Run! You are late! [Jervis Tetch]

[Lara Allen-Benedetti]

Lara's instinct was warning her that she wasn't the right girl for this task, that this was going to end badly. She kept feeling this sensation inside of her, a heavy something in her chest, but the General said that she was the most probable to come out alive from that Hat Shop. She studied him, his M.O. and not only with the information given by the Military, but even at the University too...who knows what Tetch thought about being a subject at criminology school.

"...you painted even the brows" said a female voice coming from a small device pointed to Lara's face "The black doesn't ever last long on them, I'll have to check on them frequently, if he suspects that I am blonde under here..." the device was a little camera that now Lara was holding on her hand "Listen, we know where you are if something...I could tell you that everything will be fine, but he is very dangerous...and you look like Alice without your disguise..." Lara sighed "Yeah, thanks for reminding me" the female voice continued "...but you are prepared for this, you know what do to" the calm and logic female voice was the shrink of the Military group "Okay, okay...tell Mark I'm going, but if I find a girl in there the mission will become a rescuing" Lara closed the camera before the shrink's reply, Lara wouldn't leave a girl into that mad's clutches.

She wore the Faith's costume and ten minutes later she was standing on the building beside the Shop. Luckily, the disguise made her look like another person with that black wig, brown lens, a black painted tattoo under her right eye and on the right arm. She was wearing a black shirt, white trousers, red runner shoes and gloves. She had a yellow shoulder bag.

She looked down at street from the high building's roof. It was a dark night and the cold wind was bringing some low sounds with it, music and laughs. She turned the head and from the roof could see that there was a party some houses away. The heavy something in her chest came again. Lara shook her head and looked again at the Shop, it seemed nobody was in, she hoped so. With a heavy sigh, she climbed down the pipe that from the roof came down to the ground.

She run towards the Shop and tried to see inside from one of the windows, but she couldn't see anything. Yep, starting well. One of her gloved hand took something from the bag, a tool for opening things. She observed the front door, her eyes tried to see behind the door, but it was too dark. She wanted to run away, but instead she tried to force the lock, if she had succeed then she would have entered.

[Deleted]

Jervis sighed heavily as he rubbed his temples, his headaches were becoming rather annoying and ruining his ability to focus. Tea. He needed more tea. He slid his chair back and then went to go fetch some, He felt almost at home, Almost.

Hats! Wonderful, spectacular HATS! He admired hats.. they were like flowers.. beautiful, colorful..and oh how they made a face look ravishing. His finger traced over a maniquin blank face as he sang softly to no one," Will you.. Won't you.. Will you Won't you... Won't you join the dance...."

[Lara Allen-Benedetti]

Lara heard the noise of the lock unlocking, she looked up at the door to see if there was a bell or something up at the corner of the door, but if there was then Lara didn't notice it, she entered closing the door behind her. The darkness wasn't her forte, she didn't feel comfortable in it.

Lara put away the tools in the bag and took the camera switching to the night mode, she saw all green now, but at least she noticed a door leading in a hallway. She went there, but at some point she turned off the camera because there was light and she wrinkled her nose smelling the tea's scent in the air, she didn't like tea. He was here, damn.

"Don't panic Lara, just take the stuff and go" she walked silently into the hallway and saw the living room, there were empty tea cups on the table at the center of the living room. She had to enter in the living room and take the first door to the left, info said that the stuff was there, at least the last time they checked.

She took some steps inside, but suddenly she heard static noise in her ear where the earpiece was. She had to stop walking and take off the earpiece "What the...?" she thought and took her camera, it was all static too. She was all focused and surprised about the static thing that she didn't notice standing in the middle of the living room.

Suddenly, she heard a voice, his voice. He was singing something..."Join the dance? I thought that was more like a Joker's thing...mh...maybe they dance together" she thought sarcastically, the sarcasm could help her release the tension, and Lara was feeling a lot of tension right now. She was stealing from a mad man. Lara put away the camera and the earpiece and walked over the left door hoping it wasn't closed.

[Deleted]

Jervis gave a small sigh of ease as he leaned on the mannequin's shoulder and spoke to it, seeing as though it was his ONLY company. Jervis' soft blue eyes seemed sad, it even showed in his voice as his soft British accent flowed from his lips," You know... I dare say that... I'm rather lonesome... I fear I may ...be going mad"

He then snickered to himself and then sighed once more before swiftly moving on to get his tea. Yes, it's what would ease his loneliness and his heartache. He hummed as he danced his way to the makeshift kitchen. He had not noticed he wasn't alone.. indeed, if he had.. he'd probably not be so carefree.

[Lara Allen-Benedetti]

While she was walking, carefully and trying to not make any noise, she jumped in surprise hearing some noises coming from her bag, but that was a second concern because when she jumped, well, she made fall down one of the cups on the table...and that made some noise, especially in a silent place like this because the hat-shop was so quite "...what is your status? Answer!" the bag was saying, but Lara was staring at the cipped cup on the floor "How can I be so clumsy...right now?! He heard me for sure! I'm so dead!" he though. Clichè of cliches: making noises for mistake.

She turned back in the corridor hiding behind a dark corner and then took the earpiece whispering "Shut up! He knows I'm here!" there was going to be a reply, but she shushed them again and peeked from the corner listening carefully at the noises. Her instinct was screaming to leave, but she couldn't because she had to take his stuff first.

[Deleted]

His dance halted as he heard noises, noises that meant he was not alone. His soft blue eyes narrowed as he set down the tea kettle he was preparing. He took steady, slow steps from the kitchen unsure who to expect. He sneered as he looked around in the dim Shop.

His hand slowly reached into his vest pocket, retrieving a stack of razor sharp throwing cards. Usually he'd refrain from such brutal forms of attack, but his privacy was invaded. He partly expected to see a cape and cowl, but also was faintly believing that another rogue had invaded his home from home.

[Lara Allen-Benedetti]

"I chipped a cup..." Lara started answering when they asked what happened "Wrong story there, the chipped cup is from the Beauty & the Beast, not Alice in Wonderland" said a voice in the earpiece "Well, he's a beast and you a beauty" said another voice, joking, but Lara was grateful to the people behind these voices because they were trying to help her with these little jokes to cheer her up. Lara needed all the support she could have in this situation so even the moral support was appreciated.



"Hey guys, I run and you know why I run? Because I can't hide!" Lara whispered, they knew what that meant, the subtext here was: I need help, guide me. They had a map of this old Shop even Lara had one, but she had to have free hands to take a weapon if needed "Lara, can you see or hear him?" she sighed "No and I can't keep whispering because he could hear me" she pressed against the wall. There were some doors in the corridor where Lara was so she couldn't stay there any longer because Jervis could pop out from one of them. Lara peeked from the corner and saw no one so she walked silently towards the designed door, Lara had a job to do and she had to hurry.