Do You Remember Me? [Kari]

[Lucca]

The expression on Ichigo's face indicated incredulity, and Colin couldn't quite blame him. He'd been skeptical himself when he'd first heard what happened, but it was the only explanation that made sense with how he'd suddenly jumped in Rank and gotten a heavy dose of power. The Court abhors a vacuum, much like nature, and he'd been the only conscious Card who could possibly have filled that vacuum in the Court at the time. He nodded. "I know what you mean," he said, drawing back. "But rest assured, my confidence in this matter is all but complete."

The Cardinal paused, wondering just how much to tell the Mouse. They were friends, after all, but there was a power gap now, and the extra burden of ruler and subordinate. The deep-seated need to always follow procedure to the letter warred with the equally deep need to maintain one of the few true friendships the Villa had ever had. "It was an odd feeling," he said finally, voice slightly softer than before. "I was in the middle of figuring out why the whole Court had gone crazy, and then I just knew. I was suddenly The Queen of Spades." A small smile curled the edge of his beak. It had been an amazing feeling. He'd been on top of the world, almost manic with it. Looking back, it was all a wonderful blur until partway through the meal with that awful Wolf.

[Kari Muffin]

The mouse silently watched the bird. Now that he was the Queen, things had changed. He still wasn't sure if things had changed between them.... and how exactly would things work if he was a Guard at the palace? It meant he was a subordinate, and there was a significant gap between them in power. It was all just terribly uncomfortable.

"Becoming the Queen of the entire suit of Spades in the snap of a finger must have been a satisfying feeling," The mouse said after a brief moment of silence. Though the thought honestly terrified him, that was certainly a good deal of responsibility to trust upon anyone. He was surprised the bird was handling everything so well.

Ichigo felt a twinge of displeasure. He might as well come out and say it. They could dance around the fact and probably completely avoid it during this little meeting. He needed to get it off his chest.

"I.... hope this doesn't effect our friendship too much."

[Lucca]

Colin chuckled, low in the back of his throat. It had been beyond merely satisfying. It had been euphoric, and the Cardinal could, if he focused, call up a lesser version of that amazing, powerful feeling. Like he could do anything, anything at all, if he just put his mind to it. If only he could bottle that an sell it. Or, better yet, keep it on his shelf for those times when he was dragging his feet and could barely keep his eyes open and his head above water. It wasn't easy, being the Queen.

"It was," he said simply, because anything else would have seemed too garish. And Ichigo could guess at some of it if he could read the expression behind Colin's eyes. Of course...then the Mouse surprised him by refusing to ignore the elephant in the room, and the Villa's smile slipped carefully away behind a mask. This was even more important, and what he chose to say here would, well, would effect their friendship.

"I don't want it to," he said, before too many minutes had passed and before the silence could become uncomfortable. "Not anymore than it absolutely must. I just need you to understand that, acting in official capacity, I can't show any favoritism, not even to old friends."