable you are, the more easier this will be. T-To understand it and such."

He hopped across the cobblestone path, the heels of his buckled shoes created a tapping noise every time it touched the floor. He stopped abruptly and crossed his arms. Rabbit narrowed his eyes and stared off at the distance before jerking his head towards Ivory.
“I shan’t think you should worry about that knife, child, “He said and eyed her pocket wearily, “Life is unpredictable here. It might come of a use... At some point.” The albino shrugged, “If you’re worried about constantly worrying about it you are free to store it somewhere in my house. If you want to.”

Crime was at a low-rate in Wonderland – there is a burglary every now and then – but the boy was smart enough expect the worst from the Queen’s game.

Rabbit then continued on their journey across the path and in next to no time they were at the front of the White Rabbit’s front gate. A fence ran the whole perimeter around the small bungalow in the shape of a rectangle; it left enough space to create a front-garden. From the gate onwards, a narrow path divided the land in two. On both sides was freshly trimmed grass – strictly no weeds – and on very far edges was a neat bed of daffodils. The colour of their petals followed a strict pattern, white to yellow to blue to white and so forth. They were each segregated in their own little space and each of them stood completely upright; as if they were taught not to bend at all.

Rabbit unlocked the gate and ushered the girl in with a flourish of his hand. He quietly closed it behind him and strided behind her, tutting one flower which had leant over. It immediately sprang back to stiffly pointing upwards. Rabbit then unlocked the front door of his house.
“Welcome, to my humble abode.” He said, rather grandly and looked at Ivory expectantly. It was safe to say that it humble, at the very least. A large round table covered the majority of circular room, several stumpy chairs surrounded it. It was modestly decorated, shelves full of books covered the vast surface of the walls and there was a small desk in the corner where Rabbit tended to do paperwork; there was a pot of ink, a peacock feather pen and a huge stack of blank paper placed on top. A brick fireplace had been built just beside it. A set of stairs spiralled to the attic, there was no second floor. A coat stand stood beside the front door, a pair of shoes had been placed beside it; they were identical to the ones Rabbit was currently wearing . There were two windows which filtered sunlight in, exposing each object with a summery glow. Two wooden doors with glace panes had been directly opposite the front door and stood side by side. Once both of them had stepped inside, Rabbit immediately flew into one of the doors, judging by the noise of a kettle hissing and the banging of porcelain, this was the kitchen.

“I’m sorry it’s a tad bit cramped,” Called Rabbit from the other room, “I don’t spend much time here. I'm usually in the Palace, doing jobs for the Queen and the sort."
There was a pause where the sound of a fluid being poured could be heart.
"I usually drop by to cut the grass," He added.

Ivory it has a familiar ring to it, doesn't it?

Ivory nodded with a baffled look upon her face, "..I see, that's great.." she smiled with an expression of relief. A friend, already. That's a great accomplishment if I do say so myself. She tensed when he called out her nervousness, her head once again nodding, this time with much more force and it was rather quick, "I-I'm not trying to be!" She replied back biting her bottom lip, chewing on it as she continued, "It's not really cautiousness.." she trailed off. Why am I so shy? Is it because he's cute?

She felt her heart sink when Rabbit mentioned her possibly needing the knife during her time in Wonderland. Why would I need a knife? Is the game going to be that intense? She tried to shake off the thought, but Rabbit being a resident of this land, it made it rather difficult. He knew the Queen, much better than she did. She wasn't even sure if she'd seen this person before, "Thanks, I guess I should keep it on my person then.." The white haired girl followed him, her flipflops barely making that annoying sound, actually, they were relatively silent for such brand. She fumbled with her dress, it seemed to help calm her nerves, she wasn't sure why, but she didn't question something that was calming.

She blinked upon the home, gazing and lips parted in awe. It was very organized, she had to give him that, and it was absolutely beautiful. She assumed her past life didn't consist of flowers or greenery based on her amazement in such things. She tilted her head however, how does one get flowers to react that way? Is it possible for a flower to not bend? She decided to not inquire on such perplexing questions. This place seemed anything but ordinary, "It's really pretty, however, I don't believe that flowers back home were so diciplined, so it's quite curious to obtain the opprotunity to see well behaved ones."

