Title: Wild Cards & Gambits
Summary: A year after the events of Tea And Chess, Wonderland City has settled into a relatively peaceful existence. Living in Wonderland is never easy though and Alice and her friends are plunged back into adventure when the past begins to creep into Wonderland once again.
Rating: R-M (depends on the ch. really and the mood I'm in.). Rated for language, sex, violence...the norm.
Author's Note: Merry Christmas everyone :-). Get to finally start revealing major players. yay? Poker analogies abound but are hidden. As are the hints to Through the Looking Glass and AiW the original stories.
Chapter Twelve: The Serpent and the Pigeon
Night had finally fallen, slipping down around the buildings like a heavy veil that plunged the Port Town's streets into almost total darkness. Standing in the doorway of the Harbour Haven Shop, Alice chewed on her lower lip and then wrapped her arms around her middle to ward off the chill in the air. Hatter must be around here somewhere and she didn't want to move from the place he had left her. He did have a habit of being late and then simply materializing out of nowhere, so she knew better than to leave without good reason. But the darker it became, the more she wanted to move to find some place still open and safer than the dark doorway of this strange store.
Alice had only realized the late hour when Caryn Drawling had declared that it was time for the shop to close and began to lock up. It had been stunning to see she had been sitting there for the better part of two hours, drinking cup after cup of hot coffee while chatting about absolute nonsense. It had been like staying over at one of her friend's places when she had lived in her old world and the odd familiarity of it had been comforting. There had been a sliver of her old life in those hours and she had enjoyed it. It had taken her mind away from the rather distressing circumstances that had led her to meet the shopkeeper, who had only shown her kindness.
Their conversation hadn't revealed anything much; it had been almost… girlish. They talked about the stores in Wonderland City and Port Town, the fashions, how the shop was run and what the South people did for fun. They even spoke briefly about Alice's world but she had sensed that Caryn wasn't really interested in that. Instead she had been told silly stories about the toths that appeared in the store sometimes or the actual horseflies that liked to form little herds on the dockside in the cold months. Stories that really revealed little about the South or about this friendly woman.
There had been nothing expected in return despite Alice having thought that she should at least pay her for the coffee. The lack of required payment was a strange thing in Wonderland; everything here had its price no matter how strange that price or circumstance may be. Yet Caryn had only smiled and waved aside Alice's offer to help her close up as a form of payment. The friendliness of the conversation and the almost amicable way she had been told not to pay had almost eradicated Alice's worries about this woman.
Almost, but not quite.
The older woman had a secretive air about her and the way she could handle conversation in an astonishingly clever way. When asked anything remotely personal she would divert Alice's attention in a casual way, and she had an easy grin that was almost too easy. Alice thought that, in the brief span of time she had spent with the woman, Caryn somehow reminded her of something pristine and quiet yet there was the threat of something dangerous about to happen. She was familiar as well but Alice had a good recollection of everyone she had met in Wonderland. But she couldn't recall if she had ever exactly seen this woman before and only Caryn's distracting conversation had kept her from asking if they had met before.
In some way, her unease about Caryn made leaving the shop a bit of a relief. Caryn hadn't offered to show Alice to a safer spot and it became clear that their brief association was not to extend beyond the shop. There was logic to it, Alice had to admit, since she didn't want to have to explain a perfect stranger to Hatter. He was paranoid enough about strangers at times. Knowing her luck, this would have been someone who had it in for Hatter for some past transgression and then they'd be chased all around Port Town.
The thought of him made her glance down the street, hoping to see his familiar frame.
"Well that was certainly a waste of time, don't you think?" Chesh purred in her ear and Alice eyed him. The cat had remained curled around her shoulders throughout her visit with Caryn and not said a word. That was unusual, Alice supposed, but she was thankful for it.
"Why? Because we didn't deceive and kill her?" Alice asked lowly. Chesh had let his head reappear but the rest of his body was invisible, which made the sight of that disembodied head chilling. Alice looked away and resisted the urge to shiver.
"Now now, dear girl, I only do so for the sake of the ends. Who is to dictate what the means must be to reach the ends?" Chesh questioned and his tail slid around her throat.
"Sounds like the true words of a sociopath," Alice muttered and felt his claws dig just slightly into the delicate skin of her neck. She pursed her lips and looked up at the sky. "And if you keep doing that, you'll be learning if these charms do work."
She touched the charm bracelet and felt his claws retreat enough that she didn't feel the pinch. However, when she looked at his feline grin, she felt a touch of unease despite her threat.
"You may speak a good turn, Alice, but you are not a killer. Elsewise you would have executed me in the first place instead of turning me into a cat. A chance at redemption after all, and it was rather kind of you." Chesh sounded smug. "You are so very human."
