Due to Alice's swordsmanship, her eyes were as sharp as hawk's, and, from her perch on high, she surveyed the incoming parties of warriors; analyzing them from helm to boot, and catching the sight of part of her desired team to take on the quest that nagged at her.

However, she only saw part...

"The Goblin missing," Alice says, as she took stock of their approach.

"Duly noted," Carroll says, "Are you sure the Goblin is tied to the Jorōgumo?"

"So, I was told," Alice says, as she stood up, and extended her hand. "Benihime..."

Carroll sighed, and dusted her knees, before standing; her body erupting into a mass of slime that reforged into a slender scabbard, containing the demonic shikomizue.

"The pain of this scar is fading," Alice says, "and my memory with it. No more dallying..." Alice shifted her stance, and switched Carroll to her left side, "Ingrain: Allegro... " to be drawn by her dominant hand for lethal combat.

Leaping off the arch of the gate, Alice landed on the road, and focused on the path forward, "Ingress."

Suddenly, Alice was a blur of motion, as she passed through the approaching procession, and emerged from the outer side; stopping long enough to gain her footing, before breaking into a powerful sprint.

"That was new..." Alice says.

"Must be something from our former life," Carroll says, "There's disparate communications inside of you. Strange..."

"Regardless, we have keep on this thread of pain before it heals..." Alice says, she ran effortlessly in spite of her high heels, "...I wonder what coffee is."

Walking along the path with Takeshi and Lady Kikyo, the Hangai sisters had nearly entered the temple grounds before Atsuha felt a familiar presence. It was off upward, as if observing them from a distance. Atsuha knew this presence - the fungal queen Alice. She remembered her previously: her bout with Gringor and her assistance on the mission at the graveyard. Before she could further ponder over why she was observing them, she suddenly dashed pass them in a blur. The sudden gust of wind kicked up some dust clouds, causing her to recoil a bit.

”That movement…” She said, looking at the direction she went off in. ”That’s similar to the captain’s step technique.”

At that moment, Hinami started to bellow a sinister growl, as it seemed that it wasn’t only Atsuha who remembered Alice’s chi. Her primal side had recalled the ample power that emanated from the wayward queen, and she immediately dashed after her. ”Hinami!” She exclaimed.

Hinami moved fast enough to catch up with Alice and Carroll, and the pair of master and weapon would soon find themselves being pounced on by the undead chi-obsessed creature.

Alice felt the approaching Mana, as Hinami gave chase without prompt, and looked at the road ahead. Alice's style of swordsmanship was one of quick movements and trickery, working in tandem with Carroll, and using the Demon Sword as eyes in the back of her head.

"Ten seconds," Carroll says.

"Ingrain: Andante..." Alice says, as Carroll's scabbard moved from her left hip to her right. "Invasion." Suddenly, Alice ceased her forward motion, and swung her blade at Hinami; the feinted swing from her left hand send the blade past her ear, forcing her head to move into the direct path of the scabbard, as she followed the attack up, "Injection." by pulling Hinami with the flat of the blade into the scabbard to bash her in the skull with the demonic steel like a club.

"You awake, Zombie?" Alice sheathed Carroll, resetting her guard, as she held her hand upon Carroll's handle.

Hinami violently grunted as she was sent tumbling back from the strike. As she regained her feet, her face was covered in a bit of blood and dirt as she snarled at Alice. She began a second charge, but this time it seemed her animalistic instincts had caused her movements to become more irregular. Using the unorthodox movement pattern she’d take Alice by surprise and pin her to the ground, attempting to bite at her neck and siphon her chi.

[Ingrain: Andante] wasn't made for lethal combat, but brutal combat to render an opponent unconscious and/or immobile with crushing strikes instead of fatal slashes; so, due in part to that fact, and a hesitation that came from knowing Hinami was associated with Terauchi Temple, that allowed the Jiangshi to get an advantage with her sloppy, bestial footwork. It was annoying to play with kid gloves, but Alice couldn't just slash off her head without complications.

"I can't transform with you crushing me..." Carroll groaned, her main body pinned under Alice.

"Just gimme a second..." Alice grit her teeth, before freeing her right hand, and grabbing Hinami by the back of her head; powerful fingers clenching down, and pulling back on her hair to give Alice a little room. "Pacify..."

Lunging in, Alice would crush her lips against Hinami, letting the gnashing Mamono catch her tongue, so she would get the Mana she desperately craved, while Alice flooded her mouth with paralytic spores that seeped into the beast that hungered.

"You are such a womanizer," Carroll sighed with an audible roll of her eyes. "You coulda just as easily exhaled those spores. No reason for all this..." she chastised, as Alice let Hinami leech and paralyze herself slowly, "Are you even listening to me?"

Hinami would feel her animalistic instincts fade away as Alice’s spores quickly took their effect. No longer having the strength to release herself from Alice’s grip, she began to slowly fall into unconsciousness.

Atsuha arrived just in time to see the aftermath of the small bout, having prepared a few spells to quell her sister. What she saw threw her for a loop.

”J-Just WHAT are you doing with my sister?!” She exclaimed, her face red with bewilderment.

"Now, now, no sleeping just yet..." Alice says, as she flipped Hinami onto her back, and straddled her hips. "You're pretty fetching for a feral. A bit of civility, and I'd take you as a concubine..." she leaned down, blowing a soft cloud of silver into Hinami's right ear, before tracing her tongue along the shell of it, and whispering, "Prey...I won't lose track of you, Little Miss Zombie."

However, before Alice could press matters further along, she'd be caught boob-handed, coping a decent feel of the paralyzed Jiangshi, as her blood sister skittered onto the scene.

"For a betrothed woman, this shouldn't be questionable," Alice says, plainly, "Whatever you feed her, nice results," she says, squeezing, "Very nice results."

"Take this seriously, idiot!" Carroll snapped, bonking Alice on the head; half-transformed into her human form from her sword, and fully undressed from her head to her waist. "Forgive this horny dumbass. She thinks with her second brain before her first like a Cheshire Cat," she says, looking at Atsuha, and bonking Alice every few words, but she "In our defense, the Jiangshi started it. Even if the ending is awkward, we are in the right. The paralyzing effect should end in a few hours, however."

Atsuha, having barely regained her composure, stared blankly at the pair consisting of woman and sword bickering among one another. The latter arguing against the former’s raunchy behavior and apologizing to the Jourougumo. Atsuha wasn’t sure what to think: she knew the two women due to their chi signatures, but their appearances couldn’t be farther from different. She looked at her sister, who laid on the ground sleeping peacefully - albeit with a bit of labored breathing due to Alice’s spores.

”Alice. Uhh, you ARE Alice, yes? I’m all for declarations of love, but you should respect that my sister lacks experience.” She said, arms folded and still keeping her exasperated expression. ”...I do apologize that she lost herself and attacked you again. Lately I’ve determined that intense chaotic energies on the battlefield seem to trigger her lapse, but it only happens when warriors as strong as you or Shizuka enter the fray. My seal seems to have only helped somewhat…”

"Alice, I am, so says I, Alice," Alice nods, catching Carroll’s hand. "That hurts, you know. A lack of experience, hm? An easy remedy, that." Alice stood up, dusting her knees. "Again, though. That’s quite curious a statement. Regale with the tale, while I’ve the time to listen. I’ve much to do, after all."

She must’ve lost her memory as well as her appearance. Atsuha thought to herself. She walked over to her sister and kneeled down beside her. She whispered a spell, and a fuschia wind gently blew from her tree part. This seemed to soothe Hinami somewhat, as her slumber was visibly softer. She then turned back to Alice and Carroll.

”To make it as concise as possible, I will first say that my sister and I are not natural born yokai: We were born as humans - turned into the forms you see before you as punishment for my practicing of the dark arts.” A bit of sadness filled her eyes, it wasn’t a story she ever enjoyed talking about.

”Part of the punishment seems to have cursed my sister with this feral side that stems from lingering regrets and fear, amplified even more so when compared to others of her kin. You…may not remember, but you fended her off once before and even attempted to help her regain her senses. At any rate, you again have my thanks for calming her down, forgive us for being a burden.”

"Humans turned to monsters, huh," Alice says, "Maybe, I could relate, once, when I couldn’t understand what I had become... hidden away in a cave, alone, and scared. A monster, a Mamono, a fiend and selfsame victim of carnality... Those days are behind me, now," she looked at her hands, before turning her sword-hand skyward, and splaying her fingers to the sun, "I’m more than that, now. I am a woman. I am a monster. I am a Human. I am a Mamono. And, above all else, I am me, the Queen of Diamonds. My past cannot take away my future, only I can do that."

"If I lent you my aid once, then I must have judged you worthy of it," Alice says, "Parts of me remember. Ache. Memories are lost, not forgotten, but likely to never be found again. If they are, they will be of less import than those that paved over them, proved better than them, and worthy of being carried forward in my memories of tomorrow," she looked to Atsuha, "Make sense?"

”Alice-san…” Atsuha was reminded of Alice’s noble and steadfast side. Moreover, hearing about their similar backgrounds had made Alice more relatable than she would’ve imagined. Hearing her speak of how she won’t let her past rule her moving forward, carving out her own future and accepting all parts of herself, filled Atsuha with a new feeling that put her and Hinami’s circumstances in a more positive light. She thought that Hinami needed to be hearing this as well.

”Alice-san, you seemed to be in quite the hurry. May I ask where you and your partner were heading towards?”

"Just pursuing a phantom of yesterday," Alice says, holding her side. "Once it’s banished, I think, I’ll see if I can’t shore up that sister of yours and diminish her lack of experience," she says, "Never know when you’ll see someone next, after all. And, you can’t be the only woman between the two of you."

”I, uh, think I understand your point.” Atsuha said awkwardly. ”I believe you said that Hinami should awaken in a few hours? I am glad you were able to subdue her so easily without there being much harm done to either side.” She looked Alice and Carroll up and down, inspecting them.

”If you don’t mind me asking, why do the both of you look like that? I recall you having long blonde hair, and you wielded a cheeky axe. Now you wield a shikomizue, and I noticed that you move a bit like the captain as well. Oh…” Atsuha remembered that she had to be mindful.

”Forgive me, you may not know who that is currently. He went off on a mission with my husband, but I’m they’ll be back soon.”

"An axe," Alice asks. "Nozarashi..." Carroll burst into a mass of slime, before reforming into a massive axe. "Like this," she asks, hefting the weapon that could be mistaken for a butcher knife on steroids, as well. "As for the former half of that question, couldn’t tell you. My memory of this place starts less than forty-eight hours ago." Alice hummed, "Prior to that... I’ve been in Wonderland for three-hundred years."

”Oh my…” The Nozarashi form certainly wasn’t what Atsuha was expecting. ”The axe I was acquainted with was much..smaller…” She said with a nervous chuckle.

She listened as her previous suspicions had been confirmed, Alice had lost the vast majority of her memories of the Taskforce. Does that mean she doesn’t remember that “thing” she did with Lord Takeshi?

