It seemed that the group was truly well and divided. There were others, like Gale himself, who had taken to demanding answers from their apparent host, and others still who seemed almost defensive of the Rabbit. While there were still some who seemed more bewildered than anything, or simply chose not to speak at all, the gaps within their little party. Regardless of all that was being thrown around, however, the Rabbit seemed rather calm.

And then his attention turned to Gale for the first time. 

Gale paused. Blinked, disbelief slowly crawling into his face, knitting the brow and pursing the lips.  “I got dragged in here with everyone else. Thrown into the forest. You...seriously weren’t keeping track of who ended up here?” It seemed irresponsible, really. A mistake that could have quite easily led to disaster if things had run differently. Still, Gale kept the rest of this commentary to himself as he listened, the Rabbit regaling them with tales of magic mirrors. The disconnect between mind and body. The fact that their very presence here was based upon mere luck of the draw, and that there was no way of them to leave on their own.

He opened his mouth to speak- to bring to light a fresh set of concerns, perhaps- but no words came. Whatever sound that had managed to escape him had been stolen, drowned out by the sound of the gunshot. A warm, pale glow spilled from the thin cut on his head.

What happened next almost held a sort of deliberate slowness. The light in Gale’s eyes seemed to fade. From the tiny, tiny wound on his head, his skin seemed to...crack. There was no blood in it, even as the lines ran over his eyeballs and through his lips. It was like his face was a mask, and behind it, a miniature star. The cracks didn’t stop at his skin, however- they went on, forming little spiderwebs along his coat and jacket despite all improbability. 

After a few more moments, Gale’s body was almost entirely covered in cracks.

And then he broke.

There was a flash of light as his body seemed to fall apart, folding into itself, like a deck of cards being tipped over from the center. It seemed as if Gale would disappear entirely, what was left carried off into the wind, but, after all had been done, there was still something left behind.

A boy. 

While his older incarnation was carefully sophisticated, the child now in his place seemed incredibly young. Small, even for someone his age. The curls that had been nearly maintained now sprung free, lazy and loose.

His coat and bow- which seemed at least three sizes too big for him- took away any semblance of maturity that he might have kept still.

This younger Gale blinked, gazing around with eyes as big as saucers. He lifted his hands, watching the fingers curl in and out, even as the Rabbit continues to drone on. After fully assessing his new form, he attempted to take a few steps forward- only to stumble a little to the side, like a baby deer.

After catching himself, he looked up at the Rabbit, and frowned.

[color=#FCDFFF]“That was rather uncalled for, wouldn’t you say?”[/color] His voice matched his body, being much more high and sweet than before. [color=#FCDFFF]”Where I come from, it’s usually bad manners to shoot someone just after meeting them.”[/color]

He idly reached into his pocket, unwrapped the lollipop found there, and corked it securely into his mouth.

[color=#FCDFFF]“I had been enjoying having that shape, too.”[/color] Gale sighed. [@The Jest]