Rule For Fools(Open, ER Only)

One, two, three, one, two, three...

The rhythmic movement of footsteps delicately placed in a carefully choreographed dance. The red-haired fellow with the painted features glided along the streets of Hostia, twirling what appeared to be a bloody baton as he spun. Behind him the monotonous sound of the steps as his Harlequin army matched behind him, it was a lot to pay attention to. All the eyes of each doll were linked to the clown, so he was a little scattered at the moment. Dancing soothed him. Although he might have appeared to be wandering aimlessly, he knew where he was going. Having learned the path during his time here, the buildings had since become familiar to the clown. How he had pined for such suffering to fill these arrogant roads, and now it was here. The air was thick with it, but still, it was not enough, the clown couldn't help himself. He wanted more.

Thus he had already planned his intentions for the next part of this interesting little game his guild had set up. As he pranced onwards, he closed in on the Hostia's main hospital, from which he noticed as he came closer, was bustling with activity. Wounded soldiers, attacked civilians, and even just some people seeking refuge from the chaos. The shouting, the mayhem. Jester gasped lightly, bringing his hands to his face. Overlooking the scene with a look of extreme satisfaction, "Oh my, what perfect pawns..." He whispered breathily, before lowering his hands once more. He would snap his fingers, and the Harlequins would scatter. Moving into various alleyways and buildings, disappearing to set up the scene for the chaos he intended. Jester would then spread his fingers outwards, summoning one of his magic cards. For a moment he would brace himself, his head lolling back softly as he gazed upon the sky. Then in one swift movement, the card darted away before spinning in this air and rounding on him. Slicing into his side, creating a wound deep enough that blood would immediately begin to soak the uniform he wore. The clown's eyes fluttered slightly and he would bite down gently on his bottom lip. With another snap of his fingers, the card would vanish, and the clown stepped into one final twirl.

As he turned to face the hospital once more, his demeanor would immediately change. The markings on his face disappeared once again, his smug expression would become one of terror, he would droop forward, clutching his bleeding side before hobbling towards the hospital. "HELP! Someone, please! Help me! Please, I've been attacked!" He cried in a desperate tone, as he merged into the crowd. "Please I'm a soldier! I need treatment otherwise I cannot fight!" He called over the noise, one of the nurses who was attempting to organize the crowd would turn her gaze towards him. Her eyes widening at she spotted him, "Quick! Move, let him through!" She called, reaching out to part the crowd. Some assistant nurses rushed forward to help her, creating a path for the injured red-headed soldier. Jester hobbled forward, ushered into the hospital by the nurses. They moved him through quickly into the emergency ward, asking him about his injuries. To which he would answer cooperatively, with the tone of a shaken soldier.

Jester was guided onto the bed, leaning pack the doctor rushed him. He was a man in his thirties, with mousey brown hair and green eyes. He looked exhausted, which was no surprise. Golden eyes examined him, reading the man, figuring him out. Jester enjoyed doing this, it was fun, and he found he was often quite good at it. Although that may have had something to do with his magic. Jeser speculated that the poor man had likely been up for at least thirty-eight hours at this point, most likely had been put on a double shift and just as he had been about to go home. He'd been called back in to handle the chaos that had been the attack on Hostia, he had since rushed from room to room, for every problem he fixed, he was thrown another. As the nurse broke down the soldier's condition to the man, Jester sat up. "Say Doctor... Murphy," The clown began, his golden eyes glancing over the doctors name tag before returning to his face. "Do you like magic tricks?" He asked, the doctor frowned at him in confusion.

"How much blood has he lost? Maybe his experiencing deliria, quick go fetch me a drip!" The doctor barked to the nurse, before moving forward, "I'm just going to check out this wound okay, whilst I do I need you to is prepare yourself, if it's not too deep we'll cauterize the wound. It'll hurt like hell, but it's a quick fix, and we need you ripe and ready to get back on the battlefield. I don't know what we're facing out there, but whatever it is, it's powerful. I've never dealt with so many casualties in such a short space of time. We really do need every man we can get," He commented, he pulled out some surgical scissors and began delicately cutting away at the fabric around Jester's wound.

"Want me to tell you, what's out there? I've seen it... I know." Jester offered, the doctor pulled away from the fabric covering the wound. Before examining it, "Sure, I wouldn't mind knowing what it is we're up against," He turned to one of the remaining nurses, "Clean the wound, and prepare the Electrocauter." He ordered swiftly, she nodded, quickly set about cleaning the wound with a saline solution. Jester reached into his pocket, although he didn't need to do this, it was more for the facade. As he pulled his hand out he was holding a deck of cards,  "This is what the monster used to attack me," He showed the doctor in an excited tone, "The man who wielded them, he was like some sort clown or magician, he had symbols painted onto his face. He wielded them like weapons, they're not like normal cards, pick one, take a look. You'll see what I mean." He encouraged, Doctor Murphy's eyes dropped to the stack, eying them suspiciously. He was a cautious man, but apparently, not cautious enough. As he reached out to take a card, Jester quickly spread the cards out like a fan, causing the man to stop in mid-air. Looking at the soldier with a perplexed gaze, before continuing to pluck a card from the desk. He brought the card towards him, examining it closely.

