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t's been ten days since Celestia Ludenberg found herself trapped in what is allegedly Hope's Peak High School with fifteen strangers. It's been six days since the first murder and only one day since the second.
Celestia knows that it's kill or be killed. And bearing the title of Ultimate Gambler, Celestia is determined to take all. To come out of this a winner, to graduate.
But of course, gambling means taking a chance. Not everybody can be a winner. Celestia knows that all too well after countless times watching her opponents' faces fall, months or even years of winning streaks broken.
Celestia isn't used to being on the other side of that. She's certainly not used to being a loser. She cannot remember the last time that she lost. But all dogs have their day, she supposes.
It all comes to a head one day in the rec room.
Celestia’s sitting in one of the two chairs with a cup of tea she had prepared for herself in the kitchen earlier. She’s enjoying the quiet while she can - enjoying the moments of peace she has before the inevitable fallout. Before that dreadful little teddy bear's next motive. Before the inevitable third killing.
When Byakuya Togami walks in and closes the door with no words - just a brief glance towards her - Celestia’s convinced she's done for. All because she decided to relax, to let her guard down. That she won’t graduate. That she will die right here in the rec room, perhaps in the very seat she’s sitting in.
Though Celestia certainly doesn’t consider herself to be helpless, she also knows that it would be a mistake to underestimate the Ultimate Affluent Progeny standing just a few feet away from her. This was a man who had spent his entire 17 years of life fighting and clawing his way to the top, ready to push anyone and everyone else aside if it meant claiming that victory, if it meant becoming the Togami empire’s rightful heir.
Byakuya is just like her, in that way. Celestia wants to fight to get to where she deserves, too. Because she knows she deserves to live in a castle. That she deserves to have an army of servants dressed as vampires, willing to comply to her every word. She’s worked hard enough for it, so far, she thinks. Gambling is no easy feat.
But that’s not the same as fighting for her life, of course. And Byakuya has had to fight for the right to live, for the right to be associated with the Togami name, for the right to have a name at all.
If Byakuya is here to kill her, Celestia knows that he will have no trouble doing so. She wonders how the deed will be done - perhaps with one of those glass bottles? Strangulation? Maybe a more brutal weapon like a knife - but she doubts that someone as high-class as Byakuya wants to risk getting blood all over that nice suit.
Byakuya sits in the chair across from her. Celestia puts down her teacup with the grace and poise of royalty, of someone of similar stature to Byakuya - even though they’re nowhere close to the same level. The Togami name is of a status that she cannot even begin to comprehend.
Nonetheless, she thinks that if she is going to die, she might as well die with dignity.
Byakuya swallows, as if nervous. Perish the thought. The heir to such a colossal financial empire. The same heir born onto a battlefield - nervous? At what? Talking to her? Sitting with her? Surely she’s imagining things.
“Miss Ludenberg,” Byakuya says, voice just as clipped and precise as always. Posture straight, if not a tad more stiff than usual. A tad more forced. But of course, that’s just Celestia’s silly imagination again.
Celestia tries to smile, tries to act like her heart doesn’t feel as if it’s about to explode from how fast it’s pumping blood. Like she can’t hear the blood rushing through her veins. But she can’t get the idea out of her mind that the blonde is here to kill her and so the smile comes out a bit too wide, a bit too toothy.
If Byakuya notices, then he chooses not to acknowledge it, a small mercy to Celestia's pride, “May I speak with you regarding a… matter that has been on my mind?” Byakuya asks, “And I will insist you keep this private if you know what’s good for you… and I assume you do, a lady of your stature.” there’s that vaguely threatening tone he seems to love using, but Celestia’s heart still does a dreadful, traitorous little leap at those words - a lady of your stature. The idea that Byakuya Togami regards her as a lady of a stature high enough to regard is undoubtedly thrilling.
That’s the confirmation for Celestia that the heir wants to slaughter her. After all, why would the most valuable asset to the Togami family choose to speak with her about something so private?
