Chapter Text
“A school wide family weekend?” Riddle asked in confusion, crossing his arms.
“You have got to be joking.” Leona hissed from his chair in the corner.
“I am afraid not, my dear students!” Crowley said with a joyous laugh.
“I don’t truly understand. What actually is this event? What is expected of us as the heads and of our dorms?” Vil asked curiously.
“Why! It’s quite common at other schools! They host a huge weekend long event where families are welcome to stop by and explore the school and dorms! Why doesn't it sound magical?” Crowley said.
“It sounds like someone needs more donations.” Azul said with a smirk.
“And to convince parents not to pull their kids out.” Leona muttered.
“Mr. Ashengrotto! Mr. Kingscholar! I am simply opening our doors to the public and giving them a chance to see how wonderful we are! Whatever happens during the event is purely by chance.” Crowley said with a scowl.
“We have had parents stop by to see the dorms before. We host those events at the start of the year. So, why are we making it such a big deal now?” Riddle demanded.
“It’s just one big party right! It sounds like fun! I can’t wait to show all my siblings the dorms!” Kalim said with excitement.
Jamil, the only vice allowed in, sighed and rubbed his eyes.
“Kalim, please. Focus.” Jamil muttered.
“Ok, if we are putting this together, what is our timeline? How long do we have?” Vil demanded.
“Hmmm, the end of the month?” Crowley said nervously.
“WHAT!” the group yelled as the Headmage cowered.
“C-Come now everyone! If we all come together, I am sure we can pull it off… and by we, I mean you! Because I am much too busy to help and so are the other staff, so please come together and elect someone to be in charge by the end of the meeting today so we can get this planning started!” Crowley said.
“Asshole!” Leona hissed.
“This is a ridiculous timeline! Absolutely impossible! Between getting all the supplies and food, setting up stalls, coordinating students and staff, you are asking for a miracle!” Riddle snapped.
“A miracle that can come true if you all work together! Besides, the invitations have already been sent out.” Crowley replied.
“Well, what is in it for us?” Azul demanded as the others agreed.
Crowley huffed. The nerve of these students!
“Very well, if you are so insistent, how about this? If you are able to make this weekend a success, I will continue to keep the overblot incidents under lock and key. How does that sound?” Crowley said smugly.
Most of the heads grumbled in annoyance, but agreed in the end. With that, they started to go around and decide on what dorms would focus on what. Heartslabyul would be focus on treats and sweets, Octavinelle would be food and food stalls, Savannaclaw would focus on entertainment (including, Leona said with a smirk, a mini Spelldrive tournament to make up for the other one), Scarabia would be in charge of music with Ignihyde as technical support, Pomefiore on decorations while Diasomnia would finish it out with hospitality and general school history. By breaking it down, they had a better understanding of how much they had to do.
“Alright, so who’s going to DM this session?” Idia asked from his tablet.
Everyone looked at Azul and Riddle automatically, both of whom blinked.
“Absolutely not! Heartsabyul will be in charge of the sweets, which will take a lot of preparations, time and focus. We will be much too busy for me to step away.” Riddle replied.
“This will be an incredibly busy time for the Lounge as well. I would be a moron to step away from it.” Azul said.
Everyone turned to Jamil.
“Absolutely not.” Jamil replied, giving no additional information, but everyone knowing better than to ask.
The group looked around and Leona rolled his eyes.
“I vote for Vil.” Leona said after a moment.
“Huh? Why me!” Vil demanded.
“Actually, that makes a lot of sense.” Azul stated.
“Since his dorm is decorations, it would make sense for him to be in charge of it all.” Jamil said.
“Yeah, Vil’s been to these big fancy events before. So he knows how they work.” Leona said with a smirk.
“Leona!” Vil hissed.
“I second the motion.” Riddle said.
Vil watched in horror as everyone voted for him before he sighed and rubbed his eyes.
“Fine! Fine. I will take on this job, but I will need help. Rook and I can handle the planning, but we will need bodies, people we can rely on to get things done. So, start naming names of students you all are willing to give up.” Vil demanded.
“I don’t know if there are enough students. Each dorm will need all hands on deck.” Azul stated.
“I know Savannaclaw won’t be able to give anyone up.” Leona said.
“I am only one person, people! I will need lackeys! People to do all the small tasks and communicate between the dorms!” Vil snapped.
A light seemed to go off above Riddle’s head.
“Oh, then I have the perfect person for you.” Riddle said with a smirk.
Vil paused and then scowled.
“Anyone BUT him.” Vil demanded.
“You need as many hands as you can get, Vil. I don’t think you have a right to complain.” Riddle replied.
“I need someone reliable.” Vil stressed/
“You don’t get more reliable than Cater. He has never let me or the dorm down.” Riddle said with a huff of annoyance.
“I need someone who can multitask.” Vil continued.
“Cater is amazing at multitasking. There is a reason he is in charge of setting up the Unbirthday Parties. Plus his signature spell makes multitasking a breeze.” Riddle replied.
“I don’t need a slacker!” Vil said coldly.
Riddle scowled.
“Cater understands when a situation is serious and he needs to buckle down. He has always delivered on his promises.” Riddle stood his ground.
Vil looked like he was going to blow a gasket before he sighed.
“Fine. I will take… Cater on to my team. But if he causes any issues with my plans, I will kick him out! I do not have time for his nonsense.” Vil said coldly.
Riddle rolled his eyes.
“You have no idea how hard Cater works. Half of our Unbirthday Parties would never get off the ground without his help. Just give him a chance and he will surprise you.” Riddle replied.
