~THE YELLOW ROSE~

Despite being a Sunday night, the main Noah building glows bright with activity. Animals file in by the dozens, a generous clutter loitering outside to chat before entering the warm interior. If there is one common trait that most if not all Noah's Arc students share, it's their love of festivities; especially one that sets their hearts racing like Lupercalia. Last year's celebrations might have ended in disaster, but there is hardly a tragedy in the world that a teenager wouldn't brave if it meant getting to third base.

Still, it's best if a homicide can be avoided. Under the meticulous planning of principal, student council, and very zealous drama club, the academy made sure to make this event as safe as possible. A play might seem a tad unoriginal as far as school entertainment goes, but it's indoors and easy to monitor. The drama club was all too happy to be the center of attention for a big-ticket holiday like Lupercalia, so they promised a grand and enthralling performance of the iconic love story 'The Thief and The Princess'. The story is famous for having multiple endings, ranging from total tragedy to total comedy depending on what the troupe has in mind. Most animals know all of the possible endings anyway, but it's still fun to guess which one the performers will use. Of course, for the day of love, Hafsa made sure that the drama club prepared the happy ending, where the star-crossed lovers elope and live happily ever after.

The serval paces about the increasingly crowded auditorium entrance, waving to incoming students with her typical charm only accentuated by her pretty pink-and-white polka dotted dress (she of course dresses in the holiday colors). The remaining members of the student council are dispersed around the main areas, making sure things run smoothly: Brian at the building's entrance, Solomon inside the auditorium, and Desmond blocking the stairwell.

She suddenly feels an enormous presence behind her, causing her tail to bristle. Whipping around, she is relieved to only find a tottering Toma with a bashful expression on his face. He had arrived alongside her very early on, after which Hafsa ordered him to pick his favorite seat in the house and wait until the play started.

"Hey," he begins awkwardly. "Are you sure you don't need any help? Feels weird to just sit around."

The female smiles at his eagerness to help out. She glances at the ticket booth set up outside the auditorium, where the ever-reliable red panda and macaw volunteers hastily exchange tickets for money to the long line of students. Suddenly, an idea surges. Grabbing Toma's (astonishingly large) hand, she trots up to the pair of animals who smile but quickly shudder at the feline duo.

"Hey, guys, wanna take a break?" She offers.

The red panda chuckles tiredly. "I wish, but we're swamped right now."

"No worries, Toma and I can handle ticket sales. Take a breather."

The macaw is quick to get up. "You're a lifesaver, Pres!"

After shooing the volunteers off, Hafsa plops down on one of the stools and beckons her buddy to join her. Hesitantly, he obliges, but ducks to whisper in her ear.

"Uh, I'm not sure this is a good idea. I'm not good with… people. I shouldn't be the face of operations, you know?"

Unfortunately, he is not wrong. The queue of animals seems to tense up at the panther's presence, some even abandoning their place to slink away. But Hafsa has a vision. If she can get the other students to realize Toma is a decent fellow, then maybe troublemakers like the DAVID protestors will lose some wind under their wings. Above all else, she must make it known that carnivores are not going anywhere.

"Don't worry about that," she waves off his concerns. "All we need to do is make you a but more… approachable."

On cue, she hunches down to fiddle with the miscellaneous junk under the ticket booth. With a satisfied smirk, she appears to find what she's looking for, and pops back up with a strange soft object in her hand.

"Ta-dah!"

Toma scrutinizes the object. "Whazzat?"

"Oh, you'll see. Just sit still…" Without a moment to lose, she springs to her feet and begins to tinker with Toma's head, wrapping the soft object around it, fixing his hair, tucking his round ears. In a flash, she grabs her smartphone and using the camera app, shows him the results.

Toma's face is surrounded by an adorable yellow flower cap, its plush petals encircling all of his head. He can feel his cheeks heat up from embarrassment as he looks down at his reflection.

"Cute, right?" Hafsa prompts, knowing full well she won't accept any other answer then 'heck yes'.

"It's… a little tight."

"It's only for a little bit," the female dismisses. "You won't even notice it after a while."

The panther doesn't have it in him to argue any further. He settles miserably into his seat as the line moves forward. Maybe he should've stayed in juvie. His first customers are a jackal couple. Toma isn't sure if having fellow carnies see him like this is better or worse. The pair themselves seem to be torn between fear and amusement. One look at Hafsa, occupied with her own customers, confirms he's on his own.

"Uh… hi. G-good evening, I guess." He mutters, unable to raise his gaze from his lap.

