Thick & Thin [𝓣𝔀𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓦𝓸𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓻𝓵𝓪𝓷𝓭]

Chapter 24

October 28th-
It was finally time for the festivities to begin! Oh my God, have we gone through a train wreck of emotions, sweat, and fiery flowers? But now's the time we can relax, eat, and dance. Of course, I plan to have a dance with Riddle, and I'll tell Azul that he should be third-wheeling this Jamil-and-Allison situation. They're so cute! One's including them and the other's trying to deny the fact they tried helping. It's so sweet!!! And he's comforting her when she gets scared??? OMG, I CAN'T WAIT TO SPILL IT TO THE OTHERS!!!!!

~~~

"Woah!! It's a real ball!"

The students entered the lecture hall to see all of the flowers gone and everyone having a good time. People were laughing, talking, and just enjoying themselves near the corners of the hall. "Well, well, the lecture hall is as good as new," Malleus mused.

"It feels even more majestic than before!" Rook gasped.

Epel sneered, rolling his eyes when no one was looking. "Everyone's wearing fancy outfits like us, too! ... I've still got them all beat though!" Grim laughed.

"The mask looks good on you," Annie said, nudging Grim lightly.

He scowled playfully, gently booping the bunny girl on the nose. Riddle chuckled and twirled his lover, bringing her close for an Eskimo kiss. Allison watched with a smile on her face. "I noticed this yesterday, but having a mask on gives you a different vibe, Miss Bianchi. I think it suits you very well," Malleus said, bowing at Allison.

She giggled, curtsying before him. It was sweet to see them bonding. "I wanted them to recognize me, but I must follow the dress code," Azul muttered.

Jamil, behind a hand, snickered. Boy, he wished to see this. "Masks FTW! It makes it easier for me to disappear into the background," Idia whisper-exclaimed.

"I think ours don't make much of a difference..." Annie added.

The group watched as Malleus walked to the front of them, eyeing each of them. No strands of hair or decals were out of place. "Now, let me take a good look at you all... Dancing with the masks on reminds me of yesterday's Topsy-Turvy Festival," he said.

The girls glanced at one another, remembering the wacky sights from yesterday, and when Allison had become brave enough to dance amidst the people in the crowd. "Ah, yes. People wore masks to the festival to conceal their identities. The festival, huh... It feels like it's been forever since we went," Azul commented.

"Well, we've had a long night," Malleus responded.

Idia sighed. "We already worked our butts off, so what's the point of an IRL gathering...?" he asked.

That's when someone bumped into Idia. His eyes widened. Thankfully, it was just a student from Noble Bell. "Oh, sorry. I wasn't paying attention," they said.

"Eek!! I-i-i-it's alright..." Idia stammered.

As they began walking further into the hall, other students in masks began to acknowledge them, waving to the women and men. "Good evening!"

"I don't think we've met before, but I'm glad to see we both made it out! Let's have some fun tonight!"

"No one can tell who we are with the masks on, too. Let's dance, eat, and have some fun," Jamil said, giving the group a soft grin.

It looked adorable on him, Allison thought. Her tail swayed at the mental image of him smiling. Suddenly, there was a sound. It was like a knife being gently tapped against a glass. Grim's ears perked up as the Night Raven College students looked at the front of the hall, seeing the vice president of NBC. "Thank you very much for coming. Our President has a message before we formally begin," he said, walking away.