Hello everyone! It's been a while, hasn't it? Sorry about that, life's just been very busy and stressful lately. I hope everyone is having a good holiday season though!

Anyway, before we begin, I have a lot of news to cover. First, oh my god, this fic got 104 reviews and I cannot believe it, thank you guys so much for giving this silly little fairy tale killing game a chance! I hope I continue to earn the reviews you all have gifted me!

Next up, Sakura Idol has done more art since I last updated! If anyone wants to see Rosamie, Nat, Satou, Chiasa and Irusu, go check out their deviant art! I'm forever in awe of their talent!

I've got one more piece of news, but I'll share that down below! Here's another relatively short chapter for all of you, I hope you enjoy!

When Maria approached the stairway, clutching the parka Robin had given her with a shy smile, she forced her breathing to be slow and steady. She wasn't ever going to forget that feeling of Hibiki screaming out at her an instance before the thorns sprouted from the ground, covering the stairway and almost killing her.

In her darkest nightmares, Maria dreamt that perhaps it would have been better if the thorns had ended her life right then.

"Maria?" Jordan's concerned voice cut through her dark thoughts. Maria forced a smile as she turned towards the drag artist. By the look on his face, he wasn't fully convinced. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm just…a bit shaken from that first day," Maria admitted. "It isn't every day you see thorns from a fairy tale sprout from a stone floor after all."

"That's certainly an understatement," Jordan chuckled mirthlessly. "Would you like some company?"

"I'd appreciate it, if it's not too much trouble," Maria confessed. With a slightly dramatic bow, Jordan offered her an arm, which Maria accepted with a laugh before the two of them ascended to the next floor of the Palace.

The first thing Maria noticed when they reached the floor was that it was cold. Even before she reached the floor, she was releasing Jordan's arm to frantically throw on her parka. Russian winters were absolutely nothing compared to this cold.

The next thing she noticed was that the stone floor was covered in snow and even more was falling from above.

The second floor of the Palace was somehow even colder and more full of snow then even Robin's room had been. The walls were an almost clear, icy blue and reached up into sweeping arches that showed off the corridors beautifully. There were no torches or light of any kind on the walls, but in the very center of the atrium was an iron lamppost, shining brightly amongst the snow and ice. The base of the lamppost resembled roots, as if it had grown from the stone itself.

Maria could barely contain her awe as she gazed all around. It was as if she had stepped into a fairy tale world completely different from the one just a floor below. It didn't make any sense, but the beauty of the whole thing outweighed all her other thoughts.

"Beautiful…" she whispered in Russian, unable to help herself.

"If you just said it's beautiful, I have to agree," Jordan agreed, his Japanese slurring a bit in his own awestruck state. "If this is what just the first thing this floor has to offer looks like, we may be in trouble."

"Hopefully, the good and awestruck kind of trouble and not the murderous kind," Maria smiled sardonically, causing Jordan to let out a rather inelegant snort.

"Well then, shall we begin with this room here?" Jordan asked, gesturing to a pair of light blue doors beside them.

The doors were the only double doors that Maria could see, covered in a sheen of frost that gave them a mythical quality one wouldn't expect to see in a regular pair of doors.

"Lead the way," Maria smiled, offering Jordan her arm once more and allowing him to sweep her into the room.

The room, as it turned out, was a library. The only way Maria could think to describe it was wondrous, with shelves reaching up towards the impossibly high ceiling and stretching back as far as the eye could see. Unlike the atrium they came from, the library was not covered in snow and frost, but was instead done in warm shades of brown with touches of plus chairs in shades of red and green to give it a pop of color. The woodwork was absolutely majestic and the books seemed endless. There were all sorts of tables and plush chairs to offer a better reading experience, should anyone desire it. It was a booklover's wonderland.

"Oh, wow…" Maria whispered, unable to speak anything more. Jordan seemed to be in agreement, not even offering a reply.

