Of Few And The Many [invitation only]

[Augusta Davingoun]

"What about me?"

Augy sighed, " you weren't there long enough for anyone to see you so you should be fine, but... you should know were we are..." he said softly, his back still turned away from the others.

"But go where?"
"Yeah, where are you going?"

Augusta cracked an almost evil grin as he turned around to face the two, " do you forget who your talking to?" he said and turned to look out of the alleyway, " I'm the handy-man of Wonderland, I know this place like the back of my hand, I've lived here for as long as I can remember... if there is a place, I will find it..." he chuckled.

" and there is such a place..."

Augy turned away and stepped out of the alleyway to look around. He turned to Piper, " go back to your dorm, fetch only the things you must absolutely have for the next two days, and then meet me at the Fun House... No questions..." he said softly and smiled at her, patting her shoulder lightly so as not to freak her out. Then, in a hurried manner, grabbed Kristopher's hand and took a turn out of the alleyway, he needed some things before he began to lay low.

[Piper Wren]

Kristopher was lucky that he hadn't been in the situation long enough for anyone to really catch sight of his face...and she felt suddenly rather unnerved when Augusta finally faced them again, that evil smile was decidedly weird and out of place in this situation. Less than a few minutes ago Augusta was on the verge of a break down and now this...Piper fiddled with the rose locket hanging from the silver chain around her neck.

" do you forget who your talking to? I'm the handy-man of Wonderland, I know this place like the back of my hand, I've lived here for as long as I can remember... if there is a place, I will find it...and there is such a place..."

When Augusta checked outside the alleyway, Piper shot a glance at Kristopher which communicated one clear thought 'This is one hell of a mess...'

" Go back to your dorm, fetch only the things you must absolutely have for the next two days, and then meet me at the Fun House... No questions..."

That did nothing to make Piper feel any better and when Augusta dissapeared with Kristopher, she went the opposite way so not to attract too much attention. Her heart was beating hard as she entered Boogie Palace and slipped into her room, no one seemed to be looking at her strangely so the news can't have travelled yet. Hurridly she put some clothes, blanket and a few other assorted items into a small bag which looked as if she were simply heading out to the market place.

Piper tried to remain cool and calm on the exterior as she made her way to the Fun House, waiting outside, it seemed she was the first one here as she leaned against the wall with a sigh, clutching her bag to her chest.

"What kind of mess am I in..."

[Kristopher Roberts]

Kristopher practically stumbled behind the Frenchmen. He gave Piper an be careful and apologetic look if not more as they disappeared. Kristopher took long steps to keep in pace with Augusta, and then looked at him as he was now standing beside him, "Where are we going?" He asked and looked behind himself to see where Piper might of gone. But he did not see her.

"Should you go with Piper?" He asked, suddenly worried about the girl and then even more worried for Augusta. He did not want anything bad to happen to either of the two, not at all. "I thought I wasn't allowed to becoming along."

[Augusta Davingoun]

Augusta ignored Kris for the moment as he dragged him to multiple places, the kitchen, their dorm room, and two other places he couldn't remember. When they got near the Fun House he looked around to see if there was anyone looking and then he turned and kissed Kris softly. He held him for a good minute before breaking away.

" I can't let you come any further, I don;t want you to get into this, last thing I need is to loose the only thing I have left..." he smiled softly, like a kid, with a big grin and closed eyes. " So be careful okay?" he said and ruffled the blonds short hair.

He walked closer and saw Piper in the distance, the sky was dark now, the moon rising slowly, he turned and walked backwards looking at Kris, 'I Love you!' he mouthed and then turned back around. he figured he'd be hidden for two or three days, depending on how quickly the news spreads, and how long it takes to go away.

He walked towards Piper, gave her a small wave and then walked up next to her. " I'm sorry I dragged you into this..." he said softly and looked forward, avoiding eye contact.

[Piper Wren]

Piper saw Augusta make his goodbyes to Kristopher and averted her gaze until he approached her with a wave but avoiding her gaze...It wasn't his fault that she had become involved, Piper had walked into that messy situation of her own accord so she wasn't going to blame the frenchman in the least.

" I'm sorry I dragged you into this..."

She waved his apology off and hugged her pack tighter to her chest where her jacket was currently zipped up to her collarbone to protect her from the nights which were gradually getting colder as the Winter drew in. Tentatively she reached out and patted Augusta's arm before speaking quietly.

"It's not your fault, I walked in because I consider you as a friend...I just wanted to help."

After a moment she removed her hand from Augusta's arm and stood back, awkwardly clearing her throat and tucking a stray lock of black hair away from her face before she spoke again, glancing around to make sure no one was watching them...even though the idea of two humans meeting at the Fun House wasn't that suspicious anyone from the Market could be wandering around...

"So...where do we go?"

[Augusta Davingoun]

"It's not your fault, I walked in because I consider you as a friend...I just wanted to help."

