ELLIOT'S POV
My ears stand tall and alert as I walk around town through mainly the alleys, listening for anything that could direct me to this Avery guy. It's surprising how much Intel anyone can gather if they simply listen. Blood told me something weird ... he told me to listen for something that is not a clock while searching for this Avery. But as to why Blood is so interested in this 'Avery' I'm not sure. I have to admit that I'm curious. Did the dog showing up mean something more significant that Blood isn't telling me? Well, I guess I can always beat the information out of the man.
" ... Avery, and," a voice a little distance away says rather loudly. My ears perk up at the name and immediately start heading over to the man who said it, listening intently to the conversation as he starts to hone in.
"Avery? Strange name. And the lizard defended the faceless?" Another voice curiously asks. I silently stalk their voices through the alleys, crossing a street to get to the area they are in. Faceless out for early morning errands shy away and wisely retreat, knowing there is trouble ahead if I'm present.
"That's the thing! Avery had eyes man, eyes! Like a Role Holder but the a**hole doesn't act like one at all." The faceless says as I approach a corner. I slow down, listening to the echoes in the alley. He's just down this alley but I want to catch him alone.
"Hm ... that is definitely interesting information. Thank you for your time, kind citizen." A voice says before feet start to recede away. Hm ... I'm going to have to track that man down and kill him if it becomes an inconvenience to Blood. I doubt he wants information he wants frivolously floating around.
"H-Hey wait, aren't you going to pay me? Like you said you would?" Ah~ payment for information, hm? He definitely must be working with the Griffin family. That is the only organization that respects other faceless and doesn't try double crossing other faceless too often, anyway.
"Oh, yes. Here you are. Try not to let a Role Holder get a hold of this information." The man says as I stand by the corner to hear out the rest of their conversation. My ears remain tall and alert as I smirk. Not too smart saying that so loudly. I listen to their feet as they walk away, listening to the man flipping bills in his hand. That's the one that knows the information since he was just paid however much he was.
I press against the wall and watch the faceless step out of the alley, eyes glued to the bills in his hands. After a block or two I'll nab him. I don't want that other faceless hearing him screaming. I quietly stalk the man at every turn, waiting until he steps down another empty alley before leaping up behind him. My arm whips out and tightly grips his shirt, yanking the smaller man right off his feet.
"Yeek-!" He cries between clenched teeth as I slam him up against the wall, pressing my gun to his head as I shove my forearm against his throat.
"That's some interesting information you have there." I start with a grin. I'm lucky to have run across this guy who actually knows this Avery guy. I thought I would be snooping around for a couple Time Changes just to hunt information about him down so there's no way I'm letting this opportunity go to waste.
"W-Why are Hatters out here-?!" He chokes out, startled to see me at any time during the day. It's still Dawn so it's not that odd.
"Tell me where the man named Avery is." I flatly order, wanting to get this Avery as soon as possible to Blood.
"Y-Y-Yes, I will tell you." He says, caring more for his life rather than his word to the man before.
"Good." I say, "now, his whereabouts?"
"H-Him?" He stutters confused. My eyes narrow before aiming down, shooting right through his leg before muffling his screams with my forearm. I look off to either side, letting him come to terms with the agony as I make sure his voice didn't catch anyone's attention. He trembles and makes small shakes with his head as if to plead for no more.
"You said you'd tell me everything you knew so where's the confusion?" I sternly demand, cocking the gun right up against his genitals as I move my arm across his throat again.
"A-A-Avery isn't a he it's a she!" He whines between choking breaths, struggling not to be too loud in fears I'll shoot him dead right here and now. A she?
"And you said something else. Something about eyes?" I demand, tucking that information into the back of my head. Woman or man Blood will still want to see Avery.
"Y-Y-Yes! She had bright blue, big eyes. Eyes l-like a Role Holder bu-but I've never seen her before." He stutters between his shaking breath.
"How could she possibly have eyes if she isn't a Role Holder?" I ask, doubtful of the source of information. This sounds like a wild goose chase that I'm on.
"Alright then tell me this. Where is she now?" Blood told me to bring her to him so that is exactly what I'm going to do. If it turns out she's a fake, I'll shoot the b**** dead and drag the corpse to him. But if she doesn't exist, then I'll be forced to go back empty handed and Blood won't like that very much.
