Ink: ^^; Sorry, Ace was apologizing for asking about Julius' clock. He thought it was his fault Julius got so mad. (Poor Ace… *attacks in a hug*)
Earth: I completely agree. Their friendship makes me so happy, I can't help but write it.
Claire: Haha… Black got pwned… hehe… And thanks for laughing at the "oppermation" part. I was wondering if anyone was going to…
Blaze and Pasty: Thank you guys so much!
Mourning: Yay! I'm glad you laughed. I used to be the bravest of my family until my older sister told me horror stories. Purposely so that I would be a wuss like her. … … It worked. -_-
Noshi: I LOVE YOU! *attackles* And actually, all of those questions get answered. :D
Candy: Hm, that would be really interesting… *ponders deeply* I'll see what I can do!
Fantasy: Thank you! I love picturing them as little kids.
Seraphic: Yay! I'm glad you like it. I just feel… so bad for Nightmare…
Oreo: I know, right?
Mizuki: *le gashp* Canon? Thank you so much! (And welcome to Lost and Found!)
Strangely enough… I have almost no thoughts to convey in this author's note… Weird… *checks temperature* Oh! One thing:
This update is dedicated to Pasty Face, Mad-Dash-Mid-Jazz, and FantasticalFantasy.
Speaking of Fantasy, check out our collab fic Lorina in Wonderland if you have the time! (Then review of course, but I don't need to tell you that ;) )
"Ho ho ho. Merry Christmas!" Ace cracked up at his joke. After a day of rest, he really had come down the chimney and was currently sitting in the fireplace, looking like a bleached charcoal drawing with all the dust he had on himself. "Where are we going next?"
"Heart Castle," Julius spread the book he was reading on his bed.
The five-year-old climbed out of the hearth and scrambled across the floor, helping himself onto Julius' mattress. "Why?"
"That's where the white rabbit should be. See?" Julius flipped to a picture in the guide that depicted the Roleholders. The picture was divided into four sections: Diamond, Heart, Spade, and Clover. Pointing to the Clover section, he explained, "This is us. Grandfather is Time, but there's also the Caterpillar and the Lizard." Pointing to the section of Heart, "This is heart Castle. There's the King, Queen, Knave, and Rabbit. I'm sure it was the White Rabbit who took the clock, so he's probably at the castle."
"Okay!" Ace slid off, leaving a light trail of fluffy dust behind him. Stopping at the door, he turned around.
"Hey, Julius, what role am I?"
Julius looked him over and shrugged. Now that he thought about it, Ace did have a face. "Dunno. Aren't you an apprentice or something?"
"Uh-uh."
"Huh. I guess you're just weird," he muttered to himself, climbing off his bed. From there, he followed the sound of footsteps downstairs. Hopping the creaky step— a habit gained under the influence of Ace— Julius encountered the brunette being scolded by a faceless maid. He didn't look repentant in the least when she reproached him for his "lacking appearance."
"But I look fine," he explained. "Don't I, Julius?"
The older boy shrugged.
"Master Ace, you would shame this territory by going out like that."
"But— "
"No buts."
"Why?" Ace whined.
"I don't think that would be a problem, ma'am," Julius said, stepping forward. "No one would be able to recognize him."
The maid pursed her lips. Finally, she laughed and ruffled Ace's hair, wiping her hand on her apron when it came up slightly gray.
"Alright," she smiled. "If it doesn't bother you, there's not much I can do. But you had better take a bath the moment you get back."
"Thank you, ma'am," Julius nodded, leading Ace out of the tower.
"Okay," he continued once they were outside. "Let's go." He started off, but turned around when he couldn't hear any footsteps. Ace was gaping at him. "What?"
"Nothing!" the brunette chirped, running after him. Behind, the rickety wagon could be heard valiantly trying to hold its own.
I didn't even see where he got it from, Julius thought.
Ten seconds… Twenty seconds.
"What is it?" Julius repeated as Ace glowed beside him.
His junior grinned. "You stood up for me! That's the first time!"
He blinked. "Huh."
They arrived at the castle in record time, mostly because Ace was leading the way. The ease at which he navigated was truly amazing. Gazing up at the edifice now, the apprentice immediately decided that the castle was structurally unsound. He pictured the huge structure in a windstorm or an earthquake and scowled grimly. Natural disasters were unlikely, but he let Ace walk in first.
