Clover Tower looked more ominously looming than usual as I stared up at the arch, walking inside with the Hatters. Jeez … who knows how many people in Wonderland were hypnotized, and of those people, how many were inside this very building? But Nightmare would noticed them, right? But then again that clumsy guy from before must have slipped past his notice somehow.

"What a shame. It appears we are rather early for the meeting." Blood sighed, sounding quite bored while the workers ran to and fro furiously to prepare.

"Boo! I thought we were going to be early with how fast the boss was egging us on." Dum complained with a heavy sigh.

"Yeah. And we don't even get extra pay for hustling." Dee booed before a grin turned up on his face. "Hey, big sis! We've got some time before the meeting so let's go hang out in town!" He excitedly grinned, grabbing my hand eagerly.

"Yeah! We already checked out the new stores and stuff but you haven't yet, right big sis?" Dum asked, capturing my other arm and giving it a tight squeeze. A~nd just like that I've been captured. But then again, it's been getting easier and easier for them to capture me. Honestly, I'm just getting too soft.

Without warning a very sharp and abrupt tingle snapped up my spine, making my breath stagger in fright. W-What was that? I looked around the hallway, trying to find the source of the freezing tremor slinking up and down my spine at an alarmingly slow and excruciating pace. This was the same sensation I felt before when I was out with the twins. Was someone nearby? I uneasily frowned, glancing down at the boys. Well, whoever they are, they won't dare come near when the twins are around.

"Now now boys, what sort of lovers are you if you crowd your beloved in such a public fashion?" Blood asked as he stepped up behind us, beckoning for the twins to pay him attention.

"We can't help it, she's just so cute!" Dum cheekily grinned with a snickering laugh.

"Yeah. And she's all~ ours." Dee said as he hugge my waist, "so no trying to grab her when we're not looking!"

"I wouldn't dream of it." Blood sighed off to the side before sliding his gaze back over to the twins, "as alluring as your lover is, perhaps you boys should take another look around to see what is clearly troubling the young lady. A good lover can figure out the troubles of a young lady without badgering her." Blood said with a smile.

The twins paused in their affections, taking a moment to listen and sense their surroundings. Their expressions remained as baffled as ever, clearly unaware of what their boss meant. Blood let out a faint sigh, stepping over to me and holding his arm out in an escorting fashion.

"Since it seems too difficult for you to notice, why don't you twins go and fetch Elliot? He's going to be awfully late at this point and if he embarrasses me with his tardiness, I will take it out on your paychecks." Blood threatened with a serene smile on his lips.

"What?!" Dum cried out, annoyed.

"That's so not fair!" The twins obviously cried out in retaliation to the order.

"Fair or not it's probably for the best. I can't keep treating you both without my wallet taking a harder hit than it already has." I sighed before grinning over to the twins. "I'll be right here when you get back, alright?" I offered, trying to help figuratively push them out the door. Blood was acting a little strange; did he pick up on something? And want to talk about it? Probably.

In an instant the complaints of the twins came to a sudden halt. Uh oh, was I not subtle enough? They both turned to look at me, staring rather suspiciously with unsure expressions. I could see it in their eyes; their childish minds were working overtime trying to figure out the meaning of my words as their gazes cut right through me. Ah~ crap, too direct, way too direct.

"Hmmm … you're siding with the boss. You never do that." Dee pointed out with a narrowed and intense gaze, the gears turning in his head to try and logic out this strange phenomenon.

"And you've been sticking with him an awful lot lately. Are you cheating on us?" Dum accused with the same sort of slanted expression, a mixture of disbelief and doubt. There mere accusation of me ever cheating on them made a vein pop in my head in anger as my expression warped into outraged annoyance. Get out of here! Blood obviously wants to talk to me about the stupid hypnotism! Why else would he be trying to get rid of the twins so obviously?!

"Are you both idiots?!" I snapped at the both of them, making them jolt, "as if I would cheat! Stop feeling so insecure and do your jobs!" I scolded them in annoyance. Oh goodie, time to be the nagging mother figure to these children. Ugh, "neglecting on your jobs is only going to put more pressure on me because I know exactly what you'll do! You'll drag me out into town to play with you and when you find an ice cream shop with something smothered in chocolate and peanut butter, you'll act all nice like you'll buy some and then you'll have suddenly forgotten your wallets or misplaced your money, making me treat you even though the last time we went out, you said you'd pay for my next one!" I harshly criticized the both of them, beginning to get more and more annoyed as I remembered just how sadly accurate that was, "so now the count for treating me is up to 7 ice creams and I'm going to get the expensive kind. So hurry up and get out of here and make some money." I huffed and puffed, pausing as I realized the workers in the hallway had literally stopped in their tracks and were staring rather openly at the scene before them.

I tried to keep a straight and annoyed face, feeling my expression slipping as I stared back at the twins and found them blushing. Their expressions were odd; it was like the strangest mixture of excitement and adoration with their eyes glowing with mature desires. The fact that the twins could even make an expression like the ones they had on now made a small blush crawl onto my face and my heart skip a beat. That look is oddly … sexy?

WAIT.

NO.

NO NO NO.

NO BRAIN STOP WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?!

I did not just think that, what is wrong with me?! And in their kid forms too! While stuck in my tiny internal shrieking at my own thoughts, the twins continued to stare with slightly tinted cheeks.

"Awe, boo. She saw right through us, brother." Dum said with a slowly growing smile, his gaze locking onto me like a pleasantly disappointed predator. I tensed up at his unusually low voice which made me weak in the knees.

"And she's scolding us too. But her scolding makes me feel good." Dee said with sparkling eyes, leaning in a bit with a smile curling his lips up as well.

"Same here, brother. Scold us some more, big sis." Dum said with a cheerful stupid smile on his face, hopping closer along with Dee.

"Yeah! Scold us, scold us some more!" Dee encouraged with a cheerful grin. My eyes narrowed, snapping myself out of the weird thoughts clouding my mind as I lightly but firmly punched both of them on the top of the head, watching them jerk back and hold their bruised heads. "Oooooow, big sis!"

"Stop domestically abusing us. Lovers don't abuse each other." Dum booed, rubbing the top of his head with a frown.

"Out, both of you. And go do your jobs." I snapped back at them with zero remorse. Come on, stop dragging this out. Just leave so I can talk to Blood! Both of them mumbled in annoyance and walked away, pausing. Oh great, now what?

"We almost forgot!" Dee laughed as they both appeared by my sides almost instantaneously as adults. Their movements were so fast that I was still staring at where they once were, my eyes widening as I sensed them both on either side of me, gently taking my hands in their grasps.

