"Haah... Haaah..." Taking a small step back, Deuce panted, wiping his forehead on his arm. "W-Wow... Okay, that actually went a lot better than yesterday," he said, blinking in surprise.

Cater strolled over, pulling his phone out of his pocket. "Mmm, mmm-- very well done!" He agreed, nodding.

Glancing at his phone, he jumped, hissing through his teeth. "Uh-oh-- looks like it's just about time!"

Strolling to the middle of the garden, he put his phone back in his pocket and cupped his hands to his mouth, raising his voice. "Okay, all you sexy body doubles-- that's a wrap!" He called. "Work's finished for today!"

"AYE-AYE, SIR!" All the Cater-clones chorused, jumping to attention with grins and winks.

Cater snapped his fingers with a flourish, and there was a burst of light. All the other Caters vanished, leaving white sparkles drifting gently through the air.

Then the remaining Cater turned to them, clapping his hands and grinning. "Okay, gang-- let's head on over to the tea garden! I asked Trey to grab the tart for you-- he'll meet us there, 'kay?"

"Sure thing, senpai!" Deuce agreed, tucking his pen back into his breast pocket.

"Ugh-- fuckin' FINALLY," Ace grumbled, stretching his arms. "Well, Cater-senpai? Lead the way!"

"Okay, okay, Ace-chan-- no need to be so impatient!" Cater chided, shaking his head with a cheerful grin. "Alrighty then, everybody-- follow me! And don't go off chasing any rabbits-- this maze isn't just for show, you know!"

With that, he started strolling off, with Ace and Deuce trailing along at his heels.

Grim still in her arms, Kat jogged a little to catch up to them, and soon enough they emerged into another clearing.

She caught her breath, looking around. "Wow..."

This clearing was a little smaller than the rose garden, but still spacious-- and full of roses as well. The bushes weren't trimmed into topiaries, giving them a brambly, whimsical feel. There were also trees here, rising above the hedge walls.

Tables and chairs were scattered around on the lawn. The only thing the tables had in common were that they were all covered by snowy white tablecloths... Their sizes, shapes and even heights varied wildly. They ranged from a long banquet table to what Kat was pretty sure was just a barstool with a cloth on it.

The chairs were equally as mismatched, some having arms and some without. Some were upholstered or cushioned, others weren't... There were even a few chairs missing a leg or two, propped up on stacks of books instead.

And every single surface was covered with stuff. There were vases and goblets filled with flowers, garlands of red roses and creeping tendrils, mismatched candelabras... Plates and cutlery, and lots and lots of teacups, saucers and teapots. There were tons of serving dishes, too. Platters, dessert trays, cake stands, and more. They were all piled high with dainties, pastries and finger foods. Decorative signposts adorned the hedges, colorful bunting and strings of paper lanterns were strung from the tree's branches... All in all, it was a tea garden that a lolita fashion lover could only really dream of.

For some reason, though, there was a flamingo standing by the long table.

At first, Kat thought it was fake... Like a large, startlingly detailed version of a plastic lawn flamingo. That was, until it moved. Craning its long neck around, it sieved its beak through a crystal punch bowl full of cloudy pinkish water. Lifting its head again, it clacked its beak in a satisfied way, like it was smacking its lips. Then it picked up one of its legs and curled up its neck, burying its face in the feathers on its back and settling in for a nap.

She blinked, shaking her head and looking around again. The garden was full of students, all wearing the same flashy white suits as the dupli-Caters. They were milling around, talking to each other, arranging things on the tables, and generally taking up space. A lot of them were glancing at her, nudging each other and whispering.

She shook her head, ignoring that as she kept looking around. Wow-- there were a whole lot of collars around here... A little more than a quarter of the dorm students had the black-and-red devices clamped around their necks, looking morose.

Most of the students looked human, but she saw a few pairs of twitching ears. There was a black catlike pair, a splotchy brown-and-white pair of rabbit ears, and what looked like a mouse or some other kind of rodent. All the students also had a card suit symbol on their faces, near their eyes or on their cheekbones. Huh...

