When Kore was younger, there had been a period when she so detested the sight of clutter that she would spend hours and hours of her day organising and reorganising every single object in their house so that, even though it was crowded, it would give off the impression of space. She’d place the pans on top of the shelves in the kitchen, hide books under her bed, place the cups on the window sill and hang ropes off the ceiling so she could leave the wet clothes from the washing machine there to dry. But that had been a mistake. All of it was, in hindsight, but that especially had backfired so badly that she could not even believe her eyes when she saw the sopping mess of books – Theo’s books – laying underneath one of his heavier coats which did not dry off properly and instead formed a puddle right underneath it in the middle of the living room. With trembling fingers, she remembered reaching out for the hardcover of one of his text manuals and finding it disintegrated in her grasp in the very next moment, ink running down the side, and fragments of wet paper sticking to her palm. There was even water leaking out from it, making a stain on her hardwood floor that would eventually lead to it decaying and her spending more money to fix that.
And because she did not have the courage to tell Theo of her mistake, she hid the evidence of it as best as she could. Until he found out.
message.
Hello, everyone!
First of all, I'd like to thank you all for sticking with the story so far! It's my first long fic project so it had been a bit of a rollercoaster, and a lot of trial and error, but I'm really glad to see it finally taking shape like this!
As you probably noticed, this fic only covers the prologue of Twisted Wonderland, but as the hook at the end implies, it's far from the end of the story! Instead, starting with November, I'll be posting the continuation to Kore's journey into wonderland, in a new story called Mirror Märchen: Rosengarten, which will cover the entirety of EP1! So more adventures, more drama, more comedy and more of Heartslabyul's tragic story!
SSR KORE HIGHTOWER BROOMQUET BIRTHDAY PERSONAL STORY
[RAMSHACKLE DORM - BIRTHDAY PARTY VENUE]
KORE: There's another interview this year. I prepared Ramshackle and all but I wonder who will show up today.
They're already a little late...
CROWLEY: Miss Hightower!
KORE: Huh?! That voice...
CROWLEY: Apologies for the time! I had been so busy catching up on Magift gam- I mean! Doing important school paperwork! Yes, I was so caught up in doing that that it simply slipped my mind!
But fret not, for I am here now!
KORE: ...
CROWLEY: Hm? Are you so taken aback by my presence that you are speechless, Miss Hightower?
KORE: ... Is there really no one available today?
CROWLEY: How rude! To think that you would say something like this towards your kind Uncle-
KORE: You're not my uncle.
CROWLEY: It simply heart-shattering! After everything that I have done for you!
KORE: ... What would that be exactly?
CROWLEY: MISS HIGHTOWER! ARE YOU TRYING TO WOUND ME ON PURPOSE?!
KORE: He's so loud... Ah, but since you're here then that means the "magic pendulum" picked you to interview me?
CROWLEY: ... Yes.
KORE: THAT SOUNDED WAY TOO SUSPICIOUS!
CROWLEY: How fortunate that we would get paired up like this! A marvellous coincidence!
KORE: ...
CROWLEY: Well, then shall we start with the first question?
Oh, now this is quite exciting! "If you could fly anywhere, where would you like to go?"
KORE: Fly anywhere... I think that would be my answer.
CROWLEY: Hm? My apologies, I don't quite understand what you mean.
KORE: Well, that's exactly the answer, I mean. If I could fly anywhere, I would fly anywhere. No restrictions. I would like to cover the entirety of the world without pause and see all that there is to see.
CROWLEY: How ambitious! The youth today is rather spirited I see!
KORE: Spirited... ? No, it's just that I've never really been anywhere except my hometown and this school, so I have no clue what's beyond it all, you know?
I mean, I've seen the movies and the shows, but... The real thing has to be different, hasn't it? Otherwise, people would just stay inside their houses and never dare to brave the unknown.
I don't want to be that kind of person. The sort that always stays in line and never risks anything, just letting life pass by... I want to see the world and everything it has to offer.
