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They were shown a title.
[FAIRY GALA]
‘Oh, I’ve heard about that,’ Mal remarked. ‘The fairies from the land of fae hold it every year to celebrate the coming of spring.’
‘What does it have to do with NRC though?’ Riddle asked.
‘I guess we’ll find out,’ Idia said.
[Kalim and Jamil hurried up to the headmaster. Kalim said they were searching for him because something strange was going on – instead of the usual hot sun, it had begun snowing in Scarabia. Jamil said that as soon as they left the building, they had to dig a path in the snow and when they arrived at the Hall of Mirrors it was sweltering there. Crowley said that the temperature in his office was weird as well – it was freezing. The fairies controlled temperature using a valuable magic stone so something must have happened to it. Kalim said they had to go and check.]
‘So weather in NRC is controlled by a magic stone and fairies?’ Idia repeated.
‘It really is a fancy place then…’ Azul said quietly, ‘if they can afford something like that for the entire school.’
After what the tension of the viewing so far, all of them were more than a little relieved that this time the problem was something a little more mundane than overblots. Jamil especially wasn’t looking forward to what his turn would show after what he saw of Kalim and his future self, so the unexpected reprieve was very welcome.
[Hall of Mirrors. Jamil asked it the magic stone was held in the Hall of Mirrors and Crowley said yes, it was locked most of the time and needed permission to be used. Then he noticed that the magic stone was missing. He told Jamil to gather all the dorm leaders for an emergency meeting.]
‘Is he actually going to do anything this time? Or just push everything off on the students again?’ Idia questioned.
Vil shook his head.
‘I think we all know the answer to that.’
[As he entered the headmaster’s office, Leona visibly shuddered, saying it was much colder than usual. In direct contrast, Azul breathed a sigh of relief when he stepped inside, saying it was so hot in Octavinelle that he’d nearly dried up. Idia’s tablet floated up after them, Idia himself complaining that Ignihyde had become a sauna and he was worried about all the tech.]
Though it was funny to see the stark contrast in reactions to the crazy weather, Jamil supposed they made perfect sense. He and the Prince were both from countries known for their hot weather, they were used to it. Azul meanwhile was a merman – cecaelia, whichever – from the Coral Sea, living in cold waters. He definitely wouldn’t be able to handle high temperature all that well.
[Crowley said, as they all already noticed, the weather in NRC had become uncontrollable. This was because of the disappearance of the magic stone which served as a power source to the fairies – the founder of the school got fairies for all four seasons as well as water and fire fairies. Without the magic stone they lost their powers and the temperature went out of control.]
‘Wait,’ Riddle frowned, ‘there are different kinds of fairies? I don’t… really get it.’
Mal looked at him.
‘There are lots of different types of fairies.’ Mal explained. ‘The ones who hold the Fairy Gala are much smaller, about palm-sized, and they bring spring and control elements, for the most part. They’re very different to fairies like me – that’s why when people say fae, they usually mean the bigger ones.’
[NRC’s Botanical Gardens. Crowley told everyone to be quiet to not alert the fairies to their presence and they looked inside. They saw the fairies, two of them placing the magic stone into a tiara, which they gave to a golden fairy much bigger than the rest of them.]
‘That’s the Queen,’ Mal explained. ‘She’s the fairies’ ruler. The Botanical Gardens must have been chosen as the venue to hold the Fairy Gala for that year.’
‘What exactly is the Fairy Gala? I mean, you said it’s to celebrate the spring, but how do they celebrate?’ Jamil found himself asking.
Had this been back home, he would have mostly kept quiet instead unless spoken to. That that was his parents kept insisting was the right thing to do for a servant. But this wasn’t home and Jamil had discovered keeping himself quiet and unnoticeable was getting to be far harder than he’d thought, so…
(Nobody at home would know this ever happened, right?)
‘I haven’t been there myself, but Lilia told me they show off elaborate costumes in honour of the spring.’ Mal said.
Vil’s eyes lit up and he clapped his hands together in excitement.
‘Does this mean we’ll get to see the Fairy Gala itself?’ he asked.
‘I assume,’ Mal shrugged. ‘Fairies can be rather… easily angered though, so they’ll have to be careful when getting their stone back, or they would plunge all of Twisted Wonderland into eternal winter.’
Jamil raised an eyebrow.
‘Eternal winter, for one ruined gala? That… seems like an overreaction,’ he said.
Mal smiled, oddly amused.
‘That’s how fairies are.’