"Compassion isn't just an Oyster trait," Alice whispered and he purred a bit deeper in her ear.
"No of course not. But it is a weakness that I just adore about you," he said. Alice resisted the urge to crush one of the charms in her hand, knowing that he was baiting her deliberately. To what end she couldn't be certain but from past experience she knew that it would be no good to give in to his snide comments. He was right though about one thing: she wasn't a killer.
"Shut up, Chesh. Don't make me regret not bringing that cage along with us." She sighed and looked down the street. "Do you have any idea where Hatter could have gotten to?"
All she received in response was a faint meow and she rolled her eyes. Apparently he was going to take her literally and not speak to her, something that did not bode well for the remainder of this 'quest'. If Hatter learned of Chesh's attitude, there was no telling how he may react to it. Alice only hoped that Hatter still frightened Chesh enough that the cat would co-operate easier in the future. He wasn't frightened of her apparently.
Alice tucked her collar up closer around her face and breathed out slowly. It felt colder in the darkness and she had been standing out here for fifteen minutes, watching the streets impatiently. They were barren and rather still after the rampaging crowds from just hours earlier. The docks were quiet as well, the ships tied up and left alone though she wondered if the dockworkers weren't somewhere on the dockside. If there was a bar nearby, there was no sign of it; the streets were remarkably quiet but she had assumed that Port Town was bound to have some raucous port bars and taverns.
Clearly not on this side of the town.
Fidgeting nervously, Alice unconsciously reached up and stroked Chesh's back. The fur was soft and warm under her fingers and he began to purr happily at her touch. The gesture meant nothing to Alice; she needed something to do before her nerves were shot to pieces waiting for Hatter like this. Waiting for him in the City was one thing but waiting for him in a strange town was quite another.
Alice cleared her throat noisily and dropped her hand from Chesh's fur to tuck it back into her pocket. The purring stopped and his weight seemed to disappear from her shoulders, signaling that he had become invisible once more. Having little else to do, she leaned her head against the doorway and closed her eyes.
There was a snick-snick on the cobblestones, a strange sound in the stillness and she opened her eyes immediately. The sound was rhythmic and Alice leaned a bit out of the door to look down the street. It had been almost pitch black out there but now there was a faint tunnel of blue lights in the distance. It took her a moment to see through the darkness but finally a very tall and awkward shape took form. Once he was several doors down from her, Alice let go of the breath she had been holding.
A man on stilts was walking slowly from lamppost to lamppost, taking his time handling the blue-flame candles within. Alice watched his slow progression for lack of anything better to do until he was just over her, lighting the post above the Harbour Haven Shop. He didn't appear to see her until he was about to light the wick and his stilt just missed stepping on her foot. Peering down, he gave her a very white-toothed grin.
"Dark night out, eh, love?" he asked. "Happens when bad weather is coming, you know."
He adjusted his bright red scarf around his face and Alice gave him a polite smile, thanking him once the candle was lit. It was a bit of a comfort to be able to see through the darkness again. The lamplighter simply inclined his head and with a faint whistle he was on his way again, awkwardly striding down the street. His stilts still made that odd snicking sound and the lantern he was swinging creaked just as noisily. Alice watched him indifferently, not bothered by the strange sight. That was nothing to her mind anymore and after a minute she merely 'humphed' before looking back out at the lake. She had only just taken her eyes off of him when she heard a loud clatter and more than a few colourful curse words. It took her a moment to see where he was but the sight of a single stilt held awkwardly in the air let her know that he had fallen. The lamplighter must have gotten one of the rubber feet on his stilts caught in the cobblestones to fall like that and his lantern was on the ground as well, the light of it ebbing quickly.
Alice immediately sprinted over to him and heard him still cursing.
"Are you all right?" Alice asked, grabbing hold of the stilt in the air. She helped him shift it down and watched as he turned over onto his buttocks. He sat there breathless and propped his arms on his knees. The red scarf was lying on the ground and Alice retrieved it for him, waiting as he tried to catch his breath. She couldn't quite see his face in the dim lantern light but she could hear the strangled way he gulped in breaths. "Maybe you shouldn't talk for a while. Did you need me to…"
"Nah, don't worry, lass." He took in a deep gulp of air and then adjusted his feet more securely into his stilts again. "Happens all the time. But normally a pretty lady isn't here to help me."
Alice ignored the compliment, still hearing the scratchiness in his breathing. He must have really landed, she thought, for him to sound like that. "Shouldn't this job be a team thing?"
"Only one lamplighter per block. Part of our union contract, you know. We stay out of each other's way and that keeps people from fightin' like toths and jabberwocks." The analogy made Alice smile indulgently and she looked around. The streets were still empty.
