Degretys

Sayonara

Time: Last day on the ARK

He proudly laid an ace down. Turned his gaze to Maria, convinced that he had obtained her card. It was only the beginning of the game and he wasn't succeeding in it so that ace made him content. He believed his opponent was using an undefined trick. How else to explain the fact that almost all the cards she took one by one were capable of defeating him?

But as their decks dwindled, scales of victory tipped to his side. He took her cards with larger numbers, Jacks and queens, and with each such occurrence he became more and more glad.

Maria slowly picked up the next top deck. She glanced at it, then smiled at him, but that kind of smile made him uneasy. She threw a card on the table and all of sudden he felt as if his already slightly inflated pride was hit with a hammer of painful truth. Looked with disappointment and disbelief at the drawing of a figure grinning just like his opponent.

''Boom!'' she exclaimed, and then took his and her card.

''This is the third joker! You have them all. It's not fair!''

''Fate wanted it that way.''

''Don't blame it on fate, little witch. This is the last time I let you shuffle the cards.''

''You always say it and then you let me shuffle anyway.''

''I swear this is the last time.''

''You said the same thing yesterday.''

He sighed resignedly. Reluctantly, he had to admit she was right, as she always was. Whatever the case, Maria always told the truth. Sometimes one you didn't want to believe.

Not that he was mad at losing, any negative emotions of his were just a joke. He liked to give Maria satisfaction with this. Her giggles and her happy, yet tired eyes were making him forget about her illness.

This is how she should always be. Jocund and energetic, and not overcome by sudden deterioration of her health, which forced her to stay in bed for several days. Her skin then turned terribly pale, as if all life was drained from her. There were black marks under her eyes and her lips were devoid of pink. His heart broke as many times as he thought about injustice weighing on her. She was too young to suffer like this. She shouldn't be sick. Her place is on Mobius. Where all people are born, live and die. She shouldn't live on this colony, but only here could she have the protection she couldn't get on the planet.

He wanted to get Maria out of this state. He had to, because he was created for this purpose. He's her only hope for regaining proper immunity. Only he can help her return to Mobius. He made a promise to it and shall not dare break it.

''What a cheerful atmosphere right at the entrance,'' this is how Iris greeted them.

''That's because I'm winning,'' said Maria, waving a fan of the cards she had obtained.

''If we continue to let her do this, her ego will grow.''

''Ha ha ha!'' she sneered. ''Don't scare, don't scare, or you'll...'' she fell silent, looking at an instructive expression on Iris and Shadow's faces.

''What would the professor say?''

''That I am definitely his son's daughter.''

The three of them burst into laughter.

He heard many times about Maria's parents and how her and her father's character were like two peas in a pod. He dreamed of seeing them together someday.

''Let's take a break, I need to go to the bathroom. Just don't move my cards!'' she got up and minced towards the door through which their new companion had entered earlier.