A round birthday cake sprinkled in rainbows topped with creamy white sweetness and glistening strawberry jewels presents itself before her. Amber lights kindle in the dark.
"Happy birthday, [...]. Make a wish." A voice would prompt her excitedly.
She would close her eyes and think hard of a wish. The candle flame is extinguished by the ghost of a prayer.
When she opened them, dull blue eyes bored the ceiling.
This is the dream of a little girl whose birthday was scorned for her life.
~~~~~~~
A Very Merry Unbirthday to Me, to You
~~~~~~~
When Strix used the ghost camera and took a picture of Overblot Riddle, she had dropped to the ground and laid limp. At the same time, the colorful pair of bunnies also disappeared. Soon after, Riddle returned to his original self and he, too, fell unconscious after exhausting too much magic.
Once the battle was over, the third years went to check on Riddle while the first-years ran up to Strix.
Deuce was the first to check on her, kneeling beside her and checking for any wounds. It was even more confusing when no wounds, at least externally, were present. "Strix?"
From the rise and fall of her chest, and quiet, almost inaudible snores leaving her, she was just...sleeping. No signs of discomfort revealed pain.
Ace shakes her. "Strix, don't just sleep after all the action. Wake up!"
Despite his attempts to rouse her awake, she remained in a deep sleep. This was not like the other time when she was sleepwalking while peeling chestnuts. The fact that she hasn't once stirred to react was unnerving the boys. It was almost as though she was forcefully put under a sleeping spell.
Grim soon arrives to peer the girl's sleeping visage. He prods her cheek with his paws. "Strix? Hey..."
Deuce could only watch at the unconscious state of his female friend. "What's going on...?"
"What happened?" Cater called out as he jogged to enter their circle. The three are wearing anxious faces for some reason.
"That's what we want to know. Strix just went out like a light. She's not waking up at all." Ace said.
"It doesn't look like she's hit with magic or a curse..." Deuce trailed. He sincerely hopes they won't be the case and that she just picked a bad moment to have some shut-eye. It would be cruel if she did, though. They're worried!
Cater bends slightly on his knees for a closer examination of her face. There's definitely nothing out of the ordinary. That makes it all the more mysterious. "I'd get Riddle-kun since he just used up most of his magic, but for Stri-chan to black out the same time..."
"How's Dorm Leader?" Deuce asked.
The ginger shook his head. "Riddle's in the same boat. We're not sure when he's gonna wake up..."
They glance to the other side where Trey had knelt beside his dorm leader and held a pale Riddle in his arms. He was fretting over his condition until he looks back to reciprocate their confusion. Everyone could only look at each other hopelessly.
Soon the headmaster swoops in to return to the now destroyed rose maze. No negative energy contaminating the atmosphere, no floating pieces of dirt and rose trees... The aftermath result came in the form of a fainted Riddle and, much to Crowley's surprise, a sleeping Strix laying deathly still in Ace's arms.
"Thank goodness you all managed to stop Rosehearts-kun! But what happened to Noctowl-kun here?" The masked raven asked as he approached her.
"She just blacked out after using the ghost camera." Grim replied.
After hearing the device come into play, Crowley was surprised. "What? The user doesn't fall asleep after taking a memory. The memory simply comes to life and play out like a short film for the user's soul to connect with."
"Then is she under a spell?" Deuce asked.
Crowley kneels before Strix and waved his key staff over her, using magic analysis to check her state. Sparkles dance above her face. In response, a pink heart drop crest manifests. The sound of children merrily singing is carried as the mysterious crest then floats away from the surprised group.
It was heading for Trey and Riddle. The former watched the heart crest circle around them before stopping to hover near Riddle's face.
A ring of pink glitter hearts surround the crest. A familiar colorful bunny appears in place, the same shape present in front of its belly. It was the yellow and green one with fists for ears. It giggled at Trey's startled expression before using one of its long ears to touch Riddle's forehead.
When it made contact, a small pink glow radiates. Riddle's once scrunched expression relaxes as the light then fades. Satisfied, the bunny waved farewell and posed cutesy before disappearing in light.
Everyone was in awe of the sight they witnessed. Could it have healed Riddle in some way?
Crowley spoke, "A creature never before seen... In all of my years I've never seen such a peculiar beast, especially one as colorful as that."
His golden beady gaze lands on Strix. It couldn't have been unique magic; it appeared from Strix, a non-magic user. Perhaps she is undoubtedly capable of becoming a beast tamer thick and through. The question is, what is that bunny and how is it related to Strix, an otherworldly human?
As the man thinks these things to himself, Strix was slowly regaining consciousness. Her eyelids twitched and slowly open to reveal hazy blue eyes.
"Strix!"
Said girl glanced to several heads hovering above her. "Huh...? Guys...?"
She was then supported by Ace's hand behind her back as she sits up on the ground. He spoke, "You went out like a light after the battle. Honestly, did you wanted to make us worry?"
Strix held her head gingerly and squinted to recall the memory. "Oh... Sorry. More importantly, what about Riddle?"
Upon their silent glance to the boy's direction, she stands to check on the dorm leader and the rest follow to where Trey and Riddle were. They gathered in a semi-circle before the two.
Soon after, Riddle also reawakens. When he registered he returned to reality, he gasped for air. He did come close to death if he continued longer in his Overblot form.
"Ah, his eyes opened!" Ace said.
Cater released a relieved sigh he was holding in. "For real, we were agonizing over whether you'd wake up or not..."
Riddle breathes shakily, cold sweat forming from the temple as his eyes attempt to refocus. "What...did I...?"
"I'm so glad. He came back to his senses." Crowley smiles, seeing his sanity returned.
"There's no need to think about it now. Just sleep." Trey softly assures.
"Uuugh, of course he goes berserk after getting a little mad if you're coddling him all the time! The garden is a disaster and we were in big trouble!" Ace grouched.
"Indeed, it was a crazy situation." Agreed Deuce.
"Seriously. Bottling up all your stress isn't admirable." Grim frowned. Strix nodded in agreement.
Riddle was silent. He looks to Ace and said meekly, "... I...really wanted to eat that marron tart."
"Eh?"
"The roses are fine white, and the flamingos are fine being pink. I like putting honey in my tea more than sugar cubes and I like milk tea more than lemon tea. I want to chat with everyone while we eat..."
Trey stared with undivided attention. "Riddle...?"
"I wanted to spend more time with Trey and everyone else..." Tears form in Riddle's eyes. His lips quivered until he finally wailed loudly for the whole rose maze to hear. Hearing the strict dorm leader being reduced to tears is such a drastic sight that Strix's heart ached.
"No way... That Riddle-kun is sobbing like a baby..." Cater whispered to himself in disbelief.
"Stop that! You're not forgiven just because you're crying!" Ace snapped, only to wheeze by the jab of the rib. He shot a look to Strix who in turn returned a scolding glare.
Deuce shook his head at Ace in disappointment. "You really refuse to read the mood..."
"I'm sorry too. Even though I knew you were suffering I pretended not to notice." Trey admits sincerely. Riddle hiccups.
"So I'm going to say it now." Trey meets his eyes and firmly said, "Riddle, your way of doing things is wrong. You have to properly apologize to everyone."
Riddle sniffled and tries to speak through his hiccups, "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry!"
After watching Riddle's teary state, Ace spoke, "There is something I wanted to say to you if you apologized for everything that's happened..."
He breathes in. "WORDS CAN'T FIX THIS MESS! I'M NOT JUST GONNA FORGIVE YOU LIKE THAT!!!"
His scream shook the whole maze. Everyone winced at the sudden volume.
"Eeeh?! You're saying that even in this situation?!" Cater gaped at the first year.
"Why wouldn't I! We've been put through the wringer. And he still rejected the marron tart we put all that time and effort into making. I'm not gonna let him off the hook with a tear-filled apology." Ace huffed exaggeratedly.
"This guy holds a grudge worse than I do." Grim remarked.
"That's saying something." Strix attested.
Riddle pursed his lips. "Then... what should I..."
Ace crossed his arms. "...My birthday isn't for a while."
Deuce quirked a brow. "Huh? What are you getting..."
"So I demand we have a Revenge Unbirthday Party. We didn't even get to take part in the last one. And this time, you have to make the tart. No getting help from Trey, either! Do it yourself!" Ace quickly added before continuing, "...If you do that, then there's nothing I won't forgive."
Strix smirked knowingly. "You're not honest at all, are you~?" A tsundere.