”Well, then I suppose it would be good if you at least were to know this. The taskforce is currently being led by the captain, Kannazuki Shizuka. I believe you and others had a training session with him, so I guess while your mind doesn’t remember his teachings, your body seems to. Also, the captain along with the Taskforce is under the behest of Takeshi Oja. He’s that young man you saw and my sister with, the one with the roughneck disposition.”

Atsuha then held a hand to her own cheek. ”Goodness, where are my manners? Since I think it would be appropriate given the circumstances, allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Hangai Atsuha, a resident Jourougumo who also happens to be an onmyodo sorceress. My sister’s name is Hangai Hinami, after I resurrected her, she became a Jiangshi and I took the form you see before you. We are native to Zipangu but not specially to the land of Shizuyama. I find myself in your debt once again, please don’t hesitate to call on us if you have need. Um…just don’t make us work too hard, alright? Teehee!”

"I see, then. Well, to that, I am Alisynn Wunderland," Alice says, "The Queen of Diamond, Lilim-born Challenger to the Queen of Heart, and the Throne of Wonderland. At least, I was," she sighed, "I’m right stuck here with no means of return. Need to find a March Hare, or one of their holes with some magic left over."

”Ah, then it is certainly a pleasure to formally make your acquaintance, Alisynn-san.” Atusha said with a polite bow. ”Unfortunately, March Hares aren’t native to these lands, so I doubt you’ll have much luck locating them or traces of their sorcery regrettably.” She said somberly.

”I remember you calling your partner weapon Carroll, yes? We have cursed weapons in these lands as well, but I’ve never heard of one functioning quite like her. I presume she is from this ‘Wonderland’ as well?”

"Quite. I would expect the daughter of the Queen of Hearts to hail from her homeland," Alice says.

”Haha, uh, yes quite so…” Atsuha replied with a weak laugh.

It seemed that the peaceful vicinity along with Atusha’s healing winds had allowed Hinami to awaken sooner than expected. Rousing up, she looked around for a moment, her eyes focusing on Alice and her elder sibling.

”Sorry sis…” She said weakly. ”And sorry Ms. New Alice…”

”It’s alright, she was able to calm you down without there being much damage. We shouldn’t have to worry about it again for a while.”

Hinami glanced toward Alice again, this time blushing. ”Hey, um, Ms. New Alice? Did we…Did we kiss a little bit ago?”

"Indeed," Alice says, "Free to do so again," she stepped forward, "Not every day you get to dally with a Queen, after all."

”Alice-san…” Atsuha said. ”You mustn’t be so forward… She needs to experience the opposite sex as well. In addition, I feel you may end up being too rough with her…”

”O-Oh…” Hinami seemed to be at a loss for words, seemingly having stepped into unfamiliar territory. ”Is this what it was like for your first time with Skars-kun, nee-san?”

”P-Perhaps we should save this talk for another time, sister!” Atusha spouted quickly. ”Alice-san, wherever you’re off to, would you like some aid. My sister and I just got back from a mission with Lord Takeshi and Lady Kikyo, but if it isn’t anything too extraneous we’d be happy to be of help!”

"Now, now, no time like the present to teach a good girl how to be a naughty girl," Alice says, stepping forward; Mana pulsed through her legs, and she was suddenly behind Hinami. "That wilder side of you, that feral side of you, all emotions, no restraint... in there, most assuredly, is jealousy of things you can’t have... things you don’t have... experiences you are too afraid you will miss, because you’ll snap." Alice traced a hand up Hinami’s spine, terminating with a finger against the base of her skull, before transitioning into a gentle caress of her cheek. "However, while your fear is wise to heed, your life is wasting away from it, as well..."

Hinami made a small yelp at the sudden finger going up her back. ”Umm, what…?” She said, with her head cutely tilted. It seemed she didn’t understand Alice’s words.

”I think I understand.” Atusha interjected. ”Hinami, perhaps you and I need to speak about what happened back in the past. I feel that’s where all of your feral tendencies are stemming from.”

”The…past?”

”Yes. There may have been another ‘curse’ of sorts that was placed on you due to the resurrection I performed on you. It’s possible that Alice-san could even assist. Um, so long as she minds her advances…”

"Advances? You wound me," Alice says, "My offers are sound, and just..." she smirked, "You have my interest, however. Though, my might ask for innocence in return..."

”Hey, wait a moment.” Atusha said. ”There’s actually something else I’ve been meaning to ask you. Why do I sense Kerry’s chi all over you…?”

"I’m sure, in that big brain of yours, you can answer that question," Alice says, "Though, a Queen I may be, in title, that is it. I am more of a King in manners of with whom and how I share my bed," she looked back at Atsuha, "and, a King has her Queen, and her Concubines."

”You…really aren’t a normal mamono are you?” Atusha said curtly. ”I suppose I should attribute it to both your queenly station AND your status as a denizen of Wonderland. Gods, I feel that if allowed, you’d sleep with the whole taskforce!”

Folding her arms, she made a cute pouting face. Blushing, she turned slightly back to Alice again. ”Even your weapon made good with the captain. Although, I guess you could’ve been helpfully with giving pointers on how to pick up mates so easily…”

"The whole Taskforce? I've little interest in being treated as a Wife. The role of Husband is far more fun, and active. I never tire of hearing a mewling woman beneath me, taking my -- GAHURK!!!"

Carroll stood over a crumbled Alice, arm transformed into her scabbard, having battered Alice's head with a powerful bonk. You claim you need the aid of this idiot. Let us focus on that, so that we might return to our mission. I'm sorry, but we have exceeded our time to waste," she says, hefting Alice into her arms, as the Mad Hatter drooled green blood in her unconscious state. If you need bodily material from Alice, I consent to your harvest, as far as blood goes. If you need her spores or her seed, I cannot consent to that. Losing the former has combat disadvantages, should antidotes be made and spread about, and the latter..."

Carroll frowned, My Queen is frighteningly unruly in matters of love and lust and she is not as faithful due to her nature as a Matango, but she would give her life to her child or children, because a Mad Hatter was cursed with intelligence lost. Such a powerful card being gained artificially by a stranger..." Atsuha could feel Carroll's protective malice, as she passed by. Well, it won't come to that, I'm sure."

Unless bothered, Carroll would cart Alice back with the procession.

"Lady Kyouko needs a port to dock her fleet to properly engage the Varjan armada and deliver supplies, and that port will be Komatsu Bay. If we're going to liberate the fortress, we'll need help and Ayu says she has a friend for the job. We can join her and go to this friend's house, just outside Komatsu Bay."
-Takeshi Oja

"Lord Takamori's traitorous former student, Setsuna, is training Mongol archers across Shizuyama. Lord Takamori posits that she plans on attacking Omi Springs, his hometown and a refuge for villagers. We should meet with Lord Takamori as soon as possible."
-Takeshi Oja

"Sorae is on the hunt for Sogen, one of the conspirators behind her family's murder. To track him down, Sorae has asked us to speak with Ayu who may know where we can find him."
-Takeshi Oja

A villager woman remarked to the taskforce member as the latter passed by.

"You better watch out if you're passing Yabo Forest, yokai. It's haunted by angry spirits... Dead samurai, eager to spill blood."

"People go into the woods and never come out. Varjan and Shizuyaman alike! The bodies that turn up have all been killed by Shizuyaman blades..."

A peasant man eating barbecued meat on a stick was startled when the taskforce member approached. It appeared he has news.

"Yokai! You have to tell Lord Takeshi, there is another samurai noble who survived Sanjo Beach. His name is Lord Tonchiki. He's in his abode southeast of here. If you go see him, I'm sure he would join your cause."

"Err, maybe not. I guess you'll need Lord Takeshi himself to convince him."

A villager sitting on some stone steps in the temple stood up when the taskforce member approached.

"Yokai, I've heard of a small resistance group gathering in the Imahama Area. I believe they're headed by that shrine priestess that started a fight here not too long ago."

"They're recruiting farmers and fishermen to their cause. Brave, but it'll be dangerous if they're not trained."

A peasant man warming his hands on a bonfire noticed the taskforce member passing by.

"Yokai, you must do something! It's Ayane's sake brewery in Imahama. That brewery is the pride of Shizuyama, but soon there will be none left. The Varjans are taking it by force."

"Dealing with these students of the Heavenly Strike was more difficult than we thought. They have already thrown back two of the taskforce. However, the yokai fought them separately and at different times, so perhaps a more cooperative approach would be more fruitful."
-Takeshi Oja

”Phew! Seriously, they should start a business with these springs. They’d make a killing.”, commented Kerry, feeling rejuvenated as she made her way back toward the temple. Though coming days may bring tougher battles to come, Kerry had a lot to look forward to, the growing life within her being the primary reason.

So much to prepare. So much to do. Obviously, driving the Varjans off the island remains top priority, but for right now…..I should go find Alice. She should be involved in this too.

As she approached the temple grounds, she noticed a rather sizable influx of refugees entering the grounds. Their rough and brutish appearance suggested they are not normal peasants.

They must be the prisoners that Kikyo was talking about recruiting. Looks like the jailbreak was a success., thought the hornet as she watched. It was during this watching that she noticed Carroll….dragging a knocked out Alice.

”What the-...Carroll!?”, Kerry called out as she quickly made her way toward the duo. ”What happened? Why is Alice zonked out?”

Hrm? Oh, you," Carroll says, as she noticed Kerry's approach, I knocked her out, because she was wasting time. We have more important things to do than her obeying her unending libido..."

”.....Uh-huh. I can very much believe that- whoa, wait a second.”

Kerry moved in closer to Alice and, sure enough, there was a scent coming off of her that wasn’t her usual floral aroma. No, this scent was….fresh out of the ground and…..decaying?

”Carroll, who exactly did you pull Alice off of?”

Carroll just jerked her thumb back to the procession; Hinami, Atsuha, and Takeshi were easy to pull out of a lineup. The rest was up to her own process of elimination.

I was taking her to Revuel, just because, but Alice doesn't really need it. My Queen's head is too hard for me to damage," Carroll pushed Alice towards Kerry, since, in spite of Revuel being within spitting distance, now, it was easier to shunt Alice off to Kerry's care, "I leave this mess to you."

Kerry could only sigh as she heaved the mad hatter onto her shoulder.

”I’ll deal with her. If Gringor, the sisters and Takeshi are done with their quest, then the others should be wrapping theirs up soon. Would probably be best to break the news to Shizuka then.”

With that, Kerry strode toward the temple, with Alice in tow, a discussion on her mind.

Upon arriving in her room, Kerry laid Alice upon her bed and looked down on her form, arms crossed and a frown on her face.

”What am I going to do with you?”, she commented as she pulled out Dusk, flipping it to the blunt end and began poking her lover’s cheek with it. ”Up and at it, you horndog queen. We need to talk.”

For a few minutes, Alice would be unresponsive - her chest did not raise nor fall with a slumbering rhythm, so Kerry would have to take leave of her well-tempered senses to believe she was sleeping, much less unconscious. It was clear she was avoiding the confrontation, and hoping that Kerry might tire of her efforts to awaken her.

However, she felt she'd get no such mercy from the mercenary, pun intended, and opened her eyes.

"Alternatively, we could just have sex again," Alice offered, "A fair shake more amusing than a fussy old conversation that requires such extensive efforts to wake me, no?"

