Honeymoon [Iris/Open]

[High's .Valentine.]

”Father, don’t you know? I love you, more than anything in the world…”

”…”

”I know a way for us to be together…forever and ever…and ever…” she bit him.

”Arianne…stop…” he grimaced.

“Don’t struggle, daddy, it’ll all be over soon. And you’ll be with me…”

“Stop!”

“I will eat you.”

He opened his eyes to the immense cover of green. The thickly entwined trees had blotted out the sunlight, giving the male the relief he had been craving. Every muscle, joint, every inch of him was tormented by overuse. His mind continued to simmer in the nightmare, the bloodied teeth, the snake-like jaw, and the pain as those dagger sharp incisors pierce through his white skin. He shuddered. There was something soft under him. Grass, slightly wet with morning dew. The male spent little effort to survey his surroundings, merely wishing to lie where he was until the pain subsides. He didn’t want to think about what had happened to his home. No mulling over his daughter, over the people of Latharai. Not even the elf. He opened his eyes again, and against his will, shifted so he could at least get a picture of where the girl was.

She was nowhere in sight.

Closing his eyes again, Luther Shiang sighed. The birds twittered, but there was no sound of rustling body against grass, shrub…nothing. There was no life within inches of him. Unless the girl was out cold just as he was, she was nowhere close to him.

Hissss.

He snapped to attention, forcing himself to sit up. A salty metallic tang hit his nose the moment he moved. Dropping back onto the grass, Luther realized that his wounds had opened when he fell through the hole and was dumped in this green paradise. The vampire made no noise, no move as his ears continued to search for the sound. It was like…

You think? He looks dead to me. Oh my did you see that? He’s bleeding!

It was the soft hiss of…housewife gossip? Now that he was lying on his side, Luther frowned as he shifted his head. Females? Talking about him. Where are they? He had just confirmed that there was nothing around him. The voices had come from right behind him. There is was again, hissing whispers of gossip in action. Glancing past his shoulder, all he could see was a row of flowers, as tall as him, maybe even taller. The buds were of different colors and sizes and shut tight, as if ashamed to face the Vampire.

Look at him, how ugly and old looking! Staring so impolitely at us! The whispers came again, and Luther felt slightly offended. Yet…there was no one there. Did one of the buds moved slightly though? He must have lost too much blood.

Laying his head back down, he groaned.

“Elf?!” Luther called, hoping she would answer. Behind him, the flowers tittered.

[Iris|Kairi]

"...Hhrrrnngf...?"

A bush rustled softly to the right of Luther. It only moved a moment before it fell silent, eerily so after such a noise had just come from it. The poor Elf had been knocked silly from the fall, and had been completely out cold for how knows how long. The branches of the trees and from the large bush she'd landed in had scratched at her delicate pale skin, as well as mussed her hair. Leaves were tangled in it.

When she sat up in a wobbly fashion, she looked like a wild child. A girl raised along in the wilderness by wolves. If only those kinds of being wore a leather-like bodysuit...

After sitting up, she lost her balance and tumbled face forward out of the bush, falling about a foot before rolling into the injured vampire, most of her weight on her shoulders and head while her hips and legs hung over his waist. She had a rather large lump on her pretty little head. When she opened her eyes once more after her spill, the image she received of Luther was a swirling batch of 8 transparent heads...

Even so, a small, dazed smile spread over her lips. Whispers? She heard no flowery whispers! All she heard were bells. Pretty bells! And purple. Wait....she could hear purple? It sounded marvelous. Like icicles against a mirror...

"Luuuutherrr...." she stated. Perhaps she meant it as a question...but no matter. Her brain was too jarred to think that well. She giggled lightly, her bright pink eyes falling closed again, though she was most certainly at least half conscience and complete unaware of her surroundings.

Honestly, she didn't remember anything about what just happened, meaning the nasty world of death she'd lived on...exploding? Sucking in on itself? Whatever...disappearing. She didn't remember it. Not right now.

[High's .Valentine.]

He couldn’t even conceive a proper grunt as the girl rolled right onto him…and his wound. Instead, the Vampire just laid there, a look of pain etched in his face. It’s been awhile since Luther had shown anything more than contempt on that face. Now the male looked as if he had just been stabbed in the heart with a stake. Finally, he squeezed one eye open and stared at the girl. Poor, poor child, she looked completely dazed. Too bad Luther felt very little sympathy for the elf.

