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The Queen's Tea Party; You are cordially invited to the Witch's Tea Party, where time has no meaning
Topic Started: Dec 14 2011, 05:02 AM (652 Views)
Pandahero
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The sudden question caused him to do a spit-take, spill hot tea on his seat and in his haste to cover up, bruised his right knee on the heavy long table. He groaned in pain and before he could recover and answer the question, his armchair came to life and flung him backwards while it shuddered in anger and shock.

‘’UuuuWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH’’

He flew a good distance before spinning in the air and landing on his two feet, quickly shouting out a hurried apology while half limping back toward the table.

True, the pain was not that bad as to warrant a limp, but being thrown like a ragdoll was not really part of the plan to begin with. Pesky familiar, who in their right mind would make furniture come alive?

The walk back bought him enough time to think of a plausible reply to the lady’s question.

Who am I? No, I can never answer that! I am nothingness given a body, unsung heroes and fools from ages past given form. So the real question I should be answering is…

Who am I today?

He approached the still rocking armchair and gave it a pat on its…head? To calm it down.

‘’There, there. I apologize for that mistake on my part, let us get rid of that stain before it goes dry.’’
With his right hand used to hold the chair down, he focused some prana in his left hand. ‘Suit of chalices’ he muttered as a small ball of water appeared in his hand, He then proceeded to clean out the tea stain.

He gave an apologetic smile to everyone in the area before turning to his host.

‘’I go by the name ‘Stańczyk’ , I was employed by 3 great kings in my life. Please to make your acquaintance, Lady Alice’’ He smiled in reply as he lied through he teeth.
Edited by Pandahero, Dec 16 2011, 10:08 PM.
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Iron Duke
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'... Surely you do not recall signing a contract before joining the ranks of the Throne of Heroes? This is where we are... a place where Heroic Spirits, Legends amongst men and women are brought together for all of infinity by Akasha to preserve the balance and peace of the world... Surely... you knew that?'

What in god’s name was she talking about? Before he had come here, he had been a bodiless consciousness floating through a bleak abyss of darkness. Contracts, heros, legends. It was all equally as meaningless to him. Whether this place was a dream, or a hallucination it didn’t matter. It was growing tiresome, and the Duke had had his fill with being dealt riddles, mind games and the ridiculous nature of the objects around him.

What unfolded before him was something one would find inside a comical play. This man who had appeared managed to put on a show of theatrics which was unseemly for the table they were at. The spilling of tea, the self inflicted harm of embarrassment, and indeed, being thrown across the garden. It belonged in a circus.

‘’I go by the name ‘Stańczyk’ , I was employed by 3 great kings in my life. Please to make your acquaintance, Lady Alice’’

He’d had enough of this place. No matter how much it appeared to be an English country garden, it certainly was not, and the impossibility of everything around him simply made him frustrated and ill at ease. He finished the tea that was in his cup, and slowly stood up, using the table for leverage, the hard covered book in his arm.

“I’m afraid, I must take my leave. I grow weary of these riddles, and with the arrival of this... ‘gentleman’, three constitutes a crowd.”

He turned around and walked away from the table, then turned around.

“Good day to you, Miss Alice.”

He bowed gracefully, before continuing his trek towards the garden’s exterior.
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Suit of Swords

The man called ‘Stańczyk’ raised his hand, twirled his fingers and pulled. From thin air itself, a sword appeared and with a flick of his wrist, the blade flew like an arrow as if a bow had drawn it. It rose to a great height before falling and landing right in front of the duke, blocking his path.

‘’That pause in that last sentence irks me for some reason, that and the frown on your face is a killjoy.’’

He clapped his hands twice and two more blades appeared, hovering beside him. Part of him was horrified at his own recklessness of picking a fighting with a man he had not even spoken too for such a trivial matter yet the other part of him was laughing with glee.

‘’You claimed you grow weary of riddles when the answer itself is right in front of you, no matter. Let’s see if that blade by your side is just for show’’

Still, this could be considered an experiment of sort. Would it be possible for us to actually take a mortal wound here? In this world? Well, it’s true that people die when they are killed, but can you kill one that is already dead? Dying might not be that bad a thing; it might stop all these memories and flashbacks.

