Acension city

[Aconitum]

Acon took it and placed the end in her mouth. She exhaled through nose with a satisfied sigh. She hadn't gotten a good hit of tobacco in a while and that felt good.

[Aconitum]

"Where did this come from?"

[Rayleonarde]

Ray shrugged. "I don't claim to know." He looked ahead, and started walking faster, as the forest started to thin.

[Aconitum]

Acon kept a steady pace close behind. "Are we almost there?"

[Rayleonarde]

Ray nodded, and broke out of the forest. He looked around, and his shoulders dropped. Meadows were reduced to ash, burned to the dirt. All the life seemed absent.

[Aconitum]

"Whoa. What the hell happened here?" Acon looked about the opening.

[Rayleonarde]

Ray took the pipe from Acon, set the hookah down, and sat on top of it, looking out at the field. He puffed away. "I think...I've seen this place before...In my dreams." He shook his head. "But not like this...it...there was grass, and flowers...the whole kit, just there. I don't know...maybe at the Nexus, someone'll know what happened."

[Aconitum]

Acon sat on the ground. "This is turning out to be just like Alice in Wonderland." She mused, scooping a bit of ash into her paws.

[Aconitum]

Acon stood and tugged on Ray's jacket collar. "We should get moving."

[Rayleonarde]

Ray stood, and picked up the hookah, keeping the pipe in his mouth. "Yes. We need to get there." He pointed at the tower in the distance. "Shouldn't be more than a few minutes." Ray started off, down the hill, and through the ashen meadow.

[Aconitum]

Acon jogged, struggling a bit to keep up. "If we don't meet the twins soon, I might get a little worried." She huffed, looking around for anyone, any sign of like.

[Rayleonarde]

Ray nodded. "Oh, yes. The twins. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum...I've not seen them around here before." He continued walking, kicking up clouds of ash.

[Aconitum]

Acon wondered who else they might come across. "What about the queen, the cat, the white rabbit- .er in this case, Henry."

[Rayleonarde]

Ray turned around, and walked backwards. "Which queen, hmm? And who's to say I'm not the Cheshire Cat? And what about you?" Ray exhaled, blowing smoke in Acon's direction. "Alice?" He smiled, and turned around.

[Aconitum]

Acon narrowed her eyes at Ray. "You will not turn the tables on me." She yelled, running up and pouncing onto Ray's back, nibbling on his ear as she tried to bring him down.