[IC] Once Upon a Time...

[YamiCuoreLaroux]

After some time, Karin found an inn, though it was quite...er, well seasoned?

Scratch that, this place was gross. Grosser than the entire platoon after a full day of fighting. Or maybe she was just more used to that.
Either way, a place with this much...character...would probably have a good rate, at least. She walked up the counter and asked about rooms. Surely enough, the rate wasn't that bad, though the smell of the place had her convinced that it could be lower. Too tired to argue, though, she payed for a room and took the key for it, keeping her responses to the questions posed by the innkeeper brief. She knew that she looked a little young to be traveling on her own, but she couldn't exactly help that. Besides, she was technically 18, there were way younger travelers.

Ordering a bowl of stew, she sat down at a far table, away from where she thought anybody would be looking. As much as she enjoyed socializing, she really didn't feel like it tonight. Of course, it never seemed to go all that well anymore, anyway. Why bother with it?
Eventually, more people began filing in through the doors. Sailors, already half drunk, it seemed. Karin kept her head down and her hood up, hoping to avoid attention; she was very well aware of how she would likely appear to them. She'd already had to stab some people in one of the last towns over it.
Looking up, she could see one sailor leaving with a cloaked figure. Seeing as this figure didn't resist, she decided that this was one of those girls who actually came to places like this for that kind of interaction. Whatever, not her problem.

The guy who suddenly just fell over her table, however, now he was a problem.

Karin let a look of distaste contort her facial features as the drunk man looked up at her with a sloppy grin. "Why, hello, there. Who's this?" Karin sighed as she heard the man's slurs, hand going to her belt for her trusty weapon. This guy was going to have to take a nap real soon.

[A Rainmaker]

Panting, the woman wiped a sheen of sweat from her brow, a result of pain more than exertion. Her legs trembled from the effort of dragging a fully grown man and then stuffing him into the furthest corner of the cellar. At least getting him the cellar had been easy – she just shoved the blackguard down the damn hole. Struggling back up was surprisingly tough, since the stairs were half rotten and she had to go slowly. Once free of the cellar, Ariel collapsed onto the ground and regathered her strength. The tremors and accelerated breathing slowly faded, sweat cooling on her skin. Several minutes passed before the woman regained her feet and brushed the dirt and dust from her skirts. Shaking her cloak out, she wrapped it once more around her figure and slipped out the rear door of the abandoned house.

I wonder if there's a transformation spell for dead bodies... well, I wonder if I can cast it, anyway. Turning a whole corpse into an acorn or something would make stashing them so much easier, she thought. So far she took a couple lives per month, so it hadn't been terribly hard to find ways of hiding them, but making life easier was ever the goal. Finally able to relax a little, Ariel grabbed the pendant round her throat and lifted it to eye level on a rather long chain – long enough to hide it in her bosom and avoid curious questions. Much to her dismay, the shell only gave a feeble glow. Won't last a fortnight if I don't find another person...” It seemed as if the shell was becoming harder to please, but perhaps Ariel was doing something wrong. Ursula had made her sing while stealing her voice, but Ariel couldn't really expect such an effort from those she would then kill.

Deciding to make the night a productive one, Ariel headed towards a different inn, only to shy back when she saw a dozen guards filing into the place, all of them in full gear, though she couldn't place their allegiance. They looked too dangerous by half and she couldn't help but shiver with trepidation – were they onto her? No, no, that's just guilt talking, she reassured herself. But... guilt? No, that couldn't be. Each person she had killed deserved death, that had been part of the deal. Or, rather, they weren't good people... which surely meant they deserved death, didn't it? Eyes cloudy with doubt, the woman turned from the inn and headed back to her initial haunt. She was too consumed with thought so register its odor and appearance a second time, barely pausing as she pushed her way in for the second time that night.

The knife on her hip blazed with sudden heat, causing Ariel to wince in pain. At least she'd probably handle torture well after becoming more and more accustomed to handling pain and discomfort. Eyes rapidly adjusting to the gloom and haze of smoke, Ariel scanned the place for the figure who had attracted her knife's attention. A rather small hooded woman sat at a far table, seated beside one of the men Ariel had noticed earlier but disregarded due to desiring to kill Eric's lookalike. She wandered closer, stopping only to order a mug of mead from the bartender. Once she had the glass in her hands, she sat at a nearby table and turned her head to listen to the conversation between the other woman and the drunkard. One of them had attracted her knife and, though Ariel felt she should hate women because one had so easily replaced her, she couldn't help but hope it was the slobbering, slurring drunk.

[Major Ursa]

(Collaboration Post Featuring YoshiSkittlez's Red Riding Hood & Major Ursa's Black Night)

Hidden underneath a hollowed out log in a small, empty trench a dark-haired girl stretched out her limbs as the first of the afternoon sun crept over the log and tickled at her nose. Brushing at her nose with her hand as if it were a paw, Red eventually climbed out of the small trench and rolled out onto the small open area of grass and stared up at the sky, watching the fluffy white clouds roll lazily by. Sure the moment could have been described as 'peaceful' or even 'beautiful' but nothing, in Red's opinion, could compare to that of the late night sky she had spent the previous night running under...as a wolf.

There was just something about the darkness of the sky and fullness of the moon that got Red's adraneline pumping in the best of ways. She wondered often why she let herself turn back into a human most of the time anyway, especially now when her heart hurt the most.

Reaching into the ditch, Red pulled out her red cloak that had been bundled up and threw it on, pulling the hood up and over her head and began to aimlessly walk through the woods. It had been a few months now since Red had stayed in an actual home, and even longer than that since she had slept in her own home with her Granny. Ever since Snow White's passing, she just couldn't bring herself to being around people. She felt responsible, and with that, came the guilt.

Red had no idea how far she had wandered, distracted by her aimless thoughts, however the sound of a squealing bird caught her attention quickly and her keen eyes happened upon the scene of an arrow piercing the strange bird to a tree just moments before. With her dark eyes narrowing, she followed the projectile from where the arrow came and saw a man in the distance garbed in White, a 'cute' effort of matching his horse she supposed. She was seconds away from tearing off her cloak and letting her wolf form take over to nip at the beasts legs as some sort of pennance for killing such an innocent creature, but the shadows of the forest instead caught her attention.

At first she didn't even see the man standing in the center of where the shadows seemed to be coming from, even with her wolf eye-sight it took a bit of adjusting to find his outline. It didn't help that he was wearing all black either, but thats when her sense of scent kicked in...something smelt...off about him.

"H-hello?" She called out to him tentatively, taking a few steps closer towards the strange man, no longer interested in the man in white who had just taken off on his horse.

There had been an appropriate sort of...stillness to the area effected by his presence. The bird had previously caught him off-guard, followed up quickly by his 'friend' Day...Night could almost believe that bad 'things' came in threes, especially when he saw a red riding hood.

Thankfully, it wasn't Sun, but that meant dealing with what would happen next. There were certain expected behaviors associated with meeting normal civilians of this or another kingdom, most would just turn back around, or gasp and turn back around, or faint. With his gnarly black armour worn in it's entirety, it only puzzled him when she drew nearer still.

"..."

"Tell me, miss...be you thief, or murderer?" Such a simple question, with a simple answer. Unasked. If Night wasn't so, just so hopeful that this innocent enough looking human wasn't a criminal, maybe he'd have asked her. One thing the shade disliked was inspiring dishonesty in his actions, in himself.

"..."

The question seemed further and further away with each passing second, so he decided to settle for another, "What are you still doing here...?!" The question was asked in a harsh whisper, but without a single living creature within the effected area, it came out as clear as day and as piercing as an arrow. Night regarded her from where he stood, expecting an...interesting response.

The brunette let out a laugh, a strange yet welcoming contrast to the quietness of the woods. She walked closer still to Night, though her steps were cautious; not because of fright, just wariness. She lowered her red hood, letting her dark hair fall free to her shoulderblades and ran her fingers through her locks a few times before she felt that her hair was sitting right.

"You mean you can't tell?" She asked, her tone teasing and light.

"Look, I normally don't run into people this deep in the woods, the least I could do was see if you were okay." She added on, her tone changing to that of seriousness. She stopped walking when she was about twenty feet away from the looming dark figure, and what was stranger still was that she wasn't able to see him any better then when she was a hundred feet away; despite her keen eyesight. The shadows that covered him were just too...dark, but his presence didn't feel as such.

The easiness of her tone, of her way of speaking, her line of questioning, her laughing..."Don't you know it's the nature of an injured beast to want to be left alone?!" Night didn't mean to snap at her like this, but jealousy inside of him boiled over. This woman, here...she could save her laughter, her questioning, her teasing for somewhere more pleasant, brighter, surrounded with friends and family. Relaxing his tense shoulders, he spoke more quietly as a follow up to his momentary outburst, crossing his arms over his chest soundlessly...which was 'odd', since the gnarliness of his armour should have made for something with a more distracting array of sound, "Forgive me, for such an outburst...I am fine, I..."

As if on cue, his black horse trotted over from behind the bush to stand beside him. From all angles, this was just a regular horse in every respects, but their past journeys together remonstrated such notions. Reaching to gently run a hand over the horse's shiny mane, Night turned his helmed head to face the girl once more, and more confidently this time, "An array of criminal and fiend hide in the darkest reaches of this forest. Are you a fiend, or are you perhaps a fool...?"

Stepping away from his horse, he stepped soundlessly over to the already decaying corpse of the corrupted bird. Pointing down at it, "Tell me, are you a dumb animal such as this?" Asking to to her rather coldly, looking her in the eye, he shifted a boot onto the black stained creature and crushed it under foot into the dirt.

A muscle in Red's jaw clenched at his initial outburst however the arrival of the horse had her keep her tongue. Strange, she didn't hear or smell the horse approaching like she normally would have. This caused her brow to quirk in question as she watched the man pet the animal. She was about to answer his question with a rather snide remark but again was cut off short, this time by his actions. The crunching of tiny, hollow bones reached her sensitive ears quickly and she was unable to help but run a few paces towards him angrily.

"STOP!" Now she was ten feet away where she slowed down and eventually held her position, even more leery now upon her approach. "The bird is already dead, you need not harm it more...that's just cruel." She knew that she probably sounded like a stupid little girl to him, but if there was one thing she couldn't stand it was disrespect towards a creature, living or not. Without even so much as waiting for an apology from him (which she highly doubted she'd get anyway) she threw up her hands in defeat.

"Well it seems you're fine, so I'll be on my way." She jabbed, sounding more angry with him than anything now, annoyed with his actions. She should have figured him for one of the Evil Queen's guards long ago, he matched the persona though the outfit didn't quite match up. With an irritated shake of her head, indicating to him that she was disappointed in him, she turned on her heel to walk in the opposite direction, pulling her red hood back up and over her head.

Under that helmet, Night's eye didn't leave the red of the girl's hood till it was engulfed by the green of the forest as she left through the brush. The forest may have been a dangerous place, like he had previously mentioned, but...something told him that the young woman would be alright. Now, lifting a boot off of the bird, there was nothing more than bones left where it had fallen. Crouching down, the gauntlets on his hands dispersed into the air, like a fine black mist. With his fingers, carefully picking up each bone and bone fragments, he set them on the palm of his other hand. Soon, he had a handful of bones...

Going over to the tree it had been previously pinned to, with the gnarly metal of his armoured boot, he kicked a little hole into the dirt in front of it. This would be...enough...