"It's some sort of metal...and the edges, they're sharp..." He remarked in fascinated, Jester eyed the face of the card before sighing. "Ah the nineteen of spades, so I was off, you've been up for thirty-five hours. Still somewhat close." He told the Doctor, who froze, looking up at the man in confusion. A sound began to fill the room, like music, playing from a distance. Much like the kind of music, you would hear from an ice cream truck, the doctor and the nurse turned to the entrance of the ward, where the music could be heard from. Suddenly, there was a terrified scream from the hall, as a clown car whizzed past the entrance, a nurse hanging onto the front of it desperately. The car turned slightly, crashing into a wall. The impact of the crash crushing the nurse between the bonnet and the wall, killing her instantly. The doctor looked back at the clown, whose wound was miraculously healed, and was looking at him with a wide unnatural smile. The nurse stepped back in shock, as his signature markings reappeared on his cheeks as they looked on him, realization dawning slowly.

With a delicate giggle from its summoner, the card suddenly flew out of the doctor's hand, darting foreward and sliding itself firmly against the skin of his throat. Blood spurted showering the clown, the nurse screamed in horror, turning towards the corridor attempted to flee the scene. The car would suddenly reverse away from the wall, driving backward as it chased her screaming figure down the hall. Jester cackled in delight at the comical scene, hopping perkily off of the hospital bed. He moved over the doctor who had slumped to the floor a crumpled mess. Jester reached down, grabbing one of the arms of the fresh corpse, he picked him up. Peeling away the doctor's coat, before dropping the body back onto the floor. Moments later Jester left the ward, somewhat cleaned up, dressed as a doctor now as opposed to the Soldier. This wasn't really necessary for his plan, he just enjoyed the act of dress-up immensely, it appealed to the performer in him.

He skipped out of the ward, moving through the building, as he strode past the wards, his Harlequins would emerge from them and fall into step after him. Some were dragging along resistant doctors and nurses, some were carrying the heads of soldiers that had either been receiving treatment or guarding the hospital. The clown hummed happily along as he led the troupe once more, moving to the front of the hospital. Where he was met with screams of terror, the crowd attempted to flee, but as they turned there was a wall of harlequins already there, blocking their exit, wielding their machetes threateningly. Jester arrived at the front desk of the hospital, leaping into the air, he landed on its surface with ease. Spinning once before turning to the crowd, admiring the chaos, and petrified expressions. He cleared his throat, spread his arms wide, and puffed out his chest.

"Ladies, gentleman, citizens of Hostia. It is my great honor to inform you, that Hostia has been chosen for the most wonderful event. My people, we of Errings Rising, have come to purge the terrible, terrible crime being committed here. We are here, not as monsters, but as liberators. We are here to free you, from this devastating injustice... the commitment to the law." The crowd slowly quietened as he spoke, hanging onto his every word, with uncertainty and fear. "As a result of our decision to claim Hostia as our own, I have taken it open myself to purge this hospital in particular. If you are willing to lay down your lives and offer them to our magnificent Queen, you shall be spared. If not..." He would roll his neck, and the Harlequins would throw the severed heads of the soldiers into the crowd, creating an eruption of screams and shuffling as people avoided the heads. "Now then, I'm not cruel," He remarked with a sinister laugh, "So I shall offer you a short period of time to reflect upon this matter. You have one hour to give me your answer, until my return you shall remain here." Then with a flash he disappeared, a harlequin doll standing in his place.

On the outside of the hospital, the clown appeared, a wide smile on his face. He would begin to skip along, he had an hour to kill until that game occurred. In truth, he could have forced them to decide then and there, but forcing them to sit there and stew on the idea seemed more fun. Humans were curious creatures and victims of their own minds. The sight of the dead would no doubt sow the seeds of uncertainty, and the disloyal citizens would soon sway. He was excited to see the betrayal as they turned against their own people for the sake of a queen they didn't know. Just to save themselves. Now that was suffering Jester liked to see, and it would undoubtedly be delicious. But alas, he would just have to entertain himself until them. Perhaps he would track down Oakey and play with him for a little bit. He was bound to be missing the clown at this point. Yes, that sounded like a good idea, track down Oakey, and create some fun together, maybe he could even bring him back to the hospital to take part in the mass purging. He was bound to like that, perhaps even be grateful to Jester? Yes, the clown was sure of it!

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WC: 2037 | Jester Total WC: 3579
TL;DR  -  Jester goes to a hospital pretending to be a patient, kills a bunch of people and takes charge of the hospital before running off to look for Birch.

After casting Hel, Saraphina’s face seemed like she was void of much emotion despite the black tears that were staining her currently grey cheeks. She wasn’t playing anymore, she was upset. Sure she’s been upset before, but this was another level upset. Being told ‘no’ for something, and playing with her heart like this? They were absolutely two different things. But the results of her being upset would probably be the same. She wanted to kill something, but she was being targeted with her own spells, and she really couldn’t have that. She broke the ice wall with her skates and growls. “Bergelmir isn’t to be used from someone as unworthy as you.” She hissed as she was about to kick at the man, but Birch had seemed to get in her way. She had spun around and quickly doubled back on her skates as she watched her guild member she was just mad at not even five minutes ago. He was fighting this stitched up man and distracting him from her. That wasn’t okay right now… She needed to hit something. Destroy something. She needed to abuse something.

