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It was a lovely sunny day in Wonderland, Dee had accepted an invitation to go on a hike to a local beauty spot in Alchemilla. However, they hadn’t got much farther than halfway up the trails when Dee started limping noticeably. Mad rolled his eyes as Bill and Dee started bickering like siblings.
“Your cuts are hurting, aren’t they?” Bill asked her and Dee just shook her head.
“Not really, I’m fine to keep going!” Dee insisted, smiling as best she could.
“I’ll bet your legs are swollen.”
“No, they’re not.”
“Show me then.”
“Not in public.” Dee was trying to banter her way out of the conversation when Joker came up behind her and picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder with ease. “Joker! What the hell are you doing?!” He carried her over to the side of the trail where there was a fallen tree they could sit down on.
“We’re taking a break!” Joker declared as he put Dee back on to her feet. She sat down on the trunk at realising she wasn’t being given a choice in this matter. Mad and Ash came over, where Mad waved his cane and a jug of iced tea appeared before them.
“Yes, no one said we had to walk the whole trail in one go, after all.” He poured out the glasses and handed them around to everyone. Dee sipped on the cool drink and smiled, it hit the right spot and she gave Mad a grateful look.
“I’m pretty sure I told you not to drag me around like a sack of potatoes on the day we first met, Joker.” Dee gave Joker a half-hearted glare. He was only looking out for her so she couldn’t be too annoyed with him.
“You’d have kept insisting you were fine until you couldn’t walk anymore and I didn’t want to have to explain to Sakuto why we let you get in that state.” Joker was completely unapologetic. “Of all the first impressions I had of you that day, ridiculously stubborn wasn’t one of them.” Now that caught Dee’s interest.
“Oh really? So, what was your first impression of me then?” She asked him as she took another sip of her iced tea.
“Timid initially, but thinking back, that was probably more bewilderment at what was happening. It’s not every day you wake up with a bunch of strangers in your room.” Joker admitted with a half smile, timid was definitely not a word he’d use to describe his friend now.
“I thought you were very calm and collected, even after the trial, us appearing and then the bathroom incident. Most people probably would have thrown the hairdryer at us, rather than explain its function.” Ash added with a shake of his head at remembering that embarrassing encounter.
“I wasn’t entirely sure you were paying much attention to things then, Ash. You were still crashed out in my bed after I came back from having coffee with Joker. I was gonna have to sleep on the couch if Mad hadn’t turned up later to come and get you.” Dee chuckled at the memory, that had been a very strange day by her standards as they existed then, now it was a pretty mellow one. She had just finished her glass when Bill stood up and stretched his back with a click.
“Right, we all feeling fit to go?” He turned to give Dee a stern look. “Tell us if you need a break again or I’ll carry you the rest of the way, fireman style.”
~~~
:: I’m feeling sick with nerves, this is the first proper date I’ve been on in years. Do I dress up? What if Cardia thinks I’m trying too hard? Do I keep it casual? What if he thinks I’m not trying hard enough? :: Dee sent that as a private message to Mad as she sat in front of her dressing table and tried to decide what to do.
:: Relax and be yourself! Cardia’s probably gonna be as nervous as you. You’re going out to a restaurant, right? I’d dress smartly but not grand ball formal. It’ll be fine! :: Mad replied to her, glancing up as Cardia came out of the spare room for the third time, wearing another slightly different outfit.
“How’s this then? Not too formal?” He asked as he checked his russet brown hair was smoothed down in the mirror, he was wearing a dark grey shirt over black trousers and Sakuto nodded his approval. “Think I need one of those tie things?” Cardia asked but Sakuto shook his head.
“No, I don’t think that’s necessary. Plus, I’m not confident any of us here actually know how to tie one properly.” Sakuto said, giving Cardia a reassuring smile. “It’s just a meal out together, I’m sure she’s as nervous as you are but it will be fine.”
“Well, you all know her better than I do, any tips? Any topics I should avoid?” Cardia looked around the room at the others.
