simply diminished: a phantom troupe story

bingo

After the match had finished, I decided to head back to my room and change. Zelkra's blood had spattered on my shirt, staining dark patches on the fabric. Right before I was about to pull my top off, a card sliced through the air and into the wall, barely missing my head.

"Putting on a show for me? How kind~"

"Well, if it isn't the cheshire cat." Oh shit, I didn't mean to say that part out loud. My face flushed over in embarrassment as I shook my head.

A deep chuckle erupted from the man's chest as he walked over to the wall, collecting his blade.

"Cheshire cat? I don't think I've gotten that one before~" His usual smirk was plastered onto his ivory skin and he pulled the card out of the wall, grinning at the mark it left.

"You just remind me of him I guess." I muttered, slightly embarrassed .

"How so?~"

"The way you talk. It's so...whimsical I don't know. And you kind of look like him too."

"Hmm. I'm more like the mad hatter if I do say so myself~"

"You're wrong."

"And why would that be?~"

"I would be the mad hatter obviously."

"Hmm, not quite. You'd be the queen of hearts~"

"Gee, thanks. But you'd still be the Cheshire Cat."

"Hisoka works too~"

"Hisoka..."

"Yes~?"

"Why are you even in my room?

"Good question~" He had taken a spot on the couch, resting his feet up on the table and shuffling a deck of playing cards. "I saw your fight~"

"Hmm." I wasn't pleased with my performance, so I didn't guess that he- Hisoka- wasn't either.

"I found myself to be quite bored~" His squinting golden eyes were focused on his maneuvering hands but he looked back up at me. "I'd have to assume that you were too~"

"Yeah pretty much. I can't stand boring opponents." Hisoka's eyes grew wide along with his smirk, displaying the sharp points of his canines.

"So you'll advance quickly I assume?~"

"I'm planning on it, why?"

Hisoka rose from his spot at the couch and took a few steps towards the door, facing away from me. "I guess I'll see you on the 200th floor then~"

"And until then?"

"And until then..." He repeated, turning his head so his golden eyes took mine captive. "I won't be coming back."

"You're not going to talk to me until I get to the 200th floor?" I asked, cocking my head to the side. It's not like we were close- but his company had made me one person less lonely.

"Bingo~" He had a finger lifted in the air and began to walk out the door as I cut him off once more.

"Why?"

"So I can fight you of course~"

Fight Hisoka? Although I was previously wishing for an interesting opponent, Hisoka seems like one of the only people that wouldnt be an easy win.

"..."

"Fight me now."

"Hmm, no~"

"Uh-"

"You're simply not ripe yet. And just like you- I don't like boring opponents~"

"Oh."  The silence was incredibly loud, and I spoke up one last time. "Well then answer me one question...Hisoka."

"Alright~"

"What was that yesterday. You're aura...it was all...sticky."

"That's all part of the test you see~"

And with that, Hisoka the magician had vanished.