Stars Forever Falling

Chapter 5: Happy Birthday to Us

- 2 Years Later -

Two years, 2 months and 15 days since their arrest, and in just a short 24 hours, they were going to be set free once again to rejoin Rageon civilisation. With some parole conditions attached.

The conditions of their parole were as follows:

1.) Issue a public apology

2.) Rejoin the city as fully functioning members of society

3.) Don't be stupid and get arrested again for whatever reason

4.) Apologise to the trolls!

The first three seemed easy enough, but they had no idea how the fourth in the list was even possible. If Mount Rageous itself had been completely cut off by the trolls and their allies, then what chance did they have in getting in contact with them? And not only that, they were expected to provide evidence of this oh so important apology. They had begun to wonder if they should give up hopes of never being behind bars again now. Mount Rageons thought very little about any other creature that inhabited the continent, yet they still cared deeply for their image when facing them, having two of their own kidnap and torture trolls was high on the list of nopes, rumour has it that before the cut off, King Gristle and Queen Bridget of Bergen Town had issued a warning to Mount Rageous regarding the threat they are to their troll allies.

The twins had been moved into the same sharing cell since their reconciliation, a move made by the head office in order to monitor their changes in behaviour. Their cell was by far the flashiest. It's four walls ordained in colourful letters, fanart, and the occasional photograph or cut out from various magazines they had once featured in. All gifts from some particularly conflicted and/or crazy fans in denial. But these fans were still fans, and the V's were going to snatch up the support wherever it came from. Especially Velvet.

They kept themselves occupied and up to date with the latest news on their story's development to the outside world, but it seemed that they had finally started fading from view as time went by. Together, they had made a significant improvement, as sassy as ever still, but it was due to this noticeable change that their sentence had been reduced. The only thing they tended to get in trouble for constantly was them ripping off the bottom half of their uniform shirts to turn them into crop tops, and by now and the amount they had had replaced, the ones in charge had given up punishing them for it. They would be out on parole tomorrow morning. Coincidentally, tomorrow was also their 19th birthday.

Velvet sat cross legged on her bunk with a pile of the papers beside her, she had begun to remove her treasured posters and fanmail from the wall aside her mattress and read through them as she did, each time reminding herself that she was worth the trouble of sending these to her in jail. Her neck had healed completely, and she wore bandages no more. 'Was just a scratch.' She thought every time she looked at herself in the cloudy prison mirrors. Veneer's scratch had scarred.

Veneer was sitting with his legs dangling off of the end of the top bunk and kicked them playfully as he hummed to himself, removing his own paper trail. "I can't believe they're letting us go!" He exclaimed excitedly, clutching a bunch of papers to his chest tightly, crumpling them up from happiness.

"About time, we're wasted in here." Velvet responded as she flipped through the signed envelopes like a pack of cards, passing over a letter that came with a pressed Orchid.

"Seriously, though. I can't believe they're actually letting us go this early- after what we did-" He said lifting his head to ponder at the ceiling before flopping over on his bed, looking over the side of the top bunk to look down at Velvet.

"Yes, well. Obviously, they finally realised that they had made a mistake. But remember; 'what we did was oh so horrible and we are SO deeply sorry for our actions'." She repeated in a condescending tonne of voice as if she had rehearsed this line a thousand times. She looked up from her ego stroking collection and to Veneer with a serious expression.

"Right. Right." Veneer nodded and then looked back at her with realisation and not so subtly winked at her. "Riiiiiiiight!"

Velvet rolled her eyes and shoved the contents of her vanity into a large file. As she did this Veneer shot his head back, the mattress creaked and he jumped off of the bunk and to the hard gritty floor landing on his feet, he had something in his hands behind his back. Vels tilted her head in an attempt to peak but then instead looked up at him puzzled.

"I know we can't get each other gifts in here like we're used to. The last couple of years were extremely limited and miserable, I know, but I thought I'd try a hand at making something for you. I thought I'd give it to you now since tomorrow morning we'll be out on our butts." Veneer said with a smile.

Velvet stood up and smiled slightly to herself as she bent down to reach under her mattress and produced a small parcel wrapped in newspaper. "I thought you'd beat me to it - but me first anyway - and before you ask, YES, it's disinfected to hell."

They exchanged gifts, Velvet shoving her parcel to Veneer first. They both sat down on her bunk and simultaneously opened their make do presents. They weren't anything sumptuous, but they were appreciated.

"Vels- where did you get this?" Veneer asked with a concerned look on his face, curling his lip in confusion. In between his fingers, he raised up a singular crystal earring.

"What? Don't you recognise it? It's that twink guard's earring you totally had a crush on! Ya' know the one that "patted you down" after we got caught bunking from yard work to sneak a treat from the kitchens. I stole it." She smirked and chuckled to herself, reminiscing.

Ven blushed and fumbled with the earring in his hands as it slipped from his grip. "I did NOT have any kinda crush on him! He was way too handsy. Anyways, he patted you down, too!"

"Yeah but at least he didn't whisper sweet nothings into my ear as he did it~" She teased and posed in a melodramatic manner, kicking her leg out and leaning back, resting the back of her hand on her forehead. Veneer pushed her over for her teasing and rolled his eyes at her laughing, shaking his head at the gift but secretly finding it rather amusing himself.

Velvet wiped a tear from her eye and then proceeded to tear off the rest of the tissue, to reveal a dart board shaped object, decorated with several additions of Crimp's pictures, taken of her during their trials that had featured in all media. Velvet stretched her face and retracted her chin in disgust. "What the hell is this???"

"It's a dart board!" Veneer proclaimed and stood up to reach under his pillow. "And that's not all!" He pulled out what looked to be the first couple of pages of a popular magazine and handed it to his sister. "I was tryna keep it under wraps until tomorrow- but I couldn't wait! They finally determined Crimp's involvement and charged her!" Veneer clapped and jumped in place.

Velvet's gasp was so loud it could have woken up the rest of their block. She jumped up with such energy she nearly knocked her head on the top bunk. She screamed from pure joy and joined her brother in flailing her hands and jumping up and down in place. "THIS IS SERIOUSLY THE GREATEST MOMENT OF MY LIFE!" She exclaimed and grabbed him by the shoulders, shoving her face into his gritting her teeth feraly.

"I-it is?" Veneer put his hands up honestly a little terrified of his sister's reaction to the news.

"No- but it's definitely up there!" She nodded with a wide smile plastered across her face and let go of him, picking up the dart board from the bed again. Pulling him in for an appreciative hug. He hugged her back and smiled before the lights simultaneously went off around them.

A guard shouted through "lights out" and the two nodded and clambered into their own cots holding tight onto their gifts.

"Happy Birthday Vels." One twin said.
"Back at you." The other said before both tried their best to get their last night of sleep behind bars.

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Yoyoyo what's popping guysssss, hope you enjoyed this chapter! Tomorrow is the day the jailbirds are realised from prison! Stay tuned to find out what happens next! Lemme know your thoughts on my story so far! Babyeeee :3