Cheshire's Story

Cheshire

After a time she let herself fade back, finally satisfied with Absolem's barrier. Enough creatures of the Fungus realm had passed and taken no notice of the homely mushroom, even when she flaunted her visible self around. Now she comfortably sat, surrounded by a growing pile of dirtied bandages. She was surprised at how quickly she was healing. Already, the wounds were scarring over. The Duchess' handiwork definitely paid off. She traced her fingers gently across various scars as she slowly pulled the remaining wrapping off, stopping to study her surprise stitches. She supposed, after battling an army of bears among other creatures, how else would she stay together? She grinned sheepishly at herself, slowly twisting to see the extent of the damage. I look like a ragdoll. Her ears flattened upon her head and she stopped herself. She still wasn't too flexible. Though her wounds were healing, she didn't want to risk re-opening them or tearing the stitches. She still felt the deep, pulsing pain. It would take some time before she was fully healed, but she held onto the progress she was making. She wasn't useless. She could move, though not as fluidly, but she was perfectly capable of fighting. How much of that logic she didn't really believe, but she let denial carry her spirit higher. She would fight if it came to that, nothing would keep her from defending her world and getting her revenge for her destroyed forest, not even her body.

She stared off into the distance, tracing a finger on the mushroom top, etching swirls, strange objects and symbols into it's soft meat. She could feel the presence still, changing, corrupting. Her throat tightened, it was like being choked. She could feel the anguish her world was in and it was unbearable. Wonderland's life was either taken or used, Jabberwockey leaving no room for anything else other than itself. Where was the Queen in all of this? Where were the Higher Chains? Surely, they knew what was going on in her Wonderland, so why was nothing being done about it? Did they have power over the Beast? She shook her head. No, that couldn't be it. It took an outsider, that girl, Alice, to take care of the Thing before and honestly, she couldn't recall what had happened afterward. Cheshire's thoughts came to rest upon Rhia. Would she suffer the same fate as Alice? Would she face Jabberwockey and fade away into obscurity? Was that the children's reason for being here? Did the Queen know of the Plague's freedom and presented the game to fool the Chains into fixing the issue? Cheshire grunted, "She never did dirty her own hands." Whatever the Queen's plans, Cheshire would do things her way, as she always did.

Hearing rustling from inside the house, her ears perked up. Leaning over the side of the mushroom top she maneuvered herself until she was above a window, then she let her head down to peer inside. "Oi!" she called to no one in particular, "You all awake yet?!"

~~~

Absolem noticed a shady figure in the distance, though he refused to stir. He rubbed his temple merely, waiting to see if it approached him, which it had. He couldn’t see clearly, but the boy resembled someone the man knew, that he was sure. He straightened up his posture, leaning his elbow on his knee and his chin on his palm. Curious.. No one has ever come into my dream before. He waited until he finally recognized the boy. Grey? No, it couldn’t possibly. It’s impossible to invade someone else’s dream, even in Wonderland. The Queen hasn’t even managed that. Or has she? Is she clever enough to keep such ability under her sleeve? Absolem looked the blonde boy over, smirking when he asked the famous question, “Seeing as you already realize this, heavens no.” Absolem mockingly chuckled, “I however wonder which side you would prefer. Is it better to be taller or smaller than one’s enemy? Does it matter in the end? Besides, I’m quite looking forward to see if you can decide which is which. Which part will make you taller and which will make you shorter?” He continued, then a more mischievous look appeared on his features, “But then again, how do you even know I’m telling the truth? I could be lying just to amuse myself.” He added that part in very tauntingly. You need to be able to stand without someone else, can you do that without a mental breakdown? Do you realize this is a test, boy? “Maybe the mushroom does nothing at all. Maybe it’s poisonous? Can you really be for certain just on my word?” The mushroom certainly did do as the Caterpillar would have said, the colours would have been different had it been poisonous. Though, I want to see him make his own decision without my help or overall influence. Doubt can be a wonderful thing in small servings. His smirk widened a bit, “So what do you think Grey? Does the mushroom make you shorter or taller?” The man slid down, two different coloured pieces in his hands, offering them to the boy in the dream, the blue in his left and the white in his right. “If it’s not poisonous then how about you test it? Guess which is which.”

~~~

Absolem wanted to see the outcome, but he was quickly torn from his dream when he heard the screaming off the flowers inside of his head. He sat up, frowning to himself. I was having quite a good time dream- Oh, Duchess? Wonderful. Let her in. His hand ushered and his house would now be visible to the Duchess and her guests. I need a drink. He slid from the couch; escaping Grey’s grasp carefully and made a quiet stride to the kitchen, blinking at the girl. She seriously tried.. oh foolish human, why didn’t you wake me if you were thirsty? He sighed, getting himself a glass of water, grasping the TOP of the mushroom sink handle that was blue and twisting. You have to be rough on them, child. He wanted to say, but he was sure it would make the cat’s child uncomfortable. He took a drink of the cold water, holding his head. The dull throbbing was nearly gone, but it still was acting up, taunting him. He had a lot more colour to his features, which was a relief to him and surely would be to Grey. He heard the cat call and laughed a bit, “Me and your child are awake. Grey’s asleep and Duchess is coming, I allowed her and her guests entrance. The house will disappear from outside view after they’ve crossed the border safely. Your child accidentally had a tango with one of the temperamental mushroom sink knobs. It’s nothing serious; I’ll just have to treat it. Unless she wants to lose her finger, but then it would slowly work its magic up her arm. It’s best that everyone lets me handle the mushrooms in my house.” Absolem reach into a cabinet, sighing to himself as he pulled out a syringe and a tiny bottle filled to the brim with clear sparkling liquid. He took the syringe and filled it with the liquid. “I won’t lie, this is going to hurt, but it’s better than slowly dying from poison, no?” Absolem asked in a calm tone, “Hold out your finger.” When the girl removed the bandage he hissed a bit. It took a pretty good bite.. he held her arm tight enough that it would probably bruise later, “It’s vital you don’t move. Bear with me for a moment.” Then he pierced her finger with the hollow needle of the syringe, slowly injecting it into the girl. He felt her jolt under his grip, but luckily he was holding her tight enough it proved harmless. After the entire syringe was emptied he removed it, letting go of her arm, “There. No more flesh eating poison.” Now who has the better child, hmm Cheshire? Yours almost got herself killed.



