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-"Dialogue"-

("Inner thinking")

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THE END

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At the main areas of the clock tower's territory, monumental lavishly buildings were under construction or remodelation, bringing forth an air of new modernity and the beginning of a new era. Away from them, dusk covered with its golden glow the narrow brick backstreets and empty labyrinthine alleys, where the echoing heavy steps of the executioner's slow gait broke the silence along his way.

Like after any of his previous encounters that day, Ace sheathed his blood-dripping sword with a calm demeanor and let out an extenuated sight before marching on, heavily wishing he was lost. In fact, after performing all of his knightly duties, helping the Prime Minister with paperwork and presenting himself voluntarily to accompany The Queen in a shopping trip, he had tried to get lost on purpose, but since that hadn't worked, all he had left to gain a bit more time was to get into every single fight or problem he could on his way towards his dreaded destination. Only 1 thing gave him some consolation. Several time changes ago Aria's cards presented him with contract as thick as his arm that already held Julius's sign and was validated by Aria's lawyers in her name. He had signed immediately.

As he walked, anxiousness arose under his fooling goofy smile now that his role as executioner demanded him to go to the prison to execute a certain ruler breaker. His slow gait was almost tortuous and any interruption was being welcome, especially any upcoming attack, like the one he felt was about to happen. In automatic, Ace placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to deal with the sudden deterrent.

"ACE!"

The impossible sound of certain foreigner's distorted voice made the knight look up to the rooftop of a two-floors building. He dropped his sword as his red eyes widened, watching the dark organically armored figure jump off the roof and descending towards him. The brightest smile curled up his lips as he opened his arms.- "Aria!"

Landing in Ace's open arms and tackling the man to the ground, both rolled on the floor with her ending on top and he somehow grabbing her throat. For a moment none of them said anything, but soon, her hand reach to caress his cheek as her olive green eyes flickered with a digital wave, examining his face.

For what Ace could see, she was slightly different in appearance from all those time changes ago. Her hair was longer and her braid was longer, now reaching behind her knees. She looked quite thin and slightly malnourished, but the knight couldn't give a damn; his Ary was back in his arms. -"Are you really here, Ari?" -Ace asked, feeling his clock ache with joy before letting her pull back but not get away; his smile remained broad and excited.

Aria smiled softly, and from a pocket on her suit, she took the discount card that got them into a relationship, which she placed over the knave's clock under her palm before she sent a wave of infusing power into his being.- "I aM."- With a soft hum, she hugged him.

Responding the hug, Ace held her tightly, savoring the warmth of her body within his.- "Ary … I thought you were gone. I thought I might have lost my trio." - He softly spoke, burying his head into the crook of her neck and inhaling her scent while mana caressed his clock.

Her fingers got tangled in his hair. Her voice answering with digital tones as she held tightly onto Ace's frame.- "I CamE BaCk as sooN As i was RElaTivElY fuNctIOnAl." - Her voice cracked. - "I wENt fIRsT to The TowER tO looK For JuLIUs bUt i coUlDN'T FIND eItheR Of yOU. i trAcED tHE ConNEctiOn tO YOU."- She raised her hand and eyed the red bangle around her wrist.

The moment Julius's name was mentioned Ace froze. His hug was no longer kind; it was restraining, as if she were to disappear at any moment from his grasp.- "Ary… whats up with your voice? I thought we were past you sounding like a robot."

"My LANGuagE procESsINg is sTill NOt CoMPlEtELY fixed. IM BAReLy FUncTIoNAL."- Warily, her eyes shifted color as she changed lenses while looking into Ace's eyes. Her heart almost stop. Automatically she tightened the hug to provide reassurance. – "Ace… WHAT HappENEd? whERe is julIuS?"

"Julius did something bad." – Ace's emotionless eyes looked at the foreigner on top of him before smiling cheerfully. - "He bunkered down in the tower until Joker caught him. And as the executioner, now I must go to the prison and kill Julius. It's my duty to go now." - He moved Aria aside and hopped onto his feet, brushing himself off. - "Well, time's up. Now I need to go kill him." - Leaving Aria there, he began to walk off, amazingly, in the right direction of the Prison.

"WHAT!? - Aria jumped to her feet and rushed towards Ace, landing a solid kick at the back of his knees to make him fall that he hadn't attempt to dodge. Next, her first connected to his side, striking with metal prongs and shooting an electrical current that made him jolt in place before dropping to the floor in convulsions.

"Ouch.. That hurts." - Despite his staggered breaths and convulsions, Ace faintly laughed with a smile still on his face.

"ThAt'll PaRAlyZe You fOR A Few MinuTes. I jUst NEeD TIMe TO Think ... mY ProCeSSING is Not thE saME YeT EiTHER." -Aria lowered herself over him, laying his body over his, caressing the sides of his face and looking into his eyes. - "I knOw I caN thiNk oF SoMEThinG…"

" … Please hurry, Ary. This won't hold me for long." - Ace gave a soft smile in her direction, quite happy that her electric hits could be quite effective if she managed to land them.- "Heh … how funny. The maiden becomes the knight … that's not fair, I'm the knight." -He chuckled, wanting to hug her but unable to do so. -"Does that make Julius the maiden in distress?" - Ace questioned playfully while wheezing between his words.

After a moment of stitching her brows together in though, Aria's eyes widened. - "That's it, I just need time to go and get him." - She looked at Ace - "Ace, you need to go away till I get to Julius and figure out how to fix this."

"I don't want to lose my trio, Ary. But I can't. Not anymore." -Ace pouted, still unable to move and still shaking from the shocks. - "It's my duty to execute those who break the rules, and that includes the maiden in distress." - He softly whined, no smile on his face.

Aria sighed and leaned down to nuzzle against his cheek. -"And you neED tO pERFOrm YouR RoLE's DUTies too." -She twisted her lips in thought before she moved back and dedicated him a sideways grin.-"Yet You Have oTHer roLe."- The merc pointed out. - "And you need to follow rules for that too."- After trailing circles over Ace's clock with her finger, Aria narrowed her eyes and attempted a smirk that looked off. -" ... And AS a KnIgHT YOU cAN'T dENY a QUESt set To YoU BY yOuR dame, RigHT? It JUst nEEDS tO bE moRE UrgeNt AND iMpoRTanT thAn ThE OThEr DutIES. SomEtHING at lEast aS iMPortanT as THe GAME."

Ace opened his mouth and stared before smiling back, lightly chuckling.-"My Ary is so clever."

"My faiR KNIght, THe END oF a FOReIgNeR's gAmE SHOuLD bE prOpErlY nOTIFIEd to alL TerrItOrIES iN orDEr TO INVITe THE oTHER roLehOLdERS TO aN oFfIcIAL PaRTY tO celEbraTe tHIs uNion aND To rub iT ON thEiR FACEs. Save fOR JoKEROf coursE; BEcaUSe AS mY bEST FrIEnD, I shoUld be ThE one tElLINg him." - Aria caressed his cheek, leaning down and pecking him on the lips while striking him again..

Ace tried to move and deepen the kiss, but lacking the strength to do so thanks to the paralysis, the only thing he could do was to hold still and enjoy the pleasure of her mouth on his for as long as it lasted. - "Of course, my dame. Although I probably won't get lost this time and this quest should be finished faster than we'd like." -He warned.

"it sHOuld giVE ME EnougH TIMe"- After a quick peck to his lips, Aria stood up and ran towards the prison.

"Good luck, Ary! Please hurry"- Ace shouted after her, happily waiting for the paralysis to end before going off to do as she asked. Right now, he couldn't have be any happier to have won such a lovely and strong foreigner, and he trusted that she'd managed to fix this before their trio ended before starting properly.- "I really don't want to lose my trio~!"

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While walking along a seemingly empty corridor of the prison, the warden of Wonderland's jail suddenly turned around at the sound of sprinting. His glare was sharp, half expecting an oncoming inmate escaping from the cells again. Whipping around with his weapon in hand, he aimed to crack the whip over the escapee's head before the blur shot right for him. His eye widened at recognizing the attacker, pulling his weapon back and bracing himself.

"JoKer!" - Aria Hadron Scherzi tackled the warden.

"THE FUCK!"- Black shouted before hitting the ground, feeling the woman's arms lock around him extremely tightly.

The mercenary hugged her best friend with inhuman strength before planting a kiss on his cheek, hugging him again, and nuzzling against his cheek. - "I mISSED yoU, yOU Damn aSSHoLe!"

"Ugh, no need to be so damn grabby! " - He growled but returned the hug and the kiss on the cheek, receiving an extra kiss for it. - "Why haven't you fucking come by lately? Not that I missed you but seriously, the fuck?" - Black growled, pulling on her hair firmly but not hard enough to hurt her.

