Welcome to Madness - [O//A]

[The Night Faery]

"Thank you, Professor," Alice said with a respectful nod in her direction. "But I am sorry I got it wrong, Caterpillar, sir-- I can't remember at all how it was supposed to go! It's dreadfully embarrassing, really...." She felt that, for the moment, she oughtn't recite any more poetry.

"Well, I'm not sure where we are going," she said, breaking the short but awkward silence that had ensued, "but I feel like it isn't the right place. It seems as though we've been going in circles...."  

[Azure Caterpillar]

"I think we should..." Caterpillar started saying something but he stopped when everything around him seemed to change or distort in some way. Untill eventually he couldn't find Alice or the Professor, or even the city anywhere at all.
Closing his eyes for a moment, upon reopening them he found himself in a completely different place; he couldn't quite make out what was going on around him as everything seemed in a haze, but he was sure someone was looking at him.
What was going on? Where was Alice and the Professor? Or... maybe he was still in the city, this was a hallucination perhaps? In any case he didn't like people staring at him.
"Who... are... YOU?" He asked the stranger.

---

"Hey... we should do what?" The Professor asked, but Caterpillar just seemed to be staring into nothing; and wasn't answering them, as if he were in a trance... just like Alice had been when she first met her. "Ohhh... he is so out of it... like you were before, Miss Alice... he'll probably wake up in a minute." She took this opportunity to touch one of his antennae; it flicked but nothing else. "Aw, he's like a cat..."

((I'm guessing you RP as the Doctor and anyone from the real world, yep? ^^ Also I am right in guessing they don't disappear from her mind when they end up in the real world, yeah? Unless they do disappear, then I'll have to rewrite the last bit.))  

[Jacy_Arienh_Sagira]

(Thanks Night, Sorry it's took me so long)

Bai skidded to a stop only feet away from the Queen, thanking her own lucky stars the woman was tilting her head back for another yell and not watching her messanger slid across gleaming tiles. The young messanger situated her bag and stooped into an awkward curtsy.

"Your Highness?"

Malice gleamed in the woman's eyes as she glared down at the messenger girl, and Bai shivered under that glare. "I have a delivery for you to make, child."

Bai bobbed another awkward curtsy, and bent low to take said package from the floor. A brown wrapped box, small enough to fit in a bread box, and without a noticable weight to it. Bai checked the card. On one side an intricate Queen of Hearts stared out at her while the other side was just as intricately portraying a young girl with the name Alice written in gold script."Deliver it in one hour's time or ..."

The room blurred around Bai, and when she looked up again she was surrounded on all sides by city walls. She tucked the package securely into her leather bag, checked each of her watches, and began a fast pace down the city road hoping to find this Alice before her time ran out.  

[The Night Faery]

((Yep. I'll cover the real world [which is basically just the doctor, maybe an NPC nurse here or there] --and no, you've got it down-- they don't disappear from the scene physically, just mentally. And no worries, Jace. ^-^ ))

Alice stared wide-eyed at the caterpillar, who was now nowhere near either her or the Professor-- leastwise, not mentally. "Oh, dear," she breathed. "He must be where I was-- with the lights and the man's voice-- how did he get there? How did I get there?"

---

"I am the one trying to help you," replied a smooth, low voice. There came the sound of a pen scratching hurriedly across paper. "But I've never heard your voice before... who are you?"

---

The Queen watched her messenger disappear, and when she was gone her eyes bored into the spot where the girl had been. "Stupid girl," she muttered angrily. "I should have her head." Of course, she couldn't do that-- messengers seemed to be in short supply, and it was doubtful she would ever find one as fast as Bai. Thankfully, the girl herself didn't know this-- so the Queen knew she could count on speedy service.  

[Jacy_Arienh_Sagira]

Bai's quick steps echoed off the nearby buildings as she made as quick a pace as she could. Somewhere nearby she could make out the voices of two people talking. Hoping desperately that either they could tell her where to find Alice or that one was Alice, she made a quick turn down another empty allyway and trotted on.  