"T-T-The last I saw her with was the Lizard. T-That's all I know, I swear!" He cries, praying I would believe him.
"I believe you."
BANG
AVERY'S POV
"W-Wonderland ... ," I quietly mutter under my breath, struggling to take in all of the information at once. My fingers nervously thrum against the desk as Ace softly laughs, letting Jaiden lay on top of him. It's nice of Ace to let Jaiden sleep with him on the couch but I'm concerned as to how much he might move around.
"Yes. I'm sure this is quite a lot to take in so please take your time." Nightmare smiles, sitting on his desk where there is a mountain of paperwork with more spilled onto the ground. My fingers shakily start busying themselves without really thinking, picking up the paperwork and organizing them by the dates in the top left corner.
This is crazy. I'm in a whole new world where most people don't even have faces?
"Well, not entirely crazy. All the Role Holder's have eyes, which means they hold some sort of important position." Nightmare says with a smile as he looks over to me.
"Oh, really-wait, but I didn't say anything did I?" I ask, reviewing what I've said so far. Did I ask about the Role Holders or did the thought just occur to him?
"Oh, not at all. I just read your mind that's all." He answers with a smile.
"T-Telepathy?!" I gasp, startled that such a power exists. Y-You can hear my thoughts?
"Uh, yes, I suppose it would be telepathy in your terms. But, simply put, I can read the minds of those around me." He shrugs. That's ... the same thing, isn't it?
"Here is your hot cocoa, Master Nightmare. I will allow a few minute break due to the mess over the floor you left." Gray heavily sighs as he enters with three mugs on a tray.
"Yay~!" Nightmare enthusiastically cries, reaching out for the mug and eagerly blows on the top to cool the liquid down enough to drink. I barely pay attention to him as I gather the papers in my arms and stand up, catching Gray's attention.
"Miss Avery, there's no need for you to pick up Master Nightmare's mess." Gray says as he steps in my direction.
"I-I-It's not a problem I li-like to busy myself at t-times." I stammer, suddenly nervous as I catch sight of his eyes. My spine stiffens a bit as my cheeks touch with pink, letting him smoothly take the papers out of my hands and replace them with a mug of hot cocoa.
"I've made this cup especially for you, Miss Avery. Do enjoy it." He happily smiles. I nervously swallow with a deeper blush as I look down, staring at the swirling hot chocolate.
"T-Thank you." I softly thank, touched by his thoughtful gesture.
"Mr. Li~zard~ do I not get one? So mean~," Ace whines from the couch as he stares over at our happy circle.
"You did not ask for one." He simply states, taking the last mug and taking a sip out of it.
"Boo~ Avery didn't ask either." He points out with a clear pout. Gray ignores him and takes another sip of the hot cocoa before twitching. He quickly sets the mug on Nightmare's desk and quickly walks over to the door, slipping out the crack. Did he forget something?
"Stay here, Avery." Nightmare warns under his breath, taking another sip as he stares at the wall into the hallway, as if he could see what was happening. I-Is there something dangerous? I take a hesitant step back, eyeing the door with nervous apprehension.
"What business does the mafia have here?" Gray's voice says. M-Mafia?! My head whips around to Nightmare who only shrugs, seeming not to care about the title.
"I only have business with the one named Avery. I know she's in there because I can hear her." The other voice retorts. A shiver crawls down my spine as my fingers tremble. What could the mafia possibly want with me? I didn't do anything!
"Leave, Elliot March."
"Not until I talk with her." The voice stiffly growls.
"Let him in." Nightmare calls out.
"WHY?!" I shout before slapping a hand over my mouth and shoot my head towards the door. Oh goodness I hope he didn't hear that! I spy Gray open the door and a man with orange hair in a black trench coat and violet scarf walk in. The most noticible feature, however, was his long ears poking out of his head. E-Ears ... he has them too ... just how common are they here? The rabbit man's violet eyes carefully study me as I stand beside Nightmare's desk, nervously playing with my hands as I glance off to the side, shivering under his intense gaze. Scary~
"You're Avery?" The man asks as if to confirm something. I jolt and snap to attention, feeling my heart pop in my chest from fright.
"Y-Y-Yes sir!" I stiffly cry, my heart beating fast and furious. H-He looks so serious!
