Joker | aib

さん

Act one

The beach

さん

three

Seaside Paradise Resort 

"There's this resort on the outskirts of the city, near the sea..."

"What of it?" Asked Aguni.

With her jacket and bag discarded somewhere around the three of them, Akari was laying down on the cold floor. Her eyes were closed but she could not sleep, not even in the sleep derived state she found herself in. She tried to, closing her eyes tight and thinking of sheep jumping over a fence, but it didn't work. She slowly opened her eyes, bringing her hand up to shield her face from the sun. It was the beginning of her sixth day in the borderlands. She had played a game every night since she found herself in the new world, even after finding her new companions and being with them for three days. The first two nights, she went alone. Both times, she found her new companions waiting for her at the exit of her chosen game. The third time, the two decided to accompany her into a spades game that they easily won even though the game was one of the hardest they had ever played. By the beginning of the sixth say, her visa already had at least three weeks, with a nine of spades, a two of diamonds and a six of clubs. She had yet to find another heart game, and the wait for that moment only seemed to grow. She wanted to participate in more games but as Hatter started unrolling his idea, her interest spiked up.

"We could create a community," he started, getting up from his place next to Akari, "We could be kings... and queens of course." The young woman gave him a small smile before her face fell again as she tried to concentrate and get past her sleepiness.

"Image," said Hatter as he got to his feet, his arms moving fast through the air as if he was mimicking his idea, "We could rule. We would make our own rules. It will be a safe environment, no fear of the games until the time actually comes to play them, no fear of attacks in the middle of the night. Akari will finally be able to get a good night of sleep!"

At the mention of her name, Akari placed her elbows down and pushed herself slightly up to view Hatter better. Her gaze turned to Aguni. He was sitting on a sidewalk, cleaning his gun, and his eyes barely even tried to meet Hatter's. The idea didn't delight him in the slightest. Akari, on the other hand, could only think of taking her sleeping pills and not fearing getting killed in her sleep or sleeping too much to miss the games.

Hatter rolled his eyes at Aguni and turned to Akari, extending his hand. The young woman stared at it for a few seconds before placing her hand in his. He dragged her up and took her jacket and her bag with his other hand. His arm wrapped around her shoulder, he shouted at Aguni to get up and started walking.

"Where are we going?" Asked the man.

"To see the resort," answered Hatter nonchalantly before continuing his rant, his voice low so only Akari could hear, knowing Aguni didn't really care, "I was thinking of naming it the beach, you know? We could be executives once we have enough people. They would follow us in return for their safety. We will have to figure out how to get electricity and running water in the resort though, but with your brains, we'll figure it out. We'll make our own utopia!"

Akari let out a small chuckle as she continued to listen to the rant. Not too long after, they found a car. Hatter forced Aguni in the driver's seat and gave him instructions all the way to the resort while Akari sat in the backseat, her eyes gazing out through the windshield as the scenery changed.