Warning: Contains strong language, suicide, violence, implied murderous intent and minor police brutality
[Dream Sequence]
The March Hare stood in the center of town and noted with a ghost of concern that everything and everywhere was completely quiet and deserted. Walking around a bit, he listened for any signs of life and scanned his surroundings to try and locate a person. Alas, Hare didn't pick up any sounds at all and the veil of fog that lay shrouding Wonderland made it almost impossible for him to see very far past his own nose. Putting out his arms to prevent running into anything, William took slow steps through the mist hoping he might encounter someone that could give him an explanation.
After what seemed like forever, the fog began to lift slightly and Hare could make out the silhouette of a building. He increased his pace and ran towards it, throwing caution to the wind. Upon reaching what was the front entrance, the brunette discovered the structure was a large, plain white building with black double doors. More focused on solving this conundrum than his own safety, Hare grabbed the knobs in both hands, twisted them and lightly threw open the doors. The inside was a stark contrast to the outside, Hare observed. The walls were dark in color, a mixture of purple and black and the walkway went straight ahead a few feet before dipping down into a staircase. As Hare stepped through and went inside, the doors suddenly slammed shut behind him; he spun around at the noise and started to question his own judgement of walking into a place he has no idea what could be lurking inside. "Damn insatiable curiosity" Hare muttered under his breath.
Turning back around he decided to descend the stairs and continue exploring further. Another thing Hare observed was how dark it was inside the strange building without the doors being open; there were no windows - at least, none that were visible - and the only source of light were several lit candles lining the walls in sconces. About thirty steps down, the Hare saw a few figures on either side holding candles and heads bowed as if in reverence; the glow of the candles allowed him a brief glimpse at one of the persons' faces. From what Will could distinguish in such low light, they were dressed in dark clothing and a mix of confusion and sorrow etched onto their features. Will kept walking down the stairs only to encounter more and more dark shapes dimly illuminated by candlelight. He thought about asking one of them what was going on, but chose against it seeing that it was likely the person wouldn't have much information either.
The farther down he went, the closer he got to a brighter source of light followed by faint crying. William recognized the voice and wandered closer to whoever it was coming from. The distant wailing was also accompanied by whispers among the twin crowds and even a few stares here and there directed at the March Hare. 'This is getting stranger by the second; who are all these people and what is going on?' William asked himself, glancing side to side at everybody who began staring at him and pointing. Finally, he reached the other end of the staircase; his eyes widened when he saw what was in the middle of some kind of expansive alcove.
Everyone, who the Hare now realized were mourners had gathered around a large coffin surrounded by candles; the lid was open and one of the people there stood directly in front of the left half concealed by a long hooded cloak making it impossible to determine their identity. But what was more perplexing was the fact that so many people had come to the funeral of one solitary individual...it honestly made no sense at all. Suddenly, a hand on his shoulder snapped the man out of his daze; he turned to see a blazing Dormouse beside him. "You have some nerve showing your face around here of all places" the Dormouse spoke, his tone dangerously calm. Out of the corner of his eye, the Hare shot a glance back over to the open casket to find that the mysterious figure had disappeared. "Ronald..." William began, "why is all of Wonderland in attendance to mourn a random stranger?" At the question, Ronald became livid; his hands clenched into fists at his sides and his jaws tightened together in a furious scowl. It took all he had not to explode and start kicking Spears' ass right there in the chapel. The Hare withered slightly at how much rage he could feel radiating off the Dormouse. Before the two tone haired man lost control, someone else stood up and placed their hands on his shoulders in a gentle, yet firm grip.