“I will believe it when I see it. Please ask Cater to meet me at the Pomefiore dorm tomorrow after classes. We have a lot to do and little time to do it.” Vil said before he got up and swept his way out of the room.
Riddle just shook his head.
–sSs–
Vil stood outside the Pomefiore dorm and scowled. Today was the day and Vil was really not looking forward to it. He had been up all night, thinking and planning on how to get everything done and he had ended up with a very strict plan and timeline to get it all done.
“If Cater messes up even once, he is out.” Vil muttered.
A chuckle came from his left and Vil scowled at Rook.
“My Beautiful Vil. Monsieur MagiCam will not let you down. I am sure of it.” Rook said sweetly.
“Speak of the devil.” Vil muttered as Cater appeared.
“Yo! Vil! Rook! Good afternoon!” Cater said, waving.
It was clear he had come right from class, bag still over his shoulder, so at least he hadn’t kept Vil waiting. It was a step in the right direction, for now anyway.
“Cater. Let’s get this over with.” Vil said, turning on his heel and heading into the dorm.
“Monsieur MagiCam.” Rook said, tilting his hat.
“Rook, my man!” Cater said, clapping Rook on the shoulder as he followed Vil inside.
Inside, Vil stopped in the lounge, where a large map was already laid out. Vil sat in a chair and crossed his arms, eyes narrowed. Cater stopped, looking at him nervously.
“Let me make a few things perfectly clear before this nightmare even begins. Your services were offered to me by Riddle, who swore up and down that you were not only reliable, but hardworking and amazing at multitasking, both skills I desperately need in this trying time, alongside your signature spell. Now, if I had any other option, I would never have picked you, but I didn’t, so here we are.” Vil stated.
“Ouch, Vil. Talk about #buzzkill. I thought you wanted me to help.” Cater whined, twisting a lock of hair.
Vil grit his teeth.
“I don’t want help, Cater, I NEED help and therefore I need people who are actually going to HELP me and not just play stupid games.” Vil replied.
Cater hummed.
“Ok, but like you don’t trust me?” Cater said and Vil huffed.
“No, I don’t.” Vil replied.
“Ah, Roi de Poison. Your words are as sharp as your eyeliner!” Rook gasped, fanning himself with his hand.
“Rook, not now.” Vil stated.
Rook simply smiled and shot him a wink. Cater watched this all calmly, but there was a flash in his eyes that Vil didn’t catch and was quickly dismissed.
“Ok, so what’s the plan? A party can’t be a party without one.” Cater stated.
Vil huffed and pulled out his notes. He laid them out, separating them between each dorm and their focus.
“I am sure you have a basic understanding of what each dorm is doing, but we are in charge of putting it all together and making it all run smoothly.” Vil explained.
“Sure, we are the glue putting it all together. Got it.” Cater replied.
Vil sat back in his seat and then noticed Cater had never sat down.
“Are you going to sit down? Or just stand there the entire time?” Vil demanded.
Cater blinked.
“You never offered me a seat. I figured I had to earn the right first.” Cater replied.
Vil blinked and then flushed, something he quickly covered with a cough into his fist. Rook seemed to think it was very funny based on his chuckle.
“I see, yes. Please, take a seat.” Vil said.
Cater flashed a thumbs up and promptly sat on the floor. Vil blinked and leaned over to see Cater was pulling something out of his bag. It looked like his phone. Vil huffed.
“Please put your phone away. We need to focus.” Vil demanded.
Cater paused, phone in hand. He looked like he wanted to argue, but decided against it and put his phone back. Vil nodded and settled back.
“Now, while this is the first time an event like this is being held school wide, each dorm does handle a much smaller event every year for new students and their families, so many of my ideas are coming from that and just magnifying them on a larger scale. I have brought out my notes from this year as well as last year’s event. I will be reaching out to the other dormheads to see if they have anything similar. I highly doubt Leona does, but perhaps Ruggie will.” Vil explained.
“I know Riddle does. He gave Trey and I copies at the start of the year. If you want…” Cater was cut off.
“Cater.” Vil snapped and Cater stopped talking.
“You are here to be my legs, hands and ears. Nothing more. I do not need your input and quite honestly, I don’t want it.” Vil said coldly.
Cater stared at him before swallowing and nodding.
“Right… got it.” Cater muttered.
Vil huffed and went back to his notes.
“Now, I got this map from the Headmage. It’s a little… old… but it will work for what we need it for.” Vil said with annoyance.
The map was very old, worn and even had what looked like coffee stains on it? Just looking at it, it didn’t have any of the more recent buildings and it looked like it still had the Ramshackle Dorm as an active dorm and not the hot mess it was now. Vil had put little post-it notes where new buildings were and where the campus had changed. It was a mess, to say the least.
“Roi de Poison, we don’t have a more recent one?” Rook asked curiously.
“Not one I could find. The only one in the school that is up to date is hanging in the main hall and the Headmage refused to let me touch it. Apparently it’s one of a kind or something.” Vil said with a huff.
Rook frowned and crossed his arms.
“Maybe one of the other dorms has one?” Rook asked.
“Actually…” Cater was cut off by a glare from Vil.
“I don’t have time to go to all the other dorms and check. We are going to have to make due.” Vil stated.
Cater winced and looked down. It looked like he wanted to say something, but didn't want to get under Vil’s skin.
“Now, to start with, we need some kind of theme. Something to tie everything together.” Vil said as he pulled out a list.
He handed the list to Rook while Cater sat there.
