#Most Exemplary Manner {Headcanons}

[italoniponic]

may i request... riddle, jade and idia with an overachiever hardworking s/o who just does not know when to slow down ever. like genuine workaholic who cares too much about success type. would prefer male s/o but gender neutral is ok :] i love your writing sm btw!!

𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲'𝐬 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 - 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭

| Notes: Hi, anon!

I can understand that, it’s okay! I tried to be as neutral as possible, even with the slight mentions of the King & Queen of Hearts and Hades & Persephone. I didn’t quote them by name but I wanted to bring up couple dynamics that the reader and the boys could allude to, but in a very general couple manner. It’s more about the vibes than the people per se

It was really interesting to write this, especially since I can relate a little to the reader’s situation but also with the boys opinions. Hope is good enough!~

Thanks for the request <3 |

Riddle Rosehearts, Jade Leech, Idia Shroud x g!n overachiever hardworking reader / headcanons / fluff tied with a bit of angst / very implicit minor ch6 spoiler / use of “you” pronouns

Cherry’s Harvesting event 🍒 Masterlist

Work is Hard, Love is Easy

Born in the cradle of a couple of renowned doctors, Riddle knows what it's like to live almost his entire life alongside people who worked hard for what they loved and longed for success. His parents were ambitious but, over time, their goals were moving away from each other and what was a teamwork, became a garden of thorns and a falling house of cards;

Riddle could compare you to any of them at times. You were completely focused on what you wanted, not measuring efforts to achieve your goals. And he found that admirable and honorable, no doubt. He was like that too and because of that, you practically got together. But when his childhood memories come to torment him from time to time, Riddle stares at you with some concern;

Not only for him — after all, one of the sources of his perpetual state of stress is keeping everything perfect and in order — but for yourself too. Riddle can’t help but feel afraid of having an overblot again for wanting to demand more from himself and others. Because he wants to keep his status as an exemplary student with the best grades completely intact but that comes at a cost;

Riddle knows how you can't just relax most of the time, always worrying about your projects and whether you'll be able to complete everything you're planning. In the space of time when he frees up a time in his own schedule for you to have tea together, you are clearly restless;

The two of you started to become more friends and get closer as lovers like that, sharing your concerns, your dreams and support. Riddle is in the process of starting to decide things more for himself and maybe be a lawyer in the future rather than a doctor. This is a difficult decision and you’re 100% by his side for whatever comes and goes;

And Riddle does the same for you, supporting you in your projects and goals — especially those that are your dreams. If you need any help, don’t hesitate to call him. You are both very busy people but, the foundation of a healthy relationship is communication and mutual support even in the most difficult hours;

Riddle worries a lot about your lack of rest, being forced to acknowledge that he even exceeds his own limits at times. And while overcoming life’s obstacles is good, it's a process that should be done over the course of someone’s life and not in a few hours. You put very excessive expectations on yourself most of the time and get frustrated when you don't meet them;

In this, Riddle reaches out, comforting and advising you the way he always wanted someone to do to him. You argue a little in these moments but, realizing your own fatigue, you can only give reason to him and force yourself to rest. With the exception that Riddle tells you not to make it an obligation. Resting and taking the right time to do things is not a forceful nonsense, in fact;

Riddle sometimes brews some tea at Ramshackle and serves you with some foods he's learning to make himself. He shows you his own mistakes so that you realize that, like him, it is perfectly normal to fail, take time to recover and strive for victory. Riddle always makes your moments of rest comfortable and invigorating;

Wherever you go, you are recognized as a kind of “power couple.” You may even focus on different things, but your mutual support is quite inspiring and admirable. Riddle has you to his right as an equal. He hopes that by learning from his parents’ mistakes, he can have you by his side wherever you go together;

“We are the majesty of our own ways... but I wish we still found ourselves in this maze, somehow,” Riddle confessed, passing some butter on his toast. You looked up from what you were reading and shook his hand, smiling. That reading was important but, you were feeling exhausted and his voice was exactly what you needed to put that aside and focus on something a little better in the moment.

Having big ambitions and goals for the future isn’t necessarily a bad thing. And Jade is completely in favor of this. Even though he says several times that both he and Floyd don't exactly consider themselves Azul’s “best friends” — in the sense that their alliance is merely a matter of business — Jade has a certain admiration for ambitious people;

No wonder he was very interested in your manners from the very beginning. You have always worked hard for your interests, worrying about meeting the necessary expectations and achieving that success you want so much. Jade and you used to talk a lot about your own interests and what you two want to do to achieve those goals;

You have a lot of passion in your veins and you end up demonstrating it even in the moments when you would like to appear subtle. After all, you didn't want to scare Jade with the energy you put into your dreams. But Jade assures you that he is far from intimidated by your enthusiasm and pursuit of success;

On the contrary, Jade cannot help but admire and be inspired by this side of yours. As Jade falls in love with you, he ends up creating a more concrete foundation for his newfound concept of loyalty. Over time, he will better understand his feelings for you;

More than making you compete with Azul to be his “new boss” — though that would be pretty entertaining — Jade understands what he really wants from you: a partner. Even if you have more concrete and higher goals than him, Jade just wants to stay by your side and support you in whatever way he can, in the same way that you support him in his most eccentric hobbies;

But don't think that just because Jade is so positive about your ambitious, hardworking, and purposeful way of being, that he won't tell you to rest when he realizes you're running out of energy to get things done and trying too hard. No use disguising, he can read you like an open book;

Jade usually buys you some small snacks for break times or class changes to make sure you're eating well. If you're struggling on a crucial — or even small — issue of your projects, don't be afraid to ask for his opinion and help. After all, Jade is very versatile in his knowledge and very smart;

Surely Jade will explain to you as many times as it takes the benefits of taking a “little pomodoro” among your special activities. Effort is an important part of any project, but pushing your limits too far is a completely different thing — and one that ends up doing more harm than good;

Sometimes, in those moments when he approaches you to talk about these things, the pleasant sound of his velvet voice practically leads you to a little well-deserved nap. Jade doesn't let you oversleep, of course, but he's happy to watch your sleep so you can regain your energy. You have such a cute and vulnerable face while sleeping;

You both have a good and healthy couple dynamic where you strive for success and are very objective while Jade is by your side, as support and helping you behind the scenes with whatever you need. You are very grateful for his help and make a point of always acknowledging this consideration and love of his for everything, both in front of him and for other people;

“How about a break to rest now, dear?,” Jade said softly in your ear, placing a hot drink specially made by him on your table. You stopped what you were doing, taking a big breath. Exhaustion hit on your shoulders. But you smiled when Jade gave you a little kiss on the cheek and began to massage your tired shoulders and back.

Idia’s family was connected to a large conglomerate, yet their work wasn’t connected to anything that should be public — for the safety of their services and also the world. The Shroud were like obscure gods, living in isolation and inflicted by a curse, but sometimes acting like the supposed deities they were to be;

Idia sometimes felt like a stain on his family. The only one who, despite having great mechanical capabilities and a genius intellect, had no great desire to surpass himself beyond what was necessary in all areas or great ambitions for a glorious future even in the shadows. Idia only did what he wanted and reserved these energies for his cultural entertainment and his little brother Ortho;

Eventually, Idia came to have you as another important person in his life, something that caught his attention and captivated him. But one of the things Idia never understood about you was your hard-working way of dealing with your projects. You were like an addicted gamer who devoted forty-eight hours without a break to your favorite game — that is, your goals for success;

From a certain point of view, that was pretty impressive. Idia had no doubt that you would be seen as someone of potential by anyone in the Shroud family and the Jupiter conglomerate. They were full of ambitious people and strong desires in that place. You would fit perfectly on their “Mount Olympus” just like flowers that rise at the source of a river;

But Idia kept worrying about your well-being due to your workaholic status and thinking about how fundamentally different you were — even if you shared the same tastes. Idia didn’t feel any motivation to seek something more, to go beyond the distance and impose his presence before the world. That would just be a pathetic dream mixed with delusions of grandeur and god complex;

Because the environment in Ignihyde is quite clean, relatively quiet and full of technology, you usually spend a lot of time with Idia and work with your stuff there. Sometimes he asks if you don't want to take a break and watch something with him, maybe even play something — which you usually politely deny, one hundred percent concentrated on your things;

Idia is by your side most of the time, swapping his time between his cell phone, his portable tablet and some improvement schemes on his computer or Ortho’s equipment. He catches your eye a few times and neither you nor he notices that the only few times when you stop is to watch him do something;

The two of you occasionally talk about the future and the dreams you have, a topic Idia avoids more than noobs — especially those who play “fOr FuN” — who parachute in the middle of a quest. Idia can't respond at all when you praise his skills and encourage him to try something more. In a way, he knows it's true. He just don't know what to do with that;

One good thing about talking to Idia was that you understand his feelings better and end up remembering that you are both mere humans at the end of the day. There are things that you cannot abuse and there will be things that may not be achieved for whatever reason. But you can't help but try and at the same time know when to stop and breathe a little;

Somewhat by difference of temperament and style, the two of you as a couple are akin to two deities of quite distinct natures bound together by fate. For Idia, you’re like spring and summer. Seasons full of life and energy, making him yearn for something more. And for you, Idia is the quiet and cold junction of autumn and winter, where you feel safe in resting;

“Hey... uh, don't you want to take a break? I was at level seventy when you said you were going to rest...,” Idia commented, shyly showing his phone to you. There wasn't even anything to say when you saw that he was at level ninety-two — and the levels weren’t that easy to the point where he was just going through everything without worry. You stood up from Idia’s computer, leaving the tabs aside, to lay down next to him, wrapped in comfortable silence. You smiled. Yeah, maybe you just needed that sometimes.

#twisted wonderland #riddle rosehearts #riddle rosehearts x reader #jade leech #jade leech x reader #idia shroud #idia shroud x reader #twst x reader #twst imagines #twst headcanons #twst fluff #cherry's writing #cherry's harvesting

[connerluthorkent]

My pet headcanon for a lot of the Gotham tv series versions of the rogues is that they “reform” in one way or another in the long term (semi-respectable businessman Oswald Cobblepot, private eye Ed Nygma, etc.). And here’s one that I think is somewhat fun:

Well into Batman’s career, the Joker, escape from Arkham again, unleashes a coordinated, devastating attack on Gotham, one well-planned enough that the dominoes have begun to topple before Batman has a chance to stop him. Not anything nearly as personal as the comics canon attacks on Jason Todd and Barbara Gordon, and not quite No Man’s Land levels of destruction, but something to rival it. A city-rocking performance worthy of the Joker’s first. 

The Bat and the Joker come to blows, a fight nastier than any that have come before, but the outcome of their epic showdown is lost as the city scrambles amongst the wreckage and chaos.

In the carnage that follows, the Joker disappears, and in the aftermath of the clean-up, the Batman isn’t far behind him. Bruce Wayne takes an extended business trip to the Wayne Enterprises branch overseas not long after that. 

Word on the street--the rumors that spread in night clubs and whispered exchanges in back alleys amongst Gotham’s criminal element--is that the Batman finally gave up the goose and killed the Joker, and either died in the confrontation himself or hung up the cape after having broken his one golden rule. 

Time passes. Gotham recovers, jagged edges patched and healing, in one way or another, as it always does. There’s still crime, because there always will be, and there’s still vigilantes to stop it, because Batman left a legacy behind that even his own disappearance can’t crumble.

Once a little over a year has gone by, however, Bruce Wayne finally comes home to Gotham, the city’s prodigal son returned for a second time. It’s a few more months still before the Bat reemerges, but he does, and rumors of his own inhuman abilities, the capacity to come from back from the dead like so many before him, circulate again.

The Joker doesn’t come back.

Not long after Bruce Wayne’s return to his home company, though, Wayne Enterprises does hire a new architect: Jack Napier. 

The designs from Napier that pass across the desks of Wayne Enterprises execs are brilliant, meticulous to a fault, and his work is always produced in a timely manner. But the new architect is also eccentric, a recluse whose only contact inside the company is Bruce Wayne. He corresponds, in person or otherwise, with no one else, and there’s no sense of where he lives, his background, what the man even looks like. The board is surprised Mr. Wayne puts up with such idiosyncrasies from a no-name designer who seems to have sprung up out of the ground without a reference to his name, but assume Mr. Wayne must simply tolerate this eccentric because of the exemplary work he produces.

After all, with Wayne Enterprise’s funding, most of his designs have gone directly towards repairing the destruction the Joker left in his wake. 

#gotham #batman #joker #batjokes #bruce wayne #jeremiah valeska #wayleska #my stuff #my things #headcanons #writing

[vgbellylover]

So, I've been playing Octopath Traveler 2 lately and I chose Hikari as my protagonist. I've developed a few hc while thinking about him and Agnea the dancer bc I think they'd make a cute couple. Anyway, there's not really anything official supporting my Kink crush on this kid, it's all headcanon surrounding him and the other travelers.

Godlike / Monstrous / Superhuman / Above Average / Average / Miniscule || Ravenous / Greedy / Sloppy / Relaxed / Casual / Proper / Perfect Manners || Thunderstorm / Lion's Roar / Engine / Blender / Kitten Mew / Electric Buzz || No Thanks / Who?

So, the first think about Hikari is he's a prince, but he spends a lot of time among the common folk. He's a peace lover but will do what's necessary to achieve his goals. He's also cursed, which makes him an exemplary fighter, but he struggles to suppress his darker side.

Bringing me to my first point about him. Between growing up on the battlefield and his curse, I imagine he's a surprisingly big eater, although not many people realize that, since his manners usually prevent him from eating as much as he can.

Given his upbringing and preference for spending time with friends outside the palace, I don't think his manners are perfect, but he definitely minds them, hence why I think he swings between Casual and Proper. He could probably be coaxed into Relaxed, but only by people he's comfortable with, like the other travelers.

I'd say his guts are also fairly audible, like, they're certainly not the loudest, but will make their appreciation, or displeasure, well known. I like to think that the first Partitio hears his stomach growl, the merchant is immediately worried he's not eating as much as he needs and manages to convince Hikari to eat more, claiming he "needs to keep up his strength," and he "can't do that on an empty belly." Ochette probably helps, considering her ability to prepare monsters as consumables, with making sure he has plenty to eat.

On that note, I imagine he's has a fairly strong stomach and can handle her creations for the most part (having grown up on the battlefield, I imagine he's has some... questionable meals), but occasionally they give him serious indigestion, prompting Castti to make something to help settle his stomach. Agnea would probably be the one to offer belly rubs and convinces him not to hold back when he needs to belch. Throne may offer as well, but I don't think it's as likely. And Temenos would probably lecture him on the importance of moderation and he would respond with "Tell that to Partitio and Ochette."

Not sure what Osvald would do, but I'm not really a fan of him so...

[moretreasurewithinarchive]

@fourcornersarizona sent: 📂--for Beth 📂--for Daisy 📂--For Christine

Send “📂“ for a random yet completely useless headcanon I have

In modern verses, in addition to her cats and Pip, Beth also has a decent sized aquarium of tropical fish in her room. Watching them swim calms her down when she's anxious and gives her something to do while she's sick in bed.

Daisy knits baby blankets and clothes for all of her own kids, as well as for the kids of her brother and sister, cousins, and friends.

When they flee Paris after the events in the cellars of the Opera House, Christine gives her pet songbirds to her maid, Mariette.

#Outofjourneys {Ooc} #Pilgrim's Progress {Headcanons} #Most Exemplary Manner {Headcanons} #I Don't Know Myself When I Sing {Headcanons} #Her Little World {Likes} #Affectionate Ways {Likes} #Danced By Moonlight {Likes} #fourcornersarizona

[walpurga-nacht-academy]

Magical School Joint Cultural Festival Headcanons

Despite being one of the most prestigious magic schools in Twisted Wonderland, Walpurga Nacht’s participation in this event has only been established 35 years ago due to the intervention of Headmistress Lyra Merrion who was said to enjoy this sort of “spirited interaction between young people.” She made it a point to insist that her school attend every year, even if just in a perfunctory fashion. This tradition was upheld by her successor, Headmistress Ursa Astoria as well.

However, even though Walpurga Nacht is present at the Joint Cultural Festival every year they have no booths and don’t participate in any of the student competitions, occupying the position of prestigious guests more than anything. The reason behind this is that the traditional school cultural event for Walpurga Nacht takes place between April 30 and May 1 and is exclusive to invited guests only. Thus, the witches prefer to be mere observers during these events since it suits their secretive nature better. 

The most popular attraction for them is of course the Voice & Dance Competition, to which they make sure to acquire their tickets well in advance. They enjoy this particular part of the festival the most since there is no equivalent of it during Samhain Night, and the novelty endeared them to it. Now, the sight of Walpurga Nacht girls in their white uniforms sitting in the audience has been quite familiar to students from other schools. 

Individual HCs

Staff

As every year, Headmistress Ursa Astoria had led the procession of witches and teachers on the grounds of Night Raven College, where they were informed that they should behave in a most exemplary manner as to not besmirch the reputation of the school. On her shoulder, Stryx puffed up his chest in order to ensure that Ursa’s appearance was as intimidating and stern as possible, though it merely caused the girls to be amused by his attempts. Once the students were dismissed and each Prefect was leading her group through the campus grounds, along with one of the few teachers accompanying them in some cases, Ursa began to make her rounds as well. What interested her most were the presentations that would be delivered by the fourth years. It was always important to see just where the current research methodology in magic was headed towards. She felt Stryx bristle beside her when a hand was placed on her shoulder and turned around only to see the Headmaster of Royal Sword Academy smiling at her. Returning it with one of her own, she also offered her hand which he took graciously, and lightly brushed his lips atop her knuckles as he bowed.  

Ursa: Ambrose. It’s good to see you again. Even though you gave Professor Stryx here quite a fright it seems.

Ambrose: Oh? Is that so? My apologies. I certainly didn’t mean to do that.

Ursa: Then perhaps you should not be looking so amused as you say such things, shouldn’t you?

Ambrose: Ohohohohoho, indeed.

Stryx’s feathers stood on edge as the Headmaster of RSA continued to laugh. Reaching out with her hand, Ursa began to scratch the top of his head until he completely calmed down. Chirping happily Stryx seemingly forgot the surge of anger that just awakened for the Headmaster of Royal Sword.

Ambrose: It’s quite a surprise to see you here today, Ursa. I was led to believe you would be too busy with preparations for Samhain Night to join us this year.

Ursa: It almost came to that, but Professor Yaga has graciously offered to take over for the following two days, so that I may attend.

Ambrose: I see! How kind of her indeed. In this case, perhaps you’ll do me the honour of letting me accompany you as you visit the booths set up by the students? You are interested in the 4th years’ work especially, are you not?

Chuckling lightly, Ursa accepted the arm that was offered to her.

Ursa: I would say it is almost impressive how well you know me, if not for the fact that I check the same booths every year.

Ambrose: Hm? Have you now? I most certainly haven’t noticed that.

Ursa: Of course you haven’t. Let’s see what your competition has to offer.

Ursa spent most of her day in Ambrose’s company, exchanging quips and teasing remarks, as old friends tend to do when they meet each other again. Stryx was quite displeased by this because he hoped he’d get to spend the day only in her company. Though his dissatisfaction was quelled somewhat by the moments of affection that Ursa bestowed upon him.

At some point, she had run into Trein as well, and as usual, the two exchanged greetings and inquired about each other’s well-being, while Stryx and Lucius openly glared at one another. It was always a tense meeting between the two, not that their owners ever let it come to blows.

Trein: Ursa, about the Witch Dances this year-

Ursa: Let us not get into that. It is what it is.  

After the two departed, Ursa eventually reunited with Ambrose who had been gone for a while to do some sightseeing of his own. He was in a good mood which pleased Ursa as well, and once again he offered his arm to her as they made their way through the crowd.

Ambrose: I believe we’ve managed to hit almost all the booths - at the very least, the ones you were keen on inspecting, haven’t we?

Ursa: It was quite a fruitful day, indeed.

Ambrose: Then perhaps we should head to the Purple Stage as well.

Ursa: The Purple Stage?

Ambrose: Where the Vocal & Dance Competition will be held, of course. Don’t tell me you plan to skip it this year as well.

Ursa: You know that I don’t care very much for this sort of thing.

Ambrose: What a shame. I was looking forward to showing you just how wonderfully talented our student representatives are this year.

Ursa: I’m sure it will be quite a sight. But…

Ambrose: But?

Ursa: Only a fool underestimates his rival before the fight has even started. I’m sure Night Raven will provide quite the opposition this year as well in response.

Ambrose: Ohohohoho! This is what I’m counting on!

Then what will you attend if not the VDC?

Ursa: I believe Young Shroud is set to give a speech this very same day as well. Young Dies has spoken very highly of his research and it has piqued my interest as a result. It’s quite ambitious.

Thus Ursa did not attend the VDC and rather stood in at Idia’s speech which she did find quite interesting, having expressed as much during the Q&A afterward. It was truly more advanced than she expected of a third year student, though given it was Vita who praised him, she expected a solid performance regardless. Stryx on the other hand kept nodding off throughout the entire speech, only waking up when Ursa began to speak, and then proceeded to loudly praise her question and commentary until she asked him to refrain.

She later met with Crowley as well, just after he departed from his conversation with Ambrose.

Ursa: Dire.

Crowley: Ah! Headmistress Astoria! I hope you’ve enjoyed our efforts to make this school festival as entertaining for our guests as possible. It’s always such a pleasure to have the witches from Walpurga Nacht attend, of course.

Ursa scoffed in amusement at his flattery, and without missing a beat, simply offered her hand to Crowley, which he by reflex took and kissed.

Ursa: You’ve become more proficient at flattery, Dire.

Crowley: It’s because you always nag- I mean! It’s simply because you’re always kind when it comes to criticizing my unruly behaviour.

Ursa: Hm, is that so? Then perhaps I should come by for tea more often then. I’m sure Professor Yaga will be rather glad to join us too.

Crowley: Th-That! Ahem! It’s truly such a shame she could not attend today… isn’t that right?

Ursa: Indeed, she has kindly offered to cover for me while I’m gone.

Crowley: Ah, truly magnificent of her. Of course, of course.

Ursa: She’ll be quite amused to hear that Royal Sword has secured victory this year once again.

Crowley: Guh! It was merely a one vote difference! It is practically a draw, Headmistress! And regardless, I’m sure we’ll be victorious at the Inter-school Magift Tournament this year!

Ursa: I wonder… Well, Walpurga Nacht will be prepared in any case to provide moral support to the teams as always.

Crowley: I look forward to hearing the powerful and motivational cheers of your students. It’s always such a sight - especially for the first years. It’s sure to raise their spirits! Ah, what a kind man I am for letting my students experience such a wonderful performance, aren’t I?

Ursa: And how humble. However, Dire…

Crowley: Hm? Yes, what is it?

Ursa: You look much thinner than when I last saw you. Have you been eating well? Your feathers look rather unwell too.

Crowley: A-Ah? Most certainly! There’s no need for you to express concern, Headmistress! It must simply be my lack of sleep…

Ursa: Lack of sleep?

Crowley: Ah! Well, you see I’ve been rather busy this past month and…

Ursa: That is hardly an excuse, Dire. I expected you to be aware of what a healthy lifestyle consists of, but if you’ve become so lax, perhaps you require a reminder. Come, I will gladly lecture you about it.

Crowley: Ah, that is-

Ursa: It is customary for a host to accompany their guests when they request it, you are aware of it, I hope.

Crowley: Well, that is-

Without waiting for a response, Ursa merely held onto Crowley’s arm and began to lead him through the festival street, where people were still milling about and enjoying themselves. Soon, she’ll have to gather her girls and return to their school, but until that time comes she’ll spend the rest of her trip catching up with her colleague.    

