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Arcane is of the mindset that a Magician is only as good as his tricks… and tricks can get quite tired around the keen puzzle-solving minds of the Cheshires and their kin. In the interest of remaining entertaining, it behooves -or be-paws?- one to continue to reinvent himself and his bag of tricks.

In this case, Arcane has put his various gifts to work in crafting wards that lay like thin golden thread along the borders of the Underland. Easily overlooked, seemingly inconsequential things… But oh so useful. They sang warnings and greetings if one was merely keen enough to listen. Arcane, of course, was.

So when they sang of the Prince returning, he didn’t think much of it… But then they spoke of strangers that were friends, curious little anomalies that were familiar for all that they were unknown… and a companion who was as good as a herd mate for all that no one knew her.

What, precisely, was going on?

What was going on was Blu was actually doing something clever for the first time in his life. In addition to collecting and bringing back his apparent heirs, he’s managed to lure the pretty Lapsang girl home because she'd make a marvelous addition to the Underland herd. (And possibly also because she was the one who had taken charge of said baskets in his absence.) “You really must attend a Tea Party, I insist…”

Esfir receives no warning as such, and therefore is informed that her life has just been cast into turmoil by walking into the dining glade and staring at the immaculately set table with something like bewildered panic. “Ah… Why did you-”

Blu seems to see no issue in any of this, shoulder-knocking his little sister hard enough to rock her on her paws, giving her a pleading look. “I know what you’re going to say! But look how pretty the table setting looks now?“

Esfir blinks up at him and then whines. “I LIKE THE CHAOS.”

At first, she was trying her best to not touch the settings but Blu seemed to not really mind it when she started to turn the settings in the way that allows the decorative sides to show the most. They were beautiful, quirky, but needed to have at least a semblance of order.
Blue, taking a deep breath, at the chaos she had come upon since being ‘ferried’ here by Blu. A deep love for fixing the chaos with chaos-but-better had rung a bell inside of her. Oh. This new potential home was absolutely in need of some order.
Not too much order, just enough. She didn’t want to change this new home. Just.. Make it.. “I didn’t touch yours–.. But. If.. If you want—want.” Blue twitches physically, “I can.”

Shahrivar lurks in a corner of the dining glade, watching his sister and their elder brother interact with a stilted sort of politeness that managed to clearly convey ‘awkwardly on good behavior in front of a guest’.

Squinting from beneath the full fall of her forelock, Esfir considers the stranger, then the table, then looks back to her with something that sounds like gentle amusement. “... that looks like it hurt to say.”

Blu, delighted Esfir is willing to play nice, shifts on his paws and makes fond noises in his chest, just barely resisting the urge to knead the ground beneath his paws.

Shah huffs a breath and rolls his eyes, safely hidden behind the tipped brim of his top hat. He had to admit, the table did look quite good. “Just let it be pretty, Fear.”

Worn down by the entreating tone both siblings have employed, Esfir sighs softly. “Fine.”

Blue gave Esfir a bright smile, “You won’t be disappointed! I swear.” Her tail wagged, and when it wagged it brought her whole back end with it. It was half-there and like all short and bobbed tailed canines, she over exaggerated the tail wag. Giving Esfir her great big deep navies as Shah backs her up.
“Which way would you want it to be set? Since it’s tea time, I can do a tea setting or a supper setting or a afternoon tea setting?” She bounced up in a false-step with her nimble paws. Flexing her large ears. “Or a mid-afternoon tea setting or a midnight tea setting? Dinner setting, oh! Breakfast!?”

’She seems really nice,’ Shah thinks as he gives his sister a pointed look, grinning softly as he noticed her ignoring him.

Esfir, for her part, looks from the table and Blue to her brother and back. “Oh, no, you don’t have to go to any trouble? It already looks quite nice in the current-”

As she speaks, her eyes drift back to Blu and notice how he’s… entirely consumed with making mooncalf eyes at this newly arrived stranger.

Shah clears his throat, shrugging a little. “No, ah… Uh, is there another? That is, a tea time setting would be fine? Is fine?”

