alice asked the cheshire cat, who was sitting in a tree, “what road do I take?”
the cat asked, “where do you want to go?”
“I don’t know,” alice answered.
“then,” said the cat, “it really doesn’t matter, does it?”
“Enchanté, my dear… and what brings you to seek the shadows?”
From his perch in the trees, Facilier leant forward on his branch, not yet moving to the ground but instead content to linger in the shadows above before revealing himself entirely, preferring the way the shadows masked his features. He was nothing but an advocate for the theatricality of it after all. He had taken his time in learning the art, and encouraging others to whisper of The Shadow Man to only add more mystery and thus power behind his name. It was all part of the show that made it possible to take the opportunity to strike a deal with one unfamiliar with his duplicitous nature or to find himself some entertainment on the island.
Locating Facilier in Neverland was like following a trail of smoke through the trees---but not nearly so tangible. Cheshire turned their face to the breeze, picking up the not-a-scent. It was nestled beneath the stirring of leaves, a twitching of shadows, the distant echo full of menace and daring and unknown. You wouldn’t realize what you were walking towards until it was too late---unless you had something of Cheshire’s experience.
The sad-looking being on the ground, cowed in supplication, was clearly operating on some misguided sense that Facilier would help them. It was incredibly precious. Chesire watched with unconcealed amusement some distance away in a treetop of their own. When the transaction seemed to be finished and the guest departed, they leapt lightly to a branch nearby. They assumed Facilier had known they were there for quite some time---they’d be worried if he hadn’t noticed them, and maybe (frankly) a little bit hurt. “Oh, how I’ve missed watching you work---elegant as always, with just a tasteful hint of viciousness,” they purred, leaning against the trunk of the tree with arms folded casually. “What do they bring to barter with, these days? It’s been a long time since I’ve witnessed it.”
Aldonza’s eyes were drawn upwards to the top branches of the trees as a voice called down to her. She watched as the stranger swung down and landed perfectly on their feet, it was still a strange sight for her see but Aldonza was coming to realize that Neverland always has more too offer than what meets the eye. “This isn’t the island that I would have chosen to stop at. There are other places, I’d rather be” she confirmed. “Though, I suppose it has its advantages,” treaties between the crews, an abundance of resources, and magical creatures were just some of the positives.
“Places you’d rather be...” They mulled this over very briefly, stepping closer, eyes brightening with interest. They had places they’d rather be too, arguably, but needs must. “You are searching for other merits? I can tell you that oftentimes if you seek something on this particular island, and it doesn’t appear to be in front of your nose, you can often discover it by looking behind you... or even beneath...” They tracked a slow half-circle around the young woman. “Have you checked below the surface, yet? Or,” they added thoughtfully, “Asked a friend? I have a few friends here who could keep you well occupied.”
Arista hummed to herself as she laid out on the beach, enjoying the sensation of the sun on her skin. It was something that was still so new to the mermaid, even after roughly six months of being able to enjoy it. She had decided quite a while ago that she was never going back to Atlantica or her family. Neverland was far more fun with more interesting individuals. Such as the one whose gaze she could feel on her and had taken notice of quite a bit ago.
“Are you just going to stay off to the side or are you going to say hello? I believe it’s quite rude to just stare like that.” she cooed towards the other, stretching her pelvis up towards the sun with a suggestive twinkle in her fiery eyes.
Merfolk and their ways had always interested Cheshire. They found it peculiar how one could seem so inviting, and then with the dropping of the moon become something entirely different. It appealed to them. This one, however, they did not recognize. They wondered if it was a younger creature, or maybe one of those that had migrated from elsewhere while Cheshire had been away.
“I don’t particularly like getting my whiskers wet,” the Cat purred. They hadn’t bothered using magic to adopt their feline form, but that was only a matter of appearances---not hardly the truth of the matter. “You are too close to the waves for my comfort, little one. I only brave the sea with a ship beneath me, when I have the choice.”
tink lay back on the beach, her body stretched out on the sand. the fairy could feel something brewing in the air, but she knew in her heart that she should take advantage of the stillness while she could. sighing softly, she turned her head when she felt a shadow cast over her, “you’re in my sun, love.” she cooed as she opened her eyes, flashing the other a smile as she bat her lashes up at the other, “however, I believe you know that and I don’t really think you care much.” tinkerbell hummed as she slowly sat up, stretching her arms above her head, “so, what is it? you may have all day, but my patience is finite.” the fairy purred as she slowly stood to face the other, wondering if their presence would involve something more than just speaking, she wouldn’t be opposed to a fight.
It had been some time---some indefinable, unknown length of time that Cheshire didn’t bother paying much attention to---since they’d seen the little tinker. They felt their heart swell. There were many aspects of returning home that they despised, but Tink wasn’t among that list. And nothing would be so appreciated by their old friend as a good deception. Upon spotting the fairy sunning herself on the beach, Cheshire used up what little magic they had in reserve to cast a swift illusion---approaching drenched in shadows, flickering and insubstantial. They didn’t bother restraining their grin when Tink complained of them blocking the sun, and put on a most menacing tone, from within the curling darkness. “You’ve been SUMMONED... to appear before HER ROYAL MAJESTY,” Cheshire intoned solemnly. “You are to show yourself before the entire court, and admit all your crimes, PAST AND PRESENT---” They could feel the magic fading, and also their composure degrading with each passing second, their voice chiming through more clearly amused. “And I do believe the PENALTY is a firm but unsatisfying SPANKING,” they announced, appearing from the darkness with their trademark wide smile. “How do you plead?”