Reaching out, Luther looked as if he was going to lovingly pick the leaves and sticks out of Faye’s ice blue hair. Instead, he gripped her by the shoulders, his knuckles turning white as he pulled the girl off of him and [weakly] threw her just a few centimeters away. Even with his wound bleeding, the Night Elf was small enough for him to pick up like a rag doll. Behind them, the voices giggled. Luther turned and glared at the flower buds. Some part of him must have been dropped when he was thrown down the hole. The voices hushed as soon as he turned his head.

Definitely, some part of him had been left unscrewed. The stress of losing his home, status, and life all in the matter of a few weeks had finally come crashing down on the vampire. Flowers were gossiping about him.

“You are alright,” he stated to the elf. It was neither a question nor a confirmation. She was alright, and there was not going to be any whining, buts, or retorts to his assumption of her status. He was right, Faye was wrong, and that’s what it was going to be. “You are fine.” He repeated for both his sake and hers. Luther did not want to deal with an injured elf since he himself was already a bit spent. Pushing himself up with an arm, his long black hair was similar to the elf’s. Tangled, muddied, dull. Mayhap he did looked old and ugly at the moment, for Luther was feeling years older than his usual self.

“Do you…hear them?” Luther asked tentatively. He wasn’t sure if it was just him, or if everyone can hear it, but those flowers are getting louder by the minute now that he had been joined by a female. The words lovers and romance were tossed here and there, snatched up by Luther’s sharp ear, much to his disdain. If he was the only one hearing it, then he could quickly dismiss his question by a discouraging comment towards the girl. He was, after all, still superior to her. Even though his home, where his status meant everything, probably meant nothing now in this world of talking flowers.

[Iris|Kairi]

"Mf." Faye replied, her face, lips, nose in the grass. That's where she'd stopped moving after he'd pushed her off of him. Thankfully, the words and the movement brought her mind out of its forced hibernation. She rolled to her side, spitting a little to get leaves and grass out of her mouth and away from her lips. She'd actually been able to comprehend his words, which was an improvement. Again she opened her eyes, but her first coherent expression wasn't of glee, but of a small bit of pain. In her forehead region. A slender pale hand rose to her head, pressing against it.

But she was alright. She was fine. He'd told her so and that's how it was and how it would be. The End.

Sitting up, she shook her head a bit to clear the cobwebs, the pain quickly getting masked with a smile...and concerned eyes. She looked him over..slowly remembering events. Dark. Running. Dark. Crashing into Luther. House. Attack. Moving. Morning. Trees. Biting. Kiss. Talking.

Hole. Loud noises.

....

Nothing.

She blinked a few times, the abruptly flipped to her knees, pressing her hand right into his wound to again stop the bleeding. This was followed by the scarf she'd tied there getting retied tightly quicker than many could really realize.

"Yup! I hear the talking flowers too! Pretty to look at...but they sure to find us interesting. Hmmm...maybe it'd stop their guessing if we just told them we are bonded?" she asked with a giggle and a grin, now sitting back on her knees to look at his bandaged side, then his face. She seemed rather pleased with herself and still completely unphased by his condescending tones and anything negative. As far as she was concerned, he cared about her.

Ah, romance....she knew nothing of it. Poor girl thought this was it. Ha!

"Are you alright now, Luther? Can you sit up? I can help youuu..."

[High's .Valentine.]

She looked kind of funny, her face in the grass. The sadist side of Luther immediately deemed the image of girl suffering a laughable scene. Yet the rest of the Vampire…well, he felt too dry to even produce a chuckle. Nonetheless, the sight of the elf—someone who had survived from his world—gave the Black Mantis a relief he didn’t know he needed. Some part of him felt…at ease. It was apparent that Luther was a major patriot, having been living in Latharai for centuries. The sight of someone familiar comforted the male, who was reluctant to admit that this bumbling little night elf was maybe the only thing keeping his thinning sanity from snapping.

Then she jumped on him, pressing down on the wound.

Or she would be the threshold that sends him overboard. Luther managed to moan this time as she pressed his sullied scarf against the sword wound. Behind them, the flowers gasped at the sight. A few of them averted their buds, as if a scene of something shameful was going on right under their flowery petals.

