"Alright," Kat said when they returned to Ramshackle, walking towards the living room. "Everybody in here."
Ace and Deuce exchanged unsure glances.
"Uh... Okay," Deuce said, shrugging.
"...Why?" Ace asked suspiciously, crossing his arms.
"Just. COME." She said flatly, giving him a sharp look. "Sit down."
He winced.
"Geez-- okay, okay..."
They all went into the lounge, and Kat sat back down on the couch, crossing her legs and folding her arms.
Deuce sat on the chair. Ace, grumbling, sat on the cushions from the broken loveseat that Deuce had been using as a makeshift mattress.
Grim hopped up onto the couch next to her. She looked back and forth between the two human boys, screwing up her mouth into a sour wince.
"....This is a dumb fucking idea," she said flatly. "I hope you know that."
Deuce looked down, rubbing the back of his head, but Ace scoffed.
"Well, how the hell--"
"BUT," she interrupted him, holding up a hand. "...I recognize that this was pretty much one of the only options available to you. It's still a bad idea, though... But unfortunately, sometimes the only options available are the bad ones."
Closing her eyes, she rubbed her forehead for a second.
"....What's gonna happen wh-- IF you lose?" She asked, opening her eyes again. "What do you plan on doing next?"
They shifted uncomfortably, looking at each other out of the corners of their eyes.
".....Yeah, that's pretty much what I expected," she grumbled. "Look..."
Sighing again, she pushed her glasses up, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Look," she said again, more firmly. "If you lose tomorrow, I'm going to go to Riddle myself and talk to him about at least taking Grim's collar off."
"WHAT?!" Ace blustered, jumping up out of his seat and gesturing angrily.
"Why?! Traitor! Are you SERIOUSLY gonna--"
"SHUT UP," she snapped, standing up herself and moving towards him. "Shut. UP. Shut UP! Do I have to remind you of my situation here?! The only way I get to stay here is by working together with THIS little thing--"
She pointed behind her at Grim, still on the couch and looking at her in obvious shock.
"...And attend this school to study magic! Plus, I ALSO still want to find a way home AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. This place is my best shot at doing that. Okay?!"
Ace had shut his mouth, stepping back and going a little pale as she yelled.
"...O-Okay," he managed after a second. "Sorry."
Kat sighed, rubbing her face again and plopping tiredly back down on the couch.
"...Sorry, bud," she muttered after a moment, turning to Grim and stroking his head a few times. "Didn't mean to call you a 'little thing', I was just kinda worked up."
He nodded, relaxing a little but still staring at her in that distinctive, wide-eyed 'startled cat' way.
She turned back to the other two.
Ace sat back down gingerly, avoiding her gaze. Deuce looked almost as shocked as Grim, sitting statue-still like he was trying to camouflage himself.
"...I'm hoping, since I'm technically head of THIS dorm--"
She waved her hand vaguely around the room.
"He'll listen to me... Plus, it's not like Grim's even under his jurisdiction, technically speaking. As for you two..."
There was a long pause as she thought.
".....Ugh," she grumbled after a second, bending over and bonking her forehead against her knees.
"I don't know.... I literally don't know. I guess you can stay here until you figure out what the hell you're gonna do..."
"...Thanks, Prefect," she heard Deuce mutter awkwardly, followed by a barely-audible "Thanks..." From Ace.
She grunted in response, keeping her head down for a few more seconds.
Then she sat back up, pushing her glasses up and rubbing her face.
"....I'll be coming with you guys tomorrow," she informed them. "Not particularly sure why, but I feel like I've come this far, so I might as well see it through."
Standing up, she stretched, yawning.
"Okay.... I'm gonna go to bed early to avoid any more social interactions. You guys can go get dinner without me..."
"O-Okay," Deuce said, nodding and giving her a concerned look.
"Are you okay, though? Is anything wrong?"
Kat yawned again, waving a hand dismissively and heading towards the stairs.
"Yeah, I'm fine... I'm just an introvert. We got yelled at a bunch today, and had a bunch of difficult conversations.... I'm fucking tired, dude. Lock the door when you decide to turn in, and don't get into any fights while I'm trying to sleep, okay? Goodnight."
