un deux toz
Shameless Enabler
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ＤＲＩＮＫ ♔ ＭＥ
A PRIVATE RP BETWEEN KATOZTROPHE && RAINBOW PANDE
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ＤＲＩＮＫ ♔ ＭＥ
A PRIVATE RP BETWEEN KATOZTROPHE && RAINBOW PANDE
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un deux toz
Shameless Enabler
un deux toz
Shameless Enabler
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JACKxxxRUPERTxxxWOLFE
- JACK, ONLY SOME CALL HIM KNAVE➝ TWENTY - SIX ➝ THE KNAVE
DEFIANT ➝ FRIVOLOUS ➝ IMPATIENT ➝ WITTY ➝ OUTGOING
- ➝ wonderland’s previous drug caddy; underneath the queen of course
➝ most addicted to ‘passion’ because of his somewhat jaded personality
➝ when he left wonderland he got employment as a club bouncer
➝ he can’t remember who he used to be before he went to wonderland
➝ has serious commitment issues
➝ when he went back to reality he turned to alcohol instead of drugs
➝ absolutely abhors tea; tends to be a problem in wonderland
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Apple Bunns
Dapper Lunatic
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MELVINxxxLEONxxxXERXES
- MEL, OR CHESHIRE/CHES ➝ TWENTY FOUR ➝ CHESHIRE CAT
SPITEFUL ➝ WANDERER ➝ PLAYFUL ➝ OBSESSIVE ➝ FLUID
- ➝ famous for disappearing in and out of wonderland
➝ his clientele is usually the rich and the disgusting
➝ grew unnaturally attached to the knave and is annoyed he left
➝ pretends he forgot his past like most of the workers at wonderland
➝ has been disappearing more often now that the knave is no longer in wonderland
➝ the queen is threatened by him for a good reason
➝ he can disappear into shadows inside of Wonderland
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un deux toz
Shameless Enabler
- “Alright, up and at ‘em,” Jack said as he hoisted a very heavy, very intoxicated man off of the ground by the scruff of his shirt. The man made grunts of protest, but he wasn’t in any position to be able to fight Jack off. Not like Jack was a big guy. He had a good amount of muscle on him and at just under six feet he was a sizeable figure to deal with. But this guy was far beyond gone. Almost started a fight but then someone else at the bar just knocked him clear on his a**; so much for an entertaining fight. Those kinds of things always made more work for him, but part of him still liked for them to happen because at least he didn’t have to just stand outside the door and check identification. That was the worst. He swung the man’s arm over his shoulder and kept him up on his weak feet by holding him by his waist. But that didn’t make getting to the front door any easier. Jack waded through the crowded, sweaty bodied club with the man practically dragging at his side. No one paid any attention or got out of the way, so Jack really had to push his way through all the while yelling, “Make way, make way!” But the music was too damn loud for anyone to hear a thing.
All in all, he really hated clubs. They were grimy, disgusting places and often full of grimy, disgusting people. He didn’t even want to know what janitors found on the floors of club Velvet every night. It was just a place where people liked to grind up against strangers on the walls and try to get wasted off of the weak-a** drinks they served at the bar. The name made the place sound much better than it was. Not like it was any more or less horrible than the next place, but it certainly wasn’t the Taj Mahal. Nor was it Wonderland. Wonderland had much better amenities. Just saying. Out of all the jobs Jack could have found, he got one that reminded him every day of that hole he practically crawled out of about a month prior. But they say you always tend to lean toward what you already know. Not like his job was a bouncer -- that was the job of the Deck -- but sometimes it got pretty close. However, he was done with that now. Done with all of that nonsense. This was his mundane life now.
They emerged from the doors of the crowded club to a small outside patio of smokers, but once they were past them, they were out into the crisp London air. Cold and damp with the perfect amount of fog; that was Jack’s favorite. The perfect London night. From the outside they could hear the light pound of music every time the doors of the club opened. Jack was surprised they hadn’t gotten any noise complaints yet. London technically never slept so maybe that was why. “He’s out, yeah?” Mikey asked. He was one of Jack’s co-workers. About the size of a small English cottage, Mikey was built more like a brick factory and there was not a soul on the planet who questioned his authority. Jack dropped the drunk man against the wall on the sidewalk. He wasn’t Jack’s problem now. Hopefully some friends would find him on the way out from the club. “Yeah,” he replied, standing up to his full height running his hands through his dirty blonde hair, “Too smashed to even start a proper fight.” Jack took his place next to Mikey, crossing his arms to try and emanate even a fraction of the size and power his partner had. The line had since died down. It was already one in the morning; only a few stragglers came around at this time.
“Why don’t you head home for the night, man? I got this.” Jack looked over in surprise. It wasn’t every night that Mikey was feeling that generous. Jack cocked an eyebrow. “You sure?” Mikey shrugged, “Yeah, I’ll just call Wade out if I need to.” He waited, making sure Mikey wasn’t about to change his mind, and when the man gave him a nudge he wasn’t about to ask twice. He worked four nights a week so he should have appreciated the hours that he got but tonight was a good night for a walk. He would take it. Jack clapped Mikey on the back and turned to fight his way back through the club entrance to the employee lockers in the back room. After grabbing his leather jacket and clocking out, he slipped out a side door and into an alleyway.
