#NRC: YES!! *claps and cheers*
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Toddler Yuu is the cutest!!
I totally see them looking at a random RSA student and give them the biggest middle finger
How would Riddle, Lilia and Duce reaction to that?
Middle fingers up.
Looking at the RSA boy, Tuu couldn't help but scowl. Some acted as if they were better, they weren't people just prefer their school because they were 'perfect little princes' as Ace puts it. Tuu then got an amazing idea they walked to the group of RSA boy's that was hanging around and tugged on the leader's sleeve. The leader bend down and smile fakely to them "Hello dear how m-" Then Tuu put both middle fingers up and said "Bitches." Then calmly walked away to...
Riddle:
he was shocked to see Tuu just walk up to the boy who was making dumb jokes about their school. He thought they were probably going to say stop being mean. He was very taken aback when they put up both middle fingers and called the leader a bitch. He was so caught off guard he laughed, he had to stiffle more as Tuu calmly walked to him and raised their arms to be picked up. He put on a show to lightly 'scold' them but really he was proud they defended their school. He made sure to give them a treat but told them to mind how they speak to certain people.
Deuce:
He was drinking water as the boy's from RSA were talking shit about them. He calmed himself since Riddle had told them not to engage or else it would be a big fight. But when he saw Tuu go over he watched just in case those prissy princes tried something. He spat his water out when he saw the toddler put up their middle fingers and called them a bitch. He was hacking up a lung and giggling as Yuu came to him, he picked them up and smiled saying they shouldn't say those words since their bad for young kids to say.
Lilia:
He was trying to keep Sebek calm, as the RSA boy's insult their school. He saw in the corner of his eye Tuu walking to them, he wondered what the child was going to do. He let out a deep belly laugh as Tuu flipped them off and called them a bitch. He was wiping tears as Tuu came to the Diasomnia boy's he picked them up and twirled them. He said they did a good job but try not to say those words since, they are still a child and they don't need to be saying such crude words.
#toddler yuu#Tuu: *looks at RSA boy* fuck off *middle finger*#NRC: YES!! *claps and cheers*#twisted wonderland#twisted wonderland yuu#twisted wonderland x reader
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Hello darling! Congrats on 500 followers! I love your work (๑♡⌓♡๑) For the event, how about your favourite character and a theme of your choice?
I think I’ve been getting burnt out trying to write so many stories of the same theme for my event so, I’m happy to say that this is the final story of the event! After this, I’ll dust off my old inbox and see what’s been sitting out there.
For this request, I’ve decided to change things up and give some attention to the staff of NRC! I just love the way the students interacted with Trein in the Glorious Masquerade event. We need some more banter like that, so…here you go!
The lights dimmed as each glowing magical lantern was turned to a lower brightness on the chandelier. The echo of footsteps slowly faded as the departing students left first the reception room and then the hallways beyond. After what felt like months of hard work, it was finally over. The goodwill dance between magical academies was over. Royal Sword students would be heading back to the southern part of Sage Island right now to sleep in their own beds while Fair Maiden students would spend one last night guesting in makeshift dormitories at NRC before leaving in the morning.
“That could have been worse,” Sam chuckled as he sat at a table, “The little imps in my day had a lot more fire in them.” Vargas came to join him, “I’m sure it was my rousing physical education that tempered their energy! Now they are headed to bed to get enough sleep to turn that muscle building effort into results!” The beaming smile Vargas gives causes Sam to smile politely in return before sliding to the far end of the table. “I’m just glad its over,” mutters Trein as he massages his back, “I’m not as young as I used to be, and these things take a lot out of me.” Crewel takes a cigarette out of a case and sets it in his mouth, “Were you ever young to begin with?” Trien thought him a disapproving glare, first at the comment and then at the unlit cigarette. Crewel signs and returns it to the case unlit.
“Now, now,” the overly cheerful voice of Crowley beams, “Let’s not get too overexcited. There is still clean-up to be done!” He claps his hands and gestures to the room. “Why didn’t you have student do this?” Crewel asks in a deadpan voice. “Exactly! This is just the sort of character-building physical labor young people need!” agrees Vargas. “Ah, well,” Crowley begins before trailing off. “It’s Ambrose, isn’t it?” Trein asks knowingly. “Ah! What do you accuse me of! Just because that windbag brags about how much he cares for his students, that I let the children off the hook?” Crowley backpedals, “It is only because I am SO KIND that I thought to give the students time to recover before classes in the morning. YES! Because I care SO MUCH about their education! Ah ha! Ha!” No one quite believes the headmaster’s story, yet they admit it is rather late to keep the young students up.
The silence settles for a moment, then Crewel kicks a broom and utters, “Ah, shit,” under his breath. As if waiting for that exact moment, Sam tips his hat and widens his smile into a beaming customer service grin, “If easy clean-up is what you are searching for, I have several self-sweeping brooms that are IN STOCK NOW!” Trein looks at him with a simple raised eyebrow, “You happen to have several brooms in your possession at this very moment?” Sam nods with a gleaming smile. “How convenient for you,” Trein remarks. Then all the staff look to Crowley as though to say, ‘Well, what are you going to do?’ Crowley sighs but senses his defeat and agrees to the purchase. “Is there ever a time when you aren’t prepared to wring the madol out of a situation?” he laments as he gazes at his upraised hands forlornly. Sam smiles knowingly but does not reply.
He passes a broom to Vargas who waves it away, “You can’t build muscles with shortcuts!” He then picks up a standard broom and sweeps in a furious flurry. A cloud of dust kicks up, causing Crewel to cough and ask in an annoyed voice, “Must you always carry on so?” Vargas gives him a beaming smile, “I see we are both reminiscing on the same thing. Ah, our shared youth!” Crewel again rolls his eyes, but the statement has caught the attention of the others. “Shared youth?” asks Sam in a leading tone, “Did you know each other when you were young?”
Crewel snorts, “Nothing as intimate as that. We simply both attended Night Raven at the same time.” Vargas gives the aggravated professor a hearty pat on the back, “Yes! Crewel was my Senior! I was in my first year when he was a third-year student.” Crowley gives them a curious look, “That wasn’t a development I was expecting.” Trein looks at him in disappointment, “You were headmaster even then. Shouldn’t you know these things?” Crowley starts, surprised at being called out for his shortcomings, “Ah, why yes. Yes, of course I recall. All the fine days you spent together in your dorm and classes. Ah ha ha!” Crewel drawls, “We were in different dorms.” Crowley gazes around nervously and alights on a table of food, “Ah, the food has been left sitting out! What a dangerous hazard to our students’ safety! I must rectify this at once. AT ONCE!” Then he quickly hurries away, avoiding the conversation and answering for his amazingly bad memory.
“You did know each other though,” Trein smiles in an amused way. Sam seems to catch on to the fact that there is some sort of story there and leans in, as though inviting him to share more details. “It was at the campus wide dance, if I recall correctly,” Trein remarks. “Ah yes!” Vargas picks up the narrative, “I hoisted him on my shoulders so everyone could admire the marvelous upper-body strength I had. There was a good deal of cheering for me, as I recall.” Vargas finishes proudly and flashes Sam a toothy smile. Crewel gives him a disdainful look, “They were cheering for me.” Sam gives Trein a look as though to say, ‘Let’s get an impartial opinion in here.’
Trein sighs and says, “As I recall, young Divus was named Prom King and a girl from the visiting academy was to be Prom Queen. However, someone thought she wasn’t worthy of the honor and stole both crowns; declaring himself both Prom King and Queen.” Crewel smiles in a way that is not at all apologetic, “You want to wear the crown, you must put in the work. I’ll not let a mangey cur stand at my side.” Trein finishes in a weary tone, “After stealing her crown and being carted around by other miscreants,” Trein gives Vargas a look, “We had to end the dance early and send several very upset young ladies home by mirror that very night.”
Sam has a good laugh with Vargas and Crewel while Trein continues to look disapproving. “The hearts of young maidens are nothing to be trifled with.” Sam nudges the stiff professor with an elbow, “So the hearts of girls are a specialty of yours, Mr. Romantic?” Crewel barks a harsh laugh, “By calling it ‘girls,’ you’re being a bit too generous, it’s really only the one, eh? Actually, didn’t you mention you took your wife to this dance when you were young?” Trein lets out an offended ‘harumph’ and turns his back to the rowdy young staff members. As he cleans the table, a small smile graces his lips.
“Nice memory, huh?” Vargas asks loudly. Trein looks up and sighs, “Yes, I took my wife to this dance. It was our first date.” He smiles again, as though remembering something special to him. “When the bells chimed midnight, I gave her a flower and promised to take her to the City of Flowers someday.” Vargas gives a hearty laugh, “Ha! Its like hearing about history in person!” Trein gives him an extremely offended look before searching out Crowley, “I’m hardly the oldest person on the staff. Speaking of which, I believe we are done here.”
Crowley sits in a dark corner gazing out a window, avoiding both notice and work. Crewel picks up his pointer and gives it a loud crack across his hand, causing the crow fae to jump at the sudden sound. “Aaahhh! I…I mean, ah! I see you’ve finished. Ah ha ha!” he finishes in a very unconvincing way. The teachers share a look between them. “Well,” Sam beings slowly, “I think that’s all the profit left to reap tonight. Unless you’d like to share some reminiscences with us about your own dancing days. Perhaps you have your own romantic story to share.” Trein scoffs and Crewel chuckles under his breath. Vargas however, doesn’t pick up on the joke and jovially exclaims, “Yes Headmaster, why don’t you share some tale of your own with us.”
Crowley looks startled at the suggestion, which further amuses most of the gathered staff. Sam laughs good-naturedly and pats the clueless coach on the back, “Let’s go Ashton, I’ll explain it to you on the way out.” The staff begin the journey home and, before leaving, Crewel snaps his fingers and extinguishes the lights in the cafeteria. Crowely says nothing, watching them depart and leave him alone in the not-quite ballroom. Tomorrow, perhaps it will return to being just a cafeteria. Tonight though, Crowley sat for the second time in his life alone in a darkened ballroom. The memory of dances past comes to him and he gazes again out the window at the unreachable moon. There were balls held in the dead of night among the dark fae courts when he was a much younger crow and less weary of life. Perhaps, he’d even be willing to share those stories someday with those that should know. For now, he’d keep them quietly in his own head, waiting for dawn with the memory of a life and love long since gone.
#500 follower event#twst#twisted wonderland#twst wonderland#divus crewel#mozus trein#twst sam#dire crowley
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Melodic Misconceptions 🎹
Track 03: Mentor Buddies but not really
Synopsis: Victoria Shard was a former member of the popular idol group [ Poisoner ] from NRC corporations. After discourse with her group leader, Victoria decided it was best for her to leave and pursue her solo career in a record label run by her parents.
It had been half a year since her separation from her old group, and Victoria had never been more successful. But now she has a new problem. She must return to NRC corporations in order to mentor the seven idol groups.
Ellis Clawthorne is a member of [ (Co)-connect ] the most recent group under NRC'S belt. With no experience as an idol, Ellis must persevere in order to succeed and pursue her dreams.
Will both girls be able to adapt to their current situations?
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Author's note: Made this a tad bit shorter since I'm trying to work out the pacing for this ^^ the first six tracks will feature Zen and Vic just wandering around the corporation's grounds until track 06.
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"Eek! So glad that you came!"
Victoria was pulled into a tight warm hug. She giggled, returning the hug for her best friend."Wouldn't miss it for the world, Zen." She said, her voice oozing with sarcasm in spite of her tender smile.
Zen snorted."Trust me, I'm sure you'll grow to like being a mentor." He assured her, pulling away from the hug.
She shook her head in disagreement."I don't think that'll be the case." Victoria's eyes filled with amusement when witnessing Zen's pout.
Sighing, she patted him on the head."I only agreed because I figured this would be a good taste of experience for any of my future projects." She stated firmly.
"Aren't you writing your next single?"
"Yes, since I wanted to rest easy for a bit after releasing my last album."
"How admirable of you to care so much for your health, Victori."
Hearing the name of her idol persona and the sound of slow clapping, Victoria and Zen caught the sight of a man with a monochrome color palette. With the only pop of color being his eyes and the red on his clothing.
Zen grinned."You must be Divus Crewel from the fashion department, no?" He approached Divus, his grin still plastered on his face. It wasn't genuine, but it wasn't fake either.
Divus nodded."That is I. I will be giving you a tour around the company grounds." He eyed Victoria for a couple moments, feeling the air of familiarity they had with each other.
She scowled and looked away. A pained sigh escaped the man's lips, remembering how stubborn the young girl had been during her days as the visual for a… A certain group.
"Well then…. Shall we start the tour?" Zen suggested, trying to quickly defuse the tension. The smile on Victoria's face returned, and Divus agreed to walk them around the company.
She'll tolerate it all, if it meant Zen would be happy.
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Mayuu sighed in exasperation and continued to take a break alongside the other members after their rehearsals.
Without Ellis.
"I'm sure Ellis will be fine, Mayuu, we shouldn't worry too much over a sprained ankle after all~" Mayuu understood that Yuuta was trying to cheer her up, but only ended up irritating her even more with how his voice sounded. So she only sent him a nod of acknowledgement.
Miren hummed."The paparazzi and reporters would immediately notice and make a huge fuss about it…" He muttered, drinking from his cold water bottle.
Carol wiped off the sweat from her forehead and agreed."Indeed. They're bound to make a fuss about her injury, even if Ellis has the 'smallest' fan base among us." She added.
Chizuko sighed, choosing to continue tuning her bass after taking a quick break. As for Juvia, she only sat in worry for Ellis, even if the injury was only minor and that she'd be okay by tomorrow.
"It's sad that she won't be able to meet Victoria due to company policy with injuries and all…" Juvia commented, adjusting her hair accessories.
Yuuta shrugged."The policies of this company are a bit irritating, but we must comply with them if we don't want to be threatened with disbandment." He sat next to Juvia, scrolling through his phone just to laugh at the thirst tweets his fans made.
Carol scowled at Yuuta,"Sometimes it pains me to say I agree with you." Yuuta shrugged casually, giving Carol one of his more attractive yet irritating smug looks.
After a while, Mayuu eventually stood up.
"Alright, everyone. Please get ready for when we have to meet Victoria later today." She requested.
The other members nodded and started heading to 'their battle stations'. Or rather their hair and makeup teams.
Gently massaging the bridge of her nose, Mayuu exhaled deeply.
"I can only pray that nothing's gonna go wrong…"
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Tagging:
@starry-night-rose @sakuramidnight15 @fumikomiyasaki @windbornearchon @geminiiviolets @nem0-nee @twsted-princess @twsthoodstar @authoruio @phoenix-manga @cherryartemis0
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#twisted wonderland oc#twst oc#twst au#twst smau#smau#twst idol au#idol au#melodic misconceptions 🎹#(co) connect#poisoner#mutuals au#zenith devi#twst victoria#victoria shard#twst divus#divus crewel#sumeragi yuuta#twst yuuta#yuuta sumeragi#twst yuu#twst yuusona#yuusona
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Shining Hearts Chapter 16 ~ The True Fairest One
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 |
Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 |
Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15
Chapter Summary: The Vocal and Dance Championship finally comes to a conclusion and the winners are announced. With plenty of heartache along with triumph. Be sure to read the A/N at the end of the chapter.
Word Count: 15843
A/N: Thank you all for your patience with me as I originally posted this chapter last week but decided to delete it and rework several passages. I am SO MUCH HAPPIER with how this chapter is now, even if the content is still hella angsty. 😭
⚠General Warning For Chapters 12-17⚠: First off, thank you for sticking around with this fic for this long. As we inch closer to the moment of the overblot and it’s aftermath, be forewarned, the final chapters of this fic are gonna get…kind of intense. And may or may not include the following: Vil being mean, Rook being tactless, canon typical violence, language, sex*al harassment, misogyny, near de*th experiences, suic*dal thoughts and very, VERY HEAVY angst.
Warnings Specific To This Chapter: IMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRY
~~~
“Winning the girls’ division of this year’s Vocal and Dance Championship, by a RECORD BREAKING landslide is…”
A loud and suspenseful drumroll held everyone’s breath, followed by a few seconds of silence before the announcer declared the winners. Danica briefly closed her eyes and held onto Taima and Ione’s hands. Across from them, Lilianne and Minette held onto each other, hearts racing as they all silently prayed for the same outcome.
Please let them win, that’s all I want! Let Dani win!
Please, please, pleeeeaaassee! Let us be victorious.
“…NIGHT RAVEN COLLEGE!!!”
A thunderous roar of applause followed that was momentarily deafening. Danica was still holding her breath. When she finally opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was their school emblem along with her face, and those of her teammates, illuminating the jumbo screens of the coliseum. She still hadn’t comprehend what was happening and it was only when Taima and Iman threw their arms around her that it all began to sink in.
I…we…we won? We really won?!
“WE DID IT!!!” Taima cried. “YES! WE DID IT! WE REALLY DID IT!!!”
More golden confetti rained down upon them and Danica watched their reflections on the jumbo screens, tears streaming down their eyes as they were all seized with excitement and joy. Jumping up and down and holding each other as the audience cheered and shared in their euphoria.
“Night Raven Colleges girls unit, the Black Swan Quintet, is led by the phenomenal Miss Danica Ledelle,” the announcer continued. “Their powerful vocals and incredible dancing made for an amazing performance! They left the entire audience spellbound, myself included!”
“YAYYYYY!!!!” Kalim smiled and clapped his hands wildly. “Go Black Swans! You brought home the gold for NRC!”
“C'est beaute!” Rook smiled as well. “Congratulations, ladies!”
