The Book of Hoyle Act 1.13

[kokoro2]

Title: The Book of Hoyle
Pairings/Characters: USUK (main), GerIta, Spamano, SuFin, AusHun/ China, France, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Japan, and many others
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Summary: In the world of Hoyle there are many tales, but none as strange as the Kingdom of Spades.
This chapter: Take the Queens and all the Kings and Jacks will work to find them.


Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

Arthur felt his heavy head before the rest of his body, and then when he felt his hands and feet he knew they were tied. Alarms rang in his head, screaming at him to open his eyes; this was not how he had fallen asleep. Last night he was tucked safely against Alfred's chest, his warm arms protectively holding him, and the reassuring heartbeat in his ear. However, his eyes refused to open.

Moaning he forced his eyelids to crack open just enough in hopes this was all a dream. But upon seeing giant cogs turning in a darkened room, he knew that it wasn't. The area was case in shadows from light that barely filtered through the dark. Where the light came from, Arthur couldn't tell. The space seemed to stretch to an impossible length.

"Are you awake, Arthur?" That sounded like the Queen of Clubs. Arthur shifted in hopes of being able to see her, but he didn't get too far. His restraints and sluggish body prevented him from moving much.

"Elizaveta?" he asked in a raspy voice. "Where are we?"

"The Land of the Jokers," came the Queen of Hearts' voice. "You, like us, have been drugged and kidnapped. The effects will wear off soon."

"What am I doing here?" Arthur asked. The Queens sounded close, but until he saw them he couldn't be sure if he could trust just sound alone. Yao had once said that this this land didn't follow anything that should make sense like physics. For all he knew, they could be separated into different realms even.

"We've been wondering the same thing," the Queen of Diamonds said. "We've been here for a while."

"How long have we been missing?" Kiku asked.

"Elizaveta was taken three days ago," Arthur said. When no one replied he grew concerned. "Did you not know?"

He was met by tense silence. At length, Elizaveta whispered, "No."

"How could you now know?" Arthur asked incredulously. "Have the Jokers not fed you and have you not slept since your imprisonment?"

"We're not hungry and we haven't felt sleepy," Kiku replied.

"No laws, not even those of physics," Arthur repeated under his breath. "Even time is chaotic here."

"Arthur, do you know why we're here?" Elizaveta asked.

By now, Arthur's head had cleared. He opened his eyes fully and was able to take in all of his surroundings. He had somehow missed the colors illuminating his clothes and the near vicinity. Hanging in the air above his head were four arched stained glass windows. Directly over Arthur was a blue one with the Spades motif at the top in the center, a black line going down the center of the pane, branching off to separate the glass into sections. The design of the glass was of a woman with angel wings shrouded in a blue and white toga and wearing a helmet that covered her face. She held a sword that looked eerily like Alfred's own, and beside her was the Queen's Clock. Arthur shivered at seeing this, his mind swimming to blur his vision, and he had to look away.

The other stained glasses were of other women. There was a green stained glass for Clubs that had a similar framing to Spades, only the design was a woman with a headdress sitting and holding a staff that looked like King Ivan's staff. Diamonds design was of a woman with a flowing dress that seemed to turn into a flower. Hearts' design, however, disturbed Arthur. The woman was holding a short dagger in one hand and a man's decapitated head in the other.

Quickly he looked down to see what he was lying on instead. It was hard and very uncomfortable, but flat. It was glass, he noticed, but what he saw first was that under the glass was the Queen's Clock. And it was ticking.

"Are you all with your items?" Arthur asked quietly. He vaguely recalled what they all were; Elizaveta had the Clubs sword, Lily had a flower-shaped wand, and Kiku had the Hearts Ball.

"Yes," Lily replied.

"How did the Jokers get my clock?" Arthur wondered aloud.

"The same easy way we kidnapped you! By breaking and entering!" The Jokers' laugh somehow filled the void.

First their masks faded into view, floating in mid-air, and then their bodies followed shortly after. The smaller Joker wore a white mask with black, upside-down half-moons for eyes, and a red, upside-down half-moon for a mouth. The taller Joker had the same colors, but the eyes and mouth looked happier as they were facing upwards instead. The two wore red and black outfits with what looked like devil tails wrapping around their legs. Arthur squinted and swore he saw what looked like goat ears on the taller Joker.

