Realistic or Modern Through the Looking Glass

[amoleofmonsters]

Ainsley Reid

​

xxxxxx Ainsley heard someone walk in and announce themselves. He picked his head up and saw the White Rabbit, Matthew. "Oh, hey there! I just got in and everyone else seems to be out so I don't really know what needs to be sent out yet. Mind holding tight for a bit?" Just as he said that, the door to the lab was pulled open once more and Ivan stepped into the room. "Hey, Ivan!" said Ainsley with a smile, but that quickly turned into an eye roll. "Don't look at me. I'm the one following lab protocol. Get those other guys to clean up their own messes every once in a while. If it wasn't for me, we'd probably all be dead."


xxxxxx When Ainsley heard the order for the recipe change, he frowned and strutted over to look at Ivan's notes. "Wait a minute, what? Are you sure? Our codeine levels are already really low. We go any lower and we might as well stop trying to market to the opiate addicts - there just won't be enough in there to have any real cross-tolerance effects." Recently, Ainsley had found the changes to the recipe to be drastic and quite odd. While the most addictive part of the drug was the secret ingredient, it also was highly susceptible to causing overdoses. Having more codeine had always proven to maintain high levels of addiction while also making sure to always suck in the opiate addicts. A heroine addict who had been using for years was way more likely to attempt to shoot up a huge amount of MH to get their opiate craving satisfied. Other potential alices just weren't going to throw down nearly as much cash the first time around as the opiate addicts. Sure they would come back eventually, but with the dosage of the secret ingredient rising, more and more alices were overdosing within a few months. "Ivan, I'm kind of worried that the more we increase the secret ingredient, the more overdoses there'll be and the less successful we'll be at replacing those customers."

@Zyther @Couldyoustfu
​

 

[Zyther]

So he wasn’t as late as he had though. “Sure, I can wait,” he said. At least no one here seemed bothered by his tardiness, they seemed too busy with a larger discussion of a change in the product. He slowly walked further into the room, making sure not to touch anything, since this place was far from sanity, and his suppressed OCD was slowly trying scratching at the surface to come out. The lab wasn’t his favorite place in the world.


He listened with half an ear to their discussion, since it was hard to avoid. As a White Rabbit he never questioned the product much, but hearing that it was getting stronger was surprising to him, since he had seen the Alice’s almost black-out by just the regular stuff.


“I lost one costumer when you modified this batch,” he pointed out. “She was a careless beginner, but still.” She had been a short girl, definitely not enough mass to handle much, but she had still taken the high with some of her friends. That had been last time they increased the effect. “Not that it’s my business,” he added.


@amoleofmonsters @Couldyoustfu

 

[Couldyoustfu]

Ivan made a show of rolling his eyes, speaking in a "isn't that obvious" tone.

"Do I look stupid to you two? If you lower the codeine it'll be fine, just do as I say."

From the moment he'd been chosen as a Cheshire he'd always thought of himself as their "boss", not actually owning the title, but knowing Reina held him a big higher than the others made him think he could pull it off.

"Overdoses will happen if Alices take too much of it, meaning that their addiction level has raised and they're pushed to take more, so if we keep the addiction factor the same there's no risk."

Alchemist scoffed, finishing his vodka.

Thoughts streamed in a rush in his head: codeine was a main factor in most synthetic drugs, but if Reina wished for MH to be different and most of all, new, things had to be changed. He was sure that adding a new ingredient such as LSD could make up for the codeine loss.

"I'm no beginner in this business, you are, trust my fucking knowledge."

Turning his already raised finger to the White Rabbit he added "And call me that Orion guy, whoever he is."

@amoleofmonsters @Zyther
​

 

[killerqueenie46]

"Yeah. It's the real deal." She smirked, holding out her hand.

 

[Aio]

Alistair Little


Alistar looked at Orion and nodded. "I'll take the regular." With this, he got out his cash and hid it in his hand till Orion was ready. He looked between the girl and Orion sighing slightly as he waited. "I'd check the prices with that queen of yours. I mean I know she's all high and mighty but most Alices I know can't afford what your colleague's asking."


@Xasper

 

[Xan]

ORION LOVELL


The male actually seemed a tad pleased to have won a sale over a fellow Rabbit. Well, one has to take the little victories. "Glad I could help you out!" He replied, reaching into his shoulder back to retrieve a small paper bag, which of course contained the vialed MH. "I wouldn't say high and mighty- just perhaps seeing a profit where us rabbits otherwise might not see yet." The male said conversationally, slipping the bag against Alistair's hand in such a way that he could drop the money and then grab the bag. Orion always thought it was a bit comical, looking like he was giving vagrants a free packed lunch rather than supplying junkies. "Price checking isn't really in my job description, but maybe I'll look into it."


