CHAPTER 16 – Deep Down
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The wavering lamps in the warden's office were dimmed by the extraneous pressure that a foreigner presence had been exerting with her mere existence, in a matter beyond time and above reality upon the infamous prison of Wonderland. The light casted across the room barely did anything but to enhanced the dejected dry stillness felt by the two halves of the prison's master.
Both Jokers wearing the distinguished warden's uniform nervously stood, one resting his back against a wall and the other restlessly pacing behind his old and heavy wooden desk.
"I did not think she'd do that, Joker." The jester part of Joker that had adopted the dubbed name of 'White', held in his hand a little keychain plushie of an adorable foxie form, anxiously playing with it.
The one behind the desk stopped his pacing and dedicated his other self a disturbed and angry sneer.
"I thought she'd get tired of killing me in that little dream when she realized how much I was enjoying it." The first one sighed with a frown but crushed the small plushie in his hand, his gaze burning with annoyance, directed at his counterpart. "I think you screaming, 'That's all you got, you mental case bitch, come at me until you're not pissed anymore', along with the, 'kill white, he'd like it', is what made her change her tactic."
The warden grumbled, looking ready to kill someone, his hand closing as if strangling an invisible neck, but ultimately he ended up slumping in his chair and dropping his head on the desk's dark-wood table with a resounding thud. "Why does she have to fucking start killing herself whenever she sees me now? That bitch."
"She knows she's in a dream bubble." White crossed his arms, keeping the little dorky plush in one hand and squeezing it some more. "We can't keep her in the dream for long. She'll find a way to escape, or the nightmares will reach her… or she'll reach for them. At this point she'll do anything and everything. The season is about to end. She could drop to other countries from there, or wake up and... "
"There's still the paintings. That will take her longer." Black, slamming his fists on the table, didn't sound hopeful at all, just worried and overwhelmed.
His counterpart answered with an ominous tone and a heavy feeling under his chest. "How long, Joker? It's her. She'll figure them out eventually. And once she gets out she can order roles again, or once she is awake she could create one of her liminality espaces and find a way to escape, or she might call someone. She did it once, she can do it again." The jester practically growled his inner frustration, staring at the plushie and tossing it to his counterpart.
The warden caught the little stuffed doll with one hand and stared at the innocent toy for a few moments; his gaze became lost in the past of a time when he gifted her the little plush doll, now a long time ago for what had transpired since then. "What if she decides to just end herself? I don't think she'd try sealing her heart again but she could try to somehow kill herself for real. I am sure she has some way for it … although she most likely would try to kill us … or go all omnicidal and destroy everyone and everything near. If she manages to escape she could somehow reach the prisoners and cause a ruckus distraction, or get them to kill her and eat her heart. Ugghh at this point I don't fucking know what she could even do!"
The jester approached, mindlessly staring at the lamps and noticing the glow bouncing in impossible convex angles as if walls or obstacles existed where they didn't. "I'm worried, Joker. We can't keep her in the dreams too long. She might starve. When was the last time she ate or drank something? She didn't eat much while she stayed here and who knows before that." The jester remembered the dedicated and caring last ministrations she gave his counterpart before going away to seal her heart. Had she even eaten well those days? He doubted it. Some of the shadowed afterimages were sent with food for her, often to come back with half or all the forgotten contents, busy as she was with helping the downed warded to the point of forgetting to sustain herself. "Time may have regressed, but her body still remembers and bears all the stress" White sighed.
"She won't care about a nice and decent meal. She is preoccupied with escaping and probably with killing us." The warden facepalmed. "And she will feed those shadows if she must, regarding if they eat her."
"We don't even know if that ability to control shadows was something she learned after sealing her heart or before, don't know if she remembers… she probably does, so I will assume she can just use it now. "White grumbled, crossing his arms. "Manipulating shadows and matter. Creating spikes to impale, to toss like daggers, to create tools… We don't know all her capacities either. Or how far she can reach with them; or at what cost to her and this world."
"Why don't those fools come to save her, dammit!" The warden knew that no one would come to save her. It had been days since she came back and no idiot had dared to brave the game and be the hero that saved her from the villain of Wonderland. None would feel her call for help for she would never trust them to come help her and none would act. They had not and they would not this time either. "At this point I might as well let any of the idiots in to take her if they just knocked on the door."
"This angers me, Joker. Here she is, all vulnerable, all ready to be saved and for her game to advance, but no one is coming." White's frown was equal parts sad, regretful and angry. "Which might be better for Wonderland. Surely she could also use herself as bait to get out of our grasp so she could strike back. We are complying with our part in the game, but we need to act too."
"She won't despair from no one coming to save her. That won't serve us to propose to her to stay with us instead. How the heck can we save her from us or from herself?" The warden huffed with clear frustration.
"She isn't even playing the game. And with how her game went, she has no reason to give it a chance." The jester echoed the huff and complemented it with a new sigh. "She remembers all. Our friendship is still as broken as her heart. And I'm the one who broke it."
Black stared at the plushie for a few more moments before opening a drawer and placing the manhandled gift inside. "How do we convince that psychotic paranoid piece of otherworldly power to stay with us and be happy!? Or just to be happy, dammit!"
"At least we have a few time changes before she wakes up…" White began, but he stopped mid sentence. Both Jokers suddenly straightened their postures and looked towards a corner of the room that seemed of bigger proportions than before.