A raised eyebrow was the only response Alice got from Kerry as the hornet proceeded to discard her weapons, leaning them against a wall before returning to Alice’s side……..only to then crawl onto the bed herself, straddling the mad hatter.

”Oh, I bet you’d just absolutely love it if we did that, huh?”, purred Kerry, complete with her gyrating her hips, grounding her bubbly rear against Alice’s lower region. ”Why fight when we can make love, right?”

"More than you think," Alice says, as she bucked her hips, catching Kerry's lowered guard, "However, I am grown, and I can multitask," she smirked, as she looked up, and the vine bangle brought Kerry's hand to hers, to clasp and to hold, "I'm listening."

Kerry had to bite her lip to stifle the moan that nearly erupted when Alice bucked against her. It almost threw off course.

Almost.

”Good. There are things we have to discuss. After all, Gwyn will be here before we know it.”, the hornet continued, her other hand clasping Alice’s as she leaned forward, their foreheads touching as they stared deeply into each other’s eyes. ”Firstly…”

That’s when Alice felt it.

Something pointy and sharp prodding against her stomach.

Were she to look down, she would see Kerry’s stinger fully out and threatening to puncture her midsection.

”Why do I smell Hinami on you?”

From that tone, one would think the room got a bit chilly.

"My, my, my Queen, such a menacing tone to match such beauty, indeed," Alice says, "To be honest, I don't fully understand. Hinami seems to fancy certain types of Mana, and turns into quite the monster to feast on it," she stuck out her tongue, "I let her bite my tongue, and got her calm with a bit of spores. Alas, I did get a little more than excited, and started to... well, my frustrations aren't relieved. Carroll probably hit me."

Alice rolled her eyes, as she shook her head. "I'm not going to run away, so no need to threaten me with that," she stated, "I can uphold my word to listen."

A tense few seconds of silence passed, Kerry’s narrowed eyes gazed into Alice’s, searching for any sign of a lie or lack of commitment. Upon not finding any, her features softened and the mad hatter no longer felt the sharp end of a stinger on her stomach.

”You idiot….””, spoke the mercenary before closing in for a deep kiss. Before both parties could really get into it, Kerry pulled back, now blushing. ”Ali, if we want this family to survive, there’s something you need to know. I am not one of “the help” in your castle. I’m not some random woman that you have on and off fancies with like a coat rack. I am Kerry Maros, globe-trotting badass and, currently, future mother of your child. And that means, you better treat me right. I realize that, given your nature, I can’t possibly keep you to myself. But as long as you love me and Gywn, I couldn’t care less if another woman catches your eye. Just be a part of this life we now have together. That’s all I ask…”

Kerry’s hand, the one with the bangle, left Alice’s hand to caress the queen’s cheek.

”...okay?”

Alice chuckled, once all was said and done. "How rare. I'm sure I've had dalliances with the help. A maid in the night. A cook in the kitchen. A daughter or two jockeying for favour. It sounds so pathetic, spoken aloud, to be a species like me, but..." Alice shook her head, shaking her hat loose, and she reached into it with her right hand, "A King always needs a Queen, a woman of the most import, and that's something I believe in..." she seemed to secure something, and looked at Kerry, "I'll ask you something, in return," Alice would produce a small, wooden box, and hold it with three fingers, "Will you forsake the globe, if I offer you somewhere to settle?"

Alice pulled the ring box back, revealing its contents.

Kerry was stunned. Well and truly. How can one not be? It’s every mamono’s goal, after all. She was no different.

It’s just….her goal ended up being far different than she could possibly imagine or even dream.

”A……A-Ali….Y-You……”, the hornet mumbled, actually struggling to find the words as her hands, shaking as if they were in an earthquake, held the beautiful diamond ring. She never thought this would happen to her. Mamono don’t do this. They never do this. Humans do this. Humans. Full of contradictions, insecurities and always doing things that got in the way of what truly mattered. And yet….

….Alice was such a human, once upon a time…

”A-Alice…..what the hell!?”, Kerry stammered, taking a good half minute to put the ring on. Jewelry glinting off her chitinous finger, she dove in and showered her lover with non-stop kisses, tears of joy streaming down her face as her love for the mad hatter surged rapidly throughout her being. ”We were already joined at the hip when we had sex, you beautiful bitch! I already love you! You didn’t have to do this!”

"That sounds like a yes, then," Alice giggled. "It's a little faster than I planned, but you're likely gonna be showing soon, and no children of mine will go without their birthright," she smirked, "Queen or Concubine, my daughters will be princesses all, and this temple will become their castle."

"No need to go around the globe looking for a home, when I can build one here," Alice says. "Starting with a ring and proposal. It's Human, but it's how I am."

”Yeah….sniff....I figured. And I love you all the more for it.”

Kerry moved off of Alice, instead cuddling up to her side, still lovingly staring at the ring on her finger. She didn’t think she would ever find the love of her life here on a backwater island, fighting a war against the belligerent nation of Varjo.

I’m so glad I accepted Kyouko’s invitation.

”Oh, I almost forgot.”, chimed in Kerry, looking up at her….husband. She giggled at that thought. ”We need to get started on Gywn’s nest. I was thinking of using the leaves and branches from the surrounding forest, but they don’t look comfortable enough.”

Alice hummed, as she looked at the ceiling; her thoughts not as busy as Kerry's, having none of her memories of the trials of combating Varjo or even her own memories of why she was here. The siege of Summerheld Castle far and gone ahead, a victim to the Curse Of Exile that kept her rooted in the Material Realm, as it was known in Wonderland.

Still, she had those memories - of laying with queens in times of war and peace alike; of siring children she would never meet; the emptiness of an occupied bed was one that she'd come to disdain for all its qualities. For what good was a Queen that couldn't keep, and how could she call herself a King, if the former remained true?

Here, and now, the Queen of Diamonds, self-styled King of Wonderland, would uphold her own proclamations, and her own narrative.

"Use me, then," Alice says, "Eat me. Drink me," she looked at Kerry with a smirk, "I'm much better material than a meager tree."

”Wait, you want me to eat you again?”, queried the merc, hearing those familiar words. ”Last time I did that, I grew to the size of a small house and nearly blew out of my clothes. What’s the difference here?”

"Have we done this before? Well, to answer, you swallowed, is the difference," Alice says, "I just assume you need a material similar to, but softer than wood," she says, raising her arms, "That’s all of me. So, you can take a bite out of anything, anywhere."

"I assume you need to chew and make a paste, yeah?"

”Well, yeah. That’s how we hornets do.”, concurred Kerry, still skittish about the method but agreeing with Alice’s points. The mad hatter was basically a matango with class and higher intelligence. A walking fungi colony. She was all the nesting material Kerry could ever need.

Still, as she gingerly grabbed Alice’s arm…

”I swear, if I grow again….”

Taking a deep breath, she bit down on the limb.

"Just don’t swallow," Alice snickered, before Kerry sank her fanged teeth into her mycelium flesh and the "meat" below - it was so, so similar to wood, yet lacked the fibrous coarseness and dryness of. As soon as she broke skin, Kerry was treated to a shocking, "Ahn~!" and Alice biting her lower lip.

A being of Wonderland, even pain could be construed as pleasure with the right mindset, and a Mad Hatter was quite smart and right of mind.

It’s like wood…..only it’s not. Gods, this is so weird, thought Kerry as her teeth dug into Alice’s flesh, green blood-like liquid seeping out and staining her lips. Raising an eyebrow at the sudden moan from her lover, Kerry then reared her head back, taking a piece of Alice with her as looked to the queen, obviously worried but her mouth too full to give voice to her concern.

"Fuck... me..." Alice moaned. "That feels good," she mewled, as her body bridged the stolen gap with “muscle” and “flesh”. "Don’t swallow. You need to make a nest, after all."

Alice would bring herself to a half-sit, and lean into Kerry’s ear, "Later, however, you can swallow, and we’ll see if I can please a giantess."

Kerry would send a glare in response……but the blush on her face suggested that she wasn’t opposed to such an idea. Shaking those thoughts away, she began chewing, making an effort to not swallow. After a full minute, Kerry felt she chewed long enough and, just to see the product, spat it out into her hands.

”Oh, wow….”

In her hands was a brownish-green wad. It felt pasty, yet soft to the touch

”Holy shit, I made this.”

"Indeed, you did," Alice says, having capitalized on Kerry’s distracted state to doff her clothing, so she’d free access to the canvas that was her body. "Now, allow me to do my fatherly duty," Alice purred out, "Mommy~"

An arousing shiver crawled up Kerry’s spine when Alice uttered that last word, noticing the mad hatter’s nude form so she would have more……material to work with. Seeing where this was going….

”Well then….”

Setting the wad aside, Kerry quickly shedded her own clothes and began worshiping the mad hatter, kissing and licking her lover’s body before settling on her first destination: The neck.

”Then as the mother, I ask that you give all that you have.”, Kerry whispered, kissing and licking. ”Gonna need a lot of material for this nest, you know.”

"A husband provides for house and home," Alice says. "So, take all you need. We’ve plenty of time before I’m needed."

Alice would feel a smile form on Kerry’s lips on her neck.

”Let’s savor every second, then.”

She then opened her mouth and bit down hard at the base of Alice’s neck.

Alice squealed in delight; letting her eyes pop with colors of red, white, and inevitably black, as her senses faded to numbing pleasure...

Her last thought?

‘Maybe, I might see this one to the end...

...before Alice left herself to Kerry’s instinctual whims and wants. In a twisted way, providing as only a Mamono could, and as she needed.

As Kerry took Alice from Carrol, the Queen's Blade couldn't just leave her without trusting that Kerry would attend to her properly.

Alice had to live, so they could get home, and complete their mission...

...which is why the Mamono found herself outside the door of the Hornet and Mad Hatter, her Mana diminished to a point that neither would sense her eavesdropping.

”What am I going to do with you? Up and at it, you horndog queen. We need to talk.”

Carroll waited for Alice's deflection. She knew her Queen too well.

"Alternatively, we could just have sex again? A fair shake more amusing than a fussy old conversation that requires such extensive efforts to wake me, no?"

Carroll rolles her eyes. 'Typical deflection...'

”Oh, I bet you’d just absolutely love it if we did that, huh? Why fight when we can make love, right?”

"More than you think. However, I am grown, and I can multitask.

I'm listening."

'Listening? My Queen? How curious...' Carroll mused, pressing her ear to the door.

”Why do I smell Hinami on you?”

"My, my, my Queen, such a menacing tone to match such beauty, indeed. To be honest, I don't fully understand. Hinami seems to fancy certain types of Mana, and turns into quite the monster to feast on it.

I let her bite my tongue, and got her calm with a bit of spores. Alas, I did get a little more than excited, and started to... well, my frustrations aren't relieved. Carroll probably hit me."

Carroll scoffed. 'Of course, I hit you, you horny moron! I don't care if you sleep around, but public indecency is more harmful to our reputation, dumbass! Sooner you understand that appearances matter, the better off we'll be here!'

