Fun and Games (Alice and Joker)

[Joker]

Gambling was fun, right? At least that was the assumption that had brought Joker out this far into the city. Whether it had been worth it in the end... well that was debatable. The casino doors opened slowly, held open by the casino doorman, allowing the girl to float out and into the street. She squinted as the sunlight shined into her eyes, made worse from the blazing neon signs plastered all over the building itself. Even during the day they kept them on. It certainly left an impression when the entire area was blindly bright.

Once Joker’s eyes had adjusted to the brightness she found herself opening her money pouch and staring inside as she floated further from the casino. She certainly had won a lot, hadn’t she? The pouch was full to bursting with bills and coins, and she could barely remember even losing a single match. Come to think of it, it was pretty strange to win so much, wasn’t it? It was almost as if the games were rigged in her favor. Wasn’t she someone important? Maybe that was why.

Thinking about it was far to much trouble though. Hell, even having all this money was too much work. Her money pouch was so heavy now. It wasn’t like she needed any of this, and whenever she needed something back in her office all she had to do was order for it. Her position had granted her a fairly generous expense account. Joker sighed as she thought of a way to get rid of all this extra money.

As Joker floated down the street she began absentmindedly holding her pouch loosely and on it’s side. The weight of it, it seemed, was getting to her. Several bills and coins began to spill out of it and onto the road, not the she minded much. Nearby bystanders swiftly caught a glimpse of her money trail. Just as quickly as the money dropped it began to be snatched up by dreams and humans who just and instantly scurried off in case they were noticed.

Joker looked down at her pouch again. Was it just her or did it grow lighter? The level of money inside had dropped significantly. How strange. Still it was nice that it was lighter, and now she didn’t have to find a place to dispose of the excess cash. Even so it was still too much. Maybe she could give it to someone? There certainly were a lot of beggars nearby. It couldn’t hurt to give it to them could it? They seemed to want it bad enough.

Joker slowly floated over towards the nearest napping beggar. He’ll do. Especially since he was napping. He wouldn’t be able to go on a tirade about how nice and generous she was. It would be far too much work to listen to his praise. Joker idly dropped her pouch of coins and bills into the man’s upturned hat and hovered away at a brisker pace than she would normally move.

There. Problem solved. Now she just had to get home. Joker looked up at the skyline above the nearby buildings. Her home tower was quite far away now. The girl sighed and sunk her head, then flipped over on to her back. She crossed her arms over her chest and began floating backwards down the street, not looking where she was going. She seemed almost like some kind of flying otter. She closed her eyes, not quite napping, but certainly not paying much attention to her surroundings either. Hopefully if she just kept traveling in this direction she’d get home eventually...
---
(615)

[Deleted]

There was a carnival around here somewhere... right?

Alice looked lost standing between large skyscrapers and brightly lit neon signs all pointing to the casino. Was it all really necessary? The building was lit up so well that it could probably be seen from the Moon. Today Alice was wearing her hair in one ponytail that barely restrained her curls, a large sunhat and simple blue sundress. She had borrowed the outfit from a merchant she met in the slums. It wasn't the most elegant outfit, but she didn't look like a beggar and it hid her features well. The disguise was probably unnecessary as she wasn't exactly a household name, but it never hurt to be too careful. Especially since she had illegal activities on her mind.

Upon returning from her... vacation, Alice sifted through the remainders of the former Ashoka Gang. Unsurprising not much was left including the large weapon cache that would be needed for Alice's rather ambitious plans. Doing a little intel, Alice found out that the gang's previous supplier had fallen ill and the practice had been taken up by his son. Alice would have to be very careful in dealing with him. She would first need to find out if the previously secure drop-off point was still safe. Many things had changed while she was gone and not for the better.

But where is it!?

It was true that she had hardly been to the entertainment district in her youth and her time away from the Great City had left her more than a little disoriented, but surely finding a large, brightly colored tent wouldn't be too hard. She briefly thought about asking someone for directions, but she couldn't find the nerve. She didn't know anyone around here and any amount attention could bring unwanted eyes. Internally struggling with this new dilemma a strange sound came to her ears.

Clink... clink... jingle...

Alice looked up at the sound to see a woman (probably) floating a few inches off the ground a few feet down the street. The odd sound seemed to come from the obscene amount of coin flowing out of a bag at the woman's side and half-hazardly scattering in the street. Alice could feel the edge of her ever-present smile twitch.

Wasteful!