“Don’t make fun of her height, even in jest, she hates that.” Noir told him, glancing up briefly from where he was playing Mario Kart with Joker. “Asking her about her cake decorating could be a good starter topic.”
“I’d not mention the trial and how your boss was going to behead her.” Bill added with a teasing smile, he was using his hunting knife to carve a small block of wood. He was sitting on a stool in the kitchen because it was easier to clean up the shavings in there than on the carpet of the living room.
“I think once you get the conversation started then you’ll have no problems, Dee is really easy to talk to.” Ash advised from where he was sitting next to Mad, he was aware his best friend was currently playing cheerleader for a nervous Dee. Ash knew that Mad didn’t really get along with Cardia but he wasn’t going to let his personal animosity get in the way of supporting their friend in her aim to get back on the dating horse.
“Right, thanks, guess I’d best go and pick her up.” Cardia said, about to turn to the door.
“Hold it!” Mad called out as he stood up from the couch, he waved his cane and a bouquet of red and pink roses appeared in his left hand. “You can’t turn up for a formal first date empty handed.” Mad passed it over to Cardia who looked very surprised before he collected himself.
“Thank you, Mad.” Cardia told him sincerely. “I need to get going or I’ll be late, wish me luck!” There was a chorus of ‘Good Lucks’ as he left. Joker looked up from the game once the door closed.
“That was an awfully nice thing you did for him there.” He commented to Mad, who just scowled as he sat back down.
“I did it for Dee, I don’t mind giving that idiot pointers if it’s for her benefit.”
~~~
Dee sat up and stretched with a yawn, she’d woken up in the gardens of Chalk Castle. A rabbit maid noticed her and offered to take her to where Sakuto was. Dee was led to a study where Sakuto seemed to be dealing with some official correspondence.
“Working hard as always, I see.” Dee commented as she walked in, taking a chair near to the desk where Sakuto was working before frowning in worry. “You been getting enough sleep? There’s bags under your eyes.” Sakuto had been taking over more and more regal duties from his father who was elderly and frail from his long illness.
“You’re one to talk about sleep deprivation and dark circles, you usually come to Wonderland at least five nights a week, often more.” Sakuto was quick to deflect her concern and turn on his own, because of the way the rules worked for Dee, every visit cut into the time where she’d normally be resting. “Why don’t you catch up on some sleep in one of the guest rooms? I’ll make sure no one interrupts you for at least a few hours.”
“I’ll do you a deal, I’ll take a nap if you do too then.” Dee offered, getting an amused huff from Sakuto, it was just like her to negotiate with him, this way they’d both get what they wanted.
“Alright, but we’d need to share a bed or at least a room to make sure the other doesn’t cheat. Wouldn’t that make Cardia jealous?” Sakuto teased but he was obediently putting away the letters and his pens. Dee’s shoulders sunk a touch at that as she sighed.
“Cardia who? You’ve probably seen more of him than I have, to be honest.” Dee rubbed her eyes. “Sorry, I don’t mean to grumble, I know he’s busy, I must be more tired than I thought.” Sakuto pulled Dee to her feet and put an arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze as they left the study.
“He is a very diligent and dedicated worker. But I can understand you being frustrated with the lengths of time that elapse in between getting to spend time with him.” Sakuto informed a passing butler that they were going to use a twin room to get some sleep and not to disturb them unless it was urgent. Dee was pretty sure she saw a relieved expression on the servant’s face as he bowed, looked like she wasn’t the only one who had been worried about Sakuto.
Sakuto took them to a guest room that had two single beds in it with an adjoining washroom. Dee found a long shirt she could change into so she didn’t have to sleep in her jeans. She was sitting up on her bed with a troubled look on her face when Sakuto came out of the washroom, having changed himself. At noticing him looking at her, Dee spoke up.
“I’m being unfair to Cardia, aren’t I? In my previous relationships I’ve had guys literally falling over themselves pretending to be my ideal man just to get money out of me and I’m getting cross because Cardia is working hard, earning his own living instead of spending more time with me.” Dee’s tone was the all too familiar one of self-depreciation. Sakuto shook his head and sat on the bed in front of her and took her hands in his, making sure to hold Dee’s eyes with his so what he was about to say would go in.
