Alana's P.O.V

I groaned deeply as my head throbbed horribly. Darkness surrounded me but I could hear the sounds of people talking and moving in the near distance. I could also hear what sounded like cheery music somewhere nearby. It sounded somewhat familiar but, with the way my head was spinning, I couldn't place what it was. Lastly, I could feel myself laying on something firm yet soft while my head rested on what I knew had to be a pillow.

So did that mean I was laying on a bed? It didn't feel like the one I used at Avery's house. I suppose it's possible that I fell asleep on her couch but then where was all the noise coming from? Were Avery's brothers home or had the TV just been left on? Well, none of the voices sounded familiar so I suppose it's possible I fell asleep watching TV. Plus it wouldn't be the first time I got a headache from falling asleep on the couch. Well, whatever the cause, I suppose I wouldn't find out for sure until I opened my eyes.

Ignoring the pain in my head the best I could, I slowly opened my eyes and was greeted by a blur of colors. Unlike in my dream, however, these blurs had shapes to them and were far more out of focus. This was like when you wear a blindfold then take it off as the sun is hitting your face. Besides, that other thing had just been a dream, hadn't it? A really weird, vivid dream, but still just a dream.

'Where am I? This... this doesn't look like Avery's house.' I thought and frowned as looked around in a haze. Despite my vision still being very blurry I could tell I was somewhere unfamiliar and I struggled to remember what had happened.

"Joker, the outsider is waking up." A nearby female voice called out, startling me. Turning my head to the side, I saw the vague shape of what I guessed was a woman but... she's colorful? Wait, Outsider?

"Oh excellent. I was afraid she would be out for quite some time." A man's deep voice replied as another colorful form walked up to me. Was it just my imagination or could I hear bells jingling as he got closer?

I didn't get time to think on it as, in seconds, the form of the man was hovering over me. Sadly, even though he was literally right beside me, my vision was still really hazy. So I couldn't make out one detail on who he could be. The only thing I knew was I didn't know this man. His voice was unfamiliar and that woman called me an Outsider. If he knew me she'd have likely addressed me by my name.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Miss. Foreigner." I heard him say and felt my left hand get taken by his. I flinched at the unexpected touch but allowed him to hold my hand as I tried to focus on his face. "How are you feeling?"

How am I feeling? Confused, sore and tired, that's how. My head still hurt horribly and I think my confusion was making it worse. What exactly happened? Did I get hit by a truck while walking the dogs with Avery? I suppose this could be a children's hospital. That would explain all the colorfulness and the man's strange name. But... aren't I a little too old to be admitted to a children's hospital? I am seventeen after all. Also, what hospital addresses their patients as a Outsider or Foreigner? So than where was I?

"... Where am I? What happened?" I asked, confused out of my mind. The last thing I can remember after falling down that hole is talking to a weird man and seeing Avery but... but wasn't that just a dream?

"Why, you are at my wonderful circus, of course." He answered with a light chuckle as I felt his fingers stroke the back of my hand. "It startled me that while I was juggling to have, instead of a flaming pin, a beautiful young lady land in my arms."

"A circus?" I asked, startled and surprised by his answer.

Circus? I'm at a circus? Well, that would explain all the colorful blobs and forms everywhere. It also explains the man's strange name. Yet since when did Chicago have a circus and what did the man mean by I landed into his arms? Is it... is it possible that my dream really wasn't a dream after all? Did Avery and I really fall down a hole and end up in a different world? As open minded as I usually am, that is still really hard to believe.

As I was thinking it over, my vision finally began to clear up. Since I was looking at him the first thing I saw was the man who had been talking to me. The first thing I noticed about him was his hair, which was medium length and red. Not red as in orange, but red as in red: like an apple. Next I noticed his uniform.

A chain of gold rings started at his shoulders and met at the middle above his chest. A large red scarf thing was loosely wrapped around his neck, a gold rimmed red button attaching the thing in the middle. Both that and the chain rested on a black jacket which was opened slightly to show a grey shirt underneath.

I couldn't see past his waist but I saw enough to notice the start of a red and black checkered pattern. I also noticed a small mask surrounded by four roses attached to his hip. It was on what I think could be a belt. It was white but rimmed in gold with upside down triangles hanging from it. Looking back up to his face I noticed that his left eye was covered by a large eye patch, which had the decal of a eye on it, and a jester hat on his head.