Regardless, it doesn’t seem wise to deny the request. In just the few short weeks that they had known each other, she had witnessed Byakuya make quite a scene over much less.
Celestia does a closed-mouth smile that she hopes looks a bit more natural, “Of course. What is this dilemma at hand?” she asks, focusing on keeping that light and airy tone she always speaks with. Focuses on keeping up the accent, the facade. She’s come into the game with it and she will die with it.
Byakuya rises from the chair. Celestia prepares for him to pull out whatever he will use to end her life - a bottle of poison, a letter opener, perhaps he’ll even grab one of the pool cues and somehow beat her to death with it.
Instead, Byakuya pulls out nothing and begins to pace in front of her in tight, controlled circles. Back and forth, back and forth. And oh, upon further inspection, not only is he pacing, but he appears to be… nervous?
How absurd. That must be her imagination... again.
Of course, it’s not totally out there to assume that a person may be nervous before committing such a horrendous act - but Byakuya Togami is not the average person and that is something that Celestia Ludenberg is very, very sure of.
After all, Byakuya Togami does not pace. Byakuya Togami does not get nervous. Byakuya is calm, cool and collected - only breaking this when he is angry, often when he has to interact with who he deems as 'commoners'.
“Celestia,” Byakuya’s voice comes out smoothly, “I need your absolute confirmation that you will tell nobody about the information I am about to give to you. Not even under the pretense of light gossip. Do I make myself clear?”
Celestia nods but then again, does she really have a choice? If this conversation wasn’t already set to end with her head bashed in, or some other equally brutal method of killing, then refusing to swear to secrecy would surely cement that outcome.
“Of course,” Celestia agrees, hands reaching down to smooth the skirt of her dress, the tips of each digit just barely shaking. She can only hope that Byakuya doesn’t look too hard and notice just how nervous she really is. She can’t imagine that factor would make them go any easier on her.
Byakuya nods, but still clearly hesitates. Shoes squeak against the checkerboard-tiled floor. Eye contact is avoided in favour of scanning over the shelf of magazines, the dart board - anything but her.
When Byakuya’s mouth opens to speak, the voice that comes out is quiet, shaky. It’s so unlike him that it fills Celestia with a sense of unease. If she didn’t know any better, she would think Byakuya is not only nervous but scared.
Well, she supposes she doesn’t know Byakuya that well anyways. But still, the sentiment remains.
“Nobody,” Byakuya says, still notably avoiding eye contact, “you will tell nobody.”
Celestia agrees for the third time. The affluent progeny is very, very insistent on nobody finding out about whatever this is and her curiosity is admittedly piqued. Though, she figures she’ll never find out. After all, Byakuya’s probably just stalling to work up the courage to land the killing blow.
She just wishes the heir would hurry up about it. She hopes it’s not painful.
Byakuya suddenly lowers himself into the chair across from her, so quickly that she startles. She briefly wonders what technique could possibly require the heir to sit down, before the words finally come out of Byakuya Togami’s mouth.
“I think I might be a girl.”
Oh.
Well that’s certainly… not what she had been expecting. She feels a little silly being so scared now, really.
She feels a laugh rise up in her throat, not because of the heir’s words but because of her own way of thinking. To think that Byakuya Togami was going to murder her. To have been so certain of her demise. How strange.
Byakuya, still sitting across from her, hands folded neatly, looks terrified and a bit upset. It’s then that Celestia realizes that she’s laughing out loud.
“Oh,” Celestia puts a hand over her mouth, “I’m… terribly sorry. It’s just… that’s not what I was expecting in the slightest.”
Byakuya raises an eyebrow, crossing her arms, “Oh? Well, what were you thinking of that could possibly be so funny? Come on, spit it out.” she says, clearly defensive, but her voice still trembles at the edges. She still thinks she had been laughing at her. Celestia winces. How rude of her.
