"Please, will you marry me?"
"Don't bother lookin' at any other guys. Marry me!"
"Would you give me your hand in marriage?"
"Mon trésor, I implore you to allow me to be your eternally devoted love."
A Few Hours Earlier
You and Grim walk down one of the halls in Ramshackle dorm. You carry cleaning supplies in your arms while Grim kicks at the ground.
"This stinks! I don't wanna do a buncha lousy cleanin'!"
You sigh. "The sooner you stop whining, the sooner it gets done. You agreed to the coin toss and lost, so you have to help."
Grim pouts. "C'mon, one more game, double or nothin'-"
"Now see here!"
You jump at the sudden voice. Grim arches his back, his fur standing in end.
"Myah?"
A ghost materialized. He wears a white uniform and a hat with blue feathers and a sash.
"What are you filthy vermin doing here?"
Grim relaxes. "Oh, it's just one of our usual ghosts..." Grim narrows his eyes. "Wait, no it ain't. This one's sportin' a totally different getup."
"This domicile is the princess's guesthouse. Outsiders are strictly forbidden!"
"What princess?" Grim glowers at the ghost. "And what's this do-mi-seal stuff you're jabberin' about? Fling those fancy words around all you want. This is MY dorm, meanin' YOU'RE the outsider, bub!"
"How patently absurd." The ghost floats closer to Grim. "This manor has belonged to our nation LONG before you rapscallions were born. I'll have to give you a sound drubbing if you refuse to leave!"
Grim smirks. "Oh yeah? There's two of us and only one of you."
Two more ghost appears next to the first ghost. Grim's smirk vanishes. The ghosts float towards you. You scoop Grim in your arms and back up.
"You just had to say something." You roll your eyes at the cat.
The ghosts all chase you down the stairs and to the foyer. You run out the door with the ghosts shaking their fists at you.
"And stay out!" The ghosts slam the door and lock you out.
Grim leaps from your arms. "We just got ousted from our own dorm... What in the name of tuna is goin' on?"
You scratch your head. "They were talking about a princess?"
Grim puts his paws on his hips. "Hey, Y/N! We gotta find the headmage and get him to evict those ghosts!"
You meet with the Headmage in his office. He puts a clawed hand to his chin. "A gaggle of ghosts in white hats took over your dorm and kicked you out?"
"That's right!" Grim throws his paws in the air. "They just showed up and started actin' like they owned the place! Spoutin' off some hoity-toity gobbledygook about a princess too."
"A princess?" Crowley's eyes light up. "Ah, now I see! Your dorm was unoccupied before this year so I didn't address the matter, but... I suppose it's that time of year again."
"What do you mean, again?" You tilt your head. "Do you know something about this?"
"The ghosts who so unceremoniously ejected you from your dorm are the Ghost Bride's retainers." Crowley explains.
"Ghost Bride?" Grim's eyes widen. "What kinda title is that? I can't tell if it's supposed to be swanky or spooky."
"The story is that she's a princess of a kingdom that fell long ago, or some such. She dreamt of marrying a handsome prince. But she tragically perished before that dream could be realized. To this day, her ghost clings to the idea of marrying the perfect prince."
Crowley stands from his desk. "She always comes to Twisted Wonderland around this time of year, searching for a groom. And when she does, she and her retainers use Ramshackle Dorm as their base of operations. Out of all the decrepit, abandoned dwellings in this world, her royal highness picked ours." Crowley moves to stand in front of his desk. "It's really quite the honor."
You glower at the Headmage. "I wouldn't exactly call it an honor."
"We got kicked outta our own home and you're BRAGGIN' about it?" Grim folds his arms. "That ain't right! You gotta show those pompous spooks the door!"
"I'm afraid I can't be bothered-" Crowley clears his throat. "I mean, though I sympathize with your plight, we shouldn't bother them. After all, she is searching for a groom she'll never find."
"Why not?" Grim asks.
"Her qualifications for a perfect prince are, and I quote: At least one hundred and eighty centimeters tall, with an air of nonchalance. Healthy, lustrous skin! Lidded eyes. A charming smile. Bright, shimmering hair. Lips so arresting that you just have to kiss them."
You run a hand through your hair. "Geez."
"There's more, but you get the gist." Crowley continues. "In summary, a preposterously prepossessing gentleman. Her standards are pure fantasy. She'll never find a man in Twisted Wonderland who comes close."
Crowley laughs. "Ramshackle Dorm is the only thing that suffers from her annual flight of fancy. Give her a few days, and she'll give up and leave. It's hardly worth all this brouhaha. I advise you to let it go and find a friend to stay with in the interim."
"You're makin' US find a place to stay?" Grim glares at the Headmage. "Some headmage you are!"
The door bursts open, causing you and Grim to jump.
"HEADMAAAGE!"
A boy runs in, or more like hovers in. The boy looks like a technomantic humanoid with the appearance of a short young boy. His eyes are a bright yellow and around his eyes is a blue coloring that resembles winged eyeliner. He has short, bright blue, fire-like hair. His body appears to be entirely mechanical. His mouth is obscured by a respirator-like mask with a design in the front that resembles a skull's teeth. He wears headphones over where his ears would be. He has a circular opening on his chest, over his heart, with a flickering, bright blue flame inside it.
"Why if it isn't Ortho Shroud of Ignihyde." Crowley tilts his head at the newcomer. "What could've gotten you in such a tizzy?"
"It's an emergency, sir! About Idia!"
When the boy speaks, his mask glows a bright blue. Crowley sighs. "Yes, yes, what about your brother?"
"The thing is... IDIA'S BEEN KIDNAPPED BY GHOSTS!"
Grim leaps onto your shoulder. "WHAT?"
"That's what I'm telling you! Here, I've got some footage to show you." Ortho pulls out a clear tablet and lands next to you. "The campus security cameras recorded it last night."
The Headmage glowers, putting his hands on his hips. "Now, hold on! You can't just hack our security system and access whatever you please!"
Ortho shushes him. "Be quiet! I'm playing it now."
The Headmage comes to watch as Ortho plays the footage. You watch as a boy walks down Main Street. He's super tall and has the same blue, fiery hair as Ortho but this boy has incredibly long hair. He wears a grey, oversized hoodie and has yellow eyes, naturally blue lips, and a similar dark blue coloring around his eyes like Ortho.
"I preordered the latest volume of my favorite manga online, but it didn't come on time! It was the special edition with the autograph card too!" You hear the boy say. "So much for my day one nerd cred. Well, no one's out this late. Might as well hit up the school store and pick up a copy-"
A rustling noise startles him. He looks around wildly. "Huh? Who's there?"
"I've finally... found you..."
A pale ghost with dark blue lips and a tattered wedding dress jumps in front of the boy.
"MY PRINCE!"
The footage cuts out as Idia screams.