#disclaimer: i know literally nothin about tarot cards babes don't @ me

[beerecordings]

Dice, Marvin and Chase?

Sure thing my friend! Sorry this one is a little different than my usual stuff. Playing around with some new ideas. Thanks!

Marvin’shealthy. Marvin’s whole. His music fills up the air with violins andcello, his hair is braided and tied back neat, his eyes glitter andgleam with warm, healthy power. His hands are clean. His suit ispressed. And best of all, Anti’s strings are laced around his throatlike a warm winter scarf.

Statictastes like ash and cherry. Marvin smiles with white teeth.

Chaseis not healthy. Chase is not whole.

“Marvin,”he whispers. “What did he do to you?”

“Don’tbe so glum, amata,” says Marvin, placing his hands on the tablethat separates them. He smiles bright at his brother. “Let’s play agame. Do you want to?”

Chasetries to swallow, but it’s hard when the rope around his throat is sotight. He’s tied to a chair and he can’t get free no matter how muchhe thrashes.

“Weshould play a game,” Marvin repeats, his grin beginning to waver.“He told me to look after you. He told me we should play a game.”

“Anti?”

“Shh,”Marvin hisses. “Don’t call him. He’s busy.”

“Marvin,this is not you, this is him. This is just him! You have to fight,man!”

“Comeon, amata, we play games all the time.”

Theydo. They play Mario Kart and chess and Cards Against Humanity and tagwith Chase’s kids. But they do not play with Anti. They do not playwith dice. They do not play with Marvin’s tarot.

“Six-sideddie,” he announces pleasantly, turning it over in his hand, showingit to Chase the same way he shows off a cup or a ball or a cardbefore a magic trick. He sets it on the table and pulls out his tarotdeck.

“Marv,what are we doing?” asks Chase. “Please stop. Please fight him.”

“TheHigh Priestess,” says Marvin, placing the blue diviner on the tablebefore him.

“That’sSchneep’s card. You always tell his fortune with that. Marvin, Idon’t like this game.”

“Time,”says Marvin, drawing the black hooded hermit.

“Hey!Leave him out of this.” Chase doesn’t want to cry. He just wants togo. He just wants to go free and find his brothers. “Leave them allout of this!”

“Justice,”says Marvin, setting down the red cloak queen.

“Okay,I get it, yeah, these are our cards, okay. What am I, then? HangedMan? That’s messed up, man, tell Anti that’s – ”

ButMarvin doesn’t pull out the Hanged Man.

“Andthe Magician,” he says, placing his card down.

Chasewatches. His neck hurts. He wonders if Marvin’s in pain too.

“Roll,”Marvin orders, placing his hands on the table and nodding at the die.

“Roll?”Chase repeats.

“Yes.Roll. He told me to tell him when you lost.”

Whateverthis game is, Chase doesn’t like it, but looking down at the fourcolored cards on the table before him, he knows the others – hisbrothers, his family – are in danger.

Hesets his mouth. “How do I win?”

“Roll.”

Chaserolls a five on the first go.

“Beautiful,”says Marvin, clicking his nails against the table. “The Priestesslives.”

“DoI have to get a five to save them?”

“Gethigher than a one,” Marvin answers kindly. Somewhere in the back ofhis head, he can feel Anti smiling, and it makes him smile too. Thisis fun! He loves the taste of blood to come.

“Oh,”says Chase, frowning, and he rolls three more times. The chances arefive out of six. He keeps safe Schneep, JJ, Jackie, and Marvin inquick succession, and sits back, relieved.

“Roll,”says Marvin, his eyes dark.

“What?”

“Higherthan a two now. Roll.”

Chase’sheart beats a staccato against his ribs.

“Thisis fucked up!” He shouts, and tries to rise, choking on his leash.He kicks at the legs of his heavy chair and tries to flip the table,with no luck. “This is fucked up and it isn’t you! What happens tothem if I can’t roll high enough, huh? You’re going to sic Anti onthem, Marv? You’re selling us out? You are not his! You are not his!You are not – ”

Marvin’shand snaps out and clenches, and his power wraps around Chase’s hand,electric and painful. His little brother cries out.

“Roll,”says Marvin, and smiles too wide.

Chase’shand picks up the die without his consent. Chase’s hand drops the diewithout his consent.

It’sa three.

“ThePriestess lives,” says Marvin.

Chasepants. Marvin lets his hand go.

“Chase,”murmurs Marvin, and for just a second, just one second, he soundslike himself again. “We don’t have a choice.”

Chaselooks at his eyes. Chase pauses. Chase rolls again.

“Timecontinues,” says Marvin.

“Istill have a two out of three chance for each of them, right?” saysChase.

“Right,amata.”

Chaserolls again.

“Justicetriumphs,” says Marvin.

“Thisone is you.” Chase points at the Magician on the table. “This isyou. Marvin. What happens if I don’t roll above a two?”

“Hetold me that you should play until you lose.”

“Andwhat happens when I lose?”

Marvinwatches him from behind his mask.

“Wouldyou die? Are you still going to sit there while he kills you?”

“Ifyou roll no higher than a two,” says Marvin. “I will not need hishelp to die.”

Hepulls his scian out of its sheath and sets it on the table.

“Theseare my cards,” the Magician continued. “This is my knife. Don’tlook at me with horror, little brother. I cannot loose the cordsabout my throat except in death.”

“Marvin,”Chase whispers.

“Roll.”

“Ican’t and I won’t.”

“Don’tbe stupid, Chase. You always were so stupid. So fucking naive. Youwant me to lift your hand again?”

“Nowyou even sound like him. You are not his. You are your own and youhate being told what to do more than anything else. No one has todie. No, no way. You couldn’t kill them even with Anti holding you.You couldn’t kill us or yourself.”

“Oh,Chase,” Marvin murmurs. “You’re wrong.”

“No.No, I know you. You can fight him. You can fight, Marvin.” Tearsfill his mouth with salt. “Marvin, oh, please come back to me. Whatdid he do to you? What did he do?”

“Whatdo I have to do to make you roll the die?”

“Saysomething you would say. The real you. Show me you’re still yourself.Show me you can still fight him.”

Marvinblinks the slow blink of a cat. He moves forward just a little, sotheir twin eyes meet, and, for a moment, Anti fades into the cornersof the room.

“Youare the Sun,” says Marvin.

Chasepicks up the die.

“Iknow you can fight him,” he says. “I know that you can fight himoff.”

On the table, the Magician holds his weapon to the sky, one hand pointed to the Heavens and the other to the Earth, held somewhere between spirit and creation, somewhere between life and death, waiting.

 Chase rolls.