"Outsiders keep quiet." Ace threw a sharp glance to the blue-haired girl before speaking clearly for Riddle, "You got it?"
The redhead had wiped most of his tears away as he nodded with puffy red eyes. "...Yeah, I got it."
A smile flutters on Crowley's indigo-dyed lips. "Yes, yes, this is the beauty of compromise. Then the issue is settled."
"Well then, we should probably get started on cleaning up the garden. Our photogenic garden is in ruins... Boohoo." Cater weeps at the disaster that has to be cleaned.
"I'll help you out." Trey offered.
"You go and take Riddle-kun to the infirmary, Trey-kun." Cater tells him. "...He did Overblot. He should be looked at by the nurse just to be safe."
"It's as Diamond-kun says. I shall escort you there." Crowley offers.
"...All right. Thank you very much." Trey bobbed his head.
As the three leave, Strix casted a gaze over to Riddle's back. She had plenty of questions to ask but they will have to be put on hold until everything calms down.
When they have left the rose maze, Grim droops. "Hmm, I'm starving from using all that magic..."
He rubs his belly until he noticed something.
"Hm? This is..." He goes over to pick up a familiar gem from the ground.
"This is the same as the black magic crystal we found at Dwarfs' Mine!" Grim also picked up the object next to it. He examines a colorful gem shaped like a rose. "And this is...rainbow candy?"
He sniffs it before gasping. "It smells like berries!"
Strix quickly snatched both rocks from Grim's paws. "No way. You're not eating anything weird again on my watch."
"Nice save~" Ace gave a thumbs up.
"But Strix~!" Grim protests, "At least let me taste that candy! It looks good!"
"Anything looks tasty to you, Grim. I won't be surprised if you started eating marbles for gum balls." Strix coolly shot back and examines the colorful drop smaller than her palm. This is similar to that vibrant fragment left by Meow Wow when it defeated the Grumpy monster from the Dwarfs' Mine. Do these colorful pieces come hand-to-hand with the black gems or only when the colorful creatures are involved?
Strix tried sniffing it out of curiosity. Of course, her nose is not like Grim's. She couldn't smell anything, really.
She sighed. "I guess you really are a monster when it comes to this stuff." Looks like she'll be collecting these to be on the safe side. Maybe they'll prove essential to research that can uncover these mysteries.
"Eh, Gri-chan has that type of palette?" Cater looks at Strix for confirmation, to which she nodded, much to her disdain.
"It would be a bad habit if Grim keeps eating stuff from the ground, especially ominous black gems. Even if his stomach is built differently than ours." Strix shakes her head in disappointment. Sometimes she tends to forget Grim is really a monster and not a normal animal you'd see in the wildlife.
Grim puffed his cheeks (if that was possible for a beast) and dejectedly looks down. He perked up once he took another look at the grass and pulled a patch to chew on it. "The lawn has a really refreshing flavor too if you give it a try."
"Hey!! That's not for eating!" Deuce scolds and lifts the raccoon from the ground.
Strix deadpanned. "I think I overestimated my statement. It's gotten worse than marbles."
As Cater watched the first-year trio chide the monster for eating too optimistically, he drawled out a sigh. "Really now..."
He then mumbles, "Thank you guys," quietly with a sincere smile.
Ace asked if Cater said anything but the ginger feigned ignorance.
~~~~~~~
Like most preschools, birthday parties are held for the children whose birthdays fall on the corresponding month. After all, birthdays are celebrated only once per year.
However, when the teacher contacted the little girl's father, he simply told the teacher she won't be coming to school on her birthday to celebrate at home.
Said girl stared as her father spoke on the phone with cold eyes that did not accompany his polite tone. It didn't matter if she was in the same room listening to the conversation play right before her unblinking eyes.
After he ended the call, she finally spoke, "I...wanna go. Can I, please?"
Apathetic eyes stared down at her tiny frame.
"You have to pay your respects. We have no time for celebration. Do you understand?"
She hung her head low. She recognized the look in his eyes, eyes that dare her to spout what is offensive to his ears but innocent to her. He hated whatever sounds aggravating and infuriating leaving her lips. Which was practically every word she uttered that she failed to understand why he would seethe.
She nodded once. "...Yes."
~~~~~~~
The following morning, Strix let Grim sleep the morning away. Before she could pass through and out of the lounge, a certain raven had made himself comfortable on the sofa couch in Ramshackle's lounge room, much to her surprise. He was here to discuss several things with her regarding the Overblot incident. He ought to have given her a heads up, though.
She takes a seat across him and waited.
He cleared his throat. "As you are appointed supervisor, I assigned you the task to make sure the students of this school do not behave out of line. The ghost camera provides proof. However, that is simply one of your many unspoken duties. Now that an Overblot has occurred, I ask that you also lend a hand and ear to those who Overblotted such as Rosehearts-kun until they recover."
"Wait, why? Riddle has Trey-senpai, right?" Strix asked.
"Clover-kun is handling the reins as vice dorm leader. I'm afraid he won't spare enough time checking on Rosehearts-kun as often as he likes. That's where you come in to ease his worries away! Considering you're a non-magic user with a stable head on your shoulders, there should be no problems."
Strix made a face. Her head won't be so stable from the chaotic student body for long, she hopes he knows that. "So I'm being appointed as a caretaker now?"
"Frankly, yes." Crowley admitted. "Emotional stress is one of the factors that accelerates the transition to Overblot alongside magic. I won't go far into the details as Trappola-kun and Spade-kun are to also be aware of this. For now, please monitor Rosehearts-kun. I have complete faith you will reach the hearts of the uncooperative student body. This is also a great opportunity for you to bond with the students." He chirped positively.
Strix held a hand up. "Hold on. Headmaster..."
She propped her elbows on her knees and spoke behind her laced hands with blue eyes boring into his golden ones, "You haven't forgotten about finding a way back home for me... Right?" Her eyes narrowed.
"Ah, aaahhh," He drawled out, standing a little straighter. "A way to send you back to your world. Of course I'm looking for one. I haven't forgotten or anything. But I've been so busy lately, and more awaits the next few days."
"Your eyes are all over the place." Strix called him out. If he was sincerely trying to cover that up, he's a royal mess at acting.
"I-I'm not lying. In any case, will you be willing to see to Rosehearts-kun's recovery?" He asked, directing back to the topic in hand.
Strix pursed her lips. This could be a good opportunity to approach Riddle with a purpose so she can ask a few questions without appearing too unnatural.
"...Alright. It's not like I have a say in this..." She mumbled in the end.
"Splendid. With that out of the way, I wish to address another thing: are you aware of strange colorful creatures bearing a heart crest?" Asked Crowley.
Strix looks at him, surprised. "Where'd you hear that from?"
"While you were unconscious, I used magic to determine your condition. With it, a heart symbol appeared and manifested a vibrant rabbit. The peculiar creature casted a spell on Rosehearts-kun that may have relieved him from some sort of stress. It appears harmless, but what is most intriguing is that it came from you, Noctowl-kun. I've never seen it before in my life."
Strix digests this before leaning back on the sofa to look up at the ceiling in thought.
"...Dream Eater Spirits."
"Pardon?"
"That's what they're called. At least, that's what they told me." She mumbled uncertainly.
"And who is this 'they' you're referring to?" Crowley asked.
"The Dream Eaters themselves. I'm hearing this as we speak right now." She held her head and closed her eyes to focus. A mysterious voice was speaking to her. Come to think of it, she heard a voice call out to her when she first met Meow Wow.
Crowley was shocked. "You can communicate with them telepathically?"
"Seems like it. They're dropping a lot of exposition on me now. Give me a moment..." After a literal moment of 90 seconds of silence passed, she finally opened her eyes.
"...This is all new stuff for me, but basically they're spirits who have sworn loyalty to me and eat nightmares. It's safe to say they're good guys who will protect me." She doesn't know how or why, but it sounds promising.
"So you really are like a beast tamer. This is all so very interesting, no doubt! Perhaps they provide a clue on returning you home. While my curiosity as an educator is excited to learn more, I must advise you to keep their summons to a minimum. I fear you too will have your ego boosted. Please keep an eye out for them as you would for Grim-kun." Crowley advised.
"Understood." Thankfully Strix got her answers to who or what the hell these rainbow creatures are. Maybe they could be a hint to get back to her home world.
"Now I really must get going. Pardon me for taking your time." He stands up.
