Wonderland Bar, Bywater District
7:12 pm

Alice checks her watch. The floors have been swept, the chairs dropped from small tables and wiped clean. Liqour has been stocked and accounted for. Lights are on and the music is playing softly; the smoky tones of Skye Townsend's "noreg" flowing freely through the speakers scattered through the building. The music would transform as the patrons came through becoming more dance heavy but for now the piano filled the room. Alice ponders how much it would be to fit a small stage and a piano for Live entertainment. She would have to see if she could convince someone to "gift" her a piano; she hasn't played in so many years. She spaces out for a second longer, remembering her lesons when she was younger before focusing back on her checklist. Bar accoutrements have been thoroughly sanitized, the ice machine is up and running, the minifridge is open... wait, [color=007236][i]what!?[/i][/color] 

"Either there's a Bug problem here or a Bird problem, which is it?" Alice steps slowly behind the countertop. The vague sounds of sirens can be heard as the song fades out to silence before picking up again with another soft melody. Alice shoots a  panicked glance to the front doors of the bar, checking that they are still shut before casting her gaze to the stairwell door leading to her apartment above. Seeing the door slightly ajar, she calls out again.

"Jessie? Wren?"

Silence answers her, and the hair on the back of her neck starts to prickle. [color=007236][i]They have found you, you can never escape, there is no place to hide why did you think you even could why why why[/i][/color] A whimper draws Alice from her internal struggle and she follows the sound to find a small child huddled at the floor of the bar, wrapped in a blanket and holding a juicebox. Her eyes are wide and fearful, and Alice takes only a second to kick her internal voice back into the hole it belongs as she slides to the floor to come to rest at the child's socked feet. 

"Baby Bird you startled me, aren't you supposed to be upstairs?" She motions to her lap, and the child clambers into it with minimal juice spillage. "Couldn't sleep. huh? What's the matter?"

As she speaks a Firetruck speeds loudly along the street outside, throwing its redblue glare across the walls of the bar. The child whimpers again and buries her head into the crook of Alice's arm. "Bad dream and loud noises" is the muffled reply. Alice adjusts her small cargo, placing the blanket just over the top of the toddlers ears to help muffle the noise as the truck speeds onward towards it's destination. "It's okay, little one. Just a truck. Like the ones we see on the way to your school. Just a firetruck." She rubs the small ones back, singing along softly with the current music and slowly absorbing all the  child's anxiety and fear as she stands and makes for the stairwell. As she climbs, she continues to console the child. "It's alright, there is no fire here so those trucks won't make noise for long, and then you can get back to bed". Padding through the living room and only stubbing her toe on the couch once Alice reaches the master bedroom and looks at the bundle of feet and blanket she is carrying. "Alright, Captain Wrenly. Ready for takeoff?" The child squeaks an assent before being tossed onto the queen sized bed, bouncing once as she lands in a heap. Giggling madly, she holds her arms up for a second go round. Alice picks up the bundle and spins in a circle before dropping the child onto the mattress again. She starts to tuck the small one in, placing the covers over her and dropping a kiss to the top of the child's forehead. As she tucks the little one in to the bed she hums a little, letting her mind relax and her thoughts drift towards sleep. She then turns that leaden feeling upon the toddler, watching as the giggling slows and the ywans begin. "Okay, kiddo. Bedtime for Birds. If you need anything, you know where the button is, okay? Goodnight, Wren." She points to the baby monitor on the nightstand and grins at the slightly breathless "goodnight Allie!" She turns to leave, stopping at the doorway to close the door almost all the way. As she makes her way back towards the stairwell to finish opening up for the night, alice knocks sharply on the other apartment door across the hall.

"Jessie, you in there? What's with all the firetrucks? What's the status looking like?"