User blog:Gnomehunter/Day 10: Card Sharks

Write a story with a Majin-type monster

After the jabberwock and the recently added wonderworm, the trumpart is sort of my distant third favorte monster from wonderland. Not much place in peoples' stories it seems, mostly as an element of trouble for men trying to avoid other monsters, I kind of like the idea of a monster with varying personalities and her own dimensional space. While the wiki  mentions the trumparts having childish personalities, to go along with the nature of wonderland, I chose to ignore this detail (in favor of the trumparts being more adult in nature) like I do with any bit of KC's lore that I don't care for.

Card Sharks

'''“Wrong turn at whatever road takes me to Wonderland”, Alan muttered. He’d heard a little about Wonderland, a land that was as head-turning as it was full of lustful, sex-crazed monsters, even by the standards of monster girls. Hope I never have to worry about that place, he thought to himself. Until one unfortunate day when he was walking down the street one minute, and located in an unidentified field the next. A field where the skies were filled with fluff pink clouds, and a strange, sweet scent wafted through the air. Nervously, he found himself looking all around and behind him. Not sure if it was a good idea to call out, he checked his phone. No wifi signal. Wouldn’t access any form of maps, or any kind of internet browser. He felt a sinking feeling in his stomach, and decided to try and find a less exposed location, in the hopes that he could avoid any encounters with monsters. '''

'''As the sun began to set, he came across a small stream, flowing with pink liquid. Alan had no desire to discover what the liquid was or what it might do, but it looked small enough to jump over. Taking a few experimental hops, he sprang forward, one leg forward ready to hit the bank and catch himself...but it never came. His eyes went wide with shock, and he landed with a SPLASH, stumbling and falling into ankle deep pink water. He scrambled to stand, but when he did, he saw that the stream was actually a great river. He was standing in the shallows on one side, but the water grew deeper and deeper, a torrent of water roaring through the center, and steep banks on the other side. There was no way he could cross that! “And why do I feel so sleepy?” He said to himself. Barely able to get to his feet, he stepped onto the bank, and crawled over to a tree he hadn’t seen before. Without thinking, he collapsed into slumber. '''

'''Alan woke up feeling much more comfortable than when he’d fallen asleep. As he slowly opened his eyes, the sun shining on his face, he realized why he felt so much better. He’d woken up in a pile of rabbit women. They had velvety red ears, and revealing tops like many monsters he’d seen. He tried not to make any noise out of fear of waking them up, and carefully tried to untangle himself from the pile. Shift the one that was laying on his chest, slowly pull his arms out of the grips of a couple on his sides, and gradually, trying not to let the monster jenga tower fall. As he managed to extract himself, inching down out of the only space that was open, he could see he’d been laying in the lap of a fourth woman. He suddenly felt the urge to crawl back in and go back to sleep. The fluffy pink fur around her thighs must have made for an excellent pillow. NO! He thought. Have to get out of here. The river he had tried to cross was back to the size of a small stream, but he didn’t want to risk crossing it. So he slowly crept away from the rabbit pile, thankful for the grass muffling his footsteps. He tried to move quietly, until the women were out of sight. He picked up the pace, praying to see anything but the sight of the little stream stretching off into the distance. When somehow, despite being nowhere nearby, he heard a shout.'''

'''“Husband’s gone!” He turned around to see the rabbit women standing together, right where he’d left them. They were far enough that he had to squint to see them. '''

'''“I was sure I’d lost them!” He said. One looked up, '''

'''“Husband, wait for us!” Shit. He turned and ran, ran as hard as he could. He could hear them approaching in the distance, feel himself losing what little energy he had, when a town appeared before him, as if popping up out of the ground. He ran down the stone streets, passing men and monsters, when something grabbed him! A clawed hand clamped over his mouth, arms wrapped around his torso, and his pursuers ran right past the alley he was hidden in'''

'''“Wait, where did he go?” They stopped, looked around, before continuing along the path. When they were gone, he was released. He turned to thank whoever had helped him. '''

'''“Thanks for theeeee-” He stopped at the sight of a tall woman with wings, claws and horns on her head. She stood a head taller than him. But most noticeable was the 2 large mouths protruding from her wings, long tongues hanging out as they seemed to stare at him. '''

