We are two weebs that really like dragons, so that's the theme we went with. The two of us have known each other for almost six years now. (As of 2022)
Our Rules are absolute, and you need to read them. We don't accept the "but i didn't read the..." TOO BAD
(Rules, Masterlist, What We Write, and About Your Dragon Weebs under the cut)
Rules
1) This is an LGBTQ+ friendly place. No matter what you are/identify as, or who you like, you are welcome here. This is a safe place, away from all the kingdoms that won't accept who you are.
2) Respect. It goes both ways; we respect you, and you respect us. We will not tolerate haters and will show no mercy against those who mean harm against us.
3) We hold the right to deny requests, there can be a multitude of reasons why, but if we decide that we aren't comfortable doing it, that's it. We will let you know if we aren't comfortable with it. We are usually willing to give an answer unless it directly goes against our rules.
4) Don't steal our stuff. We worked hard on writing it, and it's our work. You're welcome to reblog our works, in fact, we encourage that. Don't, however, just copy and paste things. We will find you, you don't steal from a dragon's horde.
5) We will not write NSFW/Suggestive content for underage characters. Will we be willing to age them up? Possibly. Though that may not always be the case. Be sure to keep in mind that we do have the right to deny any requests. Dragons are very particular about what they keep.
Masterlist
What We Write
As of right now, we do not write or accept any NSFW requests. We will however accept suggestive and/or slightly 'spicy' requests.
We write headcanons, drabbles, fics, X readers, some OC inserts, if it ain't listed here, feel free to ask! Crimson is very much open to ships, fake texts, and SMAUs as well.
We write for a multitude of different fandoms of a wide variety, if there is something on this list you want but don't see, feel free to ask about it. We may know it and just not have extensive knowledge about it but may know enough to be able to write your request. There are plenty of fandoms that we're a part of that just aren't listed here for one reason or another.
Fandoms We Write For:
Anime
Black Butler
Bungou Stray Dogs
Fairy Tail
Seraph of the End
Books
Lord of the Rings
Games
Final Fantasy VII/XV
Genshin Impact
Honkai Star Rail
Ikemen Prince
Ikemen Vampire
Love & Deep Space
The Legend of Zelda
Twisted Wonderland
KPOP
ATEEZ
Bangtan Seonyeodan
BLACKPINK
Enhypen
NCT 127
Red Velvet
Stray Kids
TWICE
Films/Shows
Supernatural
DCU (Batfam, mostly)
About your Dragon Weebs
Frost (The Ice dragon)
She/her/It/Don't-Give-A-Fuck
My name is Frost, obviously. I love anime and otome games and have been writing since middle school. I tend to write off and on, and I mostly write a lot of OC-insert content. Please feel free to talk with me about any of my active fandoms, I would love to chat and talk about my current hyper-fixations. My personal blog is @frost20026606.
My Active Fandoms Include:
Black Butler
Bungo Stray Dogs
Fairy Tail
Genshin Impact
Honkai Star Rail
Kingdom Hearts (Game)
Lord of the Rings
Seraph of the End
The Case Study of Vanitas
Twisted Wonderland
Uta No Prince-Sama (Anime)
Crimson (The Blood Dragon)
She/her
I enjoy all things nerdy and geeky! Anime, literature, history, science, video games, Greek Mythology, true crime, KPOP- you name it! I live and breathe for Minatozaki Sana. I major in forensic science and I love anything medical and mysterious. I love angst and will cover most angst/whump topics you can think of. I hope you enjoy your stay~ My personal blog is @himawari-haebalagi
My Fandoms Include:
A Love So Beautiful
A Silent Voice
ATEEZ
Attack on Titan
Bed Friend: The Series
Be Loved in House: I Do
Black Butler
BLACKPINK
Blue Exorcist
BTS
Bungou Stray Dogs
Cinderella and the Four Knights
Color Rush
Crash Landing on You
Day6
DC
Death Note
Dreamcatcher
Enhypen
En of Love: Love Mechanics
EXO
Fairy Tail
Fantastic Beasts
Final Fantasy (VII & XV)
Food Wars
Full Metal Alchemist
Genshin Impact
Got7
Harry Potter
Hazbin Hotel
Hospital Playlist
Hotel Del Luna
Hwarang
Ikemen Prince
Ikemen Vampire
It’s Okay to Not Be Okay
KinnPorsche
Legend of Zelda
Les Misérables
Lord of the Rings
Mamamoo
Marvel
Mr. Love Queen’s Choice
My Hero Academia
Mystic Messenger
Naruto
NCT
Obey Me! Shall We Date?
Ouran High School Host Club
Our Life: Beginnings and Always
Our Life: Now and Forever
Percy Jackson
Pokémon (Black & White/X)
Pride & Prejudice
Red Velvet
Sailor Moon
Save Me
Skyrim (Game)
Stray Kids
Sun Haven
Supernatural
Sword Art Online
Tears of Themis
The Untamed/The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation
The happiest of birthdays to one of the dearest and most lovely people in my life, @frost20026606
You are so special and incredible and I love you very much! Thank you for putting up with me for all these years and letting me be one of your people.
Also, you’re fucking old. Loser. 💜💜💜
(Edit from Frost: Woooooow. Thanks asshole. Jk XD I love you too. And genuinely thank you so much! You’re the first person to wish me a happy birthday on the actual day this year. Tho that might be because your an hour ahead of me lol)
Synopsis: Chun Y/N is a simple college student trying to make it to graduation with the least amount of drama possible. However, when she somehow gains her own reverse harem, drama begins to seem pretty unavoidable. Is it stupid to wonder if the next autopsy she takes part in will be her own?
Genre: CYOE SMAU
Pairings: Y/N x Lee Felix, Y/N x Han Jisung, Y/N x Park Sunghoon, Y/N x Nishimura Riki, Y/N x Min Yoongi, Y/N x Choi San, Y/N x Lee Taeyong, Hwang Hyunjin x Seo Changbin, potential future wlw Y/N pairings
Relationship Tropes: Childhood sweethearts to lovers, childhood enemies to lovers, loser gets the girl, compensated fake dating, the one who got away, slightly younger admirer, protective delinquent
Warnings: Romance, mental health issues, angst galore, kys/kms jokes that sometimes feel a little too real, mentions of autopsies and morgues, mentions of hospitals, alcohol consumption, love polygons, potential smut, happy endings but it definitely gets worse before it gets better, disordered eating, mentions of homophobia and hate crimes, mentions of bullying, mentions of smoking nicotine, family issues, found family, too many dick jokes, more chaos than plot sometimes, violence, a friend group comprised of 3 ateez members and Changbin is a warning in itself tbh, controlled substance mentions, a probably uncomfortably close and intimate platonic relationship/friendship between Y/N & Hyunjin, tba
Disclaimer: Each idol is heavily characterized and I do not claim to know them nor their personalities. This is purely fictional and is meant to be enjoyed.
Two hours after the performance, there were only five people left in the NRC Tribe’s dressing room. Ash and Vil sat on the couch, the latter resting his head on the former's, his cheek pressed against the bare skin of her shoulder as she had changed into a tank top. Rook was kneeling in front of Ash, taking a closer look at her hands.
“Well…?” Vil watches as Rook begins to tend to them, gently spreading a salve over all the burns and blisters.
“They’ll heal, probably scar lightly if not moderately, but I’m positive you have some products to help with that.” He says, purposefully not mentioning anything about the current severity of said wounds.
“That’s good…” he takes a deep breath. “Any idea how long it will take to heal?”
Rook takes a moment, not willing to lie. “They’ll be fine out of wrappings in a month if I had to guess. For them to heal completely and regain full sensation? I’d estimate about three.”
Vil looks away, a pained look on his face.
“It’s not your fault, Vil…” Ash leans against him.
“Really, the burns are far from your fault. The situation leading up to it also had fairly little to do with you. Blame can be distributed in different volumes among several of us.” Rook leaves the names unsaid, but the implications towards himself, Ash, and Mira were clear. “If nothing else, mon amour, you are the primary victim in a cruel trick of the universe.” He begins wrapping up Ash’s hands and forearms.
“If I know anything, it’s that these things don’t just happen out of the blue. It’s a build-up of things over several years that just finally reaches a turning point.” She nuzzles her head into Vil’s shoulders. “You’re a victim, just as much as the rest of us.”
“I have to agree,” Samara says, finally speaking up. She had been sitting in one of the chairs set in front of the mirror. It was spun around to face the couch.
Epel stood next to her; he hadn’t said anything, his gaze unseeing, as if mentally he wasn’t really there.
Samara stands up and pulls Epel in for a side hug. “Quit overthinking,” she whispers as she pats his head gently. The first year just lets it happen as if he were a ragdoll.
Vil looks at his hands. “I’m sorry…” He looks at his lovers. “To you, Ash, and to you, Rook.” He looks over at his other dorm members. “To you as well, Samara. Epel,”
Epel blinks and slowly looks up, almost sleepily. “Yah?” His voice is emotionless.
“I’m sorry to you the most, I hope you can forgive me.”
“... Yah.”
Samara lightly taps his cheek. “Are you listening, or just saying ‘yah’ to everything that’s said to you?”
“... Yah.”
She laughs and looks at the three on the couch. “I think you broke him, between finding out about you three the way he did and this, you’ve broken him!”
“A boy’s gotta learn at some point,” Rook says, sighing wistfully.
“You practically traumatized him!” She moves in front of Epel and cradles his face. “Epel, look at me.”
“Yah…”
“EPEL.”
“WHAT?!”
“Are you with us?”
“I’d rather not be.”
“Vil was trying to say something to you.”
The blood drains from his face. “Yah..?”
