Vil clapped his hands to get everyone's attention once the group had returned to the Pomefiore ballroom for afternoon rehearsal. "Alright, everyone. Before we get started, I'm going to announce the main vocalists and backup dancers. I made these selections myself based on your performances at auditions as well as our run-throughs of the song this morning. These positions are not set in stone, however. I'm open to making alterations to the lineup if any of you make a significant improvement between now and showtime, which means the main vocalist spots should still be considered up for grabs."
Rook grinned as he watched the others lean closer to hear who got which spots. Some were subtle about it while others (read: Kalim)…weren't.
"Our main vocalists will be Jamil, Epel, and myself," Vil continued.
If Kalim was thrown at all at not getting a main spot, he didn't show it. His grin only grew wider as he patted Jamil on the back. "Nice job, Jamil! Way to go!"
Jamil, too stunned to speak at first, suddenly found his voice as Kalim's congratulations brought him back. "You want me on main vocals?" he asked in disbelief.
Vil nodded. "That's correct. Do you have a problem with that?"
Jamil shook his head. "Not at all. It's just I think Kalim would be better suited for…" He paused as he caught himself falling back on old habits, downplaying his own achievements to maneuver Kalim into a better position, and remembering the promise he'd made to himself and everyone present after his Overblot that he wasn't going to hold himself back anymore. "You know what? Nevermind. I'll gladly accept the spot and I'll give it my all to meet your expectations."
"Pardon me, dorm leader," Epel interjected softly, the meekness in his voice something his fellow freshmen weren't sure they'd ever get used to. "I'm not certain I'm cut out for main vocals, personally. Maybe someone else would be a better choice."
"You don't get a say in the matter," Vil replied matter-of-factly. "Or have you already forgotten the agreement we made when you first enrolled?" He narrowed his eyes. "You are going to become the poison apple that brings him down."
Epel sighed and hung his head. "Y-Yessir,"
"Epel…," Deuce muttered, concerned.
"Hey, Dev," Grim whispered to Devon. "What do ya think Vil meant about that whole "poison apple" thing? And who's he tryin' to bring down?"
"I'm more interested in whatever agreement he and Epel made. I wonder if that has anything to do with why Epel's not bitin' back like usual," Devon whispered back. 'As for who Vil wants to bring down…I'm pretty sure that's Neige.'
"Aw, man. I thought I'd get a main vocal spot for sure," Ace said.
"Try not to be too down, Ace," Kalim replied. "If you keep working hard, you might be able to snag a spot before VDC. I know that's got me motivated! Those of us on backup vocals and dance have to give the leads a run for their money, yeah?"
"A most excellent outlook, Roi D'ore! Your sheer positivity leaves me in awe, as though I am basking in the warm rays of a radiant sun!" Rook commented brightly.
"We need to make sure both the performers and the audience have a good time when they watch our song, after all," Kalim reasoned.
"Don't get too hung up on the word "main," Vil warned. "Bear in mind that the main vocalists are not the stars of the show, nor are the chorus members mere supporting characters. In fact, I'd say you would all do well to consider yourselves stars, no matter your role, and treat your positions accordingly. Now that you all have your assignments, the real rehearsals can begin. Pay close attention to my movements and do your best to emulate them."
Now that everyone's role had been solidified (temporarily, at least), afternoon rehearsal was even more intense than the morning's had been. Devon and Grim were already feeling what they could only figure was sympathetic exhaustion on the boys' behalf, despite not actually participating in the show. They'd lost count of how many times they'd had to start and stop the music and both had leapt at the opportunity to leave the ballroom to get some water from the school store for everyone. Now, as the sun was beginning to set, they stayed planted near the speaker playing the song from Vil's phone as said dorm leader called out the steps to the others, keeping a watchful eye on everyone's movements despite facing away from them thanks to the large floor-to-ceiling mirrors.
"Strike a pose. Then step, two, three, four. Then down, two, three…" His eyes narrowed in frustration as his gaze landed on Deuce and he motioned for Devon and Grim to stop the music. "Stop, stop! Your timing is completely off, Spudling Two!"
"Huh? Do you mean me?" Deuce asked as the music cut out.
"Who else would I be referring to?" Vil asked rhetorically.
"Not like it's any worse than Spudling One, dude," Ace muttered under his breath.
"You're so busy focusing on your hands that you're neglecting your footwork," Vil critiqued. "Not only that, but all of your movements are still stiff as a board. It's as though you have a two-by-four strapped to your back."
Deuce nodded, accepting the criticism. "S-Sorry, sir."
