Chapter 40: Proposal of an informant

'A heretic, even a fledgling, is still quite crazy, aren't they?' Four of Hearts began to muse in his mind.

Four of Hearts, Three of Diamonds, and Lumière had been walking through the streets of the middle borough, heading towards Mercurial Street, where the House of Cards rested.

"I have someone I wish to save." Four of Hearts spoke suddenly.

Lumière looked at him suspiciously, as if the man had suddenly gone crazy and wished to speak of nonsensical things.

"That is why I seek power. Isn't it good to talk about these things? We may work together in the future, so shouldn't we get to know each other like this?"

Three of Diamonds beside him seemed less than pleased to entertain the idea, but Lumière chuckled slightly, keeping with the unhinged, calm persona.

'Isn't that too presumptuous? What if this deal with Three of Hearts fails? Of course, this is the only part I have in it, so afterwards, I have no reason to stick to his side. Still, how do you figure I will side with you, or even interact with you in any way? These are powers that far exceed mine, so I would rather not interact with you if I have the option. Increasing the risk to myself when there's no benefit for me is not in my bets interests. I am a mouse who acts like a lion at the current moment, but that means that ultimately, I am still a small figure in this strange and mysterious world.'

Still, Lumière didn't voice his concerns. So, as usual, he acted his part.

"What about you, One of Spades? Why do you walk this pathway to madness?"

"I have someone I wish to kill."

'That's right. Inevitably, anyone connected to the death of Elise will die by my hands. I've made up my mind to do that much. It's not too deviated from the truth.'

Three of Diamonds, who had been eying Lumière with suspicion, now had true fear etched on her face. She had now been completely convinced that the man before her was an incomprehensible, crazy person. Not only could he avoid her divination attempts, but she was sure that his supposed inclination to violence would manifest in horrid ways. If someone were to bump into him on the street, she wondered if that person would continue to live much longer. The grin that he held on his face while speaking of such things was completely unlike anything she could comprehend.

'These heretics, aren't they really unlike us? As an astrologist, I lose my morality, and as an alchemist, Four of Hearts will lose his humanity, but isn't the loss of sanity too unbecoming? Isn't the man before me kind of alike to a monster more than a human?'

Lumière had already caught wind of the change in Three of Diamonds's demeanor, which caused a knowing, pleased smile to rest on his face. It meant that his persona was having a positive effect, at least in the way he had intended. As long as he could directly pacify those stronger than him, there wasn't a need to risk his life in matters such as these. Any corners he could cut on the long road to his goal was worth the effort. As for those goals, he had ultimately coalesced all his thoughts into two complete wishes. First, he had decided that he wanted to find and kill the person or persons behind the death of Elise. He felt that it was the only thing that would pacify the bittersweet loneliness in his heart. Second, he had decided to use the power he had been granted to change the horrid nature of the world's system. How he was going to do such an insane thing was uncertain to him, but he knew it was possible. After all, insane things seemed to be easy to such a domain of heresy and craziness. If that wasn't the case, however, then he could lie to himself and tell himself it was possible. After all, believing something was possible was the best path to fulfilling it.

Before long, the three had arrived at the building that was blanketed in a familiar fog. In front of the ornate wooden door, a man with ochre skin dressed in a simple attendant's outfit stood, ready to greet guests. The three approached the man one-by-one, showing their cards to the man before being allowed access. As the man opened the door for Four of Hearts, he spoke genially as usual.

"Thank you, Mr. Osiris."

The attendant nodded in response, and the three eventually met once more within the hall. Like every time Lumière had visited the House of Cards, the mysterious and lofty figure dressed in black rested comfortably in his seat at the edge of the hall. He had a satisfied, coy grin on his expression, and he seemed to watch as Lumière waltzed into the building. Lumière tried to avoid his gaze, but it was far too piercing to ignore. Still, he had matters to attend to, so he pushed it to the edge of his mind and turned to the side. At the far edge of the hall, there was a large bar where drinks were being served by a bartender. On one of the seats in front of the counter, a familiar form took shape before Lumière's eyes. He gestured to the two beside him, and gradually approached a man who sat in front of the counter, leisurely sipping on a drink.

"Mr. Three of Hearts." Lumière spoke out. "The matter you've requested of me has been settled."

