Some are Inclined to Wander

@apartofexistence

Anger - Find my muse very angry.

“Projects here, projects there, how can I be so sure that the funds are used appropriately and it will not leave Vale defenseless due to the fact that the economy here is very low?” Glynda sighed, crossing her arms trying to process what the woman said.

“...”

@apartofexistence

Anger - Find my muse very angry.

     ۞ ~ Glynda sighed deeply holding her nose with her two fingers. She took in a deep breath as she listened to her. “.. I was not informed that this was for Haven. Normally, I myself would know this information beforehand but seeing as the council has let me out of the loop for a long time- I don’t think I could trust that they are using the funds for assisting Haven. “  ~ ۞

“…They aren’t. Not entirely.”

“Ah, he sounds like a kind man,” Piper agreed, looking back to Oliver with a grin. “He must really depend on you to be able to do all that. This seems like quite a lot of work for one person, though. Are there others like you working for this man?” She seemed genuinely curious, but there was some weight in her tone.

As she finished her question, she ducked under a flowering branch and pushed it up for the other to follow–though Oliver was taller and she offered a sheepish smile in apology for making him duck anyway.

She was pushing the branch up at least, so his opinion on the matter was not negative. Not that he really considered the situation to be noteworthy.

“There sometimes are others that do things for him and the orphanage, though I’m the only one that has stayed around in quite a while. I don’t mind doing this errand alone, especially now that I’m now actually not alone.”

   “You’re saying it’s curable? They’d attack you like they did to me, as soon as you provoke any of them over the slightest remark. You’d be better off trying to cure insanity than… whatever this madness is that afflicts them.” Yet, he seemed to genuinely be concerned. She couldn’t help but feel a tinge of remorse over the situation, but she didn’t cause it. She only reacted to those beasts’ actions. She shouldn’t feel regret over self-defence.

   “…Fine. I’ll go with you, but for your safety rather than mine. I’m not a noble knight, but I’m not going to let the first sane person I’ve met get killed so foolishly. Talk with them if you think it’ll work, but you better have something ready to protect yourself with.”

Incidentally, he had cured some people of insanity before, and one could consider this affliction of the separated populace to be a form of terrible mental affliction. 

“I always do,” he responded, showing her his golden robotic prosthetic hands before heading off. It wouldn’t be very far to the Quarantine Fields’ boundary, a sort of energy wall emitted from stripe-like devices. Once they’d passed that, he’d be able to inform the non-afflicted populace of what had happened.

“I just need to get my shoes on and I’ll be golden.” Alice said, sitting in a chair as a maid laced up her boots. “How do I look?” She asked, doing a small twirl. She stepped up to Lilav. “Should we get going?” She asked, as the maids stepped back.

“Now that you’re ready,” she answered, before the maids in the room began to leave to continue on with their daily tasks. 

“Remember your mask.” 

With that said, Lilav left the room with Alice, to make their way to the castle entrance where a carriage awaited them. Gole, Lilav’s personal guard, who would be following on horseback, was also at the castle entrance. 

“Knowing who’s forgotten you is something you need to know?” Arae asked, curious.

Piper didn’t respond right away. But she finally stepped away from the tree to turn away and continue walking with Oliver. “There are many. They’ll be more apparent the deeper we venture–if we must get that far,” she answered vaguely. “There is lots of…unique life, as well. Try not to be startled.”

Unlike her new companion, she stepped easily and carefree. Her familiarity with the swamp would grow more and more apparent. “Tell me more about this client of yours. And their box,” she prompted curiously.  

At least he got something out of his question, told to not to be startled when he encountered said unique life of the swamp.

As Oliver continued on, not letting his guard down to the swamp floor, he told Piper about his client.

“Mr. Aves... he man’s been a kind eccentric for a long as I’ve known him. He runs an orphanage, and is the type of person that’d be enjoying activities even more than the kids they’re for would. Normally, he’d ask me to run errands like picking up groceries or escorting the orphanage kids around town, but this current errand I’m doing has something to do with his past.”

“Well. I want it to match. A plain red mask.” She spoke, hanging up the chosen dress. “All that’s left is up to you. Transportation.” She added, placing the dress in the corner of the room.

That was another thing that had to be done, informing the castle’s coachman that they would be taking Alice and Lilav to King Arix’s party, and to a mask maker the day after today. After spending a bit more time with Alice, Lilav said goodbye to the young monarch, leaving to talk to the people that she needed to talk to, and to follow her evening routine.

It was the day of the party, a while before the actual event, and Alice was being  attended to by a maid. When it was almost time to leave, Lilav entered the room Alice was in, giving a hello before talking further.

“That would be best.” Alice spoke. “I don’t have any masks that fit.” She said, pulling out the ‘royal suit’ themed dress. Of course this one went all the way to the floor. “I’m thinking this one.”

“...”

Lilav looked thoughtfully at the dress she had picked, and at the dress that had been next to it, the ‘silk maiden’ themed dress. It was slightly shorter, and it might’ve brought the attraction of different people at the party, for whatever those two facts were worth.

"If not this one,” she acceded, gesturing at the unchosen dress.

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Alice went into her room, picking out an outfit for the party a few days later. “What kind of party is it? Masquerade?” She asked. She really wanted to do this early. She was bored currently. What better way to cure her boredom? “Or just a regular party?”

“While it will mainly be a regular party, it’s an option to come with a mask on, for the first half of the event before the main meal. I will be wearing my own, though we’ll go out looking for a mask maker if you also want to.”

Alice looked up, at Lilav. “Then I suppose we should start making preparations. Better to start early than start late. You are coming with me, aren’t you?” She asked. She stood from her chair, gesturing for Lilav to follow her. “I don’t think being ‘Wonderland’s Champion’ will help me find a suitor. So it won’t be mentioned.”