The casino sometimes holds events that they think could gather more customers and burn their money in the casino. Usually, it wasn't anything big and of note — they were always on a smaller scale until Camus suddenly gathered everyone one day and announced an event that made everyone's jaw drop. Of course, all of them respected Camus but for him to propose a bunny event?
No, unfortunately this isn't the type of event with actual bunnies. Ymir would strongly oppose to anything that involved real animals so the event Camus was talking about was dressing the staff in bunny outfits for a small period of time. Len... wasn't too fond of the idea. "Staff" included him, which meant that he needed to dress up like a bunny boy too. And he thought that he would rather die than put on a pair of bunny ears over his head.
Again, unfortunately, Len had little to no choice when the event was approved and was put into motion. Victor put the finishing touches on Len as he put on the bunny ears over his head — "there we go! You look absolutely adorable, I'm sure there are going to be people fawning over how good you look."
Speaking objectively, it wasn't all that bad. He was dressed up in a usual black suit and tie with the addition of a pair of black bunny ears over his head. Though it felt as if it was missing something, something that would make Len hate it even more — Victor suddenly snaps his fingers. "Oh, we almost forgot the tail!"
"The... What?"
"The tail! Don't worry, it's small and you can just clip it on to your pants. Turn around, I'll put it for you."
"Huh—!? No way...! Aren't these ears enough? You're gonna make me put on a damn tail too!?" Len crossed his arms and looked away, trying to avoid looking at the small ball of fluffy fur in Victor's hands. "Listen, I didn't complain... much about the ears so can you let me off the hook and spare me from that tail?"
"Oh dear, now that wouldn't be fair. Everyone else is wearing it, and I don't want you feeling sad if you think you're being left out."
"Trust me, I won't give a single damn about being left out."
Teaching someone can take a lot of patience out of someone, and perhaps Primus Club should've thought twice than thinking it was alright for their prized billiards player to teach someone who had little to no experience at all. Knowing his foul mouth and short fuse, it was no question that he would snap eventually.
"This is the first time I've seen someone as bad as you." Len deadpanned, his hand on his hip and the other holding his cue stick. His expression was akin to someone seeing a baby trying to walk for the first time except he didn't like children much – so instead of pride and joy it was disdain and a string of unnecessary comments.
"I can't help it, I've never played billiards before." You tried to reason with him, ignoring his snarky comments. "And you're just too good at this! Isn't it a bit unfair?"
"Hah? If you want someone else to teach you then good luck finding someone else." He crossed his arms. "Anyone else would cry at the sight of your skills – you're just not cut out for this. I'm the only one who can teach your sorry ass."
You grumbled underneath your breath knowing full well that he was right. Everyone up until Len refused your request to learn under their wing and he was the only one who somewhat agreed to the arrangement although begrudgingly. Len sighed at the sight of your crestfallen expression, feeling a bit bad for using such harsh words knowing that you just wanted to learn. "Look. No one gets good overnight, it takes a lot of practice to build skill – so, for now, why don't you just try scoring at least one ball? You haven't scored any at all in our practice matches."
Len threw a cue stick towards you and you barely managed to catch it. He rounded up the balls into the pool table and placed them in the triangular mold smoothly before turning to you with a coin in hand. "Heads or tails?"
"Heads." He flipped the coin. Heads. "I'll go first then."
You placed the cue ball in position and tried to aim at the balls. You drew your arm back to hit it only to feel Len grab your arm and stick himself to your body, his head placed over your shoulder as his hands guided yours to aim. "Your posture is all wrong. At this rate you'll break your back – try to aim clearly and don't just think that you have to hit one of them. Predict where the balls will end up after they scatter and use them to your advantage. And your grip on the cue stick is wrong. Hold it tightly like this."
You almost jumped at the feeling of Len tightening his hold around your hand. Your mind was pacing a thousand miles per second with his face so close to yours. You could feel his breath against your neck and it tickled you slightly. "You're... You're too close. I can't focus like this."
You didn't know if Len purposely stuck himself to you like a stickybug to embarrass you but without looking at his expression, you can tell that his blank expression turned smug quickly. And you felt a ghost of his lips press themselves against your neck and you shuddered when he whispered, "you'll just have to get used to it. It's payment for making me teach you all of this."
With bubbles popping in my glass of sparkling wine, and dazzling lights shining from the chandeliers overhead, I couldn’t help but feel as if we’d stepped into a scene straight out of a movie...
YMIR : Emma, you don't need to be so nervous.
EMMA : Easier said than done in atmosphere this overwhelming...
VICTOR : It's not all that surprising, given that every other attendee is a well-dressed, handsome man.
LEN : Hey, it's time to wrap up this boring meet and greet. Stop yapping you stupid host!
HOST : As I’ve talked about in length already, when so many families come together like this, there is always something to take away from it.
HOST : We are friends and foes each, and in the illustrious words of wisdom from our busy Mam whom is on her way over: "Enjoy today, for tomorrow."
EVERYONE : Cheers!
━
Tonight was the Bloody Lady's annual party, a get-together for the many families hailing from all over the Graveland area.
VICTOR : Hmmm ♪ Not bad, this wine is indeed worthy of representing the Bloody Lady. They’re certainly not skimping on the money.
YMIR : It's not just the drinks. It's the venue, the people, and the beauty of it all.
VICTOR : Every family, large and small, with roots in the Graveland area are gathered here, so it is indeed quite crowded. Even if our more hostile families remain absent, there must be at least 500 people here.