"I see ... then, you should recognize this." He says, reaching into a jacket pocket and pulling out Jett's thick red collar. My eyes widen at the sight of it.
"T-That's Jett's collar!" I cry, taking three quick strides towards him before taking the leathert in my hands and making sure it is Jett's collar. I turn and flip it in my hands, the number of scratches and worn marks exactly as I remember them. This is Jett's collar!
"W-W-Where did you find it?" I frantically ask, trying not to panic. Please, please tell me nothing bad happened to him-!
"On the dog itself. He is currently resting at the Mansion." The man answers, seeming to relax a bit despite the tension in the room.
"I-Is he alright?" I nervously ask, wringing the collar in my hands.
"From what I've seen yes but he's got a small limp." He tacks on, not looking too concerned about it himself.
"Y-Yeah, I know he does." I say. That's because the muscles in his forearm are still healing after getting shot at. He should be perfectly back to normal after a month or so. "C-Can you take me-,"
"Why did you come, Elliot March?" Grays interrupts as I tightly clutch the collar in my fingers. I-I want to see him. I need to make sure Jett is alright.
"For the woman. Blood wants to meet her." He says before his fingers curl around my wrist. I bulk, startled as he starts to firmly pull me along with him. I walk along with him, warring with myself. Should I go? They have my dog but t-they are the mafia, so they have to be dangerous and scary people.
"I advise against it, Miss Avery. The mafia is a dangerous people to be with." Gray warns as he catches Elliot's other arm. Elliot's violet eyes flash towards Gray, looking to be in no mood for bantering. I flinch as his grip painfully tightens.
"H-Hey that hurts-," I try to tell him but his attention is solely focused on Gray.
"She's already agreed to come with me, Ringmarc, before you interrupted her." Elliot huffs, breaking Gray's grasp before continuing.
"I SAID LET GO!" I shout before grabbing his wrist to hold him steady. He barely turns his head in time before I land a fist right in his eye socket, making him stumble back before falling flat on his back. Everyone remains in a stunned silence as I realize what I've done. I-I-I just punched him-!? My heart drops to the pit of my stomach as I stare at the clearly unconscious man.
"Ha ha ha ha! I knew you were a real knock out!" Ace heartily laughs as I drop to my knees and cup his cheeks with a rising panicked flush on my face.
"So sorry! I'm so sorry!" I cry, gently patting his cheeks in an attempt to revive him. No, no please be alright!
"That's a frightening punch you have there." Gray mutters, looking over the after effects of the powerful knockout punch. I feel my heart tightly clench at his words, feeling the stinging pang of guilt. B-But it was an accident. I don't mean to be frightening and neither do I want to be. Warm tears drip down my cheeks as I pull back my hands, covering my mouth and nose. I'm a hideous crier.
"I-I'm so sorry, so sorr-y-!" I hiccup, making the chatter in the room hit dead silence. I never meant to hurt anyone. I panicked when he kept tightening his hand around my wrist and it started to hurt. H-He's part of the mafia and he's dangerous, and he was h-hurting me and then I hit him - oh goodness I'm awful-!
"H-Here, Miss Avery. Why don't you get some rest?" Gray gently says with a worried expression, placing a handkerchief to my nose and gently sets an arm over my shoulders.
"S-Sorry-!" I whine as he helps me to my feet.
"B-B-But the man-," I lightly sob, trying not to panic again. He got hurt because of me. He really, really got hurt-!
"He will be fine. I will care for him, rest assured." Gray offers, moving his arm to my waist and guides me out of the office. Ace and Nightmare remain completely quiet as Gray gently takes me down the hall and rubs my back in soft, circling motions.
"I promise he will be just fine. It takes more than that to take down the mafia's number two." Gray reassures, as if that tidbit of information will make things better. New tears spring into my eyes from the sheer horror of the situation.
"And he's high ranking-!" I start, feeling more tears spill down my cheeks. That's even worse! He'll hate me when he wakes up, there's no doubt. Just like ... just like that other guy in the ring. H-He was so mad, so mad and s-scary just because I beat him-!
"It's alright, Miss Avery." Gray says, trying to comfort me more as he opens a door to a nearby room. His hand slides over my palm and directs me to the bed, letting me hold his handkerchief against my nose and held hide some of my face.
