Fandom The Gathering of Death Eater Children

[Hikari Chan]

Aislinn opened her eyes, staring at the white ceiling above her. First, she did not know where she was. Her throat was dry, and her body was stiff as she suddenly tried to move. She clutched her hands into fists, crumbling and wrinkling the thin bed cover. A healer quickly approached and helped her when she tried to sit up.

Aislinn looked confused at the healer and opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was barely a whisper. Aislinn noticed she was still wearing the black bridesmaid gown, which she had worn to Luna's wedding, but at first, she did not recognize her surroundings. There was a single black rose on her bedside table. Aislinn looked frantically around, her eyes widening in surprise when she noticed August Dolohov, who had sent a Patronus message to alert the Minister of Magic. But what nearly took her breath away was seeing the person she never had expected to see.

Sherwood was still unconscious, lying on the second bed just beside hers. The bed curtains were pulled so the morning sun would shine across his peacefully looking face.

Aislinn frowned, slightly remembering that she had not seen him at the wedding. Her head hurt as she tried to remember what exactly had happened after she had left with Alastair. The last thing she slowly remembered was Alastair's confession, and then her mind went blank. She could not remember how she had met Sherwood or ended up in St. Mungos. Recalling Alastair's confession, Aislinn felt sick all of a sudden and had the urge to throw up, but her stomach was empty, which made
the nauseous feeling much worse. The healer noticed Aislinn was not feeling well and gave her a goblet of potion for nausea and another for a calming effect.

A while later, Aislinn was escorted home in the Ministry of Magic's fleet of cars. When she saw the manor in front of her, she started to cry and refused to go home. The minister was confused. He had told her about the accident she had been through, that she had been unconscious for about two weeks since his son's wedding, that her family had been very worried about her and hence he would escort her home in the first place. However, she had not been listening since she could not focus on the present. Her mind was still processing the last conversation she had with Alastair. But when she saw the manor, she was brought back to reality.

"Oh please," Aislinn begged, her voice trembling. "I can't..." Her voice choked in the tears that were streaming down her face. Then she whispered: "I am not ready to face anyone after what happened..." I am not ready to face anyone in my family after Alastair ended our relationship. I do not care about what they think, but I do not have the energy to argue with them about Alastair, and I need time to process everything...She thought for herself. "I need some time alone...and I know a place where I can stay..." She added with a steadier voice after a couple of minutes.

"Fine. You do as you wish," Alexander spoke quietly. He sighed inwardly, wondering how he would help Edward, who had asked him to arrange something so that he could meet his daughter. It turned out to be much more complicated than Alexander had thought.

"May you escort me to a place further away, please? So I can apparate in peace..." ...it is still too early, so everyone is probably still asleep...but I prefer to be as far away from the manor as possible.

The fleet of cars turned around, drove back to the main road and drove until they pulled into an almost empty parking near a churchyard.

"It would be great if you could visit your family for Christmas..." Alexander spoke again just when Aislinn was about to leave. She froze, wondering if he had guessed that she already had plans to leave the country to get somewhere far away. But he had not read her mind. He was still thinking about the promise to her father but did not know how to break the news to her. An awkward silence filled the atmosphere inside the car. Alexander debated if the current moment was right to tell her about her father, while Aislinn was not in the right mood to meet her family. She was thinking about her grandmother and her second cousin Vincent. Vincent would probably taunt her for choosing Alastair over him and end up with a broken engagement. Her grandmother would probably berate her for not being a proper lady enough for Mr Divilliers. I would rather not deal with family drama on Christmas.

"There is something I need to tell you. Perhaps it is not the right time or place to tell you this. However, I should not postpone such important news for you," Alexander was the one who broke the silence. He had decided to tell since he could not stand Edward nagging him and asking him every once a day if his daughter had finally woken up. Aislinn was half listening. ”After we all managed to take over the wizarding world, defeating the Phoenix of Order and Dumbledore's Army, a lot of past death eaters who had fled and gone into hiding after the second wizarding war, finally left their hiding places and came back to us."

Aislinn rolled her eyes and wondered why on earth the minister was telling this to her now. It had been long since she, along with Luna and everyone else in their team, had stormed the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts. Aislinn did not care who had left their hiding places after those events. She just wanted to be left alone and process everything about the recent events she had been through after the wedding, and also have some good food to fill her empty stomach and a goblet of firewhiskey to comfort herself. Just as she climbed out of the car, she heard the minister telling her that someone related to her had just returned after hiding for years after the second wizarding war. She slammed the car door and wondered what she would do first. To have a hot bath and change her clothes at a muggle hotel or eat some food at a nearby restaurant? She thought Alastair might be at Luna's residence, and Aislinn wanted to avoid him at all costs. She was not ready to deal with the aftermath of their last conversation. But what if I bump into that relative of mine in the muggle area of London? She thought but suddenly froze, wondering who this long-lost relative could be. She recalled what the minister had told her a minute ago. So someone related to me has been hiding for years to avoid getting caught by the authorities and has returned after we defeated the P.O and D.A.? Who on earth could it be...? She jumped at the noise of her wand hitting the ground when she accidentally dropped it. She bent down and picked up her wand. That old hag McGonnagal told me my parents had died during the second wizarding war, and she never mentioned anything about my vampire relatives. If she hid the fact about my vampire relatives, then she could have lied about my parents for all I know. Could it be what I really suspect? Aislinn closed her eyes and took a deep breath of the ice-cold winter air, trying to calm down as her heart started beating faster. Plans changed! I will go straight to the Ministry of Magic and try to meet up with the minister and ask him more questions about this relative of mine.

Aislinn arrived in the atrium hall of the Ministry of Magic. Some wizards and witches who walked past stared at her. She just glared back at them until they looked away. She suddenly saw a familiar figure walking towards the golden gates at the far end of the atrium hall. She hid behind a statue out of habit and wondered at the same time why she was hiding. He had not even noticed her. A good old friend of my parents? That is what he said when he introduced himself to me at the wedding. Could he possibly have been close to them, like a relative? But my parents were the only ones from my family who joined the late Dark Lord, and none of my parents did have a sister or brother. Did one of them have a human cousin...? Ugh, I am not getting any smart on this. Aislinn nearly pulled her hair in frustration, feeling that just trying to figure things out herself would not give her any straight answers. Plans changed again. I will ask this so-called old friend of my parents instead of trying to find the minister to find out the truth.

"Hey!" Aislinn called out as she left her hiding place and rushed towards the golden gates. "Hey, mister!"

It was a bit crowded in the Atrium Hall, and she could have called on anyone all in vain, not because he was too far away to hear her, but because he was not the only mister among the wizards in the Atrium Hall. The wizards and witches closest to Aislinn turned around and looked at her, wondering who she was calling on. She tried to run in her long bridesmaid dress towards the golden gates. As soon she had reached the gates, Aislinn entered the smaller hall, where there were at least twenty lifts behind wrought golden grilles. But the masked wizard was nowhere to be seen.

"Uh...," Aislinn looked around her and asked aloud among the chatty wizards and witches: ”Has anyone seen the gentleman wearing a mask?" She was trying to catch her breath, looking wild with her messy hair, hair strands plastered all over her sweaty face and cheeks red as a tomato. It suddenly got quiet, and they glanced oddly at her. "Do any of you know at which department I can find him?" She clarified and combed her messy hair with her fingers to make herself look neat.

"Gentleman?" One middle-aged witch exclaimed rudely, wrinkling her nose. "I would not call someone who smells of firewhiskey around the clock a gentleman..." She snorted.

Another witch muttered loud enough for Aislinn to hear her calling the masked man crazy because she had heard him talking to himself behind the door to his office.

Aislinn lost her patience. She set off a jinx by mistake when she flicked with her wand angrily. It was colourless, yet it gave off a crackling sound against the golden metal bars of the wrought grilles as the jinx went in a zigzag around her and randomly hit any inanimate object in the hall. She stood still, but it caused a great commotion. Some crouched down in fear to avoid getting hit by the jinx. Some were quicker and drew out their wands and cast protego around themselves and counterspells to ward off the jinx. Other wizards and witches, who were entering the hall and leaving the lifts, were caught up in a surprise, stopped abruptly, and literary tripped on their steps.

"I demand to know at which department the masked gentleman works!" Aislinn spoke with a superior tone, stressing every syllable of the word gentleman. She looked at everyone around her with a threatening look that told them if none answered her at this instant, she would probably burn down the place.

"...the...the......dragons...," one of the wizards, still crouching, stammered.

"What?" Aislinn looked dumbfounded. So, this old friend of my parents works with dragons? Is there a department specializing in dragons?...
Such as an office for dragonologists, just like there used to be an office for Aurors? She scratched her head in confusion. The employees of the Ministry of Magic started to move carefully, either entering or leaving through the golden gates and the lifts. She entered one of the lifts with everyone else and stared at the list with numbered floors. "...oh, of course, it should be this one..." She chuckled, not realizing that she was talking out loud and that some were staring oddly at her. She pressed the button for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.

So, he must be a dragonologist since he works with dragons. And apparently, he loves firewhiskey and talks to himself. Aislinn realized that this mysterious friend of her parents was strangely similar to her. For a mere second, she thought he might be her older brother, but she dismissed the thought immediately. She remembered when she was down among the archives in the Ministry of Magic, looking for clues about her family on her father's side. It was after she had met her grandmother for the first time. There was no information about a possible brother in the listed archives. Besides, Aislinn's grandmother would have told her if she had had any brother or sister. She knew she was the only child of her parents. But I have not looked in the archived list of the Gaunt family, Aislinn realized just as she arrived at the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. She walked and looked around for a while, debating if she should return to the lift and go to the archives. She noticed all the doors, but one had name plates. She did not recognize any of the names at the doors to the offices, but she was more curious about the one without a nameplate and decided to try that one first. She knocked softly. There was no answer. She knocked at the door again, harder this time. Still, there was no answer. She felt the door handle. It was, of course, locked, which was not surprising. Suddenly, a door at the far end of the corridor opened. Aislinn unlocked the one in front of her with a quick and silent alohomora and hurried inside without thinking. Aislinn closed the door, hoping that one employee leaving the office had not seen her. She looked around in the moderately small office room with its simple furniture and a small window. Her eyes fell on the three small cactus plants on the window sill. She wrinkled her nose, wondering who this crazy person was who liked to have stingy plants as decorations. A squeaking sound made her almost jump out of her place. Behind the wooden desk was something covered with a silky black cloth. It seemed to have the shape of a birdcage. Aislinn looked suspiciously at it for a mere second. She had a gut feeling that the sound was from that spot. Another squicky sound confirmed her gut feeling. She raised her wand and waved it towards the direction of the cloth. It fell to the floor, revealing a hatchling of the Peruvian Vipertooth breed in a cage. It squeaked.

"Oh.." Aislinn laughed. "Merlin's beard, you are so cute," She said to the hatchling, momentarily forgetting why she was at the Ministry of Magic. She walked over to the cage, and when she picked up a pair of dragon gloves from the desk, her eyes fell on some paperwork. She was curious and could not help but skim through a large piece of parchment at the top of the messy paperwork on the desk. She dropped the dragon gloves on the floor. The time suddenly stood still, and she was not hearing the squeaking hatchling. She picked up one piece of paperwork after another with shaking hands, staring at the signature of Edward Monroe at the bottom of every parchment. His handwriting was clear and steady with evenly shaped letters.

My eyes are not deceiving me, are they? Aislinn felt dizzy. She drew out the chair and sat down to calm down a bit. Let me think rationally. I need to get down to the archives and check the files of my family name to confirm one thing. She took a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling, before standing up. She put the chair back and picked up the gloves from the floor. She tried to place everything as it was at the desk. That was when she came across a small leather-bound journal with worn edges. She thought it was a diary containing some secrets, though it turned out to be a photo album with animated pictures and a couple of love letters. Aislinn's eyes widened in shock when she saw how strikingly alike she was to a young woman in the photos. The difference between the young woman and Aislinn was the woman's partly scarred face and long hair. Even if Aislinn knew she should not poke anymore, she could not help but give the love letters a quick look. She also noticed the same signature at the bottom of some letters. She dropped everything, the journal with the photos and all at the desk. A stir of emotions emerged inside her. She looked at the cute squeaking hatchling. Without hesitation, she opened the cage and grabbed the hatchling gently with her bare hands. She held it close to her chest, caressing it with such affection. Everything that had been happening from her last conversation with Alastair until now had become too much of a burden. She was unaware of the hot stream of tears running down her cheeks, and she had forgotten that she should not touch a dragon, even a hatchling, without dragon gloves. At the same time, she had no idea that she was immune to dragon pox.

All of a sudden, Aislinn heard footsteps nearing, and before she could react, the door to the office opened. She looked up in panic. She had forgotten to lock the door behind her. But even if she had remembered to do that, it would have been in all vain. The one she was half unexpecting and expecting to see would have unlocked the door anyway. Aislinn was quick enough to apparate away, far enough to run inside a lift. However, she had taken the hatchling with her, unaware it was wearing a tracking charm on its left leg. Still clutching the squeaking hatchling, she looked for the floor of archives among the listed floors. She pressed the button to floor FC4½.

He appeared just before me, but I could not bring myself to ask him the questions I had in mind. I need to check the registry of witches and wizards in Great Britain first.

"Seriously, did that old fool Shadowwalker tell her to find me in my office? Why did he not alert me beforehand? And she took the hatchling!" Edward was feeling aghast, astonished and shocked. The last thing he would expect was finding his daughter poking about in his office. Edward snatched a bottle of antidote for dragon pox, the cage and his dragon gloves. Then he hurried after her, following the tracking charm attached to the hatchling. "Merlin's hairy beard! First, she gets herself into an accident that nearly kills her, and now she has to touch that hatchling without the gloves. Does she have a death wish?!"

This time, it was easier to enter the archives. There were no guards. However, little did Aislinn know that the entrance was charmed with a trapping charm. Anyone who was not allowed inside would be trapped. Aislinn only had her mind on checking her family name, and she had no idea that the Ministry of Magic restricted the entrance to the archives because of the findings of five non-registered sorceresses in their community. However, she was lucky since she was one of the few allowed inside the archives. This time, Aislinn ran among the shelves. She did not care about the mess she made when scrolls fell to the floor from the shelves while picking out the scroll she was looking for. She let go of the hatchling that started to run around inside the archives like a lost little chick looking for its mummy.

Aislinn could not take her eyes from the parchment she was holding. She tried to process the fact that her father was very much alive. She tried to remember how she could have missed such a crucial detail when she had checked the list of her paternal family tree the first time.

"Looking for something, young lady?"

Aislinn nearly jumped as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She dropped the parchment she had been holding.

"Tsk...making a mess in my office, and now a mess in the archives. You know, you are not exactly being stealthy," Edward remarked, wondering who his daughter had taken after since he was not clumsy. But he regretted the moment he had uttered his words when he saw the heavy tears rolling down her cheeks. Feeling deeply ashamed for making her cry, Edward began apologizing. Noticing that she was unresponsive and did not stop crying, he fell silent and embraced her instead.

To his relief and surprise, she stopped crying. He was worried that she would push him away, but she did not. There was a feeling of a familiar nostalgic comfort in his embrace. She could not put a finger on it, but she could vaguely remember it from her childhood. And he does not smell like firewhiskey at all. There is this familiar and nostalgic earthy smell of a crisp frosty winter forest...

”So, how did you find my office?” Edward asked carefully, closing the door to his office. He gestured towards an armchair, inviting Aislinn to sit.

When she did not answer, he changed his question: ”Did someone tell you where to find me?”

She shook her head, looking down at her feet. A long silence filled in as he observed her closely while preparing a large cup of hot chocolate. He had noticed the hollow look in her eyes for a moment. It was so clear on her face that she was heartbroken.

"Did I upset you?" He asked quietly after what felt like ten minutes had passed. He handed her the cup.

She shook her head again. He sighed with relief yet he could not relax until he knew why she had gotten into the horrible accident that had sent her unconscious to St. Mungos.

"Did someone else upset you?"

She did not reply, neither with a headshake or head nod. However, he noticed how she clutched her cup and the sudden twitch in her eyes.

…So, someone did upset her, He thought, but ceased to ask more questions even if he was dying inside to know who had upset her. I will wait until she is ready to speak…
“Listen, I have a lot of work to do. You are welcome to stay here today if you wish. I will be in and out of the office, though, of course, I will be here if you need anything,” He took off his cloak and put it around her so she would feel more comfortable in the armchair. He could have conjured up a duvet. However, giving his cloak as a comforter instead would give her more comfort and the feeling that he was always close by whenever she needed him. “But, please, for the love of the late Dark Lord, do not touch the hatchling without dragon gloves, let alone let it out from its cage. The hatchling is not mine. I only borrowed it for the time being for a little mission, and I need to return it after the holidays."

Seeing the serious look she gave him, he hoped she had taken his words with all seriousness.

As soon as Aislinn was left alone, she put the cup with hot chocolate on the floor and stood up. She looked at the cloak that fell off her shoulders. She picked it up and took a deep smell, the familiar smell of an earthy and crisp winter day. She brushed away the tears that suddenly started to emerge. She put on the cloak and finished the hot chocolate to comfort herself. But somehow, she felt fidgety in the office and could not relax in the armchair. But as soon she stepped out into the corridor, she returned to the office. She walked around the office, examining mundane details of the interior until she got bored. She found a thick book that listed every breed of dragon with detailed descriptions. She sat down by the desk and started to read. It helped her to take her mind off Alastair for a while, and she was soon so engulfed by the book that she lost track of the time.

”…Aislinn…Aislinn…”

Aislinn woke up with a start when she heard a familiar voice calling out to her. She noticed that she had fallen asleep while reading. It had turned dark, and she looked around, wondering where she was. She almost got scared when she saw a masked man seated in a chair on the other side of the desk. It took her a while to recognize her surroundings and remember everything that had happened before she fell asleep. She felt groggy and thought her father was telling her she should leave, but he was actually telling her that he had finished his work. She returned the book she had been reading and hurried to leave the office but turned back to return his cloak. She abruptly bumped into him.

”You can keep my cloak,” Edward laughed, catching Aislinn in his arms as she nearly lost her balance and stumbled on his feet, and then he added: ”And you can have this one as well,” He gave her the book she had been reading. Before she could react, he put his left arm around her shoulder and led the way until they were both outside the Ministry of Magic. As Aislinn was thinking of a way to excuse herself for tonight, she looked confused at her father when he handed her a helmet after duplicating his into two.

”We are going home,” Edward explained, gesturing at his motorcycle.
Aislinn shook her head and stepped away from him, hugging the book about the dragon species tighter.
"Oh...would you prefer a different travelling method?"
When she just avoided eye contact and did not answer, he asked:
”Don’t you want to go home to grandmother?”
She shook her head.
”Did she upset you?” He asked, remembering that someone had upset his daughter.
Aislinn shook her head again.
”Did Vincent upset you?”
She shook her head again.
”Did anyone else in the family upset you,” Edward tried to keep his calm and patient composure. Inside, he was starting to feel furious because Aislinn was being quiet. He wished she would speak to him, to tell him everything. However, she shook her head once again. ...Perhaps if I took off my mask, it would make her speak...I have not taken off my mask all day...and perhaps seeing my face would make her more comfortable I hope...

”Fine, what about we have dinner at a nice restaurant first?" He suggested tentatively. "I bet you are hungry, aren't you? And your grandmother isn’t the best cook, I know,” He laughed.

Aislinn wanted to protest, but before she had time to react, she found herself at a table for two with her father in a restaurant just across the street in front of the Ministry of Magic. I am hungry, but I don’t have any appetite. She stared down at the menu. I will only have some soup... she thought, but after she had placed her order, she got not only tomato soup but also two pieces of buttered toast to have with the soup, a large slice of chocolate cake as dessert and a goblet of pumpkin juice.

Aislinn was caught off guard by this gesture of her father. She slowly picked up her spoon and started to stir the soup. She tried not to stare at him when she noticed him taking off his mask and placing it on the table. Then, her eyes wandered to the human meal he had ordered for himself. While she tried remembering what Vincent had told about dhampirs' nourishment during the guest lecture at Hogwarts, her eyes fell on the crystal bottle containing firewhiskey.

Aislinn opened her eyes, looking at a white high ceiling above her. Her head hurt, and she wondered if the meeting with her father had been an odd dream. ...of course, it must have been a dream...hot tears started to roll down her cheeks. ...but his embrace felt so real...She forced herself to sit up. To her dismay, she discovered she was not wearing the black bridesmaid gown but wearing her white nightgown.

Aislinn looked around in panic, wondering what was going on with her. She panicked even more to the extent that she started hyperventilating when she discovered that she was in her bedroom at her grandmother's place.

However, Aislinn managed to calm down when she saw the book her father had given her yesterday. The book was on her bedside table, and his cloak neatly folded on a chair in her bedroom. She breathed out in relief. ...so yesterday was not a dream...he is real...my father is real... She thought, but suddenly, her happy mood went downhill. She clearly remembered that she had refused his offer of taking her home. What scared her was that she could not remember anything after what happened after she drank fire whiskey at the dinner last night. ...did he lace my food with the sleep draught, or did he tamper with my memories...? She thought, feeling hurt and angry.

Aislinn hurried out of her bed, groaning because of her headache. She quickly splashed some ice-cold water on her face and brushed her teeth. Then she changed her nightgown to the attire she had worn to her last meeting with the others at Hogwarts: dress pants and shirt with a frilled collar, a short black wool jacket with decorative silver hook buttons, a pair of high-heeled boots that reached above her knees, a rounded cloak, a pair of leather gloves, and a hat, everything in black. She did not put on any make-up and grabbed her wand, avoiding glancing at her hollow and thin face in the floor-length mirror.

...I need to see both Crystal and Luna...I never responded to the message Crystal sent me through the emerald...and Raven...Aislinn left her room as quietly as she could. It was eleven o'clock, according to the clock on her bedroom wall, and hence she hurried to get out of the manor while her family were still asleep. Aislinn tried not to run down the stairs as she descended them. She was thankful for the carpets that covered the floor and the steps, or her heels would have caused a loud clicking sound against the bare floor.

"Aislinn...?" A familiar voice called out to Aislinn just when she reached the front doors at the end of the hall. She turned around and stared in horror.
"Morning, pumpkin." Edward grinned, flashing his fangs. He was wearing a pink apron which made a weird contrast to his black dress pants and white shirt, dark eyes and slick-back hair. "I made some lovely breakfast for you," He said as he walked closer and stopped just three feet from her. He had folded up his sleeves, so that faint scar of the death-eater mark was noticeable. He was holding a greasy spatula with his right hand and there was a faint smell of fried eggs and bacon.

Aislinn could not find her voice and shook her head in panic. She was holding her wand with one shaky hand, pointing it at him, while trying to find the door handle with her other hand.

"What's the matter, dear?" Edward frowned. ...Did she have a nightmare last night?

"You...you made me d-drink sleep d-draught and...and...and b-brought me home against my will last night..." She stammered. "The aud-audacity you have...waltzing into my life...as if...as if...now...acting...like...like...you care..." She tried to speak her mind but got lost in her words, and tears started to flow down her cheeks.

"I think we have a huge misunderstanding," He spoke slowly and held up his hands when he saw the panicked look in her eyes. "But, please, for the love of the late Dark Lord, do not point your wand at me." He pushed away her hand gently. "The only potion I gave you yesterday was an antidote because you touched the hatchling without dragon gloves. Besides, you were free to leave yesterday, but you chose to stay and read a book in my office." And I still don't know how you found my office and why you were poking around there.

Aislinn got silent and could not argue. She realized that she was the one in the wrong in this situation since she had gone straight to his office without his knowledge or permission, entering by force, poking among his office work and choosing to stay there instead of leaving.

"And you hardly spoke," He continued. "You either remained silent or shook your head. When we had dinner, you drank so much fire whiskey until you knocked yourself out. I actually ordered pumpkin juice for you, but you refused to drink it..." He explained, still speaking slowly. The crystal bottle of fire whiskey had been a bet to see what his daughter would do, but he never told her that. "And I could not just leave you dead drunk at the restaurant. So I had no other choice than to take you home."

He maintained eye contact until she averted her eyes and looked down at her feet. She felt guilty and ashamed.

"Tsk tsk...the audacity you have, young lady, falsely accusing your father and pointing your wand at him..." Edward commented dryly and then brushed off some dust from her coat, patted and caressed her hair with his left hand because he thought her hair looked like a mess and then adjusted her hat.

Aislinn stood still for a moment, watching speechlessly as he left her and vanished into the kitchen at the opposite end of the corridor. She could not tell if he had been passive-aggressive or just sarcastic. ...should I just go to the Cobweb in Knockturn Alley where Luna, Crystal or Raven would probably be waiting for me and deal with him later...or should I try to resolve the misunderstanding with him first and then meet the others?

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

Earlier That Day

As the castle doors creaked to a shut behind her, Malice walked through the entrance hall, eager to tinker more with the castle. She came to stand on a particular tile at the hall's end, where she'd carved an opalescent white skull into the black marble. She clapped twice, "Let's see what you two can do!" Her clothes glowed white, transforming from a simple black handkerchief dress to an opulent ensemble scattered with tiny skull buttons. After admiring the outfit for a bit, she pressed the central skull button on the left wrist.

A human skull poofed into existence, groaning in pain.

Malice grinned, snatching it out of the air. "Hold still."

"What is...my purpose here?" The skull squirmed futilely.

Malice reached for the back of her had, twisting off a small, black clock with skull arms pointing to silver roman numerals. She admired it for a moment before shoving it through the skull's mouth.

"Aaaaaaah!" The skull shrieked.

"You're my assistant." Malice replied, letting the skull roll out of her grasp with a satisfied smirk.

"Oh Satan..." The skull sobbed, tumbling through the hall.

"I'll name you...Skellington? Skully? No...Bonesy? Not quite. Mmm, Skullsworth!" Malice invented. "Sir...Clarus...Reaper Skullsworth!"

"This is agony..." Skullsworth groaned before a gigantic mirror. It resented the way the clock forced its jaw open uncomfortably.

"No, really?" Malice laughed. "Now, let's see..." She pressed a few more random buttons on her outfit, giggling, "Forgot to make all of them work!" until she found one that did.

Meanwhile, the skull zoomed about, gradually growing accustomed to its ability to fly.

BWERRRRRRRRRRP

With a resounding hum, the castle turned half transparent, shifting into the most generic structure in existence.

"Mostly how I see it." Malice half shrugged as she began gesturing in random ways, transforming portions of the castle at a time into something more suitable. "Hmm...more towers...lots more towers.."

Meanwhile

"...Here we are a little ways away from the castle, and bit by bit, it's finally happening! Transforming before our very eyes from a plain structure to a gothic masterpiece!" The news broadcaster demon reported.

"Castle transformation's on tv!" Soren called to Claudia, sitting cross-legged on the couch as he ate an omelet.

"Is sunshine awake, yet?" Claudia rushed in with half a head of perfectly styled hair.

"She's still asleep." Soren replied.

Claudia took a seat beside Soren on the couch, snagging a slice of toast to nibble as she watched the castle change behind the news caster. "I can see improvements already."

Still images popped up beside the changing castle, comparing its previous design, "Note the presence of merely four towers in the old design. Even older, the seven tower design sporting one tower for each sin. This is Demonic Positive News, bringing you the most exciting Castle Transformation in history! We'll be back after these commercials."

"Was it Lucifer or Alastair who booted everyone else from the castle?" Claudia wondered aloud. "Do you remember?"

"Lucifer, but Alastair stated he agreed the castle should only be occupied by the king." Soren replied.

One Hour and Forty-Eight Minutes Later

"I think that's enough for today." Malice nodded at the redecorated exterior. "I'll work on the rest some other time, but for now," she pressed a button on her shoulder, poofing her throne just behind her, "It's time for tea." she fell backwards, sinking into her throne. "Skullsworth, lavender tea."

"It'll be a joy without HANDS!" Skullsworth complained, zooming for the kitchens.

"Yet you're managing to talk without a larynx or tongue just fine. It must be a miracle." Malice smiled, setting her sights on the entrance. She gestured in a whip-like motion, "Onward!" The throne zoomed towards the front doors, slowing to hover before them. "Hmm, turbulent movement patterns." Malice mentally noted.

When Skullsworth returned with a cup gingerly balanced on his head, she noted the time. "Almost there." Malice watched ripples form as she blew on the lavender surface, then took a few small sips. "Why don't you practice countdowns, and give me three seconds?"

"THREEEEEEEEEE!" Skullsworth shrieked.

"Silently." Malice sipped.

The skull froze for three seconds, before groaning, "Three seconds."

"Now let's see about ten minutes." Malice blew on her tea. "With...a midway reminder."

Eleven Minutes Later

Malice stood, vanished her cup, and ordered her throne back to its place in the meeting room. "Put on your best welcoming smile!" She jested.

"...How cruel! I could smile so much better if you'd just take this clock out of my mouth!" Skullsworth begged.

"Hmm, let me think..." Malice teased. "Ah, I know! I'll shove another clock down your throat if you don't do your best! How does that sound?"

"Welcome, welcome!" Skullsworth practiced jovially.

Malice smirked, posing elegantly as the doors opened.

"Welcome everyone!" Skullsworth greeted the demonic princes. "I'm King Malice's new assistant, Sir Clarus Reaper Skullsworth! I hope the new renovations are to your liking! It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance!"

Rosaleya breathed a sigh of relief before leaping to embrace Malice.

This is...sudden. Malice thought.

"Oh Malice, I heard you've been so busy, and all this time I had no idea! Do you need help with anything?" Rosaleya asked.

"I do plan to get plenty of help." Malice wrapped her arms around Rosaleya. "I'll keep you in mind for that time. You are shaking though, do you need any help?"

"Nah," Rosaleya took a step back, awkwardly hugging herself before an invisible force abruptly straightened out her posture. "I'm just a bit nervous. First meeting and all that..."

"You'll do great." Nova whacked Rosaleya on the back as he passed by. "Hmm, so the inside looks the same, huh? Just a little redecoration on the outside?"

He sounds slightly disappointed. Malice noted as she walked past him, leading the onwards before Nova got lost on a tangent. "I've been tinkering around with some things through the week, I'll do more later when I feel like it. I didn't think I would for a while, but inspiration hit me one afternoon in the garden, so I ravaged a few graveyards for the perfect skull assistant. Skullsworth should tide me over until I get more help around here."

Skullsworth sighed in relief at the thought of being fired, soon.

"Whose skull is this?" Celeste caressed Skullsworth's jaw line.

"Mmmm..." Skullsworth hummed serenely.

"It's not my skull, is it?" Diana asked worriedly.

Who in their right mind would want any part of you as an assistant? Malice thought. "Who knows?"

"The mouth isn't nearly big enough." Dante snickered.

"It's not, is it, Reign?" Diana aimed pleading eyes at Reign.

"...No." Reign responded.

Diana signed in relief, then glared at Dante, "And no one needs to hear that from you."

"It suits you well, Malice." Asmodeus smiled, rapping a tune on the skull.

"...you'd like a holidayyy." Skullsworth sang along to the rhythm.

"Ohoho, you know this song?" Asmodeus blinked, impressed. "You've done quite well with this one." He laughed heartily.

"I've been thinking of how long it's been since we've all gotten together and played a game," Malice began as she led the group past the throne room.

"Do you plan to keep it this way?" Asmodeus nodded towards the rubble Alastair had left behind.

"I plan to enchant it for field trips, actually," Malice smiled, "so visitors can observe the king's pathetic last moments firsthand."

Rosaleya noticed Eric fidgeting uncomfortably, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"So, will you get a new throne room?" Nova smirked at Malice's plan.

"I'll explain more when we reach the meeting room." Malice began their trip up a large spiral staircase, located at the base of the central tower.

"Did you make that dress, Malice?" Rosaleya asked curiously.

"I did." Malice stopped at the landing, twirling once before posing with both hands on her hips. "I still feel it's missing something, but I'm quite excited at what I've created so far! Each skull button," she pointed to a few, "does something different! I plan to control the whole castle this way one day."

"That's so cool!" Rosaleya exclaimed. "How many buttons are there?"

Malice spun to continue on up the next flight of stairs, "Can you guess? As I was saying before," she jokingly flashed Asmodeus a sideways glance for interrupting earlier, "it's been a while, so I was thinking we'd all play a game together." And you seem so nervous, giving you something else to focus on during the meeting should help. "Since you're only a stand-in, you wouldn't be invited normally." She waited for Rosaleya's nerves to grow before continuing, "But, I suppose if you can spot all the skulls on my ensemble by the meeting's end, I'll give you a pass. I'll give you an error margin of two, since there are so many skulls that blend in. So, what do you say?"

"Deal!" Rosaleya clenched her fists in determination.

"Very well, then. Oh," Malice spoke as if she'd just considered the idea, "you don't think it'll be too much of a distraction during the meeting, do you?"

"If it ends up that way, I would rather skip the party. This is more important." Rosaleya assured.

They entered the meeting room, and Malice pretended not to notice Rosaleya lagging behind the rest as they took their seats. You'll find your chair soon enough. She took her own seat, and picked up a stack of papers. Shuffling to the lists of topics, she noticed some demons had left personal notes in the margins. Celeste's had arrows directing to neat lists at the edges, Nova's was an explosion of chaotic scribbles in every available space, and Diana's had hearts at the corners surrounding Reign's name. Then there was Asmodeus, who had crossed off ones he disliked, although Malice wondered if he disliked the topic itself, or the idea of discussing it.

Nova elbowed Rosaleya in the stomach as she took her seat.

"Eh..." Rosaleya tried to hold in her pained noises as she clutched her stomach, "...why?-"

"Ooops!" Nova turned to her in surprise. "Sorry, force of habit! I forgot you weren't Satan."

"Oh..." Rosaleya looked to her left, seeing herself situated between Diana and Nova. "...did you and Wrath fight a lot at this table?"

"Fighting is an understatement." Nova chuckled mischievously.

"It was exhausting." Diana groaned. "I'm happy to get a nice break from it."

"Alright then." Malice levitated everyone their lists, "Skullsworth, begin the recording."

"Right away!" Skullsworth zoomed to the corner to headbutt a skull-shaped button. "Record the meeting, little brother!"

Slide

Malice's gaze flitted to Nova sliding Rosaleya a note, then back to her papers, the edges of her lips twitching upwards.

Nova flashed Rosaleya a wink, head still innocently turned in Malice's direction as he stuffed crayons back into his sleeve.

On a small black paper square, 'You've got this!' was scribbled in purple, surrounded by subtly twinkling gold stars. Rosaleya swiped the note into her lap, took a deep breath, and focused on Malice.

"Welcome to our first official meeting - and the fourth in total. We'll begin by discussing whichever topic we believe is most pressing." Malice explained. "After a ten minute debate period, during which any means or language may be utilized, we'll put it to vote."

Nova's grinned.
Asmodeus's expression grew serious.
Diana sighed in relief.

Rosaleya looked from Dante blankly staring at his paper to Celeste, who met her gaze.

Celeste teasingly mouthed the words, 'Caught you', then turned towards Malice.

"To commemorate, Skullsworth will call attendance." Malice announced.

"It's time for a sinful roll call..." Skullsworth sighed. "Alright then!" He turned to the twins, "Envy?"

"Present." Celeste smiled.
"Present." Dante deadpanned.

"Gluttony?" Skullsworth called.

Meanwhile, Malice ticked their names off a list of sins.

"Greed?"

"Tneserp." Nova grinned.

"Lust?"

"Here." Asmodeus replied.

"Pride." Malice ticked herself off the list.

"Sloth?" Skullsworth turned to Reign.

"Present." Reign replied serenely. I knew you'd do well... He looked over to Rosaleya, who was taking a deep breath in preparation. However, I also knew telling you would cause the self-fulfilling prophecy of becoming too complacent to try hard at all, so for now, I'll continue to support you whenever you truly need it.

"Wrath?" Skullsworth zoomed over to Rosaleya.

Malice held her quill over the last spot.

Rosaleya summoned her confidence to state, "Present!"