Rosalia Morgainne

Rosa was the one who looked forward to the Inter-school Cultural Festival the most out of all the Prefects. For the past month she’d wake up every morning energized at the thought that the festival was drawing nearer. It was quite a sight for the rest of her dorm mates, who made various snide comments towards her during that time, but she barely paid them any mind. The mere idea that she’ll get to see Vil perform on stage was uplifting enough to put her in a good mood during that entire time.

So when the day of the festival came, it was her priority to seek him out for a small reunion. She’d instructed her girls to be mindful of how they behave, but as always, the older ones just rolled their eyes and set out to do as they wanted without even acknowledging her instructions. The first and the second years at least had the decency to nod before they took off on their own, and when she was finally alone, Rosa set out to look for him. The only issue was that the place was huge, and crowded, and she had no idea where he might even be right now. Probably doing warm-up before the rehearsals, which meant he would most likely be at the venue site.

Rosa: Alright, then that must mean the Purple Stage!

Cater: Hm? Rosa-chan, isn’t that you?

Rosa: Guh! Cater? What are you doing here?

Cater: What do you mean? I’m a student here. Remember~?

Rosa: Ugh, that’s right… What bad luck running into you.

Cater: Hey, hey, isn’t that a little too harsh? Don’t look so glum. Let’s take a selfie to cheer you up~!

Rosa: Absolutely not! How many times do I have to tell you I don’t want to be associated with that image anymore? But I don’t have time to waste on you! I’m going so don’t follow me!

Cater: Eh? Rosa-chan? Wait-

Taking off, Rosa made sure to blend amongst the crowd on her way to the Purple Stage so even if Cater were to follow, he’d be sure to lose her. Navigating the main street proved to be easier than she expected as people were too busy enjoying themselves and looking at the booths to spare a second glance at her. She’d avoided being spotted as she made her way to her destination, but upon reaching it another problem occurred to her: there was simply no way she was going to be let in without a staff pass. Which she definitely did not have.

Crossing her arms, Rosa eyed the two cameramen who were unloading the equipment that would be used for broadcasting the VDC to all the households in Twisted Wonderland. They groaned and yelled instructions at each other as they made sure the camera they were carrying would not be dropped by accident on the ground and smashed. She watched as another man, wearing the backstage pass around his neck, opened the door for them and all three disappeared inside the building. When they were gone she made sure to hide somewhere away from the eyes of strangers.

Rosa: Ugh, this is definitely going to get me into trouble if I get found out, but… I promised myself I’d do things for my own sake too from now on. So I can’t just back down before I even try.

Alright. Here goes nothing- Heart’s Desire!

Going in there without a staff pass was impossible, but that only meant she had to acquire one. Brushing her now short, black hair behind her ear, she tried her best to appear as casual as possible as she made her way to the backstage door, opened the door and stepped inside. If she had been a short, pink haired teenage girl in a school uniform, Rosa might have attracted some attention, but as a woman in her late 20s, with a staff pass and uniform on she blended right in. Anyone barely paid her any mind, too busy making sure all the last minute preparations before the rehearsals were taken care of. It was surprisingly easy to venture in deeper while keeping an eye out for Vil.

Rosa: Ah! Vil!

Down the hallway she spotted him as he walked alongside Rook, both holding water bottles in their hands, and with towels on their shoulders. Vil turned around and Rosa was taken aback by his stern expression.

Vil: Yes? Is something wrong?

Rosa: Huh?

Even his tone was far more distant than she remembered. Was he troubled by something? She didn’t have time to ask because the very next second Rook intervened loudly.

Rook: Ah! Reine de la Passion! That is you wearing that disguise, isn’t it?

Vil’s face betrayed his surprise, and Rosa let out a shout of realization. No wonder he’d acted so formal with her! She didn’t even look like herself, after all, but rather some desperate fan trying to get his attention.

Rosa: That’s right! It’s me! I’m sorry for the deception, but there wasn’t any way they’d let me in otherwise, so-

Vil: That’s fine. I’ve grasped the situation. So you used your Unique Magic to do something you’re not allowed to, just because you wanted to fulfill your desire, isn’t that right?

Rosa: Eh- Um, that’s… I mean… Still! Rook!

Rook: Hm?

Rosa: Th-The way you guessed it was me just from a glance! That’s really something else! Just how good is your sight?

Rook: Non, non. It’s merely that I’ve become rather accustomed to Reine de la Passion’s gait, so upon seeing the you in front of me it reminded me too much of that. I’ve merely been a good observer.

Rosa: Sti-Still, that’s impressive!

Rook: Hm, to be complimented by a budding rose grasping for light as she ascends. Oui! C’est tres bien!

Rosa: Eh? Ah, though I don’t really get it, you seem happy, so I guess that’s good.

In any case, I just wanted to say that I’ll be rooting for you guys! I can’t wait to see what kind of performance you prepared for today. Knowing you, Vil, it’s sure to be fantastic. I’m shaking with excitement at the mere thought!

Vil: Hmph, our hard work’s results are certain to leave an unforgettable mark upon the audience. However.

Rosa: However?

Vil: Even though you meant well, it does not erase the fact that you are currently trespassing.

Rosa: Guh!

Vil: … What’s with that displeased expression?

Rosa: N-No! It’s nothing, just… I came all this way to see you… Not to be scolded like this…

Vil: Are you saying that I should overlook this just because your intentions were good?

Rosa: Overlook? Well, not really, but… uh…

Vil: Not to mention that you most likely left your dorm members to wander around unsupervised?

Rosa: … It’s not like they even care…

Vil: And now you’re making excuses. You are a Prefect now, aren’t you? You must carry yourself with more dignity than that.

Rosa: Aaaah! I get it! If I’m such an eyesore then I’ll just leave!

Vil: That’s enou- That girl! She just took off while I was talking!

Rook: Aaah, Reine de la Passion is as wild and unrestrained as ever. Merveilleux!

By the time she reached the inside of the colosseum, Rosa had already calmed down considerably. But with that calm came a deep sense of shame. Stopping just out of sight of the students setting up the stage, she furiously wiped at the tears that threatened to leak out. It was humiliating to think of just how childish she’d acted back then. She knew Vil was completely right and that she’d been trespassing, but it’s not like she did it for any sinister purposes. Why did he have to go and make her feel bad for something that most people would have found touching? She just wanted to show him her support. He’d been awfully tense this past month. She’d noticed it even back at the Ball, and text conversations with him had completely stopped as well. She was worried for him and wanted to make sure he was doing alright. That’s what friends do, after all. But he had to go and scold her like she was a small child and make her feel awful for what was at best a minor offence.

Jack: Rosa-senpai. What are you doing here?

Rosa: Huh? Ah! Jack! No, I mean-

Wh-What are you talking about? Actually, who are you? I’m just an ordinary staff member passing through, so if you’ll excuse me-

Jack: It’s no use acting like that. You’ve already revealed yourself.

Rosa: Th-That’s true…

To think that you’d recognize me even like this...  

Jack: That’s natural, isn’t it? You have a very distinct smell after all.

Rosa: Distinct smell! I’ll have you know I wash myself every day!

Jack: Huh? Wha-

Rosa: And I use a really good shampoo and my body lotion smells nice too! So there’s no way I have a “distinct smell”! And furthermore, it’s very rude to just tell someone something like that, you know? Even if it’s true you should show more restraint and-

Jack: Huh? Why are you crying?

Rosa: Wha- I-I’m not crying! I’m not a kid anymore so why would I even need to cry, huh? You’re… You’re just imagining things!

Jack: …

Rosa: Seriously... I swear…    

Whipping at the tears that were beginning to fall, Rosa never felt more pathetic. Ever since quitting the show she’d sworn to herself that she’ll work hard at becoming a more mature person. And that included not crying at the drop of a hat just because she was frustrated. It wasn’t Vil’s fault that she built up expectations for today. He had his own things to worry about and that didn’t include her. She willed herself to stay stoic, to not act like Cherry would and just turn into a childish crybaby all over again, especially in front of Jack. But the more she told herself not to cry, the harder it was to abstain and before she knew it, her vision went blurry due to the amount of tears that had started to spill. Her breath hitched in her throat and she hid her face in her hands. It was the most humiliating experience of her life. So focused as she was on her current embarrassment, she was startled to feel a heavy hand at the top of her head. It rested there lightly for a few seconds, before it started moving up and down, almost as if it was petting her. She spread her fingers to peak between them, but wasn’t able to discern much behind the wall of tears. There was just Jack’s awkward face, looking down at her in concern. It dawned on Rosa that in his own tense way he was trying his best to comfort her through her small breakdown, even though he couldn’t understand what exactly it was.

Despite the tenseness in his stance, which was made obvious by his body language, his touch was as gentle as he could possibly get. Rosa waited for him to say something, anything, but he seemed to be deep in thought about just what the right words would be in this situation. It amused her slightly to see the overly determined but troubled expression on his usually frowning face. It was quite an adorable expression on him, and before she realized she was giggling while tears still streamed down her face. Jack’s ears twitched at this sudden shift, which only made Rosa laugh harder. Warmth spread throughout her chest and without even waiting for another second she burst out laughing as she stepped forward and buried her face in his chest. The action startled him and his arms were left hanging in the air, unsure of what he should do with them.

Rosa’s tears quickly dried, as she was overcome by a fit of giggles.

Rosa: I’m sorry - giggle - I just - giggle - I didn’t mean to - giggle -

Though confused by her sudden mood switch, he felt somewhat better to see the tears had stopped and that she seemed in a better mood. Though he asked her again what had happened and why she started crying, Rosa merely shook her head and told him that it didn’t matter anymore and it was silly in the first place. But she was happy that she ran into him of all people, even if he had to see her like this.

Jack: Haaa… I guess that’s good, but… seeing you like that had me wo-uh… Nevermind. But, could you not cling to me like this? It’s…

Rosa: Are you embarrassed?

Jack: !!!

After she calmed down, Rosa waited for Jack to finish with his duties and during the window of free time he had before the VDC started, they headed out to visit some of the booths. Neither really brought up the issue again, since Rosa seemed in much better spirits now and though she appeared a bit reluctant to return to the Purple Stage when it was time to go, she quickly picked up the pace. Regardless of what happened before, she still came here to see Vil perform and no feelings of awkwardness would stop her. They split up when they got to their destination - Rosa joining the rest of her girls, who barely paid any attention to her arrival, and Jack sitting with the seniors of his dorm. The performance of NRC was everything Rosa thought it would be and more. Watching Vil perform on stage was worth even the slight stiffness in her body as their conversation replayed in her mind after his group was done. Her behaviour was deplorable, but inspired by this surge of adrenaline she decided she would go apologize to Vil for it once their victory was declared. Neige’s performance, though cute, was far less impressive than Vil’s and Rosa felt certain that NRC would win this year based on the stark contrast they created.

Her surprise was immense when RSA was declared the winner by one vote difference. So much that she loudly complained about it all the way back to the meeting point as she criticized the clearly biased audience, missing completely the irony of her own statement. The talk with Vil had to wait until a later date, as that night Rosa sent him a message unprompted expressing her dissatisfaction with the result of the competition.      

Blanche Dion

The VDC had never been of much interest to Grimmaire students in general, and that was especially true when it came to Blanche. The quality level of crafts and art presented there were indeed that of a high schooler and as a result of almost no interest to her. She’d taken a look at the booths manned by the 4th year students, which showed more promise than anything else, but even those were rather few in number.

Grimmaire Girl A: Hm, there seems to be one a few meters ahead. It’s, hm, let me see...

Blanche heaved a sigh as she crossed her arms. The street was crowded and loud and all her senses were on edge due to the overwhelming level of noise. Massaging her temple she spared a look at the group of girls trailing behind her.

Blanche: If it’s this close then let us just walk in that direction and- Ugh!

Grimmaire Girl B: Pre-Prefect! Are you okay?

Trey: I’m sorry- Ah! Blanche!

Blanche: Trey. And… Riddle.

Riddle: Blanche. Are you alright? Here.

Holding out a hand to her, Riddle helped Blanche stand up from the ground where she was flung after she bumped into Trey. Usually she was far more aware of her surroundings than this, but the noise of the crowd threw her for a loop. It disoriented her enough that only when it was too late did she realize the impact was unavoidable. With her cheeks burning in embarrassment at being seen in such an undignified position, she dusted her skirt.

Trey: Sorry, Blanche. It’s my bad. I didn’t see you there and-

Blanche: No, it’s alright. I’m the one that should apologize. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was headed, you see. Still, thank you, Riddle.

Riddle: It’s nothing. But you should be more careful when walking around crowded places like this. Trey, you too. You should pay attention to your surroundings to avoid situations like this.

Trey: A-Ah, that’s true…

Blanche: Regardless, it’s fortunate we have bumped into you. You see…

Explaining the current issue to Riddle had him nod his head in understanding.

Riddle: I see, so you were hoping to reach that particular place, but the crowd made it difficult.

Blanche: Indeed. We do not experience this sort of thing normally at our school. Even during Samhain Night, there have never been so many people in one place at once. And I have hardly gotten accustomed to Night Raven’s… whimsical nature.

Riddle: Whimsical… I suppose you could call it that. In any case, let us accompany you there since we were heading in the same direction.

Blanche: Are you sure? We wouldn’t want to be an inconvenience to you. I remember you saying that you were the chairman of this year’s committee. I’m sure you must be extremely busy.

Riddle: I insist. You are our guests here and it would be in bad faith to ignore your distress. And in any case, we were headed in that direction as well.

Blanche: I see. Well, in that case please excuse our intrusion.

Bowing slightly in gratitude, Blanche motioned to her girls to follow as she was led by Riddle through the crowd. With a guide who was familiar with the surroundings, it made it much easier to wade through the people gathered there. True to his word, Riddle made sure to behave like a gentleman and went as far as to intercept one of the festival goers before she ended up bumping into Blanche. The girl, a young adult by the looks of it, looked flustered as she apologized to the two profusely.

Blanche: Thank you. I should have been able to foresee that, but…

Riddle: The noise is making it difficult for you to concentrate, I understand. Don’t worry, I will make sure to escort you to your destination safely. Still, it would have been better for people not to act so unruly…

Blanche: I suppose the excitement of participating at such an event is too much to bear.

Riddle: Perhaps. Are you enjoying yourself?

Blanche: Me? I suppose. I’ve never been the type to care about these sorts of things. But I guess that once in a while… they aren’t so bad.

More importantly, I heard that Ace and Deuce will be participating in the VDC this year.

Riddle: Hm, the Walpurga Nacht grapevine is something impressive. But yes, that is indeed so. I have warned them to do their best not to embarrass the school or our dorm. But if they’ll listen…

Blanche: Why wouldn’t they, especially since they might lose their heads over it otherwise?

Riddle: Th-That-

Blanche: I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be teasing you like this.

Blanche giggled softly, hiding her smile behind her hand. A small one appeared on Riddle’s face too as he watched her relaxed expression, the red in his cheeks dissipating slowly.

Blanche: I was not planning on attending this year either, but I feel like watching our underclassmen perform might be quite entertaining.

Riddle: Maybe so. But speaking of underclassmen - just where did yours disappear off to? And where is Trey?

Looking behind them, they were perplexed to notice that no sight of either could be found. Blanche sighed in frustration, while Riddle’s face was scrunched in irritation. They have somehow managed to lose them.

Meanwhile, a few paces behind a group of several girls were surrounding a tall, bespectacled boy and shrieking in excitement. When Riddle had motioned earlier for them to follow, Trey was just about to do that when several pairs of hands suddenly pulled on the back of his blazer and he found himself in the middle of a circle of Grimmaire girls.

Grimmaire Girl A: Wait just a second! Don’t you see what’s going on here?

The short girl looked at him with a slightly peeved expression, that was matched by that of her dorm mates. Scratching the back of his neck, Trey laughed cautiously as he looked from one girl to the other.

Trey: Hm? Sorry, I didn’t quite catch what you’re referring to.

The girls sighed in disappointment and it only increased his nervousness. Just what exactly did he do wrong?

Grimmaire Girl B: Can’t you see that this is the perfect set up for a romantic scene?

Trey: Romantic scene?

Grimmaire Girl C: Exactly! It’s the festival date from chapter 34 from volume sixteen in The Azure Witch series!

Trey: Huh? Wait, just what-

Grimmaire Girl A: That’s right! It’s the moving scene where Annalise, having recently realized that Frederick went off to pursue his calling of discovering the truth behind the appearance of the azure winged butterfly in his village 10 years ago without informing her, decides to attend the festival in order to dull the pain she felt in that moment.

Grimmaire Girl B: It was so heart wrenching! Especially because she goes there alone and unescorted and is then accosted by a boorish knight who wants revenge on her father for having foiled his plan of running off the Baron of the land from his castle!

Trey: Boorish? Isn’t that a bit too harsh-

Grimmaire Girl C: A most despicable man who knocks her to the ground and would have struck her if not for the interference of Baron Gribelin! Aaah, the moment where he helps off the ground and kneels before her to dust off the hem of her skirt was such a wonderful display of chivalry. Moreover, he makes sure to pick up her beloved purse and scold the rude knight for his behaviour!

Grimmaire Girl B: Yes, yes! My heart was pounding like crazy when I read that passage!

“How dare you display such uncouth behaviour towards a lady such as this. You are fortunate that I do not wish to incur shame upon her name, for else I would have cut your head off right here, right now! You wretch!”

Trey’s confusion only grew when the group let out a loud squeal at the end, and suddenly he felt like he was lost among a sea of unknown and incomprehensible creatures.

Grimmaire Girl A: To think that we’d witness such a romantic scene in real life as well is astounding!      

Grimmaire Girl B: Indeed! It was so touching! Prefect Dion is so fortunate!

Biting his tongue, Trey had to refrain from speaking out loud and correcting them as they gushed over the heart pounding scene that they all had apparently witnessed. Though he took offense at the implication of being a “boorish” man, he felt it would do little good to interfere then and there. They were clearly too caught up in their own discussion to care for his presence anymore, or so it seemed until they suddenly turned towards him.

Grimmaire Girl A: So, do you understand what we mean?

Trey: A-Ah, I guess so… Though I feel like we should not lose sight of them either-

Grimmaire Girl B: Didn’t you hear what we just said? This is a crucial part in the story!

Grimmaire Girl C: Yeah! It’s when Annalise realizes that even though she loved Frederick dearly, Baron Gribelin was truly the one she was in love with! It’s when she's able to properly witness his kindness and chivalrous behaviour that sets him apart from other nobles she has met until then! Do you get it now?

Trey: I-I guess… So this is like in that book series you all enjoy so much. The Blue Witch-

Grimmaire Girl A: The Azure Witch! Please do not make such mistakes!

Grimmaire Girl B: Sheesh, it’s like you haven’t… even… heard… of it…

Several pairs of eyes stared at him, and Trey felt like it had suddenly gotten very hot despite the chilly February weather. Their expressions were indescribable at first, until he saw the sparkle of excitement shine in their eyes. Suddenly, the silence was broken by a chorus of excited yelps and the clamor of voices rushing to explain to him every single detail regarding the series of 48 novels that had the entire Grimmaire dorm abuzz. It turned out to be a very long day for Trey in the end.

When Blanche and Riddle finally found them again, they were taken aback to see Trey’s exhausted expression. The girls stopped their chatter to salute the Prefects, but did not explain the reason behind Trey’s unusual behaviour.

(In the following months Riddle would find it quite usual to come across Trey reading a book that he took great pains not to show him the title of. Moreover his relationship with the Grimmaire seemed to have improved considerably too, much to Cater’s displeasure. Though he tried to approach them about the novel as well, they quickly saw through his insincere attitude and rejected his attempts.)

Blanche ended up attending the VDC and while it did prove to be everything she expected it to be - a music show that had girls like Rosa entirely invested - but not as obnoxious as it could have been. Except for RSA’s performance which she thought lacked direction and finesse. Seeing them win surprised her greatly, but didn’t mean much to her in the end. It only annoyed her because she had to hear Rosa complain about it for a month afterwards at every Prefect meeting.    

Marcia Pyroeis

If for most girls VDC was an opportunity to kick back and relax, enjoy the boys’ performance or even have fun at the booths, for Marcia it was an opportunity for business. Samhain Night was the time when Kriegskald would shine, of course - after all, nothing could beat restoration work or recreation of an old piece for current use. But she did not see why the Interschool Cultural Festival could not be used for such a venue either. Of course, WNA did not have a school-approved booth or even permission to promote themselves, but Marcia figured that as long as they did not attract the teacher’s attention, it would be fine. Opportunities like this did not happen everyday.

So, among the festival booths another one popped up unexpectedly. It was makeshift and did not match the style of the others nearby, but it was teeming with all sorts of devices and artifacts and odd trinkets that though clearly old, were in perfect shape otherwise. Gathered around, the Kriegskald students were showing off the items to all those who seemed interested in them while in the front, Marcia was busy talking up their ‘booth’ in the most entertaining fashion she could muster.

Marcia: Alright, alright, alright! C’mon folks! It’s a once-in-a-blue-moon type of opportunity! Not everyday you get to see 100% authentic, high quality, accurate reproductions like these! It’s the - chance - of - a - lifetime!

Energetic and friendly, Marcia managed to gather quite a few people’s attention, but even at a quick glance it was clear that none of them fit her profile. Attention was good, but what she needed was cash - and tons of it. And the only way to do that was to find people with lots of it and the willingness to spend it at a moment’s notice. The ones gathering around looked more akin to ordinary salarymen and people working hard to make a living for himself, and not the demographic she hoped for. But she wasn’t counting on them either way. Instead she kept her eyes peeled for a big prize, until she finally spotted one.

Marcia: Malleus Draconia! What a surprise!

He was hard to spot among the crowd, keeping to the margins and walking swiftly and with so much purpose that nobody dared to stop him. Nobody but Marcia at the very least, who with a great smile bounded over there at record speed. Not only was Malleus exactly the type of high-interest person she was looking for, but fortunately enough he was alone. That meant no screaming guard dog to keep her from striking a conversation with him and possibly even securing a sponsorship. But she shouldn't get ahead of herself. Malleus’ reception of her was less than welcome, as he took a few seconds to fully acknowledge her, perhaps not expecting anybody to approach him so boldly as she did.

Malleus: Hm. You are-

Marcia: Marcia Pyroeis! Kriegskald Prefect, broom racer prodigy in the making and at your service!

Malleus: Kriegskald. I see. You’re a Walpurga Nacht student then.

Marcia: That’s right~ You’re super sharp, Draconia! But that’s to be expected from geniuses like us.

Malleus: ….

Marcia: In any case - I heard you made quite the impression at the Inter-dorm Magift Tournament this year. Man, I wish I would have been there to see it in person.

Malleus: …

Marcia: You know, as fellow sports persons we really ought to build each other up and create a bond of solidarity! Camaraderie like this is hard to come by and it’s not good to throw it away. Sure, Magift and broom racing might look different on the surface but if you really look at it then-

Malleus: What is the purpose of this discussion? Or are you merely looking to ingrain yourself to me? Regardless, I don’t have time to waste on this if it’s not-

Marcia: Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! Don’t go like that!

Stepping in front of him, Marcia blocked his path the best way she could, though she was aware that if he so desired he could easily push past her. Still, Malleus stopped, awaiting to see her response. From the sidelines, the Kriegskald girls gave up looking after the prospective window-shoppers and took to observing the exchange between the two Prefects instead.  

Laughing, Marcia scratched the back of her head and offered an apologetic smile afterwards.

Marcia: Man, I got busted, so I guess I should come clean, right? Ya see, the thing is - I’ve been meaning to talk to you about your contribution to the field of athletics.

Malleus: My contribution?

Marcia: Well, your family’s rather high and mighty. You’re a prince so I guess you’re pretty loaded, right?

Malleus: …

Marcia: I know Kingscholar is, so I bet the same applies to you! Man, you rich people sure have it good and easy - just piles of money lying about, I bet. Hehe, how nice that must be…

Ah! I almost got distracted by my own fantasies! I can’t let this opportunity pass by, so I’ll just go ahead and say it now: How about being my sponsor, Draconia? Eh? Doesn’t that sound great?