“Hmm, a very interesting list, but I fear most of these themes would be too hard to pull off by the end of the month.” Rook said, tilting the paper so Cater could see it as well.
“It was the best I could come up with on such short notice.” Vil said with a huff.
Rook hummed and turned back to the list before one caught his attention, at the very bottom.
“Kings and queens?” Rook asked.
“Yes, most of the Great Seven were kings or queens of their own kingdoms. If not, then they had some tie to royalty. I believe since we have royalty in our dorms, it could work. Besides, there is a certain furball that will absolutely despise the idea and that… well that just makes me smile.” Vil explained.
“Oh, how clever! Yes, I believe that could work!” Rook said with delight.
“I like it.” Cater said and Vil huffed.
“How wonderful. I am so thrilled to have your approval.” Vil said with sarcasm.
Cater winced.
“With that settled, let us get started.” Vil leaned over the map and they got to business.
Vil paid close attention to what Cater did the whole meeting. He seemed interested at times, but others, it seemed like he was off in his own world. He would often tap his fingers or play with his hair, something that was driving Vil quietly mad. By the end, Vil all, but shoved Cater out the door and leaned against it.
“That was awful.” Vil groaned.
“Is that so?” Rook asked as he looped his arm with Vil’s and pulled him towards the kitchen.
“He’s just so… ugh! How am I supposed to put up with him for the next four weeks!” Vil said with annoyance as he dropped into a chair.
Rook hummed thoughtfully as he started making some tea.
“What was that for?” Vil asked.
“My Beautiful Vil, your very unbeautiful side was showing.” Rook stated.
“Excuse me!” Vil snapped as Rook placed some tea and crumpets before him.
Rook watched him eat and drink before speaking, his tone serious.
“Vil. You treated Monsieur MagiCam horribly. You did not let him speak and when he did, you cut him off. Even when he was supporting your ideas, you tore him down. That was not very beautiful of you.” Rook stated.
Feeling like he was being lectured a bit, Vil got his back up.
“He is completely unbearable.” Vil replied.
“Dearest Vil.” Rook said sternly.
“Rook.” Vil replied with annoyance.
Rook sighed and shook his head.
“My Dear Vil, you realize that you really do not have a lot of choice right now. Monsieur MagiCam is the only one we have been offered and he is all we will get. So, we need to make sure to keep him. If you continue to act this way, I am sure he will speak to Roi de Roses and that will be it.” Rook stated.
Vil frowned. When he put it that way… Vil sighed and rubbed his eyes.
“I am going to have to play nice with him, aren’t I?” Vil muttered.
“If you wish this to go smoothly… yes.” Rook replied.
“Oh Great Seven.” Vil sighed.
–sSs–
Cater made it back to the dorm slowly. The first meeting had gone about as well as he thought it would, which was not at all. He sighed as he entered his dorm room and flopped down on the bed. Trey, sitting at his desk, finished his homework and closed his textbook before turning around, giving Cater a moment of silence to relax.
“Rough meeting?” Trey asked.
Cater groaned loudly.
“He treated me like dirt under his shoe, Trey. I mean I wasn’t even allowed to talk!” Cater said, throwing up his hands.
“Seriously?” Trey asked.
“#forreal.” Cater replied.
Trey winced and stood up. Walking over, he knelt by Cater’s side.
“Hey. Are you going to be ok?” Trey asked.
Cater turned to him and smiled, despite the fact that his eyes were suspiciously wet.
“I’ll be ok. Heaven knows he’s not the first.” Cater said sadly.
Trey frowned and leaned back on his heels. He seemed to be debating with himself before he spoke.
“Have… you asked her yet?” Trey asked and Cater chuckled.
“What’s the point? She never came to any other events, so why would she bother with this one?” Cater rolled his eyes.
Trey winced and rubbed the back of his neck.
“I see… listen, you don’t have to help him, you know.” Trey stated.
“You heard what Riddle said, Trey. Vil needs extra help. And I don’t want to let anyone down. Riddle offered my services and I am going to prove to Vil I can be valuable.” Cater said with a smile.
“Ok, if you say so, but don’t let him push you around. You are not his plaything or his lackey.” Trey said with a small smile.
Cater chuckled, but didn’t reply and Trey was worried. Sighing, he stood up and stretched.
“I’m gonna hit the showers. If you want to talk more, just let me know.” Trey said.
“Yeah, yeah, no worries. I’ll be fine.” Cater said, waving him off.
Trey left and Cater’s smile dropped.
Drip
–sSs–
The next day, Cater was in the cafeteria when Vil and Rook approached his table.
“Hey guys. What’s up?” Cater asked as he swallowed his mouthful.
Vil made a face before sighing and sitting down. Rook shot him a look and Vil frowned.
“I wish to… apologize for how I acted yesterday.” Vil said, but he looked like he swallowed a lemon.
Cater blinked before smiling and laughing.
“Hey, no worries! I totally get it!” Cater said brightly.
Vil, who had expected Cater to be more upset or angry, seemed startled.
“Oh… are you sure?” Vil asked.
“Sure, like I know how stressful party planning can be.” Cater said, pointing to his dorm armband.
“Ah, I suppose that is true.” Vil stated.
Rook seemed pleased and with Cater playing it off, Vil felt a bit better.
“With the air cleared, we should get back to planning tonight. We have a lot to do and very little time to do it.” Vil stated.
“Hey! Actually, I need to stop by one of the other dorms. As soon as I am done, I will be right there, ok?” Cater asked and Vil frowned.
