Methods of Amusement

~Chapter Three~

Cheshire Cat

I turn to this guy, "Gowland", and hold out my hand with a grin to match his. "I'm Shiki, it's nice to meet you!"

He shakes my hand happily. "I'm Gowland, the owner of this fine establishment! I don't think I've seen you around before, may I ask where you're from?"

I let out a sheepish laugh. "Not from here, that's for sure. Julius called me a foreigner."

Gowland's eyes light up, reminding me very much of a child on Christmas who just received a gift he's wanted for a very long time. "Oh, so you're an Outsider, not from this world?"

I nod in affirmation, grinning. This guy is seriously awesome, honestly. I find it hard to match him to the word 'trigger-happy' that Julius used to sum up the people of this world. "Yup. Back in my world, I'm from a place called Australia."

"That place sounds fun." Gowland says excitedly. "How long have you been in Wonderland?"

Uh, how long have I been here? "Uh, I dunno, a day? About twenty time periods? I'm not sure how you measure time here, considering the random time-of-day changes."

Gowland laughs a little at my response. "Eh, doesn't really matter. Here, let me give you a tour of the park!"

I happily oblige, and for the next two time periods Gowland gives me a first-class tour of the entire park, complete with running commentary. I can't help but laugh at his silly introductions for the different sections of the Amusement Park. Gowland seems pleased I find him so amusing, which kinda makes me want to keep making him happy. It's endearing; the man is like a huge overgrown child.

"And now we get to the rollercoaster section, each and every one of them created and thought up by yours truly." Gowland croons proudly, gazing at the rollercoasters with a maternal love.

I simply gaze on in amazement; each rollercoaster eliciting a new level of excitement in me I never knew was possible. Several of them seem to be defying the laws of logic, among many others. Like, say, the law of gravity.

"Gowland, this is so cool! You're like the cool parent I always wanted but never got." I say earnestly, flashing him the brightest grin I have.

The theme park owner seems flattered as he grins back with equal brilliance. "And you're like the adorable pet puppy I always wanted but never got."

"Haha," I laugh, pondering which rollercoaster to go on first. I simply can't leave before getting on one! It'd be committing a capital offense!

"Oh, oh oh oh can I please try one out? What's the best, most exciting one you've got, Gowland?!" I burst, no longer able to contain myself.

I don't know what it is about Amusement Parks, but they just set me off. I have so much fun it's probably not even humanly possible.

Gowland seems delighted at my absolute enthusiasm and happily leads me to the wildest looking rollercoaster I have ever set eyes on. There is the biggest line leading up to it, but Gowland simply waltzes on up to the front where the workers stand like he owns the place.

Oh, wait. He does own the place.

I follow obediently behind him, quivering a little in excitement due to the adrenaline coursing through my body at the thought of such a thrill. I allow my eyes to take in the monstrosity of a ride, and notice several (hundred) health hazards but none of them seem that life threatening so I don't really give a— oh. My, I almost said a naughty word.

We reach the front of the line in no time at all, which is probably due the small insignificant fact that Gowland owns the park and everything in it. Said man exchanges a few quick words with a faceless employee before turning back around to me. He flicks his wrist, a golden card appearing out of thin air. I try to read the words printed creatively on there but the maroon-haired man moves his hand to present the card to me.

"This," he says, looking rather pleased with himself. "Is a platinum pass to the park. You can immediately jump to the front of the line, get in free, things like that. You think it, it does it!"

...

I think I just spontaneously combusted from pure joy. I didn't think it was possible for me to be this happy. I think I'm in heaven, which is peculiar because I can't seem to recall dying at any point recently. Maybe it was those twins, what did Julius call them? Oh! The Bloody Twins! Maybe it was them. Ah, but I don't recall them actually swiping at me...

I stop thinking before my brain begins to hurt and give Gowland the happiest, most radiant smile I can manage in an effort to show him just how much I appreciate it.

"Don't you worry," I beam, ecstatic. "This will be abused brilliantly— I mean, put to very good use."

