alr this time imma lock in mayhaps and do the vil smau I've been wanting to and maybe slowlyyyyyy get back to writing fics bc this semester kicked my ASS guys holy shit
hi chat so um. life update bc i dropped off the face of the earth: uni is kicking my ass but im beating it up in return (except for bio), finished my show and did an awards show (twas cool), got a creature (i know. its weird), and i might be going on vacation next month
BUT! I also have fic ideas and i keep saying this but oml I've been starving from good quality content that i make so once im done with everything, we should be fine
a/n: gotta keep myself in check i've been playing roblox for too long
fun facts/glossary:
azul is in charge of finances when it comes to the two of them. they brought him in their first year of university so he can keep track. unfortunately, there's nothing to keep track of since they just so happen to work the same shows every time.
cue book: the script full of light and sound cues for the stage manager; they tell them to the light and soundboard operators so the show runs smoothly. every light and sound change happens because they call it.
trey and mc are technically exes, no one except them and floyd know what caused their break up.
italian run: when actors do a run of the show in 2x speed as a rehearsal
stage manager: the director's second in command, makes sure everything goes according to plan once the director leaves and keeps track of everything during the rehearsal process
green room: break room for talent
ASM: assistant stage manager
Macbeth: Shakespeare play, those in theater heavily believe that if you say it onstage or backstage, you will be cursed with bad luck, there's been lots of confirmations on this.
a/n: TEEHEE WE'RE SOOOO BACK i must work on the revival of the azul smau, but dw guys i have this pretty much planned out entirely unless i get inspo in the middle of the night <3 also, just as an extra, i'll probably include fun facts down here as well as a glossary for theater terms so yeah!! hope you enjoy :3
synopsis: a bet as kids should never extend further than the second or third grade, for it is something that will never be remembered. for vil and mc, it is the main reason for their careers. as the role models of the film and theater departments and known through off-broadway stages, they are the top of the top; if it wasn't for their wager, they could be a powerful duo. unfortunately, everything goes south when there are rumors that one of them has a chance of getting on broadway, their dream job. there is nothing left but to sacrifice everything if it means finally ending this bet to prove once and for all, which one is the better star of the show.
genre: smau, drama, angst, crack, fluff, theater.
warnings: fem mc mentions, stage manager!mc, cursing, modern au, university au, very few mentions of not in game characters, connected in timeline to loneliness of evening (revamped), a bit of jealousy, theater terms, irl musicals sometimes name dropped/used (i do NOT own those pls don't copyright me </3), ✎ means written.
note: the way to get me back from creative block is through vil schoenheit omg. i have a plan, but if i add in more chapters last minute, well. regarding the theater terms, at the end of the chapters, there will be a glossary of sorts for anything that people may wonder about. if you wish to be tagged, send an ask or DM, or reply under this masterlist or a chapter!
so. who would judge me if i restarted the azul smau once i had a good idea for the plot.
verdict of the people ?? 🎤
NO DONT START ALL OVER
i meannnnn
Voting ended onApr 20, 2025
i actually have a sort of idea but i just need a bit of time to flesh it out and it'd come back but with a new plot :3 and we would have to restart on who wants to be tagged
synopsis: christmas isn't christmas without him and no amount of pleading can make him come home faster.
a/n: listen i wanted to do this for christmas and i had the worst writer's block so i'm slowly getting back to it </3 i've been focusing on the solverse okay
the snowflakes falling outside of the door felt like they were taunting you. every pitter patter, every whisper of the icy crystals, reminded you further of how far your own shining light was.
vil's job was more than fruitful, the people saying the same stupid phrase over and over again as if it was supposed to be some method of comfort. booked and blessed. how ridiculous. no, that was cruel to even think about. vil had worked so hard to become an actor that was reliable and able to obtain various opportunities. he even got the lead role as the hero of a movie.
but he had promised that he would return for christmas. after last year where you were alone for christmas, he told you that he'd go to you no matter how far away he was. you told him it was okay, that he needed his career more than he needed you.
selflessness came at the cost of your own exuberance.
while you decorated the christmas tree in the corner, setting up the red carpet beneath the glistening pine needles, your phone went off. the screen showed a picture of you and vil after you had gone on a date, deciding to take pictures in a photobooth. you still had the strip of pictures on your desk.
sliding the green button, you answered his call. "hey vil, how's work?"