Malleus: Sponsor… Whatever do you mean?

Marcia: Huh? What I mean by that? Well, you know… You give me money so I can take part in races and stuff! It’s to show appreciation!

Malleus: Appreciation… For what exactly?

Marcia: For the sport you love! And the people playing it! And to make sure they have something to put on their table at the end of the day!

Malleus: …

Marcia: It doesn’t have to start with a big one!  You could do something symbolical, like… How does 800,000 madol sound? Hm? I’m sure that’s little more than pocket change for a rich guy like you! So-

Eh? Are you mad? Your aura got super scary all of a sudden.

Malleus: Not at all. I’m merely considering your proposal.

Marcia: Hu-Huh? For real? Man, you’re a good guy, Dracon-

Malleus: Unfortunately, 800,000 is too little.

Marcia: Eh?

Malleus: As you said, it’s mere pocket change, but I do not carry any around with me.

Marcia: Ah, then 1,000,00 would work-

Malleus: Wouldn’t the symbolical aspect be lost in this case?

Marcia: Haha, Draconia, you sure are a funny guy! Let’s just forget that part!

Malleus: But then what is the meaning of making a first donation if there is no symbolism attached to it? Wouldn’t it just be the same to make a donation at a later date?

Marcia: Well- I mean- That’s- Uhhhhh…

Malleus: And there lies the answer. I’ll be off then.

Marcia: Off? No, wait-

Malleus: Indeed, I’ve lost enough time here already and I’m late.

Marcia: Draconia, just a- He disappeared! He was here a moment ago and now…

Staring at the spot where Malleus stood just moments ago, Marcia felt frustration grow inside her. He just slipped right through her fingers when she was so close to sealing the deal. Putting her head in her hands she let out a loud yell of irritation and fell to her knees. Behind her the Kriegskald girls watched apathetically and with a hint of amusement. Suddenly, one of the girls started shouting, voice imitating that of a sports announcer.

Kriegskald Girl A: And striiiiiiiiike ouuuuuut!

Kriegskald Girl B: After a mediocre performance Pyroeis gets served the slam dunk that costs her the game!

Kriegskald Girl A: You hate to see it, folks!

Marcia: Aaaaaah, will you stick to one sports analogy, please?!

Kriegskald Girl A: Looks like she is still in shock over the loss of her potential piggyba- I mean sponsor! Will she be able to recover from such severe humiliation? Stay tuned!

The rest of the festival was spent by Marcia in what could only be called a state of mourning. She lost all her energy and enthusiasm and simply slumped against the chair set by their makeshift table. Though the girls tried to cheer her up at first, it soon became obvious it wouldn’t be possible so they simply ignored her mood and continued to enjoy the festival, while carting an unresponsive Marcia around with them.

When the time for voting came, one of the Kriegskald girls simply took out Marcia’s phone and voted for her instead. They were quite disappointed by RSA’s victory since they preferred the performance put together by NRC, and had a spirited discussion on the topic as they made their way back to their school, Marcia dragged along with them, much as she was during the entirety of the festival.

The next day she started out fresh and energetic, and with renewed vigour swore that she’ll bump into Malleus again and this time, will convince him to sponsor her.        

June Himalia

The Inter-school Cultural Festival was not something June cared about at all. It was just fancy, posh kids showing off their fancy, posh crafts like they even mattered in the first place. She’d never really been good at “artistic expression” as her brother-in-law would call it, so it all just flew over her head most of the time. Coming here today was not something she actually planned on doing, but as head of the dorm it was her duty to oversee the girls who had bought tickets for the show that would take place later that day. A singing and dancing contest they held during every Cultural Festival which had students prancing around and belching out notes while June’s anger grew. It was all so pointless and stupid. Not the kind of stuff she’d ever participate in.

Reaching into the pouch tied to her belt, she brushes her fingers atop the thin piece of paper she’d received a while ago from Epel. The invitation baffled and irritated her at the time, and initially she just planned on declining it altogether, but after a few days spent considering it, she finally decided to just give it a shot after all. Even though the prospect of a bunch of posh kids dancing on stage wasn’t all that appealing to her.

Though Epel mentioned he was going to be part of the show as well, June didn’t expect that he would be busy rehearsing all day before the show itself. She was hoping to at least be able to retreat to a quieter place with somebody who did not completely infuriate her, and wait for the day to be over. Now, she was stuck walking around the festival grounds and trying to find something else to do. It occurred to her that even though Epel and Jamil would be busy with their show, Trey was not supposed to take part in any particular activities. With this realization in mind she took a look around her in hopes of spotting a NRC student. Luckily, it was not a hard task.  

The group of Pomefiore students milling about did not expect the presence of a tall girl towering above them and it showed in the way they jumped startled when June spoke.

June: Ya three.

Pomefiore Student A: Ah!

Pomefiore Student B: Th-The Amazon! How may we help you?

She was silent, staring at them with an unreadable expression, before her hand shot out and grabbed the middle one by the collar. Lifting him up slightly she leaned in as she hissed through her teeth.

June: The ‘ell that mean?

Pomefiore Student B: I-I’m sorry! I-I-I simply-

June: The ‘ell you called me? “Amazon’? What ‘hat supposed to mean?

Pomefiore Student A: I-It’s merely to show our admiration of you, Amazo- No, Prefect!

Pomefiore Student B: Th-That’s right! Like a flower blooming amidst the rocky cliffs who cares not for the harshness that she has to endure! The image of dignity and wildness combined in one - truly there are no better ways to- Ugh!

The student let out a loud grunt as June let go of him and he landed on the floor in a heap. Her head was abuzz with thoughts, trying to decipher just whether or not he was making fun of her. Though in the end, her frustration got the better of her and she realized that if she was to think on it any further, she’ll end up punching somebody out of reflex. The student seemed dismayed at the state of his uniform and tried his best to dust it off while June crossed her arms and watched.

June: Whatever. Where’s ‘hat Clover guy?

Pomefiore Student B: Clover… guy…?

June: Yeah. Are ya deaf or somethin’, huh?

Pomefiore Student A: N-No, it’s just… whoever could that be?

June: Haaaa? The ‘ell ya don’t know?

Pomefiore Student C: So-Sorry! The name isn’t familiar at all… So, um…

Che’nya: Hm~? If you’re looking for somebody, then I’m the one to ask~

For the second time that day, the Pomefiore students who had the misfortune of being in the wrong place, at the wrong time, let out a yelp. Out of nowhere the head of a beastman materialized as he grinned at them. June almost bit her tongue when she heard the voice behind her and did her best not to let her surprise be obvious. The sight of a bodiless, floating head was enough to send shivers down her spine. Turning around she held his gaze stubbornly, as the three Pomefiore students behind her were silently putting distance between them, most likely aware of the possible confrontation that would take place.

June: Yer a Royal Sword student.

Che’nya: I’m Alchemi Alchemivich Pinkaa. Everyone just calls me Che’nya though.

I’ve got kitty magic, but also human magic. I’m a sorta weird guy.

June gritted her teeth as her thoughts spiraled inside her head. Just what the hell was this guy anyway?

June: Yeah, I saw ‘hat. The ‘ell you want?

Che’nya: Hm~ I heard you were looking for that glasses guy, so I got curious, nya.

June: That glasses guy… Ya mean Clover? Ya know ‘here he is?

Che’nya: I guess ya could say that, or ya could not~

June: … Are ya messin’ with me?

Che’nya: Why don’t nya try guessing the answer?

June’s arm shot out suddenly as she tried to grab the top of Che’nya’s head, but she missed by an inch as he moved out of the way. Expression furious, she turned towards him once again and squared up.

June: … Ya want to die, or somethin’? ‘Hat it?

Che’nya: I can’t say I do, but I can’t say I don’t either~

June: Haaaaaaaaaa? Are ya dumb or somethin’? Can’t ya give a straight answer, huh?

Che’nya: Who knows~

But if it’s directions nya looking for, that I can give that.

June: Piss off.

Che’nya: Hm~?

June: Piss off ‘fore I hit ya. ‘Hat’s yer warnin’. Ya hear me?

Che’nya: Mm, it’s not good to be in a bad mood like this all the time, ya know~

Lighting fast, she aimed a punch at his face, but missed again. Enraged by this, she turned around to try again only to find him completely gone. Blinking, June stood in the middle of the street feeling embarrassment washing over her.

Che’nya: And now it’s time time to say bye-bye~

Tricked. That’s what happened. She let that weirdo completely fool her and now she looked ridiculous. Letting out a frustrated yell, that startled many of the people in the crowd, she charged forward, with the sole purpose of finding Che’nya and teaching him a lesson. Unfortunately, given the latter’s penchant for invisibility, that proved to be impossible. No matter how hard she looked, the beastman student had somehow vanished, and before she knew it she wasted all her time in pursuit of him that she failed to come across Trey in the end. Around the time VDC was supposed to start she got called away by some of her girls, so her search had to be suspended.

The VDC was as incomprehensible to June as it always was - just a bunch of people looking ridiculous as they danced and sang. She really couldn’t wrap her head around it. Though, at the very least, Epel seemed to have fun on stage. When the time came for the vote, June looked confused by the QR code flashing on the screen. Just what exactly was she supposed to do with that? She noticed her girls opening their phone and seemingly taking a picture of it, but when she did the same nothing happened. She repeated the process a few times, and when the same thing occurred over and over again, she got frustrated and shut it off. It was way too much trouble.

RSA’s victory was of no concern to her, and she sighed in relief when it was time to go back to their school. Over the following week June would have to listen to Rosa go on and on about how unfair the result was, until she couldn’t take anymore and almost threw a table at her head. After that Rosa didn’t bring it up anywhere near her.    

Diana Arrow

The lack of beasts and monsters on the Night Raven campus has always meant that to the Monarchia dorm, the whole affair was of no importance whatsoever. Or rather, just a very particular part of it interested them in any degree.

Monarchia Girl A: Big Sister Diana we have put together the list of booths to visit during this Inter-School Cultural Festival!

Monarchia Girl B: They are ranked in order of proximity, popularity, visitor influx and, of course, tastiness! We have taken everything into account!

Monarchia Girl C: We hope you’re pleased with the result, Big Sister!

The map that Diana received was indeed as complex as the girls explained, with several notes scribbled across the paper. All in all it was a marvelous product, which she let them know calmly.

Diana: Mm. It’s good work.

Though her voice was monotone as always, and accompanied only by a nod of the head, it nevertheless caused the group of girls to smile widely as their face flushed with pride.

Monarchia Girl A: Ah! To hear Big Sister praise us like this is the best feeling in the world!

Monarchia Girl B: Thank you so much, Big Sister!  

All: Thank you! We’re so glad you’re happy with our work!

Diana nodded in acknowledgement as she took another look at it. The food booths were spaced out evenly throughout the campus street so visiting them all would take quite a while if they weren’t careful with the planning. This was something the girls had taken into account as well seeing that a route was highlighted along with the necessary stops and wait times. It would take them through the entire festival grounds while still allowing them to make it in time for the VDC. At the end, Mostro Lounge was circled in red and underline twice. It pleased Diana to see just how considerate they were. They were good kids after all.

Every year Monarchia faced the same problem: no matter how much they tried, it was impossible to visit all the food booths and make it in time for the VDC. One or the other had to be sacrificed. And given their priorities, it was usually VDC that got the short end of the stick. The allure of cheap but good food was too much for the girls to turn down given that the sight of boys dancing did not excite much interest from them, who were more keen on wild and passionate movements that disturbed rather than entertained. Yet, this year Diana wanted to partake in it merely because she saw it as the proper way to behave in another’s territory. They were guests here, and thus should by extension try and integrate themselves to their hosts, such as animals who mimic the lifestyle of others. If the goal of Monarchia was adaptation then this little effort had to be expanded. Thus, the need for the map. Now they could easily finish their traditional tasks and still make it in time for the VDC. It was the perfect strategy.

Just as Diana was about to give them permission to proceed, she felt a sinister presence behind her and her left hand shot out to grab the hand that was coming from her right. The girls gave out a shout of surprise as she turned around partially to raise her leg for a kick to the head of whoever was attempting to sneak up on her. But upon making eye contact with that person she immediately slowed down her strike. She wouldn’t be able to stop it now, but knowing his speed she was sure he’d easily catch it. And indeed he did, his left hand grabbing hold of her ankle just about as her foot was going to make contact with his face.

Squeezing it, Floyd gave out a short chuckle as his grin widened.

Diana: Ah, Floyd, it’s you.

She replied calmly as she let go of his right hand, even though he continued to hold her ankle harshly. With a short exhale through her nose, she wretched the leg out from his grasp and rotated it slightly to make sure he hadn’t broken anything. When she was satisfied to see everything was fine, she looked up at him just as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

Floyd: Eeeeh, saltwater crocodile-chan-senpai’s sharp as always.

Diana: Hm, not really...  

Floyd: Though you still figured out I was trying to grab you before I managed to do it. I’ve gotten closer this time too.

Diana: That’s true.

The noise of the crowd and the scents floating around made it much harder to single out distinct entities. It was very much a haze for her, so even somebody with a strong presence like Floyd was lost among a sea of indistinct shapes and sounds. He was probably aware of this too.

Monarchia Girl A: Oi, Floyd.

Behind her the pack of girls were glaring directly at him, without even trying to hide their annoyance. They had watched the whole exchange happen before their very eyes and gradually their shock transformed into confusion then admiration and finally rage towards the one who dared to treat their ‘big sister’ with such familiarity.

Floyd: Hm~? What now?

Monarchia Girl B: You sure got guts. Talking to Big Sister like that.

Monarchia Girl C: Yeah! How dare you try and attack her!

Monarchia Girl D: And you keep calling her by that nickname too! Don’t just add ‘-chan’ casually as you see fit! You and Big Sister aren’t cut from the same cloth so don’t presume that level of friendship!

Floyd’s smile held a tinge of mockery to it as he turned his attention to the furious girls in front of him.

Floyd: Eeeeh, why are you hissing like that when you’re just some hatchlings that still follow their mother around? Do you wanna get squeezed or something?

Monarchia Girl A: There it is! That same rudeness as always! Seriously! Just what kind of person talks like that to others, huh?

Monarchia Girl B: And hatchlings? What’s with that name?

Floyd: Hm~ You just snap and float around saltwater crocodile-chan-senpai like little babies.

Monarchia Girl C: You bastard-

Floyd: Haaaa, you’re so annoying when you shout. Can’t you just shut up?

Floyd let out a laugh as the sneer on the girl’s face deepened. Squaring up in front of the group, his frame towered over them all. The tension was palpable in the air.

Monarchia Girl A:... The hell you think you’re doing squaring up like this, huh? Are you looking for a fight or something?

Floyd: If you wanna get crushed just say so~

Diana: Enough.

The word was spoken with just enough force to startle the girls out of their tense and aggressive stances, and Floyd shifted his gaze over to her as well. Crossing her arms she continued.

Diana: We’re a pack in another’s territory. We can’t just bare our fangs as we will.

Though the Monarchia girls had averted their eyes to the ground as they realized her displeasure with their behaviour, Floyd continued to look as unperturbed as ever. Not that she expected anything else from him. The girls shifted in place and bowed their heads deeply before her.

Monarchia Girl A: Sorry, Big Sister! We didn’t mean to cause you problems!

All: Sorry, Big Sister!

Suddenly standing straight, the first girl turned towards Floyd and barked at him:

Monarchia Girl A: And you! Second-year! Don’t you have something to say too?

Floyd: Nope~

Monarchia Girl A: Guh. As expected of a delinquent like you.

Floyd: Hey, hey~ Little hatchling, do you wanna piss me off that badly?

Monarchia Girl A: As if I care what you think. I’m telling you to apologize to Big Sister properly! Even though you’re not part of our dorm you still presume that level of familiarity with her. It’s unforgivable.

Floyd seemed to think on this for a few moments, until he came to a sensible conclusion. Turning towards Diana he looked nonchalant as he gave his own apology, which was entirely affected and dishonest.

Floyd: Sorry~.... Sis~

Monarchia Girl A: You bastard!

Diana exhaled softly through her nose. The girls had at first seemed placated by at least the effort he put, even though they immediately recognized it as fake, but were angered again when they heard the second word that came out of his mouth. He most likely did it on purpose as he seemed a bit too happy to see them riled up at his provocation. As they growled up at him, he leaned forward slightly to try and goad them into starting a fight.

Diana: Floyd.

Floyd: Hm?

Diana: All of you.

Monarchia Girls: Ye-Yes?

Diana: Stop.

It was the second time she had to intervene and her girls knew that there should not be a third time. Even though they were still annoyed by Floyd’s behaviour they ignored him the best they could so they wouldn’t upset Diana anymore. Though he did not seem to be aware of this.

Casting a look around, she noticed that he was alone with neither his twin or Prefect around.

Diana: Floyd, where is Azul?

Floyd: Dunno~ He said something about club activities.

Diana: Ah.

Thinking it over for a few seconds, she realized that all the talking wasn’t doing much except waste precious time. She promised her girls a fun time at the Inter-School Cultural Festival and she had to deliver. Diana turned on her feet and signalled for her girls to follow. She attempted to cast a look back at Floyd too, but she could already feel him wrap his arm around her neck and squeeze slightly. She craned her head to have a better look at his grinning face.

Floyd: Hey~ Saltwater crocodile-chan-senpai-sis~ Where are you going?

His grip tightened and Diana could feel her body being forcibly bent forward. It bore a tinge of familiarity to it, since her brothers were quite the rambunctious bunch.

Diana: We’re going to check the booths together. Then I’ll find Azul.

Floyd: That sounds boring. Won’t you have more fun if you show me how to do that jumping trick you did during your Dance? I wanna try it out too~ It looked fun.

Diana: Hm, that? Later maybe. Now, let go.

Sighing in irritation, Floyd let go of her neck and immediately draped his arms over her shoulders. His body leaned forward and Diana could feel the entirety of his weight pushed onto her. It was a last ditch attempt to get her to entertain him instead of doing things he deemed as boring.

Diana: Should I carry you?

Floyd: Eh, saltwater crocodile-chan-senpai's gotta be strong if she wants to try that. Can you do it?

Diana: It’s no different than carrying my little brothers.

Floyd: So did your wound heal?

Diana: Mostly.

Floyd: Show me~ I wanna see the scar~ It really looked like it hurt when that talon pierced you. Me and Jade thought you were a goner, and Azul was as white as a sheet. It was funny to see him make that expression~

Diana: That won’t happen.

Floyd: Ha? Why not?

Diana: It would upset Azul.

Floyd: That again? Ugh, fine~

He sighed aloud this time, much noisier than necessary and let go of her entirely. Looking rather irritated he went to turn around, probably going to look for Jade or somebody else to harass, until Diana stopped him.

Diana: Floyd.

Floyd: What?

Diana: Come along.

Monarchia Girls: Huh? What? Big Sister, but why?

Diana wasn’t sure either, but she suspected that Floyd’s behaviour brought a certain feeling of homesickness. It didn’t dawn on her how different it was to be surrounded by girls when she grew up in a house where she and her mother were in the minority. There was a difference between the familial bonds experienced within the dorm and those at home, and being deprived of the latter did make her somewhat melancholic at times. She could for the most part ignore it, but spending time with someone like Floyd did bring out a certain tenderness in her. Having him tag along would ease a little that feeling of missing her little brothers. Though he proved quite stubborn.

Floyd: Don’t wanna.

Diana: Floyd.

Floyd: …

Diana: …

Floyd: …………

Diana: ……….

Floyd: ……………………… Ugh, fine. Saltwater crocodile-chan-senpai sometimes gets that look in her eyes that reminds me of my dad. It’s kinda creepy.

Diana: Hm. Is that so?

Floyd: Yeah~ It’s that top predator boss aura he’s got too~

Like a switch had been turned on, Floyd’s sour mood was immediately replaced by a more agreeable one. He hung around Diana during the entire time, much to the girls’ consternation and continued to provoke them into retaliating for his sheer amusement. But given that they were scolded for almost starting a fight they did their best to ignore him. They were somewhat comforted by the food that the booths were selling and with almost inhuman glee made sure to try all the recipes that had mushrooms in them when they realized Floyd’s disgust at the sight of such dishes.

The selection was quite large so they spent quite some time walking around, yet as they came close to the end Floyd suddenly took off in another direction without warning. The girls breathed a sigh of relief to see him gone, but were immediately alarmed when they saw Diana go after him. She signalled for them not to worry. Looking back Floyd frowned, but didn’t do much else when she finally caught up to him.

Floyd: You’re following me.

Diana: Mm. You’re going to Jade, aren’t you?

Floyd: Yeah. So?

Diana: I’m going to see Azul too.

Floyd: Haaa? Jade and Azul aren’t in the same club, y’know? So they won’t be in the same booth.

Diana: Mm. But they’re both cultural clubs, right? So most likely they’ll be in the same area given the way the festival grounds are set up.

Diana’s gait was steadfast, even as Floyd stopped walking. He was irritated by the unexpected turn of events and how he unwittingly played right in her hands. Diana looked behind her and took out a small, sealed bag containing some takoyaki. She tossed it to him and nodded.

Diana: Thanks. I’ll be on my way.

Even if he wouldn’t show her the rest of the way, she had figured out the general direction by that point. The crowd had thinned by that point so it was much easier to think now that she wasn’t accosted by a variety of sounds and smells. Silently, Floyd had followed her lead munching on the snack she gifted him.

Floyd: You’re really crafty, saltwater crocodile-chan-senpai.

Diana: You’re a good kid too.

Floyd: Eh~ I wonder what’s wrong with your head to say stuff like this?

Diana: Hm.

Walking side by side now, they finally reached the main hallway and split off to their respective destinations. The Board Game Club was easier to find now that she could track scents and soon enough she managed to find the exact room she was looking for.

Azul’s face betrayed his surprise at seeing the door open only to reveal her.

Azul: Ah, Diana?

Diana: Mm.

Azul: This is quite surprising. I didn’t expect to see you here today.

Diana: I came because I wanted to see you.

As always her complete adherence to honesty left him flustered. He tried to maintain his cool and look as detached as possible.

Azul: I see. Unfortunately, today I’m rather busy with my duties as a club member so I won’t be able to entertain you it seems.

Diana: That’s alright. I mostly came to drop off this.

Setting down the plastic bag she got from the booths, she turned to him again.

Diana: I was worried you’d be unable to get to eat since you were busy, so I got you this.

Azul:... That’s not necessary.

Diana: Consider it payment for making use of Floyd.

Azul: Making use of Floyd?

Diana: Mm. I might have tricked him into showing me where your booth is. Sorry for that.

Azul: Tricked… ? No. Nevermind that. I suppose that if it’s payment I’m obligated to accept it.

Diana: I would be happy if you did.

Azul: … Please don’t say such brazen things out loud.

Diana: Mm. Understood.

Ortho: Ah! Hello! Welcome to the Board Game Club’s booth!

Diana: You… The little one that hangs around the Ignihyde boss.

Ortho: Hm? You mean Big Brother? Do you know him? Even though I haven’t seen you around our dorm before...

Diana: No, it’s Vita.

Ortho: Ah? You’re Vita Dies’ friend?

Diana: … I wonder about that.

Ortho: I don’t think I understand.

Azul: Nevermind that, Ortho. Diana, as you can see we’re rather preoccupied here at the moment. And I’m afraid this might be quite boring for you.

Diana: It’s not a problem to me. But if you’re uncomfortable-

Azul: I did not say that. It’s of no concern to me if you stay.

Diana: I see.

Dragging out a chair towards the table she sat down and leaned back slightly. It would be a while until the VDC started, though she did not intend to wait for that long. Her main objective was merely to see Azul and share a meal with him, as they usually did whenever she was on campus. It was tradition at this point and he also seemed to be aware of it, as he simply pushed his glasses up and took a seat next to her.