Gowland grins easily, ruffling my hair a little. "That's good, I also gave one to the other foreigner, Alice, but she barely comes round and when she does it's to see Boris. She doesn't seem to like rollercoasters very much. Oh, that reminds me!"

The gregarious man spins around to talk to his employee once more. The faceless man doesn't even as much as flinch, most likely used to his boss' antics by now. "Send someone out to find and grab Boris, will you? Tell him there's someone I want him to meet."

Whilst he lists off things to do I make a mental note to ask Julius about Alice. I remember him mentioning her before with a pained and longing look, and my curiosity is absolutely killing me now. I must know!

Gowland spins back around to face me once more with a somewhat sinisterly scheming look on his face that scares me slightly. He looks like he is plotting something big and based on who he is from what I can gather I have a feeling that it will most likely end up on its head. Either that or it will end up so successful that it backfires inevitably.

Negative? Psh, no, I'm not negative.

Slipping my pass into the pocket of my pants, I proceed to follow Gowland into the area where you board the ride. The last run's customers hop off and I climb on, accompanied by the loquacious man in front of me. As other people board he simply continues to chatter amiably nonstop, which I find a delightful change from Julius's distant and mostly silent composure.

Out of nowhere, the ride rockets forward, causing a surprised squeak to escape my mouth. It quickly changes into exuberant giggles, however, as other people's screams fill my ears and the coaster twists and turns. It is simply insane, and each twist and swerve essentially defies the laws of physics. Air rushes past me and the familiar feeling of my stomach being left behind as I zoom forward embraces me.

With each coil and bend in the tracks that the coaster follows my stomach drops more and more. While some people hate the feeling and associate it with being sick, I welcome it and utilise it. The thrill, let's face it, is addictive. No matter what amusement parks always put me in a good mood.

The wild, winding ride finishes all too soon, leaving my hair in a greater state of disarray than I've ever seen before. My eyes are wide and my legs wobble from the adrenaline coursing through my body as I disembark off of the carriage.

Holy Avengers...

That was AWESOME!

I spin around, jumping a little on the spot. It's a sort of outlet so I don't burst of too many contained good feelings. "That was so cool! You thought that thing up?! Oh my jeebus, Gowland!"

Unable to contain myself I lurch forward and give Gowland a huge hug. Like seriously, I could just dies right now and my life will have been fulfilled to the fullest.

Click.

"Ah, Boris!" I hear Gowland say cheerily as a chill creeps up my spine. I have the odd feeling that something dangerous is pointed at me. Now it might just be me, but considering the fact that Julius described the residents of this country as "trigger-happy" I think it's very possible I'm about to experience a whole lot of pain.

I release Gowland and spin around with a cheery smile, coming face to face with the end of a gun. A very nice gun, might I add. A sheepish chuckle tumbles past my lips as I realise the gravity of the situation. Yep, "trigger-happy" seems to fit perfectly.

The guy holding the gun looks curious indeed. His whole image screams "catlike", but then again that could just be because of the two cat ears on top of his head and the long cat tail that sways a little from behind him. Purple hair hides one eye from view but the other is clearly visible, the golden iris with a slit for a pupil only encouraging the cat image. He is dressed in a punk sort of way, with a fluffy pink and purple boa draped over his arms adorned with badges and rings, the midriff black singlet adorned with golden metal zippers, and tight-ish black shorts with material over the top, making it seem like a skirt. Lace and buckle boots adorn his feet, which I approve of. He has numerous piercings, a few in his ears and tail and one in his belly, and a few tattoo-like marks, one just underneath his eye and a few around his belly button. But let's not forget the most important feature of this cat-guy.

The gun aimed at my head. I have to admit, though. It is a very nice, shiny gun. Very nice, and well taken care of.

Besides the point! Focus, Shiki, focus.

"That's a... very nice gun you have there... eh heh heh... ugh." I blurt unthinkingly. Wow, that was stupid, even for me. Way to go in ensuring your own death there, Shiki! The cat-guy looks surprised as he takes in my face, and hesitates a little in pulling the trigger.