Samara moves aside as Vil stands and walks over to kneel before Epel. “I’m sorry. The things I asked you to do, I should have never asked you to. I wasn’t thinking clearly, but that’s not an excuse.” He bows his head. “And for that, I deeply apologize.”
Epel blinks slowly, not knowing what to say in the moment. “Yer good.”
“I think he’s still broken…”
“Am not.”
Samara pokes his cheek. “You sure?”
“Dagummit woman…” His face pales again. “Sorry, Grammy already beat the behavior outta me.”
The women in the room laugh while Vil just stands back up, shaking his head as he returns to sit by Ash’s side once more.
“You know, I think you should be allowed a free pass for the rest of the day, considering everything that’s happened.” Samara looks to Vil. “That seems fair, don’t you agree?”
Vil gives a gentle smile. “I do believe you’re right.”
“I’m sure he’ll be disappointed when he realizes all his wasted opportunities tomorrow,” Rook says as he finishes bandaging up Ash.
“Epel, did you hear that?” Samara runs a hand through his hair.
“Yah.”
She smiles. “Wow, not gonna use this time to tell us all off? Curse like a sailor?”
Epel looks up at her for a moment with a blank stare before yelling, “FUCK!”
The room fills with laughter.
“That’s the Epel I know!” Ash shakes her head. “Such a wildchild.”
“FUCK OFF, WOMAN!” He buries his head in his hands. “FUCKKKK!”
Ash starts laughing harder before coughing. “Oh my sevens… this is why you’re my favorite.”
Vil looks at her. “Not me?”
“Not me, either~?” Rook smirks. “When have I ever forsaken you?”
“Don’t think I didn’t hear what you said earlier on stage. Isn’t Neige the light of your life?” Ash stands up, her arms now expertly wrapped up. She kisses Vil on the forehead before walking over to Epel.
“I have very clear categories organized in my brain,” Rook says. “You and Vil are in different sections.”
“Oh?” Vil raises a brow.
“Oui.”
“You’ll have to explain that more later.”
Ash hugs Epel. “You’re the favorite,” she whispers.
Epel looks up at her. “Does that mean no more makeovers?”
“When have I ever failed to try and help you get out of one?”
“Yah. Okay, point taken.”
Rook stands up. “And when have I ever failed to track you down, Monsieur Pommette?”
“FUCK YOU!”
There are frantic knocks on the door.
Ash looks at Samara and nods towards the door. Samara opens the door a bit, and Ash stands in the gap. “Neige?” She blinks, shocked to see him there. “What can I do for you?”
There’s a tight, worried smile on the actor's face. “Excuse me? I’m so sorry to bother you all, but this is important… Is Vil in here…?” He asks as he trys to look in around her, his voice almost breathless.
Ash stands taller, blocking his view in, and uses her foot to keep Samara or anyone else from opening the door anymore. “What’s going on?”
He holds up Mira’s satchel bag, his smile falling. “I can’t find her, and calls aren’t going through.” He looks at the ground. “I don’t know what happened, but she seemed really sad earlier, and then I didn’t see her at the finale, and I’m getting really worried.” He rambles.
Samara moves behind Ash, and the beastwoman moves her foot just enough for Samara to come through and stand in the hall with him. “I’m sure she’s alright.” She pulls her phone from her pocket. “Here, let me try and call her.” She quickly pulls up Mira’s contact and hits ‘call’. The phone rings for a few moments before ending. Her brows furrow at the phone, and she’s about to say something to Neige when she gets a text. She reads it and quickly types out a response.
Mira: Please don’t reach out to me for a while. I’m safe, but I can’t talk to anyone right now. Sorry.
Samara: That’s alright. Just reach out and let Neige know you’re safe. Even if you only send him the same message you did to me. Just let him know. He’s worried, and he came over to us looking for you. You’ve got him really worried. You left your bag, apparently.
The room and hall are quiet as she texts, but not soon after, Neige’s phone dings. He’s quick to pull it out and read the message. His shoulders sag as he reads the message he got. After a moment, they tense back up, and he looks between Samara and Ash. His eyes zero in on Ash. Her bandaged arms were in full view with the tank top she wore. Looking closely at the girls, he sees all the minor cuts and bruises on both of them. He brings his hands to his chest. “Forgive me, but… did something happen?”
Ash’s face turns serious, almost glaring at Neige, and she crosses her arms. “That’s on a need-to-know basis only. Sorry.”
Neige seemingly deflates, obviously not overly happy with the answer, but he doesn't pry at the moment. “Please give Vil her bag for me. No one can get into her dorm room but her, and he’s her brother, so..” He sounds almost curt, as though he’s lost the energy to be overly polite. He looks at Ash. “Get well soon.” He hands the bag to Samara before walking down the hall, practically hugging himself.
Samara takes the bag and glares at Ash before calling out. “I’m sorry we can’t give you more details right now.” She gives him a small smile. “There are things we need to process before telling anyone else. Have a good evening. Please take care of yourself, Neige. And I’m sorry Vil isn’t here.”
He turns around briefly, giving her a nod. “You as well.”
Samara pushes open the door to come back into the room, and Ash lets it close. “That was rude, Ash.”
“And yet I can’t find it in myself to care.” She walks back over to the couch and sits down. “If he needed to know, he would be told. It’s starting to get late, and I’m out of patience for others.”
Rook gestures to the bag in Samara’s hand. “Mademoiselle Mirroir’s bag?”
Samara nods and brings it over to Vil, who takes it and immediately starts going through it.
After shuffling around in it for a minute, he pulls out a paper. It’s a beautiful watercolor painting of him, with the words ‘Congratulations!’ printed carefully underneath. He looks at it for a moment in silence. “...she was fully convinced we’d win.”
Ash peeks over at the painting in his hands. “Guess so.”
“That’s… real nice…” Epel says slowly, looking and feeling guilty as he bites the inside of his cheek. Samara is quick to open her arms up for another hug, and he falls into it.
“She has always believed in you, Roi du Poison.” Rook places a hand on his shoulder. “Even despite her mistakes.”
Vil nods. “That she did.” He pulls out his phone, hoping to see a text from her, and nearly deflates when he realizes there isn’t.
“If you want to text her, do it.” Samara pipes up, still hugging Epel. “She is safe, though. She told me that much.”
“Alternatively, it might be best to wait a day or so, if not just to allow everyone some space,” Rook adds. “I’m sure we could all use it.”
Vil sighs. “You’re probably right. Her being safe is what matters.” He looks at the living doll. “Did she say where she was?”
She shakes her head. “She did not. I may push for some more information later, but all she gave me was that she was safe. I would show you our messages, but I really don’t like doing that without strict permission unless absolutely necessary.”
“That’s understandable. Just keep me updated.”
“Will do.”
Ash looks around the room at everyone. “Why don’t we head back to Ramshackle. It’s almost dinner time. I’ll see about ordering food.” She eyes Epel, who has that blank look on his face again. “Maybe pizza or something from the Monstro Lounge? Chinese is also an option.” She leans her head on Vil’s shoulder. “Everyone deserves a cheat day once in a while, especially after a rough day.” She nuzzles his cheek. “Including you.”
Vil looks at Ash, his eyes gentle. He can tell her patience is running low, even for him, and that she won’t be easily budged. “Alright.”
“Garlic bread…” Epel mutters.
Ash raises a brow. “That doesn’t sound bad, actually.”
“We’ll put it to a vote,” Samara says, rubbing Epel’s arm. “Everyone should be back at the dorm by now,” she says, giving a knowing smile. “Who knows, maybe someone from Heartslabyul brought over a tart or some other treat.”
Rook nods before walking over to Ash and Vil. He silently drapes his coat over Ash’s form without a word.
Ash turns, a loving look in her eyes, before nudging her face into his chest. “Thank you…”
He brings a hand up to caress her head.
Vil comes over and places a kiss on Rook’s cheek and then Ash’s head. “Let’s go.”
So I (Frost) made a post about this previously, but when me and Crimson write, we make lots of little notes and funny comments on the side. These are just for funnies, and sometimes they help us set the scene for what's happening when we go back and flesh it out. I shared some of them in the last post I made about this, but as I'm writing, I have more. And I decided to share them with y'all! Enjoy!
There are some spoilers for the next thing about to be posted.
The drumroll sounds as both groups stand on the stage, eagerly awaiting the results. “And the winner of this VDC is…” Both groups hold their breath. “ROYAL SWORD ACADEMY!” Cheers erupt from the crowd, filling the air with noise. “What a wholesome performance it was! The entire stadium was drawn into a world of fairy-tale fantasy!” Confetti starts raining down. “Second place goes to… Night Raven College! They lost out on first place by just one vote, but their vocals and moves were tour de force! Now, let’s have a big round of applause for all of our competing schools and their amazing performances!!” The cheers get louder. “Will the winning team please step forward?”
As Neige and the dwarves step forward, Deuce finally breaks the silence of the NRC tribe. “You’re kidding…”
“Just one vote…” Ace echoes.
Epel makes a sound of distress before he sniffles, tears starting to fall. “It ain’t fair! IT JUST AIN’T FAAAIR!”
Samara silently makes her way over to him and pulls him into a hug.
“Now, Epel, don’t cry,” Kalim says, coming over on his other side with teary eyes. “If you keep crying like that…” he starts sniffling, “it’s gonna make me cry tooooo!” The tears start falling, and Samara adjusts to awkwardly hold them both.
Jamil rushes over. “Kalim! Remember, you’re supposed to be the Asim family heir. Have a little dignity. We don’t need footage of you bawling your eyes out streamed live to the whole world.”
“But it burrrns!” He clings to Samara. “Aren’t you upset about this, Jamil?!”