Thinking back to his experiences with rich people, Jamil silently thought that it wasn’t just fairies who tended to throw things massively out of proportion.
[Crowley’s office. Crowley told Kalim and Leona that returning the school back to its normal state was now their job. Kalim said they could count on him and Leona said he’d rather pass, as trying to infiltrate the gala was a ridiculous plan.]
‘So, they’re trying to disguise themselves as fairies?’ Idia asked.
Jamil groaned.
‘Of course Kalim got himself wrapped up in this… probably blurted out an agreement without thinking. Or asking me first.’
He had no doubt this would inevitably mean his future self got involved as well. A good servant couldn’t leave their master to flounder and get his reputation ruined over a plan like this, after all. No matter how much he might want to.
Vil directed a sceptical look at the second prince.
‘I don’t know about Kalim, but can Leona really pass as a fairy?’
The lion beastman rolled his eyes in response.
‘Well, like it or not, future me is the one doing this.’
[Leona said he really hated festivals and parties and Crowley told him that if Kalim made a mistake and spring didn’t come, beastmen would be the most affected. Regaining their energy would become difficult with eternal winter and Savanaclaw had a lot of beastmen students. It would suffer greatly as a whole. Could Leona really allow that?]
‘Hey, here’s an idea, “headmaster”.’ Prince Kingscholar said dryly. ‘How about you fix this instead?’
‘Isn’t that supposed to be his job?’ Riddle questioned. ‘Why isn’t there a backup plan for this kind of thing, why would the students have to fix this for him?’
Jamil scoffed. If adults actually did their jobs properly, his life would be much easier than it was.
‘Riddle, I think we’ve all figured out by now that Crowley is terrible at doing his job.’
The redhead tilted his head.
‘True,’ he admitted. ‘He’s pretty useless.’
[Leona sighed that it looked like he had no choice and Kalim cheerfully said he couldn’t wait. Then, he asked if Jamil could come.]
‘What- don’t pull me into this!’ Jamil said in alarm. Sure, he’d expected that future him would have to get involved somehow, he didn’t think it would be joining the infiltration of the gala himself!
It was incredibly annoying, but unfortunately unsurprising that even in the future, Kalim still tended to just… decide things for the both of them by plunging headfirst into some kind of trouble. Jamil, like it or not, would have to clean up after him. That was his job, his duty.
It also made him want to hit Kalim for it most of the time.
[Crowley said of course he could, he should absolutely bring Jamil. Then he told Leona that without somebody there to watch him as well, he’d definitely skip work, he should also pick someone to go with him. Crowley suggested Jack and Leona snapped that he must be kidding. Then, he said he’d bring Ruggie. Crowley asked if this was because Ruggie would listen to him and he could skip and Leona said if he didn’t like it, he could just cross Leona’s name out of this list altogether.]
Jamil wasn’t surprised that the future Prince had picked Ruggie for this whole infiltration thing – it looked this particular team would consist of two spoiled rich brats and the people who picked up after them.
He sincerely sympathised with his future self, who would get this mess dropped on his lap.
[Crowley lamented, asking why his students were all so self-centred.]
‘I don’t know, maybe because they take after their dear, kind headmaster?’ Jamil muttered to Riddle, causing the other to giggle helplessly into his hand.
[He said he needed someone who’d oversee them and report everything back to him – help them make sure everything went smoothly. Then, Yuu came into the room with Grim and asked what the headmaster wanted him for.]
‘That poor guy,’ Idia said wryly, ‘getting constantly used by Crowley like that.’
[Grim complained that Ramshackle was as hot as a desert and they wouldn’t go back there if that continued. Kalim said it looked like they would also be part of the Fairy Gala infiltration and responded to Leona’s complaint with an assurance that he’d look after him. Crowley said to Yuu he needed to make sure this went well. The scene changed to Ramshackle dorm. Jamil snapped at Kalim, asking why he always got into these situations – he’d told him countless times to say he needed time to think instead of blindly agreeing. Ruggie said, annoyed, that Leona shouldn’t just pull him into his problems like that – he was sure all the work would be left up to him.]
‘Typical Kalim…’ Jamil muttered in annoyance. ‘He gets himself into a mess I have to get him out of…’
‘Why don’t you talk to him about this? He’s your friend, right?’ Riddle asked.
Jamil jolted in surprise, then sighed.
‘There’s no point. He won’t listen.’
Riddle frowned, but didn’t push.