"Do you fall often?" she asked to make conversation. The lamplighter reached out with a hand and waggled his fingers impatiently at her. Alice took his hand, the hard leather of his gloves scratching at her skin and she masked a wince as she helped him up. It took some maneuvering to get him upright again, the stilts making an awkward brace and it was like putting a high ladder up against a roof.
"Happens now and then. Comes with the job, lass." The lamplighter staggered for a minute and Alice went to grab him before he fell. But he simply waved her hand away and swung his arms out to the side to keep his balance. He teetered and then finally straightened up, apparently finding his ability again.
"I'd hate to have your job then," Alice said and he chuckled.
"Hand me the lantern. That's a good lass." She had to jump to give him the lantern, not wanting for him to bend over and fall again, and he swung it in the air. He squinted into the tiny cabin that held the candle and then made a tsk sound.
"The light is dying," she began but he was holding it up to his face. Cupping his free hand into the lantern, he blew on the wick and as Alice watched the candle rekindled. The blue light grew strong enough that it gave them both an eerie glow and Alice finally saw his face. It was a kind though drawn one, his face rather narrow in build with a brilliant pair of dark brown eyes. Scratching at his short beard, he bent over and shone the light directly into her face. His eyes went over her quizzically and she felt snared by the kind sadness in them. He had a look about him that said he had experienced more than she could imagine and for some reason it made her uncomfortable.
He, on the other hand, was studying her just as intently. His eyes dropped to her neck, as if he could see the invisible Chesh there, before they went back to hers.
"Are you an Oyster?" he asked curiously and she nodded dumbly. Sucking in a breath, the lamplighter straightened again and shook his head sadly. "Then I'm truly sorry for you. It isn't easy being one, miss. Worse being one here in Port Town when they are already looking for you."
"What are you talking about?" Alice demanded but he was already starting to walk away, whistling once more. The snick of his stilts was steadier now and she watched him slowly disappear down the docks, still lighting each lamppost. Alice stared and then shook her head. "That was just… strange."
She turned on her heels and promptly banged into someone. At first she thought it was Hatter, judging by the leather coat and hat, but Alice leapt away. This close she could tell easily that it wasn't. The man staring at her was well into his forties with a gap-toothed grin that was more lascivious than pleasant. He also smelled terrible, like fish and sewer, and Alice wrinkled her nose in distaste.
"You lost, darlin'?" he asked, his voice slurring.
"Not at all." Alice gave him an uneasy smile and turned around again. This time she banged into a man that topped her by a good foot but who had a similar look and smell to him as the other one. Alice realised that they were bracketing her in and she clenched her fists.
"Lost little birds often get their necks wrung out here, on the lonely lonely docks," the smaller man said. From behind him two other men came into the light and Alice's stomach tightened into a hard ball. The two newcomers looked just as rough as the others and Alice stepped back.
"I'm waiting for someone," Alice declared and the big man to her left grinned.
"Sure you are, Oyster. Doesn't matter to us. We've been lookin' for you, you know."
The little man grinned, his few teeth gleaming white in the dim lamplight. "Lookin' for you all day and here you are. Like a little present wrapped up for us. Lucky for you, you're wanted alive you know."
One of the men behind him snorted. "The holo-message didn't say if they wanted her in prime shape, did it?"
He looked her up and down before licking his lips and Alice glared at him. Chesh's invisible body uncoiled itself from her neck. "You got this one, right?" he asked and she felt his weight leave her shoulders.
"Coward!" she hissed under her breath and watched as a disembodied head floated just above the big man's own head. The cat winked at her, the vicious grin flashing before he disappeared completely.
"Not sure why they wanted four of us to bring her in, eh, Tot? She's a mighty small thing," the big man asked the small man. The small man reached for her and Alice slapped him hard, sending him sprawling into the men behind him. The big man howled with laughter and Tot stood again.
"Laugh it up. I like 'em rough and fiery," he argued, trying to cover up that her slap had actually hurt. He looked at his two thugs behind him. "You two grab her and lets get this party moved back to base."
Alice braced herself, her body instinctively reverting back to her old judo lessons, and watched as the one man came to her side. She didn't move and simply waited until he grabbed at her shoulder before she reacted. Grabbing his hand, she twisted and swung him using his own body weight over her shoulder. He toppled to the ground, landing hard on his back and Alice turned in time to just dodge a punch thrown by the second man.
They were street scrappers by the look of things and she had had enough self-defense training to handle herself. The man overextended his reach and she slipped underneath it, slamming the heel of her hand up into his jaw. It crunched loudly and he howled, turning his head to the side and catching her elbow in his cheek when he tried to charge her. Alice was keeping herself from getting in too much trouble with these men, not using her body as a block like she used to. Instead, she kept her arms loose at her side and was ready to block another blow when she felt someone grab her.