"Very well." Malice ticked the final sin, levitating the list to the wall behind her to hang with a skull-shaped pin. "With full attendance...the debate shall begin. Skullsworth, it's time for a ten minute countdown!"

"You've all got ten minutes! My battery life has truly gone to hell, so get on with it!" Skullsworth barked.

"Rude." Malice mentally noted.

After a round of light laughter, Celeste began. "I believe undoing Alastair's 'contradictory, illegal, and secret laws' is the ideal first step, allowing us to proceed with our work free of hindrances."

It looks like I won't have to change that aspect of Skullsworth any time soon. Malice thought.

"'Reallocation of certain properties owned by Lust'?" Asmodeus read with a raised eyebrow. "I'd like to know what the reason for such a move is." He looked to Malice.

I thought you'd go for that one first. Malice maintained a blank expression, ignoring him as she prepared her next stack of papers to read off. You'll learn more if you can get everyone else to vote for you.

"Who else thinks this sounds ridiculous?" Asmodeus turned back to the others.

Diana glanced at Reign.

"My chosen topic of debate is the seventh from the bottom." Reign replied.

"-So is mine!" Diana replied without hesitation, only searching for what topic that was after she'd spoken. 'Removal of The Five'. Okay, then.

"Asmodeus?!" Nova put on a dramatic voice, throwing himself back in his chair as if he'd been shoved by some invisible force. "Do you care more about the state of your properties than the terrible laws the last king implemented against the people's will?! Are you having..." He gasped, putting a hand to his heart, "money problems?"

Asmodeus glared. You know that's not what I meant, you fool!

Rosaleya pressed a hand to her mouth, trying to smother her laughter.

"I-" Asmodeus had to stop himself from taking Nova seriously. He continued in a calmer tone. "-you're well aware my intentions were only to address how ridiculous this topic sounds. I simply asked if anyone thought the same."

"Of course it sounds ridiculous." Nova switched to a rational tone, shrugging to the others at the table, "Right?"

An unenthusiastic mutter of agreement followed.

Celeste...this was you. Asmodeus leaned back in his chair, knowing he couldn't suggest it as a topic, now. In the end, you won what you wanted... Their eyes met, and his grimace melted into a beaming smile. ...You did so wonderfully, I should've noticed my tactics being used against me sooner. So, I'll vote for your topic.

Malice looked up when a long silence followed, following Nova's gaze to Rosaleya pondering with furrowed brows. So cautious. She's really overthinking this. She glanced to Celeste and Dante, who used gestures to converse so it didn't affect the recording, then back to Nova, shaking more and more crayons out of his sleeve to doodle on his list.

"Nova," Rosaleya began after a few minutes, "what are you thinking of voting on?"

"Tick tock..." Skullsworth groaned.

"...suck my clock." Nova sang softly.

"...Five minutes remain, this existence is such a pain..." Skullsworth finished.

Surpassing my expectations with the poetic rhyming function when in pain. Malice smiled, pleased.

"My vote is to the people." Nova chuckled to Rosaleya. You didn't just spent all of that time to ask me what I'm voting for, did you?

"Seriously?" Rosaleya asked.

"Why, what's your vote?" Nova smiled knowingly.

Rosaleya looked to Reign. "Reign, can you give me a reason for debating that topic?"

"Trouble brewing is worst than trouble brewed." Reign said.

Rosaleya nodded. "Okay, good point. And since you can see the future, you probably know which one is best anyways. Wait, so then why doesn't everyone just vote on Reign's choice?" She turned to Celeste.

"Removing harmful laws won't only make things easier on all of us, but make things far more pleasant for the denizens of Hell in the meantime." Celeste explained. "There's also the likelihood of Reign choosing that topic to prompt some other reaction from the demons here, ending in my topic being the eventual winner. There's no guarantee that his explanation is the truth if he sees a lie that leads to a better future for all of us."

"That makes a lot more sense." Rosaleya replied gratefully. "Thank you for the explanation."

Celeste nodded as if to say, 'You're welcome.'

How strange...thanking someone for explaining their side in a debate. Malice thought.

Rosaleya thought for a moment before addressing Nova. "Nova...you don't believe in destiny, right?"

"Can anyone truly believe in destiny?" Nova jested, dramatically placing his hands to his heart.

"You don't," Rosaleya affirmed, trying to stay serious, "that's why you'll probably avoid voting for Reign's. It's why you moved Asmodeus over to Celeste's side, too."

"Are there really sides in something like this? There are really just topics, votes, and debates." Nova denied with a shrug.

Rosaleya pondered in silence for another minute before turning to Reign, "Reign, I've almost made my decision. Is there anything you want to tell me first?"

"No." Reign replied simply.

Rosaleya considered everything for the remaining time, deep in thought.

Eventually, Skullsworth announced, "Your time is up! And when your time truly comes to an end, you'll all look like me!"

"That's preposterous!" Nova folded his arms with a pout. "Mayyybe I'd like to die by falling from a crazy height and ruining the landing, and look like tomato-scrambled eggs. Or burn alive, and end up as a pile of ashes! Then you're forgetting the people who want to bathe in acid or get their heads impaled, so there are tons of ways our skulls could look."

Malice giggled before proceeding formally, "Onto the votes! All those in favor of Sloth's topic?"

Reign and Diana raised their hands, followed by Nova.

Nova gazed proudly at Rosaleya's bewildered expression before bursting into laughter.

"What..." Rosaleya reminded herself to close her gaping mouth, "...But I thought you wanted to go with Envy's-but then why did you make Lust change sides-why did you-I thought you hated fate and destiny and-"

"-and when people try to predict my actions?" Nova offered.

"Yeah! But-" Rosaleya realized her mistake. Her face fell with a twinge of embarrassment.

"Aaaw, did you try to figure me out?" Nova winked playfully. "You've got to remember, I love playing Devil's Advocate, and I love messing with people just as much. Sloth thought he had me all figured out, too, thinking I'd vote for Envy. But let me tell you both something. Boop!" He booped Rosaleya on the nose, then gave Reign a second one in the air.

"So you didn't partner with Envy?" Rosaleya asked.

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't." Nova chuckled.

Rosaleya looked to Reign, but Malice cut her off.

"-Those in favor of Envy's topic?"

Celeste, Dante, Asmodeus, and Rosaleya raised their hands.

"I concur with Envy." Malice raised her hand, "I believe the most pressing matter is returning things to normal before experimenting with things that haven't been touched in centuries." She picked up three papers from the top of her stack, and began to read, "I've compiled a list of contradictory, illegal, or secret laws approved by the former king of Hell. I'll read one aloud, we'll vote for its abolition, and a majority vote will trigger a discussion. Does anyone have any questions?"

Diana raised her hand.

Malice pointed to it, "Yes?"

"How long will this go on for?" Diana asked.

"The entire meeting shouldn't take more than an hour." Malice replied.

"Thank you." Diana lowered her hand with a sigh of relief.

Malice read the first law on her list, "'It is prohibited by law to inform Alastair's sister that he is the sovereign of Hell.' As the wording could be changed to stay up to date, the debate is whether or not it should be updated, or removed altogether."

"I think it's ridiculous that he didn't include a law that prohibits informing her followers and others close to her that he's the king." Diana shrugged. "Did he think his girlfriend wouldn't ever tell her boss? Did he make her take an Unbreakable Vow not to?" She looked to Reign.

Reign closed his eyes for a moment before replying, "...No."

"So it doesn't really need to be there at all." Diana concluded, raising her hand. "I vote to abolish it."

"You're still her cousin," Asmodeus pointed out, "would you not want it kept a secret?"

"The possibilities of endless conversations as we discuss our different stances, realms, and styles of leadership excite me far more than any consequences." Malice grinned widely.

Asmodeus raised his hand.

Nova grinned, raising his hand as well, "That's the best attitude to have about it!"

"What is your plan for her inevitable requests for assistance from the King of Hell?" Celeste asked.

"I'll ensure the price is high enough that she doesn't get carried away." Malice replied without hesitation, then turned to Nova. "I'd also like you to make bigger requests in return. Ask for her home, her castle, her heart - make it so ridiculous she cannot agree. Doubts mean you haven't gone far enough." She smiled innocently.

Wonderful, she's thought this through. Celeste raised her hand, followed by Dante and Reign.

Nova laughed mischievously, "I like your style! No problem."

Rosaleya thought for another minute before scribbling a question on Eric's notepad, and raising her hand.

Malice raised hers to complete the vote. "All in favor of abolishing the law." She crossed the law off her list, then read the next, "'The denizens of Hell are required by law to bow to the sovereign when observing him for the first time in any setting, or after a period of five minutes during which they have not seen him.'"

Rosaleya seemed surprised to see her hand shoot up with Celeste's and Dante's.

"What are your reasons, Wrath?" Diana asked.

Rosaleya glared, "I just don't think it's necessary."

"You're just not talking much, I was wondering if you had more to say you weren't necessarily showing." Diana replied, raising her hand.

Rosaleya seemed to catch herself making the rude expression, and relaxed her countenance with a deep breath.

"Even I think bowing would be a drag after a while." Nova jested, raising his hand.

"I wouldn't mind it so much. It's only natural for the denizens to bow to a king." Asmodeus's hands remained steepled on the table.

"Every five minutes?" Celeste challenged.

"We're voting to abolish it, not adjust it." Asmodeus replied.

"There are other ways to show respect." Celeste retorted.

"Why not a cool handshake or a hand sign?" Nova flipped everyone off with both hands, speaking in a low class British accent, "Ayy, there goes the king!" He laughed. "Or a song they play whenever I'm walking in for a dramatic entrance?" He hummed a quirky tune.

Malice chuckled, raising her own hand. "A majority vote in favor of abolishing the law." She crossed it off, and moved on. "'The denizens of Hell are prohibited by law from informing any non-magical humans that he is the sovereign without his permission.' Once again, I see no problem." She faced the table. "If anyone seeks to abuse my help or time, I'll just make it difficult on them."

A unanimous show of hands followed.

Malice crossed it off, "All in favor of abolishing the law...next we have, 'The denizens of Hell are prohibited by law from informing anyone of the contents of the sovereign's castle.' Even after it's renovated, I've decided to use the castle as a place to hold meetings, or spend leisurely time with the other royals, while any personal affects remain at my old home. I believe it would be a better alternative than to treat a passing possession as my own and allow the secrecy surrounding it to grow into a mess."

"Do you plan to allow the other demons to enter your castle?" Diana asked.

"Other than the princes and my personal cabinet? Not unless I'm holding an event here, where certain areas will still be restricted." Malice replied. As she continued, Diana, Celeste, and Dante raised their hands. "Once everything's settled, I'm considering events like field trips, parties, or question-and-answer sessions for any concerned parties or interested news channels. Everything will also be distributed to the libraries afterwards for public review."

"I've already got tons of ideas for all those things!" Nova exclaimed, raising his hand.

"I could make some suggestions for the decorations." Asmodeus smiled, raising his hand as well.

"I thought it would be your realm of expertise." Malice smiled.

Rosaleya raised her hand with a soft smile, followed by Reign.

Malice conjured a glass of water for herself, "'All denizens of Hell are prohibited by law to question the ruler's orders when asked to cease.'"

Nova raised his hand, "Questioning things is a pillar of free thought. How are demons supposed to do that if they can't even speak freely? I still remember how much I wanted to blow up this castle when I found this law on the scroll."

"As long as no ulterior motives are hidden behind the questions," Celeste raised her hand, "they should be allowed to question anything they doubt, and freely discuss uncertainties in their own realm."

Dante raised his hand as well.

"The king's will should remain absolute." Asmodeus disagreed. "The law states you can question the ruler's orders, just that you are obligated to stop if asked to cease."

"Oh really?" Nova smirked. "Let's try this, then." In an instant, he'd shaken a mountain of crayons from his sleeves, and doodled a king's crown, crossed arms, and a frown on one index finger. He positioned both hands opposite each other, as if his index fingers were having a conversation. "It's now against the law to use blackmail against demons, no matter the circumstance!" He used a dignified British accent as he waved the king finger around. "But why?" The plain finger asked as he poorly imitated Asmodeus's voice. "Stop asking about it!" The 'king finger' demanded. "And now," He bent the normal finger forward, as if hunched over in sadness, "I cannot ever bring it up again, lest I be killed!" Nova swept the crayons into a pile, casually stuffing them back into his sleeves as he spoke to Asmodeus, "Is that what you want to happen? Because I don't. I hated it, and it should never happen. Maybe instead, a king's will could be established through other means?"

"Other means?" Asmodeus challenged. "I can give advice all day, but it doesn't guarantee people will listen. Very few have refused when their own personal stakes are holding them back."

"Yeah, because they don't have a choice." Nova slid the last crayon back into its place.

"Respect," Celeste pointed out, "trust, admiration, beneficial incentives, justice-"

"-Honesty-" Dante volunteered.

"-transparency, and tradition. I'll expand on any you feel are too vague." Celeste finished.

"No matter, none of those things are absolute." Asmodeus argued.

"And that's why you're not in charge!" Nova crooned, patting the king finger. "Who's an adorable little tyrant? That's right, you are!"

Celeste and Dante shared a laugh.

Asmodeus remained undeterred.

"Why do they need to be absolute?" Malice asked. "In the end, most beings prefer to have the broader facets sorted out for them, so they're left free to pursue the smaller, more personal details of their own lives unbothered. The last king was problematic, yet until he became entirely illogical, there was no whisper of rebellion. These are demons who want good lives, with good intentions. They will listen to someone who not only rewards them for being themselves, but shares their values, remains transparent, and works toward solutions for the finer details. I will be better than any ruler who came before me, so when I am questioned, so be it...I have an endless supply of answers."

Asmodeus beamed. "Oh Pride, my concern was that after the last king's deposition, the same thing may happen to you if you removed the laws that made it so difficult. But you're far more prepared than I could've imagined." He raised his hand, and Reign, Diana, and Rosaleya followed suite.

Malice smiled, savoring the moment before continuing to read, "'It is prohibited by law to request a law be changed unless backed by at least half the demonic population.', yet we also have, 'It is prohibited by law to request a law be changed unless backed by at least one hundred demons.'...Now I recall Asmodeus speaking of voting on the second, as it seemed reasonable. However, my conclusion is that since the king was unable to remove laws in secret, he added the first later on."

"An understandable conclusion." Asmodeus agreed.

"I propose we remove the law requiring half the demonic population to back it, and keep the one-hundred-demon law." Malice looked to the others for their debate.

"Why not remove both?" Diana asked.

Rosaleya crossed something off her notepad.

"The issue then would not be that it was too hard, but too easy." Malice explained. "If even a quarter of the denizens were to make a request to change a law right now, it would take one hundred and twenty years to properly address them all if I did not sleep. Twenty, with a cabinet working without respite. The most efficient is to rely on a system that filters requests to satisfy groups of demons, and address as many of those before my term ends."

"Why not hire a larger personal cabinet?" Diana asked.

"I believe a cabinet of four will be efficient to manage," Malice began, "and present fewer difficulties in acquiring members. The bigger the group, the harder it will be to fill the seats with trustworthy demons, as the requirements will be strict and may change over time. I'll rely on them to filter, summarize, and organize information that is meant for me, as well as personally handle things that don't require my attention. All of that and more must be handled as well as, or better than I would."

"Rather than require one hundred demons to back the request, why not assemble a tribunal with the sole purpose of settling smaller disputes?" Celeste suggested. "They could address written and verbal concerns during meetings, and vote on what requests reach your ears."

"Hmm, the meetings could be broadcast live for transparency, and I could task my cabinet with reviewing them to ensure everything remains fair..." Malice put a finger to her chin. "...which would also allow the cabinet to inform me of any dismissed requests that still hold potential." She nodded, pulling a paper from the middle of her stack to write the idea down. "That's a brilliant idea, Envy!"

"Of course." Celeste smiled elegantly.

"I'll officially remove the laws once I've hired the tribunal members, and we'll vote on implementing a tribunal in future meetings." Malice circled the laws to be changed later, added a note to add the tribunal vote to everyone's topic list, and moved to the next. "'The denizens of Hell are prohibited by law to refuse the sovereign when asked to bow.'..."

Everyone but Asmodeus raised their hand.

"Lust, we just talked about thiiiis!" Nova pouted, wagging his winger at Asmodeus like he was a misbehaving pet.

"Refusing any order by the king is completely different than not questioning them." Asmodeus argued. "An order is an order."

"Yes," Malice smiled calmly, "an order. But if you note the wording here..." She pointed to the word 'asked' for Asmodeus, "Nowhere in the laws does it state that an order can be ignored or defied. It's this law that states this specific request must be treated as an order. My theory is, it was paired with the law requiring everyone to bow, in the event the king was dissatisfied yet refused when asking for more. To not add another ridiculous law amending the frequency of bows required, he added this instead."

"Tell me...orders will continue to remain absolute?" Asmodeus searched Malice's eyes with furrowed brows.

"Now, what would a king be without their orders?" Malice put a hand on Asmodeus's shoulder with a soft smile.

"Then I see...no problem." Asmodeus sighed, raising his hand.

Through the remaining time, they voted unanimously to remove three more laws: 'The denizens of Hell are prohibited by law to refuse the sovereign when reminded to bow.', 'The denizens of hell are prohibited by law to complain of the inflation rates of Hell's demonic currency.', and 'The Demonic Princes are prohibited by law to enter the King of Hell's castle if not for meetings.'

"As our meeting concludes, I'll remind everyone to clear their schedules. This meeting is hereby adjourned for tomorrow, at the same time." Malice gestured to Skullsworth, who headbutted the skull button to end the recording. "Eric, please ensure this recording is distributed to all libraries."

"Right away!" Eric looked as if he was about to bow, but stopped himself, bolting over to the skull button instead. He cupped his hands beneath its tiny mouth just as it began noisily regurgitating capsules.

"Did it always make that noise?" Diana grimaced.

"No." Malice giggled.

Nova chuckled, walking over to the skull button to pat its head. "There there. Someone needs to get you an ice pack and a bucket, huh?"

"Oh brother...hopefully you won't have to go through this for long..." Skullsworth told the button. "...I can't imagine the agony you must be in!" He shot Malice a sideways glance.

"It must be quite painful." Malice giggled in delight.

"So what game were you imagining?" Celeste asked.

At the mention of the game, Rosaleya's face fell.

Ah, she forgot to count the skulls, didn't she. Malice noticed, replying to Celeste, "Stones."

Rosaleya approached Eric, her back facing the table of demons to hide her expression while she asked if she was needed for anything else.

"No, you should be able to leave now." Eric assured, holding the capsules to his chest. "Just be sure you're ready for tomorrow's meeting! Err, could you help me with these?"

Rosaleya nodded, relieving him of half the capsules on their way out.

"In the next meetings, we'll be undoing the laws limiting free speech, so it should lead to some interesting games." Malice smiled. "I'd like to play some designed by demons who can speak their minds."

Nova laughed, "Picture a huge version of Alastair as some shriveled old demon, hunched over the castle while he craps out the dumbest rules. Under a cloak, a big diaper-"

"-that's gross!" Diana waved her hands to get him to stop.

Nova laughed even harder.



Dear Crystal,

I'm doing really well at the McCunnen's house. They're very nice, and I'm having a great time learning more about the demon realm. Claudia's taken me to some fun demon places, and she's been kind about explaining basic things to me. Soren's been a bit distant, and we've fought a few times, but we've made up so I think this is normal. My favorite part of all has to be the feeling of living in a normal house. Claudia bakes and cooks all the time, we watch things all together and talk peacefully, and she reads me bedtime stories when I go to sleep...I can't seem to get enough.

I hope this never ends, because right now, my greatest fear is that it's all some kind of dream or illusion, and that one day everyone will hate me and start acting like dad. I've been having nightmares about it, but I just can't seem to fully get comfortable with everything. It's all so perfect, why am I having this problem at all? Why can't I just enjoy it?

I can't even call Claudia 'mom', when she's literally being the nicest person in the world to me. Am I ungrateful? I also have this huge fear that everyone's just being nice to me for...some reason, and they don't really mean it. I never seem to get that feeling with you, though. Do you know why? Is it because we've known each other for a while? If that's it, it makes sense since I've only known the McCunnens for a little while.

There's also this thing going on in the demon realm, where I'm standing in for a prince! I've spent all week preparing for it, and I just hope I don't mess it up! Your Summary Box was absolutely perfect for remembering everything I had to keep track of, and it really helped me save a lot of time! Since you're always amazing at public speaking, do you have any tips for me? I'm so nervous, I feel like I'm half as prepared and half as smart as everyone else!

What about you? How is everything on your end?

~ Rosaleya

Crystal smiled, flipping the page over and summoning a quill. "Thanks for delivering this letter. I'll have to bug Rosaleya about getting an owl someday." She joked.

"No problem. I'm happy to help you two keep in touch." Claudia smiled, leaning up against a pillar. "You know, if you ever need a break around here, I could gather some demons interested in teaching. Are you doing alright in terms of staff?"

"We've got the perfect amount of staff, and if we need more, Luna usually has no problem handling stuff like that." Crystal assured.

Rosaleya,

Some dark lord stuff's been a pain in the butt! I'm most worried about a friend of mine in the hospital. Can't share any details about it, but it's all I've been able to think about. Since I've gotten used to Hogwarts professor-ng that's not a great distraction, but luckily when I'm in the shop all my thoughts focus on those beautiful fabrics. I'm glad I've got that to just take me out of everything.

Have you asked Soren why he's been distant? If you've noticed something, you should talk about it with him and try to solve the problem together. But if he's being a jerk about it, kick his @$$ or I will, I swear. Overall, couples argue all the time, it's totally normal as long as you're not especially trying to hurt each other in the moment. From my experience, people who specifically go for sensitive topics or get physically violent belong in the trash.

As for your discomfort, you might not be able to settle into it so easily since most of your life has been an existence in a stressful place. Don't be surprised if it takes years to get over what Leigh did to you, these things take time. Until then, don't hesitate to reach out to people you like and feel comfortable with to talk - and that includes me! Believe me, if I seem busy I'm most likely pretending to get less work (and in rare cases otherwise, I'll just tell you I'm busy!). Most important here, don't force yourself into anything. Your thoughts and feelings are all knotted up, but one thing's for sure: if something feels wrong, it usually is. Don't ignore those feelings, okay?

I've got that affect on some people - must be because I'm not so uptight all the time. I simultaneously help people relax, and give them the impression they don't have to impress me...most of the time. And yeah, we've known each other for a while so there's that, too.

For public speaking, I just go with whatever I feel is the best answer. Try to think less of the wording, and more of the outcome you want, and work towards that. Wanna be chosen as president? Start talking up all the changes you want to make, and really let your enthusiasm show! Odds are some people will agree, and they'll be your voters since they also feel strongly about it. If you think of it like that, in the right mindset - and one drink later - people will pay more attention to your intentions than your wording, so it won't matter at all! And with that pressure off, you'll do great.

~Crystal

Crystal handed her reply to Claudia. "Thanks again, Claudia!"

"My pleasure, Crystal." Claudia gently folded the letter into the shape of a shamrock.

"I'm sure she'll love that." Crystal admired the shape for a moment before turning back towards the castle.



She's just busy. Stephan told himself. "M...miss...no, I can't stutter. I have to be confident when I say it." He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and faced the tree again, pretending it was Lily. "Miss...no. Lily, I hope you've been alright. It's alright if you were too busy to even read my letter, it was only expressing concern for what happened with the Quibbler. You look alright now, so if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. If you need to, I'm here, though. What I wanted to say was..."

As Stephan mumbled on, Athena crept behind him, half listening to his words until the name, 'Lily' caught her attention.

"...I wondered if you'd like to go to...no, attend sounds more elegant. I...was wondering if you'd like to attend the Yule Ball with me. It's alright if you need time to think about it, and it's alright if you say no. But if you do, I have a surprise for you...I'll give it to you early since I planned to give it to you at the Yule Ball." Stephan timidly held up the finished drawing, heart beating fast at the idea that she'd turn it down in disinterest. I still think that's just too wordy...

"Hey, Stephan!" Athena greeted cheerfully, pretending she hadn't heard anything. I can't ask him now...he's too focused on Lily! Even after she's ignored his letter...why is it he only seems to go after the girls that ignore him? Should I start doing that, too? Ugh, but that's so not my style...and I'd miss him way too much!

"Hey, Athena..." Stephan replied solemnly.

"What's up, Stephan?"

"I can't...nothing." Stephan shook his head, hugging his drawing to his chest to hide it. I know if I tell you, you'll just try to convince me out of it. "Is there something you needed?"

"Wanna have lunch together? They're serving a delicious looking roast chickennn." Athena smiled.

"No thank you. I'd like to think about something alone for a while." Stephan insisted.

"Okay. Let me know if I can help you at all." Athena took two slow steps back in case he changed his mind. "By the way, the Yule Ball's coming up. If you wanna ask someone, probably keep it short and sweet, and don't think too hard about getting all the little details in." She smiled, then turned to speed back to the castle. I'm going to have to find another date for this thing...Maybe I'll ask out some random guy that looks lonely.

Stephan turned back to the tree to continue practicing asking Lily to the Yule Ball. Less details...I think she heard me practicing. He thought in embarrassment. "Lily, would you like to go with me to the Yule Ball?...Lily, go with me to the Yule Ball?...Lily..."



"Not here..." Rosaleya sighed deeply outside the sixth-nearest library. "...and he's still not answering his messages." I'm going to beat the crap out of him. "Is there some other way to contact him that only demons know or something?"

"No." Eric shook his head. "Do you want me to help you get back home?"

"Hmm...no thank you. I'm going to go read up on some things." Rosaleya gestured to the library entrance. "Would you mind if I summoned you when I'm ready to go home?"

"Not at all. Good luck. Oh, and I saw you making notes on the pad, did you want those answered now or later?" Eric asked, gesturing to the notepad under her arm.

"If I can't find the answers myself, I'll ask you on our way back." Rosaleya replied.

"See you then!" Eric sped off, holding the remaining capsules to his chest.

Rosaleya watched him leave, staring at the spot where is form became so distant she couldn't see it anymore for a few minutes before turning to the library. To her surprise, a crowd of eight demons, three holding glowing microphones of different colors up to her, stood behind her. "Oh...hi!" She smiled, pleasantly recalling she was now temporarily royalty. "What's up?"

"Rosaleya Macabre Fairbrook, Lady Rose, Rose, Sunshine, and Rosie! So many options. How would you prefer to be referred to?" The news reporter with the glowing white microphone asked.

"Hmm, I like Lady Rose a lot, please!" Rosaleya replied.

"Well then!" All three reporters began in sync.

"I'm Anonymous Negative Reporter, also known as Red. I work for DNN - Demonic Negative News! I'll be reporting the worst sides of this interview for the general public, as I represent the demons who disapprove of, dislike, or despise you!" The demon holding the red microphone smiled. Her hair, ruffled chiffon gown, and eyes burnt like a raging flame surrounding her, parting the crowd when she moved. Rosaleya wondered if she hallucinated the sound of cracking fire as she pronounced vowels.

"I'm Anonymous Positive Reporter, but you can call me Green! I report live on Demonic Positive News for our amazing viewers who look up to you and want you to succeed!"The demon holding the green microphone tipped his hat. He donned a green bowler hat, a green and purple suit, and brown loafers. Rainbow paint splatters livened his short white gloves, hat ribbon, and tie.

"And I'll be reporting everything you say from an unbiased perspective for anyone who wants to read everything over on DNR - Demonic Neutral Reporting." The demon holding the white microphone finished gently. He wore a gold laurel crown, gold slippers, and a beige toga of layered maps of demonic locations in both realms. Upon closer inspection, one would find the smallest map details moved in subtle ways. Beneath short brown hair, his glowing eyes resembled both worlds: a blue globe splotched with green for Earth, and a circular city covered in a million rainbow lights for Hell. "Do you consent to this interview?"

I've read about you guys in the magazine! 'Green' is the one who reports the news in the magazine, summarizing it before writing more details articles in the newspaper! I remember going back and reading more about them all...so then, this shouldn't be too bad. I think I know enough to go through with this...after all, the other princes have done interviews with them, too...In that case, I just have one more question... "Why are you all so transparent on your stances? I thought negative news outlets always ask sneakily loaded questions then twist them in edited interviews." Rosaleya wondered.

"It's better this way, since the result is the same, and none of us want to lie." White replied.

"But if you two-" Rosaleya gestured to Green and Red "-are only discussing one viewpoint, isn't that kind of a lie?"

"Not at all. If you think of viewpoints as a subjective perspective, we're just conveying what we, and all our readers and viewers think." Red replied. "Isn't it only natural to focus on certain aspects when considering something you think strongly about?"

"Besides, that's why I'm here." White assured. "Just don't forget you can refuse or end the interview whenever you feel like it!"

"Okay then, I don't see why not!" Rosaleya replied, feeling nervous and excited.

"Did you know you would become Prince Wrath's replacement since before the overthrow?" Red prompted.

"Oh, no, it was actually really sudden." Rosaleya admitted.

"How are you finding the meetings so far?" Green asked.

"I think...I'm still getting used to things," Rosaleya thought for a moment, "but everyone's so nice, I think it shouldn't take long to become a bit more comfortable during the...proceedings."

"What experience do you have with proceedings like this?" Red asked.

Rosaleya briefly debated lying and telling the truth, but ultimately decided she'd prefer to be honest with them, "...I have no experience with royal proceedings."

"Do you have any idea why you were selected as Prince Wrath's stand-in?" White asked.

"No, I have no idea." Rosaleya replied.

"Do you plan to eventually replace Prince Wrath?" Red asked.

"No." Rosaleya replied.

"Will you be staying at Prince Wrath's home through the duration of your appointment?" Green asked.

"Nope!"

"Is it true you can't jump?" Red asked.

"My extension can help me jump, but no, I can't." Rosaleya replied, feeling a twinge of embarrassment.

"Do you plan to take Jumping Courses for Young Demons in the future?" Green asked.

"Well I do now, I assumed it was some sort of instinctual thing between demons, I had no idea you could be taught how to jump." Rosaleya replied in surprise.

"Did you grow up thinking you were a human?" Green asked.

"Yeah...but I'm learning so much about everything here, it's beginning to feel more and more like home!" Rosaleya smiled.

"Is it true you've been hiding connections with The Five?" Red asked.

"Nope. I don't know anyone from The Five." Rosaleya replied.

"Are you related to King Malice in any way?" White asked.

"No, but Prince Lust did offer to adopt me once." Rosaleya replied.

"Name something you dislike about working in the castle." Red prompted.

"It's only been one meeting, I can't name anything I dislike yet besides my own nerves." Rosaleya replied.

"Well thank you for wasting my time!" Red rolled her eyes, her flames rising a foot higher in irritation. "Nothing personal, but I hate your guts!" She jumped away.

Rosaleya giggled.

"Are you feeling alright?" Green asked.

"Yeah," Rosaleya laughed, "her honesty really made me laugh, that's all."

"Could you choose one word to describe yourself right now?" Green asked.

"Inexperienced." Rosaleya decided. "In fact, on my way out of the meeting I was actually feeling a bit sad, but you've all cheered me up a lot."

"Why were you feeling sad?" Green asked.

"Even though my expectations weren't high for the meeting," Rosaleya tried to find the right words, "I still felt like I didn't bring much to the table. Nothing really new or outstanding, you know? I know I'll probably do better eventually, but that time feels so far away."

"I hope you have a wonderful day, Lady Rose!" Green said. "Good luck in your next meeting!"

"Thank you. I hope you have a wonderful day too, Green." Rosaleya returned his warm smile.

As Green jumped away, White stepped forth, "I personally believe you're quite brave for going through with this impromptu interview."

"I don't think it's that big of a deal." Rosaleya replied.

"Do you have any closing statements?" White asked.

"You guys all look really cool! Red's flames are amazing, green looks like he'd be waiting under a rainbow somewhere with a pot of gold, and you're like an amazing scribe representing the realms! Do you cover Earth's news, too?"

"Mhm." White smiled. "Goodbye, Lady Rose. We'll see you soon." He jumped away.

The five demons standing behind the reporters stepped up, all speaking at once.

"Guys guys, I can't understand anything. One at a time, starting with-Penelope?" Rosaleya didn't know how she hadn't noticed her before, staring at her in surprise now.

"You can guess which side I'm on." Penelope giggled. "I told the reporters where you'd be so you could do this interview."

"Penelope, what did I ever do to make you so mad at me?" Rosaleya sighed.

"The fact that you don't even know shows how stupid you are." Penelope looked away with a pout. "Enjoy the spotlight for now, but know it won't last for long." She walked off.

A demon boy glared at her before jumping away.

Rosaleya turned to a girl she'd seen in passing in a cosplay shop once. "Haven't I see you around somewhere?"

"Yup! I just wanted to wish you luck. Don't worry if there's a lot of stuff to learn, I think you'll do great, eventually. You must've been chosen for a reason." She smiled, then jumped off.

"Thank you for the kind words!" Rosaleya called after her, hoping she'd heard them.

A young demon boy ran forward, punching her in the gut before jumping away.

Once the initial shock passed, Rosaleya looked down in surprise, "Oh, I really thought that would hurt more."

Finally, only a little demon girl was left. She shyly held up a seashell necklace with a lion's paw scallop as the centerpiece. "I made this during the live broadcast...it'll help you feel less nervous next time!"

Rosaleya gave her a warm hug, then admired the necklace. "It's really-"

Before she could finish her sentence, the girl had jumped away.

"...pretty." Rosaleya admired the opalescent seashells, the centerpiece's inside reflective. When she looked in its reflection, she saw Crystal grinning at her, then Claudia's warm smile as her words echoed in her head, 'Your first response is usually the correct one. You can handle this.' "...My first response?" She looked from the library, to the sky. "Eric, I summon you."



"Soren, where the HECK are you?!" Rosaleya banged on his bedroom door, receiving no answer from inside.

"What's wrong, dear?" Claudia approached her gently. "You were so angry you ran right past me."

"Soren said he'd be at the nearest library after the meeting, and he wasn't!" Rosaleya flailed her arms in exasperation. "He said he hates lies, but he won't even tell me what's wrong, and I'm so tired of it! He just keeps doing this!"

"Keeps doing what?" Claudia took Rosaleya's hands, caressing them soothingly.

"He keeps...keeping things from me! I thought it was fine if we didn't talk about everything, but he insisted we shouldn't keep things from each other or tell lies! He's trying to demand things from me that he isn't even giving himself, and I've tried so hard to be patient with him! I know I haven't been perfect, but he's been worse! And before you ask, I sent him a couple of texts and maybe spammed him middle finger emojis later on, but still no answer." Rosaleya blurted.

"Hmm, I haven't heard from him since he left this morning with you, and everything seemed alright." Claudia put a finger to her chin. "Well, he has to come home sometime. Why don't you try to relax in the meantime? I've made some delicious chicken cream soup."

Rosaleya threw herself into Claudia's arms, breathing heavily. "Yeah...yes please. That sounds great."

Claudia patted Rosaleya on the back, speaking in a soothing voice, "Picture you're in a lush meadow, surrounded by the most beautiful flowers you've ever seen. The weather's just right, and clouds cover the sun so you don't have to squint. And in this field, nothing in the world can hurt or worry you, and time doesn't exist so you can spend as much time as you want there." She smiled, feeling Rosaleya's breathing steady.

"...Can you be there, too?" Rosaleya pleaded.

"Yes, darling." Claudia assured.

"Thank you." Rosaleya whispered.

"For what, sunshine?"

"For letting me talk to you without blaming me for everything? For being here for me...and for having the perfect response when I felt so mad! There are so many things..." Rosaleya teared up.

"Of course, dear. But you don't have to thank me for doing that, it's what any good mother would do."

"...Even though I thought you'd say that...I'm afraid if I don't thank you, you'll stop." Rosaleya tried to hide how her throat tightened up.

"Why would I stop?"

"You'll think I'm ungrateful for all the wonderful things you do."

"Oh Rosaleya...I promise I'll never, ever think that."

"...Really?"

"Yes, sunshine. And I've got more good news; Crystal's sent you a reply."

"Thank you for helping us communicate through all of this." I'll eat up here, read the letter, and hole myself up in a demonic library to get some questions answered. I won't waste this time...moping about Soren.