"Wait!" Strix called out from her seat. Crowley looks to the girl inquisitively.
"I... I'm penniless. But I don't want to ask you for money. Is there a paying job I can do here? Or anything that you would consider paying me for? I'd like to buy my necessities myself."
Crowley hummed. "There's always Mostro Lounge. It's a place in the Octavinelle dorm where all students can come and relax. Although you would have to make a deal with the owner if it's money we're simply talking about..."
Just when Strix's hopes were up, he shook his head. "I personally don't advise you to make contracts. Perhaps it's better you leave that for last."
Strix bowed her head. "If the headmaster says so..."
Crowley's face lights up like a lightbulb. "Ah! How about this..."
~~~~~~~
On the day of her fifth birthday, there was no candle flames atop a cake. No one was there to wish her happy birthday.
Instead, the burning scent of incense wafts in the room. Her father had left dressed in black to go somewhere and said he won't come back until nightfall to her grandparents, never once sparing a glance her way. Her grandparents from either side of her parents denied her presence as well on this day especially. It was like she was transparent in the household to never have been acknowledged.
She finally opened her eyes. A picture frame of a woman smiling stared back at her, a gold heart lock pendant resting on her bosom reflecting the same possession the toddler has on her. This woman who her family often compares the girl to is said to resemble her almost uncannily. No. It was the other way around.
On the third day of March, the little girl would celebrate her birthday by paying her respects to the woman who gave birth to her, and repent her crime of killing her mother by being silent as air until the day passed.
It was not a celebration of the day she was born into this world. It was the mourning of the woman who died from childbirth, a stranger whom the daughter could not find in her heart to mourn but did so to not upset the household as it already was.
~~~~~~~
Soon on that same day, Strix arrived to Heartslabyul. She asked a resident where the dorm leader was and was directed to the field where croquet games are held.
From inside a small building, the blue-haired female spots the student kneeling before a colorful array of hedgehogs huddling to him. There was no one else in the room of hedgehog cages.
She gasped in delight at the critters. "They're so cute!"
Riddle looked over his shoulder just as the girl approached and kneels beside him to peer at the hedgehogs. In turn, they look at the unfamiliar face curiously.
Strix brought her hand out to let them sniff. When a few did, they did not deem her as a threat and came closer. With only two hands available, she stroked a green and purple hedgehog affectionately, all with a wide grin that lit up her blue eyes.
"There really are colorful hedgehogs..." She mutters to herself almost breathlessly. They may not have been common in her home world, the boy assumed.
Riddle was surprised. These little critters quickly came to like her. Perhaps it was her appeal as a beast tamer, or maybe something else along the lines.
"What were you doing here?" Strix asked as she looks to him. "Are you really okay moving around so soon?"
Riddle reverts his attention to a hedgehog on his lap, "I was tending to the hedgehogs. I'm quite fond of them. And I'm fine; I'm not that frail to lose to exhaustion. Did Trey or Cater sent you here to check on me?"
"Actually... I'm assigned by the headmaster to be your 'caretaker' until you fully recovered. I'm the supervisor, after all." Strix then admits, "But even then, I do also want to ask you some things, if you don't mind."
"I see." Riddle ushers the hedgehogs to return to their cages and moves their discussion to a bench outdoors.
They sit down.
"So? What is it?" Riddle asked, crossing his legs.
"Do you remember anything while you were unconscious after you came back from Overblot mode? Did you dream of anything?"
"Dream?" He contemplates. "...I suppose I recall dreaming of a rose garden."
Strix suddenly seemed attentive now. "And?"
This did not went unnoticed by Riddle. "That's all I remember. Why the peculiar question?"
Strix waved her hand dismissively. "Nothing in particular, except that... well, I thought my little friend had done something to do with it."
The redhead raised a brow.
Strix closed her eyes. "Come out, Me Me Bunny."
Said bunny plops onto her lap in pink light and let out a cute trill to announce its arrival. It smiles as it received head rubs from its master.
Riddle's eyes widen. "A familiar?"
Strix shrugged. "In a way I guess you could call it that. They're still a mystery to me though. This is a Dream Eater Spirit, and its name is Me Me Bunny."
A Dream Eater? He has never seen anything like this one in animal encyclopedias he read.
Gray eyes look at the girl. "That's a strange name."
"Says the one named 'Riddle'." Strix coolly shot back, to which Riddle had held his tongue. She had a point. "Besides, I didn't name it. It told me its name."
"It can speak?" He asked. Like that cat that was usually around Strix?
"No. Telepathically, yeah. Only I can hear them, apparently that's what they said." Strix replied.
Riddle stared at the curious bunny. Had he seen it somewhere before?
Strix says, "I had met this little one in a dream. There was a different Spirit before this one. And I know more of these Dream Eaters are waiting out there for me to call them."
The female rubbed a finger beneath its chin. "Me Me was the one who helped you dream sweet dreams and 'consumed' the nightmares, whatever they were."
The boy continued eyeing the bunny until Strix holds the Spirit to him. "I promise it won't bite. Or punch, whichever of the two. Its ears are powerful, after all."
Riddle tentatively holds the creature under its arms and placed it on his lap. Me Me Bunny trilled and wiggles playfully in his hands as though giggling.
He quirked a smile. It's cute, and soft. Like an actual bunny.
As Riddle rubbed its belly, his expression crestfallen. He says to Strix, "I would like to apologize for my behavior back then. When I said those heartless things about you..."
Strix stared. She leans back from her seat on the bench to glance at the partly cloudy sky. "To be honest, if Ace hadn't punch you, I'd have done it myself. But now that everything's been settled, I've decided you'll be let off with a... less severe punishment."
When Riddle stared at her peculiarly for elaboration, Strix said, "Let's just say you owe me a favor."
Riddle lowered his head. "I'm sorry. I said it all with a smile, too..."
A hand rests atop his head.
Riddle lifts his chin to meet stunning blue eyes boring into him with a mystified, half-lidded gaze leaving him near breathless. The deep blue color is just like a blue rose.
She nods once. "Yeah."
His eyes flared wide. She said it with a straight face! "What was that?! Why did you just say 'yeah'?!"
Strix stifled a snort at the sight of his indignation. Meanwhile Me Me Bunny had dozed off from the belly rubbing.
She gently brings the spirit back to her lap. Me Me Bunny stirred slightly and wrapped its long hand-like ears around her forearm and subconsciously clings its body to her arm, nuzzling its cheek to her palm and tickling her with its nose.
She stroked a thumb over its swirly cheek. "I know this is a harsh thing to say, but it's good that you Overblotted. Now you can start over with a clear conscience."
Riddle avoids her serene gaze that could somehow see through his soul if he dared to make eye contact. An unreadable expression crossed his visage.
"...Do you know what the flower language for a blue rose is?"
Strix peers at him, curious of the random question. Could he have remembered she had dived into his heart through her Dream Eaters?
"I do, actually. A blue rose means 'the unattainable, the impossible'. Why do you ask?"
Riddle looked at her in surprise before staring ahead. "Nothing really. I also dreamt of blue roses, since you were so curious to know what I saw in my dream."
Strix would have liked to ask more but he didn't seem to have remembered her and his Overblot form's interaction within the dream. Ultimately, that's what she wanted to know.
"Well, I wanted to know if Me Me Bunny's magic helped." She internally patted herself on the shoulder for the smooth reasoning. If Crowley hadn't told her of that, she would have scrambled for another excuse to cover that inquiry. "Did it?"
Riddle glanced to the bunny. "...It did. I have thank it."
"Yeah, me too..." An idea hits her. "Oh, I learned that Dream Eaters love eating anything sweet. Well, it's the only thing they could eat, really. While we're at it, you have to make your apology tarts, right?"
"Yes..."
"Then if you really want to thank Me Me, I'm sure it'll be happy to eat your apology tarts. They're pretty easy to please, not going to lie. Looking forward to the dorm leader's homemade tarts." She said.
Riddle, however, was not very confident. It's the first time he will be baking, especially on his own. It shouldn't be too hard as long as he follows the directions to a T. "Y-Yeah. By the way, I've been meaning to ask..."
He took one glance over her. "Why are you in those clothes?"
Strix was wearing the Heartslabyul uniform provided by Cater. She gently placed the sleeping Me Me Bunny on the space beside her and removes herself from the bench to stand before him in her new getup. "That's what I also wanted to tell you. Starting today, I'm working part-time as a gardener here at Heartslabyul."