Fighting off the instinct to recoil into himself from fear, Arthur tried to keep a straight face and hold a strong presence before the Jokers. The smaller Joker noticed Arthur and flew closer to him. He was wearing a black hat with pointy ears and bits of blonde hair peeked out from underneath the rim.

"So! Your Jack thinks we pulled you together for a second coming of the Incident," he said. Arthur wasn't surprised the Joker knew so much already. "He's a fool."

"Knows too much, but understands too little." The older Joker laughed.

"Then why are we here?" Arthur growled.

The small Joker turned to float upside down, but his hat and hair didn't fall out of place. "You'll see. Adults have to be patient."

"We're patient."

"Been waiting for long."

"So long. Getting anxious."

"Crazy!"

The Jokers laughed manically in unison. "Yes! Crazy!"

Suddenly they stopped. Their laughter died in the still space. None of the Queens spoke, holding their breath for the Jokers to continue even though they made so little sense. It was haunting to see their limp forms floating in the space without even eyes to look into.

"So lonely," the taller Joker murmured. His tone was now solemn as if he might cry.

"So lost!"

"Will we ever die?"

"What will happen to us?"

"I miss her…"

The Jokers stopped talking then. They froze again as if they were a broken machine. Again, the Queens remained silent as they tried to digest what the Jokers had just said. Were they lonely and confused, driven mad, or simply insane? And who was this "her" the taller Joker had mentioned? The two bounced off of each other so rapidly as they spoke, it was hard to tell who said what.

Then, as if they were being wound up by a spring, they came back to life.

"The Queen of Heart, the Queen of Earth, the Queen of Gem, and the Queen of Death," the taller Joker started lowly. "So devoid of your true powers- stolen by that thief."

"Horrid woman."

"Gone insane."

"Killed so many!"

"Make some bloody sense!" Arthur shouted suddenly. "I'm tired of your prattling! Why are we here? If you wanted to kill us you could have done so already. What are your intentions?"

The Jokers flew up higher into the air, but never seemed to get any closer to the massive arched windows above. "Who says you're important? Perhaps you're not! Wait and see you impatient Queen!"

Then they were gone.

The ship docked at the Dove Harbor early in the morning. Citizens waited at the docks to welcome the Family, unaware of the Queen's kidnapping. Ace Morgens went ahead to deliver the shocking news, effectively erasing any desire for there to be a celebration. All Numbers bowed their heads in joined silence as the King and Jack stepped off the ship and made their way to the awaiting carriage.

England County, Arthur's home county. Once, Alfred had been excited to pay it a visit, but to be here now, without Arthur, twisted his insides to an excruciating pain. He almost couldn't breathe seeing all the green; so close to Arthur's eyes. He heard the people speak and thought fondly of Arthur's accent. A strong scent of tea mixed with the ocean mist permeated the air.

Alfred kept his composure for the Numbers that watched him carefully. Yao was wary as he sat across from him in the carriage. He was overly anxious of the King. The man's tension was palpable, and Yao was unsure whether the man would explode in anger or collapse in tears. His extreme and sudden withdrawal into himself was frightening. Even Morgens and Tolys treaded carefully around him, fearful of his reactions.

Upon arriving at the castle, Yao ordered Alfred to be taken to his chambers to rest. Alfred then sprang back to life. "No. Prepare my horses."

"S-sire?" Tolys looked to Yao for help.

The Jack frowned at Alfred, stepping forward to place a hand on his shoulder. "Alfred, where will you go? You can't just run off wherever in hopes of finding Arthur."

"I'm going to Diamonds," Alfred replied quickly. "They're our strongest alley. If we work together with the other kingdoms we'll have a much better chance at finding the Queens."

Yao nearly laughed at Alfred's proposal, but he was more scared by the fact he knew Alfred was serious. "Alfred," he started.

"There's no stopping me, Yao," Alfred interjected. "I'm going. All the other kingdoms have information-clues- that can help us find everyone. Diamonds has Vash, a master at drawing up war plans and gathering tactical information. Hearts has books that detail the First Reign far better than ours. And Ivan has assured me that they have a map of the Land of the Jokers."

Yao sighed, frustrated knowing he was unable to persuade the King. "Alfred, I want Arthur back too… but think logically."

"I am." Alfred put a hand on Yao's shoulder. "You must come with me."