Suddenly, a more intense wave of activity swept through the crowd. Cater jumped, grimacing. "Uh-oh-- okay, places, everybody, places!"

Putting his hands on Ace and Deuce's backs, he herded them farther into the garden, weaving through tables as he looked back at Kat. "Over here, Prefect-chan!" He called, jerking his head. "Keep a tight grip on Gri-chan, too-- this is an important moment!"

"O-Okay," she nodded, moving carefully after him and ducking through the bustling crowd. "Sorry-- 'scuse me," she apologized, squeezing past milling students.

She reached Cater and the others, standing by one of the tables under the nearest tree.

"Here," Cater smiled, gesturing towards the table. "Go ahead and pick a teacup and saucer-- and one for you too, Gri-chan!"

"Oh! Okay," she agreed, nodding. "Um... I like this one!"

Shifting Grim to one arm, she moved a mint-and-white candy-striped cup next to her at the edge of the table. "What about you, Grim?"

"Ooh-- I want that one!" Grim insisted, pointing at a cup and saucer with a chintzy blue pattern.

"Okay," she smiled, picking that one up as well and moving it closer. "Now what?"

"Come over here," Cater told her, motioning for her to come to the other side of the table. "Stand here-- oh, and don't slouch or anything, okay? This is important!"

"Okay," she nodded again.

Picking her way around the table, she stood next to the tree, watching curiously as the bustle amped up in intensity. A line of students assembled on either side of an arched doorway in the hedge. Standing straight and nervous with arms stiff by their sides, they waited. The anticipation was palpable, buzzing in the air.

For the briefest fraction of a second, she thought she saw something up in the branches of the tree-- a flash of purple.

She frowned, looking up. Nothing was there... But a particularly large, sturdy branch creaked slightly for a moment. A single leaf fluttered down, drifting gently onto the white tablecloth.

A loud, heraldic trumpet fanfare blared through the air, drawing her attention back to the arch. Three students had emerged, standing to attention. Two were flanking the third, lowering their trumpets. The third one clicked his heels together, folding his arms behind his back. "Our beloved leader, the Red Sovereign himself-- His Grace, His Excellency. Housewarden Riddle-- HAS ARRIVED!" He announced, sweeping an arm out as he stepped smartly to the side.

The two lines of students on either side of the arch raised their magical pens in unison. They held them up like a sword salute tunnel or whatever that thing was called.

Striding through the arch, posture straight and head high, was a small figure. A taller one was walking a respectful distance behind him, at his right shoulder.

"ALL HAIL HOUSEWARDEN RIDDLE!" The assembled students chorused in unison at the top of their lungs. The noise made Kat wince, raising her shoulders like she was trying to cover her ears with them. Shaking her head, she craned her neck, holding Grim to her chest as she tried to peer towards the arch.

Oh, wow...

No mistaking it, the smaller newcomer was Riddle, with Trey following at his shoulder. But that outfit...

Riddle stopped about halfway through the line of saluting students. He turned his head slowly, surveying the garden.

"Hmm," she heard him muse, through the sudden tense silence that had fallen over the party. "The roses in the garden are red... And the tablecloths are pure white. Yes, this seems a proper Unbirthday Party indeed."

He turned to Trey, sweeping his long half-cape aside as he gestured with the long scepter he held in his other hand. "There is, I trust, a dormouse asleep in the teapot, as per regulations?"

Trey bowed, taking the new white fedora from his head and pressing it against his chest. "Of course," he assured the smaller boy, straightening back up and replacing the hat. "And the jam to spread on its nose has been prepared well in advance, should it become necessary."

"Excellent," Riddle replied smoothly, giving a nod. Turning again, he proceeded towards the long banquet table, with Trey speeding up a little to get there a few steps before him.

Holy shit... Kat's eyebrows raised, watching Riddle as he walked. Was he... wearing heels?!

Damn-- he WAS! Pretty impressive ones, too... He wasn't even wobbling or anything, even though he was walking on grass.

Trey stood by the largest chair at the table. It was a large, thronelike armchair padded with plushy, quilted red velvet. He pulled it out from the table as the housewarden drew closer, lowering his head again with a small smile. Riddle sat, crossing his legs delicately and keeping his posture ramrod-straight.