The big man behind her had a strong hold; his massive arms were like two crushing vices that squeezed her body tightly. Alice squirmed in his hold and tried to get a good grip with her boots on the cobblestone as he started to lift her off the ground.
"Tot!" The big man shouted when Alice nearly banged her head back against his face. "Knock the girl out, will you? It's like holdin' a fish or somethin'!"
The little man grinned and walked around his fallen comrades. Alice stopped struggling, seeing his cockiness in every step he took. Cockiness she knew that she could take advantage of. She waited until he was almost right against her before she slammed her knee up into his groin with a satisfying crunch. He howled, clutching himself as he fell to his knees and rolled over to his side. The big man holding Alice was stunned and she threw her arms up into the air, sliding down and out of his hold with relative ease the moment his grip loosened. She twirled on one foot and promptly slammed it down into his instep. Her boot heel sent a shock of pain up his body and he bent over. Momentarily frozen, he looked up at Alice when she grabbed his shoulders and she gave him a faint smile. Confused, he looked back down and she brought her knee up hard into his face.
It sent his head rocking back and he toppled over onto the street.
Alice gulped in air and put her hand on her stomach, rubbing there unconsciously as she stared at the four whimpering men. I must not be as rusty as I believed, she thought to herself, didn't even have to use magic for that.
She turned around and immediately froze when she realized that she was staring down the barrel of a shotgun. It was directed at her face and the newcomers she was faced were clearly more experienced than the others she had just taken care of. Rough-worn and dusty in leather dusters and heavy wool trousers, the two men stared at her rather stupidly but the woman they were with looked impressed in the muted light.
"You are a small bit of a girl and you took down four of Port Town's better… enforcers." The woman's face was covered by a heavy scarf to hide it but the dark eyes that glinted at her were amused. The woman pulled the scarf down enough to reveal a sly smile, her thin face drawn into an amused indulgent look. She looked Alice's age if not a bit older but it was hard to tell when she wore a hood so closely over her face. Her eyes were very dark, looking black with tiny pinpoints of light.
She assessed Alice just as quickly. "So, an Oyster. Haven't see one of you in ages." She then looked over at the four men lying on the ground. "Not only that, but an Oyster female. And you all call yourself fighters. Pitiful."
Alice took her eyes off the other woman and looked at the two men. They were clearly just there to guard the woman and judging by the easy way the woman held the gun, she was definitely in charge. The woman looked back at her and using the gun muzzle she tilted Alice's head up.
"Not sure why Dodo wanted an Oyster captured."
"Dodo asked you to…" Alice started but the woman tapped the gun threateningly against her throat.
"It is really better if you don't speak, girl. Otherwise, I might get emotional and for me, that means this gun goes off. Judging by how it is pointed, that means your pretty little face will be blown clean off." The woman looked over her shoulder at the two men. "Did Owl say why Dodo wanted her? Or who she was?"
"Owl just said we were to catch an Oyster and the Hatter at Port Town. That was it. You know her: vague as anything and half as forgetful." The one man who had spoken produced a pair of handcuffs. "You want me to…?"
He dangled them meaningfully and the woman rolled her eyes. "Of course, you idiot."
Alice stepped back away from them and right back into the big man again. He had pulled himself up during Alice's distraction and this time when he held her arms his hands were even harder on her arms.
"Wait a minute, who the hell do you people think you are?" Alice demanded even as she was handcuffed. The woman gave her a smile that would have been friendly if it wasn't for the shotgun that she still held against Alice's neck.
"You can call me Snake, little Oyster. And if you have a brain in that head of yours, you won't do anymore of that fighting of yours. Dodo said nothing about bringing you in alive," the woman threatened. Alice opened her mouth to argue but felt a pair of fingers pinch several nerve points on her neck. Almost instantly her vision went dark and she slumped in the man's arms.
Alice woke with a start and nearly rolled right off the pallet she had been lying on. Immediately queasy, she lowered her head back down and pressed her hand to her forehead. Chain bumped her nose and she winced at the sting of it, finally opening her eyes to check her hands. Both were tightly clasped together and bound by matching shackles, tight enough that each time she moved they would rasp against her skin.
She hadn't been this uncomfortable in days and that was saying something.
"Okay, Alice," she said to herself, "what have you gotten yourself into this time?" Reaching down, she rested her bound hands on her stomach. "If you are in there, I hope you're okay. That probably wasn't easy for you."
It would have been easy for Alice to lose herself worrying about her pregnancy but already her mind was pulling away to try to think of a way out of this mess. She tested the chains on her hands and found them strong, the sort that were going to keep her from doing much of anything. "Stupid, stupid stupid," she growled, angry at herself. How many times would she get into situations like this before she learned her lesson about going off on her own?
