Lost In Paradise [Angelica]

[Lorina]

Dreams were so much better than her current reality. Lorina had managed to avoid both her father and sister for the better part of the last few days. Zenethil was too busy watching over Nairore to give her much thought, and she had not visited her like she knew she should. Escaping was what she was best at, right? Reality, her past, and now even her present. Lorina wished she had not come home at all, but she knew she had to at some point. Zenethil would realize she was missing once he took the time to look for her, and then there would be a price to pay. A part of her relished the idea of anguish and worry, but that was the side of her personality she still had to grow used to. Rolling over onto her side, she curled up within the guest bed to try and relax. She could not even go into her own bedroom anymore, but one problem at a time, right? Wonderland would be a welcome reprieve, and so she sank into a deep sleep with little more thought.

Vivid colors soon assaulted her as she stared up into the bright blue sky of her world. The foliage of the forest was a comfort to her, and Lorina only had to venture forward to see the table where the Mad Hatter and Rabbit usually resided. Tea was already upon the table, but no one else was in sight. Where were they? A frown marred her lips for a moment, wondering if they were trying to be tricky with her. Well, she may as well wait, no? Lorina had all night, and so she sat in her usual seat along the side of the table. Camomile tea to relax her mind, and she smiled brightly. The friends within her mind knew her more than her own family it seemed. A part of her wondered if it would be possible for her to dwell here forever, but that meant never waking up. Could she?

The hot tea was scalding upon her tongue, and she wondered at that. One was not meant to feel pain in dreams, but she did. Was her dreamscape more real than actual reality? At times it felt like that she belonged here more, because this world had been with her her entire life. Well, so much for relaxing her thoughts, because now she was becoming more morose and anxious. At one point she would run so far no one would be able to catch her. Yes, Lorina would do that when the chance presented itself. Oh, how flighty she was, but she had always been so.

[Angelica]

x x

The air around me still feels like a cage
And love is just a camouflage for what resembles rage again

This was the part of the story where the camera would pan around and once it returned to the table there was someone sitting there who hadn't been sitting there before. Long pink hair cascaded down over the back of the chair and brushed against the grass on the ground, though it never seemed to get dirty. Cerulean eyes watched casually as her fingers pulled the tea bag out of the cup she was holding before the tea oversteeped and laid the dripping leaves on a saucer on the table. With a ginger sip she tasted the herbal tea, then laid the cup down on the same saucer with the gentle clack of china and turning her eyes back up to the other girl.

"Careful, it's only just recently brewed, might be a little hot," she said with a soft smile, crossing her legs at her knee and sitting back in the chair. No doubt it would be a huge surprise to her sister, and she smirked. "Yes, you're dreaming, don't worry," she added with a little chirp, perhaps a little too much for the situation all things considered, but hey, what do you say to your sister after you'd been dead for several years and were only just now appearing in her dreams to announce that you weren't gone entirely. Then again how did you explain to your sister that you were a ghost? She'd spent a long time considering that.

She reached down and took up her tea cup again, her plush pink lips holding into the sweet smile as she tasted the sweet warm fluid. It wasn't hot to her, of course, as Lorina wasn't directly affecting that cup. Strange thing about a dream, it was Lorina's perception, so her own tea was hot because that's how she knew tea to be. "And if you're wondering, it's a lucid dream. One of those ones where you're conscious in the dream and all that," she added whimsically after a nice little sip of the tea. "So Lorina, how have you been?" she continued, because what else would you say, really? She hadn't been talking to her sister for some years, after all.

[/justify]

[Lorina]

Lorina sensed the intrusion of her dream in an instant, and suddenly she felt like a cornered cat. Was she going insane again? Oh, Goddesses, was her tenuous grip on reality and dreams slipping away even more? Her breath caught, and she had to stop herself from skittering backward from her chair. Honestly, it was almost like looking into a mirror at the moment. The style of this girl's hair was different than her own, but she would know her anywhere. Well, now she knew who this intruder was with the return of her memories. Blue eyes widened in shock and in somewhat fear, and there was a panic bubbling with her. Nervous giggles escaped her, and why could she not even get relief in her dreams? Would her Wonderland turn into her own hell now? Would her real sister now haunt her? Lorina began to wonder if she perhaps deserved it for her inaction in allowing her sister to die in the fire. Panic disappeared as soon as it had appeared, and an eerie calm descended upon her as the cat's influence made itself known within her mind. He was gone from her Wonderland, but still very much a part of her.

