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twst-beam · 1 year

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Falling (quite literally)

This is a story of denial, debts, brooms, and love. Who would have known that accidents could bring people closer?

A jeiriu fic recounting how they fell for each other, Everiu's part 😌 Warnings: injury for Everiu's part, falling from brooms, and an overdose of fluff (headpats galore!). 3.6k+ words, i'm so sorry 🥹

The next time Everiu sees Jade, she swears to herself that she is going to kill him. Consequences be damned, that conniving eel and his infuriating smile had to go.

Unfortunately, fate had other plans. Plans that concerned a particular eel, and a particular dorm, and a wind that had no business being that strong.

One could imagine how startled Everiu was when she saw a dirt-covered Jade sitting in the flowerbed.

"Ah, Prefect. Lovely day isn't it?" Jade flashed her a smile, eyes closed, teeth hidden, acting as if there wasn't a mutilated broom on the roof and a broken window pane and sitting down in an appreciated fern garden whilst covered in soil was as normal as breathing.

She resisted the urge to draw Ector right then and there.

A deep breath, an exhale, keep your face composed, Everiu, nothing is gained from irrationality.

"Truly, although why you are sitting in a flowerbed in Ramshackle Dorm covered in soil is an enigma to me," she raises an eyebrow, taking note of and bringing attention to the broken broom on the roof, "have you, perhaps, fallen off your broom?"

Jade considered lying, a smooth monologue of 'of course not dear Prefect, the sports field is too far away for it to be an accident; no, no, I actually flew here and covered myself in dirt' passed through his head, but that was just as absurd as the former, and Everiu was intelligent enough to rebut everything he said; he opted to be gentlemanly instead.

"It seems so, fufufu. I was never someone who had a talent for flying, let alone flying long distances." He feigns regret by shaking his head. His continuation of "I sincerely apologize for the mess, Prefect, but as it seems I haven't broken anything, I'll be going now." is interrupted midway by the window pane crashing onto the ground.

Cinnamon-colored eyes meet mismatched brown-and-gold ones.

Said brown-and-gold ones widen in shock. This was not good. Incurring debts was never good. He, out of all people, knows that; especially after working with Azul for all these years. It's not like Everiu was the type to get back at people for ruining things, but with the way their dynamic was now...

"I can fix that."

Another raised eyebrow.

Jade starts to stand, towering over Everiu, walking with her, putting on his Smart Businessman Attitude and hoping he could get away with it.

"Truly, the glass isn't even cracked, I could get it done within the day; no strings attached, Prefect, I'd just like to make sure everything is taken care of."

They're standing in front of the crash site now, dirt is littered everywhere, and half a broom lies on the ground.

"Are you hurt?"

"- I beg your pardon?"

Everiu holds the broken broom in her hands, posture regal, not facing Jade but looking at him from the corner of her eye.

"I said, are you hurt. Crashes from that height must hurt, don't they?"

Jade is perplexed once again. She's.. not mad? She's prioritizing her technically-rival's wellbeing over an important part of her responsibilities? Over what Crowley might get mad at her about?

"I- no, I'm alright, thank you."

Everiu nods, satisfied.

"Good. Wouldn't want anything to stop you from fixing what you broke."

Ah, there it was.

A walk from Ramshackle to the Hall of Mirrors to the Sports Field would be tiring, they both knew that. NRC's insanely expansive land made sure of that. Jade, who took long hikes in the mountains and could do just fine walking about half an hour just to get back to class, was up for the long walk.

Everiu, who rode horses and walked regally and whose longest walks were from two ends of a castle and didn't have the insane endurance of Jade, was not.

Grim wouldn't mind if they used his magic for a bit, would he?

"Nyaaaaaa? Now why wouldja need me when you got the creepy-smile eel with ya? He can do the magic to get ya off the ground, lemme sleeeeeep."

That was to be expected, Grim was laying in a sunny spot near a still-fixed window, seemingly not even fazed by either crash.

Everiu scoops him up, careful to avoid his flames and wriggling as the said cat-raccoon-thing complained and lamented about the loss of his precious nap.

"Because, Grim, I'd like to show him a trick or two in flying. He's hopeless enough as it is, and I think it'd be good to.. educate him."

