Alice ran a finger along the spines of the many books contained within the Hatter's personal library. Though it wasn't long ago that Peter brought her to the Country of Hearts, the Outsider had already managed to befriend Wonderland's powerful role-holders. Blood Dupre, the notorious mafioso, sat at his desk behind two large stacks of documents awaiting his signature. Only the occasional scratch of pen on paper and the soft shuffle of Alice's feet disturbed the peaceful silence. Her eyes roamed the packed shelves before landing on a familiar title. A surprised gasp escaped her lips. Blood's head rose incrementally, his eyes lighting up with new-found interest.
"Has the young lady found something to her liking?" His lips curled around the words in a lazy smile.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disrupt your work," Alice clasped her hands in front of her apron, not daring to reach for the book. However, the gentleman languidly rose to his feet and strode across the room. Folding his arms across his chest, he leaned against the bookcase with no intention of letting the matter go. "It's just... I saw a book that my sister would read aloud to me when I was a little girl." Drawing the book from its hiding place, she held it out for him to see (and putting some much-needed space between them).
"Grimm's Fairy Tales?" Taking hold of the book, Blood flipped through the pages. "So they have this book in your world as well, do they?" When he came to the last page, he returned it to her expectant hands. The light which streamed through the open window changed suddenly from a crisp white to deep gold.
"It's getting late. I had better get back to the Clock Tower before Julius worries..." Before she could take a step forward, Blood's arm barricaded her into the corner. His eyes narrowed on hers, their typical green hue flashing an ominous jade.
Leaning forward, his lips brushed against her ear. "Now we wouldn't want that, would we?" Drawing back, he took a strand of her honey-blonde hair and placed a delicate kiss to it. His words, his eyes, his lips- they were all a sinful invitation for trouble. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks. Alice wrapped her arms around the book, holding it tightly against her chest. Blood chuckled, enjoying her reaction to his advances. Slowly, he took a step back and released her hair. "I can see that you're quite attached to the book. Go ahead and borrow it. I'm sure you could use some entertainment, being cooped-up at that open grave." Blood turned on his heel and settled himself back into his chair, his eyes still on the petite girl.
"Thank you!" With a huff, Alice marched out of the room and slammed the door shut behind her.
The Hatter drew his arms up behind his head and relaxed into his chair. "I find myself more and more interested. How very curious." A devilish grin played across his lips.
