Miscalculation- (noun) the act of calculating or judging incorrectly; something that is unforeseen when previous machinations have been put into play after careful consideration.
Discovery (noun)- the act of noticing or realizing; something that had been previously unknown but only just introduced.
Chapter Two: Discovery
Break yawned boredly, his single crimson eye flickering intelligently over the surroundings as he ran his tongue over and around his lollipop. Gilbert was leaning against a pillar, a cigarette unlit in his mouth since Oz had persuaded him to try to quit. The blond himself was sitting down near the ravenet's feet, albeit on the step rather than directly leaning on the pillar or his boyfriend's legs, and Alice was beside him happily chewing on her meat, thus making her ignorant of the way Oz's hand snuck up to tangle his fingers with those of his servant. If it were up to him, he wouldn't even be here, but for some reason, some higher-up had insisted he join Oz and Gilbert on their mission to clear out a little village, Pinkerton, of Illegal Contractors. Politics were so troublesome, that was why he'd made sure to stay as far away from them as he could after he'd come back from the Abyss.
"Oh look, the carriage is here!" Oz cried, getting to his feet. "Come on, let's go!"
Break couldn't help chuckling because of the look on Gilbert's face as he was dragged to the door of the carriage, even if he didn't put up more than a token resistance and some grumbling under his breath about it. "Hey, don't forget about me!"
"And me too!" Emily piped up from his shoulder.
"How could we?" Gilbert grumbled, tugging his charges out of the way since it was enough of a pain for him to handle seating arrangement with just the three of them, never mind with the silver-haired Hatter added to the mix. "You practically invited yourself along on this mission that we would have been fine to handle alone…" He opened the door and stiffened at the sight, his hand already falling to his gun. "Of all the dirty tricks," he spat, cocking his revolver into the carriage.
Break managed to glimpse the slightest flash of copper red through the hinge of the carriage door and acted quickly, knocking Raven's hand aside so that the shot flew far over the top of the carriage, the sound of the gunpowder igniting inside of the chamber managing to spook the horses into a nervous whicker and dance beneath their traces despite being held firmly in place by the coachman. "My apologies, Raven," he said with a smile, slowly bringing his arm back down. "I must have forgotten to mention that there will be another companion joining us on this fine journey. My mistake~."
It was clear from the look on Gilbert's face that he was fighting the urge to strange Break with his bare hands…. Mission accomplished!
"Please excuse my partner," a soft voice called from inside the carriage, the quiet sounds of contented purring and the light scratching of nails pulling at fabric forming the background to the words. "He doesn't really know how to mind his manners all too much and I've yet to teach him otherwise."
"What's the point of manners?" Break scoffed, pouting as he unearthed a candy from his pocket, unwrapping it with the single-minded focus typical of him. "In my experience, they serve little purpose, and besides, it's always easier to ask for forgiveness than permission~!"
"Not that you do either, eh Break?" Oz shot back, grinning cheekily.
"Brat," Break muttered, "you shouldn't talk back to your elders."
"I don't know," the boy stated from inside the carriage, "he acts older than you do, Break."
"Ne~, I doubt that~." For some reason, this all seemed like some type of foreplay, and to his surprise, it managed to get him half-hard, a good part of him wanting nothing more than to call the mission off, get in the carriage, and fuck the pointed words right out of that slender, decadent body. Still, something told him that that was exactly what the younger boy wanted, and he wouldn't stand for playing right into someone's hands without getting something out of it—sex didn't count as an adequate reward in his mind no matter how good it was. "So, shall we be off then?"
"I suppose that would be prudent, eh Raven?"
Gilbert's brow furrowed momentarily before it cleared once more. "Ah, so that's Colt in there? I'm sorry I didn't realize it from the onset, it's just been so long…"
"No need to apologize, Raven," the redhead replied coolly. "I'll admit, it has been quite a while since you saw me last." A soft clack, like that of a gun being holstered, met their ears before it was followed by the soft scratching of a knife on wood. "I'll imagine I've changed quite a bit since our last meeting in the Abyss."