"Goodbye kisses~," Dum whispered into my ear as they both of them pressed their lips to my cheeks, staying there for a good three seconds. Those three seconds seemed to drag on for minutes, making my heart do backflips in my chest as a bright blush lit up my face. The skin they touched felt unusually hot as my blood boiled, unable to speak a word as they let go and eagerly grinned.

"Okay! Now we're going! Let's hurry up and get chicken rabbit here!" Dee cheered, running away, "I'm going to catch him first and get the bonus!"

"Whoa-! No way! I will!" Dum laughed, running after his brother as I remained frozen on the spot, feeling a bright red blush light up my cheeks.

"My dear, if I did not know any better I would dare say you are quite the cougar of a woman going after two children." Blood teased with a grin as I slowly regained my composure, my lips twitching between a frown and a smile, unsure how to process their 'goodbye kisses' in a timely manner before it was too late; they were already gone and any chance to correct their kisses was gone too.

" … s-so what did you want to talk about?" I asked, turning towards him with a twitchy smile as he walked up next to me, setting a hand around my waist.

I tensed up as Blood pulled me in close, whispering softly, "nothing really. I just wanted to see your reaction." He whispered.

My thoughts came to a slow stop as I resisted the urge to sock him right then and there. Did … did this jerk just play me? I glanced in his direction, staring long and hard at his face with a sour glare. Would he just play me like that? I don't doubt it for a moment. But that freezing chill up my spine was nothing fake either. "Liar." I accused with a stiff frown.

"Who knows. Regardless, that little show was quite entertaining." Blood answered with one of his casual crooked smirks.

"Whatever. I'm going to go see Nightmare if that's all you have to say." I growled, pushing him away before hobbling over to the stairs.

If that was how he wanted to act then fine, let him act like that. Him chasing away the twins for his own amusement helped me anyway. With a pained effort I hopped up the stairs, barely making it to the top before noticing Gray walking towards me with a fairly troubled expression as he stared at the carpet, too deeply engrossed in his thoughts to take notice of me.

"Something wrong, Gray?" I playfully asked, curious but cautious. Gray normally looked far collected than this.

Gray perked up at the sound of being called, looking over with a troubled expression before effortlessly smiling to mask his trouble. "Oh, good Afternoon, Miss Jackie. Are you here for the meeting?" He asked, checking his watch briefly for the time.

"Yeah but I need to talk to Nightmare. It's important." I said, continuing towards his office.

Gray held out a hand slowing me down. "My apologizes but Lord Nightmare is preparing for the meeting. He needs his personal time to collect himself. Perhaps I could entertain you instead?" He offered with a sweet smile, trying to redirect me elsewhere.

"No, it's really important." I said, glancing around at the faceless before leaning in and whispering, "it's about the hypnotized faceless in Clover Tower."

Gray's eyes widened as he turned to me in surprise before his eyes narrowed, "how did you know about that?" He asked with an even and calculative expression.

"I … well, I just need to see Nightmare as quickly as possible." I frowned as he nodded, gently holding out his arm for me to take. With a deep breath I started marching there on my own, not wanting his help. At least now with the boot I don't need crutches and I don't need help walking either. That little bit of freedom gave me more comfort than usual as I arrived at the front door besides Gray who knocked.

"Lord Nightmare, Miss Jackie is here to see you." He called, waiting for an answer. After a few minutes of silence Gray sighed, holding out a hand to steer me away. My eyes narrowed slightly, flickering my gaze between him and the door. He was making a concentrated effort to not let me see Nightmare. Why? "My apologies, Miss Jackie, but it appears he is busy-," he started to say before I lunged for the door and threw it open.

"NIGHTMARE!" I shouted, freezing as I spotted the man himself standing in front of a faceless who was levitating perpendicular to the ground. The sight of Nightmare's empty gaze peering right through the faceless was enough to give me shivers of unease before I recognized the faceless; he was the one who almost shot me in front of the gates! So Nightmare did catch him? I let out a breath of relief. So he does know about them. But, wait, if he knew about him he would have read his mind to know he was coming to try and kill me. Right?

"You're wrong; I couldn't read his mind." Nightmare answered with a stiff frown before releasing his hold, letting the faceless flail to the ground before he rolled onto his hands and knees.

"Ouch ouch ouch," he hissed through his breath, rubbing his lower back.

"W-What do you mean you couldn't read his mind?" I asked with wide eyes. Nightmare's mindreading abilities were blocked? But I thought only Gray had that ability.

"It's not that I can't read his mind; it's that I can't concentrate enough to hear his current thoughts; not unless he is right next to me and is screaming his thoughts." He deeply frowned as the faceless achingly groaned, grasping his skull while achingly breathing.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, concerned for the faceless. Was Nightmare hurting him?

"A person has both their current thoughts at the forefront of their mind and the constant babble of their hidden conscious. I cannot read the current thoughts in his mind very well, hence is why I did not know he left to kill you. All I can hear is the constant babble of his conscious." Nightmare deeply frowned.

"What do you mean?" I asked, baffled. What was that supposed to mean?

"Ah-! Miss Jackie!" The man called before shooting stiffly up to his feet with a deep blush on his face.

"Nightmare, what's going on?" I cautiously asked as I eyed the faceless, seeing a bloody stain in his shirt. He was definitely the one who tried to kill me but what was Nightmare doing to him?

"So you can recognize a faceless?" Nightmare glared at the faceless. "Yes, this one is indeed the one who tried to kill you. He was hypnotized."

"Y-You're kidding. You really were?" I asked, baffled.

"Yes. P-Please forgive me, Miss Jackie! I-I-I-I would never dream of harming you in any way!" He cried, bowing so low onto the ground that his forehead was pressed against the ground.

"I know." I said, frowning still as I hesitantly looked to Nightmare with a troubled gaze. "I … I've been feeling cold chills up my spine lately. I know that I've been hypnotized and I've been given orders too." Jackie said with a deep frown, making everyone in the room gap in shock.

Nightmare was suddenly in front of me with an intensely harsh stare before gently grabbing my head. The room warped around us as I came to a flickering gray space, finding Nightmare uneasily staring at me as the space flickered a little more harshly before dying out, making Nightmare deeply frown.

"You've … been poisoned. Definitely." He admitted with a deep frown.

"Poisoned?" I asked, deeply unsettled. Was it this 'poison' that was actually making me take orders from other people? Is that how this all started?

"Or, rather I should say, poisoned with a drug that makes it easier to be hypnotized into things you normally wouldn't do." Nightmare frowned, grabbing his chin and closing his eyes in deep thoughts.