Although there was not much difference between a Dream and a Nightmare physically, she could tell which category this thing fell into. She highly doubted with the new decrees in full force that there was any Dream in the Great City with enough wealth to be able to spill it into the road without a second thought. Before looking away in disgust she noticed the creature drop what was left of the bag in front of a sleeping beggar. She swallowed her compulsion to run to the man and check that the bag didn't contain a bomb or a trap of some kind, but she quelled those thoughts.

Don't bring attention to yourself! That slovenly thing doesn't look capable of any sort of higher thought processes, let alone the sort to plant a bomb in a well populated district full of innocents and Nightmares alike.

Alice turned her back on the scene and continued down the road. She briefly wondered if there were any kiosks that might offer maps or something. She continued that way for almost five minutes before she felt something run in to her back. Her heart leaped into her throat and she spun around a little too quickly, coming face-to um... top-of-face with the slovenly Nightmare's head. This time Alice really did drop the act and glared at the being, not that they could see. They seemed to be asleep or something.

Without thinking Alice blurted out, "Excuse me... miss. Are you alright?"

She spat out the "miss", but quickly corrected herself and put her smile back on. Her heart began to race. What was she doing? Why didn't she just ignore it? Something really bothered her about this creature. There was something tugging at the back of her mind. Something telling her that she had seen this wasteful creature before.

[Joker]

Joker’s face scruntched in annoyance at her nap being disrupted. Who would disturb such a peaceful sleeping creature such as herself? It didn’t last long however, her face returning to normal as she stretched her arms and legs. A great yawn burst from her lips as her eyes gently fluttered open (Though not very wide) to see a stranger a couple inches from her face. Well that wasn’t expected. She hoped it wasn’t someone she was supposed to recognize. Joker’s eye’s swivelled left and right, studying her features, before Joker finally drifted backwards swiftly a couple feet and did a quick midair somersault, righting herself in the air, though with her back leaning against the invisible air currents.

No, she certainly didn’t know this person. That was a relief. If she did she’d have to remember a name. Wouldn’t that be troublesome. Come to think of it though, Joker didn’t really know anyone. She wasn’t sure why she thought she might know this lady. This was exactly why she tried not to think too hard about anything. She always overlooked the obvious. Joker sighed lightly to herself, oblivious that the stranger might overhear her.

This new person seemed upset, though. Joker wasn’t sure why. She hadn’t just been woken up so abruptly. She couldn’t think of a reason she’d be annoyed at anything. Joker grumbled internally. She had just been approached by an angry stranger. This was a disaster waiting to happen. Although disaster was a term she used very loosely. In this sense a disaster would be having to put up with an irritated woman she didn’t want to have to deal with.

"Excuse me... miss. Are you alright?"

Joker ignored, or perhaps didn’t even notice, the way she spat her words. Instead she thought about the words far longer than one would expect for such a simple question. Her pause was almost obnoxious, in a way. There really wasn’t a reason she couldn’t have instantly answered. It was just too much work. “Mmmhmm...” Joker mumbled. “I’m fine...”

The girls’s gaze drifted upwards, looking right over the stranger’s head at the tall tower far off in the background. Considering her half closed eyes and lazy mannerisms, it was an incredibly subtle glance, and it wouldn’t have been surprising if it was completely unnoticeable. Her gaze snapped back on the stranger before her swiftly, although just as quickly her eyes began to wander again as she began to take side glances at other people on the street.

“I’m just tired and too far from home...”
---
(450)

[Deleted]

Alice was staring at the creature maybe a little too intently. She knew she had seen them before, but she couldn't place it. Laziness and literally throwing money away wasn't much to go on. That could easily describe half the wealthy socialites in these parts, though "socialite" didn't seem like a good descriptor for the figure in front of her.

“I’m fine...”

What an expectedly lazy answer from such a lazy individual. Despite the assurance, the creature didn't look very fine. It somehow found a way to slouch in mid-air. It look like it had just rolled out of bed. It's clothes and hair were messy and its eyes drooped.

It looks ill. Maybe it will drop dead right here. This could be important information.

Of course, Alice was just trying to rationalize why she didn't just shrug and walk away. The more time she spent in front of the creature the more dangerous the situation became. Even if the creature didn't know who she was, Alice's image was being burned further into its memory every second.

“I’m just tired and too far from home...”

Alice's musings almost drowned out what the creature said next. Dropping things and sleeping in the street. That wasn't normal even for the disgustingly rich, was it? There was definitely something wrong with it. Alice discreetly pulled down the brim of her hat and peeked out from its shadow. Why couldn't she remember? They were obviously important somehow. Its not like she ran across Nightmares everyday in the slums. They all moved out after the Incident. She also couldn't remember where the Carnival was. Has it really been that long? This worried Alice. If she couldn't remember such basic things, how would she ever be able to reform the Ashoka Gang and take on the President?