The 'ding' of the elevator sounded and from the wall a door opened to show the queen of hearts in her casual business attire and the first foreigner, curiously, Alice was wearing a black dress of dark shades that didn't reflect any of the scattered lights present.
"Visitors this late in the season? I'm sorry, but all shows have ended. You'll have to wait for the next time I come." White said quite casually and with his usual smiling face.
"Or if you came to the prison, I should remind you that the entrance is free but the exit is not assured." Black gave a wide grin.
"We would not be here unless there was a good reason for it." Vivaldi scoffed upon seeing the other holder, a disliked presence everywhere in this world. She placed her hand on Alice's shoulder to encourage her forward and to offer support.
"And what would the queen's visit be for? You rarely send prisoners anyways, preferring to behead them." White shrugged, not caring to mince his words for the benefit of the first guest of the game of hearts. "As for the little foreigner there, I'm sorry, Alice, but I am too busy to play a game with you now that the season and your game have ended."
Alice clenched her fists and took a step forward. She breathed a tad hard, entirely uncomfortable in this place. "I want to see Aria."
Black accommodated his cap over his head. "That's not possible. Aria is under arrest. No visitors allowed. What would you even want with someone you aggravated so much? Aren't you quite conceited? "
Joker's smug smile was wiped by what happened next.
From Alice's dress, the black color on her clothes melted up towards the young woman's shoulders, condensing a ball of darkness that then formed a little squirrel monkey with shiny beady glowing eyes. And it spoke, not through the mouth, but from its general form with a thick accent in its male voice. A voice that Joker had heard only in Aria's memories of her world and her past.
"If the foreigner wants to go and see Aria then she can. It's her right of movement." The monkey said, puffing itself but the fur looked like a swarm of thousands of coordinated miniature tendrils of darkness rather than fur. "You can't interfere."
Both Jokers stared at the black creature, a chill going down their spines.
"In any case, Joker is practically breaking the rules by keeping the other foreigner trapped here." The little monkey pointed out, balancing on Alice's shoulder, although when it flattered forward as if it was going to drop, it merely remained in the air becoming a dark ink that dispersed into mist, pulling itself back to reform once more, perched on Alice's shoulder again.
The queen of hearts noticed their focused gaze towards the little stuff of darkness and tapped the little monkey's head. "This little creature is a form of her shadow and her armor… and part frumious beast too if it's going to be believed. He says it devoured the Jabberwock that was to form on this side of the mirror. And he is here to get back to his owner."
"Her armor?" Two things came to Joker's mind. The first one was remembering how darkness had mold and reform into her armor. The second thing was that he had placed her armor at the other edge of the prison.
"Allow me a second." White snapped his fingers and disappeared, a few moments later he appeared back, having checked that the armor he had secured had indeed disappeared. Now he knew that the move Aria made was moving her tool on her behalf. He had been mistaken, it wasn't darkness and her madness that molded and reformed the armor, but the armor itself was something else entirely.
"How disrespectful to leave visitors waiting. I should behead you for such." Vivaldi's disapproving scowl was more than evident.
"Unannounced and unwanted visitors at that." Black clicked his tongue, standing up. He then carefully eyed the critter, still somewhat incredulous. "So, you are her armor."
"Sort of." The little monkey tilted its head. "I am the artificial intelligence installed in her components as much as the components. You may call me Aegis. Now, may you please take us to my user?"
"Not possible." White didn't dare remove his gaze from the creature. "Aria is the most dangerous creature in this world, and for Wonderland's sake I am keeping her lovely self safely secured."
Vivaldi raised an elegant eyebrow. "The game allows for no exceptions, regardless of the opinions of the pieces. She is a foreigner and must play."
Alice nodded, the little monkey nodded too and moved to perch itself on top of Alice's head. "That's right. What about the game? Her game."
White shook his head. "And what about it? The season is ending and no one played. It's over." He looked at the queen of hearts with a slightly disdainful look. He crossed his arms. "The pieces that should have been thrilled at the almost impossible chance of a second game didn't even dare to play."
In response, Vivaldi smirked. "It isn't so. I hold a role and am here to visit the current star of the game."
"You can't." Both Joker's dropped their smiles, both remembering that indeed, the queen could participate. Black moved besides his counterpart and White took his whip into his hands.
Black stood firm. "In case you forgot, VIvaldi; Alice is too easy to kill. If she goes there, she is just a prey to an extremely dangerous predator. A predator that will most likely get aggravated by the mere presence of anyone she doesn't appreciate. "
White waived his whip to point it at Vivaldi. "And the moment any holder comes near that wonderful but deeply disturbed woman, she can order their roles around. She hasn't been as nice or sane as of late." He eyed Alice and then moved his whip to point at her.
Alice's expression became scared, her body tensed and she began breathing faster, remembering her own experiences at the prison and then what happened with Aria not too long ago. The fear engraving itself on her or perhaps the influence of the prison exacerbated her dispositions; however, her impulse to turn back and run was halted by the agitation of the creature on her head slapping its tail on her face.
"Or maybe she hasn't been nice because there is no reason to be nice and no one has been nice to her? The lack of even basic courtesy in this world had been a constant since our arrival, and of course, there is no obligation to be nice, much less an inclination for such. not anymore in any case and not since a long time ago." Changing its form to that of a small wyvern, Aegis tapped Alice on the head a couple times, covering her eyes for a second in a reassuring way while hissing at Joker. "We are going to reach my user, by whatever means and actions are needed. Violence and destruction are primary means if deemed the case."
