Merry Christmas everyone!
Blood: Ugh.. I hate Christmas. People have the nerve to make a peaceful dark night into a bright loud crowded place.
Allora: And this is the reason why Blood fails to see the joy of Christmas.
Boris: Oh well. More cake for me!
Dee and Dum: Ehhh~? NO WAY BORIS! You ate all the snacks last time.
Julius: I could care less about Christmas, it's just lots of noisy people and drunk Aces.
Ace: Ehh~! That's not very nice, Julius! I just love champange~!
Allora: Yeah. Right.
Ace: Then what are we going to do this Christmas?
Elliot: Ms. Allora said she had speacial plans, but I didn't really know what that meant...
Boris: *Already half way out the door* Shh! Hurry up and run, guys!
Ace: *Up and running as well* Why are we running?
Boris: *Still running* Allora's surprises are terrible! You should have seen my birthday present! And even though I hate most of you in this room, I don't think I could subject you to such a fate.
Dee and Dum: *Now running* It's that bad, Boris?!
Boris: *Grimly* It's that bad.
Allora: WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING!?
Blood: That plan failed. Miserably, might I add.
Allora's Christmas in Wonderland
Christmas Special
Day 1: Invitations
On the first day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me;
an partridge in a pear tree.
~C~
Allora looked up at the Hatters Mansion. Even though it was barely days away from Christmas Eve, the autumn leaves and warm sunlight were killing her mood.
April Season was a pain, especially with holidays.
She face palmed herself and sighed. Though Wonderland had events for Halloween and the Natsumatsuri at the Amusement Park, it was a wonder that they didn't have any special things planned for Christmas.
Though Allora didn't really want the role holders to hold any special events, preciscley because of the fact that the events usually came with strings attached-
Aka sexual harrasment.
She was planning a small party at the Clover Tower with Nightmare's permission, in a room that no one would intrude in for the night.
Maybe a couple people she'd met and liked immensely would be invited from all over the territories, and she was making her rounds right now, since it would be a pain later. Technically, it was still a couple days BEFORE Christmas, but nobody really liked going to a party that was literally only a couple time changes away. The Clover Tower role holders had been invited, but most had politely declined. (Which she was secretly very grateful for)
And 1 other role holder would be invited.
ONE.
No more, no less. That was what Allora had decided on firmly, and nothing was going to change her mind.
She looked around quickly to see that Dee and Dum were not there, probably ditching again...
Not that Allora wouldn't have done the same. Who would want to just stand in front of a gate and guard it?
Most people weren't stupid enough to actually come right up to the front gates of the Hatter's Mansion, and if they did, they were usually workers or she herself.
"Hey, is anyone in there?" Allora called out, shaking the bars of the gate lightly.
Furry brown ears and a following blond head popped up from the left side.
"Oh hey Ally! Are you here to talk to Blood?"
Hell no. Blood would be the last person she would invite to a Christams party, especially with mistle toe invovled.
"Actually, I wanted to talk to one of the workers here and borrow a book..."
It was taking everything she had not to grimace or twitch.
"Of course! Come right in!"
Pushing the gates open, Allora walked in, keeping a careful eye around for any top hats decorated with playing cards and blood red roses.
Elliot left quickly, saying he had to find the twins, and she maneuvered around the mansion, finding her friends.
After a good 20 minutes, Allora finally finished. Sitting down on a conveniently placed bench next to a fountain, she remembered the book that she 'wanted' to borrow.
Sighing, Allora reluctantly walked towards the Hatter's room.
As much as she sounded like a stalker, Allora had memorized the way to Blood's room for the precise purpose that her need for a book far trumped the need to dodge a certain Hatter.
Fortunately, Blood's room was quite close to where she was, and Allora peeked in as she pushed open the door just a little bit.
Black hair cascaded down wide, broad shoulders of a certain Mafia leader that was slumbering peacefully on his desk.
Allora bit back a laugh. The power Mafioso looked much less fearful sleeping on a desk like an overworked college student.
She was surprised herself that Blood had not (elegantly) dragged himself back to his room to sleep on a bed.
He was a person who had a lot of responsibility and work on his shoulders. It was something that Allora usually didn't think about when her thoughts drifted over to the Mad Hatter, since he always carried himself with a level of dignity and grace that was impossible to copy.
It irked her that she had been a bit selfish thinking that the Mafioso never got tired.
Sure, he looked like a vampire, but that didn't mean he was super human.
But before all that emotional stuff started kicking in, Allora quickly took advantage of the current situation and crept over to the bookshelf, selecting a book with a agonizingly slow hand.