"Yes." The man confirmed kindly and finally pulled his hand away from mine. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired and confused." I answered as I pushed myself up and rubbed my eyes with my recently freed hand. As I did so I made to look at my surroundings but a strange weight in my pocket stopped me.

'Huh? What's this?' I thought and used my right hand to reach into my pocket. To my surprise, rather than the handle of my dagger, to which I thought it might have been, my hand clasped onto something small and ridged.

Frowning in confusion, I pulled the object out and saw it was... a vial? Since when did a vial get into my pocket? I knew for a fact that I didn't have one before leaving Avery's house. Especially not one that looked like this. The shape is similar to a diamond or pentagon, with a flat bottom that would allow it to stand upright. The color is a light blue and is the size of my hand. The topper looked like a diamond and the whole thing seemed to be made out of glass.

Whats more is there was liquid inside the vial. Pink liquid. Aside from pink lemonade or cream soda, I couldn't think of any other pink liquids it could possible be. Well, some soaps can be pink but the liquid was too clear to be that. If it was soap it would be sudsy and have a lot of bubbles. By that same logic, aside from the sudsy part, I also knew it couldn't be cream soda and I couldn't imagine why I'd have a vial of lemonade on me. So exactly what was this and how did it get into my pocket?

White Joker's P.O.V

My lips twitch into a smile and my eye lit up the second I saw the Medicine of Diamonds. So she does have it after all. That's good. Though my involvement in capturing her doesn't truly matter if she drinks from it or not, it will be a whole lot more fun if she does. For me at least.

And to think, she fell directly into my arms! What were the chances? This is something I'll make sure not to mess up. We may have failed to capture Alice last April Season when Heart and Clover combined, but we will not fail with this girl. Of course, what's the fun of capturing someone without having a little, well, fun first? I think playing nice and acting as her friend will work wonderfully. The betrayal in her eyes when we show her her sin and lock her up will be most delightful.

Hehe, Nightmare is a fool for opening a rabbit hole at this time of year because I plan on never letting this prize leave. She will belong to Joker, just like Alice should have. Best of all, there is no one here to interfere with what we do. So drink up, little foreigner, so we can start our game. I promise I'll make it as enjoyable for you as it will for us; and that's no lie.

"Did you put this in my pocket?" She asked me, her eyes gazing at the diamond shaped topper. I wanted to chuckle at her accusation but forced myself to keep it in as I clamped my hands behind my back.

"Me? Sorry, no it wasn't. It's likely that Nightmare slipped it into your pocket while you were dreaming. Perhaps you should drink it and see what it is." I replied, smiling at her sweetly. Unsurprisingly she looked rather suspicious and apprehensive as she gazed at the vial before looking back at me.

"Why should I drink it? I have no idea what it is." She responded, clearly unsure if she could trust me. It didn't surprise me. I am, after all, a stranger urging her to drink a unknown substance. Not that it can be helped, though.

If we wanted the full experience of this capture, I had to find a way to convince her to drink the medicine. Willingly and on her own, if I can manage it. Unlike that pesky Prime Minister of Castle Heart, Joker is above forcing it down a girl's throat with a kiss. Besides, I need to get this girl to like me. Fortunately, though I can't speak for Joker, I am patient. As long as she takes it on her own free will, I can wait for as long as it takes. Of course, that's not to say I won't try to subtly push her doing it sooner rather than later.

"But that's what's so fun about it~" I replied with a laugh, showing off my best jubilant grin. "You never know what something is until you try it."

Alana's P.O.V

Huh? What kind of logic is that? Drink something to figure out what it is? I'm sorry, but that's stupid. Drinking unidentified liquids is how hundreds of kids end up poisoned or dead. I've heard many horror stories about how parents weren't careful enough and their young child got into things like detergent and bleach. It's why most people teach their kids to never put something in their mouth unless they know it's safe or have permission. I'll admit I don't think this pink stuff is poison but I'd still be a fool to drink it before I'm sure that it's safe.

Before I could come up with a response something in the corner of my eye caught my attention. Turning to look I saw it was Jaiden. He was laying on the ground next to what I assumed to be the entrance of whatever tent I was in. I noticed that he had something between his paws but, at the angle he was sitting at, I couldn't tell what it was. Whatever it was he seemed to be having the time of his life gnawing on it.

So if Jaiden is here, does that mean Avery was somewhere nearby? I can't remember her ever mentioning her location when we met in that... dream thing. If that was indeed real and not a figment of my imagination. Either way, I don't think she was. If Avery was here I'd think the jester, Joker as I recall him being called, would have mentioned it by now. Well, on the plus side, at least my head wasn't hurting as badly anymore.