Satisfied, Vil rounded on Epel next. "You're not doing much better, Epel. You'll need to be much more flexible to pull off a jazz hip-hop dance like this one."
"But there's so many girly twisting motions… I don't…want to do those," Epel's eyes widened as he realized too late that he'd made a mistake saying that out loud.
The room grew deathly quiet as Devon and Ace did their best not to visibly cringe at the statement. From what Epel had told them before about his hometown, most of the locals had a pretty…well, Devon supposed the generous term would be "traditional" view on gender norms, including a rather specific picture of how "real men" looked and acted. Unfortunately but unsurprisingly, several of those beliefs had been ingrained in Epel since he was young. It wasn't entirely his fault; most of the people in Epel's village were much older than he was and there weren't any other people his age that could help him to challenge those archaic views back home. He'd been loosening those views since he started at Night Raven College, but every so often those hometown norms and ways of thinking showed themselves. Sadly, they seemed to have made an appearance in front of the worst possible person.
Vil's stern expression grew downright venomous. "Come again? Please tell me I did not just hear you gendering movement. What complete and utter nonsense. You sound like a madman raving in his sleep. Not that such statements would be excusable even then." He was directly in front of Epel in a flash and reached out to tug the boy's ear to force him to look him in the eye.
"O-oowwww!" Epel exclaimed. "Please don't tug on my ear, dorm head."
Vil didn't relent. "I'm merely helping you to hear more clearly since you seem to be dozing while it's still light out." He stepped back from Epel, but his glare was just as intense. "Listen to me well-those "twisting motions" only look good when the performer's inner muscles are properly toned and that's true for everyone, no matter their gender. There's no such thing as "for men" and "for women" when it comes clothing or dance moves. The very notion of boys being ashamed of doing what some might consider effeminate dance moves is so last century. So tell me, Epel. Are you actually a time traveler visiting us from a century ago?"
"N-no, sir," Epel replied.
"Hey, Vil," Kalim interjected, maneuvering himself between Vil and Epel. "There's no need to get so upset, is there?" He turned to Epel with an encouraging smile. "I know dancing in front of everyone can be a little embarrassing at first, Epel, but just try to lean into it and exaggerate your movements. You'll have way more fun with it that way!"
"I suppose Kalim has a point," Vil agreed. "After all, there's nothing beautiful about that weak-kneed fidgeting you were doing earlier.
"Oh, that's not what I-mmph!" Kalim tried to interject, only to be cut off by Jamil swiftly covering his mouth.
"Just be quiet, Kalim," Jamil said before urging him back toward the others.
"That settles it," Vil continued, still focused on Epel. "Starting tomorrow, you'll be working on a separate training regimen from the rest of us."
"What do you mean?" Epel asked nervously.
"You'll be taking ballet lessons alone until I say otherwise," Vil elaborated.
"Huh…?" It took Epel a moment to process what he was hearing and when he did, he hoped he'd simply heard Vil wrong. "Valet? You mean like when you take someone's vehicle and park it for them?"
"Don't feign ignorance," Vil chided. "Just because your face is soft doesn't mean your brain has to be."
"Whaaa?!" Epel exclaimed, incredulous. "You're saying you want me to be a ballerina?!"
"I'm not expecting you to dance en pointe, but you should at least be able to manage a graceful turn," Vil told him. "And more to the point, I'm hopeful that it will help you to do away with that antiquated mindset of yours."
"B-But you can't expect that to happen overnight!" Epel argued.
"Yeesh! Vil's even more demanding than Vargas in flight class!" Grim whispered.
"For real." Ace agreed. "We'd better keep our heads down. I do not wanna end up on his bad side…"
Deuce stepped forward suddenly. "Excuse me, Vil?"
Vil finally pulled his eyes off of Epel. "What is it, Spudling Two?"
Deuce stood up straighter, a resolute gleam in his eyes. "May I join the ballet lessons too?"
"What?!" Ace and Epel exclaimed in unison, flabbergasted.
"Dude, are you serious?! Why would you volunteer yourself for that?" Ace asked.
"I'll agree provided you can give me a good reason," Vil said.
"When I was listening to you earlier, I realized that I also tend to view things along a spectrum of so-called manliness. I was able to make it through the auditions, but I need to pull out all the stops if I want to pull my weight to help us reach the top," Deuce explained. "And like you said, that means doing away with restrictive mindsets."
