Alice got a nasty shock when her dolls abruptly stopped embroidering. She had been engrossed in controlling them, power flowing back and forth along the sorcerous strings until her body became a cloud of wooden figures with a warm, living core. Now her vision snapped out of the kaleidoscopic view from twenty-four eyes and the dolls clustered around her, looking up urgently. It was like suddenly going blind and having her legs dance a jig without her permission.

"Now, see here!" she snapped, as though she actually needed to talk to them. "We were in the middle of an important – oh." Two shanghai dolls had landed before her, carrying the wall clock between them. 10:57 AM… Marisa would be along any moment. The whole reason she'd started this project was to distract herself from the butterflies in her stomach; social calls was still a rare and stressful occurrence for her. Struggling to order her thoughts, she spoke along with the commands rapping out through her stings. "Very well, then. You and you, fetch my cloak, and you, the new dress. You three, watch the sky. And House…" With an absent flick, she activated the wards pulsing through the cottage walls. Marisa hadn't announced herself by strafing the place with high-powered lasers yet, but Alice wouldn't put it past her.

This new dress was her first presentable outfit in years, but its simple design didn't show the weeks of effort that had gone into it. She'd plunged through dozens of patterns and materials in a storm of alternating artistic passion, cold practicality and despairing apathy. As ever, her facets bitterly fought: her pride as a craftswoman demanded the very best she could make, her scholarly sense of propriety balked at anything too elaborate, the warrior in her wanted something rakish while the mender wanted something soft. She instinctively felt the importance of these questions because, as a doll collector, she knew just how much personality and history a simple outfit could convey.

That's how Alice solved her dilemma in the end. She considered her body as though it were the newest doll in her collection and posed the question, what kind of clothing tells this character's story? Then, after a minor panic attack, she'd amended it to, what kind of clothing tells the story's relevant parts without wrecking me?

Now her answer fluttered down the stairs in Shanghai Blue's wake, and its sisters swirled around her in a colorful cyclone. Alice took one step towards Blue and her bare foot slapped on the tiles, dolls scattering with her outer clothes. Without breaking her stride, she took another step and her boot clomped down as the perfect dress settled over her.

A dark blue gown, sleek but practical. A white capelet squared her shoulders and swished with dignity and authority. The sleeves were short, showing youthful energy. A sash-styled belt and wristbands in red gave her a splash of color. Her favorite feature was probably the frills on the capelet and skirt – instead of the delicate, intricate patterns she would have used for her dolls, these were just rows of triangles. Something about being lined with soft felt sawteeth just felt quintessentially Alice.

She made a quick turn and the skirt lofted gratifyingly. This was the last bit; the story's punchline. Somewhere, beneath the layers of Olympian pride and ruthless practicality, the wild-eyed artist and the cold scientist and the cocky warrior, hiding in the bombed out wreckage of past Alices, there was still a girl who liked twirling her skirts now and again. If anyone caught even the tiniest hint of that, she would probably die of embarrassment.

"Hey, lookin' good, Aly!"

Alice froze facing the door. Marisa had called in through the kitchen window, and now it squeaked open as the witch let herself in. For some reason, the infuriating little woman just wouldn't come from the same direction twice. Perhaps it was her instincts as a burglar? Alice didn't know much about that sort of thing, but it seemed likely.

"Ms. Kirisame," she said without turning, giving a small start as the dolls she'd dispatched finally returned and dropped her cloak over her shoulders. In contrast to the care that had gone into her dress, this was just a big slab of heavy fabric, lined with fleece about her shoulders and arms.

Marisa tromped up and hugged her from behind, pinning her arms. "How's it going, you?"

That was another strange thing: Marisa had apparently decided that they were close friends forever after just that first visit in the late summer. Alice wasn't sure how she felt about it, honestly. "I… how long were you there?"

"Long enough to see that awesome quickchange. I could think of some uses for…"

"Let go of me! Please." Alice took a quick step forward and turned. There were about four things she wanted to say, but she stuck to the one closest to the surface to avoid sputtering. "For God's sake, what makes you think you can just peep into people's windows like that?"

The witch just smiled and shrugged, shifting the fine umber cloak she wore over her usual black dress. Her complete lack of shame threw Alice into doubt.

"Er, and also…" Shifting gears clumsily, Alice reached out and patted Marisa's shoulder. One of the dolls hopped up to fasten the cloak's clasp at her chest. "It's, ah, good to see you, Marisa. I'm ready to set out when you are."

Marisa laughed out loud. "Okay, then! Let's get this show on the road!"