His head lolled onto the grass, beads of sweat rolled down Luther’s forehead and mingled with the dew. “What…are you…?” Luther cut himself off. He wasn’t even going to attempt to ask the girl what she was doing. Sure, she was probably saving his life, but dear Latharai, did she have to press so hard? Biting his lips, Luther felt the pain ease throughout his body, displacing the pain that had concentrated in his abdomen. Now, he was just tingling all over. To be honest, Luther had never felt this alive. Yes, pain is life. Yet, the Black Mantis slightly wished he was swallowed into the pits of Latharai, never to emerge.

From the haze came Faye’s voice, and he opened his eyes and glared at her. So he wasn’t…crazy. Either that or the girl was mad too.

“Bonded?” he breathed, his pale lips cracked and slightly bleeding. Licking away the blood, Luther glanced at the girl’s hand, which was right next to his. The Black Mantis could only presume what ‘bonded’ meant to the girl. It meant only one thing in his tribe. It startled him. But he said nothing, not even discouraging the girl from thinking the two to be ‘bonded’. Perhaps her idea of ‘bonded’ is merely used to describe their traveling companionship. If you can call it companionship in the first place. More like the oppressed and the suppressor. He still found himself amazed with the fact that the girl would sit through such abuse. Sooner or later though, he thought to himself, sooner or later, she would crack.

“I can sit up just fine,” Luther retorted, pushing himself up again, this time making sure he showed no sign of agony from the movement. Turning, he glanced at the buds, which silenced themselves the minute his attention focused on them.

“What is this place?” The tone of his voice was clear, his words slow, as if speaking to a lowly creature. He held the power and the position here. They will do nothing but tell him about the exact location he was sitting on right now. To his surprise, those vain flowers exploded into laughter. Luther, at first thinking of the ridiculousness of addressing flowers, now was faced with the brusque manners of these...giggling floras! How dare they laugh at the Black Mantis! Luther turned his back on them, refusing to look at Faye or anyone else.

“They are merely vegetation. They know nothing,” he said, loud enough for the flowers to take notice of. Behind him, gasps of scorn could be heard, and the titters came back, louder and more fierce than before. Luther could do nothing but sit and bore the brunt of these weeds since he simply would not bring himself to cutting down flowers out of spite. [Nor could he move very well without tipping over at the moment, but he wasn’t going to tell anyone that.]

[Iris|Kairi]

"Oh, no, Luther! The flowers know." she chirped softly, flailing her arms a little. As she did so, she almost knocked herself over, but she scrambled enough to catch herself. That bump on her noggin made her all dizzy and wobbly, but no matter! She had a mission right now!

Talk to the flowers!

With light, quick movements, she was upon the flowers, perched on her toes with a grin. She whispered with them, finding common ground and giggling when they did. They were really quite interesting creatures. All it took was a little understanding and kindness to make the buds more cooperative. After only a few moments she was able to draw their location out of them, but they were just so talkative she was sucked into their conversation and kept on chattering, all but forgetting poor Luther behind her.

At first it looked as if she'd escape backwards and return, but instead she plopped onto her bottom, settling in for the long haul. These flowers sure could talk, and they knew a lot of gossip about Wonderland! There was a white rabbit obsessed with time, a tea party which amused a small madman and a talking hare, a Queen of hearts who had no heart, fickle as the weather and offed some innocent things' heads. How terrible! She didn't want to get near that queen, or her card soldiers! There was even tale of a talking cat who could appear and disappear at will, and stand on his head! The Cheshire Cat knew even more than they, or so they said. Apparently, not too long ago a blond young girl of the same type of creature as herself and Luther had come through, and things she ate made her taller or shorter!

What a strange place this was...

[High's .Valentine.]

Of course. He should have known the second she bounced off her little bottom and headed towards the colorful weeds. If he had expected the girl to talk for him, he would be sitting here for the rest of his life. Luther thought his head was going to implode with all the twittering and hissing. In all his hundreds years of life, he had never, never heard such insistent CHATTERING. Luther glanced at Faye as she talked with the flowers. And talked, and talked, and talked. At first, Luther listened to the descriptions the flowers were giving the girl. Some part of him was a bit miffed about the fact that those flowers were calling Faye ugly, or old, or just blatantly laughing in her face. They were having conversations, for Latharai’s sake.

So apparently, they were in the middle of a world called Wonderland. Luther looked up at the ceiling of leaves. He had noticed that there were giant mushrooms growing around him, and shrubs the height of the Demon’s castle. The bushes were well trimmed, as if someone lived here, and the grass was tamed. Someone had to have kept this place in check otherwise all this would have been a jungle. And talking flowers…it was apparent they were not on Latharai, for the flowers of his gothic world utter not a single word, and were far smaller than the man, quashed by a simple footstep. These flowers towered over him, and gossiped until his ears burned.