'''“Welcome to Wonderland, dear. As you can see, there are a lot of lovely monsters for a cute, single man like yourself to meet. You could follow those March Hares, or you could find a more powerful monster like myself, the jabberwock. Oh, but there’s no need to fear, I’m already married. No, I’ve just come to lead you to a place that might be of some help”. She gestured for him to follow. Alan watched the monster walk down the alleyway, which had not grown much wider. She seemed to be safer to trust than any of the few monsters he’d already met. So he followed. She led him out of the alley, and before him was a brightly painted building with a sign that read “Wonderland Casino” over the entrance. “Inside, you’ll find something that will be of great interest to Wonderland arrivals”. Alan cautiously opened the door. There were pool tables, slot machines and other contraptions throughout the room. '''

'''“Oh, sir! Is this your first time at the Wonderland Casino?” A little girl greeted him from behind a counter, wearing a dress and blue shirt. He took note of the horns on her head, and tiny wings and tail. '''

'''“I, yes. I’m sort of lost and to be honest, I’d like to leave this place and go home. It’s a bit too much for me”. The girl looked sad.'''

'''“Well, it’s a shame to have to say goodbye to guests so soon. If you can find a Cheshire Cat, they’re your best chance of finding a way out of here.”'''

'''“And what kind of monster is that? Where would I find one?”'''

'''“Well, you’re most likely to find one over your shoulder, hiding in your hat, or maybe your pants. But if you want a description, they look a bit like those March Hares that are about to enter our casino. Except more like a cat than a rabbit”. Alan looked to the door and jumped. The very same monsters he’d thought he’d escaped from were coming right for the door. He froze. They piled in and without looking at the girl by the counter, hopped right over to him, grabbing him from all directions. One of them approached him from the front, hugging him tightly and looking up into his eyes.'''

'''“Hey, we’re looking for a runaway husband. He looks a little like you, same height and everything.” '''

'''“I uh, haven’t seen any runaway husbands lately”. She looked sad, and began to hop to the door when one of the others stopped her. '''

'''“Jane, you fluffhead! That’s the one we’re looking for!” Jane turned around, a look of realization dawning on her face. '''

“Ooooooohhhhhh, I thought he looked familiar.” They started to drag him to the door.

'''“HEY! You can’t just take me wherever you want!”'''

“Sure we can, we have a nice den that would be much nicer than this old place”.

'''“What is all this commotion?” Everybody went silent as a commanding voice echoed from the back wall, which now appeared to be a curtain. Another girl stepped out behind it, dressed in robes and carrying herself to the front of the room with an air of dignity and grace that matched that of the jabberwock he’d met.'''

'''“Your Majesty! We didn’t mean to disturb anyone, we were just collecting our husband.”'''

“Since when was I your-wait, are you the” the girl curtsied.

'''“Good day, citizens and visitors of Wonderland. I am the Queen of Hearts. And I would like to remind all of you that while pursuing and finding love is highly encouraged for all,” she gave a sharp look to the hares, “this casino belongs to me, and therefore I must warn you all that no one is allowed to take another outside of the place against their own will. And ladies please, keep to a slower pace, or you’ll disturb the other patrons. Alan checked to see if there were any people he’d missed, but the only ones he could see were himself, the queen, the hares and the girl at the counter. The queen stepped back behind the curtain and vanished. Alan managed to wriggle out of the hares’ grasps, and started to pace around the room, the others slowly following him. It was an awful predicament. No way for the monsters to take him,  but no way for him to escape. '''

'''“Oh, sir! I never had a chance to explain. This casino has a number of games to play and prizes to win, but if you go behind the curtain, Her Majesty has a special game for anyone who wants to try. Winners get a free pass out of Wonderland”. '''

'''“Sign me up!” He turned towards the curtain, passing the hares and ignoring their attempts to stop him. The walls were patterned with playing card suits. In the back of the room, the queen was sitting on a throne, and in front of her was a large table with four other women sitting around it. They each wore a red or black hat, spears resting on the floor or strapped to their backs. They appeared to have some sort of gauntlets and armored collars, in colors that matched their hats. They all wore white dresses with more playing card suits. But the most striking detail was that all of them seemed to be partially merged with playing cards sitting on the floor beneath each of them. '''

'''“Traveler. I see you have elected to play my special game?”'''

“Yes, I heard that I can get a free pass out of Wonderland?”

'''“Just as you heard at the front, if you win my game, I will give you a perfectly functional, guaranteed ticket out of Wonderland and back to your home. Such a sorrow to see visitors leave. But of course you have to win.” She gave him a small smile. “Before you are four of my royal Trumpart guards. You must play poker, using the provided betting chips. If you can win the most chips, I will grant you this pass. However...If you lose this game, the soldier with the most chips will claim you as her prize”. One of the women grinned and blew him a kiss. '''

“Could I have a refresher on how to play?”