“If the Black Swans won, that makes me confident for us too!” Deuce grinned.
“It’s so awesome, they really deserve it!” Epel added. “Especially you, Danica! You’re extra-awesome! A badass black swan!”
“Thank you, Epel! Ohhh…it’s…unreal…we really won!” Danica cried happily. “I can’t believe it!”
“Believe it, Missy!” Iman smiled through joyful tears. “And don’t look so shocked, we won by a landslide!”
“The first real victory over RSA in decades,” Taima grinned. “And we did this!”
“It’s like a dream!” Vidaria added.
“The most wonderful, beautiful dream!” Ione wept happily. “One I never want to wake from!”
“Black Swan Quintet, please step forward to claim your prize!!”
Two shimmering silver trophies stood at the center podium, the announcer picked one up and handed it to Danica graciously. Several blinding camera clicks went off as she accepted the award and her teammates each took turns holding up the trophy for the eager press photographers. Danica held it a little longer than the rest of them, looking reverently at the full fruit of all of her labor. And not just hers, in her hand she held the result of all their determination and drive. Ione’s developing self esteem, Taima’s constant loyalty, Iman and Vidaria’s softening personalities, and most of all, Danica’s leadership.
Through the ups and downs, successes and setbacks, the Black Swan Quintet had conquered all that was thrown their way. And now, together, each of them would be a stronger person because of it.
“This trophy is as much yours as it is mine,” said Danica, holding it up to her teammates, tears falling down her face. “We all earned this. Thank you, you guys, for helping make this happen!”
“Yes, and thank you, Danica,” Vidaria smiled. “Thank you for putting up with us, and leading us to this amazing victory.”
The girls turned their heads to the NRC Tribe who were clapping with genuine joy for their female counterparts. And for a brief moment, Vil and Danica locked glances, his smile told her everything she needed to know and she returned it wholeheartedly.
Well done, my little potato. You’ve earned this moment, I hope you are proud of yourself.
I finally kept my promise, Vil-san! I know this wasn’t what you had in mind, but I hope you’re still pleased.
From the other side of the stage, Lilianne watched the Black Swan Quintet with not even the smallest measurement of sadness at her defeat. For her, Danica’s victory was as much hers and a much needed relief after weeks of distress. She never wanted to compete against her friends in the first place and finally, it was all over. With the victory of the NRC girls came half of her bet with Neige settled, she would not have to kiss him after all and, very soon, he would leave her alone completely.
“Thank you, girls,” Lilianne smiled at her teammates. “We put on the best show we could and thanks to Dani’s help it wasn’t a complete mess. You should all be proud.”
“But also, thank you for voting for the Black Swan Quintet,” Minette added. “I’m sure that was difficult but it was needed for Lili’s sake.”
“It wasn’t difficult at all!” said Ivy. “Their performance was amazing, my eyes were glued to them every moment they were on stage! I still would have voted for them if I were in the audience!”
“Those girls got skill,” Nadia added. “The boys too. They earned our votes, each and every one of them.”
“And it was the least we could do after Danica helped us with our routine!” Ayse smiled.
“Now, the NRC Tribe needs to win and everything will finally be right with the world!” Isabel said. “And then we can celebrate with the NRC ladies!”
The RSA Diva’s accepted their defeat with all the grace and nobility befitting their school’s mission statement, clapping and feeling a genuine sense of happiness for their rivals only in name. Meanwhile, not too far from them, Neige and his dwarf friends clapped for the Black Swan Quintet as well. Grum, one of the dwarves, softly grumbled about how they weren’t as good as the RSA Diva’s but Neige secretly disagreed. He smiled, but inside, a sharpness seized his stomach.
As disappointing as it was that he now wouldn’t be able to kiss Lilianne, he had to admit that the NRC ladies had incredible stage presence. Considering that Danica was Vil’s protégé, it only made sense as he was another that Neige felt was a performer above all others. Their victory was well deserved, he felt, but it also made him once again fearful about how he and his friends would fare.
And considering that Neige chose to vote for both NRC teams, it wouldn’t surprise him if RSA ended up fully in second place for the first time in decades. He watched Lilianne and the other RSA Divas approach the Black Swan Quintet, Lilianne shook Danica’s hand and then threw her arms around her in a public display of goodwill and friendship. It warmed his heart, but also sank it at the same time.
She looks so happy, and she’ll probably be happier when Vil wins. I wonder, if we win, will she be happy too? Will she…
“Hey, Neige!” Grum snapped at him, yanking on his sleeve. “Get your head out the clouds, will ya?! They’re about to announce the boy winners!”
Neige quickly shook himself out of his thoughts as the announcer took the mic again to continue announcing the other winners.
“Let’s hear it one more time for the Black Swan Quintet!” he said, to the continued applause of the audience. “And now, it’s the moment of truth for the boy’s! First place in the boy’s division of this year's Vocal and Dance Championship is…”
Neige, the dwarves, and the NRC Tribe all held their breaths, hearts racing as the announcer unfolded opened another envelope with the winner’s of the boys’ division folded inside. Another suspenseful drumroll preceded the fateful announcement.
“…ROYAL SWORD ACADEMY!!!”
W…WHAT?!
“The entire audience was captivated with their fairy tale performance! They warmed the hearts of everyone in the coliseum!”
The calm, kind look Vil wore as Danica and her team accepted their victory immediately melted into horror. At first, he thought he might have misheard, but as the seconds passed, he felt his hands tremble and his eyes began to burn as the realization of his worst nightmare. A nightmare originating years ago, tormenting him throughout his professional life and wreaking havoc all throughout the VDC training camp. A nightmare, a curse, that he now understood he would never be free of.
No…no…and after all we…I’ve done and it still wasn’t…no…
He had failed. Once again second best to Neige Leblanche. And worst of all, he had brought this defeat upon himself. In his unsightly display of ugliness he nearly cursed Neige and doomed his teammates. And his paranoia and cruelty to Danica forced her to become a black swan, destroying the one hope they had for victory even if everything else went up in smoke. Now once again, the world was enamored by the infantile charms of Vil’s rival, leaving him with no place except as the clear villain in this story. And in the end, villains never won, and they certainly never stood upon the stage until the end.
It didn’t matter how hard he worked, how determined he was or even that he refused to ever take the easy way out. Villains were never rewarded in real life, so why should this be any different?
At that moment, Vil wanted so badly to retreat back into the coliseum, lock himself in his dressing room and cry and lament all that was once again lost. But though this was the most recent in a string of losses to his adorable rival, it was one brought upon by his own actions. For that reason alone, Vil knew he had no right to feel anything but anger at himself. He had done this, and he had no one else but himself to blame. And yet…
Even if I momentarily contemplated the unthinkable. Even if we weren’t at our best. We were outdone by a children's song! How could we be outdone by a children's song, coupled with such lackluster stage presence? What did we do wrong? What did I do…no…no…
Neige Leblanche was the true fairest one. He always was, and he always would be regardless of whatever Vil did. This was a reality Vil accepted a long time ago. And yet…and yet…
It's always been this way! Why can’t they see?! Why won’t anyone ever acknowledge how hard I work?! I’m not a nepotism baby! I don’t coast on my looks! So why can’t they see for once everything I do to…no…no…
“Night Raven College comes in second place. They lost out to first place by only a single vote, but their vocals and moves were a tour de force! Let’s give them a round of applause as well!”
A…SINGLE VOTE?! Really?!
Danica and her teammates immediately went over to their defeated boys, each girl trying to fix her face in one befitting sympathy, but their mutual shock betrayed them. That their boys, their talented and determined boys, could really be upstaged by a performance so childish it would barely be suitable for kindergarteners. That Vil, with all of his incredible talent and drive, was still considered second best to Neige after it was clear as day how much work he put into his performance. That Neige would be rewarded for something so clearly inferior without even putting in half the work if Lilianne’s words were to be believed. And all by a single vote no less, to their mind, it should have easily been another landslide victory.
And in Vil’s eyes, Danica once again saw all the anguish and loss she had seen when she was confronted by his overblotted form. It was beyond heartbreaking, so much so that for a few frantic moments, she honestly worried that he might suffer the same affliction a second time right there on the stage. She began to open her arms, looking as if she were about to embrace him, but Vil sharply shook his head, silently telling her not to dare or even think about it. Even if his eyes begged for the tenderness she was offering.
“Oh…oh my gosh! We really got the top spot? Really?!”
“No…no…NONONONONONO!!! It can’t be!”
From the leaders of both RSA teams, came two vastly different responses to Neige’s victory. Lilianne suddenly found herself short of breath as her teammates quickly went to console her. She had been so close, so very close, all they needed was one more vote and she would finally be free. But even if she no longer had to kiss Neige, a promise was still a promise and she would be compelled to go out with him immediately after the VDC was over.
Neige was unlikely to waste any time after pressuring her for this for weeks and so it also went unsaid that her team’s plans with the Black Swan Quintet were now canceled. And Neige was unlikely to end his pursuit of Lilianne now that they were about to spend more time together.
Why?! Why did I make this bargain with him?! I was so sure Vil would win but…it’s all over now!
The one who gave Neige the winning vote, whoever they were, would never know the devastation their decision would cause Lilianne. On the other hand, they would also never realize that their decision allowed for Neige’s greatest wish to finally come true. He almost didn’t care about the prize money or even the acclaim his victory would bring to his career. For Neige, the greatest thing was that now, Lilianne would keep her end of their bargain and go out with him. Whatever fears he previously had about losing, were now nonexistent. He had wished, dreamed, hoped, and now his hopes were answered.
And surely, in time, Lilianne would come around and he would see her smile once again, at him. After all, like the fairytale princesses from the storybooks he grew up with as a child, Neige and Lilianne were brought together by song. Surely that meant she was destined to be his one true love. All he had to do now was be a little more patient and true love’s kiss was sure to follow.
She…looks kind of sad, maybe because Vi-kun lost. But it’s okay, we’ll have ice cream together soon and that will make her happy again!
“We won!” Neige beamed. “We really won!”
“Oh, pick your jaw up off the floor, Neige!” Grum snapped, but he was smiling. “Let’s go get that trophy!”
He, Neige and the six other dwarves scurried over to the podium as the announcer handed them a glittering trophy identical to the one given to Danica. Neige graciously accepted this holding the trophy in much the same way Danica held hers, with reverence and disbelief. He smiled as several photographers took pictures of Neige with his prize but Grum soon snatched it from him, wanting to hold it for himself. Another of the dwarves snatched it from Grum and soon enough they were all loudly squabbling among themselves over who could hold the trophy next. Neige tried to calm them down but they wouldn’t listen and ended up dropping the trophy in the process.
The audience seemed enamoured by this but the NRC performers watched with equal parts astoundment and disgust. They couldn’t even accept their victory with integrity.
The winning teams were then called to give an encore performance of their songs, Danica and her teammates began to step forward but in their excitement, the dwarves all began singing over them. The audience’s response to this was once again endearing and the cheerful melody of their song began to play. Neige took the mic and began singing with them, completely ignoring that Danica had also won and was called to sing as well.
But his obliviousness was just as well as in truth, neither Danica nor any of the Black Swans were up to singing after watching their boys get robbed, as they felt it to be. As Neige and his friends continued to sing, the RSA Divas approached the NRC performers, with Danica wrapping her arms around Lilianne again as the latter tried her best to hold back her tears.
“It’s not fair!” Lilianne whimpered, her voice breaking. “Their song sucked! I don’t want to date him!”
“I know, I know, Lili. It’s alright,” Danica tried to comfort her, despite feeling quite the opposite. “I know you’re disappointed, so am I, but keep your head up,”
“PLEASE tell me we’re being trolled!” Taima shook her head. “Someone say sike right now cause this ain’t funny!”
“How the hell could this happen?!” Vidaria snapped. “This is an outrage!”
“I would be inclined to agree with you, Your Highness,” Ayse sighed. “This is pretty cruddy.”
“Maaaaaaan, just one vote!” Ace sulked. “We were so close!”
“RIGHT?!” Iman gritted her teeth. “To think! Some idiot really saw Jamil’s moves and thought ‘no, lemme give it to Neige and his seven little clowns, I trust them!’ I demand a recount!”
“Yeah a recount might be in order, methinks,” replied Taima.
“No, guys. Rule 445 of the Queen of Hearts states that all votes are final once the people have spoken,” Ione sighed. “Regardless of how idiotic their opinions are.”
“If it’s any consolation, we all voted for you guys,” said Isabel.
“And after we worked so hard,” Epel sighed, a few tears running down his face.
“Nooooooo,” tears formed in Kalim’s eyes that he tried to repress, but his intense disappointment was too much for him and he loudly began weeping. “I’m trying to hold back but… it buuurrrnsss…it burns so baaaadddd…”
“Oh, Kalim…” Seeing her normally jovial clubmate so forlorn was enough for Danica to temporarily forget herself as she was also betrayed to tears. “I know it burns…it…you guys were so good, I’m so sorry!”
“ENOUGH OF THIS!” Vil barked. “You’re all still on stage, stop with this pitiful display at once! Especially you, Danica! Your team was victorious so act accordingly!”
“Vil-san…but…”
“No buts! As for you boys, stand tall and don’t forget to give our rivals a sporting round of applause.”
“Y…yes, Sir…”
Danica had to commend Vil for his ability to remain calm and poised in such a painful moment. She realized at once that she had underestimated him to think he might now overblot again and managed to smile at him in spite of what they were both surely feeling at that moment. Yet he appeared as he always did, not giving even the slightest hint at his anger, though she was certain she saw tears in his eyes.
“It’s not fair, but he’s so calm,” Lilianne whispered to her. “And this is why I admire him so much.”
“He is pretty calm, almost too calm,” Danica replied, and then said to Vil, “It couldn’t be me, but I guess you’re used to this by now. Right, Vil-san?”
“Heh, heh. Calm? Used to it?” Vil chuckled, but there was no laughter in his tone nor gaze. More tears formed at the corner of his eyes that he quickly blinked away. Replaced with fiery rage. “OF COURSE I’M NOT!”
“Vil-san!”
“I want to walk over there and kick all those boys right off the stage!”
At this, Vil’s fellow NRC performers stared at him and he took a deep breath as he felt the tears burn past his eyes. His sorrow was as shocking to him as it was for them but he couldn’t do this. Villains had no right to cry, he knew this, knew it all too well. But he couldn’t help it, regardless of everything else, their performance was still so poor. How could this happen?
“Someone knock me out before I unleash a tirade of verbal abuse that will mince them to shreds!”
Danica bit back a small giggle. As unprofessional as such would be, at that moment, she couldn’t help but want to see something like that more than anything in the world.
“Ah Roi du Poison, I hope you can forgive me,” Rook sighed. “But I’m afraid the one more deserving of your ire is me.”
“What?” Vil momentarily forgot his anger long enough to look curiously at Rook. “What do you mean? You’re the one most deserving of my ire?”
“Rook…” Danica looked at him as well. “What do you…you didn’t, did you…surely…”
Sadly for her, Rook then held up his phone to them, confirming the worst. On the screen was his VDC vote for the best boys’ team, a vote for Royal Sword Academy. Rook had given the deciding vote and in doing so, had betrayed not only Vil but his teammates as well. Rook gave a wistful smile but Vil was speechless and whatever resolve he had to remain calm quickly vanished.
“N…no…Rook…”
Vil’s tears now flowed freely down his face, coupled with very visible shaking in his hands. A whirlwind of emotions all seized him at once but, interestingly enough, none of them were rage. Rather than feeling angry at his faithless dorm leader, Vil felt devastated.
“How…how could you?!”
“Whoa! Vil, hold it together!” Kalim and Jamil quickly went to hold Vil up as he appeared close to collapsing. Both of them were as baffled as he.
“ROOK ARE YOU NUTS?!” shouted Ace. “Why would you vote for RSA?!”
“NRC Tribe could have won if you had voted for them!” Danica cried. “Why, Rook?! WHY?!”
“Wh…what?!”
Ace and Danica’s voices were loud enough to be in the hearing range of the RSA Divas. Minette and Isabel saw as Vil’s face crumbled and then looked at the source of that anguish. The very same who accosted them earlier, the reason why none of them felt safe in the coliseum. It wasn’t enough for him to make unwelcome advances on them, Rook had now doomed their team leader to a date she didn’t want to go on and probably months of continued advances she would be hard pressed to refuse. They both glared at him with poison that could rival any crafted by Vil.
“WHAT?!” Ayse shouted. “Vil-san lost because of him?! And now Lili has to go on that date because of HIM?!”
“Why?! WHY?! What could possibly be his reasoning?!” added Athena.
Rook then went into an impassioned speech regarding his vote. Despite all that he and his teammates had gone through, he felt that Neige and his friends sang with all their hearts and believed in themselves. For that reason alone, he found their performance superior to Vil’s. Rook believed Vil lacked the confidence to give a truly beautiful performance, and his lack of confidence made Neige superior by comparison.
He said this, but would never know how Neige’s heart raced with worry as he beheld theirs, prompting him to give NRC Tribe his own vote.
“Rook, you honestly felt they outperformed you and the rest of NRC Tribe?!” Danica asked, biting back more tears. “You really think that?!”
“Oui!” Rook smiled. “Seeing them together on stage, they struck me as powerful. The fairest of all in that moment!”
“Powerful…” Danica quickly found herself becoming dizzy, so much so that Taima and Ione went to her in case she also needed to be kept upright. “Powerful…but…we were powerful too. Why…what power could you see when…”
“Rook…” Vil sniffed, looking more defeated than ever. “Rook…”
“Vil, nobody should believe in your beauty more than yourself,” said Rook. “It is most becoming, the way you maintain such self restraint while polishing yourself over your rival. But no amount of validation from the rest of the world will ever leave you fulfilled.” He smiled again. “At this moment you are truly the fairest one of all.”