Rhia sighed when neither Absolem or Grey seemed to wake up from the racket she’d made in the kitchen. She continued eating calmly, ignoring the burning and throbbing sensation in her finger. What is wrong with this man’s house? It’s booby-trapped around every turn. Why is he so paranoid? Is he that scared of something? The Jabberwocky perhaps?

Rhia tensed when Absolem entered the kitchen, feeling a blush come to her face. Would he realize what happened? She was feeling a bit embarrassed, he definitely would tell Cheshire and then she’d get teased again. She jumped when she heard Cheshire’s voice and bit her bottom lip, sighing softly in attempt to calm her jittery nerves. “Y-yeah, Absolem and I are.” She called back. She was about to say more, but Absolem mentioned her…predicament to Cheshire. Great, now she’s going to laugh at me. Lose my finger!? Her eyes widened, looking down at her finger. He had a syringe and.. medicine? Wow, it looks kind of pretty. Medicine sparkles here? That’s pretty cool. She slid off the bandages, part of her skin already missing around the bite. It came across as a very nauseating sight, not to mention it looked extremely painful. She bit her bottom lip. She held her finger out as she was instructed, but winced a bit when he had a firm latch around her arm. I realize his reasoning, but this seriously hurts. Who would’ve thought Absolem was this strong? The aquamarine girl thought to herself. She wanted to scream as soon as she felt the medicine being vaccinated into her finger. It felt like tiny shards of glass were being pushed under her skin. She jerked at the beginning, but she merely scrunched her her eyes closed and endured it, jaw clenching from the pain. I’m not weak.. I’m not going to cry and I’m certainly not going to scream.. by the way, who was he calling foolish earlier!? Did.. I hear his thoughts again. She redressed her finger with a clean portion of bandages. She couldn’t even move the appendage now that it was in so much pain. Will Cheshire be irritated or tickled..? I’m not sure how she’ll react to this, but I was just trying to get a glass of water on my own. Will she be mad at Absolem? He wasn’t trying to hurt me, he was the one who fixed it, and all the same, I’m still worried. She didn’t look in the cat’s direction in fear of her reaction, merely eating at her soup instead, “Thanks Absolem..” she replied nervously. Then she stopped eating and stared at Absolem shocked for a moment. Did he seriously just say that.. er..think that? How long have they been comparing me and Grey? We're not just trophies or show dogs, we're people!

Cheshire

Duchess? Why was she coming here? Quickly she pulled herself up and stood atop the house. She squinted her eyes as she looked into the distance. There you are, she praised herself upon seeing movement. She squinted harder, seeing that there were more than two people. Who else is with her? She pondered, trying to make out the figures. The speed at which the caravan was gaining ground was impressive. She didn't know Duchess could run like that. "Surely, she hasn't been sending my message personally. Why come here..?" Her stomach dropped. She wasn't running for the fun of it. She was fleeing. Why else would she come to the Mushroom Patch, unless it was to take refuge in Absolem's lair?

She swore to herself and faded off the roof, making herself visible at the door. She barged in, running pass the still sleeping boy and stopped before Caterpillar, only hearing the words "The house will disappear" "Are you insane?!" she cried out. The only thing that kept her from ringing the man's neck was that he seemed to be doctoring her contractor. She cocked her head at the sight, distracted for a pause, but quickly continued her tantrum. Her finger stroke towards the window, her arms flailing wildly, "Put the barrier back! Have you forgotten what else is out there looking for us?" She couldn't believe how idiotic the Chain was being at the moment, and he was supposed to be one of the wiser Chains! The only reason Duchess would have coming here was she was running, and from the looks of it others were too. That many people, Chain or not, were a beacon for Jabberwockey, and they were lighting the way to them. He's doomed us. The idiot's killed us all.

Her body was trembling as she was having a difficult time keeping herself under control. Various hues were swirling frantically about her, their activity mimicking the distress she was feeling. This was not the time to cause a fight. It may already be to late. Jabberwockey may have seen the house by now or was letting Duchess lead it to them. She gathered herself together and took a deep shaky breath, "Please tell me you have other defenses besides the barrier," Her cold eyes met the Caterpillar's and remained there, "Because if I'm right. We may be expecting other company beside Duchess and her friends." True, she might be overreacting, but everyone seemed to think they were safe within Absolem's walls. Did they forget how easily Jabberwockey destroyed her sanctuary? That was before the Thing had time to grow and get stronger. She knew the creature was out there, it was either sheer luck that they remained hidden this far or the Plague was just biding it's time. She told herself she was willing to fight, but now she found herself faulting in her logic. She wasn't fully healed. Even Absolem, though seemingly perkier, she feared wouldn't be up for the challenge. Things were happening too fast. She kicked mentally herself and rested her eyes on Rhia. She was happy the child's back was facing her. She didn't want her to witness her moment of despair. She sighed. Others were on the way and if Jabberwockey did make it's move at least it would have all of them to deal with.

Duchess Sophie

The Duchess was no fool, anyone could see that the army was trying to shepherd them somewhere, the problem was that she couldn't do much about it except keep running. She looked at Belca, raising an eyebrow as the girl growled at her.

"Really Belca, now is not the time to pretend you're a wild animal," she said, letting go of her hand.

The girl certainly was peculiar but this was a rather stressful situation, perhaps this was how she dealt with it. The same way the Duchess was doing everything she could not to think of the cook or the pigs and momeraths or her home. No, grieving could wait until later. Right now she had to focus on making sure there was a later in which she could grieve.

Things definitely were looking grim though, even if they got to Absolem's house there was no guarantee they'd be able to fight off the approaching armies. Before Cheshire had left her house he'd mentioned returning to his contractor who she supposed was with Absolem, perhaps the cat was still there now, that would certainly help even out the odds in a battle but the cat's injuries had been pretty bad and there was no way they could be fully healed.

"What to do," she mused, as if trying to decided which type of icing to make for a cake, "I wonder if Cheshire could help us get away with one of it's shortcuts."

The cat had always had a mysterious way of getting about the place.

"By the gods!" exclaimed the Duchess, coming to a halt.

They had reached a dead end, the Duchess and her group were now exactly where the Jabberwocky wanted them to be. Before them rose a wall made out of bone, there was no way past it. If she looked carefully she could see the spiderpots that had destroyed her home. There was no way this was what the army had been herding the group towards, the spiderpots were clearly meant to drive them further in the desired direction. The Duchess was sure that at the end of the road, the Jabberwocky itself would be waiting.

"What an honnor it is to have the beast itself come to meet me," she said, taking off again so she wouldn't be hit by the spiderpots projectiles.