“No, you’re not berating yourself for having certain expectations just because you’ve been treated even worse in the past. If you want someone who is more available then there’s nothing wrong with that, and if Cardia can’t do that for you, then I guess it’s not meant to work out.” As Sakuto finished his mini-pep talk, he was surprised when Dee threw her arms around his neck and gave him a hard squeeze and he could hear her sniffling in his ear. She had been giving herself such a hard time about being dissatisfied with Cardia that hearing someone say she was allowed to want more was such a relief.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to surprise you there.” Dee apologised as she let Sakuto go, seeing his rabbit ears. “Can’t believe how emotional I am, I really must be tired.” She wiped her eyes and Sakuto did her a favour by not drawing attention to it.
“Yes, let’s both make sure we get a good rest, sleep well, Dee.”
~~~
It had finally happened; the Wonderland boys had convinced Dee to take them on a night out. She was currently getting herself ready in the spare room at the dorm, the plan was that they’d all come back here later so she’d already brought an overnight bag.
“Right, I’m ready, how do I look?” Dee asked as she stepped into the living room. She was wearing a red fitted blouse underneath a black waistcoat with smart trousers and ankle boots with a low heel. She’d used a curling iron on her hair and it was now hanging in loose curls. Her makeup consisted of foundation with white eyeliner and smoky grey eyeshadow. There was a general clamour of approval and compliments from the guys who had dressed in smart casual clothes themselves.
“Oh, the wonder of makeup!” Dee declared dramatically before checking the small shoulder bag she was taking with her to make sure everything was in it. “Right, let’s get moving.” The six of them piled in a cab to the Met Quarter which was where a lot of pubs, bars and clubs were based.
“Wow! There’s so many people around!” Joker commented when they got out of the taxi, it was the weekend so a lot of people were out to blow off a little steam.
“Yeah, hopefully we can still get a booth in the bar we’re going to.” Dee led them to a nearby building. Dee liked this place because it had plenty of seating, like a pub, but also a dance floor, like a club. The group managed to find a booth and Dee went up to the bar and ordered a couple of jugs of cocktails and brought them over. “A night out isn’t complete without brightly coloured alcoholic drinks with silly names.”
She handed out the glasses and told them what was in each so they could pick what they wanted. Dee noticed that they were already attracting attention -or more specifically, the guys were. Though her friends didn’t seem to have clocked on to that fact, they were busy chatting and asking her questions about the drinks, the bars, the music, everything. Dee was patiently answering them when she suddenly stopped midsentence.
“Oh! I absolutely love this song!” Dee declared as she got up from the bench and ran to the dance floor and started dancing away, singing along.
“Wow!” Bill blinked as he and the others watched Dee dance. “I’m not sure I’ve ever seen her look so… free.” Sakuto nodded his agreement, Dee didn’t seem to care or mind that she was dancing on her own in front of the whole bar. What she lacked in grace, she made up for in enthusiasm, she was practically glowing from the fun she was having.
“If she likes dancing as much as she obviously does then why did she always refuse to take us out before?” Mad’s voice was truly puzzled, the flashing of the disco lights kept catching Dee’s loose ringlets as she danced, she was radiant. Ash shook his head; he had no idea either. Bill was the first one to move to join her on the dance floor, followed by everyone except Joker who was insisting he needed more alcohol before he was willing to dance.
A few hours later and Ash came out of the men’s toilet, as he was walking past the ladies’ room, he heard a familiar voice and stopped.
“What do you want?” Dee’s tone was guarded and on edge.
“What’s the deal with you and those gorgeous guys?” A hostile female voice spoke next. “They’ve done nothing but blow us off all night, yet they are happy to pay attention to a fat ugly cow that dances like an electrocuted clown like you. What gives?” Ash could feel himself bristling at the insults the woman was throwing around.
“As if I owe you an explanation.” Dee’s tone was curt, she yanked open the bathroom door and saw Ash standing there and she stiffened before saying. “Pretend you didn’t hear that.” She told him before she headed out into the beer garden to get some fresh air.