Trey pushed the chair back in carefully.

The table Kat's group were standing at at was actually pretty close... She could see Riddle blink again, turning his head to sweep his gaze across the party venue once more. Glancing back at the tunnel of students, he gestured with a black-gloved hand.

At once, they all dropped their arms back to their sides. Turning sharply, they marched single-file back into the party, disbanding and rejoining the crowd.

The chatter started up again. It was quieter and more modulated, but somewhat more relaxed than the tense atmosphere moments before.

"Whoooa!" Grim gasped, putting his front paws on Kat's arms and pushing himself up to get a higher vantage point. "Man, what's with those outfits he an' Trey are wearin'? They're so COOL!"

"Hmhm!" Cater chuckled, leaning over and grinning at Grim. "Good eye, little guy! Those are the Heartslabyul dorm uniforms! Sharp, right?"

"No kidding," Kat agreed, nodding and watching Trey and Riddle converse about something. Okay, she was kind of iffy about the fedora Trey was wearing... But that was probably just a personal bias.

Actually, he seemed to be pulling it off pretty well... It was a real fedora, not a trilby, so that was a point in his favor.

The outfit-- the dorm uniform?- essentially consisted of a suit jacket, pants, and a vest underneath... Kind of like the standard school uniform, actually. Unlike the other uniform, though, this suit was mostly white. The right sleeve was solid black, though, and the left was a checkerboard pattern of black-and-white diamonds.

The lapels were different, too... The larger bottom folds were actually two halves of a heart, with the right breast being black and the left one red. The jacket was also trimmed with gold cord and frogging, with a boutonniere on the left breast. It was a large, white ribbon rose with a small green leaf, made to look like red paint was dribbling down it.

Trey's vest was black, and left open carelessly over a plain white t-shirt, and he was wearing black fingerless gloves.

That was already pretty impressive, but-- Riddle, though...

She couldn't see the lower half of his body anymore, since he was sitting. What she had seen while he was walking consisted of slim white pants and tall, thigh-high black boots. The boots seemed to have some kind of decorative armoring at the top, black and red with antique gold accents... And of course, they had high heels.

The upper half was basically the same as the dorm uniform. She couldn't tell if he was wearing a vest or not, since the jacket was buttoned up all the way. He had a high-collared, frilled shirt under it, with a thin bolo tie of red and black ribbon. Both of his sleeves were white, with those large, pirate-ish cuffs trimmed with gold. He was also wearing long black leather gloves.

As she'd noticed before, he had a long half-cape over his left shoulder. The outside of the cape was black, but the inside was red silk. And, finally, he had a tall, undersized gold crown perched on the side of his head at a rather jaunty angle.

Cater continued. "They're at the forefront of fashion-- and, of course, they're SUPER popular on Magicam! Oh-- actually, I totally forgot to put mine on! Oops..."

Pulling his magical pen out of the pocket on the shoulder of his P.E. uniform, he flicked it.

There was a flash of light and a burst of sparkles, and suddenly he was wearing it, too-- looking exactly like his duplicates earlier. "Ta-daaah!" He grinned, pulling his phone out from the inside of the jacket and taking a quick selfie.

His vest was red, and buttoned up all the way. Now that Kat was closer, she could actually see that there were tiny card suits woven into the silk of the vest. "Cool," she muttered.

Cater grinned at her, then turned to Ace and Deuce, tucking his phone away again. "One of the Queen's rules calls for formal dress on party days and special occasions," he informed them, twirling his pen in his fingers again. "Prefect-chan's already got that covered, but... Hey, could you put Gri-chan down for a sec?"

Kat blinked, looking down and exchanging a glance with Grim. "Okay," she shrugged, crouching down and putting him down on the ground.

"Okay, now step back a little," Cater continued, raising his pen and grinning.

She did so, actually taking a few steps back, just in case.

"Uh," Ace began, but Cater was already continuing. "As a special service, just for today, your beloved big bro Cater will help you coordinate your outfits!"

He flicked the pen again, tossing a ball of sparkles at the trio.