Alice shouldered past the ravenet man, clambering into the carriage for her usual window seat and dragging Oz along with her to plonk him down beside her possessively. Gilbert slid in beside his master, managing to fit himself across from the redhead who was steadily carving a design into the bottom of a ebony chess piece, the movements of the penknife sure even as a small pile of similar pieces, both black and white, littered the cushion beside him where the space wasn't already occupied by the napping figure of a lithe black cat. "Aren't you going to move, flame head?" Alice asked rudely, crossing her arms and bouncing the leg that rested on top of the other one.
Colt didn't look up from his work until he had finished with the exact nature of the details of his work. "Very well then," he stated, getting to his feet as he plucked another piece, this one white, from a black pouch on his hip. His knife already working, he maneuvered around Oz's legs and Alice's dangling foot to delicately place himself in the window seat, still working on his piece.
Break climbed in then, reaching over to begin playing with a handful of the pieces. "Cool arts and crafts project, ne~?" he asked, waggling what he thought was a pawn in the direction of its maker.
"Please stop waving that bishop in my face," the redhead commanded without lifting his gaze.
"Who says I'm waving a bishop in your face?" Break protested childishly, pouting. "You didn't even look!"
"I don't need to," Colt replied, nodding at his finished product and adding it to the growing pile before removing another to work on, this one a black piece from a white pouch on the opposite side of his hip. "I just know that you are."
"Oh Gilbert, you naughty thing!" the blond boy scolded, waggling his finger, "you should know better than to do that to Miss Alice!"
"Playing with your cards again, Lance?"
"Vincent-sama!" the boy squealed, forgetting his quarrel as he dove into the Nightray's arms. "I'm so glad you came, I was ever so lonely without you here!"
The elder blond smirked, reaching down to absently pet at the wild mane of pale gold beneath him. "I'm sorry, Lance, you know I would have come sooner, but I was held up back at Pandora."
"They should know better," the younger pouted cutely. "After all, you always come to see me, so they should know better than to give you work when you're about to leave for a visit!"
"Hn, I suppose they should," Vincent admitted, turning his mismatched eyes to gaze about the plain room with the red walls, the dark blue bed tucked into the corner, the checkered red and blue tiles that made up the floor, the few chairs and tables that took up the center of the living space. "So, have you been behaving for Miss Lotti today?"
Lance nodded. "Miss Lotti's always ever so nice, but she doesn't take me anywhere like Miss Miranda does! That's okay though, Miss Miranda takes me to scary places. I'd rather have you come and take me to pretty places, like the garden! Can we go to the garden?"
The Nightray frowned. "I'm sorry, Lance, I don't have time to take you down to the garden. I have business to attend to today, but I wanted to stop in so that you wouldn't feel so lonely."
"I'm not lonely!" the young blond protested. "I have Miss Lotti and Gilbert and Alice and Miss Miranda and you!"
"Ah yes," the elder replied absently, "I forgot."
"I'm still glad you came to visit though," Lance stated, a hint of pink on his cheeks. "Will you come back again soon?"
"As soon as I can manage," Vincent promised, leaning down to brush a soft kiss to the other male's brow.
Lance giggled at the tickling feeling, running back over to the table to continue playing with the little toy soldiers scattered across its surface, their likeness uncannily similar to that of a real person's in a way that no miniscule detail had been overlooked. "Bye bye Vincent!" he called, waving. The other blond waved back, exiting the room and closing the door behind him with a soft click.
"Echo does not think it right what is being done to young Lance."
The Nightray turned to his side to see the silver-haired maid standing attentively at his elbow, her expression carefully schooled into a neutral blank even if there was the slightest sparkling of feeling in her blue eyes. "I know well enough what you, and most others for that matter, think of Lance." Echo was quiet, patiently waiting for the continuation of her master's thought. "They see him as weak, flighty, useless… nothing more than a passing whim."
"Echo could see that side of it," she stated, giving a small nod to herself. "But Echo has seen his powers, so he is clearly more than a mere whim."
"You're referring to his cards." The words may have been phrased more as a question, but the tone of his voice made it clear that they were a statement. "Yes, Lance has powers that are quite unknown to the rest of us humans, even those who are Contractors. It is because of his unique parentage, his bloodline if you would."