Black made his whip appear in his hands, eyeing carefully the little creature. The women here clearly didn't know what this creature was capable of doing, but he would not forget the little display Aria performed of ripping a man from inside out with tendrils of darkness that he now realized were this creature.
The queen of hearts laughed; her laugh was amused as much as it somehow sounded condescending towards the other holder. "You can't keep her for long. Technically she has not done anything that can keep her here. And have you forgotten she is a foreigner? The rules don't even apply to her. You know such and yet you, Joker, are impeding her from playing? Your head should roll from such inconsistency."
"She is an exception." White smiled again. "You may not remember it…"
Vivaldi pointed her scepter forward at them. "I know that she sealed her heart, even if time went back and I do not remember, but that's all we need to know."
Black's careful eye moved from the queen to the creature of darkness. "And what is it that you intend to do?"
"Get her game back and going, clearly. Isn't it obvious?" Vivaldi remained firm, also taking a step forward to stand beside Alice and Aegis.
"Oh? Yes. Alice is going to make a deal." Aegis happily chirped, its posture relaxing somewhat.
"Yes." Alice said, her conviction renewed. "I want to properly speak with her. Last time she had her heart sealed, so I couldn't."
Joker's eyes narrowed towards Alice, finding her quite impertinent and entitled. "What makes you think she won't try to kill you immediately? You think she would spare you because you are a foreigner too? Or have you forgotten that you are the cause of all the problems for the second foreigner? Don't you know what she's endured because of you." He had found a target for his anger and frustration.
"That's why I brought Alice." The little AI happily said, wiggling its tail and uncovering her vision. "Once we get the initial impulse of Alice's potion, my user can start consuming herself as a greater component to kick a reaction to become an all devouring eldritch monstrosity of exponentially increasing magnitude that will leave her own will pre-programmed into the function to devour and assimilate the prison, reality and eventually this whole world before expanding to other dimension to search and devour other parasitic dimensions that may cling to her mother world. "Aegis enthusiastically wiggled it's ropery tail. "A singularity that will start by devouring and assimilating everything that Aria is and has, from every cell to every electric impulse of her brain to leave a preprogrammed order to devour this world, keeping her existence alive by merging her mind with the mana floating in the world itself while all of our physical components begin amalgamating every spec of matter in existence from Wonderland."
Joker's expression dropped, horrified as they were angry.
"That's her fucking plan!? No fucking way!" Joker now fully understood the horror of what she intended. What she would do once she woke up and escaped.
"And that is why we wish to make a deal." It was Vivaldi's turn to shrug. "This little one has informed us of her plans, and while he has his own rules to comply with his owner, he can aid us in other ways."
"Indeed, that is why I'm helping Alice." The little wyvern became a monkey once more. "I can not deviate from my mission but my user can change our mission. And Alice already made a deal with me."
"What deal?" White inquired. If that creature was just as sly as its owner, then any deal would be wicked.
"I told her information she wanted to know if she was to come and make a deal." Aegis balanced himself back to Alice's shoulders. "My user sent me to find a suitable energy source. I determined that the best energy source was Alice's potion of hearts. She didn't want to give her potion so easily before speaking with my user, and she is quite traumatized by Joker and the prison, therefore I offered my assistance to curb her fears and informed her of the right of movement a foreigner has along some other things she was curious about. She also insisted on asking council from the queen of hearts and thus we are here."
"That doesn't mean that Aria will listen to anything you say. She has not been responsive to dialog." Joker looked between the critter and Alice, calculating how to use this himself. If anything, and in spite of everything, Aegis didn't seem antagonistic of either the first foreigner or the queen of hearts.
"Responsive to dialog with the one who betrayed her and trapped her?" The little monkey fluffed itself, its tone echoing mockery and anger. "But there are alternatives. My user might be open to negotiations from someone else that she doesn't personally consider an enemy."
One Joker sighed and the other frowned, their chests tightening around their clocks, having confirmed that indeed she saw them as an enemy now.
Suddenly, the earth shook. Dust fell from the impossible odd angles of the ceiling and the lamps oscillated while things fell from their places.
Alice also almost fell to the ground, but a Cushion of darkness held her in the air.
"No way! Dammit!" The warden cussed. "Not now!"
"What was that!?" Alice reincorporated herself, looking around. Both Jokers and Vivaldi look incredulous for a second before focusing on each other.
"It's a trap!" One Joker warned Vivaldi, changing his whip into a sword.
"And you will have to play your part when everyone arrives." Vivaldi pointed her scepter forward. She didn't seem impressed or pleased.
"I won't let you reach her!" The other Joker also got on ward, his whip turning into a gun.
"What's happening!?" Alice almost began panicking. "Was there a move!?"
"Ahhh," Aegis interrupted, making a poor imitation of a sigh and calling their attention. "It seems my user activated a secondary plan. Probably since we are taking too long."
Vivaldi relaxed her posture. "Alice, the season is soon to end and the second foreigner suddenly is desperately calling for anyone and everyone to come save her. Soon, those unsightly pieces will decide to brave the challenge after they keep hearing the call." She looked at Joker. "Not even the villain of wonderland can hold up against too many holders."
