Work Text:
Epel had enough. He was minding nobody but his own business while running late to Potionology when he just had to bump into his one and only housewarden. As Vil glared at him with a frown, Epel mentally prepared his ears for what he knew was coming.
‘Epel, how many times do I have to tell you to stop running in the hallways? Colliding into someone is disgraceful.’ Vil said, hands on his waist as he sighed disapprovingly.’ Oh uh, sorry. I didnt notice…’ Epel responded sheepishly, looking away. He was obviously not going to tell Vil that he had overslept the previous night. Just thinking about the extra bedtime restrictions Vil would probably apply on him even beyond the already strict dorm rules made Epel shudder.
Tsking disapprovingly, Vil untied the bow on Epel’s collar and started retying it. Once the bowtie was up to his standard, he briskly gave one last tug at the knot, causing Epel to cough. Did Vil want to choke him?!
‘You are absolutely disheveled. Its almost like you want to live your life like an uncooked vegetable.’ Vil reprimanded him. ‘Not only are your clothes crumpled, you clearly did not brush your hair. It looks like a bird created a nest in there while you were asleep.’ It was Epel’s turn to glare at Vil. There was maybe one or two strands out of place, but other than that Epel’s hair was perfectly fine. Calling it a nest was more than a slight exaggeration. Only prissy clean freaks like Vil maintained the outrageous standard of keeping hair carved in place all day long like a wig.
‘I did brush my hair!’ Epel fought back indignantly, but he might as well have said nothing with the way his words fell on deaf ears. He could see his housewarden’s irritation slowly rising, like a kettle starting to steam. Vil went on. ‘I would think that by now, I could have drilled some sort of awareness in you, but it seems I failed. Epel, you are wearing mismatched socks.’ He said, enunciating the words like they were blasphemous.
‘You are to return to the dorm right away and come back after grooming yourself. I will not have you filthy the name of Pomefiore with your absolute lack of decorum.’ Vil ended with finality. Epel did not have the time for this today. Actually, he never had the time to hear whatever word vomit Vil always had prepared for him. But this time, it was different. Epel had somehow managed to come late to both his last two Potionology classes as well, so he truly couldn't miss Professor Crewel’s class or else that man would prepare a punishment for him even the devil would run from. It was either upsetting Vil or Crewel, and Epel knew he was not going to pick the man who had cruel in his name. ‘Im really running late to class okay?! I dont have the time to return back to the dorm, so just stop already!’
Vil’s face blanched.
Epel did not mean to yell, but the irritating frown Vil was giving him mixed with the absolutely outrageous order to return back to the dorm caused something in Epel’s brain to shut down.
‘What did you just say?’ Vil’s eyes narrowed, his voice becoming dangerously low. Right, he really made a mess of it now. It was time for fight or flight, and Epel chose the latter. Before Vil could finish his sentence, the apple boy had sprinted off like his life depended on it.
It was only when Epel was safely in Crewel’s classroom that he realised how truly screwed over he was. Not only did he yell at his housewarden, he also ran away mid-conversation, and that sort of disrespect was the one thing Vil did not tolerate. Epel stewed over the entire interaction for the rest of his class, imagining a hundred different ways on how exactly Vil was going to make him sleep in the garden that night. He barely even registered it when Professor Crewel came over to check on the progress for his experiment.
An explosion of yellow smoke and the shattering of a flask later, Epel left Crewel’s classroom with a detention scheduled for later that week and shock orange hair. The colour would be quite punk and edgy if only the strands did not stand on their ends like they had been electrocuted. Even Epel had his limits. Once he spent an hour in the bathrooms trying to bring his hair down and failing, he avoided returning to his dorm for the rest of the day, taking unattended alleyways to get to class to avoid Vil. Or Rook honestly. Rook wasnt bad, but he was basically a nicer french version of Vil’s eyes and ears with his concerningly sharp hunting senses. What did he ever do to deserve the punishment of ending up in such a weird dorm? Epel thought bitterly. Makeup this, skincare that, oh would you mind a spot of tea? It felt as though Epel was a farmer’s boy thrown into a pit of rich victorian princesses. Which it literally was. Epel sighed. If only he could end up in Savanaclaw, with their burly sporty students and relaxed housewarden. The entire dorm could blow up and Leona would be unfazed. Epel’s eyes sparkled longingly. Oh, how nice it would be, having to not worry about every little thing at every second of the day.
