Seek out Fava.

Attached to the back of the shop and home which belongs to Laira Holland is a small protrusion with a door barely large enough for a dwarf, though at the bottom of said door is an even tinier one perfect for a pixie. It looks like a dog house if a dog owned an even smaller dog. Despite the rustic appearance at first, you can make out the steel trim that runs the circumference of the doorway's curvature, as well as a stone circle to the right housing a purple gemstone in the center. You kneel down and push your finger against it like a button, and the gem flashes with light.

A moment passes before you hear the voice of Fava emit from the stone like magic, albeit crackly and distant. "Is that you, Kyle? Come on in," she says.

You turn the knob and crawl inside, and immediately you're created with an opened hatch leading straight down a ladder. Taking hold of the rungs, you swiftly make your way down into the cellar, and it opens up even more than you knew it did. While it isn't as large as the dungeon that was Fava's old home, it's already expanding underground into quite the laboratory. Amongst all other instruments and reagents and other clutter is a table in the center of the room which restrains the prisoner ALICE.

It's strange to see up close, especially when not in the heat of combat. She rests still, though her eyes are opened. This ALICE looks so much like the Alice you know, though despite immediate appearances, you can tell straight away it's somebody else. You may not be able to explain the reasons why--tiny differences in appearance and personality, Kitty Sense, the deeper connection you share with Alice--but you know this is an entirely different young woman, though still one artificially made by the hands of Elok Daven. Her cyan gaze watches you intently as you approach, though she doesn't speak or even struggle.

Her weapons have been taken, and any armour she had as well. Now she lies in a tattered pale grey t-shirt and dark brown shorts. Her wrists are restrained by steel, as are her ankles. She has a mess of dark green hair which hasn't been tidied since the battle. However, any minor injuries she did have were attended to promptly.

"She doesn't say much," Fava speaks up, fluttering over to land upon the golem-girl's bust. She hops up and down as if on a trampoline. "We could take her apart, though from what he know of Alice's body, that might actually be dangerous, since ya know, her limbs could go scurrying away in all directions like mice. Though, if she did try to split, I'm sure if we found a couple specific parts of the body, it would help us find the rest, hmm~?"

A hint of blue runs across the ALICE's cheeks, but she still doesn't respond.

You grab a chair and scoot it up next to the table before sitting back. You stare into the android's eyes silently for a lengthy moment, pondering on what to say. Finally, you instead stand back up and begin looking throughout the lab, yet you converse as you do. "Would you like me to call you ALICE?" you ask.

She doesn't respond, but you keep searching for something. You then grab a comb off one of the shelves and make your way back to sit down on the chair.

"ALICE. This isn't some weird **** situation. I just want to talk," you explain. "I don't know if you're just a mindless robot like all those copper balls David sends after us, but we've been fighting you and the others for awhile. It seems you really want to hurt us, but I also feel a strange... I don't know, feeling of emotion within all of you. Sentience. Understanding. It makes me think that perhaps with the ALICEs, it isn't like his other constructs. This is more like an insectrin situation. Some served Demon King Muian, but I have to assume some resisted, but they served because it's all they knew, and he was their creator. Their god. But now the insectrin are free, and you can find them all across the land. They deal with a lot of prejudice, but their spirits are strong."

As you speak, Fava lands on your shoulder. She kicks her bare feet up from beneath her yellow dress and tickles the lobe of your ear with her toes. "I see you found my special comb. It can be adjusted for all different types of hair. Impressive? Yeah. I know. I'm great."

Ignoring her, you stand up once more, placing your hand gently upon the side of the ALICE's face. You then adjust the comb, and begin to tidy up the girl's hair. "We aren't going to take you apart. Even without any special powers, I can tell you're a real person. And given how much I care about the Alice who lives here, I have to believe that's true for all of you."

"... The Demon King warned us of your manipulation," she finally speaks. Her voice is recognizable--monotone, like Alice. "Not you. The true Demon King of Tivera."

"You know I'm from another world, right?" Not waiting for a response to your rhetorical question, you continue. "When I first came to Absoterra, I wanted to be a hero, like in a video game. I know you probably don't know what an RPG is unless your master told you about it, but that's what I envisioned. Things definitely didn't pan out like I expected though. And now because of Elok Daven and Breiah, we're living up in the mountains, and I've been labelled as a Demon King myself. It was never my decision. But over time, I've met people who needed a place to stay, and we've grown so close that I almost want to thank him. I think that maybe that would upset him the most."

"What are you talking about?" Fava asks.

"What I'm trying to get to is this. ALICE, or whatever you'd like to be called, I want you to come with me." You pull back the comb and place it down upon the table. "Not as a prisoner."

"Why?" the ALICE asks.

"I want to hear your side of things, and I want you to hear mine. Fava, let her out."

"Are you sure about that?" Fava lifts from your shoulders. "We don't know what Elok programmed into her."

"I'm not saying to forgive the people who wronged us, but I do want to hear their side of the story. If she can blush, then she isn't just a machine."

"... I do not blush," mumbles the girl.