@Aio @killerqueenie46

 

[killerqueenie46]

"You don't know what you're missing."

 

[Couldyoustfu]

Ivan had a certain way of taking decisions.

Others would pace uncontrollably while thinking deeply, or bite at their nails, or stare off in space, but the Russian?

He resolved to drawing. Taking a pen and doodling on his already highly tattooed body really was the best way for the Cheshire.

So as the design of a man with a face for an half normal and for the other half freaky made it's way onto the twenty one year old's palm he analyzed the situation.

Reina had said Orion was trustable, but did she mean it as in loyal or as in knowledgeable?

He couldn't simply trust a Rabbit with understanding the best quality of certain ingredients, since some of them barely knew what MH was made of.

But surely Ivan couldn't go on his own: not only for his already suspicious appearance but also because if caught he'd go through quite a few problems.

Even supposing his link with the Queen of Hearts wasn't discovered they'd find out about his presence being illegal in the country.

And lately cops were on edge, Alchemist didn't want to go through that.

But yet if he sent a Rabbit and they got the ingredients wrong, which would produce a terrible 'Mad Hatter', he'd be in trouble with Reina.

So there only seemed to be a solution left. Taking his phone Ivan sent a quick text to the 'messenger' of the group.

"I need a guy to accompany me in the city, Orion was recommend but anyone is fine

-Ivan."​

 

[Hiddencard]

Tyler Dale


To be honest, Alistair’s head was probably screwed on better than Tyler’s was. Tyler deep down knew it was foolish to use this much money on the product, but maybe it was the drug messing up his better judgment - actually that was a pretty fair bet. He started leafing through his one-dollar bills and a few fives, before handing the right amount to give to the dealer.


He waited in anticipation for her to hand him the drug, and held out his hand like she had just done. He glanced over at Alistair. “If you can buy me some food I can share my dose with you,” he offered with a grin.


@Aio , @killerqueenie46

 

[killerqueenie46]

She dropped the patches into his open hand, snatching the money. "Thank you for your buisness." She smirked.

 

[Xan]

ORION LOVELL





Suddenly, he felt a sharp buzz in the pocket of his coat, and he cringed when he realized that the incessant vibrations were coming from his work phone. Ever so gently, he held a hand up to the two Alices, handing Alistair the bag and taking the money. "Anyways, nice doing business with you. See you around," he excused himself plainly before doubling back around the corner, assuring he was a ways away from anyone and unpocketed his phone. It was a text from headquarters calling him back for some reason or another. The text was vague and lacking detail. And not for the first time, Orion wished whoever was in charge of the messaging system would call so he could give whoever was on the end just a small dose of his frustration.


"It's probably going to be something asinine again," the male reasoned, glancing back at the Rabbit and Alices just around the corner, before stepping away and disappearing down the sidewalk. It took him maybe 10 minutes to reach headquarters. Even though it wasn't really a long walk, it made him wish he'd bothered to park his car somewhere other than the back lot of the cafe he lived above so maybe he could use it once in a while. The male shut the door firmly behind him when he entered the building, always a little unnerved about how unmanned the halls seemed to be. The lab was down the hall and he made sure to knock before entering, carefully shutting the door behind him despite not waiting to be welcomed or not. Well, they texted him, so he would suppose he'd be welcomed inside.





@killerqueenie46 @Aio

 

[Couldyoustfu]

Ivan had been separating the quantities of codeine in milligrams when Orion knocked.

"Enter," He said, his voice muffled by the mask.

Upon noticing the blood he used one tattooed hand to take it off "You're Orion?" He asked in a somehow dubious tone. While waiting for the other's response the Cheshire took his gear of, and then walked right in front of the Rabbit with a note in his hand.

"So my original plan was to send you get a few things for me, but since I don't trust you at all in choosing the best quality of anything you'll be accompanying me." He was glad Orion wasn't a mass of muscle with an inked face but a slim and shorter than himself blonde, he looked almost innocent.

Alchemist fixed his hair in the mirror and put the first jacket available one, before leading the Rabbit out of the Lab and onto the street in the direction of their first 'shopping' destination.

@Xasper​

 

[Xan]

ORION LOVELL


He already knew he didn't like dealing with the chemists that made the drug but he smiled anyways, crossing his arms in front of him. "Yes, that would be me. I believe I was requested to do a few errands." That was what the message had said but with these people, errands could mean almost anything.