” -- I am Kerry Maros, globe-trotting badass and, currently, future mother of your child. And that means, you better treat me right. I realize that, given your nature, I can’t possibly keep you to myself. But as long as you love me and Gywn, I couldn’t care less if another woman catches your eye. Just be a part of this life we now have together. That’s all I ask…

...okay?”

'We don't need enemies here. Don't you fuck this up...' Carroll pressed a bit harder on the door.

Alice's chuckling bled through. "How rare. I'm sure I've had dalliances with the help. A maid in the night. A cook in the kitchen. A daughter or two jockeying for favour. It sounds so pathetic, spoken aloud, to be a species like me, but... a King always needs a Queen, a woman of the most import, and that's something I believe in...

I'll ask you something, in return: Will you forsake the globe, if I offer you somewhere to settle?"

Carroll swallowed a gasp, 'Was that a proposal!? How reckless! Tying yourself down to a woman you've only just met!? Of all the dumbass, reckless - surely, Kerry will have the sense to reject this!'

”A-Alice…..what the hell!?”

Carroll fist pumped, 'Yes! Smart girl!'

”We were already joined at the hip when we had sex, you beautiful bitch! I already love you! You didn’t have to do this!”

Carroll's face faulted, 'No, you stupid girl! You can't just marry someone after a single day and sex!'

"That sounds like a yes, then. It's a little faster than I planned -- "

'Faster!? It's been one goddamn day!!' Carroll raged. 'I haven't even gone that far with Eula, and I have an equally intimate connection with her! I may be just a sword, but I have feelings too, you inconsiderate, ungrateful, licentious, smug -- '

There was a sudden interruption of Alice's, "Ahn~! Fuck... me..."

Carroll pulled away from the door, steaming, now, 'Sex!? Now!? We have to uncover the mystery of the Heavenly Strike, and you pause to screw some harlot you barely know!? I should castrate you, so you can focus on the mission, you Queen of Thinking-with-your-Dick!'

Carroll nearly slammed herself into the door to hear the continuing conversation, or sexcapade, as it were now, "A husband provides for house and home. So, take all you need. We’ve plenty of time before I’m needed."

”Let’s savor every second, then.”

That was the final straw. Carroll reared back, and sent her foot into the door; the wood exploding under the monstrous punishment of the diminutive sword-woman.

"That's it you horny bastard! I'm not suffering another moment of your dalliances, so you can... just... uh... what the fuck are you doing..." Carroll asks, as she started at Alice, covered in bite marks and the Hornet responsible for it.

...this was awkward.

"Lady Kyouko needs a port to dock her fleet to properly engage the Varjan armada and deliver supplies, and that port will be Komatsu Bay. If we're going to liberate the fortress, we'll need help and Ayu says she has a friend for the job. We can join her and go to this friend's house, just outside Komatsu Bay."
-Takeshi Oja

"Lord Takamori's traitorous former student, Setsuna, is training Mongol archers across Shizuyama. Lord Takamori posits that she plans on attacking Omi Springs, his hometown and a refuge for villagers. We should meet with Lord Takamori as soon as possible."
-Takeshi Oja

"Sorae is on the hunt for Sogen, one of the conspirators behind her family's murder. To track him down, Sorae has asked us to speak with Ayu who may know where we can find him."
-Takeshi Oja

A villager woman remarked to the taskforce member as the latter passed by.

"You better watch out if you're passing Yabo Forest, yokai. It's haunted by angry spirits... Dead samurai, eager to spill blood."

"People go into the woods and never come out. Varjan and Shizuyaman alike! The bodies that turn up have all been killed by Shizuyaman blades..."

A peasant man eating barbecued meat on a stick was startled when the taskforce member approached. It appeared he has news.

"Yokai! You have to tell Lord Takeshi, there is another samurai noble who survived Sanjo Beach. His name is Lord Tonchiki. He's in his abode southeast of here. If you go see him, I'm sure he would join your cause."

"Err, maybe not. I guess you'll need Lord Takeshi himself to convince him."

A villager sitting on some stone steps in the temple stood up when the taskforce member approached.

"Yokai, I've heard of a small resistance group gathering in the Imahama Area. I believe they're headed by that shrine priestess that started a fight here not too long ago."

"They're recruiting farmers and fishermen to their cause. Brave, but it'll be dangerous if they're not trained."

A peasant man warming his hands on a bonfire noticed the taskforce member passing by.

"Yokai, you must do something! It's Ayane's sake brewery in Imahama. That brewery is the pride of Shizuyama, but soon there will be none left. The Varjans are taking it by force."

"Dealing with these students of the Heavenly Strike was more difficult than we thought. They have already thrown back two of the taskforce. However, the yokai fought them separately and at different times, so perhaps a more cooperative approach would be more fruitful."
-Takeshi Oja

Like an explosion, everything happened with an unpredictable suddenness, as Carroll kicked the door in, then Eula shows up, then Takeshi showed up, with the Sword Devil barking at her, the Automaton holding two onigiri, the Human looking like he'd never seen a pair of lesbians, and all while she was buck-ass naked with several bite taken out of her from Kerry's efforts.

However, there was one thing that held true about Alice, and that was her recovery speed - upstairs and downstairs - as her combat style was based on quick and sharp parries and feint attacks. As such, recovering from shock and awe tactics was nothing but a momentary bout of hesitation, before she launched out of the bed - as if, phasing through Kerry.

"Carroll~" Alice says, extending her left hand, in all too familiar motion, as her right arm fell eerily limp, "To me."

Carroll groaned, as her body liquefied slowly, and was being removed from Takeshi's hold, as she was being transformed by Alice's sheer force of will, and reformed in Alice's hand as a demonic axe.

"Don't you get uppity with me..." Carroll growled, "'LEST I CUT YOU WIDE, LITTLE GIRL!"

In a moment of tension, Kerry, Takeshi, and Eula were witness to the return of the Wonderlandian Monarch, Alice... No, the Queen of Diamonds was back.

"So confident someone under MY CONTROL," Alice says, as she flexed her arm, and Carroll writhed in pain and fury.

"Control!? You know nothing of the word, but how to speak it! I'll show you control, YOU IMPUDENT BRAT!" Carroll snapped, as she unraveled and reformed in Alice's right arm - the muscles snapping to existence, and strengthening.

"Release me!" Alice growled, wrenching her right arm with her left, as armor raced down, and plunged into her shoulder.

Carroll just cackled, as she glowed red-hot, and initiated the transformation. Alice's dress transformed, as her height increased, and silver merged into her crimson hair, turning it pink, as it grew long. As Alice changed, so, too, did Carroll, as she lengthened into a long sword with a split blade that separated in the middle, then merged at the top once again, and deep, reddish-purple mixture for her two scissor blades.

For a moment, the figure stood motionless, and Terauchi Temple and further beyond would feel the Expression of Subjugation that only a Lilim possessed, as Alice's Mana gushed freely from her - flowers growing beneath her feet, and spreading their petals across the floor.

"Nnn!" Alice suddenly groaned, as she reached up with her left hand, and started to strangle herself.

It was now or never for Eula and Kerry to react and separate the two…

What the hell!? Can’t even start making a nest around here without some shit going down, IN MY ROOM no less!

Kerry wisely kept that comment in her mind, barely able to redress herself once more before looking up just in time to see Alice in the middle of a transformation she has never seen before, Carroll encasing the mad hatter’s right arm in armor, up to her shoulder. Where did this form come from!? Questions for another day as the hornet saw Alice trying to choke herself out. Thinking quickly, Kerry threw out her right hand, black bracelet vibrating as Dusk flew into her hand. Then, she threw the spear into Alice’s right arm, hoping to disrupt this transformation because it was clear her future husband didn’t want any of this. As that was happening, the hornet then buzzed up to Alice’s new height.

”Alice, stop!”, shouted Kerry as she tried to pry Alice’s hand off her neck.

After a moment’s hesitation in which Eula detached her head to escape Takeshi’s headlock, Eula would swoop into the room just as Kerry threw a spear at Carroll, the Automaton rushing to catch it rather than having it strike her…lover? Fiancee? Brunch buddy? She wasn’t sure…but she was sure she could reach Carroll. A hand would gently seize Alice’s right wrist, tracing down it ever so slightly until she touched Carroll’s midpoint.

Her spare hand was fumbling a bit to not drop her head or the riceballs, until she tossed her head back onto her shoulders, a mechanical hiss sounding as her head repressurized. "Carroll. I have brought breakfast," the automaton said, leaving Alice to Kerry to deal with.

"Breakfast!? Pests, the both of you! You would assault divinity!? I will trade your souls for forgiveness!" Alice barked, as Kerry and Eula pried at the two.

Her expression was empty, yet dark, as she spoke with confidence and hatred, yet authority and kindness, all feigned and genuine at once. However, as Carroll was gripped by Eula, and Kerry got a hold for Alice, her expression switched to panic and elation.

"I can barely control this! She's only distracted! Hurry!" Alice groaned. "Pull, Kerry! As hard as you can!"

"Pull harder, Automaton! Before she takes over again!" Carroll barked, as she barely peeled away from the armored hand, "Eula, be careful! My blade is vorpal! A single slip, and you'll rend your hand!"

"I won’t apologize for bringing the most important meal of the day. That aside, we need to speak," Eula said before fearlessly grabbing Carroll’s hand, using small pulses of her demonic energy stun gun to identify the cutting points and avoid them while tugging at Carroll.

”You two can talk AFTER we deal with this!”, exclaimed Kerry as she flew behind Alice, one hand still trying to pry the hand on her neck while the other wrapped around the mad hatter’s waist for a decent grip before hovering backwards, pulling.

Between the two, and whatever was keeping the new form distracted, Eula and Kerry would be able to separate sword and duelist.

As soon as the duo was separated, Kerry and Alice careened into the wall and slid down to floor, both panting harrowing experience. The hornet being the faster to recover as both of her hands smacked into Alice’s cheeks before forcing her to look toward the bewildered and exasperated visage of Kerry.

”Alice, what the FUCK was that!?”

Eula would pull with care, and all the power a mechanical being had to try and pry Carroll off of Alice, digging her heels into the tatami flooring beneath before yanking the cursed sword off, holding her securely in one arm, braced against the other. "I did not know what type of filling you would like, so I bought both plum and shrimp," she said, heedless of the danger holding a cursed weapon possessed…or, given that she’d done it once before, she didn’t fear Carroll’s weapon form.

Much like with Kerry, Eula would find herself crashing with a unpleasantly heavy body on top of her, and be met with a deep frown; her free hand no longer gripping a blade, but groping a boob. "Shrimp is gross, and plum is for old people that can’t shit," groused the Sword Devil, in a familiarly grumpy tone. Eula would notice, as Kerry was distracted, that Carroll looked like Alice, who didn’t look like Alice, but looked like someone entirely new, so didn’t really look like Alice in the same sense. It was as complicated and straightforward as Wonderland ought to be, but before Carroll could resume speaking, Alice would snap back to Kerry.

"How should I know!? I don’t even know you!"