Riddle's eyes widen. "What?!"
"The headmaster decided that last minute just this morning. I needed a paying job to pay my own necessities, and he said working at your dorm will be a great chance to get familiar with Heartslabyul. I'm the supervisor, after all. I have to get to know the student body, and Heartslabyul will be the first step."
"So you'll be seeing me more often." She paused in flaunting her clothes as she watched his reaction. "Do I look weird in this uniform? If it's bothering you, I can just wear the school uniform..."
"No, I don't mind. You're not violating any rules from wearing the uniform. That said, if you intend to frequent here in our clothes, I expect you to not sully it by respecting Heartslabyul's traditions." The stern expression fitting Riddle like a glove bored into her.
"Of course..."
She kneels before him and bowed her head humbly like a faithful card soldier, "...Your Majesty, Queen Riddle."
~~~~~~~
The first birthday party she attended was held at her preschool. She was never invited to anyone's birthday party on their free will. In fact this party was more of an obligation than an invite since she had to attend school everyday.
A mother of a child had come to celebrate with the class. The little girl would find herself wandering to the woman than to the cake or her teacher's call for attention.
She never recalled meeting a mother up to now. What was a mother like? She has a father, but never a mother. From what her classmates were saying, it seems everyone has a mother as well. Everyone but her.
She watched as the mother took pictures of her child with the birthday cake, squealing with adoration and love and the child relishing in their mother's affection.
Before she understood envy, a seed of jealousy took root in her heart.
~~~~~~~
"You didn't have to help us clean up the mess, Strix. It's Heartslabyul's responsibility." Deuce looked past the white roses and shrubbery of the rose tree to see her paint on a separate tree in front of his.
"I'm partially responsible for what happened, too. Don't worry about it." Strix assured.
"Sorry..." He said sincerely and drooped, remorse eating somewhere in his heart.
Meanwhile Ace was overjoyed to finally use his magic for this occasion after being collared for three days. He never got to try using magic to paint and is struggling to get the right color.
"Damn it, why green again? No, now it's pink!" Ace cursed as he retried again and again and again.
"Ace, stop playing around and actually make progress." Deuce tells his fellow dorm mate as he painted at a steady rate.
However, he was stubborn. "I swear I'll get the next one right..."
"When you do get the roses red, stop using magic and paint like the rest of us." Strix told Ace. "We'll be leaving you behind without the help of magic."
"Ah, the words of a non-magic user." Ace recognizes that tone, especially from Strix.
"Certified, mind you. Looks like I'm back to being alone in the non-magic club again." Strix remarked with a soft sigh. "It was nice while it lasted."
Deuce then remembered something. "Where's Grim?" Usually the raccoon would be cackling at Ace's expense right now and show off his own magic.
"I left him at Ramshackle. He wanted to sleep for the day anyway, so I doubt he'll step out. Everything's under control, don't worry." Strix added after seeing the doubt lacing his expression.
"If you say so..."
It was then Cater comes in. "Good morning! How are my adorable freshies doing?"
"Compare Exhibit A," Strix points at Ace's direction and then herself and Deuce, "to Exhibit B."
Cater sweatdropped. The row of trees Ace is responsible to paint have yet to be touched. "Ahh, he really must be eager to catch up on painting magic."
"What are you doing here, Diamond-senpai?" Deuce asked.
"Am I not allowed to check on my dear freshmen as your upperclassman? More importantly," Cater looks to Strix, "I heard from Riddle-kun. I didn't think you'd sign up to be a gardener on top of being a supervisor. Isn't that, like, so exhausting?"
"Let's see. I got promoted from a handyman to a student, then to a supervisor to a caretaker, and now I'm a gardener. I'm a lot of things.The better question is which I'm getting underpaid for..."
"You don't get paid actual money for any of those, though?"
"I know, but it'd be nice." Strix shrugged. Now she feels depressed for the amount of work she does but never gets anything much in return. Sure the rent for Ramshackle is free and food is paid out of Crowley's wallet, but she doesn't have much freedom to buy her own necessities.
"Well, I think this will be a great opportunity for us to hang out more. Plus, it's always a sausage fest once you step into an all boys school. Having a girl around is a sight for weary eyes. I'm sure any upperclassmen would agree." Said Cater.
"Didn't you once mention setting up a date with a female painting?" Deuce inquired.
"You mean Miss Rosalia? Of course she's cute, but it's completely different with a three-dimensional girl. There's only so much you can do together with a painting. Like this!"
Cater ropes Strix to his side to take a quick snapshot with his smartphone, surprising her in the process. "You get a new angle than you could with a portrait. Looking cute, Stri-chan~" He sang.
Strix gave a look at the third year and held a bucket and brush to him. "If you're here to just chit chat, then multitask by painting the roses."
"Oh, there's Stri-chan's supervisor mode. Then I'll have my clones do just that!"
"Sure go ahead, but you are not excluded from the job, you know." Was what Strix firmly said in response. Maybe she should mark his face red so she'll know this is the real Cater. Of course, that's just a thought.
Cater simply chuckled. "Yes, ma'am."
"I finally did it!" Ace suddenly exclaimed excitedly from a few trees over. "Look guys, I got all the roses to be red!"
"Good for you, Ace. One tree down, four more to go." Strix dully said, "Also, you have to help set up the tea garden, bring in the tablecloths, buy the supplies, and..."
"Okay, okay, I heard you!" Ace interrupts before she could list the remaining tasks he has yet to touch.
~~~~~~~
"Father... What's a 'mother'?"
A dreadful feeling drops to the pit of her stomach as she watched him slowly turn to look at her.
Disgust. Hatred. Fury. The blackened contour whose face rivals a wrathful demon looms over her cowering form.
His teeth are bared as he seethed and spat a string of curses that became white noise.
Sometimes she wondered if things would have been different if she never asked a terrible question such as that, if she never heard the terrible words coming out of the man's mouth that somehow fell into pitiful, vain attempts to stir her heart for emotional obligation toward the woman of topic, if it would have been better to never ask anything regarding her absent mother.
Yet the emptiness in her heart that harbored no sentimental attachment of a faceless person allowed her to ask on behalf of her naive curiosity.
In return of the nothingness, she was lashed with white hot rage that awoke something in her.
This is not a father she wished for. This is a begrudging stranger who never saw her beyond dead weight; weight that he carried only through his patience and the transparent emotion he so passionately called "love" for a dead woman who left the world and ran away from taking responsibility.
The realization was coupled with passive hatred mistakenly painted as apathy, the thing that makes her a heartless monster.
~~~~~~~
Hazy blue eyes awoke to the scratchy and prickly leaves serving as a bed beneath her. Strix bit a wince and removed herself from the hedge to feel her skin. She might have gotten a few minor cuts from the pointy twigs.
Strix frowned and sighed deeply, running a hand over her face to suppress the urge to punch something in place of the faceless man who was long considered a stranger before she even realized.
What a horrible dream.
She stared at her surroundings. Everywhere she looked is green foliage and white and red roses to no end. It was then she realized...
"Where the hell am I?!" One moment she was helping with painting the roses, the next second she was in the middle of the labyrinth far from the Heartslabyul dorm like she had wandered to the ends of wherever the dorm is situated in.
"I must've gotten into autopilot mode and wandered too far. Damn it, I don't see anyone." Strix mutters to herself as she basked in the vacant area. In times of confusion, she should call upon a Dream Eater for help-!
Humming can be heard dangerously close. "Looking to get lost?"
Suddenly a purple striped shirt was directly in front of her. Strix stifled a shriek and stood rigid from the close proximity. Her eyes flitted upwards to meet cat-like pupils glimmering with mischief.
Strix immediately moves six feet back. She almost bumped into him!
"You're the Chenya guy who gave the advice! What are you doing here?"
Chenya places his hands behind his neck, grinning like usual. "I'm here being here."
Strix had to process that for a few seconds. Knowing it's futile to point out his riddles (and cat puns), she understood she had to play along with people like him if she treasures her sanity. "Okaay..."
She eyed him and said, "You look like you're familiar with this maze. Do you know the way out?"
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to."
"The dorm entrance." She said in a heartbeat, though she refrained from making it sound obvious as though questioning his intellect. He'd say something to twist her words if she said any more.
Chenya points to the right with his right arm, "You can go this way," He then points to the left with his left arm, "or you can go that a way. Which way doesn't matter, as long as you get somewhere."