“But…no…I’m…not…”
“Roi du Poison, fairest Vil, I implore you to believe in yourself more. The strength and pride to believe in yourself is what marks the true fairest one of all.”
“No…”
For once, Vil was at a loss for words, his head hung with sorrow as tried to comprehend what Rook was saying to him. But he couldn’t for the life of him. He was confident in his performance, he had believed in himself and they had all done their best. But it still wasn’t enough in the end, even for Rook. Why should Vil feel any confidence when it would always be this way? When he would always be seen as something he wasn’t? When he couldn’t even convince the one closest to him of his beauty?
Any confidence in that case would only be considered arrogance. It was easier for Vil to concede that he would never be the fairest one of all. He knew it, Danica knew it, the entire world knew it, and it was now clear Rook knew it as well.
“Poor Vil,” the RSA Divas were still watching this exchange but the longer they stood there listening, the more incensed they all became. Minette in particular couldn’t believe what she was hearing and before she knew it, a tight fist was forming in her hand. “But Vil…his team…they were so…UGHHH WHAT IS HIS DEAL?!”
“Hell no, I ain’t going for this,” Isabel began walking over to Rook with Minette following behind her. “Screw being nice, retribution is called for!”
“Stop it, you guys!” Lilianne placed herself in front of her teammates before they could do anything unwise, though her eyes remained on Rook. “I won’t have either of you starting something you can’t finish!”
“I don’t start fights Lili, I finish them!” Minette sharply replied. “You know that!”
“I won’t have you finishing anything either!” Lilianne pushed a little harder upon her teammates. “Neither of you are getting in trouble because of him! Calm down, you and Isabel are both better than this!”
“But Lili…”
“You both are better than this…but…” she pushed her friends back, rage burning in her eyes. “BUT I’M NOT! LET ME DO IT!”
“No! You stop too!" Despite all the feelings crushing upon Danica’s heart, she could see her friend was close to doing something she would regret. She hugged Lilianne even as Lilianne began to cry and struggled against her.“Lili, I know you’re hurt, but please think! You don’t want to do this!”
“YES I DO!” She continued pushing violently against Danica, thrashing and crying and wanting nothing more than to tear Rook apart. “Let me go, Dani! It’s not right and you know it!”
“I know it’s not fair, trust me I know!” Danica gently pushed her back once she stopped struggling and she was sure she wouldn’t go after Rook. “None of this is fair, but life often isn’t fair…” She squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her teeth through more tears. “Life isn’t fair, that’s…something Vil-san has always said to me.
“Dani…”
“Everyone is still watching us so you’ve gotta calm down, Lili. And you’ve gotta smile. We all have to.”
Danica said this, and she did indeed smile for good measure, even if it galled her to do so. The other Black Swans smiled as well to be sure. It was all too much for Lilianne and she returned Danica’s embrace, burying her face in her neck as she continued crying. Danica gently rubbed her back, soothing her and managing to forget her own devastation long enough to be a comfort to her friend. Giving her the comfort she couldn’t give to Vil. Taima soon joined in on the hug and Minette did as well. Meanwhile Vil and the rest of NRC Tribe continued to stare at their traitorous teammate, who in turn continued watching Neige and his friends sing without a care in the world. Completely oblivious to the turmoil he had caused.
When the song was over, Neige waved to the enchanted audience and then went over to the other side of the stage where the other performers were standing. It was his intention to congratulate the Black Swan Quintet and show his trophy to Lilianne, a symbol of their developing romance in his mind. But he was immediately caught off guard at the sight of Vil.
“Vi!” he gasped. “I’ve…never seen you cry outside of an acting role before…”
“Well, you caught me at a bad time,” Vil replied amiably. “Heh, I’m…always second best to you…”
Even with tears in his eyes, Vil managed to smile at Neige. His rival and the catalyst for everything wrong and cruel in his world, a symbol of everything he wasn’t and never would be. He smiled as though his heart wasn’t shattered in the slightest. A testament to his professionalism, Danica thought.
“Maybe that’s what the numbers said,” Neige smiled. “But your group is number one in the hearts of everybody who voted for you.” And mine…you were number one in my heart too…
“Roi des Neiges is right,” Rook chuckled. “Your smile is far more becoming than your tears, Vil.”
“Yeah! So smile, Vi-kun! You still gave a performance no one else could pull off!”
That’s easy for you to say, you’ll always be number one! Danica bit down on her tongue, hard enough to draw blood. She glared at Neige and Taima took her hand in case she were to do something impulsive. But just when they thought things were terrible enough, things were about to take another turn in the worst way imaginable.
“Hey, you’re the one who hailed me down earlier!” Neige said to Rook, a large smile blooming on his face. “You’re ‘R’ aren’t you? The one who comes to all of my fan meets and writes all me all of those letters?”
“Ah…pardon?!”
“What?!” Danica and Vil looked at Rook with sudden shock and Danica added, “Rook! Do you…know Neige Leblanche?”
Before Rook could say anything further, Neige continued, exposing his devoted fan to his bewildered teammates.
“There’s only one fan of mine who writes me letters addressing me as Roi des Neiges. And I knew R buys each of my photos at fan events and composes poems to share their impression of each picture…”
“FAN EVENTS?!” Ace gasped.
“And…PHOTOS?!” added Epel. “Rook is a fan of Neige Leblanche?!”
“OHHH SO THAT’S WHY YOU WENT ROGUE!” Iman scoffed.
“Wait a minute, what about that heavy photo album you brought with you to the training camp,” Jamil thought aloud before his face was also betrayed into shock. “Wait…was that ENTIRE album nothing but photos of Neige Leblanche?!”
“The photo album he didn’t want any of us looking at?! So…that means…
Taima’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped, not just with surprise but also guilt. She was so convinced that the album was full of photos of Danica, a thought she had led Danica to believe. But just like her belief of Rook’s feelings for her, turned out not to be the case. The other boys suggested Rook approach Neige for an autograph, which he did with some surprising hesitation before he actually began weeping, to the further bewilderment of his teammates.
“Heh, feeling awkward aren’t we, Rook?” Vil smirked, allowing himself to take back a small amount of power in this situation.
Rook did not hear him, he was too busy addressing Neige in the way he wished he could earlier when he stopped him from coming under Vil’s poisoned curse. A vision of tender perfection set against Vil’s intense regality. Not only was Rook a fan of Neige Leblanche, he was apparently also a member of his fan club and had a membership number in the single digits, meaning he had to have been following Neige’s work for a very long time. Long before coming to NRC and long before meeting Vil.
But for Danica, none of this mattered. What was most heartbreaking to her wasn’t that Rook had betrayed Vil or even that he was a fan of Neige. It was the way Rook looked at Neige as he was shaking his hand. And the words Rook spoke to him that hit a little too close to home for her.
“Roi des Neiges, Neige Leblanche, your work has shone a light upon my life and allowed me to live with hope in my heart,” Rook smiled through his tears. “You truly are an angel walking among mortals and your work holds a very special place in my heart, stirring it in ways I cannot describe.”
She saw in Rook’s eyes the very same he often had when gazing at her, whenever they were alone. It was a look she had seen him give to Athena earlier that day, to Minette when he cornered her and Isabel in the hallway, and now a look he was giving to Vil’s the source of all Vil’s anguish. Did Rook even realize what he was saying? How he had used these exact words with Danica and how much they meant to her? She doubted it more than ever.
You stir my heart in a way I cannot describe…you are an angel walking among mortals, cherie…you are very special to me…
Rook…why…this is a nightmare…I thought…no…THIS IS A NIGHTMARE AND I CAN’T WAKE UP!!!
“To add to everything else, he’s also a Neige-stan!” Now it was Lilianne’s turn to comfort Danica as she and the other RSA Divas crowded around her, shielding her from view so none could see her cry. “Are you SURE I can’t beat his ass?!”
“No, Lili!” Athena shook her head. “You know you can’t, regardless of how deserving he is of such.”
“That horrid beast!” Vidaria murmured, taking Danica’s hand while Taima held the other. “Danica, I’m so sorry.”
“I’m sorry too,” Taima whispered. “I was so sure…so sure that…”
“So was I…” Danica replied, lowering her head with sadness. “So was I, but that goes to show what an idiot I was to believe he really liked me. After all,” she sighed. “A black swan can never stand by the side of a prince.”
“That might make sense,” said Ione. “IF Rook was ACTUALLY a prince!”
“Both he and Vil hurt you,” Iman added. “But at least we won in the end despite Vil’s bitching! Rook on the other hand…ugh!!!”
The girls from both teams stood together in mutual comfort of the heartbroken Danica and somehow, Danica managed to dry her eyes long enough to remember that the world was still watching and she had to put on a fitting face. And it was just as well because a member of the press soon approached them, looking to take a picture of both winning team leaders with their trophies. Danica quickly fixed her face with help from her teammates and reluctantly stood beside Neige as they were both photographed.
“You were so great, Dani-chan!” Neige smiled at her. “Congratulations!”
“I told you to call me Danica!” Danica sharply replied, though the smile she wore gave no indication of her contempt. Her smile was such that it even fooled Vil and Rook gently nudged his arm.
“Lovely, aren’t they?” he smiled. “Roi de Neiges and our parfait petit cygne. A storybook prince and his très élégant princesse. Such a beautiful image they make together. Don’t you think so, Vil?”
Vil didn’t respond with words, but nodded sadly. He was trying both to dissociate and remain alert at the same time, but seeing Danica at Neige’s side wasn’t helping. Rook was correct, they were lovely together. From the commercial they shot for Danica’s family to now, they were the perfect image of fairy tale perfection. Far more an ideal than any farce he attempted to create with her. And such a beautiful jewel was worthy only of the fairest one of all, the complete opposite of all that Vil was.
But as soon as the photos were taken, Danica made a point of turning her back on Neige and running back to her teammates. Unfortunately for her, this nightmare wasn’t yet over as Neige then suggested that they all sing together. Of course they wouldn’t be singing Guilty Heart. He and his dwarf friends began singing and Vil gave them all a look that told them that they should join in.
And from the way Vil sang, one would never guess how much he was dying inside. Clearly Rook didn’t either as he loudly mused about how beautiful it was to see Vil and Neige together. Neige then grabbed Lilianne’s arm and encouraged her to sing along with them. For the sake of peace, she did so, but she made a point of yanking her arm away from Neige to sing at Epel’s side instead. Ace, Deuce and Jamil sang awkwardly, and even Kalim found it difficult to sound cheerful. Rook on the other hand was enjoying every moment of this.
Danica and her teammates sang along as well, with joyful smiles on their faces that gave not a single inkling to how they were truly feeling. They had won after all, the first victory against RSA in decades and the beginning of what would surely be a bright future for them. Danica and Taima had often thought about reviving their idol club at NRC, bringing on new talent and developing their talent to better fit this new stage in their lives. And considering this victory, and the fact that each of the girls was likely to give their portion of the prize money back to the school as charity, Crowley was sure to grant them this.
All things considered, they had every reason to be happy. And yet all Danica could think of as she sang this childish song was the look in her dorm leader’s eyes. The tears in the corner of his eyes juxtaposed by his cheerful smile. Vil truly was an incredible actor, more than ready to be a hero. And Rook’s kindness had given Danica the confidence to persevere even when Vil was being critical to her. He would never realize how much his actions that day had hurt not just Vil but her as well. Making everything sting all the more.
~~~
Before leaving the coliseum and the training camp for the last time, Vil made it clear to the girls that he didn’t want them spreading any gossip about the VDC results. To his mind, he was wholly responsible for Rook’s decision and his lack of beauty was the reason Rook chose to do what he did. He did not want to see his vice dorm leader come under fire for something that was his fault, even if Vil had nothing to do with how Rook had led Danica on.
And as expected, Neige wasted no time asking Lilianne out on their ice cream date. She had no choice but to accept this but that also meant that she wouldn’t be hanging out with Taima and their family after all, nor would there be any celebration at Ramshackle. Instead, all of the NRC performers returned to their own dorm that evening, each with varying emotions.
Despite Vil ordering the Black Swan Quintet not to bring up the VDC results to others, Danica considered Rook’s betrayal a Pomefiore affair and saw no issue in telling others in their dorm. She took it upon herself to release all of her pinned up frustrations and rage in a magicam group chat which was reserved only for Pomefiore students sans the dorm leaders. By the time she, Vil, Epel and Rook returned to the dorm that evening, several Pomefiore students were already aware of why NRC were once again second best to RSA, resulting in some rather awkward tension as those sitting in the lounge both applauded Danica’s victory but stared at Vil and Rook with great uneasiness.
Vil went off down the hallway by himself, Epel decided he needed time alone and went to his room. But Danica and Rook stayed behind for a few moments. Sidonie was actually sitting in the lounge and was the first to greet Danica when she walked in. This was the first time either girl had seen each other since the older one left the training camp and despite all that happened, Danica was glad to see her.
“You were wonderful, my dear!” Sidonie smiled, hugging her tight. “Farron, Savvy, Maxim and I were watching from the front and we loved every minute of it!”
“Thank you, Sidonie,” Danica returned her hug. “And we won too! I just wish…” hesitantly, “I wish you could have stayed with us until the end.”
“I know, I know, but I’m so proud of you, Danica. You stuck to your beliefs even when it meant defying our dorm leader,” Sidonie pulled back from the embrace to smile at her. “I hope you’re proud of yourself too, because you were amazing.”
“Yes, she was,” Rook came up behind them. He smiled, though his voice lacked its usual jovial tone. “Even as a black swan, our petit cygne is indeed amazing.”
Danica turned to glare at him, not at all taken with his flattery, if that was even what it was. Sidonie found his statement somewhat uncalled for but she didn’t say anything just yet. She realized that Danica’s eyes were puffy and red.
“Did…something happen?”
This was a question not exactly directed at either of them as she already was aware of most that had transpired in the coliseum, minus Vil’s overblot. Sidonie was hoping that Danica would confide more to her now that the VDC was over as her messages in their group chat contained more anger than actual information. She was even half hoping Rook might admit to more of what happened. But he remained behind them with silence that was strangely out of character for him.
“Dani, what’s wrong?” Sidonie asked again. “You won. Shouldn’t you be…”
“I’m sorry…” Danica pulled away from Sidonie before her tears could overtake her again in front of others. “I…it’s just been a long day. And I…I need some time to decompress. I’m going to my room, excuse me, Sidonie-san…”
~~~
Danica ran down the hallway, not realizing that Rook and Sidonie both took it upon themselves to follow behind her. Initially it was her intention to go back to her room for some much needed rest and to think about the events of that day in a quiet place. But as she made her way down the hall, she saw Vil, standing outside the entrance to the ballroom. He was not aware of Danica watching him and slowly opened the door and went in. Immediately she thought about following behind him, there were so many things she needed to talk to him about, and now back in their dorm, without the rest of the world watching, she could finally do so.
“Danica, Mademoiselle Chanteuse, please wait up!”
She clenched her teeth at the sound of Rook’s voice behind her, the last person in all Twisted Wonderland that she wanted to see at that moment. Vil disappeared into the ballroom, shutting the door and leaving Danica alone in the hallway with Rook approaching her and Sidonie following behind him. His smile told her that he was still completely oblivious to the hurt he had caused everyone, especially to her. In fact, he seemed somewhat confused by her dejected expression, expecting her to still be on cloud nine after winning the VDC despite going against what both he and Vil thought was best for her. She should have been happy, and with that thought, Rook felt it was time to finally get an answer to something he had been wondering for several hours now.
“What is it, Rook-san?” Danica asked blankly. “I’m very tired, I want to rest.”
“I understand your exhaustion, cherie,” he replied. “But before you retire…”
“Do you really understand?!” She turned around, letting him fully see the angry face. “If you understood, you’d leave me alone! I don’t want to talk now!”
“Very well, but please, will you allow me one question before you return to your room?”
She turned herself fully around to face him, giving an exasperated sigh. “Fine! Just one question! What do you want to ask me.”
Rook hesitated before allowing himself to take a few steps closer to Danica, not noticing at all how she took one step back for every step he made towards her. He reached his hand out to her but she recoiled, a gesture that made a mockery of tenderness and a reminder of how terribly he had deceived her.
“Do you recall what we were discussing?” he asked. “Right before everything happened.”
“Hmm?”
Danica thought for a moment. In truth, everything before she lost consciousness was something of a blur to her. She closed her eyes but for a while all she could recall was confronting Vil before his overblot. Danica tried searching her mind for anything beyond that, and that’s when it hit her. She and Rook were indeed discussing something, and the recollection of that conversation was the last thing she needed at that moment for her state of mind. She scoffed at Rook and began to turn around before he moved closer to her.
“I remember!” she snapped. “I remember everything! And to answer your question, well, you’ve answered it yourself already!”
“What do you mean?”
“I asked what it would mean if we became lovers, and you answered me the entire fucking day with your behaviour!” Her heart ached with every painful memory of that day, returning to her in swift succession as she spoke. “The way you were flirting with Athena, the way you assaulted Minette, and the way you put Neige above both me and Vil!” She lowered her head as she felt her face becoming hot with her rage, fists formed in both of her hands and she had to turn her back to Rook again, biting on them. “HOW CAN I STILL WANT SUCH A PERSON AS MY LOVER?!”
“What?”
