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The sand wolf rampaged forward, bounding on its powerful legs and leaping towards Bellatrix, who likewise, despite the apparent size disadvantage, charged right for the wolf. The two collided, and the beast was thrown back by the force of Bellatrix's charge, landing on its side on the ground with a crunch that signified the collision had broken a few bones in its body. Nevertheless, it struggled back to its feet, but by this time the Red Knight had already made her way to the beast. As it raised its head, still gathering its wits and recovering from the pain of the attack, Bellatrix looped her gauntlet-clad hands around its neck, turning the beast around so that she had it in a chokehold against which it fruitlessly struggled. Then, as if it were nothing more than a minor pest--as indeed it was--she snapped upwards with one of her arms. The sound of the wolf's neck breaking echoed around the wasteland, before it returned to the deathly silence that had reigned previously.
Bellatrix allowed the corpse to fall from her arms, and turned back to the Knights--who had watched in silence for the few seconds it had taken for the Red Knight to kill her quarry. Most of the other Knights were currently elsewhere in their own Hunts; the seven gathered here were the only ones typically allowed to accompany Bellatrix herself when she went Hunting. This Hunt, however, had been particularly uneventful. Most of the beasts they had encountered had been disposed of by any one of the Knights just as quickly as Bellatrix had disposed of this one wolf. It almost made her wish she had never left the Castle to embark on such a boring Hunt.
Hmmmm... A thought struck her as she and the rest of the Knights returned to their mounts. Perhaps I will go to see about these 'new Alices'. They may prove, if anything, some slight entertainment.
She turned back as one of the Knights rode up to her beast--the one known as Antares, a Knight who acted in a way as Bellatrix's second-in-command, taking lead whenever she felt no desire to do so. His armour was adorned with more trophies than any of the other Knights--he wore a skull on each of his shoulders, and one on the faceplate of his helmet; each was recognised by the Knights to have belonged to one of the deadliest creatures that wandered the Badlands, one of the few the Red Knights actually considered a challenge. Bearing the skulls of three marked Antares as far more formidable than his comrades.
"Go back to the Castle," she murmured to him, five words spoken in an almost surprisingly soft, quiet voice--five words that was a good deal more than most could claim to have heard from her. Antares nodded, knowing better than to question anything the Red Knight said, and turned to the other Knights. "Ride for the Castle! Now!" he barked at them in a harsh voice. The Knights obeyed the command similarly without question--it was not Antares' business nor any of the Knights if Bellatrix ordered them to return to the Castle without her. If she chose not to tell them where she intended to go alone, they simply did not need to know.
As the knights began to gallop back towards the fortress at the heart of the Badlands, the Red Knight herself spurred her beast of burden onwards towards the border of the Borderlands, headed in the direction of the one person she knew would most likely know something of the new visitors.
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At the very top of the castle, the roof had disappeared a long time ago. It was usually used as a sort of throne room - mostly because of the large and uncomfortable chair in the end of it, and the large model of the maze's current appearance that stood in the middle of the room. Today, Elysium had his creatures carry in a small bed, on which the woman that Miranda had dumped in his maze had been lain down.
"How long does it usually take for them to heal?" he asked, looking at the human with impatience in his eyes.
"From a day to several weeks depending on the damage, master," a creature screeched, curling up beside Elysium, as he was placed cross-legged on the floor.
"That long?" he asked loudly, "but she must be well before she is set in the maze - the rules clearly states that she does."
"Yes, master," the creature hesitated. "Perhaps you can inquire whether the other Alice's have the magic needed to help?"
"I doubt that," Elyisum pouted. "All they've got in mind is carnage and tea."
"Then perhaps she should just be killed, master. After all, the rumour of new Alice's entering our lands each day is a strong one. No doubt your maze will have guests in no time."
"Against the rules," he hissed. "No. She shan't be killed. She will stay here until she is well, no matter how long it takes. And I shall be informed once she recovers, so that she can be put in the maze according to plan," he stood, walking towards the stairs leading down to the lower floors.
