A/N: Finally pumped out another chapter. However, it is my lunch break, so I'm just gonna leave it at that.

During the next time change, after taking a bath and another nap, Beatrice had decided to go look for work. Even though Blood had established himself as an ally, she still wanted to be dependent on the off chance that something happened to him. She knocked on his office door and waited a few moments, when there was no reply she went to knock on it again, but was stopped by a raspy voice calling out to her. "Master Blood has taken his leave. He has business to attend to in another territory; if you like I can leave a message for him."

Beatrice shook her head. "No, it's fine. I was about to go out for awhile, and just wanted to let Mr. Dupre know."

The butler's thick eyebrows furrowed. "Going out alone? Are you sure that's safe for you to do, Ms. Libson? I could always send someone with you, or perhaps-"

"I'll be fine," She said, her voice taking on a firm tone. "If I require assistance I'll be sure to ask the next time I leave. I'm almost sure you and the rest of the staff have plenty to do, and helping me around town will only put you behind in your chores."

The man's mouth opened as if to argue, but Beatrice pushed past him and made her way down the hall and to the outside area. It was far less busy than when she first arrived, it seemed that Blood had taken a good chunk of his staff to do whatever it was he did. She didn't even see the Twins at the gate, granted they may have been slacking off, but she doubted that Blood would leave without them and Elliot. She opened up the gate and slipped out into the forest and headed down the path she remembered the Twins had taken her on in order to get here. She guessed if she took the same path it would lead her right back to the town. Once she was in the town she planned on finding work, though she wasn't

sure exactly what type of work she was looking for. She was no good with cooking and cleaning, and she didn't have the tolerance to deal with kids. Almost any mundane job a person her age could acquire, and didn't require a degree, was directly out of her reach. Then again she was sure that it wouldn't be too hard to cheat the system. Being an Outsider had its perks, and according to Blood, they were exceedingly rare in Diamond. If this was true she was sure she could bargain with a shop owner as to why having an Outsider on their staff could boost their revenue.

She rehearsed a speech in her head as she made her way through the twisting forest, just up until she reached the town. It was one of those large ones that looked like they belonged in one of those travel brochures for a quaint vacation in Europe. The buildings were all made of a gray stone, the roads were made of the same gray stone, and there were flowers planted outside most of the shops. Everyone seemed to wear Georgian era clothes, and there seemed to be more of an obvious class system than there was in Heart and Clover. All in all she felt like she had just walked into a reenactment of some sort, and was almost excited to start exploring.

She stopped outside a clothing boutique that had a short blond calling people to come look at her wares. Smoothing out her violet dress, she went over to the boutique and nodded as she passed the woman, who had stopped midsentence in order to stare. She got the same reaction of everyone in the store as she made her way to the wooden countertop that had a tall brunette standing behind it. "Excuse me, may I see your manager?"

"I-I'm the manager, yes." The woman said. "Was there something in particular you were looking for, Ms. Roleholder?"

Beatrice nodded. "Yes, I was wondering if you were willing to hire an Outsider." She almost smirked when she saw the woman's eyebrows disappear into her bangs. "I am currently staying with a friend, but I didn't want to be a burden, so I'm looking for a job. I'm good with numbers, and-"

The woman shook her head wildly. "No, no, no, no! I couldn't possibly hire a Foreigner. Your type is rather rare, and I'm sure the Roleholders are expecting you to be with them." She gestured to the clothes that were dressed on the mannequins. "You're free to shop here, Ms. Foreigner, but I cannot have you working in my shop."

Beatrice muttered a thank you, and left the shop, ignoring the tittering from the staff that began flooding the brunette with questions. It made sense to NOT hire an outsider, since the Roleholders were usually trigger happy, she doubted most people would want them voluntarily coming around thanks to an Outsider. That wasn't something she had accounted for; she made a mental note to deny staying with any of them as she entered a small café that sat next to the boutique.

This place had a charming air with the candy striped awning, and the waitresses all wearing frilly maid outfits. There were cakes behind the glass, and all of the teacups were a clean white with blue cornflowers printed on them. Just like in the boutique everyone stared as she entered the shop and made her way to the counter. The young man behind flushed a dark pink, and he began to wring his fingers together when she spoke to him. "Good afternoon, I was hoping to speak to your manager."

