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.”
"Anyone could have stumbled upon this place. Following a rabbit isn't that hard. She just fell. It could have happened to anyone." She sighed, not looking at Acacius.
“Whatever. I’m not arguing with you anymore,” Acacius responded. “We both know I’m right, even if you won’t admit it. Now, it’s time for tea!” He clapped his hands giddily.
You're not right though, Kiyomi huffed to herself, though she was the only one to hear it. And now is not the time for tea. "If you don't have my tea then we aren't having any. Now is not the time to stop and drink tea and be merry."
Acacius huffed. “Tea time is not about being merry, my dear. It’s practically a ritual in Wonderland. Tea time is when I have my best visions.” This girl was starting to give him a headache. Why did she have to be so whiny? At least they were almost home.
Kiyomi just wanted to be rid of this place. She hadn't wanted to come, but somehow Acacius had talked her into it. She wish he hadn't.
Acacius spied a ramshackle little cabin painted a hideous shade of pink. “That’s it!” he exclaimed, pointing. “Voila! Our fabulous place to stay while in Wonderland!”
Kiyomi stared at the cabin, then at Acacius, then at the cabin, and back at Acacius. "Are you serious? There's nowhere better to stay? My apartment is bigger than that, and I have a studio apartment."
“It’s a lot roomier than it looks. Trust me,” Acacius said with a mischievous grin. “Things aren’t what they seem in Wonderland. It’s a really nice place.”
"Yeah sure, just like I'm the Queen of Narnia. There's no way it's bigger on the inside. Houses don't work like that." She stared at him, then back at the cabin.
Acacius chuckled, opening the door. Warm air wafted out, enveloping the twosome. It smelled of peppermint and tea. Acacius grinned, walking inside. “Home sweet home,” he sighed. Inside, the cabin more closely resembled a nice two-story home than a tiny cabin. It was indeed much bigger on the inside.
