/Country of Diamonds/
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Like a living organism, the train station is pulsating with life, breathing with the mixed smells of freshly baked butter rolls and roasted chestnuts, the rich aroma of hot black liquid taunting the tired travellers' nostrils and inviting them into the warmly lit shops. The whole mixture is spiced with a faint rusty scent of smoking engines rolling smoothly on their heavy wheels, the complex system working with a precision that is to be expected of such a fine mechanism.
The train's window is shut with a loud thud, a small, all too curious nose almost getting caught in between. With an angry screech the train comes to a halt, and the girl pouts at the sudden interruption. The ticket inspector's annoyed look makes her stifle the sigh that threatens to escape her throat. Angering Joker is not in her plans.
Nevertheless, the girl's pouting is short-lived as she takes a quick glance over her equally excited companion. The boy mouths a short just let it be.
And so, barely even waiting until the wagon's door is properly unlocked, two pairs of small feet rush out into their new, exciting playground, skilfully avoiding the ticket inspector's tall figure that stands in their way. Their tiny bodies whirl around in a mad frenzy, the jester hats jingling happily, shining faces taking in the new environment and observing the crowd with curious, glowing eyes.
Joker frowns as he dismisses the small nuisances that somehow managed to tag along, before straightening the black uniform hat and hopping down gracefully on the grey, worn-out platform.
All around him, the air is filled with the sweet feelings of reunion and bitter taste of departure, awakening an unusual, melancholic feeling that makes him want to investigate the foreign sentiment; yet at the same time, he wants nothing more than to spew it all out, get rid of the foul tasting sensation that isn't supposed to be there in the first place. But for the time being, he settles on ignoring it, much like his very presence is easily overlooked by the anonymous crowd.
After taking a critical look at his surroundings, Joker finally moves, the sound of his shoes joining the multitude of others, easily getting lost in a sea of insignificant background noise. He scans the mass, searching for that one person, the sharp eye seeking out the shiny gold fish in the sea of insignificant, common specimen. Patience may not be his forte, and yet he still manages to keep calm, and similar to a fisher, he silently waits for his catch.
A train speeds by, followed by a strong gush of wind. At once, the crowd dissipates, leaving behind an empty, sickening void. And this is where he spots her, a lone, lithe figure, dressed in familiar colors of the train station.
Her feet stumble, entangling themselves and refusing to obey. The flow tugs at her fresh uniform, stealing her formal cape and her composure - a sorry sight and he cannot help but chuckle. She struggles to keep it on when cold, windy fingers untie the evenly placed locks of hair. Inch by inch, her polished shoes are getting closer to the edge, the turbulent flows greeting the small figure with dangerous howls and sneaky whispers. Perhaps, he thinks, he does enjoy the little show. The pointless struggle. The girl's stupidity must be contagious, drawing him in and corrupting his mind when he could do better than that.
But Joker chooses his own way.
And after a small time frame - a single, unimportant second - he catches her arm and all at once, her feet regain their firmness on the even ground.
.
Alice feels like a small fingerling, carelessly tossed back into the depths of familiar, cold water. Reluctantly, the sounds creep back with faint murmurs and their steady ticks and tocks; carefully, Alice inhales familiar smells of burning coal and soft raisin bread that tickle her nose at the first intake. Strange, seemingly misplaced jingles of bells and children's laughter fills her ringing ears.
The foreign pressure on her hand pulses with an almost nostalgic warmth, five digits firmly placed against her sweaty flesh.
"Still getting lost as usual? Such a troublesome child you are..."
Finally, she looks behind.
.
She has not changed.
Her hand is still the same, invitingly warm and slightly sweaty from her distress, yet still a bit rough and firm; those are the hands that used to play all kinds of card games, the hands that caressed the paper slips with great care, something that Joker liked to watch - his own private amusement that he was probably not meant to have again. Seemingly coincidentally, he allows his fingers to brush along hers, subtly sliding past the slender digits and mentally noting how they are unchanged, no doubt still lucky enough to win three rounds of blackjack in a row, against all odds. And yet, his searching eye is quick to find one thing amiss. Her eyes wear the familiar shades of blue, but the endless, curious orbs are reflecting the image of a plain train inspector.
Their brief contact means nothing to the oblivious girl. A few coughs leave her lips and she apologises instantly, her eyes briefly scanning over his figure, a small frown on her face when she looks at his formal attire. Her eyes scan his chin, his nose and curved lips and rest on the golden eye.
For a split second, he believes to see a glint of recognition in her clueless eyes, and hesitates. Joker observes her carefully and yet, the fleeting mirage never returns.
And still, for a moment, his hand still lingers - until finally, he curses himself and breaks the contact.
In the distance, the station master shouts out a call and finally, she leaves without even sparring him a single, last glance. Like a spring breeze, she flies by, leaving a gentle, faint tail of lost memories behind.
He backs away slowly.
A firm, warning whistle signals the departure. The doors slide close behind his back; the metal beast hisses, before lazily waking up and setting into motion, his heart ticking in synch with the train's rumbling sounds.
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Once more, Alice looks behind, her senses reaching for that lost presence among the crowd. Nothing has changed and everything is just the same. And yet, it almost feels like she had been given something back. Something once important, that has been covered under an even sheet of snow, frozen over and long forgotten.
A swing.
And feelings of regret.
She touches her wildly beating heart, as if to check if it is still in its rightful place. And above the overwhelming sound of the departing train, she hears a faint laugh. The winds whisper and sigh, adding some bitter notes and obscuring the whispered words.
The breeze is quite strong, indeed. The construction upon which she resides is shaky; swinging back and forth in a harmonic rhythm… however, someone is behind her. There is nothing to fear.
She glances back. Her widened eyes are greeted by nothing but a lonely, red balloon - a stray memory, chased away by the wind of time.
A faint feeling of sadness and loss of a puzzle piece that once belonged to a whole picture.
Alice blinks once, twice.
Someday, she promises herself, she will remember.
Her thoughts are answered with a distant call and happy cheers of many people. An echo of a lost memory begins to resurface. The girl's lost heart, frozen with loneliness and regret, begins to melt. It hurts and stings.
.
.
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A/N: This oneshot must be at least 2 years old. I think I began to write it once I finished the first Diamond game. Or was it the second? Hm... I'm glad that I finally decided to post it. I just thought: "If I don't do it now then I never will!" However, it seems like the more I edit it, the worse it gets. :"D