If the Jabberwocky wanted a fight then she'd give it one to remember, she no longer had a choice in the matter. There was no way she could defeat the Jabberwocky, not without the Vorpal Blade but perhaps there would be some small chance to escape. It was only the faintest glimmer of hope but it was all she had.

As the Jabberwocky came into view she slowed down and walked forward confidently. She would show the plague just how dangerous cornered animals could be.


Sinistra/Tweedle Dee & Destra/Tweedle Dum

The twins followed the Duchess, making sure to avoid any projectiles launched by the spiderpots.

Destra's eyes widened when he caught sight of the Jabberwocky. Nothing scared him more than the Crow but this came as a close second.

"We can't give up," said Sinistra, struggling to ignore the dread that was rising in his stomach.

Weapons of bone hovered around the Jabberwocky, each looking more deadly than the last. This would be a tough fight and neither twin was sure if they could win, not that they would ever admit it of course. In synchronity they looked at Moonlight and then at the Duchess before firmly grasping their weapons and preparing for battle.


Isaiah "Grey" Gris

Grey stared at the mushroom. Absolem was being enigmatic again, even in his dreams that hadn't changed, the man cleared lived, breathed and spoke in riddles.

"Everything just turns out to be a mystery, doesn't it?" Grey muttered, examining the mushroom, "The mushroom, the dream, this entire situation is all a huge puzzle."

He was certain that the mushroom wasn't poisonous, it just didn't have a dangerous vibe about it but all that told him was that he could eat it. Gazing at the colours he tried to search for some clue.

"White is such an expansive colour," he thought, "It just seems so vast, as if it can go on forever and ever while blue seems to compress everything. It's a colour of sadness and what other feeling would make you feel small?"

That had to be it. White would make him grow and blue would make him shrink, still, he didn't feel like testing them out. He was quite happy with his height. That's when he noticed Absolem was gone. He'd been so focused on the mushroom that he hadn't seen the man leave.

He woke slowly, rubbing his eyes. Something felt off about the air, it was almost like a feeling of menace was polluting it. Silently he got up and walked over to the man. The feeling of tension in the air was making him nervous.

"The white side makes you taller and the blue side makes you smaller," he said quietly, gently grabbing onto the mans shirt.
He was sure something serious was going on, he didn't need the cards to tell him that trouble was on the way. He kicked himself for not waking up sooner, perhaps if he'd noticed Absolem had disappeared earlier then he'd know what was happening.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Moonlight followed them as they ran. Suddenly, the Duchess stopped, followed by Destra. "Ouch!" Moonlight ran straight into him. "I'm sorry-" Her words broke off as she stared at the gigantic white wall rising up menacingly before them. "What - is that bone?" The sudden realisation dawned on Moonlight. As she prepared to run off back where they had come from, she distinctly heard a thundering behind them. The army was coming.

Moonlight ducked as a projectile sailed over her head. It came so close, she could feel the wind blow her hair around. The Duchess took off again, and the twins followed. Taken by surprise, Moonlight followed them, zigzagging in crazy circles to avoid the projectiles being launched at them.

Just then, an even scarier sight appeared. A large dragon-like form slithered forward. Yes, slithered. There was no absolute way to describe it, but the one thing Moonlight could identify was that this was bad news. Fear struck her hard, and she staggered slightly to wrap her mind around the fact that they would be fighting this... this... monster.

Moonlight grabbed for the person nearest to her, who turned out to be Sinistra. "Sinistra, you... you can't be serious. How are we going to..." She couldn't even finish her sentence. The only response she got was the twins tightening their grasps on their weapons. All she had was a tiny little rapier. How could it do anything to help the rest?

A boy walked towards them. The white side makes you taller and the blue side makes you smaller. The boy looked dazed. What's going on? Moonlight gazed at him intently. "Um... I think we have to... fight... defeat..." Again, her voice was raspy and soft, barely heard above the marching of the army. Moonlight tried to clear her throat, but it just made it worse. "Destra..." She appealed to Destra, hoping he would understand. "I... can't..."

(PM me if I didn't respond to something, considering my situation, I highly predict I haven't responded to everything I needed to..)

Absolem raised an eyebrow, it seriously took the cat that long to figure out Duchess's intentions? He tried to not pay mind to the cat's slow deduction process, so he merely glanced to Rhia, then back at the livingroom, "We haven't time, I cannot leave her to surrender to the Jabberwocky, we cannot afford to let that parasite grow any stronger than it already has." Absolem grabbed a few herbal mixtures for headaches, knowing he'd need them in just a few mere moments, "Regardless, we're in this fight no matter what, she's lured it to my location, if those flowers die, we're sitting ducks. I find it better to be on her side, than fighting every man for himself, no? It's common sense, for once, no time for riddles. This is much too serious.." Absolem was once again pale, but mostly due to his rushing, grabbing matches, candles, and containers for the herbal mixtures, each floating around him as he began his idea. I can't let them know I'm unsure we'll make it through this. Look reassuring, look self-assured..

"Put the barrier back? I shall not." Absolem rubbed his temples, staring firmly at the cat, "When the Jabberwocky reaches the flowers, regardless of the barrier, the house will be revealed, if the flowers die, so does the barrier, at least if we're all together we stand a fighting chance." he spat back, "Use your head, I know you're more clever than that." Absolem moved from the room, walking out and almost not even paying a single bit of mind to those around him, "It's a bit of a situation at the moment. Hide yourself, or at least arm yourself.. when the barrier goes down.. I've got a plan, but this is going to be very painful for the both of us, far more than you can imagine." Absolem mumbled to Grey, not standing by a single second longer. He flung the door to his home open before floating up atop of his abode, sitting on the large mushroom. He squinted his eyes, trying to locate the Duchess. If Jabberwocky killed the flowers, this would become a bit difficult, but he tried his best to send her a message through the flowers. -The house isn't very far.. I see you've run into trouble however..when it kills those flowers my home will be vulnerable. I am going to keep it hidden as long as I can, but as you know my contractor and myself will pay a dire price for me using my abilities to cloak the entire structure.- Absolem began preparing himself, rubbing his temples nervously. He'd never attempted to control the barrier on his own, he wasn't even sure if it would work, but he knew if it did, they had at most, ten minutes before he or Grey would be rendered unconcious if not both.