After a long string of unseasonably warm days, Gensokyo was finally starting to cool. The Forest of Magic was a rushing sea of red and orange with fairies twirling through the upper branches like motes of dust, scattering bright leaves in the wind. Alice knew there would be many travelers passing through; as the youkai mushrooms retreated for the winter, the paths would be safer for these precious few weeks before the snow came. While Blue stayed posted at her side, she unconsciously had Green and Purple swing lower to watch out for anyone who might be in trouble.

"An' seriously, Alice," Marisa said as the forest faded into the human village's glistening rice fields. An errant gust carried a smell like baking bread up to them; harvest time was near. "I just showed up an' I was gonna knock right when you changed. I wouldn't spy on you like that."

"Incidentally, I'm impressed that you managed to evade my wards. I should have sensed you coming from half a kilometer away."

"I'm just that slick," Marisa said proudly. "Those wards were pretty brutal, but no magic can keep me… well, wait, I'm serious. I wasn't spyin' on you. I'm not a creeper."

"You'd be courteous enough to wait until I wasn't home, no doubt," Alice agreed. "Provided you managed to sneak past my dolls and I didn't need the particular book you'd taken an interest in, I need never even know you'd been by."

"You got it!" Marisa said with a wide grin. "I'm the soul o' discretion herself!"

Alice smiled despite herself.

They angled north past Youkai Mountain, pulling up to avoid the top reaches of the old growth forest there. The new town crouched in its foothills like a rusty, smoking scab and storm clouds swirled and cackled about its peak in clear defiance of climatology; both sets of new tenants were apparently breaking the place in. Beyond, Gensokyo swooped low into the old woods for a few more kilometers before they finally reached the Border Mountains, jagged gray teeth cut through by the rosy haze of the Great Hakurei Barrier. The trees at their feet were ragged and gnarled, already stripped by the cold air. Even though there were a few hours of daylight to go, ghost lights and eerie shapes flitted through their shadows. The witches rode an updraft into the rapidly cooling air, leaving the grim woods far below.

"And here we are!" Marisa crowed. "A creepy-cool abandoned mansion to explore, just as promised! I'll bet this place has one hell of a story, yeah?"

"Yeah," Alice said, smiling again.

The house crouched over a cliff, awkwardly throwing wings across the rumpled mountainside. The paint had once been green, but decades of wind and sun had turned it into a milky stain on the siding. The roofs were peaked sharply to shed the constant snowfall, which heaped in its courts where the wind couldn't scour it away. The magicians hovered for a time, just looking it over and luxuriating in the novelty of it.

"Is something wrong, Marisa?"

"I don't know, it just…" the witch gave a quick sigh. "Now that we're here, it's kind of a letdown. I only saw it for a moment on my way through to the Netherworld, and I thought it'd be… well, I don't know. Cooler? I just… I don't feel much like loot—er, uh, archaeology, all'a sudden."

Alice glanced over, concerned. She put a hand towards her friend, but then snatched it back. "That doesn't sound like you, Marisa."

"Yeah, I know. Anyway, let's see what's down there." Marisa went into a shallow dive, throwing her legs out to catch the air. "I bet I'll feel better once we're checking it out."

"Making off with priceless artifacts," Alice agreed lightly, swanning down at her side.

"Maybe beating up guardian monsters," Marisa added. "Or dodging cunning traps."

"Do you think?"

"Nah, but I could use the workout."

"Me too. If you don't mind, perhaps we could spar in the evening."

Marisa smiled, but her heart didn't seem to be in it. "Sounds good."

The impact of their boots on the porch set the front doors creaking slowly open. Sheltered from the wind, they had been protected from banging and splintering away over the years. The shadowy air within was cold and sterile; in the harsh alpine climate, the house had grown desiccated rather than rotten.

"Big place," Marisa observed idly. "Think maybe we should split up?"

"Listen… Marisa," Alice said awkwardly. She made a subtle gesture and Green marched to her friend's side. "If you have no objections, I'd like to send one of my dolls with you. If you, er, need anything…"

Marisa looked irritated for a moment, but then her eyes softened. "Well, I won't," she said, scooping Green up in her arms, "But thanks for the thought, for sure. I'll take the East half, okay? Okay." She sailed up the stairs like a ghost, flying a few inches off the floor. "C'mon, buddy," she said to the doll in a sugary voice. "Let's go get some plunder!"

Alice was left standing there with an awkward look on her face, almost a smirk. The witch seemed to have trouble wrapping her head around the fact that all of the dolls she saw were either pre-programmed machines or direct extensions of Alice. As far as she could tell, Marisa either genuinely thought of them as little people, or (more likely) she knew that her behavior amounted to snuggling and baby-talking at Alice and did it did it just to get her goat. The very idea should have been galling, but the remove actually made it kind of funny – like somebody making a point of talking to her fingertips, perhaps.

