enchantdly

[enchantdly]

“ well. maybe i should change that, ” cheshire muses with a frown. “ really, she's not that scary. just a human with a temper. ” it's not that simple, it never is, but the cheshire cat has quite the penchant for downplaying the severity of anything and everything. when they're not talking in circles, that is. “ just the usual. don't fret, the cards know to steer clear of the tea party. ” it's sweet that the rabbit cares so much about the many denizens of wonderland, no matter how chaotic or annoying they may be. at the mention of croquet the cat rolls his eyes. “ does she have nothing better to do with her time ? honestly, if she wants to torture the animals so badly, there are more efficient ways to do it. ” one of these days, they'll snap and deal with her once and for all. eventually.

"Ask most of Wonderland, she's the one most of them are scared of. Fear is a good way to keep people down" it almost worked on him. Sure he spent most of his time completely terrified, but he still had to help his friends, had to stop them from loosing their heads. She would take it that far, he knew that too well. "Did he do something?" oh he didn't need that, trying to do damage control was exhausting on a good day. "My day? My day is the same as any other day. Woke up... realised I was late, ran here. Then the Queen was playing croquet... probably a good thing you arrived after that" he did know their opinion on the way the Queen played after all. He didn't disagree, he had almost been taken out by a hedgehog earlier.

[enchantdly]

robin wanders through the gardens, feeling much more at peace than they usually do. there's something about this place, full of beautiful flowers and trees, that makes them feel like their soul is whole.

they are drawn out of their reverie by the query of a young woman sitting on the grass, who they recognise by the german shepherd by her side. lavender, they recall, and her dog's name is rosie. robin nods with a smile as they respond. “ it's no trouble, ” they reassure, offering a hand out to her. “ do you need me to help you over to a bench or something, or will you be right once you're up ? ”

＊ open starter / the enchanted falls gardens.

head up in the sun-kissed clouds as always,  she walks at a gentle pace through the flower-filled gardens with her german shepherd,  rosie,  happily by her side,  careful not to overwhelm herself as she ventured out of the cottage to collect some flowers for her bedroom.     in lavender’s room there would always be a dozen bouquets of flowers,  all of them precisely selected,  and with a quiet thanks to the earth from which they bloomed for such a gift.     she spots a rather colourful blossom of wild peonies amongst the shrubs and softly leads them both over,  her carefully kneeling on the ground as rosie sat patiently besides her,  as if on lookout for anyone coming too close.     drawing delicate scissors from her bag and a few new seeds to replace these flowers,  she snips and plants with such care.     as if these were her own gardens.     but as she gives some fuss to the loyal pup,  tucking the peonies into her bag as her thumb tenderly brushes velvet-feeling petals,  lavender quickly realises that she had little strength to get back unto her feet.     her plan to take a rest on the nearby bench was too little too late.

“  oh,  i’m so very sorry to disturb you…  ”     she calls out to the person nearby,  shy smile upon her face,  her voice just as timid as her doe eyes make her look,     “  —but i don’t suppose you would mind helping me?   my dear legs seem to have gone to sleep on me, so i might be stuck here !  ”

[enchantdly]

status : closed for @tinxmxn ( edward fitzgerald ) location : magic carpet mechanics

yusuf wanders into the mechanic's shop, still half-asleep after a particularly hectic shift last night. “ hey, ed ? ” he calls, not spying the mechanic in the front of the shop but judging it unwise to venture into the labyrinth of the workshop. “ you got a minute ? ”

[enchantdly]

“ i know, it sounds ridiculous, but — he's gone missing three times in the last week, ” she says. “ and he usually doesn't like to go out at all. ” jasmine wrings her hands. she has her own suspicions ... but what can an ordinary citizen do against a serial thief ? “ and it's never when i'm home — which, if a cat wants out they don't exactly mind if anyone's around to witness, ” she adds as an afterthought. “ what do i do ? do you have any suggestions ? ”

𝙶𝙰𝚂𝚃𝙾𝙽 𝙱𝙾𝚄𝙲𝙷𝙴𝚃 ⤐ @enchantdly ( 𝙹𝙰𝚂𝙼𝙸𝙽𝙴 𝚈𝙰𝚉𝙳𝙰𝙽𝙸  )