The retainer sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose, baffled by Kalim’s behavior. “Oh, absolutely. I’m so upset, I’m beyond words or tears. My mind is a blank.”
Vil snaps, getting their attention. “You’re still on stage. Stop this pitiful display at once! Stand tall and don’t forget to give our rivals a sporting round of applause.” His voice is tight as he speaks, his posture stiff.
Ash comes up to stand beside him. “Put on a brave face, we can cry later.” Despite her words, her tail is wrapped around her own leg in a form of self-comfort.
“Oui.”
“You’re taking this in stride, Vil. Are you just used to this by now?” Jamil asks, but jerks back only slightly when Vil looks at him with a wide-eyed, forced smile.
“Calm?” He blinks. “Used to this? Heh…” He lets out a humorless laugh. “OF COURSE I’M NOT. I want to walk over and kick all those Royal Sword boys right off the stage!” He looks at Ace and Deuce. “Someone, knock me out before I unleash a tirade of verbal abuse that will mince them to shreds!” He looks at his hands. “Why, I’d love nothing more than to hex all the people who voted for them…”
“Oh, fair Vil, my dearest love…” Rook puts a gentle hand on Vil’s shoulder, “for I have brought upon you such anguish– but I just couldn’t lie to myself!” He drapes a hand over his forehead.
Ash steps forward to see him clearly on Vil’s other side. “What did you do…?”
Vil looks to him as well. “What are you talking about?”
Rook closes his eyes, a look of guilt on his face. “The one most deserving of your ire is… moi.”
“What.”
He pulls out his phone and casually hands it to Vil. “I have doomed us and betrayed you all, I’m afraid, but it was a necessary evil.”
Vil stares at the phone screen in shock. “No…”
“You’re kidding,” Ash whispers. Vil stumbles a bit, and Ash struggles to support him.
Deuce rushes over, “S-Steady, sir!” He takes Ash’s place in supporting him. “Here, hold onto my shoulder!”
Ace takes a look at the phone in Vil’s hand. “Are you nuts, Rook?! Why did you vote for Royal Sword Academy?!”
Hearing that, Epel’s head snaps to look at Rook. “Why’d ya go an’ do somethin’ so boneheaded?!”
“I told you, I couldn’t lie to myself.” Rook places a hand against his chest. “Neige’s group believed in themselves and each other when they danced and sang. When I saw them up there, it struck me as the fairest and most powerful in that moment.”
The phone shakes in Vil’s hands. “This is just… I can’t…”
“Rook, if it didn’t hurt to move my hands, I’d strangle you!” The leopard pauses, “Never mind, you’d probably like that.”
Rook moves in front of Vil, his hands coming up to cup the model’s cheeks. “Vil. Nobody should believe in your beauty more than you yourself.” The hunter’s eyes are filled with admiration. “It is most becoming, the way you maintain such rigid self-restraint while polishing yourself to triumph over your rival. But as long as you lack conviction… No amount of validation from the rest of the world will ever leave you fulfilled.” He looks at Ash, who carefully wraps her arms around Vil. “Even if you wind up old, emaciated, grimy, and stooped over… If you were to truly believe that you are the fairest of all, despite that, even the Magic Mirror of legend wouldn’t contest your claim. The strength and pride to believe in yourself is what marks the true fairest one of all.” His gaze meets Vil’s once more. “Roi du Poison. Fair Vil. I implore you to believe in yourself more than anyone else. Beauty is always with you. At this exact moment, you are the fairest one of all.” Tears fill Vil’s eyes, and Rook is quick to thumb them away.
“Vil!” Neige runs up, but pauses when he sees the scene in front of him. Rook steps away, and a small, shocked look crosses Neige’s face. “I’ve never seen you cry before outside of a role…”
“Well, you caught me at a bad time. Heh…” He wipes away a tear. “I’m always second to you.”
Neige shakes his head. “I wouldn’t be so sure! The numbers may have said so, but you guys gave a stunning performance that no one else could hope to beat.” He raves. “I’m honestly really impressed and proud! You’re still number one, both to your team and those who voted for you. Especially Mi-Chan… she’s always been your biggest fan!”
“Neige…” Vil whispers, and his partners tense up along with Samara.
Rook’s smile is tight as he looks at his boyfriend. “See, Vil? Your beauty is far more becoming of a smile than tears. Neige is right.” His voice is soft and gentle.
“Thanks…”
“Oh,” Neige turns to Rook as if just noticing who he is, “and I need to thank you– Rook, correct?”
The blond nods.
“I remember signing your photocard on set that one time. I appreciate you flagging me down earlier. It was so nice of you!”
“R-Roi des Neiges…”
Neige blinks, stunned, before laughing. “Oh! You’re R! The fan who always comes to my meet-and-greets and writes me letters! I knew there was something familiar about you!”
There are looks and sounds of confusion from everyone except Ash, who looks away with a grimace.
Vil slowly turns his head to look at Rook. “Meet-and-greets?!”
“Yes, it is I. Rook Hunt,” there are tears in his eyes, and he stands proudly, “member #0000002 of the Neige LeBlanche fanclub, Eternal Snow!”
Ash reaches over and wipes away one of his tears.
“What?” Deuce starts, looking between the hunter and his muse. “Rook’s a fan of Neige?! And he’s in his fan club?!”
“And he’s got a single-digit ID in it?!”
“What a minute.” Jamil gasps. “When you brought that heavy photo album with you to training camp…” his eyes go wide as he stares at Rook, “was that entire album nothing but official photos of Neige?!”
The entire group stares at the blond, while Ash continues to refuse to meet anyone's gaze.
“Wow!” It’s Kalim who breaks the silence. “If you’re that big of a fan, it must be nice getting to meet him up close! You should ask him for a handshake!”
Rook clears his throat, almost flustered, with tears continuing to form in his eyes. “Perhaps…”
“Oh my sevens, he’s quiet.” Epel comments.
Vil looks at his vice. “Heh. Feeling awkward, are we?” There’s a gentle teasing in his voice, despite how he feels.
Unable to hold back his tears, the hunter finally begins to cry.
Ash reaches over and takes out his own handkerchief from his pocket to dab at his eyes.
“It… is truly an honor to meet the light upon my life and the person who allows me to live with hope in my heart. Thank you for everything today.” He takes the cloth from Ash and continues to do it himself.
“You carry yourself so differently outside of my meet-and-greets, but I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you sooner!” He laughs and rubs the back of his neck. “I must seem kinda dumb, huh?”
“Not at all!” Rook presses a hand to his chest. “I shall write you another letter encapsulating my thoughts on your performance today.”
Neige gives a bright smile that almost has Rook swooning. “Hehe! When you do, make sure to sign it as Rook, so I know for sure!”
Vil lets out a huff before giving Rook a half-hearted glare. “This is quite the last-minute betrayal, you know.”
Ash nods, her glare more pronounced. “It is.”
“I cannot apologize for my vote,” Rook looks at Vil intensely, “but I want you to know that my fandom had nothing to do with it–”
Vil cuts him off. “Please, Rook. I know you’re not the type to act on personal bias. Don’t insult my intelligence.” He shakes his head. “But I’ve known you for two years, and I never had the slightest clue that you were a fan of Neige’s.” He closes his eyes. “You really are a hard man to read.”
“I’ve known…”
Vil gaze shoots over to Ash, who looks away. “You did?”
“Yeah? I mean… we roomed together freshman year.”
He blinks. “Somehow, I’m not surprised.” He looks to Rook with a sigh and holds out an arm. “I still love you…”
“Merci, Roi du Poison!” Rook sniffles before hugging him tightly.
Ash smiles at the two lovingly.
“Awww, I’m so glad to see Vil has his smile back!” Neige claps his hands together. “Ooo, I know! Let’s all go sing together, that way everyone can smile!”
“What?”
Neige rushes forward and links his arm with Vil’s before giggling brightly. “C’mon, NRC team! Let’s go!”
“Wait, Neige!” Vil grabs for Ash out of reflex, dragging her with him. She winces and, in turn, grabs Rook.
“Let’s sing together! All of us!”
“Wait… Wait! I– do we have to?!” Ash cries.
“Here we go! Three, two, one!”
It quickly becomes apparent that only half of the NRC group has their heart in it and is actively trying to put on any sort of show. After a few verses, Samara runs off stage, grabs both Yuume and Hannah, and drags them on stage to dance. Things begin to liven up as Epel comes over and offers a hand to Yuume, who takes it with a smile and starts eagerly dancing with him, mouthing the words.
Hannah bounds over to Ace and Deuce, neither of which had been performing with much effort, only putting in the bare minimum. Hannah grabs both of their hands and immediately starts bouncing and dancing as she sings at the top of her lungs, forcing them to join her.
Neige, upon seeing Samara invite both of NRC’s managers to the performance, instinctively looks over to the side with the intention of inviting Mira to join them. His smile falters for a moment before his gaze moves to the crowd, hoping to find her there, to no avail. He continues performing with an expert smile, deciding to look for her after the show.
Samara, returning to the stage, makes her way back over Kalim and Jamil. The first was pouring his heart and soul into it, trying to get Jamil to do the same. Samara comes up behind him, and suddenly Jamil is being forced into dancing as the two swing him around.
Rook, Ash, and Vil all seem to find a sort of rhythm among them, and while not giving their all in song, they dance with all they have, the men being careful of Ash’s wounds.
Neige, without a partner to dance with, migrates over to Vil, putting all his energy into his performance. He is quick to grab Vil, trying to pull him into a duet in hopes of helping him share the spotlight.
The two left behind allow Neige to steal their partner, and Rook begins to lead Ash in an air-dance of sorts, where his hands merely hover over her as they guide her movements.
As the song comes to an end, Neige grabs Vil’s hand and drags him forward. “Thank you, everybody!” He shouts before pushing the blond forward. “Your turn, Vil!”
