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“Three of a kind, I win! Hand over the jewels!”
“Aww, man, I had a good hand…!”
In a circle, three pippinses were playing poker, betting with riches acquired by gambling, as this was all they did in their free time. This was their fifth game, and they were hiding in the bushes to avoid getting caught by rudinnses, who would probably take their totally fairly earned money as a caution to pay for illegally gambling in the castle’s garden instead of working.
The winner leaned towards the pile of shiny gold, and had to use both his arms to grab the entire thing. “It’s all skill”, he said, and the others were unsure if this was pure ragebait of if he actually believed it.
“Are you trying to convince us you didn’t just cheat right now? You couldn’t possibly win three times in a row.”
“Chips, you’re just a sore loser, can’t you just play without hating for no reason for once? Why are you even playing if you can’t take losing.” Ace, a pippins notorious for her love of gambling, gathered the cards spread on the ground. “Besides, isn't adrenaline the best thing in poker?”
“Yeah, I would use my brains more, if I were you. Luck won’t save you everytime.”
“Whatever, whatever.”
She shuffled the cards, and distributed them amongst the players. They betted a first time, then looked at their cards. The angry one frowned even harder.
“Oh, COME ON! You shuffle like shit!”
“Man, don’t spoil your hand and just play! If you hate your hand, just bluff and bet all your life savings, like everyone else!”
As the other two were fighting, the third pippins tried to keep his poker face. A two and a five. He could bluff all he wanted, but against Ace, even an all-in wouldn’t save him, he was going to lose for sure. However, he didn’t want to break his personal ‘no folding’ rule.
If only some unfortunate event would help him keep his treasure this time…
“HEY! What are you guys doing?!”
All three of them jumped. A rudinns seemed to have caught them. No, worse: the diamond King himself caught them playing instead of working, betting on jewels. And God knows how much he likes jewels.
Ace and Chips both grabbed the remaining of their savings and ran away, but the third one was barely big enough to grab all his treasure, and knew he wouldn’t be able to leave fast enough. The King looked down on him.
“What’s all th-”
A rumbling noise took over his voice.
The pippins, instead of bothering trying to explain, nervously looked for something in his huge pile of shiny stones and coins, before showing a bright green peridot to the King. He kneeled in front of him, presenting the crystal.
“My King, would you accept this gift, please? Its color matches yours perfectly!”
The Royal diamond froze. A gift? Kneeling?
He knew darn well this was just a way for the pippins to get away with his mistake, but proper etiquette was rare among pippinses, and God knew the King appreciated a good etiquette and rules.This might have been the first time he’s seen a polite, well behaved pippins (if he could be considered well behaved, considering what he was doing not even five minutes earlier).
…
He might just keep this one.
“Get up, and tell me your name, the red one.”
“Would my name really matter, my liege? You would forget it, and lose me in the crowd of my peers. I am no different to the others, and I know my face would be unfamiliar to you as soon as I leave your sight.”
What an intriguing little being, the King thought.
“But I think you are, little one. Though you are right, your face is rather average. I wouldn’t recognize you like this.”
He stared at the small guy, looked at him up and down. His gaze made the pippins nervous, not knowing what the King had in mind. Hopefully he could get away without problems, but he couldn’t tell if the King’s reaction was good or bad news.
The royal rudinns turned around, and started moving towards the castle.
“Come, little one.”
The pippins awkwardly gathered his belongings, and painfully tried to catch up on the king’s speed.
Walking behind the King, the other card Kingdom citizens stared at him. Some seemed curious, others jealous, and a third ground of them pitiful, but all seemed confused. The small pippins wasn’t really sure what to feel either.
In front of the door, the King ordered the guards to open it, and so they did. The sound of his treasure echoed in the corridors, and his steps loudly resonated, as his little legs were barely able to keep up his liege’s speed.
In front of the elevator, the King pushed a button, and they entered as the doors opened.
The door closed behind them, and they silently got to the first floor. The pippins anxiously tried to look at the ceiling, but the King really didn’t seem to care. He was staring at the little one, and noticed his sweat looked like tiny crystals.
What a strange, precious being, he thought.
The elevator stopped, and the pippins left the elevator as quickly as he could, starting to feel claustrophobic. The royal rudinns rapidly catched up on him, and led him to an unfamiliar room for the little guy. He clapped, and two rudinnses opened the door for him. He gently put his hand on the dice’s back, and softly pushed him inside. The rudinnses closed the door behind them.
The pippins around. The walls were all patched with pieces of fabric, and robes and costumes were displayed on mannequins of multiple species of darkners. The King put his hand under the gambler’s chin, forcing him to look him in the eyes.
“Little one, listen to me; you may not have spectacular looks, or anything special about your appearance, but your mind intrigues me. I want to remember you, and for that, I need you to get rid of this awful looking robe. The red does not suit you.”
Another pippins was working on a costume in the other side of the room. The King called him over, and turned to the “special” pippins.
“Do you still have that gem you offered me?”
The unnamed one nodded, and grabbed the peridot from the pile of gold, before showing it to the King. He took it, and held it at eye level.
“Young tailor, I need you to make a similar robe as the one he is currently wearing, but of higher quality and of this color. Later, I want you to make a brooch with this stone. Could you do that, please?”
The tailor pippins nodded, and rushed to the side of the room, opening a closet. They took out a few pieces of fabric, and presented them to the King. He caressed them to feel the texture, and took one to put next to his precious pippins’s face.
“This one seems perfect. What do you think, my Peridot?”
“It, hum, looks great, your honor.”
The diamond King smiled, and gave the fabric back. He told the pippins he wanted a robe with this texture, and they immediately left to put the others back in the closet.
He turned to the little gambler.
“From now on, I will call you Peridot, as you didn’t tell me your name. I think it fits you.” He stared for a while, before adding: “Now, take off your shirt and get on the stool behind you, will you?”
“I’m sorry?”
“We will take your measures", said the King. “For your robe. I wouldn’t want it to be ill-fitted.”
Peridot felt slightly uncomfortable, but did as the King ordered. He got on the stool, and was disappointed to see he was still shorter than the King.
The royal one got closer, and grabbed the pippins’s arm gently.
“You have less freckles than the others. I shall remember that.”
Though this was something Peridot and the other pippinses knew, it felt weird for another person, of another race moreover, to point it out. All of this, only in one afternoon, he was not used to being perceived that much.
But he could not deny the fact that all this personal attention felt nice.
The other pippins came back with measuring tape to take Peridot’s proportions. They asked him to open his arms, and wrapped the measuring tape around his waist, then measured the length from one arm to another. They noted everything in a small notebook, then left.
“My Peridot, I want to be able to see you more. What would you think of staying by my side?
“What? But, why? What would I do? I am too weak to protect you, my King.”
“Think of it as being some sort of maid-in-honor, or a jester, if you prefer. I want you to stay yourself, that is all. What do you think?”
This is really weird, Peridot thought. But could he refuse? This new ‘job’ meant more privileges, and no more problems if caught gambling again.
He pretended to think about it, but his mind was already set.
“I will, my Liege.”
“Wonderful!” The King clapped with joy. “Starting tomorrow morning, I want you to meet me in the garden. Please wear your new costume. I will ask people to send it to your door when it’s done, it should be ready before I need you in the Castle. You will wake up with a beautiful new present at your door! The green will suit you perfectly, my Peridot. You will be beautiful.”
He grabbed the dice by its shoulders, and his cold hands made the pippins flinch.
“I think this is the start of a great friendship, don’t you think?”
Peridot paused for a second, still shocked by the touch of the King on his skin. His eyes met those of the royal rudinns.
“I’m sure it is, your honor.”