CHAPTER 23: I KNOW HOW YOU FEEL
Today was Sunday. A week from the Hallowgrim party.
It was a day off from classes, and Ace would've loved to spend the day goofing off and doing whatever he felt like. But he couldn't. Because today was one of Heartslabyul's many unbirthday parties.
When Ace's older brother, a Heartslabyul graduate, told him all about the Queen of Hearts' dorm, Ace was excited about the idea. A dorm with crazy rules and frequent tea parties? It sounded like a blast! But then Ace actually got into Heartslabyul and… well, it was nowhere as cool or fun as he thought it would be.
Not only was Riddle Rosehearts always strict about the Queen's rules, but the unbirthday parties themselves were not whimsical chaos as they appeared on the surface. Everything had to be prepared in a specific way. The flamingos and hedgehogs needed to be prepped for the croquet match, all the desserts and teas had to be just right, and everyone within the dorm who didn't have a birthday today needed to be present. Even though Riddle had lightened up considerably since the start of the year, it didn't make the constant partying any more tolerable. It was all so tedious.
"Alright then," Riddle announced. "Now that everything is in order, I declare the beginning of our unbirthday party!" Several Heartslabyuls cheered and made toasts with their teacups, and Ace followed the motion out of rote.
"You okay, Ace?" Deuce whispered at his side.
"Dude, this is so dull," Ace whispered back. "I'm getting sick of this stuff."
"I know, but… we have to," Deuce replied. "And hey, if you have to do something over and over again… parties aren't the worst duties to perform, right?"
"Takes all the fun out of a party, though," Ace mumbled before he sipped his tea. His red eyes roamed around the rose garden, looking for a certain someone… until she finally appeared.
"Sorry we're late!" Jill Bones cried, and she rushed into the garden with Grim at her side.
"Sleeping Plain Jane here made us late," Grim explained. "Can we still come in and have some snacks?"
"There you two are," Trey said. "Usually it's against the rules to permit any late guests… but we can make an exception for you two."
"It's not like you to be late," Riddle said. "Did you bring an offering to apologize?"
"Apologize?" Grim repeated like he'd never heard the word.
"Oh, right, almost forgot about that rule…" Jill's hand was behind her back, and she held it out to reveal a black thornless rose. "Will this suffice, Riddle?"
"A black rose?" Riddle frowned. "I'm afraid that won't do… we only permit white or red roses…"
"It's cute the way it is," Cater said. "But we can change it up a little to match the party, right?"
"Yes, we can do that," Riddle agreed. He took the rose and ran some magic through it, turning the petals from black to red. Ace thought that the rose didn't need to change, and given the forced smile on Jill's face, she thought the same.
Riddle placed the rose in a small cup of water. "There," he said. "Now you and Grim can join us in the party. We've just begun, so please take a seat and a plate."
There was no room at Ace's table—it was taken up by other Heartslabyuls. So Jill and Grim had to sit at a smaller table by themselves, with teacups and plates in hand.
As soon as the party recommenced, Ace and Deuce got up and walked towards Jill's table.
"Happy unbirthday," she greeted kindly. "Goodness, we're getting old fast, aren't we? With so many unbirthdays…"
"Tell me about it," Ace chuckled half-heartedly.
"We're glad you could make it," Deuce said. "But are you okay? You're usually not one to sleep in."
"What, I can't have my beauty rest once in a while?" Jill asked.
"She's tired cuz she's up all night workin' on something," Grim said through mouthfuls of cake. "It's a secret surprise for me!"
"Yes…" Jill frowned and took a sip of tea. "That cherry pie looks good, I'm going for another plate." And then she stiffly got up and went to the main table without another word.
"So she seems okay… kind of," Deuce said. "Hopefully she'll find some help soon. I know how it feels to miss your home and parents…"
"She'll be fine. Jill's tough like that," Ace said. "She's lasted this long, right?" But he was telling only half the truth. The bags under her eyes, her slower movements… Jill was trying to be strong, but it was taking a toll.
