Intertwined

All The Best People Are Crazy

Ivory stares into Muse's eyes and he stares back, the whole thing making me feel left on the outside. The word "vision" already let me know what it had to do with, and given how their eyes were locked it made me realize she was literally showing him one. Their eyes are fogged over and faraway, gazes unmoving and frozen.

A moment or two passes before Muse glances away at the windows then back at me. His blue eyes hold a new light to them and the tiny teardrop-shaped jewels beneath the inky swirls around his eyes flash a mix of a light pink and royal blue. Then quickly he looks away again, eyes going back to Ivory's smiling face. "Really?" he asks, voice hushed.

She beams and nods, "Of course, so do go enjoy yourself."

Muse returns the smile, and walks over to join me, taking my hand in his. The contact sends a shock up my arm and warmth floods into my face when his eyes meet mine with a searching look. "Ready to go?" he twirls me in a circle and assesses my clothing. "After we get you changed of course."

I look down at my clothes and frown slightly. "What's wrong with them?" I'm sure they're fine, not dirty or ripped, only a little crinkled. Although the idea of new clothes makes me excited though, but the "we get you changed" part makes me wonder what he means by "we".

Muse leads me past Ivory, who gives me a dainty wave, and out the throne room doors, also past two men standing there. They both have light olive complexions and vivid green eyes, dark and long wavy hair over pointed ears, and mesmerizing ruby jeweled designs dotting their faces in different places. Their eyes follow us as we go and my guide nods to them in acknowledgement. "Well firstly luv, they are hardly the kind of clothing that says Wonderland, if you get my meaning." he replies, leading me down a long adjacent hallway.

The bug like guards from before -what I take to be twisted versions of the Red Queen's "card guards" from the original book- line the hall, patrolling back and forth. Each bows to Muse in turn before continuing their activities. Their flattened shells are painted like playing cards: clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades.

I'm led into a room, where a blue-feathered bird-like creature sits in a plush red armchair. It stands up as we enter, and my eyes widen at its impressive height. Its long neck takes up most of its height, a pale yellow ringed by light blue circles of fur all the way up to its head. The creature's body is covered in blue feathers, ostrich-like, but instead of wings, it has two humanoid arms protruding from its sides, covered in feathers, with long, bare, and needle thin fingers. Its legs are more like a lizard's than a bird's or a human's, being green and bumpy with outward bent knees. The face of it is human, but it has a slightly protruding muzzle like a puppy with a pink mousy nose at the end.

I look at Muse and he pats my hand he holds reassuringly. "Astraia, this is Anatharia, our seamstress. She's a type of netherling called a Gulliebird, beings of which are very talented in making different garments due to their meticulous natures." He releases my hand and walks over to her. "Ana, I want you to make this young lady something to wear that is nothing beneath clothing fit for royalty."

The bird netherling looks at me and her golden serpentine eyes narrow, "What kind of fae is she? She looks so...extraordinarily ordinary. Nothing like royalty, no way no how"

I frown and open my mouth to retort but Muse holds up a hand. "That hardly matters, so you shan't question me again." he says. His voice is calm, but with his eye jewels sparkling red and purple, it makes me think he's anything but. "I needn't remind you of what could happen."

Then suddenly spools of thread unravel, rolls of silk and fabric unroll, shoes dance across the floor, and outfits rip from the wardrobe in the corner and start swirling around the room. They flutter high and low, swirl and arc in wide circles, catching on to anything else in their path and dragging it along with them. It all looks like a ghostly dance, like the items are possessed by crazed, spastic phantoms.