Windows to The Soul | Twisted Wonderland

Five | After The Storm

In a few minutes, Yuu and Riddle groggily open their eyes, peering at their concerned faces in a daze.

Ace announces their awakening, "They're back!"

Cater waves at them in relief, smiling, "Well, it's about time... We were just about losin' our heads here - figure of speech, sorry - 'cause we thought you  two might never wake up!"

Riddle's eyes shift to his hand, which is tightly held in Trey's to his face, "What in the world happened...?"

Crowley remains at a distance, though he's nearly beaming, "Ah, Mr. Rosehearts and Mr. Yuu appear to have regained consciousness. Excellent."

Yuu appears normal, as if they just woke up from a power nap, "Why was I out too? Oh, but I ended up having a weird dream."

Michio eagerly inches closer to Yuu, offering a hand, which they gladly accept, "Trey thinks you fainted from the stress. Anyway, it's time for a dream analysis session!"

Yuu awkwardly smiles, pausing to compose a response, but Atreus beats him to it, "Ask them another time. We have other matters to discuss first."

Riddle turns to his side, about to push himself up, but Trey stops him with a hand to his forehead. He gently guides Riddle to remain lying down, so he complies, "Don't worry, Riddle. Just try to rest."

"Yo, that's just the sort of coddling that led to him going nuts in the first place!" Ace points an accusing finger at Trey, scolding him, "Now the garden is torn up from the floor up, not to mention that we could've died!"

Deuce brings a hand to his chin while he examines the surroundings, "He's right. It was looking bad for a while there."

Grim crosses his paws, "For cryin' out loud. When you humans let that stress build up, the results sure ain't pretty." He trots over to Yuu, circling them to check their condition.

"On the bright side, we worked really well together, considering it was our first time. Those combo moves totally carried!" Michio beams before turning to Atreus, "See, I knew you would have been a great addition to the team! You and Yuu would be the co-strategizers."

"You went on a whole rant about not helping, but you showed up at the end with Michio," Ace flashes a smug smile, "Don't tell me you're secretly soft under that cold exterior of yours."

"I see, it looks like I misjudged you..." Deuce ponders, crossing his arms, "I get it. It's hard to put things into words, so you gotta show through action." He throws a punch against his palm.

"That's quite the absurd perception you have of me." Despite no changes in Atreus' demeanor to indicate it, the notion was rather amusing to him.

Michio rests a hand on his shoulder for comfort, his eyes glimmering with tenderness, "It's okay, Attie. We understand now."

"You don't."

"No, no, it's alright for real."

Cater cautiously glances between Riddle and the first-years. However, Riddle remains silent, pursing his lips while his gaze avoids their eyes. He lets out a lengthy exhale, "The truth is, I... I really wanted to eat the chestnut tart."

They collectively pause to look over at Riddle.

Riddle rests the back of his hand over his eyes, his voice trembling with each sentence, "And I don't care if the roses are white, or the flamingos are pink. And I prefer honey to sugar cubes in my tea, and I like milk tea better than lemon tea anyhow. And after a meal, I want to be the one sitting around talking with everyone..."

There's a slight shake of his shoulders, "And I really wanted to play with you and Chenya more, Trey." A tear slides down his face, and the rest run uncontrollably. He resorts to using his other hand to hide and rub at his eyes.