(Untitled)

[catlikesmile]

WHO: Neil (CATERPILLAR) and Gabe (CHESHIRE CAT)
WHEN: Tuesday
WHERE: England. On the grounds of the B&B they're staying in, to be precise.
WHAT: Chit-chat.
RATING: PG-13 for an occasional swear or drug reference.

Comments

[off_the_hookah]

The reaction from Gabe caused Neil to sigh, letting his shoulders sag. There were enough similarities between Gabe's frustration and his own experience with Luke to cause unhealed wounds to flare.

Neil plucked the smoldering joint from Gabe's fingers, took a quick hit and then extinguished it by daintily snubbing it against the bark: he'd save the rest for later. Balancing the joint upon the branch they were sitting upon, he then carefully budged closer to Gabe so he could wrap his arms around the Cheshire Cat and give him a long, comforting embrace.

[catlikesmile]

Sighing as well, Gabe was fairly quick to relax against Neil, resting his head against him. He didn't cry or do anything like that, he just closed his eyes and let himself be comforted. "I just want somebody who's not crazy who'll hang out with me and occasionally let me have sex with them. But no one who's right for me even notices me at all." Gabe was a little bit high, a lot pensive, and fairly upset, which all kind of combined to form this cloud of depression and self-pity. It was not an attractive look at all for the Cheshire Cat, he didn't think.

Gabe sighed. "Okay. I promise I'm not being weird or anything, but... how do I put this." He had to think about it for a second; he glanced up at Neil out of the corner of his eye. "Would you pet my hair? It's a Wonderland cat thing, I swear."

[off_the_hookah]

As somebody who knew the importance of staying true to one's Tale, Neil wasn't freaked out when Gabe asked. Curling his arm around, he lazily scratched Gabe behind the ears, and stared out into the darkness again.

The silence was broken when Neil quietly began to sing, "You can't hurry love, no you just have to wait. She said, 'love don't come easy, when it's a game of give and take...'"

Neil then whispered directly into the ear he was scratching. "Don't make the same mistakes I made."

[catlikesmile]

Gabe's fingers twitched a little, hands flexing slightly, one after the other, a couple of times. It was something he didn't quite realize that he did, well into his subconscious. When Neil started singing, Gabe smiled a little bit, shaking his head a little bit.

"But how many heartaches must I stand before I find a love to let me live again," Gabe responded, likewise in song, his smile fading just a little bit.

"But didn't you have some fun along the way?" he whispered back.

[off_the_hookah]

Lost in memory, Neil's eyes glazed over a bit, and while Gabe's smile had faded, his grew, although there was a melancholy tinge there. Keeping his voice the same, private volume, he responded. "Yes. Yes, I did. And I wouldn't change that, either." Another pause to reflect. "But if you go to Ryoko, there's not going to be any fun. Only abuse. You know that better than I do.

"Ultimately, it's your own decision. You're an adult. But I can give advice. Seriously. I'd go back only after exhausting all other options, and by that, I mean, if she was the last woman on Earth. And even then, I'd be wary. She'll have you running around in circles. You're a lovely, loving man, Gabe. She might seem like the easy way out, but any relationship with her is doomed to fail. She doesn't even appreciate Wonderland like we do. Please, reconsider."

He finished by placing a chaste kiss upon the top of Gabe's head.

[catlikesmile]

Gabe sighed a little, his arm wrapping a bit tighter around Neil, squeezing him for a second. He closed his eyes, and hid his face against his friend's shoulder. "I know," he finally said, voice muffled. He nodded, and sniffed, and then lifted his head again.

"I don't know why it's so hard. It should be a no-brainer," he said, smiling faintly and shaking his head. He had feelings for Ryoko, though. He'd been infatuated with her a year ago, and again when she'd come back, and it was still lingering with him.

"Plus I get lonely," he said; actually a bigger part of the problem than he cared to admit was because of his almost fear of being alone. "I mean, what am I going to do with Harrison spending all his time with his new girlfriend and you busy with your acting and Kilroy and May so far away?"

[off_the_hookah]

"I won't be that busy," Neil responded, preferring not to mention anything about Harrison, Kilroy and May. "You can always come to see me. And there are others in our Tale community you can infect with your wonderful Wonderland sense of humor. Come on," Neil encouraged, squeezing Gabe's shoulder. "When was the last time you pulled one of your classic pranks. Oh, and you have my birthday to arrange with the Byrons."

Neil sighed, becoming more sober. "I hate to see you like this, Gabe. I know the sort of emptiness you must be feeling. But you're young, and handsome. And filthy rich. And you have the most amazing game room I've ever seen. Just don't settle for being Ryoko's bitch. You'll end up feeling worse off than you do now, and your self esteem with shatter."

[catlikesmile]

Gabe bit his lip a little bit, resting his head on Neil's shoulder. He thought about what Neil said for a second, and then barely held back a laugh. "The last classic prank I pulled was six days ago. I sent Jacob Anser a bonnet in the mail." Neil may or may not have suspected Gabe's involvement, but this was the first time he'd publicly admitted to the great Bonnet of the Month Club prank.

He sighed, as well, when what Neil said sunk in, and he shrugged his shoulders a little bit. "I can't be all that great, I haven't even dated in two months. Not even so much as a one-night-stand. Nothing."

[off_the_hookah]

"So YOU'RE the one!" Neil sounded proud, and chuckled, his cheeks turning blush with mirth. "I had a feeling it might've been you. Could you make the next one blue with little flowers, a la Holly Hobby?"

Grazing his bottom lip with his teeth as he thought, Neil decisively patted Gabe once upon the back. "Then why don't you stay with me when the others leave? We'll have a good time. You can come with me when I go to Warner Brothers studios, and if you want, we'll go clubbing and find you a lovely lady to take home with you. Would you like that?"