" … yeah, I have. Nightmare, while I was there I saw more people from all of the territories there, here included." I warned but he most likely already knew that. "They sold us at some kind of auction somewhere. I don't remember the name." She admitted, trying to think of what Blood said the name was.

Nightmare stared at me in deep thought, frowning deeply as he pondered my words. After what seemed like an hour he drew in a breath, his expression changing to quite a serious looking expression; the most serious that I've ever seen the incubus make. "I see. Knowing that, perhaps it will be easier to find the hidden memory." He said before he turned to the faceless and held up his hand.

The faceless's spine immediately snapped up as he gasped in a pained rasp, trembling exceedingly as he slowly crumpled onto the ground, gripping his throat. Veins popped on his forehead, showing the mental anguish that was stabbing into him due to Nightmare's violent and thorough searching his mind.

"Nightmare, stop! What are you doing to him?! It wasn't his fault, it was the poison that made him do what he did!" I said, hurrying over to him and yanking on his arm. The distraction served to be enough as he twitched, needling his brows together as he slightly faltered and held his aching head. The faceless crumpled onto the ground, shakily breathing.

"P-Please do not interrupt, Ms. Jackie. By doing this, perhaps he may find out the others who are poisoned and better protect Clover Tower." He said, trembling and looking up to me with sweat beading on his forehead, "please, do not worry. I deserve this for foolishly letting myself be poisoned. So please do not fret, and let Nightmare continue." He pleaded with a heartbreaking smile of acceptance.

"Before you try to push the subject further, Jackie," Nightmare interrupted before I could even think of a response to his words, catching me in his sharp glare, "he willingly came to me and explained what he remembered about the gun and you. We are lucky that someone has enough of his right mind left to expose himself and help the rest of the territory find the others who are infected with this poison. And," he paused, taking a breath as though to better prepare himself for his words, "Jackie. I have to ask you to leave Clover Tower and find another place of residence. Clover Tower isn't safe for you anymore and at this rate and anything short of a Role Holder's territory would be more than dangerous for you as well." Nightmare said, making me frown. Well … crap.

"But wouldn't the other territories be just as dangerous as here?" I asked with a frown. "I saw people from all the other territories there." I explained before pausing. Wait, wouldn't he be able to read my mind since I remember so much of it?

"There could be or most likely there already are other employees infected with it that could harm you and I can't read their malintentions. It seems that they have no memory of being hypnotized that I can search for, and their minds go blank while under the effects, so I can't detect those either." Nightmare heavily sighed, "I can't properly protect you here in Clover Tower and it seems that this territory is the most heavily infected. It's troublesome to say the least." Nightmare frowned.

"Read my mind." I said, watching Nightmare's head snap up in my direction in shock. "I've been to that place before a-and you'd be able to get more information if you read my mind, right?"

Nightmare's face shifted into a firm frown, staring almost lifelessly at me. "I won't. Prying into someone's mind who has been poisoned is extremely painful. Unfortunately I could not bring myself to do that even if I tried." He stated with a serious expression, sending shivers down my spine but I wasn't about to let that stop me.

"It's fine, really. You'd be able to learn more faster going through my mind, right? Especially since I remember a lot of it?" I asked, pushing for the idea. It probably will be painful but Nightmare would be able to learn more from her; plus she might be able to stay here at Clover Tower with that. The Amusement Park was gone and there was no way I was staying at Heart Castle. And that only left the Hatter's Mansion as my last option. And in comparison to that … well, I'd rather have Nightmare tear up my mind a bit looking for information than go live at the Hatter's Mansion for who knows how long.

"Well well, for a game this interesting I can't just stand around and let it pass me by, now can I?" Blood's voice said as he stepped into the room, startling me. Where in the world did he come from? Was he outside the door waiting for the perfect time to come in? "I can be at service here for this game. The opponents are some unsightly fellows who constantly make it their mission in life to be a bother; and unfortunately for them, they have been a bother for one too many times." Blood smiled, walking in and stopping in front of Nightmare's desk. "Let's talk for a few moments in private, Nightmare. I'm sure we can find a rather pleasing solution to this mess."

Nightmare shifted in his seat, seeming rather uncomfortable. "Then let's talk."

"But of course. As soon as Ms. Penske takes her leave we will discuss what to do." Blood smiled as I frowned.

"Why do I have to leave?" I asked, frowning. "I don't want to be kept in the dark."

"And unfortunately, that is what those tall glasses of piss are relying on. I'm sure a smart girl like yourself sees the problem in this situation, don't you?" Blood smugly smirked.

My eyes widened. He was right. The more I knew of what they were planning the more that I could give away to those morons who poisoned me. The sudden rush of helplessness gripped my heart, making my legs feel a little unsteady. How in the world was I going to survive this is I couldn't even trust my own mind? I was completely reliant on Nightmare and Blood right now, a fact that pissed me off to no end. However, they were master manipulators, especially Blood. If there was anyone who could help me out, it would be Blood Dupre the mafia boss. With a deep gulp, I swallowed my pride - something I seemed to be doing too much these days.

"Yeah … I get it. I'll go walk around for a bit." I said before turning away and walking out, clenching my teeth so hard they felt like they were about to crack. Out of all my time of living in Wonderland, this has to be the worst thing to ever happen to me. I was completely helpless and now completely reliant on someone else to fix this problem for me. I could understand why though; anything I tried to do, the bad guys would easily be able to figure it out just by asking me, and I'd have to answer honestly. Ugh, I know why I have to rely on them, but it pisses me off!

With a sharp turn I hobbled into the bathroom, silently cursing myself. I was going to end up being the bait for whatever kind of plan they came up with; which, fine, if that's what it takes then that's what it takes. But it was still terrifying. With a heavily and defeated sigh I splashed some water on my face, trying to calm myself down. A bathroom stall opened, making me gasp as I whipped around, ready to use my booted leg as a blunt weapon before the faceless woman jumped back, startled.

We stood in a silent stand off as I stared at her, speechless. Oh great, now I'm so jumpy I'm starting to scare innocent bathroom goers. "Uh … ha ha, sorry about that. You scared me." I nervously chuckled, trying to pass off my near attacking her as a joke, something she clearly did not take well.

"I scared you? If anyone, I should be the one who was startled." The woman stated with a huff, walking over and washing her hands quickly before grabbing a paper towel.

I rubbed my damp face off with a paper towel myself, flushing a bit in embarrassment. Well, that was awkward. Oh well, it really didn't matter. After this I should go find the twins. Some protection was better than none, even when it was just the two happy swinging axes.

The woman walked behind me, heading towards the trashcan to throw out her paper towels. I ignored her, too embarrassed to look at her before she paused.

