entranceway | M e s s a g e 3 8

[The first thing anyone sees, even before the person posting...is a little pig, in one of the tea rooms. It snuffles and sniffles and sweeps the room for signs of danger, and once it is satisfied it trots away.

Then in a blink, Alice is standing in the middle of the room, pig cradled in her arms. And for the first time ever on the network, her face has wide blue eyes. She's a bit frantic, but otherwise unharmed.]

I think I'm starting to get used to doing that on purpose... Ah, hello everyone! It's...been some time, hasn't it?

[Even Alice can't seem to hide the fact that it's rather awkward to suddenly have eyes when she did not before. The pig squirms and she lets it down, as she's discovered it's wisest to listen to what the Duchess' pig wants.]

I'm so sorry to interrupt everything, but I need to warn you all! Something-- something terrible is going to happen soon! I don't want to cause anyone alarm, but it may very well be the worst thing that's ever happened to you.

[It's all distressing, and Alice crouches down to the pig's level so she can play with it's ears absently as she talks. It lets her.]

I'm afraid I still can't explain how I know, and the details are...rather distressing. But I promise, I'd never lie to all of you! I could never!

[She's adamant about that much at least. Even if her message isn't clear, there's more clarity in the way she speaks about it - she understands the importance of these messages now, in a way she'd forgotten for so long.]

Please, everyone. Take care of yourselves this weekend. I think it may be all you can do.

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[ Putting aside whether or not Alice is one of the 'spies' and whether or not this announcement is a hoax, she seems genuinely terrified and worried. Not just for herself, but for everyone. Mondo knows better than to just blindly believe things that are put before him, but he also learns how much his gut feeling can save him just from the few months he's here. ]

Then... do you have anyone you can hide with?

[ Assuming that the worst thing ever she referred to is another life-threatening event. ]

I do! I've been hiding with The Duke here!

[And she holds up the piglet that's been keeping her company - the one belonging to the Duchess. He's just as good as hiding with a person, right?]

[ Uh... 'The Duke'? He's not sure if that piglet can help protect her. ]

Does it have some special power?

He's got the royal power to keep me safe! Or at least, that's what I've been told. ...Actually it might be an embellishment of what I was told. But he's here for my safe-keeping!

[The piglet snorts at the screen. Such grace.]

[ Ok that's not convincing at all. Mondo squints in suspicion at the 'elegant' noises the piglet's making. ]

Better equip yourself with some weapons too. There should be some closets over there, right?

[ Should he over assistance? He doesn't know if she's on his side yet, but he's just as suspicious as she is to him, so... ]

...You need any hand?

Mm, I can get to closets. And I appreciate the concern, but...I don't think I'll need them for this event, if that's what you mean. I don't think you will either. It's...more of a mental sort of terrible.

[She taps her temple as an extra indicator.]

It's still going to be the worst thing ever, but you should be physically okay. ...Probably.

[ Mental sort of terrible... huh. He isn't all that unfamiliar with that － in fact, the series of events lining up since his arrival have familiarised him with it. While his face still pales somewhat, he's not losing his mind or anything here. What can be any worse than the ones he's already seen, anyway? ]

...Well. That sucks.

[ It still sucks, nevertheless. And he doesn't know how much that will affect Alice. Despite his 'research' (mainly reading the Alice in the Wonderland storybook) and the fact that he has snooped around her room with Liv, it hasn't borne much result. After all, even if this Alice is that Alice, there are definitely much more to it than the surfaces that he has barely grazed. ]

Then, I guess... take care of yourself. I've got no superpower or crap like that, but if you need anythin', you know my name. Just gimme a buzz.

[ All things considered (as much as his brain capability allows him), there should be no loss to offer that much. There are no strings tied here, he can just reject if she asks for anything suspicious. Plus, if she turns out to be an ally, she might have the important keys to learning more of the mysteries of this world. ]

M e s s a g e 3 8

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