"Me?" Yao shook his head, trying to retreat away. Alfred held firm. "I couldn't possibly leave the kingdom when it's in this state! I have nothing to offer!"

Alfred smiled, almost looking back to his old self. "You're the most important piece. You can string it all together and you can read old Hoylian. The smartest Number in Hoyle. Please Yao."

"Aiyah!" Yao jerked away from Alfred. He began to pace around the hallway, muttering Mandarin. Alfred, Morgens, and the servants watched nervously. His reaction was almost as startling as Alfred's had been a moment ago. But he was wasting precious time, and this frustrated Alfred all the more.

Finally, Ace Morgens stepped forward to stop Yao. "Go and make sure the King does nothing foolish. I will stay to protect the realm as the duty will fall to me when the Family is out of the kingdom. The Family must stay together."

Yao recalled the night before their Coronation. It was so long ago and yet felt as fresh as if he were still there. The nerves in his stomach made him too uncomfortable to sleep. It seemed Alfred and Arthur were just as apprehensive. Alfred had made that promise that Yao had agreed to; their unexpected bond. A prejudiced Two, a Three that wished to be an Eight, and a half-One that pulled them all together. Yao wish he could say he was surprised by the outcome, especially the romance that blossomed between the King and Queen, but really he saw all of it coming together from the very first day.

He had never said anything and never showed much for it, but that night had been the most important one of his life. He finally felt accepted, even by Arthur who first looked at him with such disdain. That promise echoed in his heart. He hated thinking of Arthur alone somewhere, possibly injured or very frightened, and he couldn't stand seeing Alfred so broken.

"Yong Soo," Yao said. His servant eagerly jumped to his side. "Fetch my horses."

The smile Alfred gave in return was full of more gratitude than Yao had ever given someone before in his life. He only hoped he wouldn't let his King, and his friend, down.

Diamonds was not the same as it had been all those months ago when the Spades Family first toured it. It could have been because of the Family's sudden announcement of their visit that caught the Numbers off guard, or it was the kingdom's depression at the kidnapping of their beloved Queen Lily. Either way there was a much greyer hue to the normally glittering city.

Yao and Alfred hadn't expected the same kind of fanfare they had received months ago, but to see what was once a bustling city become a ghost town startled them. They were able to ride their horses straight to the palace without any interference from Numbers wishing to welcome them. They weren't even received by the Ace or any higher Aces, rather just a knight ushered them into the palace.

The Royal Family were in the Throne Room, but seemed in no hurry to address Alfred and Yao's appearance into their kingdom. Vash was pouring over maps and parchments, and there were smudge marks all over his arms and face as he scribbled furiously into the paper. Francis stalked around nearby, glancing over at his Jack now and again, but only talked to Twos that were present to help the Family. He looked frazzled with his hair sticking out at odd ends and his beard thicker than normal, possibly from lack of the normal attention he'd pay to keeping up his appearance. When Alfred and Yao entered, the King and Jack took their time acknowledging them.

"Welcome King and Jack of Spades," Francis said hurriedly. "It is always a pleasure to have you, but we are too busy to talk. Please, if you wish to stay we regret to inform you that we will not be able to have you."

"Please hear me out," Alfred started. "Yao and I have come up with a plan. If all the kingdoms work together, we can find the Queens much faster."

Vash looked up angrily. "Do you think we are unable to find my sister on our own?"

"No," Alfred replied. "That's not what we're trying to prove. This isn't about pride. We all have pieces that can work together to find the Queens whereabouts."

Francis considered Alfred. "I'm sorry, but unless you have proof that this could work, I will have to decline. As you know, Diamonds is having financial crisis at the moment. I don't want to involve my kingdom in any affairs that could potentially make the situation worse."

Alfred shook his head. "No Francis, this wouldn't be with an army or anything. Just you and your Jack. It'd be easiest."

Vash slapped down his quill, his eyebrow twitching in anger. "That's enough! You think this is funny, like some game? My sister and your boyfriend are out there, and we can't just march in unprotected against Jokers that we know nothing about! Those things could kill us!"

"If they wanted to kill us, or the Queens, they could have done so long ago," Yao said suddenly. He stepped to stand beside Alfred, staring Vash in the eyes. "I believe the Jokers have pulled all the Queens together for a second coming of the Incident, just like what happened in the First Reign. They have taken Arthur and might do something to him and to the other Queens, but I don't think it's necessarily death. Nevertheless, the faster we get there, the better."