Lyra's mother was left in the hands of the creature - a scaled and lizard like personage, the size of a cat. It climbed up and settled down on the edge of the bed, looking at their patient with boredom. The rules had to be followed.
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"If, hypothetically, the circumstances were different, I wouldn't even listen to you, but with matters the way they currently are, I feel I may have to." Lexi murmured, half to herself and half to the people around her. It's been 4.83, or so, seconds since the last noise, and that was me speaking she thought to herself. She checked her watch, which was around her neck. 7.91 seconds. This is irrational. I shouldn't trust anyone here. 11.55 seconds. I need to think this one though carefully.
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He literally jumped in his chair when the hatch opened and an unknown voice said behind him;
"If, hypothetically, the circumstances were different, I wouldn't even listen to you, but with matters the way they currently are, I feel I may have to.
Turning around, he made sure that the frying pan and (regrettably) Lyra's knife was close at hand in case they were needed. Only then did the newcomer's words seem to sink in. Another good Alice, then, he guessed. He stood from his chair and continued to brush his shirt absently as he looked at the three new people in his apartment. Only this morning he had wondered if a savior had been headed this way, now it seemed three new hopes had arrived.
"Y'all like tea?" he wondered with a slight sigh. "We'll need to discuss this if we wanna live."
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"If, hypothetically, the circumstances were different, I wouldn't even listen to you, but with matters the way they currently are, I feel I may have to."
His eyes snapped open and he saw this new person speaking to the frying pan man. He staggered out past this new, as of yet unidentified woman, letting his breath go and gulping in air. His hands shot to his head and he brushed at his hair with an almost manic speed, continuing to do so long after all the dirt had been dislodged. His eyes darted around the cave and then landed on the frying pan man as he spoke with a sigh.
"Y'all like tea? We'll need to discuss this if we wanna live."
"Tea? God yes. White. Two sugars."
He sank down to the floor, crossing his lanky legs in front of him and looking to the three strangers, two of whom had just saved his life not five minutes ago. He brushed at his hair one more time, resting his arms on his legs. He cleared his throat.
"Well. I suppose some sort of introductions are in order. I'm Kitstanza Marsh, but please, for the love of God just call me Kit."
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"Y'all like tea? We'll need to discuss this if we wanna live."
Sighing slightly, Lexi nodded. She walked out of the hatch and "Tea? Please. Can you leave the teabag and the spoon in, with one sugar. White." Her eyes glided slowly over the knife, it registered, and she began counting the seconds since her last thought that wasn't about counting.
"Well. I suppose some sort of introductions are in order. I'm Kitstanza Marsh, but please, for the love of God just call me Kit."
"I'm Lexi Herring." she said quite simply, feeling there was nothing else to be added.
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In all honesty, Edward was never fond of Lyraâs tea parties, but she always insisted on having them, and she always sent every Dark Alice an invitation, including himself. Going was always more of a task than a leisure to him, yet here he was again, waiting to see the hostess. At least her tea was always hot.
However, he was in a foul mood â for several reasons in fact. Firstly, the fact Lyra wasnât present to welcome him meant that clearly, he hadnât been the first to arrive. Secondly, not one, not two, but three Alices had escaped him â and even worse, taken refuge with the March Hare. To think that coward had the nerve to shelter those new Alices⊠he was nearly as bad as the White Rabbit.
However, letting anger cloud his judgment was never a good idea. âCalm down, Tweedle Dee,â he sighed to himself, before taking a seat at one of the numerous tea tables. Perhaps Lyra, the Mad Hatter, would have some sort of information he had missed.
By the Mushroom City
At the outskirts of the dangerous Mushroom City, a blue and black butterfly fluttered from flower to flower. Each bloom snapped at it with many dagger-like teeth, but after a moment, calmed, and unfurled its petals, letting the butterfly settle on each to drinking the flowerâs nectar. After repeating this process, sampling the nectar of the carnivorous daisies, man-eating irises, and hostile marigolds, the butterfly floated off towards a place just outside the territory of Mushroom City.
