Alice-Edward Labyrinth OOM

[themidnightson]

Edward has a penchant for being irritably snappish and ruefully quieter given the month.

Which means, when he isn't attempting to hold face he's usually alone in his room or Carlisle's study.

On the rare occasions when he needs quieter companionship, for better or worse come the discussion time (or the sharing of "opinions"), he finds himself in the Freaks Only closet with Alice. Today is one of those days. School that day was maddening and his near constant struggle over Bella had him fed up with thinking before he'd finished the days classes, leading him to snap at his siblings before even getting home.

Edward shifted his hands under his head, fingers plaited in his hair, and continued to study the ceiling beam as though his gaze might burn it. The only sound for the better part of the evening was of Alice's sketching, but Edward hadn't looked at it (except through her eyes). It usually didn't bother him -- today it did. Today everything did.

He had considering a number of semi-reckless things. Watching certain ones dance into and out of her thoughts. While she hadn't commented, it didn't stop her from making faces or glancing at him. He stopped the more outlandish ones after she gave a forced sigh and poked him hard in the shoulder with her pencil.

Now he was thinking about Milliways and whether he should simply escape to there for a few hours. He had been meaning to go explore certain areas there. Perhaps, Emmett would like that.

Edward glanced, peripherally. Or maybe...

Comments

[themidnightson]

Blood infused the air, a completely different scent from the dinosaur to be sure. This was musky and heavy, the heartiness of it's harsh seasonal setting.

He hardly needed a greater invitation.

Teeth sank in, giving way from other thoughts.

It flailed loudly, but not loud enough he couldn't hear the whisper faint scuff when Alice's feet touched the ground or her bell voice as the creature shuddered and went still. He wiped the corner of his mouth with a finger, faint amusement in his tone, "Only if they follow the trail of corpses."

[betagainstme]

"Perhaps Milliways replaces them when one leaves." Alice murmured, watching Edward weaken the creature more. She went at it again, sinking her teeth into the creature's arm.

[themidnightson]

"It is a strange place with all it's own rules."

He left her to the end, sedation in his limbs as he enjoyed the warm elasticity sliding through his body.

"But most of them don't know about this place yet."

[betagainstme]

"I imagine they wouldn't." She murmured, stepping away from the yeti-thing when she was done, breathing in deeply and stretching. This was as close to tired as she would ever get, the hazy feeling of being full.

[themidnightson]

The two had been bigger than most things found in the woods nearest Forks. Which led to an intriguing thoughts about sport in Milliways, aside from Demon Bunnies.

"With good reason," Edward said moving from his knees to his feet without the pause of a second, just a flash. "The minor miracle for those who do find it make it out."

[betagainstme]

She stretched again, running her fingers through her hair. Onward?

[themidnightson]

Edward, with dark eyes lightening slowly and the bruises under his eyes fading along with it, smirked a singularly amused flicker and nodded.

Then paused in midstep.

Somewhere nearby, through the fury of the blizzard they ignored, was the sound of music.

[betagainstme]

She canted her head to the side, listening, her eyebrows drawing together. "Where--"

Alice stepped forward, toward the music.

[themidnightson]

It was the sounds of an oddly picked trio set -- a harp, a piano and a flute -- but the musical pieces, all different in their measure and time, seemed to flow together seemlessly.

Edward frowned absently.

Something about it was maddeningly familiar.

But he couldn't place what.

"Westerly." Toward the darkest, whitest part of this snow storm.

[betagainstme]

Darkest, whitest part.

Great. She glanced up at him when she thought it, shaking her head and grabbing Edward's hand, tugging him toward the sound.

[themidnightson]

Edward's fingers curled into hers. It was an after thought in the music, but he allowed her to lead him toward that slowly creshendoing sound.

The snow kept getting thicker and whiter, walls of it inbetween them and wherever it was coming from. Matting in their hair and clothes.

[betagainstme]

Her clothes were soaked through with the snow and while it didn't hurt her in any way, it sure as hell annoyed her. Her entire outfit, more than ruined.