"hi, my love. everything is okay, we are taking a five." vil had told himself that he was going to call you as often as he could and time was running out on his promise. already the first week of december, if he didn't wrap it all up soon, he could be at risk of leaving you alone for christmas, the exact thing he refused to do. "i've sent you a small package of ornaments that i thought you would like. they should be at your door."
you walked over and opened the door to find a small white box. carrying it to the table and using a boxcutter, inside were the special edition ornaments of your favorite collectibles. "how did you find these?! they were sold out everywhere!"
vil nodded, even though he knew you couldn't see him. "i had to call a friend of a friend. he claimed that he had his own stash for those people that he cared for. originally, he was going to give it to my connection, but he said i could have it."
it was like vil was there with you, or at least his thoughts were there with you.
he also had an uncanny way of knowing what you were thinking.
"i'll be there for christmas. i promise." his voice, melodic and soothing, made a sense of calm wash over you, making you believe that he was right. he would be home, he wouldn't leave you alone this year like you were the previous year.
"okay," you said delicately, "i'll hold you to it."
"my five minutes are up. i'll call you when i get on my next break."
and so it went, the days passing by with a certain schedule: waiting until vil's next call and the intervals, yet also checking the calendar to imagine what would happen that christmas day. you had your own traditions that mixed in with his.
christmas eve came and while you were deciding between take out or scrounging around for something that could potentially fill your stomach, there was a knock at the door. your hopes that he would be home lifted as quickly as fireworks did. but it sizzled out when you saw it was a takeout bag. takeout bag?
the sticker said that it was for vil, so it must have been for you as a christmas meal. then it all clicked into place.
vil wasn't coming home.
there was a deep feeling of rage, except that it seemed to be more disappointment and sadness. an actor's life was solely for the screen and never anything more.
meanwhile, vil was being driven not to his own house but to yours. he had paid his driver extra if he could get there immediately. the traffic seemed to have another idea for him and that was not to make it. vil refused to break his promise. it was one thing to be late, it was another to not arrive at the set time. no, like all movie sets, to be on time was to be late. to be late was to be dead or fired.
finally, your place of residence was in his sightlines and he could feel that joy rising up within him that he rarely externalized. he thanked the driver and went up to the door, knocking twice in the way that he knew you would recognize.
"if this is another prank, i will never forgive him--" your voice muttered from inside, clearly loaded with restrained fury.
when was the last time he saw you? it doesn't matter, it had been too long. vil could write you galaxies of ink, and the quantity would never suffice. the planets would much sooner become supernovas than he would fall out of love with you. every single inch of you was nothing less than flawless to him.
"i'm sorry i'm late."
the silence was as thick as the snow piled up behind him. he paused and whispered, "i know. i should've--"
all of that was tossed to the wind as you wrapped your arms around him. rarely did he let you squeeze him into your embrace, but today he welcomed it, cherished it, he craved it after months without you.
you looked up at him and smiled, "it's okay. i knew you were going to come home."
he let out a playful scoff. "considering what you said after i knocked, i know you had your doubts. i do not blame you for one second." the tiniest of smiles appeared on his lips. "shall we?"
then he looked up after seeing your expectant look. mistletoe. "ah, a little surprise. very well, then." he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to your cheek.
you raised an eyebrow. "i don't remember that being the tradition."
warnings : mostly narration, astral references, malleus mention, ace is my muse my most beloved im sorry i will never shut up about him, i love the sun i love ace trappola
w/c : 1045
there was always something about ace trappola that simply demanded attention.
it wasn’t something easy to spot, something visible to the naked eye– no, it was something intangible, something deep within him that simply made the people around him unable to look away. his presence simply pulled gazes much like magnets and metals.
