Alice in the Country of Hearts RP (AnnelieseBeilschmidt x Orinjambie)

AnnelieseBeilschmidt

AnnelieseBeilschmidt

Member
Alice opened her eyes, laying on the cold ground of stone beneath her body. Looking around for a sign of someone, she brushed off her blue dress and apron, hoping to recognize someone. Then it hit her: Alice was back in the Country of Hearts. The building she was at was the Clock tower, the same spot where the white rabbit Prime Minister Peter White brought Alice.


Finally deciding to go inside the tower, Alice hoped she would find Julius in his room working on clocks as he normally did. She made her way down the stairs that led to his workroom, opening the door to find him sitting there. Like always.
 
Julius sat among the neatly scattered clock parts and tools, a mug of coffee at his elbow. He was focused, not letting idle sounds and thoughts distract him from his work. It wasn't always the most pleasant job, many considered it grotesque and maybe even demented because in a way he was repairing hearts. Broken, shattered, and bloody as they were he was the one they came to when they needed to be fixed. He remade them and replaced their previous owners.


Really the only important perk of this particular job was the solitude. Or relative solitude as Ace, the Knight of Hearts, often came by with or without a sackful of broken clocks to be cleaned and repaired. Once there was another who regularly walked through the old tower. She had even once been a resident, only a few doors down the hall.


Julius frowned, pausing in his work to pinch the bridge of his nose. As his hand fell back to the desk he glanced up, his clock slowing.


"Alice?" he breathed, hardly believing that she was there. Perhaps he had fallen asleep at his desk again. But as he stood he found it more difficult to believe he was sleeping.
 
Alice stood there for what seemed like minutes, a smile gracing her lips as she answered, " You haven't changed a bit, Julius. Still sitting around here and barely getting out? " She was simply joking with the clock master and made her way over to his desk, taking a seat herself.


Noticing the pile of clocks that laid on the top, Alice couldn't help but reminisce about the times she spent in the clock tower with Julius. She would bring him coffee, of course hers wasn't the best but she tried to get better. Often Alice would try to get him out of the tower by going into town. That didn't last long, seeing that certain people disliked him because of his line of work.
 
Julius smiled softly, a rare sight for him, but it quickly faded.


"I haven't had any reason to leave." it was true. Unless he need something immediately then Ace would simply bring him the parts he needed, or if he was low on coffee then he would bring coffee grounds. "And you're still interrupting my work."


Why did you come back? He wanted to ask, Or for who? Not that it really mattered who or why. If Alice was back then she still had to finish the game.


Grass tickled Orin's nose, the sensation both annoying and new. Snorting, she jerked up only to have an instant wave of vertigo send her back down again.


"Why am I lying in grass?" Orin muttered drowsily as she opened her eyes. Patchy blue sky peeked through the green canopy of the trees. A long bird flitted across a patch of blue, shrieking as it went. Somewhere else a squirrel or chipmunk began to chatter loudly at another only to fall silent and scramble up a tree.


Sitting back up, Orin looked around at the surrounding woods. Nothing jumped out as immediate danger though an ominous aura prevailed despite the bird song and warm sunlight. Feeling like she had already been there for too long the girl stood, brushing herself off as she did so, and started walking. Before she had gone very far darkness crashed down on the world.


'Creepy darkness, creepy shadows, creepy woods, creepy noises, creepy place! Where am I?" Orin wondered as she pushed through another bush. Moonlight filtered down through the trees, accentuating the odd signs that were nailed to the trees. Arrows pointed in different directions while windows and doors seemed to have been molded to the trees themselves. Long shadows seemed to jump out from the doors and bases of the trees. Somewhere a squirrel chattered angrily as it was roused from it's sleep.


"Please say that was my fault." Orin breathed, leaning against the trunk of a tree. The squirrel continued to chatter angrily and even went so far as to chuck a green pine cone at the girl. Only when she had one did the furry creature subside in it's furious rant.


"Stupid squirrels. Annoying little pests always being a pain in the neck." Orin grumbled as she stepped onto a dirt path. "Ha! I'm not totally hopeless after all."
 
