The Judges

“Love-hate relationship? The Spades and the Clovers?”

I asked while shoving one of the last two macarons on the table into my mouth.

“Yep,” said Pierce, sipping his tea with a loud slurping noise. “You see, our leader, the Mad Hatter Clover, used to be a Spade.”

“Huh? …So you can switch sides?” I asked with my mouth full.

“I mean,” he shrugged, “sure? It’s not unheard of, but it’s also not common or easy, though.”

“That’s right,” Zuria chimed in, “switching sides is extremely rare. There’s a sense of pride that comes with being part of your faction, so most people want to stay in it as long as possible.”

“Oh, like… football team fans?”

“Exactly like football team fans.”

“The hell is football?” Pierce scoffed.

“It’s like croquet, but more violent,” Zuria explained.

“It’s nothing like croquet,” I huffed, annoyed.

“Well, it’s a sport from the Other World,” Zuria shrugged, “and their fans are just as rabid as our local croquet fans.”

Rabid croquet fans. I couldn’t picture it.

…Eh, I guess I could.

“Anyway,” Pierce finally lowered his legs away from the table, bringing us back on track. “The current Mad Hatter Clover used to be close with the previous Alice Spade, so after she left to go back to the Other World, he went kind of crazy. He made it clear he would never serve anyone else, much less another Alice, and decided to lead his own faction instead.”

“So he created the Clovers?”

“No,” Zuria shook her head. “The Clovers already existed. Every faction has existed since always, and their roles in our history remain unchanged, no matter what.”

Since always, she said.

What does that even mean, really? Always is way too long a time period to imagine.

“The Clovers are our allies, Alice.”

Zuria gently placed her hand over mine; I hadn’t realized I was clutching my spoon with a little too much force as I tried to process all this information. I looked at her, and she continued in a calm manner.

“They support the Spades, and make sure the Alice Spade picks only the best to stop the deluge when it arrives.”

I frowned.

“Support us, how? Are they also trying to stop the rain? Then why don’t they do that instead?”

“Hah? ‘Course we wanna stop the rain! We’re not stupid!”

Pierce suddenly leaned it, squinting like a thug in my direction.

“But only the Spades have that power. Us Clovers have a different, better power than that, wanna know what it is?” He reached across the table and pressed the tip of his index finger against my nose. “I’m gonna tell you anyway: we get to approve or deny any Spade that you choose for your little entourage.”

“What…?”

He sneered, pulling his finger away and leaning back on his seat with an annoying, haughty grin.

“We’re the judges, is what it means. If we don’t like you or your vibes, you’re out.”

“That’s so unfair!”

Ugh. I didn’t get it. Zuria told me it was up to me to pick the other Spades, but now it turns out no matter who I pick, Pierce and his group get to veto them!?

This guy clearly doesn’t like me, so what’s stopping him from saying no to anyone I choose? It was totally pissing me off!

“It’s not unfair, it’s tradition. We trust the Clovers.”

I tugged my hand away from Zuria’s the moment she said this. I didn’t need to look at her to imagine her sad kicked puppy eyes.

“Alice…”

“Yeah, I know, I get it! I have to play by your stupid rules!” I cut her off before she said anything else. “It just feels like every time I learn something about this place, something new and more infuriating comes up.”

I knew it wasn’t her fault, but who else was I supposed to blame for this? I thought I was being forced into a reluctant hero kind of role, but now I don’t even feel like a hero; I feel like a puppet being used for their convenience.

It sort of dawned on me that whoever accepted to help them out must be out of their mind. They were told they could come to some magical land and become a cool leader, only to find out they were nothing more than some avatar meant to be discarded as soon as their use ran out. And there was fighting involved, too, so isn’t it too dangerous?

What kind of idiot would agree to those terms willingly? Only a saint, that’s who! There’s no way my sister is that selfless, I won’t buy it, no matter what the bunny girl says. There’s gotta be a catch. There has to be something that…

…Oh.

I slowly turned my head to Zuria.

I knew I probably shouldn’t ask this in front of Pierce and show just how ignorant I truly was, but I didn’t really have much of a choice at this point.

“Hey. What does the Alice Spade get in return?”

“...Huh?”

“There’s gotta be something, right? Stopping the rain, fighting weirdos… This is too much risk for no reward.”

Her ears twitched uncomfortably at my question, but I asked again anyway.

“So, tell me. What does the Alice get for her service?”

I could hear Pierce laughing so hard his voice was inaudible; it was just a shriek like that of a kettle boiling water. Yes, Pierce, I know I don’t know shit, you don’t have to make a big deal out of it every time!

As annoyed as I was, I didn’t look at him - my eyes stayed fixed on Zuria, who was trying very hard to keep her own eyes on me, no matter how foggy her glasses were getting.

Eventually, she looked away, planting her hands on her lap.

“...Well. Once the deluge has been stopped, the Alice… gets a card.”

I raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to follow up. I don’t know if she wanted me to just accept that as a full answer or not, because it took her a while to finally speak again.

“...It’s called the Joker card, and it only appears after the rain. It’s a powerful card that can make anything you write on it come true.”

My eyes opened incredibly wide.

It didn’t sound like she was joking, but I was having trouble picturing that, let alone accepting it as fact, no matter how wacky this place is.

I squinted at her, skeptical.

“A card?”

Suddenly, she gasped, jolting up from her seat.

“That’s right! Your weapon! You still don’t know about it!”

“Hey, wait! I want to know more about this card!” I reached for her skirt to keep her from going away in case she was planning to. “What kind of card is it, how big!? How do I use it!? What kind of wishes can I make!?”

Surprisingly, she was looking at me with a smile - one that looked genuine, unlike all the forced and polite ones I’ve seen on her face since I met her.

It didn’t look like she was trying to leave, either.

“...It’ll be easier to show you. Let’s go outside.”