Yep, he's just as mad and cryptic as the Cheshire Cat. She shouldn't have expected any less from him.
Strix deadpanned. "So you're telling me to move my feet instead of my mouth, huh. All right, fine." She randomly picked the right path.
Before she turned a corner, she looks behind to see he had disappeared. Or maybe he's just messing with her by using his invisibility trick to make her think that. No, what if he also wants her to fall for that but really-!
Strix drew a sharp exhale to instantly clear her mind once she turned her head back. That train of thought will run off course into the psychological path.
She made some progress from where she once stood. At least she hopes that's the case. The roof of the dorm can be seen above the tall hedges. That gives her hope!
The female then arrives at the fork in the road. Both seem to lead to the dorm...
Strix tried left. A dead end. When she tried right, there was also a dead end. How could the only two paths lead to a wall? Could she have made a wrong turn from the fork before this?
She returned to where she derailed from the right path. Mazes are so taxing to one's patience. Her's may be thinning right now.
Knowing that cunning cat, he had to be watching her somewhere.
"Chenya!"
A floating purple head readily bobs into view. "You called~?"
Strix suppressed herself from giving a start. She sincerely wished he would appear normally with a full body. Should she be relieved he started from the head instead of the other way around? Both are unsettling regardless.
Before she would ask him what the hell he was doing in the rose maze to begin with, she suddenly remembered the red heart-shaped door in her dreams. "...Do you know if there's a door somewhere in this maze?"
The rest of Chenya's body had appeared by that point. "Hm? And where would that door lead to?"
A question with a question, huh.
"A shortcut?" Strix replied albeit uncertainly.
She sighs. "I wish there was some magic door to warp me straight to the dorm. No, wait, maybe a magic mirror makes more sense..." This school loves mirrors. How vain could it be?
"If there was one, what's the point of having a maze if you won't get lost in it?" The feline crossed his arms behind his head. "It's more fun to get lost and explore with company."
Strix pursed her lips. She didn't come here to get lost. She doesn't have all the time in the world for this.
She opened her mouth to tell him such. Until a light of realization flickered in her eyes that the words were shoved back down before she would regret spilling them.
All the time in the world... When did she ever have time to be alone? Most of the time she had to babysit Grim and hung out with the boys. The only rare instances of alone time was in the darkest hour of the night when she was most active and everyone else was asleep. Even then, with recent events they usually tired her out and she had to retire early for the night.
Could Chenya have been giving her just that? But she wandered in the maze while sleepwalking. He wouldn't have planned this, much less expect it. Why would he willingly help her anyway? To satiate his boredom or curiosity of a cat? It could be just that. He doesn't appear to have any ulterior motives.
Chenya was staring at her curiously. She had fallen silent. "What's this? Cat got your tongue?"
Strix refrained from rolling her eyes. "You know what? Yeah. In fact, it did."
She looks up beneath her lashes before she turned to proceed walking, muttering a muffled "Thanks..." that Chenya surely must have heard with his sharper hearing senses in the quiet rose maze. If he did, he made no notion as Strix continued progressing by herself.
The dreams... The last one she had was when the Queen of Hearts got infuriated and sentenced Alice to beheading. That was caused by the Cheshire Cat. In the story, it was him who helped give Alice that last push to snap her out of her dream.
Riddle was given an extra push before he went berserk and Overblotted that he finally came to his senses. That "push" was...
The entrance of the rose maze came into view. The structure of the field is familiar to her now. This was where she was working in before she dozed off.
"I'm back? Thank goodness." She has never been so happy to see the sight.
The girl looks back to see the cat beastman standing idly.
"Time flies by when you're lost. Looking forward to getting lost with you again~" Chenya holds his fists up as though they were paws.
Instead of responding immediately, she was eyeing him thoughtfully. She faced him. "Chenya... Were you the one who threw the egg at Riddle...?"
The young man in purple met her gaze with his perpetual smile that never ceases to be fazed by nearly anything, even a seemingly odd and arbitrary question Strix dared to suggest.
A mysterious glimmer in his eyes. "I wonder what makes you say that."
Strix clammed up with wide eyes. Her tongue slipped up! She had no proof to make that claim. If he actually was the one who did it, then that makes her all the more suspicious.
Yet, he wasn't denying anything about the egg. Was he even there, hiding behind the scenes when Riddle Overblotted?
Without waiting for a response, Chenya turns to the inside of the maze and fades away. "See you~"
Strix could only watch as the Cheshire Cat's head bobbed away humming. Getting a grasp on someone unpredictable as him really proves challenging. Though, she believes he's actually a good guy, with how his words and actions help people indirectly.
Would she have made that conclusion without the knowledge of Disney? Perhaps very unlikely.
Strix huffed before looking up to the evening sky, bright doe blue eyes glowing a subtle amber reflection.
This Disney-based world is interesting yet all too mysterious for her to accept as anything other than a dream. In that sense, she is still trapped wandering in her own maze. Except it is one that she can only do alone, seeing no exit in sight soon.
~~~~~~~
All she wished for on her birthdays was to be loved by her family. When she recalls the sight of the mother adoring her child, she harbored passive hostility towards the child that were suppressed behind her poker face. Then that hostility branched to the rest of her classmates until she came to dislike everyone around her who lived happily with normal, loving families that have two parents.
She never had a mother in her life. Her father never looked at her the same way the mother did with her kid. He never even participated in parent-children events. Her grandparents were the ones to drop her off and pick her up. Even they disliked her for being a 'lifeless monster'.
She never once had a supportive figure or role model to look up to. Until her father finally left the family and custody of the child went to her great grandfather on her mother's side.
Her once closed heart opened after her walls broke down before the elder's wise and loving heart that see through everything. Then her motivation to try bringing back her speech was further encouraged by a young boy in high school who was her neighbor and the light of hope.
She wanted to firmly believe they are the only two people she'll consider "family". Yet a part of her believed the happiness they blessed her is all a dream.
The distance between them is still too wide.
~~~~~~~
That same evening, Strix suddenly feels tired. She doesn't know which aspect of her is, but she's drained nonetheless.
The girl sees two familiar first-years having a conflicted discussion by the Heartslabyul entrance.
It was until Deuce was the first to spot her stalking to them with fatigue weighing her shoulders that he broke away from the topic to look at her with a worried expression. "Strix! Where were you? We thought you were never going to come back before nightfall."
"Sorry for making you guys worry. I sleepwalked and I think I discovered the ends of the maze..." She might have lost some of her sanity at a few dead ends. Chenya didn't help in that matter.
"I'm surprised you made it back before it got too dark, then." Deuce said.
Ace flicked her forehead. Ouch. "Stop daydreaming. Don't you know you can get lost in a maze of roses?"
Strix held her tongue. "...Sorry."
As evening was about to turn dark, Deuce went ahead to return to the dorm, wishing Strix a good night and safe trip to Ramshackle. He was tired from all the prep, and they still have another long day ahead of them to rest up for.
Before Ace would follow Deuce behind, Strix stops him.
"Wait."
He looks back.
Strix's eyes meekly fell to the patch of grass. "This is a random time to say, but I didn't really get the chance to say thank you. For standing up for me. I would have punched Riddle myself if you haven't. So... Thanks."
Ace stared. A smirk. "Oh~? Someone's getting shy. Did you perhaps fall for me?"
Strix stared at the lawn with more interest, an unreadable expression shadowing her face. "..."
Ace leaned slightly with a taunting grin. "What'd you say? I didn't hear." Despite the tone, he genuinely couldn't hear her, though.
Strix lifted her head to shoot a glare. "You're in the perfect position for me to head butt you right now."
"I was just pulling your leg, okay?" Ace stood up straight, slightly nervous. She sounded serious about doing, but even he won't risk that chance.
Strix drawled a tired sigh, staring at Ace with unimpressed blue eyes. "Honestly, I feel like the carrier of the one brain cell team giving me nothing but trouble."
There's the silver-tongue punchline he was expecting.
~~~~~~~
What is an Unbirthday Party?
She looked to her great grandfather in wonder after hearing the word in the Disney movie "Alice in Wonderland". Like the inquisitive Alice who fell in Wonderland, this child is curious of the word.
"'Unbirthday' not a real word, my dear," The wise elder establish before continuing, "but it's a tea party that celebrates no birthdays."
She tilted her head before reverting her eyes on the TV screen. The Mad Hatter and March Hare were singing a song as Alice joined.