Alice thought it over and decided that her own curiousity was at fault. She could only hope that Chesh still considered her a threat and would go to Hatter; the charm bracelet on her wrist was enough of a reminder of what she could do to the Cheshire. Having confidence in a proven murderer and potential sociopath didn't ease her tension and she rolled over on the pallet to her side.
There was enough light for her to see that she had been brought into a small house and put up into a loft. The walls were drab and the furniture shabby, the musky damp smell making her long to sniff and sneeze. There were voices, loud and arguing, down below however and she strained her hearing to try to overhear their conversation. If it was even the slightest hint of a way of getting her out of here, Alice was more than ready to try to hear it.
"We caught an Oyster that can beat up the big guy. Does anyone else think this is insane?" a man asked, his nasally voice carrying in the hollow house. Alice recognized him as Tot and she grinned in almost shameful delight when she realised that she scared him. He cleared his throat. "I think we ain't paid enough for this crap."
"It's a girl, that is all." A woman's voice this time and Alice had to struggle to remember her name. Snake... A strange name for a woman but Alice was getting used to code names used in Wonderland. "Who cares if she is an Oyster that can beat up Gregory? I can do that."
"No, not like that. You threaten and use your... 'techniques' to take care of people you don't like. This girl managed to get him to his knees physically. I don't like dealing with a girl like this," said Tot. "There's a possibility Dodo didn't tell us everything and you can imagine how that goes poorly on a normal day. But now we have the Looking Glass gone, the King's son missing... these are not 'normal times'."
"Your paranoia is almost contagious," Snake answered dryly. "We caught this one quickly enough and supposedly she was travelling with Hatter. Likely hired him on as a guide or something."
Alice shifted on the pallet and stirred up a small cloud of dust from the blankets she was lying on. Her nose began to itch impatiently and she lifted her hands, wincing when the chains tinkled at the movement. Pressing the top of her knuckles against her nose, she tried to hold in her sneeze.
"Rumour is that they are lovers," Tot said and there were grunts of agreement though Snake made a scoffing 'tsk'.
"He never liked Oysters. We all know better than to trust the rumours of Wonderland City. They also were telling stories that an Alice destroyed the White Queen, remember? For all we know she was actually killed by old age and pneumonia. The monarchy is always spinning tales to keep us running the caucus races, so to speak."
One of the other men spoke this time, "Ever the cynical disbeliever, Snake."
"I'm a realist. To the winning side and all that, or to the side that will prove stronger. Don't forget that," Snake commented and the other man made a coughing sound.
"Deceptive. Not that I'm complaining."
Alice couldn't hold it any longer and gave a loud sneeze, stirring up more dust from the blankets which then set her off into a quick series of sneezes. Damn it! Alice thought, hearing the conversation grind to a halt below the loft. She hadn't heard enough to tell her very much about these kidnappers.
"Sounds like the Oyster has woken up. Get to your positions. I don't want anyone sneaking past our guards, am I understood?" Snake demanded and there were murmurs of agreement. Alice heard them all move around and with an annoyed sigh she turned over onto her back.
"I'll see how the Oyster is," Snake said loudly, alerting Alice to her intentions. She adjusted her weight and finally hauled herself upright so that she was seated with her back against the wall. She could just see over the edge of the loft and saw that the woman named Snake grinning up at her. "Awake there, sunshine?"
"Normally I stay unconscious longer but I don't think that would suit your plans," Alice snapped snidely. The woman's lips thinned, as if Alice had given her some grave insult, and she waved her hand at the remaining men around her. They were all the men from before, several still bearing the bruises when they had underestimated the thin girl in the loft. Looking more than a little annoyed, they began to disperse while Snake climbed the ladder to where Alice was sitting. She did it with incredible agility, reminding Alice of a cat with her sensuous movement.
Snake took a seat across from her, her face slightly shadowed by the hood she still wore. When she turned her head into the light Alice had to simply stare back. With her eyes clear in the bright lighting, her eyes, like a snake, were a bottomless black with no appearance of white or colouring like a normal human or Wonderlander might have.
The sight made Alice's warning bells go off in her mind and she knew instinctively that this woman was dangerous.
"So, you are the Oyster Dodo wanted us to detain." Her black eyes went over Alice intently from head to toe and she almost leered. "You aren't much."
"Maybe that's why I'm dangerous," Alice said, baited by the woman's shallow opinion of her. A dark brow lifted and the woman grinned. Slowly, she reached up and pushed the hood back, revealing unnaturally bright red and blonde hair that abruptly contrasted her black eyes. Her face was almost dainty, as was the rest of her bone structure. Tiny as Alice was, even she felt like she was outsized compared to her.
