In the privacy of her classroom, Accord discusses a guest who has been staying with Arle with three of her trusted friends. Lemres' idea for how to deal with this stranger doesn't mix well with Akuma's temper. Requested by a tumblr anon!

Undertaking

Ms. Accord folds her hands on her desk. Popoi's tail brushes against her back, his head rocking from side to side as he perches on her shoulder. Bluebirds sing as they race past her classroom window, and she follows them until they are nothing but dark spots among the clouds.

"Shall we begin?" Akuma asks, sitting across from her.

Lemres taps his broom on the tiled floor. "I'd say so."

She answers with a slow nod. Scratching behind Popoi's ears, she says, "This has become quite an odd predicament. I never expected anything like this to happen in our little village."

"Well, with the invasion of…" Akuma scoffs. "...outliers, then it's to be expected."

"Now, now, they're not all bad. They've become friends with the others, right? I'm pretty fond of them, too." Lemres chuckles and pulls out a large lollipop. "Have a sucker. It's strawberry flavored."

Raising a paw, he stiffly shakes his head. "The gesture is appreciated, but I'm not one of your juniors."

Lemres shrugs and slips the candy back up his sleeve. He follows Accord's gaze out the window, the rooftops of quaint homes visible through the trees. He clicks his tongue and smiles, tilting his head and saying, "So, what do you think of all this?"

A hum presses against her lips, an air of inquisitive wonder replacing her concern. She ignores Popoi's snickering and smooths out the wrinkles of her skirt. Crossing her ankles, she leans back and giggles, a smile playing on her face.

"Truth be told, I'm invested in Primp's newest addition. She's incredibly powerful, a sorceress who could be considered a creator." She sighs. "If what Satan told us is true about the extent of her power, and I have no reason to doubt him, then we could be dealing with a monster if she were to ever...come together with Arle."

"A demon! Right here in Primp and I let her go undetected!" Akuma screeches, slamming his paws against her desk. At Accord's pointed glance, he grimaces and recoils. "Erm, my apologies, kuma!"

"You really are prepawsterous," Popoi jeers, his ears twitching. "That doppelganger is gonna be a real troublemaker. She'd turn everyone into kitty litter in the blink of an eye, and I wouldn't be saying that if I didn't believe it myself, meow."

"Well, that's a stretch." Lemres shrugs, earning a hiss in return from the cat. "She doesn't seem like the type to lash out. I know Satan told us stories about how she brainwashed him, but she seems chill. She hasn't done anything-"

"-yet," Akuma interjects, making the grin on Lemres' face fade. "From my observations, she's lounged in Arle's home. She mostly stays there with Carbuncle when Arle attends school. Other than that, I've seen her take walks and mingle with the locals only on her time."

Accord touches her cheek. "It is troubling that she doesn't want to go to class. Then again, she is much older than all of us." Giggling, she rubs Popoi's back. "Why, she's even older than you."

Popoi bites at her fingers, but Accord pulls them away at the last second. "Don't purr-ruse in to my age! It's none of your business! Or should I tell everyone your age?"

"If you do, then I'll be forced to withhold treats from you."

Silenced, he buries his face into the crook of her neck and purrs. Accord chuckles and pets his head, the exchange only making Akuma roll his eyes.

"If your out of place banter is finished, we still have a situation," he says, huffing out each word.

"Well, maybe we can come to a compromise with her?" Lemres offers. With all eyes on him, he grins and continues. "She must be lonely, yeah? Spending five hundred years in a void, having no one with her, it must've been real rough." He throws his arms out, splaying his cloak and fingers. "We should throw her a welcome party! Lots of cake and candy, streamers and balloons, the works." He leans on Accord's table, chuckling. "I'm sure your students would love that, too, right?"

Clapping, Accord rises from her oak seat. "Oh, certainly. My students love to party hard."

"For a bunch of kittens, they're really a feral group," Popoi adds, a tittering laugh hissing past his fangs.

"A party," Akuma deadpans, "is not the answer I would have chosen."

"And what do you suggest?" Accord asks, folding her hands in front of her waist.

"We kick her out! No demons! No monsters! No threats to Primp! Kuma!" he shrieks, flailing his limbs, white hot rage blurring his vision.

"Chill, chill, have some candy," Lemres urges, whipping out the lollipop and stuffing it into Akuma's mouth. "Violence should never be the answer, y'know."

"I agree with Lemres. A welcome party could really warm her heart. She might even open up to us, and wouldn't that be the best outcome?" Accord snickers as Akuma tears out the lollipop, indignation burning in his button eyes. "Come now, Mr. Akuma, let's really welcome her to our humble village."

Flicking his tail, Popoi jeers, "As long as I get my treats, then I'll all fur the paw-ty!"

Lemres scratches his head. "Those puns sounded pretty forced."

As Popoi hisses as him, Akuma gnaws on the lollipop. He supposes they have a point. He never wanted any harm to come to Primp Town, and a peaceful welcome party could soften up the potential demon. The Puyo tournament had worked on the incoming trespassers from Arle's world, so if this doppelganger enjoyed parties and Puyo Puyo, then maybe she wouldn't be a threat.

"Fine, fine. Let's start working on this right away," Akuma says only to dart out the door. "I'll invite everyone post-haste! Kuma!"

"Oh, wait! We haven't decided on a date! And he's gone." Accord shakes her head. "Lemres, do you mind bringing him back here?"

"Right away, teach," he says, tipping his hat and walking after Akuma.

Left alone in her classroom, Accord sets Popoi on her desk. She strokes his back and picks up her wand, twirling it between her fingers. Casting a glance at the window as the shadow of the doppelganger vanishes, she smiles and says, "Please come. I'm sure you'll have fun with everyone just like you used to have on your world."

The doppelganger hesitates for a brief second, and Accord smiles as she storms away, the confirmation as clear as day.