" I wouldn't recommend Doobroves. And the Wizzpocks aren't very fond of strangers." Alice jumped. " Jesus Christ. Where'd you come from?" The dark hair man smiled at her.

" Cheshire's have a knack for being where people need them, Alice."

" Cheshire? So, you're a lord then?"

" Precisely. And as a lord, I know my people. Believe me, if you come talk with me over tea, you'll be quite less confused." Alice thought it over.

" Fine. But, I want a weapon, as insurance that you won't hurt my." He chuckled.

" You're still cautious, I see. That might be important. Here." He unhooked a bracelet from his wrist.

" What am I supposed to do with this?" She sneered.

" It's my one and only weapon."

" But this isn't a weapon. It's a bracelet." He gave Alice a soft smile.

" Oh Alice, you have missed so much. Come." He turned and started walking.

" And you think I've been here before?" Cheshire nodded as he took a sip of tea.

" Had you not, you would not have been able to find my house. And even if you had, my plants would have eaten you." He said as if man eating plants were normal. Alice was still entirely confused, but she was more interested in the bracelet.

" Okay. Now, how is this a weapon?"

" Ah, well, each Wonderlandian has one weapon. This can be nearly anything, disguised as nearly anything. All you have to do is summon it."

" And I do that how?"

" The first time is always the hardest, but afterward, all you have to do is think about it."

" And how do I know what my weapon is." He sighed, setting the cup down.

" We will just have to find out tomorrow." Alice sighed.

" Well that sucks." A servant came out of the house with more cakes. Though she was famished, Alice lost her appetite when she saw some excess scales fall onto the cakes. Still, she thanked the lizard girl before she left.

Alice and Cheshire spent the rest of the day discussing most everything in Wonderland, which had now been renamed to the Heartlands when the new king took over. As night fell upon the Cheshire house, Alice was given a tour of the house. Everything seemed normal, if slightly larger. Her room though, her room was amazing. The bed was soft and warm, the walls a pale lavender. There was an intricate draft screen just to the left of the huge wardrobe. On the opposite side of the room was a door that lead to the bathroom. Alice thanked Cheshire and pulled out some sweatpants and a large t-shirt. She went to take a shower. Out of habit, she took everything out of the pockets. The broken lighter, the caterpillar, some spare change. She left them all on the counter.

Alice slept beautifully. It was bright when she finally climbed out of bed. As she walked downstairs, she realized just how ornate practically everything was. Even the floor had shallow grooves the twisted and swooped in a way that mimicked smoke. She admired the many candelabras that climbed the walls like ivy. The stroll to the kitchen was stalled even more by Alice's need to see everything. She looked in most of the closed doors, briefly, for the most part.

" Excuse me, Mistress?" Alice looked down to see the same lizard girl from last night.

" You can call me Alice, you know."

" Lord Cheshire says we must address everyone with proper titles." Alice sighed.

" Of course he does." She said under her breath. "Did you have something to say to me?"

" Lord Cheshire requests your presence in the garden after you have eaten and changed. He also said to bring anything that came with you from your world." Alice nodded.

" Thanks. What's your name?" The girl's eyes widened in surprise.

" Seera, Mistress." Alice smiled.

" Thank you, Seera."

A light breakfast and ten minutes of searching for something Alice was comfortable wearing later, she walked into the garden, carrying the lighter and change. She hadn't been able to find the caterpillar.

" Good morning, I trust you slept well." Cheshire said. He was sitting at the table with someone. He had blue hair, and she could only see one purple eye because the other was shadowed by the hood he wore.

" Who's this?" Alice asked.

" They call me Dutch. I'm here to help you figure out what your Arma is." Alice looked to Cheshire for an explanation.

" Your weapon." He stated simply. Dutch stood.

" How did you get here."

" I'm not sure. I fell, I guess." She said, keeping an eye on him as he slowly circled her.

" You fell, onto the Lord's front step?" His tone was edging on dangerous.

" No, I fell into the hall. With lots of doors. Why do you care?" He stopped walking.

" Then explain. How did you get to this house?" Alice shrugged. She got a sense of foreboding, looking at the stranger. " You must have done something. Think, girl."

" I don't understand why this is relevant." Alice looked away, her heart beat faster as his voice became more aggressive.

" It's not your job to understand relevance. Just tell me how the fuck you got here."

" I went through a door."

" How?" He yelled. Alice felt something snap. Her apprehension fell away, leaving the anger.

" How the hell should I know? It's not like I memorized what I did." Dutch threw his hands up, turning away from her.

" I knew it. The bitch probably doesn't even have one. She's too stupid." There was suddenly a weight in Alice's hand. Without thinking, she charged forward. She swung to hit Dutch, but before her new weapon connected, she was pushed back. Landing on the ground, she looked up to glare at him. With a smirk, he put down his hood and stepped toward her. "That, that was perfect." He said, extending a hand.

" What the hell? How was that perfect?" Alice snapped.

" You've found your Arma, haven't you?" He pointing to her right. The weapon was a spiked club.

" I haven't seen a morning star in a long long time." Cheshire added. Alice looked at it, it seemed too simple. Still, she reached out to grab it.

" How did that happen?" She asked, looking up at the Lord.

" You could call it magic." He said casually. Alice stood.

" What if I don't like it?" Dutch walked back over to the table and gathered a teacup and cake.

" You change it, obviously." He spoke through the cake.

" From now on, if you think of a weapon you need, your Arma will become it. But I wouldn't recommend changing things too much. Once you find one you like, stick to it."

" Why?" Cheshire seemed to become more serious.

" These things have souls, Alice. It is our duty to keep them safe and happy. If you change it too often, your Arma may not be there when you need it." He turned. " Thank you for your help, Dutch. Tell your mother I send my regards." Dutch nodded as he walked to the house.

" How do I make it go back to normal?" Alice asked after a few moments of silence.

" Think about it." Alice pictured the change and lighter, since she wasn't sure which was the weapon. Almost immediately, the lighter appeared in her hand where the morning star had been.