Sara Mudou returns! Gaspshock.
" 'But oh, beamish nephew, beware of the day,/If your Snark be a Boojum! For then/You will softly and suddenly..." the Cheshire Cat recites, breaking off when it notices it has company. It's sunning itself, draped belly-up over a parapet of the castle, but with an unsettling upside down smile it vanishes and then reappears on the bridge, just to one side of where the transformation took place.
It was that familiar voice that caused Sara to almost lose her breath. Her heart had immediately began to thump for whatever reason, and with searching eyes, she glanced around eagerly until the Cat was in her view. Just where had she ended up now? What sort of joke was this to have pulled her away from Setsuna? As curious as she was, she found herself unable to speak up right away.
"Well, h-hi there!" says a squeaky voice. Mickey, beaming, is coming up the bridge from the direction of the central plaza. "It's great to see you again! And isn't it a beautiful day!" He draws in a breath and seems to be a millisecond from zipadee-doo-dahing when the castle's portcullis rattles slightly and drops half an inch. He glances over his shoulder. "Cut it out, fellas! Just a minute..." He pats his newly appeared pockets.
“Ee!“ Sara yelped when Mickey’s voice rang out. She looked over to see the friendly and approachable mouse, and couldn’t help but smile a little. She felt lost, though, no matter how repeated it felt with the two of them appearing before her again. “Hi!” She called out in return, “It’s.. it’s so great to see you, too! A-and… y-yes..” she glimpsed around to get a feel for the weather, “..it is a beautiful day!” However, her mind couldn’t stay focused on that for very long, though. Where was Setsuna.. ? Was he still around? Was he waiting for her at all… ? How about Kira-senpai? Were they both nearby… ?
"If you were a book," asks the Cheshire Cat, apparently apropos nothing, "what book would you be?"
Sara blinked. So, it was just like before… ? Was she going to be able to see Setsuna and Kira-senpai if she just answered these silly questions? Having directed her attention to the Cat, Sara idly fumbled with her dress as she answered him with, “Mm… I’m not entirely sure.” Then casting her glance to the side for a second, she added softly, “I don’t believe anyone would want to read me, as a book, anyway.”
Mickey has extracted his notebook, and clears his throat. "'Boxers or briefs?'" he reads aloud, and promptly blushes redder than a fire truck.
Her head snapped up at the question, a fresh flare of pink spreading across her cheeks. Noticing Mickey‘s blush seemed to just deepen hers and she stuttered out with, “W-What.. ?! I-I.. don’t think I can… answer that… “ What would Setsuna think if he heard them ask her that? The thought made her heart ache just a little. She could look around but there wasn’t one sign of him anywhere.
"Here's another," says Mickey. "List three things you'd do if you ruled the world."
As much as she could expect it, she never could get use to the abrupt change in these questions, but she tried to think of an answer while extinguishing the blush on her face as best as she could. After taking some time to think, she returned her gaze to Mickey and said, “The only thing I can think of is… to create a better world. To get rid of the restrictions that hold people down… well. There’d be regulations, of course, for the possible crimes out there. But all the nonsense in this world would be gone… I guess.” As uncertain as she was with that answer, she continued, anyway. “There’d be no more wars or nonsensical accusations… I hope that‘s what everyone would want.“
The Cat's eyes seem to be wandering in opposite directions. It says, "Is reality best described as (a) an absolute, not reducible to the sum of its parts, (b) the material or phenomenal world, as presented to us through our experiences, (c) fundamentally unknowable, (d) all of the above - please elaborate - or (e) fish?"
Sara stared at the Cat as if it were insane (although she had a feeling that was the case already), tempted to ignore the question altogether. But if it meant that she would see Setsuna again, well.. “I think reality is the outside world to our dreams. Everyone lives by their desires, right.. ?” She looked at the Cat, a soft glint in her eye. “In order to get them, we must face reality. We can’t stay hidden behind our dreams all the time… as much as that would be nice.” By now she felt as though she wasn’t making any sense. Her mind could only drift so far before she sounded completely crazy. “I guess I mean that… there’s no use staying hidden away when there’s so much more for someone to discover. Despite whether or not it brings pleasure… or pain.”
Mickey raises one white-gloved hand as though measuring his own height. "Are you tall enough to go on this ride?"
“E-eh.. ?” Now she was thrown off completely, looking around for the supposed ride. “What ride is it.. ? I’m probably tall enough.. “