Aldonza hadn’t made up her mind about whether or not she liked Neverland, it was an undeniably a beautiful island but the prospects for new recruits seemed rather low. Maybe one or two of the native islanders would join, but for now that seemed unlikely. She was growing impatient, there were other men and women that needed the help of the crew of the Damned Spot, people like her, girls who were thrown into the lion’s den of life with little to no hope of actually surviving.
“I can’t wait to get off this damn island!” she called out in frustration as she smacked yet another bug that bit her.
Cheshire eyed the woman on the beach from their perch high in the trees. They weren’t using magic at the moment, but it wasn’t unusual for someone not to notice they were about even without it. Swinging down to land light-footed on a branch closer, they heard the complaint and snickered.
“You only just landed, did you not?” But their smile was a little warmer than usual. “I can understand the sentiment, however.” Even still, they stayed carefully out of reach. This was a crew they weren’t terribly familiar with, from the faces they’d seen.
It was early in the morning and Smee’s overnight shift of watching the shift was just about to expire. He wouldn’t lie, he was exhausted and more than ready to take a couple hour rest before it was time to get up again and patrol the ship once again. To wake himself up, Smee stood up and stretched his back. Once he was done stretching, Smee looked over into the corner of the ship and saw someone standing over there. He couldn’t tell what they were doing or even who they were from where he was standing so he decided to walk over to them. “What are you doing?” He asked them before resting his hands on his hips. “Behaving, I hope.”
Cheshire had come out to investigate the Jolly Roger out of sheer curiousity, to see how it had changed. They’d sailed back to Neverland on another ship this time, but they did enjoy some of the people on board this one. It had been a long time since they’d come home... Years, certainly, although the precise number was hazy. Already they were beginning to feel their strength returning, and their mind growing clearer. They didn’t startle to hear Smee approach, but blinked at the boatswain owlishly from where they stood in the shadows, before a slow grin crept over their features. “Behaving?” They considered it. “Yes, I am, I think, I’m behaving... some sort of way.” Neither good nor bad behaviour had been specified, but certainly they existed and therefore, behaved. “Are you?”
✩•*˚『 dichen lachman ✩ non-binary ✩ they/she/he 』 ҉ have you seen [ SHIRE ] ? it seems as if they’re a [ fairy ] on the island. [ CHESHIRE CAT ] appears to be [ 35 ], but looks can be deceiving because they’re actually [ around 7,200 ]. the winds tell us that they’re allied with [ NO ONE ]. there are rumors that they’re [ MISCHIEVOUS ], but they can be [ BAFFLING ]. when asked what they want out of being on the island they say [ TO LIVE FREELY AND RESIST MAB’S RULES ]. we hope they don’t cause too much trouble.˚*•✩
summary: cheshire is a noble fairy who is old as dirt (not quite, but close) and they really, really dislike mab's feudal system and general ruling of the fae. a true agent of chaos, cheshire spends a lot of time away from neverland and trades use of their weather magic to sea captains when they need a ride to or from the island. their favourite tricks are casting illusions and memory manipulation (which is considered old magic), and appearing as a large striped cat.
Names: Shire ( Their original fairy name. Only very old fairies or very close friends would know this. ), Cheshire Cat ( a persona formed later when they were exploring outside of Neverland ). Often referred to as simply Cheshire or Cat.
Gender/Pronouns: Genderfluid. Cheshire uses mostly them/they but also she/her or he/him whenever it feels appropriate, internally. Sometimes they will use a specific pronoun for a decade, other times for an hour.
Sexuality: Aromantic pansexual. They have taken sexual partners of many genders in the past, but they’re uninterested in any kind of long-term romantic relationships.
- History -
Cheshire came into being in Neverland as a noble fairy, with purple-blue wings and an affinity for Air magics. But more than that, they remember the time before Mab’s rule, before the restrictions that the Queen has laid upon her fairies and their magic.
As such, Cheshire is skilled at an older, wilder sort of magic. They’re notably skilled with memory manipulation, as well as weather magic and illusions. At times if they wish to they will appear as a large striped cat, and they’ve managed to stay out of harm’s way.
In the old days, when magic was in abundance, Cheshire was wild and free, and would do whatever they pleased. Their favourite trick was to disappear either through illusions or by simply making whoever was around forget what they’d spoken to Cheshire about---sometimes all that a person would remember was an unnerving smile, and they couldn’t recall anything else about the interaction.
However, as knowledgeable as they are, they are also weakened by their frequent and lengthy trips outside of Neverland---because the fairies, the land, and magic are all very much tied up with one another. Though Cheshire has the potential to be one of the strongest fairies, it’s come more from age rather than being well known or having much clout, and they don’t usually have the ability to do much more than what is (by fairy standards) parlor tricks.
They also adored ships and sailing, and it wasn’t too long before they began regularly making the journey to and from Neverland, in exchange for a little careful weather manipulation to the pirates. To this day, there are tales of lucky cats aboard ships who can grant good weather and good fortune.
They need to return to Neverland periodically to rekindle their magic and keep from fading away, and are sustained mostly by the belief of a few close allies.
Cheshire was always an outsider amoung the fairy nobles, especially later in their life. This is where they honed their sharp tongue and unsettling smile, as a defense mechanism. Eventually they grew tired Mab’s growing influence in the courts, and sought to escape before Mab took over and began stifling (to Cheshire’s mind) the fairy culture. Nowadays they would be considered firmly an enemy of Mab, and are highly disdainful of anyone who bends the knee to the Queen.
They’re not so much dangerous as extremely unpredictable. And quite possibly a little bit mad, but who isn’t. <3