CROWLEY: HOW TOUCHING, MISS HIGHTOWER! WHAT YOUTHFUL DREAM YOU HAVE!
KORE: He's really loud...
CROWLEY: In that case, as your kind Uncle I shall make sure to invite you to my next trip to a foreign land! For I am kind!
Where would you like us to fly to, then? The Sunset Savanah? The Queendom of Roses? Hm, perhaps the illusory Briar Valley? Or even the Scalding Sands!
KORE: Hey! Wait a moment! I never said I would like to go anywhere with you! If I'm to bring anyone then it would have to be Grim and the others! Travelling with friends is always something I wanted to try since I never got to do that back home...
There was only me and Bae, after all...
Ace and Deuce are sure to tag along, and I think Epel and Jack would be easy to convince, but Sebek might be...
CROWLEY: SO I WOULDN'T BE INCLUDED AT ALL?!
KORE: WHY ARE YOU SO SHOCKED BY THIS?! WOULDN'T IT BE OBVIOUS?!
CROWLEY: Aaah, to think that my own niece would desert me like this...
KORE: I'm not your niece.
CROWLEY: WHAT A CRUEL FATE! BUT I WILL NOT HOLD A GRUDGE! NO! I AM FAR TOO KIND FOR THAT!
KORE: Seriously, he's so... But maybe seeing the Scalding Sands wouldn't be so bad... It would be warm and nice and the food would be tasty
And there would also... be... Kal-
CROWLEY: Miss Hightower! You're completely flustered! Are you coming down with a fever?!
KORE: No!! I just... Um...
Aaaaah! Never mind that! Just get on with the next question!
[RAMSHACKLE DORM - BIRTHDAY PARTY VENUE]
CROWLEY: Well, then, onto our next question!
Hm, it says here- "What is something that made you glad you could use magic?"
KORE: ...
CROWLEY: ...
KORE: .....
CROWLEY: A-Ah, well, perhaps we should move on to the next question-
KORE: Magic would make it easier to repair things, wouldn't it? I mean, at least this building could be easily taken care of if only somebody would wave their wand and clean the debris and litter, and maybe install a new door.
CROWLEY: ...
KORE: And the ceiling could use work too. Of course, I could easily repair most of it if I had the materials but it's not like I can ask my father to foot the bill for the entire place. When it's not even our home anyway. That would be preposterous. Right?
CROWLEY: ... A-Ahaha, well, you see, Miss Hightower, that is quite... well...
KORE: Well what?
CROWLEY: Oh! Look at the time! Let's move onto our next question and-
KORE: But I would really like to use magic to do lots of things to tell you the truth... Stuff like cleaning and repairing is nice but more than anything... I would like to use magic for gardening and for growing fruits and vegetables. Like they do in the Glacier Mountains...
CROWLEY: Aaah, the miracle that is the Glacier Mountains' farming. It's rather unique in the world! To think that one could grow whole hectares of grains and apple trees relying entirely on magic! I would truly love to witness it for myself.
Perhaps for my next holiday, hm...
KORE: It's nice only if you have magic to use. Otherwise, it's not all that interesting... To possess magic in the Mountains is a necessity. Otherwise, you're not even considered a human being. During the harsh winters, it was only those who could survive that were accepted by society. And that always required magic because it was used to grow food.
Without that, they might as well have been leeches...
CROWLEY: Ah, well, perhaps that sort of thinking is-
KORE: If I had magic, I would only really be grateful for allowing me to be like others, to tell you the truth. So nobody could judge me and treat me like I'm nothing back home.
I wouldn't take magic for granted either, because it's really a precious gift. Isn't that so, Headmaster?
CROWLEY: ... Ahahaha, well, that is...
KORE: Also, it would probably help with giving Grim baths. He keeps fighting me on those and it's getting tiresome already. If only he could become a properly behaved cat.
I wonder if magic could do that...
CROWLEY: What a cruel idea that is, Miss Hightower!