"Are you sure you're okay? Dropping money all over the place and sleeping in the street... you're going to get mugged or worse."

Alice blurted it out before she could stop herself. All she needed was a little more information. She knew who this thing was, she just needed one tiny clue. Alice hated herself for being so foolish and prolonging this unwanted meeting, but the forgetfulness was really getting to her. She did not have the liberty to just forget!

"You know there are dangerous people out there." Alice smiled sweetly.

[Joker]

Alice’s studying of Joker went completely unnoticed by the nightmare. Even if it had it wasn’t anything that concerned her. She was pretty sure she’d gotten a lot of looks here and there from people. Why would one more be worth noticing? Though it went over her head as well, neither would the stranger’s subtle attempts to hide her face from undo scrutiny have raised her suspicions. As always, worrying was more work than she cared to do.

"Are you sure you're okay? Dropping money all over the place and sleeping in the street... you're going to get mugged or worse."

Joker crossed her arms over her chest and closed her eyes, leaning back as if the air itself was a reclining chair. Not in a threatening manner, of course not. It was simply a way to relax her arms. Holding them up was so much trouble, it was just nice to just rest them sometimes. She supposed what the strangers was saying was true, yet she wasn’t too concerned with it. She didn’t want to drag so much money around, so why not get rid of it? Especially if she didn’t need it.

"You know there are dangerous people out there."

“It was too heavy.” she stated bluntly. “Besides, I think my boss just buys anything I need...“ Joker sounded unsure of herself, but she was still fairly confident about it even if she wasn’t positive. It was the way it had worked so far, though she supposed it wouldn’t always be that way. It wasn’t like she had gotten any contract on guidelines on the subject. She’d just been given a stipend or ordered anything she needed to her office. It was pretty simple.

Joker wondered to herself whether there was a limit on her apparent expense account. Although if there was she supposed she probably wouldn’t hit it any time soon. It’s not like she asked for much, really. She vaguely remembered having a sandwich earlier. Sandwiches weren’t expensive, right? Maybe it was a fancy sandwich, though. It did have a toothpick in it...

This thought process was getting out of hand, forcing Joker back to the original subject her new friend had brought up to avoid thinking about it too hard. It is true there were some bad people hanging around. Yet whenever something bad was happening around her it always seemed like she went unnoticed. She didn’t really know why, but it certainly was handy for avoiding trouble. Plus her ability to hamper anyone coming after her wasn’t that unsubstantial. “I think I’ll be fine...” Joker started, though as before she seemed somewhat unsure.

“I don’t think people will bother me too much though. I think I’m supposed to be someone important...” This time she was definitely unsure of herself.
---
(490)

[Deleted]

My was this creature tiring! Oddly instead of becoming more frustrated, Alice began to relax. Whoever this being was they didn't seem particularly threatening. Alice knew better than to let her guard down, but she was finding it harder and harder to maintain her rigid and polite facade in front of the floating, cloud-headed sloth in front of her.

“It was too heavy. Besides, I think my boss just buys anything I need...“

How lucky for them. Was this being really someone she needed to worry about? She had the niggling feeling they were someone important, but was it possible they were just some casino owner or wealthy merchant? Was the creature even worth remembering? Alice was starting to think that all her caution had been for nothing. This creature throws away money because it's heavy? It doesn't even know where its fortune comes from? This time Alice actually did drop the facade. For the first time in years she genuinely showed confusion on her face. How is this creature allowed to exit? What happened to the survival-of-the-fittest? How could this thing live in the lap of luxury while Alice was forced to sift through its trash?

"I don’t think people will bother me too much though. I think I’m supposed to be someone important...”

We both seem to be confused about that.

Perhaps they were someone important, but she couldn't think of any purpose the creature before her could possibly fulfil in society let alone be an important part. Alice wondered about the creature's powers. Could the tiredness she was feeling be caused by it or was that just a natural consequence of trying to converse with it?

"Isn't that an even better reason to be more careful? Important people have many responsibilities, right? The people won't be too happy if they see you shirking those duties. Though I suppose they won't complain too hard if you continue to leave your money lying around."

Wait did I say that out loud?

She hadn't meant to speak to the creature, but something about its demeanor made Alice toss away all precaution. She mentally kicked herself. What if she had said that to one of the Falvadin? Everything would be ruined! Did this creature exude mind scrambling beams or something?

