Curiouser and Curiouser...(Open, Rook)

[mallorywillows240]

Mallory hopped on her right foot down the path in the forest. This was an odd place; the shadows cast by the trees were eccentrically shaped, twisting in impossible ways. Flowers seemed to whisper among st themselves, and even her own shadow seemed to have a mind of its own, playing and hiding in the trees, coming back to her only when it felt like it. This was a strange, different, unorthodox place, with an air of unpredictability and risk...

....and Mallory loved it. Even though she had no idea where she was.

"Helloooo?" Mallory called out to no one in particular, "My name is Mallory! I like cookies and frisbees, but I especially like this place! Can someone tell me where I am?"

....who was she expecting to hear? The trees? The chatty flowers? Her shadow? No....maybe....someone was there....she had a feeling...

[rook]

"Records show this place to be called 'Wonderland'," came a voice from behind a large round tree trunk. Tracing his hand along the smooth bark, a redhead came into view. After the chaos in The World That Never Was, Rook had managed to slip away from the Organization. He was sure he wouldn't go unnoticed for long, but he'd head back soon enough. Just as soon as he got some time to think, that was.

His head tilted slightly as he looked at her. An almost vacant stare that either relayed he had been fretting over something, or hadn't slept well in days. Perhaps both. "From what little the information from back then had, this place is well known to play tricks on the mind... riddles, confusing images and scenery... not a fun place to be for the dumb sort, I guess..."

[mallorywillows240]

Mallory's eyes widened at the new person...who was this man? Why was he here? Why was she here, for that matter?

"From what little the information from back then had, this place is well known to play tricks on the mind... riddles, confusing images and scenery... not a fun place to be for the dumb sort, I guess..."

Mallory raised an eyebrow, "You implying that I'm slow?"

((Sorry, short, uninspired....))

[rook]

Rook shook his head lazily, "Not at all. But maybe I am...I haven't really been myself lately."

The tree seemed to go on forever, and so Rook gave up on it. This World was the most bizarre of any he'd traversed thus far in his travels. The flowers around him seemed to live more than normal. Show signs of sentience. In fact, he got the impression that everything in this small forest was casting eyes on him, judging him.

"...Have you ever... just needed to get away for a while?" His eyes flashed with a pathetic saddness that conveyed inner conflict. Conflict he was ashamed of, burdened by. Where better to get lost than a World as confusing as this one...

[mallorywillows240]

Mallory raised an eyebrow, getting ready to guve the guy a taste of her right hook if he said the wrong thing...what was about to come out of his mouth, however, seemed totally different than what she was expecting...

"Not at all. But maybe I am...I haven't really been myself lately."

Oh, so now he's getting all philosphical on me? Mallory thought to herself, rolling her eyes. The girl was about to let the thought be heard, when the redhead spoke once more;

"...Have you ever... just needed to get away for a while?"

The girl raised an eyebrow, thinking, 'Really? We're in Wonderland, buddy. If you meet someone here, they probably are getting away....'

"Well, of course," Mallory said, stretching her arms, "Everyone does...after all, why else would people come to Wonderland? I highly doubt that there'd be any big business meetings around these parts."

Mallory giggled at her own joke, hearing it echoed and played back. As the echo died away into a whisper, though, she couldn't tell if it was the forest echoes, or the flowers littering the path.

[rook]

He nodded once, and gave her a thoughtful look. "Well... I came because I thought no one else did come to Wonderland." His lips formed a soft smile, "Seems I was wrong again..."

As socially awkward as Rook could be, he did enjoy people. Even when he would say he didn't want to be around anyone. Living on your own in a wasteland for years could do that. You might not like people, but you never hate being with them again. Even now, in the midst of losing his "friend", falling further into Darkness, and awaiting the verdict on his "teacher's" fate, he had gotten away from it all and come here for the sake of being alone for a while to sort himself out.

And yet, he seemed to be stumbling in to someone's graces yet again, "What's your name?"