‘’prepare yourself, I’ll be ‘’gentlemanly’ and let you draw first at least’’


(I got work in a moment, i'll try my best to update)
Edited by Pandahero, Dec 18 2011, 01:06 AM.
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Kuu
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Alice actually giggled at the man's antics, it had been a while since she saw someone as surprising as this.
'Surprising' as in... really, surprising as she'd imagine the man to be a little more serious or meek, not to be as extravagant or as flashly as he was with his antics.
Who would actually react in such a way when they were thrown off his seat like that? The look on his face was just hilarious and she could barely hold back her laughter as she got up to try and apologize to him for her subject's rudeness.
But it was a lost cause as her sides were trembling and she did so wanted to laugh as she made her way to the armchair, petting it and telling it to not worry when he came back to her side, causing her to blink and jump a little as she allowed him to take her hand and to place a gentle kiss on it, making her smile gratefully at such a reply.
Finally, a real gentleman and she curtsied to him politely as well, apologizing for her subject's rudeness and she giggled again when he tried to rub away the stain, causing the armchair to forgive him somewhat as she commented.
'Well then Mr.... or should i call you Sir Stańczyk, it is a pleasure to have you.'
Alice nodded to her attendant and he poured a new cup of tea for him even as she made her way back to the head of the table, complimenting his actions

'Not everyone would wish to stain their handkerchief on my subjects... I am very much grateful and touched by your actions.'
It would be a nice day if only for the 'hero' of her land who wished to spoil the moment and insult her by ignoring her warnings. Not everything about her life was riddles and puzzles and she was speaking the truth about the whole situation here.
So what if she was the only one who knew the truth in this garden, that does not mean that she was lying too!

But before she could act, the gentleman defended her words and Alice found herself blushing slightly before she shook it off. So he knew the truth as well about the Throne of Heroes, that must mean that he too was a Heroic Spirit... or someone who signed the contract and she raised one hand to interuppt... seeing that no one was listening to her however, she sighed and dismissed all of her servants at once, collasping the reality of the reality marble that held the garden, plunging the entire place into darkness, surrounded only by her suit of cards that prevented the Throne from seeping in.
The marble was only lit by the light from the cards as Alice made her way slowly towards the two of them, speaking firmly and asserting herself.

'That would be enough. There would be no fighting within my realm unless I allow it... and right now, this is unnecessary.'
Frowning, she stepped between the two men before pointing to the void outside her realm.
'Now look, my grace. Stubborn as you might be or as skeptical as you might be. Answer me, what lies beyond this expanse of my world? That is where you came from. Tell me, what is it to you? Is that heaven, or hell... or perhaps, none of those two. Leave my world and you will return there, with all your questions unnanswered.'
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The blade landed right before him, blocking his path. By this action, the new arrival had challenged him to a duel, over something as trivial as being called a ‘gentleman.’ He came to a halt just before the blade, but there was no surprise in his movements. He was calm, and completely devoid of emotion. He turned around slowly to face the man who had foolishly challenged him. The Duke was a soldier who had risen to the highest position a soldier could due to the sharpness of his mind and his skill with blade and pistol. His face was cold, and almost cruel in comparison to what it had been earlier.

‘’That pause in that last sentence irks me for some reason, that and the frown on your face is a killjoy. You claimed you grow weary of riddles when the answer itself is right in front of you, no matter. Let’s see if that blade by your side is just for show. Prepare yourself, I’ll be ‘’gentlemanly’ and let you draw first at least.’’

Wellington casually rested a hand on the handle of his sword.

“You are a fool. To be so easily provoked as well. Tch Tch. I have no interest in fighting a duel with you, but if you are foolish enough to press me further, you can be assured, I will finish it.”

'That would be enough. There would be no fighting within my realm unless I allow it... and right now, this is unnecessary. Now look, my grace. Stubborn as you might be or as skeptical as you might be. Answer me, what lies beyond this expanse of my world? That is where you came from. Tell me, what is it to you? Is that heaven, or hell... or perhaps, none of those two. Leave my world and you will return there, with all your questions unnanswered.'

He fixed his gaze on Alice. She wanted him to answer, so be it. He would give her the answer he had come up with brought by his extremely sharp and analytical mind.