[Kalim said this was their shared problem so they had to work together to fix it and Leona said they were being too loud – he also didn’t want to do this. Kalim asked if Jamil really didn’t want to see the Fairy Gala and Jamil said he didn’t understand how serious this was, they weren’t going there to have fun. Ruggie told Leona he would have to pay him for this.]
‘What a fantastic team they make,’ Prince Kingscholar said, ‘I’d definitely feel safe leaving an infiltration mission up to them.’
[Grim said everyone was already arguing. Yuu calmly said they would all happily stay to repeat a year together then. Jamil winced, saying if Kalim were to repeat a year there would be big problems – unlike the royal family, the Asims ran a business and if the heir had something like that on his record it could be disastrous. Leona said he was still right there.]
The lion beastman snorted, then yelled at the screen:
‘Don’t deny the truth! I thought you couldn’t be bothered about all that, so why complain now?’
Jamil thought of how his parents would scream at him if Kalim’s grades suddenly dropped and winced as well. He really didn’t envy his future self having to deal with this.
[Jamil said if they kept going like this, nothing would get done. Since they couldn’t refuse, they should come up with a plan. Kalim asked if just exchanging the tiara for a fake wasn’t enough and Jamil said that was a goal and not a plan; the tiara was on the Queen’s head and they’d have to come up with a way to take it without being noticed. Kalim said they could use magic and Jamil denied that, saying fairies were far more sensitive to magic and their opponent would be the Queen herself. Ruggie sighed that already they were running into issues and Leona said that was why Ruggie was there.]
Kingscholar’s eyes widened.
‘They’re going to exchange it by hand? Is Ruggie really that good at stealing?’ he asked, incredulous.
‘That sound pretty risky,’ Riddle said doubtfully.
‘This whole thing is already very risky, right?’ Idia shrugged.
[Leona declared that Ruggie would be the one to swap the real tiara for a fake, with just his hands. Ruggie reacted with utter, horrified shock, Grim asked if that wouldn’t be the fastest way to get caught and Leona replied that it wasn’t like the tiara was in a pocket, it was on her head, so it should be easy. Ruggie denied that, actually that made it harder and Kalim exclaimed that this must be why Leona had asked for Ruggie.]
‘Asking for the impossible out of nowhere, huh…’ Jamil tsked in slight irritation, crossing his arms.
Getting “surprises” like that dropped on your head was never pleasant. Oh well, at least this time he wasn’t the one who would have to deal with it.
[Kalim said that he supported Leona’s idea. Ruggie sighed, asking if they were serious. Leona asked him how long it’d take for him to swipe the tiara and Ruggie replied that consider its size and the surrounding, he thought about 15 seconds. Leona said he had 10.]
‘Okay, this is starting to sound like something out of a heist criminal anime,’ Idia remarked. ‘Only ten seconds? That’s nuts.’
Jamil kind of agreed with the point, but…
‘Three overblots in a row is also nuts,’ he pointed out.
‘True,’ the flame-haired boy admitted, ‘but this is a different kind of crazy, isn’t it? Ten seconds to steal a tiara right off the fairy queen’s head?’
‘Future me really doesn’t ask for a lot, huh?’ Kingscholar scoffed.
[Ruggie asked if Leona had heard him at all and Leona said he knew him – Ruggie, ever careful, always gave himself extra time to account for errors. The hyena beastman said ruefully that Leona really did see right through him, then that swapping the tiara would be difficult if the Queen’s attention wasn’t occupied with something else. Jamil wondered what the distraction could be and Kalim said since the gala was supposed to be celebrating spring, they should throw a parade that would catch the Queen’s attention.]
Jamil blinked.
‘That’s… actually not a bad idea,’ he admitted grudgingly.
Even Kalim had his moments, he supposed.
[Ruggie said this was Kalim’s millionaire thinking again, but Jamil said Kalim might be onto something, since this was a fashion show. Kalim replied they could dance, sing, do anything to celebrate the spring. Jamil then said that he, Kalim and Leona would focus all the guests’ attention on the fashion show and when the Queen was distracted, Yuu, Grim and Ruggie would swap the tiaras.]
‘They’re going to need a pretty big distraction if they want to swap an entire tiara from someone’s head,’ Riddle said.
‘Can they put together something that good for a fashion show on short notice?’ Vil frowned. ‘None of them are good at that.’
‘Well, looks like they’ll have to do it anyway,’ Kingscholar said.