"Yes, Echo understands that part of what he does, but what Echo disagrees with is the seclusion in the room without windows, the sole one like it in the entire mansion."
"Ah." Vincent paused in his walking, suddenly understanding her concerns. "You think it cruel of me, of everyone, to keep him locked up in that place like no more than a wild animal whose claws would slice us to ribbons otherwise, right?" He chuckled. "While I will admit it, Lance's powers could destroy us all with little effort on his part, there is a twofold reason he is kept locked away."
"Two?" Echo asked, blinking in surprise. "Echo thought there was only one."
"One?" the Nightray questioned, then nodded to himself in a sudden epiphany. "Ah, you're referring to the rumor that he is insane. Well, the rumor is half-right. Because of the instability of his bloodline, his powers have a tendency to cause the wielder to go mad, unable to distinguish reality from the myth they can create. It was my idea that we isolate him to prevent that, give him one room where nothing ever changes aside from what he does himself. He might be a little mercurial at times as a result, yes, not to mention childish and naïve, but he can at least identify what is the real world."
"And the other reason?"
"Lance himself is unstable," Vincent continued, reaching a hand out to trail along the wall as they strode down the hallway. "He acts childishly because he has never had any reason to act otherwise, but he can turn and be as cruel as the worst kind of person when he is riled. With his powers, that turn can spell death for whomever his ire is directed at, even if it is only for a moment. That's why he is removed from others, to create in him an instinctual need to want to be close to the ones who show him attention of any kind in the hope that that closeness will prevent him from turning on those we do not wish for him to."
"Echo still does not think it right," the girl murmured under her breath after a long moment of silence save for the sound of the blond's footsteps, her own silent against the wood due to her practice of moving silently.
"I didn't ask for your opinion, Echo!" the Nightray roared, wheeling on his heel to slap her across the face. The sound of flesh on flesh echoed loudly in the corridor, the blond's chest heaving while the silverette's head was still upturned from the assault in expectation of more. "Never speak of this again," he commanded harshly, mismatched eyes narrowed dangerously before he turned around again and continued walking down the steps to the waiting carriage.
"Yes Vincent-sama," she replied obediently, ducking her head and following after him as docilely as always.
Every movement Colt made now was carefully measured, a sauntering thing where Break realized he was carefully observing everything there was to sense about his surroundings, the cat sleeping in his arms. Sometimes he and Gilbert would exchange words about meaningless things like the inn they were staying at and what place looked like the best to get food from for tonight. Finally growing tired of this pointless wandering of the town, Break decided to interject. "Ne, I doubt we're going to find the Illegal Contractor just walking around aimlessly like this, Raven, Colt."
A vein throbbed in the ravenet's forehead. "So what are you suggest we do instead, Break, disrupt society for your own twisted amusement?"
"Yes!"
Mismatched eyes, one elegant emerald and the other strong sapphire, scoured dangerously into the flighty silveret. "This is not aimless wandering," the redhead corrected sharply, eyes narrowed. "I am setting up the board."
"Face it, you're lost," Emily stated from Break's shoulder, the first time she had spoken in Colt's presence. Surprisingly, Colt only seemed mildly surprised by the sentient doll, the emotion contained to his eyes and then quickly concealed behind blank apathy. "You're just as useless as Break is!"
In that instant, the white-haired man yanked the pile of fabric off his shoulder and began strangling it energetically. "I am not useless," he hissed, single eye gleaming dangerously, "got it, Em-i-ly?" He had dragged her name out on purpose, dangling the syllables and mangling the word to emphasize his point about being upset with her.
"Y-yes," she stuttered out, not without some effort from the vice crushing her windpipe.
Colt sighed heavily. He didn't really want to play peacekeeper for a group where most of the members were older than he was, but apparently he had little choice in the matter. "Raven, why don't you take Oz and B-Rabbit back to the inn for the night?" he suggested quietly, "I can manage to finish up on my own."
"Are you sure, Colt?" the adopted Nightray asked, looking concernedly over his shoulder at the young redhead. "I mean, this is a lot of city to cover on your own…"
"I'll be fine," Colt assured him, his arms constricting slightly around the black cat in his arms. "I've handled much larger places before. This is child's play to me."