"With such unclear description there is no wonder why Alice is so clueless and uninformed." Aegis made its tail longer and fluffier so it could swing it like an angry cat would despite it keeping its monkey form. It extended its neck beyond proportions so that he could address Alice face to face. "They mean to say that my user created a liminality space akin to a dream and is transmitting her will to be interpreted as a deep desire to be saved by any hero that would come for her." He shrugged, jumping down from Alice and grabbing a nearby chair, assimilating it to gain mass and become a doberman-like dog but far more hellish in looks. "Of course, once the majority of them manage to reach this place, Joker will be taken out for a few time changes, as it's his function, and if they get into the dream cage she is in, she can close it to kill them all inside and use them as materials to start off the other plan. I wonder how long they will take to decide to come and then to arrive."
"Fuck dammit, Aria!" Black cussed, looking angry, worried… and somewhat defeated. He looked at Vivaldi and then made his gun disappear.
The other Joker stared at his counterpart in complete disbelief. "You can't be serious!"
"Queen of hearts..." The warden began, his face quite red and his finger pointed at the visiting holder. "Are you serious about Aria? Do you think you can make her listen, calm down… and maybe convince her to go with you and be happy and all that?"
Vivaldi observed him and then began to melodiously laugh. "We can see that you are in a path right to her heart, too bad. There is still a chance if some external factor intervenes, for none of us can do but play our parts." She looked towards Alice and Aegis with a sly smirk. "Perhaps they would be more willing to aid. But be fast. Soon the others will be on their way."
Joker looked at the creatures from a different world. "Very well, Alice. I will take you to see Aria."
"Good." Aegis wagged his tail. "We thank you for your cooperation and I also remind Alice about the deal. If you give us the potion we can also start on Aria's ascendance and assist her into using her body as fuel while devouring the prison and then expanding until consuming the entire world. That would stop her call."
"Please don't do that, it doesn't end well' Joker grumbled at the sheer idiocy of this creature. "Listen… Aegis. Don't you want to save her?"
Aegis tilted his head. "My first priority is to ensure the fulfillment of our mission; my second priority is to protect and aid my user so we can accomplish the mission. The mission, when not pre-set, I interpret as my user's will and desires, and it becomes too a priority to protect my owner so she can set up our mission." It was clear that was the best of what he could explain.
"You too love your owner." Vivaldi patted the dog's head and it leaned against the touch. "It is clear to us that you want to help, but helping her destroy everything will not be good for her."
Joker thought fast. There was something he could do. "Alice, I want to make a deal with you instead!"
The other Joker at his other self and caught on. "Yes! If you make a deal with me then you won't have to make a deal with Aegis."
Aegis growled, jumping protectively in front of Alice, twisting its visage to show far more fangs and spikes growing from its form. "Making a deal with Joker? The one who caused all this harm? No. Alice's deal is already made; only the details of it remain to be set."
"This," Joker took out the earrings with the form of his masks, "is a relic. A powerful one. The user is notsubjected to being a target to Joker's duties. It's an exception. I want you to activate it."
Alice recognized them immediately. "Those are Aria's earrings."
The other Joker stepped forward to stand besides his counterpart. Alice tooka step back and Aegis's jaws parted through the neck and chest, more teeth growing along the new hyper extended jaw.
Joker wiggled the earrings in the air and approached again, regardless of the extremely dangerous monstrosity ahead. "Yes, they are her's, they rightfully belong to her, and I will give them back as soon as she lets me give them back, but meanwhile, and since we acknowledge these are hers, then you just need to wish me to survive to give them to her."
Alice took a couple steps back from the redhead's proximity and Aegis stood between her and the Jokers, making a quick snap at the air to keep them at bay from approaching even more.
"Those earrings are useless." Aegis barked. "They allow Joker to not be forced to follow the rules towards the user, in return, Joker gets a sense of the user's existence and a bit of disposition. As you know, it was irrelevant, Joker still fucked up and followed his nature and instincts."
Vivaldi came forward to take a look at the earrings, standing fearlessly besides the hellhoundish fiend. "Such powerful artifact" and then frowned at Joker. "You were free from the rules towards the second foreigner and you still went through?"
"Exactly. Useless." Aegis created a tendril of darkness but Joker pulled the earrings back, making the A.I. growl. "Joker is nothing more than Joker and will act as Joker regardless if he can choose otherwise." He turned to Alice. "Now please, let's continue with our deal. "
Alice looked at the AI. It was trying to protect its owner as best as it could. He wanted to help Aria too, but it couldn't. Then she had an idea and in her hand appeared her vial with the potion of hearts. "Aegis… If I ..ummhh.. activate that relic, then Aria would eventually get that power source, right? I mean, if I activate it and add more to it?"
Aegis's head rotated backwards to look at her, confused.
"Yes!" Joker clapped. "That would NOT break the rules. And would really help." With a wicked smile, and a hopeful look, Joker took a step towards the creature of darkness." Aegis, hypothetically speaking, if you could deviate from your rules, what would you do or suggest in order to help Aria remain well, alive and reach a happy ending… or beginning? Not a very destructive ending."
"We don't acknowledge the factor called happiness. It is not something well defined for our databases in our case." From Aegis's body another head grew to keep the fangs ready to bite at Joker. "But I would first suggest to stop her call and for Joker to ask for the help of Aria's associates. "
"Her associates? Can you take me to them?" Joker knew that this creature, somehow could take him to that cove of lunatics that he had not been able to find. A hive of fanatical depravity that was a key to his dearly beloved and mildly psychopathic Aria.
"I can but I won't." Aegis faked a yawn with the head directed towards Alice. What it did not fake, was the salty disdain it had for the one that had hurt its user.
"She is going to die and you won't help!?" The other Joker took out his whip again.