Ivory stepped into the yard, making sure to stay on the path to the door, she took further inspection, leaning over to look at the finer details. He's incredible.. I could never manage any of this.. She thought to herself, unable to keep her thoughts from traveling to the yard. She nodded with a smile, "Thank you.." when she stepped timidly inside, her eyes quickly caught the book shelf, then to Rabbit, "Your house is quite lovely, do..you mind if I look at the books? I promise I'll be careful.." she liked reading, she smiled at this, that was one more thing Rabbit helped her remember already. He was really kind, exceptionally kind. Is he naturally this kind to everyone? He seems so responsible.. She went over to the shelf before she got her answer, but she dared not touch. She looked over the titles, giving each one a moment of thought, trying to imagine their contents, "I think smaller homes are more relaxing..large homes make me nervous, I hated that hall.." she shivered thinking about it. She hated being alone, and in a smaller house, it wasn't so lonely, and you knew for a fact if there was someone else within the walls. She listened to him intently then tilted her head, "So..you work for her? What is she like.. if you don't mind me asking? You don't have to answer, I'm just curious.." Her green eyes went back to the shelf. She was nervous around him, but probably just because he was a male, and she wasn't really sure what to talk about. She was just going with the flow and asking whatever came to mind.

Just to cut the grass? I doubt that..

Once he had finished all the preparation, he entered the main room; using his foot to awkwardly open the door to an amount of space where he could just about slip through. In one hand, the boy had precariously balanced a tray high onto his fingertips and in the other he had placed his golden pocket-watch; he was staring at it intensely and seemed to mutter to it as he walked towards the circular table. He swiftly placed the tray onto the wooden surface, exposing a large ceramic teapot, two teacups with saucers underneath, a bowl of sugar, a milk jug, another instead filled with cream and a couple of small teaspoons; elegant, swirling patterns were embedded into the stainless steel handles.

He quickly glanced up at Ivory, as she seemed to be mesmerized by the books on the racks, before continuing to organise the assortment, “Oh yes, feel free. Go ahead; I haven’t been able to read any of them recently so they may be quite dusty. Don’t fret about it, child, the bindings of some are a bit fragile but it’s an easy job to fix back together,” Muttered Rabbit, focusing intently on making sure the cutlery was symmetrically placed, ”Classic novels, they are. English literature from wonderful authors such as William Blake and Anne Bronte. Tales from the Victorian and such, is this to your liking? I’m afraid I have little else.”

Without waiting for the girl’s answer, he immediately sprang into the kitchen only to return back into the main room, holding a three tier cake stand. Rabbit had hooked his index finger around the handle and was holding it up with ease. The albino was, once again, looking fiercely at the pocket watch that was in his free hand.

“Should only take approximately one hour... Eating... Sleep at 8, yes... Then wake up at 6 – no – 7... ” He continued to mumble under his breath as he situated the large cake stand in the centre of the table. There were a number of small delicacies on the three floors of the stand; not only were there heavily iced fairy cakes but there were also baked meringues, macaroons, small éclairs, puff pastries and tartlets. They were all individually intricately decorated in some way, whether it be glazed over with some sweet substance or adorned with tiny sugary hearts and an abundant amount of sprinkles.

The White Rabbit sat himself into one of the small chairs and waited patiently as Ivory leafed through the range of hardbacks that were available to them.

“Oh, that’s lovely. You may have to stay here for a while, so I encourage you to make yourself at home, “Said Rabbit, his focus now only on the white-haired girl. He couldn’t help but fidget slightly when she mentioned the Queen, “Well, um, why don’t you sit yourself first? I would hate it if we postponed eating when the food is already here. You can collect a book, if you wish.”

Ivory it has a familiar ring to it, doesn't it?

Ivory took a moment to glimpse over at him, He is.. quite particular about everything isn't he? It just so happened to be one of his cute quirks in her opinion, but she didn't speak on it, saying it aloud might make him uncomfortable after all! Instead, she merely giggled at him, "It's amazing you can balance all of that." She smiled warmly; she didn't seem to have an deceitful bone in her body. She displayed all of her sentiments on the edge of her sleeve, so at least he knew she wasn't mocking him. However, in comparison to the hall, she seemed to overall keep a normal mental stability about her as long as she wasn't left alone again for extended periods.