"Good evening, mistress. It's about time for you to retire for the night." Raven said, putting a hand on Luna's shoulder.

Luna looked up the moment she felt Raven's touch, absent-mindedly asking, "What was that?"

"It's quite late, mistress." Raven reminded.

"Oh," Luna realized, "that time already." I'm glad I asked you to remind me to rest. She slid a parchment from beneath a messy pile, and handed it to Raven. "Very well. Here are the plans for the Yule Ball. Follow the decoration instructions to the letter, and only add onto them if you believe those details could improve on the event's charm. We need things to go well for everyone to lighten the mood, and bring a bit of good news; hopefully this holiday season can calm their hearts." Especially after all this terrible news. "Ensure everything goes smoothly, and prohibit any students from volunteering assistance - they may use that as an excuse to use magic without direct permission - it's an unnecessary risk. As for the prefects and teacher's assistants," she debated putting it to a rigged vote, or making it a straightforward order one last time, "assure them it's nothing personal, but that we cannot risk any unforeseen incidents, as they will not be permitted to assist."

"I understand." Raven nodded, rolling up the parchment to place in her bag. "I'll begin preparations after organizing your notes."

"Perfect. Good night, Raven."

Once Luna made her way out of the labyrinth, she disappeared in a puff of smoke, appearing a moment later in her bedroom. She prepared for bed, eventually falling asleep reading a book about caring for ashwinders.

The Next Day

"Good morning, Yin!" Soren smiled sweetly, reaching to pat Rosaleya's head.

Rosaleya smacked it away, mumbling, "Jerkface."

"Oh come on, wake up or you're going to miss the meeting!" Soren urged, nudging her shoulder.

"You jerk! Where were you all night?! First I was worried, then mad, then sad, then I just gave up and-you couldn't just answer your pager or leave a note?! You said you'd be at the nearest library!" Rosaleya smacked him with her pillow.

"Wh-I was!" Soren shielded his face with his arms. "I was waiting so long I fell asleep!"

"Sure you were!" Rosaleya drew her pillow back, "Claudia was home, she didn't see anything! You could've just come home at the last second!"

"Come on, I'll show you!" Soren ran over to her door with a beckoning gesture.

"I don't need to go with you I had Jade look for you the entire afternoon!" Rosaleya glared. "You had to come home to get here before falling asleep again, and that place was made for naps so you knew what was going down when you went in!"

"Why are you so mad about this anyways? It was a simple mistake." Soren shrugged. "Even you've fallen asleep in weird places before. And so what if I have a sleepwalking problem?"

"Oh? Maybe because I'm at the end of my rope with you, Soren!" Rosaleya got out of bed, crossing her arms to avoid doing anything rash. "You keep lying about things and holding things back and being WEIRD!"

"You're weird!" Soren argued. "You know, that would make a cute couple's shirt. 'Pot' and 'kettle'." He smirked, returning her glare. "You talked to Claudia yesterday, didn't you? You yelled out all your little worries and fears and she calmed you down, just like I did that night, riiight?"

Rosaleya's snoozed alarm clock went off, and she just barely stopped herself from smacking it out the open window. "UGH! We're talking about this later, I can't be late! And if you love napping so much, why don't you crawl under my bed and have a nice long nap there until I get back?" She picked up the outfit she'd worn yesterday, and sped past him, elbowing him in the ribs on the way out.

"I'm already packing breakfast!" Jade called from the kitchen.

"PERFECT!" Rosaleya yelled, simultaneously angry at Soren and grateful at Jade.



"Mistress," Raven landed beside Luna in the labyrinth, "Aislynn has awakened!"

"She has?" Luna replied, quill freezing in place over her notes. She pondered the matter for a moment, then replied, "Show me."

Raven conjured a spy cloud, projecting a confused Aislynn wandering about St. Mungo's.

Luna furrowed her brows, reluctantly ordering, "Return to Hogwarts."

"But mistress-" Raven protested.

"-she has your feather, she has a wand heavy with everyone's messages, and she knows the location of my manor. I would only burden her with more questions she's not in the mental state to answer." Luna insisted. "You may approach her tomorrow to offer assistance, but no earlier. I'll inform Crystal similarly."

"...Yes, mistress." Raven bowed. As she flew away, she secretly wished she'd approached Aislynn first, or been at the hospital at the time of her awakening.


Crystal debated pretending she hadn't heard her emerald's message. Her heart wanted to spam emerald messages of comfort and assurance while racing to track Aislynn down on foot, ignoring her duties as a Hogwarts professor on a Friday afternoon. Screw it, I can grade those papers any time! I've got the whole weekend to do it! But her mind told her Aislynn had ignored her message for a reason. She's been through a lot. If I were in her place, I'd be pissed as all hell! I'm not in her place and I'm still pissed as hell! "Damnit!" She smacked a stack of books off her desk, doing a double take when they landed perfectly atop each other on the floor. With a deep sigh, she forced herself to focus on grading yesterday's papers. I'll finish the papers...I'll work in Darkest Creatures...but the moment I can, I'll talk to her. She pictured giving Aislynn the biggest hug she ever had, and showing her the beautiful Yule Ball gown. I also have to remember she'd used to fixing her problems on her own...what she needs most right now is space. I won't be doing much smothering her...but I'm relieved she's awake. Oh Aislynn...Alastair will frickin' pay for everything! "Better clear my schedule for the weekend, then." She groaned.

Rosaleya let go of Eric's hand, running up to Nova. "Oh Nova, I'm so relieved you're the only one out here right now!" She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Why? Got some spicy secret to share with me?" Nova jested. "If it's a crush, you'll have to get in line."

Rosaleya couldn't help but laugh at the thought, before explaining her quarry as quickly as possible. "...And I can't have it affect the meeting! So, I wish I felt calm right now!"

"Any other...details?" Nova gave her an uncertain expression.

"I literally can't think right now and I don't want anyone else to see me like this! That's my wish!" Rosaleya insisted.

"Okay okay," Nova jammed his hands in his pockets, hastily searching around, "make...Asmodeus..." He shoved something large into her arms, "wear this during the meeting!"

Rosaleya looked down at the huge hat that looked like a giant orange squid, with squirming, slimy tentacles stretching down to where the face would be. "What?! I can't make him wear this!"

"I just mess with people, Rose! It's gotta be the first thing that comes to my mind or I don't want it!" Nova shrugged helplessly.

Celeste and Dante appeared in the distance, starting up the path to the castle.

"Fine! Deal!" Rosaleya shut her eyes, mind racing to think of how she could pull something so ridiculous off. A moment later, the wish's effects kicked in. "Duplicate this hat, right now!"

Nova pulled an yellow one from his pocket, and Rosaleya immediately put the one in her arms on before snatching the spare from Nova. "Thanks, Nova!"

"I wouldn't thank me, yeeet." Nova whistled innocently as Asmodeus landed beside them.

"What've you got there?" Asmodeus pointed with a chuckle.

Rosaleya looked from the squid hat to Asmodeus, tossing a few tentacles off her face to reveal a determined expression, "I wanted to stand in solitude with you during this meeting, Lust! I saw how everyone indirectly mocked you yesterday with their expressions, ignoring you when you needed them most! But you know what? With these hats, we can't be ignored!" She leaned in, speaking secretively, "They're so strange, I bet we can get them to vote in our favor just to restore the sanctity of their squidless meeting room!" When he hesitated, she pressed on, "And since the meeting's only audibly recorded, the only people who'll be disturbed are the ones in that meeting room! So what do you say to finally making them discuss the real future of your properties?"

Asmodeus puffed out his chest, and mounted the second hat on his head with a proud nod, "Wonderful strategy, Wrath! We'll have them voting in our favor in no time!"

Nova stifled his laugh at Rosaleya's elbow.

On the way inside, they lagged behind the crowd.

"Where did you even get these from?" Rosaleya whispered.

"I can't keep my hands off limited edition items! Do return them when you're done!" Nova whispered back, stifling more laughter.

"What are you guys wearing? They smell like a human fish market!" Diana cringed.

"Oh they don't smell at all, actually. It's an illusion since your mind's used to associating that smell with this slimy aesthetic." Asmodeus stated proudly. "I bet you're just dying to see the end of them, hmm?"

"Hah hah." Diana deadpanned. "You know one of my sisters died to pufferfish poisoning? Who could've ever guessed such a stupid thing could kill a demon."



"Welcome to our second official meeting!" Malice greeted as Skullsworth distributed the papers. "We'll continue where we left off, voting to undo various laws the previous king unlawfully approved."

Through the next hour, they debated several variations of laws that prohibited: questioning the king's interactions with angelic beings, charging the king any form of payment for transactions in hell, negatively portraying the king in any form of media or public speech, publicly disputing positive representations of the king, publicly sharing, reporting, or negatively discussing demonic meeting proceedings, entering the king's castle, or calling a demonic meeting as anyone but the king. The latter evoked the most passion in Celeste, as it had been the last straw that pushed her to take control of their revolution. Rosaleya mimicked Asmodeus's votes as a show of solidarity while he clashed with Malice. Ultimately, the majority voted to undo the laws, and the meeting ended peacefully.

"Tomorrow's meeting will be postponed for two days, since we'll be focusing on the last of the bad laws, and discussing the details of the tribunal, I'll need time to prepare, and a break." Malice informed.

While Eric stood beneath the skull to collect the recording capsules, Asmodeus beckoned to speak with Rosaleya outside.

"I'll see you in a moment!" Rosaleya turned from Asmodeus's retreating figure to Malice. "I counted your buttons today! You've got sixty-six, I think!" Her eyes held hope while she awaited the answer.

"You noticed the small ones inside my sleeves?" Malice raised her eyebrows in surprise, "Congratulations, you're invited to our parties going forward."

"Woah, I thought this would be a one-time-only kind of thing!" Rosaleya's eyes shone with excitement. "Oh, and I didn't really, I just spotted sixty-something...sixty-two, I think! And I guessed there must be a few I was missing, so I added a few more and ended up at sixty-six." She smiled in satisfaction. "I know it's a small accomplishment compared to everything you've been up to, but for me it still feels really nice, especially after failing yesterday."

"Oh rose," Nova ruffled her hair, "you don't have to compare yourself to other people just to justify anything. After all, someone doesn't have to be wrong for you to be right, someone doesn't have to suffer less for your problems to count."

Rosaleya nodded slowly, taking this advice to heart. "Thank you, Nova!" This really is...an amazing place.

"I wanted to invite you from the beginning, but yesterday's skull-challenge was meant to distract you from your worries." Malice smiled.

"I've got some things to handle today that will probably put me in a weird mood," Rosaleya confessed, "so to hear that...it'll give me something wonderful to look forward to tomorrow."

"Good luck, Wrath." Malice smiled.

"Here, take this!" Nova slapped a four-leaf-clover talisman on Rosaleya's back.

"It's a clover." Reign informed when Rosaleya looked around for a mirror.

"Before you go," Celeste spoke, "I want you to know your honesty is one of the reasons I suggested you."

"You suggested me?" Rosaleya tried to shake off her surprise before adding, "To who?"

Celeste smiled knowingly, ignoring her question, "I know you don't always tell the truth, but when it counts, you do. Try to hang onto that."

"Thank you." Rosaleya mentally noted the advice, and waved goodbye to everyone. But sometimes being honest isn't the best path...is it?

"We did quite well in there." Asmodeus smacked a tentacle away from his face. "As we both have things to attend to this afternoon, I'd like you to keep your schedule clear for tomorrow evening. I'd like a word with you in my office after the meeting."

"Oh...okay." Rosaleya wondered if she'd imagined the foreboding tone in his voice. "What...do you wanna talk about?"

"Oh, nothing too serious. Goodbye." Asmodeus jumped all the way up to the meeting tower balcony to rejoin the others.

Rosaleya sighed deeply, looking from the castle to the road leading there. I've got to go talk to Soren...but before that, I need to pull out the big guns. "Eric, I summon you."



"See ya!" Crystal waved, shutting the door behind Leigh. She rolled her eyes as she made her way to the register, prepared to tidy the mess Leigh usually left behind. As she began sorting out the coins carelessly shoved in their compartments, her mind wandered back to Aislynn. She contemplated sneaking out, and all the ways she could get caught, weighing them against giving Aislynn the biggest hugs and letting her finally vent to her about everything that'd went down. She was leaning towards doing it and damning the consequences when the shop's over-door bell drew her gaze. Did Rosaleya write me a reply already?

"A little mouse wanted a particular variety of cheese this evening." Claudia smiled. "Do you sell any here?"

"Oh, Leigh's out with some lady half his age again." Crystal rolled her eyes. "He won't be back for at least a few hours. She can come right in."

"Hear that, dear?" Claudia slid her purse off her shoulder, and overturned its contents onto the floor. "It's fine."

Amongst the red and neutral lipsticks, notebook, and red plume pens, Rosaleya tumbled onto the ground.

"There was a gigantic slide in there!" Rosaleya countered against Crystal's little smirk.

"Alright, what's the bad news this time?" Crystal shook her head teasingly, picking Rosaleya up beneath her arms to stand.

"Okay, so I read your letter earlier, but I still have so many questions! How do I know what the difference is between 'respecting myself' and asking for too much? What about knowing when I'm right or wrong in an argument? 'All couples fight', but what is a normal fight like? I have no idea..." Rosaleya looked down in guilt. "And I feel so stupid about it. I mean, shouldn't I be able to instinctually figure out all this stuff already? I read housecats lose their instincts since they're domesticated, and could die if they're released in the wild. I know I won't die...but even if I can go on relying on you and Claudia for advice forever, what if I never get my instincts back...?"

Claudia waved her hand, and everything from the ground flew back into her purse. She caught a beige lipstick before it joined the rest, and tossed it to Crystal.

Crystal caught it, smoothly sliding it into her coat pocket.

"I'll be back to take you home later, darling!" Claudia called on her way out.

"See you then!" Rosaleya waved.

"First thing, let's get you upstairs!" Crystal took Rosaleya's hand, and started up the steps, "We'll talk, and I'll make you something so cute for those demonic meetings! I'll do your hair, and after everything's settled, we should totally go out and party tonight! I need a distraction from some dark-lord stuff that's been going on, and you need to loosen up! You've been cooped up studying and preparing, haven't you?"

"Well yeah, I wanted to be as ready as I could be! This is the most serious thing I've ever done!" Rosaleya countered.

"Yeah you need to learn to slip outta being super serious and chilling out. Works perfect for whenever the world isn't about to burn." Crystal laughed. "So, pick something out!" She flicked on the lights, and gestured to her array of fabrics.

Rosaleya browsed the fabrics, "I guess my biggest worry is...What if I have to rely on your guys forever?"

"Eh, you won't." Crystal assured, clearing a work table.

"How are you so sure?" Rosaleya felt a shimmery purple fabric, finding the material itchy.

"You'll get experience eventually - that's how we got our knowledge. But until you do, there's nothing wrong with asking the people with more experience-" Crystal gestured to herself as she looked around for some scissors, "-for advice! That's why it's advice! You're not taking orders from us or blindly following everything we say, right?"

"Nope." Rosaleya examined a white frilly fabric at different angles.

"Then there's no problem!" Crystal victoriously held up her favorite pair of tailor's scissors, then tossed them onto the work table. "Now get over there and stop getting lost!"

"Why didn't you just summon them?" Rosaleya wondered.

"Oh yeah, lemme just summon these scissors and have them tear through all my beautiful fabrics." Crystal laughed, making a loud tearing noise with her mouth.

They shared a laugh as they pictured the chaos.

"Another itchy one..." Rosaleya dropped a green sparkly fabric.

"That's usually layered on top of the stuff that'll be touching your skin. You'll never feel it, and it looks pretty." Crystal informed. "I'm thinking we should go with a cute double piece style, kind of like the Hogwarts boys' uniform minus the cloak."

"That was sooo comfy." Rosaleya agreed.

"Yeah I remember you told me so. A cute sweater would be amazing on you. What's the weather like in Hell?"

"It's...kind of neutral. Even at night, it doesn't get cold, it just stays the same like the beginning of autumn." Rosaleya tried to describe it.

"So a sweater wouldn't make you overheat." Crystal nodded thoughtfully. She offered Rosaleya a smooth, black fabric. "Feel this."

"Woah...I want to sleep in this." Rosaleya hugged the swatch.

"Good taste." Crystal smiled, gently tugging it away and laying it on the table. "But don't lemme catch you sleeping in class." She winked.

"I won't...let you catch me." Rosaleya giggled.

"That's the spirit." Crystal chuckled. "Now, for some accents! Sit over here on this stool, and relax. Talk to me." She gestured to a stool before a dressing room mirror.

Rosaleya loosened her shoulders, and stared at Crystal through the mirror. "You sure I'm not bothering you?"

"Pfft, nah, believe me before you showed up I was about to do something preeeeeeetty stupid." Crystal chuckled, gently tilting Rosaleya's head to the side. She tried layering different swatches on her shoulder to picture how it matched her skin.

"Okay then. So how do I know if I'm asking for too much from Soren? He's been kind of stressed out lately...it just feels like we're fighting a lot more than before...and I'm worried next time we talk, we'll fight, to."

"How much did you fight before?"

"We didn't fight at all."

"Now, there's a difference between fighting all the time, and debating. Are you picking the word 'fight' because you want to, or because it feels like that?" Crystal finally decided on the accents, and laid them down to search for some chalk.

"Usually I worry our relationship is ending, or he says something that makes me really sad. In the end, he comes back with apologies and promises, and the most of issues he says won't happen again don't...but it just feels like new ones keep coming up and I can't tell if I'm over reacting." Rosaleya sighed deeply.

"What were things like in the beginning?"

"I was more upfront about things that bothered me, and he didn't seem to mind. He was a bit pushy about things he wanted, and he seemed to want me to trust him more than I did, but...he never pressured me after I said no, he'd pretty much bug off. He seemed okay with it."

"Has he lied to you about anything?"

"Well...one time at Hogwarts he gifted me this amazing list of spells he'd invented, but when I asked him about it, he acted like he'd totally forgotten about it. I've got a $h!t memory, but even I couldn't forget about something like that. Then there's the fact that he completely hid the fact that he played Quidditch as the Ravenclaw Captain. I asked him about sports before and he said he felt neutral about them - but when I saw him playing, he was determined, and he gathers his team mates for intense planning and training sessions before games! That's not 'neutral'!" Rosaleya shrugged in annoyance. "But when I asked him about it, he just said he didn't want to pressure me into watching his games. Then there was this latest incident, where he said he'd meet me at the library after a meeting, but he totally disappeared afterwards! He says he just fell asleep for a really long time, but who the heck sleeps for the rest of one day starting in the afternoon? So much feels like a lie, but I've got no proof!"

Rosaleya slowly intertwined and untwined her fingers as she continued, "But, I don't want to spend this entire time badmouthing him. There've been plenty of times where he's done wonderful things for me, and I just feel terrible doubting him like this. I don't want to lose him because I'm seeing something that isn't there. He's been there for me so many times...helping me clean up the mess at home when I almost killed Leigh...comforting me when I got bullied by some jealous students...and he's even letting me stay at his house during the holidays...which makes me feel even worse-

"-Hey, you don't owe anyone crap!" Crystal asserted. "If someone does you a favor, it's on them for expecting something in return. It's a fa-vor." She stressed the syllables. "In the end, it's their feelings getting hurt for wanting something they're not getting. What you have to keep in mind is: when you first met, what was it about him that you couldn't get enough of?"

"I loved how sweet he was. I loved how it seemed like our values aligned, and we liked a lot of the same things...we liked the honesty and spending time together was a breath of fresh air." Rosaleya described.

"What promises did he make to you in the letters that kept you wanting more?" Crystal summoned Rosaleya's notebook, pushing it into her arms. "Pick any poem, and read it out loud."

Rosaleya skimmed through them until she found her second favorite, reading aloud in a dreamy voice...

Dearest Princess,

It's my dream to meet you one day, and start our wonderful life together. This reunion will mark the end of my arduous quest, in which I journeyed through countless kingdoms without rest. My desire? A perfect maiden to set my heart aflame with integrity and candor. Our souls could fit together like a delicate puzzle; beautiful together, but fragile apart. Strengthening each other at every turn, intertwining as we grow like neighboring plants who love absorbing the sun's nutrients in the same way.

May this wish bring us to our own personal sanctuary of harmony,
your prince.

"See? This is super romantic, and so beautiful...but it's still poetically vague. That's why this next one's my top favorite." Rosaleya found the page, and chose a dignified, elegant voice...

Dearest Princess,

I dream endlessly of a princess who pursues her goals with the same fervor as I. She shares my hobbies, and yearns not for the praise of others. She allows me to gaze in awe at her dreams and inner machinations, and desires to know mine in turn. For this princess, I would give my heart, my soul, my waking hours, and care for her until we pass away. Yet even then, I would wish upon her the greatest happiness, and remain by her side even in the afterlife.

May this wish bring us everlasting joy,
your prince.

"See, he tells me what he wants here, which makes it my ultimate favorite." Rosaleya sighed. "You know what, you're right. A lot of the things he says he wants here kinda go against the stuff he's been arguing with me about."

"Yeah?" Crystal prompted, carefully cutting through fabric. "Like what?"

"Well one argument we had, he was all like, "Blah blah you don't tell me what you're doing so I had to talk to Claudia about it because you left me no choice and I thought you were gonna make a decision without meee!" Rosaleya mimicked in a whiny voice.

Crystal giggled.

"And that goes against the 'endlessly pursues her own goals' part." Rosaleya rolled her eyes. "And in another poem, he mentions 'treating our disagreements with understanding', but that's looking doubtful, too."

"Heh, I bet he thought he had it easy with your poor memory and those disappearing letters, huh?" Crystal grinned. "I'd use these as evidence of what I wanted from him. There's noting wrong with asking for something someone promised, right?"

Rosaleya smiled mischievously, getting excited. "Right!"
"And in these letters, most of the stuff you want's described too, somewhere. Must be why you were so taken by them." Crystal shrugged.

"Yeah, tons of stuff I want's in there!" Rosaleya agreed.

"So," Crystal cut the final piece of cloth, smiling to Rosaleya, "like what we've got here?" She gestured to the pieces.

"These are all so pretty, I can't wait to see how they work together!" Rosaleya gazed at them in anticipation.

"And, what do you think of our plan?" Crystal grinned.

"I think it's amazing! I'm so happy I came to you with this, you gave the perfect advice!" Rosaleya stood and hugged Crystal.

"Make sure to make copies of those, of course, and hide them someplace he'll never find them."

"Yeah! I know a good place."

"Mmm, good luck. And don't forget the most important part." Crystal gently pushed Rosaleya back into her seat, then crouched to be on her level, "If a guy doesn't make you happy, there are always other guys. Always. Even if you think 'oh he's so perfect, he's gotta be the one, I won't be able to find anyone like him!', trust me, you can always find a better guy if he's not making you happy. Now happiness with a guy isn't some stupid lovey-dovey feeling that's constantly giving you a thrill, or a relaxing druglike feeling. No, it's knowing that no matter what sh!t he tries to pull, you'll be okay together and have fun. Think of it like your favorite outfit: you might not wanna wear it every day, but every single time you do, it's just yes yes yes it's perfect. You'll catch each other, you're loyal, and you prioritize each other, not because you're supposed to, but because you feel like it. Mkay?" She gave her a serious expression.

Rosaleya nodded.

"Now if you have any questions, lemme hear 'em."

"Nope!"

"Alright. I'm always here if you need to talk."



"...So first," Crystal downed her entire cauldron goblet of butterbeer, slamming it on the counter, "gimme two more and a Witch's Nose!"

"Mmm." The bartender nodded, turning towards the wall of colorful bottles of different shapes and sizes.

Crystal wore a black dress shirt with extra ruffled sleeves, a sequined crimson vest, bell bottoms with one crimson and one black leg, and shiny black pointy boots. Rosaleya wore a similar outfit, with the colors reversed, and flats. After a smooth apparition lead by Crystal, they'd descended a hidden flight of mossy steps to enter 'The Chocolate Frog'.

High above, a glass ceiling resembled a green pond's surface. Thick 'roots' wound down walls ornamented by leaf-framed, enlarged frog versions of chocolate frog cards. Disco, hip hop, or rock music blared from gigantic chocolate frogs bordering the neon dance floor, flashing in rhythm with the music. A massive lotus chandelier, and gigantic glowing leaves scattered about the place provided dim lighting. The curved glass bar housed multicolored frogs, pairing well with the floating lilypad barstools.

Crystal slipped a few of the foxtail straws into her purse, which had cute, tiny blinking frogs hanging off them. "Alright, let's dance! Come on, Rosie!" She slid off her barstool, and pulled Rosaleya by the wrist to the dance floor. She started dancing in a simple disco-like style, shooting Rosaleya a confident thumbs-up at her nerves.

Rosaleya shrugged, and imitated Crystal's movements, pleasantly surprised with the result. "I'm going it!"

"Yeah, that's how you know you're doing it, you frickin' KNOW IT!" Crystal laughed, switching to a different move. "Now try this!"

"Is this disco?" Rosaleya felt satisfied on the third try.

"Oh you're about to find out what it is!" Crystal laughed, showing her a new move, "Now this is the third one! Try to remember the order we're doing these in because in a minute we'll be doing them all in that order, one at a time!"

Once Rosaleya had mastered the next few moves, they wiggled over to the center of the dance floor.

"DJ!" Crystal pointed to the man behind the music, "Take us back to disco music! My baby girl wants to dance!"

"Mind if I cut in?" A suave man with slicked back hair asked Crystal.

"Fff!ck off." Crystal slurred her words slightly as the liquor kicked in.

The man put his hands up in surrender, ducking out of the spotlight.

"Okay Rosie, hit it!" Crystal began on the first move just as the disco music blared.

"This is so cool!" Rosaleya matched her, almost effortlessly recalling the moves as Crystal moved between them.

"Now we're gonna do that again, but repeat each move twice!" Crystal spun thrice, bowing to the crowd.

The onlookers cheered as Crystal and Rosaleya danced the first verse away, clapping to the song's beat.

During the solo, Crystal pulled out a few new moves, shooting puffs of multicolored fire from her fingertips. Meanwhile, Rosaleya watched in awe, swinging her hips as she sang the color of Crystal's fire to the melody, "Orange, purple, blue, pink, reeeeed! White, green, beige, turquoiiiise!"

As the song arrived at its third verse, Crystal shouted, "All together now!"

The whole dancefloor joined in, dancing in sync as the music reached its highest point.

I knew Crystal was amazing, but this is a whole other level! Rosaleya thought.

Heheh, I can't even remember what I was trying to forget! Crystal smiled blissfully as she spun around.

She directed the whole dancefloor through two more songs, then bowed out when they begged for more.

"I would never do more than three dances...unless someone here wants to pay for our drinks?" Crystal grinned.

"Drinks for the ladies!" A man with sweat dripping off his forehead exclaimed.

"So, you'll be having a few, too?" Crystal jested.

"Hah hah." The man deadpanned, then approached the bartender to order some drinks for himself.

Crystal took Rosaleya's hand, and danced over to the washroom. "So, how's this doin' for you?"

"It's amazing! I knew you were totally awesome but this is just too cool!" Rosaleya exclaimed. "How did you get everyone to dance like you, and then you're getting free drinks, too?!"

"Heh, free drinks is just the way you ask for free everything." Crystal winked. She reached into her pocket to pull out some makeup, positioning herself between both sinks. Meanwhile, Rosaleya went into a stall. "Now this guy out there, he's gonna be expecting something in return. He thinks I'm the kind of lady who's going to physically repay him for something like this. Little does he know...we won't be dancing any more tonight."

Rosaleya laughed, envisaging ditching the party after a few more drinks and snacks as she flushed. She studied the green toilet for a moment before moving to the sinks.

"And that moron in the beginning? He thinks he can get whateeever he wants, but nope! Telling him off let the other guys know I'm not that easy." Crystal laughed, touching up her sparkly red eyeshadow. "It also made our dance something to be envied, so suddenly everyone wanted what they couldn't have. The regulars will be talking about this for a while, so now I'm set for whenever I come back. The trick is to not hit the same place twice in one month." She reapplied her black lipstick, then made little pop pop pop noises with her lips. "It's not limited edition if you can remember it so clearly."

Rosaleya dried her hands with a handful of 'drying powder'. "This stuff smells like chocolate mousse!"

"Mhmmm." Crystal nodded her head to the music.

Another lady entered the bathroom, looked from Crystal taking up the entire mirror's counter, and walked out as she shook her head.

"So that's why you're standing there..." Rosaleya realized.

"Mmmmhm. They can f!ck off and hold it until I'm done. This is as much of a break room as it is a bathroom." Crystal closed up her makeup and slid it back into her magically expanded pocket. "I forgot to ask, do you want any?" She took out Claudia's beige lipstick. "Oh, not this..." She shoved it into a different pocket, then pulled out her palette of sparkly dark-colored eyeshadow, "This stuff!"

"Hmm...you know what, why not?" Rosaleya shrugged, sitting up on the counter.

"Oh my gosh you're gonna look so cuuute!" Crystal giggled, pulling out a spare brush. "Close your eyes, I'll let you know when you can open them."

Rosaleya did as she said, and thought about what snacks she wanted to order from the bar.

"So my first boyfriend, he was as sweet as sugar. Not a thing wrong with him, buuut, I was so nervous around him I couldn't even talk." Crystal giggled. "I'd freeze up a lot, and I'd go blank, it was so boring. My hands would get clammy around him, too."

"Clammy?"

"One time, we were holding hands at lunch, and I could tell he was trying to be polite about it and discreet, but I saw it! When he pulled away, he wiped his hand on his jeans. Eventually, I broke up with him because that was going nowhere. Onto boyfriend number two, this guy was a d!ckwad, but I was so shy I didn't really say anything against the dumb sh!t he was doing." Crystal blew a lock of hair out of her way. "I got overlooked and stepped on, and eventually I blew up at him and ended it. Boyfriend number three, I was more upfront with. We talked about things, and he said I demanded too much from him. I said he could demand he wasn't single all he wanted but that wouldn't be changing anytime soon."

Crystal put the eyeshadow back in her pocket, and pulled out a can of magical hairspray. "Your top is black with red accents, so your hair will be...red." She shook up the can, spraying as she continued, "Number four was...cute and chill, but a bit too pushy. We clashed on too many things, and in the end he dumped me because I overshadowed him. The last straw for him was when I accidentally took over his birthday party and got everyone to dance to his favorite song. It was a surprise to get him in a better mood since he'd been failing at getting a successful singing career, but he was so frustrated I sounded better than him it was all he could think about until he just stopped talking to me altogether. It hurt to get cut out like that, least he could've done is say, 'I'm a little girl that's gotten my pride hurt by a woman half my height and I'd rather break up with her than live in her shadow'."

Crystal shook her head as she smirked, "Check out tonight's look!"

"Woooah!" Rosaleya admired the way her hair went from brown at the base to dark, sparkly red at the tips, and how her eyes looked like a movie star's.

"I'll tell you about five through eight next time." Crystal winked as they made their way back to the bar. "So the most important takeaway from this is: it's okay if you make tons of mistakes and ruin some people's lives." She joked. "In the end, you'll learn you're the best, and that's when you'll be able to trust yourself and make the best decisions. You won't rely on anyone else to tell you crap, and you'll have the best time ever!"

One Hour Later

Crystal took out Claudia's beige lipstick, and held it in her palm as it melted in red flames.

Claudia poofed onto a bar stool beside them, "Ready to go home?"

"Yes, take me back to the shop, and take Rosie home." Crystal nodded to the music. "Ah it's so great to not have to be the sober driver for a change!"

"It looks like you two enjoyed yourselves." Claudia smiled warmly.

"We did! And I learned so many things!" Rosaleya exclaimed, trying to cover up a yawn.

"Time to head home and get some rest for tomorrow." Claudia slid off her seat.

They made their way to the exit just as the man who had paid for everything searched the crowd for Crystal. By the time he'd made it over to the bar, the ladies had already disappeared outside.



"Rosaleya what in heaven is wrong with you?!" Soren yanked the front door open. His brows furrowed deeper as he noticed her outfit and makeup, "And where've you been all day?"

"The same thing that was 'wrong with me' this morning." Rosaleya shrugged, stepping inside. "Hello to you, too."

"You're all over the news!" Soren shook the television remote, "Cepharella. Cephalopod, and Cinderella...now you look like some weird disco queen."

"You're not going to distract me with whatever's going on, we're talking about what happened yesterday." Rosaleya focused on her goal.

"What about what happened today? You've been out partying and ignoring my messages! I was worried about you..." Soren took a deep breath, "And why would you talk to the news reporters?"

"Was I not supposed to? They were pretty transparent with me on what was going to happen, and no one told me not to, so I thought it was fine." Rosaleya shrugged. "And you didn't answer my messages yesterday."

"I was asleep, that's completely different!" Soren grabbed Rosaleya's hand and darted down the hallway.

"We're talking about-" Rosaleya tried to maintain her balance as she nearly tripped over a stair, "-yesterday first!" I'm being firm about this, but he's just not listening!

"Here." Soren let go of her hand to unmute the television. "Listen."

"This is DNN, here to give you the the news on the latest demon everyone hates! Rosaleya Macabre Fairbrook," a slideshow of Rosaleya and Asmodeus wearing matching squid hats outside the castle flashed on screen, "the temporary representative of Wrath! She's definitely incurred all our wrath by trivializing the position, exemplifying how the honor is being lost on an irresponsible, unprepared, nervous wreck of a demon! It's difficult to decide which was worse during the interview: her words, or her inner thoughts!"

The images changed to a clip of Rosaleya nervously confessing, "...I have no experience with royal proceedings." Then, her thoughts at the time echoed on screen: I wonder why Wrath gave me the position...I wonder who Wrath really is...Why is Soren being such a jerk, lately?

"It's clear she can't even keep her mind on one topic, much less prepare for what's to come!" 'Red' shook her head in disapproval, her stone armchair split-screening with more footage of Rosaleya's interview.

"Do you plan to eventually replace Prince Wrath?" Red held the microphone to Rosaleya's mouth.

"No." Rosaleya replied, her thoughts appearing in subtitles on screen: I might one day, I don't know. Maybe I'll enjoy it here so much I won't want to leave, or maybe people will like me more than Wrath. Although that's not really an achievement, he's got a pretty bad reputation as it is. Heheh, Soren would look hilarious dressed up as a clown right about now, with a big red nose and a hat made of swiss cheese. Would it look like it was made out of swiss cheese, or actually be swiss cheese? A little rat, or maybe a bunch of mice, would peep out of the holes and call him names every time he pissed me off...Prince Cheeseming.

Rosaleya burst into laughter, panting through her words, "Oh my gosh I forgot all about that! I can't...I can't stand..." She gasped, giving into the laughter. "Why are you mad?" She laughed so hard her body went limp, so she leaned on the couch to avoid slumping to the ground. "It's hilarious!"

Soren shook his head, threw the remote on the couch, and stomped off to the kitchen muttering, "Prince Cheeseming and Cepharella."

"Soren," Rosaleya pulled herself to her feet to pursue him, "it's called negative news, they're just doing their jobs! Just flip to a different channel! Flip to the positive one, they're probably saying great things about me." When Soren clenched his fists, Rosaleya hastily added, "Or the neutral one! They don't edit anything so-"

"-You hurt me, Rosaleya. You really do." Soren walked faster as Rosaleya neared, "Is that really what you think of me?"

"Uh, yeah. You were being a jerk-" Rosaleya finally caught up to him, grabbing onto his hands.

"-I made an innocent mistake! Is this what happens when I make mistakes? But with you, I'm supposed to be kind and forgiving, huh?" Soren's eyebrows furrowed.

"Supposed to be?" Rosaleya questioned.

"Did you know about the microphones?" Soren shot her an accusatory glance.

"Oooh, that's why Celeste warned me about being honest..." Rosaleya realized.

Soren tried to pull away.

"Wait!" Rosaleya held on tighter. "Close your eyes."

"This is ridiculous..." Soren squeezed his eyes shut all the same, holding his breath.