Azul: There are many deep-fried foods in here.

Diana: It’s what they usually sell at this kind of festival.

Azul: Indeed.

Diana: It’s important to experience normal things too.

Azul: … I see.

Though Azul had mostly focused on the healthier options, Diana had seen him sneak in a few of the deep-fried when she started taking more of his stuff. He’d cast her a glance when he realised what she was doing, but didn’t say anything in return. When they were done, she stashed the containers away in the plastic bag and stood up dusting off her skirt. Azul raised an eyebrow as he watched her.

Diana: I’ll be off then.

Azul: Oh?

Diana: I’d like to stay more with you, but you said you were busy.

At her sudden confession, his face gained a pink tint. He frowned slightly to hide his embarrassment and crossed his arms.

Azul: As I said, it’s not an issue to me for you to be here. I was merely concerned that you would find it unpleasantly dull.

Diana: Mm. But I never dislike spending time with you.

Azul: Th-that! Diana, I have to ask you to cease such… such…

Diana: Mm. I understand. I will see you later.

Azul’s face was cold and composed as he watched her leave the room, though she could still see how the tips of his ears were red even now. When Ortho asked him if he was alright, since he was staring at the door for a few moments after it closed, he required a few moments to regain his cool. Diana’s promise was still ringing in his ears, but he refused to admit that it stirred any kind of emotion in him. It was after all just a regular meeting between them as it always was. No need to overreact to it or anything.

Ortho silently wondered if he should tell Azul that he’d been cleaning the lens of his glasses for at least 2.56 minutes by now, when the door opened again and somebody else stepped inside.

When Diana reunited with her girls, who had wandered around campus checking up on the animal nests that were scattered around, she let them know that she was done making her rounds and they could proceed to the VDC.

Diana remembered the two previous years where she was absent from the contest. None of the girls in the years above had cared for it at all, so it was only natural to skip it. It was Diana’s first instinct as well, but as she thought it over she decided it would be a good opportunity to learn a few more tricks and tips on how to be appealing towards the larger public. Samhain Night was coming up and she wanted her dorm to make a good impression not only for the sake of the girls who would then have the chance to be scouted by companies or organizations, but also for the beasts living there who still retained a bad reputation among the masses.

Unfortunately, as the show went on she quickly realized why the previous Prefects had mostly written off the show. It was exceedingly manufactured and artificial. All traces of wilderness or savagery were absent, and the sight of Rook on stage made her quite irritated. Though she tried her best to pay attention, Diana steadily felt herself slip away into unconsciousness. Later, when her girls had woken her up she realized that she fell asleep halfway through RSA’s performance and missed the entire show. According to her girls it was much of the same thing, so she did not have to regret anything.

The news of RSA’s victory merely had her nod in acknowledgement, and with the venue becoming slowly deserted due to crowd leaving, they made their way out too. Once outside Diana told them she’d like to stop by Mostro Lounge before going back to their own school which the girls accepted graciously. Though as they made their way through the campus, she spotted Azul and the twins in the distance as they gathered up their equipment and profits. Swiftly she changed course, her mood improving slightly when she saw Azul’s flustered face as they made eye contact. She wasn’t sure why he looked surprised, since after all she promised to meet with him afterwards anyway. She wanted to end her day on a good note.          

Cassandra Delphinne

As someone with a deep appreciation for music and dancing, Cass had looked forward to the VDC every year. It was really pleasant to see the groups from other schools compete between themselves and perform on stage their songs and choreography. Coming from a small village as she did, she never got to see this sort of thing before coming to WNA so for the foreseeable future she wanted to enjoy every chance she had of attending such events. This year as Prefect she took charge and made sure that everything was set in place so they would all be able to attend it peacefully and with little trouble. The tickets were bought ahead of time, she got a map that showed the entire campus and each important location and even managed to get everybody in line with minimal effort. All in all, it was a good start. Unfortunately, given that this was Oraluna, something was bound to go wrong. And it did.

Oraluna Girl A: Hahahahahaha, to think I would lose my ticket just so easily!

Oraluna Girl B: And to think that me helping you find your ticket would result in mine being stolen by a squirrel!

Oraluna Girl C: Indeed! The fact that mine was ripped by the tree branches as I was climbing to retrieve yours must surely be a sign of fate!

All: Hahahahahahahahahahaha!

Cass: Everybody… please don’t laugh about this…

She gave out a deep sigh as she heard the girls let out another rambunctious laugh. The other ticket buyers cast a glance in their direction and noticing just whose school their uniform belonged to, quickly began whispering among themselves. Their furtive glances and curious expressions made Cass fidget on the stop. She knew that Walpurga Nacht had quite the reputation among the masses so people were bound to stare and gossip. Still, to be the center of such attention was not a thing she really relished in. Especially after what happened during her Witch Dance this year. The girls did not seem to share her concerns as they continued their light banter. She was rather shocked when an hour after the Headmistress had dismissed everybody and they had taken to walking around the school grounds, the three approached her all of a sudden and proudly stated their issues. As if they somehow managed to achieve something important there, even though the situation was quite annoying to deal with. But she was a Prefect now and it was her duty to deal with such problems. So with just a frustrated sigh as means of showing her dissatisfaction, Cass joined them in the queue where people who hadn’t already purchased their tickets could still do so.

It was much, much longer than she expected it to be. Daring another glance at the people before them she wondered briefly if they’ll really be so lucky to actually get some last minute tickets.

Silver: Cassandra?

The startled scream she let out attracted quite a bit of attention and even Silver seemed a bit perturbed by the intensity of it.

Cass: Si-Si-Silver! Sorry! You just scared me and, um, you see… No, I don’t mean scared! You just surprised me, uh…

Silver: It’s alright. I just didn’t expect that kind of reaction from you either.

Cass: Um… Sorry...

Silver: What are you doing here though? Didn’t you have tickets for VDC already?

Cass: Eh? Oh! Y-Yes! I mean, I do! But my girls…

As she set out to explain the situation to him, she felt her face get more and more flustered. Even to her, who was already aware of the nature of Oraluna students, it sounded ridiculous. When she finished her short monologue she expected Silver to laugh or worse tell them they were idiots for behaving this way. But he merely nodded with the same stoic expression as always.

Silver: I see. That must be quite troublesome. So you’re standing in line to get new tickets.

Cass: Ye-Yeah… We were all looking forward to getting to watch it this year so this is a bit of a problem…

Silver: And you are staying with them in line to look after them?

Cass: It’s my duty as their Prefect to do this much… Um, but what are you doing here?

Silver: Ah, Riddle asked me to help keep everybody in line. That’s why…

Cass: O-Oh! I see! That makes sense… I-I mean! It makes sense because you’re very dependable and such! So, um, what I meant to say is…

Talking to Silver like this had for some reason started to prove extremely difficult a few months ago. She wasn’t exactly sure why, since nothing between them really changed, but she nevertheless felt a strange sort of sensation intervening between them. An awkwardness that wasn’t really there before suddenly took hold. She became much more careful about the way she presented herself to him, and it was now very important for her to know that he had a good impression of her. Stumbling over her words like that had become much more embarrassing.

From the corner of her eye, she spotted the three Oraluna students giving them an appreciative look.

Oraluna Girl A: Ohohohoho, what an unexpected twist!

Oraluna Girl B: A possible pairing in the making? Souls converging together for the bloom of passion?

Her face exploded, turning completely red as she motioned for them to be silent. The couple standing behind them coughed loudly and Cass realized it was time for them to move forward. Glancing over at Silver she hesitantly opened her mouth to say goodbye, when one of her girls suddenly thrust her arm forward in a stopping motion.

Oraluna Girl A: Worry not, Prefect! For the forces beyond this world have convened to inform you of your situation.

Oraluna Girl B: Indeed! We are to be witnesses to a most egregious event and we are loath to interrupt!

Oraluna Girl C: Go forth and have no fear, for we shall resolve to redeem ourselves in your eyes! Farewell!

The speech, as grandiose as it was and probably truly good-natured, did not excite much contentment from her. Rather it simply led to her covering her burning face with her hands. This however proved to be a bad idea since the sudden movement of the crowd led a few people to bump into her as they pushed their way forward. With no way to ascertain her surroundings and no way to stop her lack of balance, Cass would have tumbled to the ground if it hadn’t been for Silver quick reflexes. He caught her right before she hit the ground and helped her steady herself. Cass couldn’t help but be reminded of a fairytale princess being rescued by a knight in shining armour at that moment. Even as he ordered the crowd to be careful Cass realized that his hand was still on her shoulder, almost like he was making sure she would not fall over again. With his body between her and the crowd, she truly felt like had taken on a heroic image. It was really charming. So much that her heart was pounding in her chest.

Silver: Sorry for this. Are you ok?

Cass: E-Eh?

Silver: Cassandra?

Cass: Ye-Yes! I-I-I-I-I’m alright! You don’t have to worry, um…

Noticing the hand he kept on her, he calmly retracted it.

Silver: I’m sorry.

Cass: N-No! It’s alright! I-I-I-I don’t mind!

Silver: I see. The crowd is getting more erratic the closer we get to the VDC…

Cass: Um, isn’t it because everybody is looking forward to wonderful performances?

Silver: You think so?

Cass: Yes! At least I am, um… I’ve been looking forward to this since the start of the school year! It’s always such a nice event and I enjoy how everybody is so energetic and talented! I really like seeing them on stage! Th-This year Miss Morgainne said that Mister Schoenheit will most certainly win the contest!

Silver: Ah, that’s right. Lilia-senpai did say that this year the Light Music Club will be performing without Kalim…

Cass: Eh?! Mister Vanrouge is performing today too? I-I-I-I didn’t know! Um, I’ll be sure to be present there as well! Will it be the Red Stage, or the Blue or the Purple? Oh no! Do I need tickets for this too? Um, but what if they’re already all sold out-

Silver: Cassandra, wait a minute. You’re rambling.

Cass: Am I? I-I-I’m sorry! Um, that wasn’t my intention at all and um-

Silver: It’s alright. You don’t need to be so tense. You didn’t do anything wrong.

Cass: That’s true…

Silver: As for hearing him perform… I’m not sure it’s the kind of music you’d like…

Cass: Eh? Um, even if it’s something very complicated, I’ll try my best! I’m sure Mister Vanrouge’s music is beyond my capacity to understand, but it would be an insult to him if I didn’t at least try! I have much to learn from an esteemed person such as him!

Silver: … I see. But regarding his musical taste, I don’t think you have to worry too much.

Cass: Huh? What do you mean-

Sebek: CASSANDRA!

If she were to be honest, Cass would admit that she surprised even herself with the intensity of the scream that tore out from her as Sebek’s own loud voice was suddenly heard behind her. He tore through the crowd with alarming speeding and made a sharp stop right in front of her, startling her even further.

Cass: Mi-Mi-Mi-Mister Zigvolt! Um, i-i-i-is there a problem?

Sebek: CASSANDRA! FIND THE YOUNG MASTER IMMEDIATELY!

Cass: Hu-Huh?

Silver: Sebek. Stop shouting. You’re causing trouble for Cassandra.

Sebek: What?! Don’t lecture me, Silver! This is an emergency! The Young Master is in danger due to one of these witches!

Silver: What? What are you talking about?

Sebek: That unpleasant witch who always tries to bother him is here today too!

Silver: Unpleasant witch…

Cass: ...who always bothers him? Um, are you talking about Miss Pyroeis by any chance?

Sebek: EXACTLY!

Cass: Wah!

Silver: Sebek.

Sebek: That witch is smarter than she looks! She purposefully picked today to accost him since she knew we would be busy with other duties! And now the Young Master is left unprotected before her pestering!

Silver: … No, aren’t you making up ludicrous scenarios rather?

Sebek: So you’d let him fall prey to her wiles?!

Silver: I doubt there’s any danger of that. You’re too overprotective. It’s bothersome for Lord Malleus to have you hover like that all the time.

Sebek: HUH? WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY?

Nervously glancing between them, Cass felt dread wash over her. The constant barrage of noise, the glances of people who were bothered by this loud exchange and Sebek’s angry tone were stirring up memories that she’d rather never recall.

Cass: Um, I-I-I’m sorry but people are starting to stare… Um…

Her voice was faint and trembling, but Silver heard it nevertheless. When he turned to look at her, Sebek was also suddenly reminded of her presence.

Sebek: CASSANDRA! YOU MUST DIVINE THE YOUNG MASTER’S LOCATION AT ONCE!

Cass: Hu-Huh?!

Sebek’s hands landed heavily on her shoulders as she jumped in fear at the sudden action. She knew that he had no intention of actually hurting her, but it made the exchange all the more tense. In the back of her mind, the voice of a woman echoed distantly.

Cass: Um, I’m sorry, but I don’t think divination is really capable of doing something like this… The future is very broad and it would take quite a lot of time to narrow down just one scenario in this case, so, um…

Sebek: Then use your Unique Magic. You are capable of that, aren’t you?

Cass: My… Unique Magic… Wh-what…

She froze at the request, eyes wide and throat dry. The weight on her shoulders felt monumental all of a sudden as her vision went hazy. Sebek’s face seemed to disappear, morph into something both familiar and foreign at the same time. It was there and it wasn’t.

Sebek: I heard that your Unique Magic allows you to predict the future with 100% accuracy! Use that to reveal the location of the Young Master quickly!

Cass: N-No… I… I don’t think… I won’t be able to… Please…

Silver’s hand grabbed Sebek by the shoulder and pulled. Her ears were ringing, she couldn't hear anything anymore, but in the distance, as if they were hundreds of miles away from her, there were fragments of their argument. Sebek’s head was turned sideways and he was yelling at Silver who bore a strange expression on his face. Cass realized she’d never seen him look like this before. It was odd. And terrifying.

Then all of a sudden, she lost track of them. They didn’t disappear. She knew this because Sebek’s hands were still firmly grasping her shoulders. It was like a fog had descended upon her and the world was filtered through white haze. She had instead gone somewhere else: in a small room, with a dark wooden table and a woman with a desperate expression on her face. The smell of incense is heavy in the air, and it hurts her throat. The woman is holding her shoulders too, nails digging in her skin and leaving behind red, angry marks. She tried to break free, but the woman won’t let her, screaming and shaking her as if she was a ragdoll. Cass can’t hear her voice, it’s all a loud roaring, but she can feel the hatred and the anger leaking out. Her whole body is trembling. She’s so afraid she can’t even scream. Then the woman lets go of one shoulder as she raises her hand. She knows what comes next.

Cass: I’m sorry!

Her voice was filled with anguish as she wretched herself free from his hold. The intensity of her outburst was so great that Sebek let go of her shoulder almost immediately, his face betraying his shock with Silver’s being a perfect mirror. Neither had expected such a reaction. Nor did she, or the people around who had begun whispering among themselves. Stumbling backwards, Cass fell on the ground with a thud, her whole body trembling and breath coming out in short bursts. She felt dizzy, and hung her head in shame and embarrassment when she realized what just happened. With everyone’s stare trained on her, tears were already gathering in her eyes.

Her intertwined hands were pressed to her chest. Though her voice was barely above a whisper she continued to murmur apologies until she felt somebody’s presence next to her.

Silver: Cassandra. Are you alright?

Glancing over at him, Cass flinched at his proximity, but could do nothing but stare. His usual stoic expression was replaced by one of unease. Or so she thought. It made her feel guilty to see him worry like this about her, but in her panic she just wanted to get away from everybody. With shaking legs she tried to stand up and run, but merely tripped over herself and landed in a heap on the ground. Face pressed against the pavement she could barely breath from the influx of adrenaline, and when she felt a hand pat her back she let out a choked sound. Glancing up she saw Silver hovering over her. Gently he offered her his hand, which after a few moments of hesitation she accepted and let herself be pulled up. Her feet were still unsteady so she clung onto him until she found her balance. Next to them Sebek was silent as he stared in bewilderment.

Her head was reeling, and she wanted nothing more than to run away even as Silver’s soft voice tried to reach her. So when she heard the voices of her girls she finally let go of his arm and tried to resume a sliver of dignity.

Cass: Um.... I’m… I’m sorry…. Please excuse me… I’ll have to leave now… since…

She forcibly shut her mouth as she heard the first signs of hiccuping making their way through. She couldn’t fall apart now. Not in front of Silver or Sebek. It would only worry them more, and she’d already done enough to make them uncomfortable today. Without waiting for a reply she quickly bowed and made her way back to them just as they finally exited the line.

Oraluna Girl A: Prefect! Fate smiled down on us! We managed to procure the tickets- Eh? What’s wrong?

Oraluna Girl B: You don’t look well at all. Did the flowers of passion not bloom after all?

Oraluna Girl C: How disappointing!

Cass tried to offer them an encouraging smile and assure them she was fine, but it was too stiff and her voice wouldn’t come out. The girls shared a glance between them, before with great aplomb and cheerful attitudes they began to guide Cass through the crowd.

Oraluna Girl A: Don’t shed tears, Prefect! It’s such a wonderful day right now!

Oraluna Girl B: Indeed! Let us enjoy ourselves a bit at this cafe that’s open in the botanical garden!

Cass: But-

Oraluna Girl C: Ooooooh, I wonder if they have cakes!

Cass: Um-

Oraluna Girl B: Don’t be ridiculous! You only have biscuits with tea! Everyone knows that!

Cass: You three-

Oraluna Girl A: Now, now. There’s sense in what she says. Cakes are just as appropriate at teatime as cakes!

Cass: Wait-

Oraluna Girl B: Poppycock! That’s just slander!

As hard as she might have tried, it was impossible to get a hold of them so she ended up dragged to the little cafe. It was surprisingly quaint and they did have cakes much to their approval and despair. Surrounded by nature and the peaceful atmosphere, she gradually felt herself calm down. The girls didn’t press for any details and for that Cass was thankful. She didn’t feel like talking about her recent encounter, and would rather just focus on enjoying the festivities.

They made it to the Purple Stage in time, Cass having forgotten about the performance Lilia was supposed to take part in, and took their seats. NRC was first to present and while she found the whole performance beautiful and impressive, the harsh rhythm and musical tone only added to her anxiety. By the end of the song she was feeling restless and caged, and wanted nothing more than to leave. But she figured it would be rude, since the rest of the Prefects were standing there and her outburst could cost the school as well when it came to their reputation. So she stayed put and gripped the programme tighter in her hands and she tried to distract herself. When RSA’s turn came up she was shocked to hear a familiar tune resonate throughout the venue. It was the same song her grandmother used to sing to her as a child, a nursery rhyme that was quite popular in the Land of Pyroxene. She couldn’t believe she would hear it performed on a stage as big as the VDC.

Oraluna Girl A: Ohohohoho, this song is rather nostalgic!

Oraluna Girl B: Aaaah, I’m drowning in this feeling of comfort.

Watching Neige and his friends perform on stage, Cass couldn’t help but agree with them. There was something wonderfully reassuring in listening to an old familiar song being played when one was away from home. She thought back to all the times her grandmother would hold her in her arms and put her to sleep with it, and the comfort those memories brought her was so great that unshed tears began trickling down her cheeks. No sound made its way past her mouth, but when the song ended and they all bowed she felt like a huge burden was lifted off her shoulders. All the misfortunes today were forgotten, and all the fears and anxieties dissipated. She felt at peace again. Thus nobody was that surprised when Cass cast her vote for RSA or faulted her for being happy at their victory. Her girls were just glad she finally went back to her usual self.

On the way out of the venue, she bumped into an unexpected person. Or rather, bumped was not the appropriate word, since it was more akin to being startled by the sudden appearance of Lilia hanging upside down and right into her path.

Lilia: Cassandra.

The shock of seeing him almost made her scream, but she covered her mouth with her hands just in time to avoid such a thing. Out of all the people here today, Lilia was one of the two she didn’t want to embarrass herself in front of under any circumstances.

Cass: Mi-Mi-Mi-Mi-Mister Vanrouge! What- What are you doing here, um…

I-I-Is about me missing your performance today? I’m so very sorry! I had planned on attending it but certain circumstances intervened and then it slipped my mind and, um… A-Ah, but I’m making excuses and um… I really should have made that effort. Please accept my apologies!

Lilia: Kufufufufu, to be young and energetic…

Cass: Um…?

Lilia: Don’t worry about that, it’s no issue. Rather, I’ve come to talk to you about something else. I heard Sebek had given you some trouble earlier this day.

Cass: Um… that… It was really my fault… So…

Lilia: Hm? How curious.

Cass: Eh?

Lilia: Silver said that it was all Sebek’s fault for acting uncouth. It’s truly unfitting for a guard of the future heir of the Valley of Thorns to behave as such. I have no choice but to punish him.

Cass: Pu-Punish him?!

Lilia: Indeed. It will be quite excruciating. He may perhaps never be able to use his hand again after this.

Cass: Ne-Never?! Mister Vanrouge!

Lilia: Hm?

Cass: Um, Mister Zigvolt… Um, he’s just really protective of Lord Draconia… and he was worried one of our students might bother him… I-I understand it a bit… Because I really admire Lord Draconia too… A-And it’s not like Mister Zigvolt meant to cause me trouble - No-Not that he did! But, please, could you at the very least lighten his punishment? I don’t think he deserves to lose his hand over something like this!

Lilia: Hm? Who said anything about losing his hand?

Cass: Eh?

Lilia: I am merely worried that all the letter writing he will have to do will leave his hand in quite an unfortunate state. Cramps are truly dangerous once you reach a certain age, you know?

Cass: Letters… But why…?

Lilia: Fufufufufu. I have ordered Sebek to write a hundred letters of apology by tonight and deliver them to you as his punishment. Silver is currently keeping watch over him to ensure that he does so. Did you think I meant something more gruesome? My, my, today’s youth does have quite the imagination.

Will this suffice?

Cass: Suffice…? For what exactly?

Lilia gave her an indulgent smile as he stood upside down.

Lilia: Silver has told me that you have a tendency to be anxious about others’ well being rather than your own. But behaviour like this must not be tolerated. Fae are said to be a proud and haughty kind, even among ourselves, and to be insulted like this would be a slight punishable by death in certain circles. It’s good to have a kind and forgiving heart, but one must not endure injury just to spare others’ feelings.

Do you understand?

Cass stared at him in deep contemplation for a while before bowing her head slightly. A smile was present on her face, and her eyes had gone a little teary, but she nodded eagerly and gave him a shy but determined grin.

Cass: Thank you, Mister Vanrouge!

Lilia: However if you’re feeling spiteful, it is traditional among our kind to put a bucket over one’s head and bang on it as harshly as possible to punish one who wronged you.

Cass: E-Eh? I-Is that so? I would rather not put a bucket over Mister Zigvolt’s head though…

Lilia: Kufufufufufu.

Just as Lilia said, a few hours later, as the girls were about to depart, she heard Sebek call her name loudly as he ran through the campus. When he spotted her, he charged forward and Cass was worried he was going to knock her down, but he stopped at the last moment and presented her with a satchel full of neatly written letters that were each about five pages long. She paled at the sight of them and worriedly asked him if his hand was already. He assured her that this was nothing he couldn’t handle, and that he was dutifully fulfilling his role as a loyal, but well-mannered guard. Without even meaning to, Cass found herself giggling at his earnest nature which also earned her a flustered and confused face from Sebek.

She brought the letters back to her dorm room, and dutifully spent that weekend composing a letter of forgiveness in response. At the end, in small writing she invited the four of them to Oraluna for tea next time they were on campus, and the thought of being so bold both excited and terrified her. Yet, it was only proper to show that there was to be no bad blood between them.            

Agatha Voisin

The Inter-School Cultural Festival had always been a headache Agatha was not looking forward to ever since she became a high school student. All that it amounted to was a lot of noise, people bumping into each other or staring at her as she tried to make her way through the crowd. Certainly not the type of activity she wanted to take part in. Especially since a large portion of those on-lookers thought it would be wise to make comments on her appearance.