“Very well, but please don’t be too late. We do not have time to wait around” Vil said as they got up and left.
“See you later!” Cater said with a strained smile.
Drip, drop.
–sSs–
Vil glared as Rook opened the door and Cater stepped inside, out of the pouring rain. Cater was soaked to the bone and was trailing water all over the place. Rook snapped his fingers, causing magical mops to appear and start cleaning everything up.
“Sorry, sorry! I know I said it wouldn’t take long, but Ortho was asking all kinds of questions and I couldn’t say no to the little dude! He’s so excited about this event.” Cater laughed, shaking off more of the water.
Vil huffed and just turned on his heel as he stormed back to the lounge.
“Yes, well, let’s get started now that SOMEONE is here.” Vil stated with annoyance, leaning over the map again.
Cater winced and followed after him meekly.
“Ah! I swear, me being late is worth it, because I got this!” Cater said, pulling out his phone.
“Cater, again with the phone?” Vil demanded angrily.
“No, no, I swear this is going to make our lives so much easier because tada!” Cater pressed a button, put his phone down on the table and before their eyes, a 3D model appeared.
“What the? What's this!” Vil demanded as Rook stuck his hand through it, rather curiously.
“It’s a 3D model of the campus Idia has been working on and using for Ortho’s servers.” Cater said excitedly.
“Really?” Rook asked.
“Yeah! Apparently, he started it freshman year to help him find his way around and it kind of grew from there. A lot of his dormmates have this on their phones, but it’s a well kept secret.” Cater explained as he used his hand to rotate the campus around.
“How did you even know about this?” Vil asked, shocked.
“Oh! I helped Idia gather the data! He reached out to me because he needed someone who would take really good pictures of everything. Down to like the cracks in the pavement. When it comes to pictures, I’m your guy!” Cater said, throwing up the victory sign.
Vil was… impressed. The 3D model was certainly much more useful than the map he had been given. But he was also very annoyed.
“Why did you not say something yesterday? It would have been so useful!” Vil demanded.
“Umm you told me to stop talking? I mean, I was going to bring it up on my phone, but you told me to put it away. I guess it worked out because I got the update from him today. He added the Ramshackle Dorm back to the model.” Cater replied.
Rook snorted and covered his mouth to keep from laughing out loud as Vil’s eye twitched before he sighed.
“That is true. Very well, is there anything else I should know? Any other magic items or favors you can call in to make this just a little bit easier to handle?” Vil demanded.
“Hm, I have a lot of favors under my belt, but nothing that would be useful right now. Don’t worry though! I’ll let you know if I think of another one!” Cater said smiling.
“Very well. With our updated map, let’s get back on track. To start with…” Vil started.
–sSs–
“And that is that.” Vil said as he finally sat down.
His back ached and so did his head, but the theme had been settled on, they had a timeline to get everything done and even a flexible schedule for the weekend itself. He would still need a final number of how many families were coming, but he believed his schedule would work no matter the size. He looked at Cater when he heard his camera go off. Cater was carefully taking pictures of each note, tongue sticking out as he worked.
“Is there a reason for your picture taking, Monsieur MagiCam?” Rook asked.
“Please do not post them online.” Vil called, rubbing his forehead.
“Eh? Nah, this is just for me. Notes get lost or ruined so easily, so I take pictures of them. I even take pictures of my school notes.” Cater explained.
“Really?” Vil called.
“Well, of course! Also helps in case someone asks for them. I can send them right away.” Cater replied as he sat up and scrolled through his pictures, making sure nothing was missing or blurry.
“You are more methodical than I would have expected.” Rook stated.
“Oh, yeah. I hate losing things and have a shit memory, so I had to learn some #tipsandtricks.” Cater said with a laugh.
Vil sighed.
“Please, just don’t lose anything important. Like your sanity. Or my patience.” Vil muttered.
“Ok, so with this all settled, we just need to spread the word right? Make sure everyone is on the same page?” Cater asked.
“Yes, I am sure there will be complaints, concerns and other issues, but for now, let us hope it will be easy.” Vil replied.
“In that case, I am going to head back to my dorm and see if Riddle has any input. I’ll also check with Trey and the other vices tomorrow, see if they have any potential concerns. Later gator!” Cater listed off.
“Very well. Rook, please show Cater out.” Vil replied exhaustedly.
Rook bowed as Cater waved and Vil was left alone.
–sSs–
“Get home safe, Monsieur MagiCam.” Rook said as he closed the door.
“Night, Rook! It’s time for Cay-Cay to get some #beautyrest!” Cater replied.
He turned and walked away, listening to the door close behind him before his smile dropped. Reaching up, he rubbed his eyes as he sighed.
“Way to fuck it up, Cater.” Cater hissed to himself.
He had been doing good for a while there, had proven himself just a bit with that 3D model Idia had made, but then he had to open his big mouth about his memory issues and had ruined everything.
“Vil is certainly going to hold that against me.” Cater said sadly.
Scrolling through his phone, he read and reread each note as he walked, desperately trying to memorize them. This was his only chance, his only chance to prove himself to Vil and not be seen as a hopeless leech anymore. This was his very last chance to finally show Vil his value, even though it was most certainly hopeless at this point. Cater bit his lip as he came across a picture he had snuck while they had been working. Vil was pushing back a strand of hair, looking absolutely stunning as he always did. Cater sighed, feeling his heart do the same flutter it always had.
“Cater, you really are a loser.” Cater said with a sad chuckle.
