Chapter Text
The free day was used to sit back and relax. Trey was able to catch up on his sleep while Riddle made some crossword puzzles for Che'nya to solve. Jamil and Jade worked together to make dinner, as they had the previous nights, while Floyd slacked off and annoyed Ace into teaching him how to so card tricks.
Idia opted out of joining the group for dinner, as usual. Ortho tried to get his brother to socialize with his classmates but had no luck. Otherwise, the day went by quickly and soon enough everyone was in bed, asleep or trying to.
With the morning, as uneventful as possible with the vast array of personalities gathered in the theater, came a new announcement from the magic future telling screen.
‘Che’nya will be returned to the time and place he was before being brought to the theater. Please say your goodbyes, though he will make a return later on in the viewing.’
The screen put up a ten minute timer, supposedly to count down Che’nya’s departure. Riddle couldn’t help but feel saddened by the knowledge. He had only just reconciled with his friends and now one of them was being taken away. At least he could find solace knowing that Che’nya would return at some point.
Soft fur brushed his hand, Che’nya’s tail. “Don’t mew worry about me. I’ll see you when they bring me back!” It hadn’t been confirmed what would happen when they were returned, there was a possibility that they’d lose their memories after the whole affair. Riddle didn’t understand what the point of the reaction would be if that were the case, though.
In all likelihood, they’d return to the orientation and go about their lives as before, just with the new information they were given. If they would be returned to the same point in time, though, then would Che’nya disappear and reappear within a few seconds in his perspective? He filed the thought away for later, he could ask Che’nya when he was brought back.
Trey gave his friend a slice of cake, for the road. “Maybe the person controlling all of this will let you take it with you.”
“Thank mew, I bet it's pawsitively purrfect!”
Riddle checked the clock, five minutes left. “Well, it's been a pleasure to see you again. Perhaps we can get you a proper invite to the unbirthday party next time.” His hands trembled as he forced his emotions to stay at bay.
They noticed, of course they did. Trey placed a hand on his shoulder while Che’nya gave him a reassuring smile. “I’ll see mew later, Riddle!”
“Yeah, we’ll see him later.” Trey’s voice was distant, as if he weren’t reassuring Riddle but someone else. Himself, perhaps?
Riddle nodded, sharper than he had intended. “Yes, we’ll see you la-”
Long arms wrapped around his frame, pulling him out of Trey’s supportive grip. “See you soon, Riddle.”
While he had been more tactile with Trey and Che’nya during the viewing, that was mainly during moments of vulnerability. While clear of mind, he found it difficult to reciprocate the affection. Was he supposed to hug Che’nya back? Where did his arms go? How long was a hug supposed to last?
Hesitant, Riddle lifted his arms to wrap around Che’nya neck. He clung to his friend like the older boy was a lifeline. In response, Che’nya nuzzled his head against Riddle’s. The gesture was so soft, gentle in a way he’d never experienced before. His vision blurred and he was forced to blink away the forming tears. “See you soon, Che’nya.” A whisper, a sentiment only for Che’nya’s ears. “Thank you, for being my friend.”
A new pair of arms grabbed onto Riddle’s shoulders, guiding him away. Trey held Riddle in place while a glow surrounded Che’nya like a blanket. The light was similar to the one that brought Che’nya to the theater. “Bye~!” The cat beastman grinned, waving at them as the light engulfed his being.
The light turned blinding for a few seconds before fading away. A slice of cake sat on the ground where Che’nya had been standing. “Well.” Trey frowned, “I guess we’re not allowed to bring anything back with us.”
Riddle stared at the abandoned sweet before picking it up. “I’ll be back.” He left no room for argument as he stalked off towards the kitchen. While he was gone, everyone got into their chosen seats to continue the viewing.
The screen lit up right as Riddle returned. With a sigh at the message written on it, he headed to his seat. Trey gave him a questioning look once he had taken his seat but he just waved off his friend’s concerns.
‘Book 2: Usurper from the Savanna - Paused
Now Playing: Event 1 - The Phantom Bride’
Ruggie, sick of the many breaks in the viewing during very important moments, threw his shoe at the screen. He just wanted to see what was going on with Leona! Was that too much to ask for?!
The shoe didn’t even scratch the screen, falling uselessly to the ground. Ruggie grumbled as he walked over to retrieve it. Leona’s ears picked up on everything his lackey was saying.
“Stupid screen…”
“Stupid kidnapper and their dumb ‘events’.”
“I swear I’m gonna-” Leona tuned out the last bit. He didn’t get why Ruggie was so wound up, it wasn’t like he was the one who was going to overblot.
‘With each event that comes, there will be subjects that the event is centered around. This time, there is one main subject, but multiple guests. The subject for Event 1 is Idia Shroud.’
Idia did not like the title the screen had given the next section of the viewing. 'The Phantom Bride' sounded like something he'd want to stay far away from and yet the screen had ALSO noted that the event revolved around HIM. What an HP hit! What had he done to deserve this treatment? He was just relaxing in his room while playing games, attending the orientation via tablet before he was so rudely taken from his sanctuary to watch the future with a bunch of normies.
Ortho noticed his brother’s distress and pat him on the back a couple of times. “There, there. I’m sure it can’t be that bad if it’s an event!”
Nobody was exactly fond of the idea of watching Idia’s life, but the whole ‘Phantom Bride’ thing sounded interesting enough. “I do believe that Shroud does not often leave his dorm. I am curious to see what has been deemed interesting enough about him that the viewing was paused for it.” Malleus wore an intrigued grin as he watched the words on screen vanish.
Replacing the words, the screen lit up to show Night Raven College at night. Epel was shown, sparkles surrounding him, showing off the suit he was wearing. “Please, will you marry me?”
Blue eyes widened. “What?”
Hair pushed back, Ace wore a checker patterned suit. “Don’t bother lookin’ at any other guys. Marry me!”
“I gotta admit, I look good!”
Deuce rolled his eyes. “You’d have said that no matter what you were wearing.” A pillow collided with his face. “Stop doing that!”
The suit Riddle wore was red and seemed to have a velvet-like texture. A rose adorned his chest pocket. “Would you give me your hand in marriage?”
“What in the Seven’s name am I doing?!”
“Mon trésor, I implore you to allow me to be your eternally devoted love.” Red bow tie, a purple suit jacket, and a striped shirt all tied in the look that Rook was wearing.
Epel and Ace looked at each other, as if they needed confirmation on what they had just seen.
Riddle coughed into his hand, a red flush dusting his cheeks. “Well, I suppose we now know the ‘guests’ the screen spoke of…”
Rook appeared to be ecstatic. His eyes sparkled as he took in each of the outfits the group was wearing. “The struggle of choosing between multiple paramours! How tragic! Beauté!”
The scene faded, changing to show the hallway in Ramshackle Dorm. It looked nicer than it did during the viewing previously. It was likely the scene occurred some time later.
Yuu sighed. “Great, I’m gonna get dragged into this.” He just couldn’t catch a break from the chaos, could he? Was it too much to ask for some peace and quiet?
“Who knows? Maybe you’re just like…okay yeah I got nothing.” Ace shrugged in a ‘what can you do?’ way. “At least you’re not wearing a suit and fighting for some random person’s hand in marriage.”
Idia sunk in his seat, hiding his face behind his tablet. “This is gonna be a disaster…”