"Why don't you take a few minutes to cool off outside; I'll take care of our ignorant guest" Tanaka soothed the young mouse. Ronald merely gave a quick nod to show he heard the older man and ran up the stairs to the doors, exiting the building. Tanaka turned his attention toward the brunette and fixed him with a stern glare. "Mr. Spears, I strongly urge you to leave at once if you don't wish to have any harm come to you". "Not until somebody tells me what happened and why all this melodrama over an unknown stiff?" "Silence your blaspheming tongue lest you be relieved of it!" shouted the Mock Turtle, Aleistor Chambers. "How dare you waltz into this sacred place of grieving and worship and claim not to have any knowledge of the deceased?!" Aleistor struck a pose as he finished his exclamation, an arm over his eyes in disbelief. "Because I don't; will anyone please care to elaborate or am I to be kept in the dark?" "That's it!" came a female voice behind Hare. A clawed hand roughly grabbed hold of his neck and dragged him over to the coffin. William looked up to see a woman with bright auburn hair, matching wings coming out of her back and a tail that had a tuft of fur at the end of the same color. She was dressed in an open trench coat that stopped just a couple inches above her ankles, a purple midriff top, black pants and matching boots.
"Rhonda, please stop; you're hurting him!" cried another woman, this time with a softer voice. "Angel, I know what I'm doin'...besides, what goods' a lesson without a little pain?" the woman identified as 'Rhonda' replied to the soft spoken woman addressed as Angel. "Just in case ya didn't know, I'm the Gryphon Detective Beedrell and that sweet throated lady is the Sheep Miss Banner". Her accent was a tad similar to Bard and Erics' but with an American dialect base instead of Scottish Brogue or Cockney British.
"You're gonna see what ya did cause even a dead man has tha' right ta confront his attacker" Rhonda growled out. Once at the alter, Rhonda yanked William forward to the upper end of the coffin and forced his head down to look inside at the face of the dead body. William hadn't said anything while being manhandled by the hybrid cop, partly to avoid incurring her wrath even further. However, as soon as he got a good view of who was lying in the casket, all speech ability was rendered completely useless. "U-Undertaker?" That was all the Hare managed to breathe out in his shock. It didn't even register to him when Rhonda unexpectedly threw him backwards onto the ground or the fact that his neck was bleeding due to the Gryphons' talons unintentionally scratching across the skin. "Beedrell that's enough; you're letting your anger get out of control!" Abberline, the Lizard Policeman chastised. "I think I got the right ta blow up at this son of a bitch!" Rhonda snapped at her partner. "And you..." Rhonda stomped up to Will and pulled him to his feet by his jacket collar, "you don't get ta say his name anymore; I hear it outta yer mouth again, you'll find yerself six feet under!" She dropped him, causing the Hare to fall to the floor; Abberline knelt down next to him with a look of sympathy. He closely examined Williams' face when it immediately dawned on him that the March Hare appeared genuinely shocked and confused.
"Rhonda, I don't think he's faking" Abberline declared, helping the Hare to his feet. Said woman rolled her eyes at that statement and said, "Then you be the one ta remind him cause I ain't got the patience ta deal wit' this shit right now". Rhonda began flapping her wings, hovering in the air and flying off through a skylight in the ceiling to safely vent her rage far away. "Let's talk somewhere private" the Lizard said to the Hare. "Everyone, I apologize for the unnecessary negativity on behalf of my partner the Gryphon". Abberline led Spears past the alter and outside via a door on the side wall. The Hare was still silent and had a terrible pallor about himself; the Lizard gently turned him around to face him, becoming more worried as Hare seemed to be in a trance. "William, are you alright?" The brunette remained mute for a few more seconds until he finally regained his voice and asked, "How did he die?"
Abberline let out a heavy sigh and started to explain what happened, "It was about six months ago; Rhonda and I received a call from the Carpenter, Mr. Humphries asking if we could do a well being check on Undertaker. He had expressed concerns about his friend and mentioned that he hadn't seen the man in almost a week and attempts to get in touch with him were unsuccessful. When we arrived at the residence, everything looked and sounded normal at first...we entered his home after several non-responses to our knocking on the door". Fred paused for a moment to collect himself and resumed relaying the events. "Again, things inside were like usual; we called out for Hatter and split up to search the place when he didn't answer back. It wasn't until we checked the attic last that we finally found him; he was hanging from a beam by a noose...dead...he killed himself, Hare". Tears started falling down his face at the memory of discovering Hatters' corpse. "And just in case you don't believe me..." Abberline trailed off, reaching into his coat pocket and producing a folded sheet of paper. "This is a photocopy of Hatters' suicide note; the original is locked up safe into evidence" said the Lizard, unfolding the paper and read aloud what was written.