The stitched up man seemed to be shocked that Birch had come after him and tried to block the punch with Saraphina’s ice, but was just a tad late as his throat was punched. He reeled back a bit as he coughed some, glaring at Birch as he clearly wasn’t an opponent to ignore now. The pretty white queen wasn’t as bad anymore. He would try to use the spells that Saraphina had used to block Birch, but he was a bit slow in casting them, not like the white, or rather black, queen was. He resulted in trying to use his own fists to block Birch, but the other male was stronger than him than he anticipated. He seemed to grunt against the others hits. He couldn’t copy the blasted womans spell she had going on right then!

Saraphina face twitched a little as Birch had called her his queen again. She didn’t know how she felt about this name coming from his lips again at this moment. She wanted to like it a lot, but she couldn’t not right now. She let up a growl and used her three fingers to move the ice and stab the guys legs, keeping him in place. “You seem like you were put in a meat grinder already. This shouldn’t hurt more." She quickly shoved herself off from where she was, the blades shining brightly as they were still sharp, even leaving cuts on the ground as she moved. She quickly moved to chuck her leg out and let the blade completely cut through this mans neck. As she spun around rather quickly. Simple ice skating tricks like that were easy for her to do. It could have been much grander if she knew how to dance better.

Unfortunately for her, this man wasn’t dead. He was laughing as his head was barely hanging on it seemed. “You can’t kill me, girl.” Saraphina quickly doubled back and grabbed hold of the mans shoulders as she was behind him. “Oh? I can’t?” Her voice purred as she slightly had on a devilish grin on her face. Her eyes seemed void of any excitement like they usually did when she had that smile on her face. “Eat Hel.” A second chilling pulse emanated from her as she held onto the guy. He let out a shout as he wasn’t expecting that pain right directly on him from that pulse. He had a weakness on his body. She needed to expose it now. She opened her hand as she smiled. “Fenrir.” She says in a soft voice, making a large tooth dagger form in her hand. She stabbed it into the stitched up mans side. And he made a bit of a face as her ice that stabbed his legs seemed to creep up his body. “Not there? Shame. Guess I have to keep looking.” She giggles. This giggle wasn’t like her normal giggle. It was chilling.

She gripped her hand on his shoulder tighter, actually digging her nails into him before she brought the knife around to stab near his heart. That was when she got an actual reaction out of him. She perked an eyebrow as she smiled. “Thrud.” She giggles. She wasn’t taking the dagger out. As soon as she did so, her hand now had her famed sword of light in it once again. She loved her sword as it seemed to glow nicely. The next moment, the sword glowed brightly, she didn’t look at it, but she seemed to slightly flinch as its brightness still hurt her. “Copy me now.” She says as there were five swords that matched her original sword, floating before him and pointed right at his chest. She was giggling as the swords quickly went after him, stabbing him every which way and seeming to also pierce his heart. Saraphina was still pressed up behind him, and she simply started to giggle more as the man froze. The weak spot wasn’t his heart, but something right below it. And she got it. She let go of his shoulder, and takes a step back slowly. Her side was slightly bleeding, and the only way one could tell, was the fabric that was ripped from her own sword cutting it and her side.

“I believe we said you were nothing compared to us.” She hummed a little. She felt someone coming closer. Was it one of her own members? Or was it more pathetic people of Hostia and their little people they have trying to guard their homes. These weak and pathetic people they call mages. Hah! She wished for a better fight. She let her skates disappear, putting her back on the ground completely again. She didn’t even speak a word as she started to walk away. Her currently black outfit didn’t seem like it was going away anytime soon. In truth, she didn’t know she had that sort of spell within her. She didn’t know how to activate it, or how to despell it. But she was still rather upset at Birch for leading her on. She gripped her hands into fists again as she puffed her cheeks, eyes still streaming black tears. She needed her Jester. She needed to play some. Get her mind off of Birch and his toying around with her. She wanted to hurt him, but she also enjoyed that he worked well around her castle. He was better than the other butlers she had about.

"There! He's one of them, Quick take him out!" The commanding voice roared from the distance. The group of soldiers turned to engage with the clown who had been skipping through the town casually. Bullets would ricochet off the walls of the building around him, he swung his arm out, his cards flew forth, meeting the onslaught of bullets and carving them through. Deflecting them away from his body, this was most effective. Although when the roaring metal pierced his shoulder, the clown stumbled, eyes wide, he turned to the sky as he took a moment to acknowledge the pain. He licked his lips, reaching over to the bullet wound, he ran a trembling finger over the wound. His warm blood coating his fingertips, he brought the bloody tip of his index finger to his lips, tasting the coppery fluid. Ah, yes this was his blood. He turned on his heel towards the Hostia Soldiers, giggling slightly. That hurt, a lot, and it thrilled him.

