An Unconventional Education

Rinslet's idea of a good time doesn't usually mesh with Train, Eve, and Sven's, but her uncanny ability to manipulate them puts them in a situation that they never expected.

a.n.

Here's part four! Sorry for the wait, I've been writing some other things. There will be one or two more parts, depending on how I stretch out the actual ball scene.

The day of the ball dawned bright and clear, the sun shining as though it wanted nothing more than to make this day a success. In this respect, Rinslet and the sun had a lot in common, which was why the thief could be found ripping the comforter from Eve's sleeping form and dragging the blonde girl out of bed by the ankle. She landed with a hard thump that jolted her awake and shook the entire house. Fearing that she was under attack, she crouched into a defensive ball and her hair turned into an array of sharp knives, ready to protect her.

"Wakey, wakey, Sleeping Beauty!" Rins chirped cheerfully, completely oblivious to Eve's hostile position. "It's a big day for you!"

Eve groaned and straightened slowly. Her back felt stiff and sore, and she felt a bruise forming on her hip from where she had hit the floor.

"You could have just shaken me, Rins," she moaned, poking the tender area to assess the damage. "Now I'll be all bruised up."

"I tried shaking you." The woman seemed annoyed as she tossed the comforter back onto the bed and moved to open the curtains. "And screaming at you, and slapping you in the face, and shooting a gun beside your ear." It was at this point that Eve noticed the hole in her ceiling. "Nothing seemed to work."

"Thanks a lot," Eve growled, gesturing at the hole and glaring at her friend. "Sven's going to kill me when he sees that."

"Oh no he won't," Rinslet smiled vaguely. "This is important!"

"Not more important that the house!" Eve ran a hand through her hair and winced when her fingers caught on the knots that had tied themselves while she slept. "And I refuse to believe that I slept through that."

"Well, you did." Rinslet was searching through Eve's drawers, tugging out various tubs of makeup and hair product — none of which had ever been opened. Eve didn't seem to notice this: she was staring, open-mouthed, at the alarm clock resting like a brick beside the bed.

"Rinslet!" she snarled. The thief looked up, shocked to see the expression of animalistic fury on the normally stoic face. "It's five thirty in the morning!"

"Well, of course!" Rinslet backed slowly away from the bioweapon, a pleading expression on her face. "We need to get ready!"

"We need thirteen hours to get ready?" Eve screeched.

It took Rinslet nearly an hour to calm the girl down, during which several things (including chairs, pillows, and the door to Eve's closet) were thrown across the room. The argument was loud enough to wake Sven, a notoriously deep sleeper, who ran into the room and promptly joined in on Eve's side, screaming at Rinslet about how expensive it would be to fix the ceiling. Rinslet somehow managed to stand her ground, and at the end of it all Sven went, grumbling viciously, back to bed, and Eve packed up all her beauty supplies and headed to Rinslet's apartment to get ready. As they passed Train's room, Eve wondered how he had be able to sleep through the commotion.

Then she remembered, for about the fiftieth time, that Train wasn't there.

-blackcat-

Twelve hours later, both women were ready. Rinslet's dress was pure, snowy white and draped elegantly over one shoulder, ending just above the knee in a flowing mass of blanched fabric. Her purple hair had been straightened until it reached just below her shoulders, and then tied half up in an intricate series of twists. She wore an enormous necklace, made of pure gold and chunky diamonds, and her makeup had been applied to perfection.

The moment Jenos saw her, his heart jumped into his throat and pounded like an African kettle drum. He ran to her, picked her up, and twirled her around in his arms. She laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her lips lightly to his.

"You look amazing," he murmured, kissing her again. "Absolutely fantastic."

She pulled back and surveyed him with a critical eye. "You look pretty debonair yourself." He blushed, pulling gently at the neck of his tuxedo. "But you haven't seen anything until you've seen Eve." She took him by the hand and led him out of the entrance of her apartment and into the living room. He couldn't believe that anyone could look more gorgeous than Rins did at that moment, but then he saw her.

The red dress. The golden curls. The glowing violet eyes. He stared.

"Wow."

Rinslet giggled. "She's incredible, isn't she?"

Jenos swallowed and tried to tear his gaze away. "Yeah. She is." Eve blushed.

Rinslet's smile grew even wider. "Well, you get to accompany us both, tonight," she said, grabbing his arm on one side and gesturing for Eve to come forward and take the other.

Jenos frowned. "But I thought that Train was — " Rinslet shot him a look that said very plainly 'If you bring that up I will destroy you' and he shut his mouth immediately. He grinned and held his arm out to the blonde girl, who slipped her fingers gently into the crook of his elbow. "Well, my ladies, shall we go?" Both of them giggled, and Jenos had a distinct feeling that this night would be one of the best he'd ever had.

