Dodging Obligations [Open]

[Heart Queen]

Queen could have envisioned a better day.

With the sky such an ugly gray, puffy black clouds like burnt marshmallows collecting thickly over the twisting red spires of the Heart Castle, it wasn’t exactly the most picturesque of scenes, and honestly, there was something a little lacking in his daily garden-walk; whatever pleasure he could’ve squeezed out of walking through the stone-lined rows of overgrown (red!) roses and briar patches with thorns as long and sharp as any broadsword he’d ever seen had been sucked almost fruitlessly out in the course of the hour or so he‘d been wandering. It hadn’t rained just yet, but three successive days of dismal skies and that oddly permeating smell of pre-rain had lingered around Wonderland for far longer than he would have liked. Of course, the canopy of overgrowth in the garden would protect him should the sky actually act on its threat, but the last thing the Heart Queen wanted to do was to be caught in a storm.

Presently, he was sitting on a small footstool, under the curve of a small tunnel-shaped arrangement of wild bramble shrubs, a saucer and accompanying cup teetering precariously on the incline of his crossed leg. Whatever had been in the teacup was long gone without a trace of its former content but for the noxious green ring lining the inside and the chartreuse-colored vial labeled ABSINTHE in majuscule and curlicues laying corkless and empty at the Queen’s feet. With a slight pout, Queen sighed and wrapped lazy fingers around the crude thorn of a vine behind him, easily twice the width of his palm and much too fat to fit his whole hand around.

It was just about noontime... and by all means, he should have been inside, dealing with hyperventilating card guards and an endless supply of paperwork.

But shirking duty is always fun. And Queen couldn’t find it in him to disagree with himself.

[Cheshire Cat]

Noir didn't much like indoors and neither was he one to enjoy the simple pleasures in life, and be comfortable with it. Perfect for a servant, though, right?

In the garden was the way he speant the majority of his time. Walking around the brables of roses, some as higher than he was, making dead sure there were only red roses and not a single other colored petal than that. He was told that was the queen's favorite color, and it was his duty to please his master's eyes as well as any of his other needs and wants.

Said light haired ruler was sitting in a grove and on a stool, a bottle of some kind of alcohol in-between his legs.
Red Roses stopped a few feet behind him, his shadow most likely giving away his location before his voice did. "My liege." He greeted, bowing his head and easing onto a one leg position- although his eyes flicked to the green substance in worry.

This wasn't unusual. The queen always enjoyed drinking a bottle of champaigne every other day or so...but it's been awhile since the taller man had seen him break open the Absinthe.

So, to the man's most faithful servant it was time to go into hyper worry mode and assume that either something was bothering him or someone was bothering him. He wasn't the type to have such a simple mind, normally, it just caught him by surprise in the beginning is all, but it wasn't his place to question the queen's actions.

He continued to stay silent in the position he was in until he was given permission to stand.

[Heart Queen]

Queen might have opted to relocate his impromptu picnic when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Lifting his gaze with an idle sort of pleased look flashing over his expression, he put his utensils down and allowed Noir to make the customary bow (how he hated that!) before averting his gaze and scoffing.

"Come here. What have you been doing all day?"

Queen knew it wasn't exactly rare for Noir to skulk around in the gardens... but although he was aware that most of the time was spent inspecting the roses, he couldn't resist asking in the hopes that just maybe there would be something other than faultless duty at work. The man never did anything for himself, which irked Queen to the point where he was never sure if he could trust Noir or not.

But he did anyway. Damned if he didn't.

A smile. Procuring another bottle of absinthe and one of chartreuse from the confines of his pocket, he poured them both into his teacup and swished it around until it was suitably malodorous, leaning in for a sip with that same guileless beam spread across his face.

"I need a name," he said offhandedly, in a tone that was probably the least businesslike his voice had been allowed all day. "Nothing I've thought of sounds... right. A name is a very big thing, you know! Do you remember when Alice and the fawn met in the forest outside the Duchess's house? The both of them forgot themselves and their names until they escaped... A name makes you who you are, doesn't it? That's why most of us have forgotten ours, because we are not ourselves anymore." A pause. He knew he was only making faint sense, but he continued anyway. Let Noir make sense of that! "So I want a name. Not 'Queen' or anything like that, I want something only I will know.
"Annnd... and of course, you." He giggled, as though it were completely obvious. "But come here and help me think of a name!"

[Cheshire Cat]

Noir straightened himself and approached the queen, stopping to stand before him. "I've been patrolling...I then came here." He answered.

The second question was so out of the blue and yet so like the queen. "A name...?" He repeated, deciding to give it some thought before blurting out the first thing that came to mind. He was never very good with this sort of thing. "Julian."

He didn't know why he would suggest that name. It just seemed like it would fit the light haired man...but then Julian was a common name, and so he expected the queen would want something more unique. "Or perhaps Albel?"

[Heart Queen]

Queen blinked, tugging Noir to sit down before haphazardly setting his utensils down, climbing onto his shoulders and pulling hard at a strand of hair. Trying to get his servant to give any hint of irk with him was a favorite endeavor -- and he didn't mind entertaining the repurcussions in the least. Agitating Noir's temper was always a good way to pass the time.

"Julian? You like Julian?" As if thinking, his lower lip found its way between his teeth as he sucked lightly on it, arms locked around Noir's neck. "Julian. Hmm. Juuuulian." And, of course, he couldn't help but let it roll off of his tongue, as if testing its syllables.

"No, I like Julian. Very well, I'm Julian now. Don't forget, okay?"

[Cheshire Cat]

The knight's sleeve was tugged as a sign the smaller of the two wanted him to sit. He obeyed and allowed the queen to climb onto his shoulders and tug his hair. He didn't quite understand what the queen got from this, but it wasn't an unusual occurance to mess with his hair or some other part of him in an attempt at getting a reaction.
But queen's efforts were in vain. Noir's face continued to stay placid until his eyes shifted to the teen hooked onto his shoulders. He wasn't easily angered, especially by the one he served. A small smile played on his lips and suppressed an equally barely audiable laugh, by biting his tongue, at the way the queen's face looked when he was in deep thought. Once the royal heir concluded that he was satisfied with the name, Noir slightly nodded his head. "Yes, Julian. I will not forget."

[Heart Queen]

Queen -- now Julian (Nyan~ I have a name!) -- pouted when his attempts to elicit any hint of, well, anything either failed or went unnoticed. With a defeated sigh, the blond released his hold on Noir's hair and tightened his grip a little, staring off into whatever bleak sky he could see through the slits in the canopy above them. The day wasn't a total waste, though, and the heart queen had every intention of making the best of his day of hooky.

"I'm bored. Think of something for us to do, Noir," he said, voice teasing and just a touch lazy as he rested his head against Red's. "I don't want to do paperwork inside all day.
"Hmm... we could go visit the Hatter, but I don't feel like dealing with the Hate... and... nothing else seems suitable..."