Sidonie had caught up to them just in time to hear the last part of Danica’s brief tirade. At this her mind returned to that day back during the training camp when she came across Rook’s secret album. And later that day when Danica messaged her about what happened to cause NRC Tribe to lose. Even if she was well aware of the album for weeks prior, something in Sidonie still wanted to believe that Rook wouldn’t be so careless to go against their school, their dorm, and her friend in such a way. But the heartbroken look in Danica’s eyes told her all she needed to know.
“Rook! How…could you?!”
“I do not understand, mademoiselle,” Rook shook her head. “I put no one above you or Vil! My adoration for Neige is something different entirely! And even if I did, why should it matter?”
“Why should it matter? WHY SHOULD IT MATTER?!” Danica banged her fists against the wall. “Rook! For all you claim to know about Vil-san, for all you pay attention to regarding him, you really have no idea how much winning the VDC would have meant to him, do you?! How much it would have meant to all of us! And for all your adoration of me, do you honestly think I’d still want to kiss a man who grabbed my best friends’ tail?! How can you be so dense?!”
“I’m sorry, WHAT?!” Sidonie’s eyes widened. “What the hell has been happening since I dropped out the training camp?!”
“Oh, I could write a book about it all, Sidonie-san!” Danica sharply replied.
“What is there to be dense about?” Rook asked in an infuriatingly calm manner. “I chose to vote for Neige and his team not because of some prior preference I have for him over Vil, but because I felt his performance was far more beautiful than ours!”
“That doesn’t make any sense! Make it make sense to me, Rook! Cause I really do want to understand your logic!” Danica bit back more tears. “After…all you’ve told me about beauty, what makes someone beautiful…I want to understand. I don’t want to believe you were just…just…”
Were you being insincere to me the entire time? Do I really mean so little to you?
“Mademoiselle, even with their errors, their song, their movements, came from a place of purity and not caring about anything but making the audience happy,” Rook smiled. “That is where their power lay. That is why I gave them my vote.”
“Power…”
Danica murmured, looking down at the sleek black stage costume she was still wearing, something that she always felt gave her power as well. Though clearly what she felt was different from what Rook was describing. The power she felt indeed came from her desire to captivate her audience, but there was always something deeper to what she felt and she knew it. Rook knew it too and in that moment, she began to wrap her arms around herself, shielding herself from the shame she could feel brewing in her chest.
“And…what about…us? And what about the other boys? Do you honestly think we lacked the power to win?”
Rook sighed. “I’m afraid so, cherie. In my humble opinion, neither NRC team could match the pure wholesomeness of Neige Leblanche or the RSA Divas. And because of that, Vil couldn’t possibly have the confidence to…”
“WELL HOW THE HELL COULD HE BE WHEN HE DOESN'T EVEN HAVE THE CONFIDENCE OF HIS RIGHT HAND MAN?! HOW CAN ANY OF US HAVE CONFIDENCE WHEN YOURE SO FUCKING FICKLE THAT…”
“Danica!” Sidonie gasped, having never seen her friend like this. “I know you’re upset, but could you please…”
“NO! NO I WON’T I WON’T LOWER MY VOICE!” Danica cried. “I’VE BEEN DOING THAT FOR TOO LONG AND FOR WHAT?! IF SHOUTING IS THE ONLY WAY TO BE HEARD THEN SO BE IT!”
Sidonie sighed, she was certainly right about not feeling heard. Perhaps Danica’s rage was as much her frustration at all Vil had subjected her to over the last month as it was heartbreak where Rook was concerned. And perhaps after she allowed herself to fully give herself over to her anger, could she finally know peace.
“Maybe approval from the rest of the world won’t give long lasting validation,” Danica went on. “But sometimes, when people are confused and hurt, they need to be told that they are enough. They need to know they are loved and that they are beautiful!” Tears now streamed freely down her eyes. “We all saw first hand how deep Vil’s anguish lies and you had the perfect moment to validate him and what did you do?! After hearing Vil scream and cry about how hideous he is, you humiliated him in front of his rival and then want to wonder why he isn’t more confident!”
“Enough, mademoiselle!” Rook had taken all of this with calm understanding for the most part. But the longer Danica spoke, the more he felt himself being given over to emotions he neither wanted nor felt he could handle. “Vil’s turmoil is his alone and it’s not my place to believe I could help pull him out of it. I chose to vote for Neige as my way of showing Vil the direction he needs to be upon if he wishes to succeed in the future.”
“That may be so, but it also wasn’t your place to teach him that lesson, Rook,’ replied Danica. “You can’t say it’s not your place to step in to help Vil but then decide it is your place to teach him a lesson he probably already knew!”
“That…does seem a tad hypocritical,” Sidonie admitted.
“Well who is to say we would have still lost had Vil not…”
“ROOK!” Danica snapped, Sidonie was still standing with them and she did not yet want her to know about Vil’s overblot. Rook seemed to understand this at least, even if he still did not understand everything else. He sighed, perhaps a more personal approach would help her understand his perspective and why he felt it to be the right one.
“In the end, mademoiselle, Vil’s pursuit of beauty led him down the path of madness and his inability to be confident in his performance is why I voted for Neige,” Rook said. “It is a lesson you yourself could stand to learn as well, Danica.”
“What do you mean by that?!”
“If you had more confidence in yourself, it wouldn’t matter if your family continues to compare you to your sister. And your anguish at trying to live up to her legacy would not be so severe. After all, do you think a dancer as radiant as Fiona Ledelle had any care about what the world thought of her?”
“You…you…”
“Rook…what the…why would you say…”
Even Sidonie was taken aback by this and placed a comforting hand on Danica’s shoulder. But Danica did not feel it or take notice of anything after Rook’s words. No, he didn’t understand, and he never would. And the mention of Fiona was enough to have Danica seeing red.
That he could make such a careless comment spoke volumes of how little he understood about the girl he claimed to adore. And how little he cared about how deeply such a comment would hurt her. Even as Danica closed her eyes, the entire room was spinning with an array of dark thoughts and emotions assaulting her mind at once. And when she opened them, there she saw the source of them all. The one she had foolishly given her heart to. Only to have it thrown back into her face with his fickle apathy. Sidonie tried to get her attention one more time but she was blind to her, and blind to everything else besides her anger at Rook. Everything else went black.
“You…you know nothing…” she muttered. “And don’t you dare…”
“Pardon?”
“DON’T YOU DARE BRING UP FIONA!!!”
From his place in the ballroom, Vil had heard everything that led up to that moment. Despite finding Danica’s volume grating, he did not have it in him at that moment to go out to the hallway to stop her. He knew she was upset and unlike him, Danica was allowed to be upset at Rook. Vil was tired, he was frustrated, and he knew she was likely frustrated as well as he had been anything but easy on her. A part of him was still upset with Rook himself even if he knew it wasn’t his right. For those reasons alone he was willing to allow Danica to release her anger while he sat alone in the ballroom, his own dark thoughts barely managing to drown out all the screaming.
But the proceeding loud cracking sound followed by a high pitched shriek from Sidonie was enough to fully catch Vil’s attention. Both sounds loudly echoed throughout the hallways and half out of curiosity and half out of annoyance, he finally, very reluctantly, left his solitude. And what Vil came upon when he found Rook, Danica and Sidonie together shocked him even more than the initial argument. He actually gasped out and stopped short of making himself known.
Did…she…just…?
Sidonie’s response was what immediately brought Danica back to reality and the first thing she saw was the large red wilt she had harshly imprinted on Rook’s face. He stared blankly at her, so completely baffled that there was no room in his heart to be angry or even to feel hurt as his cheek stung from the force of the smack.
Rook only stared at Danica, heavily breathing with a fire in her eyes he never expected to see in one normally so docile and serene. It was as though the girl in front of him now wasn’t Danica at all, not the Danica he was enraptured with, but someone else entirely. Someone vicious, someone intense, with passion beyond her years. He found it strangely enchanting but, more than anything, he found it terrifying.
“Danica…what…what has happened to you?” was all he could ask, and even then, Rook was unsure what else to say to her, or even if anything he could say could possibly get through to her. “This isn't you. What happened to our parfait petit cygne? What happened to the sweet girl that we all…”
“Sweet girl?! SWEET GIRL?!” Danica began laughing frantically. “First of all, keep my sister’s name out of this! Second of all, nothing has happened! That sweet girl? SHE’S GONE! She’s never coming back and it’s all your fault! And lastly, for all your talk about beauty, you really don’t seem to understand it as well as you think!”
She stepped forward and for the first time since knowing her, Rook found himself stepping back from her. Retreating from the black swan that had taken over the girl he adored. Vil on the other hand, continued to watch from a corner in the hallway, intrigued by this new side of Danica previously unknown to him.
He certainly felt her anger was uncalled for, and far from befitting a Pomefiore student. But at the same time, Vil felt that Rook had no business bringing up Fiona and there was something almost riveting in the way Danica expressed her rage. And all in defense of him no less.
I don’t need you to defend me. And I certainly don’t need you sticking up for such an inferior performance. I hurt you and Neige still did better than us. So why…why…?
Besides his father, he had never once known someone to advocate so fiercely for him and it was enough for Vil to find himself strangely taken with her at that moment and, stranger still, curious as to what she would say next.
“You think Vil’s performance wasn’t as beautiful as Neige’s, well do you want to know what I think is beautiful? That in spite of all the agony he has gone through, despite going through probably the darkest moment of his life, Vil was still able to stand upon the stage until the end and give the best performance he could! Perseverance against all odds, against a world that hates him!”
“Oh, Danica,” Sidonie went over to Danica, trying to comfort her but she wouldn’t have it. She actually pushed Sidonie away as she continued her tirade.
“THAT is what truly makes Vil the fairest one of all! THAT IS WHAT MAKES HIM MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN NEIGE!”
No…oh no…she’s…right…no…
Vil was afraid of something like this and soon felt his heart begin to race. Danica had made a perfectly valid point and it was enough to make Vil briefly resent his vice dorm leader if a freshman could see what he clearly couldn’t. He quickly pinched himself, reminding himself that what he was feeling was objectively wrong. And yet…and yet…
“Even if he wasn’t feeling confident, he was still able to set all of that aside for the good of his team!” Danica went on. “It’s easy to be beautiful when everything is going right in your world, but if you ask me, being able to present yourself to the world with a smile on your face even when it's not easy, even when you're struggling and your heart is breaking, is the most beautiful thing someone can do!”
No…no…SHE’S RIGHT! Vil gritted his teeth. I worked so hard on Absolutely Beautiful, even composed the music myself as well as the lyrics! We all worked hard and stood on the stage together, and for what?! To be outplayed by such childish tactics!
Vil was wrong for briefly giving himself over to his frustration, and he was wrong in his desire to use Danica to manipulate the audience. But in the end, Vil remained true to his principles and for the most part, he never once considered taking the easy way out. Neige would never know what it was like to have the world have preconceived notions of him before ever knowing him. He would never know the anguish of being a villain and knowing people hated him for no other reason besides being beautiful and remarkable. And Neige would certainly never know the lewd objectification Danica had been subjected to.
It’s always been this way! Since we were children! I was never adored! Never given a chance! WHEN WILL MY CHANCE COME?!
Even if the world was an unfair place, it didn’t mean Vil had to accept it. He was swiftly beginning to see Rook in a different light and he didn’t know whether to respect Danica for her insight or hate her for it.
“Do you want to know what your problem is, Rook? Your ideas of beauty are based upon fantasy, upon everything being perfect and pure despite reality being the complete opposite. You were so caught up in how wholesome Neige was on stage you couldn't see how thoroughly inferior they were! And for what?! What struggles has Neige ever had, huh?! Really?!”
“Neige HAS had his own struggles!” Rook responded, rather sharply. “Vil knows that as well as anyone who pays attention to him on a deeper level! You are clouded by your resentment of him that YOU can’t see all the hard work he put in and the obstacles he had to overcome! Both you and Vil were born with many blessings Neige was not afforded so…”
“So Neige deserved to win because he came from a less fortunate background?” asked Danica. “Not because he’s more talented than Vil, but because…”
“And yet despite all his struggles, Neige continues to strive to be the best version of himself, greeting everyone he encounters with a smile.” Rook folded his arms and, still unaware of Vil’s presence, continued, “That is why he is able to move others in a way Vil cannot. What about Vil? He couldn’t even handle that there might be one fairer than he, and you see what happened…”
You see what happened…
This statement hit Vil like a truck because of course, it was true. After seeing how well received Neige was, he couldn’t handle that NRC Tribe was likely to lose. He couldn’t handle it and in a moment of blind rage, nearly cursed him with the aftermath nearly costing Danica’s life.
A poison derived from an obsession with beauty bordering on madness…
YOU KILLED HER! YOU’LL NEVER KNOW HOW MUCH SHE CARED ABOUT YOU! SHE LOVED YOU AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY HER?!
“Vil obsession with defeating Neige drove him to madness. He couldn’t handle the madness and that’s why I chose to vote against him.”
Once again, Rook was holding up a mirror, revealing the monster Vil truly was. No. It didn’t matter how hard he worked, it didn’t matter if Neige’s performance was objectively worse. At least Neige’s heart was pure, and it remained pure in spite of all of his aforementioned hardships. He would never think to poison a rival performer and he would never behave in such an undignified manner when things weren’t going his way.
“How can anyone be so mean? He must be pretty messed up.”
“He’s probably just as twisted in his private life.”
“He can never pull off being a hero.”
No. Danica was wrong, she was naive and couldn’t see Vil for the monster he truly was. He had heard enough, he could no longer stand by and listen to how she wrongfully berated his vice dorm leader. When all Rook was ever guilty of was seeing beauty in everything, almost to a fault, and being the only person in Vil’s life willing to be honest with him. He left his corner, walking over to the three as Danica began crying again.
“You still don’t understand, I don’t know why I’m wasting my breath!” she said. “You know nothing about beauty and nothing about..”
“THAT’S ENOUGH DANICA!”
Vil walked over to Danica, appearing as he had just walked in on this terrible scene and hadn’t been watching for several minutes. He took one look at Rook’s red face and roughly grabbed her arm, regarding her coldly.
“I saw everything and I know you know better!” he said. “Putting your hands on your own vice dorm leader, I could have you sent to Crowley for expulsion right now!”
“But Vil-san!” Danica cried. “It’s not right and…”
“No buts! You should be ashamed!” He released her arm with equal roughness. “Such crass behavior is something I wouldn’t even expect from Epel! What has gotten into you?!”
Danica took several steps back from Vil, catching her breath as the realization of what she had done came to her. She didn’t know what had come over to her yet at the same time, a part of her really didn’t care either. Rook was in the wrong here and the mention of her sister was the final straw. But it was Vil’s response that was really confusing her.
“Rook has every right to vote for who he wants to and it’s NOT your place to question it!” Vil went on. He turned to Rook, locking eyes with him as they both shared a silent, hurtful understanding. “Rook is not bound to loyalty, even if his actions hurt, they come from a good place. You’re just too naive to understand that!”
“Naive?!” Sidonie pulled Danica away from both Rook and Vil. “You’re both naive if you think…”
“Stop this!” Rook shouted. He was willing to accept Danica’s rejection, accept her rage, and even accept her hands. But he would not accept his devotion to beauty coming into question. He addressed Danica. “I do not regret my decision and nothing you say will change that! I only regret that my decision has clearly caused you pain.”
“Do not apologize Rook,” said Vil, glaring at Danica. “Danica, you apologize to Rook for smacking him. You had no right to and you ought to be happy in any case. After all, you won the VDC with your seductive wiles and became the black swan you always wanted to be!”
“I…I…”
“What? Do you honestly think people voted for you because of your talent and skill? Spare me!” Vil turned his back to Danica, meant as a sign of contempt but in truth so she wouldn’t see his own tears as he continued tearing into her. And saying things far from what he actually thought. “You seduced the crowd like the black swan seduced the prince! Seducing the audience and dooming the RSA Divas to defeat! Whatever tactics Neige used to get the crowd’s attention, you’re just as guilty! Hell, you’re even worse!”
“No…no…YOU DON’T REALLY BELIEVE THAT!” Danica cried. “I refuse to believe that! Not after you said…”
“You’re just jealous you didn’t win!” snapped Sidonie. “But don’t take it out on Danica, she did nothing wrong and you know it!”
“Believe whatever you want, Little Potato! The truth still remains regardless!” Vil didn’t even bother acknowledging Sidonie’s statement, as this all was painful enough. “Now, I won’t ask you again, apologize to Rook!”
Danica couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She stared at both her dorm leaders, feeling short of breath as she struggled to find her words. Far be it from her to apologize to Rook but at the same time, there was one thing she still wished to know.
“Rook-san…” she began, “Will you at least answer me this: which girls’ team did you vote for? Did you at least…”
Rook wasted no words, once again confirming the worst. “Your performance was quite intense, just as you’re acting right now. You and your black swans were incredibly stunning, but also frightening. The performance you gave came from a place of anger, just as you are right now,” he shook his head. “Indeed, you are not the same person you once were, and I couldn’t vote for you in good conscience, Danica. I am sorry.”
At this, Danica couldn’t take it anymore. She wouldn’t dare apologize to someone who clearly knew so little about her and thought so little of what he did know.
“I HATE YOU! NEVER SPEAK TO ME AGAIN!!!”
Wholly overwhelmed, she pressed her hands in her face, screaming loudly as she ran past her dorm leaders and didn’t look back. In the distance, the loud sound of a slamming door echoed down the hallway and the three upperclassmen knew Danica was back in her room. They stared down the hallway in silence for several moments before Sidonie shook her head.