At the mere mention that plums were only for old people who can’t shit, Eula would lift the riceball up, as if offended on its behalf. "They’re perfect when paired with carbs to slow sugar spikes, and when pickled provide a good amount of salt for your dietary needs…" Eula analyz-splained, before looking down at what she’d brought. "But I can…bring something else, if you like."

"Hm~" Carroll smirked, as she opened her mouth, only to be interrupted:

”Huh? Alice, come on. Now’s really not the time for you to be fucking with me”,

"Not here," Carroll says, standing up, "If you are offering food, I’ll take you up on it, whoever you are," Carroll would pass Takeshi without saying a word, "Lead on, Automaton."

Judging from the conversation in place on the other side of the room, Eula had a feeling some memory jogging was in order…but, she knew very little about Carroll. The only action they’d shared was a simple one, one that bears repeating, as Eula walked beside Carroll and held her hand.

Carroll tilted her head; her shock of pink hair tumbling over her stranger’s face. It was nothing like the Carroll that Eula bounded with, nothing like the Carroll that she was before that, but someone else. A stranger, standing where a friend once stood, wearing her skin... slime... and warming Eula’s hand just the same, yet not.

It was like putting sugar in a beef stew, instead of salt. Sure, it worked, but it was wrong.

"Handsy, aren’t we," Carroll teased.

Eula would simply respond with: "You entrusted your memories to me with that hand. I won’t let go simply because you aren’t yourself at the moment."

"My memories..." Carroll hummed. "Surely, you don’t expect me to take a Prototype Synth at face value?"

"I am Eula 039. I am nobody’s prototype," Eula said, gently squeezing Carroll’s hand. "I can bear you not remembering me. But you must remember Io. You have to."

Carroll’s playful flippantness evaporated, as she suddenly slammed Eula into a wall, and glared at her. "Why do you know that name!? Are you one of mother’s spies!?" she growled, her hair fusing into a long, thin blade, before splitting in twain like scissors.

After colliding with the wall with a loud thunk, Eula looked Carroll in the eyes, gaze unwavering as one hand remained gently holding Carroll’s wrist. "Those memories were entrusted to me by the Carroll I know. …That chose to…hold my hand. Even if the only spark is a resemblance…" Eula’s other hand would suddenly shoot up, shoving the entire pickle plum-filled onigiri into Carroll’s mouth, the automaton saying: "That scene…the breakfast you shared with her and your children. I remember all of it. Because you let me."

Carroll gagged, as she was force-fed plum - of all things. It was infuriating in a uniquely distracting way. It tasted as terrible as she suspected, and expected - though, perhaps, that was because she wanted it to, so it did. However, it was... something she would do. Io was the type to push Carroll to do new things, regardless of how much of a spoiled brat she was being; you didn’t have seven children with someone you didn’t value, even Mamono understood that much.

Still... why would she trust her memories to someone that bore but a passing resemblance?

"Who are you... to me," Carroll asks, lowering her scissors.

"I am Eula 039. And I…" …What was Eula to Carroll, even? The automaton wasn’t sure. But…she knew the last thing her and Carroll did. With a gentle hand, Eula would cup Carroll’s chin before pressing her lips softly against her cheek, the automaton’s cold expression melting a bit as she blushed, pulling away. "...Have…yet to discuss what we are to one another. And would like you to remember so we can talk about it."

"Huh!?" Carroll reflexively touched her cheek. Snippets of thoughts flashed by, like framed in a projection, across the canvas of her mind. Memories of Io. Memories of her daughter. Memories of the war. Her Mother’s Game. The explosion of magic, and the silence of exile. Memories of years of war, of fighting, of learning, of growing in hatred, until... silence again... exile again...

Snapshots.

Fragments.

Errant thought.

"I... I don’t belong here... I... We... Alice and I... Mother’s spell, the Curse of Exile.. I lost so much! I lost everything! I don’t want to remember!" Carroll shouted, taking her head in her free hand; digging into her flesh. "I don’t want to be here! I’m not -- It’s not right! I... I am... no-one... An excuse... A waste..."

Carroll drew blood from her nails, and put pressure on Eula’s hand; threatening to crack it.

Eula would seize Carroll’s wrist, then gently hold both of her hands even as the metal of her hands creaked. "Carroll. You have to. Even if its painful…even if it hurts you more than dying…that is the only way Io can stay with you forever. You have to remember," Eula said, her cruel kindness sealed with her moving Carroll’s hands away from her body, then looking her right in the eyes. "Absence of memory is oblivion. I have no memories before awakening some time ago. If it grows too painful to remember…then share the burden. I have sufficient space for your grief. Your anguish. Your tears."

"I don’t want to remember like this..." Carroll says, "Hate-filled. Angry. Io was my everything. That was centuries ago. Her power core is likely long since drained. Reduced to nothing more than a statue. My daughters... mine... the same..." she grit her teeth, metal grinding, "They’re gone! Dead! You would have me remember them, and burden you with my pain and hatred!? For what gain?! Pity?!"

"To feel something other than emptiness," Eula said, smiling softly as she held Carroll’s hands tighter. "I could never pity someone with a love so pure that they miss it more than anything. …But…I am simply a machine. If I can aid you, then I will. To stand by as you entrusted your memories to me, only to see you run from them…I wouldn’t dare break that promise. To you, or to Io."

"A machine doesn’t aid. A machine assists. Aid heals. Assistance helps. There’s a difference," Carroll says, "My head hurts... That plum is disgusting... I knew it would be..." she says, "You are..." Carroll closed her eyes, "...still confusing to me."

"You are simply too picky!" Eula asserted, releasing a hand to boop Carroll’s nose. "Come. Let’s find something you like for breakfast, instead. Though…given the state of the area, you may have to settle for rice dishes, like onigiri. Perhaps, they have some fish, too…"

"I am not picky in the slightest," Carroll says, "You are simply too tasteless."

"You insisting that a delicious fruit is only for old people who cannot defecate is crass and overly picky in nature. …But…what do you like to eat?"

"Me? I can simply show you what I like to eat," Carroll smirked, her familiar smirk looked off still on the face of a stranger, "Follow me, Little Miss Epicurean."

Taking Eula’s hand, Carroll would pull her to the kitchen area.

Eula would follow quickly, especially since the automaton’s (fair for her species) weight was rather hard to tug, following Carroll into the kitchen.

Carroll would look around, before smirking. "I know exactly what to make for breakfast," she says, before letting go of Eula’s hand, so she could work her magic.

From baskets, she’d pluck eggs, carrots, and potatoes; scoops of rice, salt, and pepper; hocks of hams; handful of cheese; all with a purpose. To fire, she’d set water to cook the rice, pre-salting it with a splash of oil to keep it loose. As the rice cooked, she’d chop the carrots into thin slices, then quarter them, before cubing the potatoes, and setting them to sear and caramelize in an oiled pan. To the side, she’d set the veggies, and place down thin slices of the ham to char in the used pan, gaining flavour from the vegetables.

Finishing the rice, she would transfer a few scoops to a bowl, and mix in the veggies and ham while the rice was still warm and loose, while she cracked four eggs, and readied a skillet. Laying out the egg, she’d cook the underside semi-dry, before transferring it to a plate, and flipping the raw side back onto the skillet - spreading her hearty mixture upon the omelette, and let the bottom dry a bit, before she would use a spatula to bring up one side, and roll it over like a rolled omelette with the thickness of a folded omelette.

"Try that,”" Carroll says, presenting the plate with a sprinkling of pepper.

"Quite the display of cooking skills," Eula said, always impressed when someone cooked. She couldn’t really get a knack for it, and food made by someone else always tasted better anyways. Picking up a knife and a fork, Eula would take a bite of it and smile softly, suddenly lost in nostalgia. "...It tastes wonderful. I haven’t had something like this since I came to Shizuyama."

"You'd be hard-pressed to find a creative touch in such a traditional place. Cooking is a wonderful adventure, with no place for stifling traditions!" Carroll says, as she clapped her hands, the pink in her hair was turning silver, as the stranger was crumbling away.

Eula chuckled softly. "Not necessarily. Traditional cooking like Shizuyama’s have their place. The flavor of their rice, the texture of it…the sound of fish grilling over an open flame…" Eula would take another bite of the omelette, before saying: "Everything about one’s cooking informs you of their life. And, of their home."

"Mayhaps, maybe, but nevertheless, if risks are not taken, then ground is never gained," Carroll says, "Though, risk-taking does come with abominations like that plum ball covered in rice..."

Carroll's hair would settle back into its boring, lifeless state, unlike the lovely, lively state it was before, and hang as hair and not cooking utensils. Eula was eye-to-eye with those piercing, hollow eyes that seemed to carry naught but contempt.

"Fruit and rice go together!" Eula said. "A tavern in Eastersland had a wonderful dish in spring, a chicken and rice dish with peaches in it. It was delectable."

"Curious," Carroll says, before leaning forward, and pressing her lips with the left corner of Eula's, "My cooking is still unbeaten. Though, perhaps, I'll try a dish like that..." she says, one she drew back from stealing the bit of rice.

Eula would gently touch where Carroll had kissed, then, upon realizing she was just stealing rice, would promptly gain a deadpan expression as she threateningly lifted up the shrimp onigiri she’d had earlier. "Now…try iiiiiit!" Eula said, getting up and waving it menacingly.

"If I do, I want you to try something in return," Carroll says.

"I can agree to that."

"Kiss me," Carroll says, simply.

There was one surefire way to settle the strongest matter of emotions:

Chin up, face forward.

Eula would press forward without hesitation and kiss Carroll before she’d even tried the onigiri, experiencing the first true kiss in her life then and there as she held Carroll against the countertop.

Normally, Sword Devils made bargains, then reversed the order of execution in their favor as means of possession. To be outmaneuvered by Eula, it wasn't something Carroll had accounted for - largely due to how docile the Automaton was.

However, that wasn't the case here.

Leaning back, Carroll would take Eula's hands; unconcerned with the seafood-flavored ball of rice plummeting to the floor, as her arm transformed, and her link with Eula deepened.

Testing the waters, her tongue teased the lips against hers.

Eula wasn’t adept at romance, but could sense a desire for Carroll to taste of her, of the machine that knew nothing of touch, and allowed it. With lips parted she invited Carroll in, tightening her hold on her hands as they embraced as something more for the first time.

Carroll would bring Eula into a clash of tongues, a battle of emotions, and the flavors of each other - even if that flavor was a PLUM and her rolled omelette. After a minute or two of trading synthetic spit, Carroll would pull back, blushing, as she said, "There's your fruit and rice dish. Happy?"

The automaton would plainly say: "No," before diving back in for seconds, this time pinning Carroll to the countertop and kissing her once more. …She was a glutton, after all.

Carroll was momentarily taken aback by the simple refutation, before Eula took all the initiative, and pinned her down to feast.

Once the machine woman had her fill Carroll would be freed from her iron grasp, Eula’s lack of needing to breathe meaning that the cursed sword would never need to come up for air if she didn’t choose to stop. "There. Now, I have eaten my fill. …I wonder, if Kerry has helped Alice recover her memory as well…"

Carroll never felt so blessed that her biology was relative to a Slime, so she didn't need to address most biological functions - like breathing. Instead, she could indulge her gluttonous... lover?... girlfriend?... the right term was yet to be decided.

