House of Cards

"Growing up, I just wanted to be like everyone else. I didn't value or understand the value or beauty in being different at the time in my life."

-Marisol Nichols

Tick Tock…

Tick tock… Tick tock… The monotonic chirping of Arthur's antique pocket watch mingled with his sighs, as he sifted through the haphazard pile of papers strewn across his desk, his mint-green eyes narrowed in a contemplative expression. With an irritated snort, he extracted a dog-eared newspaper from the carnage and glanced at the headline, before throwing it back on the desk with disgust scrawled on his face.

Royal Museum of Azure Robbed!

All this fuss for one little robbery. Nothing of value had been filched. It was just a blooming hairbrush, an ugly one too.

Problem was, it belonged to Queen Elizabeth- Ruler of the Azure District of Londonium and the Ace of Spades.

Simply smashing. Now, he had all of the Buckingham, not to mention the other three Aces, all but breathing down his neck. It wasn't as if the House of Cards was already overworked with an alarming spike in crimes committed by automatons and other riff-raff. Now, he had this to deal with. A petty theft Which was being given top priority because the bounder had to make off with the Queen's beauty supplies .

Bloody marvelous.

A tentative rapping on the door broke his train of thought. Heaving a deep breath, he propped his chin on his left hand. "Who is it?" he enquired, shooting the rosewood door a disparaging look.

"It is me, Emma, Sir. I have the tea you requested," a tinny female voice piped in reply. Arthur cringed at the sound of it. He was not one to spit on Lili's generosity, especially when the young girl had spent so much of what precious little she had of her own time, building Emma, to show her gratitude... but that voice… Perhaps, if Lili wasn't too busy analyzing the evidence gathered from the museum, he could have her adjust the automaton's vocal box, so it didn't sound like someone was stabbing his ears with a razor.

"Very well, come in." Arthur propped his feet up on the desk, the black leather of his knee-high boots glowing dully in the lamplight of his study.

The heavy door groaned as it swung open. A human-like automaton entered the room, her paper mache face startlingly realistic and lovely, the folds of her long navy maid's dress billowing around her with each movement. She was bearing a silver tray, burdened under the weight of a finely crafted porcelain tea set. Emma made her way over to Arthur, her movements slow and jerky, as if she needed her joints lubricated and her oil changed.

"Earl Grey, Sir," she stated, the bottom half of her face moving up and down as if it was an actual person talking, not a well-crafted doll. He nodded appreciatively, taking his feet off the desk, and poured himself a cup; inhaling deeply as the fragrant permeated the air around him, doing away with the bitter odor of paper and ink.

"Thank you very much, Emma." Arthur dropped a slice of lemon into the tea and took a dainty sip, grimacing as the heat scalded his tongue.

"Is something the matter, Sir?" Emma enquired, tilting her head to the side. Arthur nodded, grateful that Lili didn't give the automaton facial expressions. It would be far too easy to mistake Emma for human if she did.

"Nothing," Arthur replied, blowing gently on the tea to cool it before braving another sip. Much better. He sipped again. "The tea was just a little on the warm side, is all," he added, upon seeing Emma's continued stare.

The automaton nodded, the creaking in her joints, faint, yet audible. Arthur furrowed his brow, placing the tea cup down on his desk. "You should visit Lili for your maintenance," he remarked casually, diverting his attention back to the papers scattered before him. Emma performed a jerky curtsy.

"That I shall, Sir."

"Also, ask Lili if she can fine-tune your vocal chords. They're sounding a bit off." Arthur dipped his quill in the ink pot, scribbling down a thought in his dog-eared leather journal. Emma nodded wordlessly. "You may leave now," Arthur said, placing a hand on his forehead, ruffling his already-natty locks of golden blonde.

She nodded and left the room, closing the door behind her with a soft thud. Arthur sighed and took out his pocket watch, scrutinizing the ornate clock hands and the sapphire-studded roman numerals. A blessing and a curse this watch was. Another gadget wrought for him by Lili, bless her soul, in order to make his powers easier to use. On the flip side, the watch made it too easy.

Power always comes with a price.

Tick Tock…

When Feliciana Vargas saw the young Lord strutting down the hallway, twirling the walking stick he carried with an arrogant grace, there was not a doubt in her mind that there'd be trouble. Her heart sank, knowing full well she'd be unemployed by sunset tomorrow. Her fifth dismissal in four months. After all the trouble she went through, too. Between her own weirdness and her fratello's, "sparkling" personality, finding a job where the two of them could stick together was not an easy feat.

She tensed and bowed her head, silently pleading to god that he would walk right by her, as if she was invisible as servants ought to be. She did not want a conflict, for both of their sakes.