Back at the tower, Alice still sat near Julius, watching him work on his clocks contently. " I don't mean to interrupt your work. You still don't get out enough do you? This isn't healthy to stay locked up and working all the time Julius. You need a break. " She answered back grabbing his arm, making her way toward the door with him behind.


Alice couldn't let him sit there like he always did and not get fresh air. She knew the consequences of dragging Julius out of the clock tower, but she didn't care. As they reached the door that led outside, Alice began to get a horrid feeling in the pit of her stomach. Like either one something bad was going to happen or two someone she didn't care for would show up.
 
"Alice! I don't have time to go out for walks and it's a night cycle." Julius protested as Alice grabbed a hold of his arm. Despite his words he put up a little less resistance. It felt almost nice to have her back and fussing over his health. "It's dangerous to be outside at night." He added for good measure as they stepped outside.


The air was heavy, almost oppressing. Julius frowned, looking around the tower grounds, but there was nothing to be found. The air was warm yet chilled. A light breeze rustling the leaves of the trees and bushes was the only sound to be heard.


It's been so long, why now?


"Then you won't be needing help finding your way?" A voice asked, sounding almost disappointed. Orin turned and blanched. Standing not four feet away was a red haired man dress as a sort of joker. He didn't wear much for color however, his main was black. A triangular cut skirt, checkered with a black and red design, was wrapped around his waist. On his hip was an oddly smiling mask, framed on one side by roses. His red hair was parted neatly to reveal a single lidded eye that stared at Orin. The other was covered by a gold and black eye patch. The man smiled, a seemingly genuine gesture, not missing the girl's once over.


"Pardon my manners, my name is Joker. I am the ringmaster of the circus and these are my woods. You are not from around here are you, Miss...?"


"Orin, and no I'm not from this part to say. I was just passing through, I didn't mean to trespass." Orin dipped her head apologetically even as she tried to figure out a way to edge around the man without getting to close.


"I'm afraid if you go that way you'll only go deeper into the woods. You'll want to turn around and go the other way." Joker offered, still smiling. "But if you like you could stay at my circus for the night. It's not far from here."


"Oh. Uh, right, thanks, but that's okay. I really should get going, I'm being expected." Joker's smile deepened at her words and a chill passed down Orin's spine. The man said something but his words were lost under the deep bellow of thunder. Lightening flashed, lighting the world with a brief moment of white light. As it faded and Orin's vision returned, the Joker was gone. And then the rain began to fall.
 
All of a sudden Alice came to a stop just outside the tower. She looked back at him concerned, asking gently with a saddened tone," Aren't you even happy to see me again? " Her eyes bored into his, wondering if coming back was the best thing that ever happened or not. There it was again that same question that ran through her mind: Why did she come back? And how did she get back into the country of Hearts.


Alice turned her head away from his gaze, contemplating all the possibilites of how she returned there. Only one possibility passed through her mind. Peter White. Oh how Alice hated him so. He was the one who brought her into this mess in the first place. Maybe he was the one to do it again. Then that's who she had to see to get her to go back home.


Turning to Julius, Alice asked with a more serious expression," I need to find out how I got back here and who brought me here. Did you see Peter White near the tower today at all?"
 
Julius winced inside but said nothing. What could he say to her that wouldn't sound like a lie? Of course he was happy to see her even if it wasn't the same reason as most everyone else. He shook his head,


"He hasn't been around the tower for at least a year now. He gave up when he realized that you weren't coming back. I can only imagine his reaction when he finds out that you've returned." He knew what she intended to do, despite the clouds that were beginning to drift in. Somewhere in the distance thunder rumbled, bring promises of rain. "Stay here for a while, Alice. At least until the storm passes and the cycle changes."


Julius place a hand on Alice's back, between her shoulder blades and led the girl inside. Silently he returned to his desk where his hands automatically reached for familiar tools. They remained still though as he studied Alice thoughtfully.


Does she even know why she returned?


