Chapter Text
The kitchen was quiet, and the the muffled sound of rain against the window seemed to make it feel smaller. Rozatte could have enjoyed the sound all night, safe inside, but the thumping and laughter from upstairs reminded him that he had a job to do.
“C’mon! You can’t be doing that, Matthew! It’s not a play-pretend game! You need to follow the rules!” Richard exclaimed, pushing one of the many cards Matthew haphazardly placed on their playmat back into his classmate’s lap. The light from Albert’s bedside lamp was yellow and warm, and highlighted the intricate designs now littering the discard pile.
Matthew made a big show of rolling his eyes, pouting, scoffing, and then said “Fine! Go, Baron card! Show me your hand Sullivan!” as he slapped down a Baron onto the pile of playing cards
Richard sighs. At least he was following the rules on the card now.
“Okay!” Sullivan says fondly, showing him his hand, cards glossy against the delicate cloth of his pajamas. Matthew scrambles across the quilted comforter to take a look. A baron, a guard, and a king. Matthew then grinned and pulled out another card, and just as he was about to strike…
“Matthew, you can’t play twice in one round. C’mon, it’s Miriam’s turn.” Albert said, noticing his blond classmate’s impatience. Miriam let out another obvious sigh.
“I’m using the Prince card on Matthew.” Miriam says dully, before the shorter could interject. The Prince card is slapped down on the discard pile.
“Wha-!?” Matthew yelped, picking it up to read.
“Matthew, discard your hand.” Richard lectures.
“Oh, he had the Princess card...!” Sullivan marvels as he peeks at Matthew’s hand, happy to be surviving another round.
“Noooo!!” Matthew makes a pained sound and flops back onto the comforter that they had decided to use as their floor for the sleepover, chucking his combination stuffed animal and pillow halfway across the room in play frustration. Everyone but Miriam giggles.
Rozatte managed to summon the will to interrupt the peaceful scene from the doorway. “Anyone hungry?”
Everyone responded affirmatively. Matthew perks up, suddenly gleeful he had lost, and runs across Albert and Richard’s shared room.
“Thanks Professor!” He takes the big ceramic bowl of white peach slices- it’s almost a little too heavy for him to hold, so he huffs as he strains to walk it back to the pillow fort they had all built together.
“Be sure to share.” Rozatte reminds after him, placing the fruit skewers and napkins in his pocket before he wanders too far. “Use a fork so you all don’t get your new game dirty.” He was happy they had been using it, and it wasn’t collecting dust like Matthew’s Christmas gift. He knew it was unusual for Matthew to take an interest in board games or books, but Rozatte suspects the intricate and cool-looking designs featured on the cards was what convinced the young student to beg for it.
Matthew nods, runs off, everyone says thank you in jumbled unison, and Rozatte shuts the door behind him as they resume the somewhat chaotic game. Halfway down the stairs he gets a weird feeling. His grip tightens on the banister.
“Everyone…? It’s getting late, so lets…” He opens the door to Richard and Albert’s room gently, convinced that seeing them will ease his worry, and…
A second Richard is climbing through the wide-open window.
“…” The doppelganger does nothing, and can only stare at Rozatte, frozen. His hair is a little damp from the rain.
“....” Rozatte can’t say anything, either. This was not what he expected to see this evening.
“..........” None of his students say anything either, and could only look in between their professor and the new arrival.
He reaches for his lamp, but Richard jumps up as soon as he sees and places himself in between his mirror image and teacher.
“WAIT! Wait, wait wait wait wait!”
Rozatte’s smile was thin as he looked over his student’s shoulder at the Outlander. “I ask you to explain yourself immediately.” He says, with slight warning in his voice. Richard gulps, knowing it takes a lot of prodding for his Professor to sound like that.
Outlander Richard only shrugs.
“Professor, we just wanted to play some games together!” Matthew whines, rushing over and pulling at his sleeve with peach-sticky hands.
“Yeah, rude.“ Outlander Richard finally says with a grin.
“Excuse me?” Rozatte exclaims, with less composure than he would have liked. Richard says ‘wait wait wait’ again and waves his hands and the such, but he’s not the best at diffusing situations like this.
Outlander Richard rolls his eyes at the retort and takes Matthew’s place in the circle. Everyone looks pretty worried, but it seems it wasn’t for the reason Rozatte was imagining.
“Don’t you think it’s better to get along with them?” Richard pleads, looking up at his teacher and finally regaining his attention.
“I…” Rozatte tries to speak, but all sorts of emotions fill his mind, and he’s speechless for a moment. The grip tightens around the handle of his lantern, and his familiar chirps curiously.
“What are these?” Outlander Richard’s sharp voice interrupts his racing thoughts.
“Peaches.” Sullivan softly says, offering him the bowl as the Outlander sits.
“Is it food?” The boy asks, picking up a slice and eyeing it curiously.
“…Yes?” Sullivan’s smile doesn’t drop, but he seems a little perturbed.
…In a way, he is already one of my students. Rozatte thinks. He drops his lantern at his side and looks down skeptical at his most gifted pupil.
“Richard, I’m sure you’re aware of the danger of treating…” He starts.
“Aaaand Baron blast.” Outlander Richard smacks down a random card onto the discard pile, drawing the ire of everyone playing.
“Thats… That’s not how you play!” Richard is forced to turn from his teacher to scold his mirror self.
Ever since Rozatte had regained his memories, and ever since that other version of himself started running amok, he had seen a lot less of these mysterious warlocks. The last time he had any contact with them, bar his recent encounter with his own other self, was when the strange versions of Matthew and Miriam left the school. That hadn’t aided his fear.
“We do not require your assistance.” Outlander Matthew had said, as the two left the school after being prodded and pestered into a proper meal.
“Um… Good… Goodbye… Professor…” It had only been the other Miriam who had expressed any hesitancy when leaving. He waved his hand, covered by a droopy sleeve, as he turned one last time towards the teacher.
Rozatte had truly wished in that moment that things could have been different.
“…Goodbye Miriam.” He had said, quietly in the early morning doorway.
He hadn't known what to think when his students came home from the circus with two of the more dangerous members of that little troupe. They only stayed a week, but when they left he felt regret. Not that he could or should have made them stay- he knew that, no matter how much he wished he could ease their pain. Rather, he felt regret that they had to live in such a painful way.
More than anything, he regretted that he lived in a world that would hurt those who looked, and in a way, acted just like his students. Perhaps, thats why it was so painful when he regained his memories. The sad look on that Miriam’s face had been put there by him. Him alone.
And that’s also why he relented. This sudden visitor deserved a chance to play games like any other child.
Rozatte sighs, thick eyebrows furrowed. “My study is across the hall. I expect you all to behave. If I hear of any commotion, I’ll send you on your way.”
“Okay, professor.” The strange Richard says, almost mockingly, but not maliciously.
What an unruly student. Rozatte lets out one last huff of exasperation and then turns to Richard, who looked somewhat relieved. “I only ask you tell me in the future. And… perhaps lend him some sleepwear. I don’t want either of you to catch a cold.” Walking through the rain in the middle of the night- even if the Outlander were to pose a danger, he couldn’t accept a child becoming sick on his watch…
Richard nods eagerly. “Sorry, Professor… thank you.”
He stood outside in the hall to think. The combined, familiar and muffled and happy voices of all his students grew loud again, but the sharp sound to the Outlander’s voice stood out shockingly, as if it didn’t belong here.
…but at some point, once they all started to laugh together, he couldn’t hear the difference anymore.
He wiped his eyes dry and went back to his study. He’d give them another hour to stay up, and then it will time to sleep.