“Swans are beautiful, but they are not fragile,” she said. “Do you remember when I said that to you, Rook?”
Rook turned to her, slowly nodding but not saying anything else. Vil scoffed.
“What does that have to do with anything?” he asked.
“Swans are beautiful, but when they’re provoked, when they’re hurt, they fight back,” she glared at both of her dorm leaders. “All Danica wanted was support but both of you only saw her as an object! A pretty white swan to love and adore and not the actual fucking human that she is!”
“Your language!” Vil snapped. “And what do you mean by that?!”
“Just what I said! You and Rook only saw Danica as a pure white swan and your mistake was thinking she would just be that way forever! But now our swan is realizing her power and because neither of you could value her as she is, she’s biting back! So don’t you dare, either of you, look down on her now when she’s only responding to how badly you’ve both treated her!”
Sidonie ran off to her own room and neither Vil nor Rook tried to stop her. Both of them were rendered speechless by every emotion they were feeling. And both of them, too overwhelmed to even try to comprehend them.
~~~
Pomefiore Dorm ~ Danica’s Room
Finally back in her own room, her sanctuary and reprieve from everything, Danica collapsed face first on her bed. Taking in the familiar scent and soaking the blankets with her tears. Her throat was hoarse from all the screaming and her limbs were sore, but even then, that wasn’t even the worst of her pain.
Whatever Vil had done, at the very least, Danica could understand his motives even if she did not agree with them. Rook’s actions on the other hand left Danica completely confused and even more hurt. Her mind returned to winter break and the time they spent together the day before the masquerade. At that time, Danica was convinced by Rook’s actions that he only had eyes for her, which made her feelings for Vil all the more confusing. Those moments stayed with her all throughout the training camp and was why she still wished to believe his feelings were true in spite of all she had seen today.
But unlike Vil, who only wished for her to perform the role of a pure white swan, Rook on the other hand expected Danica to be a pure white swan. And when she could not maintain that role in good conscience, he turned his back on her. It was inexcusable, and the more she thought about it, the more she realized how cruel Rook had been to treat her so kindly when he was still capable of such things. At least whenever Vil was critical, he meant it from a place of kindness.
There was nothing kind about what Rook had done to her or Vil. And Danica knew that if she continued caring for him, she would always only ever be second in his eyes. She would always be second to girls prettier or more charming, second to the intriguing beastmen that always caught his attention, and she would always be second to Neige Leblanche. A person Rook didn’t even really know, someone he only admired from afar and probably saw as just another adoring fan.
But Neige Leblanche was the exact kind of perfect swan that Rook desired and as she had been reminded of for weeks, a black swan couldn’t stand by the side of a prince.
I’m such an idiot! I’m an idiot! I’M AN IDIOT!
Outside the door, Sidonie could hear the loud, hoarse sobbing coming from within. She didn’t even bother to knock and thankfully, the door was still unlocked. Sidonie entered Danica’s room, gently closing the door and locking it before going over to Danica, who was laying face first on the bed and took no notice of her at first. Sidonie watched her for several moments with a heavy heart, before noticing the music box on the nightstand. She took it and wound it up, the soft melody finally catching Danica’s attention and momentarily putting a stop to her tears.
“It’s a wonder you still have tears left to cry, my dear,” Sidonie sighed, tenderly stroking the younger girls’ hair. “After all that you’ve endured.”
“It hurts, it hurts so bad…” Danica replied, her voice muffled by the pillows. “I can’t stop crying, I try but I can’t, it just hurts but crying hurts too…”
“I know, I know, it’s okay,” Sidonie softly shushed her, coaxing Danica to turn around to face her. She smiled. “I don’t know what has happened between you and Rook, but I know they hurt you and I cannot forgive that. Especially when you've done nothing wrong.”
“B…but I have…” Danica whimpered, turning her face back to the pillows. “Even if we won, I still became a black swan! Vil is right! And now Rook no longer cares about me! It’s all my fault!”
“Hush!” Sidonie gave the pillow a firm tap. “None of this is your fault! If Rook’s love for you was dependent on you remaining innocent and sweet forever, then he never loved you to begin with! He only loved an idea of you that was never real!”
“But Neige Leblanche is real! He’s innocent and sweet and exactly what Vil and Rook wanted me to be,” she sighed. “And because I couldn’t…”
“No, stop right there. We’ve talked about this once already,” said Sidonie. “At the time I didn’t really understand it but I do now. Danica, do you want to know what innocence really is?” Danica glanced up at her, nodding as she wiped her face with her hand. “Innocence is the absence of knowledge, and in your case, to remain innocent would be to remain ignorant of the incredible power you have as a performer. It’s easy to fall under the spell of innocence but it is still a contempt meant for children, at some point we all lose it but that’s not a bad thing! It has to happen to become an adult!”
“Sidonie-san…”
“What Vil wanted was for you to hide your brilliance away, and Rook said your performance frightened him because Rook couldn’t handle it. But you don’t deserve to be ignorant of your gifts, you deserve to wield them as you see fit.”
Sidonie pulled Danica into a tender embrace, holding her and allowing her to cry into her chest. She gave her hand a gentle squeeze, softly rocking back and forth to calm her down.
“I know it hurts, but you aren’t to blame. Fuck Vil for trying to repress you. Fuck Rook for his unwillingness to accept you, and fuck the rest of the world for how they resent people as incredible as you. But you never did anything wrong, and the fact that you won as a black swan is proof of it!”
With teary eyes, Danica gazed up at Sidonie and for the first time in weeks, saw the kindness and support she felt herself lacking for so ong. She couldn’t describe it, but something about the gentle way Sidonie treated her always reminded her of Fiona. She had been Danica’s greatest support when she was alive and her death left Danica all the more lonely and unsure of herself. But in Sidonie, she felt the same unconditional love and support she could always rely on from her sister and, for the briefest moments, it was enough for her to soothe her.
“You’re the only one who understands,” she sniffed.
“I only want what's best for you, Danica,” replied Sidonie. “Even if they mean well, our dorm leaders really dropped the ball regarding how they’ve treated you.”
And that is why I want to replace Vil. This is why I want to be Pomefiore’s dorm leader.
“You will always be enough, if you continue to strive to be the best performer you can be and compromise yourself for no one.
“Thank you, Onee…I mean, Sidonie-san…”
“Try to get some rest. Everything will look better and brighter with fresh eyes unsullied by tears.” Sidonie smiled. “I will stay here with you for as long as you need,”
Soon enough, the weight of all Danica was feeling finally became too much for her and mercifully allowed her to finally drift off to sleep. True to her word, Sidonie remained by her side and did not leave for a long time.
As Danica slept, Sionie sat on the bed beside her. On the nightstand next to the music box sat the Pomefiore rosette Farron had crafted for Danica, a commission from a secret admirer. Though Farron was sworn to secrecy, Sidonie was already aware of which of their dorm leaders had requested the gift, as he had let the secret casually drop during a Science Club meeting some weeks prior.
She shook her head, even though she knew, it really was a beautiful accessory and Farron had done a beautiful job crafting it. For that reason, along with how lovely Danica was when she wore it with her dorm uniform, she resolved that she would never tell her that Rook was the one who commissioned it. If she could help it, it would forever remain a mystery to her.
~~~
Sometime During Winter Break…
How did I end up in this predicament?
Danica silently asked herself this as she tried to focus her mind on remaining silent and still and away from the pervasive itch crawling up her back. She was doing so well remaining hidden and her pride wouldn’t allow her to give up now. He would surely hear the movement and she would be found faster than the time it would take to soothe the itch and reposition herself in her hiding place.
Yet at the same time, a strange feeling stirred within her that secretly made her want to be discovered. This was such an odd game. Danica hadn’t played hide and seek since she was a child and she imagined the next time she’d play would be with her own children several years down the road. Not with Rook Hunt of all people and not in his family villa. But that was exactly what she was doing.
To distract herself from her increasing desire to move around, Danica thought about the events that led up to this and how she found herself here in the first place. Soon after Christmas, her parents had allowed her to take a solo trip to Sunset Savanna to visit Taima, Lilianne and their family. They spent the last few days of the year working on music Danica would present to Vil when she returned to school and on the last day of her stay, visited the marketplace together.
While exploring on her own, Danica was surprised to run into Rook and was even more surprised when he told her he was spending his winter break there with his family, she had always figured he was from Shaftlands like her and Vil. After chatting for a bit, Rook invited Danica to spend some time with him and Taima and Lilianne convinced her that she should. She required little convincing though she began to feel nervous when they arrived at his home and she realized they were completely alone. Cut to a few hours later and somehow he had convinced her to play this impromptu game with him, tempting her with the idea that the many empty rooms would provide ample places to hide.
“No corner of this house is off limits to you, not that you will be able to elude me for very long, ma cherie,” he told her with a teasing little grin. “It’s not a matter of if I will find you, but when.”
The closet of an empty bedroom was where she decided to hide from Rook. She even made a point of not turning on any lights and closing the closet door so this room would appear completely untouched. But as the minutes ticked away, her heart began to race at the idea that she could be discovered at any moment. Rook was strangely very good at finding things, especially people, something Danica knew firsthand. The outcome of this was inevitable, and as she felt the need to move grow stronger by the second, she wondered if preserving her pride was really worth this discomfort. Especially when she secretly was looking forward to what would happen when Pomefiore’s dashing hunter inevitably discovered her.
Through the closet keyhole, Danica could see the faintest sliver of light from the hallway, trickling into the room. Her heart stopped and the itch on her back was temporarily replaced with a strangely pleasant tingling sensation as the light became brighter. Rook walked in and turned on the light, and the fact that he hadn’t left right away could only mean one thing. But she remained still and as silent as the grave, maybe Rook wouldn’t notice anything out of the ordinary and move on to another room. If such happened, she would finally leave her hiding spot, having bested him. Looking through the keyhole, Danica eagerly watched as Rook quietly walked around and, strangely enough, placed the photo frames on the nightstand face down. His head turned to the closet and she held her breath, even closing her eyes so as to not catch any of the light in the room. A minute passed, followed by a few, and Rook’s movements went silent.
“It appears mon petit cygne is nowhere to be found in this room,” he mused aloud, turning his head from the closet. “I must search another room, it seems.”
The way he sounded, Danica couldn’t decipher if he was truly talking to himself or trying to lure her out. Either way, she resolved to remain silent. Completely forgetting her discomfort for the time being as she listened to his footsteps approach the door, before stopping once again.
“Ah, what a lovely fragrance. Soft and sweet, like mon petit cygne.”
Rook’s footsteps were picking up again and Danica pressed her hands to her lips. Her cheeks burned with the realization that he likely smelled the perfume she was wearing, a fragrance she had crafted herself that she frequently wore at school. She silently damned herself for wearing it but at the same time, how was she to know that she would be playing this game today? Rook continued to muse about the scent, deliberately stopping right at the door of the closet as Danica tried to quietly move back further into her hiding place. She felt her back hit the wall, making a soft thump sound that she was certain that if she heard, Rook did as well. A soft chuckle all but stopped her heart.
“I wonder, were I to follow this lovely scent…” The doorknob turned and on instinct, Danica squeezed her eyes shut even as light poured in and Rook entered the closet, his quarry within his grasp. “…will it lead me to mon petit cygne?”
“Rook-san!”
His name spoken in a high pitched gasp was all she could muster before she found herself cornered by her charming vice dorm leader. Rook wasted no time wrapping his arms around her waist as he pulled her out of the closet with him. Danica put up a half-hearted struggle against him but his embrace tightened and quickly conceded defeat, both of them laughing the entire time.
“To think, twice now I’ve had the privilege to hunt such an enchanting creature,” he whispered against her hair.
“Oh…Rook…” Against his chest, Danica felt the heat rising in her chest and undoubtedly showing on her face. She took in his scent and with it, a powerful desire for Rook to never let her go. Without realizing it, she nuzzled against him. “You knew I was there the entire time, didn’t you?”
“Oui,” he confirmed. “And not just by your perfume, the way you shifted in the closet, your footsteps that I heard from downstairs, and the subtle way your breath hitched as I came to this room and turned on the light. All pointed to me discovering you here.”
“Hmmm, I guess I should have known better to think I could hide from you for long,” a soft chuckle rumbled against her chest followed by a gentle hand running down her back. She gazed up at him before quickly lowering her head. His smile made her blush. “But what do you mean by twice? We’ve…never done anything like this before at school.”
“Ah but we have, cherie,” he gently pulled away from her, lifting her chin up so her eyes could once again meet him. “Even if you do not realize, from the moment we met, I have always had my hunter’s gaze upon you.”
Danica closed her eyes as she pondered his words. She recalled their first meeting, how Rook came across her trying to hurry back to Pomefiore after sneaking off after orientation. She couldn’t help but wonder how long he was watching her walk down the dark empty halls of the school before finally making himself known to her. At the time, her primary concern was returning to her dorm as fast as she could before she could incur Vil’s wrath, but did Rook also consider this a part of their game?
“How could a hunter like myself not desire to chase something so beautiful?” he asked, pressing her closer and bringing his lips to her ear before continuing with, “and how could I ever allow her to escape me now that she is finally in my arms?”
“Rook-san…what do you mean by…haaaaaa…!!”
In a quick and sudden gesture, Rook swept Danica off the ground. A loud shriek escaped her lips before she could finish her question, surprised by his ability to lift her so easily and thrilled by his strength in doing so. She giggled, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck as he spun her around, kicking her feet in the air like an excited child.
“I don’t think I could ever escape you, Rook-san,” she blushed. “Even if I wanted to. But could you at least put me down?”
Rook laughed, carrying her over to the bed and placing her back on her feet before taking a seat on the edge of the bed and beckoning her to join him there. She sat beside him, lowering her gaze as he moved closer and placed an arm around her. He was so warm, and she felt a strangely tender sensation being so close to him. It was the same feeling she got whenever she and Vil were alone; tender, comforting, oddly addictive but extremely confusing. Why did her heart have to be so indecisive?
“You were kind enough to indulge me in one of my deepest desires, ma cherie,” Rook smiled at her. “And for that, merci. Will you now allow me to grant you a desire of your own?”
“I…really?” She felt the heat return to her face. “If…all you wanted was to play this game with me, I think we could have arranged it sooner. I wouldn’t have minded, maybe not in the dorm though so Vil-san wouldn’t scold us.”
He laughed again, lifting her gaze to his. He murmured something to her in French that Danica didn’t fully pick up, but she did understand the words “adorable” and “my precious heart”. Her own heart began to race; Rook was often flirtatious with her, but never like this.
The words he was using, how close he was now, the fact they were alone, everything about their dynamic was quickly taking on a whole new meaning the longer she spent in his presence. There was a strong sense of intimacy in the way he regarded her though they were not even touching. Her heart was confused but he continued in this manner, she wondered if she might finally find the answer she was looking for.
“You…want to grant me one of my desires…?” she softly asked. “I’m afraid I have many, and I’m not sure where to begin.”
“Ahhh, and I would grant every last one if given the opportunity,” he replied, slightly narrowing his gaze towards her face, and leaning into her lips. “But for now, allow me to give you this…”
For the last few hours, Danica sat with Rook and felt as his words slowly began to take on a more intimate feel. She looked into his eyes and felt her heart pounding every time he would smile or compliment her. She agreed to play hide and seek with him and while she tried to make an effort to find a decent hiding place, secretly looked forward to having him find her.
Looking around her, she had the feeling that they were now in his room as the bed she sat upon had a comforting scent that was strangely familiar. And now, he was closer than ever. She watched how his face leaned into hers. And felt how his fingertips softly brushed against her cheek and pulled her face closer to his. But somehow, Danica could not believe that such a thing could happen. Something out of a fairy tale or like the saccharine sweet song lyrics she wrote in middle school. Something so perfectly in alignment with her deepest, most secret desires. This had to be a dream.
But it wasn’t. And as Danica continued pondering such, Rook finally closed the distance between their lips. A soft, hesitant kiss, if testing the waters, seeking a response before going deeper. A thousand jolts of electricity went off in her body at once but the warmth of his lips against hers quickly melted away any anxiety in her heart, replaced with glowing realization and a burning desire for more. She responded eagerly at first, kissing him back, but when she felt a hand run down her leg, she pulled away.
“Rook-san!” Danica gasped, her face a bright, hot apple red. “Why…you…”
“What’s wrong, cherie?” Rook asked, “I haven’t made you uncomfortable, have I?”
“N…no…” she took several deep breaths, working up the courage to look up and meet his gaze. “I’m not uncomfortable, just…surprised. I never thought…I never imagined that you…that you actually wanted…”
“As I’ve said before, cherie, it is not in my nature to ignore something so beautiful when it is right in front of me.” he gently placed both his hands on either side of her face. “It is my greatest desire that you will allow me to pay tribute to your radiance.”
“Rook…”
She placed her hands on top of his and wanted to move them away, but found she couldn’t. But soon enough, he removed them himself, replaced with his arms fully enfolding her as he pushed them back onto the bed.
“Rook…please…”
“You are an angel walking amongst mortals, cherie, and I see in your eyes what your lips hesitate to say.” Rook kissed her again, and again, and again, not leaving a single inch of her face untouched by his lips. “You want this don’t you? So why do you deny your heart what it so earnestly desires?”
Danica didn’t realize that her eyes were closed and when she finally opened them again, she felt her face go ablaze at the way Rook was looking at her. Kindness and desire illuminated in his emerald gaze. She was at a loss for words but knew she had to find them soon before she allowed him to do something she feared she might regret.