"How about some coffee?" Outside the thunder grumbled loudly, the storm was fast approaching.


Orin ran, her feet thudding against the slick ground, blinded by the rain and darkness. More than once she stumbled nearer the bushes and the snatched and scratched her, trying to pull her down. Still she pushed on, the trees would thin out soon. They had to.


She yelped as her foot slid forward in the mud, wedging itself beneath a outgrown tree root. She fell forward, twisting instinctively to slam on her side, and pulled her ankle. Fire burned sharply as the joint was twisted too far and pulled out of place. Orin swore loudly, not daring to move for a moment as pain held her down. Finally she managed to scoot backwards enough to dislodge her foot, her ankle slowly turning to face the right way.


"Perfect, way to go Grace." she reached down to feel the damage done and growled in frustration. As if to mock her the rain began to fall harder. I can't stay out here... have to find shelter.


Slowly she stood, using a tree to help pull herself up, and set her foot down. Immediately she regretted it as twisting, burning pain flared sharply. Putting weight down on it she felt the joint pop back into place, a little of the flaring pain subsided. A little, but not enough. Squeezing her eyes shut she bit her lip and trudged on, trying to ignore the pain as best she could.


After what seemed to be an eternity Orin saw a tower stretching high above the trees. Relief flooded through her as the trees thinned and then stopped. Just a little bit further...
 
Alice took her seat but noticed his coffee cup was empty, so she picked it up saying gently," If you're going to work then I'll go make some more coffee for you. " She stood up taking the cup into the kitchen, moments later returning returning with fresh coffee, setting it down on his desk. Her eyes watched Julius as he tinkered with the clocks that remained on his work desk. How she missed doing this everyday: making him coffee and watching him work. It was one of her favorite past times while first staying in this dimension.


She sat down once more, sitting so quietly all the while wondering how in the world she got back in the country of Hearts. If Peter didn't bring her back and gave up waiting for her, then who did? Even if Peter was nothing but a stalker and a pervert, He always knew when to keep his distance from Alice. He always listened to her when she didn't want anyone else hurt because of him. Alice sat there in a day dream, wondering what Peter was doing now. Was he sitting at Heart castle moping because he hadn't found "his" Alice or was he just working like the rest of the role holders?


While thinking, Alice began to doze off from sitting in silence for so long. She had tried so hard to stay awake but she finally let sleep take her, laying her head on the desk.
 
Orin slumped back against the wall, shivering from the icy rain and the stone wall sucking away her body heat. Pushing off the wall she looked around the darkened interior. Something seemed off about the place, not only did it feel empty but it felt almost unwelcoming. The air was cold and heavy. Usually clock towers were full of people, or at least had a few people inside them to keep the place maintained. Here though there seemed to be little sign of life.


"Hello?" Orin called, her voice echoing off the walls. She shuddered and rubbed her arms furiously, trying to bring back some warmth. This place feels like a morgue...


Julius looked up from his work, noticing that Alice had fallen asleep as she had watched him. Somethings really never did change. A faint sound caught his attention. It sounded like a voice, higher pitched, too high to be Ace and Alice was asleep in front of him. Sighing in mild agitation Julius stood and went to investigate.


"Is anybody here?" Again Orin's only answer was her voice bouncing through the stone room. She leaned against the wall, using it for support as she hobbled towards the stairs leading up. If she could just sit down a for a bit and let her ankle rest.


"Who are you?" Orin jumped, almost losing her balance, and looked up. About half way up the stairs a man stood looking down on her. His dark blue hair shone dully in the flickering light from the torch in his hand. His cold eyes regarded Orin just as she regarded him.


"I'm Orin Christoff. I'm sorry to intrude but I need to find shelter from the rain, this was the closest place." she dipped her head, balancing carefully on her good foot. "Can I stay the night?"


The man remained silent, thinking. He had seemed surprised to see Orin, which she guessed would have been an appropriate reaction to a stranger bursting in in the middle of the night during a storm. Why wasn't he saying anything though?
 