"Oh? Where did he come from?" I heard Joker ask and turned to see he was looking at Jaiden questioningly. Ah, so that must mean Jaiden must have just recently arrived or managed to stay unnoticed until now. The German Shepard was good at that.

"He must have followed my scent." I answered, turning my gaze back to the dog. Though I believe he knew we noticed him, Jaiden ignored us and continued to chew on the unidentified object.

"You know this dog? Is he yours?" Joker asked, surprise clear in his voice. I'm not sure of the reason behind his surprise but nodded as I kept my eyes glued on the dog.

"Yes I know him but no he's not mine. He was just with me before I ended up here." I answered, tilting my head as I tried to focus on the thing he was chewing on.

What is that? Did he find a ball somewhere? I sure hope he hasn't stolen anything; he's pretty bad at doing that. Mostly it's only with things he considers toys but there have been times that he's run off with things like clothing and remote controls. Considering he used to be a police dog I think it's somewhat ironic. He's still very well trained and will listen to commands but acts more like a puppy rather than the elderly dog that he is. Avery thinks it's because Jaiden never got to experience a puppyhood since he was put through training at a young age.

"Really. How curious." I heard Joker mumble, though I am unsure if it was to himself or to me. Either way I ignored him as I put the vial back into my pocket and slipped off of what I assumed to be a cot.

I could no longer not know what Jaiden was chewing on. If it really was some kind of ball or other object, I'm sure the one he took it from would be missing it by now. Even if it was just a toy from one of the circus games, I knew I'd have to return it. Or at least offer to pay for it. Yeah, I don't think the workers would except something soaked in dog slobber; they wouldn't be able to sell it.

As I stepped closer, Jaiden's ears perked and he lifted his head to look at me. Upon seeing who it was that was approaching him he smiled and greeted me with a small bark. He didn't get up to come to me but his body shifted just enough so that I could see what he had between his paws. Now that I had a better look at it I could tell it wasn't a ball. Nor was it a stuffed toy or anything of that nature. Rather, it looked kind of like...

"Jaiden, drop that!" I demanded upon realizing it was the scabbard for my dagger; with the dagger still in it.

To my horror, rather than listen to me, Jaiden jumped into a pounced position, my dagger firmly between his teeth. His tail wagged slowly behind him and his eyes flashed at me challengingly. I knew if I tried to get closer, the dog would turn tail and bolt; and I don't know if I'd be able to catch him. For an old dog he's very fast and very energetic. It's more than likely that he'd easily tire me out if he got me to chase him.

"What is that in his mouth? A dagger?" I heard Joker ask from beside me. I nodded but didn't turn to look at him, as I was scared Jaiden would disappear the second I looked away from him.

"Yeah, mine. It was a gift from my brother for my fourteenth birthday." I answered, my body tense as my mind raced to come up with ideas.

Normally when Jaiden stole something only Jeffrey, Avery's brother and the cop that trained the German Shepard, could make him give it back. Avery can make him drop stuff but he always finds a way to get the item back afterwards. Without either of them here I was as good as screwed. I was either going to have to wait until Avery showed herself to help me, try to chase Jaiden until I either fail or somehow manage to get it back, or ask for help. Well... circus people are rather flexible, aren't they? I suppose it wouldn't hurt to ask.

White Joker's P.O.V

"Um, can you help me get it back from him?" She asked shyly, finally pulling her gaze off the dog to look at me. I chuckled and turned my eye to her, though made sure the dog was in my line of sight. I didn't want to risk him running off too quickly; that would be no fun at all.

Besides, I want to know more about this dagger. Perhaps we can use it in our future plans in imprisoning her. She said her brother gave it to her as a birthday gift, didn't she? He must be important to her if she carries around something so dangerous. Oh~ I wonder if that is what her sin will show as. Just like how Alice saw her sister. Ah~ the game hasn't even begun yet and I'm already getting excited. I'm not sure how I'll manage to get the weapon away from her without her noticing, but I had all the time in the world to think of something.

"Why, I'd be honored to, my lady." I purred, bowing gentlemanly before turning to the dog. Now then, getting the dagger from him shouldn't be too difficult. Lets see what I can do.

"Here, doggy doggy. Come to-" I called, snapping my fingers as I crouched down so I could be eye level with the dog. However, much to my astonishment, the dog turned tail and bolted out of the tent.

