"Hurry and paint the roses red. If we don't hurry, the flowers will wilt!"
A scent of flowers flooded her senses as she saw a large maze garden with red rose bushes in the shape of hearts all through the garden. Looking around, her gaze came upon a small blond girl with a blue dress and white apron running through the garden. The girl looked around in awe until she came upon a small group of cards dancing around a few of the trees with hands full holding a bucket and a paint brush. Their bright and frantic faces was outlined by a black hood as they hurriedly brushed red paint over the white roses. Hoshi reached out in an attempt to call one of them, but her voice did not sound out of her mouth as she watch the Ace of Clubs card frantically shout, "Hurry, hurry! There are still some that aren't painted!"
Painting… the roses?
A little girl called out to him in confusion, "Why are you painting the white roses red?"
The three looked back to see the little girl looking directly at them, "Huh?"
"Why, you ask? Well, to tell you the truth, we made a mistake and accidentally planted white roses." The two of spade card replied nervously.
"The Queen loves red, so if she sees white, then it's off with our heads!" The Ace of hearts replied.
"Is that so?" She looked to them in confusion.
"Yes, it is." The three of clover with an elderly face nodded, "That's exactly why we're painting them red."
A queen who likes red roses so much that their people would even color the white roses red for her due to their own mistake?
Wait a minute, where was she again…?
She looked around in confusion as she slowly began to recall her last location, "If I remember correctly, I was sleeping in the dorm a while ago…"
"Hoshi! Oh dear, Hoshi! Have you fallen asleep again?"
Huh?
She turned around to the sound of the familiar voice, but she was only met with the darkness that quickly overtakes her vision.
"Did you not hear me call for you? Do not tell me that you were distracted again!"
Gah!
The shout left a powerful ring in her ears as the voice grumbled, "Do not attempt to try and gain my favor."
Perhaps her thought process was too strong- No, it was definitely the voice.
Due to the loud roar of the voice, she could feel herself snapped awake from her dream. Surprised, she slowly pulled herself up and muttered, "Just now… It felt like I made myself wake up? What a weird feeling…"
Looking around, she found herself in the cleanest part of the building. A dusty dorm room that she and Grim made a quick sweep of. Enough for slumber. At least, the structure of the building and majority of the furniture remained intact and strong. Even the bedding was in one piece as long as she tossed out the worn sheets and fluffed a cleaner one back up. Perhaps it was this bedding's awkward texture that have left her with a strange and palpable dream?
Hold on...
What was that dream about?
"I feel like I was having the strangest dream…" She muttered. Yet, her words were quickly interrupted by a series of loud knocks against the door from the entrance of the dorm much to her disbelief, "Is someone actually knocking at the door? At this hour-"
As the knocking got aggressively louder, Grim was also woken up with a sleepy yawn, "Myaaah... Hey, Hoshi... I know it's the middle of the night, but I think we've got a visitor."
Suddenly, a thought came to him as his ears perked up alert once again, "Maybe it's those pesky ghosts again? They just don't know when to quit."
"Right. Let me grab my robe." She took her ceremonial robe and drapped it over her ceremonial clothes before following after Grim. Part of her hoped pajamas were provided by the school too. Once again, the mysterious person knocked loudly at the door and even finally found the doorbell the ghost kindly helped them repair, to which he soon abused it!
Faced by the onslaught of loud ringing, Grim and Hoshi shared a look of bewilderment. Grim was clearly unimpressed, "What? Are they planning to break in?!"
Hesitantly, she found a large wooden stick nearby and grabbed it before slowly opening the door, "Hellooo? …Who is it?"
"It's me, Ace! Just let me in, all right?" Ace called out with clear annoyance as soon as he noticed the door opening but was quickly taken aback to see Hoshi easily wielding a giant wooden table leg!
"Holy-!"
Ignoring his surprised gaze, Grim was overcome with relief as he yawned and grumbled sluggishgly, "Ace? It's the middle of the night! B-bwah! That collar!"
Seeing Grim so surprised, Hoshi could also barely trace the outlines of the giant collar around his neck. The same one used to capture Grim while he was shooting his fire everywhere the night prior.
"I can't go back to Heartslabyul House. I'm joining your dorm. For good!" Ace declared much to their bewilderment.
"Myah?! Come again?!"
"What the..." Hoshi muttered in bewilderment. However, as the winds blew outside, she opened the door wider, "Let's talk about it further inside. Just a warning, but the lounge and rooms are still fairly dusty."
As they settle into the lounge, Ace grimaced at the sight of the pile of dust and old furniture. He carefully took a seat on a couch around a table they had cleaned. Seated on the other side, Hoshi lighted a nearby candle holder and placed it on the table. Grim and Hoshi eyed the collar as the weasel grumbled, "I'd recognize that collar anywhere. It's the same one that psycho stuck on me at orientation!"
