Windows to The Soul | Twisted Wonderland

II - 2 | Setting The Stage

Cold metal materializes around his neck, forcing him to jolt into the sitting position. Alarmed, he stares at the intruder while clutching his head from the pain of rising abruptly, the other propping him up on the bed. The temperature difference brings a shiver down his spine as his vision adjusts to the figure in front of him.

Red hair frames a youthful face with two strands above overlapping to create a heart shape. Gray eyes bore into the pitch-black irises of his own eyes, seemingly expecting something. The disruption leads to someone tumbling out of their bed, yelping out in pain. Yet, neither breaks eye contact to spare the fallen person a glance.

Red eyebrows furrow deeper, as his mouth opens to hurl scathing remarks, "I will not tolerate any slackers in my dorm. Even if classes have yet to start, I expect everyone to wake up on time and prepare for the day." The housewarden points the end of his pen towards him, "And you, Atreus. Do not think I have forgotten yesterday's incident. You may not have faced the consequences under Headmage Crowley, but it will be different under my rule."

Atreus remains silent and motionless, not even a twitch from his fingers. It's only when the person lifts themselves off the floor to respond does the silence breaks, "Yes, housewarden!"

His murky eyes move from his roommate to the housewarden without turning his head before he emulates his response, "Yes, housewarden."

Content, their housewarden's expression softens enough to be stern, but not seething. He exits the room with the door closing after him. The footsteps fade, only to give way to the sound of a nearby door slamming open and more yelling.

"That was a close one, right, Attie?" His roommate laughs it off as he pushes himself up by latching onto the sheets. He flops back onto his bed to sit, swinging out his legs and allowing Atreus to look over him.

Pale turquoise and purple eyes gaze at him in curiosity. His delicate, light pink hair curls out with the front part swirling in on itself. A pair of long beige rabbit ears flop to his side; the color of his fur matches his skin. Still smiling, his head tilts while an ear twitches, "Attie, are you there?"

"It's Atreus to you," he states, pulling the blanket off before moving his legs off the bed to stand. His finger slides between the collar and his skin in an attempt to adjust it for comfort. Regardless of how he adjusted it, the collar remained constricting to the point he was always aware of it.

The other hops onto the floor, his ears bouncing with the movement, "Aw, don't be like that, Attie! You didn't mind when I asked last time! Plus, you can call me 'Mimi'!"He heads over to the door and sneaks a glance at Atreus, only to find his unrelenting stare on him. Jolting, he quickly turns back to the front, "Okay, just Michio and Atreus then."

Michio enters the bathroom with Atreus in tow. The two efficiently do the usual business with Atreus having a more elaborate morning routine of skin and hair care. Despite the additional steps, he finishes up faster and adds the final touches of red eyeliner, adding a diamond pattern to the corner of the left eye. After tidying up, he heads back with Michio stumbling behind.

"You're way too fast today! I don't know if I drew on the clover neatly enough." The room falls silent when Michio finishes talking, with the occasional sound of ruffling clothes. Atreus dons the usual clothes and appears like the average Heartslabyul student. On the other hand, Michio forgoes the red waistcoat and has his tie done into a bow. He wears shorts reaching the knee, paired with black lace-up leather boots and white knee-high socks. Sparing his roommate a brief look, he catches the other using his phone to examine the clover drawn on.

"Hold still," is all Atreus offers when he walks right up to Michio and grabs his chin, tilting it up towards him. Naturally, he tenses from the sudden contact and holds out the eyeliner for Atreus to grab, instinctively holding his breath. The moment his fingertips brush against the eyeliner, the door swings open, gaining their attention.