[Author's note: As the party ends and the repercussions begin, a newcomer to their little group supplies the final piece of the puzzle and lays bare the forces ranged against them]
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A COUNCIL OF ALICES
Quinn had taken the seat in the centre of the table, depositing his top hat on the white latex surface. Ally set down a teapot and began to arrange cups, unclipping her tiara and laying it down next to the hat. Her makeup was smudged, leaving just the hint of red on her lips. She plopped down into the seat next to Quinn and began to pour the tea.
"I'm done with mad," she muttered, "What time is it?"
Across the table, Adam made a show of taking his pocket watch out of his waistcoat and examining it.
"Late," he smiled.
Cassie laughed, but it was half-hearted. She was sitting on a stool, still in full costume, while Syn reclined in a huge chair next to her, her boots off and feet up on Cassie's lap. Cassie massaged her partner's feet absently.
"It's coming up to three, I think," she said.
At the end of the table, in another huge chair, sat Cam with his arms wrapped around his fiancée on his lap, half-finished drinks in front of them. She was still dressed as Alice, but Cam had removed his Carpenter's toolbelt at last, depositing it on the table.
"Thank you," Cassie told him, "You really made the evening."
Cam shrugged. "I just supplied the hardware."
"No, I mean, the way you looked after things all night."
"That was mostly Tom. Where is he?"
"I think he and Hayley left already."
Cassie nodded towards the woman in his lap. "How was your night?" she asked.
"I don't really remember," the petite blonde replied, "Bree was probably loving it."
Cam laughed quietly. "Oh, Mina, she was a real handful. I'm glad to have you back."
Mina wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a hug, then turned to Cassie. "Nice Alice by the way."
Cassie looked down at herself, then back up at Mina.
"I wonder what the collective noun is?" Quinn mused.
"Oh, stop it," Ally replied.
"A curious of Alices?" Quinn continued, "A madness?"
"A madness of Hatters," Ally said, arching an eyebrow at him, "Definitely."
"And of Hares, darling. But Alice was the sane one. She kept her head when everyone else was losing theirs."
"I really don't know."
"A parliament of crows. Ah, yes, a council," he announced, "A council of Alices."
Cassie looked up from the table to see Eve crossing the floor towards her, strutting in her ginger and black catsuit. She had dispensed with the hood, but the whiskers were still painted on her cheeks.
"Here you go," Eve said, handing Cassie a set of keys, "All locked up."
"No stragglers?"
"Nah, the playrooms are secure. But I'll warn you, the Wet Room looks like a crime scene. I don't know what the hell they were doing in there, but it probably contravened a U.N. convention."
Cassie sighed. "Tomorrow's problem."
"Oh yeah. Definitely."
Eve pulled up a chair next to Adam as he took a cup of tea from Ally. She propped her elbows on the table and cupped her chin in her hands. Aidan appeared, clearing the empty glasses.
"Aidan, leave it," Cassie said, "Tomorrow's problem."
"Just these, and then it's done," he replied indicating the booths around them.
Cassie looked out. The booths were mostly empty now, the crush of people reduced to a dozen stragglers. A broad-shouldered Hawaiian man was pushing a tired-looking woman in a wheelchair towards the exit. Others were heading through the door also in ones and twos, some with old lovers, some with new. Indi was clearing a table on the other side of the floor.
"Tony and his cousin went home, they shut the door behind them," Eve said, then sighed, "What a night."
She took a cup of tea from Ally and began to sip it.
"And how about you?" Quinn asked, turning to Syn, "How was your night?"
For a long time, Syn didn't answer. Eventually, she shrugged, her eyes on the cup of tea in her hands.
"Worthy," she replied, "Fitting."
"For?"
"Oh, you know. The end," Syn murmured, "It was a fitting end."
Syn didn't elaborate further, and the group lapsed into silence as the club began to clear around them.
From the shadows, a woman appeared. She was in her mid-twenties, in thigh high boots over opaque white stockings, wearing a black A-line dress under a white cotton pinafore. Her long dirty-blonde hair was held back by a wide black band, complimenting her dark eyeshadow and black lipstick. Without waiting to be invited, she settled carefully into one of the high-backed chairs.
She was flanked by two companions, a petite dark-haired woman in a black latex bodysuit with cat ears and whiskers painted across her cheeks. Her mouth was done up in a wide, manic grin that matched the face of the man with her. He had a green wig, his face painted white in clown makeup, mouth in a red, ragged smile, and a long purple jacket.
Syn sat up straighter, surveying the newcomers.