After all, it would be so much easier if Rook was the only person preoccupying her heart. But he wasn’t. And until she could finally make a decision and cease being so fickle, Rook did not deserve to give his heart to someone who was only half-sure of him. With all the strength she possessed, she forced her body forward, removing herself from his warmth, a very difficult task indeed.
“You’re…right, I do want this,” she sighed. “I want this more than anything in the world right now.”
“Ah, then allow me to grant you your desire, mon petit cygne,” Rook held her again against his chest, peppering her cheek with soft little kisses as she trembled in his embrace. “There’s no need to be nervous, I'm going to cherish you in the way lovers do.”
“But that’s just it,” Danica summoned further courage to further pull away. “I…this is a lot…I’ve never felt this way before. No one has ever made me feel so…” she blushed. “…special…I…I need time to think about this…I don’t…ahhh…” He appeared as though he were about to kiss her again and she moved further away. “You want us to be lovers, but, will you allow me some time to think about this?”
“You are very special to me, Danica.” Rook smiled. “You stir my heart in ways I cannot describe.” He reached out to her and pulled away a lock of her dark hair, placing a tender kiss on her forehead. “But I understand what I ask is not to be taken lightly and far be it from me to make you uncomfortable.”
“I’m sorry,” Danica sighed as she rose to her feet. “I’m sorry I’m like this, but…”
“Please don’t apologize, cherie. I will give you all the time you need to consider my proposal. And when you are ready to give me your answer, let me know. I am looking forward to the day you will allow me to shower you with all my adoration.”
He stood up as well, pulling her into one final embrace. It didn’t occur to him at all to feel disappointed by her answer. Rather, he saw her response merely as extending the game between them. There was nothing wrong with a little resistance, it made the hunt all the more intriguing, and all the more delightful when Danica finally allowed Rook to have her.
“Just like the prince who adored the white swan, I plan to cherish you in the exact same manner.”
~~~
With the sound of her music box playing in the darkness, Danica began to rise from her sleep. Bitter memories of sweeter times long gone haunting her dreams, reminding her of the cruelty of her reality and not allowing her to rest. And when she finally opened her eyes again she realized it was already night time.
Sidonie was long gone, but it didn’t bother her much as she looked at her phone and saw it was past midnight. And she also saw a single text from Iman.
Call me or Taima when you get a chance, and don’t look at magicam until you do.
~~~
(A/N: I really hope you all like this chapter, because it really was a labor to complete it and everytime I came back to it, I was also coming back to some extremely painful memories that I’d rather bury in my past forever.
I’m not going to get into this again but for those who know me, know that I have very deep and personal feelings about all of Book 5 but especially the ending. It’s because of how Book 5 ended is why I ended up throwing out what I originally planned for this story and honestly while I think this fic is much better than what I originally planned, writing it has been quite an emotional journey and not always in a good way. It’s rather remarkable, but also frustrating, how many feelings this anime mickey mouse bishie mobile game can give me but maybe that’s just a testament to the writing.
But now we are almost to the end. The final chapter of this fic will come out a week from today and the remaining VDC dress vignettes will be uploaded within that time. Please look forward to it. And as always, thank you for reading and feedback is appreciated! ❤️)
#twisted wonderland#twisted wonderland oc#twst oc#oc: danica#twst vil#twst rook#vil x oc#rook x oc#twst fic#twst writing#things i write#shining hearts ~ melodies and melancholy
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May i request for some headcanons on how riddle,azul,vil and malleus would react to a fem!s/o who’s an insanely good badminton player. Would they support her during her games? Would they attempt to play with? How would they react when she dominates the court against both NRC and RSA has students?💛
I love this request~~~!! 💛 💛 It was fun to write. Pardon me for starting with Malleus
🐲 at first he didn’t understand the hype behind sports, especially badminton. But when you shyly invited Malleus to come cheer for you and give you mental support on your match, he was…overjoyed,
,,Could you, perhaps, if you have time, of course....come to my badminton match?”
Malleus: *happy invited noises*
🐲 needless to say, he and his Diasomnia squad who tagged along had the front row all to himself. People politely moved away from his intimidating aura. The mere fact that Malleus Draconia came to sport competition shocked absolutely everyone, including Crowley,
🐲 he was awkward at first, not really knowing how he should behave. Malleus is royalty after all and he has a certain image to maintain. But for you, just seeing his gentle smile and feeling his eyes fixated on your form is more than enough to give you mental support,
,,Ufufufu~~ Sebek, mayhap you could show Malleus how cheering looks like?” “Yes, Lilia-sama”
🐲 you had undoubtedly the loudest cheering out of all contestants and to think that it was just one person. Sebek’s screaming woke up Silver who almost had a heart attack, Malleus took mental notes to always bring Sebek with himself on your next matches, while Lilia was wheezing
,,Y/N-SAMA DESTROY THEM. ARAHHHHH YOU GOT IT”
🐲 Lilia is the definition of “You’re doing amazing sweetie” taking multiple pictures of you,
🐲 after a match, practically deaf Malleus came to see and gently took you in his arms, tightly hugging you, as his hands gently caressed your back. He’s softly whispering how good you were,
,,Malleus I’m sweaty” “You were absolutely amazing, darling” “Malleus-“ “Your skills are truly admirable, you were able to defeat every team. I’m overflowing with proudness” “You’re not listening, right?”
🐲 Malleus wasn’t surprised you had dominated the court and crashed RSA and NRC students. After all, you’re an endearing human who has great badminton skills,
🐲 Malleus may have hard time trying to express his support for you, but he truly does his best. After each game, he makes sure to tell you how much he loves you, how amazing you were, all that while showering you with gentle kisses,
🐲 after long pestering and Lilia’s interference, Malleus finally agreed to play with you. You soon regretted this,
🐲 Malleus claimed that he had never tried this game before (which was true) and he asked you to show him some basic moves and practice them with him until he got a grasp of them. He swore he wouldn’t be using any magic for his own benefit (he’s a man of his word)
🐲 you forgot that he’s an ancient fae, whose senses are more sensitive than yours. Malleus is faster and has better reflexes than humans, so after five minutes you were having a hard time keeping up with him,
,,You’re a fast learner” “Oh, Lilia used to say this to me all the time” “YAH, Malleus play like human”
🐲 Lilia was quick to remind him to tone down his abilities,
🥀 Riddle is very supportive, he’s your fan number #1. He may not show it in front of everyone, but he’s always cheering for you and crossing his fingers that you will win,
🥀 your personal hype squad that Riddle always drags with him to your matches is the definition of chaotic support. Cater takes pictures of you while screaming at the top of his lungs “Y/N-CHAN DESTROY THEM” . Ace and Deuce are chanting your name while holding big ass banners of you. Trey is definition of “you’re doing great sweetie” and he has a water bottle as well as healthy snacks prepared for you after the match. Riddle is aggressively clapping and soon he joins the first years,
🥀 you have a celebration tea parties a lot. A LOT. After each match Riddle has always prepared something for you,
🥀 Riddle showers you in compliments after each won game. If you somehow lose one, he’s there with strawberry tarts and fine tea to cheer you up,
🥀 he is beaming with proudness when you win against every team and snatch the first price. He won’t shut up about this for weeks. Literally,
🥀 Riddle lets you train in Heartslabyul gardens. If you need a professional couch or another player, he will gladly arrange that for you. He sometimes watches you practice, admiring your passion and dedication,
🥀 at first, Riddle was rather reluctant to play badminton with you. You assured him with a playful smile that you would be lenient with him. Surprisingly, Riddle really enjoys your small match and shyly asks you for another round. You happily agree,
🥀 you both are often seen together playing badminton in Heartslabyul gardens and Cater always coos at how cute you both are,
🥀 pretty sure, Cater runs a fanpage of yours. You always get embarrassed when he floods you with your pictures and shows you how popular your fansite is,
,,Cater, I suggest you to refrain from making Y/N flustered, otherwise it’s off with your head”
🐙 Azul did his research when you briefly mentioned you’re playing badminton. He watched few videos, read rules of the game and generally familiarised himself with that discipline,
🐙 he’s really supportive, even though he’s not into sports. Azul won’t miss any of your games. Any.
🐙 expect him to sit in the front row with Leech twins. He may not be shouting and cheering loudly for you as Floyd does, but just a mere glance at this beaming with happiness octopus who clap for you is more than enough,
🐙 when you dominate the court and destroy both NRC and RSA students, he’s extremely proud and doesn’t even hide it. Azul is quick to sweep you off the ground and twirl you around, while pressing kisses all over you and breathing praises in between.
,,Azul, I’m sweaty” “I don’t mind” “Azuuul~~~”
🐙 Azul doesn’t excel at sports so he was more than reluctant to actually play with you. He’s clumsy and since you’re such insanely good player, he can’t help but feel insecure in your presence. Yet, you assure him that you will go easy on him and just teach him some basic moves
,,Come on, I will teach you~!” “I’m rather a busy businessman, angelfish” “I prepared a contract” “A contract, you say?”
🐙 let’s just say, you promised that for each point Azul gains, you would give him a kiss,
🐙 Leech twins will be having the time of their life catching discreet glances from bushes at the two of you trying to play. When they see clumsy Azul desperately trying to score at least one point, while you casually block each of his attacks, they can’t help but burst in laughter
🐙 Azul may say it loud, but he does enjoy those little playing sessions. It’s a nice alternative from his usual routine and may I say, he finds you absolutely stunning when you play,
👑 he’s your hype man#1
👑 you will be the best dressed badminton player ever. Vil likes to make you try multiple tennis skirts, shorts, tops and t-shirts to find the best one. You’re the only female around, so obviously you have to look the best,
👑 you wear designer clothes and Vil is certainly doting on you right before the match, wanting to make sure you would look absolutely stunning in every moment of the game,
,,Vil, don’t apply make-up on me, it will get smeared and I will be sweaty” “Trust me darling, when I apply it, it won’t smear at all”
👑 he was right. You came to the match in impeccable outfit, with flawless, delicate make-up and perfectly styled hairstyle. No one would look better than you,
👑 Rook for sure is taking pictures of you from trees, while Epel is the photograph on the land. Vil has a whole album from your different matches,
👑 Vil absolutely savors the moment when you dominate the court against RSA and NRC students, especially if Neige is playing too. He’d be like: “everyone, this is MY girlfriend!!”, Let’s just say he will be boasting about your success everywhere, casually bringing this topic,
👑 Vil is rather organised and after a won match he has everything prepared. Healthy snack to rebuild your energy? checked. Small make-up bag to brush up any eventual imperfections? checked. Some towels so you could sweep off sweat? checked. Water bottle? checked.
👑 Vil won’t hug you though, not until you take a shower. But he will immediately praises and compliment you, while he’s fixing your hair
,,You did amazing, darling. I enjoyed the look of absolute defeat on Neige’s face when you crushed them”
👑 Vil knows that you’re the best, but he’s sure you could be even better. There’s always room for improvement, right? He’s in charge of your diet, making sure you’re eating healthy food. Vil even planned your trainings, gets a coach for you and ensures you attend them,
👑 he acts like your stylist, coach, dietician and boyfriend - all in one,
👑 Vil agreed to play with you, saying it’s a nice break from his usual exercises. After he got a hang of it, it turned out he’s actually pretty good and you’re often seen playing some matches together. Rook always appears out of nowhere and coos that you’re both the most beautiful badminton couple ever,
,,Mon lapin!!! Quelle beauté!!!” “Rook, stop being so close to her!”
#twisted wonderland#disney twst#riddle rosehearts#malleus draconia#vil schoenheit#azul ashengrotto#twst writing#twst x reader#malleus x reader#vil x reader#azul x reader#riddle x reader#twisted wonderland x mc#twisted wonderland x reader#twisted wonderland writing#twisted wonderland scenarios#twst scenarios#twst malleus#twst vil#twst azul#twst imagine#twst headcanons#twst riddle#requested
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would you do a scenario with leona, his s/o, and cheka just chilling in his room when cheka's just like, "leona oji-tan why don't you marry y/n so we can be a real family?" and leona, being smug as he is, just rolls with it?
warnings: none
they / them darling
Leona had to admit Farena had some nerve to keep sending Cheka over on the weekends to NRC, especially since the second-born was quite vocal on his dislike of the practice. However, Farena was stubborn as always, turning a blind eye to his brother’s complaints and insisting on sending his son over to bond with his uncle; which led to the usual scenario of Leona, his darling, and Cheka all relaxing in his room.
“Ojitan, can we go swim in the lounge?” asked Cheka, happily bouncing on the bed as Leona tried his best not to snap at the little brat.
“It’s a bit late, Cheka... You might catch a cold if you swim now. We wouldn’t want your mother to get mad...” Leona’s darling said, trying to get the young lion to settle down. The weather in Savanaclaw may have been controlled by magic, but it was still somewhat linked to a real Savannah; the nights became chilly, and the last thing Leona or his darling wanted was Leona’s sister-in-law calling to ask why the crown prince had caught a cold.
“Boo...” the young lion puffed his cheeks out, then crossed his arms. “Then can we at least play?”
“Don’t be too loud. I’m trying to sleep.” warned Leona as Cheka bounced off the bed.
“Ok, ok! Let’s play house!” cheered Cheka. “Hmm... Ojitan has to be the dad!”
“Oi, you already have a dad, brat. Want me to send you back to him?” said Leona, tail swishing. He wanted to sleep, damnit- perhaps even cuddle his darling, but there was nothing he could do as long as the tiny menace called his nephew was here.
“Eh, no! I wanna play with ojitan and my friend!” he said, arms crossed. Cheka had taken to referring to Leona’s darling as his friend; granted, the little lion was so heavily guarded in his day-to-day life, that it wouldn’t be odd if he truly did see the older NRC student as a friend. “Um, can we still play house...? If Ojitan doesn’t wanna be the dad, then... I’m the dad! And I’m married to Ojitan’s partner! And, and, Ojitan is the kid!”
“Pff-” Leona’s darling held back a laugh at how quickly Leona shot up from his resting position at Cheka’s organization to play house; it seemed that Leona wasn’t pleased with being designated to be the kid, even less with Cheka deciding he’d play the role of his darling’s husband.
“Huh? No way. We aren’t playing house.” growled the lion, brows furrowed.
“That’s so boring, Ojitan!” whined Cheka, crossing his arms, but seemingly dropping the idea. Leona’s darling sighed- Leona had exhausted all of his “decent uncle” energy already, and it seemed like the lion really wasn’t up to deal with Cheka’s antics now. “... Leona ojitan, why don’t you and your partner get married for real? That way we wouldn’t even have to play house, cuz you’d be a family!”
“Gh- that’s-!” Leona’s darling choked on air, coughing a few times in a poor attempt to come up with a response to the young lion. That brat-
“Oh?” Leona quickly noticed his darling’s shock, and smirked. Well, it wasn’t as if they’d never mentioned marriage before- being from a royal family, Leona was expected to marry at some point, and he’d let his darling know- of course, they’d both need to graduate first, and then present them to the people of his kingdom (although... Leona bitterly doubted many would care about the second prince’s marriage); however, it seemed like the idea of marriage being brought up by someone else had flustered his darling... And if Leona liked one thing, it was to tease his beloved. “Well, Cheka does have a point, doesn’t he?”
“Wh- I, um-” Leona’s darling was bright red, as Cheka peered at his uncle and his darling with big, curious eyes, perhaps not understanding the conundrum he’d caused.
“Yes!! I wanna scatter the flowers in Ojitan’s wedding! And, and- uncle Ruggie can bring the rings!” Cheka clapped excitedly. Ruggie would probably run off with the rings, was something Leona thought- but it was currently teasing his darling time, not teasing Ruggie time. “Pleaase! I wanna throw the flowers!”
“I- yes, of course, but, um-” Leona’s darling was all over the place. How to not make Cheka sad in this situation but also make him understand a marriage wouldn’t be happening until a couple of years was a strategy they did not know how to manage.
“Oh, so you agree? Mhm, that’s nice, I also think Ruggie would make an interesting ring carrier.” said Leona, slinging an arm around his beet-red darling’s shoulder. “I’d be more interested to see what sort of attire you’d wear, though... It’d be a traditional Afterglow Savannah wedding, wouldn’t it? Hm, perhaps I’d have to walk you through the traditions... That’d be quite a pain, though...”
“Ojitan has to be nice to his future spouse!!” said Cheka, jumping in to defend Leona’s darling. “Dad says married couples always have to be nice to each other and help each other! That’s why he always listens to mom”
“Yeah kid your dad says a lot of bullshit he doesn’t mean. The old man is probably just scared to disagree with his wife.” Leona said under his breath, so low his darling barely caught the bitter words. He quickly shook off the dark thoughts and went back to look at his darling with a smirk and playful narrowed eyes. “Well then! Do you think the ceremony would be better at day, or at night?”
“I- Leona, you can’t just- ask that now-!” his darling said, eyes flicking from Cheka to their boyfriend. “I- um... Evening...? Wait, that’s not- that’s not the main issue here-”
The topic had been enough to get Cheka fired up, though. The little lion was practically jumping all around the room, raving about how “cool” his ojitan’s wedding would be, and that he’d be the best flower boy ever- from the way he spoke, it was clear he hadn’t actually seen any weddings, and all his knowledge probably came from his parents’ wedding pictures and stories they’d tell him of their wedding. Leona chuckled, mildly entertained, then turned to look at his still-flustered darling.
“Hey,” he said softly into their ear, arm still around their shoulder. “I’m just messing around with Cheka, don’t think I’m gonna pressure you into a wedding so quickly. I know we both have to graduate, and being thrown into the royal family is messier than you’d think.”