The Lord- Lucius Acerbi- was the son of her employer. A young man of three and twenty-years of age, he had a handsome face with sharp grey eyes and sandy blonde hair. Most of the ladies who saw him, thought the young Lord an angel. Anyone else who spent more than five minutes with Lucius, thought him to be the son of Satan. After all, his name was Lucius.

The other maids had warned Feliciana of him on her first day on the job. Just a mere week ago. Though he was the son of a Vermilion-district Lord, he often fraternized with a gang of privileged hellions who associated themselves with the Noir district; though how many of them were actual Noir residents was debatable. All that young miss Feliciana knew was that she had been hired to replace the previous maid who left under… "unfortunate" circumstances.

Rumor had it that she had been severely hurt by the young Lord and required serious medical attention.

She was petrified, she did not go looking for trouble, yet it seemed to find her anyways. Were it not for the sturdy bone frame of her leather-worked corset, she would probably die from her heart slamming its way out of her chest. She glanced down at her slender hands, now glistening with nervous sweat.

Lucius stopped in front of her, his perfect white teeth gleaming in the dim light, as he flashed her a cocky smile, stopping right in front of her and blocking the only route to the servant quarters. Feliciana gulped, feeling like a rabbit quavering in fear before a ravenous wolf.

"Hello my dear, I was hoping to run into you," he drawled, his voice so smooth it was practically oily.

Feliciana grimaced and took a step backwards. Maybe he would get out of her way and allow her to go to bed. It was one in the morning. She would've been in bed a long time ago if it weren't for the fact that the darling debutante Alessia, had to have her favorite cerise riding habit laundered by morning. Since Feliciana was the Lady's maid, it was her task to undertake. A tiring and tedious task it had been, spending all those hours in a sweltering room thick with steam and smelling of overheated metal. Not to mention, she would have to get up at six to gather her Lady's habit.

Tired, her clothes damp, and her feet sweating inside her boots, Feliciana was not prepared to deal with this jerk. Hopefully, he would let her be.

Much to Feliciana's dismay, he closed what little distance there was between them.

"You are the new maid here, are you not?" he queried, moving even closer. Far too close for propriety, and worse, there was no one around to make sure he didn't overstep his bounds. The lamp light flickered, as though it was synchronized to the butterflies fluttering in her stomach. A nauseating feeling not helped by the heavy cologne, cigar smoke, and the stench of bourbon that clung to him like a foul mist. There was even the faintest whiff of oil from all the mech-boxing games he attended. Though, who in their right minds, could possibly want to sit by and watch as automatons battered each other to sparking bits of scrap metal, was a mystery to Feliciana.

"Please," her voice was desperate, "let me go. I am thoroughly tired and I wish to retire to my bed." Do not provoke me… I do not wish for any trouble. The one time she had been threatened in a manner similar to this, it had not been pretty for her attackers. Nor was it a pleasant situation for her. She had a power. Something she could not control. She was terrified of it. It kept destroying her life at every opportunity, and to make matters even worse, it started to rear its ugly head with an increasing frequency.

She had lost three jobs thanks to its presence. She would not let it cost her, what could be very well, her final chance. Yet, if it didn't show up, she could very well lose this job anyways unless the situation was resolved with her virtue still intact.

Lucius propped his palm against the wall, next to her head, turning so he pinned Feliciana against the wall. She whimpered, clapping both hands over her mouth. "Is there something wrong?" His hot breath, tainted with smoke and booze, was noxious and heavy. The room swam around her. "Do you not like me?"

Feliciana bit her tongue, struggling to not blurt out her thoughts. No, I do not like you. You, my Lord, are trying to take advantage of me. Even if you weren't, I would not go for scum like you. There had to be a peaceful solution to this predicament that would not utterly wreck her job.

She shivered as his hand stroked her backside, slipping down to her bottom. "If you were a smart little girl, you would try to make me happy. I could make your life so much easier for you." He ran a finger through her wavy cinnamon locks, gently tugging on the ribbon she wore and unraveling her ponytail.

Feliciana made a face as bile coated her mouth, the taste bitter and acidic. If he only knew… "Please, leave me be," she whispered, her voice wavering with fear. Lucius smirked and kissed her roughly on the lips.

"Ngh…" She shifted around anxiously, her stomach clenching. A palm slid to her thighs, gingerly tugging on the stark white stockings she wore. He wouldn't stop. He wouldn't let her go. Young rich men like him though they were entitled to whatever they wanted, and took it for themselves. Whether it be an important governmental position or a young woman's purity.

However, thinking they were entitled, and actually being entitled were two completely different things.

She drew her palm back, slamming it against Lucius's cheek with all the force she could muster. Stunned, he stumbled backwards, loosening his grip. Feliciana jerked free and brought her knee up, ramming Lucius in the stomach. He staggered back, doubled over with pain.