The little boy giggled, running about the garden, blossoms from the cherry trees dancing in the wind and twirling around him. "Come on, Lance, come on!" he called, his twin emerald eyes sparkling with mischief, "come out come out wherever you are!" His hair was the brightest copper interspersed with long streaks of brilliant pale gold, a sign of what he was to anyone who was aware of its significance, and it hung long enough to brush over his shoulders already.
A man appeared in the entryway of one of the archways, his attire handsomely elegant and speaking of his importance. "There you are," he stated, his tone neutral aside for the slightest hint of burning relief, which went unnoticed by the child. "Come along now, you know you're not supposed to be out in the gardens when the others are here."
The boy pouted. "But Lewiiiiiiiis!" he whined, stretching the man's name out, "Lance and I are playing hide and seek, and I couldn't 'seek' him inside!"
The man, Lewis, heaved a sigh. Lance was important, true, but in no way like this little one was. The servants did not know of either's existence, and it was kept that way for their own safety. If their power ended up in the wrong hands, there was no telling what would happen. They had only rarely left the West Wing, which was off-limits to all save those who knew. "I'll bet he's still inside," he reasoned. "Come on, I'll help you look."
The dual-haired boy pouted, shaking his head determinedly. "I don't need help! I can find Lance on my own!" he declared, jade eyes twinkling. "And besides, King's Pawn says he's not where I looked!"
Lewis sighed again. These children really would be the death of him one day. If it weren't for the fact that the Sinclairs needed him, he would have left a long time ago. "Very well," he stated, reaching deep within himself and tugging to bring forth a brightly-colored bird with a large beak and long, powerful legs. "Lory, if you would?"
The bird squawked, shedding a few feathers, and darted off into the garden, its brilliant plumage forming a floating trail behind it before the feathers disintegrated into rainbow colors upon hitting the ground. "There, Lory's going out to look for him," he said, holding out his hand to the little boy, "now come away before you're noticed, it wouldn't do for you to be found again. You can't always rely on Epsilon to erase everyone's memories for you."
The little boy darted forward, taking his keeper's hand and clasping it close. "But you'll always be here for me, right Lewis?" he asked trustingly, emerald eyes sparkling.
The man's gaze softened, and he ruffled his charge's hair affectionately. "Of course I will, Alexius," he promised. "Lory and I both won't leave your side if we can't help it."
The black cat paused in his walk, stretching his neck forward slightly to sniff at the white chess piece sitting elegantly on the dirty, cracked cobblestone street. "Chess, leave it," a firm voice called from the far side of the alleyway, and the feline obediently trotted to the heels of the black boots with the white laces.
Slender, pale fingers plucked out another piece, this one black. "Place," the male whispered, kissing the top of the ivory before he let it slip from his fingers, the wood falling to the street and bouncing once or twice before settling as surely as if it had been deliberately set down there. He lifted his foot to take a step before he paused, letting it stand in the air above the ground. "Let stand," he commanded softly, and in that instant, the pieces both disappeared from sight.
Raising his voice, he called, "I know you're there, Break, you may as well come out."
The silveret pouted, walking out from behind the corner at the far end of the street. "How'd you know?" he asked, looking thoroughly put out.
"I have my ways," the redhead replied cryptically, crossing his arms.
"You're being mean, Colt!" Break accused childishly, flinging out one hand to point at the younger male. "Tell me~!"
"No," Colt denied firmly, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards in a slight smirk at the continuation of the pout he was receiving. "What, can't handle a taste of your own medicine, Hatter?"
"Nope!" the elder man admitted cheerfully before he threw his arms around the younger's neck, nuzzling his nose into the other boy's neck as he whined, "Tellllllll meeeeeeee~!"
Clawed hands plucked the Hatter off his victim with little trouble. "Stay off of Cheshire's Contractor, nya," the neko boy growled, ears lying low enough to hide themselves in his mess of dark hair and his crimson eye narrowed to an angry slit. "Cheshire won't let you hurt Cheshire's Contractor again, nya."
