This chapter of the Fabulous Fall Fic 2020 Collaboration was brought to you by: Dutchgirl79

Chapter Two

For a few early hours of the second convention day, Kuon's work schedule would keep him busy. It started with a photo shoot at the hotel's boutique "Emporio R'Mandy Uomo", then an exclusive interview focusing on the collaboration between R'Mandy and LME.

Even though Kyoko preferred a Japanese-style breakfast, she had placed an order for a Western-style breakfast with Room Service ahead of time in support of Kuon. The special and extensive breakfast consisted of homemade cinnamon oatmeal, croissants, French toast, toast with Yorkshire ham and Cheddar cheese, fried eggs sunny side up with sliced bacon strips, mini sandwiches, mini pancakes with honey and butter, yogurt with nuts and raisins, seasonal fruit salad, a jug of freshly pressed orange juice, a selection of seven kinds of teas and two small pots of coffee.

While leafing through the Room Service menu the previous day, the breakfast section had caught her eye. Knowing how busy Kuon would be, she was sure that this power breakfast would help him last the entire morning.

The trolley arrived while Kuon was still busy with his morning rituals. While she happily set up the table, Kyoko thought about today's cosplay. Beauty and the Beast was a beautiful, classic fairy tale, and its costumes were just perfect. She couldn't help but smile just thinking about Belle's dress: satin in all shades of yellow, along with a pair of silk gloves, a silk headband, and matching dancing shoes.

Never thought that the shoes would be a problem. Fortunately, there is a nice selection of low heeled dancing shoes online. I'm so glad they could be delivered earlier, she thought.

"That's a lovely smile on such a lovely face. What are you thinking about?" A very handsome and stylish Kuon sauntered into the dining area.

"Oh, there you are. Just in time for breakfast. I was thinking about the dress for today's cosplay, how well everything turned out, and how much I love it." Kyoko couldn't help herself and beamed a bright smile toward Kuon.

Kuon felt like the luckiest man alive and wanted to bask in it for all of eternity. But alas, duty called. They had just enough time for breakfast and a little bit of small talk.

"I don't want to complain, but isn't this a lot of food? How much did you order?" he said as they sat down for breakfast. Bewildered, Kuon stared at all the food laid out in front of him.

"It's the Western-style Special Extensive Breakfast. It should last you through the photoshoot and interview. You might even be able to skip lunch. And don't worry about the quantity, I have asked them to provide me with empty bento boxes. We can have a Tupperware picnic party later, bento box style." Kyoko started to giggle and then burst out laughing at the prospect of having a bento box style Tupperware picnic party in a hotel room. As strange as it sounds, it's the fun that counts.

Kuon happily agreed (anything that makes her happy has his stamp of approval / full support) and poured himself a cup of coffee. Both then tried to eat as much as was possible in silence.

After the meal, Kuon hurried to the boutique and Kyoko arranged all of the left-overs in the empty bento boxes. As Kuon's interview would finish around noon, there was still enough time to prepare for the cosplay.

First, she took out the brown wig and accompanying mannequin head and put it on the dresser. She then undid the braid and combed it until it felt smooth. Finally, satisfied with the result, she used the silk headband to tie up the hair in a high knot combined with a ponytail. Next, she took the beautiful ball gown and matching gloves from the closet. Observing them from all sides, and seeing that there were no creases, she hung the hanger on the clothes rack conveniently placed next to the closet. Rummaging through the pink travel-sized jewelry box (a lovely gift from Julie-sama) on the dresser, Kyoko found a pair of rose-shaped rose gold earrings (a birthday present from Kuon). She put those next to the wig.

Her eyes then fell on the flyer she happened to have taken from a flyer-stand near the entrance of the convention center.

A charity ball would be held on the last day of the convention. And to make sure that enough cosplayers were willing to participate, dance classes were to be given on the second, fourth, and fifth day.

Lastly, she pulled a shoebox from the bottom shelf of the closet, took out the dancing shoes, and sat down to admire them. She remembered the day they were delivered. She had just gotten home to the Darumaya after work. As she was about to go upstairs, Okami-san stopped her and said that a package for her had arrived. It had been put in her room. After thanking her profusely, she climbed the stairs with record-breaking speeds, opened up the package as fast as she could, and held the pair up to admire them from every angle. Then she put them on and floated around the room.

Still amazed at the perfect fit, Kyoko put the shoes underneath the dress. That was part one of the preparation. She then checked her cell phone and saw that she had about two hours left for preparation part two, the actual dressing up, and part three: preparing Kuon's costume.