Jack tapped a pack of cigarettes against his palm to knock some to the lid before placing one between his lips. He lit it with a match -- he preferred matches -- as he walked around the corner and onto the main street. A few black cabs were going up and down the lane but, besides them, it was empty. He pulled his jacket tighter around him as he walked, the hard soles of his leather shoes making a clacking sound against the stone pavement. One thing he did enjoy about his work was walking home at dawn. It was the best time of day in his opinion. He could get the freshest coffee from a convenience store and take his sweet time getting home, and would often take the long route that would take him along the north edge of the Thames river. He loved that. He loved the smell of London. It wasn’t some perfumed pumped in happy gas. It was real. Double decker exhaust and all. There were some things that were just too tangible to replicate.
He took a drag off of his cigarette, holding the smoke in for a few seconds before slowly breathing it out. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Jack heard faint footsteps behind him. He didn’t think anything of it at first. After all, London was a city, people walked the streets all the time. But he noticed when he hastened his pace, so did they. And when he decided to stand at the water’s edge for a few moments to finish off his cigarette, they did not continue to walk past him. But, most alarming, was that every time he turned, no one was there. Which gave Jack a very good idea as to who was stalking him. He snubbed out his cigarette against the stone railing and (very illegally) flicked the butt of it into the river. “Are you going to come out or are you just going to keep playing hide and seek with me?” Jack grinned a little, leaning his forearms against the barrier. He had learned to let a cat approach you and to never approach a cat.
Apple Bunns
Dapper Lunatic
⊰｀♚ ⊱
Ｍｅｌｖｉｎ Ｘｅｒｘｅｓ
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Ｍｅｌｖｉｎ Ｘｅｒｘｅｓ
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- Tracking down Jack was not as hard as most of the staff in Wonderland thought it was since the Knave had not been dragged back to his home. In truth Melvin knew that the Queen of Hearts had not real interest at the moment in dragging her favorite pet home like a recalcitrant dog. At first the Queen had been angry when her Knave disappeared and everyone went running for safety from her wrath. Those that had done something wrong came back sobbing and sometimes beaten for their misdeeds. Melvin would have brought her wrath down upon him if he had not disappeared himself when he heard that Jack had suddenly left without telling him. He was gone for about a week and only heard from the Mad Hatter what passed when he returned to Wonderland. According to the young woman, the Queen calmed within two days and suddenly everything was back to normal. There was someone new to regulate the hallucinogenic, someone stone faced and unkind to the staff. To everyone at Wonderland, it seemed like the new Knave was going to become a permanent addition to the staff, but Melvin knew it was only temporary. The Queen would only bid her time until it was the right moment to take action. She did not become the Queen just by ruling with an iron fist and doling out rewards that left most of the staff vying for her good will.
After about two weeks though Mel grew more annoyed when he thought about how the Knave had just left without telling him anything. Prideful as he was, he did not want to admit that he missed Jack’s attention and companionship. He began to track down his closest acquaintance in Wonderland through a few people he knew from the streets. The news of a gorgeous new bouncer at a club traveled quickly enough and Cheshire was always good at lurking about to gather and filter information. Ply a few young women with sex, and sweet words and he found where the Knave was working. He found Jack within a few days even while returning to Wonderland every night, and it only proved his theory that the Queen of Hearts had no interest in looking for her Knave.
The first night that Melvin found Jack at the club called Velvet, he skulked about in the shadows completely unseen by anyone in the area. He took note of the working conditions as well as the type of patrons that went in and out of the place. It was a complete mystery why Jack chose to work there since it was clearly a place without as much class as Wonderland. Women and men alike came stumbling out laughing too loudly, leering too much, and smelling like disgusting cheap liquor that was likely sold at the bar. Every time the door swung open, he could smell the sweat and cheap liquor while simultaneously hearing a bit of the mind numbing music that they played in there. Melvin had been to clubs before, but they were always with a patron and the clubs were extremely expensive with all the drinks of only the best quality. This was a place he had never been to, and it was unlikely he would ever step foot into Velvet.
After finding Jack, he lurked outside for a few days and always followed home the Knave to find out where he was staying. Melvin did not let himself be heard until after the fourth time he was following his friend, but he did not allow his presence to be known the entire time and would stop when Jack become suspicious. It was both a game to him as well as spiteful since he was angry with his friend for disappearing the way he did. He both wanted to see Jack, and did not want to see the male after the perceived betrayal. He entertained himself with that a few times, but last time he accidentally followed the Knave too long and was accidentally discovered. Even when he was called out on it, Melvin did not come out from the shadows and remained hidden until Jack headed home. That time he had stopped following the other man and skulked back to Wonderland in a foul mood. He hid himself from the rest of the staff until the next evening before deciding that this time he would have an actual conversation with Jack.
