Path to the Mad Man

"Heh." Robin said, easily keeping her balance on the railing despite the immense speed and constant breaking of the waves, "So, how long till we get there?" She asked, loud enough for Byron to hear.

"A few more hours," Byron replies, "Course I'm an impatient guy so I think I'm going to speed up a little more."

After several hours of Byron and Robin laughing like a bunch of sadists, Byron eventually slowed down and the ride was more like a casual cruise more then anything.

"LAND HO!" he yelled out loud for the group. Up ahead the group can see the shoreline. It seems that it was a fisherman's port up ahead. Behind it is a large expanse of trees and forestation. Beyond that, though a little hard to make out, the group can spot a giant clock tower.

David slid of the boat like a ragdoll, on to the port. He stood up, and rushed for solid earth. He fell to the ground, and laid there for a bit. "Solid ground oh how I missed you." He just sat there, for a bit trying to regain his nerves. Third time...I...hate.....water.

Axel woke up to Byron yelling, "Land Ho!" He had been sleeping throughout the boat ride, partially as a way to deal with his mild seasickness, and partially because he had been up all night the night before for no justifiable reason other than that he felt like it. He took out his communicator to use its map function so that he would know where he was. "Ok, Byron, so where is this place on the map?"

"Oh come now you big baby, it was only five hours," Byron said as he tied the boat to a post. "We're a good ways away from Vale now and my town is a whiles away. I've got a car waiting for us beyond the port. Come on, let's go."

As everyone grabbed their stuff, Byron led them pass the ports and they started walking up a dirt path through the forest. Byron tried cracking a few more terrible jokes along the way and the responses varied.

"And then she said 'Only you honey. I was awake for everyone else."

After about ten minutes of walking, the group can spot a long black car parked up ahead. The driver's seat was open though and the driver was nowhere to be found.

Right around when the group realizes something was amiss, Robin felt a hand grip her shoulder from behind followed by a dangerous sounding voice.

"Oi. How about you give me your all stuff eh?"

Robin promptly grabbed the speaker's arm and threw him over her shoulder and into the car.

The man Robin threw was flung in the air easily without much effort but then he somersaulted like an acrobat and landed firmly on his feet in a crouch, the long he wore over his shoulders waving like a cape, the long black ears wiggling on his head. The man stood up, standing 6'6 ft tall and turned around, a a metallic cane shaped like a gilded cross in his hand. Before anybody readied for an attack though, Byron yelled, "Harekles!"

Byron ran up up to the man gave him a hearty hug which was quickly returned.

"My brother!" the man named Harekles shouted, though his voice sounded rather bored and unenergetic. As the two parted, Byron introduced the man to the group while Harekles took out a cigarette and lit it casually, a tired look on his face.

Spoiler:

"The name is Harekles Blood Marchello VI of the Marchello family," Harekles said with a slight nod of his head. He then leaned towards Byron. "Hey. Is that short chick on her period or something or does she always shoulder toss people who just want to help load her bags into the car?"

Byron simply chuckled in response.

Axel, who had Spite pointed at the tall man, put his pistol away. "It certainly is an easily mistaken way to ask people if they needed help with their bags," he said in as bored a tone as Herekles's.

"He's just misunderstood, that's all," Byron stated patting Harekles's back. "We've been pals for years now. He personally offered to drive my car out here to pick us up."

"I just had nothing else better to do," Harekles sighed with an emotionless tone, "Load your stuff in the back already. I'll help your pals with their stuff."

"Alright," Byron nodded, walking to the black car. He opened the back and slipped off Thanatos from his back, sliding it in. It was then that everyone realized that Byron's car was a hearse. "Well what are you waiting for? It's not like you'll die just riding the car!"

"So you're all his team mates eh?" Harekles said ignoring Byron's statement as he placed the cigarette into his mouth. "So who is who? More importantly, which of you is Robin?"

"That would be me." The aforementioned leader answered, crossing her arms and leaning back a little.

Harekles puffed at his cigarette silently for a while, simply staring at Robin for sometime giving her several once overs. His hare ears twitched repetitively in thought.

"..... Really?" Harekles finally asks. "The way Byron wrote about you in his letters I could have sworn you were a guy."

Turning his attention on the two men now, he gave them both some quick once overs before saying, "Alright, let me see if I can get this right." Harekles points at Axel with his cross-shaped cane. "Glasses guy is Axel." He shifts the point of his cane towards David. "And that means you're little birdie."

David just sighed at the sound of the pet name. "Just call me David. Still no clue how I got that name." He said as he walked over to load his bag.