✧  .   𝙷𝙴  𝙲𝙰𝙽'𝚃  𝙷𝙴𝙻𝙿  𝙱𝚄𝚃  𝙹𝚄𝚂𝚃  𝙱𝙻𝙸𝙽𝙺  𝙰𝚃  𝙷𝙴𝚁  𝙵𝙾𝚁  𝙰  𝙼𝙾𝙼𝙴𝙽𝚃.  it's  not  something  so  ridiculous;   it  wasn't  unheard  of  for  a  pet  to  be  stolen.  though  it  was  likely  for  a  ransom,   rather  than  pure  amusement,   and  thus  typically  only  happened  to  horrible  little  dogs.  "your  cat?"  he  repeats.  seeing  her  face,   he  chuckles.  hazel  eyes  crinkle  in  a  reassuring  way despite his rough edges.   "i'm  sorry,   you  just  caught  me  by  surprise."  he  leans  down  and  pulls  a  desk  drawer  open,   reaching  for  the  notepad  inside.   "i'm assuming you have a reason to suspect — your cat is in danger."   meeting  jasmine's  eyes  once  more,   he  clicks  his  pen.

[enchantdly]

PRINCESS JASMINE OF AGRABAH  attends midas' masquerade ball alongside her father and fianceé.

[enchantdly]

“ she's a queen, ” cheshire corrects the rabbit. “ not some invincible perpetual monarch. why none of her soldiers have staged a revolution yet, i really wonder. ” probably because none of them are creative enough for it — how denizens of wonderland turned out so dull is a mystery the cat has yet to solve. “ hm, you could be right. he does have a knack for that, ” they say with an eyeroll. “ now. tell me about your day, else i shall simply die of boredom. then you'd really be in a pickle. ”

"And yet she's the Queen" this world really was nonsensical. With what he had seen of others, sometimes he wondered if he struggled so much with it because he too often did make sense. If not for the damn portals, something he had never told anyone about. Alice had been too much of a risk as it was. "If that was true, I'd have lost my head, and I like it where it is... think it was Hatter anyway" or someone else, he couldn't remember now. "Fine, but if it goes wrong, I'll haunt you".

[enchantdly]

“ not yet, i'll know it when i see it, ” yusuf says, scanning the flower shop for the particular kind of flower he wants. “ and none of those. it's a gift for a ... friend who got on my nerves yesterday. ” a very spiteful gift, specially selected to both mean ‘ fuck you ’ and give the unfortunate ‘ friend ’ a constant headache with all the pollen. he checks the label on one bucket of flowers, and frowns. “ i swear they had foxgloves last time i was here. can you see any ? ”

Type: Open Starter Location: Fairest of Them All Flowers

Spring was a mixed bag season for Eden. Right now, her allergies were acting up and she felt positively awful. Granted, she couldn't blame that entirely on her allergies. The nightmares and sleepwalking spells had started up again. She was operating on only two or three hours of sleep right now. She wasn't entirely at her peak and these flowers were itching to take her down. "Have you found what you're looking for?" she asked her companion. She wanted to get out of here and grab a cup of coffee down at the café. "What's the occasion anyway? Are these condolence flowers, romantic flowers, or apology flowers?"

[enchantdly]

jasmine has always loved galas. the extravagance, the freedom of being able to put on a pretty dress and dance and talk til well after the sun's set. it takes her back to being a child, when her father would take her along to functions and she and the other unfortunate children dragged along by their parents would find a corner to hide in and tell one another stories of grand, magical balls, where princesses and princes would dress in all their finery to celebrate winning ferocious battles.

naturally, she has to say hello to the host — if she didn't then her mother's ghost would no doubt appear just to tell her to never embarrass the yazdani name again.

“ oh yes, it's wonderful, ” she says with a smile. “ as incredible as everything you do, mr. mackenzie. ”

𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆: emerald city art gallery. enchanted falls, uk. 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏: early evening, during the dark curse. 𝒘𝒉𝒐: jonathan mackenzie, open to anyone.

while he had been the theatre director for many years now, there was no better stage for jonathan than his own domain, entertaining a crowd of dozens in an effort to dazzle them into looking past the cracks of his porcelain surface.

in another life conning the innocent came easy to him. he'd been playing a role far different from himself for so many years that he'd forgotten who he really was. he'd resorted to the same tendencies here, trading away the man he had once been in favor of a persona that would please a man who had been dead for god knows how long. not many people knew him then, knew the jonathan mackenzie who would've rather denounced his parent's wealth and forged his own path. now he stood as the spitting image of his father, a man who held no sympathy for his son.

what guests hadn't seen was the rigorous preparation put into making everything perfect. between running the gallery, dealing with drama in his personal life, adapting his script tirelessly and putting the fundraising gala together, jon felt as though he hadn't slept in months, and even now he refused to take a break.

turning to his security staff, expression cold and serious behind the mask secured upon his features. " the art in this place costs more than you'll ever be able to afford, so i suggest you keep it safe, understand? " noticing a guest approaching, however, he changes his demeanor entirely. " glad you could make it, " he greets, charming crooked smile taking place. " i do hope you're enjoying yourself? "

[enchantdly]

THE INFAMOUS PUCK attends midas' masquerade ball, appearing for all the world as just another eccentric noble. though when they wake in the morning, the people of chrysos may find spoiled milk and broken eggs amongst their pantries. can't expect the notorious fairy to go a whole night without causing some kind of trouble, after all.