Grim looks at Everiu skeptically.

"With no broom?"

Sometimes Grim gets smart. This is one of those times.

Everiu puts him down with a barely repressed groan of annoyance, the cat once again curling up and going to sleep. Lucky.

Jade is brushing soil off his clothes when Everiu steps out of the Ramshackle door.

"Prefect."

"Jade."

"I take it your meeting with Grim didn't end well?"

Everiu subtly shakes her head, closing the door behind her.

"Not at all. I take it you are going to be going now?"

Jade pouts, feigning regret once again. Perhaps he can get a rise out of the usually-guarded Prefect if he tries hard enough; it would certainly be entertaining, and he wasn't in a hurry to get back to flying class.

"You're not gonna accompany me? How harsh. What if I was hurt?"

Everiu lets out a huff, itching to punch Jade in the shoulder and show him that no, he was not hurt in the slightest, so he had better bring his smug self away from her. Civility, Everiu, civility.

She was about to speak when she was interrupted by a scratchy voice, promising death from above.

"Jaaaaaaaade~!"

Ah, the other eel.

Jade looks at his twin calmly as Floyd drops from the sky, expertly maneuvering his broom so that he can flip upside down and still see the two of them.

"Coach Vargas is looking for youuu, he says you can't skip out on class just because you craaashed"

Jade shakes his head, excuse already forming on his lips. He'd say that he crashed in a flowerbed, and had to change clothes, and didn't have enough time to come back to flying class; no need to mention the broken broom, nor the broken window pane, nor the fact that he'd pushed a few shingles off the roof, no need at all, thankyouverymuch.

"Neee, Jade, where's your broom?"

Hmm.

Everiu holds up a broken half of the broom, bristles and all, trying to suppress a smirk; maybe, just maybe, this will teach Jade not to be so pretentious and shady.

"This broom?"

Floyd's eyes light up as Jade's eyes turn frozen with a promise of revenge. Everiu is torn between feeling smug and feeling as though she just made a mistake. She focuses on the former.

"Shrimpy! Is that Jade's broom?? He totaled it!! Jade, why didn't you tell me!"

As Floyd laughs hysterically, Jade keeps up his calm facade. Inwardly, he calculates what to do to get back at Everiu. She knows this. She's slightly regretting it.

"I thought it would be of no interest to you. Now, Floyd, you can go back to class, tell Coach Vargas that I'm going to be changing my clothes and will probably not be back in time."

Floyd pouts at the dismissal, but complies, not seeing the fun in arguing or staying in Ramshackle any longer.

"Fiiiiiiiine."

He starts to turn around and fly away, eager to fly fast and feel the wind whipping past his face. Jade calls out after him.

"And Floyd?"

"What!"

"I presume you won't tell Coach Vargas about the broom?"

Floyd's eyes flick between Jade and the broom, then to Everiu and back to Jade again.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

He flies away in a burst of magic and wind, leaving the two staring at the sky to watch as he turns into a speck in the horizon. Jade turns to Everiu.

"You didn't need to do that."

Everiu feigns ignorance.

"Do what?"

Jade's entire demeanor shifts slightly, looking more menacing now despite still being covered in dirt.

"You know perfectly well what I mean, dear Prefect."

Everiu looks at him from the corner of her eye, by all accounts looking unfazed and unimpressed.

"Were you going to tell him otherwise?"

Jade does not understand her reasoning. Of course he would! Did she think he wasn't going to just because it would get him in trouble? Did she think he was going to try and hide it like a body?

Oh.

"Of course, although if you have doubts I'll gladly refute them for you," with her expectant stare, he decides to change the topic. "I could start with the window pane."

Everiu nods, content, and starts walking away.

It is at this moment Jade realizes he does not have the tools to fix anything.

Everiu is sitting in the living room embroidering when Jade comes back from his run to Sam's shop.

"Ah, Jade, welcome back. How was the run?"

Jade smoothens his expression, slipping on a calm smile and acting gentlemanly, replying that it was pleasant to walk and feel the air and see the sights he usually didn't get to see from travelling by Mirror.

Everiu wonders how long they'll keep being passive-aggressive with each other. Probably for all time unless he starts acting properly. She tunes him out; whatever he's rambling about now is probably just nonsense, and this particular flower was tricky to stitch-

"- I've also purchased a broom to repair the shingles on the roof, and will work on it now."