[reem]

"Of course," Jim said as he shook Thomas' hand, agreeing to go over a bit of business regarding his mother. The cook mentioned a visitor, and Captain Hawkins followed Thomas through the castle to the guard house. The visitor seemed to carry himself as a knight. He sat on an armored horse, giving Captain Hawkins a not so friendly look.

"Oh, look at pretty boy over there. I think he has a crush on you," Flint squawked.

Being cautious of his actions, he allowed the man to approach in hostility. Even at the edge of the sword, this man demanded to know if he was a friend of Captain Hook. Jim did not want to create trouble so he obliged.

"I am not your enemy. I am Captain Hawkins and I spent years tracking Hook down, the question is who are you looking for? Hook or I? "

"Or why doesn't pretty boy put his sword down and fight like a man!" Flint spat.

[Optimist]

"Oi! Lads, sheath your bloody swords! Charming, he is not your enemy. By all that I hold sacred I swear it is the truth!" Of course, there was not much that he held sacred, but he did value his mother's life and reputation above his own.

He threw himself between the two men and tried to push them apart, despite his diminutive three foot tall form. The guards are taking and interest now and placing bets on who would win the fight. They were bloody useless in Thomas's opinion.

[DragonBeastMode]

Charming

Charming got off of the man called Hawkins, and helped him up. "Sorry... you just never know these days." Charming looked at the bird, thinking it would make a good soup for later if it didn't shut it's trap. "Well I was actually coming here to ask Thomas if he would join in my fight against The so called Dark One." He looked at Thomas. "Thomas you know that a Prince of my stature would only ask for help in a grave time of need." He told Thomas and Hawkins that he needed to find the Dark One, if he found him he would break the spell over Snow White and she would return. "What were you coming here for, if your not a enemy of mines then you must be a future ally." He looked at Hawkins, and Charming put out his hand as a truce.

[reem]

"Apology accepted, I actually am here on behalf of a cause not unlike your own. There is great evil that must be stopped and I search for warriors to defend the good in our world. So if you truly seek to defeat the so-called 'Dark One' then you must be of some noble spirit. We are but three, we need an army for this kind of warfare, and magical defense against the dark magic," Captain Hawkins proposed.

"I happened to have a magical map that can take us anywhere our dreams desire. I have been using this to locate future candidates for this quest which brought me to Thomas... and you. Before we set off on our course, do you have anyone else that would join us?"

[DragonBeastMode]

Charming

Charming took some time to think. "Umm... if we can find my friend Red Riding Hood maybe she could help. She's a very powerful girl, don't take her pretty looks as a weakness." Charming started to look down. "The last time I saw her she was in the woods going home I think. But I've lost track of her." Charming was frustrated. "If the Dark One hadn't have took Belle she would've helped." Charming started to smile. "I know someone who might help, but she's a bit tricky we use to be friends until she killed a friend of mines, don't let her come to close to you I'll handle her, we've been in battles before." Charming got back on his horse. "I think she's at a bar near the sea, listen Thomas and Hawkins, she's pretty dangerous now that she's turning evil every day, but she owes me a favor after what I did for her." Charming order his knights to go tell the kingdom to start recruiting volunteers for the fight. "Let my men and women know that if they want to live in a safe place, they will need to help make it safe." Charming looked back at Hawkins. "Even though Ariel can be a hand full, I know she can be of good use, fight dark magic with dark magic... but I'll say it again be very careful around her."

[Optimist]

Thomas felt a little better now that the two men were getting along. He certainly did not wish to turn down his old friend, but he had already given his hand to Captain Hawkins, in agreement. Such agreements weren't lightly broken. Still, the two had seemed to have a bit of a pissing contest at first. He was not sure which one was in charge now, nor if they would be able to come to an accord on that particular point. He would play along until the two figured it out.

"First there's me mum to take care of, and then we can be about this grand adventure. Give me an hour to say goodbye and to take care of some business, and then we can be off."

[YamiCuoreLaroux]

Oh, great. He actually sat down next to her. Lovely.

The man had made all sorts of ridiculous attempts at conversation in the last several minutes, quickly wearing her patience down. "Yer jus' shy, aren'tcha? You ought ta smile, ya look so serous..." Why didn't he take a hint or pass out already? The only reason why she hadn't attacked him yet was because she was trying not to get thrown out of here. Just ignore him, maybe he'll get bored...

"You know what? I bet I know what'll get'cha to smile. Come with me." He grabbed one of her arms and tried to get up.

That's it.

A resounding 'clang' sounded as the frying pan collided with his face. Less chance of keeping the fool from trying it ever again, but a better chance of her not being thrown out of her place to stay for the night. Sadly, once hadn't been enough to keep him down, apparently. He was already getting back up, shocked at the blood running from his nose. "What gives you any reason to touch me?!" Another smash to the skull put him out quickly, giving her more satisfaction than she'd had all day. "You're hardly a man, are you? The mere children in my homeland would laugh in your face!" She laughed out loudly, completely forgetting her original goal to stay unnoticed.

"Aye! That wench just decked Jonas!" Oh bugger.
Turning around, she could see a couple of men getting up from their table. They were obviously a lot bigger than her, though it would seem they'd had a bit to drink recently as well. Karin stepped back, laughing a bit more nervously. "Ahah...you believe me when I say that he started it, right?" The fact that they continued advancing only seemed to prove that either they didn't hear or didn't care. Either way, she wasn't going to just wait for them to decide her fate. She threw the bowl left on the table at them and started running. Her smaller size would make it easier to get through the crowd, though she didn't count on them dodging the bowl and it hitting someone else in the head. Nor did she count on this person just punching the first person he saw into somebody else's table.

Before long, this would be far too lively of an evening.

[Lord Wyron]

Collaboration between GuardianAngelHaruki and Ghost Shadow
--
Heather sighed as she finished cleaning up the water with the rag and placing it into the bucket. "And now for his dinner," She said to herself.

As she searched for the kitchen, she grumbled insults about the imp under her breath. But how hard could cooking be? Cooking was just another form of chemistry...right? She soon reached the kitchen and looked through the ingredients. When she saw what she had to work with, she decided out loud "Soup it is..."

A noise that sounded like a person singing began off in the distance; quiet and almost incomprehensible. The voice began to grow in volume and clarity, with the nonsensical lyrics becoming clearer to hear:

"'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun the frumious Bandersnatch."

Heather blinked at the sound of the new voice and muttered "That voice-"
As the song kept going on, the iconic grin of the Cheshire grin appeared floating in the air, followed closely by his eyes as he began to appear in front of the young doctor. The Cat continued his strange song as he continued to appear atop one of the counters of the kitchen.

"He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought—
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.

And as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!"

The Cat tilted his head peculiarly at Dr. Jekyll as he finished the verse, "I thought you could use a bit of company." He told her in a friendly enough tone, though it still held the sharp edge of haughtiness as it always did.

"How thoughtful, but that's not the only reason why you're here, is it, Mr. Cheshire?"

As she had answered the Chesire Cat, she tried to recall what Poole had said about cooking soup. He mentioned something about making soup...what was it again? She chopped up the vegetables as she thought about it.

"Well, look who's brain has returned from holiday." He complimented with a snarky tone to his voice as he disappeared from his original spot, appearing next to the cutting board and looking down at the vegetables.

Heather retorted to his backhanded compliment with a roll of her eyes, "It was only on holiday because it had a hard time with the shock of talking to a huge cat with a wide grin on its face. Anyone from my world would be like that."

"It seems you've neglected to follow my advice of watching your words, eh? I may not be the most polite of gentlemen - err....gentlecats? I'll think more on it. But I digress, I am capable of giving useful advice when the whim strikes me." He explained casually, motioning with his paw as one might do with a human hand to help enunciate his points.

"I am well aware that your advice was very good advice. Unfortunately, my desperation got the better of me,"

She then looked to the cat and asked, "Let me guess. That concoction he gave you...it didn't work and you're here to talk to him again?"

:Two for two, you're on a roll." The Cat complimented, looking directly at her as his tail swished about nonchalantly. Noticing the obvious bruises and marks on her face, his eyes narrowed. "Yes...your desperation is quite plain, it seems." He said, in a sincerely serious tone; his grin unfortunately making him look jovial, but the look of his eyes was enough.

"It was poor courtesy of me to leave you. By chance, I could have stopped him." The Cat said in an almost saddened tone. The thought of more people being hurt because of his direct involvement reminded him too much of that which he lost that was most dear.

After he apologized, Heather patted the cat's head kindly and she said "It's alright. I could've ended up with worse than these cuts and bruises. And the fault lies with...well...the dark part of me." She rolled her eyes just thinking about it. "He just had to see her."

"Rumpelstiltskin is no fool. He seeks a foothold, of sorts; searches for possible weaknesses to use against those he makes deals with. For you, he knows how to...turn you." The Cat said, obviously in lack of a better word to describe the beast that he had only heard of and not yet *seen*.

She recalled how Rumpelstiltskin was interested in finding out why Hyde wasn't affected by magic and figured he wanted to know so he could use magic against Hyde.
"That's true...But she's proven to have a great and useful strength here, despite being beaten."

"For me, the Imp knows my past. I owe him two or three favors now, and he tricked me for them. In the end, all I sought was my humanity, and my freedom. I received neither." He said, his paw moving up to the key around his neck again. As if the item brought him some semblance of solace for the lost.

"My condolences," Heather said softly, trying to sympathize.

"I think I shall stay around here for a few days. Rumpelstiltskin may be the most powerful creature in the Enchanted Forest, but I doubt even he can keep cats out. We come and go as we please." He said in his usual sharp, prideful tone.

"I suppose that is true. But still, if I were you, I'd be careful." Heather retorted, adding the beans and chicken to the soup. She started to stir, trying to get the flavor of the ingredients to meld within the broth.

"My dear doctor, if I was ever careful there'd be no fun in this life." The Cat said in a humorous manner as he paced to and fro on the counter.

"Besides, Rumpelstilskin won't kill me as long as I owe him a favor. I believe one of his few weaknesses, aside from his overconfidence is his penchant for deals, barters, and trades. I'll be fine." He reassured.

"Speaking of which, I must speak to him on this trade. One misses the prospect of being able to use one's handssss." He said with a growl to his voice.

Jekyll's worries weren't easily quelled by the cat's reassurances.

"As much as I would love to point you in the right direction, I have no idea as to where he's gone off to. I only know that he should be back here, in this castle, to eat his dinner at sundown. So, I recommend staying instead of going off to find him."

"Well then, I could make myself comfortable rather easy. Cats are adaptable creatures, you know." He informed pridefully. "But I prefer your company to that of rats and spiders." He said in a form that made Heather raisee an eyebrow, not sure if it was meant to be a compliment or an insult.

"So then. Tell me of this beast you have a habit of turning into?" The Cat asked her neutrally.

"Evelyn Hyde...she's the result of an experiment of mine. I had tried to separate my own darker impulses from my conscious with a concoction of my own. It worked, but not in the way I thought it would. Now, Evelyn is my dark side that comes out when I'm either in danger, angry, or asleep. She holds no regard for human life, and finds killing to be nothing more than sport,"

The Cat listened patiently, one of his ears twitching reflexively as they picked up other strange sounds that were quite prevalent throughout the castle.

