Upon finding himself suddenly returned to his rose garden, Azor decided to give it a thorough inspection.

The damages caused by the phantasms had all been repaired, but nevertheless he could tell that something was amiss. And as he walked through the rows of rosebushes, peering at the fences and walls and trellises, he began to notice certain things that were out of place.

“These…are not my roses…” he thought to himself. “The colors are inaccurate, and they have highly irregular numbers of petals…I don’t even think this is an extant species…”

“Besides that, there are too many of them…and too many fenceposts, too many bricks in the wall…it’s as if this entire estate is just a carefully crafted replica. By human standards, anyway…”

He looked over at the mansion. “…I must find whoever is responsible for this mockery. And make them bleed.”

~~

As he wandered the dark halls of his house, searching for a culprit to punish, Azor couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to his compatriots after the encounter with the Odsplut. Perhaps they had each been placed in their own replica homes, blissfully unaware of the fact that they were artificial.

“…Pitch might have noticed,” he thought. “She’s not quite as dull as the others…whether she would see fit to do anything about it, however, it is another matter...”

It suddenly occurred to him that he could check on her. During one of Lucy’s babbling spells, he remembered hearing her mention that they had recruited Pitch and reached his estate in a matter of days. Wherever she lived, it couldn’t be more than a few dozen miles away…

Azor squinted his false eyes. He didn’t like this train of thought…he had finally been freed from the burden of companionship and from the phantasms, and part of him was eager to return to his old way of life.

But on the other hand, he could hardly feel comfortable in this false house…and if this situation was indeed an extension of their adventure and not an end, he would probably run into the others eventually.

“…I suppose I should at least try to find her,” he decided in the end. “I shall have to leave this place anyway, and besides—”

“Besides, you’d like to see her again.”

Out of nowhere, Dreadlilocks came around the corner and entered the hall. She carried a basket in one hand and a large, ornate pair of golden scissors in the other.

“…You shouldn’t be embarrassed about it,” she continued. “Just because you like being alone doesn’t mean you can’t like people, too. Besides, I think you’d make good friends. You’re both smart and grown-up, and you have lots of secrets and she’ll keep them for you, and you can protect each other.”

Azor just stared at her.

Dreadli shifted her feet. “…I…oh…you’re probably mad at me…” she said. “I guess you would be…I’m sorry for surprising you, and listening to your thoughts, and getting your garden wrong…I promise I’ll explain everything. I just—”

“…You,” Azor interrupted, “Are no longer human.”

At those words, Dreadli froze. She looked down at the floor, suddenly unable to speak.

“…I can tell just by looking at you,” he said, slowly walking towards her. “Of all the people who might have been behind this, I never expected…what on earth have you done to yourself??”

Dreadli gripped her scissors tightly in her hands. “You…don’t like me anymore, do you…?” she said quietly.

Azor squinted. “What sort of question is that…?” he asked. “I never liked you in the first place. I only ask because all of this is beyond my understanding completely, as anyone would…and in any case, you WILL answer for this hideous caricature you have made of my garden. Clearly you’ve never even seen a rose before, if you think this is acceptable work…I sincerely hope you’ve subjected me to this farce for the sake of criticism, and not for approval. Either way I demand a full explanation, immediately…”

Dreadlilocks couldn’t help but smile again as she listened to the rant. If nothing else, Azor would always treat her the same.