Ash followed Dee and found her leaning with her back against a wall, staring up at the sky. She didn’t seem surprised that he had ignored her request.
“Don’t listen to them, they don’t know what they are talking about.” Ash told her. “You’re not ugly or fat or any of the things she said.” Dee gave him a small smile at him trying to cheer her up.
“I know, I’m trying not to take it to heart but it’s still not a nice thing to hear… Though they were right about my dancing, I love it so much but I know I look like a frog in a blender.” Dee gave a small chuckle as she looked back up at the night sky.
“The fact you enjoy dancing is obvious just from watching you, it was amazing to see it. It didn’t look stupid at all; I couldn’t look away from you.” Ash insisted as a cool autumnal breeze blew through the beer garden.
“Thanks… I guess you now know why I didn’t want to do this. People can be jealous assholes and I knew I’d be seen as a possible threat by other girls. But thanks for trying to make me feel better.” Dee pushed off from the wall and wrapped her arms around Ash to give him a grateful hug.
“Well don’t worry about what strangers think. Those girls can’t even hold a candle to you in our eyes.” Ash could smell the fruity scent of the cocktails and he felt a strange sense of loss when Dee pulled away and commented.
“Come on, let’s head back in. I think Joker is about half a pitcher away from finally joining us on the dance floor.”
~~~
Dee was looking at the timer on her phone while Joker was using her laptop to take a practice theory test. Joker was serious about getting a motorcycle license and Dee was doing what she could to help him.
“Time’s up… Let’s see how you did.” Dee announced as her phone beeped. She stood next to Joker and pressed a button so the test was marked. “Passed the multiple choice, not the hazard perception.”
“This is god damn impossible! Why does there have to be a quiz part? My instructor says I’ve taken to the practical lessons like a natural!” Joker grumbled and folded his arms over his chest in frustration and annoyance.
“Well, it’s important because you need to know what signs mean and have awareness of possible dangers while you are out riding.” Dee chewed on her lip for a moment. “I have an idea, come on!”
About an hour later, the pair were in a rental car that Dee had hired. As they drove around the city, Dee was keeping up a constant commentary about hazards around them in the hopes it would help Joker spot them for himself in time. She took them on all sorts of different routes, like a school around when the kids came out, a busy high street, a dual carriageway and even a short turn on the motorway.
After an afternoon of almost constant speaking, Dee had pretty much lost her voice when they handed back the rental car to the dealership. Joker had found her hoarseness hilarious and was currently filming her with his phone.
“May I remind you that I lost my voice trying to help you pass your hazard perception test?” Dee’s voice broke at least three times in that sentence as she swiped at her friend before she gave up. “I’ll take you out at night at some point when I can speak again.” Joker finished the video and put his phone away.
“Dee, you are the best friend a guy could have. Come on, let’s go to a coffeeshop, my treat, hopefully a hot drink will help your throat.” Joker offered. “If that doesn’t work then we’ll get some ice cream.”
“You are all a constant threat to my waistline.” Dee mock-complained as they set off.
~~~
“What about swimming?” Sakuto suggested helpfully as he poured himself some more tea. They were having an informal afternoon garden party in the grounds of Dark Castle. Sakuto had been visiting Noir to discuss diplomatic things when Dee had turned up, courtesy of her talisman, so Noir suggested they have a tea party together.
“That would involve wearing a swimsuit in front of strangers with two scars on my legs that make me look like a cutter.” Dee answered as she swirled her tea. The two monarchs had noticed that Dee had seemed to be a bit subdued, Noir also observed that she wasn’t touching any of the cakes and seemed to be focusing on the healthier sandwiches.
Noir had called her out on her behaviour and Dee had confessed she’d been worrying about her weight lately and now they were trying to come up with some suggestions for Dee to keep fit. The three of them were still bouncing around ideas when Mad and Ash suddenly arrived.
“We’re here!” Mad declared before looking at the table with a frown. “You started the fun without us!” He said accusingly as the pair of them took a seat with them.
