Hello everyone, it hasn't been too long this time! I have been hit with a bout of inspiration so I might be working on this story for some time. We'll see ;)

In any case, thanks to everyone who's been keeping up with this fic! I hope this new chapter is just as good! I also have exciting news down below so be sure to read the AN!

Enjoy!

It had taken some time for everyone who had been in the gallery to leave it, but Maria was grateful that they finally did. Arisu's eyes were red and teary as she clutched tightly onto Hibiki, who looked as if he was still fighting his own emotions.

Honestly, Maria didn't blame either of them. She still teared up looking up at Michi and now Tori's portraits as well. They were beautiful, but they were also memorials for those who were no longer with them and the ache of their loss was only increased by the sight of the portraits within the gallery.

Once they finally left the gallery behind, everyone gathered in the dining hall. Even Irusu was there, looking as sullen as always, his eyes shifting around restlessly as he attempted to keep all fifteen of them in his line of sight.

As expected, it was Yoshi who broke the silence hanging over them all.

"Now then, I believe we should go over what we have all learned from our exploration," he stated. "I shall begin. The floor itself appears to contain a winter scene without any logical explanation as to how. For now, I am preliminarily accepting of this being what Monokuma refers to as 'magic'. The identity of this 'magic' is still unknown."

"You think something logical can explain it?" Sayuri asked, surprised. She reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "I mean…it sounds like something out of a fairy tale."

"Which is exactly what the bear wants us to think," Chiasa stated firmly. She crossed her arms, her eyes narrowed. "He is attempting to lull us into a false sense of security before he closes the trap with further motives to kill. If we buy into what he tells us, we are no better than a deer caught between cross hairs."

"Not the most polite phrasing, but I understand your point," Ren smiled in a slightly sheepish manner. "There was more than just the snow up there, though. I explored the library quite thoroughly myself."

"That's putting it lightly, you were like a kid in a candy store," Nat scoffed, rolling their eyes. "There were all sorts of mushy fairy tales, but I found some pretty fascinating records too. I think I saw some from the Library of Alexandria too, which is fucking insane!"

"T-that's the library that burned down…right?" Robin asked, a bit shyly.

"Not too bad, snow kid," Nat grinned. Robin looked as if he didn't know whether he should shrink back or be proud.

"There is also the manner of the Talent Rooms," Rosamie said. "I have seen mine and confirmed its usability to be to my standards."

"What usability are you talking about, Doc?" Hibiki snapped, glaring at her. Rosamie looked back at him with blank eyes. "Nobody here's planning to have a kid anytime soon."

"I really hope not," Maria whispered, wincing as she spoke. She laid a hand against her stomach as she said the words. She couldn't even imagine giving birth to a baby at all, never mind while she was here of all places. The thought filled her with such revulsion, she nearly gagged. No, she'd never wish a life born into this place on any child she may have.

"It was merely an observation," Rosamie stated dully, drawing Maria's attention back to the conversation.

"Anyways…we also found Jordan's Talent Room," Sayuri smiled uneasily. She was obviously trying to cut the tension delicately.

"Oh yes, his room is simply amazing!" Satou gushed. Her eyes were practically sparkling. "It's the perfect place to make such beautiful clothes for one such as I, wouldn't you all agree?"

"Well, I'm not just making clothes for you…" Jordan trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck as he avoided Satou's gaze. "I was gonna make them for everyone, eventually."

"Really?" Fuwari gasped, raising a hand to cover her mouth in shock. "You don't have to do that, Jordan! Y-your work is almost too beautiful!"

"Thank you, but I want to," Jordan smiled softly at Fuwari. "You guys are my friends, I want to share my talent with you."

"Oh, be still my heart," Akihito sighed dramatically, raising a hand to his forehead. When everyone looked at him, it was quite obvious that he'd stolen Jordan's sunglasses, which were now resting on top of his head.

"Give those back," Jordan said, his voice teasing. He was smiling as he swiped the sunglasses back.

"Whoopsie, my bad!" Akihito grinned, completely unrepentant.

"Right, of course." Maria rolled her eyes, almost fondly.

"Anyways, my room is up there too! It's massive and perfect for running laps in!" Akihito declared proudly. "If anyone ever wants to join me for a run, be sure to let me know! I'd love to race someone!"

"You'd win automatically, though. That's not much of a game," Arisu pouted. Her voice was still soft and her eyes red, but it looked like she was trying to focus on the conversation instead of the portrait of Tori. Maria smiled softly. Arisu truly was a strong girl.