"WE neeD to TalK… BettER YeT. I'lL juST shOW yoU"- Without any respect, Aria pulled off Joker's eyepatch and made him look into her bright eyes to show him all that had occurred since the last time she had seen him.

Joker remained still and silent, quietly absorbing everything while his eye widened in surprise at everything she had done. The staggering number of rules she alone broke qualified her for well over 50 deaths in a row.- "WHAT THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN DOING, WOMAN?!" -Black shouted while squishing her, unable to count how many rules she broke or how many rules have been broken because of her anymore. - "You don't show me this shit, I'm the Warden for fuck's sake!"

The outsider's face remained separated from Joker by mere centimeters, which gave her a chance to place a surprise peck kiss on his nose before delivering another hug. -"I ShoW yoU bEcaUSe jOkEr needs TO kNoW THAt, anD BEcaUSE You arE mY BESTEST BEST FRIEND EVER IN AnY WOrLd. No sEcreTs." - Her flickering olive green eyes looked straight into his red orb with unwavering confidence and trust full of love that extended to a small and amiable smile that held a tilt of smugness. - "Plus Im stILl A ForeIGneR, and tHE rUleS dOnt aPpLy tO Me"

"Oh ho~ my dear, you cannot continue to use that foreigner shtick forever."- Appearing from nowhere, White cheerfully smiled and approached with his lone eye remaining steady on the Outsider, his smile as happy and mysterious as ever.

Aria dropped Black on the floor and got up, barely containing her excitement long enough to perform the special secret 'friend's salute' with White before she glomped the jester with an extra strong hug.

White smiled and hugged her back, using a firm and secure grip to hold her close. -"Why hello to you too, my dear!" -The jester laughed, spinning around with her once before planting a kiss on her forehead with his grip so tight it would assuredly leave bruises of his love for her.

"Dammit ... you cause me so much trouble." -Black huffed, getting up and brushing himself off. -"Stop being such a damn hassle."

"Yes ... just be more careful, dear." -White smiled as she crossed her arms around his neck. -"And stop giving the Warden reasons for locking you up and giving you a fate worse than death. Or at the very least try to be more subtle about your rule breaking." - He sighed apologetically.

Pinching the jester's nose, Aria got free of White's embrace in order to coil her arms around Black before she decided to get to the point of why she was here besides visiting her friend.- "Oh, yeah, I'm also here to see my monotone idiot of husband. Any idea where he might be?"

The air in the room got a tad darker as White crossed his arms. With a mischievous knowing smile the jester questioned. -"Who?" - Of course he knew exactly who she meant but he wanted to play with his friend for a bit. As to why she picked such dreary husbands he hadn't the slightest idea and it annoyed him she decided to pick some rather boring Role Holders to entertain herself with.

"I think she means the rule breaker." -Black heavily sighed before suddenly going stiff and jolting.- "Wait... husband!?"- He grabbed her by the shoulders and began shaking her back and forth. -"WHEN THE FUCK DID YOU GET MARRIED?!" - The warden shouted at her in shock. -"How the hell and when the hell did this happen?!" -Black kept on shaking her in his convoluted surprise while looking at his all too calm counterpart. -"I was a sure for winning her game and then she pulls this shit on us."

"This situation, as bothersome as it is, is perfectly fine. It's not against the rules for her to get other toys." – White softly smiled with a bit of a smug grin which he struggled to contain.- "Although, she don't need other toys. Im here, aren't I?"

"HOW THE FUCK CAN THIS BE FINE!"- Black growled back, and before he could swear again, Aria shook off his hands to get free of his hold and gave him a restraining hug. -"Fucking bitch." - Black glared at Aria in annoyance.- "What other toys could you possible want other than us, your 'best friend'? You're getting too greedy."

"CaLM dOwn BlaCK."- Aria managed to say in a relatively soft soothing voice; her expression still full with adoration for her best friend. -"i Do NeED TheM, JOkER."- Her heavily distorted voice came from her neck speakers as she raised her arms to show the connectors. – "wITHout ThEm my miND wiLL Go aDrifT, mADNeSS wIlL take oveR AnD YoU'Ll EnD uP haVIng TO FINd a Way tO DeFeaT A MadenNeD ELDRITch hoRROR… and AS yoU KnOW frieND, i'm noT easY To kILL. ...TruST ME, i'vE trIeD… a LoT."

"Don't we know." -Joker sighed simultaneously before White advanced to poke Aria's cheek.

"My dear counterpart, who cares if Aria decided to name some worthless Role Holders as her official temporary dominant fucks? As soon as she grows tired of them she will find a loophole in the contract and come back into our arms. So why not sit back and enjoy the show for now?"- He then pulled Aria off Black to tightly hug her with almost crushing force. -" Because no matter what happens, no one will be able to come close to the bond I made with the foreigner and I am perfectly happy with that. In fact, I would sooner have her marry to someone else than leave Wonderland, be consumed by madness or die out of the many things she showed us."- He said, kissing the top of her head again while dedicating his counterpart a smug grin.- "At least this way I can play with her at my leisure and, when the time comes, snatch her up for myself. Given our relationship I can take my time with this and I intend to squeeze every bit of fun possible out of this situation. "- White cheekily smiled at her. -" Don't you agree, Aria?"

Aria's face remained stoic while she tried to process White's words. -"temPorarY DOMInANt FuCkS? … MhHH. theY aREnt TemPoraL aNd you knOw My dIspoSiTiON REgaRdING dOmINANCE." -She looked away before smiling in an apologetic way. -"THe COntRaCT grANTs thEm THE stATus Of CoNsoRTs, aND A leGaL coNTRaCt is A vaLID ContRaCT JokEr."- She tried taking a step a back, but Joker held her tight.-"jOKEr...yOU CAN'T sNaTH whaT YoU AlReAdY HAvE. i maY NoT Be lEaVIng THEm, BuT IM aLsO not LEavIng my BEST fRIend eItHER."

"Perhaps I will simply hang back for a bit, read that contract and then snatch you one way or another. But in the meantime, watching you play is quite entertaining as well, my dear."- White smirked, knowing there were bound to be exploits to find in that contract, exploits that he or even Aria herself would surely find and use.

Aria smiled pleasantly... if a bit off.- "As YOU DeSIrE JOkEr. NOTHing CaN CHANge tHE FAct tHaT YOU arE mY BestESt FRIEND eveR."

"Damn straight."- Black viciously smirked.

Aria smiled back. -"Ok, BUT Can yoU exPlaiN Me wHAt hAppened wiTH my cuRrEnt FuC… coNSoRt wHom yOu ArE kEepIng HeRE SoMewhErE?"

"Why should we explain anything? He's the one who broke the rules." -Black snapped back at her in annoyance, crossing his arms. He didnt like to be reminded he wasnt the main, primary and sole reason why she was here; but maybe he could get a chance to snatch her if he got rid of that other reason. -"I don't give a damn, husband or not, a rule breaker is a rule breaker." -Black toothily grinned. -"Don't get in the way of my job, pussy cat."

Aria sighed. -" JuSt TAKe me To Him sO He CaN persOnaLly EXplAiN tO me wHy is IT That I'm gONNA beCOme A wIdoW wItHOut EvEN A wEDDiNg nIGHT."

"Ah, alright." -White cheerfully smiled before the air began to ripple, teleporting them in front of a high security cell. Inside the cell, sitting on the floor against the wall and chained up from head to toe in a ridiculous fashion of chain wear that made it almost impossible to move, the mortician was being held prisoner.

Looking roughed up but relatively unharmed, Julius kept his eyes closed, ignoring or unaware of what was going on outside the cell, his head hanging down as much as the chains allowed for.

"..." - Aria blinked at the sight and deadpanned before looking at Black.

Black, sensing what she was going to say about the overkill chains, rolled his eyes in annoyance and crossed his arms. -"What? He's a Role Holder, dumbass. Extra precautions."- Since the man behind the bars didn't even move, much less opened his eyes, Black stroke his whip against the floor and snapped at the prisoner through the bars.- "Hey bitch, you have a conjugal visit. Make it fast or I'll chop off your dick for wasting my time."

Julius's eyes opened wide, startled to see Aria there. -"A-Aria? Aria, are you alright? How are you feeling?" - He asked, clearly very anxious as he looked her over and found nothing to be immediately too wrong with her.

Aria's eye glowed in a blue shade as she examined the chains. Ignoring Julius's questions, she turned towards Joker with a barely visible small smile at the corner of her lips. - "dID YOu WRAp hiM for ME JOKeR? How tHOUgHtFul oF YOU. he EveN Is In A ReLATivEly fiNE ConDiTIoN." - Without letting on any emotion on her stoic expression, the foreigner grabbed the cell's bars and pressed herself closer to address Julius with an aloof voice. -"What exaCTlY dId yoU DO To Be Here, jUliUS?"