"I'll be right back, Miss Avery." He says, leaving his handkerchief with me as he leaves the room. Oh gosh I'm so ashamed ... I shouldn't have punched him like that. I've been so jumpy a-and have been doing things without thinking them through first. It's pathetic and stupid of me to have hit him. He didn't do anything wrong and I go ahead and knock him out! I shiver with disgust at myself as Gray enters the room again, carrying Jaiden in his arms. I sniffle and move aside a little bit, trying to calm myself down as he sets the old police dog on the bed and by my side.
"Don't fret, Miss Avery. Elliot March will wake up shortly, I'm sure." He says, hesitating before kissing my forehead and retreating, "I promise I will take care of it." He sweetly says before leaving. N-No, please don't go. I reach out to grab his cloak but it slips out of my hands. H-He definitely thinks different of me. I-I try so hard to be a sweet girl b-but then I go and hit the poor rabbit man!
Wah~ again, I've frightened everyone again-! Jaiden gently licks my cheeks, trying to clean my face of the unsightly tears. I hiccup and hold Gray's handkerchief to my nose. I ... I just don't know what to do anymore. I've been so, so stressed ... m-maybe with is just a combination of things? Jaiden offers one last kiss before the strain is too much for him, lying down alongside me. Oh Jaiden ... you're not scared of me, are you boy? You're the only one that hasn't left me yet. I sniffle and lay down, hugging him close but being sure to avoid hurting him.
Why ... why do I just hurt people?
"Avery? May I come in?" Nightmare asks as he knocks on the door. My eyes crack open, staring at the door with puffy red eyes as Nightmare slips inside and shuts the door. Did ... I cry myself to sleep? I rub my eyes, trying to get the irritation out of them.
"Are you feeling better?" He asks, walking over to the bed and taking a seat by my head.
" ... not really." I mumble. He wouldn't understand why I burst into tears. Even I don't really understand it myself.
"I think you'd be surprised at how much I do understand, Avery." Nightmare softly smiles as he picks up my limp head and sets it on his lap. I don't bother resisting as he gently strokes my hair, running his fingers through the soft threads. Does he understand, really? When I was little I was stronger than everyone. I tried making friends but no one wanted a giant friend like me because I would accidentally hurt them. I don't blame them for avoiding me now but back then I ... was so alone.
"You're not alone here, Avery. In this world, dear, you will never be left behind." Nightmare says with a soft smile, gently pinching the midsection of my glasses. I lift my head and let him slide them off, listening to the metal tap together as he folds them with one hand.
"How is that possible?" I numbly ask, staring into nothing as I hold Jaiden close to my chest. My fingers rub circles in his stiff fur, feeling his chest rise and fall with each sleepy breath he makes.
"That's because this is Wonderland, Avery. You'll find a role here for yourself soon enough, I assure you." He says, gently tugging and messing with my hair. A role, huh? I had a role back home. I was the little sister of five older brothers. I was a ring champion ... until I retired early.
"Yes but those were not fulfilling roles, were they?" He asks with a light chuckle, "you will find one soon enough. Just remember, Avery, don't be afraid to be who you are and you will succeed in this world." Nightmare hums as he twirls his fingers around a lock of hair. Succeed in this world ... but it's hardly been a day and I've hurt two grown men already. That's not a very attractive feature in a woman, I'm sure.
"You'd be surprised at how many Role Holders will like that." Nightmare smiles, sliding his fingers into my hair and gently ruffling it. I doubt that. A lot, actually. Who wants a girl that can pound someone's face in so easily? I try ... I try to get some more 'girly' attributes like learning how to sew and cook and all. I'm pretty good at it but I think I'm starting to lose sight of what I want in myself.
"Go ahead and sleep, Avery. You'll want your rest if you want to meet Hatters tomorrow." Nightmare says, clearly displeased with the thought but otherwise holds his tongue. "And don't think too hard about how to act, Avery. Just you being yourself will be the most beautiful thing you can do." He says, softly rubbing my forehead with his thumb before gently kissing it. I breathe out a smile and look up at him with soft eyes.
"Thank you, Nightmare." I say before laying back down again, resting my tired eyelids for a little bit. He's so nice ... not at all what I would expect from someone called 'Nightmare'.
What do you think Elliot's reaction to being KO'd by a girl is? Will he be embarrassed and upset or do you think he will be impressed? Let me know in the reviews~ 10 REVIEWS for the next chapter~