Inside the castle, the immediate room was larger than seven of Julius' rooms put together, and was decorated with red and white tile. Majestic windows overlooked marble staircases and extensive corridors. The halls were wide and decorated with long red strips of thick carpet. Stepping on one softly, Julius felt his foot sink a half inch. Likewise, Ace was enjoying himself by wiping off the dirt on his shoes and wagon wheels. Thankfully, no one was around, so Julius didn't have to make up an excuse for their manners (for which— if the maids were anything like they were in the clock tower— he would definitely be scolded). Ace noticed the silence too.
"Why's it so quiet?" he whispered.
"Dunno." Julius removed a vase from Ace's wagon and replaced it on its table.
The tiny brunette put it back in. "Maybe there's a party in the courtyard or something."
"I don't think it's a party." He took the vase out again.
"Oh. Then I don't know," Ace shrugged and began walking away. He stopped. "Hey, Julius, do you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
"Shh!"
Julius frowned, but patiently listened.
"I don't- "
"Shh!"
Once again, there was silence. It took some time, but some shouting could finally be heard in the halls farther back.
"…cat…"
"Cat?" Julius repeated.
"Dunno," Ace muttered. "But it's getting louder."
True to his word, with each passing second the yelling got louder and louder until an impressive mob turned the corner of the main hallway. Its members comprised of soldiers, maids, and menservants alike, all chasing a pink speck with a fury. As the stampede grew closer, Julius could make out more details. The pink figure turned out to be a boy about Ace's age, running on all fours. He had bright magenta hair and a bottlebrush tail of the same color. Purple cat ears pressed flat against his head. When the boy's eye color was visible— a topaz yellow— he opened his mouth.
"RUN!" he yowled, eyes wide with terror.
"Why?" Ace asked.
Unlike Ace, Julius didn't question the command. He grabbed Ace's arm and bolted.
They managed to hide in a small storage room just ahead of the others. It was a little cramped and unusually gray when compared to the rest of the castle, but Julius, Ace, and the wagon were able to fit comfortably enough. A few minutes later, they were surprised when the brightly-colored catboy joined them. Panting, he gave an ear-to-ear grin.
"Man! … Ha… ha… Hahaha… What a rush!" he half laughed, half gasped until he collapsed against the door. "Woohoo!"
Julius watched him with irritation steadily building. Finally, he stood up, knocking a small stool over. "Why were they chasing you?"
The cat stopped laughing, but he smiled again and pulled out a small handkerchief. "A lot of reasons, but mostly 'cause of these." Pulling a knot, the cloth opened to reveal several small pastries.
Ace jumped off of his crate. "Tarts?"
The cat grinned wider. "They're the queen's," he boasted.
"Then how come you've got them?"
"Stole 'em," he smirked.
"Why?"
The boy's smile fell. "'Cause I'm awesome like that."
Julius frowned. "We should give these back."
"No way! And now that you saw these, you're in on it too."
"In on what?" Ace chirped.
"In on my crime."
"Whatever. I'm telling." Julius reached for the door handle. It was obvious that they would all get into trouble if the cat wasn't revealed. His grandfather often referred to the queen as "unstable" with a pitying expression, so she couldn't be good at making decisions. Given that waiting would probably just make her more angry, the smart way out was to be quick about telling her.
"Tattletale!" Boris shouted at him. "Goody-two-shoes! Scaredy rat! Mouse! Yellow!"
"Julius…" Ace whined behind the door.
Although he hesitated before stepping into the hallway, there was a surprising lack of attendants. They must be somewhere else, Julius figured; after all, if all those people were chasing the cat, the tarts must be a very big matter. The queen would have to be found quickly.
Now that he was on the subject, what did the queen look like? Julius tried to picture "unstable," but couldn't conjure up anything more vivid than a fuzzy outline. A couple more minutes passed unsuccessfully and Julius gave up. He would figure it out when he saw her. A queen shouldn't be too hard to find if he looked.
Please… Forgive me for my lack of updates. Preferably vocally through text (a review)(!)(!) In fact, you can berate me all you want, but I'd like to hear it through a review. Please and thank you!