“However... I’ll keep in mind you’d prefer an evening wedding- you know, for when the day comes when we do get married.” he said with a chuckle, pressing a little kiss to their cheek.
The peace of the moment was instantly shattered by Cheka’s delighted “Ojitan just kissed his future spouse!!” that surely resounded through the whole dorm.
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A Different Kind Of Story - Dance and Grace
It was time for some music and refinement.
After some business talk with a scammy octopus lady, Yuko decided to show a small feast she once was invited to, arranged by her friends from Scarabia, and some day-to-day life at the ever so gorgeous Pomefiore.
A Different Kind of Story: Chapter 4
Yuko hasn't even been a solid 5 minutes in the Scarabia dorm, but they already were melting. The afternoon sun was brutal on her skin. Grim wasn't doing any better.
"Are you ok, Yuko? Should I get you something to drink?" Yuko turned her head two face two worried, red eyes.
"Is that a yes or a no? You know what? It doesn't matter. I'll get you one," Kalim said as she patted Yuko on the shoulder before getting up. The brunette tried to stop her, but Kalim didn't listen and quickly came back with some drinks.
"You really shouldn't have to..." Yuko said but took the drinks regardless. "You don't have to be so polite! You two are our guests! A drink or two should be the least!" Yuko could have sworn she needed sunglasses with how bright Kalim was. It gave her a warm feeling of familiarity.
All of a sudden, a sweet and flavourful smell filled the lively lounge of Scarabia. A brunette with long hair and a hood came into the room. She carried multiple plates with different foods, which vary from perfectly sweet to super spicey.
"Wow! These smell amazing, Jamil-senpai," The Prefect of Ramshackle praised, clapping their hands together with sparkles in their eyes. Jamil didn't pay her or her compliment any mind and just placed the dishes on the table.
"You can compliment me if it tastes as good as it smells.", the second-year commented blankly.
"Fnyaaa, why can't you take the compliment! She's at least trying to be nice to you, even after what you did, you snake!" Yuko looked down at Grim and smiled fondly while giving Grim some head pats. Jamil just turned around with an angry huff and leaving the room to get more food.
"Seriously, why are you trying to be so friendly with her? It's obvious she doesn't give a damn about everyone but herself."
"That sounds like everyone at this school, to be honest. People deserve a second chance, and I think I'm not the only one who knows this." The first-year turned to Kalim, who looked kind of sad. Yuko knew that Kalim still concerned herself with many things. Yuko didn't know why or what those things were, but they also felt like it wasn't their place to ask questions.
Yuko's train of thought was interrupted by the other members of the dorm, who all decided to dig in and enjoy the sweet and spicy dishes their vice leader made.
-
The feast came along significantly.
Cheerful chattering filled the room. It had accompanied by entertaining music, played by some students who had already finished their meal.
The two guests from Ramshackle were having a small conversation with the ever so joyful host of the party. Mostly Grim was talking with her. Yuko just sat there, enjoying her meal while her furry companion on her lap was having a good time.
The young Crowley roamed the filled room with attentive eyes. She saw students eating and praising the food, telling stories (some real, some not), or were merely telling jokes and were having a good time. Among those students, there was a brunette standing on the sides, watching them. An idea then popped into the first-year's head.
Yuko excused herself politely from the second-year who so kindly invited them. They then proceeded to walk to the vice to start a little chat for herself.
"Hello Jamil-senpai," Yuko greeted. "The dishes were astounding. The sweets felt like they were melting in my mouth! There also was a hint of apple in there, or am I incorrect? Either way, would you mind if I asked for the recipe itself?" Startled, Jamil turned around to face her junior.
"Uhm, of course? I did not know you'd enjoy it that much that you would ask for the recipe. It's a common sweet in my family" Jamil seemed taking back by Yuko's sudden request. Yet only an innocent smile painted their face while listening to their senior reciting the recipe.
-
"You seem to be enjoying yourself there, Yuko," Ace mocked with a sly smile.
"What could you possibly mean, Ace?"
"Don't act this innocent. If you are an alternate version of our buddy Yuu here, then you are just trying to annoy her, aren't you? Also, you and Kalim there are disgustingly sweet, I have to say." The ace of Heartslabyul said. Yuko gasped in offence and put one of her gloved hands on her chest gem.
"Oh, how could be so mean! I just tried to have a nice conversation with my upperclassmen", the girl wailed. "And, ohh, I am sorry that I am just having some fun with Kalim. I didn't know being nice to others is actually 'disgusting'" Ace smirk swiftly was erased from his face. Some of the first years even snickered a bit about the answer to the boy's comment.
"It is just," the girl in the mirror continued. "I like talking to her since she gives up a sense of comfort. She is like the older sister I never had," Yuko said fondly.
Kalim was also beaming with joy and pride. It seemed knowing that someone, who isn't related to him, thought of him as an older sibling figure made him happy. Even though not directly meant.
"A-ah! Let's not get distracted, shall we? Next is Pomefiore," the girl in the mirror announced.
"Of course not. Although, before we start, let me say that it is very nice to hear that you think that way, young one." Lilia was heart warmed. Father instincts, Yuko silently assumed before fading from the other sight.
-
After Yuko got the recipe for the dish Jamila made, they said their goodbyes to her friends and made her way to Pomefiore.
The old castle was as beautiful and graceful as ever. The afternoon wind made it seem even more like it was from a fairytale.
As soon as Yuko entered the big walls of Pomefiore, she got greeted by a petit-looking first-year. The student's long lavender hair swayed behind them as they approached Yuko as if a breeze was flowing through the dormitory.
"Yuko! Perfect timing! Please save me from Vil! She's trying to put me in one of those disgusting, frilly dresses!" the smaller girl whined. She clutched against Yuko's arm as if it would have helped convince Yuko of her need for help. "Epel, please, I can't hide you every time. I also am starting to think that Vil might know our hideouts by now" Yuko kindly smiled as Epel continued to beg for her help. Yet to no avail.
Moreover, Vil appeared. Her long gowns were perfectly put on, with no faults whatsoever. They flowed behind her while she walked down the hall towards the first years.
It was like looking at a goddess.
But alas, this beauty was angry.
Behind her followed NRC's huntress, Rook. Her heavy boots' steps and Vil's high heels clicking echoed through the empty and silent hall, Epel's begging long died out.
"Epel! How dare you try to run away again! You'll never learn how to use those natural looks correctly. Don't get me started on how to treat them right!" Vil pinched Epel's cheek, ignoring the junior's complaints.
"Oh my, oh my! The Trickster has arrived! How splended~ Your little companion is at your side, as well."
Yuko smiled politely and started holding Grim a little tighter in her arms, in case Grim would try to flee from the huntress.
"I am also very delighted to make your acquaintance again, Rook-senpai. How is it currently going?" The senior started beaming at the question with a bright smile. Her hands flew up to her head. "Oh Trickster, how happy I am that you asked! Reine de Poison was only trying to show our little apple how to put on more voluminous dresses, but the little one didn't seem to like the idea, which is a loss, to be honest. Just imagine Mademoiselle Cherry Apple in one! She'd look like an innocent angel~."
Yuko couldn't hide their chuckle at the thought of Epel wearing something like that. Now they sure knew why Epel was so desperate for help.
-
They all made their way to the lounge for some tea, the argument between Vil and Epel never-ending during the short walk.
At this point, the Ramshackle Prefect was holding Grim's mouth shut, knowing that Grim would spit some non-polite comment. Either at Rook or Vil. Which both wouldn't end well for them.
Vil, Epel, Yuko and Grim seated themselves on the beautiful couches of Pomefiore. Rook made her way into the kitchen to prepare the tea. For Yuko's and Grim's ears pleasure, Vil's and Epel's bickering had stopped.
"So tell me, little potato," Vil started, "have you finally renovated your old dorm by now? I am confident that this hideous place could look better," Harsh as ever, Yuko thought.
Nonetheless, the dorm leader was right. It was old and rotten, and it already was hard work to get it into the condition it is now.
"The renovations are coming along, Vil-senpai, yet I highly doubt I will get it finished any time soon. Nonetheless, I am happy to say that I acquired some donations from Azul. For furniture for the interior, as well for the outer parts. Maybe I'll even have to ask someone to help me with the gardens soon if this all keeps going at this pace. But first, the rooms and all should be looking presentable, of course." Yuko explained. Her senior hummed understanding.
Rook re-enters the lounge with a trey, which has some tea and snacks on it. "Oh la la, what did I miss? Where are you talking about the Ramshackle dormitory?" Room asked as she put the trey downs on the table. How did she know that? Until now, she was in another room!
"Yes, we were discussing the Ramshackle dormitory, Rook. The renovations, to be exact," Vil said as she sipped her tea.
"Epel, you were awfully quiet until now. Does the topic of your friend's home not interest you?"
As if being ripped out of a daydream, Epel quickly looked up. "N-no, this isn't the reason! I didn't want to interrupt yall- I mean you all."
Vil inspected her as if trying to figure out if she was lying or not. After 20 seconds of starring, Vil accepted the explanation as genuine and let out a small sigh.
"Epel, at least sit straight and look me in the eyes while talking. The cup goes up to your head, not your head to the cup!" Vil pinched Epel's cheek once again, ignoring Epel's whines. It all ended in another argument.
-
Leona put one of his hands on his temple in annoyance. He just witnessed two arguments, one in full length and the other one's just started. "Is this also like this here?"
"Yep, totally," said all the first-years in unison, except for Epel, who had a feeling of betrayal in his eyes.
"How could you all fall into my back like that?!"
"Epel, you know that they are sadly telling the truth. We, rather often, have different opinions on things," Vil kindly reminded the student he took under his wing. Like a father
"Nevertheless, Leona, you should know how hard it can be to look after your first years. Oh wait, on second thought, you probably don't, since you push all your responsibilities onto Ruggie,"
Leona only growled, knowing that starting a fight with the fellow third-year would be pointless.
Everyone in the room went quiet. Even Rook didn't say anything. After a minute of awkward silence and Vil and Leona starring at each other, Yuko cleared her throat, getting all of the male's attention.
"How about we move on to our last two dorms. Then we'll call it for today? It's been a long day with a lot of new things to process," Yuko clapped their hands together while talking. They were just happy that there weren't any nasty comments on any of her friends.
{to be continued}
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[A/n: Sorry for any grammatical or spelling errors, English is not my first language!]
#twisted wonderland#twst yuu#twst mc#Yuko Crowley#nrc#night raven college#kalim al asim#jamil viper#vil schoenheit#rook hunt#epel felmier#ace trappola
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[DCA Event] - Six Queens Event Part 6
[Parr - I Don’t Need Your Love]
Rozeline could feel the ghost send emotions of pent up frustration and regret. But unlike the others that synchronized with their ghosts, Rozeline boldly let her own feelings clash with the ghost. She intends to make the ghost understand her vision, her true intentions for the six of them. For a while the ghost struggled but soon it mellowed out and synchronized with her emotions.
Her eyes glowed blue but it was a soft glow compared to the bright ones that the other five girls had.
She looks to the girls who are currently unstable and for a moment the ghosts were the ones talking to her instead of the students. She needs to let the ghosts know that they CAN have their chance at a happy ending but taking over them will NOT grant them that chance.
Rozeline: No, no, no, stop, stop! I really don’t think it’s a good idea.
Allison (Boleyn): Literally, what are you on about, mate?
Rozeline: Like… “Let’s see what has the biggest cheer, being murdered by your husband or experiencing the trauma of losing a baby.” Are we really gonna do this?
Briar (Seymour): Um, I’m pretty sure we’ve been doing that for the last hour, so.
Rozeline: But… miscarriages. Come on, surely, that’s one step too far.
Vidya (Cleves): Ooh, someone has a conscience all of a sudden.
Cerule (Howard): Ooh, “I’m Catherine Parr, I draw lines in arbitrary places.” Blah-blah!
Evonie (Aragon): She just knows she’s not gonna win.
Briar (Seymour): I’m sure she doesn’t even have a story to tell.
Rozeline: Yeah… you know what? I will tell you a story.
Rozeline signals the band to play something less lively and the lights dim. and the song starts. She starts singing about the queen’s misfortune of having to leave her true love to be with the king because the royal chose her and she can’t say no. The audience is focused on Rozeline and the ghosts’ possession slowly fades as they listen to her singing. A rush of emotions go through the ghosts and girls, the grief and heartache they’ve felt and the sorrow of not having to live the best life they dreamed of. Slowly turns into determination and courage.
Then the song starts to become lively as Rozeline begins to sing about how she is through with the king’s B.S. and this show is about the QUEENS!
At the pause of her song, Rozeline looked to the girls and asked the reason why this particular king and his six wives was the one history remembers and when she asks them if they remembered who the wives of the of the previous kings were, but for some reason they don’t know.
Rozeline states that the reason why the eight king was remembered was not because of his way of ruling but because of his SIX WIVES. At that, the ghosts felt a spark of realization as they looked to Rozeline.
Soon the ghosts started to lessen their possession and sync with the girls as they came to Rozeline and sang back up vocals, they all start to glow as the sorrowful atmosphere changed to a more upbeat tone and the queens started to dance to the tune.
The audience liked the last song and the message conveyed. Jack was emotionally touched since the story of a woman who is letting go of her past to be happy is tugging on his heart so much. When the girls start to glow at the end, Lilia and Crowley were confused as to what was happening but then they realized the entire situation just from seeing the glowing colors coming from the girls. The thought going through their heads were, “So, those ladies reached out to you this time...”.
At the end of the song, the girls looked to the audience and asked if they want to see a royal happy ever after. The crowds cheered loudly.
Cerule: Well we don’t have one...
Audience: *Laughs*
Evonie: We wish we could tell you that we had happy endings but the reality is that we don’t...
Briar: And there is nothing we can do to change that...
Vidya: Ever... OH WAIT! Since this is our show, we can have any ending we want!
Allison: We’re going to give you our slightly edited version of what really happened because...
Rozeline: We’re SIX!
[Finale - We’re Six]
The finale starts to play and the girls started to bounce to the song and the audience clapped to the song as the lights shine a bright gold on the six queens.
Queens: We’re one of a kind, no category~ Too may years, lost in history
We’re free to take our crowning glory for five more minutes...
We’re SIX~ whoa whoa we’re six
Audience:
As they sang the song, they could feel the ghosts’ joy and at the end of the song as the confetti and stage fireworks go off. The glowing stopped and their eyes turned back to normal but the audience didn’t notice apart from Lilia and Crowley.
The possession was lifted and the show was a success. The applause was nearly deafening as the crowd was yelling “Queens!” and “Love you gurl!” amongst the noise.
At the backstage, the other dorm leaders were there at the back, Elu and Jinlong were by the stage control panel and Ella was congratulating them on the successful show and Perrine was helping the others take off their costume.
As soon as the audience started to leave the building those of NRC stayed behind to congratulate their friends.
Vil and Divus were talking with Ella about how the costumes were brilliant. And Evonie was beside Ella during the whole exchange, she flinches when Divus makes eye contact with her. He offers to make her a model for his next fashion show but she ran off before he could finish. She has HEARD what happened during the Fairy Gala from Elu who was told by Ruggie and she does NOT want to step foot into that hell hole!
Divus: How about I make you model in one of my fashion shows!~
Evonie:
Allison is being chased around by Riddle cause she teased him on how red he got during some acts and her saying a dirty joke to get him to choke was worth it. The boy ain't having it as he is ready to off her head while Cater and Trey chase after them. Allison in the distance yelling, "sorry not sorry!"
Kalim was blushing red as he congratulates Vidya on her performance. Jamil on the other hand, the moment he got to talk to her he is wondering how she could copy his moves just by looking, Vidya replies with sword fighting. Just sword fighting. Not the answer that he’s expecting but okay...
Azul was fidgeting and was shocked when Cerule came out wearing her usual uniform. Azul cannot comprehend as he compared the Cerule on stage and the Cerule in front of him. The difference is mind boggling to him. Cerule asked what’s wrong and Jade and Floyd got this glint in their eyes and was about to spill it before Azul struck the back of their legs with his magic. The twins did, in fact, noticed his blushing face during the show and yes, they will use it to tease him.
Azul: Oh uh.. You’re in your uniform again!...
Twins: huehuehue~
Briar was greeted by the Diasomnia boys with Lilia pulling out a bouquet out of nowhere. Lilia and Malleus congratulate her with the show’s success and were surprised at how they were moved by her singing. Sebek is singing praises because to be able to move the young master to tears must mean that she was skilled in the art of theater. Silver just pats her shoulder but then looks at her as if he understood that she was singing out her heart too, but Briar can’t tell.
Jack and Ortho are chatting with Rozeline and for a moment she looked at Jack and he looked back at her. No words were exchanged but they both knew what the other was thinking. Rozeline hopes that Jack wouldn’t be skinned, who would take care of his poor cactus then?
All in all, those who attended the showing had a good time, at least the students who get to be exempted for that day... They’re happy until Professor Trein wants an essay based on what thy know about the history of Henry the VIII and his six wives.
Trein: Those who attended the play must write an essay on what you know about the six wives of the eighth king.
Deuce: I f*cking called it!
NRC Students: SHHHHHIIIII-
[Extra]
This moment shook Riddle the fourth time if you count the other times he got shook while watching the stage play.
Allison: Oh, I get it. Since the only thing we have in common is our husband, grouping us is an inherently comparative act and as such unnecessarily elevates a historical approach ingrained in patriarchal structures… Yeah... I read.
