Chapter 30

"Oh you've got to be shittin' me." Marik growled when he saw the outfits on display in the shop he was shoved into. There was no way in hell he was wearing any of those frilly little outfits.

"Sorry Marik, but you've got to wear more than those skimpy hotpants you call shorts." The King turned and told him before facing the shopkeeper again.

"If it makes you feel any better we're in the same ship here." The March Hare muttered to him. "I wear suits but fuck me if I ever wear frills. Or lace. Or silk. Actually silk isn't so bad." He pondered this for a moment before grinning. "Silk bedsheets are nice."

"Velvet isn't so bad either." Marik added, reminiscing about the time someone (Bakura) nearly burnt down the entire circus complex a year ago and they had to book into a rather lavish hotel with velvet sheets on the bed. The Ringleader had complained that they should've been silk or satin but Marik didn't care. They were comfy.

"You seem more the type to have it hard and fast in a back alley." The March Hare raised a cheeky eyebrow and grinned at his friend, who chuckled.

"Oh there's a lot of that. But add in cages, trailers, up a tree, there was one time while we were performing too." The blonde lion laughed at the memory, "The audience had no fucking clue."

"I've gotta visit your circus some day." The March Hare made a mental note about it, "It sounds bloody hilarious."

"Heh, it is. So much fun." Marik's smile faded slightly when he thought about the captured Ringleader.

The March Hare prodded his side. "Come on, the King wants us to follow." He tugged in the lion's arm to get him to keep up with him while they both followed the King of Spades and the shopkeeper deeper into the store.

They were taken to a room with only a very small window in the corner. It was brightly lit, however, with at least thirteen flaming torches on the wall and what Marik thought was a jar of fireflies hanging from the ceiling.

"Mr Lion if you could please step over here." The shopkeeper, a young man with raven hair, lightly tanned skin and brilliant green eyes, was a little bit camp and had various pins and needles stuck in the work clothes he wore. It was clear he was the creator of all the clothes in the shop. "I just need to check these clothes fit you and adjust them accordingly."

Marik grumbled as he stepped forwards and was told to climb up onto a stand that looked like a stool but stronger. He slouched a little, which seemed to annoy the bouncy man as he straightened his posture and made him put on a shirt. The lion didn't really want to have a good look at it and instead just wanted to get it over and done with so he could rescue the Ringleader and then tear the blasted fabric off of himself.

He was then made to pull on a pair of pants, and was silently thankful that the man, who the King called Ryuuji (which made him wonder if that was the shopkeeper's nickname or real name), allowed him to keep his shorts on. But that was probably because he thought they were underwear, or didn't want to see him naked. The March Hare stood chuckling leaning against the far wall next to a full-length mirror.

Ryuuji made very few adjustments to the garements he wore. Looking down at the pants he was made to wear Marik wasn't completely displeased. The material was like strong satin, completely black up to the knees and then gold from then on. When he shifted he couldn't even feel the seams where the two colours must've been joined. The shirt was a gold colour with black cuffs and was tucked into his pants properly when the shopkeeper had made the adjustments to the pants. He was then given a jacket to put on, which matched the pants in the colours and design. The blonde's feet were then lifted and slipped into a pair of black boots that Marik could've sworn were combat boots like Bakura wore sometimes. He grinned at that. Not very smart looking but he didn't complain.

Stepping down off of the stool Marik took a look at himself in the mirror. He had to admit he didn't look that bad, but he did prefer wearing just his shorts. The material was annoying the fur on his arms and legs, and his mane was sticking out strangely from the collar of the shirt. Ryuuji finally handed him a pair of fingerless black gloves to wear, which was told were ones designed for handling the flamingoes of croquet.

The tanned lion was still looking himself over appreciatively when the March Hare was given the same treatment. The hare was stripped down to his underwear and the clothes folded to be put in a bag. The suit he was made to wear was a big more decorative than what the red-eyed hare usually wore, but other than that it was pretty much the same. His consisted of a shirt, waistcoat, tie, trousers and knee high boots, all in black or red with small spade symbols decorated on them.

"Ok, can we go now?" The March Hare grumbled, although he wasn't nearly as annoyed as Marik would've expected him to be, which he supposed was down to the fact niether of them had to wear frills or lace. "I'm bored and hungry."

"Yes, we can." The King smiled at the two, handing the man called Ryuuji a few gold and bronze coins before once again striding out of the door leaving the two to follow him.

Bakura burst out laughing when they came back, literally rolling on the floor in hysterics at the sight of his fellow performer dressed in such a fancy outfit. Marik growled and pounced on the white haired man, pinning him to the floor and tickling him mercilessly (he didn't want to properly fight in case he ruined the outfit and their chances of beating the Queen of Hearts).

When everyone had settled down in the room where they'd had breakfast, Alice spoke up and told Bakura that he had to wear something better than the torn and tattered clothes he currently donned. The King then suggested simply going out and buying a shirt and pants, since because wasn't competing clothing shouldn't matter as much.

Bakura then disappeared for a while, leaving Marik to fidget in his new clothes while the King of Spades explained exactly what was going to happen at the opening ceremony.

"You need to come forwards with me and the March Hare and declare your name, nickname and that you have read and will follow the rules." The tanned royal explained to him across a table laiden with tea and biscuits. "You don't have a nickname so just saying Marik will do. You have to bow in front of the Queen and swear that you will obey the rules and play a fair game. Don't, whatever you do, look him in the eyes with anger or anything like that." The King said forcefully and in all seriousness. "To that bitch, it could be seen as an act of aggression or treason and you could be killed as quick as you can say 'fuck me'."

"You'll be given a flamingo that you'll only have five minutes to tame." The March Hare continued, looking at Alice in case he wanted to intervene. "Depending on how mean he's feeling, they might be completely docile or freshly caught that morning. Either way, make sure to give it a hard smack on the head so you know it'll last."

"You've got a lot of us on your side, Marik." Alice leant forwards and patted his gloved paw. "The Duchess, the King, the March Hare, me; we're all gonna be fighting for your master."

Marik nodded in thanks, not trusting his voice enough to speak in case he gave away how unsure he was. But he mentally smacked himself. Of course he was sure. He'd have Bakura to sneak into the palace to get the Ringleader's location and hopefully get him out whether they won the game or not.

And they would win. They had to.