Just a {bit} of G A R D E N I N G{open}

[The Cheshire Cat]

To the untrained eye (though how such an eye and its owner would survive long enough to make the assumption is beyond me) it would seem as if Wonderland and all of it's kooky, crazy, and utterly insane residents were mellowing down. This of course, was not the case—everyone was simply bored out of their minds. It's hard to be maniacal when you have no one around you sane enough to tell the difference from it and normal behavior. Such was the case of Wonderland's most infamous Cat.

Monotony was like poison to Cas (as he was often called). Every breath he took, every bite of leftover heart-flash he shoved into his mouth seemed tainted with gloom. It was times like these that the Cat even wished that Hatty or Bunny or perhaps even that wicked Alice would drop by and see him. He usually did not mind being alone, but since he'd lost Dinah back at the witch's house, he'd begun to crave someone to talk to…even if all he said were petty insults or cryptic remarks. Were it not for the immense pride all of his species are equipped with, the Cat would have most certainly slid off of the tree he was currently perched in and gone of to the Tea Party and bug his two least favorite loonies.

Bottles of milk stolen from the real world and weathered, ripped hardback novels littered the branches and ground on and around his tree. He'd attempted sleeping twice, but he'd been so inactive these past few days that all he could do was lay there, watching butter-flies swarm above him in the canopy. Occasionally he would climb up there and swipe a few of the silly things from the air, but the taste of bread and butter was rather tasteless in comparison to his usual bloody diet. He had already read all of the books he'd scrounged from Wonderland's short-lived new arrivals and real-world shops, and because he wasn't a big fan of literature the thought of re-reading never occurred to him.

Cas supposed he could attempt to steal Hatter's hat again (he still dreamed of it often, almost as much as he dreamed of a certain she-cat) but he didn't relish the thought of having limbs chopped off. Nor did he want to risk a beheading at the hands of that abominable Queen. There was always the option of world-running to the real world or even Neverland, but the last time he'd been to the former he'd been bonked on the head with his own hammer.

Said weapon now lay at the base of the Cat's tree, looking almost as dreary as its owner. Its black iridescent skin no longer sparkled with it's usual dangerous energy, whether because it was in the shade or because of not having been used to wreak havoc for a good long time. It was still soaked with blood, yes, but the liquid had long gone brown and crusty. Now, instead of looking magnificent and other-worldly, it just looked dirty and unnatural. Cas often refrained from looking at it, as it somehow pulled his mood even lower.

It was now about noon—if the position of the glaring pink sun was anything to judge by—and Cas was just finishing up the last of the snacks accumulated from his last 'outing'. As he popped what appeared to be a dried earlobe into his waiting mouth, he was suddenly enlightened as to what to do today. His trademark grin bled across his face, actually spilling off the sides of his mouth and into open are…or at least appeared to.

Swallowing, the Cat leapt nimbly from his perch and onto the ground. His right hand swung out and grabbed the gigantic hammer by the handle. He lifted it into the air, sinewy muscles rippling underneath the sleeves of his snowy white sleeves, then barked a breezy laugh and slammed the weapon onto his shoulder like some sort of demented lumberjack.

Whistling under his breath Cas strode on over to where the giant flowers with their razor-blade leaves rested. They appeared to be sleeping, but once the half-cat cleared his throat they raised their heads, unfurled their petals, and charged him as fast as their roots would allow.

Gripping his hammer with both hands, the Cat swung at them, his motions brutal but not lacking in finesse. Amid their cries of "How ugly he is!" and "Oh, Iris!" the flowers found themselves to be nothing more than piles of yard clippings. Cas wiped their gooey green sap off on his dark trousers, after finding that it wasn't tasty enough to lick off. He wasn't worried about Wonderland's ecosystem—the murderous flowers seemed to be eternal, and next week there would probably be twice be as many as their had been originally.

But now that question returned. What do now? The Cheshire Cat was left standing amongst the crushed remains of the flowers, back to being extremely bored. After a few minutes of aimless whistling and cleaning the head of his hammer, the half-cat slid into a sitting position and gazed up at the sky. The flowers had a good spot here—sunny, cheery, the first place a lost person would come.

