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CHAPTER 3: A FORGOTTEN ACQUAINTANCE

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The woods seemed quieter than they should, or so it seemed to Aria, who had followed Ace without really speaking to him during their short journey. It had been more than awkward; normally they were talkative while traveling together and having "adventures", however, he didn't remember any of that and she was uncertain on how to act in this turn of events. Amazingly, the knight had been also very silent while observing her closely. At first he had tried starting some conversation and had asked questions but she had dismissed them saying that once they were with Julius she would answer so she wouldn't have repeat herself, and as for the conversation she had merely retorted short and abrupt answers that didn't gave away any intel on herself, and she didn't even knew why. But this setback put them in square one again, right?

She had expected him to be lost for far longer than merely 3 time changes, but he seemed quite eager to arrive to the tower and they hadn't even need to set camp; His route had been unusually straight for him. She had only needed to change course when they were heading to the amusement park; It had been odd but at the same time familiar when she told him to take another route. So many times had she gone out on "Adventure" with him, and yet it also seemed to have been so long ago... and now, nor did he, nor anyone seem to remember her.

She didn't knew what to do.

They were already in the town near the clock tower and it was eerily silent and empty.

Aria didn't want to speak, or rather she didn't knew what to say. Not after all that happened before she had been thrown into the lost country of Spades. The last she had seen of anyone was but a few glimpses of them fighting the Jabberwocky outside the barrier in the upper patio at the castle in Diamond. She had been fighting too but in the center of the frail. She had used all her tricks and weaponry and even then, in the end she and Alice had teamed up to use the winxy pistol like a rocket launcher. Then she had been thrown into the portal leading to Spades and it had been closed on the other side, leaving her trapped there... Spades... she wasn't even sure what had happened in Spades, her mind was still confused about what occurred there. Only of one thing she was certain. She was had made a deal with Wonderland and a deal had been made with her by someone she could not recall nor what that deal had consisted off. At least she remembered what she had asked Wonderland... even if she wasn't sure what she had done to earn it. Then... Then she had ended somewhere dark beyond the firmness of reality. She shocked with a shiver. She didn't even want to think about all she'd seen when she had found herself surrounded and trapped in those tendrils of darkness, all she had been subjected too again and again until the despair woke her up. She had forced and fought her way back for an undetermined amount of time till she saw an opening and found herself falling on top of Julius at the party.

She sighted and slouched her shoulders. For now she was back and she had to deal with the present situation. There was nothing for her to do anyways, but getting the whole panorama would be best before she did or tried anything.

"And here we are!"- Ace proclaimed happily when they finally reached the tower just when the time shifted to night - "But you already knew that didn't you?"- He smiled at her in that way that she had never been able to decipher but that insinuated that he was hiding something.

She advanced to enter the place but the he, very knight took a step forward and gallantly to open the door for her - "After you" – He obviously couldn't see her raise an eyebrow below the hood or the mask, but it was obvious that he was setting her in front to cut off any way for her to escape or turn back.

Aria could deal with that. Being paranoid was not second but first nature to her and she knew her way around if for any reason she needed to escape. They were strangers once again and she would do well to remember that he was not that nice or sane.

She entered the tower and didn't turn to look back at the knight trailing behind her along the familiar route towards Julius's office; however, there was something wrong.

It started with only a few, but very soon she saw hundreds of broken clocks eerily lying around everywhere, alone or in piles. As she reached the mortician's office she accelerated her pace and upon reaching the door, she didn't bother waiting for Ace to graciously open the door again for her. Without knocking she soundly opened the wooden door and let herself in.

Inside were even bigger piles of clocks everywhere.– "Julius! What happened? Where the hell did all this clocks come from? - There weren't hundreds, there were thousands. Which meant that something very bad had happened after she fell through the looking glass into the country of Diamond; and whatever that had been, it had wiped a decent chunk of the population in general. It had been a massacre .

JULIUS POV

Julius practically jumped in his chair at the sudden interruption of the door slamming when it was opened and then he had been startled at the digitally distorted voice that followed it. He look up at the figure and quickly regained his composure. He had been expecting this person to come later or even not come at all. But the strangers presence someone made him anxious but also put him at ease– "That's what I wanted to ask you about. As I said, we don't remember"

The strangely clad figure looked carefully around once more while Ace stood in the doorway behind her and remained still for a few seconds before addressing the clock master. –"Then what is it that you DO remember ?"

Julius leaved his tools and the clock he had been working on aside and looked warily at her and at the figure behind; somehow he was not surprised about the knave's presence, but he found it odd that Ace had managed to come here so fast after Alice's wedding. –"Nothing. After the storm came we simply lost all memories from some time before it."

"Storm? " – The person's head tilted to the side and then went to the coach and sat down. – "Then how did you know about me?"

Julius opened a drawer and took out a piece of paper before walking to stand in front of the person and show it. It was the piece of paper regarding an undeniable request– "I didn't and I don't."- He didn't let go of the paper, merely showed it at a readable level. -" Does this belongs to you?"

The paper remained in the air but the figure leaned forward to read it and then leaned back. – "Yes. You made a contract with me. I'm a mercenary and you hired me for a... retrieval mission..."-The person didn't seem to be able to stay still and rather kept looking around the piles of clocks. - "Part of the deal involved that I would get paid an extra sum on kill count to those death's I caused directly or indirectly. And I guess I should collect the payment for the mission you hired me for..."- The person looked straight at Julius even if Julius could not see due to the dark but reflective facemask – " I consider that first I need to settle that which happened before I we... " – The person changed the words in the middle of the sentence– " Before I can figure out anything else. Which pile of clocks corresponds to my cause? "

"Can you prove such claims?" – Ace asked and walked to situate himself behind the couch and the person.