He began drinking one of the mixtures, letting everything land around him, the candles lighting themselves, almost instantly emitting a calming arouma around the house. He took a deep inhale, a faint white smoke rapidly coating the area, but not near enough to hinder one's sight. He finally located Duchess, hoping the flowers got the message before they were destroyed by the Jabberwocky. Though, it did have to find out which flowers controlled the barrier, and around Absolem's house was surrounded by poisonous mushrooms, snapping shrooms and giant venus fly traps. His 'garden' was not a playground by far. Especially the backyard. Absolem had a habit of collecting beautiful things, but his destructive collection was far more massive. His entire backyard was a death trap waiting to happen. He knew it would possibly only pose a distraction, but if needed, he assumed it would at least bide them some time and distance between the groups and the infection taunting them.

"Heh.. Grey was right about the mushroom.." He mumbled to himself. He couldn't help but be amused.

----



Rhia tensed when she heard Absolem's thoughts. He isn't sure that we're going to survive this? How unsure is he..? She tried to pry furthur into the mint haired man's mind, but he seemed to be avoiding exact answers, even in his mind. No time for riddles? You've caught on to my ability, you're blocking solid answers from me as much as you can, even if I tell Cheshire, it's not like this information is really going to help.. It'll only panic her more. The blue haired girl finished her soup quickly standing up and wiping her mouth, "I guess we're in for a fight?" she asked tilting her head curiously. How..was this going to work? Neither her nor Grey knew anything offensive yet. They'd never really practiced their abilities. What were the weaknesses of the creatures tamed by the Jabberwocky? She shivered at the idea.

She turned to face Cheshire, shaking her head, "He isn't lying. I saw it in his head." she mumbled under her breath softly, "Like a motion picture.. If what he has planned works, he's going to be in a world of pain.." she ran a hand through her hair, looking at the ground, shivering a bit. Whatever she'd seen, it obviously had her very frightened. She didn't even have the control to hide the fear from her Chain, which she normally would have at least attempted, "What can me and Grey do? We won't feel satisfied just sitting here or running..." She whispered at Cheshire, this time pleadingly, "We're here for a reason, and right now I feel pretty useless to this point." She admitted, although it stung her pride for a moment, " Just tell us what to do and I'm sure he'll agree with me, we'll gladly do it to help." She blinked over at the human male afterwards, as if looking for his approval, "Besides, I need to be there just in case he passes out, right?" she grinned at Cheshire, "We want to help protect Wonderland too."

Cheshire

She paused, mouth gaping, for a short moment, completely dumbfounded by the man's stupidity. Having the barrier up was one of their very few advantages. If, by some miracle, Jabberwockey didn't see their location they could have the element of surprise on their side. When the Jabberwocky reaches the flowers, regardless of the barrier, the house will be revealed, if the flowers die, so does the barrier.. She could feel herself twitching upon his explanation. Though, as much as she wanted to sink her claws into the man's flesh, she chose instead to let her emotions play out upon her. "What's the use of a barrier if one can see through it after a certain point?!" She growled, patches of skin changing fluidly in waves of multi-hued fur to flesh and back again. Her eyes, which blazed greens, blues and yellows continuously with the change, latched upon the man as he paced. She wasn't a fool. She'd take her anger out on the Beast and then once that was taken care of, if they survived, well she and Absolem would have some..quality time together, but seeing as Caterpillar was making himself useful, she sneered and turned, grumbling aloud, "Are all men this stupid?" Her change-tantrum stopped short when she met her contractor's gaze. She felt her cheeks flush and suddenly found herself worrying what her contractor was thinking. She pulled her arms across her chest and gazed down at the girl, now completely 'normal'. Her ears perked and her tail thrashed about behind her as she listened to the girl talk. A wry grin stretched her lips as she took in Rhia's words. She has a point. Everyone's going to need to play a part to survive this. She offered the girl a cynical smile, acknowledging her statement. "I'll hold you to that."

Seeing as time was running short, she pulled Rhia with her and followed the Caterpillar. She stopped before exiting the house and looked over the poor, groggy boy. Poor sod, she thought, feeling a twang of pity for the child. Prob'ly'll never even make it to puberty.. "Come," she mumbled, grabbing him as well, "I'd keep with your Chain, boy. Don't let him leave you behind." She dragged them both towards the door before fading herself and the contractors upon the mushroom roof. She stopped behind Absolem, pausing to see the situation further ahead. "Here's your contractor. Make some use of him if you can," After Grey previous 'episode' she wasn't convinced the child would be much help. It would take a lot from him for her to think otherwise, but that wasn't her problem. She had Rhia afterall and hopefully the girl would stay true to her word.

Seeing Jabberwockey's bone fence and his terrible titans a ways off she shivers. Things were ugly. Very ugly. Though despite the almost certain death, and/or corruption, they all were heading towards, she was excited to feel that familiar itch in her fingers. Before, it was just her and the Plague, this time around she would have reinforcements. "I hope you're not waiting for that thing to come to you," Her anticipation was growing ever so steadily seeing as one of Jabberwockey's Beasts launched itself towards their direction, it's horrible roar grating within Cheshire's ears. "I doubt that'd be wise." Her fingers were now growing and hardening, becoming the knife-like weapons she used before. She stepped back and twisted upon herself and before anyone had time to exhale she was once again a monstrous tiger-beast. She dug her claws into the Mushroom and licked over her rows of jagged teeth. Satisfied, she grinned, revealing her shark-toothed-mouth in an awful smile. "I apologize ahead of time, Abs," she growled, stepping towards Rhia, "But I assure you it will be worth the pain," She wouldn't face Jabberwockey and his minions personally. The effort she was putting out already had her body burning, but pain could be dealt with. "I know a way to help. It'd be best if you followed." She began to back away, nodding at Rhia to get upon her back. All the while her smile was growing, especially when the roof beneath them began to shudder. "And you better be quick."

Her shortcut to the Patch was a ways off, but at least she was capable of travel now. It wouldn't take long to reach it in her current form, she just hoped Absolem wouldn't continue the idiot-streak he seemed to be having and would follow her. Taking things one-versus-one was stupid. Everyone needed to get together and as much as she'd love to leave Duchess and her friends to fend for themselves as punishment for bringing the army to them, she wouldn't let Jabberwockey take on more Chains. Her claws were itching and she giggled at the transformation she held inside. Oh yes, she cooed as if answering it's stirs, We'll have fun this time around.

Isaiah "Grey" Gris

Grey looked around nervously as Cheshire led him to Absolem. Rhia was right, they needed to help in any way they could but how much use was he going to be? He didn't even have a weapon, unless his tarot cards worked in more mysterious ways than he could imagine. Smiling he lost himself amongst thoughts of throwing the cards like shuriken.