I cannot believe I didn't think of it myself...
KORE: ... Actually, never mind.
[RAMSHACKLE DORM - BIRTHDAY PARTY VENUE]
CROWLEY: And it looks like we're on the final question!
KORE: ...
CROWLEY: Don't worry, Miss Hightower! The question will not include anything related to magic! ... This time!
Now, then-
“What would you like to do in the coming year?”
KORE: ... What an ordinary question.
CROWLEY: MISS HIGHTOWER!
KORE: Well, it's not like there's anything in particular that I would really like to do. It's just going to be pretty much the same as usual, I guess...
Looking after Grim, taking care of Ramshackle, hanging out with Ace and Deuce, and... ah!
CROWLEY: Hm? Did you perhaps come up with something?
KORE: I did... but I'm not sure it's feasible...
CROWLEY: Why! Is that a call for help! Are you asking me, your gracious and kind Uncle, to lend you a hand? I WOULD BE INDEED HONOURED-
KORE: No, if you get involved something will do wrong.
CROWLEY: That was unnecessarily cruel!
KORE: Actually, the thing I would like to do-
CROWLEY: MISS HIGHTOWER, DO NOT IGNORE ME LIKE THAT-
KORE: I would like to visit Ace and Deuce's homes.
CROWLEY: Hm? A home visit? What an ordinary answer.
KORE: Ugh!!! I knew that having you here would be-
Never mind that. Yeah, I would like to visit Ace and Deuce at their homes in the following year. I think it would be fun.
Ace always tells me about his dad and older brother, so it made me curious to see what sort of person he is. His dad is magicless, like me, but he still loves performing magic tricks even if they're fake. Both his sons are mages and they speak really fondly of him... I've never seen something like that.
Back home, children who were found to lack magic became the black sheep of the family. To have one in the family was seen as a great shame...
CROWLEY: A-Ah, is that so...
KORE: And Deuce's mom... I've never had a mother, as far as I can remember anyway, so I'm curious to see what exactly a mother is like...
She sends Deuce letters from time to time. Me too. Ever since I sent her a box of produce, she's asked to keep in touch. So when Deuce sends his letters, he lets me also add a page or two of stuff I've written, so it's like both of us are talking to her.
It feels nice...
CROWLEY: ... MISS HIGHTOWER!
KORE: HUH?! What are you doing?! Suddenly throwing your arms around me- Let go!!
CROWLEY: IT'S ALRIGHT, MISS HIGHTOWER! YOU DON'T NEED TO BE STRONG ANYMORE! YOUR UNCLE IS HERE FOR YOU IF YOU FEEL LIKE CRYING!
KORE: I DON'T NEED TO CRY! LET GO OF ME ALREADY BEFORE I HIT YOU! GRIM! GRIM, HELP!
KORE: Ugh, I can't believe you...
CROWLEY: Now, now, Miss Hightower, no need to thank me for all my help! I am glad to do it, since I'm your beloved Uncle and all!
Well, now that the interview is over... Here you go! I've especially prepared this broom for you! For I am kind!
KORE: ... Are these flowers from my garden?
CROWLEY: WH-WHAT A PREPOSTEROUS IDEA! FLOWERS GROW EVERYWHERE, I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW, MISS HIGHTOWER!
But that is not important! It's time for you to fly on the Birthday Road with this broom! Come now, I've imbued it with a special kind of magic that will make this very easy!
In the meantime, I'll help myself to these cakes and-
[whack]
CROWLEY: MISS HIGHTOWER! IT'S VERY IMPOLITE TO HIT YOUR UNCLE WITH A BROOM LIKE THAT!
KORE: You say that but you're still reaching for the cakes! Those are for my friends!
CROWLEY: AREN'T WE FRIENDS?!
KORE: AS IF!
KORE: Ah, but flying high above the ground like this... Hehe, it really feels like freedom~
Title: Boar meat is boar meat, even if it started as Kore meat.
