Re: Alice in Zero
Chapter 1 A curious book
AN: Just letting people know that this takes place in the brief interlude in arc 3 right before they visit the capital for the royal selection, a week before they leave.
Natsuki Subaru is nervous due to the fact that they were leaving in a week's time to the capital, he is relieved that after so much pain and suffering he has managed to save Rem and put himself in the good graces with all the residents of the mansion.
Even the pink haired maid was treating him with a slightly less venomous tone, yet only slightly.
Right now he is sitting down on the carpeted floor in his second favorite place inside the mansion, The forbidden library.
This place isn't built like the others, as a rather obstinate overseer is in charge of it, the Great Spirit Beatrice.
She is currently curled up on her favorite step stool going over a book which the black haired boy wishes he could understand for the life of him.
Yet he has only been learning basic I glyphs and has barely managed to retain the foundations of said alphabet. With a sigh he puts another book back on the bookshelf as he speaks:
"Beako-chan, don't you want to go outside and enjoy the sun? It's a beautiful day!"
Here Subaru strikes a pose with his finger pointing towards the door leading them towards the exit of the forbidden library. Here the drill loli just turns another page as she utters:
"You are one of the most annoying men I have ever known, in fact. If Betty wasn't currently engrossed with this book that I fancy, then I would have already blasted you out these doors, I suppose."
Her magenta butterfly irises are scanning the book as she is truly captivated and lost upon the pages. Noticing that the butler kept looking at her and pointing towards the door, she makes a shooing motion with her hand to Subaru, yet her cheeks flush a bit red at dismissing him so brashly upon seeing his dejected face.
For some odd reason she relishes a bit of the company that this strange boy gives her, she may need to read another book on how to find out what these feelings are, and with swiftness extinguish them.
"I knew it! Beako is such a tsundere, what a great day to confirm it." Laughs Subaru as he clenches his stomach, unaware that his laughter made this drill loli turn a tad scary.
"Hmph, you want to call Betty by such queer and odd names without expecting this cute lady to get upset, I wonder? Well you are completely wrong, just go away this instance!" She replies as she casts a spell that is directed towards Subaru, one the boy has grown intimately aware of.
However, he smirks and had already predicted this course of action and barely manages to evade the yin force.
Unaware, that he had miscalculated and with a yelp of surprise falls on a bookshelf and manages to fall to the ground and bring several heavy tomes down with him, several hitting his head.
"Look at this mess you made Subaru! For a butler employed under this estate I have to question the veracity of your abilities, in fact!" Mutters a very annoyed librarian who approaches the downed boy to pick up and replace the books that had fallen. Making sure to step on him as punishment.
"It was an accident Beako, I'm sorry!" Here the boy has gotten on his knees as he supplicates for mercy from the drill loli, who is looking at him like an executioner does to their prey.
Some time had passed after Beatrice had managed to put the books back in order, with Subaru helping her with the remaining ones that were a tad bit too far from her reach as she is rather petite.
Now, she was thinking on how to punish this miscreant that dared bother her so often until she glances at the last book she was putting away and stops.
Subaru is wiping away the sweat on his forehead with a nearby towel as he notices the adorable drill loli looking at a certain book with a scrunched up face.
Curious, he approaches her and asks what is going on with that book. Beatrice, having forgotten she had wanted to punish this man just mere moments ago replies back thoughtfully:
"How curious this book is, I suppose. Betty has been living here for four hundred years and not once has seen this book, yet it feels rather familiar. I can't read the characters on this book, it's like it is in a foreign language yet there is a caricature of a young girl with blonde hair on the cover, in fact."
Subaru gets closer and peaks over Beatrice's shoulders, seemingly frozen in place as familiar words in a language he was rusty in showed up. He excitedly asks if he can see the book. The drill loli scrunches up her face even more but decides why not and hands it over.
He examines the book, it is a dark blue color and words he never expected to see in this world popped up as he thinks:
"This book is in English, how rare to see that. My English is rather rusty if I have to speak it, however all the courses I took online when bored at home to read English books helped me understand it quite well. Now let's see the title."