Aegis growled back and grew in size. "I only follow my user's orders. And helping Joker is not in my mission. On the contrary." He looked at the first foreigner. "My current mission is to find a suitable source of energy, which I deemed to be your potion, Alice. You agreed on adeal with me."
"I see." Alice nodded, now understanding what the creature desperately wanted to convey. "Can I alter my deal with you? Add some clauses?"
"Yes. As long as the result remains it shall be possible." Aegis wagged its tail and flickered his ears.
Alice nodded, closing her eyes to think. She could do something to help here. "Then… because Joker will make a deal with me to take me to Aria, I want to add for you to take him to her associates and I will give you my potion so that you can… uuhhm.. be able to help Aria. Is that possible?"
Aegis froze for a moment, processing. "With some proper phrasing it might."
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MWMWMMWWMWMMWMWWWWWMMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW
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Joker snapped his fingers and he and Alice found themselves outside the safest cell in the deepest part of the prison. The unimaginatively named area known as the 'deep down'. The air was thick and musky; even if there was a pleasant perfumed mist in the air to alleviate the locked ambience, the old and stale atmospheredominated the area, impregnating the walls just like the smell of burned cigarettes would cling to the gloves of a chronic smoker.
"Don't even think about running away. You will get lost forever among the traps and passages. Only I can come here directly." With a mere one look at Alice's skittishness, Joker was annoyingly reminded of how different Aria was. The mercenary would have immediately set up a perimeter or be curious about it, wanting to explore. She would have been so thrilled. He never told her about this place, but he didn't doubt she suspected a place like this existed. It would have been a nice surprise under other circumstances.
Alice looked around and she spotted a reinforced door that even banks would envy for their vaults. She blinked, and then, in front of her across heavy looking metalbars was Aria's temporary room. This was not like the illusion of Lorina she saw once. Instead of the terrible conditions one would expect from this prison, the area was actually quite nice, cozy and somewhat adorable. Colorful balloons reaching the ceiling held big signs of 'I'm sorry, please don't kill me, let's talk' on it?'; A big poster decorating the back wall, surrounded by blooming flower arrays said 'I just want to talk - please don't hate me'. And all around the room there were cute and soft plushies holding signs saying 'Don't kill me' 'Don't stab me either' 'Don't shoot me' 'I want to talk, please', 'Please let me talk', 'Don't hate me, please' 'I couldn't think of another way to talk', 'I panicked, don't hate me' and such.
"This looks like a big party room." Alice couldn't stop herself from saying it. "It's a nice touch" She took a couple hesitant steps forwards, trying to see inside. In the middle of the room, a sort of distortion in her vision clouded her perception of where the second foreigner surely was, forcing Alice to keep looking around the room.
Joker didn't answer her about that. He gave the reinforced bars a tab with his crop and the distorted mist dispersed. "Here she is. I'm going to wake her up. That will cut her call."
Alice stopped looking at the room and managed to focus on Aria. In the middle of the room there was a fluffy and cozy rug at the feet of a heavy steel bed bloated to the floor, and over the bed, laying asleep was Aria; the second foreigner was wearing black cozy pajamas and was well tied up in many chains and as secure as possible, gagged and unconscious.
"YOU HAVE HER CHAINED UP?!" She screamed at Joker
"I am NOT underestimating her at all, not anymore." Joker barked back. "In fact these measures of security are too light for her." The warden frowned, looking at Aria with a troubled gaze. She was pale. Not pale from lack of light, but pale from sickness… or more concisely, lack of blood. He had seen people bleed to death enough to notice it. And yet, she was sleeping… or rather, resting. "A little shiver almost ran down his spine. She was recuperating herself or saving energy. He had the hunch she had done something more and he knew he needed to act fast. "I am desperate and I am taking all the proper yet gentle precautions that I can. I put plushies in the room and nice shit!" He sort of defended himself. "She is still the most dangerous creature in the world, she probably still wants to kill me and everyone and destroy Wonderland and/or kill herself in the process." He pointed his crop at Alice. "I hope you are ready to speak fast before she kills you too." He really hoped so. "I will burst the bubble dreams where she is connecting to her liminality or whatever mental spaces. You have some minutes at best, Alice. And at the first sign of trouble, visit is over."
Alice nodded, turning to the sleeping woman and remembering what had transpired in the circus tent back when the other foreigner's heart was sealed. Suddenly the heavy bars and chains containing the mercenary didn't seem strong enough.
Joker snapped his fingers and disappeared just when Aria gasped, waking up suddenly, and trying to breathe as she had been drowning. It took her a few seconds to realize her position, twisting between the chains, before looking around and narrowing her unfocused gaze in Alice's direction, her eyes glowing with static before getting their combat mode red hue, and a full minute or so of silent later, turning off to show their normal olive green shade.
Alice gulped and then grabbed the bars, seeing in between them. "Aria… Greetings? I've come to speak with you. "
Aria looked down to see her restraints and shifted in them. "Ahhh, good whatever time it is. Quite a rude awakening and quite the unsightly vision for someone waking up." She looked around, looking behind the bars and to hidden corners in the room, ignoring the obvious decorations and searching for hidden traps, dangers and opportunities to escape. "And quite the unusual cell this is."
"Yes, it was a nice touch. Apparently, Joker wants to apologize." The first foreigner was suddenly at a minor loss as to how to start a conversation, or if that was even possible.
