This story is dedicated to the Mad Hatteress, who came up with the premise of another Wonderland for a story she will write in the future. I'm helping her out by creating the personality of the Black Rabbit.

This is completely random and is not related to the story of either AinW or Hatteress' story (sort of).

Giuoco Piano

"Black, you're late! By 37 minutes 42 seconds!"

The Rabbit snickered and snapped her watch shut, placing it back in her waistcoat.

"And you were late by 37 minutes 20 seconds, White." She grinned as he stuttered in embarrassment. They were stood on either side of a table that had cups, teapots and various cakes scattered across it. The Rabbit pulled out a chair and sat in it, beckoned for her companion to join her and carefully removed her fedora. She placed it on the table within arm's reach. White warily sat opposite and narrowed his eyes at the hat. How unusual.

"What do you require, Black?"

"No need to be so formal Peter. The Hatter's away right now."

Peter frowned at his cousin. Petra Mavros was a hard woman to figure out. In fact, she was so different from Peter that he would doubt they were even related, were it not for the rabbit ears sprouting from her head and the age-old inability to turn up on time that they shared.

"Where's everyone else?" he asked.

"Actually, I only wanted to have tea. But I needed someone to sit with, so I invited you. Just you," she replied calmly whilst retrieving a cup that was to her liking.

That explained why she was relaxed enough to remove her hat. And why it was only the two of them. No one from the family would ever fail to attend a meeting set up by Petra, for fear of what she might do to them. The others could tell that she was strong, but none more so than Peter. Only he knew that her status as The Black Rabbit, a position mirroring his own, gave barely even a tenth of the power she truly had in the land 'ruled' by Lyra Bludgeon. She controlled everything that happened there, whether the residents knew it or not.

"Do you want tea?" Her voice startled him from his reverie and he quickly pulled himself together.

"Yes, thank you Pet."

She tugged the teapot closest to her even nearer, lifted the lid and glance briefly inside. She then proceeded to replace the lid, gingerly push the pot away again and reached for the next one. Peter, filled with curiosity, sneakily peeked into the rejected teapot as his cousin was busy making tea. Inside he saw a small mass of dark fur. Ah, the Dormouse. The one here was very similar to the Dormouse in the land he was stationed, both constantly being asleep; though when it was awake, he was sure that this one was more eccentric.

"Tom Nibbleston…" it muttered.

Yes. Kind of like that.

He dropped the lid as Petra turned to hand him a cup of tea. He took a small sip, watching his cousin cautiously in case she… in case of anything really. You never knew where you stood with Mavros, though Peter was safer than others, having been close with her when they were children.

They sat quietly for a while, until Peter decided to break the silence.

"Pet, about that new idea you mentioned at the last meeting…"

"Hmm?" She looked up. "Which idea?"

"The one about bringing people from the Otherworld here…"

"Oh yes, that one. I'm sure the rest of the family are already trying it out."

Peter glanced down nervously.

"Well, I actually want to ask you why you want us to do it. Is it really necessary?"

She laughed as though his concern held no significance.

"It's just a game Peter. What's more entertaining than luring people into a world where they have no idea how things work, then leaving them to save themselves– or cause havoc or whatever it is they end up doing? Besides," she paused to drink a bit more tea before watching him over the rim of her cup, "haven't you done it?"

He flinched. The look she was giving him was terrifyingly cold and deep, but also mocking. She already knew.

"If you're talking about Alice, then that was an accident. She just followed me by herself." He tried to act like he wasn't shaken up, even though he was. He didn't know she had spies in his country too. She'd always said 'I don't need them for you. I trust you'. He should have known she was lying.

"I in no way 'lured' the poor girl. I'm ashamed you think so poorly of me, Pet," he finished.

"You keep telling yourself that," Petra laughed. "When you come up with a good reason why you were in the Overworld in the first place, then I might believe you." She pondered for a brief moment before selecting a small cake with a strawberry on top and began eating it with a dessert fork. "Now that my workload's died down, maybe I'll find myself someone to play with…"

Peter began to pray for whatever poor soul she chose.

His cousin paused. Gently putting down her fork she dug out her pocket watch and checked the time.

"Oh, I'm late for an appointment with the Queen." She stood and picked up her hat, threading her ears through the holes in the adapted fedora. "Here, you finish this." Her cake was pushed toward Peter. He stared down at it for some reason he didn't know. "I'll see you around White."

"Yes! You too Black," Peter replied, glancing up at he as she began to head off with the odd gait that all the rabbit family members seemed to have.

"You'd better hurry," Petra added as an afterthought. "The Hatter doesn't know you, but she'll work out you're with me. And Mercy can be rather unforgiving sometimes." She chuckled at her joke and bounded away.

Peter sighed. He didn't know how his sweet cousin had turned out like this. The formidable Black Rabbit was someone The White Rabbit wouldn't be able to beat. He could only hope someone else could.

The opening move in the long game of chess had been made: the Quiet Piano.