"Boris, it's okay! This is the person I wanted you to meet!" Gowland gives a loud, raucous laugh, clapping me forcefully on the back. My body jerks from the force of it but it doesn't hurt.

Just like that, the cat-guy, Boris, lowers the gun and slips a grin onto his face as he relaxes his stance considerably. "Oh, okay then!"

...

Hmmm, I really don't think I should comment on the sudden mood swing.

I laugh it off, somewhat nervously. "Hi, I'm Shiki." I introduce, holding out my hand. I grin brightly. Don't let the trigger-happy cat see you're nervous! Stay calm.

Boris grins happily, shaking my hand with an exuberant force and causing my arm to bounce up and down. "I'm Boris, the Cheshire Cat. It's nice to meet you!"

I can't help the big grin that takes over my face. This guy is alright when he's not aiming a gun at your head. "Likewise." I laugh as he releases my hand. He puts his gun away, which I notice is attached to a chain which connects the hilt of the weapon to a collar-like band around his neck. Wow. That's hot.

Now that I think about it, that is a very nice six pack nestled into his toned stomach.

No! Bad Shiki, focus.

"So, Shiki, what role do you play? I don't believe I've seen you around before." Boris says amiably, a friendly smile on his face. Well, that was straightforward and to the point.

I open my mouth to answer but hesitate, not knowing what to say. I mean, Julius said it was okay to tell the Role Holders I'm a foreigner, and Boris is obviously a Role Holder because he has a face, but I'm just not sure how to go about it.

Gowland quickly solves that problem for me, however, as he slings an arm around my shoulder much like a father would their child. "This young lady here is our newest foreigner! Just got here yesterday, isn't that right, Shiki?"

I let out a breathy laugh of relief. "Yup. I fell down a big hole in my world to find myself in this world and promptly be assaulted by a rabbit. You know; the usual."

Boris grins and lets out a smooth laugh. "That sounds like how Alice got here!" Yet again with the 'Alice'. It's really starting to bother me that I don't know who they're talking about now.

I watch Boris' ears twitch curiously as they pick up all the noises around us. The do that every now and then, I notice, whenever there is a particularly loud noise they twitch and angle to pick it up better. The fur on his ears looks really soft and silky. I wonder if it really is. It could be, but I want to touch it. Just in case the temptations get to be too much, I clasp my hands together behind my back. I can't have my hands wandering up of their own accord now, can I? But his ears look so soft, and his hair too. If I could just...

No! Get a hold of yourself!

I shake myself out of my inner musings and come back to the world around me to hear Gowland rambling on about something.

"— Julius kinda dumped her here though, but what do you expect, it's Julius. But I just took her for a ride on that rollercoaster we put up just last week, and I'm pretty sure she liked it. It was fun, right, Shiki?"

I grin big and wide. "Oh yeah. I love rollercoasters. And basically everything else at amusement parks." I gush excitedly, just thinking about the theme parks back in my world. Oh my glob are they awesome.

Boris' eyes light up. "You like rollercoasters and rides? That's good! Alice doesn't like them very much, so she doesn't come here very often aside from coming to say hello."

... Twitched...

My eye... I think it just twitched a little.

Oh god that's a sign of insanity.

I force a friendly laugh past my lips, not wanting them to see just how badly I want to find out who Alice is. It seems like she's won many hearts, one of which looks to be Boris'. Ouch.

"Yeah, I've always loved theme parks and amusement parks. They have them in my world too, they have some really good ones, but this one is by far the best of them all." I say, wanting to tell them a little bit about my world.

"You have them in your world too?" Boris looks amazed at the prospect that there are more places like this even in other worlds.

I nod excitedly, noting idly that Gowland has wandered off somewhere else. "Yup. It was always my dream as a little kid to run away and live at one."

Boris gives me this huge, proud grin. "That's cool, because I live here at the Amusement Park."

Without even noticing we've begun walking somewhere else. Well, talking to Boris comes as easy and naturally as breathing so I see why I didn't notice. "You do?!" I gasp. "That is so flipping awesome!"

Boris flashes his teeth. "I certainly think so. Oh, do they have arcades at the amusement parks in your world?" he asks, his entire face animated with excitement.

