MG roulette (Mad hatter and two trumparts)

Judging by what most people Barry had talked to, it is quite often the case of most people that used the roulette got a weird answer and was confused until the monster showed up. For example, an Amazon or Dark priest didn't sound that monstrous, but when they showed up and had their horns and tails on display it became clear.

The encyclopedia that was mentioned also had a tendency to show up long after the relationship had kicked off. Other people simply wanted to be surprised and only opened the book after what they got.

Barry could safely say he was now part of that group, as he had pressed the button and was trying to understand the result.

*MAD HATTER & TRUMPART X2*

The mad hatter was clearly referencing Alice in Wonderland, but if his memory was right the hatter was one of the few characters in the book outside of the king and queen that was human, among the others was things like the dormouse, march hare, jubjub birds and that Cheshire cat. Could it be another succubus type? One ruled by insanity as opposed to the other types?

And trumpart didn't even seem to be a word, he did try googling it, but it came up with nothing. And the fact he was meant to meet two of them along with the hatter made him wonder what they could be. Annoyingly, nothing came to mind.

He as distracted from his thoughts by a knock on the door. Thinking one of his deliveries had come by, got to the front door to sing and collect.

Instead of seeing the postman, on his doorstep was a woman that looked like she stepped right out of a play from the 1910's. She had bright purple eyes, a beautiful face, Long flowing blue hair with a white streak in it and was giving him cheerful smile. She was wearing what looked like an expensive long-coat style suit that was a bright red along with a matching top hat, but what was strange was that on her cuffs and several other parts of her outfit were weird white growths that reminded him of mushrooms.

Her captivating and stand out appearance made it clear that this was probably the mad hatter that he was meant to greet, but he looked around and saw that she was the only one here, strange... people said that if the result was multiple monsters, they would all come round at once,  maybe they would show up later? He mentally shrugged and told himself he would deal with it then.

“Greetings. I am from the roulette. Are you Barry, the one who used the e-mail?” She asked.

Barry nodded. “Yeah.”

Her smile widened as she took off her hat and bowed. “Claire, at your service, may I enter?” she asked.

“Uh.. sure.” He said as he let her in. the walked in the living room. “Please, have a seat, would you like something to drink?”

“Black tea if you have it, three sugars and no milk.” She said.  “Can't have a good tea party without decent tea.”

“Tea party?” He asked.

“Of course! I hold tea parties all the time. Is a common  pastime where I'm from.” She said.

“Ah right, like the novel,” Barry said.

“Novel?” The hatter asked with confusion.

“Oh, right, there's this book called `Alice's adventures in wonderland`. The mad hatter in that had tea parties all the time, celebrating things like unbirthdays and stuff.” Barry explained. “though it's probably a lot different than where you're from.”

He thought about how their version of ancient Egypt had the god Anubis as a name of dog monster, among other things. He would it past this version of wonderland to be different.

Claire looked interested. “Adventures in wonderland you say? Hmm... I will have to read it later, but why don't we get started our own party?” she asked.

“It's not that much of a party if all we've got is us two and some tea,” Barry noted out.

Claire let out an amused chuckle. “On the contrary dear Barry, it would only take two to party.” Barry wasn't sure if he could see a sparkle in her eye when she said that. “But in a way you're right, I have been keeping the others waiting,” she said as she pulled two playing cards from her pocket and tapped the back of each.

Barry was about to question what she was doing before stepping back as the two cards floated up and expanded to the size of doors. One card, marked with the four of spades, started to ripple and out of the card emerged a young woman.

She was shorter than Claire and dressed in a weird white and black uniform that also had the four of spades on it. She had short blond hair and curious blue eyes that was looking around the room and stretching with a sigh of relief. “I had forgotten how stuffy it gets in there,” she said as she before noticing Claire and Barry. “Ah! So is this the guy, Claire?”

“He is, but it seems that your sister has yet to join us. Why  don't you get her out and you can introduce yourselves together?” Claire asked.

The card woman blinked before looking at the other card, that Barry noted was marked with the two of clubs. “Come on out! Were at his house!” She called.

There was an awkward pause before a soft voice called back “No... I'll meet him later”

With a sigh, the card woman looked at the other two in the room. “Excuse me.” and without saying anything further entered the other card. Right after that, several noises came from the card along with what he could have sworn was a female yelp, before the card woman came back out pulling another woman with her.

The second card woman was dressed like the first apart from wearing a stylish hat and having the two of clubs on her chest. She had her red hair done into a low braid and was wearing reading glasses. She also looked shy to the point of she would jump back in that card given the chance.

