The Headless Gnome

"Scarlet Queen, what are you doing here?" a small individual roughly the size of a seven-year-old child asked.

The individual was resting lazily in a hammock, his body sprawled comfortably across it. He did not even bother getting up to greet the Scarlet Queen, merely raising his head slightly before giving her a tired look.

"Aren't you supposed to be at that secret meeting? Or something like that?"

The Scarlet Queen did not bother reacting to his lazy attitude. She was already used to his strange behavior, and besides, the Headless Gnome was an incredibly powerful foe. Picking a fight with him over something so trivial would only bring unnecessary catastrophe.

She cleared her throat before speaking. "Headless Gnome, Ducaya. I have come with some rather lovely news."

Ducaya slowly raised his head, his interest immediately piqued.