Spade groaned as her alarm clock turned on alerting her to get up. She rolled over, away from her alarm, pulling her pillow over her ears. She didn’t want to get up just yet, she wanted to sleep just a bit longer… That alarm clock wasn’t letting her as the beeping rang in her ears, seeming to get louder and louder, she squeezed her eyes tightly wanting to just go back to sleep, without having to move, but it wasn’t working out for her, as her mind started debating about being late or not. She had been called to go to the court, and get assigned a new job, but not by the two people that normally assign her job. She would be working with the other three Aces this time, they were to take down the Spade court. The court that has gotten out of hand, the court she worked for.

The beeping started to annoy her so she rolled onto her back, and sat up, turning off her alarm clock. She hadn’t been getting enough sleep lately between her job on earth and all this extra work, because of the Spade court, she was lucky to even get six hours of sleep. She sighed and got out of bed, stumbling a bit, before gaining her balance to walk. She walked over to her closet, grabbing out her work clothes, that was used when she went to see the court, of course it showed that she represented the Spade court. She went into the bathroom, to take a shower, get dressed brush her hair and brush her teeth. After she was ready, she pulled her hair up into a pony tail to keep it out of her face and then walked out of the door, after grabbing an energy drink to keep her awake for the rest of the day.

She walked into the house where the four suits would always get together for meetings, Spade looked around the place, it was way too bright for her liking, the floors were pure white, and looked so clean that you would notice a mile away if someone even got a grain of dirt on the floor. The walls were just as white but on each wall was a symbol of each suit, Heart was of course the first one you would see when you walked in, also known as the front wall. On the right wall was the Diamond symbol, the left had the club and the wall where the door was, the back wall was the Spade symbol. Spade walked up to the front desk, to check in, it was a necessary thing to do, for some reason, and soon she found herself being led up the stairs and through a door, where the court was waiting for her. She looked at them knowing right away she wasn’t really welcomed there and she sat down in her normal seat, in front of where the King and Queen of Spades would be sitting, but their absence was obvious anyways, as they were who they were fighting against.

She sat up straight looking at the other court, with them same serious face that she would give when she was about to get a mission for anything. She had made sure that she had finished her energy drink before she had gotten into the building knowing it was rude to be sitting there drinking or eating in a formal meeting. Spade sighed as she awaited orders from the othe suits, as it was them that called for all aces even if she was in the Spade court, she was in the ace knights. She could tell by the looks of the other court members that they weren't willing to accept her, even if she was loyal to the whole court, not just the Spade suit.

Vincent Heart strode silently into the suit house, and checked in at the front desk, managing to do so without saying a word. Despite his silence, one could simply feel his presence; at his entrance, the entire house seemed to become dark and gloomy, a depressing air set down on the four courts. That was probably a combination of his power and the fact that wherever he went, his apathetic face and uncaring manner seemed to cast a melancholic atmosphere.

He noticed that Spade had already arrived, but otherwise said nothing to acknowledge her. It may have seemed strange for a friend to do such a thing to another friend, but the aces were long used to Vincent's way of going about things. At least this was preferable to Vincent's 'off' days; then he seemed to be channeling his other power: hatred. Bitterness. Irritation. On those days, nearly everything seemed to annoy him to no end. Other than that, he seemed to be channeling his main power: depression, melancholy; today was one of those days.

He seated himself without a word in the Hearts Court, and awaited the arrival of the other two aces.

Dante sipped a cup of tea as he watched the sun just start to rise. He had been up all night, not wanting to go to sleep. The reasons for this were unknown, but he didn't have time to ponder these things. He looked up at the clocked and sighed when he realized what time it was. The meeting would be starting soon, and it wouldn't be in the best interests of the knights or the court if a member was missing. So he got out of his chair and quickly made himself look presentable. He was finally satisfied on his appearance and made his way out the door.

He finally reached the suit house. He walked in calmly, the once gloomy air lifting as Dante came in with a small smile. He checked in and made his way to the court. When he arrived he noticed that both Spade and Vincent had already arrived. He sat down in front of the Clubs Court, not breaking the silence that had filled the room. He stared into space for awhile before looking at the other two. Vincent was annoyed, as usual, and Spade was calm and focused, though it was easy to tell that she was a bit nervous of this whole situation. So when she would look in Dante's general direction, he'd give her a reassuring smile. Deep in his mind, however, Dante knew that things wouldn't be so smooth for them, especially for Spade. As he thought of the possible outcomes of this event, he just sat their in silence, waiting for Will to show up.