All this other talk rabbits, cats, hares, and mad men did little to intrigue the vampire. However, the mention of the queen who beheads innocents caught his attention. She would be someone he had to avoid. Grabbing a fistful of his hair, Luther plucked debris out of the black locks and hid the graying hair further inside the thick long tresses. Pulling his hair back into a pony tail to keep the tangled mess out of his face, Luther stood up. The only sign of effort from the Black Mantis was the action of licking his lips. Otherwise everything else, to his careful calculation of total control, belittled the sting of the wound.

Turning, Luther reached out and grabbed the elf by the arm. “That is enough,” Luther commandeered the girl, glaring at the flowers. “Gossiping is not our top concern at the minute.” Dragging the girl along with him, he gave the flowers no second look. “We must find a way out of this place. Unless you wish to remain by yourself with those hissing weeds. Do not expect me to wait for you though.”

[Iris|Kairi]

Faye blinked as she was pulled to her feet and dragged away. She stumbled at first, but followed. She smiling back at the mean flowers, waving and remaining friendly until they were out of sight. Then she dimmed, really seeming to pout. As the passed a puddle, she looked at her face. Reaching up, she smoothed some leaves from her hair, but focused on her face.

Ugly? She thought that once she got away from the night elves she'd stop hearing those words directed at her. Her lower lip stuck out a little. "...Ugly?" she repeated, then looked up at Luther, whom she was walking beside now. "...Am I really that ugly..and old?" she asked, her voice barely more than a hurt whimper. From what she'd been informed, they were heading for the Mad Hatter's house. Maybe he'd know something. Sure, he was mad, but maybe he knew a way out?

She sniffled now, wiping at her face, eyes lowered on the ground as they passed twisted trees. Thick, dense areas of them. She was becoming more and more aware of the lack of sun... Was there any at all? She couldn't tell for the leaf umbrellas above them. Sun or no sun, it was not a bright as she'd like, which meant the fear was starting to set in. In a quick motion, her small hand was gripping his. Her small elf body was tense, her eyes darting.

Now that her head was completely clear of those impact cobwebs, she was painfully aware of everything. Especially the singing bounced at them from ever direction. It sounded far away..but it was undetermined. A very merry unbirthday...to you~

[High's .Valentine.]

"...Am I really that ugly..and old?"

At first, Luther didn’t think to stop, but after several steps, he came a halt. Turning, he lifted the girl’s lowered head by the chin with a single finger. The Black Mantis stared at her rosy cheeks, the swollen bump on her head, the plump red lips and the small cut on her lower lip where his teeth had pierced and drew blood, and those sad, sad magenta eyes. The expression on Luther’s face was of stern boredom, as if he was examining a specimen for flaws. Turning her face this way and that, a small sliver of a sneer appeared on his face. It was unsure of whether the smile had meant to be hurtful or reassuring, but Luther said nothing as he released her face and turned, continuing on their walk to…nowhere really.

The Black Mantis wasn’t sure how long he had been walking before something slipped into his cold hand. It was warm, and it was uncomfortable. Luther looked down at their entwined fingers, startled, though his steps did not cease, and neither did his eyebrows move. To his own surprise, he did not shake off the girl, instead, allowing her to grip onto his hand. He did not grip back in return though. He was not going to encourage her with any physical contact. His pace quickened, signaling to the girl to either catch up or let go. The sky overhead and beginning to darken as the trees became more densely packed. The Vampire had the strange claustrophobic feeling of walking inside a green box with many twists and turns.

“A labyrinth,” Luther quietly commented, looking up at the shrubs that were now about three feet above his six feet five. Those elfish ears twitched when suddenly, music reached his ears.

A very merry unbirthday...to you~ The Vampire stopped in his tracks, frowning as the music continued. Sounds of clinging silver and pottery and laughter reached his ears. Mad laughter.

Looking behind him, Luther was confronted with a wall of green. The pathway he had just walked through was barred by vines and leaves. Shaking off Faye’s hand, he headed up to the shrub and tentatively placed a hand on the greenery. Nothing happened. Yet the Black Mantis was sure he had just walked through that very path. Yet it was a dead end.