"Damn it! Jaiden, get back here with that!" The girl shouted, already darting after the German Shepard. For a moment I could only blink, surprised at what happened.

Well, at least I now understand why the girl asked for help and why she looked so horrified when she discovered what the dog had. She must have known he'd try to run off with it, and he was successful. A smile pulled at my lips and I pushed myself back to my feet. Oh well, this only makes it more fun. Though I did not expect to chase around a strange dog with a girl today, both who turned out to be foreigners, what could be more exhilarating? Chuckling to myself, I slowly made my way out of the changing tent and followed after the girl.

Alana's P.O.V

As I ran down the dirt path, I did my best to avoid the many people who were walking about. So far I had been lucky but, with my eyes focused on Jaiden, I wasn't sure how much longer I'd be able to go without smacking into someone. Fortunately, most of them jumped out of the way when they saw me coming. Or maybe it was more for Jaiden, since he was in front of me. Although he seemed to be doing a good job at weaving between people, he was still far more likely to trip someone.

As I continued to run, I watched as the jester ran ahead of me and slipped out a whip. My eyes widened as I realized what he was going to do but was unable to stop him as he cracked it at Jaiden's heels. Unfortunately, the leather hit its target and caused Jaiden to drop my dagger with a yelp of pain. Before either I or Joker could grab it, however, Jaiden snatched it back up and took off running in another direction; his tail between his legs.

"Hey, don't hurt him!" I demanded, startled he'd actually do something like that. Now the poor dog was probably scared he was going to get hurt again and was looking for somewhere to hide. Which meant getting my dagger back will be even harder than it is now.

"But I thought you said you wanted your dagger back." He responded innocently, slowing down to allow me to catch up to him. I frowned at his reasoning.

"I do but still, don't hurt him. He's a good dog; very strange, but good. Besides, I doubt my friend would like to find scars or even blood on him." I told him, a cold shiver shooting down my back at the thought. Avery would be horrified if anything like that happened.

"If you insist. Although it was never my intention to truly hurt the dog." He said, ravelling up the whip and attaching it to his hip under the checkered thing. I sighed but otherwise decided not to say anything as we followed Jaiden into a rather large tent. When we entered I could instantly tell it was where the performances took place.

A small stage stood at the far end from where we entered. Nothing was on it but a curtain was covering about a foot behind it, hiding what I assumed to be the backstage. All around the outside of the tent, aside the entrance we had come in, were seats; each row a level higher than the last. A short barricade blocked the bottom row from the middle of the tent but was low enough so volunteers could climb over if one was asked for.

There wasn't much to notice about the middle of the tent. Aside from a couple props and a few polls, it was rather empty. People, all of who were in circus attire, were puttering around and setting things up. I ignored them in favor of looking for Jaiden. Unfortunately, I couldn't see so much as his tail. I suspected he may be somewhere behind stage but, with the amount of people in here, I'm sure someone would have noticed him go back there. Maybe he was hiding under one of the chairs where I couldn't see?

"Jaiden?" I called, whistling a couple times. I noticed that a few of the workers looked my way but paid no attention as I instead waited for the dog to show himself. When he didn't my frown deepened. Where is he?

'I guess I should ask if any of these people have seen him. I don't think Joker has had any better luck than I have. He would have told me by now if he saw him... at least I hope he would.' I thought to myself and turned to the nearest worker. Fortunately he was already facing in my direction so getting his attention wouldn't be hard. Yet, as I opened my mouth to call out to him, my words got caught in my throat when I noticed his face; or rather the lack of it.

He still had a mouth, nose and ears but where his eyes were supposed to be there was nothing. Not even any sockets or indentations to tell if the eyes had ever been there. Instead a large patch of skin replaced them, making his forehead look twice the size. In all honesty, it was creepy and sent a shiver down my back.

In my dream I had been told that most people in this world were referred to as 'faceless' due to their lack of eyes. I didn't believe it at first since I had been dead set on believing all that had been a strange vivid dream. But now? Now... now I am not so sure what to believe. I mean another world, where some people don't have eyes? Where a man can enter your dream like some kind of... of... incubus? A world we were told we'd be happy in but it wasn't like I was unhappy in mine. As upset as I am with my parents, I did plan on returning at some point.

God, what am I going to do?

"U-um, Joker?" The clown I was staring at stuttered nervously. I flinched and quickly looked away from him, thinking he was going to tattle on me for staring so long.