Barry wasn't sure what to think. Women coming out cards like they were portal? Even for the magic being shown by the monsters around London, it was a bit out there.

“See? It's not so bad here, right?” The spade woman asked. “It's nice and inside, away from the public, but we're going to have to do something about you shyness eventually.”

“I know, It's just...” The club woman drifted off.

“Don't worry about it, for now, we should just greet him.” Spade woman said. The two of them turned to Barry and saluted. “I'm Rachel, Trumpart of the spade division.”

The other one took a deep breath. “Josie, from the club division,” she said shyly.

So these were trumparts? It was a weird name, with the way they saluted he would have thought card soldiers would be more appropriate-

Barry almost smacked himself for not seeing it sooner. If Claire was a mad hatter, then these two must be part of the card soldiers that serve the queen of hearts. He was thankful these were more wholesome, as most versions of the book showed them as just the card with limbs and a weird head.

“And I'm Barry, welcome to my home I guess,” Barry said. Looking at all three of them he was thanking whatever luck had granted him the game, there were all beautiful women, ones he thought wouldn't give him the time of day if he met them in a bar, but here they were.

Claire clapped her hands together. “Great! Now that we all know each other we can get started, shall we?”

~X~ (sometime later)

The four spent the afternoon seated around Barry's table talking about various things from the trumparts day to day work to general weirdness of wonderland. Rachel mainly lead the conversation while Josie only really spoke to support information. Claire was turning out to be a little mysterious.  As she had spent most of the time the time keeping an eye on him with a gleam that was impossible to read.

Eventually, the talk turned to things to do for fun, Rachel was interested in sports while Josie had a thing for the books and the arts.  Claire had a different approach “Do you like card games, Barry?” She asked.

“I don't really play them, but I'm okay with them. Why?” Barry asked.

“I love all kinds of card games, blackjack, hearts, poker, you name it. What do you say we have a few games?” she suggested.

“I'm not too sure I would be a good opponent,” Barry said.

“It'll be fine, I'm up for a challenge even if its cards.” Rachel said. “Plus being a trumpart gives me extra luck!”

“That's not true. You lose to me every time.” Josie spoke up making Rachel pout with embarrassment and Claire chuckle. “I wouldn't mind playing too.”

“I guess if all three of you are in, I'll play,” Barry said. There was no harm in it even if he couldn't picture himself doing that well.

“How about a little encouragement to win?” Claire said. “If you would, Rachel,” Clair asked.

The spade trumpart rose from her seat and went over to her card, sticking her upper body inside (and giving Barry a nice view.) before pulling her self back out carrying a selection of sweets and baked goods.

“Let say whoever wins a round gets to have some of these,” she said gesturing to the sweets. “Tea can't be the only thing at a party, I like to make it a little more interesting buy baking these to have alongside the games,” she said.

“Win to eat then? Fine by me.” Barry said. “So, what are we playing then?”

Claire produced a deck of cards as if she had it up her sleeve and started doing shuffling tricks. “Five card draw should be good enough for now.” She said while dealing out cards. Everyone collected their cards and did their trade-ins.

“Okay people, show 'em.” Rachel said, putting down her cards. “I've got a pair of threes.”

“Three of a kind with sixes,” Josie said doing the same.

“Seven-four full house,” Claire said. “What about you, Barry?”

Barry looked and his cards and put them down surprised. “Four of a kind with jacks... I guess I win right?”

“Help yourself to a treat,” Claire said as she collected the cards and started shuffling as Barry decided to try out a muffin. Tacking a look at it, he assumed it might be blueberry flavoured. He shrugged and took a bite.

It tasted great! He was no expert on food, so he couldn't describe the flavours he was tasting outside of the blueberry he predicted was in it, it was nothing like anything he had tasted before. Eating the muffin made ramped his curiosity to try the other foods.

“I made them myself to prepare for our first tea party,” Claire said with a smile. “Do you like it?” she chuckled when all Barry did could do was a nod. “Then you know what you have to do to get more.”

“You're on!” Barry said as the cards were dealt again,

~X~(Some more time later)

Barry was having a brilliant time at this mini tea party. Or at least he thought so as he munched another cookie.

Time had seemed to just melt and flow by him and the women continued their games of poker. Everyone had won their fair share of matches and had eaten the treats, so much that he didn't know just how much he had eaten, or why the tea wasn't getting cold.

