3Hatter smiles and pours a cup of tea into his cleanest cup. He is strangely relaxed today and sinks into an overstuffed chair, humming lightly. Time picks up the porcelain glass and sips quietly. "It's good." He compliments. Reginald tips his hat, smiling crookedly.
"Thank you."
Time sets the cup down. "Where are the dormouse and hare?"
He smiles wider. "They left. March was bored and dragged Dormouse with him. Shame really, the naughty things."
"So why are you here?"
"It would be terribly rude to walk out on my own tea party, now wouldn't it?" He casually dips a thick slice of bread into a pot of Earl Grey before taking a bite. "It seems all guests must leave at some point, but I don't think its my turn quite yet."
"It occurs to me that even though it is tea time here, if you were to leave, say to someone else's house, eventually you'd find someone with a different tea time and you'd be free."
"But that wouldn't be much fun, now would it?" He teases, tossing the bread over his shoulder. Time hums and finishes off his tea. "There is one problem however," Hatter's hands slide to his stomach. "I seem to be putting on a lot of weight." He shrugs and grins cheerfully. "Aw, well, can't be helped! Would you like some more wine?"
"Yes, thank you." A bottle pours itself, cracked with age and dark with the liquid inside. Wine fills a bowl until its full, bottle hovering in the air afterwards. Time wrinkles his nose and picks up the bowl, swishing the wine to and fro before downing a mouthful. The bowl slips from his hands as Reginald jumps up, eyes brightening.
"Clean cup!" The dark man sits awkwardly in his seat as his companion skips around the table, taking a seat at the very edge in a yellowed rocking chair. His feet prop up on the table, overturning a jug of cream while a hand snakes into his pocket to yank out his watch. Hatter flicks it open with a turn of his thumb, eyeing the date. He sighs and holds it to his ear.
Nothing.
Pity.
"May, I ask, good sir," He asks from beneath his hat, "if you have the time?"
"Half three."
"As always." He sighs thoughtfully. Hatter looks up and feigns surprise. "Time! When did you get here?"
"Quite a bit ago."
"Would you like some tea?"
"No thank you."
"Of course not." Reginald shakes his watch as if it would make it start again. He sighs and dips the clock into a nearby teapot. "You know, I shouldn't have blamed Marchy. He was just trying to help. He can't help being a little off kilter; it is March, after all. Truly, I suppose, it was the best butter, if a bit too many bread crumbs." Time stands and brushes off his coat, pushing his chair back in. Hatter looks up, surprised. "Surely you're not leaving yet!"
"I'm sorry, Reginald. I must be off."
He sighs. "Of course, yes, I understand. Come back soon, maybe? I've missed you and so have the others. Marchy's getting a bit sick of tea and wine though, jus' putting him farther on the edge. It'll do him some good to see a familiar face." A strange expression shadows Time's face. His mouth quivers into something resembling a smile before he nods sharply, clicking his heels and saluting the mad man.
"Quite." He turns to leave, hurrying out the gate. He pauses, almost lost inside the forest before calling back, "Reginald?"
"Yes?"
"Check your watch again." Then he is gone, much like Chesh, but with a certain flare of his dark blue coat that helps him melt into the shadows with practiced ease. Hatter flicks open his watch and gives it a shake, dislodging drops of tea. He raises it to his ear to listen and closes his eyes.
Slowly, it begins to tick.
Hatter opens his eyes and grins widely, listening to the foreign sound emitting from the gears. He closes it and smiles again, satisfied. He stands, tossing his chair back, and stretches, feeling his muscles pop. He makes his way down the road, whistling, watch swinging from its golden chain. "Oh tea," Reginald says loudly, "what can't you fix?"