The puppeteer's tea time [limited=5]

Jack stared at the cake and nodded. "Yes I see. Indeed." At this point he grabs his pumpkin pie and begins to eat again. "Nothing like a bit of sugar to keep your heart active...course that's not healthy at all. HAHAHAHA!" He laughed as he ate his pie. "I'm surrounded by freaks."

Shiki had been sewing quietly until she heard something behind her, seeing the puppet she merely titled her head.

"And who are you exactly...?" she murmured. And then, seeing where he was connected. "My what beautiful strings..."

Shiki looked at the puppet and then at her doll.

"Oh, would you like to meet her?"

She lifted the doll so it was standing upright in front of Jason, it's eyes eerily looking at him.

"This is Clarice. She doesn't speak much, but she says hello."

Jack just smiled as he looked over at Jason. "Jason play nice." he called over to the puppet. Jason simply nodded as he looked at the doll. He gave the doll a wave before tilting his head at it. Jack just rolled his eyes at him. "So Mister Hatter I take it your a student here in vale" He asked as he took a bit of pie.

"I am," Byron smiles. "And so is he."

Byron nods his head at Emerald's direction.

"We had a fairly... intriguing first meeting. I am a member of Team AMBR. My specialty is front line assault and psychological warfare..."

Emerald continued looking at his menu as he answered Kruger, "His names Lapis." When she sits down on his lap he asks neutrally, "What are you doing?"

Jack just smiled a bit. "I see. I am heavy weapons, stealth, and support." He said pointing to all three puppets. "Not to mention a few surprises I have in my chest." He said with a slight chuckle.
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Kruger just giggle at the boy. Then nuzzled up to him. "I'm just getting comfortable." It was at this point the one with a chain saw walked over. "That is enough." He said in a deep voice. His eye glowed yellow. The other covered by the flesh on his face. "Come now. Leave this.....person alone." He said grabbing he right arm and pulling at her. If anyone couldn't tell she was a puppet they would think she was getting hurt.. She struggled a bit as he pulled. "No! I don't want to." Jack looked over his shoulder at the two and shrugged. "Crossed wires are never a good thing. Hahaha!" He said as he watched the two fight.

Shiki eventually caught side of the puppet master and sat Clarice down again on the table. Standing up, she calmly walked over to Jack and Byron.

"What nice puppets you have..." Shiki said to Jack. "And such strings...tell me, did you make them?"

Emerald sighs. I try to get rid of the stress of you guys fighting by drinking tea. Why do I have to deal with these two now? Because you are cursed like that. Hurry up and stop it before someone gets hurt. Fine.

Emerald stands up and gets in between the two. "Look, violence won't solve this, especially not in this tea shop." He turns to the new guy, "You need to be less controlling, and you," he turns back to Kruger, "need to know personal boundaries. Now will you two, please, let me order my damn tea?"

Jack simply smiled. "Why indeed. They were each made by me. The one with the mask is Jason. The other two are Kruger, and Leatherhead. Jason doesn't speak a lot, but the other two. Kruger doesn't know when to stop talking. Haha!." He said before turning to the other two. "Oh dear." He said with a smile. "It seems my friends have gotten out of control. Alright enough you two." He said rising his hand. The two immediately froze. "Come here." The two then began to retreat. "Aw, funs over." "Good...that was getting annoying." The twos eyes the stopped glowing. The two then took a step in his chest and began to fold them selves and get in place. "Now then where were we miss..." He said awaiting her name.
"I'll see you around....Emerald." The voice seemed to bounce of the walls in the shop as a slight giggle was heard.

Shiki bent over to examine the puppets more.

"Interesting," she said, though rather plainly. "You made them pretty well, too. I should know, I work at a doll studio. Proportions and joints and figures are everything..."

She pointed to Clarice.

"She's such an example."

Jack nodded to her. "Many thanks. It's hard to find someone who respects such work." He said as a familiar female voice came back out. "Tell her she's pretty." Jack kicked the chest and continued to smile. "OW!" Jack simply chuckled. "Why bother, such a beautiful face, she probably hears it all the time, and not to mention her beautiful stich work, so lovely, so well done." He said as he looked over at her work.

Shiki titled her head, her face still emotionless. She lifted a finger to herself.

"I would not know whether or not I am what is called 'beautiful'," she said plainly. But upon hearing about the stitchwork, her eyes lit up just the smallest bit and she showed him. "This, however, is definitely beautiful. Thank you for thinking so. Strings and threads are such wonderful things, aren't they?"

Emerald sighed and thought aloud, "Is that what David had to deal with back in Wonderland?" Lapis' snores only answered him. "Right, the tea."

Emerald ordered two cups of Earl Grey Tea from the waitress when she comes over. Once she drops them off, the smell goes into Lapis' nose and he sits up immediately. Before he can gulp the entire thing down, Emerald stops him with his arm and chides, "Ah, ah, ah. Sip it. Don't chug it." "Fine," Lapis replies, a little disappointed.

They both grab their cups and start to sip. Emerald closes his eyes peacefully. Lapis suddenly starts waving a hand over his tongue, "Hot, hot, hot!" "This is why I told you to drink it slowly," Emerald replies tranquilly.

