dream ♔ oo4 [canon update]
Warnings: Spoilers for HnKnA. Oh, and abuse of dashes, and just a generally long dream.
Dream Effects: None.
“By the way…” Alice said from where she was sitting. “What happened to this table?”
The table in question was the one she was currently resting her elbows on-with, prominently, a crack in the middle that someone had apparently decided to fix using tape. Julius looked away, placing his cup of coffee on his desk.
Behind the desk was a cracked wall.
-Whether Alice noticed it or not was unknown, however, as she looked in surprise at his desk.
(It was better that way, really. She didn’t need to know what happened.)
“Oh, and you have so many clocks to repair,” she continued, getting up from her seat to take a closer look. “Oh no, I left when you were so busy…”
“Don’t worry about it. You lend a hand despite it not being your job,” replied Julius.
(She shouldn’t. The further she’s away from his ‘role,’ the further she was away from the truth.)
“That’s not true. Helping you out is my way of repaying you for letting me remain here,” said Alice. “I shouldn’t be sleeping. I’ll lend you a hand.”
At this, Julius was silent.
‘If Alice says she wants to stay elsewhere…’
Nightmare’s voice rang through his head, and he spoke.
“… Alice. Was the amusement park fun?”
She looked surprised at the question, but answered nonetheless. “Of course… Though not everything was fun.”
He ignored the last comment-
-And then asked what he was afraid to: “Why not leave here and live at the amusement park?”
A pause, and then-
“Huh…?”
“It doesn’t have to be the amusement park,” he said, an emotionless expression on his face.
(Calm. He had to pretend that this didn’t hurt.)
“If you like Peter White’s rabbit form, you could stay with him at the castle,” he continued.
“Wa… Wait a minute-”
“Then-you won’t feel indebted to me anymore,” he said, before closing his eyes. “I don’t ask you to help out, but when you see me working, you have the need to help… If it’s another territory, you won’t have to feel that way.”
“But it’s not… that I feel confined,” Alice protested. “It’s comfortable here. I’ve never thought about leaving.”
(She-)
“Comfortable…?” repeated Julius, as he crossed his arms and glared at her. She seemed taken aback, but Julius wasn’t done yet.
“… Just a while ago, Blood Dupre stopped by.”
(A crack in the desk, a crack in the wall.)
“Why Blood?” asked Alice, clearly startled at the news.
“… He wants to take you to the mansion,” Julius replied.
“Me, to the mansion?”
“It’s a good time,” said Julius. “You’re interested in him, correct?”
“Wha-What are you saying…? That’s not…!” Alice exclaimed, but even then, Julius’s face was expressionless.
‘Want? I just want her to be happy, just like you.’
Nightmare, again.
(Her, happy.)
“What do you want to do?” he asked. “I don’t mind if you leave-”
(A lie.)
“-especially if there is a place you wish to go. You don’t have to worry about work. I have no intention of stopping you. It’s for you to decide.”
(He was used to it, after all. Being alone, that is.)
“I…” Alice began. A few seconds passed, before a sad smile spread across her face. “I-I see. The other territories…”
She looked at the desk, where the cup of coffee sat, and then back at Julius.
-And then, most surprisingly of all, she started to cry.
“I don’t want to live anywhere else!” she said. “I feel the most comfortable with you.”
Despite his shocked look-not so expressionless anymore, was he?-she didn’t stop, as tears continued to stream down her face.
“If you say it’s my choice, then I choose to live here. If it’s my decision, then that’s okay, right!?”
(Alice was crying.)
“All-All right, do as you like,” he said, appearing more and more dismayed by the second. “So don’t cry…!”
She stepped closer to him, crying into her hand that rested against his chest. “But-you wanted me to leave, right?”
(Yes. No.)
“That’s not it.”
“Then what is it?” she asked, sobbing all the while. He didn’t know what to say-he never did.
(But if actions speak louder than words-)
Grabbing her arm-
-He pulled her into a hug.
“I didn’t mean to make you cry,” he said, still unsure of what to do.
“… I’m sorry, so stop crying. I don’t know what to do when you cry…”
---
[Well. That was sufficiently weird. And as much as Julius would like to dismiss it as a very strange dream, it felt too... real?
asdkljsdlkf ._____.]
