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[ Alice has been trying to draw in her sketchpad for a while now and it's clear from how wrinkled the piece of paper is, that she's tried to draw on it to no avail. It's been erased numerous times. Right beside her are her imp and her rabbit, as always. She's been quiet at the villa, she's locked herself up acting stranger than before. ]

How funny it is when the mind brings so many images and memories that it cannot even transfer onto a sheet of paper. I know what I see, but it cannot go through my fingertips and onto my paper, unlike so many times before.

[ By the tone of her voice, she means more than that. Guarded as ever, Alice will not say what it is, other than she reluctantly places her pencil down on the paper. Art blocks are terrible, and they're more terrible than before. ]

I am sorry... for my absence. Please don't think of me as silly, but I lost a good companion of my mine. My mare. My horse. I took her in after my first battle, when her owner had fallen. I loved her dearly, she was my friend, too, as much as anyone else I know here.

[ Alice says this while trying not to cry. ]

I loathe to think of another animal as a replacement, but seeing as it is a necessity, I have no other choice. She had fallen in battle when I separated from the others.

[ When she went on her rampage after the Jabberwock, though she's not going to say that. Alice just rubs her rabbit's ears instead while looking at her blank paper. ]

I can try and buy one, if needed, if anyone wants to humor me. I know this is a silly request after everything that has happened -- selfish, even. I think it might be best if I left, for a small while, so I can clear my head and be useful again. No good comes of being a shut-in.

[ After all, ever since she came back, she's been acting stranger and much more distant than before. There is more here that she wants to say; she struggles with saying it. ]

I, well- never mind that. Please be well, all of you.

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[As Lancelot listened to her, he thought to Sophie running out of the room. There were few things in the world that gave Alice comfort and they were all things that he tended to be very poorly associated with. A little sigh left him as he thought about the wish he sent to Morla and Reul. Hopefully, it would be something doable. Terrifying Alice's companions anytime he came remotely close was becoming less and less bearable.

For the moment he simply reached to take Alice's hand in his, looking down at it somberly.]

Well--what would be your ideal way to sleep? That is to say, what do you think would make you feel most comfortable?

[ She has to think about this.

Nightmares and restless nights were a common thing in her sleep, that it had been the norm for her for eleven years. She goes back to her childhood, how she tried to hide herself and hiding herself was the only way she could sleep. There's no orderlies or doctors, just Lancelot here and sometimes her imp. Sophie will be fine; the rabbit will continue wandering the Barrel as she usually does. Alice's peers through her half-lidded eyes, watching him.

After a moment's silence, Alice shifts, she huddles closer to him as she curls herself to accommodate her position. She hadn't realized how tired she was until now. It's a switch -- it was not even fifteen minutes ago and Alice was about ready to chase him out of her room for not knocking. ]

Stay here, won't you?

[ Alice isn't wearing shoes, she's barefoot so sleeping in her regular dress isn't an issue. She won't dare change around him, not right now. But Alice is sleepy and having rested herself against another warm body is making her even more sleepy. ]

I'll be fine.

I will. [It surprised him, how relaxed she became and how tired she had been. Alice's slow slump was taken in by him and he reached aside, drawing up a fistful of the covers and sheets to pull over her. As big as he was, it wasn't as if he could keep her toes warm so easily.

At that, he began to feel nervous. There was static in the back of his mind. The thought of a crying woman burying herself against his chest, grabbing at him and begging for comfort--

Lancelot went still at the thought. There was no thought of guilt lingering in his mind, but rather--it was the realization that it was something he wanted. Lancelot wasn't built for anything other than damage and destruction. It was a chance to do the opposite. It was giving someone comfort rather than pain.]

As long as you need me.

Thank you.

[ she could tell him how much she was doubting her sanity and stability now, but Alice decides to let that slide. There's security here, she's not that small girl trying so desperately to hide from her tormentors. Jack is right, she's growing up and she's an adult. After a moment's pause, Alice does nothing to push him away. She could, she chooses not to, because she has something that she hasn't had in years -- security.

Safe. She feels safe and when Alice feels feels safe, she drops her guard. Her slender body releases that tension from her shoulders, she nestles herself against him. She doesn't cry, she needs the rest, and so Alice goes back to burying herself next to him for rest, more than just comfort. It's a nice change, she's not on a cold slab or on a cold floor, she's warm and content. Lancelot has earned a lot of her trust, that falling asleep on him isn't an issue.

Five minutes later, give or take, Alice goes still, easily falling asleep. She'll worry about horses and drawings later, when she wakes again. ]

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