June 15th, 1999, evening - Alice's house

[independent_dollmaker]

[This had been a complicated day for Alice.

People were disappearing and dying. Someone had to be behind it all, and Alice was starting to put together a theory about who it was. Everything seemed to be pointing in the same direction...

Compared to all that, that conversation with Nui should have been pretty unimportant, but it was certainly occupying a lot more of her mind that evening.

So for the moment, Alice was at home, alone, sewing. Nothing complex, just touching up some old projects and fixing some damage. Some mindless activity to clear her head. However dark things had gotten, it couldn't last much longer, right? People don't just commit murder without getting caught, whoever they may be. That's just how the world works. Right?

Surely, this tragedy was almost over...]

Comments

[loveandwillpower]

Alice's life is suddenly less full of solitude, courtesy of Minako's melodic shrieking and a lot of hammering on the door.

"Alice! Aaaaalice, open up open up it's an emergency!"

[independent_dollmaker]

That almost makes things feel more normal than before.

Alice cracks the front door open. "What sort of emergency?"

[loveandwillpower]

"EMERGENCY SURGERY."

Minako holds up a familiar stuffed animal, which has one limb hanging from a few bare threads.

[independent_dollmaker]

"Oh, that kind of emergency."

Alice relaxed slightly. More easygoing nonsense. This is probably good.

She only hesitates a little before letting Minako in. The whole idea was nonsense. Minako was, in her own surreal way, ultimately a good person.

[loveandwillpower]

"Thanks, Alice! I knew I could rely on you!"

She's past the first barrier.

"Sorry, I didn't wake your parents up or anything, did I?"

[independent_dollmaker]

"They're not home tonight." Second barrier.

"How did Tomosuke get damaged this much, anyway?"

[loveandwillpower]

"Artemis did it?"

Artemis did not.

[independent_dollmaker]

"You should tell Maria to be careful who she lets play with him."

Alice quietly set to work in the living room, mending the damaged leg. Maybe this really is what it looks like. All she needs is for Minako not to do or say anything suspicious, and everyone can go home happy.

[loveandwillpower]

Minako ruins all hope of peace and non-conflict by opening her big mouth, as usual.

"...So, have you talked with Nuiiiii lately?"

[independent_dollmaker]

Alice tensed, visibly sitting up straighter at the mention of Nui, because she was just so subtle when it came to this particular topic.

"...I might have. I not sure whether or not it's okay for me to go talking about it right now."

[loveandwillpower]

Ah. Something happened, did Nui get to her? She's going around looking all princessy, is she on the right side playing a decoy or is she a demon acting as a trap?

"Come on, spill it, my lips are sealed and I'll throw away the key."

If Nui's the real princess, she might not know who the right guardians are. She might not trust Minako.

[independent_dollmaker]

"I talked to her, and we reached something of an understanding. That's all."

What kind of understanding could that be? It is a mystery.

[loveandwillpower]

So they're on the same side.

"I see, I see, so the power of love won yet again!"

Reincarnations drawn to each other through the ages. Close enough. Attraction between demon and demon, princess and prince, loyalty repeats itself.

One, two. Three. And four.

...Don't count your ducks before they're all in a row. So, three?

[independent_dollmaker]

"Something like that."

Uncertain pause.

There's nothing to it. Minako is a good person. No matter what she says, nothing bad will happen.

"...You... like Yamane-kun, right?"

[loveandwillpower]

....She knows. She knows Hiroshi's on the side of the princess. She knows Minako is too. She must think Minako's the princess, the real prize. Good. Princesses don't fight. She must know that too.

"...Yeah. But he disappeared right after... you know? I don't get worried easy, but..."

[independent_dollmaker]

Alice is silent for a moment, her eyes still fixed on the doll in front of her.

"And... Seta-kun. You seem to like him, too..."

[loveandwillpower]

...Is that their game? Going after her allies. Isolation. Souji, vanished. Maya, framed for murder and taken away - they must have been behind that, too, she'll have to talk with Maya, see who else was on the scene, so much to do, gotta do it as fast as possible.