There was another burst of light. When it faded away, Ace and Deuce were suddenly matching in the dorm uniforms. Shaking their heads, they patted themselves down.

"Wh-Whoa!" Deuce said, turning in a circle and looking down at himself with eyes wide. Kat noted that he had the same black vest as Trey's.

Ace laughed, holding up his arms and marveling at himself with a huge grin on his face. "Hey, WOW... Yo, I feel SUPER stylish! Guess I'm more of a snappy dresser than I thought!"

His vest was red, like Cater's. Okay... So, their vests probably match the symbols on their faces, huh? Interesting...

"Nya HA!" Grim cheered, hopping onto the table and jumping up and down, waving to get her attention. "Hey, Kat, Kat-- lookit' ME! Do I look cool or what?!"

The ribbon around his neck had changed. The moth-eaten pinstriped one had been replaced by a crisp, puffy red-and-black bow. The bottom tails had checkerboards of black and red diamonds against a white background. As he turned, she saw a small gold brooch in the shape of the Heartslabyul emblem at the center of the bow.

"Hey, WOW!" She enthused, clapping her hands eagerly and moving forward to get a better look. "You all look FANTASTIC!"

"Alright!" Cater cheered, dusting his hands off theatrically and tucking his pen away into his jacket. "Now that you're all dressed the part, there's only one thing left to do-- PARTY!"

Then he snapped his fingers, remembering something. "Oh-- and give the tart to Riddle too, duh. Hang on-- lemme see if I can get Trey-kun's attention real fast..."

He turned, standing on tiptoe and waving in the direction of the long table.

Kat looked around again. People were pouring tea into cups and piling their plates with heaps of food. Oh, right-- she was actually pretty hungry...

As luck would have it, there was actually a dessert tower on the table they were standing at. The bottom layer looked like madeleines. The next one was some kind of truffle or petit-four, and finally the last one was macarons.

She picked up a small plate, taking three of each and taking a bite of madeleine. Mmm... Okay, this was good.

The branch above her creaked again, and she looked up, frowning. Huh...

Another leaf drifted down, and she put her hand out without thinking, catching it on her palm. For a second, she thought she heard something-- a faint hiss of laughter, like a snicker.

Oh, god... More ghosts?

She looked around nervously, but couldn't see any clouds of white mist. The leaves of the tree rustled again, with the branch giving a final creak before going still. She waited for a second, but nothing else happened.

Okay... Gonna chalk that one up to the breeze.

"E-Excuse me?"

Kat jumped, blinking and looking up. A small, nervous-looking student was approaching. They were holding a teapot in one hand and the ribbon-wrapped tart box in the other.

"Oh! Um--" She looked around to either side, then put a hand to her chest. "M-Me?"

The student nodded, coming closer. They were around 5 foot 5 or so, with light skin, lots of fluffy white hair in a low ponytail, and round glasses.

"Y-Y-Yes, Miss-- o-or, well, any of you," they-slash-he confirmed, giving a faint, nervous laugh. "Um-- Clover-senpai said that this belongs to you?" He held out the tart box gingerly.

"Oh! Right..." Putting the half-eaten madeleine back down, Kat stepped forward, taking the box.

The student flinched slightly as she took it, and she drew back, clearing her throat. "Sorry," she apologized.

It wasn't just the hair that was white, she realized-- the student's eyelashes were white, too. They had a round face with rosy cheeks and nose, light red eyes and a red heart mark in the same place Ace's was.

...They also had white bunny ears. She stared, and they twitched.

Clearing her throat again, she shook her head, looking back into their face. "Thank you," she smiled.

"Oh, i-it was no trouble!" The rabbit-eared student smiled back. Pushing up his glasses, he held out the teapot. "Would you care for some tea, Miss?"

"Oh!" She said again. "Um... Sure! Hang on..."

Turning, she placed the tart box on the table, picking up her mint-striped teacup and holding it out. The student poured carefully, filling the cup with a deep brownish-red liquid.

"Thank you," she said again, stepping back once he finished.

