Twisted Wonderland

Appreciating Heights

You walk into the room Jade has his presentation in. Stepping in, you see plants of different varieties displayed in the tables. Jade smiles as you enter.

"Why, hello there. It's an honor to receive a personal visit from the culture fair management committee chair. Welcome to the Mountain Lovers Club exhibit."

"Heya, Goldfishie!" Floyd slings an arm around Riddle. "Glad to have ya. You get our First Guest Prize: a mystery mushroom, hand-picked by Jade."

Riddle shoves him off. "Hey, don't shove weird objects in my face! What do you think you're doing? And stop calling me by that silly nickname!"

"I'll have you both know that it's not a mystery mushroom or a weird object." Jade corrects. "It has a name: brown beech mushroom. And it's perfectly edible."

Riddle straightens out his clothes. "Keep your brother in line before you start worrying about corrections! I'll have both of your heads!"

"What's all the commotion at the entrance?" Trey walks in. "Ooh, I see. This is an exhibit of terrariums and photos."

Jade chuckles. "By all means, Trey, feel free to join us. This is a pastiche of all the things I've foraged in the mountains."

You step forward and look at the beautiful flowers. "You found all of these?"

Floyd wraps his arms around your waist and nuzzles into your shoulder, pushing Grim off in the process. "Heya, little shrimpy and Sealie."

Grim glowers up at the twin. "Ever since I found out why he calls me Sealie, I feel like I'm bein' insulted."

You laugh. "Hello to you too, Floyd."

Riddle rolls his eyes and folds his arms. "And what are you doing here, Floyd? Aren't you in the Basketball Club with Ace and Jamil? Surely you all should be working on building the Blue Stage in the gymnasium."

"I wasn't in much of a buildin' mood, so I was draggin' my feet. Then they kicked me out." Floyd laughs.

Riddle rubs his eyes. "Culture fairs only come together when students work as a team. Neglecting your duties because of a little mood swing is worse than breaking the rules!"

Floyd stands up straight but keeps an arm around you. "What's the big deal? The captain said I could go, so I went. Besides, I gotta do a bunch of Mostro Lounge work this afternoon. I'm gonna be carrying around heavy tanks and walkin' around selling drinks. Man... Jade doesn't gotta do any work. Why do I have to do all the heavy lifting today?" Floyd ruffles your hair. "I wanna mess around like you guys are."

"We're doing management committee work right now!" Riddle glares at the twin. "We are NOT messing around."

Jade chuckles. "Don't fret, Floyd. There's a special bonus to be earned by the vendor who makes the most drink sales. Azul said so himself."

Floyd waves him off. "You know I don't care about stuff like that. In fact, doesn't the Mountain Lovers Club do a bunch of mountain climbin'? Doesn't that count as a sport? Don't go tryin' to pass it off as an arts club now."

"Ooh, so you guys do mountaineering?" Trey asks.

"Actually, hiking isn't our primary activity." Jade informs. "We're not scaling tall mountains and collecting proof that we reached the summit, or anything of that sort. We just go on leisurely walks in the mountains around campus, where we take in the scenery, as well as the flora and fauna. Our main goal is to appreciate the mountains' bounty, while also enjoying its edible plants and mushrooms."

"Ah, I see." Trey nods. "That puts it closer to a photography club or cooking club."

"I don't know about that." Jade shrugs. "I simply take in the mountains with my senses and enjoy the experience. Sometimes I do observe things, but I'm not doing any serious experimenting like the Science Club."

"So basically, you just go to the mountains and scavenge for grub." Grim summarizes.

"I certainly wash and cook what I find, but generally speaking, yes." Jade chuckles.

"I see photos of plants and rocks on the wall. Did you take those?" Riddle asks.

Jade nods. "I did indeed. I'm sure it all looks rather mundane and humdrum to you land-dwellers. But as a sea-dweller, I find it all fascinating."

"Even then, you pick the most boring subjects." Floyd waves a hand. "It's all rocks and plants you could find anywhere. I don't get what's fun about it. Even our ancestors would at least collect rarer things."

"Maybe that's why I'm the only member of the club."

"You're the only member of the club?" You step out of Floyd's hold and walk up to Jade.

Jade smiles down at you. "It's quite alright. Though I would love for you to join, Y/N."

"Yeah, I'll think about it." You smile warmly.

A voice speaks through the intercom. "This is an announcement to all students preparing for the culture fair. Festivities will open to the public in five minutes. Please return to your booths and make your final preparations."

Riddle's eyes grow wide. "Oh no, it's almost opening time already! I haven't even checked the east building yet!"

"Then I think we'd best get going." Trey nods to the twins. "Here's hoping your booth is a success."

"Best of luck to you as well." Jade says. "Thank you all for visiting."

Floyd waves. "Bye little Shrimpy!"

You and the two Heartslabyul boys walk down the hallway. Trey brings a hand to his glasses. "It definitely had a distinctive atmosphere. I suppose most things do, when the twins get involved."

Grim trots alongside you. "I still don't know what that club's supposed to be about."

"They're not doing anything disruptive, and that's all I care about." Riddle sighs. "Let's move on."