As was his custom, Will was up before dawn, out in the training field with the other knights practicing with his sword in his armor. When it was about time to head to the court meeting he swung his blade up onto his shoulder and made his way back into the Diamond Castle, and to his room in one of the three towers, each one added to the castle when the three sons were born. It seemed a custom for those in the Diamond bloodline to spend as much money as they could whenever possible, simply because they were able to do so. Maybe that was why his brothers hated him so much.

Once in his room Will shed his hard outer shell for his hard inner shell, and once all the armor was on the dummy he kept in his room he changed into his Wonderland work clothes, keeping his katana at his side as always. On his way out he went through the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water, one of those fancy kind that actually tasted like a fish had swam in it, but normal people drank it anyway because it was fancy. Anyway, he poured that water out and refilled it from a small spring on the way to the couut house that he knew about, and continued on his way.

Upon his arrival he greeted the person behind the desk with a nod and a murmered greeting, signed his name as he always did, in a rather sloppy manner, and continued on. Seeing that the other three were already there he closed his eyes for a moment and gave them each a small wave with his right hand high over his head, his left hand kept on his sword hilt, the bottle of water held in two fingers on that hand as well. Some of the people on the court murmered about him, his manners in such a place, but with a glance from him they quieted and he took his seat. By now his friends, the fellow Aces, all knew his greeting well enough, and that he rarely cared for the rules set forth by others, and so as soon as he was comfortable in his seat he opened his water bottle and took a long drink, then he capped the bottle and slumped forward slightly, always one to be bored with meetings, and waited for the proceedings to begin.

Once all the Aces were in the room Spade stood up as custom and said "Rayne Spade representing the Spade court here as asked for an important mission." She spoke the same way she always did, there wasn't a slight alteration in her voice at all to show any kind of nervousness or panic that was really what she was feeling. She wasn't sure how this was going to go, with the fact that represnting the Spade court right now wasn't a good thing. She just kept going with the same ease and calmness as normal though "You had called the four aces to a meeting, and we are all awaiting orders." Spade said, and sat down. It was normal for her to recite this, it was actually tradition when ever asked to meet in the court.

Of course after that was out, everyone was allowed to talk freely, and Spade happened to know what this was all about so she looked at the other courts and said. "What are we going to do about the Spade court? I know they are getting out of hand, and as I am loyal to the whole court, I will obey orders even if it means going against my own court." Spade said getting it out in the open, she wasn't going to just let any of the courts think she would be loyal to her court only, when she knows that what they are doing is wrong. She also wasn't going to let them say anything bad about her, just because she was in the court, she would work as she always did.

She looked at the other three, not knowing if they would speak or not, but just looked at the court as they glared at her. She stayed where she was confident that if they did anything, she had said what she wanted to. The Court could either accept it, or get rid of her, though she really wished they wouldn't get rid of her, she was just as good as any other knight. Spade had made sure that she wasn't belittled just because she was the only girl in the Ace group. She made sure that she did her work at her best, and tried even harder just because she had to prove herself, because she was the only child of the master knight bloodline, so she didn't have a choice.

Wil listened quietly, eyes closed, as Spade spoke, as she always did in the begining of meetings. Once that was out of the way he opened his eyes and to look around the room at everyone. It seemed that only the other Ace Knights would be supporting her today, but that didn't bother him, because while Wil felt that almost everything in this world was overpriced, friendship was not, so when she looked his way he grined and gave her a thumbs up. And then, when it came time for the free speaking, he slammed a fist down on the table before him and stood, water bottle set aside for the moment, his left hand on the hilt of his sword, as he began to talk;

"I am William Diamond, I represent the Diamond court," he began, giving those who would speak ill of his friend a dirty glare. "I, despite tradition, am one of the four Ace knights, and like the others I have earned the right to bare such a title over the years... Now, if you have any doubts in your mind that Spade would dare to betray us, then listen up!" As he got going his voice got a little louder, so he would make sure the entire court house would hear what he was about to say, "I swaer on this blade that has been in my family since the begining, that I will take full responsibility for any actions Spade would take which you may deem as ill will towards these courts, and helpful towards her own." What he had just said was something not to be ignored by courts, as the only other time a member of the Diamond family had made such a claim their had ended their own life with that very same sword when their belief in those they spoke of were betrayed.