A thought occurred to him. Perhaps he should take their spot? It would ensure that he'd be able to snatch whoever fell through the Rabbit Hole before Hatty and Alice and the others even knew of their presence! The Cat rubbed his hands together, smirking. Finally, an end to the boredom! And all it required was a little gardening…


((I rather like this post--perhaps it's my best one on this site. If you decide to reply, please make sure it's a least two paragraphs. And decent to boot. I'll reply when I can--this week will be busy one for me. Ciao! =D ))

[lovelymalice]

Malice and Vincent had just finished hunting a scared little lizard from it's home, smashing him and his home to bits with her broken heart mallet. the fun lasted all day. her laughter could have been heard threw all of wonderland while the ground shook with each swing and hit of the heavy mallet. Vincent had lead the poor creature to Malice, thinking he was being lead to clean water. her apron was now stained with the creature's blood,and a chunk of lizard flesh was in her free hand. Vincent had his fill of the lizard tail and eyes, still being chewed as they walked to a tree to relax at. she popped the piece of flesh in her mouth, chewing it slowly as the blooded pooled in her mouth. Vincent had sat himself in her lap as she got comfy. they stopped chewing when they spotted the infamous cat of wonderland.

" What on earth is Cas doing to the land? i thought he would be in his tree."

Vincent was shocked at how Cas was acting for once. Malice merely swallowed and smirked.

" Lets play with him. I've never met him before, and i could use a little more fun with a kitty."

she snickered as she stood up, mallet in hand. she skipped over to Cas as Vincent followed cautiously. she suddenly swung her mallet to the ground away from Cas. the ground shook as a chuckle escaped her black lips.

" hello, I'm Malice. why don't you tell me who you are and play a game with me and my kitty, Vincent."

Malice sounded sweet, but more like a sweet that would make your stomach turn and vomit all over. the fiendish grin was ready to appear at any moment now while she waited for him to notice her.

[The Cheshire Cat]

Cas was not used to be sneaked up on—his very acute hearing usually allowed him to hear the approach of others, no matter how stealthy. To save pride, the Cat immediately thought that it must have been the fact that he'd been distracted, pondering over which tree he'd take residence in. Therefore, his ears hardly deserved the quiet curse their owner gave them.

"For the love of whole milk!" Cas said under his breath, leaping agilely to his loafered feet. Fair hair glimmering white in the sunlight, he immediately caught sight of a strange girl and her cat. A familiar feeling crept up his back as he eyed Vincent—every other tom he'd come across (in the real world, of course, as there were hardly any other cats in Wonderland) he'd murdered savagely, more for dominance's sake than his usual bloodlust. In fact, if it had just been him and the cat…well, he still had his hammer in his hand. It would be a quick job, but since he didn't like the look of the Malice's mallet, he kept his distance.

His impossible grin was gone now, replaced with a look of caution. These two didn't look like lost real-worlders, and if there was anything Wonderland had taught him it was that the worst mistake you can make is to trust the residents. Hadn't he himself proved that many times over?

The cat nodded, now smiling thinly. "Hello, Malice. It is…"He paused, as if searching for the right expression. "…a pleasure. I'm the Cheshire Cat, but don't waste your breath calling me all that. It's either Cat or Cas, preferably the latter.

…I don't much like games, really." The Cat said, leaning against his gigantic black hammer. "But since you're such a pretty child, why not? There are worse ways to spend a day."

((…crap post…))

[lovelymalice]

Vincent was shocked at Cas again. he walked right next to her and climbed to her shoulders, giving a look of disgust to him.

"I really didn't want Malice playing with you, but i guess it's too late. i will pick the game so neither of you end up bloody as hell, so please put all weapons aside and sit. the game will be poker, five card. i will be dealer."

her seemed rather pleased with himself, but didn't need Cas seeing how violent his owner was with her mallet.

Malice looked disappointed with Vincent's choice of game. her adorable pale face gave a pouting look as a cold look glittered in her eyes.

"Aww! I wanted to play arena and swing my mallet. i an 15 you know, not the little 10 year old you use to have to babysit, besides, i always win at poker."

Vincent just gave her a look that cleared her of the thought of beating the hell out of Cas, much less chasing him. she sighed and looked at Cas, her crooked smile coming back.

"Why don't we let Cas pick what we will have to do if we lose a hand. it sounds fair to me."

Vincent knew what she was hoping, but prayed Cas didn't pick the one she wanted. he took a deep breath and climbed down next to Malice. she sat down next to him and took a pack of playing cards out of her apron pocket. he scooted over and waited for Cas to sit and make a choice.

[The Cheshire Cat]

Cas had been in the process of clearing hair out of his eyes when he distinctively heard the strange little cat say something like 'poker'. His hand paused in motion, half-way to his head. He blinked at his two visitors, one eyebrow lifted so high it posed the threat of disappearing past his hairline.