"Pretty grand, ain't it?" Nat asked as they stepped out from between the shelves. They had shed their parka and held a large book, though Maria couldn't see the title. "These books are in pretty good condition too, almost brand new. Even the ones I haven't found printed ever, only references. This is a historian's dream."

"Glad to see you're enjoying yourself," Jordan smiled. Nat sent a feral looking scowl and didn't even dignify that with a response.

"It really is something though," Ren said with a bright smile as he stepped out from in between the shelves a little further down. "There's a lot of fairy tales here too. I think all of ours are accounted for."

"That must've taken some dedication to find," Maria commented. She found herself growing curious, stepping closer to the shelves. Ren beamed even brighter, somehow, and waved her closer.

"Come on, yours is down here. Jordan, I can show you where yours is, if you're interested? Or perhaps, you'd both enjoy going in one group. The offer is still open to you as well, Nat," he offered, with a salacious wink at the entire group.

"Not interested." Nat rolled their eyes, turning back to the shelf they stood at without another word.

"I think I'll take you up on that offer, Ren," Jordan laughed slightly. "I don't think I've heard of Dinadon before waking up here. You coming, Maria?"

"I think I'd like to look at mine on my own, but I'll catch up with you later?" Maria smiled reassuringly. It wasn't anything personal, but she just…just had a feeling she wanted to check out.

"Of course we will!" Ren easily confirmed. "Meet back here in…ten, fifteen minutes?"

"Sure," Maria agreed. She glanced over at Nat and watched as they rolled their eyes at what they obviously considered far too much sentiment. But even still, they remained fixed in that same spot, never moving.

With twin smiles, Ren and Jordan were off to find the book containing Jordan's fairy tale. With a small wave, Maria saw them off before she turned down the aisle Ren had just emerged from.

Her eyes scoured the books, looking for the 'S' section as calmly as she could bring herself to. Her fingers were itching as she scanned title after title of so many fairy tales from so many different cultures, she could hardly keep track of them.

She wondered just how many other fairy tales were in these shelves, outside of the ones their class had been assigned.

Beauty and the Beast. Rumpelstiltskin. Puss n' Boots. Kwan Yin. The Curupira. The Queen of Hearts. Peter Pan. Thrushbeard. Bluebeard. The Gingerbread Man. Peter Pan. Little Golden Daughter. Scheherazade.

Ah, there she was.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.

Maria pulled out the old book, the title written in a beautiful golden script, and flipped through it. She didn't register the words, simply gazed at the beautiful calligraphy and even more gorgeous hand drawn pictures.

She couldn't breathe as she gazed at one of the last pictures, showing Snow White laying in her glass coffin, the prince standing right at her side about to wake her, and the dwarves at her sides in mourning.

Maria continued flipping and found the last picture, showing Snow White and her prince riding into the sunset to live happily ever after.

Biting her lip, Maria returned the book to the shelf, no closer to finding answers.

That was the moment her eye caught the book next to Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.

The title read: Snow White and Rose Red.

When Maria wandered back to where they agreed to meet, she felt a bit lost in her thoughts still. She just blandly noted that Nat seemed to not have moved a centimeter since they were left alone when Jordan and Ren returned to her side.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Jordan asked kindly, gently.

"Yes, I…think so," Maria hesitantly confirmed. "I, um, I'm gonna go check what else there is up here."

"You'll find a bunch of sitting rooms, which I'm damn sure were converted to Talent Rooms," Nat offered unexpectedly. "Historically, not much is in a castle the higher up you go."

"That's good to know, thanks Nat," Ren smiled brightly. "I'm gonna keep looking through here though, maybe some useful knowledge here."

"We'll look forward to your findings then," Jordan smiled as he turned to Maria. "Let's go see what else is up here?"

"Yeah." Maria nodded.

She followed Jordan out of the library, but the whole time she was trying not to claw out of her own skin.

When they left the library, Maria noticed the stairway up to the third floor, covered in a thick sheet of ice.

"I think we might need a bit more than fire to melt that," she deadpanned as she pointed it out. Jordan let out a bark of laughter at that.