" 'Night," Ace grumbled, getting up and rolling his eyes.
"Goodnight, Kat," Deuce agreed, nodding, and Grim hopped off the couch, grinning and waving.
" 'Night!" He called up to her. "Since you're not comin' to the cafeteria for dinner, that means I can take an extra serving, right? Right?"
"Sure thing," she smiled, waving again and going into the bedroom.
************************************
Kat wasn't really sure how long it took for her to fall asleep.
She lay in the bed, eyes closed and thoughts all colliding with each other to create a sort of mental white noise.
She heard the door open and close twice, about twenty minutes apart, so the others had probably gone out to dinner and come back...
Then there was a short, muffled argument, ending with the 'whump!' of a couch cushion slamming into another person and a few hissed profanities.
Eventually, though, she drifted off into that warm state of almost-unconsciousness....
And then into another dream.
Once again, the mirror shimmered and pulsed, and she descended into another monochromatic vision.
She heard the voice before anything else. It was that same little girl's voice, fading in from the blackness.
"--As for you, Your Majesty... 'Your Majesty', indeed!"
Damn, okay, she sounded pissed....
The British accent, or at least the prim-and-proper one, was definitely good for absolutely ripping into people like this.
The rest of the scene faded in soon after.
This--- wasn't the hedge maze anymore.....
It looked like a-- like a courtroom?
Yeah, a courtroom....
One of the fancier kinds, like the Ace Attorney one, not the modern kind with the metal booth and library carpeting.
As the shapes and outlines grew clearer, the little girl's voice continued to speak. Eventually, Kat could actually see her.
She was standing in the defendant's box or whatever that thing was called, pointing and talking angrily to the looming judge's podium.
"Why, you're not a QUEEN!" She scolded, stomping one foot in a very huffy, but well-mannered ojou-sama way.
"You're nothing but a fat, pompous, bad-tempered old ty--"
The person presiding over the courtroom, in the judge's podium, finally came into view.
It was the Queen of Hearts.
Batting her eyelids, she propped her chin on the back of her hands, looking down with an icily venomous smile, the kind that was the bane of all service workers' existence.
"...Tyrant," the girl trailed off, face going pale as she drew back slightly.
The Queen gave a long, nasty chuckle, still with that patronizing smile on her face.
"And... erm, what were you saying, my dear?" She cooed, leaning forward a little to loom even more over the poor kid.
Hang on... Had her crown changed?
It looked like it...
It had one of the big, poufy things on it now, whatever those were called.
The black-and-white 'filter' glitched slightly again, and it gleamed like purple velvet.
Then like purple fur.
The poofy crown cap-thing unfurled into a whole-ass cat. It was a long-haired and extremely fluffy one with a wide, flat face, like some kind of Maine Coon-Persian-British Shorthair mix.
It sat up 'like a people', folding its front legs over its chest and grinning a wide, mischievous grin.
The Queen didn't seem to notice, though.
Girl, there is a whole-ass cat on your head. Can you even feel it?
"Why-- she simply SAID that you're a fat, pompous, bad-tempered old TYRANT!" It announced with a laugh.
Its eyes almost rattled around in its head as it flicked its long, raccoon-striped tail.
The Queen took a deep breath, her chest actually inflating like an opera singer's.
Then she bellowed, loud as a foghorn and with such force that Kat was pretty damn sure she saw some dust fall from the ceiling.
"OOOOOOOOOOOFF WITH HER HEAD!!!!"
A roar went up from the assembled rows of card soldiers lining the room.
As one, they all surged forward, launching into the air and raining down towards the little girl.
She flinched and gasped, clapping both hands over her mouth.
The falling cards filled Kat's line of vision like some sort of bullet-hell video game. Even through the deafening roar of shouting cards, she thought she could hear a high-pitched, cartoonish male voice.
"YOU HEARD WHAT HER MAJESTY SAID! OFF WITH HER HEAD!"
Rapidly, darkness faded in, like steam gathering on a mirror.
That's awful... Jesus, the poor kid....
....Somebody should've done something a long time ago.
Way, way before it ever came to-- to this...
