Fantasy Four Suits Volume 1.5

[Diphylleia grayi]

𝔔𝔲𝔢𝔢𝔫 𝔬𝔣 𝔇𝔦𝔞𝔪𝔬𝔫𝔡𝔰
⟡

The seasons of his words faded in and out like soft lullabies; buds springing to unravel in the spring of their past and wither in the autumn of the present. Then in his gaze came winter to be delivered, ruthless in its peeling of naive smiles and the credulous thoughts which lingered beneath; sprouting in the shape of verdant stalks bearing the blossoms of wishes made upon shooting stars.

The values of her existence shriveled and shrank, her facade of humanity laid bare in its transparency under the golden light and her words plucked empty on their swiveling distress.

She had disappointed him.

The realization strung painfully across the chords of her denuded soul, mind fluttering and gaze averting in the bitter shame which cruelly tugged at the corners of her mouth. At the same time, she struggled, struggled to grasp the fabrics of the truth that William had delayed to her. Because despite everything she wanted to believe, a little prayer of I'll find a way settling in her new facade of life.

"Well, you know how I am." She began, diamond orbs finding their way back to the dark silhouette of her friend "'A fool that can't be helped' I believe is what you once said."

The strength which he spoke of was surely the one which resided under white resin powder in tetrahedral structures but in the stories that had unraveled on the pages of her books, there had been other kind of strengths. Strengths she had yet to understand in their complexity but that was still definitely different from the one born in the edges of blades and conflict. One that did not revel in the histories of scars and pain but in the dawn of a new day.

As she came to ponder over the scribbles of black upon the pages of white she suddenly stumbled over musings of William's knowledge on the subject. And, as ridiculous as it sounded, if perhaps she would one day be the one to teach him about those strengths if he did not know.

Perhaps there were things even William couldn't comprehend.

With a hushed giggle, Idun returned to her former self; worries, insecurities, and doubts coming apart with not a shout but in the formation of lips curling upwards and the motion of her putting a dandelion behind her ear. A motion which she thereafter replicated upon William, slender fingers reaching and placing a sun of his own behind his ear.

“You want one Jack?” She beamed at the taller male who had come to join them.
⟡

Kloudy Kisaki​

 

[Quinlan63]

With his work finished for the day and with nothing else important to do for the day Axton decided to take a stroll. The weather was just perfect and he didn't feel like staying in his office all day where Leo could find him and make him handle something in his book. Yeah he could probably handle anything given to him but he was way too lazy to do anymore work for the day unless it is of great importance for the kingdoms survival. After passing through the same hallway for the third time Axton was so tired of the scenery that he wanted a change of pace.

Wonder what Guin is up too right now? Maybe I could go pop in for a bit to see how things are going.

Off he went to go find the Queen of Hearts and what nefarious things she might be up too. As it happens though as he arrived at her office he found her in the middle of paperwork. To be fair that was to be expected since if none of us did our jobs Leo would try to correct that. And in the case of Guin and Axton if Leo found out about their "side activities" they would be in a ton of trouble.

"Hello Guin how's it going," Axton said while sitting in the chair across Guin. "I would of thought that you would be doing other things right now."

. D O V E

 

[. D O V E]

[class name=Guin] width:300px; height:300px; background:url('https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/012/898/470/large/svetlana-tigai-prophet-advanced-layers.jpg'); border:1px solid #000; border-radius:999px; background-size:100%; background-position:center; position:center; display:block; [/class] [class name=fontsize] font-size:22px; color:#b50100; font-weight:bolder; [/class] [class name=font] font-size:15px; line-height:20px; [/class]

[div class=Guin][/div]

[div class=fontsize] Queen of Hearts [/div] Location: Heart's Castle | Queen's Office
Tag/s: Quinlan63 ​

[div class=font] Guineverre found herself lost amidst the myriad pages holding the silent bellows of her people for justice. The queen neither enjoyed nor despised attending to their woes for the line between what was right and wrong has already faded in her eyes a long time ago. The lingering silence which filled the Queen's office was put to an abrupt end when the faint sound of footsteps approached, followed by the slow creak of the door as it was pushed open.

The blonde's steel-grey orbs remained fixated on the document she was reading even when she felt a figure enter the room. "Too lazy to knock?" she commented while flipping to the next page indifferently. Guineverre could tell from the moment that the gesture was forgotten that her visitor was none other than the King of Hearts himself: Axton.

A glance was delivered his way when the female noticed him coming closer. The sight of the dark-haired male fixing himself a seat right across of her met her curious gaze, urging her to raise a fine brow at the other monarch, "To be fair, I also thought that you'd be doing something else right now." she replied with a half-smirk. One of the reasons as to why she preferred Axton's presence compared to the others' was that she doesn't have to strain herself to either fake a blinding smile or throw sugarcoated words at him. She could remain as her dull self and he wouldn't mind. After all, birds of a feather tend to flock together.

Especially if they share a few secrets.

"Tell me, to what do I owe this visit?" she questioned as she leaned back to her chair, her golden tresses swaying along with the movement.

[/div]

 

[Goonfire]

Leolin Hravart III​

Six days later...

Four well-nourished, pristine horses pulled their burden along the cobblestone road through the Diamond territory. Peculiar lights cut through the inky blackness: oil lamps fixed to Leolin’s private carriage, modified with highly-polished half-domes that open outward, reflecting the light of the intense flames sparked by the ace himself. Indeed, the bright minds from Hearts had invented viable headlamps for their vehicles.

Leo leaned back, wiping his mouth on a after a hearty meal in the back of the carriage. Popping a breath mint, he gazed at his lovely date, whose bruises and lacerations had been healed with relative ease. Coming down from a state of euphoria, he willed himself to brush aside the curtain and peek through the window. “My, look at that,” he muttered breathily at the sight of a grand city of alabaster and satin on the horizon. Hearts like Leo and Aster would surely stand out; their clothing was far too light, although the former had a fair excuse. As for the latter... well, his dress was chosen on a whim, despite Leo’s best efforts to talk him into choosing something warmer.

Diphylleia grayi

 

[ChazGhost]

Maxwell Jacobs
Queen of Club's Estate - Jacob Manor - Docks

"Have you been there the whole time?" Maxwell asked as Goldia, the queen replacement showed herself. "I'm sure the goddess does Ms. Goldia. I'm Maxwell Jacobs, its an honor to make to meet you. As I assume you heard from our conversation I'll be going with you the diamond kingdom to help you in whatever matter you need" Maxwell said looking over the small women. "Anyways, the Jack said he is leaving here in about an hour so I recommend you gather your things quickly, and I'll do the same. After that, we'll meet at the docks and either board the Jack's ship or board another if we arrive after it has left. I not sure I have to say this but do this sneakily and let no one outside this room know about your position as active queen." Maxwell said before heading to the door. "Be safe" Maxwell added just before he left.

A short while later Maxwell returned to his home and made his way to his room quickly. As he did Ms. Goodberry followed him. "Ohh your back sir, is everything okay?" She asked.

"Nothing I can discuss. All you need to know is I going on a trip a for a while and I'll be back when I can" Maxwell said entering his study to grab the book he had been working before heading to his room.

"What should I tell your father? He's taking a nap at the moment." Ms.Goodberry asked continuing to follow Maxwell.

"Tell him I have been given a mission by the Jack and I'll back as soon as possible. Also, that'll bring back some plants from my travels for him to study" Maxwell added smiling, remembering how much his father loved looking over new plants. With that said Maxwell enter his room and packed some clothes, bolts for his crossbow, and some other important items for his travels. After grabbing his things he headed to the docks where he waited for the arrival of Goldia so the could leave and head to the diamond kingdom.

Melon Bomb SidTheSkid

 

[OrenjiGatsu]

Thierry Cyrille Bonheur

A spectacle is haunting the four kingdoms. Series of banditry and assassinations have been committed by a band of terrorist who are being fueled by an imperial force. These acts have raised concern and fear across the countryside. Security has been more a necessity than ever, in order to curb this fear and to prevent the criminal acts. A raise in security has been more obvious at the performance of T. C. Bonheur at a Strebeshti theatre. With the wealthy and some nobility gathering in a crowded theatre that night, a pair of a guards working for an attending wealthy person took their time to look around the boxes and balconies and backstage for anything suspicious. One took their time to ask some questions to the composer, asking him who he saw over the past few days. It seems the guards might have been asking the same question to other musicians and stagehands around. When the actual performance was to happen, a guard was standing in the backstage at the right wing. On the stage, Thierry may have the stage lights blinding his vision of the audience, but he could tell there was at least another guard standing by the theatre wall.

Regardless of the presence of security, Thierry had a decent performance last night. He was conducting the city's orchestra in playing his first symphony. The audience was taken on an hour and a quarter long ride through the melody. The musicians were able to perform well, though he did wish he had more time to practice with the orchestra. With the final movement, audience gave a great applause to the orchestra the show ended. Thierry spent some time with the orchestra afterwards to celebrate their successful performance.

It was almost the middle of the night before Thierry headed home. The streets were foggy and the only source of light was the lamps on the streets. A person of less power walking down the streets would be a target for robbery or murder, especially with the coat and cane he has. Thierry had not to worry on nights prior, but the spectacle has changed the perception. The perceived threat was simply no longer of a person coming out of an alleyway, raising a pistol, and demanding everything on oneself. Instead, the haunt across the four kingdoms may come out to lash at oneself for their rank, and make them the newest victim of a terror campaign. He made sure to look around himself every few seconds, see if anyone is following him and see if anyone on the streets is suspicious. What would just be a casual walk home was now a fortunate avoidance of any attack.

The Bonheur House showed the good earnings Thierry made from his work. It has been a newly renovated house compared to the neighbouring houses but a few decades ago. The bricks making up the house kept their sharp angles and haven't cracked and peeled with age yet. The three steps to the door were even and smooth. The door to the house was made of a dark wood, and had an arched window at the top. The windows gave a yellow glow as light passes through the curtains. They were on as someone else was home.

On opening the door Thierry heard the sound of a man reading what sounded like a novel released a few years ago. He went to the first room right of the door, which was his living room, as he heard the man coming from there. With the grainy voice which didn’t seem to echo right with the walls, it was clear who this was. It was the other resident of the house reading a mystery novel. The resident was sitting on a chair in the corner of the room next to a lamp. On the chair was just a calico, Lambert.