"Alice is-," the woman started to speak before I whipped around, driving my fist into the woman's face who let out a startled scream. With a lunge I tried to make it out the bathroom door but the woman tackled me over, pinning me to the ground and covering my mouth as I tried to scream for help. "Alice is dead." She hissed into my ear, pinning my head against the ground.

My body suddenly seized up as my eyes widened, frightened as the young woman lean over my shoulder, staring at my face. " … I can't believe it worked. So you were poisoned." The young woman whispered, seeming unsettled before she hiked up my skirt, wrapping around a small gun band on my thigh before placing in a tiny gun against my leg which was hidden with the skirt's fabric. My hands shook, struggling to break free long enough to at least throw another punch at the woman, scream or do anything but my body remained rigid, complacent until otherwise given orders. "Go kill Blood Dupre. In private, no witnesses." She whispered into my ear before rolling the skirt back down into its proper place. After checking to ensure the gun wasn't visible, she grabbed the paper towel from my stiff fingers and tossed it out before making a speedy walk out.

My head twitched slightly as her words began to process, feeling the undeniable urge to go and immediately find Blood to carry out the deed. My teeth clicked together, straining my muscles with every ounce of resistance I could muster before my struggle proved futile. Instead of the emptiness I felt when I had no orders, I felt full and elated. I felt purpose in my movement and meaning to my deeds. And this time, my deed was to kill Blood Dupre.

With a heavy sigh I hobbled out of the bathroom, hateful and thankful for the plastic cast around my leg which slowed me down considerably. At least I'm probably the slowest assassin in all of Wonderland so that was a good thing.

"Big sis, there you are!" A voice shouted as Dum tackled me from behind, nearly throwing me onto the floor as Dee tackled my front, making my chest heave at the impact as the young boy tightly hugged me with bright smiles on their faces.

"Big sis, let's go walk around for a bit before the stupid meeting." Dum eagerly smiled with bright shining eyes of excitement.

"Yeah, they sell special ice cream here that's super yummy! There's all sorts of shops out front. It's like a large festival!" Dee shouted excitedly, pulling me towards the entrance. "Let's go get some yummy snacks. Maybe we could throw some at Boris during the meeting!"

"Yeah! That will make the meeting fun!" Dum laughed excitedly as they pulled me right out the front door and into the street without a skipping a beat. I pulled against their grasps, trying to return to my given 'mission' but the twins' strength proved greater than my own. I was dragged along with them, letting out a shaky breath. I couldn't tell them the password to break this stupid control thing over me because they would abuse it horrifically. So for now I'll have to shut up and bear it.

MWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW

My body gently tried to resist and return to Clover Tower at every turn the twins made. At every chance I instinctively tried to turn away but the twins kept grabbing my arms, dragging me deeper into the festival while presenting lots of different little toys and weapons for my approval before buying them anyway. The twins remained completely oblivious to my attempts to flee, instead just blaming my 'lame leg' as being the result for turning unexpectedly and trying to walk away.

At any other time I probably would have enjoyed myself. However, with my orders clear, I felt like a paper bag being dragged around by the wind. With a deep breath I calmed myself, trying to stave off my annoyance. I needed to get back to Blood so he could undo the current order I'm following. I guess I should be lucky; Blood won't be killed easily by some tiny little gun. What in the world was that woman thinking, giving me a gun to kill the Blood Dupre?

"Hey, big sis, let's go out on a date like lovers do!" Dee shouted, snapping me out of my thoughts for a moment.

"Lovers?" I ask with a frown, staring at him in annoyance. No matter how many times I say it, they're just going to keep calling me their lover. Ugh … at this point fighting them on this isn't even worth the effort especially when I have other things to worry about.

"Yeah! … wait, what do lovers do on dates?" Dum asked, seeming to pause.

"I don't know. Maybe play games?" Dee asked.

"DEE!" Dum shouted, making me jolt as his brightly shining eyes caught sight of something in the storefront. "Is that the new M-98 nail bomb?!" Dum shouted as he released my arm, running over to the front of the store and looking inside to see the grenade oh so carefully placed in the storefront to draw in children of all ages.

"IT IS! We've been looking all over for this thing!" Dee shouted, letting my arm go as he went and joined his brother to drool over the weapon of mass destruction.

My eyes darted over my freed arms, feeling my body's reaction of trying to slowly slip away without them noticing. Awe crap. Now I was going to be able to get away without them noticing to go attempt to murder their boss. I frowned; this was almost sad. They were so excited and when they figure out I'm gone … oh who am I kidding, they won't notice that I'm gone at all.

With a heavy heart my feet turned away, walking back towards Clover Tower. My heart tightened in anger, feeling very helpless; annoyingly so. I wasn't use to having to depend on people and now I had to depend on a mobster to help me get out of this horrible poison situation. But I should be happy their aim is at Blood and to somehow stupidly use me to kill him. With the pathetic skills that I have I won't be able to kill anyone; hopefully.

With a deep breath I stepped inside of Clover Tower, beginning my search for Blood. A passing couple of workers caught my eye has I hobbled over to them, catching their attention with the loud thumping air cast. "Excuse me, do you know where Blood is right now?" I asked, seeing them smile.

"Yes, I believe he is resting before the meeting in a private room. I think if I remember right the Hatters are staying in rooms 245-260. Do you need help?" He kindly offered, holding out his arm to help should I need it.

"No no, I'll be fine." I sighed, starting my way up the stairs to go and find Blood. I walked down the specific hall, reading the plaques until finding 'Blood Dupre' labeled on one of them. Letting out a heavy sigh I knocked on the door. "Blood, it's me. Can I come in?" I asked, listening for his response.

After a few moments, he answered. "Come in." He called with his usual deep sultry purr.

I deeply frowned. And here~ we go. "Hey, Blood, are you alone?" I asked as I stepped into the room and looked around, not seeing anyone in the immediate vicinity.

"Yes, why?" Blood asked with a mischievous smile. "Were you ordered to seduce me again? I look forward to see what specific instructions they left you this time." He laughed with a raised eyebrow.

"No, I was ordered to kill you so you better dodge this." I explained, trying to pull out the gun from my skirt but it caught on my skirt. I jiggled the gun a bit, trying to take it out but it wasn't going anywhere. "Oh crap, wait a minute, seriously though, you better dodge this. I'd be horrified if it actually hit you." I said, finally wrestling the gun free with an annoyed growl. Putting guns in skirts has to be the least convenient thing in the world.

"Oh? How entertaining." Blood smirked as he leaned against the table without any indication of moving.