As soon as she was given the green light, she'd pulled an interesting titled book from the shelf, carefully opening it as if it were made of glass, "I'll do my best to be gentle to them." She nodded at Rabbit, giggling even louder when she realized he was making everything mirror imaged, "You're something else." She grinned happily. She was glad she'd met someone as lighthearted as him, how could she have gotten luckier? Then she returned her interests back to the book, "Victorian writers were quite interesting!" she grinned eagerly, "Not to mention manners were a lot better than they are nowadays." She tapped her cheek, "So does that mean that you'd have Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens?" she asked curiously. She wasn't familiar with herself, but she could at least remember some things, book titles, a few of her world's morals, nothing concrete, but tad-bit information. She read through the book in her hand, turning the page frequently. She wasn't entirely a speed-reader, but she did read rather rapidly for her age. Not many adolescents would stand or sit still and read quite so intently.

She read her fill of that book, and was already starting through another, she seemed to avoid the frail looking books, afraid she'd accidentally break the spine. She only adverted her gaze to look up at him, her expression awestruck. Just what is he? Does that watch tell him something important, or is he just really focused to being on time? She shrugged it off. She could deal with it, time was very easy to manage when you couldn't remember what you are meant to do, or where you are meant to be. She'd just adjust herself to his schedule and hope for the best, tackling each problem with stride as it surfaces.

He answered her question without knowing, she'd barely heard it, but it was indeed a schedule. Hm, he gave us an extra hour to sleep. Thank god. She was groggy when she first woke up, though otherwise, she wasn't too fearful about adapting to his fast-paced time frame. She put the book back on the shelf, exactly where she'd gotten it from. If he was particular about everything else, she was certain he had his bookshelf in a certain order as well, and disrupting it probably would not be beneficial. She stepped away from the shelf, making her way carefully over to the table, placing her palms on her knees as she leaned closer to, but avoided hovering over his masterpiece, "Wow.. you're really good at arranging a table.. and these are really cute. Almost too cute to eat." She chimed happily. She'd quit book-hopping for now, she'd felt she was ignoring him too much as it was.

Stay there a while, really? She kind of assumed such, but she didn't expect to hear her thoughts confirmed so early. She blushed a bit, a hint of colour expressed on her face, "I see.. well at least it's with such a kind person!" she responded in a chipper fashion as she spoke fondly of his company. She slowly sat down in one of the seats at the table, nodding slowly, "I'll talk with you first, I don't want to be distracted by the book." She added thoughtfully.

He leaned on his elbows and knitted his delicate hands together, the albino’s scarlet eyes wandered towards the girl who seemed to be rather immersed in the racks. Once the girl had sat down, he straightened up and began preparing out the tea.

“Thank you, dear. After doing it more than a several times, I would hope so.” Said Rabbit cheerfully and chuckled. He pushed a teacup in front of Ivory and carefully, but swiftly, poured in some piping hot tea into the porcelain; it hissed out in a gentle waterfall. He did the same for himself and reached out for one of the small jugs.

He nodded while giving his own cup a generous amount of cream, “You are quite right. However, I think it would be of a great discomfort if you were not allowed to lean on the back of chairs in the 21st Century. But yes, it wouldn’t hurt to see someone clean up their crumbs afterwards.” He said curtly. Rabbit blinked several times before stretching his mouth into an awkward grin, “Of course, of course! In fact, I pride myself in having a vast collection of Dickens’s work. I’ll give it to you after we’ve eaten, shall I?”

He placed the cream pitcher back onto the tray and then snagged the bowl that was full of sugar cubes, “Haha, thank you once again. I guess it’s one’s habit. You can compliment them all you want but it’s not going to fill your stomach. In addition, most of these cakes were leftovers which I obtained from the Palace!” He laughed again before stopping abruptly as two cubes of sugar splashed into the tea; he returned the bowl back to its original place and started to absentmindedly stir his hot drink with one of the teaspoons. “But please, just grab anything on the tray! You wouldn’t want your tea bland, would you? Or is that how you like it?”

He smiled and nodded his head towards the tray. After a while, he cleared his throat.

