"Well...he's asleep."
Title: High Tea
Game: Halfway House
Characters: Elizabeth Quatermain and Princess Alice, with mentions of the Cheshire Cat, Queen Redd, and Prince Charming
Prompt: Cat's in the cradle
Author's Notes: For blcksunaphelion and her wonderful sense of the absurd. She owns Alice; I own Elizabeth, the Queen, and the Cat. Bill the Lizard also appears, and is an NPC. Prince Charming, who appears only by mention, is owned by blaze_rocket.
Alice, Princess and soon to be crowned Queen of Wonderland, was oddly comfortable among peculiarities that might perplex the most easygoing individual. She was seated placidly on her throne, looking over a list of things which had to be done in preparation for the coronation; the hedge maze had to be purged of all the Jabberwocky's old traps, statues of Queen Redd needed to be torn down, and all of the heroes had to be fitted for new garments. She was insistent upon that; not that she was so very formal, but she simply wanted to reward them in some way for their rescue.
Bill the Lizard came in. Since Alice's restoration, he was more or less functioning as court herald. Alice wasn't entirely certain why; it wasn't like she was one for standing on ceremony and insisting on formal court protocol. Nevertheless, he trotted into the throne room and blew loudly on a bright trumpet. "Announcin' Her Highness, Elizabeth, Princess of the Nautilian Court."
"Oh, quit it." The voice, in its clipped English accent, was terse as the leather-trousered speaker entered the room. "Good afternoon, Princess."
"I'll make you a promise," said Alice, smiling. "I shan't call you Princess if you don't call me Princess."
"That seems reasonable." Elizabeth returned the smile. "Your feline messenger said something about you wishing my presence at your afternoon tea; so, here I am."
"He did?" Alice looked surprised. "How did he know that, I wonder. No matter; let's go sit in the courtyard and enjoy the sunshine."
They were seated at an umbrellaed table, the white muslin umbrella featuring the emblems of all four royal Wonderlandian houses. Already, Alice informed her guest, the Kings and Queens of Spades, Clubs and Diamonds had come with offers of friendship and loyalty. They spoke of the upcoming coronation, which would require both the young women to be, as Elizabeth so elegantly put it, "crowned and gowned." Alice, the lady captain had come to realize, was very experienced in the methodology of how Wonderland operated, but not so much with any aspects of ruling it, and as Elizabeth was all too familiar with having a royal title abruptly thrust upon her, she now functioned as something of a mentor to the younger princess.
Their tea and conversation was disrupted by another appearance by Bill. "Beggin' Your Highnesses' pardons," he said. "Princess Alice, I know you like the Cat to take tea with you, so I took the liberty of goin' to find 'im, but, uh...he's been sorta missin'."
Alice frowned. "He's the Cheshire Cat. He comes and goes as he pleases."
"So I told m'self. But all the same, seemed a mite odd that he wouldn't be here when he knows you wanna see 'im. So we searched 'round, a few o' the lads an' I. He's turned up."
"What of it?"
"Well...he's asleep."
Alice and Elizabeth exchanged glances. "So?"
"I...I think you'd best see for yerselves."
Mystified, the two women rose and followed Bill through the palace. Many of the rooms had not been used for a very long time; particularly, there was a playroom in an abandoned corner of the castle which had apparently been the room in which Queen Redd's son, Prince Charming, had been kept as a small boy. There were discarded toys and a large wooden cradle, carved with motifs of hearts and dragons -- the emblems of the prince's parents. Curled up fast asleep in the cradle was the Cheshire Cat.
"Why would he..." Elizabeth began.
"Elizabeth," said Alice, gently, "perhaps the first rule of my realm is this: Don't ask."
Game: Halfway House
Characters: Elizabeth Quatermain and Princess Alice, with mentions of the Cheshire Cat, Queen Redd, and Prince Charming
Prompt: Cat's in the cradle
Author's Notes: For blcksunaphelion and her wonderful sense of the absurd. She owns Alice; I own Elizabeth, the Queen, and the Cat. Bill the Lizard also appears, and is an NPC. Prince Charming, who appears only by mention, is owned by blaze_rocket.
Alice, Princess and soon to be crowned Queen of Wonderland, was oddly comfortable among peculiarities that might perplex the most easygoing individual. She was seated placidly on her throne, looking over a list of things which had to be done in preparation for the coronation; the hedge maze had to be purged of all the Jabberwocky's old traps, statues of Queen Redd needed to be torn down, and all of the heroes had to be fitted for new garments. She was insistent upon that; not that she was so very formal, but she simply wanted to reward them in some way for their rescue.
Bill the Lizard came in. Since Alice's restoration, he was more or less functioning as court herald. Alice wasn't entirely certain why; it wasn't like she was one for standing on ceremony and insisting on formal court protocol. Nevertheless, he trotted into the throne room and blew loudly on a bright trumpet. "Announcin' Her Highness, Elizabeth, Princess of the Nautilian Court."
"Oh, quit it." The voice, in its clipped English accent, was terse as the leather-trousered speaker entered the room. "Good afternoon, Princess."
"I'll make you a promise," said Alice, smiling. "I shan't call you Princess if you don't call me Princess."
"That seems reasonable." Elizabeth returned the smile. "Your feline messenger said something about you wishing my presence at your afternoon tea; so, here I am."
"He did?" Alice looked surprised. "How did he know that, I wonder. No matter; let's go sit in the courtyard and enjoy the sunshine."
They were seated at an umbrellaed table, the white muslin umbrella featuring the emblems of all four royal Wonderlandian houses. Already, Alice informed her guest, the Kings and Queens of Spades, Clubs and Diamonds had come with offers of friendship and loyalty. They spoke of the upcoming coronation, which would require both the young women to be, as Elizabeth so elegantly put it, "crowned and gowned." Alice, the lady captain had come to realize, was very experienced in the methodology of how Wonderland operated, but not so much with any aspects of ruling it, and as Elizabeth was all too familiar with having a royal title abruptly thrust upon her, she now functioned as something of a mentor to the younger princess.
Their tea and conversation was disrupted by another appearance by Bill. "Beggin' Your Highnesses' pardons," he said. "Princess Alice, I know you like the Cat to take tea with you, so I took the liberty of goin' to find 'im, but, uh...he's been sorta missin'."
Alice frowned. "He's the Cheshire Cat. He comes and goes as he pleases."
"So I told m'self. But all the same, seemed a mite odd that he wouldn't be here when he knows you wanna see 'im. So we searched 'round, a few o' the lads an' I. He's turned up."
"What of it?"
"Well...he's asleep."
Alice and Elizabeth exchanged glances. "So?"
"I...I think you'd best see for yerselves."
Mystified, the two women rose and followed Bill through the palace. Many of the rooms had not been used for a very long time; particularly, there was a playroom in an abandoned corner of the castle which had apparently been the room in which Queen Redd's son, Prince Charming, had been kept as a small boy. There were discarded toys and a large wooden cradle, carved with motifs of hearts and dragons -- the emblems of the prince's parents. Curled up fast asleep in the cradle was the Cheshire Cat.
"Why would he..." Elizabeth began.
"Elizabeth," said Alice, gently, "perhaps the first rule of my realm is this: Don't ask."