Yes, praise the lord! "Hell yes, I rule the arcade!"

The catlike man in front of me flashes me a big, impish grin. "We'll see about that! I am the master of this arcade!"

We continue to banter playfully as Boris leads the way to the arcade. Personally, I really don't know how I'm going to go against one of the "trigger-happy" residents of this world if he chooses a shooting game. I mean, I did always get the high score on the machines every single time back in my world, but this guy has had actual experience with an actual gun. That kind of gives him a major advantage.

But I will not be beaten! I have more experience playing different video games than he does, I can use that!

"How about a shooting game first up." He shoots me a grin, thinking he's got this covered because, back in my world, we don't parade around with big-ass guns ready to shoot someone's head off first thing.

Ha! I'll show him!

"You're on!" I say, shooting him a confident grin. He returns it and directs us towards the biggest and most advanced one.

"Okay, I'm assuming you do know how to pick up a gun." Boris jabs playfully, picking up one from the massive console and twirling it around his fingers.

I snort at the not-so-subtle insult. "Puh-lease, kitty. I told you before, I rule these games." I pick up my own controller gun and twirl it around my fingers just as he did. He nods in appreciation, golden eyes glinting in excitement.

"Okay, let's go!"

The game is essentially the same as it is in my world, but with a sort of flare that is this world specific. The people we shoot don't have faces, and some of the beastly animals are unfamiliar. But the rules and procedures are pretty much the same. It feels kind of wrong to be shooting faceless people when I have a face and am a foreigner, but then I realise that the faceless play these games too so they mustn't be that bothered by it.

I shoot off all the right targets and do everything almost perfectly. The game finishes and I immediately check my score before looking at Boris'. My mouth drops as a message displays across the screens.

"A tie?!" I burst incredulously, hearing Boris do the same. Well then, I must be good if I tied with a pro. But I still didn't win!

"Again!" I cry as both Boris and I go at it again. Each and every time we somehow miraculously come to a tie, and it irks me as much as it amuses me— which is a lot. I think we go about another seven rounds before we begin to get anywhere. The game is just about to end, and then I get an Ultra Kill twice in a row.

"Player 2 wins!" is displayed across the screens and I whoop in joy, spinning around victoriously. Boris nearly drops his controller in disbelief and dejected shock, his tail dropping as well, before turning to me with a look of playful determination.

"Best of three!" he cries, and we continue to shoot it out. To my utter disappointment and horror, he wins the next one.

"What?" I cry, unbelieving. I was winning! I really was!

"HahaHA!" Boris croons, dancing around. His reddish-pink tail swishes happily and his ears are perked, signalling his elation.

I tear my stare away from his tempting ears and pout playfully. "Again!"

I don't know how long we continue to see who is better at the arcade, but two time changes later we're lying on a park bench outside, hands hurting immensely from so much use. We're propped up against each other, mentally exhausted from the fact in the end we ultimately came to a tie before Gowland kicked us out for hogging the machines.

But still, that was so much fun I think my brain is going to combust just from trying to come to terms with it.

Some time ago Boris went and got ice cream, and we're sitting here now finishing it up. Some decides to melt and drip down the side but I lick it up before it touches my hand. There's nothing worse than sticky skin from melted ice cream.

"Oh man," I say as the time randomly changes to dusk. "That was some quality fun."

"You got that right." Boris sighs in contentment, finishing his ice cream completely just seconds before I finish mine. "I don't think there's ever been anyone else as good as me when it comes to the arcade."

"Likewise." I agree, licking my fingers so they are free of the melted ice cream that somehow evaded my watchful eye.

"Ah, so this is where you've been hiding."

I look up to see a man with long hair and a semi-sour expression. "Oh, hey Julius!" I greet as Boris does the same.

Whenever the name Julius comes up I think of King Julius from the movie Madagascar. It's actually quite distracting and funny.

"I was worried you'd been carried off somewhere else for a while before I ran into Gowland and he told me where you were." Julius says simply, like it required more effort than it probably should have to find me in the massive park.