Then Kat jerked awake with a gasp, eyes flying open.
Her heart was racing, she felt like she was drenched in sweat, and for some reason she couldn't breathe properly....
It felt like there was something heavy sitting on her chest.
Oh god, is this my first bout of sleep paralysis?
It took her a second to realize that, no, it wasn't.
A pair of big, blue feline eyes stared back at her, with an eager smile curling the gray, fuzzy mouth.
"Ah-- hey, you're finally awake!" Grim grinned down at her.
He was sitting on her chest, staring down at her around the rim of the collar.
"....I am now," she replied flatly, covering her mouth as she yawned. "And don't you quote Skyrim at me..."
Grim frowned, flicking an ear.
"What?" He asked, looking puzzled.
Kat shook her head.
"Nevermind..."
Grabbing Grim and moving him off of her, she sat up, fumbling for her glasses on the bedpost.
"What's--"
The door burst open.
Ace was standing there with his hands on his hips, dressed in full Heartslabyul dorm attire.
"Well? What are you waiting for?!" He demanded, scowling impatiently. "It's duel-day, remember?! Come on-- let's get a move on!"
Kat blinked.
She exchanged a look with Grim, then turned a flat, disappointed expression to Ace.
"...Get out," she said, picking Grim up by the scruff of his neck and dropping him on the floor.
"Both of you. Now."
Ace frowned.
"Huh?"
She kept looking at him with that same expression.
Eventually, the gears finally clicked into place, and a look of dawning horror started rising onto his face.
"OH! R-Right-- shit! Sorry, I-- I didn't-- I mean--"
"Oh my fucking god, just GET THE FUCK OUT ALREADY!" She yelled irritably, sitting up further and grabbing the pillow. "EVERYBODY OUT! RIGHT THE FUCK NOW! OUT!"
Grim yelped, skittering out of the room and into the hall.
Ace closed the door just in time-- the pillow hit it instead of him, sliding to the floor with a soft 'whump' sound.
Grumbling, Kat clambered out of bed, dragging the sheet-covered chair back against the door.
A few minutes and a trip to the bathroom later, she finally descended the steps into the lounge, yawning and rubbing her neck.
"Good morning," she said to the others.
She was wearing her school uniform this time-- she wasn't sure why, since it was Sunday, but it didn't feel right to wear jeans and a t-shirt to an occasion like this. She was also carrying her schoolbag, with a notebook, pencil and the ghost camera inside. Just in case... It made her feel a little better to have something to carry.
"What time is it?"
"Morning, Prefect," Deuce said, giving her a small smile. "Um... Actually, it's more like 'afternoon', since it's about 3:20..."
"Geez," Kat said, shaking her head and blinking in surprise.
"I really slept all that time? Wow... Guess I must've been more drained than I thought."
"Guess so," Deuce agreed, laughing. "You feel better now, though?"
"Meh," she shrugged, wobbling her hand in a 'so-so' gesture. "Better than last night... I'll be okay, don't worry."
Ace shuffled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Hey--"
"Shut up," she told him, rolling her eyes and turning towards the front door.
"Just-- do me a favor, okay? Think at LEAST once before doing anything like that again."
"Right," he muttered as he, Deuce and Grim started to follow her. "I'm sorry..."
Grim insisted on stopping by the cafeteria before they headed to Heartslabyul, and Kat was inclined to agree.
She'd been too tired to go with them to dinner last night, so all she'd eaten yesterday was at the tea party.....
Technically, this was breakfast to her, but it was more like a late afternoon snack.
Instead of sitting down to eat, she grabbed several wrapped pastries, shoving them in her schoolbag along with a couple cartons of milk.
"Here," she said, unwrapping a muffin and holding it up to Grim, lying over her left shoulder. "Don't get crumbs all over me, okay?"
"No promises!" The little creature grinned back, snatching the baked good and licking his lips.
With that, he started chomping noisily.
Shaking her head, Kat looked over at Ace and Deuce.
"Want one?" She asked, proffering a pastry.
They both shook their heads.
"No thanks," Deuce said, holding up a hand. "I'm-- a little bit nervous, so... I don't think I can really eat anything right now."
