kiiblade

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

Hah! This version of Wonderland is something I'd totally want to visit -- from a safe distance. :P
Ok, that face reminds me of a reaction image gif I found once...

reactiongifs.me/wp-content/uploads/201..

!!!!!

Also! Sorry I didn't answer your question -- but the name is totally fine! I never bothered to name the store, and the one you chose fits very well. The place looks like a barn half the time, I'd imagine. *laughs*

+ Page two already?! I'm rather proud of us. :D

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

Considering all that he'd learned, Ghent remained fairly calm until magic was mentioned. "No way." Mouth agape, he looked towards Drust for his confirmation. Elayra didn't strike him as the type to lie, but he was more willing to believe the overly-serious knight. "You're not pulling my leg, right? I have magic?"
Ghent had believed their story up until now. While he hadn't batted an eye at the mention of the Red Sorceress, he couldn't envision himself with this type of power. For Ghent, life had been average at best. Aside from being found in the woods as a toddler, nothing out of the ordinary happened, and each day seemed to mimic the one before it. If his father's magic had been passed down, life was about to get a lot more interesting.

As Elayra offered him her hand, Ghent took notice of her expression. Reading people was something Ghent specialized in, and he had a feeling he hadn't made the best impression thus far. In all fairness, Ghent couldn't blame their lack of faith in him; the feeling of doubt was only too prevalent in his life, and he often doubted himself. Tripping over the same slide twice hadn't done his image any favors, either. This was a chance to prove them wrong, and this was a chance to find his parents.
"Yeah, okay. Since you asked so nicely," with a light smirk, Ghent shook Elayra's hand once to confirm his alliance, and then a thought struck him.
"What are you guys to me, anyway? Are we related?" Even though Ghent's adoptive family had plenty of relatives, he wondered if his real parents had any brothers or sisters. If Ghent shared blood with his new comrades, he wanted to know. "Can I call you Uncle Drust or what?"

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

Don't apologize! Once again, another beautifully written post. Ghent's overwhelmed. Drust's condition is rather alarming, and Wonderland doesn't sound like the ideal vacation spot.
Also -- I loved the image you used! Did you draw that?? It's incredible...and so scary!

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

"My father's name is Hatter?" Ghent snorted lightly as if Drust had shared this information for the sole sake of earning a laugh. Riling the katana-wielding man probably wasn't the best idea, however, and so Ghent mumbled a hasty apology and shut himself up.
Throughout the rest of the story, Ghent stayed perfectly quiet, all while wondering if this man was ill. Drust was astonishingly pale, and the random twitching and markings near his eyes were very visible underneath the light. Was Drust mentally unhinged or sick? Maybe both. Silently, Ghent looked to Elayra, but she didn't seem phased by Drust's condition.

The Red Sorceress, the Curse...their escape. Slowly but surely, the puzzle was coming together.
Ghent stared at the floor and considered all that had been said. One might have thought him in a state of shock, but he merely trying to come to terms with the truth of his past. The fact that his mother had not been mentioned did not go unnoticed by him, and Ghent wondered why his father hadn't been the one to come. Did he not survive the attacks? Who were these two?

Having an evil sorceress wasn't bad enough: Elayra had to add bloodthirsty monsters to the list. Ghent was liking the sound of Wonderland less and less. At this point, being stolen by wolves sounded good.
"Wow. Okay...let me make sure I have this straight." How Elayra could be so blase was beyond Ghent; she seemed so calm and collected.
"Wonderland was attacked by a witch, I was dumped off here, but you and Blondie were trapped." So far, so good. Ghent believed himself on the same page now.
"You're...witch hunters or assassins...and you came here because you need my help." At times, Ghent felt his very existence to be a burden. Being needed should have been an honor, but he found it disconcerting. Wonderland's fate was up to two teenagers and a man with a illness undetermined.
"What is it that you need from me?" Ghent was almost afraid to ask; he could handle himself alright, but he had a feeling this version of Wonderland required a little more than fists and street smarts.

Hobbit-LOTR: Quests, Curses, And Guardians { Angel & Polarize }

Kili smiled lightly as Saeril tried to cheer him as he had tried to cheer her. "I just want you to be careful -- Mum would want you to be careful, too," he reminded her, then returned the hug, troubled by all that had happened. Thorin had regained consciousness, at least. Considering all that had happened, they were lucky. All of them.

With Dwalin and Bofur's help, Thorin regained his footing, but he shrugged them off, eyes settled to Bilbo first.
“You! What were you doing? You nearly got yourself killed!"

Bilbo could only stare, his mouth going dry as Thorin approached him. This was perhaps the the most angry he had seen him, and he could barely utter a response in which to defend himself.
"Did I not say that you would be a burden?" Thorin questioned, his voice stern. "That you would not survive in the wild and that you had no place amongst us?” To the surprise of all present, he pulled Bilbo into an embrace. “I have never been so wrong in all my life. I am sorry I doubted you.”
Bilbo, still shocked, returned the hug. “N-no, I would have doubted me too." The hobbit managed a light smile, his relief evident. "I’m not a hero or a warrior...not even a burglar.”

The company chuckled at his response, and then Thorin's steely gaze landed towards Saeril as he released Bilbo from the hug. As much as he despised elves, Saeril had proven herself far different than Thranduil.
"And you," he approached her, humbled by his own mistakes. "I have misjudged you, and I have not been fair...for that, I am sorry." Again, he apologized, and the company watched in awe. Thorin seldom apologized; dwarves were stubborn by nature, and he had more reason than most to have a chip on his shoulder.
"You risked yourself to save my life...and you've saved the life of my nephew. I owe you a great debt."