Rating: G
Words: 1067
Characters: Deuce Spade, Ace Trappola, Floyd Leech, Yoru Crowley (OC), Boar Kore Hightower (@/azusawrites OC), Theo Yule (@/azusawrites OC)
Synopsis: Ace and Deuce are idiots and turn Kore into a boar. Yoru is hungry and wants to eat her.
“Ne, Yoru. What are you doing, you look reaaaally~ creepy right now.”
Yoru turned to look at Floyd with a grin, a maniacal glint in her eye as she weighed the heft of the kitchen knives from the block in front of her. “Meat.”
“Meat.” He said flatly, “What about it?”
“There’s a boar on campus that’s been running around biting people, I’m gonna eat it.”
“Eeehhhhhh? Shouldn’t you leave that up to the staff or something?”
She shrugged, gripping her chosen knives in her hands. “If I catch it first they can’t take it away cause it’s mine.”
“Do you really think they’d let you keep it?”
“Not like they’d take it back. You coming or what?”
“Where is it?”
“Running around outside the coliseum right now, looks like those two idiot first years are chasing after it but they’re too slow.”
“Aha! Naaah, I’m gonna take a nap here I guess. See ya.” Floyd waved her off and stomped up the stairs to her bedroom. Yoru raced out the front door and took off. The first years were slow but she wasn’t. She’d have the boar in no time, then it would be time for a feast.
**
She spied the boar squealing and running as fast as its stubby legs would take it, a cloud of dust growing in its wake. The first years still trailed behind, the gap between them growing as the race wore on. Yoru dropped from the sky, knives ready and fell upon the boar catching it around the shoulders with her talons, forcing it to the ground.
“WAIT STOP!” The red headed one yelled.
“I caught it, I get to eat it. Back off.” Yoru replied, holding the boar down with one of her feet, lining her knives up to make the kill.
“YOU CAN’T, THAT’S KORE!” The blue haired one shouted, waving his arms as the pair of idiots caught up to her.
“Theo’s kid?”
“YES! SO YOU CAN’T EAT HER” they shouted in unison.
Yoru shifted her weight, still pinning the boar Kore to the ground. “Why not?”
“CAUSE SHE’S NOT A REAL BOAR, ARE YOU INSANE!? WHY WOULD YOU STILL WANT TO EAT HER?” the red boy frowned, the red heart on his eye crinkling.
“Boar meat is delicious?”
“THAT’S OUR FRIEND YOU’RE TRYING TO EAT!” The boy with the black spade on his face shouted. Yoru sighed. It was always the fucking Heartslabuyl students with their stupid rules and morality and telling her what she couldn’t do.
“Well why’s she even a boar in the first place?”
“Well….” Spade sputtered
“We just…” Heart rubbed the back of his neck , desperate for an excuse that wasn’t “we’re idiots that can’t even make a basic potion that even babies could handle.”
“Yoru,” A cold voice broke from behind the kerphumphering of the two idiots blabbering in front of her, still without an excuse. “You can’t eat Kore.”
Theo rubbed his eyes with an exaggerated sigh. Why was it always the Crowleys?. And why was he cursed with two of them?
“Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine” She groaned, taking her foot off the squealing boar that was apparently the girl that lived in Ramshackle dorm. “But you owe me dinner.”
“No I don’t.”
“Yeah you do. You just deprived me of this one.”
“Dude, what the HELL?” Heart gagged as Yoru rolled her eyes. “You know that’s really a person and you STILL wanna eat her?”
Yoru shrugged.
“Boar meat is boar meat. And boar meat is good.”
“Are… are you a cannibal or something? I think we read about those in class the other day…” Spade trailed off itching his forehead as if the movement would help jog his memory.
Theo chuckled, helping boar Kore to her stubby little feet. “You’re not completely wrong, I suppose…”
“Wait a minute, wait. A. min-ute!” Hearts said, looking from Theo to Yoru for clarification, none of which was given. “ARE YOU SAYING SHE’S A CANNIBAL?”