Augy looked over, a smile slowly crept up his face, " thanks Piper, I appreciate it..." hew chuckled lightly, " well... I hope we are friends cause were going to be a lot closer for the next two or three days " he said with a small smile.

When the silence kicked in he brought his right hand over and rubbed the bandaged hand. It hurt really bad sometimes, even since it had been awhile since he punched that mirror. But things were a bit less shaky now. He rubbed his knuckles lightly, massaging the stress out of the muscles. When Piper asked where they were going he sighed.

" down the rabbit hole..." he said and started to walk off, he carried two bags, he didn't need nearly as much as Piper did, so he carried the food and other supplies along with his belongings. He popped his neck as he walked into the pub, checking around him to make sure Piper was still there.

[Piper Wren]

"Down the rabbit hole..."

Down the Rabbit hole? What on Earth did Augusta mean by that? Well, there was little she could do about it and kept her bag close to her chest as she followed Augusta. Piper was also perceptive enough to notice the bandage that cover Augusta's hand...was that from...after a moment's consideration she managed to put two and two together, this must have been from his confrontation with Kristopher...the blonde had stayed in her room for quite a while.

As they entered the pub, Piper glanced around, still not entirely sure what Augusta meant from 'Down the Rabbit Hole'...she was starting to feel far too much like Alice. When Augusta glanced back at her to make sure she was still behind him, Piper nodded and walked beside him instead, keeping her voice low so their conversation would stay private.

"Augusta...What do you mean by 'Down the Rabbit Hole?'"

She was going to leave Kristopher out of the conversation for now, it was probably all still too raw to be questioned over. It was hard enough getting Kristopher to talk about it even though he had come to her voluntarily.

[Augusta Davingoun]

"Augusta...What do you mean by 'Down the Rabbit Hole?'"

Augy walked through the deserted pub all the way to the back, he turned to Piper with a small smile, " I mean exactly what I mean..." he said and gave her a small smile. He put down his bags and then put his hands under the wooden floor to lift up a door, a trap door of sorts. Inside it was an entereance to the series of tunnels known as 'The Hideaway Rabbit Hole.'

He dropped one bag down the hole and then pulled out a candle and match. He looked up at Piper, " When I was a little kid, I hid down here after my master found out I got into fights, it was better then being in the Labby... " he dropped his second bag down and then chuckled, " Boogies have no idea about it, in fact, nobody does except a few, including me... "

He sat down with his legs dangling in the dark hole, he held the candle and sighed, " I'll go down there first, it's a pretty for drop so, you can drop me down you bag and then I can catch you if you like..." he paused, " I'll light the candle down there too..."

[Piper Wren]

When Augusta lifted the trap door, suddenly the term 'Rabbit hole' made sense, it looked like it went down to tunnels much like a rabbits warren...as Augusta mentioned the Labryinth was used as a punishment by his Boogie master when he was younger, she could see why these tunnels would be infinetely preferable after what she had heard about the horrors of the Labryinth.

" I'll go down there first, it's a pretty for drop so, you can drop me down you bag and then I can catch you if you like... I'll light the candle down there too..."

Piper drew a breath...she wasn't looking forward to the drop, she couldn't see where it ended and that made her slightly nervous but none the less she swallowed her fears and simply nodded to Augusta before speaking quietly, still clutching her bag to her chest.

"Alright...give me a signal so I know you've landed safely."

The last thing either of them needed was a bad landing which could result in broken bones or worse...Piper tried not to let her mind wander, her imagination was sometimes far too active for it's own good and tended to not be good for her nerves or current mental state.

[Augusta Davingoun]

"Alright...give me a signal so I know you've landed safely."

Augy gave her another comforting smile, she looked nervous, he kinda was too. He deiced to keep away the fact that there are monsters down this hole, but... as long as they took the right turns, they should be fine. He gave her a thumbs-up before dropping silently into the hole, a couple seconds later there was 'thump' and a small light was lite just after.

Augy brushed the dirt off his pants and smiled, " it's ok Piper!!" he yelled, first he expected to catch her bag, lightly put it down and then catch her. Easy enough, she wasn't fat or anything so it would be a simple task, as long as his bad knee didn't give out on him.

[Piper Wren]

"It's ok Piper!!"

When she heard Augusta's voice and saw the light right down at the bottom of the hole, she did the same as Augusta and sat on the edge of the hole first. Under Augusta's instruction she dropped her bag down first and waited for about a minute or so to give Augusta time to prepare...She took a breath, screwed her eyes tightly shut and pushed herself off the edge of the hole. Resisting the urge to scream was quite a challange but she managed it, feeling the air rush past her ears and her hair whip around her face.

She just hoped she didn't hurt him or something, it's not like she was heavy at all but if she landed badly on him it might severely hurt.

'I hate this!!!'

Screaming inside your head was allowed...