[Leona asked if he really meant for him to participate in a fairy fashion show. Jamil said for Ruggie to get enough time, they needed to do this together. Grim and Yuu would help Ruggie, so they only needed to put on a good show and leave. He said that Leona could refuse of course, but he’d heard that if this plan failed the one who’d have the most to deal with would be Leona. Leona scowled, cursing Crowley for spilling that. Ruggie, nervous, said he’d leave this up to them and their success depended on this. Jamil said he had an idea.]
‘Is he going to ask for help from someone?’ Riddle said.
‘I would hope so, they really need it’!’ Vil declared, crossing his arms. ‘Where are they even getting proper outfits for this?’
Jamil glanced at Vil.
‘I think I might already know…’ he muttered.
[A while later, Jamil came back to Ramshackle, saying he’d brought “them” – their secret weapon for success. Two familiar voices sounded at the door and Leona reacted with alarm as Vil and Crewel came in.]
Vil gasped, looking delighted.
‘My future self is going to help them with the fairy gala?’
[Vil said that with their help, they’d definitely become the centre of everyone’s focus at the fairy gala, Crewel agreed with him and both laughed. Leona asked if Jamil knew what kind of trouble he’d brought on them and Jamil replied that Vil was a famous model and Crewel a demon in the fashion world. If they were trained by them, they would succeed, it was the only way for amateurs like them. Ruggie said that this was as expected from Scarabia – to aim for success no matter the cost was impressive.]
‘This still seems like a lot to ask though.’ Riddle said. ‘Shouldn’t Crowley find somebody else to deal with this rather than risking… that plan?’
‘Have you seen Crowley? No way is he taking responsibility for anything. That would be too much like doing his job.’ Idia scoffed.
Jamil agreed, really – it was a pretty ridiculous situation. But he’d taken care of plenty of messes caused by the irresponsible rich before, so this was nothing new. He was just curious how exactly the gala infiltration group planned to pull off so thoroughly distracting everyone that the Queen wouldn’t notice the tiara being replaced right on her head.
[Vil named their plan and Leona said he wanted to go home. Crewel said they needed proper outfits, Ruggie asked if he meant even for the people who weren’t part of the show. Crewel answered that the fairies could spot them, going to an official event without the proper clothing wouldn’t do. He said they should be grateful because they’d wear the best, most fabulous outfits made by him. The scene switched to Pomefiore dorm, where Leona, Ruggie, Jamil and Kalim were standing dressed up.]
‘Those are gorgeous!’ Vil said happily, clapping his hands together and examining the outfits intently.
‘They really are…’ Riddle said, a hint of wonder in his voice.
‘I guess future me doesn’t look bad,’ Kingscholar grudgingly admitted. ‘No fancy clothes will ever improve his attitude though.’
Jamil looked his future self over, unmoved. He was a Viper, servant to the Kalim, the heir to one of the most wealthy families in the world, so sights like this weren’t all that new. It was a good thing the clothes were at least tasteful - rich, influential people liked to show off their wealth in the most ridiculous ways so Jamil had seen things.
(A part of him, the most bitter and resentful one, jealously noted that where Kalim’s outfit was in gold and white, his own was silver and white.)
(Bright, eye-catching gold to Jamil’s second-place silver. It was like even the designer thought Jamil should fade into the background of Kalim’s wealth.)
(No, Jamil didn’t like those clothes. He didn’t like them at all.)
‘They’re… fine.’ Jamil forced out at Riddle’s questioning look.
[Jamil said they’d been made to try many different fabrics and clothes, over and over and Ruggie complained that he already felt tired. Kalim was surprised, saying this was normal for designer clothes. He asked Leona and Leona agreed.]
‘You get special clothes fittings?’ Riddle asked, surprised.
The prince rolled his eyes, ears flicking in his clear annoyance.
‘Yeah, all the time. I need to get all dressed up for official events and stuff, though there’s no real point to it. It’s not like I ever wear them again if I can help it.’
Azul looked mystified at the thought, perhaps because of the lack of need merfolk had for clothes. Vil was still delighted.
‘I would love to wear something like that!’ he said wistfully.
[Vil said it was too early to relax, the outfits wouldn’t do them much good if they couldn’t do them justice with their show, so they’d start with taking a look at their model walk.]
‘There’s a proper way to walk?’ Idia asked, wide-eyed.
The blonde boy nodded seriously.
‘Yes, for a fashion show there is! You have to do it properly to succeed!’ Vil declared.