"Like that would ever happen," thought Grey to himself.

Still, it was worth a try, even if it was only to pass the time untill someone found a use for him. Picking a card at random he looked for a target and settled on a mushroom a short distance away. Sighing he filcked the card from his hand experimentally and watched in amazement as it flew towards the mushroom and struck it with a thud.

"That is so awesome!" he said excitedly, "But now I've lost a card."

He was about to go get it when the card shimmered and disappeared from view, reappearing at the top of his deck.

"Well, at least I'm armed now,I still don't know how much help I'll be though." he thought.

Everyone seemed preoccupied with something in the distance and from the sounds of it, there were people in trouble. As he looked at the giant bone wall in the distance anxiety began to well up within him, he hated the thought of being unable to help.

"Absolem, why are we just sitting here? Can't we do anything to help?" he asked, wringing his hands frantically.

Pacing to and fro he flicked a card into the air, watching it spin around before catching it again between two fingers. He felt so useless, there was no way he could help Absolem and there was no way he could help the people in trouble. If only there was some way he could carry everyone away from danger. Frustrated he looked at the card in his hand. Slowly an idea came to him, his eyes widening.

"Please please work," her whispered, rushing outside.

The card he held was the Chariot. His ability had worked with the Ace of Wands, perhaps it would work with this one too.

"Come on," he muttered, focusing all his concentration on the card.

Slowly a glow formed around the card and then disappeared in the blink of an eye. Before him stood some form of armoured vehicle big enough to hold him, Absolem, Cheshire, Rhia and several other people, he couldn't see how one was meant to drive it though, perhaps it was automatic? He'd cross that bridges when he came to it, for now the only important thing was that he had a way to help everyone escape.

"Absolem!" he called out, "I think I can get everyone out of here."

The wall of bone would prove a problem, he'd just have to hope that the people on the other side would be able to get past it before the vehicle disappeared again. Who knew how badly it would effect him this time?


Duchess Sophie

The Duchess blinked at the Jabberwocky as the blades fly past her face and crossed her arms, as if to show that she wasn't impressed. Inside she was terrified, she had no idea whether she could make it out of this but she was determined to do everything in her power so that at least Belca, Moonlight and her son could get away.

"Pig woman?!" she cried out in disgust, "What a terribly rude way to greet someone. You dissappear for all these years, never write and then come back calling me Pig Woman. The nerve. Do you know what I think? I think if you could have 'ended' me in an instant then you would have done so by now."

This was a risky tactic but it was the only one she could use. If she acted as if she was more powerful than the Jabberwocky then perhaps it would believe her, that or make it angry. An furious Jabberwocky wouldn't be ideal but it was something she could work with. Angry enemies made mistakes.

"Look at you, needing an entire army just to lead me to you, am I too much of a woman for you to handle?" she continued.

While she spoke her eyes were taking in every detail of her surroundings trying to work a way out of the situation.

"And you," said the Duchess, angrilly addressing what had once been the Dormouse, "Give it a rest, nobody cares. You're starting to tick me off."

An idea began to form in her mind as she looked at the wall. It was made of bone and far too tall to climb over but that didn't mean she couldn't go through it, after all, bones did have a tendancy to break, all they neded was enough impact.

"Unfortunately I have no idea about you ability," she whispered to Belca, "But now would be an excellent time for it to manifest. Get ready to run."

Everybody was in exactly the right position, she was between Destra and the wall, that was the most important part.

"Destra, when I say so I need you to send as many birds as you can as fast as you can hurtling towards the wall," she whispered, "Sinistra, I need you, Belca and Moonlight and France to hold off everything while I focus."

She was going to have to move soon, the Jabberwocky certainly wouldn't wait for long. She'd just have to hope they could outrun it for as long as it took to reach help.

"This is all Cheshire's fault," she muttered, "If I ever see that cat again I'm going to punch it in the face."

It was now or never. She just prayed that luck would be on her side.

"Now!" she shouted.


Sinistra/Tweedle Dee & Destra/Tweedle Dum

Destra, looked at the Duchess from the corner of his eye. She had to be crazy, there was a huge risk that the birds would hit her too, not to mention that expecting him to do something so terrifying was a lot to ask.

The twins looked at each other and knew that if they wanted any chance of escape then they'd have to do as the Duchess asked, no matter how much it scared them.

Without warning the Duchess shouted out and Destra turned to face the wall, focusing on creating the biggest barage of birds he could handle without fainting from fear. As each bird passed by the Duchess's head it was transformed into a giant cannonball which slammed into the bone wall with great force, smashing things into pieces.

"So that was her plan," thought Sinistra as he turned his attention to keeping the army at bay, "She plans to create a hole in the wall for us to get through."

More determined than ever he ignored his fear and began to send birds of his own towards the army as well as launching stones at it with his catapault. He'd just have to hope that anything that got close would be taken care of by Belca, Moonlight and the Duchess's boy, hadn't she refered to him as France?

Finally the hole seemed to be big enough because the next thing the twins knew they were all runnig towards it. As they was about to pass through the gap in the wall, Sinistra and Destra felt compelled to look at the sky. Doing so almost made them shriek in horror. Gliding just above the top of the wall was the Crow, the one that always seemed to be hunting them. Terrified they continued to run but not before they saw it dive into the masses of the Jabberwocky's army, tearing through minion after minion. White light began to shoot out from the giant bird untill soon it was nothing but a ball of pure white light. As it faded a little a girl was revealed, a white aura surrounding her. Time seemed to slow as she turned to watch the twins run off. With a smile she turned back to face the horde, attacking violently.

Somewhere in the distance the twins suddenly look at each other, almost stopping.

"Did you feel that?" asked Sinistra.

There was no way they could mistake that prescence. All along, the Crow had been the Rattle.

Destra looked back sadly and then continued to run, speaking only one word, "Raven."

Cheshire

For some reason Rhia always had a way of surprising the cat. This was good because it kept her on her toes and relayed information she seemed to overlook. The girl was right. It was because of the Caterpillar that they all had a chance to regroup. If not for his Mushroom Sanctuary Cheshire and the others most likely would still be pathetically wondering amidst corruption. She had time to heal somewhat and she owed him her thanks. Though, due to random bursts of dread, excitement and fury, she decided it could wait. She was erratic, at least she knew that. Some things were just better left alone for a time.