Dinner guest, perhaps?

Regardless, her question would rouse Carroll's attention. It was true, if Carroll's memory had been temporarily corrupted... most likely Alice's was, too.

"I could always check, I suppose," Carroll offered.

Eula would get up and offer a hand to Carroll, as if she hadn’t just sucked her face for three solid minutes. "...This time, I will accompany you. If you lose your memory again, I’m feeding you shrimps and plums to make sure you remember."

"Such a threat, I don't think I would dare lose myself again, but..." Carroll took Eula's hands in her head, pressing their foreheads together, "...will you be there, in case I spill? Will you catch me, if I start to fall again? Will you kiss me, as Eula, and only as Eula 039?""

"If I need to use that power again, will you be who I use it for?"

Eula would press forward, gently hold the sides of Carroll’s head in kind, and then nod. "I can only be myself. I will be by your side as long as you want me," the automaton said, before suddenly picking Carroll up in a bridal carry, starting to walk towards the door.

"He-Hey! I can walk, you know!" Carroll says, kicking her legs fussily.

"I am aware. But I am faster."

"Yeah, but I need to sort this myself. Alice and I have to reconcile, both what happened and why," Carroll says, "All I need from you is to believe that I can."

Eula would smile faintly as she let Carroll down, somehow already back at the building they’d started in.


Carroll nodded. "Then, I can. But, maybe, one more kiss for the road?"

No more words needed to be said as Eula leaned in, giving a chaste kiss on the cheek before going in for the kill once more, this time only going for thirty seconds before releasing her blade of a lover.

Carroll drew back, and smirked. "I'll be off, then," she purred, "darling~"

Maybe, it didn't mean anything to Eula; terms of endearment, displays of affection, and the like. Maybe, she was operating on a system of call-and-response, gauging Carroll's calls and adjusting her responses.

Maybe, she really could process and replicate emotion.

Whatever the reason, it was a boost of confidence that Carroll needed to charge forward into the barracks.

A silent wave would see Carroll off, while Eula held a hand up, touching her own lips in fascination. So…this was how it felt…to be able to follow and complete a directive.

”Huh? Alice, come on. Now’s really not the time for you to be fucking with me”, Kerry replied, not wanting anymore stress today. ”You and Carroll got into an argument and turned into….. whatever the hell that was.”

"That..." Alice asks, looking at herself; she hadn't changed back to herself in any capacity, so she was just seeing... who she thought she was. "I understand Hornets are prone to flights of fancy, but..." she huffed, "Regardless, you called me Alice. Such is not my name. It is my Title, Alice, the Queen of Diamonds."

”What? How can your name be a ti-”

It was at this point that Kerry recalled a crucial bit of information about Alice. Specifically, how Alice…..wasn’t exactly one person.

”Then….who are you right now?”, the hornet queried, her lowering to a neutral tone. Her hands were still on Alice(?)’s face as she gazed into the mad hatter’s eyes.

Looking for her Alice.

"You..." Alice started, "...have..." she locked eyes, "really pretty eyes. Big, too. Like, whoa. Huge. Beautiful. Anyone tell you that?"

”Hmph….you’d be the first. Moving around as much as I have tends to make people not notice my eyes in more detail.”, the merc answered with a slight chuckle, still neutral and focused on Alice. ”Quick question: Do you know where you are?”

"I am here, as you are," Alice asks. "Better question, why do you smell so familiar?"

”It’s familiar because you know who I am, you idiot.”Kerry whispered, the slightest hint of worry now creeping into her voice, but forged onward with hope. ”Do you remember why you are in this room?”

"It’s a bedroom - mess of petals and goo? Why would I be in here..." Alice asks, before closing her eyes. "Shit... Something... Familiar... I sense something... but, it’s small... out of the way..."

"There’s a Mana source in here... buzzing around, out of my senses... but, I feel it..."

”Why would I be in here?”

Kerry closed her eyes and bit down on her lip as a sudden piercing pain was felt within her heart upon hearing those words. The worry had now mutated into dreadful fear. Yet still….

”Y-You’re here in this room because of this.”, Kerry muttered, leaning to touch foreheads as one of her hands took one of Alice’s and placed it on her stomach, holding it there. ”Because it’s here where our family started.”

The hornet opened her eyes and Alice would see that they had become very wet.

"Family? Family..." Alice tilted her eyes, before frowned. "A family... I... wait... I remember something... vague... I..."

"I remember... the wind... you... I remember you... and... something... It... We fought... I yelled... then, I left... we argued..." Alice grit her teeth, "Kerry... Mors? Morrigan? Moss... Help me... I..."

Alice was struggling, but coming around.

There! There it was, in Alice’s eyes. A spark of memory!

”Kerry Maros! That’s my name, yes!”, the merc responded, the fear being pushed back as hope surged within her heart as she made sure Alice’s hand was still on her stomach and Alice’s eyes remained on her. ”Come on, Ali. Come back to me. You can do it, love.”

"Love? Love? I’ve... we..." Alice asks. "All we’ve done is fight... argue... trifle... we couldn’t love each other."

”Yes, we have. We already did…”

Tears welled and fell down Kerry’s cheeks, tightening her hold on Alice’s hand to the life growing within her womb.

”You came back….and next thing you know……We fell in love.”

"That sounds insane..." Alice says. "But..." she felt the swirling of Mana beneath her palm. "But..." Alice grit her teeth again, "Lying isn’t your strong suit, Kerry. You’re not clever enough for it," she says, "That’s my favourite part of you."

Kerry gasped.

”Ali? Are you…?”

"My head is killing me. I don’t think it’s blood loss... so... what happened," Alice asks.

”Ali, you…..you……”

Next thing Alice knew, she was on the floor, her hands bound by Kerry’s as she looked up to a crying, irate pregnant hornet.

”YOU PERPETUAL DUMBASS!”, she shouted, uncaring to the ones nearby that heard her as her tears fell onto the mad hatter. ”What happened was you and Carroll getting into a fight after she barged in here with Eula and Takeshi! Next thing any of us knew, you two fuckheads fuse and transform into…..I don’t know what you turned into! All I know is that it took Eula and I to pry the two of you off each other! You almost didn’t remember me, Alice! You almost forgot Gwen!”

"Oi... That's harsh..." Alice pouted. "Curious turn of events, however, from the sound of it. Though, I'd never forget you or my little jellybean," she says, snapped back to her usual overt confident tone, "The whole of Varjo would have to kill me first. And, that's would take doing against the Queen of Terauchi Temple, and her King, Alice the Queen of Diamonds."

"Now, in regards to this position of yours..." Alice smirked.

Kerry stared incredulously at her lover. Their budding family just averted a heartbreaking crisis and Alice is more concerned with how she is straddling her. Unbelievable.

”Don’t give me that shit. You made me cry, you ass. Do you have any idea how scared I got at the thought of you not remembering us? ”

"I could ask the same..." Alice says, dropping all pretenses. "Can you tell me how terrifying it is for your memories to rip apart and glue themselves back together, while staring at someone you can't remember or barely know, crying and begging for you, all the while, a voice is whispering venomous promises of power and strength if you just give in..." she asks, "It's not like I wanted you to cry... I don't even remember what happened... No... I don't remember who happened..."

It would become painfully apparent, Alice wasn't playing around and being horny - she was deflecting.

”Stop that.”

Seeing Alice putting on a front again, Kerry placed her hands on Alice’s face once more, more gently this time.

”Stop putting on that damn mask like shit doesn’t get to you because it clearly does. I just saw it!”

It would become crystal clear, Kerry wasn’t gonna let Alice shrug this off like she normally did.

Alice worried her lower lip, before she squeezed her eyes shut, and tried to banish all thoughts. Surrender was the last option after killing herself, but Kerry was slipping beyond her defenses.

"I have to..."

”No…..You don’t have to…”

The kiss that followed chaste and simple, yet the weight of emotion and trust behind it would be enough to knock out even the Demon Lord herself.

”.....Not with me.”

Alice whine softly, though tears had broken beyond the barrier, and dripped down her face. "I have to be strong..."

"I can't fail her. I have to make this place her Kingdom..."

”A kingdom is a people, not a place. It’s wherever we make it, no matter how small or big it is.”, whispered Kerry, a heartfelt smile on her crying face. She meant those words, one hundred percent.”As far as I’m concerned, my kingdom is wherever you are. And I don’t think Gwen would care either….

”....As long as her daddy is there to give and receive hugs and kisses.”

Alice crumbled, "...I don't know if I can come back from there, if I cross that line again..."

”If you cross that line, then I will cross it with you. If you ever should fall, I will be the one to catch you. Should you stray and feel lost, I will be your guiding light in the darkness. No matter what comes our way. Gwen and I will always be with you. After all….”

Kerry then showed Alice the ring and gave a warm smile.

”....I am your wife.”

"Say it again..." Alice says, "Burn it into my memory. Sear it into my soul, so I won't drift..." she says, taking Kerry's hand, "Promise me, you won't regret running headlong and blindly down this wild road. Bind that power to you, heart and soul, so I can never be overcome again."

"Kerry Maros... Marry me."

”....Allisyn Wunderland…”, Kerry began with eyes filled with love, her voice lowered but her tone brimming with warmth and conviction. ”I, Kerry Maros, do solemnly swear, through sickness and in health, through good times and bad, that I will always be by your side forevermore. Be it the gates of heaven or the depths of hell, nothing in this world will break this bond. I do, Ali…..I do.”

"It's a Frabjous Day, then! We'll need to throw a party! A wedding party! We'll need a priest, and invitations, and you will need a dress to show off!" Alice beamed, "We'll do this to tradition!"

"Hm. I should likely speak to Carroll about this, as well, and there is that pesky Heavenly Strike thing to accomplish," Alice says, pressing a perfectly filed nail to get lower lip, before clapping, "We'll just make a thing of it! A shared bachelor and bachelorette party of kicking some ass and taking back the Heavenly Strike technique!"

The hornet giggled as she laid a finger on Alice’s lips, halting her joyous spiel about planning a wedding. A wedding. Again, Mamono don’t do this. Yet here was Alice, doing exactly that.

”A wedding sounds fun, Ali. While I think it’s unnecessary, my mom would kill me if she found out I got married and she was the last to know. Not to mention my father would never forgive me if he didn’t walk me down the aisle. The invitations will take some time, considering the size of my family. HOWEVER....we can plan all of this after we drive the Varjans away from the island. We wouldn't want our big day to be crashed by a roving warband, now would we?”

"True, true. I would hate to get blood on my suit," Alice says, sitting up, and propping her chin on her fist, and her elbow on her knee, as she put on a grumpy, thinking face. "So, take back the Heavenly Strike technique, then slaughter all the Varjans, and send out the invites. That's the easiest part," as if blown away in a breeze, the powerful form of the Lilim blew away in magical dust, leaving Alice behind, so she could reach into her hat, "Ta-da!"