[After watching their demonstration, Vil complimented Jamil and Kalim. He said that the influence of Kalim’s upbringing shone through, but Kalim replied it was probably because he liked to dance and not upbringing. Jamil said that Kalim studied traditional dance, while he did street dance. Vil said he understood why they had such good balance now, unlike Leona. Leona said he didn’t understand what the problem was, Vil said he had none of Jamil’s lightness, or Kalim’s elegance. Vil continued to criticize him.]
‘I thought would royalty have better education than that,’ Vil said, casting a look at Kingscholar.
‘I’m a prince, not a model,’ the beastman countered calmly. ‘Besides, nobody really pays attention to what the second prince does as long as he at least shows up. It doesn’t matter that much.’
Jamil almost snorted. Ironic that royalty had a more lax approach to those things than his parents. He still remembered the countless lectures he got from them whenever Kalim was scolded for not acting properly as the heir at social functions.
[Crewel said this would be like a newborn kitten’s walk across the podium and Vil agreed. He said Leona wouldn’t catch anyone’s attention as he was, so it would be better to learn to walk properly before anything else. He didn’t like admitting it, but Leona had a dominating air that made him suited for main model and not using it would be wasteful.]
The beastman blinked, looking a little taken aback.
‘He’s actually giving future me a compliment?’
[Vil told Jamil and Kalim to focus on their dancing for the show, to support the currently useless main model. Everyone began to not so subtly insult Leona, to his annoyance, before Crewel told them to listen carefully to Vil and the lesson began. After a time, Vil commented that while Kalim’s movements were beautiful he made far too many mistakes, while Jamil made no mistakes at all but lacked passion and charisma – he looked too artificial.]
Though the criticism wasn’t technically directed at him, hearing it still stung. Jamil gritted his teeth.
“Artificial”? Ha. What a joke. Jamil’s entire life was artificial; a set of behaviours his parents drilled into his head, a strict limit on what he could and couldn’t afford to do. It wasn’t like he had all the time in the world to devote to his own interests. Practically none, actually.
And Vil wanted charisma?
(As if a servant like Jamil would ever be allowed to shine properly, to take the spotlight off precious, spoiled Kalim.)
[Ruggie came in with Yuu and Grim, saying he was here to check how everything was going. He asked if Leona was trying to get out of practice, before noticing the beastman was attempting to balance vases of flowers on his shoulders and head. Leona, annoyed, told Vil to stop this but Vil said it would help him and he had to walk around the room without spilling anything. Grim said Leona was so wet, it looked like he’d just come out of the shower.]
Jamil blinked, distracted from his growing irritation by the sight of the soaked prince in the fancy clothes. Treating expensive clothing carelessly was something he expected from the Asims, not from students who couldn’t really afford to get them replaced on such short notice if they got ruined before the gala.
‘Is practicing in those clothes really the best idea?’ he asked, confused. ‘The outfits will be ruined before they even get to the gala at this rate.’
He glanced at Vil, who also looked puzzled by the decision to practise in the gala outfits.
‘I… think future me might be trying to get them used to performing in those clothes?’ he provided hesitantly. ‘Though I don’t know why he doesn’t at least wait until they’ve got the basics down before trying it with them on…’
[Vil told Leona, who had spilled the water, to try again and Leona complained he no longer cared about eternal winter, he was sick of doing this nonsense. Ruggie said Leona the same as ever and Kalim and Jamil’s dance wasn’t in the best shape either and questioned nervously if they would actually be ready in time for the gala. Grim said that without a good distraction, their “steal the tiara” team would be in trouble.]
‘Look at that great teamwork, everybody. Yeah, they’ll totally be able to distract everyone at the gala so Ruggie can steal the tiara right off the queen’s head – not.’ Idia said dryly.
[Vil said there were no problems and he promised the plan would go perfectly. Ruggie asked how he was going to achieve that and Vil declared the only way… was through even more training! He used his magic to “motivate” Leona, Kalim and Jamil, telling them that if they sat down without his permission again, they’d do 500 sit ups. He continued telling them about the gruelling physical exercise they’d do for every mistake and Grim, frightened, cried that Vil was a demon and not a teacher.]
‘…your future self is scary.’ Azul told Vil, eyes wide.
‘I would be offended, but I agree with you,’ Vil muttered back.
Riddle tilted his head.
‘I don’t think this is that bad though?’
Jamil nodded in agreement.
‘I get why he’s doing this, it’s only expected if they want to get good that fast. And they definitely need the help.’