“I’ve taken you’ve been reading for a while now,” says Thierry. He sits down in a chair on the opposite wall. He takes off his coat after the long walk and lays it on his lap.

"There was no one about at the park. Many of my friends have been kept in there houses," Lambert says. "The owners don't want to lose them."

"It seems it will be a long while until you will get to see them again. You should've seen the theatre. Policemen checking nooks and crannies for anything suspicious."

"All this for some assassinations and bombings?"

"Apparently yes. I wonder how far these people will go. At their current point of power and size, no one has a reason to give in to them. They do not seem to be revolutionaries and rather simply wanting a change of the guard, even if a radical change. My parents would laugh at these people."

"A murdered composer would be a major headline. You better look out."

"My chances of being attacked are just a little higher than the chance of everyone below my rank, and I'm stronger than those people." Thierry gets up from the chair. "Oh dear, I've been up for three quarters of a day by now. Good Night. Don't stay up for any longer." Thierry took to his bed and slept. Lambert stayed up for a while, though went to sleep as well.

---

Morning was rather calm. The performance of the prior night was going to be the last for a while, so he had little plans for the day other than running errands. All that were in the house was Thierry and Lambert. Thierry was sorting laundry when he heard the chime of the doorbell. He rushed to the door and opened it. It could've been a neighbour requesting a food ingredient or a deliveryman bringing a package or a friend making a surprise visit. Instead what he got was a palace guard at his doorstep.

The eyes of Thierry widened upon seeing a rare figure. At the moment, Thierry only had two ideas of what was going to happen. First, he was to be personally invited to perform at royal ball or some other royal event. Second, he has somehow insulted this palace guard he has never seen before and he is here to enact revenge.

"By the order our great Jack, I shall take you to the estate of our great Queen."

Going to the Queen's estate on the Jack's order? It's almost feels like a combination of both ideas. Regardless, unless he's willing to get stabbed by a palace guard for defying a Jack's order, Thierry will be going.

"Give me a moment. I will be ready to go."

He quickly closes the door and grabs for his coat. He looks down at none other than Lambert watching from behind on top of a drawer.

"I may be needing to summon you today. Keep the doors and windows closed."

"This is a major event in your career that will either add to your fame or force your to work under a new identity."

"That's if they want me to perform. It's the Jack that called me. Who knows what he wants."

"A Jack needs entertainment, too."

"Alright. Remember, I may need you. You could be summoned. Goodbye." Thierry grabbed his coat and cane and exited the house. He went into the carriage of the palace guard as he took him to the estate of the Queen.

 

[Diphylleia grayi]

Astraea Circe​

There is the kind of waiting that feels like gentle seashore waves lapping against salty stones, ground into pebbles; not warm but inhibited by a sense of calm. Then there's the waiting which settles like weeds in every crevice of your being, uneasiness pricking the skin like thorns and the poison of restlessness seeping between the seams to prod one's limbs into motion.

In this case, the restlessness had manifested itself in the sultry warmth of hands sliding along thighs and sparks combusting from fingers digging into flesh; the ghost of fireflies still present in the bottom of the dark well that was his stomach as he arranged the ruffles of his skirt straight. Cheeks flushed red with the kisses of roses Aster snatched the mint package from his company, fresh peppermint absolving on the tip of his tongue and refracting into a breeze of stark spices in the back of his smoke tarnished throat.

"That Jack of yours is quite a useful lad." He began, lilac gaze flickering over the faded memories of wild irises etched into the slopes of his knuckles.

In the back of his head, a trail of thoughts came to intertwine and form the face of the young man, chestnut brown eyes looming in the hollows of the otherwise monochromatic reconstruction.

"Cute too."

Suddenly something stirred within the boy's lavender orbs, the etherealized begonia petals fluttering uncertainly around in their abyss surrounding ring of blossoms. Mists of insignificant worries drifting over scornful grimaces and lips pursing amidst bitter regurgitations of short-lived smiles and muzzled derisive chuckles. Looking up Aster embedded his gaze in Leolin's profile, bare feet coming to rest in the familiar lap with a challenging grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Maybe he was the fool.

"I didn't know that vacation meant diplomatic peace meetings in your dictionary. This is new, you actually doing something useful for once."

Goonfire ​

 

[Goonfire]

Leolin Hravart III​

Leo thought little of his companion’s commentary regarding Twig. “Indeed, I watched him take several hits from the previous jack. That healing magic boosts his survival chances to ‘almost guaranteed’, in my opinion,” he speculated, giving the apothecary genuine praise. However, the remark that Twig was cute sent a faint chill down Leo’s 123-degree spine.* He wanted Aster all to himself, something he worried was unachievable.

Man, this lad was savage today... “Useful? I do many useful tasks at home,” the Ace asserted proudly, his ego nigh unshakable. He was oblivious to the possibility that was a joke. “There’s making the king wake up on time, ensuring the royals’ decisions don’t affect the people negatively... oh, and Guin even gave me the additional position of ‘royal flower inspector’. And boy, do I inspect those flowers!” Leo leaned in to whisper, “They’re all beautiful and fragrant. Kudos to all the landscapers in Corda.”

Diphylleia grayi

*Body temperature measured in degrees Fahrenheit.

 

[SidTheSkid]

.

​

Lazarus M. Viticus (Dress Disguise)
(Location: Kingdom Of Diamonds - Conference Room.)
(Mood: Nervous.)
(Interactions: )
(Mentions: )

- Strebeshti Local Tailor -

Meandering his way alongside one of Strebeshti's many thoroughfares it generously offered, Jack of Club's had already been treading cautiously amidst the abundant surge of rambling pedestrians. Lazarus was presumably vigilant of those his mind conceived as 'suspicious'. There'd already been many occasions throughout his banal expedition where he had regularly caught himself warily shifting his sight after having been startled by some abrupt noise that had 'announced' itself nearby, his afresh paranoia often compelled him to believe he was beginning to lose his mind or so he thought, seeing how his cautionary measures would frequently prompt him to break away from his travels only to diligently skim the streets whenever he had heard the strident clatter of hooves striking against the cobblestone roadway from a nearby draft horse, vivid 'clouds' always shown puffing out from their big nostrils as they laboriously hauled in random merchandise, most of which were heavily stockpiled in large hitching wagons in preparation for a busy day of commerce. "At this rate, I'll never get there in time." Troublesome as it was to keep advancing, actively searching for some murderer that could've been lurking about every nook and cranny was a trivial burden that needed to be placed upon the guards, arriving at Strebeshti's harbor in time was absolutely paramount when it came to reaching the Kingdom of Diamonds! Swallowing his pursuing fears and temporarily disregarding his worries, the Jack was able to persist in venturing ahead, fortunately for him, those wagons from earlier had made finding his way relatively easy as all he had to do was follow them into the Market.

Spoiler: [EXTREME FILLER WARNING - Dress Disguise inside tho.]

Bewitching smells of assorted meals being sizzled on spinning rotisseries, moreover, enchanting imagery of chefs organizing plates composed with a selection of food came as a gratifying yet disheartening surprise once Lazarus had stepped forth into the Market among many others. "So many distractions." A hungry look of defeat curled his thin brow, a long-winded sigh leaving his throat as he expressed his sorrow. Admittedly, there wasn't anything he was able to really do for the intense rumbling in his gullet except for disregard it for what it was until he was able to get to his Schooner where there'd been dishes already prepared in his wake, hopefully, it was something that he could look forward to when sailing out. Beyond being introduced to a disappointing array of food there was the more content sight of numerous shops conveniently sitting adjacent to one another, all of them accommodating to the different needs of their consumers. Before long he was able to catch a glimpse of the multiple storefronts while waltzing down a constructed pathway that aligned with the outlets, diversity ran rampant as he mentally pointed out the differences between each one, likewise with the similarities that they held. Assorted knick-knacks bedecking their exteriors, lively colored banners waving proudly above businesses, and a scarce few implementing the heavy usage of mystical dazzle so that they could remain distinct from the rest, of course, this sorcery only acted as nothing more than an advertisement to reel in more customers.


Ironic as it truly was, Jack of Clubs had seldom visited these establishments in spite of being fully aware of their existence, taking into account that he's solely responsible for managing the taxation and regulations of these businesses it's not surprising that he wouldn't be able to visit them often, largely in part due to being cramped up in an office space that's cluttered in mountains of paperwork, although, a small amount had involved wishing to remain secluded from those he didn't know. Last but not least, there had been a distinctive outlet that had shined like a jewel compared to the rest. "Prestigious Flair?" Meticulously skimming across the curvature of the sign's fancy lettering that'd been plastered to the smooth exterior of hardened clay making up the building, it was evident that this store's unique moniker with its peculiar font had served to only flatter itself to a more 'noble' customer base, rather than a commonplace resident. Pompous as that may be, it served its purpose upon closer inspection of the outside display that contained a row of life-sized porcelain dolls that had been all adorned with extraordinarily rare fabrics, further embellished with precious baubles that were sewn to the product they were fashionably wearing from the inside window. "Sheesh, these outfits could probably bankrupt someone." There was no possible way anyone could afford those unless they had been graced with dignity or royalty of some kind, figuring that no other store had any pieces like these it was only fair to say that this was most likely the tailoring place he'd been looking for.

Consequent to examining the storefront's ridiculous sign and extraordinary outerwear it displayed, Lazarus had curiously entered through the foremost entrance of the building although a bit taken back by the sturdy oak door's top rail striking against a dangling bell that was hooked to the ceiling of the reception room, effectively resulting in a resounding chime to ring throughout the store which had appeared to attract a supposed owner of the establishment who happened to be an Elf whose skin was tinged with a relaxing bronze that complimented their style of attire, their long swept and parted hair gave off a frosted pigment as did the person's eyes, unnervingly glowing with a faint luminescence as they sprung up from behind the front counter with their subtle palms pressing onto its wooden shine. "Goodness me, is that actual cashmere? I say, aren't you just a sight!" Flamboyance radiated from them as they hunched over to Lazarus to scrutinize the wooly substance tarped around his mantle, albeit a bit unaware of personal space as they'd been mere inches away from each other as he carried out his inspection. "U-uh, sir?" His vivacious introduction was far from customary to the poor Jack, he was unable to stop himself from turning his head away from the awkward situation. Thankfully, softly clearing his throat after his comment had made the brash Elf release his grasp and return to his side of the counter, leaving Lazarus still utterly confused from the whole ordeal but able to regain his composure. "Sincerest apologies, Kieran Shalice at your service! So, what brings your lovely self to our establishment?" Paying attention to his words, Jack of Clubs didn't know whether or not he should've been flattered or outright embarrassed from hearing that considering the unpleasant greeting, in all honesty, he was just more focused on being able to move past all of this and ask him about that recent purchase of his, a formal uniform that had been tailored to his dimensions, requested by his assistant after overhearing about the Diamond's sudden conference-call. "An assistant of mine had requested a uniform to be made?"