A long blade shimmered into view on Luther’s left hand and with a swipe, he ripped a hole through the bush. Before he could do anything, the vines grew back, twice as thick. Picking leaves and twigs from his weapon he turned to Faye. Luther gave it no second thought.

“Only one path to take…”

[Iris|Kairi]

Faye was starting to get spooked. The path was gone. It was darker than she liked. There was crazy singing and clanking and crashing and breaking and moving...The minute Luther was done trying to cut his way out of this "maze" her hand was back to griping his non-responsive one. She didn't care. As long as she was touching him, she felt less hyperventilate-y. And less sad and confused about how he'd "replied" to her ugly question. She'd ask later. Sure, it's what was inside that counted...but..

"Luther...do we have to meet the Mad Hatter..?" she asked, biting her torn lower lip. "He's...singing...with someone. Maybe we shouldn't bother him...them...whoever is there." she suggested. "Perhaps we can just walk on by and try to find the purple striped cat?"

Though she spoke softly, she really hoped Luther would..heed her words. But, deep down, she knew he wouldn't. From the snort time she'd known him, he'd yet to really listen let alone take into consideration anything she said. She continued to delude herself that he liked her as well as treasured her valuable opinions. Life was happier that way. Besides! He loved her. They were bonded.

"Or maybe that time obsessed white rabbit! I bet he's cute!" she perked, giggling to herself. Happy thoughts, happy thoughts..

[High's .Valentine.]

Faye would have to be understanding for now. Luther had never, in his life, ever comforted anyone. No one. Maybe he did have the capacity to sympathize before he was turned, but that was a part of his history that Luther had shed. He remembered nothing before he became a blood sucker. What the girl was doing was a curious gesture—he’s never been touched that way before—but it wasn’t like her usual whining, jittery self. She calmed down when she was grabbing onto his hand, and he could feel the shivers come to a stop the minute her hand enter his. So he thought little of her hand clutching. As long as she was silent and still, he can have an ounce of the feeling of control. The Black Mantis hated the lack of control he seemed to be having these days. Nothing went as it should, and he could not calculate outcomes.

He did not answer the girl, merely pulling her along and headed for the only way out. Ahead.

The sound of singing grew stronger as they continued down the path. It seems that Faye’s question had been answered. Yes, they have to meet the Mad Hatter. Either that, or a path will open up before they reach the Hatter.

There was only one path.

Emerging from the gardens, Luther gave a small sigh of relief that could have easily gone unnoticed. They had exited the stifling maze, and was now in a chamber. A bush chamber. It was airy nonetheless. Rays of sunshine managed to squeeze through the holes in the shrub, and along with the paper lanterns hung from branches, the place looked…warm and homey.

In the middle of the room was a long, regal table, stacked with lidless teapots that danced and whistled, mismatched saucers, and chipped cups. Chairs from all over the place, tall, short, soft, hard, wide, skinny, were placed along the table. A cloud of steam hung over the setting, and Luther stopped next to the red arm chair at his end of the table. At the end of the mess, merely two small figures, was a short man with a giant hat, and a brown rabbit. They sang and slugged a liquid that gave off a strong earthy smell.

With all the whistling and singing and smell, Luther thought he preferred the maze. The two paid little attention to the man and his night elf, singing and sloshing away like two madmen. Except one was a bunny rabbit.

…There must be a way out of here.

Luther, realizing that any movement he made was not going to gather any attention from the singing duo, began to inspect the strange garden. A gate! There was a small gate just four feet from him. Heading towards the fence, Luther made a big mistake. He bumped the table.

One of the tea pot in front of him suddenly tipped over, and Luther flinched at the loud noise. From inside the pot, a very haggard mouse peeked out with droopy eyes at the man and the elf.

“CAT!!” The mouse squealed, all of a sudden gaining the energy it didn’t have seconds earlier. It confused the rocking of the table as a feline, ready to snatch it up and devour it. The song stopped and the crashing began. The rabbit and Mad Hatter dashed across the table, sending pottery, sugar, and tea flying. “CAT! CAT!” The mouse screeched, jumping on the nearest person it could find—Luther. The Black Mantis scrambled to grab the rodent, but it burrowed its way into his shirt.

The Vampire let out an unusual squeak as the mouse ran around inside his shirt, a mere scampering bulge. The next thing he knew, it was out of his shirt and jumping at Faye, and two figures slammed into him, almost knocking him over.