"Pussy," Ace snorted, strolling along with his hands behind his head.
"But none for me either, thanks. Watching the furball eating's put a damper on MY appetite..."
"Okay," she replied, shrugging and opening one of the cartons of milk.
Ace gave her a sidelong glance as she sipped.
"Gross.... Pre-K, you actually drink milk? Like, straight milk?"
"Sounds like somebody's got weak-ass pudding bones," she replied, wiping her mouth on her hand.
"Don't come crying to me when you're the first one to go down in the Great Skeleton War, Trap Card."
Deuce gave a snort of laughter, putting his fist to his mouth and turning away.
They walked down Main Street, past the statues of the Great Seven.
Kat stopped for a moment, frowning as she looked at the Queen of Hearts.
Hmmm........
A great queen, huh? Who valued order above all else.....
What kind of 'great queen' would casually sentence a ten-year-old to death just for hurting her fee-fees?
....She should probably be wondering why she was having dreams about one of these people...
People who she shouldn't have any clue about, before this.
And such vivid dreams, too....
Another faint, pulsing headache throbbed behind her forehead. She wobbled a little, closing her eyes and wincing.
"Are you okay, Prefect?" She heard Deuce ask worriedly, and she opened them again, shaking her head and looking around.
"Y-Yeah... I'm fine. Sorry... Let's go, guys."
She scarfed down a chocolate croissant as they walked towards the Hall of Mirrors. Crumpling the wrapper, she shoved it in her schoolbag. Then she drained both cartons of milk, doing the same to those, too.
They hurried into the round chamber and up to the Heartslabyul mirror. Ducking through it in quick succession, they reemerged into the realm of the dorm.
There was a buzz of activity already hanging in the air from some unseen source. A few dorm students hurried past, ignoring them and ducking into the hedge maze.
Kat looked around, blinking.
"...Does anyone know where we should go?" She asked after a second.
Deuce shrugged, looking just as unsure as she was.
"I-- I dunno... Maybe we should ask somebody?"
"Well, everybody else seems to know where they're going," Ace said, crossing his arms with a frown. "Why don't we just follow 'em?"
Kat shrugged. "I guess..."
After a second, somebody hurried past them-- the white-haired, rabbit-eared student.
He was carrying a haphazard sheaf of papers on a clipboard and muttering to himself.
"Hey, excuse--" she tried, but the student just scurried past them into the maze without seeming to notice them at all.
The group exchanged awkward glances, then shrugged, following him into the maze.
It wasn't actually necessary to follow him for long, since the buzz of the eager crowd was loud enough to follow after a few twists and turns.
After a while, they stopped in front of the entrance to what Kat was pretty sure was the rose garden they first met Cater in.
She took a deep breath, shaking her head and straightening her shoulders...
As much as she could with Grim still on them, that is.
"Okay... Here goes," she said to Ace and Deuce. "No turning back now..."
Deuce nodded, jaw visibly tightening, and Ace stretched his arms and hands, scowling.
"You just sit back and watch, Pre-K," he said, fists on his hips. "We're gonna teach that conceited little prick a lesson he's not gonna forget in a hurry!"
"You BETTER!" Grim huffed, tail lashing. "Otherwise, I'm gonna be stuck with this dumb collar for even longer!"
Ace stuck his tongue out at him, and Kat shook her head.
"Okay, that's enough from you two... Save it for the duel, okay? Let's just go."
Exchanging glances, Ace and Deuce stepped forward through the opening in the hedge, with Kat bringing up the rear.
The garden was full of people, all wearing the Heartslabyul dorm uniform.
They were standing in a ragged oval around the wide central clearing. Everybody was shuffling around, whispering to each other and making a noise like a beehive.
Kat couldn't help but notice that the amount of collars had almost doubled since yesterday....
Now it was almost one in every three students who was wearing one.
Yikes... Didn't he have a limit? Was magic really that broken?
The noise stopped briefly after they entered, all heads turning to stare at them. Then the anticipatory chatter resumed, and Kat relaxed a little bit.
Crowley was already there, standing in the crowd of students like an oversized crow in a flock of small, flashy songbirds.