some people say it's because he's “such an ass it has you staring”, but then why are their gazes filled with wonder?
in the time you spent here, you’ve come to find the only person who looked at ace with mostly apprehension was riddle rosehearts, his very own dorm leader. it’s no wonder, really, with how much of a troublemaker the ginger is (and with how many rules he breaks), but even despite that, sometimes, riddle looks at him starstruck as well.
you find yourself questioning this reality. while ace is a dear friend of yours, and he has been exceptionally nice to you (excluding the times he wasn’t because that's just who he is), you still don’t quite understand what exactly about him just has you turning your head to look at the ginger instead of the blackboard crewel is breaking his back to write on.
and it is perhaps in that fateful classroom where you finally begin to piece it together.
there was always something akin to a spotlight placed on ace trappola– whether it be one you imagined, the light from a lamp, or just literally the sun's rays– he was always the main attraction, always eye-catching.
or perhaps, it's not that he placed himself under the spotlights, perhaps the spotlights placed him under themselves. perhaps they chased him, were attracted to him, like moths to a flame. except, shouldn't it be the other way around? no, with ace, it shouldn’t. with or without a spotlight he somehow seems to shine brighter than the lights in rooms he occupies, somehow seems to bring more light than the actual source– and if he’s not the moth, he must be the flame, it just makes sense.
people didn’t look at him because he was an ass, they looked at him because that’s just ace. simple as that– he is ace trappola and you must look at him, you must pay attention to him. whether he’s performing his card tricks or just spinning a pencil in class, he needs to be looked at because he is ace trappola and his presence demands attention– not quite like malleus, whose presence commands the rooms he enters, but still does so, in a sense.
throughout the next few weeks, you continued to observe the ginger, desperately trying to piece the puzzle together, trying to dissect him and figure out what exactly made him what you know him to be.
it was on a particularly cold autumn friday night, way past your regular bedtime– though, that was a necessary sacrifice to make for the 1st year game night– when you believe you finally figured it out.
you sat perched on the wide windowsill of the lounge, staring at the moon and faintly visible stars, the only never-changing constant in this twisted wonderland that you could confidently say reminded you of home.
the white light radiating off the orb felt mostly cold, but there were some remnants of the warmth the sun shared with it, warmth which it reflected upon the Earth, upon you.
then there was another presence– one of the other 6 current occupants of the lounge.
“what’re you doin’ up so late? couldn't sleep?”
you hum, watching as he seats himself on the opposite end of the windowsill, “yeah, something like that.”
“thinking about something? or was it deuce’s snoring, ‘cause that wakes me up too, sometimes.”
“mostly just thinking. what about you? why aren’t you sleeping? i don’t hear deuce snoring right now.”
he huffs a short laugh, ruffling his ginger mop of a horrendous bedhead, “honestly, i was awake the whole time. Grim kicked me in the head just now, though, so i figured i’d.. relocate, for a bit. thaumark for your thoughts? or we can just observe the moon, or whatever it is you were doing, if you want.”
as you stare at him under the moons’ light, it’s almost like it’s not even the white ball in the sky that radiates the heat and light, but rather ace– but if that were to be the case, that would make him the sun, wouldn’t it? since it’s the primary source, it’s what makes the moon glow?
perhaps he is, perhaps he has been all along, you’ve simply been too blinded by him to truly notice– for as they say, you shouldn’t stare at the eclipse without the proper protection for your eyes. now, as you look at him in the dark, it seems all too clear, all too obvious to deny. ace trappola has always glowed in ways more than perceptible– there was always this bright halo, a warm aura of sorts, around him. ace trappola has always been an enigmatic being to the people around him, whether it be for his way of living, his personality, or simply his behavioral patterns– he was never easy to understand or to decipher, but that’s one of the primary things which made him so interesting. there’s an undeniable pull about him that sucks everything and everyone into his atmosphere, making everything simply revolve around him– much like the planets revolve around the sun. his touch is always warm, burningly so, like he sits in the sunlight, soaking it up, with the sole purpose of being a living human heater.
and despite people saying it’s best to stay clear of him in fear of being pulled along with his shenanigans, if you were to be given a choice on your position in the solar system ace is the center of, you would choose to be mercury, for incineration is a small price to pay for loving the sun. if you are to lose your vision or crash and burn and fade away into nothingness at the end of everything, then so be it– least your ashes will forever exist in the same space as him.