Girl A: Hey. Did you see that girl?

Girl B: Hm? Woah! What’s with that creepy smile?

Girl C: This isn’t Halloween…

Girl A: Oh, but look at her uniform. Isn’t she from that prestigious school?

Girl B: You mean Walpurga Nacht? The one that had those Dances this year?

Girl A: Yeah. I watched them on TV!

Girl C: Me too! That first girl, um, I can’t remember her name-

Girl A: You mean Cherry? She was so cool!

Girl B: I know right?! It kinda made me want to transfer there, hehe.

Girl C: Ha? There’s no way you can do that. You gotta take the entrance exam.

Girl A: Oh yeah. They say it’s absolute hell and only a very small number of girls pass it.

Girl B: Still! How cool would it be to go to school with Cherry! Even with the recent scandals…

Agatha was at a fair distance from their group, so the girls were pretty sure that she couldn’t overhear them gossip, but she caught it all. The first comment made her angry and the conversation afterwards only irritated her further, which was quite an impressive feat given that she started out the day quite displeased. She charged directly at them, and the sudden presence behind them startled them so much the three girls ended up screaming. Pinning them down with a stare, Agatha was silent.

Girl B: U-Um, can… can we help you…?

Agatha: ……..

Girl B: …..

Agatha: ………………………………….

Girl B: ……………………………. Um…….

Agatha: I… was… cute…

Girl B: Hu-Huh? I-I’m sorry?

Agatha: During… the… Dance… I… was… cute… too… Cuter… than… the… stupid… amoeba…

Girl B: Amoeba? Wh-What? I-I don’t follow…

Agatha: ………………..

They huddled close together, waiting for her to reply, but when nothing but silence could be heard they began retreating slowly. They turned their back to her slightly, making their way through the crowd as Agatha followed them with her gaze. Even when they disappeared from sight, she continued to stare while contemplating just what exactly was the point of coming here today.

The school festival was always an annoyance, indeed, but at the very least she could spend it together with her Big Sis scouting the booths or with her Big Bro hiding in his shop. So, as soon as the Headmistress gave them the green light that was exactly what she tried to do: find her Big Sis and start touring. She left her group without a word, but the Eliksia girls were used to this sort of behaviour already, so it didn’t phase them much. Finding Vita was not a particularly difficult task since the girl tended to attract quite a lot of attention, especially when together with her dorm mates. But when she asked her where they should start off this year, Vita told her:

Vita: My apologies, my dear Agatha. My husband is to hold forth a discourse upon the subject of his research. ‘Tis my duty as his wife to ensure he does not engage in any navel-gazing before the due time. I am afraid I will not be able to escort you today.

That was disappointing, but she simply nodded in understanding. It was unfortunate though. Her Big Sis’ husband always struck Agatha as too much of a spineless coward, so that she would need to be there to encourage him was not all that surprising. She wasn’t angry at her, but at him rather, but since nothing could be done, she set forth to find her Big Bro. Reaching Sam’s shop was a bit difficult since due to her small size people would tend to bump into her by accident and she almost found herself on the ground a couple of times during the trip. When they turned to apologize she simply ignored them and went on her way. She didn’t care for their words in any case. Unfortunately, her luck took a turn for the worse, as once she was in front of the Mystery Shop she realized that a long line had formed outside. The festival was always a busy time of the year for him, but she hoped that she could at least try to sneak in and hide in her usual place. That did not happen, for as soon as she tried to cut in line she got yelled by some of the patrons and pushed aside. Unsteady on her feet as always, she fell down backwards with a thud.

Boy A: What the hell is your problem, huh? You can’t just cut in as you like!

Boy B: Ugh, dude, what’s with her mouth? It’s creepy…

Boy C: He-Hey… She can hear you, you know…

Boy A: Whatever. Listen, ugly, get back to the end of the line like everybody else. Seriously…

Agatha stared at them for a long while. So long that the boy who spoke first, and seemed to be the leader, began to look slightly disturbed as he returned her gaze. Eventually he scowled and looked away, trying to ignore her. She was still on the ground, not having moved an inch, and reached into her belt pouch to look for something. The other two boys watched her with light trepidation and confusion as they heard the sound of glass clicking. When she finally found what she was looking for, she let out a short laugh and pulled out a small vial. The substance inside was black and thick as it sloshed around, and the boys’ faces palled considerably.

Boy B: He-Hey, is that a joke?

Boy C: There’s no way you’re using that here, are you?! That’s a-

Toby: Oh! Where is this?

Just as Agatha was about to open the small bottle, a sudden shout stopped her. Looking over to her right she spotted the familiar sight of a RSA uniform and the even more familiar one of a young second year student. Toby’s big, doe eyes were scanning the surroundings carefully and with intense curiosity, until they finally landed on her. Then, as if a switch was flipped he seemed to remember just what was going on.

Toby: It’s you! Hello, hello~ How are you?

He approached her in his typical spacey but cheerful manner. Agatha merely continued to stare.

Toby: Are you here for… Hm? What is this place again?

Agatha: ………………….

Toby: Hm~ Hm~ Guess I got lost again, hehe!

Agatha: …………………..

Toby: This place is really big~ But I can’t remember what it's called at all.

Agatha: …………………

Toby: Oh? What’s in that bottle?

Even though she gave no acknowledgement that she heard or cared about what he had to say, Toby continued to prattle on and on without any signs of stopping. He asked about the black liquid inside, about why she was sitting on the ground, about why there was a line - any little thing that attracted his attention quickly came under scrutiny. It was far more than she could handle at the moment, Agatha realized soon enough, and promptly stood up. She stashed the little bottle of vial away and started making her way back to the main festival area. Which is how she ended up in another annoying situation.

Standing still, she wondered if it perhaps wasn’t easier to just crawl in some hidden place and wait for the day to come to an end. That would reduce the number of stupid people saying stupid things around her. However just as she was to turn around and head off after that disastrous situation, she was stopped by a very familiar and horribly cute voice.

Toby: What are you doing here, hm~? Did you get lost too?

Glancing down she realized that she had been followed. Looking up at her with his big doe eyes, there was Toby. She thought she lost him when the crowd seemed to swallow her, but seems like he was better at tailing her than she expected. He did have the most unusual talent of keeping track of her.

Agatha: …………………………………

Toby: ………………………………….

Agatha: ………………………………..

Toby: Hm~? What are we doing here again?

It was no use. Even if she spent her entire day glaring at him, he simply would be unable to recognize her irritation. But running away from him with her slow gait was not particularly possible. Neither was spending any amount of time with him. No matter how she looked at it, she was stuck in an unfavorable position.

Hop: Toby~ There you are~!

Just as she was contemplating whether she could use a potion to get out of this mess, another loud voice found its way onto the scene. Looking away from Toby, she stopped three more students about his height making their way towards them. Not only that, but they wore the exact same uniform as him, so it wasn’t much of an effort to figure out they were his classmates.

Agatha: ……………………. They’ve… multiplied….

Toby: Hm~?

Hop: Toby~ We looked everywhere for you~

Hm? Who’s that?

Suddenly Agatha realized that she was partially surrounded by the little dwarf students of RSA who looked at her with a variety of curious expressions. The blonde who was yelling seemed most at ease, and friendly, while the blue haired one was hiding partially while keeping the green haired, laid back boy in the front. The amount of cuteness that radiated from them was making her very irritated.

Toby: This is my friend~ Hm… what was your name again?

Hop: Eh? You have a friend without a name? That’s so weird, hahahaha!

Timmy: Um… Ma-Maybe we can… um… ask her....?

Toby: Hm~ But what if she doesn’t remember it either?

Hop: Hahahahahaha! There’s no way people don’t remember their own name!

Toby: Oh~ I guess you’re right!

Agatha: ………………………………………

Hop: Hello, hello~ What’s your name? I’m Hop! Yay~ Nice to meet you!

Timmy: I’m… I’m… Timmy… um…

Shelpy: …………………. Oh… Hm.... I’m Shelpy…

Toby: Hehe, and I’m- Hm~? Who was I again?

Hop: You’re Toby, hahahahahaha!

Toby: Oh~ That’s true! I guess I am! Hehehehe!

Agatha: …………………………………….

Toby: ……………………………………

Agatha: ……………………………………………..

Hop: ………………………………………….

Agatha: …………………………………………….

Timmy & Shelpy: ………………………………………

Today was simply not a day she could have any hope of enjoying. Even though she refused to tell them her name, and very pointedly began to walk away from them, this did not seem to dampen their enthusiasm at all. They stuck to her like glue, and no matter how hard she tried she simply couldn’t shake them off. Moreover, they did all kinds of weird things like ask her to play games with them, or eat some of the sweets they bought for themselves, take a picture together and many other such inane requests were slung her way until her mind was hazy with confusion. Why couldn’t they just let her be already? They were too shiny and cheerful for her taste, and the amount of attention they gathered with their loud voices was too much.

Hop: Hey~ Hey~ Let’s catch goldfish!

Toby: Hm~ They sell candy floss right over there~

Timmy: I-It looks tasty. Maybe we should get some, um…

Hop: Good idea~ Toby’s friend, do you like candy floss too? Let’s all get some!

She eventually was able to break from them, when three others showed up and one of the silver haired ones began to scold the other four for leaving without telling anybody. Too distracted by the commotion none of them noticed when she disappeared though Toby was on the verge of following after out of sheer reflex, and had to be stopped by Dominic who reminded him that they have to rehearse before they went on stage.

Now alone, Agatha began to wander through the festival grounds, trying to think of what she could do to pass the time. Looking into her belt pouch she spotted the VDC ticket Vita got for her a few weeks ago. It was surprisingly thin and she often worried that the thing would tear right off if she wasn’t careful enough. The thought was daunting - after all, her Big Sis didn’t have to buy her a ticket, but still did. For that Agatha was very grateful. But she would be lying if she didn’t admit that having somebody to watch it with, would have been far more entertaining. Kicking at the ground in irritation, she suddenly found the idea of her sister’s husband existing quite an annoying prospect.

Agatha: ……… Ugh….. stupid….. chowder….

Stuffing her ticket further into her pouch she set off to walk around the school grounds and waste her time until the show started. People continued to whisper and stare at her, but she was too downtrodden to really care about it anymore.

During the show, Agatha was rather surprised to see Toby and his friends performing as well. Not that she particularly cared about it or anything, but it did lead to her irritation increasing due to having to see the little dwarf students from RSA be adored for their cuteness by the whole world. That Neige Revanche kid was already too much, with his stupid hair, and stupid sparkling eyes, and stupid pretty smile - Agatha could go on for hours about the many things she found stupid about Neige, but in the end it all boiled down to the same issue: Neige was publicly recognized as cute. Much like the stupid amoeba that went to her school.

But there wasn’t much she could say about NRC’s team either, since with their shiny looks and energetic dance performances they didn’t make much of an impression on her. It was all the same. Just a bunch of popular kids showing off. It irritated her too much to even pay attention, so when it came to voting she simply refused to do it. She watched the girls of her dorm cast their votes, and the rest of the students and the audience, but she kept her arms crossed and expression sour. But it wasn’t like anybody was going to ask her about it anyway. RSA’s win meant nothing to her, and instead she was just glad that they could finally go back to their school. As everybody exited the venue and she found herself in the outside street she looked around wondering just what she was supposed to do before they left.

Finding her Big Sis would be nice, unless she was with the annoying chowder again. Agatha loved her dearly, but couldn’t wrap her head around why she insisted on spending time with that mollusk of a man. She laughed to herself at that thought. He really did seem like a mollusk now that she thought about it. From behind a pair of hands rested on her shoulders, and her sister’s long, white hair came into sight.

Vita: How fortunate to find you, my dear Agatha.

Agatha: Big…. Sis….

Vita: Hm? What be this? Are you perhaps displeased?

Agatha: …………………………

Vita: I see. My apologies, my dear Agatha. I have rather failed to keep to our tradition, have I not?

Agatha: ………………………..

Vita: It does not suit you to look so despondent, my dear.

Agatha: ……………………….

Reaching over into the belt pouch she carried around, Agatha produced a small bag of brightly coloured candy that she presented to Vita.

Vita: Hm? What might be now?

Agatha: Mint…. candy…

Vita: Oh?

Agatha: It’s…. Big… Sis…. punishment…. for….. running….. off….. with…. the…. chowder….

Vita: ‘Tis so?

There was an amused smile on her lips as she took the small bag, and opened it. Fishing out one of the pieces she laughed softly before putting it in her mind.  

Agatha: ……… Big…… Sis…. has…. to….. finish…… off…. the….. bag…… I….. have….. been…. through….. a…….. lot…… today…….. because…….. of….. Big……. Sis’…….. absence……….

Vita: My, my, how unfortunate. Very well then. I suppose I shall dutifully undertake my penance. Now, tell, just what had occurred while I had been away, my dear.

As Agatha set out to tell Vita about what happened away, she felt her irritation melt away slowly. Bantering like this with her Big Sis always put her in a good mood, and all her encounters today at the very least made for an entertaining story just like Vita liked it. True to her word, she did end up finishing the entire bag of mint candy that Agatha had bought for her. She didn’t show any indication that she found the experience unpleasant or disgusting, which is pretty much just what Agatha expected from her. It wasn’t like Vita to show her true emotions on her face anyway, but the thought that she might be mildly inconvenienced was enough for her to forgive her Big Sis.

They walked through the festival grounds, and had a look at a few of the booths Agatha had visited earlier. The boys who had made fun of her earlier had crossed paths with them again, but Vita’s mere presence had quickly taken out the fight out of them. Her Big Sis was a strong magician after all, and Agatha loved and admired that about her. She and Big Bro were accomplished and powerful, and thus her goal was to become just as amazing as the people she looked up to the most in the world.

But if Agatha had to be honest, she would have to admit that there were times when she simply couldn’t understand what went on in her Big Sis’ mind. There were some things that Vita never talked about and some reactions Agatha had never gotten from her. Her Big Sis was always smiling, sometimes she would be displeased, and there was always that tinge of superiority to it. But now, just for a split second, as they were lost among the crowds she could have sworn she sensed something new, something unusual and scary. For a brief moment Agatha felt a wave of rage emanating from her, like she’d never felt before. The intensity of it was so high that not even the big, dumb chowder that ran Galdtrea could replicate it in her worst moments. It was pure and unadulterated, and it sent a shiver down her spine.

But when she looked over at her, Vita was smiling serenely as always and with no trace of fury in her countenance.

Vita: Is there something that displeases you, my dear Agatha?

The younger girl stared for a while, before slowly shaking her head. Vita let out a small laugh again, and they continued their journey through the festival grounds. The odd sensation did not appear again all evening, and by the end of it Agatha had convinced herself it was merely a trick of the mind. It was for the better. After all, for all the love her sister bore her, revealing such things was out of the question.      

Vita Dies

Stretching her arms above her head, the girl to Vita’s right let out a loud yawn that was not in the slightest dignified or refined. She coughed slightly, and watched as her dorm mate reluctantly, but obediently, covered her mouth with her hand. Walking among the festival crowds was not exactly the sort of thing Noctasis students found all that exciting under normal circumstances, but when it was the festival grounds of another school, things could always take an unexpected turn. Not that they have until now, but they could still hope.

Noctasis Girl A: This is shit.

Noctasis Girl B: Hear, hear.

Noctasis Girl C: Thirded.

Their voice was devoid of any emotion - no trance of annoyance or even boredom. It was merely an indifferent remark upon the current state they found themselves in. Though they complained about having to be here, Vita was certain that if she proposed they should go they would start grumbling about that as well. At this point they were merely venting out their frustrations regarding the apparent lack of entertainment at this festivity.  

Noctasis Girl B: Hey, so you got your ticket for that VDC thing?

Noctasis Girl C: Yup. You?

Noctasis Girl A: Ugh, that’s gonna be shitty too.

Noctasis Girl B: Isn’t that what we’re counting on though?

Noctasis Girl A: Ha, that’s true. This year NRC’s got that Schoenheit dude, and RSA’s got the Revanche kiddo.

Noctasis Girl D: Who’s that?

Noctasis Girl A: Hell if I know. But Schoenheit is a Prefect here, you moron.

Noctasis Girl D: Oh yeah, that guy.

Noctasis Girl A: You have no idea who I’m talking about, are you?

Noctasis Girl D: It’s just some dude, what does it even matter?

Noctasis Girl A: Then why the hell did you even ask?

Noctasis Girl D: Screw you.

Noctasis Girl A: Oh, trust-

Vita: Hm? How peculiar.

Noctasis Girl A: What?

Vita: I have not realized I had taken clucking chickens for companionship today.

Noctasis Girl B: Huh? What are you on about now?

Vita: If I were to know this would be the case, I would have gladly just taken such a pet with me. It would certainly have had more dignity.

Noctasis Girl B: …

Noctasis Girl A: .... You know, Prefect. Sometimes I wonder just how you still got to keep your tongue from all that backtalk you’re giving. There ought to be somebody with scissors around.

The group let out a loud laugh at this, and Vita gave them a smirk as well.

Vita: Hm, I suppose that would not be so bad for you. After all, your barking is barely an inconvenience. Cutting your tongue would be as cutting at air.

Noctasis Girl A: ….. Screw you.

Another chorus of laughter was heard, and as they walked through the campus heads would turn and people would glance at them. They rarely stared however, since by just their uniforms alone they could already figure out what school they went to. The reputation of Walpurga Nacht was one that far exceeded just the academic sphere, so to see regular people take an interest in them was quite common. Though few ever really had the courage of striking a conversation with them. WNA girls just radiated an unapproachable aura that was apparent from both the way they behaved themselves and the general image of the school in public consciousness. This was doubly the case for the Noctasis dorm, whose sharp decline in members had led to many rumours and speculations circulating among many.

To Vita, it was not something new in the least. She’d grown accustomed over the years to the nosy stares and unabashed comments and being on the receiving end here at NRC was less than a sting. Besides it was not them that she came to the school to see, but rather a certain Prefect of Ignihyde who seemed to be hiding away from her at the moment.

The Inter-School Cultural Festival was not a thing Vita ever concerned herself much with. At best it was simply a distraction from her research, at worst a day wasted on inane matters. When Idia finally got admitted into NRC she began to pay more attention to it, whereas before she had skipped it on principle. But then again, during her first year she didn’t have Agatha either, which would have made things more bearable. She was sure to take the younger girl with her every year and together they’d explore the ground of the host school and indulge in some light mockery of whatever struck their fancy. This year it was supposed to be the same, and Agatha was quite looking forward to it as well, but that was before Vita found out that Idia was meant to give a speech at the festival.

He did not want to inform her of it at first, of course, so it was Ortho who had let her know instead. Though she’d made sure to contact her husband almost immediately afterwards and the shriek he let out when she revealed that she would most certainly be attending his speech was much more endearing than she could have imagined. Vita had been in a good mood for the rest of the week after that happened, and made preparations so she could comfortably attend his speech despite his protests. Her husband was much too modest. And much too naive to think that anything he said could change her mind. Her only regret was that she would have to leave Agatha to her own devices as the younger girl did not want to spend any time around the Ignihyde Prefect. It was unfortunate, but she couldn’t force her to do something she did not want. At the very least she ensured that Agatha would be occupied for a portion of the day, and if she managed to find Sam she would most likely not be as upset by this turn of events.

Noctasis Girl A: Hey. Where ya going, Prefect?

She had taken a sharp turn just as they were nearing the main street that led to the Coliseum, and the sudden shift made them stop in their tracks. Vita offered merely a wave in return, never once looking back and soon got lost among the crowd. The girls shared a look between them, but didn’t question it further. After all, they were used to this sort of behaviour from their Prefect. Going in the opposite direction from where she was heading to, they found their way back to the festival grounds and had another look around.

Vita was never a fan of human contact, especially when it came to strangers, so making her way through was far more unpleasant than she expected. Having to bump shoulders with people who did not seem to understand that they ought to get out of her way was rather grating, more so when two somehow managed to lose their footing and fall to the ground like fools. They called after her but she merely looked forward, unbothered. Ortho had been kind enough to let her know where the booth for the Boardgame Club would be located so it took her far less time than it would otherwise. NRC was a larger campus than WNA’s so walking around was always very much a chore for the witches that would visit.

She wished she could have taken Larna with her. The hellhound’s presence would have made this more bearable, but the familiar did not take well to large and noisy crowds. Especially those that presumed they were allowed to even touch her beloved companion. She herself did not mind breaking a few bones here and there, or slapping wandering hands away, but she was certain that it would have made Larna quite upset, so with a heavy heart she had to leave the hound behind and visit her husband by herself today. It would most likely make him disappointed, but there was no other choice.

When she finally reached the door to the room Ortho had guided her too, she threw it open with a willful carelessness and caused at least one of the occupants to scream in surprise. With wide eyes and a slightly panicked expression, her husband stared at her as she set foot inside. She was within three feet of him when he recovered and blinked away his shock.

Idia: Wh-Why the hell did you do that? It was way too showy. No normal person enters a room like that, you know?

Vita: Hm~ I suppose ‘tis be so. I merely wished to make my presence known to you, husband.

Idia grimaced at her explanation, expression clearly distrusting and exasperated.

Idia: Huh? What’s that even- actually, no. I shouldn’t even be asking you that. You’re bound to come up with some weirdo answer like usual.

Vita: Husband…

Idia: Hu-Huh? What’s with that expression on your face? It’s giving me the creeps…

Vita: I had simply not imagined that I have become such a prominent figure in your mind~.

Idia: Ha? What are you on about?  

Vita: My heart is aflutter. I must confess that I have spent many hours thinking about you too. ‘Tis a very pleasurable experience~

Idia sighed heavily as he watched the grin on her face expand. She was teasing him for sure now.

Idia: Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say.

Vita: Do you doubt me, dear husband?

Idia: Doubt… I guess you can call it that too. In any case, if you’re only here to amuse yourself then go play with somebody else. I’m busy.

Vita: Hm? Whatever might you be doing now before your presentation, husband?

Idia: I’m doing the sound check again and… just making sure everything is in order… uh…

Vita: Have you not done this already for at least five times?

Idia: Eh? How did you know that…

Vita chuckled at his taken aback expression, and leaned forward slightly, so she could brush a few errant hair strands away from his face.

Vita: I would like to believe that I have a firm grasp on your psychology, my dear husband. After all, what kind of wife is that which cannot tell her beloved’s eccentricities?

Idia’s face turned pink, the closeness between them taking him by surprise. He leaned away as Vita tried to close the distance and almost fell backwards had she not pulled away at the very last minute. Letting out another chuckle she cleared out some of the papers thrown across the desk in front of him and sat on it. Once he noticed what she was doing, he immediately gathered them in one pile and away from her.

Vita: ‘Tis be your speech, husband?

Idia: Yeah, they’re the notes on my research up to now. Haa, can’t I just send these by e-mail and avoid the whole presentation?

Vita: Do not be ridiculous, husband. Any researcher must defend their labour from the ignorant masses that are certain to misunderstand it. I would be loath to see your hard work be dragged through the mud.

Idia: You’re the only one who cares about this whole thing.

Vita: Oh, are you not to be intimidated by the imbeciles then?

Idia: Aaah, don’t remind me. Just thinking about going on that stage to hold this speech… I can already hear everybody whispering about it.

“Hey is that guy’s hair on fire?”

“You think he’s from that Shroud family?”

“Ugh, he looks super creepy doesn’t he?”

It’s always the same, really.

Vita: Husband.

Idia: Hm?                  

Leaning over, Vita took some of the pages he was holding and began to arrange them properly. He watched her as he sat down in the chair next to the desk, and leaned back slightly, expression unreadable. As she was looking through the papers, Vita began to talk again.

Vita: ‘Tis truly remarkable, husband.

Idia: Huh? What is?

Vita: Your mind. I am to be left once more in awe of your genius.