Celestia decides that the truth is better than deceit in this instance, a choice she does not make often these days, “Oh, it’s just that… I thought you were here to kill me.”
Byakuya blinks and in that moment she seems to have been genuinely caught off-guard, “Kill you?” she says, “Why would I ever do that?” and she’s right. Why would she do that? So far, she hasn’t been phased by the motives presented towards them.
The secret comes to the front of her mind, now. The motive that had driven Mondo to kill. She wonders if Byakuya’s had something to do with this. If so, she must have been far more frightened than she had been previously letting on.
Celestia decides that it's better to nip this topic in the bud before it can get awkward, “Anyways, we are straying too far from the topic at hand, yes?” Celestia says, “You say that you think yourself to be a girl?”
Byakuya nods stiffly, “Well... yes.”
Celestia tilts her head, “Care to elaborate on that?”
“Well,” Byakuya says, “I suppose I should tell you about when I believe this started.”
Celestia makes a vaguely encouraging, elegant gesture with her hand as she crosses one leg over the other. She straightens her posture as she reminds herself that she is speaking to the Togami heir, “Go on.”
“As I may have mentioned, I had to fight for the right to become the Togami heir. I did not have anything handed to me on a silver platter. It felt like being born onto a battlefield, if I had to compare it to anything.” she says, “Out of my father’s children, fifteen were chosen to compete for the title.” she pauses, “I… I did not make the cut.”
Celestia blinks in surprise, “Oh?” she says, “Then how could you have possibly gotten to where you are now?”
“I forced my way in.” Byakuya says, “I… disguised myself as a woman by the name of Polaris P. Polanski. Acted as an assistant to an... elite detective.” Celestia raises an eyebrow. She wonders why she was acting an assistant to a detective of all individuals, but she decides not to press as Byakuya continues talking.
“I claimed the title, of course. Came out on top. My other half-siblings were cut loose.” she speaks with an air of detachment about the whole matter, “But Polaris… remained. In the back of my mind.” she admits.
“I enjoyed the whole ordeal. The longer hair, the more effeminate clothing. The name. Others referring to me as a woman. It all felt… correct.” her voice has a lilt of fondness to it as she speaks.
“But my father… you can imagine that he would not take something like that well. So I buried it away as if it had been nothing more than an asset, a mere rung in my ladder to the top.” she sighs, “But some part of me knew that was a lie. That there was much more to Polaris than that.”
Celestia nods along with her words, “And what made you come back to this? Was this recent?”
Byakuya nods, “Well… in a way.” she says, “The older I got, the more the thought began to eat at me. The more I was reminded of it in my daily life. But I only began allowing myself to truly think about it… oh, it must have been just before this whole game started.” she says, “A friend of the family visited the estate during the summer before my enrollment to Hope’s Peak. During her stay, she insisted on me allowing her to try out the new make-up she had recently gotten on me. I… hesitated, but I agreed because I wanted to be polite.”
Celestia raises an eyebrow, “And because a part of you knew that it would be an opportunity to explore that other side of yourself, yes?”
Byakuya gives her a slight smile, so faint she barely notices it, “Exactly. When I looked in the mirror afterwards… it felt right. It felt like I was seeing myself for the first time, as... cliche as that sounds.”
Byakuya looks at the floor before continuing, “I cried. I’m not proud of that fact. But I did. More than I ever had before. My friend was… worried. And I did not want her to worry about me. So I told her everything.” she says, “She told me that I could be anything I wanted with her, even if I could not do the same in my own home. She was very understanding of the whole ordeal.”
“And then I came to Hope’s Peak. She had been meant to enroll with me, as a matter of fact. I remember how excited she had been at the idea of attending a real school for the first time.”
Celestia tilts her head, “A.. real school? Had she been homeschooled?”
“She’s a princess of a small European country.” Byakuya says casually, because she's a Togami and of course it's a casual fact for her, “Novoselic, have you heard of it?”
