End of the Line [Complete]

[Kari Muffin]

Queen Serafino? Conway's eyes widened at the very specific request to remove one of the man's crowns. No wonder he was offering so much. The Queen of Hearts was someone that couldn't be easily fought. He was, after all, a Heart. All the rumors about him must have been true.

But Conway couldn't back down. He had to do this for his sister. June was his only reason to keep on living, and if she was thrown out on the streets he would never forgive himself. This had to be done for her sake. "All right. That's simple enough. Now, one more question before I leave the room and go on my way to completely your request. Do you have a time limit or do I have time to properly plan my course of action?"

This was the most that Conway had talked in months, besides that conversation with his sister. He didn't enjoy lingering, he just wanted to get the job done, but he couldn't rush into it head long. Even with an identity he still ran the risk of getting killed if he wasn't careful. For June though, he would be as careful as he could.

[The Jenn]

Blaine snorted, shaking his head. "Simple enough. Boy, you'd best take all the time you can. I don't imagine this will be anything even close to 'simple enough'. Try to keep it within a year... I don't want it to take any longer than that if you can help it. Learn whatever you can about his Kings before you go - if anyone discovers you, they'll be your main source of competition. His uncle, at any rate, is a mage. Keep it in mind and don't be a cocky idiot."

He walked over to the bed and reached under the mattress, pulling out three extremely large and heavy bags before he shoved them into a larger sack and handed them to Conway. "There. Fifteen hundred gold in pre-payment and to cover the expenses of your information-gathering, of course, and anything else you might stack up in the meantime. Hopefully you're not a fool with your money. I don't expect to hear back from you until you have that crown."

[Kari Muffin]

Conway refrained from smirking. Being handed the money was enough to shut him up entirely. All right. He would get this job done as soon as possible so he could completely pay June's bill. With a bow and another one of his truly sadistic smiles he said, "Don't worry. The job will be done quicker than you could ever imagine."

The boy stood to his full height before exiting the room. When it came down to it this job was simple. He just needed to kill the Queen while he was distracted by something he thought was important. Whatever that was, well, he hadn't the slightest idea. But all Conway knew was that he needed to find the quickest way in and out of Queen Serafino's room. He silently grumbled as he slipped out of the inn. For now he needed to go to Capital City and visit June. He wanted to say "good-bye" just in case. You never could be too careful when death was involved. At least the bill would be paid for quite a while. Hopefully his Uncle would get off his ass by then.

[The Jenn]

Serafino sat at his desk chair, bedroom lit by several lamps and candles in the lower light he preferred. Thankfully he no longer had to insist on the low light because he no longer suffered from hideous, debilitating migraines and constant, ever-present headaches. The mood of the flickering flames was simply to his liking. He'd always loved flames, as had much of his family - his mother and grandmother had shown exceptional proficiency with and connection to the element, as did he.

It was a quiet night and quite late, very close to the time at which he would sleep. He rarely stayed up later than nine or ten when he had the choice, far preferring the mornings to late nights like his uncle. It was a tad bit later now and he was quite tired, a touch restless, but overall content. It had been a busy but productive day by his reckoning.

He glanced over at the door to his bedroom, noting that it was unlocked and letting a slight frown appear. He would take care of that, transform, and then crawl into bed. Tomorrow promised to be exceptionally busy and he needed to be rested. Considering that it was already later than usual, this was not a good sign. Still, he'd needed to finish writing a handful of letters, one authorizing payment to Cauter for the acquisition and delivery of a very particular magical sword for his Linda's birthday.

Looking back to shuffle the papers into a neater stack, he stood and turned to walk towards the door - and then froze.

Standing by the door were two figures, one a... Rabbit. And the other a... Human. A human Four of Clubs. Torquehelm. Dark hair, violet eyes, and an almost unreadable expression... on a face that looked so much like a scruffy, worn version of his own that it was almost frightening. And then the flickering of the candles and lamps suddenly ceased, their glow frozen in mid-air and unchanging. His pupils dilated and he stood absolutely still.