“Find it! FIND IT!” They pulled at Luther’s shirt, who roared in fury. The Mad Hatter’s hat—though floppy and whimsy looking—bopped him in the face and he shut his mouth. Suddenly the rabbit pointed at Faye and shouted, “He’s there!”

As soon as they had rammed into him, they jumped on Faye, where the mouse curled, quivering next to her neck. The Black Mantis stumbled as they shoved him away, his pony tail coming loose from the scramble and the scarf tied around his waist slipping to the ground.

[Iris|Kairi]

"WHAT'S A CAT?!" Faye shrieked initially when the chaos started. Well, more chaos than the singing and dancing and waving tea around and otherwise complete nuttiness. Faye had no idea what a cat was, nor why the little thing with big ears was spazzing out about one and jumping on her Luther!!

She'd been about to try and get the small creature out of the Luther's shirt when the two tackled him... She squeaked and hopped out of the way, ending up on the basically destroyed table. It had been set to whimsically...but now everything was broken and smeared and spilled. Several scents were flooding her nose, putting her on overload. Sickly sweet...fruity..earth tea made of leaves similar to home..It almost overwhelmed her. She was a bit nauseated...and sitting on a sharp broken teacup!

"OW!"

She popped up off the table, seemingly forced up by only her butt cheeks. Extending her legs to land on the ground once more, she saw the creature jump and land on her.. What was it! The whole situation, witnessed by an unconcerned party, would've been hysterical. But to Faye it was all very terrifying and dizzy!

Once the mouse was at her neck, she grabbed him and dropped down to curl in on herself fearfully, while also seeming to protect and try and calm the animal..and herself. She was talking to herself much like she had the night she'd run into Luther. "I-It's okay little thing, it's all alright.." she whimpered to herself and to him. "Everything will be j-just fine!" Her slender finger rubbed the Mouse's head gently between the ears. It was working on the mouse...not so much on her. Especially when she was tackled.

In her surprise, Faye lost grip of the mouse and tossed him into the air before she crumpled to the ground, Mad Hatter and Hare on top of her in a mess of dust. Said mouse soared before he pulled an umbrella from nowhere. A little tiny one. It puffed open and he floated calmly down into a cute jar, his sleepy eyes barely open.

"Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Bat,
How I wonder what you're at.
Up above the world you fly
Like a tea tray in the sky,
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Bat,
How I wonder what you're at."

[High's .Valentine.]

“Get off of her!” Luther growled, tugging at the two ridiculous Wonderland Natives and lifting them up by the scruffs of the neck. The Mad Hatter smacked him with his hat. Again. By then, the rodent had been flung away from the scrambling and floated down into an intact tea pot, singing some bizarre song. The Black Mantis’ current preoccupation was to get the Hatter and the Hare away from his Night Elf. Away! It was strange for the Vampire to be so defensive, but they’re just grabbing at her and screaming and shouting. Lord knows what the girl was going through. Besides, he can be quite possessive…

Luther had the urge to slam the two together to knock both of them out, but they were convulsing and scrambling so violently that Luther had a hard time keeping a grip on the two. Suddenly, the Hare, stopped twitching and with his arm crossed, glared at Luther with a lazy eye.

“Excuse me! You are quite rude!” the Hare cried. Luther glared back, only to turn his attention towards the Mad Hatter who repeated with a, “yes, quite, should I say, a prude, no rude!” The man in green wagged a finger at Luther before straightening his hat, which was slipping off on one side. Maybe the look of a threatening predator would put them back in their place…

Growling and glaring darkly, the Black Mantis was startled out of his threats when the Hare pulled out a large hammer which couldn’t have fitted in his back pocket. Luther tossed the rabbit in a rapid reaction and dropped the Mad Hatter. The two bounded back to their side of the table, all the way on the other side far, far away from the duo.

Pulling Faye up, Luther kept her close while he picked up the scarf that had been dropped.

“Have a cup of tea?” The March Hare suddenly popped up in front of Luther, who recoiled as if he had just been stabbed.

“Yes, yes, you do look quite stressed!” The Mad Hatter shoved a cup of tea at Faye, a loopy grin on his face. The Black Mantis glanced at the end of the table. They had just been standing there seconds ago…how was it possible they could have moved that fast?

“We are leaving,” Luther shoved the Hare aside, pulling Faye along. The smell of fruit, rich cream, and who knows what else was giving him quite a headache, “move.”