Heather was looking at the floor as she stirred, and her hand moved quicker, stirring the soup faster, as she commented "I hate Hyde for what she's done and for having no regrets about it,"

"Hm...interesting." The Cat commented cryptically. "I'm sure I could charm this 'Hyde' persona of yours. I suppose I'll see soon enough. The Imp, udoubtedly will call on her once again." He said calmly, hopping down from the counter onto the floor.

Heather groaned "I hope not. Because she may try to kill him again, or Rumpelstiltskin may have her kill someone instead of doing it himself,"

"He is as cruel as he is unpredictable. It's very rough justice all 'round. You, be on your guard." He warned her seriously, once more.

Heather nodded at his warning seriously, and said "Will do."

"But, take solace. You have the whole castle to yourself at the moment. Such an opportunity may not come again for some time." He said, his grin widening somewhat.

"That's right..." She was definitely curious and she did want to look around. But she knew that the imp probably wouldn't be lenient with her if he had burnt soup or had any complaints about it. She didn't know whether the imp would be a picky eater or not considering his childish facade.

"You're holding back." The Cat observed. "Afraid of your master?" He asked her in a somewhat taunting manner. "There's nothing he can do to you. You are worth too much to him at the moment. Have no fear. I'm going to go exploring for a bit, maybe find a nice spot for a nap. You may join me, if you wish." He offered her which earned him an offended look in return.

Without waiting for a response, he slowly began to fade away once more; bit by bit, but not without continuing his song.

"One, two! One, two! and through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.

And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"
He chortled in his joy.

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe."

As he continued to sing the song, more and more of him kept disappearing until he was naught but a grin. His voice became a strange echo before fading away to nothingness at the last word.

She could always say that she wanted to make sure that the cat didn't break anything, on the off chance that Rumpelstiltskin asked her why she went exploring.
"Now I have an excuse to do so."

She put out the fire, and put the lid on over the pot so the soup wouldn't get cold and she went off to go find The Cat, as well as explore the palace a bit.

[Guardian Angel Haruki]

Collaboration between Ghost Shadow and I

"I wonder where that cat went..." Heather muttered as she looked around. She had found the library and the dungeons, and now she had entered a bedroom. It was clearly not Rumpelstiltskin's, from what she could guess anyways. The furniture and the bedsheets were far too feminine. Though the Cat was nowhere to be seen, she could still hear the sound of his singing resounding through the halls of the castle with no discernible source except everywhere and nowhere all at the same time.

"How doth the little crocodile
Improve his shining tail,
And pour the waters of the Nile
On ev'ry golden scale!
How cheerfully he seems to grin,
How neatly spreads his claws,
And welcomes little fishes in
With gently smiling jaws!"

As Heather looked around, she was getting slightly annoyed at the fact that the cat couldn't be discerned anywhere specific. Before she could say anything though, she heard the cat howl as though he were in extreme duress before a horrible silence fell throughtout the castle.

"Cheshire? Cheshire, are you alright? Where are you?"

She was prepared to help the cat if he was hurt. She was a doctor after all, she could tend to wounds if the situation called for it.

Though there was nothing to answer her call, a strange order of sounds came from one of the nearby sitting rooms. Shuffling, groaning, and clattering as something fell to the floor; resounding an echo off the old, wooden floors. Heather hurried over to where the sounds were coming from and she saw, not a cat, but a human man instead.

The man who lay, nearly unconscious, in place of the Cat began to rise very slowly. He appeared well-dressed for the time, sporting a dull-brown colored frock coat with a plaid pattern over a burgundy colored double-breasted waistcoat with a golden floral pattern alongside a white button-up shirt. A golden cravat occupied his neck and he wore black-colored trousers about his legs and light brown leather shoes to compliment his feet. A gold-chained fob watch nestled itself in one of his waistcoat pockets.

The man himself appeared to be indeed quite handsome: His frame was tall and slim, though his shoulders were broad. His face was sharp and finely boned, yet slim and not at all unattractive. His dark brown hair was messily splayed about, yet maintained the appearance of both style and formality. His eyes were a light blue color that seemed to stand out among the rest of his apperance. Around his neck was the same heart-shaped key that the Cat shared.

Heather widened her eyes, and her mouth was open in a slight gape, at the sight of the handsome man. Had it not been for the key around his neck, and for his voice, Heather probably wouldn't have been able to recognize him as Cheshire.

"Wh-what happened?" The man asked, obviously confused as to what was going on. As he finished speaking, he seemed to grind his teeth together, looking discombobulated. "That's...strange."

:It looks like we're both wrong on that concoction you had. It worked...with a delayed effect. You're human, Cheshire!" She answered. Heather then suddenly heard Hyde comment in her thoughts
"And he's a fine piece of work right there,"
After Hyde gave a mental wolf whistle, Heather's face morphed into confusion and surprise and she couldn't help but yelp out "What?!" in reaction to Hyde's comments, a blush evident on her face.

"Human? It worked? I'm...I'm free?" As if to convince himself, he swept over to a mirror that hung against the drying, cracked wall. Though the mirror wasn't in much better shape, it was enough to show an image. "I'm free." He said in disbelief, his hands moving up to meet his face, running through his mess of hair.

"After all these years." He said in a hushed, almost reverent tone before abruptly interrupting his reverie as Heather shouted. "What? Taken aback? I told you I was charming." He said with a flirtatious smirk.

Heather blushed and stuttered, embarassed by her sudden outburst.
"N-n-n-no! It's-It's not you. It's Hyde, I'm shouting about-"

Her blush darkened even more when Hyde started imagining things Jekyll wouldn't dare imagine, and she yelped, somewhat angrily, as she turned away from Cheshire "Hyyyde!"

The Cat, well, not *a* cat, seemed to take this outburst as a compliment, and as if on cue began straightening his clothing; dusting off his coat lapels, straightening his cravat, and mussing up his hair.

"It's been so long since I've been human. So many old...parts are back." He stated, obviously still in shock from the sudden transformation. "I'm still the Cat you used to know. Just...not a cat anymore. New and improved!' He said, holding his arms out to enunciate the fact.

Heather turned back to look at Cheshire, her blush gone, and she had calmed down, and she commented after she cleared her throat with a fist in front of her mouth, "I can tell. Congratulations, Cheshire,"

"Yes, thank you. Cheshire...that simply won't do for a human anymore. I've...I've forgotten my old name." He said in a hushed tone, serious. Heather blinked, unbelieving that someone could forget their own name. "Amazing, the things you can forget." He went sadly, sitting down in one of the dusted chairs.

"But things are looking on the up and up. I can find myself a new name, start a new life." His eyes darted to her for a moment, "Find a wife." He said lastly, crossing one leg over the other. This new form seemed to give him more confidence, if such a thing were even possible.

Trying to ignore that last bit and not blush, Heather came to a realization.

She said to him seriously "Wait a minute. I don't think you're out of the woods yet, in a manner of speaking. There's still the matter of whether or not this transformation is permanent or not. I don't think you would want to turn into a cat again."

Cheshire's smile seemed plastered on his cheeky face, grinning from ear to ear in a manner not unlike his very same grin in cat form. However, on her hypothesis, the smile quickly dissipated.

"No, I...never thought of that." He said, rising slowly. "I suppose the only thing to do is wait and see what happens, eh?" He suggested with a small smirk, looking her up and down. Now that he felt truly...normal, he could take time and appreciate the 'form' of the girl in front of him.

"Or you could talk with the imp and make sure it stays permanent..."

He looked her up and down as one would observe a new sculpture, raising his eyebrows and nodding to himself as if she wasn't even there. "Well, my observations are finished!" He proclaimed cheerily, ignoring her last statement, that same smile shone on his face once more. Though this time it looked much more normal...more human.

When he made his proclamation, Heather couldn't help but notice how natural his smile was, and it made him look even better than before. She couldn't help but feel the joy he felt when he smiled like that. She shook her head of such romantic thoughts, and she asked "I'm sorry, observations? I'd be more worried about the concoction's permenance if I were you."

"From my point of view, I see it two ways: one, I can worry over my potion that could potentially return me to cat form, or two, enjoy this time now. As a human." He said, putting his hands in his coat pockets, shifting his weight from one foot to the other and back again.

"Plus, it seems you and Hyde enjoy this attention." He said with yet another smirk and playful shrug.

Heather tried to keep herself from blushing though failing miserably as she commented seriously, "Hyde's enjoying the attention. I for one remember that you were a cat, and that we just met today. For all I know, you could be hacking up a ball of fur any moment now. No offense intended."

Heather liked to think of herself as a woman of reason and science, who wasn't easily swayed by her own emotions.

"Eh, you could. Or you could assume I'm just a devilishly handsome man with renewed vigor and...potency." He said, letting the words practically roll off his tongue. But he appeared to be done with his flirtatious comments as he headed towards the door.

"I need to walk around - on two legs. Been some time. If you change your mind, which I'm sure you will, you need just say so!" He proclaimed with a small flourish before he was out the door and down the hall.

As he started walking, she followed him, and she said as she walked with him, "I'm only walking with you in case you fall over, or need help," She knew that if it had been a long time since he walked on two legs, then he would no doubt be shakey, so she figured that he would need the help.

Cheshire only smirked in response. And true to her words, he did oft stumble or trip over his own two legs. The weight distribution issue that came with practically losing half your legs would be crippling for some time. Heather managed to catch him, and help him stand up, holding his arms during the incident.

"Ah, yes, thank you." He said graciously as he tried walking up and down the hall once more. This was so familiar and yet so new at the same time. A limbo of emotion and ownership at the same time.

"You're welcome." She walked with him up and down the hall once again. She could see that his was going through a lot of emotion, and she remained patiently silent, smiling a little. It seemed that he got what he wanted, and she was happy for him.

"Now then, let's sit down for a bit. I'm still getting used to all my old faculties." He said as he tried walking back to the sitting room where he could rest his legs. "So, doctor." He began casually, "I assume you're in servitude of Rumpelstiltskin to 'free' yourself from Hyde, yes?" He guessed, scratching his chin as he spoke.

Once he was sitting down, she sat down in a different chair, next to his, and when he asked about her deal with Rumpelstiltskin, she answered "You are correct. My condition in the deal was that I become Rumpelstiltskin's apprentice and that I would never go back to my own world,"

"Steep deal. Undoubtedly he'll try and find some way to benefit himself at the sake of your own happiness." He said, leaning back in his chair as he spoke.

"As long as they're safe from Hyde...that's all that matters," She muttered to herself with a nod, looking at the floor.

"Does Hyde...wish to come out now?" He asked, straightening up his posture. "I am still quite intrigued at the prospect of a different you." He said with a small smile, hoping to show there were no ulterior motives.

Heather lifted her head and gave Cheshire a look as though he had just grown another head, and gained pink polka dots on green skin. She answered him "Yes, but she's not coming out, because 1) I'd rather not lose my virginity over a fling, and 2) she'd kill you once she's done with you. She's already ranting about praying mantises in here," She poked at her head when she spoke the last two words,

She could hear Hyde whine "Awww! Didja have to tell him that, Heather? You're no fun at all!"

"Well, there's nothing wrong with the first part!" Cheshire objected with his trademark grin.

Jekyll glared at Cheshire's objection and said "A respectable scientist such as myself does not go and sleep around like that,"

"I mean, it's no question you're attractive." He went on confidently, sure to offer just the smallest of winks.

When he complimented her, she managed to keep away a blush and she looked away a bit saying "Thank you."