"Ah, I'm terribly sorry. I didn't mean to lecture you. I was just worried that's all... My name is Lyra. I am also a little lost..." Was this creature lost? Well, maybe not physically. "I was trying to find the Carnival..."

[Joker]

Joker had fully closed her eyes by this point, almost falling back into a nap. She didn’t need her eyes to listen to her new friend. She was just resting her eyes for a bit. Hopefully her friend wouldn’t mind, although she’d just have to understand if she did. She was beginning to feel a bit hungry though. Thinking about that sandwich earlier had done that. It certainly was a good sandwich. It had pickles on it. Joker liked pickles. Maybe she could just get some pickles delivered to her office later. Those aren’t expensive either, right?

"Isn't that an even better reason to be more careful? Important people have many responsibilities, right? The people won't be too happy if they see you shirking those duties. Though I suppose they won't complain too hard if you continue to leave your money lying around."

Hmmm. Ignoring the last part (Which was something Joker was quite good at.) she supposed it was true. Although to be honest she wasn’t quite certain of her responsibilities in the first place. She vaguely remembered something being explained to her when she had been invited to her new position, but it was fairly blurry now. Maybe she could get a banana delivered as well. Bananas are pretty good. Although Joker wasn’t sure how well they’d go with pickles.

Oh right, duties. Even if she knew what they were they would probably be too much work. Napping was easier. Although she’d started reading a book recently. She forgot the name of it though. Come to think of it, she’d forgotten what it was about and where she was in it too. It seems she wasn’t reading a book afer all.

"Ah, I'm terribly sorry. I didn't mean to lecture you. I was just worried that's all... My name is Lyra. I am also a little lost... I was trying to find the Carnival..."

Joker reopened her eyes and scratched the side of her head. Had she been lectured? She couldn’t really tell as she leaned over in the air and on to her side, waving her hand in a dismissive manner as she did. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it.” she reassured ‘Lyra’. She wasn’t sure she needed to reassure her, but she supposed she should anyway.

“It’s not like I know what I’m supposed to be doing anyway. My boss doesn’t seem to mind much though...” she mused aloud, half to herself and half to her new friend. “Besides, I’m not really lost...” she mumbled, closing her eyes and resting her head on an invisible air pillow. “The tower is just so far from here...”
---
(465)

[Deleted]

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it.”

Alice let out a deep breath she didn't know she was holding. Why had she decided to talk to this thing? Why couldn't she remember where the drop-off point was? Why was she even here?! Shouldn't this be a job for an underling? Alice made a mental note that she was far too incapable of espionage and missions in the future should be handed to the rest of the gang.

“The tower is just so far from here...”

Alice was too caught up in her self flagellation to immediately respond. She didn't know why she continued to respond anyway, but it seemed a bit too late to crawl away. That's why she didn't think too hard why she started to say,

"Tower... um... what tow-..." Alice followed the creatures eyes over the tops of the skyscrapers and hotels to the two ever-present monoliths that protruded from the horizon, visible reminders of the President's reign. "...-ers?"

Alice froze. She could actually hear the last puzzle piece click into place. For a brief moment she just stood there, her face blank and lost. She couldn't even comprehend what her own brain was telling her, but it only lasted a moment.

"Ah!" The sudden yell startled the crowd who had been trying to mind their own business during this entire scene. A brief flash of embarrassment crossed Alice's mind, but it was completely drowned out by instinctual compulsion. "You- you're Jest- no Joker!"

Alice was horrified, more horrified that she didn't recognize Joker right away than anything else. How could she forget?! The faces of the new Falvadin were posted in the newspaper for crying out loud! Before... leaving... she had made sure to burn their names and faces into her memory so that she could always remember who her enemy was. AND SHE FORGOT.

Alice's fingers twitched. She had the name of her rifle on the tip of her tongue, but suppressed the summoning magic. No! She couldn't fight the Falvadin now! Well... maybe she could fight this lazy one, but it had friends. There were witnesses. Starting something now would be the absolute worst course of action.

She should run or play dumb or...

"You're Falvadin, right?"

...stop talking!

[Joker]

Alice seemed shocked for some reason, though as to why Joker couldn’t really say. She hadn’t said anything shocking, right? At least she didn’t think she had. She (very) briefly went over the last couple things she had told her new friend. Joker had said she was going home. She had said she wasn’t lost. She had reassured her that if she had lectured her it was fine. Maybe that was it. Joker hadn’t been sure it was even necessary to placate ‘Lyra’. She probably had come off as patronizing or something. Well, hopefully if she ignored it she’d calm down. It wasn’t that big a deal, right?