"Well, then," Alice said to Blue and Purple. They nodded and took their positions at each shoulder. "Let's see what we've found."

The house was much larger than it had looked from the air, a maze of narrow halls descending into dank, frigid cellars. It creaked and shifted alarmingly as the wind howled through the drafty walls. Alice rubbed her arms and blew out a stream of steam. Even with her cloak, long sleeves would have been a good decision. Something about these outings with Marisa made her flake on incredibly simple details like that.

"It's because she's another magician," Blue explained.

"We couldn't bear to make a fool of ourselves in front of her," Purple added. "So of course we must do so at every opportunity."

"Our first new friend in ages is also a colleague. No wonder we couldn't eat this morn –"

Alice managed to stop herself from verbally telling them to shut up. Once she'd pulled herself together, she hurriedly checked to make sure Green hadn't said anything, then tied off its mouth before she forgot herself again.

Despite the nervous moment, she found that she was enjoying herself. It was as though the icy wind had blasted a weight out of her chest, some stifling burden she had long since accepted and stopped noticing. As she picked her way across the uneven floor, every detail and creak and smell and passing emotion sprang sharply into her attention. It was strange that she should learn this lesson in such a desolate place, but it seemed that she was finally figuring out how to live in the moment and enjoy the little things. Even her anxiety seemed somehow brighter and more real, filling her with energy rather than weighing her down.

She hadn't even found anything yet and Alice was already thrilled with how their expedition had turned out.

Marisa was having a hard time focusing on her casing, wandering more or less at random without giving any room more than a cursory glance. Eventually, she took to advancing in long loops, passing in and out of the gaping windows. She was hardly a claustrophobe, but for some reason the house was making her feel choked and hemmed-in. On one pass beneath the drafty roof, Green suddenly turned West. She wasn't attuned to the strings, but Marisa could still feel her friend's feathery touch in the air. "You're not spying on me, are you, buddy?"

The doll just kept staring into the distance, then forgot what it was doing and returned to her side as if nothing had happened. Alice had probably gotten into another argument with herself. Marisa wanted to be amused by that, but the feeling just wouldn't come.

"Something's wrong here."

Ah, of course. This austere, uncomfortable manor reminded her of Mima's old home; evil spirits needed no amenities and she'd only given her human minions the smallest and most grudging concessions. Young Marisa been determinedly chipper at the time, but looking back, she realized how miserable she'd been in that place. She'd actually looked forward to her days-long sessions of intensive training in the caves, because at least there nobody was actively mocking or berating her all the time, and she could always take her frustrations out on the living rock.

Either option was better than home with her parents, though. Mima had at least appreciated her for what she was – as a tool, admittedly, but that was something. Marisa had always had something of the Forest of Magic in her, and it was like her parents knew somehow. Such obsessive focus! Such panicked doting! They had watched her drift away, knowing that she had never been theirs. She had hated hurting them, but she couldn't have stayed in the human village any more than she could grow gills to live with the kappa.

Ugh. What wretched memories. Why drag herself through them now, of all times? And what was that annoying sound? It droned beneath hearing, beneath even touch, seeping into her bones.

Marisa finally crouched down and let out a long, harsh sigh. She recognized the thought pattern, actually; it was just like the weeks after her first defeat by Reimu, when her whole identity had been swept away as useless and her mind was eagerly grasping at anything she could use to beat herself up with. That awful time rushed back, momentarily as fresh and vivid as bullets pounding into her chest, but then she just let it go and came to ground, heavy and cold. The suddenness scared her, but that sank, too. Everything she felt was spiraling into a deep, black pit in her gut and she just couldn't make herself care.

Welp, this expedition was shot.

Most of the rooms were empty, but Alice wasn't too disappointed. She cruised along the barren halls, dispatching Purple or Blue whenever a shadow or motion caught her attention. She had long since gotten used to the house's swaying; it was like being aboard an ancient icebreaker forging through the arctic, and as soon as the thought crossed her mind, she started gleefully plotting out a torrid tale of despair, betrayal and cannibalism for her dolls to act out. It was utterly ridiculous, but that just made her happier.

Alice jerked to a halt. Blue had found something. She drifted backwards, dragging the toes of her boots along the floorboards, and wheeled awkwardly like a marionette. It would have been much more efficient to simply walk, but her body almost felt like just another doll; she was so excited that it her mind simply refused to compress back down into a single form.

"What have we found?" she asked Blue, though it couldn't know anything she didn't. Alice realized that she was shivering steadily now. She didn't worry, though, as it would be the work of a few moments to weave an insulating spell when she could spare the attention.

The room was windowless, but thin fingers of sunlight filtered in through the walls. The center was dominated by something huge under a dark green canvas tarp, filling the air with its harsh, waxy smell. The ropes holding it down squeaked and wobbled in the wind, almost deafening after the quiet halls.