"We could tie weights to his wrists and ankles, slow him down," Nat grinned, their eyes gleaming.

"That seems dangerous…" Robin commented quietly, looking concerned.

"Yes…w-wouldn't he break his bones?" Chia added. Her hands were raised near her mouth, slightly covering it in fear.

"We won't do that," Ren reassured, laying a hand on each of their shoulders. "It'd be much easier to have some of us cling to Akihito's legs."

"Oh boy, looks like I better watch out," Akihito grinned. Ren smiled just as mischievously back at him.

"Ahem!" Yoshi coughed, glaring slightly at the two. "We aren't quite finished yet here. I believe there was one more Talent Room on the second floor, correct?"

"O-oh yes, it's mine," Chia said, nodding slightly. Her eyes were wide as she was being addressed. "It's, um, pretty standard for my talent, nothing too fancy or anything. I-it's also a good place for us dancers to show our talents, i-if anyone is interested still…"

"Of course, I can't wait to see the three of you. Perhaps I could sing as well," Sayuri smiled.

"It sounds like fun to me," Jordan agreed.

"But won't you be too busy working on outfits?" Satou questioned, a pout on her lips.

"I don't work all day and night, so it won't be a problem at all." Jordan shook his head. Satou's eyes narrowed in disappointment but, miraculously, she didn't say a word.

"And that's all that was up there," Maria said, drawing all eyes back to her. She frowned, touching a finger to her lip. "Really not that much at all, honestly. I'm surprised."

"I'm not," Nat disagreed. "Castles don't have too many rooms the higher up you go, only a bunch of fucking sitting rooms and bedrooms. Pretty amazing the library was on that floor, honestly."

"I didn't realize that," Maria admitted, blinking in surprise. She smiled slightly. "Thanks for letting us know, Nat."

Nat scoffed and turned away with their arms crossed, muttering under their breath.

"Are you imbeciles done then?" Irusu asked derisively. "I would like to return to my room where I can have some shred of peace of mind."

"I believe we have covered all avenues of conversation, unless anyone else would like to speak up?" Yoshi asked. Nobody said a word. "Then, as your leader, I hereby dismiss this meeting. You are all free to go. Please do not forget that Chiasa and I shall be checking in on all of you before it is nighttime. Until then, you are free to spend the day how you wish."

It was with a slightly stilted air that the sixteen of them vacated the dining hall.

Maria was already feeling the itching discomfort that came when she had too much free time to herself, when a hand gently touched her elbow. She turned, only to find Jordan smiling at her.

"Maria, would you like to join me in my Talent Room?" he asked. "I was sketching some designs out and I wanted your opinion on them."

"Of course, Jordan," Maria smiled. "I'd love to join you.

It was only when he relaxed that Maria realized Jordan had been tense at all. When he began to lead her back towards his Talent Room, her brow furrowed, trying to puzzle out just what had Jordan so tense.

Chills raced down Maria's spine, as if someone was watching her. She turned back to see just who, but everybody had gone off to do their own things.

Nobody remained who could possibly stare at her and Maria felt uneasy. Despite this, she forced herself to turn back and continue walking after Jordan.

Jordan couldn't suppress a smile as Maria stepped inside the warehouse at the back of his lab.

It was pretty impressive, he had to admit, with everything he could ever need to design any outfit, with all the extra pieces he needed as a drag artist. It was also pretty big, to the point that Jordan himself had questioned how the hell this place fit within the castle.

Maria reached out and traced her fingers against some of the sequined fabric. Further in, Jordan knew there was patterned fabrics and plain fabrics alike.

"This is amazing," Maria whispered, her entire face a picture of awe. "You makes clothes with all of these materials?

"Yep, all thanks to my friend, the sewing machine here," Jordan smiled, patting the top of the machine. His smile fell a second later. "Well, this machine isn't mine, actually, but it's what's here, so…" He shrugged.

"Still, it's amazing. You really are talented, Jordan," Maria smiled. Jordan could feel his cheeks heating up in embarrassment, but he smiled all the same. "So why'd you ask me here?"

"Just wanted some company, is all." Jordan shrugged. "I was going to sketch some designs if you wanted to watch, maybe sew a bit."

"I'd love to," Maria agreed.

Jordan felt his shoulders relax as he waved her over to the work desk he had set up earlier. It was already littered with all sorts of fabrics, ribbons, glue, gloves and scissors. There was a single open area that wasn't covered, where a stack of paper and pencils, both normal and colored alike, were neatly waiting to be used. Jordan grabbed a nearby stool, bringing it closer for Maria to sit before taking his own seat.