Giving the room a once over again with that glare that demanded attention and seriousness, his eyes fell on Spade, and he nodded silently before sitting back down, this time proping his legs on the table and crossing them. He may have seemed as arrogant as he always did to those who did not personally know him, but to those who did there was a certain air of seriousness about him, which they knew would not faulter until the situation was over, and which gave him a sort of resolve that, like the folded steel of his blade, would not faulter.

Vincent said and did nothing as Spade spoke, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed across his chest, simply listening in silence. He allowed himself a very quick glance around the courts to note the reactions of the suits after Spade's speech, and then William stood and spoke. As usual when it came to matters like this, William's words were powerful and intense, and after he spoke there was an unusual seriousness on his face--seriousness that only the aces could see, where others would see only contempt and arrogance.

Recognising that it was now the time for the Hearts' ace to speak, Vincent stood silently. The few people who had been murmuring a bit after William's words suddenly quieted down as he did so. Vincent's calm eyes swept over the three other courts for a moment before a similarly calm, almost bored-sounding voice droned from his mouth. "Vincent Heart, representing the Hearts court," he said. "And I can testify with full confidence on the loyalty of the Ace of Spades to the aces over her own court; given her years of serving the aces and all courts selflessly, I find it pitiful that there is any need at all to debate her loyalty."

Vincent's words were few and more collected and calm than powerful as William's had been, but they left a strong aftertaste in the minds of those who were listening. Perhaps, had it been a day when his other power was being represented, he would have been much more forceful with his words, annoyed at the doubt at his comrade's loyalty, but those days were few anyway. After a few seconds, as if allowing his words to sink into the minds of those present, Vincent seated himself without a sound.

Dante looked at the faces of each of the courts. They did not change from when the aces came into the court, but their minds were swirling at the words that the previous aces had said. It was now his turn, to give them a closing thought on the matter. He stood, his smile now long gone, replaced with a frown. He gazed at each of the courts, just to get their full attention. "Dante Clubs, representing the Clubs court." His words seemed to be cold and able to pierce the minds of any individual. "During my times as an ace, I have seen Spade to be one of the most focused and determined beings I have ever known." His posture changed, letting them see that he has become aggressive. "For you to doubt her loyalty is not only an insult to her, but to the rest of the aces." His hands started to clench fiercely, the veins in his hands becoming visible. "We all trust her with our lives, which is something most people can't do in times like these." He then pointed his finger at each of the courts. "If any of you had any common sense, you would see that Spade will always be loyal to the courts no matter what happens!" The room then fell to a deathly silence, Dante's words slowly sinking in. He sat down calmly, as though he was calm when he spoke those words.

The King of Clubs rubbed his temples, tapping at the arm rest. "We understand the points that each of you are trying to make, but with these circumstances, we can not easily trust someone who was once apart of the enemy." The Queen of Clubs then sighed. "Besides, Spade has the power of Fear, and we all know that your powers don't have to work on just humans." Dante looked at the King and Queen of his court, with a disgusted look on his face. "How dare you accuse her of using her powers on us." The king leaned forward, anger slowly engulfing his face. "How can we know if she isn't using her powers to make you all fear her, in which case you have to defend her?!" Dante stood up, his calmness once again leaving. "Because each of us know her, unlike you. Maybe if you actually paid attention to the people of your respective courts..." The King of Clubs then slammed his hand on his throne. "Do not dare question my duties as King! You have never been in this position of power, and most likely never will!" The room fell silent once again, this time everyone a little shaken up. The Queen laid her hand on the King's shoulder, and he breathed deeply. "Please take your seat, Ace of Clubs." Dante did as he was told but he still didn't lose his anger towards the courts. The King then regained his composer. "Now then back to the business at hand, we must figure out what course of action we must take against the Spade court." He then looked at the other courts. "Your thoughts?"

Spade sighed and looked at all the aces, “I appreciate you three trying to help, but it isn’t necessary, if they chose to accept that I am loyal or not is up to them. And if they think I am so low as to use my power against my own friends to get you talk good about me, so be it. They will not trust me no matter what anyone in their courts say, no matter what the Aces say, it’s their own decision to make.” Spade said at the three other aces and then looked back at the other courts that were present. “For the war against the Spade court I would suggest a more sneaky kind of tactic, where they won’t know what is happening with their men. That is how they have been getting by right now, is knowing that the courts are attacking full on, and they just have to attack full on as well, they know how all of you would handle a war.” She glanced at everyone in the court, she knew that it would be better to suggest something. She did know that it would be better to take this kind of action more than anything else, she did have knowledge on what the other court was doing, since she had been called to the presence of the King and Queen of Spades, though most of the missions she had been given, she hadn’t even done, for the fact that they were things that would get her involved with the wrong side of the war.

