Chapter 8: The ONLY Way to Succeed

"Great. Juuust Great," Leona says, shocked.

Walking into the lounge, it's Vil and Professor Crewel.

"Vil!" Briar says, surprised.

Even Kalim is surprised, "And Professor Crewel!"

"You'll be the stars of the fashion show with our support," Vil says and turns to the professor, "Isn't that right, Professor Crewel?"

"But of course, Schoenheit," Crewel says.

Then the two begin laughing, "Ha ha ha!"

Ruggie is shocked, "Hoo boy. What a pair to bring."

Leone turns to Jamil, "Jamil, do you have ANY idea what you've signed us up for?"

"Look. I wasn't exactly keen on this myself. Vil is a top model, and Professor Crewel is a fashion maven in his own right. Yes, they're going to run us ragged if we have them as coaches. But getting their help is the ONLY way to succeed. Period. Otherwise, we amateurs will just embarrass ourselves on stage, guaranteed," Jamil says.

"No wonder Scarabia's the dorm of mindfulness. You really are willing to go to any heights to achieve a goal," Ruggie says.

Then Vil says, "Your aim is to keep the queen's—no, the entire venue's—gazes riveted upon you, and steal the tiara while doing so. I call it: Operation Steal the Show. And steal you shall...or my name isn't Vil Schoenheit!"

After a moment of silence, Leona asks, "...Can I go home yet?"

"Leona," Briar says, rolling her eyes.

Just then, Crewel says, "All right. First off, we'll need to ensure you're all properly dressed. Everybody gets a fitting."

"Really? Even the ones not in the show?" Ruggie asks.

Then Crewel says, "You still have to blend in with the fairies at the gala. I'm not about to let my pups show up to a formal affair dirty and ungroomed. Rejoice, for the most fitting attire you could wear to this party will be selected… by YOURS TRULY!"

Sometime later, in the Pomefiore Dorm's Ballroom…

Those who are participating in the show and in the infiltration, are now dressed in their outfit. Even Briar and Sereia are wearing white dress forms of the clothes the boys are wearing. They're decorated with some gold, silver, and even flowers.

"What do you think? Are they looking sufficiently well-groomed?" Crewel asks.

"I have to hand it to you, Professor Crewel. The outfits have deliberately muted colors to better highlight the beauty of the wearers, giving them a stoic, mysterious look. Yet the loose sleeves and untucked shirts retain a certain rugged air—windswept indeed," Vil complements.

"Heh. It's nice having a proper fashionista here to save me a lengthy breakdown," Crewel says.

"You threw more outfits on us than I could count. Put something on, take something off, repeat ad nauseum…" Jamil says.

"That was more tiring than Spelldrive training," Ruggie says.

"You think? This is pretty normal when having outfits tailored," Leona says and turns to Leona, "Right, Leona?"

"Pretty much," Leona replies.

Sereia smiles, "I really like this dress. There are so many flowers."

"This ribbon feels weird," Grim says.

Then Sereia turns to Briar, "But you look very pretty Briar."

"Thank you. I have to admit, this is different than I'm used to, but it looks very nice," Briar says. "I'm glad we've settled on our attire okay."

Then Vil says, "Don't relax just a silk shirt can look like a paper bag if the one wearing it doesn't move with beauty and grace. If you want to achieve an attention-grabbing performance at a fashion show, you'll need two things: A beautiful walk, and a beautiful performance. Let's see how well the lot of you can strut."

"You just want us to walk? I can do that in my sleep," Leona says.

But then Jamil says, "I feel like walking is a lot harder to figure out when trying to do it as a conscious action."

"Jamil is right, Leona. We're supposed to walk down a runway in our clothes and present it to everyone. I'm honestly nervous about this," Briar says.

And then Kalim says, "Don't psych yourself out! Just relax and put one foot ahead of the other."

"If you say so," Briar says.

Soon, Vil plays the music and the four begin walking down the ballroom like they're in a fashion show. Briar has to admit, being in a show is making her anxious, but getting the magestone back is very important.