[mallorywillows240]

The girl tilted her head; didn't he already hear her yell her name to the forest earlier? Ah, well...

"Name's Mallory, but you can call me 'Mal,'" she twirled a lock of hair around her finger, "However, I do remember saying my name---rather loudly---in that random little cry that brought you here earlier..."

The girl sat down on the ground, crossing her legs and holding her feet with her hands, rocking back and forth ever-so-slightly, "And you are?"

[rook]

He shrugged lightly, staring at the way she was sitting. She seemed the young and energetic type,and Rook didn't know that he wanted to interfere much. Trouble seemed to be following him as much as his own shadow did, "Your yelling was what led me here to you... and I was only able to make out everything after 'frisbees'."

He didn't even know what a "frisbee" was...

He hesitated to introduce himself. But how would that be proper? He swallowed nervously, and nodded, "My name... is Rook."

[mallorywillows240]

"My name... is Rook."

The boy seemed nervous, as indicated by the hesitation in his voice, not to mention that little swallow before he spoke. This defied most logic that Mallory knew; usually, when dealing with someone else for the first time, she would sit down, or bend at the knees a bit, to make herself smaller, less intimidating (not that she was very intimidating to begin with.) Of course, it only defied most logic, not all. Perchance he was just shy, or not very social...its not an uncommon trait of the people she meets.

"Well, Rook, what brings you to Wonderland?"

Hah, like he's gonna answer truthfully, Mallory scoffed silently at her own question.

[rook]

He leaned against the tree he had just been running his hand on and folded his arms together, a nervous pose and telling of his insecurities. "Like I said... I just needed to get away for a while. Life's been hectic lately aaand..." He bit at his lip, thinking for a moment, "I made some decisions I wish I hadn't made."

It was an honest answer. But Rook saw no such need to bog the girl down with details that she wouldn't care about.

[mallorywillows240]

"Like I said... I just needed to get away for a while. Life's been hectic lately aaand..." He bit at his lip, thinking for a moment, "I made some decisions I wish I hadn't made."

Mallory raised an eyebrow, 'That wasn't vague at all...'

"Well, buddy, you picked the right place!" Mallory beamed, "Not like I've ever been here before, but that just makes it all the more fun."

Mallory unfolded her legs, standing up and climbing on top of a sizable rock on the side of the path, "Think about it; two people, complete strangers to each other, each one trying to escape his or her own life, cross paths in Wonderland! And after getting to know each other only by their names, they set off on a miraculous, amazing, and eccentric adventure!"

The girl jumped down from her rock and in front of Rook, grinning from ear to ear, drawling in a fake Western accent, "So whaddya say there, Rookers?"

[rook]

The redhead gave her a stunned look as he followed her with confused eyes. What in the Worlds..?

He held up a hand, stifiling a slight laugh, "I doubt I'm the kind of guy you wanna pal around with. Last time someone partnered up with me..." He sighed, staring off into space for a moment, his voice shaking a bit, "...She... ended up being kidnapped by a powerful Heartless. And a group of Nobodies aren't very fond of letting me out of their hands for long..."

Ugh... Rook really had gotten himself into trouble lately, hadn't he?

[mallorywillows240]

"I doubt I'm the kind of guy you wanna pal around with. Last time someone partnered up with me..." He sighed, staring off into space for a moment, his voice shaking a bit, "...She... ended up being kidnapped by a powerful Heartless. And a group of Nobodies aren't very fond of letting me out of their hands for long..."

Mallory's eyes widened; no wonder the guy was acting so withdrawn. The girl sighed, putting her hand on his shoulder lightly, downfaced, "I'm sorry..."

Then, she lifted her chin, showing a grin, "I guess we'll have to set off on a rather risky adventure then, huh? Don't you worry 'bout me; I know I'm young, but I can take care of myself," she patted the discblade at her side.

She backed away a bit, then held out her hand, "So? Whaddya say, man?"

[winterlovesong]

(... Hi Mal, hi Rook~)

Ren did not want to admit it, but she was probably lost.