Spade paused for a moment, to see if there was any comment on this, but then just decided to keep going since it wasn’t like she was going to lose anything else. “A sneaky tactic would be easy for us aces to fallow, but as usual we are all still needed for our duties on Earth, so if the aces were to do anything it would have to be during the day, and if we were to go with these kind of tactics, it would take longer to get rid of a lot of men, for the fact that you wouldn’t want the Spade court to finding out that it is us that are doing this, otherwise they would easily know how to counter something like that, if they ever found out whatever tactic you decide to use. Though, if you three courts do not want to listen to me, there is nothing I can do about that. Of course one that has been in the Spade court knows how they play things, and what they would do in these situations.” Spade shrugged, and looked at the other courts with the same calmness, and seriousness that was what she had always given to the other courts.

She knew that they had every right to turn her idea down, but she also felt that this whole thing was getting annoying that she wasn’t being trusted, and that the courts wouldn’t just tell her that she was no longer welcome as an ace. She would rather hear that she was no longer welcome as an ace, than to be glared at and turned down all the time. She knew that her friends had tried to help in proving her loyalty, but as she heard from the Club court that they thought she would use her power and force them to say stuff like that. "Of course this is not the place for me to talk, as the other courts probably have their own ways on how to solve this war." She muttered, and looked at the table.

Leaning forward and lowering his legs, Wil reached for his katana and began to draw it, going to use this motion as a sort of trigger. If they thought fear could affect them in such a way he would flood the room with temptation, then ask the people of the courts if they could feel the presence of his power, as they claimed Spade might be using her own against them. Just the thought of such a thing put a bad taste in his mouth, and it reminded him of when he was much younger and his brothers would always tease him and test their powers on him.

However, before he could complete his action, the Queen of Diamonds stood and gave him a kind but hard look. William had served his king and queen loyaly all his life, but she knew that he was even more fiercely loyal to his friends, the other Aces, and she also knew that the glance she just gave him would be enough to halt him, for now at least. "I believe the Ace of Spades has a point." She says, her voice echoing through the room with a slightly southern accent. "Who else would know the inner workings of the Spade Court better than their own Ace? I think her idea of some sort of a sneak attack has some merit, if, that is she can elaborate on it a bit more. I may be getting older, but I fear I have a hard time believeing how such a sneaky move can be done in broad daylight. With that said, I also have confidence in the girl," the queen gives Spade a small, grandmotherly smile at this point, "She seems a girl after my own heart, and if my Ace would utter the death pact to defend her honor, then I, for one, and not inclined to deny her thoughts in this court house."

This made it painfully obvious for the king, who had gone slightly red, matching his overcoat, that it was actually the queen who ruled the House of Diamonds. but it didn't bother him so badly to try and backtalk her, because he, too, say merit to the girl, and knew just how fierce William could be when defending people of the Diamond Court he'd never met. To put him between one of his best friends and the enemy...he winced for the enemy.

The Hearts Court watched as the Spades and Diamonds monarchs spoke. The King and Queen of Hearts had hardened, severe faces, and they did not look entirely convinced even after the aces and courts had spoken. However, when the King stood to speak to the courts, his words did not attack or go against the Ace of Spades, though he regarded her with ever-cold eyes.

"Perhaps the Ace of Spades is correct," he boomed. His voice was regal and majestic, and commanded attention and respect in itself; that impression was only increased by the grand figure from which the voice issued. "Indeed, she would know her own court better than any of ourselves would. However, I am yet to be fully convinced that she is entirely on the side of the aces and the courts. I do not accuse her of anything--yet--but all I have been given to trust on about her loyalty is the word of her friends."

He seated himself, and the queen stood.

"All that must be said has been said by the King," her voice was much like the King's, if not as deep; it demanded obedience, and echoed through the suits. "And I will say that though I would not suffer to see the courts and the aces torn apart by distrust, I do not wish to base the power of our operations on the words of a few friends." She seated herself, and a silence fell on the courts.

The Club court was still a bit shaken from the argument that ensued with the King of Clubs and the Ace of Clubs, but they were still able to hear the other two courts give their opinions on the matter. Now it was they who would voice their thoughts and then come up with a conclusion on what to do. The King cleared his throat and spoke. "I agree with the King of Hearts. She might be the best candidate for any form of mission against the Spade court, but seeing a she was once apart of that very court, makes me think that the idea of her betraying us should not be thrown away." His voice was that of an important leader, but not the regal or heroic kind. It was more along the lines of a crime lord of some kind of criminal syndicate. The Queen then spoke her thoughts. "The chances of her betraying us might be high, but you cannot deny that her idea is a good one. An all out war against the Spade court cannot be done. Silence and precision is what we need."