'''“Of course, sweetheart”. The speaker was sitting on top of a 9 of hearts. “You know, we of the royal guard boast increasing amounts of power the higher our number. I’ve got the largest number of all of us and I can give you the biggest-'''

“Luvia will you please tell our guest the rules of the game?” The queen interrupted.

'''“Oh, of course. So, Her Majesty will deal cards each round. We get five cards in the hand. Each of us gets chips to bet with and we start each round by putting 1 into the pot. After we see our hands, the first player gets to bet how good their cards are. You can match that bet with the same number of chips, raise the bet, or call a fold if you don’t think you can beat them. Of course, you can bluff and pretend your hand is better than it is. Of course, you lose if someone calls your bluff. But you win all the chips if you have the best hand, or no one calls your bet. '''

'''“Now let me give you a rundown on this chart on what kinds of combinations of cards make good or bad hands. Starting from the lowest value, 2 of a kind is you and me going all night long. 2 pairs is when we have some friends. 3 of a kind is us joined by a friend. A straight is when you’re joined by my lower numbered friends of different suits, all in the same numerical order, straight through the night. A flush is when you’re making love with me and four other hearts of lower rank. A full house is what I call a harem, but others will call a 2 of a kind and a 3 of a kind in the same hand, then above that is four of any of the same card, and a straight flush is the highest value hand you could have, five numbers of the same suit all in sequence, our cheeks flush with excitement as you-'''

'''“Thank you for the explanation, Luvia. I think our guest has an idea of the rules. The chart is there to remind you of the card combinations, and please remember, dear guest, that  you are allowed to withdraw from the game whenever you’d like. However, should you choose to do so, I will ask you to leave my casino”.'''

'''“I understand. I’ll play”. Alan said. He sat down at a chair that had been pulled up for him, across from the queen. She produced a deck of cards out of thin air, sending them floating over to the table and dealing to each player. '''

'''“You can have the first move”. Alan looked at his hand. A pair of 8s. The chart dictated that pairs of higher numbers were better than lower numbered pairs. '''

'''“1 chip”. '''

'''“I’ll raise that to 2 chips.” He glanced at the diamond sitting next to him. She had a 5 showing on her own card. '''

'''“I’ll see your bet”. Luvia said”. The spade answered her bet. “And what about you, Rina?” The fourth woman, sitting a bit to Alan’s right, had a 2 of clubs on her own card. She pushed her glasses up, and shyly looked at him, before turning to Luvia. '''

'''“Oh, I fold”. The remaining three players revealed their hands. The diamond had a pair of 7s, while Luvia had nothing. '''

'''“Pair of 8s. I won this round”.'''

'''“8! Oh, I was so close!” The diamond exclaimed. The rounds continued. Alan began to feel more and more confident as he continued to play hands, learning when to bet, raise or fold. His chips began to dwindle at one point but he called a bluff and won a big pot. Finally, he found himself outlasting both the diamond and Luvia, with just himself, Rina, and the spade who had a 6 on her card. She looked at her hand.'''

'''“Ugh, I fold this round”. It’s onto you, Rina. The club looked at her hand. '''

'''“Um, I bet 3 chips”. She had 8 in total. Alan looked at his pile of 6 chips. He had 4 10s and a 9 of clubs. '''

'''“I will raise your bet by 3. I bet all my chips!” He could almost taste victory. '''

'''“Then, I will match your bet”. Rina put all but 2 in. '''

'''“Both of you, reveal your hands. Katherine has chosen to fold this round, so the winner of this round will win the game overall”. The queen announced. They both revealed their hands. The club looked at Alan’s hand and he saw her shocked look. He smiled, looked at her hand, and his heart leaped out of his chest. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Of Clubs. He looked at the hand again, checking the chart and both players’ hands. '''

'''“No,no, nonononono! That can’t be! This game was rigged! How else could she have,”'''

'''“Dear, guest, your gauche behavior is not appreciated in my parlor, nor are your accusations. I made it quite clear the stakes at play, and I gave you the chance to exit whenever you liked. This loss is solely your responsibility. '''

'''“I won’t stand for this!” Alan rose from the table and bolted toward the curtain, perhaps the hares had given up. But the spade emerged from the wall, seizing him by the collar and dragging him back to the group.'''