"Aha…" Aria ignored Alice and tried to move, testing the restraints and noting that the chains were firm. She twisted her lips and then spat blood over the wrist restraints. "I just need to wait a bit. Some would-be hero will come to try and get me now that I was calling for them. Or they won't, but that will give me enough time to rest and then get out on my own. Why are you here anyways? I don't see a weapon in your hands. Too arrogant on your part." She maniacally grinned, dedicating the first foreigner a smug and feral grin full of malice. "Or perhaps you are waiting for any holder to come to my rescue and then convince them to kill me in your stead? again?"
However, Alice didn't feel as intimidated. "Aria, would you like to participate in the game for real?"
"Huh?" The one who seemed taken aback by such ludicrosity was Aria. "Hell. No." Aria's voice came next from somewhere around. "Or rather, I already am. Still am. Or more accurately, the cards are still in it, not playing. I don't care either way." The voice approached. "Do you even know what the game is really about? You've never cared for reality, your ignorance was your bliss, or maybe it still is."
"I know. You were right. There was so much I didn't know and still don't know." Alice gripped the bars, now more determined after understanding the world crushing hurt the other woman had faced. "Your heart is weary, but precisely the game can help you with that."
Aria's next words became an echoing whisper scratching the walls. "In all honesty, I think I'd rather see you all die." The whispers stopped and a mockingly laugh came from Aria herself. "It's not as if the pieces have any interest in the game of a left-over foreigner either. They haven't, and even now, when it's their perfect chance to come and play hero to save the captured foreigner, no one has or will come to save the poor tormented second foreigner. But in case they do… I have contingencies ready."
"Someone will come if you wish for it." Alice could perfectly see the other woman as a caged dangerous beast. "Unlike me, you are fierce. When you get out, your fierceness would change this world even more. For the better. But you can't do it alone. You wished for them to come, right?"
"I don't wish for anyone to save me. I just want to get out.. and you are here now." Aria looked haggard and demented, her smile wicked and her demeanor switchy. She spat some more blood on her restraints. "Why are you even here, anyways?"
"Indeed I am here to visit a friend and help you get out. You need some hope in your heart." Alice tried to calm down. As unnerving as Aria was, this was a matter of the heart she understood. "Listen. I've played the game. It was hard and confusing, and bothersome and dangerous… but it was also fulfilling and I can say that I found solace and love, and a place I want to be. You just need to give the game a chance."
"A chance?" Aria's laugh went full blown out again, it sent chills down Alice's spine, more than a laugh it felt like a tiger's roar, shaking her to the bone, and as suddenly as it had come, it stopped short. "A chance for them to directly kill me, perhaps?
"Aria!" Alice puffed. Yes, this was scary, but at this point Aria was just being vindictive and stubborn. "The fact that your heart is back is a sign that it yearns for something, whatever it may be. You should listen to it. "
"I call bullshit on that." Aria twisted under the chains again and this time they became loose, where her blood had hit, corroding darkness had eaten them away. Not all were broken yet, but she could move again, or she might have, if they had not been quite so heavy. "Perhaps I ought to wish for demise and closure… or rather have closure be the ultimate demise." She hummed, tossing some chains one by one. "Yes, dying is fine, but I have my pride and I will take it all down alongside me. This world and its children shouldn't have messed with someone such as I."
Alice gripped the bars tighter still. "That's not it! If that was the case then your heart would not have unsealed. You are despairing. That is something that requires help from someone else. Many times I was about to despair but someone helped me out. I'm sure this time someone can participate to win your game. "
"I will not accept it." The mercenary growled. "Not after all the aggravations I have been subjected to. Even if they came, and no one will, I would rather see them all dead. I am dead anyways, you know. The truth of us and our world?" Aria then looked at Alice with a raised eyebrow full of confused suspicion. "And why are you even here? Why would you even claim to have come to help me?"
"Well, at the very least you saved me and everyone against the Jabberwocky, plus, I feel sympathy, Aria."
In response, Aria snorted. "Sympathy? Yeah sure. My ass!" Aria tossed the remaining chains aside in one go, panting from the effort. Her exhaustion was entirely evident in her weak state. "Why don't you try to simply free me instead? See how that goes. You think he will let you even try?"
"He is different now, or at least to you. He really wants to apologize and play your game, Aria." Alice waved her hands. "Just look around."
Aria tried sitting up, but she seemed to get dizzy and fell back down. "He is fucking with me. Don't you remember how he toyed with you?"
"No. Not this time." Alice shook her head. This was going to be the hardest part. "He is genuinely sorry and he does care for you."
"Bullshit again." Aria, by the sheer power of stubbornness, managed to raise again to sit on the bed. The effort made her shiver and bleed from one ear. "He never has. Its just his role and the game."
"He is a desperate man. A man in love." Alice became stubborn too. "Even I can see that."
"That's not a man, Alice. He is just a role moving the remains of a holder. He is not a person, they're not people, just breathing tools to carry on the duties of their roles. "Aria coughed some blood and then a red line scurried down the side of her lip. "Have you ever heard the tale of the scorpion and the frog? "
Alice let her speak, finally noticing how bad Aria's state was, not just mentally but physically. The other foreigner had pushed herself beyond all limits, and was crumbling because of it; without support and without help before, she was now falling on her own. Still, there was hope. Aria was apparently willing to speak to her.