[Later, in Pomefiore’s ballroom. Vil said that Fairy Gala had at last arrived. Jamil fussed with Kalim’s clothes, while Ruggie remarked he was nervous wearing such expensive clothing. Leona told him to act natural, he’d get used to it. Grim said everyone looked sparkly and Jamil explained it was due to the embroidery and the fairy dust. Yuu said everyone looked great and Jamil and Leona complimented him back. Vil asked if they were ready, saying that they couldn’t make mistakes now or the training would’ve been for nothing. He said that in the beginning he couldn’t believe they’d turn out so well and Kalim told him he’d definitely give this his all.]
‘Are they really ready?’ Riddle asked sceptically. ‘I still think this is a very risky plan.’
‘I’m interested to see how well they’ll do in catching everyone’s attention,’ Mal said.
Jamil was too, if only because he’d just seen how badly they were doing before. It seemed a little unbelievable that they could improve that much so fast.
[Vil told them not to forget their real mission was to steal the magic stone back and declared their mission began now. The scene switched to outside the botanical gardens as the group approached. Jamil said they had to be careful so nobody noticed they were humans, then noticed Kalim was gone.]
‘Of course he is,’ Jamil deadpanned, ‘how could I expect anything else.’
[Kalim ran up to them and Jamil scolded to not go off by himself. Kalim said there was a problem and asked them to help. He showed them a fairy lying on the road and said he’d noticed that she looked sick, but couldn’t understand her. Ruggie said Kalim really was much too nice and Leona complained he was wasting their time.]
‘Uh, how are they planning to fit in if they can’t understand anyone there?’ Idia asked, raising an eyebrow.
‘Is that a fairy thing?’ Jamil frowned. ‘That might be a problem…’
It would be bad if something like that got them caught, after all that preparation.
‘The smaller sized fairies sound like bell chimes to those not of their size,’ Mal explained, looking at him. ‘That includes fae, so no need to worry.’
[Kalim said Jamil always knew what to do when he was sick, so he had to know what was wrong with the fairy. Jamil he was no fairy expert, but noted that the fairy was holding her stomach and asked that was the problem. The fairy agreed with a chime and Kalim dug out stomach medicine he always carried on him that Jamil made.]
Jamil didn’t think much of this, watching the screen calmly, until he noticed the others’ eyes on him.
‘What?’
‘You know how to make medicine?’ Riddle asked curiously.
‘Learning to at the moment,’ Jamil corrected. ‘It’s in case there’s an emergency.’
An emergency, like Kalim getting poisoned and Jamil needing to mix up an antidote on the fly.
‘That’s amazing,’ Azul complimented him earnestly.
‘It’s not a big deal,’ Jamil shrugged, slightly embarrassed by the attention.
[Kalim gave some to the fairy, who immediately looked better. In response to the fairy’s chiming, Kalim apologetically said he didn’t understand what she was saying. The fairy suddenly rapidly began making something, eventually handing Kalim a bell. After getting the bell, a bewildered Kalim asked if the fairy was mad, but the fairy replied that she was only trying to thank them for the medicine. Jamil asked how they could suddenly understand her and the fairy replied that she’d given them a translation bell. Big fairies needed one to talk to small fairies and they should have brought some with them. She giggled at their carelessness for leaving theirs at home.]
‘They got seriously lucky this fairy wanted to thank them,’ Idia said. ‘Imagine if they’d walked in and couldn’t understand what anyone was saying. Huge giveaway right there.’
‘Why did nobody warn them about this?’ Riddle frowned.
‘Maybe they forgot?’ Azul answered unsurely.
‘Seems like a pretty big thing to miss,’ Kingscholar said, crossing his arms.
At least this was one of the times when Kalim’s careless generosity to anyone he met actually worked out in Jamil’s favour. A little detour to help a fairy was a small price to pay for getting a tool like that.
[Kalim tried to say something, but he was quickly shut up by Jamil, who agreed with the fairy, saying they were all worried about what they’d do without the bells. Leona asked how she’d made it in such a short time and the fairy introduced herself as the head tinker fairy, offering to make them all some as thanks. Yuu remarked quietly that this was “good for good” and Ruggie said it was typical Kalim – he’d never have bothered. The scene switched and the group was finally inside. Kalim marvelled at the beauty, while Leona winced that all the sparkle was making his eyes hurt.]
‘It’s so beautiful…’ Riddle said, taking in the sight with wide, excited eyes.
The servant glanced at him.