She wasn't exactly thrilled knowing Absolem left the boy behind. Though he wasn't her child she couldn't keep the creeping twinge of uncertainty towards Absolem's decision. She supposed Caterpillar figured he would be safer in the background, but she just couldn't stomach not keeping a contractor near, especially with Jabberwockey present. She found herself holding to the uncertain brushes and pats given by Rhia. She knew the child was trying to comfort her, but all she could do was meet the girl's uncertainty with an awkwardness of her own. Relationships, friendships or otherwise, were still a struggle. So much had taken place within such a short amount of time and it left the cat bewildered. However, it was a Change she was willing to die for. She growled to Grey as the girl climbed upon her back and as Absolem followed suit. The boy's sudden creation was a surprise, but she wouldn't be bought by false hope. "I'd get off the roof, boy, unless you want to face the Beast. Keep hidden. When you see an opening take your..contraption and get us." She turned to the Caterpillar barely meeting the man's gaze as the tremors rocked his house further until a mass of roots expelled it from the ground. "Keep it hidden if you can. We'll make our own army." She told him, trying to fight her guilt about taking things into her own hands. The threat of Corruption had been too real, thus whatever she claimed would become reborn. Absolem's Mushroom was just one more sacrifice that would be taken to stop Jabberwockey, but it would be awesome.

She thanked her transformation gifts as the girl clung tighter to her fur. True, there wasn't exactly anything else to hold on to, and she'd be damned if she were to be saddled like domestic livestock, but Rhia's grip was tight. She couldn't imagine carting the child around as anything other than her current form. Already the strain of holding her weight was tiring her. Her body was screaming as she propelled the two of them forward. She wouldn't dare transform again. She was lucky she healed somewhat before turning. She could have very well reopened her wounds or made them worse. She stopped and paused for a breathe, explosions in the distance catching her attention. She looked to Absolem and saw his manic grin. Bandersnatch She smirked back before taking off once more, fueled by the revelation. Duchess had her hands busy, but help was coming.

She leapt through the shortcut, landing closer to the battle field. The Beast seemed to be preoccupied which was great for her. She took the time to drag her claws into the surrounding fauna, feeling her Change stir and rush out. She couldn't transform, but that didn't mean she could have others do it for her. She grinned, feeling the tickle of life over each creature and plant she claimed. She never turned so many at once, so she wasn't sure how it would work out, but just knowing the battalion of changelings both frightened and enthused her. Never had she had her Change spread so thin, but feeling so much life was like a new high.
She cackled leaping here and there watching mushrooms and plants expel them selves from the earth. Roots becoming tendrils, thrusting themselves forward and throwing whatever object they could at the enemy. Their soft flesh hardened as they twisted more within themselves, sometimes wrapping others within their writhing forms, becoming larger, meaner. The small fires provided by the unseen assailants proved useful as some stampeded through the blaze, covering themselves in flames, fueled by the venom each creature held. They would continue the attack on the Generals whilst Jabberwockey was preoccupied. Minions were easily taken out, either by fire, being crushed or absorbed by the still warping beings. Hopefully, this would provide enough distraction to help Duchess and her crew escape. If not well, there was always the lumbering, invisible mushroom house, on it's way.

Isaiah "Grey" Gris

For the first time Grey could see the people he was trying to help, two girls, three boys, two of which were twins and a very large lady who was growing larger still. The group had run into a massive beast but the woman was soon the same size.

"Well now, I guess one side really does make you larger," he muttered, climbing down from the roof at Cheshire's request.

Both Cheshire and Absolem seemed to be kind of snappy at the moment but he couldn't really blame them, he himself was feeling stressed at the thought of people being in trouble and he didn't even know them, he couldn't imagine what it would feel like if he actually knew the eople he was trying to save.

Watching Cheshire and Rhia ride off he walked to the armoured vehicle to await the signal. Hopping inside he took note that there was no steering wheel.

"Well that's going to provided a problem, I'm just going to have to hope it will move when it needs too," he thought to himself.

Carefully making sure his hair was all tied back he set to watching for an opening. The truth was, he needed everyone together if they were all going to get away.

With nothing to do but watch and wait his mind turned to Absolem. The man had seemed distracted and had been rubbing his temples a lot. All Grey wanted to do was go to the man and tell him that everything was going to be ok, that at the very least he was not alone.

But Absolem had told him to stay here, hidden and that was what he was going to do. Absolem was trusting him to get everyone away safely and Grey intended to do everything in his power to make that happen.

Cheshire

An earth-shaking boom filled the air, fueling the surrounding chaos. It came repetitively, seemingly growing in size and ferocity as it neared closer. The tank was closing in. Cheshire stood back and looked on as creatures of all sorts crashed and threw themselves at one another, creating a mixing pot of blood and screams. To those who knew battle, the sight was both glorious and terrifying and it left the cat grinning wildly from ear to ear. She danced lightly in place, unable to remain still or satisfied with the viewpoint. She yearned to follow suit with the creatures she had changed, to battle besides them and partake in the small victories. Watching the battle from afar, seeing allies fall seemed wrong.

So much was going on. Jabberwockey couldn't be seen, the smoke and fire made everything that much harder to decipher. She could make out two large masses moving about behind the heat. Her eyes widened somewhat upon realizing one of them was Duchess. Is she mad? At least she held the same size to the newly improved dog-beast, but she had to be insane to take on the creature alone. This train of thought sparked her interest. Where was everyone? Cheshire would be fuming if all this was for already infected Chains and contractors. Her fears were dampened, however, upon hearing the whoops and cheers after several explosions. Whatever was going on was working. She just needed to keep focused on the change which held each creature.

The effort was tiring, so much of her Change was spread thin. It had taken a lot to match up to Jabberwockey's corrupted army. Little bits of it returned when a changed creature fell, but it was immediately thrust back into other plant life and beings. She panted watching her glorious creations battle. It was like watching life versus death. Those which formed the harder exo-skeletons push forward, destroying and absorbing all they could. Those weaker gathered together, their roots and vines merging beneath the ground. They snaked their way towards the battling giants and would unleash themselves from the earth when the time was right. The Tank-Mushroom was on its way, hopefully Absolem was be able to keep it out of sight. It was far from inaudible, however it could still hold some surprise if it remained unseen.