Acknowledging Lazare's comment, Kieran was beginning to squint as he became fixated on memorizing what he had meant as there had been a whole heap of outfits that had been previously requested although none of them acquired by that of an assistant! Methodically tapping his fingers against the counter's polished surface, a few questionable thoughts had escaped from his mouth in a muffled and silent mannerism, at least until he had recoiled back once he was reminded of who the person was that had been standing in front of him this whole time! That exact spark that had fueled his remembrance had manifested into an overwhelming revelation of emotion. "Jack of Clubs?! Oh dear, I must apologize for my previous behavior! Yes, the uniform it's already been crafted, come see for yourself!" Kieran's jumbled words had twirled out from his being like a whirlwind comprising of astonishment. Before removing himself from behind the counter and escorting the Jack to the back of the store with an excited skip in his step he had stopped to check if he was all prim and proper, of course, he did not want to look like a complete fool in front of a member of Royalty even if their garbs had been entirely contaminated with a dehydrated mud. "My, maybe you should have a look around for something while you're here, I don't believe that dirt is coming out!" Giving a confound look upon hearing Kieran's reply, Lazarus had no idea what he had meant by that strange comment of his. It didn't make sense, wasn't he the one picking out the outfit? Why would he need another one? Regardless he didn't think too much of it since him and Kieran been met with an intriguing bearded dwarf after having spun around a corner in the back of the store.

"Dulgran?! Drinking on the job again?!" A revolted shrill zipped from the Elf's mouth with an offended huff jumping from his tongue, Kieran's eyes rolling at seeing the brimming goblet of alcohol clasped in between two of the Dwarf's fat fingers as they painstakingly used their other hand to hold a measuring tape around the waist of a mannequin who was brilliantly outfitted with a marvelous looking dress, an elegant mixture of black, violet, and lavender gave birth to an awe-inspiring handcrafted outfit, designed fittingly for a female member of the high society! Dulgran, seeing fit to greet his working companion with an intoxicating belch, the drunkard of a Dwarf had now erupted in a burst of obnoxious laughter that filled the bottom of his cup as he took another helping of his drink before placing it onto the remote end-table standing beside him. "You're such a disgusting pig!" Disgusted shivers filled the Elf's slender physique as he turned away in revulsion, obviously offended by the person's unpleasant behavior. Lazarus, on the other hand, was almost as shocked as he was! Interacting with these two together was almost bound to make anyone regret making the bold decision to come inside, granted it would make for an interesting display of entertainment for those wanting to see the two go about arguing. "C'mon lad, ya don't mean that! If ya did you wouldn't of stayed as my apprentice." Wiping away the leftover mixture of rum and spices wettening his gingered 'whisker's he stopped to notice the man that Kieran had brought to the back. Dulgan's face scrunched with uncertainty as he wobbled his way over to the Jack of Clubs who was now rather frightened beyond belief once the Dwarf had asserted himself with a malicious tone.

"Who is this frail fecker standing beside you?" That harrowing darkness in his voice and stern markings layering their face had made Lazarus even more of a mess than he already was, slinking his shoulders backward in clear discomfort, Lazarus was nervous for what was anticipating him next! A resounding 'gulp' had struggled its way from him as he was unable to move. Despite being small in his stature that furious glance in their eyes had made his heart shrink to the size of a walnut and now he was beginning to wish he had just stayed home rather than go on some pointless adventure that's now getting him into all sorts of messes! "A-ha! Ya' should'uv' seen that look on ya' face! No worries, I heard Kieran yappin' bout ya in the other room! Pleasuh to meet ya Jackie-boy." In the blink of an eye, Dulgan's hardened exterior had vanished, melting away like a stick of butter on a scathing stove. Instead of leaving his 'interesting' greeting like that, Dulgan had swung his hand out to grip his before enthusiastically shaking Lazare's hand, making him judder up and down and almost give the impression of a paper bag being caught on a tree during a windy day. Upon being released from the Dwarf's unforgiving grip, he tried to shake off the unmistakable feeling of nausea once he had aimlessly stumbled around the back room, his wandering feet now mimicking the dazed sensation that was taking a strong hold of him. "Sorry 'bout that lad, keep forgetin' my own strength!" Another hysterical laugh had lingered from the Dwarf as he went back to the mannequin, his burly arm now pressed up against it as he gazed back at Lazarus and begun to spoke. "Guessin' yer wonderin' bout that outfit of yers huh?'" Taking himself aside to stand back from the outfitted porcelain to brush his knotted beard, he took a simple gander back at the dress he had created as if to hint he was showing off his work in front of Lazarus, unfortunately, this implication that the attire was for him rather than someone else had completely flown over his head.

"Yes, very much so! Er.. Where is it anyway?" Haste in his words, he skipped his view to the other garments that had been strewn out across the front-end of the store. There was but an hour left 'til his boat's departure and by this time his nervous demeanor had amplified, only for it to be relinquished and re-established ten times more once the Dwarf had opened their mouth and gestured back to the mannequin, his index finger pointing directly at the mostly purple dress it was wearing. "Ya vision not right lad? It's right here in front of ye', I gotsta say, whateva lady ya bought this for must be gorgeous." He comically nudged the doll, only to snap his fingers back at Lazarus and comment. "Didn't know ya had a Romantic relationship with your assistant, my, she must be quite the lookuh if you're givin' her this as a gift!" Soon to chime into the discussion was Kieran although he was alot more enthusiastic, his face gleaming with excitement as a shrill squeak of joy had touched the tip of his tongue, his wrists being smothered against each other in a girlish way as he made a ridiculous pose. "Romance?! I didn't know you were our Jack was in love! Let me tell you, she must be the luckiest woman in the world having a boyfriend that would give her such a marvelous dress." The reality of the situation had hit him as if he ran into an unforgiving brick wall, his ears almost quivered after hearing those two speak about the outfit, claiming that it was someone else's instead of his own! They must've mistaken the measurements of his body for that of a woman's, granted he didn't have an all too masculine stature but to have it be confused with a girl's? This had just made things more difficult, now he needed to explain to them that this dress that they made was for him and not his assistant or any love interest for that matter!

"A-a-actually, that outfit was supposed to be mine." Frowning with discomfort, Lazarus embraced his scrawny bicep with his hand while skimming his eyes away, only to look around the store so he could find something else that would properly fit him except he was out of luck when he sunk his hands deep down into his pockets only to discover nothing but pocket lint and a distant memory of those two Paladiums he had given away to the married couple. Letting out a sigh, he completely understood that giving them that money was the righteous thing to do but now he had nothing on him, he was beginning to run out of options. "Boy, you sure are a strange Jack" Clicking his tongue and shaking his head in unison, he was typically not one for judging someone but this was by far the weirdest thing he's experienced in his days of being a tailor, Dulgran couldn't help but crack a humorous smile at the astounding thought of the Jack of Clubs being a crossdresser. Humiliated at the accusation, Lazarus tried his best to convince him he wasn't into that sort of thing. "It's not like that! It's just that-" Hearing the forlorn ticking of the antique clock in the background had promptly silenced his tongue. A frightening ultimatum pierced his mind sharper than any arrow drawn from an experienced archer, it was either wear a completely drenched uniform with bits of dried up muck plastered clothes or suck up whatever pride he had left and wear a dress, seeing how that being completely drenched in a soaking liquid throughout the entire meeting would make him shiver his toes off in addition to making a mess of the place, he didn't have any other choice but to wear it. "There's no time!" He cried out, his hand swooped up the clothes draping the mannequin before scurrying off to wherever he was able to change. "This feels so unnatural."

Sticking each barefoot one by one through the middle piece of the outfit, he was able to properly lift it up to his torso and tie around the corset-like strings drooping near his lower back. Shimmying his waist allowed him just enough space for him to get the skirt wrapped around him, as for the rest of the accessories they were pretty easy to get on! As much as that outfit he was wearing stuck to his skin, he had to admit that the material felt a bit alleviating considering whenever he moved in the dress it wouldn't dig into him. Now all he needed to do was escape to the entrance without making too much of a scene, Kieran and Dulgran on the other hand made this situation more difficult than it needed to be as when he took a deep breath and stepped out they were there, staring at him in complete disbelief while he did his best to pretend like his dignity wasn't shattered into pieces but that was far far from the truth. Surprisingly, Lazarus had stopped in his tracks after noticing a mysterious woman staring back at him from the storefront's window, her shortened hair with its alabaster color was an exotic sight! This person whomever they were had true beauty, he was nearly about to be courteous and open the door for them but he soon had recognized after leaving the store that it was just his reflection gazing back at him. "Do... I really look like a girl?" His vocal cords had tinged with misery as he casted a look down at the uniform wrapped around his frail body, in all actuality he believed himself to be a very masculine person! Sure his voice wasn't scruffy or anything but he did have his moments, not that he could point any of them out specifically making him conclude that he was just a short, feminine, and fragile looking creature with an unblemished baby face to boot.

Upon leaving from the prominent market place, Dulgran and Kieran were still left frozen in place at their store with them barely moving so much as a muscle. "Oh my..." Kieran's flustered words rised from his shaky throat as he vividly blushed, his face reddening as the dress wearing Jack of Clubs had stormed down the pathway across from them, leaving nothing but an atmosphere of awkwardness that had only been broken with the drunken laughter of the Dwarf. "Bahaha! Did you see that?" He couldn't help but vigorously slap his knee at the outrageous scene that had just happened before him, his bulky but tiny body was now rolling across the carpeted floor while hugging his gullet out of pure pleasure, Kieran having wasted all of his patience with arguing could only roll his eyes yet again at the Dulgran's blatant overreaction before returning back to another hard day's work.

As for the likes of Jack? He had run off from the scene, a hushed whisper of panic following his trail.
Strebeshti's harbor was close by but he needed to be swift otherwise his cruise to the Kingdom of
Diamonds would be forever lost.