"My turn~" He purred excitedly, before vanishing, a doll appearing in his place. He reappeared amongst the soldiers, a blade in hand. This dagger wasn't longer than twelve inches, slightly rusty and blood stands, it's brown handle wrapped with rainbow coloured ribbons. He spun towards the closest soldier, grabbing his shooting hand, before bringing the blade down on his arm, taking it clean off. The man screamed eying his mutilated limb in horror, but not for long, as Jester adjusted the grip on the blade and plunged it firmly into the man's chest. He twirled away, holding the man's severed arm, he held it up like a rifle pointing it at the next soldier and firing several shots into his torso. He ducked down just as the remaining three soldiers began to fire, dropping low enough that their bullets would only plow into each other, killing two of them. The last of the men stopped shooting, staring ahead in disbelief as the last of his team fell down dead. His hesitation would cost him because moments later the clown would turn into a roundhouse kick, his foot knocking the gun from his hand. The soldier stumbled back, his clumsy haste causing him to fall to the ground, landing on his rear.

"P-p-p-please...No... I'll let you go, please d-d-d-don't kill me," The clown beamed down at the man, kneeling down in a begging stance. Jester eyed him for a moment, tilting his head. The clown appeared to ponder for a moment, almost as if considering the man's request. He glanced around, the streets were quiet now. Eerily so following the chaos that had taken place only moments ago. They were alone now it would seem. Jester brought up his wrist, looking at though checking the time on his watch, despite not wearing a watch. He cocked his head, "I suppose we have a little time to kill~" He did want to find Oakey and his Queen, but the clown wasn't required to go join them. At least not yet, he had his own fun he'd been promised. He brought his hands together almost like a prayer, then as he pulled them apart another 'Funny Blade' would appear. He sat himself down next to the trembling fellow, thumbing the blade playfully.

"Perhaps, we can come to some agreement, Barry, can I call you Barry?" He said casually, before thrusting the blade down into the soldier's thigh. His scream burst forth from him, Jester reached up, knocking off the man's beret. He would stroke his head, almost like he was petting a cat, shushing him delicately. Barry's cry dwindled into a soft whimper, tears streaming down his pained face. "Come now Barry, you're a soldier, after all, suffer with a little dignity, ol' chap!" He told him, snickering airly. His hand dropped from the back of the man's head and moving over the hilt, hovering there teasingly. "So tell me Barry, why should I let you live? You see, we want Hostia, we like it. It's an ideal location, it has an impressive economy, lots of opportunities for trade. IT has a worth, do you have a worth Barry? Please, do tell me." He asked, the man looking at him, his expression desperate.


"I-I-I'm a soldier, I can fight!" Jester chuckled in response, "Oui, oui. But not a very good one at that..." He twinge the knife slightly, causing 'Barry' to yelp loudly before continuing to ramble like rube. "Please, I h-h-have a family!" He cried, his crying intensifying, his face a plate of snot, blood, and tears. Jester chuckled in a delighted manner, his suffering was so pure, so raw. The red-headed maniac couldn't help but relish in it. "Okay Barry, tell me about this family, why does your ownership of a family makes you worthy of sparing? I'm sure your comrades had families. So, what makes yours so special?" He leaned over, idly running his index finger around the hilt. 'Barry' would watch him, his breathing heavy, wincing occasionally from the unbearable sting of the knife in his leg.

"I have a wife, Deborah, she's my everything but she frail, she needs a lot of  medicine. Medicine which I pay for. And we have two kids, a boy and a girl, Mitchel and Erica They need their father, do you have kids?" He spouted hopefully, clearly attempted to find some way to connect with his attacker. Jester’s eyes narrowed slightly, displeased by the pitiful attempt. Jester grabbed the handle, twisting it some more, the soldier threw his body back, screaming. He reached for the clowns arm, trying to stop him from turning it, but to no avail. Jester growled through gritted teeth, he voice laced with dissatisfaction; ”Why should I spare you Barry?”

”Please! It’s Erica birthday tomorrow! Please don’t kill me before that, you can come back and kill me later. But please, give me one more day with her, so I can say goodbye!” Jester relaxed him grip on the knife slightly, give him more time, kill him later. That could be fun, he could toy with him. Kill him ON his daughter's birthday, now wouldn’t that be devastating. ”So… Ericaaaa, what is this little darling getting for her birthday? You going anywhere nice?” He asked, hissing the girls name in an almost venomous way.

”Um… we were going to go… to the zoo but-” The soldier stopped talking, Jester whirled around on him so fast, he barely had time to react before the clowns face was inches from his. "What Zoo? Where?" The clown barked, grabbing the man's jaw aggressively. The soldier flinched, trembling under the mans suddenly murderous gaze. "H-hostia Zoo... It's pretty n-new, they opened it as a tourist attraction so t-their art many ani-"

"Is there a Tiger?!" He interrupted, his face even closer to the soldiers, so he was staring directly into his deranged golden irises. After  a long pause, the soldier slowly shook his head, to indicate a no. The clowns demeanour eased off once more, he let go of the man's face, sighing dejectedly. So much for that glimmer of hope, he slid his hand from the mans jaw, around to the back of his neck, and with his free hand, he reached for the funny blade, yanking it violently out of his leg, once again causing him to emit an agonized cry. The clown brought the bloodied edge to his throat, applying slight pressure. ”Well, sorry to say this Barry, but you didn’t quite fit the bar. So liddle Ericcaaaa will just have one less birthday wish tomorrow-"