I laugh at his somewhat weary expression, struggling a little bit before hopping off of the bench. Boris jumps up as well.

"Oh, you know, I was just picking up this stray I saw." I joke, poking Boris with a laugh and a cheeky grin. He laughs too, golden eyes shining. I sling an arm around his neck, quite a feat considering he is quite a bit taller than me. "What do you say, can I keep him?"

Julius rolls his eyes with a huff. "Pfft, no."

I gasp in mock hurt, slapping a hand over my heart dramatically. "Oh ouch, Julius! Your harsh words cut me deep—"

Boris is laughing as Julius rubs his face in exasperation before looking at me with a tired sort of expression. "Hurry up and say goodbye to the cat. I'm hungry and I want to go back to the Tower."

I think Julius might be the epitome of antisocial and socially awkward.

"'Kay! See ya Boris!" I say, giving him a sort of half-hug before moving towards Julius. His tail swishes a little as he grins. "Bye Shiki. Come again tomorrow so I can finally beat you! And so I can show you all the other rides."

I nod excitedly. "Sure thing! And just so you know, I will be the one beating y—hey!"

Julius drags me away by the bottom of my midriff sleeveless jacket, being forceful but not overly or painfully so. "Yeah yeah, you've said goodbye, now let's go before we run into more people."

I laugh along with Boris at Julius' complete and utter antisocialness regarding other people as we round a corner and the Cheshire Cat disappears from view. Julius stops dragging me once we're out of the Amusement Park, and I stare in awe at the effect of all the bright, twinkling lights of the park contrasting against the warm and cool colours of the dusk, sunset sky.

"You know," I say casually to Julius as the Amusement Park, too, disappears from view. "I could get used to this world. It is quite amazing when you think about it."

Julius gives me an analytical, gauging look before facing forward once more. "I suppose it is." is all he says, leaving us in comfortable silence for the rest of the way to the Tower. We arrive back there soon and just on time as the time changes to midnight. I gaze up and admire the vastness of the bright, defined stars nestled in the clear sky a moment before entering after Julius.

"Hey, Julius?" I ask lightly as I climb the stairs behind him. "Would it be okay for me to cook?"

The clockmaker is silent a moment before replying tiredly. "Sure, why not. I suppose you'll be able to find where the food is?"

I laugh. "Jeez, Julius, have some faith in me. I do use my brain from time to time."

I hear him snort, but I know he's not trying to be mean so I shrug it off and make my way into the kitchen once we've climbed to the appropriate level. Julius goes straight into the "comfort" of his workroom. I don't see how it's that comfortable, considering that most of the space is so cluttered and jam packed that a claustrophobic would flipping die from a complete and utter panic attack. But I suppose he is exhausted from having to talk and interact with people today. You can tell he doesn't get out much, and I'm pretty sure it's because he wants it to be that way.

I chuckle. It's adorable how antisocial he is. I find it quite amusing. I ponder on what else I should do to make up for said clockmaker letting me stay here while I search the pantry and cupboards for food. I begin on dinner and decide to make it my goal to do all the chores. There shouldn't be that many, but it should be enough to make up for my being here and intruding upon his peaceful solitude.

But I seriously don't get how he could be able to stay up here by himself for such long periods of time. I mean sure, I enjoy being alone often but I'm talking months.

A thought strikes me. If Julius is as hardworking and focused as I've gathered in my time knowing him, then he probably gets so wrapped up in his work that he forgets to eat and sleep sometimes.

Right. That's it. I've decided. I'm going to look after him while I stay.

With that in mind I put more effort into the meal, hoping to impress him so he'll let me cook again. I'd say I like cooking because I just like to cook, but I really just like the praise and compliments you get out of it if you cook a good meal. Hehe I'm so shallow.

Okay so this is a speed update. I really appreciate all the reviews and feedback; you make me feel real special! I don't have time to mention all the people who reviewed but I'm really thankful! I LOVE YOU ALL! 5 reviews for next chapter! Hehe slave driving! Oh, and have any of you seen Inu x Boku SS?