Alice woke up from her slumber a little bit later, noticing Julius got up and wandered off. 'Maybe he went to get more coffee.' She thought while standing, rubbing her tired eyes. Her vision came to when she got her focus back and began to walk down the hallway of the tower. Alice then found him standing on the stairs and asked noticing a girl standing at the bottom," Julius...What's wrong? "


She stared at the young girl for a moment, seeing that she was drenched in rain water from the storm. Alice began to make her way beside Julius and asked the girl softly," Hi there. What's your name? " She smiled at her gently then looked to Julius who seemed preoccupied in his thoughts. What was wrong? Why wouldn't he answer her? The girl before them didn't look like a faceless. Then again could she be a role holder? Or was she from somewhere else?
 
"Uh, Orin." Orin shivered again and added, "Is it alright if I stay the night?" Or are you going to stand there all night staring? Shifting her weight slightly she winced, putting to much pressure on her ankle.


"I suppose you can stay until after the storm. After that it would be best for you to move on, I have enough distractions here as it is." Julius nodded his head curtly before starting back up the stairs. "Alice, could you bring her to one of the guest bedrooms? I'll find some dry clothes."


The two made a rather odd pairing. One cold as ice the other not quite as cold, perhaps warm enough to melt the other. Strange as they looked together the girl herself seemed to be even stranger. Something about her made her out of place here in the dark tower. It wasn't her demeanor, but something else. Like she didn't belong. As Julius turned Orin noticed a dark stain on the back of his jacket.


No, not a stain. Blood! "Sir?" Orin blinked and the blood was gone, leaving no trace of having been. She blinked again, confused. Julius turned to look at her questioningly, "Ah, thank you!"


Julius grunted and turned away leaving Orin to feel a little stupid. Maybe she was already running a fever from being out in the rain for so long. Glancing at the girl Orin gave a small smile before limping forward. This time she forced her face to remain still as she stepped forward and up onto the stairs. Within several quick steps she reached the girl's side and nodded.


Not so bad, just a little bit further.
 
Alice made her way down the steps quick enough to help the girl Orin, putting her arm around her neck to help support. She held onto her tightly and walked up the remaining stairs slowly, so that she didn't hurt her anymore than she already was. A smile made it's way to Alice's face and she told Orin gently," I'm Alice Liddell. I'm sorry if Julius is a bit rude. He doesn't get out often to interact with people. "


They reached the guest bedroom, Alice opening the door and then making their way over to the bed. She sat Orin down on the bed and smiled going to get some bandages. After returning shortly, Alice took out the bandages from the first aid kit, as well as some medicine to help with her injury. She gently propped up Orin's foot on her knee and asked," So how did you get here? "
 
"Sounds rather hermitish." Orin noted as Alice took her arm and helped her up the stairs. Up close Orin noticed that she was a good five inches taller than Alice and for some reason that pleased her. Keeping a smile off her face she turned to focus on taking one stair at a time. It wasn't too much longer before the reached the top of the stairs and were passing through an office. Orin looked curiously at Julius vacant desk and at the clocks scattered over it.


A clock maker? How fitting.


In the guest bedroom the girl sat down with a relieved sigh, her ankle had began to throb in protest to it's use. The bedroom itself was of course stone, but was decorated to be surprisingly warm. A plush rug adorned the floor, stretching from beneath the bed to the opposite wall so that whoever walked over it could avoid cold toes in the morning. A wardrobe stood to the side of a vanity desk that doubled as a writing desk. On one wall there was a fire place where a small fire had been kindled, slowly warming the room. Outside the rain still poured, slapping itself silly against the closed window.


"To the tower? I came from the woods, I was running actually and my foot caught in a tree root." Orin shifted sheepishly at that before adding, "As to here in general. I don't know, I don't remember much. Just waking up in the grass to find myself surrounded by trees with arrows, windows, and doors. What is this place?"
 
As Alice fixed Orin up, she looked to the girl and smiled sweetly," The country of Hearts. Most people would call it Wonderland. I know everything is strange at first but you will get used to it as time goes on. Do you not remember who brought you here or how you got here? " The questions seemed to come naturally to Alice, being that she was brought here by Peter. She hoped it wasn't him that brought Orin into this violent domain.


