Intertwined

Twinkle, Twinkle

Muse and Alyssa lead me down a wide, arching hallway and to a pair of double doors almost as high as the ceiling. From behind it I hear all kinds of sounds, ranging for hysterical laughing to snorting and screaming.

"You ready?"

I jump and spin around to face Jay, hand flying over my heart. "Fucking hell Jay, announce yourself next time?"

He grins and flicks the bow in my hair. "You look...well, like a netherling." He says, inspecting the rest of my outfit. Funny how he'd think that, considering he's the one with the wild face patches and shimmery skin. Even his hair seems to have changed, some of the strands waving around his head like they're alive.

I reach up to smooth down the wild waves. "You're one to talk." I frown and pause for a second, then glancing back at the doors where Alyssa and Muse are talking. "Hey... What kind of feast is this going to be?"

Jay rocks back on his heels, arms behind his back with a thoughtful look on his face. He looks up to the ceiling, considering the question. "Well. They said there were going to be a lot of netherlings in attendance, including Ivory and her kids and Hattington and March. Which I can only assume are the Mad Hatter and the Hare."

I try to suppress a grin, "I've met them. They're...animated people."

"Are we all ready to head in?" Turning reveals the source of the voice to be the king.

Morpheus wears a suit of the darkest red, his tie made completely of roses, with a hat brimmed in the same flowers featuring little black moths at their centers. He walks up to link his arm through the Queen's and winks at her, to which she responds to with an eye roll and a smile.

"Just waiting for you, late at usual." She says, voice trying to come across as annoyed but the fondness shows through.

"Tut," Morpheus shakes his head once and lightly taps her nose. "Nothing starts until we've arrived, Blossom."

Muse snorts softly and walks to where Jay and I stand. He lightly takes my hand in his, "If it overwhelms you, just let me know." He murmurs. "I'm not sure how you'll take to the guests in attendance."

Jay watches him with a lightly raised eyebrow. When his eyes meet mine it only raises higher, more in question this time.

I nod and take a calming breath. "I'm ready, I'll be fine."

After exchanging a look and getting a nod in confirmation from the Queen, Morpheus throws open the doors to the dining area and the noises from inside only increase tenfold.

The room is nothing but movement. Flailing, erratic movements, running, jumping, you name it. Even the chandeliers move as if they're alive, which I question until I see what I assumed to be twinkling green lights are just the little fae like Nikki and Gossamer dotting the metal like Christmas lights. Wine bottles float in the air, every now and then a clawed or scaled hand shoots up to nab one, pour a drink, then let it back up into the air. The netherlings talk amongst themselves, only stopping when they see us in the doorway. And then all at once, all eyes are on us.

A grin spreads across Muse's face at my widened eyes. I'm speechless, taking in the sizes and looks of all the netherlings in attendance. From beings as small as the fairies to ones as large as rhinos, red to purple, humanoid to unidentifiable. Some seemingly normal... Some downright terrifying in appearance.

A humanoid shape made of nothing but twisting black shadows with two huge green eyes peeking out from the darkness. A feminine shape covered from what to toe in what looks like mud. A creature that seems to be half dragon and half...frog? And that's just the most normal looking ones.