Being the manager of the Devil's Casino meant one if not a lot of things. Sure, it was a lot of work with what the position required, but he was used to that. Had been the moment he started working here. Some days were easier to deal with than others. But that couldn't be the same thing the other way around.

On days like this, when things are just too much and there was no easy simpler way in sight, it was easier to bottle it all up, take it somewhere else, and continually hit your head against the wall.

He could probably handle this better but he didn't have the energy to do so right now. Besides, it wasn't like anyone could stumble upon this and think he was contemplating suicide. Because that would both be stupid and incapable.

Something of a perk when you're the Devil's right-hand man.

Still, it didn't mean he was spared of the headaches that came with this job. The Tipsy Troop were a lost cause at this point since they were still too drunk to give him any proper information about the two boys. This was bad in some many ways that he couldn't comprehend how much trouble his was going to be in if the boss found out about this.

There had to be a way to fix all this mess. He didn't want to be stuck with this sort of problem forever! There was no way they could keep the brats not that he wanted to. None of the workers had dealt with children before and he was pretty sure over half of them didn't care about kids so much that they would turn a blind eye on them!

A heavy groan escaped him, turning his back to the wall and sitting himself on the floor, covering his face with one hand. They finally done it. The Tipsy Troop had finally done it. They managed to do something so stupid and unpredictable that he could just not deal with.

Could this day get any worse?

"Hey boss? Why are you on the floor?" King Dice almost jumped, sighing irritably as the smell of cigars wafted by his nose.

"Thinkin'. What do you want Wheezy?" King Dice practically growled, looking up at the cigar. He was in no mood to deal with whatever Wheezy had to tell him. He just wanted to have a couple shots right about now and hit the hay till morning.

Mr. Wheezy glanced at him but said nothing. He knew better than to question King Dice about anything he did. Even if he did, he knew it would only end in pain for him. King Dice didn't particularly like Wheezy. Why? Nobody really truly knew.

King Dice wasn't even sure why he took Mr. Wheezy in as one of his henchmen, though there was no point in trying to get rid of him now, even if King Dice wasn't sure what Wheezy did under his service.

"So." Wheezy leaned against the wall, rolling the cigar in his mouth. "I jus' saw two little runts in the break room. The fused freaks say that you told them to watch them."

"I did." King Dice huffed, not missing the smile drop from Wheezy's face.

"Wait, what? Those two were tellin' the truth?"

"Yes, they were tellin' the truth." King Dice growled, getting up off the floor and dusting off his suit. "I gave 'em that order to watch 'em. Now if you excuse me, I have a casino to manage." He didn't add in that he had other things to take of too, but then again he really didn't care to give Wheezy any sort of information.

"Should I tell ya that they lost them too?"

King Dice's heart missed a beat. "… WHAAAAAAT?!"

)*(

Hopus was, by default of his animal nature and his own need to fill in knowledge, a curious being. Ever since he was a little bunny he had always been more curious about everything. To his surroundings, to items, to people, to books, to even the great mysteries of the world. But his curiosity couldn't match up to his joy and attachment to magic.

Ever since he first laid eyes on the first magic show as a kid, he knew right away that it was the career meant for him. So he studied, practiced, and mastered the arts of magic. Every trick he knew, every stunt he performed, every small magic trick to the biggest and grandest he could do without breaking a sweat. Someone could say he was gifted with this talent all too naturally, and maybe they were right.

But magic didn't solve questions. Sure it provide uses to answer questions, but never solve any. It couldn't help him out of everything, couldn't answer his deepest questions. It couldn't tell him the things he needed to know or what he wanted. Such things had great limits that cannot be broken beyond their boundary.

"So where did these two come from?" He asked, looking at the couple. Pip and Dot were nice people in his opinion. When they wanted to be or not arguing with each other. They were nice to talk with and hang out when things were slow or work on new routines together.

Pip shrugged while Dot sighed. "Honestly? No clue." Pip said with a frown on his face.

"All we know is that it's somehow that Tipsy Troops fault." Dot's eyes never left the boys. They were occupied by the moment petting and holding Hopus pet bunnies. No relations. Still, Hopus wasn't a dummy as he let people think he was at times. He could tell there was something up with these boys.

No kid he had ever met flinched or looked at a bunny like it would cut you if you moved the wrong way. Everyone practically knew bunnies were basically harmless. The only harm they could do was scratch you or bite your finger if you put your hand too close to their face.

But the boys had acted like they've never seen a bunny before. Which was odd, and weird, and a little sad all at the same time. Which wouldn't do. He couldn't let it stand by and let these boys be afraid of something as harmless as a bunny. It just wasn't right!

"No kidding?" Hopus knew the Tipsy Troop were capable of many things, but children? That was a new one. "Have that got names?"

"They won't talk."

"We've tried to get them to lighten up a bit, but they refuse to even say a single word." Dot looked between torn of rejection and great sadness. Pip's frown deepened.

"They ain't natural kids." Pip sighed, taking off his hats and brushing off nonexistent dust off it. "Kids ain't supposed to act like there's monsters all around."

"Or hide under beds—"

"—or bite people—"

"—or look confused when someone asks about their parents—'"

"—it's almost as if they never knew about that word before." Pip finished, setting his hat back on top. "I never had a normal childhood, but I know that I was at least normal acting child."

"Me too."

Hopus nodded his head slowly. He too wasn't a normal kid growing up, but he recalled many good times in his childhood to his early teens. These kids however—

"PIP N' DOT!"

The three adults jumped. Storming down the hall looking ready to murder someone, or two someone's, was King Dice himself. Hopus frowned. He had seen King Dice mad plenty of times. At him or other people. It was never a good thing when he was mad, and no one could do a thing about it.

"I HAVE THE RIGHT TA—!" King Dice stopped short, his eyes landing on the two boys cowering behind Hopus's leg. His eyes dratted to Pip & Dot and back at the boys a couple times. Finally, he settled his narrowed green eyes at the couple. "Why in the world are ya all huddled in the hallway, eh?"

Pip and Dot looked nervous, sweating up a storm and Hopus knew he had to jump in and save 'em. "I was showing them new tricks." King Dice glared at him now. "They were interested to see and the boys seemed to enjoy the show." He looked at the boys. "Right boys?" They nodded in agreement. "See?" He put on a brave smile. It faded however by the surprised look on King Dice's face.

"Wait… They responded to ya?"

"Well, yeah, they did." Hopus looked back at the boys, not getting what was so strange about—

"Quick! Quick! Ask 'em 'bout their folks!" King Dice was nearly up in his space, looking at the boys with wide eyes.

"Why?"

"DON'T QUESTION ME JUS' ASK 'EM!" Hopus reeled back.

"O… k…" He looked down at the boys, putting on a soft smile. They stared back up at him, bunnies clutched to their chest. "Uh, boys… is it alright if I call you that?" The blue one looked at the red one, blinking at each other before looking up at him and shrugged. "Okay, boys, can you tell us about your mommy and daddy?"

Their faces scrunched a bit, looking at each other with confusion. Hopus chuckled nervously, feeling King Dice glare on him. "Uh, boys, is there anything you can tell us about your folks? Like, what they look like, or who they are, or what their names might be?"

They stared at him, looking more and more confused by the second with his questions. He had a feeling. It wasn't a good feeling. Swallowing a lump in his throat he asked one more question. "Uh… d-do you boys even know what a mommy and daddy are?"

King Dice, Pip, and Dot looked at him like he was crazy, but then again he was. But that didn't matter in a moment as the boys looked at each other, looked up at him, and shook their heads.