Her head snaps up at this, eyes wide and eyebrows furrowed. He couldn't have possibly done that.

"I'm sorry, did you just say you purchased a broom?"

Jade stops mid-ramble, tilting his head to look at her curiously.

"Yes, Prefect, I purchased a broom to levitate me to the roof. I figured it would be easier than hanging onto a balcony or balancing on the roof itself, given the structural integrity of the dorm... is there a problem?"

Everiu can do nothing but stare as she tries to comprehend how someone can simply just buy a broom.. she decides to let it go, shaking her head as she returns to her embroidery.

"None at all, none at all."

Jade nods and turns, heading for the door; Everiu watches him go, still wondering how someone could just casually buy a broom.. weren't those things expensive?

It wasn't even 10 minutes when she heard a thud outside the window, followed by a curse and an exclamation of pain.

Everiu stands up immediately, putting down her work and grabbing Grim by the scruff, interrupting his playing with yarn and eliciting a strangled "Ffna!?"

She rushes out the door, looking around quickly and spotting Jade sitting on the broom, barely off the ground.

"Jade? Jade! Are you alright?"

Oh Sevens, he better be alright. He might be infuriating, but he was a decent fellow, and she didn't know what to do if he was hurt. Was the broom even fast enough to get to the Infirmary? Wait, is he shaking? Is he crying? Had he broken a bone? Why is he-

He's laughing.

She's worried herself into almost tearing the hinges off the fragile door of Ramshackle and he's laughing.

"Fufufufu, I didn't know you cared for me, Prefect, I appreciate the concern."

Infuriating.

"Get off the broom, Leech, clearly you didn't even get off the ground when you fell down; that, or you gripped the banister so quickly to steady yourself that it made a thud loud enough to be mistaken for you falling to the ground."

Everiu climbs atop the broom, Grim in front of her to be the magic input, and starts hovering.

"Either way, you are not getting on a broom to fix anything. For your sanity and mine."

She tosses him a screwdriver, getting a hammer for herself as well.

"We'll have to work together for this one, you can fix the window pane, I'll fix the shingles. After that you will help me restore the fern garden."

She flies up, leaving Jade staring at the screwdriver in his hand. He can do this, no problem, it's not like he can't work a screwdriver, and restoring a fern garden would be easy work.

Right?

An hour later and Jade has successfully repaired the window pane. It wasn't that hard.. not really. Truly.

Everiu, on the other hand, was still hammering away on the rooftop, and Jade politely offers to help her.

Said Prefect hollers out a "No, thank you! I wouldn't like to redo all my work should you crash again!" but Grim shows tiredness from consistently putting out magic, and Everiu lands softly on the ground, going back into the dorm to lay Grim on his bed (yes she made him a bed) (no she will not elaborate).

She walks out to a concerned Jade, and lets out a resigned sigh.

"Alright then, Jade, you will have to fly me up. The broom can carry both of us, I think, and there's only a few shingles I'll need to repair. This will only be a few minutes."

Jade sits in front, Everiu at the back, and they ascend.

The ordeal takes 15 minutes. 15 agonizing minutes off the ground for Jade, and 15 terrifying minutes for Everiu, who wondered if they would crash as she hammered shingles onto the roof.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Finally, the last shingle was hammered into place. Everiu straightened up on the broom as she tapped Jade's shoulder, signalling him to go down.

They descended quickly, and Everiu feared that she would be crushed to a pulp when they hit the ground, but they landed abruptly, inertia pushing her face against Jade's back, but she was alive.

A few seconds of silence...

"You are a terrible flier, Jade."

Jade stiffens, retort on his tongue, something about being better than Azul, but Everiu continues.

"Why don't I teach you how to properly fly a broom."

...what.

No, no, never look a gift horse in the mouth, or in this case, a Prefect in the eye. He sincerely doubted how Everiu could teach him what Coach Vargas couldn't, but this was an opportunity, and it could be fun.

"I appreciate your offer, Prefect, thank you."

Everiu nods, getting off the broom and walking to its front end.

