Alice in Wonderland

[Belial MadHatter]

Lesson #1: Insanity never dies

Oh, how true that statement was .. especially to those that applied that valuable statement to life. Was it an illusion paraded before their eyes? Was it in their mind as they suffered from dementia? Or maybe, just maybe, it was hidden within the reality, revealed only to those who seeked it.

***

Belial strolled down the streets of Corellia, paying no heed to those who stared at her strangely. Infact, she greeted a few with a cheery smile.

"Are you a jester?"

She stopped and looked down, seeing a black-haired boy.

"Why, hello to you, too, kind sir. Pray, tell me, what makes you think I am an entertainer of sorts?"

"Your face is painted."

"And do you know why?"

He shook his head.

"Because what's hidden beneath is not something you'd like to see."

The boy remained quiet and then blinked, putting his finger in his mouth. Belial's lips curved into a slight smirk as she reached down with a gloved hand and ruffled his hair. She let her hand drop from his head and continued to walk, swinging her cane merrily while beginning to whistle. Tipping her black hat towards a passing old man, Belial spun around once while crinkling her nose up slightly. There was that wretched child again.

"What's underneath your mask?"

"You see it as a mask?"

"Yes, now peel it off for me."

"Young boys should learn manners," she sneered. She rapped lightly on his head then pushed him away with her cane. Walking past him, she looked over her shoulder to make sure he wasn't following. Good, he had left. Abruptly turning into an antique shop, Belial looked around. A miniature angel caught her eye and she picked it up, examining the thing.

"How much is it?" she inquired.

"It's not for sale," came the stuffy reply from the clerk.

"It's not? I guess I can't change your mind, then," she replied. At this time she pulled out two handfuls of credits and placed them on the counter then sauntered out. Taking one last look at the angel, she hurled it against the ground and watched as it broke into a million pieces.

She began to whistle as she walked away.

[Zeke]

Zeke sat on a bench, waiting for the slow, slow, sad, sad public transportation service. It was late, but not like that mattered. Zeke could keep himself busy. An oddly dressed woman with facepaint came strolling out of a store, whistling absently to herself.

"That one's up to something," Zeke said to no one in particular. Then, to the woman, "Hey! What'cha up to?"

[Belial MadHatter]

"Yes, sir, you spoke to me?"

She spun around on her heel and pointed at him with the tip of her cane.

"On guard, I say!"

She jabbed it playfully towards them then set it down on the ground and leaned on it.

"What am I up to? I am up to alot of things - Maybe perhaps up against annoying children or pestering insects! Whatever the case may be, I am always up to something."

[Zeke]

"I'm up to about 5'8, give or take a few."

Zeke wasn't sure who this chick was, but he liked her style. Randomness was a good thing.

"I'm Zeke! Your name is?"

[Belial MadHatter]

"Most know me by the name of Mad Hatter."

She winked, then whispered:

"But you may call me Alice."

Belial stopped leaning on her cane and began to clang it on the ground.

"Stop your bellowing!" she roared, and several people stopped talking as they looked at her oddly.

"Yes you, now go along! Go on, shoo!"

The man shook his head in disbelief and continued to trudge onwards to an unknown destination. She turned and began to walk away, swinging her cane. Her whistling had stopped, but sometimes she would just yell out random things, such as, "Off with her head!" or, "Look out, it's the lamp incident!"

[Zeke]

Zeke followed Alice, walking quickly to keep up with her. He dropped low to the ground, swiped an empty cardboard box from in front of a store, and put it over himself. Now it appeared that she was walking with a box.

[Belial MadHatter]

She began to swing her cane about her, whacking it into the box and anyone else who came near her.

"I see the clouds, I see the stars, I see a cardboard box," she sang at the top of her lungs. Suddenly she pushed the box over and began beating on it with the tip of her cane ferociously.

"Begone, stop trailing me like a madman and identify yourself!"

[Zeke]

Zeke curled into a ball to prevent the cane striking him in the head or worse.

"I said m'name's Zeke!"

He popped out of the box and caught the cane.

"Or didn't you hear me, Alice MadHatter? Either way, its ok. Just lay off with the stick."