-blackcat-

The ball was held at the most ritzy hotel in the city, the Golden Oasis. As soon as they stepped through the door, Eve felt out of place. There was a two-storey fountain in the lobby, and live peacocks strutted around them as they made their way towards the ballroom. The maids and doormen were dressed as Greek statues, their skin painted gold and their smiles bright.

"Oh my God." she muttered, her eyes popping out of her head.

"Tell me about it," Jenos whispered, squeezing her arm and sounding just as uncomfortable as she felt.

Rinslet, meanwhile, was thoroughly enjoying herself. She strutted just as much as the peacocks did, showing off both herself and her companions. She waved at several high-ranking international diplomats, who waved back and stared after them as they passed. Rinslet smirked. Beautiful women could reduce even the most important men to puddles of jelly.

"The ballroom is through here," she said, gesturing as they turned a corner into a gaudy, lavish hallway. Then all three of them stopped dead.

"Jenos, will you let go of my date, or will I have to force you?"

Jenos tugged his arm out of Eve's grasp faster than anyone could say 'shafted'. He went so far as to take a step away from her, almost knocking Rinslet over in his haste to allow the man before them access to his date. The man grinned mischeviously at them both before stepping toward Eve and extending his arm.

"Shall we?"

Eve took his arm without looking at him. Rinslet could feel the anger pouring from the blonde like a waterfall, but the girl kept it in check and adopted a politely blank expression. Rinslet, however, was not so calm.

"How dare you!" she shrieked, pulling out of Jenos' grasp and slapping the newcomer across the face. "You ran out on her, you've been totally missing in action for ten days, and you think it's okay if you just saunter in as though nothing happened?"

Train shrugged. "If it bothers Eve, I won't stay."

"It doesn't bother me." Eve muttered, still not looking at Train even as he held her arm.

"Sweetie . . ." Rins began, looking anxious.

"It doesn't bother me, Rins." There was more force to her voice now, and she met the woman's gaze with strength and defiance.

Rinslet deflated. "Okay," she sighed, slipping her arm back into Jenos'. "Let's just go, then."

They walked down the length of the hallway in total silence. No one but Train seemed to be in a good enough mjood to survey their surroundings. Wghat he saw didn't seem to impress him.

"Paintings on every blank space of wall . . . gold flecks in their crown moulding . . . Persian carpetting . . . It all seems so arrogant, doesn't it?" he mentioned to Eve as they made their slow progress down the hallway. She didn't answer, her gaze fixed on the floor a few inches in front of her dress. He frowned and squeezed her elbow with his. "Doesn't it, Eve?"

She snapped her head up and her eyes glowed with anger. "Don't talk to me, Train." she hissed.

"Ever?" he asked, a look of misery crossing his face.

She sighed. "Just not right now. Not until I'm over being mad at you."

He smiled and turned his gaze to Jenos and Rinslet, who were walking arm-in-arm a few feet ahead of them. "Okay." he said, and out of the corner of his eye he saw her smile.

The hallway ended suddenly in a pair of enormous double doors, eight feet high and five feet wide, inlaid with gold filigree and delicate designs. A man sat behind a desk just before the doors, and he coughed as they approached.

"Names?" he said, in a bored, monotonous voice. Rinslet stepped towards him and spoke quietly in his ear. He took notes, nodding slightly. "Wait right here, please."

"I just need to know . . ." Eve began. Train tore his eyes from the little man — who was moving to the double doors and unlocking them with a large golden key tied to his belt — and focussed his attention on his partner.

"What is it, princess?" he asked, stroking the back on her arm.

"Where have you been?" The man pushed the doors wide open, revealing a set of golden stairs that led down to an enormous dance floor.

Train slipped his free hand into the pocket of his tuxedo and fiddled with something. "There was something I needed to do."

Eve opened her mouth to ask for clarification, but the little man's bored, monotonous voice rang out, amplified by a microphone.

"Introducing Miss Rinslet Walker, Valedictorian, Student Council President, and Honour Award Winner —"

"What?" Train demanded, looking incredulous.

"Along with her friends, Miss Eve Vollified and Mr Train Heartnet, and her fiancé, Mr. Jenos Hazard."

"WHAT?" Train and Eve yelped in unison, noticing for the first time the slim diamond ring glittering on the ring finger of her left hand.

Rinslet just smiled. "Come on," she said, gesturing at the ballroom before them. "Let's have a ball."

a.n.

Ha. Bet you didn't see THAT one coming! If you did, then I shall give you cookies. And yes, of course Train came back! I really liked the idea of having Rins be a model student in high school, then decide to leave the straight and narrow for a life of crime once she graduated.

reviews!

trainsgirl13 - Yes, unfortunately, guys DO have that tendency. But Train definitely redeems himself in the next few chapters, not to worry!
Hitokiri Shinzui - Well, Rins didn't kick his face in, but she DID slap him. Is that good enough for you?