"But we don't know anything about them!" Vash yelled. "If we run in there will all the Kings and all of the Jacks, we'd be walking into a booby trap! You don't think the Jokers want that? Have you thought that maybe that's why they kidnapped all of the Queens? If they wanted your Queen so bad, why did they get him last?"

"I'd do anything to get Arthur back," Alfred said suddenly in earnest. It made Vash sigh and he backed off slightly.

"Your Highness, with all due respect, I too would like for your Queen to return to you. I want my sister back as well, and I'm certain Jack Roderich would like his wife back and the Hearts Family want Queen Kiku home safely, but that is no reason for us all to rush into things."

Francis nodded with his Jack. "If you can prove to us you won't let this operation fail then we will consider listening to what you have to say. Right now we remain unconvinced."

Alfred nodded and then turned to leave. Yao hesitated in following, unsure of what had just transpired, but he was quick to catch up to his King. They didn't speak to each other as they left the palace. Their horses were fetched and they were off.

"Alfred!" Yao called when they had left the capital behind. "What do we do now?"

"We have to convince Ludwig and Ivan! If we can get them, then we can get to Vash! We need all the pieces!"

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

Arthur continued to struggle with his bonds. He hated the feeling of restraint around his wrists. If he could free just one hand he could use magic to free himself and the other Queens. The lack of time and space didn't help his nerves. He constantly felt uneasy at the lack of normalcy, mainly that the Queen's Clock was now working. The constant ticking in his ears made him realize time truly was moving, but it wasn't affecting them at all. He felt no hunger and no fatigue, but that didn't stop him from telling himself he should be feeling it.

The other Queens were surprisingly quiet; too quiet for Arthur's sake. He had to break the silence.

"The others will come for us," Arthur said suddenly.

"Yes, I know," Elizaveta said softly. "I know my husband will come for me."

"My brother has a plan already written up," Lily said in a high-pitched voice. Arthur worried she was starting to lose her nerves.

"But how will they find us?" Kiku asked.

"We have a map in my kingdom," Elizaveta answered. "I'm certain they're using that to find their way here."

"That map is in old Hoylian, isn't it?" Arthur asked. "Only my Jack can read Hoylian."

Elizaveta chuckled. "There's no way Ivan would work with your King."

At the thought of Alfred, Arthur's heart thumped painfully in his chest. He didn't want to think about Alfred and had forced the image and memory of his King from his head to help ease the pain. But that clock made him realize that it had been over twenty-four hours since they had been together. Alfred was probably tormenting himself over this entire issue. He only hoped the man would stop agonizing over all this to actually get up and do something.

"Oh, Arthur, I never got to say congratulations," Kiku said suddenly. "We only wrote, but I had wanted to say it to your face upon hearing of yours and Alfred's courtship."

"Yes! Congratulations!" Elizaveta exclaimed.

"It's so cute!" Lily chimed in. "You two are cute together. Alfred watched you so closely when you played the violin, my King predicted it would only be a matter of time."

Arthur flushed. There went the idea of keeping Alfred from his mind. His face and that smile and those eyes were so tantalizingly close. He smiled despite the grim situation, and for a moment forgot that he was kidnapped in a strange land. He looked up at the blue glass above him, having already memorized it, and thought the blue was a perfect shade of the King's eyes.

"Thank you," he murmured with a flushed face.

"Who confessed first?" Elizaveta asked. The other two Queens laughed at Arthur's shocked reaction. "What? I'm curious!"

"I-it just…kind of happened…," Arthur muttered. "He…he kissed me on his birthday…"

Elizaveta and Lily squealed happily. Kiku was heard chuckling. "Oh that's great! I'm so happy for you two!"

"Th-thank you," Arthur said. His smile was widening, and slowly the pain ebbed away in his heart.

Suddenly, the taller Joker appeared before Arthur's very eyes. "Love can cost you."

Arthur erased his smile instantly and glared at the Joker. "What would you know about s-such things?"

The Joker's emotionless face covered by the mask continued to stare at Arthur, but his hesitation did make for Arthur to wonder what he really did know. He had mentioned a woman earlier.

"Love will cost you."