"Yes?" Joker asked from beside me, sounding completely unbothered by the other man's lack of eyes. So does that make him a Role Holder? Nightmare mentioned something along the lines of that people with eyes were Role Holders, though I can't really remember why they are important.

"T-there's a d-dog on the t-tightrope."

Wait... what did he say?!

Shooting my head upwards, I saw that Jaiden was indeed on the tightrope. Not just on the platform but on the rope itself. Heaven knows how he got up there but he was slowly making his way across. Surprisingly he was already a half way to the middle and it didn't even look like he was close to falling. It was the most impressive thing I've seen him do, although I am unsure if Avery would agree or completely freak out.

White Joker's P.O.V

"Oh my, how did he get all the way up there?" I asked, honestly surprised to see the dog on the tightrope, the dagger still in his mouth. Granted I have trained some of the animals to do things like that but they need a handler to get them up there.

The children didn't do it as some kind of joke, did they? It does sound like something they'd do. I don't think so, though. If they were involved in this they'd have likely taken the dagger from the dog first. Besides, even if they managed to put the dog on the platform, they couldn't force him to walk across it. Especially not as well as he was doing. Not to mention that, when I looked around, I couldn't see those two anywhere. If it was them, they'd more than likely run up to me and admit it proudly.

So did someone else put the dog up there? It wouldn't surprise me and I'd rather that then someone kill him. Though we can't imprison him, he's still a foreigner and a very interesting one. It would be a shame if he died before I could see what else he could do. Fortunately I had the net set up underneath the tightrope just in case. Although I have hundreds of replacements set up if one of my performers break, I'd rather not do that before the first show even started.

"It's really best to not think about how he does things. As I mentioned earlier, he's a very strange dog." The foreigner sighed. When I looked over to her I saw she looked as defeated as she sounded. It made me think that something like this had happened before; which only interested me further.

"Well, regardless of how, we can't have him up there." I said as I looked back to the dog. Impressively he had already made it to the middle of the rope while I had been looking away. It was a shame I had to get him down; I kind of wanted to see how far he could get before falling. Oh well, maybe next time.

"How are we going to get him down, though? Won't the extra vibrations of someone going up there knock him off?" She asked and turned to look at me. I couldn't stop a grin from forming on my face as I pulled out a dagger of my own and showed it to her.

"Very true, which is why I don't plan on going up there; we're going to bring him down."

And with a flick of my wrist, the dagger was sent flying to the end of the rope. Rather than cut it, it unhooked the rope from the base it was tied to and fell limp. The dog, Jaiden as I remember the foreigner calling him, fell with it but landed in the net unharmed. He bounced a couple times before settling into it. Unfortunately this net wasn't really made for animals so, as the dog tried to climb out, his legs became pretty badly tangled into the netting.

Oops, I guess I could have gone through with that a little more gently. Oh well, nothing I could do about it now. Aside from having his legs trapped, the dog was completely unharmed. Although, I suppose I should do something before that changed. With the way he was struggling it was likely he was going to really hurt one of his legs. His front paw had already become so tangled that the netting had somehow knotted around it.

"Jaiden!" The girl shouted and ran ahead of me to help the dog. Ah, as good intentioned as she is, I couldn't allow her to do that.

This net is relatively tricky to untangle so she may end up trapping the dog even worse if not getting her own hands tangled. As much as I wouldn't mind seeing her all wrapped up I think it was wise to save that for another day. Right now I still needed to pretend to be a good guy and gain her trust. Little things like not watching as she struggled with the netting is important. Of course, that's not to say I wouldn't have any fun with her. I am, after all, a jester.

"Hold on a moment, Miss." I called and grabbed her shoulder before she could get any further. "This is my fault, so allow me to free the doggy."

"But-"

"I promise to take the utmost care not to hurt him, but you will need to trust me." I shushed her, placing a finger at her lips. Her face twisted into an adorable frown as she brushed my hand away and glanced towards the dog, who continued to struggle. Unfortunately, his back leg was now as tangled as his front.

"... Alright. Please help him." She gave up, sighing in defeat. I smiled victoriously and nodded before turning my back on her and walking up to the trapped pup.

Fortunately he was in arms length so I didn't have to climb onto the net to get to him. As much of an expert as I am, I wasn't sure if my weight on the rope would make things worse. Besides, cutting the doggy free from here was just as easy; I just had to make sure he didn't move. It'd be a shame if I accidentally cut something important and he could no longer walk properly. How would he entertain me then?