There, in a flash of blue-violet light, the butterflyâs form was replaced by that of a young woman. Her fair locks were tied in two bunches by black ribbons that matched the long black dress she wore. On her back were two blue butterfly wings, shimmering in the distorted sunlight â yet far too small for the young woman to take flight with.
Her violet eyes held a deep wisdom in them, and she gazed at the sky as she lapped the last drops of nectar from her lips. âAt last, there is hope for Wonderland,â she murmured, before taking off walking at a languid pace. âI must go see Darrek. I have to thank him for all his fine work. Ah, and I must have a word with Aradia⊠and of course, Jonathan. Knowing him, the poor thingâs probably all out of sorts by now,â she mused to herself, treading lightly. The wild and hungry grass tamed at her touch, only to grow raucous as soon as she leaves.
Conary, the Caterpillar of Wonderland no more, but the Butterfly with healing touch; with her quiet murmurings to herself, she walked through the wilderness, being cautious to avoid the territories of the Dark Alices. After all, should these new Alices proved willing, sheâd be visiting them soon enough. There was no need to hasten things, after all.
So many things to do if she wished to see the old Wonderland return⊠âIâll visit Jonathan first,â she said aloud before beginning to make her way towards the March Hareâs home. She was glad he was still present in all the changes of Wonderland. While she had laid dormant in her chrysalis, so many of her dear companions had left. The Mad Hatter and Tweedle Dee of old were replaced by twisted souls she couldnât recognize. Conary even found herself missing the company of the Red Queen and the Bandersnatch with their outrageous antics.
Even the Cheshire Cat was gone. Wonderland simply was no longer Wonderland, and Conary meant to set things right. She felt that as one of the surviving original inhabitants, it was her right and duty to restore Wonderland to its normal state.
Of course, this meant she would need to see these new Alices for herself. If she knew him as well as she thought she did, the March Hare would certainly have taken them under his wing, at least for now...
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Jonathan disappeared through a doorless entrance to the kitchen, and rummaged through the piles of dirty cutlery that was spread along the floor. Though he was in a relatively calm mood, he wasn't used to having many visitors at the same time. There'd been a long time since he'd seen this many faces in one day. He wasn't sure how to feel about that.
"Dirty cups," he complained, throwing two of them into the wall. "Dirty cups, and a need for tea. And now I have guests too. Where do I keep those stupid -" there was the sound of a few more plates and cups being broken against hard surfaces, before the Hare made a sound much like "a-HA!"
Lucky thing he'd been preparing hot water in advance, he thought to himself. He fetched some of his finer chinaware out of a surprisingly intact cupboard, putting it on a worn down silver tray that was produced from beneath one of the mentioned piles. He then positioned the pot, and two small saucers for sugar and milk, in the middle, surrounded by four cups.
"Spoons," he reminded himself. "Spoons, spoons, spoons. Where are those bastards? Ah! Spoons."
He then carried it all into the main room, pushing some papers off something that revealed itself to be a small table, quite clean despite not being used for its proper purpose.
"Sit anywhere," he mumbled, "the papers wont mind."
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"I do wish you would stop throwing things..." she said calmly, then flinching as a few things broke. She looked up from her feet and went back to the table, sitting down and preparing her tea, before sipping it slowly.
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After careful investigating she had discovered no one could tell where she was (or even that she existed) if she walked the border, not even the shadows of Crys. Despite her being careful enough to make the rulers think she had died when she got here, the new Alice's were putting a change in her strategy.
She winced as a cup shattered against the door and quickly pulled up her hood deciding to make her leave. There was no need for the others to know she existed, she would get them caught.
"Hopefully they can determine who is a friend . . . and who is a killer." she murmured thoughtfully as she started to wander down her path.
Lyra walked outside and greeted Edward. "Why aren't you early, no one else has arrived yet. Please come inside." she lead him into her ball room, where there was an endless supply of any food you could possibly think of. this was no golden fairy tale ball room either, it was red and black with golden accents. on the floor, a giant knife stick out of the ground and almost reached the ceiling, also it looked as if the floor was bleeding from the wound. Lyra grinned, flowing blood across any surface made her happy.