"There was and there was not a time when a scorpion and a frog met each other on the banks of a stream. The scorpion politely asked the frog to help carry it across the water, promising it wouldn't sting the frog. 'Why would I do that? We'd both drown if I did' The scorpion said. But when they were over the middle of the stream, the frog felt a sting on its back and then and then the venom spread. 'Why did you do that? Now we'll both die!' The frog said, dying and sinking." Aria chuckled, or tried to. it sounded more and if she had choked on her own blood. "Do you know what the scorpion answered?"
Alice waited for Aria to hiss the last part.
"The scorpion, drowning, replied: 'Because that is my nature'."
The tired and sad but angry and betrayed look Aria showed for a mere moment was not lost to ALice. "He is trying, Aria. Even I, who fear him, can see it. He has done a lot of things, but he wants to do better with and for you. He is practically begging."
With emotionless words Aria sighed. "Don't you think it was stupid of the frog to have even given the scorpion the benefit of the doubt?" Aria seemed tired by the minute, but it was not just due to exhaustion. "... if anything the fool was me, I should have never trusted or given them the benefit of the doubt."
"Your heart did and it was right. Yes, you might be vulnerable, but once you find someone to cover that, it's wonderful and it becomes strength. It gets better." The first foreigner tried to sound soothing or at least reassuring. She was convinced, but Aria wasn't.
Raising an eyebrow again, Aria deadpanned. "Do you notice that such statements come from someone in a relationship with an extremely insecure man that constantly mocks and insults you, besides being controlling, jealous and moody to the point of random flickness? "
"T-that's not.. well, maybe a bit… Still, I love him. And he does love me." Alice blushed terribly. "I found someone that I want to spend my life with. And it is better than you may think. You just need to give it a chance."
"Good for you and your fetishes, so go, shu." The mercenary closed her eyes and faced away, waving her hand in a dismissive way; the marks of the chains still visible in her pale skin. "Spend whatever time you have with him, because once I get out I'll destroy this world. Unlike last time, it won't be stopped."
However real that threat was, Alice was more frustrated than scared now. "Just give Joker a chance to apologize! Stop the dread, Aria. Give yourself a chance to feel it. have a date, try to be happy again. You were so happy and proud of that friendship, you defended him and, ugghh, you, know, some men are just clueless! He barely came about realizing it. Even Aegis saw it!"
Aria opened her eyes, her gaze turning vicious as her head turned towards Alice so fast that her neck made a cracking noise. "Aegis? How do you know Aegis?"
Just then a tremor happened that almost tossed both foreigners to the ground. Aria grabbed onto the bed and Alice onto the bar's of the cell.
"The season is ending, Alice. You need to go back now." Joker appeared besides the first foreigner.
"What are you going to do!?" Alice looked from Joker to the inside of the cell with clear worry.
"Dammit. Visit is over." Joker snapped his fingers and Alice was teleported to the circus's entrance. Slowly, now that his presence had been revealed, he glanced into the cell.
Aria focused her red, unblinking gaze and growled. Her body tensed, regardless of her state, combat mode was activated.
"I didn't expect you'd try to call everyone." Joker said something just for the sake of saying something. He was ready to knock her out if she tried to order his role, but he was anxious about having to do something like that and hurt their broken relationship even more. Still, this was it, it was the moment to speak, and yet, she didn't.
She remained silent and unmoving.
The next seconds were interminable pools of dead crypt silence; silence so thick that it would grow to weigh as much as a dying sun if left unattended any more. So Joker spoke first, although unsure how to start all he wanted to convey.
"In the original story you told me, what the scorpion said to the frog was: 'But little frog, I can swim'." Joker took a breath, calming and easing himself. "The scorpion knew how to swim all along."
Aria's tense but twitchy arm finally gave up and she dropped down on the bed. She exhaled, closed her eyes, and grinned. Blood painted her mouth and dripped from her lips, staining her jaw and sliding over her neck. She ignored him.
"And you know very well how to swim." Joker took a brave breath, ready to say all he has been meaning to tell her. "Listen, Aria. I'm sorry and I first need to tell you that I lov.."
"Shut up and kill me." She interrupted with a raspy voice. "You have a bit of time before I regain enough energy to kill you and eat the world"
"I want to speak to you." Joker frowned. He has been ready for violence or at least to be yelled at, but she, apparently, wasn't doing anything, so either she already did, she had a plan, or she simply couldn't.
"Nha. I'll Pass. You shouldn't have awakened me. I was going to kill everyone so easily… Well, first I wanted to see who was so stupid to fall for such a distress call. I sooo wanted to set the trap to kill them all at the same time. Even if I had to die" She smiled in an entirely fake manner with her eyes still closed. "In fact, I could have done it to die."
Joker appeared inside the cell, above her and grabbed her by the neck. "STOP IT ALREADY!"
Aria opened her eyes and widened her grin as if she had expected this. Her look was exhausted but confident; and yet, it could not hide that she was very angry. The glint in her eyes was malicious and murderous. All the rage was boiling right under the surface, only tampered by whatever plan she was enacting. "You better kill me."
Joker growled back. "I'm trying to save you!"
"Save me? After you betrayed me? Yeah sure." The merc didn't even bother trying to move from her position under her captor. "Kill me now, you have some moments before I start devouring reality." She tried to chuckle, but only managed to spill some more blood.
"You are too tired for that. If you could, you would have already started."
Aria moved her hands to his throat, her nails getting covered in shadows but only barely getting sharper like claws. "What makes you think I have not?"
His own grip didn't relent, but he didn't let go; his bloodstained hand still holding onto her. "The fact that the shadows aren't perforating my throat and that your grip is so weak you aren't even crushing my windpipe."