Patting Ace and Deuce on the shoulders to get their attention, she jerked her head towards him.
"Let's go," she said over the buzz of the crowd. "He probably knows what you two should do now..."
They made their way gingerly over to him.
He was standing and looking idly into midair, with both his hands resting on the head of his walking stick.
Deuce cleared his throat politely.
"Um-- excuse me, sir," he said, lowering his head in a small bow. "We're here."
"Ah-- Spade-kun! Trappola-kun! And Miss Kat and Grim-kun too, of course!"
Crowley smiled, turning to face them and touching the brim of his hat in greeting. "Welcome! I do hope this afternoon finds you all well."
Kat just shrugged lopsidedly again.
"Eh... Fine, I guess."
"Wonderful!" Crowley beamed, spreading his hands.
Some of the nearby students had to shuffle aside to make room for his gesture, but he didn't seem to notice.
"Well, you've arrived just in time! Now that the challengers are here, this esteemed duel may finally commence!"
"Great," Kat muttered, crossing her arms uncomfortably.
She turned to Ace and Deuce again, sighing.
"Break a leg, you guys," she said, patting them on the arms again.
"Yeah, an' don't even THINK about losing, either!" Grim added, jabbing a paw in their direction. "You better get this lousy collar offa' me, you got that?!"
"Heh!"
Ace grinned darkly.
"Don't you worry that fuzzy little head, furball! We've got a plan, remember?"
Kat looked back and forth between him and Deuce, brows lowering.
"...A plan?" She repeated.
"...Oh, y-you don't have to worry, Prefect," Deuce assured her, waving his hands. "It's not anything bad, okay? We're not going to hurt him or anything."
"Much," Ace added.
Deuce elbowed him sharply in the ribs.
"ACE!" He scolded, jerking his head towards Crowley again.
Ace coughed a little, rubbing the spot Deuce had hit.
"Uh-- j-just kidding, Sensei," he groaned, wincing. "That was just a joke..."
"Hmm," Crowley said, eyeing him suspiciously.
"I see... Well! I suppose there's no harm in a bit of-- of 'trash talk', I believe it's called? As long as you abide by the proper etiquette of the duel, that is."
"Of course, sir," Deuce agreed, nodding emphatically. "We're taking this seriously-- I promise!"
Crowley eyed the pair for a few more moments, then shrugged.
"Oh, very well... Now then! Shall we commence?"
"Right," Deuce agreed, and Ace grunted in confirmation, cracking his knuckles.
"Very well!" Crowley beamed again. Tucking his walking stick under his arm, he stepped forward, walking into the center of the clearing.
He cleared his throat, tapping his walking stick on the ground twice to get the crowd's attention.
"Gentlemen! And... Lady."
He nodded towards Kat, then continued.
"We are about to commence two challenges for the esteemed position of Housewarden, here at Heartslabyul House."
He swept an arm out to the side, indicating the pair of first-years.
"The first challenger is Ace Trappola. The second challenger is Deuce Spade!"
Ace and Deuce stepped forward, with grim, determined expressions.
Crowley continued.
"The current housewarden who will be facing this challenge is... Riddle Rosehearts!"
He swept his arm out to the other side, and Riddle stepped forward imperiously.
"Boooo," Grim called, cupping his paws around his mouth.
Kat bopped him sharply on the head. "Knock it off," she ordered.
Shaking his head, Crowley cleared his throat again, turning to Riddle.
"Now then, Rosehearts-kun... In accordance with the rules of the duel, please remove the magic-sealing collars from your opponents, as they would provide an unfair disadvantage to them."
"Very well," Riddle replied, nodding.
He swished his scepter, and the collars around Ace and Deuce's necks vanished into puffs of white sparkles.
They both flinched a little, shaking their heads as their hands raised to their necks.
"Ugh... Fuckin' FINALLY!" Ace groaned, pounding his shoulder with a fist.
"God, my neck's killin' me from sleeping with that dumb thing for three days straight..."
Deuce grimaced, rolling his head around with a sigh.
"Heh."
Riddle folded his arms. Stepping back, he gave that same cold smile he'd given Grim the night of the ceremony, after he'd dragged him back in front of the Dark Mirror.