... What was that?
Dream Effects: None.
“By the way…” Alice said from where she was sitting. “What happened to this table?”
The table in question was the one she was currently resting her elbows on-with, prominently, a crack in the middle that someone had apparently decided to fix using tape. Julius looked away, placing his cup of coffee on his desk.
Behind the desk was a cracked wall.
-Whether Alice noticed it or not was unknown, however, as she looked in surprise at his desk.
(It was better that way, really. She didn’t need to know what happened.)
“Oh, and you have so many clocks to repair,” she continued, getting up from her seat to take a closer look. “Oh no, I left when you were so busy…”
“Don’t worry about it. You lend a hand despite it not being your job,” replied Julius.
(She shouldn’t. The further she’s away from his ‘role,’ the further she was away from the truth.)
“That’s not true. Helping you out is my way of repaying you for letting me remain here,” said Alice. “I shouldn’t be sleeping. I’ll lend you a hand.”
At this, Julius was silent.
‘If Alice says she wants to stay elsewhere…’
Nightmare’s voice rang through his head, and he spoke.
“… Alice. Was the amusement park fun?”
She looked surprised at the question, but answered nonetheless. “Of course… Though not everything was fun.”
He ignored the last comment-
-And then asked what he was afraid to: “Why not leave here and live at the amusement park?”
A pause, and then-
“Huh…?”
“It doesn’t have to be the amusement park,” he said, an emotionless expression on his face.
(Calm. He had to pretend that this didn’t hurt.)
“If you like Peter White’s rabbit form, you could stay with him at the castle,” he continued.
“Wa… Wait a minute-”
“Then-you won’t feel indebted to me anymore,” he said, before closing his eyes. “I don’t ask you to help out, but when you see me working, you have the need to help… If it’s another territory, you won’t have to feel that way.”
“But it’s not… that I feel confined,” Alice protested. “It’s comfortable here. I’ve never thought about leaving.”
(She-)
“Comfortable…?” repeated Julius, as he crossed his arms and glared at her. She seemed taken aback, but Julius wasn’t done yet.
“… Just a while ago, Blood Dupre stopped by.”
(A crack in the desk, a crack in the wall.)
“Why Blood?” asked Alice, clearly startled at the news.
“… He wants to take you to the mansion,” Julius replied.
“Me, to the mansion?”
“It’s a good time,” said Julius. “You’re interested in him, correct?”
“Wha-What are you saying…? That’s not…!” Alice exclaimed, but even then, Julius’s face was expressionless.
‘Want? I just want her to be happy, just like you.’
Nightmare, again.
(Her, happy.)
“What do you want to do?” he asked. “I don’t mind if you leave-”
(A lie.)
“-especially if there is a place you wish to go. You don’t have to worry about work. I have no intention of stopping you. It’s for you to decide.”
(He was used to it, after all. Being alone, that is.)
“I…” Alice began. A few seconds passed, before a sad smile spread across her face. “I-I see. The other territories…”
She looked at the desk, where the cup of coffee sat, and then back at Julius.
-And then, most surprisingly of all, she started to cry.
“I don’t want to live anywhere else!” she said. “I feel the most comfortable with you.”
Despite his shocked look-not so expressionless anymore, was he?-she didn’t stop, as tears continued to stream down her face.
“If you say it’s my choice, then I choose to live here. If it’s my decision, then that’s okay, right!?”
(Alice was crying.)
“All-All right, do as you like,” he said, appearing more and more dismayed by the second. “So don’t cry…!”
She stepped closer to him, crying into her hand that rested against his chest. “But-you wanted me to leave, right?”
(Yes. No.)
“That’s not it.”
“Then what is it?” she asked, sobbing all the while. He didn’t know what to say-he never did.
(But if actions speak louder than words-)
Grabbing her arm-
-He pulled her into a hug.
“I didn’t mean to make you cry,” he said, still unsure of what to do.
“… I’m sorry, so stop crying. I don’t know what to do when you cry…”
---
[Well. That was sufficiently weird. And as much as Julius would like to dismiss it as a very strange dream, it felt too... real?
asdkljsdlkf ._____.]
... What was that?