He arrived at the club in time to see Jack disappear inside the club since apparently another drunkard was trying to cause problems. It was ridiculous how little class these people had and Mel wrinkled his nose a bit like he often did when he found something distasteful. Like tuna, tuna smelled horrible and he always smacked it out of the Caterpillar’s hand whenever he was teased with it. In general fish was disgusting, but tuna was the absolute worse. Cheshire waited outside, expecting to have to wait another two hours or so before Jack would make the trek home.
To his surprise Jack was leaving early after a conversation with his co-worker, Mikey. Melvin pushed himself off the wall to quickly follow in the shadows while keeping an eye on Jack. Some people believed Wonderland to be a truly magical place, and they attributed being a member of Wonderland to how good Cheshire was at remaining unseen. About halfway to his friend’s house, he let the clicking of his shoes be heard against the pavement, but stayed out of the sight just to be petty. Mel chose these noisy shoes for a reason even if he had to take extra care to be quiet when he did not want to be noticed.
At first he did not answer Jack when the man called out to him since he had a moment of indecision despite his earlier conviction. When it looked like the man was about to go home, he stepped out from the shadow and grinned easily at Jack regardless of how he was feeling on the inside. There was a hint of the annoyance that could be read in Cheshire’s stiff posture and slightly pulled together eyebrows. “Oh but dear Jack, playing the game is the best part.”
After making the choice not to approach the Thames to stand next to Jack, he lurked still half with in the shadow. “How is your new life of being a law abiding citizen of London?” He asked with all the pleasantness he usually used on the politicians that expected a beautiful face with pretty words to lure them into the bed. Mel’s eyes moved to glance at the Thames that Jack had just flicked a cigarette into. “It doesn’t seem to be going so well.”
un deux toz
Shameless Enabler
- Although Jack had done well to leave Wonderland behind, it seemed that parts of it would always find him. Jack thought maybe he was just being paranoid. Over the past week he would walk home and swear that someone was following him. But whenever he turned, no one was there. Turns out he should trust his sixth sense more than his eyes. Oh, Mel was good at that. Slinking through the shadows seemed to be a very special talent of his. Even with Jack’s keen observation skills, Mel would slip past him all the same. It was just something that he liked to do; a game of cat and mouse. Jack should have known. The Deck wasn’t nearly as sly. But that was all he could think about when he felt like someone was stalking him: being dragged back to that godforsaken place to be the chew toy of that witch again.
Jack grinned when Mel spoke. Part of him was actually very happy to hear his voice. It was hard leaving an entire lifetime behind for another. To hear that familiar, silky smooth voice again -- Jack was almost touched that Mel had taken the time to track him down. He certainly hadn’t made it easy for anyone to find him. He only worked the dark hours of the night, paid everything in cash, and was subletting some hole in the wall flat in a dodgy part of town. Although, he had to admit, Mel didn’t sound very pleased. Despite the sound of his voice, his tone was restrained. Never a good sign. Maybe the Queen was still in an outrage over Jack’s disappearance. He knew that heads would surely roll when he left. She had quite the temper on her and that was the main reason Jack hadn’t left sooner than he did. However, he did get an immense amount of satisfaction over visualizing what her face looked like when the Door Mouse came to her with news of Jack’s disappearance. He imagined her complexion turning as red as the roses in her garden against her curly black hair. Her fury and rage being taken out on all that ridiculous amount of pillows she kept on her bed. Feathers everywhere. And then an even more satisfying thought: he wouldn’t have to be coerced onto that bed again.
But, first; to deal with the wrath of the Cheshire Cat. “Oh, Ches, you know I’ve never been very good at foreplay,” Jack mused, in a playful tone. He always called him Ches. And Mel when he was trying to be stern with him. And Melvin when he was trying to ruffle his feathers. The blonde turned his back to the river and leaned his arms back against the railing, his long legs keeping him propped up against his lower back. He smiled his brilliant smile -- a smile, some said, that could get him everywhere -- in an attempt to counter Mel’s discontent. But the escort wasn’t so easily won since he had practically mastered the art of charming.
It took him a moment to spot Mel in the shadows. Mel had one of those memorable, striking faces. His features were so crisp; with a squared jaw and angular cheekbones that could practically cut butter. But there was immense beauty there. Mel had the kind of eyes that lured a client in just by batting those long, dark eyelashes. And his lips were more than inviting with that flirtatious curve at either corner of his mouth. He was always so graceful as well; always intelligently poised even when plainly standing. It wasn’t a wonder why he was so popular amongst the high paying clients.
If he was being honest, Jack really missed Mel’s little smirk.
