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crossover_chick-DW: *eying the growing population of plot bunnies* You might want to work on writing some of this down.-
-MF: Yeah, there's only so much we can eat.-
I know, I know. There's one I really do feel I ought to write, just so some elements of "The Solicitor's Ward" don't come out of nowhere. Mainly, why Hatter still has one of those robots around. I'm thinking of making it a multi-chapter where she visits each boss from the game. Hatter's section is the most fleshed-out in my head, of course. . . .
-HD: I'm all in favor of things that promote Wonderland. Happier Wonderland, hopefully.-
LOL, yes, this is all when the world's back to whatever passes as normal.
Anyway, since I'm in the mood, I present to you more Victor/Alice fic. And again, we're visiting the Anna Lived miniverse -- it's been on my mind lately.
Previously On Anna Lived:
A. Falling For You
B. Dress You Up
C. Ballroom Blitz
20. Scarf – It’s A Love Story
“My brother? You think my brother actually likes a common little trollop like yourself? You must be joking.”
Victor spun around from the refreshments table just in time to see Alice’s stunned, pained expression. Before he could do anything, she turned and raced away, across the ballroom and out the door. Horrified, Victor stalked up to his sister. “Anna, what possessed you to say that?!”
“What? It’s true, isn’t it?” Anna replied imperiously. “She shouldn’t be mingling with our kind.”
“Our – have you inherited Mother’s blindness regarding Father’s profession? We’re fish merchants! We’re no better than anyone here! Father employs Alice’s uncle as his solicitor!”
“Exactly!” Anna said, snapping her fan shut and glaring at Victor. “You’re making friends with what is practically the help! I hardly think this is what Father intended when he agreed to send you to Oxford!”
Victor’s jaw hung open. “You’re insulting the guest of honor at her own ball!”
“Yes, like a mad woman like her will ever be accepted in proper society,” Anna said snippily. “Stop being stupid, Victor.”
A very puzzled-looking Susan Liddell approached them, frowning. “Is everything all right over here? I thought I saw Alice talking with you earlier, and now she’s fled the room.”
Victor faced her, teeth gritted. “Mrs. Liddell, allow me to apologize now for the absolutely reprehensible behavior of my sister,” he hissed, ignoring the shocked look Anna sent his way. “I’m going to find Alice and attempt to make amends. Please excuse me.” He stormed away, leaving Anna to field Susan’s questions on her own.
He exited the ballroom and looked around. Alice was lingering in the hall by the closet, clutching a scarf in her hands. Her eyes were lightly rimmed with red. Victor felt his heart ache just looking at her. “Alice?”
Alice looked up, then away. “Hello, Victor,” she said, voice trembling.
Victor dared to get a little closer. Oh, part of him wished he could just take her in his arms and hold her until the night was over. “Alice, I’m so sorry. I should have warned you my sister is a horrible person.”
“No, no, it’s all right,” Alice said. “I don’t hold her lack of manners against you. I was hardly expecting to become so emotional either. Just – what she said. . . .” She took a deep breath, then looked back up at him. “Victor – we’re friends, right?”
“Of course!” Victor immediately reassured her. “I’m very glad to have met you, Alice! You’re – wonderful.”
Alice smiled briefly. “I am too. You’re a fantastic friend, Victor.” She paused, her previous somber look coming back, now tinged with nervousness. “Maybe this is the wrong time to ask, but I have to know.” She sighed, then straightened up and looked him in the eye. “W-would you ever want anything – more than friendship?”
Victor’s mind locked up for a moment. What – was Alice really asking – did she want him to – Did she want him, period? Did she – love him?
Was he dreaming?
He realized she was still standing there, waiting for an answer. He hesitated, then reached out and took one of her hands in his. “Alice, I li – no, I l-l--” He stopped and took a deep breath, forcing himself to speak clearly. “I love you. And – and I w-would be delighted if we could become – s-something mo--”
Alice practically leaping into his arms and pressing her lips against his took him completely by surprise. He fell against the wall, hurriedly trying to support her without touching her inappropriately. He felt her loop the scarf around his shoulders as a kind of makeshift sling as he finally got a hand around her waist. Her lips remained insistently on his, hot and salty and –
And just as soft as he’d always imagined. He returned the kiss greedily, feeling a joyous warmth fill him. Suddenly, this was the best night of his life. Maybe he’d been a bit too hard on Anna.