“Whoa whoa whoa! You can’t be! Not for real!” Spade cowered away from Yoru before regaining his composure and resuming his upright posture.
“Hey, all I wanted was some boar. And like I said, boar meat is boar meat, even if it starts as Kore meat.”
Boar Kore snorted and stamped her feet at Yoru, indignant that the bird girl was insistent on eating here even if she wasn’t really a boar. Not forever, at least.
“Whatever. This is a waste of time if I can’t even get a meal out of it. Theo you owe me.”
“Yea yea,” he waved lazily as she flew away, back to the cabin tucked neatly in the woods behind campus.
**
“Wait so the boar was Koebi-chan?”
“Yup.”
“And Okoze-sensei wouldn’t let you eat her?”
“Nope.”
“Boooooooooooooring.”
“That’s what I thought too. Now I’m really craving boar and we don’t even have any.” She crossed her arms and wriggled into the bed next to Floyd.
“What if I turned into a boar, would you eat me?”
“Right now? Yes. I just told you I'm hungry.”
“What if I was aaaaaaa...” He paused for a moment to think, “an ostrich?”
“Like a full grown one or just an egg?”
“I dunno, either one.”
“Yes.”
“Eeeeehhhhh if it was both why’d you even ask?”
“Thought I should clarify how I’d eat you I guess.”
“You wouldn’t really eat me though, riiiiiiight~?”
“Probably not.”
“Only probably?”
“Yea. What if we get trapped somewhere and there’s no food? I’d have to eat something and you have more meat on you.”
“Not that much more.” Now he was the one pouting.
“Just turn back into an eel. Then there’s plenty of meat for the both of us.”
“Geeeeeeh”
“Wanna do that right now? I could go for some fish.”
Floyd groaned and stretched, setting his feet on Yoru’s ribs and hips. “Let’s go get dinner you’re being stupid.” He whined, pushing his legs forward so she’d fall out of her own bed to the floor.
“Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine.” She moaned, dramatically flapping her arms in the air above her while Floyd crawled out of her bed over her flailing hands. He helped her up from the floor and they walked towards the mirror chamber discussing which of the students at Night Raven would provide the best meal. Remora-chan? Too bony. Epel? Too scrawny. Azul? Azul would be perfect, they both agreed, and entered Mostro Lounge with an appetite whet for takoyaki.
what's kores relationship with all the goths? it won't let me copy the emojis.
Kore-Diasomnia gang interactions, coming up~ Thank you for the ask! ❤️
MALLEUS DRACONIA: Dovregubben, as she calls him, is pretty much Kore's weird, cryptid buddy that shows up at her house randomly for no discernable reason and she just learned to accept that this is part of her life now, tbh. They have a rather odd relationship overall, in that while they know very little about one another, they manage to get along well, since they're both quite weird and socially awkward by default. They first met when he showed up in her garden and accidentally froze her roses only to revive them again, which just started a long line of unexpected visits to her house during nighttime so the two of them can talk about all sorts of oddities. Malleus becomes fond of her, by virtue of being a strange girl who just goes with the flow, and that develops eventually into a brother-sister relationship of sorts, where he is a bit protective of "his child of man" but unsure of how to properly act. Kore tends to take him by surprise quite often so he's always entertained by their interactions. And though she was initially suspicious of the large, horned boy showing up on her property at first, she's come to enjoy their nightly talks. In a way, Kore feels like she can open up to Malleus quite easily since he's pretty eccentric so he most likely wouldn't judge her too much either. Even when she does find out that he's a prince, her attitude doesn't change much since he's still just her weird cryptid friend by then anyway.
Malleus' soft spot for Kore manifests mostly in that he does try to make her happy in his own, small ways such as reviving her flowers or performing little tasks for her, which she often returns by providing him with snacks and tea during his visits and they chat for quite a bit. And they keep that up in their adult life too, as Kore would probably visit him in the Valley whenever she could and this time, he'd be the host instead.