Then the room had an awkward silence, seeing as the court was split in half. The King and Queen of Hearts and the King of Clubs going against Spade, and the King and Queen of Diamonds and the Queen of Clubs going for Spade. They had a problem, for no official action involving all the aces could be taken if the whole court didn't agree upon it. Dante started to think of what could be done to resolve this. Then he had it. Dante stood up and began to speak. "I propose a compromise." The courts stared at Dante, a little confusion in their expressions. The King of Clubs leaned forward. "What do you have in mind, Ace of Clubs?" Dante looked at the king straight in the eyes. "You are right that Spade is a huge liability, but the plan she has given us is the best course of action." Dante leaned forward, his hands pressed against the table. "I say that we go with her plan, but if she shows any sign of treachery, any action that might go against the courts..." There was a pause, then Dante looked at the courts with the most serious face an individual could have. "...the other aces will apprehend her and deliver justice on the spot. We will then return to the courts for new orders." This was something that was able to stun the courts, if only by a little. The King of Clubs then started to stroke his beard. "Say she does do something that goes against us. What's stopping you from letting her go and do as she pleases?" Dante had a small grin paint his face. "Because, my king, I'd rather end the life of one good friend than damn the lives of innocents."

The court had one more silence to add to the many that had already happened, but this was would be the most powerful of them all. The King and Queen of Clubs looked at each other and nodded. "The Clubs court will agree to this compromise." Dante then held out his palm. "Hold on. For this compromise to work, I will not only need the approval of the courts, I will also need the approval of the other aces." The king looked at Dante with an annoyed face. "Fine. The Clubs court will also approve of the voting powers for the other aces." Dante then sat down and glanced at the other aces. He knew that there could have been other endings to this, but this was the best one if they were going to do anything. Dante eagerly awaited the answers of the other courts and the other aces.

Spade looked at everyone for a second and then sighed, "I know that I have really no right to even be in this vote as it is my own life on the line, but I do have to say that there is a chance I will betray all the courts..." She looked down at the table not really wanting to see anyone else's reactions. "Now before you jump to conclusions, it isn't for my loyalty of the other court, I have been turning down missions from them for a few weeks now, I can prove that much with the paper work that is done when an ace turns down a mission. The only reason I would betray the other courts is the fact that if the Spade court starts getting suspicious, they may decide to take action by using my father as a hostage. You all know how hostile the Spade court is, how most of the time they rely on fear to command their troops and people under them. If they take my father hostage and plan to use him for me obey their orders, I will have to go that way." She clenched her fists, and looked very concentrated on the table. Her nails were digging into her palms and felt as if they were about to break skin, she needed them to know this before they were to decide this quickly on something.

"Now, I don't expect the Kings and Queens of any of the courts to understand that something like this would mean that much to any of you, but you aces know what I mean. You know that if anyone close to me was a hostage I would rather have my life taken than theirs. And you all know how much my father means to me, with that I do say that I will agree to this." Spade said. Her father happened to be her only parent, and family member left, her mother had left them both when she was young, because of the fact that Spade had that power over fear, like her father and she seemed to enjoy it. Her mother thought Spade was more a monster than anything else, she thought that Spade was completely insane. Of course her father, did have siblings, but they had all been killed in revenge for some mission her father had done, and her grandparents had died of old age. She only had her father, to raise her, but she seemed completely fine with that, and never really complained about it.

"If my father becomes hostage, I must ask you three to let me make sure he is set free, before you kill me." Spade muttered, and with that she was quiet, but she didn't look at anyone still. She didn't want to see them react to this, she didn't really want to say anything, but it was something that had to be said. She made sure that it was out there for them to think of, she expected that one of them would say something about just going in there and freeing her father themselves instead of betraying the courts, but she knew how the Spade court worked, there was no way for her father to hide if he was broken out and after they would try and break him out, they would kill to kill him so that Spade would be taught a lesson.