“Alice, are you – oh!”
Victor felt his heart nearly stop dead. He and Alice broke apart and turned their heads to see Susan standing in the doorway, eyes wide. “Uh – hello, Aunt Susan,” Alice squeaked.
Susan stared at them for a moment. Then she took a deep breath and seemed to regain her composure. “Master Van Dort, could you please escort my niece back inside?”
“O-of course,” Victor stammered.
“Thank you.” She promptly turned and left, mumbling to herself.
Alice blushed as she got down. “We’re probably going to be in for it later,” she said with a nervous giggle, discarding the scarf.
Victor nodded, then smiled down at her. “It was worth it, though.” His heart was soaring so high, he didn’t think it would ever come down. He offered her his arm. “Shall we go show them how well you know the waltz now?”
Alice grinned and took it. “Let’s.”
-M: O.O Holy SHIT, Anna's -- Anna's a bitch!-
I told you! I warned you in the last installment she was nasty, and now here's proof. I actually wrote this before Ballroom Blitz, so you can see I planned for her to be a nasty piece of work right from the start.
-TTV: H-how on earth could she s-say that to Alice?! As my counterpart points out, i-it's Alice's ball!-
Because for all her talk about moving up in society, Anna doesn't often think before she speaks. And she's (possibly) even more of a common snob than Nell. She very firmly thinks Alice is beneath her. Nell does too, but it appears here she's less vocal about it.
Anyway, this story was both really easy and really hard to come up with. The basic concept came to me in a flash -- Anna insults Alice in a very nasty way, Victor runs to comfort her, Alice asks him about his feelings, and boom! Relationship upgrade! The tricky part was finding a prompt. I forget exactly what made me choose "scarf" -- I think I originally planned for Alice to be wearing one as part of her outfit. I'm not entirely sure where she gets the one she's wringing in her hands in the fic -- maybe she nabbed it from the place everyone put their coats. The only purpose it serves is to fulfill the prompt and help Alice stay balanced when she practically jumps on Victor, so don't think about it too much.
-VD: This was all about the enthusiastic kissing scene, wasn't it?-
Some, yeah. :D I kind of like getting Victor and Alice to make out. Maybe because it's just plain interestingly weird for Victor to get that enthusiastic about his kissing.
-TTV: *tries to look insulted but doesn't really succeed*-
Anyway, the whole point of this story just the sweet "yay, they got together!" part. I'll tell you this, though -- Victor and Alice aren't in as much trouble as they think. After the ball ends, Charles takes Victor aside. Victor promptly apologizes for the kissing incident, Charles accepts but warns him to be more circumspect at the very least --
And then tells him, "She likes white roses more than red ones, and she likes tiger lilies best of all."
Victor correctly interprets this as "you've got my okay for this romance," which is very nice. Something similar happens with Alice and Susan.
-TTV: I have to say, it's nice for you to write in any way a universe where I'm not getting yelled at by people just because I fell in love with their niece.-
The Liddells DO generally like Victor -- he makes up with Charles not too long after he and Alice are caught kissing. But yeah, this is the world where there's the least animosity.
As for the title, I just could NOT come up with something. So I defaulted to a lyric from Love Story by Taylor Swift. It IS the theme song for at least one Victor/Alice.
-TD: Yes, but it's the theme song for CINDERMARTY'S version.-
-VD2: This is actually pretty interesting -- she uses the song she thinks of as a duet for the Solicitor's Ward Victor/Alice, Love Will Find A Way, as a title for the story of CinderMarty's Victor/Alice. And now she's using the 'theme song' for CinderMarty's Victor/Alice for the Anna Lived Victor/Alice. Now she just has to find a song for these two and use it in Solicitor's Ward.-
I don't know how it worked out like that, it just did! I actually DO use the title of a certain version's theme song for a story about them here in the 30 Dances.
-RPD: Really? Who?-
"Surrendering" for The Tale's Victor/Alice. You'll have to wait a while for that one, though.