Jack had friends in Wonderland. “Friends” being a fairly generous term. He would have philosophical debates with the Caterpillar, be forced into having a cup of spiced tea with the March Hare (world’s best bartender he was), and, when he was feeling particularly social, he would flirt a little with the Mad Hatter. But he had always been the most comfortable with Ches. They began with little conversations about trivial matters like the weather and the state of the flowers in the garden. Then they started talking in length over their work and Mel would tell Jack funny stories about his previous clients and Jack would embellish little stories about the Queen. And then discussions just turned into flirtatious, friendly banter. After a while, there wasn’t any pressure to say anything at all. Jack would be counting over inventory in the hallucinogenics storage room when Mel would appear, watch over his shoulder, and Jack was perfectly content with that. Other times, Jack would seek out Mel to ask if he wanted to catch a drink together. And the Cheshire cat would feign as if Jack was taking him away from some important task, but Jack knew that Mel liked the attention and companionship. Their occasional afternoons (and perhaps very, very late evenings once Mel was no longer with a client) together were times Jack looked forward to in between doting upon the Queen.
Jack shrugged at the question, looking up at the overcast night sky to weigh how he wanted to answer. “It’s going much better than I thought it would,” he said, which was honest. It had been two weeks and Jack had generously given himself four days tops before he went back. Maybe he truly had the chance of escaping. “Isn’t easy out here. Practically another dimension. As they say, reality bites.” The world of London was harsh and the comforts of Wonderland were many.
He rubbed the grizzly stubble on the side of his face. “Flat here’s certainly much worse than back in Wonderland. Got leaks in the ceiling and the floor is all creaky. I’m not sleeping on silk sheets anymore, that’s for sure.” Oh, sleeping naked in his red silk sheets. Jack sort of missed that a lot. The Knave hadn’t been immensely high on the totem pole, but the Queen liked him enough to give him a choice of lodgings. As he wasn’t a sex worker, Jack didn’t get the hotel suite-like accommodations. He chose to live in a large caravan on the edge of the Tulgey Wood just past the Queen’s garden. It was as far as Jack could think to get from the hustle and bustle of the brothel at the time and there were days that he truly enjoyed his solitude when he could get it. That little painted gypsy caravan sitting at the edge of the tall treeline seemed so distant now. Most told him he was an idiot for living near Tulgey Wood. As some who wandered in never wandered back out.
But back to Mel. “Speaking of silk sheets, how’s business?” He asked, not very genuinely. Usually Jack would ask out of sincere curiosity. But now it was just something to try and bide his time. Jack kept his eyes on Mel, watching his every move, and searched his mind for something to say. Mel had obviously been following him for some time now and there was a reason. Hopefully he wasn’t there to try and convince Jack to go back to Wonderland. That wouldn’t end well for either of them.
“I’m going to assume the Queen didn’t send you,” he said, pushing back from the river’s railing and taking a few steps forward. Mel and the Queen never quite saw eye to eye. In fact, the Queen basically seemed to leave him alone for the most part. He did his job, Jack would give him the drugs, and that was it. But Mel was hardly loyal to the Queen of Hearts. “And not to sound unappreciative of your affection,” he said, playfully, “But what are you doing here?”
Apple Bunns
Dapper Lunatic
⊰｀♚ ⊱
Ｍｅｌｖｉｎ Ｘｅｒｘｅｓ
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Ｍｅｌｖｉｎ Ｘｅｒｘｅｓ
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- The smile on Jack's face was a familiar one.
It was more often seen on the former Knave's face when he was in the Queen's presence and shamming for her good favor. It worked wonders on pleasing her, and Cheshire on more than one occasion saw Jack using it on her shamelessly. The smile did nothing for him however and the grin on his face disappeared in exchange for an expression that showed exactly how unimpressed Melvin was. His ire would not be smoothed over by anything less than a sincere apology, which he was unlikely to receive from Jack.
A wicked smile spread across Cheshire countenance and he replied salaciously, "I do know. It is why the Queen never wanted you to work with the clients." That was not the complete truth since the Queen of Hearts was a possessive and did not want to share her pet with any of the clients. She could afford to make Jack the Knave instead of one of the escorts that made their entire living off pleasing others. Wonderland was filled with many beautiful workers that made Queen Delilah of the Hearts plenty of money. Jack was instead added to her own personal collection, right next to the handsome deck of cards she kept and only knew by number and house.
The comment was spiteful and completely unnecessary, but not made to leave any lasting damage on his pride. Melvin while did not want Jack to decide to leave, but he also wanted the male to understand how peeved he was. All of Wonderland knew that they were friends and spent time together outside of sexual activities. In fact they never engaged in any sexual activities at all despite all the ribbing from the Mad Hatter, and it stung. To be right along side with the Queen, blindsided by Jack's sudden disappearance from Wonderland, had been hurtful. Not that Mel would use the word, hurt, but he would definitely say he was annoyed or vexed with his friend for not giving him a heads up. Never hurt, because they were not that close.
"Perhaps I could have helped you find better accommodations had you told me that you planned on living in London." His comment was meant to be casual and he shrugged his shoulders from where he was standing. It was however as much an offer as it was his discontent with how Jack had gone about his business. Even though leaving Wonderland meant getting old and eventually perishing, if his friend had wanted it then Cheshire would have helped him. It was made clear to everyone that Melvin had no loyalties to the Queen even if no one ever witnessed any disagreements between them.