Hobbit-LOTR: Quests, Curses, And Guardians { Angel & Polarize }

Saeril was stubborn, but so was Kili. Despite her telling him not to, Kili still blamed himself for her injury. "Oin had said to keep weight off of it," he reminded in a small voice. Had this been Fili, Kili would have argued more, but Saeril was a mother figure, and arguing with one's mother was much different than arguing with a sibling.

As Gandalf aided Thorin, Kili watched, his heart sinking. Surely Thorin was not dead...he could not comprehend losing him like this, he could not fathom what that would do to their family, let alone their people. Without Thorin, Fili would become king, and they would be without their only uncle. "Gandalf?"

To the youngest's relief, Thorin's eyes slowly opened. With a shuddered breath, Thorin looked to Gandalf, his vision blurred.
"The halfling...and the she-elf," he could barely string the words together, but that was the last he could remember. Bilbo and Saeril had come to his aid, and they very well may have lost their lives.

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

Right?! It's so very exciting. Heh. When I started all of this, I had intended Ghent to be the strong, silent type...he turned out very different than I anticipated. In some ways, I did this purposely so that he could clash with poor Elayra more. *evil laugh*
Once my Christmas gifts have been made, I plan to rewrite a great portion of his character sheet. Crazy how plans change!

So glad that the indents worked! Thank you again for your help. :D

Haha, thanks! I need a good few months to recover. (AKA, I'm taking next semester off. )

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

"Never mind." Ghent was starting to realize how different their lives were. What kind of world didn't have ninjas?
"First of all, I don't hunt. Second...weapons are usually against the law. If I needed to defend myself, I'd use my fists." Now that he'd gotten a look at Elayra's weaponry, Ghent couldn't help but wonder if her scar had come from a fight rather than an accident. Their Wonderland must have been very different from the film.

“The things you see and the things that are, are not always one in the same."
"Um. Okay." Ghent raised an eyebrow, but he didn't make a sarcastic reply as he may have normally. Did they come from Wonderland or a spaceship? Their conversation was undeniably strange, and he felt out of the loop. Nothing was making sense.
"She?" Ghent wasn't on the same page, he wasn't even in the same book. Their cryptic discussion and talk of stains on the ground was downright disturbing. Elayra was starting to sound less like a ninja and more like an assassin.

"Uh, yes. For fighting." Ghent didn't bother looking to Drust; the hood hid his features. Even without it, Ghent doubted he could have read him. "Well, I did win." There was a hint of pride in his response as he cut through the alley near the photography studio. "Fighting isn't allowed, though."

After the maze of alleyways had been conquered, Ghent stopped at a blue door covered with graffiti.
Aside from the moon, the alley had been denied of any light. This had often proved a nuisance when locking up after hours. "A shrink is a person your parents take you to if they think you're crazy." Ghent was halfway joking, but he felt the description to be an accurate one. "You lie in a chair and they ask you a lot of questions. After that, they decide what's wrong with you." Once the key granted them access, Ghent moved his hand along the inner wall until he hit the light switch.

The storage room was sizable, albeit untidy. Shelving units lined the walls, and on the opposite side there were cardboard boxes full of product yet to be sold. Thanks to the lack of windows, Ghent believed this the perfect place to have their meeting. Should someone pass the shop, they would have never known of the trio concealed behind the walls.
"Make yourselves at home." Ghent invited them inside, though he left the door unlocked. If things started to go south, he wanted a chance to escape.

Hobbit-LOTR: Quests, Curses, And Guardians { Angel & Polarize }

Kili held on, his heart pounding in his chest. The giant eagles, his godmother...they were all flying. This should have been a sight to marvel at, but he was too concerned for Thorin to truly appreciate what was happening.
Kili overheard Fili's shout to their uncle, and could not help but fear the worst. Fili was seldom scared, and Thorin may have been worse off than he realized.

As they reached the cliff, Kili was quick to remove himself from his godmother's back. Despite Saeril's efforts to hide her pain, Kili sensed it. "Are you alright?? You should sit down." The youngest was looking to where the bandaging would have been, and then the eagle carrying Thorin set him down.

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

"So...what's up with the weapons?" Ghent was already second guessing his willingness to trust them so early on. Meeting two strangers armed to the teeth was more than unnerving, especially now that he was loaded with cash.
"Are you ninjas or something?" As ridiculous as the question was, Ghent was serious. This would explain for their weaponry and the disappearing act.

The streetlights aided Ghent in leading them out of the park, though he wondered if sticking to the shadows would have been a better idea. What if the cops pulled up? Shuddering at the thought, Ghent lead them East, confident that this route was best. The rain left sizable puddles in various places, and they helped to highlight the overabundance of potholes on the street.

For the majority of the walk, Ghent stared at them shamelessly, silently marveling over the fact that they were real. Having only been three at the time, Ghent's memories of Drust were vague at best, but his face had brought a jolt of familiarity to him. Understandably, Elayra had changed the most, but her hair remained the same color, and her hair was something Ghent had never forgotten.
"You guys are really paranoid, aren't you?" If that wasn't the pot calling the kettle black. "Look around, not a soul in sight. We can talk on the way, if you want."

Ghent hadn't said so out loud, but he was leading them to his former place of employment. The bookstore had been closed for a few hours, and Ghent still had the spare key in the pocket of his jeans.
"I can't get over this." Ghent rubbed the back of his neck, then looked at Elayra to observe her for the hundredth time. "I mean. I used to dream of you," he felt himself die a little at his own awkwardness. "N-not of you -- just -- you were in my dreams, and I could never decide if you two were real or not. My parents took me to a shrink." Ghent glanced to Drust, as he was addressing his former question. "That's why I got sent to detention. Kids at school found out, we fought, and I got punished."