Jamil’s first thought when he saw the gala was how much trouble it must’ve been to set up. He wasn’t too impressed by it either, not after all the celebrations the Asims threw that he was on the other, less fun, end of. But for Riddle, who most definitely never even seen a proper celebration in his life, this must look so new…
‘Yeah,’ Jamil agreed, smiling. ‘It really is.’
[Jamil told Kalim to not get distracted and instead take a look at where the show would take place. Grim noticed a fancy looking seat and Leona told him it was for the Queen and Jamil said that was where they’d have to steal the tiara. Both Ruggie and Grim reacted with horror, Grim exclaiming that it was at the very centre, surrounded by fairies. They’d have no place to hide.]
‘Okay, how are they supposed to pull this off?’ Idia said incredulously. ‘This is like… taking on the final boss at max difficulty with unlevelled cards. The fairies will definitely notice them.’
‘I mean, as long as they attract enough attention, I suppose it could work?’ Vil said, frowning.
‘That would have be a very impressive show indeed,’ Mal said, tilting his head slightly to the side and squinting at the screen, like he was trying to picture it.
[Ruggie said they’d definitely get caught stealing in a place like that and Leona replied that the sub-tropical zone was nearby, they could just run there after getting the tiara. Ruggie sighed that it was easy for him to say, since if the plan failed he and Yuu would be the ones caught. Leona told him that there was no need to worry – he was confident because he would take care of it. Ruggie, still nervous, said Leona better not go back on his word.]
‘What kind of training does future you do anyway, if Leona’s that sure about his chances?’ Idia asked, addressing Vil.
The blonde shrugged.
‘I don’t know, but I really want to see the result now,’ he admitted.
[They split up and Ruggie told Grim to be on the lookout for guards while Yuu watched the show and gave him the signal when it would be time to swap the tiara. The scene switched and the announcer number 14, first time contestants… “My servants and me”.]
Jamil visibly flinched at the word, then took a deep breath to calm himself down. Hearing the address out loud again had… startled him.
‘What kind of name is that?’ Vil and Idia demanded at the same time.
Kingscholar groaned.
‘Oh don’t tell me…’
[Elsewhere, Jamil sighed, saying it was a stupid name for the group. Leona said the question took him by surprise, so he just answered with the first thing that came to mind. Changing the subject, Jamil said the name shouldn’t stop them from giving their best performance.]
‘…aaand of course it was his idea.’ The beastman finished, exasperated.
[Before long, the trio were up. The fairies talked, saying they’d never seen fairies like them and that they fit the theme of “fabulous” well. Other fairies complimented the clothing and wondered what they would show. Jamil said the reaction to the clothes was encouraging and Leona said that despite everything, Crewel’s taste was very good. Kalim said they should catch the crowd’s attention now and he and Jamil began their dance.]
‘They’re so good!’ Vil clapped his hands together. ‘Much better than they were before!’
‘Oh…’ Jamil breathed.
He took in his future self’s performance, something warm and pleased curling in his heart. That was what he could one be capable of, the result of practice and passion. Something he did just for himself.
Equally entranced, Mal didn’t take his eyes off the screen.
‘I wish could go to one of these myself…’ the fae said quietly.
[Fairies all around said they must be wind fairies with that kind of lightness, exclaiming that they’d never seen such choreography and went to get a closer look. The head tinker fairy recognised them and the Queen asked if she knew them. The head tinker fairy said yes and that it was an impressive performance. The Queen agreed. Jamil noticed they’d finally gotten her attention and Kalim said they just needed a little more. That was when Leona took centre stage at last.]
Though he had been unbothered, annoyed and disinterested when practicing before, now something had clearly shifted.
‘Huh,’ the second prince blinked, taken aback. ‘Who would’ve thought?’
‘He’s… actually really good.’ Vil admitted, sounding a little reluctant.
Jamil raised an eyebrow.
‘And all this in a few days?’ Riddle questioned.
‘The power of good of motivation?’ Jamil suggested, causing the redhead to laugh.
‘And a lot of spilled flower vases…’ Riddle muttered into his ear, giggling.
Jamil, deliberately not looking over at Kingscholar, smiled, biting his lip.
[The fairies fluttered, saying that Leona had a strong presence. Jamil said, smirking, that nobody would’ve guessed that he only recently learned how to walk. Visibly annoyed, Leona told him to shut up, the most important thing was that everybody was looking. Fascinated, the Queen looked directly at Leona.]