He nodded, giving her another smile and blushing somewhat. "You're w-welcome!" He replied, lowering his head in a small bow and straightening back up. "N-N-Now, if you'll excuse me..."

Turning, he bustled away, talking under his breath to himself in a polite mutter. He zigzagged back and forth through the party, stopping here and there to pour into cups.

She watched his fluffy cotton-ball tail twitching for a while before she eventually lost sight of him in the crowd.

"...Huh," she said to herself. Something about him was kind of familiar... She couldn't place it, though, and the party was too loud for her to think too hard about much of anything.

She shook her head, turning back to her plate and eating the rest of the madeleine.

About twenty or so minutes passed fairly uneventfully. Kat mostly stuck to the sidelines... Besides tracking down a creamer and sugar bowl to add to her tea and taking various small pastries to nibble on.

Every so often some Heartslabyul student or other wandered over, topping up her teacup and flitting off again after she thanked them.

Grim, of course, was busy shoveling as much food as he could into his mouth. Cater was, unsurprisingly, at the center of it all, greeting dorm-mates and taking reams of photos.

Deuce was sticking close to Grim, apparently keeping an eye on him.

Ace alternated between being almost as lively as Cater to skulking around the edges, tugging at the collar and looking impatient and irritated.

At first glance, the scene appeared merry and cordial... And it was, mostly.

Oh, sure, people were laughing and chatting, eating and drinking and all that. But there was an undercurrent of... Of anxiety, almost, or maybe resentment.

She doubted she could have picked up on it on an individual basis... Hell, the individuals themselves might not have even been aware of it. But it ebbed and flowed through the crowd, swirling around aimlessly like a slow, invisible whirlwind.

Brrr... She couldn't help but shiver a little.

She saw someone approaching her in her peripheral. Blinking, she looked over.

"Hey," Trey smiled as he came over, taking his hat off and giving a small bow. "How's it going?"

"Oh-- Trey! Hi!" She greeted him, straightening up a little and tucking some hair behind her ear. "I'm good! How 'bout you?"

"I'm okay," the vice-head replied, replacing his hat and stopping with his arms folded. "Ermine gave you the tart, huh?"

Kat looked at the tart box, still on the table where she left it. "Yeah," she confirmed, nodding.

"That's good," Trey smiled, nodding as well. "Hey-- mind coming with me for a second? Riddle wants to talk to you."

"O-Oh," she said, eyebrows raising in surprise. "Okay-- um... Any particular reason?"

Trey shrugged. "Can't he just want to talk?"

"...I guess," she agreed. Putting her plate and cup down, she followed him over to the long table. She couldn't help but feel a little nervous, though...

Trey bowed again as they reached the table, extending an arm to indicate Kat. "The Prefect of the Ramshackle Dorm," he announced.

Riddle actually stood up from the thronelike chair, sweeping his half-cape aside and bowing as well. "Miss Kat," he said, straightening back up. He extended a black-gloved hand across the table, palm-up.

Kat hesitated for a second, then reached out as well, placing her hand in his.

She had a sudden rush of deja vu as his fingers closed over hers... But his hand definitely wasn't the one in her dream. It was so small and delicate, even in the glove...

She jerked back to reality as Riddle bowed again, starting to lower his head like he was going to kiss her hand.

"Oh! N-No-- No thanks... Um."

Snatching her hand back, she took a few steps back, grimacing apologetically. "Uh. I appreciate the sentiment... But no. Thank you. I would prefer not to do that... Just a handshake is fine, thanks."

Blinking, Riddle looked mildly taken aback. "Oh," he said after a moment, straightening back up and lowering his hand. "My apologies... Ahem."

He coughed, regaining his composure almost instantly. "You look quite nice," he continued, looking her up and down. "I'm pleased to see that you've taken care to appear presentable at such an important occasion."

"Thank you!" She smiled, bobbing her head. "Oh-- you look nice, too. Very regal!"

Riddle actually chuckled quietly, squaring his shoulders as he put a hand to his own chest. "But of course," he informed her proudly, eyes crinkling up in a small, imperious smile. "I wear the Housewarden's uniform with care and pride, as befits such a venerable position."

Now that he was standing up again, she could get a better look at the bottom half of the outfit.

