Despite her head-start, it wouldn't be long before the remainder of the Taskforce left behind would catch up - especially, since she'd stopped to feed. As such, Carroll was looking over the mission board for anything that would put a generous distance between herself with Alice, and the meddling members that could stop her. Admittedly, she was shocked when nobody attempted to stop her, as she rejoined the town at the border of the temple and the township; where they so trusting of Alice that no-one questioned the Lamia carrying her sleeping body, or were they so foolish to not think that a more nefarious Mamono would use another as a Trojan Horse, if they knew of their relationship to the Taskforce.

And, then, there was the matter of Lady Kikyo; last seen riding by Carroll in a clear panic - a far cry from the wintry matriarch that had wrapped them in her cold embrace. It would take a fool not to assume the allegiance of the men that had attempted to sack the cemetery temple with that expression: they were her soldiers, defected from her word and whim. To what end, Carroll didn't care - men were fickle; women more so. Across the board, Humans were a baffling species, and she wanted little to do with them.

Hence, her desire to put space between her and them.

...but, she was only so honest with her disdain.

That training hadn't only changed Alice, but her, as well. Bonding with a Human - a man, to boot - had corrupted her own mentality in a way, itself. Shizuka was full of emotions to prey on; past glories, failures, and losses. Negative emotions were always the best to focus on, and his most regrettable featured this form she inhabited, now. She didn't have all the details, but enough to form this new shell.

Unfortunately, in the heat of battle, we can take more than intended. The form didn't come without drawbacks - she couldn't assume the full form of her true nature, but that was easy to overcome with more training. What wasn't was the deeply rooted emotion that lingering in Shizuka's heart for the woman she mimicked; he hated her, yet loved her, and she felt it. Whoever she was, she broke his heart and soul, and shaped him into the man he was today.

As she scanned the board, she noticed Shizuka's name stamped on one of the notices, and traced it with a finger, "[color=808080][i]Darling, ganbatte kudasai...[/i][/color]"
[color=808080][h2][center][b][i]What?[/i][/b][/center][/h2][/color]
Carroll drew her hands to get mouth in shock and horror, as she registered the words that came out her mouth. That wasn't what she meant! Not even in the slightest! She didn't even give a passing thought to the wannabe samurai bandit! She had her Alice! She didn't need some husband -- er, man! Shaking her crimson locks with a violence, she realized she'd been standing at the board for an inordinate amount of time, and snatched an order off the board.

A mission to deal with some loon swinging his sword on a beach. That's what she needed - a good sword fight; steel against steel; sweat dripping; bodies clashing; [i]euphoria mating with -- [b]meeting with![/b] -- violence![/i] Slamming the request down, Carroll was troubled to hide her self-inflicted arousal. "[color=808080][i]C-Carroll and Alice,[/i][/color]" she stammered out when requested her name. Turning, she slithered to the room she'd been asked to put Alice in with a quickness, and battered through the door with her tail; locks and privacy be damned. "[color=808080][i]Alice! We have a mission! Let's depart for the nearest harbor, and set sail for Hama Island![/i][/color]" she shouted, before she melted and converted into her mundane form.[center][hr][i]~Half an hour ago...~[/i][hr][/center]Alice only slept a short while, after Carroll had deposited her in one of the temple rooms. It was no life of luxury, but a bedroll was a bed, and invited sleep all the same. No, her rest was fractured by the nightmares - the flames of war, the smell of battle, and the sounds of death and dying men. It was unforgettable, unmistakable, and unforgivable...

Her dreams were desperate peace and guilty protest mulled into simple nightmare; recollection of the horrors she'd wrought in the name of belonging for nearly two-hundred years - hiding behind a moniker, and a monarchy, to stand above it all as the most brilliant of her kin and ken, undisputedly.

They called her a barbarian for a reason.

Yet, she'd once only dreamed of making tea from a hole in the ground.

...wait, did she?

Alice sat up, having been lying down, and staring at the ceiling. Looking around, she spied a looking glass upon the wall, and stood up to approach it. She looked at herself, the reflection of a conqueror - her Mamono nature kept her beautiful, but she knew how haggard and exhausted she looked within. "[color=6083ff][i]Beautiful, outside. Horrendous, inside,[/i][/color]" she lamented, as she looked at her head. Her blonde hair, as golden as the rising sun, had shifted in streaks and the roots, towards the redness of a setting sun. "[color=6083ff][i]My hair is dirty...[/i][/color]" Alice grumbled, taking the color change for filthiness, as she ran her fingers through and they came back oily.

Displeased, the Mad Hatter would collect toiletries from the cupboard provided as a closet, and head out to the temple bath with basket in hand and towel covering her modesty. As she reached the bath, she ignored the rest of the bathers - a mixture of Human and Mamono - to slip into her own world. Culturally, her kind had no issue with communal... well, everything, really, but, sometimes, a woman just wanted some me time. Having come back from a hard training session to be dragged into a fight only to be cucked out of it by a Goblin and High Orc - poetic irony, that - had Alice in a bit of a funky mood.

Not to mention, unfulfilled. After all, Carroll had stirred the pot, but she didn't get to boil over; a fact that her loins were aching to remind her of - blue-balled, as they were. Alice hungered for the Jiangshi; her violence, her neediness born of a hunger only she could satisfy, her --

A sudden suck of someone's teeth brought the former Matango back to reality, and an older woman gave her a surreptitious glance, directing the Mamono to her sword. Alice blushed grass-green from the nape of her neck to her perfect hairline, as she hastily supplied an apology to the elder clergywoman, and fucking booked it for her room - leaving her hat, towel, and bathing basket behind.

Thankfully, shame was a POWERFUL demotivator - if you weren't a total humiliation sub - and Alice was able to splash into her bedroll, after locking the door, without cracking her most, and least, important bone. Humiliated to the nth degree, Alice wallowed in agony and misery, as she prayed that rumours of her curse wouldn't circulate. "[color=6083ff][i]Oh, why did I listen to that damn Sea Hag when she wanted to 'spice things up in the bed,' like an idiot![/i][/color]"

Kicking her legs in the air, Alice would rant and rave and yell at her crotch for basic biological responses before the door was suddenly battered in by a powerful tail slamming through it. Before she could entertain if it was the Temple Decency Police come to arrest her for public indecency and whatever charges the old lady cooked up, Carroll would enter and entreat a side quest upon her.

An excuse to leave, if ever there was one!

Hastily, she scooped up her demonic hand-and-half axe, and grabbed a peasant dress from the dresser, and booked it for the docks - screw shoes, they'd be useless on a beach anyways. And, so with no hat, underwear, socks, or shoes, the Mad Hatter would beat the fast retreat - racking up numerous (imaginary) charges against decency, but she didn't care as she ran.

Upon arrival, she'd be told there was a grace period, since the swordsman seemed to be self-contained to the beach, unless provoked. Due to his assumed skills and potential background, the higher-ups had requested a few days before shipping off to allow some of the more seasoned members to opt in.

As long as Alice's misadventures were undiscovered, she didn't care. Besides, it was one guy with a sword on a beach, who would wanna waste their time with that, when there were more exciting things to do - probably, maybe. It wasn't like she looked as she hurried away with her tail between her legs, so to speak.

"[color=6083ff][i]Well, whatever...[/i][/color]" Alice sighed, lying on the deck of the boat, "[color=6083ff][i]I'mma take a nap, and get some sun in.[/i][/color]"