"Relax your face, and take deep breaths." Rosaleya hugged Soren. "Imagine you're in a peaceful green field full of flowers! It's overcast so the sun's not in your face..." She tried to remember more of what Claudia had said, "...and it's a magic field so you can just stay there forever!"

"Why would I want to stay there?" Soren gritted his teeth. "Even if time doesn't exist in the field, it does everywhere else. Besides, I thought you were mad that I relaxed and forgot about time, huh?"

"Just...try to picture it." Rosaleya clung to the fading image in her mind, envisaging herself there, comforting Soren instead of getting angry. "There's special time magic in the field so no matter how long you spend there, it won't matter anywhere else. It really is your perfect place. So you rest your head on the grass, just enjoying the peace. Then I come along so you can rest your head on my legs instead, like a nice pillow, and-"

"-If it's my perfect peaceful place, why are you there?" Soren asked.

The vibrant image plunged the into void, leaving cold darkness. Rosaleya's hands fell to her sides, and she opened her eyes, at a loss for words. Taking a few steps back, her thoughts spun. Was it a joke? Did he mean it? Why is he so mad? His voice sounded like he was asking an innocent question, but with this context...I don't know... Then, Crystal's words echoed in her mind: "You'll catch each other, you're loyal, and you prioritize each other, not because you're supposed to, but because you feel like it." Hmm... "There's noting wrong with asking for something someone promised, right?" Crystal grinned. Rosaleya grinned, drawing her arm back to punch Soren.

"Wait-I didn't mean it like that!" Regret shone in Soren's eyes.

"That's regret in your eyes!" Rosaleya hit him with all her force. To her surprise, he shot to the end of the hallway, and tumbled on the floor. "You wouldn't have that look if you didn't mean it that way! But it took me getting angry to see that. I was doubting you so hard despite everything! I wanted to believe you really didn't mean any of it."

"Yin, please! I fell asleep in the library, and by the time I woke up, it was already the next morning! I don't know why I slept so heavily and for so long, or why time passed so quickly in this world when normally, it would only be a few minutes out here! I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you after the meeting, but has all this fame has gone to your head that you don't even see what's wrong with ruining our reputation?" Soren grew more nervous as Rosaleya marched nearer.

"I said I don't care about that stuff! If you do, it's your problem." Rosaleya offered Soren her hand. "I tried to calm you down first, but that's not how things ended up going. Now you'll have to cool down the hard way!"

Jade winked, innocently sliding one of the windows open.

Rosaleya tossed Soren out of it, aiming for the pool below.

"ROSALEYA IT IS THE MIDDLE OF WINTEEEEER!" Soren shrieked as he fell.

SPLASH

"And the end of what could've been a peaceful day." Rosaleya giggled, jumping in after him. "But we're about to fix thaaaaaaaaat!"

SPLASH

"Holy cr@p this is cold! Heheh." Rosaleya swam up to the surface, taking a deep breath of air.

"I'M COOLED DOWN NOW!" Soren shouted, splashing Rosaleya in the face.

"Mission accomplished, I know." Rosaleya giggled, swimming to the edge, "So, remember when you wrote me all those beautiful letters?"

"...Yeah..." Soren climbed over the edge, shivering as the wind blew.

"I reread them last night, and a lot of the cr@p you said you were gonna do isn't happening right now. And, I think deep down, since those letters mentioned being together a lot, you're secretly still p!ssed I took that job. Think about it, back at Hogwarts, our main problem was I didn't trust you enough, but you were okay with it then because you knew the winter holidays were coming. You mentioned coming here a lot, and totally hyped up spending Christmas and New Year's with you. But now that that's not going too well, you're furious and getting frustrated over tiny things. You talked your mom up so much, but you wanna guilt me for asking her for advice and venting? I didn't care that you did that, I cared that you were yelling at the top of your lungs about stuff that sounded like you wanted to get in the way of one of my first big decisions, instead of coming to me about it, but when we talked, you just lied."

"...Yes." Soren relented. "I'm still mad about that. I'm mad about tons of other things too, but that one the most. But can you really blame me?"

"Yeah, I can." Rosaleya stood beside him, teeth chattering. "Especially since you were the one who was all like, 'Oh we shouldn't keep secrets or tell lies, blah blah blah'."

"That's how you hear me?" Soren looked hurt.

"No, that's my deep guy voice." Rosaleya laughed. "And nice try. Address the thing I said. Because I need to know if it's me telling the truth and you lying all you want, or us working as a team, 'Strengthening each other at every turn, intertwining as we grow like neighboring plants who love absorbing the sun's nutrients in the same way'. Heheh I memorized that line earlier just for this."

"...You're right, I'll try to be more honest going forth. Now can we go inside now?" Soren turned to walk away.

Rosaleya caught up and tripped him. "I heard 'try'."

Soren just barely avoided falling, catching his balance at the last second. "That's all I can promise."

"It doesn't take a lot to not lie repeatedly to me, Soren. I'm not saying you have to tell me everything, just don't lie to my face." Rosaleya reasoned.

Soren gave her a long look, then relented. "Fine, I promise I won't lie to you going forward."

"Oooh that was so hard. What a nice game that was, fighting my boyfriend to promise not to lie to me." Rosaleya facepalmed. "I hope you catch a cold. Let me know when you're ready to talk, Soren. I'm going sleep after a nice long shower. In the meantime, why don't you reflect on the stuff you wrote in those letters?"




The Next Day

"Finally!" Crystal spun around with the parcel in her arms, excited to dance with Aislynn at the Yule Ball. "Mmmm, in that beautiful dress, she'll steal the whole show!" She proudly envisaged Aislynn in the gown as she turned the corner, entering the labyrinth's center. "Take me with you!"

Raven turned from Luna to Crystal, surprised to see her in the labyrinth so early.

"Pristine timing, Raven just acquired my permission." Luna nodded.

"You won't be coming?" Raven turned back to Luna with disappointed eyes.

"I'm afraid I need to write several ideas down before I forget, and seeing as you cannot read my mind and remember for me, I must stay." Luna turned back to her papers. "I must ask you to report her physical condition back to me as soon as possible, Crystal."

"I will." Crystal nodded. "So?" She looked to Raven.

Ten Minutes Later

"Hey, Aislynn!" Crystal greeted cheerfully, "Come drink with us! We're outside the Black Cobweb right now!" She sent her patronus off, praying it reached Aislynn as soon as possible.

"What would you like to do when she ignores it?" Raven asked.

"If she ignores it," Crystal corrected while pointing her index finger, "we'll go meet up with her wherever she's at! She needs to cheer up and forget about that moron!"

 

[Hikari Chan]

"Hey, Aislynn!" Crystal cheerful patronus swirled around Aislinn. "Come drink with us! We're outside the Black Cobweb right now!"

"No...no...no..." Aislinn moaned. ...I am not in the right mood to drink...besides I had too much yesterday...Crystal can drink all she wants...but why is she asking me to drink first thing in the noon...and who is with her...? Is Rosaleya accompanying her...Aislinn pondered, already knowing that Luna was not the kind who would go to the Cobweb and drink. ...besides, why hasn't Luna sought me as soon as I left St. Mungos...? Aislinn did not know how to respond to Crystal's patronus. She could not even decide if she should respond to Crystal or send Luna a message, whether with a patronus, the green emerald or an owl. All of a sudden, Aislinn heard the faint sound of familiar footsteps on the second floor. She rushed outdoors and slammed the front door behind her. ...not now...later...I will deal with my family later...

A couple of minutes earlier, Aislinn entered Knockturn Alley. She had forgotten that she had cried earlier and that the tears had dried on her face. She did not care about the hollow look she had with the black shadows under her eyes. She was surprised to see Raven as she had no idea who would have been accompanying Crystal to the Cobweb. Aislinn raised her hand, greeting them from afar.

"I just want some ice cream," Aislinn spoke first, not caring if it was winter or almost minus degrees. "I don't feel like drinking. I had too much firewhiskey yesterday," She explained, walking past Cobweb and making her way to the Ice Cream parlour. She bought one pint of chocolate ice cream drizzled with chocolate sauce and chocolate sprinkles. She smiled happily as soon as the taste of chocolate spread throughout her mouth and the cold dessert went down her throat.

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

"So, does he wear the hats, or store seeds in them-" Crystal's expression changed from inquisitive to relieved the moment she saw Aislynn appear in the distance. She smiled as she waved back, quickly whispering into her emerald as Aislynn neared, "She's got heartbreak and weariness on her features like a bad hangover." She shoved her wand back into her pocket. "Hey, Aislynn." She gave quickest, gentlest hug she could manage before walking by her side.

"Hello, mistress Aislynn." Raven bowed as deeply as she could manage in the crowd.

"I just want some ice cream. I don't feel like drinking. I had too much firewhiskey yesterday."

"Drinking stage is over, time to move onto the chocolates." Crystal smiled.

As they walked, Raven fought herself between saying something and keeping quiet.

Crystal covered the cost of the ice cream, taking a huge bite off the moment the cashier handed it over.

When Raven saw Aislynn's smile, she felt her heart relax a little. No, I shouldn't say anything, yet. She hasn't forgotten what I can do, she'll request my magic if she requires it...won't she?

"Luna wanted to come, but she's been sequestered in her new office." Crystal informed, before poorly imitating Luna's voice, "But send my regards." After a light giggle, she continued in her normal voice, "I've been working on something wonderful, in my own sort of office." She nodded to the parcel under her arm. "I'll carry it around until you're ready to take it back with you." And since I figure you might be half-listening right now at best judging by how tired you look, I've attached a small note on the inside. "Since the Yule Ball's coming up I thought it would suit the occasion."

Crystal went quiet for a bit to finish off her ice cream, only continuing when Aislynn finished hers, "Wanna do anything else? If not, no worries, we won't keep you." She assured gently. Now that I've seen you awake in person, I'm feeling a bit calmer. I still wanna murder that @$$hole but hey, that's not gonna happen, yet. The most important thing is seeing you're okay.



Rosaleya clicked her tupperware of Claudia's breakfast muffins shut, held it under her arm, and headed for the door.

"Yin!" Soren breathed a sigh of relief, catching up to her, "I worried you'd left already!"

Rosaleya turned around, noticing he'd just woken up. Oh yeah, I messed with his alarm. Heheh. "What's up?" She raised an eyebrow.

Jade put his hand around her shoulders, "One wrong move, and we'll turn around. No exceptions, remember?"

Yeah...I remember. Rosaleya smiled.

"I reflected on everything last night." Soren's eyes pleaded for her to listen. "Can we talk...for real?"

"For real?" Rosaleya questioned. "Like we haven't been talking for real, or like last time wasn't real?"

"Last time wasn't, I was completely out of line, and I'm so sorry." Soren apologized, holding out a hand for her to take.

"Hmm, this seems...familiar." Jade rolled his eyes.

"I love your strength," Soren began, "your laughter, determination...I love-"

"-Soren..." Rosaleya took a deep breath, and continued, "I would love it if you could tell me the truth. It's hard to trust...any of this, when you lied. Do you understand that?"

"Yes, I understand." Soren reached for her hand, surprised when she pulled it away. "I swear, I won't lie about anything from now on. I wish I could take it all back...but instead, please let me prove to you that I want to make things better. You don't have a meeting today, right? That's why you haven't left, yet?"

"Yeah I slept in." Rosaleya replied.

"Alright...just let me get ready, and I'll go with you today!" Soren pleaded.

"I don't know, I've got a lot of stuff to do." Rosaleya giggled, "It might take all day, and it's going to be very boring. It might even be embarrassing for you, Prince Cheeseming."

"I don't mind at all." Soren assured.

Hmm, no reaction to that. Alright then, this will be fun. Rosaleya thought. "Think you can be ready to leave in five?"

"Five?!" Soren exclaimed. "I mean, sure, five!" He hastily sped back to his tower.

The moment he was out of earshot, Rosaleya and Jade burst into laughter.

"Yeah, let's see how Prince Cheeseming likes being lied to." Jade laughed.

"Mhm." Rosaleya giggled.

Through the next two minutes, Rosaleya tried different ways of jumping, yet none resulted in jumping any higher than she normally did. She'd tried most before, but saw no reason not to retry one last time to double check there was nothing she'd missed.

"Just one of those things that's easier than it looks." Jade sighed. "But don't give up! We'll figure this out!"

"Yeah, at least this way we get to try out all the obvious methods before the class." Rosaleya agreed. "Alright, it's been three minutes total, let's go."

Before she reached Soren's tower, he jumped from the highest window, landing perfectly beside her. "Before we go, would you mind running your fingers through my hair? I didn't get a chance to fix it before I jumped out."

"Of course." Rosaleya smiled, parting it the way he normally did. "Your hair looks great. But, is it really okay for you to leave with wet hair like this in the winter?"

"Oh, it's fine, I've got this." Soren pulled a spray can out of his pocket, flashing the label to Rosaleya as he walked: Blow-Dry in a Can

"Neat." Rosaleya grinned. "So, first stop today is a jump class. I've been trying to jump on my own for a while, and I'm pretty sure I've tried everything. There's got to be something I'm missing."

"I can teach you that, you know, you don't have to go to a class." Soren offered, spraying the last of the can's compressed hot air.

"I figured, but I'd like to try a professional's advice." Rosaleya replied. "I'm sure you can see where I'm coming from, being tired of home lessons?" She reminded him, switching to walk on his other side as they walked past the pool.

"Thinking you'll trip and push me in again?" Soren joked, returning the can to his pocket as he ran his fingers through his hair again.

"Something like that." Rosaleya smiled. "So, still wanna come to the class? There are gonna be lots of little demon kids there."

"I'm sure we'll be great together." Soren assured warmly.

"Prince Cheeseming, Prince Cheeseming," Jade sang, skipping as they walked, "does your castle melt in summer? Prince Cheeseming, Prince Cheeseming, does your cheese hat make you dumber? Cheddar beds and swiss cheese heads, mozzarella clocks and parmesan socks! Everything you own is made of cheese, real estate must be a breeze..."

 

[Hikari Chan]

"Hmm..." Aislinn mumbled, enjoying her ice cream and not hearing what Crystal said. ...they probably know...all of them...that I have been at St. Mungos...Aislinn thought but did not care about asking Crystal how much she or anyone else knew. She ate her ice cream slowly in silence, indulging in every spoonful of the cold dessert as if tasting some new dessert every time she ate a spoon. Aislinn could hear Crystal talking in the background, but she did not register what Crystal was saying. It was as if Aislinn was walking in a dream where her surroundings felt distant. She was brought back to reality when she had finished her ice cream and suddenly started to feel cold. Aislinn had thought she would talk a lot with Crystal and Raven, but Aislinn had remained quiet, feeling impotent to speak. She excused herself and mumbled something incoherent about how she needed to go home.

Aislinn opened the door, her hands shaking slightly. It felt so good to enter her home, but she was still freezing. She tried to close it quietly, as quietly as possible. Her heart pounded loudly with each creaking sound the door made. She hoped that none would notice that she had entered from the backdoor of the manor. She tried to sneak through the kitchen and then upstairs to her bedroom, but she got caught off guard as soon as she stepped out in the dark hallway. Aislinn was so surprised to see her grandmother that she became speechless and could not say a single word. She just stopped in her tracks and stood motionless.

"Well, good afternoon..." Lady Monroe spoke slowly as if she tasted every word before pronouncing them. She eyed her granddaughter from head to toe and sighed audibly when she did not receive a response. "I'd like an explanation," Lady Monroe demanded. Her tone said she would not accept a no for an answer. She gestured with her hand and walked towards the parlour. "I saw you at the wedding, but not long after that-"

"Pumpkin!"

Aislinn suddenly found herself in her father's embrace.

"Merlin's beard, you are so cold. Did you not have anything for breakfast?"

"I had ice cream," Aislinn finally spoke without thinking and then realized what she had said. But it was too late to take back her words. She could hear her grandmother's loud sigh of disappointment behind her.

Soon, Aislinn was seated in an armchair in the parlour. Natalia had brought her a cup of bland Earl Grey tea, much to Aislinn's horror, but she was too tired and cold to complain. Vincent was nowhere to be seen, so Aislinn guessed that he probably was seeing Adela or working at Markus Scarr's Indelible Tattoos in Knockturn Alley.

"Well, where was I before I got interrupted..." Lady Monroe half spoke with herself and with her son as she cast an annoying look at him. "Ah...I remember now...Aislinn!"

Aislinn forced herself to look up from the surface of the dark and hot tea in her teacup and meet her grandmother's calm yet questioning eyes.

"I don't quite understand. One moment, I saw you at the wedding weeks ago and then all of a sudden, I heard you were unconscious at St. Mungos. Are you sick, my dear? Is there something that is hurting you?" Lady Monroe had a perplexed and worried look all over her face. "I saw you leaving the wedding with Mr. Divilliers-"

Aislinn choked on her tea when her grandmother suddenly mentioned Alastair. The cup of tea slipped from her shaking hand and fell on her lap. The burning feeling of hot tea on her thighs made it even worse. She wanted to scream, but all she could do was cough.

Edward was the quickest in the room to react.
"Oh my, my sweet pumpkin!" He rushed to her side and helped her up from the armchair. While walking her out from the parlour, he turned his head around and gestured to his mother not to follow them. Lady Monroe was furious because she had been interrupted again instead of receiving any explanation from her granddaughter. Natalia cleaned up the mess Aislinn had left behind as quietly and quickly as possible.

Aislinn was still coughing but felt relief that she did not have to finish the tea or talk to her grandmother at that moment.
...I have mixed feelings about my father...but I feel such relief that he is here...She thought, hugging her father.
Edward was surprised by his daughter's sudden gesture, but he did not say a single word. Instead, he hugged her in return while thinking about how to return the favour to Mr Divilliers.

...how complicated...the brother of the dark lady...he must have done something disgraceful...tsk...but I cannot do anything...first, I need to know the details and then...then I will think of how to return the favour to him without provoking the dark lady...Edward thought darkly.

The days passed by, neither slowly nor too quickly. Aislinn hardly left her home. She would take strolls or sit motionless in the swing in the garden behind the manor. She was quiet and never showed any expression, neither cried nor smiled. She only ate with her father whenever he was home. Most of the time, she avoided her grandmother, who ignored her to her relief, stayed away from Vincent, whom she never saw anyway, and ignored the rest of the family members. That, until the twenty-second of December.

It was eight o'clock in the morning, when Aislinn heard a knock on her bedroom door. She was already up, dressed and was reading. She would not eat anything until later. It had become her morning routine ever since she had met her father. She recognized the knock on her door, knowing it was him. He always knocked to tell her that breakfast, lunch or dinner was ready. She whisked her wand towards the door and opened it without leaving her armchair.

"Happy birthday, pumpkin!" Edward grinned. Before Aislinn reacted, a small coffee table was conjured in the middle of her room. A round chocolate cake, with exactly twenty-four burning candles, was placed on the table. She was too speechless to speak. Never in her life had anyone wished her a happy birthday. ...because I never told anyone about my birthday anyway, yet that foolish Sherwood would always buy me a present whenever he left Hogwarts for the summer holidays. He had no idea. I threw his silly gifts anyway...

"I have something for you...well..." Edward gestured at a brown coffer that he had brought with him. She remained seated in her armchair, watching him fiddling with the rusty lock, trying to unlock it. After a couple of tries, he finally managed to open the coffer, revealing neatly wrapped gifts. Each gift was labelled with a number. But to Aislinn's surprise, it did not start with the first number but with the fourth number.

"Since the wizarding war ended, I went into hiding. I could not send an owl or a Patronus because I feared getting discovered by the Aurors. I bought a gift for your birthday every year that passed by with the single pitiful hope of one day coming back home. So I collected gifts for you, thinking about what you would like to have for your birthday if had I been able to give them to you. Would you like to eat cake or open your gifts first?"

Aislinn was astonished seeing so many gifts that she just mumbled an oh in response.

Edward laughed heartily. He cut her a slice of the chocolate cake and placed a cup of Earl Gray in front of her before conjuring a chair for himself. Edward noticed that Aislinn did not taste anything until he had a piece of cake and a sip of the tea.
...just like whenever we eat together...she always waits for me to taste the food first...is it out of respect, or does she not trust me yet?
He guessed that she would not touch any of the gifts. The other day, he had seen the small package that contained the mask he had gifted her.
Every time he entered her room, he always saw that package on her bedside table. Hence, he reached out for the first gift he had bought for her for turning four and placed it in her hands. Soon, there were wrapping papers crumbled all over the floor. Aislinn's bed was full of plushies, porcelain dolls, colouring books, inkwells in every colour she could imagine and a quill. A broom for a seven-year-old was leaning against the wall. Edward had gotten it in the hope he would return home sooner than he had expected to teach his daughter to fly. Perfumes, jewellery, clothes, make-up and accessories took up the rest of the space of her bed.

First, Aislinn was staring at all the odd items on her bed. Then she burst out laughing. She laughed so hard that tears filled her eyes. When she ceased to laugh, she began to cry. After several weeks, she finally cried out to her heart's content, all the feelings she had been keeping inside. Edward just held her without a word and tried to understand her muffled words through her sobbing.

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

Crystal could only make out the words 'go home' before Aislynn wandered off. "See ya!" A moment later she found herself unclenching her fists. Alastair...She seethed.

She could use a distraction. "Do you want to go shopping?" Raven suggested.

"I'll pick something out for Aislynn's birthday." Crystal agreed.

Raven thought of Aislynn's depressed air, and the stress lines in Luna's forehead as Crystal spoke of the ideas she had for the store's New Year's display. When Crystal left she wandered around aimlessly until she found herself inside Flourish and Blott's, before a display for the latest volume of Cooking with Magic.

A miniature Hogwarts Express encircled the fanned-out books, towing cars of appetizing wax likeness of the new recipes. In the center, a turkey-shaped sign read in gold letters:

With Forty-Three New Recipes for the Holidays, It's the Perfect Gift for Someone Special!

"Luna likes these..." Raven recalled Luna's habit of collecting every volume. No doubt, she hasn't had the time to even jot it down on one of her lists. She levitated one onto the checkout counter, shaking conjured galleons from her sleeve on the way.

"Oh, did you buy something new?" Soren noticed her necklace as they landed in a wide, grassy field.

"Actually, a fan gave it to me! It's got a cute shell that shows me what I need to see when I get nervous." Rosaleya flashed the shell, rejoicing, "I've got fans now!"

"What sorts of things does the shell show you?" Soren shrugged.

"People reassuring me." Rosaleya kept it vague.

Soren's expression went from curious to neutral.

He's trying just as hard as I am not to start a fight right now...isn't he? I don't think this is what it should feel like, tenseness in the air, trying not to say the wrong thing...it reminds me of something... "Claudia and Crystal." Rosaleya clarified.

Soren gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'm sorry I've made you feel that way. Don't worry, soon I'll show you, you can trust me."

Rosaleya blinked in surprise. I thought he was going to get mad again. He really is determined, huh? Did I...go too far?

"Nope." Jade deadpanned.

"So, are you sure this is the place?" Soren gently changed the topic.

"Maybe the jump class is taking place underground, huh?" Rosaleya joked, using re-checking the flyer as an excuse to walk faster than him. "Hmm, flyer says it's the right place, and the right time, too..." She looked down when something tugged at her shoelace. "Hmm?" She crouched to pick up a cute mouse made of bronze metals with exposed gears.

It squeaked something that sounded vaguely like her name, and pawed to her left.

"Lead the way, little guy!" Rosaleya lowered her hands, and it scurried away at once. She bolted after it with Soren in her wake.

Soon, they met a group of children doing the same thing, led by miniature metal hummingbirds, mice, butterflies, squirrels, owls, bunnies, deer, hedgehogs, bears, racoons, and foxes.

"Hi!" Rosaleya greeted cheerfully.

"Are you the teacher's assistant?" A demon girl chasing another mouse asked.

"Nope!" Rosaleya smiled.

"What about you?" A demon boy chasing a deer asked Soren.

"He's Prince Cheeseming." Rosaleya announced proudly.

"Soren McCunnen." Soren corrected stiffly.

"Prince Cheeseming! I heard my mother talking about you." A demon girl chasing a hummingbird giggled. "So, are you Cepharella?"

"That's me." Rosaleya grinned. "I forgot my squid hat today, but I brought a gift from the squid prince!" She gestured to her necklace. "He's my brother, and he's very stinky. His hobby is teasing sailors who mistake him for any old squid, and try to make him into spicy calamari!"

As the children's giggling rippled, Rosaleya laughed along, relieved at the class's peaceful energy thus far.

I wonder if Crystal has rubbed off on her a bit...Soren wondered, doing a poor job at hiding his embarrassment.

A massive oak tree with lime green and lavender leaves sprouted from the ground, bringing the group's running to an abrupt halt.

"Hello, everyone!" The jump teacher greeted cheerfully, swinging on a tire swing set upon the highest sturdy branch. She wore a brown frock, yellow rain boots, and white overalls embroidered with beige gears of differing sizes. "If you're returning, welcome back! Remember it doesn't matter how long it takes, you'll eventually learn and once you do, nothing will stop you! If you're new here, I'm Hiromi Kobayashi, but you can call me Miss Hiromi! I'm happy to have you in my class! Now," She clapped, summoning thirty-six trampolines - one for each demon. At the same time, every animal began up the tree, heading for her, "I want you to reach me before your animals do! Get as far as you can before you start climbing!"

Rosaleya joined the others in the race up, surprised at how far the trampolines sent everyone. As she rose high, she tried to keep track of her mouse in the mess of demons. On her way down, she prayed she'd align with her trampoline properly.

"I'll be here if you fall, it's alright!" Soren assured on her third jump.

"Blondie, you should head up here, too. No lagging." Hiromi teased, sending Soren's ignored deer back down to speak through, "Oh Blondie?" The deer poked him in the ankle, gesturing to the tree. "Up here!"

"I've got white hair!" Soren called, "Even if it looks platinum blonde from up there!"

"That's not what I'm seeing." Hiromi teased.

Soren picked up the deer, studying his reflection in the polished metal. He gasped, dropping the dear in outrage.

"Ouch!" The deer spoke in its own voice - a blend of robotic buzzing and childish vigor.

Soren set aside the brief daydream of kicking Rosaleya's trampoline out from under her, and took a few deep breaths, jumping past her instead to sit beside the teacher.

"Supporting your friend?" Hiromi smiled, noting through his ease and lack of surprise that he wasn't here for his own lessons.

"Girlfriend." Soren snapped, pulling a tiny robot caterpillar off his head to toss it away.

"Jerry only thought a braid might look nice." Hiromi joked. "Do you disagree?"

"You could joke I'm having a terrible day today, and that my hair's in agreement." Soren crossed his arms.

"Is that true?" Hiromi looked to Soren's hair, jokingly expecting an answer.

Soren huffed, turning away for a moment before grabbing a lock of his hair and moving it about while he spoke, "Yes, I took a bath and now I'm the color of pee."

"Gold is a colored favored by kings, traders, conquerors, and victors. If you're only seeing pee, maybe there's another problem you haven't acknowledged, yet." Hiromi suggested.

Soren dropped the lock of hair, and went silent.

Hiromi stretched out her finger, and a hummingbird came to perch upon it, singing softly. Despite the churning of cogs in the background, its chirps sounded sweet and less robotic than the other animals' noises.

"...I hate my blonde hair, so I dye it white. When she switched out my shampoo, it felt like she was trying to irritate me in a personal way." Soren complained. "It's ridiculous, I'd never do anything like that to her."

"What would you do?" Hiromi asked.

Soren tensed defensively, furrowing his brows, "Nothing that would warrant this."

"Some animals, like cats and dogs, urinate on their belongings to tell others to stay away, or take possession of an area. That's a way they communicate. Do you think she wanted to tell you something by dyeing your hair?" Hiromi stroked the bird's head, admiring the honey-colored topaz hearts that made up its eyes, and the gold pieces forming its body.

Soren watched students reach the highest branches, their trampolines disappearing afterwards, as he considered Hiromi's words. Something she wanted to say? I don't know why she'd want to ruin her own jump class with a silly prank...He thought back to the moments before they'd left home. At the time, she probably didn't plan for me to come along today. "If I wasn't with her...I would've approached her after this development. She didn't want me to forget..." He felt a twinge of sadness. She still wants to be mine. I just have to listen more. I was too hard on her... He briefly waved to Hiromi, then jumped back down to Rosaleya.

"Hey." Rosaleya greeted briefly, mostly focusing on her jumps.

Soren waited a few seconds to line up his jumps with Rosaleya's, and synced up to continue their chat, "Remember how I hate my blonde hair?"

"Oh, yeah I forgot about that." Rosaleya kept her eyes glued to her mouse - now playfully dancing a few branches away from the top.

"You did?!" Soren asked. "Then why did you pick yellow hair?"

"Uh, Prince Cheeseming?" Rosaleya shrugged. "Cheddar's orange, mozzarella's white...but swiss is yellow. And since your normal hair's yellow I figured it'd be easier to use dye-remover than to rush out and buy yellow dye when I should be sleeping."

"Is that really all?" Soren's gaze fell. "I'm sorry."

"For what? I'm the one that pranked you." Rosaleya pointed out. "I was teasing you about being my Prince Cheeseming without even remembering you hated your hair that way. Yeah I was trying to irritate you, but not that far."

"I'm sorry for pushing you far enough to warrant pranks like this." Soren's face looked determined as he spoke, "It won't happen again."

"Well, that apology sounds better than the weird one you tried to put out this morning." Jade said. "However-"

"-Alright, class!" Hiromi clapped her hands. Bright orange and blue flowers bloomed from the branches, bearing tiny mangoes. "Those of you who are still on the trampolines, take a fruit!"

"I'll get you one, keep on jumping!" Soren offered.

"I've got it," Rosaleya assured, picking one off her sleeve. "I accidentally brushed into one a second ago."

"Eat the fruit," Hiromi directed, "then release the peel at the highest point you've managed to jump."

"Mmm, this is delicious!" Rosaleya smiled serenely, watching as students around her released their peels, which floated in the air. Soon, they littered their surroundings like old balloons.

"Those fruits can help you achieve higher jumps than normal!" Hiromi explained. "We're going to compare your jump with the fruit, to the jumps you've been doing!" She snapped her fingers, prompting a dozen mango-shaped plumes of smoke to conceal the remaining trampolines.

"Good luck!" Soren smiled, landing in the center of his plume to realize the trampolines had disappeared. I'll stay down here just in case she needs me.

Rosaleya barely had time to register the delectable scent of the mango-smoke before she felt herself springing up higher than she had thus far. As she slowed to a stop near the top, she lunged for a branch, swinging her legs over to anchor herself. "That was awesome!" She inched closer to the trunk, "What're those fruits called?"

"Just normal mangoes." Hiromi smiled.

Rosaleya laughed as she leaned against the trunk, finally allowing herself to look down, "Pfft, nice try with the 'it was inside you all along' message, but I don't-" her eyes widened when the smoke cleared, revealing the trampolines had vanished. "-that's why the ground felt weird!"

"For those of you who reached the top, congratulations, you're ready for my advanced classes on control, speed, and direction." Hiromi smiled. "Get plenty of rest before tomorrow's lesson! For those of you who didn't, I wanted to show you there is hope. Look at the differences in how high you were able to jump before, and how high you jumped with the 'jump fruit'." She gestured to all their hovering peels. "Celebrate how far you've come! Unlocking the full potential of your jumps is as simple as undoing the mental block you have, limiting how high you're able to jump. The trampolines helped you jump higher than you usually would, yes, but once you mentally got used to how much higher they could take you, you plateaued. So I introduced the fruits to help you further break that mental block. As for the animals, they were just a distraction, much like there will be tons of distraction when you're jumping normally - it's never a quiet field with no dangers, so I want you all to be safe! Now, who's ready for snacktime?"

"I am!"
"Me me me!"
"I want snacks!"
"That sounds great!"

Rosaleya smiled, raising her hand, "I think snacks sound awesome!" That was so cool!

Soren gently landed beside her. "Congratulations, you get the stickers."

"Stick-" Rosaleya began with raised eyebrows.

"-No spoilers!" A racoon beside Rosaleya insisted, grossing its arms as it pouted to Soren.

Lunch boxes bloomed from the branches, each assigned by name in slightly messy, wavy writing.

"For those of you who didn't complete today's challenge, try not to be too hard on yourselves. The fact that you've come this far and still want to learn means you will get there eventually. And it's for that reason that you'll find a special surprise in your lunch pales." Hiromi popped open her own lunchbox.

Rosaleya opened hers to find a mini pizza with paw-shaped toppings, three butterfly cookies, and apple and orange slices nestled in a heart-shaped cupcake wrapper. Attached to the inner lid was a scented badge depicting a tiny mango branch.

"Now, if you need to go somewhere after this, or just prefer eating alone, you can take your pale and head out." Hiromi clapped twice, re-summoning the trampolines. "Happy landings! Does anyone have any questions?"

"Ms. Hiromi, I thought you said you couldn't cook?" A girl teased.

"Well now, you don't need to cook to have good food all the time, now do you?" Hiromi smiled.

"Did your animals help you cook?" The girl asked.

"This is the Antique logo." Soren pointed out.

"Adorable foods like this are hard to come by." Hiromi smiled. "But I know someone who's able to put their heart into it."

Rosaleya took out the badge, and asked, "How'd you get the badge to smell so good?"

"I soaked them in mango juice, set them out in the sun to dry, then applied a spell that would keep ants or any other bugs away. They might still confuse some pets, though." Hiromi giggled.

"Why don't we get a badge? We completed the challenge." Another girl crossed her arms.

"More challenges await you in the next classes, and with those, more badges." Hiromi smiled. "But for the others, it might be a while before they can get another badge, so I made these extra special."

Both girls, satisfied with the answers, began on their lunch.



Towering newspaper-like doors folded themselves flat to allow visitors passage. Inside, a glass floor gave view to a pool of paints which blended at the edges. By the time they reached the center, they'd separated as cleanly as oil and water, forming a massive color wheel spanning the entire floor. A stained glass dome enveloped the space, depicting origami newspaper cranes lazily drifting about.

A round kiosk rose from the center when approached, covered in books which corresponded to each color. Upon their pages, various handwritings repeated their titles: cook books, dictionaries, historical records, romance novels, etc. At the kiosk's base, fountain-tipped pens jutted from the hearts of paper cranes, writhing in pain.

Rosaleya walked up to the book corresponding with the darkest blue, and crouched to yank a pen out. As she wrote 'Self Help Books' on the appropriate book, the crane fluttered to the ceiling, melting into the glass to become another crane flying around.

"I'm really sorry about falling asleep the other day." Soren said.

"Stop apologizing about it." Rosaleya insisted. "Anyways, you can go do something else if you want, I'll be here for a while."

"I want to spend time with you today. I'll help with whatever you need, and we'll have fun together!" Soren assured, following her sharp turn.

The dark blue paint bled into the other colors underfoot, seeming upwards into a far wall. By the time Rosaleya reached the wall, the blue had formed a squirming, melting door in the glass. She drew a circular door knob upon it, and the moment she closed the circle, the door solidified. Its texture turned from painted glass to wooden door, popping out with a thump as hinges creaked into existence.

Soren opened it for her, smilingly gesturing inside. What kinds of books does she want to read in there?!

The room led into a smaller glass dome scattered with sky blue teardrops, pastel pink brains, and bright yellow smiley faces, all dragging across the dome like clouds. Dark blue paint swirled beneath the floor like ink as they walked. Within glass bookshelves at the room's borders, crystallized lotuses glinted with dew. At the center, puffy cloud-like chairs and tables formed the seating area.

Rosaleya stared at the sky through the dome for a peaceful moment before setting her sights on the shelves, wandering to the titles dealing with the issues she wanted to understand. She selected a copy of How to Gaslight Your Spouse - A Look Into Their Perspective, one How to Know if You're in a Toxic Relationship, and two volumes of, When to Stand Up For Yourself - Forming Your Own Best Life.

"Rosaleya..." Soren could no longer hide his worry, "Are you trying to get an edge on your father?" He hoped throwing in a joke might reveal her true motive.

"No, but these would also help with that. Actually, I'm trying to learn more about you." Rosaleya scanned the shelves for more.