The king and queen of Diamonds were quiet for a long moment before they turned slowly to look at one another. For another moment they were silent, as if they could speak to one another with their minds, and prehaps they could, for at the exact same time they both turned to look down at their Ace, William, who was taking a drink from the water bottle he had brought in. At this point they went into council with one another, quietly, so as not to be heard by any others outside their own court. Each of them knew full well that William was loyal to their court, however, they also knew that he was just as loyal to his friends, and even more fiercely towards the other Aces, which included Spade. It seemd they had come to a decision, and were about to answer, when suddenly the water bottle when flying across the room.

William, after taking one last drink, placed his cap on the bottle just so, then tossed it across the room with perfect aim. It's trajectory caused it to land so that the bottom of the bottle hit the table just in front of Spade, and then the cap came loose, and sent a spray of the still cold water into her face. As this occured the knight stood, slowly, as if he were not a young, able-bodied knight, but an old man who's body remembered much suffering that his mind could. Once he was on his feet he pointed over at Spade with a very serious look, then he spoke.

"Spade, shut up." it was brash and simple, but al he could manage at first, as anger was blocking his sences. "I hope that cold water woke you up finally, because you must be asleep, or already dead, if you really think you're alone here. You have me, and Dante, and Vincent, and while we are of the other courts, we are still your friends, and you should know by now how saying something like that would make us feel. If you think we would actually allow you to fall under such dire cirsumstances, you are a fool..." He then lowers his arm, and rested both hands in his pockets before continueing. "I will go along with Dante on this...I am a knight, but I am also, if not more so, a gentleman, and a gentleman would not allow his friend to die at the hands of the merciless wolves. And so, yes, if you decieve us, your friends...your family...then I will allow you to see to your father before I cut first you down, and then your entire court..."

At this point the Queen was red in the face, although with what emotions it was quite hard to tell, for her eyes were set, cold, and angry, but she was grinning slightly, even as her clentched fists shook behind the table. And suddenly she stood. If she held anything it would have flown at William she pointed at him so roughly. "Please, excuse the Ace of Diamonds actions...he can be quite the fool at times. However...I must agree with the decision of the Ace knights, and that of the court of Clubs. Spade will be treated as an acest, for now, but watched closely. And if Sir William fails in his promiced duties, then I will whip the flesh from his bone with a hickory switch!" The king then reached out and gently pulled his beloved wife down to her seat, saying, "Dear, please, that's enough..." And only then, aftr hearing those words and smiling brightly, did William take his seat once more.

The King and Queen of Hearts seemed to consider it for a moment, and then glanced at Vincent, whose apathetic expression remained; his face was unreadable, a shield to mask whatever was going on behind it. Then the king stood, and spoke once more. "I find this proposal to be acceptable to the Court of Hearts. We leave it to our ace," he gestured to Vincent, whose expression did not change. "to speak concerning the proposal as well."

Vincent sighed, as if he were tired of the proceedings already, and with a bit of effort pushed himself from the seat and glanced around at each of the aces, and then the kings and queens, and then Spade herself. To anyone else it would seem he regarded her with cold and tired eyes, but those who had known him longer--the aces, for example--would know that behind the eyes he was thinking. He bit his lip for a moment, and then said, "Very well. In the unlikely occassion that the Ace of Spades should betray the Aces...I will do as I must." He nodded, and returned to his seat, the apathetic expression returning to his face.

The King of Clubs rose. "Well, now that everyone is in agreement, I do believe that this meeting is over." The King then helped the Queen rise as well. "We shall see you all off on your mission tomorrow. Until then, your free to do as you wish for the remainder of the day, if the other courts do not have anything specific for their aces to do." The King and Queen of Clubs got off of their thrones and began to leave the room. The Queen then turned her head to look at her ace. "You are dismissed, Ace of Clubs." Dante gave a low bow to his king and queen and quickly left the room.

Dante waited for the others to come out at the entrance to the suit house. He had a lot to think about, especially with the compromise that he had proposed. If it did come down to it, Vincent, Will, and him would have to kill Spade for the good of the rest of the courts. It wasn't a thought he wanted to think, but he knew that it would be a very likely outcome. It had a higher chance of being the outcome when Spade said that there would be a chance that she would betray the court. Dante lifted his left hand and placed it across his face, slowly rubbing his temples. He now realized that he would have to talk to the other aces about the actions that he took. This compromise wasn't the greatest outcome, in fact it could have been the worst, but it was efficient. If they were going to do anything against the Spade court, there was no other way they could have done this. Dante was able to keep his calm demeanor in the court for awhile, but now his furious side started to show. He started to claw the stone wall behind him, using enough force to actually start breaking away at the stone. He was angry at this entire situation. Why did the Spade court have to do this? Why did they have to screw up everything for the aces? He then started squeeze his finger into his head, the force piercing the skin and making him bleed. He then stopped, the squeezing and clawing ceasing. Dante looked at the sky and sighed. He knew that was the nature of all living things. Nothing can be pure and good forever, eventually it will get corrupted. That was how life worked, and he was not going to get angry at nature. He then placed his hands in his pockets and waited for the others, ignoring the blood that drizzled from his forehead.