"You're presence is quite the surprise, sister. I'm more worried on why you've suddenly decided to appear in my dreams," she replied. Lorina knew Angelica was supposed to be dead, and now she was here after seven years of silence. She had never given thought to her sister becoming a Poe, and her most clear memory of her was of that night. She remembered her screams the best, and she quickly shut off that train of thought. She stared at her cup of tea, considering the idea that she had finally gone insane again. Well, her father would be so happy about that. Yes, now she was dreaming about her dead sister, and knowing it was her fault that she had died in the first place. For once, Lorina almost wanted to wake up to her empty reality. Angelica appeared to be quite happy, and she felt such a relief and joy at seeing her again. The only other person that really understood her, but she was so confused as well.

Lorina lifted her eyes to stare at her sister, studying her appearance. She looked the same as she had died, and now she was eternally stuck as a seventeen-year-old girl. The same age that Lorina was now, and the irony almost had her laughing. Bitterness filled her, because she wished it had been her instead. "You appear to me and ask that as if merely conversing about the weather. I could tell you I'm almost insane, but I've been that way for years now. Why now?" she asked, her upset expression betraying her attempt at calmness. Now there were more conflicting emotions, and a longing to keep Angelica here forever. To never wake up, because she was with her beloved over sister again.

[Angelica]

x x

The air around me still feels like a cage
And love is just a camouflage for what resembles rage again

Angelica watched as her sister went through a wave of emotion. Yeah, that was kind of expected. She sipped calmly at her tea as she waited for Lorina to come to terms with things. Her response was actually somewhat unexpected, the calm and collected manner in which she addressed the situation. Then again Angelica wasn't even sure how she would react if their roles had been reversed. Then again, truthfully, her memory was kind of vague on the whole dying thing. She remembered waking up, sounds in the darkness, and then waking up again here in Neverland, where her and her sister always dreamed of escaping to.

She smiled calmly at Lorina. "Almost insane? Trust me, it's still better than being dead," she said with a flippant little grin and another sip of the tea. She had never really come to terms with that fact. It was kind of maddening, but then all things considered she had been trapped in Wonderland for years on end, not even the same version Lorina visited in her dreams. "Being a ghost is kind of hard to manage. It's really hard to even distinguish reality from illusion; I'd been trapped here for several years without even realizing I was trapped, with no recollection of what had happened and . . ." she trailed off, letting that drop right there. She still wasn't ready to remember. Lorina wasn't the only one who had blocked out that night.

"Anyway, you've grown quite a bit, Lori! How long has it been, anyway? You were only ten last time I saw you, now you're a young lady. When did that happen?" she asked, taking another sip of her tea as she started idle conversation. She was really curious, after all. Lori had several years now to develop and Angelica was honestly curious about what had happened in her sister's life. "What happened to you after? How have you been getting along, my sweet sister?" she offered with a smile, uncrossing her legs and crossing them again in the other direction to get more comfortable.

[/justify]

[Lorina]

Lorina felt another stab of guilt go through her, and she wondered if Angelica remembered anything about the night she died. Her memories were now crystal clear, and she wanted nothing more than to rid herself of them. She had not even experienced what had happened like her sister, but the screams would haunt her for the rest of her life. At least she knew she was not going insane by dreaming up her dead sister, right? Another panicked laugh bubbled at her lips, but she swallowed the laugh back with scalding tea. Pain gave her an edge to think more clearly, and she she would think of the tea as hot to get her through this encounter. The calm was wearing off with each passing moment, but she clung to the edge that kept her fluid emotions in check. Lorina had always been too emotional for her own good. Would her sister now decide to follow her around? She was not sure if she wanted to know the answer to that.

"I suppose so," she replied softly. Nothing was worse than death, right? Lorina was unsure, because everyone died at some point. Was there an existence beyond remaining as a ghost like Angelica? She did was trying to think of ways to off herself, but the need for escape was becoming stronger and stronger each day. Being with Leon could only do so much, and Lorina still wondered if it was mere pity on his part. It just felt like she had always been dealt the short hand when it came to life. Selfish thoughts, and she wished she could stop thinking. Lorina wanted to pretend that everything was perfect for a little while. "Into the hole again, we hurried along our way into a once-glorious garden now seeped in dark decay," she murmured with a mournful sigh. A verse she had made up long ago, but it fit so many things. How had Angelica lingered here for so many years without her knowing? No recollection of that night? Her sister was lucky to not remember anything.