The man turned around in his seat with an expression full of surprise, eyeing the three who stood before him.

"So it has." He smiled.

Immediately, Lumière felt the skin of his hand heat up slightly. Glancing down, he realised that the bloody ink on his hand had dissipated, and the runes of the contract no longer remained. He had been freed of its constraints, having completed the matters of the deal.

"I've heard you want to do business, Mr. Three of Hearts." Four of Hearts spoke genially. "However, your terms must be quite reasonable to be so confident in reaching out. I hope we can discuss those terms privately."

Three of Hearts, an amicable businessman, nodded in agreement.

"I wonder, however, if Mr. One of Spades and the friend you've brought along are interested in joining us in discussion? Judging by the mark on your hand- you're an astrologist, aren't you? Your skills may come quite in handy."

Three of Diamonds's eyes widened slightly, but her apprehension remained.

"I don't mind it, if they're open to it." Four of Hearts shook his head. "However, I don't see what place they have in our matters. Is it that you don't intend to propose trading our cards?"

"Well, it's something of the sort. I suggest you hear me out before you assume anything, though." Three of Hearts grinned.

Three of Diamonds, still hesitant, nodded her head. As long as she was accompanied by her friend, she was agreeable to at least hear him out. However, Lumière was not so convinced.

"Why would I follow you? How does hearing you out benefit me? Aren't you just privy to waste my time, you strange conman?" Lumière spoke with furrowed brows.

"Now, now. There's no need to levy insults. I'm certain to propose a deal that would benefit you very much. After all, you lack money, don't you? Someone as poor as you should jump at the chance to make a bit of coin."

Lumière's eyebrow twitched, not an effect of his persona, but rather genuine annoyance. When it came to matters of money, Lumière tended to be quite sensitive. After all, he had grown up not knowing a life with it. Still, he was agreeable to such a thing. In recent days, where his passion for his work as a magician had faltered, anything otherwise that could make him money had become much more enticing as an option.

So, the three followed Three of Hearts into a private room of the House of Cards, Lumière still ignoring the piercing gaze of the Joker on his back. As they sat down, they all eyed Three of Hearts intently, awaiting his proposal. Suddenly, without any forewarning, Three of Hearts spoke out.

"Do you all know of Johan Basque?" Three of Hearts asked of them.

Four of Hearts shook his head in response.

"Of course. To be an alchemist, shouldn't you know of such a man?"

However, Lumière and Three of Diamonds held puzzled expressions on their faces. Looking over towards Four of Hearts, they seemed expectant of him to explain, so with a humoured smile, he began to comply.

"Johan Basque is quite well-known in the medical community. He's an innovator in the field of surgical practice, and a benefactor who runs a charitable foundation that caters to children and the elderly who couldn't typically afford expensive treatment. For alchemists, whose domains of power specialise in healing, he is a figure we look up to."

Three of Hearts nodded in agreement.

"However, there's something even you don't know, Mr. Four of Hearts."

"And that would be?" He replied with furrowed brows.

"Johan Basque happens to be the current 'Five of Hearts'."

There was a slight bit of shock on Four of Hearts's expression. However, after a bit, he calmed himself once more as it began to make sense.

"So, then what is it you've brought me here for? Do you intend to point me in the right direction so that I may challenge him to a duel? Should I challenge such a kind individual to a fight that may irreversibly harm him and his efforts? What is your game here, Mr. Three of Hearts?"

However, Three of Hearts's grin didn't dissipate in the slightest.

"Did you know that since Mr. Basque has opened his charitable foundation, the number of natural deaths of elderly patients had increased by a sizeable margin?"

"There was a war. Isn't it reasonable that the elderly would die of many causes?" Four of Hearts argued.

Three of Hearts nodded in agreement.

"However, if that's the case, then why has Mr. Basque paid off the families of the deceased in order to convince them to forgo a burial in favour of cremation? Moreover, he tends to rush this process, in such a way that families aren't able to witness the state of the corpses."

"What are you insinuating, Three of Hearts?" Three of Diamonds inquired, her eyebrows furrowed. "Are you saying that Johan Basque, rather, the Five of Hearts is using these bodies for some purpose, and disposes of the evidence in what he considers the cleanest way possible?"

