Who: Cath and Morpheus What: Chatting about Wonderland When: Late April Where:Sally’s Warning: Low Status: Completed via Gdoc
By nature, Morpheus was a solitary being. Outside of a select group of individuals, Morpheus rarely interacted with anyone else. He was perfectly content to spend every waking moment by Alyssa’s side, in all kinds of compromising positions, but he knew his Red Queen wanted him to make friends. Expand his horizons so to speak. Meeting Cath for tea and a chat about Wonderland was Morpheus’s attempt at expanding these particular horizons. If something came of it, he’d consider it a success, but if nothing did? Well, he wasn’t going to be disappointed.
With the help of his device, Morpheus was able to easily locate Sally’s. As was customary for Morpheus, he always wore a hat, moths strung around the brim, and a pair of pants and dress shirt. A fashionable jacket was thrown over his shoulders, made specifically to accommodate his wings. His appearance, along with his fashion sense, certainly drew a few stares as he made his way to the counter.
“Hello, luv,” Morpheus greeted. “I have myself a date with Cath. Any chance you know when she’ll be free?”
The young woman behind the counter had blonde hair and a pretty smile. She was one of the Asgardians who stayed behind when so many went up to the Statesman in orbit around the planet. The nametag pinned to her apron read, “Angela.” Sally’s employed multiverse refugees, Asgardians, and humans from this Earth alike. Cath made sure to give everyone here equal opportunities.
Anyway, the young woman broke into a bright smile and nodded. “She should be out in just a few minutes. Can I get you anything while you wait?”
Morpheus grinned at the pretty blond and leaned on the counter. “How about a spot of tea? I imagine you have all kinds here.” He knew from his previous bouts in the human realm that they enjoyed their variety. No doubt the young woman could provide him with a long list of tea flavors in which he could indulge in.
Being the curious sort, Morpheus was always up for trying new things regardless of where such a sense of adventure could land him.
Oh, yes. The young woman pulled out a laminated list with the names and descriptions of at least a dozen different teas, arranged by caffeine level. She explained how the strongest, black teas had the most caffeine, and then the greens, and whites and oolongs, and then the herbal teas which were actually herbal infusions and didn’t have actual tea in them.
By the time she got to the bottom of the list, Cath came wandering out of the back room holding a tray of pastries. She gave them a warm smile and moved to the pastry case to move the treats from the tray into the display.
“So, what would you like?” Angela asked, holding him the list. “Oh, and here’s Cath.”
Cath turned at the sound of her name, donning a curious expression.
Now that was quite the variety. Before Morpheus could answer, a familiar young woman appeared from the back room with a tray of pastries. Even before Angela said she was Cath, Morpheus knew who she was. He recognized her face from her picture on the network.
“I know who she is, love. Recognize that face from the network. How about you get me one of the green teas? Any one you favor the most,” he replied, flashing Angela another charming smile before he trained his dark eyes on Cath.
“Hello, Cath. It’s a pleasure to meet you in person.” Taking his hat from his head, Morpheus offered the young woman a small bow. “I’m Morpheus.” He straightened and placed the hat back upon his head. “We spoke on the network when I first arrived. You sent me quite the delicious meal.”
Angela turned to pour him the tea--boiling water over the teabag in a white, ceramic mug. She went about her business passing the customer off to her boss.
Cath was a little unnerved by the fact that he never took his eyes off of her. She met that gaze unflinchingly, something in her spine straightening a little. “Ah, Morpheus,” she said, cocking her head to the side just a little. “The pleasure’s all mine.” She closed the pastry case and stood up to her full height, breaking into a smile.
“I’m so glad that you enjoyed it,” she added. “I hear that you and I have a world in common.”
As the young woman finished preparing his tea, Morpheus briefly shifted his gaze back to her. “Thanks, luv. You’ve been most helpful.” He flashed her another dazzling smile before training his eyes back on Cath.
Morpheus’s presence could be unnerving to those who did not know him well. He radiated confidence and charisma, but he was still a Netherling. A product of Wonderland and some would argue, Wonderland itself. He was clever, but also mad. Some would say you couldn’t have one without the other.
“That we do. Shall we compare notes?” The Netherling plucked his tea from the counter, careful not to spill a single drop, and nodded towards the seating area.
“Lead the way, luv. It’s your place. I’m just a guest.”
Cath gave her employee a warm smile, then turned to Morpheus once more. The young woman turned to the next customer to help them, leaving Cath and Morpheus to talk.