"Oh, Jill," Trey mentioned to her. "Che'nya was telling me and Riddle that Royal Sword will be accepting female students next year. They even did a tour for a group of future girl applicants, and gave them custom Royal Sword outfits."
"Oh, really? I hadn't heard of that," Jill said lightly.
"Maybe you inspired RSA," Cater said. "Just think, J-Bones, we might have Night Raven girls at this rate."
"What, more Jills?" Ace joked, turning towards the main group. "Isn't one bad enough?"
"Hey, I need female friends!" Jill said facetiously. "Who else will braid my hair and paint my toenails?"
"I thought that was what Grim was for," Deuce joked.
"Hey! If there's gonna be more students, they'll all be under me!" Grim huffed.
Jill and Ace laughed. For a moment, it felt like things were back to normal… though there was a ripple of tension under the surface.
He didn't want to admit it. Ace always kept his cards close to his chest, never letting himself be vulnerable. But… there was something about Jill that he liked. Not at first, of course—she was so panicky and defensive on her first day, like a frightened hedgehog. But when she finally let her guard down and spent more time around Ace, he could see new things about her. Her creativity, her drive, the way her grayish eyes sparkled when she talked about something exciting…
Don't think about her like that, Ace scolded himself. He only had one relationship back in middle school, and he had dumped the girl as soon as he got tired of her. Deep down, he felt terrible about it in hindsight. He promised that if he ever started dating anyone, it would have to be with someone he liked enough to never grow tired of. Ace wasn't sure if Jill would fill that role. Not when she was homesick.
It would be cool if she stayed in Night Raven, but she did have a home and family far away. Maybe Crowley could adjust the Dark Mirror so that Jill could visit her town for days off and holidays, like everyone else? That would be the best compromise—
"BOO!" Jill grabbed Ace by the back of his shirt.
Ace snorted and turned to face her with a sneer. "Not even close," he said. "You'll have to try harder than that to scare me, Jill."
Jill scoffed, then her playful smile lowered into a tired one. She looked around, where the croquet was being set up on the other side of the garden. Some Heartslabyuls held back, but most of them were helping Riddle get the hedgehogs and flamingos in place.
"This dorm is so crazy and colorful," Jill said quietly. "But it gets really dull doing this all the time, huh?"
"Absolutely," Ace admitted. "Like being a performer, doing the same routine over and over…"
"I know how you feel," Jill said. And then her smile, her mask, finally slipped away.
"Jill—" But before Ace could continue, he was interrupted.
"Jill!" Riddle called out. "The first match of the day should be between you and me!"
"Coming, Riddle!" Jill said. Her smiling mask was back in place. "Sorry, Ace, we'll have to talk some other time. I'll see you later!" She nodded, then ran off towards Riddle.
What was that all about? Was that some kind of cry for help? Or just a lapse in her good mood? Ace wasn't sure.
For the rest of the party, Ace was unable to be alone with Jill again. After the croquet matches were over, everything had to be put away, and Jill wasn't allowed to help. She left with Grim, apologizing for being late and promising she'd be on time for the next unbirthday party.
Ace volunteered to clean up the flowers. He took all the roses out of their water cups, and with a little bit of flora magic, he replanted the flowers into the heart-shaped hedges. All but one.
He remembered Jill's rose—the one sitting all by itself, the late one that had to be changed…
As soon as he took the single flower out of its cup, he used a sleight of hand to hide it in his sleeve.
Then once Ace's chores were finished and he was alone in his room, he took the flower out. With a burst of color-change magic, the red petals reverted back to black. Ace couldn't give it back to Jill; that would be awkward. So instead, he hid the black rose inside one of his drawers. He knew it would die without water, but dried roses were pretty cool too. Jill would agree.
As Ace got ready for Basketball Club practice, he tried to ignore the knot in his stomach.
Jill would be okay. He knew her well enough to know that… but he also knew her well enough to know that she never gave up on something she wanted.
Author's Note: Yep, this is my ship! I'll have to update my story description. Hopefully Ace can stop Jill's skullduggery.