Alice thought- as quirky as Hatter was- he'd have an ear for some indie, hipster-style music.
Alice was horribly wrong.
Hatter hated music.
"What's all this noise?" he grumbled, shutting the radio off just as soon as Alice turned it on.
"... Music?" she replied, a bit put-off.
"Music?" Hatter wrinkled his nose like he'd had some bad tea. "It sounds terrible. What's wrong with normal noise?"
"Nothing..? Music's fun to listen to. Did they not have it in Wonderland?"
"No, we didn't have 'music.'" He forced out the word as if it left a strange aftertaste on his tongue. "We listened to normal things like normal people." Alice blinked, suddenly appalled. No music? They had invented a way to drink emotions, but didn't have music?
"Well, I like it. Turn it back on, please."
Hatter rolled his eyes. "Alice, it sounds weird. Don't you have... Phone-heads or whatever here?"
"Headphones? No." It was Alice's turn to roll her eyes. Her mother had passed down her love for music- that was, blaring music throughout an entire household. Headphones were not a 'thing.'
"Hmmph." Hatter still didn't turn it on, even after he hung up his jacket. He flopped on the couch next to Alice, flicking on the tv. She hardly noticed.
"H-how do you not have or like music?" she asked, still dumbfounded by his earlier point. "It's- it's-"
"It gets in the way."
"Of what?" Alice persisted, bewildered.
"Of normal noises. Background noises. The Scarab- er, cars; people talking; electricity humming; leaves rustling; animals; the tv, here, I guess; the like."
"But there are amazing singers, and musicians-"
"It's unnatural. Why would you want your voice to go that high? Or hold out a- a-"
"A note-" she proffered.
"-yeah, a note- for so long?" Hatter shook his head. "Talking is much better."
"There's rap…"
"Rap?"
"Where they talk really fast and rhyme?"
"Oh, god, no. I guess that's what a boy was listening to in the subway today." Hatter shuttered. "It was so loud, and the things he said-!" Alice almost grinned.
"I mean, really, Alice. What use is there for music?"
"Hatter-" Alice opened her mouth to argue… and realized she couldn't. Alice loved music- needed might have been excessive, but it was a big part of her life. There wasn't really a use for it, per se, but it was… helpful? Useful?
"Exactly." Hatter smirked, which made Alice bristle.
"Hatter, music is important. It's- it's like-" suddenly she figured it out. "It's like the emotion teas, but for humans."
Hatter frowned. "Alice, that's ridiculous."
"No, no. Music can make people feel a certain way. It can cheer you up, or make you sad, or put you to sleep or wake you up…" She saw Hatter staring at her with narrowed eyes and glared back.
"It's important!" she insisted, but to no avail. Hatter shook his head and sighed.
"Okay, Alice."
"You know what? I'm going to find music you like."
Hatter scoffed. "Impossible."
"You're telling me nobody in Wonderland sings?"
"Well, except Charlie."
Alice had to laugh at that, making Hatter grin and imitate "heyyy, Nonny nonny" terribly- which made her laugh even more.
"I readily accept the challenge of finding music you like, Hatter."
He scoffed. "Good luck with that one, love."