"Stupid 'fraidy cat," Break spat in reply, already tensing his muscles in preparation to react before a single hand landed on his shoulder, gaining his attention.
"Cheshire, behave," Colt scolded, his voice soft. "Break is our partner now, and I would appreciate if you did not maim him."
"As Colt wishes," the cat Chain whispered, obediently loosening his grip on the Hatter.
Break's face twisted with disdain at the claim, already preparing to launch into his usual lecture about how sickening it was for someone to be so completely consumed with another and how people were only concerned with themselves and nothing more, but a single glare from shining sapphire and glittering emerald gems had him swallowing the words back in his throat, recognizing that now was not the time to gloat.
The redhead tipped his head back, gazing up at the sky contemplatively. "Have you ever just paused for a moment to watch the night sky, Break?" he asked, a single emerald eye falling to the right to stare at the older man. "It really is quite a beautiful sight, you know, dotted with stars and ruled over by the moon. It was one of my favorite things to do as a child, to sit and watch the moon."
"Really, nya?" Cheshire asked curiously, padding over so that his chin rested on the side of his Contractor that was farther away from the Hatter. "Which one is the moon?"
Colt laughed. "Silly kitty," he chuckled, "it's the big round one up in the middle of the sky, the one that's the most like Break!"
The madman started at the mention of his name, surprised. Colt really thought he was like the moon?
"Cheshire sees it!" the Chain cried in triumph, beaming. "But where is the one that looks like Colt and the one that looks like Cheshire?"
"Hmm…" the redhead mumbled thoughtfully. "You'd be that point right there," he said, pointing out the brightest star he could find. "That's the North Star. It's the only one that never moves."
"Really, nya?" Cheshire questioned, pride the cause of his twitching tail. He obviously liked being compared to something so constant.
Colt nodded, the softest hint of a smile teasing at his lips, and in that instant, Break decided he wanted to be part of that scene too. Ignoring how close it brought him to the Cheshire Cat, he moved so that he could snuggle into the younger boy's back, his cheek leaning against the other's ear affectionately. "It's such a shame that Colt isn't out to see the fun," he noted, affectionately rubbing his face into the silky smooth hair brushing against his skin. "Then he could keep the stars and the moon in balance, even though he would eclipse them with his brilliance."
"What is he, nya?" the neko demanded, ears twitching as he stood straighter in order to stare at the other red-eyed male. "Cheshire wants to know!"
"The sun, Chess," Colt murmured softly, a light blush blooming on his cheekbones. "He's saying I'm like the sun."
"Yes," the feline declared, tail swishing behind him, "Colt is Cheshire's sun! He's warm and soft and sweet, and he belongs to Cheshire!"
Colt's smile, which had been sitting softly tugging at his lips, slowly faded from his face. "I don't belong to anyone, Cheshire," he stated, extracting himself from both of the males on his shoulders. "Not anymore." Taking out a white chess piece from his pouch, he began twirling it, tossing it into the air and catching it in his palm with a firm smack before repeating the process.
Cheshire's ears twitched once before he turned on Break with his single wine eye narrowed. Since the silveret wasn't getting the hint, he smacked his arm. "Go talk to Colt," he commanded sharply, tail lashing once behind him.
"What?" Break asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You hurt Colt," the neko extrapolated, crossing his arms, "go kiss it better."
For a brief moment, Break couldn't contain his surprise and accidentally a choking sound slip past his lips. On his shoulder, Emily cackled darkly. "Oh, he wants to do more than that, useless perverted old man that he is…"
"Hush Emily," he chided, regaining his usual composure and idly threatening the doll with a deadly-quiet, "otherwise I'll put you in the wardrobe tonight at the inn."
"Please do!" she chirped in reply, "I'd rather not watch a horny old man get it on with a cute, naïve little boy…"
In that instant, the doll was clutched in his hands again, getting the life the fabric didn't have squeezed right out of the poor thing. "What was that?" he asked, seemingly cheerfully, though all who knew the Hatter knew that when such an event happened was when he was at his angriest with Emily. "I didn't hear that over the crunch of my candy."
"No-nothing!" she squeaked out, recognizing the sign to retreat.
