Strangely Normal [Vyn]

[Lucca]

The steepness of the climb made a bit of difficulty for Eldy, hampered as she was by gravity wanting to pull that heavy metal ball back down, and she frowned up at Doorie as the Mome scampered her effortless way up the same climb. "Yeah, rub it in, why don't ya," she muttered, rolling her eyes. Of course, she did eventually make it to the top, and pushed open the door, glad to be back on a flat surface. The darkness didn't bother her much, and she sat still for a moment and waited for her eyes to adjust. This was where being a Feline came in handy, although being a Spade might have come in handier, not that Eldy had any desire to be a 'lesser' Suit.

Just as she thought she could see well enough to avoid bumping into anything (though not well enough to truly make out anything other than dim shapes...wow, it really was nearly pitch black up here) she heard a noise, and her ear flicked in that direction, face soon turning to follow it. "Doorie? Did you find..."

And that was when she was blinded by a sudden flash of light into the dark room, and she hissed and shut her eyes. Okay, apparently, it had been a dumb idea to turn her face toward that click. It took another minute for her eyes to adjust again, and by the time they had, she didn't want to waste any more time with her tail hanging off the edge of the trapdoor. The Feline moved with liquid grace toward the rows of boxes, scanning the labels for any that might catch her attention.

[Vyn]

By the time Eldy's eyes were adjusting, Doorie had wriggled her way through the mess of the room and popped up cheerfully before the curious feline. With a sort of nonchalant cheer, the Mome would follow behind Eldy and 'scan' boxes with her. Adorable but slightly useless.

The room was shallow, giving only just enough room for a tall human to walk upright (though most bipeds would probably be forced to crouch) and was packed artfully with a maze of boxes. Many were labeled but just as many were not, though it was easy enough to discover that 90% of the labled boxes contained spare parts, wires, clockwork bits, and even a chest full of (apparently) broken pocket watches.

Further in the back, near the half-broken lamp that Doorie had switched on, would be an odd clearing of boxes that appeared to have been set up for 'tea'. A small wooden table draped with a moth-eaten tablecloth, chairs, and a tea set complete with dolls in attendance and all roughly suited for either animals or human children. The set was oddly feminine in comparison to the rest of Hatter's collections, sporting a theme of flowers and butterflies. Doorie sniffed at the dolls and, wriggled up on top of a large chest simply labeled 'Daphne' to hop on top of the small tea table.

Her jump was followed by a soft click and a scuff as something fell and slid off the table, landing on the attic floor with a metallic ping. Doorie walked to the edge of the table, peering down at the little item while making an adorably 'innocent' chirp.

Butterfly hair-pin: This tiny silver pin is shaped like a butterfly and tingles when held. When put on in any way, it will cause the owner to become incapable of leaving footprints in snow, mud, or dirt (though tracking these things over any other surface or walking on a surface not mentioned will still leave tracks.)

[Lucca]

Eldy actually peeked curiously into the first few boxes filled with spare parts, but after coming to the conclusion that, to her, the various cogs and wires were about as useful as lint she began to simply pass over the ones labelled as such. Of course, when she saw something entirely different in the back of the attic...she paused and padded softly towards this instead.

Her good ear perked forward as she studied the dusty setting. It looked a lot more like something a little girl would have, rather than a grown, though slightly eccentric, man. Still...she'd never cared too much about dolls. Just when Eldy was about to turn and leave the attic, she heard the soft ping of something metallic landing. Her ear twitched and she turned swiftly, tail sweeping a wide arc, and crouched, whiskers pointed right towards...hello. Now what was that?

Carefully, Eldy took it in a paw, and shivered as the tingle of magic ran through her. Unmistakable. She glanced at Doorie, and then back at the little trinket. "He probably doesn't even know it's here." Carefully, the Feline unfastened the pin and, after a bit of deliberation, managed to attach the pin toward the base of her tail, where the fur was slightly thicker. She'd tell Hatter she found it of course, and put it back if he wanted her to. What sort of spell was on it, though, she couldn't help but wonder?

Eldy mused on it as she hopped back down out of the attic and made her way toward the stairs again. She paused at the top, nose twitching. "Hatter? Is tea ready?"

[Vyn]

Doorie hesitated for a moment, watching Eldy's reaction to the dropped pin and ensuring she'd done nothing wrong. The little clockwork mome instantly perked back up when she put it on, reassured that all was well and she wouldn't be scolded for clumsiness. The mome watched as Eldy padded off to find Hatter and, after a cheerful chirp, hopped up and turned the lamp off before scampering out after the feline.

She arrived at Eldy's side just in time to hear Hatter cheerfully calling back, "Yep! You should come down and join me in the kitchen!" The mome didn't seem to recognize that Hatter was not calling her and let out the most delighted whistle as she all but flew down the stairs to join her master.

Downstairs, Hatter grinned to himself and plated the last of the little snacks he'd made before setting them on the tea table in the kitchen. When Eldy arrived in the room, Hatter was in the middle of pouring himself some tea and Doorie was already up in his lap. He glanced to the feline with a wide smile.

"Did you have fun exploring?"

[Lucca]

The Torque wasted no further time in walking down the stairs after she was called, though the Mome was a whole lot faster than she was. Eldy wore an amused smirk as she walked into the kitchen and nodded politely to her host. The tea smelled good and warm and was just what she needed to keep away the evening chill. She moved to get up on the chair, tensing for a pounce, but stopped in mid motion at the question, looking a little bit abashed. "Uh..."