“i was just thinking you held the rays of the sun in your palms, and it’s warmth in you.”
ੈ✩₊˚TAGLIST : @solxima @lunavixia @gabirii @erigaur @pomegranateboba //ask/comment or fill form to be added/removed! (if you’re in bold i can’t tag you)
a/n: TO MY BELOVEDEST @linabirb I HAVE FINISHED PART ONE OF YOUR LATE BDAY PRESENT </3 ILY LOTS AND I HOPE YOU ENJOY !!! I'LL BE WRITING PART TWO VERY SOON I'VE BEEN SUPER EXCITED TO WRITE THIS SINCE I'VE BEEN OVER THERE
No one truly understood the woes of being the prince with pressures of becoming the next king. All the kingly duties and having to uphold the kingly stature when Lilia Vanrouge only wanted to slide across halls in his socks with his advisors, who joined a lot of the time. The loss of himself when he thought too much about who he was. On the surface, he was the prince, but deep down? He couldn't fathom understanding himself past the fun times that he granted himself. Slaying dragons, sliding across the halls, that was what created a life supposedly worth living for him.
Today, however, did not follow the usual exciting schedule.
Kalim walked in with a scroll in his hand. "Your Majesticness, we have to fulfill your father's wishes!"
Lilia smiled, an elfish grin that made him look so innocent when it was not-so-secretly full of mischief. "Which wish? The one where you and Cater dangle me from the ceiling as we pretend to be thieves taking the crown?"
The white haired male knew exactly what he was talking about. Their plans were jubilant, if not occasionally lethal at times. But Lilia seemed to always get back up after falling from several feet high. After all, he was a fae and fae were known for their antics. Kalim shook his head, unfurling a ridiculously long scroll that only said a few words in bright green ink and outrageously enormous letters. "Lilia, get married NOW."
What a bunch of poppycock, Lilia thought. His father had always been protective of him since he was young, and somehow, he had also been trying to set him up with several princesses. The princess he used to be betrothed to when he was a small fae had escaped when she was just 10, deciding to be raised by nuns. He was stunned to find out that when he was born, he was already engaged for some sort of power. Afterwards, his father believed he could court someone on his own.
He could not.
Kalim scrambled to pick the long scroll up and made it into a pile as he glanced at the prince. "My lord? You must find someone."
The prince knew it was time. "What do you suggest?"
"I have an idea~!" The singsong voice of his other advisor came through the halls as he took a singular selfie of himself and made his phone disappear into his pocket. Lord Cater, who was somehow the wisest one amongst the three of them when it came to a situation such as this one, had one of those signature Cater beams, the ones that could relax anyone because he had a plan.
Curious, Lilia slightly leaned forward. "What is your idea?"
"We host a ball! And if you meet the person you like there, we did it, you can get married!"
"That seems a bit unorthodox--"
Cater didn't want to hear it and refused to. "Just think about it, Your Gracefulness, a romantic night sky, candles...maybe even some flames."
"Flames?"
"Of love, of course! Not pyrotechnics." Cater glanced at Kalim, shaking his head. "That means no fireworks, Kalim."
"Awww."
Lilia tilted his head a little. Perhaps it was a good idea to receive guests into his castle, to see who could potentially be the next person at his side to hold a crown on their head. It did not have to be something so overly dramatic as Cater was implying, yet Lilia liked to have that dramatic flair. And a ball was as dramatic one can get. Not to mention, it would slowly quell the murmurs of an uprising advocated by the impoverished individuals in his kingdom. He would feed them and ensure that they got a pleasant night. And so, he agreed.