[Azure Caterpillar]

Caterpillar didn't understand what this person meant; infact none of this was making much sense yet, but perhaps it had something to do with the city's recent appearence. He wondered for a moment if he should answer the stranger's question; he doubted it would change anything if he did or didn't.

"Caterpillar," He replyed; looking around and trying to make things out. "and what do you mean? Explain yourself!"

---

"Are you sure those mushrooms wern't odd?" The Professor asked frowning. "I wonder how long until he awakens? We can't just stand in this street for ages." She added taking a closer look at Caterpillar. "By the way... how long have you known each other? Because he acts like your tutor or something."  

[The Night Faery]

"No, I don't believe they were odd," Alice said, shaking her head. "The caterpillar said they were all right. I think this is something else entirely."

She was surprised by the Professor's comment, and looked up at her with raised eyebrows. "Why, I only just met him this morning," she said. "Only I was rather big at the time-- well, not nearly so big as I am now, but compared to him, certainly. What I mean to say is, he was rather small." She demonstrated with her thumb and index finger. There's this field, see, and I seem to remember it being here instead of this city, only I'm not so sure anymore. But I woke up in the field and it was dreadfully small-- all closed in by a wrought iron fence-- and the Caterpillar was on a little mushroom in the field with me. I'd never known that anyone else lived there, but then again-- Well, here you are, and here's this city." She was babbling too much; she stopped talking, and summed everything up with a shrug.

---

"I will be the one asking the questions, Caterpillar," said the voice, gentle but with a hint of sternness, as if its owner had experienced attitudes like this many times before. "I suggest we take this one step at a time. Is anyone there with you, Caterpillar?"  

[Azure Caterpillar]

Caterpillar to say the least was annoyed with this person's way of talking to him. He sat up right and frowned, though he must admit he didn't feel quite like himself at the moment; but everything was all rather confusing and he didn't like that one bit.

"You should mind your manners while talking to me," He said; but decided telling this person might get him more answers of his own. "You mean where I was; for I am here, and you are also, so you must know who is here... but there I was traveling with a human girl named Alice and someone called the Professor. Where am I now?"

---

"He just met you and he acts like he can boss you around?" The Professor asked; but then remembered he had been telling her what to do also. "Apart from the fact he's a caterpillar, do you know anything else about him? Because he really doesn't talk about himself much." She sighed. "I guess I'm just curious really... by the way, you both changed you height? How?"  

[Jacy_Arienh_Sagira]

Bai could now see the people talking, a young girl and a taller person blocking Bai's view of her. She saw a hint of blue on the dress and as she neared she could see that this was girl whom the package was meant for.

Bai slowed her pace and stopped a few feet away from the two, then cleared her throat to catch the attention of the two.  

[The Night Faery]

"Well, I don't know much about him," Alice admitted. "I only just met him, after all. But he seems to know quite a lot, so I suppose he's earned the right to boss me around." She shrugged. "And it was the mushrooms we ate. One side makes you little and one makes you quite big... I don't think it's an exact science-- I didn't stop growing quite when I wanted to, and I suppose that's why I'm six feet tall. The world certainly is odd at this height."

She jumped at the new sound, and brought her attention to the smallish young woman standing before them with a bulging satchel and uncanny abundance of watches. "Oh!" she said in surprise, casting a glance at the Professor. "Hello, miss. Can we help you? Or... could you help us?"

To herself, she murmured, "I wish the Caterpillar would come back soon."

---

"You are conscious now," said the voice. Its owner sounded as though he was thoroughly enjoying the conversation, like an exciting scientific project. "I'm glad you know Alice. I have spoken to her on a number of occasions... I may have spoken to the Professor once." There was the sound of pages flipping. "Ah, yes. Mechanical hands... couldn't find the time." The pages flipped back to their original place, and the scratching of his pen resumed. "But you, Master Caterpillar, are an entirely different specimen."  

