Against Idleness and Mischief

[Alice]

Alice smiled, and slightly raised her right hand in the air, to draw attention to herself. "I beg your pardon, sirs," she said to the Mad Hatter and March Hare, "but may I explain what an unbirthday is?" She looked to Edith; her sister was definitely in the same situation Alice was in not too long ago.

[moroboshi]

"Don't mind if you do, my dear!" said the Marge Hare.

"Proceed, please!" said the Mad Hatter as he refilled his tea cup.

[Alice]

Alice smiled sweetly to the two lunatics. "Thank you!" She then turned her focus to her older sister, and brought her hands up and inadvertently gestured with them as she explained the concept of the unbirthday.

"Well, Edith, as you know the year is an awfully long time, and you only have one birthday in it. But there are three-hundred and sixty four unbirthdays; the rest of the days are unbirthdays! Do you see?" Her head remained still, but her eyes looked to the Hare and Hatter, to see if they would confirm (or correct) what she had just explained.

[moroboshi]

Unfortunately for Alice, the insane pair were too busy dancing about and sipping tea to be listening to her explanation on unbirthdays. However, Edith had been paying close attention to Alice.

"I suppose I understand," Edith said reluctantly. "But what exactly is the purpose of an unbirthday?"

[Alice]

Alice obviously did not know the answer, because she hesitated to answer. She opened her mouth once, but no words escaped her lips. She shrugged and giggled, fully aware of her ignorance. "I'm afraid I haven't the least idea, Edith." Her eyes looked to the insane pair and her smiled widened. "Perhaps they would know?" Her tone of voice indicated that, no, they probably wouldn't really. After all, they were quite mad!

[moroboshi]

"Nevermind," Edith said. "It's probably nothing of any real importance anyway."

All was silent at the table for moment, when the Mad Hatter finally spoke up.

"Have you ever seen the indisputable chicken-filled centipede?" inquired the Mad Hatter.

"I beg your pardon?" asked Edith.

"It eats sour plum duffs and dances high on the ratio tile," said the Mad Hatter.

[Alice]

Alice brought her right fist up to cover her lips, and she looked away as she giggled profusely. "Now that is just silly, Mr. Hatter!" she complimented, returning her focus to the Mad Hatter. She looked to Edith and asked, "But they are nicer than the flowers, aren't they?" She gestured to the Hatter and Hare as she asked.

[moroboshi]

"Indeed they are," Edith said, nodding her head in agreement with Alice. "Perhaps this place is not as bad as I previously thought."

Edith reached for the nearest tea pot and refilled her cup.

[Donald Duck]

A very comical, odd voice quacked from behind the two sisters, away from the tea party. "Aw, phooey!" the voice screeched. "Wak!" It was difficult to ascertain why the voice was angrily shouting, but it was more obvious to Alice when various noises from the nearby Tulgey Wood were audible. The source of the agitated voice had obviously stepped on a few of the horn-structured creatures, and rattled and annoyed various other of the bizarre forest's inhabitants.

"Get lost!" the funny voice shouted at something. "Scram!" This was soon followed by the sound of running footsteps, and, finally, Donald Duck barged through the Mad Hatter's gate, and into the tea-party. "Doggone--" he mumbled, but he stopped himself when his wide eyes noticed the large, decorative tea-party. "Oh-oh!" he exclaimed, then smiled. He waved. "Hi! Mind if I stop here?" He couldn't see Alice from where he stood, but he could see the pretty brunette. He stepped closer to her and took off his hat in politeness. "Hi, ma'am!"

[moroboshi]

Edith was both perplexed and charmed by the sudden appearance of this most unusual duck.

"Pleased to meet you," she replied kindly.

[Alice]

Alice recognized the voice. Her face lit up, and she turned as best as she could on her chair to look to the uninvited guest. "Mr. Duck?" she asked loudly to Donald, whom she could now see. She smiled. "Hello, Mr. Duck! It's nice to see you here!"

[moroboshi]

"Where do you know this duck from?" asked Edith.

