Grape let out a gentle sigh and picked up the tea cup. Dimentio and Davidonell sat on the other side of the toadstool table. They also held tea cups, and the kettle sat in the center of the table.
"Sit and stay a while," they said together. "But of course we would! Did you really need to ask?"
"Oh, thank you so much! You see, having tea is alright, but it's so much more fun with friends! Now, is anyone for any more?"
"Why invite us?" Dimentio asked, his eyes blocked by a dark shade. "You hardly know us."
"He's correct," David added, his eyes also invisible.
Grape grabbed the kettle. "Oh, you silly rabbit! You foolish dormouse! I told you, you're my friends! Why else would I invite you unless it was to understand you better?"
"Will you invite the Cheshire?" Dimentio asked. "He's been a curious cat about your offering hand, Hatter."
"No, I can never seem to find him! That free-running feline does love his games!"
"The White Rabbit seems very stressed at work," David said. "Perhaps you could spend some time to invite him?"
"But the Queen will never allow the Royal Rabbit to commit in such trivial behavior! I would invite him, and I have considered it, but I'm worried what the Queen would do to him if he's late again! Last time, a human woman snuck into our home when he arrived! She destroyed his home, came uninvited to our tea party, and even upset the Queen of Hearts! I don't want him bringing that sort of bad luck to us!"
"If only he was on time. If only you were one time, Hatter." Dimentio didn't stop smiling.
"What are you one about? I'm always on time! It's you who are always later than me!"
"You are always late, Hatter. And you're very mad," David said, still smiling and tilting his head slightly.
"What are you going on about? Where are these lies coming from?" Tea started spilling from her cup.
"They're not lies if you know they're true," they said together again. "Mad Hatter, Mad Hatter! You do nothing but drown your sorrows in tea in hopes that you can find just one reason to not bring forth a tragedy to the world! But we know what you are, Mad Hatter! Mad Hatter, Mad Hatter, Mad Hatter!"
"I give you my friendship, and this is how you repay me? I thought we were friends."
"Mad, Mad Hatter! Mad, Mad Hatter! Mad, Mad Hatter!"
Claws gripped her shoulders, and a snake's snout became visible on her left. The purple scales glimmered in the dim light of the forest.
"Sssshow them what they believe you to be...Sssshow them what you really are...Ssssshow them what it meanssss to be mad..."
"No, I can't. They're my friends."
"Punissssh them! They mock you! They think you're nothing! Ssssshow them you are ssssomething! Reveal your true sssself to them!"
"I-I can't! I can't do it! They're nice to me!"
His tounge flicked. "They're not your friendsss, Grape. They're againsssst you. They only want your power, jussst like everyone elsssse. Ssssshow them the meaning of mad."
Grape's hand was shaking so much that the tea was spilling all over the place. "I can't do that! They're so nice to me!" She squeaked.
"A mouse isss weak on itsss own, but if you were to ussse them..."
"Davidonell and Dimentio are my family! You don't hurt family!" The shaking was uncontrollable now.
"But you were hurt by your family. Sssso hurt them back."
"I-I..."
The cup shattered, and Grape jolted awake with a scream. She grabbed her chest tightly, breathing heavily.
"Oh...It was just a dream...A nightmare, more like. If it was just a dream, why am I so terrified? I need some water."
Grape got from her bed and went to the kitchen. She poured herself a cup of water and drank it. She felt a little better, but was still jumpy. And she found that out when the floor creaked as Rodger made his way to the kitchen as well. She pointed her scepter at the entrance, making Rodger freeze.
"Oh, Rodger. It's just you. I don't know why I'm so jumpy right now..."
"It's fine, Madame Grape. Could you get me a cup of water please? I also woke up thirsty."
She grabbed a new cup and poured water into it. "What are you doing awake?"
"I couldn't sleep. I heard you scream. Did you have a nightmare?"
Grape nodded. "I think that made me a bit on-edge. Here you are."
She handed him the cup and he drank it. "Thank you, Madame Grape. I wouldn't be able to do anything without you."
"You're the newest recruit, right?"
"Yes. Rex hired me right before he died. That was a very brave thing you did there, Madame Grape. I heard how brave you were."
"Why don't we sit down? I don't think I'll be able to fall asleep again after that nightmare."
They sat down at the couch.
"So, Rodger. Tell me a bit about yourself."
"Why do you need to know, Madame Grape? Aren't we working under you?"
"I'm turning on the light."
"Alright. Go ahead."
She turned it on and noticed he had a far-off stare. "Are you alright?"
"I'm quite fine, Madame Grape."
She sat down again. "Well, you might be working under me but...I mean, you are part of the Lyre family. I don't want to be a terrible person to you all, so I try to get to know the new recruits. So tell me a bit about yourself."
"You sure do love to meet people, don't you?"
Grape nodded happily.
"Well, my name is Rodger, but you already knew that. Rex was hesitant to hire me at first, but I did pass the tests with, as what he said, flying colors."
"Really? I had the hardest time with the tests. But I was talking about a..."
"Why are you sssspeaking to him? Why wasssste your time?"
Grape looked around. "Did you hear that?"
"I heard you get quiet suddenly, but nothing else."
"We...should go to bed. We don't want to be tired tomorrow!"
"You make a fair point, Madame Grape." He stood from the couch. "I'll speak to you in the morning." He left down the hall.
"Rodger seems nice."
"You really think you need to befriend them? They're nothing but footsssoldiersss, ssstepping ssstonesss."
"Who are you? I heard you earlier too. Thanks to you, I felt too uncomfortable to speak to him more."
"I'm here to protect you. You can call me your consssscience, if you'd like. But I alsssso go by Flick."
"You were in my dream too, right? The clawed snake?"
"Yessss, but I'm not jusssst a dream. You have no clue what you're doing, sssso I'm here to help you do your job properly."
"If you're just my conscience, then how come you have a name? A voice? A personality? A physical form, in my dream?"
"I jussst told you that I'm not jussst a dream. Look at your reflection if you don't believe me."
"My...reflection?"
She went back to her room and looked in the vanity. The snake was small and sat on her left shoulder. She clamped her hands over her mouth to prevent from screaming.
Flick pat her head consolingly. "Don't panic. Assss I sssaid, I'm only here to help you. You're the only one who can sssee me however. Try not to sssspeak to me in a sssocial ssssituation unlessssss you want to look crazy."
"I've done it. I've lost my marbles. I've gone insane. Ahahahaha! Hah...hah..." She brushed her hand through her hair, ignoring the fact they got stuck. "I lost my mind, I really am a Mad Hatter."
"You will be if you don't accept my help. I only want what'ssss bessst for you." His flicking tounge tickled her face.
She looked into his red eyes, a genuine stare of hope in them. She fixed her hair and bit and nodded. A grin spread on the snake's face.
"I knew you wouldn't dissssssapoint me, Grape. Now, I'll repay you and lend you a helping hand. Jussst wait for me tommorrow, you hear? You need your ressssst if you want to work to your fullesssst."
"Right. We can speak in the morning."