"It wasn't quiet at all," Purple suddenly said. "The music. Do you hear that?"

"If you do, then of course I do!" Alice snapped, then laughed at herself. Her agile fingers made short work of the knot at her feet and, feeling careless, she tossed a bullet across the room and cut the second rope. The wind took it with a solid crack, dramatically revealing what lay beneath: a shining, lovingly maintained grand piano. Freed of its prison, it smelled deliciously of freshly polished walnut and oiled strings. Cleary, they weren't alone.

Now she recognized the sound Purple had called to her attention – a faint, sprightly warbling above the wind, perhaps a kind of horn? She wasn't hearing it with her ears; the song was winding through her spirit without any intermediary. Phantom music. Now she knew why she was feeling so bubbly.

"We just walked into a ghost story!" she realized.

"There's something very wrong with us," Blue added.

Alice cackled. "I know! It has its claws in me! Isn't that great?" It wasn't great at all; in fact, she should have been pretty frightened. "How delightful!"

Marisa had stopped feeling even depressed. Her head was cold and empty, and her limbs were swiftly going the same way. She lay curled in the hall, wrapped in her heavy cloak but still trembling. She wondered distantly if she was going to die of hypothermia, but didn't especially care. Green stood by her side, arms crossed and face serious, a brainless little sentry.

"I know what this is," Marisa said tonelessly. There was no reason to verbalize, but the doll made her feel like there was someone to talk to. "I'm being drained or… something. It's a song, I think, like that shit Mysti pulls when we spar. Bein' human, I can't quite get a grip on it, but it's slidin' around in the back of my skull, like… like grease or something." She smiled weakly. "It really sucks."

Suddenly, Green came to life and whirled towards her. "Mmmn!" it said briefly, then waved its hands in front of its face and tried again. The light and intelligence in its eyes showed that Alice was now in the room with her, but she couldn't imagine such a giddy expression on her friend's real face. "Marisa! You will not believe what I just f… what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Marisa said, slamming her palms into the floorboards. She still felt like her chest was full of lead, but she refused to let Alice see her like this. Maybe the dollmaker had just saved her life. She'd never know. "I'm fine."

"You look terrible."

"Well, thanks."

"You must hear the music, too?" Green bit its lip, an impressive feat of facial dexterity. "I'm coming to join you. Please keep this doll nearby."

"You don't have to – "

"I'm coming."

"Alice, don't -!" Marisa started, but Green was already empty again. "God, I never woulda taken you for a busybody! What the hell?"

Alice considered lasering her way to Marisa's side, but it wouldn't do anyone any favors if she brought the rickety house down on them. She settled for flying at top speed, ricocheting through corners boots-first and twisting around obstacles like a fish. Her cloak was ripped away instantly, but she barely noticed. She'd never realized how agile she could be in the air; there'd never been a particular reason to try.

As she drew near, though, an unexpected obstacle brought her up short. A girl in pale blue stood at the end of the hall, leaning on the rail of the cellar stairs and idly spinning a trumpet on the post. She wore a light tunic, short skirt and small cap with a little star at its peak; a fitting outfit for the stage, perhaps, but completely wrong for the top of a mountain. The momentary flash of surprise Alice should have felt at her sudden appearance blossomed into a few seconds sheer terror. Things were getting too real now. The figure gave her a quick smile and wave, then started to dissolve as it turned away.

"Oh, no, you don't," Alice said, grinning, and hurled Purple down the hall like a fastball. It smacked into the wall and splayed its limbs, forming the center of a magic circle that stamped itself onto the wall with a vivid pulse. It was about two meters wide and, once it activated, defined a cylinder of air with a glowing spiritual barrier. The girl reappeared within, casting about in a panic.

"A poltergeist, hmm? Then I must have you to thank for the music. It has me in quite a state." Alice floated a few inches into the air and smiled calmly. Her emotions were still surging, but they were easy to channel now that she fully understood what was happening to her. "It's been a lovely afternoon, and I'm not even being sarcastic."

"Y-you should be going mad by now!" the spirit protested. "Any human would!"

Alice laughed softly. "You think I'm a human? I suppose I should be flattered."

"So fine, you got me, the game's up. What are you going to do now?"

"Oh, I haven't quite decided yet, but I imagine it depends on what you've done with my friend. If she's alright, I will collect her and take my leave."

The poltergeist cast an uncertain glance to the side. "And if she's not?"

"I'll probably exorcise you and raze this house to the ground." Alice cracked her knuckles. "Then have my dolls rebuild it so that I can raze it again."

