Beauty & The Beasts (Twisted Wonderland x Reader)

In the Apple Tree -74-

"Myah, I'm starvin'! It feels like we gotta wait YEARS for lunchtime to roll around on days with morning P.E." Grim yelled as he jumped onto one of the cafeteria lunch tables. Ace rolled his eyes. "What's P.E. got to do with anything? You're always hungry." You huffed a bit, flinching when you moved with your sore legs that felt like gelatin. "Eh... I think he actually has a point. No one's slick like Aston, no one's quick like Aston." You mumbled.

Deuce smiled at you before something caught his eye from behind you. "Huh. There's a crowd gathering near that wall. Let's go see." He said before walking over, ignoring Grim's whines about being hungry. People came and went from the wall where a giant bulletin board hung with various club posters on it. Eventually enough people had walked away so your group could see it.

"Song & Dance Championship..." "...Now accepting auditions...?" Oh, that's the music showcase event at the culture fair." The navy haired male read aloud for everyone. Ace nodded with a random solemn look. "I see it on TV every year. Never knew the competitors on there had to audition, though."

Dramatically, he spread out his arms and began shouting in his best presenter voice. "Dancers! Singers! Come one, come all! This is your shot at the big time! Outshine the rest and be a star! If the team representing your school makes it to the final round... Each member will receive a share of the fifty thousand thaumark prize." He announced.

Your, Deuce, and Grim's eyes widened simultaneously. "Fifty thousand thaumarks?!" You all exclaimed. There was a sudden gust of wind from the figure behind that just swooped in. "That's right! Isn't it just a fabulous prize?!" Crowley inquired with a polite smile and closed eyes.

Grim jumped, claws springing out of his paws as his back arched up like a hissing cat. "GAH! You scared me!" The feline cried before glaring at the headmage.

The strawberry blonde's lip curled up in annoyance. "I know it's a running gag at this point, but could you PLEASE stop popping up out of nowhere, headmage?!" He requested blankly of the headmaster.

Crowley placed a hand on his heart, an insincere frown crossing over his face. "Oh, I beg your pardon. I never meant to frighten you. There's a reason this Song & Dance Championship has such a tantalizing pot up for grabs. There are a number of businesses sponsoring it, you see. SDC is nothing like the Pop Music Club contests you're used to." The man explained. "The finalists get swamped with offers from all manner of entertainment agencies and labels. It's entirely possible to rocket from obscurity to the ranks of the top artists in the land. This isn't merely a matter of school pride—it's a high-stakes music battle with the entrants' future success or failure riding on the outcome. And if we want to attract more elites, we need a sufficiently enticing prize."

Ace held his chin and nodded in understanding. "Ah, I get you. If the sponsors can net a star that lets them basically print money... Fifty thousand thaumarks is a small price to pay." He said with a shrug. Grim rubbed his paws together with a mischievous look. "With fifty grand, I could load up on fancy three-thaumark canned tuna!" The cat cried in excitement.

Holding up a hand, Deuce shook his head. "Hold on. It says that the prize is split amongst the team. So if there was a four-member group, each member would get...uhhh... fifty divided by four... Ten... Thirteen..." The male began, now counting on his fingers while mumbling off numbers to himself.

To save time, you responded for him. "It'd be 12,500 thaumarks." You looked down to Grim and shrugged. "Which would get you over four thousand cans of premium tuna... not saying you should, obviously." Grim leaned back with sparkling eyes, clearly taking your warning with a grain of salt. "Daaang! Four thousand! Ooh, ooh! Y/N! I want in on this competition!" The cat declared with a determined look.