02 | Video

[maddeninghatter]

[ Baaa Baa-aa-aaaaaa Baaaaaaaaaaa! ]

I say, hello, hel-looooo! I have a question for you all--

[ The grime-smeared face of Xerxes Break appears onscreen. His white hair is discolored with dust and stuck together. There's a semicircular wound under his right cheekbone, and the shoulder of his jacket looks chewed. Despite all of this, he seems terribly pleased with himself. ]

Does anyone here have qualifications in animal husbandry?

[ More angry bleating and a yelp! Break turns. Visible in the background is another (also dirty and disheveled) man, desperately fending off a sheep. It’s not going at all according to plan; with a single headbutt he’s out of the camera’s line of sight, followed by a thud and worrisome tinkling noises. ]

Why, Gilbert. I think she likes you! ♥

[ Moving right along... ]

Anyway - yes. I'm looking specifically for people with experience or interest in shepherding, as well as shearing, spinning, knitting, cheese-making--

[ Another CRASH! and a voice yelling, “Break, look out!" ]

--and hand-to-hand combat! Kindly respond to this post, or apply in person to the botanical gar--

[ Break’s face suddenly disappears. The last image visible onscreen is… this. ]

Comments

video; private

[maddeninghatter]

Bye-byeeeeee!

[ It's bath time. Signing off! ]

video;

[quackery]

[She's calling him back around an hour and a half later because this isn't over.]

audio

[maddeninghatter]

[ He's had his bath and collected Collette and just settled down for a nap. ]

Hmmm?

audio

[quackery]

Who do I remind you of?

audio 1/2

[maddeninghatter]

[ JEEZ ]

[maddeninghatter]

A cuuuuuuute little bunny rabbit! ♥

[quackery]

Wait, what?

audio

[maddeninghatter]

I don't want to talk on this thing anymore!

[ He is tired and he's whining. Petulantly. Like an adult. ]

Come and talk to me, if you want to talk.

audio

[quackery]

Fine! What apartment do you live in?

audio

[maddeninghatter]

...now?

Gilbert's not even home yet, there won't be muffins for a few hours at least.

audio

[quackery]

I don't care about muffins, I want to know why you just compared me to a rabbit!

audio

[maddeninghatter]

403

[ HANGING UP NOW ]

action

[quackery]

[Aaaand there's a knock at his door around ten minutes later!]

action

[maddeninghatter]

[ He has moved from his bed to the sofa (wrapped up in a blanket), but has still managed to nod off in those ten minutes. ]

--hm? Oh. Oh, right. Come in!

action

[quackery]

[She opens the door, then, seeing him on the couch right off.]

Can I sit?

action

[maddeninghatter]

Hi hiii!

[ He flips his blanket a little, pulling it back, making room for her on the sofa. ]

Hm, I remember the first [ and only ] time I laid eyes on you, Ahiru.

action

[quackery]

[She sits, pausing before she speaks.]

What about it?

action

[maddeninghatter]

Haha! You weren't you. Oz was you!

[ And he was Madoka, but shh.

(obviously he ought to have seen her before then, on the network...) ]

action

[quackery]

[That doesn't occur to her, though, as she sighs.]

I don't even want to think about that, that whole thing was so gross!

action

[maddeninghatter]

He was a real brat, too--

[ Here he breaks off abruptly, gazing at (or, rather, past) her. ]

action

[quackery]

[A pause, wondering why he's not looking at her. Could it be-?]

If you have a point, I don't think I'm getting it. Um, but is there a problem?

action 1/2

[maddeninghatter]

[ There'd always been something off about Oz, from the moment he'd met the boy. "Creepy kid," he'd called him.

He can't quite put his finger on it, but now meeting her in person (the real her, not Oz inserted)...

Hm. ]

action

[maddeninghatter]

Are you a little bunny rabbit?

action

[quackery]

What? No. What do rabbits have to do with anything? I don't get what you're trying to say.

action

[maddeninghatter]

Neither do I!

[ It's nothing but a little pricking sensation at the back of his intuition, however... Hm. He'll file this away. ]

What happened to your parents?