Blinking out of her haze, Lorina turned blue eyes on her older sister. Yes, she had changed quite a lot, no? It was still a little disturbing how much she looked like her sister. "I live with Knight Captain Zenethil and his daughter Nairore now. You remember them, yes? They're kind to me," she answered. Lorina loved them both dearly, but it still did not quell her desire to run and not look back. She felt so out of place now between the two of them, and the only person she did not feel such a way with was Leon. She sipped at her tea idly, brow furrowing as she warred with herself. "I want to run and never look back. I want to leave this place behind me so much, but I don't know if they would let me go," she admitted quietly.

[Angelica]

x x

The air around me still feels like a cage
And love is just a camouflage for what resembles rage again

Angelica sipped at her tea and gave Lori a sweet smile. "You needn't get worked up, I'm not the kind of ghost who will lure you into a false sense of security and then kill you. At least I don't think I am. I haven't exactly had much interaction with anyone since I died," she said thoughtfully, and giggled gently at the thought. She had come to terms with the fact that she was dead. She had to, that wasn't going to change. What she hadn't come to terms with just yet was the exact manner of her death. Or at least the mystery that surrounded it. She knew in her subconscious mind it was hiding away from her, and certain things had an odd familiarity about them, but she didn't know the exact circumstances.

Just darkness, then pain, then Neverland.

As Lori recited a verse from their childhood, Angelica's smile changed to a solemn one. Her life had been cut off so abruptly, and she'd been ripped away from Lorina before she should've been. The two of them had had a bond, and it had been shattered in the darkness of that night. Angelica couldn't help but lament for the last seven years that they might've spent together. Now her sister was the same age as her, at least by physical appearance. She had once been ten and that was how Angelica had imagined her during those long years alone in Neverland. She hadn't even thought that her sister would grow up. She hid the solemn look in her tea cup as she took another sip.

Then Lori mentioned the Knights that were looking after her. Zenethil and his daughter Nairore. There was a sense of familiarity about the names and when she thought about it she remembered them. The daughter had been one of Lori's best friends, but always a little strange. Gerudo blood, their father would tell her in secret whenever she commented, while Lori was off playing. The mention of the Knights, though, set alight a flame inside her, some inner torment that she didn't know the reason for. The Knights seemed to trigger something, a fire of rage with no source. "You're a grown lady, now, Lori, you should be able to do as you want. If you want to leave, they couldn't stop you. At least they wouldn't have been able to stop the Lorina I remember," Angelica said thoughtfully, masking that burning anger with sweetness. "And besides, for whatever reason, I'm here now with you."

[/justify]

[Lorina]

Oh, yes, a very reassuring statement Angelica had given her. What was Lorina suppose to think when her sister suddenly decided to invade her dreams? It was not unpleasant in the least, but she had never believed she would see her older sister again. Lorina could see that she had accepted her death, but not the manner in which it had occurred. The memories were haunting enough for her, and she could not imagine what her sister would remember from the night. Apparently it was not much at all, and she would not bring them up. She still cursed Zenethil to the void for destroying whatever innocence had remained, and every night she could only hear the screams when her dreams were less-than-pleasant. He believed it was for the best, but all she could feel was this burning anger directed at him. Love and bitterness all intertwined so tightly that she could not tell where one emotion began and where the other ended. There were so many conflicting feelings that made her already fragile hold on her emotions more volatile.

She studied her sister closely, lamenting that she had caused a somberness to fill her. Her smile was tinged with sadness, and she wished so much that that night had never happened. Her family would still be alive, and the two of them never would been parted like that. Lorina had seen the man that had done this to them, but her mind still blocked his identity from her. What had happened to him? Was he still a Knight, or had he long departed from Castle Town to keep suspicion from him? Lorina bit her bottom lip, and she no longer wished to think about him. Maybe he had died in a cold, dark place where no one would ever think to look for. A comforting thought, but she did not truly believe it. The tea was no longer as relaxing as she had hoped it would be.