‘And now we’ll see if they actually manage to pull this off.’ Idia said.
[In order to keep her attention, Leona, Kalim and Jamil kept going, encouraging them to celebrate the spring. The Queen was charmed by the sight and Yuu gave the signal to Ruggie.]
Everybody held their breath, eyes trained on the screen.
Out of them all, Riddle looked the most nervous. As they were sitting right next to each other, Jamil heard his low mutter of:
‘Please don’t mess this up.’
[In an instant, Ruggie switched the tiaras and breathed a relieved sigh. Shocked, Grim said he’d done too fast to even notice. Ruggie said he’d needed 6 seconds to redo the pins holding the tiara in place, then laughed that Leona underestimated him – as if he actually needed 10 whole seconds.]
Riddle visibly relaxed.
‘…he’s good.’ Idia said in an impressed tone.
He really was. Almost too good, really. Jamil knew better than most what kind of experience that level of skill took. He’d seen thieves and pickpockets a few times, both in the markets and in the Asims’ own home, but none of those were quite as good as Ruggie.
[After Yuu arrived, they quickly left to the subtropical zone.]
‘They’re almost clear-’ Idia began.
[Then it began to drizzle. Panicked, Ruggie said he’d forgotten that there was a timer set here and Yuu said, equally panicked, that the fairy dust would wash right off.]
‘What?’ Azul gasped.
Idia put his head in hands.
‘I jinxed it…’
Mal frowned, tensing.
‘That won’t end well,’ he said.
[The fairies noticed the sudden foreign scent in the air and began getting angry. Just then, Leona interrupted, addressing the fairies, who recognised him from the show. He said his water was warm and demanded it be changed to cold. From the side, Grim whispered he was really too good at playing arrogant and Ruggie whispered back that this was just how he usually acted.]
Jamil scoffed, glancing at the prince.
‘Oh I bet,’ he said.
It was a familiar sight to him – someone rich complaining about subpar service. Jamil had lost cost of the times he heard the rich whine and yell over the most miniscule things. Even Kalim, nice as he was, had something of a habit of thoughtlessly pointing stuff out because he was simply used to better quality.
The lion beastman huffed, but didn’t bother protesting, only rolling his eyes in reply.
[Leona continued distracting the fairies, who were so overwhelmed they found themselves obeying. Leona mouthed at Ruggie, Yuu and Grim to leave now, and they took the opportunity to scarper.]
‘At least they made it out of there,’ Vil said, slumping slightly against his couch.
[They celebrated their success when they were outside, before going to meet the distraction team at the main entrance. The scene switched. Leona said to Ruggie that he’d messed up at the end and Ruggie complained that it was the school’s fault for making such a specific system. Yuu said the show was very successful and Leona replied that of course it was, with him as the main model. Grim said that while he and Ruggie didn’t get to watch, he was sure Kalim and Jamil did the work. Kalim denied that, saying Leona was more dazzling than the fairies. Ruggie said there was no need for him to be nice and Leona protested the scepticism, asking if the hyena forgot who just saved him.]
Kingscholar leaned back in his seat.
‘I don’t know why you’re surprised, with that kind of reputation!’ he called to the screen. ‘Plus, they saw you at practice!’
‘But he was good though,’ Azul pointed out from his place at the pool. ‘They just didn’t get to see it.’
[Vil and Crewel came up to them, saying they’d watched everything with help from Shroud. Leona smugly asked how they liked the show and Vil said it was good. Crewel said that they had prepared a reward – costumes for next time!]
‘Next… time?’ Riddle repeated slowly.
[Vil said that after watching he was sure he could bring this team to new heights and to shine even brighter, they’d need Ruggie, Grim and Yuu and they would present the greatest collection in Twisted Wonderland. Everyone had one thing to say to that.]
‘Getting carried away there,’ Jamil said, shaking his head. ‘I doubt any of them will ever want a repeat of this. Do you?’
Idia grinned.
‘Hmm, I’m thinking-’
[“ABSOLUTELY NOT!”]
There was a brief pause as the boys took in the ending.
‘So…’ Riddle started. ‘They had to prepare a fashion show from scratch in a couple of days, nearly set off an eternal winter, the weather got kind of crazy for a bit…’
‘It sounds so ridiculous when you put it like that…’ Mal said, cracking a smile.
There was another moment of silence.
‘At least the show was good?’ Azul offered.
That set everyone off. They all exchanged looks and burst out laughing.
[FAIRY GALA – END]
And that, as they say, was that.