Chapter 39
After class that day Vil was on a rampage. "Potato #2 you need to stop focusing on your feet." Vil snapped.
"Potato #2? Me?" Deuce asked stopping.
"I'm Potato #1 so I guess you're #2." Ace said.
"You're both too stiff and so are you Epel."
"The wiggling dance moves make me look girly. I don't want to do them." Epel said.
"Girly? You must be sleep talking to say such nonsense. Either way I'm not listening to this nonsense." Vil said as he stepped closer to Epel. He grab Epel's ear and squeezed it. "You listen to me The wiggly moves help build muscle. There's no such thing as men only or women only when it comes to dancing or clothing." He hissed.
"Ow." Epel whined.
"That kind of thinking is old fashioned. Stop being embarrassed by doing 'girly' things just because you're a man. Are you a 100 year old man?" He continued.
"No." Epel sighed as Vil released him.
"You don't need to be so mean about it." Kalim said coming up to the two.
"I mean he has a point." Odette pointed out making everyone look at her in shock.
"Epel, I know it's embarrassing but once you get into it it's really fun." Kalim said.
"Even Kalim thinks you're dancing isn't beautiful." Vil said twisting Kalim's words.
"That's not what I meant." Kalim started but Jamil covered his mouth.
"Be quiet." Jamil warned.
"Starting tomorrow you'll be taking solo lessons tomorrow Epel. I'll be adding ballet lessons to your morning lessons." Vil informed him.
"Ballet? Is that the 6 team sport with the orange ball?" Epel asked confused.
"That's basketball." Ace sighed.
"Just because you're cute on the outside doesn't mean you have to be cute on the inside. Ballet as in ballerina." Vil informed him.
"A ballerina? Me?" Epel exclaimed.
"I'm not asking you to stand on your toes I just want you to clean up your turns. Stop that old fashioned thinking." Vil snapped.
"Jeez, I thought Vagus was a demon coach. I'm glad I didn't make the team now." Grim sighed.
"You definitely don't want to mess with him." Odette whispered to Grim. "Would you like a manage to accompany you two in the morning?" She asked stepping towards them.
"Yes, thank you for volunteering." Vil said barely looking over at her.
"Can I take the lessons too?" Deuce asked stepping up to Vil and Epel.
"Why?" Vil asked raising an eyebrow.
"I think it'll help me improve too." Deuce said.
"Fine, today's lesson is over. Manager, please go prepare dinner. Everyone else start cleaning the studio." Vil sighed rubbing his forehead.
Once everyone had cleaned the studio they returned to the dorm where Odette nearly had the meal that Vil had planned finished. "Can you guys help me set the table?" She asked as she pulled dishes out of cupboard.
"Sure." Deuce said as he picked up a pile of plates. Epel grabbed the glasses while Ace grabbed the pile of folded napkins.
"Do you need any help with the food?" Kalim asked with his signature smile.
"No, I'm almost done, but can you take the water pitchers out to the table." She said nodding towards the fridge.
"Alright." He cheered and took out the pitchers of water.
Jamil just sighed as he watched him then his eyes turned towards Odette.
"There's still no poison but you can taste it as always." Odette chuckled as she stirred the stew then picked up the tasting spoon and dripped the stew on to it then held it out to Jamil.
He just stared at her as he tasted the stew. He then nodded and followed Kalim into the adjoining dinning room.
"Man, cleaning is just as hard as the training." Ace whined as he placed a napkin beside an empty plate and bowl.
"You can say that again." Deuce sighed as he put the last bowl down.
Kalim and Epel just nodded in agreement.
"Roi De Poison has his reasons I assure you, everything has it's purpose." Rook chuckled as he walked into the dining room.
"You understand Vil a lot." Jamil commented from his corner of the room.
"I think he's just validating him." Ace said finishing his task.
"Why do I feel like your parroting someone." Epel muttered giving Ace the side eye.
"Beautiful people and things enrich me just by being around them. Beauty is power and sometimes seeing beauty can save you and sometimes drive you crazy but at the same time it can be fragile and fleeting and as soon as you take your eyes off it it'll be disappear. So that's why I just want to help and protect beauty as much as I can." Rook explained.
"You talk about Vil as if he's a piece of art. He's a beautiful person but he doesn't seem the type of person who needs protection." Jamil said.
"Yeah, Vil is like a diamond, stern and beautiful." Kalim said as Odette entered the room carrying the soup pot.
"I've never heard a diamond described that way before, but it seems fitting." She said as she placed the large pot in the middle of the table on top of a few pot holders.
"Odette you should have asked one of us to get that for you." Deuce said stepping closer to her.
"Nonsense, you boys have worked hard and it isn't that heavy." She sighed.
"You are corrected Monsieur Multi he is a diamond. Roi De Poison doesn't need protection if I tried to help him, he'll kick me with his 5 inch heels. I don't want to protect him but his beauty." Rook said as everyone began to take their seats.
"I don't get it." Ace sighed shaking his head.
"Of course you don't." She sighed as she began to serve the stew.
"I guess Pomefiore students are just as unusual as the rest of the school." Deuce muttered as he sat in between Ace and Epel.
"Hey I'm Pomefiore and I don't get it neither. And I'm not weird I mean unusual." Epel snapped making a few of the others chuckle.