[Kari Muffin]

Conway wasn't all that enthusiastic about this. He did, however, switch to his employer's from. He didn't like the Highlander eagle all that very much. At least this job would be over quickly, or so he hoped. He couldn't linger if he was killing someone so powerful. He just hoped that he wouldn't be set on fire or anything like that. He picked up the belt that he had brought with him and attached the dagger quite carefully to it. Thank goodness for Hearts and their weapons proficiency. It made things easier for Conway when he was in a fix.

Silently he climbed to the window. He caught sight of the man sitting at the writing desk. The Queen Serafino was right there, and he hadn't spotted Conway yet. The Joker would have to make the move as soon as he could so he wasn't incinerated on a glance. He went to make his move.

Little did Conway know, time had another idea.

[Nathalia]

The White Rabbit stepped past the rather scruffy Card at his side, a thin-lipped smile curling across his features. Holding his hand up so that the Queen could see what was being held there, he closed his eyes and nodded.

Held in his hand was a silver pocket watch, its hands were stopped and it was making an odd "humming" noise, just below audible level so that it thrummed in the bones.

"Good evening, your Majesty...I just stopped by and thought I'd bring you a little treat. Don't worry, you won't lose any time on us, see the candles? We have all the time in the world to enjoy each other's company."

Snapping the watch-front shut, the Jack turned and allowed the other Card behind him to come better into view.

"You remember George, don't you Serafino? He remembers you rather well, hard for you to consider anything else, isn't it George?"

The other figure moved forward until he was about three feet from the Queen, his face was set into a blank and emotionless frown. As though he mildly disapproved of the man before him.



"Hello, father... How have you been getting on?"

He moved further forward still causing the Queen to either move back or have the Club pressed against his body.

"Have you thought of mother lately? She missed you terribly, you know... Cried for at least a week...not for Uncle Nathaniel, no...for you, father. Only for you."

His expression twitched as though he was holding back far more than was being allowed to boil forth. The White Rabbit stood behind him, red eyes glinting in the candle light as he smiled, watching the scene.

"George has changed since you last saw him, Serafino... He has a lot of potential...not for rank...but for other things, shame you didn't bother to consider it. You always were a bit too concerned with how things would look for you, rather than how they really could be. Shame, you know."

George smiled sadly and tilted his head slightly to the side as he observed the Queen.

"You're not quite what I expected, even now. I had hoped that you would be all knowing or something else spectacular, but I can see that what my master has told me about you was true...you are finished, there is nothing more to you and your reign has ended...perhaps it ended long ago and you are nothing more than a troublesome ghost... Master has been right all along..."

He hung his head a little, voice trailing off in a whisper of disappointment.

"Have you seen what you wanted to, George?"

The White Rabbit inquired, giving his ward another small smile and checking his watch again.

"I've a few other things to do tonight and this is only the first stop yet."

The Jack watched as the Club nodded a little before turning back to his father, black hair spilling over his face as he moved even closer to the Queen. Backing him up toward his window.

"I had wanted to ask you so many questions...most of them beginning with "why", but my master has made many of your reasons clear... And they are just as superficial as your existence has always been. I simply wanted to see your face one more time... for Mother..."

Turning he walked back to the Jack, bowing slightly to the Rabbit before taking his place at his side.

The White Rabbit lay a gentle hand on his shoulder and closed his watch again, smiling at the Queen he nodded.

"Then I suppose we must be off, Serafino. You'll not be seeing us again, I assure you. We merely wanted to stop by...so that my ward could see... That is all. George?"

The Club looked questioningly up at the Jack.

"Please run down the hall two doors and tell the man inside that he is the new Queen, will you?"

George looked slightly startled eyes widening as though afraid.

"I...sir?"

The Rabbit gave him a slight shove toward the door.

"Do as I say, George."

"I...yes, master."

Shaking slightly, the Club bowed his head and moved quickly away from the room, his footsteps echoing as they vanished down the long hall.

"And now, Serafino...Queen Serafino...I leave you to your fate...you should thank us, you know..."