"Hey." The male jackal replies stiffly. "Two tickets."

Toma fidgets with the roll of red ticket stubs and rips two off. "Three bucks."

The jackal reaches for his wallet. He shoots a snide look at the large carnie as he does.

"Nice petals."

His girlfriend smacks his arm. The panther can't help but feel surprised. Is he being mocked? A list of possible responses crosses his mind but none end up leaving his lips. Instead he just pathetically offers his open palm. The canine hands over the coins, snatches the tickets and begins to skulk off with his mortified lady friend, but Toma blurts out one final line.

"Have a nice daisy!"

The couple whips their heads back at him, astonished. He attempts a smile, which comes out as more of a stilted grimace.

The male jackal lets out a wheezy burst of laughter. Even the female joins in. However, unlike last time, their levity is much friendlier.

"So lame…" He chuckles with a smile, now devoid of sarcasm. "See you around, dude."

The next students in line overhear the exchange and giggle as well. A chain reaction sweeps the queue until the hostility in the air begins to slowly dissipate. Animal after animal walks up to him, each less scared than the last. Hafsa only watches on with a knowing smile on her face.

Nobody can resist a kitty in a cap.

By the time his queue is dealt with, Toma had become somewhat of a mascot for the evening. Each of his customers left with smiles on their faces, some even asking for pictures of the silly costume.

"Maybe I should wear this every day…" He says to Hafsa, only half-joking.

"Your clothes can say a lot about you," The serval hums wisely. "But all they needed was an excuse to see you for who you really are. That's it."

"And what I am is…"

"A-bouquet!"

Toma lets out a lovely laugh. "I've had enough flower puns for today."

~THE RED ROSE~

Desmond wipes his hands on his trousers for what must be the millionth time. He tugs on his tie, daring to loosen it just a bit, before changing his mind and zipping it back up tight.

He goes up a step.

He goes down a step.

He goes up the step again.

Guarding the stairwell would be a terribly boring activity for most. All the students know that the other floors of the academy are off limits even during special events like plays. Besides shooing off a handful of couples looking for a quiet place to play hanky-panky, the steps of the stairwell remains depressingly isolated.

Which is exactly why Desmond volunteered to monitor it.

He needs some time to himself, to prepare himself. Hype himself up, even. Because tonight, he's gonna do it.

He's going to finally ask Hafsa out.

His chances are not terrible. Maybe even good? If their 'date' at the botanical garden is any indication, then this could just work. His inner ram flares up. Enough of this 'could' and 'maybe' talk! It will work! It will!

Luckily, no one is around to see him shadowbox alone on a staircase. Once, he's tuckered himself out, he bends down to grab the bouquet of roses he had placed against the wall. The ram closes his eyes and lowers his muzzle amongst the flowers, giving a pensive sniff.

Flowery.

Roses are terribly cliche, but the sheep has a feeling Hafsa would like cliches. He nestles a strawberry energy bar deep inside the blossoms to make sure it doesn't slip out.

"Hafsa…" he mutters, presenting the bouquet to the imaginary serval in front of him. "P-please accept these."

He rubs his horns with his free hand in frustration. "No, no, that's weird."

Straightening himself up, he restarts. "Hafsa… I got you these flowers. They're not as pretty as you, but— God, no, that's even worse."

His frustration turns into annoyance. "Hafsa—! I don't care that you wanna eat me sometimes! Please go out with me!"

Desmond fights the urge to throw the bouquet at the wall. Suddenly, all of his energy vanishes. He slumps down on the steps and rubs his cheeks. They're burning hot.

Who knew confessing would be so hard? He's never had to do this kind of thing before. Confessing to a female… That's a sign of weakness among sheep. If Hafsa were an ewe, he'd simply beat up a bunch of other guys in front of her until she came to him. That's the normal thing to do! But then again, their situation is anything but normal.

Under his wool, he can feel his traitorous heart pounding as it always does when he's afraid. It always races when he thinks of her. Before, he would attribute it to her carnivorous nature; of course he would fear someone who could easily kill and devour him. How could he have known that loving her is just as terrifying as hating her?

He stares at the curved red petals. Even if roses are tacky, they are a little hypnotizing to look at. And they will tell her everything he's been meaning to say. Desmond breathes in, then out, catching a whiff of the rose's perfume. He stands up with a newfound vigor.

"Why, Hafsa… You look beautiful tonight."

~THE BLUE ROSE~

Brian is not where he should be. Instead of greeting people at the Noah building's main entrance, he stands in the academy's parking lot, glaring at a Humboldt penguin.