Vil gave Deuce a nod. His expression was as impassive as ever, but there was a mildly impressed look in his eyes. "Very well. Maybe the lessons will help you loosen your movements up as well." He turned to address the rest of the group. "We'll end rehearsals here for today."
"Oui," Rook agreed with a nod. "Come, everyone. Let us all return to Ramshackle dorm and enjoy our first dinner together."
The sun had already set by the time the group made their way back to the snow-covered main campus. Vil had tasked them all with cleaning up the ballroom, leaving Rook in charge once he was sure things were being done to his satisfaction before heading back to Ramshackle ahead of the others to get dinner started.
"Maaan! I'm beat!" Ace complained as everyone trudged through the snow on the way to Main Street. "I can't believe Vil made me get down on all fours to wipe the ballroom floor with a dustcloth on top of rehearsals. That's just messed up!"
"He made me clean the windows with really broad wiping motions, like I was a human windshield wiper or something," Deuce commiserated. "My arms and back are screaming at me right now…"
"I had no idea cleaning was so tough," Kalim added.
"I'm starving…," Epel said, his stomach rumbling as if to emphasize his statement.
"Trust me, I'm right there with ya," Grim agreed.
"That training looked pretty tough, but you guys put in some great hustle today," Devon said encouragingly, gently patting Ace and Deuce on the back.
Ace took the opportunity to wrap an arm around Devon's waist and pull her against him as they walked, reveling in the flustered expression on her face when she looked up at him. "Don't give me that face, New York. It's freezing out and you are literally and figuratively the hottest person here."
Devon recovered quickly and shot Ace an amused look. "Smooth, Trappola. Real smooth."
"Hey, it's not my fault you're a walking furnace," Ace jabbed.
"Like it would've stopped you if she wasn't," Jamil commented, fighting to keep the irritation off of his face as he watched them.
"Ha ha!" Rook laughed, amused at his underclassmen's antics. "Getting back to what we were discussing before, I can assure that those cleaning exercises had a purpose. The floor-wiping and window-washing serve to strengthen your muscles, thus ensuring that both the practice area and your physical shape are beyond reproach. A classic Vil training method, to be sure."
"You seem to understand Vil's methods rather well, Rook," Jamil said.
"Sounds more like enabling, if you ask me," Ace commented.
Rook only smiled. "My life is enriched by beauty in all its forms. It can grant its beholder salvation as easily as it can drive them mad. Having said that, it is also fragile and fleeting. If you take your eyes off of it for even a moment, you may find it lost to you forever. That's why I've made it my life's mission to protect and support beauty to the best of my ability."
"You make it sound as though Vil is some delicate flower or a work of art," Jamil observed. "He's certainly an attractive guy but he doesn't strike me as someone who needs protection."
"Yeah. He's more like a diamond to me-tough and unbreakable," Kalim added.
Rook nodded. "It's true. Vil has no need for my protection." His green eyes lit up with an elated sparkle. "In fact, I'd wager that if I ever did offer him my assistance, I'd earn myself a 13-centimeter heel upside the head. It's not that I wish to safeguard Vil himself; it's the beauty that he represents."
"Is it me or did that tangent make less sense the longer it went on?" Ace whispered to the other freshmen.
"I guess Pomefiore students really are a breed apart," Deuce mused.
"I dunno about that," Epel replied. "I'm a Pomefiore student and sometimes I can't make heads or tails of what my dormmates are on about."
"Well if you can't figure it out, what hope is there for the rest of us?" Grim remarked dryly.
"Heh. I'm sure you'll all grasp it eventually," Rook said. "You'll understand what I'm talking about when you meet someone who illuminates your life with their presence alone, much like a sunbeam reflecting off of glass."
His smirk widened as his keen eyes saw Ace and Jamil's gazes flick toward Devon for the briefest of moments.
After dinner, most of the VDC group opted to hang out in the hallway outside of their rooms, none of them quite ready to turn in for the evening while Vil was doing whatever Vil did in the evenings.
Ace heaved a sigh. "Hey, I know we just ate dinner and all, but is anyone else still hungry?"
"I know what you mean," Kalim agreed. "The food wasn't bad or anything, but it looks like going without the spicy punch or richness I'm used to will be a bigger adjustment than I thought."
"The dishes consisted of vegetables, fruits, and white meat chicken and the portions were reasonably sized too. But even so…" Jamil trailed off and let the rest of the sentence hang.
"Vil and Rook told us that this diet was supposed to help us build muscle as opposed to losing weight, right?" Deuce recalled.
