Duck stood at the entrance of the flower arranging show with Chibiusa and Diana. Neither had dressed too formally, but neither really had any formal clothes. Chibiusa planned ahead, tucking a small sketchbook and pencil into her pockets. She wanted to doodle some flowers while she was listening in on the love confessions. She was certain that Freya would confess her love so strongly that Papillio would choose her. Violeta just seemed more obsessed than actually in love.
"I'm surprised Fakir isn't coming," Chibiusa commented. "Is he at practice?"
Duck shook her head. "He's in the library. He wanted to try to find information on what these leaves we keep finding are. Before it was easy, there were crow feathers, but these leaves are super confusing."
"They have to mean something," Chibiusa agreed. "I'm glad we have Fakir helping out. He's super smart."
"Fakir's always good with books and figuring things out. He even figured out I was Tutu before," Duck nodded assuredly. "He'll figure something out soon, I'm sure of it."
Chibiusa nodded, quickly agreeing. Fakir was really smart. Part of her wanted to ask if he'd tutor her, but Gold Crown Academy didn't seem to have any hard subjects like kanji or science. But then again, kanji was really hard to deal with anyway. "Let's go look at the flower show!"
With a nod from both, the two girls bound up the stairs and into the building. The show took up one of the larger art studios just off campus. The stands and displays were decorated with flowers arranged in various styles, many of them resembling the Japanese style of ikebana. They spotted Papillio at the far end, standing against the wall with his butterfly wings out on display as he showed off his creations.
"Wow they're all so pretty!" Chibiusa marveled as they began admiring each design from the entrance. "Listen to this one: 'The flowers are intertwined, dancing together like a pas de deux as they display their own sense of beauty.' It's like they're describing a dance."
"I never really thought of flowers dancing," Duck tilted her head, attempting to understand how they were dancing. The stems were intertwined and braided into a chain-like pattern. In a way, it did look like two ballerinas with their arms and legs intertwined in a passionate pas de deux if she stared at it hard enough. It was almost like the fish dive that Fakir had her do when they were posing for the drawing classes. That required a lot of intertwining and trust and support from each person. "I can kinda see it."
"This next one looks like butterflies!" Chibiusa marveled. "Look at how these flowers look like they're flying."
"It's like the butterflies you were watching in the roses!" Duck agreed. "Now this is pretty neat. It looks like ballet shoes the way the flowers were placed."
"'Lady Slippers'," Chibiusa read the description. "They're a type of orchid that are delicate but beautiful. This person must've taken so much care to grow these."
"They really do look like ballet shoes!" Duck nodded several times. In a way, they looked like Tutu's, a brilliant and beautiful pink poised in perfect pointe. For a moment she pondered if they were inspired by Tutu, but she didn't recognize the name. Perhaps they were inspired by ballet in general. She turned a bit, hearing someone walk past them. "Look, it's Freya."
Chibiusa turned a bit, peering over her shoulder and trying not to be obvious. "She has something for him and Violeta is nowhere in sight. Now's her chance to pursue love."
Freya approached Papillio, who had been standing alone at the far end of the room. "I have something for you, Papillio." She offered him a small packet with a large heart drawn in ink over it. "You love flowers so much, I have some seeds for you so you can grow some of your own on your windowsil."
Papillio stared at the seeds in his hands. "This is very thoughtful of you."
"It's very stupid!" Violeta interrupted. "If this is my competition, then I might as well not have any."
"Competition?" Papillio questioned.
"It's not like that at all," Freya protested. "I just... I... I love you and your love of flowers..."
"That's so stupid," Violeta criticized. "Your love is not true like mine is."
"I do not wish to be caught in the middle of some competition for my affection," Papillio interjected. "We can remain friends, but I would not have anything more."
Freya felt her heart sink. It stung, but at least he didn't fully turn her away. "Please... please enjoy the seeds and my garden." She quickly turned on her toes practically leaping out the door in a hurry.
"I'm so disappointed," Violeta scoffed, quickly turning on her heels and marching out the door.
"Poor Freya," Chibiusa empathized. "Her intentions were so pure, but I can't really blame Papillio either. Violeta turned this into a game."
"Chibiusa," Duck grabbed at her sleeve. "The gem is glowing."
Chibiusa glanced at Duck's pendant then at the door. "Could they be acting out a play? Poor Freya. We'll need to do something so she doesn't lose her dreams." The two headed out the door, immediately greeted by an overwhelming amount of oversized roses, daisies, and violets. Freya stood on one side of the garden in a red tutu reaching nearly the ground, decorated in roses. The opposite side stood Violeta in a purple tutu covered in violets.