"I broke a rule so now I'm in jail. Isn't that obvious?" - Julius stated, recollecting his normally calm and apathetic demeanor. He was unsure on how to react to her or what to expect now. However, the fact was that he had broken a rule and he would have to face the consequences none the less, but at least, as he could see, it had been worth it.

Aria's hand gripped the bars with more force although her expression remained stoic. - "whAt EXact RuLE Did you BReAK? i NeeD To know AT leAsT thAT, DonT you thInK?"

Cobalt eyes scrutinize her, noticing the irregular shift in the digital tones that accompanied her voice before Julius finally answered with a stiff frown. -"I used a clock for Aegis."

"And he admits his crime, how nice to not have to torture him to get that confession" - White clapped his hands.

"So?" - Aria raised an eyebrow and waved a hand, not understanding.

"Breaking a rule is breaking a rule. There are no exceptions when it comes to Role Holders." -Julius explained with an even deeper frown. Happy as he was that she was fine, there wasnt much that could be done about this situation. The rules were rules.

"No exceptions." - Black adjusted his cap and grinned at the perspective of comforting his best friend soon, snatching her so easily and so fast that she wouldn't even think back on the rule breaker. - "It wasn't even worth torturing this flesh sack because he's gonna be executed soon enough anyways."

Aria narrowed her digitally glowing eyes as her shadow flickered underneath her. Her voice lost more inflexions and the tone became erratic as she softly growled, her hands gripping the bars harder. It wasnt clear if she spoke with everyone in general or any of them in particular.- "IF yoU tHInK iM heRE fOr nAUGHT, thEN iLl be tHE ONe TORTURinG YoU, aND yOU'D wish You'D be deAD. i'll REap yOUR afTERImaGe AWaY frOM YOUR cLOck thROUGH VErY paiNful ElEctrOMAGNEtiC InDUCtION aNd THEN traP iT iNto YoUr own USEd ClocK sO YoU forEVeR REtAIN some SenSE of whO yOU wEre aND EVen CERTAIN CaPaciTy To FEel Pain. Then i'lL ReSHApe yOUr cLOck iNTo an ASHtrAy AnD LeavE IT IN The SMoking seCTIon OF the paTERNaL WaItiNG rOom FOR thE mATERnITy WaRD OF SOME hOspITal."

All males stared at her after hearing such horrible yet intensely creative punishment.

Julius broke out a small smile. -"I've missed you too." - He shifted in his restrains to lean better towards the wall in a slightly more relaxed stance, happy that she was worried about him. Yet he needed her to understand that there were unavoidable consequences this time. - "I broke a very important rule, Aria. That is why I'm here. Even if there was a way, the price for my freedom would be grievous." - After tossing a quick glance at Joker and knowing she would still try, Julius anxiously grimaced, already seeing her plotting something, and worrying about the consequences for her. - "Don't make a deal with him for my sake, Aria. It was my choice to break the rule."

"We can certainly agree to a grievous price if you'd like." -White, whom had caught on the mortician's glance, smiled towards Aria, already thinking on ways to shift things into his complete favor.

"Forget it. No deals." - Black growled and cracked his whip against the floor again. - "For starters that lost clock would have to be replaced and even as the clockmaker, he can't just create a clock out of nothing. There's no way out of this, simple as that"

Aria suddenly let go of the cell's bars and turned to look at the warden.- "TecHniCALly SpeaKiNg thE cLOcK IS NOt GoNe, iTs still TheRE iN mY TerRItOry... iT's juST BEiNG USed at ThE MOMenT"

"Yeah… no. It's used and therefore lost."- Black made his whip disappear and then knocked on Aria's head softly.- "Did you hear me? Impossible. Its like destroying a clock. A severe crime. "

Aria deadpanned, tilting her head and biting her lower lip.- "SO... the PRobLEM Is tHAT A ClOcK WaS REmOvED FROm tHE sysTeM?"

"That is correct. Its equal to destroying a clock. It's a terrible crime"- White stretched his arms up lazily while his lone eye focused on her. He felt already excited just thinking that she'd try something, he knew she would, and he was eager to hear what that would be.

"So…" -Aria started, closing her eyes and tilting her head while crossing her arms. Her feet began tapping in the floor and after a moment she stopped and looked at White while pointing at Julius as if the Clock master was some bad behaved puppy in a pound.- "...If tHat cLoCK is rEPLaced, THEN CaN i kEEp hiM?"

"What do you mean? - Black scoffed, curious as to what Aria was planning. Of course she was planning; she was always planning and never stopped planning.-"Clocks arent something that grow on trees, dumbass. Even if you buy all the parts an ensemble a clock,that would be a mere normal clock unable to hold any afterimage."

Visibly annoyed, Aria tapped her foot on the stone floor while placing her hands on her hips. She leaned towards Black and poked his chest. - " DhU! iM A FOreigNer IdiOT, i Can crEaTE thoSe tHiNgs. THAt IS one OF THE UseS THIS WORLD haS FoR fOrEiGnErS."- The outsider rolled her eyes before looking away, focusing her gaze to the ceiling while scratching her chin.- "AlThoUgH IT MIgHT TAKE Far moRe ResEARCh becAUsE i dONT REpRoDucE IN PrImitiVE wAYs. But i HAve aN AltErNAtIVE waY IN mInD… aLtHoUgH i'd StILL neEd A sAMple FROM A mAle …"

Both Jokers and Julius froze. Aria, THE ARIA, was planning to replace the lost clock with a child? HER child? Silence enveloped the room as Aria half rambled long and hard about how she could go about reproducing a clock in a sanitary and advanced way while no one else dared to say a word or payed attention to the technical terms.

After some moments, Aria finally noticed the silence.

"WhAT? YoU SeRIOusLy dIDn't tHinK i kNEw PERfectly WeLL HoW NEW cLOCks Are GEneRATeD?." - She huffed and shrugged.- "I wAS waITIng fOR aLICe TO gET TO It SO I cOuLd rEsEARcH the PHEnomena, BUT i CAN byPAsS iT. - She then grinned and poked Black's cheek a couple times. -"A CLOCK FOr A CLocK. sO WhaT Do you Say? "

" ... you, Aria, are going to have a kid?" - Finally processing this, Black pointed in disbelief before he burst out into hysterical laughter.- "You're going to make the shittiest mother! HAHAHAAAAAHAAHAAHAAAA!"- He howled, holding his stomach from the powerful and rampant laughter erupting from his throat.

With a shocked expression of horror and disgust on her face, Aria slapped Black in the back of the head rather hard, eyeing Julius briefly.- "i nEver SAiD i was gOnna haVe KiDS.. oR CuBs, OR anytHING. i SAID I wAS GOnNa cReAte A cloCk. jUsT that. thE proCeSs StARTS the SAMe, BUt the ProduCt dOesnT nEeDs To be DEVElOpEd FURtHER or aLIvE. I oNLy nEED tHE cloCK Don't I?

The jester took a step forward.-"To make a clock you will have to create life through your womb. Are you strong enough to handle that?" - White suppressed his own laughter as he held his chin in thought, finding himself seriously doubting it.

From The cell, Julius finally managed to recuperate from the shock. - "Aria ... are you sure about that?"- The mortician asked with a slight blush on his cheeks.

Aria's horrified expression was priceless. Her hands shoot forwards and kept on crossing in front of her. - "I dont neEd TO Use My WOmB, YUC! i doNt evEN A neED womB, wElL, mayBe FoR tHe iNItiAl StAte, But thEn THE dEvElOPMeNt can be doNe ExtErnaLLY in a maNa cHAmbER. yoU'RE sERIoUslY WrONG IF YOU ThiNK ID gonNa risK MySelf in someThinG So gROsS..." - She looked at Julius, and gulped while frowning. -"aND You HaVE NO cHOICE IN tHE MaTTeR julIuS, You SIGNEd tHe COntRact WItHOUT eVEN reaDing iT... you ShoUld HaVE, My LaWYERS abUseD iT EXPECtIng sOME NEGotIATiON. yOU ARe MInE, MInE AnD MiNe To do aS I wANt!"

"Ah~ Aria, Aria dear! You'll find that Wonderland may not be so agreeable to your terms." - White teased with a wide grin while chuckling somewhat before joining his counterpart in the laughs.

Aria's eyes glowed and her irises were lost under a digital light; the shadow under her seemed to move and her armor took on a scaly look. She stood up to Joker, static electricity ruffing her hair and causing small and unnatural crackings in the air around her. -"my teRMs cAN BeCoMe ruLes OR excEPtIOns, JokEr. THAt IS one OF tHe reaSOnS Why I'LL ALwaYs BE A FOrEIgnEr, So I CaN ImpLeMeNt ChaNGEs WiTHOut HAViNG RULEs stopping ME. THAT's pART oF MY deAl witH THiS worlD."