Minako's mouth is dry. She's fine solo. She's fine with her back to the wall... But if they're after her connections, that's something else.

"So, then... who's next?"

Scissors. Ribbon. Plain brute force. Needles... no, too small. Lots of options still.

[independent_dollmaker]

"I'm sorry. I just... want to be sure, so that I can..."

So that I can trust you.

"...Just tell me one thing, and it's all okay. Tell me whose blonde hair it could be that Suzumiya-san was holding."

[loveandwillpower]

"Huh? Wasn't she playing around with your hair that day, like this?"

...She hadn't been trying to get Alice on her side after all. Other way around. Or collaborating.

Either way it's a good excuse to get her hands close to her head and thus close to her neck.

[independent_dollmaker]

"P-Please stop that..."

Alice's right hand starts discreetly moving towards the phone on the end table.

[loveandwillpower]

Nope. Minako's grip gets painfully tight in a hurry.

"How did you know she was on the same side?"

[independent_dollmaker]

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Alice's hand closes on the phone, but she hesitates before making the swing. Despite everything, she still doesn't want to think of Minako as anything other than a friend.

[loveandwillpower]

"Liar!"

Minako has no such reservations, and slams Alice's head down hard into her worktable with an indignant screech.

It's not hot. That won't be enough to kill a monster.

[independent_dollmaker]

Well it's quite literally now or never, isn't it?

Head screaming with pain, Alice swings the phone desperately at Minako's skull.

[loveandwillpower]

The world lurches to the side. A starburst of pain, Alice sounds hazy and muted all of a sudden.

Minako doesn't stop. Minako cannot stop. She is Venus and this is her sacred duty. She snatches for Alice's hairband, slips it low around her neck. Yanks hard on the ends. Even monsters have to breathe.

"I won't fall, demon, I won't fall as long as my bright planet shines in the sky!"

[independent_dollmaker]

Alice's fingers claw at Minako's grip, the phone dropping from her hand, but as she struggles, they get weaker and weaker. Eventually, her hands fall to her sides, all signs of life draining from her face.

Another demon slain.

[loveandwillpower]

A powerful stitch witch could come back as a doll. Minako ties the ends into a bow to seal her in. Draws a magic sigil over it in lipstick to make sure she can't hop to Tomosuke.

It was Nui's lipstick, Minako's a chronic borrower like that. She never got around to using it - which makes this an indirect kiss good-bye, she's a romantic like that.

[independent_dollmaker]

[BGM: Hyoui]

As Minako puts the finishing touches on her seal, the corpse's hand clamps down on her wrist with inhuman strength.

"Well done, Venus. However, do you really believe that the Seven Demons can be defeated with such half-hearted measures?"

[loveandwillpower]

A trick!

"What can I say, you looked weak enough that I figured I wouldn't need to pull out the big guns!"

A bluff, she really was fooled...! Her heart races as her mind whirs into the business of coming up with Plan B.

[independent_dollmaker]

The demon laughs hoarsely through its crushed throat. "Know this, guardian. You may have done well so far, but the last four demons have all been awakened. The moon princess will die, and your powers are far too weak to prevent our triumph!"

[loveandwillpower]

"You can't kill her if you can't get to her! I've seen to that, and I'll cut you all down before they can lay so much as a claw on her!"

No sense pressing her for info. She's losing. She'll only lie. She should sew her up for good.

[independent_dollmaker]

"You speak as if your prison of stone and steel will so much as slow us down. Do you have any idea of the scope of our powers?"

[loveandwillpower]

"Not powerful enough to handle me!"

She claps a hand over the demon's face.

"Crescent beam."

And the thing that once was Alice burns away in a point-blank shot of holy light.

[independent_dollmaker]

When Minako draws back her hand, Alice's corpse looks just as it did before it started talking.

Pray that this time, it stays dead.

[loveandwillpower]

It'd better.

There are needles and thread at hand, she can seal her for good that way. They'll find the body safe and sound, just where Minako left it.