The door behind the young man flew open and a tall man marched out, a towel over one shoulder, and his 'face' covered in flour. "That'd be me. What do ya want Little Miss?"

She ignored the little comment as she proposed her offer. "I was wondering if you needed an accountant. I'm good with numbers and have three years' experience with a corporate company. I'm also good at organizing, and am willing to keep up with any other files that you may have in your office."

The man's bushy eyebrows furrowed as he stared at her. "I don't need anyone messing with my stuff. That's what I got a wife and six daughters for."

He turned to go back into the kitchen, but Beatrice called him back. "Sir! I understand you may find it as an intrusion of your-"

The man spun around and pointed a meaty finger at her. "Oi, now listen here, Little Miss. I told you I didn't need anyone messing with my things. Especially a tiny Outsider, now get outta my shop before I throw you out."

Beatrice did as she was told, muttering an apology as she went. And just like that encounter, every place she went to she got varying degrees of animosity, or plain reluctance. It seemed that absolutely no one was hiring, and those that were didn't want an Outsider coming in and doing anything for them. The few places that did consider hiring her thought she was a child, and there was no amount of eloquent speech that would convince them otherwise.

Beatrice moaned as she leaned against the back of her chair. She was now sitting in a small café close to the other side of town. This one was larger than some of the others, and even had a young woman playing the violin in a corner of the room. She took a sip of her tea and absently listened to the dramatic song as she mulled over her next plan of action. Since no place here was hiring her, she was considering looking within another territory for a job. Granted that would mean having to meet a new Roleholder, but it was probably something she ought to do quickly before any rumors got around. She set the tea cup down and shut her eyes. Getting a job hadn't been this hard in Clover, and had been even easier once the land shifted to Heart. She wondered what it was about Diamond that made everyone so pensive about Outsiders? Her eyebrows furrowed as a though occurred to her. "Is it me?"

She knew she wasn't the kindest girl, and compared to Alice, she wasn't exactly innocent either. She was likely to scheme against a person as she was to help them out of pure necessity. She thought that she had improved on those crueler traits, but maybe she really hadn't, and the faceless here were able to pick up on it? She lifted her teacup again and brought it to her lips, just for a loud bang to echo from the kitchen. A high pitched scream followed, before more bangs were heard. Beatrice groaned and set down her teacup, already getting up to leave.

In a world like Wonderland, violence was something that everyone breathed. It had been a miracle that she hadn't gotten into a shootout for this long. She hurried to the door, but it swung open and in walked an old man with a graying beard and too many gold rings on his wrinkled fingers. "Well hello there, looks like I found myself something interesting."He grabbed her arm and spun her around, showing her off to a redheaded man that was holding a machine gun. "Look at her, Nigel, isn't she just darling. I heard there was an Outsider running around, but didn't think I'd actually get to meet the little dear."

Nigel just grunted and pushed his way into the room. From the kitchen six other men entered the eating area. Most of the faceless in the room were women taking their afternoon tea, all of them were quiet and stared down at their plates while the men passed by. The redhead, Nigel, grabbed a waitress by the back of her neck. "Alrighty, tell me where that bitch hid the stash."

"I-I don't-" She didn't even finish her sentence as a knife was embedded in her skull.

Out of the kitchen came another man, this one tall and having a set of eyes in his head. Beatrice's own eyes widened when she got a good look at him. "Gray?"

His eyes drifted towards her upon hearing that, and she mentally cursed herself. She doubted Gray recognized her, from his look alone she could tell that he was different. His hair was unkempt and his clothes were cloppy. He looked like he should be a rockstar, not a bodyguard to a lazy lord. "Who's that?"

The man jostled her a bit. "It's the Outsider, looks like she knew you in the other country."

They kept eye contact for a moment, before Gray went and retrieved his knife from the girl's skull, the metal making a crunching sound when it released. "The Boss left her underlings here to get massacred. She isn't in the building, or anywhere in the area."