Recalling the small figure with red hair casting that spell, Hoshi nodded, "What'd you do to get shackled with that?"
Reluctantly, Ace hesitated, "I ate a tart."
"You..." Hoshi glanced at him in confusion, "Ate a tart? …Are you serious?"
"Yeah, that's it! That's all I did!" Ace swore aloud.
Confused, Hoshi thought all of the possibility of how eating a tart could bring trouble enough to get one of these collars. However, she could not think of any! Just what did he do exactly?!
Seeing them not convinced, Ace sighed as he explained, "I was a little hungry, see, so I went down to the dorm kitchen and found some tarts in the fridge. Three whole tarts! Big ones, too! So..."
According to Ace, he found three large tarts inside a refrigerator of their dorm and was certain that it wouldn't be a problem if he took even one slice from one of the strawberry tarts inside. While noting how good it was, he was caught by the dorm leader who became extremely upset and said he broke some rules. Then, he put the collar on Ace!
"And... here I am." Ace finished in an irritated tone.
Silence came over them as Grim was the first to break the silence, "So... The point is you're both terrible?"
"You don't think that it's insane for my magic to get sealed away for eating ONE slice of tart?!" Ace nearly exploded in annoyance and noticed Hoshi's look of confusion, "For a mage, that's like having your arms and legs bound and shackled! And there were three whole tarts! THREE! It's not like he could eat 'em all himself! C'mon, you KNOW this is messed up!"
"I guess...?" Hoshi responded as she pondered to herself, "It does seem a tad extreme."
"What kinda wishy-washy answer is that?!" Ace scowled.
"Yeah, but…" Grim spoke up, "I mean, if there were three of 'em, they were probably for a party. Maybe it was someone's birthday or somethin'? Lookit that! I'm, like, a master detective too!"
"A birthday party, huh...?" Ace pondered.
"That would explain it." Hoshi nodded as the picture came together, "Did you even apologize?"
"Man... I thought you'd be more sympathetic! I'm a victim of the housewarden's tyranny here!" Ace whinned indignantly.
"He may have been a little extreme..." Hoshi nodded before adding, "But, stealing food is a serious offense. Someone probably even spent all day making those tarts for said event."
"Aw, you gotta be kiddin' me!" Ace grumbled aloud in disbelief.
"Tomorrow, go and apologize." Hoshi advised, "If you apologize, I'm sure he'll forgive you."
If she recalls correctly, Heartslabyul follows the teachings of the Queen of Hearts. If so, they would follow the beliefs and practice of the queen and her practice. If the dormleader mirrors this figure, he should be following her rules and morals... Right?
Despite thinking this, she could feel a sense of great hesitation in her mind. Perhaps, there's a chance that this is not the case? After all, he went as far as to collar Ace for eating a tart. Couldn't he have just told Ace to make another one?
She wanted to ask Ace, but then she remembered that this is only his first day on campus as well as hers. If they all arrived on orientation at the same time, then this would be their second day at school. She paused.
Their second day at school and Ace already wants to change dorms as if they did not barely saved themselves from being expelled...
"You don't go messin' with another man's meal..." Grim began to lecture him when he paused and his eyes widen upon realization, "Hey, wait a minute! I just realized I never got those cans of tuna the headmage promised me!"
She paused in surprise, "Ah."
"All right, all right. Fine. I get that I should apologize." Ace relented in defeat and pointed at her as he declared, "But you're coming with me, Hoshi. This was your idea, after all."
"Fair enough." She nodded without hesitation. It was weird to ask her to accompany him for an apology, perhaps he has the cold feet? Looks like he still needs a hand to guide him through the steps of an apology…
"Anyway, you got a place for me to crash tonight?" Ace brought up casually.
"You were serious about that?" Grim looked to him in dismay, "Outside of the bedroom me and Hoshi use, this entire dump is buried under a foot of dust. So if you wanna crash, you better start cleanin'!"
"Dude, no way! I hate cleaning!" Ace groaned and actually looked to her pleadingly, "I-I'm real slim! I won't take up much space!"
What was he talking about now?
"…"
After a brief moment, she frowned as it dawned on her what he was probably about to say and folded her arms with a plastered smile across her face and a cold yet polite voice, "Allow me to introduce you to the lounge sofa."
"Tch. You're about as flexible as a brick..." Ace pouted and turned his face away from the warm light of the candle, "Well, fine! The sofa it is..."
He took off his coat and threw it over his shoulders as he slumped onto the sofa he was sitting on.
"Night!" He called out and turned around.
Seeing him so relaxed, Hoshi and Grim glanced at one another in bewilderment before taking the candle holder and leaving the lounge.