With a surprised yet nostalgic expression he remembers how often he used to read this book, at this point the smart Beatrice had understood by how Subaru was staring at the book that he must have some knowledge about it. With a pout she demanded:
"Well are you going to say what that book is, I wonder? If you do then Betty may forgive you upon your earlier transgressions, in fact."
The black haired boy smiles and replies:
"Do you like children's books Beako? One's full of wonder, character development, and the exploration of a young girls curious mind? Then this book may interest you, since it used to be my personal favorite back home when I was younger.
"Well Betty is four hundred years old, in fact. I do not have time to be engaging with children books, however since this is a book Betty has never seen, I suppose it would be fine for you to inform this cute lady what it may be about."
Lied a drill loli while her eyes shine with curiosity, as she loved old fables that populated the land, as well as children's books she has read countless times.
Subaru smirks and lays down on the ground, gesturing for Beatrice to join him. She huffs but with an ever intense burning intrigue settles down on her step stool as she gets closer to the young man.
Their positions are reversed, as it is now Subaru holding an item that Beatrice cannot read or make sense of, and after the teasing words and scant information shown to her. She desires to know even more.
Subaru clears his throat, and as a camp counselor with his entourage settled around a burning fire in the middle of the night he begins narrating the tales:
"This book is called Alice in Wonderland, and in it is written the tale of a young seven year old girl named Alice Pleasance Liddell. Alice and her sister Delilah are sitting under a tree when Alice sees the White Rabbit hurry down a rabbit hole. Alice follows the white rabbit into Wonderland."
"Wait, are you talking about one of the great ma beasts, the white Hare?!" Here Beatrice interrupts as she is already beginning to warm up to the girl named Alice, as she too wished to go on adventures, yet the duties her mother imposed on her made such ideas merely fantasy.
Subaru smiles and shakes his head as he explains:
"This is a children's book from where I used to live, written several centuries ago. The book became an international sensation due to the emotions and nonsensical literacies it came up with. So take everything with a grain of salt as it isn't real, unlike the monsters and ma beasts that populate this world."
Here Subaru's mind flashes back to the Wolgram attack he and the residents of the manor suffered recently. Yet, before he can think even more about the scenario that plagued him so deeply, Beako speaks:
"Well, what in the devil are you waiting for, I suppose? Keep going for Betty is rather curious to know more about this girl called Alice."
His mind set back on the right track, he smiles and continues the explanation:
" After Alice followed the White Rabbit into Wonderland, she has a series of marvelously imaginative adventures. While Searching for the White Rabbit, Alice meets the Cheshire cat, a playful yet cunning feline who can appear and disappear at will."
"I do not know why, however the way you describe this so called Cheshire cat reminds me greatly of Roswall." Utters Beatrice as she had unconsciously sat in the lap of Subaru eager to learn more. Her eyes and mind are already imaging fantastical and improbable scenarios in this bizarre world known as Wonderland.
Where according to Subaru, up could be down and down could go around, for Wonderland logic was as skewed as the towering mushrooms that pierced the skies inside of it.
Subaru saw some of the similarities, and he had to agree that Roswall and the Cheshire Cat are frighteningly familiar. Both are sly with their prey, both never reveal all the facts, holding them as poker players hold their cards tight to the chest. And both having sinister grins while seemingly mad.
He shakes his head as he teases the adorable drill loli who is still day dreaming about Wonderland:
"Well you hit the nail on the head with that comment Beako. They both are quite cunning folks, something that poor Alice will find out. On the advice of the Cheshire Cat, Alice attends a tea party at the March Hare's house, where she meets the Mad Hatter."
"Another rabbit? And who is this so called Mad Hatter? He sounds like a lunatic, in fact." Replies Betty as she sees some of the illustrations on the book that confirm her suspicions.
Subaru laughs as he keeps narrating the story of Alice In Wonderland to an excited Beatrice, who falls in love with the deep allusions and many nonsensical phrases and words found in the book. So the duo pass their time in peace.