"To my dearest friends: the Walrus, the Carpenter and the Dormouse, it is with a heavy heart that I announce my inability to continue on in this world. Please understand that I do not make this decision lightly; I have tried my best to move forward, but it is just far too difficult to put forth the effort any longer. I have known genuine happiness and for as long as I've been putting on an act with all of you...that's how much my heart aches ever since my beloved kitten was taken from me. Even though the chance of finding him is absolutely hopeless, I leave my home and all my worldly possessions to the Cheshire cat, Grell Sutcliff. My only consolation is that Grell will still have a place to call his own if, by some miracle he turns up alive and unharmed. To whomever happens upon my body, please make sure that Ronald Knox knows he is always welcome in my home as well as the Slingphries, Eric and Alan. I hope in time, they can forgive me for departing from their lives and that wherever Grell has ended up...he is able to find another that will care for, love and cherish him as much as I did.
Farewell,
The Mad Hatter"
After he was finished reading the letters' contents, Abberline tucked the paper back into his pocket and turned to face Hare. "The reason being is because the circumstances of his death are so out of character for someone like the Hatter; as I'm sure you are well aware, suicide is an incredibly rare cause of death in Wonderland so at least half of the crowd showed up out of a sense of morbid curiosity. I suppose Undertaker would have gotten a real kick if he knew that". Hare shot him a confused look, silently wondering why he mentioned that. "Earlier you asked why all of Wonderland had come to the funeral". "Oh, of course; what happened to the Cheshire? Has he been located?" Hare asked, slipping back into an emotionless facade. "No, we haven't picked up a single trace of him; much as I hate to say it, there's a chance he's completely vanished. Unfortunately, it's all speculation without a body or any other clues". "But that isn't the only thing about this case that bothers me". "What are you talking about; if Hatter killed himself, why make an investigation at all?" asked the Hare, doing his best to keep his voice even.
Under a stoic mask, William was starting to panic slightly; how much did the police know about the situation exactly? Did they suspect foul play in regards to Grell's disappearance? And what about Ronald or the others; could they suspect anything? As all of these questions buzzed through the brunettes' mind, Abberline stared at him in concern wondering what he may be thinking. "There's something else that bothers me about this whole thing...you weren't named in Undertaker's suicide note. Any explanation as to why?" "There are a lot of people he didn't mention" the Hare retorted curtly. "True, but only a handful knew Hatter personally and weren't simply friendly acquaintances. Furthermore, you've known him the longest if I'm not mistaken". "Exactly what are you getting at, Abberline?" "I just find it strange he left you out as a correspondent". "Frankly, I'm not surprised; everything that man did was strange and failed to make sense. It is a fool's errand to try figuring out Hatter's schema for doing things. And now, I really must be off; you know where to find me should you have any more questions". With that said, Hare stalked off from the Lizard Policeman and proceeded to head home.
'Just keep walking as if you've done nothing wrong; which I haven't...a man child he may have been, Undertaker was still an adult capable of his own decisions. It's not like his death is my responsibility, right? No, of course it isn't, but then...why do I have a dull burning sensation in my stomach?'
William's internal pondering was interrupted by a sudden shout of "Arrest that man for murder!" Both the Lizard and the Hare turned sharply to see an enraged looking Red Queen and her entire deck of Card Guards standing off to the side. "Excuse me?" said Abberline to the queen in confusion; Hare stood stock still, but remained alert to his surroundings. "You heard me: arrest the March Hare for murdering the Mad Hatter!" the queen repeated, pointing an accusing finger at the brunette. "I don't understand; what evidence drew you to this conclusion that cause of death is the result of a homicide?" "You dare question your queen and refuse an order?" Madam Red inquired icily to the auburn haired man. "I'm questioning your rationale in detaining an innocent man" countered Abberline. "He is hardly innocent, Fred..."