"Tower... um... what tow-......-ers?"

Joker’s eyes looked up longingly at Godwine Tower in the background behind Alice, noddding in agreement as her eyes drooped. So tired. Everything outside was too exciting, she couldn’t take a nap here even if she wanted to. Plus she was still hungry. A quick nap, a snack, and a good sleep would do her wonders. Can you dip pickles in anything? Joker couldn’t think of anything off the top of her head that would be good to dip a pickle in...

When Alice jumped Joker nearly jumped with her. She’d lazed off so much at this point she had nearly fallen back asleep. Not quite enough to actually jump, however. Jumping would be too much work. It was easier just to cock her head to the side in confusion. What was it now? Did she leave her oven on? If Joker had an oven that’s probably something she’d do. Although she probably wouldn’t jump about that either. Maybe if it had lit her office on fire, but she still wasn’t sure about that. She didn’t really keep anything important in her office so it probably wouldn’t be too big of a loss

"You- you're Jest- no Joker!"

Ignoring the minor initial name error Joker lazily nodded in response. She briefly considered how ‘Lyra’ knew her and her name, but thinking about it was too hard. Maybe they really did know each other and Joker actually had just forgotten. Come to think of it, how did Joker know her own name? She didn’t feel very old and she couldn’t remember anyone giving her a name. It seems like it was just something she knew. How weird was that? Maybe she could try changing it someday. Not that she could come up with anything better right now.

"You're Falvadin, right?".

Joker rolled on to her other side, facing away from Alice. She thought about the question. It sounded right in her head. Thinking back to what she thought was instructions upon her invitation she remembered the name being said a lot. At least she thought so. So she guessed that’s what she was. It must be something important if her new friend was so excited about it. It seemed Joker was something important after all. It got her wondering what would make her important. She didn’t think she was very special.

Wait a second... Invitation. She’d nearly forgot about it until now. In fact she actually had forgotten about it until now. Joker rolled back over to face Alice again, reaching into her pocket as she did. Inside she found a small, black, crumpled envelope with a dirty note sticking out slightly. How long had this thing been in there? It hadn’t been that long since she’d gotten them, but you’d think she’d check her pockets more often. It seemed to be one of the many, many invitations Joker had received inviting her to Falvadin. Maybe this would be helpful right now?

“That sounds right... I think...” Joker replied, though still rather uncertain about the whole thing herself. She handed her crumpled invitation to Falvadin over to her new friend. Maybe she could figure it out for her. That would certainly be nice and save her the trouble. Joker hated trouble. “Is that what this is?”
---
(690)

[Deleted]

Of course they are Falvadin. What sort of stupid question is that? Apparently the Falvadin in question didn't think it was stupid since they seemed awfully lost in thought. It actually turned its back on Alice as it thought things through. Alice decided to take that chance to run. She should have done so from the very beginning. She wasn't ready to take on the Falvadin! Her base didn't even have furniture yet!

Unfortunately, before Alice could take a single step, the Falvadin who called itself Joker had turned around and was thrusting something in Alice's face. Alice hesitated for a moment before taking the black, crumpled thing with a shaking hand.

“That sounds right... I think... Is that what this is?"

There was something definitely wrong with the nightmare, whether it be illness, amnesia or brain damage something was definitely wrong. She decided to keep this in mind for the future if she ever managed to escape this situation.

Curious, Alice opened what now appeared to be a black envelope and unfolded the badly creased letter inside. Reading it over, her eyes began began to darken. The President. It was a letter from the President to this creature. She felt ill. Folding the letter properly and sliding it back into the envelope, Alice looked at Joker with a new fierceness.

"This is indeed a letter to join the President's council." Her voice shook a bit over 'President', but she continued. "This isn't what made you a Falvadin, however. You had to have accepted the invitation and gone to the towers to join. I know you did, because the newspapers all said you were one of them. I suppose you are an important person then. At least to the extent that everyone is afraid of you."

Bold, but Alice was angry and tired and the Favadin's apathy was starting to wear off on her. Maybe it was a power of theirs after all. Alice didn't like it. She didn't like that this being who was supposed to be one of the bad guys, one of the evil monsters who took away her home, family and life was just a lazy, dumb, apathetic creature who barely knew who they were. She should have been relieved, but she wasn't really.

