A Hatter's Grievance (Mario The Music Box Arc - Wonderland)

7. Lies

The Hatter stares blankly at his knees. His eyes almost look lost and devoid of any soul and life. He clenches his abdomen, even though he can't feel any pain.

Mario cannot say a word either. What the Hatter told him seems...so out of reality. Even with all the strange happenings, this in particular is very odd. It only worsens Mario's concern for his brother's look-a-like. His mental state seems to be deteriorating every time he speaks. Is this what loneliness does to the people of this world? No, this is even before the Hatter lost his friend. There has to be some other explanation for why the Hatter's mind is so devoid of any sense. Could he have some kind of mental disorder that causes his brain to be so scattered? Has being alone all this time made him worse? How long has the Hatter been this way? How much worse has he gotten since the disappearance of his friend? What is the extent of his condition?

Mario's probably just as confused as the Hatter, who is still staring blankly downwards. His breathing isn't even existent. It sounds as if he isn't breathing at all, yet Mario can see his chest rising up and down slowly. Is he spacing out again?

"Hatter? Hatter," Mario speaks up, waving his hand in front of the Hatter's face. It doesn't get a single reaction out of him. He tries tapping his shoulder, but that too doesn't work. "Hatter? Hatter! Hey, snap out of it. Hatter!"

Just then, the Hatter's pocket watch chimes once more, making Mario jump and move away in fright. As it chimes, all life in the Hatter's eyes restores itself and he delightfully peers at his watch.

"Ah! 6pm! Tea time! Tea time!" The Hatter celebrates as he reaches for his tea pot and pours more of the tea into his half-empty cup.

"What? But-huh? Why would it-?" Mario stutters in confusion, baffled to how the watch can chime 6 once again. Could it be broken? Well, at least it was enough to snap the Hatter out of his trance.

"Alright, so, uh, where were we? Ah, yes! I was just telling you about the game of hide-and-seek in the woods, correct?" The Hatter asks, pouring some of the tea into Mario's cup also, even if it is almost overflowing.

"Um, yeah. Although, it seemed very...uh...what's the word? Unusual?" Mario says, trying his best to not trigger the Hatter into another trance.

"Oh yes, it was a strange day indeed. But successful regardless. I had managed to find you despite those strange setbacks," The Hatter claims proudly.

"I don't know, Hatter. It sounds more like the March Hare found you. For entirely different reasons. I mean, you were badly injured because of your scissors, which...is a whole lot more concerning to me than anything," Mario states, looking down at the Hatter's abdomen with a worried expression, hoping that those scissors aren't currently on the Hatter's person.

"Hm? What do you mean? You don't have anything to be concerned about. It was just a simple game of hide and seek that I ended up winning. What? Are you still a sore loser after all this time, March? Are you still salty that I won?" The Hatter asks smugly, seeming so nonchalant about the events he had described.

"No, Hatter, I'm talking about you unconsciously injuring yourself with your scissors. You know that's not normal, right? I mean, you...you stabbed yourself," Mario exclaims with worry, the Hatter still maintaining a clueless expression.

"Oh, well I suppose I did. I must have been so excited to win the game that it slipped my mind. I was just having so much fun with you that I didn't care about anything else happening. That's why I was so desperate to find you, you see? My mind wanders elsewhere if I'm away from you for too long," The Hatter explains.

"Does...does that always happen? You hurting yourself, I mean? That's the only time it's ever happened, right?" Mario asks worriedly, hoping for the Hatter to respond with a positive answer.