Awake

Al woke up a little while ago.

“Where are we?” he asked.

“Where in my hideout,” Cleopatra said.

“You!” he said. “Why-?”

“You were cursed by the Game Master when you turned on him,” she said. “I'm the only one other than Abdalin who knows how to remove that kind of curse.”

“Why would you help me after I betrayed your master?” he demanded.

“My master?” she asked. “He's no master of mine. He's gone, and I say good riddance  I would have turned on him a long time ago, but you see what happened to you when you did that.”

Where's the mask?” he demanded.

“Right here,” she said, handing him the mask he took from the Seven Of Spades.

He put in on and sat there for a while.

“Estren's mask has been recalibrated,” he said. “Is this your doing?”

“No, “ she said.

“The only people who can remotely recalibrate a mask are the Game Master and the Jokers,” he said. “The Game Master's dead, so if it wasn't you, it was Abdalin.”

“That's probable,” she said.

“Why?” he asked. “What would he gain from doing that?”

“No clue,” she said, getting up. “You're better now, so I suggest you both leave as soon as you can. It's only a matter of time before they find out that I'm hiding out here.”

“Who's 'they'?” I asked.

“None of your business,” she said, leaving the room.

So, we're gonna be leaving in just a bit. We're gonna see if we can catch up with Estren. Til next time, good bye.