Esfir, noting how Shah’s tone pitches up questioningly in an attempt to draw her back into the conversation, gives a nod. “Shah has a point. Yes, that... sounds good.”

She nods in agreement but cuts a look at Blu and then looks back at Shah to pointedly roll her eyes. ‘Can you believe how gone he is?’

Blue lets out this little yodeling dog-sound that could possibly be wolven, somewhere in the canine window. Giving a wide grin at the siblings of her new friend. Bouncing over to Esfir’s untouched chaos and begins to place things in order. She kept most of the original set there but it was definitely more clean and ready for tea time without having to crawl and lean over everything that surrounded needed ingredients for Esfir to customize her tea to her liking. A meticulous corner designed for Snicker and Snack to have their goodies to themselves.

Two watching the new addition to Underland brought by Blu having cleaned up the tea time table makes Two blink in delight. She loved the chaos that she’d known as Katya, Irina and their sisters’ tastes but it was nice to see a tea time set up that she once had enjoyed a good cuppa at.

For all that he’s happy enough to annoy or tease his cousins, Zinger walks by the awkward group in the dining glade and swings close enough to curl around Two, nudging her with his shoulder in a prompt for her to follow him. “I think we’ll be stepping on, My Goddess? We're going to enjoy the quiet because soon I'll have grand nieces and nephews and I think half of us won't get any sleep.
Rum: ... fair.”

Blu, standing to one side of the glade with his metaphorical flabbers still gasted, looks wide-eyed between all parties assembled. “Uhhh.”

“Ahhh Cousin, not your finest hour.” Zinger murmured affectionately.

Caught into the force that was Zinger she flexed her fox ears to the tea time before going into step with Zinger as they depart. Leaning into his neck as she pads against him, making a fond sound. “We will have to work hard with helping Blu.” She gave an agreeable sound.

Blue turns her ears like satellites as she settles beside Blu as he was still her chaperone here. Overhearing Two, she nudges at a basket gingerly before looking up at Blu. Rejoining his side she puffed up her chest, which makes her collar decorations clatter. “What did we learn?” She beamed at him fondly.

Zing makes an understanding noise at the comment, flicking a burning bright eye in Two’s direction at the comment. His cousin was up to his ears in a few kinds of trouble, but surely a few Cheshires and the Tea Goddess could help him resolve it? Since she seemed so willing to do so.

“He brought home a stranger and a couple of baskets… is letting the stranger rearrange the tea party, and didn’t tell Esfir beforehand. This is more stressful than when the Magician and the Vorpal Blade all decided to appear at once.” Zinger admits in a muttered tone of voice as they round a corner in the path and find themselves face to face with Arcane.

The dark pelted Cheshire padded along down the winding paths of Underland on heavy paws, deceptively silent and graceful when he had the need to be. It was, perhaps, one of the more surprising things about him, considering the bright gleam of golden magic and moonstone gems and other such accessories he nearly always kept on his form. In spite of them, he seemed to keep the knack -or propensity?- of appearing at whatever time he deemed most entertaining or opportune. (Or perhaps to the deepest detriment of those he wished to prank, who could be sure?)

“I believe you were speaking of me?” The Magician asked in an amused tone, tilting his head questioningly at the young Prince of the Black Market and offering a standard mysterious grin. “What mischief is being wrought that makes you speak of both myself and Smoke with such fondness? It almost sounds like you missed the days you did not know or particularly like us.”

“I might have been,” Zing ventured once he shook off the surprise of being caught. “The Prince has made some, rather surprising moves. Moves that might change the game, considerably.”

“Ah, that explains a few things.” Arcane murmured to himself, thinking back to the way the wards had hummed with a strange mix of ‘welcome back’ and ‘hello gentle stranger’ all at once. “I was on my way to see things for myself. It appears an anomaly or two arrived in his company, as well as a peaceful party that is already well on her way to being family. I won’t trouble you two any longer, it is more fun to see things for myself.”