“You said you wanted to know about the Queen, yes?” Said Rabbit with a monotone, it was his responsibility to inform this child after all. He took a sip from his tea before continuing, “Well, she’s a wonderful ruler! She’s the one who created all the laws and regulations for Wonderland. You’ll often hear other Wonderlandians complain about them and her, but I – being her personal assistant – can assure you that she cares for and loves everyone! She’ll never admit it but in her heart, she knows it as well.”

Rabbit tried to make his voice sound as cheerful and happy as possible, but no-one could mistake the strain in every word he uttered. Every now and again, the albino would doubt her Majesty and her ways. He could identify truth in what people said. But every time these thoughts would pop up, the boy would push it to the back of his mind. The queen had done a good job, that’s why people obeyed her. It was a weak argument but the once unbreakable string of absolute faith, which he had had harboured for the Queen, was cut just a little bit thinner when he had laid his eyes on the several children he found in the Birthing Place.

Ivory bit her bottom lip, feeling her cheeks flush when she realized she'd been staring at the food as if it were art for, a bit too long to put it politely. She blinked when he began pouring the tea, she couldn't remember if she'd ever had it or what it even tasted like.

So he's done this a lot? Just who is he? She asks herself mentally, curious as to the origins of the polite and chipper rabbit before her. How is he so happy compared to the others I saw? "So does that mean you're like a butler?" she asks with a tilt of her head, green eyes trying to decipher him.

She giggled at his comment about the seating rules, "I suppose so, but perhaps posture would be a bit better." she chimed, she hated it when people constantly slouched. She found herself giggling once again at his goofy grin, "That's wonderful." she rang just as merrily. They..were going to be an odd duo in this game compared to the rest, "Of course, thank you." she took a sip of the tea as it was, Rabbit was actually quite right.

It is bland..but it's not terrible this way.. and she took another sip. It's a rather..odd taste.

She carefully leaned over and gently picked up the bowl of sugar cubes, dropping one in and watching it go before putting the bowl back just as carefully. She was easily distracted by simple things, wanting to see everything happen. Wondering why it happened the way it did, but she returned her attention back to him, nodding slowly, "I'm not exactly sure..so I'm taking the process step by step. You can always add more, but it's always harder to take something away." she laughed embarrassed, "There's a lot I can't remember, like foods I liked, or a lot of my mannerisms before.." She carefully took a fork, poking one of the cakes. She heard it was impolite to use one's fingers. She couldn't remember where however. She placed it on a small plate, slicing a piece of it off with the side of the fork and putting the small chunk in her mouth. It was..really good. She grinned happily. He's going to end up fattening me up with sweets..

"So..she's kind of lying to herself?" She asks him after listening about the Queen, "I guess I can understand.. It just makes me curious, because your manners are so.. different compared to everyone else. I wanted to get an idea of your enviorment compared to the others." she rubbed the top of her head, "I think the other humans will dispise her, but since I cannot remember if my life before now was more pleasant, I can't really hold too much of a grudge, I mean, this is fun, and I met a nice person like you..she can't be too bad.." she tried to reason, complying with him yes, but also she truly wanted to believe this. She didn't want to believe she was here for misery and torture. Who would want to believe such a thing? She could lie to herself, if only for a short while longer.

Ivory ignored his tone, paying mind to it would only make it harder to keep up the thought they were here for a fun, good reason. She bites her bottom lip, tilting her head at him before taking another bite, "I.. know it's a little rude.. but you're a good servant to your Queen..you seem to be occasionally ignoring the finer details to maintain your loyalty.. it's admirable.. I don't think many people can truly ignore their underlying thoughts. I find it quite difficult."

(Sorry that I didn't post earlier >A<)



"Being a butler is just one of the duties I have to hold as Her Majesty's assistant, " He puffed out his small chest in pride and raised his chin slightly. "You're welcome, Ivory. Hoho, may I call you that? It's a pleasure to know that the current youth still pay attention to the past."
He watched curiously as she took extreme care with her tea, it seemed that she could be impressed by the littlest of things.This amused the Rabbit as there were much more in store for the child in such a place as Wonderland. A grin crept onto his face once more as she gazed at the girl as she eat a small portion of a cake good-mannerly. This girl was a wise choice. Thought Rabbit, maybe they could stand a chance in the Queen's game. She was intelligent, polite and took heed of his opinion. They were a strange pairing but it was certain that they could co-operate and work well with one another. The White Rabbit had never encountered a real human before, or at least, not to his memory. He had come to an assumption that they were very controversial little things, they could not adapt and they moaned about little things. It was a relief to know that at least one of them wasn't like that.

