Hunters in Wonderland [plot: invite only]

Alice remains silent for some time. She almost looked scared. Even, she gave a slight nod.

"Yes... Please show me...."

"Careful now." Hunter took off the iLens and held them for the little girl. As he attempted to put the earpieces on her, he realized that he couldn't because she didn't HAVE Human ears, just Faunus ears. Is Alice a Faunas or no? Add that to the list of things I don't understand. He held the glasses for her, kneeling as he held them. Hunter was about to press play when a thought crossed his mind. "Alice, before I show you Epsilon, I want to know. What did he look like the last time you saw him?"

A smile formed on Alice's soft little lips. She looked at Hunter so that she can see him fully with her good eye. "He was big and he just kept growing everyday. When we first met he was just a little purple caterpillar who loved blowing bubbles out of a pipe who could barely sit on a leaf. Last I saw he was as big a a mountain. He looked so squishy and cute in the way only a caterpillar could. He was always so smart too. He'd know just about everything. His eyes were always so sharp. He was so nice too. I remember how his stubby lumps of legs would move when he tried to do his silly little dance just to make the rest of us smile..."

Alice looks at you with a meaningful smile for a while longer. Her smile soon lowered and her eyes drooped slightly and she looked at Hunter.

"That's not a thing like he is now is it?"

David just sighed. 'Screw it, I'm goanna look around.' David began to walk towards the woods. 'If no one cares what I have to say then why am I here?' He walked in the woods just clearing his head. He finally climbed up a tree and sat there relaxing.

He looked up. "David, be careful. I don't want to lose anyone while we're here." I won't lose someone again. Ever. Hunter looked back at Alice again. She reminded him of his old friend; she had hair like that when she was 10. It's been almost half a decade since he last saw Mary.

"I'm not sure what to say about Epsilon, Alice. You'll see, though." He pressed play, starting it at when David started flying, and it continued on from there. "Sorry if you don't like bad words, Alice. Epsilon didn't like it when I let one out by accident." The video ended a little after Epsilon disappeared into the trees.

Alice's face seemed near lifeless by the time the video ended. It looked like she was trying hard not to cry. Her head is bowed as her eyes were cast to the ground. The hand that held her pocket watch on a chain was pressing over her chest as if it was starting to hurt.

".... I guess it was to be expected," Alice murmurs. ".... Epsilon must have been hurting for so long. I remember the last time we had met when he first appeared in Wonderland. Epsilon told me to run... to just keep on running. He warned that the next time I see him... he will probably try to kill me."

Alice steps away for a while and looks up, staring at the sky and the clouds idly for some time.

"Language," Alice giggles. "Maybe there's a little bit of that old caterpillar still inside that.... thing. He's probably still fighting, trying to lean on the good pieces of himself.... but the parts of himself that hurt are too painful for anyone to bear.... I'm sorry Epsilon.... It must have hurt you the most out of all of us... because you are forced to always remember..."

Emerald walks over to the group gathered around the girl. Hearing the girl he asks, "Excuse me, but you're not making much sense. He didn't seem hurt when we talked to him, nor did he seem like he wanted you dead." She's almost as difficult to talk to as everyone else in this world. At least she isn't scary. Can we hurry up and get her to help us? I just want to go back to our comfortable dorm bed and sleep. Or maybe go to the cafe to get something to eat. Yeah, I guess I am getting hungry, how long have we been here anyways?

Shortstop wrote:

Emerald walks over to the group gathered around the girl. Hearing the girl he asks, "Excuse me, but you're not making much sense. He didn't seem hurt when we talked to him, nor did he seem like he wanted you dead." She's almost as difficult to talk to as everyone else in this world. At least she isn't scary. Can we hurry up and get her to help us? I just want to go back to our comfortable dorm bed and sleep. Or maybe go to the cafe to get something to eat. Yeah, I guess I am getting hungry, how long have we been here anyways?

Alice looks at Emerald, a saddened smile on her face. "Maybe no physically, but inside he's always hurting. Inside he suffers. No, maybe he did not want to kill me at the time... but soon. He can't hold on much longer. His part is the most pained one. He tries his best, but he too will...."

Alice trailed off. She was silent for some time. She looks up at Emerald. "From what I see in this video, you still don't fully understand do you? Do you know what Wonderland is? Do you know what Epsilon was?"

"All I know is that we're stuck in some guys mind, and the only way to get out is with your help in some way or another," Emerald says. She's hiding something. I know that, Almandine. Then interrogate her! Threaten her unless we get information! She's just a little girl! She could be evil! She might be stalling for someone! Stop being suspicious of everyone! Can you guys stop fighting? Yeah, you're giving us all a headache. Sorry. Yeah, I'm sorry.

"Well, that's not actually entirely true," Alice states. "This world is no illusion. This world is entirely real to all of us as it is now. You see, you're not exactly in his mind.... you're inside his very being."