Idia scoffed and reached over to take them away from her.

Vita: Hm? Is this your reaction?

Idia: Haaa, not that a wrapped woman like you would even understand the kind of worries that I have.

Vita: Oh? Is that so?

Idia: High spec characters like you have enough Charisma points not to worry about stuff like that. You’re the sort of antagonist character that gives out a noblewoman’s laugh when she steps on people’s heads and forces them into the mud.

Vita chuckled in amusement and smiled over at him.

Vita: My~ That is a rather flattering image you have of me, husband. I am touched. Would you desire to receive that sort of treatment, hm?

Idia: This is exactly what I’m talking about. Your thinking is too messed up. Haaa, seriously, introverts like me just don’t have any luck…

Vita: Then I shall strive to become more acquiantanced with some hexes that increase good luck. Would that not sound good?

Idia: Don’t ever get tired of that?

Vita: Whatever could you mean?

Idia: Of mocking others.

Vita laughed as she crossed one leg over the other.

Vita: Husband, you must have realised by now that my jests are merely meant to tease. And I shall never get tired of playing with you. You make the most adorable expression when you frown like that~

Idia exhaled loudly, face betraying both an exhausted kind of frustration as well as embarrassment. The tips of his ears turned red, and his hair flared up a little, the blue gaining a little crimson streak at the bottom. Vita’s grin grew bigger at the sight and she leaned in closer as she took in the sight. He did not turn away this time, but the pink that coated his face was unmistakable. They held each other’s gaze for a while, until Idia finally broke eye contact to glance around.

Vita: Our dear Larna could not come today, husband.

Idia: Ah.

His face fell slightly. His disappointment was more visible than Vita expected.

Vita: These mobs make him rather uncomfortable as you know.

Idia: Yeah… He’s really docile for a hellhound.

Vita: ‘Tis quite charming. Nevertheless, he was despondent when he was told that he may not come today. He misses you terribly.

Idia: Heh, I could say the same. But…

She watched with a certain degree of curiosity as he fiddled with the notes a little, looking quite bashful all of a sudden.

Idia: Ah, maybe next weekend when you’re supposed to visit… He could come along?

Vita: Hm, I wonder about that.

Idia: Huh?      

She avoided his befuddled gaze as she inspected her nails. In her pouch the letter she received a few days ago felt rather heavy all of a sudden. Idia waited for a response, or even a reaction from her, but when it became clear that she would not offer one he opened his mouth to ask for one. Unfortunately, before he could even utter a sound, Ortho came bounding and cheerfully called out to his sister-in-law.

Ortho: Vita Dies! Welcome! I am glad to see that you didn’t have any problems following the instructions I left for you!

Vita: Of course. They were rather detailed, after all.

Ortho: Mm! I wanted to make sure you found your way here quickly! Big Brother is also very happy to see you’re here at last!

Idia: O-Ortho…!

Ortho: Hm? Is there something you’re upset about, Big Brother?

Vita: I would not have missed his presentation for anything in the world.

Ortho: Hehehe!

Vita: Oh? Was that so amusing, little Ortho?

Ortho: Oh no! I was merely thinking how you’re always so supportive of Big Brother. It makes me really happy that you get along so well! I’ve never even seen you two fight before!

There was a certain drop in temperature all of a sudden as Ortho finished speaking. Vita’s smile got a little tighter, but nothing in her body posture or voice betrayed anything as she spoke. Beside her Idia tensed and stayed silent.

Vita: ‘Tis the duty of a wife to ensure her husband is never without aid when he most needs it. And her pleasure to bask in his success~

Ortho: Hehe, I guess that’s true.

She shifted slightly, as she switched legs. Idia set down the notes he was holding and stood up. Vita and Ortho’s eyes followed him as he moved.

Vita: There still be an hour until your presentation, husband.

Idia: I know, but I can’t concentrate with you here.

Vita: To think I was such distracting figure even in my uniform~

Idia: Th-That’s not what I meant! Ugh, you’re impossible…

Vita: On the contrary, husband. But I understand your desire quite well. I shall make myself scarce and let you return to your preparations. Ah, but before I depart…

Idia raised an eyebrow as she watched her slide off the table and come closer to him. His face turning red again, and hair flaring up slightly, he held his breath as she stood merely inches away from him. Seeing her without her usual amount of makeup was always a disquieting experience, but he could not deny that even so she was beautiful. She was so close that he could feel her body heat emanating from her and wondered just exactly she was planning. It couldn’t be what he was thinking, surely.

Vita: Husband.

Idia: Ye-Yeah?

Vita: Would you like a good luck kiss?

He blinked owlishly at her, and when he finally processed her question he turned away face completely red.

Idia: Haaaaaa! I knew you shouldn’t have come here today!

Vita merely giggled at his reaction and tried to step even closer, but out of embarrassment Idia continued to move away from her. Watching them confused, Ortho cocked his head to the side and quietly began a quick health scan.

Idia: Ah! If you have time to play, go play with Ortho!

Ortho: I am free if you need company, Vita Dies!

Vita: How kind of you.

Ortho: We could play board games, or if you’d like, you can try out the VR Magical Dice Game that Big Brother developed!

Vita: Oh?

Idia: Ah, it’s nothing to get excited about…

Vita: Modesty does not befit you, husband.

Idia: It’s not that. Any monkey could make something like this.

His mouth pulled into a vicious smirk as he peered at her.

Idia: Even you, I bet.

Vita: You are too kind husband~

Ortho: Would you like to try it, Vita Dies?

Vita: Perhaps.

Idia: I doubt you would like it. It’s got no support class.

Vita: Hm, indeed. That does sound rather discouraging.

Idia: You should diversify your skills, you know. Look into some DPS, maybe even a mage. Tank… Nah, that doesn’t suit you.

Vita: I must decline, husband. I am rather happy with my current class.

Idia: You just heal and buff. Couldn’t hurt to do some damage too.

Vita: Perhaps, yet I find it far more pleasurable to remain in the shadows and exercise control over the enemy monsters. Are you displeased by my performance?

Idia scoffed. His smirk turned into one of amusement.

Idia: Nah, the opposite. It’s scary how good you are at that stuff.

Vita: ‘Tis your praise that allows me to play so skillfully~

Idia: There you go saying creepy things again… Hehehehe, but the reaction I got when I cut down that guy’s PC thanks to your binding spell keeping him in one place… Hehehehehehe, that was really hilarious.

Vita: ‘Twas a most beguiling victory, indeed.

Idia: That reminds me. We’re going on that raid next month.

Vita: Ah, that be so indeed.

Idia: Yeah, so make sure you’re stocked up. You should level up too. They got some new features for your class, you know? I had a look through and some would really help optimize your build. Here, let me show you.

Ortho’s gaze switched from one to the other as he listened to them talk. Lost in their own world, they continued to debate over stats and builds and all sorts of other things related to matters of gaming and such that Ortho wasn’t entirely sure he could understand. But even so he could notice the sudden softness that appeared between them as they chatted. Though his Big Brother would never admit it, he always seemed to become more relaxed in Vita’s presence whenever she was with them. They traded barbs quite often, but there was rarely any true venom to them. It was almost as if they found pleasure in such a practice. He couldn’t exactly wrap his head around it, but as long as his Big Brother was happy, Ortho was content with the situation.

He and Vita continued like this for quite a while, until Idia was reminded about his speech and promptly sent her to play with Ortho while he made the final preparation. He expected her to object at least a little, but she was surprisingly obedient.

Vita: Hm? Do you consider me such an argumentative woman? I will merely delight in your calm disposition as you amaze those fools, husband.

He didn’t really get what she was saying, but it didn’t matter right now. He had a speech to give. Though, strangely enough he felt he was far less anxious about it than before. It could be that her endless pestering had alleviated some of his tension, but he didn’t dwell on it.

Vita spent the rest of the time talking to Ortho, with Azul occasionally interjecting when he seized the opportunity. Though they were not on the best of terms, he would have been a fool not to try and get some information out of her. Not that she was too eager to offer it, but Azul would not have let that stop him.

When the time came for the presentation to start, Vita accompanied Idia and Ortho to the venue and found a seat near to the front where she had a great view of the stage. She took out a pen and notebook and carefully noted down the information Idia offered. It was petty, but she felt herself swell with pride at the appreciative and admiring looks he received from the company representatives present there. They all murmured among themselves and nodded, their attention trained entirely on him. Glancing at him, Vita could see his tense posture - as well as the way his hands moved quickly across the keyboard. It seems that he decided to use a voice synthesizer after all, which she did not consider all that acceptable, but on this occasion she would hold her tongue. It was surprising enough that he would show up in person, so scolding him over it would not be a good idea at all.

The Q&A session went exceedingly well too, with many seizing the opportunity to ask about the details and mechanics of his research. Questions which Idia all answered proficiently and competently. Even the Headmistress of her academy had been present and from merely glancing at her expression, Vita could tell she was pleased. Indeed, it seemed that Idia had made quite the impression with his work. People were talking among themselves at the end of the session, and Vita couldn’t help but overhear their chatter and praises aimed at her husband. She joined a few of the conversations, aristocratic upbringing being rather helpful in such situations as she laughed and smiled and offered witty remarks and good points when it was appropriate and stood in silence at other times, letting these influential people praise the accomplishments of the Shroud heir. Who was of course nowhere to be seen.

Vita observed the room carefully and when she deduced that indeed Idia had disappeared without a word she calmly excused herself and left the venue as well. She had expected this much from him, if she were to be honest, so it did not bother her so much to make this change in plans. She was anything but inflexible when it came to him, after all. Walking through the NRC campus she headed towards a quite familiar location. It was in fact the one place she knew almost as well as the back of her hand mainly because it was where she spent most of her time when visiting the school. She was quite thankful for the transportation mirrors that acted as gateways to the dorms simply because using them was quite easier than the system in place at WNA. Though it also meant that it would be quite easy for anybody to sneak in, without much of a fuss.

The door to Idia’s room was closed, just as she thought, though with a mere flick of the wrist and a little spell it flew open to make a grand entrance. Her husband jumped in his chair as he turned around to look at her smiling face. Grimacing slightly he turned back to his computer and resumed typing what seemed to be some commands for a code Vita could not recognize.

Vita: You left quite swiftly, husband.

Idia: You know I don’t care for this crap anyway…

Vita: Hm, indeed. Yet I had hoped we could take a walk around campus.

Idia: Huh? What for?

Vita: ‘Tis romantic, husband. Lovers in the night, cloaked by the treacherous dark, always one step away from death and reminded of their mortality… Ah, I shiver at the mere notion of it~

Idia watched almost in amazement as her body did indeed shiver at that moment, and a wide smirk covered her face. She leaned against the desk he was working on and Idia was flustered by the sudden proximity.

Idia: NRC isn’t that kind of place, you know…

Vita: Yes, quite unfortunate.

Idia: Only you would say that.

Vita: Then shall we?

Idia: Shall we what?

Vita: Join together in eternity~

Idia: Haaa, not today, I’m pretty busy.

Vita: How cruel~

He sighed again, but his expression was amused. It set Vita at ease to see him in a slightly better mood. Her husband’s penchant for melancholy was quite worrisome at times so she desires if nothing else that he should at least be comfortable enough in her presence to relax. She watched him fondly as he resumed typing away, still somewhat distracted by how close her body was to him.

Vita: You were wonderful today.

Idia: Hehehehe, this sort of stuff is child’s play since I’m a genius.

Vita: I am supremely proud of you, husband.

His hands froze above the keyboard and he slowly turned pink. Glancing away in embarrassment, he grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck.

Idia: Haaa, you’re on that again?

Vita: Should I not be? Does my husband not deserve praise for all his effort? Perhaps even a kiss as a reward, hm?

Idia: How can you even say stuff like that with a straight face? SSR characters sure are something else…

Vita: ‘Tis merely how I feel~

She looked around the messy room, clothes and books thrown all around, half-filled bottles of water and empty cans of energy drinks placed in random spots and bed unmade - it was as pitiful as she always remembered it, but something was missing.

Vita: Husband.

Idia gave a distracted hum eyes still glued to the screen.

Vita: I cannot catch a single glimpse of little Ortho. Has he not returned with you?

Idia: Ah, that… He went to check out the booths.

Vita: And you did not accompany him?

Idia scoffed at this.

Idia: And waste my time with whatever some high schoolers have cropped up?

Vita: Or rather spend some time with the child.

There was a tense silence between them, neither daring to remark on her word choice though it was quite obvious what she was getting at.

Idia: Ah, I doubt he would have had much fun if I came along anyway.

Vita: Hm? Did you perhaps have a fight?

Idia: So you figured it out?

Vita: I know you quite well, husband.

She picked up one of the coffee cans sitting on the desk behind her and chucked it away in the trash with a flick of her wrist.

Idia: It wasn’t that big a deal anyway. Just ‘cause some big corps sent me a few offers, suddenly I need to reschedule my entire life... It’s too much of a hassle.

Vita: So you plan not to take them? Are you this much of a fool?

Idia withered slightly under her harsh, cool gaze. She was still not facing him directly, but even so he could sense the disapproving sentiment she was projecting. It always managed to intimidate and annoy him ever since they were children.

Idia: There’s no point in doing that, since it’s not like I can even go anywhere…

He mumbled the last part, but her ears still caught it. Turning to him fully, she crossed her arms and for the first time a slightly irritated expression came on her face.

Vita: So you plan to run away with your tail between your legs like a coward?

Idia: …

Vita: Is there no pride lurking inside you at all? Are you a mollusk with no will of your own?

Idia: …

Vita: You cannot possibly think of not taking at least one of those offers. That would be madness, husband.

Idia: …

Vita: Do you plan on saying anything? Or are you to stay silent until some boldness springs in you at last?

Idia: …

Vita: ‘Tis truly a shame you cannot call upon the same impulsive foolhardiness as you did that time-

Idia stood up with such ferocity that his chair toppled backwards, a snarl on his face and hair turning crimson. He towered over her slightly, but Vita did not move a single inch as her face betrayed no fear or surprise.

Idia: That’s rich coming from someone like you!

Vita: … What are you implying, my dear husband?

Idia: Tsk. You’re acting like you’re above all this, but you’re just as much of a mollusk too, aren’t you? That’s why you get pissed every time I tell you I’d rather not get involved in stuff like that, because you’re projecting your issues on me. Using other people to correct your own negligence… Please spare me of all that crap.

Vita: Hmph. To think you only get this fired up when it comes to such things.

Idia: And there it is! That “I’m better than everybody else and you’re all just worms beneath my feet” attitude of yours! Do you even know how much you sound like a brat when you talk like that? Aaah, it’s really frightening how oblivious you are to it, and yet go around happily criticizing others. Don’t you think it’s time you grew up too, huh?

Vita: Your agitation is pointless, husband. You must realize that I am indeed right in this matter.

Idia: Uuuuugh, there it is again! Talking with you is so frustrating at times like this! Why are you even asking me stuff if you will just do what you want?

Vita: If you are to make such disastrous choices, I wish to understand why. Or is that not allowed anymore?

Idia: You’ve got a funny way of asking for explanations!

Vita: You have yet to offer any, husband.

Idia let out a frustrated yell. His hair flared up higher than before, a deep, brilliant red that emanated a wave of heat around them. He grit his teeth, but did not say anything, and just turned around, picked up the fallen chair and set it in front of the desk. He exhaled harshly through his nose and tried counting to ten to calm down for a bit. When he got to four he heard Vita scoff, and suddenly all his rage returned tenfold.

Idia: … What the hell was that?

Vita: Hm, and here I thought you did not desire for me to criticize you any longer.

Idia: ...You’re impossible.

Vita: I am merely concerned for you-

Idia: Then why would you show it like this?!

Vita: Coddling you will only do you a disservice.

Idia: Haaaaa? Since when did I ask for that? Don’t just go assuming things on your own!

Vita: …

Idia: And since when was being understanding towards somebody coddling?!

Vita: Hmph, you say this as if I am not aware of your tendency to lose yourself in your games and cheap entertainment.

Idia: And you’re not the same with your research?!  

Vita: Those are different matters, as you are aware of, husband.  

Idia: Stop presuming things already! It’s getting on my nerves!

Vita: Then tell me, my dear husband.

Idia: Tell you what? Don’t you already know everything there is to know?

Vita: Do not be petulant. It does not suit you.

Idia scoffed and turned towards the desk. Throwing himself in his chair, he put on his headphones and resumed typing on the code. Vita watched him for a while, before reaching over and pulling them off.

Vita: Husband.

Idia: If you just want to nag me again, save your breath. Unlike you, I have a lot of work to do.

Vita: Hm, is that so?

Idia: Yeah.

Vita: And I am to be gallivanting around then?

Idia: Do whatever you want. You always do just that.

She was silent for a while, watching him with an expression he couldn’t truly make out entirely, but which unnerved him all the same. Then she spoke again.

Vita: Husband.

Idia: What?

Vita: Tell me this: Are you cowering away in your room from fear of others? Is that not what prevents you from joining that child tonight?

Idia: Stop calling him that!

Vita: Is that not what he is? Regardless, is that not what is happening? Is that not what is preventing you from accepting those offers?

Idia: You’re still on about those things?

Vita: I am loath to watch you waste away your genius like that, husband, when I know you can be greater than those maggots.

Idia: You’re projecting again.

Vita: … Is that so?

Idia: Just because your research isn’t going well, doesn’t mean you have to hound me about mine. If you’re unhappy with it just switch to something easier.

Vita: You know well that is not possible.

Idia: Haaaaaaa?!

The unplaceable tone in her voice sent him into a frenzy as he struggled not to grit his teeth.

Idia: It’s a subject you knew damn well had no finite prospects, and would bear little significance afterwards too! Nobody was asking you to do it! You picked it out on your own, didn’t you? So what’s that “it’s not possible” crap, huh?!

Vita: …

Idia: It’s just about your pride, isn’t it?! So don’t act so high and mighty! And don’t go lecturing people about being cowards or running away when you are doing nothing but chasing relics of a cult that’s well past any semblance of historical interest or even academic integrity just because you-

Vita: Enough.

Silence overtook the room in the next moment. The force with which Vita spoke surprised Idia to the point that his throat suddenly felt very dry. He wasn’t sure for long they had been arguing, or even what he said during it all, but he realized as he watched Vita’s hard and distant gaze that he went too far. He came too close to something far too intimate for either of their comfort and now Pandora's box was open. He waited to see how she’ll react, if she would get angry, or even scream at him - but deep down he knew none of that would happen. Vita exercised such control over herself that her face never betrayed anything she did not want to show. Though he had caught a glance of it before - the quiet rage that simmered inside her sometimes. He wondered, anxiously, if that was what was preventing her from speaking further.

After what seemed years, she opened her mouth.

Vita: I will be returning to the Dies manor for a while.

Of all the things he thought she might say, this was certainly the one he did not expect.

Idia: Huh? What?

Vita: Mother has called for me.

Idia: … And you’re just gonna go back there?

Vita: Indeed.

He stood up and reached out for her, but she pulled away.

Idia: Vit-

Vita: I merely sought to inform you. ‘Tis be all.

Idia: Wait-    

Vita: As you know quite well, the signal there is rather weak, so we will not be able to communicate too well.

Idia: That’s-

Vita: And as always, Mother heavily discourages visits.

Idia: Vita! About our fight just now, it is because-

Vita: Husband.

She was heading towards the door, expression blank and sure-footed, while he stood rooted to the spot. Turning around she looked over at him with neither mirth or amusement.

Vita: I have merely come here to inform you of this. I did not mean to disturb you.

Idia: Yo-You didn’t… uh, listen… about all this-

Vita: I have overstepped my boundaries. For that I must apologize. And I have had enough of this situation.

He froze. She had enough of this situation? The fight? But that was over already, wasn’t it? Then what could she mean? What was she done with? He gulped as another set of questions suddenly sprung to mind. Was it him? Was she done with him?

Vita: ‘Tis become bothersome, so I will ask you not to bring it up any further this evening.

He nodded dumbly, as he watched her reach out for the door handle. He wasn’t sure what he should be feeling at that moment, but he was not even able to utter a single word as he watched her open the door, and throw him a last glance backwards.

Vita: ‘Tis not necessary for you to accompany me. I am familiar with the way. Farewell.

And just like that, she left him alone in the room, with a million thoughts rushing through his head as he felt a certain feeling of dread slowly creep upon him. Thinking about what just happened was too much to handle - Was it over? Were they really done? Just like that? - so instead Idia merely turned back to his desk and almost roboticaly sat down in his chair. On the screen before him a series of numbers appeared and with slightly shaking fingers he closed the window, and reached out for his console nearby. Leaning back he threw himself in his game, concentrating on the images on screen and trying desperately to push away the events from before out of his mind. The soundtrack playing in the background was the only thing that could be heard in the room.

When she finally reached the Mirror Chamber again, Vita took a glance in the reflective surface and frowned. A strand of hair was out of place and her ribbon was slightly undone. That would not stand. She straightened her back, slightly combed her hair and adjusted her ribbon so that all looked perfect again. When she was satisfied with her grooming she smiled. She was once again in perfect control of herself and that’s all that mattered. She couldn’t allow herself to be seen as anything less after all, since she was still the esteemed heiress of the Dies family.

Fragments of her argument with Idia threatened to play again in her mind, but she simply pushed them away. She did not have time to worry about such matters now. She’d deal with them later. The letter in her pouch weighed heavy and she thought over the contents again as she made her way through the festival grounds, looking for Agatha, who she promised to meet up with afterwards.

The letter from her mother arrived, as it always did, on the third day of the last week of the month. It was short and succinct and it let her know that her grandfather had fallen ill to bed quite recently and prospects of his recovery did not look good. Though she felt herself grow antsy with anxiety as she went through it, not a shred of that showed on her face as the Kriegsklad Prefect, Marcia, who worked part-time for the school Post Office had been still there trying to make light conversation with her. She was in the middle of her usual sponsorship spiel when Vita declined her with a smile and turned away, walking off with a light step. Back in her room she went over the contents of it later again, with Larna laying across her legs, as it slowly dawned on her what the purpose of the letter was. The news of her grandfather’s health was grave indeed, but Vita recognized in her mother’s writing style a certain feeling of urgency and fatality - there were high chances he was not going to make it. This in itself did not bother Vita overly much - to any proper Dies, death was merely a part of existence, not a notion one ought to concern itself with all that often. But it was the issue of what would happen afterwards that mattered. Vita was perfectly aware that if her grandfather was to pass on, her mother would forgo the traditional Dies funeral in favour of a simple cremation. The notion filled her with dread. Her grandfather was the last practitioner of their family arts besides her. To be given anything but their proper death rites would cause him more grief than anything else in the world. Vita was aware of this. And so was her mother, but she didn’t care much for that.

Taking all this into account, Vita realized that the letter was sending one single message in fact: If her grandfather is to die and Vita is not around to take care of the family rites, he’ll be cremated as the rest of them. Just like her father. It was clear that her presence home was required immediately, so she set off to prepare for that. She had decided to inform Idia of her absence as well, since as her husband he had a right to know of such things, but she held off telling him the reason behind it all. It was not a matter he had to concern himself with after all. Vita alone was enough to handle it all, without burdening him with it at all. This fight they had was regrettable, but she would have to overlook it for the time being. Things will go back to normal when she returns home. She was certain of that.

Nevertheless, as she made her way through the grounds and met up with Agatha, she felt a certain shadow of rage slip in and out as they toured the place. The guilt of their fight, and the anger towards her mother were mixing together in a chaotic assemblage of emotions that threatened to spill out at any moment. But she held herself together, as always, and entertained her beloved little sister, collected her unruly girls and fulfilled her duty as a Prefect just as always. On the way back Agatha asked her if they could spend the next day together at the festival and Vita felt quite wretched to turn her down, but she would have to leave tonight since there was little time to spare.