"But of course. That is what makes you so much more worthy of a prize." - White teased with a crooked smile, ignoring her lil amusing display. Whoever knew a foreigner would become so influential in Wonderland … more so that they were supposed to. It certainly made the game much more fun now that she and Wonderland were now inseparable. Only difference is that she still possessed her heart.

As the sound of her voice came from the shadows. Aria shook and shrugged to calm down the effects around her before remaining completely motionless except for her eyes flickering with different colors.- "THiS WORld CAn use Me to dEvElOP iTsELF. And fOR mE TO Be USaBLe i NEeD A STaBLe cOnNECTiON WITH SomEtHInG Or RatHEr SoMeone FROM THiS WoRLd. The CONNecTIoN hAs been madE aNd i nEeD THOsE twO. "

"Fucking bitch." - Black warned with a deep frown, still displeased with the fact she 'married' the knight and clockmaker. -"Fine, you can have your boy toy, but…" - Black snarkily grinned, grabbing his key ring from his belt and jingling it in front of her. -"You think you can find the right key."

Aria eyed the key ring and rolled her eyes - "As if tHE KEy tO THIS celL WoULd Be AMOnG THosE." - She turned to face the cell and grabbed the bars, twisting her head to crack her neck. Energy began crackling again around her while she looked at Julius and then back at Joker; licking her lips and closing her eyes, she spoke through her speakers. -" I neED tO cONCentratE, SO doNT diSTRaCT mE oR i mIghT AcciDEnTalLY 'deLETe' YOUr EXIsTencE too"

Before anything could actually interrupt her, Aria concentrated. Her eyes opened showing a glowing purple shade and she began tapping her foot on the floor to set up a rhythm before humming. Soon enough, her appearance went dark and wild as the humming became a song and the bars of the cell began being eroded, not like rust devouring the metal, but as if they were being erased from existence. Whatever energy she was using, it was clashing with the existence of the bar's matter and cancelling it, and the residual energy from such collision was being shoved straight into Julius's clock and, in a minor concentration, into Joker.

The males looked at her with fascination and mild horror. Joker knew this was similar to what the jabberwocky could cause, and to think that Aria possessed this power was quite staggering … and exciting. The Jester couldn't help but think how it would feel to, in that moment, be erased. The helpless sensation of staring the woman down as she slowly forced the body to submit to her will entirely and be lost to Wonderland … the thought sent hot shivers down his spine as he blushed at the thought.

"Stop getting turned on, you fucking masochist! That would kill us! Worse, it would destroy us!" -Black snapped at White in irritation.

"But just imagining that one last brief moment of life, to have that entirely in her hands as she rips it away … ah~ I'm getting carried away." - The Jester shakily exhaled, fanning himself with his hand for a moment to relieve himself of the excitement.

Aria bit her lip and turned to Joker but didnt meet any of his eyes. - "i can do tHis, eVEn witHOut AegIs HERe… But… Im BAreLy a PERsoN At ThE MOmeNt uNtIL RePaIrS proGRes FUrther." - She raised her hand and looked at it before promptly entering the cell to grabs Julius head in her hands.- "I dO NEEd This cONnectIOn foR MAny ReASons." – Looking in Juliu's his general direction, her eyes shifted tones. -"i'M NOT FuLLy REpaIRed… I M BAREly hErE AT aLL, MY MINd IS AlMOSt aDRift."- She took a deep breath and clenched her lips together before saying it. -"…aNd I CaN't evEN REMEMBER YOUr FaceS, I Can't eVEN see tHEM"

The room filled with numbed silence. After all of this, after everything they had all been through, Aria couldn't remember them? The thought was almost too terrible to think of.

"But you can still recognize us, yes?" -White asked, recovering from his surprise the quickest.

She turned to look in Joker's direction, her eyes shifting to purple once more.- "... i SEe YOur ENerGy ANd cOmPOSitiOn aRound tHE clOcks aNd the dIFFereNcES WItH OtHER crEAtUrEs."- She looked at Julius again. -" i cAn SEe wHAT yOU REaLly and merelY aRe."

"Aria … can you not remember me?" - Julius asked with wide eyes, looking quite hurt by the mere idea of her being unable to remember them, or vice versa … which had already happened. Now he knew the despair and bitterly frowned. -"I … suppose this is cruel irony."

"I can only RemembeR UP tO juSt BeFORe THe rEcENt FIGHT wITh THe jaBBeRwOCkY." - She tilted her head and leaned forward.- "mORe Is YET TO bE… REpaiReD. hOweVeR I do hAvE thE knOwLedGE Of aLl thaT'S hAPpENed aNd I aM prepRogrAMmEd TO aCt UpoN WhAT woulD Be MY Own noRmAl decISIONS anD BEHavioR."- She pulled out the locked with their photos and gazed at it, gulping before holding it up for him to see.- "I do Know HoW you Look thankS To tHIS."

"But do you still love Ace and I?" - Julius asked, his clock aching. Winning the foreigner wasn't enough; he wanted all of her; but not for himself. No, he wanted her to be happy, first and foremost… but she wasn't even capable of feeling such in this state, and he didn't know if someone as him could help her. Would she be happy with such a depressing man like he was, particularly when her memory was gone like this?

"sTill? LoVE?" -She closed her eyes and frowned with some distress, her fingers tapping over Julius's shoulders.-"i Am YET TO be aBle tO cOmprehEND THat agAIN, But mY kNOwleDgE iNDICatES THat I dO so On SOmE VeRsION difFereNt OF WHaT it wOULD mEan to you. IN THAT context YES, I love You, anD aCe, and JokEr. " -Lines of light appeared on her eyes as she stood up and turned around. -"Do yOU acCEPt thE dEAl tHen?"

Some life faded of Julius's eyes. Aria may not remember, and he wished he could say he would never forget, but he was at the mercy of the game. Who knew how long a relationship with her would last, even when she already had his connector shining around her wrist … but regardless, he would love her until the end. No matter what it came to. -"Of course. We are forever connected now." -Julius said with a soft and gentle smile, wanting to hug her but unable to.

"juLIUs, i wAS spEakinG tO JOkEr AboUt tHe cloCk REpLACemENT tHIng."- She massaged her temples but looked at Julius again before sighing, pinching the bridge of her nose.- "ABOUt THAT Deal… oNLy the CLOCK IS nEEDED. BuT YOu All'D LIKE To keEP THat PRODUCt AlIvE, Dont YoU?

Julius remained quiet for a few moments, surprised to hear such heartlessness. However, that was normal for her. Of course she wouldn't have the maternal instincts of a regular woman… or any maternal instincts at all. But even so, he still loved her.-"Yes, I would."

"That's going to be one fucked up kid."- Black darkly laughed.-"Can you imagine? You? As a MOTHER?" - The warden howled with laughter, gripping his stomach. -"That brat is going to be all different kinds of fucked up! HA! I´d bet you'd kill that brat before it can get old enough to walk!" - Black laughed even more, leaning against a wall for support.-"Your kind of nurture would be to throw that brat to the wolves to be eaten! You'd be the absolute worst kind of mother!"

"Perhaps so. That would leave the man to be the nurturing one." - White playfully laughed in full agreement with his counterpart.

"Can you imagine when they cry? She'd try to find a mute button before drowning the sacks of shit."- He laughed in a mocking tone.- "Compared to you, even I would be a better parent!" - He laughed while his counterpart's eye widened prior to a big smirk.

"hEY! I'm just REPLacinG A CLocK, IF He …," - The unamused foreigner pointed at the prisoner. - " … WANtS tHE WHolE pRoDUCt It's hIS reSponSIBiLITy To DEAL WiTH iT." -She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, walking back towards Joker and extending her hand.- "i take THat YOU acCePT thE deal ThEN, jOKER?"

While Black wildly howled with laughter, White cheerfully held his chin in thought before grabbing her hand. -"Hmmm~ on one condition. I want to be a Godfather or father myself, Aria. Choose whichever one you'd like." The jester cheerfully smiled. -"Babysitting your adorable children will prove quite entertaining, I imagine. More so if they were mine too."

"Ha! Wouldn't that be hilarious? We'd be the sane parent." - Black deeply laughed in his chest, trying to muffle his laughter at the situation. As annoyed as he was, he too was enjoying this; it was a funny thought.

"Huh?"-Aria tilted her head, her eyes little dots of confusion.-"Haven't you fucked so many girls that you probably are a father already?

"None of them lived that long."- White happily shrugged his shoulders. - "And besides, they wouldn't produce interesting children for us, nor do we like any other woman as much as we like our best friend."

"Aria, tell them no!" - Julius lashed out, struggling in the chains.

"Eh?" -Aria remained motionless while trying to process this while White shook her hand a bit eagerly, closing the deal.

"in case your brain is too scattered to understand, he's implying for you to either have their kid or ours."- Black grinned, clarifying it for her because it was obvious she wasn't understanding it.