[Augusta Davingoun]

Thump

Augy caught Piper's bag and sent it down lightly, away from the large, burning candle. He then looked up and put his arms out, when Piper came down he was surprised she didn't make any noise. He grunted when he caught her, a little more weight then he was expecting, but not too much. His broken hand was untouched, thanks to his ability to catch with using his fore-arms instead of his hands.

He zoned off for a second, swearing he heard a noise, but then noticed how awkward it was and suddenly put Piper on her feet and walked towards the bag with agility and speed Augy didn't even know he had. Once he got his bags, he picked up the candle and scanned the area, they were located in a large tunnel, with paths to the left and to the right, they were very tall and wide, but mostly dirt and roots and multiple species of small beetles crawled in and out of the walls.

Now, Augusta just had to remember which to take, left or right.

[Piper Wren]

When Piper landed in Augusta's arms, she breathed a sigh of relief at landing safely and without hurting Augusta. She couldn't see much down here past the circle of light that the candle gave off...and wondered when Augusta was going to put her back on her feet, Piper was now feeling extremely awkward and tapped Augusta on the shoulder to remind him since he appeared to have zoned out...

Once Augusta set Piper back on her own two feet she picked up her own bag and stood beside him, glancing anxiously around...the place didn't appear all that welcoming, the tall, wide tunnels made her imagination wander in a bad way. She bit her lip before touching Augusta's arm to catch his attention.

"Where do we go?"

Getting lost in these tunnels looked inevitable if they didn't know where they were going...and getting out would not be fun. She hitched her bag over her right shoulder and waited patiently for the answer, watching the shadows from the candle's flame dance across the walls and Augusta's face.

'Being here for three days isn't going to be good for our nerves...'

[Augusta Davingoun]

"Where do we go?"

Augy flinched a little bit from her touch, not from pain, just surprise. he let out s breath and glanced around. This place held both bad and good memories for him, mostly good. He sighed and walked, being careful to miss roots sticking out and not to step on any of the harmless beetles and worms and such.

He headed right, and after a minute of uncomfortable silence, he decided to start talking. " These tunnels used to be homes to slaves... apparently, before the second part of the palace was built for the slaves, this used to be the home for them... it's very old though, older then my masters time, and he's going on 2,000 years old." He paused and hoped over a larger bug, it just scurried away without causing havoc. " A lot of the tunnels have been caved in and some are home to a foul assortment of creatures... but there is one tunnels that still holds what was here for the slaves a long time ago... I used to stay in that tunnel, hide from my master for long periods of time. It was nice to have complete silence for once... nice to be able to just, stop thinking and just... be..." he said happily, and soft smile returning to his face.

After and few left and right turns, he came to an even larger, more like a cavern structure. The ceiling was tall, and the temperature dropped a good ten degrees, and along the long cavern walls, were doors. The doors on the floor were large, and then there were smaller doors all the way up to the top of the cavern walls, most likely small bedrooms. And along the walls were rock pathways jutting out, so that there was a way to reach the small door towards the top. But it looked old, parts of the pathways had crumbled away, and the doors that were ounce wood, had rotten in different places, or had been eaten away by bugs.

But in the center of the cavern were what looked to be carved stone tables, huge, long table carved out of what looked to be sandstone, or whatever made up the dirt around here. There were four tables that stretched the cavern, and in the middle is what seemed to be a dug-out pool-ish thing. Of course there was water still in it, but it must have looked much nicer when it was first made. It wasn't a very big pool of water, but it was enough to hold five or six people at a time. Augusta thought it might have held a fountain or statue when it was first made, but he never really found out... some secrets might need to be kept secret...

[Piper Wren]

" These tunnels used to be homes to slaves... apparently, before the second part of the palace was built for the slaves, this used to be the home for them... it's very old though, older then my masters time, and he's going on 2,000 years old."

This place was once the home of the slaves? The thought of it made Piper shiver, it seemed conditions that the Boogies had once kept their slaves in must have been horrific...even more like a prison than the south wing of the Boogie Palace. Piper carefully followed in Augusta's footsteps so not to trip over any of the outstretched roots or insects that were squirming beneath their feet.

" A lot of the tunnels have been caved in and some are home to a foul assortment of creatures... but there is one tunnels that still holds what was here for the slaves a long time ago... I used to stay in that tunnel, hide from my master for long periods of time. It was nice to have complete silence for once... nice to be able to just, stop thinking and just... be..."

Augusta rarely spoke of his Master but as far as Piper knew she understood why he would have hidden from him...but staying here alone in this darkness must have been a unique kind of loneliness, even if it was an escape from his master. Piper didn't want to imagine being down here alone for months at a time in this darkness and the cold. Once they entered the huge cavern and the temperature dropped, Piper could see her breath in the air and rubbed her arms in the chill.

This place was huge...

"I can't imagine what it was like living here..."