My eyes widened; why wasn't he moving at all? "Blood, I'm serious-!" I shouted, frightened I might actually hit him as I cocked the gun and aimed it at him. The moment the trigger was pulled the gun snapped back, smacking me in the face.

"OW!" I shouted, stumbling back and dropping the gun as I held my face. "Ow ow OW! That freaking hurts!" I cried before I heard Blood laughing so hard it sounded like his gut was going to burst. I gasped, snapping my head up to see him totally fine; with exception to the fact he was about ready to fall out of his chair in laughter. His expression was scrunched up, looking the most unprofessional I had ever seen it while he gripped his stomach tightly with a loud barking laugh erupting from his throat. His reaction to me trying to shoot and kill him left me stunned, trying to figure out what he was trying to do here. W-What in the world was he doing?

"Where were you aiming, my dear?" He asked, snickering and trembling as he tried to restrain his laughter.

"A-At you! How did you dodge that?!" I shouted, shocked spotting a small hole in the wall a good five feet from where he was at. I blinked, shocked I had missed so badly. I know I have barely used a gun in my life but really? Even for me that was horrible!

"I would have had to jumped into the line of fire to catch that terrible shot." He said with a chortling laugh as he walked over to me. He leaned forward as I stared at him, feeling my hands twitching and shaking. "Your first attempt failed, my dear. How do you plan to make up for your mistake?" He asked as I dropped the gun. Without warning my hands whipped forward, gripping his neck. He paused, measuring the sincerity in my grip before he loudly laughed. "Your hands are much too tiny, my dear. Try using this." He suggested, slipping off his tie before holding it for me.

"B-Blood, what in the world are you doing?" I asked as I slowly stood up to my feet, advancing on him before hooking our legs together. Even when falling back he gracefully landed as I fell on top, sitting on his stomach and trying to strangle the life out of the idiot.

"Whatever do you mean? A beautiful young lady before me wishes so badly to spend time with me that she is willing to kill me simply to keep my corpse beside her. That is quite a passionate murder, my dear." He smile, taking a strand of hair and softly kissing it.

"You've got to be kidding me." I growled, trying to further tighten my grasp but found it impossible. Wonderland really was weakening me if I couldn't even strangle this annoying moron.

"I am entirely serious. Now here; using my tie so it won't place my skin beneath your nails to identify you to the crime." He smiled brilliantly as I ripped the ribbon from his hand, looping it around the back of his neck before crossing it in the front and tightening it as hard as I possibly could. "What a passionate lover you would be, looking into my eyes with such intense anger that sends shivers down my spine," he methodically laughed as I struggled to tighten the ribbon.

"Blood, hurry up and order me to stop!" I hissed at him, feeling my arms shaking from the mere effort to try and strangle him.

"I will once it stops being entertaining, but for the moment," he started, grabbing my hips, "let's continue with this very intimate scene." He purred, leaning forward and pressing his lips to my mouth as I clenched my teeth, trying to pull on the tie even tighter.

"How in the world can you still talk?!" I demanded, hearing a sudden scuffling of shoes outside of the room before Elliot kicked in the doors, knocking a faceless to the ground. My eyes widened in surprise, seeing the frightened faceless, heavily breathing and looking up to the second in command mafioso with terror in his eyes while Elliot shut the door behind himself.

"Elliot! Order me to stop already!" I called out, startled as he turned to me with a stern glare.

"Alice is dead. Now stop strangling my boss." He protectively growled as the tie slipped from my loose fingers, feeling myself becoming empty once again. I shakily let out a breath, slumping over in relief. Thank goodness Elliot came!

"If something that simple would kill me then I wouldn't be deserving of being such a fine subordinate's boss, now would I?" Blood darkly laughed as Elliot's eyes shined at the compliment. "Rather, the young lady held such passion in her eyes that it would be a shame not to fully utilize them. Would you care to continue?" Blood asked with an infuriatingly calm smile before I pushed myself off of him.

"Why didn't you tell me to stop earlier?! I could have seriously hurt you!" I shouted in genuine worry before both Elliot and Blood paused before bursting out into laughter. "What?!"

"Your strangling technique is quite awful. You make for an adorably poor assassin, my dear. This is how you strangle someone," Blood smiled as Elliot slipped off his scarf and tied it around the man's neck before tightening it with expert precision. The man gagged and convulsed as my eyes widened, frightened as I watched Elliot choke the life out of a faceless. A sharp shiver snapped down my spine. Seeing Elliot like this always unsettled me. I knew this was his job but it was still scary to see in person. "Let us go, my dear. Elliot can take care of this trash." Blood said with a smile as he gently took up my hand. "Care to join me for a stroll? The meeting should be starting soon."

"U-Uh … yeah." I hesitantly agreed, offering a final glance back at the man, " … I don't recognize him."

"Of course not. It's most likely a subordinate he ordered to give you orders." Blood miffed. "There is an intricate set of inner workings within a crime group and this is just a grunt." He answered with a smile.

"But the freak who bought me didn't want you dead." I said, making Blood pause. "And it was a woman who ambushed me in the bathroom who ordered me to kill you." I explained

"Oh? How interesting." Blood said with a bit of a surprised frown. "Then perhaps some more questioning is needed for this young man." Blood smiled as Elliot let go of the scarf, letting the man gasp for air. "Now come, let's go to the meeting room, shall we?" Blood smiled as he held out his arm to escort me.

"Yeah." I said, nervously glancing back at the man as Elliot picked him up and slammed him against the wall, glaring hatefully at the man as he started to work him over. I slightly shivered.

The mafia is a scary place; and worst yet, my only hope getting through this horror alive and somewhat sane.

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"It's about time this meeting started." Elliot heavily sighed in annoyance as I stared at the incubus trembling in front of all the Role Holders. Well, to be honest, seeing him like this really does give me a much better idea as to why no one really respects him. Sad but true. My nervous eyes glance around the room, wondering if I'd be able to see the woman who did this to me. I highly doubt she'd be here but what if there were others? What if they were surrounding us at this very minute? The thought of that alone was enough to make my hands tremble as I nervously clasped my hands together, trying to calm myself down. Oh great now I'm psyching myself out.

"Hey~ big sis, big sis," Dee whispered, gently pulling on my arm as I glance over at him, "we should go to Town after this again."

"Yeah. It wasn't nice that you ditched us." Dum frowned, tugging on her arm.