He had the same black-and-yellow caution tape ribbon belt as all the other Heartslabyul students, but his coat actually flared out into a tail or train or... Overskirt, almost? It was lined with red silk, woven with card suits like Cater's and Ace's vests.

The train-slash-overskirt made a pair of poufy hip swags in the front. Two huge red roses held it back like curtains on either side, falling in a pleated train behind him that almost looked like a bustle.

Looking back into his face, she also noticed something else-- he was wearing makeup. He had red eyeshadow or eyeliner around the outer corners of his large, angled eyes. It wasn't too obvious, but it worked... It tied in well with the red scheme in the outfit, and gave his already delicate face a bit of an ethereal cast. He almost looked like one of those ball-jointed dolls people liked to customize with makeup.

The smile faded away, and he tilted his head at her. "I've been informed that you've been extending your hospitality to Trappola-- the rulebreaker," he said after a second.

Kat nodded again, shrugging. "Yeah... I- I mean, yes. He's been crashing on my couch for the past couple of nights."

"How... Benevolent of you," Riddle mused, giving her a mildly suspicious look. "...Might I ask why?"

She shrugged again. "...Honestly, it was either that or let him sleep in a bush outside... I mean, it's not like the inside is actually much better, but it's still something, you know? Plus, he is only sixteen, and I'm an adult-- technically speaking, so... I kinda-- kind of- felt like I had to be at least a LITTLE responsible..."

"An adult?" Riddle repeated, frowning a little. "Are you really?"

"Yes-- I'm actually nineteen," she admitted with a quiet laugh. "Oh, i-it's not just because of that, though... We're actually, um..."

Glancing over her shoulder, it didn't take long to locate Ace. He was currently engaged in an argument with Grim over a plate of finger sandwiches.

"...Friends? I guess? I mean, he IS kind of a pain, and he always has to have the last word, but... I mean, if we're NOT friends, then I'm not really sure what we are."

Riddle's eyebrows raised, giving her a surprised look. "Really? My... I see. Well... It was kind of you to not leave him to the mercy of the elements, at the very least..."

"Thank you," she said again, smiling. "And-- it was no problem."

There was a brief pause, in which she felt like he was judging her a little bit. "I-- actually already graduated from high school before coming here," she added after a second. "Um-- it wasn't a magic school, though, so..."

"Ah," Riddle said again, nodding. "I see. Well. Speaking to you has been a..." He paused again, thinking. "...Surprisingly welcome diversion."

Oof. Kat stopped herself from grimacing again. That was a little insulting... But she couldn't tell if he had even done it on purpose or not.

"Thank you," she said, smiling again. "It was nice talking to you, too, housewarden."

"Hm," Riddle replied, giving her that small, imperious smile again. "Very well-- you are dismissed. I hope you find the rest of the party enjoyable."

"Thank you," she said again, bobbing her knees in a small almost-curtsy. Turning, she scurried back to her spot under the tree.

"Whoof..." Sighing out loud, she leaned against the hedge wall, flapping her hands rapidly for a few seconds to get the nervous energy out. Even though the conversation had been fairly friendly, that overwhelming presence of his still got her on edge...

She glanced back over, and Trey caught her eye, winking and giving a small wave.

"Hey, Prefect!"

Deuce, Ace and Grim were coming over, with Deuce now carrying a teapot.

"Oh-- hey, guys!" She smiled, waving. "How's it going?"

"Good, actually!" Deuce replied, as Grim hopped back up onto the table. Ace strolled a few steps behind, arms crossed behind his head again. "How about you? You haven't really been out and about much..."

"Yeah, I'm fine," she assured him. "I'm just vibing... Not really sure how to act at things like this, but nobody's objected about me doing my own thing so far. It's not like I'm having a bad time or anything."

She looked around again. "Plus, I feel like everybody besides you guys are kinda avoiding me. I think I make them nervous..."

"You're not the only one," Ace muttered, coming over and leaning against the hedge as well. "Everybody's scared stiff of the dorm head... They can barely take a bite without lookin' over their shoulders to make sure they're not doing anything wrong and pissing him off."

