"Nisha thedas sir. But you may call me NIsha" She replied smiling before pausing.

"oh its alright really..." she blurted out a soft rose blush covering her light brown cheeks. "i... i dont wish to be a bother. IM perfectly fine...."

She lbit her lower lip and turned to the door.\

"You must have been busy If you want to i can leave"

"Nonsense child. We get visitors so rarely. Please please, make yourself comfortable. Tea will be ready soon."

*The elderly man waved a hand vaguely in the direction of the only chair in the room, the cracked leather chair the teddy bear sat in. He smiled warmly as he spoke, head turning slightly to the sound of china breaking.*

"*sigh*Pierrot is as clumsy as always. If you'll pardon me a moment?"

*The old man turned away and tap-tapped his way back through the outer room, shutting the inner door gently behind himself, leaving the girl alone in the room full of dolls. The closing of the door caused the candle flames to dance and gutter, casting strange shadows across the tiny faces lining the walls. It almost appeared as if they had turned their heads to look at her...but that was just ridiculous. The bespectacled teddy bear sat silent and fuzzy in the lone chair, looking almost lost in the expanse of the leather seat.*

Nisha just smiled. She wasnt bothered by the breaking glass, se was naturally clumsy back when she was young.

And the man seemed nice enough, a little creepy maybe... but he did say he was a historian.

Maybe she'd find out a few things she havent known before.

"I guess i can stick here a while..." She said softly to herself.

She placed her bag down to the floor. Then she decided to turn it and sit, resting the bear on her lap.

*The doll is warm and fuzzy in her hands, the fur worn through and stitched back up in places, particularly two jagged tears in the back. The glasses perched on it's nose give it a rather silly appearance, but seem fitting given the book sitting in front of it. The old and damaged copy of Pinnochio is dog eared, some of the paragraphs underlined with notes in the margins. Next to the book is an old fashioned quill and ink pot, apparently the means by which the notes were made.*

"Do you take cream with your tea young lady? Or lemon?

*The elderly man's voice comes from the outer room, voice raised to be heard through the closed door. The clinking of plates can be faintly heard as well.*

"ill take lemon then" she responded a slight smile on her lips. She giggled at the dool, the glasses were a bit ridiculus but it reminded her of her own little bear when she was youngg. She dressed it up in her father's clothes and played office with it. Her mom tore the house down looking for her dad's ghlasses, when the whole time they were on the nose of her own bear,.

I wonder how they are now..." she murmurred absently stroking the bears head.

*The doll looked up at her with its one black button eye silently. The sound of footsteps approaching grew louder, then the door opened, the elderly man tap-tapping his way into the room carefully. He was followed by a very strangely figure. The man looked to be in his late 20's, wiry of frame and lean. He wore a red half-mask, white bowler hat, and a tight fitting costume, white with red diamonds strewn across it. He seemed familiar, but from where?*

"Why, what a lovely young guest has come knocking upon our humble door! Surely she is as sweet as the refreshments we so gallantly do bring to her?"

*The strangely dressed man seemed to dance with every step, twirling as he pushed the book aside and placed a silver tea tray in front of the startled girl. In one deft movement, he flipped over a china cup into his palm, lifting the steaming teapot with the other. He placed the hand holding the teacup behind his back and raised the teapot over his head, pouring blindly into the cup, not a single drop missing its mark. Just as the cup was about to over fill, he spun again, setting the cup on a saucer in front of the girl, twirling the teapot back into its place as he caught a small bowl of sugar cubes on one elbow, popping cube after cube into the air until he was juggling a series of four with his free hand.*

"And how sweet does our guest take her tea? One, two, three, four, more? Feel free to sample of our stores, you'll need the sugar to stand this bore."

*The strange man hitched his head at the professor standing by the doorway, a wide smile on his face, green eyes dancing with humor behind his mask.*

"Harley...."

*The old man sounded exasperated, his voice gaining a bit of a grumble, like a bear awakened from a nap.*

NIsha actually pulled back in surprise. She didnt expect someone dressed so... uniquely.

There was something familiar about him...

And the way he speaks... as if it was a play.

Her mind clicked on the puppet from the first door. Then drifted to the different room.

*A play... they must be practicing* she decided. No matter what though this guy was skilled.

She was very amused by the way he acted. It was... cute and sweet in a different way.

"I would clap but unfortunately... i cant afford to spill the tea" she smiled. Two cubes then please"

She glanced at the professor a twinkle in her eye.

*The oddly dressed man juggled two cubes of sugar to fall neatly into the cup of steaming tea, each causing only the smallest of splashes. He flipped the bowl of sugar cubes, the lid appearing in the circle of juggled objects and one, two, three the cubes were gone, the bowl lidded and sitting back on the table. The masked man tapped his foot, looking around in a pantomime of a search, then snapped his fingers and reached for the girl's face slowly, his hand went to her ear, pulling back with a silver spoon which he spun in his fingers and kneeled, presenting it across his arm to the girl like a knight presenting a sword.*

"And there you are fair maid, some tea, some sweet, a spoon with which to mix them...now if only that fool would get here with the lemons.."

*The man clicked his tongue in mock sadness, shaking his head just as another strangely dressed man entered the room, wobbling as he carried a large tray, in the middle of it a very small plate, with a single cut lemon upon it. The man was dressed as a clown to the very soles of his feet, large black shoes upon them. His face was powdered white, and a forlorn expression painted upon it. His costume was all black and white, pompoms running up the center and frills at wrists and neck. A tiny conical hat sat atop his head, another pompom at the top.*

"Oi've got tha lemon Harley, moov asoide.