Thankfully, I knew just what to do. It's worked with every other animal I've done it with so I'm pretty sure it would work with him. If it doesn't? Well, since this dog is a foreigner, I'm not all that sure. He won't die, but I still think he may break a leg if he continued struggling like that. I suppose I could try tranquillizing the pup but I'm not so sure the girl would appreciate that. I'm also not sure of the dosage to use on a dog like this. So this seemed like my best bet at the moment. I won't know unless I try, right?

With nothing to lose, I reached out and grabbed the dog by the back of his neck. Like I had hoped for, he instantly froze in my grip. He whimpered a couple times and his tail tucked between his legs but otherwise he didn't move an inch. Perfect. Now this should go so much smoother.

Pulling out another dagger, I swiftly and effortlessly began to cut the rope around Jaiden's trapped paws. The sliced shards fell next to my feet as I worked on freeing the dog. I didn't mind; the net would repair itself within a time period or two. Until then my tightrope walkers were just going to have to take extra care not to fall. Once the rope got secured back to it's post that is.

"There we go, all better~" I hummed as I cut away the last knot. There was quite a bit of a mess on the ground now but it didn't bother me. This tent usually got really messy rather easily seeing as all the performances take place here. Regardless, one of my clowns would clean the discarded rope up before the first show started.

"Thank you for your help. I'm sorry he's caused you so much trouble." The foreigner apologized and walked over once I put the dog on his feet. He shook his body but didn't get the chance to run off again as the girl dropped to her knees and took the dagger from him. Pity, I was hoping to get to it first.

"Don't be. This is the most excitement I've had in a while." I smiled and reached out to rub the dog's belly. To my surprise he flopped onto his back and stretched out his legs to expose more of his belly for me.

Oh, does this mean I'm forgiven? And here I thought he would try to snap at me. After all, not only did I whip at his ankle but the tightrope was about a twenty-foot drop. If I did that to any other animal it'd take a whole lot longer than just a few minutes for them to trust me again. Either this dog wasn't as smart as he looked or he was too forgiving. Or perhaps, despite what I've done, there's something about me he liked. Who can say? Well, whatever the reason, having him like me worked far better in my favor than having him hate me.

"Well, you really are a strange one, aren't you?" I teased and happily obliged to his wishes. His tail wagged wildly and he panted happily as my fingers danced against his fur, blissfully accepting my touch.

"Trust me, what you've seen so far is nothing compared to what he's done before." The girl responded, having joined me in petting the dog. Her dagger was laying on the ground next her, the handle of it unfortunately hidden from my view.

"Oh? Now I'm curious. What can be stranger than what we just saw?" I asked, very interest in what else the dog could do. Something stranger than walking a twenty foot tightrope? Now this is something I had to hear.

"I don't think you'd believe me if I told you. I will admit, though, that this is one of the stranger things I've seen him do, just not the strangest." Was all she tells me. A little disappointing but, by the tone of her voice, I didn't find what she said hard to believe. While I doubt I'd accuse her of lying, depending on what she'd tell me, it is something I'd want to see for myself.

"By the way, my name is Alana Greenburge." She introduced, causing me to blink. Oh, I suppose with everything that's happened, we never did have time to introduce each other. Well, better late than never.

"Well then, it's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Alana. I'm Joker, the ringleader of this circus." I returned, smiling over at her. She gave me a small smile in return though it didn't look completely genuine. I wasn't worried nor insulted; she was probably still worried I was upset about the net. Or just tired from chasing the dog.

"...You wouldn't happen to know where my friend is, would you? If Jaiden is here she must be close by; Jett too." She asked after a short moment of silence, both sounding and looking troubled. This in turn caused my smile to falter as I blinked towards her.

Her friend? Was her friend in Wonderland too? I know Alana mentioned one while we were chasing Jaiden but I didn't think that meant there was another foreigner in the world. This gave me some conflicting feelings. If there was a second foreigner in Diamond Country I had no idea which of the two would be considered the star. Though we can imprison both, our hold is strongest on the star. If that wasn't Alana it didn't mean we couldn't have fun with her, just that this may be harder than I had hoped for. Plus, who can say when we'd get to meet the other girl?

"No, I do not. Is she another foreigner?" I asked, troubled with this new information. I needed to find out which of the two was the star and, if it turned out to be the other girl, how to get to her before she made friends.

Alana's P.O.V

'Foreigner... that's what I was called earlier. It's also the word that man from my dream used. It refers to a person not from this world, right?' I thought to myself, momentarily thinking of my dream again. I didn't let myself get very far before I shook those thoughts away and nodded towards Joker.

