Where Is My Mind? // Amelia

The luckiest woman in Wonderland? The question lingered in her mind like a wisp, there and not all at once, but manifested enough to bring a smile to her lips as she tore through her closet for something appropriate to wear. There were so many choices and so little time with the added fuss over what was too much or not enough. She like lace, beauty filled with holes that only made the design all that more intricate but it felt as though the ribbons and frills might have been lacking in the muchness needed for the occasion. Melly had never been to Sweet Dreams, like the casino it had been out of her league. She was too mousy to go on her own and every time she thought about asking one of the boys she wondered if they might not have already gone, though for different reasons than what had been masterminded by her favorite Hatter.

All three were lovely young men, handsome and had that little extra something about them that made her heart swell with fondness. Why other women wouldn’t notice that too was beyond her understanding. Those ladies would have been fortunate to have the chance to be in any of their company. It was strange to imagine what might have gone on inside of the sweet dreams of her friends and though Amelia did try not to think about it, her imagination was too fierce a thing to tame or be told what not to do.

Her room was in disarray but finally Melly felt as though she had just the thing. The fabric was silky smooth and felt light and cool against her skin once she’d slipped into it. Red was a color of desire and what was more fitting than that when venturing into a place meant to make your wildest ones come true? The reflection that she saw in the mirror told her that the color didn’t clash with her hair, which had been sleeked and curled to be presentable for such a highly esteemed establishment. Hatter would surely know best and if his reaction was poor, there were more choices galore.

A knock on the door gave her heart an excited start, a rapid pitter-patter filled with anxiousness. Bare feet padding against the floor to let her friend in, Melly already had a smile ready. However, when she opened the door to see how dapper he looked in his suit, bow tie and of course hat. Her eyes sparkled with approval. ”Most modish my mate!” Amelia didn’t miss a beat as she collected Hatter into a hug in proper greeting. Her excitement was building knowing that with him there it was one step closer to the main event.

”Of course, of course. Come in.” Melly stepped back to allow him entrance. ”I’m almost ready, unless…” She gave a small spin, slowly, so that he might take in her dress with scrutiny. ”Will this do?” The only approval she ever really needed was that of her friends, which might have been redundant because they had a darling way of loving and accepting her for exactly who she was. No one ever seemed to complain that right in the middle of whatever she might fall asleep on them, or that schedules had to be flexible around when she was awake. They had been so patient and kind to her since the day that she had met them. The war had been such an awful thing but it wasn’t all bad. Melly had found, as she so often did, the silver lining in the situation. If not for the war, she might not have ever met them, she might not have ever stepped out of that library to see their world or actually be a part of it.

Notes: Wearing this. That actually is a good idea. I wasn’t sure if she would live with Hatter or not so having her own quaint little place directly next to him is kind of the best of both worlds.

Having his approval meant moons to Melly. It wasn’t something that she imagined Hatter would ever truly know the extent of, or how much he meant to her, but she liked to think it showed in the smaller things. Like, in her smile, and how vibrant it was when directed at him, much more meaning behind the ivory rows than she might flash to any stranger on the street. Her world had been so small before he came into her life. She felt like one of his flowers. When they had met she was nothing more than a bud but over time, under his care and affection, she had really had the chance to blossom. His friendship was her most cherished of possessions. Perhaps not a possession at all because it wasn’t something that she could hold between the palms of her hands, but something beyond, something that burrowed into her heart and seeded there, the roots of which had been slowly traveling through her entire being.

”Many thanks.” Amelia smiled a bit dazedly, his chaste kiss to her temple, like a sunbeam, warming the spot that his lips had touched and seeped beneath her skin. More praise of her appearance brought the lightest of pinks to glow on her cheeks, and more warmth. ”A fretter doesn’t stop fretting.” That was insinuating that she was such a person. To a degree she might have been. Her fainting spells probably should have made her darn right neurotic but Melly had come to terms with such things a long time ago and decided that whatever would be would be. At times that meant falling in odd places and waking up there too, but she had been safe so far, for what it was, as safe as one could be in Wonderland, with this unfortunate regime in place.

Speaking of butterflies, the kiss to the hands made dozens flutter inside of her stomach, breathing in a hitched breath as another smile parted her lips. Twice in such a short time, it was a very promising evening already. Amelia took Hatter’s guidance to twirl for him again, loving the way her dress danced around her ankles with the wisps of wind from her rapid movement. ”It’s okay. I like flowers left to grow best of all.” A live flower was more precious to her than one that had been plucked, their life cycle shortened, which she supposed there was some profundity to that.
Amelia headed further into her home, assuming that Hatter would follow her in. She just needed to slip into the heels that she had decided to pair with her dress. It didn’t even bother her that he would be seeing the mess made in trying to find just the right fit. ”You know, I never thought about a favorite before.” She pondered for several quiet seconds tilting her head one way, then the other. ”How is one to pick just one of so many?” It seemed a shame to limit herself to just one. ”I do like Snap Dragons though.” It was the first one that came to mind. Melly stopped where she left her heels and stepped into one easily. When it came to the other though she found herself hopping to some small degree to get it on and eventually making her way to Hatter, a hand resting on his bicep to steady herself, ”AHA!” She cried victoriously. ”I’m ready now.” Amelia slipped her arm through his, grinning from ear to ear up at him.