LILIA VANROUGE: I think bat dad is very amused by her single-minded nature and that even though she's naturally suspicious of him, she still ends up falling for many of his tricks. He's overall fond of her though because she's getting along with Malleus quite nicely and helping him learn more about humans and their culture. He also thinks it's nice that she and Sebek are "friends" (in as much as Sebek constantly denies being friends with her, but Lilia just laughs it off) and that she doesn't let herself be bossed around like that despite her small size. I think he'd even be willing to teach her a few fighting moves, in much the same way he encouraged Epel since "us, the cute and small, need to stick together". Kore would be pretty sceptical of his suggestion though since he's tricked her before in the past and she holds a grudge quite well.
On the other hand, he'd also be concerned due to the strange magical element that he feels around Kore and which he can't actually explain, so while he does not interfere directly, he does make sure to keep an eye on her out of interest and worry. It works out quite well for him that Malleus and Sebek are friends with her then. Whereas Kore is quite certain that Lilia is a vampire and possibly dangerous so she's on high alert around him generally.
SILVER: They don't particularly interact much, but in general she bothers him during the Equestrian Club meetings since he's the only one who lets her in without asking too many questions so she can go and pet the horses as much as she wants. I think they'd relate to each other quite a bit, being both adopted children, raised by single fathers so that might eventually evolve into a friendship as well. It really depends on a variety of things, but overall I think it might lead to Silver being one of the few people who understands her relationship with Theo the best and advise her on it also. Which Kore truly appreciates since Silver is such a calm presence that she enjoys having around her. Hanging out with him and Kalim is very soothing for the boar girl overall tbh!
SEBEK ZIGVOLT: They're friends, despite Sebek denying it, who bicker a lot of the time. Almost all of the time, because Sebek is loud and Kore is stubborn and they just don't mix well for the most part. Sebek is especially jealous that Malleus is fond of her so he always interferes if he catches them together, while Kore misunderstands his jealousy as aggression towards him and responds in kind. All the while pointing out that if Sebek dislikes them all so much, he can just stop hanging out with the first years and do something else, which, of course, he doesn't do, haha.
In a way, it's a good thing they aren't that close because together they'd cause a lot of issues for the people around them.
But, it's worth mentioning that though they act like they don't get along, Sebek never missed a meeting of the first years at Ramshackle and has helped Kore with her self-defense training (at Lilia's request) with little complaint, while Kore always makes sure to also prepare stuff for him if she makes snacks for the first years old and does listen to his rants on Malleus. It's a sort of quiet, troublesome cohabitation in general, haha.
#OCBINGO Hi! If Kore searched her name on google, what would she find?
Hello! I'm so sorry for the late reply! Thank you for the question! ❤️
Hm, I think that she would most likely find stuff relating to her social media and pictures, and some other people who share her name, haha! Also, based on her name, she'll probably stumble upon stuff relating to Greek mythology and such, and maybe a list of towers from all over the world, haha!
if Kore Hightower had the choice, would she prefer to live in a high skyscraper or a down-to-earth brick house?
Thank you for the ask! ❤️
Oh, definitely a down-to-earth brick house! She's more of a country girl than anything else, so definitely would go for something more rustic looking and closer to nature so she could keep her garden! Also, she'd argue that skyscrapers are mostly for rich people regardless of what anybody said, haha.
Hm, I think she would, if only so that she could be better at fighting other people, haha. She's not too concerned with her height, but there are a number of students who think that she's an easy target because of it, and she'd like it if they wouldn't bother her too often, instead.
4. What does a perfect evening look like for Kore?
Ooh, I think she'd love the sort of evening when she's curled into bed with a nice book and her cat sleeping besides her, reading up on either farming or history and just enjoying the quiet.
Or, alternatively, spending it with somebody she cares about like her friends during a sleepover, or with the lone weirdo cryptid that sometimes drops by her house at night so they sit on the porch outside and talk about all sorts of things.