Unbirthdays. If there is only one birthday every year, then there are 364 unbirthdays.
She liked that. If she can't celebrate her own birthday, then unbirthdays are what she can do. She believed she will be happier on unbirthdays than on her birthday.
~~~~~~~
Strix greets Heartslabyul's vice dorm leader in the common room. As a supervisor, she has to check in on how Trey is doing up to now. Well, at least with a title she can assert her reason to why she is here. Not that she needed it other than convenience.
"Besides, I'm nocturnal. I'm not afraid of the night." Strix replied after Trey expressed concern whether she should really be here so late and should be sleeping at Ramshackle. She looked so proud being a night owl that the third year can't really protest.
She had offered to make tea for a very exhausted Trey and returned with a steaming teacup for two. After thanking her and sipping the drink, the young man noticed something and reached out to the girl sitting on a seat diagonally from him.
He brushed her deep blue locks and rests his large hand on the base of her neck. Warmth spreads to her skin.
Strix held her breath. What? What is he doing?
She shivered slightly as his callous thumb grazed the slim nape of her porcelain white neck. She registers a sting from the touch. Wait, why?
Dull golden yellow eyes bored closely. "You got a cut here." He remarked. "It's not bleeding, but a bit red and kind of noticeable..."
Her eyes widen a fraction. "A cut? How did I..."
Suddenly Strix remembered.
A light blush dusted her cheeks as the blue-haired female meekly looks elsewhere, unable to turn away with his hand still on her neck. Her voice falls quiet as she admits, "I... I dozed off and fell asleep on the hedge..."
Trey stared blankly. He drew his face away to snort, much to her embarrassment.
His shoulders trembled as he laughed. She gaped at him.
"Sorry, I just imagined it and it makes sense now." He spoke between his laughter after he lets go of her neck. Strix rubbed the warm area and wondered if it really was that easy to visualize what happened.
He had Strix follow him as he went to pull out a first-aid kit hiding in a drawer and hand her the kit to use. She thanked him and stood in front of a mirror to rub the ointment on the cut. She had internally cringed at the sight. It really did stand out. Was it like that in the beginning?
After she plastered a band-aid and returned to sit, Trey spoke, "I never got to thank you guys for everything. Things would have been worse if Riddle had continued acting the way he was before."
If it weren't for the freshmen, he would have continued to let his childhood friend act out of line under his watch like he had been up to that point. For that, he was relieved. And grateful.
Strix sipped her tea albeit uncertainly. "I think it was partially our fault though since we added oil to the fire, but yeah. I'm glad it all went out well. I was looking forward to the Unbirthday Party the first time, but now I'm relieved to be able to attend the apology party."
He smiled apologetically. "Sorry that had to happen. I only committed to 350 rules to memory, yet I should have been more cautious and looked into the rest."
Strix waved her hand. "It's okay. At least we got to eat tasty marron tart out of it."
Trey's brows lifted in wonder. "You're lucky. You're the first girl and non-Heartslabyul student to ever attend, since this is a tradition exclusive to our dorm founded on the Queen of Hearts. I've whipped up my best delicious cakes for that occasion. Look forward to it."
Strix nodded. "I will, thank you."
"And I hope you'll be good friends with Riddle." Trey added, "He's an amazing guy, really. As the dorm leader it's to be expected, but now that he came to his senses, I think things will lighten up for the better."
Strix giggled. "You sound like a mom."
Trey chuckled. "I do get that from the other residents."
Their mixed laughters softly echo in the late hour of the night.
~~~~~~~
Wide blue eyes stare at the cake in front of her. Seven candle lights glow atop.
"Happy birthday, [...]. Make a wish."
A dream? This is a dream, right?
From the head of the table, she looks at her great grandfather and brother sitting on either side.
"Today is the day you were born. It's only natural to celebrate." The latter said.
She shook her head slowly, still staring in disbelief. She feared if she blinked the cake would replace itself with the photo frame of a stranger's face. She didn't want that.
Her brother tried to call her name, but she was frozen and lost in her own conflicting mind. Is this really okay? If she blows the candle flames, will she return to silently mourn for her mother? That dreadful silence she has to endure for one whole day per year for the sake of the woman who died giving her life? Is she allowed to be happy on this occasion?
Her great grandfather understood long before this. "There's nothing wrong with being happy on your birthday. Your brother and I wish for you to enjoy yourself." They smile at her.
She was confused. Concern replaces her. Then she doesn't have to mourn? But that would be disrespectful to the dead...
Her older brother glanced to the elderly man who nodded an unspoken message answering his silent question.
The young man reverts his gaze to the little girl. "You can still celebrate your birthday and pay your respects." Seeing the worry still gripping hold of her, he continued with a finger lifted, "Think of it this way. You can treat today as your Unbirthday Party."
She meets his gaze.
He smiled. "Like Alice in Wonderland. Good idea?"
Hearing the Disney movie of the fairytale she recently watched with them sparked light in her eyes. The elder man adores Disney and anything related to it. His love had soon infected the child with newfound interest for the films. She nodded in agreement.
Suddenly everything went blurry. Something wet trickled down her cheek. What is this wet droplet? What is this tightening squeeze of her chest that makes it hard to breathe? A painful aching throbbing inside she can't resist.
Silent wails escaped her as she bends over on her chair and trembles violently that spoke louder than her mute sobbing.
For the first time in her life, she discovered "tears", something her estranged father never believed she was capable of shedding. He was wrong. He was sorely wrong. If he was here to see her now, would he have a change of heart and stayed a little longer to see her grow up? Or would he still deny her existence and persistently alienate her?
Ever since birth, she wanted her birthday to be acknowledged as simply her birthday, not the day of grief and silence over a person she feels obliged to mourn over. For once, she was loved more so than her mother to have a day to celebrate for herself.
She didn't have to rely on candles. Her wish already came true.
As the girl matures, she would come to understand that the logic of unbirthdays made no sense. It was nonsensical, just like the residents of Wonderland. She would still continue her tradition of keeping silent on her birthday for her mother's passing and rarely encourage her birthday parties.
Despite that, she now had a true family who appreciate her for existing into the world. No more cursing, no more isolation.
And more outside of her two loved ones will be invited in the future, in another world who treats her kindly than her own.
~~~~~~~
Several days have passed since the Heartslabyul incident. During that time, the garden was restored, and preparations for the "Revenge Unbirthday Party" were made.
Trumpets blare across the tea garden, following the beat of a drum.
"Our great leader! The Crimson Ruler! Announcing Dorm Head Riddle!" A student spoke.
"Dorm Head Riddle, hip hip hooray!" Unlike before, the response was much noticeably light and cheerful, especially when everyone branded smiles of relief.
Riddle nods, pleased. "The roses are red, the table clothes are white. A perfect Unbirthday Party. And the dormouse is inside the teapot like planned... Ah. I guess it doesn't really matter now."
"You don't have to change everything right away." Trey said, "Instead of putting jam on the mouse's nose, try putting it on a scone. Change 'it's worthless without' to 'it would be nice to have', right?"
Riddle smiled. "Yeah, you're right."
From near the head of the table where the dorm leader and vice head sat, a familiar group of freshmen sat together with their newfound third-year friend.
Ace heaved a sigh. "In the end, we had to handle getting the garden cleaned up and all the prep work."
"There, there. Dorm Head being back after a full recovery is the most important." Deuce sheepishly smiled.
"The garden is looking super photogenic so I'm super satisfied." Cater sang with a pleased grin, hands never putting down his smartphone for a second.
"Yeah! I'm ready to eat all this food!" Grim piped. He and Strix were dressed in their Heartslabyul attires specially made by Cater once again, though for Strix it would be her uniform whenever she visits for her "part-time job" from now on.
Cater winked. "Okay! Let's get to..."
"Just a moment!" Riddle suddenly interrupted, startling them.
"Eh?"
"Those white roses..."
The gang dreadfully follow Riddle's line of vision. There are a few pure white roses in some of the rose trees.
"We missed some?!"
Cater let out a shaky stammer until he finally uttered, "Ace-chan, Deuce-chan, Stri-chan, you said you painted them all!"
Deuce looks at him in bafflement. "This is our fault?!"
Trey was watching Riddle's reaction that would burst any second. "R-Riddle, this..."
"Are we doing this again...?!" Strix paled a shade. The flashbacks are all coming back to everyone.
An amused smile was quirked from Riddle. He softly released a giggle at everyone's bug-eyed expressions. "...Kidding. I'm not going to punish you for one or two roses."
