"Call me Hatta." He replied, waving a hand and walking to the rear of the shop. He threw open a curtain, and revealed a bookshelf. His slim fingers skimmed along the book spines, and he pulled out a small, thin book. He flipped through it quickly, back turned to her. "Hmm…"
"Okay then," Aliana muttered to herself and she watched him. She waited as he went and went behind the curtain to grab a book. After a few moments, she took a step towards where he was, "So, can you help?"
Hatta snapped at her. "Shh!" He hummed again. He paused in the book. "Ah! A Vorpal Sword! That's what you need!" He exclaimed. "And lucky for you, I know how to find one. Not where, but how." He grinned crazily.
Aliana looked at him with wide eyes her mouth slightly agape. She stammered slightly as she tried to form a response, "I-I'm just the messenger! I don't think I could find whatever you're talking about. I would need help. Oh, you're probably going to help, right?"
Hatta blinked once. "Not a messenger. No such thing. Tea?" He said, all in one breath. He groaned, putting a hand to his head. "Time time time I'm running out of time!" He mumbled to himself, then straightened, looking at her.
"Um, sure. What do you mean your running out of time?" Aliana asked cautiously. She understood, everyone understood, that the Mad Hatter was well Mad. Hopefully this wouldn't set him off.
Hatta cocked his head. "Time. Everyone runs out of time. Tick tock!" He sang, grinning in a manic way. "Now then. Come on. Come on. Let's find a Vorpal sword and kill a monster!" He grinned again, adjusting his hat.
Aliana was now a little scared for her life. She had hoped this would just be her telling Hatta about the Jabberwocky and then leave. It seems like that wasn't the case. She adjusted her little back and then the new hat, "Let's go then I guess."
Hatta smirked a little, and grabbed a walking stick. "Supplies first. Mostly tea. Then we find the well, then the maze, then the path, then the sword!" He grinned again.
"That sounds a lot easier than it's actually going to be," Aliana sighed as she followed after the Mad Hatter, "Doesn't it?"
"Easy, hard, it's all a matter of perspective." Hatta jumped, and landed on his hands, looking at her from upside down. "For instance, are you upside down, or am I? To me, you are, and to you, I am."
(Gtg to bed soon)
(Kk)
"I understand that," Aliana responded as she watched him go into a handstand. She walked past him a little before turning to face him, "But I have always been bad in mazes."
Hatta jumped back up onto his feet. "Nonsense! A maze is simply a path that intersects with quite a lot of other paths. You just have to find your path and follow that one." He replied. He didn't quite make sense, but then again…when did he ever?
"Yeah," Aliana responded as he watched him, "But you can get lost easily and end up going in circles then your head starts to hurt, and ugh mazes are just no fun for me."
"Mazes aren't supposed to be fun." Hatta replied calmly as he walked. "Besides. Why is a raven like a writing desk?" He asked, glancing at her.
Aliana thought for a moment. She had always been decent had riddles since they often applied logic amongst the madness, "Both have black ink like feathers on them?"
"Nope." Hatta replied, popping the P. "Because they both have feathers dipped in ink." He laughed, though it was almost more of a giggle as he led her through the woods.
"Ohh," Aliana responded as she continued to walk beside Hatta, "That makes more sense than my answer."
Hatta grinned again, that manic, crazy grin. "There are many answers, miss Aliana. Always. To every riddle is a solution, and often more than one."
"I see," Aliana got a slight chill at his grin. She hadn't expected him to look that… Mad, "Then my answer was also perfectly acceptable."
"Well…no. It didn't adequately answer the riddle, you see." Hatta replied with a shrug. "Mine did."
Aliana let out a slight groan, "I suppose it didn't. You must be the riddle master or something."
"No, simply a Hatter." Hatta replied with a wink and another manic grin, whistling for a moment as they walked.
"Isn't that the same thing?" Aliana responded with a raised eyebrow and a slight smile.
"Of course not." Hatta replied, as if that were obvious. "Hatter's are mad, not riddle masters." He shrugged.