"yOU WAnt TO mix yoUr dNA With mINe? LIke.. RePRoDUce? WiTh Me? -Aria blinked while pointing at herself. - "WhY? OnLY a CLocK iS neeDEd"

"Because I'm your friend, aren't I?" -White cheerfully smiled.-"And I think having a small child around would be entertaining, don't you?"

"How CAn that bE enteRTaIninG ?" -Aria blinked, unable to comprehend much less understand. She then looked at Black " You tOO?"

"I don't give a damn." - Black calmed his laughter and nonchalantly sneered but his intense gaze was locked onto her.

"She signed a contract with us. She has OUR connectors!" - Julius spoke up before a gag ball appeared out of nowhere and wrapped around his mouth.

While quickly pulled the woman into a hug.- "Just knowing that you will allow me into the contract at any time I desire is enough for me. But what will your lovers think?" - He asked, glancing at Julius with a gentle grin. -"Will their opinions matter in the contract? You are after all, signing a new one with me."

Aria got free of the hug and placed her hand up front.- "LET ME rEViSE THe CoNTrAct." - She maintained the pose while her eyes glowed with lines, augmented reality showing her the text, which she skimmed through to the appropriate sections. Finally, she lowered her hand. -"ThERE IS InDEed An eXCLUsIVity clAUsE. HOWeVER, tHerE ArE No restRICtIOns foR ME takING on mOre CoNsOrTS or CONcUBiNES. THat SiMPlY WaSN't contemPLaTED."- Aria shrugged completely uncaring.- "bOTh OPtionS PResenTed by YoU aREn'T MUtuaLLy ExclUSIVE, so AchIEviNg BOtH Would Be EASy. It's A DEal."

Joker paused before both of them burst out into laughter, holding their guts because of the ferocity of their laughter.

"Tch, your greediness knows no bounds."- Black huffed in fake barking annoyance. -"But yeah … us signing is fine. We might even be able to sign a secret deal without her boy toy's consent."

"IT WoUldn'T BE sECRet AND IT woUld be ouTRigHT OffICiAL"- Aria exhaled and then scratched the back of her head. -"IT wouLd IN FAct Be A PoWeRFUl tACtIc aNd sTrATegicAL Move if YOU ThiNK AbOUT IT."

"Whatever you want to say to make it sound good to you." -Black smirked, throatily chuckling.

The foreigner crossed her arms and took on a more formal pose.- "As you SaiD i'D BE a HoRRiBlE MOTHer, so thE leAsT I can DO iS Ensure BETteR SuRvivAL chaNCEs FOR thE PrODUcTs OF ThiS DEal, doNT I?"- She placed one hand on her hip and with the other she grabbed the tip of her braid and began twisting it between her fingers.- "signING ThE ConTRact WITh mE aNd bEcOMiNG godfatHer of EACH oThEr'S KiDs CREAteS A De FAcTO aLliAncE BEtWEeN the CloCK ToweR, thE CIRcUs aND ThE pRIsON, MaKiNG thE TErRItOriES MORE powERFul, WhilE ALsO SENdINg A MEsSAGE Of uNity TOwArdS any OthEr enEmy… And wE alL have maNy EnEMIES. "- Aria eyed Black and let go of her braid to hold her elbow. -"It also LEsSeNS thE CHANCES oF All my HuNs TRYiNG to kiLL EacH oThEr"

"Makes perfect sense to me."- White simply smiled along while passing his arms over the warden's shoulders, loving the fact Aria was making this so easy for them both and not surprised at her through thinking.

"SO WE are UNder aN UndERStAnDiNg. GOod, i'd DRead to fIgHt My BEsT frienD."- Aria stood at ease, smiling with calm and satisfaction. -"ill sENT SOMeOnE WITh tHE CoNtract LaTeR BuT cOnSIDeR thaT THiS cOntrAcT Is AlrEADy INTo EFfEct."

In the background, Julius shouted into the gag, angry and very clearly opposed to this. He struggled in the restraints, angrily glaring at Joker. He knew Aria's weakness to Joker, of all the people in Wonderland, Joker was the only one she fully trusted, but she was being tricked by them; and worse yet, she wouldn't mind it one bit. She would sign just about any deal with him, even if it coincided with his and Ace's own deal with her.

"But of course. I shall have a pen immediately on my person for when that happens."- White smiled happily and leaned down with a professionally practiced bow, taking off his hat.- "You are really Joker's own personal joker, my dearest and beloved friend and more." - Rising up his face, his smile widened. -" …. But before we settle this, please tell us how you really feel about all of us and how much your heart yearns for our clocks."- He rose up and accommodated his hat back on his head before leaning on his counterpart. -"And please, be as dramatic and cringe worthy as our own love for you is. Let us hear aloud that declaration that surely is not written is that contract."

"WhUt?"- Aria's lips pursed as she blinked in confusion, her wilting posture leaning on one leg before changing weight to the other.

White chuckled with eager delight, holding up a finger.-"Ah … We know how sweet you are, Aria. You must really love all four of us quite a bit if you are so make this deal with us so you can keep them and also gain us." - White smiled, directing his finger to point at the tied mortician - "So tell us how much you love us. Once you do, we'll let him live so you can start fulfilling the deal's first conditions. "

Julius frowned as his clock ached. To hear her say such sweet words to more than one man made his gut twist into bunches as his arms struggled a little harder against the chains despite his attempts to hold still. He desperately didn't want to hear it. He wanted to break free and take both himself and her away. This was one more torture from Joker, but in a twisted way, he supposed this was payback for what he had put her through, so instead of further shouting he settled down, bunkering and preparing himself for what she may say.

Aria frowned as her brow stitched together, her lips tight in an uncomfortable line.- "MuSt I?" - She dragged a feet over the floor and looked away towards a wall.- "BeTween yOu AnD ME THeRe Are nO RESTriCtIoNs. YOU KNow It. aNd THe ContRACt wOUlD MaKe EverythIng ELsE oFICiAL. iSN'T it enouGH? mORE SO When I'Ll BEcoMe the sySTem admINiStrATOr fOR ThIS wORLD?"

"Like shit it is. " -Black chuckled and accommodated his own hat, licking his lips and grinning expectantly. - "Now declare all your undying love and all that corny shit. ALOUD."

"UggghHHH…" - Although her body slowly but steadily tensed, Aria remained motionless for an entire minute. Finally, she groaned a curse and took out a small cantimplora, which its surely alcoholic contents were gulped down in one go before she took a very deep breath.

Then, although her expression remained as stoic as a marble statue's, her voice sounded deep and loud when she proclaimed:

"WHOEvER FiGhTS MONSteRS ShOuld SEe to iT THAt In the Process HE doEs Not BeCOME a MONSTEr. And if YOU GaZE LOnG eNOUgh INtO aN AbysS, thE AbySs wilL gAze bACK iNTo you. It's TOO laTE For me, To EARly foR eVeRyOnE, BUT ThErE waS NevER ANy MEANIng. in ThiS WORlD wHERE livEs aRe MEAninGlESs, HUmAns lIvE for no rEAson, aND die FoR nOthiNG, POiNtlESSLY AND aimLEssLy…. But As Useless aS YoU mAy BE In The BIg SCHeME, AnD aS RepLaCeable as you ARe To the game, i stiLL wANt yOU aNd im sTilL TaKiNG yoU." - Aria declared, clenching her teeth and looking at Joker for approval. -"hOw DoeS THAT SoundS? aRE YOu SatiSFIeD Now?"

"That sucked." - Black crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. -"You think we're giving him back after such a shitty line?"

The jester nodded in agreement with his counterpart.-"Hmmm … I am afraid I am going to need some more confirmation before I can release your lover." - White said with a sweet smile. -"That was a lovely declaration but I still find myself questioning if that is genuine." - He noted playfully, raising a finger.- "However, if your next words arent corny enough to truly convey your feelings, you'll still have us two Jokers." -White cheerfully smiled with a bit of a threatening twinge in his eye. -"After all, your boy toys are replaceable, aren't they? Whereas your Joker will always be here for you." -He smiled endearingly.

FINe…. i guESs, Let me trY agaIN; AS i MEntIoNeD, My FILEs ARe sTill fRagmenteD."" - Aria rolled her eyes and groaned.-"yOU ARE irREPLaCeAbLe to Me JoKeR. I wouLdN'T rEplAcE THEm Or YoU at All.-" She took another deep breath and stroke a dramatic pose. -" DespItE tHE FacT tHAt yoU Are iNtoXICatEd bY thE narCiSSISM aND futiLITy oF Vain EnjOyMENt OF MeanInglEsS momENts tHAt CoMPeLs YoU tO lOVe fOrCIblY. mY eQUiVALent IMITAtiON OF bioChEMIcal LOVe sHouLD pERsist UNTiL the EnD Of YOUR DaYs Or aS long As thE CoNTraCt is fulFilleD. I wiLL annIHIlATe aNyOne wHO DAres TO coME BETwEEn Us aNd I'll usE EVERy Ounce OF WIllpOweR tHAT I POsseSS To PrOtECT AnD enhAnCE Our PaCtED POsItIOn AnD StaNCe. I do LOVE YoU."