Everything had turned a good kind of loose, Rachel had become more laid back while Josie opened up more and was more forward than what she wanted. Claire, on the other hand, hadn't changed at all and kept her calm and elegant smile as she talked and played with the others.

But if he had to pick at something, it was the odd feeling that was growing as time went by. The room felt like it was starting to get hot and the trumparts started to squirm in their seats every now and again. The only discomfort the mad hatter showed was the removal of her jacket. Barry himself was starting to picture a more intimate time with them but was trying his best to keep up with being a gentleman. No woman likes the man trying to jump right in their pants, he thought.

“I win again!” Barry declared showing his straight flush to the women before taking a toffee sweet. “How many games does it make it?”

“That was you tenth game, Barry and I believe this cause for a celebration,” Claire said as she stood up. Barry was thinking she was going to get some special cake or something like that, but instead, she walked around the table and kissed him.

Barry's eyes widened in shock s she pulled away from him. “What was that about?”

“A celebration, like I said. You've been such a good host, you should get a reward.” She said as she started unbuttoning her shirt.

Barry was about to say that it was not necessary when he noticed that a Rachel and Josie were also taking off their clothes. Barry shuffled in his seat unsure of what he wanted to do.

“Ever the gentlemen, you've been trying to hold back on his feelings for some time,” Claire said. “You know, if you're focusing on that then your not fully having fun. And we can't have someone like that can we, girls?” She finished with a grin.

“Nope, if he did that in the presence of the queen, she would be livid!” Rachel said.

“We may be here, but we are still servants of the queen.” Josie's eye's looked distant and her voice was a far cry from the shy girl he had met earlier today. “I say we punish him like the queen would have ordered too.”

“Punish?” Barry asked, but not out of worry, if anything he was excited.

“The Queen request that all humans that enter wonderland be brought in for interrogation and torture, the crimes may vary but the result is still the same,” Rachel explained as she stripped down to her underwear.

“And it's our job to make sure that the criminals become upstanding citizens of Wonderland.” Josie had already undressed. “How about we show him that it's bad not to express himself?”

“I'm okay really I am,” Barry said. All he got in return was a sweet laugh from Claire who had taken her shirt off but still had her trousers, gloves and hat on. She had glazed over eyes, but her smile was still as refined and elegant as ever, if anything, it made her look like the kind of crazed person that had a twisted view of everything instead than a crazed berzerker.

Fitting, given what she was meant to be.

“Everyone is to let themselves go to a tea party, I won't let my husband restrain himself when he really should be the one enjoying it to the fullest. We want you to act on your thoughts, we would gladly take all that and more,” she said as all three girls advanced on him.

One thing that he thought of as they got more into it and that was that he was sure that the trumparts had a different idea of what torture was

~X~ (two weeks later)

“And...Done!” Barry said as he had painted the last spade on a board set up like a low hung portrait.

“Great! I'll start white away.” Rachel said placing a palm on the board, both of them became enveloped in purple energy and Barry also felt the now familiar tug. “There, now this one is bound too,” she said with excitement.

Trumparts had the ability to use large card imagery as gateways to their own personal area within the `card dimension` as they called it. The only rules were that the Image had to be bound by the trumparts magic and that the image had to be the same card and suit as the trumpart. Barry had decided to call them card gates.

To make use of this power Barry had set up boards with fancy designed versions of their respective cards in every room. They would be hidden by illusion magic, so Barry didn't have to wonder what people would say about all the large cards of fours and twos all around the house

With Barry now married to Rachel and Josie, he gained the ability to travel through them like the trumparts. So whenever one of them wanted private time with him, he could jump into one of their room and spend time together.

Barry was no mind expert, but he managed to settle down with Claire's quirkiness and tendency to throw a tea party at any chance. He occasionally had to remind himself that even if it was an alternative wonderland, it was still wonderland and common rules don't really apply to them.

“So it's done?” Claire sad entering the room. It was was a rare sight to see the woman so underdressed, wearing only a shirt and her hat.

“Yeah the last one is set up, all that's left is for me to make one for my workplace and I have free travel to where I need to be,” Barry said.

“Wonderful! You do know what that means right?” He said with a grin as she embraced him from behind and started to feel up his chest.

“Not everything needs a celebration. You know.” Barry said.

“Maybe... but you haven't told me to stop.” She said.A

Barry didn't say anything and simply turned his head so he could kiss her. Rachel and Josie soon entered the room testing out the new card gates and soon another tea party was being held. How Claire managed to keep that hot pot of tea in her hat no matter where they were having said the party was a question for another day.