With his permission, Cater was sent to the kingdom to make an announcement. The day was blistering hot, and yet the town was bustling. He could see people hurrying to get the best purchases in the market; children laughing as they kicked a bright green ball around on the gray cobblestones; couples occasionally stopping at the old and unstable fountain in the middle of the square to share the toss of a coin, hushed wishes made about their relationship lasting until the finality of time; vendors shouting at the top of their lungs their best offers on their wares, hoping to outdo their fellow sellers and perhaps obtain a bit more money this time around.
A flash of excitement came over him and he slowly rose on a barrel full of old clothes, according to the label. The bell in his hand commanded for attention from the people and sure enough, the eyes of the public were on him. "The prince is giving a ball! The prince is giving a ball! Hear ye, hear ye, a ball and that's not all! His Royal Highness, Lilia Vanrouge, is giving a ball!"
The repetition of his words quickly got the attention of several individuals, murmuring and as if Cater was a magnet, they were drawn to him to listen further. "He's giving a ball?" "Impossible, the prince has never given a ball in his lifetime." "Oh, shut it, I want to hear!" "I can't see!"
The ginger grinned, knowing he had the attention of more people and as a crowd formed, he knew he had one shot at this. For Lilia and above all, for his paycheck. And his friendship with Lilia, of course. Clearing his throat, he spoke with regality as he brought out shiny, crisp cream envelopes with the famous wax seal on it. Everyone knew it was the royal seal. "His Royal Highness, Lilia Vanrouge, has this decree: To attend the ball, all one requires is an invitation and suitably fashionable attire, and the prince will choose someone from the ball to be his future partner. That means anyone can be the next royal."
In the crowd, swallowed up by other excited people, you listened with intent, eyes filled with a wistfulness to be able to join such a celebration with high stakes. Living in your position was not easy and perhaps, with luck, you could be the one chosen for the place at Prince Lilia's side. Your thoughts been filled with wishes and wants that had replaced your previous ones. Now there was one that was at the center of it all: you wished you were one of the lucky people with an invitation to the ball.
The crowd dispersed and it left you alone in the square as the vendors packed up to go home after a long day of work. You sat on the fountain, careful not to sit in the one crack that made it more unstable, daydreaming about what it would be like to be in the royal palace. You sigh softly as you talk out loud, dreaming up scenarios of what would happen. But you know it wouldn't and your voice trails off.
Out of nowhere comes the old man that listens to you speak all the time, speaking his gibberish. "All the wishes in the world are poppycock and twaddle!"
"Oh, Crazy Sam, are you mocking me with your gibberish?"
"Yes. All the dreamers in the world are dizzy in the noodle!" The man grinned, his magenta eyes hiding a secret as he listens to your wish about wanting to see the prince in person, to talk to him about what life in his kingdom was really like. With a hum, he teases, "And then to have him fall in love with you?"
You shake your head. No. You didn't want that for you, you wanted the prince to realize that his kingdom was a place that needed to be fixed as efficiently as possible. "Why did you come to visit me?"
"I just knew I would find in the same fountain, in the same part, on the cliff of a foolish dream."
For once, Crazy Sam wasn't crazy. He was right and you agreed begrudgingly. "Maybe I am being foolish."
"Then be foolish with me. What would you dream of?" His smile was reminiscent to that of someone who was the messenger for a surprise party. When he heard your dream of getting an invitation to the ball, he pulled out a cream colored envelope. It was a bit ripped from being run over in the stampede of the crowd as they left. "Here. There's an invitation. It isn't perfect, just go. What else would you dream of?"
Your heart lifted in hope as you spoke about silks and such for your outfit that you so desired for. But then you got realistic. "How would I get to the ball?"
He smiled. "See that pumpkin over there? I'll turn it into a golden carriage."
"And horses?"
"Those mice in that cage." He nodded at the mice trapped in a cage, almost a metaphor for your life was. "And a fox as a footman and a raccoon as a driver."
You could almost burst out laughing. This was so ridiculous and improbable. "In order to do that, you'd have to be a fairy godmother. Or godfather."
