i should have picked the photograph, it lasted longer than you;

[likeatelescope]

The Cheshire Cat is not accompanying Alice today, because he is in Wonderland cleaning up some dreadful messes (with tooth and sword and claw, but we shall leave that to the imagination) left behind as late

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[neverneverqueen]

The Hatter is not Wendy's concern, and so while she privately makes a few observations she treats him (somewhat cavalierly) as if he isn't there at all (or is perhaps some sort of handsome furniture), joining Alice like the old friends she pretended they were the last time they met.

"The very first thing that I should do is ferret out the cause, of course. You are serious today, aren't you?"

[likeatelescope]

Hatter takes this rather well, in that he simply doesn't move very much at all. At least he is less prone to smiling unnervingly.

Alice herself smiles when she sees Wendy - a bit tightly, but it's there nonetheless. "I am, yes," she pauses briefly, "and I'm afraid that I do know the cause of it already. That's what makes it the most concerning, unfortunately."

[neverneverqueen]

"How dreadful." Wendy taps her fingers against the arm of her chair; her gown is much simpler than Alice's, designed that she might move easily in it, and it doesn't leave her much excuse to fuss with her skirts as an occupation. "What manner of dilemma is it, my friend? Do tell."

[likeatelescope]

"The long-disappeared Queen of Hearts has begun to announce her return." She fidgets, but it's only once before she stills. "In blood, I've found out."

[galeforcehero]

"Take action. But that's sort of my job. I don't 'spect it's applicable in every situation. Can I ask what's wrong?"

Hi Alice, Dorothy's somewhat dressy today, in that her normally expressive color palette in the clothing she wears has been restricted to black and silver-- black blue jeans, black t-shirt, silver-grey tailored corduroy jacket. This constitutes "looking nice" to her when she's given the choice of what to wear. Unfortunately this is exactly the reason Ozma is so reluctant to leave it up to Dorothy, so she enjoys it when she can, which explains her apparent good cheer on this occasion! She remains, though, as ever, appropriately sensitive to the emotional turmoil of the people in front of her, and of course, devastatingly polite.

[likeatelescope]

"It's mine as well, but others have taken it upon themselves to try and take care of things." Alice looks rather annoyed when she says this, to be true, but she manages a smile at the end nonetheless.

"An old ... rival, I suppose you could say, would seem to be announcing her return in my kingdom." By killing people. It's pleasant, really. "It needs to end before it goes further, but thus far I have been shuttled here instead."

[galeforcehero]

"Don't you have people to take care of these things for you?"

By which she means spies. Secret agents. Assassins, take your pick. Normally this would be exactly the sort of thing she'd be doing for her Empress, so to think that Alice doesn't have people on this already is enough to make her shake her head and cluck her tongue in disappointment.

She doesn't, though, because that's impolite. She does, however, eyeball the man in the hat with her well and good.

[likeatelescope]

Hatter will eye her squarely back, beneath his hat, and incline his head slightly. He is polite enough, and one of her best guards even if he doesn't look it. He doesn't quite like that Alice is discussing such things with apparent strangers, but he will keep quiet about it and things are different here.

Alice simply frowns though, "there are some, but..." her mind flashes briefly to Cat, covered in blood before Rabbit pushed her through the door into the Nexus, "many of them have grown unfortunately lax in the long era of peace we've had."