Alice's Adventure in Karaoke Night [Invite only]

Liseran's eyes grew big and felt her vocal chords constrict so tightly that she could only let out tiny gasps of air. She smiled nervously and tried to speak, but Rory zipped over to her with a stern expression on her face.

"You two obviously need to be more careful of where you're speaking," Rory said. "You do know some of us here have faunus ears right? What's this thing? What happened at the Archives? And what's this about a daughter, Liseran and a family and stuff??"

Liseran felt so nervous and pressed that tiny tears were forming in the corner of her eyes. Her forced smile began to twitch and she lifted a finger that shook furiously. "I-I-I can explain!"

"You better!" Rory said with her hands on her hips. She leaned over and glared at Liseran. "Now what happened??"

Liseran's finger crooked as her head lowered and her face became bright red. She knew that she wasn't supposed to tell anything, but she knew Rory at least had to know about Bell eventually.

"W-well, you know I went to the Archives, right?"

"Uhuuuuh...and Cheshire went to check on you. So?"

Liseran's two index fingers pressed together furiously. "W-well...a lot of things happened really. Some...unexpected things...and well..."

"SPIT IT OUT!"

Liseran gulped loudly before lifting her head slowly, her eyes closed tightly, her temples sweating and a nervous smile on her face. "W-well, Rory...you're going to be an aunt now."

Rory stared blankly for a second and the room felt so quiet the silence actually hurt Liseran's ears.

"Uh-uh...Rory?"

Rory reached for her belt pocket and took out a long metal rod as it formed into a medium sized axe. She glared at Cheshire with sharp eyes and bared her teeth before charging at him. "YOU BASTARD! I'M GOING TO SLICE YOU!"

"Rory, what are you doing!?"

Before Rory could start swinging, her wrist was suddenly grabbed from behind by Lao. "What's wrong Miss Rory?"

"W-W-Woah!" Cheshire exclaimed, pressing his back against the wall, his eyes widening. "It's not what you think! She's six years old already!"

Rider, who was casually sipping a soda with an amused smile on his face did a spit take, spraying off to the side.

Rory's eyes got even wider. "What, so you knew each other even back before!?" she yelled. "Let go of me, Shen! I have a cat to skin!!" Rory screamed. Liseran moved over to her with a panicked expression on her face.

"Rory, no! What are you talking about!???"

Rory pulled away from Shen and clutched her axe tightly as Liseran blocked her from Cheshire.

"You guys did it, didn't you!? I have to teach him a lesson for being an impatient bastard!"

"Did what??" Liseran exclaimed as Rory pushed her away, raising her axe high in the air. As soon as Liseran realized what Rory was talking about, her face turned scarlet and she shook her head wildly.

"WHAT!? NO! WE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" Liseran yelled. "BELL IS ADOPTED!"

Rory stopped raising her axe midway and turned to Liseran with a surprised look on her face. Liseran was still bright red and she lowered her head as her foot drew a circle in the sand. "I found a little girl abandoned and I decided to take care of her. After the week, I knew I just couldn't leave her alone and so I adopted her. Cheshire's, well, kind of helping me with the matter..."

Rory lowered her axe and looked at Liseran and then Cheshire before smiling and waving her hand dismissively. "Ooooh, why didn't you say so in the first place? You really scared me for a second. I mean, if he slept with you I'd skin him and make him my belt."

Liseran yelped and looked at Rory with an angry look, still bright as her scarf. "Why do you have to talk about such embarrassing things?" she said with clenched teeth. And then looking off to the side with a pout. "B-besides...Cheshire and I agreed those kind of things are for...married couples."

After speaking, she hung her head low in embarrassment.

Cheshire looked off to the side and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Oh my gawd," Rider murmured, "You are legitimately a gentleman."

"Shut up," Cheshire mumbled, looking off to the side.

"Why don't you marry already?" Shen asked curiously causing bother Cheshire and Rider to look up at him with confused eyes. "You're already, what, eighteen?"

Cheshire nodded.

"Then why haven't you married?" Shen asked. "In my country, most people marry at fourteen. It's also the age of consent."

Suddenly, Cheshire grabbed Rory and pulled her away from Shen, a stern and concern look in his eyes.

Robin felt a bead of sweat go down her head at the recent events, "Wow, and I thought we were messed up." She muttered, then hit a song on the machine.

"Byron...I think I'd like to try this one myself." She said, then stepped up to the mike, and like that, the machine started playing an sad, but hopeful tune. Grabbing the bow keeping her hair in place, she let her hair become unraveled and descend into it's true waist length. Creating an image of a simple farm girl singing in the meadows of the forest.

"Memories of the trees, in our forest, you and me. Let us sing, at the spring, fairies dancing, you and me." She begun to sing, letting her voice echo throughout the room.

"Think of me, in the darkest fear,I will come near, I'll keep you safe. Call for me, I will appear. Loved one, please be brave." She sent a glance towards Byron, as if asking for permission to continue.

"O-of course Cheshire is a gentleman," Liseran told Rider indignantly. "It's one of the reasons I fell in love with him, after all."

