Gracie stepped off of the fire escape, and approached the smokey bridge that connected the blocked-off Isle and Auradon.

Her brow furrowed in confusion as she watched the figure on it. The way the person spun and cartwheeled about, not minding the edges that they could easily fall off of. They tilted and shifted about, dipping down to the edges in an almost ballet-like way. It was haunting and confusing in a way that made Gracie stare.

"Around and down we go, with flowers in our spines. Where we fall, they do not know. But one day, they might find." The person hummed. Gracie sighed. She recognized that voice.

"Wonderland!" She called, grabbing Embry's attention. "What are you doing here?" Gracie asked, crossing her arms and getting closer to the bridge. She made sure to keep just behind the barrier.

Embry snapped out of their somersaults and fell onto the bridge with a startled shout. They sat up, their curly blond hair messed up. It only really added to the frazzled appearance.

They snapped their head over to Gracie, who jumped a bit at the sudden movement. But she gave a slight sigh and tilted her head. Embry mirrored this, tilting their head just a bit too quickly to match Gracie.

"Good morning!" They chirped.

"It's 2 AM."

"Good morning!" Embry repeated, their smile unflinching.

Gracie sighed, turning on her heels. "Okay, I'm gonna go. You're weird, we're enemies, and I'm not in the mood to deal with this."

"Why do you participate in such a cruel tea party?" Embry asked, sitting in the W position that Gracie had been scolded for many times before when she was younger. "It must be maddening to be the Dore Mouse in all of this." They added.

She stopped in her tracks, hearing that.

"What?" Gracie whispered. She looked back to Embry.

"Did you paint the flower in your hair?" Embry asked, tapping their fingers across the bridge. It made a dull thud sound.

"Listen, Wonderland. If you're just gonna ask some weird, dumb questions, I-"

"Are you happy?"

Silence consumed the two as Embry looked up at her expectantly.

Gracie opened her mouth, her throat dryer than when she was in her skeleton form. "Wh... what did you just..."

Embry scooted closer to the barrier and repeated, loud and slow, "Are. You. Happy." Gracie narrowed her eyes a bit, not appreciating being talked to like a child.

Still, it did make her feel like her mother was talking to her, holding her hands and whispering while her father yelled in the other room. It made everything feel vulnerable. Scary. Like she was a little child again. And she knew Embry's tone.

Worry, not condescension.

There were a few more moments of silence as Gracie ran the question through her mind over and over again. She knew the answer. She knew she lied about it a million times before. To so many people.

Yet, she couldn't remember the last time that someone directly asked her that question. Asked her if she was happy.

She knew she wasn't, but could she bring herself to lie in the face of someone that asked her so directly?

"I... Of..." Gracie suddenly broke into a smile. She was too panicked to make it look natural.

"Of course! Did this idioso do something to make you think any different? Damn, you must not be great at reading people!" She spoke quickly.

As in, Embry could hardly hear what she said because she was talking so quickly. They just blinked rapidly as they listened to Gracie rapid-firing excuses and nervous laughs.

Maybe she hoped that if she did - if she spoke so quickly -, Embry wouldn't notice the wavering in her voice. Or the tone of fear. Or her fingers shaking as she glanced away.

"Hm."

For a moment, that was the only noise Embry made when Gracie went silent. Her breathing was just a little shaky as she put her hands on her hips and leaned forward.

"Now is it a little hot tonight, or is it just me?" Gracie laughed.

Embry reached over and started to tie up their hair. That seemed to be more for their hands to have something to do, than an alteration to their appearance. Long, thick curls of hair slipped away from their grip and framed their face.

"Hm." They nodded a little. "I see. You're an interesting skeleton, De La Cruz."

"Don't call me that." Gracie chided, leaning back up.

"And don't call me Wonderland." Embry seemed to slip out of their riddle-speak.

"Isn't your mom's whole thing that she wanted to stay in Wonderland, or somethin-"

"No."

Gracie gave a quick nod in response to the harsh tone. "'Kay then."

"Anyway, the cards are being beheaded as we speak. Why are you such a Dore Mouse in this tea party? Don't you see the red that approaches?"

"I don't know what you're even talking about! Dios, this feels old already..." Gracie rubbed her temples, squeezing her eyes shut. "Just tell me why you're here before I tell the King you're here."

Embry crossed their arms. "I'm here because of the flower."

Gracie gaped for a moment. "The flower? That's why you're risking your life coming here? To ask if I painted the flower?" She sputtered a bit in disbelief.

"No, that was just to put it in your head."

"Well, no, I didn't paint it if that-" Her hand went to her head, reaching for the red flower she had kept in her hair for years.

Gracie didn't feel it in her hair. She froze up.

"Damnit! I must've-"

"Lost it when you were being attacked by the Cauldron?" Embry asked, taking the red flower out of their overall pocket and holding it up.

She stared for a moment, almost sighing in relief. "Alright, give it here." Gracie said, holding out her hand.

Embry didn't move, still just outside of the barrier.

"I have one more question."

Gracie sighed between gritted teeth. "What?" She mumbled.

"Why? About everything?" They asked.

She considered that for a moment. "I needed something to do... And some people to hang out with."

The child of Alice tilted their head again and leaned forward. The flower phased through the barrier and Gracie carefully took it.

"Well... when all is said and done, I don't have a roommate. And I'd be happy to have a friend."

Gracie looked at her flower for a moment, then put it in her hair. "Thanks... I guess..."

With that, Embry stood up and ran back to Auradon.