“Earl Grey,” he responded, taking a long sip, almost draining the cup. “I was just in the mood for it today, but I vary what kind of tea I drink. I could live the rest of my life only drinking tea and still be happy. Or, not any more unhappy than I am currently.” He shrugged. “You know what I mean.”
Earl Grey. That's very unoriginal. "No, I don't know what you mean, actually. You're either happy or sad. There's rarely an inbetween. Even when someone is happy, it's most likely a mask. Very few people are truly happy." She sipped her tea.
“Of course there’s an in between,” responded Acacius with a raised eyebrow. He loved intellectual discussions. “I’m not sad all the time, nor am I always happy. Usually I’m in a more neutral state, and I’m assuming I’m not the only person who feels that way. Besides, that seems like a pessimistic way of viewing things.”
(omigod i thought i replied to this sorry)
"No, there is no inbetween. People wear masks. They appear happy, but as soon the mask comes off it is clear that they are not." She sipped her tea.
(it’s ok my dude)
“Geez, who hurt you Kiyomi?” Acacius asked with a slight teasing smile. “It’s not all so black and white. We all have our disguises, but I can’t say faking happiness is one of mine. I’m a fairly candid person when it comes to my emotions since my poker face is horrible.”
Kiyomi placed the mug down, tea now finished. "My mother died two years ago. She always made me happy. Now that she's gone, I don't have anyone."
(ok so i think it would be good for a time skip, probably when acacius is like taking her into wonderland if that helps)
(ok)
He glanced at her, a bit worried as he bit his lip. “You sure you’re ready? Wonderland in its current state is not for the faint of heart,” he said, knowing that she would say yes, or at least hoping very strongly.
"Of course I'm ready, Acacius. I've been there before. Maybe not met anyone or seen the horrors that you speak of, but I've been there." Kiyomi didn't show it, but she was quite scared. The Wonderland she'd been to had seemed desolate, so maybe the real one wouldn't be.
He nodded. “Okay, let’s not waste any time then,” he sighed, glancing at her before opening the portal to Wonderland painstakingly. As it yawned open, he glanced at Kiyomi. “Ladies first. Don’t worry, I’ll be right behind you.”
Kiyomi eyed him, but she did what he said. The portal scared her, but she walked through it anyway. She had no idea what would be on the other side. She closed her eyes as she walked through. The first thing she heard was the ticking of her necklace, the one that hadn't worked for years.
Acacius followed quickly, closing the portal. “What’s that ticking sound?” he asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked around them, not thinking about the necklace that Kiyomi was wearing.
Kiyomi opened her eyes, now made fully aware of the ticking. She looked down, realising it was coming from her. "It's my necklace," She said in disbelief. "It hasn't worked since my mother died."
“Maybe it just needed a little bit of magic,” Acacius said with a small smile. He looked around, taking in a deep breath of air. He was excited to be back to his home, since he hadn’t been there in so long.
"Magic? Magic's not real, Acacius. People tell you it is, but it isn't. I'm not a child. I'm nineteen. It won't work on me." She sighed, looking down at what her clothes had turned into. It was a grey outfit, and the pattern on her dress was quite pretty. It was one of her favourites to discover on herself.
Acacius rolled his eyes. “Do you take everything this seriously?” he teased. “Tell me the air doesn’t taste sweeter here.” He smiled as he noticed that his wrinkled t-shirt and jeans had become a tasteful three piece suit that was colored a deep raspberry with cerulean accents. His signature top hat was matching his suit today, as it was also raspberry with velvet around the middle that was cerulean. His boots were neatly polished and a dark chocolate brown.
"How can air taste sweet? It's tasteless. Much like water is tasteless." Kiyomi couldn't help but notice that the environment was very conflicting. Its colours seemed bright and inviting, but the atmosphere was very dark and ominous. It made her feel queasy. "Can we please keep moving? I don't like it here."
Acacius exhaled sharply. “Okay,” he agreed. “This place has gotten worse since I was last here, if that’s possible.” His usual carefree tone was laced with worry. He led her in the direction that seemed less ominous, if only slightly. “This way.”
Kiyomi tread lightly. She was in a new place, and it didn't help that everything around her was contradicting itself. She hated it. The feeling it gave. Of disorder, uneasiness.
Acacius’s pace was brisk, but slowed down slightly to accompany Kiyomi. He glanced at her. “C’mon, I have a place we can stay while we’re in Wonderland,” he explained. “Then we can figure out our next move and plan how to save this place.”
"Whatever gets me out of here," She said softly. Kiyomi wanted to go home. Wonderland wasn't how she'd imagined in the slightest, and she didn't like it. She wanted to go home.
Acacius smiled sadly. “This isn’t how it used to be. It was an amazing place, once. And it can be again. Once you fix everything, it’ll be amazing again.” It was clear from the look on his face that he genuinely believed what he was saying.
Kiyomi looked at him. "I already told you that I can't fix anything. I don't know why all of this is connected to me, or why it started happening because I was born. I don't get why me being 'Alice in Wonderland's daughter has anything to do with this. I'm normal."
Acacius laughed softly, shaking his head. “You literally just told me why you’re not normal. You’re Alice’s daughter. If anyone can fix this, it’s you. That’s what my visions have been telling me.”
"How is my mother any different than anyone else? Just because she stumbled upon this place like 30 years ago? What makes her any more special than another woman?"
“Regular people can’t find Wonderland, Kiyomi,” Acacius explained. “The fact that she managed to stumble upon this place proves that she was special. She had magic running through her veins. Just like you and I do.”