He quickly deleted the picture, knowing better than to keep it on his phone. If anyone were to see it, especially that woman, he would never be allowed to live it down. Especially if she ever found out how much he actually cared about Vil. He bit his lip as he returned to his own dorm. It was just before curfew, so he had a few moments before he would need to help Trey with his rounds. A quick check in the mirror to adjust himself and to slap a smile on his face before he met Trey near the first year floor.
“Cater, on time, as always.” Trey said with a smile.
“Of course! I’m not going to leave my best buddy all by himself!” Cater said with a wink.
They stood there for a moment, watching as the large father clock in the hall counted down before it let out a loud, booming dong. Curfew had hit and it was their job to make sure anyone who was out of bed was found and reprimanded.
“I’ll take left if you take right.” Cater said as Trey chuckled.
“As always. See you on the other side.” Trey said.
They split up, one going left, the other right as they started to check each and every room. First year floor was done quickly, which was a surprise since it was the floor with the most issues usually, but even the troublesome duo were in their room. Second and third years were just as straightforward and then they were done. Heading to Riddle’s room to give their report, Trey glanced at Cater.
“So how did it go today?” Trey asked.
“Hm? Oh, it went fine. I was allowed to talk this time. He still didn’t want too much input from me, but I think I proved myself a little.” Cater said, twirling his hair.
Trey sighed and crossed his arms.
“You shouldn’t have to prove yourself at all. It’s Vil who needs the help. He should be grateful for your input.” Trey grumbled.
Cater placed a hand on Trey’s shoulder.
“Hey, it’s ok, remember? I’ll be fine.” Cater winked and Trey shook his head.
“I just wish he understood…” Trey trailed off and Cater gave a sad sigh.
“It’s just how it is, you know? I can’t change it anymore than I can change my hair color.” Cater replied.
“I still say I like your hair color.” Trey said, giving a strand a tug.
Cater pulled away and idly ran a hand through it.
“Yeah, well, I’ve just had to get used to it. It sucks that color changing spells don’t work on my hair texture, but hey, that’s just #storyofmylife, am I right?” Cater chuckled.
They came to Riddle’s door and knocked once before being let in. Riddle was finishing up some forms before he turned to them.
“Everyone in bed and accounted for?” Riddle asked.
“All the bugs are safe in their rugs.” Cater said with a salute.
“Hedgehogs and flamingos are accounted for as well. Got those reports from Ace and Deuce right here.” Trey said, handing them over.
Riddle smiled and put his pen down and took the files.
“Excellent. Let’s hope the night is quiet.” Riddle said before turning to Cater.
“How is the planning going? I hope Vil is treating you with respect?” Riddle asked.
Cater laughed as Trey eyed him.
“Of course! Vil, Rook and I are working together like a well oiled machine. We’ll have this event up and running in no time.” Cater lied simply and Riddle smiled.
“I am glad. I was worried how he would treat you. If you have any problems or issues, come to me immediately. And if at any time you want to pull out of his team, we could always use your help here.” Riddle said with a nod.
“You got it, Riddle! You know me, I’m like the king of parties!” Cater replied cheerfully.
“That you are and don’t let Vil forget that. He needs you more than you need him.” Riddle nodded.
“I won’t, so no worries!” Cater laughed.
Trey frowned, but didn’t say anything and so they finished up quickly enough. As Trey and Cater headed back to their dorm room, Trey wanted to ask, but Cater was reading something on his phone and they were both tired. After getting changed, they settled in and as Cater’s eyes closed, his final thought was
“I am the King of Parties.”
Drip, drip, drop
–sSs–
True to his word, the next day, Cater and his clones ran around, gathering information from various vices to get a better understanding and to explain the theme. Most liked the theme (except Leona, who loudly exclaimed it was “bullshit!” while Ruggie laughed hysterically), but some had questions that Cater took notes on. Later that day, Cater was back at Pomefiore dorm.
“So, I spread the word and we got a mostly positive reaction. Kalim especially seemed to like it, kept telling me how he wasn’t actually royalty, but was related to some. He offered his treasury if we needed more funds.” Cater explained.
“That is good. Any bad reactions?” Vil asked.
“Just one and I think you know who. I snapped a picture if you want to see.” Cater held out his phone and Vil chuckled when he saw Leona’s furious face.
“Ah, yes that does make me feel better.” Vil said with a smirk as he leaned back.
Rook snickered and asked for a copy, which Cater sent him.
“Any concerns?” Vil asked.
Cater blinked and opened his phone’s notes.
“Let’s see. I did hear a few concerns about tackiness. Azul especially wanted to make it clear that he didn’t want tacky looking decorations.” Cater stated.
“He would have an eye for tackiness.” Vil grumbled as he rolled his eyes.
“I told him I would send him some pictures of what we were looking at and how everything would look. He relaxed after that.” Cater replied.
“Anything else?” Rook asked.
“Just the same general concerns you have at every big event. Enough food, enough space, enough to do, etc. Ortho did make a mention that Idia was concerned about crowds. I explained we had a system in place already to keep crowds from swamping one dorm or another.” Cater stated.
“We do?” Vil and Rook asked, startled.
Cater blinked and looked at them.
“Oh shoot, I knew I forgot something.” Cater muttered as he pulled up something on his phone.
“While talking about crowds, I remembered the Spelldrive tournament, so I stopped by Sam’s and checked if he had anything we could use to make it easier. He suggested some crowd control devices, but I think the best idea is to have someone from each dorm doing tours in the dorm areas and Mirror room. In the main courtyard, we should be fine, but in the dorms, it could get crazy.” Cater explained, showing some notes he had taken.
