ℌ𝔞𝔭𝔭𝔦𝔩𝔶 𝔈𝔳𝔢𝔯 𝔄𝔣𝔱𝔢𝔯 ~ Ⓩⓞⓓⓘⓐⓒⓢ

ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯 4

The next week passed by with little to no notable events, apart from the two groups continuing to get more intimate with one another. The house was shockingly quiet, despite the fears possessed by Leo, Aries, and Libra... and not to mention the readers. True to his words, Virgo kept his promise exactly. The first week of the new home was much calmer and serene than a myriad of the zodiacs expected, and much of the tranquility was due to Virgo and his lack of pranks.

Despite what anyone else would tell you, let it be known that Virgo was the main prankster, and the best one at that, of the complete group of twelve. If he started a prank, you can be assured that a large number of the others would contribute as well. That would promptly cause yet another prank war. Frankly, that was typically how the villain zodiacs' prank wars would start before the epistles arrived, changing their lives for the better.

Currently, it was the second week of Mansion Life, which was what Sagittarius and Virgo had determined to denominate the zodiac plan. It also denoted that the group could ravage the manor all they wanted, as Libra had indirectly told them they could demolish the house after the initial week. Of course, needless to say, that was exactly what they were preparing to do.

So that was why, at that moment, Virgo was arranging to set about the initiatory prank war at four o'clock in the morning. Hopefully, if it wasn't ceased by the parents (AKA Leo and Aries, as Libra was the uncle in Virgo's eyes), the prank wars would then ensue, lessening the tension between the villains and the heroes all the greater.

Virgo sneaked down to the first floor, to the kitchen. The night before, when he and Sagittarius were discussing the scheme, they had concurred to play one or two minor pranks that couldn't entirely be traced back to them. Virgo, now in the kitchen, rummaged through the cabinets, foraging for two containers, one filled with salt and the other sugar. Though his movements were hurried and frantic, they were quiet and soft, ensuring that he wouldn't be found unless one suddenly appeared, which, naturally, was unerringly what happened. 

Taurus had instantaneously materialized, having walked down the stairs. Or so Virgo presumed, as he didn't hear the customary soft ding! of the elevator. She didn't appear to be in her pajamas, but it was dark enough in the kitchen with no lighting that he couldn't tell. However, he could tell that her bright orange hair was in a messy bun and she appeared to be entirely awake. She gaped at him for a while, looking specifically at the canisters of salt and sugar, respectively, in his hands and clearly decided not to question it. However, she did ask in a hushed whisper, "So, what do I get for me not telling anyone about this?"

"Um, a warning to not eat your breakfast tomorrow?" Virgo tried. As she glowered at him and made a gesture to leave, he sighed, relenting. "Five bucks." He fished a five-dollar bill out of his pocket and handed it to her.

She instantly beamed in response, stretching out her hand and taking the money. "Alright then, that works. I could've also settled for one dollar, but thanks for the extra four dollars!" As she headed off, whistling quietly, Virgo stared at the back of her head, cursing himself for being so generous. He sighed again before swiveling back around so that he was once again facing the counter. He reached for the almost empty sugar storage jar while putting the can of sugar on the countertop. He put a few teaspoons of salt into the jar after removing every small speck of sugar and washing it. He made sure that it seemed like a similar amount to the primary jar before sealing the jar once again and setting it back where it was. He then resealed the can of salt, checking that it looked untouched and unopened. He repeated the same process once again, only with a salt storage jar and the can of sugar.

"There," he whispered triumphantly as he relished his success before, after checking once again to ensure that the area appeared unblemished, he headed back quietly and quickly to the second floor, to his room. When he was safe in the tangled comfort of his bed, he called Sagittarius, praying that Sagittarius had recalled to put his phone on silent. As he didn't hear a single sound before Sag picked up, Virgo safely assumed that Sag had indeed remembered. 

"Okay, done with my part," Virgo muttered to the phone. "You can go on with yours now."

"Alright," Sagittarius breathed in reply and confirmation. He then hung up the call and stretched on his bed.

He tossed his phone on his bed, as he wouldn't need it for his phase of the ploy, and gripped his watch, a fake key, a mechanical pencil, a flair pen, a small roll of tape, a miniature sticky note, a dime, a pure black bookmark, and a miniscule sticker that was barely the size of his thumb depicting the letter O. He then grabbed a notepad and a No. 2 pencil, so he wouldn't mess up the two pencils. He wrote down all of the objects, guaranteeing they were all specific and wouldn't leave any questions or mistakes, and sneaked out of his room to conceal them all. 

After that part of the prank was done, he wrote down all of the artifacts' locations and added another fake item; he wrote down "red key chain in the shape of a heart: empty white vase in living room" and circled it. That would verify that that was the nonexistent piece of the scavenger hunt he and Virgo planned for the day. That would bring some action to the manor. 

Hehehe next chapter's gonna be the scavenger hunt and the chapter after that is gonna be the first prank war of the zodiac manor. Can't wait.