The insincere question was completely ignored as Mel said "Is this how you treat an old friend, Jack? You left in such a haste that I did not get to say my good byes. Now you question why I came to visit an old friend?" His expression and tone were a mockery of the hurt he actually felt when he first found out Jack left Wonderland without the Queen's permission and was no where to be found. It was not hard to figure out that he was angry with Jack, but the reasons behind his anger could not be read as easily off his body language.
With the sun rising and chasing the shadows further back into small spaces, it was easier to make out Cheshire's face and the silhouette of his lean body. It also allowed him a chance to get a better look at Jack without harsh street lamps to create a haggard look. It was not hard to find the lines of stress and wear on his old friend's face and already he was looking older living it out in reality. Jack had no idea how right he was when he said that London was another dimension completely. The truth was that Wonderland did exist within a different dimension from the rest of the world even if no one realized the truth. No one ever remembered how long they had been in Wonderland, and none of the clients would realize over time that their escorts never aged or changed. They perhaps got a new face every few decades, depending on how many heads went rolling due to Delilah's temper.
The Queen had quite the nasty temper, always did. "The Queen did not get to say her good byes to you either. I do believe she was quite upset by that. Luckily she has not decided to pay you a visit." Despite how angry Mel was with Jack, he did keep an eye on Delilah and found that beyond the usual cursory search she was not looking for her lost Knave. It was a surprise, but then she always was rather fickle.
"Rest assured that I only came to find out how you are doing, and to inform you that the Queen is not frantically looking for you. Some people were unfairly punished but beyond that her temper is starting to cool."
ooc;; If I fiddle anymore with my reply it is never getting posted. Haha..
un deux toz
Shameless Enabler
- Mm. The friendly smile on Mel’s face had quickly dissipated and was replaced with a wide grin. Jack knew he had made a misstep. His brain immediately started to rack up a shower of compliments he could try to use in case Mel’s temper arose. That was how Jack always tried to calm the Queen’s...disposition. He could tell when she started to get riled up and he would quickly amass a multitude of praises and slip them into his speech as discreetly as he could. It worked wonders most of the time. Unfortunately, Jack’s praises often ended with her in a certain mood. But, then again, Mel was much more clever than she. And as cordial as his grin seemed to be, the tick of his jaw told Jack otherwise. The Knave’s eyebrows rose with Mel’s comment. He was all for self deprecating jokes, but for him to viciously jab at his bedroom tactics was rather low. “Ouch.” After all, how was Mel to know Jack wasn’t good at foreplay? It wasn’t like they had ever had sexual relations themselves so Mel was hardly a good judge. Personally, Jack thought he was an ace in bed. After all, the Queen kept going back for more. But Jack knew the Cheshire said what he did because he was upset. Mel was never quite outright with his feelings -- neither was Jack if he was being honest. The Queen really must have raised hell when he left.
“You know, that would have been a really good idea. Honestly, this flat is atro--” Jack was ready to try and keep the conversation on how disturbingly gross his flat was, but it seemed like Mel wasn’t there to just chat and catch up. Jack was good at distractions, but Mel was even better at deflecting them.
Jack still stood by the stone railing, his hands in his pockets, looking like he had just gotten his hand caught in the cookie jar. That, and he was surprised. It never dawned on him to say any goodbyes. Wonderland was full of people who just went about their business. Individuals who just happened to cohabitate and work in the same space. But now that he stood, looking right at Mel, he felt guilt in the pit of his stomach. Out of all people he knew, Mel should have been the one person he told. After all, it was unlikely that Mel was going to let anything slip (especially to the Queen) about his friend’s intentions. But Jack had been so concerned with the logistics of his plans that he forgot he was leaving behind a friend without a word. Jack remembered that he had considered it for a moment, but he had become distracted and figured that Ches was so solitary and aloof that it probably didn’t matter to him. Obviously, Jack had made a rather gross assumption. He was surprised to find that his absence had bothered Mel so much. It felt good to be missed.
He expected to hear as much about the Queen though. She was a woman prone to a great amount of violence and he knew if he was caught, he might have to get his head replaced. And he really liked his current one. As relieving as it was to hear that she had given up on a search for him, Jack became suspicious. Queen Delilah was relentless and, at times, rather petty. Jack had taken great lengths to bury his whereabouts. But the Queen had her eyes everywhere and even if she didn’t want him back, Jack wouldn’t put it past her if she dragged him back to Wonderland just to make an example of him. That was a terrifying thought. “I figured she wouldn’t take my resignation all that well. I hope you didn’t get too much of her wrath,” he said. Jack’s charmingly confident facade had all but faded now. If Mel wanted honesty, then the Knave would give it to him. Jack owed him at least that much. “I didn’t want to chance telling anyone where I was going.”
He smiled ruefully and looked to the ground. “Even you,” he said, quietly. Jack would be the first of the two of them to admit their friendship -- if that’s what they wanted to call it -- was more important to him than he would let on.