As the two of them argued the issue, William took advantage of their being distracted and made his escape as quietly as possible. One of the guards noticed this, but kept it to himself out of fear of retaliation for interrupting Angelina during a conversation. "And another thing..." the queen trailed off, catching a glimpse of Hares' retreating form, "he's getting away; after him!" she shouted at the top of her lungs in command to her card army. Instantly obeying their mistress, all fifty-two palace guards ran after the March Hare; said man picked up his pace in order to evade capture. However, despite the head start he had, the Card Guards were slowly gaining on the Hare. "Halt, in the name of the Red Queen!" shouted the mob in unison.
Just as it looked like they would catch up to the March Hare and bring him back to the queen, he instantly disappeared from the path much to the dismay of the guards.
From a distance, a cloaked figure watched with amusement as the Card Guards scrambled every which way, frantically searching for the target of their pursuit. Meanwhile, William could barely breathe after being pulled into an alley by a random individual. His body went rigid as the potential assailant held him back, one arm around his waist and a hand covering his mouth. Unable to even see the figure, William helplessly followed as they dragged him backwards through the shadows; so fear stricken was he, the Hare didn't even realize they had suddenly vanished and re-materialized in a new location.
William was roughly shoved to the floor face down; after a few moments, he found his voice and shakily said, "Whoever you are...what do you want with me?" The figure said nothing in reply. Turning over and taking a kneeling position, William discovered that the mysterious mourner from earlier had been the one to prevent his apprehending by the queens' palace guards. "You...but why?" that was all the brunette could think to say next. The figure looked down on the Hare from hidden eyes; in one fluid motion, the cloak came flying off revealing the person under it to be...Grell Sutcliff.
"I saw you at the funeral and figured you might get yourself into trouble at some point...didn't expect it to be so soon of course".
Brown eyes widened in disbelief at the sight of the Cheshire cat; where once stood a vibrant feline was now a monochromatic monster. His outfit consisted of black pants and silver belt with chains hanging on the sides, matching boots and long sleeved turtleneck. The mane of blood red locks that cascaded down his back had been chopped off, leaving only short, dyed black hair styled in a pixie cut; even his ears and tail had been color changed. Finally, in place of the red cats' eye glasses were simple silver frames. "That doesn't really answer my question; what happened to you? And where did those scars come from?" Studying his new visage, Hare had noticed that the cats' face had a couple faded lines...either of which could've been received from any number of sources. Grell's expression as he stared at William was absolutely devoid of any emotion. "Let's just say this is what happens when the only person who ever really loves you is taken away forever". "It took me months to gain enough of the queens' trust that she'd started letting me outside the castle without an escort. One day, I asked her if I could lose myself in the woods; soon as she said yes and I was far enough away, I snuck over to visit Hatter. I figured, what Madam Red doesn't know won't hurt my beloved. But by then...I discovered I was too late..."
[Flashback]
The Cheshire cat made quick work of entering the familiar building which was his boyfriends' crypt. He decided to surprise Hatter by going in through an attic window, slipping into the main area of the house and waiting for him in the bedroom. Grell giggled to himself at imagining the silverettes' expression when he discovers the kitten posed on his bed. 'I hope I don't scare him too badly'.
Grell floated up the side in order to reach the window; a small circular opening that he was able to shimmy through easily with his lithe and slender frame. Once inside, the cat righted himself on his feet and dusted himself off, checking that everything was neat and in place. However, when he looked up from inspecting his clothes he got the shock of a lifetime. Grell stared, unblinking at the sight in front of him before collapsing to his knees; thick tears poured out from his eyes in rivers and a loud, mournful wail ripped itself from his throat.
As Grell finished relaying the details of the heartbreaking discovery, a few stray tears slipped out and down his cheeks. He wiped them away and quickly composed himself; he had cried enough over Adrian's death and wouldn't let anyone or anything keep the cat from moving on.
