One Last Kiss
Aug. 17th, 2009 10:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
crossover_chickYup -- with this fic, we officially hit the end of the 30 Kisses table for Victor and Alice. Roll the footage, so to speak:
8. Our own world – In A World Of Our Own
“I never knew there were so many different kinds of butterflies here!”
Victor examined his latest specimen, which was temporarily imprisoned in a glass bell jar. “I expected there to be some kinds I’d never seen before,” he continued, starting another sketch. “Like the bread-and-butterflies you mentioned before. But it seems I’m finding something new every day! It’s wonderful! Which I suppose only makes sense. . . .”
Alice rolled her eyes good-naturedly, then peered at the butterfly. “It is amazing,” she agreed. “I didn’t realize there were so many kinds myself.” She chuckled. “For a land I supposedly rule, it certainly enjoys surprising me.”
“Indeed, but it’s a bit more complicated than that.”
Both Victor and Alice started, then looked up to see the Cheshire Cat perched on a nearby bookcase. “Of course, it is in our nature to be surprising, to make you expect the unexpected – as contradictory as that sentiment is,” he continued with a lazy stretch. “But there’s a bit more to this sudden influx of insect life than merely that.”
“Oh?” Victor said, setting aside his sketchbook. “What else is there?”
Cheshire grinned at him, tail flicking. “A man in an ocean should not be surprised to find the water is salty when he is already certain it is so.”
“. . .Do you ever speak directly?”
“I think doing so makes him itch,” Alice said, regarding Cheshire curiously. “I assume that was a comment on Victor’s butterflies.”
“Righter than you think.”
Alice arched an eyebrow. “I’m used to your word games, Cat. Wonderland’s creating all these butterflies for Victor because he’s so certain he’ll find them, is that right?”
“Yes and no,” Cheshire said, smirking.
“Yes and no?” Victor repeated, frowning. “Which part’s incorrect?”
“Alice stated it more properly before.”
Victor frowned deeper. “Now you’re just being cryptic for the sake of being cryptic.”
Cheshire did a sort of bow. “My apologies. Perhaps this will elucidate – your majesty?”
Victor and Alice both winced. “I-I’ll t-thank you n-not to c-call me that,” Victor whispered, looking at the ground.
“Whether I address you by your title or not, it’s still part of what you are,” Cheshire said, flicking an ear. “Is ‘Alice’s consort’ more acceptable to your tender ears?”
“More how I’d like to--”
Victor stopped as something clicked in his mind. “Wait a moment. Are you saying – I’m creating the butterflies? Not Wonderland?”
“Not precisely, but close enough,” Cheshire said, grinning brighter now that they’d gotten it. “You’re the King of Hearts – now don’t look so pained by that, you’ve banished him to the woods and there he’s remained, but you must acknowledge he’s still part of you. Being such, the land accepts you as a ruler beside Alice. Naturally, it wants to please you. And since you love butterflies so much. . . .”
Victor and Alice looked at each other. “I never thought of that,” Alice admitted. “Then again, it wasn’t the first thing on my mind when you – transformed.”
“Mine either,” Victor murmured. He turned pink and looked away. “I – I’m sorry, Alice.”
“Whatever for?”
“This – this was s-supposed to be your world. Your s-safe haven. Now I feel like I’ve intruded, changed things without your permission.”
Alice sighed and put her arms around him. “Oh, Victor. . . .” She turned his head and planted a warm kiss on his lips. “I think you’ve improved things. I like the butterflies too.” She smiled at him. “Really, I’d much rather have a world of our own, instead of just mine.”
Victor smiled back. “I’m glad to hear that,” he replied, kissing her back.
Cheshire rolled his eyes as he faded out again. “Humans. . . .”
Cheshire is really freaking hard to write. I have a new respect for those people who play variations of him around LJ.
-D: Hard to strike the right balance between "cryptic" and "mentor," hmm?-
You ain't kidding. Anyway, it took me a bit to figure this one out. The title actually came pretty quickly -- it's a variation of the title of "In A World Of My Own," which the Disney Alice sings to introduce Wonderland. I just couldn't stop thinking of it whenever I saw that prompt. Eventually, the idea of Wonderland changing to fit Victor as well as Alice hit me -- and what better way to express that than through butterflies? :D The rest, with Cheshire explaining things, just kind of flowed from there. It's pretty straightforward, even if Cheshire's not. I rather like the "sea" riddle, it just made sense to me.
-TTV: One of these days, I'm going to make you write a story on why the King and Queen of Hearts get to run all of Wonderland. I'm getting curious.-
It's not ME who decided that -- go back to your own time and track down Charles Dodgson for the answer. Besides, it's not all of Wonderland -- the chess lands are divided pretty evenly between the Whites and Reds.
-HD: I think they played cards for the leadership, and Hearts just happened to win.-
Would make as much sense as anything else in Wonderland. Which is to say, none at all. ;)
So, is this the end of the Victor/Alice minific?
Nope!![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
30kisses happens to have alternate lists, and I'm doing one of those. Next up is 30 Dances.
-TD: Why that instead of the music list?-
Honestly, I see Victor and Alice dancing a lot whenever I picture them. This list has a good chance on focusing on some of the Victor/Alice pairings outside of the "Solicitor's Ward" universe, particularly the Victor and Alice of "Love Will Find A Way," since they meet at a ball. Victor and Alice from "The Tale" could find their way into there as well, given I do Cinderella at one point.
Your random note of the day, which I kept meaning to say something about:
THEY'RE MAKING A MOVIE OUT OF "WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE."