“Hmm, this is good to consider. We do want the families to stay in the school area and less in the dorm areas. We will have to be sure it is more entrancing.” Vil said.
“That was quite clever, Monsieur MagiCam.” Rook said as Cater smiled.
“I have to agree. I had not considered it. Thank you, Cater, for thinking ahead.” Vil smiled and Cater beamed.
“No problem!” Cater replied.
“Alright, let’s get back to the matter at hand.” Vil stated.
–sSs–
Cater was on cloud nine. Vil had praised him, Vil had actually PRAISED him! Cater couldn’t be happier right now. An absolutely dopey smile was on his face when he got back to the dorm that night. Trey, sensing his good mood, smiled as Cater flopped onto his bed.
“Good night?” Trey asked.
“A very good night.” Cater said with delight.
“I’m glad. I hope it stays that way.” Trey said as Cater nodded.
“Me too.” Cater replied.
–sSs–
With the planning done, the real work began. By the next day, Cater was running around, sometimes even two or three Caters were running around. Gathering supplies, getting requests, helping with issues/concerns and basically laser focused on what needed to get done. A whole week went by in a blink and while Cater felt like he was getting closer to Vil, he also felt very tired.
From the moment he got up to the moment he went to bed, he was working on the event and even started to dream about it. However, he was giving it his all and wasn’t about to stop now. Classes were still happening and homework still needed to be done along with helping out around his own dorm, but Cater didn’t dare let anyone down. More than once, Trey found Cater fast asleep at his desk, homework and event notes all around him. Trey was a bit concerned, but he was busy himself and didn’t have time to help out. He just had to hope Cater knew what he was doing.
–sSs–
Vil sighed as he double tapped the picture on MagiCam. It was on Cater’s profile, a simple selfie of Cater, Rook and himself having a quick coffee break as they worked on the event with the #planningcommittee as the main tag. Really, he should be mad about it, but honestly, he actually didn’t mind. Two weeks ago? He would have been furious, but not now.
“I can’t believe he changed my mind so much.” Vil muttered.
He never thought it would happen, but… it did. Cater had changed his mind and had done so without forcing it or demanding anything of Vil that he wasn’t willing to give. Instead, Cater had handed himself over on a silver platter and waited for Vil to make his judgment. He had allowed Vil to come to his own conclusions and change his own mind. That required patience most people didn’t even care to have and yet, Cater had done that for him.
Vil turned to the various notes and information Cater had gathered. From what he saw, Scarabia and Ignihyde were working together perfectly. Ortho and Kalim got along like kids on a playground while Jamil and Idia were the ones really doing all the hard work. However, Kalim had gone ahead and reached out to several large and famous musicians to get them to play. Last he had heard, the super popular idol group, DTS, were going to be coming along with a few smaller groups. Cater had teased that the Light Music Club might even make an appearance.
Moving on, Heartsabyul and Octavinelle had handed in their lists for supplies. Heartsabyul had all the sugar and flour one could ever need whereas Azul had handed in a list of food vendors who had agreed to come on such short notice. While they were working together, it was a shaky relationship that Cater was constantly smoothing over due to ruffled feathers. He just hoped he didn’t have any issues that weekend. They could fight all they wanted afterwards.
Pomefiore, of course, had Epel and Rook in charge and Vil could trust his men to do what they needed to do. Last he heard, they were right on schedule to have the decorations ready and up two days before. He was sure they would be gorgeous and NRC worthy.
Savannaclaw had submitted their mini Spelldrive tournament roster as well as several children’s games that Ruggie had set up for any young children to play and win prizes (Vil wondered if a certain furball’s king brother was coming, but he kept that to himself.) Most of it was going to be contained to a section of the campus that Cater had dubbed the Kiddie Korner. Rook had apparently liked it enough to make a sign for that area.
Diasomnia was the last dorm to hand in their forms. It looked like Lilia had it under control and knew what he was doing, so Vil left that dorm to him. (Vil was not scared of Malleus, just a little… intimidated, that’s all.) He didn’t think he needed to lecture fae on proper etiquette and hospitality.
While it was wonderful that everything was moving along, Vil knew he couldn’t relax just yet. Things tended to fall apart at the last minute, so Vil would keep his eye out and make sure that any issues were nipped in the bud. His phone suddenly buzzed and Vil took a quick look. It was Cater, just reminding him that at the meeting tomorrow, they had to discuss emergency/weather planning. He found himself smiling at his phone before shaking his head.
“Just don’t be late. See you then.” Vil wrote back.
–sSs–
Cater smiled when he saw Vil write back. He was exhausted, like always, but seeing Vil actually reply to his message without a thumbs up or a simple ‘ok’ meant a lot. Cater stretched and went to put his phone on his bedside when it vibrated again. Taking a quick peek, he noted it was a notification from MagiCam on the group selfie he took the other day. He glanced at the username and felt his stomach drop, his chest felt cold and a chill went down his spine. His hands started to shake and he quickly placed the phone down before he turned over and pulled his comforter up to cover his head.
“It’s a coincidence. Just a coincidence. That’s all it is.” Cater muttered desperately.
Drip, drip, drip, drop.
–sSs–
Cater was nervous the next day. He felt like something bad was going to happen, like there was a pit in his stomach. Trey seemed to know something was wrong, but Cater just kept blowing him off and Trey was unable to pin him down. In the end, Trey had to let it go and Cater kept his insecurities to himself, pushing them to the very back of his mind as he buckled down and focused.