Relieved smiles relaxed their faces.
"R-really?! Three cheers for Riddle!" Cater cheered.
"It'll go faster if we work together." Riddle suggested.
"You still want them painted?!" Ace exclaimed.
"Now now... But really...yeah. You've changed, Riddle." Trey smiled.
"I can't wait another second! Let's get this painting stuff over with and party!" Grim said.
"Then everyone, are you ready?"
Riddle shows to be really good at painting with his magic, as remarked by the first-years. As expected of a dorm leader.
Once the remaining white roses were red, everyone returned to continue the party.
"How did your apology tart come along?" Ace asked the redhead.
"I-I baked it, don't worry. Here. I made this strawberry tart." He brought out a strawberry tart to the table.
Trey examines the tart. "The shape needs a little work but you did well coating the strawberries in nappage to bring out their shine. This is great work for your first time." He smiles.
"There he goes spoiling him again. Well, let's give it a try."
Ace was about to slice the tart when Cater gasped, "Ah, I wanna take a pic of this ultra rare tart so hold off on cutting it!" A flash. "...Okay!"
Ace shakes his head. "Senpai never changes either... Let's dig in."
Everyone takes a bite. Once they have a taste, however, they registered something unusual swarming their tastebuds.
Trey and Cater's eyes dilated. "T-This is..."
"Salty!!!" Exclaimed everyone.
Riddle absorbs their reactions incredulously. "Eh?!"
"What the heck?!" Ace gags, "It's so salty! What'd you put in this?!"
"It's like eating the ocean..." Strix tries to rinse the sodium out with tea. The salt is somewhat still there.
"I followed the rules strictly when getting supplies and during baking. There shouldn't be anything wron... Ah!" Riddle pales, "Is it perhaps because I added oyster sauce?"
Deuce coughs from the sodium clogging his throat. "...Are you referring to Clover-senpai's joke about the walrus seal of approval?"
"I mean, Trey used to say that all good tarts have it even if it's not in the recipe as a secret ingredient..." Riddle trails off.
"Blegh, there's no way! If you think about it for a moment you'd realize!" Ace told him.
"You fell for it too." Strix sweatdropped.
"But this goes beyond secret ingredient. How much did you add?" Cater dreadfully asked.
"N-No one will divulge their trade secrets, you know? So I couldn't precisely figure out how much to add..." Riddle mumbles.
Trey cracks up. "I never thought there would be someone who took that joke seriously..." He continues to laugh and wheeze.
Soon the laughter is contagious for Riddle. "So true. I'm so dumb..."
"Haha, it's so bad it makes you laugh." Deuce said.
"We just have to laugh it off." Ace smiled.
Meanwhile Strix had summoned Me Me Bunny beside her seat and gave it the remaining portion of her tart for the bunny to try. It sniffed the dessert before smiling, oblivious to the devious glint in its master's eyes.
"But, now I think it's good in its own way." Grim remarks. Me Me Bunny takes a bite. It stood rigid.
"I get you there. It's not as bad as you think." Cater attested. The Dream Eater Spirit's fur stood up and squeezed its eyes shut from the salty taste. Its head rattled in distaste, long ears flopping wildly.
Deuce was mortified to hear that from Cater. "Diamond-senpai, your palette is just as crazy as Grim's!"
Me Me Bunny puffed its cheeks at its master giggling at its expense and bounced from the ground to deliver a quick, light punch to the arm. Anyone other than Strix would have gotten a bruise from its punches.
"No no, I wouldn't say that." Cater quickly said.
"This tart is good because it isn't sweet?" Trey suggested. Me Me Bunny calmed down after learning the tart was made by Riddle as a thank-you and apology tart. It was still a little upset Strix pulled a mean trick by feeding it sodium. She promised to feed it candy next time.
Cater looks at the third year. "Eh?"
"You hate sweet things, after all." Trey stated.
Strix looks to the ginger, rubbing her somewhat aching arm after dismissing the spirit to the dream realm. Me Me Bunny's "bun-fu" is no joke. "But he still eats them, right?" He was there when they tried the marron tart. She even remembered him saying how delicious it was.
Meanwhile Cater stammers as he looks at his friend in shock. "Eh, eh... Trey-kun, how did you know that? I've never told anyone that I didn't like sweet things, though."
"You always ask me to change the cake's taste with my Doodle Suit, right? It doesn't show on your face at all, but I figured that you didn't like sweet things that much." Trey deducted.
"Ah... I've been found out? So embarrassing... Trey-kun, like the stuff with Riddle-kun but your habit of 'I noticed but didn't say anything' is not good." Cater pouts, shooting a half-hearted glare.
The green-haired young man smiled sheepishly. "I'll make you some quiche for the next Unbirthday Party."
"I appreciate that. ...Make it just as photogenic as cake, okay." Cater winked.
"Ah, I forgot the most important thing," Riddle spoke up, drawing the group's attention to him.
"What is it?" Asked Trey.
"I've yet to assign a trump suit for Strix. Since everyone is here, why don't we settle this matter together?"
Strix was disinterested, though. "Is this really necessary? I'm not part of Heartslabyul, and if I have to draw that on my face every time I'm here, I don't have the motivation to keep that up."
"I told you before to respect Heartslabyul's traditions, no? The same applies for this." Riddle told her.
Strix pulled a resigned expression. "Alright, alright."
"I'm telling ya, hearts is the way to go!"
"Spades is more appropriate, though."
"Cay-kun thinks diamond would look totes cute~"
"I wouldn't mind whichever, honestly." Trey sheepishly chuckled. "What do you think, Strix?"
"I don't have a strong opinion on any of them, to be honest. I'll let you guys decide." Strix then yawned, still rather sluggish.
"Let's try adding all four of them at once. Don't worry, we'll use magic to apply it." Cater assured the girl.
She was skeptical, however. "I don't think I can pull that makeover off, but... Go for it."
"Okay, here we go!"
Strix closed her eyes and braces for the magic.
Once she felt the wave of magic fade, she slowly opened her eyes. Six faces of awe greeted her, for better or worse.
A snort. Unsurprisingly it came from Ace who slapped a hand over his mouth impulsively. Ace and Deuce plus Grim were snickering uncontrollably, sharing the same sentiment.
Strix looks at her reflection in the teapot, unamused expression staring back at her. "I look ridiculous. Where's a clown wig when you need one..."
Cater's lower lip puckered out in thought as he and Trey stared at the marks painting Strix's face. The former commented, "Don't you think it looks cluttered with all four of them?"
"It might be a bit much after all." Trey sweatdropped.
Riddle stares intently at her face.
"...Alright, I've decided."
He directs his staff to the girl.
A trail of magic sparkles touch her cheeks.
"From here on within the borders of Heartslabyul, you are the of Ten of Hearts."
A red heart mark is placed on her left eye. Along with it, a card pinned on her blazer just above the Heartslabyul patch reflects the respective trump card. Now that a color and suit is established, she now wears a red vest and her shoes are mainly red with the heart suit.
"Alright! Welcome to the Hearts gang!" Ace cheered, clapping her shoulder.
"The bold red really brings out the blue in your eyes and hair, Stri-chan!" Cater complimented.
Trey nodded in agreement. "Cater's right, it looks great on you, Strix."
"Right?! I knew you can't go wrong with a red heart." Ace boasted.
Deuce glared at the redhead, muttering, "Acting all smug..."
On the other hand, Strix was giving Ace the side eye glance of exasperation. "To think I'd be associated with you..."
"Maybe we're just meant to be~" Ace wiggled his brows playfully at her, having slung an arm over her shoulder.
Strix feigned a gag and removed his arm off. "I think not. But at least I'll prove to be less... 'unrefined' of a hearts soldier unlike someone..."
A twitch.
"It seems we already have a capable soldier amidst the rank of hearts. You would do well to not let your junior flip you over." Riddle chuckled, a rather sly grin directed to the boy.
"As if! I'm the Ace of Hearts! I'm not gonna get 'flipped over' so easily." Ace huffed defensively, eliciting amused grins and laughter from everyone else.
"I see a comrade has joined our circle."
Strix glanced over along with the rest of the boys to see a familiar pair approaching their table. "Cinque-senpai, Sice-senpai..."
Cinque, appearing in collarless glory for the first time, lazily waved in greeting with a matching smile. "Congrats, you're now one of us. Looking forward to seeing you around."