"Hardly, Oyster. You look like you've never even had to kill a man," she scoffed and the tone of her voice made it apparent that this was clearly a standard she held all people by. She leaned back in the chair and propped up her feet on the pallet where Alice still sat, dangling a key between her fingers. Her pointy shoes poked at Alice's thigh none too gently and she gestured for Alice to hold out her wrists. When the younger woman did so she quickly removed the chains. "So, what are you called?"
"Alice." She discreetly rubbed at her wrists to relieve the ache in them.
Unlike other people, Snake's expression never changed. Instead, like Hatter had, she gave her an unimpressed "Well aren't you special?" expression for her trouble. Alice cleared her throat and crossed her arms defiantly over her chest. "And who are all of you?" she demanded and the woman gestured to the room.
"The last remnants of the Southern Resistance. We run parallel to that archaic Quadrille, but our purpose here is for… other reasons. Most of us used to deal in the City but make the South our home." Those black eyes met Alice's and Alice had to force herself to stay still and not fidget at the directness of them.
"Snake's a code name, I take it?" she asked, not sure what the woman wanted her to say.
"Sort of." Snake slid her hand into one of her coat pockets, the old leather duster making dry crinkling sounds when it moved. Alice was repelled almost instantly when the other woman produced a tiny snake, similar to a corn snake but with fluorescent purple stripes down its blue body. It wrapped itself around her hand and she cooed at it the same way a woman may coo at her child. Snake noticed Alice's obvious discomfort and grinned. "Moondark Snakes. Not deadly but their venom produces some interesting... hallucinogenic side effects. They're often harvested by drug peddlers."
"Fascinating," Alice said, not meaning it.
"Very. I rescued this poor girl from a dealer on the dock street." The snake wove between her fingers and then went back up her sleeve. "She's still recovering, so she has no venom."
"That's sort of comforting," Alice admitted and Snake arched a brow.
"It wasn't meant to be. I should be the one you are worried about."
Alice gave her an insolent look. "Look, you don't scare me. I've dealt with the Queen of Hearts and her cronies, the Red King Archibades, and the White Queen, just for starters. Unless you are intensely magical or a master of torture, then I don't think I'm about to be scared of you alone."
Snake chuckled. "I do admire your spirit, Alice. I am a master...at making people disappear. Doesn't that frighten you?
"Hardly. I have friends that will come for me," Alice said defiantly and watched the woman's amusement seem to grow.
"How nice for you. But if I know one of these friends he is also rather adept at... failing sometimes. At least when it truly matters," Snake responded. Her smile was neither warm nor cold, merely a sort of decoration on her delicate features.
"Then we clearly don't know the same person," Alice said, unable to hide the emotion shining in her eyes. Snake seemed to misread it and instead she only noticed the faint gossamer glow to Alice's skin.
"So that part is true," she muttered, "you are one of those Oysters that glows. How... interesting."
"Why am I here?" Alice asked, trying to cut to the chase.
"Because I was told to bring you here." It was said simply, as if there was to be no question as to the need for Alice to be here.
"Are you going to let me go then? Or take me back to the City?" Or kill me . It went unsaid but Alice knew that Snake understood what she really meant.
"It all depends on what information I collect on you, Oyster." Snake tipped her head on the side and flicked her tongue out across her lips several times. "As you can no doubt understand, I haven't actually had to get information from an Oyster before."
"What were you wanting to know?" Alice asked wearily and Snake blinked, stunned.
"You are a willing piece," she stated petulantly, as if Alice was ruining her fun. She lifted a hand and began to study her nails, almost pouting.
"I'm just tired of constant interrogations and know that you likely don't know why I'm wanted as it is," Alice answered and she watched the woman's face. Her lips thinned and an eyebrow quirked, telling Alice that she had guessed correctly. Clearly this Snake was only doing the grunt work and had no actual control. Which meant that unless she had been ordered to do so, she wouldn't likely hurt her until those orders came in.
At least, that was the logic Alice was preferring to believe in for now.
"You take the fun out of interrogation, making such guesses," Snake finally admitted. Her tongue poked out again, a nervous gesture that let Alice know she had struck a chord in her. She reached up and tugged on one of the thin braids in her hair, seeming to think something over. "Too bad we are on different pages so to speak. I rather like your obstinate nature. Makes you quite different than Wonderlanders."
"I've been told something like that before." Alice gave her a grin, feeling like they were reaching a common ground finally. Snake actually gave her a genuine smile this time, the change in her face making her very pretty. Alice still had the feeling that behind those black eyes of Snake's was a mind already working away at something else. She couldn't forget what she had overheard; Snake's own men had called her deceptive and Alice was smart enough not to dismiss that outhand.