After bandaging up her ankle, Alice sat down near Orin on the soft, comfortable bed. Maybe she and Orin could be good friends. It would be nice to not be the only outsider in this world. They would be two of a kind.
 
Orin snorted softly, "Sounds like something from a storybook. I don't remember anything after going to bed last night, I just woke up in a forest." she idly picked at her shirt and shook her head, "This has to be some kind of joke. A reality tv show or something! It's too real to be a dream." She trailed off as Julius opened the door, a set of clean, dry clothes in his hands.


"I don't have nightgowns. These will have to do." he said handing the clothes to Orin.


"These will work fine." she assured, never having been one for dresses, nightgowns or otherwise. Julius nodded and walked back out, closing the door behind him. Cold as he was he still had a kind spot. Laying the clothes down on the bed Orin swung her legs over the edge and carefully stood up, making sure to avoid putting her bad ankle down as she lifted her wet shirt up and over her head. Carefully but quickly she redressed herself in the baggy shirt and pajama pants.


"So, who set you up for this?" Orin asked, still figuring that this whole thing was nothing more than a setup.
 
Her attention was brought to by Orin's voice directed toward her and Alice answered," Oh well.....Peter White, Prime Minister of Heart Castle, brought me here before a year or two ago. He mentioned something about a game to be played. It's a long story...." All she could do was smile but really felt annoyed when mentioning how she ended up here in the first place.


Speaking of Peter...Alice wondered how he was doing at Heart Castle. She hadn't seen him since before she left the country of Hearts. The last time she remembered talking to him, was saying her last goodbye. He had found her standing at the top of clock tower and Alice had the vile in her hand. They said their words of goodbye, sad ones and maybe some smart comments were made by Alice. Of course...now she wished she hadn't been so cruel to Peter.


Alice stood up and nodded to Orin as she made her way to the door, smiling she replied again," You should rest, Orin. I'll be back to check up on you later. Sleep well." With that she shut the door behind her, sighing with a sad expression on her face.
 
Orin merely nodded as Alice closed the door. Her eyes wandered around the room restlessly as her brain mulled over recent events. Peter White was the Prime Minister and he had a hand in the comings and goings.


Maybe he's the reason why I'm here. I'll have to find him and talk to him as soon as I can walk properly. Rotten luck, I wonder if anyone on the set has crutches.


Standing she gathered her wet clothes and moved carefully over to the fireplace and laid them out close enough to dry but far enough so as to not catch fire. Moving back she sat down on the bed and pulled herself the rest of the way. It wasn't too long after that did she fall into deep sleep.


Julius stood with his arms crossed with the same thoughtful expression from earlier. His eyes focused on Alice as she stepped out of the bedroom.


"You should get some sleep, Alice. She'll be fine for a few cycles." Julius held out another pair of pajama pants and a baggy shirt. "If you like we can get you some new nightgowns when you wake up."
 
She took the clothes from him and stared at Julius with a strange expression. Alice never knew for Julius to be one to go out like the hermit he was. " Only if it doesn't bother you to go with me . I'd like that...." Alice smiled at him tiredly, yawning while rubbing her eyes," I'll need to pay a visit to Heart castle sometime as well. Maybe Peter will have some answers for me. "


Her eyes wandered back toward Orin's room, still confused why another girl like herself would be in a place like Wonderland. Maybe Alice would be able to help her find out who brought her here and why. As for herself, Alice needed to find out who brought her here again. Was this a sign that she was meant to stay instead of leaving the place she come to love? Alice nodded to the clock master and said once more," I'm heading off to sleep. When morning comes, we'll go into town somewhere to find some decent clothes for myself. Besides you need to get out more often, Julius. "


Alice made her way to her room opening the door after telling him good night. Tomorrow was going to be a long day. She could feel it.
 