He lets out a small laugh. “I’ll see you all again!”
“Aceyyy! Deucyyy!” Cater hollers. “They KILLED it up there! My precious juniors!” He holds on to Rielle excitedly as he jumps in his seat.
Spade stands up, clapping. “You did awesome, you two!!!”
Rielle smiles at Cater and laces their fingers together. “They really are good! Land-dwellers are so cool!”
Riddle remains in his seat, but does clap when the performance finishes. “I was ready to have both their heads if they made a poor show of it.” He smiles. “But that was a splendid performance. It did our school justice.”
Trey has a hand on his chest. “Good grief, I was tense just watching that.” He wipes his palms on his pants. “My palms are all sweaty.”
“C’mon, Trey.” Cater leans forward to look past both Spade and Riddle. “You sound like a PTA mom!”
Spade snorts. “I see it.”
Trey sighs, “Really, you two?”
“I mean…” Rielle trails off with a quiet laugh.
Spade immediately points ot Rielle. “SEE! Even the RSA dude agrees!”
Trey just sighs.
Octavinelle
“I have to hand it to Vil. He delivers, and his quality exceeds all expectations.” Azul adjusts his glasses. “They’d draw enough of a crowd to fill this place even if the NRC Tribe was the only act here.”
Floyd puts an arm on Azul’s shoulder and leans against him. “Daaang! That school of betta fish has got some moves! Now I wanna dance!” He points out Samara. “I mean, look at Starfishie! She did so weeeeeeell~”
Jade looks over at his brother. “I’m curious, Floyd. I know you love dancing and singing.” He tilts his head. “Why didn’t you audition for the VDC?”
Azul crosses his arms and shrugs Floyd off of him. “Seriously. If you’d made the cut to be a member, I could’ve had a say in how the group was managed.
“What can I say?” Floyd plops down in one of the nearby seats. “I wasn’t in the mood at the time. But Crabby and Sea Snake looked like they were havin’ a good time. Maybe I should audition next year.”
Jade covers his mouth as he laughs. “Heh heh. That should be quite the sight. Not that there’s any guarantee your mood will be better next time around, I suppose. Oh, by the way, Floyd. Thought you were on drink-vending duty right now? You’re not carrying your drink cooler.”
“Hm? Oh, I got tired of hawking, so I left it by the entrance with a sign sayin’ ‘Free drinks!’” He lets out a laugh and then points in the direction of where he left the cooler.
Azul’s head snaps to look at him. “What?! Are you out of your mind?! Go get it! Right now!”
Floyd slouches further into the chair. “Maaan, I don’t wanna.” He closes his eyes. “The Floyd Cafe is closed for business today…”
Jade looks between the two and smiles. “Well, now. That’s a bit of a pickle.”
Azul runs a hand down his face with a sigh. “What am I going to do with you? I’m taking the cost of those drinks out of your pay, just so you know.”
Floyd shrugs. “Don’t care.”
“Hm…” Jade hums, looking down near the stage. “I will have to go and congratulate Hannah when everything is done.
Floyd immediately perks up. “Yeah! I wanna go hug Starfishie!”
Gilly comes up, approaching Azul from behind. She taps lightly on his shoulder with a haunted look in her eyes. “Azul, I need some help.”
The octopus-mer turns and raises a brow. Out of all the people he could have expected, she wasn’t one of them. “Oh?”
“I’m looking to make a deal.”
Savannaclaw
“Vil’s stage presence was incredible,” Jack begins, “but the freshmen held their own up there. They’re not half-bad!”
Ruggies leans up against the console. “Whew. I was scared outta my wits when all the lighting-related program data vanished after rehearsals…” He runs a hand through his hair. “Thank goodness we got it restored in time.”
“I set it up to automatically save data to the cloud, and it paid off. Big time.” Leona scrolls through the tablet connected to the console before setting it down. “We were this close to dealin’ with some giant hissy-fit from Vil otherwise.” He shakes his head. “This is ostensibly a culture fair event, but there’s a lotta commercial interest tied up in the VDC.” His gaze moves over to where he knows Crowley is sitting alongside the headmage of RSA. “Then again, knowing him, he’s probably got it insured somehow…”
The hyena picks up the tablet, “‘m not exactly some computer whiz, that’s more of Keres’ thing, but I’m still confused about what happened.” He flips it over and looks at the wire connecting it to the console. “The equipment wasn’t busted or anything. How did all the data get wiped without anything else being affected? What could have caused that?”
“Aside from Leona, most of the sports club guys are pretty bad with tech.” Jack shrugs. “We could always bring the equipment over to Ignihyde later and ask them to investigate it,” he suggests.
“Maybe it went over you chumps’ heads, but there were traces of a massive spell cast over the whole arena.” Leona looks around the stadium, trying to pick out where all the housewardens are. His gaze switches between Malleus and Vil, who is sandwiched between Rook and Ash. “If I were to guess…” he trails off.
Ruggies looks at him expectantly. “Well? Don’t keep us hanging.” He follows the lion's gaze before his eyes zero in on Ash. “And don’t think I didn’t notice the bandages on Ash’s hands. I know you see ‘em too.”
“Meh, never mind,” He shakes his head. “We’ve got enough work to do today as it is without addin’ more to the pile.” He looks at Ruggie. “If you’re really curious, I’m sure you can ask Ash.” Leona sighs. “The VDC is up and running. That’s good enough for me. There’s no relaxing for us until this place is closed again.” He looks between his underclassmen. “Get to work.”
“YES, SIR!”
Diasomnia
“Heh. That was somewhat entertaining.” He looks to Mika, her hand in his. “Worth fixing up the stage to see it, I’d say.”
“What’s this, Malleus?” Lilia looks at his charge, being careful not to jostle Glitch, who was leaning against his shoulder with earplugs in. “You seem even more engaged than you were at my live show.”
“HAVE YOU TAKEN LEAVE OF YOUR SENSE?” Sebek yells, turning around in his seat to look at Lilia, who sat behind him.
Glitch winces; she had put the earplugs in to help dampen the noise, but it could only do so much, especially when someone was yelling so close to her. Lilia turns to kiss her head and gives her hand an apologetic squeeze.
“Lilia, your performance clearly had more of an element of surprise that left the audience wowed! Why, your singing was like the voice of a vengeful spirit risen from the grave!” The first year continues. “It had me trembling!”
Keres bares her teeth at the man next to her. “Quit yelling before I fucking bite you!”
Silver leans forward to look across her. “Lower your voice, Sebek. The next team’s performance is starting.”
“We were given a generous invitation to be here. Let us enjoy the entire show.” Malleus says.
“Next up: The Royal Sword Academy entrants!”
Chechnya appears out of nowhere and slings an arm over Silver’s shoulders. “Ooh, Neige and the boys are up! Mew can do iiit!”
Silver turns his head to look at the beastman and blinks. “When did you get here?”
“Why are you over here?” Mika asks, sitting behind Silver. “Should you be with Riddle and Spade? Loverboy~”
One of his ears flicks. “Riddle banished me for the day, nya…” He tries to headbutt Silver but is unsuccessful.
“From what I’ve heard, when has that ever stopped you?” She asks.
He shrugs. “Guilty as charged! Now shhh! They’re starting, nya~.” Keres lightly glares at the feline, and he smirks back at her. “What’s this~?” He disappears then reappears in the seat in front of her, sitting backwards. He leans up close with a grin. “Cat got your tongue, nya?”
Keres looks back at him with a dangerous grin, showing off her sharp teeth. “Careful, I bite.”
“She does,” Mika confirms.
“Me too!” His tail flicks with excitement.
“Yes, but her’s will paralyze you…” the mer adds.
“Oooh! Spicy bitey, nya!
Keres lets out a slight growl, and Mika sighs. “Both of you behave. Chenya, go back to Heartslabyul. Isn’t your friend over there?”
“Rielle needs some aloooooone time~ But I get it, I can see where I’m not wanted, nya!” He then disappears, leaving behind only a grin.
ADMIN NOTE:
That's right, we're back. The hyperfixation is back, and that means so are we.
Synopsis: Chun Y/N is a simple college student trying to make it to graduation with the least amount of drama possible. However, when she somehow gains her own reverse harem, drama begins to seem pretty unavoidable. Is it stupid to wonder if the next autopsy she takes part in will be her own?
Genre: CYOE SMAU
Pairings: Y/N x Lee Felix, Y/N x Han Jisung, Y/N x Park Sunghoon, Y/N x Nishimura Riki, Y/N x Min Yoongi, Y/N x Choi San, Y/N x Lee Taeyong, Hwang Hyunjin x Seo Changbin, potential future wlw Y/N pairings
Relationship Tropes: Childhood sweethearts to lovers, childhood enemies to lovers, loser gets the girl, compensated fake dating, the one who got away, slightly younger admirer, protective delinquent
Warnings: Romance, mental health issues, angst galore, kys/kms jokes that sometimes feel a little too real, mentions of autopsies and morgues, mentions of hospitals, alcohol consumption, love polygons, potential smut, happy endings but it definitely gets worse before it gets better, disordered eating, mentions of homophobia and hate crimes, mentions of bullying, mentions of smoking nicotine, family issues, found family, too many dick jokes, more chaos than plot sometimes, violence, a friend group comprised of 3 ateez members and Changbin is a warning in itself tbh, controlled substance mentions, a probably uncomfortably close and intimate platonic relationship/friendship between Y/N & Hyunjin, tba
Disclaimer: Each idol is heavily characterized and I do not claim to know them nor their personalities. This is purely fictional and is meant to be enjoyed.