"Well, maybe they're still a little on edge about eating anything, considering what you did," Deuce pointed out. "Anyway-- here." He tilted the teapot over Grim's blue chintzy teacup, filling it. "Diamond-senpai told us we're about to have a toast before the start of the croquet tournament... Everybody has to have a cup of tea ready."

Kat blinked. "Croquet? Wow... How very... Aristocratic."

Ace grumbled. "More like lame... Even if the hedgehogs're cute."

"...Hedgehogs?" Kat repeated, giving him a weird look.

"Yeah, we play--" Ace began, but the ringing sound of a spoon tapping against a glass interrupted him. The chatter died out almost instantly, with everyone turning to look at the long table. Trey put the glass and spoon back down, stepping back. Riddle rose from his chair again, putting the scepter down on the table as well.

"Uh-oh," Deuce muttered, hurrying to fill the rest of the cups and setting down the teapot.

"Before the croquet tournament commences, let us make a toast," Riddle announced, looking around. "Does everyone have their teacup?"

Kat picked up her teacup, with Ace and Deuce doing the same. She raised her eyebrows at Grim, and he hurriedly grabbed his own teacup in both paws. It looked like he was holding a big cereal bowl with a handle rather than a cup...

"Very well," Riddle continued, nodding. "On this most significantly inauspicious of days, it is my pleasure to bid all in attendance..." He held his own teacup aloft in a salute. "A very merry unbirthday!"

"CHEERS!" Everyone shouted, thrusting their cups in the air with the occasional whoop and wolf-whistle. "TO A VERY MERRY UNBIRTHDAY!"

Laughing, the students started clinking their cups together, slapping each other on the backs and shoulders in a cacophony of mirth. Kat winced a little, holding her free hand up to her ear, but still looked around at the others, smiling.

"A very merry Unbirthday!" She chirped, reaching over and tapping her cup lightly against Grim's. "Clink," she added out loud, just for fun.

"Merry unbirthday, Kat!" Deuce grinned, holding his own cup out for her to toast. "You, too, Deuce!" She replied, bumping their cups together with another clink.

"Yeah, yeah," Ace said begrudgingly, coming over and offering a significantly less enthusiastic toast. "A very merry unbirthday... Even to you, fuzzball."

"Wh-- HEY!" Grim spluttered, but Ace ignored him, draining his cup like a shot glass.

People were starting to move around again, buzzing with excitement as they chattered to each other.

"Hey, hey!" Someone called, and Cater came jogging over, waving.

"Ah-- senpai!" Deuce said, waving back. "Merry Unbirthday!"

"Thanks, Deucey!" Cater grinned, whipping off another cheerful salute. "You guys too! But anyway-- hey, Acey-chan... Doesn't this look like a good opportunity?"

"Huh?" Ace said, blinking and looking around. "O-Oh... Right!" Picking up the tart box, he glanced at Kat and Deuce, grimacing. "Here goes..."

"Good luck," Kat smiled, patting him lightly on the shoulder.

"Yeah, go for it, Ace," Deuce agreed, nodding and folding his arms. "I'm sure it'll be fine..."

"An' don't mess it up, either," Grim added, giving him a nasty smirk.

Crinkling up his nose, Ace scowled back, sticking his tongue out. Then he shook his head, straightening his shoulders and puffing out his chest. "Here goes..."

Taking a deep breath, he strode towards the long table.

Kat glanced around at the others, then put her own cup down, trailing after him cautiously. The others did the same, following in a ragged line like nervous ducklings.

Ace held the box behind his back, clearing his throat as he drew level to the long table. "Um-- 'scuse me? Housewarden? Sir?"

"Hm?" Riddle, who'd sat back down, sipping elegantly at his own cup of tea, looked up, blinking. "If I'm not mistaken, you are... Ah. Of course-- the tart-pilfering first-year, Trappola."

"Ah... Heheheh..." Ace laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head with one hand. "Y-Yeah, that's me. Um... I actually wanted to apologize for that... I- I actually made you a new one, to make up for eating the last one!"

He held out the box with a grin. "Ta-dah!"