Alice turns to fully face the group, her ears flopping slightly. "You see, Wonderland is the world within Byron's soul. Everything here is in a way a part of his being. Do you know those soldiers you fought?"

Alice gestures at the piles of armor lying around. "Those are what we call the Pieces. Pieces are a fragment that come from a whole. The Pieces are ordered around and follow under the direction of a whole. That whole is a player. A player is the very personification of a very important part of Byron. Epsilon is one of those players. You know how he said that he knew about certain things going through all your minds because March can read your mind and March remembered what he read? That's because that is what Epsilon is. He is the memory. All of Byron's memories as well as the memories of the players and pieces alike are connected to Epsilon. He remembers everything that everybody here remembers. The only exception is me."

Alice's expression seemed to become sadder then before. "Ever since that day when Byron experienced that time... Epsilon was forced to remember. Ever since that night, every part of Byron was affected in some way. Some turned in an instant while others struggled to hold on. In the end though, just about all of them became something like what you saw of Epsilon."

Alice looked like she was about to cry. "All because of that stupid March...."

"All because of that stupid March" After hearing that Garrus's ears perked slightly from here he was. He stretched his back before making his way back over to Alice and the others. If his memory was correct (which it should be) March was the rabbit...thing from earlier. His giant set of armor rattled and clinked as he walked over and soon arrived. "All because of March?...What exactly did March do?" he asked hoping not to make the small girl burst into tears.

Alice looks up at the armored man, her ears drooping sadly. "He started existing," Alice answers. "As I said, all of the players here play the part of a large part of Byron. Epsilon is the memory. These soldiers around you follow under the heart. March....."

The air grew cold and silent. It looked as if Alice tried to say more, but she had to fight her own vocal chords to be able to say it out loud. "March is.... the darkness."

Alice stared back at the sky, a sad look on her face. "Everyone has a small bit of darkness in them.... but after that time, that darkness grew into what you saw. March was born as that personification of that cold darkness and ever since then, his very existence had changed everyone here...."

Alice looked at the group, her bright red eye staring at them. "I'm the only one left who has not fallen into the abyss. Everyone else has succumbed to the darkness. Some even disappeared completely, replaced by something else altogether. With the exception of me, everyone follows the lead of the March Abyss. Here he is god. He would be god, if it weren't for me. He does not have absolute influence over Wonderland until he takes me. That is why everybody here is trying to kill me or capture me. I'm the only one left that remains of what Byron used to be."

Alice noticed the scar on Garrus's face. She gestures for him to bend down a little. Alice hops lightly and pecks Garrus's scar before landing back on the ground. The scar glowed and disappeared, healed with no trace of what was there.

"I am the kindness," Alice states as the light fades. "According to Epsilon, you need to seek the greatest evil in this world. The greatest evil in this world is the very being that endlessly chases after me. That is March Abyss, the mad hare...."

Quote :

David just sighed. 'Screw it, I'm goanna look around.' David began to walk towards the woods. 'If no one cares what I have to say then why am I here?' He walked in the woods just clearing his head. He finally climbed up a tree and sat there relaxing.

While the others are preoccupied with Alice, David begins to fall to sleep. His slumber though is disturbed by the sound of light chuckling.

Hovering just above David's head is no more then a disembodied floating eye and a toothy smile.

Spoiler:

The disembodied body parts have not attracted the attention of the others besides David.

David looked at the creature. 'Normally this would freak me out, but the giant worm took that cake.' "Hello there, may I help you?"

The eye and smile floats in place for some time. Slowly it floats a little bit away but still staring down at David.

"So this is the big talk of Wonderland eh? The group of strangers who somehow found themselves here. You've even beaten up the queen's soldiers. How interesting."

The smile turned upside down, literally. The disembodied smile rotated along with the eye. "And now you've allied yourself with little Alice the white rabbit? How fun! You know, now everything in Wonderland will probably try to kill you."

The strange being chuckles at David as if the idea of dying was amusing.

David stands up. "My dear... beg your pardon I don't think I caught your name." David puts his hands behind his back and waits patently. 'I see this ending one of two ways.'

Darkness inside everyone? Reminds me of someone, eh Almandine? What? Me? No, no, no. I am mischief. There's a difference! I swear! So you're not evil, you're misunderstood. Exactly! Seems like a load of bull to me. I'm not evil! I believe him. Really? You're the one who's cautious. You never immediately agree to anything. Why now? Because what he says is the truth. Okay, if you say so. All of this goes through Emerald's head in a matter of seconds.

He finally asks, "Wait, so we could have left as soon as we got here? March was the first one who said we were stuck here forever." The moment I get my hands on that guy, I'll kill him!