Don’t you love making out with your gay opposite sex best friend all the time for literally no reason besides boredom and actual platonic shows of affection that weird everyone around you out? Good. That’s Y/N and Hyunjin. No, I’m not kidding.
Anywhosies, I would love to answer any questions and curiosities about this! I have plenty of little spoilers and teasers to provide as well as curiosities of my own based around what you might like to see in the plot and individual routes! I’m an open book… mostly 🤭
Ok. So there’s been a major decline in posts. That’s mostly cause I’m (Frost) on a road trip and Crimson is packing and moving (?). Once I’m more settled in my road trip destination (I get there this evening) and I’ve slept, then I’ll continue working and posting some stuff.
Just figured I’d let yall know what’s up. Since it was just a shit tin of posts and then nothing.
A lot of what's written starts out as an RP-style block of text between me and Crimson. So when I'm going back and fleshing things out, I always find it so funny to read our little side notes that we write in comments and within the actions. They don't often make it into the fleshed-out version, but they always make me laugh and smile when I read them. A perfect example of this comes from the piece I am currently working on (which you can expect to come out at some point today): Cater's Confession and First Date.
Cater: *Heart racing and chuckling nervously in reply* Yeah… you are too, it seems. *FUCK HEART STOP DOING SOMERSAULTS PLS TYVM -CAY CAY*
and
Cater: *Smiling before looking at Rielle, and then it hits him that ohfuckhe’salonewithhimandhehastoactuallysayshit–* So uh, hi… *he chuckles nervously with a faint blush* This uh… certainly isn’t how I planned all of this to go, but it’s okay!
or a comment I said to Crimson while we were writing.
"blah blah good blah blah FOOD"
Translate! -Frost
It's just so much fun going back and trying to get into and figure out what the hell we were thinking when we originally started writing something. Especially when it comes to some of our crack ideas. Like, how the fuck did our brains come up with this?!
TWST After Book 2 - 11 Spade And Cater Talk Crushes Part 2
“I still can’t believe you did that. You really had to follow us out there, didn’t you? If you’re gonna sneak around, at least get good at it.” Spade takes the teapot and pours more ‘tea’ into her teacup. Today, the tea was some random-ass energy drink Cater found on sale at Sam’s Mystery Shack. Surprisingly, it wasn’t bad.
“Duh! It’s like the smart people say– pics or it didn’t happen.” He takes a sip from his own teacup. “Anyways, I send one pic to the wrong group chat, and suddenly I’m terrible at sneaking? You didn’t even know I was there until then!”
“You gotta wait until afterward! Come on!” She lightly smacks him. “You’re better than this! I’ve taught you better than this!”
Cater raises a hand in surrender. “Okay, but Trey demanded instant updates, and he’s helping me make cupcakes for Rielle, so I really can’t cross him again right now.”
“Oh?” She raises a brow. “There’s that special name again! So~” she pours more ‘tea’ into his cup. She sets down the pot and raises her cup. “What’s the tea?” She takes a sip from her cup as if she were actually drinking tea.
He smiles nervously. “He’s an online bestie– met up with him a few times. He goes to RSA, y’know. I think he said something about Azul, come to think of it.”
Space rolls her eyes and grabs her phone. “You’re acting like you haven’t been telling me about this man for MONTHS now! Come on, give me the real details!” She starts texting something to Mika.
“Well, he’s got this pretty red hair and bright, curious eyes! So adorbs, TBH. Oh, wait,” he grabs his phone, “I can show you a pic!”
“This guy?” Spade turns her phone to show Cater her screen.
Cater waves his hand. “That was before I showed him how to take proper selfies, but yes! Here’s a better one.” He shows her his phone.
“OOOOO! That is a nice picture!” She shoots another quick message to Mika. “Yeah, apparently he went to school with Azul and the twins. She says she’s only met him a couple times.”
“Too cute! I didn’t realize they were from the same part of the sea– granted, I never paid much attention to the maps or whatever they have there.” He shakes his head. “Anyways, he’s got some lame-o bestie that hates me or something. SMH.”
“Hmm… let me call up Mika?”
“Go for it, but don’t let anything get back to Rielle! I don’t wanna seem like an effing stalker or something, LOL.”
She sends Mika another message. “So~ What’s the deal? You’ve been fawning over this guy for months now! I know you two met up in person last year. I was the one that told you to go for it.”
“He’s SUPES cute and nice, but sooooooo clueless! I swear– he’s, like, worse than you with Deucey!”
“Hey! I was not that bad.” She rolls her eyes. “But I guess that means you like him?!” She glances at her phone.
He tilts his head back and forth. “I don’t not like him~”
“Knew it!” Her phone rings. “And that would be Mika.” She answers the call and moves to sit beside Cater instead of in front of him. “You’re on speaker!”
“Sup whores, what can I do for you?”
“Not trying to sound like a total loser, but do you know anything about that girlie that hangs around Rielle Sidon? She’s got a mad grudge against me, and I dunno whyyyy!” Cater whines.
“In other words,” Spade translates. “We want the details on the people around Rielle. What can you give us?”
There’s rustling and movement on Mika’s end of the call. “Rielle Sidon… well, for starters–”
“Who are you talking to?”
“Spade and Cater. Wanna say hi?”
“Send them my regards.”
“‘Sup Mal-Mal!” Cater greets, feeling emboldened by Spade and Mika’s presence.
Spade gets a video call request, and when she accepts it, Mika comes into view. Malleus is behind her on the bed, resting his chin on her shoulder with a pout on his face.
“I would like to request that you do not call me that.”
Mika gives the dragon fae a look and mouths at him to ‘be nice.’
Cater clears his throat awkwardly. “Sure bro…”
Malleus turns to look at Mika. ‘Bro?’ She shakes her head. ‘I’ll explain it later.’
“Getting back on topic,” Spade says. “Details on Rielle and that friend of his?”
Mika clears her throat, and Malleus wraps his arms around her. “Right, so as you already know, Rielle went to school with Azul and the twins. I’ve only met him a couple times, Azul doesn’t really like him, and I didn’t hang out much in the surface water without the twins.” She tilts her head. “Pretty sure he’s scared of me.” She shrugs, and Malleus bites lightly at her cheek. “Quit it… Got a name for the friend? Maybe a picture?”
Spade looks at Cater.
“Uh… Gimme a sec.” He pulls out his phone and starts tapping on Magicam before furrowing his brows.
“You’re lucky I’m not asking favors for this.” Mika comments.
Spade smiles. “I get best friend privileges.”
“Gilly?” Cater suggests. “I think that’s her name. He mentioned it in one of our convos. Small? Kinda pudgy?-- Not that that’s bad, but like…”
Mika hums, and a moment later, Cater gets a text with an image. “That bitch?”
“Yes! Her! What’s her deal?” Spade looks over at the image on Cater’s phone.
“UGH!” Mika flops back, forcing Malleus to fall back on the bed behind them. “She’s a fucking cunt!” She readjusts on the bed with Malleus so she’s lying on him with her head on his chest. “She’s a racist twat, that’s what she is! Hates all of us deep-mers, calls us ‘trenchies’ and shit. She hates my guts and I’ve barely even seen her!”
Cater and Spade can hear the angry rumbles coming from Malleus’ chest. “I could–
“No.”
“Oh shiiiiiiiiiit…” Cater drawls. “So… does Rielle… y’know… say any of that stuff too?”
Mika shakes her head. “No, not that I’m aware of. I think he’s mostly just scared of me, which is a natural reaction. I’m technically a dark one, and one of the bigger, more dangerous ones at that.”
Cater’s shoulders sag in relief. “Well, that’s good at least. That he’s not a fugly racist, anyways.”
“Yeah, I have no issues with him. I don’t really know anyone who does, aside from Azul. And Azul’s Azul, so… Take that as you will.” She rolls over to lie flat on the bed, holding the phone up above her. “All the interactions I’ve had with him have gone well; he seems to get along well with other people. I’d watch out for Gilly, though. Prejudice little fucker is a jealous type, and 100% has her eyes on Rielle. So you better snatch him up quick.” She winks. “I know that’s what you’re after~”
Cater blinks and then nods, a nervous smile on his face. “Thanks, Mika! TTYL, babes!”
Malleus growls, and Mika smacks him. “Behave, he’s obviously gay.”
“There will be no hate crimes during tea time!” Spade says, finishing the liquid in her cup.
“Somehow, I already feel hate-crimed, if that’s possible, just from the mean mugging I’m receiving right now. Totes not fun.”
Spade pats his shoulder. “You’ll live.” She looks at Mika. “Thanks a ton whore, I love you!”
“Love you too!” She makes a finger heart at the camera. “Let me know if you need anything else. You know I got your back. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to smack some sense into my dragon prince here.”
“Cya!”
“Alright, you little shit–” the call ends.
Cater looks at Spade. “That… went supes well, right? Like, I’m not a total lost cause here? And not going to get hunted by Malleus?” He mutters the last part.
Spade wraps an arm around him. “Yeah, I think you’ve got a good shot with Rielle based on what Mika said, you just gotta go for it before Gilly does.” She gives him a squeeze. “As for Malleus, you’re fine. He’s just a little possessive and socially inept. Probably just upset ‘cause we interrupted cuddle time.”
“Adorbs, but scary. Also, kinda almost felt my heart in my ass when I thought ‘Elle was a racist or something. Phe-ew!”
“That’s Malleus for you, you just gotta learn to work with him. It also helps to have best friend privileges when learning.” She pats him on the head. “Now drink your ‘tea’ and get that phone out.”
“As if I ever put it away! Ahh, but this is gonna be such a pain…” He whines. “I don’t even know if he likes me! He looks at everyone with that adorable little face!”
Spade laughs. “Alright, pull up the messages between the two of you. I wanna read them. See if I can get a vibe check on his emotions.”