"Why did you join the Falvadin? Was it their ideals, money, power... it couldn't be because you got a letter." Please don't let it be that.

[Joker]

Joker’s new friend certainly was getting agitated for reasons beyond her comprehension. She’d just given her a letter. Was that rude? She was pretty sure it wasn’t rude. Although considering how annoying it had been to receive dozens of letters when she was still trying to ignore them maybe it was considered rude. Joker could try asking. But then she’d have to deal with the issue. Better off just ignoring it. It probably isn’t anything too serious to begin with. A letter can’t be a huge issue. It’s just paper.

Although looking at ‘Lyra’s” eyes gave the impression she was pretty angry about something. Joker sniffed and scratched the side of her head. Was it something she did? Her eyes had gone dark after she read the letter, so maybe it was something about that then. She couldn’t imagine what though. It was just an invitation. People like invitations right? It means you’re allowed to go somewhere and do something. Although Joker hadn’t been very interested in it to begin with so maybe people didn’t like invitations after all.

"This is indeed a letter to join the President's council. This isn't what made you a Falvadin, however. You had to have accepted the invitation and gone to the towers to join. I know you did, because the newspapers all said you were one of them. I suppose you are an important person then. At least to the extent that everyone is afraid of you."

It was ‘news’ to her that Joker had been in the newspaper. That was pretty interesting, wasn’t it? She hadn’t done anything particularly newsworthy, but then again Joker didn’t read the news to begin with. She guessed she really didn’t know what was newsworthy in the first place. Maybe this was. At least it confirmed that she was actually important. Still, she didn’t know anyone would be afraid of her. She hadn’t done anything scary. At least she didn’t think so. Unless letters were scary. Letters were annoying at best. They probably weren’t scary.

“I don’t see why anyone would be afraid...” Joker mused to Alice. “I try to leave people alone... It’s too much work otherwise.” Joker nodded to herself slightly and wiped her nose as she spoke. She hoped she wasn’t catching a cold. She’d been out all day. She’d been out all day before she got her office though and didn’t get sick. Maybe she just had the sniffles. That wouldn’t be too bad. Just a little annoying.

"Why did you join the Falvadin? Was it their ideals, money, power... it couldn't be because you got a letter."

Joker tilted her head and tapped her cheek in thought. Why had she joined, again? She really didn’t know much about Falvadin. I mean, they probably did something. This president guy sounded important. Thinking about it she was pretty sure that was her boss. Further thinking about it, she couldn’t remember ever actually meeting him. How weird is that? Don’t most people know their bosses?

Oh right, why she’d joined. It was the letters, wasn’t it? They’d kept sending them to her. Joker was pretty sure she had a box in her office full of them. She hadn’t gotten rid of them because it was such a heavy box, too. Besides, apparently those letters were something important. She guessed it would be smart to hold on to them, then.

Was there any other reasons? Not really. I mean, she got to sleep a lot. That was fun. And they would make her sandwiches when they asked. Whoever made them was pretty good at it. Joker supposed she’d have to thank them if she ever learned who made them. Although that would be a lot of work. They probably know they’re appreciated anyway. That’s enough.

Joker suddenly remembered she was supposed to be answering her new friend’s question. Better get on that, then. “Well they did send a lot of letters... I think I have a box somewhere. It was more work ignoring them...” she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. It was still pretty bright even this far from the casino. It was beginning to make her eyes sore. “They don’t make me do a lot, either. It’s nice to sleep all day... And they make good sandwiches.”

That was pretty much the only things she could think of as to why she’d joined. If there was any other reasons she’d forgotten them, but Joker was pretty sure that was it. At least she thought it was. Thinking about that sandwich, though, reminded her that she wanted some pickles. Maybe her new friend has some pickles. Wouldn’t that be nice. Joker supposed she could ask just this once.

“Do you like pickles? I had a sandwich this morning with pickles on it. They were pretty good.” Joker asked her friend. It was a longshot, but stranger things have happened. Maybe she’d get lucky and be able to have a snack now rather than having to wait until she got home. “You wouldn’t happen to have any on you, would you?”
---
(895)

[Deleted]

“I don’t see why anyone would be afraid... I try to leave people alone... It’s too much work otherwise.”

*Twitch* No. They were making fun of her. They had to be. Alice saw Joker wipe its nose on its sleeve. They definitely had some sort of brain hemorrhaging illness. Alice wondered if it was contagious. Could humans catch illnesses from nightmares? The creature took a long time to respond to her question and she wondered if it had fallen asleep again with its eyes open. Or died.