"Do take care to enjoy this short-lived moment of freedom while it lasts... You'll be wearing my collar again soon enough, after all."
"Tch... Yeah, we'll just have to see about that," Ace retorted.
Both parties stepped up to the center of the clearing, standing in front of Crowley.
"Really, though," she heard Riddle say through the anticipating silence. "I could hardly believe it when I heard that YOU two intended to challenge me..."
He gave them both a sharp glare.
"You ARE serious about this? This wouldn't be some sort of ill attempt at a... Practical joke, correct?"
"OBVIOUSLY," Ace scoffed, planting his hands on his hips and glaring right back.
Deuce nodded, squaring his shoulders.
"I would NEVER propose this kind of duel as a joke," he agreed, fists clenched.
Riddle looked back and forth between the two of them, then gave a measured shrug.
"Hmph... I see. Do as you please, then. Very well-- let us proceed."
He turned on his heel, twitching his cape aside and walking a few paces away.
Cater emerged from the crowd, jogging over to Riddle with a cheerful wave.
"Hey, hey, Riddle-kun-- it's just about time for tea! What do you wanna do? Wanna put it on hold or something?"
Riddle gave him a sharp look.
"Of course not," he replied. "As the rules state, afternoon tea is to be taken every day at 4 P.M. sharp."
Cater laughed nervously, fiddling with a lock of his hair again.
"Y-Yeah, I know, but..."
He pulled his phone out of his jacket.
"It's already past 3:30..."
Riddle rolled his eyes, turning again and facing Ace and Deuce.
"Do you fear that I will be late? Please... You know better than to underestimate me, Cater. However, you do raise an excellent point... It would be wise to end this promptly."
Nodding, Cater scurried back to the sidelines, tucking his phone away again. He stood next to Trey, who was actually pretty close to Kat, on the other side of where Crowley was just standing.
Riddle planted his feet, raising his head and pulling his shoulders back.
"As you can see, I have little time to waste," he proclaimed, voice carrying over the quiet buzz of the watching crowd.
"Rather than delaying needlessly by facing my opponents individually..."
He raised his scepter, pointing it at Ace and Deuce.
"...I shall take on both at once."
This prompted a cheer from the watching dorm students, jumping up and down and all shouting at once like a sports crowd.
"YEAH! LET'S GET 'EM! GO, DORM LEADER!"
"PUT THESE NOOBS IN THEIR PLACE!"
"KNOCK 'EM DEAD, SIR!"
Kat winced, hunching her shoulders.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Trey shake his head, pulling the brim of his hat down and looking away.
"Rrrrrr.... Dangit!" Grim grumbled, hunkering down on her shoulder with his tail lashing. "How come they're rootin' for this guy all of a sudden, huh?!"
"Mmm," she agreed, nodding and raising her hands to her ears.
Geez... Did these guys just wanna see violence that bad?
Riddle turned to Crowley, giving a small bow.
"Headmaster," he called over the sound of the enthusiastic crowd. "Would you be so good as to give us the signal?"
Crowley nodded.
"Very well, Rosehearts-kun."
He stepped back to the edge of the 'field', resuming his place between Kat, Trey and Cater.
He clicked his clawed fingers, and an ornate hand mirror fell into his hand with a burst of sparkles.
Kat clutched nervously at the front of her shirt.
Oh god... This wasn't going to go well, she could FEEL it. Oh no...
"Gentlemen!" Crowley announced, raising his voice over the increasingly excited crowd.
"Once this mirror that I have dropped shatters upon the ground, that will be your signal to begin. Understood?"
Both parties nodded.
"Excellent," Crowley said. "Very well then.. Ready..."
He raised the mirror high, and it caught the sunlight, gleaming bright silver.
Then he opened his fingers.
Kat had always assumed that seeing things in slow motion was hyperbole, but no... She watched the mirror tumble end over end, still catching the light with blinding flashes.
Then it hit the lawn, sending shards of mirror showering through the air with a loud crash.
"BEGIN!"
_______________________________________
Again with the Karen of Hearts joke.
She wants to speak to Alice's manager.
It's finally almost time.
...Oh, no.