The Hatter's Tea Party (Part Three)
Something is amiss at the Hatter's Tea Party...
A danger more subtle but no less deadly than the Jabberwock awaits...
DAY
FOURTEEN (December 12th), 8:02 am
The
White Rabbit reaches the party and comes to a stop about five feet away. He clears his throat, shoots the March Hare
one last glance, and then stands at attention, “Congratulations, stout heroes! You have reached the Eighth Square and are,
therefore, invited to join our party where you shall be given the appropriate
honors!” Over at the table, the March
Hare mimics the White Rabbit’s stance and mouths the words in sync with the
speaker, much to the delight of the Dormouse and the Hatter.
Kysek frowns at the White Rabbit, “No thanks, I’m good.” The elven thief and mage turns his gaze upon
the Hatter, trying to determine what sort of trick is being played out with us
as the butt of some as-yet-unknown joke.
Try as he might, he sees and hears nothing out of the ordinary but
something about the host’s manner seems…off in a way.
“Stout heroes?” Cedron replies, “What do you mean? We are but humble travelers looking for a
very particular Rabbit Hole. However, it
would be rude not to accept your hospitality and enjoy your company for a
bit. The minstrel-priest pulls up a
chair and settles in, spreading a napkin across his laps and reaches for a
plate of scones and for someone to pass him the tea.
Desmond, seated next him, pours and returns to enjoy the
refreshments at hand while Korbin continues to gobble down snacks as quickly as
possible.
Niklas, not trusting the Rabbit, or the Hare for that
matter, moves over towards the tree line and, finding a spot with a good view
of the proceedings, leans back and keeps a careful watch on the happenings with
his bow resting lightly in hand.
Hansuke, in contrast, sinks to one knee, bringing him to
eye level with the little herald, and, noticing a large pocket watch in the
Rabbit’s jacket, asks for the time, claiming to be late for a meeting with a
friend. At mention of the word “late”
the Rabbit’s eyes go wide with fright.
“LATE! That’s
precisely what I want to avoid! Excuse
me please, I must be going. I’m late, I’m
late, so very, very late!” The small
white lagomorph turns and scampers off as fast as his furry little legs will
carry him and within moments disappears around a bend in the trail.
As the White Rabbit races away, Shadow calls out, “Actually,
we are interested in speaking with you!
Perhaps in private back at your place.”
Raven remains near to Ra’ziir, waiting to hear what the
Bladesinger has to say about the situation.
The gold elf’s face goes still as he concentrates, using his arcane
sight to examine the aura of enchantment hanging over the area. The spell doesn’t seem to be tied to any one
object or person although it is strongest around the Hatter and the table
itself. While he does not recognize the
exact spell he used, he is able to determine its function – to attract “guests”
to the table and compel them to join the party and remain there for as long as
possible. As Desmond, Grotto, Korbin,
and Cedron each partake of the offered food, the aura around them grows
stronger.
Meanwhile, Arthur, with Drax shadowing him from the cover
of the woods, reconnoiters the yard in front of the house the White Rabbit
emerged from. He finds normal lawn care
implements like rakes, shovels, and spades plus a wheelbarrow and several empty
flowerpots. The paladin discovers that
in his haste to greet the party, the Rabbit left his front door ajar and by
crouching he can look inside and sees a pleasantly appointed entryway, complete
with a coatrack, low benches, and a small table. Several doors open off of the entry and lead
into other portions of the home.
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