So yeah, enjoy! I need to go empty out my brains.
-MF: Yeah, there's only so much we can eat.-
I know, I know. There's one I really do feel I ought to write, just so some elements of "The Solicitor's Ward" don't come out of nowhere. Mainly, why Hatter still has one of those robots around. I'm thinking of making it a multi-chapter where she visits each boss from the game. Hatter's section is the most fleshed-out in my head, of course. . . .
-HD: I'm all in favor of things that promote Wonderland. Happier Wonderland, hopefully.-
LOL, yes, this is all when the world's back to whatever passes as normal.
Anyway, since I'm in the mood, I present to you more Victor/Alice fic. And again, we're visiting the Anna Lived miniverse -- it's been on my mind lately.
Previously On Anna Lived:
A. Falling For You
B. Dress You Up
C. Ballroom Blitz
20. Scarf – It’s A Love Story
“My brother? You think my brother actually likes a common little trollop like yourself? You must be joking.”
Victor spun around from the refreshments table just in time to see Alice’s stunned, pained expression. Before he could do anything, she turned and raced away, across the ballroom and out the door. Horrified, Victor stalked up to his sister. “Anna, what possessed you to say that?!”
“What? It’s true, isn’t it?” Anna replied imperiously. “She shouldn’t be mingling with our kind.”
“Our – have you inherited Mother’s blindness regarding Father’s profession? We’re fish merchants! We’re no better than anyone here! Father employs Alice’s uncle as his solicitor!”
“Exactly!” Anna said, snapping her fan shut and glaring at Victor. “You’re making friends with what is practically the help! I hardly think this is what Father intended when he agreed to send you to Oxford!”
Victor’s jaw hung open. “You’re insulting the guest of honor at her own ball!”
“Yes, like a mad woman like her will ever be accepted in proper society,” Anna said snippily. “Stop being stupid, Victor.”
A very puzzled-looking Susan Liddell approached them, frowning. “Is everything all right over here? I thought I saw Alice talking with you earlier, and now she’s fled the room.”
Victor faced her, teeth gritted. “Mrs. Liddell, allow me to apologize now for the absolutely reprehensible behavior of my sister,” he hissed, ignoring the shocked look Anna sent his way. “I’m going to find Alice and attempt to make amends. Please excuse me.” He stormed away, leaving Anna to field Susan’s questions on her own.
He exited the ballroom and looked around. Alice was lingering in the hall by the closet, clutching a scarf in her hands. Her eyes were lightly rimmed with red. Victor felt his heart ache just looking at her. “Alice?”
Alice looked up, then away. “Hello, Victor,” she said, voice trembling.
Victor dared to get a little closer. Oh, part of him wished he could just take her in his arms and hold her until the night was over. “Alice, I’m so sorry. I should have warned you my sister is a horrible person.”
“No, no, it’s all right,” Alice said. “I don’t hold her lack of manners against you. I was hardly expecting to become so emotional either. Just – what she said. . . .” She took a deep breath, then looked back up at him. “Victor – we’re friends, right?”
“Of course!” Victor immediately reassured her. “I’m very glad to have met you, Alice! You’re – wonderful.”
Alice smiled briefly. “I am too. You’re a fantastic friend, Victor.” She paused, her previous somber look coming back, now tinged with nervousness. “Maybe this is the wrong time to ask, but I have to know.” She sighed, then straightened up and looked him in the eye. “W-would you ever want anything – more than friendship?”
Victor’s mind locked up for a moment. What – was Alice really asking – did she want him to – Did she want him, period? Did she – love him?
Was he dreaming?
He realized she was still standing there, waiting for an answer. He hesitated, then reached out and took one of her hands in his. “Alice, I li – no, I l-l--” He stopped and took a deep breath, forcing himself to speak clearly. “I love you. And – and I w-would be delighted if we could become – s-something mo--”
Alice practically leaping into his arms and pressing her lips against his took him completely by surprise. He fell against the wall, hurriedly trying to support her without touching her inappropriately. He felt her loop the scarf around his shoulders as a kind of makeshift sling as he finally got a hand around her waist. Her lips remained insistently on his, hot and salty and –
And just as soft as he’d always imagined. He returned the kiss greedily, feeling a joyous warmth fill him. Suddenly, this was the best night of his life. Maybe he’d been a bit too hard on Anna.