(Lazarus's Uniform - Disregard Rapiers.)

- Strebeshti Harbor -

Sunlight gleamed onto the ocean's waterfront, a dazzling sparkle skimming off the 'skin' of the water's crashing waves as the rays of light shined onto them. From far and wide, all varieties of ships could be seen docked at the various berths around Strebeshti's harbor, some of the sailors were in the process of chaining the ships up to the mooring that allowed them to effortlessly unload their cargo and passengers without the risk of their ships drifting off into the vast ocean, as for the rest the vessels, a majority of them were already sweeping across the sea, powerful winds from the skies whistled into their downed sails, providing them with a brisk journey as the water carried their hefty ships. Citizens from all ages, shapes, and sizes could be shown gathering up their belongings as they headed aboard their ships, Laborers could be seen strolling back in fourth with heavy lifting equipment, a few of the robust workers had been lifting supply crates to storage areas constructed throughout the harbor. Lazarus couldn't believe he was finally here! Just in time too, he was able to catch a small glimpse of the Schooner that was settling against one of the many docks within the expanse. The shade from a nearby building had favorably concealed him from the public eye as he tucked himself away into the shadows from any person that happened to stroll on by, he didn't want anyone to see him even if he was disguised! Not only did Dulgran and Kieran saw him but now everyone at the pier would too! Fortunately, he didn't expect anyone at the harbor to know him unless they were someone from royalty or someone he had met up in with the past.

Spoiler: [FILLER TO THE MAXIMUM]

Jack of Clubs could rule out the last two as the Queen was in her bed resting and the King was supposedly already at the conference, that or he was stuck at the Capital building for some reason. Reluctant as he was, he was able to take a step out into the public view where his whitened skin had flared up against the heat of the Sun, making him seem like a beacon of light that was now attracting the eyes of many of the workers like they were moths to a lamp! Stepping across the wooden boards of the shore, Lazarus's face swelled up with embarrassment at seeing workers look at him, it's almost as if everyone had been stalking his every move! He didn't think it could get much worse with all that attention but he was sorely mistaken once he started to get overwhelmed with indiscriminate catcalls from Sailors and Longshoremen. "Hey baby, you're looking mighty fine!" One of them called out. "Lookin' good enough to eat cupcake!" Another exclaimed, it was nearly baffling to see how much people were calling out to him. "Wages are definitely being cut when i'm back in my office." Never did he have such hate for people in his entire life, maybe not demotivating like his father but their perverse ways had made him feel sub-human as treaded himself forward, Lazarus was desperately hoping that he would be able to find his boat before dying of these lame pick-up lines being chucked his way. However, during his pursuit of encountering this schooner of his, Maxwell's distinct image revealed from afar had made his posture turn like he was impersonating statue. His heart dramatically sunk with anxious feelings as he looked down once more, examining his feminine outfit before having met with a muscle-bound stranger which from by the looks of it he had turned up to greet Lazarus, albeit staring him up and down like he were a piece of meat. It was almost guaranteed to be a sailor of some kind, judging from all the ink spread across his forearms, biceps, and neck.

He didn't know what this personification of a living portrait wanted to do with him but it was probably not good. "Good afternoon beautiful." An abnormal amount of lust had filled his breath as he spoke, a bit of fish as well, it smelt nauseating by far but he was far too concerned with Maxwell waiting for him. He needed a plan, he surely wasn't going to meet with him looking like this! Lazarus was suffering from enough embarrassment already with this husk of a human standing a foot away from him, all he needed now was some Rank 10 to see him wearing a God-forsaken dress. Figuring out what to do nearly gave him a migraine but noticing the hulking shadow of the man beside him gave him an idea, one that he was not too fond of but there was no doubt it would succeed unless he were to crack up under the pressure. "U-uh hello! Can you do me a favor?" He was trying his best not to break while confronting the man, he didn't believe it but he was actually going to ask this person to give Maxwell a message! Only instead of doing it out of the kindness of his heart for a 'lady' he resorted to other 'scummy' means. "Anythin' for you sweetheart, long as I get a kiss perhaps?" No way did he just ask that, the foul mouth man gave a wink to him that made his whole being recoil at the sight. "Two minutes until disembark!" A sea-captain yelled, his voice hailing from none other than Lazare's schooner that was near ready for departure. This wasn't good, he needed to go now! Closing his eyes together he reluctantly broke through the nauseating idea and pecked the man on the lips, his face mixing with crimson and green from the horrid breath which had made him nearly gasp until he had replaced it with an innocent look.

"Um, that Orc fellow over there... Can you tell him that the Jack of Clubs will meet him at the conference? I-I needed to give him that message but i'm too shy." The burly looking figure nodded, a smirk crawling up his face as he spoke. "Sure thing darling! Damn shame, Jack of Clubs has such a sexy assistant! Man, I wish I were loyalty." Lazarus was delighted, still revolted but glad that he was able to get this person to do this for him! Except he wholeheartedly regretted it once he had spun around to go aboard his vessel, he was just about to take one step forward but suddenly he was greeted with a loud 'slap' that had rung his ears and the feeling of a rough hand being swiped against his rear, his rump felt like it had literally jiggled from how hard he slapped it! "Thought i'd add somethin' extra." A laugh climbed up his throat after he walked away, a yelp immediately twisted its way out from Lazare's throat as he speed-walked aboard his ship, his skin transitioning from a bright white to a full pink as he sprinted up the ramp of the ship. Finally making it aboard he handed the ticket-taker his card and rushed to the railing of the ship where he frantically began trying to brush his forearm against his lips, still caressing his own butt in slight pain as he tried to wipe away the gross aftertaste of that man's mouth. "Disgusting pervert, can't believe I had to do that." Although he was outraged at the events that followed him to this point he was unable to stay mad ever once they had disembarked on their journey, it was going to take around four to five days just to get there but at least it would give him a lot of time to relax from his daily duties as a Jack! In due time he retreated from the railing to let out a yawn, cold air from the sea brushed his hair and tickled his lungs as the fatigue from enduring this stressful day had blanketed the tiresome Lazarus. "How exhausting this day has been!"

Jack of Clubs, knew that this journey of his would be a long one... He'd possibly spend most of his time sleeping probably, a well-deserved break at long last! It was soon revealed that the lower quarters of the ship he was on had its own private quarters for him, it was pleasing to know that this spacious room had its own king-sized bed or rather 'jack' sized bed. Maybe he was over analyzing but as soon as he brought himself onto the bed and was able to relax, it had felt like the all of the aching pain that was tinging his legs after the long walk had magically disappeared! Tired as he was, he adjusted his posture to make sure that he was comfortable enough to let the relaxing teetering of the ship rock him to sleep, a physical melody that fluck his eyelids down and sent him into a long-lasting hibernation.

Kingdom of Diamonds - Conference.

"Kingdom of Diamonds approaches, prepare thyselves for a landing!"

Overhearing that Captain's gruff shouting, Jack of Club's squinched his eyes and conceded to the luminous sunbeams splitting through the rounded window in his room. "Ugh, another hour would've been nice!" Groaning as he unconsciously dragged his feet from off his bed and sat upright, Lazarus lightly rubbed his milky palms against his face before taking in one last view of his private quarters to which he bid a fond farewell to. An impending landing of the Schooner docking itself against the shore fluctuated the enormous body of the boat, a sudden 'clunk' of a hefty anchor hitting the grains of sand beneath it had kissed the underbelly of the boat, furthermore giving it one more last rock until it the motion of the ship had ceased completely. Acting as a signal for him to get off his lethargic butt, he gathered up his belongings after getting himself dressed and went up to the first deck of the boat where he was met with a gorgeous sight of the Kingdom in front of him, at the end of four days he was finally here! "Nation of Diamonds, we meet at last." It came as a big relief after disembarking from the ship and back onto a pier, not so much with the obnoxious flirtations being sent his way again! He really didn't mind all of this however as all the new and exciting things left to his viewing had made him too engrossed with the scenery. Venturing a good distance away from the Diamond's harbor, he was met with a chariot driver propping himself against the body of a carriage. Understandably, Lazarus did not recognize the person as someone who was affiliated with any of their royalty by any chance, that was until he noticed the sign he was holding which was in regards to the summons of the other Kingdoms, it was a bit skeptical seeing this but having a form of transportation to the conference wasn't all too bad.

"Excuse me, driver!" He gestured a friendly wave to the male chauffeur, a reassuring smile caressed his appearance when he realized he had remembered the button he had pinned onto the breast of his dress, it was a piece of jewelry that had resembled a clover's leaf and was fully comprised of jadeite that shined with a rich imperial green, unlike regular gemstones this acted sort of like 'badge' when it came to members of royalty, obviously, anyone could try to replicate it and try to pass themselves off as a dignified member of the Clubs but they'd be sorely disappointed as the imperial green could not be fabricated so easily! Those that had attempted to pass themselves off as royalty before were instantly caught just from the shade of coloring alone. "Ma'am." Tilting his head, he took a moment to check the badge plastered on the Jack of Club's chest before recognizing his position of power. "Ah, Clubs? Glad to see you here! Some of us have been expecting your arrival, hop on in." A gracious hum flickered from the driver as he opened the passenger door to the inside compartment, Lazarus felt a bit gratified seeing how well-behaved this person was! Surely, it was almost to be expected giving the circumstances of this meeting. Speaking of which, they never exactly told him what it was about and the whole vagueness of the meeting had felt unorthodox albeit it was less of a concern knowing that the other Kingdoms would be there as well including the Spades, this nation, in particular, had always attracted his unparalleled interest due to the shared boundaries of an inlet next to Port New Dawn, if he were to get connections with their Jack it could provide them with a big opportunity for trading.