William, now back on his feet in a standing position was completely at a loss for words. He had had no idea just how much of an impact his actions had on the Hatter or the Cheshire cat. He may not have been on friendly terms with Undertaker as of late, but he never expected or wanted the silver haired male to come to any harm...be it by a stranger or his own hand. And thus, the burning ache Hare felt earlier was becoming more intense. "You wouldn't happen to have an analgesic lying around?" Hare asked through a groan of pain and clutching his abdomen. "Afraid not, but don't worry..." Grell trailed off, his back to William, "you won't be around much longer to suffer through that discomfort". As he said this, Grell turned to face the brunette and wielding a chainsaw in both hands. "W-w-what is the m-meaning of this?" came Hare's stuttered question, his eyes bulging out of his skull and heart threatening to burst from his chest.
"You asked me why I saved you; this is the answer" stated Grell, matter-of-factly. "You intend to kill me" Hare asked, though it was more of a statement than a query. The Hare backed away from the cat who had begun walking toward him with an air of menace. "Correction: I'm going to hack you into pieces and paint your blood all over the walls". Hare was shaking violently out of fear; his current affliction not only caused him great pain, but also seemed to simultaneously weaken his body as well. This fact became evident when Will lost his footing and fell backwards on the ground unable to move. "Please...what have I done to warrant such an act?" William asked, voice quavering slightly despite himself. Grell bent down to his level, hovering over the man and replied with a sneer, "You...killed...Adrian". That was all he said before righting himself again and pulling hard on the cord.
The motor roared to life and the teeth instantly rotated along the length of the blade. Grell raised the instrument above his head and swiftly brought it back down, thrusting it into Williams' torso.
A scream of pure terror rang out from inside the den and at that moment the March Hare bolted upright in his bed, drenched in sweat and pulse thrumming erratically. But very much alive.
Looking down and running his hands over his body, Hare reassured himself that he was unharmed and it was merely a nightmare he experienced. An incredibly vivid nightmare. But if it was only a dream...why could I feel something pierce my flesh...and what was that distant buzzing noise I heard, William mused to himself. "It can't have been a coincidence". Suddenly a knocking sounded off along with a voice; "William, I am inside the house!" Footsteps alerted the man that Emilia was approaching his bedroom.
"Buenas tardes" Emilia greeted while entering the room. "That means 'good afternoon'; how are you feeling?" In her hands was a tray of pancakes, eggs, bacon and a pitcher of juice. "I hope you don't mind, but I whipped something up for when you woke because I knew you'd be hungry". Just as she set the tray on the bed, Williams' stomach let out a loud growl, confirming her statement and resulting in a light pink blush to dust his cheeks. "When you are ready to talk, I will be in the living room". With that, Emilia walked out of the Hares' bedroom and went to wait for him.
A short time later, after eating, getting a shower and changing into fresh clothes Hare emerged from his bedroom to find Emilia right where she said she'd be: in the living room, on the couch patiently waiting to speak with him. "What would you like know first?" asked Emilia. Will stood there, a few feet from the couch in silence; he decided to start their conversation by getting something off his chest.
"Actually...I have a confession to make". Slowly, he made his way over to the ravenette and sat down in the armchair facing her. Emilia's expression was neutral, but even without having a premonition...she knew what William would lead with. Reaching into her breast pocket, Emilia pulled out a small tape recorder and pressed the 'record' button while setting it on the coffee table. She made a slight gesture motioning him to begin speaking. "My name is William T. Spears and I have committed a most egregious crime". "And you are making this allocution of your own free will, without coercion?" "Correct; I am also beginning to realize the impact my actions have made on various others...including myself". "This is Emilia and I shall be documenting everything and conducting the interview. Mr. Spears, please start wherever feels natural". "Very well; the crime itself is this...I am responsible for the disappearance of the Cheshire cat, Grell Sutcliff".
"I see. How exactly did you accomplish that and what, if any was your relationship to Grell?"
"It all began a few months ago after a major storm had ended; the Mad Hatter heard a noise coming from the woods while he, myself and the Dormouse were restoring the disarray in which our tea area had been left. Hatter went to investigate despite our protests and when he returned...there it was: a cat cradled in his arms and covered in mud. Naturally, I kept my distance being a hare, but the others were a different matter".
"For the record, could you clarify who the Hatter and Dormouse are?"