“Alice, are you – oh!”
Victor felt his heart nearly stop dead. He and Alice broke apart and turned their heads to see Susan standing in the doorway, eyes wide. “Uh – hello, Aunt Susan,” Alice squeaked.
Susan stared at them for a moment. Then she took a deep breath and seemed to regain her composure. “Master Van Dort, could you please escort my niece back inside?”
“O-of course,” Victor stammered.
“Thank you.” She promptly turned and left, mumbling to herself.
Alice blushed as she got down. “We’re probably going to be in for it later,” she said with a nervous giggle, discarding the scarf.
Victor nodded, then smiled down at her. “It was worth it, though.” His heart was soaring so high, he didn’t think it would ever come down. He offered her his arm. “Shall we go show them how well you know the waltz now?”
Alice grinned and took it. “Let’s.”
-M: O.O Holy SHIT, Anna's -- Anna's a bitch!-
I told you! I warned you in the last installment she was nasty, and now here's proof. I actually wrote this before Ballroom Blitz, so you can see I planned for her to be a nasty piece of work right from the start.
-TTV: H-how on earth could she s-say that to Alice?! As my counterpart points out, i-it's Alice's ball!-
Because for all her talk about moving up in society, Anna doesn't often think before she speaks. And she's (possibly) even more of a common snob than Nell. She very firmly thinks Alice is beneath her. Nell does too, but it appears here she's less vocal about it.
Anyway, this story was both really easy and really hard to come up with. The basic concept came to me in a flash -- Anna insults Alice in a very nasty way, Victor runs to comfort her, Alice asks him about his feelings, and boom! Relationship upgrade! The tricky part was finding a prompt. I forget exactly what made me choose "scarf" -- I think I originally planned for Alice to be wearing one as part of her outfit. I'm not entirely sure where she gets the one she's wringing in her hands in the fic -- maybe she nabbed it from the place everyone put their coats. The only purpose it serves is to fulfill the prompt and help Alice stay balanced when she practically jumps on Victor, so don't think about it too much.
-VD: This was all about the enthusiastic kissing scene, wasn't it?-
Some, yeah. :D I kind of like getting Victor and Alice to make out. Maybe because it's just plain interestingly weird for Victor to get that enthusiastic about his kissing.
-TTV: *tries to look insulted but doesn't really succeed*-
Anyway, the whole point of this story just the sweet "yay, they got together!" part. I'll tell you this, though -- Victor and Alice aren't in as much trouble as they think. After the ball ends, Charles takes Victor aside. Victor promptly apologizes for the kissing incident, Charles accepts but warns him to be more circumspect at the very least --
And then tells him, "She likes white roses more than red ones, and she likes tiger lilies best of all."
Victor correctly interprets this as "you've got my okay for this romance," which is very nice. Something similar happens with Alice and Susan.
-TTV: I have to say, it's nice for you to write in any way a universe where I'm not getting yelled at by people just because I fell in love with their niece.-
The Liddells DO generally like Victor -- he makes up with Charles not too long after he and Alice are caught kissing. But yeah, this is the world where there's the least animosity.
As for the title, I just could NOT come up with something. So I defaulted to a lyric from Love Story by Taylor Swift. It IS the theme song for at least one Victor/Alice.
-TD: Yes, but it's the theme song for CINDERMARTY'S version.-
-VD2: This is actually pretty interesting -- she uses the song she thinks of as a duet for the Solicitor's Ward Victor/Alice, Love Will Find A Way, as a title for the story of CinderMarty's Victor/Alice. And now she's using the 'theme song' for CinderMarty's Victor/Alice for the Anna Lived Victor/Alice. Now she just has to find a song for these two and use it in Solicitor's Ward.-
I don't know how it worked out like that, it just did! I actually DO use the title of a certain version's theme song for a story about them here in the 30 Dances.
-RPD: Really? Who?-
"Surrendering" for The Tale's Victor/Alice. You'll have to wait a while for that one, though.
So yeah, enjoy! I need to go empty out my brains.