Absolem knew that he had made a touchy decision in leaving Gray behind, but he didn't know how long he could keep something like that chariot hidden for very long. His gaze was stone cold, but when wasn't it? Unless something he loved was in obvious peril.. He didn't blame Cheshire for taking matters into her own hands, but at this point, his thoughts were moving thousands of miles per second. It had been a long time since the world of Wonderland had to prepare for an enemy of this magnitude. Absolem kept close behind after Cheshire despite his thoughts keeping his mind rather occupied, not to mention he now had his mind and abilities prepared to take on the burden of keeping his home invisible. He already felt the twinge of the first wave, but at most the first wave of flowers was only a good fifty percent of the work load. When the other two sets of flowers were breached, when that finally happened, he knew he was in for a world of pain. He'd never taken such a task upon himself, he wasn't sure exactly what it would do to him.


He watched as Cheshire began her army, eyebrows raising a bit. Now he'd learnt something interesting about his friend that he'd never known before. He decided not to comment, but rather to focus on what he soon would have to endure more of. He would know exactly when the second wave of the flowers were destroyed thankfully, but the method would be painful. All the energy needed to conceal the house they once took the obligation of managing would be drawing from his mental capacity almost instantly.

Absolem couldn't help but mourn his house a little, even if it wasn't obvious. He'd taken so much time, so much of getting familiar with his powers while building that house. All by himself. He made everything inside it. Befriended all the plants. Even one as stubborn as Absolem couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness as something that personal was practically already gone. Though it was stuck alone to his thoughts, and he wasn't letting it do anything otherwise.

His pursuit stopped for a moment, not even noticing that Cheshire had stopped moving as well, he watched the battles. He felt a wave of familiarity cross up his spine in the form of a shiver. He did his best to conceal it.. but he yearned to be out there. He yearned to release his anger, to rip things apart. Piece by fleshym or the lack there of, piece. When it came to a battle, Absolem held very little remorse for his enemy. Anyone marked as an enemy was just a casualty.

Absolem blinked when the second wave of flowers died, collapsing slowly where he stood. Keeping such a large mobile object invisable.. easier said than done. He'd only lost the first two waves of flowers, the stronger ones, and the moderate level. He wasn't even taking full obligation of quenching the energy thirst, but the pain was like snorting razorblades. His brain felt like it had been stuck into a blender. He didn't scream, he didn't make a single sound. He was far too accustomed to pain. He just sat there, holding his head, gripping extremely tight at his minty locks. He was incapable of going anywhere. He couldn't move himself, He couldn't even warn Destra or Sinistra that no one but Gray was where his house once stood.. but he assumed Gray could fill them in and he hoped, just hoped Gray would be safe with those two.. Two.. Ugh, I'll think about what those two are later..

----


Rhia calmed when Cheshire seemed to take her opinion at least into consideration, giving a small sigh. She wasn't used to herself yet, let alone the attitude of those around her. She was glad no one had a problem with her outbursts as of yet, she wasn't sure who she was herself, someone asking her to change would only make it that much harder in finding something like that out. She was incredibly grateful to Cheshire, she..he..it.. put up with all of her changes, but also seemed to enjoy a lot of it. They both changed like mood rings, or day and night.

Rhia went wide eyed when Absolem decided to leave Gray alone, and she turned around to look back at him, careful to not let go of Cheshire. Was he going to be alright? Was this the best decision? She assumed Absolem knew what he was doing.. but being away from Cheshire already frightened her.. she couldn't understand how brave Gray was.. how could he feel safe this way? In a world he was so unaccustomed to? Or was he more accustomed it already than her? Is it just me that's freaking out in this world, afraid to be left alone? Am I the only weak one? She tried to ignore it. Then she was completely distracted from her thoughts, taken aback as she watched what her contractor could do. She leaned into Cheshire, closing her eyes. She heard all of Absolem's torn thoughts, his manic want to be fighting, and even his sadistic wish to tear people, creatures..something apart until it was unrecognizable. Is this what war did to Absolem or what Absolem did to war? She couldn't tell if this was a result of what the first fight with Jabberwocky did to the man, or if this was his natural self. It scared her, but she refused to relay the information over to Cheshire. They seemed to be close friends. She wasn't going to plant doubt in Cheshire's mind over a creepily sadistic nature the closest thing to a friend to her seemed to possess.

She returned her thoughts to the amazing things Cheshire was doing with the plants, the mushrooms, everything. She was awed, yet at the same time she felt a bit tired. Was this because of the contract? She remembered Gray reacting an entirely different way, but perhaps that was because his required a lot of mental strain.. maybe everyone was effected differently based on their contractors?

She decided to break the silence, but not by asking her stupid question. She wanted to know what a bandersnatch was, but she didn't feel like asking, that would just be too embarrassing to be worth the trouble, "That's so cool, are all of those going to help fight?" she asked tilting her head against Cheshire's back. She watched the battling as well, cringing a bit. She'd never seen so much fighting, heard so much screaming. It was frigtening, but at the same time.. it made her curious. She wondered how long she would last in an atmosphere like that. How long she would last.. if she had to fight for her own life in such a manner. It worried and excited her at the same time.

She watched as Absolem dropped, her golden eyes going wide and she got up from Cheshire for the moment, seeing as she was merely just twirling and swirling around in place anyhow, "Absolem!" she called out. She didn't really know him, but he took care of her simularly to how Cheshire did, so she helped him sit steadily, "He's doing it again.. he's overexerting himself. How long do you think until the Mushroom house reaches Jabberwocky?" She asked Cheshire questioningly. She didn't want to express how dangerous it was, she wasn't even sure how dangerous it was for Cheshire to be using her powers.. but she had to consider Gray. This was going to effect him sooner or later as well.. and his mind wasn't as accustomed to this as Absolem.. for all she knew it could kill him.

Cheshire

Amidst the chaos, Cheshire had nearly forgotten about her contractor and started when Rhia's voice piped up amidst the battle. "That's so cool, are all of those going to help fight?" Cheshire turned her head slightly and caught sight of the girl's amazement and smiled in acknowledgement. Despite the horror and the fact that this may very well be their last moments alive..or in control, the girl managed to squeeze in a bit of amusement and hope to the cat. Just as she had begun to think they had the edge, the battle took a turn for the worst. What hope and joy Cheshire had blossoming suddenly withered. Everything was suddenly going wrong. Screams could be heard a distance away, where the Bandersnatch were charging the Plague itself and Duchess had regained her natural size. Though Cheshire couldn't clearly make out what had happened the woman's screams revealed all. She stood alone, neither her contractor, 'son', nor the Tweedles remained in her company. Either they fled or had perished. Though Cheshire didn't hold any real sentimentality towards the missing creatures, her mind reignited in rage. The weakness she was slowly gaining, burned out with new intent. The others were too far away and hidden amongst the burning brush, but Duchess was at least visible. If the woman had no back-up Cheshire would step up to the plate. Thankfully, she could feel the Mushroom-house's entrance into the battlefield. Absolem had kept it hidden thus far, so she held onto that bit of surprise. Regardless if the thing became visible was soon to be irrelevant. Though, having an invisible weapon would serve an advantage, it wouldn't be too much of a let down if Absolem couldn't pull it off. He made it this far, which was impressive. If he could keep it up-