Rory was a bit surprised to have Cheshire pull her away. She looked at Shen and smiled. "Hang on a minute, Shen! I'll be right back!" And then, turning to Cheshire. "What? What is it? Aren't I supposed to be the one mad at you?"

"Rory," Cheshire deadpanned, "I think this man is extremely dangerous."

"Is it not the age of consent for this country as well?" Shen asked. "After fourteen, people are at a ripe age to have children."

Cheshire's grip tightened. "Rory, this man is definitely VERY dangerous!"

Byron listened to Robin with arms crossed and an approving smile on his face. He stared at her as if admiring a piece of art and nodded for her to continue.

Robin nodded in return. Taking her cue to continue, she sang again, the melody filling the room.

"Time does fly, say goodbye, to those times, you and me. For those days, passed away. What must come, is yet to see."

"Think of me, in the darkest fear,I will come near, I'll keep you safe. Call for me, I will appear. Loved one, please be brave." She repeated the verse. And like that, the song that lasted for a eternity, lasted for a heartbeat, came to an end.

Rory looked at Lao Tzu for a moment and then back at Cheshire. "Okay, so Shen's a liiittle weird, but that doesn't mean he's dangerous! I mean, he saved my life twice and he needs someone to help him get used to the ways of Vale. So, it's a little strange having a man five years older than me living in my home, but he would never try to do anything to me. He's a gentleman,too, you know."

Rory turned to Shen and smiled sheepishly. "Shen, remind me to teach you the rules of minority later on tonight, okay?"

Liseran in her corner sighed and finally inched away to Alice. "I-I'm sorry we caused such a hassle. It's your special day, after all..."

Footsteps could be heard and the door opened to a small girl only inches taller than Alice with long blonde hair and sharp green eyes. She wore a frilly blue dress and held a parasol of the same color.

"Excuse me, is this the room for Teams AMBR, MNRC and guests?"

"Mirai!" Rider exclaimed, rolling towards her with a smile on his face, already losing interest in tormenting the cat faunus. "It's great that you have come. You just missed my musical number though."

Byron clapped loudly when Robin finished her song. "Bravo! Bravo!" Byron exclaimed. "The name of a bird, the voice of an angel! Encore!"

"It's alright," Alice said, an evil smile on her face. She started leaning closer to Liseran. "So tell me the details~"

Robin blushed and rubbed the back of her head, "Oh, it's nothing...." She said, trying to tie her hair back together before it could get caught on something. Having long hair wasn't easy to take care of after all.

Mirai sharply turned to Rider and glared, stomping her feet two trails of ice to stop Rider's wheels in his track.

"You..." she said crossly marching over to him. "How dare you just abandon your teammates like that!? Do you have any idea how hard it took for me to find this place due to your poor excuse of directions?? And you didn't even escort! You expected me to find this place all by myself! Rayden and Caster certainly weren't any help! I actually had to ask for directions! So quit with your happy smile because I am terribly upset with you!"

Liseran felt herself turn into stone as Alice smiled at her. Goodness knows how a girl who looked as sweet and innocent as Alice could pull off such a maleficent smile. Liseran looked at her, frightened. "D-details? Like what? Didn't I say enough?"

Rory sighed as she looked at Cheshire and shook her head. "Trust me. Shen's a good person. I can get why you're worried in stuff, but don't sweat it. I'm cheery, optimistic and have two battleaxes. What could possibly go wrong?"

With that she skipped back to Shen and leaped on his back from behind. "Boo!" she said childishly. "Did I scare you?"

"You know what I meeeeaan~" Alice smiled wickedly. "Something's going on between you two. It's more than just dating too. I can tell. So give me the details. How far have you and that depressing cat gone?"

"Do I really appear that dangerous?" Shen asked, not even tilting from Rory hopping onto his back. "I don't see what they have to be concerned about. Afterall, you're married right?"

"You were wonderful," Byron smiled, suddenly getting behind Robin and helped tie her hair into a braid. "You should have kept your hair the same though. I think you look best the way I see you all the time."

"I-I'm sowwy," Rider whimpered, suddenly opening his eyes wide and quivering his lower lip. "Please don't hate me..."

Spoiler:

Mirai flinched and her eyes and mouth began to twitch as she tried to resist the urge to smile. He just had to be a rabbit...he just HAD to be a rabbit....

Mirai's cheeks turned red and she sharply turned, the ice on Rider's wheels breaking instantly. "Fine," she said. "But honestly, someday you're horrible information relaying is going to cost you and the team a lot of trouble. Now, as your punishment, you have to sing another number."

Rory dropped off of Lao Tzu and looked at him, surprised. "Wh-what?? Why in Remnant would you think I'm married?? The age of consent here is eighteen!"

Liseran's face went from red to pale as she looked at Alice. She sat up straight and looked away.

"I-I-err..I mean, we--" Liseran didn't know how to answer the question. "I honestly don't know what you mean by how far. I mean, well, I'll be honest, it's always been more than dating for me and Cheshire. Though we're not married or anything, I love him the way I would a husband and with my little girl, it makes it really feel like we're a family. That's all, really."