Putting the thought aside for a later discussion, Lazarus carefully arranged himself inside of the carriage and without a minute to spare the chauffeur had hopped back in his seat. With the snap of his reigns, a roaring squeal thundered from the bound horses before charging onward to his highly anticipated conference. Taking around fifteen minutes or so to get there, just as he stepped out from the stationary coach there'd been a remarkable building just ahead of him, its architecture was flawless and the thick foundation that supported it was massive enough to withstand a barrage of cannon fire! Not to mention surrounding the entrance and gated areas were vigilant guards adorned in heavy sets of armor, their posture unwavering to the environment around them. "Guess I didn't have to tell you that this was the place, huh?" Approaching the Jack was the driver, a subtle snicker of pride leaving him as he spoke of the building. "Yeah, i'm kinda speechless actually." Nonchalantly arriving at the Jack's side, he pointed up at one of the floors of the building before explaining. "See that? That's where you need to go, follow the signs and you'll be there." Nodding to his response and giving a small "Thanks" for the ride, he scurried off to main gate where both of the steady soldiers were eager to check the pin on him before Lazarus was guided into the main foyer of the building where he was quick to discern the numerous signs leading up the stairs and into the conference room, following this trail of 'cookie-crumbs' he was able to be greeted with an open sight of the conference room with a few people from the other nations already waiting inside.

Heavily guarded as this place was, it needed only a few soldiers on the top room due to the able-bodied royals within the room being more than enough firepower to withstand an assault from anyone foolish enough to try and create pandemonium. "Wow, this is intense." He tried not to make any accidental eye contact with anyone in the room as he browsed through the room, a conveniently placed marker had labeled the north, south, east, and western parts of the room with the names of each respective Kingdom, rankings were appropriately positioned over each desk. Understandably he didn't really feel too inclined on striking up a conversation while wearing this effeminate uniform so he did what was perhaps expected of him and sat himself down in his arranged seating where his Jack of Clubs title was proudly announced.

"Here goes nothing."


(TL ; DR - Lazarus left the Queen's estate > Accidentally had a dress made for him but had to take it because his outfit was filthy > Went to Strebeshti Harbor > To the Kingdom of Diamonds > Conference Room.)

.

 

[Spoiled Bread]

~Ace of Clubs, Remi Rumialin~
​

Remi and The Lockdown

Location: Strebeshti, Palace of Clubs
Time: 4 days before the conference, noon

Remi washed her face with the water from the sink. She looked at her reflection on the mirror that was firmly attached to the wall. No more wrinkles, no more tired eyes, no more visible cheeckbones, no more gray hair. Instead, a young girl stared back at her. Her eyes brimming with energy and intelligence, her hair was lush and sparkling, her skin was smooth and clean.

Yes, this is what I should look like. The fragile old woman on the wheelchair is definitely not me.

"Madame Remi, may I come inside?"

"Get in, Angelica."

At Remi's order, Angelica entered the changing room with some clothes on her hands. She gently helped Remi wearing all of them. It took a while before both of them get out of the changing room with Remi fully prepared for the day. Angelica excused herself before leaving Remi to herself.

It didn't took her a long time before she arrived at the palace. Her estate wasn't that far. The guards greeted her and opened the door. A woman in her early fourties immediately approached her.

"Master Remi, It's good to see you today." The woman bowed at Remi. Her name was Laudia, she's one of the senior maid at the palace. Not only that, she's also Remi's 'spy' for whatever happening in the palace. Remi found it necessary to put a 'spy' in the palace, since sometimes there's royalty who do stupid things whenever they thought the ace wasn't around.

"Good day Laudia, is the king available right now?"

"I fear that the king is busy right now."

"How about the queen?"

"The queen is... not available right now."

Laudia's strange tone alerted Remi. Laudia was a calm person, but a bit of anxiety could be seen when she answered about the queen. What happened? Remi didn't ask about it though, she believes Laudia will tell her the problem when the time was more suitable.

"Jack?"

"Already departed to the Diamonds."

"Diligent boy." As both woman walked toward Remi's office, Laudia gave a brief report about the royal's affair for the last week, since that was the last time Remi came to the palace. It seems the longer she become the ace, the less frequent that she shows up in the palace.

Remi's office was located on eastern wing of the first floor, a large window gave away the scenery of the beautiful garden on the backside of the palace. The room itself wasn't that big, but it's neatly organized. Something that shouldn't be in her room caught her attention, there's piles of papers on her desk.

"What is this mess?" Remi asked with annoyed tone. She picked one of the paper and read the header.

Serat Company
Departure Permition Request

"A few hours before his departure, the Jack declared a lockdown over Strebhesti. No one out without the royals or your permition. Since the King is busy, the paperworks is now fall into your hand."

"I see." Remi slowly took a seat, prepare her quill and started reviewing the paperworks. Although she's annoyed with this sudden responsibility. She's already used to most of the Royal's antique. As long as there's good reason for this lockdown of course.

"Do you want some drinks, Master Remi? Tea or Coffee? Or-"

"Wine. Give me cold wine." Laudia nodded at the request and opened the nearby shelf, where Remi store her favorite drinks like Rosemary tea and red wine. She poured the wine into a glass, then stirred it with a rune-inscribed spoon. The spoon let out a slight glimmer as the rune working on lowering the drink's temperature. After stirred for a few times, she poured the wine into a smaller glass and served it to her master.

"Your drink, master Remi. Also, I should tell you about the recent news and the start of this lockdown."

"I'm all ear." Remi replied nonchalantly as she signed a paperwork then took a sip of her wine.

"There was an assassination attempt on our queen." At this first disclosure, Remi stopped reviewing the papers and stared directly into Laudia's eyes, indirectly requesting her to continue. Laudia then told her about the Jack decision to lock the capital. Also, it seems Jack and the queen's representative with some 10s was going to the Diamond kingdom together, while some other 10s was ordered to investigate the case.

"An assasination attempt that can wounds our queen, huh? Kynan the Mad Queen?" Remi knew Kynan was physically the strongest person in the kingdom, so hearing that she got wounded by unknown assailant really shocked her.

"what will you do, master Remi?"

"Nothing, after finishing these paperwork I will go home and prepare for my departure to The Diamonds tomorrow. You can leave now Laudia, I'm sure you have something else to do." Laudia nodded and excused herself, leaving Remi with the paperworks. A few seconds later, a guard came in and put more departure permission requests on her desk.

"LAUDIA, COME BACK. I NEED SOME COFFEE!"

Angelica's Dilemma

Location: Strebeshti, Remi's Residence
Time: 4 days before the conference, afternoon

Silence, isolation and calmness are what Angelica loves in this place. Remi usually spent her days in the underground laboratory, or going outside doing her ace duty like today. This was her time to shine!

Humming alone in the art room. Angelica merrily mixed some paints on the canvas. Remi always said that she had the talent to become great painter. Honestly, Angelica didn't think so. The proportion of her painting always lack some balance and her choice of colors always ends up irrelevant to each other. She's too embarassed to put her painting in the exhibition, even when Remi half-forcing her to do that.

Slowly, gently, smoothly. Her brush slide across the canvas. Black on top of white, gray mixed with yellow, then a very thin layer of blue to make the figure looks calmer. She drew some wrinkles, smudge some white so the hair looks a bit messy, and added a familiar toothless smile. There, it finished. Her hero, her savior and her inspiration. It looks better than-

"Angelica, where are you? Change of plan, I'll depart tomorrow." A familiar voice could be heard from the corridor. It's a crisp voice of a young girl, a voice that Angelica didn't want to hear now actually. She thought Remi wouldn't come home for another hours.

Thrown into her panic mode. Angelica quickly grabbed the nearest clothes and drapped it over her painting, she tried to reach the door but stumbled over some brushes and ends up crashing onto the floor with a loud noise as she broke some wooden box on the fall.

"Angelica! You allright?" Remi slammed the door open and found Angelica laying on her stomach on the floor. Grimacing in pain, Angelica stood up and assure her that she's fine.

"You should be more careful, really, and this room needs to be reorganized. It looks like a shipwreck right now." Remi scolded the young girl, her attention was drawn into something else though. "Wait, what are you drawing?"

"No, don't look!" Angelica tried to stop Remi from pulling the clothes on the painting, but it's no use. The clothes fell on the floor, Remi froze for a moment at the painting while Angelica blushes in embarassment.

"Is that... me??" The astonished Remi looked in disbelief. Angelica only replied with a weak nod.

"It's amazing! For real!" At Remi's praise, Angelica's heart flutter with happiness, but her next words pulled back Angelica to reality and reminds her to the reason why she didn't want to show this painting in the first place.

"Now if only you paint me in THIS more beautiful form that would be even more amazing!"

She's in denial, and Angelica hates to see this side of her.

Eight-legged Trip

Location: Stresbeshti - Ariandel
Time: 3 days before the conference, morning

"Is all already prepared there?" Remi asked Angelica as she helped Remi with her clothes.

"Rations, clothes, money, books, potions. I prepared them all." Angelica replied with confidence. This trip was an important one so she made sure that Remi wouldn't lack anything in Ariandel. She also organized those things in the bag as neat as possible to make Remi's luggage easier to carry.

Remi went to the stable that was placed in the backyard of her manor. No, there's no horse inside. But there's a round giant boulder occupied most space in the stable. The inside of the boulder was hollowed out to make a space large enough for someone to lay their body, it was also stuffed with pillows. Chains of smaller boulders were attached at six different spots of the giant boulders, with the tip of each boulder chain resembles a chicken's claw.

Awaken

Remi mentally ordered the boulder to rose. A glimps of magical flow could be seen for a brief moment as the unordinarily shaped golem booting it's arcane system. Now that it stood up on it's own six legs, the boulder looks like a very weird spider. This was Remi's special transportation method: The six-leggers. It can run much faster than a horse, it's sturdy, it can thread on harsh terrain and even climbs vertical wall. It's appearance still needs more work though.

The six-leggers followed Remi as she left the stable. Despite the size, the sigil that Remi used for this golem was advanced enough that it could regulate its own step and reduce the weight that it gaves to the ground below.

Angelica handed Remi her bag and said her goodbye. Remi hopped into the six-leggers, she repositioned herself among the pillow to search for the most comfortable position. There, she found it.

Go! She ordered the golem to start walking. The golem carefully took its first step, then as if gained confidence in its walking ability, it increased its walking speed slightly. Before long the boulder already walk on a nice steady pace.

"Mom, what is that thing?" A young boy asked his mother when he saw the six-leggers passed before his eyes.

"It's just one of the ace's golem." The mother answered hesitantly. The citizen of Stresbeshti was already used to the presence of Remi's golems, since it's been almost 40 years that she put those golems to help citizen in emergency situation. Still, the shape of this particular golem was just so unusual that most people can't help but stare in confusion. Remi popped her head outside from the inside of her vehicle and waved to everyone, assuring them that the walking boulder wasn't a rampaging monster on the run.