"They said they need me there, what can I do?!" Humbert exclaims with outstretched arms.

The rock dove is unfazed. "You can tell them to bring an alternate! It's Lupercalia!"

"I need to go because it's Lupercalia! This holiday is a jazz goldmine, all of the best places are looking for live music! The fact that Zaki managed to get a gig at such a famous restaurant is insane, and only because the band that was supposed to perform dropped out last minute!"

"Missing one show won't kill you!"

"We can't even call the alternate at this point! I'd be letting down the entire band, it's gotta be me!"

Brian sneers. "Letting down the whole band or letting down Zaki?"

Humbert's beak drops. "I can't believe what I'm hearing."

"I invite you to meet my friends and spend some time together on Lupercalia, and you're ready to drop everything the second Zaki snaps his fingers. That's what I can't believe!"

"This isn't about Zaki! This is about my passion! This gig is huge and you're telling me to just let it go? Don't you know how important this is to me?"

"Sure I do. It's clearly more important than me."

Humbert scoffs at this. "Oh, that's rich coming from you."

The pigeon raises a brow. "Excuse me?"

"I'm the one who wants to go public. I'm the one who's always asking you out on dates. But you're the one who's too ashamed of me. We don't even hold hands under the table because you're so paranoid! Frankly, there are plenty of things more important than me to you."

"That's ridiculous!"

"You know it's not. I drop everything for you the second you want to meet. You know why? Because I know that will be the only time you can spare for me, even for the entire month. And I don't complain. I get it! Brian's got work, Brian's got school, Brian's got nosy parents! We drive out to the middle of nowhere so that no one can recognize us. But I don't care! I put all of that aside because I want to see you anyway. And now I'm getting called selfish for having my own life?"

"I never called you selfish—"

"It was implied." The penguin snaps. "I can meet your friends anytime. I can spend time with you anytime. Lupercalia is just a… day. It doesn't mean anything. You just never want to."

Brian reaches for his hand. "Birdie, you know I do."

His companion sighs. "I know. It's just… we always do everything on your terms. Sometimes I wanna do things on mine."

"It's not about mine or yours, it's about ours… Right?"

The penguin's fingers wrap around his. "…Right."

Humbert looks at his phone screen. "I really do need to go now."

His boyfriend nods sadly. "Tell everyone I say hi."

"Will do." With a click of his car keys, the silver car behind him beeps and flashes, signaling it's ready to roll. Humbert clambers inside the driver's seat and scrolls down the window to give one last message.

"I'll make it up to you. Promise."

"It's a date."

Brian peeks inside the window so his beak meets Humbert's. The penguin's surprised noise is lost in the clacking of their beaks before he finally closes his eyes in contentment.

It is Brian who breaks off the keratinous kiss. "And I'm not ashamed of you. I love you."

"I know you aren't. I'm sorry I said all that. I love you too."

"Im sorry too. Break a leg, okay?"

"I'll break an arm too for good measure." Humbert winks.

Brian rolls his eyes amusedly. "Text me when you're back home."

"It'll be late but can do."

With a final farewell, Humbert rolls up the car window once more, and cranks the engine on. Brian waves at the chugging silver car until its taillights fade out the iron gate and into the murky night. For a moment, he doesn't move, just standing there as each breath he takes makes a puff of mist that ascends to the skies above. He begins to turn around to return to his post, but a deep voice causes his feet to dig into the gravel in shock.

"Well, I'll be."

Brian remains frozen in fear, only daring to crane his neck to find the voice's owner. Emerging from the shadows is a massive white rhinoceros, who casually ambles towards him in thundering steps. How the hell had Brian not noticed him before?!

"Wh-what are you doing here?" The pigeon stammers nervously.

"Sneaking a smoke." As proof, Ezekiel flicks a cigarette stub onto the gravel, grinding the glowing cig in with his massive foot. "Don't tell nobody. Not that you're in much of a position to tattle."

"L-listen…" The bird whimpers. "I don't know what you think you heard but—"

"I'm a lucky duck, aren't I?" Ezekiel cuts him off. "Shit, you are too. Any other asshole would be screaming from the hilltops right now. 'Brian's a queer, Brian's a queer'!" He cups his hands around his mouth, emulating the shouts.

With a chuckle, he continues. "But you're in luck. I know how to keep a secret. All we gotta do is help each other out. You scratch my back, I scratch yours, you feel?"

"Help you… how?" Brian murmurs.

"Well, I was thinking… you'll be my little birdie who tweets some nice ideas to the student council."

