Twisted Wonderland

A Surprise Tip

You find Deuce and Ace sitting by the rose bushes and Grim angrily trying to get the collar off. Upon leaving Heartslabyul, your dress returns back to your school uniform. You approach the guys as they look up, surprised to see you.

"Y/N, you're back!" Deuce gets up and runs over to you.

He wraps his arms around you in a tight hug, nearly toppling you over. You return the hug nonetheless.

"Are you okay Deuce?"

Ace steps beside you. "He was all worried about you being stuck with the housewarden."

Deuce retreats from your embrace looking quite flustered. "Sorry, I could only think about how to bust you out."

You let out a small laugh. "I'm okay guys, nothing bad happened to me."

Deuce sheepishly laughs, "Yeah I can see that now."

"Sure you're okay but I'm stuck with this stupid collar again!" Grim says as he walks to you.

Ace lets out a groan of frustration and kicks at the grass. "I hate that little ginger megalomaniac! Does he think HE's the Queen of Hearts?"

Deuce shakes his head. "Banished by the housewarden from my own dorm. My dream of becoming an honor student is slipping further and further away."

"Stupid collar! It's so tight!" Grim growls as he struggles with his own collar.

A chuckle comes from behind you. "You're really racking up those collars. Quite the impressive collection."

You whirl around and crash into Ace upon seeing a smiling floating head. Ace holds onto your shoulders to steady you but clings on, seemingly frightened from the strange appreciation.

Grim leaps onto your shoulders to hide in your hair. "Myah! A ghost head!"

"Oh dear. It seems I'm not all here." The rest of the stranger slowly appears. You see he has short, choppy purple hair with his bangs cut in a curve, as well as three bobby pins pinned to the bang on the left side of his face. He has a pair of purple cat ears with a couple piercings on both of them and has yellow, cat-like eyes. He wears a baggy white button up over a striped purple t-shirt and blue pants, He has purple painted nails and wears a couple rings along his fingers. He also has a long, bushy tail that has purple stripes.

Deuce's eyes are wide with shock. "What? Er, so you do have a body, then? Who are you?"

The stranger only laughs. "The name's Artemiy Artemiyevich Pinker. Am I a cat? Am I a purrrson? A mimsy borogove, perhaps? A mome rath with a knack for magic?"

Ace lets go of your shoulders and steps beside you, "Uh, look, Ar... Arte... Run the name by me again?"

"People usually just call me Che'nya." He chuckles. "Let's just say I'm not from the other side of the looking glass."

Che'nya looks to you, a curious smile playing on his lips. "But it looks like you are."

You tilt your head curiously, trying to recall if you've seen Che'nya in school. "What dorm are you from?"

Che'nya laughs and tilts his head like you did. "Why don't you try to guess?"

Grim peers from his hiding spot. "Oh, I know! He's got animal ears, so he's gotta be from... uh... Bananaclaw, was it?"

"Bzzzzzt! Incorrect." Says Che'nya. "Bananas grow on trees, do they not? I, on the other hand, am a cat."

Deuce shakes his head. "And besides, other dorms have students with animal ears, too."

Ace rolls his eyes. "After the insanity that teapot tyrant put me through, I'm not in the mood for whatever this is. Just leave me alone."

"Riddle the teapot tyrant," Che'nya chuckles."Well, I can't dismiss that perspective as wrong. He's always been quite strict."

"Do you know something about him?" Deuce asks.

Che'nya tilts his head the other direction. "Perhaps there are things that I know, and perhaps there are things that I don't."

Grim glowers. "That's not an answer!"

"Is there something you wish to know about Riddle?"

Ace folds his arms. "Yeah, what created such a control freak?"

"I believe his four-eyed friend may have the answer." Che'nya puts his arms behind his back.

Deuce puts a hand to his chin. "Four-eyed friend? You mean Trey?"

Che'nya nods. "He's known Riddle since we were all little boys. If you want to know more about Riddle, I would begin my quest there"

"They're childhood friends?" Deuce scratches his head. "I didn't really get that impression."

"If you're so perceptive, then what are you asking me for? Buh-bye!" Before your very eyes, Che'nya fades and disappears.

Deuce takes a step back. "H-hey!"

You only hear Che'nya's laughter echoing around you. Grim shakes his head.

"I tell ya, no one makes any sense around here."

Deuce sighs. "Well, we're not going to be able to do much in the way of schoolwork with these collars on. So let's go see what Trey has to say, and then..."

Ace glowers. "If you're gonna say apologize to Riddle, you can forget it!"

"Let's just see where we could find Trey on his down time." You say.

Riddle stands above a cowering student in the Heartslabyul dorm foyer. Riddle glares down at the trembling student.

"The Queen of Hearts's rule 249: Flamingo caretakers are to don pink attire. It was supposed to be your turn to feed the flamingos today. Why aren't you wearing pink?"

"I'm sorry, Housewarden. My pink clothes were in the laundry... Please, sir, not the collar!"

"This is your second rule violation. I cannot forgive a repeated offense. Off With Your Head!" Riddle waves his pen and a collar appears on the student.

"Gaaaaaaah!"

"Write me a five thousand word apology and weed the garden for one week, and I'll remove it."

"But-"

"Do you think I enjoy having to do this?" Riddle towers over the sobbing student. "You're the one who broke the rules! As much as I would like to, I cannot ignore these infractions. It's for your own sake, understand?Trey? Cater? Remove him from the premises."

"...Yes Housewarden."