[Donald Duck]

Donald blinked several times in a comical fashion when he heard the familiar voice, and he smiled widely when he saw the English girl's face. "Hi, Alice! Heh-heh-heh. Long time no see!" She folded his arms on his chest and continued smiling, as he shifted his weight to face the older brunette. "Aw, we met a while ago," he answered before Alice could. He paused and casually looked to the Mad Hatter and March Hare. They seemed oblivious at the time. Then Donald's eyes fell on the bizarre tea table. His smile faded, and was replaced with a look of mild consternation.

[Alice]

Alice's face visibly warmed at the surprise presence of Donald. After Donald answered Edith's question, Alice looked to her older sister and nodded to confirm. "Yes, it is as Mr. Duck says. We've met before." She paused and then frowned. "Oh! I don't think I've ever told you. I'm sorry!" She looked to Donald again and happily gestured to her sibling. "Mr. Duck, this is my sister, Edith."

[moroboshi]

Edith politely stood up and curtsied before the quirky duck.

[Donald Duck]

Donald looked to the physically attractive, young woman's display of formality, and the duck subsequently grinned. Acting playfully, he closed his eyes (which was suddenly overgrown with feminine, cartoony eyelashes), bowed, and tugged the bottom of his sailor shirt widely with both hands, as if said shirt was actually an elastic skirt. He wasn't intending to rudely mock Edith, but merely play around with her.

"Pleased to meet you!" Donald exclaimed. He had raised his voice an octave, to parody that of a woman's voice. He kept his pose, but he opened one eye to wink at an amused Alice.

[Alice]

Alice watched the duck's tease and covered her mouth with her right hand to stifle a prolonged giggle. Her giggling only intensified when Donald winked at her, so she closed her eyes and turned her head away from Edith, but she continued to laugh merrily.

[moroboshi]

Edith let out a delighted laugh. She couldn't help but be amused by Donald's quirky yet strangely charming personality. It made her almost forget about the encounter with the flowers.

"Perhaps I could stay here a little longer," she thought.

[Donald Duck]

Just then, a bread-and-butterfly fluttered by Edith, and then to Donald. The bizarre insect landed on top of Donald's bill, its cute hues looking up to Edith, and its posterior to Donald's large eyes. "Wha?" Donald had said when the bread-and-butterfly landed on his bill. But seeing that the insect posed no threat, the duck shrugged, and he exchanged looks to Edith and Alice, while the bread-and-butterfly rested on the rubbery bill.

"Wonderland sure is peculiar." He looked ridiculous with the bread-and-butterfly on his bill, but he still tried to make polite conversation. "How do you like it here?" he asked Edith. Since he was considerably shorter than Edith, he had to look up to address her.

[moroboshi]

"Well," said Edith, "I experienced some size-changing mishaps and had a very embarrassing encounter with some talking flowers earlier, but I'm feeling more comfortable now."

[Alice]

"That's precisely what I experienced," Alice said to her older sister. She smiled and nodded in agreement. "But it becomes less confusing eventually." She paused and shrugged her shoulders. "At least, I think." She looked down to her unattended cup of tea, then looked to Donald again after being reminded.

"Mr. Duck?" Alice asked kindly. "Would you care for a cup of tea?"

[Donald Duck]

"Sure!" Donald responded pleasantly, though he was obviously still focusing on the bread-and-butterfly. "After this... thing gets off me." A moment of awkward silenced passed before Donald tried speaking to the unusual insect which was perched on his bill. "Uh... can ya get off? Please?" he said to the insect, but it did not respond. In fact, it closed its eyes, rested, and promptly fell asleep. "Hey! Wake up!" Donald exclaimed. His eyes narrowed, but he hadn't lost his temper quite yet. "Wake up! Get off!" He glared at the insect on his bill for a moment longer, but he closed his eyes, sighed, and brought up his hands. "Aw, nuts," he said, defeated.

[moroboshi]

Edith laughed merrily at the bread-and-butterfly sleeping on Donald's bill.