"Maybe Irusu will have some dynamite hidden somewhere," he grinned. "Nima told me they have a lot of creative freedom in their line of work."

"Oh dear, I'm not sure I can imagine that," Maria admitted with a sardonic smile. Irusu seemed so paranoid, she couldn't ever imagine him using anything so dangerous as dynamite. "You seem pretty close to the two of them."

"They're not so bad once you get to know them." Jordan shrugged, as if spending time with Irusu wasn't such a big deal. "I guess this is the first Talent Room?"

The door he pointed to was the same icy blue as the walls, with a sewing needle and thread emblazoned on the door.

"Looks like it. Let's go," Maria said, allowing Jordan to lead the way in.

The music twining through the air felt like it belonged in a movie about a knight on an epic quest.

The room was large and inviting, with plenty of color to make it as eye catching as possible. There were details that reminded Maria of the rest of the castle as well as a nightclub, with flashing lights, loud speakers and what looked like a bar. In the center of the room was a massive round table, which was currently littered with all sorts of tools for making clothing. Hanging from the ceiling were several coats of arms in the colors of the pride flags, ranging from the gay and lesbian flags to the demisexual, asexual and pansexual flags. There was even a flag for allies and…a black and white one with a slash of red on the coat of arms that spoke of Monokuma's influence. Along the walls, Maria could spot various swords, scissors and various pieces of armor that all looked far too dangerous to be a normal decoration in this place. Finally, there was a large warehouse door at the very back, barely noticeable if one didn't know to look for it. And who even knew what lay behind that door, what could assist Jordan in his talent and what could be used as a murder weapon.

"I think this is your room, Jordan," Maria smiled, unable to help the incredulity in her voice. She had never seen anything like this before.

"Yeah…this reminds me of the club back home," Jordan smiled, a bit bittersweet.

"Jordan? This is your room?" Sayuri asked as she, Arisu and Hibiki came over from where they had been inspecting the round table.

"It's amazing," Arisu smiled, still rather subdued compared to her normal cheerfulness. "I love the lights, they remind me of my show."

"Give me a headache," Hibiki groaned, rubbing at his eyes. Despite his complaints, however, he didn't leave Arisu's side.

"Yeah, these are the tools of my trade," Jordan smiled shyly. "I could probably make a lot with the supplies they have here. Maybe even some outfits for the rest of you."

"Did you just say outfits?!" Satou shrieked as she suddenly rushed in the door and latched on to Jordan's arm. "You can make clothes for me?!" Her eyes were sparkling.

"I…suppose. And the others as well," Jordan agreed. He looked caught, as if unsure of what to say.

"I think it's a great idea, if it's something you'll enjoy," Maria offered, unsure of how to go forward. Should she ignore Satou? If this were Sasha, she'd scold her for acting this way. But Satou wasn't Sasha and Maria couldn't treat her like her sister.

"Do you need any help? I have a bit of experience with sewing," Sayuri offered, her words open and kind.

"That sounds like fun," Jordan smiled a bit, his tense shoulders relaxing.

"If anyone can pull it off with this fucking insane crew, it's you, Georgia." Hibiki rolled his eyes, as if such a statement was obvious.

"Ohhhh, I'm gonna look so beautiful!" Satou squealed, letting go of Jordan's arm to instead excitedly jump in place.

"We can host a fashion show, I would love to host it," Arisu grinned, her eyes sparking with some returned vigor.

"That sounds fun," Maria smiled.

"I've never done a fashion show before, but I can definitely make enough outfits," Jordan promised. His eyes darted over to the warehouse door, longing entering his eyes. "Do you mind if I-"

"Go explore, it's your room," Maria encouraged, waving him off easily.

"I'll join you," Sayuri added. "I'm curious as to how much supplies you have."

"Probably enough to make clothes for the entire country," Hibiki drawled sarcastically.

"So many outfits…I have to see it," Satou gasped, her fingers trembling with the weight of her words.

"This is gonna be fun," Arisu smiled. She stayed at Hibiki's side, but it was undeniable that there was light in her eyes.