"WAIT, WAIT, PLEASE, THERE IS A TIGER, NOT IN THE ZOO. BUT THERE WAS... THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT RIGHT?" Jester froze, not removing the blade, he eyed the man steadily. "They had one, but I heard she was too volatile, so she's being sent elsewhere, I think they're keeping in the warehouses behind the zoo." He continued, babbling desperately. Jester stayed silent for a moment. A female tiger who was too violent to display at the zoo. It was her. It had to be. Removing the knife from the man's throat, Jester suddenly jumped to his feet. His disappointed energy, not excitable. "Well Barry, it seems today is your lucky day~" He reached down, grabbing the man's arm, he dragged him up onto his feet. "Come now Barry, We're going to see a man about a cat!" He said, shoving Barry forward to lead them, "To the Zoo my good man!" And off they would trot, the wounded soldier, limping along with a perky clown-faced man in a bloody soldier uniform behind him. At one point, Jester picked up some a wooden support beam that had been blown off of a building and allowed the soldier to use it as a walking stick.

He had a rather visceral feeling as they got closer to their destination, after all this time would they actually be reunited. For so long he had searched for her, visiting the zoo of every city and country he ventured too. He had looked in hopes to be reunited with her. The one being he'd felt truly connected to, she was the same as him, they understood each other, even down to their truest natures. He craved it, her companionship. They had separated over a decade ago, most of her kind would be dead by now. But not her, she was special. As they moved through the town, Jester would pay attention to his surroundings, this time not engaging in battle but slipping past it unnoticed. He was nowhere near his guildmates, he knew that. The further they branched towards the outskirts of Hostia, the further away they were from the action. But this was more important anyway, this was personal.

In the distance he would see it, his golden eyes reading words carved into the iron gates; Hostia Zoo. He felt his heart race with excitement, giggling with glee as they got closer. The zoo was locked, most likely due to the attack on the city, but what did that matter. Jester would flex his fingers, there was a crack and in his palm, a red clown horn appeared. He through it towards the gate, where a guard looked on in confusion from the safety of his booth. The red clown horn rolled along the tarmac, stopping at the gate. Once it came to a stop, the clown would snap his fingers, summoning a playing card, which he would flick into the air. The card fluttered along, spinning and twirling towards its target almost playfully before landed on the red bulge of the clown horn. The moment the card hit the horn, it erupted into an explosion, blasting open the gates of the zoo, including the guard inside the booth. "What are you doing?! I could have gotten us in! The soldier yelled, but  Jester ignored him, striding forward into the zoo. The alarms ringing loudly, not that it mattered. The Hostia soldiers were far too occupied in the main city, the likelihood of them sending large reinforcements to a zoo was minimal. Perhaps a small group, the clown would just kill them anyway. Jester glanced over at 'Barry', indicating with his head to move, the soldier hesitated but after glancing over at the booth containing the dismembered parts of the guard, he seemed to be motivated to move once more.

The duo moved further into the zoo, trekking deeper and deeper. There were animals that looked on in intrigued, but they were paid no attention. These weren't the type of beast they were after. Aside from their steps and the natural sounds of the animals kept there, the zoo was quiet. It seemed the zookeepers had fled to a safer location, having got wind of the attack on Hostia. This was good, it meant they were met with no resistance as they moved towards the giant buildings towards the back. For every locked door or gate that they would meet on the way, Jester would the same balloon method as he did before. For every guard or zooworker that attempted to interfere, they would end up which the steely edge of a play card buried deep in their skull, throat, or chest.

Until finally, they entered the room they were searching for, stepping through the remains of the blasted doorway. Jester’s hungry eyes scanned its contents, there were cages and containers throughout the warehouse. Some were empty, some had animals in. Jester strode along, scouting the contents of each cage. It would seem that they were keeping the less aesthetically pleasing creatures in the back. But given what they knew about Hostia, it wasn’t surprising. Money over ethics. It was part of what made Hostia so tempting to snatch. Yet, amongst all the decrepit creatures he couldn't see her. Nor could he see any of her kind, which had to mean she was in one of the three containers in the room. As he skipped across the room, he moves from container to container. There were horizontal slits in the sides, just wide enough to fit a man's fist in. The first container was empty, the second quiet, emitting a smell, the smell of death. Which left only the third container.

He would slide up to the final container, moving to one of the gaps on the side. He leaned in, he could hear movement within. He stared in, there was quiet. A moment of stillness. The soldier, 'Barry', looking over uncertainly from a distance. Nothing happened, the shuffling inside the container continued. Until suddenly, a giant boom rang out against the side, and giant hooked claws peeked through the gaps. Attempting to claw at whoever got too close. The attack accompanied by a menacing growl. Jester giggled ecstatically, hopping playfully from foot to foot. The attack on the container stopped, the movements of the creatures becoming still once more. Jester leaned in close, dangerously so. If the beast clawed again, it would surely tear through his cornea. But still, he showed no concern, his wide golden eyes peering him before he whispered to it.

