🐇 || Are you the dreamer or someone else's dream?

Eliza is fighting back the urge to giggle. She’s never seen Jervis like this before. She takes her seat at the table and Eleanore, with no small amount of grace, sits down in the seat offered to her.

Taking up the teapot, Eliza pours some into each of her guests cup. “I got fresh cream just like you asked grandma.” Eleanore smiles, “Thank you sunlight.” She turns back to Jervis, “I’m curious, have you met many of my people?”

   The hatter takes his seat after she’s surely situated, prim posture, a pleasant smile of his elongated teeth, and no elbows on the table. He waits his turn to prepare his tea, and in the mean time, looks to the grandmother at their inquiry.

    ( The more I see pictures and descriptions of how grim gotham is a place to live, I can’t help thinking about how big the contrast is between when Jervis is hallucinating and when he’s at his most aware.

One moment he’s on the sparkling streams of the mushroom forest and next thing he knows he’s somewhere in crime alley next to a rat the size of a large hare and the constant sound of sirens and screams and he’s just

“Yes, I like being near the water. It reminds me of home…” He cocked his head, eyes shifting to swirl with the colours of autumn leaves in interest, as the Hatter spoke. The pollution in Gotham would have bothered him more before he had spent time away from Gaia on struggling planets. Now, while it wasn’t very pleasant, it was more than bearable. The human had a particular way of speaking, almost lyrical, and the dryad couldn’t help but smile as he listened.

“I am well, thank you,” he dipped his head in greeting in the absence of an offered hand. “How are you, Hatter?” If that was the man’s preference, like Thanos preferred ‘Lord’, he was happy to abide by it. He nodded, “Thank you for the concern. I will advise my brothers of such, though I trust them to take good care of me. They’ve done so in many places.” The nature spirit looked at him with concern, “Will you be all right here?” The human looked to be alone, as Willoughby currently was despite the device that kept Zilzy abreast of his condition…  

       “ Oh? Do tell   is your home... under, atop, or beside the water? ” He sincerely asks, miming in three points, tapping some imaginary measurement. Now, one would think he’s asking this because of their odd appearance, but no-- he, in fact, would have asked this no matter who they were. 

“ How am I? ”  Something about the question makes the strangely jovial man titter as he approaches ever closer and leans his entire head on his rabbit cane. “ Fine, fine, finer than tailor’s thread... ” He must admit they seemed... alien. There’s a difference between a mutant and an alien-- mutants still find the Hatter concerningly odd. 

At his greeting Eleanore raises one delicate eyebrow. It’s been many years since she’s been regarded with such reverence from a mortal and it made her think of days gone by.

She turns to her granddaughter, “You were not exaggerating I see.” She turns back to him, “Your manners are most appreciated, Hatter. It’s been far too long since I’ve been approached with the proper reverence that my people expect.”

Eliza looks between them, “Well, should we have tea?” Eleanore strides to the table, ‘We shall.”

    Needless to say her positive response sent the odd man beaming. Her words did wonders to drown out the voice in his head repeatedly begging him not to mess up, if only for a moment.  “ Graciously so, madam-- any amount of time at all is far too long, I won’t allow a moment more! ”  He spiritedly assures, barely concealing his giddiness in refinement. 

@pueritia-aeternam​♟||  ❝ It certainly was a curious sight, a tuff of red curly hair just barely escaping the collar of the Hatter’s long coat while the sleeves were rolled hopelessly high in a feeble attempt to leave their hands free. Lori had always admired the Hatter’s coat. To her it was a wondrous item with tea in its pockets and if one were lucky: sweets. So when the little fae had stumbled across it all alone she of course had to try it on. They simply couldn’t help themselves.  ❞

    Of course, one had to take off their coat eventually, even if not their hat. It left him exposed and without his tags, but was usually done just to roll up his sleeves when working in the lab where the machines could get unbearably warm.

But now he was left coatless-- spinning in circles and tracing his steps to place the vital part of his costume. Though- it soon became clear where lost things seem to go when they disappear around here... 

“Yes-well…partially. My grandmother is fae and my dad is half. So it means I can do stuff like….that.”

She grips his shoulders tightly, “Jervis I’m serious, no one can know; especially here.” Arkham would throw her in a padded room in a heartbeat if they heard her talking about doing magic, best to keep it on the down low.

“ That’s... so... Fascinating! Even a fraction of fairy-hood in your bloodline gives you such a magic touch? Oh, how I’ve always loved to research fairies... ”  He can’t resist the curiosity of both a Wonderlander and a scientist, but as they grip his shoulders he somehow just devolves into a fit of giggles.