"I see you've found yourself a friend," she joked.

[cheshire]

*Just then a bluish-grey, translucent, almost invisible smoke trailed through the air, a faint purring sound heard.*

Keep that up and something from Wonderland just might follow you home.

*A refined, smooth male british accented voice comes from the direction the smoke trails, which drifts up to a tree branch above the trio.*

[Donald Duck]

After the disembodied voice spoke, the bread-and-butterfly that had rested on Donald's bill, likely startled by the surprise visit of unseen company, repeatedly flapped its wings and fluttered away, out of sight. Donald was relieved after watching the insect depart. He smiled jovially, closed his eyes and snickered. But he opened his eyes, dropped his smile, and curiously looked around to find where the voice came from.

"Huh?" he asked aloud. "Who's there? What's going on?" He couldn't find where the voice came from, and yet it sounded so very close, as if the visitor was right there with them!

[Alice]

Unlike Donald Duck, Alice knew perfectly well whom the voice came from. Her eyes widened and she gasped lightly, instinctively bringing her hands closer to her face. From where she sat on the chair, she turned and looked upward to the direction the voice came from.

"Oh!" Alice exclaimed. "Mr. Cheshire," she asked, "is that you?"

Her blue eyes stared at the faint smoke that was clustered on the tree branch, above them. A smile tugged her red lips. She seemed to have forgotten about the trouble the cat brought her into before, or at least for the moment; Alice was actually pleased to hear the familiar voice, and she hoped that the cat would confirm her suspicions.

[moroboshi]

Edith looked around to see where the voice was coming from. Confused by Alice's statement, she was eager to learn the identity of the visitor.

"Who is this 'Mr. Cheshire'?" she inquired.

[cheshire]

*Out of the top most part of the smoke, a sharp-toothed, wide grin, almost resembling the crescent moon, appears, floating in mid air, followed by two shining, dark aqua-colored, rounded cat's eyes. The cat's tail, a fluffy, aqua and grey striped plume, appeared from nowhere in particular and swiped across the smoke and suspended face, and, with a swirl of smoke, the entirety of the cat's large body becomes visible, reclining in the branches above. He chuckles, quietly.*

If I wasn't myself, I wouldn't be me, now would I, dear Alice?

*The Cheshire Cat gently lifts and cleans his left front paw, then looks to the others.*

Might I inquire who your friends are?

[Alice]

Alice's mouth widened to a tight smile. She pushed her chair backward so she would be allowed to stand and walk away from the table. As she did this, though, her eye contact remained on the surprise visitor. She walked to stand closer to Edith and Donald Duck; she stood more or less between them.

She made a polite curtsy and then replied, "Mr. Cheshire Cat!" Alice should have been wary of the Dormouse and his great fear of the word 'cat,' but she had forgotten. She would not have remembered this until later. Still smiling, Alice shook her head and gestured to her older sister. "This is my older sister, Edith." She looked up to Edith and changed so she gestured to the cat. "This is the Cheshire Cat!" Then she returned her attention to the cat and pointed to the anthropomorphic duck. "And this is Donald Duck. He is my friend. He--"

Before Alice could introduce Donald to the Cheshire Cat, she was reminded of being dangerous tricked by the very same cat before. She stopped smiling; her happy smile was first replaced with a look of thought, and then one of indecisive worry. Alice furrowed her eyebrows and she looked away from the Cheshire Cat, to the ground below. Of course, since her skirt was fairly large she saw more of said skirt than the ground itself. She brought her fingers together to twiddle them; she was always obvious when she was nervous.

[Donald Duck]

Donald exchanged glances from the anthropomorphic and extraordinary cat to Alice. He had worn an amused if slightly baffled expression on his cartoony face, before looking to the child when she stopped speaking and clearly changed her attitude. "What's wrong?" Donald ask the girl. He raised his brows and folded his arms on his chest. "You look sullen now, Alice. Why?" He tilted his head as he curiously studied the girl as best as he could, from where he stood.