At the meeting that night, however, his worst nightmare came true.
“I believe if we…” Vil was cut off when Cater’s phone started to buzz.
“Eh? Sorry about that, let me take this real fast! Be right back!” Cater said.
He didn’t even look at the number as he walked away, just hit the answer button.
“Hello! Cater speaking!~” he said cheerfully as he stepped into the hall.
“Cater dear.” a soft female voice replied.
Cater froze. It felt like ice water had just been poured all over him. He swallowed hard.
“M-Mother. Hello! I mean umm good evening.” Cater stumbled over his words, trying to figure out why she would be calling him.
His mother never called him, barely spoke to him, even during holidays when he was at home. In fact, he could count on one hand the times she had called him while at school. Usually it was one of his sisters calling. Cater’s heart began to pound.
“Cater, sweetheart, when were you going to tell me?” she asked sweetly.
Cater stared blankly at the floor, mind racing. Tell her? Tell her about what?
“A-About what, Mother? I am not quite sure what you mean.” Cater said nervously.
She chuckled on the other end of the phone and the hair on the back of his neck stood on end.
“Why, about your new friend, Cater!” she replied.
“M-My new friend?” he parroted.
“Yes, I saw him on MagiCam. Why did you not tell your dear mother that you were friends with Vil Schoenheit?” she questioned, an edge to her voice.
Oh… oh that’s what this was about. He swallowed and rubbed the back of his neck.
“I-I mean we are not really friends. I’m helping him put together an event for school. That’s all.” Cater muttered nervously.
“Cater.” his mother cut him off harshly and even though she was thousands of miles away, Cater froze like she was standing right in front of him.
“Yes?” he whispered.
“Your sisters and I are going to be stopping by next weekend. Your sisters wish to meet with Vil. You will make that happen.” she stated.
Cater stared at the floor. All he wanted was for it to open up and swallow him whole.
“Y-You’re coming… here?” he asked, confused.
“Correct. And you are going to do everything in your power to make sure that your sisters meet with Vil, do I make myself clear?” she demanded.
“Mother, Vil is going to be crazy busy with this whole event. I don’t think-” he was cut off.
“Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear. Cater?” Her voice shook with anger.
It was so strong, Cater could feel it wrapping around his throat. He didn’t dare tell her no.
“Y-Yes, Mother.” he replied, shoulders slumping.
“Good, good. That’s my boy. I expect only the best for your sisters, understand? No excuses.” she stated.
“Yes, Mother.” he said again.
“Good. Good night, Cater.” and with that, she hung up.
Helplessly, Cater stared at his phone. No questions about how he was doing, how school was going, nothing. Like usual, her only concern was her two darling daughters. She didn’t care about her only son, unless she could use him for something. His eyes welled with tears, but he quickly forced them back. He had work to do. He walked back into the lounge, head bowed.
“Is everything alright, Monsieur MagiCam?” Rook asked, curiously.
“Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry about that.” Cater muttered.
Cater dropped into a chair and the two Pomefiore students looked at each other before going back to what they were doing. They quickly found, however, that Cater was in his own world. He said little and when the meeting was over, he left right away. Vil frowned as he watched Cater go, but he had work to do and no time to dilly dally.
“Keep an eye on him, Rook.” Vil stated.
“Yes, Beautiful Vil.” Rook replied.
–sSs–
When he got back to the dorm, Cater threw himself on his bed and curled around a pillow. He didn’t dare move, even when Trey came in later on that night. Trey took one look at Cater and frowned.
“Are you ok?” Trey asked.
Cater just shook his head, face buried in his pillow. Trey frowned and knelt by his bedside.
“Was it Vil? If he upset you, Cater, you don’t have to go back. I’ll tell Riddle and he’ll make sure of it.” Trey said, frowning.
Cater shook his head again. Trey’s brow furled.
“Rook?” Trey asked as Cater shook his head again.
“Riddle? Ace and/or Deuce?” Trey listed off.
Again, Cater shook his head. Trey’s frown got deeper.
“It wasn’t… her, was it?” Trey demanded.
Cater nodded slowly and glanced at him. Cater’s face was red with tears and snot. He looked absolutely miserable.
“Oh Cater.” Trey muttered.
He ran his hand through Cater’s hair. Few people could get Cater upset like his mother and Trey hated that she had such a chokehold on him, even at school.
“What could she possibly want?” Trey demanded.
Cater muttered something that Trey could not hear.
“Cater.” Trey stressed.
Cater huffed and sat up, pulling away from his pillow.
“She’s coming to the school..” Cater admitted.
“Eh? Wait… she’s coming to NRC?” Trey said in shock.
“Yes.” Cater muttered.
“But… she has never come here. Why now?” Trey asked.
“She wants the girls to meet Vil.” Cater admitted.
“And let me guess, she wants you to set it up.” Trey said angrily.
Cater shrugged and looked away. Trey sighed and sat beside him.
“What are you going to do?” Trey asked.
“What can I do? Mother gets what she wants. And she wants the girls to meet Vil. I will have to make it happen.” Cater replied.
“Cater…” Trey trailed off.
“No, Trey, I have to find a way to do this. Even if…” Cater’s voice trembled.
“Even if Vil hates me afterwards.”
Drip, drip, drip, drop
–sSs–
Something had changed with Monsieur MagiCam. Rook could practically taste it in the air. The young man who had hung on to Beautiful Vil’s every word and made himself available at all times was suddenly too busy to speak to either of them or come to meetings. He had called out of two planning meetings so far and Dearest Vil was not pleased, which made planning and strategizing quite a bit harder. Rook wasn’t sure what about that little phone call had changed Monsieur MagiCam so much, but he was going to get to the bottom of it.