He counted himself pretty well-versed on the subject of real-world words—at least more so than the Hatter—but he had never before heard the term 'poker' before. Wait—did the silly cat want him to poke his master? How strange…and how un-fun-sounding! Not that Malice didn't look like she'd be fun to poke; it's just that Cas wasn't sure he wouldn't get his head knocked off by that mallet of hers for the crime.

"What's Poke Her?" He asked quizzically, his expression so serious it was a wonder it could last more than two seconds in a nonsensical place such as this. "And why do we have to bring those damn Cards into it? They're blithering fools, in my opinion, and I don't want to play with them. Unless you'd take the time to explain what the hell you are talking about…

"…I say we play that arena game your mistress suggested. I'm already warmed up from massacring those idiot flora back there, and you, Miss Malice, actually look half-way worthy of a fight with the Cheshire Cat." He continued, wearing his signature grin. "And, in the future, Tiny…I suggest you keep such nasty expressions off of your face, lest I carve it off."

[lovelymalice]

Malice chuckled and Vincent had shivers down his spine. Malice could have cared less about the card game, all she wanted was to see the cat's fighting skills, and maybe even his upper torso. Vincent stood p again and looked scared out of his wits.

"Now, now. i really don't need to see another victim of Malice's mallet today, please? Poker is a human card game where you bet something and try having the higher value of cards. if you lose, then the winner gets all that is betted. simple as that, now don't provoke Malice! I beg you, don't!"

But it was too late, Malice was standing, an innocent look on her doll like face. the lust to fight could be seen clearly in her crimson eyes, but there was more than wanting to fight in her eyes, like she wanted more from Cas, something that would make her feel something that would be there all her years. she picked up her mallet, Vincent bolted to the closest tree and stayed on the highest tree branch, praying to have Cas live.

"I like how you think, but I'm known to steal something from my victims, especially if there cute like you, Mr.Cas."

she tossed her body at him with full force . her mallet was swung at his left shoulder, sending him flying threw the air.

"Come play, my adorable Cas, i want more from you!!"

she ran quickly to where he had landed, but stayed a good distance, just in case he would attack. she liked the cat, and wanted him all to herself.

[The Cheshire Cat]

For once in his life, the Cat didn't react fast enough. He should have been expecting it, really—Malice had that certain insane look about her that he'd seen in his fellow Wonderlander's eyes on a day-to-day basis—but nonetheless he was extremely surprised when something hard connected (painfully) with his right shoulder. Damn, that girl was fast! And strong, too—the last time Cas had flown like that, he'd fallen from the highest turret of the Queen of Hearts's palace.

For those brief seconds that he was not in contact with the earth, the Cat realized that Malice might do some actual damage. In the milliseconds before he crash-landed, he swerved his body slightly so that he hit the ground rolling. The sudden pressure in his shoulder—which he assumed was broken—made him hiss softly under his breath.

Sitting up abruptly, he watched Malice race over to him with a deceivingly calm expression. His anger grew from mild to nearly uncontrollable with each of her steps, and he wished suddenly that his hammer, instead of being several yards away, was in his hand. He missed it like he would an amputated leg, especially now that he was in real danger.

He got smoothly to his feet, ignoring the pain in his shoulder. It was mellowing now—if Cas was anything, he was a swift healer. He flashed a grin at Malice, then swiftly bowed. "Thank you for the compliment, Miss, but anything you steal I'm like to grow back." He said calmly.

He began to fade right in the middle of a sentence, until a few seconds later on his smile and strange blue eyes were left, floating in mid-air. Soon after, he was entirely gone. And that was when he pounced.

He attacked her from behind, looping his arm around her neck and squeezing hard enough to make a normal human's eyes bulge out of their sockets. He kissed her cheek, lightly, then opened his invisible jaws and sank his teeth in her soft flesh.

[lovelymalice]

the sudden attack made her sing a low tune. his grip on her made her legs shaky with lust for a kiss. her eyes glinted with pleasure as he sank his sharp teeth into her frozen skin. a wave of joy hit her slowly. no one had ever bit her, much less hold her neck. her breathing was getting harder, but she didn't care.

"W...when i s...say i steal, .... i don't t...take away your limbs, f..for you, i..take the pleasure i get from our s...skin contact, and i w..want m..more of ..this.."

he was so tempting being so close, but would show no mercy. she just leaned in to let the sharp, pleasure of his bite sink in deeper. she lifted a hand up to her throat, but just rested them over the place where Cas' hands were.