Alice would produce a fistful of fancily embroidered tickets with names and destinations, all of them being Kerry's extensive family. "Anytime, anywhere, a Mad Hatter can throw a party by bending Time and Space. Her invitation will find you, no matter where you hide, as long as you are alive, that is. Accepting it will teleport you to the party, until it ends," she beamed, "We call it [O' Frabjous Day!] and it's the only spell I actually know."

”How did you-”, Kerry began to question as she took the tickets, only to then remember who she was talking to. ”Ah. Nevermind. Mad hatter shenanigans is something I won’t question. You probably got the names of my family members just from touching me so much.”

Which might sound creepy to others, but after spending so much time with the wacky fungi woman, Kerry just went with the flow of it.

”How does a small spring wedding back in the Verdanlands sound?”

"Sounds like a wonderful adventure," Alice says. "And, a magician never tells her secrets."

”Pffft, fine. Keep your secrets. As your future wife, I have ways to make you talk.”, the merc responded with a mischievous wink.

"Well, the only secret I won't keep is you," Alice says, before standing up. "I better go talk to Carroll, since I can't leave my Best Man in the dark. You have to find yourself a Bridesmaid, too," she says, "Busy, busy!"

”Ugh, guess I’ll have to find a Maid of Honor as well. I guess that could be Liliana, I don’t exactly feel confident in her being Gwen’s godmother. Jeez, we are going to be so busy, huh?”

Alice nodded. "Indeed," she says, "Though, might be better off asking for someone else to play Maid of Honor. Not sure if a Fairy truly understands that much responsibility." Suddenly, before Kerry could really formulate a rebuttal - if one did exist - Alice would sneakily press a kiss to Kerry's cheek, before ducking down, and pressing a second to her belly. "Don’t bully Mommy, little jellybean. Okay?"

Standing with a wink, Alice would flitter from the room without another word.

For a moment, Kerry stood with a surprised look on her face, rubbing both her cheek and stomach after Alice snuck a smooch on them.

She could’ve sworn she felt a pulse in her belly, as if in response to the affectionate gesture.

”....Heh”, she chuckled, blushing. ”Daddy’s a smooth one, ain’t she Gwen?”

Then, the hornet made her way out the room as well, ready to take on another day.

Having spend the better part of five centuries, or half a millenia, operating as a duo - sometimes as allies, often as enemies, but always for their shared goal of skewering their warden - Alice and Carroll would always line up, no matter how their paths diverged and forked off into their own solo jaunts. As such, it was no surprise to either that they would cross paths with the same purpose.

Stopping short of crashing into each other, Alice looked at Carroll, and Carroll looked Alice; the shortstack Queen and her Blade holding an awkward silence, before:

"Hey there..."

They spoke in unison, inciting burning blushing.

"You first."

Again.

"I’m sorry!"

A steep bow tossed their head down; though, a step back on either end would have been advised, as the respectful motion resulted in a bonking of heads and hats.

"Ow! My head!" Alice groaned.

"Yours!? Mine, too!" Carroll groused.

For a moment, the two locked glaring eyes before their expression softened, and they broke into a mirthful chuckle of shared pain and forgiveness.

"I see you have your mind as right as it can be for a Mad Hatter," Carroll says.

"And, you, yours, selfsame, eh," Alice asks.

"To wit," Carroll says. "Eula... she broke through to me, and pulled me back from Her grip, and..." she looked at the ground, "...whatever that I hateful creature I used to be."

"It wasn’t just me, then," Alice asks, "There was a... different memory... like... someone I was, and she..." Alice frowned deeply, "She didn’t want to leave. I’ve never felt like that."

"I don’t know if its a product of my nature, yours, or both... but... I know this much," Carroll looked up, her expression firm, "I never want to lose control again, so we need to train to gain a foothold on that power."

Alice smirked, "Seems like you read my mind." Alice adjusted her hat, and looked to the sky, "I have a child coming into this world. For her, nothing will hold me back - not even myself."

"Agreed," Carroll nodded, as she started to melt, and formed into her True Form; a large pair of scissors, one blade red, and one blade purple. "There’s still plenty of sunlight left. So, let’s get this figured out. I promised Eula, I would come back to her, and I never break my promises."

"Same.There’s too much at stake to get lost in power struggles with my own mind," Alice says, "I swore to Kerry, I’d never leave her behind again. I meant that. Promises have power in every world, and we’ll turn those promises into the power to stay in control."

Carroll hummed in agreement, as Alice took the red blade, and held the finger ring in her right hand as if a handle on a sword. At the same time, the purple blade’s finger ring would reach out and wrap around her sword arm; melting and reforming into a powerful, connective armor that brought Sword Devil and Mad Hatter under a single unity.

As the armor formed, the two blades split away from each other, and lengthened, before merging once more to form an empty hollow, like a tuning fork, and shared their color with each other.

Finally, Alice herself transformed; releasing her aura once more, and blasting Terauchi Temple and the surrounding area.

A moment of silence passed... before the fusion took off with an explosive speed, and disappeared into the woods.

<SHE’S OUT OF CONTROL!>



<THERE’S A TREE IN THE WAY!>



<IT’S GETTING CLOSER!>



<WE SHOULD DO SOMETHING!>



<YEAH! IT IS!>



<LIKE!?>



<WORKS FOR ME! ATTACK THE TREE>

Suddenly, the fusion drew back on her blade, and passed through the tree...


...before landing in a clearing, as several trees fell behind her.

"...yeah, We can work with this."



<Yeah. Though, I have no recollection of it. She just... did it.>



<That could be handy... IF WE CAN CONTROL HER!>

As Alice and Carroll spoke, the fusion was Heavenly Striking trees with reckless abandon, as if testing her blade like an overzealous rookie or an arrogant bandit. Deforestation was the name of the game in her heart, and she loved to play, as she swept in a whirling dervish of angles and death. Her motions only came to a stop whenever Alice and Carroll could unify and wrench control back.

"We gained control again. We are so reckless, if we hesitate for even a moment, We act instinctually," the fusion managed between gulps of breath. "We have to focus on unification of tasks, of Our very thoughts; We must be One," she surmises. "We need a name."

<What's a good name, though?>



Loose, the fusion was back to playing her destructive game, until she was tired enough that control could be wrenched back.

"By the Queen's Cards..." the fusion panted. "All this power. It feels like... hers. Could this be the power of a Lilim's daughter? Insane. It's so hard to control..." she grit her teeth, and sank to one knee, using her sword to steady herself. "The sheer power of dynasty..."

Suddenly, the fusion looked up with a pretty smirk. "Dinah!" she stood with a clap, "It's a perfect play! Dynasty! Diner! A name for We! A name for Me!"

"My name is Dinah, Queen of Di..." Suddenly, the newly named fusion wobbled, "Queen of Di... Dia..." she groaned, and fell backwards, as her eyes closed, "...Diamonds...~"

As she hit the ground, Dinah would split into Alice and Carroll; the Sword Devil tumbling away from the Mad Hatter, and reforming to her Human Form to gather herself.

Alice... you okay..." Carroll asks, as she crawled over. Unconscious, huh. I guess that takes a lot out of you more than me. Perks of being half-Lilim..."

Carroll groaned, and forced herself to her feet, and collected Alice. It was a long trek back to Terauchi Temple...

(REQUIRES ALL PLAYER CHARACTERS)

"I finally have all that I need to rescue my father from the Varjans. The only thing missing now is where the invaders have him imprisoned. I'm coming for you, father. Just wait a little longer."
-Takeshi Oja

"Lord Takamori's traitorous former student, Setsuna, is training Mongol archers across Shizuyama. Lord Takamori posits that she plans on attacking Omi Springs, his hometown and a refuge for villagers. We should meet with Lord Takamori as soon as possible."
-Takeshi Oja

"Sorae is on the hunt for Sogen, one of the conspirators behind her family's murder. To track him down, Sorae has asked us to speak with Ayu who may know where we can find him."
-Takeshi Oja

"One of the farms near Komatsu Bay looks like it's had some trouble. Someone should make sure the people there are all right."
-Takeshi Oja

A villager woman remarked to the taskforce member as the latter passed by.

"You better watch out if you're passing Yabo Forest, yokai. It's haunted by angry spirits... Dead samurai, eager to spill blood."

"People go into the woods and never come out. Varjan and Shizuyaman alike! The bodies that turn up have all been killed by Shizuyaman blades..."

A peasant man eating barbecued meat on a stick was startled when the taskforce member approached. It appeared he has news.

"Yokai! You have to tell Lord Takeshi, there is another samurai noble who survived Sanjo Beach. His name is Lord Tonchiki. He's in his abode southeast of here. If you go see him, I'm sure he would join your cause."

"Err, maybe not. I guess you'll need Lord Takeshi himself to convince him."

A villager sitting on some stone steps in the temple stood up when the taskforce member approached.

"Yokai, I've heard of a small resistance group gathering in the Imahama Area. I believe they're headed by that shrine priestess that started a fight here not too long ago."

"They're recruiting farmers and fishermen to their cause. Brave, but it'll be dangerous if they're not trained."

A peasant man warming his hands on a bonfire noticed the taskforce member passing by.

"Yokai, you must do something! It's Ayane's sake brewery in Imahama. That brewery is the pride of Shizuyama, but soon there will be none left. The Varjans are taking it by force."

"Dealing with these students of the Heavenly Strike was more difficult than we thought. They have already thrown back two of the taskforce. However, the yokai fought them separately and at different times, so perhaps a more cooperative approach would be more fruitful."
-Takeshi Oja

Fairies didn't usually have dreams. At least, not if they had a full fun day of pranking, playing, and generally tuckering themselves out a bunch before falling asleep for a solid 4 hour night nap, waking up just in time to greet the sunrise with the rest of the forest. Liliana herself hadn't dreamed in about a decade, always tuckering herself out, so it was a surprise to her when she awoke in a dense forest with trees taller than any of man's greatest castles, blades of grass that eclipsed the mightiest men, and there on the forest floor sat the little splinter of the world tree that she called her weapon.

Blooming quietly upon the hilt of her blade, Whimsy sat, staring with mild disinterest at Liliana. The primordial elemental was as beautiful as any flower, but had the cold disinterested look of something that hadn't been seen for centuries since the current demon lord rose to power. The hungry, wild eyes of a predator that existed in a food chain separate from emotion and love, and shimmered a pure gold framed by black scilera, lacking pupils. "...How relentlessly boring you are. Pretty please, Whimsy! Sugar on top, Whimsy! Fix the broken little people while I nap, Whimsy!"

"Eh? Oh, um, i-if you don't want to then..." Liliana started before Whimsy looked down her nose at her. "You'll what? Cry about it to Rosebud? Alice? Oh right. Neither are here. In spite of how much you think about them, neither could stand being around you so long. Seeing your thoughts is just revolting," Whimsy said, before leaning down and flicking Liliana's forehead. "You can't even find a way to live all on your own. All your ideals are piecemeal and borrowed. You belong at the bottom, no matter how high you climb. Just a matter of when you'll fall."

...Right. Laying on the ground of her dream, Liliana remembered...Whimsy was like this a lot when they didn't have to work together. Bound under contract to listen to Liliana, the realm of dreams was far from her Queen's orders to it. Whimsy was free to unleash her disgust at Liliana without reservation. Even still, Liliana would bit her lower lip and sit back up. "I'll just fly back to where I was then! And, I'm the one that agreed to leave Rosebud's side. I'm not a budbaby anymore. Besides, you're my sword! I boss you around, not the other way around!"