"Hello my pretty~ Oh how I missed you." He cooed, like a grandparent talking to a grandchild. After a moment, his golden eyes that were peering in eagerly would be reflected with two more golden eyes. The felines gaze meeting him in a strangely calm manner. "There's my girl," He purred, before moving away. Striding around to the end of the container, before quickly set about opening it up. "Are you sure you want to do that? I heard she killed six people, guards, and zookeepers, she dange-"

"Oppressors. All of them, foolish enough to attempt to contain such a magnificent creature, prepare yourself Barry. Because you are about to meet a legend; Cirque de Rêves finest Asset, The Cursed Tigress, Sheba~" He yanked the lever up, pulling open the container doors. Slowly they would open, emitting a high pitched squeak. From the shadows, a deep growl, before hefty paws skulked out of the darkness. Moving further out of the container to reveal an almighty creature. She was, as Jester remained. Magnificent. Her powerful limbs moved sleekly, her body had not grown tired over time, but only more lean and substantial. Her features were exquisite for even her kind, almost bewitching. She always was, during her days of servitude.

"Hello again, old friend." Jester said, stepping before her, he would kneel, arms open, chest exposed. His gaze steady on hers as she stalked toward him, she stopped a few inches away, sniffing the air around him. She would growl once more, although this would sound more like a grumble. She nudged her face against his, her golden eyes closing. He reached up around him, scratching her behind the ear. "I know girl, I know. Don't worry, Jesse's here to free to." He would drop his hand pulling back, "And together we will unleash hell on this despicable world." He told her silkily, her golden eyes would open once more. Meeting his gaze, she grew still. Between them, the look was unwavering, she may have been a mammal, but Jester knew she understood him. She was special like that.

He would stand, moving aside, looking over at their observer. "So that's it, I can go. I got you your Tiger, I'm free to leave?" He asked, his eyes hopeful. Jester smiled pleasantly at the man, "As promised Barry, I won't kill you." The man sighed with relief, limping towards the door happily. "But... I can't say the same for my friend here." The soldier froze, looking over at the Tiger, who was sinking into a low crawl. "You see, Sheba has quite an appettite... and she's starving. But because I'm generous, I'll hold her back for five seconds, give you a chance as a reward for your aid today. If I was you... I would run." The Soldier spun on his good forward, hobbling away in as close a run as he could manage. Just as the clown began to count down, holding his two fingers before the Tigress as a signal to wait.

"Five...four... three...two...one." He raised his hand, and the beast would leap, charging forward after the man. And within a few moments, the warehouse would be filled with screams.


Jester's exciteable giggle filled the air, loud enough so that Oakey and his Queenie would hear it. His eyes falling on them as he made his rather 'dramatic' approach. He has long since left the soon and made his way to their location, them having been spotted by one of the spare Harlequins he'd sent off to keep an eye on the goings-on in the city. So he had headed towards the outskirts where they had been seen fighting. Upon arriving he would see the two of them, surrounded by bodies, his Queen in an unusual shade of black, tears streaming from his eyes. He looked at them both from on top of the giant tigress, before scouting off of her. She would growl, but he would reach over and stroke her furry cheek. "Calm girl, they're with me." He told her, before moving forward a few steps. "So, what did I miss?"

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WC: 3038 | Jester Total WC: 6617
TL;DR  - Jester is waking along, takes on some soldiers, kills all bar one. The last soldier, who he nicknames 'Barry', begs for his life trying to offer something in exchange. During their discussion, he mentions the zoo, which catches Jester's attention. Jester who has been looking for Sheba, the tigress from the Zoo he grew up in for years, excitedly has Barry take him there. They find Sheba, Sheba eats Barry and they head off. Later arriving in the location where Birch and Saraphina are fighting.

Saraphina didn’t seem to really notice too much outside of her line of sight, which was mainly the rainbow copy guy. She just wanted to end him. She was aware of Birch though, and only really paid him any mind after she offed the rainbow guy. She had given him a bit of a glare when he started to follow her and spoke to her. Her cheeks started to burn slightly at his compliment. She didn’t know how to fully respond to that compliment, so she snapped her head away from him and flicked her hair back over her shoulder. She was going to just not bother with him for now till she wasn’t upset with him for how he treated her. She needed her Jester. As giggles began to fill the air, a small smile began to curl on her lips. She knew those giggles. Her purplish pink eyes quickly darted to see the moment her sweet Jester was in sight.

There he was, upon a majestic looking tigress, donning clothes she wasn't used to, but she figured he had fun wearing those clothes regardless. Her smile spread wider across her face as she listened to Jester speak. Clapping her hands together, the currently black clad white queen calmly walked over to the other two. "You didn't miss too much, my dear. Just some girl who thought she was faster than me on my skates, another with some guns, a pointless dance, some dinky guy who thought he could steal my magic. Trivial things." She waved her hand as she talked. She leaned to the side and looked at the tigress as Jester came closer to her. Her purplish pink eyes sparkled a bit as she glanced back towards her favorite clown, and Týr came up to them again. The polar bear was a bit bloody from fighting his own little hoard of Hostia soldiers trying to subdue him, but he seemed to manage perfectly well on his own.

The red tinted polar bear seemed curious about this new friend that was here and started to walk up towards the clown a bit. “Who is this?” Saraphina’s voice distracted the bear, making him look to her and stop walking. The white queen was clearly looking at the tigress. She seemed to avoid looking towards Birch right now. Her anger about how he seemed to start luring her in before yanking himself away from her slightly radiating off of her. She sneered a little at that thought and shook her head before she jumped over to be right next to Jester. Her eyes still seemed a bit dull compared to how they usually were. She wanted to not be upset anymore. “Jester~! I want to play! Have you been up to any fun around here?” She smiles sweetly up to him, reaching for his arm for a moment if he let her grab onto it and hug it for a moment.

