A Queen and Her Kings

Fae-Style Small Talk and The Tart Rebellion

Cassandra returned to the lunchroom a bit downtrodden, but not depressed. Riddle seemed like a good guy. He likely was the way he was because someone made him that way. If he didn't want to talk about it, then that was more than okay. She barely knew him and this was likely very personal. She would wait for him to open up, if he wanted to, that was. Though she genuinely hoped he chose to confide in her.

Walking back into the cafeteria with her hands in her pockets, she took her seat without a word and resumed her place in the Excalibur book. Shorter looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"You good?", he asked, seeing as she wasn't smiling in the least, something she almost always did. Cassandra gave him a small, reassuring smile and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm just a bit worn out from arguing with Riddle. He realized Ace was collarless and was pissed that we're coming to the Unbirthday party, so I had to talk him out of trying to kick us out and re-collar Ace by saying I would bring a dessert to the party.", the redhead explained, not technically lying. Shorter raised an eyebrow.

"But isn't recollaring him pointless because you'll just take it off? Also, you already made a tart for that pint-sized jackass, why are you making another one?", he asked. Cassandra smirked.

"That's the fun part. You see Shorter, as I have memorized all eight-hundred ten of those rules from hell, I know something the others don't about acceptable foods for an Unbirthday.", Cassandra drawled slowly, leaning back in her seat and continuing to read her book. Shorter smirked as well, catching onto what was happening.

Cassandra, like always, had a plan; and also, like always, it was a fun one.

"And that would be?", he asked. Cassandra's smirk turned into a toothy grin.

"The only thing you can't bring to an Unbirthday party is a mont blanc tart, which is exactly what we're going to bring.", the tribrid whispered conspiringly, and Shorter grinned widely but raised an eyebrow.

"But why do you want to piss little red off more? Not that I'm complaining, but I don't really see the point, and you always have a point.", Shorter whispered back, and Cassandra laughed a bit.

"Right you are, darling. My 'point' is this; Riddle is stuck in his own little world where rules are the only thing that matter, likely because of some jackass adult in his life. So, we're going to show him just how stupid his rules are by rebelling. Once he sees we have a point, his world view will be shattered and we'll be there to help him pick up the pieces.", Cassandra explained. Shorter's grin widened.

"So you want to take Mr. Big-shot-Napoleon-complex down a peg and then bring him over to the fun side?", he asked. Cassandra nodded.

"Fuck it, I'm in.", he said, and the two lovers shared conspiring grins, before Cassandra suddenly remembered something.

"Hey Trey!", she called out, drawing Trey's attention away from his conversation with Cater.

"Yeah?", he said, and Cassandra smiled at him apologetically.

"I know this is a lot to ask, but could you give two of us your extra Unbirthday invites? We need eight for all of us to go, and Cater, Ace and Deuce already gave us theirs.", the redhead explained. Trey blinked and then smiled.

"Sure, I never use them anyways. Oh, and that reminds me!", he said, a look of realization on his face as he brought a green plastic cake box over to the tribrid.

"I made you this. It's a strawberry cake. I figured you deserved something sweet after what happened at the dwarf mines. Headmaster Crowley... isn't the most competent headmage, but that was intense even for him. I'm honestly shocked he would so much as suggest sending you all there.", the green haired third year explained, an apologetic and concerned look on his face. Cassandra smirked at him in a way he couldn't decide whether he found attractive or foreboding.