They managed to reach the gate before the singing happened again behind them. Glancing behind his shoulder, he found that their scuffle had barely dimmed the Hatter and the Hare’s spirits. They were at it again, singing and chugging tea.

“Simple creatures…” Luther muttered, stopping and glancing at Faye as if to check her for injuries. Reaching out, he wiped off some jam on Faye’s face with a finger. What in the world is that? It smelled sweet…delicious sweet. Like blood. Giving his finger an inconspicuous lick, he frowned at the strange taste of the jelly. Mmm…

Sneaking another peek at Faye, he noticed more of the purple stuff on her cheek, where it must have gotten on her when she had fallen on the table. Hmmm…

Leaning in, his face hovered above hers, a breath away. She smelled of the condiments that were spilled on the tables. Rich and sweet and green. Luther…well, he was a bit peckish after that scramble. “I’m hungry…” he stated, brushing the Night Elf’s blue hair away, he moved in…gonna just lick off that jelly…

“No time! No time!” Something dashed underneath him, and Luther stumbled back, almost tripping over his own feet. Ooh..he was so close. The taste of the grape jelly still lingering on his tongue, he searched for the interloper in frustration. The thing, a scampering, blustering rabbit, continued to whine and cry, carrying a big watch with him. “I’m late! I’m late!” he cried, running into Faye as he bustled about in a circle. Falling backwards, the rabbit gave a simple cry. “Oh no, I’m late!”

[Iris|Kairi]

"Then run! Then run!" Faye replied just as frantically, as if she was later herself. Truthfully, she was startled...by a couple of things at once. Luther had been close to her. Luther liked...the sticky purple stuff on her face which was odd because it wasn't blood. She was baffled. Luther was leaning in as if to feed as she'd let him before, which she'd let him right now with not a word since he'd told her he was hungry, but then there was a flash of white just under her field of vision...

And Luther was stumbling away again. Something was yelling. Telling about time. Which brings us to the present..

Once Faye thought to angle her face down to peer at what had ran into her warily, she noted the watch. She gasped. "The rabbit obsessed with time! It's you!" she exclaimed, as if the gossiping flowers' words were all the more enforced, which was both comforting and insulting. That meant there was more of a chance they were right when they called her ugly...

"Er..late for what?" her blue hair bobbed as she tilted her head to the left. She still looked rather stressed from the ordeal earlier which Luther had thankfully saved her from. Good thing the small white rabbit with his large golden pocket watch didn't look nearly as crazy and scary.

But...now that she had time to notice...what was with the animals talking and wearing clothes?

[High's .Valentine.]

Stupid rabbit…Luther felt the need to drain the blustering fur brain. Just as he had wanted to bash the two mad creature’s heads in back at the tea party. But alas, he still thought himself far above such pitiful actions. To give in to anger and frustration is something a Vampire of his status would never lower himself to. He had control over himself, and the surroundings. He has power.

"Then run! Then run!"

Luther glared at the night elf. She certainly was swept up by the rush of things. Some part of Luther felt a small sense of…disgruntle by her attentiveness to the animal. Why, she didn’t even seem surprised that he looked as if he was going to condone some kind of carnal act against her, or bite her due to his slowly growing hunger, or the fact that he was just getting so touchy-touchy after coldly ignoring her for so long. Confused—for he had never heard or felt ‘jealousy’ before—Luther preoccupied himself with reaching down and snatching the poor rabbit by the pocket watch, strangling the time pressed animal in the process.

“Late to what?” the Black Mantis stated simply, watching the writhing rabbit dangle from the chain. It grunted and struggled, getting his cuffs and collar into a mess as it reached for its golden pocket watch.

“The Queen! The Queen! Oh, it’ll be off with my head if I’m late!” Scrambling for an explanation, the punctual white rabbit’s glasses were crooked and it looked near tears, which Luther was effectively immune to.

Mulling over the rabbit’s words, Luther remembered the vain flower’s gossip about the red Queen who loves chopping off civilian’s heads. The Vampire was not stupid. He knew he could not take on many of the enemies he comes across, with his original powers cut in half due to his ‘death’. But if there’s anything the male does know, it’s that a diplomatic approach to a monarch might just solve his problem, even if the monarch has a superiority complex—much similar to Luther’s own little complex. Back on Latharai, Luther himself wasn’t much different from a monarch. He was certainly superior to the people of his tribe and they look to him for advice.

“Take me to her,” Luther finally commanded the rabbit. Maybe the Queen just might get them off of this…place and back where he belongs.