"Yeah, but all those veggies were barely a meal to me," Grim complained, causing Rook to grin at him in amusement. "Dev and I aren't even competin' in this thing, so it wouldn't kill anyone to let us have some more meat, would it? Oooh, or maybe somethin' fried!"
Devon was about to respond when Regina called out to her, causing her to glance up toward the ceiling to listen before nodding turning toward the stairs. "'Scuse me for a sec, guys. Regina says we're about to have a visitor."
The words had barely left her mouth when the doorbell rang, prompting Kalim, Jamil, and Rook to stare after her with expressions ranging from intrigue (Rook) to amazement (Kalim) to mild suspicion (Jamil).
"Seriously? Who'd be payin' us a visit this late?" Grim asked as he followed Devon toward the stairs.
"Are you sure it's a good idea to answer the door?" Jamil asked Devon.
"If it was someone shady, Regina wouldn't have even let them through the gate," Devon replied before giving him a teasing look. "Or did you forget what happened when you tried to bring that tea to me over break?"
Jamil smirked back at her. "Fair enough. Do you at least know who it is?"
Devon paused as Regina answered. "One of the campus delivery ghosts, apparently. And Regina says y'all should probably come with me. Looks like we've got some boxes to bring in."
Everyone followed Devon and Grim down to the foyer. Sure enough, a ghost wearing a tattered blue and black shirt and cap was waiting on the other side of the door.
"Evenin', everyone! I've got a special delivery," the ghost greeted before taking a look at the clipboard in his hand. "Is there an Epel Felmier from Pomefiore staying here?"
"Yes, that's me," Epel replied as he stepped up next to Devon.
"Could I get ya to sign this for me?" the ghost asked as he handed Epel the clipboard. "I've got ten boxes here for you. Is it alright if I leave them here in the foyer?"
"Sure that's-" Epel began as he signed the form on the clipboard before passing it back to the ghost, only to cut himself off as the words sank in. "Wait, did you say ten?"
"Sure did," the ghost said, using magic to float the boxes into the foyer before checking his clipboard again. "Oh! It looks like the sender's name is Felmier too. A gift from your family, then?"
"Somethin' like that," Epel replied.
"These boxes are pretty heavy, so be careful when you're carryin' them," the ghost warned before tipping his hat to them. "Enjoy the rest of your evening."
"Just look at all these boxes…," Deuce commented as he nudged one of them with the toe of his shoe.
Epel was looking at the boxes with a mix of astonishment and horror. "Ahhh! These have gotta be from Meemaw-ah, I mean, from my grandmother." He sighed and shook his head. "I already told her over the phone that she didn't have to send all this."
"What's inside? Did she send you silks or other textiles from your home?" Kalim asked.
"Oh, it's not as fancy as all that," Epel replied. "See, my hometown specializes in apple-based goods. If I had to guess, I'd say this is probably all apple juice."
Ace let out an impressed whistle. "Dude! Forget the Mostro Lounge-we could open up our own juice bar with all this product!"
Epel blinked when he noticed a piece of paper sticking out of one of the boxes. "Hmm? Looks like there's a letter too…" He reached down to pull it out and read it. "Let's see… "We had some unsold stock that was nearing its sell-by date. Feel free to share it with your friends at school."" He let out a frustrated huff as he set the letter aside. "Fer cryin' out loud, Meemaw! Don't go pushin' yer stinkin' overstock on me!" He quickly cleared his throat. "I mean, I can't believe so much of this didn't sell."
"Your family must be pretty rich if they're able to send you all this," Deuce commented.
Epel blinked. "Wait, what?"
"Oh, I think I get it. Are you one of those people that sticks with their favorite brands for everything?" Ace asked.
"Oh no, it's not like that. You all are welcome to have some too," Epel answered. His smile widened with pride as he began his pitch. "It's 100% juice with no preservatives. It's loaded up with vitamins too, so Vil…probably won't yell at you for drinking it. It tastes real good too!"
Ace chuckled. "Heh. Spoken like someone who's pitchin' his favorite brand."
"Merci, Monsieur Crabapple," Rook said graciously. "I will happily accept! Please give your family my thanks."
"We need to move these boxes before we do anything else. We can't leave the foyer blocked off like this," Jamil reasoned before picking one up. "Let's at least get them to the lounge for now."
Everyone murmured in agreement before picking up a box of their own and heading toward the lounge, Regina manipulating the floor the move the ones they weren't able to carry so nobody had to make a second trip. There was no way all of them were going to fit in the refrigerator, so everyone carefully tucked all but one of them next to the doorway to the hall leading to the kitchen.