She was on the verge of asking why this Snake obeyed Dodo without question when there was a sudden pounding on the door below the loft. The few men still around the main floor instantly swarmed the door to block it while Snake leaned over the side of the loft. Alice copied her, struggling to see around the men as the door was jerked open.
"Who're you?" one of the men demanded.
"Aren't you simply rude, not knowing who I am," a clear, rather cultured voice snapped in return. "I bet you most of Port Town knows who I am, and make no mistake as to that. Meanwhile, you're likely known to a few whores and pickpockets, eh?"
Snake groaned in annoyance and when Alice looked over at her she saw a strangely intense, yet grieved look on the woman's face. "Blasted man," Snake growled and was gone down the ladder in a heartbeat. Alice watched, not sure what else she could do, as Snake insinuated herself in the group of men. They separated around her, allowing Alice to see the tall man standing in the doorway. He was dressed in a similar manner to Snake, if not a bit more refined with his clothing still pristine and his hands, which he was gesturing animatedly with, were gloved. He looked out of place even to Alice.
"What in the Underworld are you doing here, Pidge?" Snake questioned and the man shrugged.
"Lookin' for someone. Someone you likely have hiding around here, if I know you," he answered. He moved away from the doorway, towering over the petite woman as he leaned in towards her.
Snake seemed to grow more agitated the closer he came. "Go play with jabberwocks, Pidge. I've got a job to do and you aren't allowed to interefere." Their voices dropped suddenly and Alice leaned over the side, straining to hear.
The feel of soft fur brushing her cheek made her jump back from the railing. As she scrambled for her footing, a pair of cat-green eyes appeared on the railing, then a wide smile, and finally a round feline head. Chesh seemed very proud of himself and she caught her breath.
"Chesh," she murmured and he cocked his head on the side.
"I do hope you appreciate my efforts. I appreciate your restraint in not taking one of my lives," he said, his silky voice almost condescending. "Pardon me."
He leapt off the loft side, disappearing into thin air once again, just as the group below seemed to come further into the room.
"I'm well aware of your legal rights, my girl, but... I'm afraid when you take something that belongs to someone else, you do tend to get a tangle of legalities," the man stated and Alice leaned back over the side. Snake was holding her head defiantly.
"Legalities? Please. This Oyster doesn't belong to anyone nor has any real connection that I could see."
"She's with me, and 'cor how I wish you people would let us alone."
Hatter's sudden voice made Alice's heart clench painfully in her chest and she watched as he came into her line of vision out of the doorway. Snake and her men visibly recoiled at the sight of him, though the man called Pidge merely grinned. Strangely, Snake almost seemed to be hiding behind one of her own men so that Hatter couldn't see her clearly.
"Hatter here is her guardian in Wonderland. So you can see how this is going to play out for you if you don't turn her over. Or we can take it to the Drawling Master to sort out," Pidge threatened. As Alice watched, the group seemed to become more worried by that threat. Clearly the Drawling Master, whoever that was, held a considerable weight with both the regular Wonderlanders and those that stayed on its edges, and that was a rare thing even in the City.
The man that Snake was hiding behind was being goaded forward and he crossed his arms over his chest, trying to appear casual. "Who's to say she is still here?" he tossed out and Hatter whistled under his breath.
"You really want to play that card?" he asked lowly and Alice realized it was time to speak up before this erupted into violence.
"What took you so long?" she asked loudly and watched as the group comically turned in unison. She grinned down, her eyes locked on Hatter's, and he shoved several men out of the way to cross the floor. Alice scooted down the ladder, almost falling in her eagerness, and was on the bottom rung when she felt a pair of strong hands grip her waist and help her down further.
Hatter had hold of Alice immediately and swung her into a hug that nearly bruised her ribs, he held her so tight. "I was worried to death when that shop was empty," he whispered against the top of her head. Alice smiled against his chest and lifted her chin to look him in the eye. His went over her, his joy at finding her almost contagious and for some unknown reason she had the urge to tell him about her condition. He just seemed so… happy but almost immediately she curbed that impulse. They weren't alone.
A rather incredulous Snake and the tall man Hatter had come in with were still watching them.
Hatter cupped her face. "You okay, luv? No bumps or bruises."
"Maybe a few bruises but…" Alice put her hand over his to calm that anger she could see simmering. She didn't want him losing control. "I'm fine, really. I think I did more damage to them."
"Hatter always did like girls who took care of themselves," Pidge said and he gave Snake a hard nudge in her ribs. It earned him a nasty look in return.
"Shut up, Pidge," she snapped. Alice felt Hatter stiffen, his hold feeling even tighter than before and he turned slightly toward Pidge and Snake while still holding her. His grip on her chin went slack for a moment before it settled into a caressing touch. The change was bewildering and Alice looked up at him curiously.