'''“Come on now, you’re not just going to abandon poor, sweet Rina, are you?” She stood him in front of the 2 of clubs, holding his arms behind his back. '''

“Um, you don’t have to come with me if you don’t want to”, she said quietly.

'''“My dear! You won this game by your own merit, and he is yours to take.”'''

'''“Well if you say so, Your Majesty.” She reached out, hugging Alan close and pulled him through the card. Alan felt like he was sinking into a deep pool, but then they emerged from the pool, dropping into a blank white void. There was a bed, a desk and shelves full of books. Their feet hit solid ground. “Well, this is my home. I hope you like it.” She released Alan, who tried to sit down, finding it firm. '''

'''“Not much to do. And what about bathing? Food and water? And um, waste disposal?”'''

'''“Ah, we don’t need to worry about any of those things here”. But I could make things like a bath, if you wanted.”'''

'''“Seems a bit lonely. Do we have any way of seeing...outside?” '''

'''“I could make windows. Or I could show you around Wonderland. There are plenty of nice places, I think”. '''

“Have you ever been outside this place?”

'''“Well,” she was staring down at her feet, “I’ve never really been anywhere but here and the queen’s palace. I guess it could be lonely. But it should be fine, now that you’re here”. Alan tried not to say anything, taking a look at the books. They were mostly fiction, with a handful of guide books to Wonderland. He took one of the books at random, and opened a page. It seemed to be a normal book, so he sat down to read without looking at Rina. At least she wasn’t jumping on him. She silently walked over, and picked a book off the desk, before sitting down next to him, with some space between them. It was silent enough to hear each other’s breathing, and the sounds of rustling pages. They sat there, reading until Alan started to get tired. He stood up, yawning. '''

'''“I think I need to go to bed. I don’t suppose you can make a second one for me?”'''

“Oh, Her Majesty decrees that all members of the royal guard must share a bed with their chosen husband.”

'''“Well...I guess that’s that.” He pulled off his shoes, not comfortable enough to remove anything else. He walked over to the bed, laying down. Rina walked over, awkwardly lying down next to him. They lay there quietly, as the unknown source of light dimmed until they could only see each other’s shapes. '''

'''“Hey I, never got your name”. Rina whispered.'''

'''“Alan”, he mumbled sleepily. '''

---

'''A light shone on Alan’s face, somehow. He opened his eyes to the same white void that he’d been brought to the previous day. But this time, he saw Rina lying next to him. She’d fallen asleep on her side, with her hat and glasses askew. She was breathing slowly, and a sense of joy welled up in his heart. Without thinking, he pulled Rina closer, into his arms. He then kissed her on the lips. Her eyes fluttered open, and they went wide. '''

“G-good morning Alan!”

'''“Good morning, Rina”. He pulled her in for another kiss. '''

“This is nice, what brought about the change?” She asked nervously.

'''“I don’t know. I’m just feeling really glad to be with you. At that, Alan and Rina became coser. Their kisses turned into uncertain exploration of each other’s bodies, both growing more confident as they spent more time together. Their days were spent reading, or talking to each other about their stories, sometimes taking time to paint or play chess, now sitting close to each other, holding hands, or cuddling as they read. One day, there was a visitor.'''

'''“Rina dea, It’s so nice to see you and your husband getting closer. But I wish you would spend some time outside your card. There’s a whole kingdom for you to see. After all, didn’t I ensure you two could come together?”'''

'''“Your Majesty! I wish you’d warned me. We were going to explore the kingdom, but we got busy.”'''

'''“Wait a minute, did you just say you made sure we could meet each other? So the game-”'''

'''“Allow me to correct myself. I provided the incentive.” She waved her hand, and the pack of hares appeared, dancing in a circle above their heads before disappearing.'''

“Illusions?” Alan asked.

'''“Correct. But Rina won the game all on her own. I’m quite pleased, too. She’s the lowest rank of my clubs, and even some of her other, timid sisters have managed to find a partner”.'''

'''“I appreciate all that you’ve done for me, Your Majesty”, Rina said shyly. '''

'''“Well, I can’t be too upset if you’re enjoying each other’s company. But dear, do try to explore outside of your territory”. Rina bowed, the queen waved, and vanished.'''

'''“Hey, Alan? Would you ever want to leave Wonderland? Do you wish you could have escaped instead of living with me?”'''

'''“Of course not. I wouldn’t have it any other way”, Alan said, kissing her softly on the forehead. “Whatever the queen might have done, I couldn’t imagine a single day without you. '''