Once classes were over and he could no longer avoid the cursed dormitory, Epel gathered his dwindling courage and sneaked in. Praying to god that everyone- especially Vil- would already be retired for the night, he slowly opened the main door, grimacing as the hinges squeaked. God was probably too busy to accept his prayer, as the second Epel entered the common room, who would it be if not for Vil sitting on his couch, drinking tea. The universe truly was cruel. Rook was further to the back, preparing biscuits as he listened enthusiastically to Vil. Hearing the creak of the door, Vil’s eyes flitted upwards and came to meet Epel’s face, his skin instantly paling and eyes widening in pure horror, the conversation dying on his throat.
‘Roi du Poison, what is the matter? Why have you stopped speaking?’ As Rook turned around, he almost dropped his biscuits too, his eyebrows disappearing into his bob. ‘Monsieur Pommette, y-your hair…’
Epel’s brain yelled at him to run, but his feet were frozen. ‘I messed up in class today and I've been trying to get the colour off, but its not coming off…’ Epel stammered, trying to avoid Vil’s eyes. Why were they both looking at Epel like that? It was just some hair. Epel was not sure why, but he could feel his eyes stinging. Of course it was his fault again, wasnt it? How could he run late to class? How could he mess up the potion? Oh what is he, a potato? Vil would probably say. Then, he would go on a rant on how Epel was not fit for Pomefiore’s standards and how he would bring disgrace to Vil because people would think he plucked Epel from the streets. If he was so unfit for this stupid dorm, why was he even here? Vil would probably kick him out of the dorm after all this. Fine! Epel would leave before Vil gets the chance to.
‘Thats it, Im goin to Savanaclaw! I cant stand this suffocatin’ pretentious dorm for a wee more second, and Im not gonna stick ‘round for what yall have to say bout it! Im sick of it! Sick of it all Vil-san, ya yellin at me all the time, actin like my ma, makin me be all girly and eat macarons for breakfast, lunch and dinner! I dont care if ya dont sign me up for Savanaclaw, from now on I’ll be stayin’ there, and yall wont get to drag me out, not over ma dead body! Ill reach ma true manhood there with all of the cool men, just ya watch. Im sure Leona’ll be far nicer than ya too!’ Epel spluttered, his lips shaking. Before anyone could say anything, he stormed off back into the night.
Vil and Rook blinked in confusion. Sighing and leaning back into his chair, Vil massaged his forehead. ‘Rook, have I said anything wrong?’ Rook gave an exasperated smile. ‘No my dear Vil, in fact, you had not even opened your mouth. Monsieur Pommette seemed to have a wild imagination, non?’ He paused.
‘Are you not going after him?’
‘No, its perfect actually.’ Vil shrugged. ‘He wants to be in Savanaclaw so bad, let him. Ill sign him off if thats what he wants.’ Rook frowned. ‘It cannot be that you are letting go of your poison apple so easily?’
‘Oh no not at all, its my duty as housewarden to make sure my students learn a lesson, is it not?’ Rook grinned,
‘Très bien! you are far too kind.’
What does Leona do when he finds a sniffling vegetable standing outside his door in the middle of the night? Well, easy. He goes back to sleep and dumps the vegetable on Ruggie’s hands. ‘I dont care if you wanna stay here or not, just stay out of my way.’ Leona grumbled, yawning and heading back to his room. Ruggie snickered as he watched Leona walk away. ‘Heh heh, good for you that our dorm has plenty of space! Many drop out you know.’ Ruggie said, grinning mischievously. ‘Although, Im sure everyone will be intimidated enough to stay out of your way with your new hairstyle.’
The Savanaclaw dormitory was eons different from Pomefiore. Unlike the ancient brick castle and plush royal blue and gold interior, Savanaclaw was mainly an arrangement of multiple huts scattered around a large open central space with a fountain and a pool, much like a tropical resort. Palm trees rustled high in the sky as a fresh warm breeze blew through the midnight air. Epel took a deep breath. It was already so much better than Pomefiore’s overpowering scented candles. Ruggie dropped Epel off at an empty room and handed him a dorm uniform. Right, if Epel was in Savanaclaw starting today, he would have to dress like them too.