"Hello, Selena," Hatter said, his voice toneless. He was trying to hide something and Alice frowned, looking over at Snake. The woman eyed him in return and then gave Alice a grin that was very different than her earlier friendliness.
"Hatter. It has been a long time." She jutted her chin out at Alice. "Didn't realize she was with you in that sort of way, considering how you thought so poorly of Oysters for years."
The venom in her voice was confusing for someone Hatter was looking at so quietly. To Alice, she almost sounded like… an ex.
"She changed my mind. Why'd you kidnap her?" he answered Selena, brushing her comments aside. She shrugged and Hatter rolled his eyes. "'Course, Dodo."
"Who else?" asked Pidge good-naturedly but he was staring at Alice. She blinked, looking back at him a bit uneasily, but his intensity dissolved into a dimpled grin. "Not going to introduce me, are you?"
He didn't wait for Hatter's stumbling reply but simply walked forward and took Alice's hand. "I'm Alastair 'Pidge' Pigeon, beautiful girl. I can see why Hatter is so enchanted by you," he murmured against her skin before planting a gentle kiss on her knuckles. Alice wasn't able to help the flush that came to her cheeks and she whispered a thank you, unintentionally coming across as coy. Hatter kept glancing between her and Pidge, his jaw ticking slightly and Pidge straightened up. His eyes met Hatter's and he gave him a grin. "You do have good taste, Hatter."
Alice continued to blush, not used to having that much attention. It did her ego good, especially when just minutes before the Snake had been discreetly hinting that she wasn't sure why Alice would appeal to anyone.
Hatter put his hand in Alice's and gave her a squeeze. "Yep. She's my girl… let's keep that in mind, eh?"
Pidge's wicked grin, which was eerily similar to Hatter's, simply grew. "Subtle but noted." He looked at Alice. "I like to window shop, but I don't trespass on other's... 'treacle'."
Selena gave a rude snort and then cleared her throat. "If you two are quite finished fawning over the Oyster…"
"My name is Alice, not Oyster." Alice was unable to keep the bite from her voice, her patience wearing thin. She couldn't understand this woman's animosity or the sudden change in her personality the moment Hatter walked in. She had her suspicions though but she wanted Hatter alone first before she actually spoke them.
"All the same to me," Selena said and gave a shrug. "As we were discussing before Pidge decided to pull his charm routine, Dodo wanted you both detained. But he didn't tell us why. Feel free to enlighten us."
Hatter gave Alice an encouraging look and she cleared her throat. "The short version? The Looking Glass was destroyed." The pair of them gave her a nod, showing that the South wasn't that far behind on the news. "My mom and a friend, Charlie, were kidnapped at the same time. For what reason, we don't know."
Selena and Pidge looked at each other. "That's strange," Pidge started slowly. He looked at Alice. "You're an Oyster through and through? No chance of Wonderland blood in your background?"
The absurd questions made her give him a look that spoke volumes and he shrugged. "Good thing to check. I thought I saw an Oyster a few days ago being transferred over from a train to one of the steam-busses. Thought it was odd but when I looked at her there was no… glow. Figured she might be a cross or something because Hatter did mention you glowed sometimes."
"She's not. I've got generations of grandparents that say otherwise."
"Her ma's not been marked. Could be the reason why. Alice is also aware of what she does and can do with that glow. Carol's been here a grand total of 5 days or so." Hatter thumbed his hat brim thoughtfully and he looked at Selena. "So, you goin' to hassle us?"
She gave him an arched look. "Maybe I should. I do owe it to you after all."
"Still haven't grown up, eh?" Hatter crossed his arms over his chest. "We need a place to stay the night. Feel free to let me know what you decide."
He took Alice by her elbow and started to lead her out, followed by Pidge. Selena darted around in front of them.
"You won't leave town?" she demanded. Hatter gave her a dry look.
"I know if I do you'll be ordered to track us down to kill us, and I can't say I want that. We've got enough to worry about with the Royals about to get on our tails and Wonderland knows who else. Do your checks and find us in the morning. I'd like for us not to part on bad terms but we will be leaving in the morning to try to find her mother. Let that rest on your consciences that she might die if we don't find her."
As if that ended that, he let go of Alice and pushed open the door, waiting for her. Alice looked at Selena with an apologetic smile.
"Sorry, he gets like this," she started and the woman sniffed.
"Believe me, I know that well."
It was on Alice's lips to question her but Pidge was blocking her, forcing her to leave the small house with a slew of questions burning in her mind that would go unanswered for now.
It only made her more determined to question Hatter the moment they were alone.
Author's Note: This took a bit to write. It is actually 2 chapters in one but I couldn't bring myself to separate them in chapter form.