The mercenary nodded and turned to Julius- "Of course... Proof is needed. I understand. "- The words sounded sour despite the distortion or the monotone tone –" That clock you were working on right now... Clock master... you CAN'T repair it until I say so."

Julius expression was baffled and then offended, but he needed to know if indeed this person could control him regarding something so important. He went back to his desk and took the clock to work on it, but just as the mercenary had said, he was unable to repair it. No matter how much or what he tried, he couldn't.

"What was the other part of the deal?"- Ace was surprised too, but it was more curiosity than the horror Julius showed.

"Is that prove enough?"- The mercenary ignored the knight's question on purpose. - "Ok, you can repair it now Julius... but first tell me what is the last thing you remember before that storm or whatever. I require as many details as possible in order to process and calculate action courses. "

Julius was more and more baffled by this, but there was also a sense of deep familiarity in this person that he couldn't place, except for the brief time when Alice had resided in the tower... and that was it.

Julius leaved the clock aside and closed his eyes tightly – "The last I remember is a few weeks after Alice moved to the hatter's mansion. "- This stranger also seemed to have been familiar with Alice for what everyone saw at the wedding . -"Now tell who are you and what do you know about the rest of the clocks. How did so many accumulated here?"

"Wouldn't it be that this person made it so they couldn't be repaired?" – Ace was resting his hand dangerously on the hilt of his sword while leaning casually forwards in the coach towards the person.

The armored stranger looked away and took some interminable seconds for answering and Julius wondered if that had indeed been the case.

"Then why would I have asked where they came from? And Julius can clearly repair them... it's just that there are too many for him to do so. " – The mercenary stood up and moved to the door, but Ace moved faster and stood in the door frame to block the way out- "I don't know where they come from but I plan to find out what happened during this time I ... I was not around."

"How long have you been away?"- Ace's fake smile remained in place despite his menacing aura, that the person didn't seem to notice.

"That's something else I intend to figure out."-The person fearlessly took a step closer to the knave-"Move aside Ace."

"No"- He crossed his arms and leaned on the door frame- "You haven't even told us anything about you Miss Mercenary "

"Miss!?" – Julius's mouth remained open for a second while the pair ignored him.

"I won't, not until I know more. And maybe it's for the best if you don't remember."-She took her hand into a first and put it over her chest. -" And you can't force me Ace, not even Joker can..."- She looked away and down- "Oh yeah...you don't remember that either."

At the mention of Joker both men straightened up, Julius in surprise and discomfort and Ace with even more curiosity than before. If she knew Joker then the possibilities weren´t nice at all.

She then looked back at Ace with decision and conviction written all over her-"However I understand that at least there's a pile of clocks that I'm being paid for and those are my responsibility. So Julius will hire me to help him with those. I obviously can't do the final touches, but I can help in assembling the general line so that he can repair them faster. "

Ace laughed loudly at that. The clock master would never let anyone touch the clocks unless they were being delivered to him, much less allow help in repairing them- " You're funny Miss Mercenary. Ha,ha! You think Julius will allow anyone to ..."

"You´re hired as my assistant." – Julius said without thinking, and covered his mouth when he did so -" What! How...!?"

Ace bit his tongue while laughing to stare at Julius, and Julius stared in shock at what he had said. Both males' eyes widened and looked between each other before looking at her.

"Don't mind it. It's just part of the deal I have with this world... If I ask for a job I get it."- She shrugged her shoulders and raised her hands in a nonchantly way.

"Wait... This world!? Does that means that you..."- Now it clicked to Julius, she was not a faceless, not even a roleholder as he had considered.

"Yes Julius. I'm a foreigner"- She turned around to face the mortician while giving her back to the executioner.

"How fun, right?" - Ace put his hands on her shoulders and leaned forward to look at Julius. She flinched at his touch put didn't move away. - "What if I hire her as junior clock collector too?"

"You can't do that Ace." – Julius eyebrow switched and he unconsciously took a step forward while she ended between the two men's chests.

"Im not an assassin, just a mercenary, and a white neck one. Im not killing anyone Mr. executioner"- She didn't seem fazed but it was clear that she knew about them far more than what they suspected. Or rather, they had let her know more than they normally would have. Which meant that there was a change that they had gotten somewhat close to her.

Ace rested his head on top of hers and looked down with a smiled- "Don't worry. "Junior clock collector" means adventure partner."- Then he looked back at the mortician with a happy grin in his face- "Yes I can. It's not against the rules."- His eyes seemed playful, but his grin was dangerous -"Plus I can keep an eye on her" – He removed his head from hers to stand tall and look at Julius in the eyes before patting her on the head - " What about it Miss Mercenary? I'll pay you good" ;)

At the mention of money she perked and smiled. - "OK " :D

Julius took a step back and looked between the too. Then his eyes narrowed and he pinched the brick of his nose feeling a migraine approaching. Somehow he knew that this two would cause him trouble.

Now he was the one needing to sit down, but first he needed to know more about her and not just because he wanted to know. - "Who are you really? You hadn't even state your name"

She hesitated.

Ace grip on her shoulders had not been released and she had no way of escaping. She threw back her hood and revealed multishaded blond hair and a long sinuous braid that escaped from the nape of her head. –"I don't think seeing me will matter but..." – Her tone was undefinedly plain but it held a tint of sadness; she sighted and took off her helmet.

Julius hadn't expected what he saw. She was a young woman, probably around her mid twenties, with olive grin eyes and a stoic expression plastered over her pale skin. And now he knew that he knew her, even if he could not recall her.

"You may call me Aria Hadron Scherzi. Im a white neck mercenary and I'm the second foreigner."

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