"Thanks for your help, everyone. I appreciate it," Epel said gratefully before gesturing to the box they hadn't tucked away yet. "In fact, why don't we all have some of this juice now? The citric acid and polyphenol in apples work wonders for fatigue, so it's the perfect drink after a hard day of rehearsals. At least, that's my opinion."
Deuce knelt down to open the box, pulling out one of the juice bottles inside and opening it. "Oh wow," he said, inhaling deeply. "I can already smell that tangy apple aroma and all I did was open it."
"My, how lovely!" Rook commented as he picked up a bottle of his own. "I shall partake as well." He opened the bottle and took a drink. "This is absolutely exquisite! C'est bon!"
"Let me try some too!" Kalim chimed in as everyone else grabbed a juice bottle. He grinned after taking a sip. "Oh wow, that is good! It's like I'm drinking an apple in liquid form!"
Jamil gave Kalim a flat look. "Well yeah, that's literally what drinking 100% apple juice means." His expression softened as he took a drink as well. "This juice really is quite good, though."
"You're not kiddin'!" Grim agreed, having already chugged his own bottle. "I could probably polish all of these boxes off myself!"
"C'mon Grim, at least take a second to savor it!" Deuce chided.
Ace chuckled. "Heh. Can't blame him for wanting to chug it, though. This stuff goes down great!"
"It strikes the perfect balance between sweet and tart-as refreshing as a pleasant breeze blowing through an orchard!" Rook gushed. "I can tell this juice was made with plenty of love. A true masterpiece!"
Epel's chest puffed up with pride. "Isn't it, though? This juice is the pride of my hometown and it's made from a blend of several types of apples. Add a little honey and it's great for soothing your throat, too! It's perfect after a day of vocal practice. Oh, and of course the apples are delicious even before they're made into juice, too!"
Rook laughed good-naturedly. "Ha ha ha! It's nice to hear you speak with such enthusiasm, Monsieur Crabapple. It's clear you carry a great deal of pride in your hometown."
The other freshmen exchanged glances; Epel's pride in his village and the goods they made wasn't news to any of them. He was always happy to share the surplus produce his family sent him, but it was becoming clear to them that he didn't (or wasn't able to) speak as freely at Pomefiore as he did when the group had their Squad Hangs at Ramshackle.
Epel's smile faltered. "Of course I'm proud but… Well, I don't know if it's because we're just a tiny backwater village in the northern part of the Shaftlands or what, but our products just aren't very well-known."
Kalim blinked. "Really? That's such a shame, especially considering how good this juice is."
"Since we're so remote, we usually have to rely on tourists to spread the word, but lately we've been getting fewer and fewer tourists every year," Epel continued. "At the rate things are going…"
The sound of heels against Ramshackle's wood floors kept Epel from finishing his thought and Vil appeared in the doorway to the lounge a moment later. "Just how long are you all planning to congregate here, hm?" He glanced over and took note of the boxes stacked just inside the doorway, giving them an uncertain look. "And what are all these boxes doing here?"
"Epel's family sent him some apple juice and he was kind enough to share his bounty with us," Rook supplied.
"I-It doesn't have any added sugars or preservatives!" Epel jumped in quickly, not trying to draw Vil's ire again. "And it's not going to last for much longer, so you're welcome to have some too, Vil. If you'd like."
"Hmm." Vil hummed in consideration before picking up a bottle and inspecting the label carefully. "Perhaps if the mood strikes me. But for now, it's almost 10pm. That means lights out for you spudlings."
"You expect us to go to bed at 10pm?!" Ace asked incredulously. "We aren't grade-schoolers, y'know!"
"The fact that you're equating an early bedtime with being a child tells me otherwise," Vil shot back. "If you want to keep your hair and skin in the best possible shape, you need a minimum of seven hours of sleep." He turned to address the rest of the group. "Which brings me to the reason I came to find you all. There's something I need to ask you…"
Ending Notes: I keep rewatching the newest Helluva Boss episode because that duet between Fizz and Asmodeus reminds me of Idia and Dom or Devon and Leona. Fizz and Ozz are quickly becoming my favorite characters, so I might just be projecting Dom and Idia onto them but their relationship is so sweet! I could also see (older, like in their 20s) Devon and Madison as Glitz and Glam, respectively, performing 'Klown Bitch' together. I'm really excited to write them finally starting to reconcile but first something needs to happen about the simmering tension in Ramshackle.
Thank you all so much for reading! As always, feedback and constructive criticism are welcome. Geekinthepink, out!