[enchantdly]

a masquerade is such a delightful opportunity to sneak into the city and inflict chaos — and also to check on how the dear kids are going. after all that happened in the woods, they grew rather fond of them. though they didn't expect to strike up conversation with a different young person. “ it is very one note, ” puck says with a laugh. “ but i suppose it's true that a ruler's abode resembles the ruler themselves. ” which is why avalon is so beautiful yet dangerous, as changeable as the moods of its rulers. there's a reason puck spends so much time in the human world.

𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓   .   king   midas's   masquerade   ball.

    𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧   .   king   midas's   palace,   chrysos   𝐟𝐭  .   open

" i don't think i've ever seen so much gold. " she admits, hands folding behind her as she glances across the ballroom. " i've read about the king and i've pictured this castle at least a hundred times - but i'm not sure how to feel. somehow it's all a bit lacking. "

[enchantdly]

“ don't be like that, jin, you know i'd be down for shenanigans any other time, ” robin says. “ don't try to make me out as some boring goody-two-shoes, now. ” they huff at their companion. the audacity to roll their eyes at robin, as if they aren't always ready to cover for jinyu. honestly. “ haven't got anything going on tomorrow night, so we could hang out then ... or there's this cool spot i found the other week. but you can decide if you'd prefer the cinema or my new spot. ”

she dismisses their weak excuses and promises with a casual wave of their own hand,  eyes rolling in their sockets at just how well-behaved everybody in this little town was determined to be.     jinyu knew they were  ‘the problem child’  in many ways,  those exact words being the only constant they had ever had in their life.     but fuck,  they’re beginning to think this town was just a personal hell designed to torture her frequent boredom.     if only they would apply themselves somewhere.     “  you better !  ”     they point a sticky,  glaze-covered finger at robin,  followed by a playful glare as jinyu licked their hands clean.     “  —actually,  tell me how.   give me something juicy to think about when i’m all by myself later tonight,  either in bed or that stupid cell again.  ”

[enchantdly]

jeepers, this guy's got an attitude problem. robin sighs. “ just– you used to teach history and english, right ? i was wondering if you'd heard of this book ... ” they pull out a print-out of a book cover, handing it to him. “ i'll even buy your next drink. ” they hand the bartender a couple of notes of cash, giving the poor person an apologetic smile. “ and if you don't know, i'll be out of your hair right away. promise. ”

𝙲𝙸𝙰𝚁𝙰𝙽 𝚁𝙴𝚈𝙴𝚂 ⤐ @enchantdly ( 𝚁𝙾𝙱𝙸𝙽 𝙱𝚁𝚈𝚂𝙳𝙰𝙻𝙴 )

✧  .   𝙰𝙽𝙾𝚃𝙷𝙴𝚁  𝚈𝙾𝙺𝙴𝙻  𝙸𝙽𝚃𝙴𝙽𝚃  𝙾𝙽  𝙳𝙸𝚂𝚃𝚄𝚁𝙱𝙸𝙽𝙶  𝙷𝙸𝚂  𝙿𝙴𝙰𝙲𝙴,  𝚆𝙸𝚃𝙷  𝚃𝙷𝙴  𝚁𝙴𝚅𝙾𝙻𝚃𝙸𝙽𝙶  𝚂𝙲𝙴𝙽𝚃  𝙾𝙵  𝙲𝙷𝙸𝙻𝙳𝚁𝙴𝙽  dripping  off  of  them.  painting  the  dog  blue,   what?  what  on  earth  are  they  yammering  about?  he  almost  wonders  if  he's  misheard,  or  if  the  person  he's  so  intent  on  arguing  with  is  perhaps  only  a  figment  of  his  imagination.   rolling  dark  eyes,   he  slams  the  rest  of  his  drink  and  motions  the  bartender  over  before  turning  slightly  to  acknowledge  his  newfound  conversational  companion.  "and  what,  pray  tell,   is  your  question?"