[Belial MadHatter]

"So it is you who hides beneath the box ..."

She yanked her cane away from him and hit him with it.

"Down, Sparky! I like my biscuits fresh, so we must get to the bakery! Don't you agree? Betsy, speak to me."

Letting out an aggravated sigh, Belial began to walk away.

"Blasted murmiphellers," she muttered under her breath.

[Zeke]

"OW!...biscuits? Cool! I'm hungry!"

Zeke found that the stores on this street each had its own canopy over the door. He jumped up and followed on those so as to avoid Belial's cane.

[Belial MadHatter]

"We're off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz ..!"

Belial sniffed the air and lifted her cane to point ahead.

"Charge!" She bellowed, causing Zeke to jump slightly. She grinned and continued to head towards the bakery.

When the two arrived, she looked up at the boy and crinkled her nose slightly.

"Come, now, get off of those before you break them!"

Pushing open the glass door, a bell rung above her head to announce the arrival of a customer. A short, fat man came running out from the kitchens behind the counter, rubbing his hands together.

"How may I help you, miss?"

"An english muffin for me and whatever my friend wants."

"Your friend?"

"Yes, Zeke here. Can't you see him?"

"Well, I, uh .. Yes! Yes I can! So it'd be an english muffin and ..." The man's voice trailed off as he looked imploringly at Zeke.

[Zeke]

Zeke grinned.

"A cinnamon roll! The biggest one ya got!"

[Belial MadHatter]

"An english muffin and a cinnanom roll coming up."

"What do you think you're doing! You didn't let me finish ordering."

Belial frowned and canted her head to the side, crossing her arms.

"But you said-"

"Never mind, an english muffin will do."

The man shook his head and disappeared back into the kitchen, returning with their orders. Taking hers, Belial threw some credits on the counter and walked outside. She didn't even bother taking a bite of hers and threw it on the sidewalk.

[Zeke]

Zeke picked up his cinnamon roll and dropped it back onto the little container it had come in.

"Hot! Ow!"

Zeke sucked the burning sensation out of his fingers and watched Belial throw the muffin away.

"What didja do that for?" He took a fast bite of his cinnamon roll, then scooped the muffin up on his toe and kicked it into the air, keeping it airborne with a series of kicks in similar style to hackysack.

[Belial MadHatter]

"Someone else less fortunate will come along and eat their fill .. Besides, I suspect he spit in it."

Shuddering slightly, she watched with slight disgust as Zeke began to play a 'game' with the muffin.

[Zeke]

Zeke kicked it high, then with a spinning kick launched it at a nearby person. It hit the poor man with an audible crack. Zeke winced.

"Stale, that one was."

[Belial MadHatter]

A delighted laugh escaped the painted lips of Belial as she clapped her hands together gleefully.

"I take it that he'll be using his medicine cabinet, eh?"

She watched as the man blundered off, rubbing his head gingerly.

She extended her arms above her head and stretched out, listening as a few bones cracked.

"What do you say we do today, old Sparky?"

[Zeke]

"Who's Sparky?"

[Belial MadHatter]

"You!"

She jabbed her pointer finger towards him to emphasize her point.

"Now, you're getting to be dull as of late .."

[Zeke]

"Sparky?" More randomness. Neato. "Fine then, Shirley, I say we go do something random."

[Belial MadHatter]

"Shirley."

Suddenly a flood of bitter memories rushed through Belial's mind.

"No, I'm not Shirley Temple," she jested, trying to make light of the suddenly dark situation.

"Call me something else."

[Zeke]

Zeke raised a brow.

"Okay. Well, Something Else, what should we do?"

[Belial MadHatter]

"Come Sparky, let us go to a nursing home and steal all their pudding !"

[Zeke]

"Steal...pudding? What? But the ol' folks likes their puddin'."

[Belial MadHatter]

"Exactly! Let us reign mischeif down onto their frail, aged bodies as we terrorize the pudding!"

Belial began to head north, wondering slightly if this was the way.

[Zeke]

"Terrorize pudding? Is it chocolate pudding?"

Zeke fell into step, not caring anymore. The nursing home was 50 miles in the other direction.