They trudged through the snow, close together, moving forward before they stopped where the music was loudest.

[themidnightson]

Nothing in the scenery had changed.

There was little to see through the snow in every direction now, but they were walking further and further into the music which only seemed to grow larger and louder without becoming disharmonic.

Eventually in a strange slow change the snow solidified while they walked into pristine white room. It seemed to have edges and boundaries but yet they weren't walls. Only an endless field of white space humming with sound.

[betagainstme]

"I feel like we're in a music box." Alice sighed at the notwalls. She took a hesitant step forward. "We're not...stuck in it?"

[themidnightson]

Edward looked around them at the blankness.

His eyes scanning and coming with exactly what he could see through hers: a whole lot of nothing. And still the music continued to play on around them from every non-direction.

"If we were?"

[betagainstme]

"Then I would be annoyed." Alice said, her hands on her hips. She moved to take a step backwards, back toward Edward, when the ground shook.

It was just a rumbling at first, a vague rippling under their feet. The second shake was harder, and she stumbled back slightly. "Uh..."

[themidnightson]

Edward reached out to catch her shoulder out of surprise.

"That's unpleasant." It's the understatement of the day, in a small snarl.

[betagainstme]

"I want..." Alice bit out as she pitched forward and fell back with the rolling of the ground. "To go home now!"

[themidnightson]

That would be a down side to indestructibility.

Even if humans can't move you without your say so, the floor still can. Especially when it suddenly drops out from under you at the same time as the music's gone silent.

The rushing sound would be the air passing them as the ground gives way, then forms into a shoot, whiteness passing into blackness, faster and faster, down and down and down.

[betagainstme]

Alice pressed her fingers into her eyes as they slid down the shoot, sighing in annoyance. She set her hands out just before hitting the ground.

Sort of. More like the ground was ridiculously soft and absorbent. "Really?!"

[themidnightson]

Edward was on his back.

Or he had been milliseconds ago.

Now he's up, in a low crouch, looking far past pleased, even as the surveyed the carpet of white marshmellows.

Edward stood up eying them incredulously.

The the rest of the innocuous room.

"There's a door."

[betagainstme]

Smushed marshmellows stick to Alice's hair as she stands. The marshmellows begin to move, mourning their squished brothers. Alice makes a vague noise, her face sad as she grabs Edward and tries not to damage more marsh-people.

"Let's get out of this room, please."

[themidnightson]

Only Alice could feel bad for marshmallow people after the last few minutes. Edward rolled his eyes, even with an edge of fondness touching his eyes through the dark annoyed expression.

He moved lightening quick and lifted her, holding her across his arms nonchalantly, and sprang toward the door in one leap. He said with a laugh at her reaction to split decision. "One pair less feet on them."

He'll never admit he said that later. Except to her.

She gets set down at the door. "Ready?"

[betagainstme]

Her hand lingers on his arm in a squeeze of appreciation for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, let's just go--"

Her hand touched the door knob and she gasped, the sudden visions of their family spinning in and out of her (their) mind (minds), and she smiled. "Oh, good."

Alice opened the door, stepped through and grinned wider. Home again. She waited for Edward to step through with her before she closed the door. "Weird, that it's...here. A door straight from the labyrinth?"

The vague futures of others on the other side of the door don't fade out as she continues to stare. Huh.

[themidnightson]

Home.

He wasn't sure if that was comforting or more disturbing. A completely different Milliways door than the back door taking them--

Edward blinked, looking down to Alice's face and then the door. Then he reached out a hand and opened the door again. The inside of the Milliways Bar met them, only to be quickly closed on.

He tried once more. The same thing.



Time hadn't stopped here.

And Milliways was still there now.

And her thoughts didn't show it vanishing.

He looked over at her with raised eyebrows. It was strange, but it was no less strange than the last few hours. Then he shrugged, with a shake of his head, and made a gesture with his hand back toward the house insinuating the things they should do -- like clean themselves up.