“Hm, KK.” Cater hands over his phone.
“Perfect…” She quickly types out a message and sends it on his phone.
“FUCKING– WHAT DID YOU JUST SEND?” He grapples for his phone back, but Spade easily lets him have it back.
“Invited him for lunch at the Monstro Lounge tomorrow.” She picks up her own phone and starts texting Mika.
Cater lets out a nervous laugh. “Are we sure that Azul won’t try to kill me after for bringing him here?”
Spade shakes her head. “Not at all! Mika is going to handle everything. And you~ are going to confess.”
He blinks. “So, like, do we remember the part of the convo where I said Rielle is the most oblivious cutie-pie fucker on Sage Isle?”
“Yes. And?”
“I could straight up kiss him, and he wouldn’t take the hint. That’s my problem.”
“Well then, I guess you’ll have to do that, tell him your feelings, and leave the rest to us.” She grins.
“Suddenly, I want to retract the invite… I’m not sure if for his safety, or mine though…” He leans away from Spade.
“Oh, but he’s already accepted!” She motions towards his phone. “Are you really going to go back and disappoint him?”
“Fuck you and your entire bloodline.” He snatches his phone to read the reply Rielle sent. “When did you get so manipulative? Totes un-cool.”
“I’ve been learning from the best.”
“Mika?”
“Naturally.”
Cater sighs, but can’t hide the small, genuine smile stretching over his lips. “Fine, you win.”
After checking the lounge and the front gardens, Spade heads to Deuce’s room. She knocks on the door and stands back a bit.
The door starts to open, “What the hell do you–” When the student sees who's at the door, he freezes with wide eyes. “Sp-Spade! Hello! Um, what can I do for you?” There’s panic in his voice.
She gives him a flat-faced look. “James, you’re lucky I’m not Riddle. He’d collar you for that kind of disrespect.”
James bows his head. “Apologies!”
Spade shakes her head. “Don’t worry about it, but for future reference, unless you know who’s at the door, but nice about it. You don’t want to piss off an upperclassman, or seven’s forbid, Riddle.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
“Don’t call me ‘ma’am’. Anyways, I’m looking for Deuce. Is he here?”
James nods. “Yes, Spade.” He turns to look inside. “Deuce! Spade is looking for you!”
“Is she? Hold on a sec!” After a moment, the door opens wider, and Deuce appears. James all but runs away from the door, hiding behind it. “Hey, Spade. What’s up?”
“You busy at all?”
He shakes his head. “No, I was just looking over some tests. Hannah helped me study and prepare for them, and I managed to get a decent score!”
“That’s great! I’m proud of you!” She smiles.
Deuce beams back at her. “Thanks! I was worried I wouldn’t do well. Hannah is a miracle worker!”
Spade nods. “All of us are extremely proud of her and how far she’s come. You’d have never thought she came from another world. Anyways, you down to go out and talk?”
Deuce’s eyes go wide for a moment before he nods eagerly. “Oh, yeah. I’m chill to hang out. Let me grab my phone, and we’ll go.” He quickly runs back into the room.
Spade props the door open with her foot before it can close.
“Hey, Spade!” Ace calls.
She opens the door further, coming in a bit more until she spots Ace, lying on his bed. “Hey, Ace. I’m surprised you’re not out causing mayhem.” She says with a raised brow.
Ace laughs. “Can’t be out causing chaos all of the time. Gotta keep people on their toes.”
“You’re only inside to hide from Riddle,” Deuce says, coming back to the door.
“Shut up!”
Spade raises a brow. “Oh? What’d you do this time?”
“Nothing!”
“He failed the quiz.”
“DUDE!” Ace slams his phone down on his bed.
Spade just laughs.
“She would’ve found out eventually, if not from Riddle, then from Hannah.”
“Yeah, and she’s a fucking snitch!” He throws a pillow at Deuce. “Go have fun with your girlfriend!”
Deuce goes pink. “She’s not my girlfriend!”
Spade’s laughing only slightly fades, and she gives Ace a wave. “We will, don’t worry, Ace!”
Ace laughs.
“Don’t encourage him!”
Spade ends up taking Deuce back into the rose maze, specifically leading him back to the fountain where they first sat after her wreck. “Recognize this place?” She asks.
Deuce nods. “Of course, it’s the place where I felt like we first really connected,” he blushes and rubs the back of his neck. “I- I don’t think that came out right…” He lets out a nervous laugh.
Spade shakes her head. “No, that works.” She goes over and sits down on the edge of the fountain. She pats the spot beside her. “Join me?”
His face is still flushed, and he looks a little nervous. “Yeah…” He walks over and sits down beside her. Spade immediately lays her head on his shoulder, and he tenses.
“This okay?”
“Yeah… Yeah, this is fine…”
Spade smiles. “Calm down.”
“I am,” he lies.
Her smile turns into a smirk. “Not for long.” She lifts her head to place a kiss on his cheek before putting it back on his shoulder.
Deuce freezes. “I… What?”
Spade sits up. “What? Can’t take a hint?” She playfully pushes him, but instead of just automatically rebalancing himself, he falls into the fountain. “Oh shit!”
Despite now being in the fountain, he doesn’t react. His eyebrows furrow. “Are you… Are you trying to get at something?”
She lets out a helpless sigh and nods. “Yes. Here, let me help you out.” She holds out a hand, but he doesn’t take it, continuing to just sit in the water.
“You kissed my cheek.”
She takes her hand back, since he doesn’t seem to want to take it at the moment. She nods. “Yes.”
He looks up at her. “And that meant something to you?”
She nods again. “Yes.” She can see the gears turning in his head, but nothing is clicking. She sighs. “Damnit, Deuce.” She reaches down, grabs him by the collar, and pulls him up to kiss her.
“MMPF,” He’s in a kind of half-standing, half-kneeling position. His eyes are wide for a moment, but is too shocked to kiss back.
Spade pulls away, still holding him by the collar. “... You good?”
Deuce buffers for a moment before mumbling, “Again?” but he slips, falling back into the fountain, bringing Spade with him. “Fuck!”
“Shit!” She lands in the fountain on top of him, but starts laughing after a moment.
After the initial panic fades, Deuce starts laughing too.
There’s a bright, genuine smile on Spade’s face before she leans down and kisses him again.
This time, he reciprocates; it’s a little sloppy, and it’s obvious this is his first kiss, but Spade tries to guide him a bit before pulling back.
“Has your brain finally caught up yet?” She whispers.
He nods, his face red. “Yeah… This… This isn’t some sort of joke, right?”
She shakes her head. “It’s not, promise.” She presses her forehead against his. After a moment, there's a ding from her phone and she turns to grab it.
“HASHTAG - ABORT MISSION, HASHTAG - WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE, HASHTAG - SPADE-SPADE FOR LYFE!”
“DAMN IT, CATER!” Spade quickly tries to get up out of the fountain, but slips and falls back into Deuce’s arms.
Cater takes another picture. “HASHTAG - WORTH IT!” He runs away.
Seeing him run off, she just sighs, resting her head on Deuce’s shoulder. “Those are going to end up online pretty quickly…”
“I can only imagine…” Deuce sits up and Spades slips down so shes basically straddling him. “I’m guessing he told you about my crush on you?”
She nods. “Yeah, but only after I tol him about mine on you.”
“That makes sense…” He hesitantly puts his hands on her waist. “So… what does this make us?”
Spade smirks. “That depends,” she brings her face closer to his. “What do you want us to be?”
He turns his head to look away from her.“I… I would like to be your boyfriend… If you’ll have me?”
She turns him by the chin to look at her. “I would be honored.”
A huge smile breaks out on his face. “I promise to be a boyfriend you can be proud of!
TWST After Book 2 - 9 Spade and Cater Talk Crushes
It was almost a month after the wreck when Spade and Cater sat down for another one of their ‘tea parties.’ They were sitting on his bed, the teapot and teacups empty of the lemonade they had been drinking.
“YOU LIKE DEUCE?!”
Spade is quick to cover his mouth. “SHUT UP!”
Cater takes her hand off his mouth. “If I have to shut up about it, can I at least go on Magicam about this?” He picks up his phone. “The followers need to know.”
“NO!”
“Fine, fine.” He sets his phone down. “BUT you should totally tell him.”
Spade gives him a look. “Seriously?”
“Oh PUH-LEASE!” Cater leans back. “That man has been coming to me about his crush on you since forever. You HAVE to tell him and confess!”
“And why should I?” She crosses her arms. “If he’s been in love with me for so long, why hasn’t he taken his shot, huh?”
“‘Cause he’s a respectful mama’s boy, that’s why!”
“Okay, true. But still! He should confess to me! I’m single now, have been for a while now.” She states.
“And risk ruining his friendship with his idol? Uh, NO??”
Spade is quiet for a moment before she lies back and closes her eyes, hands behind her head. “... Fair.”
“Honey, please do this.” He begs. “Not for me, not for you,” he places a hand on her shoulder, “but for the followers.”
She opens her eyes. “You’re not gonna post this online. I’ll have Zero take it down in an instant.”
“NOT ZERO! T-T”
Spade sits up. “If he comes to you so often, maybe you should convince him to confess to me!” She says, feeling petty.
Cater shakes his head. “No! He’ll be all like–” he clears his throat and feigns Victorian distress. “‘I simply cannot! I am just a lowly fish, and she is a third year! She is far too good for me!’” He drops the accent. “Or sum shit like that. LOL.”
Spade bursts out laughing to the point of falling over on the bed.
“SEE?! I’m right, like always! Hashtag - Blushy smiley emoji, hashtag -Cay Cay is right, hashtag - Cay Cay is bae.”