After she's out of Stresbeshti though, Remi ordered the golem to shows its true speed. In a moment's notice the golem started running at full speed, leaving a trail of dust on its wake.

 

[TPBx]

a week later. . .


Ethan Lenor Kaloronos

There was a lot to cover in the conference albeit the topic they were discussing was incredibly simple. The Argossians were threatening the borders, and that this was the first time in over five centuries that the Argossian Empire felt compelled to pull all the stops and make preparations for an offensive. Their strategy, was simple and effective, supply The Jokers with Argossian tech and have them destroy the kingdom from the inside-out, paving the way for a much larger Argossian Invasion force. Ethan saw the Conference as a necessary to tool discuss possible strategies at ending at least the threat of The jokers. They were the linchpin by which all of the plans that the Argossians had hinged upon and eliminating that threat would be key to stalling an Argossian Invasion for at least another decade.

However, the Jokers were gaining public support, the people look up to them as revolutionaries to dismantle the traditions that Stryker had set in place to create a fair and balanced government, ruled by those who had proven themselves to be exceptional and unrivaled compared to their peers. Ethan hated this tradition though, since it encouraged incredibly toxic mentalities in the noble families to breed the strongest mages to preserve their power. Tradition was the reason for his suffering early in life....

Ethan stared blankly at the wall, pausing in the middle of that thought, before realizing that the conference was about to begin. He donned his regal clothing for events and made his way out of his room in his estate. Then summoning a shadowy portal and walking through it, reappearing in the confines of a section of the conference hall outside of prying eyes. He read over a piece of parchment he had stored beneath his robes, dictating what he needed to cover in the meeting. Though he had rehearsed what he had to say a thousand times in front of the mirror, he still felt frightened by the sheer fact that he had to address the crowd he would be facing. They were royals like himself, some conceivably more powerful than he was, so the idea of asking for help and convening in this matter seemed surreal to him.

Ethan then took a deep breath.

He reappeared inside the conference hall, through the use of another Shadow Portal. His boots clacked and rang as he walked into the hall from the swirling darkness. Everyone was already seated waiting for his presence at the table. The guards stood at attention, even though they were probably the least capable people in the room, their presence felt necessary. Before him sat the other three Suits' Aces, Kings, Queens, and Jacks. There was no familiar face other than the Royalty who sat beside him. William as usual always seemed attentive and serious. Idun looked like she was in the middle of a day dream admiring the looks from the others, it didn't help that the room only accented her nature as a literal Diamond, so she shined brightly in contrast with his own much darker appearance. Jack seemed to shake in his boots, it was probably his Usagi nature, but he didn't seem like himself.

Ethan lazily set his eyes upon the rest of the room, examining the crowd, but he didn't get much out of it other than having his True Sight go haywire, causing him to blink a couple times, irritated by the incredible presence of Mana in the room, surrounding everything around them. The gradient of yellow to red sparkles intensified into a bunch of bright stars in front of him. This was the amount of power that resided in the Conference Hall, forcing Ethan, for the first time in a very long time, to turn off his True Sight to not strain his vision. He had gotten used to always using the magic for day to day activities.

He walked over to his seat with his nameplate set before it. Ethan was uncomfortably seated between Idun and William, despite his request to be seated elsewhere. Apparently whoever in was in charge of assigning their seats, put looks over his personal preferences. However, being the last one in the hall, and the fact that everyone else was also seated in order of royal ranking, Ethan reluctantly took his seat between the Ace and his naive Queen. After adjusting his chair and posturing himself sternly, he looked up and addressed the crowd before him.

"Hello everyone, welcome to the Diamond Kingdom, I hope your travels here went well. This is after all a momentous occasion. The last time this Conference of Kingdoms was convened, the Argossian Empire had nearly conquered the entire Kingdom of Diamonds, and this very Hall we sit in today was merely a set of ruins. I... Ethan Lenor Kaloronos, King of Diamonds, gladly thank you for your presence here today..., " Ethan paused briefly to look at his notes. He unfolded the paper he had stowed away in his robes, glazing it over it for a second before setting on the table in front of him, "as some of you may know, this Conference was convened for the same reason it was Convened 500 years ago. We have a creeping suspicion that the Argossian Empire plans on reclaiming the Kingdom in another crusade, and they are using a terrorist group called, ' The Jokers, ' in order to weaken the Four Suits enough to set the stage for a much larger invasion force."

( @ everyone )

 

[Coyote Hart]

Seven days later, and Twig was in the ornate hall of the Kingdom of Diamonds, feeling strangely tranquil and energized at the same time. The ornate chambers represented the Kingdom of Diamonds very well, they were just as eye-capturing and beautiful as any well-cut diamond.

Since he came from a working class, Twig had never been outside of the Kingdom of Hearts. For as long as he knew it, Twig had lived in the warm climate that the North brought, as well as profited off of the different uniquities that it brought. So the beautiful Diamond landscape was strange, foreign, and captivating. Everything from the slight differences between Hearts and Diamond architecture to the types of trees that existed all caught Twig's attention, leading him to stick his head recklessly (which he reprimanded himself mentally whenever he did so) outside the wagon's window during the ride there to gaze at everything.

The capital city, even though it was not worse nor better than the castle back at home, was so much more captivating. The grand white architecture was like eye bleach-- calm, peaceful, and resonating with well-being. The culture was so rich that Twig wished that this wasn't a business trip and simply traveling. Then he'd be able to enjoy everything to the fullest.

But no, he was at the capital for business, and with a pile of paperwork piled up back at home, thanks to a lengthy medical procedure he had to do to Aster back at his cottage. Leo's girlfriend had really been dealt a dozen, with bruises and fractures covering her entire body. The bruises had been easy to heal-- all it took was a bit of magic, and the injuries disappeared. But the fractures took a while, as Twig had to reshape the bones with a mallet as he was slowly healing. By the end, Aster was healed and healthy, but the combination of his rush to the castle, the urgent news, waking up early, and now healing Aster had taken a toll on Twig, and he had decided to take a 'short nap' which resulted in him waking up at 3PM, with half the day gone. As a result, Twig didn't have the time to fill out all the paperwork he wanted.

As a result, Twig was almost completely distracted at the table. He was catching up on small bits of paperwork while simultaneously trying to listen to what was going on. So because of that, Twig did something that was much against his personality-- he pitched in to speak immediately after the King of Diamonds was finished.

"I assume that no diplomatic letters have been sent to the Argossian empire regarding this matter?" Twig said as he picked up a quill, dipped it in ink, and began to sign his signature at the bottom of the paper, "And, I mean, that makes sense and all, but if that's the case, I assume we're going to discuss what to do with the Jokers rather than the Argossians?"

Twig took a pause to shove a mint leaf into his mouth, the blast of crispness pushing through his taste buds to give a refreshing, revitalizing shock. With his other hand, Twig tripped over a small notch in the table, which caused him to mess up his signature.

"Aw, poop," Twig said, disappointed as he put down the quill. Continuing his little bit of talk, but now with eye contact (as he had fucked up his signature), Twig said, "Could we try to bulk the inter-kingdom trade routes together, to make things more linear rather than a web? It'll save prices. I dunno, the Jokers use guerilla warfare, if we have everything concentrated, especially with the troops, that might stop them."

"Of course, this is only if the Jacks of the Kingdoms of Spades, Diamonds, and Clubs agree," Twig concluded, "Then we could make the trade routes more streamlined."

Twig turned his attention back to his screwed up signature, and painstakingly, Twig fixed the signature, dotted his I's and crossed his T's. Finally, the document was done, and Twig folded it into an envelope and tossed it across the table to Guin.

"Read this when you have time," Twig said, with a smile, "Someone wants to sue his wife for emotional damage because of this convoluted series of tricks and blackmail. I don't understand it either."

 

[Kisaki]

Jack Alistair ​

​

Jack waltzed into the meeting room with his ears standing proudly and a newly tailored clothes. Behind him, maids pulled carts of tea and cakes into the room, placing them on the well polished table for the guest. " Aya, you are welcomed to leave." Jack shooed the maids out the room then took a seat. "I have brought refreshments to make this meeting more bearable." He announced.​

"Don't break my fuckin chinaware. As courtesy of the Jack of the Diamond Kingdom, I am willing to share my belongings with you since I'm so kind." He eyed the visitors who took their respective seats.

​

Jack took a sip of the tea that was recently poured. Light steam slowly rose from the cup, warming his cheeks until it wa lightly flushed. "I agree with blondie or whatever over there," He said as he waved his empty cup in the air. "Unified trading between all kingdoms can allow for finacial gain which can be used for effective research into military and technolgy." For past years, the Diamond Kingdom has mostly focused on being prettier than the other kingdoms and being rich. They needed more money to help their investment in upgrading their military. Another invasion would not sit well with the people.​

 

[SentinelSevn]

Ability:
- Sensory Manipulation
- Mind Control {WARNING}

Location:
- Ariendel, Diamond capital

Interactions:
- Everyone

Quillon Downs
38 || Ace || Spades

From the grandiose pillars along the grand room's walls to the intricate patterning of its limestone flooring, Quillon stood alongside the wall designated for his kingdom's royals, both in admiration and in utter distaste for the Diamond's choice in decor. One thing was for certain here, the Diamonds' were far more glamorous in comparison to the Spades' in their fashion sense..

Quillon had grown rather interested in the Diamonds' sense of architecture since his arrival; which, despite being the kingdom with the furthest journey, they had still managed to arrive at least a quarter's of a day prior to the next arrival. Their structures were far more intricate and akin to some fantasy kingdom, and not all what he had expected considering the war-torn history with the Argossians they had been known for. His eyes continued to wander the hall, eventually laying eyes on every single royal from the opposing kingdoms, and making snap-judgements from what he could sense from within their thoughts.

He stood in the shadows of one of those very pillars, choosing to mask his presence to the best of his abilities, without the use of any magic to void inciting any suspicion from the other kingdoms. The Ace of Spades preferred to observe from a distance, after all, and chime in with his thoughts whenever he deemed fit. Being that these individuals were total strangers aside from small fractions of information, he had yet to be sure whether a high level of magical presence would intimidate some of the weak links. In turn, having them withhold information in fear of being shut down. Although it did make no difference to him whether they spoke or not, he would get their answer. But, not many were able to contribute to a debate solely in one's head.