“Well they did send a lot of letters... I think I have a box somewhere. It was more work ignoring them... They don’t make me do a lot, either. It’s nice to sleep all day... And they make good sandwiches.”

*Twitch**Twitch* Alice found herself forming the syllables of her weapon again, now out of anger rather than fear. She stopped herself however. This is a good thing right? Yeah... a good thing.

“Do you like pickles? I had a sandwich this morning with pickles on it. They were pretty good. You wouldn’t happen to have any on you, would you?”

That was the last straw. Alice couldn't take anymore nonsense. She had never in her entire life met a creature so frustrating! Everything she had been working for was to defeat this thing?! An elementary math problem could defeat it!

"No. I don't have any pickles. I hate pickles. I also hate those who have the power to fix the injustice in the world, but sit around and do nothing. I especially hate those who sit around contributing to the injustice because its easier for them!"

Was that too subtle for them? Yeah, they definitely wouldn't get it.

"You- you need to think harder. You can't just sleep in the street. You can't just take advantage of you position to gain wealth and then throw it away. You can't just join a group, because its convenient. Those things- those things hurt people... and yourself. I- I- can't expect a Falvadin and nightmare to understand. You will probably just arrest me now anyway... or kill me... whatever."

Alice was ready to call her rifle if the creature tried such a thing, but she was seriously starting to doubt it would. She didn't know why this disappointed her.

[Joker]

Joker’s new friend was really twitched a lot, wasn’t she. Maybe she had a disease or something. She hoped not. Joker didn’t really want to get sick. But twitching wasn’t contagious, right? She didn’t think it was. No reason to worry then. That’s good. She decided she wouldn’t stare either. It was rude to stare. Or was it? A lot of people had stared at Joker as she’d floated down the street. Maybe it was ok to stare after all. Life had some many difficult problems that needed to be worked out. It was almost more than she could bear.

"No. I don't have any pickles. I hate pickles. I also hate those who have the power to fix the injustice in the world, but sit around and do nothing. I especially hate those who sit around contributing to the injustice because its easier for them!"

Yeah, Joker supposed to was too much to ask. Guess she’d have to wait until she got home after all. The thought forced a sigh from her lips. Nothing could be done, she supposed. It wasn’t her friend’s fault, of course. She was probably being unreasonable anyway. That would explain why she was suddenly so mad. Hopefully she’d calm down on her own. It would be much easier that way.

"You- you need to think harder. You can't just sleep in the street. You can't just take advantage of you position to gain wealth and then throw it away. You can't just join a group, because its convenient. Those things- those things hurt people... and yourself. I- I- can't expect a Falvadin and nightmare to understand. You will probably just arrest me now anyway... or kill me... whatever."

A look of genuine confusion came across Joker’s face, forcing her to scratch her head and sit upright for once. Arrest? Kill? Why would she do something like that? Most of her friend’s tirade was over Joker’s head, but that she understood. She couldn’t see anything wrong with sleeping or taking things easy. Doesn’t everyone like to take things slow? Work is hard, why would anyone want to do it?

Furthermore, why would she want to kill anyone? I mean, if she had to Joker supposed she could do it. Well she wasn’t sure how she’d go about it, but she didn’t see any reason she couldn’t. However why would she? Taking a life sounded like a lot of work. Ignoring someone seems like it would be much easier. Plus killing someone would probably be messing. She’d have to go home and take a shower and get a change of clothes. Even more work. Just thinking about it made her tired.

And arresting someone? Was that even something she was supposed to do? Why would she have to? For that matter, even if she was supposed to arrest someone where would she take them? More work. Ugh. Now Joker was definitely thinking herself asleep. Besides, even if these were things she was supposed to do it wasn’t like her friend had done anything bad. At least she didn’t think so. She had shouted a bit. Was shouting something you get arrested over? Joke didn’t think so, at least. Maybe someone else did. Yeah, it was time for a nap. Joker yawned heavily as her eyelids dropped even further down.

Joker once again set herself down on her side in the air, although on the opposite side as last time. Still facing Alice she closed her eyes and breathed deep, a forcing a slight snore out of herself. There was a long pause in which it looked as if Joker would simply fall asleep right there, but just when it seemed all hope for further communication was lost the girl spoke up. “Not sure why I’d want to do that... Is that what I’m supposed to do?” she queried softly. “So much work... it makes me tired just thinking about it...”
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[Deleted]

Joker seemed to have fallen asleep. Alice sighed and began to walk away. She felt drained. It was true that she had been too busy to really sleep for the last couple of nights, but she hadn't felt this tired when she headed out that morning. She had a headache which is to be expected when you've spent the last 20 minutes banging your head against a wall. Nothing happened. Nothing came of it. There was no climax, no resolution. There was just nothing.