Orion stood there, not really feeling it necessary to move very far from the door since he suspected he'd be on his way shortly. "Mmm," he hummed, eyeing the Alchemist (he had remembered this particular chemist's name simply because most of the others didn't bother with nicknames). "Glad to know the person who asked for me has no faith in me. But yeah, I can do that."


Orion wasn't particularly bothered by his stature, though he knew it sometimes put him at a disadvantage. And while he waited, he leaned against the door frame, watching the chemist fix himself before following him out the door. "So, you know where we're going?"


@Couldyoustfu

 

[Couldyoustfu]

Ivan sighed deeply at the other member's questioning, and taking the note with the destinations Reina had given him the Cheshire roughly passed it to Orion, but only after having added in his thick accent:

"No, bunny, I just felt like taking a walk."

The streets' polluted air had the russian frowning, his already messed up lungs begging for clear oxygen. To distract himself he turned to Orion, giving the guy a long glance.

"You don't really look that dangerous." He muttered in a sarcastic tone, looking down at the blonde.

"Do you even have a weapon on you?" Out of instinct he patted the inside of his jacket, where his laid.

The much shorter male may have had been the perfect choice for a dealer with his totally unsuspecting appearance, but he also looked like a good target for an assault.

And if anyone were to find MH on him...

The twenty one year old shook the thoughts away from his head, instead focusing on the road to take.

"You americans and your big roads, how the hell am I supposed to understand where is what?"

His first location would have been a little shop in the downtown, under which the owner hid some of the most exotic drugs possible. Ivan was sincerely hoping he'd find some Peyote.

@Xasper

​

 

[Xan]

ORION LOVELL


He watched the man's back with newly developed interest, strides elongating to keep up. 'Bunny?' The dealer mused, and not really sure if this man was being sarcastic and didn't just had him haul ass here for a leisurely stroll, he took the piece of paper and examined it. "If I looked dangerous, my clients wouldn't be likely to want to trust me or approach me." Orion replied absently, mind instantly going to memorize the paper's contents, before looking up at Ivan.


"I do actually, but I'd rather not have a chance to use it, if that's alright with you." He certainly had a way of talking, with smooth tones and a friendly tone that seemed over-worn, and overly agreeable. And as it so happened, Ivan wasn't far off with the assault point. Orion had found that often the hardest part of his job was avoiding fights and dark alley ways.


Upon hearing Ivan's frustrations, Orion almost genuinely smiled. "If I remember this is nearby a bookstore I'm fond of. If we keep going the way we're heading and take a short-cut up ahead through-" Orion pushed ahead of Ivan and pulled out his phone, seeming to scroll through a map. "Ah, we can cut through this street-" he held his phone up to Ivan, thumb pointing to a highlighted street. "And get there 5 minutes sooner."





@Couldyoustfu

 

[Couldyoustfu]

Ivan nodded, pretending to have understood.

If the Cheshire had to be completely honest with himself he'd have to admit his sense of orientation was terrible, but instead he either blamed the streets or the maps.

"Just walk." He grumbled darkly, moving his cold eyes around.

Yonder wasn't terribly busy that evening, but he still caught the glances sent his direction by the passengers. People were scared since MH had become a thing, scared of Alices and scared of the Queen.

Suddenly he lit himself a cigarette, and started counting the puffs taken in his head for a distraction.

@Xasper Sorry I fell asleep​

 

[Xan]

ORION LOVELL


"Whatever you say," Orion replied flippantly to the Chesire's low grumbling. He had figured the man was a foreigner, but they had to have had road signs in his home country. Maybe a stop light or two. But, of course, that wasn't the Rabbit's business and he wasn't about to find himself in a bad spot because he interrogated a tough looking foreigner.


Walking through the streets, he was aware of the glances, the low murmurs, and the looks of suspicious fear. He was also aware that they weren't at him but rather who he was with. Orion let a small, irritated sigh.


The glances were quick and a constant reminder that people would look at anything bright, shiny, and otherwise abnormal if it's there.





@Couldyoustfu

 

[Couldyoustfu]

Ivan consciously reached up with his hand and scratched at the tattoo under his left eye. He'd gotten it at seventeen, a design not rare among drug dealers in Russia.

The Cheshire kept on following Orion, afraid to lose his way. Ivan could barely believe this situation: stronger MH?