*For all the first man's wit, the clown sounded a fool, moved with little grace and seemed a sad figure beside his brightly colored and energetic colleague. He tripped his way across the room, mumbling in his strange accent, nearly dropping the tray numerous times. He arrived next to the girl and his sudden stop nearly caused his to drop the tray in her lap. His hands suddenly froze and the tray halted in mid-air. His eyes widened slightly at the doll sitting on her lap and his motions became less clumsy, more precise as he lifted the plate of lemon from the overly large tray and set it next to the saucer of tea carefully.*

"Oi Professor...she's 'oldin' tha teddy bear...is tha a bad thin'?"

"No jokes now Pierrot, we have a guest. Now shuffle along, go go."

"Alas, but my clumsy companion speaks the truth, o enlightened master of things forgotten. The girl does indeed hold the bear, and a lovely sight the pair of them make."

*The red and white dressed man winked as he turned back to his associates, the clown looking confused, the professor slowly turning to face the girl, an expression of grave seriousness falling over his face.*

"Young lady, I believe you should finish your tea quickly, and go your way. The master is quite particular about that doll being handled and it would be....unfortunate...for him to find you holding it upon his return."

"I-" she bit her lower lip, her little nervous habit, as a confusion flashed across her face.

First they were inviting her to stay.... now they wanted her to go.

She glanced at the doll on her lap. Of all the dolls the master had to be attached to this one. She can quite understand... some people get TOO attached.

She placed the cup down.

"Id rather have it that you dont get in trouble because of me..." she said softly, looking up at the three. "i enjoyed my brief time here though..."

She gently picked up the toy again and prepared to stand.

*As the girl picked up the doll again, the mask wearing man offered her his hand in assistance in rising.*

"Come come, fair maid. The doll is unharmed, no reason to run. The old codger here knows not how to have fun. I've seen you looking at me, and twas more than glance. I'd be honored, sweet girl, if you'd join me in dance."

*The grinning man bowed at the waist, doffing his hat with one hand, kissing the back of hers as he finished speaking. He looked up at her with an eyebrow raised, eyes twinkling with amusement.*

"Fine fine, just take her out of here first Harley. It'd be more than I can stand if he woke up right now."

Now she was confused. A turmoil of thoughts

Harley was just soo charming and sweet... but there was uneasiness in the professor's voice.

She was snapped back into reality when harley kissed her hand.

"i guess i better go..." she replied a little regrettebly, placing the bear back into the arm chair. "i dont really want you in trouble... especialy with the way you treated me"

*A sound like a breeze flowing through a grove of trees fills the room, the feeling of being watched increases. The three men stop dead in their places, looking about slightly fearfully. The professor curses under his breath and shoves the door open, waving her toward it.*

"Come come girl. Time to go, time to go. The master is waking up and this is a very bad place for you to be."

*His voice sounds tight with anxiety, his sunglasses wavering around the room. The other two men move aside, eyes darting from the various dolls lining the walls to the teddy bear sitting in the chair.*

"Professor...I thin 's too lait."

*Standing on the back of the leather chair was the teddy bear, glasses dangling from one paw as the fuzzy head turned to fix each of them with the gaze of the shiny black button eye.*

"You are quite right Pierrot. It is far too late. Close the door professor. Our....guest....will not be leaving as of yet."

*The voice emanating from the bear was otherworldly, harsh and sibilant. The button turned to regard her slowly, the head leaning down then back up as if it had taken in everything about her, from the blond hair on her head to the soles of her shoes.

NIsha bit her lower lip stopping the urge to scream or run.

Half of her wanted to run, the other wanted to laugh of the absurdity of the thing.

She can make it outside if she ran now... but she cant leave the other three behind.

"What about you?" she whispered to the professor"

"Yes Professor....what about you? Do you still think you can save her? Get her away before I "wake up"? You know very well that you cannot do a damn thing to help our guest. If you had kept her from this room, kept her from picking me up, then perhaps she would have walked out of here none the wiser....but you didn't. Know that whatever I choose to do to her is on your conscience Professor."

*The doll stared directly at the girl throughout his speech, button eye unwavering. The malice in the voice was almost palpable, like you could put out your hand and feel it in the air.*

"No master...I..I wasn't...I'm only...she can just go her way...no one will believe her....you....you don't need to do anything...."

*As the Professor mumbled back at the teddy bear, he swung the door shut, his arm shaking as if fighting not to. His entire body trembled, the sunglasses sliding down his nose as his head bowed to avert his eyes from the speaking toy. The other two men dropped to their knees, bowing and shoving their faces to the floor, quivering as if in mortal terror. Strange wooden crosses seemed to be attached to their backs, strings coming from the four points and running to their arms and legs.*

"I don't need to do anything? You would dare tell me what I need to do? Would you like me to take back what I gave you Professor? Strip away the gifts you have been given?"

*The doll raised one paw, the appendage curling into a tiny fist, red light seeping through the fur. The old man collapsed to his knees, clutching at his chest as a groan escaped his lips.*

Nisha shivered as she fough back the rising fear.

*Damn it why do these things happen to me?*

She watched helplessly as the bear spoked, its voice sending chills down her spine.

The crosses creeped her out even more. Her brain suddenly clicked.

Puppets, the two clowns werent actors at all... they were just puppets.

She can still try the door, she can make it out... but no she cant leave these people behind.

People or not they didnt hurt her, they were nice to her... amused her... unlike some of the people she knew...

She lost her temper when she saw the professor fall to the ground. Taking a deep breath she looked at the bear squarely, willing herself to stay calm.

"Im asking you... please stop this right now... they have done nothing wrong. it was my fault alone why i picked you up"