Having gone back to the dorm, she collected her things, informed the domovoy of her absence, took Larna with her - whose excitement was boundless as he continued to ask about Father endlessly on the way to the Dies mansion and gotten rather downtrodden when Vita would not reveal all that much, so he just curled up on her lap, sensing perhaps her mood - and by the time clock struck twelve she was already on the threshold of her childhood home, where her mother waited for her with the same strict and unrelenting expression that Vita had grown accustomed to. They exchanged greetings, formally and coldly, and the ghouls working about took her bags from her and carried them upstairs.

Stepping further inside, Vita could hear as her mother closed the door behind her with a sharp thud.

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland fanschool #walpurga nacht academy #night raven college #royal sword academy #ursa astoria #dire crowley #mozus trein #ambrose the 63rd #rosalia morgainne #twist #twisute oc #twisute #twist oc #vil schoenheit #rook hunt #cater diamond #jack howl #blanche dion #riddle rosehearts #trey clover #marcia pyroeis #malleus draconia #june himalia #che'nya #alchemi alchemivich pinka #diana arrow #floyd leech #azul ashengrotto #cassandra delphinne

[synthmama]

Today I’m mulling over Quinn’s De/stiny verse more and naturally, need to do a headcanon thing about the FO4 companions in this one: 

Hancock is an ‎Eliksni. After being disgraced from his House and exiled by his own brother, he founded his own -- and with it, a settlement that borders on pseudo-anarchist tendencies. Most non-Fallen know the place as Goodneighbor. He props himself up as the Mayor of it, and they welcome all types to stay or visit, so long as you don’t cause a stir. Those that do, are kindly (or not-so-kindly) dealt with by the “neighborhood watch.” 

X6-88 -- is really just known as X-6. As you can guess, he’s an exo. If there’s anyone that’s cottoned on to Quinn’s true identity and ways over the many, many years, it’s him. He’s shadowed her for a long time, and just recently appears to have joined up to assist her in her work. 

Piper is a mortal, and a reporter in Diamond City. She tends to get in some manners of trouble she shouldn’t as a non-Risen and very mortal individual, but her investigative work is exemplary, if emotive. Her and Quinn (or rather, Nora) have worked together over the years on a few different pieces, and there’s some overlap between the two and another important figure, namely...

Nick, who is an exo. He’s been reset so many times that he’s not fully sure what number he’s at anymore, and suffers long-term memory problems as a result. Despite that, he’s a top-caliber private eye within the City that has been looking into a string of mysterious disappearances that have been slowly becoming more commonplace since the Red War. 

CVRIE, or rather, CVRIE-2, is also an exo -- and a doctor! She’d mostly been focusing as a field doctor/medic during the Red War but became inspired in wondering if there was a way to replicate Light as a healing source to restore humanity’s longer lifespans, as seen during the Golden Age. 

Codsworth-- I’ve discussed this before, but there’s two. One that is the Ghost that took his name (explained here). The original one is a Golden Age frame that Quinn may or may not have programmed to become more advanced during her Pre-Risen days. He’s out there, still waiting, still cleaning. :( 

Strong is a Cabal, former Red Legion. Much like his original form, he seeks to understand humanity and gain the “milk of their kindness” as a means to dominate and subjugate their species. In this verse, he thinks that is the key to gaining the Light that they could not capture during the Red War. Nonetheless, Quinn has an affinity for collecting dangerous friends or companions so she’s agreed to help him in this venture -- to a degree -- wondering if she can sway his opinion over time. If anything, the added muscle helps, as well as insight into his kind’s thinking and way-of-life. He mostly hangs out in Sanctuary, tucked away from others. Those admitted or allowed to visit the CASTLE within Sanctuary may see him. 

Preston was a mortal during the Dark Ages, that helped found the original Sanctuary Hills settlement with Quinn. He was killed by Warlords at Concord defending others. Preston was Quinn’s left hand, the second-in-command to what she did, and his loss affected her greatly... until she heard rumors, ones worth visiting on. It was just prior to the start of the Red War that Quinn discovered those rumors were indeed true: Preston is a Guardian, and a solar Titan specifically. Since the War, the two had been working together to help refugees from the war. She hasn’t told him yet of their shared past. 

Still thinking of the rest more... Give me time. :(

#idk how feasible han/cock and str/ong can be but......... i want it. let me have it. the galaxy is big enough to make this work yeah?? :( #i know cvrie was focusing on more ''groundbreaking/revolutionary'' healing medicines and tech in fo4 so i kinda wanted to like. #think of a way to translate that for this verse? #anyways i could ramble about quinn's companions for forever tbqh #★ let's talk shop. (headcanon) ★ #headcanon: destiny. #cait's is like. hard for me to figure out. i'm!!! hrm.

[minaa-munch]

Miniature Meta: Sensory Nin and a little bit on Minato || Sidenote: As always, this is my interpretation. Yours may differ. Which is fine. 

So...how does one sensor-ify? It is not a skill that can be learnt, per se. Some are simply borne with an innate sensitivity to different chakra frequencies. 

That isn’t to say however, that those born without this sensitivity are unable to sense certain chakra signatures; it can be acquired through enough practice [such as meditation, mastery over Yin release, sage training] - in fact, experienced shinobi [Densetsu Sanin, Hatake Sakumo, certain Jōnin] are able to identify certain, lesser known wavelengths over a restricted peripheral. 

I believe its roots lie in ninshū and ninjutsu. Why? Brace thyselves-- 

Ninshu is the ideology behind ninjutsu - to connect people spiritually, for the sake of understanding one another, peace and harmony. Ninshu stems from Hagoromo, though it got manipulated and abused into ninjutsu [because have you seen the number of conflicts and reincarnations? Shinobi = collectively thick headed] before Naruto’s talk no jutsu restored the balance somewhat. Not to say they don’t use ninjutsu anymore - the ideology is simply less corrosive because everyone is friends now. 

Back to ninshu: the concept of sharing spiritual energies in order to connect with others foreshadows the sensory peripheral. Certain clans, such as the Uzumaki, inherited this aspect from the source itself whereas other clans - such as the Yamanaka, probably acquired it early on and managed to nurture [yay inbreeding] it to the point of ‘sensory-ness’ being a clan specialty. 

Important to note: Not every clansman manifests the trait in the same way, as evidenced by the fact that not every Uzumaki or Senju [sole exception being Tobirama so far] is born with the innate skill. The nuance of being able to ‘sense’ emotions/chakra/auras could apply differently. The same stands for other clans in other regions who manage to ‘sense’ different aspects. That however, is a conversation for another meta.

Chakra and energies rely on certain signatures - wavelengths, if you will. [evidenced by Nagato controlling several bodies via rods] Naturally, since every chakra signature involves certain wavelengths, a sensor type would have to actively switch to receptor mode so as to open all the channels, in a manner of speaking [kinda like a nifty human antenna]. The Yamanaka were quite adept at it.   

Yin release ties into this because it deals with spiritual energy and the subconscious/unconscious. It isn’t explored in the manga as much, but I’ve exchanged a word or two with @senjutsunade​ about how Tsunade’s mastery over Yin release [as evidenced by her byakugo seal] makes her better at sensing certain energies - the trait would manifest in Sakura likewise. Perhaps not as skilled as an innate sensor type, but better than most others [though I believe sage training would make them just as adept as a sensor, probably even better].

Speaking of senjutsu and the sage realm -- tis one that relies on natural energies irrespective of chakra. The sensory range of a sage far out-strips that of an innate sensor - they can sense ‘life’, irrespective of chakra wavelengths over a wide spectrum. That would explain why sages and certain summons can track/trace/be inherently aware of their surroundings. By certain summons, I would like to refer to Kakashi’s Inue spirits in particular - they are not exactly dogs, per se, but they are excellent trackers [the inue symbolism thingus is an added bonus]. I’ve bugged @konohagakurekakashi​ about it quite a bit and there’s an interesting little detail they chalked out: his summons aren’t entirely dependent on scent, as they are on lingering strands of natural/spiritual energy. They are more spiritually aware of their surroundings and that in itself, makes them superior trackers. 

Additional note: Taoism could be considered a very loose signifier with regards to senjutsu as a signified, but if I were to start on that, this post would turn into a freaking chapter. Er...another post, maybe? [Unless you want a crash course on Saussure and the Taoist narrative @@ Maa...]

On to Minato: I’ve already tackled the bit about him being a sensor in this post. His fighting style is wholly dependent on the fact. [Here I repeat myself] Minato is an excellent sensor, as evidenced by the manga [239]. His sensory peripheral extends to a wide radius, and if he had had enough time to master senjutsu, it would have complimented his adaption of the Hiraishin to a devastating degree. 

Though...senjutsu would make him ridiculously OP [insert dismissive hand wave gesture] lets just pause here and leave Minato as the sneaky little bastard that he is. Here’s an excerpt [appendix A] from a history scroll I made up: 

Advantages: A tactical upper-hand. This can be elucidated in Minato and Tobirama’s battle tact, as observed in the Fourth Shinobi War. Also, lets not forget the fact that Ino managed to telepathically connect everyone because she was an exemplary sensor - her skills lay in telepathy and projection, whereas the dead kages were more inclined towards instant execution. [Hiraishin does that to people]

Disadvantages: Increased sensitivity which may leave an inexperienced sensory nin vulnerable. There is something called sensory overload, which would make...sense [badum ts] in this scenario. 

Personal headcanon: Minato, in particular, has trouble holding his liquor in the early days - primarily because too much of it makes him acutely sensitive to the various frequencies littered around his sensory peripheral. He could be described as the ‘passed-out’ drunk [something his fellow Jonin have yet to let him forget]. This reaction gets better with experience, as the ‘switch’ to sensory mode becomes more defined, more...controlled, in a manner of speaking. ‘Tis ninja science! 

Also, he’s a lightweight because I find it hilarious. ^^ Its the perfect chink in the armor for well meaning [cough] comrades to exploit. Makes him more human -- demo, feel free to disagree. I am but a humble blog with nary a point to prove. 

P.s. The Shippuden manga is my primary source of information. The anime is secondary and therefore, unsavory. I did however, consult Narutopedia - but only because it has an interesting note on the script - the hiragana used for ‘senjutsu’ and ‘sensory’. The links for Yin, Ninshuu and Ninjutsu have been included for a basic understanding. 

Further P.s. My metas/headcanons have a habit of attracting anon ire. Apologies if this post offends you in any way or form - ‘twas not intended. 

#meta #character study #Namikaze Minato #Minato #sensor ninja #headcanon #thank you for tolerating my ted talk #apologies for polluting your dash #ninshuu #ninjutsu #naruto #Kakashi #Tsunade #Flake Sensei [Minato] #hateful little anons may refer to appendix A which is that excerpt from a history scroll #recently hijacked from the Tsuchikage's library ^^ #it was an A ranked mission ne #konohagakurekakashi #senjutsunade #thank you for tolerating me o.o #queued

[missjosie27]

Year 2 Part 4- Halloween Surprise

Hey, guys! New Chapter is up.

Real quick thing that I think I should explain real quick: this game is a complete sandbox due to the inconsistencies and JC completely overpowering our characters from a young age. I’ve tried to keep this in line with the canon already established so there are 2 headcanons I have for David that I think will work moving forward 1) He’s a very talented wizard but not a prodigy 2) He’s extremely talented at Transfiguration. That will be enough of an explanation I feel like.

Anyway, all bullshit aside. Enjoy! xD

Unfortunately for David, “little time” equated to quite a lot of time. Despite his natural gifts in Transfiguration, the advanced lessons were no easy task. They began with the stone spell ‘Duro’ along with changing a teapot to a tortoise. Once these were accomplished, they moved onto changing the colors on an animal (Colovaria) and the beginning process of switching spells. Thankfully, Professor McGonagall did not assign him extra homework for these lessons other than to practice in his spare time, but that was the least of his troubles. It wasn’t learning these techniques so much as how long it was taking. His head of house refused to cut corners or move onto the next lesson until she was absolutely sure he had a good handle on it.

While a small part of himself had to remember she was doing what was necessary as a teacher and had no idea of his intent to investigate the 13th corridor again, it didn’t stem his impatience for a number of reasons.

The first was that several more incidents of cursed ice breakouts had occurred, with students either barely avoiding or becoming trapped within the confines of the stuff. Professors were usually prompt and efficient in getting them out safely, but the ice was also becoming more resistant to standard spells. The knockback jinx, for example would barely make a dent anymore. Time was of the essence.

Second was Merula. David’s victory over her at the beginning of the year had done nothing to quell her eternal angst and provocation towards him. Several times he was required to redo his potions because he caught her tampering with them or she would rat him out to Snape for even the slightest mistake. He wasn’t a bad potioneer by any stretch, but the Slytherin girl made even the most rudimentary tasks extremely difficult without looking over his shoulder. She also kept taunting him about the vaults, whispering in his ear that she was going to find it first and the power within them would be hers. It was all quite irritating really.

Then there were rumors Dumbledore was away for long periods of time. No one knew precisely where he was going and staff was mum on the subject, but theories abounded: he was being summoned by Minister Bagnold or finding a proper curse breaker to relieve the school of this pestilential curse. Though news of its spread had been kept out of the Daily Prophet, it would not be long before someone, namely Rita Skeeter, picked up on it and caused a panic.

Through everything, David continued to train as best he could. The work took time and some lessons went better than others and as he was reminded by Professor McGonagall, he could not rush his progress.

“It’s maddening,” he told Rowan one day as they studied in the library for charms. “If I don’t get to revealing and vanishing spells soon, I may have to jump off the top of the tower.”

“Relax, David. She said you’re making great progress. Very few second years are doing what you’re doing.”

“We have to break this curse, Rowan,” David continued to insist for the third time in the conversation. “I didn’t come into this year with a huge sense of urgency, but this ice is forcing my hand. We have to find out where this hidden staircase is.”

“And we will,” Rowan tried to placate him. “I just with Ben could tell us more. He was involved in this somehow.”

Ben had since returned from his stint in the Hospital Wing, and though he was no longer in a state of delirium, continued to insist his memory was fleeting of the incident. The main focus now was to ensure that the confidence they had instilled in him last year was not too heavily damaged.

“He’s been through enough,” David responded. “It’s up to us to break this curse. No one else in this school will. Especially with Dumbledore gone most of the time.”

“Unless you count, Merula.”

“To hell with her. The day Merula gets into a vault is the day I kiss her on the lips singing muggle rock music.”

“But you’d never kiss her and you don’t know any muggle music.”

“That’s the point, Rowan.”

“SHHHHH!!!” Madam Pince silenced them.

And so, September turned into deep October and before anyone knew it, Halloween was right around the corner with no end to the curse in sight.

Then, David received some good news. Professor McGonagall told he was ready to learn revealing and vanishment spells.

“I am?!” he said a little too excitedly.

“Yes, Mr. Grant,” and the edges of her mouth twitched upward ever so slightly. “You’re work with switching spells has been exemplary in the past couple of weeks. I believe it is time we give this a try.”

“Yes, Professor.”

Standing in the Transfiguration classroom, she led him over to the desk, which was currently empty.

“This desk has a cauldron which I have hidden using a vanishing spell. The incantation that you will use is quite simple, ‘Revelio’. However, it is more difficult in practice. The key to mastering this spell is imagination and willpower.”

“So, if I imagine the cauldron or whatever is I’m looking for correctly, it’ll appear? What if I know something is amiss but I don’t know what it is?”

“That is where willpower and magical strength will come in,” Professor McGonagall explained. “If you sense that there is a hidden object, message, or person within the vicinity, being able to draw it out is of the utmost importance. But for now, we will try an object which you can easily envision. Try to reveal the cauldron.”

David did so, thinking of a plain black cauldron in his head as best he could and repeating the incantation, wind pointed at the desk.

Revelio!

There was a shimmer of black but other than that, almost nothing occurred.

“Uhh…was that supposed to happen? What’s going on?”

“Mr. Grant, you are a second year attempting a spell reserved for fifth years. Do not be discouraged. Attempt it again. Try to concentrate on the more specific details of the cauldron, whatever stands out in your mind.”

Trying harder this time to envision the cauldron, the smooth black cooper, the grooves surrounding the top, and whatever else you could specifically find on a cauldron. He repeated the spell with a little more force this time.

Revelio!

This time, the entire cauldron briefly came into view, before shimmering back out again.

“Very good. Keep at it. Try to see if you can reveal the whole of the cauldron by the end of the lesson.”

David attempted to do for the latter thirty minutes of the lesson and made moderate progress. By the time it was over, he had managed to make about eighty percent of the cauldron reappear.

“It is still not fully present,” McGonagall observed, noticing the black was still faded and part of the handle was still missing. “But it is quite remarkable for a first attempt. Shall we meet again this Thursday?”

“Yes, Professor.”

Undaunted, David continued his advancement with the spell over the next two weeks, while simultaneously starting Evanseco. He was able to reveal a cauldron by his third lesson, and a hedgehog by his fifth. He wasn’t quite as proficient with vanishing things, but he was less concerned about making something disappear. After all, the end goal was to find what was hidden in the corridor.

By the day of the Halloween Feast, Professor McGonagall had deemed his skill at the techniques to be worthy of NEWT level and graded him sufficient in the art.

“You’re skill in mastering vanishing and revealing spells is truly exemplary, Mr. Grant,” she told him, her tone indicating she quite pleased.

“Thank you, Professor.”

“Indeed, I have not seen a student with such talent in Transfiguration since…” she trailed off and for a split second a pained look spread across her head of house. But almost as soon as it came it was gone and she was back to her usual stern but fair manner.

“Anyway, this is truly remarkable for someone your age,” she continued. “If you continue on your current path, you shall become a master by the time you leave Hogwarts. I can promise you that.”

Coming from Professor McGonagall, a true master of the subject herself, that was indeed high praise. David was sure to convey his appreciation.

“I’d like that very much. I want to keep learning. Thank you.”

A genuine smile, however small it was, confirmed her pride in her latest student.

“You certainly shall. In the meantime, I suggest you prepare for the feast. No doubt your friends will be eagerly awaiting you.”

The feast. In the midst of the intense training and concentration it had almost slipped David’s mind. It was tonight and no doubt Penny, Bill, and Charlie would be looking for him. However, it was also an opportunity. Almost every Hogwarts students attended the festivity and the Great Hall would be packed. If he and Rowan decided to investigate the 13th corridor, tonight was the night. The Professors would scarcely miss two young second years.

Waving goodbye, David wasted no time in finding his best friend.

They were about to find the next clue to his brother.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The plan was simple. While the rest of the Gryffindors went one way, David and Rowan would go the other, the route to the forbidden corridor being familiar enough by now. With the teachers occupied and everyone else at the feast, they had ample time to investigate before having to head back.

Soon enough, the two boys arrived in the darkened, mysterious corridor.

“I still can’t believe you managed to learn vanishing and revealing spells so quickly,” Rowan said, awe in his voice. “That’s N.E.W.T. level magic, Dave. Academically speaking, no one our age should be able to do something like that.”

“Yeah, well I did,” David replied with an almost cocky smile. “But more important than that, it’ll lead us to what we need. Namely, what happened to Ben and the cursed vault.”

“About that,” Rowan interjected, looking more than a bit hesitant. “Be careful when you cast this spell. We have no idea what might appear.”

“I’ll be as careful as I can, Rowan. But we still have to take that chance if we want any chance of finding the next clue to my brother.”

He didn’t look as reassured, but in the end his best friend swallowed and nodded.

“Alright, David. I’m right behind you.”

Heading down further into the corridor, the two boys could feel the creeping cold rush up into their veins as they had the last time they were in the corridor. Only this time, instead of avoiding the freezing temperatures they used it to discern where the precise location of the vault might be. It wasn’t an exact science, but then again what was when it came to finding a magical room that was cursed?

“I think this might be it,” Rowan told him pointing to a spot in the wall between two torces. “This is where the cold seems to be most intense.”

“I’ll trust your instincts on that, I’m freezing my bollocks off either way,” David shivered. He aimed his wand towards the spot Rowan indicated and tried to concentrate on the spell his Head of House taught him during the past month. It was far easier to envision something you knew was there or were supposed to be looking for. In this instance he had no idea what a cursed vault looked like so there was no guarantee his attempt would work. After all, he had only recently mastered the spell.

Here goes nothing

‘Revelio!’ he spoke firmly and clearly.

In the first few seconds nothing happened, causing David and Rowan to look at each other in disappointment. That changed in the next instance as a hidden staircase was revealed.

“Merlin’s beard, David. You did it!”

“I’m a little surprised myself. Professor McGonagall did say performing this kind of magic was more difficult without being able to visualize the target.”

He elbowed Rowan with a grin and tilted his head towards their new destination.

“Well come on then. A cursed vault isn’t going to investigate itself. Let’s check it out.”

That they did, though again Rowan was a tad more apprehensive about traversing throughout an unknown staircase. As they climbed upstairs and into the hallway, both boys made observations about what they just discovered.

The hallway appeared to be ancient, dating back several centuries if not more. A hollow, sickly green light was the only way to prevent total darkness from consuming the passageway, illuminating a row of knight statues not unlike the ones that stood guard in the Great Hall. However, these gave a far more eerie and uncomfortable feeling than the warmth and welcome of those they passed for every mealtime. It was almost as though they were being watched somehow. Not to mention, the cold did not diminish, if anything it got worse.

“This place gives me the creeps,” Rowan muttered as they crept slowly along.

“No kidding,” David agreed. “It’s dark too. Let’s have a little more light.”

One ‘lumos’ later and both of their wands were alight, allow them to see a little farther in case anything unexpected decided to impeded their path.

“Any idea of what we’re supposed to be finding?”

“The Ice Knight stands guard past the vanished stairs,” Rowan repeated, his encyclopedic memory proving to be quite useful.

“Then it’s more than likely we’ll find something of that sort at the end of this,” David cautioned. “Wands out and ready for anything, yeah?”

His friend nodded in agreement as they approached the misty opening which marked the culmination of the hallway.

“Wait, Dave, check this out,” Rowan said throwing his arm out, pointing at the ground.

It didn’t take long for the young Gryffindor to spot what he was talking about. Right at the end was a dirty, dusty footprint made by the imprint of a rather large boot.

“Do you think…”

“Is it my brother’s? Possibly. Guess there’s only way to find out.”

“Let’s do this and go back to get a coat. It’s right freezing!”

David did so with pleasure. Far from fearing the increasing cold and the mysterious mist, he was more than ready to see what the next step held.

Hang on, Jacob, he thought determinedly.

‘Flipendo!’ he cried.

Immediately, the mist evaporated into thin air revealing a spectacle unlike anything either of them had ever seen. Upon the clearing of the fog, a white wonderland took over their surroundings. It was as though they were in an average part of the castle, except the stone walls were adorned with icicles, pillars of jagged ice, and twinkling snow. In front of them lay a split door, at least the height of twenty feet, sealed shut by an enormous symbolic snowflake with five steps leading up to it.

It was within this room that the cold was at its highest potency and it became hard not to shiver.

“My bollocks are officially numb,” David said, still not quite believing what he was seeing.

“Are we still talking about your bollocks?”

“In a manner of speaking, yes.”

David wasted no time in ascending the steps and studying the giant door that he felt was practically calling to him, begging for its secrets to be revealed.

“This has to be a cursed vault,” he said as Rowan came up behind him. “I’d bet my life on it.”

“Just don’t pay with your life,” came the prudent advice. “What if there’s a dark curse to prevent from getting inside?”

“It’s no use to keep saying ‘what if’. Cursed or not, we’ll have to face it sooner or later. My brother is more important than any of that.”

David didn’t try and break down the door right away, though he kept his wand firmly in his grip. Instead, he reached out with his free hand, feeling again a powerful sensation as though this was something that he was supposed to do. Ignoring the warning signs, the twinkling door appeared innocent, whispering for him to come closer.