She never thought herself to be attractive. As a scientist, not many men were interested in her. She figured it was because she wasn't the type to be an idiotic yet loving housewife that they wanted.

"Do I count as sleeping around? Hm, interesting." He said, just now hearing her last comment, and abruptly switched moods. No doubt trying to get used to this new form once again, his behaviors and movements were erratic at best.

"What-No! We haven't gone that far! UGH!" Jekyll blushed.

"I guess you preferred the cat, eh?" He asked, deathly serious.

She had no answer for him. She just rubbed her temples in irritation, trying to get rid of the rising headache.

She was getting quite frustrated at how easily confused she was getting and she asked "All of your flirting is making me dizzy," She then decided to ask him, "Don't you have family you want to go and see as a human?"

Cheshire's grin was quite plain as Heather seemed to have trouble comprehending the art of flirting. His smile was, however, quickly lost when she mentioned family.

"No..." He responded coldly to her question, his eyes narrowed and his mouth curved into a deep frown.

Memories hit him like a slap in the face as his hand instinctively went to the key around his neck, fingers enclosing around the cool, metal surface.

A shudder began to overtake his body as the memories practically exploded in front of his face.

A glint of tears seemed to create a sheen over his eyes as all the memories he had hidden away before were releasing against him. Jekyll blinked when he answered coldly but noticed his facial expression. She felt horrible as she saw tears pour down his face. All because she asked about his family. She must've brought up some really horrible memories.

That very same day that his fate was sealed. The look on her face as they laid her head down on the cold stone of the headsman's block, the bite of the Executioner's axe as it felt for its mark before rising to strike.

Her pleading eyes had met his in the courtyard. "Help me, please..." She had tearfully asked of him, the one task he could not fulfill as both of them knew what was about to happen.

The Queen, that wretched creature on her throne; as beautiful as sin and as cruel as venom had given the fatal command.

Everything stood still, a terrible silence as time itself groaned to a halt, as if giving a moment's peace.

The Headsman's axe rose above his head as it prepared to deliver the killing stroke. The girl on the block, a teenager no older than 16 desperately looked about for her brother's face, a final comfort...but he had disappeared. Turned and ran, played craven, turned coward.

He had ran faster than he ever had his entire life, the only sound being his boots on the stone pathway and the sound of each labored breath and heartbeat pounding in his ears. The sound of the axe carving though muscle, bone, and skin resounded throughout the courtyard. He never stopped running...never stopped......never stopped.

On the surface, Cheshire struggled to keep his composure together as tears seemed to flow down with every breath. He had buried the memories in time, drowned them in his sorrow, and yet they still lived on.

She looked sadly and she said to him sincerely, as she held his hand again "I'm so sorry..."
Of course...what good were apologies? They weren't any good at all, she knew that. An apology wasn't going to fix the wrong she had committed.

Cheshire had turned away from her, too proud to let her see him in so broken a state. His hand reached up to the key again. This...last memento, this only remaining piece of her he had left.

"Memory is a curse more often than a blessing." He finally said, his voice seeming to gain some composure.

"The past must be paid for. The cost of forgetting is high." He said, as if to convince himself.

"This is...truly embarassing." He finally said *actually* looking at her again. "Our worst traitor can be ourselves at times. Emotion is a necessary evil. It can build or destroy as it will." He said, seeming to act more like the Cat she knew as he recovered from his small breakdown.

Heather was silent as he spoke, not as a flirt, but as the clever cat...er, man...whatever she had met earlier. She sighed and said intellectually, trying to console Cheshire, "Memory...is what you make of it, but it's important to not lose any of them. It is only through memory that we can do anything to honor those who are gone,"

"Only a few find the way; some don't recognize it when they do; some don't ever want to." Cheshire responded, equally as intellectual. He grabbed the key, pulling it up and over his head.

He held his hand out towards Heather, wanting her to take it. "This belonged to my sister. It was the key to her diary. A kindly guard gave it to me in the dungeon after her execution." He said, somewhat revealing the reasoning behind his emotional breakdown.

Heather blinked when he took the key off around his neck and held it towards her. After he mentioned what the key was and who it was from, as she held it and looked at it, she handed the key back to Cheshire, knowing how important it was to him.

She said as she gave the key back to Cheshire, "I see. Once again, I am terribly sorry for your loss."

"Duly noted." He replied, taking the key and returning it to its spot around his neck. "Her death was my punishment. I was not, shall we say, civil with the Queen. She didn't like my attitude. So, being the malignant bitch that she was, she had my sister executed to teach me manners. Surprisingly enough, that didn't help my mood. And soon it was my head on the chopping block." He confessed, his voice sharp, but not directed at her.

Heather listened carefully, and she found that she didn't like this Queen he mentioned at all. She commented sincerely after he had told her "That's horrible. Why is such a woman like that Queen?"
She quickly amended "You don't have to answer that if you don't want to."

"No, no, it's fine. The Queen rules under totalitarian regime. She is Queen because there are none able to challenge her power. I was the closest thing to a rebel she ever had to deal with. Even earned a nickname...The 'Dark of Heartness'." He said in a dark tone, obviously proud of such a title.

Heather muttered "Right. And if anyone else who could challenge her came along, then they'd be too scared to do it," She noticed that he seemed proud of his nickname, but she didn't comment on it. She asked "Where does this Queen rule anyways?"

"Queensland." The Cat responded bluntly. "Aptly named, if you ask me. Demonstrates her humility and self-sacrifice for the people." He said sarcastically, an edge of bitterness to his voice.

"Though she wishes to expand her rule, she is still limited to her own land. But I believe she will try and spread out as much as she can. Absolute rule is her destiny, as she believes." Cheshire explained seriously.

"But enough of the Queen. The memories hurt me. I need a new name." He said, abruptly changing the subject.

Heather agreed "You're right. How terribly rude of me! I'd be happy to help you come up with a new name,"
She asked "Let's see...I don't suppose there are any initials on your person...like on a handkerchief or something like that?"

"Not that I recall." Cheshire responded, obviously confused as he was thinking hard. "I like words and names that begin with the letter 'A'. Ansem, Alexandre, Arcade, Adamska, Andrew, Aiden, Albert, Adrien, things like that. Or maybe names with 'S', those are good too." He said, quite erratically as he was bouncing off names quickly on the spot.

Heather thought through all of the names she had ever heard carefully, and suggested "Let's see...How about Axel? Axel Stevenson?"
She thought the name Axel suited Cheshire, but of course, she knew that it was entirely up to him.

"Axel? That sounds preposterous!" He exclaimed, looking almost disgusted. "We need something more...more refined. Formal. Alexandre, yes....that wil work well enough." He said, as if speaking to no-one in particular.

"Alexandre Frost." He finally said after thinking a few moments. "Classy, refined, inspiring, intimidating. I like it!" He proclaimed with a dark grin.

Heather nodded and said, trying to ignore the dark grin on his face, "Alright then. Alexandre Frost. It's nice to meet you,"
She figured she might as well say it. It's as good of an introduction that she was going to get.

"Indeed." He responded with a smile and a short bow, taking her hand in his and kissing it with another flirtatious smile.

Heather blushed again when he smiled, bowed, and kissed her hand with a flirtatious smile. She knew that he was going to flirt with her again, so she cleared her throat, and she suggested "Why don't we go look around the castle some more?"

"Yes, let us be off." He agreed cheerily enough, heading out the door.

[CallaLily180]

Collaboration Of; YoshiSkittelz As Rumpelstiltskin, Huntress As Belle, CallaLily180 As Mushu

With no tears remaining Belle eventually stopped crying, sitting around in the middle of the forest. She hadn’t the slightest on what to do, where to go. She had no one and nowhere. Bringing her knees up she held them tightly as she rested her forehead. Her eyes were closed as she took slow and steady breaths, jaw clenched. All that ran through her mind were images of the wedding, the way Gaston suddenly changed, the reactions of all that watched.

Her head shot up, an unsettling feeling crawling down her spine. She looked around in terror, the wind brought whispers to her ears, she heard her name being called. Her amber eyes studied the forest around her, she saw nothing but she could feel someone’s gaze upon her. Worry was written across her features. Although all these enhanced senses were new to her she still couldn’t get used to it. Were there actual whispers of her name or was she just misinterpreting the sounds of the surrounding forest? She couldn't shake the feeling of prying eyes. Glancing over her right shoulder she still saw nothing. Looking to the ground once again Belle soon brought her forehead to her knees and just looked at the tattered, dirty and torn fabric of her dress. She tried to focus on what was around her.

The pounding of heavy hoofs thundered across the forest floor sending grass and twigs flying as Mushu practically raced against time itself. The horse was noticeably exhausted, he foamed at the mouth and made frequent sounds of agonizing protest. She had to let up, lest the horse die in front of her eyes, it would be quite hard to conceal such a large body. So with a sigh she stopped, her relentless convoy had come to quite an end.

She had to set up camp, she also needed food, water and oats for the damned horse, and something to do. That was all she had on mind really, but what was pounding her the most was the single frightening idea that stuck there. In a deep crevasse, that still seemed high enough to skim; was the thought of what Rumpel, what...the Dark One, would do to her when he found out his maiden was probably dead. It spooked her, and so she hugged herself as if it were to be a good means of defense, as if her arms being wrapped around her small frame could keep her from harm. It couldn't. So with that horrible, treacherous and untouchable thought planted deep inside of her skull she went onwards. Not daring to look back-afraid of what could be hind her-but instead talking to her horse, imagining comfort from it's neighs and whinnies.

After just a small mile or two her horse stopped, rearing viciously and becoming violent; though he looked slightly dazed, a fog covered its eyes and it was scared. She couldn't forgive him as he nearly knocked the wind out of Mushu, hitting her flat in the chest. She was knocked backwards, holding onto the reins until her hand turned a ghostly white. "What in the world!" She screeched as she failed to calm the untamed stallion down.

There was a voice! Her head shot up and Belle looked behind her. Two heartbeats, both quick. Although two different scents entered her nose she was unable to tell what they were, her mind unable to analyze them. Turning her body in the direction of the sound she slowly stood up. Atop a hill in the distance she saw something. It was dark, details difficult to analyze. The tall dark haired woman stepped backwards, not paying attention. Her heel caught on something as she stumbled backwards. Fabric tore as she felt small pricks of pain scrape against her body. A small sound of surprise and annoyance escaped her, an extremely familiar scent entering her nose. But something was different about this one.

Scrambling to her feet she turned around and looked down at what she had tripped on and fallen into. A log; behind it was a bush that was terrifyingly familiar to her eyes. She covered her mouth and nose as she tightly shut her eyes, waiting for the pain to erupt. After a few moments nothing happened and she opened one eye. Cautiously making her way towards the small bush she peeked over the log. Her mind was right, a rose bush it was but the flowers that adorned it were that of a deep, blood red colour. Belle dropped her hands slowly as she got closer to the beautiful, yet dangerous flowers. All roses did not affect her…was this true? Moving even closer the maiden knelt down next to the flowers.

Her bloodstained hand trembled slightly as it reach out towards one of the fully bloomed roses. The petals were soft against her skin as she smiled, a moment of calm for the young woman. “So beautiful…” She spoke to herself as she picked the flower, cautious of it’s thorns. Bringing it close to her she smelled it, her smile becoming brighter. Hearing the frightened neigh of a horse in the distance she snapped out of her small moment of joy. Looking up she watched the animal rear but not approach, it’s rider struggling to keep it calm. Using this to her advantage, Belle turned around and stopped dead in her tracks.