"Allow me," Harekles sighed, his tone bored and lifeless like everything in the world was tiring him as he grabbed everyone's bags and loaded them onto the hearse before stepping into the shotgun seat as Byron got behind the wheel.

"Ah~ I've missed you so," Byron chuckled as he turned the key revving the engine with a smooth hum. "Let's ride Bat."

"It's his nickname for the car," Harekles explained boringly to the group sitting in the back seats as Byron starts driving. "He says he calls it that because when he first got it it was twinkling like a tea tray or something. I still don't understand."

David's face slowly changed to worry. "I know I'm goanna regret this but, how well of a driver are you Byron?" David was still a bit green from the boat trip. Ugh......so much green. He sat back and buckled him self in.

"Don't worry, he's a much better driver then you'd think," Harekles commented with the same unenthusiastic tone he's kept the entire time. "He follows the speed limits and all." Harekles paused in thought for a moment. "Oh wait, there technically aren't any speed limits in the middle of a forest...."

"We're all going to die." Robin said plainly, a little off put by that, "thought you were a man." Comment.

Despite everyone's thoughts, the drive was rather normal paced and peaceful. Byron had put on some music on the radio but otherwise it was peaceful.

"So I read plenty about you guys," Harekles said, "But I hear little about Byron himself. What do you guys think of him?"

David thought before answering. "Nice guy, great at baking, and 4 different versions of crazy. No offence Byron, but after being inside your head.......I still have nightmares, about the queen." He just shivered a little as he thought about her. There's no way that tasted like love.

Robin took in a deep breath, "Well, for starters, Byron is a sadistic, sociopath, madman and teases me all the time. He jumps into situations head first without a thought to his own safety or others and really has trouble understanding other people's thoughts. Also, he's insane, did I mention that?" Robin asked, then took another breath.

"But...He does make good tea, always has my back, and looks at the bright side of things. So I guess it balances out." She admitted.

"Aww~ You like me. You really, really like me," Byron chuckled.

"Glad to know the people around him think well of him regardless of his quirks," Harekles Marchello said while exhaling another puff of smoke out the window. "The queen?"

Harekles glanced back at David. "Oi, you pulling my leg birdie? You're scared of that pink haired loli? That's just ridiculous. You have an allergy for roses or something man?"

David shook his head. "She made out with a severed head. I'm not one for necrophilia shit." He deadpanned. He just had that image burned in on his mind. That's not going away anytime soon. "But I suppose there are a few nice denizens in his head."

"I find Wonderland...amusing, to say the least. As for Byron, himself, not much to complain about" said Axel.

"And what, some little loli giving tongue to a head freaks you out?" Harekles asked. He turned to Byron and sucked at his cigarette. "These kids are the ones you've got watchin' your back in a fight man?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Byron murmured.

The drive went on for several more minutes before the group spotted civilization. It was an old fashioned type town with old styled building and architecture of bland colors. Women were all dressed extremely modestly and men carried themselves like gentlemen. Just about all of them wore long coats like Harekles although their arms were actually in the sleeves. It was rather foggy for early afternoon although there was a sort of charm to the stiff charactered populace and the traditional setting.

"Good ol' Englandshire," Byron smiled as they drove down the streets. The massive clock tower rang with a deafening boom. "Ah~ one o'clock. We're early."

David looked around at the scenery, and was amazed by the culture. "Byron I can not imagine any other place that seems fitting for you." David said while taking in the view. Such a lovely place.

"It's a quaint-looking town. Personally, I thought you lived in a place with much more abstract architecture," Axel commented.

"....." Robin looked around and felt a brief shudder. Ugh, this place was like something out of a painting, everybody was dressed so fancy, it was starting to bare down on her. It was never so obvious how out of place she felt in this high class town. She felt like she needed a bath to wash away all the years spent on a farm to have a chance in this society.

"This is, uh, nice." Robin finally said, looking around and trying to find something she liked, "The roofs...are...high?" She finished lamely.

"Glad you like the looks of the place," Harekles murmured still sounding tired and bored. He looked out the window, his ears perking as he spotted a ragged looking man. "Drop me off here."

Byron slowed to a stop and let Harekles step out. "I'll catch you later. I need to take care of some business." With that, Harekles closed the door and walked away. Byron started driving again, remaining under the speed limit.

After turning on several streets and Byron pointing out all of the tea shops along the way, Byron slowed to a stop, parallel parking in front of a surreal looking two story house. It actually looked strangely like a doll house but just about all the houses looked like that.

"We're here," Byron smiled as he stepped out of the car. "Welcome.... to my wondrous house."