"Of course: the Hatter is also known as Undertaker and the Dormouse is a young man named Ronald Knox. As to my 'relationship' with Sutcliff...there was none; I saw him as nothing more than a vicious predator that would sooner eat Ronald and I rather than form a friendship even though, at the time he was incapacitated with a broken leg".
"I also treated him horribly and almost every single word I said to him was an insult. Hatter and I were at odds over the situation: I wanted him gone immediately and Hatter was quickly becoming attached to the feline. We frequently fought and our friendship had all but dissolved".
"What about Ron? How did Grell's living with Undertaker affect him?"
"Based on what I know about him, I can surmise that Ronald no doubt felt fear in his presence...but somehow he managed to work past it and actually befriended the cat. I hated the miserable creature for that and so I started planning and waiting for the best opportunity to drive him away. It took quite a while because Hatter never let Grell out of his sight. Eventually, a chance became available and I seized it; I lured him outside with catnip and threatened the Cheshire with bodily harm if he didn't leave. I ripped the collar off his neck. I used my pruning shears and held it to Grell's back with intent to physically attack him should he have refused". Upon hearing this, Emilia's lips pursed into a tight line; she knew that Grell had been forced away, but that detail about the shears hadn't shown up in her vision. She went very quiet for a few moments to stay calm and let out a couple deep breaths. The Hare silently watched this display and waited for her to resume the questions. Picking up the device, Emilia pressed the 'stop' button and put it back inside her jacket pocket. "Let's move on to something else; I'm sure you have other things you would like to talk about".
"My dream...it wasn't really a dream at all, was it?" "You are half right; it was a dream, but also more or less a vision of the future. And I was the one who put you in such a deep sleep so you could fully experience the daño emocional your actions will cause if you don't do something to rectify the situation". "Undertaker committing suicide and Grell turning exactly into what I imagined him" Hare supplied in a grim tone. "Yes; you also need to recognize that Grell is not your enemy!" Emilia exclaimed in an exasperated tone. "Look...I understand where your fear of cats comes from, but you are alive and not once has the Cheshire attacked you for any reason". "That is only because Hatter saved me all those years ago, but...how did you know that; another premonition?" "No; my mother gave me a special gift so I would never lose perspective of things. Will, I am a kanjō-tekina rīchi". Williams's eyes went wide at this announcement; it was all sounding far too fantastic for him to take. Logically speaking, the brunette wanted nothing more than to write off all of Emilia's statements and explanations as delusional drivel...yet, his heart was singing a different tune all together.
"Denying my 'delusional drivel' won't make it any less true Mr. Spears" said Emilia, adding air quotes to the words delusional drivel. The Hare was stunned at this; it all felt surreal and somehow...it seemed to make sense. He thought back on Hatter's words from his hypothetical suicide note.
'I have known genuine happiness and for as long as I've been putting on an act with all of you...that's how much my heart aches ever since my beloved kitten was taken from me'
"He's always been so jovial; I never once considered that the Mad Hatter could actually be...lonely". "Anyone can experience loneliness and other negative emotions; some people are just much better at hiding it than others". "Is that what I've been feeling as of late: loneliness?" asked Hare. "Un poquito" Emilia started, holding her index finger and thumb close together to illustrate her point, "but mostly, you have been experiencing the burn of guilt. And to answer your so far unasked question, you were out for a full day meaning this is the second day after your meeting with the Red Queen".
"What have I done?" asked the Hare after a pregnant pause, allowing all that had been said to sink in. Although she knew it was mainly a rhetorical question, Emilia gave the man a response, "In short, you have callously passed judgement upon an innocent feline, came between two lovers on your own selfish agenda and may even be an accomplice to torture and conspiracy to murder!" Emilia folded her arms across her chest in a huff and turned away from Hare in mild disgust. William's jaw nearly hit the floor in shock; the murder conspiracy made sense, but torture? Who could possibly be- his thoughts cut themselves off as the brown eyed man suddenly went back to the image of Grell from his 'dream'.