“We should,” Cath agreed. She dusted her hands on her apron, then came around the counter to lead the way to a booth nearby. The cafe had a bit of a 1950’s feel, with a checkerboard floor and shiny chrome embellishments. While it had a super clean feel, it also felt comfortable and homey.
She slipped into the booth opposite him.
“Tell me about your world. I’ve been told there’s a version of me out there. Perhaps it’s one from your world.”
Morpheus followed Cath to the booth and took a seat. He set his tea down and folded his hands on the table. “Well, I’m not entirely sure where to begin, luv. My version of Wonderland is the one that Carroll based his story off of in my universe. In your universe, it could be very different.” Morpheus’s Wonderland was a different Wonderland. It was darker. More dangerous.
“My Wonderland is a darker Wonderland. For one, our flowers tend to eat people. Well, they have to be small for them to actually digest, but they are quite carnivorous.” Morpheus took a sip of tea and nodded.
“That is delightful. Quite the brew.”
Cath folded her own hands in her lap as she settled at the table across from him. Her posture was a bit stuffy, but quite strong. She kept her chin held high. For some reason, sitting across from this man made her feel like a queen again. It’d been a while since she’d had that strong feeling--especially living in New Asgard, where there were two kings already.
“I had never heard of Lewis Carroll until I arrived to this world. When I mentioned being the queen of Hearts, that was the first thing that came to mind for most people.” She said. “I’d never heard the term Wonderland before.” It wasn’t what they called the place where she lived, though that could be a fair name for it compared to this world.
But carnivorous plants? That was very different. Cath couldn’t hide the surprise from her face. “Thank you,” she said, regarding the tea. Then she leaned in a little. “The plants… eat people?”
A smirk slowly formed on Morpheus’s lips. “Ah. So you are a Queen, luv. If you do not mind me asking, how did you happen upon your throne?” The Queen of Hearts from Morpheus’s Wonderland was cruel and an advocate of blood and violence. Morpheus didn’t mind the latter either. However, he knew everything had a place and a time. The Queen of Hearts indulged in it because she could and because that was what Any Elsewhere did to a person. It gifted them with a lust for violence that might not have resided there before.
As she leaned in and asked if the plants truly ate people, Morpheus chuckled. “They do,” he replied. “Of course, as I said, you have to be tiny to be considered prey.”
Cath shifted in her seat. The story was long, and there was blood and violence involved. And a lot of pain. Though, Jest was here and they were married, so perhaps this was the happy ending she never thought she deserved.
“I was going to flee Hearts with Jest, but I was drawn back because a former friend was in trouble. Jest ended up losing his life, so I took up the King on his offer of marriage. Mostly so I could trade away my heart for revenge on the man who killed my love.” Wow, that just spilled out of her. Perhaps now that the story had ended, it was easier to talk about.
“Well,” she sat back in her chair again. “I think I should be happy to not be small enough to be consumed by a flower.”
What love story was not marked by blood and violence? Even Alyssa’s and Morpheus’s story was hardly squeaky clean. It contained pain, blood, and violence. Morpheus believed such things, while terrible, truly made a love stronger. Tougher. And far more valuable.
“I can’t say my love story is any more pretty.” Morpheus took another sip of tea and then settled back in his seat. “And violence and Wonderland do tend to go hand-in-hand in my world. Still, I’m sorry, luv.” Revenge was never a nice business and it rarely ended well.
A smile curled on his lips. “I doubt you’ll have to worry. I don’t foresee those particular plants popping up here anytime soon or the means in which you’d end up their prey.”
“I daresay many are,” Cath responded. Even if they didn’t have blood and violence, many love stories didn’t have the easiest time from start to finish. Still, it sounded like theirs were darker than most.
“Thank you,” she added, giving a gentle nod of her head. “It had a happy ending, though. Sounds like yours did, too. At least, at this point.” Hopefully it’d stay that way.
“Good. Though, I fear that our conversation here may cause it to be. Stranger things in this place have happened.” She leaned back in her seat.
“So, tell me about your Wonderland and your place in it.”
“Where would be the fun if it was all happily ever after right away?” Morpheus understood all too well the work that went into ‘happily ever after.’ If such a thing truly existed. He’d waited for years for Alyssa to finally be his and before that, his love for her had nearly contributed to her death. It wasn’t pretty.
Morpheus smiled. “Pleased to hear it, luv. And yes, eventually I did get my happy ending.” Coming here was certainly not part of it, but seeing as he still got his girl in the end, he didn’t much care where they ended up. While Morpheus wasn’t a fan of that particular aspect of Wonderland, he wasn’t ever opposed to a little chaos. “They are certainly not my favorite part of Wonderland, but I’m always up for a little chaos.”
