The Queen of NightSPADE and Jacques start to chuckle.

Jacques says, “A fitting look! Much prettier than the reference! Don’t you agree?”

…

Nothing from Faith…

“…we can dress her down if you want to inspect the accuracy and articulation…” as he says this, The Queen licks her lips.

Faith doesn’t budge.

Jacques proceeds with his intended Range Strike…

“THERE! JACK OF NIGHTSPADE! TWIN TWISTED AXIS!”

Despite its small stature, the doll can jump high into the air!

Selecting its target, The Spade Jack slashes downward! Two circular saws of air curve out and into each other. Each time they collide, it creates a black spark!

The target reveals itself…

It’s a cartoonish badger that can’t stop laughing! It’s howling so hard it can barely focus!

When it sees the deathly gale heading its way…IT LAUGHS HARDER!

Like it had remembered a hilarious routine, it reaches back into its card and rapidly starts pulling out and throwing away various items...

Tools…guns…knives…hammers…it’s searching for something…

Even a whiskey bottle! The Badger gives it a passionate kiss before casting that aside too.

What it pulls out…it never should have fit in the card!

It’s a comically oversized bomb! His noodle-like legs can barely support the weight.

He continues laughing as he holds it up high over his head.

*YIPE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*

The laughter stops because the bomb’s wick is almost out! The Badger’s eyes bug out of his head, and he chucks it at The Spade Jack.

This is the infamous Black Bomber Badger! Completely two-dimensional in mind and body.

When the wind blades connect…

Chunks of the bomb are quickly cut apart, revealing a tinier bomb, no larger than a pea.

The pea-sized bomb continues its path, gently hitting The Spade Jack on its forehead.

*Tink*

*KA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

THE BOMB EXPLODES!

Under normal circumstances, it would have wiped out the entire manor, but this isn’t a cartoon…

The words TOO BAD! are left behind in smoke.

Black Bomber Badger is a Joker rank card, and when Joker cards are targeted for a Range Strike…

“Joker Crash! Your strike is negated, and your turn is forfeited!” Faith says to Jacques.

He is speechless.

Caked in soot, The Jack of NightSPADE lands at the feet of The Queen.

She stomps on the doll and grunts.

The Badger walks back to its card, whistling along, but it checks out Faith before going in.

HIS JAW DROPS LIKE AN ANVIL!

The Badger’s eyes turn into large HEARTS, then become the words SAUCY LADY!!!!!!!

Once again, he sifts through items, but even more hurriedly than before!

He puts on a nice bow tie and slides towards Faith!

Down on one knee, he is suddenly too nervous about maintaining eye contact and is sweating buckets.

He pulls out a flower and holds it up to Faith…

Teeth chattering like ice cubes…

Easily cracking as such…

He peeks and screams when he notices the flower is wilted, quickly hiding it while he blows on it and rubs it with a cleaning cloth…

Somehow…out comes a beautiful bouquet of flowers and butterflies! The Badger now has a smug grin! Romance Pro!

…

He sucks in his own grin at the sight of Faith revealing her total indifference…

She points at his card, “…go home to your family…”

He turns around, and a woman badger caring for three raucous babies waits by the card, brandishing a frying pan.

Heartbroken, Black Bomber Badger sobs as he marches back home…to his prison.

“Hey!” Faith says.

He looks at her. His eyes are so big!

Faith winks at him, “You fought hard! Thank you!”

The Badger blushes as he bashfully scoots into his card. The wife follows him, but not before angrily pointing her frying pan at Faith! She enters the card too…

…one loud *POW* and the whole card vibrates and shatters! Black Bomber Badger died a hero…

Faith leans a bit forward, giggles, and says to Jacques, “I caught Dee secretly doodling him on one of my blank cards.”

“He doesn’t know yet, but I finished the art for him!” ♥

“Oh…Dee also constructed quite the lengthy effect for Mr. Badger.”

Giggling more, “But I had ’ta edit most of it down!” ♥

…

“…he didn’t need to keep it a secret from me…” her voice now has a somber tone.

…

“…we play and play…but do I listen to him?”

…

“It’s my move!” Faith draws a card.

“Sorry, Mr. Lenoir, you’re fired! I already had the world’s greatest game critic right at home!”

-CHAPTER END-

-PHASE CLOSE-