Jack had planned his getaway for weeks. The concept started as a mere dream -- a fantasy of liberation from Wonderland. He would imagine what he might do if he left; the people he could meet and the places he could see outside of the brothel. Then, the dream became an idea and the idea turned into a tentative plan. Jack had scrapped his plans at one point, thinking them pointless because no matter what he did he would end up back in the clutches of that mad woman. But freedom still nagged at him. As he would count the bottles and vials in the storage room he tried to remember what true happiness felt like. Shelves upon shelves of emotions and feelings that he could induce himself with. But none of them were true. None of them were real. Jack stared at the Red bottle for some time, deciding whether or not he should just drown himself in it and just forget about ever leaving Wonderland. Just give in to his fate. But then, some unknown force sparked his rebellious nature, and without a thought he put down the bottle. And that was it. That night Jack fleshed out the remainder of his plans, made sure to take into account covering up his tracks, and decided that London was the place for him. Three days later, he disappeared.
Several long moments passed while Jack looked for the right words to say. He figured there was probably only one thing that Mel was hoping to hear. So Jack would just have to suck up his pride and admit the fault. Jack took a few cautious steps forward, closing the gap between the two of them. Mel’s features were even more stunning up close. The soft light of dawn made his skin practically glow. Even though it hadn’t been very long, Jack felt like he had forgotten what Mel looked like. Wonderland seemed like a lifetime ago; a distant memory. And Mel was a friend long gone. But having him close again, it felt like it did when the Cheshire cat would watch over his shoulder. And Jack really liked that. Now that Mel was in front of him, Jack almost wished he would have asked the brunette to come with him. But he knew Mel would never leave Wonderland.
“I didn’t mean to upset you and I’m sorry. I should have told you. Out of all the people in Wonderland, I should have told you,” he said, sincerely. He had the urge to hug Mel. Or, at least, pat him on the shoulder. But he didn’t. “Although, I couldn’t have exactly sent a postcard.” There wasn’t a mailing address for Wonderland as far as he knew. Jack smiled again. But, this time, it was warm and honest. “I appreciate you coming to check up on me. And to answer your question again: life could be better.”
“And you?,” he asked, “How have you been?” Jack turned, his left shoulder to Mel, and he offered his arm for the Cheshire cat to take with an impish grin. Sometimes they would walk together arm and arm in the gardens. Not very often, but it wasn’t unheard of. The best Jack could do for leaving Mel out of the loop was to just pick up where they left off. He was mediocre at apologies, but he was good at distractions. Jack began to lead them down the path beside the Thames, traveling away from the rising sun toward his flat. A few joggers passed them by, but other than that, they strolled alone. “So, I have to know, how many heads rolled after I left?” he asked. Jack hoped people he liked hadn’t been made victims.
Apple Bunns
Dapper Lunatic
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Ｍｅｌｖｉｎ Ｘｅｒｘｅｓ
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- The acknowledgement from the Knave that the entire escape plan was premeditated, with the knowledge that Cheshire would not be told, pleased him. The truth was mostly what Mel wanted from his friend, and he would have taken that as opposed to an insincere apology any day. The general consensus was that the truth is too harsh to be told so the gentle white lie would be used instead. Cheshire could not agree with this in any shape of form, thinking that white lies were insidious things that allowed people to create a world made up of these half truths until they no longer recognized the lies from the truth, or the truths from the lies. Much of the staff in Wonderland lived in a world spun by these lies, except the lies were created by the manufactured drugs. Even Queen Delilah lived in a world filled with lies and cruelty of her own making. The truth brought Mel a cold comfort that the drugs never could.
His expression eased a little as Jack came closer to him and suddenly they were within arm's reach of one another. Mel was especially placated by the rational part of him that knew it was important Jack made his escape unhindered. Up close he could see the conflict and genuine remorse from his friend's expression, which provided a surprisingly comforting balm for his earlier hurt. Perhaps it was because he was truly satisfied with the truth that he was momentarily caught off guard by the apology. It was not too obvious on his face other than the second of shock before it was gone within the blink of an eye, and Mel regained his footing of the situation. This time he did smile genuinely, a smile not so wide as the trademark grin he usually gave all his peers and clientele. Any lingering bitterness seemed to fade for now.
A chuckle slipped past the pinkish lips while the Cheshire Cat turned his entire body so that he stood shoulder to shoulder with his friend. "A postcard would not have sufficed for the confusion and chaos you caused when the entirety of Wonderland realized you were missing." Mel turned so that he could loop his right arm within his friend's and together they walked down the street without a hint of awkwardness.
"A better establishment for your employment can be found for you." Cheshire said casually, leaving the option on the table. It would not be an occupation that paid exorbitant amounts of money, but it would be better than however much Jack was getting paid at Velvet. The job would be in a nicer environment as well, allowing his friend a nicer place to live that he could afford as well. Mel did not push the issue and instead made an uncaring gesture with his left hand. "I am fine. There has been no change in Wonderland since your departure. There rarely ever is. Business was as usual, even the head rolling sort." It was true. Life in Wonderland could be predictable barring any major events happening. Even the executions were a part of the norm despite it only happening once every few decades.