"That's exactly what I'm insinuating. It's not just an unsubstantiated statement, either."

"Then, what is your proposal, Three of Hearts?" Four of Hearts asked, unconvinced.

"So, if this is the case, then here's my proposal. Why don't we expose his dealings to officials, and at the moment he's about to be arrested, use the confusion to steal his card?"

"You want to do a three-way switch?" Four of Hearts smiled, quite humoured. "I'll take the Five of Hearts, you'll take the Four of Hearts, and the Three of Hearts will be forfeited. Is that it? Are you satisfied with that much?"

"I'm very satisfied with that much. Even if you don't participate for the sake of taking down a terrible, corrupt individual, aren't you satisfied with the prospect of advancing your abilities?"

To Lumière, the talk of such strength was too much to think of. After all, he hadn't advanced past the initial stages of power. He was still a 'fledgling' in terms of magical ability- far above a normal individual, yet so far away from the three others who sat in the room alongside him.

"So, if this is the case, then why am I here?" Lumière inquired. "If this is all some grand scheme for the sake of advancement, how does this benefit me? Moreover, how am I useful in this situation? Aren't you simply going to lead the Peacekeepers to his location to discover his misdeeds?"

Three of Hearts shook his head succinctly.

"That's not it, my dearest heretic. You're quite useful in this situation. After all, you're the greatest liar among us. How will we make him confess his sins in the event that we mistime it, and the Peacekeepers fail to discover evidence of his crimes? If you can use those 'illusory murmurs' of his to terrify him and shake his emotional state, it may lead him to unconsciously confess, or at least act in a suspicious way that would lead the Peacekeepers to discover more. Moreover, as a 'blasphemer', you are the only one amongst us with the natural physical capability to steal the Five of Hearts card in a split second. As far as the plan goes, you might just be the one key element of it all." Three of Hearts grinned. "As for enticement, Johan Basque is indeed a wealthy individual. If you're to steal the card from him, the Peacekeepers definitely won't notice if several, dozens, or even hundreds of bank notes were to simultaneously go missing. After all, isn't money a great motivator for someone as financially defunct as you are?"

Lumière's eyebrow twitched once more, and Three of Diamonds let out a stifled laugh. At the same time, Four of Hearts nodded his head in agreement. So, Lumière simply struck away the annoyance from his heart, and nodded his head to signal his agreement with the plan.

"Moreover, someone like you… you wouldn't really be okay with letting someone like him keep going with his insane acts, would you?" Three of Hearts grinned.

Lumière's lips quivered slightly, almost failing to keep a calm expression.

"No, not at all."

Watching this, Four of Hearts began to think humourously.

'Hm. So even a strange, unhinged fellow like One of Spades is prone to involving himself in matters that relate to the peril of women and children...'

"Well, will you accompany us, Ms. Three of Diamonds? Your divination will prove useful in gauging our inclination towards danger. Of course, you won't be able to divine anything about Mr. Basque, or Four of Hearts, but you'll be able to divine the inclination towards danger of myself, yourself, and Mr. One of Spades. Since we'll be traveling as a group, this will surely be more than enough to prove useful. It is the determination of fate by proxy."

"You're quite optimistic about many things, aren't you? Do you think fate is some one-track determined event? What if your faith was misplaced? What if I divined my fate to be completely safe, and ignored yours, only to betray you at a crucial moment, and leave you stranded in the midst of danger? I would be completely safe, but that would mean that my fate was completely separate from yours, which was destined to be dangerous. Isn't this just an example of your foolishness?"

"You call it foolishness, but I call it trust. After all, aren't there many stakes involved, Ms. Noblewoman?"

Three of Diamonds's eyes widened suddenly, and there was a fear in her eyes that rivaled what she felt after discovering the existence of Lumière's secret. In unison, Four of Hearts's once-calm expression shook slightly. Never had there been any indication towards Three of Hearts that Three of Diamonds was of noble birth. Still, this man spoke with utmost confidence as if it were true. This suggested that by all means, the man who was able to gather information and determine the identity of 'Five of Hearts' Johan Basque, also knew the identity of Three of Diamonds.

And if he knew the identity of Three of Diamonds, was it a far stretch to assume that he also knew the identity of Four of Hearts, and of the magician, Lumière Croft?