Live action, no less -- the monsters are CG, of course, but -- wow.
How long is that book again?
8. Our own world – In A World Of Our Own
“I never knew there were so many different kinds of butterflies here!”
Victor examined his latest specimen, which was temporarily imprisoned in a glass bell jar. “I expected there to be some kinds I’d never seen before,” he continued, starting another sketch. “Like the bread-and-butterflies you mentioned before. But it seems I’m finding something new every day! It’s wonderful! Which I suppose only makes sense. . . .”
Alice rolled her eyes good-naturedly, then peered at the butterfly. “It is amazing,” she agreed. “I didn’t realize there were so many kinds myself.” She chuckled. “For a land I supposedly rule, it certainly enjoys surprising me.”
“Indeed, but it’s a bit more complicated than that.”
Both Victor and Alice started, then looked up to see the Cheshire Cat perched on a nearby bookcase. “Of course, it is in our nature to be surprising, to make you expect the unexpected – as contradictory as that sentiment is,” he continued with a lazy stretch. “But there’s a bit more to this sudden influx of insect life than merely that.”
“Oh?” Victor said, setting aside his sketchbook. “What else is there?”
Cheshire grinned at him, tail flicking. “A man in an ocean should not be surprised to find the water is salty when he is already certain it is so.”
“. . .Do you ever speak directly?”
“I think doing so makes him itch,” Alice said, regarding Cheshire curiously. “I assume that was a comment on Victor’s butterflies.”
“Righter than you think.”
Alice arched an eyebrow. “I’m used to your word games, Cat. Wonderland’s creating all these butterflies for Victor because he’s so certain he’ll find them, is that right?”
“Yes and no,” Cheshire said, smirking.
“Yes and no?” Victor repeated, frowning. “Which part’s incorrect?”
“Alice stated it more properly before.”
Victor frowned deeper. “Now you’re just being cryptic for the sake of being cryptic.”
Cheshire did a sort of bow. “My apologies. Perhaps this will elucidate – your majesty?”
Victor and Alice both winced. “I-I’ll t-thank you n-not to c-call me that,” Victor whispered, looking at the ground.
“Whether I address you by your title or not, it’s still part of what you are,” Cheshire said, flicking an ear. “Is ‘Alice’s consort’ more acceptable to your tender ears?”
“More how I’d like to--”
Victor stopped as something clicked in his mind. “Wait a moment. Are you saying – I’m creating the butterflies? Not Wonderland?”
“Not precisely, but close enough,” Cheshire said, grinning brighter now that they’d gotten it. “You’re the King of Hearts – now don’t look so pained by that, you’ve banished him to the woods and there he’s remained, but you must acknowledge he’s still part of you. Being such, the land accepts you as a ruler beside Alice. Naturally, it wants to please you. And since you love butterflies so much. . . .”
Victor and Alice looked at each other. “I never thought of that,” Alice admitted. “Then again, it wasn’t the first thing on my mind when you – transformed.”
“Mine either,” Victor murmured. He turned pink and looked away. “I – I’m sorry, Alice.”
“Whatever for?”
“This – this was s-supposed to be your world. Your s-safe haven. Now I feel like I’ve intruded, changed things without your permission.”
Alice sighed and put her arms around him. “Oh, Victor. . . .” She turned his head and planted a warm kiss on his lips. “I think you’ve improved things. I like the butterflies too.” She smiled at him. “Really, I’d much rather have a world of our own, instead of just mine.”
Victor smiled back. “I’m glad to hear that,” he replied, kissing her back.
Cheshire rolled his eyes as he faded out again. “Humans. . . .”
Cheshire is really freaking hard to write. I have a new respect for those people who play variations of him around LJ.
-D: Hard to strike the right balance between "cryptic" and "mentor," hmm?-
You ain't kidding. Anyway, it took me a bit to figure this one out. The title actually came pretty quickly -- it's a variation of the title of "In A World Of My Own," which the Disney Alice sings to introduce Wonderland. I just couldn't stop thinking of it whenever I saw that prompt. Eventually, the idea of Wonderland changing to fit Victor as well as Alice hit me -- and what better way to express that than through butterflies? :D The rest, with Cheshire explaining things, just kind of flowed from there. It's pretty straightforward, even if Cheshire's not. I rather like the "sea" riddle, it just made sense to me.
-TTV: One of these days, I'm going to make you write a story on why the King and Queen of Hearts get to run all of Wonderland. I'm getting curious.-
It's not ME who decided that -- go back to your own time and track down Charles Dodgson for the answer. Besides, it's not all of Wonderland -- the chess lands are divided pretty evenly between the Whites and Reds.
-HD: I think they played cards for the leadership, and Hearts just happened to win.-
Would make as much sense as anything else in Wonderland. Which is to say, none at all. ;)
So, is this the end of the Victor/Alice minific?
Nope!
30kisses happens to have alternate lists, and I'm doing one of those. Next up is 30 Dances.-TD: Why that instead of the music list?-
Honestly, I see Victor and Alice dancing a lot whenever I picture them. This list has a good chance on focusing on some of the Victor/Alice pairings outside of the "Solicitor's Ward" universe, particularly the Victor and Alice of "Love Will Find A Way," since they meet at a ball. Victor and Alice from "The Tale" could find their way into there as well, given I do Cinderella at one point.
Your random note of the day, which I kept meaning to say something about:
THEY'RE MAKING A MOVIE OUT OF "WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE."
Live action, no less -- the monsters are CG, of course, but -- wow.
How long is that book again?