The clocks ticked off in the background, echoing the cogs in Arthur's head. If he had to guess, the Jokers have been watching them since they were first coroneted, therefore they knew about Alfred's personality. They knew his tendency to throw himself into crazy projects that could result in his getting hurt, involving others until he reached his goal. And if his goal was saving Arthur and the other Queens, then they knew that Alfred would convince the other kingdoms to join him and charge the Jokers.

Arthur gasped. "Alfred!"

The kingdom of Hearts was much more lively, but not in the best of ways. Knights lined the street and shouted directions. Numbers constantly had to carry papers and were questioned when doing something a knight deemed suspicious. Almost overnight the kingdom had become a militaristic government. Alfred and Yao trotted through town at the speed they were ordered to ride on their horses. It seemed no one cared if they were a visiting Family.

Entry into the palace proved difficult. Alfred tried to show that he truly was the King of Spades, showing the paperwork that he paid a messenger ahead of time to alert the Hearts Family, and showing his King's Watch. Finally, Ace Carriedo made an appearance and cleared up the confusion. He ushered them inside hastily.

"Our deepest apologies," Antonio started, but Alfred waved him off.

"It's fine. We understand the situation, but this is an urgent call to the King and Jack."

Yao looked at Antonio nervously. He wasn't taking them anywhere near where they should be meeting with the Family. Perhaps he thought he could distract them.

"Yes, yes, but they are temporarily detained at the moment," Antonio started.

Alfred stopped, causing Yao to bump into his back. Antonio hesitated. He wasn't sure if he should speak or not, but he looked incredibly stressed for this situation. Alfred pitied the Ace knowing full well he was in charge of dealing with the other Aces and the Family, and he was probably as exhausted as they were, but he refused to be distracted so easily.

"Ace Carriedo, I respect your desire to protect your Family, but we are here to offer our assistance. If we could please speak with them, we could be of use! Now, I will not leave until I have spoken to the King and Jack!"

Yao was impressed, if not a little surprised. He knew Alfred was adamant about finding Arthur, but he didn't know the man would go so far as to break down all formalities. He only hoped he didn't insult the Kings.

Antonio either was too stressed, shocked, or nervous to argue. Either way, he led Alfred and Yao back towards the center of the castle where they knew Ludwig and Feliciano were writing up plans to get Kiku back. Thinking of his friend made Alfred's temperament worsen. This entire thing had become far too personal.

The Throne Room was a complete disaster room. Kin g Ludwig was barking orders at all the Twos bustling about the room, and startling his Jack in the process. Jack Feliciano looked out of place as he waffled in place, looking at Ludwig and then to the floor, to a Two and then back to the floor. Upon seeing Alfred and Yao, however, he raced to them in relief.

"Ciao! We were hoping you would come for a visit!" Feliciano said quickly. He pulled both the King and Jack further into the room. "You must be thirsty! You're probably tired! I can make you some pasta and get you some water!"

Yao voiced he'd like some water, but Alfred wasted no time in jumping straight to the point. "Please, we have to talk to you and the King. It's an urgent matter."

Feliciano looked over at Ludwig warily. "I don't know. He doesn't seem willing to talk to anyone for help."

"But we could help you find Kiku faster! We'd already gotten Diamonds on our side, and we're going to ask Clubs to join us too."

Yao frowned at Alfred's lie, but he didn't say anything about it. Instead he thought of changing directions with this approach. Feliciano was already visibly shaken up over the matter, and Ludwig's and Alfred's short tempers were making the situation worse. He calmly pushed Alfred aside to face the other Jack.

"Your Highness, if I may ask that you show us to your library? Alfred feels your records of the First Reign could prove useful."

Feliciano relaxed immediately. His cheery smile returned and he nodded vigorously. "This way!"

The Library of Hearts was almost as small as Diamonds'. Only a small amount of records were stored in there, and it was hardly kept up after. It made for their search all the more easier as the First Reign records were carelessly left in a case with the scrolls in truly an unkempt disarray. Yao had a minor cringe, but he shoved aside the cobwebs and cradled the frail paperwork in his arms.

"Why are they so poorly taken care of?" Yao asked in shock. "These records are about to fall apart!"

Feliciano shrugged. "No one in my family could ever read them. I don't think anyone in Ludwig or Kiku's could either."