"Yeah, I believe so. She's also Jaiden's owner." I answered as I stood up and pulled the vial out of my pocket. The liquid inside sloshed around as I tilted it to the side, watching it curiously.

Joker told me that Nightmare must have been the one to slip it into my pocket. Nightmare is the name of the man from my dream. If it was true, and it was him, did that mean the liquid was safe to drink? I still don't believe it was poison but... I don't know. All of this was still very confusing. How can someone give someone something in a dream and that something materialize once they wake up? Mmm, maybe I'll think about this for a little longer.

"Is she? I wonder how she trained such a strange dog." Joker commented, sounding impressed. I pulled my gaze away from the vial to see that the man had continued his petting, much to Jaiden's delight. His leg had begun to kick back and forth and his tail repeatedly smacked Joker in the leg.

It honestly surprised me when the dog forgave him so quickly. Jaiden is anything but stupid. A little strange and senile, but not stupid. So he very likely remembered having his ankles whipped. I'm not so sure if he realized it was Joker that cut the rope and made him fall, but I wouldn't put it past him. Perhaps helping him out of the net and then soon after giving him affection won him over? Well, whatever made Jaiden trust him, I greatly preferred it over him being scared of the man.

"Her brothers actually trained him." I corrected and shoved the vial back into my pants pocket. "He used to be a police dog before he got older and retired."

"Police dog? Who is Police?" Joker asked, looking up at me with a confused expression. For a moment I wondered if he was joking but, after a few seconds of his expression not changing, I blinked in surprise.

"You don't have police here? They are the people who go around enforcing the rules of the law. If a person is really bad they are sent to jail; although some go through court first. Some of these people use dogs." I explained, wondering if my explanation would help at all. It seemed to do the trick and Joker's confusion was soon replaced with a wide grin.

"Oh ho~ so he works for people like a warden?" He asked, his grin seeming to widen as he moved his hands from Jaiden's belly to his head. Big mistake on his part.

Before I could warn him, Jaiden flipped around and nearly tackled the jester over; attempting to happily slobber all over his face. I moved to step forwards but stopped before I could even lift my foot. If I tried to help, Jaiden would only attack me in kisses and I had enough slobber on my dagger to last a few days. Besides, Joker seemed to be enjoying it and he was doing pretty well at keeping the dog from pinning him to the ground. Although, now that he is up, I should probably strap my dagger on before he could take it again.

"I suppose, but I don't really know the difference between a warden and a police officer." I answered as I grabbed my dagger. It was still soaked with slobber so I gave it a hard shake before strapping it around my waist.

"I actually don't know much about the legal system so there isn't a lot I can tell you. From what I do know, the police usually roam the streets, keeping an eye out for troublemakers. Sometimes people can call them and make a report over the phone. A warden..." I trailed off as I didn't know what to say. The only thing that came to mind was the old west and cowboys but I wasn't sure this was the case here. So I was unsure he'd understand that.

"Hm~ how interesting." He said, kissing the dog on the forehead before standing up. "Is the other dog a police dog as well?"

"Yes, but I wouldn't recommend trying to get close to him if he comes around." I answered and chuckled as I watched Jaiden hugged at Joker's legs. I really am happy he was taking so well to the man; I just hope he didn't cause him any more trouble in the future.

"Oh? Why not?" He asked curiously, scratching Jaiden behind his ear.

"He'll bite anything that tries to run away from him. He also doesn't like me nearly as much as Jaiden does; despite the fact I've been living with them for about a year." I told him, muttering that last part under my breath as I smiled fondly at the old dog. I then blinked as I suddenly remembered something important.

"Oh! And if you have any baby animals around, you'll have to make sure Jaiden doesn't find them. He won't hurt them but-" I trailed off once again as I was reminded of the time Jaiden came home with a large rat. Fortunately it was just the neighbour's escaped pet so there were no threats of disease but it was sure a surprise. Jaiden had acted like the rat was a puppy!

"Oh really? What does he do with them then?" He asked but didn't give me time to answer as he quickly continued. "Actually, before that, you said you were living with this other woman's family? What about your own?"

I cringed as it was revealed he had heard me and looked away as I was instantly reminded of my family. A large part of me still felt guilty about leaving. I realize it was selfish and thoughtless of me. I was no better than those disobedient spoiled kids who ran away from home when they didn't get what they wanted. My problems weren't even that bad. The worst thing I could complain about was my mother's nagging and that was nothing compared to what others go through.