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"Oh Lyra we do-"
"Hope we aren't late." Darius finished.
"Yes that would be truly dreadful, wouldn't it be Darius."
"Quite indeed Valene." they smiled again and glanced at Edward.
"Oh Hello Edward. We heard the news." Valene said smiling with a disturbing smile.
"Yes. Did the three alice's team up on you or are you losing your touch?" Darius mocked with the same smile.
"Darius please. Edward is a wonderful at what he does. It must have been the white rabbit who snuck them in." Valene said calmly and Darius smiled at her and nodded.
"My apologies Edward." he said calmly as they all followed Lyra in for tea.
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"New things have been happening, sir," a light and pleasant voice spoke from the darkness. Jacob, one of Elysium's nightmare creatures, slid across the floor - freakishly long arms curling around the edge of the table as the furry creature looked up at him. "Perhaps you should converse with your fellow allies concerning the problem with the new Alice's."
The ruler of the maze winced, eyes flickering to the large, red eyes that stared at him with a concerned expression. Jacob sighed, sliding across the model and to the other side in order to better catch his gaze.
"I am needed here," Elysium protested, bringing a hand up to bite at his nails instead. "What if someone new arrives?"
"Then they will still be here when you come back, sir, I promise you. It is your duty as ruler to know the going-on's of the world around us, sir."
The discussion continued back and forth, but in the end Elysium was convinced. Leaving Jacob in charge, he was quickly on his way. His arrival was forewarned by the heavy beat of wings supporting him as he landed within the edges of Lyra's domain, making his way with surprising agility to where the others had gathered, seeing the back of Valene and Darius as he entered in human form, his arms crossed in some sort of hug around himself.
Tripping lightly on bare and muddy feet, he hoped he wasn't staining Lyra's floor. Even so, he hoped Lyra knew better than to assume he was as fragile as he enjoyed to appear, or act.
"I do hope I am not arriving too late," he said weakly from his position by the room's entrance, noticing a body already being cleaned out of the room. "But I should hope I have not left my maze for a simple party, Lyra."
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Well that was alright. Heâd just make up for it by killing those three Alices himself. It was infuriating â those were the first to escape, and of course the others werenât going to waste the chance to call him out on it. Dear, he was getting aggravated. That couldnât be good for a boyâs blood pressure. He needed a cup of tea. With sugar.
As he made his way over to a table, he noted the fallen body. Lyra certainly worked well with knives. As he poured a cup of steaming Earl Gray, Edward couldnât help but feel the urge to sink his hands into the wound, to feel the slick blood against his palms. âMy, Iâve become twisted,â he said quietly with a wry smile, taking a sip of the hot liquid. Upon hearing a familiar voice, the boy glanced at the door to see yet another arrival.
âElysium,â he murmured, a little more than surprised. It was rare for the ruler of the maze to ever leave that labyrinth of delusions. Edward wouldnât have been surprised if the man was in love with the thing. However, that just meant that these three new Alices were garnering attention. Gritting his teeth, Edward swept his messy black hair out of his eyes. His clear blue eyes had taken a darker light of madness to them, and he absently stirred his tea as he glowered at something that wasnât quite there. âMarch Hare, White Rabbit, and those Alices,â he mumbled quietly, taking a gulp of his tea. He smirked, just a slight bit as he set down his cup. He would kill the lot of them even if it was the last thing he did.
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"Where is she? I thought her and Lyra were on good terms." Darius grumbled to his sister. She frowned at him.
"What is the matter?"
"While we were out hunting I swore I saw someone walking the borders. They looked familiar. I think that was an Alice, but if that is so then we could have gotten one. Do you know what it-" she held up her hand.
"Trust me Darius. That wasn't an Alice. No there hasn't been an alice here in years and even so how would it have known how to walk the borders. It must have been a trick of the eye. A moving tree or something like that." she said coldly and turned storming off.