“Very well, I will dispense with the pleasantries and I will tell you what I see. I see this garden; the product of an insane and unsettled mind, no doubt an extension of yourself. A place that can only be found in dreams, and obviously, this is from one of yours. Not content to deal with this madness yourself, you flaunt it at others, hoping that someone will accept you as Queen of this miniscule imaginary realm, as you yourself are insecure with what you have achieved in life as evidenced by your reaction to my views on society.” He paused. “And if you tell me I am wrong, you will not only be lying to me, but to yourself.”

He took a breath.

“I did not come here. I was brought here. If not by you, by something else. And after spending a short amount of time here, I can see that I do not belong, lest I lose my mind. I have not threatened you, or this man, and yet he draws his blades at me, and has decided he would end me. I am leaving this garden, and if this man continues to threaten me, I will make sure it is the last threat he deals. I have no wish to fight either of you, but if you bar my exit, I must take that as will full imprisonment, a hostile action, and I do not take threats lightly.”

He had not drawn his sword, but he would if this fool of a man pressed him further. He turned around, and kicked away the sword blocking his path. He turned his head back one more time.

“And Your Majesty, if you address me as ‘my’ grace one more time, I will be very displeased.”
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The command to cut him to ribbons was on the tip of his tongue; all he needed was an excuse to let his swords fly loose.

But his chance never came as the world around him vanished, the bright skies turned to darkness while the vast and lush green gardens melted away, leaving nothing behind.

His host had given the order to stop fighting. A voice in his head wanted to rebel, but his body reacted almost immediately, clapping twice, the blades faded away.

He listened as lady Alice asked while the duke replied with an answer that somehow fits his personality, a reply akin to a rebuttal at a heated debate. One without mercy for the feelings of the other party as he denied everything around in this world. Calling it the deranged dreams of a child.

The duke turned and proceeded to walk away.

‘’Tell me, what is your opinion on the subject of dreams’’

The words came out naturally and without though, almost as if he had practiced it before a mirror over a hundred times.

‘’I believe it is a beautiful thing, to chase a dream. Dreams are what makes us who we are and what we aspire to be. A dutiful lord would dream of peace for his kingdom, while a conqueror would dream for the success of his campaign. Even a fool would dream.’’

He looked straight at the duke, right in his eyes with an unwavering gaze.

‘’You and I can never get along, that much is clear, but as another stuck in this world, let me read your fortune should you wish to heed it.’’

He snapped his fingers and a deck of cards flew into the air and from the pile, three came out.

The star, the devil and the magician.

‘’I see a man who sacrificed a great deal in his life, a selfless person who held back his emotions. He struggled with oppression and desire, yet at the end of it all, he gained power and knowledge’’

The cards glowed and faded after giving their message.

’All in all, the story of a successful person. I can honestly say that I am quite envious but I won’t give you that pleasure.’’
Edited by Pandahero, Dec 19 2011, 08:46 AM.
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Kuu
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Alice was in a neutral mood as she stopped the argument, not wanting it to escalate but as the verbal abuse was piled onto her, she faltered and actually took a few retreating steps behind her as she herself began to doubt her own identity.
This was a figment of her imagination? No, that wasn't true.. if someone's imagination can create her world, who as she then at the start and till the end?
Was she the Alice that never woke up and just... died there, hence her being trapped in Wonderland and her own world for so long?
That thought terrified the girl and she dropped to her knees in disbelief, as if her life was being sucked out of her and the reality marble started to collaspe around her as well, the boundary field shaking as the cards surrounding all of them started to crack.
But it wasn't enough to totally push her values away as she slowly got up again to face him, her face a frozen mask as he acknowledged his words.

'So be it, so be it that might be the truth. That I am insecure about myself, my world. However, that does not give one reason to press one's judgement on me.'
Her eyes narrowed and hardened and if it was not for the other guest's interferance by standing in front of her, she would have called upon her own sword.
Even so, she sighed and just allowed her shoulders to drop them unhappily.
'Leave if you must. If you wish. I am the one that invited you and you are allowed to leave if you wish. Just like a frog in the well, looking at the immediate surroundings around him. I do not dislike that... but if one does not see the question or the truth further ahead... one will always be blinded if one does not seek the truth. Leave, but never regret your actions.'
She curtsied before forming her own garden again, the wind blowing across her face as she invited the other guest to join her at her table again, totally ignoring the lord.
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