Spade didn't say a thing to William, though she wasn't exactly in the mood to talk after she had just been sprayed with water, and she was a bit pissed off about that one. Once she was dismissed she walked away, going into the restroom, to dry off. She grabbed paper towel to wipe the water off, as she then walked out still drying off. She saw Dante bleeding and sighed walking up to him she pressed a piece of paper towel to the bleeding spot on his head. "Thank you." Spade muttered and smirked just a bit. Once she was sure that Dante had stopped bleeding, she walked away throwing all the paper towel away, and just walked out of the building. She was really just planning to go home, since she really just wanted to go home anyways. Spade knew that she should probably go and hang out with her friends, as it was normal for them to do that, but really she couldn't make up her mind anyways.She was just standing there at the enterance, thinking if she should go back in or walk home like she was about to. She shook her head thinking that there wasn't much she could do anyways, and started to head home, to have some free time before they all would have to go to Earth and do their job, as they would always do.

William had known the water in the face would make spade angry, but he was angry about the whole situation, and felt his friend was acting more than a bit like a fool. Of course he also felt that little of what he thought mattered to anyone, but he tried to put it out there. When the court meeting ended he exited last, as was his custom, it seemed, though not always on purpose. By the time he made it outside it seemed almost everyone had gone, though he did find Dante waiting outside, and in the distance he could see Spade walking away from them.

"Think maybe I over did it with the water?" William asks, crossing his arms behind his head and looking over at Dante, then up at the sky. "Oh well, she was pissing me off...I mean, sure, her court is a bunch of land hungry idiots, but that doesn't mean she has to act like that..." He lets out a long sigh then and closes his eyes for a moment before bringing his hands down and stuffing them in his pocket. With his next words, his voice grows deathly serious. "Dante...do you really think it might come to...that?" He couldn't bring himself to even think about killing Spade, but it had been put out there now.

As the King and Queen of Hearts stood up, Vincent gave a tired sigh and sat back, like an old man resting in his chair. Finally, after all had left the court, he too stood up, and stretched out, almost yawning a bit. His eyes scanned over the courtroom, as if expecting to see something there that everyone else had missed. After a moment, he merely shook his head a bit, and began to walk out of the building as well.

Immediately, the sun blasted into his face, and a tiny frown graced his otherwise expressionless face. Vincent was never one to enjoy the sun, though one could probably have guessed that immediately. He preferred colder, more cloudy days without rain and sun; unfortunately, those were few and far between here.

Glancing over at the two other aces besides Spade, Vincent noticed Dante's head bleeding but otherwise chose not to acknowledge it. He made his way over to the two aces, and heard William speaking. Normally Vincent would have kept silent, but instead he decided to let his opinion be known. "I doubt it will come to that by Spade's own decision. She would not willingly betray the aces, I believe." Vincent sighed, looking as if he wanted to lean against the wall, and then said, "If we have nothing else to do...I guess I'll be going, then."

Dante stared into the sky as Will did and began to rub his head. "First off, I do not believe anything is overdone if the person who did it doesn't think so..." He then rubbed his eyes, the light hurting them more than usual. "...And I agree with Vincent. The only time Spade will betray us is if the Spade court did something to make her do it. But if we have to, we will have to kill Spade, for the good of the court and the innocent lives that might get involved." Dante then took one more look at the sky, then continued walking in a different direction. "Well there's not much left to do now, so I'll be heading home. I'll see you guys when it's time to go for our jobs on Earth." With a wave of goodbye, he walked on until he reached his house.

He entered then immediately fell into his chair. He was quite dizzy, for reasons he didn't know. "What the hell?" He sat there for a minute or two before it went away. Dante shook his head and scratched the back of it. "That was weird." He then got up and made himself some tea. During this, he never stopped thinking about the issue with the Spade court. Many thoughts whirled around in his head, more being spawned. There were so many that he couldn't focus on one without thinking of another. He then looked out the window and the thoughts ceased. Dante saw the sun as it sat in the perfect spot to cast the light at the city in just the right way to create a beautiful light show. He then smiled a bit and drank his tea. He knew that there were so many outcomes to this, but he only had to think of one. It would be everyone leaving this situation behind and having their normal, happy lives go on like nothing happened. He finished his tea and fell onto his bed. He was tired. Everything that happened today made him tired. All he wanted to do was sleep until it was time to go to Earth. So he laid there, fallen into a deep sleep, waiting for the time to go.