"Tell me everything you know about what has happened to the Cheshire cat". Emilia spared him a sideways glance, staring at Will for a few seconds. "It's better if I show you; allow me". Emilia stood up from her seat and stepped up to the Hare, placing both palms over his temples. "Using my kanjō abilities, you will be given an in-depth understanding of the situation from an emotional standpoint. But I must warn you...a demonstration like this carries great potential risk and can be extremely painful; do you still wish to go through with it?" "Yes; I want to know the full extent of the damage I have caused" said Will, resolutely. "Very well". Closing her eyes, Emilia began concentrating and filtering through several patterns until she was able to single out one belonging to Grell. "Transferencia de agitación gata rojo!"
It took only a moment, but immediately William was bombarded with fleeting mental images and a thorough spectrum of emotions not his own. The pictures were of the Cheshire cat and the Red Queen in various situations: getting run over by a carriage when he first left, waking up in the queens' bedroom and having been brought back to her castle, quick snippets of the two redheads interacting with each other and finally...the scenery changed into a dark room with stone walls and torches hanging to offer a little bit of light. Suddenly, he could see two figures in the room: Madam Red and Grell...wrists chained to the wall and glaring up at the woman looming over him in defiance. In her hand was a whip with dark colored stains; blood stains, no doubt. Alongside them were strong feelings of fear, physical pain, sorrow, anger and then hopelessness. While experiencing all of this, Will did his best to remain still. His jaws clenched and eyes shut tight as the sensations caused the brunette moderate pain.
"Gata rojo después de la angustia la reanimación!" William didn't hear it when Emilia had spoken next, but was completely taken aback when he began seeing Grell together with several figures at one point or another in his life. Each one had their face obscured and from the way they acted, it appeared that Hare was witnessing the cat with past lovers. He felt Grells' desire to be loved and cared for while every subsequent partner exhibited only tertiary attraction towards him; said feelings eventually devolved into cruelty, hatred and disgust. Yet, despite each 'relationship' turning out to be just a superficial fling which usually ended badly, Grell continuously picked himself up and tried again to find love to fill the apparent hole in his heart. The physical anguish started to ease up slightly, allowing a few tears to slip past closed lids and down Will's cheeks; he was feeling...sympathy for Sutcliff.
"Enterrador soledad la reanimación!"
The third and final collection of visions and emotions came in the form of repeated event: at first, it was William himself with Undertaker. He knew this day; it had been a short time after the silverette rescued him from that group of feral beasts. It only lasted a couple of seconds and then the Hare left...after which, Hatter was shown still seated at the long mix-matched table, his face falling a bit. That same meeting played out again in a fast forward motion over the course of many years; it stopped once the memory/vision now included the Dormouse. Both Hare and Dormouse were leaving to head back to their respective homes and Hatter was once again left to his own devices. There was really only one emotion that stood out strongly enough: despair. It moved on to show Hatter treading water in what looked to be an ocean; likely a literal representation of the mans' gradually deteriorating emotional state due to his feelings of loneliness. And in the vision, he was slowly sinking beneath the waves and barely attempting to stay afloat.
In addition to the pain, which had started to intensify again...William started to gasp and cough as if he were drowning. That had been exactly what was happening to Undertaker...figuratively speaking, of course. Sensing his having trouble breathing, Emilia yanked her hands away and stumbled backwards, luckily landing on the couch; William nearly fell out of his chair and began to breathe heavily, taking in as much precious oxygen as possible. "There...I showed you...all that you...needed to see" the raven haired woman said between gasping pants, her chest heaving upward and inhaling sharply in an effort to recover from such a prolonged and demanding use of her powers.
"William, are you alright?" she stood up to check on him, despite her common sense telling her to rest; instantly, Emilia got a rush of dizziness and collapsed on the floor. Drifting in and out of consciousness, William tried standing in order to help her, but it proved too much for his body to manage. Within a second, he passed out and fell right next to Emilia.