At around 13:00 Kuon returned to the room, where a smiling, longhaired brunette greeted him.

"I have just put the finishing touches on your costume. If you start with dressing up now, we will have enough time to walk around a bit before dancing class starts."

"Where are the dancing classes held?" Kuon asked as Kyoko handed him The Beast's blue jacket.

"In Hall 2. It's the only hall big enough to give dancing lessons."

As Kuon changed into The Beast's costume, he told Kyoko about what had happened during the photo shoot and interview. For one, the surprise appearance of Jelly Woods as the main make-up artist responsible for the shoot's looks. The chief editor and photographer of the fashion department of JGQ had alsorequested an exclusive interview for tonight at eight. Lory had already agreed; Jelly would be attending as well. Fortunately for him, no formal dinner was planned, so Kuon could focus on preparing for that interview.

Kyoko couldn't help grinning from ear to ear as they exited the elevator. She loved the dress, which made a swish, swish sound while they walked arm in arm to the convention area near Hall 2. As they wouldn't be able to hold their bags while dancing, she had ordered a matching pouch bag with strings that she could tie around her waist.

Suddenly, they heard giggles and laughter coming from a large group to their right. Her curiosity got the better of her as Kyoko steered Kuon towards the giggles' direction. As they got closer Kyoko could make out the silhouettes of Tinkerbell, Silvermist, Rosetta, Iridessa, Fawn, and Vidia. The group did several poses. Fans and admirers alike took pictures.

"That seems fun. I'd also like to take pictures of them. They are Disney celebrities after all." Kyoko beamed at Kuon, but he shook his head.

"I wouldn't do that right now. I forgot he was at the photo shoot and interview as well." Sighing deeply Kuon, dressed as the Beast, facepalmed. The Beast's claw on his face made the movement look extra dramatic.

CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK

Many, many flashlights went off. The crowd around the fairy girls surrounded Kyoko and Kuon.

"That was a splendid dramatic pose. I hope you don't mind us taking photos." A guy dressed as Merlin from "The Sword in the Stone", minus the beard, grinned at them. "I am a self-appointed fairy photographer and have been to every fairy tale and fantasy convention. May I take a photo of both of you?" His eyes were star-struck.

"But of course you may. You don't mind do you?" Kyoko beamed at Kuon, who felt helpless and caught. Both posed for the photographer, and several other admirers. The fairy girls watched on, evidently interested in this turn of events.

"What a beautiful young lady. To find herself at the arm of a beast. Say, may I take a picture?" Without waiting for her reply, Hidehito Kijima took several pictures. Before Kuon could react Kyoko pinched his arm.

"We are grateful for your kindness sir, but there is a panel we have to attend, and we cannot afford to be late." Kyoko smiled politely at him.

"You know," Kijima said, stroking his chin, "you remind me of someone. That exquisite dress, such lovely makeup– I'm sure I have seen this combination somewhere."

"Thank you very much for your compliment sir. I am very honored. But as we are not from here I do not think we have met before." The same polite smile never left Kyoko's face.

"Are you sure? That's a pity." Before Kijima could continue he saw a hot duo from the corner of his eye: Morgan le Fay was talking animatedly with a giggling Guinevere. Looking at the fancy watch on his wrist, he excused himself. "Now that you mention it, I totally forgot about the time. My fair ladies, I must bid you farewell. I hope to see you all again tomorrow." Bowing to the bemused fairies and Kyoko, Kijima quickly walked in the direction of the stunning duo.

"He was so annoying, I completely forgot he was here," Kuon muttered under his breath.

"Well, that was a surprise." Kyoko heaved a sigh of relief. "It's a good thing he was distracted." She then turned towards the fairy ladies. "I love your costumes. May I take a picture of you all?"

"But of course." said Tinkerbell. "Take as many pictures as you need."

"And in return," said Rosetta, "we would like to take pictures of you."

"He was right you know," said Silvermist, "your dress is stunning."

"Gorgeous, just gorgeous." Iridessa couldn't stop fawning over the dress.

Both Fawn and Vidia smiled and nodded in agreement.

After taking pictures of each other to their hearts' content, Tinkerbell's group decided to go to the other side of the convention hall. They all said their goodbyes.

"That was close. Who would have thought he was good at observing faces." Kyoko was in deep thought while they walked towards Hall 2.

"And who would have thought he was that good at modeling."

Both smiled. A single sweatdrop started to form at the right side of their foreheads. Fortunately, this all took no longer than twenty minutes. They arrived earlier than expected. Even so, a short line had already started to form in front of the large doors that led to Hall 2.