It seemed roses were abundant in the part of the forest; the bushes went on for miles. She dared not take a breath. Although she did not see any of the cursed flowers it was a risk she was not willing to take. Moving backwards again she stopped once she found herself at a fair distance from them, putting her somewhat out in the open. She was closer to whoever was upon the horse but she would rather deal with the person than potentially kill someone who could be innocent. No one deserved to die by her hand; Belle didn’t have the right to kill anyone, if she could avoid it she would.

Throughout all of this Mushu was battling fiercely…with a horse as absolutely mental as she. As it reared she had to move out of the way; plunging to whichever random side of the miniscule clearing. It brought down its massive forefeet, as if intentionally trying to crush her. She identified that this was not the case, but it irked her, it made her think, what if this was intentional? Rumpel most definitely could have done it. She was most definitely going mad, if she wasn’t mentally insane already it was hitting like a tsunami now.

The horse made another quick move, it was surprisingly agile. So in the end she picked up a stick, shattering it into large pieces and throwing a portion at the stallion in front of her. The beast was fazed as it hit his muzzle, he stopped rearing and it seemed as if the smoke had cleared. Mushu couldn’t help it, she was much too relieved by now, and so she fell back; letting loose of the reins, the horse had its eyes set on something she had yet to see, but she didn’t care at the slightest. Until she fell onto someone’s foot…that was a wicked surprise.

Belle jumped as she felt someone behind her. Turning around she watched someone stumble to the ground and quickly backed away. She looked down in confusion and worry. Who was this person, what did they want?

Letting loose a foolish yelp Mushu weakly scrambled back, her dinky face looking up to see one that had been before; the girl was ratty, a tattered gown suggested a formal event, blood suggesting murder or abuse, the red lines of streaked tears revealed grief. Yet the thing she noticed out of all was the face of this girl; her cheekbones, even the curve of her nose mattered. It all lead to the missing girl, the maiden of Rumpel and the talk of her hometown.

“Belle,” she squeaked, her voice high pitched and slightly relieved. This girl meant the world to her, and though it wasn’t emotion that lead to that feeling she couldn’t help the smile that formed, the tear of joy that now streaked her own face. No matter how much she was in need of rest, no matter the pinpricks of pain that tortured her head and back, she got up. Not caring about those limitations, and instead quivering in delight. She had found the girl that would take her out of the trenches!

“Y-You are Belle? Am I correct? Your village, they have been searching for you…I saw the paper…you look like her.” Mushu cleared her throat and walked to her horse, only now realizing that the beast was eying Belle, he seemed quite scared. Scrounging through her saddlebags she found an old apple, it was still in the ripe stages but seemed overdue. It would work as a peace offering though.

Belle watched with caution, it was a woman. Her eyes grew wide when she realized this. At first she thought it was a young man. “Who are you…?” She asked still confused.
“Sorry if I came off as a creep, you’re just an important girl and I needed a sense of consolation before I went back with the wrong stranger.” Mushu broke apart the apple, in a swift motion it was halved. She tossed a half to the girl and bit into the crisp red skin of hers. “My name is Lily.” She mentioned, smiling at her lie and leaning against the horse.
Belle continued to watch the woman. She remained silent for a few more moments. Catching the apple she looked from the fruit to the lady. “How did you find me and what do you want from me?” She questioned. “Who sent you? Was it father? Was it…” She remembered Gaston’s dead eyes. “Who?” Her tone was a little more demanding. “I will not return to that village…I cannot, no matter what anyone says. It’s not safe, not for you and certainly not for anyone in that village. Just leave me be please.” She moved closer to the woman and held out the apple that was given to her.

Mushu sighed, looking over the apple as if Belle were to be crazy. She did not take the apple and instead folded her arms, raising an already arched eyebrow and shaking her head angrily. “I came out here for a pretty copper, they have placed quite the tag on you Belle.” Mushu replied with her usual sharp tone, not even trying to be sweet anymore. It was rare and even less likely than a brick of gold on your path, so why should she try now? Looking up and down at Belle with her own thoughts on who and what she was. He said I had to protect her, not that I had to be nice.

With a casual shrug and a sly smirk Mushu started once more, “I have no idea who ‘father’ is either, but he is probably a grieving mess at home. You do realize that don’t you? Because if you were to be so selfish as to not even grant him a letter, telling him you were safe, well I don’t see why the town bothers.” The words were as sharp as a dagger, and her eyes sharper still. Mushu was trying to pressure Belle into speaking out. “Unless...you have good reason?”

Dropping the apple Belle’s gaze turned slightly more vicious as she clenched her jaw. “Safe? Tell them I’m safe? I am far from safe. It’s better for them to think I’m dead than tell them I’m okay and giving them the hope of seeing me again.” She stepped closer and met the dark eyes opposite hers. This woman hadn’t the slightest, no one could truly understand Belle’s reasons. “Why does it matter to you what the town does? What my family feels? You’re here to collect a pretty penny and that’s it. You might as well turn around and go back to where you came from.” She turned to walk away, there was no sense in wasting her time with this woman. All she wanted was to be alone, away from others so she wouldn’t be able to harm anyone.

Although the woman’s word’s did hit a soft spot Belle tried her hardest not to linger upon it. If the village knew she was dead perhaps they would stop looking. Perhaps if Belle ventured deeper into the forest they would give up. That sounded like something she preferred.

A pair of nearby dark eyes narrowed. Rumpelstiltskin watched the exchange between the two women from a safe distance on a tree branch, arms crossed over his chest with his back leaning against the thicker part of the trunk. To him, it seemed- no, he knew that Belle wasn't about to budge. He had heard that determination in her voice before, though that was arguably under better circumstances. Closing his eyes for a brief moment, he let out a soft, long sigh. Really could he blame her though? She had every right to not want to return to the village, how was she to know that he had spent the last week pillaging the village for the item that caused the very reason of her skeptisism. Sure a few people lost a finger or two, a death-threat here and there...but nothing more than that; he knew Belle would be upset if he had burned the whole village and it's precious pink roses down as he had initially intended.

Rumpelstiltskin opened his eyes back up, looking down upon Belle with a solemn face.

I'm sorry Belle, but I have to...

Aside from going down to the forest floor and dragging Belle to the village himself, there wasn't any other way. Rumpelstiltskin raised his hand, turning his attention to a small thicket of rose bushes nearby and concentrated a small fireball from his hand. It hovered for a moment before he turned to look at Belle one last time. He glanced to Mushu for a second, willing for her to look up at him, to notice his presence.

Mushu couldn’t help it, her focus left the stubborn girl and her mouth was left hang open. She had been in the works of a reply when she saw Rumpelstiltskin, the horrid Dark One himself; with a gleaming fireball focused towards a bush of something she couldn’t notice or see. “We are leaving now little one, no buts.” She said sternly, roughly tugging on Belle’s arm and nodding ever-so-slightly in Rumpelstiltskin’s direction as she tried to get the little missy to mount the huge horse. Rumpelstiltskin nodded back in reply, establishing a mutual, silent understanding that as of now, the deal was in effect.

Belle didn’t enjoy the way she was pulled against her will. Looking towards the woman that was dragging her away. Her gaze was deadly as she glared at the woman. The two approached the horse, the animal not feeling comfortable with Belle’s presence. Yanking her arm out of Lily’s grasp she pulled hard enough to make the woman stumble. “Your horse does not like me…” As if on queue the animal reared on it’s hind legs, coming down as if to trample Belle. She stumbled back and tripped, barely making it out of the horse’s way.

Rumpelstiltskin blinked once, knowing he was running out of time and that damned horse was putting Belle in danger. He unleashed the ball of fire to the rose bushes below, using his other hand to control the rapid flame as it began to spread, isolating a single red rose bush to keep it from burning in it's eventual wake.

The deep blood red rose that had been in Belle’s hand was now destroyed under the horse’s hoof. Getting up slowly she dusted herself off, although it would not make any difference in her attire. Belle went to move away from Lily and her insane horse but stopped as she smelled the burning wood and hedges. She watched as the forest went up in flames. Her mouth falling agape and her eyes wide. She couldn’t be within the safety of the forest anymore…she couldn’t hide…she couldn’t return to the village…could she? What would happen if she went back? Perhaps she could leave in the night, go someplace she could hide, away from others, the thought of hurting others haunted her, it was not something she wanted to experience…ever again.

Mushu groaned, punching her horse’s rough shoulder with no effect. She then turned to Belle, wild eyes and a fierce smirk emerged on her delicate features, with no care for her actions she dived forwards; swiftly dashing towards Belle, once she got to the taller girl she started her work, using her pointer and middle finger to quickly jab at the girl’s pressure points. When finished Belle would slump to the ground, in a peaceful stage of sleep. “Step two, get her on the horse.” She muttered, guiding the horse to the ground beside Belle, and making it kneel for an easier lift.

Mushu sighed, this would be rough, she took the arm of the sleeping beauty and heaved it onto the horse, and she then attempted to hike up one of Belle’s legs. Having visible trouble doing so. It was attached to a heavy body.

Rumpelstiltskin jumped from the tree branch and landed on the forest floor inhumanly lightly. With absolute control over magic there were no repercussions from jumping at such a height. The fire behind him cast an uncomfortable heat at his backside but he seemed not to care. Instead, Rumpelstiltskin walked to Mushu with a stone-cold expression. He raised his hand, making Belle appear to be weightless in assisting Mushu in her small stature.

"I'll over-look the slight detail of taking your life for that, just the once...Mushu..." He said, using her name as if it held power. "You will come by my estate tomorrow morning and we shall discuss more there."

Without waiting for a response, he turned his back and took a couple steps away from Mushu, stopping to stoop down to look at the trampled rose. He waved his hand over the tiny, broken pieces and watched as a swirl of purple smoke circled around it, building the rose back together in its original beauty. He then picked up the rose as gently as if it were made of glass and looked back to the single rose bush he had protected from the flames. Turning in that direction, he moved the fire to his will, creating a path to the rose bush where he found exactly what he was looking for. He plucked a single thorn from the rose bush, the thorn being coated in Belle’s crimson blood from when she had stumbled upon it earlier, and pocketed the thorn with the rat-tail he had collected earlier.

“Sorry sir, there is no one going by the name Mushu here, come back at a later time.” Mushu groaned out as he stood there, once he left she carried on with her duty, picking up the now weightless Belle and placing her on the mighty steed that would carry them to victory. As she mounted the horse for herself she made sure Belle rode in the front, and tied one of the girl’s hands to a rein. With that she flew off, racing and avoiding fire. Today had been quite eventful. She couldn’t wait for tomorrow morning.

Turning his head back Rumpelstiltskin watched the very last of Mushu and Belle’s figures disappear as they ran towards town, and only then did Rumpelstiltskin let up on his magic of controlling the fire and let it spread on its own whim. The fire encircled around him, licking at his dried skin and just as it seemed that the flames would over-take him…he had vanished into a puff of thick, red smoke.

[Silver Carrot]

Collab between Silver Carrot and Goat God

-- The Docks, 2:30am --

There were very few people at the dock this late. Mostly sailors, shiphands, people to hold the rope. One of the figures noticeable in the fog as a woman, in a blue dress and a hat that shadowed her face, long curly blonde hair flowing out behind it. She looked like a peasant girl's image of what an Aristocrat dressed like, except much less flashy. She wanted to stand out, not draw attention to herself. That may seem like a contradiction, to an ordinary mind...