EMMA : It seems most of families number a dozen or more. We're the only one with so few...
LEN : You idiot. Who cares about that? Remember what Camus said?
*FLASHBACK*
CAMUS : We have to pay our respects to the Bloody Lady, but we simply can’t afford to send too many of our men. It will hurt the overall operation of our casino.
*FLASHBACK END*
EMMA : It's honestly so amazing though. Imagine being able to just rent such a huge castle for a simple get-together...
Indeed, we’d all traveled far from the casino district of Graveland to this glittering old castle.
VICTOR : Did you know that this castle is actually property of the Graveland’s royal family.
EMMA : Whoa, royalty!? Then how are they able to use a venue like this?
YMIR : Haven't you heard? The royal family of Graveland and the Bloody Lady are good friends thanks to the casinos bringing in tourists and turning large amounts of profit for the country.
LEN : Ha. They can do whatever the hell they want, including building an entire casino inside this ancient castle.
VICTOR : It's an opportunity to demonstrate the power of the Bloody Lady. I'm certainly going to make a big show of it!
EMMA : But the scale of the event is still amazing...
YMIR : Emma? Not to scare you, but it would be wise to exercise caution around these people... As the host said, there are many families from the underworld gathered here... They may look friendly at first glance, but don’t forget they still belong to dangerous organizations...
VICTOR : Well, I doubt anything would happen out in the open, but it would still be foolish to let our guard down so easily.
?? : But if you're going to a party, you have to have fun. There is no point in pretty flowers like you staying on the wall!
EMMA : Liebe?
LIEBE : I'm sorry to bother you, but I'd hate to miss out on an opportunity to get to know you better.
BURN : hahaha! Here comes Burn! Now that I'm here, you can rest easy, no matter what happens!
EMMA : What, Burn and Sparrow are also here!?
SPARROW : Hey, why did you have to pull me into this too, Burn!?
BURN : To protect Emma of course!
SPARROW : That doesn’t answer my question!
YMIR : Isn't it great? I think it's a good thing to have more people to protect Emma. She's going to stand out no matter what she does, and it’s only a matter of time before some shady guy tries to grab her.
LIEBE : I can agree with that, because I would grab at her instantly~
LEN : Don't make the mistake of materializing guys, you're just gonna stir shit and cause a lot of fucking trouble.
VICTOR : That much is true. The sudden appearance of three black fairies would undoubtedly startle people and cause a huge commotion.
LIEBE : A commotion, huh? I don't want to cause trouble for Emma, so I'll just be quiet and stay by your side for now. Emma, you may miss my touch, but can you be patient for but a moment longer, for me?
EMMA : I see you’re the same as ever, Liebe. But it's a party and I'm glad we can all three spend time together like this!
BURN : Oh! I'll take good care of you and keep you safe, you can trust me!
SPARROW : I'd go back into the key if I could.
VICTOR : Sparrow, since you're here, why not enjoy the atmosphere?
LIEBE : Yes, yes. And why don't you try to live a little and blend in while you’re at it?
With a snap of his fingers, Liebe's and Sparrow's appearances warp, replaced with that of glamorous gentlemen.
EMMA : Wow, you two look great!
BURN : Oh, a form change! I think you look very heroic, my friends.
Burn himself has no intention of changing his attire, and gives a thumbs-up to his fellow fairies.
EMMA : (I guess all that matters to Burn is whether he sees their attire as "heroic" or not...)
SPARROW : I don't want a new outfit! I was fine!
LEN : Oh, fucking shut the fuck up!
All of a sudden, I could feel someone's eyes on me.
MALE GUEST 1 : How unexpected, what’s a pretty little thing like you doing in a place like this.
MALE GUEST 2 : Would you like to have a drink and chat with us?
EMMA : What? No, I'm just一
YMIR : Hey, back off. This is my girl. What do you want?
Before I can reply, I feel a weight against my shoulder pulling me back a step and guiding me to lean gently into Ymir. The men laughed and shrugged, walking away in the appearance of Ymir.
EMMA : Thank you, Ymir.
YMIR : You're welcome ♪ I know it's strange, but don't get too far away from me, okay?
LIEBE : Okay!! I think I'm gonna materialize now!
BURN : I agree!
VICTOR : You two, don't materialize. Ymir, don't flirt so much.
━
After chatting and laughing for a while, the host's voice echoed through the hall again.
HOST : As part of the entertainment here tonight, we will be playing a game... The King’s Game. It's quite simple. If you win, and become king, you will have the right to rule over everyone here tonight at your leisure. Whether that’s serving your meals, polishing your shoes, or making your wildest dreams come true.
HOST : There is but one rule: You are forbidden from taking each other’s lives. Beyond that, we will not condemn you for doing anything to anyone.
MALE PARTICIPANT 1 : What the hell are you talking about? Why would we ever agree to that!?
HOST : Ha ha, well, you do have the right to refuse, however, as you are in the belly of the Bloody Lady, that wouldn’t exactly be your wisest choice, now, would it?
The venue, which had been filled with jeers, fell to a sudden and deathly silence at the implications of the host’s words.
VICTOR : Hmm... And there’s me thinking tonight would just be fun.
YMIR : Looks like they’re deadly serious about this.
LEN : Hehe...The right to rule over all others... How interesting!
And just like that, the glamorous atmosphere of the castle had shifted, and you could the tension with a knife. The night of whirling desires had began.