"But all that stuff's in the past now, and I never meant to do any of it. And I swear, it won't happen again." Soren promised.

"Then you should have no problem with me reading more into it." Rosaleya shrugged, adding another book to her pile. "Think of it like...insurance for me. If I learn more, I'll understand more of what's happening and feel more comfortable when something does happen, whether it's with you, or someone else. I'll hesitate less since I'll have more figured out, and I'll doubt myself less when the time comes. All those are wins for me, and these books won't make me magically hate you or anything, assuming you have nothing to hide. Why, are you hiding something?" She smiled, teasingly poking him in the chest with the corner of a book.

Soren's worried expression softened, and he took the books from her arms. "Here, I'll help you with these. Let's go read them together."

"Sure. I thought you'd just get lost when you saw me doing this." Rosaleya giggled. "I planned to have you find me after the jump class once you realized your hair was blonde, and find me reading them, which would push you to make some huge realization that maybe your weirdness was causing us problems. You'd get worried when you saw the books, I could say what I just said, whatever. In my imaginary scenario, and the one we're playing out now, we end up learning what we can do to make things better, together." She smiled warmly, jumping onto his back to give him a huge hug. "Whether you're doing things on purpose or not, I think we can work through it. I'm not perfect either, so odds are we can grow stronger this way." She kissed him on the cheek, then licked it, laughing when he grimaced and tried to shake her off.

"Eugh, stop that! Stop it!" Soren turned his head out of her reach.

"I should've worn my squid hat so the tentacles could smack you around, too!" Rosaleya chuckled.



The manor front doors creaked open, revealing Asmodeus's foreboding stare. "Good evening, Rosaleya Fairbrook."

I miss Malice's greetings already. "Hey." Rosaleya stepped inside.

Asmodeus turned to lead her to his office in silence.

It's so cold in here...What the hell did I just walk into? Rosaleya looked around as she followed; the usual dim lighting contrasted harshly with the darkness that now befell the manor. "Are you alright?"

Asmodeus gestured to the chair before his desk as he took his seat, steeling his hand with an unblinking gaze.

After a half minute's silence, Rosaleya shrugged, "Soooo, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Our deal. With the squid hats. Remember?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"I'm interested to know how you thought of it. It must've taken a lot of forethought as well, hmm?"

Rosaleya weighed her options: tell Asmodeus she'd lied and made him look like a fool, or feign ignorance and hope to win him over with a distraction. ...He doesn't know anything, but he wants to scare me into spilling everything with this weird atmosphere...But I'm done cracking under pressure! So what if I lied, it's not like I did something terrible. It's the same kinds of pranks Nova would play. Giving in at moments like these are what made me so easy to bully when I lived with dad...and I regret so much. But now isn't the time to make more regrets. "It was just some spur of the moment thing. What I think is more important is getting your votes. So if you want to ditch the hats, that's fine. I can still help you until you get what you want, no problem."

"You made a fool of me. You tricked me into wearing those hats under the assumption of unity, and now you are trying to distract me. I do not take these acts lightly, and so I put forth a new plan for you." Asmodeus stood, and snapped his fingers.

Pitch black darkness followed the disappearance of her chair. Scrambling to her feet, Rosaleya spotted a narrow, glowing divide in the floor; beneath it lied bubbling acid that smelt of rotten eggs. She made for the door, now far nearer as the walls closed in, to find smooth metal in its place.

Asmodeus caught her arm, pulled a straw doll out of his coat pocket, and dropped it pointedly.

Rosaleya's throat tensed as she swallowed, heartbeat racing. His eyes bore into hers as she watched the doll tumble into the acid, fizzing noisily until nothing remained. "What-what's your new plan?"

"You will meet me here tomorrow morning with a signed agreement," Asmodeus levitated a scroll before her, "bearing your signature. You have all night to read it in detail, but the central focus is: as long as you hold a seat on the Demonic Council, you will do as I request."

"Request?! Asmodeus, I'm not signing this!" Rosaleya pushed the scroll away. "I'll help you with the votes for your properties, and-"

"-That's no different from your old offer! What recompense will I receive for my reputation?!" Asmodeus demanded.

"This one's kind of on you-what am I, one-tenth your age?! Maybe instead I just won't tell everyone what actually happened!" Rosaleya regretted her words the moment she saw Asmodeus's glare.

"You dare threaten me?" Asmodeus's grip tightened. "I'll make it even easier for you, in that case. Let me see..."

"Nova! Eric! I summon you!" Rosaleya yelled.

"They can't hear you, although I'm surprised how long it took you to call on them. Were you so certain you'd win me over?" Asmodeus shook his head, turning to someone Rosaleya couldn't see. "Bring me Crystal Thorne from Knockturn Alley."

"What?! NO!" Rosaleya yelled.

"What's that you said, you'll sign?" Asmodeus snapped, levitating the scroll to her again.

"A counter-offer!" Rosaleya tried to wrench herself free. "For the next meeting, I'll vote on whatever you want, and get Diana to do the same, and I'll tell everyone you were the one who tricked me into wearing the hats!"

"Counter-counter offer," Asmodeus smiled, "you sign the contract."

"What about-"

"-Oh Ms. Thoooorne..."

Rosaleya snatched the contract to smack at where the door used to be. "You win, now turn this into a door again!"

"Next time, think twice before lying to a Prince of Hell." Asmodeus smiled, yanking her by her arm into the pool of acid.

Rosaleya screamed, reaching for the edge as she fell. Acid poured onto her, stinging everything as something dragged her below the surface. As she sank lower, each scream only flooded her lungs with more sludge. She flailed for anything to grab onto until the pain wiped her mind blank, and she awoke, shrieking.

"Darling! What happened?" Claudia rushed in, wrapping her in a warm hug. "You were screaming in your sleep!"

Rosaleya pushed her away: at the moment the thought of being near anything warm made her sick. There was also something else; a strange, icky feeling, but she attributed it to her nervousness.

"It's alright now, everything's okay. I'm here." Claudia soothed, sitting at the edge of her bed.

Over the next few minutes, Rosaleya caught her breath, and gradually became aware of Claudia's hollow, comforting phrases.

Claudia excused herself to get her a glass of water.

Rosaleya swallowed a few times until she realized she'd begun to shiver in a cold sweat. She shoved her hands into her pockets for warmth, and a piece of paper sliced her finger: the scroll.

Anger surged through her as she tossed it out the window. The scroll neatly flew back, and settled beside her. Rosaleya walked over to the bathroom. There's no way I'm signing that contract. She splashed cool water on her face. A glance in the mirror had her sighing in relief; no traces of the damage had escaped the demon realm.





"...and possibly setting the highest standards for any future kings. The most ridiculous has to be making a myriad of promises we all know she'll never be able to uphold!" The red-clad news reporter fumed.

When Claudia brushed past Soren with a glass of water, Soren asked boredly, "Nightmare?"

Claudia gave no reply, continuing back to Rosaleya's room.




"It's still really early, I don't want to go to sleep yet..." Rosaleya downed the entire glass of water. "Can we go somewhere and talk about what happened?"

"I've got a meeting, so I can't make it dear, I'm sorry." Claudia apologized. "I would've loved to have dinner with you and Soren instead."

"...Soren's home, isn't he?" Rosaleya asked.

"Yes, dear."

I screamed loud enough for him to hear me, but he's still eating dinner in front of the tv or something. Rosaleya furrowed her brow. "Good luck with your meeting. I've got a better idea."



"Alright Nova, I need your help." Rosaleya took a seat beside Diana and Reign in Nova's garden.

"What is your wish?" Nova walked around the gigantic Rubik's Cube to face her. All but one side was solved: two squares were out of place.

As Rosaleya explained, Nova went from trying to solve the cube to sitting atop it, and finally vanishing it to stand before her.

"I'll agree to help you push Azzy's buttons if you let him think I'm behind it all." Nova smiled, mischief glinting in his eyes.

"...Wait you want him to think you're behind it? Why?" Rosaleya frowned, confused as to why anyone would want to be on his bad side.

Nova only grinned.

"Alright then, you've got your reasons." Rosaleya shrugged. "So, teach me?"

Nova laughed excitedly, "An apprentice of the Fine Arts of Playing Devil's Advocate and Pushing Peoples' Buttons?! Welcome welcome!" He clapped, conjuring a pile of Japanese oni masks; each color represented a different exaggeration of an emotion. "So, what draws you to learn such a craft?" He slid on the golden 'intrigued' mask, with elegantly curving horns and one high black eyebrow.

"I see the way you can irritate, trick, or amuse people." Rosaleya said. "I can't remember a single scenario where you haven't gotten what you've wanted or at least had fun with it. That's what I need to learn."

"Worthy motives." Nova smoothly tossed his mask aside for another; mischief, with a lopsided grin and high eyebrow, checkered green and red. He ripped a leaf from his hedges, transforming it into a milkshake glass for Rosaleya. "Take this, and picture it holds the sundae of sundaes; ice cream, toppings, syrups...tell me about the sundae of your dreams!"

Rosaleya peered into the glass, envisaging as Nova slipped on the mask, "...Rainbow ice cream with little brownie bits, sliced bananas, maraschino cherries and whipped-"

"-It's mine now." Nova snatched it away.

Rosaleya blinked.

Reign flipped a page in his book.

Diana adjusted the skirt of her gown.

Nova gestured for Rosaleya to speak.

"Oh..." Rosaleya thought for a moment, "please give it back, I was eating that."

"Now why do you think that would work?" Nova mimed taking a large bite of the 'ice cream', wiping a bit off his bottom lip and onto her hair.

"I didn't, I was just trying to be polite." Rosaleya said, stepping away from his hand.

Nova shook his head, "I tried to steal your dessert and rub it in your hair, we're beyond that." He took another large 'bite'. "Mmm, it's delicious, by the way, you're really missing out."

"A guy in a dinosaur onesie-" Rosaleya gestured to his light green kigurumi, "-eating imaginary-stolen imaginary ice cream-shouldn't be acting like he's better than me about it!"

"Insults should be saved for winning streaks," Nova wagged his finger, "otherwise they just go over my head! On their own, they won't do anything more than distract us both! Instead, try to lead back to your main point. People tend to do off topic a lot since there are a lot of emotions at play, especially if there are multiple things you want to argue about that haven't been resolved. Some even forget why they're arguing at all and end up storming off. Pick one thing - one main point - and keep coming back to it, even if it sounds repetitive. And arguments like 'please' and 'I want' are useless too; they only appeal to you so they have no weight on your opponent."

Rosaleya snatched the glass back, "Why don't you try-"

"-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Nova whined so loud Rosaleya flinched, shoving the glass back into his hands.

Rosaleya stood there wide-eyed for a moment before scowling, "That's cheating!"

"It worked, didn't it?" Nova chuckled.

"You didn't win, you only shocked me for a moment!" Rosaleya insisted. How am I going to go against Asmodeus if I can't learn this?! I don't even understand what's going on... "If you pulled that same stunt again, right now, it wouldn't work!"

"Exactly! I'd come up with something else. Why, are you challenging me?" Nova teased. "Most arguments aren't actually built on logic at all, Rosie. If you're looking for logic, look for a debate: both parties sit down, talk, listen. But arguments aren't like that at all - that's what you're here to learn, isn't it?"

"...Asmodeus didn't even want to listen...I was so shocked he would even do that, we're supposed to be working together! I've come to him for his stories, advice...I went from being afraid of him to knowing him more as a friend, and now...He's not looking for a debate! I gave him every counter-offer I could think of, but all he wanted was to scare me into signing that contract!" Rosaleya's eyes welled with tears. "...now I'm so scared to go back, and I feel so stupid! Why did I even agree to sign it...why did I even lie to him in the first place?"

Nova slipped off his mask, and put a hand on her shoulder with a firm expression. "You did what you had to, to get out of there. He's more powerful than you, and terrifying when he's angry - most of us are." He jokingly shot Diana a sideways glance. "But it's never smart to go up against someone stronger than you when you're ill-equipped, so you made the right choice. As for the deal, we all lie to each other sometimes, it happens, and if it was for a prank? Oh please, Azzy's the biggest liar of them all. You needed your wish so you thought fast. What would be stupid is signing that contract - it's good that you didn't let him scare you into it, now keep it that way. I've got some friends that can watch Crystal, and they'll make sure she's safe from Asmodeus until this whole thing's settled. Now, is there anything else you can think of that might hold you back?"

Rosaleya swallowed. "...The rest of you will be okay, right?"

Nova mock-flicked his hair, "I'd say we're fairly above-average."

Rosaleya laughed and sniffled, "What if I can't argue him out of it?"

"With me as your professor?" Nova waved dismissively. "And, you're a great learner. Now, let's continue." When Rosaleya hesitated, he leaned in, holding up his hand to whisper for dramatic emphasis, "Besides, your first test is to convince Diana the outfit she's wearing is terrible, and that's something even her sister can't do. By morning, you'll have years of experience crammed in there!"

Rosaleya nodded, feeling a bit more at ease.

"So, in arguments, you can make things up, joke, distract, or even try to trick your opponent. Bottom line: it is a battle of attrition. Let go of the idea you'll win by being the kindest, most logical, politest...even the most charismatic. Forget it! If you know the right buttons to press, your opponent will get so tired or frustrated, their argument will be sloppy and easy to counter. If they get you on something, don't fret! Too many people let their emotions into the mix, but you'll be better by always having your sights on a way out. Look for ways to contradict them, point out logical fallacies in their arguments - not to be logical, but to counter them and get them to expend more energy. When they get emotional or weary, that's your opening to lead back to your point, and score a win!"

"How do you know you've won?" Rosaleya wondered. "What if they keep arguing forever? What if someone interrupts? What if they back me into a corner and I can't argue my way out?"

"Giving up isn't always as plain as someone verbally agreeing. Sometimes they storm out while they're still talking under their breath; some people can't bear to let the other person speak last. Other times, they're still grumbling before you, but they're not really saying anything. Watch closely for signs like those in more stubborn people." Nova said. "As for if you can't argue your way out, try to stay calm, and think of anything you can point against them to get them to switch arguments. Try right now! Think back to when you went over to Azzy's place: did you notice anything else out of the ordinary besides than the ice cubes puppeteering him from up his-"

Rosaleya laughed so loudly she didn't hear Nova's next words. "Well, his house was all weird and dark - it's not that the lights weren't on, but everything just looked darker overall."

Nova smiled. "And what do we know of demonic houses?"

"Well they're built around the owner's personality and tastes, but I didn't know they could change..." Rosaleya pondered for a moment, "But if they could, I'd say his house looking so weird means his mind's in a strange place."

Nova gestured to encourage her to continue.

"He agreed to the squid hat deal, even though he had a feeling it wasn't the truth, because he's wanted to talk about those properties ever since Malice took over! He's been more frustrated it about it by the day, and..." Rosaleya put a finger to her chin, "From what Eric told me, Asmodeus was unusually happy about Malice taking over. Judging by what happened with the last king, I think Asmodeus was also expecting some sort of control over her so he didn't have to rule himself. He's talked about that before - he said that was how he thought the best way to rule was, and he has gotten used to telling the last king what to do."

"And all these failures, and the looming threat of not being the most powerful or rich demon in all of hell must be doing something terrible to him." Nova grinned.

"So he's been trying to fall back onto his power instead! But...dead demons can't use their powers, so even that's dissatisfying - he's still having to rely on others to help. Nova, these are perfect!" Rosaleya clenched her fists as her eyes lit up.

Nova beamed, "Stay with that feeling! Now, let's recap before your first try!"

Two Minutes Later

"Sounds like you've got everything. Now, know your opponent. Think of everything you know about her." Nova stepped aside to put Diana in her view. "The awful outfits are nothing knew, but what does she care about more?"

"That one's easy, R-" Rosaleya began.

"-what else? You'll need more than the obvious - odds are someone's tried that already." Nova imitated Diana for his next line, "If they haven't made him go blind by now, I'm just fine!"

"Well, she talks about her family a lot. And you just said 'even her sister couldn't', so that makes it sound like her sister's words mean a lot to her. And, she also prides herself on being unique...ah, I've got an idea!" Rosaleya clapped. "Nova, I wish I was wearing an accurate copy of Diana's outfit, in my size!"

"It didn't make Reign go blind but you might be a different story." Nova joked. "Alright, promise me you won't sign that contract."

"...I promise." Rosaleya nodded.

"Deal!" Nova snapped.

Rosaleya blinked, looking down to see she now wore the same outfit. "Thanks! Okay, here I go." She dashed over to sit beside Diana. "Hey."

Diana stared. "Get your own style."

"This outfit is really uncomfortable. Why are you wearing it? You style is usually colorful and comfortable." Rosaleya said.

"Not you, too." Diana sighed. "Everyone's been trying to get me to change out of it today, and they said I'm nosy!"

"Well, you did ask me to change first."

"I was wearing it first!"

"Looks better on me."

"What?!" Diana grabbed Rosaleya's hand and stomped off, dragging her along.

"Huh?!"

"We're going to go find a mirror!" Diana insisted. "I'll show you it definitely looks better on me!"

"Here you are." Nova summoned a triple-angled mirror large enough for the three of them.

"Show off." Diana rolled her eyes, twirling Rosaleya before spinning herself. "See?"

"It's still bunched up around your-" Rosaleya made to point.

Diana smacked her hand away to duck behind a shrub, out of Reign's line of vision, "Shhh! I don't want him thinking I'm uncomfortable for him! It's supposed to look effortless!"

"But it's not." Rosaleya said. "I noticed you adjusting yourself a lot while Nova and I were talking, and if you've had to convince people it's fine all day, that's a lot of effort."

"I thought no one was looking! And be quiet!" Diana hissed.

"I've seen you wear way prettier dresses before, and none of them felt like this." Rosaleya adjusted her own dress pointedly. "You don't have to make yourself uncomfortable for Reign."

Diana snapped, "Fine, I'll change, but you didn't have to go there!" She stomped off.

"Neither did your dress." Nova laughed.

"...Do you think I did alright?" Rosaleya turned to him.

"Well you won, didn't you?" Nova shrugged.

"Well yeah..." Rosaleya looked away.

"A win is a win. Now, let's move onto Challenge Number Two." Nova summoned an Asmodeus mask and a squid hat. "Hmm, something's missing." He snapped, adding a rattle, bib, and a cartoonishly heavy diaper. "There we go, a big baby that's full of @h!t." He chuckled.



"Mistress..." Raven's eyes filled with sorrow at the sight of her sleeping form hunched uncomfortably on the desk.

Luna stirred, rubbing her eyes with a tissue the desk conjured. "Just taking a nap. I'm fine."

"...Are you sure there's nothing more I can do?"

"Yes. It won't be much longer before I've finished with all this and can leave this labyrinth."

"I got you a gift, for breaks in the meantime mistress." Raven placed the wrapped parcel on her desk.

Luna looked from the parcel's shape to Raven's sympathetic eyes. "The newest volume?"

"I know you usually buy them, when you're not so busy." Raven smiled bittersweetly.

"I'd completely forgotten." Luna admired the wrapping, then flashed Raven a tired smile. "Thank you."

"You are taking breaks, aren't you?"

"Yes. Too many, even."

"How many?"

"Tons by now."

"But now many a day? You must ensure you're resting enough!"

"We're not here playing house." Luna turned back to her papers. "And you are not to give me orders," she covered her mouth as she yawned, "I'm well aware of the long-term effects of my quick-thinking pendant and energizing potions, however I'm also painfully aware that I have no time to care about them. Besides, I can always take a healing potion or discover what other healing magic you're capable of. Now please, return to your work."

"...Mistress?"

"What?!"

"I'm also here to remind you to sleep."

"...I see."

"Good morning, Wrath." Asmodeus greeted curtly.

"Good morning, Asmodeus. I have a request for you." Rosaleya glanced past his well-dressed veneer to his home's dark interior. She caught a glimpse of blood dripping down walls lined with black, gooey cobwebs. His house has gotten even worse...

"Your request?" Asmodeus yanked the door shut behind him.

Rosaleya played with the parchment in her hands before turning on her heel, into the garden. "We've got some time before the meeting. Let's talk."

Asmodeus's gaze lingered over the overgrown garden as he followed. "Did you not manage to finish reading the contract?"

"Oh, I did." Rosaleya waved it off, forcing her knotted stomach to the back of her mind. "I was just wondering when our next game would be."

"Game?"

"In this garden we all played games together." Rosaleya stopped by the Venus flytraps to let them nip at the contract, retracting it at the last second. The act was reminiscent of Malice back then, who used to do the same with her fingers.

"Those times were such a beautiful reprieve, weren't they?" Asmodeus stared at the nipping flytraps the size of footballs. "Unfortunately, they're long gone. Things are...different now."

"No plans and still no time to clean your house?" Rosaleya asked.

"My house is fine." Asmodeus dismissed.

"I thought blood and spiderwebs were more Malice's thing, but according to you, she hasn't been over, lately."

"Commonly, but that's of little consequence now."

"It took me a while to realize why your house was taking that form."

Asmodeus shook his head as if she were mad. "There's no reason behind it at all, just some redecoration."

"Mhm, no reason for it at all." Rosaleya agreed sarcastically. "No reason for you calling me Wrath now, even outside of the meetings, either."

"We're all becoming used to using those names more regularly." Asmodeus said, as if forgiving her for not yet growing accustomed to it.

"So what you said before was a lie? About wanting to be more casual together and even wanting to adopt me, like you had Malice?" Rosaleya locked eyes with him, her expression intensifying with her determination.

"I am not a liar."

"So were you lying then, or now?"

"I don't recall ever saying that. But," Asmodeus smiled, "your imagination is quite colorful."

"I guess you've forgotten the times when I asked for your advice, then. All those sessions weren't free of charge to break the ice between us?"

"A simple kindness I don't regret...Should I?" Asmodeus raised an eyebrow.

"So you're lying now." Rosaleya concluded, disinterestedly turning back to the flytraps.

"I'm not a liar!" Asmodeus glared. "It was you who lied to me, you started all of this! How dare you call me a liar in my own home!"

"You know, you were a lot more intimidating when you let your reputation do the talking." Rosaleya teased. "Was it really me that made you resort to using fear? A tenth of your age, and yet...old enough to know cheap tactics don't suit you at all."

"But you were afraid, and thus did as I commanded!" Asmodeus snatched the contract from her hands.

Rosaleya switched to letting the Venus flytraps almost bite her fingers, continuing in a cool tone, "I was afraid, but for my friends. I still fear Leigh more than any acid, or even your wrath. That's not an invitation to try harder, I've just experienced things in his care that still give me nightmares. So you see, fear didn't work for you."

Asmodeus stared at her name on the signature line before tossing the contract aside. When he met her mischievous smile, he also noticed three new figures in his periphery. He turned to his close friends with a shocked whisper, "...You're here?"

"What was your first thought just now?" Rosaleya asked.

"That I'm delighted to see friends I have not had the pleasure of regaling in years." Asmodeus spoke without hesitation.

Of all the garden's occupants, Asmodeus was the last to realize this was a lie. Upon seeing their pitying eyes, he admitted the truth to himself. I'm more concerned they were here to witness my ill-tempered display, and now understand what's transpired between us... His eyes widened in the realization. "Oh Satan...what have I become?"

"I don't have time for this, you know. There's a reason I send him letters." Herta argued, flourishing her wrist to the glass double-doors of her office. They opened to swiftly show Rosaleya out.

As Asmodeus's oldest friend, she looked close to Rosaleya's age as a result of her frequent experiments with youth potions. In reality, she was older than Asmodeus and simply abhorred wasting time.

"He hasn't been getting them!" Rosaleya realized. "I don't know why, but what I can say for sure is that he's in a really bad state right now, and needs your help! He mentioned you before with this sparkle in his eyes, a glow that shows he admired you more than anyone he'd ever met. It made me a little jealous, even." She lied.

At the sound of this, Herta summoned a mirror to fix her already-perfect hair, and slightly adjust her beret. She added two more purple orchids to her hair, then vanished the mirror. "What kind of bad state?"

Since when did I care so much what others thought of me? Since when...did I let such trivial matters light my flame? Asmodeus thought. He glanced to the flower outside his home, sporting a raging fire.

Rosaleya smiled, content to see a multitude of realizations follow the first. It seemed each one spawned more as Asmodeus came to understand just how far things had fallen.

"I haven't seen you around here before." Tara searched Rosaleya's clothing for a Shiki Agency pin. "Are you new?"

"Maybe." Rosaleya smiled to Asmodeus's youngest friend. "Could you give me a tour?"

"Sure! How'd you hear about us?" Tara led Rosaleya to the elevators.

"Actually, we have a mutual friend..." Rosaleya began.

Tara conjured a chair for Asmodeus, then one for herself. As he sank into it, the distant look in his eyes conveyed the complexity of his thoughts. Herta and Dia followed suite, coming to sit in a half-circle beside him. With a wink, Tara conjured one for Rosaleya as well.

"I still hate your guts. Why would I help you?" Dia turned away to continue practicing her script for tonight's late news. On the back of her dressing room door hung a fiery gown that matched her flames.

"Because it's not me you'd be helping." Rosaleya explained.

"The Asmodeus I know believes his reputation is stronger than this." Dia crossed her arms. "Realize your mistake and move on."

"You let your guard down around a friend, and you weren't thinking too much about it." Herta logicized. "It's not like you signed a hundred page contract without reading it."

"It's obvious you miss your daughter." Dia gestured from his house to the overgrown garden.

"Talk to her and find a way to spend more time with her!" Tara insisted. "It would make you happier than hiding your feelings away!"

"The last king is gone now, we shouldn't be fighting each other. And to prove my resolve, I've created a new contract." Rosaleya unrolled it for him, and read it aloud. Within its simple terms was a promise that she could never lie to him again so long as he spoke with his friends of the things that weighed heavy on his mind.

Asmodeus met her gaze, speaking softly, "You'd go through all of this, despite what I put you through, to ensure my mental state improved?"

"Nova's the one behind all of this." Rosaleya shrugged. "But we're friends. I don't want to see you stressed - if your house's changes are even a fraction like what you're experiencing, of course I would want you to feel better. Just because you've been focused on giving others advice in the past doesn't mean you can't ask for some yourself."

"I was a fool...I let my ridiculous pride get in the way." Asmodeus blinked tears back as he signed Rosaleya's contract. "I hadn't realized how terrible things had become...and now that you've signed my contract, my heart pains me..."

"Oh, right." Rosaleya grinned. "Hold the old contract up to the light."

Asmodeus tilted his contract to the light, watching as the words melted into Nova's name with a smiley face beside it.



That afternoon, Rosaleya and Soren attended a jump class where they bounced between trampolines in a race against their mechanical animals. Afterwards, Rosaleya sat with the six children who hadn't yet managed to jump properly, dining on mini turkey sandwiches arranged like sailboats, and fresh mango slices. While Soren went on ahead to the library, Hiromi encouraged the group to speak of what wonderful things they were excited to do when they learned to jump. At the end, she asked them to take out their mango badges, and remember how they felt, whether it was disappointment or determination, explaining it would only sweeten their eventual victories. Hiromi also replaced the badge of a boy who'd misplaced his.




"She's being impossible!" Soren complained, flailing his arms.

Claudia offered no responses as Soren continued to rant through the next half hour.

"She won't listen, she makes fun of me, and you saw my hair, didn't you?! I need more help!" Soren finally plopped down in a chair.

"Do you listen to her?" Claudia sighed.

"No." Soren pouted childishly.

"Do you tease her back, playfully?"

"No."

"Do you keep your word?"

Soren glared. "This isn't my fault! EVERYTHING she's spoken with me about, I've been forgiving, but this is what I get?! Everyone makes mistakes-"

"You won't be able to handle anything if you can't handle this. Now, if you lean into her teasing, you'll take all the fun out of it and she'll get bored!" Claudia snapped. She took a moment to compose herself, and her voice turned sweet, "Now please, run along and leave me to my work dear, I'm very busy."

Soren slammed the door behind him, "YOU ONLY CARE ABOUT YOUR DAMNED SELF!"

Claudia only laughed.

Soren clenched his fists all the way to the library.




"Hey, Yin," Soren dropped the squid hat on her head, "what do you think? We can really match now, huh?" He knelt with his hand to his heart, wearing a yellow prince costume complete with an origami version of 'Prince Cheeseming's' cheese hat.

Rosaleya looked up from her books, and forced a giggle as origami mice poked out of the holes. I should think it's adorable...and it's so sweet that he did that, but between what's been happening between us, and what I'm finding out now from these books...This is turning from a list of ways we can fix things between us to a breakup essay... "Oh, would you really wear that out? Wouldn't you be embarrassed?" She teased half-heartedly.

"I'm wearing it out right now, aren't I?" Soren's grinned, sitting cross-legged before her.

"There's no one else here." Rosaleya pointed out.

"No way. I just never realized how cute your ideas were." Soren insisted.

Rosaleya narrowed her eyes, "Your smile's as cheesy as your hat. Have you taken some cheerful potion or something? Oh, there was that holiday cheer potion-"

"-the only potion I need is you." Soren hugged her.

Rosaleya gently pushed him away, picking up a random book to return to the library shelf, "I've got a lot of reading to do." This was what I needed, after all. To learn more about what's going on between us...

"Okay, just one more thing?"

"Sure." So why do I feel so sad about it?

"The day after tomorrow, I was thinking we could wear these and take part in the annual Demonic Snowman Competition. We could join as a team, and...maybe win something cute. It would also prove to you that I'm fine being seen in public like this. Maybe you're not convinced because the library's quiet today?" He gestured to their empty surroundings.

"Sure." Rosaleya agreed absent-mindedly. What did he even ask? I kinda zoned out...

"You don't seem excited..." Soren looked disappointed.

"There are a lot of reasons, but we'll talk about them later." Rosaleya replied, feigning browsing the shelves for another book. "For now, would you mind if I got back to reading?"

"Oh, not at all. You...read." Soren slumped and walked away, kicking a chair on the way out.




"One mistress is ignoring me, while the other...well they're both ignoring me." Raven sighed as she hitched up her gown to dip her legs in the river.

"Why don't you talk with them again about it? There's no harm in that, is there?" Solaris asked, landing on a large leaf. He squawked and fluttered away when it sank. "Can you make me a little boat?"

"I suppose there's no harm in talking to them...when they're not busy." Raven picked up a few stones and began the transformation. "But Luna's been so busy she's hardly been taking breaks, and Aislynn's mind is...elsewhere. It's not the time for my problems. But at least I've got you." She held the boat in place on the water.

"Some people never change. What if they're like that forever, what will you do?" Solaris flew nearer.

"They won't be." Raven insisted, letting go when Solaris landed on the deck.

"Always so much smarter than me, aren't you? I'm sure you know exactly how everything will turn out-" Solaris interrupted himself to caw happily at the boat's buoyance. "-oh this is quite nice! Quite nice, caw!"

Raven sighed, "They can't be like that forever, I'll outlive them."

"That's not the point! Are you content to watch them die in these states?"

"Of course not! They just need time."

"Well then, why don't you talk to me about it when you're up in heaven again, looking down for more suitable mistresses?" When his boat drifted too far away, Solaris fluttered madly trying to carry it back.

"I'm afraid to return there..." Raven admitted, levitating his boat back to where his voyage had begun. "...but I will have to, soon."

"What do you fear there?" Solaris asked, intrigued.

"My father, for one. He won't be happy to see me, and maybe he'll prevent me from leaving for good."

"Would you rather stay away and have your magic fade, or face him and lose?"

"I would rather face him and win." Raven buried her face in her hands.

"But if you had to choose between the two?" Solaris landed on Raven's lap.

"Neither! I don't want to live there and I never want to see any of them again! But the thought of failing my mistresses saddens me. I also cannot imagine my shame for having failed them. But, if I do stay eternally, will I not be able to assist as a human?"

"Hey!"

"Maybe not as well, but...at least I would not cause any trouble in heaven, or be anything they would want to bring back at all. But what if they never give up? What if they're planning something now and it only seems as though they've given up, and their next move ruins me?"

"Hey!!!"

"But if I go back and never return, I would fail as well, just much sooner..."

"CAW! My boat! Levitate it back!" Solaris flapped his wings.

Raven looked up to levitate his boat out of the water and set it beside them.

"Well if you don't decide, you'll lose much more than your mistresses' respect!" Solaris pointed a wing to the boat. "I only brought up the worst options to see your reaction, but it's as I thought! You'll be so distracted you'll never notice the other options!"

"You're right, Solaris. I could just barely get away after my visit, or it could go well, though I sincerely doubt it." Raven stroked Solaris's head. "It would be far better than never having tried. That, I would regret eternally."





"Welcome to our third official meeting." Malice greeted.

Through the process of voting to undo the remaining bad laws Alastair had officialized, Asmodeus remained pleasantly cooperative. When they reached the topic of the tribunal, he smiled proudly. "For centuries, the common demons have lived in content with their rulers. When discontent grew, they came together to replace the previous representative of Pride. There is nothing more they could want from a ruler like you." He gestured elegantly to Malice. "Why give them an unnecessary outlet to complain, mock, or request ridiculous things? It's a waste of time for you as well, and will only open the door to never-ending conflict."

"Is that why your businesses don't have suggestion boxes or satisfactory surveys?" Rosaleya smiled.

Nova, Diana, and Dante laughed.

When Asmodeus joined them, Dante, Celeste, and Diana raised their eyebrows in surprise at Asmodeus's reaction.

Nova grinned.

Reign smiled serenely.

"A suggestions box!" Asmodeus said, "Perhaps there are things they wish to tell me. They needn't necessarily be all negatives, it would be nice to hear their positive thoughts as well. However, a ruler has far more at steak than a business owner." He bade Malice consider it further. "You're doing a well enough job as it is, there is no need to stretch their freedoms further."

"We are not humans," Celeste spoke, "we should not settle for 'well enough'. Under Malice's leadership, our species is capable of rising to far greater heights, greater still with our support, and bolstered by the systems we seek to build."

"Why do you seek to keep things the way they are?" Malice asked Asmodeus.

"You may be able to give them more than they have ever had," Asmodeus agreed, "but you will not reign forever. Complications borne from further 'innovations' could dethrone any ruler. Furthermore, stagnation could bring an end to demonic royalty for good. Why would the people need any rulership at all if everything is perfect, centuries from now?"

"My rulership will not oppress, but improve." Malice explained. "So when I win their hearts atop it all, they will have no desire for dethroning. By my term's end, I will bequeath a polished, precious stone of a system to withstand avalanches and volcanos, but only a fool would expect it to last forever. Centuries into the future, whether the ruler is ruinous depends on their own sagacity."

Asmodeus put his hand to his heart, beaming, "Well spoken, Malice!"



"Malice, can I talk to you about something?" Rosaleya asked.

"Of course." Malice replied as the others left. "Skullsworth!"

"Yes?" Skullsworth groaned.

"A pot of lavender tea. Biscuits?" Malice offered.

"Yes, please." Rosaleya nodded quickly.

"And biscuits." Malice waved Skullsworth away.

As he zoomed off, Rosaleya asked, "Malice, what was it like for you when you took over?"

"I used to fantasize about being queen before, so I felt excited." Malice replied simply.

"What about...with Alastair? What changed?"

"When we attended Hell's Pumpkin Festival...Each time Alastair and I walked between attractions, everyone stopped to bow - even demons on rides bowed their heads as far as they could. It was amusing at first, but then..."

Malice stared from Alastair to the surrounding demons; faces contorted in painful prolonged smiles. "What do you see, Alastair?" She gestured to them.

"I see a beautiful day in a beautiful kingdom, everyone smiling and serene." Alastair smiled innocently. "What do you see, Malice?"

Malice stared into Alastair's eyes, finding a hint of sadness beneath the facade. "I see you, Alastair." Has he always been this way?

"Afterwards, I searched the libraries, where my queries branched from Alastair's achievements to the scroll of laws." Malice continued.

"You're looking into the laws?" Reign stated it as a question, yet his knowing expression spoke for itself.

"Strangely enough," Malice levitated a chair out for Reign, "I don't remember bowing to Alastair every few minutes being a part of everyday life." And yet, it seems the other demons feel a reflexive requirement to do so.

