[hr]ATTN: [@PaulHaynek] (Takeshi & Sorae)[hr]Alice was pretty satisfied, as Takeshi approached, and offered her a hand to stand:

[quote=Takeshi]"Not bad. Is the jingle necessary?

You can't drink tea from there. Come on, time to enjoy the fruits of your labor."[/quote]
"[color=976f29][i]Don't hang around many spellcasters, do you? And, I can drink tea anywhere,[/i][/color]" Alice smirked, displaying that conviction that Takeshi remembered, as well as that soft-spoken poshness. She was different from her last appearance, but her vibe was the same.

[quote=Sorae]"[color=mediumslateblue]This is magic from Wonderland, one of the most terrifying ones out there. Partake, and you will be lost forever.[/color]"[/quote]
...and, so was her temper.

"[color=976f29][i]Humans, so unchanging, three-hundred-years of holding a sword to guide the lost, to defend the weak, and bring home and hearth to the desperate in need...[/i][/color]" Alice says, standing up, before the softness evaporated from her voice, "[color=976f29]Yet, there's still people like you, the vocal minority, that thinks they speak for the whole; the rabble-rouser, the troublemaker, the problem...[/color]"

Alice raised her arms, "[color=976f29]LOOK AT YOUR VILLAGE! LOOK AT YOUR HOMES! LOOK AT THEM, AND ASK YOURSELF THIS...[/color]" she glared at Sorae, "[color=976f29]How long would it have taken [b]you[/b]?[/color]"

Carroll sighed, as she nibbled a tart, "[color=808080][i]And, she's on her soapbox...[/i][/color]"

"[color=976f29]Months? Years? Tell me, noisy woman, where's your hammer and nail, where's your measure and saw, where's your brick and mortar,[/color]" Alice asks. "[color=976f29]All I see from you is fear-mongering. Speaking lies as if they were truths. You know nothing about my home, about my people, about the Humans, like you, that live aside Mamono, like me, in the satellite villages, away from hatred and segregation,[/color]" Alice crossed her arms, "[color=976f29]Something you seem well-versed in, this blind racism toward, and segregation of, Human and Mamono, from what we were to what we are. Ignorant that this change might be one that some, like me, never asked to happen, but live with to the best of our ability...[/color]"

Alice shifted, "[color=976f29]My ability... I have been hailed as a ruling Queen of Humans, a guiding Monarch of Mamono, and binding, as I was once as Human as those that wore my banner, just as I am as Mamono as those that fell under that banner to be free...[/color]" Alice cleared her throat, voice softening, "[color=976f29][i]I have seen more dreams fall to your hatred than minutes you've been alive. I have seen more live tore asunder by your segregation than slices of bread you've held,[/i][/color]" she steeled her gaze, "[color=976f29][i]You speak of becoming lost, yet your words only drag other down the same evil path as you.[/i][/color]"

"[color=976f29][i]Tell me! As me, what evils have I aspired to enact upon you, what tricks have I chosen to play upon, what cruelty did I desire when casting my spell,[/i][/color]" Alice asks, motioning around, "[color=976f29][i]Hate me, if you like. It will not change the reason I threw this party,[/i][/color]" she pointed to the villagers, "[color=976f29][i]I threw it for them. The people that are grieving, mourning, in need of treacle, tarts, tea, and, most importantly, cheer - not fear.[/i][/color]"

Alice huffed, and turned her back. "[color=976f29][i]So, do what you will, say what you want, but don't make decisions for them,[/i][/color]" she says, "[color=976f29][i]As long as I am here, I will fly my banner above this village, and defend it as if she were my kingdom. As the Queen of Diamonds, this is my promise,[/i][/color]" Alice looked back, "[color=976f29][i]And, yes. That includes you and those you bring into your hatred. I will make sure there is always tea in your cups, tarts on your tables, and a sword in the gut of those that threaten you.[/i][/color]"

"[color=976f29][i]Stand by me, if you like,[/i][/color]" Alice says, walking away, "[color=976f29]or, don't. I won't make decisions for you.[/color]"

Hands in her pocket, Alice would head off for the area where she was sensing warm water.

"[color=808080][i]Well, then...[/i][/color]" Carroll sighed, munching her eighth unfinished tart, "[color=808080][i]That's "first impressions" out of the way... I didn't want to be talk of the town so soon,[/i][/color]" she grumbled, as she set the half-eaten pastry on the table beside her; it had been eaten to the center, dried of all filling, and left as a dry C.