(Scene Change)
Subaru finished reading for Beatrice and after answering her myriad questions and telling her there was a sequel she demanded he go at once and try to write down what he remembered. Sighing tiredly he finally lays on his bed after changing to his pajamas as he thinks:
"That was quite the ordeal, I would've never thought that Beatrice would like the book so much. Oh well, it is so odd to find it in her forbidden library yet I'm glad I got to at least keep a piece of my world with me. Dad, Mom, I've no idea where you are or how you are thinking, since I remember both of you used to read me this story when I was young."
Here Subaru has flashbacks to all that happened to him, the attacks by Elsa, his numerous deaths, the sheer inability to fight back without having strong allies. His mistakes at the mansion it all comes back as he has been having nightmares frequently, having to spend extra time in the mirror to make sure his mask of a smile looked fine.
He is happy that everyone was saved in comparison to his last loops and that Emilia, the girl who holds a special place in her heart is taking the first steps towards her destiny. Becoming involved in the royal selection, he knows it will be tough and he hates his weakness for not being able to contribute.
Before letting himself spiral too deep in thought his hand brushes on the book he brought back with him. Picking it up and looking at the cover he quotes one of his favorite sentences said by Alice:
"When I used to read fairy tales, I fancied that kind of thing never happened, and now here I am in the middle of one."
"Me too Alice, me too, only this isn't a fairy tale but a horror story for myself."
Here Subaru closed his eyes and exhaled as he mentally counted towards ten. After reaching his goal he put on a smile and said to no one to himself:
" I can't let that dreary mentality get to me, I need to at least try to get some sleep. After all tomorrow I will go on another date with Emilia-Tan, I can't let myself feel sad, Natsuki Subaru is logging off for the night!"
He chuckles as he murmurs words of when he played online video games and drifts off to sleep as he counts from one puck to one hundred pucks, one of his new ways to cope instead of counting sheep, his eyelids close as he drifts off and has a sleep without nightmares.
(After a Peaceful Night)
Sometime later the light of the rising sun started seeping in through the windows, bypassing the thin curtains and illuminating the room, making a young man sleeping wake up prematurely. He yawns as he sits up and leans on the headboard of his bed, while stretching his arms and already thinking of the day he feels a weight on his bed.
Startled he looks down and his mind freezes. For on his bed there is a young girl with blonde hair sleeping soundly in a yellow dress, one of her hands curled up towards her chest. Subaru is bewildered at who this person is until they slowly start waking up with a yawn as well. Her eyes open and dazzling blue eyes stare at this stranger in bewilderment.
She looks around the room and notices how barren it seems with the exception of a cupboard, dresser, desk, and the bed she is laying on. She gets off quickly and brushes off imaginary lint from her bright dress and curtsies. She says:
"Excuse me sir, I appear to have woken up by your side, completely by accident I assure you. Last thing I per chance recall is arguing with the March Hare about some silly baubles or trinkets that the Mad Hatter had a vested interest in."
Here Subaru has an inkling of suspicion, yet he is hoping he is either hallucinating or that this is still a mad dream:
"Who are you if I may ask?' Subaru still has his pride and dignity of a butler to not freak out, especially against such an adorable girl who is displaying impeccable manners while taking in the room and her audience with curious eyes. Reminding him of Beatrice as he thinks:
"Oh no, what if she is really-." The girl in question puts one finger on her chin as if trying to recall and then explains:
"I-I hardly know, Sir, just at present- at least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then. My name is Alice Pleasance Liddell, and I do believe I am not in Wonderland anymore, oh dear."
Subaru's head hits the headboard as he thinks:
"Here we go again."
Author's notes:
Hmmmmmmmmmmmm, I have not much to say since this was a midnight idea that I shared in the server as a concept that would be funny. And now became reality. So just to clarify I suppose:
This Alice will be a fusion between the Alice from the original book, the Alice in Insanity books, and Alice into the madness video game.
Alice is rather broken due to wonderlastic nonsense literacies that you shall all see soon.
This is, I guess crack? Yet serious crack? If that even exits, It will have humorous moments and rather interesting battle moments as well, most of all wholesome moments.
Beatrice just found a new best friend :)