Celestia takes a sip of her tea, which has now gone cold, “Yes,” she says, “in fact, I believe I played poker with one of the royals there.”
Byakuya openly laughs at that and Celestia has the brief thought that the girl has a very pretty laugh. A thought that she neatly packs away to visit later on her own time.
“That was probably Sonia’s older brother. He’s always been…. hmm… rebellious. An understatement, but it suits him just fine.”
Celestia smiles into her tea, “He’s also a terrible Poker player. His tells are quite obvious. Anyways, you were saying about… Sonia, did you say her name was?”
“Yes, Sonia,” Byakuya says, “she was meant to enroll here as the Ultimate Princess though as I recall, we were put into separate classes.” she looks off to the side, “I… I hope she’s alright. Wherever she is.”
Celestia puts her teacup down, stands up and steps forward until she's close enough to lay her hand on top of Byakuya’s, ignoring the stutter her heart does at the act, “I’m sure she’s alright,” she says, “I’m sure she’s at the real Hope’s Peak. Or back in Novoselic with her family, perhaps.”
Of course, Celestia doesn’t know any of that. For all she knows, Byakuya’s friend is dead. But she isn’t going to be the one to discuss that possibility with her. Byakuya is being vulnerable enough with her right now that she doesn’t think she can bring herself to break her heart like that.
Byakuya looks down at Celestia’s hand and gives it a small squeeze, “Yes,” she says, “I’m sure you’re right.”
Celestia smiles at her. She moves to sit gracefully on the floor in front of Byakuya’s chair so she can be closer to her. She cringes a bit at her dress touching the floor, but she smiles through it. She can’t imagine the floor is that dirty… they had just gained access to this room, after all.
“Did you… tell anyone other than Sonia about your feelings? Other than me?”
Byakuya shakes her head, “No. I… I am far too frightened of the information getting back to my father, somehow. Sonia was the only one I trusted not to tell.”
“And me,” Celestia says, “why?”
It’s not that she’s not flattered that the Togami heir has trusted her with such personal information. Quite the opposite, really. She’s absolutely over the moon about it. But it’s still a bit perplexing.
“Well,” Byakuya says, cheeks flushing slightly pink which she attempts to disguise by bowing her head to adjust her glasses, “now that we’re… here for the foreseeable future, I felt I needed to tell someone before it eats me alive,” she says, “I decided to speak with you because… well, I figured you may have some tips to give me?”
“Tips? From me?”
“Advice,” she says smoothly, “even since we got here, you’ve managed to take very good care of your appearance every day. Your hair, your makeup and clothes are all very… precise. Very meticulous.”
Celestia put a hand over her mouth to hopefully hide some of the red rushing to her pale cheeks, “Yes, well… a lady must look her best. Even in circumstances like these.”
Byakuya nods, “Exactly,” a pause, “so… would you be able to assist me? Rest assured, I will pay you well once we are out of here.”
Truthfully, she would do this for free. But she certainly isn’t going to deny payment from a Togami - she’s not an idiot, after all.
“Well, of course.” she says and stands, brushing off her skirt, “Come with me. You wish to appear more ladylike, yes? I have a variety of make-up products from the warehouse in my room that I can teach you how to use.”
Byakuya stands up and follows her. Just before she can open the door she hesitates and looks down at her, “Thank you.” she says quietly, “For…” she trails off, unable to find the words.
“It is no issue,” Celestia assures her, patting her arm and just from that she can tell the material of her suit is very, very pricey, “I am always happy to help a lady in need, Byakuya."
Celestia doesn't miss the way her posture stiffens a little at that name.
"No?" Celestia tilts her head, "Does that name not suit you anymore?" she asks.
The Ultimate Affluent Progeny does not answer. But she doesn't need to.
"Hm," Celestia hums, "How about Polaris, then? That is the name you went by, yes?"
She smiles at that, "Yes. Polaris is... adequate."
Celestia smiles and hooks their arms together, pulling her in close to her side, "Polaris it is, then."