Carefully he picked his answer that was neither a lie, nor too harsh. "Their punishments were swift and did not last long. The Queen has already forgotten her anger and everyone had returned to their jobs." It was unavoidable that others had suffered due to Jack's actions and there was no escaping from that. In the history of Wonderland, no one had ever tried to leave before, let alone succeed in abandoning their drug addled past. The only time anyone left was when the queen executed them; kicking them out of wonderland therefore leaving them to die without resources. Most of the inhabitants were bitter towards the Knave for angering the Queen, thus forcing them to be punished on his behalf. Cheshire felt no such bitterness in that sense, although he was bitter about not being told. Mel had been heavily punished by Delilah at first when she believed he had been the one to help Jack escape.
Not many of Wonderland's characters regularly left their fantastical hell, and only Cheshire was able to come and go at will. Rarely was he punished, but this time he was. After living so long there was admittedly very little that affected Melvin and he lived a relatively free lifestyle in contradiction to his occupation. That was why he was relatively surprised by himself when he became so attached to Jack, if he would admit that he formed an attachment to the man. It was also why Delilah believed he had helped Jack form plans to leave Wonderland.
When she found out that Melvin knew nothing of Jack's plan, she laughed at their sham of a friendship and released him from his punishment.
He would laugh at her now for he had found Jack when her deck of cards had failed. Of course it would have to be in the privacy of his own mind if Mel did not want her to find out the truth. Still, self satisfaction was all he ever needed. They walked down the street next to the strong scent of the Thames. Their silence was comfortable and it gave Cheshire a few moments to regain his equilibrium from greeting his friend with so much anger. As they walked, the Thames to their left, and the residential area to their right, the condition of the housing grew worse and worse. There were quite a few apartments that looked like they were in dire need of some renovation to be safe to live in, yet Mel knew there had to be people living in them.
Compared to the homes of the impoverished back in the 1500's, Cheshire was not too phased by the conditions of the homes in this modern day. Soon they left the street by the Thames and he followed Jack's lead while casually taking notice of the neighborhood. "How did you manage to slip past the Queen's defenses so easily?" With his minimal magic left from the past, if Melvin decided he wanted to disappear, it was entirely possible. As it was he left and came freely because it was a part of his tasks so it was not strange for him to leave. He suspected that for the most part Delilah did not want him around while she continued along her tyrannical ways. "It is good knowledge to have if I ever plan on pulling a disappearing trick." This time he smiled mischievously at Jack. No one knew of his ability to manipulate the shadows; they thought he was just incredibly clever.
un deux toz
Shameless Enabler
- Jack was a little smug about causing havoc in the aftermath of his disappearance. There was something incredibly satisfying with sticking it to the man. Or the woman in this case. He understood that there would be consequences and that some people would get hurt from it. But, really, it wasn’t anything they hadn’t dealt with in the past. Also, there were few people in Wonderland Jack really cared that much about. Mel was the outstanding exception. But he really would have loved to see that -- the look on Queen Delilah’s face when the white rabbit approached her with some tropical looking postcard. On the front print it would say ‘Wish You Were Here!’ in big, scrolling gold letters. And on the back Jack would write ‘Not.’ and sign his name. It was a shame he hadn’t thought of doing such a thing before. Although, Mel was right, it would have hardly made anything better.
So Mel had been following him since Velvet, had he? Jack grinned and quirked an eyebrow. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Velvet is fine, high class establishment to work.” He didn’t even bother to feign being hurt. Comparing Velvet to Wonderland was like comparing vending machine jewelry to a De Beers diamond necklace -- they weren’t in the same league. Suffice to say, Jack was touched that Mel would even offer to help pull his resources to find him better work. The cheshire cat had that kind of networking wherever he went, it seemed. A phone call to a wealthy client could probably get him working in an office at 10 Downing Street. Hardly where Jack wanted to be, but it was humorous imagining himself at a desk in a suit. As appealing as a better flat sounded, there was something about making his own way in the world that was rewarding. Jack had been the one to go out looking for work and he had been successful. He felt like his foray into reality was his first individual success. “I think I’m willing to stick it out another couple of weeks. Who knows, I may get a promotion to head of security.” He patted Mel’s hand that was rested on his arm and winked. It was a joke. Jack never wanted to be the head of anything. Taking responsibility was not his strong point.
Although glad to hear that things didn’t all go to hell, Jack hardly felt much guilt over his colleagues being punished. That was how the world worked. However, now that Mel was in front of him, he realized he had not only left him out of the loop but also put him in harm’s way. It wasn’t a secret that Jack and Mel were closer than most. Queen Delilah was well aware and it didn’t cross Jack’s mind that she might go for the one person who might have known about his plans to leave. The thoughts stewed in his mind as they walked quietly down the riverside cobblestones.