"What for?" I asked, leaning forward on the desk. I really should have just sat in the back but the twins went ahead and dragged me to the front of the rows. I'd rather have just tried to take a nap in the back than be forced to stay awake for this. I was still tired after that embarrassing all out sobbing with Blood and thinking about the whole me-being-hypnotized problem was stressing me out too much. Not to mention the attempt at Blood's life barely 20 minutes ago, of the which I could still hear muffled chuckling from the crime boss no doubt reminiscing on my horrible aiming.

I glanced back at the doors, spotting Clover Tower faceless standing guard over the meeting. Yikes … well, the front wasn't so bad. If anyone tried to shoot at me again they'd have to go through Blood and Elliot first so that was a plus.

"Hey~ big sis, stop ignoring us." Dum muttered, bringing me out of my thought bubble as he poked my arm. "We're trying to ask you out on a date since you ditched the last one."

"Date?" I asked, a little louder than intended as I stared at Dum in surprise. Really? They wanted to take me on a date? My eyes narrowed. Wait … this is just their 'hey we're lovers so let's go on a lover's date' date. "I'm not so sure. I don't want to be put further in debt because of your insatiable sweet tooth." I heavily sighed. "Plus ignoring me earlier was annoying." I admitted with a frown, trying to cover up the fact I was hypnotized by blaming them for their lack of attention towards me.

Seriously though, if they hadn't taken their eyes off of me I wouldn't have been able to go find Blood. But, it's a good thing I did find him but it's going to be very annoying to try and go to Blood or Elliot every time I'm hypnotized. What if there is an order later to hurt someone else?

I deeply frowned, disliking the idea that anyone could use me for anything they wanted to as long as they knew the password. I'm starting to wonder if I should tell the twins what's going on so they could protect me better. Since they're constantly hanging off my arms they might as well keep an extra set of eyes out at people who might try to hypnotize me. The thought made me pause at the solution before I immediately waved it away. Forget it; these boys would manipulate me day in and day out if they found out. I'm not desperate enough for that; not yet, anyway.

"But this time will be different." Dee said, scooching his chair over and hugging my arm with a bright grin on his face.

"Yeah. We'll hold onto you re~al tight this time, okay?" Dum agreed as he also moved in, sandwiching me in the middle.

The suffocatingly tight space made it impossible to ignore them as I huffed, wanting to tell them to give me some space but at the same time, the warmth made me feel secure. Unable to really make a decision I bunkered down, letting them squish me for a bit. At least they were in their kid forms so it wasn't as bad.

My mind began to wander as the meeting went on, too wrapped up in my thoughts to care about the petty problems of Wonderland. Someone was out there with an unknown number of people helping him who know the password to hypnotize me to do whatever they wanted me to do and I had no way to defend it by myself.

A light poke against my spine made me jolt a bit, glancing over at Dum who poked his finger against my waist. Silently and slowly he drew his finger to my back, gently tracing my spine in slow movements as Dee gently tugged on my hair, lightly pressing the strands against his lips. Lifelessly I stared straight ahead, letting them do what they wanted for the time being. They were seriously like bored little kids with nothing better to do than to poke at me. But, whatever. I need to make up a good reason for when I left them early today; and as long as they're near me so no faceless can sneak up and whisper the password into my ear, I'd be fine with just about anything they do.

Suddenly from across the room the knave of Hearts raised his hand in the air. "Hey! Is pedohilia allowed during meeting? Or is Jackie just allowed that outside because of the game?" He asked so loudly that the meeting came to a screeching halt.

Everyone in the room immediately turned to me as my eyes widened, suddenly extremely aware of every pair of eyes and non-eyes alike focused directly on me. Oh no. "W-What are you talking about, Ace?" I asked, suddenly feeling extremely uncomfortable. Why in the hell would he ask something like that?!

Ace leaned his elbow on the table, resting his chin on his knuckles while mischievously grinning, "well, you are quite invested in those kids. But I'm unsure if a foreigner being a pedo is illegal or not, or if it's allowed during the meeting."

"W-What are you talking about? I am not a pedophile." I glaringly growled back at him with a light flush on my cheeks.

"What's a pedo, brother?" Dee asked, sounding confused.

"I don't know. Who cares?" Dum lightly laughed. "If big sis is a pedo then that's fine." He smiled, hugging my arm cheerfully and not helping the situation at all.

"We're her lovers after all." Dee happily announced, wrapping his arms around my waist.

My silence spoke more than my words every could as I remained silent, shell shocked at their announcement. Everyone else in the room expressed their surprise in various ways from gasps to whispering to one another.

"If she is a pedo that is irrelevant." Blood replied with a smile. "As long as they keep their adult affairs when they are adults it is not illegal, and even if they do not, who cares? The game is still going on." Blood chimed in with an amused smile as I resisted the urge to scream. This was ridiculously embarrassing.

"How dare you say something so disgusting about my love!" Peter joined in and then addressed me with a bright and cheerful smile, "don't worry my dear, I'll become young just to please your devious and unnatural appetites if you want." Peter unhelpfully added with an adoring gaze shot towards me.

"Or maybe it is that she simply likes them smaller so she can deal with both of them at the same time?" Ace pondered aloud.

"Wait, wait wait wait." I said, catching their attention, "the twins are not my lovers. And I'm not a pedophile." I shouted in defense. They were being ridiculous with this nonsense!

"What are you talking about, big sis?" Dum asked with a bright smile.

"Yeah. You said you loved us, and that makes us lovers, right?" Dee asked with shining eyes.

My glare towards the both of them softened up quite fast, seeing their cheerful innocent excitement glowing in both of their eyes. They weren't going to listen to a single word I say. Even if I tell them we're not lovers, they're just going to use that same exact argument and keep calling me their lover whether I want them to or not. This was a losing battle that I have outright lost before realizing it. " … just, please, get on with the meeting." I heavily sighed, thumping my head against the desk. I'm just going to sit here with my head down and not answer. At all.

"So ... if Jackie is using them for fun then the game is still open right?" Ace smiled, "although her pedoness is kind of a deterrent maybe. Would she like someone to dress like kids? ... but then again," from inside his coat, Ace pulled out a bra. My bra. The ridiculously lacy and embarrassing bra. My eyes widened, feeling my cheeks flush. Why was he waving that around?! "Hey Jackie, I forgot to return this to you from our Nightly exchange the other day! I got my coat back from Nightmare though … I thought I told you to keep it safe and give it back to me yourself," Ace pouted, waving the bra in the air as though to flaunt it.

"Why are you in possession of her size intimate 36DD garments?!" Peter shouted, "she only wears that one for special occasions, you foolish knight! Return that at once!"

This wasn't happening. Please, please tell me this horror was not happening right now.