When Epel was left alone in his room, he was finally calm enough to think about everything that had just happened. His cheeks flushed hot red as he recalled his earlier outburst towards the housewardens. Its not like they scolded him that he had to throw a tantrum like that. It was the weight of everything bad that had happened that day which led to his tantrum. But oh well, he always wanted to be in Savanaclaw, and if the embarrassment was what gave him the ticket to his dream life, then he might as well take it! He looked around, trying to find a mirror to do his night routine before stopping himself. Now that he wasnt in Pomefiore, he didnt have to do his skincare anymore. With a cheer of happiness, Epel flopped onto the bed, almost instantly knocking out. It was a long day after all.
The next morning, Epel was woken up bright and early by the unbearably bright sun leaking through the huge windows. He could sleep through the the sunlight if it was not accompanied by a noise from outside his window. Students were yelling, a suspiciously Ruggie-shaped voice was guffawing, someone was…singing? Who the hell sings at the first light of dawn? Epel grimaced, covering his ears with his pillow. It was basic courtesy back at Pomefiore to be mindful of everyone when you wake up in the morning, lest you wake someone up. As much as Epel hated his dorm, that was one of the rules he could respect. Just when he was about to go back to sleep, his door slammed open and Ruggie welcomed himself in, clanging a metal pan with a spoon. ‘Wakey wakey apple-chan~ Its time for Spelldrive practice!’ If Epel’s aim was better he would have successfully socked Ruggie right in the face.
Back when he was in his old dorm, Epel enjoyed playing afternoon Spelldrive with the Savanaclaw students despite Vil’s distaste for such sports. However, no amount of fun could take away the lethargy from practicing first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. Finally after an exceptionally gruelling match, breakfast time rolled in. Epel chewed on his slightly burned bread with a forced smile, relishing the flavour to his utmost capabilities. He did not want to admit how much he missed Rook’s cooking already.
Classes went by smoothly enough. Smoothly until lunch when every Pomefiore student he passed by doubled back to gawk at his orange hair in horror. He could hear their murmurs like mosquitoes on his ears. Feeling uncomfortable with so many stares, Epel quickened his pace to reach the dining hall. He had waged war with his hair that morning, rewashing it over and over again until it had finally deflated and sat on his head like a wet mop. At least his hair wasnt imitating a hedgehog anymore. The orange colour however, had no interest in saying farewell.
Epel subconsciously scanned the cafeteria until his eyes fell on Vil and Rook, who were having their lunch on the other side of the hall. Rook’s sharp eyes met his and he gave a little sunny wave to Epel who quickly looked away. Sometimes when the other first years were busy, he would sit between the two, listening to Vil’s tirades about his new disastrous modelling session or a serum he was having particular difficulty in perfecting. Rook would listen intently, occasionally interrupting to exclaim a new compliment, no matter how shallow it be. Epel had to admit, they were somewhat entertaining. He looked away, ignoring the slight clenching of his heart.
‘Oi Epel!’
‘What happened to you?’ It was Ace, with Deuce tagging behind him. He kept his tray on the table and ruffled Epel’s hair. ‘Woah, feeling punk are we?’ Ace said pointedly, eyebrows shooting up in surprise. ‘News about you switching dorms is what anyone is talking about today. Did you have a fallout with your housewarden or something?’
Here came the million dollar question. Epel sighed, responding sincerely. ‘No, I just belong in Savanaclaw, thats all. My heart belonged there from the moment I first entered this school. I just thought it was about time I come back to where i was destined to be.’ Epel could feel Ace’s pitiful look boring into his skull. ‘Sure bud.’
