baking.
Ah, this felt good.
Rain had pelted outside, it clearly furious as it spotted everything it could touch, which was nearly the whole city under the storm. Poor Gilbert had been stuck in the harsh shower until it was safe enough to cross. By safe enough, it was more then half an hour of waiting there. Warmth now flooded around him, heating up his damp skin, slowly being drained further into his body. Oz had seen the state he was in, all wet and a bit muddy, and merely agreed that before cooking, he'd need a bath. So, here he was, hot air covering the bathroom as he soaked. He had just finished washing, specks of soap being rolled over.
Sure, it was sort of nasty, he was in his own filth from the rain and before that! But a quick shower would have drained any strength that he had left with standing, so what was the point? Questions like these, meaningless yet somewhat bothersome, filled his head. They quickly disappeared from him after his sudden calmness refused to be bothered by little things. This was heaven, his idea of it, all sweet and no sour. Oz's seal had vanished, Elliot had never been tied to Humpty Dumpty, Alice wasn't so needy of his master, pretty much everyone was in glee here, smiles all over, laughing sure to follow. Hell could wait and sneak up on them, but there would always be a way to destroy it.
Even the dead were alive and purely happy with them. When were they dead, anyway? Not a single bad thing happened here, it was just glorious; peaceful. A sleepy feeling, all warm, fuzzy, and welcoming then grabbed Gilbert, a yawn escaping his mouth as he was kept inside it. He was never tired like this before. Another question. How was he even tired?
Everyone was all asleep, after all, dreaming like this. Bound to never wake up from the disease that had stolen them away from reality, and gave them this city as a present, one too good to refuse. People wanted to stay here, after their horrible lives, wanting to remain in this place. All was well, nice and wonderful.
(But it hurt like hell inside. Imagine the others, in the hospital, waiting for their eyes to open...)
Shaking his head, Gilbert once more told himself something silly. He had said it ever since he found out the truth. It was simple. Everyone before had said it, anyway. In the real world.
Stay happy. That's all that matters.