Týr seemed to huff a bit that he wasn’t getting any attention from Saraphina, so she had quickly gone away from Jester just to go next to her polar bear. “Did you think I was ignoring you?! Silly bear! I could never ignore you. I hope you have eaten many imbeciles here.” She giggles halfheartedly. She then pursed her lips as she looked around. There weren’t too many people around here… this was now rather boring. “Cirven shouldn’t of killed the one who was trying to claim Hostia as his own country, right? I want to treat them to a visit…” She giggles as she claps her hands once. Týr lifted his head a bit as he sensed someone nearby.

The white queens purplish pink eyes followed the gaze of her bear and noticed a straggling, and injured, group of soldiers not too far away from them near a building. Saraphina takes a deep breath as she leans against Týr. Did she want to deal with them? Her head lulled over towards Birch. “Would you convince them to fight for me?” She mused to him, but she only seemed to scrunch her nose to him, not too pleased that she looked at him so soon. She held up her hand, ready to summon her sword and chuck it to get their attention. But she was actually debating on doing that. An idea popped into her mind. “Jester~ How about a game? The first one to convince those soldiers to be in my army gets a prize of their choosing~! A couple small rules. You two can't harm or interrupt one another to do it, and you have to try.” She giggles as she moved to get atop of Týr. She leans forward on Týr’s back and had a slightly bored expression on her face while she put her head in her hands and her elbows on Týr’s neck. She didn’t know if this would provide adequate entertainment for herself, but it was worth a try to actually see what her members would do for her when she posed a fun little challenge.

Regardless of his gentle encouragement, Sheba would not ease in his menacing growls. Particularly towards the blonde man who glared at her with equal disdain, Jester's golde eyes darted between the two curiously. Even in their short reunion Jester remembered Sheba just as she was, generally, she never did anything without intention. The menacing aura that appeared to simmer off her even now was curious, considering she just ate, he would expect her to be sated enough that when if he told her to cease she would listen. Yet, he sensed a hunger from her, and innate want to snap Oakey's head clean off and swallow it whole. Jester reached over, placing one palm on either side of her furry cheeks, he directed the Tigress's gaze to him. Hia golden eyes holding hers, "Relax my dear, there will plenty of time for feasting later, this I promise you," He whispered to her, she would stare at him for a moment, before offering a soft growl in response. One he took as agreement, satisfied the clown would turn from her, beaming at Oakey and The Queen once more.

As they continued closer to the pair, Jester's gaze focused on his Queenie as she filled him in as to what they had dealt with so far. As Bear-Bear got closer to Sheba, she would sniff the polar bear, her nose lingering over the blood that coated his fur. After which she would raise her chin in a way that seemed somewhat approving, although who could really tell with a tiger. As long as she wasn't tearing out the throats of his allies, then she must have been some sort of amicable. Glancing back at the tigress with the type ofprideful gaze which was often rare for the clown, he would introduce her to his companions. "This, my dearies, is Sheba, she is a magnificent creature and an old friend of mine. They had her captive here, attempted to make a show-beast of her, but alas she is so much more than a zoo animal. Aren't you?" He cooed, earning a soft growl from her, before returning his gaze to the others.

"Now this Sheba, is Queenie, Queenie is fun, you must never eat her. And the one you stare at so hungrily is Oakey, try not to eat him, only if he's being a silly billy tehehehehe~ I kid, Oakey, I kid. Maybe. Only slightly, HAHA, So what is next on our agenda?" He said putting his hands on his hips, and looking around at the carnage with a casual amusement. It was always nice to see what chaos his Queenie left in her wake, this time with the added flair of Oakey. Whom he'd had yet to enjoy the sight of in action, at least in the same way he'd often induldged in with the Queen, soon hopefully that would change, depending on how the Hostia take-over progressed. After all, he still had his little gathering at the hospital to return to. How long had it been now?

The was peculiar energy about his Queenie, not that same chaotic energy that he often indulged in luring out. She seemed frazzled in someway, not herself. Jester cocked a brow glancing over at Oakey before returning his gaze to Queenie, Who seemed to be purposefully not looking at the man. His eyes would glimmer with malevolence, his smile a fraction more sinister as his Queenie approached him, clinging to his arm. Which strangely enough he'd grown to be okay with, unlike anyone's touch, his Queen's hands were of the few that irked him. It was a weird comfort that he hadn't actually acknowledged himself, however anyone else who dare touch the clown would soon see the difference, his Queen was a special case.

He inclined his head closer to hers for a moment, bringing his hand up to her chest, he would run a finger under her neck in an upward motion, before tickling the underside of her chin in a manner one might deem surprisingly affectionate for the clown. As he spoke his voice become smooth again, silky almost. Less like that a manic clown and more of a well-mannered aristocrat. "Oh I have endured plenty a fun my Queen, playing with toy soldiers, doctors and the like. I saved us a few toys for later, but that is of no importance. Tell me, My Queen, What's ailing your sweet little head?" He purred, knowing full well that something had occurred during his absence, something that had created some discord for the Queen, possibly with Oakey or for whatever other reason it was. Would he play on such a thing? Well, of course, he would. Keeping his sweet little Queenie in the right mindset was a necessity for this mission to go swimmingly. For his queenie always perform best when she felt her actions were warranted, and for that to be the case. He needed at her most prestigious, to believe in her role as the true Queen.