Vincent have his eyes wide and full of fear. he had never seen anyone touch his owner like that, and couldn't believe she let him bite deeper into her pale skin. her was infuriated by this, but couldn't move a muscle. he just watched as her wondered what would happen to his owner.

[The Cheshire Cat]

She wasn't screaming, nor was she trying to get free of his hands and teeth. Just before Malice spoke, Cas had blinked several times, confused. How strange this girl was! Most others would be fighting back, but not her. If he hadn't been at least sane enough to know better, he'd swear she might even have been enjoying his attempt to kill her.

Her blood seeped past his lips, but for once he did not quite relish the taste of it. It slid down his throat nonetheless, thick and bitter. He did not let go, intent on slowly squeezing the life out of his anomalous female…not even when she spoke, in a quiet voice that longed not only for air but for something far less innocent.

He listened intently, his grip on Malice's throat slackening in its tightness. Ah, so she was enjoying it! Hardly surprising—there seemed to be an alarming number of masochists in Wonderland, after all. He could go on strangling her, and neither she nor her annoying Vincent would voice a complaint. But…

Dinah. After that kiss in the Witch's ginger-bread house, he couldn't bring himself to do anything of that sort with another woman. Malice may have enjoyed it, but Cas sure wouldn't have. Not with the guilt.

The hand she laid on his was cold, and startled the Cat enough to make him jump slightly. His grip on her throat slid lower, wrapped around her jugular. It was a wonder the poor child hadn't run out of air yet—he'd been throttling her for a good 2 minutes, and, if what he'd heard from real-world people was true, humans could only survive another minute without oxygen.

After taking half a minute to decide, Cas took his hands from around Malice's throat and placed them in the pockets of his dark trousers, forced his mouth and teeth to release her bloodied cheek. Licking red from his lips, the Cat once again became visible. "It seems I have won, Miss." He said, his tone curt.

[lovelymalice]

When he released her, she dropped to her knees, slightly shaking from the sudden movement. her breathing returned to normal as Vincent stood in front of her, glaring and almost hissing. Malice dug into her dress pocket and pulled out a Lacy handkerchief and held it to her bleeding cheek. the blood was cold, not warm like most would have thought. she looked back up at Cas with eyes that seemed to be filled with sorrow and confusion.

"Why did you let go? now i can't feel anything again. my skin can't feel anything, only my lips and beneath my skin, can i feel anything. i want to be able to feel something warm for once, but i guess you have someone dear to you already that you don't want to leave."

she dropped her hand and let the blood flow slowly, staining the straps of her apron. Vincent was raving mad at this point. he didn't care if Malice liked Cas, he wanted him gone and never to see Malice again.

"Of all the things you could have done, you treat her coldly as she spills out to you! stay away from her, and don't even think you can get her heart to start beating again!"

her eyes were starting to dull and look glassed over. she dropped her head a little, tears falling from her eyes.

"I want to truly live, but since my heart won't beat, that will never happen. no one will love me. no one will like me. everyone will hate me..."

her voice faded as she sat,, pulling her legs to her body. she started crying hard as she put her forehead on her knees. Vincent was still ready to fight if Cas came close, his owner's cries tearing his heart to pieces.

[The Cheshire Cat]

Cas turned his back on Malice, his face uncharacteristically hard. Even though he was mostly definitely a murderer, a madman, and even a thief, he was not usually this cruel. But it was for Dinah. Dinah, who had been the first to show him kindness since Alice's sanity broke. Dinah, whom he had spend weeks search for. Dinah, who had never once tried to cut off his head…break every bone in his shoulder.

"I'm sorry to hear that," He said levelly. "…but I can't see how my strangling you to death would make you feel anything but atrocious pain. It's not often I meet someone with my love of killing, so of course I would not like you to die. Not just yet."

He had heard Malice fall to her knees, and now as he heard her feather-soft sobs, he wanted desperately to look over his shoulder at her. But he somehow forced himself not to by repeating his Dinah's name over and over again in his head. "I do have an obligation to another, Miss Malice, and I would not trade her for anyone else. I'm sorry that I cannot help you, and I do not hate you. Even if you did smack me rather hard back there." He chuckled mirthlessly, failing to bring some humor into the situation. When only he made the slightest attempt at laughter, he let himself turn back around. Catching sight of Vincent's angry face, his blue eyes narrowed and he hastily grabbed his fallen hammer. "Not so sure about your cat, though…" He murmured under his breath. "Do I have to ask your damned permission to talk to her, cat, or would you prefer it if I just left?"