"I love my family and everything, and I don't want to sound ungrateful, but I couldn't handle living with them anymore. My parents are very religious so my family is forced to follow certain rules I think are silly. My mother has also been trying to turn me into a perfect lady for years, and chastises me when I do something that doesn't fit her ideology. Avery and her brothers offered me a place to stay while I sort things out with them. I never thought I'd be gone for as long as I have." I explained, stroking the still wet leather of my scabbard. I flinched as I felt fingers on my chin and turned to see Joker standing directly in front of me.

"Please don't be sad. That kind of thing doesn't really suit a circus. Here, how would you like to see the baby animals?" He offered, removing his hand as he looked at me with kind eyes... or eye. I felt my cheeks brighten a little as I realized he was trying to cheer me up and gave him a small smile.

"Maybe when Jaiden isn't here." I answered and glanced behind the jester. Thankfully Jaiden was still there but, since his playmate left him, he had begun to chew on some of the discarded net scraps. Once I was satisfied he wouldn't try to run away I turned my attention back to Joker.

"You asked what he'd do, right? Well, he'll kidnap, or animal nap, as many baby animals as he can and try to... well, what word can I use? ... Mother them?" I told him after a moment of thinking. Yeah, mother them. That was the best and most accurate way to put it.

"Mother them? Well, now my curiosity has been peaked." Joker laughed, clearly amused. My lips twitched into a stronger smile and I nodded.

"He use to bring stray animals home all the time. He once even brought back a pet rat and it scared the hell out of Adam; Avery's youngest older brother." I told him, laughing a little at the memory. He had screamed like a little girl and jumped up on the chair.

"Ha-ha, of a little rat? How adorable." He snickered, and I couldn't help but agree with him. I had used those exact same words when I teased Adam about it.

"You don't need to worry about a thing. My handlers keep a very good eye on the babies. The pup won't be able to take them." He tried to reassure me and held out his hand. I paid it no mind as I raised my eyebrow at him.

"Might I remind you that Jaiden managed to get on the tightrope?" I asked and pointed upwards to the platform and now limp rope. If Jaiden could do something like that without anyone noticing then snatching a baby animal would be nothing.

"Yes, but that is a different matter. Rather, I'd actually like to see him try to kidnap a single one of my little animals." He told me with a low chuckle, a sly grin replacing his smile. A shiver rolled down my spine as a unfamiliar feeling washed over me but it disappeared as quickly as it came.

That was... weird. I have no idea what I just felt at that moment. Fear, annoyance, creeped out... um, defeated? Well, while I did feel some what defeated it wasn't what cased my shiver. I don't think it was fear or annoyance either so maybe I was creeped out? Why was I even bothering trying to figure it out? The feeling was gone and now I was left with feeling a mix of defeat and excitement.

"Well, if that's what you want, alright then. Don't tell me I didn't warn you, though." I warned, not bothering to argue about it. Hey, if he wanted to underestimate Jaiden, then why not let him learn the hard way.

That was the defeated side of me. The excited side came up at the aspect of seeing baby circus animals. I loved animals and if Jaiden wasn't here, I'd have agreed to Joker's offer a lot sooner. However, if he was willing to have some 'stolen' who was I to refuse? I gave the man a fair warning so I wouldn't take responsibility for what the dog did. As I mentioned before, if he wanted to underestimate or challenge Jaiden he can learn the hard way.

Although, I was a little unsure about taking his hand, which was still held out towards me. I've never really been the type of person that really liked that kind of thing. Hand holding, having the door open for me or my chair pulled out, I mean. However, considering that it was evening and I didn't know my way around, perhaps it wouldn't hurt to accept it just this once. Even if I simply walked next to him with how crowded it was outside, I suppose I risked getting separated.

"Then I suppose I'll have to take that risk." Joker chuckled and lightly gripped my hand in his as I took it. We didn't say anything else to each other as he then guided me outside the main tent and towards where the baby animals were being kept; Jaiden following close behind us.

Sorry for any OOCness or rushness along the way. I got writers blocked and struggled with some parts. feels good to finally have it done though. For those that read this all the way through, including this author note, I am playing the HNKNA game and posting it to Youtube if you want to watch. It was once available on the Apple store and was a free download, but it was long since taken down. I've already got the prologue finished as well as the prologue for the park.

By the way I never thought the chapter would get as long as it did. I just couldn't find any other good place to end. Consider it a "treat" for taking years to post