Silence filled the room before Julius stared at Aria with wide eyes, stunned to hear her speak terrible lines. He could hardly believe what he was hearing from the young woman's mouth and he could see the fire in her eyes at how disgusted she was at saying them, but she was entirely passionate in her performance.

The foreigner had barely finished her speech, when her sensors forced her connective needles to strike into her spinal cord and discharge an electric shot. Impossibly fast, her body whipped around and her suit's the forearm blades unsheathed as she jumped in front of Julius to redirect the blow of a big shining sword that was tossed at the captive. With a cuss from the warden and her own growl of rage, the foreigner twisted around, spotting Ace.

"Did you make it in time, Aria?" -Ace asked with an empty smile and empty eyes, staring down at his precious Ary for an answer, but as soon as he looked a bit behind her, he saw the captive, all gagged and chained but alive. Letting out a breath he didnt knew he was holding, his languid smile became a big grin.

Aria looked at Ace and then at the expecting eyes of the chuckling Jokers. White waved his hand, motioning her to keep on. She groaned, and while sheathing her blades, she once more took a deep breath to continue her lovely charade, her face looking as if she swallowed a fermented lemon.- "therE IsN't enOUgh TiME in the WOrld To TeLl All OF yOU In Binary hOw MucH i lOvE yoU! hOpe In REalITy IS tHE WORsT of ALL EvILS BEcauSE it ProLoNgS THe tOrMenTs of tHOse aLIVe uNTIl the mOmeNT deaD CoMEs, BUT i'd LOVe you OR AS CLOse To iT As i cAN uNTIL The eNd of TiMe itself OR AT leASt uNtIl IT you DiE… sO doN't Die SOoN, PLeasE!"

Ace stopped short in his steps, looking puzzled at first before he got on one knee.- "MY DAME, BUT OF COURSE! I WOULD LOVE YOU SO MUCH MORE THAN THE SUN AND THE MOON!"

Joker broke the relatively quiet air with a new howl of laughter, gripping his stomach from how hard he was laughing now.

Aria, knowing she had to continue, looked at Ace with a very forced angry smile, a vein popping on her forehead.-"therE's oNLY OnE THInG ThaT EVER chANgES aNythiNG, aND THAt's deAtH. EVERytHinG ELSe Is juST a lIE. you CAn'T bE savEd bY a LiE... You CAn't be saveD At All. NoT eVen sTaRs And PLAnetS SuRVivE iN ThE enD, But ThE aNNIHILATioN oF thEIR MASses Does noT comPaRE TO MY wrath aT BeINg unABLe tO eXpreSS tHaT I ReAlLy wANT YoUR PREsEncES aLOng fOr whAtevEr rEmaiNS OF yoUR Or mINE eXiStenCe…" - She eyed both laughing Jokers, groaning; hoping for this torture to end. -"DEarest Joker, WAS That PoEtiC aND CorNY ENough?"

"By all means, keep going." - Black said, snorting and chuckling to himself, trying not to lose himself in the ensuing laughter.

"Eh?" - The knight stood up and grabbed her hands into his, looking dearly into her olive green eyes and pulling her closer, his smile charming and deeply entrancing.-"More than how my clock swells for you, it burns in a fire that will consume all of its cogs in mere expectation for sharing the company of your lovely beating heart, oh my beautiful damsel!"

Aria pouted, groaning. -"theRE is NO tRUTH. THere'S onlY ACtION, aCtIOn obeYINg A MIllIOn dIfFereNt IMPULsES sUBjeCTEd TO EvERy StAtIStIcallY CalCUlATEd cONTINgEnCy AnD rEACtion. DesPITE thiS HOWEveR, I Can NoT help BUt fEEl sUCH IMmeNSE PoSSessivE...MmHHh... LoVe? ….For You, ThaT All I CAN ThINK Of Is THE trUtH ThaT LOVE iS NoTHInG But aN eVolutIoNAry MixtURe OF BiochEmIcaL REActiONS ThAT CoMPel anIMALS TO RepRODUCE anD hElP INto muTuAL sUrvIVal. BuT IT Is TheRE, MorE oR LesS."

"But so much more how I love you! As a knight I vow that thou shan always be the one I want to conquer the most in the most brutal and passionate ways! I will knock down your walls and hold you in my arms to replace them with my body and my strength!" - Ace happily grinned, declaring so loudly his intentions that his words echoed along the corridors of the prison.

Julius could only listen to this horribly dry and completely unromantic array of corny lines that caused Joker to chuckle and giggle at the show. Ace spoke with so much burning passion that it almost passed off to the both of them, but it everyone seemed oblivious to how realistically dreadful Aria was being with her nihilistically dreadful words. She wasn't being corny … or rather, she was in her own way.

"just StoP iT AlREaDy!" - Aria very clearly was on the verge of banging her head against a wall, but one look at Julius was enough to make her continue.- "LOvE Is INSanity WoRST thaN MadNess. iT iS the taKiNG OVEr oF a ratiONaL And LuciD mINd by DeLuSioN AnD SELF-dEstRuCtiOn. yOu losE yoURseLf, YOu hAVe AnD YoU CaN'T eVEN THINK StRAIGHt. I deSpíse it, but KNOw thaT not eveN adMirAL's jI's defENsEs, GENGhiS KHaN'S COnquesTS, qIn SHi hUanG CREAtIng CHinA, saLaDino, suleiMaN, BonAParte, AlExANdeR, HATsHepSUT, VASILy CHuIkOv, erICH vON mAnSteiN, rOMMEl, CATERINA ThE GREat or aNY OtHER FriGGING gReAT coMMaNdEr oF my world…" - She took another deep breath to practically scream the next part. -"...HoLDS a CAndlE to tHE DESTRuctIoN I'Ve CAuSEd AnD THe evEN mOrE HOrrIBlE conseQUENCes THAt WILl beFall this worlD iF I DoNt hAVE yOu! all Of You, fOR mYself AnD fOR aS LoNG as YoU EXiST! I wILl CRUSh yoU aNd evERYThING elSE. i wilL UnMaKE ReaLITy AnD exiSTENcE ITSelF. DO YOU UNDErStAnD IT? IT DOEsN'T mATtER IF yOu dON't, You aRe minE ANd THATS all THAT YOU NEed To uNdERsTANd."- She panted, her chest moving up and down while her flustered face looked at Joker again. -"IS THAT ENOUGH!? WANT ME TO GET EVEN CORNIER!?"

Both Jokers couldn't hold it in. Their shaky knees gave out as they collapsed onto the ground, laughing their asses off with tears in their eyes from how pained their stomachs were from their hard laughter. They could barely believe Aria could make up half of this shit on her.

The executioner took her hand up to his lips and kissed it, still gazing into her eyes when he spoke in a low deep purr, looking quite happy as he stared into Aria's eyes.- "Love is like a sunshine. It brings golden glow to the beholder's face and a warm feeling all over their body. It awakens passions and opens eyes, and when it is over it brings billions of small memories called stars to remind the world, that it still exists." - The knight rather poetically said with a smile, kissing up her arm while holding her hand firmly.

Aria's eyes widened, looking at the gallant and handsome semblance of the Knave of Hearts. She could sense her own heart beating hard under her chest, feeling lighter but unable to relate to it. Gulping down her own saliva and thoroughly annoyed with Joker's laughter, she growled to her best friend and future consort.- "ENOUGH! YoU FucKinG KNow I loVE yOu All. jusT reLeaSE JULIus alreaDY!"

Neither Joker could stop howling in laughter but the warden rolled to his back and snapped his fingers, the chains on the prisoner becoming loose immediately.

Julius fell forward and shoved off the chains, removed the gag from his mouth and tossed it aside before he wrung his neck, showing the bright collar around it. He couldn't express how relieved he was as much as how furious he felt. Relieved that Aria was alright and made it in time to stop Ace from murdering him, but furious that she was going to include Joker into the contract; and he knew there was no way to talk her out of. - "We are leaving now." -Julius stood up with a stern frown, genuinely annoyed by the turn of events. He marched right up to Aria before picking her up and shoving her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, holding her there, startled by her weight.

"Hmmm~ you sure you can handle her weight, Julius?" -Ace teasingly grinned, taking the chance to give a slap to Aria's ass, excited to see Julius's macho side showing.

Being so angry, however, Julius ignored the pain on his shoulder and lower back.-"Call the elevator for us, Joker." - The clock master ordered with a stern frown and glare in the jester's direction.