‘I never thought Epel would go through a rebellious phase.’ This time, it was Deuce who spoke up. ‘Back in the days, I used to hang out with a bunch of delinquents. To look more the part, I dyed my entire hair blond and broke my mother’s heart.’ Deuce looked down at the table, his voice dripping with regret. ‘When I came to this school, I promised to always study hard, make my mother proud, and never go back to that time in my life.’ Deuce said, clutching his fork harder. He grabbed Epel’s shoulder and stared at him with a sincerity that made Epel mildly uncomfortable. ‘I know it sounds cool and fun right now, but trust me, you dont want to regret your decisions once you grow up. Its just a phase Epel. if you had an argument with housewarden Vil, dyeing your hair will not make it better. Mine took ages to outgrow.’
what the hell was he talking about…?
Epel rolled his eyes indignantly. ‘You guys. I did NOT dye my hair and im NOT going through a phase! I messed up an experiment in Professor Crewel’s class and my hair suddenly turned orange. I cant turn it back.’ Ace and Deuce both blinked at each other in unison. ‘Oh.’
Ace gave Epel what he thought was a comforting smile and dug into his food without a second thought. ‘My condolences Eppie, cant help with that.’
Classic Ace, unhelpful as always. ‘We can dye it back to purple?’ Deuce offered.
‘Already tried. Doesnt work.’
‘Im sorry.’
After classes, Epel returned back to his new dorm. Rowdy was an understatement. There was a little bit of everything going on now that the classes for the day was over. Epel scanned the main area for Leona, and found the housewarden missing. He was probably napping in the school greenhouse again.
Oh well, Epel would just find a corner to himself and carve some apples for Vi- himself.
As he finally settled down in a corner, a rough voice spoke up. ‘Hey lady, move aside. We call dibs on this spot.’ Two burly boys had appeared without Epel’s notice.
‘Im sorry, place already taken.’ Epel responded with decorum, to which the boys just laughed. ‘You dont have your prissy little housewarden to protect you here, you delicate thing. Only the strongest survive, so either you move or we move you.’ Before Epel could retort on how exactly he would move their bones since they had so much audacity, he felt himself being dragged up by the collar.
‘Dagnabbit-!’ He cursed, attempting a kick at the bully’s shin. But his feet were dangling mid-air, so he was practically just flailing his legs. The boy who held him up threw him down onto the ground. Epel spat out blood. This is bad. These were some classic bullies. And as much as they were awful, they did have a point. There was no one to protect him now. Back in Pomefiore, Vil always made sure Epel stuck close so that he could learn Vil’s graces first hand. No one dared to pick on the boy tied to the housewarden’s apron strings, lest they end up on the receiving end of his abominable wrath. And when someone actually came close to a fight in the absence of Vil’s presence, Rook would always appear on the scene before Epel ever got hurt. Epel truly did never learn how Rook could appear so silently and quickly, but he supposed that was just one of his quirks as a weirdo.
One of the boys aimed a kick to Epel’s stomach and he quickly rolled away, missing it by an inch. ‘Always use your build as an advantage’ Vil would say. Well, its time to make Vil proud, Epel thought as he used all of his strength to land a successful kick to the bully’s groin. As the boy doubled over in pain, he quickly sprang up, sprinting away as fast as his slight legs would allow. The other boy chased him, but soon gave up. Epel might not be tall and bulky, but that just meant he had something else that the other two didnt. Speed.
That night, Epel retired early. As much as he wanted to enjoy Savanaclaw, it was getting increasingly harder to adjust. He did not miss the side eyes the other dorm students gave him. Despite Ruggie being as small and thin as Epel, he was highly respected by the other students. But unlike Epel, the hyena had wits and a sense of cunning that came only with living in harsh conditions and poverty. Epel on the other hand, had a loving grandma and a beautiful apple farm. It was becoming pretty obvious that he did not have what it took to survive here. This was reminding him all over again of the bullies back in Harveston that would pick on him for looking all cute and dainty. ‘Not that ah can help it.’ Epel muttered angrily, pulling the blanket over him. He tried to sleep, but now that he wasnt exhausted enough to knock out the second his head hit the pillow, his skin felt uncomfortable and itchy. He supposed this was just a side effect for discontinuing his nighttime skincare routine. Vil would be so mad at him if he knew, Epel snickered. Looking out of the wide windows, he saw the clear dark sky studded with stars. Maybe he felt a little lonely too. Epel wondered how his roommate was doing, and if there was already another student occupying his bed. Outside, there was noise as usual which made Epel squirm for around an hour until he finally fell into an uncomfortable slumber.
