He walks the middle road in a world that is otherwise topsy-turvy. To others, he is a patient mediator, and to himself, he is but a “normal” individual. Though not highly opinionated or controversial, he must shatter that balance and spur into action when the occasion calls—else, temperance may be his downfall.
Reveal the Shape of thy Soul...
... Trey Clover!
“Riddle?”
Trey hovered at the threshold to his dorm leader’s room, unable to bring himself to cross out of politeness. His hesitant voice rang out hauntingly in the quiet. But the wails of his collared dorm mates still echoed fresh in his mind.
“Riddle,” he tried again, slightly louder this time, “it’s Trey. Can I talk to you?”
“... You may enter.”
Turning the doorknob, Trey let himself in.
Perhaps a terrified first year might have expected a landscape straight out of hell—flames running along the walls, items angrily smashed on the floor, and red-haired monster dwelling deep within the fiery chamber. But Trey knew Riddle’s room would be tidy and organized, the same as it always was. Books stacked in neat rows, everything labelled snd put in a specific order.
Riddle glanced up from his desk, mouth poised in a little straight line and brows knitted together. “It’s a bit late to be calling for a conversation. I hope it’s something important.”
“Ah, well...” Trey scratched the back of his neck. “It’s some of the students. They have a few complai... er, comments they wanted me to pass alo—”
Riddle immediately cut him off. “Again? I’ve told them time and time again: if they wish to avoid the collars, then they should not break the rules in the first place—and if they wish for the collars to be removed, then they need only heed my instructions.”
“I know.”
This was a discussion more beaten than a rose bush—a topic that brought Trey no more joy to bring up than it did Riddle. The students had had the beg for days before he reluctantly headed for their dorm leader. If the dorm was a rock, then Riddle was the hard place, and Trey was squarely wedged between two fiercely opposed sides with no hope of escape.
“Please, Clover-senpai...! You’ve gotta talk some sense into the dorm leader! He’s collared so many people.”
“He’s totally insane. So out of control...”
“I don’t know what to do anymore! I’m at my wit’s end.”
“If he’s going to keep being such a tyrant, I want to transfer out of Heartslabyul!! I can’t take this for much longer!!”
Trey took a deep breath. “Riddle, look. Everyone knows you have the best interests of the dorm at heart. None of us are doubting that.”
“I’m glad we all agree.”
“Some people are just concerned that it’s a little too... overbearing,” Trey continued, wincing at the final world, “especially the first years. A lot of them haven’t been able to read up on the Queen of Hearts’ rules yet.”
“That is not a valid excuse. You know this as well as I do.”
“Yes, but...”
Riddle’s face transformed at once, his large eyes adopting a frosty look. “If a robber steals money from a bank, they are still considered a thief, even if they claim to not understand that theft is a crime. Ignorance of the law does not excuse one’s guilt.”
“That’s true, but... I don’t know. It still seems a bit harsh to put a collar on so many students. A little mercy would probably be appreciated.”
“Trey.” Riddle abruptly stood from his seat. His frigid gaze had turned fiery, mouth wrenched into a firm frown and face beginning to redden. “Am I hearing this correctly? Are you taking their side in this?”
“No, don’t be ridiculous! I’m just... trying my best to see it from both perspectives. I don’t think anyone’s wrong; you both have your points.”
“They are clearly in the wrong,” Riddle spat. “Rules and laws exist to govern us and drive us to success. Without them, we would be a lawless bunch—and as for the call for clemency... one exception, they’ll all expect the same of me. I cannot afford to dole out such a thing.
“It is just as Mother said.”
A brief sadness swallowed Riddle—in in that moment, Trey didn’t see his dorm leader, nor a classmate. He saw a scared, small child, forlornly staring at stacks of books beyond a window.
A child that loved tarts topped by strawberries that shone like jewels. A little boy capable of laughing and smiling and dreaming like any other.
How easily those halcyon days had been crushed.
All because of a simple breach of the rules.
Trey preemptively opened his mouth to protest, but he caught himself and closed it again. His tongue anxiously ran along the inside of his teeth, words struggling to get out.
You know what he’s been through, his thoughts hissed. You know why he’s like this. Just let him be—indulge him for a little longer.
Silence stilled the room.
“There is nothing more to discuss then,” Riddle murmured, waving a hand. “If we are done here, then you are dismissed. I have an exam tomorrow to prepare for.”
“... Yes, dorm leader.”
The response had come out automatically. Deferring felt so practiced, so natural. He didn’t fight it, or rein the phrase in as it was leaving his lips.
Trey bowed his head, allowing the brim of his hat to hide his shamed expression—the frown, the crease to his brow, the sadness in his eyes. Without another word, he turned on his heel and exited, arms firmly at his sides as he briskly walked down a twisting hallway.
Up, down, left, right, this way, that way, and every whichway inbetween. Many stairwells, and many more potential paths.
And, as Trey made his way long his current path, he wondered if the middle road was truly the best option for him.
A clock sounded in the distance, ringing in midnight. The dawn of a new day greeting him. Trey’s path, illuminated in silver moonlight, led into a shady expanse of darkness.