"It's not a bad thing." Odette pointed out as she began to hand out bowls."Well, you neither understand or you don't and that's fine neither way." She shrugged.
"You'll get it one day." Rook smiled as he winked at Odette who just smiled back at him.
Soon Vil arrived and they all ate. Once they finished eating they got ready for bed as Odette and Grim cleaned the dishes.
"I'm getting flashbacks to working at the Mostro Lounge." Grim muttered as he finished drying the last dish.
"It isn't that bad." Odette said as she dried her hands.
"How did manager mean becoming their maid?" Grim grumbled as they left the kitchen.
"Come on now this work will be worth it when they win and we can do updates to the dorm, like getting a dishwasher." Odette grinned.
"That's a good point, and here I thought you were being a goody two shoes but you're just motivated by money." Grim chuckled.
"Better than being motivated by tuna." She shot back when the doorbell rang. "Now who could that be at this hour?"
Odette answered the door to see a ghost dressed in a delivery uniform. "Hello, how can I help you?" She asked as she raised an eyebrow.
"I have a delivery for an Epel Felmier. I was informed he residents here." The ghost said as he forked over the delivery clip board.
"Oh yes, he does." She said as she glanced over the sheet.
"Good, being it in boys." The ghost called over his shoulder and soon ten crates filled the foyer. "Be careful they're heavy." The ghost informed them as they left.
"What is all this?" Ace exclaimed, the group had gather after heading the knocking.
"It's for Epel." Odette explained as she looked over the crates. "They have his last name branded into the wood."
"Oh no, it's from Granny, I mean Grandma. I told her she didn't need to send me anything." Epel sighed rubbing his temples.
"What is it? Silk?" Kalim asked.
"No, it's apples and juice from the farm." Epel confessed.
"Apples? Ten crates worth?" She exclaimed as Grim managed to open one of the crates.
"It's all the unsold stock." Epel sighed.
"That's a lot of apples and juice." Grim said as Odette reached inside dusted off the apple and took a big bite out of it.
"This is the best apple I've ever had." She smiled before taking another bite. "You guys should try one."
"This crate has juice in it." Grim exclaimed as he opened a second crate.
"Please everyone you should try the juice it's even better." Epel said.
"Well, let's take the crates to the kitchen and pour ourselves a glass." Deuce said picking up one of the crates and taking down to the kitchen.
Everyone grabbed a crate and followed suit.
Epel took out one of the bottles and poured everyone a glass.
"This is delicious." Kalim smiled.
"It tastes just like the apples." Odette said as she finished her glass.
"My hometown grows the best apples. We're famous for it." Epel explained.
"Sounds like you love your hometown a lot." Ace said.
"I do." Epel smiled sadly.
"How long do all plan on hanging out in the kitchen? It's nearly ten. Time for bed." Vil said as he swept into the room.
"Are we in elementary school?" Ace grumbled.
"You may think it's childish but 7 hours of sleep is needed to maintain beautiful skin and hair. Speaking of which what is everyone's skin care routine?" Vil asked.
He only got blank stares from the guys.
"Routine? Isn't soap and water enough to keep your skin clean?" Kalim asked confused.
"Of course not. Here let me show you. Rook, you know what to get. Kalim please sit down on that stool." Vil said pointing at one of the breakfast nook stools. He began to show the guys how to properly take care of their skin.
"Man, I'm exhausted." Grim sighed as he plopped on to the bed.
"I am too, imagine how tired the performers are." Odette said as she sat on the bed. Outside the window a voice floated by. "Someone's singing outside." She said as she got back up.
They headed out to the garden to see Kalim. "Kalim?" She questioned scaring him.
"Ah! Sorry I didn't think I was being that loud." He chuckled.
"You know rest is just as important as practiced." She pointed out.
"I know but once I laid down tonight I realized I'm really bummed about not getting a main part. Vil said the parts could change so I don't want to miss a second chance." Kalim explained.
"You're not use to losing are you?" Grim asked as he laid on Odette's shoulder.
"Grim!" She scolded.
"No, he's right. It's a little jarring, honestly between us it's beyond galling how people have always let me win. I'm never going to learn that way. I want to do better going forward." Kalim confessed.
"Well, tomorrow is a new day for all of us. Now let's get out of this cold and get some rest." She said placing her hands on his shoulder and smiling at him then lead the group back into the house. "Now try to go straight to bed." She said sending him off to his bedroom but stayed by the backdoor.
Jamil entered the kitchen and looked a little shocked to see them there. "Last's one in now we can lock up. Go to bed too Jamil, you need rest too." She said nodding towards the hallway. "I'll be right up." She said sending Grim upstairs too.
Once she was sure he had went upstairs she opened the door back up and stepped out on to the porch. She looked around the backyard and the graveyard but didn't see any green sparkles. 'If he had been here Kalim probably scared him off. Lilia has felt distant, they seem close, Tsunotaro could pull back too because of that.' Odette thought with a sigh. She went back inside then closed and locked the door and went to bed.
Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It think it would have been fun to see more of them living together, that part was a lot of fun to write. Still no Diasomnia boys, sorry. But one of them will appear soon. It'll be worth the wait. I hope you stick around.