"I'll be sitting in front, if you don't mind. You can sit in the back so we can work on your fear of heights."

How did she know?

"You seemed terrified earlier up there, you were all stiff and trying to make yourself look small. Your breathing was also shallow and your heartbeat was fast. You could have told me, you know."

Jade shakes his head at Everiu's sympathetic tone, trying to maintain some semblance of dignity.

"Simply a matter of being off the ground, Prefect, I haven't ever flown that high."

Everiu takes note of his wording; neither confirming nor denying her statement, very sly. She dips her head in acknowledgement, and gets on the broom.

"Close your eyes, Jade, let the magic flow."

An hour and a half later, Jade is.. well, it can't be considered zooming, per se, but he's flying properly now, on the front of the broom instead of behind, a few feet off the ground and making steady progress across. This was very good for his confidence.

A bit too good, actually.

And the wind was not helping.

"Jade, Jade slow down. Jade!"

The eel, unperturbed, kept flying in circles, the expression of serious concentration he wore on his face turning into one of smug teasing.

"Fufufu, Prefect, are you afraid?"

Said Prefect grits her teeth, wanting to push him off the broom and get this over with. Why she even offered to help him she didn't know.

"No, Jade, but I am concerned that we're flying too high and the wind is picking up. It would do both of us good if you would slow down."

Jade sighs and shakes his head, complying, the perfect picture of downtrodden and neglected of his chance to be a broom-master as they descended.

Fate really picks its favorites, and toys with them as it sees fit; usually with events that most probably wouldn't have happened if it didn't intervene. Would it really be true if it was toyed with? Does luck strike only on the chosen? And what of sudden events? Is the butterfly that flaps its wings to blame for a storm that approaches the horizon?

The wind picked up from a breeze to a bluster, and the descent, shaky as it was, rushed headlong and forward, startling both broom passengers and turning the lesson into a survival challenge.

Everiu gripped the broom like her life depended on it (which, in this case, it kind of did), and braced for impact as they hurtled through the air and onto the ground, straight into the bushes that lined Ramshackle's front porch.

Everiu thinks, not for the first time, that she should strangle that eel, and world goes dark.

Warm... Soft pillow... A few more minutes...

Ow.

She bolts up in her bed, eyes wide, breathing heavy.

Room. Sunlight. Afternoon. Grim on the foot of the bed. Blankets.

Everiu sighs in relief, so it had been a dream, thank the Sevens... But that did not explain the flash of pain she felt earlier, what was that? Had she left a needle lying around? No, she never embroiders on the bed..

Oh.

She looks at the sling her left arm is in, trying to make sense of what happened, why her arm is even in a sling, how she got here..

So it wasn't a dream.

Everiu groans, a rare sight for one so composed, and sits back against the headboard. She sighs.

at least it's not the right arm....

Her lower back hurts too.. not with the stabbing pain of a broken arm but a throbbing that she probably got from falling hard onto the soil.. But if she fell.. and her arm was in a sling.. who brought her to her bed??

"Prefect, you're awake."

Speak of the devil.

Jade glided in with a trolley; a teapot, teacups, sugar, and a mystery dessert atop the wheeled table. Everiu had no idea where he got any of it.

"How long was I unconscious?"

"14 hours."

What.

"Surely you jest... Jade, I can't possibly have been asleep for 14 hours.."

He pours her a cup of tea, what kind, she doesn't know, but it's soothing as she drinks it in, and Jade looks at her with what seems like concern.

"I apologize."

Both eyebrows go up as the cup stills on her lips. Jade.. apologizing. Perish the thought, it seems too unbelievable.. but he's here, sitting on a chair beside her bed, seemingly concerned and worried about her, and apologizing. This could be a trap. The teacup is laid on the trolley, empty save for a few tea leaves, and Everiu side-eyes him skeptically.

"Do you now?"

Jade nods, eyes closed, and deftly organizes the tea tray.

"I do. My hubris brought both of us into trouble, just like you said, and while I thankfully don't have any injuries, you do, and I feel that it is my responsibility to take care of you until that sling is off."

He stands, pushing the trolley away after laying the plate of desserts on the nightstand. Everiu's barely had any time to process his apology when he reminded her, already out of range, that it was Saturday.

Saturday.

The day of the derby.