Walking down the corridor, Epel fumbled with one of the knots on his hair. He had forgotten to bring his comb when he shifted dorms, and his orange hair was looking much closer to the bird nest Vil had accused him of earlier that week. Speak of the devil, Epel cursed under his breath as a figure walked towards him. It was Vil, looking as prim and proper as a little princess, not a singular hair out of place as usual. Vil noticed Epel and promptly froze, his face distorting into pure horror at Epel’s state. He would have probably fainted if he was anywhere else. Maybe Epel could ask him for a comb. Vil was a walking talking wardrobe after all. Epel was not sure how, but Vil always managed to carry a truckload of items with him wherever he went.
Before Epel could open his mouth, Vil had already approached him and spawned a comb from who knows where. ‘Just because you aren't in my house anymore doesn't mean that you get to start looking homeless, Epel. And, I can still use my authority as a housewarden to punish you.’ Vil said sharply, taking Epel’s nest into his own hands. As he brushed through the knots and grumbled about Epel’s outrageous state, the boy smiled slightly to himself. It felt kind of nice, hearing Vil’s reprimands. Nostalgic, almost. The knots were gone within minutes as Vil’s hands and comb worked swiftly through them, weaving through the orange hair until it lay perfectly on his head. It was all too soon when he was done and walking away. Epel didnt want to admit it, but he kind of wanted to follow him. Slapping his cheeks back to reality, Epel walked away.
It was the end of the week when it all came crashing down. Epel had a particularly bad day. His detention with Professor Crewel left him exhausted as he had to sweep the entirety of the potionology lab and wipe the windows. Not only that, Professor Trein had complained that his history grades were falling, and to add insult to the injury, he almost fell asleep during track practice with Coach Vargas. Being in a dorm full of gymrats would make Epel better at physical activities, or so he thought. Turns out, the lack of sleep from the loud dorm nights only plunged his energy. As for his grades, he was trying to study history, but he had soon learned that having Vil hold him by the ear as he read out the date of when ballpens were created out loud fifty times certainly had its perks. Not to mention how he was slowly starving. The only proper meal he had throughout the day was lunch. Everyone usually cooked their own meals for breakfast and dinner in Savanaclaw, but most days Epel was so tired he would instantaneously knock himself out on the bed, only to be woken up four hours later by some sort of ungodly singing or yelling at the dead of night. No one seemed to require sleep here. If Vil knew, he would surely freak out, fuming about how bad lack of sleep was for the skin.
When he returned to the dorm from his detention, the bullies had found him again. Epel ended up taking two nasty blows before Leona found them and sent the bullies scurrying. Turns out the housewarden was helpful. Only if he was in the vicinity that was. Epel sat in his room, caressing his ruddy punched cheek with an ice pack. It was sore, and his ribs ached. Did those bastards seriously have to hit him so hard? They would've practically crushed him if they got the chance to! His eyes watered at the pain. He hadn't managed to make much friends with anyone other than Ruggie and Jack so far either. Jack was nice, always sticking by him whenever he got the chance, but he also had his own schedule to maintain, which made Epel end up alone more often times than not. He is probably the only disciplined student in this entire dorm, considering even their housewarden failed a year, Epel thought numbly. He slowly prepared himself for bed, making sure not to move too suddenly so as to save his ribs the agony. Its okay, he was just going to sleep away all of the pain and homesickness. And when he wakes up in the morning, everything will be fine.
The sound of a crackly shrill voice broke his peace. Someone in the dorm was singing again.
‘I SWEAR TA GOD IF YA DONT SHUT UP RIGHT NOW AH WILL TWIST YER VOCAL CORDS AND SHOVE EM SO FAR UP YA SKULL EVEN THE GRIM REAPER CANT FIND EM WHEN HE COMES TA PICK UP YA DEAD BODY SO THE WORLD NEVER HAS TA BE VICTIM TA THAT ATROCIOUS SINGIN’ EVER AGAIN.’
At least the singing stopped after that.