"Make no mistake, I do not like you. I never will," she spat coolly, placing a hand on her hip.

Lucius glowered at her, murder in his eyes, and straightened himself. "Little bitch," he swore zealously. "No gutter rat servant talks that way to me-" he took of his long black trench coat, throwing it on the floor and rolling his sleeves up "-ever." He took a step towards her. "You need to be taught your place."

Feliciana didn't see the blow, but she sure as hell felt it. Stars exploded in the back of her vision as her head was jolted backwards. With a startled cry, she crashed against the ground. Abyssal black and blinding white battled with each other in her eyes while pain shot through her skull. Scarlet blood gently trickled down her forehead, and the corners of her mouth, dribbling down her chim. Two hands roughly grabbed her by the shoulders, jerking her upright. Through her flickering sight, Feliciana could see the malevolent smirk on his face.

Oh god… no… He can't know…

The wind roared in her ears. Blood-red blossoms bloomed across her sight. A familiar surge of power rushed into her, rattling her bones and demanding a release. With a startled gasp, she let it go.

A fervent curse. A sickening thwam! A faint crch- the morbid sound of bones breaking.

Mi dio… Che cosa ho fatto?

Her bronze eyes were wide with horror as she staggered to her feet, shaking visibly. She clutched at her elbows, stumbling over to the limp form of Lord Lucius. A smear of blood decorating the pastel-pink walls.

Oh no… no… no… no… no… no… no…

Lucius's forehead was sticky with gore, the ruby ichor staining his snow-white cravat. He had been thrown against the wall with a stunning amount of force. Something that a normal, waifish girl of seventeen with no prior martial expertise should be capable of.

Feliciana wasn't a normal girl of seventeen though.

She bent over, clutching at her throat as she hyperventilated, panic seizing control of her. Sure, Lucius would think twice about laying a finger on another woman without permission, but at what cost? Losing her job would be the least of her worries now. She could've just killed a man! How was she going to explain that to her fratello and her nonno?

She bent over, blindly feeling for a pulse. Relief surged through her as she found it. Faint, but still going. He would live. She wouldn't hang. Yet, she had attacked a Lord. There were going to be major repercussions, even though he technically held the blame for this incident.

Five jobs in four months. Feliciana exhaled noisily, shaking her head in dejected amazement. That had to be a record for someone who grew up in a relatively stable and caring environment. Sure, Lovino- her fratello- had such a sweet temper and was responsible for most of the lost jobs, but the times when Feliciana had been responsible all ended, due to events not unsimilar to this.

She bit her bottom lip, stealing a furtive glance over her shoulder. The law would certainly come crashing down on her for this. Even worse, she could be dragged to Pandemonium- the mental institute- and experimented on. Which they would do once they realized her power.

Where to turn? She couldn't get Lovino or her nonno dragged into this mess. The Noir district was a wild card, at best, and the other three districts- Verdigris, Xanthous, and Azure- would not shield her once they got wind of what she had done.

Still… Run… She couldn't do anything else. It'd be insanity to even think that Lucius wouldn't exact some brutal retribution for harming him. There was no way she'd spend time in the slammer for defending herself. There was no way she'd let her brain get dissected for simply injuring the brute.

She ran.

Tick Tock...

The wind whipped Alfred's silken gold hair into a frenzy as he zoomed through the streets of the Vermilion district at top speeds on his cobalt autocycle. Clutching his back desperately was Kiku, a fellow member who was the Queen of Hearts for the House of Cards, and a resident of Vermillion. Normally calm and composed, Kiku was shrieking hysterically, his ochre eyes widened in terror, as the two roared down the street.

"ALFRED!" he screamed as they rounded a sharp corner, listing precariously to the right. Alfred just laughed, his cerulean eyes twinkling merrily, and flashed Kiku a "thumbs-up" sign. Kiku whimpered, burying his face in Alfred's navy duster. He could clearly see why Arthur refused to go out cycling with Alfred. He desired to live past thirty.

"You're going to-" the runic tattoos on his arm blazed with a searing heat, as the Nether rippled around them, cutting of Kiku's sentence. "ALFRED! STOP!"

A blur of crimson and white darted out in front of them. Alfred swerved, jerking hard on the bars to avoid a collision.

Too late.

The glare of the headlamp revealed a surprised face before they abruptly slammed into her, throwing her into the air. They were jerked backwards, the autocycle, to the side, crashing into a flower shop. A sharp glittering rain erupted from the window, littering the street with glass.

Kiku was torn up by the glass and dusty-pink cobblestones as he tumbled to a stop. He laid there, sprawled out for a moment to catch his breath, before pushing himself off the ground, grimacing as the cuts and scrapes he acquired stung him. He spat out a globule of dirt.