The derby she was supposed to participate in that she would not be able to participate in anymore because of her injury.

She was going to kill that eel.

Riddle was going to have her head.

Okay so maybe two and a half weeks with Jade doting on her like a personal butler was satisfying enough for her to forgive him.

Maybe.

The outrage that sparked with Ace and Deuce could have brought Grim's fires to shame, but it was alright, if not uncomfortable at the times the sling decided to remind her it was there. She was still able to go to classes, study properly, write, the whole package bar embroidery and horseriding, and her delight when it was time for the sling to come off was brighter than the setting sun.

She sits on the couch, testing her arm, careful not to exert it too much, and grins.

"I suppose my debt is now repaid?"

Everiu looks at Jade quizzically, not understanding what 'debt' he meant, until she remembered why there was even a broken roof, window, and arm.

"Maybe. I'm not letting go of my grudges that easily."

Jade beams, smiling genuinely, making Everiu feel something strange, leaning closer to inspect her arm before giving her head a pat, looking into her eyes and smiling softly.

Alright, that's it. He's got to go.

"Oya, isn't your arm still healing? You have to take care of it or it could break again, you know, and I wouldn't want you to be hurt once more."

Everiu, too busy fighting her own internal battle to quip back, keeps pushing him out the building, down the stairs and out the door.

"Thank you very much for the help, Jade, you've been truly kind, but I'm all better and I've got more things to do so you can take your leave now, goodbye!"

Shut.

She breathes in, heart racing, walking hurriedly up the steps to her room before closing the door with a snap, startling Grim and making him mutter something about how sly eels keep making perfectly fine henchhumans malfunction.

She sinks down to the floor, back leaning against the door, slapping her face in rapid succession.

"Breathe in, Everiu, breathe in.. you cannot, faaaaall...."

She screams into a pillow.

#my stuff #calira's writings #jeiriu #octavinelle #ramshackle #jade leech #floyd leech #twst oc #twst mc #yuu #everiu watlyl #grim #twst x oc #HELP THESE TWO IDIOTS THEY SPEAK LIKE FORMAL EMAILS 😭😭😭#tensions are HIGH but they're both overly-civilized people so it keeps going in a circle #passive-aggressive dynamics ftw #got WAY too long i'm chopping this up #EVERIU'S FALLEN EVERYBODY CONGRATULATE HER!#or send her your condolences whichever you see fit

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twst-beam · 10 months

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jeveriu masquerade ball au 🎭 if you can :>

krissy. darling. dearest. thank you. took alot of thought about if the setting should be in nrc or an all royal au and caved in to the latter :'D tell me if you want an nrc version I'll work on it too :DD

Stolen Glances, Growing Romances

🤷‍♀️ words, tooth-rotting fluff, hopeless romantics beware, they're all part of the royal something here, the tweels are dukes, caroline characterization yay! oh and leona's here too ig

Standing in front of a mirror, observing her reflection as she stood in one of the foreign castle's rooms, Everiu wondered how she ever agreed to something that was so familiar yet so strange to her.

For one, she's always been the one dressing someone else up, the princess had many, many parties and balls and diplomacy missions to attend, and she had to wear all kinds of different regalia to each, hence the preparations.

But this year was different.

With the celebration of the 500th year the kingdoms have been established and at peace, with no major wars, all seven kingdoms had decided to throw a grand party, and Caroline had insisted, insisted, that Everiu dress up too.

Despite her reluctance, the handmaiden had finally agreed to her princess's demands, and now stood in the ballroom in a full gown, her favorite shade of blue, not rivalling Caroline's but not too plain as well, and capable of hiding a sword within.

As if she'd go anywhere without Ector.

To the prompt of the kingdoms' kings and queens, this ball was a masquerade, doubling the grandeur but doubling the danger as well. Anybody could hide behind a mask, anybody could get close.

Everiu knew this, and kept her guard up, keeping an eye on the princess as her parents kept an eye on Emeronia's king and queen.

She was snapped out of her thoughts by a rapid slapping of her arm, courtesy of the princess, who had set her eyes on something at the far end of the gigantic room.

"Veriu, veriu, look look look, do you see the Crown Prince of Briar Valley?"