Crazy Sam raised an eyebrow and suddenly it felt as if the energy shifted between you both. In the same way a magical girl transformation would happen, it seemed like Sam glowed for a second and he changed from an old man with a hunched back to a man with a top hat that could stand up straight and dance. He had a cane in his hand, markings all around him and eyes that no longer hid their mischief and whimsy. Sam had hidden this secret from you all along. He laughed, doing a small turn. "Much better, don't you think?"
Your jaw was on the floor. You had just seen one of your only friends go from an old person into what seemed to be a magical being. "Sam! Are you...really my fairy godfother?"
Sam kept a beam on his face. "But of course! Actually, I'm everyone's fairy godfather, but you're the only one who has treated me with kindness and generosity. Now, I must make all the dreams we talked about come true."
"But that's so improbable, implausible! You could even say that it's impossible!"
With a regal huff, Sam shook his head, spinning his cane in his hand as he led you away from the town square into the edge of the woods. "Impossible? For a pumpkin to become a carriage? Four white mice becoming horses! Ha! The world is full of fools, who believe too much in their strict, invulnerable rules. Impossible things keep happening every day."
Truly, your eyes were deceiving you. You stared at Sam, thinking that he was out of his mind completely. "That's out of the question!"
"Is it?"
You nodded your head, your hands moving in front of you as if trying to emphasize your point. "Unattainable."
"Hmm, do you believe that?"
"Unimaginable..."
"Unimaginable..." Sam grinned as he parroted what you said.
You sputtered, "But you were just a beggar man a couple of moments ago and now you're my fairy godfather? Does that mean that anything is obtainable?"
"Of course." The man listened to you as you spoke, elated at the fact that maybe, just maybe, he could fix everything. He could fix all that caused you troubles. "No, but you can. You can make it all happen."
"I couldn't!" At your words, Sam mocked you a bit, "I couldn't, it's all so impossible--No, it isn't. Look at me, look at your invitation. I'll even give you proof."
His cane glowed as transformations began, suitable for that of a princess. The silliness of earlier became a reality as your dreams seemed to be closer and closer in your grasp. The pumpkin became a gorgeous white carriage, made out of a material that seemed to be made out of porcelain. It was ornate, decorated with gold linings and shining jewels on the swirling wheels. Under the sunset, it shimmered in the dazzling lotus pinks and poppy oranges of the sky.
Next were the raccoon and fox. They turned into grown men, with no idea as to how they could only walk on their hind feet and had fingers with actual human skin. They slowly stumbled to their positions by the carriage as commanded by the person who made them into something else. Another tap of the floor by Sam's cane and out popped the mice into horses, snuffling at the floor.
Finally, he turned to you. He caused you to float and spin and soon, you were transformed into the most gorgeous attire that you could ever even think of wearing. A gasp fell from your lips. "It's the most beautiful outfit I've ever seen in the land!"
He smiled not unkindly. "I will have to warn you, however, this spell only lasts until midnight. By that time, everything will go back to its normal state of being and so will you. Now go, go with the promise of possibility!"
With your heart beating faster and faster at the prospect of going to the ball that seemed as though any laws abiding by the fabric of the universe could now be ripped to shreds, your carriage raced through the night. The world seemed to hold its breath, as if waiting for you to finally step out and complete the puzzle of the idyllic night that was to come. Perhaps it was the joy of the moment that made you forget the midnight rule for now. After all, the plush fabric beneath you was more luxurious than any material belonging to your household. It was a dream that one would never wish to wake up from.
Arriving at the palace, it seemed as though you had stepped into another universe entirely. The palace was looming over you with its bright white ivory walls, shiny glass windows that prohibited a speck of dust to even land on it, perfectly polished doors with guards in armor, checking every guest for invitations as they walked in. Your carriage pulled itself aside, allowing you to step down from it. As the last person to arrive, it would be quite difficult to not notice you.
And that is exactly what happened to Lilia when he merely glimpsed at you, only to do a double take. In all his years of living, he had never seen a star up close, and yet here you were, dazzling without even attempting. It was a bit cute to him to see that you were standoffish, perhaps a bit shy. He made a choice to introduce himself as he walked over, bowing. "Good evening. I am Prince Lilia. How do you do?"