Sice bobbed his head cheerfully. "Totally! You'll be missing our awesome tea parties so badly that you'll wish you were enrolled in Heartslabyul if you don't come back often."
Strix mustered a smile. "Yeah. I'm in your care."
The two second-years grinned before excusing themselves and returning to their table to resume the party.
As Strix curiously looked inside a teapot to confirm her suspicions of a sleepy dormouse taking residence (so surreal, just like the fairytale), she noticed a piece of confectionery being swiped from the tray.
A person humming is heard on the space beside her. "Trey's sweets are always purr-fect." A familiar face appears and noms on the cakes.
As a precaution, Strix applied jam on the dormouse's nose before it would freaking out at the sight and closed the lid without thinking twice. It's the Cheshire Cat!
Riddle's gray eyes widen at the sight of his childhood friend nonchalantly snacking. "Chenya! What're you doing here?!"
"Hm? I came to celebrate your Unbirthday Party. Congrats, Riddle." Chenya slides over and wraps his arms around Strix's shoulders. Strix refrained the strong urge to make strangled noises as Chenya made himself suspiciously comfortable and intimate with the girl, like a cat that leapt atop her lap and chose to lay there. That imagery may be why she appears unusually composed with a mostly straight face. Did she mention how she adores cats?
He rests his chin atop her head and meets the boys' now wary expressions with a perpetual grin. How scary~
Ace shoots a glare his way. "Oi, since when did you get so chummy with Strix?"
"Please give her space." Deuce politely asks, though he was on edge as much as Ace, if not more.
"She doesn't mind. Right~?" He glanced down innocently with another purr.
"No...not really..." Strix could only stare at her teacup with interest as her voice dwindled to barely a whisper. She's actually weak to a cat's charm whether she likes it or not. She'll never admit that, though. Hey, she's not completely immune to recognizing someone's charms and beauty.
"Why are you so calm with a guy over you like that? Get a little mad!" Ace squints at the blue-haired girl. She can maintain her composure with a touchy boy like Chenya? She wouldn't even let him squeeze in with her on her bed when he first came to Ramshackle Dorm!
Strix stared into the distance blankly. Even she herself is scared how she can maintain a poker face under this circumstance. "Chenya seems like the type to see himself more as a cat than a human. I'm going with cat. I'm sticking with cat."
"I am a cat. But I'm also part human." Chenya said, a light purr rumbling in his throat as he nuzzled his cheek on her head. He mumbles how "sweet" her scent is to the point of almost intoxicating. Strix could do nothing but hope her scent doesn't make Chenya or any cats mildly high enough to do anything freaky.
Trey gives his fellow childhood friend a scolding look. "Chenya..."
The purple cat refused to budge, however, tail raised and curled to express his delight. "But~ She has a nice smell a cat like meow can't resist."
"I used basic shampoo and conditioner, though..." Muttered Strix.
Riddle's gray eyes narrowed. "The Unbirthday Party is a tradition exclusive to the Heartslabyul dorm. It doesn't concern you, does it?"
Chenya then grins. "The same goes for these guys, y'know." He gestures to Strix and Grim.
Grim perks up. "You're the guy from before with the cat puns! Oh yeah, what dorm are you from?" He never did answer back then.
"Chenya's not a student of our school in the first place. He's from Night Raven College's long standing rival, Royal Sword Academy." Trey answered in his place.
"Eh?! He's a student from another school?!" Deuce's eyes widen.
"And from Royal Sword Academy?!" Ace exclaimed.
A glimmer of excitement shone in Strix's eyes. She would have looked up to Chenya if he wasn't resting his chin on her head now. "The name sounds cool."
Chenya smiles wider. "Isn't it~?"
The rest of the residents heard their exclamations and immediately went silent. Suddenly the mood of the tea party has become tense with hostility in their eyes and body language.
"Did they just say Royal Sword Academy?!"
"One of those stuck-up assholes is here?!"
"What'd you say?! Where is he?! I'll chase him out!"
"Oops. Well, I got my tart so it's time for meow to go home." Before he would disappear and flee the tea garden, Chenya leans to give a quick peck on Strix's cheek.
The Heartslabyul boys gaped at the bold move.
"Ah, he got away!"
"After him!"
Most of the residents leave their seats in a scrambling, desperate chase after the feline's invisible tail. Meanwhile Ace and Deuce were immediately by either side of Strix who had yet to respond.
Her eyes were wide blank slates rivaling an owl. Strix.exe. has stopped functioning.
"Strix! Snap out of it!" Ace shakes her by the shoulders, her pupils rattling yet unblinking in the face of reality.
Deuce gasped. "Wait, I think I see her soul leaving her! Come back!"
The upperclassmen sweatdropped at the first-years' antics.
"He's waaay gutsier than anyone I know in this school, and I thought I could be bold at times. Has your childhood friend always been like...that?" Cater asked Trey and Riddle.
Trey, who knew him longer before Riddle did, pushed his glasses upwards. "Well, Chenya can be unpredictable, even for me. In that sense, yes."
Grim was in awe of the sheer animosity Heartslabyul students displayed. "They got murderous all of the sudden."
"Students from Night Raven College turn hostile towards Royal Sword Academy with high probability." Riddle replied, taking in the sight of the nearly vacant party accomplished by a single Royal Sword Academy student in mere seconds.
"After losing for 100 years, you can't blame them." Trey shrugged.
"Now, now. No more gloomy talk! We're celebrating! Let's enjoy our Unbirthday Party today! ...As soon as Stri-chan returns to reality." Cater adds, seeing Ace and Deuce continue to hover over her unmoving frame. The shock really did a number on her, and it was only a peck on the cheek.
"Nyaha! I'm gonna eat until I burst! Happy Unbirthday Party!" Grim cheers.
...
Meanwhile with Chenya, he had returned to Royal Sword Academy from Heartslabyul and was laying his back atop a tree branch to rest. He has a fondness for climbing trees and resting on them, watching the world below continue to be mad.
He licked the sweetness from his lips, mind wandered to the peculiar guest. Something about her scent is all too intriguing. No normal human, particularly one not blessed with magic, would have an intoxicating scent that almost lulls you into a sweet dream.
The sound of grass crumpling under a pair of brown loafer shoes approach the base of the tree.
"Chenya, there you are." A young man's pleasant voice called out with familiarity, presumably the same age and/or year as him.
He paused as he examined the feline beastman's face. "You seem to be in a good mood. Was the Unbirthday Party fun?"
Chenya turned on his side to prop an elbow and supported his head with a hand to his cheek. Yellow cat-like eyes peer down at the young man.
"Well~ I had delicious cake. That's one thing this school can't outmatch." He snickered impishly.
The male student quirked a smile. "I envy you, getting to hog all the sweets yourself..."
"But you know~ Things have gotten interesting." Chenya added, striped purple tail swaying idly off the branch.
A thin line forms the student's lips. "...Has a 'game' begun?"
The shadow casted by the tree's foliage darkens Chenya's perpetually smiling expression into an eery kind. For once, he is silent.
Too acquainted with his elusiveness, the male simply heaved his shoulders with a silent sigh. His lips then pursed into a thin line.
He raised a white gloved hand to his temple, pushing the round lenses of his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Behind them, his eyes were shrouded with mystery, making it unlikely to make out his true feelings. "An Unbirthday Party... huh."
Chenya stared silently from his lax position on the branch.
The unnamed student pressed the button to his golden pocket watch resting on his left hip. It was past 3:30. The Unbirthday Party is still underway as they speak.
A whispering breeze brushes past them. A long, scarlet red braid whips behind the student's back, the tail tied with a simple leafy white bow.
Reflected faintly in the glass face of the watch is a sun-kissed visage, blinding his expression still.
"There's all the time in the world to celebrate."
The lid snaps shut with a resounding click.
...
In case you haven't noticed, Chenya is my bias. His parts tend to be more self-indulgent. Can't wait to see more of him and RSA in the future.
For this revision, I added more details to what the unnamed student looks like since I think it'll be a long time before they make another appearance/cameo. I will remain silent on any theories about this person.
The thing with Chenya and the egg is not clarified or even implied in canon. I actually saw a theory about that and didn't think about it myself. I feel it makes sense, imo and thought it was interesting.
Next is Savanaclaw... Oh no. Revising this next arc will be... an ordeal, to say the least. I can't guarantee it will be miles better compared to what other writers may have done to change the arc, but compared to the main story it should be less weak.