A side-eye, a skeptical eyebrow, a turn of the head as she criticized what she perceived as her best friend's new eye candy.

"Him, Your Majesty? I see how he could be found attractive, although.. really? and what with the rules concerning marriage between heirs,-"

Caroline rolled her eyes, amused at Everiu's stoic concern, laughing lightly.

"I know, veriu, i know, and it's not the Crown Prince I'm talking about, it's who he's beside, right side, our point of view."

Another glance at the menacing prince and his surroundings brought to her eye his bodyguards, although they were all to the left, and to the right was a young man, dressed in clothes from the Sunset Savanna, looking bored as he beat another aristocrat in a game of chess.

"Your Majesty, I mean you no offense, but somehow that is worse."

Spluttering slightly, amused but aghast at the quick shutdown of her guard about what she deemed unworthy, Caroline started to feel the need to make some harmless mischief.

"Now, now, Everiu, you needn't be so concerned all the time; why don't you relax.... there, and I'll go to Leona and prove you wrong about him."

To Everiu's horror and hushed exclamation of "You know his name?!" Caroline added "Princess's orders.", and she was forced to obey.

What does one do, exactly, when one is ordered to stay still, unable to do their duties, as their best friend socialized and one is left with nothing to do?

Well, it turns out what to do is the one who approaches you.

As she sat, people watching, eyes on the princess and forever alert, she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around, startled, nearly drawing her sword as the figure behind her looked as startled as she was, albeit calmer, if that was even possible.

The mysterious stranger, tall and poised well, earned Everiu's respect with his demeanor and manners as he apologized for the scare, but that respect stood on shaky ground the moment his soothing voice asked if she was the Emeronian princess.

Never mind when she ever thought his voice was soothing in the minute she'd known him; this man was looking for the princess, and she was going to find out why.

Fixing her posture, acting more regal, Everiu side-eyed the stranger, quirking an eyebrow and purposefully acting so that she seemed like the princess without actually saying she was.

"Who is asking?"

Once again the stranger's mismatched eyes subtly widened before returning to their cool state, introducing himself as Jade Leech, one of the dukes of the Leech Estate, and saying that he noticed her fine Ladyness all alone and would perhaps want a dance.

A ploy then, a trick to get something; one does not simply ask royalty to a dance, never mind if he was a high-ranking duke.

Something was up, and Everiu was going to find out what.

"Most certainly, good sir. Shall we?"

She takes his hand, gesturing to the dance floor where couples were beginning to step into place, and the mysterious gentleman, Jade, smoothly followed.

Internally, though, Duke Jade was perfectly perplexed, one could even say befuddled, at how the turn of events was going.

His initial plan was to make small talk, distract the princess as Azul conversed and got information about various trade routes and deals, perhaps even learn about the neighboring kingdom's flora, if the princess knew about it.

Surely a princess of her stature would decline a dance from a mere duke like him, no matter how... influential his family may be.

He didn't expect to be dragged to the dance floor, and most certainly not be dancing with the Emeronian princess.

She knew the steps well, he observed, her feet stepping into place with practiced precision as they danced across the room. Perhaps she has a tutor, he thought, although he reminded himself that he mustn't jump to conclusions.

One, two, one, two, they spun across the grand ballroom as the music changed tempos and tunes, and yet Everiu had still not gotten an ounce of information out of this mysterious man.

On the other side of the room though, Caroline was having the time of her life.

Granted, she knew she shouldn't provoke a prince of a neighboring kingdom too much, but it was a delight to see him all frustrated as she won for the fourteenth time.

"Check. Mate. That makes it fourteen, Leona, one more and you'll have to dance with me!"

The second prince groaned as he rolled his eyes, running a hand through his hair as his eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. How was she winning so much? It certainly wasn't because he was letting her, he'd stopped doing that after her fifth win.

Caroline sat back on the velvet armchair, giant skirt not hindering her one bit as she aired her thoughts to no one in particular.

"I do wonder how Everiu's putting up.. she must feel so terribly bored right now, I shouldn-"

She definitely did not expect to be cut off by herself as she noticed said guard waltzing, waltzing with.. someone.

"Leona, do tell me, who is that person dancing with the lady in the blue gown."