She looked around. Her 'boss' was supposed to meet her here.

Eldest came out of the shadows. He looked like your normal Goat, but he was much more than that. His Horns almost went in a circle, which to his kind, was the best looking. "Your Late." he said with an angry tone. "If you expect to be payed, then be on time." Eldest hated when people didn't go by the rules. Epecially his rules.

The woman smiled politely, with the subtle hints of a sneer behind it. "I got to th docks in good time, but I got distracted. The bakery smelled good, so I popped inside." She reached into her pocket, and pulled out a watch on a chain. "Seven minutes. I don't think that's worth fretting over too much, but let's not waste any more time."

"Yes lets. It has come apparent that you are 'good' spy. The Gruff Gang has been looking into getting one for a while now. You may need to go though... A trail period. You know do a job or two, get some dirt for us." as he said this, he levitated a bottle of boose to his mouth.

The woman put the watch away. "I like to think I'm a good spy, though thievery's more my field. But if you have the money, I'll do it, and I'll do it well. What kind of...trials did you have in mind?" The woman's mouth twitched. Her red lipstick was all that could be seen of her face, due to the shadow of her hat, and the darkness of the docks.

" Hard trials. Your first Task is to infiltrate the Rough Tide. There is a Rival Gang member there. We are not sure what She looks like other than Brght Red Hair. Either Kill her or Bring her to me for questioning." He floats a piece of paper, saying where the Rough Tide is, and How much she would be payed for killing or bringing her. 2,000 for the kill, 3,500 for the questioning. "As you can see, money is no object here at the Gruff Gang. Upond accepting, you will be part of the Gruff Gang, and recieve a Pay Check for working with us." he said, drinking the last drop of his boose. "Damn. Out of drink. Do you accept?"

The moment she heard money mentioned, she smiled. The smile persists for the rest of the conversation. "You had better be here when I bring her alive. And I'll bring her alive. Killing...isn't my style. Taking the option that pays more, however, is." She takes the piece of paper. "By the way, do you have a name besides 'the Eldest Goat'?"

Eldest Turns away from the woman. "No." he says with a sound of pain. He walks away, tossing the empty bottle on the ground. The bottle is empty, and doesn't have a label. "Be here in two days, same time" He shouts as he leaves, out of sight, into the fog.

'Two days?!' thought Goldilocks. 'What am I supposed to do if I catch her before that?' She didn't say that out loud though. That would have turned a few heads towards her. Instead she headed straight for the Rough Tide. There she would possibly find her red-haired lady, but hopefully, it wouldn't be that easy. The most interesting part of a achieving something is the journey, after all.

[A Rainmaker]

Ariel had taken a light sip of the mead when the booth near her erupted into chaos. She watched as the small woman struck down a man with... with a frying pan? Brow knitting in confusion, Ariel shoved her hood back a little because she couldn't have truly seen a... oh my. Amusement sent a flush of warmth through her blue eyes as she watched the man tumble to the dirty floor with a considerably more flattened face. Ariel watched with curiosity as the woman stood up to the advancing men and then bolted. The enchanted knife was still warm, so while everyone ran after the girl or gawked out the swinging door, Ariel bent over the prone man and pretended to be checking his vital signs while pressing the knife's tip against his throat. She stilled, however, wondering if perhaps he wasn't a good kill – obvious, too open, and then the other would surely be accused of murder. Which might not matter much for her, but it was altogether a little too messy. Scowling, Ariel tucked the knife away and quickly left the inn.

She didn't see the woman, but the trail of shouting men was a sufficient guide for Ariel. Catching up to the rear of the group, Ariel deftly tripped a couple men at the rear and blended into the remaining three. As she pretended to double over and caught the arm of one of the men, Ariel peered ahead. She wasn't sure if she was helping the woman or wanted to kill her rather than let some dirty men beat or kill her. Regardless, the man who currently turned to her with his upper lip curled up in a snarl was caught by surprise when her fist caught him in the throat. Eyes springing wide, the man opened and closed his mouth in surprise and groped for his throat. Ariel slammed her knee up into his crotch and shoved him back against a wall before springing forward to catch up to the remaining two.

Ariel stumbled with a stifled cry as the pain in her legs seemed to burn even hotter, calf muscles seizing, though she didn't know if was because of the enchantment or the rarity of exercising her legs. The knife on her hip was rapidly cooling but Ariel's determination wouldn't let her forsake the chase – if she couldn't find the woman and steal her voice, one of the two men would do just as well. Damn it all, she thought, feeling decidedly belligerent. Hooking a right into a narrow passage between houses, Ariel wandered by following the knife's varying temperatures, her pace quickening occasionally with bursts of excitement, each time being quelled by the pain.

Perhaps I should make a deal with that Rumplestiltskin fellow and steal Ursula's powers. That'd make everything so much easier. The thought wasn't an entirely knew one, but it was stronger than usual and as Ariel wove through the town in search of her intended victim, she contemplated the possibilities of killing the vile sea witch and taking her power... but preferably not her form.

[YamiCuoreLaroux]

Karin kept running, but it was getting harder to keep out of reach of the men chasing her. She hadn't actually expected this many people to follow her out of the bar. Maybe the two she threw the bowl at, but what about the other ones? What excuse did they have?

After several minutes of dodging around buildings and other obstacles, she started to notice a little less noise behind her. Taking a chance to glance back, she could see that some of the people had vanished. Probably tired or bored or maybe fallen on their faces. Unless they had gone around and were going to ambush her. But why would they even go to that sort of trouble? Was it really so uncommon for them to get smashed in the face that they were that offended?

People should really hit them more often. Do something about that thin skin of theirs.

Ducking behind another building and finding herself on the docks, Karin looked around for a place to hide. She knew that her body couldn't hold out for much longer, and she was actually a bit surprised to have made it this far. Various barrels and crates lay stacked at certain places on the dock, and would probably be easy to enough to hide in or behind. The one problem with that was that such a hiding place would be pretty obvious. If they weren't absolutely smashed, they would figure it out pretty quickly and start searching the containers.

Then again, they were approaching pretty quickly and underneath the dock wasn't too appealing. If only she wasn't stuck like this, then she could just fight them off! Since all else failed, though she took one more look around before settling on a particular stack of barrels to hide behind. These ones were all tied down with rope and had a couple of crates stacked nearby. Any view of her would be blocked from more than one side, so she could buy herself some time to distract them or find a way get rid of them, hopefully. Crouching down behind the convenient containers, she took a moment to catch her breath and silence it so the men from before wouldn't notice her.

It wasn't long before they were walking down the dock, looking around for their missing target. They would be finding her soon if she didn't hurry, so she took out one of her knives and began to fray the rope.

[reem]

Captain Hawkins gave Thomas some gold, more than the amount he needed to provide for his mother, also purchasing a decent cottage of his choosing that Jim obliging paid for as per his word. After Thomas finished working out the details with his mother. Hawkins looked at his gathered the newest members of his team.

"Charming, if you believe your friend is growing in evil I think we must be very cautious, indeed. She may very well be an enemy. But I've witnessed first hand the light in the darkness, and believe everyone deserves a chance to make things right by doing good and having a change of heart. That being said..." He pulled out the magical map.

"Thomas, Charming: hold on to the map and it will let us travel through space and time itself. It will bring us straight to Ariel," Captain Hawkins said as he waited for the two to hold on. Once they did, he closed his eyes and the magic began working drawing a picture of the seaside town. Before they knew it, they appeared at their destination waiting to approach their target.

[Major Ursa]

(Collaboration Post Featuring YoshiSkittlez's Red Riding Hood & Major Ursa's Black Night)

There wasn't going to be anymore time wasted in that forest. Previously, he had thought that it would have been a safe enough place to hide out and take his rest...the presence of Day, and then the woman in red had shattered the idea. Mounting his horse, Night spurned it into a slow sort of trot for now. The clip-clopping of the hooves on the dirt path, crunching a few prematurely fallen leaves here or there, combined with the rustling of the wind through the leafy tree branches, created a calming sort of ambience. Even with the darkness of his presence, the fingers of the shy sun poking through the leafy canopy made this horseride entirely enjoyable...even if the lack of animal presence (save for his faithful horse) did make the experience yet another lonely one.

It was only a few minutes on horseback, travelling through the forest...that he noticed a steady change to the air. The sparse sun peaking through the trees shouldn't have provided this sort of increase in heat. Proceeding onwards, the heat was increasing steadily, and the air was heavier with a portion of smoke. Bringing his horse to a gallop, he found himself riding into the middle of a forest fire. There were powers he could use to end this, and then there was the balance he firmly believed in maintaining. In order to maintain this balance, naturally occuring or intentional, he would do nothing and let it burn. Let the trees burn, the earth be scorched, the air be soiled by the ash...hopefully, it'd run it's course and exhaust quickly.

Steering his horse a little bit aways from some of the greater fire, the black horse galloped and lept over some burning shrubbery. It seemed like the fire was almost alive and wicked; already engulfing a section of the forest with ease and speed. The shadow didn't have a heart, but something stopped for a fraction of a second when he remembered that the girl in red was still somewhere, trudging through the brush and grass...the now burning brush and grass.

Without even knowing it, he'd halted his horse's movement as the realization struck him...but as soon as he realized this, Night got his horse moving again. Why did it matter that she was still somewhere in there? It would be up to...'fate' to decide whether she lived or died, not him. Would he do this everytime he happened upon a stranger in the woods in need of help? Of course not, the notion of doing such things seemed meaningless. If they were meant to die, they'd die, and that would be the end of it.

Spurring his horse into a faster gallop, he cursed under his breath and yanked the reins to turn the horse swiftly around, going back down the direction he remembered the girl in red walking. With his reasoning, his actions weren't exactly outrageous. If she was meant to die, he'd arrive too late, having wasted his time. And then, for sure, that would be that. And if she wasn't, if she wasn't...

Night didn't even know anymore. Cursing more furiously under his breath, he rode on.

Red didn’t know where she was going, but that wasn’t new by any means as of late. She hadn’t been home in months and still didn’t plan on returning home. In fact, she was sure that she never would. But what was she to do now? She could always return to Snow's resting place and say her goodbye's...again...but she wasn't sure if she would be able to bear seeing the seven dwarves just as wrecked about it as she was. Not to mention Charming...just what the hell was she supposed to say to him if she had accidentally ran into him there?

Hey sorry, I let Snow meet Regina on her own because I thought my boyfriend was a werewolf and was trying to help him...so it's kind of my fault she's dead...

Red shook her head and sighed. Somehow, she just didn't see that conversation going well.

Red had been so lost in thought that her nose hadn't even picked up on the sense that there was something 'wrong' in the air. Or maybe it was because she still sensed the 'strange' about that shadow guy she met in the glen that kept her senses knocked out of place. Despite the reason, she was unprepared when the corner of her eyes caught a flickering yellow light.

Spinning on her heel, Red turned to face the small amount of flames that had crept up on her, though it didn't take long for the foot-high burning grass to become a wall of blazing heat. Blinking, the only thing Red could do was think on what had caused a fire and was frozen in place. It wasn't nearly hot or dry enough in the forest...and there wasn't any lightning...so someone had to have done something.