He snapped the watch shut, looking over it at the man before him. His grin widened to show his teeth.

"You were almost late..."

The White Rabbit turned and walked slowly from the room, just as he stepped over threshold there was a small flash of light and the candles began to flicker again. There was no sign that the other card or the Rabbit had ever been there.

[The Jenn]

Fino couldn't speak. He couldn't even move, except that he had been slowly backed further away from his writing desk and towards the window throughout the entire conversation in that frozen pocket of time. He hated the Rabbit so much he could barely verbalize that, but beneath all of the hatred was an overwhelming feeling of terror. He did not understand what powers the creature controlled, not at all, nor could he even begin to comprehend the kind of power he must wield.

He continued to say nothing to the creature he hated and the son he wished was dead. Should have been dead. Long, long ago, the young man before him should have died, by his mother's hand or someone else's. And now he was not only the associate, but the ward of this bizarre, surreal creature who should not exist in the capacity that he did. It was beyond reckoning.

Late... the White Rabbit had constantly told him that he was 'late', every time they met. Late for what?! The first time, he had been not long for this world. Or so the creature had said. And now his son, the creature that had been sired by him and wholly unwanted as the pathetic, low-ranked creature he was... and was there some truth to that rumor of bad luck and low-ranked humans? Maybe there was...

And now his son was going to inform Shinrai that he was the new Queen of Hearts.

WHAT?!

As they stepped out of the room and time continued once again, he stood with his back to the window, only two or so feet away. To anyone else, it would appear as though he had suddenly gone from the desk to the window in the blink of an eye, with nothing in between.

[Kari Muffin]

(( OOC: I... have permission to do this. ;_; ))

Conway's heart almost stopped when the Queen suddenly appeared in front of him. He did the only thing he could think of in such a critical moment. He whipped out the dagger and went directly for the heart. Conway had had too many close calls not to automatically want to kill whatever was standing in front of him when he was on a job.

Even when the blade was shoved into The Queen, he twisted it completely around for good measure. He tore it out of the body without a second thought. He watched as it fell to the ground in a heap. Conway felt his usual bit of grim satisfaction as he looked down at the lifeless body. A smile crept onto his face as he picked up the crown that had been on the man's head. The Queen of hearts was very much dead by the his hands. Well, technically by his employer's hands. Conway looked down at the blood pooling on the floor. It was almost like a pretty little halo of death. Killing was a satisfying job sometimes.

He was going to regret this later.

[The Jenn]

Outside in the hallway that housed many of the Kings' and Queens' apartments, Lokelani stalked agitatedly towards the door of her father's bedroom. She was angry. Well, to be fair, she was downright pissed, but not so angry that she was going to be a complete and utter idiot when she confronted her father. She'd learned that lesson once before and never needed to again. Still, she had been getting along rather well with Eathyn, for all that he was a little dim and not as satisfying as some of her other hangers-on, and he'd been up and fired for something utterly minuscule.

If her father was awake and she could get in, she was determined to speak with him. If not, she would scratch at his door and 'pretend' that she hadn't realized he was sleeping, and was just hoping for a quick chat. Either way, this really wasn't cool! The guy was going to just up and leave tomorrow if she didn't get a stay on his firing - who cared if one of the bushes got trimmed badly? He was a cute little gardener!

[Kari Muffin]

The snake deer slithered down the hallway sniffing to herself as she made her way. With a slight whimper, she turned the corner. She wanted to get Daddy to comfort her after such a horrible nightmare. It didn't help that Viola had no idea what had caused such thing to occur. She just hoped to never see that much blood in real life.

She stopped in her tracks when she spotted her sister in the hallway. What was she doing here? Without the slightest bit of hesitation she slithered over to her sister with a questioning look. "What happened to you? Something go wrong again with one of your boy toys?" As far as Vio was concerned her sister had extremely weird taste in men. Half the time they were stuffed shirts, the other time they were actually rather nice. It was like her sister couldn't make up her mind on what exactly made a man a man.

Still. Was she going to see Daddy or.... she wouldn't be bothering Father this late, would she?