Ace dangled the lacey garment between his fingers, fiddling with the strap. "Oh, simple. The other day Jackie came running to me wearing only a very scanty attire of panties, bra and a tiny silk top. She was very eager to undress me." He looked up to the ceiling in remembrance before laughing, "she practically ripped my clothes off me and then after some action she left me with her bra and took my coat as a prize."

"Whoa! Big sis, you really wear stuff like that?" Dee asked with a bright smile.

"Hey, knight! Give that back so we can see big sis in it!" Dum grinned eagerly as he got up from his chair and walked over to him.

I swear the twins had amazing powers when it came to their very selective hearing. I covered my face, doing my best to lay low and become invisible; which wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

"Nah, it wouldn't be knightley for a knight to not hold onto a damsel's token of appreciation even if the dame is a pedo." Ace stood up, holding the bra high in the air like a flag.

"But you're not her lover!" Dum accused with a laugh, clearly having too much fun.

"Yeah! Only lovers should see their lovers intimate apparel!" Dee laughed, leaping up and over the table to help his brother retrieve the undergarment.

Nightmare, Nightmare I'm begging you please take control of this stupid meeting. I'm going to die from embarrassment. I turned to Nightmare with a pleading stare, begging him to stop this madness.

Nightmare however, was passed out from a nosebleed and Gray was tending to him, trying to wake up the unconscious demon. My heart dropped into my gut as everyone watched the knight proudly wave his trophy around in the air while Peter, the twins, Elliot and Boris tried to get it back, making it into one big game of 'toss the bra' around the room.

… I'm doomed.

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The walk back to the Mansion was filled with questions and assumptions from Blood as the twins ignored him, plotting on jumping Ace later to steal back the now prized 'bra of power' for themselves to, undoubtedly, add it to their collection of precious items. I did my best to sneak away from the group, managing to evade the plotting twins and blushing Elliot but not the devious Blood Dupre.

The Hatter Mansion was quiet with exception to Blood's muffled chuckling, clearly enjoying himself way too much. I was hoping to escape into my room as soon as we returned to the Mansion for a while but of course Blood strode right into my room to mercilessly make fun of me. Luckily it was the Night time period so he wouldn't be able to stay for long; after all, he had work to do.

"Well, that was certainly a very entertaining Assembly, my dear." Blood falsely complimented with a smile as I stared into nothing, trying my best to erase the memories and horrors of the meeting entirely.

"Oh yeah, sure, anything is funny as long as it's at my expense." I heavily sighed, trying to drown out my embarrassment caused by a certain mental knight. I swear, that deal with him was one of the worst I could have possibly ever made. Plus now I'm down a good bra so now I'd have to go get some more.

"Do not worry about it; try getting some sleep. Tomorrow we'll put our plans into action." Blood smiled softly, glancing over me and expecting me to ask for more information.

"That's good. I … I'll do whatever you say." I frowned, wanting to gag at those words alone. Swearing to do whatever the head mafia tells me to … this could get very bad, very fast.

"Hm, I think a compliant you is a rather boring you." Blood sighed, looking off to the side in disappointment.

"What else can I do, Blood? I can't even trust myself right now and that's scary." I admitted, biting my lip and trying to relax but I was so wound up that my muscles were beginning to cramp up.

"Quite the contrary, it's very fun. But don't worry, my dear. Just get some rest for the night. I'll leave the fun for tomorrow." Blood smiled, finally getting up to leave me alone.

"Blood, wait." I said, trying to think of a way to word my request very delicately. I feel too vulnerable alone, too easy of a target for any passing faceless with the password to come along and give me an order. I need some form of protection, anything.

"Yes, my dear guest?" He asked, stopping by the door and looking back to me with an interested spark to his yes.

"I … I can't trust myself to be alone right now. I'm too stressed to even sleep in my own bed." I admitted, trying to figure out how to explain my thoughts to him.

"My dear, are you asking to bed with me until the conclusion of this exciting turn of events?" Blood asked with a raised eyebrow and smirk.

"No!" I snapped at him, hesitating before frowning, "not you, t-the twins, or maybe Elliot." I admitted, grimacing, "I'm planning to stay in one of their rooms for a bit until we get this sorted out. I don't want someone coming in while I'm sleeping and hypnotize me." I explained with a bright blush on my face. I might as well not have bothered telling him that but it's better for him to know where I am than to not know.

"Are you planning to tell the twins about this little doozy of a poison's influence?" Blood asked, sounding a little surprised but more than his surprise was his grin of entertainment.

"I-I was thinking about it, yes. But I want to know if that would mess with your plans at all." I said, hesitant to tell the twins at all. They would mercilessly bully me with that information but if it was them controlling me then I wouldn't have to worry about being hypnotized by others.

"To be honest, their knowledge of the situation doesn't matter at all. Tell them if it pleases you," Blood answered with a shrug before he left, closing the door on his way out.

With a very heavy and resigned sigh I slipped out of bed, already feeling the frightening prospect of being alone right now to be terrifying. I can't believe how badly this whole hypnotizing thing has got me paranoid. I can't even bear to sleep by myself it's so bad! With an annoyed frown I slipped a jacket over my pajamas and slipped out the door, finding the hall empty with exception to a few of a few sparse workers who did not speak a word when near me. I trotted past them, heading for Elliot's room before pausing. Wait, I can't stay in Elliot's room. Faceless go into his room all the time to drop off documents. Out of all the rooms in this house, the one that the faceless fear the most and wouldn't dare go inside would be Dee's and Dum's room. I nervously gulped, looking back down the hall towards their room which was towards the front of the Mansion.

This is so embarrassing, I am a grown woman sneaking into some children's rooms because I am too scared to sleep by myself. Ugh … it's annoying but it has to be done if I want to get any sleep tonight. And to be honest, I'll take being sound of mind with some annoying cuddling over sleepless paranoia any day.

I stopped in front of the bloody twins' room, hesitating outside before lightly knocking. "Dee, Dum, are you here?" I asked, assuming they weren't before peeking into the dark room. They must still be at work. I paused by the front doors, barely spotting them asleep in their bed. Oh, they're already asleep.

I stared at them from across the room before slowly closing the door. Maybe I'll just sleep on the couch; I'm not as careful as they are so I might end up waking them up. Very quietly I shut the doors, trying to be as quiet as I could before carefully trying to figure out how to navigate their deadly room. Honestly they had so many 'trophies' that walking through the room alone was going to be hard.

With a soft sigh I slowly made my way over to the couch, feeling and bumping my way around before finding the couch. I felt around the cushions, making sure they were free of trophies before I laid down, letting out a soft and tired sigh before closing my eyes.

