As Carroll slithered back towards the village that was hosting them, Alice was drifting off into an uneventful sleep - her first real rest since the training session, mere hours ago. A mistake, that. It was a small thing, but small things had the tendency of growing over time - mountains of molehills, so to speak. And, though her mortal existence was not commonplace as others, Carroll still bore the same, lascivious cravings as any Mamono; cursed, as she were.

Her stomach rumbled in desperation; a timeless cry for proper sustenance. She took what she could from Alice - a little bit here, a little bit there - but it was akin to living on bread crusts and water. A stale, hardtack diet could never replace the luxurious meal she could find in someone like the young lord or his samurai retainer. However, she couldn't betray her Alice so easily - even as her starvation was allowing her to slip through her metaphorical and manifested fingers.

And, Alice was slipping away. Recall, the aforementioned mistake, and the training done. To control multiple mindsets was a strenuous task; a juggling act that couldn't afford a single drop, yet someone had snatched two pieces out of the air before her. In Wonderland, there was no concept such as Chi; the Human Realm did not apply to the Insanity of Magic. There, it was easy to control and maintain her dying illusion, but here...

Not so much.

Her mental hold on Alice had slipped for, but an instant, yet that was long enough to do irreparable damage in her current state. By the time she had the energy to deal with it, she would have to struggle to regain her Alice as she were. By then, it would, in all likelihood, be too late to recover her. Already, she could see the wear, as she looked down upon Alice's hatless head; roots of red showing in the cascade of gold she'd so carefully built up. It wouldn't be long before the charade fell through...

Then... what?

Her stomach rumbled. She needed to eat. It wasn't too late. She could turn around, and sneak attack the Jiangshi at the cost of being attacked by the High Orc, the sister she had in the Jorougumo, and her Goblin lover. Not to mention, the unrivaled disdain of the elder stateswoman and the fostering of mistrust from the young lord; both of which would only serve to inconvenience Alice. She needed to eat, but, for the sake of her ambition, she couldn't be reckless.

No.

No, she had to make do, as she had been.

So, she did.

Lying Alice upon the loamy soil, sunkissed and windswept, the Cursed Sword in her stolen guise of a corporeal being would look upon her eldest pawn, so close to promotion, and lie with her. A one-sided affair, as the Mad Hatter slept; ignorant to the nigh-masturbatory molestation - fiingers ghosted over unblemished skin, as smooth and pale as porcelain; lips, plush and lavender, pulled gently upon lips, prim and bubblegum, in longing embrace; her thick tail wrapped around thin legs, as they met in the middle.

Yet, this affair was quick - a top off of the aforementioned bread crusts and water.

Despite the airs of passion, it was clinical and calculated. In minutes, it was over, and Carroll drew Alice into her arms, and resumed her journey home.

Her stomach grumbled, but the rumble was gone... for now.