"Sorry, the naive, sweet Jack is dead. You unmasked him yourself. Now you're dealing with Jack the Cunning." Alaric said, tilting his chin up with a dramatic flair, as if saying, You ignored me then, but you can't handle me now. He was in full-on theatrics mode.
"Is it possible I'm a black cat, not a big orange tabby?" Klein said with a smile, clearly familiar with the reference.
"No worries. Cats are all the same to me. I don't mind treating you as a stand-in for the tabby." Alaric replied, grinning.
"I mind, thanks. No cat-on-cat action here." Klein shot back, rolling his eyes. He poured himself a cup of black tea, downed half of it, then checked his pocket watch. "Time's almost up. I need to head to the gray fog to prepare."
"Go on, go!" Alaric waved him off, no trace of reluctance, already buzzing with anticipation for the upcoming Tarot Club meeting.
So, at three o'clock that afternoon, the grand, giant-like palace above the gray fog came alive once more.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool~"
Audrey's cheerful voice rang out. After greeting The Fool, she was about to extend her usual courtesies to the other Tarot Club members when she noticed two new faces.
"This is our new member, Mr. World."
"And this is our new member, Miss Magician."
The Fool's calm voice introduced the newcomers to the group, then briefly presented the veteran members to them.
Two new members! Audrey's excitement spiked, but her sharp Spectator instincts quickly zeroed in on one of them. Brown hair, blue eyes, that lazy vibe… Is that Miss Fors? Though she lacked concrete proof, given her earlier recommendation of Fors and Xio to The Fool, Audrey was almost certain.
She pondered whether to reveal her identity to Fors. With "Emperor" around, my identity's probably not staying hidden. No need to spill it outright... let's see how long it takes Fors to figure it out.
Probably not long… Audrey thought with amusement, shifting her attention to the other newcomer.
Unlike the easily identifiable, slightly laid-back Magician, Mr. World seemed far more enigmatic, shrouded in a hooded cloak that hid his details. He doesn't seem easy to get along with… Audrey noted, suspecting his pathway might counter her Spectator abilities, as she struggled to read anything from his expression or movements.
While Audrey observed, the ever-ambitious Hanged Man, Alger, was sizing up the newcomers too. Though he didn't know Fors and lacked Spectator skills, his seasoned instincts kicked in. Magician's clearly a carefree, likely wild Beyonder. World, though… he's no pushover. Sequence unknown, but definitely not some naive rookie.
Derrick, less analytical, gave the new members a quick glance, greeted them, and then focused entirely on The Fool. Normally, Derrick's warm nature would've shown more enthusiasm, but his mind was preoccupied with Lucifer's imminent arrival and the hope of light returning to City of Silver.
Compared to them, "Emperor" Alaric's thoughts were simpler. He glanced at Fors, offered a greeting, then eagerly watched The Fool and World's double act unfold.
Under his friend's enthusiastic gaze, Klein, controlling his World alt, felt a wave of embarrassment crash over him... like being forced to perform for relatives during a holiday gathering. Thanks to his recent trials and Clown's expression-control skills, he'd mastered a poker face, or he might not have survived the moment.
The warm welcome for the new members wound down, shifting to the next phase... The Fool's reading of Roselle's diary. This time, only The Hanged Man Alger, burdened by debts from Qilangos, provided diaries. Limited by the Sailor Pathway's memory, he submitted just six pages.
Roselle's diary? As in Emperor Roselle's notes? Fors, the Magician, widened her eyes slightly. As a writer, she wouldn't dare interrupt The Fool, but her keen eye for detail and imagination went into overdrive. Wait, I remember Miss Audrey was collecting Roselle's notes. I wondered why she was so into them. And Jack found that note with Mr. Fool's honorific name through Audrey's friend…
Fors's usually idle brain... save for when she was procrastinating on deadlines... kicked into high gear. In a flash, she made a connection and glanced at Miss Justice, studying her again. Golden hair, emerald eyes, elegant dress, expensive jewelry, impeccable manners… Once the idea took hold, Fors instantly overlapped Miss Justice with Audrey.
By the Steam, Miss Audrey is Miss Justice? A follower of the mysterious Fool, a Tarot Club member? Fors could hardly describe her shock, but it quickly felt reasonable. The Tarot Club was a recognized organization, and as an earl's daughter, Audrey joining wasn't surprising.
But if Audrey's in the Tarot Club, why use my channels to join a Beyonder gathering and buy a Spectator potion formula? Is she hiding her Tarot Club membership? Fors suddenly felt the innocent image of Audrey she'd held was tinged with shadows. Maybe she wasn't as naive as she seemed.
***
Every 100 Power Stones and 5 Reviews will earn you a Bonus Chapter.
And if you want to read up to 50 chapters ahead, don't hesitate to visit our patron: pat reon . com / XElenea (remove space)