Welcome to Miror

The Four Cards

Female Main Character x Multiple Monsters

The Pips is a city in Miror which has sort of excluded itself from the rest of the kingdom. It's not really a city, but it prefers to be called that over anything else. Rather than be run by the law of royalty, it has developed its own sets of rules. The enforcers of these rules are the Suits, four families who have taken control of the city and its populace through various means - The Zuanshi, the Le Coeur, the Vangas, and the Verein. Each holds a territory within the Pips, and they hold a tentative treaty with each other.

The heart of The Pips is a massive casino, the Lone Joker, right in the center of the city. It was built by all four families on neutral ground, which allows the families to keep an eye on one another. The Zuanshi family, the richest of the four, controls the gambling portion of the casino. The Le Coeur, who got their start as clergy, control the wedding chapel and hotel. The Vangas, who were once all in law enforcement or soldiers, control the security. And the Verein, who keep their origins a mystery, supply most of the staff and maintain the restaurants.

Within each family, there is a hierarchy including a king, a queen, a jack, and an ace. The kings are the ruling heads of the families, usually the father. The queen is usually their wife, husband, or right-hand-man, someone with intimate knowledge of the family and their business, who can rule should the king be unable to. The Jack is a powerful enforcer, someone not afraid to get their hands dirty, or fight for the king and queen. The Jacks are usually the most frightening. The Ace - or a prince or princess - is the heir of the king and queen. They are rigorously trained under the first three, and are often both extremely precious and viciously deadly.

I decided to read more into The Pips when I was offered a job at the casino. I've worked as a performer most of my life, doing vaudeville routines with my family when I was young, and some stand-up comedy later on. I've done acrobatics, singing, dancing, and magic tricks, all while sticking to my comedy roots. I was contacted by the Verein family, who offered me a great deal to headline the casino for an indefinite number of months. My parents, who are also my managers, tried to talk me out of it, but the more they protested, the more money the Verein family offered. Eventually, it became an amount none of us could turn down.

"Are you sure this is something you want to do, Euphrasie? The Pips aren't a safe place to be. It's outside the laws of Miror." My mother is fretting. We know the money is good, but we're questioning whether it's worth it.

"If it gets too bad, I'll send you both home. I can tough this out." I strum my lute aimlessly. "But you two can leave anytime."

"We aren't going to leave you alone there," my dad insists. "It isn't safe for a young girl like you."

"The Vereins promised to look after me. Things like that are gold in The Pips." I set my lute aside. It isn't helping me relax like usual. I take a deep breath, then peer out the window of the carriage as we approach the city. The buildings are tall and spire-like, and I can see a massive tower at each corner of the city, where the families live. The city converges on the casino, towering over the relatively new building as if watching it like a disobedient child.

The entrance to the city is guarded by four sentries, one from each ruling family. The Zuanshi sentries wear red diamond badges on their black Tang suits with platinum detailing. The Le Coeurs are dressed in red cassocks with white detailing and ruby hearts for buttons. The Vangas wear white military uniforms with black velvet details and spade-shaped badges of onyx. The Verein wear black leather coats with tall hoods, with shining black clubs detailed into the leather. Each go over our papers one by one before they let us inside. Our carriage is taken by a Verein sentry, who guides us directly to the casino and takes us through a secret entrance. The top floor is where we will meet the one who hired me.