The sound of the front door was kicked opened and a sound of a woman yelling; "HATTER!"
The sound of wooden sandals came closer and closer and you could just feel the negative aura coming from it.
"She's angry." Sang the little girl as she nibbled on a star-shaped shortbread cookie treat.
A man chuckled at her comment and patted her on the head. "Someone let the kitty out of the bag, huh Bridget."
The room was softly dimmed with only a few candles decorated around the room. From the window it was night time and the crescent moon barely shared any of its light. It seemed like a three story house, they were in the top room where they could see the moon. The room was decorated with green and brown wallpaper giving it an old illusion. The Hatter was sitting at a his writing desk, his fancy top hat was sitting neatly at the edge of the table, there were some neatly stacked papers in a thin wooden box and leather books stacks across on a shelf just above it. Just in front of him was a shiny crystal ball with three firefly-like lights inside. There was also a nice light gray feather plucked pen rested next to it. The Hatter was the same man that Cecilia saw earlier before.
Along with the little girl named Bridget who sat back in her little corner, her golden brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail. In front of her was a small book in which with the crayons around her she uses to color colorful pictures. She was a child of an oracle, she can always draw the things that are, the things were, and things that have no yet come to past, mostly she's been drawing pictures of the color of red and black and creatures from the shadows. Things could not be looking well. She brushed off the cookie crumbs from the paper as she held the half eaten cookie in her mouth.
The office door suddenly opened, a woman entered the office and spat in the man's face. "Hatter! How long do I have to keep an eye on that obnoxious dim-witted bitch?"
"Just until we discover that she is truly the surviving daughter of Flora." The man responded in a soothing voice, he looked at her eyes…her bright orange flamed eyes.
"I swear Hatter, if I have to see that bitch one more time…just one more time." She paced all around the room, her wooden sandals pounded on the floor. He turned around in his chair and watched her. He could see her wearing a pink kimono with a lighter shade of flower designs, on her torso there was a purple and teal colored obi with a dark blue peacock designs on it, underneath the Obi, a long furry like rope was sticking out of it. The susohiki was trailing behind her, dragging the black silk skirt across the floor. Her dark black hair was hung up in a bun, but it was long enough to continue and make multiple loops around the bun; it was held up using chopsticks and beautiful combs. In her hair there were triangle furry like things…they were cat ears, though it would explain that the furry like rope was her tail.
"What did she do this time?" curiously asked the Hatter.
"She stepped on my tail again!" The woman hissed, this made the Hatter burst out laughing. She gave a glare at him. "Oh you think it's funny, don't you!?"
"N-No. No. It's just-I'm terribly sorry. Do forgive me." The Hatter straighten up and coughed to clear his throat, this made the little girl giggled as she finished her cookie.
"For all we know, she may not be the child of Flora. We're just shooting at no target. The real child may already be grown up and living as a prostitute! All because her name is Cecilia doesn't mean she is her daughter!"
"She different than the other girls, Sake" explained The Hatter.
"Oh she's different! Right, that's the only reason why we're risking our lives for some bitch we don't even know!"
"Hatter, I have your tea ready." Another woman came into the room with a tray that had a complete tea set, the tea was covered by a pink tea cozy but you could still smell the Earl Grey coming from it. The tea set was entirely made of glass, even the plates where the cups rested, and the cream pot and sugar bowl. In between the upside down cups there was a small plate of cookies which smelled of chocolate chips, ginger and sugar cookies. The little girl lifted her head to smell the aroma from the freshly made batch cookies.
The woman wore a dark green corset with black swirled designs with hooks in the center line. She wore a matching hooped shaped skirt with ruffles in the edges and multiple layers coming down starting from her hips. It made a small train coming behind her, not a long one like Sake's kimono. She had black hair with a light shade of blue put up in two separate pigtails but on her left pigtail there was a black jade rose with light green leafs. She came in with a smile but when she saw Sake, the smile disappeared.
"Oh jeez, who left the cage door open again?"
"Who forget to spray the garden with fertilizer? Cause I'm looking at a weed."
"Don't be jealous 'cause I don't smell like kitty litter." The woman remarked back.
"Thank you Antonella, for the tea!" The man interrupted, trying to get them to not fight.
"Oh right the tea." Antonella set the tray on the man's table. She removed the tea cozy, set it aside and turned the cups over to pour the tea. "No luck catching that child, eh, Mr. Stars?"
"No, we're still questioning if she is truly the daughter of Flora. And how many times must I tell you to call me Michael."
"Oh. Sorry Mr. Michael." Antonella set one of the teas in front of Michael Stars as he sighed. She grabbed the other cup to pour in the tea. "But can't you just bonk her on the head, bring her here, and wrap up this whole case then we can all enjoy an evening cup of tea?" She lifted the tea pot in example.
"Argh! Antonella, why must you always make things more complicated as it seems? One surely can't just bring her in like cattle."
"Then it should be easy for you, Sake. Isn't there a saying 'Look what the cat dragged in'?"
"Don't compare me to those fat house cats!"
"Ladies! Ladies! Let's stay on topic, shall we?" said Michael, trying to stop a feud between them. "Antonella, since you love traveling to that world, try and see if you can encounter her. Try and get some information from her."
"How does this child even look like?" asked Antonella.
"You will know, I guarantee it."
"Alright, then I will try my best! But first, it's time for tea!" She lifted up her now filled with teacup and took a sip.
"Right, so if you don't mind, Antonella, the grown-ups are talking so you can leave now." Sake said.
"But how can you miss me if I leave?"
Sake sighed; "If ignorance is bliss, then you must be the happiest person alive aren't you?"
"What the hell is your problem?"
"Nothing, I just have a personality you can't handle."
"If I throw a ball of yarn, will you get out, pussy cat?"
"Keep talking, one day you'll say intelligent or maybe with my sandal so far up your ass, your corset would never be tight enough to squeeze it out."
"Alright! Enough!" The Hatter banged his fist on the table, making the two females jump and shut up. "I don't want any more yapping from the any of you! Antonella, do as I said and Sake, shut your flabbering mouth before I shut it for you!"
It was quiet for a while until Antonella broke the silence. "Fine, no need to yell at anyone, I can tell when I'm not wanted." She left first.
Sake just rolled her eyes and left after Antonella. Michael sat down and sighed, rubbing his eyes until he heard something clink. He looked down. A hand was coming from under the table and pushed the cream pot to the side. The hand was trying to reach for the delicious cookies, he realized it was Bridget's arm. While everyone was arguing, she used the advantage to sneak under the table and try to get the cookies from the tray. Michael's sighed and with his back palm, he slid the plate of cookies near her hand. She felt the plate then felt the cookies with her fingers, she gently grabbed the plate and slid it to the edge of the table. Grabbing one cookie at a time, each one disappeared under the table but reappeared when she broke half of the cookie. She took half of each one until they were all broken in half and she pushed the cookie plate back. The hand disappeared but Michael could still hear her munching away.
Children…