Yao moved to the tables nearby, spreading out the scrolls, and began reading them. Alfred and Feliciano hovered nearby. They didn't dare speak for fear of Yao's wrath. He always hated being interrupted. Eventually they stepped out to have a moment to breath.

"Alfred," Feliciano started. "Did you really get the King of Diamonds on your side to go to the Jokers?"

Alfred looked at him, but didn't acknowledge his question. "If we can get Vash, your records, and Ivan's map, we can find the Jokers and possibly figure all of this out so we can rescue the Queens."

Feliciano's eyes widened and a hesitant smile hovered on his lips. "Do you…really think we can do this?"

"We?"

"Yes! We're coming with you! Ludwig can help fight!"

Alfred frowned at this. "I hadn't planned on you all…actually coming…"

"You think Ludwig will just let you take these records without a deal being made?" Now Feliciano's smile came out, his eyes crinkling at the corners, and his head tilting to the side just slightly. Alfred gulped, suddenly feeling nervous to have faced the Jack. He probably would've been better off with the King instead.

King Ivan and Jack Roderich were much easier to reach. The kingdom had been sealed, but news still traveled. Having already heard about the proposition made to Diamonds and the agreement made with Hearts, Clubs now sat and waited to see what Spades could use to offer. Yao had brought along the scrolls with him, claiming he needed the map to make sense of everything. He clutched them to his chest as if they were jewels. Alfred worried about him; the Jack kept muttering to himself in Mandarin again.

Clubs was warmer now that it was summer. Spades had visited towards the end of their spring when the snow was finally melting away. Alfred almost didn't recognize it. The city had looked so dark and gloomy in winter with the cobbled streets covered under the snow, the buildings closed up and covered by steam pumping out of the smokestacks. But today, here in the sun, it was gleaming with gold and green. Alfred's heart thundered in his chest to see how much green had been hidden away all those months ago. Had Arthur been there with him now, he'd have loved to have seen the true beauty of Clubs appear.

Numbers stopped to stare, surprised to see not only the King and Jack of Spades, but the King and Jack of Hearts as well. They had no protection, no Aces, no knights, but everyone could tell they were not someone to charge and attack. The four men had all lost someone important to them and there was a cold, steel look to their eyes.

The Clubs Family greeted Alfred and his entourage at the gates. The gates behind them were closed as Roderich and Ivan stood together to greet everyone. Ivan was fully dressed in his King attire and he was holding the Icy Staff of Clubs. Roderich was dressed as well and holding the reigns to two horses.

Alfred stopped, looking between them and the horses. "Are you… um… Coming with us?"

"Da," Ivan replied happily. "We have the map you need. We want to come too."

"Okay." Yao moved his horse to trot forward and he held his hand out towards Ivan.

The King shook his head. "No, I can read Hoyalian too. We come to make sure you don't steal this."

Yao frowned, retracting his hand. Crossing his arms in offense, he grumbled, "It's understandable to not trust us, but to go so far as to…"

"We're wasting time. Should we get back and tell Francis we're ready?" Ludwig began turning his horse around.

"He's right, Yao," Alfred said. He moved his horse to stand next to Yao's. He put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "We can't put pride before this. Arthur and the other Queens are more important. You're welcome to join us, King Ivan and Jack Roderich."

"Good!" Ivan and Roderich mounted their horses. On his upswing into his saddle, Yao caught a glance of a holster under Ivan's jacket. That must've been where the map was secured. "Let's head back."

Alfred turned and, after waiting for Yao to follow, all three kings headed back towards Diamonds. He had thought that Ivan would be the hardest, but somehow everything that flipped around this past week. And after three long days of running to three different kingdoms, he was done being polite and sensible. Right now he wanted to bust down some doors with his sword at the ready and find Arthur.

When this was all over he knew exactly what he wanted to do; close himself off from the world with just Arthur, go back to England County, and maybe fall asleep holding Arthur once more to make everything right when they woke up and he was right there.

They always say distance makes the heart grow fonder.

Arthur looked up, expecting the Jokers, but saw no one.

Hoshiko2's cents: Two chapters left. Next chapter will be a fun battle! Hope to see you then! Sorry for the delay. I was going to update the next Interlude chapter with Clubs, but it wasn't going well and I couldn't keep it going.

Also, I have an AO3 account. It's under hoshiko2. Please feel free to follow me there as well.

Please note that the image of the Queens is inspired by this picture.