"Awe, are you sure? But I would be delighted to negotiate some more deals." -Joker laughed as Black snapped his fingers, making the elevator appear.

"A deal?" Ace blinked, already not liking the sound of that.

Completely accepting Julius's handling, Aria responded Ace's question, doing her best to shrug her shoulders. -"yES, thE SITUation HAS been FiXed. iN eXCHaNGE foR JULIus GeTtIng FreE, joKer is anNexED InTO thE contRACT yoU juST DElivEreD TO eVerYOne, AnD he has all RIghts anD ResPoNsiBiLiTIes LIke YoU TwO DO. aLsO ThERE's GOing To bE sOme ofFsPRINg inVoLveD TO rEpLACe Aegis'S cloCk, aNd THen soMe More."

" … is that so?" -Ace said with a mysteriously calm smile, too calm to be considered sane to any degree. -"Hmmm but if he is not alive he cant get added to OUR contract, right?"- The executioner asked with a bright smile returning to his face as he started walking over to his sword.

"You talk as though you could kill us."- Black sneers with a snarky grin while continuing to laugh.- "Go ahead and try it, knight. If you lose, I'll kill you."

"acE...THAT WOUlD OnlY pUt jUlius BacK in pRIsoN. so You WON't." - Aria sighed. -"anD jOKeR… THaT Would inVALIdATe tHe deAL BEfoRE It STArtS. AlSO, THe CoNtrACT sTATEs MUtuaL suPpORt unDeR AlliAnce..."

"But being on the run from Joker as the executioner could be fun!"- Ace laughed while retrieving his sword.

Before Aria continued making the situation worse, Julius slapped her rump and walked right around heading for the elevator, feeling his knees shaking. Despite looking rather malnourished, Aria was certainly very heavy and made it quite difficult for him to hold her. However, still running on his anger about her promises to Joker, he remained strong and stepped onto the elevator, and once he was inside, Ace pressed the buttons and stepped out. The last Julius saw before the door closed, was Ace walking in the direction of the still laughing Jokers.

"sO hE IS stAYINg BEhiND? hE bETTer coMe bacK sOON." -Aria pouted, still slumped over Julius's shoulder. -"jULiUs… yOUR diSPlAY OF PHYsIcAL STrenGTH is oVer, we arE aLone So yOU CAN pUt mE doWN NOw."-The mercenary tapped his back, wiggling a bit before receiving another smack on her arse.-"Hey! wHat WAS tHaT fOr?"

"Just be quiet, Aria." - Julius tryed to keep her still despite trembling as he tried to better hold up her weight. Lucky for him, the elevator's door opened directly into his office, and despite his arms beginning to fail him, he didn't let go. He stomped as he could towards his bedroom, accidentally hitting her head on the door's frame.

"ouCh! tHat hURt!- Aria complained with a pout, rubbing her aching head where she was hit.

Julius deeply frowned in annoyance, finally reaching the bed and tossing Aria onto it. He was angry, furious even. But he couldn't bring himself to yell at her. Instead, he simply took a deep breath, letting out a tired huff of air as he stretched his aching back. He knew he shouldn't take his anger out on Aria; it wasn't fair to her... even when she had called on the Jabberwocky, destroyed her own mind, worried Julius into getting what he knew had to be stomach ulcers by this point, and made that deal with Joker. Sure, it had been to get him free, but including Joker in the marriage contract was making Julius fume inside, and yet despite all this, he did not want to hurt her in the least. He just wanted to love her. To be able to just love her with nothing interrupting, damaging or preventing him from doing so.

Next, a sudden clumsy hug surprised the time master.

Aria was kneeling on the bed, her arms thrown around his neck as she held on tightly.-"aLl I SAiD ALOUD WaSnT a lie, WELL, mOst OF IT wAS Mere GIBbErIsh BecaUsE i lAcK CApacITY To COMpREhEND, mucH lESs ComPoSE poeTrY Or Any KInd OF ROmantIc DeMAGOgIc deClAratioNS."- The outsider nuzzled her cheek against him. - "BUt You arE Free AND SAfe and MINE. miSsIon ACcOMplISHeD."

"Indeed I am." -Julius said with a soft and gentle smile, holding her tightly in his arms and softly kissing her cheek while of his anger diffused.

"I CANT CompREHEnD wEll alL oF THIS. but TO bALAncE The eqUATion aNd rEsULts OF tHis deal, YoUr SaTIsfAcTIon Is ImPorTant.." - Quite casually, Aria pulled back and started unclasping her armor. -"aLL MY FIleS SignAl ThAT AnY And aLL prEvioUs InTERActiOns wiTH YOU ANd/or aCE Are foCuseD ON YOUr dEsIrE foR InTeRcouRsE, AnD ALThouGH i caN'T retAlIate pROPerly in mY cUrreNT conDitioN, yoU Can uSE Me To 'vent' If YOu RequIRE to. Do yoU WaNt to DO sO BEfOre I go BACK To MY terrItORy tO coNTinue tHe My RePAIRINg prOceSS? "

Julius blinked, his annoyment renewed. Placing his hands over her shoulders, he stopped her from undressing. Heavily sighing, he turned away to calm himself down, yet, he couldn't help but give her a relieved smile. She at least was back, even if in a slightly worse state than before, but better than the last time he saw her. Still, her means of thinking he just wanted her for sex or because of the game was a reminder of all the things they didnt settled before. But first thing first. Gently steadying her hand, he kissed her cheek. - "… Go back to your territory and repair yourself. I want you to be healed first and foremost." - Julius's arms awkwardly embraced her for a moment. - " I apologize for my behavior. We can speak this and all out once you are better. "- He honestly admitted.

The foreigner tilted her head.-"I DON't uNDeRsTaND tHE MOtiVe oF tHE apoLOgY…..buT aGrEEd."- She gave him another hug and a retaliated the kiss. -"i'lL Be BaCK AS SoOn AS THe repAir pRoCesS Is FurthereD. AltHoUgH a mOre tHOUGhtful RePaIr wILL TaKe far MorE SESSiONs."

"I know. But I still want to give you this time to recover. Feel better before coming back. I'll be here." -Julius said, his clock aching. He had no idea how long it would be until Aria returned. It could be days or weeks, even more. That broke his clock; however, if this was to make her better, he was willing to put up with it.

Aria nodded and moved towards a full sized mirror without looking back. She placed her hand over the reflective surface and it became a black liquid which she crossed, her long braid swinging behind her.

Julius shivered at the sight, wanting to reach out but knowing this was for her own good. She needed to spend time there, no matter how long, in order to recover and he much preferred his usual loneliness than risk losing her again.

After taking a quick shower and changing his clothes but keeping the collar on, he look at the empty bedroom and sighed, turning away and planning to continue working on the clocks; but the time master hadn't even reached the door when stumbling footsteps made him turn around to see Aria tumble back from the mirror, looking far worse.

Speechlessly he stared at her, shocked, before managing to rush to help her stand properly. - "What happened? " -He anxiously asked, checking her out and noticing how exhausted, malnourished, sleep deprived and weak she looked.

"Julius?"- She asked, blinking before focusing her gaze in his face's general direction. -" Was I Gone For Long?"

"N-no, not even for an hour."- He held a hand out for her to steady herself. -"What happened to you?"

"I Told Aegis To Fix And Reconnect As Much As He Could… But I Kinda Forgot To Eat Or Rest Often During This Time; My Place Doesn't Exactly Produce Much Food Yet Either." - She hugged him to get support on her steps, looking around the place. - "I'm Still Ways Off From Being Repaired. However, I'm Better Than Before. "- She tried to take some shaky steps on her own. -"In Any Case, I Now Understand If You Dont Want Any Interruption After Being In The Prison. Although, There Are Things We Ought To Discuss And Things You Want To Do Too, Dont You?"

"Enough." -Julius said, grabbing her shoulder.- "You need to rest." - He picked her up and quickly set her down on the soft bed, pulling the covers over her VERY tightly. At this point he'd probably have to tie her down so she could rest. - "I'm worried for your health. We can discuss all once you feel better." - The clock master said softly, lightly rubbing her arm over the covers. He wanted to talk, almost desperately so, but first she needed to heal up.

Aria wiggled her way out of the covers and the digital glow in her eyes flickered.-"Im Still Alive, No? ...And The Sooner We Discuss And Settle Everything The Better."- She tossed the linens off and sat on the bed.- "Besides, At This Point I Am Unable To Recognize What 'feeling Better' Would Be. "- With a sigh, she took his hand and pulled it away with a stoic expression on her face, frowning just so lightly.-" I Cant Provide You With Emotional Reassurance, But I Can Give You Physical Relief If You Want Intercourse. Yes, Its Predictable, But I Understand The Game And Your Instincts Push You To Seek It. It's Fine. I Wont Break.