"I'm gonna see what else there is up here, catch you later?" Maria asked. She received a chorus of confirmations and she left the room behind her with a wave.

When Maria returned to the hallway, she walked further down the corridor in order to find the next room.

As she walked, she further examined the floor, staring at the ceiling up at the falling snow. It didn't make sense to her how it was possible for snow to fall from the high vaulted ceiling, so high she could barely even see where it ended. There were clouds that showed where the snow was coming from, but how they existed in the first place made no sense at all.

But at the same time, it was a stunning sight to behold. The snowflakes settled in her hair and Maria couldn't help but wonder what they looked like. Whether the snowflakes looked as if they were braided into her hair or if they more resembled a crown.

Maria's smile slowly slid from her face and she shook her head, no doubt dislodging the snowflakes from her hair. Her ballet flats were starting to get soaked through, her tights sticking uncomfortably to her skin, but neither of those compared to the cold that had settled within her heart.

She forced herself to look up and just in time too, as her eyes landed on the next door.

The door was closer to a silver color then the blue of Jordan's room, with icicles hanging from the top of it. The emblem emblazoned on it was a swaddled baby sleeping peacefully.

Maria couldn't help the knowing smile that grew across her face. She knew who's room this was, after all.

Determined to ignore the cold clinging to her, Maria pushed the door open and stepped inside.

As soon as Maria stepped past the doorway, she was blinded.

The room was so bright that it took several minutes for her vision to clear up. The music twining through the air registered as soon as Maria could see, a lullaby that could lull anyone to sleep.

The room itself was surprisingly bare. It was a bright, clinical white, with shelves upon shelves loaded with what looked like journals. Off to the side was a desk that was made of a dark brown wood, breaking up the continuous white if only slightly. The desk was covered with neatly stacked papers and books, not a single piece out of place. In the center of the room was a medical table with all sorts of medical tools lined up, most of which Maria couldn't even hope to recognize. Most of them seemed necessary for the owner of this room, but some of them, like the various saws and far too large scalpels, obviously did not belong in a normal setting. The walls also had all sorts of diagrams hanging on them, showing various aspects of women's anatomy, with enough detail that Maria had no doubt some of her old classmates would find embarrassing.

And standing near the desk was Rosamie, carefully looking over the paperwork there. Yoshi was standing by her, looking as if he were arguing at her considering how little attention Rosamie was paying him. Chiasa and Fuwari were standing nearby, with Chiasa looking stone faced as usual while Fuwari had a concerned expression.

"As the leader, I say you should pack away all of these dangerous instruments!" Yoshi demanded as Maria walked closer to the unlikely group.

"I do not see the point in restating my previous argument," Rosamie deadpanned, not looking up from the paper she was examining.

"You are being obstinate about this for no reason! Our situation demands we put away all possible weapons so as to limit the chances of another murder occurring!" Yoshi argued. He placed his hands on his hips, attempting to make himself look more authoritative.

"Um…is that really necessary?" Fuwari asked, stepping a bit closer. "I mean, nobody else is going to kill, right?"

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Yoshi promised, smiling at Fuwari reassuringly. "But we have to take precautions to make certain of it."

"And why will Rosamie not put her instruments away? Is there a particular reason?" Maria questioned. She didn't want to take any particular side, but she knew she was missing some key information.

"Because they are the tools of my trade and could be required in the future," Rosamie stated bluntly, glancing up at Maria over her glasses before she looked back down at her papers. "The notes here are quite interesting, though of course I can't share them."

"And forcing Rosamie to get rid of her tools…that would be cruel," Fuwari spoke up again. Her soft voice drew everyone's eye. "I mean, you wouldn't get rid of my tools when my lab opens, right?"

"Well, of course not, but…" Yoshi trailed off as his eyes left Fuwari and trailed over to Chiasa.

"My own lab was left alone," Chiasa confirmed, as if she had read the question from Yoshi's eyes before he spoke a word. There was no change in her expression, but Yoshi's eyes slowly softened as he gazed from Chiasa to Fuwari and back.