As she moved away to comfort Bear-Bear, Jester twirled on his feet, golden eyes locking onto Oakey. In a few quick steps, Jester skipped up to the man. His eyes shifting from calm to deranged as he stared at his blonde guildmate, "Now, now Oakey. I hope you been a good boy for our Queenie. He snickered, although the laugh was nothing short of menacing, "Because if you haven't well, that would be such a shame wouldn't it? Wouldn't want to disappoint our Queen now would we? Not when there is so much at stake, hmmm?" His voice was perky, and to some it might have sounded happy. However, there was every inch of threat implied in his words. That if Oakey, did anything to jeopardise his Queenie and their mission. That Jester, as much as he enjoyed toying with the fellow, would have no qualms about tearing him limb from limb. Or letting Sheba have at it since she was so keen at present. He needed to understand, this was about so much more than Hostia, about Errings Rising. His queen was an important piece in the game, she was the chesspiece that would crush all pieces underfoot to get what she wanted. And he needed her to stay that way.

He would destroy anyone who dared to interfere.

The Queen would muse out loud, and Jester would spin to her once more, his eyes no longer deranged, or at least no more deranged than they normally were. He wasn't sure as to what the man she referred to was doing, although it seemed simple enough that they would merely need to send word that their Queenie wanted to speak to them and surely they would come. If they knew what was good for them, that was. The sound of survivors would draw the groups attention, and Queenie would instruct them to convince them to fight for her. In this instance, Jester did agree with Oakey's questioning drawl, he didn't see much use for the near-dead soldiers either. But if that's what the queen wanted, then that's what the queen would get.

He had been formulating an idea when she would add on an additional clause, a wager of sorts. His golden eyes lit up at the suggestion, his mouth stretching once more into a wide unnatural smile. Mmm, she certainly knew how to excite the clown, he loved games. "Why you spoil me Queenie~" He commented with a delighted giggle. He would watch as Oakey moved forward, he started in an almost empathetic manner, sympathising with them, yet few of them seemed interested in the prospect. So he decided to change tactics, Jester brought his hands together, clapping excitedly at the sight of the black magic that seemed to ooze out of him. Jester beamed as he listened to the malice in the man's threat, threatening to rob them of their afterlife. A few of the younger soldiers would inch forward, looked upon with shame by the others. Jester twirled on the spot, "Is it my turn? Oh please, I do so hope it is? Yes? Yes!!" He said skipping forward towards the men, he snapped his fingers and Sheba stalked over, lowering herself for him.  With a twirl, Jester hoped off the ground, sitting on the Tiger's back. She rose up once more so that he could look down upon the remaining soldiers.

"Hello Men, Boys, Women? Ah yes, one woman, Hostians! My name is Jester,  you can consider me, an emissary of our noble cause. You see, we of Errings Rising, came here today, not to kill your family, not to slaughter your friends. No, we came here with a purpose, to amend the injustice that had fallen upon your people. You see, we've been watching, and we could no longer stand by whilst the leaders of Hostia wronged you. Tell me, Hostians, where is your freedom? Where are your rights? You think you have rights, but you don't. They only allow you to believe. Think about it, has your government ever done something that made you question their rulership? Whether they are really the rightful leaders for you, you slave away in your dead-end jobs and your basic military role and for what? To be cannon fodder? Where is your glory? I see no glory here, look at you, beaten, bruised, pathetic whilst your leadership abandons you. This is what Hostia has given you, the chance to allow them to sit on their citizen bought pedestals, whilst you offer up your lives for them. Wouldn't you say that a true leader fights alongside its people? You see, our Queen here,"

He would turn, his arm dramatically gesturing to the white-haired beauty behind them, their gazes would follow him. Quite a few of them already under the influences of his charismatic speech, "Look at her, here she stands amongst her soldiers, putting herself in the fray. She risks herself for her cause, to free you from these pathetic leaders who do nothing but use you. You must have realised by now, there is no winning this war. You can either die a pawn, or join us, and live on, as a victor in a new Hostia, in a better Hostia. What say you?" His voice rose to a dull roar in the last part. There was a pause, a quiet, and then a man stood. One of the generals followed a soldier and then another. Like flowers in bloom, they would rise. And one by one they were move forward. Jester would smirk, before bellowing with even more enthusiasm, "WELL HOSTIANS, WHAT SAY YOU?"

"AYE!" They roared back and Jester arched his head, looking back at his Queenie, eyes twinkling. "Then pledge yourselves to our Queen, and relish in that the glorious future that awaits you!" He said, and was instructed they would come to her and they would as she so desired, bend the knee. Jester shot Oakey a quick look, his eyes carrying a message that would read as a single expression that he often heard as a child; You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar.

"Now then my Queen, where to next? I have a delightful little hospice full of more Hostians to convince, or perhaps you would like to seek out this leader you wish to speak to?"

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WC: 1897 | Jester Total WC: 8514
TL;DR  - Jester helps convince Hostians soldiers to pledge themselves to Saraphina.