"Th-this isn't what that song was supposed to do! It's supposed to make you excitable, not… not…! What the hell's wrong with you!"

"Maybe I'm a bloodthirsty killer," Alice suggested. "Maybe I haven't walked into a ghost story after all; maybe you walked into psycho-murderer story!" The look on the poltergeist's face made her double over laughing. "Oh, darling," she managed after a few seconds. "You've created a monster!"

"Wait! Hold on! This isn't what I-! Danmaku!"

"Hmm?"

"I challenge you to a spellcard duel!" The poltergeist struck a defiant pose, even though her eyes were still wide and terrified. "F-fight me!"

"Now that is music to my ears! I've been craving a good match since I first heard your song!" Alice held out a hand and a magic circle spun into being before it. Blue darted about behind her, leaving throbbing points of white light in its wake. They drifted out like fireflies and cast faint tracers on the spirit, promising lasers to come.

"Wait, wait, hold on!" their target protested, battering at the shell trapping her.

"What do you say, two cards, one life?"

"We can't start like this, you lunatic!"

Spirit Sign – Rocke's Lance

Alice snapped the fingers of her free hand and the barrier vanished. "Run."

Marisa heard the crash and howl of lasers ripping across the house, followed by deranged, high-pitched laughter that sounded eerily like Alice, though the dollmaker would never make that kind of sound in a million years. She should have been rushing to join the battle, or diving for cover, or… anything, really, but it was taking all of her energy just to keep paying attention. Despite the alpine wind hissing around her, she didn't feel particularly cold anymore, which was probably a bad sign.

As she listened, a slim figure in black faded into being and sat down against the wall next to her, resting a violin across its knees. The oppressive weight on Marisa's heart eased a little; she wasn't being crushed by phantom music anymore, but she would probably freeze to death before she was herself again. Oh, well.

"Hey," Marisa said dully. "It's you, huh?"

The figure nodded. Watching from the corner of her eye, the witch could see red buttons standing out of a black outfit with a short skirt. Pale blonde hair stirred, but it was going against the wind, pulled by a current Marisa couldn't touch. Perched above it was an odd little black cap with a ceramic crescent moon at its peak. It was a pretty goofy outfit, all told, but at least the violin was classy.

"I guess that racket's one o' yours fighting mine, then?"

Shrug. Quite the conversationalist, this one.

"Then…" Marisa said ponderously, producing the mini-hakkero with a clumsy flip of her hand. "I guess we should…"

A deep, shivering drone broke her train of thought, sweeping the world away in an icy black river. Hearing the phantom music faintly from a distance was one thing, but now there was nothing in the universe but that awful sound grinding away at her. As it lifted, she found herself sprawled on the floor. Breathe, Marisa, she ordered, staring at the threadbare carpet. Don't stop breathing.

This was no way for Marisa Kirisame to go out.

"I'll pass, thanks." The poltergeist's voice had the same eerie quality as her music, giving Marisa's ears a miss and humming against her soul. It was so warm and personable after that brutal music that she fell in love for an absurd moment. "We're feeling merciful today, so we'll just leave you outside the human village. Lie back and relax, human; you're already beaten."

"Oh, yeah?" Marisa replied, hating the quavering tone in her voice. She rolled onto her back, keeping a loose grip on the hakkero, let out a long, slow breath, then abruptly sat up, casting it out. Golden light spluttered and a volley of faint stars smacked into the walls all around them, raising an alarming groan. "Well, you're toast."

It wasn't the best comeback she'd ever come up with and the attack was a lot weaker than she'd been trying for (perhaps fortunately), but her target's poleaxed expression made her feel a lot better about it. The phantom raised her violin and flourished her bow in the air, preparing another soul-crushing solo.

"Spellcard duel, two lives, two cards!" Marisa blurted. "Gotcha, bitch!"

The poltergeist froze in mid stroke and slowly lowered her bow. She seemed irritated at first, but then gave a slow, grudging smile. "Okay, human, you can have your duel. Where is all this energy coming from, anyway? I don't think I've ever had such a stubborn audience."

"Oh, it really sucked, don't get me wrong, but you really just got me thinking about my old master." Marisa considered giving the mini-hakkero a cocky little flourish to answer her opponent's, but her hands were clamped around its warmth too tightly. She could almost feel them again. "If she couldn't break me, then you don't have a chance!"

Yes, that was definitely Alice laughing in the distance. From the pattern of fire, Marisa guessed that she was unleashing her Foggy London Dolls card. It probably wasn't too effective with just two or three dolls handy, but as long as she was having fun…

"I guess I should introduce myself," Marisa started.