"Oh? it looks like you have some little time to kill me, or will you torture me first?" Her grip remained as feeble as it already was.
"I don't want to kill you." But how to convince her? How to get her to even listen?
She snapped back, almost unable to hide the rage she felt and the hurt she had. "You are Joker and I am a threat to this world. You must kill me. It's your role. You serve for nothing more."
"I. Don't. Want. To. Kill. You." He repeated, his fist trembling. He saw his hand, covered in her blood. He had not drawn it, but it was still ultimately his fault she had spilled it.
"And I have all the intentions To. Kill. You." She dropped her expression. "AnD OnCe i dO I WiLl bE AbLe tO EaSiLy dEsTrOy tHiS WoRlD. tHeRe wOn't bE TiMe fOr a nEw jOkEr tO TaKe yOuR PlAcE AnD GeT CoMpEtEnT FaSt eNoUgH; aNd tHe oThEr aSsHoLeS WiLl bE DeAd bEfOrE ThEy eVeN NoTiCe. Again."
Joker was a bit at a loss. There was something off. Why wasn't she ripping him apart? Or ordering his role? Or… "Why do you want to kill me? Specifically."
"Why? Well, among other things, I'm obviously trying to kill the asshole that forced me to kill my best friend and showed to me that this world is worth nothing."
His clock could have stopped and melted. That stung. "I am your best friend!"
"No, you are not. My best friend is dead… or perhaps I never had one." She was dead serious.
"Of course I am your best friend and you're my best friend, Aria. You're the only one I would ever call that." And it was damn true, whether she still considered it or not.
"How does it feel to be pushed to kill your best friend, huh?" She gave a very wicked and maddened grin full of sickly malice. "You are going to kill the only person that might have been considered a friend, and then your world is going to die because of that. But slowly. If you don't kill such a person, the end of your world will be more horrible and much faster."
Joker loosened his grip finally realizing what it had come down to. He was in the same position he put her. Forcing her to kill her beloved best friend. Of course it was worse on her part, she had passed trough countless timeless torture after struggling impossibly, and he, her anchor of sanity had betrayed her little trust. This was so wicked. It was delightful and admirable and he was most definitely in love with this wicked and creative psycho. "Im going to save you whether you damn like it or not."
"Save what? If you can't do your duties then shouldn't you lose your role again?" She remained laying there, also removing her hand from his throat. "That would be the easier way for me to get rid of you."
Joker grinned back at her. He was starting to understand what she was playing at. "You can't or you would have done something already. You're out of energy." He knew however why she was not doing it. She wanted him to kill her, she wanted him to suffer. She knew he wanted her alive, so she was aiming for him to kill her and to destroy what he cherished.
"I can still burn myself away to get that energy." Her grin maddened and she bit down on her own cheek hard to bleed internally, opening her mouth to show how darkness began eating her blood and growing. Her eyes shined.
"I said stop it!" Joker slammed his hands on her shoulders, pressing her down against the bed, leaning over her. "Please stop all the self harm. I don't want to kill you, I want…"
"I'm regaining energy fast and I can bleed out enough, of course it will kill me but it will kill you first and then the preprogrammed remains of my will will eat the prison and then the world. So you better kill me first and fast."
"I told you I'm trying to save you!"
Her look wasn't amused. "What for? And what are you saving me from anyways? you?" She chuckled, spitting some bloody dark goo. "Joker is the one endangering the foreigner in the first place, but you didn't let any of the other idiots try to play hero. The game is lost. you failed your duty."
"I'm saving you from YOURSELF, you damn psycho!" He almost wanted to slap her. "Aria, Please stop harming yourself! Please listen to m.."
"I don't need saving!"
"Yes, you do! From yourself, and from the madness and from all this damn dread and despair you're drowning into." He gulped and looked sad for a second. He moved back, her gaze was crushing him. He had expected to see anger, to see the anguish… but he saw nothing, and yet, she was taunting him to kill her, forcing him to do what he tried doing to her. So beautifully twisted. It was admirable in a way but didn't help with the situation. "And I have caused some of that. So…sorry. I have a lot to tell you… and I want to ask…"
"Don't think of yourself as important." SHe faked a laugh. "You're just another pawn front his world."
"Maybe. But what if I was your pawn too?" Appeal to her greediness might work, right?
"Oh… an attempt at a new tactics." She attempted to whistle but ended up spitting more blood that slid that melted into the shadows around. "Won't do. I'm not interested in your manipulations. I'll kill you straight as soon as I can, so kill me now and save yourself so you can return to the routine of your normal duties, holder."
He saw the void in her eyes and his voice became softer. "Let me help you to curb the madness. Then we can speak. Or at least rest. Please let me tell you that…"
"I rather let the madness consume me and then I'll consume everything else. Or will you force me?" She spread her legs, doing what effort she could into pressing her pelvis to touch his. "You have the foreigner all tied and in quite a weak state, all ready for you to abuse her. Didn't you say that you'd do anything to make me hate you? Didn't you tried this by force!?"
He shook her by the shoulders and then slammed her again on the bed. "I'll gladly do everything and more to pleasure you and earn your forgiveness, and your love, and to make it up to you… Hey! Don't you fall unconscious on me when I'm confessing all this shit!" Joker grabbed one of the plushie pillows on the bed and screamed on it. Whether it was that she had succumbed to her tiredness or that he had perhaps been too rough, she was out and KOed for the moment and he had not been able to tell her anything.
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