Darius watched as she left. Despite her comforting remarks he couldn't help but feel the twinge of suspicion that both of them knew . . . that was an Alice. But they would keep it a secret. Yes if there was another Alice then that made the hunting and games all the more fun. All the blood and the screams could be heard and they would be responsible for it all. Yes their games would be the most fun to play. All they needed was the information Lyra would give them. Valene turned to her brother and smiled coldly and he smiled back. The two of them were thinking the same thing.
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"It seems I have missed some information, of some sort," he said absently, directed at Edward. He was one of the few Wonderland psychopaths that had more system to the madness. Lyra and Crys were frighteningly unpredictable, while Edward had a curious obsession that had always fascinated him. Though Elysium spent little time among his fellow Dark Alices, he felt he knew them quite well. As well as he needed to, anyhow.
"Not to pry, of course," he continued quietly, "but might this have something to do with the rumours I've heard about new arrivals?"
Elysium was not one for teasing, especially not when it came to serious matters such as this. The fact that an Alice escaped Edward's grasp was in his mind a quite unsettling thing.
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âThe White Rabbitâs been smuggling new Alices here day in and day out,â he sighed, narrowing his blue eyes. âI suppose I got careless and missed a few.â He was getting angry again â more tea and sugar was necessary. Pouring himself another cup, the boy asked, âItâs rare for you to leave that maze of yours. Did you come for more information on the topic?â Elysium had arrived rather early as well, which made the whole situation all the more strange.
Speaking of arrivals, where was that Cheshire Cat? Being so close to Lyra, Edward had expected her to beat him there. Well, not that he was complaining about the pleasant turn of eventsâŠ
The March Hareâs Dwelling
A large blue butterfly gently flapped its wings by the doorway, watching as the strange hooded girl wandered off. âAnother one,â Conary mused to herself â but from the looks of it, a loner. Hopefully she had enough sense to come back. In the current Wonderland, there certainly was strength in numbers.
âWell never mind that for now,â she thought when she heard another cup shatter from inside. Making use of the gap in the door, the butterfly fluttered in to see the mess inside. Papers were strewn about while shards of what were once cups littered the floor. In her usual manner, and a flash of violet light, Conary changed back to her human-like appearance, feet daintily avoiding the sharp-edged pieces. âJonathan, I see youâre the same as ever,â Conary said, taking in the sight with a slight smile.
Then, regarding the other Alices in the room, she added, âYou need not be alarmed. I am no enemy of yours. I do hope youâll pardon the miserable state Wonderland is in at the moment.â
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Taara crept as close to the boarder as possible staring at the house before she winced, taking a chance she sped across the land and drove straight into the house sliding under the table. There were papers covering her now and her head had smashed against the table, but all in all she was alright.
"Ow!" she hissed clutching her head as she stared around at the people. There was Jonathan, the March Hare, and 3 other Alice's who were gathering around the newly arrived butterfly. Standing up, (after crawling out from under the table) Taara stared around the room of everyone before bowing, hand on the hilt of her sword.
"Taara Lavetia, at your service. Sorry to intrude but I followed the Butterfly here." she stole a glance at the Blue butterfly before looking down. "I'll have to apologize to you Jonathan. I must have disorganized all your things." she said quite awkwardly as she stared at the papers which had helped her slide across the floor so easily.
Twisting her hand nervously as she stared at everyone there was a metalic scraping noise from the scabbard. Despite her liking people she could not remember the last person she had me who hadn't tried to kill her, making it very difficult for her to know how to talk to these individuals. 'Oh well' she thought tightening her grip on the sword. 'At least they're calm . . .'
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He picked up a piece of cake while Edward spoke, crumbling the edges between the fingers of his hand. His eyes were focused on a point somewhere in front of him, as he was dreaming, though he still paid attention to what the other Dark Alice was saying.
âItâs rare for you to leave that maze of yours. Did you come for more information on the topic?â
"My subjects worry that times may be changing," Elysium answered, shaking a few crumbs off his forefinger. "If the White Rabbit truly has managed to sneak them in, then they may be right."
