Chapter 12
Wonderland is not a Playhouse
-~:{+}:~-
"Ah, what a beautiful day~" Elise said, yawningly. Having rest after her little misadventure was certainly something she thought of as pleasant. The sky was that of midday, with the sun high in the sky, but the weather was quite mild, a breeze to calm the sun's stare. Walking among the halls of a palace where flowers grew everywhere made the day seem even cheerier. Then a small person ran into her.
"Oopmh! Oh, Lily?"
"Ah! Sorry Elise."
"Oh, it's no problem. Are you looking for something?"
"Actually, I was looking for you! I wanted to thank you for earlier." The young girl looked up at her with big blue saucers, smiling.
{S-so cute}
Lily was a cute girl, practically rendering others defenseless. Regardless, Elise simply liked the twelve-year old. The girl was nice.
"It was no issue, especially since I'm stuck here. If you have any problems, you can always ask me, deal?"
"Really? Sure!" The two were just beaming sunshine at the other. Elise really did have a thing for cute children. Probably because she rarely encountered ones that seemed genuine.
{Argh! She's just adorable, even if she is a bit older I would just love to hug her right now. Nothing like myself when I was her age… Or the kids back home… Ughhh, they're probably setting something on fire…}
Elise did grow up quite the tomboy. And she was a mean one too, at least towards her little brother. She was still mean to him later on too. Yet all the other children assumed she was a shy, nice, shrinking violet type. Then again, she never talked, just sat in the classroom, bored. Never listening to teachers because there was no need for her to do so. She grew up with a reputation for being smart, but never really gave a damn until she made friends in middle school.
"So, you too seem to be having a very, very, fun time~" came a voice. It was that of Aria arriving with a maid. Sunny as always.
"Oh, good-day." replied Elise
"Good-day to you too~ So how are feeling today, you seem right as rain! I'm sure that everything went alright before. Well, what are you planning for today?"
{Wow, does she breathe sometimes? She started very relaxed then everything went at high-speed…}
"Ah, well, everything's fine, but I was wondering about exploring today. I would like to learn more information about this world, so I thought looking around would be a good idea."
Aria seemed to just stare at nothing, almost quizzically, as if thinking about something. She stood there, looking like she was about to respond but nothing happening. Lily broke the silence when she tugged at Aria's arm.
"What about the Library?"
"Oh, that's a wonderful idea, Lily~" cheered the monarch.
"Library…" Elise was reflecting back on not to long ago.
{Do they mean the one I arrived in? It was a large, grand place, with lots of books-}
"-but that librarian" She thought out loud.
"Have you met the bookkeeper already?" Asked Lily.
"Yes, but he wasn't very pleasant…"
{He was so rude in such a way! Bah! I don't like him… Then again, I suppose I do have to meet with him again, don't I? That stupid vial!}
"Ah… You've meet that mean librarian… You know, despite the library being run by him, it does hold records for all of Wonderland. I never get to interact with him much unless I need to know something, but he's probably just overworked being the record-keeper, he does that sometimes too, you see. And you'll probably need some of the information in those dusty books, seems like they need love anyways. I think you should go! Plus you might find it fun, as there's more than just reference materials~" The queen barely even took a breath. Her speaking could be taken as impressive, and perhaps a bit idiosyncratic. Aria's face shifted when she talked as well, reflecting and emphasizing what she was saying. If only she didn't trail off so much, or get distracted by other things.
"Well, either way, you should be going then, Elise!" Lily asked the maid nearby if she could lead the elder girl in the right direction.
"I guess I'll see you later then." She waived at the two residents of the palace.
-~:{+}:~-
After walking with the maid a while, the two were at least on the main floor by now. Elise didn't really like the silence today for some reason, so decided to try and chat with the maid. Perhaps to help her see the faceless peoples in a more normal light.
"Excuse me, could you answer me something?"
"Yes?"
"I'm curious. What is the relation between Aria and Lily?"
"Oh Lily is the most recent pawn of Aria's, and Aria treats her almost like a daughter at times. Other times, they're like sisters."
{That explains her protectiveness I saw the other day…}
One question was answered, but it was just a distraction for another thought pestering her.
"Umm, can I ask you another question?"
"What is it ma'am?"
{Ma'am… You'd think I would be annoyed by being called that…}
"Well, are you perhaps the maid that woke me up yesterday. You seem familiar…"
"Well… no."
{Ooppsie. This is a bit awkward…}
Elise begun to scan her mind to find a way to correct her mistake. She didn't like to confuse people like that, and it wasn't a situation she could brush off easily, like some other times. Apparently, she didn't have to lighten her mistake.
"But you were very close. That was my sister. I'm honestly a bit surprised that you would notice that we looked similar." The maid smiled. "Actually, the role-holders themselves can't really tell us apart, so this is definitely rare."
"I guess I don't find it that hard. There are little details that you have that can help me tell you apart. I'm an artsy person, and I'm really good with details. So I should know, I've spent three months drawing just half of a face before."
"Three months?"
"Yeah, craftsmanship is a priority for me." She was practically boasting. "Good art does take time!"
"If you don't mind me asking, does everyone in your world have a face?"
"Yeah. Doesn't matter if they're important or not."
"Really! That's amazing!"
"Well, it's normal for me…"
"But such a thing really doesn't happen here. If you play an important role, then you have a face. Just like that."
{And the rest are like background extras in a movie… Perhaps they're closer to what I consider normal than this world's lead actors, since most people don't play the star.}
"Very different from my world. People write their own stories, not act out another's script…"
{Then again, maybe these worlds aren't so different…}
The two arrived at the front gate, leading out towards the city. Looking up at the large metal frame, it glittered in the sun while it opened.
"You know, miss, I really like talking to you. Send you sister my regards."
Notes: Art people notice stuff. It is an amateurish mistake to mess with the details of a drawing first, but yeah… Some people just do work that way though.
Elise does have a weakness for any child she doesn't witness committing arson. The children of her neighborhood aren't in that group…
And I wrote this entire thing with a splitting headache...
x(
This feels more like a breather chapter anyways, but it does have some importance!