"I love them and nearly hate them all at once. Zenethil had me remember everything, and I never wanted to. I want so much to leave, but I'm not the same girl you remember. I used to be sweet and kind, but now I don't mind hurting people if they upset me. It's the cat, I think," she rambled, hoping Angelica would know what she meant. The damnable cat had always been a constant companion to them both, but now his vengeance and spite belonged to her. A cat that was made an enemy never bode well for anyone. Exhaling slowly, Lorina set her teacup down. How long would Angelica remain? A selfish part of her hoped for forever, and that she could still see her when she woke up. "Always?" she asked childishly. Even at seventeen, she would always long for and adore Angelica.

[Angelica]

x x

The air around me still feels like a cage
And love is just a camouflage for what resembles rage again

It really was a hard question to answer, such a simple word. Lorina asked if she would be there always, and Angelica was not sure at all how to answer. She was dead, after all, had died before her time and left Lorina without anyone. It was not the kind of answer that could come simply given the circumstances. She bit at her lip as she thought about it. Could she really say she would be there always, despite hardly understanding her own circumstances. She sipped at her tea and stared down into the contents inside for a moment thinking about it.

When her eyes returned to her sister she found that sweet reassuring smile. "For as long as I can, given the circumstances, I guess," she murmured, clasping her fingers together and resting her hands on the table politely. "I mean, I'm a ghost, and I've been trapped here for the last seven years and all," she said, really not understanding her circumstances in the least. "But it'll take a force not found in Hyrule to rip me from you for a second time," she said with a quiet determination reflecting in her violet-swirled cerulean eyes and her peaceful smile.

With sudden inspiration she pushed her chair back and stood up, straightening her skirt and brushing a loose strand of hair out of her face. Her long strawberry blonde hair swayed behind her as she walked around the end of the table with an ethereal grace, her hair swirling at the end as if she were underwater, but her movement was otherwise unhindered. She reached Lorina and wrapped her sister in a tight hug with suddenness, holding her close. It closed a gap between them, turning her from mere perception into reality. Much like the tea had been too hot because Lorina had known it would be, Angelica's hug was tight and firm. "See, I'm real, and I'm here now for whatever reason, sister. And I'll always be by your side, as long as I can."

[/justify]

[Lorina]

Her question had been so simple, and yet it was not at all. Lorina did not know much about the existence of Poes, or whether her sister would wish to remain with her for too long. Being trapped in their Wonderland for so long, and to spend her eternity constantly watching over her. She was being so utterly childish and selfish, quite like how she had been as a child. Lorina had grown up a spoiled young girl before the night of the fire, and had never been alone. Now that her sister was back before her, she found herself wanting to keep Angelica with her for however long she could. What if her sister merely wanted entrapment her mind had become? She was and always would be a child at heart, and she did not want to be left alone again. Leon could only do so much, her current family were almost like strangers to her now, and now Angelica had appeared before. How could she not want her to stay with her? Oh, Goddesses, she did not want her to deny her childish whims.

Hesitant eyes stared at her sister, not sure if she should believe the reassuring smile. People left even if they promised not to. Angelica had left her before, but she knew that had not been her fault. Life could be so cruel, and what if she disappeared again? "I don't want to wake up and find that none of this was real. I don't want to have you slip through my fingers again," she admitted tearfully. Lorina would do anything Angelica wanted to keep her with her now, because this was the sister that shared her world. Her heart lightened at her sister's promise to stay with her as long as she was able. A part of her past that was filled with happy memories instead of the fear and anger she felt when thinking of her past. Oceanic eyes shimmered with happiness and relief that she would not be left alone. Lorina did not care if she was going even more crazy by wanting the company of her dead sister. Let everyone think what they wanted.

Lorina watched as her sister suddenly pushed herself away from the table, standing up to walk around it toward her. Curiosity shined within her eyes as she watched Angelica's graceful movements. As ethereal as she had been in life, and she could understand why she had always attracted such attention from the Knights. It almost reminded her of Nairore, but Angelica's beauty was charming and elegant, while Nairore's was untamed and wild. She had not expected the warmth of a hug, but she clung to Angelica tightly. It was everything she had yearned for for so long, and so familiar to her. "I'll do anything to keep you with me, I promise," she said. It was a promise she meant entirely, whether for good or ill. Forever and ever if she had to.