Pausing, he put what was left of the cake on the table, moving his hand slowly over the rest of the food, as if considering what to take next. "The Good Alices are growing stronger. They gain more power as we speak, plotting and planning against us. They want their world back," he muttered. "I do not know yet if there is much reason to feel distress, put neither do I suppose it's something we ought to take lightly."
He finally decided on a sugarcoated bun, lifting it up to his face in order to have a good look, turning it around in his hand.
"So to answer your question - yes. I came here for information. It is my duty to know of whatever threatens my maze, after all," he finished.
-- -- --
Jonathan ~
Jonathan was back in the kitchen when Conary arrived, peeking his head out to see the violet light that signalled her arrival.
âJonathan, I see youâre the same as ever,â she said.
He assumed she was speaking of the slight mess - which he insisted on calling it, despite that the floor hadn't been seen in years - and squinted his eyes at her while she half introduced herself to the others.
"I ain't gonna change just because the whole world does," Jonathan grumbled. "I suppose you'd be wanting a clean cup as well, then -" he started, just as something slid across the floor and under the table. The March Hare gave a loud yelp at feverishly reached for his frying pan, unable to find it within his reach while he still stared at the movement beneath his furniture.
"What in the b-" he began, just as the creature complained, covered in his papers and covering its head. When she came crawling out from beneath the table, he realized it was a young girl, getting up and putting a hand on her sword. The frying pan seemed to have been forgotten as he simply stared.
"Taara Lavetia, at your service. Sorry to intrude but I followed the Butterfly here. I'll have to apologize to you Jonathan. I must have disorganized all your things."
Opening and closing his mouth a few times, there was the slightest chance that Jonathan had finally been struck dumb by the situation around him. Quite soon, however, a red colour spread from the base of his neck, reaching his normally pale cheeks in frightfully little time.
"I should just install a bloody revolving door!" he roared. "I'll be lucky if I don't have an army of Red Knights on my doorstep by the morning, and then they can all come for tea! Come one, come all, the March Hare's hospitality knows no bloody bounds, just take all the space you want, it's not like he needs it!"
The string of complaints and curses continued as he re-entered the kitchen, soon joined by the noise of quite a few pieces of cutlery making close acquaintance with the wall. The cupboard from earlier was opened again, and two new cups was brought forward. Jonathan appeared on the doorway, narrowing his eyes at all of them.
"I ain't gonna be blamed if there's not enough hot water for everyone's tea," he said, having calmed down. The disordered papers didn't seem to bother him too much, as he barely offered them a glance.
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"I'm sorry but I wasn't going to intrude before but I changed my mind when I saw all the sadistic minds plotting against us. Don't worry. Everyone is out of their kingdom right now, they are at a tea party thrown by the mad hatter so I will be out of your hair quickly. I just wanted to let you know that if you ever need me I sit at the edge of the Heart kingdom and The Mad Hatter's tea garden." She bowed and stared at the March hare with wary eyes. 'so much for being calm' she thought as she turned to go out the door and called back as she pulled up her hood again.
"And I don't really need any tea. I have my own at my camp." she muttered and turned going out the door quietly.
[if no ones noticed yet, Lyra has a crush on her butler David.]
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Elysium raised his head slightly as the music started, closing his eyes at the sound. The only music he heard these days was the tragic singing of the dwellers within the nightmare layer. It was nice to hear something other than grotesque lullabies for once. When Lyra spoke of the Alice with the control of ice, Elysium shook his head slightly.
"Then you see," he said quietly, returning the bun he'd been holding to its rightful place. "They truly are growing more powerful."
---
Jonathan ~
"Young lady," Jonathan spoke before Taara had completely exited the house. "If the Dark Alice's really have gathered, then this might be the best chance we have of planning a move," he said. "This world and its rulers have done strange things to us all, and it's important that those who can, join forces towards the greater evil."
He paused, looking at his shoes. He was terrible at apologies, and would rather solve a situation by throwing something. "Besides," he cleared his throat. "I already fetched you a cup."
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