Exhaling a sigh of relief when it seemed that Blood had not awakened, Allora prepared to quietly creep back when strong hands encircled her waist, pulling her away from the now far away exit.
The books in her hands clattered to the floor, and she bumped into a hard chest.
"Really, Dupre?" Allora exhaled, catching sight of the Hatter's triumphant smirk as she turned her head.
"Of course, young lady, did you really except me to be such a foul gentleman that I would not say hello when you came into my study?"
Blood breathed into her ear softly, causing her to go scarlet.
"Actually, I did." Allora muttered under her breath, now desperately finding a way to get out of his iron grip.
Blood's grip tightened, making Allora exhale a panicked sound that she did not like at all.
Turning her around to face him, the Mafioso's face darkened as violet eyes hit his emerald orbs.
"I heard from a certain... Caterpillar that you were hosting an Christmas party. "
Allora swore quietly, cursing that loud mouth Nightmare.
Dangerous predatory green eyes narrowed as Allora prepared herself for the coming question-
"And he said that you were set on only inviting one role holder other than those Clover Tower mongrels... Am I correct?"
Graceful fingers curved around her cheek, making her gulp and answer the question with a nod.
"So, here comes the final question... Where's my invitation?"
The length between their faces was quickly shortening, and Allora didn't like it one bit. She tried moving back, but a hand on her waist stopped her.
"I'm going to ask again, Allora..."
Blood tended to cut the formalities when he was hunting his prey. It was part of his dreadfully slow seduction.
"Where is my invitation?"
Uh oh. Allora nervously averted her eyes from his, but the Hatter wouldn't have any of that. Using his hand that was on her cheek, he slowly slid it down to her chin.
Holding her chin up, Blood forced Allora to look at his face.
Mixed expressions ran across Allora's mind, one including terrible fear, and the other including stubbornness that was not ready to give up.
"I'll punch you in the stomach if you go any further, Mr. Blood Dupre."
He halted, his face one inch away from hers. Though most foreigners were harmless, (A trait that the Hatter liked and didn't like) Allora was definitely not fragile or harmless at all; in fact, she might have been the most lethal thing with eyes since the creation of Ace.
Violet orbs bore into his eyes, as if daring him to go any further.
Blood shrugged, letting her go reluctantly in a fluid motion that almost caused Allora to stumbled over the fallen books that both of them had promptly forgotten about.
Oh well, he thought as he looked at the fumbling foreigner as she tried to pick up her books. There was always tomorrow when you failed today.
Allora thought it a bit unfair if she just judged everyone by how she knew them and then invited them, so she decided to make a small contest for the role holders.
"Blood, I didn't say I wasn't going to give you the invitation..."
The Hatter's form suddenly became very rigid and tense. Allora almost never called him by just his first name; usually it was something like Hatter, or his full name, or just his last name. And the fact that she had suddenly mentioned that he wasn't quite out of the game yet interested him extremely.
Allora noticed the young Mafioso's attention, and hoped she was making the right decision.
"But I didn't say I would either."
His face fell slightly, so slightly that it could have been an illusion.
Allora walked around the study, fingering books here and there and padding across the velvet carpet while talking animatedly.
"I can't really judge who to bring to the Christmas party, but I can't really change the fact that I only want one other role holder at the party. So I'm offering a deal. "
Eyebrow raised, Blood regarded the outsider curiously.
"Give me a gift for Christmas, maybe around tomorrow. I want you tell al the other role holders who are interested in coming the same thing. Who ever gives me the best present gets to go to the party."
Allora had her back turned to Blood when she ended her speech. Bargaining with someone as dangerous as Blood Dupre was not the safest or best thing to do, but it was the only thing she had up her sleeve.
A smirk carved into elegant features. It was an interesting game the girl had proposed, and Blood found that if he wanted to actually get an invitation, then his best chances lay within the game.
"Fine."
"Oh, and make sure all the other role holders have the right information. It's not like I don't know your tricks, Dupre. "
Oh, she knew him well, and that would ultimately be her downfall. Though it had been a bit nice when she had called him by his first name.
As Allora silently exited the study, she remembered that she had an appointment with Grey by the next time change, and 2 time changes had already passed.
Grey wasn't the most forgiving person for tardiness.
"D'Arvit, Grey's gonna kill me!"
Swearing in her own way, Allora sprinted out of the Hatter's Mansion.
First Day of Christmas
Invited: Faceless, Julius, Grey, and Nightmare.
Notified: Blood
Participants as of now: Blood
Days till the Christmas party: 7
Days till the last day of Christmas: 11