[lovelymalice]

Vincent calmed, his gaze never leaving Cas. he sat to the side of Malice, his tail swaying quickly behind him. he started to hiss, but was cut short by Malice standing up, tears running down her face. she walked a little closer to Cas, but looked to the ground and not at him.

"it's okay, Vincent, i can stand my ground now. i know i hit you pretty hard, but if i hurt you and are willing to wait for you to attack, then that means i like you. i'm sorry for it all, but i just want to be able to feel something other than cold. i will take leave if you don't want anything to do with me."

her voice didn't sound like her sickening sweet tone, but more of a child that had lost all that was dear to her heart and didn't know how to be happy. Vincent just looked with disgust at the two. he walked to where her ankles rubbed at his side, speaking out loud,

" He doesn't love you, don't you see that! i told you not to play with him, now look how hurt your insides are, screaming for him, it's sick. Lets go home and clean you up, there's no need to spill the rest of your weakening soul to him."

with that he stared at her and waited for her to start crying again. Vincent was her only family and for the most part, took care of her. he was being more like a parent to her so she would brake free of the hold Cas had on her soul. Malice just looked down at him, fury burning in her eyes. she grabbed Vincent by the tail and lifted him to where they were eye to eye.

"HOW CAN YOU SAY SUCH A THING! I DON'T CARE IF MY SOUL IS CUT TO RIBBONS, ALL I WANT IS TO KNOW I AM LOVED!!"

tears flooded her vision as she threw Vincent into a tree far from where she was standing. Vincent hit the tree and could fee two of his ribs breaking after hitting to tree with such great force. he couldn't move without feeling a sharp pain in both his sides. he meowed a hurt meow, telling them he was hurt and stiff. Malice was so mad at him she didn't even look back at her guardian. she put her hands to her eyes and started crying loudly, making a horrid scream echo threw the forest. the pain was so un bearable at this point, she had to let her feelings run wild.

[The Cheshire Cat]

Cas couldn't have helped but tightened his grip on his hammer as Malice got to her feet and trudged sadly towards him—when one had been attacked as many times as he had, it pays to be cautious. He let no emotion show on his face—he didn't want Malice to see so much as a little bit of the remorse he was currently feeling, for fear it might in some small way lead her on.

He allowed her to speak, carefully weighing her words as a whole, and when she was finished he absently licked his lips. By the time he had both thought of what to say and had opened his mouth to voice it, that damn Vincent cut in. Cas rolled his eyes, having very little patience to begin with, and if the cat's words hadn't been so thought-provoking, he would have completely ignored the smaller feline.

Cas didn't move to stop Malice as she picked Vincent up and, in an act of rage, threw him hard into a tree. He heard the poor thing's ribs snap, but didn't wince. He used to pain, whether it was his or another's. He let the girl huff and puff for a few unreal moments, then sighed softly and walked gracefully over to Malice. He placed both hands on her shoulders and looked down at her, blue eyes stern and betraying his age.

"Malice, Malice, Malice…what a silly thing to say. Your Vincent is right—I do not love you--honor does not allow me to, and besides, I have only just met you—but I am quite certain that he does. I have not had much experience with this 'love' thing, but I believe it means caring deeply about someone else. And that is exactly what he is trying to do—keeping you and me away from each other means I can't, in any way, hurt you. I really do think you shoulder pick up that heap of fur and go far away. You'll get over me, I'm sure…it is the best thing."

[lovelymalice]

she started to ease as he came closer to her. his words were true, Vincent loved her, even when she was on her rampages, he was there for her. she walked away from Cas to her cat, twitching a little from the crash. she carefully picked him up in her arms, holding him like a baby. he purred a little, but whined after from the pain. she walked back to Cas, but the dull look had faded from her eyes.

"Thank you for playing with me, Mr. Cas, i hope you will fond your loved one soon. i see clearly for once, and i like it."

her smile was soft, but still like poison. she turned and walked slowly away from the cute kitty, but knew he didn't belong to her, but another.

[The Cheshire Cat]

Cas let Malice go once again, letting his hands fall to a space just below his belly-button and clasp together like lovers in passion's embrace. He watched her walk over to and scoop her poor mistreated feline into her arms like an infant. Her actions looked almost motherly, in fact, a realization that caused the Cat to wince. Why did everything have to remind him of his own mother?

"You're welcome, Miss Malice," He said with a rueful smile. "I hope I'll find her too. In the meantime…good luck. On all that you do."

Just before she turned away, Cas dipped into a low bow, the likes of which had not seen since the days when he'd still had his Pretty-Paws. Straightening, he watched the strange young girl and her cat slowly disappear into the thick Wonderland forest.