You couldn't believe your ears. The prince himself had walked over to you, even though you were late and completely alone. You also bowed as you introduced yourself to him. You studied him for a second and you saw that for a prince, he did not appear like one. Black hair with pink highlights in an asymmetrical haircut with tiny wisps on the sides of his head, reminding you of bat wings. Those red eyes full of roguery and the smile that showed who he was beyond being a prince.
"May I have this dance?" Lilia asked as a new soft ballad was being played in the background.
Taking his extended hand, you began to dance with him. It was awkward at first since you were not a professional in ballroom dancing and it was not something that was taught to you in your household. Waltzing through the ballroom quietly, but it was somehow a comfortable silence as you swayed back and forth with him. He didn't mind when you stepped on his shoes at all, he was fond of your inexperience. Oh, the thrill of possibly finding someone that he would adore, that made him refuse to come down to Earth again.
The waltz transformed into something slightly more upbeat, involving everyone. You did not know any of this synchronized dancing, only following through the motions. It was certainly overwhelming. Lilia saw that and he swiftly weaved through the other dancers to get to you, taking you away from everyone else. You may be in the center, but no one else would lay a hand on you as long as the prince decided that he would dance with you and you alone. The melody began to slow down slightly and began once again.
Time seemed to move slowly with him before you were matching the pace of the upbeat melody. It was quickening with every note until it reached its crescendo and suddenly it felt like you were floating. You were floating when you looked down at the floor. Lilia winked a bit. "I decided to switch it up this time instead of me floating."
He twirled with you around the room, everyone else enjoying their similar dances with their own partners as the music blared loudly from the area where the musicians remained. It began to quiet down before rising up again in its notes. As Lilia stared at you, he only thought that angels had to be real, for they lived in your eyes. He shook his head, getting that out of his head and smiling once more at you. "I would love to continue dancing with you, if you'd allow it."
"Oh, I would love to--"
Suddenly, everything snapped to reality as you took a brief look at the massive clock behind him. With a gasp, you realized it was late. You needed to go. "I am so sorry, but I have to go."
His surprise made you land on the floor as you ran through the crowd, a good amount of them a bit outraged and peeved at this inconvenience. "Wait! Please!"
You didn't listen. You made it up the stairs, breathing heavily and then moved to run downstairs. Your shoe fell from you but you ignored it. It was 3 minutes to midnight. If you didn't race out of there, everyone would find out who you were, especially your stepmother. It would not be a pretty sight to see.
As you hurried and pushed past Lilia's cries for you to stop in your tracks, the footman opened the door instantly and when you dove in, the carriage was off. What once seemed like a smooth ride on the way to the castle only seemed like a bumpy, hectic ride back home.
Meanwhile, Lilia was at the top of the stairs, watching you go. "How will I find you?!"
Then, there was the answer: the shoe.
He stared down at it and back up at the sky. The stars seemed to dim without you serving as their foreground.
The prince moved inside to his office, where Kalim and Cater were. "We need to find this person, immediately!"
They looked at each other before Cater spoke up, "Sir, that is a shoe."
"It will guide me to them!"
Kalim tilted his head but believed it. "Okay. Well, we can hold a banquet next!"
Lilia's eyes went wide. "Yes. Yes! That is what we will do tomorrow night. I will find them as soon as possible and we will do what my father said so that he can stop spinning in his grave. I am positive he has burrowed his way halfway to the inner core of the planet."
With a plan in mind, he knew what he would have to do next. He wouldn't stop until he found a satisfying ending. And it helped that Kalim and Cater were most definitely encouraging his delusions of grandeur, even if they were not delusions to him. They would become a reality.
since we're always looking for waldo i have reason to believe he has a ton of money(good for business) and that is why he is always hiding in the public bc the best way for thieves to never get caught is to
. I FORGET XIAOSHI ISN'T GOING TO LA. HE IS IN MY HEART. but yes you're going to la and if you see xiaoshi there tell him to come home i made him a cake in the shape of a basketball