Spade clutches her stomach. “Oh my seven…”
Cater throws up a peace sign. “Gotta update the followers~ #SpadeSpade!”
“What the fuck,” she says between laughs. “Why are you like this?!”
Cater pushes her, and she rolls off the bed. “Now GOOOOOOOOOOO MY DARLING! CONFESS TO THE LOWLY FISH!”
She lands on the floor with a loud thump. “Okay, fine. FINE!” The laughter dissolves into giggles. “I’ll go!” She gets up and straightens her clothes. She takes a deep breath before heading to the door.
As she leaves the room, Cater grabs his phone and ‘sneakily’ tries to follow her, but she stops and turns to look at him. “You’re not coming. You are NOT going to film this shit! He’ll think it’s a joke!”
Vil lies unconscious on the broken stage, Rook sitting on one side while Ash sits on the other. Each holding a hand.
“Please, wake up, mon amour…”
“Vil…”
Mira stands close, her head hanging dejectedly, tears in her eyes. “I… I am so sorry…” Her voice cracks. “This is all my fault.”
Ash’s grip on Vil’s hand tightens, holding back everything she wants to say in the moment, everything she wants to yell and scream at the young Schoenheit. More than anything, she wants to shout at her about how if only she had told Vil about her relationship with Neige sooner, maybe things could have been mended and dealt with before it got to this point, that maybe this overblot could have been avoided.
Samara comes up beside Mira, an arm around her shoulder, supporting her. “It’s not entirely your fault.” She looks over at Ash, who blatantly ignores her gaze. “I think this is something that has been building up for a long time now.”
“Ya couldn’t have known…” Epel says.
Mira shakes her head, tears falling to the ground. “If I wasn’t such a coward, it might not have ended up like this.” She whimpers. “Vi-Chan…”
“It might not have happened today, but it would have happened eventually.” Samara pulls her in for a proper hug. “He’ll be okay. This isn’t the first overblot to happen on this campus this year.”
“And I doubt it will be last…” Hannah mutters, Hera at her feet.
Mira’s breath hitches, and she pulls away from Samara to cough. She shakes her head. “I–I shouldn’t be here right now… I– please, tell him I’m sorry when he wakes up.” She looks at Ash, who finally looks away from Vil to meet her gaze with dead eyes. “Tell him I love him. I have to go.”
Right when Mira finishes, Vil stirs and opens his eyes.
Ash’s attention immediately shifts over to the housewarden. “VIL!” She cries, “You’re awake…”
Rook finally allows himself to let out a slight sob as he gently squeezes Vil’s hand. “You naughty thing, you…”
“Vil! I was so worried!” Kalim sobs happily, and so Rook doesn’t feel alone. “What a relief…!”
Jamil gives Kalim a look that says he’s tired of the nonsense. “What are YOU crying, Kalim?”
Deuce lets out a breath of relief, a hand on his chest. “Oh, thank Seven… I was worried I’d hit you in the wrong place…”
Vil shifts, making it clear he wants to sit up. Rook and Ash move to help him sit up, though Rook does most of the work as Ash winces, letting out a whimper at the pain in her hands. Vil looks at everyone individually. “I’m… sorry you had to see that undignified display…”
Mira lets out a sob at his words before she turns and runs away, unable to handle the shame she feels.
“Mira!” Seeing his sister turn and run, Vil reaches out to her and tries to get up, but both Ash and Rook are quick to stop him.
Ash shakes her head, “No.”
“You need to rest, now,” Rook says.
“There will be time for you to talk later,” Ash adds. “Tomorrow even…”
Samara watches as Mira runs back inside in the direction of the changing rooms. “Yes, everyone will need time to process everything that just happened.” She turns to look at the third years. “If confrontations were to happen now, things would only end poorly for all parties involved.”
“You’re right…” Vil whispers. He takes a breath and then looks at everyone once again. “Only third-rate people throw temper tantrums and take their problems out on others. My conduct was the most unbecoming of all…”
Hannah steps forward, thinking of Azul’s overblot. “You’re not the first person to overblot for seemingly petty reasons.”
“Yer dagum right about that!” Epel shouts at Vil. “I thought ya said people grow outta temper tantrums by the time they’re three!”
Yuume gives a nervous smile before lightly shoving him, quickly signing out ‘Not the time.’
Vil looks at Epel. “You’re absolutely right, Epel. I’m no longer fit to be your leader.”
Rook gives him a soft smile. “It would not do to flatter yourself, Roi du Poison.” He gently places a kiss on his hand. “I’m afraid you’ll find that none of us are lying prone.”
“What?” Vil tries to stand up, and Rook is quick to help him, and then Ash, to their feet.
“Rook’s right, Vil!” Kalim says with a smile. “You haven’t actually hurt anyone. You haven’t stepped over the brink yet.”
Vil looks at Ash’s hands and forearms, and she quickly moves them behind her back with a wince. “I did that to myself,” she says quietly. It was technically the truth. She had been the one to grab Vil; he hadn’t even been trying to hurt her in the moment.
“Listen.” Jail starts. “Neige LeBlanche is out there right now, dancing happily with the seven dwarfs.”
Ace crosses his arms. “After the way you ran us through the wringer, training us to get here, there’s no way we’re letting you pull out just because of a few bruises!”
Ash nods. “I can still dance just fine. My arms will be a little stiff and they’ll need to be bandaged, but it shouldn’t be too much of an issue!”
“It’s a stretch…” Jamil puts a hand on his chin, “But let’s just say we got a little overly worked up in practice and got into a team brawl.”
“All of you…” Vil’s voice is quiet. “You just want to pretend none of this happened?”
Jamil raises a brow. “I never said that. All I’m saying is that we can hold off on explaining this to the faculty until after the competition.”
“Heh… Jamil, you are truly wicked–” Vil loses his footing, and Rook and Ash are quick to stabilize him.
“Vil!”
The housewarden gives his loves both a look. “I’m alright, just stumbled a bit. Spare me your plaintive cries.”
Ash lets go of him, but continues to watch him carefully. The pain in her hands and forearms was great, but she could ignore it.
“Your injuries are no small matter. Please, you mustn’t strain yourself. Here, lean on my shoulder.” Rook encourages.
Ash stands in front of Vil and gently cups his face. The raw skin on her hands burns at the touch, but she doesn’t remove them. “You can rely on us… In fact, I’m begging you to.”
Ace rolls his eyes at the romantic gesture and turns to look at Deuce. “Oh, by the way, dude–what was up with that blast of magic you hit Vil with at the end there?”
Grim perks up, wiggling out of Yuume’s arms to stand on the ground. “Yeah, that was one powerful shot! When did you learn to pull off a spell like that, Deuce?”
“I saw that! I’ve never seen you cast that before!” Hannah says excitedly.
Yuume nods eagerly. ‘I always just see you summon cauldrons.’
Deuce rubs the back of his neck, cheeks turning a light shade of pink. “I wasn’t the one who made it so strong. Vil was.”
“How so?” Kalim asks, and Samara tilts her head.
“That spell stores up all the damage I take from someone, then hits back with it all at once. So it was only potent because Vil hit me with really potent magic to start with.”
Ace crosses his arms. “What kind of spell is that?!” He shouts. “So it’s just a way to get payback for when you get in fights?”
“Don’t make it sound so violent!” Deuce shouts back. “The first time I pulled it off was when I took Epel to the beach, and a gang attacked us. All I was doing was taking hits at the time, though. It just kinda slipped out.”
Jamil sighs. “You should really know better than to use magic against laypeople. That can get you suspended.”
Yuume shakes her head. ‘Wouldn’t be the first time.’ She signs.
Hannah snorts. ‘But will it be the last?’ She signs back.
“I take offense to that!” Ace yells.
“Then stop almost getting suspended!” Hannah yells back.
“Erk… S-Sorry…” Deuce bows his head just a bit at the two girls. “Anyway, I kept trying to do it again afterward, and it just wouldn’t work. It only clicked for me when Vil was kicking our ass.”
Ash takes her hands off of Vil’s face and turns to look at the rest of the group. She gives Deuce a deadpan stare. “You realize what that is, right?”
Deuce jumps slightly and looks at Ash sheepishly. “No?”
She lets out a breath. “That’s your unique magic.”
Deuce blinks at her. “Unique? Oh, wait…” His eyes go wide. “You mean that’s my… signature spell?!”
Ash and Yuume both give him a look that basically screams ‘dumbass.’
‘Even I knew that.’
Hannah watches Yuume sign. “Yeah,” she looks back at Deuce. “Even we knew that. You literally said its name!”
“Seriously?! What was it?!”
Hannah gives him an unimpressed look while Yuume just sighs. “Bet the Limit…”
“Marvelous! Merveilleux! You have broken out of your shell in a spectacular fashion, Deuce Spade. Behold–Vil is awestruck and weak-kneed from the sheer splendor of your blow!” Rooksays, his voice lighthearted, but Ash and Vil could still sense his worry.
Vil shakes his head. “No, I’m just beaten up head to toe. Credit where it’s due, though–that last blow of yours struck soundly.” He gives a nod of approval. “Nicely done, Deuce.”
The freshman’s face fills with shock. “...Thank you, sir!”
“So, wait.” Jamil interrupts. “If you hadn’t succeeded at pulling the spell off once, what possessed you to yell ‘everybody, get down!’ with so much confidence? It’s all well and good that the spell worked, but what would you have done if it hadn’t?”
“Psh, don’t sweat it, Jamil.” Kalim waves a hand. “It worked, and in the end, isn’t that what matters?”
Jamil lets out a deep, heavy sigh. “Good grief,” He rubs a hand down his face. “I will never understand the way you impulsive types think.”