Swirling mists of greys, pinks, purples, and blues surrounded Orin as she opened her eyes. Sitting up she looked around, trying to orientate herself, succeeding only in making herself dizzy. Where am I now? She wondered getting to her feet. Too late did she remember her sprained ankle and moved to get her weight off of it. Surprisingly though there was no pain though it was still wrapped and obviously swollen.


I must be dreaming... or this is just a very clever set up.
 
Alice woke from her slumber early the next morning cylce and got dressed immediately before heading out the tower. She had to find Peter White. He would be the only one who could give her some answers to this entire mess. He could answer why Orin was here and how Alice came back. Hopefully. She knew Julius would be furious to know she had left without telling him, but he's been without her so long that Alice knew he would be alright.


Traveling down the dirt path in the dark forest, Alice spotted the castle not far from her. It was strange that she hadn't seen Ace the knight of hearts wandering around back there. Usually he would get lost on purpose, find Alice, then get her lost, too. But not today. Maybe he was out finding clocks for Julius to repair. Even so she would have bumped into him.


Finally reaching Heart castle, Alice saw a familiar figure and the sound of gunshots being heard in the front of the buidling. Rushing over, she saw a pile of bodies that looked like the Queen Vivaldi's servants and kneeled down beside them as they disappeared, clocks taking their place. Why was this so horrifying to her when she was pretty much used to it?
 
Peter flicked his gun disdainfully, the weapon returning to the form of a clock which he let fall back to his side. For a year now this was what he had been doing. This and his work for the Queen. It was so mundane he finally began to understand why Ace wished to leave his job behind. He began to walk back to the castle, meaning to do his work when he happened to glance back. For a moment he stood, frozen, not wanting to believe what he was seeing.


"My eyes seem only to care to see what's fair! Could it really be my sweet Alice has returned to me?" he stepped forward as though in a dream. His eyes filled with hope and love as he reached out to place a hand on Alice's shoulder. Suddenly he lurched forward, falling to his knees and pulled the girl close to him. "Alice! My sweet Alice I have missed you so."
 
Alice fell with Peter to the ground and pulled him closer, unable to control the urge to do so. Usually she would simply push him away or punch his face. Better to let him have this moment right now. Tears filled her eyes, knowing how bad she treated him in the past and felt horrible immediately. Her thoughts went back to the day she left, again those horrible words ringing in her head like a bell: I'm not going to miss you at all! I just want to forget you Peter!


She helped him stand up to his feet and held onto Peter for a while, staring at him in disbelief. Could it really be him that killed all these soldiers? " Peter....you know how much I hate you killing people. What's going on....? Why have I come back here? " So many questions came out at once she didn't know where to start. Alice wanted to scold him for killing the faceless but now wasn't the time.
 
Peter's ears drooped as he pulled back, "Life has been so blue since you have been gone. I wish I knew for I would have returned for you sooner. But it doesn't matter now for you have come back!" he smiled brightly again, eyes full of joy. "Let us celebrate this joyous moment with some tea!"


"Alice?" Ace turned around the corner of a rose bush, "Hey! You're back. We've been wondering when you'd return." Ace laughed as Peter glared at him.


"Begone from here, you filth. Come near and I'll give you a taste of my bullets." Peter spat warningly, his gun already in his hand. Ace simply smiled, a hand on his sword hilt.


"Hello?" Orin called, looking around. What kind of weird ass dream is this?
 
Alice looked at them both quickly and went to stand in between shouting out," Okay you two! I didn't come back here to be in the middle of another gun fight between you both! I just want some answers. Let's go inside and talk this over tea. Please?"


Meanwhile...


A man with semi-shoulder length silver hair and purple eyes, one being covered by a black eye patch with gold trim, looked back and saw Orin wondering where she was. He wore a black coat with the same gold trim and purple ruffles around the back, a white ruffled Victorian styled shirt with a black tie around the collar, and black pants that seemed a different tone from the jacket. He smiled at her gently and made his way over," Hello there, Orin. This isn't a dream.....it's a nightmare....which is what I am. "


(how am i doing so far ^^''')
 
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