"Huh, I knew Dupre kept cowards, but didn't think he'd let one control his stash." He began petting Beatrice's hair. "Oh well, search the place and get the cocaine. With that and the little Outsider, I'm sure he'll finally hear our demands-"

A shot rang through the air and Nigel fell forward, blood spurting from his mouth. The other lackeys in the room immediately began firing at something behind them, only to fall to the ground as bullets flew through their chests. Gray blocked the next volley of bullets with his knives, the force of the attack causing him to back up slightly. "Looks like Regina came back after all."

A tall faceless woman walked into the shop, pistol in one hand and grenade in the other. "You're so desperate for Mr. Dupre's stash that you hired from the Assassin Guild?" The woman shook her head, some of the blonde wisps coming out of her loose braid. "And here I thought you had some class, Richmond."The man's grip increased on her hair, causing her to whimper. This gained the woman's attention, and her thin nose wrinkled as if disgusted by what she saw. "And then you take Mr. Dupre's new toy. You really do have some kind of death wish, don't you?"

Beatrice flinched when a cold hunk of metal was pressed against her temple. "I'm just in the market for cash, and if you don't want to disappoint your employer by having to show him a headless Outsider, I suggest you give us the cash."

The woman lowly raised both of her hands into the air, and dropped both of her weapons. The gun clattered to the floor, but the grenade released a high pitched shrieking sound that caused Beatrice's ears to ring. Both Gray and the mob boss covered their ears, giving Beatrice just enough room to wiggle out of Richmond's grasp. However, Regina grabbed her by the arm and dragged her into the kitchen and up a flight of stairs.

"Hey, let go!"

The woman shook her head. "No can do, Mr. Dupre would get upset if his new toy was killed." She kiked open a small door that led into a hallway constructed out of a single plank of wood. Clear on the other side was a window that led to the outside rooftops. "Our goal is to get to the Hatter on the other side of the block. Try to keep up, understand?"

Beatrice just nodded as she extended her arms out to her sides and began crossing the plank with Regina right behind her. The piece of wood was rickety, and every few steps she could hear it moan and creak under their combined weight. Once she got to the other side, Regina punched the window, causing a shower of glass to fall to the ground. "Alright, all you'll need to do is-"

A shriek ripped through her throat as a knife embedded itself into her back. Beatrice spun around and her eyes widened as Gray came walking forward with a knife twirling between his fingers. She had seen Gray like this once, when Nightmare was being threatened by an outside force, but never directed towards her. She knew that, on some level, she was in a different place and that Gray did not remember her because of it, but seeing his face in such a manner still left the faint hurt of betrayal. She pressed herself against the broken glass of the window, some of the shards ripping into the back of her dress and pricking her skin. "Mr. Ringmarc, if it's money you want-"

"Oh, you got her then?" Richmond came clambering up the stairs, blood encrusted around one ear. "Didn't think you'd manage it after that fancy trick." A smirk curled onto his fate lips. "And now the toy is all alone, and ripe for the taking. Have you ever heard of a faceless winning the game?" Beatrice shook her head. "Well I'm about to be the first."

Gray snorted and pointed his knife in Richmond's direction. "That isn't part of the agreement. You wanted the drugs; I was allowed to loot everything else."

"That was until we learned there was a fucking Outsider!" There was a flash from one of his rings, and it turned into a shotgun. "Don't make me kill you, Assassin."

Beatrice's eyes widened for a moment before she nodded. "I may be an Outsider, but I'm not completely defenseless. If you come any closer I'll turn you back into a clock and make sure you'll never be remade."

Richmond hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. "Ha, you expect me to believe that a little Outsider like you can do that? What are you, eight years old?"

Beatrice gripped the edges of the window, the glass cutting into her hand and causing blood to run. "No, but it doesn't matter because I do have this power, and I will use it."

Gray's eyes narrowed and he slowly put his knife away. It wasn't something that Beatrice had been expecting, especially considering how fast he seemed to be. If he wanted to he could probably kill her far before she had a chance to do anything. "So you're not just an Outsider then?"

Beatrice leaned all of her weight on her heels and shrugged. "Who knows?"

When she let go her heart leapt into her throat and a strangled scream escaped her. At the same time the man furiously screamed for Gray to catch her. However the Assassin didn't even seem to move as she stared up at the window several story's above her. She yelped again as she crashed into something hard but warm, all the air managing to get knocked out of her lungs in the process. Her vision was awash in purple, and upon craning her head back she was met with the unamused face of Elliot. This Elliot looked similar to the one she knew; however there seemed to be a very serious air about him that made her nervous.