Smiling just a bit after Liliana found some bark, Whimsy would lean forward, looming over Liliana while the light pink petals of her body draped over them both. "You'll wither and die before long. And I'll just keep on having fun regardless. Maybe I'll have whatever new wielder I find dig you up and press you in a book. I've heard some humans a millennia ago would use pins to preserve fairies on walls. Could be fun."

Crossing her arms with a huff, Liliana wouldn't back down as she stared at Whimsy. "Who cares once I'm dead anyways? I'll just have to do so many good things that you'll feel bad about stuff like that!"

A brief pause permeated the air, before Whimsy sighed and withdrew her petals, perching her cheek on the palm of her hand while looking at Liliana. "...Fool. What can a lowly Sixth Bladeflower possibly do? Go on and die in an amusing way, at the very least. Maybe a Varjan can make better use of me."

Liliana was surprised at Whimsy's retreat, before smiling. "...Got it. I'll make really sure to win every fight from now on, then. I know for sure you'd cry if some evil Varjan mage started using you in a potion or something." With her piece said, Liliana would start to walk away, fading away from the dream that, in reality, had never really been her's. Whimsy was left alone, her petals curling around her body while she watched Liliana fade away into the haze of the dream, back to reality. "...Little fool. You can't protect anything. Especially not me. ...But, perhaps...you have improved just the tiniest bit since we came to this backwater island. Either that, or you just grew more foolish."

As the silence fell, Alice was of two minds once Kerry settled before her in a less-than-ideal squat to lock-in those crystal, hazel-like-honey eyes with her eyes; orbs that settled in a perfect shade of red like anger; like hate; like revenge with her diamond-shaped pupils

”You both fucked up. Royally and without a doubt.”

"Tell me something new," Alice says, bitingly, a bit of tired venom in her voice, but no real pressure to back it up. "I'm sure you have more to, so out with it."

”Is this the part where I judge you?”

"At some point," Alice injected.

”Where I condemn your foolish dive into self-destruction -- ”

"If you want," Alice sighed.

” -- take off this ring -- ”

"Okay, little hasty, there," Alice says, catching the signs of trouble brewing.

”” -- and vow to have Gwen never see you before I forever cut you out of my life?

Alice sat up, stuff as a board, as she turned her body to face Kerry, "You can't do that! You can't take her, or you! I won't allow it!"

Alice could see Kerry's expression unchanged, as she said:

”Well, sorry...”

The feeling of her heart sinking almost broke Alice, before Kerry concluded:

”...but that's not happening.”

Alice nearly set to strangling Kerry for her melodramatic pausing, before she was asked the most difficult question in earnest:

”Because what would that solve, Ali? What. Would. That. Solve?”

What would that solve? What was the question asking?

Running away with Gwen, away from her; from them; from... from... revenge?

Taking everything away but the all-encompassing, all-consuming, ultimate goal of revenge; of vengeance; of... validation.

"I don't know. I don't... I don't think I have for a long time..." Alice says, "Every day is: left foot, right foot, march, and fight. A wastrel here. A scullery maid there. A windower. A lonely wife. A confused innocent. All victims of my sword, a different type, but just as deadly in its own way," she says, "Only one squiggled her way beyond my defenses. Slippery, little Shoggoth. Darling, little Tekelili."

"I don't know what anything would solve, but I know what killing her would do. It is her fault. She sends them, Invitations of Hatred, and reveals me to those that want to harm me and mine," Alice says, reflexively pulling Kerry's head into her lap, as if protecting her neck from a decapitation-happy Queen, "To defend what's mine, she has to die..." she swears, "But, now, because I tried to return early, I fucked up the terms of my exile - ones I couldn't even remember."

There was a sudden stirring, as Eula stood up, and crossed over from the foot of the bed to Carroll... and attacked her with a flick of the finger?

"What'd the hell I do!?" Carroll shrieked, as she was knocked into her back, and Eula straddled her hips, as she launched into a lecture.

"Both of you seem to be misunderstanding the exile."

"Oh, and how so, Miss Smartybolts," Carroll asks, dryly sarcastic, 500 years is 500 years, not 499. That's clear as crystal."

Unperturbed by the interruption, Eula carried on:

"You just have to wait one year longer, correct? Win then, after a year."

There was no way it was that simple. But... No... Right...?

"There's no way the exile is... actually just... going to lift after 500 years, and that's it..." Carroll says.

Alice started to laugh, as the contractual wording of the spell played through her head. Five-hundred years. A hundred years for each toe. The Queen of Hearts really meant exactly what she said. "How childish! How utterly childish! I feel so stupid!" she cackled, "To be fooled by a child for so long..."

"Well, what would you have us do, then, Miss Smartybolts," Carroll asks, taking Eula's hands; her arm reflexively transforming to complete the closeness.

"Train. Learn. Study the weakness of Lilim's. And this time, I will come as well. That should even the odds somewhat."

"You would risk your life for what gain," Carroll asks, locking her grey eyes with Eula's crimson eyes, "Unlike these two dummies, you have no matrimonial or custodial obligation to such a task, as we are unwed and I didn't knock you up."

Eula would push forward, straddling Carroll as she pushed her onto her back. "I don’t gain anything fighting for Shizuyama either. But, as humans have shown me, the right choice isn’t always the smart one."

"I am neither of Shizuyama, nor Human. That logic isn't sound in this matter," Carroll says.

Another flick graced Carroll’s forehead, Eula’s half-lidded gaze indicating she really, really wanted to call her an idiot. "Missing the point. I will join you regardless.”

"Ow! Would you stop that!? And, regardless, my pommel, you owe me nothing of the sort!" Carroll groused.

Eula really considered going three-for-three on forehead flicks but settled with poking Carroll’s forehead. "Since when did this become about a debt to repay?"

Carroll would suddenly burst into slime and twist around Eula, slamming hurt into the bed, and reforming with her lips pressed tight to Eula's, aggressively making out with her, before drawing back, and growing, "I don't want you to risk dying for the sins of my mother and my own rebellion, stupid!"

A pause broke the conversation, before Eula broke it by kissing Carroll once. "There is no risk. This unit can be rebuilt if you survive, or one of sufficient skill finds me. I do not know how old I am, but to wander for 500 years, unable to return home, to be made to forget…" Eula clenched an open hand. "Even a lilim must answer for cruelty. "

Carroll narrowed her eyes, before caressing Eula's cheeks, "Fine. We'll be stupid together, then," before she kissed her in gentle earnest.

On the other side of the bed, a rather jealous Alice would turn her attention to the woman in her lap, and her life, and easily hoist her into her lap with a few vines and her inhuman strength.

"Well, I can't just sit idly by with such energy in the air," Alice says, nipping Kerry's nape, "And, I can't let my Queen's Blade be a dummy alone, either."

Eula didn’t take much convincing to be stupid, and would all but drag Carroll under the sheets for another kiss that would kill most species with its length. …Priorities would eventually need to be established, but right now she just wanted Carroll to know she had her back. And front. And lips.

Huffing, Alice had no intention of being shown up, and would take Kerry's lips for her own; resting a hand upon her belly to gently pulse Mana to her unborn.

Ugh….These two idiots, I swear., Kerry thought, rolling her eyes as her husband and king made out with her, a gentle warmth emanating from the growing egg within her in response to her father’s touch.

”Eula’s right, though.””, she spoke, pulling her lips away from Alice. ”I’m with you to the end, Ali. That means if the Queen of Hearts is your enemy, then that bitch is mine as well.”

"Oh, if you must," Alice says, leaning to Kerry's ear, as she whispered, "I've never been that good at making you budge, after all. Just eating me."

As Alice spoke in that haughtily familiar voice, Kerry would realize that Alice likely remembered their prior meetings, including the training they did together.

"Glad to see you still like the taste," Alice purred in her ear.

”Last I checked, I only ate a severed finger of yours the first time. But….you’re right about one thing…”

Kerry focused her attention on Alice’s neck. Licking, kissing and nibbling on the mad hatter’s flesh.

”....You do taste heavenly.”

"Oh, I know I do," Alice says, tracing her right pointer around Kerry's lips. "Such nice hue, like silky chocolate," she dipped her finger between them, "But, I remember how much I loved seeing them stained by your tearing into me. Such a brutal, beautiful mercenary behind these pretty lips."

Alice pressed down on Kerry's tongue, "If you are going to follow down my path, you better not die on me. I'll kill you, if you do."

Kerry’s eyes became half-lidded as she closed her mouth on Alice’s finger, licking and savoring the digit like a candied delicacy. She looked at her lover and winked….

….before biting down harder.

Alice mewled, and smirked. "Careful, now..." she purrs, as Alice pulled Kerry closer, seating her over her sidearm. "I might draw my sword in you."

”Oh, control yourself, Ali.”, quipped Kerry, playfully as she gestured her head toward Eula and Carroll. ”We have a prudish audience here.”

Alice snickered, as Carroll and Eula continued their, comparatively, chaste make-out session of not requiring oxygen like normal Mamono. "I suppose, I'll respect the vanilla," she says, "and quietly enjoy my chocolate two-scoop."

”Oh?”

Then it was Kerry’s turn to lean in and whisper in Alice’s ear.

”Did you like those two scoops when they were around that thick hickory-smoked ham rod?”

Alice's eyes lit up, and Kerry was suddenly rising in the air, as the Queen of Diamonds stood, and held her. "I hope you didn't have plans for the afternoon," she says, "That question requires a THOROUGH investigation that might take a few hours..."

As she made her proclamation, Alice was already striding across her room, beelining, pun intended, for Kerry's.

The hornet’s laughter echoed through the halls as her lover carried her to her room/nesting grounds, leaving Eula and Carroll to their own slice of heaven.

Alice would turn that delighted laughter into raucous moaning behind a slammed door, choked closed by vines, while Carroll threw her arm at the door; the crimson scissor blade rammed into the floor, jamming it shut.

DND signs, if ever there was one.

At least, they would all be available, when needed.

After all... the future was fast approaching, as the liberation of Komatsu Bay allowed the Taskforce to go on the offensive, but the fact that the Heavenly Strike was still loose and used as a weapon, they were torn between the hammer and the anvil, and what to do first:

Take down the students of the evil Heavenly Strike users, or take the war efforts forward?

Whatever the choice made, in the back of their minds, Kerry and Eula had some security that Alice and Carroll were walking beside them in the same path.

...though, darkness loomed behind them, ready to overtake.

A year's time remained before the Queen of Hearts' Barrier would fall, and Alice and Carroll could return home to take their old war of revenge - with or without their current lovers. All the promises in the world meant nothing in the heat of the moment, after all.

They'd walked away from good things - Carroll from her happiness and family - lost everything - Alice, her castle and daughter in Summerheld - but never surrendered the fight in earnest...

...they've attempted to throw everything away naught but a short jaunt in time ago.

Next time, they'd just wait until they could cross without fail...