“What are you even doing here, Mad?” Noir asked with a look of complete bewilderment as he waved his cane to summon some more tea.
“Oh, I’ve got an ongoing spell that tells me whenever someone says ‘Let’s have a tea party’ anywhere in Wonderland.” He finally explained and Dee just blinked at him in shock, wondering if he was joking before realising that he probably wasn’t.
“What were you discussing when we arrived? You all looked very serious.” Ash asked as he grabbed one of the fruit muffins.
“Oh, we were trying to come up with ideas for how I can keep my weight down, I’m getting so fat and unfit that it’s unbelievable.” Dee filled him in.
“What the hell?! You’re not fat at all!” Ash’s strong declaration was slightly louder than necessary, surprising everyone else at the table and he felt the need to apologise. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to shout but it’s true, you’re not fat, Dee.”
“None of us think that but if Dee wants to be healthier then I think that’s something we should be supporting her with, rather than just dismissing how she feels out of hand.” Sakuto gently admonished Ash. Ash looked down at his muffin at realising Sakuto was right.
“How about you speak to Bill? He’s always playing sports or working out. He’s also good at encouraging people so he can help keep you motivated too.” Noir suggested, watching as Dee’s face brightened at realising that was a very good idea. “Great, you finally smiled. Now stop staring at those cupcakes and eat one before I force feed it to you.”
~~~
Ash, Bill, Mad, Noir and Joker were helping out in Santorina. All the old damaged buildings had been removed along with the rubble, today they were digging the foundations for another row of new houses. They had just sat down to take a break when Cardia ran up to them.
“Hey! Quick question. What’s Dee’s favourite chocolates?” He asked them. Ash felt himself bristle in annoyance but he pretended to be preoccupied with his lemonade.
“Dark chocolate and sea salt. Why? You guys trying dating again?” Joker answered before asking his own question in response.
“Not exactly. Dee’s taking me to an art gallery and I thought it couldn’t do any harm to bring a gift along too.” Cardia had been disappointed when Dee had called time on their very brief relationship and it was obvious that he was still holding out hope that they could spark it off again.
“Well, you’d best get going then, she hates it when people are late for no good reason, she thinks it’s really rude.” Noir told him as he stretched out his aching muscles, Cardia nodded and thanked them before heading off.
“Idiot.” Ash muttered as Cardia walked away, Bill raised an eyebrow at that.
“Not very often someone gets under your skin, what’s the deal?” Bill asked in interest, the other guys took notice and turned their attention to Ash too.
“He had his chance with Dee and he blew it by not paying enough attention to her, he should just accept that and stop pestering her. Plus, he should find out the answers to his questions by taking the time to talk to Dee instead of cheating by asking us all the while.” Ash grumbled, making Mad give him a quizzical look before a wide and teasing grin spread across his face.
“You almost sound jealous there, Ash, don’t tell me that you have a crush on our darling Dee?” Mad’s voice was full of gentle ribbing but he blinked in shock as Ash blushed instead of reacting to the banter. “What? You actually do like Dee?!”
“Oh, this is brilliant!” Joker was grinning from ear to ear. “You and Cardia could have a duel, warrior versus soldier, I’d pay to watch that!”
“Dee isn’t some sort of prize to be won!” Ash snapped at Joker, not helping his case in the slightest as Noir gave a low whistle.
“Wow, you’re already in deep, I see.” Noir commented before adding. “Well, all I can say to you is make sure it’s real and not just infatuation before you do anything. Last thing she needs is to be messed around anymore.” Ash realised there was no point denying anything to these guys so he didn’t even try.
“Alright, I promise. Just don’t say anything to her. I’ll sort out how I feel and tell her in my own time.” Ash got nods of agreement before Bill placed a sudden hand on his shoulder.
“Just a little warning though, from one friend to another, hurt her and your ass belongs to me and Joker. Not even Mad would be able to save you.” The tone was joking but Ash knew there was an undercurrent of sincerity too as Joker gave him an evil smile.
“Save him? I think you’ll find I’d be joining right in.” Mad added in all seriousness, making Ash gulp in fright.