Night's eyes may have been set on searching for the red of the young woman's hood, but the forest was now a feast of hot colours for the eyes. Red, blazing orange, flashing yellows, and more red. It was bright, even with the darkness that cloaked him, the fire licked the green leaves and made them into hot ash almost instantly filling the air of ash and smoke. The heat made him...dizzy, even a little tired. He wouldn't die in this fire, but he was out of his element. Shaking his head from what felt like a fog in his mind, Night scanned the immediate area as best he could, before bringing his horse to the next area.

Quite suddenly, his horse went from a fast trot to a complete stop. If this were any other horse, Night would have suspected it's stop from fear...but with this particular horse, he knew better. Scanning the general area once more, he still didn't see the girl...but he was sure that the horse must have known better. Dismounting, he stared over at the blaze of a particularly large tree on fire. If the girl was in the immediate area, or close enough, she'd definitely hear this. Raising a boot--BOOM BOOM, CRACK--Night kicked the tree down with nothing but brute force. Watching it crash into another tree, more of the forest becoming open to observation once the tree was no longer standing in his way.

A cracking sound that reminded Red of thunder pounded in her ears suddenly, giving her wolf-like talents milliseconds to react. Instinct took over as she sprinted to the right and took a dive; a thick, burning tree branch crashing to the forest floor narrowly missing the tip of her boot as she lunged out of the way. Cursing and wiping the dirt from her chin, Red scrambled back up onto her feet and paused to collect her bearings, noticing right away that two or three trees had fallen over from the burning fire, encircling her in a wall of fire. She knew this forest though, there had to be an out…

Well…she would have known where to go if the entire forest didn’t seem to be on fire. Everything looked different no matter where she looked. The once lush green trees were now torches of burning light, all looking exactly alike in their orange and red rather than individualizing themselves with the various shades of green. The smoke entering her nose kept any familiar scents well away as well as providing enough coverage to block the sun from view and was unable to tell North from South.

For the first time in months, panic shot through Red’s blood like a quick-spreading venom, and a fleeting thought of ripping off her red hood and leaving it to burn just so she could become her recently favored side began to become more and more tempting. What other choice did she have? But was it worth losing the cloak forever?

Through the combination of light and heat from the fire, Night could see...the solid red of a hood, and some dark hair tumbling out as she seemed to be searching in the other direction. At least, up until the tree domino effect frightened her quite a bit.

Forgoing the idea of knocking over another tree, and losing his patience with the heat (especially since he wore his gnarly shadow armour fully), Night brought forth a blanket of darkness. It swept over the flame between them, stifling the life of it, the heat and light. It rolled forward like a thick black carpet.

Red turned to face Night as she felt the heat immediately starting to die down at her back and when her eyes fell upon the shadowed stranger the look on her face gave obvious surprise, even causing her to stumble back a few steps.

The distinct blackness emmitting from the man was a drastic enough contrast against the sunburst of bright colors, she was sure that she had come across a Wraith. With her breath caught in her throat, she looked at the 'road' of darkness leading straight to him and then back to the fiery depths of the forest. Burning alive didn't sound too pleasant, but neither did having her soul ripped from her bones. But...she wasn't marked, at least she didn't think she was...so maybe she had a better chance with the Wraith...

"Ah shit..."

Red squared off the eerie blanket of darkness, taking only a half-second to breathe in deeply. She began running straight towards the figure, her hands busy pulling at her cloak until she managed to get it off completely. She jumped into the air, un-naturally high for a human, and threw the cloak out in front of her. In the blink of an eye, the slender dark-haired girl had undergone a complete transformation while in mid-jump, landing on all fours with the red cloak caught and clenched tightly in her jaws.

The black wolf landed delicately on the blackened forest floor, running a few paces past the looming black figure until curiosity got the better of her. Gradually slowing, the wolf turned her massive head to look over her shoulder at the figure, her bright yellow eyes instantly recognizing the figure to not be a Wraith, but the same man she had met in the woods earlier that day. It was impossible to see because of the helm he wore, but she could feel the two of them making eye contact.

Initially shocked by the girl's transformation...suddenly, her lack of fear earlier made much more sense to Night. Werewolves were nocturnal, which would explain why she hadn't been bothered by his dark presence initially. Her comfort lay in her nature, not the nature of a crime...he couldn't fault her for that. And Night basically, more or less, tried to push her away from where and how she felt safe. Like...trying to force a wolf to stop howling at the moon. He...couldn't do that anymore.

The sudden crack and boom of yet another tree falling and crashing down shook Red from her sudden daze. She turned her head from the man to the path out in front of her, instantly recognizing it now with the help of the shadows behind her. There was a small village not too far from here, just over a small river that would be sure to keep the fire from burning it down tot he ground. She wouldn't head straight to the village, however, and more-or-less find a secluded barn to sleep in for the night. She turned her head back to the man and emmitted a muffled woof through the cloak between her teeth, jerking her head as if to say, "this way" and (for the moment) ignoring all previous thoughts of the disrespectful bird corpse destroyer. Despite what he really was, he was still alive and breathing, and she couldn't let herself leave him to the mercy of the forest.

Staying in the same spot for a few moments, and feeling them like years, Night turned to follow the werewolf's movement...his eyes connected briefly with her's. She followed up her staring with a head gesture and a woof to follow...and with this, Night remembered his doubts. As a creature of the night, she wasn't exactly aware of the reason he'd avoid what humans usually thought of as the safety of civilization. His presence could make every small shadow in the town become the possibility of vagabonds, deady creatures waiting to crawl out from underneath, and omen of illness.

Well, at this time and place, he thought for only a moment...he should follow her. It wasn't that he wanted to terrorise the village people; the townsfolk. But it had become apparant to Night that she wasn't going straight into town, especially when in wolf form. This person...wanted him to trust her. Even after previously...misjudging her, and driving her off like he did, she still only wanted his trust. Even after he thought her a possible runaway thief, murderer, even if the thought was only brief on the initial meeting.

"...haaah..." Such a strange turn of events. It seemed...the girl wasn't going to die today. Letting out a low pitched whistle, his horse trotted on over and passed them, moving on ahead. Turning back to face the werewolf, he held a gnarly gauntlet out and made a gesture, "Go on, then. Take the lead, and I shall follow close behind."

Red nodded once, her silent way of approving of the man's decision and turned her large body around to trot down dirt path that would lead them to the outskirts of the village.

[Silver Carrot]

Collab between Reem, Dragonbeastmode, Optimist, Rainmaker, YamiCuoreLaroux and Silver Carrot

---

Charming didn't like the idea of a magic map, if he could not use magic in his whole life he would just leave it all alone.

Thomas would have been more skeptical if he did not have magic shoes himself. He took ahold of a corner of the map and waited for the magic to take effect. There was a strange dragging feeling at the pit of his stomach, as if he were being wrenched out of the world, and then suddenly he was spinning through a vortex, with only a thin piece of paper to secure him to reality.

The feeling of being in a portal was a weird thing for Charming and suddenly they simply stopped, appearing in a town.

Smelling the cool air of the salty sea breeze of a nearby ocean, Flint began to sing. "Fifteen men on the dead man's chest--SQUAWK--Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!"

Once they were in the bar, Charming could see Ariel sitting in the far corner of the room. Some woman was starring at her in the other seat and Charming found it rather weird.

"Is that her?" Thomas's eyes followed to where Charming was looking.

Captain Hawkins placed the map back into his pocket, and quickly gazed upon a gorgeously stunning sea-goddess. He paused. It was a mermaid, or former mermaid, as Jim recalled; he didn't remember her having human legs. She left an impression on him ever since the day he met her. How could one forget such a pretty face. Jim had only seen a handful of the legendary mermaids during all his years spent at sea, and he had a strong memory of those he was fortunate enough to meet. Ariel had been more than willing to help him track down the pirate, Captain Hook. Though she seemed different from the last time he saw her. Jim couldn't tell what it was that made her appear as such. If she was evil like Charming had said, he would be prepared for a fight.

"Yes, that is the one we are here for." Charming pointed to Ariel, who was talking to some poor drunk guy. That guy didn't know what was going to happen to him later today. "I think we should surprise her, keep her on her feet." Charming put on his gloves. "Just in case we need to restrain her, she might get a little out of control."

She was beautiful, and looked innocent enough. Thomas nodded though, trusting his old friend's judgement. He could do the most to help by remaining in his larger three foot size. Still, his short arms would be the best tools to catch a girl.

"Well, Thomas since you and Ariel have never met, I think you should go over to her and... act drunk so she could try and seduce you." Charming looked at Thomas. "Just try to get her to come out of the bar, and Hawkins and I will jump her."

Thomas nodded, he reached over to an abandoned mug of ale, spilled some of it down the front of his shirt, and then downed the rest. He moved toward Ariel, but suddenly a fight broke out and he saw Ariel run past, chasing after a red-headed girl. Thomas swore under his breath and ran after her, though his short legs did not carry him very far, very fast.

Before Charming could even react to the fight, he was hit by a chair in the back. He couldn't tell where Thomas, Ariel or even Hawkins was at. He saw a big fat man come his way. "You wanna fight, you so-called Prince?!" The man lunged at Charming and Charming punched the fat man in the face. He tumbled back and fell on top of some red-headed woman, who looked new to this land.

Charming picked up the fat knocked out man, threw him aside, and helped the mysterious red-head girl up. "Who are you, if I may ask?" But instead of answering the Prince, the red-head bolted outside while being pursued first by a handful of angry men, then followed by another red-head, and lastly Thomas bringing up the rear, stumbling out of the inn after the others.

The woman in the blue dress and hat was within sight of the inn. She had no name, no face, but all she knew is that her target had red hair. It wasn't a common hair color. Hopefully, only one lady in this bar would have hair of that color. She stepped forward to enter the bar, when there was a sound of....commotion inside. The lady's red lips were pulled into an amused smile. This was a bar full of sailors, after all. It was only to be expected. That was when she saw the figure burst out. A red haired girl, being chased by a horde of drunks.

Well, if she's the spy, she's not a very good one. The woman waited a little longer, and watched another red haired woman leave the bar, and carefully take out the drunks at the rear. 'Now that is more spy-like,' she thought, 'I've found my woman, methinks.'

The woman in the hat began to tail the target, who appeared to be tailing the other red haired girl. This was just a little bit ridiculous, but that just made it more interesting.

Thomas was so late getting out of the bar that he lost sight of what happened to the others. He literally ran into a woman in a hat in his haste to find them. "Dreadfully sorry madam.''

The woman was almost knocked off balance, but regained her footing and dusted her dress off with suspiciously sharp reflexes, though her hat had been knocked off by the encounter, revealing her full face. Her eyes had absolutely no makeup applied to them but her lips were a rich red. She was a pretty woman, but hardly 'Princess level' beautiful. Her hair, on the other hand, was on that level. It had the color and sheen of molten gold, and had been painstakingly coiled into intricate curls. It was eye-catching without being extravagant, and had previously been hidden away by the hat. The woman knelt down and picked up the hat, shaking it clean and putting it on before she attracted too many eyes.

"It's quite alright," she said to the small man, before looking back to where she had been tailing the red-haired woman, who was now nowhere to be seen. That was less than ideal. She turned back to the dwarf. "You wouldn't happen to have seen a shifty-looking red haired woman around the docks, have you?"