Epel could not sleep. He twisted, turned, flipped his pillow over to the colder side and twisted yet again. Sleep enjoyed playing hide and seek with him here. And once he did catch it, his broken dreams showed him the home his heart ached for. Maybe wearing a frilly shirt to class and busying himself in frivolous activities like grooming and learning dinner etiquettes weren't so bad after all if it meant that he had the company of people who actually cared for him. He woke up to tear tracks and snot on his face, and when he looked outside, it was still night.
His footsteps echoed underneath him as he dragged himself through the empty mirror chamber. Once he stepped into the mirror, there was a moment of void before he felt solid earth beneath his feet again. He had to return back to his own dorm, if he even had the right to call it that anymore. In front of him loomed the magnificient old castle, many of its windows black, light extinguished in the dark night. Epel could not do it in Savanaclaw anymore. He would calmly enter the dorm and see whether his bed was vacant or not. Vil would certainly scold him in the morning, but Epel would be the bigger person, apologise for his wrongdoings and ask him to allow himself to return back to the dorm. Simple.
His words died in his throat as he opened the main door and light spilled onto the dark hallway. There in the living room was Vil in his dorm robes, sitting on his couch drinking tea, his crown discarded along with Rook’s hat on the tea table in front of him. Rook was sitting opposite him, green hunter eyes already staring at the intruder. Seeing the two brought Epel so much relief that he could not bring himself to say anything he had pre-planned other than ‘Rook..V-Vil…’
He then promptly started crying. His feet carried him to the two and Epel slung his arms around Vil’s neck, bawling all over his robes. Surprise was replaced by a grimace as Vil saw Epel spread snot all over the expensive purple fabric. Thankfully, he had enough tact to hold back his words, resorting to silently caressing the distressed boy’s hair. ‘I missed y'all s-so so much…ahm really sorry Vil, about everythin’. Over there, the students are always yellin’ nonstop, I cant sleep, I cant cook for the life of me, I keep gettin’ bullied by these stupid boys that dont leave me alone for a hot second! Ahm so tired..’ This sent Epel into another fit of tears. ‘I know I dont deserve ta be sayin’ this b-but… can I please come back? I swear on ma life I’ll listen ta everything ya say, even if they are prissy, stupid, unnecessary or downright useless.’ Vil’s eye twitched.
‘You did not have to make a jab at me like that, but alright. I suppose I can let you back in only this once.’ Vil said sternly. But when Epel looked up, he was smiling.
‘Mon dieu! I cannot believe the plan actually worked! Roi du Poison, you are a genius indeed.’ Rook exclaimed, speaking up for the first time that evening.
Huh? Epel detached his face from Vil’s robe and looked at Rook, confused. He probably looked unbelievably stupid at the moment. With his runny nose and red rimmed eyes, anyone would think a person had died. ‘What do you mean?’ He asked, his voice small from all that crying.
‘Well you see, Vil had made arrangements with the headmage and Roi des Lions to shift you only temporarily to Savanaclaw since you seemed so eager to join their ranks. With my experience there, I knew you wouldn't last a week, and here you are. How Merveilleux!’ Rook explained cheerfully. Vil groaned, ‘You would think a hunter could keep his secrets better.’ Rook put his hand over his mouth apologetically, his bob moving comically with his head. ‘Oh my, Im so sorry. It seems the excitement had gotten the best of me.’
‘Wait, so it was all fake, I never actually shifted dorms?’ Epel looked at Vil, possibly even more confused than he was at the beginning. In a rare moment of honesty, Vil burst out laughing. ‘Stop looking at me like that. Yes, well kind of. However, if you had actually managed to ingrain yourself within Savanaclaw properly, I might have actually considered to shift you there. But, do you truly believe I would let go of my poison apple so easily? If I dont tend to it, it will easily rot, would it not?’ Vil responded cockily, pinching epel’s cheek, stopping instantly when epel flinched in pain. He furrowed his eyebrows. ‘What’s wrong?’
Epel looked away. ‘Nothing, just those bullies i told you about…they punched me and stuff.’ Epel could see Vil’s mood shift, but thankfully, Rook came to the rescue. ‘Oh fair Vil, worry not, I’ll speak with Roi des Lions and take care of whoever laid hands on our apple. Well…our orange in this case.’