"I agree we should be cautious, but not to the point of locking things away that are important or useful to us," Maria agreed. "At the very least, we're aware of the tools here and can be careful with them."

"I suppose…" Yoshi conceded, still looking a bit disappointed in this. "In that case, there are still more areas for us to investigate before we meet with the others. Shall we continue?"

"Yes, I'd like to see the rest of the floor. It's so beautiful, I'd love to have a set like this," Fuwari smiled, her eyes full of light.

"Jordan's Talent Room is a bit of a way down the corridor, you'd find him, Satou, Sayuri, Arisu and Hibiki there if you went," Maria explained. "Nat and Ren are in the library too."

"Ah, then perhaps I shall head to the library. I've yet to investigate for any philosophical documents there," Rosamie hummed. She laid down the papers she had been inspecting before she abruptly left her own Talent Room behind.

"Perhaps we should see what else is hiding up here then?" Yoshi offered. He held a hand out towards Fuwari, who's expression had fallen when Satou's name had been mentioned.

"I'd like that," she smiled weakly, taking his hand. "Chiasa?"

"I suppose I could come," Chiasa stated, as simple as a fact of life.

"I still have a bit to find myself. Hopefully it's not all as bright as this room," Maria smiled slightly. She tightened her parka around herself, preparing to leave the relative warmth of Rosamie's room for the endless cold of the corridor.

"We saw Chia's room a little while ago, it's pretty and very warm too," Fuwari reassured as she stuffed her free hand in her parka's coat.

"Then I can't wait to see it," Maria stated, her smile a bit wider and kinder.

"Remember, we are all to meet in the dining room once we have finished seeing everything," Yoshi reminded.

"Of course, I'll meet you there as soon as I'm done," Maria promised as she waved goodbye to the unlikely trio as they walked out the door.

Once she was alone, Maria couldn't help but look around the room once more. Now that it was just her, she could allow the breath to leave her lungs, for just a moment.

That same feeling from the library returned, itching under her skin, though at least she didn't want to claw her skin off. There was just…something in the air, though she couldn't even begin to explain it if anyone ever asked her about it.

Her thoughts were racing so fast, she couldn't catch a single one of them. That is, until the sound of something falling to the floor broke through her thoughts.

When Maria turned around, she saw a ring resting innocuously on the floor. It hadn't been there before, and she couldn't see where it could possibly have come from. Perhaps it was Rosamie's? Or Fuwari's? Whoever's it was, Maria couldn't just leave it there.

With that thought in mind, Maria stepped closer to where the ring laid and bent down to pick it up. When she could see it more clearly, however, her hand froze just centimeters from picking it up.

The ring was a simple gold ring, the only detail on it seemingly being an inlaid leaf pattern. It looked well-loved and not that expensive, but none of this was the reason Maria froze.

The reason she froze was because the ring was familiar to her, but she couldn't explain why.

Her hand reached out once more to grab it, but between one blink and another, Maria's hand came into contact with the cold, white floor of Rosamie's room.

And the ring had vanished entirely.

And there we are! I've been waiting quite a while to introduce the library, haha, and its rather obvious hint as well. Fun fact though that I need to share: the fairy tales in the library consist of several fairy tales that were submitted for characters that I ended up not accepting! I wanted to give them at least a mention, since they couldn't be written into the story.

Okay, so last piece of important news: I started another SYOC! For those of you who haven't seen it yet, it's called Danganronpa: Purgatorio and I plan to start working on its debut chapter and character reveal at some point today! It's not much right now, but I'm excited for it alongside this story (which is NOT being dropped, I'm just...very slow in writing. Sorry again).

Oh, right, the music for this chapter includes the Knights March Theme from King Arthur for Jordan's room (it's Hans Zimmer, I just couldn't not pick it) and Zelda's Lullaby from The Legend of Zelda for Rosamie's room.

In other news, the poll for FTEs will remain open until we finish exploration in the next couple chapters.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I don't know when I'll be back to update, but hopefully it's worth the wait! Bye!