The shorter male's eyes narrow. "You mean ideas like expelling all the carnies? Forget it."

The rhino shrugs. "Forgotten. I'll just have a fun little chat with the president of the school newspaper that the student council treasurer is getting bent over by another male. He loves tidbits like that. Heck, I'll even ring up your folks and spread the good news. Won't they be proud?"

Brian gulps.

Ezekiel smiles darkly. "So how about we let you stay in pappy's will, and make a deal?"

~THE BLACK ROSE~

"As the whole kingdom searched far and wide for its missing princess, a cheerful couple spent each day and night playing lovely music together, and lived happily every after." The narrator concludes, triggering the curtains to fall.

The audience applauds, many students even rising to their feet. The main actors sneak out of the red fabric and line up with held hand to take one final bow as the applauding only intensifies.

Hafsa claps from the depths of the auditorium, still guarding the entrance. Mercifully, the evening had gone off without a hitch, and the students of Noah's Arc were able to enjoy a nice play for Lupercalia. She opens the double doors, preparing to usher the animals out of the building. As they begin to funnel out of the theater, she spots a large panther still seated, no doubt waiting for everyone to leave before being guided back to the dorms by Hafsa herself. He turns to her and offers a shy wave, which she reciprocates.

The teenagers file out of the auditorium and begin the short trek to their respective dorms until all that remains is Hafsa, Toma, Solomon, and the actors who celebrate their successful performance. The serval feels bad that she hardly got to see any of her student council friends this evening. The regrettable thing about all of them being in the council is that many times they must split up during school events to properly monitor everything. But if their separation is what led to the night being so unproblematic, then she has no right to complain.

As she makes her way to Toma, she notices Solomon hop up on the stage and tap the actor who played the thief on the shoulder. He takes off his fox's mask, revealing his true identity is a lynx. In fact, it's Solomon's roommate Marx she had met once before. The caracal whispers something to his roomie that prompts the latter to get up and jog up to Toma before Hafsa can reach him. After a brief discussion, he helps the panther up and they head towards the exit.

As they pass by Hafsa, the lynx stops to greet her. "Hey, Pres. Good show, right?"

Despite the serval's confusion, she feigns cheerfulness. "It was spectacular! Your performance was top notch, I hardly recognized you under that fox mask! Thank you for making this year's Lupercalia special!"

"Aw shucks," Marx blushes. "I'm gonna escort Toma to the dorms real quick then meet up with the cast for some karaoke."

Hafsa tilts her head. "Um, I thought I was going to take him back."

"I'm going to get my glasses anyway, Solomon thought it would be more convenient this way. Two birds, one stone."

The female glances at Toma to gauge his reaction. Maybe Hafsa is very good at reading body language or maybe Toma isn't particularly subtle, but he seems to be glowing with excitement at the opportunity to make a new friend.

It would be a shame to ruin his fun. "All right then, I'm counting on you. See you tomorrow, Toma!"

The panther grins. "Seeya, Hafsa."

The duo of male felines waltz off, though it's clear Marx is struggling to keep his larger buddy walking in a straight line. As soon as they're out of sight, Hafsa shoots a look toward Solomon, who stands near the backstage entrance. She knows he must be planning something. As if on cue, he beckons her to him before disappearing behind the curtains.

Here we go.

Entering the backstage area, Hafsa admires the racks of costumes, makeup carts and multitude of ropes and props to which she can't even begin to imagine their purpose. At the center of the stage is the grand piano played by the princess in the performance. To her surprise, it was an actual functioning piano. How they managed to wheel that in there is beyond her. She approaches the piano and presses a random key. Unsurprisingly, a lone note escapes the instrument. Hafsa had never learned to play an instrument, a fact that haunts her college applications, but if she could choose, she would liked to have learned the piano.

A tall figure approaches her, stepping into the spotlight left on. Hafsa relaxes and smiles at the male feline who walks into view.

"I really don't give the drama club enough credit," Solomon muses. "That was a good play."

"It really was," Hafsa agrees. "I've always loved 'The Thief and The Princess', ever since I was a little girl."

"Me, too." Solomon glides his hands across the pristine black surface of the piano. "What is your favorite ending?"

"The one they used tonight. The happy one. I always hated the dark endings where the thief ate the princess."

"I'm the same. They always felt so… distasteful."

"But those are the more popular endings. People used to tell me that happy endings are boring."

"In life, there are rarely ever any happy endings," Solomon says with a strange expression on his face. "So we must cherish those in fiction."

"Well said."

