Kiyomi could tell that Acacius was pissed at her, but she was pissed at him. All he wanted to do was fix Wonderland, which granted was a good thing to want. But she wasn't used to this. This was her mother's world. She just wanted to go home.
Acacius continued to walk in front of her, occasionally stopping to consult his locket. It was emitting a faint golden glow as Acacius opened it to check again. He continued humming a strange song, one that his father used to sing to him (though his father had never really had a good singing voice). He knew that with his visions, he would eventually end up like his dear old dad: absolutely bat shit crazy. But he pushed it out of his mind. He and Kiyomi had more important things to do. Kiyomi, who probably hated him, or at least that's what she was acting like. She only cared to hurry up so she could leave and never have to see him again. Acacius frowned. He had to stop acting so selfish and just save Wonderland already, which was easier said than done.
Kiyomi began to softly sing the song the lullaby her mother would sing to her as a child. At first she hummed, much like Acacius was doing. But then she began to sing the lyrics, softly so that Acacius wouldn't hear too much.
Earth moves the air and the wind feeds the fire,
Magic is here if you dare to believe.
Sail out to sea on an ocean of mystery,
And bring your heart to the ones that you meet.
It was an odd lullaby, but it always brought her comfort.
Acacius turned his head when he heard the soft cadence of singing from behind him. Was she singing the same thing that he had just been humming? Should he say something? No, he was still angry with her. And she hated him. So he turned back quickly, hoping that she hadn’t noticed.
Kiyomi continued to sing softly, even as her clothes began to change. She saw it happen. As her dress went from grey to gold, as her shoes went from wedges to heels. It was very gradual, and to her it was quite pretty to watch.
Acacius turned around again to see Kiyomi’s dress shifting. His eyebrows shot up at the sight, though it was more at the fact that it was happening to Kiyomi, of all people, and not that it was happening in the first place.
(sorry, ive been really busy the past few days)
Kiyomi looked up to see Acacius staring at her. Well, her dress. But still her. "Don't you know it's rude to stare?" Her hair unraveled itself, the grey hat being replaced by a simple gold bow.
(it’s ok, i have too)
Acacius rolled his eyes. “In case you haven’t noticed, your clothes just shifted and I was curious,” he responded before turning around. He was able to hide his excitement at Kiyomi’s dress, but he covered it with his annoyance with her.
"Of course I notice, it happens every time I come to Wonderland. I don't know why it happens, but it does." She stared at him, daring his to say something. "Besides, you don't think I would notice that my shoes have changed style and that my hair is no longer in its braid?"
Acacius coughed awkwardly, unsure how to respond for a moment. "Well, it stands to reason that you would notice, but you're not like the others I've spent time with here," he said, deflecting the question as he continued to walk again.
"Of course I'm not like others," Kiyomi mumbled. "I'm not from Wonderland." She looked around, taking in the environment. How could all of this devoid of life be her fault?
Acacius sighed, not bothering to contest her point. He didn't say anything for several moments before turning and heading down a small pathway that someone had made. The path led into a the shadow of several trees before disappearing from sight. "Guess we're going this way now," he said.
Kiyomi followed Acacius, guessing that it was better to just walk in silence than to argue. She knew he hated her: she wasn't cooperating and she wasn't what he had expected in the slightest. But she was herself. This is what she was like. And if the person she was was the person who was going to save Wonderland, then she wasn't gonna change.
Acacius didn't particularly love walking in silence, but he kept his mouth shut. Kiyomi would probably argue with whatever he said, anyway. She clearly hated him. It made Acacius more upset than he should be. He didn't care whether people thought he was a weirdo or anything, but he really wanted people to like him. Several times he had a witty remark on the tip of his tongue before shutting himself down.
"I'm saying this without any hint of whine: how much longer will it be until we get to the council? I swear we've been walking for at least ten minutes. It's uncomfortable to walk in heels."
“I don’t think it’s much farther,” Acacius replied, looking up ahead. “It didn’t take a long time the last time, but the landscape here changes. It’s easy to get lost, which is why it’s good you’ve got me.” For a moment, the good humor seeped back into his voice.
Kiyomi listened to Acacius' answer, not really understanding what he said. How does a place move? Places stay where they are. God, Wonderland is fucking weird.
Acacius glanced down at his necklace before looking back up. Finally, there were closing in on the location. “We’re almost there,” he announced.
"Finally," Kiyomi mumbled under her breath. Her feet were starting to really hurt, since she'd been walking in heels for what felt like too many hours.
A tall, imposing building rose up before them, seemingly out of nowhere. The colors and design were fantastic, bright hues that one would never see in Kiyomi’s world. Acacius had always thought of that world as dull and gray compared to his beloved Wonderland. “Ta-da, we’re here,” he announced.
"Whoa. This is just…whoa. I didn't know these colours even existed. They're so bright and saturated." If she didn't have somewhere to be, she could have admired the building for hours. "Well, lead the way inside."
Acacius couldn’t help but smile slightly at that. “Naturally,” he responded, opening the imposing front door for her to walk through. “Ladies first.”
(ok so idk about you, but i feel like this is no longer going anywhere. do you want to mutually agree to stop?)
(yeah)
(yay! I'm not upsetting anyone. but honestly, this was good while it lasted. you made acacius so much more adorable than i was expecting)
(aww thanks! i really liked your idea and characters.)
