Beauty & The Beasts (Twisted Wonderland x Reader)

Cubes, Cubes, and More Cubes -114-

"While I do applaud the consistency of their style and theme, I do wish they'd take on a more modern approach to this hallway of gloom." Vil criticized as his heels clicked against the floor of the downward staircase. Rook nodded in agreement. "Oui! Some lovely pictures would evaluate the gothic aesthetic. What brilliant eye for style you have, Roi du Poison!" You sweat dropped with a small smile as you walked in front of them with Epel, the latter restraining a groan as he rolled his eyes towards the ceiling.

Suddenly, Rook paused, eyes widening as he took in something ahead of him. "...Hm? Something's coming up the stairs." He realized as the rest of you looked forwards. Indeed, a small, large rodent sized figure was climbing up the stairs towards the four of you. The blue light of the torches on the wall failed to hit them rendering whatever it was to an undistinguished silhouette.

Hope bubbled in your chest. After all, it was roughly Grim's size and height. Perhaps... Either way, Epel seemed to have the same thoughts as you, eyes widening in surprise and hope as well. "It looks small. You think that's Grim? HEY, GR—mph!" Before he could finish his called, Rook yanked him back and stepped in front of the group with a glare pointed at the creature.

"Epel, no! That isn't Grim. It's about 10 centimeters shorter than he is!" He exclaimed with his magic pen pointed up. You looked on in confusion, not at the creature but at Rook. "How do you know how big my cat is?"

Rook turned to you with a smile and wink. "As a hunter, I make a point to figure out the approximate size of all my prey. For example, you're roughly (Y/H) tall, correct?" You didn't respond, just looking at him with a blank, slightly concerned look. Was he right? Yeah. Were you going to add fuel to his fire? No.

With slightly pursed lips and a semi eye roll at Rook's... Rooking... Vil prepared his own magic pen. "Well, it's coming this way now! Ready yourselves!" The Pomefiore housewarden warned. Now, with the creatures finally being close enough, you could see the creature was in fact two little ink Phantoms with imp like appearances, one dark turquoise and one dark maroon and fatter.

Thankfully, due to their still relatively small size, they were fairly easy to beat in a quick, efficient manner. After the two Phantoms were splattered on the ground, Epel slumped and sighed. "Okay, yeah. I see now that thing didn't look like Grim at all..." He murmured to himself with a huff. Vil tutted and shook his head. "Good grief. You must be better about reining in your impulses."

"We've been seeing more Phantoms out and about," Rook said slowly, "It would appear the lower levels are thawing now." Epel clasped his hands over his heart with a despondent look. "I wonder where Grim is. I just hope he didn't get attacked by a Phantom..." He said softly with an undertone of worry.

Taking a deep breath, you crossed your arms and sighed. "I've no doubt Grim can defend himself against a few measly Phantoms like these. However... I'm more concerned when the larger ones begin getting freed." You mumbled with a nervous look.

In hopes of keeping the atmosphere light, Rook grinned reassuringly. "Worry not. He's a clever, plucky boy, for all his faults. I'm sure he's hiding and staying out of trouble." The hunter said easily. You simply nodded. Vil crossed his arms and let out a small, humorous scoff. "Though I imagine if I opened a can of tuna right now, the noise would bring him running." He joked.

You let out a small, sad little smile. "He probably would..." You admitted wistfully. "Oh yeah, speaking of Grim..." Epel began, "Vil, you said you never saw him when you were in Styx HQ, right?" He asked.

Vil nodded in confirmation. "That's correct. I had no idea he was even here until you all told me. I imagine they suspected he was under the influence of blot when he attacked. Though if he was supposed to depart with us tomorrow morning... Perhaps they couldn't identify any link between blot and his going berserk after SDC."