"Kids these days can barely take normal a normal dose, and now they want a stronger one. How can I be blamed if they drop like flies?" He murmured to the shorter male, after having made sure nobody would hear.

The twenty one year old had always considered himself neutral when it came to Alices. He'd never forced anyone to take MH, was it his fault if they came to him begging for it?

He knew exactly what he needed for the stronger MH, but he doubted the other Cheshires would see the geniality in his plan.

But Reina trusted him, and that was what mattered in the gang.

@Xasper at school sorry if it's messy​

 

[Xan]

ORION LOVELL


Orion took the lead, his pace brisk, causing his long ponytail to swish behind him absently. And when he came to the street they were to turn at, he looked both ways and crossed, making sure Ivan didn't loose him. The comment on the dosage made him turn his head though. "It's not just Alices that will suffer the consequences-" he said, voice dropping down a few octaves as a couple passed them by. "Everytime the prices are raised, or the formula tweaked, or even the packaging changes, it agitates them." The male said, actual irritation filtering into his tone. "It puts dealers more at risk of being hurt or mugged. I discovered that yesterday." He said, matter of factly.


And to punctuate this, Orion pulled back his sleeve to reveal a bandage wrapping the length of his forearm. It had only been bruising, an Alice had grabbed him and shaken him up a bit, but the resulting bruising was dark and ugly enough that he'd figured to bandage it.


"Of course though, I'm aware that Rabbits are just as replaceable as Alices, but I would hope that you should be able to see the concerns of someone like me."


@Couldyoustfu


(It's cool, don't worry about it!)

 

[Couldyoustfu]

Ivan studied the other male's hidden bruise frowning slightly, before answering in a dark tone.

"Were it for me our product would have been headed for bigger clients, but it isn't up to me. And so isn't the price, if Alices wish for stronger MH then they must understand we have to put more money on the products, and so they'll have to pay more for it."

Taking the last puff from his cigarette he threw it right in front of the shop, stepping on it quite harshly with his boot, before looking up again at Orion.

"The best you can do is let them know you're not up to their fucking around, show your weapon if you have to, they won't really bother anyone that is in close contact with the Queen anyway."

He was about to enter said shop, his tattooed hand now resting on the handle, before he half-turned to the Rabbit and added.

"I wouldn't share my concerns with anyone else were I you, complainers aren't well seen in our group."

And so he entered, nodding to the owner who had been most likely adverted of his arrival.

As soon as the man brought both himself and Orion to his little 'paradise' the Russian took a look at the different vials, containers and plants, before expressing his plan.

He trusted the man anyway, and his possible agreement would have only strenghtened his theory.

"I need mescaline, my idea is that since it does not create any form of dependence, and is a way stronger psychedelic than others, it could take the place of most of the Psilocin in my recipe and consequentially I could raise the codeine. The effect will be stronger and last more, and the dependence level will be high thanks to the larger amount of codeine."

Ivan gave a pointed look at Orion, which he hoped the other male interpreted as a 'Keep this to yourself' before smirking as the shop owner confirmed he possessed said drug.

"Perfect, and I'll take four grams of that purple haze for myself."

Reaching into his pocket and extracting his wallet he placed a large amount of money in the man's hand, taking both products and placing them in his backpack.

@Xasper​

 

[Xan]

ORION LOVELL


The male gave Ivan a scathing glance, jerking his sleeve down and thrusting his hand in his pocket. "That's what I would have thought to do- to market it to clients who might actually be able to afford it. We live in California for god's sake." He murmured just as equally darkly, eyes wandering over the storefront. It was surprisingly non-descript, not even possessing the air or aura that shops like these usually did. Maybe there was something wrong with Orion's intuition today. Eyes snapping back to Ivan, his mouth opened a fraction before snapping shut.





He wasn't a complainer, but of course, he supposed it could sound that way. It wasn't like he could take any of these concerns to Reina, having only met the woman a handful of times. And so far, he'd done well enough to have put himself in a good light for her. It had been so much easier when he'd been a solo dealer, and all he had to deal with was mellowed out users and the occasional confrontational heroin addict.


On the inside, Orion was a bit impressed at the sheer amount of stock, and he followed behind Ivan, resembling a shadow as he glanced at all the items. And when the man struck up a conversation with the shop owner, Orion was unsure if he should of stayed outside, the only reassuring sign Ivan gave him was a glance translating into a 'keep quiet'. Impatiently, the male tugged a few strands of blonde hair behind his ear, pulling the collar of his jacket up more, completely silent throughout the exchange.