The male chuckles. With a flourish, he reveals two masks in his left hand: the fox mask and the rabbit mask. The thief and the princess. He dons the fox mask and tosses the remaining one to Hafsa. Her lightning quick instincts allow her to catch it, and taking his hint, puts it on.

"Your Highness…" He bows dramatically. "Allow me to play a melody for thee."

"Isn't usually I who plays the piano, sir thief?" Hafsa giggles, trying her best to maintain character.

"I simply must return the favor."

"If you insist…" She stands aside and allows Solomon to sit on the bench. He scoots closer to the instrument and takes a moment to study the keys before placing his lithe fingers into position.

His playing is bewitching, even more so than what the princess played during the performance. Like him, every note is calculated and graceful. Although his hands run across the fields of ivory and ebony as if he could play in his sleep, he must have practiced the piece for hours in order to make it appear so effortless. The movement of his hands is almost more entrancing than the music itself. The melody continues, lulling Hafsa further into itself. It is a delicate one, but deeply complex. Notes of solemnness, confusion, frustration culminate into relief, boiling over back into angst. Despite its turmoil, it never loses itself in chaos; even its darkest moments are gorgeous to listen to. It ends softly, as if asking a question with its uncertain notes. Both felines take a moment to simmer in the song's silence.

"That was beautiful." Hafsa says, feeling somewhat stupid in the redundancy of her statement.

"Thank you." Solomon replies, pushing back the bench to stand once more. "I don't compose often but I'm glad you enjoyed it."

The serval's eyes widen. "You wrote that?!"

"It took me many months, but yes."

"That's amazing!" Behind her mask, her eyes narrow with delight. "You're amazing. Honestly, what is wrong with you?"

Solomon laughs. "We'd be here all evening if I answer that. In truth… I wrote that song thinking of you all the while."

Hafsa's smile vanishes. Suddenly, all of the levity disappears from the room.

"How I wish I could simply drop the matter and leave you be." The caracal sighs. "But with every look you give me, I find myself being reeled in even further. You are like quicksand; the more I struggle to escape you, the more I sink.

"When you joined the student council last year, I told you that I admired you. To this day that remains true and then some. In my darkest hours, when I feel utterly devoid of hope and worth, my thoughts turn to you. And you inspire me to move on. After all, we are so similar. With your support, I feel like can split mountains. I'm convinced I could sprout wings and soar away if you said you believe that I can. Indeed, I adore you."

Both of their expressions remain concealed.

"This year, I will graduate and leave Noah's Arc. Once, I was prepared to do so with no regrets. But I admit, the thought of leaving you behind, and God forbid, never seeing you again, fills me with a fear I doubt a herbivore could understand. So, Hafsa…"

He takes a step, now only inches from her face. She peers through the holes of his mask to find his eyes, somehow twinkling despite being surrounded by darkness.

He speaks in a soft voice, barely above a whisper. "This is the last time I will ask this. But I need you to think hard about it. I'd like you to be mine. I'm convinced I can make you happy. Please let me make you happy. Please make me happy."

Hafsa is so stunned she almost thinks he can't be talking to her. She opens her mouth to inhale, but Solomon places a thumb on her mask just above her lips before she can even begin to formulate an answer.

"You don't have to answer now. I know it's a lot to think about and I'm sorry to have bombarded you with everything. Take some time to consider it. Give me your answer next month, on prom night."

Hafsa does the only things she can do. She nods.

"Thank you." Solomon's words are tinged with warmth. "I'll be waiting."

With a final caress of her mask, he walks away, each step reverberating like bell tolls until they fizzle into nothingness. The serval brings a shaky hand to her face, removing the rabbit mask and dropping it on the floor. She wraps her arms around herself, unsure of what to do now. What… does she do now?

In the shadows behind her, a similar thought occurs to Desmond. His bouquet now weakly dangles in his hand, some roses slipping out of the wrapping and falling unceremoniously. The energy bar slips out too with a dull thud.

Hafsa's ears swerve behind her. By the time she reacts and turns her head to the origin of the sound, she sees nothing but a couple of sickly red roses surrounded by stray tattered petals on the floor.

AN: Thank you for reading! I wanted to try something a little different this chapter, kind of a POV trick. I hope the chapter was sufficiently juicy. Shit always hits the fan on Lupercalia!

I'd also like to give a heads up that I will probably not be posting next week. I'll be moving countries and I imagine it will be very hectic. I look forward to writing once the dust settles. In the meantime I'll post a short mini-chapter about The Thief and The Princess for some better context.

Take it easy and stay safe.