He obligingly listened to her as she made her own opinion about the Queen, "Well, y-you could say that... It's more of denial really. My manners? I couldn't say that I would still be me If I was rude!" His voice went up a notch when he said the last word before he burst into laughter once again. Indeed, the Rabbit could imagine how the others would react if they caught him slouching in his seat, "People would think I was some kind if alien. But I'm certain I'm not the only polite Chain here." He covered his mouth as he did a throaty cough before looking intensely at the girl, "Not neccasarily despise... More of how one can dislike a very strict teacher. Oho, some may not like her but I wouldn't say despise... It's far to early for them to make a proper judgement." His collar suddenly seemed to close to his throat as if to choke him and he nervously fiddled around with his tie.
"It's good to know that, hoho. Underlying thoughts? O-Of course I am loyal to the Queen!" Squeaked the Rabbit furiously, Ivory was a nice child but she didn't want her to fog his own opinion any more than it was before.

Trying to distract himself, the boy quickly glanced out of the window. His large eyes bulged and his eyebrows rose as she noticed the great difference in the appearance of the forest. The trees had once claimed bright and vivid shades, now they were black and grey positively omitting an aura of death. The flowers on the front-garden also seemed to notice these signs and were wilting at a fast rate. The Rabbit had never seen the forest look like this before since years and years ago...
No, it can't be... Thought Rabbit, as he trembled in his seat.

Rabbit's shell-shocked expression slowly melted to one of anger, he narrowed his eyes towards the window before looking back at Ivory. His glare faded somewhat when he saw her own eyes but hatred couldn't help but bubble to the surface. He tried to smooth out any tell-tale signs and he breathed in heavily. Wonderland had took time to regain it's former glory and he didn't want the Jabberwocky ruin that again.
Utter chaos. Thought Rabbit forlornly.
"Sorry, dear. Didn't mean to frighten you." He muttered and made a shaky smile, "It's just that I've realised we still don't know what's this game actually about."
He gazed at the girl for a while before standing up swiftly from his seat. He did a quick glance at his watch before placing his hands by his side.
"Are you finished now, child?" Asked the Rabbit hastily, "This has reminded me of the Contract Queen had spoken of."

The albino made his way to the second door adjacent to the one that led to the kitchen. He turned the knob and opened it wide open, only pure darkness could be seen from where Ivory had been sitting.
"Do come along, dear." The boy said, attempting to ease in some comfort in his voice, "We have no time to waste."
Before that horrid disease spreads into this area. Thought Rabbit.
He shook his head and waved a hand towards the girl, ushering her in.

Every inch of the room was covered with clocks. Of course there was the norm of old wooden clocks with large golden pendulums that swung, antiques with fragile glass covers and dominating grandfathers that claimed the corners as their territory. But there were the most peculiar models dotted here and there, in between those that were not. There were brightly coloured materials that seemed to glow neon in the dark room, many with intricate designs that spiralled out of control and cascaded down onto the floor. Some had several hands while there were ones who had none at all. There were a few that did not even tell the time but instead read things like "cut the grass", "visit the queen" or "have a tea party." One told the names of the dying, the names of the living, the names of those who were Inbetween. Some didn't even look like clocks, instead harbouring the appearance of ducks, flowerpots, eyes and many other bizarre household objects. Thousands of small mosaic pieces were tightly packed together onto the floor, its black and white palette create the image of a wide dial with roman numerals.The room itself was quite large but the sheer amount of clocks that filled its walls left minimum space to walk around. A small chandelier hung from the low ceiling, casting a large shadow onto the patterned floor. As an attempt to brighten up the place, hundreds and thousands of small light bulbs were placed neatly in rows, surrounding the chandelier. Their feeble glow was nothing compared to the light that uttered from the centrepiece but it illuminated the area considerably better. Not to mention each of the clocks' ticks boomed in sync, causing the noise to multiply dozenfold.This expanse and its contents was nothing short of a wonder.