Jack had made very few friends since leaving Wonderland. The Queen had all sorts of eyes and ears out in reality. With paranoia always lingering, he found it hard to trust anyone further than he could throw them. He had almost forgotten what true companionship was like. Such as taking a stroll with a friend or having to apologize for hurting someone’s feelings. A smile had settled on Jack’s face as they meandered, pleased that a friend had come to visit him. Although, just as they started to wander into the dodgy part of the city, Jack remembered he hadn’t done much to spruce up his flat since he had arrived. If Mel was unimpressed with his work environment, he was hardly going to be satisfied with the Knave’s living space. Around them, the city was waking up with the rising sun. People walked by them frequently and red buses were picking up a dozen citizens a stop on their way to work. Jack had fallen in love with London the moment he stepped foot in Trafalgar Square. He wondered if Mel saw the majesty of it or if he just saw a bunch of run down buildings.
They turned onto Jack’s street just as Mel asked how he managed to escape. Jack smirked, feeling rather proud that the ever so slippery Cheshire cat wanted to know his methods. Unfortunately, it was a lot more simple of an answer than Jack wished. “The Queen once slipped to me that she had an exit. Never told me where, but wherever the cards are is someplace important to her.” It had taken numerous stake outs and night adventures to figure out where. “In the end, turns out it was a rabbit hole in the Tulgey Woods. No one bothers to go out there, so that was a perfect place for it.” Fortunately for Jack, he was not as afraid of the woods as others. As he had always lived outside near the trees. Jack grinned wider. “As for the guards, well; you have a lot at your fingertips when you’re the drug curator in a brothel.” Oh, the concoctions he could make. The damage he could do. But Jack wasn’t entirely cruel. Just a very heavy sedative -- perhaps something akin to horse tranquilizers -- put into the tea for the Queen’s deck on their night shift. It had about four times the strength of what the Doormouse ordered when he went to sleep at night. There wasn’t waking those guards until the next afternoon. But that had been the easy part. The harder part was covering his tracks and the initial planning, like fudging some numbers in the inventory books so the Queen wouldn’t get suspicious.
When the door to his apartment building was in sight, Jack reached into his jacket pocket for his keys. It really wasn’t much to look at. An old, crumbling red brick building shoved in between two other shady looking ones. The white paint was peeling off of the door and each of the windowsills and at the foot of the front door was a plant that seemed to have been dead for months but no one bothered with it. The place had eight flats in it and all of them had unscrupulous renters. Jack had no intentions of ever making friends with them. “Home sweet home,” he said, opening up the front door and allowing Mel to step inside.
“Up this way,” he said, after turning the lock on the front door. Jack took the lead from Mel and headed up a very narrow flight of well used stairs. Each level had two flats, starting at the base level. Jack’s was at the very top, with his windows facing the street. Three flights of stairs every time he had to go down to the basement and use the laundry machine. It was wonderful. “You’ll, uh, have to excuse the state of it,” he said, as he pulled out a second key for his own personal flat. He smiled sheepishly at Mel behind him. “Wasn’t really expecting a visitor.”
Jack turned the knob, stepped inside before Mel, and shut it once his friend had walked in. It was small. But that was one of it’s more charming qualities. Right inside of the front door was the main space, meant to be the living room-slash-dining area-slash bedroom. Jack stepped off to the left to push aside the canvas curtains so that the two large windows could illuminate the flat. There was a mattress on the floor in one corner, moderately sized dresser beside it (with all of the drawers open and clothes spilling out), and two mismatched chairs sitting opposite each other with a rickety fold up table between them. The landlady had been kind enough to bring him a welcome gift -- a small potted flower plant that sat in the middle of said table -- which he actually tended and watered regularly. Around the left wall was the kitchen. Dirty, though obviously fairly unused. Jack was mostly subconscious about the magazines surrounding his unmade mattress and quickly moved to shove them beneath the dresser. He looked to gauge Mel’s reaction. “Isn’t much. Haven’t been able to get some real furniture. Been able to pick up some stuff at yard sales and the like.” Jack rubbed the back of his neck nervously. The judgement from Mel was inevitable.
“I would offer you something but...” he quickly moved across the threshold to the refrigerator in the kitchen and opened it. There was a jar of jam, three bottles of beer, and the leftover Indian food he had gotten the other night. He shut the door quickly and looked to Mel. “But the only thing I’ve got is cheap beer. That an tap water and I would definitely not suggest that. Not with these pipes.” Jack gestured vaguely to the sink.
He looked at Mel standing in his flat and Jack got a sudden sense of pride. Although it was small, unfurnished, and dingy, it was all his. It was his freedom that he had worked for and won. He hoped that Mel was able to look past the unsightliness of it all and see what it meant to him. Especially to have Mel there with him. “It really is good to see you. I’m glad you’re here.” The honesty and tenderness that came from his lips surprised even him. And Jack was quick to clear his throat and move to another subject. Perhaps, a rather sore one.
“When I left,” he began, “Did Delilah come after you? Did she think you had something to do with my plans?” Jack took off his leather jacket and draped it over the back of one of the chairs. He offered a seat to Mel in return.