Quote :

David stands up. "My dear... beg your pardon I don't think I caught your name." David puts his hands behind his back and waits patently. 'I see this ending one of two ways.'

"Hm~" the eye and smile hummed. "You may call me Cheshire."

A top hat suddenly appears above the eye and smile and leans down slightly before disappearing. Apparently the strange entity just tried to tip a hat.

"In A Marble Hall White As Milk
Lined With Skin As Soft As Silk
Within A Fountain Crystalclear
A Golden Apple Doth Appear
No Doors There Are To This Stronghold
Yet Thieves Break In
To Steal Its Gold
What Am I~"

Cheshire chuckles.

Shortstop wrote:

Darkness inside everyone? Reminds me of someone, eh Almandine? What? Me? No, no, no. I am mischief. There's a difference! I swear! So you're not evil, you're misunderstood. Exactly! Seems like a load of bull to me. I'm not evil! I believe him. Really? You're the one who's cautious. You never immediately agree to anything. Why now? Because what he says is the truth. Okay, if you say so. All of this goes through Emerald's head in a matter of seconds.

He finally asks, "Wait, so we could have left as soon as we got here? March was the first one who said we were stuck here forever." The moment I get my hands on that guy, I'll kill him!

"If he has that kind of power, yes," Alice replies. "March is a god in this world so it's not that strange for him to be able to do that. Has has the ability to open the doors to Wonderland to make others see this world. I suppose he also has the ability to open it to let those from the outside world go back outside if he decides to. But then again he probably doesn't want you to leave.

"After all, he is the darkness and the darkness will always seeks to trap the light. All of you have a light inside yourselves and that is what March wishes to extinguish."

Alice looks down at her pocket watch on a chain.

"Don't worry, you will have your chance to confront him again. As I have said, he is constantly chasing after me to either kill me or make me become....like the rest of Wonderland."

"Well, this is an interesting turn of events." Hunter put back on his glasses. "Alice, if March is on his way, do you think we can convince him to let us go back to our home? I promise to help protect you from him." He still didn't notice that David was playing games with a floating eye above him.

David looked at the creature. "Why, you would be an egg." David loved riddles just like machines you had to analyze it to understand it. "Remarkable skills in the ways of riddle telling I must say." David said as he clapped his hands.

Wrecker wrote:

"Well, this is an interesting turn of events." Hunter put back on his glasses. "Alice, if March is on his way, do you think we can convince him to let us go back to our home? I promise to help protect you from him." He still didn't notice that David was playing games with a floating eye above him.

Alice shook her head. "I'm afraid it's not that simple," she explains. "March rarely dirties his own hands when it comes to me. He finds it amusing to let those who were at one time my closest friends come after me themselves. He knows it hurts me, that I hate how everyone I hold dear come after me in the form of monstrosities. No, he won't come after me himself just yet. We will have to find him ourselves or wait who knows how long until he comes to us directly."

Alice puts a finger to her chin and ponders.

"I think the last time he went out of his way to come after me was.... eight years ago."

Quote :

David looked at the creature. "Why, you would be an egg." David loved riddles just like machines you had to analyze it to understand it. "Remarkable skills in the ways of riddle telling I must say." David said as he clapped his hands.

The eye and and grin suddenly disappeared with out a trace, but the sound of subtle chuckling echoed where it used to be for seconds before it disappeared.

David looked around. 'Well that is now the craziest thing I have seen.' He got his hand cannon ready just to be safe. "I'm out." He jumped from the tree, and ran back to the group. "Tree. Face, Eye. Smile Riddles. Have I gone mad." As he said this his eye twitched a little.

Emerald says, "Eight years!?" Hell no! I don't want to be here that long. I'M HUNGRY! goes through his head. "Where can we find him? We're making him get us out of here, NOW!"

"Well, just like everyone else here in Wonderland, March has a main body to represent him in this world," Alice explains. She points a finger down the road. "From what I understand, March Abyss frequents the forest of insanity. He often joins a tea party held down the Mad Man's Path. I can lead you there but..."

Alice's ears drooped, flopping at the side of her face. The little girl is shaking in fright.

"You... you will probably meet more inhabitants of Wonderland along the way...."

Alice sees David running towards them yapping nonsense. "Is something wrong?"

"We can take care of ourselves, and you if you need us to, Alice." Hunter wondered if this was going to turn out to be like how he and Mary always looked out for each other back home. Suddenly, Alice turned her head. Hunter followed suit and looked at the running boy. "David? What's the matter? Cat got your tongue or something?"

Garrus stood to ponder for a moment before speaking again. "Forest of Insanity?...and more demons to slay?" he waited a moment before speaking again "I will cleanse this land of all the demons!" he nearly shouted mostly to pump himself up for the quest ahead of him. He then turned his attention to David who was speaking nonsense "Another demon?" he spoke like people understood what he meant by "demon".