Thomas was quite taken aback by the beauty of the woman's hair, and for a moment did not speak. When he recovered himself enough to do so, he frowned. "Indeed, I have, but she has scampered off. I am afraid that she has managed to lose herself in the crowd, along with my compatriots." He sketched a bow, which made him seem even shorter than before. "I am Thomas Thumb. If I can be of any service..."

The woman curtseyed in response. "My name is Gloria. If the red haired woman is with your friends, it would appear we have the same destination." She smirked. "You seem too well mannered to be a resident of this...place. Are you a traveller?"

Thomas nodded. "Indeed I am. I traveled here from the Fairy Queen's court, along with my friends. If I am well mannered, it is my mother who is to blame. Despite my humble origins, she required the best of manners from me." His eyes rolled slightly at the last statement. "Well, since we have a common, and presumably moving destination, why don't we accompany one another?" He looked up. "I would offer you my arm, but it would hardly work. Here, I have an idea, if you don't mind. You can carry me on your shoulder." He promptly shrank down to his original size, and jumped up and down so that she would see him.

She stared at him for a whole three seconds, eyes wide but hidden under the shadow of her hat. "That's a neat trick," she murmured, before picking him up and putting the tiny figure on her shoulder and walking in the direction she last saw her target. "Did you see where they went?" She asked.

Thomas shrugged, as if she could see him, and then spoke. "No, I was still clearing out of the pub when they vanished. This direction looks as good as any?" He gazed up at her hair, coming out from below her hat. It seemed to have a magic all its own, and he wondered if it was somehow enchanted. "So, if I might ask, what are you doing in this, as you put it, 'place'."

The woman chuckled. "I'm here on business. Trust me, I wouldn't be here if I didn't have to be." She looked around with a faint expression of disgust. "And definitely not at this time of night."

Thomas nodded. He was all up for adventure, but skulking about in a dingy little town, in the late evening was not what he had envisioned. He had imagined seeing knights clash on horseback, silver castles and fairy dragons. "I agree whole heartedly, Miss Gloria."

Following the waxing and waning temperature of the knife, Ariel found herself on the docks. Her hair was damp from sweat and humidity, clinging uncomfortably to her cheeks and neck. Her shoulder struck a wall rather hard when she granted it her weight, wearily peering forward.

Ariel peeked her head around the building that was currently supporting her weight and caught sight of one man creeping about. He looked a bit puzzled, as if the alcohol was quickly wearing off and he wasn't quite sure what he was doing so far away from his next pint. She let loose a soft, lilting giggle that easily traveled from where she stood to the man. He moved with considerably less gusto towards Ariel, his expression muddled with several emotions as he tried to decide what he wanted. Nearby barrels creaked and shifted, though they were neatly stacked and pinned by heavy ropes. Ariel didn't mind the noise, but the man glanced over his shoulder in search of the eerie sound before closing up the distance between himself and Ariel. She couldn't help but notice that his remaining companion was nowhere in sight.

Having frayed the ropes to an acceptable fragility, Karin put away the knife for now in a place she would be able to reach easily later. One good kick was all it would take to send the barrels toppling, so now she just had to wait.

At an odd sound, she peered around the now unsafe stack of rolling weapons to see what was going on. Was someone giggling? That didn't much sound like one of the drunks previously chasing her. Upon peeking out from her hiding spot, Karin could see one of the men from earlier approaching a cloaked figure...wait, what was she doing here? What happened to her other sailor? In her confused staring, she didn't notice the other figure until he was practically behind her.

Letting out a yelp, she ducked around the man as he lunged, smashing her foot into his backside to further disrupt his balance and send him headfirst into the barrels. With a loud, ominous creak, the barrels broke through the frayed rope and started rolling forward, a few crashing open as they hit the ground.

As the man approached her, Ariel caught sight of mass movement, soon followed by splintering wood, sloshing liquids, and a yelp of fear and pain from a male she couldn't see. Her own intended victim gave a decidedly slow look behind him before emitting a shrill shriek and lunging forward - right towards Ariel. Surprised at the speed with which he now moved, Ariel hastened backwards and promptly lost her footing.

Hawkins watched with anticipation as the hasty events unfolded before him. Wisely choosing to stick with a solid plan of staying with their mermaid target. He followed Ariel to the docks where she was pursued by the others, but Jim seemed to be on top of things; and it looked like he got there just in time. Ariel fell only to be caught by the graceful catch of Captain Hawkins. The two locked eyes. Only for a moment, time seemed to freeze as he stared into her ocean-blue eyes. "Hello, my lady. We meet again."

It was strange to be expecting the painful crash to the ground, only to be caught and held in arms instead. Ariel immediately began to struggle, fearing one of the men she'd knocked down had gotten up and was seeking retribution, but she had barely begun to move when she met startlingly familiar eyes. "Captain... Captain Hawkins? W-what are you doing here?" A flush of color infiltrated her cheeks as she remembered the last time she'd met the fellow, helping guide him along to Hook. She'd been so damned innocent then, and now had a string of murders under her belt. Being nose-to-nose with such an honorable man made the woman feel a tidal wave of guilt.

"Princess, I will explain everything. But first, let's get you out of here," Jim said noting to the immediate dangers around them as he swung his warm coat around the lady like a true gentleman. "Follow me, I will get us to safety." Captain Hawkins grabbed the mermaid's arm and led her out of the docks and out of sight, away from the likes of angry men. "Listen, Ariel, I came here on a mission to gather magical beings to fight the forces of great evil across the realms. Prince Charming is a member of the team and recommended you, so I took us here to ask you if you would join our cause?" Hawkins said quietly as he surveyed his surroundings. He didn't know why but he knew something was bothering the mermaid, something deep. He hoped she would open up to him eventually. Jim was always ready to help anyone in need, but this time he owed her the favor. And for some strange reason, he felt the desire to protect her from something or someone.

Ariel let Hawkins give her his coat and guide her away from the docks without protest, though she looked behind her in search of the sailor. Having caught sight of Captain Hawkins, the drunk made a rapid retreat and vanished from sight. She had to stretch her legs to meet Hawkins's stride and couldn't help the loss of color to her complexion as the pain inflamed muscles and burned from toes to hip. The captain's compelling voice drew Ariel's attention, though his words caused a frown to knit her brow. A strangled sound of surprise crawled from Ariel's throat as he spoke, blue eyes searching Hawkins to see if he had knowledge of her past. "Charming recommended me? Strange, considering I..." slaughtered his friend. "Considering we have a rather rocky history," she finished with a trace of dark amusement that cast a thin veil over more subdued, sorrowful thoughts. Straightening her back so she wasn't giving away how weak she physically felt, Ariel deliberated. "I am not so sure I can help fight a great evil when I am not particularly good myself. Why are you so involved in such a grand endeavor, anyway?"

"Look, whatever it is you've done or think you've become I know there is good in you. I don't care about whatever history you have with Charming, I know you are better than that. I believe in you." Hawkins sincerely spoke. "And to answer your question, have you ever been to Neverland? Or Wonderland even? I have seen the great evils first-hand and know they threaten the peace of the realms. When have you known me to be a man who stands around and does nothing?" He allowed his words to sink in deep before continuing. "You helped me track down Hook, you know the evil he is capable of, and yet I have even seen the good in that man. He has changed I tell you, and I was the one that swore to hunt him down. I ask you to please consider this, I will not judge you for your past. I don't care about that. I care about you, and what you will do with a task such as this. Ariel, I need you."

He offered absolution, though Ariel knew it wouldn't be enough. Entering into his deal meant she'd lose control of her situation and would surely struggle to maintain her voice - a ship had limited crew, and Captain Hawkins would quickly notice if some began to disappear. She'd risk becoming a mute again, a state of existence that was decidedly detestable. Ariel vacillated between her options and was going to refuse the man when he uttered the last words. Needed? Her mouth, open to produce a negative, closed without a sound. Shielding her eyes with a sweep of thick lashes, Ariel avoided Hawkins's sincere gaze. She recalled the Captain being honorable and dedicated, but when had he become such a silver-tongue? Ariel chewed on her lower lip, staring at her hands that appeared so much cleaner than they truly were. Hawkins claimed it didn't matter, but he couldn't possibly be aware that she'd become the executioner for many sailors - men he might have sailed with at some point, for all she knew. Wonderland, though? Neverland? Might find better ways of getting a voice than this silly knife and sea shell. Ariel took as deep a breath as the dress would allow before lifting her head, flinging several wayward strands of red hair from her eyes. "Oh, very well. I will join your crusade."

Thank you," Hawkins said as he was relieved to hear Ariel's words. Jim wanted to say something else, but he let it slide now wasn't the time to tell her what was truly on his mind. Jim was now concerned about the others. He was not sure where Charming and Thomas were. "Let's go find the others so we can get out of here." Jim looked around the town with Ariel to the spot he last saw his friends also being wary of any unseen enemies. Hawkins felt like they were being watched.

Karin, meanwhile looked up at the group of people now crowding the dock. The man chasing her had been successfully knocked out, and apparently something had happened to the other one, since he was just lying there on the ground a ways away, but it looked like the night was still not over after all. "Are you kidding me? I hit one guy! I didn't even hurt him that badly!" Where did all these people come from, and how did just trying to eat some soup turn into this?

However this had happened, one important thing remained, and that was to get out without getting killed. The way back into town was blocked, so unless the sea was an option, there was no easy way out of there. Maybe if one of the ships was capable of being launched at a moment's notice, that would work, but surely no ship was that easy to deal with. "Arrgh! I just wanted to--!" Karin was quickly cut off by a sudden coughing fit. It looked like she had finally reached her limit, and now she also had to face the consequences. Nearly doubled over, she tried to lean against one of the crates still on the dock to catch her breath, but slipped and fell in the water instead.

After escaping from the fat man, Charming ran out of the bar and towards the docks. He heard the mysterious red-headed woman coughing near the sea bed. He was walking over to her to see if she needed help, but then he saw her fall over into the water. Her red hair was muted by the blue sea.

Charming jumped into the water after the woman. She was lifeless, like a bag of flour. Charming picked up the red-headed girl out of the water, and laid her on the sand. He leaned over her and breathed new air into her lungs. "I should get you to safety, my friend has a boat around here, somewhere." Charming knew the woman probably couldn't hear him, he lifted her up over his shoulders and set out to find Hawkins and Thomas.

Aware of only the cold from falling in the water and an odd pressure on her face a short time after, Karin slipped into unconsciousness. Stupid curse...

[Goat God]

Just when Eldest had arrived home, he went into his office, where his supply of booze was. It seemed like he had just sat down when he got a knock at the door. He answered it. "What now?!" he said angrily "Sir, look at the dock mirrors." The Faun said. He turned on the viewing mirror just to his left. The Dock was full of magic viewing mirrors, along with all of the Gruff Territory. It showed the scene that had just unfolded. "That's all of our goods!" He told the faun to get a forward team going. The amount of people in the Gruff Gang was enormous with over thirty-thousand members, but only a faction was there today. As they got ready, Eldest opened a drawer in his desk, or a least he tried. The drawer contained a letter from his brothers... he had yet to read it. He left the room before his emotions got the better of him. The "Troops" were ready. Only about one-hundred were there, and seventeen were going. He motioned for them to get onto their horses. Eldest ran along, he was just as fast as any horse. The door opened and they sped along the road. When they arrived, the horses blocked all escape routes. Eldest yelled, "You are all trespassing on Gruff ground. You are all to come with us. If you do not comply, we will kill you. We are not joking."