"No need: you're Marisa Kirisame, the white-and-black, resolver of incidents and burglar of youkai. Love the outfit, by the way." The poltergeist flicked her bow out and it grew a few inches. The string glistened, trailing soft points of light in the air as she moved it. Was she making a clean switch from spirit music to danmaku, then? That would be a relief. "I'm Lunasa Prismriver."

"How did you know who – ?"

A volley of rainbow-hued lasers perforated the hall all around them. A poltergeist in blue zipped through the wall and threw her arms around Lunasa, spinning them in the air so that she could serve as a shield. Her violin drifted free, tumbling lazily end over end, but Marisa's speculative grab for it met only air and creepy ectoplasmic tingling. Damn.

"Merlin, what-?" Lunasa yelped.

"Save me!"

Alice skidded around the corner as though she were on rollerblades, already priming another volley of lasers. Marisa had seen her smile in battle before, but never like this; her eyes blazed and her lips peeled back to show off predator's teeth. Even the dolls were grinning, whipping about her in tight orbits and crackling with power. Sorcerous strings were suddenly flailing all around them like the feelers of some dreadful sea beast, barely visible. The sight of her was so startling that Lunasa forgot all about who she was supposed to be fighting and opened fire.

"Ah, ah, ah!" Alice said chidingly, deflecting Lunasa's bullets with effortless flicks of her fingers. They swung and skipped from the walls, snagged by her strings and flung wildly off course. "Do you want to cut in? I think I should get another card, then. That's only fair, isn't it? In fact, here!"

Blue Sign – Benevolent French Dolls

"Alice!" Marisa cried, dropping to a crouch and throwing up the strongest shield she could.

The blizzard of bullets choked off instantly and Alice bolted to her friend's side. The poltergeists gave her a wide berth. "What did they do to you?"

Marisa recoiled. "I'm fine, I'm fine!"

"I know what would make you feel better," Alice offered, throwing a hand out to in invitation. Green started stitching the air with proto-lasers, readying another volley with Marisa as its target. "You wanted to spar, didn't you? What better time?"

"No, I…"

"Come on, aren't you always up for a barrage?" Proto-lasers pulsed to life and tracers flashed out, painting the witch from head to toe.

"Alice, no." Marisa actually cringed in the air, surreptitiously readying a blast that would give her a clear shot at the sky if her friend wouldn't listen. She wasn't up for a fight. She wasn't up for anything but curling up in bed with a tub of peanut butter ice cream and a good book. "Aren't you busy, anyway?"

"Oh, right." Alice looked over her shoulder to see that she'd been subconsciously fending the poltergeist's bullets off this whole time. Marisa didn't trust her sudden calm; it was like watching a bonfire being doused into a blackened pile that still glowed within. "And I suppose you don't want to simply be protected."

"I never do," Marisa agreed, straightening. "And I don't care about looting anymore. Let's just shoot our way out. Okay?"

"You had me at 'shoot.'" Alice threw her arms wide and the spirits' music-note-themed bullets parted like the red sea, spattering up and down the hall as strings caught them and flung them aside. She struck a stance and two of the dolls spread out before her, flailing into ridiculous little Action Jackson karate poses while Purple quietly shot along the floor and took up a position behind the spirits. Marisa just floated up next to her and hunched over her broom, glowering; it was a clear sign of trouble when she didn't have it in her to strike a pose.

"We can do this, sis!" Merlin cheered. "They don't have us licked yet!"

"I'm ready," Lunasa said.

"No, you're not," Alice corrected, smiling again. She crooked her finger and Purple primed itself to explode.

Suddenly, the combatants froze in their tracks. Phantom music smashed through them like a collapsing brick wall, not the invigorating blasts of Merlin's horn or the crushing strains of Lunasa's violin, but the deep, powerful voice that simply stunned them. Grappling with the bizarre sensation, Alice's brain finally decided that she was hearing the drone of a vast pipe organ, or maybe wind moaning through a mountain pass. It rattled her bones and stole her breath, making everything feel strange and far away. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, fidgeting in the air. "Marisa, do you… hear that?"

"Yeah," Marisa grunted. She sounded annoyed, but then slowly straightened and relaxed as the unearthly note continued. "Ahh…"

"It's so strange!" Alice cried, but then her voice dropped uncertainly. "I… I don't know if I like it." The dolls clustered protectively around her, raising a yelp from Merlin as Purple passed through her.

"It's smoothin' us out, I think, from what those two were doin'."

Another poltergeist drifted down through the ceiling, pale hair swirling in an imaginary breeze. Her outfit was similar to the others, this time in red, and that vast, unbelievable sound was apparently issuing from a three-inch-thick Casio keyboard hovering at her side. When she saw that she had everyone's attention, her arm dropped lazily to her side and a cavernous silence fell over the manor. Nobody dared move until she finally spoke. "Would somebody like to explain to me why the west wing is collapsing seventy years ahead of schedule?"