From their direct thoughts, he mainly sensed curiosity. Anxiety, from a few. Perhaps, even an eagerness, to either begin the conference or even to have it conclude. But his thoughts of the general public were drawn to a close as another figure appeared, seemingly from nothing. The darkened edges of the portal juxtaposed against the brighter material of the surrounding area, and faded to nothing as quickly as it had appeared. The only remnants of it being the King.. to which Quillon sharpened his gaze towards, as he felt an ever-present difference in his magic in comparison to the other royals.

"That one.. I don't like that one.." Quillon thought, which would resound in the heads of the other three royals from his Kingdom seated in front of him. Quillon was well aware that they would be unable to speak back to him through their thoughts, considering his form of communication was similar but not the same as any other telepaths. He would have to read their mind for their thoughts, and then relay it to the others as a sort of middleman for them to have a proper conversation.

He said nothing as Ethan continued his introduction, allowing him to continue with the topic at hand and even allowing the Jacks of the other kingdoms carry on with their discussion about trade routes. It was irrelevant to him, but he did focus on one particular bit of information that Ethan had mentioned. They, the Spades, in fact had one of these terrorists in one of the holding cells of their kingdom. He had hoped the other Spades had yet to forget about their asset, and was undecided whether or not this was information to be shared with the others.

 

[ChazGhost]

Maxwell Jacobs
The Conference

Maxwell was not a man who could be easily intimidated. Orc themselves were people who could handle stressful situations well, which what made them powerful warriors. Maxwell himself has spent his whole life dealing with people who threaten him and made fun of him for being an, and he handles those people in his own without being intimidated. But today was a day for news experiences as Maxwell Sat with the Jack and standing queen of clubs. All around Maxwell was the strongest and most powerful people in the four kingdoms of their lands and Maxwell was intimidated. Maxwell was a lost of words of he could say or do to help his kingdom at the moment and for a writer and educated man of his caliber that was a rarity.

The news of the revolutionary organization and a possible invasion from Argossian Empire did not help Maxwell nervous. Maxwell nervous calmed down a bit once the Jack of Hearts gave some suggestions to bulk up trade routes and have more items down a few routes then spread out among all the routes. Maxwell looked to his Jack. "Mr.Viticus, what do you think of the trade route proposal? It could be wise to do for the short term at least until the Jokers have been dealt with. We could focus on more heavily guard a few routes compared to all the routes. And besides a close at the routes is always a good idea as to make sure they are as efficient as possible" Maxwell said quietly to Lazare even if Maxwell like the idea it was the Jack of Clubs decision to do this or not.

SidTheSkid

 

[Goonfire]

Leolin Hravart III

Leolin showed up twenty minutes early for the conference, allowing himself ample time to place the Hearts’ banner and become acquainted with the other kingdoms’ royals—more specifically, with their heat signatures. A reassuring smile and glowing red eyes contrasted each other to terrifying effect, whether the ace liked it or not. One thing always unsettled him: the lack of a heat signature from his Diamonds counterpart. It took several months to figure out pint-sized Elsa over there could still be tracked by the cold aura surrounding him. That realization came in the winter after Leo won his duel, after observing some ice. Wait... who the fuck is Elsa?

Leo was proud of his own kingdom’s Jack, who had successfully sparked a conversation regarding protected trade routes. Then there was that adorable Jack of Diamonds... whose attitude and profanity discouraged any advances. The pyromancer declined any sweets for the sake of appearances.

Finally, Leolin piped up, dismissing the idea of negotiations. “While I would like to think a lot has changed over the course of five hundred years in terms of their attitudes, I fear the Argossians’ actions may have already indicated their intentions. If their government officials really are pulling the strings with this Jokers scheme, then I would count that as their declaration of war.” He then turned to face the entire room. “Aside from accounts of the recent attacks, is there any more concrete evidence to bolster a case for or against the Argossians’ guilt?”

Kisaki Coyote Hart Kloudy TPBx

 

[TPBx]

Marillys Argossia


Marillys landed on the beaches of the Kingdom of Clubs in the cover of night, a couple guard golems activated in response to his presence. He sprung into action lunging towards one, deftly evading one of its punches and returning the favor by kicking it so hard that the giant clay soldier toppled over. Another guard golem came to assist its partner and the rest of Marillys's covert operations squadron mobilized behind him. They moved swiftly through the darkness and in quick succession took several shots with their suppressed assault weapons at the remaining golem, bringing it down swiftly. The golem that Marillys took down by himself attempted to get up but was quickly put down Marillys stomping on it. Then, the homunculus, putting one of his pistols to the golem's head, emptied a couple of shots of his magazine into the now lifeless golem. Marillys signaled the rest of his troops to move in, and from seemingly nowhere, a few more amphibious landing craft came onto the shoreline, emptying out a hundred more soldiers.



More golems sprung to action, but their efforts came in vain as the automatic weapons of the soldiers made quick work of the golems going over to defend the shores of the Kingdom of Clubs. Marillys made his way into a nearby forest by himself, where he found a seemingly out of place house in a clearing in the middle of nowhere. An old women came to the door to see what was going on all the noise from the beach startled her from a peaceful slumber. The old woman checked outside after opening the door and seeing no one outside before heading back inside. She turned around and saw Marillys' blazing blue eyes staring back at her, she realized that this must have been the Argossian contact that the Jokers were talking about. She lead him downstairs to a portal she had created that lead to the Joker's secret lair. She stepped behind him and let Marillys pass through to the other side.

Outside the forest around the house the soldiers made their way up to the house and marched down the stairs into the basement toward the portal. Several soldiers were carrying large cases of what was presumably Argossian Firearms and other technology that the Jokers would need for their revolution. So far, this was the most resistance that the soldiers faced smuggling weapons into the Four Suits, however like every mission before it was a breeze.

Marillys re-appeared on the other side of the portal with his fire arms holstered, seeing other Jokers getting ready for an attack. Marillys didn't have an idea of what they planned, but their job was to assist them this time. Whatever it was, the Jokers were planning something big, and this would be the event to change the status quo, supposedly. Apparently their efforts paid off, and the Royals, who the Argossians always feared would be the strongest resistance to their attacks, were concentrated in the Diamond Kingdom for a conference. Today was the perfect opportunity for the Jokers to make something big happen, and Marillys couldn't wait to see months of planning finally pay off.

 

[. D O V E]

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[div class=bg] [div class=Guin][/div]

[div class=gname] Queen of Hearts [/div] Location: Diamond's Castle | Conference Hall
Interaction: Coyote Hart
Mentions: Goonfire Quinlan63 TPBx Kisaki


​

[/div]

[div class=font] Five minutes prior to the start of the conference, a female clad in a crimson sheathed long dress adorned with golden engravings and a modest slit entered the grandiose hall of the Diamonds. The heart-shaped cutout on the back of the fine material suggested which kingdom she was apart of and the crown sitting on top her golden hair symbolized her royalty. Guineverre y Blanca was the embodiment of elegance as she strode towards her designated seat. The queen of hearts was fond of punctuality so she usually preferred showing up in a meeting half an hour early however tonight was a rare exception as almost all of the seats were already occupied when she arrived.

Guineverre could feel the immense power gathered inside the hall, radiating off from each individual present. Nonetheless, she was far from being intimidated and was instead allowing her steel-colored eyes to wander around curiously. She observed that she was mostly unfamiliar with the people gathered saved for Leo, Twig and Axton whom she each sent a smile to.

However, her attempt at formalities were cut short when she suddenly detected a different albeit familiar type of mana. A portal devoid of any light appeared from the corner of her vision, making her turn her head to its direction just as a man stepped out from it. Her eyes flickered with interest as she watched the newly-arrived introduce himself as the King of Diamonds before beginning the discussion. That was definitely dysidia and she wasn't expecting a royalty aside herself to be utilizing the so-said "corrupted" form of mana because of its controversial nature.

The queen's silent pondering was interrupted when their very own jack spoke up regarding the trade routes between the four kingdoms. This caused her to bend her attention at the younger monarch and listen to his suggestion while at the same time wondering why he was busy scribbling on a paper. The female's musing was solved when he slipped the document into an envelope and tossed it to her along with a short explanation. "Oh, thank you." she muttered as she blinked at the object in bewilderment, "Your diligence continues to amaze me. I'll be sure to review it later." she added before returning Twig's smile.

It wasn't long before servants rushed and offered refreshments led by the Jack of Diamonds whose attitude Guineverre found disagreeable so she was almost tempted to accidentally drop the expensive-looking cup set before her. However, she didn't want to attract any unnecessary attention so she simply chose to ignore the tea and give Twig a supportive thumbs-up when his suggestion gained the favor of the other jack.

While both Jack and Ace of Hearts were active in the conference since the latter recently gave his input, the queen decided to stay silent and dwell on the matter inside her head. An empire eager for the Four Suits' downfall and a rebellion group seeking to rebuild them anew, teaming up. She found it quite ironic.

Yet interesting... [/div]

 

[OrenjiGatsu]

Thierry Cyrille Bonheur

Location: The Bonheur Residence
Time: Afternoon, Several Days Ago

With Thierry gone, the Bonheur Residence has been quiet. Only Lambert and any rodents that somehow evaded him were the only creatures around to stir up noise. The wind occasionally blew against the trees and added to the ambience of a quiet afternoon. However, Lambert knew it was too quiet. Something way missing. As Thierry could possibly be summoning him away from the house, he didn't use anything such as a lamp. Instead, he read a novel in Thierry's book collection, the same novel from last night. Yet, there should have been more sounds. After taking a moment to rest on the windowsill, he realized there were little to no one outside. It was not suppose to be a holiday today, so where were all the people?

After another hour, the door of the Bonheur Residence was opened. It was no thief, but the usual person: Thierry. He remained rather silent when entering and simply decided to enter the living room without a word and sit on a chair. Lambert came up to him on the chair. Asking seemed obvious, but it didn't feel right. The composer unbuttoned the top buttons on his shirt and moved his left hand over his hair and onto the back of his neck as he stared at the wall in front of him.

"The Jack hasn't killed me. Instead he wanted me to help him as a guard for an upcoming meeting." The voice of Thierry gave the impression he had somehow climbed a mountain and had to murder someone, but that couldn't have come from an invitation for a job. "The royalty needs a security stronger than the palace guards now." He takes a look at Lambert. "The queen has been shot."