Julius sighed, hesitating before crawling onto the bed with her. He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her down.- "It's true that I want to make love to you until neither of us can take it anymore, and then continue still."- Julius admitted.-"But, more than that, I want you to recover your health first." He gently kissed her forehead, troubled but touched at the same time about her attempt to make him feel better. -"It was my mistake to let you think that I don't want more than your body. I want your time too. I want to spend coffee breaks with you, to keep you close to me, to work with you and to enjoy your company ... Your time is what I truly want more than anything in the world."

" I Am Unable To Comprehend That Yet. I Only Know What My Records Show Regarding Your Past Behaviors." - She passed her hand on his face to caress his cheek before rolling on the bed to give him her back.- "But You Get It Wrong. You Arent Taking My Time. Im Taking Yours Along With You. Still… I'm Aiming To Become The System Admin. You Might Be Pressed To Finish My Time Before That"

Julius pulled back from the bed and closed his eyes, his hands going up to his own neck to remove the bright colored collar, and the moment he removed it, he felt himself shifting.

He opened his eyes, startled to find himself entirely a fox instead of only sporting some foxy features as he had thought he would now that Aria was back, meaning that it was too soon for his condition to improve; after all, she had been gone for long and his stay in the prison had drained him. This deeply disturbed him, still he kept calm. As long as he put back the collar he could shift back into a human, and without it, he felt that he could shift back into half fox too, meaning he could go ahead and cuddle with his mate now to make her feel better before shifting back into a human later. Right now Aria needed some cuddles and frankly, so did he.

Jumping over the bed, Julius trotted over to Aria and stood on her legs, letting out a small cute yip up at her before seeing her mortified expression. He flinched, shocked at the sudden horror on her face rather than a smile at his cuteness.

"JULIUS!" - She screeched and grabbed him by the armpits, lifting him up as she stood on the bed.- "No, No, No, NO! You Shouldn't Have Changed! I… Wasn't The Potion And Mana Enough!?"- Her face was filled with worry and dread.- "No! My Vial Is Barely Starting To Fill Again!"- She looked into his eyes and dropped on her knees, still holding him.- "Please Say Something… Can You Even Speak? Nod If You Understand Me!"

Julius nodded, closing his eyes before he concentrated to all his ability and power into shifting again, becoming a human … with fox ears and tail, all he could be without the collar. Quickly, he hugged her- "It's alright, Aria. I'm not going to lose my mind. Your plan worked. "- He said, staring at his tail curiously and remembering this was the reason why Joker had wrapped him with so many chains. A fox could easily slip past the cell's bars- "For the time being I can change between these forms if I remove the collar. "- Julius said, gently caressing her cheek and kissing her while she grabbed the white tipped black fluffy tail.

Aria pet his tail somewhat before grabbing his ears, which she pulled on, examining them. After a somewhat distressed sight, her expression became stern.- "You Require My Presence And That Collar Don't You?" – She rolled around on the bed, giving him her back once more.- "It's Fine. I Know You Hate Being A Cuddly Fluffy Fox. So Change Back."

"But it calms you down."- Julius asked before frowning over her.- "Pet me for a bit. I'm 'cute', right? So pet me until you are content." - He said, shifting into a fox again, lightly pawing at her waist before jumping over to nuzzle her belly.

"If That Is Is What You Want …" -She nervously gulped, looking over him before she slowly pulled him against her chest, petting him softly while letting out a couple sniffs, her expression becoming distressed and sorrowful.

Julius nuzzled against her, gently licking her cheek. He was happy to be giving her affection, even if it was just as a fox for the moment. At least this way she could relax a bit. He smiled at the calming settling silence, lightly whining as he happily nuzzled against her with his tail wagging.

Silently making his way in a proud way, certain red eyed knight crept slowly towards the bed while observing the scene. Making his steps loud enough to be heard, he removed his own collar to gain fox ears and tail.- "All s fixed. Although I'm jelly that someone else scurried into our perfect trio deal." - Ace climbed onto the bed behind Aria and pulled her into a harsh hug. - "It's funny. I want to hurt you even though I love you, and I want to love you more I guess, so I'll settle for some rough loving."

"That'd Be Fine…"- When Aria turned to look at Ace her eyes went wide, bright and watery; the merc didn't utter a single, she was so stunned she was unable to. Instead she let go of Julius and rolled around to bury herself in Ace's crushing hug, sniffing.

Julius set his small paws over Aria and glared at Ace, annoyed at the executioner's childish antics. They just got Aria back and he wasn't going to let Ace ruin this. He leapt up onto Aria's back, lightly biting Ace's nose to get the knave's attention and huffed in annoyance, giving a light growl. -"Enough of this, Ace. Be part of our trio or get out; now isn't the time to be childish. Hug her NOW."

Ace flinched at Julius's soft bite but still hugged Aria, pulling her towards his chest and into his death grip, reassuring himself she was still there and not letting her go. Looking at the huffy dark fox, he smiled.- "So we can change all the way?"- He held her tightly with a wagging tail, kissing her forehead and nuzzling her while Julius on the other side was getting left out.-"Are we going to have a big party now that we're married, like Alice had? As long as there's a lot of booze its fine. What about the food? Oh, who are we going to invite...wait, I already invited everyone… damn, thats gonna take some time. Ups, not very knightly to say. Whatever, I only care about the so called honeymoon afterwards though. Can we have it now? I can be a cute foxie too, right? That should be interesting too, ha,ha."

Aria hadn't understood Julius's yips and had ignored Ace's words distressed as she wasBursting into uncontrollable cries while pressing herself against Ace's chest, and in a mix of slurred languages, unintelligible sobs, and distressed cries, the only thing that she managed to say was something akin to: "I'm A Terrible Gir-wife, I Might Have Abused You Too Much, I Failed In Way Too Many Things And I Can't Even Express That I Really Like You... At All. "

Of course, only half of that was barely understood at all.

Julius changed back to the half form.- "We love you all the same, Aria."- He said, joining the tight and protective hug with her in the middle.- "It's alright, Aria. We love you. That won't change." -Julius kissed her forehead, keeping her into a firm and safe grasp. -"We know you do care, in your own strange way. And there's a contract already, so you dont have to worry."

"Yeah, it's not like you could get more maddened, or that we can turn back to fluffs if we stop using the collars, or that you can be drawn to other country, or the fact you signed a contract with Joker and forever made our distrust in your faithfulness towards us permanent, or the fact you'd happily multiply smaller versions of you with not only us but also with little to no thought on how destructive they would be, or how you've allowed the fact that the Lullaby will insidiously start taking over Julius's territory which will undoubtedly result in his death when you disappear for too long since they'd come after Julius first to interrogate him if you ever leave us again... :D" Ace laughed, cuddling some more.

"Ace, knock it off. Stop misbehaving for attention. Enough being childishly jealous, knight. Aria is here now safe and sound with us."- Julius admonished, flicking him on the forehead as a small punishment while Aria sobbed harder. Which very deep down was now giving him a warm feeling because it seemed that at last, she trusted them enough to drop her guard. A new sob distracted him.-"It's alright, Aria. Our contract is official." -Julius said, gently kissing the back of Aria's neck and softly and concentrating on hugging her until she could feel that security from them and stopped sobbing.

"Hmmmm ... but it's not official until I CLEARLY hear it from Aria."- Ace cheerfully smiled and released his hug.- "Say it, Aria. Say that you're part of this trio. It will make you feel better….oh? You fell asleep already?"

Julius noticed she had fallen asleep and kissed the back of Aria's head gently, wiping away the tears from her eyes..- "Yes … it's official now that she has our connectors. Even with Joker being in the contract, she still has only our connectors."-

The words he spoke comforted Ace, but Julius was still uneasy. Just how far was Aria modified by Wonderland? Or rather, how much has Wonderland being modified by Aria? She could take 2 connectors, meaning 2 winners and double the mana outtake from her body. And if that had happened, wouldn't there be a possibility for more connectors or even more modifications? While he was very worried, he was also very happy they were all together, so he set his worries aside for the moment and cuddled up.

As she dozed off within their strong and protective embrace, Aria was swallowed within their loving warmth. On their part, the comfort of knowing Aria was well protected by both Role Holders made them settle down happily in their circumstance of a trio, whatever that meant or whatever it would become. They were together and all was fine.

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Because she will do just about anything X3

To be honest, Aria is a very difficult character to write in a romance. (As you so in her original fics Wonderful Wonderful Science and Wonderful Wonderful Science: Diamond Dust). Because of this all this development was needed for her to really get in love (as much as she can anyways). Do you think so too or do you think I exaggerated?

Besides that...

I feel good for finally posting this. In fact, I refused to post the last chapters until this was ready (and I have to cut it to make the next epilogue thingy).