A Garden of Blooming Coals: Twisted Wonderland OC

Chapter 5 - Foxglove

"Well, that was certainly an interesting Entrence Ceremony," Hina comments to no one in particular as she and the other Pomefiore students are lead through the mirror door and into Pomefiore's castle like dormitory.

There's the oddest sensation of walking through a dry waterfall, before Hina looks up toward the breathtakingly beautiful building, and here she thought her home was nice.

"Woulda been better if that racoon didn't almost set my hair on fire," comes a quiet comment from the lilac haired boy from earlier.

Hina pauses, then nods. "That probably would have made it better," she agrees.

Stopping in front of the grand staircase, Vil Schoenheit turns on one heel to observe the assembled first years, towering over them all both physically, and metaphorically. Under his gaze, Hina's not sure if she should stand straighter, or shrink into a puddle of lava on the floor.

"Before you gather your uniforms," his voice resounds throughout the room, as though he can command the air itself, "I have a few rules for you, fresh potato's."

"Potatoes?" Hina asks quietly.

Her question goes unanswered as her new housewarden continues. "You are to follow these rules to the letter. As first years, you each have assigned chores, which your vice housewarden will be telling each of you as you're unpacking. On weekends, you have dance practice, ballroom and ballet, and you are not to shuck your responsibilities for any reason without being given express approval."

"And here I thought the Heartslabyul housewarden was strict," murmurs the lilac haired boy.

Vil stops, then narrows his intense, violet eyes. "You," he says, easily singling out the boy, "What was that?"

The boy appears to shrink slightly. "Nothing," he says quickly.

Vil arches one delicate brow. "I'm sorry," he says, "Did you have something you wished to say to me?" His voice holds authority, arrogance.

The boy shrinks further. "No," he says, a bit more softly this time.

Vil nods. "That is what I thought," he says, "Now, etiquette lessons are in the mornings, none of you are to stay awake past 9 PM on weekdays and 10 PM on weekends. I expect nothing less than perfection from my dorm, am I understood?"

Nods and quiet, slightly apprehensive murmurs of a formation come from the group of gathered students.

Vil continues. "You will each be on a strict diet to prevent pudginess and acne. I expect you to all have at least a basic grasp of how to do your own makeup and hair. If you somehow managed to be placed in the Fairest Queen's dorm without that basic knowledge, you are to speak to your vice housewarden on the matter. He will help who he can. If you're truly a lost cause that he can't even help, I suggest you consider how you managed to be placed here before you even think of coming to me, especially if I'm in the middle of an important task, understood?"

Another round of yeses and nods from the now slightly less enthusiastic bunch, that is to say, everyone but Hina. Despite Vil's cruel words, this is still Vil Schoenheit, and she's been placed in the best possible dorm for her, so she intends to stay.

Beside her, the boy with the lilac locks looks almost green from nerves. She catches his eyes as best she can and tries for a reassuring smile.

He's very beautiful, she notes, perhaps even more so than Keliana. His hair falls daintily to his shoulders like a waterfall of pale purple silk, with long eyelashes to match, which cause large, naturally pretty blue eyes to stand out slightly. He hesitates, then looks to be trying to return the expression as best he can. The smile he returns is slightly awkward, maybe a touch pulled up on one side, though that certainly doesn't make it appear less lovely. Hina thinks that it's actually rather cute.