Beauty & The Beasts (Twisted Wonderland x Reader)

Intruders -96-

Note: P stand for Persephone ;)

Sitting down on the couch, Ace planted his index fingers against his mouth, peering at Rook with a thoughtful gaze. "Now that we got that squared away... Something's been buggin' me since you told us all that stuff about Neige," he admitted, "Rook, did you vote for Royal Sword because you knew about all the work he'd put in behind the scenes?" The strawberry blonde asked.

Rook's eyes widened as he quickly shook his head in denial. "Certainly not! The explanation I gave you at SDC was the complete truth. I voted for them because I thought their performance was more magnifique than our own." The blonde exclaimed.

The heart eyed male only narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Are you suuure? You're like this die-hard Neige fanboy and number-two member of his fan club. I can't see how you could be objective." He inquired harshly. Vil scoffed and waved a dismissive hand. "I beg to differ. If anything, Rook was the only person on our team who voted impartially. You knew, didn't you, Rook? You knew our performance was abysmally sloppy compared to our rehearsals."

The Frenchman cringed. "Well..." He started weakly. With a piercing glare, Vil crossed his arms. "Be honest." He prompted.

You watched as Rook deflated in an almost defeated way. "...Oui. I did. My position was in the back, on the left. It was the perfect spot to observe our progress. Your sweat. Your tears. Your smiles! I could see your performance growing more beautiful with every run-through! I was captivated every time we practiced. You all made my heart soar! So I knew immediately that we weren't shining as bright upon that fateful stage," his eyes dropped to the floor, "...It was terribly frustrating. Yet try as I might to compensate for our shortcomings, my body refused to cooperate. I've no doubt it was the same for all of you. We were performing under tremendous strain. Hence, I was forced to concede—"

Standing up, Epel glared at him with a fuming look. "No way, I ain't buyin' it, Rook! You were praisin' us up an' down when we finished! What was it ya said when we came offa the stage? "That was yer best performance yet"? Were you just jerkin' us around?!" He cried.

Realization flooded your face as you sat up. "Oh! That's exactly what he means. It was our best performance yet. Not the best performance." You explained with a little pout.

Vil nodded at your words in agreement. "Y/N's right. Yes, he did say it was a fine performance. But he didn't say anything about it being the most beautiful." He said with a prolonged sigh before continuing, "He'd been watching us from the start, so he knew we hadn't done our absolute best. Which is why he gave us the most generous praise he could, for doing our best under the circumstances. Nevertheless, he couldn't lie to himself and vote for the NRC Tribe in good conscience. Isn't that so, Rook?"

Rook twisted his lips into a strained line before ultimately sighing and nodding his head. "...Your powers of perception are unparalleled, Roi du Poison," he confessed.

The Pomeifore housewarden simply rolled his eyes. "It's not really perception. You've always been terribly candid. Do you remember what you said when we met? We'd never spoken before, yet the first words out of your mouth were... 'Hi there! I caught your show the other day. I've seen you perform-"

Unfortunately, Vil wasn't able to finish his sentence as there was a loud crash before the very ground below you began to shake. You could literally see dust fall from Ramshackle's old support beams. Shock overtook everyone's face as Epel grabbed onto the sofa. "Is it an earthquake?" He cried.

"...No, it isn't," Rook said stiffly, "Everyone, look out the window." You sprang up, running to the window and placing your hands against the frame. Looking towards the sky, you saw giant gray things with blue accents flying around. "What the...?" You mumbled in disbelief.