He opened a fresh design page and began to sketch out a model.

"How long have you been doing this?" Maria asked quietly, breaking the peaceful silence that had fallen over them.

"Two years, that's when I met my mentor, Venus Iman. She found me after I won a drag contest back home and offered to help me get better," Jordan explained, smiling slightly. "She basically become a second mother to me, helped me get better. After just a trial run with her, I never looked back."

"That's sweet," Maria smiled. "You're really good at what you do, you know."

"Thank you. You are too, I'm sure," Jordan smiled. He finished up the model he was drawing, then began to trace the outfit he wanted to create.

"Who's this for, if you don't mind me asking?" Maria asked. She leaned a bit closer to look at his work, her curls falling over her shoulder.

"Oh, um…it's for Irusu and Nima, actually," Jordan admitted. His fingers, thankfully, didn't even twitched as he continued drawing.

"Oh…?" Maria hummed, a teasing look in her eyes.

"I've been working on others too!" Jordan defended himself. His cheeks felt like they were burning and there was nothing he could do to hide that evidence. "I have a sketch for Sayuri here too."

"Yet it's the one for Irusu and Nima you start with," Maria smiled, leaning a bit closer. "Don't worry, I won't tell." Jordan's eyes darted over to her. He had to do something or this whole thing was going to turn into a teasing him festival.

"Good. I won't tell Akihito either then," he said.

"Akihito?" Maria repeated, her smile fading as she looked surprised. "What's he got to do anything?"

"Besides the fact that you dropped the honorific you used for him?" Jordan questioned. He raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"That's just because he helped me during Michi-chan's investigation," Maria protested. Her rose red cheeks, however, gave her away. "It doesn't mean anything."

"You, more than me, should know what honorifics mean in Japan," Jordan stated. His own burning cheeks had faded and he returned his entire focus to the sketch before him, picking up a black pencil to begin adding color. "You're half-Japanese after all."

"That doesn't mean anything when I was raised in Russia!" Maria protested.

"Doesn't it?" Jordan countered coyly.

"We're just friends, stop it!" Maria cried, blushing bright red now. Jordan chuckled slightly, glancing at her to tell her he was sorry.

But Maria was looking down at her left hand, rubbing at her ring finger. Almost as if something was supposed to be there, but it wasn't. She winced in pain, her right hand coming up to clutch at her forehead.

"Are you okay?" Jordan asked, concerned now.

"Yeah, just a headache," Maria reassured. She met his eyes and smiled. "I'll be okay, no worries."

Jordan frowned but he let it go.

"I am sorry for teasing you, by the way," he said instead, bowing his head slightly. "It was all meant in good fun."

"I know and I basically invited it by teasing you first," Maria chuckled, extending a hand to him. "Truce?"

"Truce," Jordan smiled, shaking her hand.

"I should leave you be now, let you work in peace," Maria said, letting out a slight sigh of disappointment. "I'd like to hear more about your drag family, though. Maybe you could tell me more about them next time?"

"Of course," Jordan smiled. He was thrilled at how receptive to his story Maria was. It felt like she wanted to know him, not just because they were trapped here together, but because she just did.

Maria waved as she made her way out of the warehouse. Jordan returned it, feeling lighter than he had just hours ago.

Maria was furiously attempting to ignore the thoughts Jordan had brought up when she, quite literally, crashed into someone.

Thankfully, she didn't slip on the snow and ice under her feet as whoever she crashed into steadied her.

"Maria! I'm sorry, I thought you saw me," Ren apologized as he stepped back. Maria looked up at him, noting his cheeks were already red from the cold as he smiled crookedly at her, sheepish.

"It's okay, thank you for saving me from a fall," Maria smiled. She dusted a bit of snow off her coat. "Were you looking for something specific?"

"More like someone," Ren smiled. "You're exactly who I was hoping to find! Would you care to join me on an expedition, my lady?"

"And where are we going, dear sir?" Maria questioned. She winced slightly as her tongue tripped over the more formal characters, but Ren didn't say a word.

"We are going to the balcony to observe the others down below," Ren beamed, offering an arm to her.

"Then I think I will join you," Maria laughed as she looped her arm through Ren's.

Ren smiled before he led her all the way to the balcony. Maria breathed in the cold air as soon as they stepped outside, tilting her head back even if there was no sun to rest on her face. Whatever was on the third floor or perhaps even the clouds causing the snow to fall were blocking out the sun.

"Romantic, isn't it?" Ren smiled. Maria turned towards him, noting how the snow dotted in his hair.