"Hmm?" Riddle mused again, eyebrows raising. "Did you, now? I see..."

He exchanged a glance with Trey, sitting in the chair next to him. Then he put his cup delicately back down on the saucer with a clink. "Well? What kind of tart is it?"

"Hehe-- I'm glad you asked!" Ace grinned, tugging the ribbon off and flipping open the lid in a single smooth flourish. "It's a marron tart-- and lemme tell you, it's absolutely chock full of chestnuts!"

"Wh--" Riddle actually recoiled, rising out of his seat and blanching. "A-- a MARRON TART?!" He demanded, looking incredulously between the tart and Ace's face. "Unbelievable..."

He slammed his palm down hard against the table, making all the crockery rattle hard. "UNBELIEVABLE!"

"H-Huh?!" Ace yelped, jumping back and looking baffled.

Kat actually jumped as well, drawing back with her heart pounding. Jesus-- what was with that look on Riddle's face?! He looked like Ace had just murdered somebody in front of him, not offer him a baked good...

She glanced nervously at Trey, who didn't seem to have any clue what was going on, either.

" 'Queen Of Hearts' Rule number 562'," Riddle was continuing. " 'One must NEVER bring a marron tart to an Unbirthday party'. This is a COMPLETE and UTTER VIOLATION OF THE RULES!"

He slammed both his palms hard against the table this time, making literally everything on it jump a few inches to the side. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU'VE DONE?!" He demanded, staring at Ace like he wanted to leap across the table and strangle him. "Because of YOU, an otherwise PERFECT Unbirthday Party has been RUINED!"

Grim bristled, squeaking and running behind Kat's leg to take shelter.

"R-Rule number 562?!" Deuce choked out, looking frantically around the garden of suddenly frozen students. "Seriously?!"

"J-Jesus," Kat muttered, stepping back nervously. "How many rules even are there...?"

She didn't think she'd spoken very loud, but apparently Riddle still heard her. He straightened up, turning the glare on her and making her jump again. "There are eight hundred and ten rules in all-- and naturally, as Housewarden, I have memorized EACH and EVERY one!"

She flinched a little, drawing back a bit more. Holy fuck... Dude, it was like some kind of switch had gone off in his brain. Almost like Deuce and his delinquent mode, but-- but different...

The difference was hard to pin down in the moment, since everything was going absolutely dick-shaped so fast and her brain needed time to catch up... Time that she was pretty damn sure she wasn't about to get.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Cater scootching closer to Trey, leaning in and muttering something to him. Trey shook his head, touching his temple and gritting his teeth as he muttered something back.

Snatching the scepter back up, Riddle stormed out from behind the table, gripping it tightly in one hand. The Heartslabyul residents drew back as one as he stopped, standing with his shoulders straight and his head held up as high as it would go.

"As leader of the honorable house of Heartslabyul, established to uphold the rigor of the legendary Queen Of Hearts, I CANNOT simply turn a blind eye to this infraction," he declared.

He pointed the scepter at Ace with a flourish, planting his other fist on his hip and looking around at the other students. "The offending marron tart is to be discarded! And then--"

The scepter swung through the air again, indicating Ace and his entire group... That is, he, Deuce, Grim, and-- of course, why was she even surprised?- Kat herself.

"--These rule violators are to be expelled from the dormitory premises IMMEDIATELY! By order of the Housewarden!"

"...Fuck," Kat hissed under her breath.

Author's Notes:

Top 10 anime photos taken seconds before disaster.

I... I really like the 'sexy body doubles' line in TWEN. I'm sorry.

Live flamingo decoration. He's just chillin'. Got a punch bowl full of krill and everything.

(Casually slips in a Che'nya Easter egg and my version of the TWST!White Rabbit)

It's MY fanfiction and I get to pick the random OCs and worldbuilding details I shove in here for ~flavor~. His name's Ermine Lapine, he's a second-year like Riddle, and he's got a sister a year older than him at Crown Imperial named Roberta, who goes by Robbie.

(I think I got the name Ermine from somebody else's version of the White Rabbit, but I can't remember where. Oops. Sorry.)