Just as I was drifting off to sleep I heard a small scuffle nearby. My eyes cracked open, seeing nothing but darkness before a fast moving hand gripped my neck, pinning me against the couch. The grip tightened, strangling me as I struggled to shout for Dee's and Dum's attention. I can't believe it, someone actually dared to come into their room after me?! My lips parted, trying to shout for help as a cold pressing metal tapped against my head.

"Sneaking into our room is reee~al dumb, faceless." Dum lightly laugh as the hand tightened around my neck, cutting off my air supply almost immediately.

"Yeah. Trying to assassinate us in our sleep?" Dee asked with a chuckle, "faceless are so dumb, brother." Dee tacked on as the flat side of a blade trailed up my thigh, lightly cutting my pajama bottoms so there was direct contact with the blade against my skin.

"Totally. What should we do with this one?" Dum asked as the grip tightened, crushing my neck and everything in it. Holy crap, his grip is so strong! I struggled to shout and try to make them stop but no air passed through my crushed windpipe.

"I say try out some poisons." Dee eagerly suggested, "how about the one that paralyzes them but they can still feel everything? We haven't tried that yet and no one was fallen into our trap with it." Dee pouted, clearly disappointed the trap was yet to be successful.

"Or skewer her with needles! Let's try that pressure point thing, like in an iron maiden. We could see how long she lasts when we do that." Dum laughed, his grip loosening just enough for me to squeeze in a breath.

"Ooh I like that!" Dee agreed. "I'll go grab them now."

"W-Wait, wait it's me! Jackie!" I rasped out just barely past Dum's slightly loosened grasp. His hand immediately loosened but remained holding my neck as the twins went silent in the darkness, listening to my gasping. Holy crap, they just nearly freaking killed me! And for what? Sleeping on their couch? Ugh … if I wasn't so terrified I'd be impressed with their abilities to sense someone in their room.

"B-Big sis?" Dee asked in surprise, reaching up and gently cupping my cheek in the darkness, trying to judge my sincerity.

"What are you doing in our room?" Dum questioned, sounding puzzled. I continued to desperately suck in fast and hard breaths, trying to restore function to my brain despite the sudden lack of oxygen.

" … it sounds like big sis, brother." Dee said with a teasing tone in his voice, making me twitch. Oh come on, now is not the time for games!

"But how do we know for sure it's big sis?" Dum said, lightly rubbing my neck as though to reconcile with the roughness he handled me before.

"S-Stop messing around, you two! I came in here to surprise you a-and you're going to get all creepy on me?" I demanded, weakly flailing my legs in annoyance, "if you two are going to act like this then no surprise for you!" I threatened, pushing Dum's hand off as I sat up, struggling to breathe. Ow … Dum held me really tight. I'll bet there's going to be a bruise that pops up soon because of that.

"Awe, come on, big sis! We were only teasing." Dee booed as a side light came on, making me flinch and rub my eyes. Ouch that was bright.

"Yeah. Lighten up." Dum smiled, leaning in and kissing my cheek. "Evening greetings." He smiled, glancing over my neck to spot a red spot already appearing over the irritated skin. "Sorry, big sis. We thought you were an assassin." He laughed, lightly poking the strangulation mark before I swatted it away in annoyance.

"But why did you sneak into our room, big sis?" Dee asked, curious as he stepped on an odd number of tiles over to me. I glanced over the ground, not seeing anything in the way. Why was he walking so strangely?

"Yeah. Were you going to do something perverted to your lovers?" Dum asked with a cheeky grin before he hugged me.

"NOPE." I said, reaching up and catching their mouths to prevent them from saying anything else. "I … well, you're always sneaking into my room to sleep with me so I thought it would be fair if I snuck into your room every now and again to surprise you." I reasoned.

"Whoa, really?!" Dee asked with a big grin.

"Big sis, you're so nice!" Dum laughed, squeezing me in the hug before pulling back, "but you should really be careful, big sis."

"Yeah! We don't want people sneaking into our room so we set traps up every night." Dee said, looking over towards the entrance, "how did you get by all of them?"

My eyes widened before I looked back to the entrance, dropping my jaw as I spotted countless ways to have died just by trying to get to the couch alone. Over the door was a massive axe poised to swing down and chop anyone foolish enough to trip the wire in half, another trip wire to set off a cascade of arrows, randomly placed buckets of acid and many other fun ways to be murdered just by trying to sneak into the children's rooms. Staring at all these traps now I could not help but wonder how in the world I made it this far without dying. I had the luckiest steps in the world to have not died just then.

"You're amazing to have gotten passed all that, big sis!" Dum laughed happily, "next time you want to sneak in just tell us. We don't want you getting caught in the traps." Dum grinned, helping me to my feet as I wobbled a bit, still coming to terms of how close I was to inevitable death.

"Yeah! We'll leave a little path for you to come inside if you want, whenever you want." Dee suggested, looking back over the traps. "Maybe along the wall but then the 9th tile in you step to the side to avoid spikes."

"Or maybe some very light acid in case she forgets." Dum laughed as he carefully stepped over something invisible, helping to guide me over to the bed before he picked me up without warning and tossed me onto the bed. With a fast roll I slipped onto my hands and knees, looking over to them in a flustered state. Well that … could have gone much, much worse.

"Hey, big sis, only you can come into our room whenever you want, okay?" Dee grinned, "so no telling anyone else how to get in." He said as he crawled onto the bed, moving to my left as he laid down while hugging me, cheerfully smiling as he nuzzled closer against my side. "Hm~ sleeping with big sis is the best." He brilliantly grinned, closing his eyes to enjoy the warmth of another body.

"Yeah! Hey, big sis, tomorrow we'll make a way for you to get in without getting hurt, okay? And if you're being followed or following a stupid faceless, you can step on other tiles to get them!" Dum grinned as he flipped the switch, cascading the room in darkness. I remained silent, feeling the bed slightly dip before Dum crawled up next to me, feeling much larger than he was just moments ago. "You're so nice, big sis." Dum's much deeper adult voice spoke, letting my head rest on his arm as his chin lightly touched the top of my head.

With a light blush I stayed where I was, feeling the both of them smother me with their cuddling. Well, I guess I should just be happy they didn't kick me out or anything. I'm surprised how fast they took to my excuse for sneaking into their room. I let out a slightly pained exhale, trying to get comfortable despite my throbbing neck. Ouch; this was going to hurt for a while. My eyes slid shut as I let out a soft sigh, trying to get comfortable between them both.

Well, at least now I was safe in their room to sleep so that was a plus.

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Sorry for the long wait! I've been very busy in my personal life; I hope you enjoyed the chapter! 10 REVIEWS for the next one!