A minute passed without much a sound. Thierry was expecting Lambert to say something, but speechless he has been taken. He decides to continue with a slow voice.

"Indeed. Shot, but still alive and hopefully will survive. The Jack has told me a the meeting will involve the royalty of the other kingdoms. He has also asked for the rank 10s. Hopefully they'll have to fight before me. A dead composer may be more of a realistic headline than you thought." Thierry stands up from the chair. "We will be leaving in a few days and will be meeting with royalty. If all goes with planned, my reputation would now be among the other great composers. Otherwise, in the chaos of a tumultuous time, I may simply be remembered as a person who failed to protect royalty."

Location: A ship on the sea
Time: Dusk, several days prior

The day has been busy. The composer has left his house and started traveling over to the Diamond Kingdom via a boat. He and Lambert were residing in a small cabin with only a single window. Their luggage stood right by their bed. Thierry pack mostly essentials like clothing and a shaving razor, but he also took some sheets of his music along with his journal of ideas just in case he may need them.

The composer took the time to sit on the cabin's bed and take a look at his journal. Lambert sat on Thierry's lap.

"What will they even try to get done at this meeting? They can't simply invade a country on the grounds they may be supporting a group within the kingdoms. Befriending each other more won't make these terrorist disappear."

"The attack on our Queen shows the dangers. Even without the attack, carrying out assassinations has proved their danger and need to be destroyed. They'll make sure to work together in order to crack down and destroy these people before any of themselves get killed. An actual war may be avoidable. I do hope they destroy these rebels. Better to get rid of the ringleaders of this movement so the people may be more favourable to a movement other than changing their overlords."

Location: Kingdom of Diamonds, the conference
Time: Present

The great convergence of royals has commenced. The composer has became an accomplice of his leige. The space between Thierry and the Jack and the regent for the Queen is probably less than what many subjects or diplomats get. Unfortunately, Lambert would not be experiencing this as well. He's either staying at the inn room or travelling around town. If Lambert is needed, Thierry will make sure to summon him.

Being nervous was almost a feature of being at the conference. Thierry made sure to sit up straight. For now, he kept to himself. Being his father would not be helpful now. Keeping an eye around was a necessity. He had to make sure the incident of a few days ago doesn't repeat. Yet, Thierry there would be little he could do. The Queen herself was taken down quickly. Sure, a rank 9 is more powerful than many other people. However, compared to whomever tried to assassinate the Queen, he's a cloth rag trying to stop a rolling boulder.

 

[vielpotato]

Jake heard commotion was happening in the Joker's residing area. Commotion, on a regular basis, is an okay thing to happen as it means something new and exciting is happening. This commotion, is somewhat similar to that exciting feeling of a birthday party. The mass gathering of friends and family, coming together in one location for a fun and exciting day. Except these friends were outsiders of this land. Argossians. The nation outside the Four Nations. The 'enemy' one would call, unless you realized what they truly were. A strategic advantage. The way to become stronger, and instill a relationship with a larger power who believes they have the same view as you. Jake's views on them were as such. Friends who came to give presents to the Jokers on their upcoming fun day. As they walk in with the presents, Jake mellows around the received items to notice a certain individual. That aura. The just feeling of power, seeming through his marvelous locks of hair. Damn. Now that is a guy. The only logical thought that went through Jake's mind. Having to social with him, Jake meandered up to him smirking. "Sup dude. The name is Jake. Want to teach me some Argossian moves with the sword?"
TPBx

 

[VioletShadow]

Sheila Ivoren

Mood: Pondering
Location: Ariandel( Diamond Capital) - Conference Room in Diamond Palace
Mentions: SentinelSevn Balfnaught1

Somehow, the Spades seemed to have arrived earlier than the royals of all the other kingdoms, which Sheila was promptly aware of after being shown to their accomodations. Perhaps they were having internal disputes, or travelling at their leisure seeing as they had far shorter distances to travel in order to reach the Kingdom of Diamonds. Either way, Sheila pondered how she could make use of this opportunity. Seeing as she had few cordial greetings to give, she spent most of her free time researching the Diamonds current economical state; in disguise of course. After promptly noting down key figures in a common notebook, she calmly headed back to her designated chambers and re-dressed herself. Time always seemed to flow by too quickly when she was viewed as nothing but a commoner, able to do as she pleases in the marketplace.
---
The conference room was blinding to say the least. Sheila couldn't help but squint a little as she was assaulted by the overwhelming reflections of shimmering lights, produced by the pristine gems and lavish decorations. Prickles of annoyance and distaste began to seep into her mask of calm professionalism. Her enhanced eyesight didn't exactly help alleviate the situation, as she couldn't help but notice the lack of dirt and the precisely sculptured figurines around the room. Luckily, her poor eyes had somewhat adjusted by the time she had found her seat, which was also an example of beautiful handicraft. Her emotions felt alleviated after she sighed silently, regaining her neutral appearance as other royals trickled in. She had basic knowledge of at least most of their names, particularly the aces and jacks which were vital to her position.

Sheila listened silently to the situation at hand, located on the left-most seat beside her king, Travis. It would've been nice if she could've sat beside her elven companion, but their hierarchial seating arrangement(think a podium of 1st, 2nd and 3rd) allowed her to feel at peace in the most suitable position. She had received the telepathic message from her ace, silently glancing towards the Diamond King in question. Although, she felt she didn't have enough knowledge to form much judgement on the others just yet. Sir Zephyr Terwillger, commonly known as Twig or the Jack of Hearts, had brought up an interesting suggestion. It seemed beneficial, but she couldn't help but worry about the possible downsides of this change. Bulking the trade routes together would provide more security to them than individually, but if they are successfully attacked, significant losses would ensue. Not to mention that if someone tampered with the supplies which were all in the same area... But these were hypotheticals. For the current scenario it does seem a wise choice of action. Agreeing would also provide the insight that the Spades were willing to work together with the other kingdoms.

Following after the Jack of Diamonds, Sheila also responded with her agreement. "I approve of your suggestion." She stated simply, having roughly worked out some of the pros and cons in her head. She took a sip of the warm tea placed before her, somewhat both pleased and displeased by the foreign flavour. She silently wished it was their lovely fruit tea instead that she was drinking. Perhaps she was just too fond of her own brews of black tea at this point, she smiled softly to herself. Quietly, as the discussion continued to take place at the table, she inquired to Travis about his thoughts. "Do you think this would lead to a more beneficial defence system for our trade routes?" He was the military expert afterall, he might have insight that she had not thought of.

​

 

[Balfnaught1]

Travis grunted as Sheila addressed him. He was already irritable due to the enormous mana concentration present in the room, so dense that he could actually feel it on his skin, which honestly just annoyed him. That, added to his current regalia, which constituted of a dark red suit with an ermine cloak draped across him in order to convey wealth and power, only served to make him more uncomfortable. The trade route suggestion was… acceptable. However, it did not address the root of the problem itself. Standing up, he addressed the gathered Royals and Aces directly.

“Honoured peers, it seems to me as if we are focusing on the wrong part of the issue. Bolstering security on the trade routes would indeed be helpful, but it focuses on the symptom rather than the disease itself, and focusing on the trade routes would just leave targets of a different nature exposed. In this case, we should be active rather than reactive – if we constantly scramble to counter their actions we will perpetually be on the back foot. Rather, we should take the initiative and destroy the root of the problem. The Jokers by themselves are no threat – without their Argossian technology I myself could wipe them out, and any damage they could cause is limited. The course of action seems clear then: to take a united offensive against the Empire itself. They dare to fund a proxy war far from their doorstep, so we will see how they handle the battle being brought to them.”

Travis remained standing, waiting to see if anyone else would counter or agree with his suggestion.
SentinelSevn VioletShadow @ everyone

 

[TPBx]

Ethan Kaloronos

Location: Conference Hall, Diamond Kingdom

Ethan took notes of what everyone in the conference hall brought to the table. He noticed everyone had differing opinions as he expected, but the one in particular that stood out to him was the opinion of the King of Spades. "Waging an offensive war on the Argossians," he thought to himself, "that's probably a really good idea. We've already played defense before and that came at the cost of thousands of lives and nothing to gain but our own independence. Waging and winning an offensive war against the Empire could very well mean a shift of power in the world in favor of the four suits." He wrote his thoughts down onto the sheet of paper in front of him, plotting out possibilities of how to conduct an invasion of the Argossian mainland.

"I agree with the sentiment of the King of Spades. An offensive war on the Argossian Mainland would be plan of action they'll definitely least expect," Ethan stated. "Does anyone else here agree?"

Balfnaught1 ( Everyone Else In The Room )

Marillys Argossia

Location: Unknown, Joker's Secret Base

Marillys noticed the young man's challenge. It was the first time he had ever been asked to demonstrate his swordsmanship in public, but he was more than willing to oblige his request. "Sure, I guess," he said to him, drawing his sword in the process. The Argossian Steel glinted in the dimly lit room, definitely one of the highest quality melee weapons in the room. There was definitely no contest between the two of them physically, but Marillys was cautious mainly because, like everyone else in the Kingdom of the Four Suits, the kid could have some hidden talent that he probably couldn't counter with his own physical prowess.

vielpotato

 

[vielpotato]

Jake smirked at the thought of finally getting something worthwhile. Swordsmanship, hopefully from a good source, will be something useful forever. “Not an even playing field with weapons? Whatever. Fighting is fighting, with advantages or disadvantages. Sous?” Jake mutters the last part barely audible, as he took out the knife he carried around with him as it changed into a sword sized weapon. Jake twirled the sword, in theory but in practice it looked cringy, and was ready to fight. It only appears, that when it would commence, Jake would take steps back/away from his opponent.
TPBx

 

[Goonfire]

Leolin Hravart III​

The neighboring nations’ kings had proposed a more aggressive approach. After a moment of hesitation, the Ace of Hearts gave his blessing. “I may not be in charge of our collective military, but I personally approve of taking the battle to them instead,” he agreed. There was no real way to completely mitigate the burden of war, and even a dreamer such as Leo couldn’t deny it.

“I also wager the best measure against the Jokers is information; we need propaganda, powerful speeches—preferably from our queens—and high bounties on Joker operatives and Argossian saboteurs!” It would seem the pyromancer was gung-ho about maintaining the peace and stability with the people’s help.

TPBx . D O V E Quinlan63 Coyote Hart Balfnaught1