"That's what I thought," he stated smugly, loosing his fingers around her and letting her drop to the cobblestone street below. Ignoring her shrieks of protest, he bounded away, skipping merrily on a sheer whim up until he wrapped his arms around a walking Colt, nearly toppling them both over. Again going on the spur of the moment, he wrapped both his legs around the smaller boy's waist, his arms constricting around the other's throat.
He could hear the irritation in the redhead's voice when he curtly queried, "What do you want, Break?" in a harsh voice.
"You know, you hurt my feelings by just walking away," he enlightened the younger male, wriggling himself closer so that he could soak up the other's warmth.
"So?" Colt replied coldly. "You hurt my feelings when you left me, Break."
"Oh come onnnnnn," the silveret whined, "you couldn't have expected me to stay!"
The redhead opened his mouth to reply before he snapped it shut with an audible click. "Get off me," he finally stated, irritable. "You're heavy."
Offense crept into the elder's tone. "Are you suggesting I'm fat?" he demanded, pouting cutely.
Colt didn't answer. He just reached around to wrap his arms around the other's thighs for better support. "Cheshire," he called behind him, turning his face away from Break's to search for the form of the cat boy in the shadows of the street, "are you coming?"
"Of course, nya!" the neko replied, trotting up. "Cheshire would never neglect his duties, nya!"
"He didn't say you had to, 'fraidy cat," the Hatter stated, not particularly wanting to give up his free ride to the inn if he could avoid it.
"Yes, but Cheshire will never hurt Cheshire's protector, nya," the cat shot back, ears twitching.
Break scowled at the subtle jab to his past. "Oh shut up," he muttered. "You're not one to talk, 'fraidy cat."
Cheshire looked to be bristling up, but a single glance at his Contractor calmed the black fur. Instead, he merely flicked his tail in dismissal at the Hatter and padded forward, one paw wrapped around his bell to muffle it. "It's late," Colt stated, his tone surprisingly smooth considering that he was carrying a larger male on his back. "The others will be expecting us back soon."
"True," Cheshire replied. "What are the rooming arrangements, nya?"
The redhead looked resigned. "Well, I could hardly justify getting a room with three beds since you came as a cat, Chess," he sighed. "Instead, I got Alice, Oz, and Gilbert a room with a double bed for them and a single for her, and we will all be sharing a double since they were out of rooms with two singles." Catching their sour expressions, he added, "Don't worry, I'm perfectly fine to sleep on the floor with a handful of blankets and a pillow."
"No," the neko stated, crossing his arms resolutely. "Colt will not be sleeping on the floor, nya. Cheshire will not allow it."
"So you're volunteering then, 'fraidy cat?" Break teased, smirking.
"No!" the prideful cat boy shot back, tail bolt upright.
Colt sighed heavily, deciding it best to cut the two off before the argument could delve any deeper. "Look," he said, his voice heavy, "since neither of you are willing to relegate yourselves to the floor and you refuse to let me be there, why don't we all just share the bed? I'm sure we'll all fit, and to prevent a murder, I'll be between you. Does that sound fair?"
"Yes," the ravenet Chain sulked, ears to either side.
"Break?"
The silveret chuckled. "If the 'fraidy cat can handle it, then so can I~"
Die: I am ashamed of all of you. I leave this thing up for a month, A MONTH, and not ONE of you vote on the poll. Is my writing really that bad or are you just being lazy?
Vincent: If it's the latter, may I go hunt them down and play with them?
Die: Knock yourself out, you innocent little creeper you.
Vincent: *smiles* Remember, Black Die does not own Pandora Hearts, so do not sue her. And if you do not review, I will have Echo enter your house and make off with your computer so that you may no longer be able to read this work of fanfiction!
Die: *pats Vincent* Good boy. You may now have Gil as I promised.
Vincent: *runs off-screen*
*sounds of yelping and squealing can be heard from off-screen*
Die: NOW REMEMBER TO VOTE AND REVIEW, I MEAN IT THIS TIME!
Edit: ... Upon realizing that the Bandersnatch ACTUALLY is a Chain, I decided to instead make Lewis' Chain the Lory from Alice in Wonderland.