The mesmerized Gryffindor placed a single finger on the door and was suddenly flooded with a swirl of images so powerful he dropped to his knees, groaning through the sheer overwhelming sensation.

Seeing this, Rowan rushed forward to assist his best friend.

“Dave! Are you alright!”

“I-I think so,” David replied, trying to sound confident, though he was still trying to make sense of what had just happened. “I think I just had a vision.”

“A vision? What did you see?”

He picked himself back up and tried to explain as best he could.

“It was all a bit fast but I believe I saw a room, a dark room filled with books.”

“Well that sounds like my kind of place,” Rowan joked.

But David’s face darkened, a very uncommon phenomenon which could only mean something quite grave.

“That’s not all. I also saw him. I saw…You-Know-Who.”

A dark, grave silence fell between the second year Gryffindors at that revelation. Both had lived through the dark times of the British Wizarding War and as such, remembered the horrible news stories of murder, disappearances and gratuitous violence. Though not in complete understanding of events given that they were mere children, the image of Voldemort- a pale, twisted creature, with waxy skin and red eyes- was enough to induce nightmares in any nine year old.

“We should go, Dave,” Rowan spoke up now, the uneasiness quite apparent in his tone. “This strange coldness, this entire place…I think it’s having an effect on us both.”

David was about to agree with such sentiment, but before either of them could so much as beat a hasty retreat, a low humming noise could be heard throughout the room. It sounded as though a jet engine was being revved up.

“What the hell…”

That’s when he noticed it; the hectogon center of the snowflake situated on the door. It was glowing and pulsing with a strange energy. By the time David realized what was going to happen it was too late.

The beam fired and hit Rowan directly in the chest, sending him toppling over backwards and hard onto the icy floor.

“ROWAN!”

Another beam of energy shot towards him, though thankfully he dove and managed to avoid it. With quick reflexes and intuition, the young preteen scurried away towards his best friend, who was unconscious though otherwise appeared unhurt. Still, he wasn’t going to take any chances.

“I gotta get him out of here,” he said to himself and wasted no time in doing so.

Before the beam could charge up again, David already had one arm wrapped around Rowan, picking him up with great effort, ignoring that his own strength was quite low due to the intense cold.

But that didn’t matter now. All that did was getting him to Madam Pomfrey straight away. He just prayed to Merlin it wasn’t anything serious. He had already lost a brother and it was his own fault, this would not be a repeat of those circumstances.

Pushing all negative thoughts away, David began his trudge to the Hospital Wing.

#david grant #rowan khanna #ben copper #minerva mcgonagall #fanfiction #hphm fanfiction #hogwarts mystery #gryffindor #mc

[n0nesse]

🍇  🍐  🍉 ?

fruity headcanons

🍇  :    how would my muse describe their childhood?  how much has it impacted the person they are now,  or will become as an adult?  around what age did they or will they start to mature,  and why?  do they wish to go back to their days as a child,  or have they embraced adulthood?  

Childhood is not a privilege a YoRHa android gets to enjoy. They are manufactured as adults and immediately possess all the skills and knowledge they need to perform their functions. 

9S is unique in that he’s gotten to experience that period of newness quite a few times due to how often he’s been reset, and each time his personality turns out a little bit differently. He wouldn’t really consider that any sort of childhood, though. 

🍐  :    how intelligent is my muse overall?  are they smarter than the average person,  or less than?  are they primarily self-taught,  or did they acquire most of their knowledge in school?  are they more street smart or book smart?  

9S is extremely smart, uniquely perceptive even among other Scanners. The way his personality was programmed makes him tenacious when it comes to uncovering information, something he retains no matter how the rest of him might change upon reset. He’s exemplary at solving puzzles, which is what makes settings like this so frustrating for him. The answers are all held far out of his reach, no matter what he does. 

He particularly knows a lot about Earth flora and fauna, as well as machine lifeform behavior, but much of human culture and mannerisms are lost on him due to their presence on the planet being nearly wiped out thousands of years before his birth. He’s fascinated by them though, and tries to learn as much as possible.

🍉  :    which of the four seasons suits my muse best,  and why?  

Winter. Everything is soft and blanketed and hidden. It seems so serene on the surface.

#headcanon #beyonduse #beyond-use

[florcarrow]

Merlin’s beard, what is ( FLORA CARROW ) doing out at this hour? For a ( PUREBLOOD ) who is ( 17 ) years old, ( SHE ) really ought to know better. You know, I hear that they’re aligned with ( THE NEUTRALS ), but that could be just a rumor. I do know that they’re ( A CIS-WOMAN ) and a ( SLYTHERIN ) student though. They’re very ( QUAINT ) and ( INTROSPECTIVE ) but also quite ( STOIC ) and ( HAUGHTY ), which could be why they remind of ( STAINED PAGES, FROM CRUSHED LILLIES IN THE PLACE OF BOOKMARKS; GHOSTLY WHISPERS FROM THE INSIDE OF A CLOSED ROOM, ALLUDING TO ANGER, TO FEAR, TO LOVE; THE SOUND OF BUBBLING AND FOAMING, BUT THE ABSENCE OF WARMTH ). Some people say they’re the spitting image of ( SOPHIE TURNER ), but I’ve never heard of them. ( &&. CAMI. 19. GMT. SHE/HER. )

hey yall, cami here. i’m really tired but take this please ily k bye

THE CARROWS

" we are the children of magic itself. " her mother used to put it all in quite a poetic manner. the small house, gloomy and damp, had a floating candle under each painting and photograph of long-forgotten carrows, once the ministers and headmasters of entire generations. blunders happened along the way, as it happened to every other pureblood family, and the paintings were thrown in the fireplace or into the creek running behind the property - the carrows had a deeply ingrained culture of glorifying their legacy, but ruthlessly turning it to ash should it not benefit them.

the great fortune of old was wasted by lavish living, and by the time achos carrow married to an insignificant selwyn, the debt ran deep - certainly aided by the heavy involvement of the family in the first wizarding war. in the stories flora was told, they were martyrs, sacrificing their kin and gold for a greater purpose, mourning the injustice of her uncle amycus and aunt alecto, behind bars. of course, it was easy to let stories fester in the minds of children, miles away from the truth - achos and ellaine had moved to a plot of land hidden between the welsh mounds shortly before their children arrived, and for far too many years, they lived mostly in their own forgotten country, where north was down, south was up, history was a puzzle they would rearrange.

their marriage is a happy one, the product of two lifelong friends with their minds set on one cause only, with the same trains of thought. after giving birth to twin girls, the couple saw in them the tabua rasa they so yearned for at work, in the department of magical education. try as they might, children had entire lives before going to hogwarts, and their efforts, even if the rest of the department wasn't in the way most times, was purely too little too late. hestia and flora would change that, becoming their personal experiments.

CHILDHOOD

given how well little flora took to stories, the carrows would spend endless hours sitting down with her, spewing all thoughts they saw fit, and she'd stare, deep in concentration, quiet end still, what an exemplary student. the image they so carefully curated of a small, charming and polite family was spreading.

soon, however, the well-screened tutors and especially the words of her parents were not enough. flora took to reading as soon as she learned how, and in books she could find new subjects, different people they'd never mentioned, fantasy that sounded much more real than the hollow concept of the dark lord. magic was all around her, but in those pages and in the dusty illustrations she felt every spell. once a little girl who did not ask questions, flora became a fountain of confusions, mostly met with 'who told you that?'.

the frustration towards the younger twin only grew over time. flora's favourite game became a sort of hide and seek, where she'd hide somewhere in the house or the rest of the property, telling no soul or perhaps hestia, at times, and waiting until the screams with her name began. it was fascinating to count how long it took for her little world to notice her absence, how they'd react, how sometimes her mother would begin crying after some hours, how a relative or family friend might be called in to help scour the fields for the little girl. there was something powerful in observing annoyance, anger, and above all fear, yet control when it all starts, when it all ends. in a place strictly manipulated by the two gods of the house, this was when she turned the tables, even if just for a bit. eventually, however, concern faded away. by twelve, she could disappear for the longest stretches, as long as she returned without a speck of dirt and in time for lessons or dinner - and of course, if she didn't meet with anyone but the household.

as a sidenote, someone bring hestia, lets plot more then, cmON

HOGWARTS

before going to hogwarts, flora and hestia had gone to the usual parties and celebrations the purebloods so fancied, and some ministry events where they could be shown off like school projects. they hadn't, however, seen much more than that. the prospect of getting wands, robes, boarding on a train - all little things that identified them as beings, individuals who were more than just a name and affiliation - it meant the world for flora. she relished in the way the shop owner told her father he couldn't keep giving flora the wands the man suggested until the exact one he envisioned worked. she held her ticket with the care one touches thin glass. she walked around the train with a smile thrown at every other first year kid, even began conversations with some. some people in her year still tease her about how much she's changed since that day.

the hat placed on her head took a minute or so to decide, being pulled in the directions of slytherin and ravenclaw, but flora knew which answer would make her parents, two slytherin alumni, the most satisfied. now she wonders if the opposite choice would have positioned her in any way farther away from the heart of the conflict.

flora grew quite happy at hogwarts. the library was the stuff of dreams, the classes a fresh new world, and she'd been lucky enough (or so she'd thought) to have gone to school the same year as the boy who lived, a story that she could never quite believe, even with the boy sitting in class right in front of her. in many ways, flora saw herself as the observer of the perfect spectacle throughout the years, her journals serving as the proof that she'd been the face in the crowd of the myths. flora read other points of view at the library, and heard them in her common room, creating in her mind her own narrative of harry potter, of the war, of the carrows.

her personal library grew even more during school. the easy access to other kids and to hogsmeade resulted in trunks getting heavier and heavier every summer, even sometimes with muggle names she couldn't dare let her family see. to her, none of that ever mattered. words were words, no matter who wrote them, and all she cared about was what incredible tales they told and how they made her feel.

her studious nature thrived at hogwarts, and her grades, while not beyond impressive, were rather good. flora always loved potions above all. she did quite well at all subjects, but she got into the slughorn club not only because of her name, but because of her talent. it was the one thing that felt precise and rational when everything else wasn’t.

while she was a quiet figure, either lurking in some forgotten couch in the common room, on her bed, or beneath a tree, flora showed to the people at hogwarts something her parents only got inklings of. her words often carried venom, and her words an edge as sharp as a cut - a few people even got frontstage to what happened when flora carrow held too much of that poison in herself and it spilled out, the burning flame of anger, the way her voice would at last raise above a whisper.

her parents feared that spark they sometimes saw. she was becoming a volatile little thing, a disgrace upon their projects and a threat to the legacy they'd been so carefully building. a few months ago a discussion began over what to do, a very public one, as a way to instill fear in the girl: perhaps flora needed a proper marriage plan, just like her grandparents and just like far too many of her peers - someone who'd control her, who'd bring some much-needed coin to the family, someone to DISTRACT her. they did, after all, always know of her affection for hopelessly romantic tales, even if they'd never heard of any boy she'd daydream of (and they never would). perhaps flora needed a goal, a purpose like the oath other people from her school had taken upon, like her uncle and aunt before her. a good potioneer like her could become a valuable investment for the dark lord.

HEADCANONS

as much as flora hates to admit it, there’s this hunger for power in the back of her mind that she can’t shut down. she enjoys feeling important, like the name she carries or the blood in her veins places her higher in a contest for worthiness.

umbridge was a personal friend of her parents, and flora saw her as the intrusion of the manipulating hand she knew all summer in the few months she had of freedom. resenting it, she did the most to fail the class, being called to her office often to discuss how her parents would be embarrassed and how dolores believed she could do much better. she just barely finished it.

how does flora feel about the whole muggleborn ‘debate’? she never really cared about it. it was too removed from her. it never personally affected her. she didn’t go out of her way to bully and attack muggleborns or ‘blood traitors’, but she wouldn’t exactly tell others to stop. perhaps insist that she was bored and they should just leave. she never stopped to analyze why she did that sometimes. she just doesn’t care. in fact, all of the events of late seem to barely make an impression upon her, except when they come with the threat of her having to actively participate in it. flora sees the entire conflict as the mighty pureblooded families losing relevancy and trying their hardest to gain it back; a petty little thing - she doesn't, however, grasp the reality that people have died for it, and innocents have been murdered. the details require emotional introspect she does not possess.

she is !! practically mute but if u get her to talk u see bitch is actually very angry?? all the time?? hulk whomst.  angry and annoyed and detached

flora has a hard time grasping the emotional weight of events unless she's writing about them. ever since she can remember, flora has kept journals, parts of it accounts of her days, most of it short stories and poems that serve as practice writing and as a fictionalization of the harsh reality around her. reading dumbledore's murder or the murder of ministry officials little stories about the fragility of mankind and the shortcomings of magic simply makes it easier to understand and cope with.

she loves potions and books. her dream is to just be an old witch living in a forest cottage in wales with ten cats and an equally as quiet girlfriend, brewing the potions that take weeks to complete, writing poems she forgets to put away, the scent of lavender in the air almost sickening.

flora has a little garden at home which she loves with all her heart. she truly cares for her plants, despite how much on the nose that is with her name. at hogwarts she keeps a couple of small pots hidden in the greenhouse.

doesn't own a single pair of jeans or pants. will live her entire life in dresses and skirts and is just fine like that.

she thinks the people fighting against the death eaters are also stupid and cruel. literally takes the term neutral and turns it into apathy and will openly speak about it with that specific dosage of venom should she trust you enough.

your back hurts? your hair needs to grow faster? want to poison someone? flora will gladly brew little batches of potions in her spare time and sell them within school grounds.

lowkey needs a hug and someone who'll take the time to really listen to hER

she also likes to walk around at night, trying her best not to get caught at home by her parents and by prefects at school. it freaks people out when at 3am they hear footsteps and the light from a wand, even if just around the room or the common area. she likes the creepy factor, completely embraces it, people sometimes find her reading with her back to their front doors or doing homework behind some plants in the greenhouse. dark forgotten places are her places.

she has a cat, he’s old and ugly and his name is moros like the greek god of doom. he hates everyone, most times including flora. he's not a nice cat and she'd tear a man limb by limb for him.

flor is constantly writing. unfinished projects are her thing. poetry, prose, plays, journaling. poetry is what she usually dedicates herself most. she has an eye for rhythm in words, and feelings. everything she writes is always either too hopeful and naive, or pessimistic and sad. she doesn’t know an in-between. that goes to say for her life as well. flora dreams of all the pretty perfect pure things she knows aren’t real. all the well-intentioned kisses and soft pink flowery dresses flowing in the wind, and small cottages in the middle of a field and delicate generations old tea sets. this pristine romanticized aesthetic

on the other hand, when her writing is sad, it’s not just sad. it’s miserable. it’s worrying. she talks about that even less. all the scary intrusive thoughts that come to her mind. all the holes she can’t explain why she could never fill. all the numbness that attacks her some days and she can’t fight it back. this loneliness that makes no sense.

okay in a nutshell, she loves her sister more than anything and anyone in the world, she is more naive than she lets on, she doesn’t let on much because she’s so quiet, she loves books and has pretty hair. this wasn’t mentioned anywhere but she does.

#proofreading? whats that #❛ v . | i said i wanted to be a poet ; headcanons . #potter intro

[rassilon-imprimatur]

Headcanon time... the Doctor and Braxiatel are completely wrong about each other in the most endearingly sibling way possible. 

Braxiatel’s second appearance was not penned by his creator Justin Richards (the fact that Douglas Adams created the Collection doesn’t count), but by the forever underrated Andy Lane in his exemplary The Empire of Glass. In it, what appears to be his first (or at least a very early) incarnation is an ambassador and agent for the Time Lords. In their first meeting since leaving Gallifrey, the Doctor, very pleased to see his (yet unconfirmed) sibling, seems to believe that his departure inspired Braxiatel in the first place:

"Doctor," he said as the party halted in front of him, "I'm sorry that this little reunion has to take place in such a manner, but needs must when the devil drives." 

"Braxiatel, my dear chap!" The Doctor strode forward and shook the man's hand. "Good to see that you followed my example and left them too." 

[...]

"Oh, they allowed me to leave," Braxiatel replied, "and I've spent most of my time since trying my best not to follow your example."

However, Justin Richards’ later Tears of the Oracle completely contradicts this when Braxiatel begins to wax lyrical about his younger brother (in the first confirmation that they are actually siblings, to boot!):

He shifted slightly on the cold ground. “Now, there was another approach I could have taken. More drastic, less patient. By the time my brother was doing his exams, I was already an unofficial ambassador, already off on missions the like of which nobody had ever dreamt of before. Making a great show of martyring myself to the necessity while actually relishing every moment of it. Making sure everyone flue felt sorry for me that I had to do these terrible things rather than sit at home, cosy and safe for an eternity.‟ 

He gave a short, half-laugh. “I never realized how jealous he was. Or how impatient. At first he followed my example, I think. He respected me, which I suppose was a good part of the problem. He wanted, I think, to be me. And the resentment came later when he realized there couldn‟t be two of us, that we are different. So he had a different plan.‟ 

Braxiatel laughed again as he remembered. The sound echoed round the dark temple ruins, but when it came back it sounded strangely hollow. “First class degrees,‟ he said, shaking his head. “I thought that was clever. But he made sure he scraped through with the barest minimum on the last permitted attempt. And they knew it. Forget getting a first, anyone can do that with a little diligence and application. But what he did took genius. And then he was off. Having thumbed his nose at them academically, he did it physically. By leaving. He had seen what I was up to. By then I was out, I‟d made the case for having someone always out there in the universe, and won the ensuing arguments. I was the one. And there was no way they‟d let anyone else do it. So he didn’t ask, he just went.‟ 

Braxiatel laughed again, but it was a quieter, more melancholy sound. “I can do that too, try to stop me if you‟re so clever. That‟s what he thought.‟ 

There was silence for a while again. *I miss him, I suppose that‟s what I‟m saying,‟ Braxiatel said at last. “But he‟s out there, somewhere. He‟ll always be out there. That‟s family for you. Real family...”

Now, of course, there are a few simpler reasons to explain the discrepancy. The First Doctor’s ego, Braxiatel misremembering in his angst, just two authors having different ideas (shocking), etc. 

But, y’know. I really like thinking both the Doctor and Braxiatel are suffering from massive cases of “I-Am-The-Main-Characteritis.” Braxiatel believes the Doctor was inspired to leave Gallifrey in a fit of jealousy and resentment, while the Doctor, showing no signs of resentment towards his older brother, believes his bumbling off Gallifrey inspired Braxiatel! 

As an older brother, I find this miscommunication and clash of egos relatable, rather sweet, and much more in character than one interpretation being correct over the other (especially when you consider that, the few times they’ve actually interacted, the Doctor seems to hold nothing but fondness for Braxiatel, far from the account of jealous resentment (Disassembled doesn’t really count)). 

What’s more likely, in the end... the pair’s life choices have very little to do with each other! 

#Doctor Who #Virgin New Adventures #Irving Braxiatel #Bernice Summerfield #Justin Richards #Tears of the Oracle #i'm still not crazy about the idea of the Doctor faking being an Academy failure #but I like the thought that Brax THINKS that he did #like he thought it was all some masterplan #empire of glass #andy lane #first doctor #Gallifrey

[shinigami-mistress]

Headcanons: Sebastian Michaelis

Recently, I was discussing Sebastian when a friend when I started to list some headcanons. Oddly, most of these are things I’ve posted before, but I’ve never actually compiled a list like this, so I decided to do just that. Here’s the list that no one actually asked for - headcanons for Sebastian.

* Sebastian is actually a rather low level demon, who is not particularly impressive to other demons. They find him a bit odd - especially his love of cats. Being rather egotistical and narcissistic, he has thought that other demons might be jealous or simply do not understand him.

* Sebastian far prefers the human world to Hell, but for different reasons than one might suspect. He likes the human world because people are often impressed by him, and this feeds his ego. Around other demons, he’s fairly average. Among people, he seems like this grand, larger than life figure. He’s seen as handsome, charming, perfectly capable, etc. They compliment him and treat him in a a manner closer to what he feels is appropriate.

* For a demon, he’s not particularly old or experienced. Compared to humans, he’s old, but he’s a young demon. He has had contracts in the past, although none has been particularly long term.

* One reason he made the contract with Ciel was to have more time in the human world. He wanted to purposely stretch things out to a degree.

* Sebastian also had a very limited idea and understanding of children. He figured that someone that age would be easier to manipulate. While Sebastian calls anyone he makes a contract with his master, he likes to think that he’s actually the one in control through manipulation and similar tactics.

* He likes cats for a multiple of reasons, but one reason is that he sees them as free creatures that could never truly have a master. He aspires to be more like them. He also likes how they toy with their prey.

* He completely lacks introspective and has no desire to look deeper at himself. He finds this a waste of time and a more ‘human’ trait.

* While he usually appears confident, he has been surprised multiple times. In truth, he doesn’t understand humanity as well as he thinks that he does. He knows how to work with desires and wants, but has little comprehension of higher emotions.

* Even when under contract, he rarely finds reasons to lie, although he has been known to omit certain details or allow people to believe falsehoods. He likes for people to jump to conclusions.

* He’s also naturally a perfectionist. He wants everything he does to be exemplary. This is partly due to him seeking admiration and partly because he has high standards for himself in terms of performance.

And those are just a few of my headcanons. I hope everyone enjoyed them!

#sebastian michaelis #headcanons

[moretreasurewithinarchive]

BUT GUYS

Beth survival au where SHE'S THE ONE THAT TEACHES DAISY HOW TO SEW AND KNOW AND MAKE CLOTHES. AND THEY WORK ON PROJECTS TOGETHER. AND THEY'RE BEST FRIENDS 😭🥺

#Outofjourneys {Ooc} #Loving Reward {Wishlist} #Her Little World {Likes} #Pilgrim's Progress {Headcanons} #Rare & Precious Creature {Wishlist} #Affectionate Ways {Likes} #Most Exemplary Manner {Headcanons}

[moretreasurewithinarchive]

Headcanon; Daisy Brooke

Meg passes on Aunt March's pearls to Daisy when Daisy and Nat get engaged. And Daisy later gives them to her own daughter Mae, and so on throughout the family.

#Most Exemplary Manner {Headcanons} #Homelike Hopes & Joys {Family} #All & Everything {Mama & Papa} #Affectionate Ways {Likes}

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DAISY ADORES HER MOTHER. MEG IS HER FAVORITE PERSON. DON'T TOUCH ME. 🥺😭🥺😭

#Outofjourneys {Ooc} #All & Everything {Mama & Papa} #Sunshiny & Charming {Fc} #Most Exemplary Manner {Headcanons} #Affectionate Ways {Likes}

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Q.   WHAT KIND OF HERB ARE YOU ?

Thyme

Anxiety is your middle name. You need to check in with other people or beliefs when you take a step because the world is dark and you are so small, so fragile, and you've been hurt so many times before. You were bullied or hurt before, by people you trusted or people you loved, and despite all that you find yourself stumbling into other people, into bandaged trust because all you want is to be secure, loved, safe, supported. But maybe instead you long to be loved, long to find solace in the arms of someone else but can't bare to draw near enough to anyone long enough to feel safe and ache, ache, ache for company. The world is dark and you're so lonely it hurts sharper than any wound. How can you trust when it's all be shattered so many times before? How do you trust yourself when you've let so many in? You are a thousand contradictions, a thousand bits and pieces picked up along the way and maybe even this doesn't sound right, maybe nothing sounds right. You are so lonely and so afraid and you just want to be safe. Secure. Loved. You're so tired of being afraid.

Tagged by: @ncxtchpt

Tagging: @accursedlight @storytelers @melnchly @fourcornersarizona @unyieldingvalxr @personnages @jouesrose and anyone else who wants to steal~

#Outofjourneys {Ooc} #Most Exemplary Manner {Headcanons} #Affectionate Ways {Likes} #Idk #This fits but it also doesn't? #XD