"Baka… Are you ok?" he called out, wincing as he dusted the dirt of his own maroon duster. Mercifully, nothing had been broken, but it still felt as if he had been brutally beaten by a lead pipe, and by tomorrow, he would most certainly be black and blue. He sighed, brushing his sleeves. Alfred, that idiot.

"Yeah! I'm fine! You know me, Kiku! I can't be defeated that easily!" Alfred, battered and missing his glasses, yet still beaming, replied enthusiastically, trodding over to Kiku; holding a young woman with copper hair, and dressed in the standard red and white uniform of a maid, in his arms. She was limp and bleeding in several places, her chest feebly rising and falling with each breath she struggled for.

Kiku's eyes widened, "Is she going to be alright?" he asked alarmedly. Alfred shot a quick glance at the girl in his arms, the smile fading from his face.

"Yeah…"

Kiku cocked a dubious eyebrow at him. "Is something the matter?" He folded his arms, narrowing his eyes. Alfred alternated his gaze between the unconscious girl.

"Isn't it weird?" he enquired after a thick silence. Kiku pursed his lips into a thin line, staring quizzically at Alfred.

"This girl… She's wearing servant garb, and if my information of Vermilion uniforms is correct, she's a lady-in-waiting…" he trailed off, appearing unusually thoughtful. Kiku's eyes widened as he understood what Alfred was getting at. A lady-in-waiting was too prestigious of a position for this girl to be out alone at night.

"Not to mention, the way we went all over the street after crashing was strange…" he continued.

Kiku snorted, his eyebrows crashing down. "We wouldn't of crashed if you had been going at a legal speed." His voice was calm enough, but the sharp edge made Alfred flinch.

"What or who, was she running from?" Alfred wondered aloud, giving Kiku an expectant look.

Kiku shrugged, his expression serious as he swiveled his gaze, assessing the damage. The flower shop window was beyond repair, for sure. But what about the bike? Arthur would be furious once he found out about tonight, and a broken autocycle would only add to his foul mood.

"Kiku?" Alfred prodded gingerly. Kiku's head snapped back in his direction.

"Hai?"

Alfred pointed at the damaged flower shop. "Can you check to see if the autocycle is ok? I'm going to load her up and take her back to the Estate, to have our Jack look over her," he said- "our Jack" meaning the Jack of Spades. Kiku nodded curtly.

"Are you sure that's wise?"

Alfred shrugged, placing the girl over his shoulders. "I can't just leave her, especially when it's partly my fault that she's so badly injured."

A faint smirk crossed Kiku's lips. "Partly?" he quipped, his tone mildly sardonic. Alfred pouted.

"Just please get the damn bike, you jerk."

I really shouldn't be writing a new story... I know... But I stumbled across Cardverse, fell in love with it. Read "The Girl In the Steel Corset" by Kady Cross, and fell in love with the concept and such, and now I have this beautiful abomination. I'm not going to lie, the beginning of this story is quite similar to Kady Cross's story, but it will start to drastically differ by the next chapter, though it will share similar elements. My fullest respects to Miss Cross, for teaching me that the Steampunk Genre is actually a good genre. Also, be expecting a funny plot-twist next chapter (Hint, hint).

As for the Cardverse... I know I'm really late on the bandwagon for that... You've probably got sick to death of all the Cardverse USUK fics... and Well... I just really loved the outfits, k? *Huddles in the Woe corner* Also, I think Cardverse has amazing potential. This is quite different from most of the Cardverse fics I've read. Let me explain it to you in a nice list, k?

Londonium- The city where the story takes place. Divided into four districts- Vermilion, Azure, Verdigris, and Xanthous. Each district has a ruler who collaborates with the other rulers to govern Londonium.

House of Cards- a secret crime-fighting organization divided into four groups, known as "Suites". Spades for the Azure, Hearts for the Vermilion, Clubs for the Verdigris, and Diamonds for the Xanthous. There are 3 positions in each group, King, Queen, and Jack, which function a bit like code names. Also used to help determine the social status of the members.

Ace- The ruler of each respective district is referred to this title by members in the House of Cards.

Noir District- the unofficial district of Londonium. Sometimes referred to as the "Underworld".

Sound good? I promise you, there will be eventual slash. but I am pretty slow in getting to that sort of stuff. I tend to take my sweet time X3 Still... If you liked this chapter and/ or have suggestions... Please click the review box! Reviews are love! :DDD

Translation notes:

Fratello (Italian)- brother

Mi dio... Che cosa ho fatto? (Italian)- My god... What have I done?

Baka (Japanese)- idiot

Hai (Japanese)- Yes