William lowered his head after his friends had responded to his questions and began to leave. He wasn't sure if he was there alone now or not, but it didn't matter, as he was lost in thoughts he should have never had. Shaking his head he begins moving forward, and once away from where his friends had stood he raised his right hand and then, after a moment, lowered it, his way of saying goodbye, and then continued on, silently. The evernts of earlier kept replaying in his head. How everyone's eyes had been on Spade, how everyone chose to judge her instead of trying to help her, and it made him physically sick. he had to stop en let his breakfast loose in a tree and sit down for a moment before he could move forward any further.

when he finally could he somehow managed to clear his thoughts, most of them, until he got home. The one thought he could not clear from his mind was, Could I really kill Spade? No...no, I don't think I could. This was the first time, he realized, that he felt he could not possibly keep his word to his court, that he might break the bond of his word. Such thoughts nearly made him sick again. Calming himself he goes to his room and changes quickly into his casual clothes and goes down to eat, alone. Normally he would suffer through being taunted by his elder brothers, have to listen to his father scold him, and his mother whine about her youngest boy going off on such dangerous jobs, but, tonight he would dine alone. Once his plate was full of food, and his glass filled with wine, he ventured off to his room, to eat, drink, and wait until it was the right time.

Spade walked home and sighed, knowing that the Spade territory was getting more dangerous, and full of violence. The Spade kingdom was so much more concentrated on the war, and winning it, that they weren't looking on their own people. There were crimes going on so often, that Spade had been working on keeping most people in place than working on any missions with the Spade kingdom. She had been using that as her excuse at the moment, there were still people out there that she was unable to catch, the place used to be a good place until everyone started getting greedy. It seemed like it wasn't going to change anytime either, most people thought that if the Spade kingdom is going to be greedy and use their family members to cause violence, why couldn't they be greedy and cause their own violence. She sighed as she looked around at the city, that seemed to just have dark clouds hanging over it, making the place dark itself, even if the sun was shining at the moment, there wasn't any way it could lighten the dark capital of the Spade territory.

Spade passed the castle where her court was, the only place clean of anything that was going on, yet it was covered with the blood of the innocent people that the court has already killed. She loathed that the people in that castle, weren't feeling even a little guilty for what was going on. They were just sitting in that castle enjoying their money, getting more greedy as they watched the war, and their own people suffer. She glared at the castle, not even wanting to look at it, she wanted to just see the castle go down in ruins, and see what the court would think after they had nothing left, as if they were going to get out of this whole thing alive. The Spade court wasn't going to win this war, as long as Spade was on the other side, as long as she was able to have her say, without harming another person's life, the Spade court has already lost in her eyes. Of course for Spade, if anyone innocent became involved with this work, it meant that she wasn't exactly going to be on any court, if the Spade court was able to make Spade switch sides, she might as well be dead already. She walked to her home, that she was paying with her own money and waited for it to finally become time for them all to go to Earth. She took this time as time to practice, for a while, as tomorrow, the aces would have to get to work, slowly picking off the numbers of the Spade troops.

Spade got home and and took the time to read for a while, finally she decided it was time for her to get ready for her to go to work. It was time to go to Earth, so she was quick with getting ready before night fell completely. She was quick to get ready in her earth clothes, wearing a black cloack with the hood up, it made her look what humans thought was the grim reaper, and with her power over fear it just helped everything even more. She walked out of her house once again and made her way to the portal, that is only accessible to the aces, the portal that made it possible to go to this Earth. The portal was out of sight, and in none of the four territories of the courts, of course nobody but the aces expected that the portal looked like a simple mirror. Spade knew better than to wait for the others in Wonderland, so she just walked right into the mirror, almost like the glass was made of liquid, she passed through, on the otherside, ending up in a vacant house on Earth. The aces had made this their home and almost a hideout through all generations of aces, she looked around the dusty living room. They didn't really stay often enough to clean the place, it was more like a place that was just passed through, on occasions they would stay around the house for a little while and have a bit of fun, like when they didn't have to worry about an ace's duty, instead their parents were the ones that worried about those.