He could follow Ivan's plan well enough, and from a non-chemist's standpoint, it sounded fairly reasonable.


@Couldyoustfu

 

[Couldyoustfu]

Ivan smirked in a satisfied way on all the way back and out of the door on the streets, clapping his hands together once he'd reached the outside.

His plans so far had worked perfectly, and the russian simply couldn't wait to try the new form and then rub his victory in the other Cheshire's faces.

Turning his attention to the blonde again, he started a casual conversation.

Finding the mescaline so quickly, since he hadn't expected it, made him strangely happy.

''About what we said before, yes. If music stars or anyone with a large amount of followers were to try MH and become dependant onto it, and if his or hers fans were to find out, we'd become oh so rich. Just imagine all the kids striving to become like their idol and beg us for our drug. How do you think most drugs become popular?''

He sighed, taking his jacket off. Sincerely Ivan couldn't care less about the glances he would have gotten for his tattoos, as though people had never seen such things, it was too hot.

Left only in a black T-shirt the Cheshire followed Orion's lead, still trusting the male to bring him back to the base, before continuing the conversation.

''I suppose things don't always go the way we want them to, but as long as I do my job well and get my share, which is a good amount anyway, I don't care, not like I'm the most likely at risk of arrest. Unlike you, bunny.''

It sounded a little bit hypocrital even in Ivan's head as he said it, not only because he was the one making big part of what Orion sold, but also because he had more than seven thousand dollars worth of illegal drugs in his backpack, and if the two of them were to be stopped Ivan would have been the one in a whole lot of trouble.

@Xasper

I​

 

[Xan]

ORION LOVELL


The male had become quiet through Ivan's dealings in the store, so when the Russian addressed him again, he was left a little at a loss. It took a moment before Orion replied again, rather focused on the sidewalk ahead of them. In contrast to Ivan, the man looked rather bundled up now, with his jacket wrapped around him and zipped up. He had always found if he layered enough, he looked a little less like a teenage girl and a little more his age. He had never been self-conscious of his looks, but he did feel entitled to be frustrated with their consequences of making the people around him take him a little less seriously.


"It would be a good move, but would also put dealers at a high visablity rate. What I'm saying is, Rabbit turn-over rate would be pretty quick. But it'd be a smart move anyways if you didn't care about that sort of thing," Orion replied finally, fingers tangled in the chain of the necklace around his neck. It wasn't as if he was overly worried about his co-workers, or even cared that much about his well being. He had just always felt compelled to give both sides of an argument.


Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he checked their surroundings before making another turn. "If I was worried about arrest I wouldn't still be in this business after so long. I'm pretty sure the pros outweigh the cons when you make twice as much as most people your age." That was very true and part of what attracted Orion to this job. He'd never had many aspirations in life, or any direction, so it wouldn't matter if he was arrested or not. It's not like they'd keep some kid with no previous criminal record and an outstanding reputation in jail very long, anyways.


@Couldyoustfu

 

[Couldyoustfu]

''I suppose you are not wrong.'' He simply commented, ignoring the other guy's supposingly bad mood.

Instead he took a glance at his form.

Orion's features were quite nice to the eye, and his petite body did nothing to make him look less 'cute'.

Casually tying his jacket around his waist Ivan made a comment:

''Do you even take MH? Heroin? You're looking a little skinny there, buddy.''

After years of metamphetamine and cocaine Ivan had found out there were only few types of drugs which he enjoyed: those that contained THC.

They created no dependance, and their effects relaxed him to no end.

''When we'll arrive, I'm rolling myself a blunt, care to join?''

He offered, feeling quite kind that day.

@Xasper​

 

[Xan]

ORION LOVELL





"Anything for money," was Orion's only comment. He could be consider "pretty" to look at, if you were into that sort of thing, and it had been suggested to him that he could easily disguise himself as a woman for his job for a little added anonymity. Which, of course, he had refused to comment on, even if part of him had actually seriously considered it.





Ivan's comment made him look up and let go of the silver chain he had wrapped around his fingers, almost self-consciously. "This may come as a shock, but I don't actually care much for drugs. Not to say I haven't tried any, but I found they don't really suit me," he said with a light rise of his shoulders. He remembered the single time he had allowed the band of rowdy highschool boys he had called friends convince him to take a couple tabs of acid, and had promptly told them 12 hours later that he would never do it again.


"That honestly depends on how well you roll a blunt, and if I feel like going back to work by the time we get there." He replied matter of factly, feeling as he if actually went back to work, it'd be a hour before he once again felt like going home again.





@Couldyoustfu