"Your memory seems to know its way." Reign tilted his head slightly. "Where does your mind lead?"

Malice searched Reign's intent gaze, and came to her conclusion. "To the same reason you're here now. I'm ready."

Reign rose from his seat, and offered Malice his hand. "Only proceed if you're certain you wish to know everything."

Malice took his hand.

"We met with the resistance. The scroll of truth has a powerful magic to it-" Malice said.

"-Oh, no need to explain." Rosaleya assured. "I read all about its thing." And it's still creepy how just writing something down on it can make everyone acknowledge it as a law... "You've got a plan to fix it so it doesn't happen again, right?"

"Of course." Malice replied. "At first, the truth concerned me - I idolized Alastair, I would defend him whenever his name came up, so I could understand Reign's caution in introducing me to their rebellion..."

"It will take time to grow accustomed to." Reign spoke to the embarrassment in Malice's eyes.

"That's why we all take these memory pills whenever we're around him." Nova held up a brain-shaped capsule the size of a peanut. "Just think of what you want to forget, and then nothing will go awry. They last the whole day so none of us give anything away. Can you imagine me spilling something in a joke, or Diana with her big mouth-"

"-Or you can just glare at him and get a reputation of being grumpy so he doesn't suspect a thing." Dante crossed his arms.

"He'd notice that right away." Diana shot him a dirty look.

"I'll just...think about it for a bit. The more I think about it," Malice pictured the sadness in Alastair's eyes the day of the festival, "the less it will shock me. I'll eventually grow dull to it. I'll be fine."

Diana opened her mouth to speak.

"She won't give us away." Reign assured, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Diana sighed, patting his hand in thanks.

"Juuust lemme know if you wanna change your mind!" Nova popped open the capsule to reveal a bunch of tiny brain-gummies. "Pink lemonaaade!" He shook them enticingly. "There's also an 'herbal' flavor - Reignie likes those."

Malice smiled sadly. "I'll be..." Her eyes welled with tears.

Nova hugged her. "Yeah, you'll be fine. It's not easy for any of us. Now let's get you home."

Back at Asmodeus's manor, Malice was certain Asmodeus noticed her change in demeanor. He hadn't been present at the meeting, so she'd assumed he wasn't yet part of the rebellion.

"That does it." Asmodeus set his fork down. "What's the matter with you, Malice? I've just told the same story three times in a row and you haven't said a thing."

Malice stared into his eyes for what seemed like a minute, then looked away. "I would rather sew my mouth shut than speak of it."

"Very well then, ruminate if that's what you require." Asmodeus stared at her sullen reflection in the table.

Malice made for her room, turning off all the lights to settle in for an early rest. She lost track of time tossing and turning, and eventually slipped into a dream...

Alastair grinned, his mouth full of knife-sharp teeth. His pupils expanded to the edges of his bloodshot eyes as he laughed, dropping the pen as freshly-inked words glistened on the scroll:

It is hereby illegal to speak of rebellion or conspire against the king.

Malice peered into the mirrors encircling him: each depicted him as his former elegant self, free from blemishes or monstrous alterations. She crept away, out of this room of lies, and jumped out the window.

The demon world stretched beneath her, and she caught glimpses of demons staring out windows or performing their nightly tasks with melancholy in their eyes. At last, she landed at the meeting site for the rebellion, surprised at the presence of all its members within. She pushed the door open, and everyone turned to her with a smile; Asmodeus, Damien, and Eric were present as well.

"You're here, too?" Malice sighed in relief at not having to keep it a secret from them anymore.

"Oh yeah, we were thinking of making a cake to welcome y-" Nova's joke was interrupted by an ear-splitting laugh.

Echoes of Alastair's voice surrounded them, resonating in their chests as everyone's flesh melted away, leaving jagged, twitching skeletons.

Malice tumbled out of bed with a gasp, searching her skin with her hands. It was just a dream! Just a dream! She smacked at the air to light the lamps, dispelling the darkness around her.

"Malice? Is everything alright?" Asmodeus rapped gently at her door.

I don't need a pill to keep it secret! It's ridiculous! Malice hated how tight her chest felt, and how her skin burnt. She wanted to crawl into some cool cave and rest, to let her mind drift away from everyone else. Splashing water on her face, she gritted her teeth at the pain in her heart; whether borne from beating in overdrive or despair, she couldn't tell. Alastair has always been...this type of person! I've just ignored everything! He has no incentive to change...so this is how it will be forever... She stared at the blood on her hands, then peered into the mirror: careless stitches locked her mouth shut, thread trailing from her cheeks to the needle resting on the sink's edge.

"Well I've made something delicious for us, so come down for dinner." Asmodeus walked back downstairs.

"Oh Malice..." Rosaleya spoke sadly.

"Later, I heard Asmodeus telling Damien about it in the parlor." Malice hid her face in her skirt.

Asmodeus paused. "I believed that she had understood. . .Fifteen minutes later, she came down the stairs with her own mouth sewn shut and tears in her eyes! I was alarmed, thrown into a state of blind rage for what she had done! I removed the stitches and healed her, and the entire time she didn't say a word." he whispered the last sentence, tears brimming in his eyes. Yet they remained there; he did not shed a tear.

"Tell me-" Damien began heatedly "-what the thing was the Malice dared not speak of? I must know; I love her as dearly as you."

Asmodeus gave Damien a look so dark...so grim...that no one in any of the three realms, Heaven, Hell, or Earth, could ever resist fearing. "She's having thoughts of joining our rebellion."

Our rebellion?! Malice froze behind the sofa. Regret consumed her as she realized she hadn't needed to keep it a secret from him at all. She stood, clearing her throat. "I have joined your rebellion."

"Malice?!" Asmodeus and Damien exclaimed.

Asmodeus calmed himself enough to explain, "You are still only growing used to the idea. There is no need to make a decision straight away, rest on it while you still have time, and decide later if you wish to forget everything or not."

"I would rather die than wish it away." Malice poured herself a cup of tea and sat beside Damien. "I know it now, and I must face the truth: I can no longer go on regarding Alastair as some sort of idol." She thought of Eric, who still remained in a similar state that she had once been in. He'll realize soon enough as well. But just like me, he must realize it on his own.

"Do you think he only saw what he wanted to see and didn't know, or knew but didn't care?" Rosaleya wondered.

"A bit of both." Malice lifted the teapot from Skullsworth's head. "Much like how I ignored or even publicly debated anyone who would speak ill of him. At the time, I only saw what I wanted to."

Rosaleya picked up a coffin-shaped madeleine, running a finger over the sharp edges as she contemplated Malice's story.



Soren walked in on Rosaleya watching the news, and rolled his eyes. Demonic Positive News again?

Rosaleya muted it and tossed him the remote, making for the door.

"No it's okay, I wasn't going to say anything, I swear!" Soren pleaded. "We can watch DPN if you want!"

"I do. I want to watch something happy before tomorrow's meeting."

"Do you want to talk about whatever happened?"

"Nope." Rosaleya shrugged, sitting back down.

"...an exciting announcement for all of you demons who've dreamt of working with the demonic princes!" Green spoke cheerfully, holding up a long parchment. "On the first of January, hiring for King Malice's new 'Royal Tribunal' will commence! Until then, applicants will be required to submit a five-page essay detailing their vision for the position! So buckle in until January 1st, 12 p.m. DST, and keep in mind ladies and gentledemons, applicants will be fired if they don't stick to their plans, so no funny business! Now, to keep everyone in line, here are some more rules! Number one! All hires must follow their plans to the letter when they're hired, or face persecution! No last minute edits either - ooh this stuff's serious! The original reports will be displayed in the historical museums, and after they get there, they're not moving! Number two! Everything that happens during meetings will be broadcast live! Number three! No bias or inequity will be allowed between demons in the tribunal meetings! No cutting in line either, this stuff's first come, first serve! Number four!"

Soren turned to see Rosaleya had fallen asleep. He groaned, carried her to bed, and set her down atop her covers. "Even you think it's boring. Sometimes I just think you're trying to be stubborn to annoy me." He quietly shut her door with the shake of his head.

Rosaleya shook her head, then fell asleep.



"Good evening, Penelope." Asmodeus gestured to the table laden with sweets before them. "Would you like some tea? Sweets?"

Penelope curtsied, then sat with her legs crossed and a smug expression. She humiliated you, and you're still not over it. She showed macarons in her mouth as she listened to his plans, pretending to only give him a fraction of her attention.

"If I were to help you, I'd want to become a prince." Penelope spoke thickly.

"What would you do with a seat on the demonic council?" Asmodeus raised his eyebrows.

"That doesn't matter. What matters is, I'm the only one who will help you right now." Penelope swallowed noisily.

"Alright, I'll-" Asmodeus began.

"-I want her seat." Penelope clarified. "I want to be the Prince of Wrath." She downed a glass of chocolate milk.

"And I want to be alive again, but unfortunately we don't always get exactly what we want. I'll guarantee you a seat and nothing more." Asmodeus said.

"Now I want something else. Hmm, what is it..." Penelope put a finger to her chin as she paced along the table. "Ah yes," she stopped to smile at him, "I want to tell Nova of your plan, do nothing, and get a better deal as the future Prince of Greed with no strings attached. That sounds much better to me." She turned to leave. "Or maybe one day I'll take your seat, dead demon."

When she'd almost reached the door, Asmodeus wondered aloud, "Why is it you want Wrath's seat in particular?"

Penelope's hand lingered over the door handle. "That's for me to know. All you have to do now is let me know if you can deliver what I'm asking."

"That won't be a problem." Asmodeus smiled. Once Penelope left, the sound of Claudia's laughter echoed through the halls. By the time the real Asmodeus neared the manor, Claudia had already left.



The next day, Rosaleya and Soren drove to the Demonic Snowman Competition. During the ride, entry, and explanation of rules and distribution of supplies, her head swam with thoughts of how to finish up her essay on why she was breaking up with Soren. And through the snowman-building phase, she seemed more interested in the lines of stalls blanketed in colorful quilts, housing contestants and food vendors.

"Isn't it lovely?" Soren stared at it in admiration.

Rosaleya nodded absent-mindedly.

Soren admired their snowman's matching yellow raincoat and boots as it performed a hand-stand, supporting its umbrella with its snowy feet. "Look, we match!" He gestured to his Prince Cheeseming ensemble. "And, It's going to snow later today, won't it be beautiful?"

Rosaleya nodded.

"Are you cold?" Soren guessed. "I can get us some hot cocoa. I remember how you like it." He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, shot her a smile, and ran off.

Rosaleya laid on the ground, gazing at the overcast sky. Her body sank into the snow, numbing at the cold until a familiar voice caught her attention.

"Nice snowman." Penelope gave a half shrug. "I wonder why you're not satisfied with it."

"Go away, Penelope. Even if you're here to do something normal, which probably isn't true, I'm not ready to move on from what happened." Rosaleya stepped between Penelope and the snowman. "But since you're probably here for trouble-"

"-Oh, I just wanted to return this." Penelope casually snatched Rosaleya's shell necklace, and bolted.

"Hey, give that back!" Rosaleya chased after her, narrowly avoiding bumping into other contestants' snowmen as Penelope levitated them in her way.

As she gained distance, Penelope cast a spell on an octopus snowman; it tripped Rosaleya with one tentacle while the others toppled its contestants' stall.

"Oh, Lady Rose! Is that you?" Green asked, ducking away from the destruction to offer her the mic.

"Yeah, but I'm kinda busy right now!" Rosaleya scrambled to her feet and ran off, calling, "Maybe we can talk later!" UGH if only I could use magic right now, Jade would've snatched that necklace back already and hung her upside down until she passed out! She looked around for Penelope, hoping she hadn't lost her, when she caught sight of blonde curls disappearing behind the judges' table. There she is! She bolted past one judge, nearly causing her to spill her hot cocoa. "Sorry!"

"What are you running for? Need any help?" A judge called.

"Some girl stole my necklace!" Rosaleya yelled as she turned a corner. "Finally!" She cornered Penelope in between two food stalls, "Give that back!"

"Oh please don't beat me up again!" Penelope begged loudly, turning heads.

"It was a gift and you know it, now stop pulling your innocent kid act!" Rosaleya snatched the necklace back, slipped it on, and walked away, ignoring Penelope's loud sobbing.

"What happened back there?" Green neared with his microphone, matching her pace.

"Penelope keeps antagonizing me, trying to get me into trouble for some reason. I've never even done anything to her." Rosaleya flailed her arms. "She won't even tell me why, so I've got no hope of fixing it myself."

"Well, everyone else will believe you once this hits the news!" Green tapped his microphone. "That'll cheer you up, right?"

"Green, why doesn't everyone just watch neutral news?" Rosaleya wondered.

"It's fun to love or hate something with others! DPN and DNN get so intense, it's tons of fun! The whole office space is like a party - you're a prince, you can drop by anytime as long as you don't disrupt our work. Sometimes we aren't even as into it as we seem, but it's fun to act that way. One demon rushed in while the King changed up the castle with a shapeshifting cake that matched it! I have no idea how she did it, but the stomach ache was completely worth it. I won't be having cake for breakfast for a while." Green laughed.

Rosaleya thought back to how Leigh seemed to enjoy getting angry at her even for trivial things. He usually does that when he's bored or business is slow...I guess it must be entertaining. And that office sounds really fun, I should definitely stop by soon.

"Which one do you watch, DPN or DNN?" Green asked.

Rosaleya opened her mouth to answer.

"-Yin!" Soren protectively hugged Rosaleya. "First smile of the day and it's with a reporter? And what happened here?" He gestured to their smashed snowman. She opened her mouth to reply, but he turned to Green. "Excuse me, get the hell out of here. We don't need you publicly broadcasting our minds today, thanks."

"Ugh, he was cheering me up after what happened!" Rosaleya shoved Soren away and turned to Green. "Thank you, by the way. Ignore him."

"No problem. And, I'll take a hike." Green shot Soren a wink before happily skipping away.

Rosaleya wondered. ...He reminds me of someone-

Soren kicked at their snowman's remains. "-Care to explain this?"

"Penelope stole this." Rosaleya pointed to her shell necklace. "I'll go get someone to put that back together with some magic-"

"-They can't. The bottom's missing." Soren glared. "You let all our hard work turn into mush for a shell necklace you've had for less than a week. Who even needs a necklace to tell you things you should already know?!"

"Hey, that snowman should be lucky. Most Muggles wish for an early retirement." Rosaleya laughed.

"And...you're not even taking it seriously. Okay." Soren massaged the wrinkles between his eyebrows. "So I'm the only one trying to be romantic here. Great."

"Romantic?" Rosaleya raised an eyebrow. "I was trying to lighten the mood first, but fine. Tell me this, Soren: if I was chasing Penelope, who left this vanilla slushie?" She pointed to the heap of snow.

"You're not implying it was me, are you?" Soren shot her a warning glare.

"Of course not!" Rosaleya rolled her eyes and turned her back to him. "I'll just go since there's apparently nothing we can do to save this."

"You know, you do have a lot of enemies." Soren shrugged. "You literally had to pull an all-nighter to apologize to Lust."

Rosaleya recalled Crystal's words. 'From my experience, people who specifically go for sensitive topics or get physically violent belong in the trash.' She smiled, picturing Soren as a trash can with yellow hair, and walked away.

"Oh come on!" Soren pursued her. "I could've helped you, you know! I don't understand why you're being so distant, I've been nothing but kind to you."

"You heard me scream that night! You would've been invited to plan with us if you'd shown even an ounce of care." Rosaleya sped up.

"I thought it was just some ridiculous nightmare. You don't actually want me to come for every little scream you make in your sleep, do you?!"

"How often do I scream in my sleep?" Rosaleya pointed out. "If you had screamed before, I would've at least had Jade make sure you were alright."

"Before what?" Soren stopped, crossing his arms. When Rosaleya didn't stop, he rushed to walk beside her. "Before what, Yin?" His tone softened, "Where are you even going, anyways? I thought you were leaving. Okay, maybe you didn't mean to ruin today. I'm sorry I blamed you."

"You're the one ruining stuff." Rosaleya deadpanned.

"Maybe I am, but what is the point of a competition if we don't win?" Soren pointed out.

"You invited me here to prove a point that you were fine being out in public with me, dressed like that. I don't think that's something you'd have to prove, but here we are." Rosaleya rolled her eyes.

"Yes...but it would've been more fun if your heart was in it. I've been talking to a robot all day."

"Fun for who?" Rosaleya shot him a look.

Soren's shoulders slumped in guilt. "...I don't know why I keep losing my temper with you. It's been hard to keep things fun like that..."

"Then don't try." Rosaleya stepped up to the demon overseeing the event, and quietly made a request.

Soren looked from the judges calling the third contestant's snowman to the spotlight to the overseer demon casting a spell. "What're you doing?"

"Just don't say anything." Rosaleya laughed, gesturing to an empty seat nearby for him. "You're good at that."

Whatever gets her to forgive me faster. Soren headed over to the indicated seat. And what does she mean, 'I'm good at that'?

"Eight out of ten for the final score! Now, let's hear it for Soren and Rose!" The judges announced.

The audience's applause died down as the overseer levitated what was left of their snowman to an empty stall.

"So," The judge Rosaleya had nearly run into earlier spoke, "can you tell us what your snowman is?"

Rosaleya took a deep breath, and began in a solemn tone. "Snowman flesh, blood, bones, and innards...all look the same to us. Just a mound of snow like all the rest, blanketing the horizons until we gather it to create and build. But to any other snowman," She gestured dramatically, "they gaze upon this heap as a monument! A marvelous amalgamation of snowmen from centuries past, which they admire from their resting place. It inspires them to fly down as fresh snow, like the ashes of a phoenix, ready to be reborn into new snowmen! Our entry...is an ode to all snowmen who survive the winter to melt away in the spring, after leading us through a joyous season!"

"Well," The second judge laughed heartily, "you should have entered a writing contest instead my dear."

"You certainly haven't won this competition," The third judge spoke, "but I do have a Winter Gala coming up, and I'm in the market for an assistant speech writer. Meet me at the entrance afterwards for a quick interview."




"That was amazing, Rosaleya!" Soren praised genuinely. "Where did you even hear that from?"

"Soren, the hard part is I can't even tell if you're telling the truth anymore." Rosaleya leaned up against the entrance wall. No more excuses, no need to finish my research, no matter what he tries to pull, I'm breaking up with him. I don't care what he is, he's out of chances. It shouldn't be this hard to get through to someone. If we can't see eye-to-eye, he's not my prince after all - not even close.

"Why'd you do it, then? I thought you were making one last attempt to make this a good day for us! I thought you were showing you cared!" Soren said.

"No, Soren. I was just having fun, and it didn't have anything to do with you." Rosaleya stared.

Soren stared back until he turned red in the face, and stormed off.

"Miss Rosaleya Macabre Fairbrook, acting Prince of Wrath." The third judge introduced herself with a firm handshake.

Rosaleya briefly admired her wrinkle-free two-piece suit, which paired well with her expensive jewelry and black shoulder-length bob. Meticulous...

"I'm Yoko Tanaka, address me only as Mrs. Tanaka." The third judge summoned a clipboard and blood red pen. "Answer only 'yes' or 'no'. I will contact you tomorrow with the results. Are you prepared?"

"Yes." Rosaleya joked to ease her nerves.

The moment she replied, Mrs. Tanaka begin a barrage of questions.

"Are you a full-blooded demon?"

"Yes." I think so...

"Do you have any previous experience writing speeches?"

"No." Stories don't count.

"Are you motivated to help write a speech for the upcoming gala?"

"Yes." I'm excited to try.

"Are you aware of the gala's significance?"

"No." She only mentioned it was a winter gala, I don't know what it's meant to symbolize or accomplish.

"Are you able to research the winter gala's cultural history within the day to prepare yourself?"

"Yes." Thanks again for the summarizing box, Crystal!

"Are you able to assure no cancellations or tardiness will take place on the date of the gala?"

"Yes"

"Are you able to arrive three hours early to the event?"

"Yes."

"Goodbye."

"Bye, Mrs. Tanaka!"

The moment Mrs. Tanaka jumped away, Rosaleya let out a sign of relief. She was so cool!



In the McCunnens' backyard, Soren sat at the center of a candlelit banquet in a white tuxedo. He gestured grandly to the plates loaded with her favorite foods and scattered love letters, then to the chair opposite himself.

Rosaleya stood before him instead, holding the messy draft of her breakup essay. No need to finish it for someone like him...I don't know why I tried to get it perfect before. Hours of research I now regret, for some jerk who was obviously a moron. Instead, he'll have whatever I scraped up these past few days...

"At least stay for the holidays. Father rarely ever visits, and Athena's stuck at Hogwarts, so it'll just be me and mom, unless she's busy..." Soren's attempt at an elegant tone did nothing to hide his sadness. "We don't even have to talk. He's been putting all his energy into that contract for you, and mother's planned at least a dozen surprises. We're doing everything we can to make you happy, open your eyes. You're blinded by greed."

Rosaleya's grip tightened on her papers. "No." Never mind, he gets nothing. "You know what I'm here to do, but you'll still only talk about yourself. I spent hours putting just this together, but no more." She raised the letter to a candelabra, and let the flames crawl up the pages.

Soren grabbed for it as she yanked it away, watching it burn and flake off. "Yin-"

"-Shut up." Rosaleya threw the remains on the grass, and stomped the ashes out. "We're done."

"Fine then, I'll tell her you won't be attending the Christmas party-" Soren called.

"I'll tell her myself, so there are no misunderstandings." Rosaleya turned her back on him.

"If you attend the party, I'll owe you a big favor - it can be anything. And trust me, you'll need it someday!"

Rosaleya kept walking.

"Wait, I'll put it in writing! I swear!"

Rosaleya turned the corner.

"You b!t(h!" Soren collapsed on his knees and punched the grass until his anger dissolved into tears.



In the kitchen, Claudia made two cups of hot cocoa.

"...That's when I realized, nothing I did would ever be enough to convey how awful Soren was being," Rosaleya said, "or let us part peacefully, without regrets, because I regretted everything. Looking back, I realize there are so many things I ignored about him that I never should have, but I shoved them in the back of my mind because I had also done bad things...like I wasn't much better than him, and deserved him, in a way."

"What made you realize you were better than that?" Claudia brought the mugs over to sit beside her.

"Two realizations at the same time. When he brought up all the party and other things you planned, as if I should stay with him and be treated terribly for your sake, made me realize: you'd never want me to be uncomfortable, so I should want the same for myself."

Claudia ruffled her hair with a smile. "Of course, darling."

"And the second is: He will never realize his mistakes, so he'll never try to be better, or make amends. But, it's time I started."

"While that might be true, there's no need to put yourself down. I couldn't wish for a better daughter."

Something about the way she phrased it made Rosaleya uncomfortable. ...Maybe I'm still shaken up from Soren's stupidity? Why would Claudia saying the things she usually says make me feel strange?

"Now, about the party he mentioned." Claudia magically wiped the fog off the window, revealing the snowy landscape outside. "Why don't we switch the venue? You can still come, and you won't have to see Soren - he won't know about the new venue."
"No, I want you to enjoy it with your family.” Rosaleya insisted. "It wouldn't be right for me to take that away."

“You’re family, too." Claudia brushed the hair out of Rosaleya's face. "Or are you still thinking of what Soren said? Besides, he deserves something after everything he did, don’t you think?”

Deserves...something? Why would she say that about her own son? Yes, he's a jerk, but... “I think I’ve already done enough.” Rosaleya said.

“Have you, really?" Claudia asked.

"This isn't about revenge." Rosaleya made for the door before backtracking for the cocoa. "I'm taking this with me."

"Of course, dear." Claudia laughed. "Take your time considering it."
Maybe...everything feels weird right now. Rosaleya thought as she gently closed the door behind her. But I know a way to find out more. Because, I'm done ignoring things that feel weird.



Diana sobbed at the castle's steps, head in her hands.

"...Diana?" Rosaleya sat beside her immediately. "What's wrong?" And why am I sitting here listening to it?

"You were right about what you said yesterday!" Diana wailed. "Constantly pursuing Reign IS uncomfortable! I hate it so much, I just want it to end but it won't!"

"Then...why don't you?"

"I've been trying to for months, but I just...can't...get him to...love meee!" Diana made to summon a tissue but sobbed even harder when nothing happened. "Force of habiiit!"

Rosaleya pressed one into her hands instead. "Here, I keep them in my pocket in case."

"Then yesterday...as I ripped apart that stupid dress, I realized...Reign is the type of person to just ignore a problem that will eventually solve itself! He doesn't spend energy unless it's necessary - he's the quintessential representative of sloth, after all...So the fact he's dating Melody and can see the future means they'll work out. So...all this time...he's never made a stronger effort to reject me because he just saw me as one of those problems! ...He knew I'd eventually come to terms with it and move on so he wouldn't have to do a thiiiing!" Diana cried.

I have no idea why I'm doing this, but... Rosaleya put an arm around Diana's shoulders.

"-All this time, I've been thinking I could just win him over...if I found out enough about his closed-shell of a being...turns out I learnt a little but not nearly enough to get him to be mine, until it was too late!"

Twenty-Two Minutes Later

"...And, my sister's wedding is today! I'm going alone, to my second-youngest sister's wedding...as the last unmarried demon in our family. It's terrible!" Diana sniffled. "And, everyone knows about Reign and I...I can't even fake date anyone for the event. Oh Rosaleya...could you come with me so I don't have to go alone, at least?"

"Yeah. After this meeting, let's go together, but on one condition!"

"Anything, name it!" Diana grasped Rosaleya's hands desperately.

"You have to promise to date someone who will love you for you after this. No more guys who are cute and brooding but don't pay you any attention." What the hell did I just say? And why am I agreeing to this...?! "I'm going to an event tomorrow, I got invited and it's really special! You could be my plus one since...I broke up with my date." Rosaleya sighed.

"Oh don't worry, boredom will be the least of your troubles with me." Diana jested.

And annoyance will be the most. Rosaleya laughed.



Rosaleya yawned and stretched as her consciousness returned to the Human Realm. The largest challenge of the wedding had been not falling asleep to Diana's nonstop gossiping. She fought the urge to drift off to sleep as she sat up, and made to leave. For the time being, Claudia had helped her move her things to the building she'd renovated in Knockturn Alley. As she made her way to the Winter Gala's event, she felt more and more awake without Diana's presence.

Upon the snowy-white peaks of Greenland sat a regal castle, glinting in the sunset. Massive snowflake balloons and glittering white and blue streamers contrasted against the twinkling emerald spires. A black banner held clusters of snowflakes carved from glass that read:

Welcome Annual Demonic Winter Gala
Held at the Tanaka Estate

Tall vases lined the way, gradated white to black, and filled with glass roses of white, green, and icy blue. The cobbled path ended at a pair of towering birch doors, standing open to display their intricate inner mosaic; dancing demons under a picturesque snowfall. Topiaries lined the snowflake-shaped courtyard, depicting all manner of wintery things. A triple-tiered fountain in the center flowed with one drink on each level: hot cocoa, eggnog, and finally pumpkin spice tea.

Rosaleya approached a demon near the west wall, her black desk perfectly centered inside a swirling snow globe.

"Acting Prince Wrath?" The demon noticed before she spoke a word. "Right this way." She snapped, and the snow globe melted into a pile of snow, landing in a perfect circle where the globe had been.

She led Rosaleya through more vase-lined walkways which branched into hallways. She spiraled up a tower, and gestured to an opalescent white landing. "Walk straight, take a left, then enter the auditorium. The presentation will take place there before the party moves to the courtyard. Good day."

"Thank-" Rosaleya began, but the demon had already turned the corner. "-Well never mind, you wouldn't hear it now anyways." She shrugged, and followed the demon's directions.

The auditorium gave the impression of being inside a massive snowball, with concentric rings of plush white chairs encircling a crystal stage. From the domed ceiling, strings of myriad snowflakes hung from wavy hollows. Stalagmites' melted insides swirled like lava lamps, dimly lighting the room.

"...This is not a night for resolutions or new beginnings." Green read at the stage's center. "Instead, it is a night for reflection, to appreciate the moments we've shared and the bonds we've forged. As we near this year's end, let us pause to savor the richness of our pasts, and to give thanks for the countless blessings we have not only bestowed upon ourselves, but on each other."

Rosaleya neared the stage as he continued.

"...Together, we have built a tapestry of memories, woven from the threads of our joys, our struggles, and our unyielding support for one another. It is these very threads that bind us, that remind us of our shared journey and..." Green trailed off, frustrated to once again find the words, 'Just ad-lib, son! You've got this!' on his notes. He facepalmed and snapped, transforming the papers into a bunch of origami ghosts. As the ghosts began an acapella version of Under Pressure, he spun so his back faced the stage, and right when Rosaleya thought he'd sing the main vocals, he began screaming hysterically.

"Hey, hey, are you okay?!" Rosaleya jumped onto the stage, recovered from a messy landing, and walked over to him. He didn't notice until she'd stepped into his view.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-oh, hey!" Green transitioned to a calm tone mid-scream. "What're you doing here?"

"I'm the assistant speech writer! What are you doing here?" Rosaleya held him at shoulder length, wanting to provide comfort but not knowing what to expect.

"Just recreating how I think tomorrow's going to go with my little dead me's over here-" Green gestured to the ghosts. "-Mrs. Tanaka's going to kill me."

"But your speech sounded great! Maybe a little wordy, but why'd you stop?" Rosaleya asked.

"This is my dad's speech-" Green snapped; the ghosts collapsed with little screams, and unfolded themselves into his paper stack. "He gave it here, years ago, and connected with the whole crowd! It was so elegant he actually won a-oh wait, you know what the Winter Gala is about, right?"

"Yeah, I read about it in the library." Rosaleya nodded confidently. "I learned everything we needed so I could help! Go on."

Green continued, "He left some parts out so I didn't just copy his - he mostly cut out the jokes and important moments. This is my speech." He uncrumpled a paper from his pocket: only a few sentences, doodles, and random words.

"The gala's tomorrow?!" Rosaleya asked. No way no way no way!

"Yeah!" Green nodded fervently.

"And this is all you have?!"

"Yeah!!!"

"And Hell's not doing its time-warpy thing?!" Rosaleya panicked.

"Yes, just like that!" Green laughed and pointed to her panicked eyes. "I feel like an old chicken at a barbecue. Cluck cluck cluck. Oh no, they're bringing out the skewers tomorrow!"

"They'll roast us both!" Rosaleya swallowed. "Why were you reading his speech?! There's no time for that!"

"Trying to get in da zone-" Green waved his arms, "and get some ideas for my speech. It's been writer's-block-city with this baby for days."

"Just give me a minute." Rosaleya sat with crisscrossed legs, closed her eyes, and hid her face in her hands to think. "Please."

"Sure." Green snapped, summoning a pair of noise-cancelling ear muffs for Rosaleya. The moment she put them on, he continued his hysterical screaming as he ran laps around the stage, letting his arms flutter like ribbons behind him.

Six Minutes Later

"I've got an idea!" Rosaleya stood with renewed hope to shake Green by the shoulders. "I. Have. An. Idea!"

"AAAAAAAAAA-OH, cool!" Green blinked as the words registered. "What is it?"

"We're going to have to work all night on this, and sleep through the day to have enough energy to pull it off tomorrow night, okay?" Rosaleya asserted.

"Okay!" Green grinned. "I'm liking that energy! We CAN make it! Yes!"

"Yes! I think we've got a good chance at it if we both focus. So first, summon some fresh papers. We've already got a good start with your paper ball, we can build off those keywords! What are the doodles for?"

"Bored-doodles - except for this one. I was thinking about my speech for a while. I always go in with no distractions but - I'm the distraction." Green confessed. "Speaking of, COME OUT OF THE SHADOWS, PRINCE CHEESEMING!" Green shouted at a far corner. "WE CAN ALL FEEL YOUR GRUMPY AURA NO MATTER HOW YOU HIDE!" To Rosaleya, he added quietly, "Seriously, is he addicted to whiny-b!t(h pills or something?"

Rosaleya burst out laughing. "Actually, he's not here. We uh...broke up."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Green said. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Eh, it's alright. He was a jerk, I was silly for staying so long, whatever whatever." Rosaleya waved it away.

"You don't have to call yourself silly, demons make mistakes all the time." Green smiled genuinely.

Rosaleya wondered why his smile and words felt so different from the way Claudia spoke. It seems like something they'd both say, but with Claudia... As her eyes wandered, they met Green's excited ones, and she remembered they were pressed for time. She shook her head to clear the thoughts away. "So, let's get started?"

"Yeah!" Green nodded energetically. "And if you wanna talk about it once this is all over, that's okay, too."

Rosaleya laughed, and politely dismissed his offer.



Somewhere in London, a massive glass snowflake lied, nearly invisible, and enchanted so any Muggles who neared suddenly forgot and remembered something important to go do instead. Nearby guests only had to utter the words Yule Ball to magically arrive on a small, hidden platform, and climb the short staircase to enter. Raven planned to survey each guest this way, so Luna could have her peace, and Aislynn her respite, should they grace the guests with their presence.

Waterfalls backlit in variations of silver, white, and red bordered the room, spilling into snowy basins. In the room's center, an enormous frosted fir hid the platform, adorned with red roses, silver baubles and lights, and a glinting snowflake topper. The topper would flake off into tiny snowflakes drifting overhead, until ultimately marking the party's end with their disappearance. Cloudlike candelabras adorned tables of glass, set with tableware that gave the impression of being carved from ice. Each plate bore a silver gift, beribboned with red velvet and snowflake embroidery. At the slightest pull, the ribbons would come undone, revealing a picturesque Christmas dinner. Upon the shining black marble floor, white snowflake silhouettes meandered at the speed of clouds.

Raven sat back with a sigh.

Solaris landed on her shoulder. "I picture big birdseed bowls beneath the tree, and little ones on the tables." He laughed. "What would make your Christmas?"

Raven pictured Aislynn laughing with Crystal at one end, and Luna serenely waltzing Elias around the tree. She clasped her hands together, "All I want is to see both my mistresses happy."




Green stood backstage with his entire fist in his mouth.

"Green!" Rosaleya ran up to him. "Are you ready?"

"Blegh." Green yanked his hand out and shook saliva off for a nervous double-thumbs-up.

"I was worried when I couldn't find you!" Rosaleya said. "Where were you?"

Green made to put his fist back in his mouth.

Rosaleya grabbed ahold of it with both hands to stop him. "Stop that!"

"I've been all around this place trying to find you. In the end I went back here so I wasn't late..." Green confessed.

"It's okay - you've spent weeks worrying about this. The buildup must be bad." Rosaleya handed him a tissue from her pocket. "But we've done really well. It's a short speech, and this morning, you didn't even read off the paper. Plus, you were falling asleep! You don't feel tired right now, do you?"

"Nope." Green said, wiping his hand free of saliva.

"Then you're already in a better place! If you want, I'm sure they can stall while you read it again really fast!"

"Why do you think this hand wasn't in my mouth?" Green held up his other hand with a chuckle.

"You can fit them both in there?" Rosaleya wondered, before switching to a stricter tone. "Don't try that! Never mind!"

"Maybe if they get stuck, I can call in sick?" Green saw her determination, and sighed. "You gave that speech at the snowman competition and didn't even hesitate! I want to feel like that right now!"

"That's because nothing was on the line." Rosaleya said.

"Why are you so nervous?" Rosaleya asked during a short dinner break. "I get it, your dad gave this amazing speech years ago, but there's nothing that says you have to be just as amazing. The way you're talking about it, you don't write speeches all the time, so you shouldn't have this sort of reputation to make them amazing. You don't write all your news reports yourself, do you?"

"Only a few - it's more fun that way. I'd never be able to even concentrate on that much paperwork. I mean, you saw my notes on this speech." Green said. "When you gave that speech about the snowmen? That's my style. Walk right up, say stuff, next. It's no fun if I have to take hours doing the same thing..."

"So why, then?"

"Oh, right! Well Mrs. Tanaka gave me this." Green whipped the hastily folded note from his pocket: white paper with black machine-written text:

Mess up the speech and you are irrevocably fired. Best wishes.