The prince glanced at the direction she was nodding to, expression cool as he replied, most courteously,

"There are a lot of blue gowns here, princess, you're gonna have to be more specific."

Caroline let out a huff, describing how Everiu's hair was braided up, into an elegant bun more intricate than her riding one, with a mask decorated with water lily petals.

She pointed and followed for extra clarity, and Leona hummed in recognition, then groaned in annoyance as he recognized her dance partner.

"Jade Leech, one half of the heirs to the Leech Estate, twin to Floyd Leech, the other half, and in partnership with the biggest pain, that octopunk, Azul Ashengrotto."

He jutted his thumb over to where the so-called octopunk was standing, conversing with well-dressed merchants, readying papers and writing things down with admirable speed and efficiency.

To Caroline's surprise, the pair they had been talking about previously was gone from the dance floor; ran away to somewhere else, probably, and Caroline was half worried and half delighted about her best friend.

"Checkmate. You're distracted, princess."

A look at the board proved that yes, Leona had indeed beat Caroline for once, smirking, bringing him one step closer to.. whatever he wanted, and her one step back from a waltz.

Meanwhile, in the secluded but well lit halls of the foreign castle, Jade and Everiu were having an amiable conversation; Jade somehow brought to talking about mushrooms and Everiu listening with interested attention.

The duke, it seemed, was a giant dork. Intelligent handsome and passionate, but a dork. Not that she would ever admit thinking it to anyone but Caroline, that would only get in the way of her duties.

After judging her suspicions and putting up the right strategy, Everiu had allowed herself to relax the tiniest amount, and found that this duke was rather interesting, when he wasn't scheming or acting shady.

Who knows, maybe she could even loosen him up so much that he'd reveal his secrets.

Unfortunately, that had also been Jade's plan, and the two ended up talking well until the clock struck 12, in which Everiu excused herself, almost forgetting she was supposed to act like the princess until she saw the splash of gold and made haste.

Elegantly, if she did say so herself. Shooting him a quick smile.

Unbeknownst to the dear handmaiden, her departure, dance, conversation, and most especially that smile, stirred something within the twin duke, and he followed her retreating figure with fond eyes.

The next day, Jade had asked Azul for permission to see the princess. Not that he needed it, but what if the businessman needed him? It wouldn't do good to seem unreliable.

Said businessman's glasses glinted after Jade recounted the night's events, and he allowed him under one condition:

He would go too.

It was an opportunity of a lifetime, after all; one did not simply walk up to the princess, much less converse with her, and the three of them made their way to the wing the Emeronians resided in.

Three, because Floyd decided to tag along too.

Jade was.. excited; impractically so, but his heart had been shocked the night before, and he wished to feel it again.

Taking a deep breath, pushed by his twin brother and nodded at by Azul, Jade knocked on the door they were told the princess resided behind.

"Who is it?"

Hmm. Her voice sounded.. different, higher; but that was probably because of the door, right?

"It's Jade Leech, Your Majesty, we spoke last night? You.. danced with me?"

A dusting of pink fell upon his features as he spoke, feeling a surge of emotion as he remembered her; please open the door, I want to see you, without the mask, please.

A clattering sound, hushed whispers, the creak of the door, she's here.

She's not.

A brunette lady greeted him at the door, emerald eyes inquiring and kind.

Not the black hair he had gazed at as she walked away, not the brown eyes who had looked at him so intensely.

"You were looking for me?"

I'm not. Not you.

"The princess, yes, I'm looking for her."

"I am the princess.. Caroline, of Emeronia, unless there's anothere princess elsewhere..?"

Jade shut his mouth, thoughts reeling, politely apologizing and excusing himself, not seeing the hamdmaiden sharpening her sword on the mattress.

If this woman was the Emeronian princess.. who was it that he danced with last night? Who had captivated him so thoroughly?

And how was he going to find her?

#calira answers #calira's writings #octavinelle #ramshackle #jade leech #everiu watlyl #caroline junroes #jeiriu #oc x canon #twst x oc #going 😌😌😌👍 with every line ehehehehe #jade leech x oc #leona kingscholar x oc #aha ahaha AHAHAHAHAHAHA #this turned into a royalty mystery at the end sorry :'D #VERY self-indulgent though XD ^v^

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