Twisted Wonderland

Pop Music Pair

It's finally the day of the audition. You sit with Ace and Deuce on the plush chairs in the Pomefiore lounge. Looking around, there's tons of students gathered, waiting for their chance.

"Myaaah!" Grim surveys from your shoulder. "There's a ton of competition here!"

"There's gotta be like fifty people." Ace scratches his neck.

Next to you, Deuce tenses. "O-oh no, I'm tensing up already. I-I th-think I'm b-blanking out on the song lyrics!"

You place a reassuring hand to his arm. "Hey, it's going to be alright."

"You'll be fine if you just chill." Ace rolls his eyes.

A pair of hands cover your eyes, blocking your vision. "Guess who?"

"Uhhh..." Your mind goes blank.

"It's your boy Cay-Cay!" Cater stands behind you.

He leans over the couch and wraps his arms around you, resting his head on your shoulder. "Ooh, what's this? A2 and the Ramshackle duo? You guys are here for the SDC auditions too, huh?"

"Hey, Cater!" Grim waves. "Yeah, how about you?"

Cater stands and shoots finger guns. "Got it in one. The event's happening at our school, and I hear Vil's gonna be in it this year. What could be cooler than competing on stage against a mega-celeb with five million Magicam followers?"

Ace folds his arms and leans back against the couch. "Deuce took it way too seriously, but you're being way too shallow about it..."

Cater laughs. "I'm pretty sure most people here are like me, actually. Check out Exhibit A over there."

You look to where he's pointing to see Ruggie practicing his singing. "I'm not much of a singer, but I'm sure I can make up for that with my dance moves. I'm taking my share of that fifty thousand thaumark prize!"

"Myah!" Grim scoffs. "Of course he wants the money."

"Ah, hello, Cater. Fancy seeing you here."

You and the boys jump from Lilia's sudden appearance. You take a breath to steady your racing heart.

Lilia chuckles. "A perfect reaction. Heartslabyul students are always so full of vim and vigor."

Cater sighs. "C'mon, Lils, you're gonna give me a heart attack one of these days!"

"I remember you brought me a greeting card." You say.

Lilia smiles and nods. "Indeed I am. Lilia Vanrouge, surprise delivery boy, at your service."

Grim perks up. "Oh yeah, Y/N. You said we got a holiday greeting card from an unknown sender, right? Ain't this the guy right here?"

"Ah, but you'll find that the initials on the card differ from my own." Lilia chuckles. "You'll find out who sent it soon enough."

"Well, could you tell them that I say thank you for the card?" You ask. "I loved it."

Lilia smiles. "Of course."

"So, Lils." Cater speaks up. "Are you auditioning for SDC too?"

"Mhm. I belong to the Pop Music Club, so I would be remiss to sit out on a musical presentation. I invited Malleus to join me, but he declined, claiming he had no desire to be put on display for humans." Lilia waves a hand. "He's a surprisingly shy boy, you know."

Cater plays with a strand of his hair. "I'm... not sure your definition of shy is the same as mine. Gotta give you props for bravery, though. It takes guts to prod a bigwig like Malleus into doing an audition."