[Azure Caterpillar]

The Professor turned to face the newcomer; tilting her head and giving her a sideways glance. "Hello there... oh my do your watches know the time? Mine doesn't quite you see... he has been trying to find it." She held up her watch for a moment, then approuched the stranger. "You seem to be a in a hurry, I'm afraid one of us at the moment is on a little trip somewhere, he will return soon... but can me or Miss Alice possibly assist you?"

---

"Specimen?" Caterpillar almost laughed; humans, such unusual creatures, but easy to figure out none the less. "I assure you... I am like no other Lepidoptera..." He sighed. "This is getting tedious now; ah, if only I could smoke my hookah, being this tall isn't to my liking... how is one supposed to relax or write new poetry in that uninspiring place?" This was more of a whimsical and rhetorical question, as Caterpillar hadn't been looking at the man while saying it.

Soon after though everything seemed to begin to disappear again; he guessed he was returning to the city and so said quickly while he still had the chance to talk to this stranger; "I am not something to be studied, however if we meet again, I will be studying you in a sense." As the room disappeared and was replaced with the city again, Caterpillar noticed Alice and the Professor were now addressing someone else; he had no time to think about what had happened yet, he should definitley find out who this stranger was first.

Caterpillar without telling the other two what had happened; moved closer to Bai. "Who are you?"

"Oh hey, Mr. Caterpillar, sir..." The Professor smiled, she looked back at Bai. "He raises a good question! You should introduce yourself."  

[The Night Faery]

((Sorry, I was thinking I ought to wait for Jacy to post something for Bai before I gave Alice another turn...))  

[Jacy_Arienh_Sagira]

(sorry I took so long, I got sick, didn't really feel like moving sweatdrop )

Bai nodded to each of the three standing in front of her as politely as she could. Checked the time of one of her watches to make sure she was not yet late in her delivery and then in what she hoped was a confident voice, she announced," My name is Usagi Bai. I come bearing a package for Alice, to be delivered at exactly three minutes past a quarter til tea."

Bai opened her bag and found the brown wrapped parcel with Alice's picture on the card, and bowed as she handed it across. Typically, now would have been the time for her to be on her way, but the young messenger had to admit she was interested in what the Queen had sent.

(Night I figure you can decide what the Queen will have sent to Alice seeing as both of them are your characters lol)  

[The Night Faery]

((Aww! ): It's okay. Are you feeling better?))

Alice curtsied to the young woman, feeling rather bold-- this new girl was far less fear-inspiring than the Professor had been upon their first encounter. Her boldness faltered, however, when the girl handed her the package with her spitting image on the back of the playing card that served as its tag.

She accepted the parcel gingerly, looking to Caterpillar with widening eyes. "What do you think..?" she asked softly, and peeled up a corner of the brown paper. For the moment, the caterpillar's disappearance had escaped her mind, and all her attention was focused on the package. When she finished pulling off the paper she folded it up and put it in the pocket of her pinafore, and tugged open the little box. When she saw its contents, she gasped and very nearly dropped it.

"Who sent this?" she demanded, suddenly very scared. "When? How did they know--?"

She withdrew the object from the box. It was about as long and thick as one of Alice's fingers, its golden scales shining even in the failing light of the street. On one end, the tail curved around, making a little loop as if for a necklace; on the other end, a mischievous, cheerful little grin spread across the face below the long snout, as if welcoming those who looked upon it to come just a little closer....

She examined it closely, and murmured, "How doth the little crocodile...."  

[Azure Caterpillar]

((That's okay. ^_^))

Caterpillar glanced at the object; he guessed whoever had sent it was trying to mess with Alice's mind. "I think someone is playing games, Alice..." He said before looking at Bai, he stared at her for a while; his antennae flicked and he turned to face Alice again. "This girl did not know what was in the box."

"How do you know that anyway?" The Professor sighed; she then observed the trinket. "It's rather unusual... and quite a coincidence! Or not... depends I guess... who sent it anyway?" She asked Bai, slightly suspicious.

"Yes... explain!" Caterpillar ordered; even though he knew Bai had not known what was in the box, he was sure she knew who had sent it.