Right! Epel’s hair was still that obnoxious orange. He might as well just break down again thinking about his future as a ginger. No way in hell was he ever going to be rebranded as an orange, he grew attached to his apple nickname far too much. Seeing Epel’s panicked face, Vil flicked his forehead. ‘Dont start hyperventilating on me now, we can easily turn your hair back to its natural state.’
‘But I tried hair dye, soap and water but none of it worked…’
‘Do you seriously expect a simple soap and water to remove a magically applied stain? I see you clearly have been slacking on your studies.’ Vil sighed hopelessly. ‘You need a potion for those kinds of things Epel, and the one I already made for you has been waiting upstairs for a few days now.’
Epel could only gape at him. ‘How come you never told me?!’ He asked incredulously.
‘You never asked. The second you entered the dorm that day, you went on a whole tantrum before any of us could get a word in and stormed off, announcing your new life with Savannaclaw with so much vigour it almost moved me.’ Vil responded with mock earnesty. ‘I would expect you to have more smarts and come to the conclusion that considering my specialty lies in potion brewing, and your hair was a result of potion brewing, it would barely cause me a sweat to find a solution. But I suppose not everyone is blessed with common sense.’
‘I thought you were gonna kick me out cause of my hair!’
‘Clearly you thought wrong.’ Vil sighed. ‘We can remove the dye from your hair first thing tomorrow since its the weekends.’ He offered, but Epel shook his head. ‘No! please, can we get rid of it now? Pretty please?’ Epel gave Vil the biggest doe eyes he could ever muster with all his being. Vil was about to reject him anyways; it was already well past midnight and he needed his beauty sleep, but Rook spoke up. ‘Come on Roi du Poison, it wont hurt to indulge him for a day. Since it will be the weekends, we can sleep in tomorrow to make up for the lost sleep tonight non? Poor Monsieur Pommette certainly deserves it after the rough week he’s had.’ Rook joined Epel with the puppy eyes.
‘Ugh, Fine.’
The water of the bathtub ran freely as Epel sat on a stool and leaned his head against the ledge. All three of them had changed into their sleepwear. Ever the fashionista, Vil was wearing his fancy silk robe, with a headband preventing his hair from getting in the way. Two strands of wavy hair fell down both sides, fabulously framing his face. On the other hand, Epel was wearing his worn granny-knit sweater.
Vil massaged the mystery potion he had concocted onto his skull, and Epel felt like he was at a spa session free of charge. Many days of Pomefiore were spent like this, with Vil doing various activities on Epel and sometimes Rook, whether it be applying his newly concocted skincare products on them as guinea pigs, or applying Epel’s makeup for him on his birthday, not trusting Epel’s skills with such important occasions.
Rook just stood over by the bathroom door, providing much help with his frequent sprinkles of emotional support, with a ‘oh là là, the natural purple is returning!’ or a ‘nothing less expected from my fair Vil!’ every few minutes. He was wearing a pair of long white pajamas with frilly sleeves, exclusively suited for grandpas. A comically large matching nightcap with a dangling pom pom was secured on his bobcut, making him look indistinguishable from an elf.
Once the dye was all gone, Epel was briskly whisked over to Vil’s vanity, where the housewarden applied a variety of hair protection oils onto his scalp and hair, muttering all the while about how detrimental Savanaclaw’s weather was for Epel’s hair. By the time Vil was done with his job, Epel was well on his way to dozing off. He had truly missed the comfort of his dorm life.
‘There, much better.’ Epel sprang back to life upon hearing Vil’s voice. Not only was his hair back to its original lavender, it was much softer, sitting on his head in perfect curls with the kind of shine that came only from the meticulous conditioning in a proper salon. Vil yawned, stretching his arms with a frown. ‘Happy? Now leave before I drop dead on the floor.’
‘How fantastique your hair looks now, Monsieur Cherry Apple. Très bien!’
Epel couldnt help but beam at Rook’s gushing. Pomefiore had many issues Epel would love to live without, but despite it all, he supposed he could live with how it was for now.