The two began dancing fiercely against each other, weaponizing their arabesques and jetes.
"I heard about this ballet in class," Duck realized. "It's called La Rose, la violette et le papillon - The Rose, The Violet, and The Butterfly!" In a flurry of light and feathers, Duck transformed into Princess Tutu, leaping forward and landing between the two fighting flowers. "Stop, there is no need to fight!"
"I just wanted to grow flowers with Papillio!" Freya protested.
"You'll just hurt him with those thorns you keep hidden beneath your petals!" Viola hissed.
Tutu wound her hands above her head before offering one to each. "Won't you both dance with me?"
"Tutu..." Freya reached forward, taking her hand. It was just like before, just like when she had nearly offered her heart to the Raven. "Is it happening again?"
"Do not worry, Freya and Violeta," Tutu reassured them both. "I will help you remember your dreams, the ones that ring true in your heart. So please, dance with me."
Violeta hissed withdrawing her hand, but as Freya began to dance with Tutu, Violeta became jealous and demanded with a quick offering motion that she wanted to be included in the dance.
"I just want Papillio to recognize my flower arranging skills," Violeta confessed.
"I want to grow beautiful flowers," Freya admitted. "Perhaps one day you too will use my flowers in arrangements, Violeta."
"Well I can't deny you have the best selection," Violeta begrudgingly admitted.
Chibi Moon watched the three dance, interlocking arms and speaking their dreams. Yet unlike when Tutu had danced with Gene, no double appeared. It was like when they'd encountered Shobolan and Artis. That left it up to Chibi Moon to help reveal the dreams. She was the protector of dreams and hopes, after all.
Summoning the Chibi Moon Kaleidoscope to her hands, she held it out in front of her. "Please, Kaleidoscope! Reveal what's clouding their dreams! Moon Dream Meditation!" A rainbow of light burst forth, kicking up flowers and leaves at it traveled. As it passed through the dancing trio, the doubles appeared.
Tutu gently lay down both Freya and Violeta down on the ground as they collapsed, leaving the doubles behind. She stood up straight in releve, offering a hand to both the doubles. "You aren't their true dreams. Won't you please come with us instead."
"We aren't the true dreams?" Freya's double questioned. "But if I go, will you please plant more flowers?"
"Of course," Tutu nodded.
"Make it a beautiful flower," Violeta's double demanded.
"I promise you both," Tutu nodded. As she reached out, the two doubles took her hands, combining together and forming a metal teapot that seemed to be missing a lid.
"A teapot?" Chibi Moon stared confused as she approached. "I don't get it."
"I am not certain either," Tutu shook her head, "but it is something we can use to fulfill our promise."
...
The sounds of chirping filled the dorm room as Duck opened the window. Dozens of birds flooded in, all demanding birdseed. "I know, I know, you're all so hungry!" Duck managed to emerge, setting the pan of birdseed on the window before returning to the desk. As promised, Duck and Chibiusa planted some flowers in the teapot. Two days later, the seeds had already begun to sprout in the soil.
"It's such a pretty day, and our day off," Duck announced as she watered the seeds carefully. "Let's do something in the town."
"I like that plan," Chibiusa agreed, pulling on her sailor uniform shirt. It was nice to be in her usual clothes for once, though shopping around town, she might be able to buy something that fit in a little bit better given the surroundings. "Maybe we could go shopping."
"I can think of a few shops around town we could visit," Duck agreed, moving back to the window. "We could go to a cafe or a clothes store or QUAAAAAAA-!" She quickly clamped a hand over her mouth.
"Qua?" Chibiusa repeated, staring at Duck and noticing she was intently pointing at something.
"W-w-w-what is that?!" Duck shouted.
Chibiusa moved quickly to the window, staring out at the horizon. Over the clock tower and the boy's dormitory and even the church in the distance stood a familiar metal tower among towering trees. A torii gate peeked out from within the trees. "The Tokyo Tower?!" Chibiusa gasped. "What's it doing here?!"
...
Author's notes:
The Rose, the Violet, and the Butterfly is a very short, one-act play that has a very simple plot. The rose and the violet vie for the butterfly's attention, but in the end, the butterfly chooses neither flower and flies off.
The names are all plays on the story (save Freya, but I just wanted to pull her into this new story.)
Papillio – butterfly in latin
Violetta – violet in English. Also a heroine in the Shakespearean play "Twelfth Night"