Alice was already a few feet away when the creature spoke up again. It spoke so softly that Alice was forced to walk towards it again in order to hear. Not that she thought anything would come of it, but she guessed she was invested now. She was at least curious to see if the creature even considered the possibility of moving an inch in the direction of attacking her.

“Not sure why I’d want to do that... Is that what I’m supposed to do? So much work... it makes me tired just thinking about it...”

Nope. Alice sat down on a bench a few feet away from Joker propped against the walls of a hotel. Weirdly no one else was sitting there, but it seems their conversation in the middle of the street had created a ten foot bubble in the traffic as people tried to keep their distance.

"It isn't what you are supposed to do, but a Falvadin would do it. It is a lot of work, but they do it because it makes them happy. You are... a liability you know. Someone could use your apathy to strike against them. Apathy is worse than hate in a way. Hate has an ideal behind it, a goal. It may be for evil, but at least you're working toward something. Apathy is like death. No ideals or goals. You are just floating there, pointless and worthless."

Alice realized she still had the letter in her hand. She unfolded and looked at it without actually seeing. She tried to remind herself of her own goal.

"Do you care about something? Anything? Maybe if you cared you wouldn't be this way." Alice grimaced, reminding herself of something. "You would be like every other nightmare, but you would be something."

[Joker]

Nearly asleep Joker could not even see her friend’s attempts to escape, nor her stunned reaction. She was far too busy thinking about pickles. What was the stuff pickles were in again? Brine? Yeah, that was it. That was surprisingly good. It was really salty, yet surprisingly tasty. Or at least the kind pickles were in was good. She didn’t know if all brine was the same. Maybe she could get a glass of it. Would it even be good to drink? She’d never tried before. Joker’s inane thought process was suddenly broken by her friend stammering out a new tirade.

"It isn't what you are supposed to do, but a Falvadin would do it. It is a lot of work, but they do it because it makes them happy. You are... a liability you know. Someone could use your apathy to strike against them. Apathy is worse than hate in a way. Hate has an ideal behind it, a goal. It may be for evil, but at least you're working toward something. Apathy is like death. No ideals or goals. You are just floating there, pointless and worthless."

So many words. So many concepts Joker had far too little patience to think about. So what if she was lazy and tired? It didn’t hurt anybody. Did it? Probably not. Even if it did, she didn’t think it mattered much. Being lazy probably couldn’t do much damage in the first place anyway. Joker couldn’t think of a circumstance in which taking a nap would cause problems. Maybe driving. Joker didn’t drive.

Joker yawned again. “So?” she mumbled to Alice. “It’s all so tiring. What’s the point? What do I get out of it?” It seemed there was a little self interest there, at least. “I just do what I like. So what if it’s a nap?” On some level, at least, Joker seemed to be attempting to defend herself. However whether she actually understood Alice’s point was unclear to both of them.

"Do you care about something? Anything? Maybe if you cared you wouldn't be this way. You would be like every other nightmare, but you would be something.”

The girl slightly opened one of her eyes and stared at Alice dully. Did she care about anything. Well, napping and pickles, obviously. What else? There was probably something, although nothing came to her off the top of her head. She just did what she liked. She had just gone gambling hadn’t she? Although that wasn’t really something she cared about, was it? She just wanted to try something fun for a couple hours. It wasn’t that fun though. It was kinda boring. Maybe she should try something else.

Joker yawned again. “What’s wrong with being different? Everyone else does so much. It’s so tiring.” she said, the words so sluggish that practically oozed from her mouth as a liquid. Her friend was certainly curious. Definitely asked a lot of questions. Maybe she should ask something back? Perhaps her new friend kept telling to be less lazy because she wanted to do something?

“Why do you care so much, anyway? You’ve been awfully interested in me...” Joker mumbled as she slowly sat back upright, opening her eyes as much as she could to signify she was, in fact, still awake. The air suddenly grew tense. Was Joker ready suddenly figuring out who Alice was? Was she about to attack?

“Did you want to do something together? We’ve been talking so long... would you like to go get a snack?” The tension instantly evaporated. Of course Joker wasn’t about to attack. What else would she be but hungry? Especially after the brief nap she got mid-conversation.

“Do you like ice cream? I’ve heard it’s good but I’ve never had it.”
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