Directing his attention to the appropriate screen, Dumas watched Chester torment White.  DEE was watching too.  Dumas could almost feel the security system’s disapproval, just as he’d sensed its earlier sadness.  DEE tended to be more forgiving of human faults like arrogance.  Maybe because it didn’t suffer from any of them?  Whatever the reason, White had never annoyed DEE in the same way that he annoyed Dumas.  Perhaps at the heart of DEE’s programming -- some binary place where everything was either yes or no, beat or pause, sound or silence -- it even possessed a deeper appreciation of what the DJ did.<br/><br/>Dumas, on the other hand, was a harsher judge of people.  In his opinion, they generally deserved what they had coming to them.  And he enjoyed watching them get it.  As the duel of wits unfolded, a wide smile spread across Dumas’s face, disrupted only by a harsh bark of laughter when Chester suggested another sort of stick for White’s ass.  Really, the poor little bunny didn’t have a chance.  But as usual, everything turned out for the best, with both the DJ and the crowd whipped into a frenzy.  So in addition to being immensely entertaining, Chester’s teasing was also good for business.  How could you argue with that?<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Follow me down the rabbit hole</span>, Dumas thought to himself.<span style="font-style: italic">Follow me up my own ass, is more like it.</span><br/><br/>Chester’s voice, directed at him, lured Dumas’s gaze away from the screen.  “One day, Ches, somebody is going to find out if<span style="font-style: italic">you’re</span>cute when you’re flustered.  I can’t imagine who and I can’t imagine how.  But  I hope to god that I’m there to see it.”  Laughter accompanied Dumas’s words, although it was much less abrasive than the laughter he’d directed at White.<br/><br/>Then, dutifully, Dumas returned his attention to the more serious matter facing them.  “It’s tricky,” he admitted, after giving the problem some thought.  “She doesn’t leave the club much.  And when she does, it’s never during work hours.”  Unlike some of Wonderland’s employees, Dumas didn’t live on the premises.  He owned a tiny apartment a few blocks away.  “Putting a bell on the cat would help a lot, if you’ll forgive the expression.  Do you think she’d be willing to wear a tracking chip?”