- Mrs. Tanaka

"Are you sure she wasn't...joking?" Rosaleya asked hopefully.

"You interviewed with her, did she seem like the type?" Green pointed out.

"Anyways, don't worry." Rosaleya assured. "I've got at least five different ways to save this if it goes sideways."

"When did you come up with all of that?" Green asked.

"I did some heavy zoning out at a party yesterday - I had plenty of time to think." Rosaleya laughed. "So go on, get up there before Mrs. Tanaka bites you."

Green chuckled.

Rosaleya flashed him a smile as the host called his name upstage.

Green took a deep breath, stepped through the emerald curtains, and waved to the cheering audience. He tapped the microphone to ensure its effectivity. "Ladies and gentledemons, may I have your attention, please?" He politely signaled the audience to quiet down, "Thank you. We've just gotten word that a chronosphere bomb has been triggered, and is rapidly counting down the seconds 'till detonation."

The audience grew serious.

"For those of you who don't know, a chronosphere bomb causes rapid aging upon detonation, since it's literally a bunch of magical energy under pressure. For those in the back, we'll all die."

Rosaleya peeked her head out from behind the curtains, her mouth agape.

Green pointed to a sketch of a smiling bomb on his single crumpled paper, ""I've got the intro's idea down, and it's da bomb! Anything after that? I draw a blank. So, trust me on the intro, and help me go from there. Heh, that could be a little rap." He started rapping, "Got the intro down, no need to frown, but after that, my brain goes splat! Just trust with the opening-hmm, what rhymes with opening? If there was a little frog choir we could call it the croak-ening..."

"-Green! You're getting distracted again." Rosaleya reminded.

I had no idea this is what he meant! Rosaleya surveyed the panicking audience.

A demon in the audience stood, "Can any of us take it out of this place?"

"Nope, getting near it will kill you because of the energy it's already emitting." Green replied calmly. "And before you ask, evacuation is impossible since we'd need some sort of magic to get us out of here, and enough of us doing that has a chance of detonating the bomb."

Another demon stood, "Can one of us use our own magical energy from afar to cancel it out? Even if it requires sacrifice, I would be willing-"

"-Nope, not enough." Green shakes his head, dabbing sweat off his forehead.

Rosaleya wondered if the dabs were dramatic or if he was truly nervous at his speech. A part of her worried if he'd actually set up some kind of bomb and this had all been some kind of trick or setup for it. *Damn, and I was getting such a nice feeling from him yesterday, I really didn't think anything like this could happen!*

"What happens once it goes off? Will we at least be the only ones affected?" Another demon asked.

"Nope, the rapid aging of our magical power will cause an influx of energy that will crush together and contract-" Green illustrated with hand motions "-causing a secondary explosion even bigger than the first."

The demons began chatting amongst themselves, minds racing for more possibilities, or lamenting regrets.

"This can't be the end!" Rosaleya heard one demon reassure.

"If I'd only known this morning..."

Green's tone turned cheerful, "And that, my audience, is the gravity of our situation, illustrated by the theoretical scenario that all our lives would end here."

A collective sigh of relief, then a great many scowls, all aimed at Green.

"In that moment, how many of you had regrets?" Green asked.

"I regretted coming here." Rosaleya stepped up beside him.

A few scowls turned into chuckling faces.

"What about the time you took getting ready, or the hours of work you put in to free up time for today?" Green asked the audience.

"I enjoy getting ready, it's part of the excitement." Rosaleya crossed her arms.

A few demons laughed.

"Feelings you never expressed, or times you wished you hadn't stayed up so late?" Green asked.

"Wish I had some earplugs." Rosaleya deadpanned.

Half the crowd erupted in laughter.

To Rosaleya, Green whispered, "Good save! I had no idea how mad they'd get!"

"You threatened their lives!" Rosaleya hissed, incredulous that he hadn't considered it.

"The future is excitement and intrigue, the present is where we have fun and let loose." Green said. "But in focusing on our regrets, we can forget the past's potential for jubilation."

That's how you got to this point?! Rosaleya recognized the beginning of the part they'd written together.

"Think of the first time you completed your first jump? The time you cast your first spell?" Green smiled, reminiscing himself. "Or a beautiful, long dream you had, so happy you almost didn't want to wake up. Go on, I invite you to reminisce for yourselves on something more personal." He surveyed the audience, then pointed to Reign in the high back row. "Prince Sloth? A beautiful memory of yours?"

Reign covered his mouth with a yawn. "The nap I just took."

The audience laughed.

Green chuckled, then gestured to an elegant demonic lady three rows from the front. "And you?"

"When I first grew my home in our realm..." She smiled, recalling the excitement she'd felt exploring it upon its completion. "...at first I found it a bit dull, just a black rectangle on stilts. But the more I jumped around, I discovered it had grown to resemble a piano!"

"Aaaw!" A few demons said, recalling their experience with own homes.

"And you, Mr.?" Green gestured to another demon.

"When I was a much younger demon, I didn't have much of an interest in casting spells. I saw the way everyone used them, and couldn't see myself becoming the same way. Years went past, and I couldn't quite get the hang of it. I still remember the way I felt when I saw Prince Nova granting wishes, and suddenly had the same desire to create magic." The demon's eyes grew watery, and he reached for the handkerchief from his breast pocket.

Green shone the spotlight on three other demons, before returning it to himself with a warm smile. "For me, it was years ago, hearing my father's speech. I worried so much that I wouldn't be able to match it, I forgot the meaning of the speech altogether." He turned to Rosaleya. "Thank you."

The audience gave a standing ovation.

Rosaleya flashed him a smile, then scanned the crowd for Mrs. Tanaka.

Mrs. Tanaka looked pleasantly satisfied as she stood, giving her own light applause as she exchanged a glance with Green.

Rosaleya looked to Green, and saw him nod happily. He did well. Alright, then, I better be off before I have too much fun at this party.




Green reached for Rosaleya's shoulder as she neared the courtyard's double doors. "Hey, where are you headed? Don't you wanna chill out a bit?"

"I've got a lot of things to do." Rosaleya shrugged. "There are already a lot of parties this time of year, and I did take a lot of time preparing for this in the library. And yesterday." I'm not going to have this freedom for long, I've got to use it while it lasts.

"Okay! Just one second!" Green fought his way through the crowd with a dozen, "EXCUSE ME'S!" to fill a mug for her.

Rosaleya giggled at how he accidentally yelled in some peoples' ears as he returned the same way, offering her a mug of hot cocoa.

"Everyone loves hot cocoa. Think of this as my 'thank you' for saving my butt back there." Green smiled.

Rosaleya smiled, and took the drink. "Bye, Green!"

"Just don't work yourself too hard!" Green called, watching her disappear into the portal Celeste opened for her. He turned back to the party and got himself a hot chocolate, too. "Mmmm!" He took a huge sniff, closing his eyes in contentment. Around hot chocolate, he bore a great resemblance to a happy turtle relaxing on warm sands.



"He was so cute!" Diana followed Rosaleya through Hell as the latter scribbled ideas down as fast as she could. "And Alissa was perfect. I couldn't have wished for a better stand-in - whatever I said, she'd say, too! No alterations. So this guy, he was JUST as talkative as me! He had...cute brown hair - much shorter than Reign's - shorter all around, really, and we were so excited to speak we kept cutting each other off!"

"Don't you think he'll be a little weirded out when he finds out Alissa wasn't really the one he was getting to know?" Rosaleya pointed out.

"True love will find a way. You were so right, I was wasting my time with Reign!" Diana rejoiced. "I swear, if you ever need anything, tell me! I owe you!"

"Right now, I'm about to meet with Mrs. Tanaka's daughter to help me make some things." Rosaleya began. "Think you could give us some space?"

"Oh, of course! I'm going to go ask Alissa to describe him to me again...oh, I've got to remind her to take pictures next time!" Diana said as she walked away.



The Next Day

"Ms...Fairbrook? It's your turn." Easton's secretary called.

Rosaleya stood from her seat in the waiting room, and made for Easton's office at the end of the hall. Despite the door being open, she rapped at the frame a few times.

"Welcome in!" Came Easton's warm voice. "Oh, hello! And who are you?"

Rosaleya sat before his desk, tearing her eyes away from the four different pictures of the McCunnen family to face Easton. "Hello, Sir, I'm-"

"-Oh please, call me Easton."

Rosaleya sighed awkwardly. "I'm your son's ex-girlfriend, and I'd like to ask if there's any room in your schedule to come home for the holidays. I think he might be acting weird lately because he misses you - he's really stressed out and acting more distant than he ever was. So, I was hoping you could find it in your schedule to come home and brighten his Christmas...Easton?"

"They...want me home?" Hope filled Easton's eyes.

"Well they didn't say so exactly, but-"

"MY GOODNESS!" Easton was so excited he stood to stretch his arms to their full extent. "Yes, I'll come home at once! Let's pick up some gifts on our way - we'll make it a wonderful Christmas!" He sprung over his desk, summoned his coat from the rack, and dashed out the door.

Three Minutes Later

Rosaleya finally caught up to Easton at an outdoor market, browsing stalls of hand-crafted demonic goods.

"So...why were you so surprised?" Rosaleya asked.

"Surprised is an understatement!" Easton joyfully examined a Rubik's Cube that changed shapes and colors each time it was solved.

"Hmm, too boring, I think. What do you think?"

"Soren likes cheating through Choose Your Own Adventure Books, so you can pick out one of those instead." Rosaleya offered.

"Hmm, but what would be better? Let's see if we can do better..." Easton dashed between two stalls to enter the next row. He held up a pair of rainbow-lensed glasses. "Mind if I try these on?"

"Not at all." A tired-looking demon handed him a sample page. "They make you read twice as fast."

"Twice as fast means twice the intrigue in stories! Don't you think?" Easton turned to Rosaleya as she caught up to him; the glasses made his eyes look three times as large.

Rosaleya giggled. "It's not really the reading part that interests him."

"Eh." Easton disinterestedly tossed the items to the stall owner, and raced off again.

Rosaleya sighed before running after him, "For a guy who sits behind a desk all day he's in incredible shape."

"What about this doll? It can play through the stories with him!" Easton suggested.

"No cheating!" The doll sang.

"Nope." Rosaleya said flatly.

"These?"

"No."

"These?"

"Not that, either. Won't you just tell me why you're trying so hard to get him anything but the perfect gift?" Rosaleya asked.

"I've got to make a good impression - we haven't seen each other in a while."

"Why not?"

"I don't know..." Easton dashed to another line of stalls.

"They said you were busy! I thought that was why!"

"Who?"

"Claudia and Soren!" Rosaleya called, falling behind as he zig-zagged through more stalls.

"What did Athena say?"

Rosaleya facepalmed. "Stop running for a moment! I'll answer your questions if you answer mine!"

Easton froze at once, raising his eyebrows like a naughty child wondering if their parents had caught them red-handed.

Rosaleya laughed at his expression. "...I don't remember Athena mentioning you."

"Oh..." Easton's expression fell, sinking into a vacant stall-owner's chair. "...I see."

"She probably did, my memory's just really bad!"

"I want them to remember me...I want to spend time with them...But I don't know why, whenever I try, something always feels...off." Easton looked at his reflection in a shiny red train toy. "Am I crazy?"

"Oh..." Rosaleya put a hand on Easton's shoulder. "Look, I'm not sure what's going on, but how about this? I'll try and see what you mean by the weirdness - I'll hide and watch your interactions from far away, just don't tell them I'm there so it stays neutral. That way, you'll know if it's just in your head or not, and then you can enjoy your time with them."

"Alright...I suppose that would help." Easton took the tissue Rosaleya handed him.

"So, how has the contract been going?" Rosaleya asked.

"Oh, I've finished it a while ago. Did my dear Claudia not tell you?" Easton asked.

"Maybe she forgot to mention it." Rosaleya replied vaguely. Why wouldn't she tell me? "What's kept you so busy at work, lately?"

"Oh, I'm not all that busy." Easton spoke quietly. "I mostly spend my time doing extra work to prevent my employees from working overtime. It keeps me from thinking about them too much...but it's stopped being as effective as it used to be."

"And you don't spend much time at home because something feels strange?"

"Yes..." Easton teared up.

"Let's go pick out some presents, okay?" Rosaleya said.

"Okay...you'd know what they'd like, right? They all deserve the perfect gifts."




As the snow began to fall early on the morning of Aislynn's birthday, Raven landed upon the vampires' front doorstep to deliver Crystal's gift. A crimson gift beribboned in black with a white skull pattern, with an attached note cut into the shape of a skull:

Happy Birthday, Aislynn!

- Crystal

Inside, Aislynn would find a green Christmas tree fifteen inches high, ornamented in individually wrapped chocolate truffles shaped like baubles. The star topper was a double chocolate Christmas cookie.



As had become her habit as of late, Luna lie asleep atop her books in bed. Beside her, a recipe for occamy egg yolk shampoo, and notes on where to acquire its ingredients.

 

[Hikari Chan]

"I need some fresh air," Aislinn managed to speak with a steady voice yet avoided looking directly into her father's eyes. She stood up and left before Edward got the chance to speak. He sighed and decided to tidy up her room. Well, at least she knows where to find me when she needs me. She is also welcome to visit me at my office. He thought with a smile. He collected all the wrapping papers and put them in the trunk. Then he cleared the table and the dishes. They did not finish the entire cake, so he decided to save the rest for later. While Edward stood and pondered how to organize and place all Aislinn's gifts in her room, Aislinn returned holding a package in her arms. Her hair and shoulders looked a bit wet. He noticed the beautiful and glistening snowflakes melting away on her hair.

"You got more gifts? Hmm.." He smiled. He reached out his hand towards her and caressed her head softly.

She did not reply and remained silent as she placed Crystal's birthday gift on her bedside table and mumbled something incoherent about opening the gift later.

A couple of days later, Aislinn decided to join everyone else in the family for a Christmas celebration. Vincent was eerily quiet and looked at her suspiciously. Aislinn avoided him as much as she could and sat in an armchair in the parlour. The air felt tense. Some of her family members conversed quietly. She could feel her grandmother's intense gaze at her. The decorative Christmas tree with bright colours looked like an eyesore amongst the dark furniture and curtains in the parlour. Aislinn's eyes fell on the trunk among the wrapped gifts under the Christmas tree. She sighed loudly, already knowing what would be inside the trunk.
So my father collected Christmas gifts for me just like he did with the birthday gifts, didn't he? Merlin's beard. Aislinn glanced at her father, who smiled lovingly at her. The right corner of her mouth trembled. She bit her lower lip to avoid laughing and averted her gaze. I am not mad at him, but it feels wrong to laugh aloud when my grandmother does not look that cheerful. Aislinn heard how her grandmother muttered something incoherent and snorted. Did she notice that I was on the verge of laughing? Or is it because I did not get time to prepare Christmas gifts? I planned to go shopping after Luna's wedding, but that chance never came. I can not help but wonder what 'he' is doing. Is 'he' invited to the Yule Ball? I have still not decided if I am going to attend the Yule Ball or not. Crystal sent me a lovely gown. I don't wish to turn her down, sigh. The invite says I could bring one guest with me. I have been thinking about asking my father, but he has probably received an invite, and I feel too shy to ask him.

To distract herself, Aislinn decided to comfort herself with the Christmas dinner. She was happy that her father had ordered the entire feast instead of letting her grandmother try her horrid cooking skills. At least I can enjoy something good. Aislinn thought while taking a bite of everything. Her eyes fell on the crystal bottle containing fire whiskey, but she decided against it. Instead, she just wanted to enjoy the food.

Early, the same day the Yule Ball was to be, Aislinn woke up and got herself ready. She put on her usual clothes and hid under her cloak just like a long time ago when she used to sneak away from Luna's manor to get her hands on some delicious breakfast. Aislinn went straightly to Diagon Alley, where she had a delightful breakfast at the Leaky Cauldron.
It feels like ages since I had crispy waffles with whipped chocolate cream and a cup of hot cocoa. She sighed contently. After Aislinn left the Leaky Cauldron, she roamed around slowly, just looking at items displayed in the windows of the shops. She checked the post office before getting lunch at her favourite fast-food restaurant. No letters were waiting to get read. So none misses me, She thought sarcastically. Aislinn ordered a lunch for two at Pandora's. She did not care what others would think of her appetite. She just wanted to enjoy a lot of french fries with ketchup. After the hearty lunch, she went to her usual hairdresser but stopped outside the door. Aislinn had no idea how she would like to have her hair done. Why does it remind me of 'him', She thought. She could not bring herself to have her usual haircut, bob style with bangs. I might get an idea of what to do with my hair if I try on the gown Crystal sent me, Aislinn thought and decided to return home.

Meanwhile, at St. Mungo's, Sherwood opened his eyes. He blinked several times and stared at the white ceiling above. At first, Sherwood had no idea about his whereabouts or why his limbs were so stiff. He tried to sit up on the bed. But before he had time to realize that he was at St. Mungo's, Sherwood was surrounded by death eaters who blindfolded him and escorted him. August, who was happy to leave his post as a guard, received an invite to the Yule Ball as a reward from the Minister of Magic. Finally, I will meet Celeste, He thought happily.

Hmm, Aislinn was satisfied with her dark red lips and smokey eyes. But she had no idea what to do with her hair. She twirled a strand of her hair with her wand while staring at her reflection in the mirror on the vanity table in her bedroom. Perhaps some fresh and cool air will help me clear my mind, She thought and left her bedroom. But she soon came to regret her decision.

"Going somewhere?" A familiar and eerie voice spoke.
"That's none of your business," Aislinn replied curtly, not turning around to face Vincent and instead hurried away. She could hear his footsteps behind her and only grew more annoyed. She stopped abruptly and turned around:
"What do you want?"

"Ouch!" Vincent flinched as if being slapped by an invisible force.
"I just wanted to talk-" He began, speaking with an innocent voice, but the look in his eyes did not fool Aislinn. But before he finished his sentence and she could argue with him, Lady Monroe appeared in the hallway.

"And where do you think you are going?!" She was shocked to see her granddaughter dressed up for a ball.

"No...no where..." Aislinn shrugged. She tried to remain calm and speak with a steady voice.

"Ah, so you are playing dress-up?!" It was not a question but rather a statement. And for each word Lady Monroe spoke, her voice got louder until she almost yelled. The rest of the family members hurried to join them in the hallway, wondering why Lady Monroe was screaming.
Natalia was staring at Aislinn with eyes wide as saucers. Margrethe and her husband wondered if Lady Monroe had gotten angry because Vincent and Aislinn argued as usual.

"Oh, I was about to ask you if you wanted to go the Yule Ball, but I see you bet me to it," Edward spoke before anyone could ask what the fuss was about.

"I have not done my hair," Aislinn replied quietly.

"Well, your mother never did anything particular with her hair. She always had it down-" Edward began and was about to compliment Aislinn on how beautiful she looked, but Lady Monroe cut him off.

"She is not going anywhere. Not until I know what happened that night after she left the wedding feast."

"Well, if you are so curious to know, I will gladly tell you," Aislinn spoke with a bitter tone. "He left me for good. Alastair DiVilliers ended everything with me and left. Are you hearing me?" Aislinn's voice got louder and louder. "He ended everything and left! During all this time, he was using me...using me for his unrequited love interest." Aislinn turned on her heel and stormed off. She slammed the doors behind her and walked briskly. She stopped about a hundred feet from the manor. She was still clenching her fists.
And afterwards, I somehow ended up at St. Mungos. I don't know how or why. I cannot recall what happened after 'he' confessed to me that night. And to my surprise, I saw the one I least expected to see when I woke up at St. Mungos. I had almost forgotten Sherwood. It never crossed my mind that I would see him again and in a hospital as well.

"Aislinn?" She heard a familiar voice calling out to her in a gentle tone.
She did not turn around and crossed her arms. She refused to return home and would rather spend the night at Luna's manor.

"Let's go," Edward put a cloak on Aislinn's shoulders. She fingered the soft and thick fabric. Aislinn was about to open her mouth to protest about her undone hair. But she kept her mouth shut and looked down on the snow-covered ground.

"Don't you want to get your hair done?"

Aislinn looked up in surprise and was met by her father's black and inhuman eyes. He was wearing his death eater mask with his usual elegant attire.

"I need you to come with me to the Yule Ball, please," Persephone pleaded.

"I am not going anywhere tonight," Flynn spoke firmly. "I am a professor, and Hogwarts needs me more during this time. I cannot let another incident happen here."

"Hogwarts will be guarded just like during the wedding we went to. Nothing happened at Hogwarts during the wedding." Persephone tried to persuade Flynn. However, one of us was hurt that night.
"I need you to keep an eye on Miss Shadowwalker. I am genuinely worried about her after the incident in Diagon Alley. She is being targeted by, well, Merlin knows who. I bet one thousand cauldron cakes that she will be at this Yule Ball. And you are the sharpest one with the strongest eyesight in the team. It is the least you can do for her. Do not forget that she saved your life when you got struck by the sectumsempra curse in Diagon Alley. However, she was the target. You do not have to keep her company or anything. You keep an eye on her from afar and alert if you notice anything suspicious at the ball," Persephone explained.

"..fine..I am coming." Flynn replied reluctantly. Why on earth do I have to do this? It's not like I am employed to protect Miss Shadowwalker. She is a graduate of Hogwarts and should be able to defend herself. And I am not indebted to her. I saved her life by pushing her aside so that I could cast a counterspell. But I was too late and got hit by the curse. And in return, she saved me by using the countercurse. Does it not make us even? Besides, isn't her protection something that her father, the minister, should take care of? Flynn waited for his too-cheerful sister to leave his office. He opened a package that Persephone had brought him and stared at the brand-new and neatly wrapped suit and cloak.

Carefully, Lily tried on the crystal glass shoes with mid-heels that her father had bought her. She took one last look in the front-length mirror, eying her attire once more. Knowing that her friend Clarissa would opt for the design of a classic Cinderella gown, Lily had chosen something different to wear. Her chosen gown was light blue with rich, flowy skirts. The neckline was heart-shaped with evenly shaped off-shoulder sleeves. Instead of gloves or regular sleeves to cover her bare arms, she had sleeves designed as trails. They were attached to her off-shoulder sleeves and reached the length of the gown. Crystal-animated snowflakes were attached to her gown. The snowflakes were busier and smaller at the top of her gown and much less and larger further down the gown. To this, she wore a multi-diamond teardrop necklace with a pair of diamond teardrop earrings. An Edwardian diamond hair clip kept her hair in a high and elegant updo. Lily smiled at her reflection. She was excited about the winter ball.

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

December 24th, 5pm

Easton and Rosaleya stood in Claudia's room, the latter preparing to hide beneath the bed.

"Once she steps inside the room, you'll see her, but not the reverse." Easton explained. "Are you ready?"

Rosaleya nodded, crawling as far back beneath the bed as she could be. Despite the spell Easton had placed, she still worried Claudia would find her.

"And...do I look alright?" Easton asked, wondering if he should steal another glance at his tuxedo in the mirror.

"You look great." Rosaleya assured.

Easton sat on the bed beside the earrings he'd taken from Claudia's bag. They sat beside him now, in a velvet box. When a minute passed, he awkwardly asked, "So...do you like earrings?"

Rosaleya's eyes darted to the doorway at the familiar sound of clicking heels.

"Oh...Easton!" Claudia greeted disinterestedly. "What are you doing here, darling?"

"Well, I heard about this wonderful party you're throwing, and I dressed to the nines to accompany you!" Easton noticed Claudia looking around, teasingly adding, "Haven't you missed me?"

"Of course I have, dear!" Claudia enveloped him in a hug to continue searching the room behind his back.

Easton's right, she is acting weird around him, but I've got other things to worry about right now! Rosaleya looked around for a better place to hide.

"Mother, did you find your earrings or do I have time to..." Soren trailed off when he saw Easton. "...Dad?" In an instant, he enveloped Easton in a hug so tight, Easton couldn't have shaken him off if he'd tried. "Dad! It's really you!"

With some effort, Rosaleya crept between mattress and support beams.

"Em...what do you mean?" Easton asked.

Claudia interjected, "He's been dreaming of you, the poor dear's missed you to bits. Why don't-"

CREAK

Easton coughed, hoping to provide a plausible excuse the noise.

Rosaleya froze. Stupid creaky wood!

"Hope I'm not developing a cold now!" Easton joked.

"...As I was saying," Claudia continued, "you two go one ahead?"

"Why my dear, I've already delayed us plenty!" Easton tried to reach out for Claudia's hand, but Soren was hugging him too tight. "Any more, and you'll be more than fashionably late for your own party!"

Rosaleya swallowed. Her new hiding place made breathing a labor, and the wooden beams' rough edges dug into her skin.

"Oh, I won't be long." Claudia assured, moving to push them out of the room.

Easton flashed Rosaleya an apologetic look before the door shut.

Rosaleya glared. How does she know I'm here?! There's no way she saw us enter...Easton had pulled her in through the window since Claudia and Soren had been home all day. How?! Come to think of it...She recalled various moments where Claudia had known of her presence, without warning, and her mind raced to find some connection between them.

Claudia searched the closet, levitating out anything that was large enough to hide beneath. "Hmm..."

Rosaleya's necklaces worsened her nerves, digging into her collarbone. Her eyes grew wide. This might be a long shot, but... She ignored her hands scraping against the wood as she drew them together, and slipped off the ring Soren had gifted her.

Claudia approached the bed.

Rosaleya placed the ring on the ground, and pulled her hand out of sight just in time.

"Oh, I see..." Claudia stared for a moment, levitated the ring into her pocket, and left.

Rosaleya decided to wait a few minutes to ensure Claudia had truly left. If Easton tells them I'm in here, I'm in trouble anyways. Might as well see what I can find. She breathed in large gulps of air as the pulled free, massaging her ribs. With a ginger glance out the window, she glimpsed the McCunnens chatting on the lawn. She rubbed her scrapes as she watched, until they disappeared into the night sky. Finally. Panning the room, she set her sights on the floor, feeling around for loose sections or hidden trap doors. I haven't ever seen Soren that happy. Was the person we saw at the Halloween Party truly Easton? With the way Claudia was acting so weird around him now, it doesn't seem so...but then why would Claudia go with anyone else, and let them carry her around like that? And the ring...Crystal and I made sure there was no tracking magic or anything weird on it, so how did they even manage to put one on? When I was asleep, they could've slipped it off, applied the tracking spell or hidden a tracker inside it, and I would've never known...She opened the window, took off her yin and yang necklace, and flung it as hard as she could. She searched the ceiling next, the. The walls, knocking for hollow spots, and feeling for hidden buttons or switches. The wall behind the dresser sounded different. Why... She couldn't pull hard enough to move it more than an inch, so she crammed herself into the space behind it to push instead. Much better. Halfway through, she discovered a small door, normally concealed behind the dresser. Bingo.

Clattering downstairs snapped her out of her victorious moment. She hurried to push the dresser back, resulting in a loud CREAK. Her heart jolted, and she scrambled to the window, hoping she had enough time to escape unnoticed.

Another clattering sound came, louder than the first.

I saw them all leave, who the hell is down there?! Rosaleya climbed out the window, clumsily shutting it before climbing down. Her heart beat as she pushed away the thought of one wrong step, and the idea of falling four stories. Once she'd descended halfway, she glanced down, relieved to see she could now jump the remaining distance. With her mind full of memories from past jump classes, she forced herself to let go, gasping in relief at the successful landing. In her periphery, she glimpsed a pursuer, and rushed for the gates.

SLAM

Rosaleya collided with the pursuer, both shoved back into the grass by the force. She clutched her head, shocked to see familiar clothes sprawling across the lawn. "...Crystal?"

"...What the hell are you doing here?!" Crystal demanded, sitting up and clutching her head as well.

"What are you doing here?!" Rosaleya blurted.

"Nuh uh, you first!" Crystal stood, grabbing Rosaleya's hand to pull her away from the place.

"I was searching Claudia's room when I heard someone downstairs, so I jumped out the window!" Rosaleya said. "I'm trying to find out more about her because she's been acting WEIRD and-"

"-That was you upstairs?" Crystal surveyed Rosaleya's expression.

"...Wait, you were downstairs?!" Rosaleya blinked.

"Looks like we both had the same idea, huh? Alright we don't have a lot of time, let's search together instead." Crystal let go of Rosaleya, and turned on her heel towards the house.

"Did...you think she was acting weird, too?" Rosaleya asked as she followed suit.

"She's HAD all kinds of weird sh!t going on." Crystal exclaimed. "Casually offering to 'hire' demon professors at Hogwarts?! Perfect copies of you guys at Hogwarts?! Who knows how many fake students are actually walking around in there now! If this is just what she's openly told us, we haven't even scratched the bottom of the barrel, yet! Whatever's going on, her big night playing party host is our chance to find something big. You must've had the same idea?"

"...Actually, I was almost at that party tonight...now I know why she was trying so hard to convince me to go. The only reason I'm here was to help Easton!" Rosaleya groaned.

"That's alright, it's good that you're here." Crystal smiled. "We can search together."

Rosaleya stopped walking. "...Why didn't you tell me you thought she was acting weird?"

"Goodness, I'm not your mom in this sh!t." Crystal turned, giving her a stern look, "I couldn't trust you until you'd pulled free from that crap yourself. Now that you have, we're in this together. Got it?"

Rosaleya swallowed, and kept walking.

"Tell anyone about this, and I'll burn you to a crisp. Now that the warning's out of the way," Crystal shrugged as they headed inside, "Let's focus. Tomorrow, we'll go over everything we know about her."

"Tomorrow...we're having dinner with Dad. I'm supposed to sign this contract, but I won't - I'm not signing anything that ties us together. ...But I can't think of any reason to tell her for refusing." Rosaleya explained.

"I'll tag along and back you up, easy. Then there will be no need to explain you don't want to sign it." Crystal assured.

Ten Minutes Later

"Alohomora." Crystal pointed her wand at the hidden locked door behind Claudia's dresser.

The door didn't open.

"Search the room for the key while I try some other stuff." Crystal rolled her eyes, pulling a few things out of her pocket. Hmm, the liquid lock melter won't work since it'll leave a trace...She tried picking the lock as Rosaleya searched, but just as she heard a click, the lock spit out her tools and clicked itself shut. "Well f!ck you, too."

Fifteen Minutes Later

"Short of breaking this lock or burning the door down, I can't get it open. Did you find anything?" Crystal turned to Rosaleya.

"Just makeup and clothes. I even checked the pockets of clothes and still, nothing." Rosaleya said.

"Well we can't leave without SOMETHING..." Crystal looked around, scanning the room for anything to search. "Ugh this is such a waste of a good night."

"I've tried the floors, ceiling, and walls - that's how I found the door. Do you want to try the rest of the house?" Rosaleya suggested.

"Already searched all that."

"When?!"

"Search a room each visit, and you cover the whole house. This is the last one. " Crystal explained. "Unfortunately, we'll have to get going. There's not much more we can do here until we find the key, unless we want to lose the element of surprise."



White powdery snow sprinkled the awning of Darkest Creatures on the evening of December twenty-fifth. Crystal sat beneath it, boredly melting shapes into the snow with her conjured fire.

Inside, Leigh tirelessly fussed over his reflection. He paid more attention to the details of his green suit than the register he was supposed to be watching.

He looks like a green Christmas bauble. Crystal rested her head on her knees.

At last, Leigh nodded, sure of himself as he made for the entrance.

Crystal chuckled and snapped, sending a covert fireball up into the snow above her. She smoothly stepped up, as if her movements were merely for the purpose of opening the door for Leigh.

Leigh caught sight of Claudia approaching with Soren and Rosaleya, and his face brightened as he stepped outside, posing as if he were about to receive royalty into his abode.

The awning's snow melted into a miniature avalanche, perfectly tumbling onto Leigh.

"Oh dear, here." Crystal tried to hold back her laughter as she offered him a hand.

When Leigh shot her a glare, a clump of snow slid off his head, taking his tupee with it to leave a shining bald patch, and Crystal lost it.

"Oooh, I know you're behind this!" Leigh shouted, reaching for her hand.

Crystal pulled it just out of reach, "I wouldn't be so sure about that, I am the one helping you out of it, aren't I?" She blinked innocently.

"UUUGH FINE!" Leigh lunged for her hand.

"Apology accepted." Crystal teased, purposefully dragging him across the snow before helping him to his feet.

Leigh opened his mouth to shout again but Claudia caught his attention, bending down to whisper things in his ear.

Crystal gagged at the fragments she heard, stepping past Soren to give Rosaleya a quick hug. "It's warm inside. Head on in." She gave her a gentle push towards the door.

Rosaleya wasted no time, eager to get away from the others.

"Evening, professor." Soren offered Crystal a handshake.

Crystal smacked it away. "Get the f!(k inside."

Three Minutes Later

Leigh and Claudia made their way to the kitchen last; Rosaleya kept warm by the oven, Soren pouted in a corner, and Crystal picked the skins off the roast potatoes.

"Rosaleya, why don't you carve the turkey?" Leigh flailed his arms as if he couldn't believe she hadn't done so already.

"Oh darling, I'll get it." Claudia flashed him a sultry look as she picked up the knife.

"Oh alright, but I'm not done with you, yet." Leigh wagged a finger at Rosaleya as he fell into his chair. "We've got some catching up to do."

Claudia moved pointedly before the chair adjacent Leigh's. "Was that the bell downstairs?" She wondered aloud.

"Nope." Crystal yanked a leg off the turkey and plopped down on Leigh's other side. Trying to get me to leave? Now now, why the hell would you do that?

"It's been quite a while, Rosaleya. Tell me, how is school, how is everything?" Leigh asked.

"It's been okay." Rosaleya lied.

Leigh grabbed a handful of chestnuts to shove in his mouth all at once. "Mmm. I didn't know," he spoke thickly, spraying the table with food bits, "breaking up with Soren went so well for you."

"Did you cook this delicious smelling feast, darling?" Claudia served Leigh generous portions of meat and potatoes.

"Me? Oh no, I've been far too busy managing the shop." Leigh bragged with a laugh.

"Mhm." Crystal pouted. You didn't manage @#!+.

"I had this feast ordered a week in advance for all of us to enjoy, my treat!" Leigh raised a glass.

So without me, he hasn't been doing anything. He's just found ways to circumvent all my old jobs. Rosaleya gritted her teeth. All that stuff about not trusting a catering service to make Christmas dinner, or maids to clean the house...It was all so he could cheap out and make me do all of it on my own while he sat back and ordered me around! It never would've made a difference how hard I worked!

"I must've misheard, I thought I could've sworn you were on the phone with them last night." Crystal shrugged innocently.

"Nope! I wouldn't dare risk this beautiful moment." Leigh wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

Claudia served Rosaleya and Soren before handing Leigh a cloth. "Don't stain your hands."

"Oh thank you." Leigh smiled, trying to wipe his lips off alluringly. When he caught Rosaleya cringing in the corner of his eye, he pointed a fork at her accusingly, "So what's this about you and Soren breaking up?"

Rosaleya shot Soren a sideways glare. How pathetic can you be, you went and cried to him?

"Hey don't you look at him like that, Soren's a fine man." Leigh said. "So when are you getting back together?"

"Never. Never in a million years." Rosaleya deadpanned.

Leigh laughed. "You know your mother and I got back together so many times before she died. She just couldn't resist. I know I passed my charm down to you, so why don't you use it?"

"This food smells so great..." Rosaleya said, "But with you around I wouldn't taste a thing. I'm so tired of all of this." She stared at Leigh, his words going right over her head as he lost himself in his own bragging as if he hadn't heard her. Why did I ever think I needed a contract to end things with this pathetic man? "Oh don't do that." She laughed.

Leigh continued ignoring her.

"You know dad, you'd look better on that platter than the turkey." Rosaleya dropped her fork on the ground and stood abruptly, her chair squeaking so loud Leigh winced. "Sucks because I've always wanted to try a catered Christmas dinner after the nightmares you put me through. What a waste."

"-How DARE YOU-" Leigh stood as well.

"-No how dare YOU!" Rosaleya put her hands on her hips.

Claudia flashed Rosaleya a look, as if urging her to remember the contract.

Rosaleya smiled, and dodged Leigh's slap.