He took a sip from his tea, using the moment to figure out how to answer the question. “Well, I am what the original story referred to as the “Caterpillar.” And I was just that when Alice originally met me,” he explained, setting down his tea cup. “I was originally Footman, protector of the Red Queen, but now I am the king. Of course, in my version of Wonderland, it is the queens that hold the power. They are the only ones capable of ruling Wonderland.”
“Hmm. Good question.” Cath probably wouldn’t have minded going straight to happily ever after. As it was, she went through great pains to get to where she was now. Lost love, lost friends, lost innocence… lost heart. Wouldn’t things all be easier if she didn’t have to lose so much to get to where she was now?
“I am quite pleased that you got your happy ending,” Cath added. “Seems we both did. This place is certainly good for giving people what they want. Also, taking it away.”
Angela came wandering over with a mug of tea for Cath. She set it down in front of the queen at her table, then went about her business again. Cath glanced up at the blonde and gave her a warm smile and gentle, “thank you,” before turning her attention back to Morpheus.
“The Caterpillar?” She asked, quite intrigued and excited now. “Well, now. That is different. Where I come from the Caterpillar owned a shoe shop. It is the location I was hoping to use to open my bakery. Though, the Duke of Tuskany was not keen to rent it to me without permission from my father. And my father was not going to let me use my dowry to start up the business.”
She paused. “My apologies. Please go on.”
“It is indeed.” It would certainly be no fun at all. Then again, such ‘fun’ had nearly cost him Alyssa. Cost him Wonderland. He enjoyed risk. Thrived on the possibility of danger. However, if he had a chance to skip the dramatics and go straight to the altar with Alyssa, would he? He knew the answer the instant the question crossed his mind. No. Their love was built on hardship, on challenge, and on pain. It made them stronger as individuals and as a couple now. As terrible as those moments were, he would not trade them because they gifted him with the kind of love he always wanted.
Morpheus nodded. “So I’ve noticed.” He wasn’t keen on the ‘taking away’ aspect. Those red portals, while fascinating, also threatened to separate Alyssa and him. After suffering through years of separation, Morpheus was not keen on facing it again. Not if he could help it. The caterpillar offered Angela a gracious smile when she appeared with tea for Cath. Then his attention shifted back to the Queen across from him and their conversation.
“I am.” As she described the Caterpillar from her world, Morpheus was intrigued as well. Perhaps it fits in a way? After all, he was always partial to fashion though he did put more emphasis on his hat. She quickly apologized for interrupting him and Morpheus waved it off with a shake of his head.
“No need, luv. I am just as curious about your world as you are of mine,” he assured her. “Honestly, I can see a resemblance between myself and your Caterpillar. We both like our footwear. I tend to favor my hat, but I’m all for a sharp pair of shoes to complete an ensemble. “
Cath was very much not excited about the prospect of things being taken away. Now that she had Jest back in her life, she did not want to let him go. Though, she wasn’t going to give up her bakery here, either. Other things this place gave her that she wasn’t able to have back in Hearts.
At the mention of hats, Cath perked up. She couldn’t help but think about Hatta and his millinery. The Macaron hat he’d made for her. Maybe there were things that crossed over between their worlds, but she didn’t think Morpheus had anything to do with Hatta.
“It is good to know that you’re up on your fashions,” she said, smirking softly. “Transitioning here from Hearts was a bit of a change. I had never worn jeans before. Or… other things.” Bras, for instance.
Truthfully, Morpheus tended to make his own fashion statement. Sure, he was adaptable, but at the end of the day, he would always prefer his own style to that of any current trend. The only time he’d ever changed these norms was when he’d masqueraded as a human for a time in the human realm.
“I tend to make my own sense of style regardless of where I end up,” Morpheus admitted. “I was never one to follow in another’s steps.” Unless it was Alyssa and even then it had nothing to do with fashion, but more so loyalty.
Morpheus took a sip from his tea. “So, should you enlighten me more on the culture of your world and I trade a few more secrets of mine. I’d be curious if the food is similar.”
Cath understood that. She made her own fashion, too--at least, here she could be more herself than she was ever able to be back in Hearts. The corsets and her mother’s interference made sure of that. Ever since arriving here, though, she’d developed her own sense of style. It was freeing to be able to wear whatever she wanted.
“I like that idea,” Cath said, breaking into a warm smile. “Let me tell you about Rock Turtle Cove.”