She blamed this dang forest that was too...insane for a forest. She could swear she'd already been in this part of the wood, but all she'd been doing was following the path! Was it leading her in circles? Did it have a mind of its own?

Well, that would definitely suck. Some random woodland path getting the best of a sky pirate?

Ren gritted her teeth and growled lightly, coming to a stop. Of course this had to happen to her, didn't it? She'd liked Halloween Town much, much better, it was her kind of town, but this...this felt like some kid's dream gone wrong.

...but then again, she might've been able to enjoy it if she wasn't so irritated with the fact that she was dead lost.

She gave a huffy sigh, leaning crossly against a tree. She folded her arms and pursed her lips, an expression of annoyance. She didn't know what idea possessed to her to come here, of all places, but she had landed her ship here, and now she couldn't find her way back to it. She assumed she'd get there eventually, but for now, she just had to make her way through the forest.

The pirate didn't want to admit it, but if she hadn't been so obsessed with finding the only friend she may or may not have, she wouldn't have been in this predicament in the first place.

And then, in the silence of the wood, she heard voices wafting over to her. She couldn't make out what they were saying, but that hardly mattered; people were here, too, and now was her chance to find a way out.

She crept towards the voices, straying off the path a little bit in order to be hidden in the overgrown undergrowth. The voices were getting closer and closer, and suddenly she could hear them next to her, clear as day. The pirate hid behind the tree, listening into the conversation...

"...say there, Rookers?" a girl was saying, and Ren's heart skipped a beat. Rookers, huh? That was a bit close to the name Rook...

She barely snapped out of her thoughts to hear the tail end of a reply, and the voice did sound male...

"...ended up being kidnapped by a powerful Heartless. And a group of Nobodies aren't very fond of letting me out of their hands for long..."

Whatever that meant, but...

Aha. Ren knew that voice, and she allowed a surge of triumph to overwhelm her. She allowed herself a grin, wallowing in her victory. Yes, yes, I've found him...

And then she realized: she didn't know what she would do once she found him.

While she was deliberating, the girl spoke again.

"I'm sorry... I guess we'll have to set off on a rather risky adventure then, huh? Don't you worry 'bout me; I know I'm young, but I can take care of myself. So? Whaddya say, man?"

An adventure, huh? Well, now was the time to make her entrance.

Ren stalked into the open, her arms crossed over her chest, her mouth set into a defiant line. "Excuse me, but if you're going on an adventure, count me in," the pirate said clearly. Adventures were definitely enticing to her, and it was an excellent way for her to get around and learn more of the Worlds.

Her eyes glanced for a moment at the girl, and then looked over to redheaded Rook, where she arched an eyebrow but said nothing. Hopefully that would be enough to say she remembered him.

(Loooong~ Hope you don't mind my entrance >w<)

[rook]

"... Don't you worry 'bout me; I know I'm young, but I can take care of myself."

Rook furrowed his brow a bit as she held out her hand,"So? Whaddya say, man?"

A slight contemplation crossed his face, "Era told me she could watch her own back, too..." He sighed once and shrugged. At this point, so far in the Darkness, he doubted anything on this world would be threat enough to him. He could watch over this girl enough. "Alright. I'll join you... but if I have to run off, I'm only doing so because I could bring more harm than good for you."

The Organization. Marluxia, namely, unless he sent Lexaeus to be his courier again. In either case, they might try to collect Rook by holding more lives over his head. Not a fate he would wish upon this energetic and friendly girl.

"Excuse me, but if you're going on an adventure, count me in."

Rook froze. It couldn't be... it had been a long time passed since Port Royal. He blinked, forcing his face back into a regular emote, and turned, looking over his shoulder at the source of the voice.

"...R-Ren?" He didn't know if he should be elated, or concerned. With his steady descent into Darkness, he hardly considered himself the man he used to be, and certainly not one to be looking out for the pirate like a brother might.

So instead of displaying elation of confusion, he continued to wear the stunned, confused look on his face. That would probably serve better than the other two, anyway.