"I suppose it is," she agreed. "Are you here to confess your love to me, Ren?"

"Unfortunately not," Ren chuckled. He moved towards the balcony and leaned against the railing. "Though I am here to observe them."

Curious, Maria followed him and looked over the balcony.

She could see the entirety of the courtyard and standing near the fountain were Robin and Chia. They seemed to be talking, but about what, Maria had no idea.

"So we're spying, are we?" she whispered, leaning closer to Ren so their elbows touched.

"I wouldn't call it spying, per se…more like being concerned for our friends," Ren smiled. "And their relationship, of course."

"Of course," Maria drawled, putting as much sarcasm as she could into her voice. It seemed today was a day for romantics. "You think they have feelings for each other?"

"I think they both are aware of their feelings, but neither knows what to do," Ren smirked. "See how Robin is turned towards Chia entirely? That shows he's focused solely on her. And Chia's body language is open, inviting Ren further into their conversation. Plus, when they're in the same room, they're on the verge of being sickeningly sweet. It's adorable."

"I think I see it," Maria chuckled slightly, leaning a bit more forward. "How are you so good at reading people, anyway?"

"It's a gift, my dear," Ren declared. "I've always been pretty good at reading people. I've taken that and applied it to my matchmaking, which has led to my current career. It's a useful skill."

"I'd say so. I'm…not the best at reading others. I made a lot of mistakes with my sister cause I couldn't read her," Maria admitted. She traced a design in the snow covering the railing.

"What happened, if you don't mind me asking?" Ren asked, his voice as gentle as the snow landing in Maria's hair.

"Just…a lot, really. She was really, really mad at me even when she was little. We fight a lot, to the point that I thought we would never make up years ago. We were working on our relationship before we left, hence why she gave me this," Maria explained, pointing at her choker.

"I'm sorry to hear you fought a lot," Ren said, his voice soft. "But I am glad that your relationship is improving."

"Yeah, me too," Maria smiled. "What about your family though? Were they the reason you became a matchmaker?"

"I'd rather not talk about that, actually," Ren admitted. His fingers twitched, grasping on to the sleeve of his parka. "Maybe some other time?" Before Maria could even conjure an answer, Ren's smile widened and he turned back to look at Chia and Robin below. "Look! Chia is teaching Robin how to dance!"

Maria fell silent, glancing over the railing. Sure enough, there the two were, Chia leading Robin through a very simple dance. She could see the good natured laughs they gave when Robin made a mistake, but it seemed to all be in good fun.

Her eyes, however, soon left the two below and instead focused on Ren.

Despite the joy in his face and the seemingly carefree smile he wore, Maria could tell that there was something forced about his entire demeanor.

Maria may claim she wasn't the best at reading people, but she knew what a real smile looked like.

The smile Ren wore wasn't one. It was the kind of smile she wore when doing publicity or when she was mobbed by cameras, and not always because of her talent either. Sasha's smiles had been even more obviously forced than Maria's had been.

Ren's was close to a real smile, but not close enough.

Maria's heart ached as she continued to observe him. What must he have gone through if he was so talented in wearing such a fake smile?

She wanted to erase it from his expression entirely.

Glancing at the snow surrounding them, Maria felt an idea spark in her mind.

"Hey, Ren," she said. "Have you ever made a snow angel?"

"A snow angel? I don't think so," Ren admitted, almost sheepishly.

Maria grinned. She grabbed onto Ren's wrist and pulled him back into the second floor, where most of the snow was. Ren cried out in shock, but Maria didn't hesitate to pull him until they both fell to the snow covered ground.

"What do we do?" Ren asked as he and Maria laid down on their backs in the snow, their arms spread wide.

"Just move your arms back and forth, like this!" Maria grinned. She demonstrated, watching as Ren slowly followed her movements. "You're getting it!"

They spent quite a while making snow angels together, and by the time they left, the smile Ren wore was real.

Maria felt almost at peace that night as she left the dining room after dinner.

But when she entered her room, she froze.

Laying there on her bed, almost innocently, was a scroll.

And there we are! Hmm, what could that scroll be...?

You'll find out next time! XD

Now, onto the exciting news! I am currently helping with the fanganronpa, Danganronpa: Motivated Despair as a writer! And the auditions for the first wave of characters is open on Casting Call Club! So if you want to check it out, feel free! I'm really excited for this project and everyone I'm working with! (And yes, they are the reason my inspiration is up!)

I hope you all enjoyed! Be sure to let me know what you think! Bye for now!