She wasn't about to slip under her pressure, she hoped Alice would be satisfied with her answer.

"Ma'am, yes ma'am," Rider salute, rolling towards the small stage and picked up the mic. Setting up anew song, he started singing.

"You're hiding something~" Alice said in a wicked sing-song voice.

Shen stared at Rory, blinking once before speaking. "On the first night I started staying at your home, when that... incident happen, you mumbled the name of a man. The way you murmured his name and considering the circumstances, I had thought it was your husband. I believe you said... Aeden?"

Mirai was a bit perturbed the song's sensuality, but in the end, she merely gave Rider a nod. "At least your singing talent is better than your skills of direction," she said as she moved over to take the mic from Rider. "May I?" she asked.

Liseran's eyes darted from Alice and she looked at Cheshire, pleadingly, hoping he'd save her before she said anymore. "I-I have no idea what you're talking about."

Rory's face turned red and she lowered her head.

"He-he's not my husband..." she said with a wrinkled mouth. "I-I just sort of like him..."

"... I see," Shen said. "Is there a reason you can not be with him?"

"I look forward to it," Rider smiled, presenting the mic to Mirai.

"Don't bother," Alice smiled, "Cheshire's a cowardly cat against me. He can't help you now~"

Cheshire clapped his hands together and bowed lowly in apology to Liseran.

Rory thought for a moment, embarrassed and looked away. "Well...he already has someone very special to him..." Rory said sadly. "So I'd rather just keep my distance. Besides, what chance would I have against her? She's sweet, rich, beautiful..." she let out a deep sigh.

Mirai smirked and then had another song play. Rider had already once heard her sing and the melancholy from then was slightly felt in the song, too.

The rains pours down on this garden I’ve been shut in,
And has brought along a way to kill time.
This sweet and lovely confectionery I don’t even know the name of,
Appeared together with you.
A quietly sleeping distant memory awakens.
A vivid mirage which colors my free time,
Is a glimmer I could also call trivial.

Liseran looked at Cheshire with teary eyes, but she knew that she was getting no help from him. "Well...okay...but please...don't tell anyone, I beg you."

She was worried Alice might burst it out or something and she didn't want that, knowing Cheshire's wish. And well, in her mind, there was a far more romantic way of having it announced later on in the future. So leaned close to Alice's ear and paused for a while. In one hand she took Cerinthe and rang her lightly using the Speaker to make a small high-pitched sound that would distract the faunus ears around as she whispered to Alice. "We're engaged."

"These people are insane. Even more then you and David." Robin said dryly, watching them go about what appeared to be an insane dog pile of relationship problems.

"We're not that different though," Byron chuckled, wrapping his arms around Robin from behind. "Wouldn't you like it if I gave you that much attention?"

"And you," Lao Tzu said, "are cheery, optimistic, and have two battle axes." Lao Tzu placed his hand atop Rory's head and gentle petted her. "You are a fine, beautiful young woman Miss Rory. It cannot be helped who a young man chooses, but just know that you are worth more than any man would deserve. In my country, I'm sure you would have had many suitors."

Cheshire and Rider flinched when they suddenly heard a strange sound, but as Liseran whispered to Alice, her eyes immediately widen. The little girl grabbed both of Liseran's hands and started hopping energetically. "OHMIGAWD HE PROPOSED TO YOU??"

That was more then enough to bring everyone's attention.

"Eh?" Cheshire squeaked. The faunus could already feel three preying eyes on him.

"No, though I do feel a little left out..." Robin muttered, leaning back into Byron's chest, "...And is it just me, or do people get married alot around here?" She asked.

Dusk steps up next to Robin and Byron having been in the shadows for the past few songs. He says quietly, "Yes, it does seem that way."

Rory smiled at Shen's words and was about to say something when Alice yelled. Rory darted and also began staring at Liseran.

"Lise..." Rory murmured, a bit stunned. "I-is that true?"

Why!? Liseran was screaming on the inside. Why did I tell her, oh why??

Liseran's eyes were brimming with tears of nervousness now. She didn't know if she could speak and her head bowed really lowly before muttering. "I-I'm sorry, Cheshire..."

"Young people are impatient," Byron said. "Are you sure you're not just envious?"

"S-Stay back..." Cheshire quivered as Rider and Alice started crowding him already.

"I knew it," Alice giggled, "You finally did it!"

"Cheshire old boy," Rider smiled, "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I-I-I-," Cheshire stammered.

Robin glanced at Dusk, "Oh, hi. Who are you?" She asked.

"Dusk Tempus," Dusk answered sticking out his right hand. "I joined Cheshire's team last week. Speaking of which, I'm wondering where those two girls are..."

Mirai had stopped singing, of course and moved over to Rider slightly as she watched the little scene. Seeing Liseran with her head very low and Cheshire being nervous, she targeted Cheshire.

"Hey," she said sharply. "Don't you think it's terribly rude for you to be letting your fiancee just sit there nervously? So you're engaged, that's great. But if I were little Miss Violet-Hair over there, I'd be kind of upset that you seemed so hesitant of saying it when you asked her in the first place? Kind of cowardly of you, I think."