His first stop was Monsieur MagiCam himself, but his prey was more elusive than Rook expected. He seemed to have eyes and ears everywhere and knew how to make himself disappear when he didn’t want to be found. Rook was rather impressed and would definitely ask him about it later, but still, right now was not the time for his prey to elude him. He would have to move on with his plan.
His next step was Monsieur MagiCam’s dearest friend, Trey-kun. The man was much easier to find than his ginger friend. Perhaps he would know what was going on.
“Ah, Rose Chevalier. Do you have, perhaps, a moment for moi?” Rook asked as he approached Trey in the library.
The baker’s son blinked before he placed his books on the nearby table. He crossed his arms, frowning.
“May I ask what about? I’m kind of in the middle of something.” Trey stated.
“I promise, it will take, but a moment of your time. I wish to speak about Monsieur MagiCam.” Rook explained.
Immediately, Trey sighed and rubbed his eyes under his glasses.
“I thought so. Let me guess, he is avoiding you?” Trey asked.
“Yes! Quite clever, Monsieur MagiCam is. He certainly makes the hunt interesting.” Rook said with a chuckle.
“Cater has a bad habit where if he doesn’t want to be found, you won’t find him. I think he knows this school like the back of his hand. More so than even some of the staff.” Trey stated.
“Hmm, certainly useful, but right now, Dearest Vil needs him to be easily found. You can see where my concern is.” Rook said.
Trey looked away. He seemed to be biting back works.
“You want to know why Cater is acting this way. What makes you think I would tell you?” Trey asked as he started to gather his books.
“You are his dearest friend, non? Why wouldn’t he tell you?” Rook asked.
Trey sighed and looked at Rook.
“There is a lot about Cater even I don’t know. What I do know is this: Cater is…in a delicate state right now. He needs distractions and he is going to use them until they are all gone.” Trey frowned before adjusting his glasses.
“If you and Vil are really that concerned, give him space, let him distract himself with the event. Whatever jobs you need done, give them to him. Big or small, if it’s a job he can focus on, that should be enough to get him out of his funk.” Trey explained.
“I see. Will that help?” Rook asked.
“No, not at all, but to be honest, I don’t think either of you can help, only make it worse.” Trey stated.
“Trey?” Riddle’s voice called from nearby and Trey sighed.
“I’m sorry, I have to go. Good luck and please, don’t push Cater right now.” Trey said before turning and walking away.
Rook watched him go and rubbed his chin.
“The hunt has become more interesting.” Rook stated.
–sSs–
Vil was not happy. Just when he thought this event was going to go smoothly, Cater had to go and throw a wrench into everything! While yes, Cater was still on top of everything, the schedule was continuing without a hitch and everything seemed to be ready for next weekend, Cater continued to evade coming near Rook or himself. Calls went unanswered, texts were replied to vaguely and meetings were skipped. If Vil didn’t know any better, he would think Cater was putting distance between himself and the committee, but for what reason!
“Ridiculous!” Vil hissed when Rook finished relying on his conversation with Trey.
“Ah, but my Roi de Poison, seemingly true. Monsieur MagiCam has gone above and beyond all of our expectations of him. Everything has gone as perfectly as you could ever hope. Why, still, do you seem so upset? Was it not you who said you wanted, and I quote, ‘Nothing to do with Cater Diamond’?” Rook asked, grinning.
Vil wished he had a dagger because he would have stabbed the grinning man. Vil turned away, his arms crossed in defensiveness.
“I cannot run this whole event if one of my lackeys won’t listen to me, Rook.” Vil grumbled.
“Or, perhaps, Monsieur MagiCam showed you there was more to him than you thought and you were beginning to enjoy his company? His easy going nature? His clever quips? He has quite a bit going for him.” Rook teased.
Vil grit his teeth, attempting to stop a headache from forming.
“You are putting words in my mouth.” Vil replied coldly.
Rook slipped to the floor before Vil and took his hand in one of his own, pressing a kiss to it. Vil eyed him.
“My Dearest, Beautiful Vil. Your cunning words hide how closely Monsieur MagiCam came to breaking through your harsh exterior to the kind man beneath. His hard work and dedication to your wishes has melted your heart and showed you that people can be more than they appear. You do not have to deny it. We both know the truth.” Rook stated.
Vil wanted to pull away, but… he was right, wasn’t he? Vil looked away.
“Even still, Cater is pulling away now. Perhaps he decided the prize wasn’t worth the fight.” Vil replied.
Rook pulled his head back and chuckled, but did not get up.
“Oh, I highly doubt that. It seems to me something has spooked our ginger friend and we simply need to find out what it is and fix it. That is all.” Rook stated.
Vil sighed and nodded.
“I suppose so. I will approach him tomorrow. Get the air cleared between us.” Vil stated.
“I believe that is your most beautiful idea yet.” Rook smiled.
However, neither of the men saw the shadow hiding just outside the window, watching as Rook continued to hold Vil’s hand. Cater had no idea what was being said, not clue what was going on, but what he saw explained everything. He had finally mustered up the courage to come back to the planning meetings, but no one had answered the door when he rang. He had moved to the side of the dorm to hopefully find a window to knock on, but it was clear to him now why no one was answering the door. Staring with blank eyes, Cater felt his heart break. The rain poured, hiding his tears as Cater turned and left.
Drip, drip, drip, drop