"Absolem!" Dammit. "He's doing it again..he's overexerting himself. How long do you think until the Mushroom house reaches Jabberwocky?" Cheshire groaned and followed the girl as she ran to the Caterpillar's side. She could see his turmoil and cursed aloud. Why was this happening now? She turned her back to the girl and Chain to keep an eye out for any other creatures that may happen to come this way. With Absolem in his current state, she'd have to serve as both offense and defense. "Hell of a time to do this, Abs." She grumbled, making sure he heard her. If anything, maybe anger would keep him in the game. "Keep conscious. I don't want to lug your useless corpse around."

Meanwhile, the gathering roots pushed themselves beneath Mr. Tibbs and Duchess, coating nearly the entire underground area in a network of roots and vines. Seeing that the beast was preoccupied with the woman Cheshire took her chance to strike. The tank-shroom made it's presence known by striking it's enlarged roots upon the boar-beast. First to deflect it's attack at the woman, then to entangle. Hopefully, Absolem would be able to push through and keep it hidden, at least enough for the Duchess to get clear.

Ivory it has a familiar ring to it, doesn't it?

Ivory wasn’t exactly assured as to her location. Honestly, she didn’t know where she was at all. In fact, the last thing she could summon up from her memory was Rabbit doing something with the clocks. She was in the woodlands when she stirred, her skull ringing painfully. She looked around, but at first her sight was blurry and everything looked mushed together in an array of color and disfigured shape. She knew she was in the woods however based off the surrounding sounds and the way the earth felt underneath her hands. She wasn’t aware of what she was intended to do with herself and she was left questioning how she got here in the first place. This is not Rabbit’s house.. What happened to me? Not to mention what happened to Rabbit?! They hadn’t even been properly contracted yet.. She shook her head, she didn’t have time to sort this out, Wonderland was a dangerous place. She was torn from her thoughts when she instinctively scrambled to her feet when she saw a plant move, feeling herself begin to tremble in fright. She wasn’t the bravest of the humans, that much was for sure. Being abandoned wasn’t improving her uneasiness either. Ivory ran the instant the plant shifted again, screaming out in terror.

She was darting between foliage, over Wonderland wildlife, doing her best to not step on anything. Even a mouse could prove fatal in a place such as this! She was pretty agile, evading the trees well considering the momentum she obtained from the downward dash. Her usual skill at sprinting like this normally wasn’t proficient, so she was merely waiting to crash into someone or something. Half of the girl wanted to find someone, yet then again, half of her did not. She found a group, well sort of. She heard them, so she hid behind a group of trees. There was a green haired male clutching his head and a blue haired girl..boy? Uhm, she wasn’t sure trying to help him somehow and a slightly intimidating girl near both of them, barking angrily. She clutched the tree nervously. She wasn’t sure she wanted to show herself, but she needed to make herself known soon. She then noticed another group approach a blonde girl..boy? Why are so many of them confusing about their gender!? She noticed more people in what looked to be a carriage or chariot. She moved from her tree, closer towards the people in the chariot, peeking from behind it to get a better look. There was a set of twins, a girl, and a boy. Who were they? More Wonderland inhabitants? Contractors? She wanted to make herself known, but she felt her fingers tremble against the bark of the tree. She was… scared. She wouldn’t have been, had she been with Rabbit, but she was on her own again. She quickly hid behind the tree again when she realized they’d possibly see her. She was really pale and in all white clothing with long white hair. She stuck out against the dark colors like a sore thumb. She turned her back to them leaning on the tree, drumming her fingers quietly on the bark in attempt to concentrate and comfort herself as she tried to come to a conclusion on how to act. Violent or safe, you’ve got to decide quickly Ivory! If I show myself..will they kill me?

Cheshire

The roots had lashed out just as planned, trapping the Dog-Beast within a living web. Cheshire's toothed grin split across her face and she let loose a growl of pleasure. It was working! The roots were strong, numerous and large. The few unlucky vines torn by the Beast were quickly replaced and set forth towards immoblizing the infected creature within a root-cocoon. Seeing her foe struggle, Cheshire dared herself closer, hopping a few meters ahead, just enough so she could get her message across to the Duchess. She roared, her sound echoing in the air, bringing with it handfuls of leaves, stones and flowers. They whipped and thrashed frantically through the wind before finally sorting themselves out into a spelled message: Get over here, woman! She wasn't aware of the other General's exact locations, but the fact that they had fled and she had her plant-army surrounding, she was very confident..that and she was anxious to gather the Chains and Contractors together. She left the floating message to disperse and guide the Duchess towards the group. She watched for a moment, enjoying the Beast's struggle then as if it's body was under too much pressure, it died. She wasn't sure whether to be overjoyed at the defeat or wary. It all seemed too easy.

Slowly, she crept back towards the others, her gaze remaining upon the blackened corpse, her eyes furrowing as the body seemingly drifts away. Her uneasiness began to spread as not only the Dog-Beast turned to ash, but as everything else did too. All around her, the infected creatures were blowing away, creating a rather confusingly, peaceful victory; but was it truly a victory? The sky was darkening with the ashes of the infected and though she couldn't see it, she could feel what everything Jaberwockey had kept living within an infectious Hell was now dead. She collapsed, her claws helpless digging into the earth, not only out of the sudden shock of so much death, but of the overwhelming sadness which came with it. She gasped, unable to bring forth the anguish she suddenly felt. Though no longer imprisoned within their own bodies, all those which had hope of freedom once the Plague was destroyed had perished and now what was left of Wonderland was becoming a much darker place, in both the literal and spiritual sense. The Plague still lived. This was no victory.

With what little strength she had left, she slowly stood and stumbled back towards the others. Her vision blurred as she swayed in her steps, almost stopping a few times as not to tread on the ash. However seeing as it was a wasted effort, she trudged solemnly, almost lethargically back to the group. They were still there, Rhia, Absolem, now Grey. They all looked worse for wear, but that was something she had quickly become used to. She stopped, her unseeing eyes locking upon the girl before looking down to the blanketed earth. "Be careful where you step," She spoke monotonously, "The dead coat the floor.."