[Several Hours Later]
When the pair finally woke up, they quickly discovered they were no longer on the floor, but in Hares' bed. Said man was very confused as to how he wound up with Emilia in his bedroom but the answer to the mystery made itself known when a mans' voice called to them. "How are you both feeling this evening?" Hare tried to make out who was speaking to them, but his eyes could only perceive a red and brown blur. "Tanaka?" he asked the blurry figure, hoping his guess was correct. "I apologize for dropping by unannounced, but I became concerned when Lady Skellington failed to report in" said Tanaka, slipping Wills' glasses back onto his face. "It's quite alright- Lady Skellington?" William directed his now clear gaze to Emilia, who merely sent a mild warning glare to the Hedgehog man. "That is my last name" the black clad woman curtly replied. "I had things under control Tanaka; not every situation I don't check in on time is going to be an emergency". Tanaka gave her an equally admonishing look, "Your parents asked me to watch over you and ensure your welfare; I am merely doing my job. And if I am not mistaken, you personally requested that I maintain due diligence when it comes to your powers as a kanjō-tekina rīchi". Emilia huffily turned away from Tanaka, arms crossed over her chest. "I feel fine Tanaka". Knowing she'd say that, he pulled out a small recording device from inside his jacket and pressed the play button.
'Tanaka, I need you to be on guard of my health and energy levels; as a jinkō kanjō, I'm more prone to overtaxing myself when I use my powers. Even when I say I'm fine, assume the opposite, especially if I pass out because I may very well be totally blind to what my actual physical condition is like'.
Turning it off, Tanaka replaced it back into his coat; Emilia remained facing away from him for a few more seconds before replying, "just give me the elixir please; William and I have an incredibly important mission to complete" the violet eyed woman breathed out impatiently and holding an arm out expectantly. During their exchange, William was slightly confused as to what Emilia was referring...until it instantly came back, realization washing over him like a tidal wave. "She's quite correct; we mustn't waste anymore valuable time laying about" came the Hares' curt reply. At once, he tried to stand from the bed, but the Hedgehog man moved swiftly to keep him in place. "I don't think that is advisable; you've had a very intense experience from what I could gather upon arrival and the worst of the potential side effects have yet to even present themselves" Tanaka explained, using only one hand to hold William down at the shoulders due to his low strength. "You don't understand; ours is a matter of life or death and I demand you allow Emilia and I to carry out the operation!"
Tanaka let out a heavy sigh and relented to their request, knowing that to try and stop them would be a futile effort. "On one condition; you must each rest properly for at least two full days, getting up only when it is absolutely necessary" the older man warned in a stern voice that left no room for argument. "Of course". "You have my word, sir". The dark haired paired responded in agreement. "But when we find Grell...will you make sure that the news somehow gets passed along to Hatter?" asked Hare, a pleading look on his features. "If that is what it takes to ensure your compliance, then it shall be done". "Now onto more important matters" Tanaka produced two vials from his breast pocket and handed them to Emilia and William, "these are concentrated healing potions; they will revitalize your energy and provide you with a small increase in physical acuity. The downside is that you will be in an even worse state of weakness and fatigue when it wears off. Hence my strict instructions". Both nodded in understanding and each took a vial after Tanaka uncapped them; instantly upon drinking down the concoction, they felt a surge rushing through their bodies.
"I feel...powerful" Emilia observed in amazement. "Viva la exención!" came the womans' enthusiastic cry as she lept off the bed and to her feet. "One more thing before you get too ahead of yourself". "What is it" asked William, standing up in a more calm manner and retrieving his pruning shears for a weapon. "I insist on coming with you, if only to guarantee a higher chance of success". "And before you ask, I am well aware of the risks and I don't rightly care about the consequences...what's most important is doing what is right". "Thank you Tanaka". With that, the trio left Hares' den to head to their intended destination: the Red Queens' castle to rescue the Cheshire cat.
jinkō ('manmade' in Japanese)
Enterrador soledad la reanimación ('Undertaker desolation revival' in Spanish)
Gata rojo después de la angustia la reanimación ('Red cat past heartache revival' in Spanish)
Transferencia de agitación gata rojo ('Red cat turmoil transfer' in Spanish)
Un poquito ('a little bit' in Spanish)
daño emocional ('emotional damage' in Spanish)
Viva la exención ('long live freedom' in Spanish)