Everybody pointed at Alice, who cast about and sputtered for a few seconds, but couldn't think of a good defense.

"Uh huh. And yet, somehow, I doubt she did it alone. Merlin."

Merlin looked at her shoes. "I didn't, I, uh."

"Come on, Lyrica," Lunasa protested. "She was supposed to get scared, not… you know."

"For pity's sake," Lyrica snapped, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Did you two seriously just try to give the usual treatment to a pair of magicians? What made you think they'd have anything like a normal reaction to your music? Just look at these two! They're obviously crackers!"

Marisa swelled and Alice bristled.

"Well, I'm sorry," Lyrica added, offhand. "But why would you dress like that, otherwise?"

All of the replies Alice wanted to make made a logjam in her throat, leaving her gawping at the poltergeist like a fish. Even the dolls weren't any help; all that made it through to them was a soft, disbelieving, "Oh, wow," from Blue. After a moment of consideration, Green smiled hopefully and added, "Lasers?"

"Sorry, guys." Marisa patted her friend's shoulder, hopefully breaking that train of thought. "We thought this place was abandoned."

Lyrica shrugged. "Well, technically, nobody lives here."

Merlin laughed, but then broke off with a gasp as a deep, dangerous groan rose from the west and something splintered ominously. The wind got just a little bit colder. After a tense moment, everyone relaxed just in time to jump at the distant crash of a hall caving in.

"Sounds like we need to hurry," Lyrica said. "Listen, can you all call the match a draw? You can come back for a rematch, sometime. My sisters and I have to rescue our collection before the house falls on it."

"Absolutely," Alice said quickly. "Sorry to trouble you."

"But-!" Marisa started, then got a sly look. "Okay, sure. Can we help, then?"

"I can't imagine why you'd want to, but sure? Come on, then!"

In the end, they rescued almost everything, racing up and down the halls in a relay and passing a veritable museum out of the danger zone before the house's groans grew to loud to ignore. After getting themselves to safety, the five stood together in an atrium and watched solemnly as the west wing finally gave way and tumbled off the cliff to explode on the rocks below. Nobody else noticed Marisa and Green silently high-fiving in the back of their knot, though Alice shifted uncomfortably in her recovered cloak and glanced back at them. Suddenly, she felt like a ghoul and didn't know why.

Forgetting all about the acrimony from before, Merlin insisted on making a neighborly gesture for their new friends (friends?) and browbeat her sisters into showing them to a relatively intact guest room. After a brief salvage operation, they were able to get a fire going in its hearth, giving them a chance to warm up before making the long, cold trip home. The phantoms then zipped off to rearrange their collection and the invaders were left to sit and listen to the fire crackle, looking everywhere but at each other.

"Are you okay?" Alice asked after a few minutes.

"I'm fine," Marisa said shortly, huddling in her cloak.

Awkward silence stretched.

"Listen, I'm sorry for – "

"It's fine," Marisa repeated. It looked like she was going to leave it at that, but after a moment, she gave her friend a wry look. "But what the hell was with you, anyway? I've never seen you like that."

"The one in blue – Merlin, was it? – was focusing on me. Her music was making me, well, that." Alice shifted towards her slightly. "I have an insulation spell up. If you're still cold, I could give you…"

"Nah. But thanks." Marisa's smile was a little bitter. "Right now, I gotta shiver alone."

Alice sat back and pressed her fingertips together. Her friend's pride could flare up at the oddest times. "Okay."

"Oh, come on!" Marisa yelped, jerking in place. "I just said… well… okay, fine. We can do it this way." She shifted onto her side and Alice saw that Blue had drifted up and wiggled into her arms while she wasn't paying attention.

Alice flushed and straightened. "I-I'll get rid of it!"

"It's fine, it's fine," Marisa said, nestling deeper into her cloak so the doll's eyes just barely peeked into view. "I get to see you squirm this way."

"Well," Alice said stiffly. "I'm glad you're amused."

"Ha! You switch gears so fast." Marisa said, then her expression grew serious. "Now are you okay? You look like someone twisted the stick that's usually up your ass."

"Stick up my - ?" Alice's eye twitched. "For pity's sake, I came here with you, didn't I?"

"Sorry, sorry, just razzin' you. But seriously, something's off about you. What's going on?"

Alice sat back and thought about that. "I don't know, really. There was just… I was caught up in the music and raving by the time you saw me, but when I first started to hear it, I found… no, I felt…" Alice closed her eyes and sighed, finishing weakly. "I don't know."

Marisa started to reply, but felt a strange twinge. The doll stirred in her arms and the strings hummed briefly. Alice's spectral touch wasn't light anymore; there was a lot more than simple commands flying along them.

