The town serving the castle was decorated with a diamond motif, with everything integrating the color yellow. The townspeople milled in one big mass toward a single destination. Flanked by Blood, Elliot, the twins, and a few other Hatter Faceless, Alice twisted her head around to look at the territory run by the castle.
“Come to think of it,” she said aloud, “this is the first place in the Country of Diamonds I’ve gone to aside from Hatter Mansion.”
She wasn’t sure if this was typical of the place, but the lively atmosphere showed all the signs of a festival. She overheard the conversation of two men who stepped out of an alleyway.
“Hey, who’re you betting on this time? I’m thinking of throwing my money on the Station.”
“Y’know, I’ve been thinking that—wait, those are the Hatter guys! Watch your mouth!”
“Crap!”
The two animated men suddenly shut their mouths and dropped their eyes to the ground. They tried to nonchalantly put some distance between themselves and Alice’s group.
Alice tilted her head in curiosity. “Did you hear that?” she asked the others. “Are people betting on something?”
The twins—who seemed the most excited to be out of Hatter Mansion—blinked big eyes at her.
“Ya didn’t know, Big Sis? Everybody else joins the Survey Meeting by gamblin’ on it. That’s why it’s like a festival out here.”
“Gambling?”
“Yeah. They bet on stuff like the rankin’ of each territory. You can win big on a meeting like this.”
Alice frowned. “But aren’t there only five types of forces? Doesn’t that sort of limit the ways to win?” If there’s a strict limit on the cards, she added silently, that means the same outcomes happen over and over…
Dee shrugged. “There’s five forces in each territory, but there are three Survey Meetings. An’ there’s a rule you can only use one force per meeting.”
“You keep your strongest force in your hand,” Dum added, “an’ only bring it out when the time’s right an’ you can reverse your fortune. An’ make a fortune!”
“Yeah, but sometimes you don’t wanna let anyone see your other forces. It keeps the enemy from knowing what you’ve got.”
“But since there’s three Survey Meetings, even if you use all the forces you can, there’s two you’ll never show.” Dum beamed. “Pretty cool, huh?”
Alice mulled over that for a second. “I think I get it. And the strategizing continues between meetings?”
“Yup. You can show a strong hand an’ pressure everyone, or make ’em underestimate you by showin’ a weak hand.”
Clearly, this was yet another way the leaders could perpetuate their fight over territory. Even their muscle-flexing entertainment never exposed all their forces.
But the twins, especially Dum, seemed to have a different reason for the twinkle in their eyes.
“Makin’ a fortune,” Dum said dreamily. “I like the sound of that!”
Elliot made a face. “These Survey Meetings are annoying as hell,” he muttered. “I don’t get the attraction. It’s just too convoluted.”
Alice smiled nervously. “Sounds like it might be.”
“Nah,” Dee interrupted. “Once it’s started, it pretty much runs itself. Like the hands of a clock.”
“Hm…”
As they walked through the streets, Alice saw how much the citizens around them were creeping away. She had never liked crowds, so the little circle of privacy (fear?) around the Hatters was a blessing. Sort of.
They were in a castle’s territory, but it wasn’t Heart Castle. She didn’t know anyone in Diamond Castle.
Maybe Elliot noticed her jittery steps, because he snapped, “Hey! Don’t wander off—we’re not gonna look for you if you get lost. And you know what happens to little girls who wander off, right?”
“I’m staying with the group,” Alice retorted. “I’m just…curious about this place, since it’s the first time I’ve been here.”
“Not sure I buy that,” he said coldly. “And I still don’t buy that you’re a ‘guest’ of ours. Make one false move and…”
Maybe it was because Blood stood between him and Alice, but Elliot never drew his gun. Alice shuddered—the Elliot of this country had an even worse temper than the Elliot she knew. As she waved her hands to show that she wasn’t doing anything, Blood opened his mouth.
“Elliot’s right. I see nothing enjoyable in chasing you down.”
Without thinking, she turned to glare at Blood. “Listen, you…”
Blood let out a wicked chuckle.
Ugh. He was playing with her like a toy. She wished he’d stop using her to distract himself from the Survey Meeting.
The twins suddenly jumped out in front of Blood, drawing their axes excitedly.
“Hey, hey, Boss! Can we go to the Garden Party? It smells sooooo good!”
“An’ we gotta collect info to place our bets right. Play real good this time, Boss! We don’t wanna lose!”
“Save it for later,” Blood answered evenly. “The bookies at the Garden Party aren’t going anywhere.”
Elliot growled. “I told you not to bother Blood, you little spit-stains!”
The conversation descended into backtalk again. None of them were willing to give an inch—they all just took a mile. More than a mile.
Their arguing was more confusing than usual, so Alice couldn’t find a way to butt in. She winced at the shrieks and stopped walking. The arguing group continued on, granting her a little blissful space.
“Phew.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “I guess I’m not in the mood for a loud festival today.”
Most of the townspeople were the Faceless—people without roles in Wonderland. Their faces were a little indistinct, admittedly. They bustled around her, festive and animated…even if they were hard to tell apart.
Alice knew getting depressed wouldn’t help her. Maybe she hadn’t chosen to go to the baffling Country of Diamonds, but she had made a decision to stay in Wonderland. She needed to take the craziness in stride.
She clenched her fists. Cheer up, she told herself firmly.
Someone grabbed her from behind.
Alice’s mouth fell open in surprise, but a hand clapped over it before she could scream. Strong arms pulled her back.
“Mrrf!”
“Shut up!” someone hissed. “We’ll let you go when we’re done with you.”
Adrenaline raced through her limbs, and she struggled in the man’s grip. She dragged his hand off her mouth, but new hands and arms suddenly rushed her backwards, dragging her into an alley.
“Wh-who are you people?!” she cried.
Her voice echoed in the alley, but they didn’t answer until they’d shoved her far away from the open street, blocking it with their bodies.
They were Faceless men—dressed in black suits. One of them sneered.
“You really don’t know who we are? You’re pretty slow on the uptake for a Hatter stooge.”
Enemies of the Hatters? she wondered, her mind racing. Do they want to ransom me? That didn’t bode well for her, since the Hatters didn’t care much about her in this country.
She shoved the last arm away. “I have no idea who you are,” she snapped back. “Don’t touch me!”
“Whatever,” one of the men hissed. “You know what hand the Hatters are going to play, right? Spill it!”
“What hand Blood’s going to play…? You mean at the Survey Meeting?”
“Obviously! Maybe he didn’t tell you everything, but he must’ve let some details slip!”
“We know you’re close with the Hatter—you live with him!”
“……”
The men wanted secrets for the Survey Meeting. Alice was so stunned that she stepped back.
Her shoulders slumped as the strength drained out of her.
“Close” with the Hatters. Is that how people saw her in the Country of Diamonds? Really? She had a reputation when she’d spent so long in Blood’s prison?
The implications of it all made her head hurt. She angrily shook her head.
“I’m not a member of the Hatter Family, okay? I don’t know anything.”
“Bull. You live in—”
“Yes,” she said sourly. “I live in Hatter Mansion. That’s it.” She didn’t add the part about being constantly under watch there.
As she started to think that maybe she’d chosen the wrong place to stay, the men blinked at her.
“You’re kidding,” one of them murmured.
“According to our boss…”
The men exchanged confused glances, and Alice felt the tension of the “kidnapping” drain away. These men didn’t seem violent. Heck, they hadn’t pulled a gun on her, unlike her hosts at the mansion.
Another voice suddenly echoed in the alley. “According to me, what?”
Alice stopped. She didn’t recognize the low, gritty voice with a soft edge.