Ash nods. “I’m with Jamil on this one. It’s great that it worked, but it’s dangerous to just make those kinds of decisions without the certainty that it will work. We would’ve been screwed if it hadn’t.”
Ace looks at his hands. “D-Deuce mastered a signature spell before me? Are you serious?!”
Hannah bursts out laughing. “Of course he did! He works so much harder than you do!”
“I was never expectin’ Deuce of all people to beat me to the punch at somethin’.” Grim grumbles, and Yuume lightly smacks his head with a massive smile on her face.
Epel laughs with Hannah before slapping Ace on the back. “Sounds like we’ve got some catching up to do!”
“The question now is, what do we do about the stage?” Jamil points out. “It’s a complete wreck. We’re fortunate that Vil’s poison mist is covering the whole coliseum. It means we’re the only witnesses to the scene.” He tilts his head slightly in thought. “In that sense, it’s actually a good thing for us that Vil’s signature spell lasts so long.”
Ash sighs. “The only blessing in this situation.”
“I’d prefer to fix the venue up, dispel the curse, and get out of here, but…” Jamil shakes his head. “It’s not feasible for us to fix everything up the way it was with what power we have left.” He groans. “Every scenario I run through my head hits the same brick wall. I’m not sure there’s any getting out of this mess.”
Ash’s ears flick toward the entrance of the Coliseum.
“Oh, no… Does that Mean the VDC is…?” Epel starts.
“Well, well. What have we here?”
Everyone except Ash and Rook jumps at Malleus’ entrance. Mika walks beside him with their fingers interlocked.
“You’re–”
“I thought I’d arrive early, and what do I find but a stage laid to waste?”
“He insisted on coming early,” Mika explains. “And I’m starting to be glad he did.” She looks around, taking in the state of the stage and then Ash’s arms. “What happened?
Yuume visibly brightens at the sight of Malleus, and she jumps up and waves at him.
When his eyes land on her, Malleu’s gaze softens. “Ah, Child of Man, what a pleasure it is to see you. Allow me to give you a voice.” With a small wave of his hand, a bit of magic flies towards Yuume and lands in her hands.
Yuume signs and words suddenly speak from thin air around them. “Tsunotaru!”
Everyone except for Hannah, Grim, and Mika stares at her. “TSUNOTARU?!”
“Oh, hey! So you’re that guy who wanders around the Ramshackle Dorm garden late at night.” Grim walks forward so that he’s in front of Yuume. “I heard about you from Yuume. You really do have horns growin’ outta your head! Myah hah hah–MRAH!”
Deuce grabs Grim and quickly covers his mouth. “Grim, are you nuts?! Y-You can’t just talk to an upperclassman that way!” He whisper-yells.
Ace stares at Yuume. “Dude! You’re really calling THIS guy Tsunotaru? Do you have a death wish?!”
Epel grabs her arm. “Don’t ya know who this is?!”
Yuume shrugs, the air speaking her words as she signs. “He wouldn’t tell me his name when I met him, so I gave him one. He never seemed to mind, even laughed when I started referring to him by it!”
Samara lets out a gentle laugh, realizing that there is no need to worry, especially with Mika standing there. “Did no one ever tell you?” She asks Yuume.
“I showed Hannah a picture, and she told me his name.” The magic-less human shrugs again. “But I like calling him Tsunotaru.”
Mika smiles, hugging Malleus’ arm. “He won’t admit it, but he likes the nickname.”
“Roi des Dragons,” Rook speaks up, “how did you get into the coliseum?”
Malleus pouts, “I was invited by the child of man living in the Ramshackle Dorm.” He pulls out his ticket. “I have my invitation right here.”
Mika looks at Yuume. “You don’t understand how happy he was to be invited to something by someone other than me or one of my close friends.”
Rook shakes his head. “That’s not what I was asking… The entire venue is still enveloped in the cursed poison mist generated by Vil’s signature spell. There’s no way anyone coming into contact with that curse would come out of it unscathed.”
Malleus tilts his head slightly. “Oh yes, I suppose there was some sort of cantrip up when I came in. But no curse, no matter how powerful, will work on me.”
Mika nods. “He was very nice and protected me.” She looks up at him with a smile and stands up on her toes to kiss him on the cheek.
Vil lets out a huff. “I see you’ve taken advantage of Yuume’s ignorance to have a bit of sport, Malleus Draconia.”
“Draconia…” Yuume signs slowly. “So that’s what the D stands for. Malleus Draconia.”
He nods. “Indeed. I am Malleus Draconia, soon-to-be ruler of Briar Valley.”
Yuume bobs her head. “Fancy… I like it.”
He smiles at Yuume. “I’m glad.”
“Myah… You guys were talkin’ about this crazy powerful guy at the Spelldrive tournament… You mean to tell me that was Tsunotaru all along?!” Grim yells.
“I trust you see what I meant now, when I said not knowing my name was for your own benefit?” Malleu asks.
Yuume shakes her head. “Not really, but it’s whatever.”
Malleus hums and then turns to Vil. “Schoenhiet, you seem to have had a bit of sport, yourself. However did you become such a mess? You’re hardly living up to the Fairest Queen’s spirit.”
Ash lets out a low, quiet growl, but Mika smacks Malleus’ arm. “Be nice.”
Vil looks at Ash and then Mika. “He’s not wrong.”
Mika lets out a breath and gives Vil a flat look. “I don’t care. I’m trying to teach him how to behave and be better at interacting with people. Don’t put up with it just because he’s powerful. You’re enabling him.” She looks up at Malleus, as if daring him to argue with her.
He shakes his head and presses a kiss against the top of her head. “Only you have the power to speak of me, and to me, in such ways, my treasure.” After a moment, he lifts his head to look at Yuume. “What’s the trouble? Tell me, child of man.”
“Long story short, stuff happened and Vil overblotted.” Yuume signs.
“That is a very short story. But I believe I understand what has happened now. I must say, though, I’m most impressed. A magical reaction at the level of an overblot… and not a single one of many mages on campus, myself included, took notice of it.”
Everyone looks at him and Mika in shock.
“HUH?!”
“You seriously mean to tell me nobody noticed?!” Hannah yells.
“So there’s not a panic outside?” Kalim asks.
“Nope. The RSA students are putting on an impromptu concert over by the gym, not far from here. They’ve managed to gather a pretty big crowd. Aside from that, no one noticed.” Mika explains.
“This coliseum plays host to Spelldrive games, defensive magic exams, duels for the seat of Housewarden, and more,” Rook says. “I’ve heard from the faculty that it’s imbued with a special field that makes it harder for damage to spill out. With that in mind…” He trails off.
Epel picks up where he left off. “So then, if we hadn’t gotten back to normal…”
“...help wasn’t even on the way?” Ace finishes.
Malleus hums. “I suppose it’s immaterial, at the end of the day.” He looks at Vil. “You owe me, Schoenheit.”
“What?”
“No, he doesn’t.” Mika lightly pinches Malleus. “You can pawn that favor to me. I’ll pay it back if you absolutely insist.”
Malleus looks at her with a pout, but she just raises a brow at him.
“We can get ice cream later and have some fun tonight~”
“Fine.”
Ash snorts.
“As if you haven’t pulled the same trick, Mademoiselle Chaton~.”
Ash smirks at Rook. “I have, and that’s how I know it works.”
The ground begins to shake. Ash and Rook immediately move to try and support VIl, who attempts to shake them off.
“Myah!” Grim clings to Yuume’s leg. “What’s goin’ on?! All my hairs are standin’ on end!”
Jamil grits his teeth. “Rgh… What incredible pressure!”
Malleus looks at Yuume and smiles. “Heh. Children of man– I shall bestow upon you a gift.”
“What are you doing, Malleus?!” Vil shouts.
Mika shakes her head. “Trust the process, Vil.”
Malleus huffs, his chest rumbling in slight irritation. “This is even more trifling of a task than re-weaving unraveled fabric. Come! Return to your proper place! Revert to your proper shape!”
With a flash of light, suddenly, the coliseum is completely fixed.
Epel rubs at his eyes. “Rgh… W-wait… What just happened?! No way!” He looks around him with wide eyes. The stage was no longer in shambles. “It’s all back to the way it was!”
Hannah gasps when her vision clears. “He really did it in an instant!”
Deuce looks around in amazement.
“Whoa…” Ace stares at Malleus. “I’ve known it since I saw him at the Sprelldrive tournament, but boy, he’s ludicrously beyond our league.”
“Roi des Dragons, c’est magnifique!” Rook claps his hands together. “Your magic never ceases to amaze me!”
Malleus settles his gaze on Rook. “With the stage restored, I can watch you perform now. That’s the extent of my interest in this matter.”
Mika smiles and shakes her head; she knows this performance means the world to him.
“You’re the best, Tsunotaru!” Yuume signs, the magic from Tsunotaru’s spell still translating them into audible words.
Malleus laughs and shakes his head. “Even knowing my full name and who I am, still you stick to that pet name?”
“Are you complaining?”
“Not at all,” He turns to Vil. “I’ve set the stage for you, Schoenheit. I trust you will keep me suitably entertained.”
“Hmph… I hardly need your urging to put on the finest possible show. You’d best be prepared for a standing ovation.” Vil says, his voice filled with confidence despite his state.
Malleus nods. “I’d expect nothing less. If you’ll excuse us, then I look forward to the show.” Mika gives a quick smile and bows her head before Malleus waves his hand, and they disappear.
Rook laughs quietly. “I was hardly expecting Roi des Dragons to give us his personal blessing. Lady Luck truly is on our side. Now it is the time for us to show the NRC Tribe’s unity.”
“Yes. I will take full responsibility for explaining this to the headmage and whatever follows.” Vil looks at everyone. “As for now, we have a championship to win.”