"It was a beautiful place," Green said suddenly. "All alone in the cold, with Merlin's music bearing me up, I found a new Alice. Someday, I could…" Alice snorted softly, as though she'd fallen asleep, and smoothly picked up the thread. "I could be confident and cheerful and a little goofy, and that would be okay. When I found the piano, I was overjoyed and wanted to share it with you. I'd love to feel like that again, but now I'm just me again, with all my baggage. The old me, or the real me, or… hmm…"

"But why can't you – ?" Marisa started.

"Ack!" Alice straightened and flailed at the air, gathering her strings up with frantic, clumsy gestures. "That was just – I – !" Realizing that there was no way to explain it that wouldn't sound even stranger, she sputtered to a halt, slowly turning bright red. "I'm sorry… I'm not making any sense, am I?"

"Well, you are being a little weird."

Alice nodded silently.

"But all that does make sense. I think it does, anyway." Marisa gathered her nest about her, squeezing the doll, and Alice seemed to relax a little. "Time was, I had to figure out who Marisa was again. Back when I left my old teacher behind – well, no. She tossed me aside because I was useless. You know how it is." Alice didn't, and desperately wanted to, but her friend barreled ahead. "And sure, everything sucked for a while, but there were moments where I was just like, 'yeah… this is me.' Everything made sense, y'know? And when I strung enough of 'em together, eventually I… well, I guess what I'm sayin' is, hold on to that moment."

Alice sat back and turned that over in her mind. "Thank you."

"Sure. So why were you giving Lyrica the stink eye anyway? She seems pretty cool to me."

"I was?"

"Oh, totally. I don't think she noticed, though. What's the deal, huh?"

Alice considered not answering for a long moment, then gave an annoyed sigh. "I put a lot of work into this outfit." It felt so silly and petty when she just came out and said it.

"Ah," Marisa said sagely, and gave her a long, critical look. "Yep, I see her point. You must be crackers, then."

Fortunately, Alice was all lasered out by this point. She just moved to stir the fire while Purple flipped Marisa off and Green performed the classic point-and-then-menacing-thumbs-down. "Since we're asking questions," she said mildly, ignoring her own antics. "Why were you so eager to help?"

Marisa withdrew a viola she'd somehow hidden in her cloak, then gave a jolt at her friend's reaction, eyes widening. "What?"

"You promised you wouldn't trick me into helping you steal things!"

"Oh, come on, I didn't know I was burgling when I came. I thought this place was abandoned, same as you."

"Yes, but…"

"Besides, Lunasa nearly killed me. I guess I just wanted something to remember her by."

Alice stared for a moment, expression unreadable. Marisa thought to look to the dolls for her mood, but they had withdrawn from sight, and Blue had gone limp in her arms. "I knew you weren't alright," Alice finally said. "So it really was that bad."

"I guess it was obvious. But I'm glad you let me be."

"And I'm not entitled to pry and meddle the way you do?"

Marisa gave a quick, apologetic smile. "Nope."

"It's different when it's you're the one suffering, I suppose."

"Clearly."

Neither of them knew how sarcastic they were being.

"But I don't want you to suf - !" Blue cried, then squirted out of Marisa's arms and shot to Alice's waiting hand, suddenly lifeless.

"Well. I apologize for troubling you with my concern. If you don't mind, I will take my leave; I have some reading I need to catch up on, and I'm sure you will want time to enjoy your spoils." Alice stood and brushed her skirt out, dolls spiraling into formation around her with serene, professional expressions. She swept to the exit, but then ruined the effect by pausing in the doorway and turning back. "Before I leave – are you sure you don't want that insulation spell? And don't fall asleep here, they probably won't wake you before…" she glanced at the fire significantly. It was already guttering low.

"Come on, you can't do that," Marisa said, smiling tiredly. "If you want me to take your snits seriously, you have to stick the landing."

"Snits." Alice took a deep breath and released it. She groped for something dignified to go out on, but ended up settling for, "The next time I see you, I am going to blast your face in."

"I'll look forward to it."

Alice left without another word, leaping into the darkening sky and closing her cloak against a light autumn rain. She was alone with her thoughts as she descended towards the Forest of Magic; thankfully, even her dolls knew to shut up. The day's events tumbled through her mind, minor revelations and exciting discoveries and frustration and worry swirling together on her heart's pallet until they became an indistinct, buzzing gray mess that she finally gave up on. She had the feeling that she should have been more cross with Marisa, but she couldn't quite work it up somehow. And now she owed the witch a face-blasting-in, which, since they hadn't gotten to spar after all, wasn't that much of a punishment anyway.

Frustratingly enough, Alice was looking forward to it, too.