"And who might you be?" she asked the man.
"You're the Queen of Hearts," he said, "I'm the Joker."
He turned to his petite companion. "This is Cheshire catwoman."
The blonde woman smiled at Syn, "And you can probably guess me. I'm Dark Alice. Sorry about Henry, he kinda ran with a tangent on the dress theme."
"Oh no, that's fine," Syn replied, "We love variety. But, as I said, who might you be?"
"She's Jen," Eve interjected, "Jennifer Staunton."
Jen reclined in her chair, surveying the rest of the group coolly. "Yeah," she said, "I'm the enemy."
Eve sat up. "Except," she said.
"Except, I'm not. Neither is he."
Quinn cleared his throat. "Except it's his legislation," he pointed out.
Jen held his gaze, saying, "We need to talk."
Henry and Anya took seats at the table. There was a little nod of recognition between Anya and Cassie, then a moment of surprise as Aidan flopped down into a chair at the end of the table, finally done with clearing glasses. Indi took a seat next to him quietly.
Jen began to tell her story, laying out what she had learned from her parents, while Syn regarded her in stony silence throughout. When Jen had finished, it was Syn who filled the silence.
"So, your father's provisions, the ones that are closing us down, the ones that are outlawing our lives, they're there because your mother kissed a woman?"
Her tone was steady, but cold.
"This," she rasped, suddenly struggling to maintain her composure, "This suffering is all to protect one person?"
Jen met her gaze, unflinching. "Yes," she replied, "That's about it."
Cassie could feel the tension boiling up in Syn. Not only was she losing her club, having her friends discriminated against, but she had been driven to attempt to take her own life, all because one man had chosen to keep his wife's secret. She was trembling now, and Cassie grasped her hand.
Syn attempted to pull away, eyes flashing at Cassie, but Cassie shook her head and turned her attention to the woman opposite her.
"Thank you, Jen," Cassie replied, "It must have been hard to come here among us and say that."
Jen smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Something like that," was all she said.
Cassie turned to her left. "Quinn, what do you think?"
Quinn seemed to rouse himself from reverie, looking quickly around the table.
"What do I think?"
"Yes, you're the lawyer."
"What do I think?" he mused to himself, "Well, blackmail is against the law, obviously."
"Obviously," Syn echoed, a trace of contempt in her voice.
"Obviously. But we would need proof. Your parents have the recording. They could release that."
Jen shook her head. "Dad won't do that. It would destroy my mother."
"As opposed to the destruction of other people? But maybe they don't matter," Syn noted, icily.
"Syn," Cassie interjected, "Let's just work this through."
It was Eve's turn to offer something. "Proof of blackmail is another option," she said, "Arrest the blackmailer, but seal the court proceedings so they don't become public domain, that would work, wouldn't it?"
Quinn nodded. "It would," he agreed, "Proof in this case would be the blackmail correspondence, the original recordings. Difficult to get, though."
"Nah," Eve replied, "If we knew where the originals were kept, we could do a search and seize."
"Which would need a judge to sign the search warrant," Quinn countered, "Which would need probable cause."
"Which means what?" Ally interjected, "Quinn, you're talking in circles."
Eve's shoulders slumped, "No, he's right. We would only be able to get a warrant if we knew beyond reasonable doubt where the material was."
"Do we?" Ally asked, turning to Jen.
Jen had remained silent throughout the exchange. "All I have is this," she said, "A name. Richard Scott. That's all my father would tell me."
There was a pause, broken only by Syn. She appeared to crumble, closing her eyes, her grip on Cassie's hand tightening. All eyes were on her now, waiting.
"Ah," she rasped, lapsing into a deep silence.
Cassie could feel her trembling. "Syn?" she prompted, tentatively.
"Well played," Syn muttered under her breath, "The long game. Well played."
"Syn?"
An age seemed to pass before Syn turned her focus on Cassie. When at last she found her voice, she spoke in hushed tones.
"This, all of this, it's nothing to do with her mother or the laws. It's because of me, Cassidy."
"How? I don't...."
"Richard."
"But who is he?"
Syn was shaking now. Instinctively, Cassie reached out to wrap her in her arms.
"You can tell me," Cassie murmured, "It's okay. What happened?"
Syn didn't answer immediately, but then drew in a breath and disengaged, straightening up. She turned her attention to the group.
"I suppose there are things you need to know," she began, "About how this started, about how Harvey and I met."
She sat up straighter, as if the act of starting the story was giving her the strength to continue it.