Riddle:
#phnx#dca#diamond crown academy#dca headcanon#headcanons#dca events#twst oc#twst#twisted wonderland oc#six queens event#six
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1st meeting (Malleus & Reader)
It's 1.32 am, and oh my fucking god, I can't sleep. I tossed and turned, switched the pillow to the other side and I still CAN'T sleep!
After lightly fluffing Grim's fur, I walk down the stairs of Ramshackle, glad to see that Deuce and Ace aren't sneaking through the fridge (oh Vil you scare me so much). With the shine of the moonlight through the huge ASS windows Ramshackle has- which, by the way, do you know how LONG it took me to find curtains for?! Crowley sensei, obviously, that absentee figure of a guardian didn't help, so I had to (1) find the fabric [which I found in Scarabia- bless Kalim and his pure soul lemme give you a kith] and (2), sew it all together by myself. God am I grateful NRC has a sewing club or I'd die everytime night comes. Look, okay, the night is terrifying and I don't want to see it when it's past midnight and I'm still studying!
AHH, anyways! What was I saying...? Oh yeah- using the moonlight, I manage to find a paper and pen to write out 'out on a walk. Brb.', stick it on the counter and walk outside, softly shutting the door behind me.
Oh, lemme tell you about my walks. Like I said previously, NRC is a bitch when it comes to homework and hohoho, I'm not magic, making it doubly hard for me to finish it (also add the fact that Grim slacks off sometimes) on time, so I don't get much sleep. And because I Don't get much sleep, I feel sort of...lazy? To sleep???
It's because, um, hmm... Because I've stayed awake for so long it sort of feels useless to sleep, if you get what I mean? Yeah, and because I do that, I tend to go on midnight- not even midnight anymore- walks.
And during one of the first walks I took, this happened.
~~~
I was talking to myself about the god damn formula we had to remember for Crewel's test, lightly muttering as I kicked the ground once in a while, the serenity of the place calming me down immensely. Then all of a sudden, somebody talked to me in this low, elegant tone, something akin to a royal, I presume.
"What is a child of man like you doing out here so late?"
"I guess I could say the same for you." I replied instantly, not really caring who it was because hey, it's late and my braincells aren't working; I should probably turn my head around and see who this man is but nah, I figured, let's not.
“But I am not a child of man.”
Hah? Then, I turned around and holy SHIT-
“ARE THOSE HORNS?! WHAT THE FUCK DUDE, HORNS?! And they curl around and shit!” I screamed, looking up. “MOTHER FUCK- HOLY CRAP YOU ARE TALL! And dang- are- are your eyes green?! Like, light green- oh my god that is so fucking pretty!”
The guy, to say the least, seems taken aback by my outburst. “...you’re...a brave human, aren’t you?”
“I mean, I guess gawking about horns is pretty brave?” I start to lose my confidence. Oh god, did I offend him? Judging by the startled look- oh my god yeah I totally did he’s going to kill me oh mY GOD
��Thank you.” He replied smoothly.
“Ah, um, sure!” I thanked back.
“...”
“... aren’t you... afraid of me?” The guy questioned, looking at me with those light green, like the color of those weird plants in the garden.
“Well I mean, you’ve got fucking HORNS-” I gesture at the pointy objects atop his head. “-and you’re a tall boi- what the fuck, are you taller then Jack? What the fuck- anyways, no, I’m not.”
“Do you not know who I am?”
“No, because we literally just met?” I say ridiculously. “Oh shit I should’ve asked for your name lmao (yes I do say lmao out loud fuck off)!”
“What is LMAO?”
“Oh, er, its text-speech, but I use it ironically until it becomes unironic- god, this- this is WHY I shouldn’t say shit ironically god damn it!” I explain, snapping my fingers.
“You know, you know, today’s been a pretty god damn weird day- actually fuck, everyday is a weird day- but like, today is SO, SO weird. Hope you don’t mind listening to me because uh, I render with no choice, um...” I blink up to him,
“...you don’t need to know my name. Call me whatever you like.”
“Hah? Well, okay, sure.” I shrug, before thinking. “Hm... well, since you got horns, can I call you horn-man- oh my god horny man- no, NOOOOO!” I pinch myself by the cheek and b r e a t h e . “Hope you like horn-man.”
Even under the moonlight, I can still see Horn-man raise his eyebrows. “Are you doing this to insult me?”
“AI- no, because you said I could call you whatever you like, so I am hahahahaah....” I explain, words tumbling out of my mouth quickly. “But you know if you find it offensive I can take it back- oh god its probably rude oh no here I go-”
“I’ll allow it.”
“HEH?! YASSS, NICE!” I cheer, cackling. “Aight, aight.”
“So, Horn-man, have you ever thought of moray-eels?” I started. He gave me a weird glance- oh, he’s slowing down so I can walk next to him- with a nice guy...!
“Do you mean the Octavinelle twins?” Those words send a shiver down my spine.
“Yeah, those guys... I am so scared of Floyd. No joke, I think the next time he sees me he’s going to break my spine. Well, he could break my spine.” I say. “Wait, where was I- oh yeah, I wanted to talk about their mere-form.”
“So, you know when they change to eels they're legs, like, disappear? Poof, right?” Horn-man nods at my question. “And they don’t use any clothes on top, right?” He nods again, a little bit closer to my head now. Yeah, well... if they’re- if they’re legs are gone, then... then-” I blink multiple times, pausing in my tracks. “Then...are they just naked...? And if they don’t have the bottom part to like, have-” I squeeze my palms together tightly. “The thingy thingy, then like... how do they make babies? A-are they born from eggs?”
“...”
“Horn-man?”
“...”
“Horn-” Horn-man let’s out a sniffle. Then, a chuckle, and now he’s laughing at me. He quickly collects himself, managing one last, shaky breath before turning to me.
“Why don’t you ask them yourself?”
“Because I’m scared bat-shit and I’m. Not. Going. Through. The. Octavinelle. Shit. No. More.” I state, clapping after every word. “Also, they might see me as a perv- oh god you probably think I’m a perv- , anyways, a perv and I don’t want that to be~ my reputation~ at this god damn ~magic~ school~” I answer, singing to the words in the end.
As we turn around the corner- oh wait what the fuck that’s pretty damn fast- and Ramshackle appears in our view, Horn-man starts glowing, pretty green light surrounding his body.
“WOAH-” He disappeared.
“WHAT THE FUCKKKKKKKKKK-”
~~~
So, yeah! That was, um... um... that was my first encounter with Horn-man! I haven’t seen him again ever since, including this walk, so maybe next time. Yeah, next time.
Extra
“You look happy, Malleus. Did something happen?”
“I found a strange child of man.”
“Oh? Do you mean the kid in Ramshackle? The magicless student?”
“Yes, that one. They seem to have a knack for using curse words. In their words, they said ‘ ARE THOSE HORNS?! WHAT THE FUCK DUDE, HORNS?! And they curl around and shit!’
“Pfft- ahhaahhahahaha!”
“I’ve never met someone as daring as they are. It’s quite interesting. Oh, and another thing they asked.”
“ha...ha... what?”
“They asked if mere-eels are always naked and how they create life.”
“...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-”
Needless to say, Lilia got a good kick out of that one.
hahahaha a malleus fic even tho I'm not a stan whattttt
lads I'm converting into one and I don't know what to feel about it ahhhhhhhh
#diasomnia#ramshackle dorm#malleus draconia#twst malleus#twst lilia#lilia vanrouge#yuu#twst yuu#its partially crack#my writing
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Twisted, Twisted, Shooting Star - TwstOBer Specials (Day 1)
Date Published: 1 October, 2:29 AM UTC / 1 October, 9:30 AM WIB
Words Count: 839
Warning(s): -
TwstOBer Prompt: Day 1 - World
There’s a small town at the coast on the edge of the Valley of Thorn border. Most people who live in the town are fishermen, merchants, and voyagers.
This small town is called Radiant Haven.
And for them, this was their starting world.
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"Alright!" A young boy with messy reddish-brown hair shouted. He was standing in front of a group of three children; two girls and a boy. "The mission today is to clean the beach!"
"Why?" asked the other boy, the one with two-colored hair. "Nobody ever goes to this side of the beach."
"Which is exactly a perfect place for our secret base!" The first boy grinned again. "We're creating our own turf!"
The other boy huffed. "This is stupid."
The girl with brown hair hummed as she tapped her cheek. "To be completely honest, I have to agree with young Jacob here," she said. "This seems to be too much work."
"But it would be fun," the other girl, the one with blond hair, step forward and stood next to the first boy. "The beach can be pretty again. And go green."
"Exactly!" the redhead cheered. He hugged the girl from behind and spun her around, earning a giggle from her. "I love you so much, Bree!"
"That's not fair!" Jacob shouted. "Bree agrees with everything you say, Jonah!"
Jonah stuck out his tongue toward Jacob. "If you keep disagreeing with me, you're just like a villain."
"You are the villain here!"
"Alright, alright." The brunette girl stood between the boys and pushed both of them away from each other by their heads. "Let's not argue of who is the hero and the villain here. Although, if anything I'm the princess here."
"Oh!" Bree picked up her skirt and gave a small curtsey toward the other girl. "Yes, Princess Magda."
Magda let out a sweet chuckled. She then turned to Jacob with a mischievous glint in her green eyes. "And as the princess, I choose to clean the beach."
"WHAT?!" Jacob shouted, glaring at Jonah who laughing at him. "No fair! You’re on my side earlier."
Magda shrugged. She walked behind Jonah and Bree, her hands on their shoulder. "They managed to convince me."
"They didn’t do anything!"
"Jacob." Jonah suddenly grabbed Jacob’s hand. "Come on. We’ll do this together. It’ll be like a treasure hunt! You’ll never know what you’ll get."
Jacob puffed out his cheeks. He looked at Magda and Bree who were smiling at him then back to Jonah. His black eyes were twinkling in excitement like the stars in the sky. How could he win against them?
Jacob let out a groan. "Ugh... Fine." At Jonah’s beaming face, Magda’s teasing smirk, and Bree’s clapping her hands, Jacob turned his head to the side. His cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "B-But I-I’m only doing this until dinner time!"
"Yay!" Jonah suddenly launched himself to Jacob, giving him a hug and a ruffling his hair. "You're the best, Jacob!"
"Stop messing with my hair!"
Jonah let Jacob pushed him away. He then dug in the pocket of his pants and took out a sheet of cloth. "And when we're done, we set out flag!" He opened the cloth, revealing a simple drawing of a shooting star. "From now on, this will be our play area. Nobody can take it away from us. We'll be creating our childhood memories here."
He grinned toward them. Pointing his finger toward the sky, he shouted. "Alright, Shooting Stars! Mission start!"
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He could see trash among the sand from where he stood. How could people be so uncaring toward their environment? The boy with dual-colored hair let out a sigh. He walked down the stair toward the beach, a big plastic back in one hand. He picked up a nearby plastic bottle next to his feet and put it in his plastic bag. So much work...
"Jacob?"
Turning his head, he saw the two familiar girls. Magda was carrying a plastic bag of her own while Bree had her trusty red wagon. He nodded at them as an acknowledgment. "Magda. Bree."
"Cleaning the beach again?" asked Magda again as the two girls walked toward him.
Jacob shrugged. "Yeah. It's not like I have anything else to do this holiday. Beside..." He looked around the beach, remembering every spot. "We have to keep our turf clean." He remembered the spot where they launched off their first hand made rocketship, where they saved the stranded sea turtle, where they had a late-night campfire and stargazing, where Jonah stood by the shore and smiled at him for the last time...
He felt someone pulled the sleeve of his jacket. Turning his head, he saw Bree smiling at him. "Jonah will be happy if we keep the beach clean."
"He would," Jacob said, a soft smile grazing his face. "But probably complain that we left him out the plan."
"That might be," Magda chuckled, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Would you like to say it?"
Jacob nodded. "Come on, Shooting Stars. Mission start."
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Well, well, well. Look at me using the #TwstOBer tag to build my characters.
Unlike Twisted-Wonderland: Our Precious Treasure - Gaiden, all of these stories are canon in my universe. So, what you are looking here are Jonah and my other OC’s actual past. We can get a glimpse of the captain’s life before his arrival at NRC and the whole amnesia.
If you want to know more about my new OCs, just click on the names on the tags. You’ll find their profile.
#TwstOBer#twisted wonderland#disney twisted wonderland#twst#twisted wonderland fanfiction#twisted wonderland fanfic#twst fanfic#twisted wonderland fic#twst fic#twisted wonderland oc#twst oc#twisted twisted shooting stars#jonah argentum (my oc)#jacob orion columbus (my oc)#magdalene killigrew (my oc)#bridgette eduarda newton (my oc)#serving blueberry#serving raspberry
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Laechesis Blog-isms - Part 2: First Night
NOTE: This is part 2 of the NRC camp series. Enjoy the Shenanigan's that ensue!!
--- the Dwarves Mine; Camp Site; Ignihyde tent ---
Laechesis: *turns on Camera* what is up Peepies! Now, it's actually pretty late, because we've been hiking all day and Vargas made us set up camp. On top of it, he took our phones and wands away. Almost took my Camera too, but when I told him I was filming, he let me keep it. Thank the great 7 for that. Anyway, here's a small clip of what we were doing earlier
Camera: *shows an small clip of students setting up tents in a circle. Vargas is directing some students in setting up tents. Taai slyly starts singing "It's a Hard Knock life* and everyone joins in, except for the older students, like Vil and Leona*
Laechesis: *Camera now shows her outside sitting next to Atropes* Yeah, that was fun. Anyway, let's go see what the students are doing around the camp fire~ *Camera fizzes until it shows almost everyone sitting around the camp fire* Hey Atropes, where are your sisters?
Atropes: Sahara is with Jamil, helping him, Taai and Ruggie make curry for the whole camp, Scylla is with Jade hunting for mushroom, and Briar is.... I dunno.
Briar: Here!! *runs up* Check out what I have! *slowly pulls a big plastic bag full of pink foam thingys* Double Jumbo Pink Elephant marshmallows!
Clotho: Those things were discontinued 2 years ago, how did you manage to get a bag of them?
Briar: Eh, I know someone who knows someone~
Atropes: Lets roast them after dinner.
Briar: Heck yeah! Also, I performed a sage ritual to keep Lilia in the Diasomnia tent so he doesn't ruin dinner. *camera zooms over to a Green tent, that is surrounded by marshmallows. Lilia peeks his head out but zips back in at the sight of the Marshmallows, but not before hissing at them. Camera turns back to the girls, Briar who is grinning and Atropes who is snickering.*
Laechesis: Nice!
Jamil: Dinner is ready!
Ruggie: Smells good! I can't wait, shishishi
Taai: COME AND GET IT BOYS!
--- Timeskip to after dinner ---
Laechesis: So, we finished dinner, and it was awesome *Camera turns to Jamil and Ruggie* Shout out to these handsome guys for making us dinner~
Jamil: Our pleasure.
Ruggie: No problem!
Laechesis: Anyway, Taai bought her guitar along and we're gonna sing some camp fire songs
Taai: You bet! Any requests?
Atropes: What about that song Laechesis sung?
Laechesis: You mean that old song from the Village of Harvest that goes like this? *sings a few bars of the song*
Taai: Yes! I can get behind that! *sits down and starts tuning her guitar*
Briar: Sounds nice, but let's change the lyrics up a bit!
Laechesis: Great idea! Better yet, let's do the whole alphabet. Here's the template *sings* I gave to you a _____ you (insert what you did with that thing and the consequence of your action).
Taai: 🎶 I'll go first! *sings* I gave to you an Ass, that really had no class, now it ran away... um... *struggles to think of a name*
Ruggie: LEONA!! *Leona opens an eye at the mention of his name*
Atropes: Yeah!!! *points at* Briar!
Briar: *sings* 🎶 I gave you a Baboon, It called you a Buffoon before it wandered off, Leona! 🎶
Laechesis: *sings* 🎶 Oh Leona let me in, I will fly, I will swim, I will die if you don't come near me! Oh no, don't you say so~ 🎶
Everyone else: You are our dear Leona!
--- Small timeskip to the letter G ---
Taai: 🎶 I gave you a Gazelle; You threw it down the Well now the meat's all wet Leona! 🎶
Clotho: 🎶 I gave to you a horse, a silly fool of course, for you let it go Leona! 🎶
--- Another small timeskip to the end ---
Ruggie: *sings* 🎶 I gave you a Zebra, Why don't you 'remembra' when you let it go Leona! 🎶
Everyone: *sings* Oh Leona let me in, I will fly, I will swim, I will Die if you don't come near me! Oh no, don't you say so! You are our dear Leona! 🎶🎶🎶 *Cheering and clapping*
Leona: SHUT THE FUCK UP, I'M TRYING TO SLEEP!!!
Vil: That was entertaining to say the least
Rook: Je suis d'accord avec toi~ Roi du Leon didn't seem to like it though.
Mallues: I loved it. Maybe Lilia and the Light Music Club can sing this in the future.
Lilia: Fufufufu. Indeed, we shall!
Briar: That was Awesome! We have to do this every year
Laechesis: Agreed!
Ruggie: Hey Briar-chan, where are those Marshmallows you said you bought?
Briar: Oh, right! *pulls out the bag* Let's Roast these!
Vargas: After your snack, we have to go to bed.
Everyone: Yes Sensei!
Laechesis: Well, I guess I'm going to call it good for tonight. I'll film first thing tomorrow. See you around my Peeps! *Camera turns off*
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Hope you guys enjoyed this parody! Sorry this one was very late. The song they were singing is called Awkward Annie. My sister and I learned it over a summer camp when we were younger and we were laughing over this. Hopefully I can crank out a part 3, so be on the lookout for that!
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