Crystal laughed, casting a quiet Silencio under the table.

Leigh stood dumbfounded in disbelief when his voice refused to convey his cursing.

"I've always been stronger, and faster than you, but I didn't show you because I didn't want to upset you!" Rosaleya said. "All this time, the scariest thing about you has been the way you crushed my hope that things might go back to the way they used to be." She made for her bedroom.

Leigh banged on doors and stomped his feet, gesturing everything he was thinking in between aiming swings at Rosaleya.

Rosaleya easily dodged Leigh's sluggish, half-drunken swings, focused on her task; emptying every hiding place she used to use for 'contraband'. She tore off peeling paint to remove piles of galleons customers had given her as tips, pulled up loose floorboards to rescue dusty manga, and unscrewed an outlet to pull out a skirt Leigh had tried to throw away because it was 'too short'.

Crystal and the others watched from the door, the former cleaning off the turkey breast she'd snatched earlier.

She knew this was going to happen...they planned this. Claudia looked from Crystal's laid back posture to Rosaleya's determination.

Crystal pretended not to feel Claudia's eyes boring into her back.

This was our moment to bond over removing Leigh from her life...and you ruined it. Claudia glared.

Once it was all piled up on her bed, Rosaleya turned to Crystal. "This is everything."

"Got it." Crystal tossed the bones behind her, 'accidentally' hitting Claudia with them, then wiped her hands on Soren's shirt.

"Hey!-" Soren began.

"-Can it, squirt." Crystal pushed him aside to approach Rosaleya. "Did you have your moment? Anything else you wanna say?"

"Dad..." Rosaleya turned to him. "...I miss how we used to be. But now I know I don't have to worry about not upsetting you because...those days will stay in my memory. Goodbye."

"Short and sweet. Alright." Crystal gave Rosaleya a quick half hug, then ruffled her hair as she flicked her wand at Leigh, "Levicorpus."

Rosaleya stepped past Leigh, still squirming upside down in mid-air, to address Claudia. "Thank you for your offer, but this whining mess doesn't need a contract to end."

"Oh darling, if you'd only told me, I could've helped you with whatever you needed." Claudia spoke gently.

Soren barely let Claudia finish. "And, father's been working tirelessly on that contract for you."

"No, he hasn't." Rosaleya replied matter-of-factly. "And if you want to keep lying to everyone just to feel better, you should take a good, long look at Future You over there." She nodded to Leigh, who was beginning to feel the blood rushing to his head.

"So, darling-" Claudia began.

"-I'd like to be alone for a bit." Rosaleya spoke softly, walking past her.

Eighteen Minutes Later

Crystal kicked off her boots to sit cross legged beside Rosaleya on the floor. She set two plates loaded with the Christmas feast between them, and slid a packet of licorice from her sleeve. As she nibbled on them, she glanced at Rosaleya's notes; a collection of small yellow squares, each with either a large question, or incredibly tiny writing fighting for space. "Why don't you use bigger pieces of paper?"

"I never know which one I'll need, and big pages look weird with only one thing written on them." Rosaleya replied. "My thoughts are too scattered."

Crystal took a handful of paper pieces, and scribbled what she knew on them before tossing them in with the others. "So, let's go over what we've got."

"They bugged my jewelry." Rosaleya pointed to one yellow square. "Sometime when I wasn't looking, they added some sort of tracking magic so they knew where I was."

"Reminds me of how Luna uses her emeralds." Crystal pointed to her own. "Of course, ours aren't tapped."

"I can't believe I didn't think to check them afterwards." Rosaleya lamented.

"Eh, it's alright. Hindsight's 20/20. But, this is why I frequently check if I'm being bugged. That night that we went to the party, even, Claudia switched out the lipstick she gave me with a bugged one in the middle of the dance." Crystal assured. "I checked it during one of our bathroom breaks."

"But if I was already wearing my jewelry, why would she do that?" Rosaleya wondered.

"My guess is, she removed the tracking charms on your jewelry, in case I noticed. And since we'd be together, she'd track you through me." Crystal said. "And halfway through the dance, she switched it back, thinking I'd be too drunk to notice."

Rosaleya picked up a different piece of paper. "Claudia suggested I meet Soren's cat a few times before we actually did, and it was pretty nice. But Soren always seemed reluctant, and never really leaves us alone together."

"...Oh, that reminds me, have you met Shiro, yet?" Claudia asked. "He's so-"

"Mother, please not yet." Soren said.

"But right now, the cat's at Hogwarts, so I can't question it." Rosaleya said.

"Lucky for us, I know someone who can." Crystal jokingly flipped her hair, and picked up one of her squares to read. "Whatever excuse Claudia gave to respond so quickly to the scene of the murder is bullsh!t. She came in fully prepared to take Leigh's dying body away and 'help you'. What's up with that?"

Rosaleya recalled her hallucination of a deafeningly loud train that day, as well as Claudia responding so soon with assistance.

We won't talk about shortening the contract's deadline just yet." Claudia said, embracing Rosaleya in the back seats while they enjoyed the view. "I'll have to put even more effort into that rat. Hell knows I would rather be spending that time with Easton. But it's still certain that he will sign. You're aware that he doesn't have any legal authority over you-"

Rosaleya nodded.

"-but the contract will remove his verbal authority. He won't be able to speak harshly to you, or give you orders or anything! For example, what he'll want to say would be 'Rosaleya, do the dishes this instant! You should've thought to do them already! Common sense!', but what the contract will allow him to say is "Rosaleya, I would love for you to please wash these dishes." That way, he can't scare you any more. Or when he wants to break something, his hands will stick to his sides like glue. Or something that can't be said politely, like 'You're grounded' will become 'Mmnggph!'" Claudia made noises like she was trying to talk through a gag, and Rosaleya's laughter filled her up with happiness.

"...She tried pushing the contract more and more since then..." Rosaleya realized. "And I'd dealt with way worse moments with Dad but I'd never hallucinated like that before!"

"Explains why she was so p!ssed at me back in the shop." Crystal said. "She wanted to push you into that contract."

"Back when it happened, I avoided hurting Chance, but later she said she had..." Rosaleya recalled.

"Yeah, nice illusion." Rosaleya replied. "Can you please get it out of here now? I don't want to see it."

"Illusion?" Claudia stopped hugging her, taking a step back. "Why would Chance be an illusion?" She sounded dead serious.

"You" Rosaleya paused slightly "killed him, remember?"

"Who told you that?" She had a concerned look in her eyes. "Sunshine, please tell me."

"You did. Remember?" Rosaleya sighed. "Ok, forget it. It's fine. Just like Santa's real, right?" I know there's no proof that he is or isn't right now, but I'm really frustrated. When is she going to stop treating me like I'm dumb?

"He is." Claudia replied seriously. "And that's the real Chance. Why would I lie to you about that?"

"And I have no idea why! Why would she tell me two different stories about him?" Rosaleya wondered.

"Hmm...I've got nothing for that one, we'll have to come back to it later." Crystal decided, gesturing for Rosaleya to pick a square.

Rosaleya picked up a piece of paper with the word, 'Hugs' written on it. "When we first met, I loved the way it felt to hug her. So calming and safe. But the thing is, I still feel a lot of that right now, even knowing what I know, which makes no sense. And it always seems to come out of nowhere. I think she's using her illusion magic on me during those moments." She looked away in guilt.

"I've felt something similar - usually, when I meet new people I get a feeling about them that tells me whether they're an a$$hole or not. With Claudia, I got an overwhelmingly positive feeling in my gut, which made me trust her at first. Then I realized that feeling came whenever we were nearby, even if I wasn't trying to think about her in particular. She overdid it, and I noticed - she was trying to trick me, too." Crystal assured. "But cut it out with that guilty stuff, it's annoying. We were both tricked, now we're doing something about it. Any doubts about yourself only make it easier for that b!tch to pull one over on you, got it?"

Rosaleya nodded, resolutely moving to the next topic. She explained how Claudia had lied the contract wasn't ready when it had been a while ago. "Since we already agreed me and Leigh would sign it, what was the point?"

"Use Easton's effort to guilt trip you into signing it." Crystal chewed on her licorice.

Next they discussed how Soren had various moments where he couldn't remember certain things, how strange it was that Claudia made a fake Rosaleya and Soren so casually and offered to hire demonic professors as well, and that Claudia had tried to make Rosaleya call her 'mom' on multiple occasions.

"I just never felt I could. I don't know why." Rosaleya said.

"Your instincts were saying, 'Stay away! Stay away!'" Crystal took a few large bites off her plate. "On that topic, didn't you say you were helping Easton last night? Why?"

"Oh there are a lot of weird things going on with Easton and Claudia that I discovered!" Rosaleya exclaimed. "Easton and Soren BOTH act like they haven't seen each other in months, but we all saw them at the Halloween party. Oh, and remember that kiss Claudia and Easton shared? They were acting SUPER weird together in the bedroom, Claudia was acting cold and awkward, and Easton was overcompensating so hard."

"Oh, I've got some news about that one, actually." Crystal extended her hand and whispered like they were gossiping teenagers, "I stole Claudia's pager once, and read through a bunch of her messages. She acts so plain with Easton, but she texts Damien like a lover."
"What?!" Rosaleya's eyes widened. "Damien Graves?!"
"Yup." Crystal nodded. "And with Easton, she's said weird things like 'keeping up appearances' and 'getting a divorce'. She only texts him occasionally, but it's the opposite with Damien - when he doesn't reply right away? She gets needy and overtexts until he replies."
"So...the person we saw with Claudia at the Halloween party...was Damien?" Rosaleya tried to remember if she'd seen Damien there.
"We saw Damien there, too." Crystal pointed out. "But since we're dealing with illusions, we don't know how much of what we saw was real. However, considering how she treats both of them, I'd say Damien fits the way Claudia acted at that party."
"I feel so bad for Easton...all he cared about was his family." Rosaleya looked sullen.
"When we reveal what Claudia's doing, he'll be able to see the truth." Crystal said. "Until then, we can't trust him, he's just another person under her spell."
"Oh I won't. He still left me under the bed when I was helping him." Rosaleya crossed her arms.
"Ooon the topic of beds, I've been wondering why she seduced Leigh. Why put in all that work to manipulate him, too? Soren got in on that act, trying to impress him, too. Makes me wonder why when Leigh's so weak, even you could take him out." Crystal said. "I know she can't legally kill him, but there's nothing about wiping his mind, putting him in a coma...you get the point."
"I have no idea about that, but...there's something a lot of demons have told me. Apparently, part of my memory is locked away, and it's up to me to unlock it, under specific circumstances. I've tried a bunch of things to find out more, but no one will tell me anything, I can't wish for it, and I don't have many other places to look. Would you mind helping me find out more about that, too?" Rosaleya asked.
"Of course." Crystal waved her hand as if it was nothing. "You should've asked sooner. I love a good mystery, especially with a friend." It would definitely help me fill the space in between jobs since Aislynn's preoccupied.
"Oh that's great!" Rosaleya celebrated. "I've been thinking about it more and more, because...they also mentioned a 'surprise' my past self - the me that remembered everything - set up. But if she set a bunch of stuff up, why was I living with Leigh? And, are my memories of our early, happy moments even real? If they are, how did I have a whole other life and enough time to set a bunch of stuff up like that?"
"That's a good point..." I'll have to search that dirtbag's memories, before... Crystal thought. "So, you say you don't have many other places to look? Where haven't you looked?"
"Well, this is a long shot, but since I became a stand-in for the demonic princes, I've had access to Satan's house. I haven't searched it yet because I was a bit creeped out at the thought of going alone, but maybe we could go together?"

"Heh?" Satan's...house?


December 28th

Crystal stood just inside the Hogwarts gates, mumbling about 'glorified babysitting' as she awaited the others. Once the professors and students had gathered, Crystal dropped a large sack of portkeys in the form of enveloped invitations. "Alright everyone, you've heard Luna's orders - we're heading to the Yule Ball and back, together." She explained casually. "Professors, grab an envelope and group up with some students. Each group will leave the gates, open the envelope, and touch the portkey. Once that professor's kids safely enter the event, they'll send me an emerald message so the next group can go. Professors, keep the portkeys on you until the night's up, you'll be using them again to leave. Students, remember which professor you came with, because that's who you're leaving with. No one leaves the event once they're there without a professor. Any questions?"

"Alright, I'm overseeing this sh!t so make it quick, I'm freezing my @$$ off out here." Crystal watched her breath form clouds that dissipated in the cold air. If I didn't have to watch over these paper portkeys, I'd light a fire to keep warm.

 

[Hikari Chan]

"Merlin, I am so excited," Lily giggled excitedly and lifted the skirt of her gown a bit to show her friends that she was only wearing one shoe.
Lily nudged Clarissa with her elbow. Clarissa laughed and showed her single shoe for the fifth time. Her shoe had a higher heel than Lily's, with a heart crystal on the front.

"You nailed it perfectly, Clarissa," Pegah smiled. Ice-blue ballgown with a black choker and white gloves." Pegah wore a royal blue gown with a high neckline and long sleeves. The fabric was entirely lace, with a black dress underneath. Her golden jewellery glistened against the royal blue colour.

"But...I don't understand. Why are you just wearing one shoe?" Rhaine asked. Rhaine and her sister Summer wore a similar ball gown, with a sweetheart neckline, flowy skirts and lots of glitter at the hem, though Rhaine wore a red one while Summer wore a green one. Rhaine matched white gloves with her gown, while Summer chose a white bolero.

"Doesn't Cinderella lose her shoe at midnight when she leaves the ball in a hurry?" Summer wondered.

"Yes, that's the original story," Pegah remembered. "Are you two doing the opposite? Now tell us, what are you two up to," She looked curious.

"You will see," Lily giggled. She noticed that Clarissa was about to explain, but Lily stopped her, nudging her friend gently and shaking her head. Lily looked at Clarissa -let it be a surprise- face. "Soon...soon you will see," Lily smiled, a mysterious look in her eyes. "While you wait for the surprise, let me tell you about Mr. Garnet." And she recited the letter Stephan had sent her, word by word.

The girls burst out in waves of laughter.

"Oh my," Summer gasped for air, her cheeks red as a tomato.

"You never cease to attract every simp," Rhaine still laughed.

"I am just confused that he changed all of a sudden. One moment, he was cold towards me, and then, he forced himself to dance with me, and now he is all over heels for me," Lily shook her head.

"He is over there with the rest of the students from Hogwarts," Pegah pointed out.

"I know," Lily rolled her eyes.

"What are you going to do? If he asks you for a dance?" Clarissa asked, being curious.

"Well, of course, I'll refuse him," Lily replied confidently. "I will only dance with the one who finds my glass shoe," She smiled with a mysterious glint in her eyes.

"What if he is the one who finds your shoe?" Rhaine asked. She was still laughing.

"Duh, I would still turn him down!" Lily laughed.

"Well, girls, duty calls," Pegah excused herself, trying to sniffle her laughs. As a professor assistant, she had no time to waste by flouncing with her best friends but had to help the other professors guard the students at the ball.

"And we will try out the refreshments," Summer looked at Rhaine, who nodded in agreement.

When Flynn arrived at the Yule Ball, he suddenly got an idea. Seeing that all the professors had to guard the students, he joined them. It would give him a good reason to be at the ball. It also gave him a feeling that he was not wasting his time. And to his relief, his jolly sister left him alone. She met with her close friend Vivienne, and they gossiped lively about almost everything in the wizarding world. Flynn noticed that Miss Shadowwalker was not alone but together with her friends.

Well, then, I can keep an eye on the students. Miss Shadowwalker is with her friends. Besides, there is no doubt that her family members are here. Persephone is such a worrier. I am sure nothing will happen.

Suddenly, Flynn stumbled on something and nearly lost his balance. He looked down and found a glass shoe. At first, he stared at the shoe in bewilderment, puzzled about who could have lost it. He nudged it carefully with the tip of his elegant shoe but immediately regretted what he did. How foolish of me. The shoe could be cursed. He thought for a moment and looked up. He observed the guests' behaviour for a while, expecting to see a lady looking for her missing shoe. But it seemed that none was missing a shoe. He looked down at the glass shoe with a frown. He did not know what to make of the situation.

"Alex, are you seeing what I am seeing?" Flynn, who was still looking at the glass shoe, asked Alexis.

"And what am I supposed to see?" Alexis looked around in bewilderment.

"Ah, never mind," Flynn mumbled. Am I the only one seeing the glass shoe on the floor? He thought as his eyes wandered over the students and professors around him. He lowered his eyes and looked at the glass shoe again.

"Is there something on the floor?" Alexis looked even more confused.

It is as I thought. I am the only one who can see this glass shoe, Flynn concluded. He ignored Alexis' question. The shoe glistened in the lights of the festivities. It was as if the shoe was talking to him, whispering a soft-tuned song. Flynn blinked and shook his head. He managed to look away from the alluring glass shoe.

"Are you alright?" Alexis looked at him. "I was talking to you, but you kept staring at the floor as if you were in a trance.

"Yes, I...I am fine," Flynn rubbed his forehead. It would be crazy to touch that shoe, but I am not alone here. If anything happens to me...

As soon as Flynn picked up the shoe, the mysterious and alluring whispering sound disappeared.

"Woah, did you just conjure a glass shoe?" Alexis was astonished.

"Not really," Flynn shrugged. He had no idea how he would explain it to Alexis. Flynn turned and twisted the glass shoe in his hands as if he would find a clue of the mysterious phenomena or to who it belonged. Just as he thought about how he could ask around and hopefully find the owner of the glass shoe, he was interrupted by someone he least expected.

"Good evening, sir," Lucas reached out his hand towards Flynn. "I think I remember you. You must be the professor from Hogwarts I met at my relative's wedding. It's so nice to meet you again. How have you been?" Lucas flashed a smile.

"Oh, good evening," Flynn greeted the young man. "I am good...all good..." He felt awkward, holding a woman's shoe in his other hand while shaking hands with Lucas. When they had finished their greetings, Lucas turned his full attention to Alexis and greeted him as well. When Lucas was done exchanging greetings and pleasantries with Alexis, he turned his attention to Flynn once more.

"I see you found something as similar as I did," Lucas commented. He took out a glass shoe to Flynn's surprise. They both thought that the pair of shoes must belong to the same guest, but comparing the pair of shoes to each other they saw that there was some difference. One shoe had a higher heel than the other one.

"Hmm...do you think the hosts have set a game up for the ball?" Lucas asked Flynn, looking at him as if Flynn knew the answer.

"No...what kind of game?" Flynn shrugged, looking perplexed.

"Well..." Lucas had a mysterious look in his eyes, looking at the delicate shoe in his hand as if he would find the answer to his question. After being quiet for some minutes, he looked up and looked around at the guests enjoying themselves.

"You know...I just thought, that perhaps, the hosts have planned for the male guests to find a shoe each, and thus randomly pair them with a dance partner..." Lucas speculated, much to Flynn's dismay, because the latter one did not desire to dance, especially with a certain guest who he just discovered had arrived at the ball. Miss Taylor was wearing a red gown with a sweetheart neckline. Her golden earrings shined from afar and added a soft look to her long brown hair. ...why did I not think about using Poly juice potion to disguise myself as someone else...Flynn sighed inwardly, thinking about all possible excuses he could use to turn Miss Taylor down if she asked him for a dance. Then he remembered that he was on duty as a professor to guard the students.

"But..." Lucas continued with a theatrical sigh, seemingly not noticing Flynn's troubled look. "...I rather choose my partner than be forced to dance with a random lady."
And I would rather return this shoe to its rightful owner as soon as possible...Flynn thought. He wondered how he would find the lady who lost her glass shoe among the many guests.
"May you keep me company, please," Lucas asked Flynn but waited for no answer as he took hold of Flynn's arm and dragged him along. Flynn was about to protest and come up with the excuse that he was actually on duty, but Alexis just winked at him.

"Just go and enjoy yourself. I will cover up for you," Alexis did a thumb up.

She sighed when she noticed him. I did the right thing coming here to the Yule Ball, Eugenie thought happily and picked up a goblet of eggnog. She enjoyed her drink while waiting for the right moment to approach Flynn Pyrites. Her smile faltered when she saw him approaching Miss Shadowwalker. Why, why her? Eugenie thought angrily and dropped the goblet she was holding. The goblet fell with a loud thud on the black-marbled floor. But none of the guests reacted because the music and sounds of chattering guests drowned the sound of the goblet hitting the marble floor. On top of that, what made her feel worse was that the eggnog had splashed and stained the lower part of Eugenie's dress. Feeling frustrated and near to tears, she hurried to the ladies restroom.

"She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that’s best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes;
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies."
Lucas recited a poem by Lord Byron while still clinging to Flynn's arm as if he needed all the support he could get to ask Clarissa for a dance. Lucas looked so calm and collected while looking Clarissa straight into her eyes. Lily stifled a laugh and looked away. Clarissa was too astonished to speak.
"I do not know who this glass shoe belongs to, but I do not care about it," Lucas spoke as he held up the glass shoe he had found. "All I wish for tonight is to share my first dance with you." He hid the glass shoe behind his back and held his free hand towards Clarissa.
"Uhm..."Clarissa gestured with her hands, feeling speechless.
He looked confused and asked her again for a dance.
She began to laugh and cry simultaneously when she tried to explain that it was her glass shoe. Lily could not hold it longer and burst out in laughter.
Lucas looked half crestfallen and half confused. He looked at Flynn for support. The latter had no idea what was happening and just shrugged in response to Lucas's questioning look.
"It's my shoe!" Clarissa finally managed to speak. "And it was such a flattering and beautiful poem. Thank you!" She smiled. She genuinely meant what she said. That put Lucas at ease, and he did not waste a minute not to flash his charming smile. Clarissa blushed slightly and then looked at Lily, who was covering her face with her hands. Lily could not stop laughing.
"Never mind her," Clarissa just shook her head. "Lily always makes fun of anyone who tries to ask her out. I would not be surprised if she made fun of the one who finds her shoe tonight." She walked away with Lucas, who had already forgotten about Flynn.
If Flynn had not heard Clarissa's last words, he would have returned to Alexis and the other professors. However, Flynn remained where he was and waited until Lily had calmed down. He cleared his voice a couple of times to make his presence known to her. Lily's demeanour changed. She looked at Flynn as if he was an uninvited guest to the ball. It was as if she had not noticed him earlier.
"Are you also missing one shoe?" He asked carefully.
"That is none of your business, sir." She had a polite tone, though the look in her eyes was cold as ice.
"Hmm..." He seemed to be in deep thought, wondering if there were probably other ladies missing one shoe tonight.
Lily was about to excuse herself because she had no desire to spend her evening with Mr. Pyrites. But at that very moment, Flynn stopped her by asking carefully: "So this isn't yours?" He showed her the glass shoe he had been hiding inside his cloak.

Lily's once proud smile and haughty look faltered when she saw what Mr Pyrites was holding. Her face lost all the colour of life. She could not help but stare at him. When she realized what had happened, her face turned redder than a tomato, and she looked down at the hem of her dress. She stood still, unable to move or speak. Flynn noticed the state of shock she was in.

She was not expecting me, was she? I wonder what kind of spell or enchantment she used so that only I could see her glass shoe.

"Well, it was pretty impressive," He shrugged.
"I was the only one who could see the shoe, and it was as if it was speaking to me. But I could not make out anything of what it was trying to tell me. It sounded like a song or more like a whisper."
Or maybe I should not have said anything, He almost regretted his words when he saw the aghast look on her face.
"Well, uhm...I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening," he said, carefully placing the glass shoe on the black-marbled floor before returning to where the professors and students were gathered.

Something must have gone horribly wrong. Lily tried to remember what step in the potion-making could have gone wrong. He cannot be the one! However I followed the recipe step by step, and I know I did everything correctly according to the recipe. What if the potion I used is just a hoax?

"Ehm...I am thirsty..." Clarissa excused herself to quit dancing with Lucas.
He is polite and sweet, but unfortunately, his dancing skills are horrid. Has he not learned how to waltz?

"What would you love to drink?" Lucas asked Clarissa, flashing his smile for the hundredth time.

"White hot chocolate, please."

"What a lovely choice. I love white chocolate too-"

A scream cut through the sound of the classical music and the loud chatter of guests enjoying themselves. Lucas dropped the cup of white hot chocolate when he heard Lily scream. The cup fell on the marble floor and broke into thousands of pieces. The hot liquid splashed all over the skirts of Clarissa's dress, ruining her gown. But she did not care less about her gown after she had heard her best friend scream.

"I told you that it was a bad idea to wear shoes made of glass," Mrs Shadowwalker reprimanded her daughter. Mr Shadowwalker did not make any comment and remained quiet. He was the one who had gotten the shoes for his daughter. He could not help but brood over the fact that he must missed something. I got the glass shoes customized and from a wizarding shop where I know the owner personally. So what could I have missed?

Lily remained quiet and stood still. Her mother stood beside her, holding her by the arm. Millions of shards of glass glittered alluring against the black marble floor like a starry night sky.

Both Elias and Persephone were already there. With the tip of this wand, Elias collected all the shards of glass and put them in a large velvet string bag. He handed it over to Persephone without a word. She knew by then that he wanted the glass shards examined.
More workload, She sighed inwardly. Where was Flynn when I asked him to keep a lookout?

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

"Finally, some time to f!cking relax." Crystal breathed a sigh of relief once she entered the venue, savoring the dramatic flare of whipping off her cloak to vanish it mid air. She paired her bedazzled black and red gown and choker with black elbow-length gloves, and red shoes. She wasted no time, making straight for a small table to dig into her delicious Christmas feast. "Mmmm...finally a night to just relax. I needed this."



Stephan stole furtive glances at Lily from across the floor, feeling his heart in his throat. I'm still so nervous now, it's silly! I've practiced plenty. He wove his way through the crowd, close enough to catch the finer details of her ensemble. Just as he opened his mouth, Flynn stepped in front of him, taking up her attention. Did she see me? He abandoned his plan, retreating to the bathroom to practice a bit more last minute.



Reign turned over on the grass, and water engulfed his sleeping form. He sat upright with a cough, and drowsily opened his eyes to realize he'd been dozing too close to one of his garden ponds, and tumbled over into the shallow end. He stood to stretch and yawn before making his way inside to check the time; the clock on his wall told both Human Realm and Demonic time. He'd hung his outfit to dry overnight, beside a silk cushion bearing Melody's invitation. Through every demonic celebration, he had anticipated this one the most. Before adding the final layer of clothing to his outfit, he summoned a basket, and returned to the garden to fill it with delicious winter fruits: strawberries and nashi pears. He shrank it to fit easily in his pocket, summoned his haori and invitation, and left for the Human Realm.



Stephan heard Lily's yell and bolted out of the bathroom, heart beating at the thought of her in danger.

"Hey hey, what's going on?" Crystal pushed past people to the reach scene of the incident. The hell is interrupting my night off?! "What happened here?" She panned between Lily, Elias, and Elizabeth.

 

[Hikari Chan]

Aislinn remained standing at the platform once she arrived at the entrance to the ballroom. She felt impotent to take one step forward and almost regretted that she had come. She looked down at the hem of her gown. She wanted to return and go anywhere else but had no idea where to go.

"Pumpkin?"

Aislinn sighed inwardly. She did not know if she liked her newly made hairstyle or not. It had been her father's idea. It was a loose and messy side braid. The shortest strands of her hair were curled and framed her face. He had also bought her two earrings, but not as a pair. One earring was a red stud earring of ruby and silver. The other earring was a silver sword earring with chains and a red ruby cuff.

"You can go first," Aislinn said quietly. "I need some time alone-"

"Why?! We are entering together!" Edward decided.

Aislinn could not tell what her father was thinking. All she could see were his black glinting eyes. However, she felt he was grinning from ear to ear behind his mask. Since the day she had met Alastair, she had only gone to balls and parties with him. For a moment, she debated that she would turn on her heel and get somewhere else as fast as possible. Returning home was not an option since her outburst. But someplace where she could be away from everyone else. Alastair is probably inside and enjoying his time with her, Aislinn thought, feeling a knot in her stomach.
But why do I want to stay in solace and avoid people because of someone who played with my feelings? This is not me, She realized all of a sudden—an insignificant someone. I will give him a taste of his own medicine.

"Thank you for your concern, Miss Thorne," Mrs Shadowwalker replied curtly. "My daughter wore glass shoes which broke. I think we can manage from here, hmm?" She looked at Lily who wanted to speak, but Lily just bit her lower lip in frustration.

The glass shoes did not break. They shattered. Someone must have attacked me.

"We will spend the rest of our evening with your auntie and cousins," Mrs Shadowwalker decided. "Please excuse us," She nodded politely at Crystal before walking away with Lily.

Great! What a great start for me at the ball. Now I have to sit with my aunt Eve and cousins Melissa and Daphne and join their small talk. Lily was disappointed that she could not spend the rest of her evening with Lucas and her female friends.

"What's the matter now?" Persephone frowned. She looked at the gathered students acting all jittery. She had just returned after a short visit to the ladies' room.

"He is here. The mister who gave us a guest lecture about dragons!" A fourth-year Gryffindor boy exclaimed.

"Oh?!" Persephone turned around.

"Everyone stay calm. I am sure mister will come and greet you soon," Quinn reprimanded the students.

"Where's the vampire, Mr. D'Arcy?" A fifth-year Gryffindor girl asked. "Why is he not with Miss Monroe?"

"Exactly! Why is Miss Monroe together with Mr. Edward?" A fifth-year Hufflepuff chimed in. "Are they close? She is holding his arm!"

Persephone sighed in frustration. Most of the professors were too occupied with enjoying the food and drinks to notice anything out of the ordinary. Especially Melody who was tasting a nashi pear for the first time in her life. She was taking small bites of the pear, savouring each taste of the juicy fruit. She chewed with her both eyes and mouth closed.

"Now, now..." Quinn walked among the groups of students and checked so none were missing or acted out of place.

I hope it was a good idea that I asked Vincent to stay home tonight. Adela thought and sighed inwardly. She missed Vincent and wished she could have spent the Yule Ball with him instead of watching over the students.

"You know, this is not a masquerade," Mr Shadowwalker commented with a laugh.
"And you know it is a death eater mask I am wearing," Edward rolled his eyes.
"But how will you enjoy the food and drinks, when wearing this mask?" Aislinn raised her right hand to her father's face. He took a gentle hold of her hand.
"I will take it off when the time is right, sweetheart. I see that there are guests who are excited to meet me. Please excuse us, Mr. Shadowwalker. I will see you in a bit."
"Enjoy your evening, Mr. Monroe," Shadowwalker raised his goblet.

"I am intrigued to know what has made you so famous among the Hogwarts students," Aislinn remarked.
"I held a guest lecture about dragons during one Care of Magical Creatures class. And what about you? I notice some mixed looks in their eyes?" Her father asked with a curious tone.
"I also held a guest lecture, or to be more specific, Vincent and I held a guest lecture together about vampires during one Defence Against the Dark Arts and Dark Arts class."

The students cheered when Edward neared them, winking at them and shaking hands with those who stretched their hands towards him. Aislinn locked eyes with Adela momentarily. Did you not invite your paramour to the Yule Ball? You look bored, watching the students, Aislinn thought, looking away from Adela and eyed the students. I can see they have mixed feelings about me. Aislinn's lips curved in a smile. They surely remember me from the guest lecture. I can see the curious look in their eyes. They wonder for sure how I happen to know the tall masked man whom they seem so fond of after one guest lecture with him. Aislinn bit her lower lip and looked away to avoid laughing aloud. Her eyes suddenly fell on Macnair and Avery. Macnair was enjoying a bite of food when he suddenly started to choke. Avery who was drinking eggnog, opened his mouth in surprise and all the eggnog dripped down his ascot. She could not hold it any longer. She burst out laughing.

"What's so funny, pumpkin?" Edward asked Aislinn.

"Did you plan this?" She asked, leading him over to the tables with refreshments. "The students are calling you Mr. Edward instead of Mr. Monroe. It is as if none in the wizarding community knew that my father was alive and in hiding. Now everyone is curious about how we know each other."

"Well," Edward shrugged. "What a pleasant surprise."

He was still wearing his mask, so she could not see his facial expression but she could hear that he was enjoying the events that unfolded at the Yule Ball.

"What would you like to drink?"

Aislinn was about to pick a goblet of her choice when her father added: "Anything but no firewhiskey, sweetheart!"

At that moment, Selwyn was at the opposite side of the table, picking up a second goblet of eggnog to enjoy. He looked at the two guests in front of him, unaware that he instead picked up a goblet with ice-cold pumpkin juice. Aislinn watched with glee when Selwyn took a sip of his drink and spat out the content at Mulciber's face. She laughed so hard that her eyes watered with tears.

"Just a quick visit to the ladies' room, and I will be right back," Aislinn excused herself to her father. She was still laughing. Edward smiled behind his mask. I am happy that I brought her here, He thought softly and decided to wait by the refreshments until she returned.

As soon as Aislinn had walked away, Alexis seized the opportunity and neared the tall and masked man.

"Greetings Mr.-"

"Mr. Edward Monroe," Edward introduced himself. "And you are?"

"Mr. Alexis Dolohov. It's nice to meet you again, sir!"

"The pleasure is mine."

Aislinn kept laughing in the ladies' room. When she calmed down, she looked in the mirror to check on her eye makeup. It looked intact. She turned around to leave. But before she could walk out, a bold fifth-year Gryffindor girl blocked her way.

"How do you know Mr. Edward?!" She blurted boldly.

Aislinn took a moment, observing the girl in front of her, eyeing her from head to toe. The girl had light-brown straight and thick hair that reached her shoulders. She was the same height as Aislinn but was a bit chubby. What Aislinn did not know, was that this girl's favourite subject was Care of Magical Creatures and that she loved animals.

"Well, Mr. Edward Monroe," Aislinn spoke with a superior tone and stressed every word she spoke as to correct the girl. "happens to be my father."

"That cannot be!"

Aislinn rolled her eyes.

"Please, may I leave?"

The girl refused to move and still blocked Aislinn's way out of the ladies' room.

"He is such a cool person, that I wish he would teach us instead of Professor Macnair in Care of Magical Creature. But you, you are so different. I remember you from the guest lecture about vampires-"

"Enough!" Aislinn cut off. "Do not test my patience! Now out of my way!" She pushed the girl harshly aside and walked past Professor Blake who had hurried after the female student.

"You should teach some manners to the students," Aislinn snapped the moment she walked past Blake. Amelia Blake gulped and hurried over to the girl who was upset because of being pushed so harshly.

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

"Please excuse us."

"Of course." Crystal pretended to accept Mrs. Shadowwalker's explanation. I'll get a shard later and look into this. It might not lead to Claudia, but I'm not overlooking any more strange incidents. She headed back to her table.



She's alright. Stephan sighed in relief as he finally caught a glimpse of Lily being lead away by her mother. He followed them, and once she'd been lead to her relatives' table, he approached. "Lily! Good evening." He smiled gently. The relief from the recent shock had dissolved his nerves. "How did you find my letter?" He imagined using her reply as a segue to bestow the drawings he'd made for her during her absence.



Reign revealed the basket of fruit, enlarging it to place between them. With a gentle tap of his hand at the lid, he wordlessly told Melody that it was not yet to be opened. He reached for one of the snowflakes adorning his hair and kimono, and held out his hand for Melody's. He pressed a particularly beautiful snowflake into her palm, "My gift to you, with these fresh fruits to share. In time, the snowflake will melt - pay attention to what remains."



"August." Celeste spoke from behind him. She wanted him to turn around, and stand to embrace her after so long. She'd braided strings of a particular demonic flower that resembled pure white snowflakes into her hair, matching the gown beneath her cloak.



Outside the restrooms, Crystal greeted the moment she saw Aislynn leave, "Hey. Can you believe this night's turned into a glorified babysitting job?" She rolled her eyes. "How are you holding up?"



Luna sighed, making her final note on which train of thought to continue when she returned. Just one swift appearance, a little speech, then I shall make my exit. Elias will understand I am still busy. She told herself. Aislynn is most likely not even there. She summoned her own invitation, far too distracted to properly focus on disapparating or disappearing into smoke.