At exactly two o'clock the doors to the large hall opened and a staff member dressed as the White Rabbit from a well-known otome game enthusiastically bowed, and let them all in.

"Welcome, welcome, lovely guests. Welcome, all, to the magical ballroom of the Wonderful Wonder World. Please do come in; make yourselves at home. Enjoy today's superb dance lesson given by the most brilliant and loveliest dance instructor, Alice Liddell."

"DAMN IT SHUU. ENOUGH WITH BEING IN CHARACTER AND WOULD YOU STOP MAKING A BLOODY FOOL OUT OF YOURSELF?" The loveliest dance instructor, Alice Liddell, shrieked in exasperated outrage at the White Rabbit. He looked at her with adoration.

"That's enough Shuu. Stop annoying our guests." A tall, handsome man in a black suit and top hat gave an exasperated sigh and smiled charmingly at all the participants. "Ladies and gentlemen, fellow cosplayers, please come inside and take a seat as close to the front as possible. Thank you very much for your cooperation."

All the bemused participants entered Hall 2 in twos or threes and chose a seat near the podium, while Kyoko and Kuon chose an aisle seat near the doors. The female instructor walked forward and began the class by introducing herself first.

"Good afternoon everyone. My name is Fujiko, but you can call me Alice. I am today's dance instructor, and I look forward to teaching you the basics and the most important rules of ballroom etiquette." The large screen behind her popped on and she continued, "We will start by learning one of the easiest ballroom dance styles: the waltz. The waltz is a kind of graceful and elegant dance that consists of gentle, flowing movements…"

"1,2,3,1,2,3. And stop. Well done everyone! That was some amazing dancing! Let's hear some self-applause." Alice the dance instructor smiled at all the participants, very pleased with their efforts, and started clapping. Everybody clapped along enthusiastically, some wildly cheering and whistling.

After all that died down, Alice continued. "We have prepared a special booklet for every participant, so please do not forget to take yours with you when you leave. Also, today's lesson will be uploaded to our website. All you have to do is to create an account and you can rewatch today's lessons as many times as you want. Thank you all very much for participating. Good luck at the charity ball, and above all, have fun." She bowed gracefully, gave a final wave, and then left for backstage.

All the participants took a booklet from the table that was placed next to the entrance and left chattering excitedly amongst themselves.

"That was so much fun." Kyoko enthusiastically turned to Kuon. She couldn't stop talking about the dance class. "They have even prepared a tutorial for practicing at home, soe could try it out in the hotel room during your free time. What do you think?"

"That sounds like a great idea. We can clear out some space in the middle of the sitting room, and turn down the volume. Let's just hope that there aren't many unexpected invitations." Kuon mentally crossed his fingers.

They both decided to head back to their hotel room to rest properly, as Kuon had to prepare for that night's interview. Nothing unexpected happened along the way, which was a good thing, as they had had enough excitement for the day.

Back in their hotel room, Kyoko helped Kuon take off The Beast's mask and jacket first, then she called room service to place an order for a light dinner, as they still had some left-over food from that morning's breakfast. Meanwhile, Kuon went to the bathroom to prepare the jacuzzi for a much-needed bath. Taking off his shirt, Kuon looked thoughtfully over his clothes and decided to ask Kyoko for some advice.

"Do you think we should call housekeeping as well for laundry service?" Kuon looked over at a busy Kyoko from the bathroom's doorway.

"Let's wait until tomorrow." Kyoko had taken off her gloves and wig, and was busy putting the bento boxes down on the table "We came well prepared, and have brought enough clothes to tide us over."

The food trolley arrived faster than they expected. After an early dinner, Kuon decided to wait for the chief director at the hotel's main bar. He checked himself one more time in the mirror on top of the dresser, kissed Kyoko goodbye, and softly closed the door behind him.

Heaving a deep sigh, Kyoko reluctantly took off the dress and hung it back on the clothes rack. She went to the bathroom and turned on the jacuzzi. Thinking about what had happened in the afternoon, she fervently hoped that they would not run into Kijima during their cosplay rounds tomorrow.

Once again I am very glad and honored to be a part of yet another Skip Beat fanfiction collaboration.

To all of those who were involved, thank you so much for your hard work. Had a lot of fun talking about fairy tales and cons and stuff.

And to you, dear reader, thank you so much for reading and enjoy all the shenanigans (^o^)

~Dutchgirl79

This author can be found at:

AO3: (website goes here) /users/Dutchgirl_Arslan/pseuds/Dutchgirl_Arslan

FFN: (website goes here followed by a slash) u/13686084