Jack smiled brightly. "Yes indeed. They are both great at making art and for making life." He said as he twirled his finger. Jason's head lifted up and he walked over to the group. He kneeled and took Shiki's hand and put it to where his mouth would be. If he had one that is. "He seems to agree. Jason come along now to the box." Jack called to the doll. Jason stood up, and walked to the box. He put his foot in before folding up and stepping in. His eyes soon seized to glow, and his movements halted. The lid shut and Jack whipped his hand back. Doing this a small noise was made. The sound of wires moving rapidly. He winced a bit as the wires returned to his hands. He then removed his glove and looked at his hand. It was cut, and slashed from the wire returning. On his hand was a wire dispenser that ran to the tips of four fingers. (not the thumb.) "Ah, wires, thread, strings all so amazing they can do anything. My friends would not have life without them. Where are my manners? I am Jack B. Lantern." He said bowing, and lightly kissing her hand. "May I ask yours?"

"Zenchi. Shiki Zenchi," Shiki said plainly as Jack took her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Lantern."

She looked at the cut on Jack's hands. She pulled from her pocket a thin clean white cloth of ribbon.
And pointed at the wound.

"Are you alright?"

Jack just smiled at her. "I am thank you. A artist must suffer for his art I suppose." He said with a slight laugh. He looked over the small device as the wires ran up to his fingertips. "Don't worry your pretty head. Jack can take a hit." Said the familiar female voice. "I can take more then a hit. HAHA!" he said as he laughed wildly. He then looked over at her stich work. "That is such a beautiful piece. We must collaborate on stitching and such sometime. We could talk over pumpkin pie and tea." He said with a smile.

The body less voice of Kruger seemed to stay over by Emerald. "Hello there." said the voice in a soothing tone seemingly right behind him. "So tell me how many of you are there? Got any fun voices in your head?"

Emerald continues to sip his tea as Lapis responds with a burp, "Five." Emerald asks him monotonously, "How do you burp from tea?" Lapis stares at him blankly before saying, "I don't know."

"I do not dislike pumpkin pie and tea," Shiki said plainly. She turned over to her patchwork. It was something she was making for a certain person and though it had a hint of macabre to it, Shiki had enjoyed making it. "I also do not dislike sewing. Or skeletons for that matter. or death, really."

Jack smiled at her statement. "I see...truly a wonderful piece. You must show me more of your work sometime." He said with a warm smile. Jack looked at the girls work before smiling with an idea. "Kruger has been in need of new clothing. Hers are falling apart. Care to lend a hand?" He asked with one eyebrow raised at her. He then opened the chest and pulled out Kruger showing the tattered sweater and pants. "The others are meant to look the way they do, but she just looks plain tacky like this." He said setting the puppet in a chair.

"Five? Oooh, that just means there are more cuties in that noggin of yours. What's there names?." She said as the voice seemed to wrap around his head. Almost as if the bloody smile was right next to him speaking.

"Yes, she does look like she needs new clothes," Shiki said examining Kruger. "Excuse me for a minute."

She moved back to her table and took out from her metal bear face backpack a piece of paper and some coloring pencils. She looked back at Kruger for a bit, raising the pencil in the air before lightly etching a figure on the paper and what looked like the rough draft of a dress. It took her ten minutes before she returned to Jack.

"Sorry that took a while," she said holding out the paper to him. "This dress idea popped into my head. We could add little blood splashes to give it the right feel, too."

Jack's orange eyes lit up as he looked it over. "You read my mind. That looks great. A nice color as well." He just went over the drawing multiple times. "This is perfect! Thank you my dear. This shall be a wonderful dress." He said in a joyous tone. "Now how much will it cost. I have quite a few arms, and legs if that's the case." He said with a laugh as he looked over at his chest. In a small section was a box labeled 'spare limbs.' He just continued to smile.

"Well, I can honestly do this without charge," Shiki said. "I don't like being paid for my creations as much as possible. I do it for art's sake. And for the dolls, of course...though I will need to take in your doll's size."

From her vest pocket, she took out a tape measure.

"If you don't mind."

Jack just nodded. "Not at all." He said as he stepped aside and let her past him. He just smiled as she measured the doll. He was glad someone had taken interest in his friends.

Shiki was quick to make measurements and listed them down on the paper next to the sketch of the dress.

"I think red satin will do nicely for the dress...and black taffeta for a sheeny extension for the skirt..." Shiki said. "I'll try do have this done within the week. However, it will entail me seeing you every now and then for the fittings."

Jack just beamed at her. "Anywhere any time any place. The puppeteer must always be with his puppet after all." He said as he handed her a card. The card had his contact information on it if he was needed. He then walked over and put the puppet away. "There we are. Now then where might I find you?" He asked with a smile.

Shiki nodded and took the card only to exchange it with a glossy black one with red handwriting over it. It didn't give Shiki's contacts, but rather the address of a place known as Eglantine's Doll Studio.

"This is where I work," Shiki said plainly. "On weekdays, I'm there six pm to ten pm and on weekends I'm there from nine am to five pm. If you go to the old lady at the counter just say you're looking for me, Shiki Zenchi. She'll summon me for you."

Emerald continues to sip his tea without answering. Lapis starts to speak, "Well, there's Almandine, Topaz, and the new guy, Am— Ame— ah-choo!" Lapis ends his list with an audible sneeze. "Emerald, I think I'm allergic to tea." Emerald looks up at Lapis saying, "Impossible, you're suppose to be me, and I'm not allergic to tea." "What else could it be?" Lapis asks before sneezing again, "Ah-choo!"