"Well done, Ms. Beatrice." Blood said from Elliot's right, his machine gun was in hand and leaning against the skull of a still crivering faceless. "I didn't think you'd actually fall out of the window like that."

Beatrice tried to sit up in Elliot's arms, just for them to constrict slightly. "I was just following orders."

"Foreigners don't come back like us," Elliot said. "you'd think they'd be cowards."

Beatrice just shrugged, not sure what to make of that comment. Was what she did really that mystifying, or was it the fact that she had thrown her trust to the mafia? She tried to stifle a yawn, something that didn't go unnoticed by Blood. "The Young Miss has had quite the day, carry her back to the mansion, Elliot."

Elliot's eyebrows furrowed, but he muttered an affirmative. She could already tell that Elliot didn't seem to like her much, and if he was anywhere close to the same as he was in Heart/Clover, then she was going to have to be careful around him for now on. She yawned again and leaned her head against the Hare's chest, allowing the rhythmic ticking of his clock to lure her to sleep.

The earthy smell of tobacco made her wake up immediately. She jack knifed up and looked around, eyes wider than they should have been in this situation. "Nightmare, is that you?"

Through the bleeding colors she caught a flash of purple before the blob fully realized into Nightmare. He looked exactly the same; the only thing that seemed to have changed about him was the concerned look on his pale face. "I'm not worried as much as I am confused." He said. "Throwing yourself out of the top of a building is very unlike you."

Beatrice opened her mouth, but shook her head and put that argument away for the moment. "Nightmare, why do you recognize me? Everyone else seems to have forgotten about me with this move, some of the residents have even changed."

Nightmare brought his pipe to his lips. "That's because you're in Diamond Country. It's very different from Heart, Clover, and Joker since it's further from us."

"Further?"

He nodded as several small smoke hoops escaped his mouth. "Yes, in a way Diamond is filled with completely different people. Since you haven't met those people, they have no relationship with you and do not recognize you. However, since you've been to the other countries, in a way you recognize a different version of them."

"Like a parallel world?"

He gave a low laugh. "If you wish for it to be that way, then yes, a parallel world."

"Then why was I brought here?" Her eyebrows furrowed. "I was brought to Clover, right? Why was I brought to Diamond, was I kicked out of the other world?"

"No, you were not." He floated closer to her, and put his pipe away. "You were sent here because you were chosen to be. Just like in Clover you'll have to fill your vial and play the game, but this time not all of the rules will apply." He raised his hand and her vial floated out of her pocket. "Unlike in Clover, being a foreigner is more of a hassle. They say if something sounds too good to be true it probably is, and this is something that the residents of Diamond keep close to their Clocks."

"So it's impossible to beat the game?"

Nightmare shook his head. "No, I'm not saying that at all, I'm just saying it will be harder." He pat her head, causing Beatrice to make a growling sound. "But you're a smart girl, I'm sure you'll figure this entire thing out in no time!"

"Says the all-knowing incubus." She hummed as something occurred to her. "Speaking of which, where are you in this country?"

"Just ask around for the Train Station, you'll find me eventually. "The world around them began to swirl in a variety of colors before Nightmare began to fade away. "I'll be waiting for you, Beatrice."

Beatrice's eyes opened and she found herself lying in her bedroom at the Hatter's Mansion. She curled her legs up to her chest as she twisted around onto her side. So now she understood exactly what was going on, but now she had to relearn everything about the residents all over again. She moaned and threw a pillow over her face. "I hate this place."

Review Responses:

Angelic Trinity: Wow, I'm so glad you like it. ^_^ It's not that I know how to manage inspiration, but more that I write outlines for my stories. I wanted to make a kinda parallel first chapter to Starvation, hence why Julius and Nightmare come up. Though, if you wanna know what Julius' issue is, you'll have to read Starvation. And thanks for sending more readers my way, that's really nice of you.

Kino Ametsuchi: I'm glad you like and took a chance on this story. As Angelic Trinity can attest, a lot of thought has gone into this story, so I hope you stick around for the full ride.