Wait. He was smiling widely at her. That meant he couldn't possibly be mad (well, not in the angry sense of the word, at least...the crazy cuckoo sense was a part of his name, even). The smirk resettled on her face. "You have a very intriguing house." With a graceful leap, Eldy seated herself and turned bright purple eyes back to her host. "A story for a cup of tea?" She tilted her head so her torn off ear was towards him, to show what story she meant in case he'd forgotten. Her tail twitched, the butterfly pin on it a light enough weight that Eldy had completely forgotten about it herself.

[Vyn]

Oh! That look was priceless and the little 'uh' that followed was the icing on the cake. Hatter broke, momentarily, into a loud bark of laughter which tumbled into a mellow chuckle of amusement as he moved to fill Eldy's cup. By the time he'd properly filled the feline's cup and she had hopped into her seat, he had suppressed his chuckling and merely grinned at her.

"It is, isn't it? I spent most of my childhood exploring its little secrets." He beamed and took a deep sip of his tea. It was the perfect temperature -- still warm but not scalding -- and nodded cheerfully. "Ah yes, of course." That grin crept back, a little too-wide but still warm and friendly. "Stories are the best over tea." He motioned to the biscuits and tea cakes set out. "Help yourself, while you're at it. I'm sure you could use something to eat."

And with that he leaned back with his cup and his Mome and waited with cheerful intent for Eldy to impart her story upon him.

[Lucca]

Eldy might have been more offended at the laughter if she didn't have an idea that the Hatter was the type to laugh almost randomly. Some Cards were just like that, she supposed. She took a sip of her tea and nearly purred as the warmth seemed to fill her all the way out to her tail. It tasted like home, nights spent listening to her Mom or curled in a shadowy corner, watching the royals and servants alike curled near the fireplace for warmth. She blinked and shook her head, refusing to get lost or nod off. Even she knew that would be rude.

She selected a chocolate sort of tea cake from the selection (or something that looked like chocolate, at any rate) and began a 'safe' version of her encounter with Apocalypse. "I was on my way back from the Capital from visiting the Yarrow, and I felt...well, pretty awful. I'm sure you've heard what the poisons in those flowers can do to outsiders." A bitter expression crossed her face and she sipped more of her tea. "I met someone I knew on the road, and called out to him...not realizing he...didn't really know who I was. He got angry, since I knew a secret about him...something he didn't want anyone to know. We fought..."

Eldy frowned, eyes narrowed and dark. Her memories of the fight were blurry and bright and muddled, probably because she'd been running a fever at the time. But she remembered some things clearly... "I didn't really want to be fighting him...I promised...I promised on my Heart pride to never tell his secret...but it still wasn't good enough, not for him. So as a reminder, he bit my ear off. Yeah, tore it off with his f***ing teeth." Her remaining ear flattened and she shoved the rest of the teacake in her mouth angrily. "If I never see him again, it will be too soon."

[Vyn]

Hatter's actions, even his grin, remained light and almost flippant throughout her story, alternating between sampling his own sweets and sipping his tea, but his gaze had taken on a new sort of intensity as he listened and studied her expressions throughout.

Ah, fevered mistakes... They were never fun, especially when the end result would be a lost ear. Hatter clucked his tongue and leaned in, studying the stump of her ear. "With his teeth?" He quirked a brow and took a sip of his tea. "What a nasty fellow, and to attack you even on an oath. Good reason to avoid him, to say the least." Another sip of tea and the Hatter's gaze turned thoughtful as his usual grin returned in a rather devious quirk.

"Between such a foul person and an equally strong desire to stay away from said person, I'd say this is all a bloody good reason to break an oath? Besides," he lilted his words, peering at her over his tea with that strange smile of his, "it's not as if I even really know him, right?"

[Lucca]

Eldy nodded, and even the next sip of her sweet tea tasted bitter on her tongue, thinking about that man. Eldy had never hated anyone before. She'd never had cause to. But now...now she knew what that feeling was like. It wasn't a good feeling, and she knew she'd never waste it on someone who didn't truly deserve it. But Apocalypse was an utterly loathsome person. She nodded to Hatter, frowning...though something...changed in him at that moment. His eyes got more intent, and she had the urge to shrink back from him suddenly.

Her eyes widened as he asked her..."I...I can't," she said meekly, ear flattening against her head. "I can't break the oath. And besides, he...you might have...well." She hesitated, unwilling to say too much. But if Hatter was close to her mother, there was a definite chance he had heard about Apocalypse, or would soon. If her Mom wanted to tell the former weapon's secrets, well, that was her prerogative, but Eldy wasn't going to break a promise sworn on her Heart pride.

Not even if part of her wanted to, in that moment.

[Vyn]

Hatter let his grin linger, watching her carefully as he stirred his tea with a piece of biscuit. How noble this was, the dear really did hold true to her oaths. A part of Hatter wanted to force her to break and spill the secret, he knew the right words to press such things out of people... but another part, perhaps a saner part, was impressed by her honor.

"I might have what? Met him? It's always a possibility -- but it's not as if I'm anyone, really. Just a madman in Corvistowne, we're a dime a dozen." Though his usual cheer had returned, there remained something off about his mannerisms. He emphasized madman a little too honestly and his chuckle was a bit too loud, too cheerful, though it most definitely befitted a man who proclaimed himself mad. He waved a hand, cheerfully dismissive, and sobered his laughter once more. "If you don't want to, I won't force you. I admire your loyalty and, as such, an oath is an oath," that smirk again, "even if it's to a right bastard."

Was it the same one who had made his dear Peaches cry? He took a long sip of his tea, closing his eyes to think about it. He really hoped she'd slip something. Now that his curiosity was struck it was hard to let it die... Though, if need be, he'd simply distract himself.