Beauty & The Beasts (Twisted Wonderland x Reader)

Stampede -37-

"Hey, wake up." A voice called out as they gently began shaking you to wake up. You squinted your eyes at the sudden light before the silhouette of fluffy hair and wolf ears appeared over you. "Jack?" You mumbled before sitting up, now seeing the male was in his PE uniform.

Grim looked up. "Huh? What are you doin' in our dorm?" He questioned. Jack's cheeks dusted a light pink as he quickly turned away from both your gazes. "I'm on my morning run. Today's the day of the Spelldrive tournament, and I-I, uhm, wanted to make sure you didn't mess everything up by oversleeping!" He said sternly.

The cat immediately jumped up with a smirk. "Oh! Yeah, you're right! We gotta catch the bad guys so they'll squeeze Ramshackle House into the tournament as a reward!" He exclaimed. You swung your feet over the bed's edge with a grin. "Let's give it our best shot!"

Jack sighed, gently shaking his head. "I'll see ya at the tournament grounds. Don't you dare go back to sleep!" He shouted before turning away and beginning to walk out. Suddenly he stopped, glancing down at the floor. He bent over, picking up a small, red flower petal. He glanced towards the rose on top of the fireplace.

"Nice flower," he commented, "but I prefer cacti. They don't wilt easily. Don't need much water either." You looked over at him before giving the male a sly smile. "Yeah, you seem like a cactus type guy." Jack immediately whirled around to glare at you. "What's that supposed to mean?!" He shouted.

Shrugging innocently, you said, "Nothing. I mean, you do come off a bit prickly, but you're also super cool and strong." You said hopping up from the bed and getting your outfit ready for the day. Jack's face blossomed a dark pink. "W-Wha-! Ah, whatever. J-Just don't be late!" He shouted before quickly leaving the room and slamming the door behind him.

Grim clicked his tongue. "Geez, he really is stubborn." The cat said blankly. You laughed. "I think it's cute." You said in response. Grim looked over. "You don't count. You think Ace is attractive." He said before hopping off the bed and leaving you to change.

Picking up the clean white undershirt, you held it over your reddening cheeks. "Well they are..." You murmured into the fabric.

Meanwhile a group of three walked through NRC's side street as various tents and stands were being setup. A small business-like smile crossed over the middle one's face as he pushed up his glasses. "Hm, excellent attendance again this year. I'll have to check how the kiosks are doing. After all, now that I'm the head of the planning committee, we can't have merchants underreporting their sales, now can we?" He said.

The one to his left gave a small, polite smile, hand over his chest in a gentlemanly way. "Housewarden, everything's ready at the coliseum. The players will begin arriving in ten minutes." He informed calmly. The male in the middle nodded. "Jade, Floyd, excellent work." He complimented.

The twin to his right tilted his head, a bored look crossing over his features. "Hey, Azul, what's the deal? Why do you have the players' procession starting at the east building this year? The paths are so clogged with attendees that it'll be real hard for the players to get through 'em!" He questioned.

Azul simply grinned in response. "That was a special request from a certain client. I'm not privy to ALL the particulars." He replied. Jade raised his eyebrows. "Ah, I understand. So this is related to that magic-boosting potion you were making yesterday." He said.

Floyd's eyes widened. "Wait, you understand WHAT? What does rerouting the players have to do with magic potions?" He asked his twin curiously. The brother simply put a finger to his own lips. "Shhh. Someone might hear us. Lower your voices." He said softly.

The other eel gasped, lowering his frame. "Ooh! Is something shady about to go down?" He said in a tone laced with excitement. Azul shrugged. "That potion is only going to last for about thirty seconds. What could he possibly be plotting, I wonder?" He said with a smirk.