[enchantdly]

“ okay, but if this turns out to be a scam i'm siccing my partner on you, ” robin warns. “ mostly they're just — i dunno how to explain it. it's like — the feeling you get after you run a long way, where you feel like you're flying and your legs want to keep moving. there's glimpses of forests and oceans and all sorts of stuff, but nothing terribly specific ... oh, and a few people dressed in ancient greek attire. so tell me, oh mighty therapist, what does all that mean ? ”

" unfortunately there aren't many magic fixes in this world, sorry, " she sighed. " believe me, if there was and i had it, i would be a lot wealthier than i am. " a little smirk crept across her lips. " come on, tell me some more about these dreams - just so i can really build a sense of why they may be happening. "

[enchantdly]

“ thanks, ” she says with a smile, flushing red at the praise. jasmine is terrible at taking a compliment, though she does appreciate helen's kind words. “ i'm not surprised you're busy, being so good at what you do. ” she has no idea about legal stuff, but she does know that helen is very talented, practically a prodigy. “ thanks for finding the time to catch up, though. ” she takes a sip of her thickshake before continuing to talk. “ not nearly as busy as you, though i don't know whether to be grateful or frustrated ... truly, i have never been so bored. hence the drawings. ” she gestures at the sketchbook. “ y'know, since nobody round here actually wants interesting buildings. ”

"I promise you, there's nothing to feel bad about." a kind smile illuminates helen's face, her eyes brightening as her friend turns her sketchbook around to face her. "they look beautiful, as usual." jasmine's sketches have always stood out to helen: there's something special about the way her passion is etched into every detail, not to mention her raw talent. but if she were to linger on the thought, she might feel a little self-pity; she can barely remember a time where her work fulfilled her as much as jasmine's appears to. but she didn't linger, and she would never voice such a concern out loud; instead, she forces her soft smile to remain steadfast on her lips. "i've been alright. busy, mostly, but well. and you?"

[enchantdly]

“ yeah, you could be, ” yusuf retorts, perfectly willing to go tit for tat with nick. “ i'm not in the habit of giving in to dickheads, nor do i see the point of moving when the only person asking is someone with no reason to. ” he looks derisively at the bottle of wine. “ although if that's what you're drinking, maybe i should move, lest the stupidity rub off on me. ”

“Glad you find it funny.” Nicked rolled his eyes hard. Finishing the glass of wine and pouring himself another from the bottle he had close by. He looked at the man for a moment, trying to place where he knew him from, and then it hit him. He never forgot a face, no matter how hard he tried. Maybe it made sense how pissed off this man was being now. 

“I’m not sure I do.” He smirked, deciding to give up on getting any kind of work done, closing his laptop and paying closer attention to the man. “What’s your problem? Cause I feel like in any other situation you would have fucked off, but I could be wrong?”

[enchantdly]

yusuf needs a moment to process the info-dump that leo delivers. “ yeah, they do that. dunno why, exactly, but my guess would be it's cheaper and they can get more people through the shop. but in your case, it would work perfectly to prevent you getting distracted. ” he shrugs. “ just a thought, though. i know i'd prefer it over some stupid shit like mindfulness. ”

"You're lucky" just once he'd like to sleep through the night with nothing strange happening in his dreams. Or at least be human in his dreams, what being a rabbit in all of them said about him, he really didn't know. "They do that? I mean the only reason I don't drink mine straight away is that it's too hot and I'd just be moaning about having a burnt tongue after which I doubt is better for anyone" and another issue he had, what was wrong with him. "Oh I wasn't going anywhere... well going to the coffee shop originally, but only because I was in desperate need of coffee and ran out at home".

[enchantdly]

“ oh, there are so many wonderful choices, ” jasmine says, “ but what sorts of things do you like ? i don't want to suggest something you won't like. ” she looks at the menu carefully. “ my personal favourite is the custard tart, but if you're less keen on sweet things, the quiches are all very good. ” she feels a little stupid for even suggesting this — it's so obviously out of his comfort zone, and it's not particularly within hers either. “ how has your afternoon been ? any more runaway cats rescued ? ” she jokes.

When he heard what Jasmine said, Winter felt better about this plan, not that he was especially worried - he had never expected to be forced to eat pie, after all. It was just nice knowing he'd have other options besides getting coffee or something. "Sounds good," Winter replied, smiling at Jasmine, though he was admittedly a little nervous.

A bit later, as Winter waited for Jasmine to arrive at the diner, he looked at the menu and considered what he might order. He wasn't really sure what he was hungry for, and honestly Winter was more fixated on ways not to make a fool of himself. He was so distracted that Winter hadn't noticed Jasmine approach, jumping a little when she sat down. "Sorry," he apologized, "I was...uh, really invested in the menu." That was of course only partially true. Shaking his head, Winter answered, "No, not yet. Do you have any suggestions?"